Villages/Lady Lake

Lady Lake Chamber of Commerce hosting another Lady Lake Chamber Business Luncheon held at the Texas Roadhouse Grill. Plenty of door prizes were won. I won a bottle of wine which I gave to my wife Phyllis. We had 7 tables full, I got to visit with some good friends. The food is always good at the Texas Roadhouse Grill Lady Lake / Villages located  on 441, near the Town Hall. Good food / talked a lot of business, could not be better.

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May 1, 2023 is National Heatstroke Prevention Day.  With summer upon us, it is important to prepare for the heat that the Florida sun provides us.  The state of Florida has the second highest total number of heat related vehicle deaths of children with 102 based on statistics from 1998-2022.  More than half of vehicular heatstroke cases were because an adult forgot about a child, according to NoHeatstroke.org.  Additionally, every year pets suffer and die when their guardians make the mistake of leaving them unattended in a parked vehicle to “run in for just a minute” at the local store.  The Lady Lake Police Department is committed to informing and educating parents and pet owners on the dangers of leaving children and pets unattended in a vehicle and taking precautions to help prevent these tragic situations.  Continue reading

COMMON SENSE ANIMAL AWARENESS

May 6, 2023 @ 9:00 AM

Category: Nature Activities

Common Sense Animal Awareness

9:00 AM

Pine Meadows Conservation Area

2280 Pine Meadows Golf Course RoadEustis

Contact Justin Gentles at 352-431-8798 or email justin.gentles@lakecountyfl.gov.

http://www.lakecountyfl.gov/parks

Come hike with a Park Ranger and learn tips on how to observe animals in their habitats and stay safe when you encounter them.

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By TomL

The 2nd Annual Mac N Cheese Festival was put on by the Lady Lake Chamber. It was also a business Showcase with Arts & Crafts, Live DJ, and Local Business vendors filled the Log Cabin Grounds. An estimated 2,000 people passed through the vendor rows. They had a Mac N Cheese tasting judge by well known people.

The Mac N Cheese Festival started out with my wife setting up our table in a shady spot, the day was beautiful with a slight breeze, vendors were busy rushing around. We decided to travel light, bringing papers for just the Villages and the Lady Lake area. a few brochures and of course candy. It was fantastic the amount of people appearing at opening time and it stayed that way most of the day. They had a Mac N Cheese contest. The categories were Best Tasting, The Mayors Choice, The People’s Choice, Judges Choice, Best Decorated Booth, Best Decorated Booth Mac N Cheese Theme and the Best Gift Basket!

I met a lot of people that day and saw people I had not seen in years so it was a good day for me. I bought my son some Girl Scout Cookies that are sometimes hard to find.

A lot of fun was had by all. It was the second year and everyone is looking forward to next year including me.

Judges Choice Winner: Kiwanis of Lady Lake

Mayors Choice Winne: Watercrest at Spanish Springs

Peoples Choice Winner: Watercrest at Spanish Springs (With 225 Total Votes)

Best Decorated Booth: United Southern Bank (TROPHY)

Best Decorated Booth Mac N Cheese Theme: Visiting Angels & (GIFT BASKET  from Luke Emerson Edward Jones)

Guest Columnist: Leslie DiCesare, Executive Director

Lady Lake Area Chamber of Commerce

We enjoyed a busy March at the Lady Lake Area Chamber of Commerce full of events and more! The Chamber hosted several networking events including breakfast at Keke’s in Lady Lake. Businesses had a chance to network and take home door prizes.

The Chamber also hosted our monthly networking lunch at Texas Roadhouse in Lady Lake. Attendees leave with quality leads & referrals. Non-Chamber members are invited to attend an event as a guest before joining.

The 2nd Annual Mac N Cheese Festival/Business Showcase was well attended, and local businesses & clubs were able to compete for the chance to take home a 6ft trophy. The winner for Judges Choice was Kiwanis Club of Lady Lake, Mayor’s Choice was Watercrest at Spanish Springs, Peoples Choice was Watercrest at Spanish Springs, Best Mac N Cheese Theme Decorated Booth was Visiting Angels, and Best Overall Decorated Booth was United Southern Bank. Donations were collected for our community outreach programs. We are looking forward to bringing this event back next year even bigger and cheesier! Continue reading

Anything that takes your attention away from driving can be a distraction.  There is no doubt that the improvement of technology in today’s society has greatly benefited our society as a whole.  But, sending a text message, talking on a cell phone or using a navigation system creates hazardous road conditions.  These and any other distractions, such as tending to kids or passengers in the back seat, eating, watching an event outside of the vehicle, interacting with passengers, unsecured pets, putting on makeup or grooming, adjusting radio or climate controls, checking your GPS app or daydreaming.  These distractions can endanger you, your passengers, and others on the road.

There are three main types of distraction:

  • Visual-taking your eyes off the road,
  • Manual-taking your hands off the wheel
  • Cognitive- taking your mind off driving.

Texting while driving has been proven dangerous beyond dispute due to the fact that it requires all three distractions at once to complete. Taking one’s eyes off the road for the average 5-6 second text, is enough to travel the length of a football field at 55 MPH.  A lot can happen during that distance that creates a hazardous condition on the roadway.  Continue reading

KIDS CRAFTS

April 5, 2023 @ 3:00 PM

Category: Social Activities and Clubs

3:00 PM

Umatilla Public Library

412 HATFIELD DR, Umatilla

Contact Amy Stultz at 352-669-3284 or email umatillalibraryfl@gmail.com.

https://www.umatillalibrary.org/children

Relax with crafts. For elementary school students.

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LAKE COUNTY FAIR

April 6, 2023 @ 1:00 PM

Lake County Fairgrounds

2101 County Road 452, Eustis

352-357-7111

https://www.lakecofair.com/

Mark your calendars for the 102nd Lake County Fair, April 6-15, 2022! The fair’s mission is: “To provide an agricultural and educational showcase that celebrates the accomplishments of Lake County Life.”

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The Annual Awards Dinner & Board Installation was held at The Waterfront Inn in Lake Sumter Landing. Chamber members enjoyed an evening of networking, awards, a silent auction, and even a wine toss. The event would not have been possible without the support of our wonderful sponsors. Sponsors of the evening include Visiting Angels, Mia Bella Salon & Spa, United Southern Bank, Belleview Chiropractic Clinic, UF Health The Villages Hospital Auxiliary Foundation, Elevate Lake, Bill Bryan Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Beyers Funeral Home, Gold in Art Jewelers, VITAS Healthcare, Carried Away Gifts, East Coast Capital, The Waterfront Inn, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Glitterati Hair Studio.

Pictured is Leslie Dicesare presenting some of the people being awarded. The event was dress your best. The members went all out. Congratulations to you all.

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March 20-26, 2023 is National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week.  Addiction can happen to any person regardless of age.  It usually starts when a person is young.  According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, addiction is the result of changes in the brain that can come from substance abuse.  Addictions affect how people think and what they do.  There are no specific “type” of person who becomes addicted.  People can face addiction regardless of where they are from, or their social status.

Though this may be a difficult topic to discuss with a family member or friend, it is important to have this discussion as it may save a person from problems in the future that can include arrest, loss of employment, or even death.  Teens are especially vulnerable due to peer pressure from friends who may experiment with drugs and alcohol.  One important sign of addiction is that a person continues to use drugs even though it’s harming their life: physical health, performance at school or work, or relationships. They feel like they can’t stop using drugs, no matter what happens. Continue reading

Guest Speaker at the Lady Lake Chamber Luncheon was Sharon Gadbois of SBA. Sharon is a public affairs specialist with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in the Office of Disaster Assistance and has been with them for nearly three years. She first started in Customer Service and then was placed on the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant project before coming to Field Ops Center East in the Communications Department. Prior to the SBA, she had a marketing business where she consulted hundreds of small businesses for many years.

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CEP – Click to learn more

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