Step into the 1800s at the Festival at Fort King! This two-day event featured historic themed crafts, games, workshops, activities, living historians, vendors, food, drinks and much more. The pinnacle of the festival is a re-enactment of the event that fueled the start of the Second Seminole War.

This year it occurred Saturday, Dec. 7 and Sunday, Dec. 8, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Fort King National Historic Landmark. Watch for the next event…

Admission is free!

Event Activities: Cast iron cooking; Canoe carving; Archery (Saturday Only); Leather tanning; Combat demonstrations; Seminole Artisans; Craft vendors; Pine needle basket weaving; Living historian re-enactors; And more!

Parking Information: Free shuttle parking was available at the Duke Energy power line field, approximately a quarter mile east of the fort.

Cannon Firing Notice

During the event, artillery volunteers conducted live cannon firing. Residents in the area may have heard a series of rounds fired multiple times throughout the day during the event.

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The Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership (CEP) announced today that its first CEO, Kevin T. Sheilley, CCE, has submitted his resignation after 12 years. It was simultaneously announced that he has been hired as the new President & CEO of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce in Charleston, SC.

Sheilley was hired by the CEP shortly after it was formally created in late 2012 with the merger of the Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce and the Ocala/Marion County Economic Development Corporation. Over the last dozen years, the organization led the community’s incredible economic rebound and was named national Chamber of the Year in 2020, a finalist for this award in 2017 and 2019, and Florida’s Chamber of the Year in 2018. Continue reading →

Pictured is the Select Business Associates of Ocala handing a check to Corporal Gary Miller who is in Traffic division. The person that runs the canine division is Sargent Jeremie Nix. Nix was out of town that day. Sgt Nix explain they have 12 dogs and they do three different job. Six dog are in apprehension that catch the bad guys up close and personal. 2 dogs work at the jail sniffing for drugs, and 2 dogs are for detecting firearms at the schools and public places. When we heard last year we lost a dog we were hoping we could help so we donated $400. I know it’s not much but maybe we can come up with more later. If you want to help, make a check out to Marion County Sheriff Foundation note at bottom left Canine unit.

OCALA, Fla. Symphony Under the Lights presented by Jenkins Auto Group with support from the City of Ocala and Florida Express Waste & Recycling returns to Tuscawilla Park next month on Friday, December 6, 2024.

Entering its 21st year, this annual free concert will see the Ocala Symphony and members of the Ocala Youth Symphony come together to perform Christmas classics and celebrate the season!

“The musicians and I look forward to this annual tradition – now in its 21st year. Between our performance with the Ocala Youth Symphony, the fun holiday atmosphere with so many community members in attendance, the beautifully lit atmosphere of Tuscawilla Park, and a surprise or two, we can’t wait to give this gift to Ocala / Marion County!” – Matthew Wardell, Music Director and Conductor of the Ocala Symphony Orchestra.

Gather your family, friends, and neighbors for an evening of music under the stars! Bring your blankets and chairs and enjoy this free community concert under the oaks of Tuscawilla Park. Continue reading →

Please join the Friends of the Ocala Library, in conjunction with Florida Humanities, on Saturday, January 11, at 11 am, Classroom C of the Main Branch Library, for author and chef Dalia Colón.  Ms. Colon will be speaking on Florida as a premier source of year-round fruits and vegetables, and why Florida is credited as the birthplace of fusion cuisine.  She will also be selling copies of her new book.  The event and parking are free, handicapped accessible.

In Memory of CPL Lewis B Alston – Born in Glassboro, NJ, on May 23, 1951, Lewis lived in Lancaster, PA most of his life before moving to Ocala, FL in 2016. Lewis served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. He was a Purple Heart recipient. Lewis was an integral member of the Marion County Memorial Honor Guard, the Vietnam Veterans of America, the Florida Honor Guard and the World Veteran’s Club.

Lewis could always be found volunteering his help to Veterans and their families in the community, as well as volunteering as a crossing guard in Lancaster City. He enjoyed riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle, was an avid scuba diver and loved spending quality time with his family and friends.

Lewis passed away on Saturday, November 18,  2023. Once one later, his presence stands firm within the ranks of the Marion Count Memorial Honor Guard. Photos by CK Johnson

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Friends of the Ocala Public Library and the Florida Humanities Council welcomes  David Morton, presenting “A History of Florida’s Film and Television Industry” with a focus on the North Central Florida area. David is a lecturer in the Film & History Department at the University of Central Florida  and a Fulbright Scholar. This presentation discusses how Florida became a third coast to the American film and television industries over the past one hundred years. Starting with the first film pioneers in Jacksonville during the 1900s and 1910s to South Florida’s television boom during the 2000s and 2010s, Florida has inspired countless exciting stories captured by the camera.

Saturday November 9th, 11am-1230pm, at Headquarters- Ocala Public Library, 2720 E Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala, Conference room C.

(OCALA, FL.) Oct. 4, 2024 – On Thursday, Oct. 3, Ocala Fire Rescue responded to reports of a vehicle in a pond within the Fore Ranch subdivision at 9:21 p.m. The call was triggered after residents witnessed a vehicle accelerate through an entry gate, strike the controlled access unit, and veer off the road into a retention pond.

Engine 6 and Rescue 6 arrived at the pond behind SW 54th Circle to find Ocala Police Department officers breaking the glass of a compact SUV immersed in water. Firefighters approached the vehicle and helped the officers extricate its sole occupant.

The driver, who was suffering a medical emergency, was carried to a stretcher, evaluated, and transported to the hospital as a trauma alert.

No other injuries were reported.