Villages/Lady Lake
By Renée A. La Forest
Just before sunset on a Sunday evening in The Villages, I put a cardboard box on my front porch before heading through the garage to take it to the street for trash pickup. The box couldn’t have been there for more than a minute. When I came around from the garage, it was occupied. Sitting quietly inside was a young bird, fully feathered, with wide, dark eyes and soft brown-gray markings.
In Florida, I suppose I should be grateful my surprise passenger had feathers.
One minute there was an empty box. The next, there was a bird sitting in it. I would eventually give him an appropriate name: Houdini. He did not appear injured, but he wasn’t exactly flying either. He hopped, ran and made short, determined jumps.
More importantly, the sun was going down. Had this happened earlier, I could have backed away and watched. Instead, darkness was approaching, and I had to decide whether leaving him there was safest. I coaxed him, without touching him, into a larger box and placed it on my screened lanai for the night, protected from predators and my dogs. I didn’t give him food or water. Mostly, I left him alone. Continue reading
Oct 02 City of Leesburg’s Home Run Flicks
7:00 PM – 9:30 PM Pat Thomas Stadium in Leesburg
Grab your blankets, pack up your chairs, and bring the whole family for an unforgettable movie night at Pat Thomas Stadium!
Oct 02 First Friday – Historic Downtown Eustis
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM Downtown Eustis – Eustis Street and Magnolia Avenue in Eustis
Join us every First Friday in Downtown Eustis for an evening of live music, more than 80 vendors, local shopping, and great food and drinks!
Oct 03 Fall in the Field Show
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Renninger’s Antique Center in Mount Dora
Antique Center, Consignment, Street of Shops, The Stables, Pavilions, and Outdoors. Fall is here! Come shop a selection of vendors
CISA aims to enhance active shooter preparedness through a “whole community” approach.
Overview
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, “active shooter” is defined as “one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.” Active shooter incidents are often unpredictable and evolve quickly. Amid the chaos, anyone can play an integral role in mitigating the impacts of an active shooter incident.
In many cases, there is no pattern or method to the selection of victims by an active shooter, and these situations are by their very nature unpredictable and evolve quickly. Because active shooter situations are often over within 10 to 15 minutes – before law enforcement arrives on the scene – individuals must be prepared both mentally and physically to deal with an active shooter situation. Continue reading
• Coffee with a Cop
Wednesday, October 7, 2026, from a morning schedule at Target.
Target, Lady Lake, FL.
An informal meet-and-greet giving residents a chance to chat with local law enforcement officers over coffee.
Cost: Free.
• Lady Lake Farmers and Crafts Market: Master Gardeners
Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 9:00 AM.
260 Rolling Acres Road, Lady Lake, FL.
Local market featuring fresh produce, crafts, live music, and special guidance from extension master gardeners.
Free admission.
• Not Too Scary Halloween Boo Bash
Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
Guava Street Athletic Complex, 221 W. Guava Street, Lady Lake, FL.
Family-friendly Halloween celebration with safe trick-or-treating, festive activities, and local community booths.
Free.
LADY LAKE — A community favorite is returning bigger than ever this fall. The Lady Lake Farmers and Crafts Market will celebrate its grand reopening Tuesday, Oct. 6, and continue every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Rolling Acres Sports Complex, 260 Rolling Acres Road.
Opening day will set the tone for the season with live music by Tyler Glynn and an exciting lineup of vendors offering fresh fruits and vegetables, cheeses, breads, local honey, ice cream, coffee, handmade arts and crafts, specialty goods and more.
This season, shoppers can look forward to several enhancements designed to make each Tuesday worth a return trip:
- 60 regular vendors — giving shoppers plenty of variety while making it easy to find their favorite vendors week after week.
- Market Bucks — with multiple opportunities to win money to spend with market vendors.
- Special market events — returning favorites such as the Strawberry Festival and Valentine’s Market, along with new events including Pet Costume Contest and Wheel of Fortune Day.
- More live music — adding entertainment and atmosphere throughout the market season.
Chamber president Jason Pittman swore in new board member Mary Beth Dunn. Mary Beth is feeling a vacancy from a board member who had to resign.
Ask Our Expert Anything
Have a cybersecurity question you’ve always wanted to ask? Now’s your chance!
Join Howard Davis, the Town of Lady Lake’s IT cybersecurity expert, for the next program in our cybersecurity awareness series. This interactive session puts your questions at the center of the conversation.
Wondering how to spot a scam? Concerned about online banking or shopping? Not sure whether a suspicious email or text is legitimate? Curious about passwords, social media security, smartphones or safe internet browsing? Bring your questions and get practical, easy-to-understand guidance to help you stay safer online.
LADY LAKE – What makes Lady Lake, Lady Lake?
The Town of Lady Lake is launching a community branding and identity project designed to answer that question and create a clear, recognizable identity that reflects the community’s character, history and future.
The project is being led by the Town’s Communications Department in partnership with Inspire Placemaking, a planning and design firm specializing in helping communities develop a sense of place. The goal is simple: build a brand identity that Lady Lake can be proud of.
A municipal brand is more than a logo or tagline. It is how people think and feel about their community. The brand identity can influence everything from the look of road signs and facilities to the Town’s website, social media, printed materials and other communications. A strong identity also helps residents quickly recognize official Town information, builds trust and community pride, and helps communicate what Lady Lake stands for. Continue reading
We had a VIP visit Lady Lake this week. Very Important Pupper. Koda the Fluff stopped by to meet some of our Lady Lake Police officers — and judging by the photos, we’re not sure who was more excited about it. Attachment.png ¬
Koda isn’t just an adorable face. Along with her human, Jena McKinstry, she’s known for supporting law enforcement and first responders through Smiles Fur Miles, using her considerable fluff and social media fame to help share public-safety messages and build positive connections between police and the communities they serve. She’s even been recognized by the FBI for her work.
Thanks for stopping by, Koda! Your application for Chief of Paw-lice is officially under review
The Lady Lake Police Department swore in our newest officer, Kelvin Rodriguez. Officer Rodriguez was raised right here in Lake County. He is married, has three children, and previously operated his own business. He graduated from the Institute of Public Safety Law Enforcement Academy at Lake Tech.
Join us in welcoming him!
