LADY LAKE — Step back in time for an unforgettable evening of glitz, glamour, and memories at the Town of Lady Lake’s Roaring ’20s Father-Daughter Dance on Saturday, Sept. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Held at the Lady Lake Community Building, located at 237 W. Guava St., this year’s event invites fathers and father figures to treat their daughters to a dazzling night inspired by the jazz age. Dress in your best flapper dresses, feathered headbands, pinstripes, and fedoras for a chance to win the costume contest and take part in a fun selfie challenge with great prizes.

The evening includes dancing, dinner, and themed décor that will transport guests back to the 1920s.

Tickets are $10 per person and must be purchased in advance by Wednesday, Sept. 10. Tickets are available at the Lady Lake Library and Town Hall during regular business hours.

“This event is such a special opportunity for fathers and daughters to spend quality time together in a fun and festive atmosphere,” said Amy Alicea, Events Coordinator for the Town of Lady Lake. “We can’t wait to see everyone dressed to the nines and ready to dance the night away!”

For more information, contact Amy Alicea at 352-205-2826 or email events@ladylake.org. Visit www.ladylakefl.gov for updates on this and other upcoming events.

The Lady Lake Police Department issued 91 warnings and 59 citations during a weeklong traffic enforcement campaign aimed at reducing speed-related crashes.

From July 14–20, officers dedicated approximately 80 hours to traffic enforcement as part of the Florida Department of Transportation’s annual Operation Southern Slow Down. The campaign is a multi-state initiative involving law enforcement agencies across Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee.

During the enforcement, Lady Lake police issued 39 citations and 91 written warnings for speeding, 13 citations for aggressive driving, and seven citations for seatbelt violations. No DUI arrests were reported during the campaign.

The goal of Operation Southern Slow Down is to curb dangerous driving behaviors that continue to be a leading factor in traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities across the state. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, speeding and aggressive driving contributed to 437 traffic deaths in Florida in 2023.

“This campaign gives us an opportunity to remind drivers that speeding and aggressive driving put everyone at risk,” said Lady Lake Police Chief Steve Hunt. “Enforcement is just one piece— awareness and personal responsibility are just as important.”

The Lady Lake Police Department encourages all motorists to drive within posted speed limits, wear seatbelts, and avoid aggressive behaviors behind the wheel.

For more information on Operation Southern Slow Down, visit www.flhsmv.gov.

LADY LAKE – The Town of Lady Lake, The Lady Lake History Society, and the Lady Lake Garden Club invite you to the Town’s first-ever History Haul to commemorate our Centennial.

As part of a weeklong celebration of events in November, residents are asked to bring old photos, documents, and artifacts of the history of Lady Lake to Heritage Park (135 Old Dixie Highway), on Wednesday, Nov. 5 from 3 to 6 p.m. The items may be permanently donated or temporarily loaned to the Historical Society to help share personal stories of the Town as we continue to celebrate our 100th year.

Items can include, but are not limited to:

• Photos taken in Lady Lake with identifiable locations and/or names
• Old newspapers
• Family heirloom owned by a known resident
• Ephemera such as postcards, ticket stubs, notebooks, diaries, receipts, etc. linked to a resident or the town
• Items or artifacts connected to a notable building or business (example: church pew, school desk, farm tool)

During the event, the Lady Lake Garden Club will generously provide free refreshments and present a talk on the history of the Heritage Park and its beautiful historic garden.

Help us with our mission to preserve Lady Lake’s unique history for generations to come.

Anyone with questions may contact events@ladylake.org or visit the Historical Society Museum from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Saturdays, located at 107 S. Old Dixie Highway, Lady Lake.

As part of the Lady Lake Library’s annual “School Supplies for Fines” initiative, the library collected and donated 26 backpacks—its largest donation to date—filled with more than 1,000 school supplies to students of The Villages Elementary of Lady Lake. Donated items ranged from everyday essentials like notebooks, pens, and glue to more unique contributions such as headphones, Clorox wipes, and tissues. The program also forgave $791.55 in library fines, offering patrons a chance to give back while reducing barriers to library access.

“The school was incredibly grateful—and so are we! We’d like to thank our community for helping us give back in such a meaningful way,” said Library Director Aly Herman.

Pictured left to right: Kourtney Fehr, Youth Library Assistant; Aly Herman, Library Director; and Mary Shaner, Bookkeeper for The Villages Elementary of Lady Lake.

Elisha Pappacoda

LADY LAKE — A 53-year-old man was arrested on Friday after he forced his way into a 78-year-old woman’s home, attempted to steal her purse, and injured her during the struggle.

Lady Lake Police officers responded to a home on St. Andrews Boulevard around 3:28 p.m. on Aug. 8 after the victim reported that a man had knocked on her door asking for her vehicle keys. Police say he then pushed his way inside, grabbed her purse, and tried to find the keys.

The victim bravely fought to hold on to her belongings, stating  “You’re not getting my car keys.” She was able to push the suspect back outside and call 911. Police responded quickly and located the suspect nearby. The victim identified the suspect at the scene.

She suffered swelling and redness to her hand.  Continue reading →

Leaf Filter was the Grand Prize winner at the Business to Business Expo. Pictured here is James Floyd, event emcee, and Shelly Scarbrough, Chamber Vice President, Christina Tucker from Leaf Filter, and Leslie DiCesare, Executive Director of the Lady Lake Chamber.

n 2024, Library Assistant Kourtney Fehr donates school supplies on behalf of the Lady Lake Library to Villages Elementary of Lady Lake Principal Gregg Dudley

LADY LAKE — For the third consecutive year, the Lady Lake Library is hosting its annual “School Supplies for Fines” drive in support of area children.

This program is a great way for patrons to pay off fines while giving back to the community. The library will waive overdue material fees in exchange for donations of school supplies.

Donations can include No. 2 pencils, colored pencils, markers, crayons, backpacks and more. There are no limits to the number of donations per person, though fines cannot be forgiven for library items that are lost or damaged. Those without fines are also encouraged to donate items, as each item will be used anonymously to forgive another patron’s fines.

“This month, the Lady Lake Library is proud to bring back a community favorite—School Supplies for Fines,” said Library Director Aly Herman. “This program is exactly like the successful countywide Food for Fines program, and is another way to continue to support children in our community.”

Last year, the Lady Lake Library donated over 800 school supplies to The Villages Elementary of Lady Lake. In exchange for donations from the community, around $800 in library fines were forgiven.

Donations will be accepted during regular business hours at the Lady Lake Library, located at 225 W. Guava Street through July 31.

For more information, visit www.ladylakefl.gov or facebook.com/ladylakelibrary225.

Lady Lake hosts free Back 2 School “Scoop” Event

LADY LAKE — The Town of Lady Lake is helping local families gear up for the new school year with a fun, free Back 2 School “Scoop” event on Saturday, Aug. 9, from 10 a.m. to noon at 237 W. Guava St.

This family-friendly event will offer a variety of resources to ensure kids are ready for a successful school year.

Highlights include:

• Free haircuts by local barbers and hairstylists
• Free eye screenings courtesy of Kids Sight
• Health information provided by the Florida Department of Health
• Free school supplies and backpacks full of goodies (must visit all vendor stations)
• Free ice cream sundaes for participating children

Local organizations will also be on site with program information and sign-ups, including Lady Lake Baseball and Soccer, Iron Dragon Karate, and the Lady Lake Library, which will be offering free library cards for kids.

“This is a great opportunity for families to access helpful services and start the school year with everything their children need,” said Events Coordinator Amy Alicea.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Interested businesses or organizations should contact Amy Alicea at events@ladylake.org.

Ken Racioppi

MCREC V. Chair / Legis Lead

This is a summary we used for a recent REC meeting, again student performance is affected by a multiple factors so the DOE 2025 data is one dimension of student innate skills.   However, the data provides insight to the symptoms that many of the County student skills are lagging.

We focused on third grade since education experts (not me) indicated this grade is a key marker for future success as students transition from learning to read to learning to learn.  Below is a “snip-it” copy of the summary for the meeting / I have also provided a ppt of the charts of state data (2025 DOE) we used to further our discussion of ways the REC could support our schools.

All the data taken directly from the DOE website excel tables for Marion County, just plotted the table into graphs of Level 1 and Level 2 student test data percentages, obviously there are many students on and above grade level across the County.

Feel free to contact Brigitte Smith or Len Racioppi  if there are any questions.