Villages/Lady Lake
Lady Lake Residents Are Shocked!
By TomL
Town people are shocked. Many are asking why? Why would the Chief of police of seven years walk in one day and hand in his resignation and walk out? No notice! No reason! I can’t print a rumor and don’t believe in them, but if someone out there has some facts I would like to hear them.
Apparently the Town Manager Chris Kollgart doesn’t know why. I ask by email and she said and I quote, “Chief McKinstry left. I think he just needed a new challenge. He did a lot of good for the Town and I know he will be missed.” Kollgart has named Capt. Robert Tempesta as acting Chief. I’m not finished with this story! Continue reading
Light up Lady Lake is an annual Christmas event. The grounds and the cabin where the Chamber is housed is lit up with thousands of lights. They usually have several speakers and hundreds of spectators. It’s a great event and something to see!
As the holiday season approaches, many Lady Lake residents will be gathering with family and friends to celebrate. Whether you are traveling out of town or hosting festivities at home, the Lady Lake Police Department wants you to be safe. Here is a security checklist to help protect your home and family.
Before you leave town it is important to make sure your home appears occupied. Place timers on your lights and set them to turn on and off at different times. Lock your garage door and disconnect the automatic opener. Most importantly, tell a trusted neighbor that you are going to be away and ask them to dial 911 immediately if they see anyone on your property.
Here are some additional home security tips to keep in mind:
- Install good locks on all doors and windows and always use them.
- Stop newspaper and mail deliveries, and never hide a spare key outside,
- Give that spare key to a trusted neighbor and provide them with an emergency telephone number where they can reach you.
- Have someone mow your lawn if you’ll be away more than a couple of weeks.
- Turn down your telephone ringer so no one outside can hear repeated rings, and never leave a message on your telephone answering machine stating you are out of town.
- Leave your window blinds as you normally would if you were home.
- Invite your neighbor to park their car in your driveway or have a friend move yours if you left it at home.
- Do not post holiday travel plans on social networking sites.
The traveling Wall came to Lady Lake / The Villages. Opened Nov 2 and closed Nov 4th. The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall was open to the public for three days at the Soccer Fields on Rolling Acres Road.
Nothing But Networking was the last networking event of the year. It was well attended and was held at the Waterfront Inn in The Villages. I met some new business people. Several said they were expanding because business was so good. Business is good for us right now and I hope is for you also.
Christmas in the Villages held its annual celebration / Expo with as much as 75 vendors exhibiting their businesses and talking to people about what services or products they offer. Many gave out free gifts like pens, candy, pill boxes, scratch pads and many small promotional items. Some food samples were available and lots of entertainment. The weather was perfect and the people were friendly. A good time was had by all.
Nicholas Holmes, a senior in the EMIT (Engineering and Manufacturing Institute of Technology) program at Forest High School, has achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouts. This accomplishment is the culmination of over six years of adventure, fun, work, and dedication to the Boy Scout program for Holmes, a member of Troop 200 in Ocala.
For his Eagle Project, Holmes worked in conjunction with other community volunteers to build “Charlie’s Garden” at Interfaith Emergency Services’ “Center for Life.”
The concept for Charlie’s Garden, a place for parents to honor the memory of their unborn children, came about because the father of a child who was aborted without his consent wanted a place to grieve the loss of the child he called “Charlie.” When the old abortion clinic in downtown Ocala came up for sale, he donated funds to purchase it and convert it into a “Center for Life.”
Holmes led his group of over 25 volunteers in the building of three planter benches, a fountain and a free-standing circular waterfall wall. His project involved a total of 273 volunteer hours and over $1,400 worth of materials and supplies.
Holmes and his volunteers didn’t stop upon completion of his approved Eagle Project. They also pitched in to help ready Charlie’s Garden for its dedication by planting new bushes and flowers to replace ones killed by frost, building the archway entrance to the garden, pressure washing the sidewalks and seating areas in the garden, and refinishing the donated cast iron tables and chairs. Continue reading
The Lady Lake Chamber Hob Nob was a great success. Sue Kelly, executive director of the Lady Lake Chamber of Commerce introduced and thanked the sponsors and thanked everyone for coming. The sponsors for the event were Cubicles Plus, Primerica and Clear View Optix. Demshars. Food was great, lots of socializing and business discussions. Door prizes were given out by drawing business cards collected at the door. As you can see by the pictures everyone was busy and enjoying the HOB NOB!
Each holiday season, I reflect on the year past and give thanks for all life has provided. I also wake up every day humbled and grateful to serve the good people of Lady Lake in the greatest job in the world.
For many, however, the holidays are far from joyous. Sadly, many in our community struggle with day-to-day needs and are unable to put food on their tables – let alone buy gifts for their kids. No child should spend Christmas hungry. No parent should have to explain to their children why they didn’t receive a gift for Christmas.
This holiday season, as in years past, the Lady Lake Police Department is planning to once again coordinate with other law enforcement agencies and host the “Santa’s Shop With A Cop” Event. School-aged children, chosen by their school guidance staff, will be given a special invitation to go shopping with law enforcement officers. The event allows deserving children and police officers a chance to make some fun Christmas shopping memories. Continue reading
From published novelists to writers of how-to books or memoirs—anyone can be intimidated by the writing process and plagued by questions like these: Where do I begin? How can I avoid common mistakes? How can I make my project sound more professional? What’s my next step?
Developmental editor Karin Nicely, owner of Writing Nicely, will be helping local authors address these and other questions in her upcoming Ti
ps from the Editor—Introductory Workshop on November 12, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to noon at the The Villages Hampton Inn.
“Writers of all levels and varied genres can learn ways to overcome their writing challenges in a casual, welcoming atmosphere while enjoying the opportunity to interact with other authors. Writing should be fun—not scary!” said Ms. Nicely, who has worked with international publishing houses such as Prentice Hall and Wiley and now specializes in editing works of independent authors of fiction and nonfiction. Continue reading
