Two Rivers festival seeks sponsors
Dunnellon’s annual Two Rivers Music & Food Truck Rally will be held on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 5-10 p.m., and the Dunnellon Chamber and Business Association is seeking individual and business sponsorships. The event is planned, organized and executed completely by community volunteers with the goal to produce a quality event with live entertainment, vendor booths and family fun, while bringing visitors to our community to patronize our local businesses.
In 2021, our sponsors’ kindness and generosity afforded our community the opportunity to host thousands of people in our town. We were able to offer numerous activities that were free or affordable to enjoy. We are ready to begin with the production and planning of Two Rivers Music and Food Truck Rally and are seeking your support.
Visit www.dunnellon chamber.com and click on the Two Rivers Music & Food Truck Rally for sponsorship links.
Chicken dinner to benefit food pantry
St. John the Baptist Catholic church is sponsoring a chicken dinner to benefit our community food pantry.
Our food pantry serves 450 families per month. This fundraiser will supply articles that will come back and help needy people of our community.
The dinner includes roasted 1/4 chicken or chicken cordon bleu, family style chef salad, red potatoes, rolls, butter, desserts and a cash bar. Please, no BYOB.
The dinner will be Saturday, Sept. 17, at 6 p.m. in the parish hall. Tickets are $15 pp and are available at the church office, located at 7525 U.S. 41, Dunnellon. The office is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to noon on Fridays. You can also purchase from any one of our church ushers before and after Mass on Saturday and Sunday.
Come and help us with this event for a very worthy cause.
Genealogy Society meetings slated
The next Marion County Genealogy Society General Meeting will be at the Marion County Public Library (2720 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala) Thursday, Sept. 13, 2-4 p.m.
The guest speaker is Tamara Hallo, and her presentation will be, “Follow The Money.”
The Marion County Genealogy Society meeting will meet Thursday, Oct. 20, at the Marion County Public Library, 2720 East Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala, from 2 to 4 p.m. in Meeting Room D.
The meeting will include a live webinar with guest speaker Kelli Bergheimer with the topic, “Getting Started In Genealogy: Things I Wish I Have Known When I Started.”
Our programs are free to one and all, however, please visit our website at www.mcgsocala.org to register for events. Pre-registration allows you to print the handouts to bring with you for note taking.
If you have any questions, contact us at president @mcgsocala.org or 352-897-0840.
Master Gardeners Fall Plant Sale
Marion County Master Gardeners is hosting its annual Fall Plant Sale on Saturday, Oct. 1, 8 a.m. to noon. Admission is free – bring your wagon. No pets, please.
The sale is located at the UF/IFAS Marion County Extension at 2232 NE Jacksonville Road, Ocala.
Payments are by cash, check or credit card.
Master Gardeners will be available for consultations.
The sale will include: mobile plant clinic on site; soil test kits; melaleuca mulch vouchers; native plants; herbs and perennials; pollinator plants; hummingbird and butterfly plants; shrubs; ornamental trees; shade trees; and fruit trees.
For more information, call 352-671-8400.
Citrus Genealogical Society to meet
The Citrus County Genealogical Society will meet at 10 a.m. Sept. 13 at the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, 3474 W. Southern St., Lecanto, and by Zoom.
Christine Cohen will present “www.American Ancestors.org – New England Historic Genealogy Society.” They have the largest searchable collection of published genealogical research journals and magazines, and the largest collection of U.S. Catholic records online.
Guests are welcome.
To get a link, contact Mary Ann Machonkin at himary @tampabay.rr.com.
Retired Nurses meeting
The Citrus/Marion Retired Nurses are having their September meeting on Monday, Sept. 26, at Mimi’s Café, 4414 SW College Rd, Rte. 200, Ocala, at 11 a.m.
Following lunch, our speaker will be a nurse from Marion Hospice, talking to us about pain management.
We will order off the menu.
For more information, call Judy Herron at 352-860-0232 or email jlherron2@aol.com
Submarine Veterans meeting
Are you qualified? If you have earned your dolphins and were discharged under Honorable Conditions, you are invited to attend the USSVI Nautilus Base Submarine Veteran meeting.
The meeting starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, at the following address: VFW Post 4209, 4805 NE 36th Avenue, Ocala.
St. John Faith Formation Program signups
It’s that time again! St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Dunnellon is holding registration for their 2022-2023 Children’s Faith Formation Program.
All children in grades kindergarten through eighth are invited and welcome to join. Parents may register their children online at http://www.stjohncc.com/cff.pdf.
Children’s Faith Formation classes begin Sunday, Sept. 11 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 7525 S U.S. 41, Dunnellon.
The cost is $35 for the first child and $30 for an additional child.
For more information, call MaryAlice at 352-489-3166.
Friends of Library seeking used books
The Friends of Dunnellon Public Library are in need of gently used books and paperbacks.
Donations are accepted inside the bookstore during regular business hours. There is also a bin outside the door in the library for after hour donations.
New members are always welcome. Specifically, we need bookstore workers and volunteers to maintain our gardens.
We are hoping to increase the hours that the bookstore is open, but we need your help. Currently the bookstore is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the third Saturday of each month. Extended afternoon hours are the second and fourth Tuesday, 1-3 p.m., the second and fourth Thursday, and the first and third Wednesday, 1-4 p.m., of each month.
Water district launches new website for students
The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) has launched a new educational website for students to kick off the start of the 2022-2023 school year.
H2O Zone is a one-stop shop where students can dive into the world of water and learn about a variety of topics. Visitors to the site can explore everything from the water cycle and watersheds, to wetlands and water conservation.
The newly redesigned site also features a word glossary, so readers can pay special attention to the words in bold on each webpage for vocabulary and then check to find the meaning of the word. Content is tailored to upper elementary and middle school students, though it can be enjoyed by all ages.
You can visit the District’s new H2O Zone at Water Matters.org/H2Ozone.
Community Thrift Shop now open Tuesdays
The Dunnellon Community Thrift Shop is pleased to announce we are now opening on Tuesdays. Our hours remain 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., now Tuesday through Saturday, and we accept donations during that time.
If you have a few hours once in a while to volunteer, please come join us as a volunteer or a substitute filling in when other volunteers have surgeries, doctor’s appointments and vacations.
Our goal is to help our town in as many ways as possible. Join us.
Stop by our shop at 20359 E. Pennsylvania Ave. to fill out an application.
Try out Chair Yoga
Experience Chair Yoga in Dunnellon with Linda on Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., at the Women’s Club building located at 11756 Cedar St.
This is a fun class, for all shapes and sizes, all for only $1.
Line dancing class comes to Hernando Area Senior Program
The Hernando Area Senior Program Center is now offering line dance classes on Mondays at 12 p.m. The center is located at 2415 N Florida Avenue, Hernando – inside the Historic Hernando School house.
The cost for the class is $5. Please call 352-566-2328 to make a reservation, as space is limited.
Sewing and Arts & Craft Classes at senior center
Hernando Area Senior Program Center, located at 2415 N Florida Ave, Hernando, (inside the Historic Hernando School house), is now offering a new Sewing and Arts & Craft Class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30 a.m.
Cost for supplies is only $2. Sewing machines are provided for use or you may bring your own. Please join our members for some fun projects and activities.
For more information, please call 352-566-2328.
Marion Stamp Club
The General Francis Marion Stamp Club will next meet Wednesday, Sept. 21, at 1 p.m. at the Marion County Public Library (2720 East Silver Springs Blvd.), meeting room B.
Please join us to share your collecting interests and meet other collectors.
We will continue to meet on the first and third Wednesdays of every month.
If you have any questions, please contact Elliot Natale at Elliotn27@aol.com.
Dementia care, education workshop
VITAS Healthcare, located at 3280 W. Audubon Park Path in Lecanto, will present a free dementia care and awareness workshop from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sept. 29.
Titled “The ABC of Dementia,” the presentation will feature Debbie Selsavage, a certified dementia practitioner and President of Coping with Dementia LLC. Selsavage reports that the workshop will explain the nature of various forms of dementia, what to expect from this progressive disease, steps to becoming a more proficient and less-stressed care partner, and what resources are available in Citrus County for families living with dementia.
Workshop host VITAS Healthcare will provide light refreshments and a free educational packet to all attendees.
The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. To reserve seats, call 352-422-3663 or email deb@coping.today.
Tech trends topic of Friday Talks
The Friday Talks Business Advancement Series, a program of the Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership and the College of Central Florida, will feature Amy Osborne on Sept. 30, presenting “AI, IOT and Other Tech Trends in Business and Beyond.”
“The rapid pace of technology continues to change how we work, live and play,” Osborne said. “Staying ahead of the curve is essential for today’s businesses and tomorrow’s workforce.”
She will discuss applications for artificial intelligence and will give attendees a sneak peek into the fascinating growth of new technology and implications for the future.
Attend in person at the CF Hampton Center, 1501 W. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, or virtually at Facebook.com/OcalaCEP.
The in-person event will begin with a continental breakfast at 8:15 a.m. and the presentation will begin at 8:30 a.m. RSVP to andrea@ocalacep.com.
For more information about CF, visit CF.edu. For more information about the Ocala CEP, visit ocalacep.com.
Dunnellon Country Quilters meet weekly
The Dunnellon Country Quilters meet at 12:30 p.m. every Monday at the First United Methodist Church on West State Road 40 in Dunnellon.
The group makes patriotic quilts for veterans, pillowcases for Shands Children’s Cancer Center, prayer quilts for the First United Methodist Church and quilts for the Citrus County Resource Center. We also have classes for different projects and go on road trips and quilt shows.
Every third Monday of the month, we hold our business meeting and share what we have made.
We welcome visitors and would love to have you as members in our organization. If you have questions, please email Dianne Takahashi at dmtget@gmail.com.
Forget-Me-Not provides respite for caregivers
The First Methodist Church of Dunnellon is starting a free program called “Forget-Me-Not.” We offer three hours of respite care for caregivers of early dementia and Alzheimer’s patients. We also offer a chance for seniors to get out of the house and socialize with other seniors. This program is free.
We meet in the friendship hall at Dunnellon Methodist Church on Tuesday afternoons from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, call Grace Burks at 352-361-1024.
Take Off Pounds Sensibly
The TOPS chapter of Dunnellon meets on Thursday afternoons at the Women’s Club of Dunnellon at 11756 Cedar St.
We have a “weigh-in” time between 3 and 3:30 p.m. Our meeting begins at 3:30, and we close our meetings promptly at 4:30.
Our goal is to help find sensible ways for each individual to achieve weight loss. On occasion we host professional speakers, we share weight loss success stories and we all listen to each other’s opinions and suggestions on healthy eating!
You are welcome to visit our meeting, free, for two weeks and then decide if you would want to become a member.
For more information, call our chapter leader Chris Weider at 352-465-7861 or 954-242-3048, or call MaryJo Smith at 585-329-2026.
Spy Science exhibit at Ocala’s Discovery Center
The Discovery Center’s current exhibit, Spy Science, will be on display through Saturday, Sept. 17, at the Discovery Center, 701 NE Sanchez Ave, Ocala. The exhibit is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Discover the history, science and even the Hollywood connections within the spy industry, when this new exhibit takes visitors inside the world of espionage.
Go undercover as an “Agent of Discovery” to find out the secret identity of the spy villain and solve puzzles and challenges to find him. Learn how disguises help spies to catch the bad guy and even rescue people. Crawl through the villain’s lair while looking for clues hidden in everyday objects.
Guests can create their own secret decoders and use them to solve encrypted messages. Play with spy gadgets like periscopes, voice changers and lasers. Solve our jewel heist labyrinth and more.
General admission to the Discovery Center is $8 per person or $28 for a family of four. Annual memberships are also available for individuals and families.
By reservation only, StarLab Planetarium shows are held on Saturdays and tickets are $30 per ten-person group. Guests are encouraged to call ahead to book a reservation time for the planetarium. An alternative Planetarium-like show, NASA Solar System Exploration, is also available for a $3 add-on to the price of general admission.
This exhibit is sponsored by Marion Rotary Duck Derby, Ocala Electric Utilities, Fun4Ocala Kids and Duke Energy.
For more information, please call 352-401-3900 or visit www.mydiscoverycenter.org.
Ocala Christian Women’s Connection luncheon
The Ocala Christian Women’s Connection is hosting “A Little Bit of Country” luncheon on Sept. 27, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Doors open at 11 a.m.
The luncheon will be held at the Country Club of Ocala, 6823 SE12th Circle, Ocala. Admission is $26.
Speaker Dee Kauffman, of Sarasota, will present on the topic, “His County: From Trial to Triumphs…”
Prepaid reservations are required. Send payment to P.O. Box 773102, Ocala, FL; or call Barb at (612) 810-0022 or Bonnie at 407-314-8313 for credit card payments. Payments are due by Sept. 19.
CF, Appleton Museum host Hispanic Heritage Festival
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the College of Central Florida will host a Hispanic Heritage Festival on Saturday, Oct. 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala.
Visitors can enjoy free kid-friendly art activities, music and giveaways, community resources and vendors. Food trucks will have meals and snacks available for purchase. Museum admission will be free for all visitors in connection with the Appleton Museum’s Free First Saturday, and the Appleton Museum will offer discounted memberships to festival attendees.
For more details, visit CF.edu.
Church can help with basic needs
On the fourth Saturday of each month, food and basic home needs will be available at North Oak Church in Citrus Springs at 10 a.m., until supplies run out.
Enter the church property from N. Citrus Springs Blvd. and a supply of paper products, detergents, personal items and more will be brought to your car. Drive around, following the driveway, and food items will also be brought to the vehicle. Then, exit on to N. Elkcam Blvd.
Items vary based on availability. Anyone who has a need is welcome and there is no charge.
North Oak Church is located at the intersection of N. Citrus Springs Blvd. and N. Elkcam Blvd. in Citrus Springs. More information on the website: northoakbc.org.
Prescribed burns near Dunnellon
Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017.
That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns in September on the Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve in Marion County.
Hálpata Tastanaki Preserve is located 2 miles east of Dunnellon and is bounded by County Road 484 on the north, State Road 200 on the southeast and the Withlacoochee River on the southwest. Approximately 200 acres will be burned in small, manageable units.
Some major benefits of prescribed fire include:
Reducing overgrown plants, which decreases the risk of catastrophic wildfires.
Promoting the growth of new, diverse plants.
Maintaining the character and condition of wildlife habitat.
Maintaining access for public recreation.
The District conducts prescribed fires on approximately 30,000 acres each year.
Tickets on sale for ‘Legends of the Fort’
Tickets are now on sale for the Ocala Recreation and Parks Department’s first annual “Legends of the Fort” at Fort King National Historic Landmark, 3925 E. Fort King St., Saturday, Oct. 8, and Sunday, Oct. 9, 4 to 8 p.m.
Visitors will step back into history to meet the legends of Fort King’s past. A one-hour guided lantern tour will provide tales from the past while guests learn about the grounds of Ocala’s Seminole War historic site. Group tours will depart every 10 minutes. Old-fashioned games such as checkers, horseshoes, cornhole, and live music will round out the evening of fun. Refreshments will also be available for purchase.
Tickets must be purchased online. Walk-up ticket sales will not be available the night of the event. General admission is $5 per participant. Tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased here.
For more information, please visit www.ocalafl.org/recpark,call the City of Ocala Recreation and Parks Department at 352-368-5517, or follow @OcalaRecPark on Facebook.
