Mountain View
Ocala Style Magazine
Farmland Preservation Festival
The April 13th event hosted by the nonprofit Save Our Rural Areas (SORA) and held at Majestic Oaks in Reddick, included a farmer’s market, cottage crafts, a petting zoo, hayrides, a tractor parade and entertainment. SORA opposes urban sprawl on farmland, especially within the county’s designated Farmland Preservation Area.
Farm to Table Gala
The April 6th event hosted by the Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation, Inc., at Castle Gate Farm in Ocala, featured local fare, silent and live auctions, entertainment and more, with 100 percent of donations going directly toward paying the essential non-medical living expenses of an adult battling cancer.
Vows | April 2024 | Grim
Their favorite wedding memory: “We snuck away from the hustle and bustle that morning to spend a few quiet moments together and exchange letters. The weather was lovely, the golden leaves falling from the trees around us as we talked about the future. It was the perfect foundation to a wonderful day; a beautiful calm in which to begin our lives together.”
Vows | April 2024 | Brummer
Her favorite memory: “Our first dance. We chose the song I’m Gonna Love the Hell Out of You by Lewis Capaldi because it truly fit us and our relationship so well. To share this dance together as husband and wife was such a treasure.”. His favorite memory: “The...
Vows | April 2024 | Mancauskas
Her favorite memory: “I have been a wedding planner, coordinator and designer for three years with Making It Matthews. I wasn’t sure if my coordinator instincts would turn off and allow me to be the bride. As the doors opened and I saw the love of my life smiling at me, all the anticipation melted away. I couldn’t have imagined how that perfect moment felt until I became the bride, knowing I was stepping into forever with my best friend. It was a perfect once-in-a-lifetime moment.”
Remembering Ross Allen
In the days before modern theme parks like Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, Silver Springs was one of the most popular attractions in the country. Starting in 1924, families from near and far would make annual pilgrimages to Florida to ride glass-bottom boats, view wildlife and have a photograph taken with the iconic spring in the background.
Scientist, inventor to lecture at IHMC
Michael Larson will discuss Enhancing Wellness Through Sensory Stimulation: An Application to Better Sleep in Ocala on April 25th. Michael Larson is an educator, inventor and senior research scientist with the Institute for Human & Machine Cognition. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University, a master’s degree at the University of Michigan and his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But his innate curiosity started well before he achieved such milestones.
HUGS and Hope
On the evening of February 22nd, beneath the lights and stars in downtown Ocala, the annual HUGS (Heartfelt Unconditional Giving) Charities of Ocala fundraiser was all about, well, the hugs—and securing donations to help more people. The 14th annual event took place at the Bank Street Patio Bar & Grill, which offers spacious outside areas for social gatherings.
Learning to Love Slowcala
My wife, Amy, and I love to walk Rigby Floyd, our Golden Doodle named for a Beatles song and a Muppet. One morning, we bumped into friends who live on the other side of the neighborhood. We do not know them very well, but they are exceptionally nice people. Here...
Rehabilitation and Release
Avonaco was at death’s door when a biologist found him in a sugar cane field in Louisiana, trying to eat the stubble left after the cane had been harvested. The year-old orphaned bear cub was starving, weighed barely 15 pounds and was suffering from pneumonia and multiple badly infected wounds. The biologist walked up to the cub and instead of trying to escape, it crouched down and cried.
The Things I Can’t Live Without | Crystal Fernung
Crystal loves to cook and is an artist and equine enthusiast. With her husband, Brent, she helped develop Journeyman Bloodstock Services/Journeyman Stud 48 years ago. “We started as grooms at Lasater Farm in Ocala in 1976. With lots of hard work, we have had some wonderful success stories and now stand Khozan, the leading sire in Florida every year since 2020.”
Count Your Bugs
Think of a lazy day in your garden, camped out in a comfortable chair in front of some flowers while admiring the colors, enjoying the warm breeze and counting, wait for it—insects. Specifically, pollinators. The Great Florida Pollinator Census is coming and UF/IFAS Extension Marion County, a partnership of...
4WD Adventure
Twenty two-person teams will tackle off-road park trails in this year’s Florida Trail Team Challenge. For adventurous four-wheel vehicle drivers, the Florida Trail Team Challenge might be a bucket list item. The off-road endurance challenge features two-person teams who accumulate points by competing in various events, such as precision...
Driveable Destinations: Dunedin
Though it’s often referred to as “the home of Honeymoon Island,” Dunedin is much more than the gateway to Florida’s most-visited state park. With a lively downtown, vibrant arts scene and plenty of parks, this charming waterfront community was named No. 39 of Southern Living’s Best Small Towns in the South 2023.
Adventurous Eating
Preparing meals with fresh-caught seafood can be both satisfying and delicious. I spend a lot of time with my professional fishing team in the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean each spring and summer. Last summer, we ventured over to Bimini for a few days, and I discovered it is the place to get a fresh Conch Salad.
Restoring the Waterfalls
Waterfalls provide some of nature’s most pleasing sights and sounds. But sometimes, a manmade waterfall needs a friend—make that a Friend. The Friends of Rainbow Springs State Park have made it their mission to restore the Rainbow, Seminole and Aviary waterfalls inside one of the most unique and gorgeous parks in Florida. It has been a labor of love for the volunteer group, whose numbers were seriously decimated during the pandemic.
Area Adventures
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “adventure” as an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks, the encountering of risks (a spirit of adventure), an exciting or remarkable experience or an enterprise involving financial risk. Someone who is “adventurous” is said to be disposed to coping with the new and...
Editor’s Picks | April 2024
A guide to our favorite monthly happenings and can’t-miss events. Webb Field/Martin Luther King Jr. Recreational Complex. The series, sponsored in part by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, offers 10 free, family-friendly, outdoor concerts to the public. The goal is to inject new life into underused public spaces. The concerts offer a broad array of music genres and cultural programming. To learn more, go to ocalafl.gov/levittamp.
Social Scene | April 2024
Devon Chestnut, Crystal Fernung, Patricia Sutton and Carla Lord were among the attendees at the annual Voices of Pace Luncheon held February 22nd at the College of Central Florida’s Klein Center. The event was a fundraiser for Pace Marion, which offers academic and counseling services for young women. Photo...
Ocala Royal Dames for Cancer Research, Inc., Masquerade Ball
The gala event on March 23 at the Circle Square Cultural Center featured entertainment, dining and lots of fun guessing who was behind each mask. The nonprofit, all volunteer group raises money that helps support educational programs and activities that promote, enhance and further cancer research and education on a local and regional level. This year’s guest speaker was Lisa Niemi Swayze, the widow of Patrick Swazye. She is an author, dancer and actress. In 2011, she was honored with the title of Dame and invested in the Royal Order of Francis the 1st for her work on behalf of pancreatic cancer.
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