COMMUNITY NEWS
Golf cart parade, veteran's hall of fame, teacher award, vendors sought
Fostering Foundation board member Tim Bascom and Executive Director Amy Hill accept the donation from Jessica Fieldhouse, executive director of Ocala Main Street. [Submitted photo]
Golf cart parade fundraiser
Ocala Main Street hosted its seventh annual Golf Cart Christmas Parade on Dec. 6 with more than 100 entries.
“We begin with a tailgate at City Hall where judging takes place. We had some day-of registrations, so we were over 100 carts in the parade. The route goes through the Downtown Business District and the Historic Residential District. And every dollar raised stays right here to support and empower local children and families in the foster care system,” noted Jessica Fieldhouse, executive director of Ocala Main Street.
The judges were Ocala Mayor Ben Marciano, City Councilwoman Kristen Dreyer and Mike Bascom.
Winners of prizes donated by JB Golf Carts were:
- Most Festive Cart: Geotech (Craig & Danielle Hampy)
- Best Dressed: Garcia Family (Grinch theme)
- Best Group (two or more carts): Lopez & Hill Family, Gingerbread theme
Fieldhouse later presented a donation of $11,046.33 to representatives from the nonprofit Fostering Foundation.
To learn more, go to ocalamainstreet.org and thefosteringfoundation.org
Commission approves Veterans Hall of Fame
The Marion County Board of County Commissioners recently approved the creation of a Marion County Veterans Hall of Fame presented by Veterans Helping Veterans USA. The new program is designed to recognize and honor local veterans for their service, leadership and contributions to the community.
The Hall of Fame was developed through input from the Marion County’s veteran’s community, following discussions and ideas shared during quarterly meetings. The meetings were launched by Marion County Commissioner Craig Curry, who was authorized by the county commission to serve as the liaison.
Veterans Helping Veterans USA is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting veterans and their families through a variety of programs and initiatives. The organization focuses on providing resources for housing, employment, education and healthcare, while also fostering community engagement and recognition of veterans’ service and achievements.
The program will celebrate the outstanding achievements of Marion County veterans and will create a meaningful pipeline of nominees for the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame, after which the local program will be modeled.
“This is a step in the right direction to help honor those in our community who have served. Our service put our lives at risk to protect people we never knew,” said Ocala’s Capt. Steve Petty (Ret.), who was recently inducted into the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame, in the release.
The nomination criteria and more details can be found at marionfl.org/vetshalloffame.
CAPTION: Lisa Asher [Submitted photo]
Teacher thanked
HCA Florida Ocala Hospital and HCA Florida West Marion Hospital, with the Public Education Foundation of Marion County (PEFMC), recently presented Lisa Asher of Dr. N.H Jones Elementary School in Ocala a “Thank a Teacher” award.
Lisa Asher [Submitted photo]
Asher teaches first grade at Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary School. Her nomination, which was submitted by a parent, noted, “Thank you for your patience and dedication you put forward every day with my son and his classmates.”
Winning educators are nominated by students, families or staff members of Marion County Public Schools who call attention to the teachers’ devotion to education and the overall positive impact they have on their students and school communities.
To learn more, go to pefmc.org/thank-a-teacher
Vendors sought for festival
The city of Ocala’s Cultural Arts Division, in partnership with the Marion County Public Library System, will host the first Art Park Literary and Poetry Festival on April 11 at the Tuscawilla Art Park at 213 NE Fifth St., Ocala. The free event is part of the Tuscawilla Art Park Series.
The city is accepting vendor applications for literary vendors including independent publishers, small presses, bookstores, magazines, newspapers, authors, zine creators and comic creators; calligraphers, printmakers, illustrators and bookmakers; and food trucks, nonprofit groups and arts organizations.
Applications are available at ocalafl.gov/poetryfest and may be submitted by email to [email protected] or mailed to City of Ocala Cultural Arts, 201 SE Third St., Second Floor, Ocala, FL 34471.
Ocala Cultural Arts will open a call for poets in January and selected poems will appear in the first edition of the Art Park Literary and Poetry Book.
For more information, call (352) 629-8447 or email [email protected]
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