The City of Ocala Recreation and Parks department will host a concert by Jerod Stephen Doyle Saturday, April 21 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Tuscawilla Art Park located at 223 NE Fifth St.

OCALA, Fla. (April 9, 2018) – The City of Ocala Recreation and Parks department will host a concert by Jerod Stephen Doyle Saturday, April 21 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Tuscawilla Art Park located at 223 NE Fifth St. This concert is presented by Insight Credit Union.

Jerod Stephen Doyle are three performers who work together on stage to create a unique improvisational, instrumental experience.

“We perform like this because it’s ridiculously fun. It’s terrifying, in a way, because we literally don’t know what we will play until we’re actually playing it,” said Doyle Dean, drummer for Jerod Stephen Doyle. “We are 100 percent responsive to what is going on at any given moment. No two performances are alike, since each performance incorporates sights and sounds from our surroundings.” [Read more…]

Efforts to renovate the City of Ocala Customer Service Center, 201 SE Third St., will begin Monday, April 9.

Post Date:04/04/2018 4:11 PM

OCALA, Fla. (April 4, 2018) – Efforts to renovate the City of Ocala Customer Service Center, 201 SE Third St., will begin Monday, April 9. These renovations are expected to be completed by Friday, June 22.

These renovations will be limited to the first floor of the Customer Service Center. In the lobby area, renovations will include: the addition of security glass at all teller stations, removal of the pneumatic tube system, the addition of two new teller stations, and installation of new countertops, flooring and paint. Additionally, a storage room on the first floor will be converted into a conference room to be utilized by City staff. [Read more…]

Due to a resurfacing project, NE Third Street will experience intermittent lane closures from NE Osceola Avenue to NE Eighth Street beginning Monday, April 9.

Post Date:04/04/2018 8:01 AM

OCALA, Fla. (April 3, 2018) – Due to a resurfacing project, NE Third Street will experience intermittent lane closures from NE Osceola Avenue to NE Eighth Street beginning Monday, April 9. Partial lane closures are expected from NE Osceola Avenue to NE Tuscawilla Avenue; full lane closures will take place from NE Tuscawilla Avenue to NE Eighth Avenue. Construction for this phase of resurfacing NE Third Street is expected to conclude on Tuesday, May 15.

All necessary devices will be in place to re-direct traffic. Construction will take place Mondays through Fridays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. During construction times, travelers may experience noise, dust and heavy equipment within the project area.

Detour routes: [Read more…]

As part of the 2018-2019 Ocala Outdoor Sculpture Competition, the City of Ocala hosted the Tuscawilla Sculpture Stroll Celebration Saturday, March 17 at the Tuscawilla Art Park.

OCALA, Fla. (March 23, 2018) – As part of the 2018-2019 Ocala Outdoor Sculpture Competition, the City of Ocala hosted the Tuscawilla Sculpture Stroll Celebration Saturday, March 17 at the Tuscawilla Art Park, 223 NE Fifth St. During this event, awards were presented in the following categories:

• Best in Show – Robustae by John Gamache, Ocala, FL
• Second Place – Job by Claudia Lauster, Naples, FL
• Honorable Mention – Navigator by Mike Hansel, Middletown, RI
• People’s Choice – Metal Elephant by James Futral, Fort Myers, FL

[Read more…]

Volunteers will assist with cleaning headstones, raking leaves, picking up fallen tree limbs and cleaning up debris.

OCALA, Fla. (March 28, 2018) – The Friends of the Historical Evergreen Cemetery, Sons of Confederate Veterans Pvt. William R. Milton Camp 741 and the United Daughters of the Confederacy Marion Dragoons Chapter 2311, in partnership with the City of Ocala Public Works Department, are sponsoring a Greenwood Cemetery volunteer cleanup day Saturday, April 7 from 8 a.m. to noon.

Volunteers will meet at Greenwood Cemetery located at 1393 NE Third St. at 8 a.m. Volunteers will assist with cleaning headstones, raking leaves, picking up fallen tree limbs and cleaning up debris.   [Read more…]

Cracker Days is held every spring at Rainbow Springs State Park in Dunnellon. For a $2/person admission fee, you can spend all day experiencing Florida’s frontier, a step back in time. Watch the crack of a cattle whip, touch the mane of a unique Florida Cracker horse, enjoy fresh made food from that era, including kettle corn, marmalade, and other goodies. You can also have hands on experience at corn grinding, vintage children games, and much more.  1800’s living history demonstrators will educate and entertain you with stories from the past.  New this year was a flintknapper demonstrating how the Native Americans made arrow heads. There was lots of fun, food, music surrounded by the natural beauty of the state park.

[Read more…]

Thousands of people, hundreds of vendors attended. Nurseries, landscaping companies, lawn designers, gardeners, etc.

I went to get information about Camellias for my wife who could not attend. They had it and every other plant you could imagine. One vendor said “if it’s not here that plant bloomed early. This show is about color.” There was brilliant color!

The Festival is always held the 2nd weekend of March, so put it on your calendar for next year. [Read more…]

Lions Club holds fund raising for Charity. Here are some members of the Ocala Fort King Lions Club selling brooms at the Fresh Market in downtown Ocala. They are also on a membership drive. If you’re interested in joining, call Walt at Walt’s Brakes and More 352-629-3134. The Ocala Downtown Market is the place where a diverse array of farmers, artisans, craftspeople, and food trucks come together to sell their products to customers from Ocala, Marion County, and beyond.

Chief Graham shared to the OBL Breakfast group some surprising statistics about the effects of Opiate addiction in our community. Opiates were the number one cause of deaths, 70,  in Marion County in 2017. With just a few weeks into 2018, Marion County has already recorded 34 overdoses and 9 deaths. The Ocala Police Department has created a new task force to help with this epidemic. He called on us, as members of the community, to support treatment facilities and educate others on the use of prescription drugs.

MARION COUNTY, Florida (March 30, 2018)- After a thorough investigation conducted alongside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) detectives have arrested Lawrence Margulies (DOB: 03/18/1970) for possessing multiple files of child pornography. Margulies, a U.S. citizen who holds a Ph.D. in Physics, was working in Canada in 2017 when he was deported from the country for possessing child pornography. Margulies was residing with family in the On Top of the World subdivision in Marion County when he was arrested for the same offense Friday morning. [Read more…]