SANTA’S CHRISTMAS TREE FOREST |
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You don’t have to travel to cold climates up north in order to obtain a real Christmas tree. Central Florida residents can visit Santa’s Christmas Tree Forest located a few miles from downtown Eustis, where Jack & Judy Ewing own and maintain 33 acres of land. Fourteen acres produce Christmas trees, and the total trees on the property are: 13,000 Sand Pines, 1,000 Red Cedars, as well as a small nursery of 100 potted Christmas trees.
The Ewings are in the middle of their busy season, which runs from Thanksgiving weekend until December 23rd. Hundreds of visitors arrive to choose and cut the tree of their choice; Sand Pine, Red Cedar or Arizona Cypress. Other types of trees, such as Fraser Fir, Scotch Pine, and Douglas Fir are shipped in from other areas. In January 3,000 seedlings are planted to replace the cut trees.
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Lake County Extension Office Educational Schedule
“Timely Topics Series” |
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The Lake County Extension Office’s next educational program is Lighten Up Your Holidays on Wednesday, December 5, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Lake County Agricultural Center, located at 1951 Woodlea Road in Tavares.
Each month, the Timely Topics series provides information on a variety of subjects including clutter control, transferring non-titled property and food safety. The Lake County Extension Office sponsors all programs, which is a partnership between the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and the Lake County Board of County Commissioners. Trained professionals and volunteers offer research-based education in agriculture, family and consumer sciences, and 4-H youth development.
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SEEING FLORIDA’S NATURAL SETTING |
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One of the best ways to enjoy the natural beauty of Central Florida is to visit any one of the more than 156 State parks located throughout the state.
Many of these parks are located in Lake County, and the residents of the various Pringle communities do not have to travel far to reach one or more of these excellent facilities. Operated by the Florida Park Service, their mission is to preserve and protect the natural and cultural resources, as well as provide recreational opportunities to park visitors. More than 19 million visitors visited the State Parks in the last fiscal year. Many state parks offer visitors the chance to observe Florida’s native wildlife, such as manatees, dolphins, otters, birds of every color, deer, sea turtles and gopher tortoises.
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RENNINGER’S ANTIQUE EXTRAVAGANZA |
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For those of us who enjoy looking for antiques and other collectibles, don’t miss one of the largest and most popular places in Mount Dora, Renninger’s Antique Center and Flea Market. Every weekend for more that twenty years, this well-known center attracts collectors from all over. The Center is spread out over one hundred acres, including 40,000 square feet of air conditioned space that is set aside just for antique and collectible dealers, divided into more than 180 shop sites.
On weekends, there is a large flea market with over one hundred enclosed, air-conditioned spaces, four hundred outdoor pavilion spaces and twenty acres of open area for dealers to set up.
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THE HAVEN OF LAKE AND SUMTER COUNTIES |
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The term haven is defined as a “sheltered place or a refuge”.
That is exactly what The Haven of Lake and Sumter Counties, Inc. provides to meet the needs of domestic violence victims. It was established in 1977 and has expanded its base over the years to provide a large number of services to the Central Florida community.
The Haven is one of Florida’s 42 Certified Violence Centers, and in the last two years, has assisted about 25,000 people with domestic violence and sexual assault services. A 24-hour hotline provides immediate crisis intervention where a victim can obtain temporary emergency shelter, food and clothing. Outreach counseling is available, and the children’s services provide counseling, advocacy and referrals for children under 17 years of age who have been victims of domestic or sexual abuse. Transitional living facilities are available for victims requiring longer term healing. A rape crisis hotline is always available, providing immediate response and emotional support for these situations.
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Low Maintenance Flowers |
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Red has always been a dynamic color to add to any garden, but this plant has a very unique type of flower.
The firecracker plant, also called the Coral Plant or Coral Fountain, has almost leafless stems that grow vertically, but the weight of the branch soon causes it to bend downwards. Clusters of bright red tubular flowers that look like firecrackers are produced at the end of those branches, and eventually the flowers extend over the edge of hanging baskets or large pots.
These plants prefer frequent watering in a well drained soil and should be fertilized regularly to produce more flowers. It blooms from spring to fall outdoors, but forms flowers all year as an indoor plant. You can even start new plants from tip cuttings from an existing plant.
The firecracker plant is actually native to Mexico but has become more popular in Central and Southern Florida because it is another of those plants that are easy to grow and maintain in your garden.
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Announcing Our New Mortgage Company |
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 We are pleased to announce the opening of our mortgage company, 5th Generation Mortgage, Inc. We officially opened for business on August 9, 2007. Diane Dearing will be the Manager of this new company, bringing over 19 years of experience with Pringle Development and a commitment of continued Customer Service Excellence. If you have any questions, please contact us at 800-721-8503
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