This Week in The Villages: Nov. 24-30
Hopefully you’re recovering from Thanksgiving and all that weekend football and shopping. You know lots of people think you move to The Villages and its this whole other world, and in a sense it is, but Villagers are still people just like you. Case in point, Black Friday shopping. Thousands of Villagers awoke early Friday morning to get to the sales at places like Circuit City and Target. Some were even crazy enough to camp out the night before.
So just because you move to paradise, doesn’t mean things aren’t “normal” every now and then.
One thing no matter where you move to The Villages from will be familiar, and that’s the ringing of the bells at the Salvation Army Kettle at the entrance to major stores. Villagers are a generous bunch of people and are off to an early start helping those in need this holiday season, despite the economy. If you haven’t made the jump down to The Villages, please do the same in your area will you? Lot’s of folks out there need it this year.
One of the best things about living in The Villages is the free entertainment. Who doesn’t love a live band? Well things get kicked up a notch in The Villages around the holidays as far as Christmastime entertainment is concerned. You can keep track of nightly entertainment going on in The Villages here.
But whatever you do, spend an evening this holiday season with the Griswold’s won’t you? Pop National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation into the dvd player and cuddle up with a loved one and a big bowl of popcorn. Ah, Clark would fit right in here in The Villages 
The Villages Airport Shuttle
Kind of a quiet week coming up here in The Villages. Everyone is still undoubtedly recovering from the election and preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday that will quickly be upon us.
While some folks will be celebrating Thanksgiving in The Villages, others will be traveling to various parts of the country. With that in mind, whether you live in The Villages currently, or are perhaps thinking of moving here, I just wanted to point out how easy it is to get around here. Of course you probably know about the ability to get around The Villages by golf cart, even to the hospital, grocery store, and Wal Mart.
The Villages Airport Shuttle Bus
But I’m talking about getting to and from the airport, Orlando International, which is about an hour and a half from The Villages. There is a shuttle bus that runs to and from the airport ($40-$50 per person each way, depending on whether you live in The Villages or are just visiting) which makes this ultra convenient. Click here for details.
Should You Join The Villages POA and HOA?
You may be used to seeing new developments in Florida and other places that are run by Homeowners Associations, which in turn are run by the developer for communities that are still being developed and built. But most of the normal functions of the HOA like you’re thinking of are taken care of by The Villages CDD’s.
But that didn’t stop residents from forming an POA and an HOA of their own to serve as kind of “watchdog” groups for residents of The Villages.
The dues for both are very low, and you do get some discounts at local restaurants and businesses for being a member.
I encourage you to join so that, if nothing else, you at least give the people making decisions concerning the future of The Villages the sense that someone is watching what they are doing and are concerned about the decisions they make and their impact on current and future residents of The Villages.
You can visit the POA website at:http://www.poa4us.org and the HOA website at http://thevillagesvoice.com
What Will an Obama Presidency Mean for The Villages?
So what will a Democratic presidency mean for The Villages? As you may know, The Villages is known as a Republican stronghold…the developers are staunch supporters of the republican party and many feel they’ve long benefited from the policies that have come along with the last 8-years of a Republican in the country’s top office.
Even local elected officials around The Villages are mostly Republican. There’s an interesting article in the Orlando Sentinel which points out that some businesses won’t even donate to Democratic campaigns for risk of losing business. Sheesh. Want to go see Oliver Stone’s “W”? Can’t do it in The Villages!
So, will this change in the coming years? Too early to tell as there’s no telling what kind of changes President-Elect Obama will enact and how that may affect large developers. You can see changes among residents of The Villages, especially among Democrats in the community. Prior to the election, and even still a week after, there are Obama signs throughout the community and on golf carts and cars.
Alright, enough with politics for a while, eh? Time to get back to reality in The Villages.
Leisureville: An Inside Look at The Villages
If you’re seriously considering moving to The Villages, I recommend to folks that they read one other book (besides mine) before making the plunge.
Leisureville, by Andrew Blechman, provides a very accurate (and often humorous) account of what life is really like in The Villages. While Mr. Blechman focuses on some of the more…uh, let’s just call them “extreme”… characters you may encounter in The Villages, Leisureville provides a lot of insight that you could really only otherwise gather from living amongst it yourself.
You may see on a lot of forums or blogs about The Villages that there has been some backlash towards Mr. Blechman and Leisureville, especially from Villagers who feel like they need to defend the community and lifestyle they have chosen. While everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, you shouldn’t let this stop you from reading this book.
As long as you read Leisureville with an open mind, you’ll pick up on a lot of things you may have never known about the U.S.’s most talked about retirement community. Some you may like, some things you might not like, but I do guarantee the book will make you laugh.
With the holiday’s coming up, now is the perfect time to catch up on some reading. Be sure to add Leisureville to your list.
This Week in The Villages: Oct. 27-Nov. 2
A few weeks ago I wrote about the new restaurant at the Havana Country Club being opened by George Stella from the Food Network. Turns out George is a Florida native, so his restaurant opening is more of a homecoming for him. The Villages Vmail has a video interview and peek at what the menu will be like. You can see that here:
George Stella Interview in The Villages
By the way, if you are considering a move to The Villages, you should consider subscribing to The Villages Vmail list. This email has some good information about special deals and incentives that The Villages may be running at any given time, as well as various news items from around The Villages. You can subscribe here.
Another item of recent interest is a new line of home The Villages is offering called the Cottage Series. You’ll find that these homes are on the minimalist side, both inside and out. Perfect timing I guess, especially if you are among the many who have watched your 401k shrink in the past few months. Browsing a list of Cottage series homes available in The Villages I saw a couple in the $130,000’s, but most are between $140,000 to $170,000.
That’s it for This Week in The Villages. Polls in The Villages open Tuesday morning at 7 am and will remain open until 7 pm. Don’t forget to vote!
See ya next week!
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