Last year in The Villages was typical of what one has come to expect from this truly active “active adult” community. There were festivals and plays and evening town square concerts, bicycle and motorcycle rides, golf carts drill teams and even a drive-in holiday parade. There was woodworking and walking, model train events and health fairs.
Perfect games were bowled, softballs were pitched and pickleball was played. Funds were raised for children, vets and pets. There were classic car cruise-ins, new construction and a bevy of new places to eat (including Gator’s Dockside, Cody’s Roadhouse, Red Lobster and Sonny’s BBQ).
All the while, national events played out and brought their influence to the area — bank bailouts, reeling hits to the auto industry and small businesses, the death of a rock star and a new President.
January 2009 started out with a cold snap in The Villages. The Circuit City in Rolling Acres Plaza ducked and bobbed, trying to survive news of the chain’s nationwide closings. Also, State Farm, one of the largest insurers in the state, announced it would stop home and business coverage in Florida, leaving several Villagers scrambling for alternatives. (They’ve just recently decided to stay). Meanwhile, The Villages was only a short step away from becoming the number one pickleball community in the nation.
In February, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at its lowest level in more than six years and President Obama signed a $787 billion economic rescue plan. And, though not necessarily a sound economic plan, thousands turned out to play Powerball, now available in Florida. The first live television broadcast of the Powerball lottery drawing was held in Spanish Springs Town Square.
In March, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, visited The Villages for polo’s famed Camacho Cup. The rivalry match between US and Mexico was played for the first time in more than 20 years at The Villages’ own world-class polo stadium. Tennis great Billie Jean King also made an appearance in March, speaking about diabetes at The Villages’ Healthy Living Expo.
April was teatime in The Villages. Joining groups across the nation, some Villagers staged a “Tax Day Tea Party” near Lake Mira Mar to protest too much government spending and too many taxes. The Swine Flu got its first US victim, in Texas, and General Motors announced plans to cut nearly 21,000 jobs and to scrap the Pontiac brand. Also in The Villages, construction began on the new Seabreeze Recreation Center, near Buena Vista Blvd.
School let out for the summer in May, and The Villages’ recreation department revved up their Camp Villages, giving residents a novel way to spend time with their grandkids. Patriotic Villagers turn out at any number of Memorial Day activities, both somber and festive, and area residents begin to gear up for hurricane season.
In June, Florida law enforcement began pulling drivers over simply for not wearing their seat belts. Previously, it took another offense to stop a driver, with seatbelt tickets issued as an unfortunate add-on. The Villages’ Wellness Center finally moved into its new home in the La Reina Building at Spanish Springs. And on June 25, Villagers joined the nation in shock and grief over the death of actress, Farrah Fawcett and singer Michael Jackson.
During the first half of 2009, America was trying to re-stabilize from economic hard times, but new business, construction and attitudes stayed strong in The Villages. With summer starting to peak, Villagers continued to take the economy in stride. There was more: more fetes, festivals and fundraising; more golf, golf carts and go-getters; more books, bowling and new business – and politicians and pundits a plenty.
July kicked off the summer festival and art show season. The Fourth of July was celebrated in the town squares and The Waterfront Inn at Lake Sumter Landing earned an Expedia Insider Select 2009 hotel designation. The national award is given based on reviews from Expedia travel site users.
“Cash for Clunkers” was the big news in August. Auto dealerships in The Villages reported strong sales during the first part of the year, bucking the national trend, but they also had several takers for government’s used car rebate program. Also in The Villages, ground was broken for the Morse Boulevard construction project.
In September, word-champion pool player Allison Fisher shot a few games with Villagers at a Savannah Center event. After an exhibition, players paid $20 each to take on the champ, with proceeds going to the local Ladies Billiards Association. The Villages’ Charter School celebrated its 10th anniversary and the Coldwater Creek store opened in Lake Sumter Landing.
Federal stimulus dollars helped put one enterprising golf cart dealer in the national spotlight in October. Using loopholes in the program, The Villages Cart Man devised a plan for Villagers to “Get a Free Golf Cart or make $2,000 doing absolutely nothing!” Meanwhile Villagers got baseball. The Lake County Black Bears, based in nearby Leesburg, regularly competed against the other three teams in the Florida Winter Baseball League.
Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin returned to The Villages in November to sign copies of her autobiography, Going Rouge. Mike Huckabee and John Beck also visited the Lake Sumter Landing Barnes and Noble to promote their books. Glenn Beck wrote Arguing with Idiots, and Mike Huckabee penned the holiday tale, A Simple Christmas. Also in November, construction on a new a VA healthcare facility was well underway. The 90,000-square-foot Villages Outpatient Clinic is expected to serve area veterans by sometime in 2010.
Polo wrapped up for the year in December, with almost 23,000-plus people having attended the matches. Ground was broken for The Villages Sumter County Service Center, which is slated to be the new home of The Villages Public Library and several government offices. Area business reported strong holidays sales and Villagers celebrated the season with a drive-in parade, with cars and golf carts lining the grounds of The Villages polo club. Tragedy stuck, however, as an early morning fire broke out in a home in the Village of Southern Trace. The home was destroyed, but the two residents and their dog were rescued from the fire.
Moving into 2010, The Villages once again began the new year with a cold snap – this time with snow. The weather though, has never been a barrier to Villagers enjoying their more-than-active-lifestyle. Already this year there have been performances, sporting events and efforts to raise funds — pickleball for cancer, a blood drive for Haiti… As always in The Villages, there is more to come. Be sure to subscribe here to get all of our updates and the latest news about The Villages.
