While leaves are turning and folks in other part of the country are firing up their furnaces, residents of The Villages, this week, were out enjoying the Fall weather, holding the cooler, wet weather promised by forecasters at bay for a while longer.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, local softball teams battled each other, and visiting senior athletes from around the country, at the Saddlebrook and Buffalo Glen Softball Complexes for the Master Athlete Softball Championship. Both men’s and women’s teams, in three age brackets, competed for the trophies.
As well as the softball tournament, residents enjoyed the usual variety of bands, ballet, archery and other recreation opportunities at The Villages.
At least one Villager was seen flying kites – on TV. Earlier this month, Bell Aire resident, Barbara Hall attended the 2009 American Kite Association National Convention in Rochester, MN, and was captured on video for CNN news, and was interviewed in the Rochester Post-Bulletin. Hall has flown kites in all 50 states and in several countries around the world.
On a more serious note, U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Ocala) met with voters Saturday at the Mulberry Grove Recreation Center. Sterns spoke to about 250 attendees about the issue that’s on everyone’s lips, healthcare. Stearns talked about his stance on President Obama’s health plan and addressed other constituent concerns.
Speaking of health care, this week is the end of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Awareness and prevention has been at the forefront at The Villages this month with several local groups doing their part, from Panera Bread serving pink pastries to the creation of a Heart dolls by folks from Elizabeth Villas. Survivors have joined to share their stories and educate others, and a new non-profit to raise money for mammograms, Spare Your Pair, emerged from businessman, Steve Munz in Wildwood. The combination of early detection and medical innovations has caused an overall drop in the death rate from the disease. According to the American Cancer Society, nationally, breast cancer mortality has dropped by about two percent per year since 1999. But just because National Breast Cancer Awareness Month ends, it doesn’t mean all the hard work and education should stop. Be sure to get your mammogram and continue helping those in The Villages who work to combat this disease.
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