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AZINE AZINECON AAZI ZINNEECON ZIN CONT NTTEN May 2011
features
departments
008 I editor’s note 010 I q+a with Jaye
043 I MEDICAL JOURNAL
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044 I Chronic Pain Compiled by JOHN SOTOMAYOR, ROB FEEMAN
STORY: ROB FEEMAN
058 I SNAPSHOTS 069 I A LA CARTE
070 I simply delish 072 I health & fitness 073 I what’s news 078 I calendar 080 I VOX
ON THE COVER: PHOTOGRAPHY: FRED LOPEZ CREATIVE: KIP WILLIAMS MODEL: BEATRIZ BRAZIL MAKE UP AND HAIR: PLANET COSMO WWW.PLANETCOSMO.COM CLOTHING: DILLARDS AT MARKET STREET
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STORY: JOHN SOTOMAYOR
STORY: ROB FEEMAN
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Compiled by JOHN SOTOMAYOR, ROB FEEMAN
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editor’snote Linda Marks publisher linda@ocalamagazine.com Gene McConnell vice president gene@ocalamagazine.com
Viva Ocala! Nací en el país de Panamá. Mi padre era un hombre de la Marina que sirvió en el Pacífico durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. En uno de sus períodos de servicio, después de la guerra, él y mi madre fueron estacionados en la Zona del Canal de EE.UU., donde se alojaron en una vivienda militar. Yo nací en un hospital del Ejército junto al canal. Cuando tenía nueve meses de edad, regresamos a los EE.UU en un vuelo que aterrizó brevemente en Cuba. (esto fue antes del 1960). Pasé los siguientes ocho años en lugares como Vallejo (al norte de San Francisco), San Pedro (cerca de Los Angeles) y San Diego. Mi hermano nació en el hospital de San Diego Balboa. Hace apenas unos años, estando en una asignación para una revista, viajé a Sevilla, en España, y tuve la oportunidad de pararme en el lugar donde Cristóbal Colón puso en marcha su primer viaje de descubrimiento. Así que, aunque no soy hispano, he estado rodeado por la cultura de habla española durante toda mi vida. I should confess that the above paragraph was translated into Spanish for me by our associate editor, John Sotomayor, who traces his ancestry back to Peru on his father’s side and Colombia on his mother’s side. Fred Lopez, our photographer, is of Puerto Rican descent, while Alex Martinez, our business analyst, traces part of his family tree back to Cuba. Others in our office, including Ron Kolb, our director of sales and marketing, and Sam Guerra, the newest member of our sales team, have Latin blood in their veins. In fact, Hispanics make up an integral part of the cultural fabric here in Ocala and Marion County. Folks like Lola Gonzalez, Rolando Sosa, Rondo Fernandez and Mara Rodriguez (who also helped with the above translation) are good friends of the magazine, and they’re all deeply involved with our local community. It was while talking to them, and others in our community, that the idea for our Salsa Issue came about. As we were in the process of putting together this issue, both John and I talked to all sorts of people around town—people like the Alvarez family, Father Cely at Blessed Trinity, businesswoman Jimena Carrasco, attorney Magda Lanza, Carmenza Pinzon of Latino USA Today, Carlos and Milagros Druett of the Royal Hispanic Club of Silver Springs Shores, Mercy and Eddie Alvarado of Jamming in the Park, Scott Mitchell at the Silver River Museum, historical archaeologist Willet Boyer III, and many others. All contributed stories and ideas to this issue. What was most fascinating for me, however, was learning about the historical record of the Spanish influence in Marion County. Spanish roots go deep in this region, dating back nearly 500 years. Hernando de Soto, with an army of conquistadors, marched through Marion County in the 1500s, and Ponce de Leon was the first governor of Florida. Spain itself ruled Florida for nearly 300 years. So our current Hispanic community here in Marion County carries on a tradition of involvement that dates back to the beginnings of Florida’s recorded history. We’re happy to continue that record with our Salsa Issue.
OCALAMAGAZINE Volume 31, Issue 11
EDITORIAL/ DESIGN Rob Feeman editor
rob@ocalamagazine.com Kip Williams creative director kip@ocalamagazine.com Jim Canada senior designer james@ocalamagazine.com Fred Lopez photo editor/photographer fred@ocalamagazine.com John Sotomayor associate editor john@ocalamagazine.com -------------------------
CONTRIBUTORS Kelli Hart trends
Nicole Orr health & fitness Cath Rathbone medicine Randal White simply delish -------------------------
SALES & MARKETING Ron Kolb director of sales & marketing ron@ocalamagazine.com
Alex Martinez business analyst alex@ocalamagazine.com Ken Keeton business analyst ken@ocalamagazine.com Jayme Green business analyst jayme@ocalamagazine.com -------------------------
OPERATIONS Norm Herbert distribution
Barbara Stanton accountant + collections barbara@ocalamagazine.com -------------------------
EDITORIAL OR ADVERTISING INQUIRIES phone 352.622.2995 fax 352.622.9200 www.ocalamagazine.com
OFFICES 743 S.E. Fort King St. Ocala, FL 34471 MAILING ADDRESS P.O. Box 4649, Ocala, FL 34478 PHONE 352.622.2995 FAX 352.622.9200 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR by mail or email: letters@ocalamagazine.com SUBSCRIPTION $30-one year, $50-two years, $4.95-single issue. COPYRIGHT All contents copyrighted 2010 by Special Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertising content in any manner without written permission is strictly prohibited.
Rob Feeman I Editor rob@ocalamagazine.com
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q+a with
A conversation with RUSTY SKINNER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, WORKFORCE CONNECTION
Rusty Skinner talks about Workforce Connection’s efforts to coordinate employment and training services for local businesses and career seekers. RUSTY SKINNER
Q: Rusty, in light of our 12.5 percent unemployment in Marion County, explain Workforce Connection’s role in getting people back to work. A: Our goal is to create a stronger workforce and economy by continuing to identify and train for growth sectors, and by developing a better skilled and more diverse workforce throughout our Workforce Connection region of Citrus, Levy and Marion counties. Our Recovery strategy involves responding quickly to workforce needs and retraining unemployed workers for high-growth industries. We also assist
with job placement in new and existing businesses.
275 applications and resumes, and conducted interviews.
Q: Tell us how you served as a partner with Signature Brands to assist with the workforce needs for the new popcorn factory. A: First, we posted their new job listings on www.employflorida.com, the premier job-posting site in the state. We assisted with collecting resumes, screening applicants and conducting searches for candidates. We culminated our search with an onsite hiring event at Signature Brands’ facility, where we collected and screened more than
Q: What services do you provide to existing and new businesses? A: Most small business owners have limited resources to devote to human resource functions, such as recruitment and employee training. Workforce Connection responds to small business needs, as well as those of larger businesses, by offering no-fee services, such as posting open positions on the Employ Florida Marketplace. Services for employers include oneon-one consultation with targeted
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industry managers, access to workforce intelligence, candidate screening and assessments, employee training grants and job fair events. Q: What is the role of the local workforce board, currently chaired by Pat Reddish of Signature Brands? A: The local business-led board is charged with setting policy and directing expenditures of more than $6 million in funds that underwrite services provided throughout our Workforce Connection region. The board develops a strategic plan, implemented by our staff, that identifies the needs of businesses, job seekers and workers in our area, as well as current and projected employment opportunities and the job skills necessary to secure them. Another major responsibility is designating, certifying and overseeing operations of our one-stop centers. The board also identifies providers of training services, such as the College
of Central Florida, Rasmussen College and Community Technical & Adult Education (CTAE). Q: What support is given to unemployed individuals registered with Workforce Connection? A: Our no-fee services for job seekers include one-on-one career counseling with certified workforce professionals; access to career and workforce information; online job listings and referrals; use of computers, printers, faxes, copiers and phones; resume writing, interview and other job-readiness assistance; computer literacy and enhanced skills training; targeted industry job fairs; and help securing financial aid for training or retraining. The first step for job seekers is to complete an application at Employ Florida. Job seekers should visit our website, www.clmworkforce.com, follow the Job Candidates link and click on Employ Florida. Once registered,
they can contact one of our centers and ask for an Employment Consultant. We h av e t h r e e Wo r k f o r c e Connection Centers in our region. Call 352.840.5700 or visit the center at 2703 N.E. 14th Street, near the Skylark Plaza. Job seekers can also call 800.434.JOBS (5637) to speak to a Workforce Representative, or visit www.clmworkforce.com. Employers can call 800.746.9950 to learn more about our services.
Jaye Baillie, President and CEO PHOTO: FULL LINE STUDIO
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HISPANICS COMPILED BY: JOHN SOTOMAYOR AND ROB FEEMAN
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Marion County’s Spanish Heritage
n the 498 years since Ponce de Leon first set foot on the North American continent, the Spanish flag has flown over Florida for 287 years. By contrast, Florida has been part of the U.S. for 191 years, while the British controlled Florida for just 20 years. So for nearly three centuries, there was an almost constant Spanish influence on the peninsula Ponce de Leon called La Florida. Hernando de Soto was the first Spaniard to explore what would eventually become Marion County, in 1539. “We believe he marched north through the western side of the county,” says Scott Mitchell, director of the Silver River Museum, which has a number of artifacts from the Spanish colonial period in its collection.“The de Soto Chronicles record the names of the Indians he met, who were Timucuan-speaking Indians.
These were corn-farming Indians who lived in villages, hunted and fished.” The Native Americans he encountered were Ocali, in the western part of what would become Marion County, and Aquera, in the eastern part of the county. “That’s where we get the name ‘Ocala,’” Mitchell says, noting the names of the two tribes were joined together. De Soto was in search of gold and silver, and that first expedition was extremely brutal, Mitchell says, although the attitudes toward the Indians would improve during the Mission Period, when the Spanish established missions in the region beginning in the early 1600s. “The priests were genuinely concerned about the well-being of the Indians, and converting them to Catholicism and saving their souls,” Mitchell adds. There were three Spanish missions
in the region, from 1609 to 1656, along the Ocklawaha River. A bell currently on display in the Silver River Museum is from one of these Spanish missions, and was found at the bottom of the river in the 1960s. “In terms of our Spanish heritage here, Native Americans were initially resistant to the Spanish, but in time they began to see advantages in becoming members of Spanish society,” says historical archaeologist Willet Boyer III, an adjunct professor teaching archaeology and anthropology at the College of Central Florida. “As a result, many of the native chiefs converted to Catholicism and were given a title.” Early cattle ranches in the area were also established by the Spanish, and Spanish land grants made during the 1700s are still mentioned in deeds for some local properties.
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The most festive phrase in Hispanic/Latino culture around the world is “Viva (Blank)!” It means “Long Live (Blank)!” Often heard at soccer games or celebrations where multiple nationalities are present, the phrase has numerous versions, usually related to one’s home country or place of birth, such as “Viva Mexico!” “Viva Puerto Rico!” “Viva Colombia!” or “Viva España!”
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n this, our Salsa Issue, we say “Viva Hispanics!” and “Viva Latinos!” as we celebrate all things Hispanic or Latinorelated in our region. (We should point out that there’s some controversy about what Hispanics call themselves as an overall group, with some preferring the term “Latinos.”) The Hispanic culture has been a part of Florida since the beginning of recorded history on the peninsula, when Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon became the first European to make landfall on the continent somewhere near St. Augustine in 1513. De Leon is credited with naming the state (although initially he thought he had landed on an island), calling it “La Florida,” or “place of flowers,” presumably in response to all the vegetation he saw in this new land. Since that day, the Spanish language has continually been spoken in the land between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, even though other countries, including Great Britain and France, laid claim to our sandy shores at one time or another. Today, the Spanish influence is everywhere, and Hispanics have become an integral part of the community here in Ocala and Marion County. Many Hispanic families, such as the Alvarez family, have been in Ocala and Central Florida
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for generations and centuries, while others are relative newcomers in the region. Just in the past decade, the Hispanic population in Marion County has grown significantly, increasing more than 131 percent from 2000 to 2010, according to recent census figures. At last count, the Hispanic population in the county numbered 36,137, or nearly 11 percent of the total population of 331,298. In the city of Ocala, the number of Hispanics is 6,586, representing nearly 11 percent of the total population of 56,315, and an increase of nearly 150 percent since 2000. Hispanics in Ocala and Marion County trace their roots to a wide range of countries, including Cuba, Mexico, Colombia and Puerto Rico, as well as Ecuador, Guatemala, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, among many other countries. This represents a diverse group, with differing cultural backgrounds, traditions, food and politics, all tied together by a common language. The Cubans in South Florida, for instance, tend to vote Republican, and have been a major force in the state’s lean toward the right in the past, while the growing community of Puerto Ricans in Central Florida generally vote Democratic, and is leading a statewide shift to the left, according to a recent
article on the Politico website. These diverse Hispanic groups differ in dialects and the use of specific words as well. For instance, Puerto Ricans use the term “guagua” for a bus, but Mexicans may have no idea what that word means. Instead, they use the word “combi,” which refers to a small bus. Similarly, “papaya” is a fruit in Mexico but an offensive term in Cuba. There’s another word (which we won’t mention here) that refers to an insect in Mexico but it’s a curse word for Puerto Ricans. These are just a few of numerous examples of the differences in the Spanish language among the many nationalities. Of course, there’s a great deal of commonality among Hispanics, including their love of soccer. Another is their religion—most Hispanics are Roman Catholics, with Blessed Trinity hosting the largest local congregation of Spanish-speaking individuals. In addition, most Hispanics, no matter their country of origin, share a love of music and food. In fact, most Hispanic families, no matter where they come from, have some sort of dish made with chicken, rice and beans in their recipe files. In the pages that follow, we explore the many aspects of the local Hispanic culture. So grab some salsa and chips, put on some Tito Puente or Ricky Martin, and join us on a brief journey through our local Hispanic culture and history.
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Hispanic Communities in Marion County Where do Hispanics live in town? Just about everywhere, really, but there are some large congregations in certain parts of Marion County. Marion Oaks, just south of Ocala, is known as the most heavily populated Hispanic community in the county. The Hispanic influence in Marion Oaks is seen just about everywhere. Businesses range from restaurants such as Mi Tierra Caliente and La Cocina de Pito to such places of worship as St. Jude Catholic Community, which offers a Mass in Spanish, and Iglesia Metodista Primitiva. Until recently, radio station Caliente 95.5 broadcasted from Marion Oaks. The second largest population of Hispanics in Marion County resides in Silver Spring Shores. There, the local place to be for Hispanic culture is the Silver Spring Shores Community Center, which regularly hosts dances, events, shows with food, arts and music. Beyond that, Ocala’s Hispanic population is scattered. State Road 40 west of the I-75 is known as “Little Mexico,” and is home to many Hispanic-owned stores and groceries, particularly the popular market Pepe’s Mexican Store. Pepe’s also has an adjacent restaurant. In fact, Latino food from various nations can be found all over town. For Cuban, there’s Havana Café, Abuela’s Cuban Café, Mary’s Cuban Kitchen, the Mojo Grille and Chicken Time Cuban Cuisine. For Mexican, there are many options, including Latinos Y Mas, El Taxco, El Azteca, Taco ’n Madre, El Toreo, Moe’s Southwest Grille, and Tijuana Flats. Disfrute! Hispanic Festivals Hispanic festivals occur all around the region, from The Villages and On Top of the World communities to the Downtown Square. The largest, Festival Latino, occurs in November and has
been held at the McPherson Complex in Ocala. This Latin festival attracts hundreds of people and provides a taste of Hispanic culture with food, music and arts featuring live Latino bands, folklore dancers, authentic ethnic foods, Hispanic arts and crafts, and more. Salsa Music in the Open Air Jamming in the Park is a popular local band that performs for special occasions around the region but also regularly performs at the Marion Oaks Community Pavilion free of charge. Founded by Eddie and Mercy Alvarado in 2007 with the goal of strengthening community involvement through music and culture, the band performs a mixture of Salsa, Merengue and Bachata sounds, which can be enjoyed in the open air at the pavilion. The band’s founders feel that bringing everyone together during
photography I Fred Lopez; children and maracas, Shutterstock.com
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these trying times through music, service, community and personal connections helps promote a brighter outlook for the future. Jam sessions are held once a month at the pavilion from 4 to 7 p.m. The group also hosts the annual Salsa Meets Jazz festival in Ocala’s Downtown Square.
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Six Local Hispanic Leaders Lola Gonzalez Lola Gonzalez is the founder of Accurate Background Check, a private investigation agency. She’s also a mitigation specialist, working with death penalty cases, and the community facilitator for Devereux Kids in Marion Oaks. She was one of the founders of the Hispanic Business Council, and the organization’s first chairperson. Of Cuban descent, she currently sits on various prestigious boards.
Nationally, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, of Puerto Rican descent, is perhaps the most powerful Hispanic woman, and Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helu, whose corporate holdings are currently estimated at $74 billion, is the world’s wealthiest Hispanic. Here in Ocala and Marion County, we have some Hispanic notables of our own, including the following six individuals. Mara Rodriguez Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Mara Rodriguez is a media consultant for Cox Media. She has been an integral part of the Hispanic Business Council for more than four years, and is currently the president of the Greater Ocala Advertising Federation. One of her goals, she says, is to help put an end to the Hispanic stereotype.“Many times I’ve been told I ‘don’t look Puerto Rican,’” she says. “My response is, ‘How is a Puerto Rican supposed to look?’”
Rolando Sosa As president/co-founder of Architecture Studio, Inc., Rolando Sosa has a vibrant leadership style that helped drive his firm to a high level of success. Sosa not only received the Small Business Person of the Year award earlier this year, but his firm was also a finalist for Business of the Year. Examples of his firm’s work include the recently completed $40 million addition to the Fifth Judicial Circuit’s Marion County Judicial Center, and the Marion County Forest Library, an energy-efficient, LEED-certified “green”building. Linda Alvarez Meyer Currently the vice president and banking center manager at Center State Bank, Linda Alvarez Meyer traces her ancestry to the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. She and her husband moved to Ocala in 1988. Since then, she’s been actively involved in the local Hispanic community, and was one of the founders of the Hispanic Business Council. In her role at Center State Bank, she’s been active in outreach efforts to the Hispanic community through various programs, and she volunteers with United Way’s Bank on Marion program.
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Father Alonso Cely A Dominican Friar belonging to the Order of St. Dominic, Father Alonso de Jesus Cely Perilla of Bogota, Colombia, has led the Spanish language mass at Blessed Trinity for the past eight years. He presides over a congregation of 1,200 parishioners, and oversees the Hispanic ministry of the Catholic Mission Our Lady of Guadalupe. Fr. Cely is most proud of how much he has learned about American culture. He studied American culture in Colombia, but there’s nothing like immersion, he says. “My original commitment at the beginning was for three years, but I continued to get more and more involved in activities for the Spanish community here, and now my commitment is past its eighth year.” Rondo Fernandez Rondo Fernandez is the owner of the very successful Mojo Grill, now in two locations—downtown Ocala and Belleview—as well as Cabanas Catering. Both were voted Best of the Best in Ocala Magazine’s most recent listing. Fernandez was born in the U.S. to Cuban parents from a town called Palma Soriano. He has been very active as a Hispanic leader in the community, never saying “no” when offered a chance to help someone.
PHOTOGRAPHY IFRED LOPEZ
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Hispanic Music
Everyone knows the Hispanic/Latino crossover mega-stars like Gloria Estefan (and the Miami Sound Machine), Jennifer Lopez (People Magazine’s Most Beautiful Woman in the World and current American Idol judge), and her husband, singer Marc Anthony. Other popular Hispanic performers include Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, Julio and Enrique Iglesias, and Shakira. But there are many others currently making waves in Latino music, including Mana, Soda Stereo, Enanitos Verdes, Paulina Rubio, Christian Castro, Camila, Reik, RBD, Pitbull, Wisin y Yandel, Don Omar, Eddie Palmeri, Papo Luca,Victor Manuel, Gilberto Santarosa, Gran Combo, La India and Larry Harlo.
PH OTOGRAPHY I SOCC ER BALL; SHUTTERSTO CK.COM, IPAD © APPLE, INC. PHOTO; FRED LOPEZ, PHOTO OF JLO; SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Hispanic Food
The great debate—white rice or yellow rice? Yellow rice, or Arroz Amarillo, is a staple in the kitchen of many Latino households. Essentially, every Hispanic culture relies on a yellow rice recipe as the basis of many meals. Colombians prefer white rice, while those in most Caribbean countries, including Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, prefer yellow. Popular Hispanic food products
include Abuelita, a syrup used in milk to make hot cocoa, or cocoa with cinnamon. Other popular foods include alcapurrias, piononos and bacalaitos (cods); morcillas (tripe); pastelillo de guava con queso (guava tart with cheese); arroz con gandules (rice and beans); pastel (cake); pernil, arroz con dulce (rice with a sweet sauce); flan (a caramel custard); pudin de pan (bread pudding); and arroz con pollo (chicken and rice)
Viva Soccer!
In addition to having a common language and religion, Hispanics share a love of soccer. Throughout North, Central and South America and parts of the Caribbean, the sport of fútbol or futebol is passionately followed by all.
FIFA
FIFA is the International Federation of Football Associations administering the game for millions of players worldwide. For soccer in Ocala, call the Big Sun Youth Soccer League at 352-694-4778.
Soccer’s Sexiest Player
Throughout the world, Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo holds the title of “the sexiest soccer player.” He’s also one of the world’s highest paid athletes. At 6’ 1”, he has charmed hearts around the world with his muscled physique and model good looks. However, he has competition in the good-looks department, according to one fan, who told us,“Iker Casillas is the bomb!”
Did You Know?
The entire island of Puerto Rico was originally called San Juan, in honor of Saint John the Baptist, while the tiny island of what is now Old San Juan was originally called Puerto Rico (or Rich Port). Confusion led to a switch to the names currently used. Saint John the Baptist (San Juan Bautista) is still the patron saint of Puerto Rico and its capital city, San Juan.
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Hispanic Families: The Alvarez Legacy
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f the many historic Hispanic families who have been in the region for generations, the Alvarez family ranks as one of the most prominent. The roots of the Alvarez family in Ocala date back far and deep—back to Jose Alvarez, who lived in Spanish East Florida during the second Spanish period, 1784 to 1821, according to records. His current descendants in Ocala include John Lacey Alvarez and his sister, Georgia Manning, as well as their children and grandchildren. There’s another Alvarez family on record that traces its roots to St. Augustine, but no direct relation can be determined. The patriarch of that branch was Geronimo Alvarez, the owner of the oldest house in the United States—the Gonzalez-Alvarez House
Olga Alvarez, John Alvarez and Georgia Manning
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in St. Augustine. But he did not produce male descendants, so no living Alvarez is a descendant of that line. The descendants of Jose Alvarez are a true representation of American life. They have been, and are today, military personnel, farmers, merchants, teachers, pastors, professionals, public servants, truck drivers and even bootleggers. A descendant has served in every war since Jose himself fought for 18 months in the McIntosh Wars (1812-1813). Public servants from the Alvarez family have included mayors, city council members, county commissioners, state senators and representatives, tax collectors and many peace officers. Jose’s third son, David Levy Alvarez, was killed in the line of duty as a police officer. Perhaps the most well-known and beloved public serviceman was Chief Kenneth Charles “K.C.” Alvarez Sr., also known as “Super Chief.” Born in Jacksonville in 1914, he joined the Ocala Police Department in 1938 and graduated from the FBI Academy in 1951. He was appointed chief of police the following year. K.C. retired in 1974 after 36 years of service, 23 of them as chief of police, and died in Ocala in 2003. Chief Alvarez was honored many times by his community and received numerous awards during his career. Among his many accomplishments, he was appointed to the state advisory committee for police education and established a Criminal Justice Degree program at Central Florida Community College, now the College of Central Florida. He always believed in having more and better-educated officers. John Lacey Alvarez was named after his grandfather, who was born in 1878 in Starke, Bradford County, and worked as an engineer for the Seaboard Coastline Railroad. John’s father, John Harold Alvarez, was born in 1908 and died in 1970.
TOP: An Alvarez family reunion in February, 1954, at the home of John and Janie Alvarez. ABOVE: An Alvarez reunion in the 1960s in Fellowship, Fla.
John Lacey Alvarez has been a success in his own right. Born in Ocala and raised in Fellowship, he and his wife, Olga, own and operate Alvarez Truck Brokers, headquartered in Ocala. With a fleet of more than 1,500 refrigerated trucks, the company has become one of the leading truck transportation brokers in the nation. He also owns other businesses, properties and interests. Community-minded, John’s latest passion is Project Hope, a not-for-profit social service agency helping homeless families in Marion County. “It’s been a long but rewarding journey,” Alvarez says of the organization. “We started with only a dream and a desire to make a difference in the lives of the homeless, primarily families, mothers and children. Homelessness is everywhere in the world, and that includes Ocala, Florida.”
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A Cuban Salsa Recipe
Spanish Language Mass at Blessed Trinity
Like most chefs, Rondo Fernandez of The Mojo Grill in downtown Ocala developed his passion for cooking while growing up at home and learning the basics from family members. In his case, his Cuban grandmother, whom he describes as “the quintessential Cuban lady,” made a memorable salsa.
Here’s how to make
Nana’s Salsa
Nana’s Salsa A family recipe from Palma Soriano, Cuba
. 3 large tomatoes, diced . 1/2 Spanish red onion, diced . 1/2 clove garlic, minced . 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced . Juice of small lime . Juice of small lemon . Small bunch of fresh cilantro . Pinch of kosher salt . Pinch of Adobo seasoning . Ground black pepper to taste
Mix together all at once. Chill for an hour or so to let the flavors mingle. Then enjoy with fresh warm tortilla chips.
Ocala has many places of worship that perform Mass in Spanish, but one stands out among the rest. Every Sunday, Blessed Trinity offers a Spanish language mass to a congregation of over 1,200 parishioners and more than 16 different Hispanic nationalities. The Spanish language service provides all forms of religious practices, including baptism, communion, marriage and the Sacrament of the Peace, in Spanish. The church also offers Spanish language consultation for issues like mental health and drug abuse. For information, call 888-658-2828. The church also offers Catholic Immigration and Refugee Services. For information, call 888-441-0714.
Other Hispanic Places of Worship: St. Jude Catholic Community 443 Marion Oaks Dr., Ocala Iglesia Primera Bautista 556 Marion Oaks Lane, Ocala Meadowbrook Church Spanish Service 4741 Southwest 20th St., Ocala Queen of Peace Catholic Church Spanish Service 6455 S.W. Hwy. 200, Ocala
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After more than 40 years, the remains of a local murder victim were identified and returned to family members for burial, thanks to the efforts of a tenacious police detective
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etective Robert Dean set about collecting the casebooks from all corners of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. The casebooks catalogued men and women who had gone missing or been killed, and they catalogued how each investigation remained unsolved. Several detectives had been hunting for clues in these cases in their free time, but as the head of the department’s newly formed Cold Case Unit, it became Dean’s sole duty to take a fresh look at these old investigations. Jamie Whiteway, a cold case analyst who had been working in records and volunteering at the University of Florida’s C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory, heard about Dean’s new job and approached him with a question he didn’t expect. “Are you gonna do something about the body we have in evidence?”she asked. The question was so absurd that he fired back without hesitation. “We don’t keep bodies in boxes,”he replied. They bantered a bit before Dean’s curiosity got the best of him. He rose and walked out of his new office and down the hall to the evidence room. On a top shelf in a back corner—a part of the room that would often go unvisited for months—there was a white box. It was two feet wide and a footand-a-half deep. The custodian pulled the box down after Dean asked her to “show me the body.” He lifted the lid and saw bones. There was a skull with a chunk missing where a bullet had ripped through it, and a case number, 2A74, written on it in ink. There was a jaw and a set of teeth, one of which was chipped; there were femurs and ribs and collar-
bones—everything except the bones of the left foot. There’s no way to know how many people had been shown these bones and shrugged them off. It’s easy to believe that a case hasn’t been solved because there’s no way to solve it. Dean refused to believe that.“Whoever he was, he had a family,” Dean says. “They deserved to know what happened to him.” Because of Dean, they soon would. Early Theories Dean agreed to look into the case because he was discouraged when he discovered how long the bones had been forgotten. They were decades old, dating back to the 1960s. What had happened to this person, and how had his bones been forgotten? Who was he? Dean was determined to find out. The case started on Dec. 10, 1965, when police found a 1964 yellow Ford Falcon in a wooded area in south Cross Creek, midway between Ocala and Gainesville. They soon discovered that James Harold Thomas, an Army flight coordinator based in Fort Hood, Texas, had been making payments on the car. But there was no sign of Thomas. He had been missing from Fort Hood for exactly a week. After getting paid on Thursday, he had driven off after work on Friday—not unusual for any man at the base—and never returned. He left his room as if he intended to be gone only for the weekend. In January of the following year, a month after he went missing, Thomas was labeled a deserter. Five months later, a local farmer named Bruce Pinner was looking for cattle in Cross Creek when he caught a whiff of something awful. He looked around and spotted a makeshift campsite, a rifle and scraps of a military uni-
form covering a pile of bones. The site was less than a mile from where the cops had found the Ford Falcon. When the police investigated, they found Thomas’ military identification card in the jacket pocket of the uniform. The first theory was the simplest: Thomas had killed himself. The police believed he had been unhappy in the military and fled to Florida, a state in which he’d never set foot. He went out into the middle of the woods, they surmised, set up a campsite, ate some Campbell’s pork and beans, put the barrel of a .22 caliber rifle in his mouth and pulled the trigger. Another possibility the police considered was that this trained military man had somehow been startled in the night and, holding his rifle in his left hand—he was right-handed—accidentally shot himself in the head. Of course, the theories only mattered if the bones belonged to Thomas. Investigators requested dental records from the military base at Fort Hood, but when they were matched against the remains, the results were inconclusive. The investigators then sent photos of the skeleton to William Maples, a forensic anthropologist who, at the time, was working as a graduate student at the Pound lab. Maples would later become one of the most renowned names in his field, studying the bones of Francisco Pizarro and U.S. President Zachary Taylor and writing a book called “Dead Men Do Tell Tales,” which chronicled his career. Maples put a photo of the skeleton found in the woods on tracing paper and compared it with a picture of Thomas. He concluded that the bones did not belong to the same man. The police, led by chief investigator Ronald Stanley, stayed close to
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Local rancher Bruce Pinner discovered a makeshift campsite (recreated here) with scraps of a military uniform covering a pile of bones.
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their original premise, that Thomas was a deserter, but the details were a little different now. They theorized that Thomas had shot a man and planted his jacket, ID and rifle next to the body to make it look like a suicide. Then he had fled and was living under an assumed name. The police placed an ad in the Gainesville Sun with a photo of Thomas, asking readers, “Have you seen this man?” They concluded that Thomas was not just a deserter. He was also a murderer. The Plot Thickens James Harold Thomas was 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds with hazel eyes, a nice smile and brown hair combed back into the style of the times. He was raised by his parents in Massachusetts
knee-length leather coat. “He looked sharp in that coat,”Janice remembers. Sometimes they would go to the Dairy Queen or take in a movie. On Sundays they went to the Baptist church down the road. He met her family at Christmas the year before he went missing. The next winter, he bent down on one knee and put a $199 engagement ring on her finger. She said yes, but returned the ring the next day. She wasn’t ready to be married. She wanted to finish her degree and teach elementary school. She asked if he would wait a couple of years for her. He said he couldn’t. She believed he looked to her as an answer to his unhappiness. He hadn’t been happy in the military for a long time, she remembers. In addition, he didn’t like the man who was temporarily sharing
was a deserter or a murderer. But in that brief moment, she hoped he had been, because then the phone call would have meant that Dean had found her brother alive. But Dean was calling to tell her he didn’t think Thomas had been a killer, and there was satisfaction in those words as well. Dean asked her for a DNA sample, and the police came and collected a saliva swab from her. Dean gave the saliva to the lab. It was a match. The bones belonged to her brother. Thomas was cleared of the killing, but how he died remains a mystery. Did he accidentally shoot himself? Dean imagined himself as Thomas. A trained soldier would never sleep with his rifle’s barrel facing toward his head; he would sleep with it by his dominant hand, the barrel facing toward his feet,
“Thomas had shot a man and planted his jacket, ID and rifle next to the body to make it look like a suicide. Then he had fled and was living under an assumed name.” with his little sister, Marcia, who was two years younger than him. Thomas enlisted in 1960 and did his first tour of duty in Vietnam. He received an honorable discharge in 1961 and re-enlisted that same year. He re-enlisted again in 1964. That year, he started dating a girl named Janice (she requested that her last name be withheld from this story), who was a junior at a women’s college, Mary Hardin Baylor, a 30-minute drive down U.S. 190 from the base. Thomas didn’t have much money because he was paying off that Falcon, going to flight school and sending whatever was left to Marcia, who had married and become a mother at a young age. Sometimes for dates, Thomas and Janice would just drive. He’d pick her up, always wearing a
a room with him. The man wore red velvet slippers. Thomas thought he was homosexual, or crazy, or both. That was in November. Thomas went AWOL in December. Unsolved Mystery Dean sent the bones to the Pound lab, where forensic scientists cut out a section from the middle of the femur and pulled DNA from it. While Dean waited for the results, he contacted Thomas’ only living relative, his sister, Marcia White. Dean needed a sample of her DNA to match with the DNA extracted from the bones. He found her in Nashville, Tenn., called her and introduced himself. He told her he was looking into her brother’s case. She started to cry. She had never believed her brother
so he could rise and fire rapidly. Dean ruled out an accidental death. Did Thomas commit suicide? Dean believes in the principle known as Occam’s Razor, which states that the simplest solution is often the right one. In Thomas’ case, suicide was the simplest solution, but something about it seemed off. Why would a man who had never been to Florida drive more than a 1,000 miles just to kill himself? Why would he leave his car almost a mile away, when he could have driven it down a logging road and parked closer to where he had camped? And why would he lug a night’s worth of camping equipment around just to plop down and end his life? He didn’t leave a note, which is uncommon in cases of unrequited love, because the goal in such a suicide is guilt.
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Police originally surmised John Harold Thomas had committed suicide using a rifle, though that theory was eventually ruled out.
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But there was something even stranger. Everyone who knew Thomas said he never owned a rifle. Dean went back to the evidence from the car one more time. Most of it had been lost because the car, not fully paid for, was sent back to the bank. But one letter was found on the dashboard. It was addressed to Donald Johnson, from an ex-wife named Helen Flanagan. She was pleading with him to pay the $600 he owed her in child support for their boys, one of whom needed surgery. She included a photo, too, of four blond boys with crew cuts. Dean next looked over the evidence list of what the police had originally collected. One line of text shot off the page like fireworks. In the trunk, the police had found a pair of size 11 red velvet slippers.
further. “Or maybe Don jumped into James’ sleeping bag in the middle of the night,”Dean jokes. However, Dean realized he might never know what really happened that night. Only two people knew for certain, and one of them was dead. If Donald Johnson was still alive—Dean was unable to locate him, his ex-wife or any of his four children—he would be around 90 years old. And if he was the killer, he would have carried this secret with him for more than half his life. In the end, Dean succeeded in identifying the bones, but the mystery of who committed murder remains unsolved. The Bones Go Home For the rest of their lives, Thomas’ parents wrestled with the memory of
Marcia White and her husband Tom drove down from Nashville to visit the site where her brother had died. She cried a lot that day. Dean was the first man in so long who had cared about her brother. She says she loves him for what he’s done. The bones were cremated and placed in an urn with an Army emblem on it. When Marcia and her husband drove back home, they took the remains of John Harold Thomas with them. “I’m never letting him go again,”she says. In response to her repeated requests, the military finally gave Thomas an honorable discharge. She doesn’t know how, but she knows it made him happy. His ashes are on a stand in her bedroom now, by the window, overlooking the woods and the water. It’s a peaceful place, she says.
“Did Thomas commit suicide? Dean believes in the principle known as Occam’s Razor, which states that the simplest solution is often the right one. ” The case started coming together. The owner of a fishing shop about a mile from the crime scene reported that a man with a pockmarked face in his mid-30s or early 40s drove up in a yellow Falcon and used the phone. Thomas was just 21 and barely had acne. Was Donald Johnson the person who used the phone? And if so, where had he gone? Witnesses on a nearby road reported seeing a woman and a small child pick up a man with the same description later that night. Dean developed a theory of his own. He believed that Johnson asked Thomas for a ride to Florida. The two men drove more than 1,000 miles to Florida. At this point, Thomas probably realized he wasn’t going to get back to Fort Hood in time and might have told Johnson that the ride wasn’t going any
their son, and lived with the pain of not knowing what had happened to him. “It killed my mother and father,” Marcia says. “The police kept saying terrible things. My parents went to their graves a mess.” Authorities never stopped investigating the crime, she says, to the point that the FBI surrounded her home in the mid-1970s, 10 years after Thomas went missing, and searched the house, thinking he might be hiding inside. So when Dean called her that day out of the blue, she cried because she just needed closure. After the bones were identified, the medical examiner re-examined the case to determine the cause of death. After 40 years, John Harold Thomas was officially listed as a victim rather than a murderer.
Detective Robert Dean recently retired, replaced as the head of the Cold Case Unit by his partner, Detective Heather Phillips. Dean likes to joke that she’ll do a much better job than he did, because he didn’t actually clear Thomas’ case—he just created a new one. The killer is still unknown. If the killer is still alive, he’s at large. But Dean is happy with his work on the case, because he was able to identify the bones and reunite a family. During his time with the unit, he worked on other, similar cases, and became close to many of the victims’ families. It’s satisfying to solve cases, he says, but harder to carry them around unsolved for years. But for at least one family, a cold case has been solved, and the remains have been returned to the place where they belong. O
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Equine stars Duke and Doc, posing alongside Heather and Andrew Tuttle of Ocala Carriage and Tours, are ready for their closeups.
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Local film stars Duke and Doc share the screen with the world’s favorite pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow, in this summer’s movie,
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“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”
wo local Percheron horses, Duke and Doc, star alongside actor Johnny Depp in the upcoming surefire summer blockbuster “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” premiering everywhere May 20th. The adventure began last fall, when Mary Garland of Ocala Carriage and Tours received a call for black Percherons for a scene in the movie, which was filming in Puerto Rico. The company was recommended to the film’s director, Rob Marshall, by Greg and Linda Jackson, who are well known in the equine business for horse travel and other equine needs. With their stately demeanor and regal star quality, Duke and Doc were ideal for the roles. Garland’s son, Andrew Tuttle, and his wife Heather were on location with the horses when they made their feature film debut. Passports in hand, or hoof (yes, the horses have passports ready for such occasions), Duke and Doc traveled to Puerto Rico a week prior to the shoot for standard equine quarantine procedures, and stayed at the posh La Hacienda Alegre,
a horse resort owned by the Jacksons. Needless to say, Duke and Doc received the VIP (or VIH, for Very Important Horse!) movie star treatment. Andrew and Heather had an opportunity to see Puerto Rico the eve before shooting, but sightseeing opportunities were brief due to an early morning shoot. The film location was the fortress El Moro in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. The scene called for Johnny Depp, as swaggering Captain Jack Sparrow, to flee in the carriage, pulled by Duke and Doc up a ramp of El Moro. The carriage used in the scene was flown in from England. It’s owned by John Peacock, a regular on movie projects, and currently involved in the filming of “The War Horse,”directed by Steven Spielberg. On the day of the shoot, a truck pulled up, and the eager Tuttles wondered if Johnny Depp and his co-star, Penelope Cruz, would jump out. Alas, while the horses were being filmed for the beginning of the movie, the stars were on the other side of the island filming the movie’s climax, and their paths did not cross. Hey, that’s Hollywood.
Despite their disappointment, the Tuttles did get to meet director Rob Marshall, who was eager to get the shot. They practiced a few times with the horses but encountered a problem: the carriage had no brakes. It was also very heavy. Going up was no problem, but going back down the ramp between shots was another story. The behindthe-scenes scoop is that each time the horses and carriage reached the top of the ramp, crew members had to unhook the horses and manually carry the carriage back down the ramp, while Andrew walked the horses down. Ten or 12 shots later of a guy opening the carriage door, and their job was done. What may not have been thrilling in real life sure looks dazzling in “reel life.” It had better be. The production spent $2 million for the two-minute shot. On film, it’s a wild, fast-paced ride you don’t want to miss. If you’d like to see Duke and Doc in person, the equine stars will walk the red carpet with the carriage for photo ops during the film’s local premier at the Regal 16 Theater in Ocala on May 20th. O
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madeinocala Signature Brands makes every day a holiday STORY: JOHN SOTOMAYOR PHOTOS: FRED LOPEZ
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ignature Brands is a proud supporter of American holiday traditions with the label that reads “Made in Ocala.” Our holidays—Easter, Christmas, Halloween and Mother’s Day, as well as our personal celebrations like birthdays, graduations and family get-togethers—in fact are commemorated with spinkles, icing and popcorn products labeled “Made in Ocala” like Oreo Ultimate Icing and Hershey’s S’mores Icing because they are made at Signature Brands. Is there anything more American, more family-oriented and more festive in the springtime than the tradition of coloring Easter eggs? The excitement emanates in the sunlit kitchen as young children scamper and hop excitedly around the kitchen table, waiting for grandma to bring out the boiled eggs and dye applications. A bowl of eggs is placed on the table, within easy reach of tiny hands, followed by PAAS Easter Egg Color Kits and an assortment of PAAS Basket Buddies, which the young artisans can use to decorate their baskets with puppies, kittens and bunnies. To show her grandkids she’s up with the latest trends, grandma also includes PAAS Pirate Princess, Sports Fanatic and Mini Monsters egg dye kits. When everything is ready, the family gathers for a “deggorating party” to dye, glitter, bead, speckle, paint, stamp and stencil the eggs. PAAS is made overseas, but distributed in Ocala. Signature Brands is part of every special occasion, and also “makes everyday special” with its nationally recognized decorating products. Every time mom prepares her signature cake using sprinkles and icing, or when dad grabs another kernel of popcorn from the Popcorn Expressions bin while watching
the big game, Signature Brands is there. The parent company of such popular brands as PAAS, Betty Crocker and Popcorn Expressions, Signature Brands LLC is also affiliated with other decorating products, including Oreo and Hershey’s. Based right here in Ocala, Signature Brands is America’s unrivaled leader and innovator in dessert decorating and accessories. “In stores like Publix and Wal Mart, all of the Betty Crocker dessert decorating products are made by us,” says Jim Schneider, President and CEO of Hero North America, comprised of both Signature Brands and BeechNut Baby Food. “All the products in that floor-to-ceiling display are coming from Ocala.” Hometown Hero Signature Brands is, at heart, a hometown company. Louise Jones Crawford and her brother, Bobby Jones, founded the Pioneer Decorating Company in Ocala in 1951. The business began in the Crawford home but eventually grew out of the space, and in 1959 relocated to 808 S.W. 12th Street. Louise concentrated on sales and marketing, while Bobby handled the manufacturing processes. The growing strength of Pioneer did not go unnoticed. In the late 1960s, General Mills was acquiring many different, diverse companies, presenting an opportunity for Louise and Bobby. In 1970, at a time when the Betty Crocker brand was introduced to the decorating category, General Mills purchased Pioneer.
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community involvement: Employees of Signature Brands help “make everyday special”with their community involvement in the following organizations: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Altrusa International American Heart Association ARC of Marion County Arnette House Foundation Boy Scouts of America CF Foundation City of Ocala – Stars Program Delta Sigma Theta EMIT – Forest High School Florida Center for the Blind Women’s Club of Ocala Happy Hearts Hope Foundation Hospice of Marion County Junior Achievement Junior League March of Dimes Marion County Public Schools Marion Masters Tournament MRMA Munroe Foundation Ocala Pride and Bloom Public Education Foundation Ronald McDonald House Susan Zysek Memorial Fund Shady Hill Elementary School United Way Webster University Wyomina Park Elementary School
General Mills divested a number of pumpkin carving kits to other families. businesses in 1987, and sold Pioneer Signature Brands has now taken up the to a German firm named Schwartauer charge to change the way families carve Werke GmbH. Schwartauer Werke pumpkins, and create products that was and continues to be a leader in the enhance Halloween traditions. German consumer packaged goods and industrial markets. Schwartauer then merged with Hero AG. Based in Lenzburg, Switzerland, Hero is a large global supplier of premium fruit jams and drinks, granola bars, and dessert decorating products. In addition, the company recently became a global supplier of baby food. In 1996, Pioneer Products entered a joint venture agreement with McCormick & Company to create Jars on production line filled Signature Brands LLC, a global with Rainbow Sprinkles manufacturer and distributor of the Pop Star Cake Mate and Betty Crocker brands In August 2008, Signature Brands of dessert decorating products. In acquired the Chicago-based company December 1999, Signature Brands formerly known as Houston Harvest, continued to expand with the purchase which manufactured and sold of the PAAS Easter Egg Decorating contemporary and traditional holiday Company from Schering-Plough. tins filled with three types of air-popped In May 2006, Hero purchased popcorn: buttered flavored, cheese McCormick’s 50-percent stake in flavored and caramel corn. These Signature Brands. Together, Signature decorative holiday tins are a staple of Brands and Hero are now the world’s Amercian holiday tradition—saved as leading suppliers of dessert decorating keepsakes after the popcorn had been products, with market dominance in consumed. The company produced well the U.S. and Canada. over 10 million tins each year, making In March 2006, Signature Brands it the world’s largest seller of holiday acquired Pumpkin Masters LLC, popcorn. adding America’s favorite pumpkin Signature Brands renamed the carving kits to its portfolio of products. company Popcorn Expressions and More than 60 years ago, Paul Bardeen moved its operation from Chicago invented a pumpkin carving method to Ocala. The decision to relocate the using patterns and small saws. His company to Ocala was an easy one. children carved intricate pumpkins and Signature Brands opted to make the carried them door-to-door to show the investment in a new factory to bring neighbors their creations. In 1986, as jobs to Ocala and to keep operations a tribute to their dad, the kids created close to home, making it easier to Pumpkin Masters and started selling manage the business.
(left to right) Pink Sprinkles in drying vat; mixture ready to become blue shape sprinkles, blue shape sprinkles coming out of dryer, tubes of glitter gel and cookie icing being packaged for shipment.
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On March 2, 2011 Signature Brands opened one of the world’s largest popcorn popping facilities in Ocala, with a new 207,000 square-foot production and distribution facility for Popcorn Expressions. The new facility represents a $15 million investment in the local community. When the Ocala facility is fully operational, Signature Brands will increase its current employment of 300 by another 100 year-round empoyees, with seasonal employment growing to more than 600. During peak production periods, the facility will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, popping and packaging corn, and shipping between 100 and 150 truckloads daily. Signature Brands contributes annually to the community it calls home. On Saturday, April 23rd, for instance, Signature Brands sponsored the city-backed PAAS Eggstravaganza Easter Egg Hunt at Tuscawilla Park, donating 25,000 eggs and free PAAS egg dying and decorating kits. The annual event includes egg decoration, trolley rides, music and clowns for family fun. Whether it’s helping the Boy Scouts of America, the CF Foundation, Hospice of Marion County or any of the other 26 community organizations the company supports in Ocala and Marion County, Signature Brands is there, as it is every day, in every facet of our lives.
“Signature Brands is a portrait of the American Decorating: Betty Crocker and Cake Mate entrepreneurial dessert decorating products spirit. A Popcorn: Popcorn Expressions simple idea Easter Decorating: PAAS Easter Egg Decorating Kits with humble Halloween Decorating: Pumpkin Masters Carving Kits beginnings can grow to become Signature Brands is #1 a household name. in every one of these product categories. It has been an honor for the EDC to work with Signature Brands through several expansion projects. They are the proven economic model that confirms public for information: Signature Brands and private sector investments provide 808 SW 12th Street a valuable return for the community.” Ocala, FL 34471 —Pete Tesch, President/CEO, 352-622-3134 Ocala/Marion County Economic www.signaturebrands.com Development Corporation
the brands of Signature Brands
The Popcorn Machine
Satisfied Customers “The seasonal products developed by Signature Brands play a significant role in family life across America. Whether it’s dying Easter eggs with PAAS products, carving Halloween pumpkins with Pumpkin Masters, or their latest venture, popping popcorn with Popcorn Expressions, these products bring families together. It’s an honor to know our city plays a role in that. I’ve grown up in Ocala and witnessed firsthand the contributions this company has made to our community all of my life. They are great corporate citizens, and we look forward to their continued growth and success.” —Randy Ewers, Mayor, City of Ocala
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firmlyrooted
Avenue D Boys Choir and Jackie Porter Inaugural Events Tallahassee
Jackie Porter always yields a hefty harvest by nurturing whatever projects she plants
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ackie Porter is used to seeing straight A’s. She earned them while attending Clay High School, graduating with high honors, and she’s seen them most recently as a member of the Marion County School Board, thanks to the school district’s recent A rating for having one of the nation’s most transparent government websites. She’s had other successes as well. During the school district’s 2010 budget year, Porter diligently took the stance to not raise taxes, against the superintendent’s recommendation to raise the millage rate on property taxes. She submitted proposals of $28 million dollars in cuts to the capital projects budget, and gained support to successfully cut $2.6 million. Yet despite such victories, Porter is sometimes villainized rather than praised. She’s determined and driven, which can intimidate others, but her strength and no-nonsense approach have made her a standout, both in her professional career and in her personal life.
Planting a Seed After graduating from Florida Junior College, Porter and her husband set out to start a company they could call their own. In the spring of 1984, she opened her first retail plant nursery and garden center in southeast Marion County on Baseline Road. Thanks to hard work, great customer service and a knowledgeable staff, the business grew rapidly. In 1989, Porter opened a second retail store and nursery at the entrance to On Top of the World. Over a 20-year period, Porter built a successful company generating $15 million in annual sales. As a business owner, she took a hands-on approach, overseeing 250 employees, managing advertising, marketing and accounting, and staying involved in everything
from design, zoning and permitting to construction and land development.
A Healthy Harvest Porter delivered that same goal-driven focus as a member of the Marion County School Board. Since 2008, when she beat an eight-year incumbent and was elected to the board with 58 percent of the votes, Porter has taken a number of stands on important issues. For example, The Student Code of Conduct Committee had recommended children need NOT STAND for the Pledge of Allegiance each morning of school. Jackie took a strong stance in honor of our Veterans and fellow Americas that Students WILL STAND for the Pledge of Allegiance. She was successful and Board Policy states “including standing for the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem” in respect for our flag. The Veterans of Marion County awarded Jackie: Outstanding Service to theVeterans of Marion County. She also successfully requested transparency for suppliers who were submitting bids to the district’s Purchasing, Facilities and Construction departments, giving vendors the opportunity to bid on more products and services required by the district. Porter also successfully improved procedures for identifying potential unethical use of funds in multiple areas, and successfully identified and acquired outside sources of revenue. Not everyone agrees with Porter’s straightforwardness. To this, she simply says,“The story will never change if you tell the truth, and the truth will always prevail.” for information:
Jackie Porter 352.427.2226
Jackie
Chief Jim Phillips (Ret. Navy) Purple Heart Recipient and Jackie
Director Julius Halas FL State Fire Mashall Director at Fallen Firefighter Memorial
Golden Apple Teacher of the Year Todd Carstenn Vanguard HS
Inaugural Event Women in Leadership
Mrs Clems classroom with Lisa, Alexa and Jackie
School Related Employee of the Year April Stage Stanton Weir
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Cardio Waltz: Dance to Remember Tomorrow
Dancing will reduce the risk of dementia by a whopping 76% – New England Journal of Medicine 036 I OCALAMAGAZINE.COM I 2011 May
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ardioWaltz is an innovative approach designed to encourage people to exercise through dancing, and to raise the awareness of heart disease prevention in the community. This echoes the initiatives of Go Red for Women through the American Heart Association for heart healthy living. Why Dancing? CardioWaltz is a healthy blend of risk modification through regular exercise sessions, professional dance tutorials, educational programs and vascular screening clinics. Among other benefits, dancing can help delay the onset of dementia. A study published by the National Institute of Aging in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2003 showed a whopping 76-percent reduction in the incidence of dementia in individuals who took up dancing, as opposed to other activities like tennis, swimming, bicycling, walking and golfing. Studies conducted at the University of Missouri established that dancing as a form of exercise improves balance and gait, and helps prevent falls, better than other forms of exercise. It has been scientifically proven to be both safe and beneficial in individuals who have had heart attacks and heart failure in the past. Italian studies conducted in patients recovering from heart failure and heart attacks showed that dancing is a safe and effective form of exercise. The group assigned to dancing was comparable or superior in measured parameters, such as ventilation and gas exchange, functional capacity, oxygen consumption, lactic acid production and vascular responsiveness, when compared with the group assigned to structured treadmill exercise program. Studies also show that dancers have a better quality of life— the ability to perform the activities of daily living—and that their levels of anxiety and depression were lesser than in those who participated in other types of exercise. Caloric Expenditure Of course, dancing can also help you shed calories, as these statistics show: • Waltz with rise and fall consumes 350 to 400 calories per hour • A slow waltz consumes 200 calories per hour Compare this with brisk walking, which uses 300 calories per hour, and swimming, which uses 550 calories per hour. CardioWaltz sessions are held weekly, every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., to 8.pm., at 10435 S.E. 140th Place, Summerfield, Fla. 34491. Ocala locations to be announced soon. Cardiowaltz sessions include free dance instruction and open dancing. Many of these sessions are presided by professional dance instructors. We also provide free cholesterol, vascular and carotid screening during our Cardiowaltz health events. For a schedule of events and Ocala locations, follow us on Facebook, or visit our website at www.cardiowaltz.com. You can also email us at cardiowaltz@gmail.com. for information:
Dr. Justin Ferns M.D., FACC Cardiology Offices In Ocala and Summerfield 352.854.4582 May
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•Volume No. 6 •
the spine report A MONTHLY CASE STUDY
Gulfcoast Spine Institute specializes in minimally invasive spinal surgery, which results in quicker recovery for patients. Case Study: Anthony (Male), Age: 59
ANTHONY:
Anthony’s first visit with Dr. Bono was at age 59. He came to see the doctor because of lower back, right and left leg pain with weakness, numbness and tingling of the thighs and calves. He also had instances of cramping in the calves and feet. His symptoms had been with him for thirty years. Prior to the visit he had received physical therapy, epidural injections, chiropractic care, and medication for the pain, but it only worsened. Everything from sitting to activity in general aggravated the pain, and the only relief he found was in medication and walking. Although walking helped, he had difficulty getting up and sitting down. The pain frequently interfered with his sleep. He was not living the life he wanted to live. When the doctor performed the initial examination, Anthony could only bend to reach his thighs. The back pain worsened with forward flexion, extension, side bending, and rotation. The seated straight leg test produced ipsilateral leg pain at 60 degrees for his right leg. His lower back was tender to the touch while other lower back sensations were decreased. The x-rays told why: degenerative disc disease at lumbar discs 4-5, L5-S1 with grade I spondylolisthesis at L4-5. MRI films revealed severe stenosis, HNP L5-S1, and dessication of discs L4-5, L5-S1. Because of the patient’s symptoms and diagnostic evidence and failed conservative treatments Dr. Bono recommended surgery and Anthony agreed. He was then scheduled for an L4-S1 decompression and fusion. The patient was placed under general anesthesia, and the procedure was done through 2cm incisions in less than 90 minutes with minimal blood loss. Two weeks later at Anthony’s post op visit, he only had minimal soreness on the left side of his back. Two and half months post operative, the patient was back to full time work. At his1 year follow up, the patient was still pain free and very pleased with his outcomes. To hear about the details of this exciting operative method, visit www.gulfcoastspine.net. Click on the “Technology” tab, then on the far right click on Sextant Spinal System. Click under the photo in the “Related Links” box (CD horizon Sextant Animation) and play the narrated version for play by play details of the surgical procedure.
“I had pain that was so debilitating that I was almost passing out. I was walking crooked due to the sharp pain in the bottom of my foot. I couldn’t perform my tasks the way I normally would. I was always grouchy. The pain had taken over. So I came to Dr. Bono and it was like he instantly took away my fear and calmed me down. He told me he could fix me and take the pain out of my foot. I left that day confident he could do it. I felt really comfortable with him. The operation took an hour and half. He made two incisions that were minimally invasive which meant that I wouldn’t have a long recovery. Getting back to work was most important to me. As I said to my wife I’ve never been in a doctor’s office where you go from the clerks, to the x-ray technicians, to the patient room to talk with doctor. It was like a well oiled machine. You don’t sit there more than 5 minutes, and you know you’re in good hands.”
GULFCOAST SPINE INSTITUTE Three locations to serve our patients: The Villages, Inverness, and Spring Hill Call for an appointment: Toll Free 1-855-Gulfcoast (1-855-485-3262) James J. Ronzo, D.O.
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Frank Bono, D.O.
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The I.C.E. Newsletter by Asad Qumar, M.D.
Institute of Cardiovascular Excellence • 4600 SW 46th Ct. Suite 340 • Ocala, FL 34474 352-854-0681
In this issue of the newsletter, brought to you by the Institute of Cardiovascular Excellence (I.C.E.) and the Institute of Medical Excellence (I.M.E.), we present two recent trials from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, published in April 2011, which will be of interest to you, the reader. The first trial compares the two anti-platelet drugs, Plavix and Effient, which are commonly used after coronary
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stenting these days. The other trial looks into aggressive reduction of bad cholesterol and looks at whether there is still any benefit to the patient without increasing the risk. These trials are of interest to you because coronary stenting is very common these days, yet the definitive word on which medicine and what dosage to take has been quite controversial in an effort to prevent stents from developing blood clots. Similarly, the field of lowering cholesterol is not controversial, but the field of aggressive lowering of cholesterol, below 70 mg and even 50 mg, is still controversial. Here are a few details about both of those studies. In addition, ICE affiliate Humeraa Qamar offers some guidelines to parents and families for the upcoming swimming season.
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Effient (Prasugrel) Overcomes High On-Clopidogrel Platelet Reactivity Post-Stenting More Effectively Than High-Dose (150-mg) Clopidogrel
The primary aim of this study was to determine the antiplatelet effects of Effient (Prasugrel) versus high-dose Plavix in patients with coronary stents. The study team performed a
prospective, randomized, singleblind crossover study of platelet inhibition by Effient, in the amount of 10 mg/day, versus high-dose 150 mb/day clopidogrel in 71 (of 210 screened, or 33.8 percent) post-PCI
patients with HTPR. In patients after stenting, Effient is more effective compared with high doses of Plavix in reducing platelet reactivity, particularly in CYP2C19*2 carriers.
Heart Attack Reduction and Side Effects Among Patients Attaining Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol <50 mg/dl With Rosuvastatin (Crestor) The JUPITER Trial The purpose of the JUPITER trial was to assess the impact on cardiovascular and adverse effects of attaining low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels of less than 50 mg/dl with Crestor in apparently healthy adults. A group of 17,802 apparently healthy men and women with high-sensitivity to C-reactive protein of greater than or equal
to 2 mg/l, and LDL-C of less than 130 mb/dl, were randomly allocated to Crestor, in the amount of 20 mg daily, or a placebo. The study followed up for all-cause mortality, major cardiovascular events and adverse events. Participants allocated to Crestor were categorized as to whether or not they had a follow-up LDL-C level of less than 50 mg/dl.
Among adults with LDL-C of greater than 130 mg/dl and highsensitivity C-reactive protein of less than 2 mg/l, Crestor allocated participants attaining LDL-C of less than 50 mg/dl had a lower risk of cardiovascular events without a systematic increase in reported adverse events.
The Perils of Swimming Story: Humeraa Qamar, ICE affiliate
With the advent of the warm weather, families and kids are swarming to the pools to enjoy themselves. Swimming provides much needed healthy physical activity to our children. Yet in our zest we sometimes overlook the perils associated with swimming, some of which can be fatal like
drowning. The age group that is most susceptible to this unfortunate occurrence are the toddlers. Statistics show that in Florida, among children ages 1 to 4, the rate of death from drowning is 356 out of 100,00 deathsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the highest in the nation. Simple safety precautions like
safety fences, close and constant supervision of all children around bodies of water (even kids who have had swimming lessons) and division of labor among adults to monitor pools on social events like pool parties, etc. will go a long way towards alleviating these dangers.
March
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Imagine The Possibilities Don't let Autism keep your child from reaching their full potential
• TEACHER
• PRESIDENT
• ??????????
for more information visit step-by-stepsuccess.net or call 352-425-0385
Step-by-Step Success, L.L.C.
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the Ocala Medical
journal health+medical
by the numbers
medstats 50 million
Estimated number of American adults with chronic pain _______
$100 billion
20
Hours of sleep lost per month by 1 in 3 Americans due to pain _______
4.6
Annual cost of chronic pain in the U.S., including healthcare expenses, lost income and lost productivity
Average number of productivity hours lost per week due to a pain condition
27%
77%
_______
_______
Percentage of pain sufferers with lower back pain, the most common type of chronic pain
Percentage of pain sufferers who reported feeling depressed because of their pain
86%
59%
_______
photo: shutterstock
Percentage of pain sufferers who reported an inability to sleep well
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_______
Percentage of pain sufferers who reported that their pain impacted their overall enjoyment of life
Sources: American Pain Foundation, The American Academy of Pain Medicine, National Centers for Health Statistics, and the National Institutes of Health
2008
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If chronic pain is affecting your quality of life, you can take some simple steps to become the champion of your own recovery
How to Deal With
By Cath Rathbone
Pain is a word that conjures up all sorts of feelings, from the old-fashioned “pain in the neck”to the more updated “pain in the rear” to the popular “no pain, no gain” slogan. But when it comes to dealing with chronic, physical pain, there’s more than meets the eye. Sometimes pain is a good thing. Sometimes pain is a bad thing. Some pain is fleeting and eases in a matter of minutes, hours or days. But pain that interferes with our daily lives, pain inside ourselves that cripples our bodies, pain that creates havoc with our feelings, our moods and our quality of life, is in a whole different category. For centuries, people have had to endure pain, but not today. Understanding the pain you’re experiencing is the best way to begin your journey in dealing with pain. But there’s one thing about pain you should know: It cannot be ignored, and if you’ve got pain, there’s help out there for you. Just as we are all different, our tolerance for pain is different too. Our ability to cope with pain varies from person to person and from situation to situation,
and even from day to day. Some days we can withstand a whole lot of pain without too much impact on our daily activities. Other days it seems like the smallest pain makes everything crumble around us. So what exactly is pain?
Pain can also be a warning signal of a broken bone, an erupting appendix or a torn ligament. How we feel and cope with pain varies as widely as the people on this planet. Dealing With Pain
What is Pain?
According to the Pain Management Center at Stanford University Medical Center, pain is “the way your brain interprets information about a particular sensation your body is experiencing.” The sensations you feel are sent in code from the nerve endings straight to your brain, where they are decoded and labeled as pain. Pain is an indicator that something is happening, that a part of your body is in stress or in danger, and some kind of action needs to be taken. For example, if your finger touches a hot surface, a message is sent from the nerve endings of your finger to the brain. Instantly, the brain responds with an alarm signal and an order telling the muscles of the finger and arm to “remove that finger instantly from the source of heat!”
Stanford University goes on to explain that pain “is a complex medical problem that can have profound effects on your physical and mental well-being.” It’s becoming more and more common to hear about pain management, pain centers and selfmedicating. Because pain is an internal event and a very personal thing, describing and measuring pain varies from person to person. Modern medicine is taking a whole new approach to pain and its impact on our lives, searching daily for improved ways to measure and treat conditions surrounded by pain. There are two main types of pain: acute and chronic. Every other type of pain falls under one category or the other. Acute pain is typically of sharp and short duration, has a clear cause and
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Ocala medical journal
2011
in general is local to a specific area. Most times it can be eliminated by one dose of medication, a procedure or a series of simple procedures. Events or circumstances that can cause acute pain include childbirth and labor, dental work, trauma or injury, illness, heart attack, a broken bone or slipped disk, torn ligaments or surgery. Chronic pain is ongoing and usually starts with acute pain that never goes away. It’s like a human tragedy. It’s relentless, overwhelming and can be crippling. It takes us away from all the things we enjoy about life to the point where the pain is the only thing we can focus on. Chronic pain can kill relationships, cause us to lose jobs and make us withdraw from friends, hobbies and society in general. What we need in this instance is a specialized team of experts who deal with prolonged pain management. Some of the more typical or wellknown types of chronic pain are headaches, back pain, arthritis, complex regional pain syndrome, fibromyalgia, neck pain, irritable bowel syndrome, and mouth, jaw and face pain (TMJ). Do any of these sound like the kind of pain you’re experiencing? If so, here are a few helpful hints to get you started on a course of action as the architect of your plan to return to good health.
2. Keep a journal
5. Learn to relax
Don’t wait to be living in despair – be the champion of your own recovery. Ongoing pain is capable of driving the calmest and capable person to hopelessness and depression. Start a pain journal, make a chart or use some other method to rate your pain on a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 is no pain and 10 is unbearable pain. Don’t trust yourself to recall everything when you get to the doctor’s office. By keeping a pain journal or chart, you can show the doctor when the pain is at its worst, what makes it better or worse, how it affects your sleeping patterns and the ability to perform your job or chores around the house, and so on.
Pain=tension. Tension=stress. Stress=unbalance. Unbalance=disease. By learning to relax, you will help your own body help itself. Less tension and stress means less chance of unbalance and disease. One thing builds and feeds on the other, and before you know it, you have a whole new set of problems with which to deal. Finally, in a world of constant change, remember that something new is happening in the medical field every day. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, don’t be afraid to look and see if something new has come along that can help you with your particular problem. Try something different. We’re all different, and not everything works the same way for everyone. Remember, at the end of the day, what you (and your doctors) really want is to move from patient to functional person as quickly as possible, and return to your best quality of life. For more information or to find a local support group, contact the American Chronic Pain Association at www.theacpa.org or 800-533-3231, or email acpagroups@pacbell.net.
1. Communicate clearly
The American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA) has learned much in the 30 years since its inception. It recognizes that people who have chronic pain need the support and understanding of other people with chronic pain, so it’s important to seek out support groups. In addition, identify what’s going on with you and approach it with a positive attitude. By staying active, you can minimize tension and stay flexible and strong. Remember that the pain you have doesn’t affect just you – it also affects everyone around you. Talking about your pain with people who understand it can reduce your feelings of isolation.
It’s important for you, as the patient, to understand how to communicate with your doctor about the type of pain you’re experiencing. Only you can describe your pain to your doctor, so it’s vital to arrive at the appointment with the most information possible. This will enable you to take advantage of everything that’s available to you. Doctors need to have a clear understanding of what’s going on so they can recommend appropriate ways to reduce the intensity of the pain, increase your physical functionality and mobility, and improve your quality of life by addressing the emotional impact the pain is having on you.
3. Take notes
If you’re in pain, you’ll probably be unable to focus 100 percent when you’re visiting the doctor. If possible, ask someone you trust to come along with you and take notes as the doctor explains your options. Often there are a number of alternatives available to you in addition to medication, including physical therapy, electrical stimulation, nerve blocking, holistic methods, acupuncture and even counseling and behavior modification. Pain is treatable; ask questions and become a student of pain, so you can help yourself move from pain to good health. 4. Find out more
Need More Help?
For additional information, contact these organizations: American Pain Society 4700 W. Lake Ave. Glenview, IL 60025 American Pain Foundation, 201 North Charles St., Suite 710 Baltimore, MD 21201 American Headache Society 19 Mantua Rd. Mount Royal, NJ 08061 National Institute of Neurological Disorders P.O. Box 5801 Bethesda, MD 20824 National Pain Foundation 300 East Hampden Ave., Suite 100 Englewood, CO 80113
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relief
forpainsufferers Dr. Stephen Pyles of Florida Pain Clinic discusses some of the nonaddictive pain management techniques for patients with chronic pain
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O
ver the last few years, Florida has become known as the “pill mill” state. This has been the result of many Florida physicians not only overprescribing, but also dispensing narcotics and other controlled drugs directly from their offices. On Oct. 1, 2010, the Florida Legislature passed Senate Bill 2272. This sweeping new legislation places strict regulation on narcotic prescribing and dispensing by pain management physicians. Physicians treating patients for chronic pain must not only register with the state, but must also pay the
treat pain,” says Dr. Stephen Pyles. It’s a matter of the appropriate dose for any patient, which varies from patient to patient depending on their diagnosis and their ability to tolerate pain. “It is not uncommon for us to see new patients who have become physically dependent, if not addicted, to narcotics as the result of overprescribing,” says Dr. Pyles. Our approach to treating chronic pain depends on the severity and distribution of the pain. Over-thecounter medications combined with physical therapy and/or chiropractic care
have been with spinal cord stimulation. The first procedure ever performed was in 1967. However, the technique did not become common until the mid- to late 1980s. Over the last 10 years, spinal cord stimulation implant techniques and devices have significantly advanced. There are greater possibilities today using spinal cord stimulation to treat pain than there has been in the past. Spinal Cord Stimulation is based on the “Gait Controlled Theory of Pain,” published in 1965 in the Journal of Science. The technique involves using low-
There is a subset of patients who can significantly benefit from injection therapy, also known as“interventional pain management.“ Interventional therapy can include corticosteroid trigger point injections or various types of epidurals. state for annual inspections of their offices. These inspections include the review of patient’s medical records that demonstrate the prescribing and/or dispensing patterns of the doctor. The state now requires every patient who receives a narcotic prescription from a pain management physician to undergo urine drug testing before receiving their prescription. Random patient drug testing must also be performed and documented. Physicians found guilty of inappropriately prescribing will be fined up to $5,000 per offense and will be charged with a felony. Overprescribing narcotics by Florida physicians is epidemic. Our office receives multiple phone calls every day asking if we will refill narcotic prescriptions for patients we have never seen. Many of these phone calls are from out of state. “There is nothing wrong with using narcotic medication appropriately to
is all that is often necessary. However, there is a subset of patients who can significantly benefit from injection therapy also known as “interventional pain management.” Interventional therapy may include corticosteroid trigger point injections or various types of epidurals. Some patients benefit from diagnostic or therapeutic procedures using only local anesthetics. “Pain becomes problematic when it interferes with one’s ability to either perform normal activities of daily living or work,” says Dr. Pyles. “If pain prevents sleep or effects ones personality adversely, it also needs to be addressed. We have been able to help many patients using advanced techniques that do not include the use of narcotics. Spinal cord stimulation often significantly diminishes patient’s requirements for pain medication,”says Dr. Pyles. Some of our greatest success stories
dose electrical current to stimulate the posterior part of the spinal cord. This modality is not for everyone. However, for some patients spinal cord stimulation will provide dramatic symptomatic pain relief. Again, spinal cord stimulation can significantly diminish and often completely eliminate the need of narcotics. Because of our experience and our outcomes, we have been named a “Center of Excellence” for the use of spinal cord stimulation to treat chronic pain. In the last 20 years, Dr. Pyles has frequently travelled to lecture and teach spinal cord stimulation to other physicians around the country. for information:
Stephen T. Pyles, M.D. Florida Pain Clinic 3241 SW 34th Street Ocala FL 34474 352-861-4600
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Real estate experts believe home prices are bottoming out, and with interest rates at historic lows, there may never be a better time to buy a home Newcomers moving into Marion County have plenty to choose from in the real estate market. In fact, this is an ideal time to buy a home locally, due to a perfect storm of factors. Home prices, many believe, are bottoming out, although recent statistics indicate that there’s still some fluctuation in the market. Marion County has some of the lowest real estate prices in the state, making it a very attractive place to buy. In addition, interest rates remain historically low. If there’s any downside to the equation, it remains the credit issue. While a few years ago banks were approving just about any potential homebuyer, the pendulum has swung dramatically in the opposite direction. Credit remains tight, and banks are hesitant to loan to any buyer without exemplary credit. These are tricky waters to navigate for potential homeowners, but it’s well worth the effort. The keys are to know the market, pay close attention to your credit history and be ready to spend some quality time with your banker. The Current Market Real estate agents across Marion County are beginning to see some positive signs in the market, due in part to historically low prices. Investors are well aware of this, and are starting to snatch up properties. In Ocala and Marion County, the median price for existing single-family homes clocks in at just under $78,000. Those low prices are attracting buyers. In March, 402 homes were sold in Ocala, an increase of 11 percent over March 2010, when 361 homes were sold, according to statistics compiled by Florida Realtors. If this trend continues, some believe, it will have an impact on home prices
and sales, eventually driving up home values. This is why many believe now is the time to buy a home. Tips for Buyers If you’re new to Ocala and planning to buy a home, you can take a number of steps to ensure the home-buying and closing process go as smoothly as possible. “Banks are really scrutinizing everything and everyone these days,” says Kim Bryant, president of Ocala/ Marion County Association of Realtors. One smart step she recommends is pre-approval. Another is to ensure all required documentation is in place. “The banks keep wanting more and more,” she notes, so homebuyers should “make sure they have all the documentation they need, such as tax returns and bank statements.” One of the other key elements, she says, is proof of a steady income. Credit cards come into play as well, as banks are making sure potential homeowners aren’t maxed out on their credit. Banks are also making sure that the home under consideration is in a location or neighborhood where it will appreciate, but Bryant believes that we’re returning to a time when homes throughout Marion County will begin to appreciate again. One trend she’s seen recently is multiple bids on a single property, which is an encouraging sign for the overall real estate market. “With inventory depleting over the past six to eight months, we’ve started seeing multiple offers on houses,” Bryant says. “People are starting to pay $10,000 to $15,000 more than what the homes were listed at.” Still, it’s a buyer’s market. “There are homes in nice areas that three or four years ago were going for $300,000, and
you can get them for $170,000 today,” Bryant notes. At closing, buyers should be prepared for a longer process than in previous years.“A normal closing typically takes 30 to 40 days,” says Bryant,“but now it takes 60, 70, sometimes even 75 days, so people are waiting a bit longer to get into a home.” Another factor to keep in mind when shopping for a home is the cost of repairs and the eventual return on investment. Rolando Sosa of Architectural Studio of Ocala says he is sometimes called in to evaluate a home’s aesthetics, which can have a big affect on the home’s current and eventual value. “Some buyers want us to take a look at a home from an architectural point of view and give our opinion as to the condition of the home,” he says. The key, of course, is how long the buyer plans to hold onto the home. If a home requires thousands of dollars in renovation work, the buyer should weigh those costs against any projected appreciation and future value. That “future value” can be tricky to determine in today’s current uncertain market, but the general consensus seems to be that home prices and interest rates will begin to inch up over the next year, so well-positioned buyers should act now. “Interest rates are the lowest they’ve been in years,” Bryant says.“If you have decent credit, you can still get below 5 percent.” This fact alone should be incentive enough to encourage buyers. “If they wait,” Bryant warns, “they’re going to start to see interest rates creep up, and prices are going to creep higher, and they’re eventually going to say, ‘I wish I had bought that six months ago.’”
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the
REO
Local foreclosure experts Susan and Tiffany Williams handle an inventory of nearly 200 REO properties for sale in Marion County
team
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oreclosures have been in the news a lot lately, but at least one team in town has been dealing with them for decades. Susan Williams and Tiffany Williams, who lead the REO Foreclosure Sales Team at Coldwell Banker Ellison Realty in Ocala, have been working with foreclosures longer than anyone else in town. “We are the experts in the area in dealing with foreclosures,” says Tiffany. “We’re fair, we have a really good operation in place and we’re always improving. That’s why we retain most of the local market for foreclosures. As a whole, we have more inventory than anyone else. That’s good for the buyer.” A mother and daughter team, Susan and Tiffany work with such companies as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as a number of banks, to handle foreclosed properties in Marion County. Among other services, they make sure the property is cleaned out, the lawn is mowed and all appliances and heating/ cooling systems are in place. They also
ensure the property is returned to saleable condition before it’s put on the market. It’s this aspect that helps differentiate Ellison Realty’s REO (real estate owned, or bank-owned properties) team from others in town. “The responsibilities that are placed on us are endless,” says Tiffany,“but we’re set up with a team to do everything that’s needed.” Among other tasks, she and Susan attend hearings, negotiate legal and financial issues, and evaluate the property, determining what’s required for it to sell, such as carpeting, painting or even a new roof. For every property they handle, Susan and Tiffany perform a Broker Price Opinion. “This is an important part of the process,” says Susan, “since if you don’t value the property correctly, it will stay on the market longer, or if it’s underpriced, the seller loses money on the deal.” Once the property goes on sale, investors are locked out for a period
of time, usually up to 15 days, to give prospective homeowners a chance to purchase the property. “The main goal is to sell the property to owneroccupants,” says Tiffany. “We’re really focused on getting people into homes.” Foreclosed properties can represent good buys, since generally they’re priced about 30 percent lower than standard properties. It’s also important for buyers to understand that these properties are not sold “as is,” Tiffany says. “We do make repairs, we make sure the lawns are mowed and the swimming pools are cleaned, and we check the properties regularly.” In addition, the electricity and water are turned on in the properties the entire time they’re vacant. Buyers should make sure they have a preapproval letter before shopping for a foreclosed home. In addition, buyers have an inspection period, usually between five and 10 days, when they can change their minds on a property after a signed contract and deposit are
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Tiffany and Susan Williams, recognized by Coldwell Banker in 2010 as: #1 Team in Florida Top Ten Team in the Nation
submitted. If there are any issues or concerns about the property, the buyer has the option to not sign until any final repairs are made. Currently there are more than 100 foreclosed properties available for sale in Marion County, as well as another 70 or so properties with pending sales, and 40 to 50 vacant lots for sale, resulting in nearly 200 REO properties currently in the firm’s inventory. With three buyers’ agents, there’s always someone on hand to answer questions from prospective buyers about these properties and the buying process. for information:
Photos: Fred Lopez
Susan Williams and Tiffany Williams Coldwell Banker Ellison Realty 2226 E. Silver Springs Blvd. Ocala, FL 34470 352-804-4970 – cell 352-789-9555 – cell topproreo@juno.com reocontracts@gmail.com
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Dixie Deffendall, Ocala Models & Talent, representing Greiner’s
Escape Salon & Spa
Destination 352 Expo
Studio 352 Events and BMW of Ocala brought the 2nd Annual Destination 352 Expo to the Paddock Mall on Sunday, April 9th, 2011. At this fresh and exciting event, area businesses promoted their products and services to the “352” area. The Escape Salon & Spa Fashion Runway featured fashion shows with models from Ocala Models & Talent, and the Cribs 2 College Kids Corner provided fun for the little ones. A special thanks to Party Time Rentals, Cindi with an Eye Photography, Al Dee Productions and all the participating exhibitors and sponsors for making the event a great success. Save the date — April 14, 2012 — as Destination 352 Expo will return to Ocala for another fun event that’s free to the public.
Vicky Morrison, Cribs 2 College Sasha Lumsden, Ocala Models & Talent, representing Macy’s
Nicole Vizzini, Escape Salon & Spa, and Heather Webber, Ocala Models &Talent Bobbie West and Gerry Harrison, BMW of Ocala
PHOTOs: cindi with an eye photography
Bootz Graham and Ali Florita, for Jezebels Dr. Bill Stankosky, Ocala Chiropractic Clinic
Katelynn Poehler and Emily Bullard, Ocala Models & Talent, representing Escape Salon & Spa
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Sonya and Dr. Nasser
Cindy Nassal and Nan Confield
Symphony Ball
The Ocala Symphony Orchestra has outdone itself with its grandest event yet. A red carpet walk entrance set the scene for the Symphony Ball, held on Friday, April 8th, and featuring exquisite fine dining, entertainment and a few surprises. Conductor Matthew Wardell and symphony friend Michael Wittenburg entertained as guests tried their luck selecting Champagne glasses, one of which contained a genuine diamond. Guests danced the night away, first to classics and then to classic rock, provided by Ocala favorites Night Call. PHOTOs: Ron Wetherington
Ron Wetherington Diane Krick and Maryfann Donohue
Maestro Matthew Wardell
Linda and Harold McGruther
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YOUR FAMILY DENTIST •
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8750 SW Highway 200, Suite 101 Ocala Fl, Red Roof Building 352-840-7077
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Sara and Charles Dassance
Sadie, William, Deb and Doug Cone
Carl Hiaasen
Carl Hiaasen Reception
On Saturday, April 16th, community sponsors met bestselling Florida author and newspaper columnist Carl Hiaasen at a reception prior to his evening talk at the Klein Center, College of Central Florida. Presented by the Marion County Library System and the Friends of the Ocala Public Library, Hiassenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appearances in town included a free afternoon event with students, teachers and parents, and an evening event at the college for the authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s adult fans. PHOTOs: fred lopez
Frank DeLuca and Carl Hiaasen
Karen Jensen
Amy Mangan, Sara Dassance and Julie Sieg
Paula King
Barbara and Bill Trice Carole Savage and Steve Rothenburg
Sagi Asokan
Charlie King
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Alexandria Vadney
Patrice Perron and Stephane Gattacieca
Taste of Ocala Jim Bo, Oh A Sis and Miss Priss
On Sunday, April 3rd, the College of Central Florida welcomed hundreds of hungry patrons, who came to sample some of the finest cuisine in town, prepared by the best restaurants and caterers in Ocala/Marion County. People of all ages enjoyed music, live entertainment, prize giveaways and most of all — food! Category 1st place winners included La Cuisine, the Mojo Grill, Cuvée Wine & Bistro, Brick City Catering, Ker’s Winghouse of Ocala, and Bruster’s Real Ice Cream. Everyone who enjoyed the food were winners. All proceeds benefitted the CF Foundation, which provides scholarships for students.
Donald Ray
PHOTOs: ron wetherington
Ann and Bret Barnes
Abbiegail Schultz
Steve Durand and John Shewbuirt
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SNAPSHOTS Roetta Coller, Robyne Fraize, Luis Mercado, Wendy Morales, Martha Wikstrom, Magda Lanza, Linda Meyer, Carmenza Pinzon (back to camera)
Hispanic Business Council Presentation Series
On April 12th, as a part of its networking educational series, the Hispanic Business Council hosted a Workforce Connection presentation at the College of Central Florida Enterprise Center. The program focused on hiring tips, internship programs, training stipends and subsidized programs, and presented information on the upcoming Talent Marketplace Job Fair, to be held Monday, May 23, 2011, at College of Central Florida Klein Center, from 8:30 to 11:30 am. PHOTOS: FRED LOPEZ
Oliva Cuesta Charly Cuesta and Efrain Merchan Lila Ivey and Jimena Carrasco
Maria Yabrudy
Tamara Fleischhaker
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“I Sold My Ass On Ocala4sale.com!” --Dawn McCrary
ocala4sale.com Marion County's Internet Marketplace!
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TOPTABLES The Mojo Grill and Catering
It’s always a southern-style party with plenty of soul at Mojo Grill—with the sweet sounds of the Blues and decor straight from a Mississippi delta eatery. Mojo’s satisfies every craving, especially if you have a hankering for food with a Cuban slant. Mondays offer Cuban-themed food with $3 Sangrias, Tuesdays have 2 for $12 Cubans or Mojito Chicken Salads, Wednesdays it’s all about Buffalo chicken quesadillas, and on Fridays it’s the one and only Mojo Fish Taco. Para luego es tarde (Cuban expression for “don’t wait, let’s do it now.”)
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TOPTABLES BFE (Booze, Food and Entertainment) Brand new menu featuring homemade soups, salads, and wraps. All made fresh daily, including mouth-watering burgers and wings. Live entertainment on the weekends and trivia night every Tue. Great for private parties, or have your next big event catered. Open everyday for lunch and dinner 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Closed Sun. 18 SW Broadway St., Ocala 352.351.BFE1(2331). Brick City Catering Great food that pleases your palate and budget! Seafood, salads, subs, pasta, pizza, or sandwiches, Brick City has it all. We will cater for any size party from 4 to 4,000 people (rehearsal dinners, wedding receptions, getaway brunch, charitable function, etc.) Your taste buds will water over our chocolate fondue fountain. Free delivery to businesses. Dine in or take out. Mon-Sat 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Closed Sun. 34 Wenona Ave., Ocala 352.867.1403. Experience fine Cuvée Wine & Bistro dining in one of Ocala’s most inspiring settings. Sample over 100 new and rare wines using their innovative self-serving wine systems. Daily chef specials utilizing the finest ingredients. Mon.-Thu. 4-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 4-11 p.m. for dinner. 2237 SW 19th Ave/Rd., Ocala 352.351.1816. Reservations preferred. All major credit cards accepted. El Azteca En Fuego! Quality, traditional Mexican cuisine. Daily Lunch, Dinner and Bar specials. Mariachi band on Thu 6-9 p.m. Karaoke on Fridays 8-12 a.m. Join us for gameday fun. Outdoor seating now available. Happy Hour Mon-Fri 4-7 p.m. 4011 East Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala 352.854.5500. Mention this ad and when you buy 1 lunch get one 1/2 off with 2 drinks. Honey Baked Ham A forty-year family tradition of hand-selected, 24-hour smoked ham and turkey, sliced to perfection, in a cozy sandwich cafe. Come in for a boxed lunch, shop while you wait, or pick up a dinner and sides to go. Don’t forget about our delicious desserts. Mon-Fri 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Sat 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. 2709 SW 27 Avenue, Ocala 352.861.0011. Horse & Hounds West Where traditional favorites meet English Pub. Dine at a long time local favorite that offers an extensive menu and a horse chic decór that will make for a unique dining experience. Call-ahead seating available but not necessary. Daily food and bar specials available. 6998 N. US Hwy 27, Ocala 352.620.2500.
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BFE
BEST OF THE BEST
Nowadays, burritos are about as common as burgers—but not so at BFE. The BFE burrito dazzles all the senses—the aroma, sight, and feel of each layer of seasoned beef, flavorful rice and refried beans, avocado, cheese and sour cream captivating complete attention. For appetizers, try the Animal Fries with cheese, caramelized onions and Thousand Island dressing or the Chicken Cordon Blue Bites. Follow up the French theme with the Frizzle Dizzle, roast beef and Provolone broiled over a cream cheese base with au jus for dipping. Tre bon! The Corona burger infused with taco seasoning and Doritos is topped with salsa, guacamole and sour cream. Delicioso! Enjoy all of this sensory overload in a vibrant, energetic setting with eclectic music, soft light, beautiful murals and friendly staff.
The Mojo Grill and Catering With the sweet sounds of the Blues in the air, and décor straight from a Mississippi delta eatery, Mojo’s Grill brings soul into downtown Ocala. Satisfy just about any craving you have, particularly if you’re hankering for food with a Cuban slant. Mojo’s is also a full service catering company that can handle all of your event needs. Check out their open acoustic jam Tue 7-10 p.m., enjoy live music Fri & Sat eves, and enjoy Sunday dinner and a movie at the Marion Theatre for only $15. Mon-Thu 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-12 a.m.; Sun 12-7 p.m. 103 SE 1st Avenue, Ocala 352.369.6656. Also located at 5710 SE Abshier Blvd., Belleview 352.307.6656.
Moreno’s Grill Moderate Pricing Meets Expensive Taste at Moreno’s Grill, a full-service restaurant, located in the SummerGlen Golf Club. Moreno’s offers a delicious varied menu, including nutritious breakfasts, light snacks, great lunch specials or a multi-course gourmet dinner meal. Full bar service is also available. Open to the public. Open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a breakfast buffet on Sundays. Mon-Sat 9 a.m. - 8:30 p.m., Sun 7 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. 15480 SW 13th Circle, Ocala 352.307.8788.
Voted 2010 Best of the Best
5/3/11 4:21:18 PM
Tilted Kilt– WELCOME TO THE TILTED KILT! Your home for ice cold beer, mouthwatering pub fare, a festive atmosphere, friendly staff, and televised sports year round. Our menu features an array of satisfying options sure to please everyone, from sliders, wings and wraps to shepherd’s pie, pasta and more! Visit tiltedkilt.com to view our menu or better yet, just stop in. You’ll be glad you did! HOURS: Mon - Sat 11 a.m. - 12 a.m., Sun 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. 3155 E. Silver Springs Blvd. Ocala, FL 352.351.5458
Sky Asian Fusion– Features delectable Asian Fusion menu with a beautiful view of Ocala for a casual but elegant dining experience. Sky menu is a passport to Asia with items across cultural boundaries. Dishes that inspire from China, Japan, Thailand and Korea. Even American-inspired items like beef and salmon. Full bar. INCREDIBLE SUNDAY BRUNCH. Ocala’s most sensational dining experience! Enjoy all your traditional Sunday favorites and the best of SKY! HOURS: Lunch Mon.Fri.11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner Mon.-Thurs. 5-10 p.m. Dinner Fri.-Sat. 5-11 p.m. Brunch (Sunday only) 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Credit cards accepted. Reservations suggested for parties of 8 or more. 291.0000. 3600 SW 38th Ave. Ocala, FL 34474 Located on the 6th floor of the Holiday Inn & Suites www.ocalasky.com
Ayuttaya Thai Cuisine– With specialties like seafood, curries, vegetarian and non-spicy dishes, Ayuttaya Thai Cuisine offers only the finest Thai food to Our Friends in Marion County. Be sure not to miss this gem of a restaurant in Ocala tucked away in Ocala. MENU HIGHLIGHTS Spring Rolls, Pork or Chicken Satay, Nam Sot, Chicken Red Curry, Whole Red Snapper with Sweet Chili Sauce, Pad Thai, Ayuttaya Duck with Ginger Sauce. HOURS Lunch: Mon – Fri 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Dinner: Mon – Thur 5 p.m.– 9:00 p.m.; Fri – Sat 5 p.m.– 10:00 p.m.; Closed Sunday 2437 S.W. 27th Ave., Ocala, FL 352.237.3433 www.OcalaThai.com
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TOPTABLES Lose Weight, Eat Chocolate
Ocala Wine Experience HOME OF HORSE’S ASS WINE, GOLF BALLS, JEANS & APPAREL. Live music Fri & Sat nights, wine tasting, food, desserts, coffee, eclectic gifts, gourmet baskets. Private party & meeting space. Private wine labels available. Hookas in the courtyard with fruit tobacco and cigars. Personalized wine labels available for individuals or businesses. Daily Wine Tastings! HOURS: Mon - Thurs 1 p.m. - 8 p.m., Fri 1 p.m. - Midnight., Sat 2 p.m. - Midnight. 36 S.W. 1st Ave., Ocala, FL 352.369.9858
Come Join Us for Our Monthly Healthy Chocolate Tastings!
Kotobuki Japanese Restaurant Kotobuki in Ocala has served its patrons the finest in Japanese cuisine since 1986. Kotobuki offers hibachi-style cooking at your table, freshly made sushi from the sushi bar and authentic Japanese cuisine from the Washoku room. MENU ITEMS INCLUDE Steak, scallops, lobster tail, filet mignon and sushi. HOURS Sun. & Mon.: 4:30 – 9 p.m.; Lunch: Tuesday – Thursday 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.; Dinner 4:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.; Fri.: 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., Dinner 4:30 – 10:30 p.m.; Sat. 4:30 – 10:30 p.m. 2463 S.W. 27th Ave., Ocala, FL Shady Oaks Plaza next to Best Buy 352.237.3900
Tony’s Sushi & Japanese Steak House– Visit www.tonysushi.com for 40% off on gift card! Tony is a creative artist when it comes to his extensive menu, welcoming atmosphere and delicious food. He brings scrumptious sushi favorites from New York and Miami. Tony’s now offers specialty rolls in half orders, so you can enjoy all of your favorites in one sitting. EXPERIENCE OUR HIBACHI GRILL where the chef prepares fresh entrees and entertains right before your eyes! Don’t hesitate to try our exciting daily specials. WE OFFER PRIVATE PARTIES AND A FANTASTIC CATERING SERVICE. HOURS Mon. – Thur. 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Fri. – Sat. 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m. – 10 p.m. HAPPY HOUR 2:30-6:00, 2 for 1, Draft Beer and Well Liquor BUY HALF SUSHI ROLL FOR HALF PRICE 3405 S.W. College Road, #103, Ocala, FL 34474 352.237.3151
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Get every article, every photo, and every chart from the print edition delivered to your iPad™, iPhone®, or iPod Touch™. The app is free to download and gives you free access to everything Ocala Magazine has to offer. iPad™, iPhone®, iPod Touch™ are trademarks of Apple Inc. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.
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Treatment of Common Ailments such as Bunions, Hammertoes, Heel Pain, Fractures, Sprains, Athlete’s Foot, Neuromas, Tendonitis Ankle Arthroscopy • Laser Foot Surgery Children’s Foot Care • Custom Orthotics
Sheila Noroozi, DPM, FACFAS Diplomate,American Board of Podiatric Surgery Certified in Foot and Ankle Surgery
Shannon Floyd, DPM 7550 SW 61st Avenue, Suite 1, Ocala, FL 34476 • 352.867.0024 www.familyfootankle.org
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A LA L CA CCARTE ART AR RTE TE news, events & more
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A Bird’s Eye View Photo by Fred Lopez Camera: Canon 7D Lens: Canon 70-200 f4 IS L Shutter speed: 1/1000 Exposure program: manual f-stop: f/6.3 ISO Speed: 200 Focal Length 200mm Metering Mode: Spot Location: St. Augustine, FL
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simplydelish
story | CHEF RANDAL WHITE, ARTHUR’S AT THE OCALA HILTON
GetYour Mojo On
B
eing a native boy from Tampa (known for Cuban food and cigars), I grew up enjoying my grandmother’s lemon vinaigrette dressing on salads. It was just normal for us. A variation was to use oranges—a natural in Florida. And when you walked out the back door and picked the oranges yourself, you just couldn’t beat the price. Growing up in Florida, you knew
that if a wild orange tree would come up somewhere near your home, it would be a sour orange tree unless it was grafted with a sweet orange sprout to make a sweet tree. So the ones that got away and produced sour fruit were used for sour orange vinaigrette, sour orange pie (like key lime pie) and sour orange lemonade. You can also use them to make mojo, a dipping sauce and marinade used Chef Randal’s Mojo Marinade
2/3 cup sour orange juice 1/4 cup lime juice 1/4 cup olive oil 6 to 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced 1/2 tsp ground cumin Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, then add the garlic and cook until lightly toasted. Don’t let it brown. In about 30 seconds it should be flavorful. Add the cumin, salt and pepper, and set off to the side to cool. Then add sour orange and lime juice and blend in a blender. Taste and correct seasoning, if needed. Mojo should be served within a couple of hours of making, but it will keep for a few days, covered well in the refrigerator. It’s great tossed with shredded pork for Cuban sandwiches, tostones (fried green plantain chips), terra chips, etc., or as a marinade for grilled seafood, chicken, pork or even beef. For best results, marinate the chicken
in Latin-favored dishes, such as chicken, fish and pork. You can find bottled mojo (from Goya) in almost any grocery store, or you can make your own. Search your local grocery store’s produce department for the ugly, bumpy, thick-skinned sour oranges. Those are the ones you want! Quarter and squeeze them to make a sour orange juice.
Chef’s Tips
* Sometimes I add cilantro, but not always. I try to keep the mojo as originally“homemade”as possible. * If you cannot get sour oranges, try fresh oranges with lime juice concentrate. * Tenderize the chicken, breaking down the muscle so that it’s easier to chew, cooks faster and absorbs the mojo marinade better. and pork in mojo overnight and grill the next day using the excess as a basting sauce. For the beef, however, I do only a quick one-minute marinade and use the rest as a basting sauce. Season with Spanish Adobo and you’ll love it. This recipe is more traditional to Cuban cuisine, yet as an innovator in the business and not having a sour orange tree out back, I will toss a chef’s secret out at you. What I do most of the time is add cilantro, orange juice concentrate, lemon juice and lime juice, blended equally, instead of the sour orange and lime.
PHOTOS: FRED LOPEZ
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Tostones (Fried Plantain Chips)
1 green plantain, cut into 3/4-inch chunks 1/2 cup oil for frying 2 cups cold water Salt to taste Heat the oil in a skillet. Place the plantains in the oil and fry until golden brown. Remove the plantains and flatten them by pressing down with a plate or another pan. Soak the plantains in water a minute and dry on a towel, then return them to the hot oil and fry one minute on each side. Season with salt when hot from the oil to taste and serve with mojo.
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Did you know?
Real Florida oranges are sour and have a bit of a greener tint to them. The skin can be rough and bumpy, not smooth. They are not the “manufactured” California oranges artificially made to look, well, smoother and more orangey. California is known for artificially enhancing its oranges. Floridians prefer to keep it real. The human body actually craves sour foods.
Ocalamodelsandtalent.com • Livingthedreamatomt.com 7355 SW 38th Street, Suite 101, Ocala, FL ocalatalent@earthlink.net 352-369-1212 Studio 352-425-1111 May 2011 I ocalamagazine.com I 071
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health&fitness story | NICOLE ORR
Move and Improve: Three Exercises You Can Do Now
Y
ou’ve heard it before: Exercise is good for your health. But for most of us, life gets in the way. Between work, taking the kids to school and extra-curricular activities, tending to household chores and spending time with the family, exercise often takes a backseat in the average person’s hectic schedule. But exercise doesn’t have to be timeconsuming. In fact, you can drastically improve your life by spending as little as 10 minutes working out each day. Just ask Karen Kissinger, 48, who didn’t find the time for exercise until she had to. She was forced to make a
lifestyle change 10 years ago when she was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. She eventually turned to the YMCA, where she eased herself into an exercise program with the help of the Y’s fitness professionals. By making exercise a priority, she was able to reduce her diabetes medication and improve her overall health. You can make a difference in your life, too, and you can do it right in your own home. The Home-Body Workout, designed by YMCA personal trainers, features three simple exercises that target all of your major muscle groups. Best of all, it takes just 10 minutes a day.
The Home-Body Workout
Push Ups Off Your Kitchen Counter
Squats in a Chair
Hip Extensions
Place both hands on the counter a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Step your legs back until your body is in a straight diagonal line. Engage your abdominals (squeeze in) and bend your arms, lowering your chest toward the counter (as far as you can). Slowly push yourself back to starting position, straightening the arms.
Stand in front of a chair, facing away from it, with your feet hip-width apart. Contract your abdominals as you bend your knees and lower yourself down. Squat until you feel your bottom graze the chair (or as low as you can go). Slowly return to the standing position, straightening your knees. Repeat
Lie on the floor with your knees bent. Squeeze in your abdominals and slowly lift your hips up off the floor, squeezing your glutes, until your body forms a straight diagonal line from your back and shoulders to your knees. Hold for 2 to 3 seconds and lower your hips back down to the floor. Repeat.
*Tip: Your knees should form a 90-degree angle as you hover above the chair. To do this, keep your weight in your heels and shift your weight back. You want to avoid coming forward and letting your heels lift off the ground.
*Tip: Start with your feet flat on the ground. To make this move harder, lift your toes and give yourself less points of contact with the ground. This will increase your core workout.
*Tip: Always tighten your abdominal muscles and keep your back flat. This is the most important thing to remember for any exercise you do.
Warm up by walking a lap around your house, apartment complex or neighborhood. Then perform 8 to 12 repetitions of the following exercises, resting for about 30 to 60 seconds between each one. Do this every other day, following this progression chart: Progression Chart:
Week 1: One set of all exercises. Week 2: Two sets of all exercises. Reduce rest time. Week 3: Three sets of all exercises. Reduce rest time Week 4: Three sets of all exercises. Eliminate all rest.
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what’snews
Compiled by JOHN SOTOMAYOR, ROB FEEMAN
L
et the countdown begin! Two years from now, in 2013, La Florida will celebrate the 500th anniversary of its discovery by Juan Ponce de Leon, the Spanish explorer and adventurer who landed on the peninsula’s eastern shore, near St. Augustine, on or around April 2, 1513. Just as we did for the millennium, let’s activate the clock counter to commemorate this historic occasion! There are important footnotes to acknowledge. For starters, while Christopher Columbus set sail for the New World in 1492, Ponce de Leon, his crew and his fleet of three ships discovered and named Florida just 21 years later, and nearly 100 years before the English established a colony at Jamestown, Va. (in 1607) and at Plymouth Rock, Mass. (in 1620). That means Florida has a longer recorded history than any other state in the Union. De Leon and his conquistadors (a Spanish word meaning “conquerors”) were in search of gold and the mythical Fountain of Youth, which many believe was based on native tales of our natural springs in Marion County. During their time here, Ponce de Leon and his Spanish conquistadors established many settlements throughout what is now the state of Florida. Particularly significant for many local residents is the fact that the first Spanish settlers introduced horses to Florida, making a major economical and cultural component of Ocala and Marion County possible. An early record indicates that Pedro Menendez de Aviles, who established a Spanish colony at St. Augustine in 1565, brought 100 horses with him to ensure the success of the settlement.
Numerous events are scheduled to take place in the years and months leading up to the state’s quincentennial. For instance, Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise is turning its roadsides into a“rainbow of wildflowers,”having planted more than 72 acres of yellow Black-eyed Susans; red, white and pink phlox; and the state wildflower, yellow tickseed, in 32 locations around the state. A living history group, La Compañía de Juan Ponce de León (the Company of Juan Ponce de León), hosted an inaugural First Landing Heritage Event on April 2-3, 2011, at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St. Augustine. The event featured interpretations and demonstrations on the life of Don Juan, his companions, the early Spanish explorers and settlers of Florida and the Caribbean, and the Native Americans they encountered. In addition, Dr. Jose Fernandez, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Central Florida, suggests the state commemorate its quincentennial by publishing an anthology of Florida’s Spanish literature from 16th-century Colonial times to the present, including what may be America’s first epic poem, La Florida. For more information on Viva Florida, the state’s 500th anniversary, and details about upcoming events, visit www. vivaflorida.org.
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Symphony Under the Stars
Mark your calendars for what has become a Mother’s Day tradition in Ocala and Marion County. The Symphony Under the Stars, organized by Fine Arts For Ocala, will once again feature popular music pieces and show tunes performed by the Ocala Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Matthew Wardell. Scheduled for Sunday, May 8th at the Ocala Golf Club, the event will also include a silent auction and food concessions, and will culminate in a choreographed fireworks display. Maestro Wardell gave us a preview of what we can expect to hear at the performance. Selections from such films as the Harry Potter movies, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Pirates of the Caribbean, Funny Girl, Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music are all on the program, along with popular show tunes from West Side Story, The King and I, Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar. The program reaches a crescendo with the 1812 Overture, followed by the fireworks display. “It’s awesome,”Wardell says of the event.“It’s a lot of fun, ’cause everyone brings their picnic baskets, and you’re on the golf course, so it’s beautiful, as long as the weather is nice.” The music kicks off at 7 p.m. at the Ocala Golf Club, 3130 East Silver Springs Blvd. Tickets are priced at $15 for adults and $5 for children ages 6 to 12. For ticket locations or more information, visit www.fafo.org or call 352.867.0355. Funding Ocala’s Honor Flight Ocala honored the Greatest Generation in 2009 and 2010 by participating in the national Honor Flight program, escorting unsung heroes of World War II to the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C. For 2011, two Honor Flights for the region’s veterans are scheduled, on Tuesday, June 14th, which is Flag Day, and on a to-be-determined date in
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October. The experiences over the past two years indicate how emotional the experience is for those who take part in the event, and there’s a sense of urgency to ensure those who wish to attend this year’s events can do so. You can help by sponsoring one or more veterans at $450 each. Sponsors can select the veterans they’re supporting, or the funds can pay for flights of those on a waiting list. You can also volunteer as an escort by paying for your own flight. Contributions of any amount are welcome, as are fundraising events held by local clubs and organizations. All contributions are tax deductible. Donate online at www.Ocalahonorflight. org or send checks to the Florida Department of VFW, P.O. Box 1630, Ocala, FL 34478. Save the Date: Concert for Hope The stars are aligned for renewed hope—country stars Mel Tillis, Pam Tillis, B.J. Thomas, Billy Joe Royal and new country artist Kenyon Lockry, to be precise. Make Memorial Day extra memorable with the first annual “Concert for Hope,” scheduled for Monday, May 30, at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion in Ocala. Doors open at noon, and the music kicks off at 3 p.m. All concert proceeds benefit Project Hope, serving the homeless in Marion County. “Ever since our inception four years ago, we’ve been able to make positive changes in the lives of many women and children, giving them safe and affordable housing, which we believe is a right of all, especially our children,” says John Alvarez, a Project Hope board member and creator of the Alvarez Memorial Day event.
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Project Hope seeks to raise $1 million to fund the purchase of the Knights Apartment Complex at 830 N.E. 28th Street, Ocala, which has 40 units for housing the homeless. To date, $255,000 has been raised. General admission for the event is $50, and VIP tickets are available for $200. You can purchase tickets online at www. ProjectHopeOcala.org or at various locations around town. 4673
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Junior Olympics Bound Ocala’s Power 15’s Rox volleyball team clinched a bid to the Junior Olympics/USAV Nationals after dominating their division, placing first out of 96 teams in a qualifying tournament held in Atlanta, Ga., last month. This accomplishment is a first for an Ocala team.
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Led by head coach Cristie Mitchell and assistant Bill Littell, the Power 15’s Rox team is made up of dedicated 15-yearolds from various Ocala and Gainesville high schools. With a combined record of 45-3, they’re ready to take on nationwide teams June 27-29 in Atlanta at the Junior Olympics. The odds are in their favor to take home the gold, representing Greater Central Florida. This season the team achieved three major titles. They were named Champions of Orlando Volleyball Academy’s MLK tournament and the Daytona 100 Classic, placed at the top at the Tampa United Kickoff and Mid East National Qualifier, and won gold at the Big South National Qualifier. To achieve its goals, the team needs financial assistance. Donations to the team’s “Going to Nationals Fund” will help with travel and preparation costs for the big event. You can send checks to: Ocala Power Volleyball Academy, P.O. Box 5433, Ocala, FL 34478. Top Honors at Taste of Ocala Visitors at this year’s Taste of Ocala, held on Sunday, April 3rd, had a chance to vote for their favorite restaurants. Here are the winners: Best International Cuisine: La Cuisine French Restaurant Best Food Presentation: 1st Place: Brick City Catering 2nd Place: Cuvée Wine & Bistro 3rd Place: Bell’s Catering People’s Choice Awards: Fine Dining: 1st Place: Cuvée Wine & Bistro 2nd Place: SKY Asian Fusion 3rd Place: Amrit Palace Indian Restaurant Casual Dining: 1st Place: The Mojo Grill & Catering 2nd Place: Gator’s Dockside 3rd Place: Dugout Sports Bar & Grill Catering: 1st Place: Brick City Catering 2nd Place: Cabanas Catering 3rd Place: The“3”Chicas Quick Service: 1st Place: Ker’s WingHouse of Ocala 2nd Place: Mary’s Cuban Kitchen Beverages, Specialties, & Desserts: 1st Place: Bruster’s Real Ice Cream 2nd Place: The Melting Pot 3rd Place: Bernie Little Distributing
LYMPHEDEMA RISK REDUCTION Tissues with lymphedema—localized fluid retention, which causes severe swelling—are at risk of infection. Guidelines from the National Lymphedema Network (NLN) offer several practices that reduce lymphedema risk. First, to reduce the risk of infection due to trauma or injury, one should practice proper skin care. Keep the at-risk extremity clean and dry, and apply moisture daily to prevent chapping or chafing of the skin. Pay attention to nail care; do not cut cuticles. Protect exposed skin with sunscreen and insect repellent. Use care with razors to avoid nicks and skin irritation. If possible, avoid punctures such as injections and blood draws. Wear gloves while performing activities that may cause skin injury, such as washing dishes, gardening, working with tools or using chemicals such as detergent. If scratches or punctures to skin occur, wash with soap and water, apply antibiotics and observe for signs of infection, like redness. If a rash, itching, redness, pain, increased skin temperature, fever or flu-like symptoms occur, contact your physician immediately for early treatment of possible infection Second, monitor your activity and active lifestyle. Gradually build up the duration and intensity of any activity or exercise. Take frequent rest periods during activity to allow for limb recovery. Monitor the extremity during and after activity for any change in size, shape, tissue, texture, soreness, heaviness or firmness. Maintain optimal weight. Third, avoid limb constriction. If possible, avoid having blood pressure taken on the at-risk extremity. Wear loose-fitting jewelry and clothing. Finally, avoid too much compression in your clothing. Your clothing should fit well, not too tight. However, support the at-risk limb with a compression garment for strenuous activities, such as weightlifting, prolonged standing or running, except for patients with open wounds or with poor circulation in the at-risk limb. Consider wearing a well-fitting compression garment for air travel. For more information about lymphedema risk reduction, contact Meenu Jethwani at meenu@thetherapyforyou.com. Meenu Jethwani
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calendarmay calendar
Your guide to what’s happening in Ocala this month
May 6 Spring 2011 College Graduation Ceremony, Lawn of the Fine Arts Auditorium, College of Central Florida, 3001 S.W. College Road, 7 p.m.; 352.873.5800 or www.cf.edu.
to U.S. troops overseas; sign up and first stop at Eagles Club, 8380 E. Hwy. 25, Belleview; 9:30 to 11 a.m.; 352.687.1675 or www. operationshoebox.com.
charity to the community, at the Ocala Elks Club, 702 N.E. 25th Ave.; 12 noon to 1 p.m.; 352.732.4464 or www. helpinghandsocala.org.
May 6 Chick-fil-A Leadercast 2011, a one-day leadership training event simulcast live from Atlanta, Ga., featuring Seth Godin, Robin Roberts, John Maxwell and Suzy Welch, among others; 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Ocala, 2801 S.E. Maricamp Road; tickets start at $39.99; register online at http://www.leadercastocala. eventbrite.com.
May 7 Play 2Gether Stay 2Gether Indoor Concert and Fair, featuring live music, dancers, face painting, games and crafts, sponsored by The Arts District, 2500 A S.E. 58th Ave.; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 352.292.3800.
May 12 “Building a Better Ocala” fund-raising breakfast, hosted by Habitat of Humanity, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Paddock Mall Food Court; admission $10 in advance, $15 at door; 352.351.4663.
May 7 The Ocala Farmer’s Market, every Saturday in Downtown Ocala Square from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., featuring farm and seafood products, organic and gourmet foods, flowers, botanicals, art and antiques; sponsored by the Downtown Business Alliance and the City of Ocala; 352.426.8244 for information or details on how to become a vendor.
May 14 First Annual Pig Out Barbecue Bash, sponsored by the Junior League of Ocala, in association with the Florida BBQ Association, to benefit projects of the Junior League; at the Florida Horse Park, 11008 S. Hwy 475; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; www.juniorleagueofocala.com.
May 7 Seventh Annual Mother’s Day Luncheon to benefit Hospice of Marion County, featuring door prizes, a silent auction, live music and a presentation by the Ocali Storytelling Guild, at Bonefish Grill; doors open at 11:30 a.m. 352.854.5218. May 7 Second Annual The World Has Talent 55+ Talent Show, hosted by local radio personality Chip Morris and featuring 12 local contestants, at the Circle Square Cultural Center, 8395 S.W. 80th Street; 352.854.3670 or www. csculturalcenter.com. May 7 Fourth annual Benefit for Operation Shoebox, which sends snacks and personal care items
May 8 Symphony Under the Stars, a night of musical entertainment under the Florida skies, sponsored by Fine Arts For Ocala and featuring the Ocala Symphony Orchestra; 7 p.m., Ocala Golf Club, 3130 E. Silver Springs Blvd., weather permitting; 352.867.0355 or www.fafo.org. May 10 Helping Hands luncheon, to introduce local Christian-based Helping Hands nonprofit
May 17 Social Media 101 workshop, part of the Power Series 2011, sponsored by the Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce and Workshop Connection; 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce boardroom, 310 S.E. 3rd St.; free admission, 352.629.8051. May 20-22 The Silver Run, a boating adventure on waterways from Mount Dora to Silver Springs, plus the Sunnyland Antique Boat Show at Silver Springs Nature Park, open to the general public on Saturday, May 21; contact Terry and Tim Ross at terry@ttross. com or Silver Springs, Nature’s Theme Park, 5656 E. Silver
Springs Blvd.; www.silversprings. com. May 21 Motown Soul Queen Martha Reeves, who had a string of hits from 1963 to ’67 as the lead singer for Martha and the Vandellas, in performance at the Circle Square Cultural Center, 8395 S.W. 80th Street; 352.854.3670 or www.csculturalcenter.com.
May 21 Fourth Annual Frank Polack Memorial Ride, featuring 30-, 62- and 80-mile bike rides through Horse Country; presented by Ocala Eye, and benefitting Hospice of Marion County; more than 300 cyclists are expected to participate; mass start at 8 a.m., with breakfast and lunch provided; 352.854.5218 or www. hospiceofmarion.com. May 14-15 “The Story of Daniel,” presented by the Dance Diving School of Ballet; 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday; free admission; invitations are available at local Christian bookstores; at the College
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Alvarez Memorial Day Event
Doors open at 12:00 Noon SE Livestock Pavilion • 2220 NE Jacksonville Rd., Ocala, FL
Serving Homeless Families in Marion County, FL
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VIP Tickets – Meet the stars, food and beverages, floor seating! Includes a FREE Ticket for a Drawing of a 2010 Harley Davidson Fat Boy Motorcycle General Admission: $50 Concessions available – BBQ Catering by Tommy Phillips
352-624-4673 • Purchase on-line: www.ProjectHopeOcala.org A copy of the registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling 1-800-435-7352. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendations from the sale. See www.ProjectHopeOcala.org for Harley Davidson drawing rules. CH22810
of Central Florida Fine Arts Auditorium, 3001 S.W. College Road; 352.629.5038 or www.dancedivingocala.com. May 28-29 Sea Hunt, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the final season of the popular TV show, which ran from 1958 to ’61; featuring scuba divers in authentic vintage gear; Silver Springs, Nature’s Theme Park, 5656 E. Silver Springs Blvd.; www.silversprings.com.
May 30 Concert for Hope, an Alvarez Memorial Day Event benefitting Project Hope, featuring Mel Tillis, Pam Tillis, B.J. Thomas, Kenyon Lockry and Billy Joe Royal, at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion, 2220 N.E. Jacksonville Road; doors open at 12 noon, music starts at 3 p.m., general admission $50; 352.624.4673 or www.ProjectHopeOcala.org.
May @ the Appleton Appletonmuseum.org
May 7 First Saturday: Cinco de Mayo celebration featuring the art of Mexico, for children and youths ages 4 to 17, 1 to 3 p.m. Educational Art Films (2 p.m.) • May 8
Georgia O’Keeffe
• May 15
N.C. Wyeth
• May 22
Thomas Hart Benton
• May 29
Rodin, The Gates of Hell
Have a calendar submission? Email editorial@ocalamagazine.com
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VOX voice of the people
“You got to stop singing to stay. You got to start singing to win.” –Jennifer Lopez, judge on American Idol, to contestant Stephano Langone
“Playing this role has taught me so much more than that of Anne and the Holocaust. It gave me the reward of actually finding myself within her story and of learning that, in spite of everything, misery can never overpower hope.” –Krista Alvarado, who starred as Anne Frank in the Omega Theatre Company at West Port High School Performing Arts Center’s production of The Diary of Anne Frank.
“I love the Ocala Civic Theatre. I’ve been coming [to Ocala and the OCT] some 20-odd years [directing plays]. I’d like to see more community support for the theater and treat it as the asset it is, because it’s rare to have a community theatre of this level in your city.” –Greg Thompson, a Los Angeles-based director, currently in town directing the Ocala Civic Theater’s production of The King and I, opening May 19th
“It’s after midnight, so if you haven’t filed your taxes yet, say hello to Wesley Snipes for me.” –George Lopez, during his opening monologue shortly after midnight on April 19, 2011
“College isn’t just about learning the subject matter. It’s about how to learn fast so you can teach yourself things later in life.” –Shane Wooten, singer/songwriter and country music performer, who earned an MBA and started up two businesses, in addition to launching a successful singing career
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One. Just one. And only one.
The region’s most comprehensive orthopedics and active lifestyle medicine program is also rated the safest hospital in Florida.
It’s a fact: Munroe Regional has been rated #1 in Marion County for medical excellence and patient safety in orthopedic care in 2010 by e Delta Group, the nation’s largest privately held healthcare information services company. As important, Munroe Regional has also been rated the safest hospital in Florida by the same group.
Munroe Regional has been rated #1 in our market for medical excellence and patient safety in orthopedic care in 2010 by The Delta Group, the nation’s largest privately held healthcare information services company.
So what does that mean? It means that Munroe Regional’s orthopedic patients have fewer preventable complications and adverse events during their hospitalization. It means you can count on Munroe Orthopedics. And with good reason. Munroe Orthopedics combines the area’s most respected orthopedic doctors and surgeons, the latest technologies and minimally invasive treatments, individualized attention and a dedicated, compassionate orthopedics and rehabilitation team. e result: the most comprehensive orthopedics and active lifestyle medicine program in the region— backed by the hospital you trust, Munroe Regional. Your care is always your choice. ere is a real quality difference in the care at Munroe Regional. And it matters. Diagnosis to treatment, rehab to wellness, count on Munroe Orthopedics. Insist on Munroe Orthopedics. Learn more at www.MunroeRegional.com/orthopedic or call Munroe Regional’s Health Resource Line at 352-867-8181 or 800-575-3975.
Life happens every day. Keep it moving.
To receive a copy of our new orthopedics overview brochure or a topical brochure on knees, hips or shoulders, call Munroe’s Health Resource Line at 352-867-8181.
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