Erica and Joe: The Mysterious Countdown to an Elaborate Proposal
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he billboards in November of 2020 had many in Ocala scratching their heads while wondering what was at the end of this enigmatic public countdown. 6 DAYS, 59 MINUTES . . . 3 DAYS, 13 MINUTES . . . 1 MINUTE REMAINING . . . Each billboard posted Erica Olstein’s name in big bold letters while a countdown timer kept everyone, including Erica herself, in bewildered anticipation. It was all part of Joe Borge’s adventure-filled engagement week for his soon-to-be fiancé. On the day of her engagement, Erica was unknowingly swept away in a limousine and she found herself in the most extravagant scavenger hunt accompanied by a camera crew, a drone and her best friend. The limousine drove her all throughout Ocala, but not until she guessed where each stop was, hinted by envelopes adorned with custom wax seals that revealed playful rhyming poems. Each stop was complete with a musical orchestra that played music of Joe’s choosing, music that was reminiscent of their relationship. Also at each stop was an activity and those included elaborate acrobatic performances, live magic in the middle of a beautiful vintage farm, enormous wooden puzzles scattered in a lawn for her to piece together, tiki torch-lined hills for her to hike, picnic blankets decorated in rose petals and candles, fermented mushroom teas for Erica to dunk her hands into to find clues, a dress in which to change, a quick stop in a warm
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| FEB 2021 | OCALAMAGAZINE.COM
sauna and more. Starting it all off were the countdown billboards. The last stop of the scavenger hunt was Ocala’s downtown square where the limousine dropped her off. There her best friend was able to hand her off to her husband-to-be. The downtown gazebo was adorned with beautiful balloon displays, a string quartet with a professional conductor, many close friends and family members and, of course, Joe waiting in the center of it all eagerly waiting to ask Erica to spend the rest of her life with him. At 5 p.m. when the billboard’s timer ended, Joe proposed to Erica (at which point the billboards changed to read, “She Said Yes!”) Erica jokingly said was not sure and that Joe would have to wait a full week’s worth of another countdown to find out if she said ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ As they walked away from the square, people along the streets yelled out congratulations. Suddenly, Joe pulled Erica into an art gallery where she found all her friends and family waiting for her at a catered dinner party. The wedding is planned to take place in early 2022. To view the engagement video on YouTube, one can type into the search bar, “The Erica & Joe Hallmark Special – An Engagement Extravaganza!”
