Locala Magazine, March 2023, Ocala,FL

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© Lisa Anderson Media, LLC and Locala™. All rights reserved. Online: ISSN 2771-1056, Print: ISSN 2771-1048, March 2023, Volume 02, Issue Number 10. Locala™ is a monthly publication, which is published by Lisa Anderson Media, LLC, 2320 NE 2nd Street, Unit 5, Ocala, FL 34470. Nothing may be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. For reprint or reuse permission, email info@localamag.com. Cover price for sale distribution is $4.58. Proudly printed at First Impressions Printing, 1827 SW 27th Avenue, Ocala, FL 34471

JODI ANDERSON

DEAR OCALA,

If you love a good underdog story, this issue is for you! Jacob Diaz (page 14), who was abandoned by his mother as a child, went on to serve time for his involvement with a Mexican drug cartel. He now gives back to the community by helping people repair their credit. Lindsee Kirby (page 9) experienced a horrific car accident and shares her recovery journey and scars to spread positivity. Judy Wilson (page 16) pushed through personal attacks to advocate for the rights of sexual assault victims and for mental health care. And Judge Lori Cotton (page 20) uses empathy gained from personal tragedy to dispense justice in her courtroom.

In the Chews Letter (page 25), Renee Gentry gives horses something healthy to chew on. Dee Collier (page 6) breaks social norms by educating kids about history through role-play.

Make sure you check out our Artist Corner! The Appleton Staff highlights metal fabricator Mike Zeak (page 29), whose sculpture “Childhood Memories” is a permanent installation on the museum’s grounds. And tattoo artist Kory Strictland (page 31) talks about his love of permanent ink.

My great-great-grandparents were born in Ireland, so in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I leave you with my family’s favorite Irish blessing:

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields, And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Most Sincerely,

Photo by Bailey Hutchence

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Connection BRINGING THE PAST TO LIFE

DEE COLLIER

Story by TAYLOR STRICKLAND

Photo by JOSHUA JACOBS

American historian David McCullough once said, “History is the study of who we were and why we are the way we are.” Few know this truth better than historical character actor and dramatist Dee Collier, who has dedicated her life to educating others.

Dee is a third-generation Floridian and former elementary school teacher. Though she grew up in the Fort Pierce area, she and her husband have called Ocala home for the past 48 years. Dee is well-known for her first-person portrayals of women in history, as well as for weaving thoughtful and engaging narratives about their lives. For more than a decade, she has been bringing the past to life to inform and inspire others.

A TEACHER

Dee knew her calling from a very young age. “I loved teaching school,” she says. “Matter of fact, I loved education growing up so much that I would even line up my dolls and my stuffed animals and teach them whatever I learned at school that day.

“We did team teaching,” Dee explains, referring to her former school. “I taught the science, math, and history, and the other teacher taught the English-type skills. History was always my real love. I actually thought about majoring in history in college, but I got drawn to elementary education. I love kids.”

It was during her time as a classroom teacher that Dee began to develop the hallmark of her unique pedagogy. “If [the children] were to have a book report or do a special project, if they became a character and dressed up, I knew they were going to be learning more, so I would give the kids extra credit for that. I guess that was part of my life so much that, eventually, when this opportunity came along, I did it myself.”

That opportunity came at the behest of a fellow thespian. “Thirteen or 14 years ago, I was in a play with a friend–she teaches AP European History at one of our high schools–and she was bemoaning the fact the AP kids take their test earlier in the year. She’s not going to teach them anything at that point, so she asks me, ‘Why don’t you dress up and pretend you’re somebody from World War II and come to my class?’”

“I told her I know a lot about Corrie Ten Boom,” Dee recalls. “She was a Holocaust survivor. She said, ‘Oh, that’s fine.’ I’ve done her class every year since.” From there, Dee expanded her historical character list and often used her old theatre friend’s classroom as a stage test.

When asked if she ever felt trepidation about this venture, Dee gives an easy negative. “It just came naturally,” she says breezily.

A BORN PERFORMER

While some of the 26 characters Dee portrays are quite famous, many are more niche. “I really do have to have an affinity for them,” she explains. “Sometimes, I also just keep hearing a name and I go, ‘Well, maybe I’ll investigate that.’ That’s what happened with this new one I’m getting reading to delve into in the next few weeks, and that’s Rosie the Riveter.”

Regardless of the names she continues to add to her repertoire, none have had quite the impact like Corrie Ten Boom. “She was the very first one I portrayed, and I guess I will always have a warm spot in my heart for her,” Dee says fondly.

Dee has found everyone to be very supportive of the work she does, especially her husband. “He encourages me, and even though he’s not into drama himself, he does have a couple of costumes that are the husband of these people,” she laughs. “He has a George Washington costume, an Al Capone costume, and a Viking costume. Of course, he works full time as a CPA, but occasionally, he will go and introduce me as those characters.”

STRONG WOMEN

While Dee loved her time in the classroom, she finds more fulfillment in her current style of teaching, as it allows for more creative freedom. “That’s one of the things I really love about doing this. I really love to find out little nuggets about these people that obviously a history book is not going to give you, and people probably don’t know about it.

“The women I portray are people who have overcome huge issues in their lives,” Dee continues earnestly. “I let that be known to people, and I love to see their reactions. That clicking, that recognition, that connection with people is really exciting. I can read their faces and see that, and I think that spurs me on quite a bit, too.”

Despite all the fun she has, Dee recognizes the impact of the work she does and hopes others do, too. “People need to hear about these lives. These were incredible people. They had the same difficulties we do today, and they overcame them, so maybe other people can as well.”

LEARN MORE

makehistorycomealive.com

EXTENDED CONTENT

Watch the full interview available on March 3, 2023. Don't miss this or other videos. Subscribe to our YouTube channel @localapodcas t .

Monthly Theme UNBOXED

Top Left and Bottom Right:

Photos by Mark Anderson

• Top Right and Bottom Left: Photos submitted by Lindsee Kirby

Fight Like Hell

ACCIDENT VICTIM LIVES HER BEST LIFE

LINDSEE KIRBY

Story & Photo by MARK ANDERSON

On November 29, 2021, Lindsee Kirby’s life forever changed in an instant.

Driving to her first day of work at a new job, Lindsee was in a serious accident. A car pulled out in front of her, leaving her with a shattered shoulder and hip, a fractured knee, three fractured vertebrae, multiple fractures to her pelvis and pubic bone, and a blood clot in her carotid artery.

“I woke up, and all I remember was this older guy with a brown mustache, like a cowboy, and he was like, ‘Don’t move! Don’t move!’” she explains. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh great, I’m going to be late to my first day of work.’ I was still worried about that. It was just how the movies say it—you’re disoriented, sounds are in and out. You’re so confused, and I had no idea of the trauma on my body.”

With adrenaline coursing through her body and feeling no pain, Lindsee says one of the first realizations of the seriousness of her situation was the look on the face of one of the responding paramedics—a classmate she coincidentally knew from school.

“He realized it was me, and he just looks at me so sadly, and I’m like, ‘Why are you looking at me like that?’” she recalls, getting emotional. “He goes, ‘I’m going to get you out, okay?’”

want to say, ‘Well, I’m happy that at least one of us was okay,’” Lindsee says. “It could have just as easily been me. And if I were in their shoes, I would want to be forgiven. I don’t even know if they know everything that I’ve struggled with, but in the event that they do, and they don’t sleep at night the way that I don’t sleep at night, I would want them to know that I forgave them. And that I’m glad that one of us made it out.”

THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

Lindsee’s father Daryl Kirby, the owner of Kirby Family Farm in Williston, put his busy life on hold to stay by her side throughout her ordeal.

Lindsee was hospitalized for three months and bedridden for five, and slowly but surely, she has progressed through physical therapy in the months since.

Learning to walk and move again was the hardest thing she’s ever done, Lindsee says, and there were times when everything seemed insurmountable. Ever the optimist, she found a way to turn that into motivation.

“[I was] just so helpless,” she admits. “I couldn’t even get in the bed by myself. But I kind of learned and got more comfortable, because, well, I don’t have a choice. This is just how my life is now. But I did my best to bust my butt in the areas I could.”

SCARS

Because she now bears large surgical scars on her arm and leg, Lindsee says she often gets not-so-subtle looks or outright stares while in public, and the special attention she receives can be jarring, awkward, or embarrassing.

“When I was wheelchair-bound, it was like, ‘Oh, this young, pretty girl, what’s wrong with her?’” she says. “You can see it on people’s faces trying to process when we went out to dinner. I’m like, just ask, I beg you, just ask. You get the most pitiful looks. Like, please don’t look at me with pity. Because I fought like hell to stay alive and be moving again.”

Now, Lindsee acknowledges that her scars will forever be a part of her and a reminder of that time in her life—a time she is ready to share to help others.

“They were hard for me to look at for months,” she states. “Now, they remind me of what I went through, because it doesn’t feel real. It feels like a dream, until I look down at my scars and remember it was real. It happened, and I did go through it. I want to be proud to wear those scars and share my story with people.”

MOVING FORWARD

Many people who hear her story often ask Lindsee how she feels toward the person who hit her. “If I ever got a chance to say something to them, I would

Instead of looking back with fear and negativity toward her accident more than a year ago, Lindsee instead sees her ordeal as a catalyst to move forward and live the best life possible. “Everybody goes through their own battles and their own trauma,” she declares. “When people say to me, ‘You just seem so happy!’ And I’m Iike, ‘Whoa, I promise you, I probably cried in the shower last night.’”

Lindsee says there are two types of ways a person can handle the type of trauma she went through: “You can roll over and subdue, to be a victim. Or you can fight like hell, to make it the best rest of your life that you can. And I chose to fight like hell, and I’m still doing it. It has completely flipped my perspective and thoughts and way of living. Clearly, I wasn’t meant to die. There’s some type of plan for me.”

I want to be proud to wear those scars and share my story with people.

— Lindsee Kirby

Portraits

by LISA ANDERSON or JOSHUA JACOBS

Positivity

FORMER DRUG CARTEL

OPERATIVE GIVES BACK

DIAZ

Story by TAYLOR STRICKLAND

Photo by JOSHUA JACOBS

“Inever considered myself a drug dealer,” says Ocala-based entrepreneur and credit specialist, Jacob Diaz. “Even when I was arrested, I told them it’s impossible, because I don’t sell drugs. I really told myself that’s not what I was doing.”

Jacob is a former key operative of the Beltran-Leyva Organization’s U.S.based distribution network, once a faction of Mexico’s infamous Sinaloa Cartel, and notably responsible for trafficking cocaine, heroin, and marijuana into the United States. He has been featured in numerous articles and interviews, including a documentary series on VICE TV called I Was a Teenage Felon

ABANDONED

“I grew up in extreme poverty,” Jacob explains. “I was the second of four siblings and had a single mother. We had nothing to do except breaking into abandoned houses, stealing, and spray-painting.”

The theft eventually landed young Jacob in hot water. He and a neighborhood friend were sent to a correctional bootcamp for juvenile defenders. At 10 and 11, they struggled to comprehend the gravity of the situation. “Yeah,” Jacob laughs incredulously, “We went camping together on this thing that was supposed to teach you a lesson. Everyone else was around 15 or 16 years old, and we were like little babies compared to them. After three days, they just sent us home.”

“Despite all that, I feel I never looked for trouble,” Jacob insists. “Trouble always seemed to find me. I was just in a bad situation.”

Jacob’s bad situation devolved into a crisis the year he turned 13, when his mother failed to return home. “I didn’t think anything of it at first. Sometimes, she wouldn’t come home for days, but then two weeks went by, and the landlord said we had to go.”

Given her abandonment, Jacob still has a surprising amount of empathy for his mother. “I can only imagine how hard it was for her as a single mother, let alone with four kids.”

Jacob’s eldest brother had already left home, and his younger siblings were taken in by friends or foster parents. He was left to fend for himself. “I had a couple buddies in the neighborhood. One worked pizza delivery. She also smoked weed. I figured I could sell it to her for a profit, which would be a pizza, because I was hungry.”

A representative from the Department of Children and Families eventually found Jacob. “I said I would go back [to school] if they put me with my little brother. I used the weed to buy him things he needed.

“It became infectious,” Jacob explains. “It was like when I was little and got away with things. It just snowballed from there.”

KNOCK, KNOCK

Selling drugs was a means to an end for Jacob. As a child, the end was food, but as an adult, Jacob developed more expensive tastes. “It took off once I graduated,” he says. “It was no longer about needing food or clothes. It was because I wanted a house, vacations, and all the stuff you saw on TV.”

The risk did not dissuade Jacob. “In my eyes, all I was doing was collecting money. I didn’t think you could go to jail for collecting money. I was naïve to the law.

“I knew I was being arrested the day it happened.” Jacob was living at an undisclosed location with an entrance only he and his colleagues knew about. The tipoff was the sound of a knock at his unused front door. “I knew it was the cops.”

Jacob’s intuition was correct. “I was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5 or more kilos of coke, and that carries a 10-year to life minimum sentence. I was in from 2011 to 2018.”

GIVING BACK

“A guy once said to me, ‘If you ever want to know what it’s like being dead, just come to prison,’” Jacob recites. “’People only remember you on birthdays and holidays, same thing when you’re dead.’ He was right.”

Incarceration gave Jacob the time he needed to reevaluate his life. “The whole time I was there, I kept telling myself I wanted to do something good, to make up for the damage I caused.”

Since his release, Jacob has started a business. He now works as a credit specialist. “I made a commitment to benefit my community. Since then, I started getting recognition.

My Instagram started flooding, my followers started going up. People were giving good feedback, saying, ‘I’m so proud of you. I’m sorry you had to go through that.’”

Jacob has since reconnected with his family, including his mother. The latter relationship is still rocky, but he has excised that wound as best he can. “I asked her why she left. She told me, ‘It was because I felt like you didn’t love me.’ For a second, I could understand where she could see that, because I wasn’t an angel, but all kids can be bad. I replied to her, ‘I don’t think that’s good enough. I don’t accept that answer.’”

As for the future, Jacob has big plans. “I’d like to spread the message—not to be a motivational speaker, but to be part of a movement that’s actually pushing positivity. I want to do other interviews and documentaries, to continue to give back to my community by educating them on credit and finance. I’d like to have kids, too.”

LEARN MORE

Watch Jacob’s interview titled Running a Mexican Drug Cartel as a Teenager at youtube.com/@vice-tv

Find him on Instagram @mycreditb uilderpros .

Defying Limits

WOMEN’S RIGHTS ACTIVIST CHANGES MINDS

DR. JUDY WILSON

Story by TAYLOR STRICKLAND

Photo by JOSHUA JACOBS

Along-time fan of Pat Conroy novels, Dr. Judy Wilson of the Ocala Sexual Assault Center has always held certain preconceptions about the Deep South. “When I thought of the South, I thought of aristocrats looking out from their mansions at the passersby in their carriages. The women sipped mint juleps and greeted the people below, all smiles, only to gossip about them as soon as they passed by.”

Unfortunately for Judy, her estimation was not entirely wrong. Rural communities, such as Ocala, could be quite unwelcoming to outsiders in the 1970s, especially if said outsider was also a pantsuit—and miniskirt-wearing women’s rights activist.

THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM

“I wouldn’t marry you before, and I’m not going to now,” was the response Judy gave late-husband Jim Shook on his second proposal attempt. Though her family background was full of Midwestern farmers and teachers, Judy was reluctant to leave the comfort of her tropical city home in Singer Island for the rural farming community of Ocala.

Not a man to be deterred, Jim eventually upped the ante. “About seven months after his last proposal, he promised that if I moved to Ocala and married him, he would put me through my PhD.” Judy finally said yes.

As a bonus, Jim also assisted in opening the first of five shelters in the surrounding area. “He bought the second shelter building for the agency and worked as our lawyer,” Judy recalls fondly. “It was a match made in heaven.” They were married in 1972.

Back in the city, Judy had robust resources at her disposal. Rural Ocala had no such accommodations, and Judy found herself as one of only three mental health professionals in Marion County. “And none of them wanted to deal with violent criminals,” Judy laughs. “They kept sending them all to me!”

Nevertheless, Judy was unfazed. She felt qualified to face the challenges Ocala presented head-on.

PROBLEM-SOLVER

Judy considers herself a born problem-solver and safety regulator. “I like knowing resources,” she explains. “I go into a hote,l and I want to know where the exits and entrances are, the restrooms, and even the restaurants.”

While civic resources were stretched thin all over Ocala in those days, Judy identified the most apparent lack after she became an advocate for rape victims admitted to the local hospitals. “I’ll never forget the time my assistant and I were at the hospital, a nurse came into the waiting room and asked, ‘Which one of you is a rape victim?’ It was then I realized the need for a rape crisis center in Ocala.”

THE GOOD OL’ BOYS CLUB

When Judy first moved to Ocala, she was the only person who regularly attended the County Commission sessions. She had to forgo her fashionable pantsuits, as a sign posted outside of the courthouse informed her that she must wear a skirt or dress to be allowed entry. Judy was eventually approached by an official.

“Young lady,” he said. “Can we help you?”

“Yes, sir,” Judy replied. “I’m new. I’m here to watch my government at work.

“He didn’t believe me,” says Judy. “He called my husband to ask what I really wanted. Jim just laughed and told him I was sincere.” This was Judy’s first real encounter with that bastion of Southern paternalism, commonly referred to as the “good ol’ boys club.” To overcome hostility and secure funding for the crisis center, Judy had to develop a new strategy.

“I made friends with their wives and kissed their babies,” Judy says conspiratorially. “That was the only way.”

Unfortunately, politicking was not a guaranteed path to acceptance. Though sexual assault was a popular social justice issue in the 70s and 80s, activist efforts did not receive unanimous support. Detractors were relentless. “One day we came home to find our cats hanging from a clothesline; another time, someone threatened to burn our house down; and once, a pig’s head was left on our front porch with a note

attached that said the next time it would be in our bed, Godfather-style.

“My greatest personal success in Ocala was when people stopped trying to kill me,” Judy says, only half joking. “My greatest professional success was altering the local perception that a husband could do anything he wanted to his wife.”

ONE OUT OF FOUR

Judy worries about the center’s future. Sexual assault is not a major concern these days, and Judy blames it on the rise of social media. “Regular exposure to violence creates different attitudes toward human life. It becomes blasé.”

When asked about the day-to-day operations of the center, Judy points to a row of pamphlets along the side wall. “Strength, Shelter, and Support to Weather the Storm” is the motto printed on the pamphlets. “I came up with it in the 80s,” claims Judy. “What kinds of things do you do for your family? That’s what we do for our clients at the center.”

Judy would like for Ocala to better understand the center’s purpose. “One out of four women experiences domestic violence. One of six experiences sexual assault. Our purpose is not to split up families but to make them safe and help women cope.”

Judy has dedicated her life to supporting those in need, and she is far from finished: She would love to go back to school for a second PhD in forensic psychology.

Still Shiny

NEWLY-ELECTED JUDGE LOVES PUBLIC SERVICE

Story by TAYLOR STRICKLAND

Photos by JOSHUA JACOBS

Most people recognize the name Lori Cotton from their 2022 election ballots, as well as the myriad pink and blue signs dotting the roadsides last election season. An unfortunate few may even know her from the view across the courtroom.

Lori is a former prosecutor and presiding judge of the 5th Judicial Circuit DUI Court. With 20 years of experience in public service, Lori is sure of her calling. However, many would be surprised to know how different her original plans were.

MUSIC AND LAW

“When I was young, I wanted to be an astronaut,” Lori laughs. “In high school, I thought I was going to be a professional musician. Everybody thought I was going to be a professional musician–my parents, my teachers, everyone.”

The only obstacle holding Lori back from her musical aspirations was her altruistic nature. “I was going through auditions and I was excited about it, but I just couldn’t decide what to do. I knew I wanted to be in service to the community and help people.”

“I just couldn’t decide what to do. I knew I wanted to be in service to the community and help people.”

— Lori Cotton

Lori grew up in Ohio, where she initially planned to attend Ohio State University as a music major. “I had an audition at Ohio State and I was talking to the professor after, and she said to me, ‘Well, you could double major in political science and music.’ That just seemed like the stupidest thing in the world to me, because what would you do with that? I felt like I had to make a decision.”

That decision would eventually lead Lori to Ocala, some 26 years ago. “When I first came here,” Lori says, “it was supposed to be a stepping stone. I knew I wanted to go to law school, so we moved here. It was in driving distance of the University of Florida. I thought I would move to a bigger city, because that was the cool thing to do.”

Lori fell in love Ocala’s Southern charm and smalltown feel. “I interned at the state attorney’s office and really never looked back from that point. I got very involved with the theatre and all the different things we do here. It’s not quite the same in a big city.”

As for music, Lori still finds the opportunity to showcase her talent. “I sing in church on Sundays with the praise band. I play the clarinet and saxophone. I’ve been on stage a couple times, done a

couple of plays, but I’m usually in music.

“I have to be creative,” Lori shares. “If I go too long without doing something that’s creative, I feel stifled.”

JEFFERSON AND HAMILTON

Lori credits her parents and her upbringing as the source of her desire to help people. “I was given every opportunity. So, because I had all of these things, I think it’s important to give back.”

It was the process of giving back that ultimately brought Lori and her husband together, despite a rough start. “We actually went

on a blind date,” she proclaims. “We didn’t hit it off.”

A second chance came years later, while Lori was volunteering at her local church. “I was trying to show one of my children the value of helping other people,” she says dryly.

The youth pastor at Lori’s church was aware of their failed date and decided a little mischief was in order. “I think he thought it would be funny to see us work together. He assigned me to work at Steve’s table, so we started to work together week after week, and I thought, ‘Hey, this guy’s kind of funny. I kind of like him!’”

Lori and Steve worked well together, and their mutual affinity for philanthropy eventually evolved into something more. “He’s just a genuinely good person,” Lori says affectionately. “We can have very real conversations, and you can’t find that with just anyone.”

Given that both Lori and Steve had been married before, they weren’t interested in a traditional ceremony. “We just wanted our kids there,” Lori explains.

In her search for the unconventional, Lori read an article that said people could get married in front of the monuments in Washington D.C. As avid history fans, she and her husband were ecstatic. “We were married at the Jefferson Memorial. We really liked the symbolism of Jefferson and Hamilton and how they didn’t [agree] on everything, but they got things done.”

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL

“When the opportunity came up to be a judge, I wasn’t really interested in doing it,” Lori admits. “You talk to a lot of young lawyers, and they say, ‘I want to be a judge someday.’ That was not me. I would have happily worked 30 years at the state attorney’s office and called that a good career.”

Lori’s friends and family encouraged her to go for it. “I decided, I have the experience. I know I can serve in this way and do well, so I figured I’d put my name in and give it a shot.”

The appointment process was difficult, but the real challenge came the following year. It was Lori’s first election season, and judicial opponents aren’t known for pulling their punches. “Things were brought up about my family. Things happened that were very challenging to deal with as a mother. It’s not fun to go through that,” she says softly.

“I have a daughter who deals with substance abuse issues,” Lori shares. “There was a night when she told us she was going to AA [Alcoholics Anonymous], but instead she got something to drink and actually caused a crash. She drove her car head-on into a family of three.

“It was absolutely horrific,” Lori confirms. “This was all happening when I was already a judge. When it became obvious that it was going to be made an issue politically, I made the decision to be very open about it.”

Lori is also open about how her daughter’s struggles have informed her career moving forward. “There was a perspective that I didn’t have until she caused this crash, and I’ve shared that with people who’ve come in front of me. I said, ‘You may feel this is the worst day of your life, you’ve been arrested, you’re standing in front of a judge, but you’re alive and you didn’t hurt anyone else. Now you have a chance to make different choices.’”

Since her appointment to the 5th Judicial Circuit in 2021, Lori has had a record year. She’s faced a

disorienting combination of professional success and personal tumult, all the while presiding over her court with trademark solemnity and unfailing fairness.

Lori’s plans for the future involve much of what she’s doing now. “The job is incredible. I didn’t realize how much I was going to like it. The shiny newness of it still hasn’t faded. Every time I put the robe on, I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh! I’m a judge!’ It’s humbling I’m trusted to do this, and I’m just so thankful.”

EXTENDED CONTENT

See the full interview on YouTube @localapodcast .

“I have to be creative. If I go too long without doing something that’s creative, I feel stifled.”

— Lori Cotton

Chews Letter

Photo by Joshua Jacobs

A Healthy Snack

NURSE PRACTITIONER’S UNIQUE

FORMULA BENEFITS HORSES

RENEE GENTHER

Story by CYNTHIA MCFARLAND

Photo by JOSHUA JACOBS

Renee Genther never expected to be an entrepreneur. A life-long equestrian, who works full time as an Oncology Nurse Practitioner, she didn’t have starting her own business on her mind in 2020.

“I’m just another COVID entrepreneur,” she admits. “With COVID, you actually had time to focus on something and make it come to fruition.”

When most of the world was locked down, horse owners were, of course, still in the barn, tending to their equine charges, which is how Renee and her adult daughter Emily put their heads together and came up with Funky Unicorn Treats: “horse treats with a purpose.”

MADE IN THE USA

For over a year, Renee and Emily made the treats in their own kitchens. As demand grew, they sought a manufacturer to produce them, which proved tougher than they expected.

HORSE-CRAZY CHILDHOOD

With a father in the Air Force and a husband in the Coast Guard, Renee was always on the move. “No matter where we lived, I found a horse or pony to ride; I wasn’t picky,” says Renee. “Being a military kid, I rode whatever was at the nearest barn: Western, reining, foxhunting, whatever. If I could get on a horse, I did it.”

While living in Minnesota, 13-year-old Renee bought a $50 Shetland pony named Star with her chore money. From that first pony, it was onward and upward for Renee, who moved into riding hunter/jumper, eventing, and dressage.

In 2001, Renee, her husband Doug, and their children Kyle and Emily moved to Ocala from Michigan. “Doug had just retired from the Coast Guard, and both our parents were retired in Florida. Plus, I was a horse person, so the compromise was I’ll move to Florida, if we go to Ocala,” says Renee.

Once in Ocala, she focused solely on dressage and rides regularly in Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) competitions. Her current horse is a Lusitano gelding named Hector Interagro. They’re currently working towards showing at the Grand Prix level. “Hector is like a big Golden Retriever,” says Renee.

CREATING A BUSINESS

Like many riders, Renee and her daughter used sugar cubes to reward their horses for a job well done. Sugar cubes aren’t made in the U.S. When the pandemic hit, they became impossible to find on store shelves, so Renee and Emily experimented with making their own.

When some of their horses weren’t drinking readily during cold weather, a friend at the barn suggested putting electrolytes in the treats.

After much experimentation, the mother-daughter team came up with a recipe that combined sugar and electrolytes. They shared sample treats with other riders at a local horse show.

They also worked with an FEI veterinarian Courtney Varney, DVM and an equine nutritionist to make sure the formula would be “show safe” for horses in competition. Dr. Varney so believed in the product’s value for horses that she joined the company, as well.

“We did a lot of testing and came up with three flavors: apple, mint, and banana,” says Renee. The treats serve a purpose by providing some sodium and electrolytes that help horses recover after exercise and encourage water consumption.

Horse treats are a popular item in the equestrian world, but Renee’s research revealed that there were no electrolyte treats on the market. Whenever she and Emily shared the treats, enthusiastic horse owners asked if they had a website to sell them. Thus, Funky Unicorn Treats was born in the winter of 2021.

“I wanted everything to be made in the U.S. to control quality. I almost gave up finding a way to manufacture our treats but finally did a ‘hail Mary’ and called a company that makes cold-compressed dextrose products. The research scientist, a fellow horse person and former eventer, worked for Per Os Biosciences in Maryland. She loved the product idea and said, ‘We can do this!’” says Renee.

“The final product is better than I could have hoped for,” she adds. “Being produced in a pharmaceutical/ candy company, every single cube has the exact ingredients in them.”

The whole process was a learning curve for Renee, who was inspired to keep at it, when owners kept telling her how it helped their horses and donkeys stay hydrated.

Now, the goal is to create another product to join the line of “Horse treats with a purpose.”

“If you’d told me two years ago I’d be doing this, I’d have laughed at you,” Renee says. “But it’s a good alternative from my normal work, which isn’t always the happiest of days, and I do like helping people.”

LEARN MORE: funkyunicorntreats.com

With COVID, you actually had time to focus on something and make it come to fruition.

— Renee Genther

Artist Corner

Metalwork

TRANSFORMATIONAL ART FOR ALL

Story by VICTORIA BILLIG, Assistant Director at Appleton Museum of Art

AFlorida native, metal fabricator Mike Zeak was born in West Palm Beach and has been working with metal for nearly half a century. His sculpture “Childhood Memories” is a permanent fixture outside the Appleton Museum of Art’s education wing and is a favorite among visitors of all ages. Made from aluminum, the sculpture features three rotating blocks with letters from the alphabet that can be combined to spell the words FUN ART FOR ALL. Appleton Assistant Director Victoria Billig had the opportunity to ask Zeak a few questions about his work as a metal fabricator and what inspired “Childhood Memories.”

You’ve described yourself as a metal fabricator. Can you tell us what that means?

A metal fabricator is someone who can take raw materials—such as steel, iron, or aluminum—and transform those raw materials, with tools and talent, into purposeful or artistic objects. My business of metal fabrication is both: creating purposeful items, such as stairs, factory tooling, or storage, and artistic displays, such as “Childhood Memories.”

How did your career in metalworking inspire you to explore making art?

The transformation from raw steel to a completed project can take on many forms; even the most

utilitarian project inspires creative use of materials. Watching the transformation of raw material can elicit emotion and reaction. I wanted others to experience a visceral reaction to the materials, which led me to creating art from metal.

What is compelling to you about public art? Public art is something that can be approached by anyone just about any time. Public art might inspire someone to look further at “art” and explore their surroundings with a broader eye.

What inspired you to create “Childhood Memories?”

I tend to create things that are very literal and

not so much abstract.

“Childhood Memories” is just that. I wanted people to see that and have an unprovoked response. Maybe they will reminisce about playing with blocks or jacks. Maybe a younger viewer might not even know what they are and be interested in a time when every 5-year-old did not have a tablet to play with.

Can you tell us about any current projects you are working on, art or otherwise?

Currently, I am working on a metal panel fence that is over 500 feet long for the City of Ocala to honor achievements of community members.

LEARN MORE appletonmuseum.org

Photo submitted by Appleton Museum of Art,(Left) Mike Zeak (on left) and Appleton registrar David Reutter reinstall the recently restored "Childhood Memories" sculpture. (Right) Mike Zeak working in his studio, Zeak Technique.

Kory Strickland ARTIST Q&A

Story by CYNTHIA MCFARLAND Photos by JOSHUA JACOBS

Born and raised in Cleveland, Georgia, Kory Strickland is a self-taught tattoo artist, specializing in black-and-gray realism. He particularly enjoys creating lifelike animals, faces, and scenes. Xtreme Ink, one of Ocala’s longestestablished tattoo shops, was launched in 2002 by Dean Strickland. The shop is now managed by the father-son team of Dean and Kory.

How did you come to call Ocala home?

My grandparents have lived here since 1995. I moved to Ocala in the summer of 2008, fresh out of high school.

Why did you become a tattoo artist?

Art is something I’ve always been around. My dad has been tattooing since I was 5, and I have an uncle who is a traditional paint artist. I was the kid who was always in the art room at school, checking out all the drawing books. I started working officially in tattooing when I got licensed in September 2008.

What was your first tattoo?

When I was 9, my dad let me tattoo my name on his leg.

Does your own life experience impact your artistry?

Being a tattoo artist is like being a commissioned artist. I’m essentially the tool to bring to life whatever the client wants. I want them to get that without any judgment or bias.

What’s the longest time you’ve spent on one tattoo?

Forty-eight hours. It was a full-color, full back piece.

What’s the best part of being a tattoo artist? Being able to control almost every aspect of my career. The effort I put in is reflected back.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in your career?

How to deal with people. I was not a very “people-y” kind of person! Now, I communicate better and empathize with people.

LEARN MORE:

xtremeinktattoo.business.site

Sip tea and talk performance arts!

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