Community Events

Motorcycle poker run

A motorcycle poker run will be held July 26, with six scheduled stops along a route that begins at the Shrimp, Oysters and Beer Restaurant in Newberry. From there, the group will travel to the Junction in Williston, to Cole’s 4 Corners in Bronson, to Willard’s in Morriston, to Knuckleheadz in Chiefland, and to the Brick Grill in Old Town.

Registration begins at SOB at 10 a.m., with all bikes leaving by noon. Live music will be provided by the Black Creek Band beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the Brick Grill. Prizes will be awarded to the best hand at the end of the run. Door prizes will also be awarded. A donation of $10 per hand is being asked.

Proceeds will benefit Haven Hospice, the Rocks Family, and the Community Cancer Center of North Florida.

Crafters wanted

A community carnival celebration will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 2. on the grounds of the Bronson United Methodist Church. Anyone interested in setting up a table should call (352) 316-3817.

Fitness dance lessons

Fun fitness and praise dance sessions designed for ladies 21 and older, will be held at the Nolan Baptist Church in Raleigh at 1 p.m. July 26. Participants will explore various techniques and lyrical styles of dance performed to Gospel music and choreograph a routine. The cost for the lessons is $7 per session. No experience is necessary. Call (352) 528-2170 for more information.

Community celebrates Jesus Carnival

The Bronson United Methodist Church will celebrate “Jesus Carnival” from o 3 p.m. Aug. 2. The carnival is designed to provide fun for the entire family, with a moon walk, games, lots of prizes, drawings, cake walk, bingo, crafts, music and entertainment, food: hamburgers, hot dogs, snow cones, popcorn and more. For further information, call Sue Bazin at (352) 486-4094.

Levy County School Board feeding program

The School Board of Levy County will be sponsoring the “Seamless Summer Feeding Program Pilot for Children” at approved sites through Aug. 6.

The program is similar to the National School Lunch Program. It provides nutritionally balanced meals to needy children regardless of race, color, sex, disability, age or national origin during summer vacation when school lunches are not available. The program is only approved for geographical areas of need (or enrollment) where one-half of the children qualify for free or reduced price meals during the school year.

Persons interested in additional information regarding the Summer Food Program may contact Candy Barber, School Board of Levy County, at (352) 486-5231.

College real estate courses

Central Florida Community College announces that the Levy Center in Chiefland has received state approval to offer real estate courses on site. All pre-licensing and post-licensing courses for sales associates and brokers that are currently available at the Ocala Campus will now be available in Levy County.

The 14-Hour Continuing Education course for sales associates and brokers has been scheduled for Sept. 12-13 and other classes are forming now. There is currently an interest in organizing a session of the “Sales Associate Cram Exam,” which helps individuals to prepare for the Florida Real Estate Sales Associate exam.

For additional information or to enroll, contact Continuing Education Coordinator Joleen Gonzalez at (352) 493-9533, Ext. 2106. To learn more about continuing education courses, visit the Levy Center at

114 Rodgers Blvd.

or visit www.CFCCtraining.com.

Nominations sought

The Greater Chiefland Area Chamber of Commerce will host a Sept. 16 luncheon to honor a local business, as part of Florida’s annual observance of Industry Appreciation Week. Chiefland will join other communities around the state in showing support for local industry and trade.

The Chamber is urging the public to come forward with suggestions on a business to honor this year. Notable qualifications for the nominee include serving the Chiefland area, being in business for at least one year, being currently in operation, running a clean business, job creation, and community involvement.

To nominate a business, or to get more information, call (352) 493-1849. Nominations are due by Aug. 1.

Bronson Library Friends bake sale and car wash

The Bronson Friends of the Library will have a bake sale from noon to 5 p.m. July 25 and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 26 at the library. The group will also hold a car wash across the street in IGA parking lot from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 26. All proceeds will go toward purchasing a flag pole to display flags outside of the library.

Levy County Tourist Development Council meets

The next meeting of the Levy County Tourist Development Council will begin at 6 p.m. July 24 at the Levy County Visitors Bureau Office,

620 N. Hathaway Ave.

in Bronson. The meeting is open to the public.

WE SOAR events

WE SOAR, Inc.’s Gospel Fest Committee of Williston will be host a number of future events, including the 7^th Annual Williston Gospel Music Festival, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 2 at the Williston Elementary School auditorium. The event is free and features soloists, choirs, ensemble, quartets, instrumentalists, and more.

In addition, the group will host a pre-festival kickoff concert with the 2008 Gospel Fest Mass Choir, Youth ‘N Harmony and other guests. The kickoff concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. July 27 at the Destiny Church of God by Faith, 170^th

N.E. 9^th St.

in Williston.

  

Pet Photo Contest

The International Pet Owners Club is sponsoring the 2008 Summer Cutest Pet Photo Contest. Cash and prizes are up for grabs, including $1,000 cash Grand Prize, $100 PetSmart Gift Cards, and trophies.

Pet owners from the local area are welcome to enter to win a share of the prizes. The entry deadline for the contest has been extended to Aug. 15 to allow more pet owners to participate. The contest is open to everyone and entry is free. Dog or cat photos are welcome. The photo may contain one pet or several and may include different pet types in the same photo. There is a strict limit of one photo per household to avoid disqualification.

Entries can be submitted online or by postal mail. To enter online, visit www.intpetclub.com.  To enter by postal mail please send one photograph, full color or black and white of any size. All photo entries must include the photographer’s name and address on the back. Photographs should be sent to: The Pet Club Photo Contest,

P.O. Box 4470, Olathe, Kan., 66063

.

Republicans meet

The monthly meeting of the Levy County Republican Executive Committee will begin at 6:30 p.m. July 28 at Bell’s Restaurant in Chiefland. The group will start with food and fellowship at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting will be called to order at 7pm. 

Gobble gobble

Post 91, American Legion in Trenton, will have a 50/50 turkey shoot July 26 at the post, located next to the FFA arena on Hwy. 129. A breakfast of pancakes, coffee, sausage and juice will be served at 8 a.m. The turkey shoot begins at 9 a.m. The proceeds of the event will go tward helping the post carry out its community oriented events.

Instruments of Peace Jam

An event to support a local domestic and sexual violence abuse shelter will be held from 5-7 p.m. July 26 at the Marion Street Café in downtown Lake City. Area musicians will provide the music, and attendees are expected to provide a variety of supplies for area victims of violence. Items needed include cleaning supplies, bath towels, wash clothes, dish detergent, trash bags, zip lock bags, and aluminum foil, among others.

4H kickoff
All 5-18 year olds interested in becoming “4H-ers” are invited to the yearly kickoff Round-Up Aug. 23 at the extension office in Bronson. The event will feature a barbecue chicken contest.

In addition, the August County Council meeting will be held Aug. 11 at 7 p.m. at the County Extension Office. This will be a planning meeting for the Round-Up. For more information on both events, call the 4H office at 486-5131.

 
Bronson Library bake sale

The Bronson Friends of the Library will have a bake sale July 25 from noon to 5 p.m. and July 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Bronson Library. The group will also be holding a car wash across the street in IGA parking lot July 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The car wash will cost $3 for each vehicle.  All proceeds will go toward purchasing a flagpole to display flags outside the Library.

Arts and crafts classes

The Levy Center of Central Florida Community College will offer arts and crafts lovers the opportunity to learn the one-stroke decorative painting technique made popular by professional artist Donna Dewberry.

The four-week Beginning One-Stroke Painting Class will be offered from 6-7:30 p.m.on Thursdays, Aug. 14 through Sept. 4, at the Levy Center,

114 Rodgers Blvd.

in Chiefland. The course fee is $69. Materials and supplies will be available for purchase from the instructor at the first class.

Students will learn to paint leaves, flowers and fruits on several different surfaces as they extend their painting ability each week. One project will be completed at each session. No previous painting experience is required. Instructor Nancy Stork is One-Stroke certified.

To enroll, visit the Levy Center, call (352) 493-9533, or go to www.CFCCtraining.com. The registration deadline is Aug. 7.

Investing for retirement

The Levy Center of Central Florida Community College will offer a new course this fall on the “Basics of Investing for Retirement.”

The course will meet Mondays, Aug. 25 through Sept. 22, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Levy Center,

114 Rodgers Blvd.

in Chiefland. The course fee is $49.

Students will learn about individual retirement accounts, 401Ks, mutual funds, stocks, annuities, bonds, certificates of deposit, and more. The instructor is Megan Quinn, investment executive/advisor at Capital City Banc Investments. Quinn speaks about investments at public events and has written a column for the Levy County Journal.

To enroll, visit the Levy Center, call 352-493-9533, or go to www.CFCCtraining.com. The registration deadline is Aug. 18.

Kids with camera's day camp
Want to get your child away from the computer and video games? Have you noticed that they are avoiding the outdoors? The Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge may have a remedy for what ails them – Kids with Cameras Summer Camp. 

“We want to reconnect kids to their nature coast roots with the help of a camera. The activity is FREE. Disposable cameras, film developing, and lunch will be provided by the Friends of the Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys NWR,” said Ranger Pam Darty.

“We would prefer kids with little or no prior experience taking pictures, but it’s not a requirement.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service held a landmark meeting with the health care industry to discuss the health of our nation's children and opportunities to get kids involved in outside activities.

Kids will discover wildlife and their habitats along the Refuge’s River Trail and the new Bottomlands Boardwalk, through the lens of a camera. They will be taking shots of birds and other wildlife, trees, flowers and herbaceous shrubs, facilities such as the boardwalk, observation deck, and each other. A simple hands-on lesson with digital photography and downloading will familiarize kids with software capabilities.

Each camera-camp day will accept 10 students on a first-come, first-served basis. The 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. schedule includes grades 3-5 on Aug. 5; grades 6-8 on Aug. 6; and grades 9-12 on Aug. 7.

This is an outdoor activity, so children should be prepared for mosquitoes, and wear comfortable clothes and closed-toed shoes that can get dirty.

Call 493-0238, Ext. 223 to sign-up.