Alachua County Today Staff Reporter / This youngster was getting into the holiday spirit at Friday night’s Christmas on Main Street as a Santa Fe High School cheerleader paints a colorful snowman on her face. Dozens of kid’s activity stations offered a variety of holiday themed arts and crafts, treats and refreshments.

ALACHUA ‒ Downtown Alachua was host to throngs of merrymaking crowds who showed up for the annual Christmas tree lighting event Friday, Dec. 2. New this year was the addition of Christmas on Main Street, a collaborative effort between the Alachua Chamber of Commerce, City of Alachua, and local businesses that sponsored all manner of festivities, music, activities, and Christmas trees lining Main Street.

The holiday season in Alachua officially kicked off at 6 p.m. with the annual lighting of the Christmas tree next to Skinner Park on Main Street. City Manager Mike DaRoza and Mayor Gib Coerper welcomed families to downtown Alachua.

But no Christmas tree lighting would be complete without an appearance from the one, the only, Santa Claus. And to the delight of youngsters, Jolly Old Saint Nicholas and Mrs. Claus did roll in on a shiny sleigh led by reindeer that slightly resembled miniature horses. All this with an escort from Alachua’s finest, the Alachua Police Department.

After leading the countdown to the tree lighting and saying a few jovial words to the youngsters gathered to catch a glimpse of that magical man in red, Santa and Mrs. Claus hopped back on their sleigh for a short ride down Main Street to his workshop. Children, and some adults as well, had the opportunity to sit with Santa, have their photographs taken, and share their Christmas wishes.

But the magic continued as all of Main Street was decked out with boughs of holly, garland and sparkling Christmas trees and festive light displays. Shops stayed open with lights ablaze welcoming the merrymakers as they made their way up and down the street.

Dozens of children’s activity stations and giveaways lined Main Street as children hurried to sample hot cocoa, pizza, popcorn, pastries, and cider and to pick up gift boxes and more. Youngsters had the opportunity to play in a bounce house, make ornaments, take a miniature train ride or a sleigh ride, try their hand at holiday crafts or have their faces painted. All activities and refreshments were free for children to enjoy.

At the south end of Main Street, Music Junction provided live music, while midway along Main Street, Randy and Antoinette Hunt also provided live seasonal music courtesy of Boukari Law. Theatre Park was the site of plays performed by the Children’s Theater as gaily costumed children entertained crowds gathered in the historic park that once served the community as a theatre.

Event sponsors included the City of Alachua, Visit Gainesville, Alachua County, Boukari Law, Alachua County Today, Dollar General Distribution, Walmart Distribution and the Alachua Chamber of Commerce.

Activity sponsors included the City of Alachua, Alachua Sports Pub & Grill, Good Life Station, Kelly’s Kreations, Pink Threads, Tony and Al’s, Alachua Flowers, Valerie's Loft, Mother Lode, City of Alachua and Youth Council, Cardinal's Nest, Alachua Police Department and Explorers, Boukari Realty with Santa Fe High School Cheerleaders, Boy Scout Troop 88, Mi Apa, Alachua Business League, Okito America, Capital City Bank, Polaris, Santa Fe Ford, Alachua Women's Club, Alachua Flowers & Tuxedo Rentals, Florida Phone Systems, Ryan Larmann State Farm, Music Junction, Alachua County Today and Boukari Law.

Sharing his excitement, one young child exclaimed, “Everything is free? What kind of town is this?” The efforts and generosity of many made the evening possible as the City’s official tree lighting and the Chamber of Commerce’s Christmas on Main Street proved to be a winning combination this holiday season as hundreds of people undoubtedly made magical memories to remember for years to come.

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TALLAHASSEE - A new Protect the Panther license plate is now available to Florida motorists. The new design features a striking photograph taken by Carlton Ward in 2018 of the first female panther documented north of the Caloosahatchee River since 1973, along with her kitten. The new license plate can be purchased at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles or by checking with your local tax collector office for availability.

Staff with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) worked with photographer Carlton Ward and the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida to design the new plate. The photo depicts a well-known panther — an adult female who was also the first female documented to have had kittens north of the river in over 40 years. The Caloosahatchee River has long appeared to be an obstacle to the natural expansion of the population, including the northward movement of female panthers.

Fees from the Protect the Panther license plate go directly into the Florida Panther Research and Management Trust Fund, which is a critical source of funding for the state’s panther-related research, monitoring and conservation efforts. The long-term public support of this fund has had a direct positive impact on the FWC’s management and research efforts, resulting in timely, science-based information needed to guide current and future conservation actions for Florida panthers. The FWC and conservation partners have made significant progress with panther recovery and the FWC’s panther program relies upon sales of the license plate to continue these conservation efforts.

Florida panthers are native to the state, with the majority of panthers found south of Lake Okeechobee. Florida panthers are listed as an Endangered Species under the federal Endangered Species Act. There are approximately 120-230 adult panthers in the population.

Purchasing a Protect the Panther license plate isn’t the only way motorists can help panthers — drivers can also help by following all posted speed limits, particularly in panther zones, which are in place in several counties across south Florida to coincide with areas where panthers are known to cross. Panther speed zones help protect both Florida panthers and motorists from vehicle collisions and potential injury.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒When we hear “Summer Camp” we often think of a season when kids are out of school, cabins lined with bunk beds, and cooling off in the water. Swimming, games, horses, archery, campfires, are often synonyms of our summer camp ideas.

This year marks 70 years of Camp Kulaqua, a summer camp and retreat center located in High Springs, Florida. A celebration of these past 70 years was held over a weekend in October and 450 people were in attendance, with staff and campers from the decades of the 1950s to present. Camp Kulaqua is owned and operated by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and is a Christian camp and retreat facility that serves over 50,000 people each year.

The history of Camp Kulaqua starts in 1953 with a few men sitting on the banks of Hornsby Springs, prayerfully considering if they should purchase the 250 acres for $18,000. Prayers were answered and the land was purchased.

“The land was a jungle from the road of 441 to the spring,” recalled one of the early staff members of the camp, John Ryals. At the celebration, 96-year-old Mr. Ryals recalled the men clearing the land in the hopes of having a summer camp there soon. “It was a boys only camp that first week. In the nights we slept in tents. During the days we went swimming. Built a barn for some horses. And during downtime we caught lizards on a pole and released them later.”

As time passed the camp continued to develop. Land was cleared. Activities were added. Staff from the 1980s recall mini-dirt bikes, a treehouse at the end of the spring run, and off-site boating trips to Lake Butler’s lake.

Nature became one of the highlights of camp. One day, two orphaned racoons found their way to Kulaqua needing a home, and the Wildlife Sanctuary & Zoo was created. Today it still serves as a needed home to exotic animals and a sanctuary for the injured. Many from the neighboring community can recall the lion’s roar from the early days as the sound traveled for miles around.

Camp Kulaqua has now expanded to more than 800 acres with hundreds of buildings. In the growing town of High Springs, Camp Kulaqua hires over 80 employees from the community. Camp is a place that loves to serve and be available to the community. Families from the surrounding area often frequent the waterpark in the summer season and church families use the facility for retreats and meetings. Camp is also a resource to the children and local schools, providing education tours of the Wildlife Sanctuary to classrooms, a place for Extended Day Enrichment Program (EDEP) children to attend day activities, and is used by FFA Chapters for their yearly meetings.

Phil Younts, Executive Director of Camp Kulaqua for over 40 years, offers his appreciation for where camp is today. “Camp Kulaqua originally started as a summer camp and today we strive to serve the whole family. Family Camps, Outdoor Education, Summer Camps for children, just to name a few, are offered today. We are glad to be a part of the City of High Springs — a great place to live and a great place to serve God.”

“It’s the friendships we come back for. The once in a lifetime, never forget memories that are built at camp,” Julie Minnick recalls. As a camper and previous staff, Julie traveled from Virginia to be at the celebration. “This is always home for me,” is her response when asked the value of traveling the 300 miles for the 70^th year celebration.

Seventy years in operation is no small feat. Camp Kulaqua wants to thank God for the many blessings that He has given the millions of people who have entered its gates.

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Updated: 12/11/2023 2:40PM

GAINESVILLE, FL - A release issued by Alachua County Public Schools announced information received Dec. 11, 2023, from the Florida Department of Education.

A majority of the local elementary schools currently in ‘School Improvement’ or SI/turnaround status boosted their grades this year, according to a report released this morning by the Florida Department of Education.

Alachua (D to a C), Idylwild (D to a C), Terwilliger (D to a C) and Lake Forest (F to a D) elementary schools all increased their grades under the state’s revised accountability system, which this year was based on new tests and new cut scores for those tests. In fact, the state is referring to this year’s grades as ‘informational baseline’ grades.

Two other SI schools (Shell and Rawlings) maintained their grades, while Metcalfe fell from a D to an F. However, that grade will not affect Metcalfe’s current SI status.

Because of the testing changes, the new grading system for this year does not reflect student gains (changes from year to year), which are typically a significant element of school grades.

“No negative consequences shall result from these grades, as they are purely informational” said the state’s senior chancellor of the Florida Department of Education Adam Miller in an email to Florida’s superintendents. “However, a school may receive the benefits of these grades, in terms of qualifying for School Recognition and/or exiting turnaround status.” (Schools qualify for School Recognition by increasing their overall grade or maintaining an A grade.)

Alachua, Idylwild and Terwilliger will all move out of SI status as a result of the new grades, while Lake Forest will have an opportunity to move out based on its 2024 grade.

“It’s important to recognize the hard work and commitment of school leaders, faculty, staff, families, district personnel, our community partners and everyone involved in our schools,’ said Superintendent Shane Andrew. “This was a team effort, and we look forward to continued improvement at all our schools.”

Overall, 11 ACPS schools boosted their grades this year, four dropped and 20 remained the same, with 22 earning either an A or B grade. The district’s overall informational baseline grade for 2023 is a B.

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