HIGH SPRINGS ‒ It's not just Santa Claus who delivers presents at Christmas. Charities and organizations hold toy drives to gather gifts for underprivileged children and food for those in need, making Christmas special for kids and families that might otherwise receive little.

Since 2008, the High Springs Police Department (HSPD) and Fire Department (HSFD) have been making dreams come true through Operation Holiday Cheer. The first responders collect donations of new toys, shoes, clothing and books from the community so they can gift them to local children.

Beginning in the fall, HSPD and HSFD ask for donations, and working in conjunction with the City of High Springs CRA, Parks and Recreation Department and Public Works, they set up collection points within local businesses and city sites to gather donations.

This year Operation Holiday Cheer made six special deliveries, with additional families picking up their gifts directly from the police department. The event was organized by High Springs Police officer Jason Taylor with help from HSPD administrative assistant Angela Robertson. Taylor personally visited families, talked with the parents first and if approved, to the kids. Many of the recipient families, but not all, were chosen from a list provided by the High Springs Community School, that notified the School Resource Officer of families they felt could use help.

According to Robertson, donations come from all over the community. “About 60 percent are donations from businesses, 30 percent from individual citizens and about 10 percent come from organizations like the Rotary Club, Kiwanis, Women’s Club and other local organizations.

“The whole community pulls together for this,” said Robertson. “In addition, on cash gifts, we try to support local businesses by buying presents there. The families also receive a gift card to buy food for the holidays.”

Robertson said that donations grow each year, especially after the pandemic when so many families were hurt financially. “This year we were able to help over 50 families,” said Robertson. “But we don't want the community to become complacent and think we have enough.” Robertson says that any increase in contributions increases the number of families they can help.

On the morning of Dec. 20 its go time as a caravan of multiple police cars, a High Springs fire truck and a City of High Springs public works pickup truck formed at the police department, and lined up for the mission. The public works truck pulled a long trailer packed with bags of Christmas presents. At 9 a.m. the caravan headed north with lights flashing and a police siren to alert drivers at crossroads. Drivers pulled to the side of the road as the convoy passed, some waving or clapping, knowing the mission the police were on.

The first stop was a large family with five children. The children had not been informed of the surprise visit and were stunned by the multiple police cars with lights flashing. Two of the officers wore inflatable costumes as Santa and a Christmas tree. As the costumed characters and police officers holding large bags of presents approached, the children's eyes widened in wonder and the realization that the bags were for them. Each child was gifted a huge bag with multiple presents as the older ones helped the younger ones open the packages.

The second stop had not been suggested by the school, but rather through HSPD. Responding to a service call at the home, officers saw that the family with two teenage daughters had fallen on hard times and was struggling financially. On the delivery day, the mother was home with her daughter and the father was working, unaware of the event. Hearing that there were police cars with lights flashing at his house, he raced home in his work truck, and jumped out of the vehicle asking what had happened to his family. When informed it was a Christmas visit, he clutched his chest in relief and thanked the officers for their gifts for his family.

The third stop was at the Circle K gas station, where the mother of two pre-teen girls was working. Unable to change her shift, her daughters were brought to the store, unaware of why they were coming. When the convoy arrived, both girls were surprised, hesitantly approaching the police vehicles. Two large bags were presented to the girls with the older girl receiving a skateboard and a helmet to go with it.

The fourth stop was at a home with four children, all under the age of 10. The two youngest were unsure of all the attention until the mother helped them open gifts and they realized the gifts were for them. One young girl sat on her mother’s lap hugging a doll while the others quickly opened their gifts.

The fifth stop almost didn’t happen as no one would answer the door after repeated knocks. The police staff member who arranged the visit called the mother, only to find out she was at work, and the older teen son was not supposed to open the door to strangers—including multiple police officers with lights flashing. After she contacted her son, he timidly came out as did his younger sister. Their shyness gradually disappeared, replaced with joy as they realized the gifts were for them.

The final stop was also from a service call and did not involve children. In November, police and EMT's were called for a medical emergency with an elderly couple who only spoke Spanish. The couple became frightened by the situation and began to panic when officers tried to take the husband to a hospital.

HSPD officer Mayuly Mardase spoke Spanish and was called to the scene. While resolving the communication problem, Officer Mardase found out that the couple had no heat and no money. HSPD decided to make them one of the recipients of Operation Cheer. Again, the elderly couple did not know about the special holiday visit. With Mardase acting as interpreter, the HSPD presented the couple with electric blankets, a heater and warm clothing as well as gift cards for food and clothing.

Operation Cheer is well named. Through the commitment and hard work of first responders and a generous community that helps support it through donations, Operation Holiday Cheer brings happiness and cheer to those who might otherwise not have a merry Christmas.

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alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA ‒ A high-tech holiday celebration might bring to mind visions of smart devices, wireless knickknacks, and Bluetooth-connected gadgets with green and red flashing lasers. But for Mitch Glaeser, founder of San Felasco Tech City, Winterfest brings together all the typical trappings of a seasonal party—in a high-tech setting.

Sunday’s Winterfest marked the second year of the gathering, a relative newcome in area holiday celebrations. But considering that as recently as 2018, developers Mitch Glaeser and Rich Blaser were collaborating on the concept for San Felasco Tech City, it is a celebration destined to become a favorite for the high-tech community where work space for businesses is combined with living space and recreational areas.

The community is designed to reflect the needs of emerging tech industries in the Alachua 441 corridor, where much of the employee base is comprised of a younger tech savvy millennial generation. Demographically, this generation tends to prefer smaller more functional housing and fewer possessions for a more mobile lifestyle. They also prefer locations that put work, housing and recreational facilities in a central setting for less commuting, providing more family time for these younger workers with growing families.

The first phase of the proposed community was built in 2019 and now houses 47 companies in a 126,000 square-foot complex with an additional 88,000 square feet being built in the next year. Currently, the completed space houses only businesses, but housing for employees will be added in 2023.

“Last year we decided to host an event called Winterfest to celebrate the holidays and provide entertainment for the families of our tenants, especially with activities for children,” said Glaeser. “However, it is not an event only for our community but for anybody to bring their children. It was such success last year that we decided to hold it again this year on a larger scale.”

Winterfest is just one of many events held around a central promenade at Tech City. “We want this to be all inclusive for our community of businesses, to offer our tenants a place to gather and bring their families together,” said Glaeser. “Since our opening, we have hosted over 100 events in the promenade. It has also been used for 10 music videos and two movie sets.”

This year’s Winterfest welcomed people as they gathered around the promenade lined with booths offering games, treats and a visit from Santa for the children of the Tech City community and the surrounding area. In addition to the individual booths set up by tenant companies of Tech City, the City of Alachua provided a police car and a fire truck, complete with lights and sirens for the kids to explore. Bounce houses were also set up for the children as well as a food truck for the families.

There was a face painting booth, and free cotton candy, as well as various sweets at different tables. Children decorated cookies with colored icing at another booth. A tractor provided hayrides that circled the complex as well.

Tech City tenant Menadier Engineering stuck with an engineering theme by providing a game for children to design a Christmas tree constructed of green plastic cups. Ben Boukari, of Boukari Realty, emceed the event, providing music and free candy for the youngsters.

For the kids, among all the activities, the big event was a visit with Santa Claus provided by Citron Cleaning. Children were also excited by a visit with a costumed Elsa from the “Frozen” movie that was provided by BrittReneeCreative, a provider of a variety of costumed characters for events.

“We do this event for a chance for the community to get together and interact with their neighboring companies and provide events that provide ‘quality of life’ interaction,” said Glaeser. “San Felasco Tech City is more than just a conglomerate of businesses. It’s a community.”

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alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA ‒ The Christmas spirit was alive and well in Alachua last Saturday night. The Gainesville based professional ballet company Dance Alive National Ballet (DANB) has been performing the Nutcracker for 56 years with hundreds of touring performances and over 30 school programs in the Continental United States. Over the past five years it has also become a Christmas tradition in Alachua as well.

The Nutcracker is an important part of the dance company’s history, and even in 2020 when many entertainment performances were canceled, the Nutcracker performance went on in Alachua’s new Legacy Park Outdoor Amphitheater where social distancing could be observed.

Last year there was a change of venues due to concerns about possible rain and the performance was moved indoors to the Legacy Park Multipurpose center. Neither the threat of bad weather nor the change of venue deterred an enthusiastic audience. This year, despite low temperatures from a cold front, an estimated 750 to 850 bundled up in coats and blankets, sitting on lawn chairs to watch the Nutcracker as more than 30 dancers performed in the almost two-hour show that is set on Christmas Eve.

Dance Alive is a dance academy and professional dance troupe that has always been the heart and soul of the Pofahl family. In 1966, professional dancer and teacher Mary Ellen Pofahl founded the DANB company and it has continued through the talents and efforts of her daughters, Judy Skinner and Kim Tuttle. Tuttle serves as Artistic Director and Skinner is Choreographer-In-Residence.

Pofahl Studios is the official school of DANB, and the faculty have been selected for their professional knowledge of a particular dance discipline as well as the ability to teach a particular age or ability level. The instructors also take part in performances by the DANB. According to Tuttle, the primary concern of the faculty is the development of each student’s skill and appreciation for the art of dance, teaching respect for their teachers and fellow students, and the development of their own personal self-esteem. Many of the school's students have gone on to professional dance careers throughout the world.

Both Skinner and Tuttle actively teach at the school as well as run the DANB. The Nutcracker performance is one of their best known and attended shows. During December, the company will perform the Nutcracker at a variety of venues, combining music and dance with one of the best-known Christmas stories, while keeping alive a half century tradition.

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alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA ‒ The holiday season is in full swing in Alachua. Dec. 10 marked the 38^th year the Alachua Chamber of Commerce has hosted the annual Christmas Parade on downtown Main Street. Each year local businesses, the City of Alachua, civic groups and churches sponsor floats to entertain onlookers.

This past Saturday, children anxiously awaited the parade for a chance to see Santa Claus and collect sweet treats tossed from decorated floats or handed out by people walking alongside.

The parade traditionally starts with motorcycle patrolmen leading the procession, complete with flashing lights and wailing sirens, as they clear the way for parade participants. Next come the police cars from Alachua and High Springs and then a flag color guard of three Marine veterans. Another member of the Marine Corps League of Veterans followed in a World War II army jeep.

The City of Alachua sponsored float was decorated with a Frosty the Snowman. City Commissioners, stationed at the rear of the float, waved at the crowd while City Manager Mike DaRoza walked alongside handing out candy to the children.

The procession included floats and decorated vehicles from the All Stars Twirling Academy, Santa Fe Babe Ruth baseball team, the Santa Fe High School marching, Matchmaker Realty, Capitol City Bank, William Thomas Funeral Home, Gainesville Raceway, Boy Scout Troop 88, the Girl Scouts and the High Springs Gift Shop Plus. The 4-H club had both a float and riders on decorated horses.

A comical float was the Retirement Home for Horses, which provides a home for older horses that are retired from their former working activities. On their float, multiple people wore costume horse heads while imitating typical retirement activities like golf, bingo, fishing and beauty shop visits, while others wearing the horse heads walked the parade route using wheeled walkers.

Another group that always enters a large and colorful float is the Hare Krisna who chanted a song for peace as they walked down the street.

Decorated motorcycles weaved in and out on the street as did the ever present Shriners Club on a variety of vehicles.

While everyone enjoyed the floats and festive mood, the part of the parade the children had been waiting for finally arrived as Santa Claus waved to the children as he rode by on top of a fire truck. Children responded, waving and calling out Santa's name to try and catch his attention. It was an exciting ending to a fun filled hour that brought out hundreds of people to enjoy the parade and the festive atmosphere.

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alachuatoday.com