High Springs ‒ For over a year, the congregation at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal church in High Springs has been planning an historic celebration to mark the 125^th consecutive year the church has been holding services at its current location.

The church's history actually goes farther back, with services held in private homes until a parishioner deeded the current land to build a permanent church in the 1880s.

The fall of 1896 became a turning point in the history of the church as residents of High Springs took shelter as a tornado tore through, damaging homes, churches and families' livelihoods. The “Great Storm” as it became known, caused 202 deaths and was one of the costliest hurricanes on record at the time.

St. Bartholomew's was a vital part of the community and railroad workers and townspeople worked tirelessly to rebuild the damaged church, cutting down pine trees and even using railroad ties to bring the church back to life. St. Bartholomew's church became a landmark and an integral part of the town. Since its reconstruction, parishioners have held services every single Sunday for the past 125 years.

To celebrate those 125 years of services, the congregation planned every detail of the anniversary, including food, a bake sale, musical entertainment, tours of the church with members in period costumes and a Sunday service conducted by Diocese of Florida Bishop John Howard.

The only contingency they couldn't plan for was the weather.

A cold drizzly storm passed through High Springs on the weekend of Nov 6-7, 2021—the same weekend as the planned event, causing some adjustments to the activities.

With temperatures hovering in the high 40s, participation in the event shrank, but church members were determined to mark the 125^th year and activities went on as planned. Despite the weather, it is estimated that 250 people attended the celebration.

Refreshments were provided by the High Springs Lions Club and Mister P's BBQ, and both sold out by late afternoon. Despite the cold weather and an outdoor stage, music was provided throughout the event by Band Together, Canopy Road, Hogtown Slayers and headliner Cliff Dorsey. But because of the cold, many people elected to sit in their cars and in the mission hall to eat and enjoy the music.

Kicking off the celebration at 10 a.m., the City of High Springs provided police services and the City’s CRA director David Sutton delivered a speech on the history of the church. City Manager Ashley Stathatos followed with a speech about High Springs today and the changes the town has undergone. The congregation also sponsored a bake sale offering cookies, brownies and other baked goods with donations going to the church.

Church minister Reverend Canon Lance Horne, who is based in Jacksonville, was unable to attend due to illness, and Father Ladd Harris stepped up to offer the invocation. Retired CBS radio personality Ben Hill served as Master of Ceremony for the event. The UF Clinical Research Vehicle was also on site, offering COVID vaccinations as well as wellness checks. On Sunday, the church held a 10 a.m. service led by Bishop Howard, which was attended by about 70 parishioners.

While the inclement weather did not cooperate, the St. Bartholomew's congregation was determined to honor the 125-year history of the church come rain or shine, reminiscent of events years ago, reminding the community that conviction, determination and faith can overcame adversity.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ To celebrate the Halloween spirit, the Opera House at the Great Outdoors Restaurant became a dark and sinister place, terrorizing all who entered. A dark maze filled with body parts, ghosts, demons and serial killers. But it was all in fun, as the Great Outdoors hosted a haunted house for the holiday.

When Melissa Doring became event manager at the Great Outdoors in July and took a tour of the Opera House space, she saw the potential for it to host special events, especially around various holidays

“One of my first thoughts were that this space could make an ideal haunted house for Halloween. The idea stayed in the back of my mind for several months as I acclimated to my new job, and I finally pitched it to my boss who agreed to let me put it together,” Doring said.

Working with a limited budget, materials and help, she posted on Facebook to see if anyone wanted to help or contribute. “I got a response from Chris Scott, who wound up turning the concept into a reality in a really short time period,” said Doring. “This wouldn't have happened without his involvement.”

Scott has been putting on Halloween shows for over eight years. He was involved with the Madness and Mayhem Halloween specials for several years as well as other organizations. It is his passion rather than profession. “I do it because I love it, said Scott. “To me it’s creating a giant art installation for people to enjoy.”

Scott says that Halloween makes the perfect time for mixing in the heightened emotions of surprise and fear with the entertainment. Over the years he has collected a large number of props, including building a maze that can be adjusted to each different location.

Scott contacted Doring and restaurant owner Baram Kim to discuss combining forces to create a professional quality haunted house in the Opera House. Both welcomed his support. The biggest problem was time as Scott had only learned of Doring's Facebook post a week before Halloween, but the two worked together to make it a reality.

It took two full box trucks to bring all the materials and props Scott had to the Great Outdoors and take it all upstairs. It took Scott and his wife, Bobbi, three days to put it together.

Staffing was another issue since the Great Outdoors staff was busy with the restaurant on a Saturday night. Doring manned the entry point along with her father, Barry Searles, who was dressed as a vampire. Her mother was also one of the characters in the Haunted House. Chris, his wife and daughter were also members of the cast as were three friends and one Great Outdoors employee. There was a $10 entry fee to cover cost and give volunteers some remuneration for their work.

The Halloween theme was also carried over to the Pink Flamingo Diner, which is owned by the same company. The general manager for the two restaurants, Lynn Long, arranged for a red tractor to run hayrides between the two locations. The tractor brought people over to the miniature golf course at the Pink Flamingo to play on the decorated “haunted” golf course and back to their cars. Many of the participants were children in Halloween costumes.

“We put this together in a very short time and thanks to Chris's materials and expertise and the efforts of everyone involved it was a success. We saw 165 “victims” come in to be scared ….and they all came out happy as well,” Doring said.

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ALACHUA ‒ It’s that time of year when scarecrows invade Alachua’s downtown and the annual celebration begins. For the past 16 years the Alachua Chamber of Commerce has hosted Scarecrow Row on Main Street as businesses and organizations sponsor light poles decorated in celebration of Halloween and the fall season.

Corporate sponsors either partner with a Main Street business or purchase their own pole to decorate with a decked out scarecrow. The money raised goes toward programs and events hosted by the Chamber of Commerce to help promote business on Main Street and provide services and facilities to the community, including events like the Trick or Treat on Main Street and the annual Christmas Parade.

The Alachua Chamber of Commerce sponsors these events to “raise public awareness of local downtown businesses, bring more tourist and consumers to the area, and create a sense of community and partnership within the local business community as well as providing free events for the community to enjoy.

Scarecrow Row has grown over the years and has become a well-known annual event that runs the entire month of October making sure the Halloween spirit is alive and well. Scarecrows run the gamut in creativity, only limited by the individuals crafting each installation. Early in October it was not uncommon to see groups of people gathered together working on their spooky creations. And throughout the month pole sponsors checked on their scarecrows to make sure they remained in good shape leading up to the annual judging. This year's theme was “Mad Scientist” and each scarecrow incorporated that theme. Some scarecrows were funny, some spooky, some simple, some extensive, but all creative and meant to amuse and entertain.

Each participating business designed and constructed their own display that was judged by a three-judge panel. Prizes, as well as plaques were presented for 1^st, 2^nd and 3rd place. Winners were announced at the annual Trick or Treat on Main Street held Saturday night. Boukari Realty took first place along with a $300 prize. Mebane Middle School came in second along with a $200 prize. Third place went to Dr. Douglas Adel along with a $100 prize.

The event has grown in popularity and the Chamber is considering expanding it so there are scarecrows beyond Main Street and possibly opening up entries to the public to increase participation.

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ALACHUA ‒ Octoberfest usually conjures up images of beer gardens with quantities of bratwurst and German beers. But the City of Alachua-sponsored first-ever Octoberfest at the Cleather Hathcock Community Center wasn't the typical celebration centered around beer and German food. Instead, it was a chance for seniors and teens to celebrate fall, decorate pumpkins, cupcakes and pumpkin bread while bridging the generation gap.

The pandemic has been especially hard on seniors as they are at a higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19. Over the duration of the pandemic, seniors have stayed indoors more than usual, depending on family and circles of friends for support. Octoberfest at the Cleather Hathcock Community Center offered an opportunity to visit with other seniors and teenagers from the City of Alachua Youth Advisory Council (YAC). For the youth, it was a chance to glean historic insights and experiences from a different generation.

Alachua City Deputy Clerk LeAnne Williams works with the YAC and the Senior Resource Board (SRB), both organizations having goals of giving support and addressing issues affecting their respective age groups.

In January 2021, the YAC began a project to help foster care children and Williams suggested meeting with SRB members to find out if they would like to get involved. The seniors were thrilled to join in the project, not only to work with the foster kids but also as a chance to get out in the community with a purpose.

“We're lonely and feel isolated,” seniors told them. “We want to get back out and interact with our community.”

“It benefited both groups in unique ways. For the seniors, it gave them people to enjoy experiences and conversation with,” said Williams. “It also provided them a way to pass on a lifetime of experience and stories that might otherwise be forgotten.

“For the teens, it gave them an opportunity to get to know and learn from a generation that is history to them. At least one generation separates the two from their view of the world. Except interactions within their own family with grandparents and great grandparents or what they learn in school, they have limited perceptions of what life was like before,” Williams said.

Alachua is sponsoring a number of cross-generational events. The first was a bingo night in June, which Williams says was a great success. Octoberfest is the second, then a Christmas Caroling event and Bingo in December and a High Tea in the spring.

At the Octoberfest event, each teen was paired with a senior to encourage interaction. “The painting and decorating takes time so they had plenty of time to talk,” said Williams. “We also provided the teens with five questions to ask the seniors, both to learn from them and give the seniors an opportunity to reflect back on their lives and experiences.”

Williams says the questions were meant to provoke conversation—not short answers. Seniors were asked questions such as “What was your greatest accomplishment?” “What was the hardest thing you went through?” “What event affected you most?” and “How has Alachua (or the world) changed in your lifetime?”

The questions allowed the seniors to share their own stories and gave the young people an opportunity to learn about the past from the perspective of people who lived it.

Williams said, “If the stories aren't shared, they are lost forever.”

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