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ALACHUA ‒ On Main Street in Alachua stands a magnificent Victorian Mansion known as the Williams-Leroy House. Registered in the National Historic Registry, it stands three stories tall, covering over 7,000 square feet with four bedrooms, five dining areas, six toilets and baths, a commercial kitchen, and a peaceful courtyard complete with a gazebo and a waterfall. Built in 1902, the house's history is entwined in the beginnings of Alachua and has seen a number of owners.

The original owner, Furman B. Williams, is credited with helping establish the town of Alachua with his brothers, Charles and Jack. In 1998 a wealthy business man from Philadelphia bought the house from the family. He was a member of the Hare Krishna religion and turned the house over to a local chapter to create both a vegetarian restaurant for the public and a meditation center for the local Krishna community. The Govinda's Vegetarian Restaurant opened in in 1999 and continued until 2007.

When it closed, Marjorie (Mimi) Hale and her daughters leased the place for the Ivy House Restaurant. The restaurant was a local favorite until it closed in 2012. In 2018, Mike Case and Kim Heniger bought the property with plans to open an event venue and restaurant. The house and kitchen needed major renovations and they put a significant amount of money into their dream, but ultimately, the COVID pandemic took its toll and their dream came to an end.

Today the Manor is coming back to life with a new owner, transforming the house to its former glory and creating a unique historic event venue and restaurant. Owner Salvie Andreola has come a long way. Orphaned at the age of six, Salvia and her siblings survived by receiving financial support for school and daily food from the local Baptist Church through a benevolent international sponsor. When she was old enough, she worked to support herself and siblings. Working first as a housemaid from a young age, Andreola continued her education learning new jobs and careers, first in the Philippines, then Singapore and eventually Hawaii.

In Maui, she began fresh as a bank teller and later transitioned into a billing encoder at a local hospital. After her husband passed away, Andreola assumed the family business. “It was a challenge being a single parent of a minor child. I was managing a high-volume revenue-clientele of a merchant credit card processing company,” Andreola said. “It was a very stressful time.” Given the high cost of living in paradise and raising a child by herself, Andreola moved to Gainesville, where she started a new ambitious venture as a real estate investor.

She currently owns and manages luxury properties both domestically and internationally. From homelessness to home building, and now, on to historic restoration, Andreola’s life story demonstrates her willingness to take risks, endure long hours of hard work, and triumph in life’s struggles.

Now, she is again heading in a new direction with her vision for the Manor on Main. “Now, I am booking for weddings, parties, corporate meetings, and cultural events currently operating as a venue rental,” said Andreola. Her long-term plan is to hand over the operational business management.

“The manor was once a well-known restaurant, which the people in the community profoundly enjoyed and greatly miss,” Andreola said. “My ultimate dream for the manor is to make this place a destination where people look forward to coming at the end of a hard-working day to listen to live music, sip a glass of wine, unwind, and enjoy the company of friends and family.”

The Manor on Main is located at 14603 Main Street and will have an official ribbon cutting on Dec. 21 at 1 p.m. That evening, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. there will be an open house with refreshments and live music to welcome the community to the revitalized mansion.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ The High Springs Police Department (HSPD) and the City of High Springs are currently accepting donations of new, unwrapped toys, pajamas and books to be given to children in need in the High Springs community this holiday season. Wrapping paper and supplies are also in need.

The HSPD can provide specific age/gender information for purchasing appropriate gifts. Please contact Angela Robertson at 386-454-7319 or via email at arobertson@highsprings.us for more information.

Donations, including monetary donations and gift cards, may be dropped off any time in the black mailbox to the left of the HSPD front door. Gifts can be dropped off at the HSPD during regular business hours, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. The location is 23720 NW 187 Avenue, High Springs.

The deadline for drop-off is Wednesday, Dec. 15 at 4 p.m. If writing a check, please make it payable to the High Springs Police Department.

The City departments will team up to wrap the gifts and make special deliveries to families in need that have already been identified.

The High Springs Police Department and the City of High Springs appreciate all the support they receive from the community, which makes Operation Holiday Cheer possible each year.

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ALACHUA ‒ Christmas in Alachua is in full swing this holiday season. For the past 37 years 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 spectators and compete for prizes.

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.

Due to COVID, last year many activities were canceled. High Springs opted to cancel their annual parade in 2020 but the City of Alachua moved forward with the community tradition. Last year’s event was smaller than previous years, both in crowd size and in number of floats and entries. Instead of the usual 35-40 floats, there were only 28. But the festivities, enthusiasm and spirit of Christmas celebration were still evident, despite the changes brought on by the virus.

This year, the tradition continued, and both the community and the Chamber were ready to bring back the event better than before. The weather was clear and mild with 40 floats participating to a packed crowd that lined all the way along Main Street, with many of the crowd wearing festive Christmas themed clothes and accessories. The City of Alachua and Chamber have been working hand in hand to celebrate the entire month, creating weekly Fa La La Fridays, in addition to the parade and tree lighting.

The parade always starts with a police escort. With lights flashing and sirens wailing motorcycle patrolmen lead the parade, followed by police cars from Alachua and High Springs. The parade's Grand Marshal, Emelie Matthews who is the building manager for the Alachua Woman's Club, along with Alachua Mayor Gib Coerper, greeted the crowd from a vintage convertible Mustang car. The State Champion Santa Fe High School Ladies Raiders Volleyball team was next in line, as the crowd applauded them and members of the team handed candy to the children lining the curb. Following them was a color guard of three Marine veterans. Other members of the Marine Corps League of veterans followed in a World War II army jeep.

The colorful procession of floats, sponsored by civic organizations, businesses, churches and the City of Alachua, slowly cruised Main Street while float participants tossed candy to the children lining the route. Participating floats included Lee's Pre School, City of Alachua, All Stars Twirling Academy, the 4-H Club, Momentum Dance Academy, Alachua Raiders, Santa Fe Babe Ruth baseball team, Santa Fe High School Marching Band, Mi Apa restaurant, Vystar and Kinetic Wireless.

The 4-H Club also had horses and riders decorated for Christmas. Decorated motorcycles weaved in and out on the street as did the ever-present Shriners Club riding a variety of vehicles. Another group that always enters the parade in a large and colorful float is the Hare Krishna who chant for peace as they walk down the street. Each float paused at the judging booth vying for awards.

In the Music/Dance category, first place went to Momentum Dance, second place went to Santa Fe Raider Marching Regiment and third place went to the All-Star Twirling Academy. In the general float competition, the City of Alachua took first place with their 12 Days of Christmas float, Lee's Pre-School and Tanner Construction took second and third place respectively.

While everyone enjoyed the floats and festive mood, the part of the parade the children had been waiting for finally arrived. At the tail end of the parade, Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus waved to the children as they by rode by on top of a fire truck. Children responded, waving and calling out Santa's name to try and catch his attention. While the children were excited to see Santa at the parade, they all will be dreaming of another visit from Santa…on Christmas eve.

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NEWBERRY ‒ Florida’s newest historic landmark has been unveiled in Newberry. In what was a decade’s long process, on Dec. 4 a plaque was unveiled designating Dudley Farm as a National Historic Landmark. The 260-acre property contains 18 frame buildings built between 1882 and 1945 by three generations of the Dudley family, one of the early settlers in the area and prominent figures in the history of Alachua County.

Phillip Benjamin Harvey Dudley and his wife, Mary, originally settled in Archer but moved to the present location in 1855. They came, like many other plantation owners in Alachua County, from South Carolina and brought enslaved African Americans with them as laborers, producing mainly cotton.

Dudley rapidly became a middle-class agrarian through his ownership of 960 acres and the 30 enslaved people who cleared land and grew cotton. Dudley served in the Civil War as a Confederate officer while his family maintained the farm. When the war ended, he returned home to the challenge of managing a large cotton plantation without the newly freed slaves.

Dudley Sr. and his son, Ben, turned to grazing cattle as well as raising cotton and crops with hired help and tenant farmers. Work began on a road from the farm to Gainesville so cattlemen could drive herds to market. “Dudley” was now on the map as a community center and a crossroad connecting Newberry, Archer, Jonesville and Gainesville.

After his father died in 1881, Ben Dudley built the present farmhouse to accommodate his family that grew to eight girls and four boys. He added a general store, kitchen, smokehouse, sweet potato storehouse, dairy and canning house, outhouses, corn crib and barn. The farm produced various crops, cattle, turkeys and pork. The entire family worked on the labor-intensive farm with horses, mules and essential hired help. Though vital to the farm, laborers and tenant farmers were paid only with a “furnish” partly consisting of pork and sugarcane. Later, laborers and tenants may have worked on a cash basis.

Ben died in 1918 and his wife, Fannie, managed the farm with her sons Ralph, Harvey and Frank. They kept up with the advances in farming technology and the farm continued to expand. Most of the children moved away, but Ralph continued to run the farm until his death in 1967. Myrtle Dudley, the youngest of Ben's 12 children, was the last to remain on the farm. She managed a small cattle herd and vegetable and flower gardens.

To keep the farm intact as she grew older with no heirs, she donated 24 acres, with most of the buildings to the Florida Park Service in 1983. In 1986, the state purchased an additional 232 acres to preserve the rural landscape. Myrtle continued to live on the farm until her death 1996 at the age of 94.

The Park Service kept the historic site as an example of a late 1800s working farm by using staff and volunteers in period farm clothing to carry out daily chores, raise the crops and take care of the livestock and educate visitors to life in the 1880s. Historian and Author Maurie Laurie petitioned to get Dudley Farms added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, which was granted in 2002.

According to Dudley Park Service Specialist Sandra Cashes, the process for applying for National Landmark Status started back in 2009 and Dudley Farm was finally designated as a National Historic Landmark in January 2021.One benefit of the status is the property can qualify for more federal grants for upkeep and restoration. Another recent change was the annexation of the property into the City of Newberry. This allows the City to have more input into upkeep and changes to the property and promote it as a historic tourist destination, although all final decisions are made by the State Park Service.

The ceremony to officially unveil the plaque for the Historic Landmark designation also included farm held demonstrations by staff dressed in period clothing on a variety of activities on how the farm worked. Reenactors demonstrated the cane grinding and syrup process, blacksmithing, laundry, cooking, sausage grinding and corn husking. Other reenactors played music at various spots throughout the farm.

Newberry Mayor Jordan Marlowe introduced several speakers including new park manager Dennis Parsons, Cashes and Laurie, all of whom talked about the history, significance and future plans at Dudley Farms. Speaker Sherry Dupree discussed the one piece of history that has been missing is the contribution of the African Americans on the farm, first as slaves and later as laborers and tenant farmers. She spoke about the current efforts to add that history to the park and announced that another building will be added to the location.

The Perkins House, owned by Helen Saltzgiver, was home to an African American family that once worked at Dudley Farm. “James and Rebecca Perkins were one of the Jonesville pioneer African American families,” said DePree. Coming from South Carolina as enslaved African American workers, the couple owned 40 acres northeast of Dudley Farm where they raised eight children. “By bringing the house here, it will be used to educate visitors about the lives and accomplishments of African American families during the 19th and 20th centuries,” said DuPree.

Saltzgiver has agreed to donate the house to the park, and Newberry Mayor Jordan Marlowe said an anonymous donor has agreed to pay the $75,000 cost of moving the house to Dudley. Due to requirements for the Park Service and National Landmark staff to complete site surveys, it may take up to nine months before the actual relocation will take place.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ A chase that began in Columbia County at around 11:45 a.m., on Dec. 2, ended in Alachua County with the arrest of 21-year-old Marandoe Acell Lamar Young at approximately 4:15 p.m. the same day.

In an effort to stop the fleeing vehicle on Interstate 75, law enforcement officers used a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver and deployed stop sticks, which eventually rendered the vehicle immobile on I-75 at the 406-mile marker.

Young then fled from the stopped vehicle and deputies engaged in a foot pursuit, hearing what sounded like a gunshot during the pursuit. A perimeter was established to contain the suspect, with mutual aid resources from many agencies assisting in the search. Young was eventually apprehended by K-9 Officer Micco.

Investigation revealed that Young was in possession of a significant amount of cannabis and a firearm, which he discharged during the foot pursuit. Young will be charged with Fleeing and Eluding Law Enforcement, Possession of Cannabis with Intent to Distribute and three counts of Aggravated Assault of a Law Enforcement Officer.

Additional charges may be added as the investigation continues. The suspect was treated for injuries sustained during the K-9 apprehension and was booked into the Alachua County Jail.

A Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) press release indicated that all lanes of I-75 were closed at approximately 12:45 p.m. due to the pursuit.

Northbound traffic was diverted at High Springs/Alachua Exit #399 and southbound traffic was diverted off of I-75 at the Lake City/High Springs Exit #414. All I-75 traffic lanes were reopened by 4:55 p.m.

During the chase the High Springs Police Department (HSPD) provided a safety perimeter at the High Springs Community School and extended school resource officer coverage at the school for after school activities. They maintained enhanced security at the school until teachers, staff and students had vacated the school.

Students that usually walked home remained at the school for parental pickup. School buses that routed into the danger zone remained at the school.

In addition, HSPD provided traffic control on US Highway 441 and US Highway 27 due to the intense amount of traffic routed off of I-75 and through the cities.

The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Highway Patrol and Alachua County Sheriff’s Office were involved in the pursuit.

Young’s bond is set at $595,000.

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ALACHUA ‒ The Alachua Woman’s Club was ablaze with lights and sounds of the season last Saturday night as they celebrated the Charity Ball of Saint Nicholas. The Alachua Woman’s Club organization and its landmark historic stone building have been fixtures on Main Street since 1936. The club itself was founded in 1912 during the summer when three new classrooms were built onto the wooden school house in Alachua. The county school board had no money available to buy the furnishings for the new classrooms, including desks, chairs, blackboards, books, and even chalk.

A primary teacher by the name of Mrs. Hilton, who had taught in other schools brought an idea that she had seen work in other places before a gathering of Alachua parents and teachers. Her suggestion was for parents and teachers to join together and form a club that would focus on solving the problems of school needs.

Originally called The School Improvement Club of Alachua, the group was charged with creating unity and fellowship for a woman's organization, so the members were primarily female.

They organized fund raising projects throughout the year and were able to raise enough money to furnish the new schoolrooms, pay a $125 down on a piano, and hire a janitor for the school, and they continued their goal though the years. In 1921 the club members decided that not only did the school need their continued help, but also there were many things they could do to help the community so they changed the club’s name to The Improvement Club of Alachua.

By 1924, the group had grown bigger and idea of an central clubhouse was discussed, but it would be another 14 years before the historic building on Main Street was built. In 1949 the club’s name changed once again and became The Alachua Woman’s Club (AWC). But the focus through the years stayed the same—an organization of women focused on helping schools and education by raising funds and volunteer work.

Each year the AWC awards a full, two-year scholarship to Santa Fe College to a girl graduating from Santa Fe High School. They also operate the first Food 4 Kids program in Alachua, which provides food for hungry children at Alachua Elementary School. Each holiday season they donate funds to the two elementary schools to help provide toys and clothes for children in need.

The clubhouse is not only a meeting place, but is also used to host events and raise funds for charitable projects as a rental event space, so the building has seen a lot of use including a restoration campaign in 2007. Old buildings need upkeep and during the pandemic shutdown, the club made some major repairs. The wood floors needed sanding and varnish. Cracks in the 73-year-old structure needed structural repairs, plastering, and painting.

“The amount of support from the community and business was amazing,” said Alachua CRA director Lindsey Rizzo. “We had volunteers to do much of the work for free and financial funding from a number of organizations.”

But there is still work to be done, so as their first event since the pandemic, the Woman's Club held their first annual Charity Ball of Saint Nicholas on Dec. 4 to thank all their sponsors and supporters and raise additional funds with a silent auction.

Saint Nicholas greeted all the guests at the door and mingled with the crowd during the reception hour as guests enjoyed appetizers from a buffet provided by caterer Taste of Gainesville while Wayne's World DJ provided music and guests had the opportunity to place bids for the silent auction.

At 7 p.m. Woman's Club Building Manager Emelie Matthews and Rizzo gave awards to their top three Gold Sponsors - Holiday Inn Express, Polaris of Gainesville and Emory Group Companies. They also thanked six Platinum sponsors and the 15 partners in the restoration efforts.

Santa, now dressed as the authentic Saint Nicholas of Myra, told the history of the man and how he transitioned into Santa Claus. The DJ also led the assembled group in a sing along of Christmas songs and the evening finished off with an hour of dancing and announcement of the winners of the silent auction, which saw all items sold. For members of the Woman's Club, who spend their energy and resources helping others, it was a night that the community gave back to them in the Christmas spirit.

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