Photo by ZUBIN KAPADIA/Alachua County Today: Hayley De La Pena and her son, Luke, dressed as Batman and Robin.  ALACHUA – Parents and children dressed in colorful costumes, scarecrows stood guard along the streets and local businesses turned into friendly haunted houses last week. The city of Alachua’s Chamber of Commerce transformed Main Street into a scene resembling Disney’s “Halloween Town” for their annual Trick-or-Treat on Main Street event.

Every year, the chamber of commerce creates a family-friendly atmosphere to allow residents to enjoy a night out on the town and give local eateries business. The event allows for children to enjoy themselves while under the protection of the Alachua Police Department.  

There was a multitude of contests, like best costume and scarecrow design. This year’s scarecrow winners were featured along Main Street to add as scenery for guests to enjoy.

The top scarecrow was ProActive Tax’s “Accounting Dracula,” followed by Dr. Douglas M. Adel’s “Monster Mash” band and Vanessa and Tina Polsen’s “Edward Scissorhands.”

The event was open to the public. Local resident James Mathis said he came to bring his son, Edge, to enjoy all the festivities. Mathis said he remembers coming to Trick-or-Treat on Main since he was 13 years old.

David Blackburn, a Gainesville resident, heard about the trick-or-treating through his coworkers in Alachua. Blackburn brought his girlfriend, Rekha Thayil, and daughter, Aliyah Blackburn, to enjoy her first Halloween and their first Trick-or-Treat on Main Street.

“For me, it is two-fold, seeing all of the creativity in the costumes and seeing all the kids reacting to the different festivities,” Blackburn said. “But seeing my daughter enjoying herself is the best part.”

Blackburn wasn’t the only one new to Alachua’s Halloween event. Hayley De La Pena, local teacher at Alachua Elementary brought her son Luke to trick-or-treat. De La Pena and her son teamed up to become the infamous Batman and Robin, with Luke being Batman. Their main focus was on collecting as much candy as possible, they said.

It wasn’t just families who enjoyed the atmosphere. Local restaurants, like Conestogas Restaurant located on Main Street, also prospered in the light of Trick-or-Treat on Main. Bevin Cason, manager at Conestogas Restaurant for the last seven years, said events like these bring in a lot of people and business. Cason said she is grateful for these sorts of events and joked that the restaurant tries to pump the smell of burgers into the street to attract customers.

Trick-or-Treat on Main also allowed for different service organizations to help in the festivities. Groups like the Alachua Lions Club, Alachua Police Explorers and Santa Fe High School’s Beta Club volunteered their time in helping the Alachua Chamber of Commerce and the City of Alachua with the Trick-or-Treat on Main.

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Dale and Angela Roberts, back, admiring the historic nature of High Springs. Several out-of-towners like the Roberts came to check out the festival.

ALACHUA – High Springs residents and out-of-towners alike gathered near High Springs City Hall on Saturday, Oct. 26 to buy trinkets, listen to live music and eat homemade snacks.

The High Springs Chamber of Commerce held its Fall Festival at James Paul Park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., featuring vendors from all over the area selling a wide range of food and souvenirs. It is an event the chamber has put on for seven years in the city.

Patty Schaffer wasn't completely sold on the fall festival before she brought her booth there, she said.

“I wasn't sure I was going to do it,” she said. She did end up getting some visitors, though.  

Schaffer guessed between 45 to 80 people visited the booth for her company, Scentsy, which sells flameless candles heated by a light bulb.

Though she would have liked to see more customers, Schaffer said the crowd was nice enough.

Some visitors to the festival said they wanted to support the local community and help its businesses.

“If you don't support them, they don't stay,” said Sue Scherer, who came to the area from Orlando to visit her sister-in-law.

It's important to shop at small business, said Kathy Anderson, owner of the Bumpkin Patch, which sells hand-crafted scarves, aprons, hats and other attire.

“It keeps the money local,” she said. “It helps the economy so much.”

Near the front of the festival, Ellen and Tom Hogan were selling wooden spoons, homemade jam and art. It was their first time at the event as a vendor, though they have participated as musicians in previous years.

“We'd like to have more sales,” Tom said, “but overall, it hasn't been a bad day.”

The couple had yet to sell any of their paintings, but they were optimistic about the day. They considered the possibility of returning next year.  

“We feel like we should be supporting our local festivals,” Ellen said.

At the Fall Festival costume contest, Tyler Clifford, a 3-year-old donning the uniform of a Ft. White police officer, won the top spot, earning his family a ride on the High Springs Chamber of Commerce float in the upcoming Christmas parade. All the children who entered won a stuffed animal and an extra trinket of their choice.

The homemade pie contest winner was Samantha Munroe, a 13-year-old High Springs resident who submitted her pumpkin pie.

At least one shopper found a souvenir she could be proud of.  

Anna Asfour, from the U.S. Virgin Islands, pulled out her favorite buy of the day. It was a sleeping bag for dolls.

“The people here are very talented,” she said, complementing its craftsmanship.  

Asfour came to Gainesville to visit her son when she stumbled on the Fall Festival, she said.

As the event came to a close, Dale and Angela Roberts, from Central Florida, walked around with their costumed children.

“I love the historic part of it all,” Angela said, admiring the downtown area of High Springs.

They came to town to visit family and decided to check out the area and spend some money at the booths.

“You need to support your community to make it grow,” Angela said.

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Photo special to Alachua County Today/ Divers and swimmers at Blue Springs near High Springs. Kim Davis' family has owned the location since 1958.

HIGH SPRINGS – Kim Davis has run Blue Springs for nearly 27 years. The spring itself has belonged to her family for 55 years. But all of that may soon change.

Davis and her brother, Matt Bahr, are looking for someone to buy the spring they have held near to their hearts for the majority of their lives.

The family received the spring in 1958, and Davis’ parents have been involved in running it since. When both her mother and father passed away earlier this year, she decided it was time to move on.

“We have a couple of other family businesses as well and have been stretched fairly thin,” Davis said. “This is something we needed to do and decided now was the time.”

She was not alone in making the final decision. Bahr, who was also active in the family operation, agreed it was the right thing to do.

“We have been in this area since I was very young,” Bahr said. “But this was a wish my dad had before he died, he wanted us to sell.”

However, the family knows that it will not be easy to let go of the Blue Springs.

“It is with a very heavy heart that we look for a buyer for our spring,” Davis said. “This is definitely an emotional time.”

Davis said she is looking for someone to take the spring to a better place than she could. She wants to find a new owner that would do everything they could to protect it, she said.

“I have no preference of a public or private buyer,” Davis said. “But people need to realize, what goes into the ground comes out in the water, and I want someone to protect the water.”

The property is 401.6 acres and is located near High Springs at 7450 NE 60th Street.

While the spring has been on the market for just over five months, with a list price of $10 million, it has garnered some interest, Bahr said.

Another goal of the family is to see the new ownership keep the current employees on staff.

“There has been no harder working staff than we have had,” Bahr said. Some of them have been there working there for 10 to 15 years.

“They all know the spring like the back of their hand now,” he said. “It would take new people a couple of years to get fully up to speed on those things.”

“Anyone coming in to the situation would need to know that these people are the best and really enjoy their work,” Davis said. “We would no doubt express to them that we want that to keep going, and I hope they would appreciate the staff.”

The state of Florida has many springs in its state park program, and is a possible option as a buyer for Blue Springs. It is still unclear if a deal would be made between the two parties.

“I would not be opposed to anyone at this point,” Davis said. “Really, my ultimate goal is just to have someone that wants to keep it open and keep it protected.”

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Colorful stains cover this runner's shirt. The race raised money for the local March of Dimes.

ALACHUA – The crowd chanted with the man on the megaphone.

“3… 2… 1… run!”

It was mayhem. The crowd took off while a fire extinguisher shot a pink mushroom cloud of dust over the runners, coating them in the first of many different colors to come.

On Saturday, Oct. 26, the City of Alachua invited the Color Me Rad foundation to host its second 5K race in the area to raise money for the March of Dimes, a nonprofit foundation that supports medical research to help expecting mothers and premature babies.

Through the excitement of the raining color, it was clear the race was on. Emily Walter, 21, was moving from the back of the line toward the front of the crowd.

As she zigged and zagged her way to the first spot, yellow dust was thrown and splattered across the front of her chest and abdomen. Another throw and her thighs were covered, turning her into a pink and yellow speckled runner.

The three-mile race took place at Rembert Farm, located at 13126 NW 174th Ave., and held over 2,000 people.

Both runners and walkers lined up at the starting line in waves, starting at different times. They awaited the announcer to send them forward through the multi-terrain course, which consisted of grassy hills, dirt paths and rocky roads.

Along the course, runners and walkers moved through five color-bomb stations, which consisted of rad volunteers who would toss colored powder at runners to coat their white T-shirts and running shorts.

Walter finished her run in 25 minutes, but the big accomplishment was the amount of colors she had splashed across the front of her body.

Pink, yellow, orange and green stained her legs and shirt.

“It was awesome getting hit by the color, but I didn’t like the color that was in water,” Walter said, as she pointed to green streaks down her arms and legs. “It was just way too cold to be sprayed with the water, or else I probably wouldn’t have cared.”

Other runners seemed to feel the same way as Walter talked about hearing gasps and shouts from other participants as she ran through the water color-bombs.

“Since it was cold out I didn’t want to be wet and once it started to dry it just felt gross,” she said.

The green and yellow water dye seemed to be the crowd’s only complaint. Participants of the run not only complimented and applauded the Color Me Rad foundation for a well-run 5K, but also have continued the praise through the foundation’s Facebook page.

Bags of powder were tossed into the crowd before each of their set race times, allowing them to accumulate new colors early.

“My friend caught one of the color bombs, and we popped it open by doing a high five,” Walter said.

The color run attracted a large number of participants. While Walter ran, many other participants were able to walk and enjoy the swirls that stained their shirts at the end of the race.

“It’s unlike most 5K’s because you don’t have to run, but you can still come out and get the same experience,” Walter said.

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