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Lake Region MonitorLake Region Monitor USPS 114-170 — Keystone Heights, Florida Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012 40th Year —27th Issue — 75 CENTS

Lake Region Monitor

WorthNoting

Lake Region joins Keystone Heights HalloweenBY JAMES WILLIAMS

Monitor Editor

The Keystone-Lake Region Business Association’s annual downtown open house on Hal-loween night brought out the

costumes. There were cats and princesses, doctors and pris-oners in uniforms, big gorillas and tiny chimps. There were the usual evil icons: ghosts and ghouls, witches and devils, masked horror movie villains,

skeletons and vampires, zombies and worse.

There were good guys or at least non-threating characters too, like G.I. Joe and other U.S. soldiers, Wonder Women, clowns, ladybugs and ninjas,

cowboys and cows, ballerinas, mustard and ketchup, angels and butterflies, a yard gnome, a wood sprite and when they exhausted all other possibilities there was—simply—Thing 1 and Thing 2.

See HALLOWEEN, p. 5A

Lake Region chooses Romney; other Americans elect Obama ......How the quad counties voted

BY JAMES WILLIAMSMonitor Editor

The 2012 General Election is finally over, for which all of us, no doubt, give thanks. No matter who we hoped would win.

Here are some of the major results from federal, state and local races arrayed by county as the Monitor was going to press.

JAMES WILLIAMSMonitor Editor

Dr. Randal Henderson came to speak at the Keystone Heights Rotary last week, with a presen-tation that was challenging, but simply presented, and ended with a note of some hope.

Rotarian Hill Brannon invited the medical director of the Proton Therapy Institute, after visiting a friend being treated at the Jacksonville facility.

Henderson is also Medical Director of the University of Florida Department of Radiation Oncology.

The basics of proton therapy can be traced back to 1904, when Sir William Bragg did some of his earliest work on medical radiation.

Proton therapy was first proposed in 1946. The first treatment was delivered eight years later. By now, more than 60,000 patients have received proton therapy, as new developments have spread wide interest in the technique around the world.

Proton therapy begins with water–H2O, as you recall. The hydrogen is separated from the oxygen and separated again into its components of protons and electrons. The protons are load-ed into a cyclotron, and are ac-celerated to nearly the speed of light, then directed into a pipe-line and slowed to their optimal speed. The protons are guided

with magnets into a treatment room. The speed at which the proton travels dictates how deep it will penetrate into a patient before it stops to release its en-ergy.

One of the fortunate benefits of this procedure, Henderson said, is that, unlike the x-ray, a proton stops where directed by its speed. It hits a target, a tu-

mor say, and releases its energy on the spot.

An x-ray like those used in radiation therapy keeps on trav-eling through the tumor, through tissues and unaffected organs of the body.

See PROTON, p. 3A

The annual Keystone-Lake Region Business Association and the City of Keystone Heights’ open house was a hit with kids and grownups alike. Just ask this High Ridge family (l-r, front) cat Layrissa and ladybug Lilly Covert, and (back) ninja Kenny Jr., April and Kenny Sr. Covert.

Ostensibly, the Keystone Heights airport was built 70 years ago this month, except that historical evidence suggests the facility evolved from several earlier, simpler phases. There are dangling details of when it became an observation point for enemy aircraft, when the military field was built, and when and how exactly it became a civilian airpark. Even the airpark’s Facebook page says it was “born in 1943.” The Airpark’s Web site puts it at 1942.

Evidence is clear that the military field was built two years into World War II. A big defense budget built a number of smaller airfields around the state, Keystone Heights and Gainesville airport among them.

According to a later Florida Times Union edition, Crystal Lake residents in general and the Charlie Johns family in particular feared all that concrete would cause Crystal Lake to dry up.

In the Oct. 20, 1942 edition of the Bradford County Telegraph, there was a short item related to the “increased interest” in the Aircraft Observation Tower at Blanding Center. However, there was no mention of the air field being built or opening in any edition of the paper that month. That could have been due to a press blackout for security reasons. Some of the earliest aerial photos of the airfield are marked “Restricted” or “Confidential.”

One restricted photo indicates that the airfield was first occupied by the Army Airforce, with a ramp filled with P-47 Thunderbolts. Thereafter, the airpark was used for a succession of service branches, including the Navy. Within a year or two of completion the field had already been abandoned for strict military use.

The airfield was handed over to Keystone Heights on August 21, 1947. Again, no notice of the transfer of ownership was printed in the Bradford County Telegraph.

The observance of the airpark’s 70th birthday was designed to highlight the facility, rather than carve its history in stone—to an extent, it was a P.R. effort, if you will. Some precise date had to be chosen.

The celebration may be taken as a special nod to the men and women who have worked hard over the last 70 years to turn three abandoned, backwoods runways into a valuable, functioning aeronautical facility worthy of respect. More recently, Bob Canady and Dean Weaver were among those, as were Scott Roberts, Noel Thomas, Glen Harris and a host of others who faithfully served on the Keystone Airpark Authority and airpark staff.

The March, 2003 edition of Florida Trends Magazine said, “Recent renovations to the Keystone Airpark include a $150,000 fuel center and a $274,000 office suite and pilots’ lounge. Local officials hope the upgrades will lead to more air traffic, specifically corporate planes.”

See AIRPARK, p. 4A

KH Airpark celebrates 70th year

BY JAMES WILLIAMSMonitor Editor

Clay County Fire Rescue per-sonnel responded to a commer-cial structure fire at 7900 S.R. 100, the White Elephant Bar, on Tuesday Nov. 6, at approximately 4:26 a.m.

The response followed an emergency 911 call placed to the Fire Rescue Communications Center. A passerby alerted offi-cials to the fire after seeing flames through a window and smoke from the vents and roof.

Owners Danielle and John Harper said the business was insured and they had been speaking with their agent. An emergency reclamation service from Jacksonville was already at the site on Tuesday morning around 10:15 a.m.

Tuesday afternoon, State fire marshal investigator Andy Redding said they have found

See FIRE p. 2A

White Elephant burns

Dr. Randal Henderson is Associate Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at the UF, but is also a proponent of proton therapy. Last Friday he gave the Rotary an introduction to a new tool for fighting cancer.

Woman’s Club plans auction

The Keystone Heights Wom-an’s Club will hold an aution on Monday Nov. 12, at 12:15 p.m. at the clubhouse, 6747 Woman’s Club Drive.

The auctioneer will auction many items, with more than 40 items on display for a silent auc-tion. Dessert and drinks will be provided. Proceeds will help support the club’s educaiton and community projects.

Melrose plans Thanksgiving dinner in park

Melrose will celebrate its fourth annual “Thanksgiving in the Park” on Thursday, Nov. 22 Thanksgiving Day, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. in Heritage Park.

Organized by Melrose resi-dents, the Melrose Business and Community Association and members of Trinity Episcopal Church, Thanksgiving in the Park has grown to include other local churches and organizations.

Members of the community donate the food, time, paper goods, and care. Music, games and crafts for the children are featured, and lots of good food.

Guests may donate food, time, or financial gifts. A single can of cranberries is as appreciated as a well-browned turkey. For more information, call 352-475-2177.

KUMC plans annual Thanks-giving dinner

Keystone United Methodist Church invites Lake Region resi-dents to its annual Thanksgiving meal. The multi-purpose building will open at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 22, with a sit-down Thanks-giving dinner served at 2 p.m.

Jo Ann Sayers, who organizes the event, said all are invited and there will be plenty of seating. The church is located at 4004 S.R. 21 South.

An RSVP in advance is re-quested, but not required, Say-ers said. Walk-ins are welcome, but a call ahead helps to measure the number of pies to bake and turkeys to roast. But, somehow, there’s always plenty. Call 352-473-3829 for reservations and information.

Clay Electric is not installing smart meters

Some Clay Electric members

are reporting they received a brochure in the mail about the installation of electronic smart meters. The brochure, produced by Florida Power & Light, was mailed to Clay Electric members by mistake.

Clay Electric is not installing the smart meters. This is a Flor-ida Power & Light communica-tion for FPL customers only and will not affect Clay members.

Clay waste plans Veteran’s Day

On Monday, Nov. 12, Vet-erans Day, Advanced Disposal Services will collect wastes and recyclables as usual. Please re-member to place materials at the curb before 6 a.m.

Rosemary Hill Solid Waste Management Facility will be open normal operating hours from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

KH Rotary gets short course on proton therapy

Office/Candidates Clay Bradford Putnam Alachua President Barack Obama 27% 29% 37% 58%Mitt Romney 72% 71% 62% 40%

Rep. in Congress Dist. 3Ted Yoho 75% 74% 50%J.R. Gaillot 23% 24% 47%Phillip Dodds 2% 2% 3%

U.S. SenatorConnie Mack 64% 58% 49% 36Bill Nelson 33% 39% 47% 62%Other 2% 2.8% 4% 2%

2A Lake Region Monitor • Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012

How the Quad Counties voted

Clay CountySchool Superintendent

Charlie Van Zant, Jr. 91%Write In 9%

School Board-Dist. 3Tina Bullock 62%Joe Wiggins 38%

School Board-Dist. 4Johnna McKinnon-53%

Frank Farrell-47%

County Commision-Dist. 1Wendell Davis 97%

Write In 3%

Sunday liquor salesYes 60 No 40

Bradford CountySheriff

JJ Etheridge 22%Gordon Smith 78%

Superintendent of SchoolsBeth Moore 31%

Chad Farnsworth 69%

School Board Dist 4Elbert Hersey 60%

EdWall 40%

Putnam CountySheriff

Brent Coates 23Jeff Hardy 67

Larry Masters 8%Matt Ramer 2%

Property AppraiserTim Parker 65%

Buddy Godard 35%

Tax CollectorBrad Purcell 48%Linda Myers 52%

Superintendent of Schools Phyllis Criswell 51%

Jim Roach 49%

Supervisor of ElectionsCharles Overturf 59%

Larry Harvey 41%

County Commission-Dist. 1Ray Singleton 45%

Nancy S. Harris 55%

County Commission-Dist. 3Marlene Lagasse 43%

Karl Flagg52%Craig Z. Sherar 5%

County Comission-Dist. 5Walton Pellicer, II 54%

Doug McClure 15%Mary Kay Engelking 18%

Shane McBay 14%

Alachua CountySheriff

Sadie Darnell 83%John Annarumma 16%

1. Road paving initiativeYes 33% No 67%

2. Renewal of 1 mil ad valorem for schools

Yes 68% No 32%3. Annexation

For 9% Against 91%

The vote is also in on these county offices and issues

FIREContinued from p. 1A

nothing yet that would indicate anything other than an accidental fire. The fire started in the area of neon signs that advertise beverages. The investigation is ongoing.

The bar and the liquor shelf were not harmed, Danielle Harper said, but there was roof and smoke damage throughout the night club. A pool table, video games, a sound system and television sets were also heavily damaged.

CCFR crews from Station 11 arrived six minutes after the alarm and gained control of the fire with the assistance of Bradford County and other Clay Stations.

No occupants or firefighters were injured. The business will not immediately return to

service due to extensive damage to the building.

The fire was reported out at approximately 5:03 a.m. The

Clay County tax apprais-er had assessed the building and property at about $63,000.

White Elephant Bar owner Danielle Harper said the bar and liquor shelf were not damageed, but there is roof and smoke damage throughout the building.

Lake Region Veterans Day planned

Joan Jones, Chair of the Veterans Memorial Pathway committee, is planning the annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Keystone Heights Cemetery.

Instead of the usual Nov. 11 date, the ceremony will be held on Monday, Nov. 12, beginning at 11 a.m. The change was made to avoid conflict with Sunday worship schedules.

The ceremony will especially honor the memories of Sgt. Dick Lee, and Ssgt. Brandon Eggleson, along with Fibi, Lee’s German shepherd who died when their vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device in Ghazni province in Afghanistan. Also killed was Navy Lt. Christopher E. Mosko, of Pittsford, N.Y.

The wives of the three military men are scheduled to attend the ceremony, and bricks will be placed in the Veteran’s Memorial Pathway in their honor.

The ceremony will include an honor guard, the Drum & Pipe Corp of the Clay County Sheriffs Office, Florida National Guard Chaplain Jeff Peppers, a presentation by Vietnam Vets and Legacy Riders, a laying of the wreath, the KUMC bell choir, and speaker Lt. Col. Scott Westervelt, U.S. Marine Corps, (Retired.)

The program concludes with the firing of a cannon and the reading of names of members the military represented by the latest installment of bricks in the pathway.

Jones will emcee the program. The public is encouraged to attend, but seating may be

limited. Visitors are advised to bring their own chair.

Eliam plans Veterans Day in Melrose

In Melrose, the annual Veterans Day celebration will be held at Melrose Cemetery, also on Monday, Nov. 12. at 10 a.m. The event will be hosted by Eliam Baptist Church and The Melrose Cemetery Association.

Rotary pecans now on sale

The annual Rotary pecan sale has begun. Rotary members and local businesses offer the 32 ounce bags of fresh Camilla, Ga., pecans for $8 each. A limited supply of chocolate covered pecans is also availalbe for $9 per 32-ounce bag.

Proceeds from the sale go to Rotary contributions to a variety of programs, like Lake Area Ministries, local school programs, sports and scholarships and the Rotary’s international campaign to eliminate polio worldwide.

Chair Shelly Gibbs said the pecans are a traditional staple in many Lake Region kitchens but also make excellent holiday gifts and stocking stuffers.

Pecans may be purchased at the Keystone M&S Bank, at Bryan’s Ace Hardware or from any Rotary member. The sale continues while supply lasts.

AARP driving course set

The AARP driver safety program will present classes on Monday and Tuesday,Nov. 12 and 13 at the United Methodist Church, 4004 S.R. S.R. 21 near Keystone Heights. The course will be held from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. both days. To honor all veterans, the November classes will be free of charge. There are no tests, but a certificate is issued at the end of the course. Seniors who finish the program can get reductions on their auto insurance. Call 352- 473-0010 for registration and further information.

LAM to meetThe annual meeting of Lake

Area Ministries will be held Thursday, Nov. 15, at noon in the multi-ministry center of Key-stone United Methodist Church.

There will be a special time to recognize the many volunteers who enable LAM to operate each day to provide needed food for the hungry within our com-munity. An appreciation lunch followed by a special program will be presented. All LAM vol-unteers are encouraged to attend and are asked to make reserva-tions by contacting your church LAM coordinator or calling the LAM office between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Fri-day. Reservations are needed by Friday, Nov. 9.

All LAM volunteers are en-courage to attend.

SOLO to meetThe Save Our Lakes Orga-

nization will hold its monthly

meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 13. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in Keystone Heights City Hall. Members are encouraged to at-tend. The public is invited.

Sons of AMVETS turkey shoot now running

The Sons of AMVETS will host its annual turkey shoot through Saturday, Nov. 17, beginning 11 a.m. each Saturday.

The shoot is located at AMVETS Post 86 at 6685 Brooklyn Bay Road in Keystone Heights. Families are welcome. Proceeds from the shoot go to

help local veterans and other charities.

Big Tree Lakes to meet Nov. 10

Big Tree Lakes Estates Property Owners Association meeting weill be held Saturday, Nov. 10, at 9 a.m. The meeting will be held at the office located at Laredo St. and C.R. 214. There will be an election for new officers. All homeowners are encouraged to attend.

Office/Candidates Clay Bradford Putnam Alachua

Rep. in Congress Ron Desantis 59%Heather Beaven 41%

Rep. in CongressLeAnne Kolb 71% 50% 19%Corrine Brown 24% 44% 77%Eileen Fleming 4% 6% 3%

State Senator (Dist.7)Rob Bradley 74% 69% 43%William Mazzota 26% 31% 57%

State Senator (Dist. 6)John Thrasher 58%Kathleen Trued 42%

Clerk of the Circuit CourtTara Green 97%

Justices(Retain-Yes/No)

Fred Lewis 54 / 46% 47 / 52% 56 / 44% 70 / 30%Barbara J. Pariente 53 / 47% 47 / 53% 56 / 44% 71 / 29%Peggy Quince 53 / 47% 47 / 53% 56 / 44% 71 / 29%Stephanie Ray 63 / 37% 52 / 48% 74 / 27%Ron Swanson 63 / 37% 51 / 49% 73 / 27%Brad Thomas 62 / 38% 52 / 48% 72 / 28%Marstiller 57 / 43% 48 / 52% 71/ 29%

Brian Davis 95%Write In 5% Amendments Yes/NoAmendment 1 65 / 35% 57 / 43% 51 / 49% 41 / 59% Health Care

Amendmen 2Vets Exemption 73 / 27% 61 / 39% 63 / 37% 56 / 44%

Amendment 3 52 / 49% 40 / 60% 38 / 62% 37 / 63%State Revenue Limits Change

Amendment 4 53 / 47% 39 / 61% 37 / 63% 37 / 63%Property TaxDecline/Non-Homestread

Amendment 5 49 / 51% 37 / 63% 36 / 64% 33 / 67%Judicial appointments

Amendment 6Abortion funding 62 / 38% 56 / 44% 50 / 50% 37 / 63%

Amendment 8 53 / 47% 43 / 57% 41 / 59% 38 / 62%Religion benefits

Amendment 9 72 / 28 60 / 40% 59 / 41% 56 / 44%Military survivingspousal exemption

Amendment 10 56 / 44% 45 / 55% 42 / 58% 38 / 62%Tangible propertyexemption

Amendment 11 74 / 26% 63 / 37% 60 / 40% 56 / 44%Exemptionlow income seniors

Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012 • Lake Region Monitor 3A

Gizmo, other Kangaroo stations go ValeroWhen Magenta Line driver

Bill Gahman was taking the 5 p.m. trip to Gainesville two Fridays ago, he got a call on his cell phone to remind him that as of last Monday, he would no longer be able to use his Clay Transit gas card at the Gizmo.

All the Clay Transit vans in the Keystone Heights area had been getting their gas there. Nobody knew what to do the following week; Gizmo was switching from Chevron Gas to Valero. Thier charge cards would no longer be valid.

Like the Clay Transit drivers, the change was due to affect many consumers in the Lake Region.

Kangaroo personnel at the Gizmo last week said it wasn’t just their station switching to Valero gas; it was all Kangaroo Chevron stations. Another station at Midway also made the switch.

“Our contract with Chevron was up,” a Gizmo manager said, “Valero offered us a better deal.”

Named for the mission San Antonio de Valero—the Alamo’s original name—Valero Energy Corporation was created on Jan. 1, 1980, as the corporate successor to LoVaca Gathering Company, a subsidiary of the Coastal States Gas Corporation. The change came about following a massive lawsuit against another company entirely.

Valero’s natural-gas transportation business diversified in the mid-1980s when the company purchased a 50 percent interest in a Corpus Christi refinery owned by Saber Energy. The operation began

as a vacuum and crude unit near the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. In the years that followed, Valero added more refineries starting in 1997, operating 16 plants today. Through its acquisitions, the company also branched into retail and wholesale markets and operates under the Valero, Diamond Shamrock, Shamrock and Beacon brands in the United States and the Caribbean; Ultramar in Canada; and Texaco in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Valero has a workforce of 22,000 employees and maintains a refining capacity of 3 million barrels per day, making it the

world’s largest independent refiner—tops among refiners that don’t also drill for oil. The company ranks number 12 on the current Fortune 500 list, and is still based in its San Antonio hometown.

Valero is also a leading ethanol producer with 10 ethanol plants in the Midwest and a combined production of 1.2 billion gallons per year. Valero also operates a 33-turbine wind farm near its McKee Refinery in Sunray, Texas.

One clerk at the Gizmo last week said she hadn’t noticed much change in the number of customers stopping at the Gizmo

for gas. She added that they hoped the benefits of the better deal would trickle down to the consumer.

Gas prices have come down considerably since Sandy went by. Before the storm, prices hovered around $4 a gallon. This week the Lake Region’s gas was $3.30 to $3.45.

At the S.R. 100 Kangaroo in Keystone Heights last Saturday, and at the Gizmo, gas was $3.429 per gallon. At the Lawrence Boulevard Kangaroo, it was $3.439. At the BP Station north (or west) of town, gas was $3.359 and at the S.R. 100/C.R. 214 BP, regular was $3.429.

The Gizmo Pantry station recently changed from Chevron gas to Valero. Other Kangaroo stations changed as well.

ProtonContinued from p. 1A

The fact that x-rays behave as they do can produce side effects from radiation therapy that med-ical doctors and their patients prefer to avoid. In prostate can-cer, radiation therapy can result in erectile dysfunction or incon-tinence, for example. In child-hood cancers, the x-rays can affect undeveloped, growing organs or tissues nearby. The side effects can have lifelong results for the child. At worst, the exposure to radiation treatment of other parts of the body can result in new tumors.

With proton therapy, there is no “exit dosage.” The proton stream can be controlled to re-lease its energy at a pinpointed spot within the body–a tumor, say–without affecting tissue or organs nearby.

For a few years, the treatment was available only at facilities connected to universities and research institutes specializing in experimental therapy. Some of the earliest trials combined proton therapy with standard IMRT or Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy. Once the medical scientists were sure proton therapy worked on its own, they began to administer the new procedure by itself.

New tests have resulted, com-paring radiation therapy to pro-ton therapy. Most tests indicate that proton therapy is as effec-tive if not more so, in fighting tumors.

There was considerable evi-dence that proton therapy also interfered less with other parts of the body. Higher doses could be administered because of the ability to focus the proton stream.

Until, that is, the Journal of the American Medical Association, published an article last April

that concluded “proton therapy is more toxic and no more effective than IMRT in the treatment of prostate cancer.”

The fact that proton therapy also costs about a third more—$51,000 per treatment rather than $43,000 per treatment-rightly or wrongly gave proton therapy a black mark.

However, four subsequent articles were published, refuting the original JAMA article’s claim.

The original article was based on data gathered from proton therapy patients at only one facility, Henderson said. Patients in the data set received higher doses of proton therapy than of counterparts in CRT or IMRT.

The authors of the JA-MA study assumed that all colonoscopies receiving post-proton treatment were a result of negative side effects of treat-ment. However all proton pa-tients at the Loma Linda facility had colonoscopies as part of their routine follow up.

The authors ignored multiple studies based on actual patient data that report serious bladder and rectal complication rates of less than or equal to 2 percent.

Henderson said that some of the criticisms of proton therapy are changing. As the science develops and use of the tool increases, the cost of the therapy is coming down. He still recommends proton therapy as a tool with lower toxicity and risks.

For cancer patients with difficult choices to make right now, the option for proton ther-apy is there, even locally, at the Jacksonville institute.

Check with your doctor. For further information, call 904-588-1800, or toll free 877-686-6009, or visit www.floridaproton.org.

History remembered at Beulah CemeteryBY MARY W. BRIDGMAN

Special to the Monitor

Members and friends of Beu-lah Baptist Church, located on S.R. 21 near Keystone Heights, gathered for its annual Heritage Day on Saturday, Oct. 27. Par-ticipants met at the church then drove a short distance to the Dade Road Gate at Camp Bland-ing, where they were met by military police and escorted to the old cemetery.

Beulah was founded in 1850. The land that comprises present-day Clay County was then part of Duval County. The church met in a small log cabin on land owned by Kindred B. Drew. A creek ran nearby, and early members had to ford it to get to services. Later, Drew deeded two acres to the church, which included space for a cemetery. The first person buried there was his 38-year-old wife, Martha Drew, who died in 1865.

The old cemetery is main-tained by the National Guard, marked as a sensitive site and separated from the outside by a chain link fence. There are over 100 graves in the cemetery. Grave markers bear the names of families still living in the area—Boree, Harris, Hickey, Sapp, Saunders, Thomas, Weeks and Wilson, among others. A large monument marking the final resting place of James H. Wilson dominates the burial ground. Church records indicate it was imported from the North, arriving by boat in Green Cove Springs. It was so large that a team of six mules was required to haul it to the cemetery.

Another interesting feature of the cemetery is a small log structure over the grave of George Webb. Webb’s nephew, Mark Webb of Florahome, said that George died while working with the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depres-sion. Other members of the Corps decided to build a small log hut over Webb’s grave as a tribute to him. Originally made of cypress poles, it stood until 1999, when deterioration prompted Mark to replace it.

The government began using the property around Beulah’s original site as the threat of World War II loomed and the land was needed for Camp Blanding. Beulah members, “considering it [their] Christian duty to assist [their] nation in this great movement of prepar-edness” began holding all their meetings at Central School. In 1942, the government contracted to pay the church $800 for its property. Eventually, the church was given the plot of land it now occupies on S.R. 21, which also includes a cemetery.

Beulah’s current pastor, Joey Hay, was on hand to lead par-ticipants in a brief service of remembrance for those buried at the site. He paid tribute to the faith of those who “organized the church as a place to worship

the creator of the universe.” Like them, he said, “One day we will close our eyes in death and awake in the presence of the Lord.”

Louisa Weeks Padgett, a life-long member of Beulah, spoke of the hardships endured by her ancestors who now rest under the ancient cedar trees in the cemetery. She led those assem-bled in a moving rendition of “Amazing Grace.”

Many of those present brought flowers to place on the graves of their loved ones. While doing so, they related stories that had been passed down for generations. Laura Weeks was killed in a shooting while her husband, Deputy Jesse Weeks, brother of Sheriff James Weeks, was away. Her young son Albert killed the assailant before he could escape.

Civil War widow Louisa Wil-

son Thomas raised a large fam-ily by herself in the years fol-lowing the death of her husband, William, who developed tetanus as a result of a combat wound.

Jerry Williams Knight said her grandfather, Thomas Frank-lin Harris, was killed in a log-ging accident on Black Creek, leaving her grandmother, Nan-nie, with 11 children to raise. Jerry has her own place in his-tory as the first woman on the Green Cove Springs City Coun-cil, as well as the first woman to serve as its mayor.

One of the more recent graves

is that of Col. Jack C. Sapp, a veteran of both World War II and Korea. He was captured by the Germans during World War II but managed to escape. He later became a lawyer, opening his office in Green Cove Springs. Sapp died in 1993.

The tombstone of James H. Wilson dominates the site.

Mark Webb stands by the log hut he rebuilt over the grave of his uncle, George Webb.

Deborah Callicott, Louisa Weeks Padgett and Carolyn Weeks stand near the grave marker for James A. and Elender Weeks.

4A Lake Region Monitor • Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012

(Top, left) “The Zombie Apocalypse is here,” said one sign at the downtown Halloween open house. Another sign advertised a Christmas sale as the holidays come one after another for the next two months. (Above) The Keystone Heights High School band kept up a snappy rhythm and played for the crowds, all while decked out in a variety of costumes.

(Above, left) McRae residents Steve and Debbie Sellars came to the Halloween open house as Things 1 and 2. (Above) Amber McFadden was Ketchup, Tammie Luckey was mustard.

(Right) Midlife Crisis and the Hot Flashes entertained the crowds. (Below, right) John Walter Lucius, three months old, came to Halloween dressed as a “not-that-curious-right-now George.”

HALLOWEENContinued from p. 1A

It wasn’t all death and the supernatural. There were good guys or at least non-threatening characters too, like G.I. Joe and other U.S. soldiers, Wonder Women, clowns, ladybugs and ninjas, cowboys and cows, ballerinas, mustard and ketchup, angels and butterflies, a yard gnome, a wood sprite and when they exhausted all other possibilities there was—simply—Thing 1 and Thing 2.

Tru-Value Hardware was giving away popcorn. Mid-Life Crisis and the Hot Flashes per-formed on the BBVA bank’s parking lot. The Keystone Heights High School band marched (more or less) down the street, many of the musicians in costume.

One drummer was dressed in a full gorilla costume, wearing sunglasses even, and never missed a step or a beat. Another drummer, a young woman wore an impressive and alluring zombie constume or maybe it was a vampiress. Under any circumstance, she seemed to be marching and drumming in high heeled shoes-no mean feat.

For the first time, the city and the business association had closed off S.R. 21, and the event felt safer for kids and everyone else since there were no cars roaming down Lawrence Boule-vard, however slowly. There was also more room for the crowd to fan out without having to hug the sidewalks.

Down the street at city hall Mayor Mary Lou Hildreth and volunteers Maria Gall and Cheryl Owens handed out pretzels. City Manager Terry Suggs said he assumed city hall passed out between 700 and 1,000 bags of goodies, given that last year, the city ordered 700 packs of candy and ran out before the evening was over.

Across the street, costumed kids gave the bounce houses a workout in the Natural Park. Out in the neighborhoods wagons took kids and adults around for trick or treat hay rides, with and without hay.

Although the event is billed as an “open house,” many downtown businesses choose to stay closed. The store owners are too busy to watch their shops and hand out candy at the same time. One line started at the Locker Room and stretched all the way

to the Kangaroo on S.R. 21. Danny and Debbie Ethridge

appeared in dramatic pirate and pirate’s moll outfits. Mallard’s Dollarama was among the few shops that stayed open late.

Cornelius Clayton took pic-tures of kids and adults in their costumes. Several “haunted houses” were set up, some no more than hung sheeting, others created inside large trucks or

vans. Among the spook shows was

a room or two from the Jaycee’s Haunted Trail, which for the first time chose to close on Hal-loween night to become part of the town’s festivities.

(Top) Number 1 garden gnome Bruce Heckman needed a shave, but woods sprite Amy Webster likes a good man with a beard. (Below) Michael St. John came as The Rock’s G.I. Joe; his mother, Krissy was a fairy.

Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012 • Lake Region Monitor 5A

AIRPARKContinued from p. 1A

It hasn’t been easy. Canady’s vision and leadership helped, but so has Ivor Wigham’s vision that didn’t involve airplanes at all. Wings of Dreams Co-Director Bob Oehl’s efforts to build a flight museum are proving to be both attractive and a tremendous vehicle to get off the ground.

Still, the facility of today is a far cry from the runways with Mason jar-shaped lights and the marijuana flights that made regular night trips down the landings—with a wink from city-appointed airport managers who let them happen.

Last Saturday started the celebration with a serious fog. Between 9 and 10 a.m., the fog lifted and planes antique and contemporary began to descend. Then the audience began to arrive with a sturdy crowd by early afternoon.

The event had a number of major sponsors, including Roberts Insurance, Clay Electric Cooperative and others.

Exhibits under tents along the fence included a cursory history of the airpark,. The Civil Air Patrol was having a bake sale, the Keystone Heights Historical Commission was on hand, as was Marine Officer Recruiter Capt. Rob Brooks from Gainesville.

There were life-flight helicopters on the pad, and classic cars. Wigham’s Rally School’s replacement, The FIRM, was on hand with a very up-to-date Lamborghini.

Nick Onn and Val Rahmani did aerobatic stunts, including a nail-biting, stomach churning

20 barrel-roll maneuver. Parachutists from Skydive Palatka floated from the skies; one of them had airpark employee Maria Gall aboard. Visitors got free airplane rides. There was even a juggler on the tarmac.

Vendors sold everything from fish dinners to pulled pork sandwiches to the Kiwanis’ sausage dogs, the Key Club’s

boiled peanuts and the Interact Club’s baked goods.

“I’m pleased with the how the event turned out,” said Mayor Mary Lou Hildreth, who, along with the KAA helped promote the celebration.

“We might have liked a bigger crowd, but we were fighting weather this morning. Publicity could have gotten out a little sooner. And there are other things going on today, including a Gator Game, a major breast cancer fundraiser and another air show not that far away. It’s a celebration, not a circus. We’ll take what we get.”

For the last 10 years or so, the airpark has been building hangar space for small planes and corporate jets, to up the

facility’s income level through space rentals. Before the hangars were built, the airpark existed on timber and fuel sales and FAA grants.

The KAA sold several batches of timber from the park’s 300-plus acres of cultivated forest to get the matching funds needed for the hangars. The forest fire that struck in 2007 didn’t help, but it didn’t put the facility out of business. The hangars sometimes proved to be bigger problems than planned, and revenue took a dive during the recession. But for the most part, that hangars are paying for themselves over time.

Today, the board is still trying to figure out how to finance a major building project that would

incorporate a community center, a Wings of Dreams exhibition, a fire station and other amenities. At the same time, the board has put out feelers over the last decade for a small motel, hotel or bed and breakfast to locate on or near the airpark property to house incoming pilots for the night. (As is, they now have to be transported to Starke.) So far, no hoteliers have stepped up to the plate, possibly because of the specter of costly septic tanks instead of a sewer system already in place.

The KAA is also working up a program to recruit business and enterprise to the park. The hospitality idea hasn’t struck fire, and the effort to build a business park is a work in progress.

But then, in the 1930s, nobody in the area dreamed that within a few years there would be three

large runways and an airfield in their midst. After all, less than five years before that what we now call the Lake Region had just gotten some half-decent roads.

Operation Christmas Child is Nov. 12-18

National Collection Week, for Operation Christmas Child is Nov. 12-19. The annual event collects shoe boxes filled with simple gifts for needy children abroad.

Trinity Baptist Church of Keystone Heights and Grace United Methodist of Lawtey are relay centers for the collection of shoe boxes this year.

Churches, civic groups, and individuals can fill standard sized shoe boxes with toys, school supplies, hygiene items, hard candy and a personal letter. The shoe boxes will be sent to needy boys and girls in over 100 countries by Samaritan’s Purse, a world relief missionary agency.

In Keystone Heights drop off will be Monday through Sunday, Nov. 12-18, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Trinity Baptist Church Epicenter entrance. Nov. 19 will be only 8-10 a.m.

In Keystone Heights, call 352-473-7261 for further information. In Lawtey, call 904-782-3881 for daily drop off times. The toll free number is 800-409-1453.

Floridians should donate wisely to Sandy survivors

In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in the northeast United States, Florida’s emergency officials urge Floridians to donate responsibly. Florida’s citizens and businesses witnessing Sandy’s devastation and wishing to help those impacted should follow these guidelines to ensure your donations do the most good for the most people.

“As the most hurricane prone state in the nation, we know that disasters can be devastating,” said Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Bryan W. Koon. “Through donations and assistance from across Florida, we can help the northeast states recover and rebuild after Hurricane Sandy.”

Individuals interested in assisting individuals impacted by Hurricane Sandy should visit www.VolunteerFlorida.org. The best way to help is to donate cash through a reputable relief organization. Donating

cash through established relief organizations allows for versatility to meet needs as they arise. If you have goods to donate, be sure to confirm the need through a relief organization before donating.

The private sector can also provide much needed aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Businesses are encouraged to contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Industry Liaison Program. The Industry Liaison program can be reached at FEMA-Industry@dhs.gov or 202-646-1895.

The Atlantic Hurricane Season runs from June 1 - November 30. Visit www.FloridaDisaster.org to Get A

Plan! For the latest information on the 2012 Hurricane Season, follow FDEM on Twitter at @FLSERT, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/FloridaSERT and on Google+ at FLSERT.

Putnam Libraries plan angel trees

For the 7th year, Putnam County Libraries are sponsoring the Angel Book Trees. The Main Library, all of the Branches and the Edgar Johnson Senior Center, will have names of children in Foster Care and Protective

Management with Community Partnership for Children.

Residents may visit any of the trees and take an angel with them to their favorite bookstore. The angel will have a child’s name, age, gender and a type of book wanted. Buy a book and return it unwrapped to any Putnam County Library by Friday, Nov. 30, to be distributed for Christmas. Just give the angel and book to the library staff member at the circulation desk.

Remember, angels are small so you can take more than one if you like. For more information contact Darlene Walker, Putnam County Archives at 386-329-0126.

Capt. Rob Brooks, a Marine Officer Recruiter, said he enjoyed a day at the airpark. He usually gets out to visit colleges, and universities.

Airpark staffer Maria Gall was a little subdued, on her way to take a parachute jump.

(Left) The day was filled will tributes to aircraft antique and contemporary, as well as automobiles. (Above) Ciara Willis tries out the Lamborghini brought by The FIRM driving school.

6A Lake Region Monitor • Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012

Melrose Art Walk says a lot about how we’re alike—and how we’re differentBY JAMES WILLIAMS

Monitor Editor

One of the things art does is record the values of the society that produces it: shines light on how the society feels about its history, about beauty, politics, even the meaning or meanings of life.

All of the exhibits during last Friday nights Art Walk illustrate this art quality. In “Cow World/Art Life” two artists, Bob Stone and Sean Sexton, exhibiting at Bellamy Road Gallery, represent a segment of Florida most of us assume is dying.

Stone, a photographer, folklorist and media producer based in Gainesville, captures in detail Florida’s cattle ranching and cowboy culture. The Florida cowboys appear to be skilled at what they do, and are very much committed to their jobs and the cowboy way of life.

Sexton divides his time between taking care of a 700-acre cow, calf and seed stock cattle operation west of Vero Beach. His etchings, oil paintings and wax pencil drawings are almost entirely landscapes of what to us looks like sand scrub.

“Steak and Tray” is a ceramic raw steak on a ceramic tray. “Cows in Rain Platter” is an odd but interesting piece of tableware.

And then there is “Calving Heifer with Optional Placenta,” or the “Bones in Tray” pieces that become almost a cradle-to-grave narrative of a cow’s life, the meaning of the lives of cattle in raku and fired clay.

At Melrose Bay Gallery, Hannah Price exhibits a collection of wry jokes and social c o m m e n t a r y with serious purpose. Inside the gallery last Friday night was her on-going “bird collection” although not all of the works had birds in them. One assemblage featured a large toy armadillo squashing a much smaller model car. It was titled, “Revenge is Sweet,”

Price takes

found objects—pieces of wood, toys, and bits of consumerist detritus.

Her featured work last weekend, though, was actually a much bigger box, a small travel trailer parked out on the gallery lawn. The trailer was not only a mobile museum; it was itself the art work.

“I always l i k e d t r a i l e r s , ” Price said. “And I always liked art cars.”

Price’s trailer was covered with cartoon colors. The space inside is the size of a walk-in closet. The finished product brings to mind roadside attractions by folk artists who fashion elaborate grottos with found materials in a back yard. Price intends to tour the art circuit in her trailer, “…and maybe even live in it,” she said.

The show at the Melrose

Senior and Community Center featured works by two very young Indian-Americans, working in different media. The exhibit features photography by Sathya Chaves and paintings by Nandapriya Devi Sikdar.

Chaves says she tries to capture ordinary objects from unique, otherwise unnoticed angles to give viewers a new perspective on the commonplace.

At the Friday night Art Walk, Sikdar was present with her family. The 22-year-old is something of a wunderkind with a degree in computer science, but she also studied traditional Indian art in Chennai, formerly known as Madras.

“And” said papa, Radhika Raman Das, “she also knows how to cook. I am very proud of her.” He admits that he considers himself to be a traditional Indian father with traditional values. The family lives in Gainesville and worships at the Hare Krishna Temple.

Sikdar said she is still very much a product of her traditional Indian arts training but carries it into Western art traditions that are at least impressionistic and close to abstraction. She is just finishing up with an art degree from the University of Florida.

The Eastern influence appeared down the block as well at Gallery 26. Harimandir Khalsa opened her exhibit at the former Shake Rag site.

Khalsa’s paintings are elaborate, highly skilled and

very well executed portraits of animal life in a mystic setting. Much of her work has an environmentalist tone—dolphins swimming inside a circle, or a chunk of suburban real estate floating in the black cosmos.

One of her paintings in the current show combines both elements of her life: a painting of a Hindu god with an elephant’s head; a dancing Ganesh, Lord of Beginnings and Remover of Obstacles.

The exhibit at Shake Rag brought the visitors back almost

full circle. June Beverly, who founded and has nurtured the Shake Rag concept, exhibited her oil paintings including a portrait entitled “Deborah,” a woman surveying her own image in a mirror, but whose identity is not clear.

Also on display were water colors by traveling author, musician and artist Ian Dunlop, whose artwork consists of what appear to be childlike reproductions of album covers for largely unheralded singing groups of decades past, country western and otherwise.

Bob Stone’s photograph, on display at Bellamy Road Gallery, is entitled, “Moses Buggs is an avid bullriding fan, Little Pigfoot Farm, Marion Co., March 2008.”

At left, a detail from June Beverly’s “Deborah” on exhibit at Shake Rag.

At right, a peek inside Hannah Price’s art trailer, parked in the Melrose Bay Gallery’s front yard for last Friday’s Art Walk.

Above, a detail from Harimandir Khalsa’s “Dancing Ganesh.” Below, young artist Nandapriya Devi Sikdar, right, and her father, Radhika Raman Das.

Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012 • Lake Region Monitor 7A

8A Lake Region Monitor • Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012