Thursday, March 4, 2021 Volume 139 - Number 13 SumterCountyTimes.com 50 CentsEstablished 1881

LIVESTOCK

Exhibitors

Part 1 0f 3

Photos on

Pages 7-10

Gate Admission5 years and

younger-free6 -12 years old $5

13 years and up $7

Nine - Day PassesChildren Pass (6-

12 years old) - $10

Adult Pass (13 years and up) - $20

Daily Unlimited Armbands - $20

For more informa-tion, 352-569-6851

Fair opens FridayYes Sumter, it’s fair time!Miss Sumter County and

members of the royal court have been determined and now it’s time to open the gates for the annual Sumter County Fair. The fun begins at 5 p.m., to-morrow night, Friday, March 5. The fair runs through Saturday, March 13.

The association offers a full schedule of fun and enter-tainment, from the midway to live performances through the week.

There are also opportunities for discounted gate admissions and special armband rates.

There’ll be market shows and sales, vendors and exhibi-tors and pageants to select the youngest representatives.

Opening ceremonies are set for 6 p.m. this Friday and the midway opens at 5 p.m.

The associaton follows up with the annual sheep show at 6 p.m.

That night, the Aquatic Ac-robatic Show is slated for two showings - 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

The Figure 8 & Backward Race begin at 6:30 p.m. and the Agri-Cadabra Show begins at 7 p.m.

Hypnotism anyone? The Brad Matchett Comedy Hypnotist Show is slated for 9 p.m.

On Saturday, March 6, gates open at 10 a.m. and the goat show is at 11 a.m., followed by the dairy show and an open midway at noon.

The Aquatic Acrobatic Show has three showings - 12:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

The annual Baby Pageant is slated for 1 p.m.

The Agri-Cadabra Show will

be at 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.At 6:30 p.m. it’s demolition

derby time and at 9 p.m., Brad Matchett is back with the come-dy hypnotist show.

On Sunday, March 7, it’s Se-nior Day - gates open at 10 a.m. and the midway opens at noon.

Gate admission is only $1 for those 55 and up. If you’re a se-nior, you’ll also be treated to popcorn and a soda.

The open beef show is 11 a.m. The Aquatic Acrobatic Show

has three showings: 12:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

The Agri-Cadabra Show is slated for two showings: 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.

The Elegant & Refined Pag-eant is slated for 3 p.m. and at 9 p.m. Brad Matchett returns for more hypnotist comedy.

It’s also Carload Day - $75 a

Karl Holley, 60, of Wildwood, was Sumter County’s develop-ment services director for al-most nine years until his death on Sunday, Feb. 21.

In April, 2012, he took on the job after previously serving for more than seven years as the community development direc-tor for St. Pete Beach, accord-ing to an online professional profile.

No information was avail-able on the circumstances of his death. County officials cit-ed federal medical regulations as preventing them from com-ment.

“He was good at his job,” said Kitty Fields, human resources manager for the county. Holley was responsible for managing a county government department that handled building services such as construction permit-ting along with zoning, devel-

opment of land use regulations and updating the county’s Com-prehensive Plan.

The job vacancy was posted last week and will be open for at least a month, accord-ing to Fields. In the mean-time, County Administra-tor Bradley Arnold and development services staff will be handling the work of that department.

In his official capacity, Holley’s work extend-ed beyond the county’s realm and into that of Sumter’s smaller cities. Through contracts with the county, Holley and his staff provided development services to Webster and other munici-palities.

Webster City Manager Dean-na Naugler came to her post about five and half years ago and had extensive experience working with Holley on devel-oping and adopting the city’s land use code in 2018.

“He was a great guy and will be sorely missed,” Naugler said, noting Holley’s work with the city on land development codes and zoning.

Holley’s online professional profile showed a varied ca-reer in municipal and county government both in Georgia and Florida.

His education began with a bachelor of arts in political science and government from Mercer University, fol-lowed by a master of

technology management pro-grams from Southern Polytech-nic University and a master of city/urban, community and re-gional planning from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Before his employment in St. Pete Beach, Holley had served as a senior planner for the

BRENDA LOCKLEAR

EDITOR

Please see FAIR/Page 10

Please see HOLLEY/Page 2

Sumter County Sher-iff ’s Office (SCSO) in-vestigators have arrest-ed a Lakeland man in connection with the al-leged first-degree pre-meditated murder of another Lakeland man.

David Anthony Gra-cia, 19, was booked into the Sumter County Detention Center ear-ly Friday, Feb. 26 and held with-out bond, according to a notice from the SCSO.

His al-leged vic-tim, Char-lie Roberts, Jr., 18, was found dead Wednesday after SCSO personnel with the as-sistance of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conserva-tion Commission staff, searched an exten-sive area of the Green Swamp in the area of State Road 471 in south Sumter County, accord-ing to the SCSO notice.

Investigators deter-mined homicide by firearm as a prelimi-nary cause of death.

The victim was last seen Tuesday, Feb. 23, with Gracia in Lake-land, according to the SCSO. On Wednesday, Feb. 24, a family mem-ber reported Roberts missing to the Lakeland Police Department,

His cell phone histo-ry led investigators to the Green Swamp Wild-life Management area – 50,000 acres of heavily wooded and swampy land that also encom-passes areas of Polk and Lake Counties.

Investigators used helicopters, ATV’s, ae-rial drones, four-wheel drive vehicles and searches on foot to find Roberts.

SCSO detectives be-gan conducting inter-views and following up on leads associated with the murder and on Thursday afternoon obtained an arrest war-rant for Gracia, accord-ing to the SCSO.

He was located in the Pinellas County area and agreed to travel to the SCSO facility in Bushnell and surren-der himself to detec-tives.

Detectives have ad-vised that this is still an active case under investigation and any-one having informa-

The stories of unsung heroes, those people whose quiet courage and inspiration make up the soul of our com-munities, often go un-told. But this spring, WUCF will change that when the station airs “Growing Bolder’s Or-dinary People Living Extraordinary Lives.” This special, presented by Florida Blue Medi-care, was months in the making and will fea-ture people who were nominated by local res-idents. The heartwarm-ing tales will air at 9 a.m. on Saturday, arch.

Sumter County resi-dent John Komoroska is one of those who will be featured. He wasn’t so sure about moving to The Villages until he joined the Sumter Bi-cycle Club, which has 1,000 members. He not only discovered a fun way to stay active but also found an unex-pected way to stay so-cial and engaged in his new community.

“We often feature celebrities and sports champions’ stories in our broadcasts and

David Anthony Gracia, 19, of Lakeland, sus-pected in the murder an 18-year-old Lakeland man, is escorted into booking at the Sumter County Detention Center after his arrest last week.

Admission,passes andarmbands

Miss Sumter County - Queen’s Court 2021

Murder suspectarrestedLocal man

featuredin upcoming

PBS special

Special to the Times

BY MARTIN

STEELE

Staff writer

The Sumter Couny Fair begins tomorrow and Sumter County�s new queen�s court members have been named. Miss Sumter County 2021 Jacklyn Paul (center, back row) is shown with members of the queen�s court for 2021. Shown (back row, left to right) are: Miss Teen Sumter Graylynn Munz, Paul, Jr. Miss Sumter County Kayla Kelly; (front row, left to right): Sumter County Princess Delani Sherman and Littls Miss Sumter County Madeline Stephens. Court members will represent the fair association and Sumter County at various events, throughout the year.

David AnthonyGracia

Photo courtesy

Porter’sPhotography

STAFF REPORT

Karl Holley

Please see SUSPECT/Page 2

Please see PBS/Page 2

County director dies

PAGE A2 SUMTER COUNTY (FL) TIMES, THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021

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“We often feature celebrities and sports champions’ stories in our broadcasts and publications,” said Growing Bolder CEO and Founder Marc Middleton.

“However, we want-ed to shine a light on people in our local communities who re-ally make Florida the great state it is. This was never more true than during the pan-demic.”

Some of the other people who will be fea-tured in the March 6 special include the fol-lowing:

• Former Florida Ga-tor football star Darryl Perry, who awoke to a real-life health night-mare one morning. He shares how he battled back.

• Ericka Cotton of Orlando lost her hus-band to cancer and then lost her job due to the pandemic. Cot-ton reveals how she’s learning to heal and love life again.

Last fall, Growing Bolder and WUCF asked Central Florid-ians to nominate ordi-nary people who had extraordinary stories to tell. Since then, Growing Bolder has been crisscrossing the state capturing these fascinating, uplifting tales to share through local PBS stations.

The stories strike an authentic chord that has become a signa-ture of PBS program-ming. Last week, a study revealed that for the 18th year in a row, Americans named PBS the most trusted insti-tution in a nationwide survey.

Middleton and co-host Bill Shafer will be hosting the seventh season of “Growing Bolder” this summer

on WUCF. The programs en-

courage people to live active, purposeful lives. Growing Bolder is a multimedia com-

pany producing inspi-rational, educational content aimed at the 50+ audience.

The company pro-duces TV and radio

programs, a podcast and a popular lifestyle magazine.

PBSContinued from Page 1

Middle Georgia Rural Development Commis-

sion, economic devel-opment specialist for Marietta, Ga., planning division manager for Cobb County, Ga., and planning and zoning di-rector for Marietta, Ga.

tion is asked to call the Sumter County Sher-iff ’s Office Criminal Investigations Division at (352)-569-1680 or Crimeline at 1-(800)-423-TIPS.

The SCSO noted with appreciation Lakeland Police Department, Polk County Sheriff ’s Office and Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission for their assistance during the investiga-tion.

Martin Steele352-793-2161

msteele@sctnews.com

SUSPECTContinued from Page 1

HOLLEYContinued from Page 1

Sumter County resident John Komoroska is one of the people who will be featured in an upcoming PBS special - Growing Bolder’s “Ordinary People Living Extraordinary Lives.” This special, presented by Florida Blue Medicare, was months in the making and will feature people who were nominated by local residents.

The stories strike an authentic chord that has become a signature of PBS programming. Last week, a study revealed that for the 18th year in a row, Americans named PBS the most trusted institution in a nation-wide survey.

Former Florida Gator football star Darryl Perry, who awoke to a real-life health nightmare one morning. He shares how he battled back.

Sumter Soil and Wa-ter Conservation District Board welcomes reelected supervisors Benita Dixon and Johanna Jones and newly-elected supervisor Chris Wilson.

All three were sworn in by Sumter County Super-visor of Elections William (Bill) Keen. The Board just received the news that there will be land judg-ing this year. The Sumter school administration has approved the continuation of sending students to this very important activity.

We also have notified Lake County of this oppor-

tunity to again visit Sum-ter County and join us in the Land Judging contest so that both groups will be able to qualify for the State contest to be held March 26.

The Board also wel-comes the new NRCS Dis-trict Conservationist that serves Sumter County ag-riculture programs.

Melissa Fraticelli coor-dinates with the Sumter/Citrus Farm Service Agen-cy and Sumter Soil and Water District Board to try to cover the needs of agri-culture producers in Sum-ter county.

Land judging is on for this year

Re-elected supervisors Benita Dixon and Johanna Jones and newly-elected super-visor Chris Wilson were sworn in to serve on the Soil and Water Conservation board by Sumter County Supervisor of Elections William (Bill) Keen.

SUMTER COUNTY (FL) TIMES, THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021, PAGE A3

Yesterday in SUMTER

This image is a photo of industry workers at a packing house in Oxford, 1910. The Sumter County Historical Society has a museum in downtown Bushnell, open to the public throughout the year, although temporarily closed, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Contact the historical society at sumterhistorcalsocietyfl@gmail.com. Do you have any stories or photos from historic Sumter County? Send them in for possible publication in the Sumter County Times in print, online or on Facebook.

Timberline hosts

strawberry festTimberline Farm

will host springtime Strawberry Festival! On March 13th & 14th, stop by the farm, where the entire family can enjoy

music, pony rides, face painting, food and craft vendors and expe-rience some ole country charm.

The farm is open to the public the weekend of March 13th & 14th - festival days are Sat-urday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

Tickets and location information is avail-able on the website www.TimberlineFarm.net or call (352) 454-4113.

They note that they

are adhering to the state and county re-quirements of social distancing and sanitiz-ing stations.

They are asking that all guests and visitors bring a mask. If guests and visitors do not have a mask one can be pur-

c h a s e d at the gate.

E a c h year the o w n e r, Fr a n c o A l m e i -da, ded-icates a port ion of the p r o -ceeds to

a charity. This year Timber-

line Farm has pledged to St. Theresa’s Soup Kitchen and the Marion County Juvenile Deten-tion Center.

SECO Energy District 3 Trust-ee Gerald Anderson earned his Board Leadership Certificate (BLC) from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Associa-tion (NRECA). The BLC is the second part of the NRECA’s Di-rector Education Program.

Anderson currently serves as secretary/treasurer on SECO’s Board of Trustees.

According to the NRECA, di-rectors/trustees seeking the BLC must first complete the Cre-dentialed Cooperative Director (CCD) certification. The BLC consists of a series of courses fo-cusing in greater depth on spe-cific industry and governance is-sues. These include issues such as risk management, power sup-ply, parliamentary procedure, technology and policy develop-ment.

Anderson who earned his CCD certification in November 2019, is proud to continue his educa-tion through the NRECA.

“I am excited to continue my NRECA Board education pro-

grams to better serve the mem-bers in District 3 and the SECO membership as a whole. The next step in my education plan is earning the Director Gold cre-dential.

It is an honor to serve on the SECO Energy’s Board of Trust-ees with my fellow elected co-operative members,”Anderson said.

“Congratulations, Trustee An-derson, on earning your Board Leadership Certificate,” said SECO CEO Jim Duncan.

“I am thankful for your board service and willingness to serve as your district’s representative on the SECO Energy Board,” as well as in an officer role as sec-retary/treasurer, Duncan said.

SECO Energy is a not-for-prof-it electric cooperative, operated for an owned by its members. SECO’s nine-member board of trustees consists of members who live in SECO’s service area. They are elected to oversee the governance of the cooperative. Each trustee is elected by the

members who reside in his/her district. Collectively, the trust-ees are responsible for estab-lishing, reviewing and revising corporate policies to ensure that SECO continues to pre-serve reliable, affordable ser-vice for all members.

Recognition for AndersonSeco trustee earns leadership certificate

SECO Energey Dist. 3 Trustee Gerald Anderson displays his Board Leadership Certificate from the NRECA.

Volunteers needed for tutoring

The Salvation Army After School Center will start the spring term March 22 and needs volunteers Mon-days and Tuesdays.

You can be a posi-tive role model and make an impact on a student’s life by volun-teering one or two days a week, for an hour or two, at The Salva-tion Army, 2605 South Street, Leesburg in the after school tutoring program.

The program runs on Mondays and Tues-days during the school year for grades K-5th. It includes Homework help/Tutoring from 4:00 – 5:15pm, followed by supper, electives, and Club groups.

Homework Tutors/Mentors provide sup-port and assistance to

at-risk kids in small groups or one-on-one who need a little extra help with their home-work assignments, reading or projects. Also looking for volun-teers to teach a skill or hobby to a small group of students Mondays at 6:00pm for an elective.

Volunteers can choose their day or days and can choose one hour or the entire 2 ½ hours.

To volunteer, or for more information call Major Marie Harris at The Salvation Army 352-365-0079 Ext. 26761

Volunteers needed for tutoring

“4 ever 55 Senior Club” offers programs and fellowship with a take-home lunch,

Tuesdays, noon, at The Salvation Army in Leesburg. The center is located at 2605 South St. Anyone 55 or older is invited to attend.

The programs for

March are: March 5 - Byers Funeral Home; March 9 - Wild Wild West “Dress in your best western gear”; March 16 – bingo; March 23 – pet therapy; March 30 – Easter egg decorating.

For more informa-tion, call The Salvation Army at 352-365-0079.

Monday – Friday,

8 a.m. A community breakfast is available at The Salvation Army, open to anyone.

Dine in or take break-fast out.

Salvation Army offers events, asks for volunteers

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Grace Tabernacle of-fers Griefshare sessions at 6 p.m. on Sundays.

Grace Tabernacle is located at 7279 E. C.R. 468, Wildwood.

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The Times publishes information and

comments from political representatives

in an effort to let constituents know where

their representatives stand on issues.

Congressman Daniel Webster is the U.S.

Representative for Florida’s 11th congres-

sional district since 2017. He recently re-

leased the following statement regarding

the vote on the recent COVID-19 relief bill:

“On the campaign trail, President Biden promised to pursue unity and biparti-sanship, yet he did the opposite with the first major bill his administration has pushed. This so-called COVID-19 relief bill spends less than 9% on combating COVID. House Democrats kept Repub-licans out of the development process and rejected our proposals that would ensure funds are spent on COVID relief, including my amendment that redirect-ed $9 billion to FEMA as they support vaccine distribution and administration across the country. “It spends trillions of dollars on liberal wish-list items, including $350 billion to bailout failed blue states, $260 billion to pay people not to work through August,

taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions and benefits for illegal immigrants.“The President and Democrat Leaders are pushing this bill through, despite there being approximately $1 trillion in unspent funds from the COVID relief bills passed last year. This is not about helping hardworking Americans who are still suffering because of the pandemic, this about chalking up a win for socialist-liber-al ideas.”Democrats’ “COVID” bill:• Doesn’t open schools despite pro-viding $129 billion for schools as 95% of this money is allocated to be spent in years 2022-2028• Allocates over $100 million for Pelosi and Schumer’s pet projects: the Silicon Valley Underground Tunnel and Seaway International Bridge to Canada• Provides $135 million to the Na-tional Endowment of the Arts• Spends $86 billion bailout mul-

tiemployer pension plans without any reform• Provides $35 billion to subsidize Obamacare premiums• Eliminates 1.4 million jobs through their mandated minimum wage hike • Allows Planned Parenthood to receive PPP fundingDemocrats rejected every Republican idea and proposal, including my amend-ment to redirect $9 billion to FEMA as they support vaccine distribution and administration across the country. They also rejected a proposed amend-ment by Rep. Hinson that would redi-rect the $140 million allocated for the Pelosi and Schumer projects to support mental health and suicide prevention services in States where children do not have the option of in-person instruction at school. Sadly, Democrats’ actions show this bill was not about helping hardwork-ing Americans who are still suffering because of the pandemic, it was about chalking up a win for socialist-liberalist ideas.

PAGE A4 SUMTER COUNTY (FL) TIMES, THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021

My life is a sympho-ny. You must know

right up front I had to quit play-ing music af-ter a couple of years and I nev-er asked a girl to dance a two-step because for some reason my body can’t keep a musical beat. I’m glad I never joined the mili-tary and tried to march because I would be one of those guys who can-not keep a cadence. The tuning of an orchestra sounds awful, but, all of my life I have felt there is a dif-ferent cadence. We all have a great con-ductor who formed us and keeps the whole universe in order.

Every once in a while, I get this feeling I am in His

cadence and He is pleased as I try to match his steps.

Have you ever seen a child walking behind their par-

ent and trying to keep the size of the steps and the speed? It’s adorable as the child wants to imitate the parent so badly, but does not have the physical capabilities. My Father is the con-ductor. I can get cut off at the drive through at McDonalds and still drive by the one who cut me off because

their meal is not ready and mine is. I can get passed on the high-way, even though I’m doing the speed limit, and pull up beside them at the next traf-fic light and my journey was pleasant and peaceful. I can have a used tool stolen and I get a brand new one. If there is no conflict, there is no story. My life has been full of con-flict and I have a great story. I will chase lions where oth-

ers run. I will face giants who slan-der my Father. I will protect those who my Father gave me charge over as they are trying to find their cadence and it may look very clumsy to others. My conductor is pleased when I take big steps to match His steps because I want to be like Him.Time and time again, every time I thought something was lost it was a closed door and the Great Conductor had something much better for me. Every time I did not try to keep the step, there was grief and often pain, which I don’t think He wanted me to suffer. Last but not least, when all of my brothers and sisters are playing in harmony and unity, there can be a great song and the music is good for our hearts. My life is a symphony.

B E Y O N D S U M T E R

The Voice of Sumter County since 1881The editorial opinion expressed in the Sumter County

Times is the opinion of the news staff of this newspaper.Publisher - Gerry Mulligan

Editor - Brenda Locklear

204 E. McCollum Ave.Bushnell, Fl. 33513

Member Florida Press Assocation

l The opinions expressed in Sumter County

Times editorials are the opinions of the editorial

board of the newspaper.

l Viewpoints depicted in political cartoons,

columns or letters do not necessarily represent

the opinion of the editorial board.

l Groups or individuals are invited to express

their opinions in a letter to the editor.

l All letters must be signed and include a

phone number and hometown, including letters

sent via e-mail. Phone numbers will not be

printed or given out.l We reserve the right to edit letters for length,

libel, fairness and good taste.

l Letters must be no longer than 450 words, and writers will be limited to two letters per month.

l SEND LETTERS TO: The Editor, The Sum-

ter County Times, 204 E. McCollum Ave., Bush-

nell, Fla., 33513, or e-mail news@sctnews.com.

O P I N I O N S I N V I T E D

Sumter County Times

Opinion

My life is a symphony

Vintage signs andreasured memories

Editor’s note - A contributor to the Sumter County Times, Sandra McClanahan is a lifelong resident of Webster, who has been a teacher at South Sumter High

School since 1984. She currently teaches Spanish, but over the years, she has taught French, ACT Prep and reading. She has a love for international travel and photography and is currently going through her family properties and keepsakes, after the recent passing of her mother. Sandra has also taken a success-ful journey in pursuit of weight loss and a healthier lifestyle. This has been Sandra’s experience.

I have been wondering and wonder-ing about the whereabouts of this particular piece of cardboard.

The building here in Webster that was my Dad’s “shop” was a drugstore/soda-and-ice cream counter in the past. It is now a Hispanic church. Also, there was a teeny-tiny gas station on the cor-ner, which is now the parking lot for the church.

When Dad turned the building into his workshop, he brought home the black marble soda fountain countertop (which became our fireplace mantle ... still is), and he left this advertisement where it was ... over the door, to be seen

as you exit the building.I saw this as I exited the shop for many years. Eventual-

ly, the poster came to the house, but it was stored ...not dis-played. Therefore, my memories of this poster are tied sole-ly to Dad’s shop.

Yesterday, I was decluttering my bedroom (I resumed residence in my old bedroom when I started staying with Mom, and plan to stay there... but I haven’t fully “claimed” the room until now). She had stashed a lot of stuff in there through the years and I am just now clearing most of it out - I found it tucked behind the dresser!

Even though I have been vegan/dairy-free for at least three and a half years now, I love this vintage poster and ...it doesn’t make me want traditional ice cream. Instead, it throws me back to my child-hood ... to that old, saw-dust-filled shop and to time spent with my Dad.

“When Dad turned the building into his workshop, he brought home the black marble soda fountain coun-tertop (which became our fireplace mantle ... still is), and he left this advertisement where it was ... over the door, to be seen as you exit the building.

SandraMcClanahan

DuWayne Sipper

CongressmanDaniel Webster

Webster: COVID bill is liberal pork

Spring

bazaar

canceledDear Friends and

Customers,Regrettably, it has

been necessary to can-cel this year’s Spring Bazaar due to COVID 19 concerns.

We thank you for your longstanding pa-tronage and pray we will see you at the March 2022 Bazaar!

The First United Methodist Church of Bushnell at 221 W. No-ble Avenue Bushnell.

First United MethodistBushnell

Email your letters/comments to:news@sctnews.com

SUMTER COUNTY (FL) TIMES, THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021, PAGE A5

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Senior CableBy SkySat 20

Prices and channels may vary, call for details.

000ZRW1

Pleasant Hill Baptist

6 p.m. on Wednesdays and 11 a.m. on Sunday mornings.

They are streamed lived, through Facebook.

Their website is www.pleasanthillbaptistchurch.net

Questions? Call Pastor Isaiah del Pilar at 352-346-6103.

Sumterville Assembly of GodShort sermons of hope,

worship videos and homes-chool tips.

Bible study at 10 a.m., ser-mon at 11 a.m. on Sundays.

They also offer Kid�s Culture videos, with their children�s leader sharing a message and craft for children.

They can be found at Sumterville Assembly of God, Facebook.

First Baptist

Church Webster11 a.m. on Sundaywww.fbcwebster.com or

FBC Webster Facebook

Lake Panasoffkee United Methodist

Church9:30 a.m. on Sundayswww.facebook.com/

LkPanUMC

Encounter Church505 Mulberry St. Coleman

Fresh Encounter drive-in services at 7:45 p.m. on Sat-urday nights.

First Baptist Church of OxfordOnline services available

Sunday mornings on You-Tube and Facebook.

Drive-up services at 9 a.m. on Sunday mornings.

Check the website for updates.

www.fbcoxfordfl.org/ Facebook: www.facebook.

com/FirstBaptistOxfordFLQuestions? Contact FBCO

at fbcoxfordfl@yahoo.com

Grace Tabernacle

WildwoodOnline services Wednesday 6:30 p.m.Sunday 10:30 a.m.Join us on Facebook or at

gracetab.orgContact 352-748-3255 or

admin@gracetab.org

125 W. Anderson Ave. 793-4612

• Sunday School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00 A.M. • Kingdom Cafe Fellowship . . . . 10:00 A.M. • Sunday Worship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:30 A.M. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . & 6:00 P.M. • Wednesday Bible Study . . . . . . . . . . 6:30 P.M.

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First Baptist Church of Bushnell BUSHNELL

000ZJJX

SUMTERVILLE

Sumterville United Methodist Church “OVER 150 YEARS OF PRAYER”

2565 CR 522 • 1 BLOCK EAST OF HWY 301 Invites you to attend Sunday worship service 9:30 a.m.

Pastor Charles Tomberlin All children are invited.

First Baptist Church of Lake Panasoffkee

802 CR 470, Lake Panasoffkee 793-5510 Sunday Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:00 a.m.

Growth Groups . . . . . . . . . 9:00 a.m. & 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday Night Growth Groups For All Ages . . . . . . . . 6:30 p.m.

Pastor Randy Alonso 000ZJKB

LAKE PANASOFFKEE

BUSHNELL

First United Methodist Church O FFERING OUR COMMUNITY Faith, Hope & Love

SUNDAY WORSHIP 11 A . M . Pastor Jan Justice

I N P ERSON AND ON F ACEBOOK

221 W. Noble Ave. • 793-3221

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BUSHNELL

THE BUSHNELL

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

323 N. ETHERIDGE ALL ARE WELCOME

Public Worship: 10:30 A . M . WEDNESDAY: Bible Study - 10:00 A . M .

352-793-4202 000ZJJP

South Point Church “Where Families Come Together!”

793-3455 105 E. Central Ave.• P.O. Box 1128, Bushnell, FL 33513

Sunday Worship 10:45 a.m. Wednesday Bible Study 7:00 p.m. Pastor Rocky Cunningham 0

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BUSHNELL

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WEBSTER

Sunday School 9:45 AM Morning Worship 11:00 AM Evening Service 6:00 PM Wednesday Prayer Meeting 6:30 PM

First Baptist Church of Webster

1/4 mile east of 471 on SE 1st Ave.

All Are Welcome At

Cross Connection Church Formerly Bushnell Assembly o f God

Christian Education 9:00 A.M. • Worship 10:00 A.M.

Sunday Evening - please call for date and time

Wed. Discipleship Night 7:00 P.M.

1451 West C.R. 476, Bushnell 793-2240

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BUSHNELL

4.5 Miles W. of I-75

on Hwy. 4 8

Sunday: Traditional Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8:00 A.M. Small Groups Bible Study . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:05 A.M. Contemporary Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:15 A.M. Bible Study for Men & Women . . . . . 5:30 P.M.

Wednesday Evening: Adult Bible Study, Children’s Church, Youth Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:30 P.M.

BUSHNELL

questions@wahoochurch.org 35 2 793-6015

PAUL ALONSO PASTOR

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SUMTER COUNTY

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BAHA’I FAITH THE BAHA’IS OF SUMTER

COUNTY INVITE YOU TO A

ZOOM DEVOTIONAL EVERY SATURDAY AT 10:00 AM

Call: 352-600-2770 BAHAISOFSUMTERCOUNTY.COM

“ALL ARE THE SERVANTS OF GOD AND MEMBERS OF ONE HUMAN FAMILY”

BAHA’I FAITH

Indian Hill Baptis t Church Indian Hill Baptis t Church Pastor Irvin Mizell

7819 CR 633, Bushnell • West 476 between 476B & 575

Sunday School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:45 am Morning Worship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:00 am Evening Worship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:00 pm Wednesday Prayer Service . . . . 7:00 pm

Youth Group 000ZJJU

BUSHNELL

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Sunday Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Morning Worship 10:30 a.m. Evening Worship 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday Family Training Hour 7:00 p.m.

4309 CR 772 Webster, FL 33597 • 352-793-4281

WEBSTER

The Church of The FishermenA United Methodist Congregation

www.churchofthefishermen.org

589 CR 470, 1 mile W of I-75Sunday Worship: 9:30 AM

Wed. Night Bible Study 6:15 PMfor the Whole Family

LAKE PANASOFFKEE

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WILDWOOD

��S ERVICE T IMES : Sundays: 8:30 am & 10:00 am

On Campus and Livestream

Wednesdays: 6:30 pm Livestream Only

Grief Share Group Sundays @ 6 pm

w w w. g r a c e t a b . o r g

352-748-3255

7279 East County Road 468 Wildwood, FL 34785

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Church DirectoryWorship This Week at the Church of Your Choice

7469

24

PURCELL CHAPEL handles each and every task a loved one’s family may wish...transfers, arrangements,

services for cremation and burial, plus aftercare; treating each and every family as we would our own.

PURCELL CHAPEL is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

We are locally owned and managed with a 100 year tradition of providing an unmatched level of care and service.

352-793-4531114 WEST NOBLE AVENUE

BUSHNELL

BeyersFuneralHome.com

Compassion | Sensitivity | Professionalism

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Compassionately Serving All Sumter County

Families Since 1924

Wildwood, FL 34785 www.bankspagetheus.com

352-748-1000

Banks/Page-Theus Funeral Home and Cremation Services

Ronald Andrew

Barry,

64, Bushnell

Mr. Ronald Andrew Berry, age 64, of Bush-nell, Fl, passed away Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in Bushnell.

He was a member of the Cross Connection Church of Bushnell.

He enjoyed training horses, working with animals, visiting with friends and family, but most of all he loved sharing the love of Je-sus Christ.

He is survived by his wife of 45 years; Janice Berry, of Web-ster; daughter: Chris-ta (Sean) Kopman, of Newberry; sons: Rainer (Molly Soltis) Berry, of St. Augustine and Adam (Jessica George) Berry, of Lake Panasoffkee; grandchildren: Kelly Kopman, Kallen Kop-man, Chase Berry and Adeline Berry; step-mother: Jonalyn Berry, of Leesburg; sisters: Karen Berry, of Inver-ness and Kandice Lee (Eddie) of Canton, Ga.; brother: Scott Berry of

Leesburg; sister-in-law: Tina Berry, of Jackson-ville.

He is preceded in death by his father: Cecil Berry; mother: Melba Holcomb Gay; brothers: Steven Berry and Butch Berry; step-father: Ronald Gay; and sister: Rhonda Gay.

A celebration of life service will be held on March 27, 2021 at 11 a.m. at Cross Connec-tion Church in Bush-nell, with Pastor Clar-ence Crane officiating.

In Lieu of flowers please consider a dona-tion to the MS Founda-tion, or the MS Society. Arrangements are be-ing handled by Beyers Funeral Home and Cre-matory - Purcell Chap-el, 114 W. Noble Ave., Bushnell, Fl.

Lois “Faye”

Wightman,

85, Bushnell

Lois “Faye” Wight-man, 85, of Bushnell, Fl. passed away on Feb. 24, 2021, in Valrico.

New classes offered at Florida Bible Institute

�Come ye sinners� -- even ye in Wyoming

The FBI (Florida Bible Insti-tute) campus at Cross Connec-tion Church, Bushnell, will be offering “Prayer and Worship”, “Escatology” and “Effective Leadership” beginning Tues-day, Jan. 5 and running until Tuesday, March 4. Cost of each course is $100, which includes the textbook, tuition and study materials. (New student one-

time fee $35, late fee is $25.)FBI is a ministry of the Assem-

blies of God. Our goal is to equip Christian workers for the Lord’s harvest field of America. We use the nationally-recognized Berean School of the Bible cur-riculum and evening classroom settings. The Bushnell campus meets on Tuesday nights with classes at 7 PM and 8:30 PM. All

courses meet the academic re-quirements of the Assemblies of God for ministerial training.

Cross Connection Church is located at 11451 W. CR 476 Bush-nell. Website: www.fbitampa.org

Call Rev. Jo Wiley, execu-tive director, at 352-568-8034 or email jowiley43@gmail.com for more information. Come join us for in-depth Bible study.

First Baptist has food pantryFirst Baptist Church of Oxford food pan-

try is open for the community and sur-rounding areas.

Each household needs to bring a valid driver’s license with photo identification and proof of residency.

The pantry is open from 9 a.m. to noon on the third Saturday of each month.

Residents are required to schedule an appointment ahead of time.

To schedule, call the church office at 352-748-2392.

They are located 4060 C.R. 108 in Oxford.

Apparently, Florida is 2021’s 5th ‘Most Sinful State,” according to WalletHub.Nevada ranks as THE most sinful, followed by California, Texas and Georgia.In comparison, Idaho is 49th and Wyoming is virtuously last on the list.WalletHub, a person-al finance website, compared all 50 states based on seven sinful categories: anger/ha-tred, jealousy, excess-es/vices, greed, lust, vanity and laziness.Florida ranked 31 in anger/hatred, 3 in jeal-ousy, 39 in excesses/vices, 46 in greed, 7 in lust, 3 in vanity and 20 in laziness.They looked at such things as violent crimes and sex offenders per capita, hate groups

and hate crimes, road rage incidents, thefts, fraud complaints, obe-sity rates, DUIs, drug overdose deaths, casi-nos per capita, average time spent on online adult entertainment sites, cosmetic surger-ies and average daily time spent watching TV.There were a lot more “sins” looked at, and many they overlooked.But really, what IS sin?All good Presbyte-rians know the 1647 Westminster Shorter Catechism answer to

the question is: “Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of the law of God.”Huh?The other day on the Christianity Today pod-cast “Quick to Listen,” they were discussing the definition of sin.The guest, Kelly Kapic, recited the catechism answer and then said, “Law sounds very cal-lous, very ‘Let’s just follow rules.’ But law is about love.”He went on to say, “Sin is something that dis-rupts my relationship

with God and distorts the shalom, the good peace that God creat-ed for his people and his world. So, sin is the rupturing of relation-ship, the rupturing of love.”The fruit of sin is shown in words, thoughts and deeds, and of knowing the right thing to do and yet not doing it. Sin is shown by actions and inactions, secret thoughts and public boasts, blasts, shouts and tweets.But that’s not the es-sence or the heart of

sin.Many years ago, my pastor gave this defini-tion: “The essence of sin is NOT in doing bad things, but the essence of sin is trying to find life in anything other than God.”It’s thinking that I can do just fine on my own. Thanks, but no thanks, God. You do you and I’ll do me.At my church, we re-cently finished a ser-mon series on the heart of Christ. The final ser-mon was on the love of God for sinners.As the pastor pointed out, “But God demon-strates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Ro-mans 5:8).God demonstrates -- present tense. He is continually demon-strating his love for

those who continually rupture the relation-ship and distort the shalom.So, yeah, we sin and lead DIY lives, even people living in Wyo-ming.The good news is, God continues to love, to of-fer his remedy for the covenant we breached - the atoning death of his Son for sinners ... giving his love freely to whosoever will receive it.

Nancy Kennedy is the author of “Move Over, Victoria - I Know the Real Secret,” “Girl on a Swing,” and her latest book, “Lipstick Grace.” She can be reached at 352-564-2927 or at nk-ennedy@chronicleon-line.com.

Grace notes

Nancy Kennedy

Special to the Times

Obituaries

Church ONLINE

PAGE A6 SUMTER COUNTY (FL) TIMES, THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021

SUMTER COUNTY (FL) TIMES, THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021, PAGE A7

CC-000ZU3G

�Parents, guardians, family and friends -

For the next three weeks, the Sumter County Times will publish the annual agriculture/youth livestock pages.

The pages will include fair and agriculture information, with a focus on this year’s youth livestock exhibitors at the Sumter

County Fair.Each week, different youth exhibitors will be shown.

Sumter County has it all, from shopping, industry and commercial, to ...greener pastures!

PAGE A8 SUMTER COUNTY (FL) TIMES, THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021

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Abree Furlong and Matha

Alan Moffitt and Ash

Ashley Huling

Blake Vasquez-Knappand Otis

Cassidy Crawfordand Rona

Brice Borders and Hogzilla

Andreya Grant and Blossom

Blake Shaw and Sweet Pea

Brice Martin and Bob

Colby Jacksonand Oreo

Cannon Knapp and Josh

Addison Lyden and Daisy

Alexander Freeman and Peanut

Aubrie-LeighPersing and Boone

Bradie Polkand Waddles

Cayle Pitts and Karen

Brook Rabonand Cowboy

Addison Herndon and Paisley

Allison Gilland Bingo

Bailee Martinand Chad

Brant Hayward

Ceanna Pope and Nasse

Bryce Montgomeryand Vidalia

Adelyn Stiefel and Dixie

Andrea Martinez-Fender

Bekah Berichand Patches

Braylynn Eldridge and Boris

Claysen Baggettand Buddy

Cale Sandersand Devin

Aiden Freeman and Buddy