Features

 Now is the perfect time to enjoy Florida's famous oysters. Florida oysters are available year round, but harvest really gears up in fall as water temperatures begin to drop. The cool months are when oysters taste the best.

Florida's oyster industry is based on the Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica), which is found from the Yucatan Peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico to the St. Lawrence River in Canada.

Literally under our noses in Cedar Key, for the past six years,
mosaic artist Valerie Bretl has been going about her work - meticulously
creating fine art that will endure forever.
Working for eight to 10 hours a day on her
screened porch, she even received inspiration for
her current piece from one of the massive oak
trees in her yard. The dappled light, gravel
paths and beautiful landscaping are a
soothing backdrop to her work table covered
in marble pieces and tiles. Heavy

Flashing their incredible colors and swishing their flowing tails, approximately 68 koi, 47 goldfish and their 7 owners
dazzled roughly 300 visitors recently at the 10th Annual Koi and Goldfish Show, hosted by the Nature’s Coast Koi Club.
The event was held Oct. 9-10 at the home of Johnny and Martha Foster of Old Town. 

• Cedar Key City Hall 352-543-5132

• Cedar Key Public Library 352-543-5777
Hours: Mon., Wed, Thur., 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Tues., 4-8 p.m. Sat. 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

• Cedar Key Water & Sewerage District 352-543-5285
  Hours: Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

  • Cedar Key Area Chamber of Commerce 352-543-5600

Although there was no official count,
the cars that lined the streets up to
Whiddon Avenue, the pedestrians carrying
their purchases and the half dozen tour
buses parked at the school were a testament
to the crowd of thousands that
swarmed Cedar Key this past weekend.
Saturday’s parade included everything
from pirate wenches and a marching
band to politicians and pageant queens.
The vehicles were as diverse — from fire
trucks and clam boats to horse trailers and

John Myers is a Master Gardener, class of 2008. He spoke about hummingbirds, native plants, and the importance of soil testing before planting.

A memorial service for James Simon Bailey, 1839 - 1908, Company G, 60th Regiment, Georgia CSA on Sunday, Oct. 3, at 3 p.m. at Jennings Lake Cemetery.

The children of James S Bailey are Jane Ann Bailey Knighten, Jefferson Timothy Bailey, Larcinia Bailey Suggs, Mary Penina Bailey Nash, Ella Bailey Cooper Nash Knighten, James Wiley Bailey, William Redmond Bailey, Silvia Bailey Moore, Ashley Bailey, John Gordon Bailey, Sidney Newton Bailey, Eunice Bailey Polk, Pernion Bailey, Oliver W Bailey, Ruby Rachel Bailey Rose, Jennings Bryan Bailey and Frances Beatrice Bailey Rivers.

Suwannee Valley Players' open their fall season on Friday with "The Night We Knocked the Critic Dead," a comedy by L. Don Swartz.  Performances are at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Additional performances will be Friday, Sept. 24, and Saturday, Sept. 25 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 26 at 2:30 p.m..

All shows will be at The Chief Theater at 25 Park Ave in Chiefland. Tickets can be purchased at the box office starting one hour before show time. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for seniors and students.

With summer vacations now behind us and the biggest season of all just ahead – football season – it’s a good time to think about donating blood.

During the summer, when school is out and student numbers drop on university campuses, the blood supply takes an annual dip as well. Now, with students back and vacations over, donors are needed to rebuild the community blood supply.

It takes only about 45 minutes.