A Beautiful Day at The Car Show~

4th Annual Sheriff’s Office Car & Craft Show

What a beautiful day in Ocala today for the 4^th Annual Sheriff’s Office Car & Craft Show. The Fundraiser was to benefit The Marion County Sheriff’s Office Foundation, Inc. The Cars were amazing, and chatting with the owners, and hearing about their love affair with these beauties was also quite interesting. There was FREE Popcorn, Clowns, Face Paintings, a Riding Tour of the Sheriff’s Compound, a K-9 Demo, and a Bomb Robot. Oh yeah, we also got to hear the drums and bagpipe players.

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I was surprised to run into John Breen at the car show. John was the Artist that painted the Horse Fever II Horse, “Celebration” which was just sold last week for $9,100 at the Auction that was held at the Live Oak Driving Event. I first met John a few months ago at the Marion Cultural Alliance Horse Fever II poster signing. But today he shared with us what prompted his inspiration for the painting. John told us that since it was the 10^th year anniversary of Horse Fever, he wanted to come up with something that would have to do with celebrating the anniversary. So, he decided to call the horse, “Celebration”.  He was actually selected for two horses to paint.  However, he wasn’t sure how long it would take for each project, so he opted to give up the second horse for another artist to paint.

For more information about John Breen’s artwork, check out his website: Click here

The Ocala Lions Club had their Veterans and Military Service Dogs there. When a military person returns home wounded after serving our county, they have the opportunity to get a service dog. Not only does the dog serve the disabled vet, but it serves as a bridge: it helps people focus on the dog, and not the veterans disability. There are lots of adjustments the Vet must face. My heart has always gone out to our Veterans. Usually when a veteran comes home from serving in a war, they have been mentally and physically effected. The emotional scars run very deep. So, anything that I hear that helps Veterans, always brings a smile to my face…. May God bless all our Vets!  

You can find more information about these service dogs by going on this website: www.VetDogs.org.

Thank you Betty Forest for sharing this event with me, and for a lovely day together. You are a delight to be with!

Looking to purchase a home… I can sell any home in Marion County… call me today for more information regarding all your Real Estate needs.

Teresa Fikaris, (Realtor) Buyer’s Agent

Fontana Realty

Website: click here

Facebook: click here

Cell: 352-208-5874

 Going the extra mile with a smile!

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4th Annual Sheriff’s Office Car & Craft Show

                     (Held at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Operation Center)

 All Vehicles Past & Present

692 N W 30th Avenue Ocala, FL 34478.

Saturday March 31, 2012  9 AM to 3 PM.

                                                             Excuse the tilted image 

Largest Emergency Vehicles

Show in Florida

Fundraiser to benefit The Marion County Sheriff’s Office Foundation, Inc.

SHOW OPEN TO ALL VEHICLES- 50 “BEST OF” TROPHIES, PEOPLE’S CHOICE TROPHY-

DASH PLAQUES FOR FIRST 75 REGISTEREDCARS.

FOR more information contact (352) 368-3582

                      Thanks to Betty Forest for supplying the information for the car show.

Looking to purchase a home… I can sell any home in Marion County… call me today for more information regarding all your Real Estate needs.

Teresa Fikaris, (Realtor) Buyer’s Agent

Fontana Realty

Website click here

 Facebook click here

Cell: 352-208-5874

 Going the extra mile with a smile!

Believe it or not, I am not necessarily a “Horse Person”.

The last couple of months I have posted quite a bit about horses, farms and horse events. Believe it or not, I am not necessarily a “Horse Person”. I have lived in Ocala almost 7 years and had no idea about the horse industry. I guess you can say I’m making up for lost time, and getting to know all the horse stuff at once. I have one more horse “thing” that I would like to do, but not quite yet. Sometime in the future I would like to see what a Rodeo is all about.

As a Realtor in this county that claims to be “Horse Capital of the World” I thought the horse industry would something that I needed to know more about, just in case I have a client that wants to know. Not that I really know what it’s all about, but at least now I have a vague idea what’s happening here in our beautiful county.

Looking to purchase a home… I can sell any home in Marion County… call me today for more information regarding all your Real Estate needs.

Teresa Fikaris, (Realtor) Buyer’s Agent

Fontana Realty

Website click here

Visit me on Facebook click here

Cell: 352-208-5874

Going the extra mile with a smile!

Live Oak Driving Event~ So thrilling!

The Live Oak International Combined Driving Event began 20 years ago, and has grown to be one of the most prestigious horse events in the U.S. The Event began this weekend starting Thursday and will last until Sunday. Not like HITS (Horseshow In The Sun) that just concluded last week, that ran for 2 months, the Live Oak Event is only for one weekend each year. The 4,500-acre Live Oak Plantation is owned by Campbell’s Soup Billionaire heiress Charlotte Weber.

Traveling from all over America, as well as Internationally, over 80 competitors come for their chance of winning. The event features horse drawn carriages and their drivers as they compete through various obstacles. The carriages are driven through a cross-country course with water hazards, fences, tight twists and turns and other obstacles. They are being judged along the way, and must go as quickly as they can.

The event also features show jumping competitions this year. Since I just watched the Jumpers at HITS, I opted to stay focused on the Driving Events, and did not attend the Jumpers. However, I’m sure they were spectacular.

To read more information about the owner of the Live Oak Plantation, Charlotte Weber, click here.

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On Friday night Live Oak Plantation had the Horse Fever II Auction, and raised over $200,000.  The highest bid at the auction was for the Horse “Clock Fury” by Mark Hersshberger that sold for $13,000. The next highest bid was for $12,600, “World Champ” by Sharon Crute. And the third highest bid was for $11,800, ” Freedom Is Not Free” by Linda Happel. There were about 350 people that attended the Auction. The cost to attend the event was $75 per person. I was so surprised to see them today one last time as a group, before heading out to the buyers. I thought they were not open to the public there. The good thing is that most of the horses will remain in our county and the monies raised will also go to local charities.

As a new person attending this event for the first time, I found myself stopping and asking questions along the way. One the spectators I spoke with, Kelly Moutsatsos of Melbourne told me that her and her daughter were also involved in this sport. I was quite surprised how young her daughter was, since it’s a pretty tough sport. I guess when you start at a young age you become a professional early on (see them on the slide show).

Another person I met, Richard Moss with Equipment of Culture (European Style Artists) was a vendor in one of the tents. He and his partner Clark had some of the most beautiful artwork pieces I’ve seen of its kind. In business since 1990, the company has created functional art for clients ranging from luxury hotels to sophisticated homeowners, from Manhattan to Laguna Beach. To see more of their Art click here.

So, if you plan to go, be sure to wear comfortable shoes, and be prepared to do a lot of walking. At least you will get lots of good excerise.

Looking to purchase a home… I can sell any home in Marion County… call me today for more information regarding all your Real Estate needs.

Teresa Fikaris, (Realtor) Buyer’s Agent

Fontana Realty

Website click here

Visit me on Facebook click here

Cell: 352-208-5874

Going the extra mile with a smile!

HITS~ Horseshow In The Sun

HITS is a BIG Horse Event that takes place every year here in Ocala, and is held at the Post Time Farm located at 13710 US Highway 27. People travel from all over the United States to attend and participate in the competitions.

I was thrilled to be able to attend this year. I always wanted to go to HITS, but the opportunity never presented itself until this year. I was determined not to let another year go by and not see what it was all about.

One person I met while eating at a local restaurant told me that she lives in Boston and flies here every weekend to compete. She boards her horse locally, and her parents drive up from Ft. Lauderdale each weekend in support of their daughter (5 hour drive). It is a BIG THING and those involved take it very seriously. Many of the school age children enroll in the school on the HITS grounds. However, some take online classes to enable them to focus more time on training.

The competition ran for nine weeks- from January 19 to March 18. They are all packed up and are on their way to the next show.

After they leave Ocala HITS, they will continue to travel to shows along the East Coast, including those in Pennsylvania, Raleigh, Virginia and New York, just to name a few.

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Riders in Ocala will compete in qualifying classes throughout the circuit for a chance to compete for over $1 million in Saugerties, New York, this September. The weekend of September 7-9, 2012 will host the richest weekend in show jumping with a $1 million Grand Prix, a $500,000 3’3” Hunter Prix and, new this year, a $250,000 3’ Hunter Prix.

If you haven’t been to one of these events, don’t worry they will be back next year. There is no cost to watch the event, except for Sundays ($5.00 fee).

Looking to purchase a home… I can sell any home in Marion County… call me today for more information regarding all your Real Estate needs.

Teresa Fikaris, (Realtor) Buyer’s Agent

Fontana Realty

Website click here

Visit me on Facebook click here

Cell: 352-208-5874

Going the extra mile with a smile!

Gypsy Gold Horse Farm Tour~

Gypsy Vanner Horses are absolutely gorgeous horses, and I recommend this tour to everyone wanting a better understanding of how this beautiful creature came to the U.S.

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Dennis Thompson and his late wife Cindy were very successful business owners and traveled throughout the world selling products for animals. They had no idea how their life was going to change as a result of Cindy spotting this little black and white stallion while driving in England on one of their business trips. She asked Dennis if he saw it. Dennis looked, saw the horse, and quickly turned the car around for a closer look. “As he trotted toward us, with mane and feathers flying, there was magic in the air.” … the rest, of course, is Gypsy Vanner Horse history. Dennis and Cindy had 14 wonderful years together before an accident took Cindy’s life in 2002.

During the Tour we listened intently as Dennis shared his story of how the Gypsy Gold Farm began. It was obvious that he was deeply in love with his late wife Cindy who shared the same passion of their love for all animals. We were all intrigued by his story, as we hung on to every word he spoke, and his occasional laugh was warm and contagious.

One of the of the ladies I met on the tour was a Pharmacist from Durango, CO. Shannon Knight shared with me her love for the Gypsy Vanner Horses, and told me that she was purchasing one of these beautiful horses from a Farm in Pagosa, CO.

This is such a nice tour. You need to check them out to hear the full story!

For more information about the tours please click here

Gypsy Gold, LLC,

Dennis Thompson

12501 SW 8th Avenue,

Ocala, FL 34473-

GGVanner@aol.com
Local: 352-307-3777 Cell 352-817-1777

Facebook> Gypsy Gold Horse Farm

Looking to purchase a home… I can sell any home in Marion County… call me today for more information regarding all your Real Estate needs.

Teresa Fikaris, (Realtor) Buyer’s Agent

Fontana Realty

Website click here

Visit me on Facebook click here

Cell: 352-208-5874

Going the extra mile with a smile!

THE WAY IT WAS~ Ocala organizes woman’s club…

Ocala is steeped in lots of History, and David Cook a local Historian loves to tell about our history here.  He is retired now, but was the Editor of the Star Banner for many years. I spoke with David today to get permission to post his articles that he writes each week on my blog for you to enjoy. Please feel free to make a comment at the end of the blog.

The Way It Was: Ocala organizes woman’s club to advocate monetary standard

The national controversy over a gold or silver monetary standard was a subject of a major debate in the Ocala Opera House, on the third floor of the Marion Block, center, during the 1896 presidential campaign. This scene is from about 1917. (Photo submitted by Herbert McNeal)

By David Cook
Columnist

Published: Sunday, March 18, 2012 at 6:30 a.m.

The great national debate between a silver-based or a gold-based monetary standard reached down into Ocala in September 1896 and, of all things, brought about the creation of the town’s first woman’s club. To read the full story click here.

Ocala is a lovely place to live…. for more information about our beautiful City, please give me a call.

Looking to purchase a home… I can sell any home in Marion County… call me today for more information regarding all your Real Estate needs.

Teresa Fikaris, (Realtor) Buyer’s Agent

Fontana Realty

www.OcalaBuyersAgent.com

Cell: 352-208-5874

Going the extra mile with a smile!