Christmas garbage schedule released
GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Clay County Department of Environmental Services announces the 2016 Holiday Schedule.
On Dec. 24 and Dec. 31, the Rosemary Hill Solid Waste Management Facility will open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 12:30 p.m. The county’s Environmental Convenience Centers will open at 8 a.m. and close at 12:30 p.m. Curbside collection for residential solid waste will not change dates and times of pickups.

Gold Head Associates presents annual Yesterday’s Festival
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park, and the Gold Head Associates Inc., present the 13th annual Yesterdays Festival on Saturday, January 28, 2017, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the state park at 6239 State Road 21.
Come for the day and enjoy this unique, affordable, and family friendly event. The festival is free to attend with the purchase of park admission, $5 per vehicle, up to 8 people in a vehicle.
Meet hobbyists, collectors, and enthusiasts as well as professional museum curators, archivists, archaeologists and historians. Antique cars, tractors, tools, candle making, meat preservation, and historic weapons of all kinds will be on display in the picnic area. Also meet Colbert Sturgeon “Swamp Man” from National Geographic Channel’s new series “Live Free or Die.”
Take a tram ride tour of the park, guided by a park ranger. Churn butter, grind corn and watch cast iron cooking over a wood fire. Live music will be performed on stage throughout the day. The Camp Blanding Military museum will perform weapon firing demonstrations and the Tri-County Artillery will fire Confederate cannons. There will also be a variety of food vendors on hand.
A silent auction offering many unique items will be held throughout the day with proceeds going to fund projects in the park and along the Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail, which runs through the park.
If you are a collector, craftsman or hobbyist of historic re-creation or preservation and would like to exhibit, contact the park for more details.
For additional information, contact the park at (352) 473-4701 or visit www.FloridaStateParks.org/mikeroess/.

‘Tis the season for flu vaccination
GREEN COVE SPRINGS – The Florida Department of Health in Clay County will wrap up National Influenza Vaccination Week on Dec. 10.
The department, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, remind everyone that even though the holiday season has arrived, there is still time to get a flu vaccination. It is recommended that everyone six months of age and older receive the vaccine each year to protect against illness.
“Give the gift of health this season – take time to ensure that you and your loved ones have received their flu vaccinations. Vaccination is the best protection against influenza and preventable illness,” said Heather Huffman, health officer and Health Department Administrator for Clay County.
Flu vaccines are offered in many locations, including doctor’s offices and local pharmacies. Once vaccinated, you can enjoy this holiday season knowing that you have taken the single best step to protect yourself and loved ones against the flu.
National Influenza Vaccination Week is a national observance established in 2005 by the CDC to highlight the importance of continuing influenza vaccination during the holiday season and beyond.
For more information about National Influenza Vaccination Week, visit www.cdc.gov/flu.

Rizer rejoins Council on Aging
GREEN COVE SPRINGS – What was old is new again in Green Cove Springs.
Al Rizer has returned to serve as executive director of the Clay County Council on Aging after spending the past three years as the administrator at Haven Hospice’s Custead Care Center on Blanding Boulevard near Orange Park.
Rizer served as Council executive director from 2008-2013 before going to Haven Hopsice.
Rizer retired from the U.S. Army having reached the rank of lieutenant colonel. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland, a master’s degree in social work from the University of Maryland and doctorate in social work from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Want to try your hand at acting?
MIDDLEBURG – Do you like to have fun and make people laugh? Then try your hand at acting with one of Clay County’s community theatres.
Middleburg Community Theatre is holding auditions next month for the female version of “The Odd Couple.” Auditions will be Jan. 8 at 2 p.m. in the Family Life Center Auditorium of Middleburg United Methodist Church, 3925 Main St.
According to director Arthur Dolder, the goal of the community theatre is simple “to bring members of the community together for a night of food, fun, and laughter!”
“We are the premiere theatre performance organization in North East Florida. Established in 2013, we’ve drawn hundreds of spectators to our annual weekend events. With showings on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, our previous performances include, “Case of the Malted Falcon,” “Dealt a Deadly Hand,” “Murder at the Tonylou Awards,” “Eat Drink and Be Murdered” and “Trouble at the Tropicabana.”
For more information, call (904) 282-5589 or online at www.mumceeplayers.com. The play will be performed May 19-20, 2017.

First Coast YMCA board elects Peggy Bryan as first chairwoman
JACKSONVILLE – The YMCA of Florida’s First Coast announced Tuesday that Peggy Bryan has been elected chairwoman of the Metropolitan Board of Directors. Bryan is the first female to lead the First Coast YMCA Board of Directors. Bryan, who previously served as the board’s vice chair, will further utilize her leadership skills and philanthropic commitment to govern the growth and operation of the First Coast YMCA association.
“We are fortunate to have a proven civic leader like Peggy who has been a tireless advocate for the Y and our goal to strengthen communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility,” said Eric Mann, president and chief executive officer of YMCA of Florida’s First Coast. “Her leadership and deep interest in building a stronger First Coast are enormous assets to not only the organization, but everyone who calls Jacksonville home.”
While a native of Jacksonville, Bryan is no stranger to Clay County having been involved for years with the Reinhold Foundation and its annual awards program that celebrates the work of nonprofits that do work to improve the lives of people here. She and her husband, J.F. Bryan, shown here at left, donated to the St. Vincent’s Healthcare Foundation to help in the construction of St. Vincent’s Medical Center Clay County.
She was also instrumental in the fundraising efforts for the new Winston Family YMCA, as well as the building of Gateway’s new Outpatient/Administration facility.
Prior to this position, Bryan was the president of Learn to Read, PACE Center for Girls, Greenscape of Jacksonville, Leadership Jacksonville and Youth Leadership Jacksonville. In addition, she serves on several other local boards, including the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, the Y’s charter school, Tiger Academy, and more.
“It’s an honor to serve as chairwoman of the Y’s Metropolitan Board of Directors,” she said. “The wide diversity of Y programs throughout the First Coast significantly strengthens the foundations of our community and touches so many people’s lives, getting to be a part of this dynamic force is a very real privilege.”
Bryan holds a bachelor’s degree in European history and economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Aside from community activities, Bryan enjoys knitting, reading and gardening.

More than 100 varieties of poinsettias at annual UF/IFAS sale
GAINESVILLE – When attendees shop at this year’s 20th annual poinsettia sale at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, they may be surprised that not all poinsettias are red.
The sale, held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 8 and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 9, takes place at the greenhouses behind Fifield Hall, 2550 Hull Rd. on the UF campus.
Traditionally, consumers prefer red poinsettias, said Jim Barrett, a UF/IFAS professor emeritus of environmental horticulture who still plays a large role in UF/IFAS poinsettia trials. But as a result of breeding, the holiday mainstay is now available in burgundy, pink, peach, white, yellow and marbled colors.
This year, a new, popular poinsettia is the ‘Love You Pink,’ Barrett said. “It’s not a traditional Christmas red,” Barrett said. “But it’s so popular, you’ll find it in retail outlets this year.”
Breeders worldwide send their latest poinsettia varieties to UF/IFAS, where scientists test how well they’ll grow in Florida’s sub-tropical environment, Barrett said. Nurseries use information from UF/IFAS experts to make sure they can grow the latest and best varieties for their customers.
“I loosely describe what we do as being like a movie critic,” he said of the 138 varieties that will be on display. “We don’t create the product. We evaluate it and tell you what’s good and bad about it.”
For people who will buy poinsettias at this year’s sale, they’ll take them home and use them for holiday decorations. But they’ll want to make sure the plants get plenty of light, so you’ll want to keep them in bright light. They can be replanted on the homeowner’s landscape, Barrett said. Poinsettias are “short day” plants that blooms when days are short and nights are long – like we see this time of year.
They grow well in areas where prolonged freezes are not normal. Indeed, they grow best in temperatures that range from 65 degrees at night and 75 to 80 during the day, according to UF/IFAS Extension documents. In other words, they don’t do well north of North Central Florida, Barrett said.
Here are a few other poinsettia facts. Poinsettias are not poisonous, contrary to a popular misconception. The plant is native to Mexico and the Aztecs used them in their fall celebrations. The plant’s name comes from Joel Poinsett, who introduced the plant to the U.S. in 1825. At that time, he was ambassador to Mexico.

Roundtable discusses aftermath of hurricane season in Florida
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Recent data reports show that Floridians filed more than 112,000 insurance claims valued at $729 million in losses as a result of Hurricane Matthew and another 18,000 insurance claims totaling $95 million were filed as a result of Hurricane Hermine.
That’s the report given Dec. 2 in St. Augustine as Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier hosted an insurance roundtable discussion with representatives from more than 25 insurance companies operating in Florida.
As these insurance claims are processed, paid and closed, Atwater and Altmaier have followed the insurance industry’s claims-paying practices to ensure Floridians are treated fairly and their claims are handled appropriately, according to a news release.
The roundtable was held to mark the conclusion of the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season and also included officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to have a public conversation about the successes and challenges related to the first two storms Florida has faced in more than 10 years.
“We will not accept anything less than the best and most efficient effort from every single insurance company operating in the state of Florida,” Atwater said. “Commissioner Altmaier and I are pleased with what we’ve seen thus far, but we will continue to meet with residents until Floridians’ concerns have been addressed.”
Consumers who have questions about their insurance coverage or claims are encouraged to call the Department of Financial Services, Division of Consumer Services’ Insurance Helpline at 1-877-MY-FL-CFO or go online at myfloridacfo.com/division/consumers/.