The combat wounded patriots of Aaron A. Weaver Chapter 776 Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) cordially invite all veterans and the public, especially families and students, to attend the 17th annual Purple Heart Ceremony at 11 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Citrus County Fairgrounds Auditorium, 3610 S. Florida Ave., Inverness.

The patriotic ceremony commemorates the proud legacy of the Purple Heart and pays tribute to Florida’s fallen heroes of the Global War on Terror and America’s wounded warriors. The ceremony will feature patriotic music by members of the Nature Coast Community Band.

The ceremony will be dedicated to the memory of recently departed United States Marine Corps veteran and Chapter 776 Commander Emeritus Richard “Bud” Allen who was a proud Marine and tireless advocate for Citrus County veterans.

The public is invited to the Valentine Art on the Avenue walk around downtown Heritage Village in Crystal River from 4-8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10.

The village shops will feature displays of special fine arts and crafts, chances to win merchandise, demonstrations by local artists, refreshments and more.

The Second Sunday Sunset Drum Circle will happen at Fort Island Gulf Beach at 16000 W. Fort Island Trail, Crystal River, at 4 p.m. Feb. 12 at the last picnic shelter.

This free community event is now in its 16th year and everyone is welcome including children (under supervision) as it is a family-friendly gathering. The drum circle happens the second Sunday of the month through the year about two hours before sunset. Know that if it is raining at start time, the event will be canceled.

Everyone is encouraged to join in the fun and participate. If you are drumming, please sit in the main circle so other drummers can communicate with you better. If not, please sit behind the first line of the circle. Please leave the top of the circle by the sidewalk for those with multiple or large drums. The sidewalk is helpful now for handicapped folks to enjoy the drum circle, as well.

Bring drums, or something to beat on or make a percussion sound (homemade is OK), flutes, percussion toys of all kinds like shakers and tambourines. You will need a chair, bug spray and a beverage for the couple of hours the circle lasts.

For more information, visit Citrus County Drum Circle on Facebook or call Charlotte at 352-344-8009 and leave a message for a return call.

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park and Citrus County Audubon will host a Feb. 11 bird walk along Pepper Creek Trail. Participants meet at 7:45 a.m. in the parking lot at the front entrance to the park’s visitor center. The bird walk will begin at 8 a.m.

Experienced and novice birders are welcome. Elaine Roche, an experienced birder from Citrus County Audubon will lead the approximately 3/4-mile walk.

The trail is one of 19 birding trails in Citrus County that are part of the west section of the Great Florida Birding Trail. Pepper Creek Trail is a fully accessible trail. If you have binoculars and a field guide, bring them, but they are not required. There is no charge to participate.

The Floral City United Methodist Church will have a craft show in Hilton Hall from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11.

There will be crafts for sale, along with baked goods and soup. For more information, call the church office at 344-1771.

Chef Quinton Herrin is preparing a surf and turf dinner of shrimp and pork loin. Dinner will be from 5-6 p.m., with the show and dancing from 6-9 p.m. Tickets, available to the public, are $12 and may be purchased at the post, 906 State Road 44, Inverness.

A king and queen will be crowned and door prizes as well as a basket of cheer will be given out. For more information, call the post at 352-344-3495.

The Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church will be holding its Greek Festival Vendor Expo from noon to 7 p.m. on Feb. 10-11 and from noon to 5 p.m. on Feb. 12 at the church, 4705 W. Gulf-to-Lake Highway, Lecanto.

Enjoy live Greek music, daily door prizes, specialty merchandise vendors, Greek dancing and a dance troupe, Greek gyros and grilled specialties, Greek pastries, desserts and a coffee shop. Debit and credit are accepted.

For more information, call the church at 352-527-0766 or go to the website archangelmichaelgoc.org.

Join for a Valentine’s Dinner at VFW Post 7122 from 4-8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11, located at 8191 S. Florida Ave., Floral City.

The prime rib dinner is $15 and served from 4-7 p.m. The Country Junction, a four-piece band, will be playing from 4-8 p.m.

They will also have a drawing for a Sweetheart Basket with the contents estimated value over $1,000. Basket tickets are six for a $5 donation to the VFW Post 7122 Auxiliary.

The Knights of Columbus Father James Hoge Assembly 1547 will be holding its 52nd annual Charity Ball at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Citrus Hills Golf and Country Club, 509 E. Hartford St., Hernando.

The tickets are $50 each. Proceeds go to benefit the Citrus County Veteran Coalition and Citrus County Veterans Foundation.

An exciting Chinese Auction at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Dunnellon is slated for Saturday, Feb. 11.

Doors open at 11 a.m. and bidding closes at 12:30 p.m. at which point the winning ticket for each item will be drawn and the winner announced.

For $5 guests will receive an envelope with 20 tickets to use to bid on the pieces they want to win. Additional envelopes of 20 tickets are only $3 each.

The church address is 7525 U.S. Highway 41, Dunnellon, at the southeast corner of U.S. 41 and State Road 40 in northern Dunnellon. All are welcome.

Top Hat Big Band Concert and Dance is scheduled for 2 to 5 p.m., Feb. 16, at Citrus Springs Community Center, 1570 W. Citrus Springs Blvd., Citrus Springs.

This event is sponsored by Family and Friends Reaching for Abilities (FFRA) and will feature the acclaimed 20-piece big band “Downing Street” for entertainment.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to enjoy live big band sounds and classics as performed back in the day by the likes of Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller all in a night club atmosphere.

While the Top Hat Big Band Concert is a fundraising event for FFRA, it’s also an opportunity for members to learn, grow, show off and be proud of a newly acquired skills and to always “reach for their abilities.”

Faith Lutheran Church’s spring rummage sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 10 and 11 at 935 S. Crystal Glen Drive, Lecanto, inside the Crystal Glen subdivision.

Items that will be available are handmade quilts, knick-knacks, household items, jewelry, books, clothing and more. There will also be a bake sale.

TOO FAR Water & Natural Resources, a 502(c)(3) organization dedicated to the protection of our local waterways and environment, will host its annual indoor garage sale Friday, Feb. 10, and Saturday, Feb. 11, at their headquarters building on Gospel Island Road, Inverness.

The Arnold Vern Allen American Legion Post 166 will hold a Flag Retirement Ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 11.

The public is invited to attend. The post is at 4520 S. Suncoast Blvd., Homosassa, in the Homosassa Square Plaza (between U.S. 19 and Yulee Road). Call 352-765-3949.

The Florida Sheriffs’ Youth Ranch Thrift Store will host a Share the Love Pet Food Collection at their store, 3802 S. Suncoast Blvd. in Homosassa, on Saturday, Feb. 11; Monday, Feb. 13; and Tuesday, Feb. 14. Post a loving message or a special picture of your pet(s) on the Precious Paws Rescue Valentine Wall and leave a pet food donation for a needy pet in our community.

All donations will be shared with Citrus County Food Banks. Precious Paws Rescue volunteers will be at the site each of the three days from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the wall be on display during open store hours.

Editor’s note: For more information about what’s going on around Citrus County for the next several days and weeks, visit www.chronicleonline.com, Events, Event Calendar.

County commissioners late Wednesday afternoon declared a local state of emergency for Citrus County in advance of Nicole, which was upgraded to a hurricane.

This action is strictly precautionary. Residents in low-lying areas prone to flooding or those in potentially unsafe structures due to prolonged wind, are advised to implement their personal safety plans.

Nicole’s track as of 6 p.m. Wednesday remained unchanged, with the National Weather Service (NWS) expecting 2-4 inches of rain for the county. Citrus can also expect a storm surge of 3-5 feet and potential sustained winds of 70 mph.

Citrus County is still under tropical-storm and storm-surge warnings.

The Sheriff’s Office citizen information lines are open through 6 p.m. today and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday. For information on the storm, call 352-249-2775.

At a news conference in Tallahassee, Gov. Ron DeSantis said winds were the biggest concern and and significant power outages could occur, but that 16,000 linemen were on standby to restore power, as well as 600 guardsmen and seven search and rescue teams.

“It will affect huge parts of the state of Florida all day,” DeSantis said of the storm’s expected landing.

Forty-five of Florida’s 67 counties were under a state of emergency declaration.

Florida Division of Emergency Management director Kevin Guthrie said Floridians should expect possible tornadoes, rip currents and flash flooding.

If Nicole moves into the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, the Nature Coast and Citrus County could see a storm surge of 3 to 5 feet.

Lane Schneider, the county’s emergency management coordinator, said the track nudged slightly in the last 24 hours.

As Nicole continues to approach Florida, it strengthened to a hurricane before making landfall along the east coast, according to the NWS. After landfall, the center of the storm is forecast to track northwest across the state before curving northeast and moving up along the east coast by this weekend.

The county opened two self-serve sandbag sites at Homosassa Community Park, 4210 S. Grandmarch Ave. and Bicentennial Park, 501 N. Baseball Point, Crystal River.

All Citrus County Schools will be closed Thursday, Nov. 10. This includes all after-school programs and extra-curricular activities for today, Nov. 9, and Thursday, Nov. 10.

Due to this closure, the last two half days before Christmas break, Thursday and Friday, Dec. 21 and Dec. 22, will now be full days of school.

The College of Central Florida will be closed Thursday, Nov. 10, and in-person and online classes are cancelled at all campuses. Scheduled activities have also been cancelled.

Any school closures will be announced to all families via automated phone calls and email, as well as our website and social media.

All Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) offices will close Thursday due to potential impacts from Nicole, and were previously scheduled to be closed Friday for Veterans Day.

The Chronicle will provide updates throughout the day.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Michael D. Bates is a staff writer with the Citrus County Chronicle and can be reached at mbates@chronicleonline.com.

Florida Highway Patrol State Troopers arrested a man from Citrus Springs on Sunday, Jan. 22, after he was found sleeping in his car on the side of the road and refused to cooperate despite deputies needing to make several attempts to wake him up.

The troopers first made contact with the vehicle, a Dodge Ram pickup truck, because it was idling and parked facing the wrong direction on the side of the roadway. The driver window was partially rolled down, so the troopers tried to wake up the defendant, 33-year-old Kenneth Clyde Bartels, by knocking on the window, but he didn’t wake up, according to the arrest affidavit.

The troopers then tried their car horn, which still didn’t wake Bartels up and the driver door was locked. They tried two sets of sirens to wake him up, which finally worked as Bartels was partially awake when they went back to his window.

They knocked on the window again and identified themselves as State Troopers and asked Bartels to open the door. He started to open it, but then closed it immediately and said, “No,” according to the arrest affidavit.

Bartels then put the car in reverse and began reversing until he was just inches away from the patrol car’s bumper before he stopped.

During all of this, the troopers observed Bartels to be slurring his speech, having slow/sluggish movement, heard him pressing the unlock button after closing the door, which they were unsure if he was trying to press the lock button, according to the arrest affidavit.

After he stopped, the troopers opened the driver door, turned off the vehicle and assisted Bartels out of the vehicle. He was patted down for weapons and observed to be unsteady on his feet.

The troopers told Bartels of why they were there and that he was sleeping, to which he replied he was “watching them the entire time,” and that he didn’t know what was going on and that he was in Inverness, per the arrest affidavit. After troopers explained again, he stated he didn’t understand and “wants going on.”

The troopers then advised Bartels that he was showing signs of impairment and asked if he would perform field sobriety exercises, which he answered no. When told of the consequences for refusal, he replied, “lawyer.” Bartels said he had done nothing and was trying to go home.

Bartels was then placed under arrest for DUI. When EMS arrived on scene shortly after, Bartels said to the paramedic that he knows her, but they did not know each other, and kept repeating, “Just stop.”

While troopers were telling EMS why they were there, Bartels said, “Why you saying that,” and that he “was not, not waking up.”

Bartels was then transported to Citrus County Jail where he soon became aggressive and stood up, pushing out his chest and getting close to the troopers. He was asked to sit down, but he refused, and later walked into the breath test room.

Bartels was not cooperative the entire time in the room, cursing and using profanity, demanding things, pulling down his pants, and approaching the video recorder and grabbing it, causing it to stop recording, according to the arrest affidavit. He refused the breath test several times.

It was also found that Bartels had a prior suspension for refusal to submit to lawful test of breath, urine, blood, and a prior DUI.

Good news for more than 25 Habitat partner families hoping to build a home as part of the Habitat at Citrus Springs development that’s currently in progress through Habitat for Humanity of Citrus County (HFHCC).

In a boon to its ambitious plans for its Citrus Springs development of up to 178 homes, HFHCC was awarded two sources of funding totaling $1.1 million to assist its partner families.

HFHCC secured $750,000 through the FHLB/ATLANTA (AHP), which is funded by Capital City Bank, a long-time partner of Habitat for Humanity.

Based on certain criteria, 30 families will each receive $25,000 toward their future HFHCC home, according to George Rusaw, HFHCC chief executive officer.

“This piece of subordinate funding will undoubtedly help our very low- to extremely low-earning families purchase a new HFHCC home,” said Rusaw, who applauded the efforts of Resource Development Director Maureen Wilson for writing and submitting the application for the FHLB/ATLANTA (AHP) funding.

In the second piece of the funding, HFHCC secured $450,000 through the State Housing Initiative Program (SHIP). The funding is a set-aside submitted through and administered by the Citrus County Housing Services board.

This funding will aid 25 families who are at less than 80 percent of the area median income (AMI) with an additional $18,000 in subordinate financing. This can be coupled with the AHP for qualified families, Rusaw said.

Lastly, Rusaw said, the Florida Housing Finance Corporation has assured HFHCC that it is in great standing due to its many years of successful plan participation. While not a competitive grant program like the others, this piece of subordinate financing will provide HFHCC homeowners with between $25,000 and $35,000 per home, depending on where they fall on the income scale.

“Being able to keep the monthly payments affordable with overall housing costs being so high is our ongoing challenge,” Rusaw said, noting five homes in the Habitat for Citrus Springs development have been completed with 15 more in various stages of construction. “It is with the help of these sources, combined when needed, that we can accommodate otherwise qualified families.”

Habitat at Citrus Springs has tilted the scales in HFHCC’s favor, Rusaw said, especially with the AHP and HOP funding pieces.

“Significant factors include proximity to employment, neighborhood infrastructure and amenities, along with factors such as broadband availability,” Rusaw said, noting Habitat supplies its newest homeowners with routers. “This is a very important factor to avail our families to telehealth and educational norms.

“Add to this the size, continuity and complexity of this project is cited as being very unusual in the affordable workforce housing space.”

For more information about how to become a Habitat Partner Family, how to volunteer, how to donate items to either ReStore, or make contributions such as monetary donations, building lots or IRA distributions, call 352-563-2744 or visit www.habitat.org.

If you’re still not in the festive holiday spirit, Citrus County has plenty to offer in the days and weeks leading up to Christmas. Even if you’ve been “Scrooged,” there’s enough Christmas-themed events to pull you out of those “bah-humbugs.”

Whether its tree lightings, parades, concerts, or even a visit from the big, red-suited man himself, there’s things for all ages going on leading up to Christmas morning along with a sleigh-load of opportunities to give back to the community and soak up the holiday spirit.

Crystal River Christmas Tree Lighting Festival from 5 to 9 p.m., Friday, Dec. 2, at the Crystal River Town Square. This First Friday will be extra cheerful as Crystal River Main Street and city officials kick off the holiday season in a twinkling winter wonderland with food, drinks, falling snow and Santa Claus. For more information, visit CrystalRiverFL.org.

Floral City Heritage event Candles, Carols ‘N Carriages, from 5-9 p.m., Friday, Dec. 2, Floral City. This fun and educational event showcases Floral City’s early days. Town Center Park and downtown Floral City come alive with lights; volunteers dressed in period attire lead tours of historic homes and the museum; and you can expect good company, food and music. Demonstrations, horse cart rides and more make this event fun for all ages. For more information, visit Floral CityHC.org.

The Key Training Center’s Online Christmas Auction, three-day only event from Dec. 2-4. Enjoy bidding on 20 baskets filled to the brim with beautiful and unique Christmas décor. Start browsing early and join for the second Online Christmas Auction at tinyurl.com/ christmasauction22. For more information, contact the Key Center Foundation at 352-795-5541 Ext. 312 or email foundation@ keytrainingcenter.org.

Drive-through Live Nativity from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2, and Saturday, Dec. 3, located at the Hills Church, 2 Civic Circle, Beverly Hills. Join for two beautiful nights of the Bible story. Stay comfortable in the car and watch as the actors portray the scenes from the Bible. All are welcome. For more information, call 352-746-6171.

The Nature Coast Dulcimer Players will be performing three Christmas concerts in December: 6-8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 2, Christmas performance at “Candles and Carols” in Floral City; 10:30 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, Dec. 6, Christmas performance at Lakes Region Library open house; 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday, Dec. 16, Christmas performance at Central Ridge Library open house. For more information, call the library at 352-746-6622.

The annual Crystal River Christmas Parade beginning at 6 p.m. on Dec. 3 along US-19. This year there is a new route. It will now begin south of the intersection of State Road 44 at NW 3rd Street and spectators will now be able to utilize both sides of US-19 to view the parade as all traffic will be detoured through Martin Luther King Boulevard from 5-9 p.m. Additional roads closed from 3-7 p.m. are N Citrus Avenue, NE 5th Street, NE 4th Street and NE 3rd Street.

Light Up Inverness, Saturday, Dec. 3, Liberty Park, 286 N. Apopka Ave., Inverness. Official lighting time at 5:45 p.m. Kids will love this Christmas celebration in Inverness, featuring live music and light displays at Liberty Park, a boat parade, and a visit from Santa himself. Don’t forget, the local competition for Lamp Post Decorations will be in the spotlight. For more information, visit Inverness-FL.gov.

The Citrus Community Concert Choir, Inc. is proud to announce their winter concert series titled ‘Noel,’ along with some special guests. The first concert will be at 3 p.m. on Dec. 3 at Faith Lutheran Church, 935 S. Crystal Glen Drive, Lecanto. The second concert will be at 3 p.m. on Dec. 4 at First Presbyterian Church of Inverness, 206 Washington Ave., Inverness. Admission at the door is $10 for adults; students will be admitted free. For more information, call 352-634-3927 or visit citruschoir.com.

The Trains for Christmas free train show, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, and Sunday, Dec. 4, at Holy Faith Episcopal Church, 19924 W. Blue Cove Drive, Dunnellon. Presented by the Meadowbrook Model Railroaders. Multiple layouts, no vendors and a spectacular raffle. Contact Bill Quast at 352-209-5422 or wmquast@gmail.com for more information.

A Frontier Christmas event from 4-7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Duval-Metz House, 7801 S. Old Floral City Road. Guests will be provided with a VIP tag at the entrance for the holiday tastings, music and house tour. No entry fee; donations and silent auction participation will be appreciated. Those who are attending, let them know by calling 352-726-7740 or texting 352-634-4781.

Fort Cooper Nights of Lights, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Dec. 9 and 10, at Fort Cooper State Park, 3100 S. Old Floral City Road, Inverness. Stroll through the state park under a canopy of lights, make your own s’mores while enjoying holiday music and refreshments. Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus will welcome children each night. Instead of an entrance fee, guests are asked to bring a food item or toy for the Citrus United Basket of Inverness or pet feed for Citrus County Animal Services. For more information, visit TheFriendsofFortCooper.com.

Support local artists by attending the Holiday Art on the Avenue event from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9, along Citrus Avenue in Crystal River. There will be light refreshments and a drawing at the end of the night, as well as demonstrations by participating art shops. The art shops participating are Anchored Souls, Coastal Art Gallery, Franklin Anderson Gallery, and Glass Werx.

The Inverness Christmas Parade beginning at noon on Saturday, Dec. 10. Beginning on State Road 44 near the Pizza Hut, the parade will follow the highway toward downtown Inverness ending at Grace Street by Mama’s Kuntry Kafe. The parade will then follow Grace Street to Highlands Boulevard where it will turn right an end at the entrance to Citrus High School.

Santa will be at the Sheriffs Ranches Thrift Store with Precious Paws Rescue from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, located at 3802 S. Suncoast Blvd., Homosassa. There is no set fee for a picture as guests are taking their own picture, but a donation to Precious Paws Rescue would be appreciated. Dogs must be on a leash and cats must be in a carrier and on a leash for their safety. For more information, call 352-726-4700 and leave a message and a Precious Paws Rescue volunteer will return the call.

Regal Railways presents Christmas Toy Train & Toy Show/Sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10, at the National Guard Armory, 8551 W. Venable St., Crystal River. Vendors will be selling various things and antiques. There will be a running train layout and a train background, and a food truck with lunch and snacks for sale. Admission is $5 for adults, kids 12 and under are free. Early-bird preorder at regalrailways.com for $7 or at gate.

This year the Key Training Center will be adding to their Tree of Hope Celebration by including a walk through Magical Lightfest from 6 to 10 p.m. Dec. 10 at the Key Center’s Lecanto campus, 1255 N. Garnett Miller Loop, Lecanto. It will feature live Disney characters along with innovative lighting and digital decorating and an appearance of Santa. Admission is $5 per person. For more information, text MAGICAL22 to 91999 or contact the Key Center Foundation at 352-795-5541 Ext. 312, or email foundation@keytrainingcenter.org.

The Central Florida Master Choir’s Winter Concerts; first show at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, at Countryside Presbyterian Church, 7768 S.W. Highway 200, Ocala, and second show at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, at Dunnellon Presbyterian Church, 20641 Chestnut St., Dunnellon.

The program will feature Antonio Vivaldi’s “Gloria” in D major, RV 589, which he composed around 1715, as well as some classic seasonal songs and an instrumental version of “Sing We Now of Christmas” played by accompanist GayLyn Capitano and the New Moon String Ensemble. It will close with “Worthy Is the Lamb and Amen,” the final two choruses of Handel’s unparalleled “Messiah,” one of the greatest musical scores of all time.

No tickets necessary; free will offerings gratefully accepted. For more information, call Margitta at 352-873-0731 or go to cfmasterchoir.com.

Suncoast Harmony Chorus, west-central Florida chapter of Sweet Adelines International, is offering singing Christmas cards. The chorus will telephone people’s family and friends anywhere in the U.S. or Canada and deliver a live performance of selected Christmas song(s). Call times are available on Sunday, Dec. 18, from 2:30-5:30 p.m. EST for only $10 for one song. Additional songs can be added for $5 each to the same phone number.

For information and the order form, go to suncoast-harmony.com or the Facebook page at facebook.com/suncoastharmony. Those interested can choose the time for them to call and sing for the chosen recipient.

Orders and payments must be received no later than Monday, Dec. 12. Inquiries can be sent to suncoastharmony@gmail.com. For more information, call Cindy at 352-597-4376.

Inverness Olde Fashioned Christmas, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 13, in Downtown Inverness. Expect a fun, festive and free family night full of holiday magic. Featuring live music, carolers, holiday activities, food, a Santa sighting and much. There is also a VIP ticket option for an extra festive event at the Old Courthouse and the Valerie Theatre. For more information, visit oldefashionchristmas.eventbrite.com.

Lights of Remembrance Tree and Candle Lighting celebrating those we love at the Citrus HPH Hospice House from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 2939 W. Gulf-to-Lake Highway, Lecanto. This event is open to the public and for every $15 gift, a symbolic light will shine in honor of a cherished loved one. This ceremony will be held outdoors, so dress accordingly. For more information or to RSVP, call 813-871-8444 or email foundation@chaptershealth.org. Be sure to indicate interest in the Citrus County event as Chapters Health will be holding like events at all locations.

{span style=”font-size: 1em;”}Saturday, Dec. 17{/span}Celebration of Lights, from 5:30 to 9 p.m., Dec. 17 to 23, Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park. The community can expect to see different entertainment and refreshments nightly. Enjoy Sebastian’s Winter Wonderland, a synchronized light, sound show and more. Donations will benefit the Friends of Homosassa Springs. For more information, visit Facebook.com/FriendsHSWSP.