Among the wellness programs offered by Friends of Citrus and the Nature Coast at its Wings Grief Center, 8471 W. Periwinkle Lane (gold building on right) in Homosassa Springs is Café Break!

At Café Break! Anyone grieving or lonely can find a safe place to socialize with others, work puzzles, play games or chat over a cup of coffee and snacks for 2-1/2 hours starting at 11:30 a.m. Wednesdays and at 9 a.m. Thursdays.

For more information or to join this program that follows CDC guidelines, call 352-249-1470.

Blood donors are needed as the nation and local communities continue to feel the impact of blood shortages. All blood types are needed to help the local blood supply.

“Blood donors are needed now more than ever to make sure blood is ready when patients are in need,” said JD Pettyjohn, LifeSouth’s COO. “Many people only think of donating blood during a tragedy or disaster, but blood donors are needed every day to meet the needs of patients, and right now we are struggling to maintain an adequate supply.”

Donating blood is safe, takes about an hour and can save three lives. LifeSouth blood donors serve patients at HCA Florida, including Citrus Hospital, UF Health Leesburg Hospital and UF Health Villages Hospital.

Blood can be donated after receiving the Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccines for COVID-19 or the flu vaccination.

All blood donors receive a thank you gift, refreshments and a mini-physical including cholesterol, iron level, temperature and blood pressure.

Find the nearest blood drive or donor center at lifesouth.org. Appointments can also be made online.

On June 8 from 10-11 a.m., HPH Hospice in Lecanto invites the public to hear about a host of volunteer opportunities available.

Come learn about the Chapters Health Valor Program for veterans and first responders which offers companionship, support and more. Light refreshments will be served.

Have a certified therapy dog and willing to visit patients? Want to call and check on caregivers and their loved ones? Attend this information session to learn more.

Reservations are required. For more information or to RSVP, call 352-359-8373 or email lucass@chaptershealth.org. HPH Hospice is at 2939 W. Gulf-to-Lake Highway, Lecanto.

Life Skills Service Center is hosting a Wellness Class featuring Amy DiMauro, Innov8tive Nutrition promoter.

The class will broach the topics of overcoming fears, expectations, outcomes, commitments and goals, as well as nutritional topics of sleep, energy, anxiety, pain, weight loss, joint support and adult/children multivitamin and collagen nanotechnology patches and programs.

This class is $35 and includes a meal and two free raffles along with the class. There will be a 3-5 p.m. or 6-8 p.m. session to choose from.

The class will be held every third month: June 6, Sept. 9, Dec. 12 and March 3, 2023. If they sell out for 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. for one of those dates, they will add an additional session time.

RSVP's can be made to Avon Hambrick by calling 352-257-5636, emailing avonhambrick@gmail.com or in person at 121 N. Florida Ave., Inverness, with a paid ticket purchase. They can also be made to promoter direct, Amy DiMauro, by calling 352-292-2824, emailing stavamy@aol.com or by mail to P.O. Box 158 Candler, FL 32111.

Citrus Libraries will host several Health & Wellness events.

For more information, follow @CitrusLibraries on Facebook and Instagram or visit citruslibraries.org.

Any veterans in Citrus County who cannot afford their eyeglasses or are in need of vision care can contact Inverness Lions Club at 352-560-8741.

The club can help with any vision need. Residency and income requirements apply.

Zumba Classes with certified instructor Donna are held on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to noon at the Citrus County Senior Center, Lecanto, 2804 W. Marc Knighton Court.

Classes are low impact and geared to seniors, with a lot of laughter included. Get your workout in while dancing and having fun; $5 per class.

Call 352-527-5942 to pre-register or email miss-donna@tampabay.rr.com for more information.

The East Citrus Community Center, 9907 E. Gulf-to-Lake Highway in Inverness, announced two new additions to their community class schedule.

Tai Chi will be offered from 9 to 10 a.m. Tuesdays. From 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, certified Silver Sneakers Flex instructor Kathy Johnson will lead “Kathy’s Crazy Cardio Class.”

The cost for each class is $3 per person or $1 for Silver Sneakers members. For those who wish to participate in both classes, there is a reduced cost of $5 per person. For more information, call 352-344-9666.

From Head To Toe Salon offers free face lift exercise classes at 9 a.m. every Monday. The salon is located at 21 N. Croft Ave. in Inverness.

In this one-hour class, learn to sculpt and revitalize your face with 25 facial exercises that build volume, minimize wrinkles and lift and tone for a more youthful appearance.

Space is limited, so call master esthetician Stephanie Gombrelli at 352-613-6111 to reserve a spot.

Coping with Dementia LLC and the Citrus County Library System will offer free ABC of Dementia workshops in 2022.

“Our ABC of Dementia workshop explains Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia in plain language, suggests techniques for becoming a better and less-stressed care partner and provides useful resources to families living with dementia,” Coping with Dementia president Debbie Selsavage said.

Remaining workshops are from 10 a.m. to noon on the following days:

Care partners and loved ones living with dementia are welcome. For more information or to reserve a seat, call 352-422-3663 or email deb@coping.today.

Chemotherapy patients receive free microblading (eyebrow permanent makeup) by Stephanie Gombrelli at From Head To Toe Salon in Inverness.

Call 352-613-6111 for more information and to schedule.

Citrus County Parks and Recreation’s offer a water aerobics class from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at Bicentennial Park Pool, 8145 W. Bicentennial Park Drive in Crystal River.

The cost is $3 per person per class. These classes offer a fun, healthy fitness workout without added stress on joints. Participants must be 16 years or older.

For more information, call 352-795-1478.

Stepping Stones to Wellness will meet from 9:30 to 11 a.m. every Tuesday at the Friends of Citrus and the Nature Coast Wings Grief Center, 8471 W. Periwinkle Lane in Homosassa.

The group is facilitated by yoga teacher Ellen Armitage. By combining walking in place, guided meditation/relaxation exercises and a process group, it is designed to help promote overall well-being.

Provided as a community service, the class is offered at no charge. To reserve a spot, call 352-249-1470. For more information, call friendsofcitrus.org or visit Friends of Citrus on Facebook.

The Friends of Citrus and the Nature Coast advanced yoga group meets from 4 to 5 p.m. every Thursday at the Wings Grief Center, 8471 W. Periwinkle Lane in Homosassa.

The class is facilitated by Ellen Armitage, a yoga teacher with more than 20 years of experience helping others find their way to their highest self.

Sessions are provided as a community service and are offered at no charge. To reserve a spot, call 352-249-1470. For more information, call friendsofcitrus.org or visit Friends of Citrus on Facebook.

Citrus Pregnancy Center is offering free pregnancy testing and free early pregnancy sonograms at both locations: 726 NE U.S. 19 in Crystal River and 3185 E. Thomas St. in Inverness.

For more information, call 352-341-5176.

Dr. Joseph Bennett offers monthly “Fireside Chats” beginning noon the first Wednesday of each month at the Robert Boissoneault Oncology Institute (RBOI), 522 N. Lecanto Highway.

Sessions often feature guest speakers, as well as open discussion regarding health and cancer care. A light lunch is provided, therefore RSVP is requested.

Bennett welcomes questions and open discussion, so bring your questions or email them ahead of time to cjbennett@rboi.com. Those who have not received their COVID-19 vaccination will be asked to wear a mask and practice social distancing inside the building.

Call Shawn at 352-527-0106 to make a reservation.

If you are in need of scarfs, wigs, or other helpful items for those going through cancer treatments, call Medical Social Worker Wendy Hall, LCSW, at 352-527-0106. Robert Boissoneault Oncology Institute in Lecanto has a resource room with more than 100 wigs available for free. Stop in the Lecanto office from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, or call to make an appointment.

Medical Social Workers at RBOI will assist individuals needing support through the emotional turmoil caused by cancer with resources, including application for Citrus Aid Cancer Foundation assistance. Many services including Zoom meetings for support and education are available for patients with cancer, and their loved ones. Call 352-527-0106.

Citrus Healing Impaired Program Services (CHIPS) is offering free hearing screenings for Citrus County residents at the old train depot, 109 NE Crystal St. in Crystal River.

Screenings are by appointment only. Low-income hearing aid assistance is available.

To learn more, call Maureen 352-795-5000.

Hernando Countians are already familiar with the Florida Cracker Kitchen, a staple for the past 10 years and one of the most popular breakfast-lunch eateries in Brooksville.

Brothers Blair and Ethan Hensley – owners of that place – hope lightning strikes twice in Citrus County.

They recently opened their second Florida Cracker Kitchen on the grounds of – where else – the all-new Florida Cracker Riverside Resort in Old Homosassa. The building that now houses the restaurant was formerly used for resort guest services and banquets.

Blair Hensley said he has been more than pleased with the reception he and his staff have received from the community.

“Coming into Old Homosassa the community has welcomed us with open arms and it’s refreshing to see everyone work together and come together and help us out and support what we are doing at Riverside,” Hensley said.

This is part of the complete overhaul of the venue formerly known as the Homosassa Riverside Resort. It’s now called Florida Cracker Riverside Resort and the Hensleys have added a new bar and new gift shop to go along with the new restaurant.

Patrons will find pretty much the same menu as its Brooksville counterpart: “cracker-inspired meals harking back to Old Florida, where everyone is treated like family, with true Southern hospitality.”

“We want our guests to feel like they are walking into their grandma’s kitchen,” Hensley said.

Open from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., you’ll find such authentic breakfast fare as MeMa’s giant cinnamon roll and shrimp with grits to lunches featuring Papa Gator’s brisket and a Cracker House salad.

Blair Hensley said the eatery is a “true scratch kitchen” where everything is cooked fresh.

“There are no cans,” he said.

The Lowman (law firm) family bought the property and the Hensleys manage it. The resort is located on the picturesque Homosassa River at 5297 S. Cherokee Way – in sight of famed Monkey Island

“This past year the Lowman family put an emphasis on getting Monkey Island renovated for our primates and they created a nonprofit historic monkey island for the monkeys so they will be in good hands,” Hensely said. “This year, the whole island will be renovated and give the jewels of the river their own resort.”

Hensley praised the county for making it easy to open.

“Citrus County was great to work with through the process, especially with the history of that property in the past,’ Hensley said.

Hensley said the pandemic and supply shortage set them back and delayed the opening. But now, business is brisk, he said. He believes the Brooksville restaurant’s name has gotten around.

By the way, Hensley said he and his brother are proud of the “Cracker” name. Some think it’s derogatory but far from it, he said.

In fact, the legend derives from early Florida pioneers, mainly small farmers and cattle ranchers, who used to crack a whip when rounding up cows.

For more information about Florida Cracker Kitchen and the resort, visit https://www.floridacracker kitchen.com/locations/ homosassa/.

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

Monkey Island is a unique attraction in Citrus County, Florida. It is a tiny island in the middle of the Homosassa River, inhabited by five monkeys. I loved watching them frolic from the restaurant window. While viewing Monkey Island was not part of a sponsored tour, the Swim with Manatees Tour at River Ventures, Ozello Boat Tours, and the dining places were subsidized. The opinions about them are my own.

History

How the monkeys came to live on their own little island in the middle of the Homosassa River is an interesting story. Originally, the island was a pile of rocks just below the water’s surface that damaged many tourists’ boats. In the late 1960s, Mr. G. A. “Furgy” Furgason was a developer who owned much of the area.

Furgy owned an attraction called Nature’s Own Attraction. He also owned what is today the Florida Cracker Homosassa Riverside Resort. Boaters were unhappy when their boats were damaged by the rock outcropping that lurked just below the waterline. That did not help Furgy’s businesses. He solved the boaters’ problem by having his workers dump some mud around the rocks to make them visible. The workers got carried away and dumped a lot more than he intended. The result was an unattractive, muddy island in the middle of the river. To improve the view, he had a small lighthouse built on it.

Meantime, he was having a problem at his Nature’s Own Attraction. He had a few monkeys in the park. Dr. John N. Hamlet, a naturalist who worked for Furgy at his wildlife attraction, had provided the monkeys. Hamlet had captured those monkeys previously for research on the polio vaccine. The monkeys were not working out well. They kept escaping from their cages and stealing visiting kids’ candy bars, getting into cars, and even biting visitors.

Furgy kept saying he “wanted to send them to Alcatraz.” With his new island, he realized he had his own version of a monkey prison. He exiled three spider monkeys and two squirrel monkeys to the island. When he added a hut for them to live in and some climbing toys and netting, he realized he had created an additional tourist attraction. The tradition has continued for over 40 years and today, when I visited, I saw five happy spider monkeys — Ralph, Sassy, Ebony, Eve, and Emily — playing on their island. They seemed to enjoy watching us, too. Homosassa Riverside Resort feeds them a specially-prepared diet daily. The island is currently being upgraded to keep the monkeys safe and happy.

Viewing

You can watch the monkeys from the pier in front of the Riverside Resort or anywhere along the riverbank. If you want to eat or drink, you can watch from the open dining area at Riverside Resort’s Country Kitchen or Monkey Bar. The monkeys are a “Look-but-don’t-touch” attraction. You can rent or launch your own kayak, canoe, or boat and glide around the island. You cannot land. The island is under camera surveillance, and you will get arrested if you attempt to dock.

Other attractions

What was once Furgy’s Nature’s Own Attraction is now Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park. It houses manatees that cannot be returned to the wild because of injuries, as well as a variety of other native Florida wildlife including panthers, bears, otters, bobcats, deer, eagles, alligators, wading birds, and birds of prey. I entered the park on its pontoon boat from the entrance on Highway 19, but you have a choice of entering on a tram if you prefer.

After seeing manatees in the park, I got to see them in the wild on my Swim with Manatees Tour at River Ventures. It was an exciting adventure as Captain Laura found plenty of manatees still playing in the waters even though it was late in the season. Being under the crystal-clear water allowed me to see the gentle giants in every detail.

Captain Greg at Ozello Boat Tours gave me an airboat ride over the shallow wetlands. There were wading birds all around. My biggest thrill was seeing and photographing an eagle perched in an old dead tree at the water’s edge.

Dining

There are many dining choices. Seagrass Waterfront has a tiki hut, music, and wild bird viewing. Seafood Sellers is not on the water but offers real Cajun food.

Timing is everything with manatee viewing in the wild. Manatees come into the inland waters when the ocean becomes cold in winter, so October through February is the best time.

About 46 percent of Citrus County is park and preserve land, making it a nature lover’s paradise. Manatee sanctuaries are set up in the waters of Crystal River, Kings Bay, Chassahowitzka River, and other waterways the manatees frequent.

Florida has many unique areas to see nature and wildlife:

Before launching into this month’s new restaurants, stores and businesses, I want to introduce a feature called the “Tip of the Hat” department.

I plan to highlight local businesses that have achieved some honor or designation that makes it stand out.

First up is Pete’s Pier Marina in Crystal River, which has earned the coveted "Clean & Resilient Marina" designation from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).

The marina has made numerous upgrades to become the FDEP's first Clean & Resilient Marina in Citrus County.

They replaced their fixed docks with floating docks, renovated their bathrooms, restored the deck and are replacing their pump-out unit.

The state noted Pete's Pier emergency and evacuation plans; an active emergency preparedness leadership team that provides training to staff and boaters; floating docks that extend into deep waters; and dock-anchoring systems designed to resist storm surge and high winds.

Now, on with the comings and goings:

Why no Aldi in Citrus?

Citrus County has been hoping for an Aldi grocery store for years.

Dunnellon recently celebrated the opening of its new Aldi, the third in Marion County. Hernando County has two Aldis - one in Spring Hill and one in Brooksville.

And yet, nothing in Citrus County.

This, despite it being one of the fastest-growing chains in the nation with the goal to become the third-largest by the end of 2022.

The Chronicle has reached out many times to Aldi’s corporate office and asked representatives when Citrus can expect its first store.

Two weeks ago, the latest inquiry brought this response from Matt Thon, Haines City division vice president for ALDI.

“At this time, we do not have any information to share about a potential ALDI store opening in Citrus County," Thon said. "As soon as there are any updates regarding ALDI stores in that area, we will reach out.”

And the Chronicle will do the same. Keep your fingers crossed.

Another Dunkin on the way?

Dunkin Donuts has expressed interest in building at the southeast corner of U.S. 19 and West Homosassa Trail but no permits have been issued as of June 8.

The county in 2020 approved a Planned Urban Development (PUD) for a new self-service car wash and restaurant - between RaceTrac gas station to the north and a CVS pharmacy to the south.

The site currently has multiple commercial uses, including a two-story office building and a four-bay self-service car wash, both built in 1988. There’s also another office building that’s been there since 1974.

Plans call for demolishing those existing buildings and building a new car wash and Dunkin Donuts.

The Chronicle will continue to update developments there.

Homosassa getting new eateries

Homosassa residents will soon be able to patronize two new fast-food restaurants in their neighborhood.

A new Wendy’s at the corner of U.S. 98 and U.S 19 has spent the past month hiring employees and is expected to open soon.

Construction is well underway for a new Taco Bell at 9357 U.S. 19, next to the Shoppes of Sugarmill Woods. Joining Taco Bell at the complex will be a new Verizon store.

Opening dates have not been announced for either business.

Odds and ends

- Winn-Dixie on June 9 unveiled its new Beverly Hills liquor store at 3589 County Road 491.

- The Law Offices of Lucas & Magazine has opened a branch at 2200 State Road 44 West in Inverness.

- Campbell & Company investment firm opened a branch at 2202 State Road 44 in Inverness.

Editor's note: This is part of an occasional series of firsthand accounts of Citrus County life "back in the day" so we can help preserve history.

When 79-year-old Joe Byrd was a boy growing up in Old Homosassa, everyone called Yulee Drive "the crooked road" because of its twists and turns.

“Grover Cleveland was ‘chicken ranch road’ — that’s all that was out there,” Byrd said. “It was just an old sand/dirt road.”

His grandmother, Inez Hall, lived on West Anchorage Street, one street away from the Old Mill Tavern.

“She used to babysit the MacRae kids,” Byrd said.

In those days, there was no Nauti Time Seafood n Wings on the corner of Yulee Drive and Fishbowl Drive or Mango Tango Tropical Grill a little farther down on Yulee Drive. That was all woods and a few homes scattered here and there.

There wasn’t even a Fishbowl Drive.

“That used to be train tracks, and the bridge was an old train trestle,” Byrd said. “When I was a kid, they’d already taken the tracks up and just a few timbers were left in certain places.

“The tracks went into Homosassa where they turned it (the train) around where the post office is now,” he said.

That was the mullet train that traveled daily from Homosassa to Ocala and back.

When the train pulled into Homosassa for the night, the cars were left at the depot and whoever was around would help push the engine 180 degrees on a turntable. The engine pulled the cars toward Homosassa, but pushed them toward Crystal River.

“Where my grandmother’s house was, the track branched off and went in front of her house and back out of the woods,” Byrd said. “The train also hauled cedar.”

Back in those days, it was said that the train tracks were haunted and a “headless man on a white horse” would appear around dusk and go up and down the tracks.

“We used to go out looking for him, but we never saw him,” Byrd said.

• • •

Byrd’s uncle, Clyde Byrd, was a Citrus County commissioner for 17 years. He also owned a service station where the Starting Gate restaurant is now on West Yulee Drive past the curve at the First Baptist Church.

“It used to be a two-story building with a lift to work on cars,” Byrd said. “My Aunt Callie used to have a beauty shop there, too.”

A little farther down Yulee is Homosassa Elementary School, but that’s not the same school Bryd attended.

“The school was a two-story brick building that went up to eighth grade,” he said. “The school burned down after I went in the Navy, and that was in 1960.”

The school had a big auditorium that seated about 500 people, and was used as a movie theater where once a week they would show a newsreel, cartoons and a movie.

“Here’s something most people don’t know: In the 40s and 50s there used to be a drive-in theater,” he said. “Where the school is, the road splits to the right, and it was down about two blocks on the left-hand side. When we were kids, we’d walk there or ride our bicycles and watch cartoons.”

Also, Elvis wasn’t the only movie star to make a movie in Citrus County.

In 1951, John Payne and Rhonda Fleming starred in “Crosswinds,” which was filmed in part on the Homosassa River.

“It happened at Hell’s Gate, a narrow part of the (Homosassa) River,” Byrd said. “They had huts on both sides of the river and a 20-foot swinging bridge across it. A big sailboat came through and native Indians were shooting arrows and they were shooting guns from the boat.”

• • •

The Homosassa River was Joe Byrd’s playground as a kid.

His father was a fishing guide and when Bryrd and his younger brother would come home from school on Fridays they would take their dad’s trawling motor and put it on their little boat and be gone the whole weekend camping and hunting and fishing.

“I was 10 or so,” Byrd said. “When we were old enough to hold up a gun, we were out hunting squirrels, turkeys, ducks, wild pigs. It was plentiful around here.”

Byrd joined the Navy at the firm recommendation of Judge O. Frank Scofield.

“I liked speeding,” Byrd said. “I got into trouble too many times with Judge Scofield, and the last time I was in court he gave me a choice: Either he would sign me up for the Army or I could decide which branch of the service to go in. I joined the Navy.”

Byrd spent the next 46 years not in Florida, except to visit.

He served seven years in the Navy as a radarman, including a tour in Vietnam.

After that, he lived in California and Oregon.

He was married 15 years to his first wife, Pricilla, and has been married to Joy, whom he met in San Diego, since 1981.

They moved back to Old Homosassa in 2006.

The Byrds own the property on Anchorage Street where Joe’s grandmother lived and rented out homes there as vacation rentals.

His grandmother’s house, built in 1944, had to be torn down.

“We actually came here for our honeymoon,” Joy Byrd said. “Back in 1981, there wasn’t a single fast food restaurant anywhere around.”

From their home on Fishbowl Drive, the Byrds look out their kitchen window onto a canal.

“There were no canals around here when I was growing up,” Joe Byrd said. “They’re all man made. Where Publix is (at U.S. 19 and Halls River Road) there used to be a big, beautiful hotel ... and the bridge was a one-way wooden bridge.

“A lot of people I grew up with are still here,” he said. “Nowadays, for a small town, Homosassa — and Crystal River — does a lot for Citrus County. The majority of the tourism is here, and it caters to a lot of people.

“But I hope it doesn’t change too much,” he said. “I hope it stays small.”