Ocala Star-Banner

The Levitt AMP Ocala Music Series

The Marion Cultural Alliance in partnership with the City of Ocala presents free, family friendly outdoor concerts to the public on Fridays through July 1 from 7-9 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complex, 1510 NW Fourth St., Ocala. The series is sponsored in part by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, which funds and empowers communities to inject new life into underused spaces. The June 17 performer is scheduled to be Natu Camara (Guinean Afro-Rock) with the UF Afropop Ensemble to help kick off Juneteenth Weekend. For more information and concert schedule details, visit www.ocalafl.org/levittamp or call 352-629-8447.

Orange Blossom Opry

Friday Night Live at the Opry, 16439 SE 138th Terrace, Weirsdale, features former Sawyer Brown and Confederate Railroad member Bobby Randall on June 17 at 7 p.m. for an evening of rollicking country music with the Orange Blossom Opry Band. Tickets from $16-$25. For more details, visit www.obopry.come.

Arts & Crafts Under the Sun

EAD Elevations Academy of Dance, 9332 S. Pine Ave., Ocala, welcomes you to summer with arts, crafts, vendors, free activities and lots of fun. Car show and performances by EAD Elevations. The event will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 18. Free and open to the public. For more information, call 352-233-6116.

Yum:How do you thank the Ocala cardiac team that saved your life? Mac n' cheese and brisket

Ongoing:

'Music Moves'

This Marion Cultural Alliance member exhibit, featuring music-inspired art and multiple performances by musicians, will be featured through June 25 at the Brick City Center for the Arts, 23 SW Broadway St., Ocala. For a full performance schedule and more information: 352-369-1500 or ashley.justiniano@mcaocala.com

'Journey to My Soul: Landscapes of My Mind'

This art exhibit from Kelley Batson-Howard is up at the City of Ocala Recreation and Parks Administration building, 828 NE Eighth Ave., and the Eighth Avenue Adult Activity Center, 830 NE Eighth Ave., through Sept. 13. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free and open to the public. According to a city news release, Batson-Howard is "a contemporary painter creating abstract works" who moved to Central Florida in 1988. More at www.Kbatsonart.com, 352-629-8447, artinfo@ocalafl.org or www.ocalafl.org/artincityspaces.

'Squares without Stitches'

This exhibit is up at the Barbara Gaskin Washington Adult Activity Center, 210 NW 12th Ave., Ocala, through Jan. 12. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free and open to the public. In 2021, during the annual Festival at Fort King at the Fort King National Historic Landmark, the City of Ocala’s Cultural Arts and Sciences Division hosted a booth for the Ocala Calligraphy Guild. "While waiting for their hand-lettering pieces to dry before adding flower embellishments, attendees were encouraged to help create a community quilt by drawing on a 6-ft. by 9-ft. canvas using fabric markers," the city said in a news release. "Using nature-inspired stencils and the creativity of a few free-hand artists, participants took a modern approach to quilting by filling the fabric with a grid of colors." More at www.ocalafl.org/recpark, 352-368-5517, and @OcalaRecPark on Facebook.

Summer Kids Film Series

The Marion Theatre, 50 S. Magnolia Ave., Ocala, will host a Summer Film Series for kids each Wednesday-Friday through Aug. 5. Showtimes are 10 and 11 a.m. Films include "Shrek," "Aladdin," "Madagascar," "How to Train Your Dragon," "Where the Wild Things Are" and "Sing 2." Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children 12/under and include a summer Snack Pack. For showtimes, titles and to purchase tickets online, visit www.reillyartscenter.com/summer-kids-film-series or call 352-820-3049.

Summer Spotlight Exhibition

“Town and Country” is the theme for the Visual Artists’ Society Summer Spotlight, showcasing the work of local and regional artists in a variety of mediums. The exhibit is up at the College of Central Florida Webber Gallery, 3001 SW College Road, Ocala, through July 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 352-854-2322, ext. 1552 or visit www.cf.edu.

Photographs by Steven Benson

The Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, presents “Invented Observations: Photographs by Steven Benson,” on exhibit through Nov. 6 in the Balcony Gallery for Florida Arts. Benson is a professor at Daytona State College and is the recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Midwest Fellowship. His work has been displayed in numerous collections, including the Museum of Fine Art Houston, Detroit Institute of Arts and Museet for Fotokunst in Denmark. For more information, call 352-291-4455 or visit www.AppletonMuseum.org.

'Finding Beauty'

This exhibit features costumes, set photos, interactive experiences and sketches, along with a plethora of fabrics and video of the costume design process. These objects, from the Appleton Museum’s permanent collection, inspired the art and design for the Ocala Civic Theatre’s recent production of "Beauty and the Beast." This exhibit runs through the winter of 2022. The museum is at 4337 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala. For additional details and admission fees, visit www.appletonmuseum.org.

'Encounter' by Tom Hundersmarck

An abstract and landscape painter based in Gainesville, Hundersmarck began painting as a child and has worked extensively as a psychologist with combat veterans. The exhibit is free and open to the public through July 19 at Ocala International Airport, 1770 SW 60th Ave., Suite 600, Ocala. For more information, contact the City of Ocala Cultural Arts and Sciences Division at 352-629-8447 or visit www.ocalafl.org/artincityspaces.

For the Star-Banner

This Fourth of July looks like another year without any officially sponsored fireworks displays open to the public in Marion County.

Locally, a check with government officials and social media has turned up no word of a sponsored firework display open to the public on or around Independence Day.

In the past, the Ocala Jaycees organized God & Country Day, a full-day July 4 festival that always ended with a massive firework display. But that tradition stopped after 2019, and attempts to reach parties involved with the festival were unsuccessful.

Ashley Dobbs, City of Ocala marketing and communications manager, said the city does not have any firework displays planned for the Fourth of July. Ditto for Marion County government.

Ashley Lopez, public information officer with Ocala Fire Rescue, said her agency had issued no fireworks permits as of June 28.

James Lucas, her counterpart at Marion County Fire Rescue, said his agency issued three permits: one for a residents only event on July 1 at a gated community in southwest Ocala; one for a private event in south Marion on the Fourth of July; and the third for a private event on July 7 at a youth camp.

Personnel at the City of Belleview and Dunnellon Chamber of Commerce both indicated no Fourth of July fireworks events were planned in their areas.

Eaton's Beach Sandbar & Grill will host a fireworks show for patrons of the Weirsdale restaurant. Details are on the Eaton's Beach Facebook page.

There are other ways to celebrate this holiday weekend

Even if the night sky will be blank on July 4, there are other ways to celebrate this holiday weekend.

Dobbs, from Ocala, noted that the Levitt AMP Ocala Music has its finale on Friday, July 1. It will include a special patriotic opening performance by the Ocala Symphony Orchestra. The event will be held from 7-9 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complex, 1510 NW Fourth St., Ocala.

"This is a great way to kick off your holiday weekend," Dobbs wrote in an email.

Also:

Ocala won't be the only community with blank skies

Marion County's lack of public fireworks appears to be a result of having no sponsor or organizing entity. Other communities are losing fireworks shows for different reasons.

Published reports about firework show cancellations nationwide since 2020 cite reasons including the pandemic and dry conditions. An Associated Press report published June 27 details factors including “supply chain issues."

James Kyne of KYNEX,INC., puts on firework shows in North Florida and South Georgia. He attributed the cancellation of firework shows this year to a shortage of fireworks, drivers and technicians.

"Obviously, July 2020 there were fewer shows because the cities canceled them, but the last two years the fewer displays has nothing to do with budgets or the cities. Display companies are canceling their displays because there has been a nationwide fireworks shortage, there is a labor shortage, Pyro technician shortage, and recently an increase in difficulty in getting CDLs because of a new law," Kyne wrote, in part, in an email.

"I had (three shows) on Sunday because an out of state company seems to have canceled all or most of their shows in Florida. We have been lucky and haven’t had to cancel any ourselves. While we had to work hard to get product, and in some cases pay much much more, our big issue is manpower. It is difficult finding people to work for any amount of pay," he wrote.

"This year specifically the shortage is because most of our product comes from China, and they shipped the containers a few weeks too late, so a lot of product is being delivered after July 4th," hurting some firework companies, Kyne stated.

“As far as budget, we have seen about a 50% increase in the price of fireworks since COVID. Most of this is because freight costs per container have increased by an order of magnitude. Most of my shows have increased their budgets to compensate for that,” Kyne wrote.

Kyne stated a typical professional firework show in North Florida costs $1,000 per minute.

If you buy your own fireworks, be careful

Anyone trying fireworks at home should note the Consumer Protection Safety Commission's safety tips, including:

The full list can be read at: https://www.cpsc.gov/Safety-Education/Safety-Education-Centers/Fireworks

Marion County Animal Services Director Jim Sweet reminded the public of the effect of fireworks on pets.

"Frightened pets fleeing the sudden, bright lights and loud noises from fireworks may become disoriented once they get far enough away to settle down, " he stated.

"Marion County Animal Services offers microchips for $15 to make it easier to reunite owners with their lost pets. We’ve had so many successful reunification stories because of microchips that we’ve made it a standard part of the adoption package," Sweet stated.

Star-Banner correspondent Angela Durrell contributed to this report

LADERA RANCH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Strategic Storage Growth Trust III, Inc. (“SSGT III”), a private company that intends to qualify as a real estate investment trust sponsored by an affiliate of SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. (“SmartStop”), announced today the acquisition of two self storage facilities in The Villages, Florida MSA. The Wildwood-Lady Lake portfolio represents the premier acquisition for SSGT III since it launched in May 2022.

“We are extremely excited to enter The Villages market with the Lady Lake and Wildwood facilities,” said Wayne Johnson, Chief Investment Officer of SSGT III. “This portfolio offers a solid opportunity to enter a high-growth market in central Florida, and we expect that the addition of institutional management and marketing to these properties will have a positive impact for stockholders.”

Located at 175 Rolling Acres Road, the Lady Lake facility consists of nine single-story buildings with approximately 90,000 square feet of rentable space and 750 units with a mix of interior climate-controlled units, climate-controlled and non-climate-controlled drive-up units, and over 120 RV and boat spaces. This location is well positioned to serve the areas of Lady Lake South, Orange Blossom Hills South, The Villages, Weirsdale, and Cherry Lake.

The state-of-the-art Wildwood facility opened in December 2018 and is located at 5688 FL-44. It offers approximately 97,400 square feet of rental space and 1,010 units with a mix of climate-controlled interior and non-climate-controlled exterior units. This location is highly visible from State Road 44 and services the areas of The Villages, Leesburg, Oxford, Leyton Villas, and Village of Collier. The area is expecting 36% population growth during the next four years.

About Strategic Storage Growth Trust III, Inc. (SSGT III):

SSGT III is a Maryland corporation that intends to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. SSGT III’s primary investment strategy is to invest in growth-oriented self storage facilities and related self storage real estate investments in the United States and Canada. As of August 9, 2022, SSGT III has a portfolio of two operating properties in the United States comprising approximately 1,880 units and 187,400 rentable square feet.

About SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. (SmartStop):

SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. (“SmartStop”) is a self-managed REIT with a fully integrated operations team of approximately 450 self storage professionals focused on growing the SmartStop^® Self Storage brand. SmartStop, through its indirect subsidiary SmartStop REIT Advisors, LLC, also sponsors other self storage programs. As of August 9, 2022, SmartStop has an owned or managed portfolio of 174 properties in 22 states and Ontario, Canada, comprising approximately 119,200 units and 13.5 million rentable square feet. SmartStop and its affiliates own or manage 19 operating self storage properties in the Greater Toronto Area, which total approximately 16,200 units and 1.6 million rentable square feet. Additional information regarding SmartStop is available at www.smartstopselfstorage.com.

Ocala Star-Banner

World Equestrian Center - Ocala Dressage

Ocala Dressage XIV and XV are official qualifying competitions for the 2022 Great American/USDF Regional Championships. Trials are held Aug. 26-28 all day at the World Equestrian Center, 1390 NW 80th Ave., Ocala. If you love horses and enjoy watching this exacting precision sport, bring your family and spend the day! Food and beverages available from various on-site restaurants. For more information, visit www.worldequestriancenter.com or call 352-414-7900.

Orange Blossom Opry

Friday Night Live at the Opry, 16439 SE 138th Terrace, Weirsdale, features former Sawyer Brown band member Bobby Randall on Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. for an evening of rollicking country music with the Orange Blossom Opry Band. Tickets from $25. For more details, visit www.obopry.com for venue information and purchase.

Delta Rose Band

Hang out at the Town Square at Circle Square Commons, 8405 SW 80th St., on Aug. 27 from 7-10 p.m. for an evening of dancing and live local music with the Delta Rose Band! Food trucks, vendors, kiosks, shopping and fantastic fun for adults and families! Free and open to the public, weather permitting. For more information, visit www.circlesquarecommons.com.

The champion:Ocala BBQ king Rashad Jones of Big Lee's wins Food Network contest, becomes 'Master of 'Cue'

Ongoing:

Art of Aging Exhibit: The Secrets of Life

This exhibit is up Aug. 5-27 at the Brick Center for the Arts, 23 SW Broadway St., Ocala. It celebrates aging in photos, poetry and paintings from 27 Marion Cultural Alliance artists who are older than 55 and also features work by local photographer Ralph Demilio. Free and open to the public. More at mcaocala.com

CF Webber Gallery Presents Competitive Printmaking

The 2022 Extreme Pressure Biennial of American Prints is an inaugural competitive national exhibition organized by the Webber Gallery of the College of Central Florida, 3001 SW College Road, Ocala. It will be up through Sept. 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Thursday. Open to all forms of traditional printmaking, this exhibition presents a celebration and examination of contemporary printmaking by artists from across the United States. Admission is free. Call 352-854-2322, ext. 1664 for more information.

'Transitional Moments in Nature’s Landscape'

This art exhibit from Julijana Prest is up through Sept. 30 at Ocala City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave. It is free and open to the public. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Prest, a Florida-based visual artist, has shown her work in New York, Missouri, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. For more information: 352-629-8447, artinfo@ocalafl.org or www.ocalafl.org/artincityspaces.

'Colorful Pleasures'

This art exhibit from Christine Dozier is up through Jan. 17 at the Ocala International Airport, 1770 SW 60th Ave., Suite 600. Free and open to the public. Dozier, an Ocala resident and Memphis native, works in oils and acrylics. More at www.christinedozier.com, 352-629- 8447, artinfo@ocalafl.org or www.ocalafl.org/artincityspaces

'A Floral Retrospective'

This exhibit of Gregory Dirr's work is up through Dec. 9 at the Clerk’s Office in Ocala City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave. Free and open to the public. Boca Raton-based Dirr is described in an Ocala city news release as "an interdisciplinary visual artist, creating work as a cathartic response to his surroundings with a focus on environmental conservation." The clerk's office is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. More at www.gregorydirr.com, 352-629- 8447, artinfo@ocalafl.org or www.ocalafl.org/artincityspaces

Spy Science Exhibit at Discovery Center

Discover the history, science and even the Hollywood connections within the spy industry with this new exhibit, which takes visitors inside the world of espionage. The exhibit is up at the Discovery Center, 701 NE Sanchez Ave., Ocala, through Sept. 17. Admission is $8 per person and $28 per group of four. The center is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 352-401-3900 or visit www.mydiscoverycenter.org

'Journey to My Soul: Landscapes of My Mind'

This art exhibit from Kelley Batson-Howard is up at the City of Ocala Recreation and Parks Administration building, 828 NE Eighth Ave., and the Eighth Avenue Adult Activity Center, 830 NE Eighth Ave., through Sept. 13. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free and open to the public. According to a city news release, Batson-Howard is "a contemporary painter creating abstract works" who moved to Central Florida in 1988. More at www.Kbatsonart.com, 352-629-8447, artinfo@ocalafl.org or www.ocalafl.org/artincityspaces.

'Squares Without Stitches'

This exhibit is up at the Barbara Gaskin Washington Adult Activity Center, 210 NW 12th Ave., Ocala, through Jan. 12. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free and open to the public. More at www.ocalafl.org/recpark, 352-368-5517, and @OcalaRecPark on Facebook.

Photographs by Steven Benson

The Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, presents “Invented Observations: Photographs by Steven Benson,” on exhibit through Nov. 6 in the Balcony Gallery for Florida Arts. Benson is a professor at Daytona State College and is the recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Midwest Fellowship. His work has been displayed in numerous collections, including the Museum of Fine Art Houston, Detroit Institute of Arts and Museet for Fotokunst in Denmark. For more information, call 352-291-4455 or visit www.AppletonMuseum.org.

'Finding Beauty'

This exhibit features costumes, set photos, interactive experiences and sketches, along with a plethora of fabrics and video of the costume design process. These objects, from the Appleton Museum’s permanent collection, inspired the art and design for the Ocala Civic Theatre’s recent production of "Beauty and the Beast." This exhibit runs through the winter of 2022. The museum is at 4337 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala. For additional details and admission fees, visit www.appletonmuseum.org.

Henry Anderson, 40, was arrested Thursday

MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A high school track coach and dean at Lake Weir Middle School is accused of touching a student at the school and investigators believe there may be other victims. according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

Henry Anderson, 40, was arrested Thursday after deputies said he gave inconsistent answers when questioned about the accusations.

Records show the victim contacted the sheriff’s office Thursday. Deputies said she claimed Anderson, who coaches the varsity track and field team at Lake Weir High School, had picked her up at her home Wednesday around 10 p.m. for a workout.

Deputies also said they weren’t sure how he got into the school that late or what policies at the school might allow faculty to enter that late.

The girl said Anderson took her to the weight room at the school, where the pair did a leg exercise routine, according to the probable cause affidavit.

[TRENDING: Florida SpaceX launch creates ‘space jellyfish’ effect in sky | Investors mass purchase Central Florida homes | Become a News 6 Insider (it’s free!)]

The victim claimed Anderson then gave her a leg massage, which she claimed was not uncommon, but said that this time the coach began to touch her inappropriately, including removing her shorts.

Deputies said when the man stepped out of the room, the victim contacted her friend on her cellphone. Investigators said the timestamps on those communications helped to corroborate the victim’s account of what happened.

Furthermore, deputies said a janitor saw the victim and Anderson in the gym that night.

The girl then asked to be taken home, records show. The victim said the coach tried to get her to continue with the massage, but eventually took her home around 1:30 a.m.

Deputies said Anderson, when questioned, initially said he picked up the girl at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, though he later changed his story to say it was 9:45 p.m.

He also claimed to have a good relationship with the victim, though he later said that she was angry with him for not allowing her to compete, the affidavit stated. Anderson even claimed the girl had threatened to get him fired, records show.

Deputies said these statements contradicted Anderson’s claim that he had a good relationship with the victim.

He also denied ever giving the victim a message, though he later said that the team occasionally used a handheld massage gun, records show.

Deputies asked if that is what he had used on the night of the incident. Investigators said Anderson first exclaimed “Yes,” then retracted the statement and said he had no physical contact with her.

Anderson was then arrested and taken to the Marion County jail.

He faces a charge of sexual battery on a victim 12 years of age or older but younger than 18.

According to the school district, he is also “on paid administrative leave pending the outcomes of law enforcement and school district investigations (and) not allowed on any MCPS property.”

School officials said Anderson was hired as a paraprofessional in November 2016 at West Port High School before being transferred to Forest High School in August 2017, where he served as an Autism Spectrum Disorder teacher.

He later resigned in May 2018 due to not meeting state-required certifications and was rehired in January 2019 as Student Services Manager at Lake Weir Middle School, where he later served as dean, school officials said.

“Mr. Anderson cleared all state-mandated background checks before being hired by MCPS,” Marion County Public Schools said in a statement. “He received a written reprimand in March 2022 for intentionally missing a dean’s meeting without permission. Otherwise, his employment record is clear and he has positive evaluations for his job performance.”

Investigators believe that because of his position at the school and access to children, there may be more victims.

If you or anyone you know may have been a victim, call the Marion County Sheriff’s Office at 352-398-3535 or 352-368-3548.

Copyright 2022 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.