The Villages Outdoor and Sports Expo was in full swing Saturday using every inch of space at La Hacienda Recreation Center. In addition to all the vendors inside, bicycle and RV vendors were out front and behind the center there were telescopes for viewing the sun, fly fishing lessons and kayaking demonstrations. Free scuba lessons was offered at the pool.
David and Carole Kolb have really taken advantage of the Expo for the last four years and David has the Expo shirts to prove it. “We enjoy coming over, we can walk from our house,” said Carole. Trying kayaking and the scuba lesson at the Expo led to getting involved in kayaking and taking more scuba lessons. This year they were taking in a view of the sun through telescopes provided by the Villages Astronomy Club.
“It was very illuminating,” said David. “My friends would expect me to say that they know my sense of humor.”
A second professional grade telescope shows so much detail you can see sun spots and indentations. Carole found this to be impressive.
The Villages Astronomy Club meets on the third Tuesday of the month at Laurel Manor Recreation Center. The speaker set for the March 21 meeting, Tom Stec, was a teacher and ran the school district planetarium in Pennsylvania. In March, he will be talking about the Total Solar Eclipse happening this year on Aug. 21.The club also hosts Starry Starry Nights. Information about this and all of the club activities can be found at www.vlgastroclub.org.
Another booth getting a lot of attention was the Villages Bonsai Club. This club recently celebrated their 25th anniversary in the Villages. Husband and wife team Darry and Paul Bova were answering questions surrounded by beautiful miniature trees. Darry has been at this for more than ten years; Paul just started about a year ago and is very enthusiastic when talking to novices.
“Surprising how many men are joining our group,” said Darry. “The process isn’t hard,” explains Paul but it is time consuming because you are never done, always trimming the branches and periodically the roots.” Sunset Point snowbirds Charles and Janice Hoffman had always been interested and appreciated learning more. “We’ll see you at the next meeting,” Charles told Paul. The next meeting will be Friday, March 3.
For more information go to www.thevillagesbonsaiclub.org.
Orange Blossom snowbird Jim LaFever and his 10-year-old grandson Nick, down from New York on spring break, were trying the Fly Fishing lessons being offered by the Tri-County Fly Fishers. One of the teachers Jim Lovegrove, a 40-year fly fisher, encourages anyone interested to come to a meeting on the first and third Wednesdays. “There is always someone at the meeting that will spend time with you afterwards to give you a lesson,” said Lovegrove. Check out their website at www.tricountyflyfishers.com.
The Villages Outdoor and Sports Expo continues Sunday at La Hacienda and Rohan Regional Recreation Centers from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information on the Expo call 753-1716 or visit www.DistrictGov.org.
