Rocky and the Rollers remain one of the most popular acts in The Villages.
On Monday night, the popular band brought in a big crowd at Spanish Springs Town Square.
But there is a price to be paid for popularity.
Before noon Monday there was plenty of evidence of seat saving at the square. Numerous green chairs were adorned with towels, cushions, ribbons and even yellow crime scene tape hours before Rocky and his fellow musicians stepped on stage at the Gazebo.
Officially, “saving” seats at the squares is prohibited in The Villages.
Saving seats at the square twice ended in arrest this past summer.
A 65-year-old Water Oak resident on Sept. 9 was accused of pushing a 77-year-old Villager who dared to sit in a seat “saved” by the Water Oaker at Spanish Springs Town Square.
When the Villager attempted to sit in one of the “saved” seats, Gary Lee Herzhaft informed the Villager that the chair was “taken.” When the Villager ignored him, Herzhaft “jumped up and pushed (the man) back and jammed his fingers into the upper chest area,” of the Villager, according to an incident report from the Lady Lake Police Department.
Herzhaft told police that the “chairs were taken,” but denied pushing or poking The Villager.
Herzhaft is now serving a year’s probation as a result of that incident. He was also ordered to undergo anger management training. You can read more about his sentence HERE.
A 70-year-old Village of Santo Domingo man paid a nearly $300 fine in Lake County Court after pleading no contest to charges of disorderly conduct and resisting a police officer. He had been arrested June 26 after he allegedly punched a man and insulted a supporter of the LGBT community who he accused of taking his seat near the gazebo at the square.
