It’s was noisy, it was hot and it was wet.
The No Kings demonstration Saturday in The Villages drew many enthusiastic demonstrators channeling messages about patriotism, freedom and America’s democratic roots.
Monarchs were not welcome at the event which coincided with No Kings demonstrations across the country on President Trump’s 79th birthday.
Casey Marr of Villagers for Democracy, the group which organized the event, estimated that at its peak, the demonstration along Morse Boulevard at the entrance to Lake Sumter Landing had drawn 3,000 participants.
“It was an excellent turnout, definitely the largest by far,” said Marr, a resident of the Village of Pine Ridge.
The event included online registration in advance and meticulous planning for golf cart parking after an issue was raised by The Villages Commercial Property Management over parking at a May 1 event at the shuttered Winn-Dixie at Lake Sumter Landing.
The participation, planning, preparation, parking and peaceful protests at the No Kings event produced an even that was “unprecedented” in The Villages, Marr said.
There was plenty of honking from passing vehicles, but it wasn’t always clear whether the motorists were signaling support or dissent.
The event wasn’t without controversy.
Opponents of the No Kings event, immediately began contacting Villages-News.com and speaking out on social media, downplaying the number of No Kings participants and suggesting they had been bussed in.
Then there was the sprinkler controversy.
The sprinklers on Morse Boulevard were running at full strength at 10:30 a.m. which would not be in adherence with the Water Wisdom philosophy preached by The Villages District Government, owners of the irrigation equipment in the common areas.
“I too wondered about why the sprinklers were running. A calculated move by The Villages’ powerbrokers to make things uncomfortable for the protesters? That wouldn’t surprise me,” said Jeff Evans of The Villages.