Alachua Together

This Saturday I went to the Haile Village Farmers market, in Haile Plantation. Haile Village is the commercial section of the sprawling housing development, near the corner of SW 46th Avenue and SW 91 Street. It is open from 8:30am until noon every Saturday, rain or shine. Vendors have a really sweet deal here. They tell me it is only $10 per week to set up a table here, and it’s an extra $5 to rent a canopy. That means I am applying for a space for my business, Marsh Window Cleaning!

Jewelers, candle makers, and various services may also participate, although edible creations are in the majority. All along one of Haile Village’s interior streets, in front of a conveniently placed cafe, you can find fruits, vegetables, plants, biscotti, sea food, prepared food, and other worthwhile subjects to investigate.

Most things I saw, and tasted, were locally grown, with the exception of the fish that cannot be found this far inland. One man was showing off the biggest shrimp I have ever seen. He boasted that he is there every week, and that there are regular customers who travel from across town to get his meaty catches.

Not all of my pictures came out well, so you will have to come out to see everything. Some of the regular participants include:

• Custom Designs and Alterations by Ida Lawrence
• Bee Sweet Apiaries, Inc. Producers of Florida Honey
• The Green Mango, 100% Indian and Vegetarian foods
• Embros Orchestra, Greek American Entertainers
• Mobil Seafood Depot, Fresh Seafood
• In The Beginning Jewelry
• John Brothers, Guitar Lessons
• Verna Groger, RD, Registered Dietitian

With any luck at all, I will get some of these people to write here on the blog, so they can share their expertise with you, and let you know when they are available outside of the Farmers Market.

The Leash-Free Zone!

I used to take my dog, Samson, to this park a few years ago, when we lived much closer to it. Samson was a 100 pound beast who could hold his own, and he enjoyed romping around in this park with 50 other dogs. The animals were well-behaved, the people were polite, and the space was vast. There were bags for people to pick up dog poop and a can to throw it in.

Location of Squirrel Ridge Park

Fast forward to 2008, and Samson is no longer with us. I now own a chihuahua named Plato, and I fully expected him to boss all the other dogs around. He has a big attitude, but he was a bit overwhelmed. He seemed to enjoy the idea of being with all these dogs, but then they started to chase him. He did not like being “the toy” one little bit, and he was soon snarling and baring his teeth at any dog that came near.

There was a fenced off area for smaller dogs, but not everyone observes this, and there is no oversight. One of the regulars, who told us that our dog might be happier in there, was the same person who let in a couple of huge dogs right in front of us.

I also noticed that some owners do not observe the self-policing aspect of dog poop. Changing this would require that the regulars create a culture of accountability. So, if you have a burning desire to be the poop police, you are needed here. If you have a live and let live attitude toward poop, it would still be appreciated if you were one of the thoughtful people. And you might want to bring your own bags, just in case.