Chinsegut Hill Nature Center, off of U.S. 41 north of Brooksville, is open to the public Fridays and Saturdays 8:00am-2:00pm. Educational programs and trail hikes are scheduled throughout the year. Call 352-754-6722 or visit www.floridaconservation.org/chinsegut.

The Brooksville Rotary Club will hold its 29th annual Live on Air Radio Auction from 1:00pm to 6:00pm March 24, broadcasting from Cortez Community Bank on WWJB 1450AM Radio. The auction will include new merchandise and services valued at more than $40,000. Listen to WWJB during the auction and place bids that day by calling 352-799-5885 All proceeds go into the rotary Club Charitable trust. For information, contact Don Page at 352-799-6000.

AAA Auto Club South and Budweiser will once again offer the Tow to Go program throughout the weekend. This program provides a ride home and tow, free, for adults who may have celebrated St. Patrick’s Day a little too much. Any adult who need a ride home from a bar or restaurant may call toll free 1-800-222-4357

The National Association of REALTORS recently released their research divisions report on average mortgage interest rates.The 30-year fixed rate was down to 6.14% from the latest week’s 6.18%. The 1-year
adjustable rate was 5.47%, also slightly down from the last week. NAR’s research division projects interest rates to rise steadily throughout the rest of 2007. With strong job growth also projected, the housing market is predicted to become stronger.

The Citrus County Fair will be held March 19th-24th 2007. Events include midway rides, games, food, and a variety of entertainment. There are various admission and ride discount days and hours available. For more information, please call 352-726-2993, or visit www.citruscountyfair.com.

In view of the recent tragedy in our community, please be reminded to check the batteries in your smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and any other battery operated safety device you have in your home. When you change your clocks for daylight savings time, please let that serve as a reminder to you to also check your smoke detector batteries.

The Humane Society of the Nature Coast is hosting it’s 3rd annual Pet Expo March 17th and 18th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Tom Varn Park in Brooksville. Events include Bow-Wow Brigade, Adoption Alley, and Pooches Playground. For more information, visit www.naturecoastpetexpo.com, or call 352-796-2711.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary, Hernando Beach Flotilla 15-8 will perform a free safety check on boats. Boat owners may bring their boats to Ace Hardware, 7351 Spring Hill Drive on March 17th from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for inspection. All boats passing inspection will be issued a decorative decal. For more information, please call 352-428-0618

The University of Florida released a study March 9, 2007 encouraging customers interested in purchasing property in Florida to act now. The study indicates that prices are maintaining the same level as inflation, which indicates a stabilizing market in which prices are unlikely to fall any lower. Optimism for Florida investment is particularily strong in the foreing investment market, which is aggressively trying to invest in Florida’s rental market. For more detail of this study, please visit www.cba.ufl.edu/fire/realestate/cres/findings.asp.

Just as sunflowers turn their heads to catch every sunbeam, so too have we discovered a simple way to get more from our sun.

Beginning in 2007, most of the United States begins Daylight Saving Time at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and reverts to standard time on the first Sunday in November. In the U.S., each time zone switches at a different time.

It’s that time. Don’t forget to turn your clocks forward tonight before you go to sleep.

You can learn about the history of daylight saving (or as some may say, daylight shifting), the standardization of time, and when regions around the globe spring ahead and fall back. Enjoy!

For additonal info visit: http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/index.html