Tomorrow, on November 29, 2008, kicking off at 10:00 a.m. and continuing on until 4:00 p.m. The Ozello Art’s Festival will be displaying art from many different local and regional artists! Among the incredible art displys, you will be sure to find plenty of food, music and entertainment!

The festival is located at 14096 West Ozello Trail in Crystal River, Citrus County, Florida, just 6.2 miles west on Ozello Trail from US Hwy 19! Parking is free and the cost to join in on the fun is only a one dollar donation! For more information please call 352-795-2879.

On Saturday and Sunday November 22-23, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. kicks off the 7th Annual Yankeetown Seafood Festival! The festival
will provide over 125 arts and crafts vendors, delectable seafood, and live musical entertainment!

Cutler Spur will be performing on Saturday only from 12:30p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Cutler Spur music performs a blend of old country music with a taste of southern fried rock. The Yankeetown Seafood Festival is sponsored by Inglis/Yankeetown Lions Club located at Riverside Drive in Yankeetown, Fl. For more information please feel free to call 352-219-4578.

Come on down this Friday and Saturday night and enjoy the Citrus Stampede Rodeo! The fun begins on November 21 and continues through until November 22, 2008 at the Citrus County Fairgrounds in Inverness Fl. Gates open at 5:30 for opportunities to ride the Mechanical bull, check out the vendors and have a bite to eat before sitting down at 7:30 and enjoying the rodeo! There will be a boot scramble for the kids on both Friday and Saturday night and The Celebrity Buck Off ‘kicks’ off at 6:30 on Friday!

Adult tickets are $15 at the door or $12 in advance and children 4-11 are $5 at the door and $4 in advance. Advance tickets are only available until Thursday, November 20, 2008 at the following locations:

Crystal Dodge - State Road 44 West in Inverness
Crystal Dodge - US 19 in Homosassa
Citrus County 4-H - 3650 W. Sovereign Path in Lecanto
Citrus County Fair Office - US 41 S in Inverness
Country Feed & Supply - 7120 W Grover Cleveland Blvd. in Homosassa
Easy Livin’ Furniture - 4100 W Gulf to Lake Hwy in Lecanto
Service Master of Citrus County - 275 US 19 N in Crystal River
Southern Traditions - 4474 S Florida Ave. in Inverness
Inverness Chamber of Commerce – 401 Tompkins St. in Inverness
Feed & Western Outlet - 4434 E Arlington St. in Inverness
Homosassa Chamber of Commerce - 3495 S Suncoast Blvd. in Homosassa

For more information please feel free to call 352-564-4525.

Listed below are a few of the haunting celebrations that Citrus County, Florida has to offer throughout the remainder of the Halloween season.

Haunted Tram Rides at the Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park will scare the life out of you! Ticket prices are $5 for adults; $3 for children under 12 years of ages and additional $2 for a trip through the Alien Encounter Haunted House. Child identification services will be offered on site through the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office.

There is rumor circulating that the “Castle Keep Resort” is opening its doors once again….The Barton family built this castle in 1407, but it was not until 2007 that the entire castle ,family cemetery and all, was moved to the Inverness area! The doors will open from 7:00 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays at the Citrus County Auditorium. Ticket prices are $5. For more information, call 352-563-0450.

This Friday and Saturday night from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Crystal River State Park is hosting a Haunted Halloween Event. This event will be including “Terrifying Tram Tours” that will take you through the “F-f-f-fearsome Forest” and the “Ghastly Graveyard”. If you prefer taking to the waters, the “Beastly Boat Ride” will be pleased to direct you through the “Creepy Crystal River” and “Marooned Manor”. But worry not, my friends, if you feel the need to feed our hosts will be offering “stuffed intestines and “brains soup”! Ticket prices are $8 for adults and $5 for children. For more information, call 352-563-0450.

Happy Hauntings!

It’s Brooksville, Florida in Hernando County’s’ 153rd birthday! Today, October 17, 2008 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., folks will be gathering at 131 S. Main St. for a Victorian Tea, held by the Brooksville Woman’s Club. From 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. join the Bell Letters Writers Group for open mic night at the U.U. Pines Retreat Center at 7029 Cedar Lane, bring an instrument, watch a Civil War Reenactment and listen to the Family Fireside Storytelling, refreshments will be made available. The fun and activities will run throughout the weekend with the Saturday Morning Market and Art on Main St. between Broad and Liberty. The Morning Market will include gem mining, a Farmer’s Market, dozens of vendors and a walking tour of the historical Brooksville murals!

Come on down and participate in the celebration of the birthday of Brooksville, a town rich in history and full of life.

Folks of Inverness, Florida in Citrus County are ’shelling’ up for the 2008 Annual Cooter Festival! Starting on Monday, October 20th with the beginning of the Miss Cooter Spokesmodel Competition and the Cooter Idol Karaoke Competition, the Cooter Festival will be underway! Friday will kick off The Cooter Blast, an evening full of hot rod shows, poker runs, the crowning of Miss Cooter and live entertainment featuring the Alabama Blues Brothers. These lively siblings tour the world as Jake and Elwood Blues, perfoming Blues Brothers hits such as, “Soul Man” and “Gimme Some Lovin’”. Saturday will be the start of the Great American Cooter Festival kicking off with the Cooter Idol Karaoke Finals, vendors, live music, games, hot air balloon rides, contests and of course ‘cooter’ races! On Sunday the festival will come to a close with Cooterween, a family fall festival featuring costume contests and the early morning Triathlon!

The Great American Cooter Festival has been showcased on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as a fun-filled weekend of fall season “cooter” activities! I’m sure by now, you’re asking yourself “what in the world is a cooter?”. All I can tell you is to come on down and join the fun and by the end of the week you’ll know all about the great Inverness, Florida cooter!

With the cool change in the weather and fall in the air, it’s a perfect time to get outside and soak in some of the tranquil, natural beauty of Florida’s Nature Coast.

On Sunday, October 5, 2008, starting at the North Apopka Trailhead in Inverness, Florida in Citrus County, the 14th Annual Rails to Trails Bike Ride will take place along the Withlacoochee State Trail. Registration prices are $25.00 and will begin at 7:00 a.m. and continue until 9:00 a.m. The registration fee includes a continental breakfast and a light lunch. There will be door prizes and tee shirts for those that have pre-registered, including two bikes valued at $500.00. Although, this beautiful Florida state trail, which was once a railroad track now converted into a paved trail, is 46-miles long, the riders can determine how many miles they wish to ride. There will be six different stops along the trail for water, food, sports drinks, restrooms and an opportunity to relax and take in the beautiful scenery.

For more information please call 352-726-2180 or email for a registration at www.railstotrailsonline.com.

Looking for something different to do this weekend? Singing River Tours, in Dunnellon, Florida, provides wildlife tours through the Withlacoochee and Rainbow Rivers with educational entertainment! Founded by Capt. Jon Semmes, a professional musician, Singing River Tours sets itself apart from the rest of the local sightseeing river tours through the knowledge of the history of the area and eco-education with both narratives and song.

Upon Capt. Jon Semmes 24′ pontoon boat, you and your family and friends will enjoy an hour and forty minutes of cruising through some of Florida’s untouched natural beauty while learning about the history and ecology of the area. While Capt. Semmes plays his guitar and sings his songs about the ecology of the area, you may be privileged enough to witness many varieties of wildlife in their natural habitat. Citrus County is home to many different species of birds, fish, gators, turtles and native Florida plants. These tours do require a reservation, so make sure you call in advance (352) 804-1573

If your looking for some high speed, muddy entertainment this weekend, Croom Motorcycle Area in Brooksville is the place to be! With 2,600 acres of beautiful trails, sandy pits and camping, Croom promises a weekend of good dirty fun!

Located in the Withlacoochee State Forest, Croom allows for miles of riding through winding trails of oak trees and rolling hills. Open-pit mining was the way of this area years ago, which explains all the depressions and large areas of sand that make kicking up mud twice as fun!

It is difficult to find those safe places to ride your all-terrain vehicles, but Croom Motorcycle Area provides one for a pro-rated fee of $50 a year, but for the many riders that struggle to find a legal place to ride, it’s priceless!

As Summer comes to a close, now is the time to take advantage of the beauty of Citrus County. Listed below are five places that provide boat rentals in the area.

Chassahowitzka River Campground and Recreation Area - Provides access to the Chasohowitzka River and the breathtaking Gulf of Mexico. Take US Hwy 19 in Chassahowitzka, Florida head west onto W. Miss Maggie Drive (CR 480). The campground is located straight ahead about 1.8 miles.

Magic Manatee -Allows access to the Homosassa River. Take U.S. Highway 19 head west onto Halls River Rd. about 2.6 miles. Magic Manatee will be on the left.

Homosassa Riverside Marina -Allows access to Homosassa River. Take U.S Highway 19 and turn west onto Halls River Rd, a half of a mile down, take a left onto Fishbowl Dr. about another 2 miles down the road and the road will change to S. Cheroke Way. Take a right at stop sign.

Crystal Lodge Dive Center - Provides access to Crystal River. Take U.S. Highhway 19 north and turn left onto NW 6th St. Make a left onto NW 7th Ave. Located at 525 NW 7th Ave., Crystal River, Fl.

Crystal River Water Sports at the Days Inn - allows access to Crystal River. Located conveniently right behind the Days Inn at 2380 NW US Highway 19, Crystal River, Fl.

Other related topics that may be of interest

9 Places to Launch your Boat into the Beauty of Citrus County, Florida