The Festival of Trees with its amazing variety of beautifully decorated trees never fails to spark my creative energy.  Browsing the more than 60 decked-out Christmas trees and wreaths provides inspiration and fresh ideas for tackling my own holiday decorating.  The event is free and open to the public at the St. Johns County Convention Center at the Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village from this Friday, December 2nd through Sunday, December 11th.

The Festival of Trees started back in 2005 and has become a well-loved tradition in World Golf Village and throughout Jacksonville and St. Augustine.  It provides much needed support for needy families right here in St. Johns County with proceeds benefiting The United Way of St. Johns County and The Empty Stocking Fund. You can simply admire the trees, or you can “vote” for your favorite creations with a $1 donation which goes to charity, or you can even take a tree or wreath home with you by bidding through the silent auction.

When you live in beautiful St. Augustine, Florida, the holiday season is not signaled by a nip in the air but rather by something much more magical and festive.  Something that lights up the night and tickles the fancy. Something that draws neighbors from Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra, Julington Creek and other places both near and far.  It’s the Nights of Lights of course, which turned on the switch this past weekend and set historic downtown St. Augustine a twinkle just like it has for the past 17 years.  In fact its the mild winter evenings in St. Augustine that make the Nights of Lights so inviting.  Strolling downtown’s cobbled streets, walking along the Matanzas Riverfront near the Bridge of Lions, browsing boutiques and enjoying the cafes under a canopy of sparkling white lights is sure to put anyone in the holiday spirit.  Nights of Lights shines on St. Augustine every evening until January 31, 2012 and is a great evening outing for family and friends visiting from out of town. 

Here are some other festive events happening in and around our St. Augustine golf course community:

According to a new Associated Press-LifeGoesStrong.com poll, most baby boomers would like to retire somewhere close to family, medical care, a warmer climate and convenient to services and amenities. However, the economy has waylaid their plans. In fact, 60 percent of boomers said they lost money during the recession as a result of workplace retirement plans, personal investments and real estate all taking a hit. Many baby boomers reported they expect to stay where they are given the economy. Seventy-three percent said they planned to keep working into their retirement years, up from 67 percent in a March poll.

A population some 77 million-strong, baby boomers are comprised of the generation born between 1946 and 1964.  Boomers who plan to or want to move when they retire seek the following: a smaller place (40%), be closer to medical offices or hospitals (39%), live in a different/warmer climate (30%) or switch to a more affordable house (25%). Fifteen percent said they planned to move to be closer to family, and 10 percent wanted a city with more services.

Tavi Sport will celebrate his 4th birthday aboard the St. Augustine pirate ship Black Raven.  No doubt the young World Golf Village resident will don head-to-toe pirate gear for the event. “Tavi has been fascinated with pirates for about two years now,” says his Mom, Paula Sport.  “In fact, he wears something ‘pirate-like’ every day,” she added. Tavi Sport will turn four on November 28th.  His special pirate-ship birthday party was organized by the non-profit organization Dreams Comes True because Tavi has been fighting Leukemia for about a year.  His fondness for pirates is just one of the things that makes Tavi special.  He also has a joyous, delightful personality that puts a smile on faces wherever he goes. 

The Sport family moved to Grovewood in our St. Augustine golf course community five years ago when Tavi’s Dad, Lewis Sport, was transferred with Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. “My husband is a golfer,” says Paula. “We love the beautiful drive back to Grovewood and seeing what kinds of animals we can spot.  Our favorite is the fox squirrel.”  The Sport family also includes Tavi’s 12-year-old brother Tanner who attends Pacetti Bay Middle School and pets, Bandit and JT (Jack Russell Terriers) and Rex and Scooby (Yellow Bellied Slider Turtles).

Rick Hollabaugh started Trusted Tranzitions about four years ago when a personal experience left him thinking there was a need for personalized senior moving and downsizing services.  “My wife and I were living in California and my Mother-in-Law who was in Florida passed away suddenly. In addition to dealing with her grief, my wife had to stay in South Florida several months dealing with her Mother’s estate, a long tedious process.”  Hollabaugh added, “Very soon after, we relocated to Ponte Vedra from California and moving cross country even as healthy pre-retirees was a daunting task.”  Both experiences spurred Hollabaugh, an experienced entrepreneur, to start Trusted Tranzitions.

Rick and his wife Bobbie started Trusted Tranzitions with a focus on senior moving . Whether  across town or across country, Trusted Tranzitions helps retirees relocating to Florida, seniors moving into independent living and assisted living facilities and seniors downsizing from larger homes.  “We make the process stress-free,” says Hollabaugh. As their business grew, so did their menu of services. Today, in addition to senior move management, Trusted Tranzitions also provides reliable more expansive estate administrative services and reliable referrals for reputable trust, estate and wealth management professionals.  Says Hollabaugh, “We can provide a nearly A to Z approach for clients – from helping them manage the move into an assisted care facility like Glenmoor at World Golf Village, to helping them sort through and downsize their belongings at a bigger home, to providing trusted referrals for estate sales, handymen or other help getting their home on the market, and then handling all the hassle of packing and moving so they can smoothly make the transition into their new home.”

On September 17, our World Golf Village neighbor Francoise Marquis will celebrate her 100th birthday.   The day might end with Mrs. Marquis playing cards with her family – a favorite pastime – which she  usually wins. Mrs. Marquis lives with her daughter and son-in-law Michelle and Louis Petrarca in Turnberry. “She joins us just about everywhere we go during the day. Her energy level is amazing,” said her daughter Michelle.  Turnberry neighbors may spot Mrs. Marquis puttering around the yard or taking a stroll when the weather gets a bit cooler.

Petrarca explains her Mom spends her mornings watching Mass on TV, followed by breakfast and a routine of simple chores. She does crossword puzzles daily to keep her mind sharp as a tack. She’s healthy and takes no medications, just a few vitamins.  Says Petrarca, “Mom will tell you that she is not ready for the rocking chair yet.”  She still washes dishes by hand and does her own laundry.  “Her bedroom and bathroom look like a model home with everything in its proper place,” says Petrarca.

For The Meadows resident Michelle Crownover, living in our St. Augustine golf community has been a family affair.  Michelle first moved in with her sister, Dianna, in The Meadows in fall of 2006.  From the start, the sisters loved the neighborhood’s mix of young professionals, families and retirees.  “There’s a real sense of community in The Meadows. Neighbors are friendly and the mix of generations gives The Meadows a warm and inviting energy,” said Michelle.

In early 2009, Michelle’s family grew.  She and her new husband, Jason, decided to buy a home of their own across the street from her sister in The Meadows. Their World Golf Village wedding was on July 4th.  Wedding guests stayed at The Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village where the ceremony was held. “It was so beautiful,” says Michelle. The reception was at The Slammer & Squire club.  Says Michelle, “Our guests loved the Village feel!  They also enjoyed nearby downtown St. Augustine and of course golfing at The Slammer & Squire. The whole experience was a hit.”  She added, “To top it off, World Golf Village provided some amazing settings and beautiful backgrounds for our wedding photos.”

Michelle works in the St. Augustine area too.  She serves as Customer Relations Manager at Galaxy Aviation at the Northeast Florida Regional Airport.  “We take care of all the needs of corporate aviation and general aviation,” says Michelle.  Her and Jason are enjoying calling World Golf Village home. “We love to bike ride around the community. We also entertain at home a lot, and love having neighbors over for cookouts, birthdays, and any reason to celebrate,” says Michelle.  “And The Meadows is so dog-friendly.  I think everyone knows me as Blue’s Aunt!  He’s my sister’s Neapolitan Mastiff who I walk around the ‘hood. Everyone loves petting him.”

The thing that struck me about talking with Letti Bozard of Bozard Ford Lincoln Mercury was that, despite her family’s legacy of owning and operating the successful St. Augustine dealership for generations, Letti was focused on all the great things Bozard is doing now.  From the new Quick Lane Service Center to the numerous ways the company supports area schools, Bozard is not a company to rest on its laurels.

Its laurels are plentiful by the way.  The company was founded in St. Augustine over 60 years ago and three generations of the Bozard family have operated the local institution.  Today Letti Bozard, Vice President of Community Involvement & Customer Strategy, and her brother Bo Bozard, Controller, are following in the family business.  Jeff King serves as General Manager. The dealership has received numerous awards over the years, including 14 Ford Motor Company President’s Awards, Ford’s highest honor in customer satisfaction. And just last month, Bozard was #1 in sales volume among area Ford Lincoln Mercury dealerships throughout Duval, St. Johns and Clay counties. “It was especially great to see the strong rebound in truck sales last month,” says Bozard.  “July 2011 was the biggest month of F150 Ford Trucks sales ever in our history.”

“Knives are simple tools. A well-made knife resonates on a primal level.”  Bob Kramer, ABS Master Bladesmith

Lou Kindelberger is the owner of The Knife Factory in St. Augustine, Florida

After my visit to The Knife Factory on State Road 16 near the St. Augustine Outlets, I vow to never again take my kitchen knives for granted.  Form and function are so elegantly executed in the unassuming knife.  And they make my favorite pastime of eating so much easier! So grateful was I this morning that I have just the right bread knife to evenly and smoothly cut through my bagel and a fine filet knife for slicing perfect slivers of tomato.  Of course you can also acquire a tomato knife for exactly that task. In fact, there seems to be a knife designed for every task in the kitchen, and several outside of the kitchen too.  Lou Kindelberger, owner of The Knife Factory, introduced me to a fantastic array of cutlery. 

Lou Kindelberger started The Knife Factory in 1989 in Orlando.  He opened his first St. Augustine location at the outlet mall and recently moved to the Shoppes at Mill Creek, a shopping center next to Sonny’s Barbecue and across from St. Augustine Harley Davidson on SR 16.  The Knife Factory offers the largest selection of cutlery in Florida, including pocket, sporting, kitchen, tactical and collectible knives.  The store carries Wustof, Shun, Global and Henckels kitchen cutlery.  They are an authorized dealer of Benchmade and W.R. Case products, offering a full line of automatics and W.R. Case collector knives. Lou also has swords in his shop which are so beautiful and exotic that you can certainly understand the appeal for collectors.  The next time I have to drag my son reluctantly to shop for new clothes at the outlets, I will surprise him with a stop at The Knife Factory to ooh and aah over the samurai swords, collectible knives, throwing knives and other unusual cutlery.

For sportsmen, Lou has a wide array of hunting, fishing and diving knives. I made a mental note of the Bear Grylls of Man Vs. Wild fame line of survivor knives by Gerber as a great gift for my brother-in-law.  Some of the W.R. Case collector knives were as beautiful as a piece of jewelry and would make a great man’s gift.  Not only is Lou an expert on knives, he’s a straight talker who gives sound advice without any hint of sales speak.  He explained, “There’s a tendency for some folks to think that products from China or Taiwan are not as well-made as the German brands, but actually some of the new lines like Rock Creek’s hunting and utility knives are extremely well-made and some of the finest swords we see come from China.” The Knife Factory also offers cutlery lines from well-known weapon manufacturers like Smith & Wesson and Colt.  The store has an ongoing special on Smith & Wesson knives that are $14.99 or 4 for $50.

If you don’t know Carol, you should.  Especially if you live in The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village, Murabella or the surrounding area.  Because if there’s something happening in our neck of the woods, Carol knows about it and she shares it with her neighbors.  Carol Carnicelli is the Editor of a weekly e-newsletter called the WGV & St. Augustine Fun News and the website www.neighborhoodconciergewgv.com.

You say you fell in love with World Gold Village at first site?
I’ve been a huge fan of World Golf Village and St. Augustine since moving here in 2002.  My husband Michael and I came for a visit to see where my sister and her husband were moving.  When we made a right turn into World Golf Village, that was it – I immediately loved this beautiful, unique community.  We make our home in St. Andrews Place.

How did you become the “Town Crier” for World Golf Village?
There was so much going on in this relatively new development that I felt we needed to get a communication out about activities in WGV and the surrounding areas.  Along with some other neighbors, we started the WGV Community Journal, a monthly publication by the St. Augustine Record.  Next for me, was a weekly email to neighbors.  Now I have a new website that incorporates an activities calendar, a virtual yard sale with the FOR SALE tab, a FUNd Raiser tab, GOLF SPECIALS tab, LINKS tab to fun events in St. Augustine, a N2N (Neighbor to Neighbor) tab for those neighbors with personal businesses to help them get the word out, and more.  The site is  www.neighborhoodconciergewgv.com.  It’s been a great way for me to meet neighbors and learn more about our area, and it’s an absolute pleasure to do. 
 
And the website is not all you do?
That’s right.  It’s not my paid job.  I am the Marketing Coordinator for Baker Distributing, a large HVAC/R distributor based in Jacksonville.  It’s a great company with wonderful people and the best products.
 
Carol, Davidson Realty is thrilled to have you as a Referral Agent. Why did you decide to add that to your plate?
Being such a big WGV fan, it really was a natural progression for me.  In fact, I referred a new neighbor who is a friend from years ago and now lives here.  You take the same real estate courses and the Florida state exam, but if you can’t commit full time to real estate, you can be a Referral Agent.  You get to know the Davidson Realty agents and work closely with them.  When you have friends wanting to buy or sell their home, but they’re not sure who to work with, you can help them.  For me, it’s just another avenue to meet people, connect with neighbors and brag about World Golf Village!

Email Carol Carnicelli at carnicel@bellsouth.net to receive her weekly newsletter and stay informed about what’s happening in the community.