![]() Don’t tell the boss I played hooky Tuesday. It came down to a simple choice: Spend the afternoon in a cold, dark cave known as the County Commission Chambers. Or visit the Citrus County Fair. That’s a no-brainer. Let me explain. Not sure I ever mentioned this, but decades ago the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) were looking to locate their Spring Training complex on land north of Citrus Hills. I kid you not. As big deals go, this was the biggest. The county hired a consultant to negotiate but, as is often the case in these things, devil’s in the details. The team wanted an arm and a leg from Citrus County, and all we were willing to give up was the left pinky. (The Guardians left without so much as a “thanks for the memories.” They ended up in Homestead, but moved from there before playing a single game when Hurricane Andrew destroyed the stadium. That’s your Citrus County Spring Training history lesson for the day.) My point: I love a good diversion from work, and Spring Training would be just the fit. I didn’t make any Spring Training games this year. That’s a day-long adventure and I don’t want to leave Buddy alone for more than four or five hours, so no out-of-town baseball. Fortunately, in a week when I could use a good diversion, we have the Citrus County Fair. So, for our Wednesday, I present the JWC Citrus County Fair diversion photo page. ![]() I saw Chronicle reporter Nancy Kennedy and photo editor Matt Beck out drumming up a feature story. Every time I see Matt at the fair, I recall the fresh bread kitchen. I’m sure most people would think the county fair is a newspaper story gold mine. Midway! Farm animals! Family entertainment! Well, you would be right except for one thing: It happens EVERY YEAR. Reporters loath to write the same thing twice, so we’d always be looking for that new angle. I always thought a great story was how they make the fresh homemade bread. Matt disagreed, and it was a source of newsroom chuckles for years. We never did the bread story. But I bought a small loaf “all the way” with cinnamon, sugar, and butter. Yum! ![]() If you want to avoid the candidates (and please don’t) they all hang out in the Jacobs Building. Some candidates have their own booths, but mostly they mill around the Republican booth greeting voters and getting petition cards signed. The Republicans have grown so large they needed two booth spaces instead of one. The photo accompanying today’s blog is the Republican booth. The above photo is the Citrus Trump 45 Club which, from what I’m told, is composed of Republicans. Jesse Rumson is the club’s favorite candidate, so it’s not surprising that he’s chatting up voters at the Trump booth and not with the mainstream Republicans. Funny, though, directly across the aisle is the sheriff’s office booth. It was the sheriff’s office assistance in the federal arrest of “Sedition Panda” Rumson on charges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot that turned the 45 Club against Sheriff Mike Prendergast. This week they’re cozy neighbors. Love the fair! ![]() The Democrats have a much smaller presence, as expected. I’m pleased they have a booth. Thousands of people will stroll through the Jacobs Building this week and some will be Democrats. When you’re in the minority party it’s nice to know there are others in a community. Here’s my question: School Board candidates are at the Republican booth greeting voters and getting petition cards signed. Fine. But are they hanging at the Democratic booth as well? While these candidates are registered Republicans, School Board is a nonpartisan job. The primary is open to all voters. That’s it for today. I’ll return to work tomorrow. Probably. Join the discussion on our Facebook page. Enjoying the blog? Please consider supporting it at Venmo, PayPal, or Patreon. Comments are closed.
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AuthorMike Wright has written about Citrus County government and politics for 36 years. Archives
February 2025
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