Frequent readers of this column are familiar with the phrase “The World comes to White Springs,” which I repeat often in reference to the many visitors we have. Due to events hosted by the Town, Stephen Foster State Park and the Suwannee Bicycle Association, and also due to our proximity to the Suwannee River and the Florida Trail, we get an amazing diversity of visitors from different parts of the world. Each one comes with a story and here is one I’ll share with you.

The other day a group of fifteen or so Boy Scouts, comprised of smallish to medium sized boys dressed in full hiking regalia complete with huge backpacks, came trudging down the sidewalk in front of our house. Some of the boys looked like they had gone just about as far as they could go with their heavily loaded packs. Thinking that they must be finishing up a long hike, Merri and I struck up a conversation with one of the Scout masters and inquired about where they started and where they were going. We were flabbergasted at the answer! The Scoutmaster proudly said that they had just started at the boat ramp/park on the Suwannee River in White Springs (about a mile away) and were going to be hiking fifty miles over the next few days.  Merri and I tried to hide our true reaction, which would have been, “You’ve got to be kidding!” and instead wished them good luck as we watched the hunched over and already red faced little boys disappear behind the silhouettes of their gigantic backpacks as they hiked away towards Stephen Foster Park. If any of you readers have knowledge of this ambitious expedition, please share it with me. I hope their story has a happy ending! I’m sure it does because The Florida Trail has been an integral part of Scouting in Florida since the trail’s inception in 1966.  Boy Scouts were recruited to assist volunteers building portions of the trail through the Ocala National Forest in the 1960s and 1970s and Scouts have been hiking the trail ever since then.  

As the world comes to White Springs, the traffic sometimes includes unwanted, even dangerous visitors. There is a swarm of them that will be coming soon and I’m going to suggest that we do all we can to make them unwelcome. Don’t offer them a place to stay, avoid them like the plague, and even kill them if necessary!  

I’m talking about the Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that carries the Zika virus, a mosquito that is tenacious and relatively impervious to broad outdoor spraying, a mosquito that likes to live where we live.  We’re our own worst enemy because we create mosquito habitats close to our houses. Experts say that fighting Zika will require a major change in how we practice mosquito control. Fighting this enemy is going to require a lot of yard to yard action. You’ll be hearing and reading a lot more about this as mosquito season approaches because the Zika virus a real threat to our health and the health of unborn children.  Make no mistake about it, the Zika virus is coming to Florida!  We don’t know exactly when Zika will get to White Springs but we do know for sure that it’s coming. In the meantime the smartest thing we can do is begin to eliminate the many mosquito habitats that exist in most of our yards and in the empty lots around town. Please, for starters, for your sake and for your neighbors’ sake, get rid of any stagnant, standing water habitat in your yard.  As Nike used to say, “Just Do It!” The Town of White Springs is already engaged and I fully expect for us to be hearing from our county health department and emergency management department. This is going to be a very locally based fight and I’m hoping that local governments will be very proactive in dealing with this situation, but nothing can take the place of individual responsibility. If you need help doing your part, let me know.

I had a nice talk with Curtis Johnson the other day as he paused for a minute to say hello in front of my house. He was probably on his way to the hardware store to get something needed for his work. Curtis works for the Town of White Springs and I see him all over town, working on various projects and dealing with numerous situations. There is a lot more to do to keep our town running reasonably well than most of us know. Curtis knows!  Thanks Curtis for all that you do!

Beulah Baptist Church has asked me to remind you once again that you are invited to attend the black history program at Beulah Baptist Church, Saturday, Feb. 20 at 4 p.m.  Deacon Fred Scippio Jr. of St. Peter Missionary Baptist Church, Archer, Fla. will be the speaker, and his choir, “Men of Integrity” will be attending. Dinner will follow. The public is welcome!

I also know that there will be a black history program at the White Springs Heritage and Tourism Center on Sunday, Feb. 28, but I don’t have any further information at this time.  Please contact me if you have any info on this.

Now that you’ve heard from me, I need to hear from you! I hope that you will contribute to your community by contributing to this column.   I love to report the good news about life in White Springs and if you have a story or some good news, I’d love to hear from you!  I am thankful that we truly are all connected and, as always, I look forward to seeing you out and about, enjoying your life in White Springs.  

Walter McKenzie

lifeinwhitesprings@gmail.com

386-303-1394