Reasons Why - Each piece is unique

By Meredith Linley

It’s quite shocking to me how busy these past few months have been, even more shocking that I have now been home for over 6 months. I guess that this is just how fall is; football games, festivals, golf tournaments, special events, and of course holidays. But as I sit and reflect on the past few months it’s a few events that really stand out in my mind.
Events like the Cooter Festival, the Stone Crab Jam, and the Homosassa Seafood Festival. In recent weekends I attended all three and each one has its own distinct flavor which was something that really got me to thinking. Even though we tend to refer to ourselves as the whole (Citrus County) it really is each individual city or area that brings something different to the table.
This is what really got me thinking. I naturally compare every reason why with my experiences in the bigger cities. In larger cities you will find suburbs and different areas of town. But it’s all the same - big box shopping center on the corner, subdivision, subdivision, school. What do they bring to the table? I can assure you it’s not cooters or stone crabs.
Every part of Citrus County contributes something new and unique to our area as a whole. From each corner different industries and attractions contribute to make our community a destination. And I feel it reasonably safe to say that without one part of this big picture our community wouldn’t dazzle so much. Without the Shoppes of Heritage Village or the blueberry farms of Floral City, the whole package we present as Citrus County wouldn’t be the same. And I can’t even fathom what life was like before the Great American Cooter Festival!
Unfortunately I have to keep these columns under 400 words so I can’t go into detail as to why each corner of our county contributes to my overall list of reasons why. But I invite you to follow me in the coming weeks as I attempt to go through and share with you a few things from each area that have made it to my list of reasons why.