Local briefs: Oklawaha voting is in; community meetings scheduled

Staff reports
Updated ·3 min read

Voting is complete for Oklawaha pronunciation

The Friends of the Oklawaha Greenway recently announced the results of its community challenge, a month-long voting opportunity at the Oklawaha Brewery to decide how to pronounce Oklawaha. The official vote-with-cash count resulted in $103 in favor of the long O sound (O as in oak tree) and $63 for the short O sound (O as in octopus), according to a news release.

“The Oklawaha Greenway Singers may have influenced the results with their song, delivered at a greenway event on Saint Patrick’s Day at the brewery. Their song, borrowed from the Broadway musical Oklahoma, uses the long O sound in its chorus," Event Organizer Katie Breckheimer said in the release. "All of the singers prefer the long O pronunciation and really enjoy singing it that way.”

Last month, the pronunciation challenge sparked many conversations about how to say the Native American word. Jan Allen, a member of the greenway friends steering committee, remembers growing up near Florida’s Ocklawaha River, most likely the word’s origin.

“I remember the spelling being the same as the one we use here today, without the letter C. I checked with my brother to see how he remembers pronouncing it,” she said in the release. “He always said it with a short O sound.”

A postcard from the Peacock's Motel in Oklawaha, Florida.
A postcard from the Peacock's Motel in Oklawaha, Florida.

Allen was intrigued enough to research the spelling, and found a historical reference from Paul Nosca’s 2013 History of Florida’s Ocklawaha River: Ocklawaha is the correct official spelling of this river's name since 1992 (and its original pre-1892 spelling). From 1892-1992 the river's name was officially spelled "Oklawaha."

Four Impact Listening Sessions on Child Care scheduled

The Henderson County Early Childhood Task Force has scheduled four Impact Listening Sessions on Opportunities and Outcomes for Child Care. Listening sessions will be held on May 8 and May 9 at Bethel Wesleyan Church in Hendersonville (909 Tracy Grove Road).

According to a news release, the purpose of these listening sessions is to engage in a focused discussion on the challenges and opportunities for child care in Henderson County. Insights gleaned from these sessions will help determine areas of focus while working toward solutions in Henderson County.

Community members are invited to attend any of these four sessions:

  • Child care Directors/Providers – 6 p.m. May 8 (dinner included)

  • Businesses – Noon May 9 (lunch included)

  • Education – 2 p.m. May 9 (chocolate included)

  • Civic Government – 6 p.m. May 9 (dinner included)

The Early Childhood Task Force, led by co-chairs Commissioner Rebecca McCall and former Henderson County Public Education Board Member Amy Lynn Holt, consists of invested community members, businesses and childcare providers who are taking a community-wide approach to address the issues of capacity to serve children, staffing in both the child care centers and our neighbor’s businesses, and the high cost of care.

Community Builders Breakfast for Habitat scheduled

A fundraiser called Community Builders Breakfast for Henderson County Habitat for Humanity is scheduled from 7:30-9 a.m. at Highland Lake Inn, located at 86 Lily Pad Lane in Flat Rock.

Proceeds from the breakfast will support a large infrastructure installation project that will allow Henderson County Habitat for Humanity to build an additional 35 low-cost homes for local residents in phases 6 and 3 of Dodd Meadows, located in East Flat Rock at Crest and East Blue Ridge roads.

For more information and reservation forms, visit www.habitat-hvl.org or call Henderson County Habitat for Humanity at 828-694-0340, ext. 112.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Local briefs: Oklawaha voting is in; community meetings scheduled