Yankee Trails

01 yankeetrails.com | 352.633.4643 The Villages ® Community, FL | October 2016 native of Indiana, Larry also lived in Kentucky and Minnesota before relocating to Florida 25 years ago. After living in Tampa Bay for 20 years, Larry and his wife moved to The Villages, where they quickly became active members in Fernandina, one of the development's newer communities. A former participant in high school and college musicals, including Fiddler on the Roof, South Pacific and Carousel, he has found an outlet for his love of the performing arts with his club, Fernandina and Friends. Fernandina and Friends has quickly established itself as one of The Villages' premier clubs; focused on entertainment, events and cultural trips. Under the leadership of members like Larry, and President Mark Bailey, the group has grown to over 1100 members this year, many of whom live outside of Fernandina. "We didn't want to have a group that was closed to other communities; we wanted to be inclusive" Larry explained. "That's why we chose the name Fernandina and Friends." The members of Fernandina and Friends enjoy an exciting variety of activities throughout the year. The group hosts activities at the community's recreational center on the third Thursday of every month, bringing in bands, comedy acts and various forms of entertainment to delight its members. In addition, the club takes 12 to 13 off-site trips each year, traveling to cities across the state to enjoy musicals, dinner theater, pool parties and cruises. Larry himself has had a number of memorable experiences in his time with Fernandina and Friends. He cites the group's recent seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruise as a personal highlight, along with a trip to Orlando to see a performance by the Blue Man Group. As treasurer of Fernandina and Friends, Larry is responsible for coordinating cruises and offsite events, and it is clear that he and the team have developed very appealing yearly calendar of activities. However, it isn't all fun and games for the members of Fernandina and Friends. A considerable amount of the group's time and resources go toward extremely beneficial charitable initiatives. "Charity work is a big part of what we do at Fernandina and Friends," Larry said, proudly. "We firmly believe in the importance of giving back to the community." The group gives upwards of $10,000 to charitable causes annually, and members donate hundreds of hours each year in support of causes such as The Villages' hospice group, and Combat Veterans to Careers. It is clear that Fernandina and Friends is doing some incredible things here in The Villages, and having a great time all the while. We at Yankee Trails look forward to continuing to get to know this group, along with all the other fantastic clubs throughout this amazing community. CLUB OF THE MONTH OCTOBER FEATURE Fernandina & Friends We at Yankee Trails continue to be amazed by the incredible number of fun, creative clubs and organizations within The Villages community. In an effort to get to know you all, each month, we will be taking the opportunity to feature one of these groups in our "Club of the Month" column. This month, we had the chance to sit down with Larry Gedling, the treasurer of Fernandina and Friends. A If you'd like to be considered for an article in one of our upcoming issues, contact our agency manager Mike Rogers at mrogers@yankeetrails.com. "We firmly believe in the importance of giving back to the community."

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