Brea’s Buzz

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Brea’s Buzz

Brea Jones is a reporter for The Villages Daily Sun

08/06/2026

Having a community to provide support, advice and resources can make the school year easier for students of all ages - even those going away to college.

After the influence of a Leesburg community leader changed the trajectory of his life as a teenager, Pernell Mitchell Jr. was determined to take on the responsibility of encouraging generations growing up after him to attend college and is supporting them throughout their journey through his nonprofit, YoungLake Co.

Nonprofits like Mitchell's and other organizations in Lake and Sumter counties are hosting back-to-school parties and giveaway events in various communities throughout August to provide students with school supplies, mentorship and the chance to have one last summer party before school starts.

07/27/2026

Thousands of Drive-In Theaters used to be scattered across the nation during the peak of their existence from 1950 to 1960’s.

Today, only four drive-ins exist in Florida.

The Ocala Drive-In theatre has existed for 78 years and continues the generational legacy left by the memorable viewing experience.

My recently published Daily Sun article tells a bit of the history of the local drive-in and how it continues to make an impact on the community decades after first opening it’s lot.

Article by: Brea Jones. Printed on 07.07.26 in The Villages Daily Sun.

07/15/2026

As the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary, programs hosted by a local museum and local library highlighted the legacy of Black military service.

My article recapping a presentation by Dr. Joe Ponds, president of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association of Florida, one of the nearly 600 Black helicopter pilots who served during the Vietnam war and the presentation about the Marshall Plantation Raid, when a troop of Union soldiers raided the Marshall Plantation, a sugar plantation with 95 enslaved people working to harvest sugar and send food to the Confederacy in Ocala, published yesterday in The Villages Daily Sun

Article and photos by: Brea Jones. Printed on 07.14.26 in The Villages Daily Sun.

Friends of Marion County Black History Museum, Inc.

06/22/2026

When Kathy Wright first noticed the marked decline of Evergreen Memorial Gardens Cemetery — overgrown grass, sinking headstones and trash scattered across its nearly 8-acre lot — she organized a group of volunteers to help clean up.

“I can’t imagine leaving the cemetery to turn into a field of emptiness,” said Wright, who over the past year has been traveling back and forth from her home in Georgia to Leesburg to lead cleanups of the cemetery that predates the 1950s.

Article and photos by: Brea Jones. Printed on 06.04.26 I The Villages Daily Sun.

Project Evergreen Cemetery - Leesburg, FL

06/11/2026

With a flip of a switch, lights across Leesburg turned purple on June 1 in support of Alzheimer’s Awareness Month.

The Purple for a Purpose Kickoff event, hosted by The Rotary Club of Leesburg and the City of Leesburg at Towne Square Park, started the community’s monthlong effort to support those affected by Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

Article and photos by: Brea Jones. Printed on 06.09.26 in The Villages Daily Sun.

The Rotary Club of Leesburg

06/10/2026

Lillian Lockette is determined to share some of Leesburg's more obscure history with the community through the Leesburg African-American Museum.

She, along with other members of the Lake, Sumter and Marion Counties Section of the National Council of Negro Women, took almost seven months to sift through memorabilia, artwork, faded photographs and old newspaper clippings about Leesburg residents who contributed to the city and county's development.

"This project has been a labor of love," said Lockette, social justice chair of the local chapter of the NCNW. "When I noticed just how many people were not aware of our local history or that there was even a Black history museum in Leesburg, I knew I had to do something. I'm looking forward to seeing young folks come here to learn our history. Grandparents can bring their grandchildren to learn about African Americans who lived in Lake County."

The museum, located at 220 Mike St., Leesburg, is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, thanks to NCNW members volunteering to give tours of the center that was previously open by appointment only.

Article and photos by: Brea Jones. Printed on 06.08.26 in The Villages Daily Sun.

05/29/2026

Art can cause people to focus on stories that might have been overlooked for centuries.

Aiming to highlight Florida’s role in national history through art and discussion, the Florida’s Eve of Emancipation event was Friday at the Fort King National Historic Landmark, 3925 E. Fort King St., Ocala.

Along with unveiling an original painting by local artist Charles Eady, which depicted Abraham, a formerly enslaved Black man who lived near Ocala and became a lead interpreter for Seminoles during the Second Seminole War, the event included conversations about how slavery shaped relations and treaty negotiations between Seminoles.

Article and photos by: Brea Jones. Printed on 05.26.26 in The Villages Daily Sun.

05/13/2026

Whether it was by banging on an African drum while learning phrases in Yoruba or coloring in Sri Lankan motifs on a community art project, the Cultures Around Us event invited people to immerse themselves in a variety of cultures.

The May 3 event highlighted a wide range of cultures, including African, Asian, Haitian and Hispanic, through art and live performance.

Belina Wright, a self-taught artist based in Florida, decided to host the event in partnership with the Artist With A Purpose art gallery after receiving the United Arts of Central Florida grant.

Article and photos by: Brea Jones. Printed on 05.12.26 in The Villages Daily Sun.

05/04/2026

Thawanna Hurge said it is rewarding to give back and show her community she cares.

Hurge’s dedication to service is what motivated her to spend four hours on a recent Friday morning separating produce and putting it into carts during the United Way of Lake and Sumter Counties’ Day of Caring 2026.

Hurge, director of community impact for United Way of Lake and Sumter Counties, volunteered to assist at The Neighborhood Center of South Lake, a designated nutritious food pantry that services people who live 200% below the national poverty income level.

“I’m here to put my hands to work,” Hurge said. “If people don’t know about these resources or what’s happening in the community, they can’t be a part of the solution. I feel it’s important to be here and share what it feels like to give back. If we push what we are going through to the side and help people, it’s rewarding and a great way to serve the community.”

Article and photo by: Brea Jones. Printed on 05.04.26 in The Villages Daily Sun.

United Way of Lake & Sumter Counties

04/30/2026

B.J. Rolli has been passionate about keeping her community clean since she was a child.

Rolli was one of nearly 15 people who volunteered to pick up trash with the Wildwood Street Sweepers on April 22 during the Keep Wildwood Beautiful Earth Day Litter Cleanup Event.

Article and photos by: Brea Jones. Printed on 04.27.26.

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