Friday May 18th 2001 - The Alachua Historical Society kicked off their
membership drive with several great events at the Recreation Department.
The Alachua County Library Bookmobile was on hand, Alachua County Sheriff's
Department K-9 Unit demonstrated several techniques used by their 'partners',
and ice cream was a refreshing treat for the on-lookers.
Bonnie
Burgess, President of the Historical Society, discussed establishing a
"recording" of Alachua's History. Suggestions included asking
elders of the community to record their memory of yesteryear Alachua.
Collective memory will weave the rich and proud history from yesterday into our
present and culminate with our visioning of Alachua tomorrow. As one of
Alachua's newly elected commissioners, Burgess is a graceful bridge to our
yesterday, a vibrant force of the present, and a proven visionary of tomorrow,
demonstrated by the creative enthusiasm ever present with each undertaking.
The crowd was treated to sounds of the past provided by Michael Howell.
Michael's grandson was on hand to help with setup.
 The
K-9 unit kept everyone's attention with impeccable command response, a keen
demonstration of article retrieval, and a very impressive detainment
exercise. Officer and handler Montgomery has been with Rubic for about two
years. The department obtains the animals from England because of
exclusive breeding stock characteristics. The cost for each male animal
ranges from $3,000 to $7,000 as pups. About 400 hours of training is
required for each dog and handler to achieve the level of skill required to
serve on the K-9 Unit. The dogs are retired after about 10 or 12 years on
the force due to the extensive work performed. Alachua County allows the
dog to remain with his handler after retirement.
The Ice Cream Social is the first of three events planned for the
weekend. Saturday's Genealogy Workshop and the "Dying to get In"
Cemetery Tour, Sunday, should prove equally entertaining. We will
keep you "posted." | 
