VOLUME 6 ISSUE 18
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The SpongeBob Musical Pg A8
MAY 2 - 8, 2025
A special salute Family members, friends and others throw WWII veteran a 101st birthday celebration. By Andy Fillmore andy@ocalagazette.com
World War II veteran Howard Mautner displays a photo of himself taken at the age of 18, during the war.
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orld War II veteran Howard Mautner celebrated his
101st birthday with family members and friends on April 27 in Ocala. Mautner, a Chicago native, was born on April 28, 1924. He joined the US Army in September 1942 in the wake of
the Dec. 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor attack. His service in Europe included being an Army Air Corps control tower operator and directing aircraft using See 101st birthday, page A2 Musical notes created by artist David Kellner. [Photo courtesy of the artist]
Family brings local cattle “Melodic Metamorphosis” opens May 2 operation full circle The immersive art exhibit will include live performances, with proceeds benefitting two local nonprofit organizations. By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com
Doug Moody, a meat fabricator/cutter, cuts sirloin baseball steaks at the Fort McCoy plant north of Fort McCoy, Fla. on Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
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acres that surround the plant look like something out of what you imagine the land looked like in Patrick Smith’s book “A Land Remembered.” Rudnianyn, 47, said he has been cattle ranching since he was “we-tall” with his grandfather. Historically, he has run a cow-calf operation, which focuses on building a breeding herd. The male calves are often sold off when they reach about 400 to 500 pounds to prevent inbreeding, while a large portion of the heifers are kept and introduced to new steers.
ometimes, from sorrow comes inspiration. Such was the case after Joan Wilson Zink passed away on Nov. 22, 2023, in DeLand. A few months later, the award-winning author, playwright, composer and poet’s daughter, Laurie Zink, of Ocala, began to think about what to do with her mother’s beloved 1915 Hamilton-Baldwin baby grand piano. “It was her passion. She composed several musicals on the piano, among other things. When she passed, I didn’t really know what to do with it,” Zink noted. With the Japanese philosophy and art of kintsugi—repairing broken items with gold to honor their history—in mind, Zink said the idea of transforming the piano into a piece of art was born. “Art, like people, can become even more beautiful after transformation. I began to think that the music, the wood, everything about it could be a pretty special art piece with the right person,” Zink shared. “So, I called David Kellner and I said, ‘Is this a project that you might appreciate?’ And he said it was something he had wanted to do his whole artistic life of fabrication. Well, it’s really hard to find someone who will let you break a grand piano up into pieces, so we began to brainstorm. And then we brought in Jessica Carter because my mother also was a published poet and she could do something with the actual music and poetry,” Zink explained. “I received a call from Laurie on Black Friday in 2024. She said her mom had passed away and was a well-known poet and musician and had written many songs. She
See Beef Market, page A7
See Metamorphosis, page A6
The harvesting floor is shown at the Fort McCoy plant north on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. General Manager Corban Russell, left, and Matt Rudnianyn, who is one of the owners, right, talk about the harvesting floor area at the Fort McCoy plant on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. The Rudnianyn family recently purchased the ranch and the facility, formerly known as Adena Farms, which was owned and started by Frank Stronach around 2013.
Matt Rudnianyn has purchased the former Adena Farms operation in Fort McCoy and plans to raise, harvest and deliver meat locally. By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
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amily cattle operations have been romanticized through television shows and movies over the last century as the number of them has dwindled. But one local family, which has been raising cattle for generations, has now acquired a Marion County beef processing plant in order to keep more local beef, well, local. While the harvesting of cattle is the least romantic part of taking beef to market, the new owners of the plant plan to continue using the best practices established by the
prior owner, which seek to reduce stress on the animals and treat them “with respect,” said Corban Russell, general manager for the plant. The Fort McCoy processing plant and the surrounding 696 acres that were developed by Canadian businessman Frank Stronach for raising and processing beef under the Adena Farms brand were sold recently to Fort McCoy Plant, LLC, whose principle is Matt C. Rudnianyn. According to public records, he paid at least $6.3 million for the real estate. Rudnianyn’s family, including his father, John Rudnianyn, is likely the largest landowner in Marion County and the
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Sheriff lawsuit................................ A3 Superintendent search .............. A4 NAACP banquet.......................... A5 Home & Garden........................... B1 Calendar........................................ B6
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