This St. Patrick’s Day, a community luminary will be honored at a milestone event in Brooksville. The 50th Anniversary of St. Patrick’s Day in Clover Leaf Farms, scheduled for March 17, will honor the founding father of this retirement community!
“We’re immensely proud that John White, Clover Leaf Farms Developer, and his wife Margaret White will be our Grand Marshalls for this event,” said Carolyn MacNeil, Clover Leaf HOA vice president. “The parade route is about one mile long and open to the public. The parade starts at 10:00 am in the new section located on Croom Road.”
Clover Leaf clubs and organizations also will be represented at the parade. MacNeil shared, “We’re expecting all our local clubs, including our Homeowners Association, to be in the parade along with the Fire Department, Police Department, Mounted Patrol, Son of the American Legion, Daughters of the American Revolution, Brooksville Main Street, and the Mayor!”
Hot dogs, soda, chips and other goodies will be provided free of charge at the parade; in addition, raffles will also be part of the festivities.
White, age 92, is excited to represent the community that he conceptualized and developed at this milestone parade. “I’m an architect by profession, and we welcomed our first resident to Clover Leaf in 1972,” he explained. “I worked on this development with a man named Grady O’Hara.”
Their mission was simple. “We wanted to build the perfect retirement community,” said White. The canvas for their architectural masterwork took the form of 140 acres of land graced with rolling hills and bountiful greenspace, beautiful florals, and tall trees. Today’s Clover Leaf also boasts lush gardens and landscaping, sterling art and stoneworks, clubhouses, community centers, a community library, and many beautiful homes.
The community of Clover Leaf will be celebrated in grand fashion at their 50th Anniversary St. Patrick’s Day Parade, set to feature floats, boats, bikes and motorcycles, golf carts and walkers – all of which will compete for cash prizes. Judges in this annual parade float competition will include Brooksville Mayor Blake Bell and Natalie Kahler, executive director of Brooksville Main Street.
And the architect, who is still designing houses at age 92, plans to be there. “This community is filled with a lot of love,” said White. “Clover Leaf has been a wonderful experience.”
