Alternative to current Katie Bell's Plan
 

Went to Cattle Barron before they changed it. Katie Bell was packed. I guess people wanted to dance for the last time. It still is such a shame that a unique place like current Katie Bells will be no longer. Wish we could keep Katie Bells as is but let it open to residents and non-residents and change Cattle Barron to a member club like the old English club atmosphere with possibly a piano bar. Yes, high ceiling has to be closed for more space up stairs. If need be, charge monthly dues and minimum food bill like some private clubs. Club Corp., the largest club management group based in Texas could run the management. Katie Bell is an unique place and sad to lose such a "historic" place.

Cattle Baron's has already tried the Members Only route and it failed.

KathieI. Thanks for agreeing with me. To The Villagers, the place is indeed a "historic" sight, even a sacred sight. It feels like how I felt when Singapore or Chinese governments started tearing down old quaint buildings for the sake of modernity. They stopped doing that in recent. Katie Bell is one place I take visiting guests when showing the uniqueness of The Villages.

Maybe this move was done now because Cattle Baron needs a remodel. We have been there many times and felt it could use some extensive updating. It's dark and old. I agree that it's a shame because I always loved the look and atmosphere of Katie Bells.

Keep beatin' that horse....

This was already tried and, as always, everyone was all mad and upset and it didn't work !!
Just FYI, there is already a thread or 2 running on Katie Belles.

The reason Cattle Baron is in dire need of a remodel is because the developer allowed the venue to get to this condition. TV has a history of letting their commercial buildings go until some of them, for example the Santiago restaurant, have to be condemned and torn down.

The Villages had nothing to do with the condition of Santiago. That was privately owned.

[QUOTE=Bonny;1047178]The Villages had nothing to do with the condition of Santiago. That was privately owned.[/QUO



How did TV sell the building to the Amenity Authority Committee last year for $350,000, if it did not own the building?

Because the owners walked out. They didn't want to spend the money to do repairs.

Yup. It's that villain, the "rich" developer, always there to blame everything under the sun upon. When the bar-restaurant at Orange Blossom Hills Golf & CC was closed because the leasing restauranteur did not keep it maintained and clean, one would have thought from reading here that life in TV would never be the same again.

But that is far from reality upon re-opening with the new restauranteur running it.

IMO: No poster on here is privy to the contents of these lease agreements. Some tenants thought the owner should do the maintenance, and the owner thought otherwise. These owners (OBGCC and Santiago) just packed up shop and moved on.

There's not much left to beat.:sigh:

We can beat the horse. We can cajole it. Heck, we can even bribe it. But it is a done deal. This wasn't a case of, "hey, folks, we're planning on some major renovations of Katie Belle's and closing Cattle Baron's. What do y'all think?" This was a case of, "these are our plans. If you don't like it, too dang bad." We were told what would be happening, not asked.

I know we Villagers are an entitled lot and we truly do think we have a say so in what the developers do here, but this is not a democracy. It is a business. I may not like some of the choices made since I've moved here (okay, most of them) but I do respect the fact that it ain't my nickel. if they feel this is the right move, so be it. We'll learn to live with the changes. Newbies will have no concept of what has been lost. And life will go on.

We went there once and the food was mediocre and the place didn't look like the cleaner had been there for a while. I didn't see any reason to go back. I wonder how much other business they lost because of the "they'll take what we give them" attitude.
Did anyone think it would stay as it was once the "Sharon" opened?
Perhaps if they'd had 10-15 "Mama Mia" breakfasts a month they would have been profitable. :D

I agree!

redwitch: I agree with except for one small detail. The Developer is more than a business its a monarchy and not a very benevolent at that.

Personal Best Regards:

well said

Another wise post from a very wise woman! Perhaps if folks had spent as much time supporting KB/CB as they do bemoaning the mediocre meals, there might have been a different ending. I can remember the days when we had to wait on line for the Sunday brunch - this season we could always be seated upon arrival...and that was despite being open to the public! The food was mediocre, it is sad to see it go but life in the Villages will go on. And we'll be back next season - just brunching someplace new! :)

UNTRUE about the El Santiago facility. You should read Janet Tutt's article in the rec new of Apr 9.

Why in the world should people spend time "supporting KB/CB as they do bemoaning the mediocre meals?" If your gardner does a crappy job do you keep him? What about the barber who gives you a lopsided haircut? Perhaps if KB had paid attention to some of the "bemoaning" and done something about their food... nah... why bother...
A while back there were endless threads about "supporting" the Havana in spite of bad service and not-so-great food. Maybe I'm missing something...

In the beginning KB's was the developers Premier marketing tool, to attract home buyers in Lady Lake, now has outlived its purpose, it's all about the bottom line.

I remember when Hacienda Hills Country Club required men to wear sport jackets and the yummy seafood buffet they used to do. It was awesome !!!

I believe it is May 1st.

The Developer is a very smart business man but I've also heard that the family is very benevolent but they keep the "things" they do very low key. The Sharon may be a good example of what they do for the community.

I'm sure the new Katie Belle's will be fine.

Nope.
Opening day you will here crickets on the dance floor judging from these post.

I'm expecting it to be great. In fact, I am hoping for a high end supper club to support the high end theater we now have. I'd even like to see a dress code - smart casual.

They tried that years ago. Hacienda Hills Country Club required men to wear a sports coat. We all know how long that lasted with people telling Villagers "how to dress" !!!

Times have changed Bonny and there is a lot more money here now. As for "telling people how to dress", if you cruise you are requested to dress smart casual in the dining rooms, no difference here. Oh, forgot, this is just my opinion, and we all know what "opinions" are worth.:jester:

LOL :smiley:
Even that has changed on cruises. We cruise a lot. You see t shirts and jeans in the dining room and even on formal night. Some girls will come in with a "sun dress" that looks like a bathing suit cover up and wearing flip flops. :22yikes:

Which is the market the cruise lines are after. Our generation is no longer important to the cruise lines, we accept whatever they put out there, they are working on attracting the future cruisers.

Some of the cruise lines are holding this trend back. You cannot do this on the luxury cruise lines, you follow the dress code. Even P&O in Europe has a dress code which they uphold. Personally, I don't care how one dresses as long as it is appropriate for the surroundings and every ship seems to have a dining room which allows casual wear.

How on earth did we get off topic like this - from KB's to cruises ....... oh well!:sigh:

Do we have to call it "The Sharon"? That's so 2002. the Performing Arts Center works just fine and doesn't sound so pretentious/hokey.

Mark Morse, the creator of The Performing Arts Center named it The Sharon, and that is how it is being advertised..

I think it is a nice tribute to his mother who was very involved in creating The Villages and who died of cancer here. In her last days, Gary Morse moved them to one of the cottages near Lake Sumter Landing with just the one floor to make it easier for her. He walked every morning to the sales center at Lake Sumter Landing. There is a formal picture of Sharon Morse in the large common area at the Savannah Center.

I thought it was named the Sharon Morse Center for the Performing Arts, or something like that. People don't usually come up with their own nicknames... they evolve.

Go to thevillages.com There is a tape about it, and the advertising has it called The Sharon, as well as The Sharon Morse Performing Arts Center.

http://www.thesharon.com/

It is like kids, if it's yours, you get to name it.

If we would have had another daughter, we were considering Dazzling. :a20:

Sharon Morse died at the end of 1999. There were no cottages near LKS until after the square opened in 2004. At the time of her death, Gary and Sharon were living in Hickory Hammock, which consists of all one story homes. At that time, he had an office above Café Ole overlooking Spanish Springs town square.

Sounds like a hockey arena! (The Joe, Detroit; The Ralph, somewhere in North Dakota...)