As we approach the end of the season with this May issue of the Villager, it might be interesting to note a bit of Villager history. A few weeks ago I received an email from Joan Meginniss, a Villager staff worker from years past, that she had a box of old copies of the Villager. In going through them, I found a number of interesting things. The first “Villager” was published in the Winter of 1988 as a quarterly newsletter “bringing you up to date on the latest developments at the Villages at Country Creek” which at that time featured only the Manor Home and Fairway Estate as model homes on Winterberry Way and Old Oak Place and the beginnings of the Clubhouse. Estero was just beginning to grow and to attract companies to relocate to Southwest Florida. The article goes on to explain the value of this community: “The Villages at Country Creek offers a product which is needed in our area. . . and offers unbeatable value . . . and available housing which is attractive to middle managers.”
It was also interesting to note that the first hole on the golf course to be completed at VCC was the 18th hole, “. . . a grand finale to this challenging executive course.” Advice to golfers at that time was: “Reach into your bag for one more club than you think is necessary (possibly a five iron) and aim just a little left of the pin to ensure your safe par. Or, fire at the flagstick and be rewarded with a birdie, or . . .?” Is this still the case after all these years?
While I don’t have copies of every single past issue, it appears that the Villager assumed its current format in 1990 and its current publication design somewhere around 2010. To this day it has served the membership during the community’s growth as a vital communication tool still “. . . bringing you up to date on the latest developments at the Villages at Country Creek.”
The old documents I reviewed contained a plethora of articles written by residents of VCC expressing the pleasure they had in participating in events and being part of this community. This year we’ve tried to bring back some of that human interest scope and hope the residents have enjoyed it. As chair of the Communications Committee, I thank my current staff of Susan D’Alessandro, Margaret Farmer, Judy Lieske, and Board liaison Steve Zielinski for their efforts in that regard.
The Villager staff thanks all who have participated over the years in providing articles, photos, ideas and many hours of volunteer work so that the Villager may continue to keep the membership aware of all the happenings that make up life here in the Villages at Country Creek.
