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SATSUMA, Fla. — A 24-year-old woman was fatally struck by a train while trespassing Saturday afternoon, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

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According to a statement provided to Action News Jax by an Amtrak spokesperson, the incident occurred around 4:43 p.m. when an individual was trespassing on the tracks.

The Amtrak train involved, identified as Train 98, was en route from Miami to New York at the time of the incident, resulting in the trespasser’s contact with the train in Satsuma.

There were no reported injuries to the 142 passengers or crew onboard the train. Amtrak is currently working with local law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation into the events surrounding the incident.

The Florida Highway Patrol reported that a 24-year-old female was fatally struck by the train at around 4:58 p.m.

Action News Jax is on-site, actively gathering additional information about the incident.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) underscores the seriousness of trespassing along railroad right-of-way, citing it as the leading cause of rail-related deaths in America. Additionally, railroad-highway crossing incidents rank as the second leading cause of rail-related deaths in the country.

In response to the incident, Amtrak released a statement to Action News Jax stating “These incidents can affect everyone involved—those who are injured or die and their families, our train crews, and our passengers. They also serve as critical reminders about the importance of obeying the law and of exercising extreme caution around railroad tracks and grade crossings. Amtrak continues to work closely with Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI) to #STOPTrackTragedies by emphasizing the obvious dangers of being on railroad property or disregarding warnings at rail crossings. For more railroad safety information, please visit StayOffTheTracks.org.”

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A famed baseball field in Palatka is getting a name change to honor a longtime Palatka coach.

The baseball diamond will now be known as Jim McCool Field at the Historic Azalea Bowl, named after the decades-long baseball and football coach. The name also keeps alive the celebrated memory of the Azalea Bowl, where Babe Ruth was known to be an instructor at a baseball school.

On Tuesday, Putnam County School Board members unanimously approved renaming the Twigg Street baseball field.

Ron Dennis, a Putnam County School District official, former coach and former Palatka baseball announcer, spoke at the meeting on behalf of the School Facilities Naming Committee, which recommended the field be dedicated to McCool.

McCool is a man of integrity and honor, which is why committee members were in favor of the change, Dennis said.

“You cannot put a number on the number of times that this man has made a difference in people’s lives and sometimes has made a difference in not only kids’ lives but adults’ lives,” Dennis said.

During its Feb. 27 meeting, the naming committee received seven written testimonies from community members in favor of renaming the field for McCool. One letter described McCool as an exceptional leader and “one of the most acclaimed coaches in the history of Palatka athletics.”

A piece of McCool’s history was already at the field before Tuesday, in the form of a baseball diamond painted on the side of a facility building. The commemorative sign displays his 125-44 record, his 1975 state title and his 1998 acceptance into the Florida Athletic Coaches Association.

McCool dedicated his life to making the lives of younger people better and helped them succeed, Dennis added.

School Board member Phil Leary said he fully supported the renaming and recalled being a freshman when McCool was an English teacher at Palatka High School. While Leary didn’t have a class with McCool, he played junior varsity football when McCool coached his team.

“What a great honor and so well-deserved,” Leary said. “It’s just a wonderful thing. From the day I heard about it, I was in full support of it.”

McCool coached baseball and football for decades. He led the Palatka South High School Braves to a baseball state championship in 1975, and he served as Palatka High School’s football head coach from 1983 to 2003.

Superintendent Rick Surrency said Palatka Junior-Senior High School baseball head coach Ricky Surrency, the superintendent’s son, wants to celebrate McCool during one of the team’s home games.

School officials hadn’t selected a date by Tuesday’s meeting, but the coach wants all of McCool’s former players to attend the game at the field in his honor, the superintendent said.

“It’s surely a great time for our community,” Rick Surrency said.

Representative honored with award for creating event

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Putnam County officials banded together with their rural Florida counterparts at an annual event that gives smaller counties a bigger voice at the state level.

Putnam administrators and commissioners met in Tallahassee on Thursday for the sixth annual Rural Counties Day at the Capitol. State Rep. Bobby Payne, R-Palatka, created the event to showcase all the important contributions Florida receives from its 32 rural counties, according to the event’s Facebook page.

County Commissioner Leota Wilkinson said she and other officials met with people from the Florida Department of Transportation, state Department of Corrections and the Florida Ports Council, among other officials, during the event.

“That’s very productive because we’re up there; they’re seeing us,” Wilkinson said. “They’re going to remember us when it’s time to do appropriations. We’ll bring home the bacon.”

Wilkinson, who thought Putnam was well-represented, said rural representation on the state level gives smaller counties a voice in legislative and Cabinet decisions, she said.

“Now, when bills are being presented, the Legislature is asking, ‘How does this affect our rural counties?’” Wilkinson said.

Board of County Commissioners Chairman Larry Harvey said he had a great time showcasing the Putnam and thought this year’s event was the best yet. His favorite part of the event was presenting Payne with the Rural Legislative Champion Award.

“It was just one of the big honors of my life to be able to give that award to such a deserving individual,” Harvey said, adding that he has known Payne since they were kids.

The award will be renamed the Bobby Payne Florida Rural Counties Advocacy Award officials said.

Darryl Register, the executive director of the Baker County Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Rural Counties Day Planning Committee, said Payne had been a powerful voice for Florida’s rural counties.

“He has been a true champion for rural counties all across our state, so we felt he deserved to not only receive this award but to have it dedicated in his honor moving forward,” Register said in the press release. “It is a small recognition of the work he has done to elevate our communities and help them thrive.”

Payne said he is proud to help put rural counties on the map and give them larger voices. The day gives smaller counties a chance to band together and share resources rather than fight for them, he added.

Payne, who is not seeking reelection because of term limits, said he couldn’t be happier to see what Rural Counties Day has become since he envisioned the idea seven years ago. While he didn’t create the day for accolades, he was grateful for the award.

“That’s such an honor,” Payne said. “It was never anything I expected.”

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The Florida Azalea Festival and Crescent City Catfish Festival are back and organizers are raring to go.

The two local festivals will return this year after three- and five-year hiatuses, respectively.

Florida Azalea Festival

This year’s Azalea Festival will mark its 75th anniversary March 2-3 in downtown Palatka. While there will be no parade this year, highlights include food vendors with culinary delights, live music in two locations, beer tents, a kid zone, local artists, homemade crafts and more.

Festival hours will be from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. March 2 and from 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. March 3.

Vendors will be located on St. Johns Avenue from First through Sixth streets, in the Putnam County Courthouse parking lot and along the riverfront during the evening of March 2 evening and all day until 9 p.m. March 3.

The festival chairwoman is Kathy Griffin, the president of Revitalize Historic Palatka, which is hosting the event. For details on vendor space, call Griffin at 386-328-7502 by Wednesday. Griffin can also be reached at rhpazalea@gmail.com.

Available for sale during the event, azaleas and crepe myrtles will decorate some of the street corners.

According to palatkaazaleafest.com, the festival has been a cherished tradition in Palatka, known as the Gem City, for a long time. The theme for this year’s event is “Where Blossoms, Bites and Business Unite – Celebrating 75 Years of Vibrant Tradition.”

The Azalea Festival pageant took place Jan. 20 at Florida School of the Arts, where 20 contestants competed and were crowned. The titleholders will be announced during the mayor’s reception on the evening of March 1.

The winners will also be on hand during the two-day festival to meet and greet guests.

T-shirts, the logos for which were designed by John and Stanley Hodge of Designs, will be available in sizes small to XX-large for $25.

According to Griffin, the Florida Azalea Festival has been a tradition in Palatka since 1938.

“Our focus is to bring awareness to our beautiful downtown area and to generate interest in our community,” Griffin said. “Hopefully, people who come to the festival will be interested in other aspects of our city and return for future events.”

Catfish Festival

The 42nd Crescent City Catfish Festival will be April 6 at Eva Lyons Park, 100 S. Summit St. in Crescent City. The festival is hosted by the Rotary Club of Crescent City, with member Rodney Phillips serving as chairman.

The festival will start with food and other vendors opening at 10 a.m. followed by a parade at 11 a.m. The band Frazzeled will perform at 12:30 p.m. and live Latin music starting with Clave 386 will begin at 3 p.m. The festival, which will also include a car show, will end at 5 p.m.

The Catfish Festival is known for its cuisine delicacies, including fresh catfish dinners, swamp cabbage, gator tail, quail, frog legs, fresh strawberry shortcake and funnel cakes.

Proceeds from the festival go towards the Dollars for Scholars Rotary scholarship for local high school seniors. More than $1 million in scholarships have been given to students since the festival’s inception.

In the decades since the festival started, Phillips said, an estimated 20,000 people have been in attendance.

Phillips said the festival is a safe, fun environment for the whole family with something to offer for all ages.

“Folks know the cause and support the festival and the vision for Dollars for Scholars,” he said. “We have hundreds of volunteers that supply their talents. Without them, we couldn’t be successful.”

Phillips looks forward to the festival growing back to becoming a two-day event with the support of area residents.

“We are thankful for all the folks who plan to attend and all the volunteers who help us,” he said. “We hope the community is eager to join us as we prepare and look forward to seeing our friends and neighbors.”

Bostwick Blueberry Festival

Right on the heels of the Azalea and Catfish festivals is the Bostwick Blueberry Festival.

Now in its 25th year, the festival will take place April 27 at the Bostwick Community Center, 125 Tillman St.

The festival features locally grown blueberries, vendors, contests, blueberry pancakes and other tasty foods. Volunteers, including Dawn Rawls, will again make 600 blueberry pies for sale. Festival T-shirts will also be available.

The festival, which is being co-chaired by Christy Null, will also include entertainment, craft vendors and lots of fun.

“This is our 25th festival and we are publishing a new cookbook just for the 25th anniversary,” said co-chairwoman Linda Bazar. “It’s all going to be all homestyle stuff. We do have some new recipes. It’s going to be a compilation of some of our cookbooks we’ve done over the years.”

For details, call 904-591-9020 or 904-703-0810 or email bostwickblueberryfestival@gmail.com.

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It seems natural for a writer-turned-author who spent his childhood growing up in Palatka and who has ancestral roots in Putnam County dating back to the early 1800s to want to write about it.

John Neil Sherouse Jr., who goes by Neil, is the author of “Like a Hole in the Water,” which takes place in Palatka.

The book’s storyline spans the 1960s to the early 1980s and centers on the lives of two boys, Clint and Sam, who form a remarkable bond that transcends time and circumstance, according to a news release from Sherouse.

“I’ve always thought my childhood in Palatka was idyllic,” he said. “At the same time, I came of age in a very turbulent period in our nation’s history characterized by significant strains on our cultural fabric.”

Sherouse said he wanted to cast a light on that period and on the ways everyone has both succeeded and failed at becoming better people.

“This book is historical fiction,” said Sherouse, 73. “The characters and storyline are fictional, the setting and the historical context are as true to facts as I could write them. My editor happens to hold a Ph.D. in Southern history, so I needed to be accurate.”

Jane Thomas Crawford, retired high school English teacher and former Putnam County School Board member, said she thoroughly enjoyed reading the book.

“It felt so familiar to me,” she said. “The places in the book were very recognizable, and I almost felt like I was growing up myself when reading the book. The character development and plot are well-developed, which lends to the enjoyment of the book. Nostalgia abounds when reading this sweet coming-of-age story.”

Sherouse will be featured in a book signing at 6 p.m. Friday at Needful Things, 908 St. Johns Ave. in Palatka. The public is invited.

According to Sherouse, the book sees the main characters navigating adolescence and the convulsive events of the 1960s and 1970s, including the Cold War, the civil rights movement, a series of political assassinations and the early days of the Vietnam War.

“When Sam dies suddenly in what appears to be a tragic accident, Clint is left drifting through the balance of his youth,” he said. “Later, after Clint has returned to Palatka and opened his fledgling law practice, information surfaces suggesting his friend’s death was something other than an accident. This shattering news propels him on a quest for truth and along a path leading to redemption.”

Sherouse, who graduated in 1969 from Palatka Senior High School, is looking forward to coming home to Palatka for the book signing.

“I’m seldom able to come back to Palatka so I’m looking forward to seeing a few old friends and walking on Lemon Street, now known as St. Johns Avenue,” he said.

The book is available in all five Putnam County Library System branches and sells as softcover and Kindle editions with a hardcover edition slated for release this spring. The book is also available at Needful Things and on Amazon for $14.99. The Kindle price is $4.99. Books at the signing will be $14.

Sherouse wrote his first novel, “The Burden of Evil Times,” which was published in 2023 and is set in a small fictional town on the east shore of the St. Johns River, even venturing into Palatka on occasion. The book is currently out of print but will be rereleased in a new edition concurrent with the sequel on which he’s currently working. The author has also begun to outline a prequel to “Like a Hole in the Water.”

Sherouse, who says he has always enjoyed writing, reflects on his latest book, saying it took him about 20 years for the novel to marinate in his mind.

“When my professional life entered a new and far less time-consuming phase, I took the opportunity to finally get that first book on paper,” he said. “It took another 20 years to get ‘Like a Hole in the Water’ written. I seem to be on a roll now and hope to have the sequel to my first book in print before the end of this year.”

Sherouse is semi-retired and working part time with an architect friend. Prior to his retirement in 2015, he worked for nine years in commercial property development, building and managing small commercial properties. He also worked for about 20 years in church music.

Sherouse hopes readers, especially those younger than his Baby Boomer generation, will come to understand the unique slice of history in which the book takes place and realize the challenges the nation confronted in the past in many ways remain today.

“Yes, technology has advanced in quantum leaps,” he said. “But we are still very much the same people, facing these same challenges and, in terms of fulfilling the social contract to which most of us ascribe, we have a long way to go.”