Walter Wobig has a calling, and nowhere is it more obvious than in Gilchrist County, where he retired with his wife, Ann Marie. After his 35-year career in law enforcement and emergency management, he and Ann Marie sought someplace quieter and more rural than the Kissimmee/St. Cloud area of Central Florida.
“Ann Marie and I fell in love with Gilchrist County, especially this part of Florida, so we bought a home and some land here in 2020,” says 63-year-old Walter. “To keep busy, I volunteered at Fanning Springs State Park.”
When the local chamber of commerce advertised for an executive director, Walter applied for and got the job late in 2022. Since then, he’s brought his expertise in managing projects, working with various government agencies and using social media to spread the word about Trenton, Bell and the rest of Gilchrist County. Initiatives include a refreshed emphasis on the area’s barn quilts—sections of barns painted to resemble a fabric quilt block.
Economic development, revitalization and historic preservation have long been a focus for the area. In some ways, Walter has become the go-to person to interface with the community and various organizations. As a part-time executive director of the chamber, he has dedicated time to projects previously handled solely by volunteers.
“I’m only supposed to work five hours a day, four days a week, but I enjoy what I’m doing and want to see everyone in the community be successful, so it takes a few more hours than that,” he says with a smile. “For instance, the owner of our old county jail asked me to help him pursue a historic designation for the building. He wants to turn it into a place for tours and bring more people to visit here.”
Walter is also working with city and county officials to obtain the town’s historic train depot on Main Street. As the trailhead for Florida State Parks’ 32-mile Nature Coast Trail, the depot is currently owned by the state.
“The trail is a big draw for us, and the area’s 80-plus springs and parks bring as many as 450,000 people each year, but we want them to come and see what else we have to offer,” he says. “The depot lays empty, and the area around it is used for events, but we’d like to renovate it, so the community has been working to purchase the building. It takes time, but we are making progress.”
Walter’s work includes partnerships with civic and community groups and government entities. He regularly creates Facebook pages and social media posts to support local businesses and cross-promote the area’s events. He also serves as a resource and backup for event management, including one of the area’s most well-known and long-standing spring festivals.
Bringing Back a Tradition
Since 2008, the Suwannee Valley Quilt Festival has drawn visitors from around the Southeast.
“At one time, people were coming here from other states because we had a really good quilt store, but it closed several years ago,” says Cindy Jo Ayers, former owner of Gilchrist County Journal and a longtime quilter with Springhouse Quilters Guild. “In 2013, the store owner, Stephanie Metts, spearheaded the start of the Florida Quilt Trail in Trenton. We had more than a dozen colorful barn quilts around the county on buildings, restaurants and businesses.”
For several years, Trenton became known as the center of the Florida Quilt Trail. Coupled with the annual festival, the quilt trail brought visitors to the area. It also spread to other communities, including High Springs, White Springs and Live Oak.
“After the store closed, the festival was mostly run by volunteers. With COVID-19 causing us to cancel in 2020, attendance has been falling off,” Cindy Jo says. “Having the chamber take over the management and promotion will really help us get back to where we were.”
This year’s festival chairperson is Angie Barron, who echoes Cindy Jo’s comments.
“We’re glad to have members of the quilt guild on our committee and to have the support of the chamber,” she says. “Walter is so computer savvy with social media and websites that he’s doing a great job for the city and the county. He designs the graphics, posts often and is making a huge difference in supporting what we’re doing with the festival, as well as letting people know what’s going on here. It’s really exciting.”
For Walter, it’s just what he does.
“Partnerships and working together can go a long way toward reaching our goals,” he says. “We have many great resources here, and together, we’re working to get more people to do business in Trenton and Gilchrist County. Getting the word out and supporting the community is most important for us here, and we have plenty to offer.”