There’s a new big man – er, Blue Hen – on campus at the University of Delaware.

The Blue Hens Forever sculpture is intended as a campus rallying point that will serve as a key landmark for the UD.

Weighing in at over 3,000 pounds and measuring 7.5 feet tall, it’s impossible to miss the bronze statue when walking around campus.

Funded by the school’s alumni association, the statue traces back to the original 2019 plans for Alumni Circle, a project recognizing high-achieving UD graduates. Pandemic-related delays pushed back work on Alumni Circle – and the statue – until 2025, when the Board of Trustees approved it.

The statue is located outside of Alumni Hall, just off Main Street on the northern end of campus.

It was installed May 14, just before the end of the school year, but was formally unveiled May 31 as part of Alumni Weekend festivities.

ORLANDO, Fla. – After a beautiful weekend and dry start to our week, Central Florida is set to see a gradual return to a more typical summertime pattern as moisture increases.

Monday will remain largely dry thanks to high pressure parked over the region. Easterly winds of 10 to 15 mph will continue to bring an onshore breeze, while dry air throughout much of the atmosphere keeps rain chances near zero. A few isolated coastal sprinkles can’t be completely ruled out, but most communities will stay rain-free, with rain chances at 10% or less.

Despite increasing cloud cover, especially across northern portions of the area, temperatures will climb into the upper 80s along the coast and the low to mid-90s inland. Overnight lows will settle into the low to mid-70s.

The weather pattern begins to shift on Tuesday and Wednesday as the atmospheric blocking pattern over the eastern United States breaks down. This will allow moisture to gradually return from the Atlantic, bringing a 20% chance of afternoon showers and storms on Tuesday and increasing to 30% to 50% by Wednesday.

Like a typical Florida summer day, the highest rain and storm chances will occur during the afternoon and early evening hours as the east coast sea breeze develops and moves inland. Conditions should become mostly dry overnight, although a few showers or storms could linger over the nearby Atlantic waters.

Temperatures will remain close to seasonal averages through midweek, with highs reaching the upper 80s along the coast and low 90s inland. As humidity rises, some interior locations could experience heat index values near 100 degrees by Wednesday.

Looking ahead to Thursday through the weekend, moisture steadily increases as a broad area of low pressure develops over the Gulf. At this point, it does not appear likely that this low will become an organized tropical system. This will support scattered to numerous afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms each day, marking a return to a more active summer weather pattern.

While temperatures are expected to stay near or slightly above normal, increasing humidity will make it feel much hotter. Heat index values exceeding 100 degrees are possible late this week and into the weekend, especially across inland communities. Residents and visitors planning outdoor activities should stay hydrated, take frequent breaks in the shade or air conditioning, and avoid prolonged exposure during the hottest part of the day.

Beachgoers should also be aware that a moderate risk of rip currents continues at all Central Florida beaches today. Officials recommend swimming only near lifeguards and paying close attention to posted beach safety flags and warnings.

For boaters, generally favorable marine conditions are expected through the week, with seas of 2 to 3 feet and east to southeast winds around 10 to 15 knots. However, increasing moisture will lead to a growing chance for showers and thunderstorms over the local waters beginning Tuesday, particularly during the overnight and early morning hours.

Spring Creek Plantation will set a record for the most expensive sporting estate in Georgia history if it sells for more than $39 million, which is what YouTube star and boxer Jake Paul paid for a ranch in the state last year.

The property, whose acreage spans two counties, is in the heart of the wild quail belt and offers opportunities to hunt trophy whitetail deer. Other recreational activities include fishing, boating, paddleboarding, jet skiing and sailing.

 MORE: A Former Gilded Age Inn Perched on a Cliff Above the Hudson River Lists for $2.9 Million

“A property of this size and ambition rarely becomes available and never stays available long,” said Jon Kohler of Jon Kohler & Associates, who listed it Monday. “It’s 8.5 square miles of land, and almost all of it is one contiguous plot. That’s really rare in the South. It’s more like something you’d see out West.”

After being held by the same family for 130 years, the farm was converted to recreational use, Kohler said, adding that the current landowner “spent an untold amount of money” to transform it into a modern year-round recreational and sporting estate.

Stats

The 5,519-acre property includes a newly built, fully furnished lakefront lodge that’s 5,000 square feet and a 182-acre private spring-fed lake. There’s also a lake house, a 2,167-square-foot guest house, a 2,828-square-foot cottage, and a carriage house that has a three-car garage and a guest suite. The buildings were recently remodeled and are being sold fully furnished.

Amenities

The property produces $500,000 in annual income from farmland and mining royalties, which makes it “one of the highest-yielding recreational properties in the South,” Kohler said.

The price includes $1 million in equipment. There’s a full-time management team in place. The automated irrigation system has 12 center-pivot sprinklers that cover 1,060 acres.

Neighborhood Notes

Spring Creek Plantation is in the Albany Plantation Belt, which Kohler said is “one of the most intensively managed sporting grounds in the Southeast.”

Its location is prime: It’s 10 minutes from a 5,000-foot-long private-jet strip that Kohler said has the added bonus of “allowing you to come and go with anonymity.”

Blakely, the nearest town, is home to Kolomoki Mounds State Park.

“It’s a farming town,” Kohler said. “It looks like the set of the old TV show ‘Dukes of Hazzard.’ With its mom-and-pop shops surrounding the courthouse square, it’s like a little American town.”

Mansion Global Boutique: Why Your Home Needs a Little ‘Ugly Beauty’

One of the plantation’s neighbors is Will Harris, owner of White Oak Pastures, the largest organic farm in the state, and author of the 2023 memoir “A Bold Return to Giving a Damn.”

Harris, an early and ardent promoter of humane animal husbandry and environmental sustainability, once leased land at Spring Creek Plantation, Kohler said.

Agent: Jon Kohler, Jon Kohler & Associates

View the original listing.