• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About Us
  • Videos
    • Featured Video
    • Foodie Friday
    • Monthly ReCap
  • Online E-Editions
    • This Week’s E-Editions
    • 2023
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
  • Social Media
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
  • Advertising
  • Local Jobs
  • Puzzles & Games
  • Circulation Request

The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

  • Home
  • News
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills/East Pasco
    • Business Digest
    • Senior Parks
    • Nature Notes
    • Featured Stories
    • Photos of the Week
    • Reasons To Smile
  • Sports
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills and East Pasco
    • Check This Out
  • Education
  • Pets/Wildlife
  • Health
    • Health Events
    • Health News
  • What’s Happening
  • Sponsored Content
    • Closer Look
  • Homes
  • Obits
  • Public Notices
    • Browse Notices
    • Place Notices

No rain on Zephyrhills parade

December 9, 2009 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Festival of Lights fills void left by Dade City Christmas Parade cancellation

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

ZEPHYRHILLS — The Dade City Christmas Parade has been an annual tradition for 26 years — but not this year.

More than 50 trees were decorated at the 25th annual Lighting of the Trees at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills. Staff and volunteers from the American Cancer Society decorated this tree from the state Washington. Pictured from are Anita Cahill, Frank Cahill, Stephanie Watts and Tammy Struble. The group chose the Washington tree because the first Relay For Life took place in 1985 in Tacoma, Wash. Photo by Chris Drews.
More than 50 trees were decorated at the 25th annual Lighting of the Trees at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills. Staff and volunteers from the American Cancer Society decorated this tree from the state Washington. Pictured from are Anita Cahill, Frank Cahill, Stephanie Watts and Tammy Struble. The group chose the Washington tree because the first Relay For Life took place in 1985 in Tacoma, Wash. Photo by Chris Drews.

“Our president (Joey Wubbena) looked at weather reports and decided it was in the best interest of the city to cancel the parade,” said Nita Beckwith, executive director of the Dade City Chamber of Commerce.

The parade was scheduled for Dec. 4, but was canceled at 11 a.m. the day before with no makeup date.

However, Dade City’s loss was Zephyrhills gain. Many of the floats entered in the Dade City parade moved to the Dec. 5 Christmas parade in Zephyrhills, which was part of the Festival of Lights presented by Main Street Zephyrhills.

“Our goal is to not turn anyone away,” said Brenda Welcher, Main Street’s executive director. “We can’t promise people anything, but we try to find space in the parade if we can. Our mission is to bring people to our historic downtown area, so we wanted as many people to attend as possible.”

Welcher noted that registration for the Zephyrhills parade officially ended Nov. 25, but the organization obviously overlooked that deadline to accommodate entries in the canceled Dade City parade. She said four entries from Dade City entered the Zephyrhills parade.

“The impact on Zephyrhills is great,” Welcher continued. “It allows people to get into the holiday spirit, enjoy our city and help the economy of the area.”

While parade participants could simply move to the neighboring city’s parade, restaurant owners in Dade City were not so lucky.

Florida Hospital Zephyrhills volunteers Karissa Sandoval and Katlin Kitchen welcome Santa as he arrives for the 25th annual Lighting of the Trees at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills. Photo by Chris Drews.
Florida Hospital Zephyrhills volunteers Karissa Sandoval and Katlin Kitchen welcome Santa as he arrives for the 25th annual Lighting of the Trees at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills. Photo by Chris Drews.

“All the restaurants do special things for the parade and it’s just too bad the parade was canceled,” said Melanie Yates, owner of Garden Café in Dade City.

“I’m sure the chamber did what they thought was right, but I wish they had waited a little longer to cancel. The parade really helps business each year. We do about three times the business of a normal day during the parade,” she said.

Yates, of Dade City, is a member of the chamber and stressed she was not being critical of canceling the parade. She said she only thought it was canceled too early and should have had a backup date.

“We are right along the parade’s route, and we had people schedule reservations for a long time,” Yates said. “Now those people are all mad at us. It’s too bad that in this economy an event that brings so many people to our city was canceled.”

Beckwith said 5,000 to 7,000 people come to watch the Dade City parade each year.

Yates said the café had planned to have special booths with “to-go” items so people could get food while watching the parade. The café also planned to have extra staff to handle the increased number of customers.

“We had to think of the safety of the people involved,” Beckwith said. “We needed the time to let everyone know it would be canceled due to dangerous weather, so we made the decision early in the day…Moving the parade wasn’t an option because we couldn’t close the streets for another night.”

Beckwith said she did not think future parades would have backup dates, but said the chamber’s council would discuss the issue before next year.

“I really hope they have a backup date next year,” Yates said. “Otherwise people might not show up in large numbers like they have in the past. It’s a great tradition and we need to make sure it happens each year.”

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Search

Sponsored Content

New Community Garden Arrives at Del Webb Bexley 

March 28, 2023 By Kelli Carmack

Exciting things are happening at Del Webb Bexley, the 55+ active adult residential community just off Sunlake Boulevard, … [Read More...] about New Community Garden Arrives at Del Webb Bexley 

TPA-Parkview-Myrtle

Imagine More at Mattamy Homes’ Area Communities

March 28, 2023 By Kelli Carmack

With every new home community, Mattamy Homes demonstrates their dedication to thoughtful details and meaningful value … [Read More...] about Imagine More at Mattamy Homes’ Area Communities

More Posts from this Category

What’s Happening

04/01/2023 – Bunny Hop Eggstravaganza

The Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, 3032 Collier Parkway, will host a Bunny Hop Eggstravaganza on April 1 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be bounce houses, games, music, food trucks, and scheduled egg scrambles. The event will be at the outside football fields and basketball court. Registration is required to participate in the egg scrambles. The cost is $3 per child. Children ages 2 to 10 can register with their age division and time frame at Secure.rec1.com/FL/pasco-county-fl/catalog. For questions, call 813-929-1220. … [Read More...] about 04/01/2023 – Bunny Hop Eggstravaganza

04/01/2023 – Cacti and Things

Kessler’s Cacti and Things will host its annual Spring Plant Sale on April 1 and April 2 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine, at Bearss Grove, 14316 Lake Magdalene Blvd., in Tampa. The event features thousands of plant varieties, and an assortment of specimen and collector’s plants. For information, email . For questions and directions, call 813-264-5614. … [Read More...] about 04/01/2023 – Cacti and Things

04/01/2023 – Dade City Art Walk

The Downtown Dade City Art Walk will take place April 1 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will be more than 20 art locations for guests to meet the artists and shop local artwork, as well as a little Pre-Casso Exhibit for young aspiring artists. There will be an opening ceremony at 5 p.m., along with a map distribution, at Florida Cracker Lunch on Limoges. … [Read More...] about 04/01/2023 – Dade City Art Walk

04/01/2023 – Easter Bash

Hope City Church, 5513 School Road in Land O’ Lakes, will host an Easter Bash on April 1, for the whole family. Admission is free. For information, call 813-948-7555. … [Read More...] about 04/01/2023 – Easter Bash

04/01/2023 – Food Truck Festival

An International Food Truck Festival will take place on April 1 and April 2 at the Tampa Premium Outlets, 2300 Grand Cypress Drive in Lutz, with more than 70 food trucks, tents and trailers, to benefit local charities. Admission is $5. For more information, call 727-674-1464. … [Read More...] about 04/01/2023 – Food Truck Festival

04/01/2023 – Historical Association

The Zephyrhills Historical Association will meet on April 1 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the Zephyrhills Public Library, 5347 Eighth St. Participants can discover and discuss historical events, places and people of Zephyrhills and Pasco County. For information, call 813-780-0064. … [Read More...] about 04/01/2023 – Historical Association

More of What's Happening

Archives

 

 

Where to pick up The Laker and Lutz News

Copyright © 2023 Community News Publications Inc.

   
%d bloggers like this: