The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

B.C. Manion

Free vaccinations offered for Pasco sixth graders

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Pasco County Schools is teaming up with the Florida Department of Health to provide free Tdap vaccinations to current sixth graders at the county’s middle schools on May 22.

Students entering seventh grade in Florida must provide proof of the Tdap vaccination — which stands for tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis — before they will be allowed to start school, according to state health officials.

Parents must sign a permission form before their child can be vaccinated, and must be submitted to the school their child attends by May 1.

The vaccinations are required because tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis can be very serious diseases, according to a fact sheet prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Tdap vaccine can provide protection.

Tetanus also is known as lockjaw. It causes painful muscle tightening and stiffness, typically all over the body. It can lead to tightening of muscles in the head and neck, and make it difficult or impossible for someone to open his or her mouth, to swallow, or even to breathe.

It is fatal for about one in five people who are infected, according to the CDC.

Diphtheria can cause a thick coating to form in the back of the throat. It can lead to breathing problems, paralysis, heart failure and death.

Pertussis also is known as whooping cough. It causes severe coughing spells, which can cause difficulty breathing, vomiting and sleep disruptions. It can lead to weight loss, incontinence and rib fractures. As many as two in 100 adolescents and five in 100 adults are hospitalized or have complications, which could include pneumonia or death.

Diphtheria and pertussis are spread from person to person through coughing or sneezing, according to the CDC. Tetanus enters the body through cuts, scratches or wounds.

Before vaccines, there were as many as 200,000 cases of diphtheria and pertussis a year, and hundreds of cases of tetanus. Since vaccination began, tetanus and diphtheria have dropped by about 99 percent, and pertussis by about 80 percent, the CDC said.

The health department has scheduled when the vaccinations will be given at each of the district’s middle schools. The schedule for the May 22 vaccinations locally is:

• Long Middle School: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Rushe Middle School: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

• Stewart Middle School: 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

• Centennial Middle School: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

• Weightman Middle School: Noon to 2 p.m.

• Pasco Middle School: 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

• Pine View Middle School: 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

For additional information, call the health department at (727) 861-5250, at either ext. 268 or ext. 224, or the school district’s health services office at (727) 774-2360, (813) 794-2360, or (352) 524-2360.

Published April 23, 2014

Pasco agribusiness teacher wants her knowledge to grow in Korea

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Kelli Hamilton has a condition and she isn’t a bit ashamed to admit it.

“I’m an ‘ag’ nerd,” said the Pasco High School agribusiness and natural resources teacher.

Kelli Hamilton enjoys sharing her knowledge of agriculture in different parts of the world with her students at Pasco High School. She plans to get an up-close look at agriculture in South Korea this summer through an overseas study program. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Kelli Hamilton enjoys sharing her knowledge of agriculture in different parts of the world with her students at Pasco High School. She plans to get an up-close look at agriculture in South Korea this summer through an overseas study program.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

She’s so interested in agriculture that she’s planning to spend a month in South Korea this summer learning about that country’s agricultural education programs. Hamilton already has been to Ireland and to Iowa to get acquainted with agriculture in those parts of the world.

She’s making the trip to South Korea through a University of Florida/Penn State Program for undergraduate, graduate and kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers. Hamilton is among a group of teachers from Florida, Pennsylvania and Connecticut who are making the trip, traveling with eight students from Pennsylvania State University, and four faculty members from the two universities.

While in South Korea, they will see the country’s Future Farmers of Korea program, which is based on FFA. They also will observe various levels of education programs and various agricultural techniques.

The trip begins June 14 and concludes July 13.

“I’m pumped,” Hamilton said. “I definitely want to learn more about how they do their education system.”

She hopes to pick up different teaching techniques and to have a better understanding of the differences between agriculture in South Korea and agriculture here.

“I’m intrigued about the Korean agriculture just because it’s a developing country,” Hamilton said. “They’ve had a lot of strife in the past 50, 60, 70 years, so I want to see how they’re changing and adapting to that.”

The study abroad course and experience is a joint venture between the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication at the University of Florida, and the Department of Agricultural and Extension Education at Penn State.

In an essay explaining why she wanted to study abroad in Korea, Hamilton wrote, “When traveling overseas, we are able to see the same thing through a different set of lenses.

“Agriculture is in every corner of this planet,” she added. “It is different in some ways, but ultimately the same.”

She also expressed confidence that she could transfer the knowledge she gains into lessons in her Pasco High classroom.

Hamilton already knows how to give students real-world lessons, said Amber Hill, 17, a senior.

“She’s an amazing teacher. She doesn’t just give us facts. She gives us hands-on opportunities. She cares about what you learn,” Hills said.

Besides investing her time in the trip, Hamilton also is investing her money. She’s eager to make the trip.

“I’m pumped,” Hamilton said. “I’m going there to see how they do agriculture education, at all different levels from elementary to high school to college.”

Recently, Hamilton was talking to her students about differences that farmers encounter in different parts of the world. She talked to them about how terrain, equipment, weather, water and soil fertility can influence what crops are produced and where they are marketed.

She talked about some of the strengths and pitfalls of modern machinery and technology that today’s farmers can use.

“I actually went to visit a farm in Iowa. They have this huge sprayer, and it was on a pilot,” Hamilton said. “Basically, they use GPS.”

By using modern technology, farmers can fully utilize the space they have, can reduce manual labor, and can use less fuel, she said.

But there can be a downside.

“There was a lot of rain this past year, so part of the field had fallen down into the river, Hamilton said. “The tractor was on autopilot and it didn’t account for that terrain washing into the river, so he (the farmer) ended up flipping his brand-new sprayer.”

The farmer went into the river with it, and it turns out that it’s not so simple to shut down the computer system, she said. There’s a lot of debate in the United States and internationally about the benefits and risks of new technology, she said.

Hamilton also talked with the students about the economics of agriculture and the rules of supply and demand. If there’s a high supply and a low demand, prices drop, she told them.

Courtney Nathe, 17, said she hopes Hamilton will create a presentation that the teacher can share with students when she returns.

“I definitely think it’s a good opportunity for her, just to see what it’s like in an international market,” Nathe said.

She also thinks Hamilton is a worthy candidate for the program and will be able to convey what she learns to her students.

“She makes class interesting. She communicates well with teenagers,” Nathe. “She’s young enough that she does understand (teenagers), so it makes the class a little bit more interesting and we learn.”

Published April 16, 2014

Seminar helps business owners understand Obamacare

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There are supporters and detractors of the Affordable Care Act — better known as Obamacare — but no matter where you stand on the issue, unless you qualify for a subsidy, you’ll pay higher insurance rates.

Insurance agent Jason Greif helps explain some of the ins and outs of health care reform, also known as Obamacare. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Insurance agent Jason Greif helps explain some of the ins and outs of health care reform, also known as Obamacare.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

That’s what Jason Greif, an insurance agent with U.S. Health Group, told members of a health insurance reform class at the SmartStart Dade City incubator April 8.

The insurance agent, who has been in the industry for eight years, explained changes in health care law, talking about the pros and cons of the new requirements, and the different kinds of insurance coverage that are available in the health care marketplace. Greif also explained the penalty for not purchasing health insurance, which is now mandatory, and he talked about the risks that people face when they don’t have insurance.

“A lot of people are misinformed,” Greif said.

Part of Obamacare took effect on March 23, 2010, he said, noting that’s when insurance companies had to begin covering what has been defined as essential health benefits.

“There are 10 of them,” Greif said. They include services ranging from child immunizations to maternity care, mammograms to colonoscopies.

“What do you guys think is going to happen to the rates if the insurance companies have to cover everybody’s colonoscopy? They go up,” he said. “I actually am for Obamacare for a lot of different reasons. But it has increased the rates.”

Another big change happened on Jan. 1. That’s when insurance companies could no longer deny coverage.

“No matter what, anybody can get health insurance,” Greif said.

That’s good news for people who were denied coverage before, but it drives up insurance rates as a result. In the past, people with certain conditions could only get coverage as part of a group.

“It’d really be disheartening for me to say, ‘There’s nothing I can do. You have diabetes, I can’t get you insurance,’” Greif said. “Nobody could do anything for them,” unless they were able to get covered through a group.

“It’s almost more of a socialistic approach to healthcare. But for people that are sick, for people that get a subsidy, it’s actually an amazing program because those people were not able to get insurance,” Greif said.

This year’s open enrollment is over. The only way to enroll through the marketplace outside of the enrollment period is to have a life-changing event such as moving, losing group insurance or having a child, Greif said.

The next enrollment period begins Nov. 15.

Those who want to get an idea of what their rates would be can go to a website, HealthSherpa.com, to get a fairly close estimate of what to expect, Greif said.

“This is a great website. The quotes are usually $5 higher or lower. It’s a way you can get an accurate quote and you don’t have to go on Healthcare.gov and create a profile and give all of your personal information out,” he said.

Now, health insurance rates are based on age, tobacco use and ZIP code, Greif said. Eligibility for subsidies is based on income.

Still, there are choices in the types of coverage and the rates that are attached to those, he said. Some coverage types allow people to choose doctors who are inside or outside of their network, while others allow people to use only doctors within their networks.

Some of the networks have more doctors than others, Greif said. It’s important to find out exactly what the plan includes.

Greif recommends a plan that allows individuals the most latitude when it comes to selecting which doctors and hospitals will treat them.

For those who disregard the law and do not get health insurance, the penalty is either $95 or 1 percent of the individual’s modified gross adjusted income, whichever is higher, Greif said.

Regardless of where people stand on Obamacare, Greif said having coverage is essential. Without it, he said, people who have serious medical emergencies or conditions can go bankrupt in a matter of days.

Published April 16, 2014

Preparations abound for area Easter celebrations

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One will have food trucks, while another is encouraging carpooling.

One plans a lakeside “Sonrise” service, while another will have water baptisms following its early morning services.

Mike Holm releases a dove at a sunrise service at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills. Holm lives in Zephyrhills, but leads a church that’s located in Lutz. (Courtesy of Florida Hospital Zephyrhills)
Mike Holm releases a dove at a sunrise service at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills. Holm lives in Zephyrhills, but leads a church that’s located in Lutz. (Courtesy of Florida Hospital Zephyrhills)

And those are just a few of the variations on the theme of Easter expressed through planned celebrations at area churches.

Exciting Idlewild Baptist Church has five celebrations planned this Easter, including food trucks on April 19 and special performances by the orchestra and choir the next day, on Easter morning.

The church’s website poses the question: “Hunting for something more this Easter?” And then it answers that query with an invitation to come and discover more at the Lutz megachurch at 18333 Exciting Idlewild Blvd.

The church plans “to celebrate the glorious meaning of the Resurrection” with services set for 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on April 19, its website says. Food trucks will be there from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., that day for anyone who wants to grab a bite to eat.

On Easter morning, services are planned at 8, 9:30 and 11, with the orchestra and choir prompting worship. Breakfast treats will be available and photographers will take free family photos in the Gatheria, the church’s large gathering space, following each service.

Mike Holm, a minister who lives in Zephyrhills but who leads a church in Lutz, said Easter is a tremendously important day in the Christian calendar.

“It’s because the Resurrection of Jesus is the central event of all humanity,” said Holm, who is pastor of Calvary Chapel of Tampa in Lutz, and president of the Zephyrhills/Wesley Chapel Ministerial Association.

Jesus’ death and Resurrection means “that death has been defeated,” Holm said, allowing for “complete reconciliation” with God.

While St. Timothy Catholic Church is welcoming worshippers, it’s advising them that they may want to attend an earlier Mass or to carpool. The church, at 17512 Lakeshore Road, has fewer parking spaces because of a construction project at its campus.

Its Mass schedule includes an Easter Vigil Mass at 8 p.m. on April 19, an Easter Sunrise Mass at 7 a.m., and Easter Masses at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m. on April 20.

For those who like to get up with the birds, Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church at 2348 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes, will have a 6 a.m. Easter sunrise service. The church also will have an Easter Vigil Mass at 7:30 p.m. on April 19 and Easter Sunday Masses at 7:45 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

Its Spanish Mass is at 1:30 p.m.

At First United Methodist Church in Lutz, 960 Lutz Lake Fern Road, worshippers will have plenty of choices. There’s a lakeside Easter “Sonrise” service at 7 a.m., followed by a traditional chapel service at 8 a.m., a blended service at 9:45 a.m., and a contemporary service at 11 a.m.

There’s also a pancake breakfast between services, with a donation box available for diners to make contributions.

On its website, First United Methodist encourages worshippers to bring fresh flowers to adorn the cross, signifying that new life comes through the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Grace Family Church, at 5101 Van Dyke Road in Lutz, is inviting worshippers to Easter Sunday services at 7 a.m., 9:30 a.m., and 11:30 a.m. A water baptism will follow the 7 a.m. sunrise service.

Some of the highlights of Easter services around the area include:
• Lutz First Baptist, 18116 N. U.S. 41, April 18 at 7 p.m., and April 20 at both 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

• Northpointe Church, 2427 Old Cypress Creed Road in Land O’ Lakes: April 19 at 6:30 p.m., and April 20 at 9:15 a.m. and 11 a.m.

• Benedictine Sisters of Florida, Saint Leo University, 33201 State Road 52 in St. Leo: April 19 Easter Vigil at 8 p.m., and Easter Sunday Mass at 10:30 a.m.

• Heritage Church, 1854 Oak Grove Blvd., Lutz: Easter Sunday services at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.

• Keystone Community Church, 21010 State Road 54 in Lutz: Easter Sunday sunrise service at 7 a.m., and late service at 10:30 a.m.

• Messiah Lutheran Church and Preschool, 14920 Hutchison Road in Tampa, Easter Sunday outdoor sunrise service at 7 a.m., and contemporary service at 9:45 a.m.

• Van Dyke Church, 17030 Lakeshore Road in Lutz: Easter services at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on April 19, and at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on April 20.

• St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, 12747 Interlaken Road in New Port Richey, Easter Sunrise service at 7:30 a.m. in the church parking lot, but it will move indoors if it is raining. There also will be an Easter Vigil at 7:45 p.m. on April 19 and two Masses on Easter, at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., on April 20.

Published April 16, 2014

Holocaust survivor shares his story at Land O’ Lakes High

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As the speaker wrapped up his talk, Land O’ Lakes High School students streamed down to the front of the auditorium to shake his hand and pose with him for photos.

After his talk, Philip Gans showed students his concentration camp tattoo, shook hands with students and posed with them for pictures. The students seemed eager to have a personal encounter with someone who had survived one of history’s most horrific chapters. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
After his talk, Philip Gans showed students his concentration camp tattoo, shook hands with students and posed with them for pictures. The students seemed eager to have a personal encounter with someone who had survived one of history’s most horrific chapters.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

They wanted a personal encounter with Philip Gans, a man who survived the horrors of the Holocaust during World War II. Gans was at the high school to share his story, so others won’t forget the atrocities committed by the Nazis.

“Your children will never have a chance to see a concentration camp survivor,” Gans said, speaking to teachers and students from U.S. history, world history and several other classes.

Social studies teacher Whitney Miller arranged the visit, saying it’s important for students to use the most primary source of information they can receive.

Gans, now 86, said his life in Amsterdam began as a happy one.

“We had a good life,” he said. “Dad had his own business. We had people working for us. We had domestic help. We even had a car.”

But Gans and his family were Jewish, so when the Nazis invaded they went into hiding beginning in August 1942, moving from place to place for nearly a year to avoid detection. On July 24, 1943 — the evening of his father’s birthday — they were arrested. Gans was 15 at the time.

The family was taken to a detention camp, where they remained a month before being sent to Auschwitz III, a slave labor camp. They loaded more than 1,000 people into cattle cars and carted them to the concentration camp, jamming 50 to 60 people in each car, Gans recalled.

There were no bathrooms. Those who needed to relieve themselves were forced to do so in a pail, in full view of others, Gans said.

“They had no respect for humanity. As a matter of fact, they were savages. They were brutal,” he said.

When they arrived at the camp, they separated the men and older boys from the women and children.

He never saw his mom, sister or grandmother again.

Once Gans he arrived at the camp, he was known as No. 139755. It’s tattooed on his arm and on a replica of the shirt he wore at the concentration camp.

“The conditions were unbelievable,” Gans said.

During his time of confinement he never saw a toothbrush or toothpaste. He showered about once every 10 days, he said.

Besides the physical hardships, prisoners endured mental abuse, he said.

“They did everything to make life miserable for you,” Gans said. “They were brutal.”

Workers kept trying to work, even when they were deathly ill, he said. They knew the consequences if they didn’t.

“Everybody knows if you’re too weak to work, you’d wind up in the gas chamber,” Gans said.

Despite the hardships, Gans considers himself one of the lucky ones.

“I survived,” he said. “There were many people who did not survive. My dad, for instance, he was the only (one) of the 21 members of his family that did not die in the gas chambers. He died in a death march April 1945, a month before the liberation.”

Gans said he, too, walked in the death march — long brutal hikes used by the Nazis when moving prisoners from one concentration camp to another — before being liberated by the American Army on April 23, 1945. He was 17.

Besides using his message to remind people of the atrocities of the Holocaust, Gans also spreads another message. “Erase hate,” he urged the audience.

“When you go home tonight, take out your dictionary and cross out the word ‘hate.’ Hate is corrosive,” Gans said.

He also encouraged students to never give up hope and to take action when they witness something wrong going on.

“Don’t hate and don’t be a bystander, especially in this day and age when so many kids are being bullied and then the next day in the newspaper (you read) that kid committed suicide,” Gans said.

Those who stand by idly and let the bullying happen, he said, “are partly to blame.”

“If you see something that’s being done wrong, even if you have no interest, speak up,” Gans said.

Published April 9, 2014

PHSC celebrates opening of new Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch

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Pasco-Hernando State College celebrated the formal dedication of its fifth full-service satellite campus, Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, with a ceremony at the campus on April 2.

Members of the Porter family joined Pasco-Hernando State College president Katherine Johnson at the open house and dedication of Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch. Attending, from left, are J.D. Porter, Bill Porter, Johnson, Don Porter and Quinn Miller. (Courtesy of Pasco-Hernando State College)
Members of the Porter family joined Pasco-Hernando State College president Katherine Johnson at the open house and dedication of Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch. Attending, from left, are J.D. Porter, Bill Porter, Johnson, Don Porter and Quinn Miller.
(Courtesy of Pasco-Hernando State College)

About 400 to 450 guests mingled, toured the campus and enjoyed refreshments at the celebration. It honored the Porter family, who donated 60 acres of land for the campus, and Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel for establishing an endowed scholarship.

“We certainly feel honored,” J.D. Porter said before the ceremony.

The family is especially gratified to play a role in promoting education, he added.

The opening of the campus signaled the first time in Wesley Chapel history that a student could attend preschool through college without leaving the Wesley Chapel community.

Porter said the new campus will play a significant role in the future of Wesley Chapel, as businesses will be able to take advantage of the college’s proximity to ensure that their workers keep current on new technologies. And students will benefit from the close relationship between the college and the business community.

He expects the college to continue to play an even larger role as time goes on.

The current buildings are on about six of the 60 acres the family donated, Porter noted.

Obviously, that leaves plenty of room for expansion.

Published April 9, 2014

Union lodges complaint over teacher planning time

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Pasco County’s teacher union has lodged a complaint with the Florida Public Employee Relations Commission over a dispute that involves teacher planning time.

The United School Employees of Pasco’s complaint alleges that teachers are spending so much time in meetings with their Professional Learning Communities that it is usurping time intended for individual planning.

The district contends that the time spent in the PLC meetings is planning time, but the union believes that time should be categorized as professional development, union president Lynne Webbe said.

During the PLC meetings, the teachers are being given work and assignments that are not relevant to what’s currently happening in their classrooms, Webbe said. Instead, they are focusing on strategies for preparing students for future requirements.

Teachers are feeling “very, very uptight,” Webbe said. “They’re feeling that they are shortchanging their students because they don’t have time.”

The complaint filed with PERC notes that the union has hosted meetings between teachers and school board representatives, including Superintendent Kurt Browning, to talk about “teachers’ frustrations with the amount of work and time commitment for the new PLC meetings.”

Before lodging the complaint, the union asked the school district to limit PLC team meetings to 40 minutes per week.

The union claims that the district is using time intended for planning for professional development, so it has asked PERC to declare that the district has committed an unfair labor practice.

“I think there is a solution, if the district is willing to sit down and work on it,” Webbe said.

Browning has a different take on the issue.

“I think they’re wrong. We’ve never, never, not once, said that professional learning communities, PLCs, were professional development,” Browning said.

“It’s collaborative planning,” Browning said, adding that the district’s track record demonstrates that it needs to change the way it educates students if it wants to improve its performance.

The PLCs are intended to allow teachers to work together to improve student outcomes.

“In an elementary school, it may be more appropriate to do it by grade level. You may have the third-grade team,” Browning said.

The team will be talking about how they’re going to teach reading, mathematics and language arts, he said. At the high school and middle school levels, the teams might be organized by subject matter.

“The inherent purpose of the PLC was so that they could plan for better, more effective classroom instruction. That’s it,” Browning said. “These PLCs are teacher-driven. You can go to one elementary school and see a PLC work one way, and you can go to another elementary school and see a PLC work totally differently.

“If the union is hearing that teachers are taking homework home because of their PLC, then that must be a decision their PLC has made,” Browning said.

Browning recently met with the principals from schools on the eastern and central portions of the county. During that meeting, Browning said he reminded them “that they need to guard the PLC time as planning time and not professional development time, if by chance that was happening.”

“This is a year of transition,” he said. “If we find situations, that we actually find a school that is using them for professional development and not planning, then shame on us — we need to fix that.”

Published April 9, 2014

This exhibit will thrill train lovers, model makers of all ages

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From the outside, the squat warehouse building housing the Suncoast Center for Fine Scale Modeling is no showstopper.

Step inside, though, and it’s an entirely different story.

The trees, the tracks and the waterfall give this model train railroad layout a feeling of authenticity. (Photo courtesy of Suncoast Center for Fine Scale Modeling)
The trees, the tracks and the waterfall give this model train railroad layout a feeling of authenticity.
(Photo courtesy of Suncoast Center for Fine Scale Modeling)

The center is a showcase of the kind of artistry that can be achieved in the world of model making. It has several exhibits, but the centerpiece of the collection is called the Sundance Central, a fine scale modular railroad.

The display was created by a group of model-makers who are obsessive in their attention to detail. They’ve spent thousands of hours over several years working to create a railroad environment that looks and sounds like it’s from a period between the 1890s and 1920s.

Smoke billows from a locomotive as it chugs along a hand-laid track. The sounds of trains, speeding up and slowing down with the calls of birds in the background, provide an added air of authenticity.

Tiny people populate the display. Some wait at a train station. Others work at a gas station. Some labor in the rail yards. There’s a multitude of scenes along the route, including a lumberyard, a salvage shop and a train maintenance facility.

Trains make their way through a terrain that’s been painstakingly landscaped with handmade grass and trees. The locomotives run across elevated tracks, with a sculpted waterfall and images of majestic mountains arranged to serve as a backdrop.

Besides the Sundance Central, the center has Civil War military models, a tribute to the Band of Brothers, a fighter pilot in a F-15 Eagle cockpit and other displays. For train lovers, there are two other model railroad displays that were created and donated by groups from Australia. And, there’s the Silverton Central, a layout created by Jon Addison, a modeler in the center’s group.

“There’s so many things in here for you to see,” said Dale MacKeown, another member on the Sundance team. “People who come in here typically spend two, two-and-a-half hours. We have people who come in here every time.”

One guy, around 95, came with six members of his family, and they spent the whole day there, MacKeown said.

Because of its modular nature, the Sundance Central can be taken apart and transported to train shows and conferences elsewhere. It is so large, disassembling it is a gargantuan task, and it requires a semitrailer to move it.

The display is not widely known to the general public, but is popular among train enthusiasts and modelers, MacKeown said.

“It’s been to all four corners of the United States in the last 10 years,” he said. “People from all over the world hear about us.”

In September, it will be the centerpiece of the National Narrow Gauge Convention in Kansas City, Mo.

The Sundance Central got its start about 15 years ago when some group members became acquainted with each other through the Florida Garden Railway Society, MacKeown said. They decided it would be neat to build a modular train layout they could carry in the trunks of their cars to train shows.

They moved into the center’s current home, at 2645 Success Drive in Odessa, three years ago.

The modelers are sticklers for detail. They use foam rubber to create fake rock face. They use rope fiber to make artificial grass. They use wax to make imitation cow pies.

Some people wonder why the men are so involved in creating the models, said Jim Hopes, another member of the Sundance team.

“It’s because we love doing it. Once you start to create something that looks pretty good, you can’t stop,” he said.

“Everybody loves trains at some point in their life. Some people, like us, never get over it,” said Hopes, who built his first model train when he was 10 or 11.

“My father got me my first Lionel (train) when I was 5,” MacKeown said.

That was nearly 70 years ago.

In his Silverton Central railroad layout, Addison has created a setting that includes a harbor, a produce market, a village and other features.

Some train enthusiasts simply want to operate them and are not too particular about the setting behind them, Addison said.

“We care about making things look real. We kind of look at it as an art,” Addison said.

WHAT: The Suncoast Center for Fine Scale Modeling
WHY: An impressive collection of artistically crafted models, which recreate the feel for an authentic railroad, along with other models depicting Civil War scenes, fighter pilots, and the Band of Brothers.
WHERE: 2645 Success Drive, Odessa
WHEN: The third Saturday of the month, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., from October to June
COST: Admission is $7 for adults, and free for children 12 and younger
INFO: Visit: www.finescalemodeling.org

Published April 9, 2014

Running the Boston Marathon is on Trout’s ‘bucket list’

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When Trish Trout runs with thousands of racers at the 118th Boston Marathon in April, she’ll cross an item off her bucket list.

Trish Trout says she’ll complete the Boston Marathon even if she has to crawl or roll across the finish line. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Trish Trout says she’ll complete the Boston Marathon even if she has to crawl or roll across the finish line.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

“Boston is the crown jewel of running, and coming from a non-elite running status, it always seemed like it was a dream too far out of reach,” the 39-year-old mother of two said.

The Wesley Chapel woman couldn’t picture qualifying and she knew the only other way would be to run for a charity, something she couldn’t quite foresee happening. But one of her co-workers encouraged her to see if she could run for a charity. He told her: “If you can get in, I will help you with fundraising.”

So, Trout decided to try, and was accepted to run as part of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge.

Last year’s bombings in Boston didn’t dissuade her from the desire to run the 26.2-mile race.

“It motivates me more,” Trout said. “It has given me a way to show my kids, ‘Yes, there are people who do bad things, but if we let that stop us, then we let them win.’”

Her daughter Alexa attends Wiregrass Ranch High School, and her son Adam attends John Long Middle School. They’ll both be in Boston to watch their mom run.

“People ask me, ‘Are you sure you want to take your kids there?’” Trout said. “I say, ‘Absolutely, there’s no greater sense of accomplishment than seeing your kids in an environment where everyone who is there is there for the same reason, to accomplish something that is greater than themselves.’”

She knows it’s no easy feat to complete a marathon. And she realizes she is not the ideal candidate to make the run.

“If you look at me, I’m not built to be a runner,” Trout said. But she’s determined to make it happen.

“I will crawl. I will roll. It doesn’t matter. I will cross that finish line on the day that I’m supposed to,” Trout said.

Trout has run in a half-dozen half-marathons and began training for the Boston Marathon around September. Generally, she does her shorter runs on weekday evenings — making her way through the neighborhoods of Meadow Pointe and Plantation Palms. She prefers running in the road because the pavement is easier on her knees and hips than sidewalks.

She does longer runs on the weekends.

Trout, who is a quality assurance analyst for a software company, enjoys running for causes. She ran a Gasparilla 15-kilometer on a team to raise awareness for human trafficking. She’s running the Boston Marathon to help raise money for cancer research.

“I find it easier to go on the long, lonely runs knowing that I’m running for somebody else,” Trout said.

She’s running the Boston Marathon as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge. She has pledged to raise at least $9,650.

So far, she’s raised just over $8,000.

“Everybody knows somebody who has dealt with cancer,” Trout said. “And, what I have done is — each mile, because there’s 26 miles, I’ve been asking people if they’d be willing to sponsor a mile,” Trout said. “I have the .2, because the marathon is 26.2 miles. My daughter wants that part. I keep telling her she’s got to up the ante if she wants that part.”

Trout said she’s hoping to exceed her pledge and raise at least $13,100 for Dana-Farber, which is a cancer institute in Brookline, Mass. She picked that number because “13.1” signifies a half-marathon, the distance she normally runs. If she raises $13,100, she’ll shave her head in a show of solidarity with cancer patients who do not think they have anyone supporting them.

Trout said her goal is to complete the marathon in no more than 5 hours and 30 minutes. Initially, she was shooting for 5 hours and 15 minutes, but she’s coming off a slight injury.

Trout’s familiar with the course because she drove it in November when she was in Boston for Thanksgiving.

“I got goose bumps, and I started to cry when I stood at the starting line. I was in the moment,” she said.

She’s anticipating a similar show of emotion on April 21, as she crosses the finish line.

Regardless of the time she turns in, Trout said this experience already has taught her a few things about herself.

“It reaffirms the fact that, when I make a decision, I’m going to do whatever it takes to stick to it,” she said. “And, I’m a lot stronger than I thought I was.”

Anyone interested in donating can visit RunDFMC.org/2014/trish.

Published April 2, 2014

Youth ministry uses puppets to spread gospel message

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The music is cranked and the kids are clapping, jumping and gliding around in a second-floor room in the education building at Van Dyke Church in Lutz.

The members of the 2013 Puppets for Christ touring team are, in front, kneeling from left, Madison Welch, Preston Keleher, Allison Tsay, Jessica Grimes, Alex Whittington. Standing in back, Sarah Brennan, Sandy Graves, Zoe Wallace, A.J. Collado, Cody Coates, Meaghan Heveran, Conner Berg, Jaelin Brigner, Becky Bonanno, Lindsey Proulx, Jordan Reineke, Sarah Lucker. (Courtesy of Sandy Graves)
The members of the 2013 Puppets for Christ touring team are, in front, kneeling from left, Madison Welch, Preston Keleher, Allison Tsay, Jessica Grimes, Alex Whittington. Standing in back, Sarah Brennan, Sandy Graves, Zoe Wallace, A.J. Collado, Cody Coates, Meaghan Heveran, Conner Berg, Jaelin Brigner, Becky Bonanno, Lindsey Proulx, Jordan Reineke, Sarah Lucker.
(Courtesy of Sandy Graves)

They are waving flags, raving poi balls and making dance moves, as they practice a routine for a future performance.

The middle and high school youths are part of a group called PfC, which stands for Puppets for Christ. If the name implies some kind of sedate puppet presentation laced with staid Bible lessons, think again.

This group has a groove on, and the kids are using music and props they created to help share a gospel message through performances that both they and their audiences enjoy.

Normally, they perform under black lights, wearing black costumes with mesh or cloth hoods that cover their faces. They use neon puppets, signs and other props to get across their message.

The ministry has won a fair number of awards at competitions, and recently was one of the ministries showcased at the 2014 Real Ideas Conference at Van Dyke Church, which attracted about 650 people from 177 churches to learn practical ways to enliven their churches.

At the recent practice, PfC volunteer director Becky Bonanno recalled that the ministry began about 15 years ago, with two little green puppets that came in a curriculum kit, when she used to teach children’s church.

She and her husband used the puppets in the ministry, and their son Nick later asked if he could put together a puppet team.

Initially, it was intended to just put on puppet shows at the church. But PfC kept growing and has evolved into an ongoing ministry that now has 21 members, from various middle schools and high schools.

Beyond performing locally, the group hits the road once a year on a tour, where they perform primarily at other churches in the Southeast, said Sandy Graves, the other co-director. They perform in such places as Atlanta, Savannah, Charleston and Jacksonville, but they’ve also been as far away as Chicago and Washington, D.C.

They also perform locally, generally for vacation Bible schools, inner-city ministries, children’s homes, domestic abuse shelters and other churches.

The troupe meets for an hour and a half weekly, gathering on Wednesday nights to work on routines and plan out future performances. Sometimes they have prop parties.

There’s a storage room at the church that is chock full of puppets of all shapes and sizes. There are huge elephant puppets and strap-on flamingo puppets. There are all sorts of neon signs and decorations.

“It’s so much fun,” Bonanno said, noting she had no idea the direction that PfC would take when it began.

There are stories of parents who did not come to church, but began attending after bringing their children to a puppet show, Bonanno said. There are stories of kids who were on the puppet team that wound up getting married when they became adults.

Many of PfC’s members are siblings of former members or were invited by friends to give it a try.

“My brother was in it, and I started watching it when I was in third grade,” said Cody Coates, 17, who was so eager to join he persuaded Bonanno to let him join in sixth grade.

“It’s a blast,” said the Steinbrenner High School student said. “This is the only thing I’ll cancel my friends for. I’ve missed birthday parties.

“I like that I can be a Christian while still having fun. You’re spreading God’s word,” Coates added.

If the audience hasn’t heard of them, they’re in for a surprise, he said.

“No one expects to see a fun, black-light puppet show,” Coates said.

Emily Keleher, another PfC member, was surprised the first time she saw a show.

“I thought it was going to be a little puppet show, and then I saw it,” the Martinez Middle School student said.

She enjoys performing, but she thinks the best part of being involved is hanging out with other members of the group.

Jerry Grimes, 13, who is new to the group this year, said he wanted to join after seeing a performance when he was young.

“I would come to these puppet shows, and I was like, ‘Oh, wow, that’s really fun.’ Now, I’m doing it,” said the Walker Middle Magnet School student.

He gets a kick out of watching children react. “It’s been very fun, just to see the smiles on kids.”

As they run through their routines at practice, the kids are clearly enjoying themselves. They seem to have an easy rapport with Bonanno and Graves.

As they talk about their upcoming tour, for instance, one kid tosses out an idea: “We could do a flash mob on the metro,” he said.

It’s an idea, Bonanno said, that’s worth considering.

Published April 2, 2014