The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

‘No one does what we do,’ at Finishing Touches

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Finishing Touches, located at the Tampa Premium Outlets, has taken lighting planning and design into the digital age.

“We fully embrace online shopping; our entire store is designed around it. The only fault to online shopping is you can’t see the product in person. That’s where we come in,” said owner Bill Richards.

Whereas most lighting showrooms are vast and overwhelming, Finishing Touches only displays what’s necessary. Each example is perfectly placed to give visitors a better idea of the online options regarding, size, color and style.

And it all starts at the in-store, Interactive Online Design Center.

“Our program is designed specifically for the lighting industry,” said Richards. “With this tool, we can customize a plan that falls within your budget and order it right to the store.”

At Finishing Touches, you get the tactile experience of seeing the product in person, while still having your favorite pick from the expansive stock that online shopping offers. Bill’s wife, Terry Richards, has been in the lighting industry for over 40 years. At Finishing Touches, she offers her design expertise for free, and helps every customer find what they want at a great price. What further sets Finishing Touches apart is the guaranteed customer service. By having in-store hosts instead of solely purchasing online, there’s always a place to come back to for help.

“We price match, too; if you find it cheaper somewhere else online, we’ve got you covered,” said Richards.

To find a lighting setup that fits your room perfectly, Finishing Touches is situated across from Saks Fifth Ave and Kate Spade, at the Tampa Premium Outlets.

Published March 30, 2022

Lighthouse Books shines on, in Dade City

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Step inside Lighthouse Books in downtown Dade City, and you might feel like you’ve entered an oversized time capsule – but one that encases memorabilia from far more than a single moment in history.

Shelves and tables inside the store display eclectic collections of books, periodicals, how-to manuals, and even vintage brochures that document humanity’s literary musings through the ages.

In a sense, Lighthouse Books is the quintessential used-book store, though most of its hand-me-downs are anything but mass-produced reprints.

Lighthouse Books founder Michael Slicker sits at his desk surrounded by scores of vintage books waiting to be cataloged into the store’s inventory. (Courtesy of Susan Green)

Proprietor Michael Slicker reflects on that, as he handles a 1478 edition of “Commentaries on Juvenal’s Satires,” one of the oldest and rarest artifacts available for purchase at the store.

“It was used back when Columbus got here,” he quips.

Slicker is an antiquarian bookseller, one of only about 450 members of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America. Born in St. Petersburg, he founded his store there in 1977 and chose the name, in part, for its original location overlooking the water.

In 2019, after being twice cramped by encroaching development, he relocated Lighthouse Books to Dade City, where his daughter, Sarah Smith, had already put down roots. Together, father and daughter run the business, which includes appraisals, purchases and sales of thousands of yesteryear’s treasures.

Specialties include books chronicling Florida and Caribbean history, as well as many works related to military histories. But Lighthouse offers collectible books, maps, and print materials from all over the world and just about every time period.

“We have a niche. We don’t have to compete with all the paperback sellers,” Slicker says.

He doesn’t count online booksellers such as Amazon as competitors, either, even though most of Lighthouse’s sales these days are made online through the company’s website.

Mainstream booksellers generally don’t handle books published before the 1970s because they don’t have ISBN numbers, Slicker explains. Without those unique identifiers, book vendors can’t easily enter books into a computerized inventory system.

At Lighthouse, each of the thousands of vintage materials that enter the store’s inventory must be cataloged by hand – a task that falls mostly to Smith.

Sarah Smith displays a vintage marketing brochure for Appleton Manufacturing Co., which crafted windmills and farm implements in the early to mid-1900s.

“It’s definitely something we work on constantly,” she says.

Judging books by their covers
Slicker’s expertise as an antiquarian book appraiser has been sought by universities, private collectors and estate sellers. And when it comes to antique book valuations, the old adage against judging a book by its cover doesn’t apply. Slicker notes that a book’s artwork and binding materials play a significant role in valuations, and they tell tales about the people of yesteryear, just as the written words do.

For example, take the 1854 volume titled “The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray.” As Slicker bends the Moroccan leather binding slightly and thumbs across the pages’ gilded edges, a portrait of the author against a churchyard backdrop appears. It’s a hidden flourish known as a fore-edge painting that sets the scene for the poet’s best-known poem, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard,” before the first page is turned.

Or take the American decorative binding trends of the early 20th century. Lighthouse is home to quite a few examples of books with elaborate artwork gracing the covers, usually the handiwork of women.

Grace Smith, 9, daughter of Sarah Smith and granddaughter of Michael Slicker, finds plenty to ways to while away the time in the kids’ section at Lighthouse Books.

“Since women were kind of shut out of all the fine arts, they did these decorative bindings,” Slicker says.

Slicker’s appraisal talents have put him in touch with the past in a way that few people ever experience. For example, one of his assignments was to appraise a log book that the famous pilot Amelia Earhart carried with her on one of her transatlantic flights. To him, the entries read like letters to her parents in the event she didn’t return.

“You have to picture that she’s writing in her log as she’s soloing across the Atlantic,” Slicker says. “And she writes that there’s an 8-foot wave and her right engine is going out.”

As much as he loves books, Slicker doesn’t collect them himself. It’s not a good idea for an antiquarian bookseller to compete with his customers, he explains.

“I tell people I got into the business because of the books, but I stayed because of the people,” Slicker says. “It’s a joy when an enthusiastic person comes in and says, ‘Oh, I’ve been looking for this for a long time.’”

Tina Ross, of Dade City, is just such a customer. Recently, she came to Lighthouse Books looking for a specialty craft book.

“I’m like in heaven here,” she said. “I like bookstores, but they have all the new titles everywhere — nothing juicy.”

A perfect fit
Margaret Angell, a 20-year downtown business owner who chairs the Dade City Merchants Association, says Lighthouse Books is a welcome addition to a historic commercial district that draws visitors to its antique stores, specialty shops and restaurants.

“We’re delighted to have them,” she says. “They bring a whole new element to our downtown with their historic books and maps.”

Slicker and Smith say they’ve been happy with the move.

“I think it’s definitely a more leisurely pace than we experienced in St. Petersburg,” Smith says. “People come and spend the day, and they’re glad to be out and about. … I think it’s easier to be kind when they’re less stressed.”

Lighthouse Books in Dade City advertises collectible ‘books, maps, prints and ephemera,’ the latter being vintage advertisements, magazines, brochures, and other ‘throwaway’ literature of the past.

If you go
Lighthouse Books, ABAA
Where: 14046 Fifth St., Dade City
Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday
Contact: 727-822-3278 or
Info: OldFloridaBookstore.com

Calling old book lovers
What: 39th Annual Florida Antiquarian Book Fair
When: April 1 to April 3
Where: The Coliseum, 535 Fourth Ave. N., St Petersburg
Cost: Admission $10 for the entire event
Info: FloridaAntiquarianBookFair.com

By Susan Green

Published March 30, 2022

Sister Miriam Cosgrove celebrates 60th Jubilee

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The Benedictine Sisters of Florida celebrated the 60th Jubilee of Sister Miriam Cosgrove, O.S.B., on March 23 at Holy Name Monastery, according to a news release from the monastery.

Born in Detroit, Sister Miriam made her first visit to St. Leo when she was in eighth grade, to attend the ordination into the priesthood of her oldest brother, Mark.

Sister Miriam Cosgrove, O.S.B. (Courtesy of the Benedictine Sisters of Florida)

After completing high school, she moved to Florida in 1960 to join the Benedictine Sisters of Florida. She made her profession of first vows in March 1962.

She taught for 20 years in Florida schools staffed by Benedictine Sisters.

She worked in Pasco County Public Schools as an elementary guidance counselor for 23 years and volunteered with patients in hospice care for 17 years.

She also volunteered as a Guardian ad Litem for at-risk children.

She has instructed adults in Catholicism.

Her artistic abilities include calligraphy, photography and note cards.

She also trained in aquaponics and learned the art of fish farming as a sustainable food source. She currently is the coordinator of the aquaponics program at Holy Name Monastery.

The morning ceremony began with Liturgy of the Hours and continued with the Jubilee Mass, celebrated by Father Anthony Ujagbo.

In her remarks, Sister Roberta Bailey, O.S.B., Prioress, addressed Sister Miriam, saying: “Your dedication has been a blessing to us and to the wider community. You have shared gifts that only you can give the world – blessings others could only receive through you. May this occasion be a source of joy and continued blessings.”

A social with family, friends and refreshments followed the Mass.

Published March 30, 2022

A forgotten hero, with a locally known name

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A huge explosion occurred on Feb. 21, 1922, killing 34 soldiers.

The disaster garnered bold headlines, across the globe, for weeks.

But on the centennial anniversary of that tragedy, not a peep was heard.

The heavily traveled Dale Mabry Highway, which cuts through Hillsborough County and crosses into Pasco County is named after Capt. Dale Mabry, who was considered a hero when he died in during the Feb. 21, 1922 explosion of the Roma. (Courtesy of floridamemory.com)

So, here’s a look back in history of the fateful day the dirigible Roma, an army airship carrying 45 souls, crashed in Virginia.

It was the largest airship disaster at the time. Its 11 cells of hydrogen — holding a million cubic feet of highly inflammable gas — erupted after the ship hit high voltage lines.

Eleven airmen survived. Some jumped, when it was clear that the ship was crashing.

Those killed in the crash were burned beyond recognition.

Only the captain was identifiable because he was still gripping the controls steering the ship.

He never left his post in his desperate attempt to save lives.

The historical marker near the site in Norfolk, Virginia,  of this barely remembered disaster, took 98 years to erect. Even the inscription on it says prophetically, “In later years, the story of Roma was largely forgotten.”

This happened 15 years before the more famous Hindenburg disaster, which was caught on film and killed the same number of people.

Books and movies were made about the Hindenburg.

The Roma is forgotten.

But for folks in the Tampa Bay area, the ship’s heroic captain is remembered, and everyone knows his name.

There’s a legacy left behind by him that cuts through the heart of Tampa — in the form of a heavily traveled highway.

The captain’s name?  Dale Mabry.

The day after the disaster, the Tampa Morning Tribune headline screamed, “34 PERISH WITH DIRIGIBLE ROMA.”

This smaller headline was accompanied by a photograph of the captain: “Capt. Dale Mabry of Tampa, a victim.”

Mabry had lived in Tampa before enlisting in the U.S. Army during World War I, and he had family here.

His father, a prominent attorney, had served as Florida’s Lt. Governor, and then later on the Florida Supreme Court, at the turn of the century.

The first mate of the Roma also was a son of a man of prominence — Walter Reed. Dale Mabry had served as best man at the younger Walter Reed’s wedding.

Reed’s father conquered yellow fever and Washington D.C.’s most famous hospital was named after him.

The junior Reed survived the Roma disaster and went on to serve as a general in World War II.

In the years after the Roma tragedy, a road was built to connect MacDill Air Force Base with Drew Field, since both airfields were being used by the military (Drew Field later became Tampa International Airport). The road between the airfields was named after Capt. Dale Mabry.

Here is the headline from the Feb. 22, 1922 issue of the Tampa Morning Tribune, recounting the explosion of the Roma, which claimed the lives of 34 and captured headlines across the globe, at the time. (Courtesy of Tampapix.com)

In decades to come, the road was lengthened through rural cow pastures and orange groves extending from one end of Hillsborough County into neighboring Pasco County.

Aerial photos from the 1950s show Dale Mabry’s northern route bisecting uninhabited pastures.

Today, the pastures and groves have disappeared.

Over the years, millions have used this road that connects the world’s most strategic military operations — Central Command — to thousands of businesses along its route. Dale Mabry Highway is a busy commercial corridor, flanked on both sides by businesses, restaurants, car dealerships and other types of development.

Raymond James Stadium is on one side of the road and George M. Steinbrenner Field is on the other.

It is one of the region’s busiest arteries, named in honor of a man who heroically perished a century ago, hands firmly at the wheel.

Travelers on the road today may not realize it, but as they grip the wheels of their vehicles, they replicate the final posture of Capt. Mabry who perished, while trying to limit casualties from the exploding aircraft.

The story of the ill-fated Roma and her crew has been largely forgotten over time.

But one name remains widely known locally, and now, a century later, his courage on that terrible day, is worth remembering.

By Charlie Reese

Published March 30, 2022

Chasco Fiesta celebrates 100 years

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When the Chasco Fiesta began in 1922, it was headed by Postmaster Gerben DeVries as a way to raise money for the local library, according to a resolution of congratulations adopted on March 22 by the Pasco County Commission.

Kurt Conover appeared on behalf of the Chasco Fiesta celebration, at the March 22 Pasco County Commission meeting, to receive a resolution of congratulations honoring the event’s 100th anniversary. From left: Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles, County Commissioner Ron Oakley, County Commissioner Mike Moore, Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey, Kurt Conover, Commissioner Christina Fitzpatrick and Commissioner Jack Mariano. This year’s festivities began on March 25 and runs through April 3. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

DeVries was inspired by the Native Americans in the area and the nearby Pithlachascotee River, the source of the names for King Pithla and Queen Chasco, two central characters of the festival, the resolution says.

The resolution credits the sponsors and more than 700 volunteers as the driving forces behind Chasco Fiesta.

They “work tirelessly to create a fun and memorable experience for every attendee, including a steering committee that oversees the year-round planning and organization of the Chasco Fiesta,” the resolution says.

Kurt Conover, accepted the resolution, on behalf of Chasco Fiesta.

“We are very excited. We anticipate record crowds,” Conover said. “We’re expecting over 200,000 people to be participating,” he said.

This year’s festival began on March 25 and runs through April 3.

After the resolution was read, Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey said: “I cannot believe the 100-year date, that it’s the oldest fiesta celebration in the state. That’s amazing. Very cool.”

Commissioner Christina Fitzpatrick, who sponsored the resolution, said, “I want to say thank you to all of the volunteers who help make this possible. I’ve been attending this for 33 years, since I’ve been here.

“From watching the parade and watching the boat parade every year. It’s been a very exciting event. I want to encourage everyone to come out,” Fitzpatrick said.

Chasco Fiesta is a 501(C)4 organization, and in 2019 benefited 20 not-for-profit organizations in the local community and surrounding areas.

This year’s festival began on March 25 and runs through April 3. For a look at the festival’s remaining schedule, visit the events calendar at ChascoFiesta.com.

Published March 30, 2022

Tampa announces ‘Spring it Forward’ initiative

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The City of Tampa’s Solid Waste Department is launching the “Spring It Forward” Initiative, designed to help reduce extra waste and its environmental impact during the spring-cleaning season, according to a city news release.

The City of Tampa’s McKay Bay Waste Facility experiences an increase in tonnage each March.

Specifically, there was a 22% increase in waste generated in March 2021, the release says.

To help reduce waste, at the beginning of spring, residents are encouraged to repurpose and donate their unwanted items rather than disposing of them when spring cleaning their homes.

By using the Tampa Trash and Recycling App or on the recycling website, it is possible to search the Waste Sort to find out whether a material can be reused or donated to consignment or local thrift shops.

Taking your items to a local thrift or consignment shop can extend the life span of resources used to create items, the release notes.

“Springing your unwanted, good and working-condition items forward can help those in need,” said Larry Washington, the city’s solid waste director.

“Springing It Forward also helps local charities and nonprofit agencies collect gently used items. We’re excited to help connect families with these resources,” Washington added, in the release.

Residents can download the mobile app, Tampa Trash and Recycling, for Apple or Android devices. The app also can be found on the city website Tampa.gov/Recycle for convenient calendar and waste items search.

Published March 30, 2022

Congratulations to the winners of our Spill The Ink Poetry Contest!

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Popular Choice Winner: Sophia Sullivan

Sophia Sullivan

“Live” 

Don’t you dare be so immobilized by fear that you
forget to sing.

Neglect not your happiness at the expense of
another’s opinion – you cannot afford such a thing.

Our finite residence on this earth will destroy you,
should you not choose to dance.

You are poor of time. The hour hand is resting on
your heart and the minute hand on your mind,
ticking, ticking, ticking – be not in a trance.

So please, I beseech you from my spot in the sky,
do not delay.

Will you just be present, or will you live to face the
Day?

Laura Manson

Publisher’s Choice Winner: Laura Manson

“And They Danced”

they danced through early morning
into the hot passion of noon
into cool sleep of evening
into a spring of birth
a summer of laughter
an autumn of betrayal
a winter of stillness

and they danced
thru rains that flooded the pasture
thru winds that bent the trees
through lightning that blinded the moment
through thunder that muted memories

and they danced
around war
around peace
around broken promises
around broken faith
around redemption

and they danced
sometimes slow and heavy
sometimes fast and afraid
sometimes strong and invincible
sometimes withered and hopeless

and they danced
when youth disappeared
when old age tripled gravity
when time became a noose
and the music faded

and they danced
and they danced

The Laker/Lutz News wants to thank the sponsors who generously donated prizes for our winners: Tangerine Hill, Vintage Chix, San Antonio Pottery, A Cup of Organic

Pasco elections supervisor issues warning about mailer

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Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley is putting the county’s voters on alert about a mail campaign being launched in the county.

“The Voter Participation Center (VPC) & the Center for Voter Information (CVI) has again launched a voter registration mail campaign targeting Pasco County voters which have previously contained inaccurate information that voters have reported as alarming and confusing,” according to a news release from Corley’s office.

“In the past, these mailing have been sent to family members who are deceased, their pets, underage children, and adult children who no longer reside or never resided in the household or the state of Florida. The mailings which aim to reach eligible voters often arouse suspicion because they are already registered and feel that their registration has somehow been compromised,” the release continues.

“Our experience has been that VPC and CVI mailings further erode voter confidence at a time when the security of our elections is in the forefront. Please know that these organizations are in no way affiliated with my office and that there are reliable tools already in place for Pasco citizens to register to vote, update their voter registration, and to check their voter registration status,” the release adds.

For the most accurate information regarding your voter registration:

For grievances regarding the mailing, Corley’s office asks voters to contact the VPC using the information provided on the mailing.

Published March 23, 2022

Local projects receive federal funds

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Ten community project funding requests submitted this year by U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis were approved and will bring a total of $13.79 million in federal funding to the Tampa Bay area, according to a news release from the congressman’s office.

Bilirakis received dozens of proposals seeking federal funding from local governments, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations throughout Florida, the release said.

Three of the projects receiving funding will have a direct impact on areas within East Pasco County. Those projects are:

Rural Northeast Pasco Community Park Site Acquisition: $1 million
Provides funding to allow Pasco County to plan, identify, and buy the new community park site, including appraisals, boundary surveys, closing costs, insurance and so on. In other parts of the county, impact fees support the purchase of parkland and developing of parks, but in rural northeast Pasco, less land is being developed resulting in less impact fees.

The Dade City Wastewater Treatment Plant: $1.75 million
This project involves the design and permitting of the city’s wastewater treatment plant relocation and upgrade.

The Zephyrhills Lift Station and Force Main Project: $1.5 million
This provides matching funds to the City of Zephyrhills to assist with wastewater system improvement that will allow the city to balance wastewater flow, provide water quality protection and support water supply needs in the Hillsborough River Basin.

The other seven projects submitted by Bilirakis that received funding will have direct impacts in West Pasco, in Pinellas County or across Pinellas and Pasco counties.

In the news release, Bilirakis, who represents Florida’s 12th congressional district, said: “While I am no proponent of big government spending, I have a duty to ensure my community receives its fair share of allocated federal resources and to be transparent about my efforts to prioritize these important projects. These projects will help strengthen our local infrastructure, benefit our community and assist local residents.”

Published March 23, 2022

Museum presents an homage to the cowboy way of life

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Sounds of cracking whips and old-time music filled the air at Cracker Cowboy Day at the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village, at 15602 Pioneer Museum Road.

The event was held for its first time on March 5, on the property in Dade City.

As her proud father, Evan, looks on, 3-year-old Savannah Feller, of Lake Wales, achieves a decent lasso spin during calf roping at Cracker Cowboy Day at the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village on March 5. Her mom, Rachel, and little sister Addison cheer from the sidelines. (Christine Holtzma)

Dade City Candy, Comics, and Collectibles presented the event, which took folks back to a bygone era of Florida’s early settlers.

It was a time that was rich with cowboys and cattle.

Many of the interactive demonstrations featured activities that actually would have taken place on the range.

Both children and adults could try their hand at whip-cracking, cow-whip braiding, roping, axe-throwing and wood plank branding.

Numerous speakers wore period clothing – many of whom were stationed inside authentic-styled cow camps. The speakers and their backdrops helped to create a feel for an earlier era, as they provided lessons about Florida’s pioneer days.

There was a petting zoo, a blacksmith exhibition and vendors catering to cowboys, as well as offering farm goods.

Cowboy poetry in the Mabel Jordan Barn rounded out the day.

Dade City rancher and cowboy poet Steve Melton spearheaded the one-of-a-kind event.

When friends urged him to do poetry at the museum, he didn’t think poetry was enough of a draw to attract crowds.

So, instead, he arranged an event that not only showcased, but celebrated the Florida cow hunter’s (knowns as the ‘Crackers’) way of life.

Melton said the need to share that history helped to inspire the event.

“No one has pulled out the true history of the cowboy story, so that is what we are trying to introduce and preserve,” Melton said.

By Christine Holtzman

Published March 23, 2022

Susan Krusee, of Plant City, straightens up a display of goods that she is selling inside the Country Store booth during the inaugural Cracker Cowboy Day event. Krusee is a historical seamstress that strives for historical accuracy with all the clothing and items that she makes by hand and collects.
Steve Melton, a Dade City rancher and cowboy poet, recites a poem he calls, ‘The Rain at Billy Goat Sink.’ Melton shared about a dozen poems and stories with the audience inside the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village’s Mabel Jordan Barn, during the inaugural Cracker Cowboy Day event.
David Riker, of Hawthorne, has a seat inside the replica cattle camp that he and his group set up during the inaugural Cracker Cowboy Day event at the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village. Riker, along with his wife Lori, longtime friend Jim McAlister, and McAlister’s daughter Sheyenne, dressed in pioneer-era clothing and educated audiences on what life was like as a cattle farmer for the early Florida settlers.
Ed Collins, of Collins Cattle and Grove LLC, sits atop a wagon being pulled by his two Belgian Draft horses. The horses — 16-year-old Doug, left, and, 15-year-old Barney — were a big hit with the crowd. Some lucky guests got to go for a wagon ride, too.
Brenda Anderson, of Dade City, pets Sadie, a Charolais-Cross cow, who is more interested in the hay that Anderson had in her hand. Anderson, a fifth-generation Floridian, is a docent at the Cracker Country Museum – located at the Florida State Fairgrounds.
Jeanette Figueroa, of Tampa, helps with her 9-year-old daughter Madison’s wood plank branding. For a small fee, guests could create their own art, using real cattle brands.