The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

A specialty shop for health & well-being

By

Owner Carole Homand leads a lively discussion about herbs and their uses for medicine and pleasure during a recent educational seminar. The next class will be ‘Herbs for Digestive Health’.

Special to The Laker / Lutz News

As a certified surgical technologist, Carole Homand is well-acquainted with traditional medical practice. For 26 years, she worked as an integral member of surgical teams, advocating for the patient’s safety and comfort.

In 2012, her life changed dramatically, and she embarked on a new path. The first steps involved deep soul searching, learning about herself, and reconnecting with her roots on the family farm in north Florida.

“I took a hard look at myself, my accomplishments, and my dreams,” said Homand. “I’d come a long way from my rural upbringing, and realized I longed for that connection with the earth and nature’s healing gifts.”

She concluded she wanted to help others achieve health through herbs. She said, “I kept thinking, what did my ancestors do when someone got sick?” The answer was to turn to herbal remedies, which she says get to the root of the problem, rather than simply relieving the symptoms.

With the opening of The Herbal Kitchen in Zephyrhills, her vision became reality. The shop’s shelves overflow with organic bulk herbs, hand-blended herbal teas, essential oils and aromatherapy products, plus a line of bath and body care products, including organic baby oil and powder.

Her products are handmade in small batches right in her shop. She uses only organic fresh and dried herbs, many of which she grows herself. Others she sources from herbal specialty companies and local farms in Plant City.

“Modern medicines are derived from herbal origins,” explained Homand. “Because they’re used in their natural – rather than synthetic – form, herbal remedies have minimal side effects and are not addictive.” She offers blends to cleanse and detoxify the body, aid digestion and boost vitality.

According to Homand, the Herbal Kitchen isn’t a pharmacy or grocery store, but rather a specialty shop for health and well-being. She is offering herbal living classes and hopes to build a network of like-minded individuals who value the healing power of herbs.

The Herbal Kitchen, located at 38330 Fifth Ave., Zephyrhills, is open Tuesday-Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information and upcoming event information, follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/theherbalkitchen.

Two-stepping across Tennessee

By

As mentioned previously, the residents were leaving Florida to go back to their summer homes.  This includes us, as we packed up to go back to Connecticut on April 24, but with a slight detour to Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Sevierville, Tennessee.

Marty and Helene Rubenstein at the Country Tonite Show.

It was pure delight seeing the different sites and attending the many shows. Each show that we saw had music and dancing, plus a little comedy thrown in.

The very first show that we saw was called the Smith Family Show, and it had segments that included hits from several performers such as the Statler Brothers, the Oak Ridge Boys, Alabama, the Gatlins, Marty Robbins, Dwight Yoakum and more. A cute part of the show was when Louis Armstrong was imitated by a performer along with Kermit the Frog.

There was a skit where Nat King Cole sang with Natalie, and the song was “Him and Her.”

The show (as all the other shows did, also) ended with a salute to the veterans thanking them for their courage and service. There was also a lovely rendition of “The Ragged Ole Flag.”

We still had a few hours before the next show so we decided to go to The Old Mill. This is one of the oldest, continually operating water-powered mills in the country.

They have craft shops, and it was fun to browse through the stores.

This site has 200 years of Tennessee tradition.

Cades Cove included an 11-mile loop that followed the course settlers forged.
(Courtesy of Marty Rubenstein)

We then saw the Country Tonite Show in the early afternoon, and the show brought us high-energy entertainment, including singing, dancing, comedy, gospel and so much more.

This particular show is celebrating 20 years of playing in the Smokies.

At night, we saw a magic show called “Magic Beyond Belief” with Darren Romeo. In this show, we saw spectacular illusions, majestic animals, dazzling costumes, comedy, impressions, and audience participation.

This was a one-of-a-kind experience for any age. The show was absolutely thrilling, breathtaking and very inspiring.

The next day, we took a ride to Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, which is a wilderness park and showcased frontier life.

The Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Feud encouraged audience participation.

Once here, we also saw waterfalls and beautiful views around every bend of the road. There were several hiking trails (we skipped those), but the scenery was breathtaking.

We then went to see a new show where Brian Hoffman did a tribute show to remembering Red Skelton. This was a one-man show that was full of comedy.

Brian performed Red’s famous characters, such as the clown and several others. He did pantomimes and one-man skits. This tribute show reminded us that Red’s clean family humor and love for the country should still have a place in today’s world.

Later that night, we went to the Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Feud. The dinner was a four-course family style feast. It was all you can eat.

The show was excellent and had some cute moments. This was an action-packed show, where half of the audience was a Hatfield and the other half was a McCoy. So we would scream and yell when our particular family was performing.

The following day, we took a drive through Cades Cove. This is an 11-mile loop that follows many of the curves and courses that settlers forged years ago.

The Old Mill is one of the oldest, continually operating water-powered mills in the country.

We saw wildlife, including wild turkeys and deer.  And, we were able to experience the tranquil beauty of the trails, wildlife and scenery once you got out of your car at one of the many turn-offs.

We left the cove after several hours, and in the early afternoon, we went to the Smoky Mountain Opry.

Here, we saw a great variety show with more comedians, jugglers and specialty acts.

The special effects added to the show, as they were magnificent. Several of the acts involved being suspended from the ceiling in the center of the venue. Many dancers performed on the stage.

Our trip was almost at a close, but we still had one more show to see. The name of the show was “Sweet Fanny Adams,” located in Gatlinburg.

The original shows are quick-witted sensations, filled with the broadest of humor and the silliest of slapstick.

There was loads of audience participation, with lively music and top-notch performers. There was a sing-a-long and, believe me, you better be singing, as everyone was being watched.

The show was two hours and was a pure delight.

Well, as they say, all good things must come to an end — so, on April 29, we took our leave.

By Helene Rubenstein
Grand Horizons

Published May 24, 2017

The Ringling offers circus lore and more

By

With the final performance of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s iconic traveling shows headed for its grand finale this week, the age-old fantasy of running off to join the circus may one day fade into the annals of pop culture history.

Replicas of sculptures by world-famous artists, including ‘David’ by Michelangelo, are sprinkled across the expansive courtyard that’s flanked by the wings of The Ringling Museum of Art.
(Susan Green)

But, there’s nothing to stop you from enjoying all manner of circus lore. You’ll find it at The Ringling in Sarasota, about 60 miles south of Tampa. Indeed, you’ll find much more than circus artifacts at this attraction. For those who enjoy art, history and an exemplary tale of rags to riches, The Ringling has it all.

The 66-acre site lures more than 400,000 visitors each year, who travel from across the United States and from other countries, too, said Alice Murphy, spokeswoman for The Ringling.

They come to see the legacy of John Ringling, one of the sibling founders of the Ringling Bros. World’s Greatest Shows, who built a grand winter home and an art museum on the grounds now occupied by The Ringling complex.

The five-story, 36,000-square-foot mansion built by John and Mable Ringling in 1926 includes an 82-foot-high tower that provides a broad view of much of Sarasota. Visitors can access the tower with purchase of one of The Ringling’s add-on tour packages.

Ringling rose from humble beginnings in the Midwest and went on to help develop the largest circus in the nation after he and his brothers purchased Barnum & Bailey’s Greatest Show on Earth in the early 1900s.

Though the museums on the Sarasota property are not affiliated with today’s Ringling circus, the collections of circus memorabilia and exhibits housed there have benefited from the largess of donors ranging from former circus performers to devoted fans. As remarkable as those collections are, however, they are not the attraction’s biggest draw.

That distinction falls to the house that Ringling’s circus revenues built – the opulent waterfront mansion Cà d’Zan, said Ron McCarty, curator of the grand home.
“I think that most people enjoy history, and everyone loves the idea of wealth,” McCarty said.

“It’s the largest mansion on the west coast of Florida that’s a period building. … Cà d’Zan is a national treasure.”

Built in 1926 by Ringling and his wife, Mable, the five-story, 56-room abode was modeled after the grand palazzo-style homes of Venice, Italy, which the couple admired during trips to Europe to scout for new circus acts.

Howard Tibbals did extensive research of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus to create his exquisitely detailed replica of ‘The Greatest Show on Earth,’ including this view of the expansive midway.

The stucco and terra cotta façade — generously embellished with decorative tile, plus a marble terrace that stretches for more than 200 feet along Sarasota Bay — provides a glimpse into life for the wealthiest Americans during the Roaring ’20s.

Inside, there are gilded ceilings inset with paintings, rare antiques, fine art and an ornate crystal chandelier that once hung in the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. The chandelier is the focal point of an indoor courtyard where the Ringlings often entertained the celebrities of their time.

Hidden behind tapestries is a 2,289-pipe organ that stands two stories high and was custom-made for the house by the Aeolian Co.

Circus curios galore
Elsewhere on the grounds are two museums that showcase the glitter and derring-do that have long thrilled audiences under the Big Top, as well as the traveling lifestyle of performers, laborers and show executives.

John Ringling’s luxury train car is on display, as well as the colorful calliope wagon, clown cars and circus parade animal cages that ballyhooed the show’s arrival and summoned spectators when the event pulled into town.

This scale model of an early 20th century horse-drawn calliope wagon is part of the sprawling exhibit of intricately carved miniature circus figures in the Howard Tibbals Learning Center at The Ringling.

Visitors at The Ringling can see the original famous piece of artillery that shot “human cannonball” performers from the Zacchini family through the air and across the circus tent to land in a net.

Many of those echoes of yesteryear have been replicated in the lifelike miniature carvings of Howard Tibbals, who spent much of his life painstakingly creating a sprawling scale model of all aspects of the circus.

He donated his collection of more than 44,000 tiny figures to The Ringling in 2007, where it occupies 3,800 square feet of the Howard Tibbals Learning Center.

John Ringling, who died in 1936, bequeathed the estate’s mansion and art museum to the state, and that was only part of his gift to Florida’s Gulf Coast residents and tourists, McCarty said. Ringling also founded what became the Ringling College of Art and Design.

And, for 30 years, his circus held open rehearsals at a site not far from The Ringling.
“It was the biggest attraction in Florida,” said McCarty, estimating that it remained one of the most popular tourist sites in the state from the late 1920s into the 1950s. “It’s unbelievable what he [John Ringling] did for this community.”

The Ringling
Where: 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota
When: Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and until 8 p.m. on Thursdays, excluding major holidays
Cost: $25 for adults; $23 for seniors; $5 for children, 6 through 17; free for children 5 and under. (Check website for available discounts)
Parking: Free
Details: Circus artifacts, a luxurious mansion and an art museum are some of the highlights of The Ringling. Food and gifts also are available at the attraction.
Information: Call (941) 359-5700, or visit Ringling.org.

By Susan Green

Published May 17, 2017

DQ Grill & Chill In Lutz Comes to Ballantrae Village Shoppes

By

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

It’s been a successful opening for DQ Grill & Chill at Ballantrae Village Shoppes in Lutz.

Franchise owners Carlos and Pam Saenz, along with their 15-year-old daughter, Madison, are thrilled to see steady traffic inside and through their drive-through lane as neighborhood families and folks just passing by order meals and ice cream treats.

The restaurant is located on the north side of State Road 54, at the entrance to the master-planned communities of Ballantrae and Bexley.

More than 50,000 vehicles travel the state road daily, and high traffic in one reason why the Saenz family chose this location for their first fast-food restaurant.

Another reason is because the family lives just down the road in the Oakstead subdivision, where Pam is a teacher at Oakstead Elementary, and Madison a student at Sun Lake High.

Carlos stepped away from a long career in the insurance industry, including stints at Aetna and Unitedhealthcare, to open his Dairy Queen. He is proud to remain on active duty with the U.S. Air Force Reserves.

When Carlos researched restaurant franchises, he zeroed in on Dairy Queen for a personal reason — it was one of his first fast-food meals in Florida after he moved here from Puerto Rico when he was in middle school.

Carlos feels many others are also nostalgic about the restaurant chain, which began in 1940 with its iconic menu of burgers, hot dogs, fries, Peanut Buster parfaits, Dilly bars and ice cream cones. Dairy Queen celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2015, and these old favorites remain.

Over the years, DQ has expanded its menu to include the incredibly popular Blizzard as well as other tantalizing dairy treats. This includes custom-decorated ice cream cakes perfect for upcoming events, such as birthdays, graduations and Mother’s and Father’s Day.

The chain also added many new food items, including chicken strip baskets and sandwiches, honey-flavored barbecue and most recently, the high profile Kansas-style pork sandwich on pretzel bread.

Through its DQ restaurant, the Saenz family supports special fund-raising events for area schools, with a portion of proceeds benefiting each school.

“We’re excited to be engaged with our neighborhood elementary, middle and high schools, and to partner overall with the Lutz/Land O’ Lakes community, where we proudly live and work,” Carlos said.

813-949-8900

17826 Aprile Drive

Lutz, FL 33559

 

Sunday through Thursday: 10:30 am – 10:00 pm

Friday and Saturday: 10:30 am – 10:30 pm

Relaxation and Beauty belle âme Day Spa & Salon

By

Natural and Organic Beauty Treatments

After 21 years in information technology management for a large financial services firm in the Tampa Bay area, Lisa Huston was ready for a career change. A life and health changing experience with massage therapy led to her new passion: operating a European-style luxury spa featuring organic and natural products.

“I had suffered physically from the effects of a stressful, high pressure job for years. The long hours were taking a toll on my body, as well. I had chronic back and leg pain for a long time. I tried a variety of medical treatments, but nothing really eliminated the pain,” said Ms. Huston. “Trying to find some relief, I visited a new massage therapist who did body work. Literally from the first session, my pain improved. Soon, the limp I’d had for several years disappeared, and I was walking normally again.”

That dramatic change inspired her new career direction. She decided to start a spa and salon dedicated to helping clients de-stress, relax and look great, using all natural and organic products. Ms. Huston had visited some of the best spas in the world in her travels, and she wanted to make that experience available locally. She named the spa “belle âme” – “beautiful soul” in French.

belle âme Day Spa & Salon is housed in its own 3,300 square foot building at the back of Osprey Cove, away from traffic. Clients are transported into a different world the moment the moment they walk through the door of the area’s premier day spa. The spa offers different types of massage therapy, body wraps, manicures, pedicures, facials, microdermabrasion, Photon/LED treatments, eyelash extensions, waxing services, PEMF treatments and a full-service hair salon. Packages of multiple services are available. Spa and salon services, which are available to both women and men, are performed by some of the most talented professionals in the area.

All services provided by the spa use natural or organic products. “People are becoming aware that many beauty products contain ingredients that are potentially harmful,” said Ms. Huston. The spa also sells natural and organic products by Oway, Surface, Bella Luccè and Skin Script Rx in its retail area, so that clients can have those same products available for use at home.

Another goal Ms. Huston had in opening the spa was to create a place that would be fun for group events. “We love hosting groups, and we love working with our clients to plan their special events at the spa,” she said. “It’s so rewarding to see a group of friends have a great time relaxing here.”

As a way of giving back to the community, belle âme Day Spa & Salon also has a program called “belle âme Gives Back.” Local charitable organizations who schedule an event with the spa that day receive half the proceeds from all services performed. All of the events held to date have been very successful. Anyone interested in scheduling a “belle âme Gives Back” event is welcome to contact the spa for more information.

Future clients can learn more about belle âme Day Spa & Salon’s service offerings by visiting http://belleamedayspa.com or by calling 813-949-8400.

Delivering Excellence

By

Store owner Cathy Charlton (l) with sales associate Claudia Fantasia

By Will Plazewski

Special to The Laker / Lutz News

If great things really do come in small packages, then The UPS Store in Land O’Lakes is the epitome of that expression.

Between shipping, in-store printing and postal needs, the place is a veritable one-stop shop of small business services.

Whether it’s a rubber stamp, document finishing, or laminating and binding, they can do it all.

“We are in the business of saving people time, but with shipping prices direct from UPS, we can save you money as well,” said store owner Cathy Charlton.

Opened next to the Publix in Arbor Square at Connerton since December 2016, The UPS Store offers many other services as well, including notary, passport photos, estate packing, custom crating and shipping freight items, like furniture and fine china.

“You’d be surprised at how much china we ship for people,” Charlton said. “I was initially amazed myself.”

Cathy and her husband Kirk have been UPS Store owners since 2009. The new Land O’ Lakes store is their third, joining the Zephyrhills branch and a Carollwood storefront as well.

“We’ve always been committed to providing convenient small business solutions with personalized customer service,” she said, “and, our new store is no exception.”

(813) 575-9196

landolakes-fl-6830.theupsstorelocal.com

Hours: Monday–Friday: 8:00 am – 6:30 pm

Saturday 9:00 am –2:30

 7842 Land O’Lakes Blvd.,

Land O’ Lakes, FL 34638

(1 mile north of Land O’Lakes High School on US 41)

Blueberry pancakes make for a happy time

By

(Courtesy of Adrianne Ayres)

Nearly 80 residents and guests were at the Grand Horizons’ community center on April 22 for the last blueberry pancake breakfast of the season, hosted by David and Mary Heim. The breakfast included pancakes, French toast, three sausages, and orange juice, coffee and tea. Jim Sinner said grace, and everyone bowed their heads for a moment of silence. The breakfast crew included, from left, Pat Bond, Tom Carter, Mary and Dave Heim, Rosie Semian and Diane Taggart. Not pictured: Linda Rogers.

Looking forward to another season

By

While the season is starting to dwindle down, Grand Horizons still has some activities going on.

From left, Jim Holmes, Bob Rebarkoff, Pauline Rebarkoff and Barb Holmes enjoy each other’s company before lunch in Zephyrhills.
(Courtesy of Marty and Helene Rubenstein)

One such activity is the lunch connoisseurs which is held once a month. So many of us look forward to it. This is when some residents and/or guests get together the second Friday of the month and go to a specific restaurant that someone chooses. This month, we all gathered at the Fresh Country Café in Zephyrhills on April 14. We had 36 people at the restaurant, and we were given a separate room.

The waitresses were very nice and helped out if someone had a question. Marty and I hosted the luncheon, and we all had a delightful time.

There was much conversation, and pictures were taken.

From left, Nancy Martin, Eugene Martin, Jerry Raffa and Germaine Marion look forward to a Fresh Country Café lunch.

Before the orders were taken, Galen Parker was nice enough to say grace, while a moment of silence was observed by the rest of the attendees.

The menu consisted of a variety of foods, including appetizers, salads, sandwiches, seafood and Cuban specialties. There was also a dessert at the end of the meal of ice cream or pudding.

We then took our leave and made the short trip home, as the restaurant wasn’t too far from our development. All in all, it was a nice afternoon.

There was entertainment at Grand Horizons on April 15. It was hosted by Gary Wilcox, and it was a bon voyage/tax day dance in the community center.

There was a very good turnout of residents and friends.

From left, Tom and Laurie Carter with Helene Rubenstein and Marty Rubenstein, hosts of the lunch connoisseurs get-together.

The Double Density Band performed for three hours with a wonderful variety of music.

Ralph and Sandra McCarthy are two very talented performers who have been entertaining people since 1996. Ralph is a professional guitar player and performed hit songs from B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Carlo Santana. Sandra handled the keyboards and many of the vocals from rock and roll, bluegrass, country and standards.

This was the final entertainment function at Grand Horizons until October.

From left: Chuck Carlson, Jim Leitzke, Judi Leitzke and Shirley Carlson await their lunch at the Fresh Country Café.

Since we were not there, Gary was nice enough to supply the above information.

There were close to 50 people who enjoyed the dance, and we look forward to going in the future.

I spoke to Eileen Goldstein and she added that the place was decorated in pastel tablecloths with centerpieces. She mentioned that everyone had a great time, and the band played until 10 p.m. From what she also said, the band ended the evening with a Connie Francis song.

Now, we just wait until the next season starts.

By Helene Rubenstein
Grand Horizons

Published April 26, 2017

Dual birthdays to celebrate

By

Several women attended a luncheon April 4 at BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse that was hosted by June Weinle. This was a nice gathering considering that many people have already left for their winter homes.

Diane Taggart and Rudi Lawson celebrated their birthdays on the same day.
(Courtesy of Helene Rubenstein)

We all sat at a long table. There were 16 of us, it was a lively group and we all had a great time.

The menu was varied, and everyone had a tempting dish. There was much conversation going on and friendly bantering.

Pictures were taken, and there were two women who were celebrating their birthdays the following week.

The restaurant was lovely. Some women had desserts, and they sure looked yummy.

Sue Parker and Siggi Ziotowsky catch up during lunch at BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse.

Our thanks go to June who organized this luncheon.

At our community center, we had a coffee/doughnut hour on April 5. There was a crowd gathered for this and conversation was heard throughout the center.

We also heard the highlights of the week to come and any birthdays and/or anniversaries that were coming up.

After the meeting, the social club met and discussed the activities that we can expect for the summer, like ice cream socials, which are always fun. It sounds like everyone will have a fun time, and we will be with them in spirit, as we are going to Tennessee for a week and then home to Connecticut.

Judy Fischer, Sue Richardson and Donna Lynn Urbshott (sitting) attended the ladies lunch.

Residents gathered in the community center on April 10 for a weekly game of dominoes. We had quite a crowd there on Monday night. There were several tables of either four or five players.

Again, there was much discussion, and at times, when we accidentally knocked the train over, we mentioned that our train was out of commission.

We always have fun at Mexican train, and this day was no exception.

By Helene Rubenstein
Grand Horizons

Published April 19, 2017

A casual meal with friends

By

Things are quiet in our bit of paradise. Several neighbors have returned to their northern homes. Jim Nagle and his awesome kitchen crew hosted one last walk-in breakfast. What a nice, convenient event to get pancakes hot off the grill with no pressure to arrive at a certain hour! (Courtesy of Mabel Budzinski)