The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

A step back in time in an Amish county

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That is exactly what it is like being in Shipshewana, Indiana, the third largest Amish county in the United States.

The horse and buggy was a familiar site in Shipshewana, Indiana. (Courtesy of Rae Rice)
The horse and buggy was a familiar site in Shipshewana, Indiana.
(Courtesy of Rae Rice)

It’s a step back in time with the sound of the horses and buggies trotting down the road. The beautiful Amish flower and vegetable gardens, the outstanding Amish craftsmanship, bike paths, home cooking, the largest flea market in the area, watching the baby Clydesdale ponies romp and play, and just the peacefulness of being here, is beyond words.

Ernie and I are working as camp hosts here at the Shipshewana South Park Campground for the entire summer. Duties are not bad with mowing, plumbing, some electrical work, greeting campers, helping them park their rigs, and answering questions like where to go and what to do.

We work 24 hours a week in return for full hookup of our motorhome. It’s such a pleasure meeting people from all over the United States.

Shipshewana is famous for the huge flea market, the cleanliness of the area, and that wonderful Amish food. At nighttime when laying in bed, you can hear the clip clop of the horse and buggy trotting down the road.

There are two big event centers that host all kinds of musicals and celebrities such as singers like The Oak Ridge Boys, Lee Greenwood, Crystal Gayle, The Texas Tenors, Sawyer Brown, and many others. Entertainment goes through Dec. 31.

The flea market is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Wednesday also is a huge auction day at the flea market.

A couple of things that made us smile were an Amish buggy pulling a boat down the road, the tiny ponies, and the little Amish children learning how to steer the buggy getting them ready for school next fall. Another beautiful sight is watching the farmers in the fields with the team of horses plowing and planting for the season.

While Ernie has been hard at work, I planted a garden. There is watermelon, cantaloupe, yellow and green onions, lettuce, cabbage, green beans, tomatoes, radishes, zucchini, eggplant, and some flowers. I’ve found out already that the rabbits like the lettuce, too, so I guess I will have to share it with them.

There are three other camp hosts here in the park, and we share the responsibility of keeping the park in top shape.

By Rae Rice

Published July 23, 2014

 

‘Pretty Little Liars’ star visiting The Shops

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Keegan Allen, one of the stars of the ABC Family television series “Pretty Little Liars,” will make an appearance at The Shops at Wiregrass on Aug. 2 as part of the shopping center’s Back-to-School Bash.

Allen, who plays Toby on the show, will be available between noon and 3 p.m., where some lucky fans will have a chance to get his autograph and a back-to-school style guide.

“The Shops at Wiregrass is thrilled to bring Keegan Allen to Wesley Chapel for a meet-and-greet with his local fans,” said Debbie Detweiler, marketing director at The Shops, in a release. “Our team enjoys ‘Pretty Little Liars” fashion-forward attitude for teens and young adults, and many of our shops carry styles and even brands featured on the show.”

The event also will include live performances from D.J. Milez and Kira Taylor.

Allen has been nominated for two Teen Choice Awards for his role on the ABC Family show, winning in 2013.

The Shops at Wiregrass is located at 28211 Paseo Drive in Wesley Chapel. For more information on the event, visit TheShopsAtWiregrass.com.

Medicare patients have SHINE options available

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Open enrollment is coming soon for those using Medicare services, and the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas Inc., is taking the opportunity to shed light on the Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders, or SHINE, program.

The enrollment period runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, and the aging agency is offering specially trained volunteers to help Medicare beneficiaries, their families and caregivers, to understand their health care options. They will offer free, unbiased and confidential information and counseling concerning Medicare, officials said.

The SHINE program encourages beneficiaries to review their benefits and evaluate their health care options each year. Acting quickly can assure a smooth transition into the 2015 benefit year.

To receive help from SHINE, appointments can be scheduled at designated SHINE counseling sites, at enrollment events in local communities, or by phone at (800) 963-5337. More information can be found online at FloridaShine.org

In Print: A look at the future, present and past

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Fans of the “Back to the Future” trilogy know that by next year, we’ve been promised flying cars, self-drying clothes, instant pizza, and a 1980s-themed cafe.

OK, chances are, 2015 will bring none of that. But a retired Land O’ Lakes man is going one step better — a do-it-yourself all-electric car.

When Edward Monfort wants to recharge his car, the power source is plugged into the receptacle below his license plate. (Photo by B.C. Manion)
When Edward Monfort wants to recharge his car, the power source is plugged into the receptacle below his license plate. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

After six months of restoration, and then 18 months converting the original engine into an electric one, Steve Azzoli now has a car he already has driven nearly 6,000 miles without using a single drop of gasoline.

Azzoli invested about $23,000 in making his Saturn more environmentally friendly, but it’s still better than the cost of a Chevrolet Volt, and gets better mileage per charge — 120 miles — than a Nissan Leaf, he told reporter B.C. Manion.

While it might seem like a hobby for Azzoli, he does hope that it’s the start of a much larger trend, where people will give up fossil fuels for cleaner energy.

“There’s a demand for the product,” said Steve Messerschmidt, who works with two vehicle companies in St. Petersburg. “Municipalities, as time goes on, they’re going to demand that the carbon footprint go down. This business, in general, is really in its infancy.”

To learn more about what Azzoli and a few others did to make their cars more eco-friendly, check out this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, or read our free e-edition online by clicking here.

Not everyone can have an electric car just yet, and flying cars are probably still deep in the future. So many who choose to live in Pasco County or north Tampa, and wish to commute to work downtown, look for options, like the bus.

Yet, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit might be making some big changes to its once-popular Route 51X, including the possibility of shutting down two Pasco-area park-and-rides.

“Yes, we are considering closing both, but not until a suitable replacement is found,” HART spokeswoman Sandra Morrison told reporter Michael Hinman. “We are trying to find sites closer to Bruce B. Downs” Boulevard.

But the HART board could also look at changing Route 51X completely, including taking out the express route itself. The idea is  to open up localized bus service in New Tampa, something the area has never had. Part of the reason is because of lower ridership.

However, one rider blames that decline not on lower demand, but on the condition of the service.

“If this is your only mode of transportation into town, then you don’t have a choice,” said Beth Derby, who lives on Heather Sound Drive. “But you know a lot of us do, and if it comes between taking a bus that risks my job because I can’t make it on time to work, then I’ll drive. I’m not going to lose my job because HART can’t get its act together.”

For more on this story, check out the print edition of this week’s The Laker. Or read our free e-edition by clicking here.

Finally, do you remember the fun times you used to have at the Flapjack Festival? It was an annual must-attend event in Land O’ Lakes that tried and failed at a new location in Dade City a few years back.

The festival, which of course featured pancakes, returned — kind of — in the form of Swamp Fest, but just without the flapjacks.

One resident, however, thinks it’s time for the Flapjack Festival to return.

“If somebody came down there and took the Gasparilla parade away from Tampa and say they were going to move it to New Orleans, people would say ‘what’g going on there?'” Mark Ballard told reporter Michael Murillo.

Bringing the Flapjack Festival back is not the easiest of propositions, and Ballard has yet to assemble a group of people to try. But he hopes upcoming renovations at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, where the festival was held for so many years, might help encourage others to support its return as well.

What are the chances of it coming back? Read all about it in the full story found in this week’s print edition of The Laker. Or read our online e-edition for free right here.

All of these stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.

If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.

Celeb waiters to raise money for CARES

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Kafe Kokopelli in Dade City will have some popular faces among its waiter staff Wednesday when local “celebrities” put on aprons to help raise money for senior citizens.

Pasco County tax collector Mike Fasano shows a whole new way to provide community service during a recent celebrity waiter fundraiser for CARES.
Pasco County tax collector Mike Fasano shows a whole new way to provide community service during a recent celebrity waiter fundraiser for CARES.

The event, which has already attracted waiters like state Sen. Wilton Simpson and Zephyrhills interim city manager Steve Spina, starts at noon July 23 at the restaurant, 37940 Live Oak Ave., in Dade City.

Proceeds will benefit Community Aging and Retirement Services Inc., better known as CARES, which offers senior citizen programs throughout the area.

The event has no formal program, but plenty of time to network. Each celebrity waiter will be asked to find a $100 table sponsor, and then invite six to eight fans, friends or business associates to enjoy a complimentary meal donated by Kafe Kokopelli.

Guests are asked to leave a generous tip, which will be donated to CARES.

For more information on how to participate or give to the event, call Evie Parks at (727) 842-9587, or visit CARESFl.org.

 

Local bank helping kids get ready for school

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The start of school is just weeks away, and First National Bank of Pasco is collecting supplies to help students be prepared with its fifth annual Stuff the Backpack Drive.

Through Aug. 4, the bank is collecting a number of different supplies to distribute to kids in Pasco County schools. They include pencils, pens, scissors, index cards, notebooks, folders, paper, glue sticks, colored pencils, liquid soap, Ziploc bags, crayons, tissues, highlighters, erasers, pencil boxes, backpacks and rulers.

The banks also will accept monetary donations, which will be used to purchase additional supplies.

Donations will be accepted at all three of the bank’s branches, including 13315 U.S. 301 in Dade City, as well as 37215 State Road 54 and 4518 Gall Blvd., both in Zephyrhills.

Classes start Aug. 18 in the county’s public schools.

Animal shelter needs help with overcrowding

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August is going to be a great time to adopt a pet, especially with Pasco County Animal Services offering a number of specials — including one day where adopting an animal is completely free.

That day is Aug. 23 when both cats and dogs will be offered at no cost from the organization’s animal shelter, 19640 Dogpatch Lane in Land O’ Lakes. The shelter is looking to find homes for at least 100 animals that day to help solve overcrowding issues that have existed at the shelter in recent months. The shelter will be open from noon to 4:30 p.m. that day.

On top of that one-day event, animal services has two other events, each centered around either dogs or cats.

The first is Catapalooza running from Aug. 5 through Aug. 30, which will allow anyone to adopt two cats for the price of a single adoption fee of $35.

“Felines usually breed during the spring and summer months, so it is not unusual for us to receive a high number of mother cats and kittens during this time of year,” a spokesperson for the animal shelter said, in a release. “It is our goal for as many kittens and cats as possible to find good, loving homes. Therefore, we are offering the public the opportunity to make lifelong friends with two cats, instead of just one.”

The adoption fee for both cats includes a health examination, vaccinations, and spaying and neutering. However, fees won’t be refunded unless both cats are returned.

Then starting Aug. 12 — and running through Aug. 30 — the shelter will offer larger black and brown dogs for a discounted price of $35.

“What we’ve learned is that large black or brown dogs tend to be the last ones to get adopted from shelters,” the spokesperson said. “Many times, the big black and brown dogs with no markings appear to be a little bit plain, even though they’re bursting with personality.”

The adoption center is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from noon to 4:30 p.m., and Thursday from noon to 6:30 p.m.

For more information, visit PascoCountyFl.net/PAS, or call (813) 929-1212.

Pasco to benefit from Coast to Coast Connector project

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Pasco County is set to pick up $460,000 of more than $16 million in state funding that will help bring the Coast to Coast Connector — a continuous trail connecting both coasts of Florida — closer to reality.

The Pasco portion of the connector will stretch up through the central and western parts of the county along Starkey Trail and Suncoast Trail, stretching form the Pinellas County line to north of State Road 54.

Funds will from from the Florida Department of Transportation that will complete 11 phases of separate trail segments in nine counties. The funding is in addition to some $26 million that already has been invested in the connector project over the next five years by the DOT, according to the governor’s office.

When complete, the connector will span more than 250 miles, linking St. Petersburg and Titusville. Some 75 percent of the trail corridor already is developed, or funded for construction.

“With the projects announced today, we will be moving forward this year on virtually every gay within the Coast to Coast Connector,” FDOT secretary Ananth Prasad said, in a release. “FDOT is pleased to play such an instrumental role with our state and local partners to help advance this ambitious trail project. It will provide an exceptional experience and safe transportation route for our residents and visitors.

The connector is a collaborative effort of many agencies and organizations, including the 11 Central Florida metropolitan organizations that last summer made the trail project a regional priority.

FDOT will supervise development of the remaining connector gaps, and local governments or other managing agencies will be responsible for operation and maintenance of the completed trail segments.

Centennial Bank parent acquires Florida Traditions

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Home BancShares Inc., the parent company of Centennial Bank, has finalized its acquisition of Florida Traditions Bank, and its branches located in eastern Pasco and Hillsborough counties, among other places.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but previous published reports put the sale at $43 million in stock. The combined Centennial Bank will now boast $7 billion in total assets, and $5.5 billion in total deposits in nearly 150 branches in Florida, Arkansas and Alabama.

Bud Stalnaker, the chief executive of Florida Traditions, will stay on with the new Centennial as division president for Central Florida.

“We are equally excited about the opportunities this acquisition provides our customers and employees,” Stalnaker said, in a release. “Joining Centennial not only enhances our service capabilities, but also allows our focus to remain on outstanding community banking.”

Florida Traditions was founded in 2007 by a group of East Pasco County business owners who saw a need for a locally owned and locally managed bank, according to the company’s website. It had eight branches in Zephyrhills, Dade City, Spring Hill, Winter Haven, Lakeland, Plant City, Kissimmee and St. Cloud.

Home BancShares, based in Conway, Arkansas, recorded a profit of $27.3 million in the first quarter through March 31, according to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Downed airliner could push gas prices back up

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The shooting down of a Malaysian Airlines plane in the Ukraine may not have only caused grief from those who lost loved ones and intensified conflict in the European country, but it might hit gas prices at the pump as well.

Oil prices jumped more than 2 percent following news of the airline tragedy, increases that will soon make their way to the cost of a gallon of gas, AAA officials said.

“Oil rose on concerns that violence could spread in response to the crash,” said Mark Jenkins, a AAA spokesman, in a release. “Gas prices are currently falling more than a half-cent a day, but geopolitical tension could slow the rate of discount at the pump this week.”

The average cost for a gallon of unleaded in Florida was $3.51, compared to $3.56 a week ago. It’s also down from June’s cost of $3.61, and July 2013’s price of $3.62. It’s also nearly 8 cents below the national average.

Sunday marked the 23rd consecutive day prices dropped in Florida, while Georgia is experiencing a streak of 27 days in declines, and Tennessee 25. Among those states, Georgia has the cheapest gas as $3.48 as of Sunday.