Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Susan A. MacManus

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

The Fourth of July is the perfect time to reflect on Lutz’s history as the community gathers to celebrate our nation’s independence. Since 1912, Fourth of July celebrations have played a big part in binding together our community’s old-timers and newcomers.

Like the nation’s founders, Lutz’s early settlers were risk-takers who migrated to the area in search of better opportunities. Once here, they found strength in mingling with neighbors who shared their “can-do” spirit, just as we do today.

Lutz’s Founding: 2011 or 2013?

We are celebrating Lutz’s 100th birthday this year because on Jan. 27, 1913, the U.S. Post Office Department officially granted the area a post office and insisted that it be named Lutz, rather than North Tampa as originally requested.

The proposed North Tampa name came from the North Tampa Land Company— a Chicago-based company that purchased 32,000 acres for development around the train depot in the area we now call Lutz. They gave their development the rather unimaginative name of “North Tampa.” The company advertised its new Florida property extensively in newspapers in the north and Midwest. Many pioneers bought their places here sight unseen— risk-takers for sure.

The first business in North Tampa – North Tampa Stores — was built near the train depot in 1911. It was a two-story building selling groceries, hardware and dry goods. By the end of 1911, the community boasted 30 buildings and a school built by the land company. The reason some regard 1911 as the community’s official birth date is because that’s when the public school and commercial infrastructure was constructed, two years before the post office opened.

The Lutz Name & Trains

The name “Lutz” probably first appeared on a Florida map in 1909 as the name of a train depot that was a stopping place on the Tampa Northern Railroad. The Lutz name comes from two brothers –William and Charles — whose railroad ties had helped develop and link the area. William Lutz was an engineer on the Tampa Northern Railroad. Charles Lutz built the railroad line from Odessa to the Lutz Station depot to link his sawmill to the larger Tampa Northern Railroad route. Where the tracks met became known as Lutz Junction. It was from this well-known junction that the U.S. Post Office chose Lutz as the name of our community rather than North Tampa, which they deemed too easy to confuse with Tampa.

The replica of the Lutz depot and the train sculpture on the Lutz Library façade remind us of the role trains played in the early development of our community, in the North Tampa Land Company’s decision to center its settlement around the depot and in the naming of our town.

Sawmills and Citrus

With much of the area covered in pine trees, lumber and turpentine were boom industries in the early 1900s. Sawmills flourished, including the Tanner and Hoffman sawmills in the Lutz area. The citrus industry survived longer. From the beginning, the North Tampa Land Company promoted the citrus industry to potential residents and investors. The settlers of 1911 found old seedling orange groves when they arrived. C.E. Thomas, the North Tampa Land Company president, started a number of nurseries in the area and used the citrus industry to help some old-timers out of financial jams. Thomas eventually had the second-largest citrus nursery in the state. Many old-timers were also successful in raising citrus of all kinds. Aerial shots of “downtown Lutz” in the 1950s and 1960s show just how much acreage was planted in citrus. And in the 1950s and 1960s, US 41 through Lutz was sprinkled with roadside stands selling local citrus to “Yankees” coming south for the winter then heading back home. Later, big freezes in the 1970s and 1980s took out much of the area’s citrus industry, although there are still orange groves sprinkled throughout the area.

Fourth of July Celebrations

Lutz, then known as North Tampa, had its first Fourth of July picnic in 1912 at a spot south of the County Line Road near the Tampa Northern Railroad’s water tower. In 1916, Lutz had its Fourth of July celebrations in the middle of “downtown” Lutz. One of the highlights was a baseball game featuring Lutz’s own team. The first modern-day celebration was in 1947 on the Lutz Elementary School grounds. The Lutz Civic Association sponsored the celebration and continued to support the event for more than 50 years. In the 1950s, the celebration moved to Bullard Park, site of the old “Y” where the train engines once turned around. From greased-pole climbing contests, hard-fought softball games and shuffleboard tournaments, children’s parades and costume contests, beauty pageants for area “misses,” to the presentation of colors and the spectacular evening fireworks displays, the annual Fourth of July celebrations through the years have offered a little something for everyone. For many a child and adult, some of their fondest memories of Lutz are of our community’s Independence Day festivities — celebrating together.

So enjoy this Fourth of July and Happy Birthday to Lutz and the United States of America.

By B.C. Manion

John Hagen, the president and CEO of the Pasco Economic Development Council, Inc., is calling for local business owners to get involved in preparing the future work force.

Hagen issued the challenge at a meeting of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce’s economic development committee meeting.

Businesses need to connect with schools to provide more opportunities for students, said Hagen, who is the steering committee chair for Pasco County Schools Career Academies, a group of educators and business leaders working together to improve local career and technical education.

The idea is to give students a chance to broaden their learning experiences through internships, apprenticeships, mentoring and other opportunities at local businesses, Hagen said.

He advocates introducing students to occupational options early, to give students a better idea of the broad range of choices.

The world of work is constantly evolving, Hagen added. So, students who are entering their freshmen year of high school will find themselves vying for jobs that have not even been invented yet.

To be competitive, area businesses and educational institutions must work in concert to provide training so graduates can handle specific demands of today’s jobs and also equip them with critical thinking skills, so they can solve problems that have not even yet surfaced, Hagen said.

Pasco County has 67,000 students and next year will have 24 career academies, specializing in everything from automotive technology to culinary arts to engineering.

Students in those academies need the real world experience they can gain through exposure and experiences in the work place, Hagen said.

“This is not a ‘nice to have’ it’s a ‘must have,’ ” Hagen said.  “This is what you need to do to preserve your businesses,” Hagen said.

Companies that are smart reach out and begin building relationships with the district’s career academies.

He recounted a story about a friend of his who has a highly successful Chik-fil-A franchise. Hagen asked his friend if he had labor problems.

The friend told Hagen that he hadn’t had labor problems in years because he volunteers to go into schools to give talks about the proper steps to follow when applying for a job.

He lets them use applications from Chik-fil-A as a practice form, and when he concludes his talk, he offers to let them submit their applications if they’re interested in working for him and he keeps them on file until an opening develops.

By reaching out, he’s been able to hire top quality kids and those kids have attracted their friends to come eat at the restaurant, Hagen said.

Hagen also noted that business owners sometimes complain that the schools don’t spell out how their business can get involved.

“This is about leadership,” Hagen said. “It’s about offering solutions. You offer the thing that you can do,” he said.

If the school responds that your suggestion won’t work, then suggest something else. If the timing is wrong, propose another time, Hagen said.

“We are not getting the business involvement we need,” Hagen said.

Communities that learn how to prepare their work force will be able to expand existing businesses and attract new ones, Hagen said.

“If we don’t get this done, we’re going to have lots of low-paying jobs in Pasco County,” he said.

On the other hand, if businesses and the school district can engage in a meaningful partnership, where students are able to learn and practice skills in the work place and are exposed to a broader array of occupational choices – then everyone stands to benefit, Hagen said.

When kids can see why what they’re learning in classrooms is important, they get energized about their education, Hagen said.

“Then, kids will so fueled up about their education, it will be transformative,” he said. Those students will be so “super-charged” that they’ll pull the rest of the system along with them, Hagen said.

“This is your work force,” Hagen said. “Start helping solve the problem.”

Hagen’s words resonated with Jeff Novotny, president of the Wesley Chapel chamber, who mentioned the group has a history of supporting education.

He told Hagen that his organization wants to get more involved in work force development efforts.

“You have the full support of the chamber,” Novotny said, and he asked Hagen to send the chamber a list of the school district’s career academies.

By B.C. Manion

They were born in places such as Brazil, Mexico, Haiti and Dade City, and many speak English as a second language, but they came together last week to embark on an effort to reduce bullying, improve safety and change the culture on school campuses and in district offices in Pasco County.

At the “Together We Stand – Pasco Youth and Community Summit,” keynote speaker H. Roy Kaplan, set the tone for the day by asking a series of questions. He wanted a show of hands of how many were born in Pasco County, how many in Florida, how many in a different state, how many in a different country?

Then he wanted to know how many spoke English as a second language.

The answers were telling. This group was diverse.

Once he established that, Kaplan discussed that despite different languages, cultures and colors, everyone at the summit is related to scientifically verifiable common ancestry.

The summit was called as part of a district effort to reduce bullying and violence on its campuses.

In a district with 67,000 students, Kaplan asked, “How do we create an environment where we don’t lose track of people? We need to make better people before we make better students. We need to create a sense of community in every school.”

“Bullying is not a normal part of growing up,” said Kaplan, who is an equity officer for the U.S. Office for Civil Rights.

The June 27 summit was held as part of an agreement with the Office for Civil Rights, stemming from an investigation after an incident involving Zephyrhills High students.

“We need to improve the culture and climate of our schools, so that all students feel wanted and respected and appreciated,” Kaplan said.

“This is an important day and it’s just the beginning,” Kaplan said, before the assembly broke into smaller groups to discuss the issues and offer ways to address them.

The summit drew together 158 people including district staff, students, parents, school board members and representatives from area businesses, political leaders and social agencies.

“We, as a district, understand that there are issues that we need to address,” Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning said.

Amelia Van Name Larson, assistant superintendent for student achievement, was in the session where students were discussing issues and potential solutions.

They said that racial slurs have become part of the day-to-day vocabulary, and that they’re not always intended to hurt, Van Name Larson said. They also said they hear the N-word on a daily basis, she added.

Students also noted that some teachers have favorites and that sends a bad message to kids. They also said they need a safe place to report what is happening.

Margarita Romo, recently inducted into Florida’s Civil Rights Hall of Fame for her work with farmworkers and immigrants, said “It’s not just about kids being bullied by kids. It’s also about the kids who do the bullying.

“Why do people bully? Maybe there’s a problem in their house. They don’t look at a child deep enough. ‘What is going on?’ ”

Schools need more social workers and counselors, Romo said.

Parents need help in dealing with issues, she said. They may lack the resources and the language to deal effectively with these problems.

“I’ve seen kids expelled. Their life is over,” Romo said.

Nancy Montoya, a member of the Parent Teacher Association’s board at Double Branch Elementary and John Long Middle School, said she came to the conference because she’s interested in preventing problems.

“You can’t wait for crises. You need to have empowerment and prevention in place,” said Montoya, a mother of three and former guidance counselor.

Carlos Lopez, who works with a Dade City youth program called the Teen Dream Team, said he was at the summit hoping to pick up pointers to help students dealing with problems on campus.

“There’s a lot of bullying because of the ethnicities,” Lopez said.

Carlos Segovia, 20, also of Dade City, believes many problems stem from misunderstandings because of cultural differences.

“We’re from conservative cultures. We tend to be shy. We just want to be quiet and listen,” he said, but that can be misinterpreted.

Jeff Morganstein, an administrator at Land O’ Lakes High, thinks the summit helps set the stage for change.

“Anytime we can open the dialogue we’re making a difference in a small corner,” he said. “We have to continue to do these things.”

Bethashley Cajuste, a Wesley Chapel resident who attends the International Baccalaureate Program at Land O’ Lakes High, said the summit was informative. “It was the first time I got to hear about how people felt about the issue.”

Mihail Kaburis, also of Land O’ Lakes High, said it was a good forum.

“I think it was good that students got their message out.

“Everyone’s perspective is important in making a correct solution,” Kaburis said.

Browning said he plans to hold the summit every year. But he doesn’t plan to stop there.

There will be additional opportunities to engage the community and there were will be other opportunities during the year.

“I want to change the culture of the Pasco County school district,” Browning said.

It needs to be a place where people feel safe and can express their feelings and concerns, the superintendent added.

The district’s standards need to be consistent, from school to school and school staff needs to listen, Browning said.

And, throughout the district, both adults and students need to be sending the same message, Browning said.

“This behavior cannot and will not be tolerated,” Browning said.

By B.C. Manion

Area fireworks celebrations include:

The Parks Ford of Wesley Chapel Freedom Festival at The Shops at Wiregrass

Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and SR 56

July 3 from 5 to 9 p.m.

Festivities include shopping specials, a bicycle decorating contest, a watermelon-eating contest, and a Little Miss and Mr. Firecracker pageant. Fireworks start at 9 p.m.

Family Night on the Fourth

Exciting Idlewild Baptist Church recreation fields, east of North Dale Mabry Highway, on Van Dyke Road in Lutz

July 4: Beginning at 5 p.m.

The outdoor celebration will include food trucks, a car show, a patriotic tribute by Steve Amerson, America’s tenor, accompanied by Idlewild’s Worship Orchestra.

The event will conclude with a fireworks display. Bring a blanket, a lawn chair and a picnic or purchase from more than 30 food trucks that will be there.

Sparklebration, a 4th of July Festival & Fireworks Celebration

Pasco County Fairgrounds, 36772 SR 52, Dade City

Hours: Noon to 9:30 p.m., with fireworks at 9:15 p.m.

Event features a baby pageant, free face painting, a hot dog and watermelon eating contest, a Skydiver’s drop-in, local entertainment, an Elvis Tribute, pony rides and a food court.

Admission is free for kids 12 and under and $5 for others. Parking is $5. Lawn chairs and blankets are welcome. No coolers, pets or personal fireworks allowed.

By B.C. Manion

Organizers of this year’s Fourth of July festivities in Lutz are planning to celebrate the nation’s independence and the 100th birthday of this community north of Tampa.

Those putting together the schedule of activities expect the celebration to offer a sense of nostalgia, along with its usual old-fashioned fun.

Festivities kick off at 8 a.m. with the 5k, followed by a One Mile Fun Run that starts at 8:45 a.m.

Next is the cake-decorating competition, that will be judged at 9:30 a.m. Entries must be received at 7:30 a.m. at 124 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road, in order to compete.

Marilyn Wannamaker, a cake contest coordinator, said this year’s competition will be tinged with sadness because one of the regular entrants recently passed away.

“Duane Martin was famous for his pineapple upside-down cake,” Wannamaker said. “I’m hoping someone will do one in his honor.”

The member of the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club said the confectionary competition is always fun and typically draws unusual entries from children.

The parade, which starts at 10 a.m., will take its usual path, down Crooked Lane and Lutz Lake Fern Road, taking a few turns and then going past the Lutz Branch Library, in front of the viewing stand.

One of the highlights of this year’s parade is expected to be a group of about 50 people playing “Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue” on kazoos, if Suzin Carr, a candidate for Lutz Guv’na, is able to pull it off.

“I’ve got the kazoos. Now, I need 50 people to show up,” said Carr, who is competing against Karin D’Amico, the reigning Guv’na, Susan Gulash and Lauren Leahey, for the honorary title.

The GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club’s float will feature a big birthday cake, to acknowledge this year’s centennial theme.

Shirley Simmons, who organizes the parade, has become adept through the years at figuring out how much space each unit will need in the parade.

Antique fire trucks and large vehicles typically need about 30 feet in the lineup, while standard vehicles need about 20 feet, Simmons said.

She advises anyone participating in the parade, or coming out to watch it, to bring plenty of water.

Parade-goers are likely to walk away with some loot, since organizers have a liberal attitude about giveaways.

“We don’t tell them what they can give out,” Simmons said, noting people in the parade often give away beads, candy, pins, flags and brochures.

Participants are encouraged to hand or gently fling the items, Simmons said. No overhand throwing is allowed.

“Even a piece of hard candy can really hurt,” Simmons said.

The parade is expected to include the usual suspects: Marching scout troops, antique fire trucks, tractors, a smattering of politicians and the guv’na candidates.

One of the annual fixtures, however, will be missing.

The community’s volunteer fire department – a major player in previous Independence Day celebrations – has been taken over by Hillsborough County’s professional firefighters and rescue personnel.

In previous years, the volunteer fire association (founded in 1952) sold chicken dinners to raise money for equipment.

Typically, the volunteers would begin stoking the fires to grill the chicken about 2 a.m., said Jay Muffly, former president of the Lutz Volunteer Fire Association.

Muffly said this is the first year in at least a decade that he’ll be able to enjoy the day simply as a spectator.

“Last year, we had enough chickens for about 1,100 dinners,” Muffly said.

He’s looking forward to the parade and other festivities.

“I think it’s going to be well-attended,” Muffly said.

While the firefighters won’t be serving up chicken dinners, there will be plenty of vendors offering a variety of foods for sale, said Annie Fernandez, who is handling booth rentals for the event.

Parade-goers will be able to purchase Cuban sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, elephant ears, Italian ices, soft drinks, snow cones and other refreshments.

She expects about 45 vendors to be offering a wide assortment of items, including metal yard art, jewelry, wooden craft goods and hair accessories. Some churches are sponsoring children’s activities, too.

At one booth, event-goers will be able to buy chances for an assortment of stuff that comes in a bottle, including beer, salad dressing and hot sauces.

After the parade, the new Lutz Guv’na will be sworn in.

This year’s election could prove historic, as two of the candidates are vying for the bragging rights of becoming the first Lutz Guv’na to repeat.

D’Amico would be extending her reign, and Carr, who won the honor in 2009, would be stepping forward to reclaim it.

 

 

By B.C. Manion

 

Chances are, if you don’t live in Lutz, or haven’t been to the community’s giant sports complex off Lutz-Lake Fern Road, the name Oscar Cooler may not ring a bell.

But for thousands of athletes and their families, Cooler’s contributions left a permanent imprint, said Mitch Wilkins, president of the Lutz Leaguerettes. “Being able to bring all those families together to interact makes him an icon,” Wilkins said.

Cooler, 84, died on June 13 and was laid to rest on June 18 with a memorial at Loyless Funeral Home in Land O’ Lakes, followed by a graveside service at Lutz Cemetery.

Those who knew Cooler described him as a tenacious man, with a heart for the community’s children – all of the community’s children.

The Rev. Alan Burner, of the First Baptist Church of Lutz, officiated at the memorial.

“Oscar’s family told me that he got what he wanted 99.9 percent of the time – and, for the Lutz community, that worked out very well, and for young people, that worked out very well,” Burner said.

Boddie Osteen – Cooler’s friend for a half-century – recalled the retired flooring salesman’s determination to get a Little League ballpark for the community. “He didn’t take ‘No’ for an answer,” Osteen said.

Before Cooler got involved, Lutz had one Little League field behind Lutz Elementary School.

Cooler wanted more opportunities for the community’s youth, so he spent two years lobbying the Hillsborough County Commission, before he finally persuaded the board to buy an orange grove, to give the children additional fields.

After they purchased the land, commissioners said it would be a couple of years before the ball fields could be built.

Cooler refused to wait.

He marshaled an army of volunteers to get the job done.

“We had engineers, builders, painters, everything we needed to build a park,” Cooler said in a 2008 interview with The Tampa Tribune. “We had people who didn’t mind getting their hands dirty. Everything that was done, laborwise, was done voluntarily. Within nine months we built this thing.”

The Lutz Park Youth Complex, later renamed in Cooler’s honor, opened in 1975 with three baseball fields. Over time, the complex, at 19045 Crooked Lane, has vastly expanded, now featuring fields for baseball, softball, football and soccer. It also has a playground, restrooms and concession stands, as well as an adjacent nature park.

Osteen, who coached Little League for some five years and umpired for about 35 years, said Cooler’s sole motivation was to provide a wholesome outlet for kids.

As Cooler put it in a 2010 interview with The Laker/Lutz News, “I think kids need to have a safe place to learn about teamwork … If kids don’t have something like this, then they usually get into a lot of things they shouldn’t be doing.”

For Cooler, it was all about the kids – not about having a park named in his honor, Boddie said.

Over the years, generations of families have flocked to Oscar Cooler Sports Complex – with athletes swinging for the fences, scoring touchdowns, making penalty kicks and striking out batters – while families and friends cheered from the bleachers.

“All of our kids played there,” said Dorry Osteen, Boddie’s wife. “The kids played for the Leaguerettes. That was the main entertainment — going to the ballpark.”

She recalls Cooler’s kind heart.

“If they (children) didn’t have the money to play ball, he would see to it that they got to play ball,” she said.

Danny Neeley, a longtime family friend, grew up with Cooler’s sons – Romney, Marc and Craig. He recalls playing at the ballpark when it was still surrounded by orange groves. To this day, the scent of orange blossoms still conjures mental images of baseball for Neeley.

He said he was 6 when he met Cooler. He recalls going over to the Coolers’ house, and if the boys were working, Cooler would tell Neeley to pitch in because the boys couldn’t play until they finished their chores.

That dedication to work and family were themes in Cooler’s life, said his granddaughters, Jamie Cooler and Ashley Beasley, who spoke at his memorial.

They painted a picture of a man who was devoted to his family, enjoyed country music and could move mountains, when he set his mind to it.

They said their grandfather was always deeply interested in what they were doing. They also noted he was never too busy to take time for them, and he would brag about his kids and grandkids to anyone who would listen.

Wilkins said Cooler had the same kind of zeal for the sports complex.

Even as Cooler he grew older, Wilkins said he sometimes bumped into him at the complex.

Cooler would be standing there surveying the softball fields, much like a proud homeowner inspects the front lawn, Wilkins said.

 

Oscar Cooler was preceded in death by his wife, Sara. He is survived by a daughter, Sondra Turpin, and her husband Allan and by his son, Romney and his wife Debbie; his son, Marc and his wife Melody; and his son, Craig and his wife Lynn.

Cooler’s survivors also include seven grandchildren. They are Ashley Beasley and her husband Adam, Jamie Cooler and her fiancé Doug Coogle, Sierra Matheson and her husband Ryon and Cassie, Tyler and Amanda Marshall.

 

 

 

By B.C. Manion

 

Kimberly Saracino said even she was surprised by how excited she got when she was picked to be a contestant on the television game show, “Let’s Make A Deal.”

“I was jumping up and down. I think I had an extra shot of espresso, but I was just really, really over the top, excited to be there,” said the young woman who recently moved to West Hollywood, Calif.

She was visiting her family in Lutz, when the episode aired on June 4. The 24-year-old recent film graduate of the University of Central Florida said she watched the episode with her mother, Antonella Bianchi, a physician, and her twin siblings, Vinson and Valentina Saracino, who just finished high school at Carrollwood Day School.

The program, filmed in Los Angeles and hosted by Wayne Brady, is an updated version of the classic game show. It involves people wearing wacky costumes and making quickie deals or playing games to try to win prizes.

So far this season, more than $1.6 million has been given away in cash and prizes, according to the website http://on-camera-audiences.com/shows/Lets_Make_a_Deal.

That works out to an average of about $80,000 per day in cash and prizes. With an audience limited to 210, the odds of getting picked to play aren’t bad, either, the website says.

Saracino said she was encouraged by her friend Ali Williams to try to get on the show. Williams had previously appeared on the show and thought it was a blast, Saracino said.

When she went to the show, she wasn’t sure if she’d get a chance to be on television, but she thought it was worth a try.

“I had no idea they were going to pick me, but I guess they kept their eye on me,” she said.

She thinks it boils down to being enthusiastic and wearing a goofy costume.

“They just want to see your energy. Are you actually excited to be here? And, I mean, who isn’t? You could potentially win a ton of money and meet Wayne Brady.”

She came to the show dressed as a flight attendant. She wore a blue suit, a hat, a tie and boots.

When she was plucked from the crowd, she was thrilled.

She squared off against two other contestants in a game that involved choosing a letter from a board, to reveal a number.

The contestant with the highest number won $500 and the chance to go after other prizes; the one with the next highest, won $500; and the one with the lowest, won $100.

Saracino chose the letter A.

She told the audience, “I’m going to go with A for Awesome.”

When the number was revealed, it was a one.

“I was like, ‘No—ooo—oo,” Saracino said.

Even though she didn’t take home a big prize, she did have fun, Saracino said.

“I would recommend it to anyone,” she said.