Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

Lutz Arts and Crafts Festival organizers are hoping for nicer weather and a larger turnout after a 2009 event where attendance was less than half its normal total.

An estimated 35,000 to 40,000 people attend the two-day event each year, making it the largest Hillsborough County art fair after the Gasparilla Art Festival.
However, last year a combination of bad weather on the first day and a new $2 fee per vehicle to enter the park imposed by the Hillsborough Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department brought that number to about 15,000. Edwina Kraemer, president of the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Women’s Club, thinks the number will rebound for its 50th rendition.
“It’s a fabulous festival with a family-friendly atmosphere,” said Kraemer. “It’s a great place to do your Christmas or holiday shopping for everyone on your list. There are people who sell toys and clothes for babies, people who sell local artwork, jewelry and other arts and crafts things. If you need something for someone you’ll likely find it there and the great thing is the artists there are the people who made it. They don’t buy things and resell them.”
The event, which is organized by the women’s club, is always the first weekend in December, which is Dec. 4-5 this year. Admission is free for the festival itself after the $2 to park. That money does not go to anyone involved with the event.
The club was not in charge of the event back at the beginning, but has been its organizer for the 31st time this year.
“The festival started at the Old Lutz School on (US) 41 and later moved to the train depot across the street,” said Lutz resident Shirley Simmons, co-chairwoman for the event. “It moved to Lake Park about 10 years ago. We’ll have 260 vendors and several spots we give 20 to local groups for free. We’re all full for vendors and even have a waiting list in case people drop out.”
The Lutz Patriots, Relay For Life and the Boy Scouts are some of those who get free spots.
Kraemer, who was the Lutz Guv’na in 2006, first learned of the event before becoming a club member.
“Friends told me about it,” Kraemer said. “We went and had a great time. It’s kind of hard to live in the area and have not heard about it because of how big it has gotten. It’s fast becoming one of the largest in central Florida.”
Kraemer moved to Lutz from Carrollwood six years ago. She is a retired science teacher who taught at Gaither High during its first year in 1984.
Simmons said there will be vendors from Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Odessa, Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills, Dade City and New Tampa at the event.
Land O’ Lakes resident April Demulia has gone to the craft show for the last few years and loves everything about it.
“I’ve lived in Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania and this is the only place I’ve seen a craft show as awesome as this one,” Demulia said. “It has anything you can think of and prices are good for anyone. You’ve got little crafts you can buy for a few cents to expensive pieces of jewelry and artwork. It has something for everyone, including great food.”
Vendors will be selling traditional and not so traditional festival foods, such as barbecue, kettle corn, funnel cakes, sandwiches, hot dogs, breakfast breads, ice cream, and homemade baked goods.
Kraemer explained the Lutz festival has three goals: to give the community a fun local event, to give artists a place to display and sell their products and for the club to raise money to give back into the community.
“Everything we collect from booth sales will go to great groups in the community,” said Kraemer. “We give money to Boy and Girl Scout troops, the Civil Air Patrol, to youth scholarships, to the Lutz volunteer fire department, to the Lutz (Branch) Library and others.”

Lutz Arts and Crafts Festival
Where: Lake Park
When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 4, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 5
Parking: $2
Admission: free

By B.C. Manion

The patrons file in and find their seats. The lights dim. The show begins at the Pasco County Schools Center for the Arts at Wesley Chapel.

On any given day the performance could feature a magician, a saxophone player, ballet dancers or singers.
But these aren’t just any entertainers.
The magician, Bradley Fields, has appeared on international stages and uses magic feats to promote mathematics skills and problem-solving in his showed called “MatheMagic.”
The saxophone player, Eric Darius, is Blue Note jazz musician who did a clinic to help aspiring young musicians, in an addition to doing two performances.
The ballet dancers from DanzAmerica’s Project Inc., presented Tchaikovsky’s classic fairy-tale ballet, “The Nutcracker” and will do an encore this year. The performances feature dancers from America’s Ballet in New Tampa. Performances are scheduled for Dec. 9-10 for Pasco County students and on Dec. 10-11 for the general public.
Numerous student performances occur on the center’s stage, including a recent music concert by a group of 220 kindergarten through fifth-graders from Connerton Elementary, under the direction of music teachers Kristen Hillstrom and Barbara Falkingham.
Those children are among students from 43 elementary, middle and high schools from Land O’Lakes east to Zephyrhills, who take advantage of the professional theater located on the campus of Wesley Chapel High School, 30651 Wells Road.
The center, which celebrates its 10th year this year, offers incredible educational opportunities for students, said Patrick L. McDermott, the center’s director.
The recent visit by Eric Darius offers a prime example of the benefit that students derive from the performing arts center, McDermott said.
Not only did Darius wow the crowds with his performances, he also did a clinic with aspiring musicians from Charles S. Rushe Middle School, Wesley Chapel High School, Sunlake High School and Pine View Middle School.
“Eric Darius is an amazing musician and a fantastic showman,” McDermott noted in an e-mail following the musician’s two shows. “Both the matinee student audience and the evening public audience were blown away by this fantastic concert.”
McDermott also raves about Fields, the performer who teaches mathematics through magic.
Fields, who is set to appear at the center again on Jan. 27, applauds Pasco County Schools for giving students the opportunity to learn through the arts.
Schools make a mistake if they focus only on preparing students to take tests, at the expense of the arts, said Fields, who, in addition to being a magician is also a former New York City school teacher.
“What makes a difference is real, live performances,” Fields said. “Nobody knows where a kid is coming from, or where they are going,” he said, noting his show is intended to inspire kids and provoke them to think.
“I might have a 1,000 in a crowd,” Fields said. “Maybe one or two will have their lives completely turned around.”
The Pasco County Schools Center for the Arts offers an excellent venue for shows both large and small, McDermott said. It can handle virtually any show – but can’t afford to offer the more expensive Broadway shows because it would take too many performances to cover the costs.
Working out the schedule for the 927-seat theater is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle, he said. Last year, the center had 260 productions.
Every year, McDermott books between 12-15 professional groups to perform for students, the general public, or both. The shows come from places like Toronto, London, Dallas, California, New York, Omaha and other places.
“I think this is one of the jewels of the Pasco County school district,” McDermott said.
The theater is well equipped. It has a 48-by-35-foot stage, a 48-channel sound board, a large dressing room and two smaller dressing rooms for the production’s principal players. It has tall doors on the side of the building to enable large sets to be moved in and out.
Unlike most stages, which drop straight down, this one has steps leading down into the theater. That allows actors to walk out into the audience and enables singers to use the stairs as risers.
The stage is also used for special events, McDermott said, noting music teachers from Wesley Chapel, Seven Oaks and Watergrass elementary schools put on a Broadway Spectacular each year to raise money for the schools.
“Their level of musicianship is amazing,” said McDermott, who has a master’s in music composition and used to play trumpet in orchestras for Broadway musicals.
Besides providing performances for students at a nominal charge, the center also hosts public performances at much lower prices than many other professional theaters, McDermott said.
For instance, tickets for the Florida Orchestra sold for $20 each and tickets for Grammy award-winner Arturo Sandoval went for $15 each – both exceptional bargains, McDermott noted.
For more information about the arts center, its upcoming schedule and ticket availability, visit www.cfawesleychapel.com or call (813) 794-8772.

By B.C. Manion

Choosing a Christmas tree is pretty simple, right?
Well, that depends.
Do you want a Frasier fir or a Douglas fir? A blue spruce or a Scotch pine. Maybe you’re in the market for a white pine.
So, what’s the difference?

Matt Marsh, who works at a tree lot on SR 54, just west of Collier Parkway in Land O’Lakes, said “the best-selling tree” on his lot is a Frasier fir. People tend to like the shape of the tree and they have nice branches upon which to hang ornaments, he said.
Douglas firs are bushier and have a nice fragrance, he said.
Blue spruces have a nice shape, but sharp needles.
And Scotch pines are quite durable, but have very little scent, Marsh said.
In the end, it’s generally boils down to customer preference and the space they need to fill, Marsh said.
“Some people want a real skinny tree,” Marsh said, while others prefer plump trees.
Super large trees typically find a home at a church or hotel or other place that needs to fill a big space, he said.
Prices can vary, too.
At his lot, the Scotch pines sell in the $30 range, while the other trees generally go for about $10 a foot. However, Marsh noted, prices are negotiable.
Christmas tree lots were just beginning to pop up around northern Hillsborough and Central Pasco last week. No lots were easily visible from the main roads in Zephyrhills, and just one stand was going up on SR 54 near Interstate 75 in Wesley Chapel.
A lot had been set up at Gaither High and also at the Seal Swim School on North Dale Mabry Highway in Lutz. Another lot was operating on North Florida Avenue, just north of Bearss Avenue.
Sales for fresh trees usually peak around Thanksgiving and continue at a good clip for the next couple of weeks, Marsh said.
The trees are trucked in from Michigan and new shipments will come throughout the season to replenish the supply.
When the trees arrive, they often still have snow on their branches, Marsh said.
“Some have birds’ nests in them.”

For the glance box, perhaps we could imbed it into the tree lot photo? Just a thought…

Tree lot
A look at a tree lot before the rush begins to find that perfect tree.

Tips for choosing a fresh Christmas tree
The rush is on to find that perfect Christmas tree – a time-old tradition for many families, churches and businesses. If you’re in the market for a fresh tree, these tips from the National Christmas Tree Association may come in handy:
–    Be sure you know what size (height and width) you need before heading to the retail lot.
–   If you want to learn about the species of trees that are popular in your area, browse the National Christmas Tree Association’s website, www.realchristmastrees.org before heading to the retail lot.
–    Go to a retail lot that is well-lit and stores trees in a shaded area.
–    Ask the retailer when he or she gets his or her trees. Are they delivered at the beginning of the season, or do they come in several shipments throughout the season?
–    Look for indicators of dryness or deterioration such as excessive needle loss, musty odor, discolored foliage or wrinkled bark. A good rule of thumb: If you’re not sure a tree is fresh, choose another one. If none of the trees on the lot look fresh, go shopping elsewhere.
Maintenance and safety tips
–    Get a fresh cut on the trunk of the tree before leaving the tree lot. A fresh cut will help the tree absorb water
–    Put your tree in a sturdy stand to keep it from toppling over. Fill the base with water and replenish it frequently.
–    Use a tree skirt to help make it easier to clean up the needles that drop from the tree.
–    Use only indoor lights on the tree. To prevent potential fires, check for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections. If a light string is damaged, don’t use it. Avoid overloading extension cords.
–    Turn off tree lights and decorations when you go to bed or leave the house.
Sources: The National Christmas Tree Association, the University of Florida/Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences and the National Safety Council

Three state studies focus on Pasco, northern Hillsborough

By Kyle LoJacono

Rail systems have come to dominate the conversation for public transportation in recent months, but that is not the only way to increase movement in Pasco and northern Hillsborough counties.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is currently funding three studies on transportation corridors in conjunction with the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA). The affected roads include:
–SR 54/56
–Veterans Expressway/Suncoast Parkway
–Bruce B. Downs Boulevard
The SR 54/56 corridor study began last December and is scheduled to take two years. Elba Lopez, FDOT’s public transit/intermodal administrator for the area, said the goal is to decide if the 30 miles between Wesley Chapel and New Port Richey would benefit from managed traffic lanes for express bus travel.
“Managed lanes just means lanes devoted to buses and could also be used for carpoolers,” Lopez said. “That allows the buses to get through during peak levels of traffic and so they don’t slow down traffic either. There isn’t a set number of stops or anything like that yet. That corridor was identified as one of the priority one areas by the Regional Transportation Master Plan.”
Lopez said some of the reasons the area has been designated as priority one is the number of people that travel the corridor and the potential for growth in the coming years.
The boundaries for the project are Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, also known as CR 581, to US 19. The study is being done by RS&H at a cost of $500,000.
At this point, about 18 alternative plans have been proposed for the corridor. Once the more realistic ones are identified, FDOT will discuss them with the various stakeholders and the public.
In another study, the more than 100 miles of the Veterans Expressway/Suncoast Parkway from Tampa to Inverness in Citrus County is also being looked at for an express bus route with managed lanes. That study, which comes in at a price of $530,000, started very recently and is many months from completion, according to Lopez.
The last and most expensive study involves Bruce B. Downs from SR 54 in Wesley Chapel south to the University of South Florida, a stretch of about 50 miles. This project has more than just buses as a potential conclusion.
“That’s looking at bringing possible short-distance rail,” Lopez said. “It’s just conceptualizing it at this point. It’s not like tomorrow we’ll be putting down rails or anything like that, but it’s looking at the possibility.”
That rail study is only two months in and comes in at a $1.7 million price tag.
Stops along a future rail route are also not set, but stops in the area could include the Grove at Wesley Chapel, The Shops at Wiregrass and University Community Hospital.
FDOT spokeswoman Kris Carson said the public will be able to voice their opinions and get more information on the future of these corridors at later public meetings.
Information on these three studies or anything else related to the master plan is available on the TBARTA website, www.tbarta.com. The public can give their opinions and concerns there as well.

By B.C. Manion

A wrap-around porch and the sweet smell of barbecue smoke invite passersby on SR 52 to take a brief detour and grab a bite to eat at On Q Smokehouse Grill.

Linda Bailey, who lives between St. Leo and Dade City, has been enjoying the foods prepared by Willie Flott ever since he set up his mobile business on the vacant lot next to the wood-frame house in St. Leo about a year ago.
Flott set up the temporary shop to get to know the community and to find out whether there was a demand for the kind of food he serves, which is primarily, but not exclusively, barbecue.
When Flott found the community was receptive to his offerings, he decided to rent the house at 33030 SR 52 and do some renovations to get it ready for his business.
Bailey is glad Flott decided to settle in.
“I was one of his first customers,” Bailey said. She enjoys his barbecue chicken, his greens, his catfish and pork tenderloin – but she’s simply wild about his fried green tomatoes.
“I really haven’t had them like this since my mom made them for me when I was a girl,” Bailey said. “That was a long time ago.”
Paul Brenot and Marcia Stone shared a meal there recently, when one of the specials that day was a Fried Green Tomato BLT.
Stone said she enjoyed the fried green tomatoes and found the bacon to be smoky and meaty. Brenot reveled in the restaurant’s atmosphere.
“I love sitting outside here,” he said. “The weather we’re having right now is exquisite.”
Flott said he built the porch on the restaurant and reconfigured some spaces inside before he moved his business into the house.
“I personally thought the porch was my biggest selling point,” Flott said. He thinks it creates a welcoming ambience and lures patrons — especially when the building is lit after dark.
Flott said he prepares his barbecue by rubbing a mixture of spices onto the meats and cooking them over charcoal on custom-built championship smokers.
“We don’t put any sauces on anything. We want the customer to taste the flavor of the meat,” he said.
Customers can choose from a variety of sauces, including one concocted by Flott. The sauce, which has a mustard base, is also available by the bottle.
The menu includes sandwiches and burgers, salads, appetizers, platters, kids’ meals, beer, wine, coffee, tea and soda.
Besides fried green tomatoes, appetizers include asparagus fries, corn nuggets, fried pickles, fried mushrooms and chicken wings.
The restaurant also sells bulk items and offers catering.
Flott said he can handle parties of any size and has catered funerals, church picnics and other gatherings.
The name of the restaurant is a play on the phrase, “on cue,” which is how Flott wants to serve up his food — prepared properly and served right on time to satisfy his customers.
The restaurant is open seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday and from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
For more information about On Q, call (352) 668-4821 or visit www.onqsmokehousegrill.com.

By B.C. Manion

New River Township, a development on SR 54 in Wesley Chapel which came to a virtual standstill during the housing crisis, is now getting a jumpstart thanks to a deal involving $20 million in community district development bonds.
The bond deal took about two years to consummate, according to a news release from the Avalon Park Group, the project’s developer.

“The bond restructuring took time because it was complicated,” said Eric Marks, senior vice president at Avalon Park Group. That deal, coupled with homebuilder interest, is revitalizing the project, he said.
“Now you’ve got bonds that are appropriately sized for the market,” Marks said.
“We have a lot of builder interest,” Marks said, noting talks have been ongoing with local and national homebuilders. He expects to be able to announce the names of homebuilders soon.
Marks said he’s aware that the housing market remains challenging, but he said the houses will be competitively priced. He’s also optimistic that the new activity is beginning at a time when the housing market is beginning to recover.
Development of 365 lots and a clubhouse with pool have been completed for the new phase. Only four homes currently stand in that phase of the neighborhood.
There also are plans to construct a town center containing more than 700,000 square feet of retail, civic and commercial space.
When the entire project is done, the 1,800-acre New River development will include more than 4,800 residential units, with a mix of single-family and multi-family housing, as well as a town center.
The development plan includes more than 600 acres of natural preservation, walking and biking paths and man-made lakes, according to a company news release.
A community development district assesses taxes on property owners to pay for common infrastructure expenses such as roads and utilities.