Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By B.C. Manion

The city of Zephyrhills is on a quest to build a stronger identity — and in the process make itself a more inviting place for investors to establish new businesses there.

Consultants from Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc. and Urbanomics have been working with the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency on creating a plan that would help the city encourage more economic development near the city’s downtown core.
So far, the proposal calls for expanding the city’s Community Redevelopment Area and keeping US 301 as a two-lane road through town, contrary to a proposal by the state Department of Transportation to turn it into a three-lane one-way road.
Other ideas, such as how to create a brand that capitalizes on the city’s strengths, how to dress up its appearance and how to enliven its community life are all being discussed as consultants solicit feedback from residents, business owners and political leaders on creating a redevelopment plan for Zephyrhills.
The consultants were in town last week, conducting sessions with the Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce and the Zephyrhills Economic Development Council. They also held a community open house to discuss ideas and glean more direction.
They expect to be back in December for additional sessions, and then early next year will present proposals to the Zephyrhills City Council and the mayor.
Zephyrhills Mayor Cliff McDuffie believes the process is on the right track.
“I think what we’re doing right now with these consultants is very important because we’re getting input from the community,” McDuffie said.
The city is made up of people with diverse backgrounds and coming from various locales, so they have varied perspectives to offer to the planning efforts, McDuffie said.
“What do we need to be?” McDuffie said. The mayor said he doesn’t know when or how the community will answer that question, but he added: “At least we’re trying.”
Marty Black, of Kimley-Horn, said the city is ahead of the game because it is actively seeking ways to make itself more competitive,
“There is demand for additional office and retail in downtown Zephyrhills,” Black said. But new businesses are not choosing to locate there. The growth, at the moment, is happening at the north end of town.
So the question becomes: “What more can the city be doing to encourage economic development in downtown Zephyrhills?”  Black said. The city also needs to ask what it can do to make itself more competitive with places like Wesley Chapel and Dade City, he said.
One thing the city might want to work on is its branding, Black said. It has a national reputation for its natural spring water, but visitors and passerby wouldn’t know it.
Suggestions that have been made during planning sessions so far include creating a water feature and establishing a place to give out samples of the city’s drinking water.
Another possibility includes creating a more attractive entry onto US 301, at Fifth Avenue, Black said.
That may include using a grant or other enticement to encourage the tire shop to relocate, he said at the chamber breakfast meeting.
Or perhaps keeping the tire shop there, but housing it in a building that is more in keeping with the desired architectural style, a woman at the meeting suggested, noting a tire shop on the north end of town that’s in an attractive building.
The city might also want to consider doing something on the south end of town to let people know they’ve arrived in Zephyrhills, Black said.
You don’t want motorists driving through Zephyrhills to not realize they’ve been through the city.
Even things like deciding what colors to use on city landmarks can make a difference in the image the city projects, Black said.
“As a community, make more intentional decisions,” Black said. “What can we suggest along (US) 301 to make it better for all of the businesses along (US) 301?” he asked.
“Let’s identify some projects the community wants. Let’s prioritize them,” he said.
The city has strengths.
It’s relatively inexpensive to invest in Zephyrhills compared to some other locations, Black said. At the same time, “you have a resident market — both permanent and seasonal — that can be tapped.”
Vonnie Mikkelsen, executive director of the Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce, is optimistic about the city’s future.
“There is so much opportunity in this area. It’s incredibly exciting,” Mikkelsen said. People view Zephyrhills as a retirement community, but Mikkelsen said: “The perception is a misperception.”
In fact, there are younger families moving in and the demographics are changing.
Mikkelsen likes Black’s idea that changes must be made with a vision in mind.
“Make it intentional,” she said. “Understand who you are.”

By B.C. Manion

One minute she’s roving among rows of desks, posing questions and using facial expressions and gestures to clue students in to what she’s asking about.
A few minutes later, she’s at a whiteboard at the back of the room jotting down responses from students as she runs through some grammar drills.

Next, she’s at the front of the classroom, crouching behind a bookcase while acting out a scene from “The Seven Ravens,” a fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm.
If you pictured German class as stiff or boring, you haven’t visited Annemarie Schunemann’s classroom at Land O’ Lakes High.
She combines high expectations with fun in a quest to not only teach the German language, but to familiarize them with the country’s culture too.
Apparently, her methods are working.
The wall behind her desk is loaded with accolades. Most recently, the Florida Association of German Teachers named her the 2010 Florida German Teacher of the Year during the Florida Foreign Language Association’s conference in Clearwater.
The recognition was both gratifying and unexpected, Schunemann said.
“It felt like, ‘Wow, I won the lifetime achievement award,’ ” she said.
The teacher never had any doubt about what she wanted to do with her life.
She knew it in first grade.
She wanted to be like her teacher, Frau Hanna Schwinning.
“She made learning so interesting and fun,” said Schunemann, who grew up in Grosslittgen, three hours from Cologne.
“She had, really, a gift to inspire kids,” Schunemann said.
Schunemann’s students say she shares her mentor’s gift.
“She’s the best teacher I’ve ever had,” said Timo Russell, 17. “She always makes sure that we know all of the material.”
Ben Olson, a four-year student, signed up at his mother’s insistence during his freshman year. “My family is from Germany,” he explained.
Now, he’s glad his mother made him do it. The class has made a tangible difference in his life.
“I can speak to my grandparents now,” Olson said. There’s another benefit too: “I truly fell in love with the language,” he said.
The teenager has visited Germany and said that speaking the language has given him access to better understand the country’s culture.
While recognizing the upside of taking German, that doesn’t mean it has been easy, Olson said. “There’s a lot of homework.”
However, he hastened to add, Schunemann helps students learn.
“She’s really great at what she does,” Olson said.
Britt DeBartolo, 16, said Schunemann “is so invested in actually teaching the language. She teaches it really, really well.”
“It’s definitely not an easy class,” DeBartolo added, but she has developed a real appreciation of German. “I think it’s beautiful, despite the harsh sound of it,” she said.
Schunemann began her Pasco County teaching career at Pasco High School in 1983 and remained there until 1991, taking a year off when she had a baby. She came to Land O’ Lakes High in 1992 and has been there ever since.
Schunemann said she often goes to conferences and seminars to help her stay inspired and to pick up teaching ideas.
She tries to tie her lessons to current events and to stay in tune with learning techniques that keep up with the times.
“I like to look for new material,” she said. She also likes her lessons to resonate with students. “You have to adapt to what they (students) like.”
For one recent assignment, completed around Halloween, she assigned students to make tombstones of famous Germans, detailing their contributions to society.
In another assignment, students wrote poems in German about themselves.
During a recent class, she paired students and assigned them to reassemble “The Seven Ravens,” which she had typed up and cut into pieces.
Once they put the story together, the pairs practiced reading it because the class might perform the fairy tale for a play. The students also had to answer questions based on the story, which forced them to demonstrate their knowledge of German grammar.
Besides challenging her students, Schunemann views herself as a teacher who wants to know her students well enough that she can respond when they need help.
Schunemann said being an immigrant and learning English as a second language gives her insight into the challenges of learning a foreign language, which in turn, gives her empathy for her students.
“I walk in their shoes,” she said.
But that doesn’t mean she considers herself a pushover — in any way, shape or form.
“I think I’m kind of tough. It’s not a popularity contest,” Schunemann said.
She has some basic rules for her students: “Be on time. Do your work.”
“I don’t like to waste time. If they sign up for my class, it means business,” Schunemann said.
Schunemann is clearly prepared for her classes — jamming instruction into every available minute.
She wouldn’t have it any other way.
“They want to learn; I want to teach.
“In December, I’m starting my 27th year,” Schunemann said. “I think I could not have picked a career that suited me better. I could not think of anything I would rather do.”

Hospital nets record-breaking amount at fundraisers

By Gary S. Hatrick

Julianne Hough, two-time “Dancing with the Stars” winner, country singer and up-and-coming actress gave an energetic performance Thursday as the featured entertainment for the Florida Hospital Zephyrhills Foundation’s Gala XIV.

Despite having the stomach flu, the 22-year-old entertainer showed no signs of illness as she performed for the FHZ supporters gathered in the Grand Pavilion in Saddlebrook Resort. She later participated in a brief meet and greet and posed for a photograph with select VIPs.
Gala XIV was the biggest in the event’s history drawing about 620 supporters. The black-tie event, combined with the 21st Annual Golf Tournament and Inaugural Tennis Tournament will net about $180,000 for the $1.5 million Comprehensive Breast Center to be built in Zephyrhills.
“That blows away previous years,” according to FHZ Foundation Executive Director Carolyn Sentelik.
“I would say that Julianne Hough just dazzled the crowd,” Sentelik said. “Especially since she shared with us that she has the stomach flu. I was surprised that she performed to the level that she did. She was very gracious.”
Hough (pronounced “Huff”) joked with the audience about supporting her brother who is currently on Dancing with the Stars. She said he needs help because he had to compete with the conservative engine behind Bristol Palin.
“The gala was an overwhelming success,” said Sentelik who took the big chair at FHZ Foundation just months ago, but added that she didn’t do it alone.
“For my first gala I was impressed about how things went,” said Sentelik. “Leslie Dellas, our foundation coordinator, did a remarkable job seeing to every detail. She worked so very hard. Thanks has to go to all of our volunteers, we had a huge corps of volunteers.”

By B.C. Manion

At first glance, D & G Products Inc. looks like a bicycle shop.
All sorts of unusual bicycles sit on the lawn outside the business at 5151 Gall Blvd. in Zephyrhills.

Go inside and it seems like the business is a combination bicycle-skateboard shop, with a smattering of educational games for sale.
It turns out, though, that the shop is all that and more.
It’s also a place where you can buy solar-powered generators and find out about using solar arrays to power your home. And, if you enjoy riding bicycles in nature or going on canoe trips, you may want to drop by to see when the next outing will be.
The shop also repairs antique clocks, radios and all sorts of other items.
In a word, this business is eclectic.
There is a reason the shop has such an array of products and services, said Dave Emery, who opened the business with Greg Findlen on April 1, 2009.
“After retiring, I didn’t want a bike store,” Emery said. “I wanted a little bit of everything that I have a passion for,” he said. “We started out with just three bikes.”
Emery said he opened the shop after finishing his career at Verizon.
“I retired from there in very bad shape,” said Emery, who has since become much more fit by regularly riding a bicycle and eating organic foods.
He encourages others to do the same.
“I was a 58-year-old going on 80. Now, I’m a 60-year-old going on 40. By the time I’m 65, I want to be 35 (physically),” Emery said.
Regardless of what condition you’re in, if you want to ride a bicycle, Emery will find one to suit you.
A patron dropped by the shop the other day and told Emery he had not been on a bike in 40 years.
“That’s OK,” Emery reassured the man. “It’s never too late.”
The shop has bicycles designed to carry people who weigh more than 500 pounds. There are bicycles equipped with electric motors to help people who can’t pedal long distances.
There are bicycles with pedals that are closer to the front to give riders more leverage — and to help them to climb up hills.
Some of the shop’s customers can no longer drive cars, but they can tool around town on their electric-powered bicycles.
Besides stocking bicycles, the shop also sells solar-powered generators — which can be used in remote places or when the power goes out.
Emery knows a fair amount about solar power.
“I live in a house that’s 100 percent solar powered,” he said. His solar panels produce more than enough power to meet his needs, so he sells the excess to the power company.
Emery shares his knowledge of solar power at seminars he conducts at his Dade City house.
He also enjoys going on weekend bike rides or canoe trips with customers.
“That’s what this business is about. This is a store about getting in shape and having fun.
“We get to know our customers and they become friends.  When I stop having fun, this business will cease.”
For more information about D&G Products Inc., call (813) 788-2000 or visit dgGreenProducts.com.

By Molly McGowan

Take a sandwich made out of ham, turkey and Swiss cheese, smother in pancake batter, dunk in a deep fryer, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with raspberry sauce. The result is a Monte Cristo, one of the more eclectic items Randy, whose nickname is Razzle, and Becky McCray are proud to serve on their menu.

“We want to do things differently than anyone else in town,” Becky says of Razzle’s Café, a new restaurant in Zephyrhills. And as far as she knows, Razzle’s Café is the only place in town to get a Monte Cristo.
The rest of the menu is a mix of feel-good favorites with home-style items such as grits, sausage and gravy and smothered chicken with peppers. Cuisine for a picnic includes potato salad, macaroni salad and tuna salad. There are also items suitable for a ballgame — chili cheese fries, hamburgers and Cubans, and specialty items like the Reuben sandwich, ice cream smoothies and the gourmet third-pound hot dog.
Also sprinkled into the menu are the names of McCray grandchildren and close family friends —Brianna’s pancakes, Kailynn’s kids breakfast, Noeah’s hotdogs and Big Mike’s chili cheese fries, exemplifying the family atmosphere of the café.
Two pieces of a child’s artwork are proudly affixed to the Working Cow ice cream counter, and the staff is comprised of McCray family members and a few of their close friends.
Becky tells the story of Razzle’s Café and reveals that the establishment originated from a family-wide loss. She and her husband, their children and their spouses all worked for the same company, and all got let go at the same time.
Instead of being daunted during these uncertain times, the McCray family pooled together their savings and opened up Razzle’s Café. “We had to invest in ourselves,” Becky says. “No one else was going to.”
So now the McCrays and their son run the kitchen and do the books, Becky’s sister-in-law and family friends wait tables and Becky’s daughter waits tables and makes the homemade soups. Having so much personal control over the café’s affairs allows for creativity in the workplace and the family is still experimenting with what to put on the dessert menu.
Just the other night, they tried deep frying Oreos.
“It reminded me of fair food,” says family friend and waitress Brandi Page. Though skeptical of the deep-fried Oreos, Page is a fan of the Philly cheese steak. And Working Cow ice cream.
“I eat a lot of ice cream,” Page said. “But I’ve slowed down…” Page, who’s been with the café since it opened in September, has noticed a definite increase in customers and already greets the regulars by name. She nods to three older gentlemen sitting outside the café and explains that they come in for coffee, two to four times a day and sit outside contemplating the world.
Page points to the daily special board and says that something new they’ll be doing will be Fish Fridays, where customers will have a choice of either deep fried Pollock or catfish. But for now, Becky says, people should try the breakfast special: two eggs, bacon or sausage, a choice of potato or grits, toast, and coffee all for $3.49.
For those more adventurous, there’s always the Monte Cristo. It’ll make tongues delightfully confused about whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dessert time, and just might become a favorite.
Razzle’s Café is located in Zephyrhills at 6620 Gall Blvd. in the Florida Medical Clinic parking lot on 301. Hours are Sunday-Thursday, from 6 a.m. – 9 p.m., and open until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. For more information call (813) 395-5903.

By Shannon Edinger

There is a coffee house on the block that has the Lutz community buzzing.  Felicitous Coffee House opened its doors six months ago, and, although it is new, it has already been awarded “Best of the Bay” by Creative Loafing for its iced coffee.

Two friends, Cristie Leacock and Rani Chehal, co-own the busines at 19015 N. U.S. 41, just north of Lutz Lake Fern Rd., in a location that was previously a gas station and a thrift store.
Now filled with vintage decorations and artwork, it has become a go-to spot for coffee and pastries.
Leacock describes the atmosphere as vintage, artsy and eclectic.
“We have always supported small mom and pop shops so we sell their work here,” Leacock said.  “We have some locally made arts and goods, homemade soups and candles.  We want to start selling pottery also.”
Leacock said the coffee house’s décor is meant to make people feel like they are at home. There are comfy chairs and couches so people can take off their shoes and relax.  Artwork is displayed throughout the coffee house and there are board games for customers to play.
Felicitous hosts events such as open mic nights on Wednesdays for local amateur musicians and poetry/spoken word nights on Thursdays.  They also have knitting and gaming nights on Tuesdays.  Saturdays are Doggy Day at the café, when they provide water and treats for dogs outside on the patio.  Spaces can be reserved for events on Sundays. USF students get a discount on Monday nights.
In this rough economy, Felicitous tries to keep its prices low. Coffee is $2, cupcakes are $3.50 and muffins are $2.50.  Leacock says they are experimenting with new drinks, but a customer favorite is the java chip frap.
“The secret is in the way you make it,” Leacock says.
Felicitous also serves gourmet sandwiches from Five and Two, a nonprofit Tampa area ministry that helps benefit food pantries.
Felicitous is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.  It is closed on Sunday except for reserved events.  For more information, visit www.felicitouscoffee.com or call (813) 948-6540.