Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Suzanne Schmidt

An evening full of entertainment, fair food and a finale of fireworks will be in store for visitors to Sparklebration.
The Pasco County Fairgrounds, 37622 SR 52, will be full of vendors serving everything from candied apples, corn dogs and funnel cakes along with entertainment and lots of activities for children. The event starts at 4 p.m. July 4 and will end after the fireworks that are slated to start at 9:15 p.m.

Tracy Thompson is on the board of directors for the Pasco County Fair Association as well as the co-chair of the event. He said he loves to volunteer to organize the event because it is such an important celebration since it is the only place in Pasco County where people can see a professional fireworks display on the Fourth.
Visitors to the fair will be entertained by a magician show by Steven Marcus, an Elvis impersonator Kenn E. Grube and the animal show Amazing Animals Around the World in the Dan Cannon Auditorium. Also, parachutists will drop from the sky carrying American flags at 5:15 p.m.
“Ken and Greg Suarez will be showing animals from around the world,” Thompson said. “They will show how animals and people get along in the ecosystem. I think it is a good show to have because people need to learn more about the ecosystem with what is going on in the Gulf. You could say that is the going green part of the event.”
Ashley Shannon of Zephyrhills will be singing country at the event at 5:30 p.m. at the Dan Cannon Auditorium and at 7:15 p.m. on the outdoor stage. She said she plans to sing a few of her originals and some covers from her favorite country singers Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert.
“It is fun to go to Sparklebration and just hang out with my friends and family and eat junk food,” Shannon said. “I like singing where I can when I can. I like to sing at Sparklebration because I get to perform and see fireworks when I am done.”
Before the fireworks, The Dennis Lee Show will perform at 8 p.m. on the outdoor stage.

“Dennis Lee is a favorite in the fair market,” Thompson said. “He plays pop, country and a little bit of rock and roll with some comedy in the show as well. He has been at the fair before. He really pulls a crowd.”
Fran Goh will paint faces and Fritzy Brothers, a one-man circus, will stroll the fairgrounds entertaining visitors.
There will be plenty of entertainment for children this year as well.
“We wanted to add something for the kids to do,” Thompson said. “We will have carnival games and bounce houses and slides.”
Carnival fare will be available including barbecue sandwiches, cotton candy, popcorn, candied apples, hotdogs, corn dogs, fried chicken, boiled peanuts, pizza, Italian ice, ice cream and kettle corn.
“We have added Mexican food this year as well,” Thompson said. “We have also brought back funnel cakes because they are so popular.”
One big draw is the eating contests.
“The apple pie eating contest, watermelon eating contest and the hot dog eating contests seem to be a big hit,” Thompson said. “We have five age categories and the first 15 to sign up for the contest get to compete. The winners get a trophy.”
The fireworks by Zambelli Fireworks are scheduled to launch at 9:15 p.m. Attendees are invited to bring chairs and blankets to watch the fireworks. Thompson said some people show up as early as 4 p.m. to just hang out and wait.
Thompson said the most important thing he wants people to know is that the event is funded by the nonprofit Pasco County Fair Association.
“We need people to realize we don’t receive any funding from the county whatsoever,” Thompson said. “We are a nonprofit organization and we are only able purchase the fireworks and pay for the entertainment because of our sponsors. We do this because it is our way of giving back to the community.”
The volunteers who do everything from work the front gate to the people coordinating the entertainment and the food make the fair possible. Thompson himself has been a volunteer for 12 years with the organization.
“It takes many volunteers to put this on,” Thompson said. “All the people that work the fair are volunteers. If not for the volunteers, we would not be able to put this on.”
The cost is $5 for parking and $3 for admission for adults. Children ages 10 and younger are admitted free. For more information, visit www.sparklebration.com or call (352) 567-6678.

By Suzanne Schmidt

When many people think of the Fourth of July, they think of fireworks.
At Sparklebration in Dade City, visitors will be treated to a high-intensity show by Zambelli Fireworks with all different colors and types of fireworks exploding in the sky.
Mason Meyer is the southeast regional office manager for Zambelli. He is also a trained firework technician at the 120-year-old company. With so many shows and options of different types of fireworks, Meyer said each show is different.
“It just depends on who the fireworks technician is,” Meyer said. “There will be a typical opening then the main body of the show will be high intensity and then there will be a finale. We pride ourselves in having the largest finale in the fireworks industry.”
He said he had to go to a lot of training through the American Pyrotechnic Association, a national group of advocates for the safety of fireworks.
“I had to do a combination of classroom and hands-on training,” Meyer said. “All of our technicians have gone through the training. I have two goals, keeping the technicians and the crowd safe. We always try to put on a good quality show, but not at the sake of safety.”
The southeast office he works at is in Boca Raton. He said his company will put on 500 to 600 shows the weekend of July 4, with 55 of those shows in Florida.
Even though safety is the first priority, quality is a close second.
“We try to select the best fireworks that will give the best effect,” Meyer said. “We work with different manufacturers to get specific colors and effects. We go to specific manufacturers for specific colors like red peony or blue chrysanthemum. We also shop around for the best effects like sparkling palm trees, hearts and smiley faces.”
Meyer said he tries to please the crowd.
“Some of the crowd favorites are the Saturn shells and the titanium salutes,” Meyer said. “The Saturn shells shoot up and they look like Saturn with the ring around it. The titanium shells are good for the people who love the noise. They send up brilliant white flashes and are really loud.”
Fireworks by Santore and Sons in Bunnell provides fireworks to Zambelli Fireworks as well as companies and organizations throughout the world.
Anthony Santore is the CEO and vice president of the company that his grandfather August Santore started in 1890. The company manufactures theatrical pyrotechnics for all different venues in the entertainment industry including theme parks and sporting events. The company also employs technicians to set off the fireworks.
Santore said many people do not realize the amount of work that goes into manufacturing a firework.
“It is a long process to a finished product,” Santore said. “We start with a chemical mixed with component parts. The chemical is then loaded into the casing. There is a long process to wrap the casings.”
Fireworks have not changed much through the years except in the way they are launched.
“Many modern pyrotechnics are based on a cannon style rather than a rocket style meaning they don’t have their own propellant,” Santore said. “The height and the burst time of the pyrotechnic is controlled by the time and amount of charge.”
The process of manufacturing fireworks is very complex.
“We have to follow a certain set of procedures to reproduce the same effects again and again,” Santore said. “It takes months and months of preparation for any holiday. We have some custom machinery that does a few of the pieces but all the fireworks are made by hand. It is no different than manufacturing other explosive materials.”
Santore said there are two different kinds of effects.
“There is the Saturn shell and the pattern shell,” Santore said. “Each one produces a different pattern in the sky, which is done by the casing. There are a lot of formulas and geometry involved.”
A popular firework is the weeping willow shell, which is made of a slow burning compound.
“It is made with a symmetrical break of stars that are designed to burn for a longer duration,” Santore said. “When the stars reach the outer position they start burning and continue to burn as they fall.”
Safety is the most important thing at Santore’s manufacturing plant.
“Our facilities are regulated by federal, state and on the local level,” Santore said. “We have our employees go through extreme background checks, drug testing and preemptive screening and training. Once a person is hired, they apprentice for a year before they are given their own task. Then after that they are paired up with a trained technician. It is a very long process before they can become the crew lead.”
For more information about Fireworks by Santore and Sons, visit www.santorepyro.com. For more information about Zambelli Fireworks, visit www.zambellifireworks.com.

By Kyle LoJacono

The Lutz Independence Day Celebration is set for July 3 at Bullard Park next to the Lutz Branch Library despite past uncertainty from the Hillsborough County government.
“Things will go like normal,” said Lutz Guv’na Suzin Carr, one of the event organizers. “All the festivities are set to go for the Lutz and surrounding communities to come and enjoy.”

The uncertainty came from the Hillsborough Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department’s policy to charge groups who use county buildings, but that fee has been waived for the annual Lutz celebration. The department operates Bullard Park, the Lutz Train Depot and the Lutz Community Center.
“That parade and celebration in Lutz is what we consider a core community event and therefore all the normal park fees to use the park don’t apply,” said department spokesman John Brill.
The 2010 event is the 63rd time the community has put on the celebration, according to Eleanor Cecil of the Lutz Civic Association.
“It really is a great community event,” Carr said. “My family have gone every year since we moved here seven or so years ago. I’m hoping we have a big crowd to take in the festivities.”
The event will begin with a 5K (5 kilometers or 3.1 miles) race starting at 8 a.m. at the community center.
“It’s a community center run,” said race director Terry Donovan. “It’s really nice because you get to run right by all the houses on (W.) Lutz-Lake Fern Road and Crooked Lane. The community is literally just all around you.”
There will be male and female divisions in various age groups. The usual 1-mile fun run for kids is at the same time, but that race will have age and gender divisions for the first time this year.

Those interested in running the race can sign up by visiting www.active.com, by calling Donovan at (813) 949-6659 or by going to Vanns Auto Shop in Lutz across from the community center and filling out a registration form. The 5K is $15 if people register before or $20 the day of the race. The fun run is $8 for those who sign up early and $10 on July 3.
Opening ceremonies will include a flag ceremony following the race at about 8:30 a.m. and the parade will start at 10 a.m. The parade’s theme this year is “Lutz Supports Our Troops.”
“We had a committee that included people like myself and members of the (Lutz-Land O’ Lakes) Women’s Club and the (Lutz) Civic Association,” Carr said. “When we came up with the idea for the theme everyone immediately voted for it…The Fourth of July is when a lot of people remember veterans and soldiers and we wanted to show our support for the troops as a town.”
The Lutz Patriots will have a float in the parade, which will end around noon.
Area vendors will be selling food and other Independence Day related items throughout the event. The patriots will also have a booth to collect donations to send to the troops, as will Treats for the Troops, an organization started by Land O’ Lakes resident Karin King.  King sends cookies and other treats to active soldiers serving out of the country.
Other events at the celebration include a cake contest, awards for the best float and the next Lutz Guv’na will be announced after the parade. Those in contention for the yearly position are J.R. Roche, Laurie Jennings, Stephanie Ensor and Colin Cook. The candidate who has raised the most money for area charities during the last few months will claim the title.
“For me it’ll be bittersweet,” Carr said. “It’s been tough realizing my time as Guv’na is coming to an end. It’s been terrific meeting so many people and being able to do so many things in the community.”
While the celebration can go on as scheduled, those organizing the event are still looking for volunteers to help with set up and clean up. In the past Hillsborough offered help with such duties with its special events team, but that group was cut during last year’s county budget crunch.
“We are absolutely still looking for volunteers, especially to help at the kids craft station,” Carr said. “We also need some people to monitor trash cans to make sure they don’t overflow. All those people have to do is take the bag out, tie it off and put a new bag in. Someone else will pick it up.”
Those interested in volunteering at the event should call Carr at (813) 453-5256 or e-mail her at .

Board votes 6-2 to raise rates $1.05 per month

By Kyle LoJacono

The average family will see its water bill increase about $12 a year as Tampa Bay Water’s board of directors voted to raise rates by 5.53 percent June 21.
It was not the increase first projected, but Tampa Bay Water will be allowed to raise its rates for the next fiscal year starting Oct. 1.
Tampa Bay Water’s board, which is made up of politicians from Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, voted 6-2 June 21 to increase the price of water by $1.05 per month for those using 8,000 gallons. That is an increase of about 5.53 percent.

Michelle Rapp, spokeswoman for Tampa Bay Water, said the group had wanted an increase of $1.52 for every 8,000 gallons. The rate increase is needed because the supplier is not selling enough water to make its budget.
“People’s conservation has been part of the case, but it’s not all because of that,” said Koni Cassini, Tampa Bay Water director of finance and administration “We have also seen a decrease because of the very wet winter. People don’t need to water their lawns or plants because of the recent weather. On top of that, the down economy has unfortunately led to many foreclosures and obviously those houses aren’t using any water either.”
Tampa Bay Water is the wholesaler of water to public utilities in the three counties and also to the cities of Tampa, New Port Richey and St. Petersburg. Everyone in non-incorporated areas of Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas and residents of those three cities will see their rates increase.
Zephyrhills, Dade City, San Antonio and St. Leo have their own water supply. Also, those who get water from a well will not be affected.
The supplier’s board has nine members. Hillsborough commissioners Al Higginbotham and Mark Sharpe voted against the increase, while New Port Richey Mayor Scott McPherson was not present.
Pasco Commissioner Ted Schrader said he was against raising the price to $1.52 in April and said he wanted to see Tampa Bay Water work more on cutting costs before he would vote for any increase.
“I was in favor of it now for a couple reasons,” Schrader said. “First, Tama Bay Water has done a good job finding alternative water sources from ground water. That is the easiest and cheapest source, but to preserve the ecosystems in Tampa Bay they have developed surface water and desalinization sources, which are more expensive.
“Also we saw them reduce their budget to bring the cost done for the public,” Schrader continued. “The reduction was significant and they had to reduce the number of employees, but in the end they will be able to provide safe water to the public and maintain financial stability. I’m confident they did all they could to bring the price down.”
Schrader represents county district 1, which covers all of Zephyrhills, Dade City, San Antonio and much of Wesley Chapel. He has been on Tampa Bay Water’s board since 2000.
Cassini said the budget for Tampa Bay Water was projected to be $163 million for the 2010-11 year in April, down from $176 million from this year, but that number dropped again to $160 million for the final approval.
The increase is on the price of water only, not other expenses on water bills such as the cost of storm sewers. Those using exactly 8,000 gallons per month will pay $12.60 more a year.
Rapp said the increase is given for those using 8,000 gallons a month because that is what the average family of four uses. The amount will be different based on how much water is used, making it more expensive for those who use more water like the Pasco School District.
While the price of water will be a larger part of the school budget next year, the school board had already planned for the increase. They projected the price of water to increase by 10 percent, according to district spokeswoman Summer Romangnoli.
The six areas that buy the water from Tampa Bay Water together fund the development of new supplies, share in environmental stewardship and pay the same wholesale water rates according the utility’s Web site, www.tampabaywater.org. It provides 186 million gallons of water each day to about 2.4 million Tampa Bay residents and was formed in 1998.
“We are an extension of the member government and are a nonprofit,” Rapp said. “We only pass along our costs to the consumer. We don’t make money beyond what it takes to fund our facilities.”

By Sarah Whitman

Medical testing can be scary, exhausting and overwhelming.
A new nuclear medicine technology offered at Pasco Regional Medical Center was designed to make patients feel more comfortable.
The hospital is now the only hospital in the county with the BrightView nuclear imaging system, or gamma camera, from Philips Medical Systems. With the BrightView system, technicians can perform noninvasive diagnostic tests faster and with greater accuracy.

“The speed is a lot faster so patients don’t spend as much time in an uncomfortable position,” said Patty Camunas, assistant director of diagnostic imagining and nuclear medicine supervisor for the hospital.
Pasco Regional Medical has used nuclear imaging since the late 1990s and has always remained determined to keep up with the latest advancements. They received the new BrightView machine in mid June. It was ready for patient testing June 22 and there were no problems with the system, which includes a table able to hold up to 450 pounds.
The BrightView is used for thyroid, cardiac, abdominal, neurological and bone scans. All of the images are recorded electronically and accessible to the doctors by computer, where the picture appears flawless.
“I’ve only been a technician for four years and even compared to what we were using when I was in school, this technology is so much better,” said nuclear medicine technician Kevin Judd.
Camunas said the new technology helps doctors determine the best treatment options and rule out serious, sometimes life-threatening, medical conditions.
“The new technology produces a clear, crisper image that is easier for doctors to read and interpret,” she said. “Because everything is electronic, the doctors can view the results whenever, even after the technicians have gone home, which makes it better for patients because they can get their results faster.”
Nuclear imaging allows doctors to see how a body part is working, so it is commonly used to diagnose problems like gallbladder and liver disease. It also provides more reliable results and treatment staging for diseases including cancer. The technology can help prevent patients from having to undergo invasive surgical diagnostic procedures and biopsies. This also eliminates the need for anesthesia and other medications with potentially harmful side effects.
“Because the technology is precise, we are able to cut down on patient discomfort,” said Katie Bryant, marketing coordinator for the hospital. “There are no known side effects from the machines and after the procedure, patients can return to normal activities.”

Depending on the type of exam scheduled, a patient can spend anywhere from 30 minutes to approximately three hours in Pasco Regional’s nuclear imaging department. Actual imaging time can range from 15 minutes to about one hour. The new technology has sped things up drastically.
“Our cardiac scans were 15 minutes and now they are a little under six minutes,” Camunas said. “Patients are happy about that.”
Pasco Regional Medical Center is at 13100 Fort King Road in Dade City. For more information, visit www.pascoregionalmc.com.

Eastside 8 all have fresh leadership

By Kyle LoJacono

The Noon Rotary Club of Zephyrhills has a new president, but members will not have to remember a different first name.
Mike Waters will be leading the club for the next year after Mike Mira’s term expired. Waters was officially introduced at a ceremony at Scotland Yards Golf Club just north of Zephyrhills June 24. It is Waters’ second time serving as the club’s president, which is the first instance of someone repeating in the 54-year history of the organization.

“It’s a great honor to serve as the club’s leader,” said Waters, who was also the club’s president for the 1997-98 term. “They are a great group of people and I’m going to enjoy being the president again … Hopefully the club makes it another year with me as the leader.”
Club members vote for the next president each year. The group’s first president was Charles Henderson in 1956-57. Gina Granger led the organization for the 2008-09 election year until Mira took over from 2009-10.
“It’s really been a life-changing experience,” said Mira, who has been in the club for five years. “It gave me a great opportunity to find out what Rotary is all about. It’s the best charitable organization in the world as far as I’m concerned. There are a lot of good groups, but Rotary is just solid in everything it stands for.”
Mira was also the sergeant in arms for the club and was named Rotarian of the Year for the noon organization in 2007.
The group did many charitable things during the last year, including a boot drive with the city’s daybreak club that raised more than $7,000 for Haitian relief after the earthquake in January. It also helped organize the Eastside 8 food baskets. The eight Rotary clubs in central and east Pasco County joined to donate food to needy children.
“Our club really led that effort,” Mira said. “Once we got all the clubs together we were able to do more than we could separately.”
Mira is now the disaster relief chairman for the Rotarian district that includes Pasco, Pinellas, Hernando and Citrus counties and includes 49 clubs. He will assist in organizing help after almost any kind of disaster in local areas to international catastrophes.
Mira said it was working with the other club presidents that was the most rewarding part of his time as president.
“Rotary International has 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs across 200 countries, but a lot of the time we just stay in our separate clubs,” Mira said. “By getting together with the other clubs we can do more good and next year Mike (Waters) has already said he wants to continue it and make it bigger.
“From what I’ve heard from the people on the west side of the county we will be able to have something with all the Pasco County Rotary clubs to really do a lot of good for needy kids,” Mira continued.
“The Eastside 8 food baskets have really been great for this whole side of the county,” said Mike Wooten, assistant governor for the Rotarian area that includes the two clubs in Dade City and Zephyrhills. “All the presidents have come through by helping with this program.”
For more information on Rotary or to join a club, visit www.rotary.org.

New Eastside 8 Rotary club presidents
Lee McKinney with Rotary Club of Zephyrhills Daybreak
Mike Waters with Noon Rotary Club of Zephyrhills
Don Snyder with Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Sunrise
John Negley with Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel
Cliff Martin with Rotary Club of Dade City
Andrea Mason with Rotary Club of Dade City Sunrise
Curt Zeigler with Rotary Club of Land O’ Lakes
Suzanne Ritter with Rotary Club of San Antonio

//Sidebar

Getting to know new leader Mike Waters

Mike Waters knows what it means to lead the Noon Rotary Club of Zephyrhills. He was the group’s president during the 1997-98 election year and just started his second term as its leader.
Waters has been in the club for 24 years. He is married to Michele Waters and the two have four children: Ryan, 17; Luke, 12; Will, 10; and Jade, 5.
The Laker talked with Waters about being named president again, what his plans are for the club and why he has stayed in Rotary.

Q: No one in the history of this club has been president twice. What is that like for you?
A: I would say all the other members must have been president already if they would go back to the likes of me. I’m just kidding. Truly it’s special to be elected by the group. I’m ready to lead the club for another year.

Q: Why did you join Rotary and stay in it for the last nearly quarter of a century?
A: I started to get connected with local business leaders in the community. I saw all the great things the club does and that kept me coming back. Also it’s a great group of people to spend time with each week.

Q: Mike Mira is the outgoing president. Tell me what you thought of him as the club’s leader.
A: He was very hands on and very involved in everything the club did. You can’t expect more from a president than what he did during the last year. All the responsibility falls on you as the president and he really stepped up and did everything he needed to do.

Q: What are your plans for the next year?
A: Mike (Mira) and the other presidents have started a great thing with the Eastside 8 food baskets for needy kids. I really want to continue with that idea of working together with the other Rotary clubs in the area.  I want to maintain the momentum Mike and the other presidents have started.

Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: Yes. We’d invite anyone interested in learning about our club to come to a meeting. We meet each Thursday at 12:15 at the hut at Shepard Park. It lasts about an hour and people can buy a good lunch. I look forward to it each week.

By Mary Rathman

Yes he can!
When we last reported on Matt Mooney’s goal of collecting enough cans to finance a Habitat for Humanity home, his efforts had resulted in more than 1 million cans. That was in October, three years into his campaign.
Since that time, Mooney has added an additional 228,286 cans, yielding some 6,917 pounds of aluminum.
Word gets around, and Wayne Mooney, Matt’s father, said local businesses have played an important role in ensuring a successful collection.

The Hampton Inn & Suites in Wesley Chapel is one such business that knew this was a cause to get involved in. The story was posted by the time clock at the inn and employees started saving cans from the vacated rooms. Recently, Wayne Mooney met with Brian Jackman, guest services manager, to pick up their bagged donations.
Other businesses have also stepped up including the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in Brooksville (more than 160,000 cans) and Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club in Dade City (more than 100,000 cans). One anonymous donor actually left the Mooney family a check for $1,000, the equivalent of 42,000 cans.
I, too, am doing my part. When I first heard and read about Mooney’s project, I made the simple decision to help. My household already recycles, so how hard was it going to be to just drop our cans into a separate container?
We are not big soda drinkers in our house, but I knew every can saved would be appreciated. I combined our bags with a few full bags that a friend of ours collected through his volunteer work with the sheriff’s department and dropped off our donations at one of the bins set up for Habitat for Humanity.
In order to build an entire home out of nothing but aluminum cans, Matt wants to reach a goal of 2.2 million cans by the time he graduates from Land O’ Lakes High in June 2011. Wayne Mooney looks at it this way. If everyone in Pasco County (population 475,000) donated 5 cans, Matt could have 2.38 million cans and a deserving family could get the keys to a new home — all this from aluminum cans.

(in a box)
Matt and his family thank the following donors for their generosity.
Kathleen Thomas, Thonotosassa
Century 21 Bill Nye Realty Inc.
Casey Tully, St. Leo Athletics Dept.
Mike at Top Line Auto, Zephyrhills
Mr. Alaimo, Pasco County Information Technology
Janet, Hampton Inn, Wesley Chapel
Corvin Morris, Wesley Chapel Toyota
Bill Ingalls, Dade City
Stanford Phillips, Condo Car Club
Ed, Dade City Auto Parts
The Connerton Clubhouse, Land O’ Lakes
Nancy, Robin Road Lane
The Rathman Family, Land O’ Lakes
Robert, Orlins Manufacturing, Zephyrhills
Meridian Title, Dade City
Sunrise of Pasco County, Dade City

“We are sure we missed a few contributors, perhaps dozen. The outpouring … has been incredible,” notes Wayne Mooney.

//If the 1,234,286 cans collected were stacked, the tower would stretch 93.75 miles
//If they were laid side by side, it would fill a 5.9-acre field.

//How your cans can help build a Habitat home
Interested donors can contact the Mooney family to coordinate donations by calling Wayne Mooney at (352) 467-9808. For more information about East Pasco Habitat for Humanity or Cans for Habitat, visit www.ephabitat.org.

By Suzanne Schmidt

Later this year, influential people from all over the world will come together to talk at the World Forum for Ethics in Business at the European Parliament.
Scott Paton, a chiropractor in Lutz, recently received an invitation to attend the event and give a speech.

“I am so excited I am going to lecture on the parliament floor,” Paton said. “It is like being invited to the capital and talking on the Capitol floor. Every time I accomplish something I always try to do better, but I don’t think I can get better than this. This is definitely something I will tell my grandchildren about.”
Paton said he plans to spend his time there learning.
“I think the best thing I can gain from this experience is to form relationships with influential people around the world and learn from them,” Paton said. “I will be surrounded by successful people. I plan to learn everything I can from them and emulate them so I can get to that point.”
A list of attendees has not been released for this year, but in the past people from throughout the world have given speeches including former prime ministers of Poland, The Netherlands and Luxembourg.
Paton said when he gives his speech, he wants to focus on health because that is what he knows. He said he will talk about what he thinks should be done for health on a global scale.
“So many health problems could be eradicated if we change the way we treat the water,” Paton said. “The suggestion I would make is to treat the water and build a sewer and septic system in Africa. We spend a lot of money to treat the problem with medication. All medications do is help treat the infection, but we need to wipe out the infections before they start.”
He said he also plans to talk about what he thinks makes his business successful.
“When you can leave your opinion out of it and just listen to the patient, it makes a big difference,” Paton said. “People will leave here and tell me that they just feel so much better and that is because someone is listening to them.”
Danielle Sickler, assistant to Paton, said she thinks Paton is a perfect person to talk about ethics due to the way he runs his business.
“We openly communicate with each other and with our patients,” Sickler said. “We are like a family in here. We have our disagreements but we always end it with understanding each other. The most important thing is that we respect each other. We have a lot of love for what we do and we always give 100 percent.”
It is a personal triumph for Paton to just be able to get in front of people and speak.
“I loathed speaking in high school,” Paton said. “I had no confidence. I am proud of myself to be able to get up and speak in front of a crowd.”
One of the people Paton’s wife Janice is excited to meet is Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the founder of The Art of Living. Paton previously met him and was able to speak with him.
“I closed the office and flew up just to meet him so he cleared out the room and talked with me one-on-one,” Paton said. “We talked for a while and the best piece of advice he gave me was to realize that for every finger I point at a person, there are three pointing back at me. He was telling me that if I accuse someone of something, I am three times as bad as that person I accused.”
Paton said he was shocked when he received the invitation, but that it taught him an important lesson.
“I learned that nothing comes easy,” Paton said. “It is my outlook on life to always be nice to people even when I don’t want to be nice. I think having that attitude has helped me to open doors.”
He said he can trace this opportunity back to when he went to the Olympics to give a lecture in 2004. He was visiting the lecture hall where he would be speaking the next day when he saw there was a meditation lecture going on. Glaser was speaking when Paton and his wife Janice walked in.
The couple ended up having such a good time, they were still standing there when Glaser was getting ready to leave.
“When Glaser walked up he was the most gentle person,” Paton said. “The way he lives his life is amazing. We ended up going to a meditation seminar with him. I thought it was so incredible. We kept in touch since then.”
Paton was invited to the forum based on a recommendation by Glaser.
“What if I didn’t go in that room,” Paton said. “I would never have discovered meditation and I would never have been invited to the forum. It was my open mindedness that helped me to just do it.”
Paton is a chiropractor and certified athletic trainer at his business Paton Chiropractic and Sports Medicine, 24722 SR 54 in Lutz.
He said being a chiropractor for the last 10 years has been amazing.
“I love what I do,” Paton said. “I get to help people and change their health. I love being able to have a positive effect on people’s lives. To see someone get better is just amazing. I take care of people and go out of my way to help others. I keep on pushing myself to be the best dad, husband and chiropractor I can be.”
For more information, visit www.PatonChiropractic.com or call (813) 949-7740.
For more information on the World Forum, visit wfeb.org.

By Sarah Whitman

Before Paul Wells steps onto the pitcher’s mound Friday nights, he says a short prayer. He doesn’t pray to win. He prays for a good game and for everyone to have fun.
Wells is the coach and pitcher for the North Pointe Church softball team, part of a Bay area church league batting it out this summer.

North Pointe plays at 9 p.m. Fridays at New Tampa Field 2, off Bruce B. Downs and Tampa Palms Blvd. They play churches including Exciting Idlewild Baptist, St. James United Methodist and Water’s Edge. The team’s record so far this season is 3 wins to 2 losses, not that anyone is counting. To North Pointe players, the score is secondary.
“I just like playing ball,” Wells said. “I stick with the church league because the attitudes of the players are generally better. I don’t have to worry about the people getting drunk and wanting to fight. It’s just fun.”
Wells, 62, is the oldest player on North Pointe’s 15-person team. They can play 12 at a game, so some people always sit out and cheer the others on. Women are welcome to play as well, though none are on the team at this time.
“It’s just a bunch of us old guys,” joked shortstop Greg Moore, 45. “We don’t get to competitive because we’re just happy we can still play.”
Moore has played softball since he was a kid and currently coaches his son’s little league baseball team, the champion Temple Terrace Rays. He has been on the North Pointe team since the beginning and said he looks forward to playing each season.
“It’s a great group of guys,” Moore said. “The team is also a great outreach for the church. It’s a way to minister to people who aren’t comfortable with the idea of a church atmosphere and show them that Christians are just normal average people.”
Wells agrees. He is happy when the team helps spread the word about North Pointe Church, 2427 Old Cypress Creek Road. His son, Steve, is music pastor at the church, which opened in Land O’ Lakes in 2005 and currently has more than 200 members. Wells said the softball team is just one of many great things about North Pointe.
“I had a man call and say he was interested in church softball,” Wells said. “When he googled it for our area, North Pointe came up and he wanted to join the team. Now, he goes to our church.”
Moore said the team usually has four or five new players each year. Some are already at North Pointe, some do not attend church and some come from other churches.

“They come to play because they like sports and they like ball,” Moore said. “Most of them join the church.”
Phil Fuller, 61, joined the team a year after it started. He now plays first and second base.  He’s known for knocking the opposing team out at first.
“They didn’t start winning until I joined,” Fuller joked.
Fuller is an all-around athlete. He’s played softball all his life and spent 25 years practicing martial arts. He’s been banged up playing sports through the years but said it’s worth every sore muscle.
“I play hard,” he said. “When you only play once a week like I do now, there are muscles in the body that don’t get used very much and they’re not ready for much action, so you can get hurt, but the game is so much fun.”
Fuller has made a lot of good friends on the North Pointe team and said his favorite thing about it is the fellowship.
“I like the church team because there’s not a lot of criticism,” Fuller said. “People don’t get down on each other and there’s no profanity. No one gets into big fights.”
Moore said there are still arguments every now and then about bad calls. It’s just handled in a clean way.
“It’s church ball but it’s still ball,” he said. “Sometimes we’ll argue over balls and strikes, but no one’s ever in someone’s face yelling and cursing.”
As the team’s coach, Wells doesn’t allow sore losers.
“We pray before every game and we pray after every game,” Wells said.
For information on North Pointe Church and to sign-up for softball, call (813) 545-9420. Visit www.agreatchurch.net.

By Suzanne Schmidt

Many people driving by Café Fresco in Wesley Chapel might think it is just a bakery, but one step inside reveals the tantalizing smells of café-style treats like sandwiches, salads and homemade soups.

Chris Foggett owns the restaurant with his dad, Jim Foggett. He said he makes sure the restaurant is a nice family place.
“I like to get to know customers and build relationships with them,” Chris Foggett said. “I love to watch the families grow. That is what I wanted when I opened the restaurant, to know my patrons and for them to get to know me. It is kind of like one big giant dinner party.”
Chris Foggett said the restaurant is like a European and American café with traditional café dishes like burgers and grilled chicken salad and dishes with a European twist like paninis.
“We make everything fresh daily,” Chris Foggett said. “We cut up the fries every morning. We also have fresh fruit that we slice every morning. We cook everything from scratch.”
In addition to cooking up fresh food daily, the restaurant also bakes fresh bread and desserts like danishes, muffins and an assortment of cakes like carrot cake, red velvet cake, cannoli’s, eclairs and baklava.
“We make sweet bread everyday and serve it to everyone who comes in,” Chris Foggett said. “We also bake our own Italian and ciabatta bread for our sandwiches. We also sell the loaves of Italian bread.”
Café Fresco opened a little more than two years ago right before the economy declined. Even though the economy has not fully recovered, Jim Foggett said he is seeing a big improvement at the restaurant.
“It is growing,” Jim Foggett said. “We opened when the economy was on the upside and then the economy took a real sharp downturn. We are doing better now though with a 10 to 15 percent increase in sales from this time last year.”
Foggett credits the growth to all the great customers who keep coming back.
“We still have regulars from the first day we opened and we still have people who come here five days a week or daily,” Chris Foggett said.
John Narcisi, owner of JN Electric in Land O’ Lakes, said he and his employees visit the restaurant a couple times a week.
“They have a friendly staff and the food is excellent,” Narcisi said. “I love how big the chef’s salad is and how fresh all the food is.”

Joyce Newland, office manager at JN Electric, said she loves the food.
“The fries are the best I have ever had,” Newland said. “My favorite thing to get is the turkey fresco wrap. They have awesome food and I love how friendly the staff is.”
Nick DeChellis, commercial estimator at JN Electric, said he enjoys trying new things.
“I always order something different and I have never been disappointed,” DeChellis said.
Fran and Bernie Reedman of Seven Oaks said they like to eat at the restaurant every other week because the food and the ambiance is so good.
“The food is so fresh and I really like the atmosphere,” Fran Reedman said. “I like that it is like a café and not just some chain restaurant. Since it is family-owned, I feel welcome and comfortable here.”
The restaurant, 27209 SR 56, is open everyday for breakfast and lunch. Monday through Saturday the restaurant is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For more information, visit www.cafefrescobakery.com or call (813) 333-1200.

Italian Cappellone Pizza
1 Prepared pizza dough
1 tbl prepared pesto sauce
1 Portobello Mushroom cap
¼ cup Balsamic Italian Dressing
1 cup Provolone Cheese (shredded)
1 Roasted Red Pepper (julienne)
¼ cup Bruschetta Topping (see recipe below)
1 tbl Italian Seasoning
1 tbl Romano or Parmesan Cheese

1.    Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2.    Clean & slice Portobello mushroom into strips.  Marinade mushroom in Italian salad dressing for 1 hour.  Then sauté mushroom over med-high heat until begins to soften.
3.    On a lightly floured surface, flatten pizza dough in a circular motion and stretch to desired size (use rolling pin if necessary).  Place dough onto pizza stone, or baking sheet
4.    Spread pesto sauce on pizza dough, and cover evenly with provolone cheese.
5.    Evenly cover pizza with the sautéed mushroom, roasted red pepper, and bruschetta topping.
6.    Sprinkle pizza with seasoning, and Romano cheese, then bake for apprx 15 min. (cooking times vary.  Check crust for desired doneness).

Bruschetta Topping
1 ½ vine ripe tomatoes, diced
½ Red Onion, diced
4 Garlic cloves, minced
2 tbl chopped fresh basil
Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
1.    Mix all ingredients together in bowl.  Drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and add salt & pepper to desired taste.  Place in fridge for 1 hour then mix again before using.