Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Rachel Nelson

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

TAMPA — Six of Santa’s reindeer have begun their journey to Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo for Wild Wonderland, the zoo’s 10th annual nighttime festival of lights and seasonal celebrations, presented by Publix Super Market Charities. The Zoo has launched a Wild Wonderland Web site (www.lowryparkzoo.com/wildwonderland) where families can track the reindeer and read postcards from their travels, play reindeer games, have some holiday fun and preview the event, which opens Dec. 4 and 5.

During Wild Wonderland, the zoo is illuminated with holiday lights, sights and sounds on select nights in December.

Millions of twinkling lights and glimmering holiday displays light up the night. Thousands of LEDs (energy efficient lights) bring new technology to animated displays. A new Visions of Sugarplums display features a forest with giant trees, holiday fairies, magical scenes and sounds of music boxes.

Meet Santa and his real reindeer who have made the journey from the North Pole. See a dazzling Frozen Forest with crystal animals, trees and dancing fountains set to the sounds of festive music. Hear the jingle bells ring on a special holiday horse-drawn carriage ride.

Have a wild time with free unlimited zoo rides like the Skyfari sky ride featuring tree-top views of twinkling lights or take a spin on the Jungle Carousel radiant with lights. Children can frolic in Frosty’s Foam Factory where Frosty and his pals will create a bubble (foam) snow. Holiday themed games will be added to the new Key West Arcade.

Not only a feast for the eyes, Wild Wonderland offers a wide assortment of holiday delights located around the zoo. A new Sweet Shoppe is opening just in time for the holidays, offering tasty treats including a variety of gourmet cupcakes, specialty cookies, hand-dipped ice cream, candy apples, nostalgic candies and seasonal surprises.

Holiday magic runs wild at Wild Wonderland Dec. 4 and 5, 10 to 13, 17 to 23 and 26 to 30 from 6 to 9 p.m. General admission is $13 for adults (ages 12 and older), $11 for children (ages 3 to 11) and free for children age 2 and younger. Annual Zoo Pass holders receive discounted admission. Admission includes free unlimited rides, with the exception of the Jingle Bells horse drawn carriage ride, which is $4 per person. Tickets are on sale now at www.lowryparkzoo.com.

The event is a fund-raiser for the zoo, a nonprofit organization, and proceeds will benefit animal care and education programs.

Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo gratefully acknowledges the sponsors and partners who make this event possible: Publix Super Markets Charities; Grow Financial Federal Credit Union; AT&T Real Yellow Pages; Filippo Berio Olive Oil; Ierna’s Heating and Cooling; and Mix1.

Rachel Nelson is the director of Public Relations for Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo.

By Diane Kortus

Staff Writer

LUTZ — Thanksgiving weekend is a time most families relax and kick off the holiday shopping season. But for Courtney and Lesley Stone, this past week was quite the opposite.

The couple and their 10 employees worked nonstop to move their used furniture store, Room Exchange, to a new location a mile down the road that adds 5,000 square feet to their growing business. The move coincides with the store’s third anniversary

After being closed for a week, Room Exchange re-opens Dec. 3 next to Lifestyle Fitness in Willow Bend Towne Centre, the retail hub of the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes corridor at SR 54 and Collier Parkway.

“It’s the busiest intersection in Pasco County,” said Courtney Stone, adding that he counts on walk-in traffic for much of his store’s sales.

Previously, the store was located at Village Lakes Shopping Center. With Wal-Mart, that center’s long-time tenant, moving last month to its new store on US 41, the Stones decided the time was right to also move their store to a larger location.

Their new store is 12,500 square feet and occupies space that formerly housed a Publix super market. The space is open with lots of windows and natural light, giving Room Exchange’s interior designer, Gena Griffin, much more space to create realistic room vignettes typically found only at new furniture stores.

Griffin’s lifestyle arrangements are so professionally done that it’s common for first-time customers to ask where the used furniture is located in the store, said co-owner Lesley Stone.

“That always makes us giggle,” said Stone. “Everything in our store is used, but people don’t always realize it because the furniture we carry is so nice and so nicely arranged.”

Customers can find furniture bands such as Ethan Allen, Thomasville, Lexington, Rooms to Go, Ashley and Haverty’s. They also carry some antiques.

The Stones price their furniture at 50 to 90 percent less than new furniture. Most consigned items selling in just 18 to 21 days.

After furniture is accepted for consignment, its price drops by 10 percent every 30 days. If it is still not sold after four months, the consignor can discount deeper, donate it to charity or pick it up from the store.

“But that rarely happens because just about everything we take in sells before then,” said Courtney Stone.

Many of Room Exchange’s customers — both consignors and people who buy the furniture — are repeat customers. “We have some folks who stop by three days a week to see what’s new,” said Lesley Stone.

Many consignors are those downsizing to smaller homes. Other furniture comes from model homes after builders sell or change out their models.

Room Exchange does not sell electronics and has no plans to do so.

“It is too difficult to control the quality and guarantee the reliability of televisions, stereo systems and other electronics,” said Courtney Stone.

The Stones, who have been married five years, live in a 1,450 square foot house in Meadow Pointe subdivision in Wesley Chapel. Do they take furniture home from the store?

“All the time. We love furniture and our little house is stuffed,” said Lesley. “We are constantly putting our furniture on consignment and buying new things.”

In the three years they’ve been in business, the Stones have seen a lot of stuff come and go. The most unusual items they’ve sold were a hot dog cart and covered wagon bed set.

It’s this variety that makes owning Room Exchange so enjoyable, said Courtney Stone. “It’s always changing and it keeps us hopping,” he said.

The Room Exchange is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The more information, call (813) 909-2411 or visit www.roomexchangeonline.com.

Pasco County officials grant 10-year extension to 2021

By Steve Lee

Sports Editor

WESLEY CHAPEL — Doomed by the recession, environmental guidelines and legal issues, the Cypress Creek Town Center at SR 54 and I-75 has been put on hold.

In November, Pasco County officials granted the developer’s request for a 10-year construction extension to 2021. Commissioners previously granted the Richard E. Jacobs Group extensions in 2008 and 2009.

Commissioners still must rubber stamp the extension, which so far has been approved by the Development Review Committee and Local Planning Agency.

“They have cleared two hurdles already,” said commissioner Ted Schrader, noting that the commissioners’ OK in December is a mere formality “unless something comes out of left field. At least it gives them some time to allow the market to recover.”

The Cleveland-based developer faced a Dec. 31, 2011 construction deadline for the 510-acre project. The first phase was to include a 1.2 million-square-foot mall, 600,000 square feet of retail space and 120,000 square feet for offices. Plans also called for 350 hotel rooms, 230 apartments and a 2,582-seat movie theater.

Despite the delay, Schrader said he thinks the mall will eventually be built.

“I firmly believe that you’ll see a mall there one day,” he said. “I think Cypress Creek Town Center will draw a tremendous amount of shoppers from Hillsborough County.”

Meanwhile, two malls in Wesley Chapel — The Grove and The Shops at Wiregrass — have opened and expanded in the past year.

For State Rep. Will Weatherford (R-Wesley Chapel), whose family lives in Wesley Chapel and shops at both new malls, delaying Cypress Creek makes perfect sense.

“I just don’t think the demand is there right now,” Weatherford said. “I think (the extension) is a good thing. They’ve got 10 years to figure it out.”

The delay could change the landscape of storefronts when and if Cypress Creek opens. The granted extension led to Target backing out. That potential anchor joined Linens ’n Things and Circuit City, which both backed out earlier this year because they went out of business.

The delay will also provide time for litigation to work out.

Earlier this year, the Army Corps of Engineers suspended the developers’ permit after muddy water flowed into Cypress Creek, which feeds into Hillsborough County’s drinking water supply. When Jacobs Group agreed to pay nearly $300,000 in fines for violating the Clean Water Act, permits were reinstated in September.

There are outstanding lawsuits with the Sierra Club filing against the corps for issuing the permit and Kearney Construction and Jacobs Group filing countersuits against one another.

“They’ll get past all that,” Schrader said.

By Ashley Reams Dunn

News Editor

WESLEY CHAPEL — When James Kelske looks at a piece of firewood, he doesn’t see a chunk of timber. He sees possibilities.

Kelske uses a chainsaw to turn logs into art. Dolphins, flamingos, pelicans, penguins, bears, turtles and tiki gods dot the lawn in front of The Tree Feller, a tree removal and land clearing business on SR 54 in Wesley Chapel where Kelske has been selling his creations for the past three weeks.

“If you can see what you want to make in a piece of wood, you can make it, I reckon,” he says.

Kelske, of Zephyrhills, has worked with wood all his life, which he claims has been quite long. When asked his age, he responded: “I am 443.” He’s only been carving for the past couple years though.

What got him into it?

“Hunger,” he says, as his dry sense of humor becomes even more obvious.

He saw someone carve a flamingo out of a log with a chainsaw about two years ago.

“I said, ‘I can do that,’” he recalls.

He picked up his saw, found a log, and made his own flamingo on the first try. Now, he says he can carve anything as long as he has a picture to look at.

“If you’ve got an idea of something that you want, I can pretty much make it,” he says.

Kelske — also known at the Tiki Man — first sold his artwork on SR 54 closer to Zephyrhills near the New River Library. He stopped about six months ago and began taking his creations on the road, setting up at locations in Brandon (where he grew up) and Tampa. But loading and unloading the heavy wooden pieces made traveling difficult.

So, about a month ago, he got in touch with The Tree Feller’s Dave Morrissette and Owner Walt French, to ask about setting up at their location at the corner of Ellerbee Road and SR 54 in Wesley Chapel. For Morrissette and French, it was a win-win situation.

Firewood is piled up outside, and sometimes it has to be thrown out.

“Instead of wasting it, we’re recycling it,” Morrissette says.

They say they’re also hoping Kelske will bring in more business for their tree care business, which offers free mulch, tree removal, tree recycling, land clearing and senior discounts. Business has been waning lately because of the economy, and the holiday season isn’t going to make it any better.

“This is our slowest time of the year,” Morrissette says.

The set up is also nice for Kelske, who now has a seemingly limitless supply of wood for his artwork.

On Nov. 19, he was carving a giraffe, a project he had started the day before.

“Some pieces take longer than others, but I like to get a couple made in a day,” he says as he looks out over the sea of parrots, gnomes and other chainsaw art he’s created. “This stuff goes in spurts. Sometimes I can keep up. Other times I can’t.”

Kelske admits that he’s always been creative — he also likes playing guitar, for example — but he approaches his woodwork in a down-to-earth way.

“People think this is special,” he says. “I think it’s basic, really.”

Pieces range in price from $20 to $1,000 depending on the size and how much time they take to make. Kelske can usually start and finish a big piece in two days, but he gives himself a week for special orders. He has to be in the right frame of mind before he begins.

“I can’t just come out here and force stuff to come out,” he says. “It’s gotta come out on it’s own.”

James Kelske sells his artwork at The Tree Feller, 5835 Ellerbee Road in Wesley Chapel. Call him at (352) 206-2872 or (813) 312-0710. For more information about The Tree Feller, call (813) 909-2002.

Adventist church serves free Thanksgiving dinners

By Kyle LoJacono

Staff Writer

ZEPHYRHILLS — Thanksgiving is a day for people to come together and give thanks for what they have, and one local church is helping the needy do just that.

The East Pasco Seventh-day Adventist Church, located at 7333 Dairy Road in Zephyrhills, is giving away 100 turkey dinners on Thanksgiving this year. Dinner will be served in a sit-down setting at 1 p.m. at the church.

“We wanted to help people on Thanksgiving, not just on a day near it,” said Nancy Canoy, community service director at the church. “Lots of other groups do great things for the needy around the holidays, but not so many do things on Thanksgiving. We want to help them give thanks on that special day.

“We especially want to help needy families with children, the elderly and the homeless,” said Canoy, 51, who helped come up with the idea for the dinner. “We have tried to get the word out as best we can, and hopefully we’ll have lots of people show up.”

Canoy has received few reservations to this point. Those interested should call (813) 715-6356 for reservations, which are granted first come, first serve.

Canoy’s husband, Dave, has been helping her put together the dinner. The two moved to Zephyrhills in 2000, and Dave, 53, is the church’s music coordinator.

“We have been looking for a way to reach out to the community,” said Pastor Art Stagg. “It is a little daunting because we’ve never done anything like this before. You could say there is never a good time to have to do programs like this, but this is a good way to start. If people are in need we’ll help in any way we can, but we wish our help wasn’t needed by so many.”

Stagg has been the church’s pastor for eight years. The church is trying to reach out more to the needy in the community with programs like the free dinners.

“We are starting a program to help feed the homeless with the Metropolitan Ministries after the new year,” said Canoy. “So the free dinners will be our way to start our outreach program. Our church’s mission is outreach to the needy and we want to do just that.”

Florida Hospital Zephyrhills is donating eight 20-pound smoked turkeys and a few small items for the dinner. The rest the feast is coming from church members’ donations.

“Hopefully we can make it a tradition here,” Stagg said.

Church members will be cooking the food on Thanksgiving, and Stagg will say grace and a few words about Thanksgiving before the meal.

“The dinner is kind of a sacrifice because most people do things all day with their family on Thanksgiving, but I can’t wait to serve the dinners,” said Canoy. “We know the people coming for the dinner will get a lot out of it, but I think those of us that are donating food and serving it will get even more out of it.”

Thanks for playing

By Steve Lee

Sports Editor

LAND O’ LAKES — The prep football playoffs got under way Nov. 20 with Land O’ Lakes, Pasco and Hudson holding the county’s hopes of celebrating a state championship — albeit to no avail after first-round losses for each.

The onset of the so-called second season meant the conclusion of the 2009 regular season. It also wound up The Laker’s second annual Friday Night Lights, a good-natured contest featuring local advertisers trying to beat the weekly picks of yours truly.

In the inaugural season of Friday Night Lights, I finished as the runner-up to Chris Drews, who along with Shelley Ketchum and Terri Williamson sold advertising space to the contestants. Drews bowed out this year — you know, that whole quit while you’re ahead thinking — and I hung on for a narrow victory over Mike Mira.

The owner of Maine-ly New England, a seafood restaurant in Zephyrhills, also coaches the Zephyrhills High girls soccer team. That insight into the prep sports scene, not to mention his community involvement, helped Mira get 55 picks right. That was just one fewer than me.

Still, competition was not what Friday Night Lights was all about. The fun of picking each week, and having folks at football games I covered come up and rag on me for the losses, made it a fun-filled venture.

I also got a kick out of staff members Gena Crowder and Carolyn Bennett tracking down weekly picks, and co-workers Mary Rathman and Stefanie Burlingame hounding me for updates on Monday morning deadlines.

A special thanks goes to Mira and the seven other participants, each of whom picked their shares of winners and losers. That group included Alex Altenhoff, Gary Bailey, Tino Gonzalez, Kevin Hansut, Jeff Martin, Shael Morgan and Kevin Ryman.

Now for the best part. All eight participants, along with publisher Diane Kortus, Drews, Ketchum, myself and staff writer Kyle LoJacono, who shoulders most of the sports load for the Lutz News, will gather at the Plantation Palms Clubhouse on Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. for a free lunch. Hey, it’s the least we could do.

Plus, Ketchum has made arrangements for a tacky trophy with the names of all who took part in Friday Night Lights engraved on it. In the tradition of the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup, everyone will take possession of the Cup — er, tacky trophy — for 30 days before passing it on.

And that, folks, could lead to an entirely different column.

Land O’ Lakes, Hudson eliminated

By Steve Lee

Sports Editor

DADE CITY — One and done.

That marked the theme for the county’s three playoff teams with Pasco, Land O’ Lakes and Hudson bowing out in the opening round on Nov. 21.

The host Pirates battled St. Petersburg Lakewood tough in a 36-25 loss at W.F. Edwards Stadium. That dashed any hopes the Pirates had of matching last season’s postseason run that ended in the state semifinals.

The Gators, who under first-year coach Matt Kitchie clinched their county-record 13^th consecutive postseason berth in the ninth week of the regular season, lost 43-22 at Jefferson.

The Cobras, who lost to Land O’ Lakes in the regular-season finale, also played on the road. The result was not good as Gainesville posted a 17-0 shutout of Hudson.

Although Pasco’s quest to return to the state tournament ended abruptly, the team has become a perennial playoff contender with three straight district titles and back-to-back Sunshine Athletic Conference championships.

“Hopefully, we’re learning to do things to win,” said Tom McHugh, who has coached the Pirates for three seasons. “(Returning players) have something to build on, something to come back for.”

Trailing 22-15 at halftime, Pasco capitalized on a Lakewood miscue to knot the score at 22 early in the third quarter. One play after a Trey Dudley-Giles interception, Janarion Grant tiptoed inside the left pylon for an 8-yard touchdown run.

Brennan Allen, who struggled before halftime with a missed field goal and two errant point-after kicks, converted for the tie. Allen later kicked a 47-yard field goal that came after a 79-yard pass play from quarterback Jermiel Douse to Bernard Reedy.

“You don’t have to accept (losing), but you have to understand it’s going to happen,” McHugh told his players in a postgame huddle. “There’s only one team that doesn’t lose, the team that wins the state.”

Pasco (9-2) got on the scoreboard first with Grant’s 61-yard catch setting up Clifford Phillips’ 11-yard touchdown run. With Allen missing the extra-point attempt, Lakewood came back to take a 7-6 lead on Douse’s 8-yard run and Max Thuriere’s kick.

Allen’s 33-yard field goal gave the Pirates another lead at 9-7, but the Spartans (9-2) rallied with two touchdowns and a field goal before the break.

Grant, Pasco’s freshman sensation, answered one of those scores by returning a kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown.

JEFFERSON 43, LAND O’ LAKES 22: After spotting Jefferson a 7-0 lead, Land O’ Lakes countered with a field goal and a touchdown to go ahead 9-7. But that was as close as the Gators came as the Dragons reeled off 23 unanswered points for a decisive playoff win.

Land O’ Lakes (9-2) got a 37-yard field goal from Brennan Stack and 22-yard touchdown pass from Stephen Weatherford to Alex Robinson before Jefferson’s scoring outburst.

The Gator defense was no match for quarterback Quentin Williams, who passed for three scores and ran for two more. Jefferson (9-1) also got stellar efforts from Demetrius Russell, who gained 110 yards, and Andre Davis, who had two scoring receptions.

Weatherford finished with 210 passing yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He threw another scoring pass to Robinson and one to Jason Tello.

GAINESVILLE 17, HUDSON 0: The Cobras, who at barely snuck into the playoffs, were no match for host Gainesville (10-1).

Four-year starting quarterback Zack Wynn, the second-leading passer in county history, led Hudson’s offense with 147 passing yards. Wynn also had a 32-yard field goal attempt blocked in the first quarter.

(Glance box. SL)

Football Playoffs

St. Petersburg Lakewood 36, Pasco 25

Jefferson 43, Land O’ Lakes 22

Gainesville 17, Hudson 0