Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Gary S. Hatrick

The Laker correspondent

ZEPHYRHILLS —Vintage cars are rolling into town in great numbers for the 25th annual Fall Auto Fest, which will take place Nov. 12 to 15 at Festival Park on US 301, south of Zephyrhills.

The Auto Fest features a variety of activities for the serious car lover or the casual observer.

“There will be quite a variety of cars and excitement — there’s nothing like hearing the sound of a racing Offenhouser engine or watching a ’57 Chevy round the track,” said Chris Drews, an Auto Fest organizer.

The festival begins each morning at 8 a.m. and includes an Automotive and Swap Meet. Exhibits will display and sell tools, auto parts, restoration supplies, toys and collectibles.

A daily 8 a.m. Car Corral matches sellers with buyers. Owners of hundreds of antique, collector, street rod, exotic and other cars are available to talk with potential buyers. Sales are frequently negotiated on site.

A Vintage Auto Exhibition Race takes place Thursday at 11 a.m. and features sprints, midgets, two-man speedsters and stock cars driven by drivers who competed in the vehicles in their hey day. Warm-up races continue Friday through Sunday, also at 11 a.m.

A Collector Car Auction is scheduled for Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. Cars sold at this auction must be antique or collector cars that are at least 20 years old. There is no age restriction for convertibles, Corvettes, Rolls Royce, Bentleys, Porsches, street rods, muscle cars, or exotic or special interest cars.

Buying a collector car is good business, according to Drews.

“If you buy a classic car, you can drive it down memory lane and re-live your youth,” he said.

While acknowledging that car values go up and down, Drew added, “At least you can always enjoy your antique car, unlike coins that you keep in a safe deposit box or real estate that you have to take care of it and pay taxes on.”

For the competitive car owner, a car show will take place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for antique, collector, street rod or exotic cars, trucks or motorcycles. Call the Auto Fest at (800) 303-CARS (2277) for eligibility criteria. Each show car receives a dash plaque and entrants are eligible for three $100 drawings a day.

Camping is available at the Fall Auto Fest. RV and tent campsites are located next to the swap meet area with 24-hour shower and rest room facilities as well as RV dump and water-fill-up facilities.

Admission is $8 Thursday and Friday and $10 Saturday and Sunday. Children under 12 are free. There is no charge for parking. Packages for all four days are available.

For more information, call toll free (800) 303-CARS (2277) or visit www.zephyrhillsfestivals.com.

By Gary S. Hatrick

The Laker Correspondent

ZEPHYRHILLS — Kerry Barnett, longtime fire marshal for the Zephyrhills Fire Department, has been named 2009 Fire Marshal of the Year by the Florida Fire Marshal and Inspectors Association.

“This is a prestigious award,” Barnett said. “Considering the individuals who have won it previous years, I am humbled. Those guys have years more experience than me.”

Barnett acknowledged that it has been a challenging year for him as fire marshal, with the Zephyrhills City Council reviewing several complaints regarding inspection issues.

“It’s kind of a shining star at the end of the year,” Barnett said in reference to the complaints. “The year may have started off bad, but it ended good.”

Assistant Fire Chief Glenn Clegg nominated Barnett for the award, and several firefighters and peers wrote letters of recommendation.

“A fire marshal’s job is unappreciated by most people,” Clegg said. “… But in the end, their job is to protect the businesses so the city can continue.”

Clegg said he nominated Barnett because he continued to do his job despite the controversies of the past year.

“He’s here to do the job the right way and to not forsake his duties,” Clegg said.

Barnett’s name is engraved along with past winners on a large trophy displayed at the Florida State Fire College.

“It’s kind of like a winner’s cup,” Barnett said proudly. “You get to bring it home for 90 days. I’ll display it at the station for a while — it’s quite the neat little trophy.”

In April, Barnett will travel to Tallahassee for a reception with State Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, who will have a proclamation honoring him. The Florida House and Senate will also recognize him.

Barnett has been with the Zephyrhills Fire Department for 22 years and has been fire marshal since 2003. He and his wife, Lisa, are the parents of Chellsey and Dylan.

Monty is always thirsty

Monty is 5-years-old and likes to drink water from any faucet she sees. When she wants your attention, Monty will run ahead of you and lay down in your path and wiggle. She acts like she owns the house. She never leaves the house unless her owner is out for a walk, and then she will follow. Monty brings much happiness to her owner, Darcey Barnes, of Wesley Chapel.

Satto Vam Buddha goes by many names

Satto Vam Buddha is a 5-month-old Brussels Griffon. He has earned many names to describe his cute personality. Although his name in Sanskrit means Manifesting Pure Awareness, he is also known as Lover Boy, Squirt, Squeaker, Worm and Handsome. He simply loves and incessantly bothers his companion, Raksha-Raksha Rockchester. His proud parents are Armida Stickney and Tom Armentano, of Land O’ Lakes.

By Gary S. Hatrick

The Laker Correspondent

ZEPHYRHILLS — Lee Greenwood, the country artist best known for his patriotic hit “God Bless the U.S.A.,” will be the featured artist at the Florida Hospital Zephyrhills Gala XIII on Nov. 19.

The annual Gala is the signature fund-raising banquet for Florid Hospital Zephyrhills. This year’s event will benefit the new Women’s Breast Center at the hospital.

The Gala is a black tie evening and begins with a social hour and silent auction at 5:30 p.m. Dinner is at 6:30 p.m. and Greenwood takes the stage afterward. The event will take place at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel.

Foundation Coordinator Leslie Dellas said choosing Greenwood grew out of last year’s Gala entertainer.

“We had Crystal Gayle last year, and she and Lee Greenwood are quite friendly and work together,” Dellas said. “Some thought we should give him a try, too.”

Tickets for the Gala cost $125; table sponsorships are still available.

Gala XIII is one of two fund-raising events for the hospital taking place this weekend. The hospital’s annual golf tournament is Nov. 20 at Saddlebrook, with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. and an awards luncheon afterward.

The field is already full, with 210 golfers pre-registered. Dellas encouraged those who want to play to call and reserve a spot in case of a cancellation.

To purchase tickets to the Gala, and for more information on both events, call the Florida Hospital Foundation Office at (813) 783-6144.

By Ashley Dunn

News Editor

LAND O’ LAKES — Sunlake High 12th-graders Karey Gumina, Taylor Rowand, Rhianna Davis and Chelsea Devlin crowded around a lap top in Rhonda Leslie’s American Sign Language class.

On the screen, they could see two students from the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, and those two students could see them.

“What’s your favorite movie?” said Rhianna, as she used her hands to sign the question.

The two boys on the screen signed back.

“Pineapple Express,” Chelsea said aloud as the girls laughed.

“Good movie,” Rhianna said as she signed.

For the past five weeks, students in Leslie’s class have been using Skype to communicate with deaf students at the school in St. Augustine.

“The goal is two-fold,” Leslie said. “It’s for them to develop their language through immersion and socially interact. Most of these kids may never meet a deaf person, it’s just a way for them to connect.”

Leslie got the idea for the project over the summer. It’s still in the beginning stages, so students are working through some of the technical difficulties. The yearlong project will be highlighted by a class field trip to visit students at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind.

Skype is being used more often in Pasco schools, according to Wendy Spriggs, director of the district’s Instructional Media and Technology department. It’s one of many technologies to help prepare students for the future.

“Ten years ago, students were barely using the Internet for research,” Spriggs said. “…Now, students use technology for communication and collaboration.”

New technology

Gone are the days of filmstrips. Overhead projectors are becoming fewer and farther between. Remember movie days when the lights would be turned off and your class would spend the entire period sleeping instead of watching the educational film at the front of the room?

“They don’t get that luxury so much anymore,” Spriggs joked.

Instead, teachers are encouraged to include short video clips in their lessons. If they’re teaching their students about the H1N1 vaccine, they can import a 3-minute clip into a PowerPoint presentation, for example, and get right to the point of the lesson.

Some schools use iPods and iPod Touches to watch videos or read e-books. Multiple books can be loaded onto an iPod Touch and pages can be turned with a finger. The technology give students access to reading material right at their fingertips, while saving the district money because it doesn’t have to order volumes of books.

In the classroom, teachers are using student responders, devices that allow each student to answer multiple-choice questions as they are learning a lesson. Teachers are instantly able to gauge how students understand the information. It’s more effective than calling on random students every so often, Spriggs said.

Classrooms are also being equipped with digital projectors with cameras, which can project images of anything one puts in front of the camera. Chalkboards are being replaced with electronic whiteboards.

Students have interactive slates, too. When teachers call on a student, they can pull up that student’s slate and project it on the whiteboard while he or she gives the answer.

At Double Branch Elementary, students recently received a dance mat that uses an interactive whiteboard and computer projector. Students can solve math problems by projecting them onto the whiteboard and dancing on the mat.

“In the last five years, things have exploded,” Spriggs said. “Moodle is exploding more than any technology.”

Moodle

Moodle is a free and secure learning management system that teachers and students can use to interact with others. It stands for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment.

Moodle gives students the opportunity to communicate globally by uploading files, podcasts, songs and other media. It’s mainly used for discussion, Spriggs said.

“When you’re discussing something, it really deepens the knowledge,” she explained. “Being able to do it with technology… it’s a more engaging way for students to discuss what they’ve learned. We really see technology as enhancing teaching and learning and really taking learning to a deeper level.”

Elementary schoolers have used Moodle to create instructions for kindergarteners on how to draw a snowman, and Wiregrass Ranch High uses Moodle to announce the morning news in podcasts.

“They (Wiregrass Ranch) have really jumped on using Moodle in a variety of ways,” Spriggs said.

Every school has access to Moodle, but some schools and teachers are much more involved in it than others. Some schools don’t use it at all.

“I would say 25 percent of our schools are using Moodle in one form or another,” Spriggs said, “and it’s growing quite rapidly.”

Skype

The Pasco school district has used Skype for about three years. Pasco Middle was one of the first schools to use it to communicate with China as part of the district’s Global Partnership Project, which connects Pasco schools with schools all over the world. Now, there are schools in the district that communicate with classes in both China and Sweden.

Teachers, principals and even Schools Superintendent Heather Fiorentino also use Skype to communicate.

Ultimately, though, the emerging technology in schools is meant to get students ready for life after they leave the Pasco school district.

“It’s a new world in schools today, and it’s a new world in business and colleges today, and it’s our job to prepare them,” Spriggs said.

Back in Leslie’s classroom, the girls continued signing to the two male students in St. Augustine. One of the boys held up a prom picture of his girlfriend, and the girls asked how long he had been dating her. They gasped when they heard the answer: five years.

“Wow,” Rhianna said as she signed, holding up three fingers on either side of her face.

Karey Gumina said she uses Skype at home and is excited to use it in school.

“I think it’s fun,” she said, “and something new and different.”

Glossary of terms

Skype — a software application that allows users to make free phone calls, send instant messages, transfer files and videoconference over the Internet

PowerPoint — a computer program that allows a user to create a multimedia presentation

iPods and iPod Touches — personal and portable media players

e-book — a digital book that is the equivalent of a printed book

student responders — devices that allow each student to answer multiple-choice questions as they are learning a lesson

electronic whiteboard — an interactive display that connects to a computer and projector, which casts an image from the computer to the board

interactive slate — a smaller, personal version of an electronic whiteboard about the size of a sheet of paper

Moodle — (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) a free learning management system that teachers and students can use to interact with others

podcasts — a series of digital media files that are released by episode and can be downloaded

Employees excited to relocate

By Ashley Dunn

News Editor

LUTZ — Gloria Serrano double checked prices on Christmas labels. Cathy Nichols stocked shelves in the pet department. Pat Miro iced a cake in the bakery.

Around the new Wal-Mart last week, employees were getting ready for the store’s grand opening on Nov. 4. It will open at 8 a.m. after a ribbon cutting ceremony at 7:30 a.m. It’s located at 1575 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. in Pasco Lutz and is replacing the store at the Village Lakes Shopping Center on SR 54 in Land O’ Lakes, which closes at 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.

“We can’t wait,” said Store Manager Brandie Guderjahn on Oct. 28 about the move.

In recent months, Wal-Mart has taken steps to refresh its stores, merchandising and customer experience, Guderjahn explained. The new 210,966-square-foot store features wide aisles, enhanced service and a layout designed to make the shopping experience more convenient for customers. Wal-Mart aligned the departments that customers shop most frequently.

The pharmacy, for example, is adjacent to the grocery section so that it’s easier for customers to pick up their prescriptions while shopping for their groceries.

The site-to-store pick-up counter and the photo lab are located at the entrance so customers spend less time weaving through the store to get to them.

“You want to print some pictures, you just run in, print them, and run back out,” Guderjahn said.

Lower shelving creates an improved sightline, she said, and directional signage on every aisle helps customers find what they are looking for quickly.

The new store will also have a Subway, an optical center, a hair salon and a Redbox, a DVD vending machine.

“I think the sustainability piece of the building is the best,” Guderjahn said.

The new Lutz Wal-Mart includes features to reduce energy and water consumption and minimize waste. Skylights let in sunlight and reduce the amount of energy required to light the store by up to 75 percent daily. After the sun goes down, LED lighting in the store operates 70 percent more efficiently than traditional fluorescent lighting. Lights in freezers are on motion sensors and only come on if a customer walks by.

The cement used in the concrete flooring is made with recycled materials, and the floor’s finish reduces the need for chemical cleaners. Baseboards are made from recycled plastics.

Low-flow toilets and faucets reduce the water used in the bathrooms. The extra heating from refrigerators and freezers heats the water in the bathrooms.

The new store is tailored to the needs of the community based on sales at the other store, Guderjahn said. The garden center features a drive through so that customers can bring their vehicles right up to the stone that they are buying, for example, and have an associate load the items.

“It’s kind of unique to our community,” Guderjahn said.

The firearm section of the store has a new automated system so that customers no longer have to fill out forms by hand — it’s all done on the computer.

“It takes, like, half the time,” Guderjahn said.

Guderjahn has been with the Land O’ Lakes Wal-Mart for five years, but this isn’t the first time she’s opened a new store. She helped relocate the Zephyrhills store about six years ago. Lately, she said she has been traveling between the Land O’ Lakes and Lutz stores four to five times a day to make sure there aren’t any snags at either location.

“Everything’s going really smooth as expected,” she said.

The new store has about 380 associates, including 240 new positions that were created as a result of the relocation. More than 60 of the store’s associates have worked for Wal-Mart for more than 10 years, including five associates who have worked at the store since its original opening in 1987. Some of the employees at the new store have come from other nearby locations. Gloria Serrano, for example, came from the store on Little Road in New Port Richey.

“I love it here,” Serrano said of the new Lutz location. “This is gorgeous.”

If you go

What: Wal-Mart ribbon cutting ceremony

When: Nov. 4 at 7:30 a.m.

Where: 1575 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Lutz

Notes: Pastor Mark Quattrochi of Grace Family Church will begin the ceremony with an invocation. The Sunlake High School Band will perform the national anthem with local veterans presenting the colors. Members of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce will cut the ribbon to officially open the new store. The Lutz Wal-Mart will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

More information: (813) 949-4238

Grants will be presented

As part of Wal-Mart’s commitment to the communities in which it operates, $33,000 in grants from the Wal-Mart Foundation will be presented during the grand-opening celebration. The following organizations will each receive grants to support programs that serve the community:

— Pasco County Fire Department

— Habitat For Humanity

— All Children’s Hospital

— Suncoast Harvest Food Bank

— Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

— American Cancer Society

— Hospice Foundation

— Pasco Education Foundation

— Sunlake High School

— Rushe Middle School

— Sanders Memorial Elementary

— Denham Oaks Elementary

— Quail Hollow Elementary

— Lake Myrtle Elementary