The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Lutz News

Hiking Spree showcases regional parks, trails

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Take a hike — that’s what the Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation wants you to do this winter.

The county’s Hiking Spree program returns for its second year, with a new set of diverse trails for residents and visitors to explore.

The program began in November and runs through March 31.

Here’s how it works:

  • People may walk any of 20 designated trails on their own, with friends, as part of a group, or with a member of the Parks & Recreation staff. There also is a wild-card hike of sorts: Hikers choose their own trail, which can be anywhere.
  • Participants can receive a brass medallion or Access Hiker patch after completing eight of the 20 hikes.
  • The program works strictly on an honor system. Nobody monitors your progress.
  • Anyone can participate. There are no age or physical restrictions, and you don’t have to be a Hillsborough County resident.

It’s designed to offer something for everyone from hiking rookies to seasoned outdoor enthusiasts.

Some of the trails are at well-known regional parks, such as Lettuce Lake, Upper Tampa Bay, and Lithia Springs.

Lettuce Lake Park’s Boardwalk Run is included on this year’s Hiking Spree. It is one of 20 trails people are encouraged to try out this winter. (File)

Others are at more obscure preserves, including Alafia Scrub and Blackwater Creek.

Those who want a more leisurely walk can go to neighborhood and recreation centers, including Northdale, All People’s, and Valrico, which are part of the program, too.

Each trail has a classification and difficulty rating. Distances range from about one-third mile to more than 4 miles.

Hikers can walk paths near their homes, but also are encouraged to explore new terrain.

“We’ve basically highlighted 20 trails that we thought people would like to see,” said Dana McDonald, special events coordinator for Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation.

“We wanted to make sure there were acceptable trails. We wanted to make sure there were some easier trails for people who just started out — a little bit more primitive trails for people who really want to get deep into nature.”

While still new, the outdoor initiative already seems to be a hit.

About 1,000 people participated in the inaugural program last year.

Thousands more are expected to take part this year. In fact, more than 3,200 people have already registered for this year’s challenge.

The hiking event promotes the county’s parks and trail offerings, encouraging people to get active outdoors and experience “natural” Florida.

Set across fall, winter and early spring, it’s also timed to take advantage of the cooler, drier weather and to coincide with prime bird-watching season.

“It’s a way to kind of get out and turn off the cellphones, turn off the electronics and just kind of be out there, take some time for yourself,” McDonald said.

“It’s a great way for families to explore nature,” she added.

Hiking Spree is modeled on successful programs elsewhere, most notably in Akron, Ohio. There, the Summit Metro Parks community hiking event draws some 12,000 participants annually.

Parks & Recreation officials hope to surpass that mark one day.

“We want to take as many people out to our parks as possible,” McDonald said. “We just want to make sure people see it and they experience it.”

For information or to register, visit hcflgov.net/hikingspree.

Here’s the list of parks and trails for the 2018 Hiking Spree:

  • Alafia Scrub Nature Preserve, Riverview: River Bend Trail (1.5 miles)
  • Alderman’s Ford Conservation, Plant City: Two Rivers Loop (1.9 miles); Enchanted Forest Run (1 mile)
  • All People’s Life Center, Tampa: Nature Trail (0.40 miles)
  • Bell Creek Nature Preserve, Riverview: Nature Trail (4.1 miles)
  • Blackwater Creek Nature Preserve, Plant City: Central Loop (4.2 miles)
  • Branchton Neighborhood Park, Tampa: Gray Fox Fitness Trail (.75 miles)
  • Channel Park Trailhead, Tampa: Upper Tampa Bay Trail—north to Wilsky Road Trailhead and return (3 miles)
  • Cockroach Bay Nature Preserve, Ruskin: Nature Trail (.70 miles)
  • Edward Medard Conservation Park, Plant City: Singing Bluffs Trail (.70 miles)
  • Eureka Springs Conservation Park, Tampa: Serenity Loop (.35 miles)
  • Golden Aster Scrub Nature Preserve, Gibsonton: Nature Trail (3.5 miles)
  • Lettuce Lake Conservation Park, Tampa: Hammock Run or Boardwalk (2.1 miles)
  • Lithia Springs Conservation Park, Lithia: Fish Hawk Trail North (3 miles)
  • Lower Green Swamp Nature Preserve, Plant City: Nature Trail (2 miles)
  • Northdale Neighborhood Park, Tampa: Owl Fitness Trail (.45 miles)
  • Peterson Road Neighborhood Park Trailhead, Odessa: Upper Tampa Bay Trail—south to Ehrlich Road and return (2.4 miles)
  • Ruskin/Baudette Neighborhood Park, Ruskin: Quiet Pines Fitness Trail (1.2 miles)
  • Upper Tampa Bay Conservation Park, Tampa: Bobcat, Eagle and Otter Trails (1.7 miles total)
  • Valrico Neighborhood Park, Valrico: Rolling Acres Fitness Trail (.40 miles)
  • Wild-card trail (choose your own)

Published January 3, 2018

Shoppers had choices galore at Lutz Arts & Crafts Show

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First-year vendor Ray Williams, of Ocklawaha, takes a moment to straighten up a display of her hair pieces, called halos. Her motto is ‘since we weren’t born with halos, we have to make them.’ (Christine Holtzman)

The 38th annual Lutz Arts & Crafts Show attracted large crowds, during its two-day run Dec. 2 and Dec. 3 at Keystone Prep High School in Odessa.

The event featured more than 300 vendors, selling items ranging from photographs to shawls, metal and glass sculptures to gourmet sauces, local honey to kettle corn.

There were plenty of home décor items for sale, as well as holiday decorations and unique gift items.

The event is the largest annual fundraiser for the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club, which uses the proceeds to support scholarships and myriad local community causes.

By Christine Holtzman

Published December 13, 2017

In his 19th year of participating in this show, Jim Murray, of Geneva, stirs this giant kettle as the intense heat rapidly pops kernels into kettle corn. He needs the protective gear to avoid injury from hot oil and sugar, if it splashes out.
Lonnie Smith, of Lady Lake, relaxes under the shade of his umbrella while showing off his yo-yo ballooning skills. Lonnie and his wife, Joan, have had a booth at the Lutz Arts & Crafts show for 10 years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Debbie Wolfe, of Palm Harbor, tidies up her display of hand-crocheted washcloths. She was just a little girl when her aunt taught her to crochet, and she has been crocheting ever since.
Robin Ring, left, owner of Robyn’s Garden, answers questions from Dena Alessi-Bowden of Carrollwood, right, about her lawn art piece ‘Three Old Crows,’ as another customer Sandi Kaiser, of Holiday, listens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Susan Scaglione, left, is all smiles as she sees the reflection of herself in the mirror, wearing a delicate blue shawl. The piece was created by Cecilia Lutke, right, who uses top quality Italian nylon and yarn to create her shawls. It takes between six hours and seven hours to make a shawl.
Emily Behnke, of Tampa, checks out a jewelry display while her 2 ½-month-old niece, Madelyn Fannin, chooses to snooze.

It’s that time again for the Lutz Arts & Crafts Show

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Christmas at the Old Lutz School is coming up, too

Preparations are underway for the 38th annual Lutz Arts & Crafts Show, which is being held for the second year on the campus of Keystone Prep High School, 18105 Gunn Highway in Odessa.

“We’re going to have over 300 vendors. And, there’s a larger expanded food court,” said Faith Sincich, co-chair of the event.

She marvels at the transformation that takes place at the festival grounds, each year.

Zoe Deimling, 4, of Odessa, just can’t stop looking at the art on her face after having it painted at the Lutz Arts & Crafts Show. Deimling was along with her grandmother, Denise Alliston of Odessa, and her great-grandmother, Susan Corcoran of Lutz. (File)

“You go out on Friday morning and you see a field, an empty field, and by Saturday morning you see a little village of tents set up. It’s really incredible to see,” Sincich said.

As usual, there will be a great number of returning vendors, Sincich said. But, she noted, “we have some new vendors with some new crafts.”

The two-day event is always a hit with families because of its festive holiday atmosphere and its unique shopping opportunities. Shoppers can peruse booths featuring handcrafted jewelry, original artwork, photography, woodcrafts and metal work, and plants and yard art, to name just a few.

It is the primary annual fundraiser for the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club.

Proceeds from the event benefit “hundreds, and I mean literally hundreds of charities and nonprofits that we support,” Sincich said.

The venue changed last year, from Lake Park to Keystone Prep.

That didn’t seem to hurt attendance, Sincich said. “We thought that the attendance was about the same.”

Even so, organizers believe that attendance could increase this year.

“This year, now that more people are familiar with the new location, we expect more people,” Sincich said. The new venue is also conveniently located for people from Pinellas County who want to check it out, she noted.

There’s ample parking.

“There’s a lot more room for public parking at this facility than there was at the old Lake Park,” Sincich said.

This year, the event is on Dec. 2, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Dec. 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission is free, but there is a $5 charge for parking collected by the school, which receives the proceeds.

While the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club gears up for its giant arts and crafts show, the Citizens for the Old Lutz School Building is preparing for its annual Christmas celebration at the school, 18819 U.S. 41 N., in Lutz.

“Two of the rooms will be set up with trains and displays around trains,” said Stephanie Ensor, one of the event organizers. “The museum will be open.

“We have a tree room, where some different organizations will be bringing a tree to represent their organization.

“They have nutcrackers on display, throughout the building.

“The hallway is decorated by Steinbrenner (High School) student ambassadors,” Ensor added.

There will be entertainment on select evenings, and more entertainers are welcome to sign up.

There is no admission for the evenings at the schoolhouse, Ensor said, but “there will be a barrel to collect nonperishable food items and unwrapped toys for those less fortunate.”

The breakfast with Santa event costs $4.

The event is meant to serve as “a thank-you to the community for its continued support,” Ensor said.

It’s a great way for people to reconnect with people they haven’t seen in awhile, Ensor said.

“My daughters are 18 and 20 now.

“When I’m up there, I’m always running into someone I knew 15 years ago, when the kids were in kindergarten,” she said.

She enjoys the annual tradition at the schoolhouse.

“It’s really neat. It’s one of our little small-town things that we treasure,” Ensor said.

38th annual Lutz Arts & Crafts Show
Where: Keystone Prep High School, 18105 Gunn Highway in Odessa
When: Dec. 2, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Dec. 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: Admission is free; parking is $5 per car, with proceeds benefiting the school
Details: More than 300 vendors are expected at the event, which is a popular draw for families because of its holiday atmosphere and its unique shopping opportunities. It also is a juried show, giving artists a chance to win cash prizes.
Info: Call (813) 833-3962

 

21st annual Christmas at the Old Lutz School
Where:  18819 U.S. 41 N.
When: The evenings of Dec. 7, Dec. 9, Dec. 12, Dec. 14, Dec. 16, Dec. 19, Dec. 21, Dec. 22 and Dec. 26, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Cost: There is no admission, but collection boxes will be there to accept donations of nonperishable food and new, unwrapped toys, for those who are less fortunate.
Details: The school will be open for your viewing pleasure, with entertainment on select nights.

What: Breakfast with Santa at the Old Lutz School
When: Dec. 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Cost: $4, which includes a doughnut, juice and craft
Details: Santa will be there, so families can bring their cameras to take a photo with them. Additional menu items will be available for purchase.
Info: Email  

Published November 22, 2017

Interim steps planned to improve 54/41 traffic flow

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Construction on a project to improve traffic flow through the intersection of State Road 54 and U.S. 41 is expected to begin in 2018, according to Florida Department of Transportation officials.

The project, which will lengthen some turn lanes, currently is in design. The construction cost is about $752,000 and is included in the transportation department’s fiscal year 2019 budget, according to the department’s spokeswoman, Kris Carson.

State highway officials plan to lengthen some turn lanes to improve traffic flow for about 100,000 vehicles a day that move through State Road 54 and U.S. 41. (Kathy Steele)

Changes will focus on the west side of the intersection by lengthening the eastbound right- and left-turn lanes on State Road 54. To accomplish this, the median on State Road 54 at Hunt Road will be altered to allow only right turns from Hunt onto State Road 54.

Pasco County officials estimate design costs to be about $300,000.

The turn-lane changes are considered an interim solution to the traffic congestion at this intersection.

A permanent solution – and a major reconstruction – is the current focus of a study by a local task force that will make a recommendation to the county’s Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Those efforts began in 2015, and are expected to extend into 2018.

The entire study includes the State 54/56 corridor, from Bruce B. Downs Boulevard on the east to U.S. 19 on the west. Currently, the focus is on two intersections: Little Road and State Road 54 in New Port Richey, and U.S. 41 and State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes.

The Land O’ Lakes intersection is receiving most of the attention as one of the county’s busiest intersections. There also is available funding, which the New Port Richey intersection lacks.

Some options for State Road 54 and U.S. 41 include elevated lanes, as well as redesigns at ground level. Dedicated lanes for buses and express toll lanes also are being considered.

The 17-member task force is working with the MPO as well as Pasco County Planning and Development, FDOT and consultants.

Published November 22, 2017

Denham Oaks offers patriotic welcome to veterans

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Denham Oaks Elementary School was awash in red, white and blue as children and staff offered a warm welcome to about 75 area veterans at a Nov. 10 celebration.

A group of Boy Scouts served as the color guard at the Nov. 10 tribute to veterans at Denham Oaks Elementary School. (B.C. Manion)

As they arrived, a series of signs posted outside the school honored the men and women who have served in the nation’s military.

There were posters and other artworks all over campus carrying the same message of gratitude.

Fourth- and fifth-graders expressed their appreciation through a gallery of patriotic artworks. Second-graders made ornaments for the veterans to take home, and third-graders made them greeting cards.

All of the school’s students learned patriotic songs to sing at the event.

“As you can see, our whole school is decked out to celebrate our veterans,” said Principal Mardee Kay Powers, who leads the elementary school at 1422 Oak Grove Blvd., in Lutz.

Principal Mardee Kay Powers chats with Sgt. Maj. Daniel Billiott, of Wesley Chapel, before the tribute to veterans began.

Music teachers Amarilys Barbosa and Jodi Mark, art teacher Lee Taylor, and physical education teachers Fred Cornelius and Justin Partain organized the event, which included all 725 students and the school’s staff.

Mark brought the event to Denham Oaks two years ago, from Lake Myrtle Elementary, where she used to teach.

Veterans attending the celebration were clearly touched by the school’s gesture.

Some came wearing military uniforms, while others dressed more casually.

They took turns at the microphone, telling the crowd what branch of the military they served in and where they served. They also gave shout-outs to their sons or daughters, grandchildren, nieces or nephews, or others who had invited them.

A crowd of school children and spectators paid tribute to men and women who served in the nation’s Armed Services.

Several expressed gratitude for the obvious preparation the school had made for the day, for their appreciation of the armed forces and for their reverence toward the American flag.

Teachers involved in putting together the program seemed pleased to play a part.

“It happens to be my favorite performance because it’s teaching them (students) the respect for their country, the respect for the veterans. It’s also the only event where we can get the entire school — because of the numbers — all together at the same time,” Mark said.

“All of the kids are getting into it,” Partain said.

Cornelius agreed. “It’s special because they see the value of what our vets did for us.”

A line of first-graders makes its way to a celebration for veterans at Denham Oaks Elementary School.

Barbosa also noted: “When we’re teaching these songs, we’re teaching them what it means to be a veteran. We’re teaching them why this country is so great and what makes it so great.”

Edwin Aguiar said he couldn’t resist attending the ceremony.

“My granddaughters (Lilliana Nazar and Gracey Jayska) — you cannot say ‘No’ to them, so I decided to take the day off and come in,” Aguiar said.

Derrick Jayska, another Army veteran, is Gracey’s dad. He said he also has a niece and nephew at the school.

“It’s awesome to come out and see all of the stuff they did.”

Army veterans Edwin Aguiar and Derrick Jayska view artwork created by Denham Oaks Elementary students to thank veterans for their service.

“It’s nice to see that they’re teaching them the history behind things.”

Caryl Wheeler, a spectator, from Lutz, was pleased that her husband and other veterans were honored.

She also was impressed by the ornament and greeting cards the children made for veterans to take home.

“They thought enough to give this to our veterans, the people who served our country — when there is so much hatred now for the American flag,” Wheeler said.

“I’m glad that this school and other schools throughout Pasco County are doing a great job of promoting the flag and the country,” she added.

Published November 15, 2017

New retailers open at Tampa Premium Outlets

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Tampa Premium Outlets has added four new retailers, and four more will open in time for holiday shopping season, according to an announcement from Dancie Perugini Ware Public Relations.

Tampa Premium Outlets is adding new retailers to its shopping directory, including Pop Cult. The store sells posters, gifts, figurines and accessories. (Kathy Steele)

The four new recently opened retailers are Volcom, Pop Cult, Green Mango and Happy Dough.

  • Volcom designs, markets and distributes board sports-oriented items, including clothing, footwear, accessories and related products for young men and women. It is open in Suite 638 near Under Armour and PacSun.
  • Pop Cult sells mid-20th century and early 21st century global mainstream items such as posters, gifts, figurines and accessories. It is open in Suite 938 near Steve Madden.
  • Green Mango serves up fresh cups of mango, with a twist. Customers can get their treat with a hint of lime, chili powder or simply freshly peeled. It is in a kiosk outside of Market Hall, near Auntie Anne’s.
  • Happy Dough scoops edible gourmet cookie dough that is safe to eat, has no preservatives and can be baked. It is in a kiosk near Under Armour, and across from PacSun.

The four other shops that are coming in the fall are Bath & Body Works, Finish Line, Candy Barrel and Lavender Nails & Spa.

  • Bath & Body Works offers personal care products. White Barn will open in conjunction with Bath & Body Works. It offers diffusers and home décor. Find both at Suite 860.
  • Finish Line offers top brands in footwear, clothes and accessories. The shop is opening in a new space in Suite 830, near American Eagle Outfitters.
  • Candy Barrel is a candy emporium with sweets and treats from old-fashioned hard candy to flavor nerds. It will open in Suite 420 near Guess.
  • Lavender Nails & Spa is a full nail and spa salon that will open in Suite 430, also near Guess.

The new arrivals add an eclectic mix of merchandise and sweet treats to the mall’s store directory.

Nearly 100 name-brand shops offer daily savings on merchandise of about 25 percent to 65 percent.

The outlet mall is at 2300 Grand Cypress Drive, off State Road 56, at the Interstate 75 exit, in Lutz.

For information, visit PremiumOutlets.com/tampa.

Published November 1, 2017

The Ice Dreammm Shop scoops ice cream and nostalgia

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Ice cream dreams bring back sweet memories to Joe Schembri.

There were family trips to what he remembers as “Roger’s Place” on State Road 52. Later on, ice creamy treats came from a shop near a Home Depot, known affectionately as the “Home Depot” ice cream.

“All we did was ice cream every week,” said Schembri, who lives in Land O’ Lakes. “That was family time and we loved it.”

Nearly three months ago, Schembri opened his own shop, and his first business – the Ice Dreammm Shop – in a small plaza at 23912, Suite 2, State Road 54, in Lutz.

The shop will host a “customer appreciation day” and grand opening on Oct. 22 from 1 p.m. to 3

Ice Dreammm owner Joe Schembri spreads the message “sharing is caring” at his new shop off State Road 54. (Kathy Steele)

p.m.

The triple “m” in the name is part of the shop’s signature logo, and a reminder of yummy ice cream cones from childhood.

The menu of specialty flavors for children and adults add a non-traditional punctuation to the shop.

Just plain vanilla won’t do.

Instead, flavors include creamy vanilla bean, rice pudding, sweet corn, cotton candy, and an overload of Oreo cookies in cookies n’ dream.

The newest recipe, available for adults only, is pecan bourbon neat. Other adult flavors are the tried and true favorites of Rum Haven and whiskey-laced Fire N Ice.

Still, Schembri hasn’t forgotten what he loved about the ice cream experience. The Ice Dreammm Shop is a very traditional family place, a throwback to the old days.

Chess and checkers games are laid out on tables.

Children can pick from more than 20 games like pick up sticks and dominoes.

A flat screen television tunes into children’s programs.

A sofa and chairs in the entry way are a comfy, living area. The restroom has a baby-changing area.

If students or professionals want to settle in with computers, and hang out for a while that’s the idea, said Schembri.

Families are welcome to linger, too.

“Parents can sit and eat while the kids play,” he said. “Everyone can relax. I see parents showing kids how to play chess, and kids showing parents how to play chess.”

Schembri began laying the foundations for his shop nearly two years ago. He researched on the Internet. He watched videos all about ice cream machines. He talked with ice cream shop owners to find out about the challenges.

Schembri quickly learned about the community of small business owners, especially ice cream shop owners.

Everyone seemed willing to share advice and experiences including David Alima, co-owner of the Charmery in Baltimore.

Schembri got excited when he found a dealer in Brooksville who sells ice cream machines.

“This is in my back yard. It must mean something,” he said.

Schembri also went to an ice cream “boot camp” at The Villages, a retirement community near Orlando.

“We got to play with the machines, making recipes,” Schembri said. “I loved it.”

He worked for months making up recipes in his garage and testing them with friends at parties.

“All good things start in a garage,” he quipped.

His girlfriend, Brooke Purvenas, helped him scout locations and found the storefront at the plaza off State Road 54, near Highland Oaks Preserve subdivision.

Purvenas works days at Ice Dreammm.

Schembri takes over in the afternoon after he leaves his job at Bisk, a company that partners with nonprofit universities to promote online learning programs.

Schembri also partners with local companies, such as In the Loop and Craft Life Brewing. “We put their beer in our ice cream,” he said.

Coffee is from the Hemp & Coffee Exchange in Tampa.

He is constantly dreaming up new flavors and he’s also open to suggestions from his customers. They jot down potential flavor combinations and he considers them.

Cherry pineapple, apple tart, flan and blue cheese and walnuts have their fans. And, one day they could be on the menu.

A recent addition is chocolate bacon toffee.

It may not seem like a combination that would work, but it’s the perfect blend of sweet and tart, Schembri said.

“Why not have something unique?” he asked.

That sentiment — of being one of a kind — seems to fit right in with Ice Dreammm Shop’s general theme.

Revised Oct. 12, 2017

 

 

 

 

 

It’s time for the Autumn Market at the Old Lutz School

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Organizers of Autumn Market Day at the Old Lutz School hope that motorists passing by on busy U.S. 41 will decide to stop and shop for awhile.

This year’s Autumn Market Day is set for Oct. 14, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the school grounds at 18819 N. U.S. 41.

The event seeks to raise money for upkeep and improvements at a school that is on the National Register of Historic Places and where generations of Lutz children were educated before it was closed a few decades ago.

The building is considered a community icon and there’s such a strong attachment to it that a group called Citizens for the Old Lutz School

Here’s what the Old Lutz School looked like decades ago — not much different from what it looks like today. (File)

holds occasional fundraisers to preserve the building for future generations.

“We really, really need people from the community to come out and walk the event. You can’t have these things and nobody show up because then you don’t have these special events anymore,” said Suzin Carr, a two-time Lutz Guv’na who has been the lead organizer of the event in recent years, but is transitioning out of that role because she has moved to Citrus Park.

Stefanie Ensor, another former Lutz Guv’na, is the new market coordinator, Carr said, adding that Ensor has done an excellent job of organizing the event.

Ensor said she expects 35 to 40 vendors to be there, offering jewelry, candles, tote bags, vintage gifts, plants, custom handmade wood signs, among other things. Some nonprofit organizations and a politician have also rented out spaces, she said.

“It’s a perfect holiday time to buy gifts and to support local vendors as well as nonprofits,” Carr said. Plus, there will be a bake sale.

Proceeds from the Autumn Market will be used to pay for electricity and building upkeep.

“We’re always up there replanting and weeding and painting and mulching,” said Ensor, a member of the Old Lutz School Board.

The event also includes a micro-irrigation and water conservation class by the Hillsborough County Extension Service, which begins at 10 a.m.

The Old Lutz School Museum also will be open, with some long-time Lutz residents there to talk about Lutz’s early days, and the role the school has played over time.

The old brick building was designed by Frank A. Winn Jr., who also designed the Seminole Heights Methodist Church in Tampa, the Municipal Fishing Pier and Pavilion in Ballast Point Park and Tampa Heights Methodist Church, according to the Citizens for the Old Lutz School’s website.

Originally, the building had four rooms downstairs and a large auditorium upstairs. But within a few years, the auditorium was divided into four rooms, plus a teacher’s room, the website reports.

The site where the old brick school building stands is the same place where Lutz had its first schoolhouse.

That was a one-room frame schoolhouse, built by the North Tampa Land Company in 1910, says an account on the group’s website. Records show that 37 students, first through eighth grade, attended Lutz School in 1912. They were taught by 18-year-old Callie Berry, who was the school’s principal and teacher — earning $39 a day.

Published Oct. 11, 2017

 

 

Building the community, one check at a time

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After the race for the Lutz Guv’na wraps up every year, the money raised is doled out to local groups and causes.

Kori Rankin is the 2017 winner of the Lutz Guv’na’s race and she has the plaque to prove it. She’s shown here with Paul Vahue, emcee of a celebration held to pass out checks from the annual race’s proceeds. (B.C. Manion)

This year the race drew candidates Greg Gilbert of Beef O’ Brady’s Lutz, Jessica Sherman with Pinch A Penny, and Kori Rankin, of Kori Rankin Photography. Ultimately, Rankin won the Guv’na’s sash. Her stepmother, Jennifer Rankin, won the sash in 2015.

The 2017 campaign for the honorary title generated more than $7,000 in contributions and the checks to local groups were handed out in a ceremony on Oct. 3 at the Old Lutz School.

This year’s recipients included the Old Lutz School, the Lutz Chiefs, the Lutz Cemetery, Girl Scout Troop 2717, Boy Scout Troop 12, Books for Troops, the Lutz Patriots, the Little Woman of Lutz, The Lutz/Land O Lakes Women’s Club, Steinbrenner High School Student Ambassadors, and Martinez Middle School, Learning Gate Community School, and the North Tampa/Lutz Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol.

Suzin Carr, a two-time Lutz Guv’na, said the good that the funds help to generate goes beyond sheer dollars.

“All of these little nonprofits, we’re keeping them healthy and whole,” Carr said.

“A candidate gets to decide where 10 percent of their money goes,” she said.

“The Girl Scout Troop, for instance, this year they were recipients of Jessica Sherman’s 10

Paul Vahue hands a check to representative of the North Tampa/Lutz Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol. The group received a portion of this year’s proceeds from the Lutz Guv’na’s race. (B.C. Manion)

percent,” she said.

“That group can also apply for more money,” Carr noted.

“That scout group is going to go for an overnight at NASA. That’s something they could not afford, if this had not happened,” she said.

“You don’t know the impact that that will have, even if it’s just on one of those girls, what their future could be as a result of that trip,” Carr added.

The Civil Air Patrol cadets were there and they talked about their mission, she said. When a disaster hits, they’re among the first people on the ground to analyze what’s needed in an area, she said.

“It’s a tremendous feeling to be able to watch the money come in one hand, and immediately within a matter of a month or two go right back to the community,” Carr said.

The night the funds were being distributed a group from Learning Gate Community School arrived early, Carr said. “They helped set it up.

“This is a night to celebrate them, and here they are setting up tables and chairs, bringing stuff in from the cars to get it ready for everyone else,” she said.

Published Oct. 11, 2017

Area teenager bowls perfect 300 in North Carolina tournament

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Chandler Carr, who got his start bowling at Royal Lanes in Lutz, shot his first sanctioned perfect 300 in the Randy Pedersen 4 Game Sweeper in Shallotte, North Carolina.

He achieved the perfect score on Oct. 7 at Planet Fun, helping him to take fifth place in the competition.

Chandler Carr recently shot a perfect 300, while he was in Shallotte, North Carolina. (Courtesy of Suzin Carr)

Carr — whose mom is Suzin Carr, the only person to win the Lutz Guv’na race twice — has done a substantial amount of volunteer work at the Old Lutz School in Lutz, and in various Lutz activities.

The family moved to Citrus Park in November.

Besides this most recent accomplishment, Carr is one of 25 finalists for the Positive Coaching Alliance-Tampa Bay Chapter “Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship.”

The 17-year-old will be the Athlete of the Week in partnership with Casper’s Company on 860AM radio on Oct. 14.

Carr is a senior at Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School. Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate Charter School is the only public school in Hillsborough County which has a bowling team.

Published Oct. 11, 2017