The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Pasco County growth puts strain on budget

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A tentative hike in storm water fees and a proposal to hire five additional K-9 deputies highlight growing demands on Pasco County’s budgets for 2016 and into the future.

At their June 9 meeting, Pasco County commissioners gave the go-ahead for Sheriff Chris Nocco to apply for a federal COPS grant that would pay 75 percent of the costs for five additional K-9 deputies.

The cost to the county for the deputies over three years would be about $757,000 in matching funds.

The application deadline is June 19, with grants announced in October. If awarded, the sheriff’s office expects no additional funding needed from the county’s 2016 fiscal year budget.

“We anticipate being able to absorb (the expense) in its entirety,” said Pasco Major Mel Eakley.

The sheriff’s office has current vacancies as well as funds from the Penny for Pasco program that could be applied in 2016 to cover salaries and equipment, Eakley told commissioners.

“I like the program. I think it’s a good program,” said Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano.

By 2019, however, the county’s budget would pick up personnel costs for the five deputies as a yearly recurring expense, fully funded by Pasco County taxpayers. A hike in the millage rate, which determines a homeowner’s property taxes, might be needed.

Another option would be to layoff the K-9 deputies hired through the grant.

A decision would be based on a “reassessment of what our budget looks like,” said Eakley.

Hiring additional K-9 deputies means the sheriff’s office can provide 24-hour coverage from this unit, he said. Currently, the drug and bomb-sniffing dogs and their handlers are scheduled only on the night shifts, he added.

“We think it’s a great return on our investment,” Eakley said.

Pasco County commissioners also agreed to boost storm water fees by nearly 21 percent from $47 to $57 a year.

That’s not the final word, however.

“It can always come down,” said Chairman Ted Schrader.

Pasco County commissioners had to settle on a maximum rate that will be published in the annual notice sent to area residents from the property appraiser’s office. The deadline for providing the rate is July 15.

The final public hearing on the rate is set for Sept. 2.

In response to a query about the county’s growth driving the need for more services and revenues, Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker said, “That’s a growth curve. Yes, it is.”

The current $47 annual fee per residence was set in 2007 with the anticipation of collecting about $10 million a year. Revenues since have been closer to $12 million but are insufficient for a budget that covers operation and maintenance and capital improvement projects. Reserve funds over the years have all but vanished.

At $57 a year, fees are expected to increase to about $14.7 million a year. The funds would be used for maintenance chores, such as cleaning out ditches and culverts.

Without more revenue, there would be delays in service, Baker said.

“People would be on the waiting list longer,” Baker said. “We get new calls for service every day.”

Published June 17, 2015

Creating the music of angels

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San Antonio choir is invited to sing at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome

It’s a Wednesday afternoon and members of the Saint Anthony Choristers pay rapt attention as Sandra Lau, their director, runs through a practice.

They sing portions of several hymns as they prepare for a special Mass, celebrating the sacrament of confirmation, at Saint Anthony of Padua Church in San Antonio.

Lau is exacting, but kind.

Members of the Saint Anthony Chorister pose at the front of Saint Anthony of Padua Church in San Antonio. They will present a public concert on June 28. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Members of the Saint Anthony Chorister pose at the front of Saint Anthony of Padua Church in San Antonio. They will present a public concert on June 28.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

She coaxes the singers to think about the meaning of the text and to convey that through their dynamics.

“This basically is a song of rejoicing,” she reminds them during one hymn. “It doesn’t always have to be loud, but it needs to have that sense of energy. That excitement.

“Let’s try again,” she said.

During other songs, she urges them to articulate the words they’re singing and to be mindful of not only the notes, but of their timing and duration.

Although this rehearsal is to prepare for confirmation, the choral group also is preparing to present a public concert of sacred music planned for 3 p.m., at the church, on June 28.

The choir sings in other venues, too, such as Orlando and Washington D.C.

In December, some of them will make a pilgrimage to Vatican City.

They’ll join choirs from all over the world to offer their voices in song at the New Year’s Day Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Mass will conclude the 40th International Congress of Pueri Cantores.

Pueri Cantores, which means “little singers” in Latin, founded in France in 1907.

The organization is dedicated to the conviction that singing can be an instrument in worshipping God.

Saint Anthony Choristers is part of the largest delegation of American singers ever to participate in a Pueri Cantores Congress, with almost 2,000 pilgrims expected to travel from the United States to Rome.

Other activities during the week include the “Mass of the Nations,” where the American choirs will celebrate a Mass in English in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, various “Concerts of Hope” at major churches in Rome, featuring an international mix of children’s choirs from among Pueri Cantores’ 37 federations around the world, and a private audience with the Holy Father, at which the “little singers” will sing Christmas carols from their home countries.

While the upcoming trip to Rome is exciting, many choir members said they enjoy the weekly rehearsals, as well as singing at the 10:30 a.m. Mass the first Sunday of the month during the school year and for special occasions such as confirmation, first Communion, Christmas Eve and Easter.

Lau has been the organist and choir director at St. Anthony of Padua since 1987, and has had children’s choirs almost the entire time.

The Saint Anthony Choristers became affiliated with Pueri Cantores in 2007, expanding the choir’s opportunities to participate in regional festivals and international choral gatherings.

Many of the singers in the choir have belonged for several years.

“I really like the experience,” said 13-year-old Holly Phelps. “We have a great director, and it helps train your voice, and you get to sing for lots of events.”

Sixteen-year-old Rose Phelps has been with the choir for nine years. “I love singing for church,” she said.

Eighteen-year-old Shanon Teicher said the experience has helped her become more outgoing.

“I joined the choir being super shy,” she said. It was her way of getting more involved with the church, but she said, “It’s so much more than that.”

Emily Balling, 15, has been in the group for more than five years.

“I really love it,” Balling said.

She’s enjoyed singing at music festivals and is excited about the upcoming trip to Rome.

“It just sounds so amazing when you have all of those voices together,” she said.

Tierra Carson, 16, who is thinking about majoring in organ or piano, said the choral singing is all about working together to create a unified effect.

Fifteen-year-old Alexis Rosario said she’s had a passion for music for as long as she can remember.

She’s been playing piano since age 6, and also plays harp and violin.

“I’ve had a great passion for music ever since I was born.

She loves being in the choir because of “all of these harmonies and praising God at the same time.”

She’s excited about the pilgrimage.

“To be able to go to Rome, that’s huge,” Rosario said.

This is the second time the church has sent members of its youth choir to Rome; the other time was five years ago, Lau said.

And, two years ago, members of the group took part in the International Congress in Washington D.C.

Lau, who herself fell in love with music when she was attending Saint Anthony Catholic School, is confident that the upcoming experience will leave a lasting impression.

“It is life-changing. It is fantastic,” Lau said.

There will be thousands of children singing together.

“They may be sitting next to somebody from France on this side, Portugal on this side, Germany — it’s just an amazing experience for them.”

Lau hopes the experience will be transformative, too.

“What we’re hoping is that this will help them to fall more deeply in love with the Catholic Church and realize they are a small part of something huge and beautiful,” Lau said.

What: Saint Anthony Choristers will present a public concert of sacred music
When: 3 p.m., June 28
Admission: Free, donations accepted
Where: Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, 12144 Joe Hermann Drive, San Antonio

 

Pilgrimage to Vatican City
Who: Saint Anthony Choristers
When: Dec. 26 through Jan. 2
How much: Each pilgrim must raise $3,000 to $4,000 required for flights, lodging, meals, and activities in Italy. If you would like to help, call the church office at (352) 588-3081.

Published June 17, 2015

Rankin hopes a lifetime in Lutz means a Guv’na win

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Jennifer Rankin was supposed to be a Lutz Guv’na candidate in 2014, but something came up.

It was her daughter, Abigail.

“I wanted to do it last year, and I got pregnant. She was born in August,” Rankin explained. “In July, I would have been eight months pregnant at the Fourth of July parade.” Since she would have spent her entire campaign in the latter stages of pregnancy, Rankin decided to wait a year before running for the ceremonial title, awarded to the candidate who raises the most money for local organizations. The current campaign runs through the Fourth of July, and the winner is announced at the annual festivities in Lutz.

Jennifer Rankin is looking to mow down the competition in the race for Lutz Guv'na. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Jennifer Rankin is looking to mow down the competition in the race for Lutz Guv’na.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

Following her pregnancy, she spent 10 days in an intensive care unit with life-threatening hemorrhaging. Now that baby and mother are both healthy, and the Lutz Guv’na race has returned, Rankin is going for the winner’s sash with guns blazing. Literally.

One of her big campaign events is a clay pigeon tournament on June 27 at Tampa Bay Sporting Clays, 10514 Ehren Cutoff in Land O’ Lakes. The cost is $130 per person, or $480 per team of four, with prizes for the top teams and shooters.

Rankin is hoping to have 10 teams in place when the tournament starts. If that seems ambitious, that’s the kind of person she is. But she also knows her supporters well, and chose an event she thought would be popular with them.

As a Lutz native who grew up in the family business, Al’s Lawn Care at 18905 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Rankin has a good feel for the area and its residents. She attended Lutz Elementary, and it was in those formative years she decided to be a Lutz Guv’na, even if she didn’t know exactly how it worked. At the time, she thought it was an actual political race instead of a fundraiser.

Now that she knows it’s all about the money, she’s even more determined to be a part of it.

“I think it’s the coolest thing,” Rankin said.

Unfortunately, not everybody knows about the Guv’na’s race. Even longtime residents don’t always understand her latest project, and she has to explain the race and where the money goes.

“It just surprises me how many people live here that don’t know anything about it,” she said.

Most people who run into Rankin learn about it, mostly because she’s always asking them for money. If she wins the title, she’ll direct a portion of the funds to the organization of her choice, and she’s already made that executive decision: The Steinbrenner High School cheer team. Her youngest stepdaughter, Kori, was a member, and Rankin saw how hard the team works with little fanfare.

And they’re working hard for her campaign as well. The team is helping out with her fundraisers, including the clay pigeon tournament.

Rankin is having fun with her candidacy so far. So much fun, in fact, that she said she’ll run again if she doesn’t win. But she’s doing everything she can to make her first campaign a winner, and with the support of husband Adrian, stepdaughters Kori and Klarissa — and Abigail, of course — she’s pulling out all the stops to take the title. That includes making sure everyone knows she’s running, and asking them to dig deep for the cause. And considering where the money goes, she’s not ashamed to have her hand out right up through the holiday weekend.

“I don’t mind asking anybody for any money, because I know it’s going back to where I live,” Rankin said. “Knowing that it’s just going right here, it’s some way, somehow going to better Lutz.”

For more information about Rankin’s events, call Al’s Lawn Care at (813) 949-1384, or visit Rankin’s Facebook page by searching for “Jennifer Silence Rankin” at Facebook.com.

Published June 17, 2015

Citizens’ coalition to pursue charter commission

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A group of residents critical of current efforts to determine Pasco County’s future government structure are banding together to follow their own path toward a charter-style government.

On June 8, the newly formed Pasco Citizens Charter Coalition announced plans to gather 45,000 petition signatures needed to establish a charter commission. If successful, the commission would be a counterpoint to the 15-member charter panel appointed by the Pasco Commission and the legislative delegation.

Members had a press conference outside the Dade City Courthouse shortly before the start of the panel’s second meeting.

“We want to keep government simple…and answerable to the people,” Clay Colson, a community activist, and a former Independent candidate for the Pasco Commission, said in an interview. “We want government to be one that gives citizens control, not one that gives government control of citizens.”

Colson said the petition is being drafted with language that will make clear that the charter commission should represent all segments of Pasco County.

The existing panel has been widely criticized for its nearly exclusive makeup of white men. Only one woman serves on the panel.

“We’re ambitious,” Colson said. “We think we can do it in three months. We’ve set a goal.”

The group hopes to forge an alliance with State Rep. Richard Corcoran. The lawmaker pushed Pasco County commissioners to create a charter commission back in January.

Under state law, a charter commission – once established – must write a charter that then has to be put on the ballot for voters to decide. County commissioners could not make changes to the document.

The appointed panel, in contrast, is nonbinding with a final decision of what, if anything, goes to voters in the control of county commissioners.

The panel will consider issues such as term limits, single-member districts and whether to allow an elected county administrator or mayor. Members can take as long as 18 months to complete their task.

Meetings to date are scheduled into July.

Corcoran could not be reached for comment.

In March, he sent a letter to Chairman Ted Schrader naming the legislative delegation’s five appointments to the panel.

“We strongly urge you to make the commission’s report binding,” he wrote. But he also complimented Schrader for statements that county commissioners would distance themselves from the panel and “not micro-manage.”

Coalition members have not met with Corcoran as yet, Colson said. The lawmaker in recent weeks has been in Tallahassee attending a special session of the Florida legislature.

“We’re waiting until he is back in Land O’ Lakes,” Colson said.

The coalition and Corcoran don’t agree on every issue.

Corcoran has said he wants an elected county administrator, but coalition members want to keep that a non-elective position.

Other issues supported by the coalition include term limits, single-member and at-large districts, a $250 limit on campaign contributions, nonpartisan elections, ethics reform and a process for residents to recall elected officials.

The petition will be promoted through social media and online.

Published June 17, 2015

 

Central Pasco and Hispanic chambers unite

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Two chambers of commerce can be better than one.

In the next weeks, Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce and the Pasco Hernando Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will unite into a single organization.

“We are so excited to join forces, making our chambers and our communities stronger and more diverse,” Charlene Ierna, president of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce wrote in a letter sent to chamber members in May.

The two chambers have hosted joint social mixers recently, and the Pasco Hernando Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is creating a Hispanic business group, known as Hispanic Business Leaders.

“Leaders from both organizations worked hard to determine what would be best for our members,” John Jay also said in the letter to chamber members. Jay is past president of Pasco Hernando Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

A team of board members from both organizations is finalizing the transition that likely will be completed by June 26. On that date, Central Pasco will celebrate its 40th anniversary at its Annual Awards and Installation Banquet.

“We will literally become one,” said Mary Lynn Gorsline, the incoming president for Central Pasco. “We’re pretty excited about it. There’s a huge Hispanic population in this area.”

There is more strength and efficiency in joining the two organizations, she said.

“There is a lot of duplicate work,” Gorsline said.

Published June 17, 2015

Business Digest 06-17-15

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Business awards
Pasco Economic Development Council will hand out Industry of the Year awards at its 29th annual banquet on Sept. 3 at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel. More than 600 business and community leaders in Tampa Bay and Pasco County attend the event each year. There also will be a business trade show.

The awards recognize outstanding companies in the categories of manufacturing service, technology and nonprofits that operate in Pasco County.

The 23 nominees for this year’s awards are: Applicant Insight Inc.; Aviation Instrument Technologies Inc.; Big Storm Brewing Co.; Can Can Concealment LLC; Covanta Pasco; Easy Business Software Inc.; Electro Tape Specialties Inc.; Evolution Trikes; Fifth Third Bank, New Port Richey Branch; Florida Custom Mold Inc.; Florida Hospital Zephyrhills; Freedom Scooter & Supply LLC; Manufacturers Distributor Inc.; Millian-Aire Enterprises Corp.; Morton Plant North Bay Hospital; Oasis Pregnancy Care Centers of Pasco; Polaris Sales Co.; Preferred Materials; Retail Process Engineering LLC; SAHM Co.; The Laker/Lutz News & Community News; and Veterans Alternative Therapy.

Farewell to Vonnie Mikkelsen
The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce will host a social mixer on June 18 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Manolo’s Italian Restaurant, at 38445 Fifth Ave., in Zephyrhills. Come say farewell to Vonnie Mikkelsen, whose last day as executive director of the Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce is July 2. Pasco News Publications is sponsoring the event. RSVP to receive the first drink free.

For information and to RSVP, contact Pat at the chamber office at (813) 782-1913, or email .

Lunch N’ Learn forum
The Lunch N’ Learn Business Forum will meet on June 18 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce boardroom, 6013 Wesley Chapel Blvd., Suite 105, in Wesley Chapel. Join chamber members to learn how to target your market and build your business around its most profitable audience.

The $15 cost includes lunch, and RSVP and prepayment are required. No walk-in seating is available.

For information, call the chamber office at (813) 994-8534.

Ribbon cutting
Rejuva Med – The Center for Dry Eye and Hormonal Disorders will host a ribbon cutting and grand opening on June 18 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., at 28945 State Road 54, Suite 101, in Wesley Chapel. Meet Dr. Kenneth Andronica, a specialist in ophthalmology as well as anti-aging, functional and regenerative medicine.

The grand opening will offer free food and fun.

For information, call (813) 907-0950.

Grand opening
Divine Connections Massage and Spa will host a grand opening on June 20 from noon to 7:00 p.m., at Van Dyke Crossings Plaza, 6052 Van Dyke Road in Lutz. Meet and greet owners and sisters, Maggie Malast and Mercy Terrill. There will be food and a drawing for a free massage or facial. As an opening special, visitors can buy three massages and get one free.

For information or to RSVP, contact Marketing Director Erica Everett at (813) 857-8678, email , or visit DivineConnectionsMassage.com.

Double ribbon cutting
It Works and TapSnap will host a joint ribbon cutting on June 23 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., at Grow Financial Credit Union, at 2579 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in Wesley Chapel. Meet owners Heather Goodloe of It Works and Deb Fry of TapSnap.

It Works offers that “crazy wrap thing” for tightening, toning and firming. TapSnap is a mobile photo entertainment service.

Enjoy free food and wine by Time for Wine. There will also be door prizes and individual and group photos by Deb.

For information on It Works, contact Heather at (813) 300-2502, or email .

For information on TapSnap, contact Deb at (813) 4259, or email

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Chamber lunch
The North Tampa Chamber of Commerce will have a business luncheon on June 25 at 11:30 a.m., at IHOP, at 408 Bearss Ave., in Tampa. Lunch is ordered from the IHOP menu with costs starting at $6.39. All attendees will be able to order from the senior lunch menu. A minimum cost of $5 per person applies if no meal is ordered.

To RSVP by June 23, contact Jenn Beaumont at or phone AIG at (813) 334-8998. For directions to IHOP, call (813) 960-2679.

40th anniversary festivities
The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce will host its 40th Annual Awards & Installation Banquet on June 26 at 6 p.m., at The Event Factory, at 7565 W. Hillsborough Ave., in Tampa. The event will celebrate award nominees and winners and include the introduction of newly elected board of directors.

For information, contact the chamber office at (813) 909-2722.

Family mixer
The East Tampa Networking Group will have a family oriented mixer – “You’re Invited” – on June 29 at 6 p.m., at the Village Inn, at 5214 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills. This is a Dutch treat event with door prizes and a 50-50 drawing that will benefit Helping Hands Pantry of Atonement Lutheran Church. The guest speaker will be Linda Boan, the retiring city clerk of Zephyrhills.

All of the group’s Ovation Award Winners, and the best speakers from the last two years, have been invited.

To RSVP by June 23, call Nils Lenz at (813) 782-9491, or email him at . Guests can also contact Vice Chairwoman Rosie Paulsen at (813) 909-6965, or email her at .

Laura Hauser inspired others during her cancer battle

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Editor’s note: This story reflects news we received on Monday about Laura Hauser’s death. An earlier version of the story was published in our Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills print editions circulated to readers on June 9 and June 10.

Laura Hauser waged a valiant war against cancer for six years, but lost the battle in the early morning hours of June 8.

Laura and Tatum Hauser at Contempo School of Dance. The dance moms there have made dinners for the Hauser families and had fundraisers to help support the family. (Courtesy of Stephanie Hardy)
Laura and Tatum Hauser at Contempo School of Dance. The dance moms there have made dinners for the Hauser families and had fundraisers to help support the family.
(Courtesy of Stephanie Hardy)

The disease started in her colon but had spread all over her body, including her liver, lungs, spine and brain, said Stephanie Hardy, a family friend for the past four years.

Laura had undergone more than 70 rounds of chemotherapy and multiple surgeries, Hardy said.

Laura is survived by her husband, Richard; her son, Noah, 14; and her daughter, Tatum, 12.

Laura had been to Seattle for treatment but had returned to Wesley Chapel to attend Noah’s eighth-grade graduation and Tatum’s dance recitals.

She made it to the graduation, but wasn’t able to go to the recitals. She was able to watch one — that was livestreamed — from her bed.

The family had thought that potential treatment in Seattle offered Laura her best hope and she had planned to return there, but she died at home, under the care of hospice.

Laura’s battle was personal, but she wasn’t alone.

Her fight inspired family, friends, colleagues and strangers to step forward to show their support.

This coming weekend, an event is taking place at Harvester United Methodist Church in Land O’ Lakes to help the Hauser family with expenses.

That fundraiser will go on as planned, Hardy said.

The family also will be helped by a GoFundMe account, established by Pamela Maurer Fay on May 23, which attracted hundreds of donations and sentiments of support.

“You are strong and you are loved. Find strength in the amount of people who wish to help your beautiful family. You are in our prayers,” Rick and Susan Coder wrote, when making their donation.

After learning of Laura’s death, Pasco County Schools tweeted out a message: “Rest in peace, Laura Hauser. A great educator, mom, wife and friend to many. You will be missed.”

Laura worked at Wesley Chapel Elementary School before her illness caused her to leave the job.

While she was working there in 2012, she received the award for School-Related Personnel of the Year for Pasco County Schools. The distinction goes to a noninstructional employee who makes outstanding contributions.

At the time of the award, Laura’s title was media and technology assistant, but both her colleagues and her boss said her influence was far broader.

She was the campus photographer. She handled lunch duty. She shelved books and checked them out. She had a photography club for kids, put together the school’s yearbook and helped teachers with technical issues.

Principal John Abernathy, described her this way: “Laura is hands-down the most reliable, the most efficient, the most dependable, the most sincere person that I can say that I’ve run across in a really long time.

“In terms of the lives that I would say that Laura has touched – I couldn’t even put a number to it. She’s a very passionate person herself, and I think she brings that passion to everything she does. It’s who she is.”

Even more impressive was Laura’s unbridled enthusiasm, despite chemotherapy treatments for her cancer, colleagues said.

Laura has been unable to work for some time, but Richard works three part-time jobs, in addition to being a firefighter and paramedic for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.

Colleagues and friends from the elementary school have continued to show their support for the family. Recently, Iris Barcelona and Christopher Gorman coordinated WCES Makes a Splash Water Day for Mrs. Hauser.

Rudy Dorough and Kristi Traver Dorough donated the water slide for the event.

Donations were accepted that day to benefit the Hausers.

Friends from the Contempo School of Dance in Lutz also have been in the family’s corner.

They raised money by selling refreshments and T-shirts, said Hardy, whose daughter has danced with Tatum Hauser at the studio.

The dance moms also got together and made dinner for the family for three months, Richard said.

“Strangers would come up and say, ‘Oh, here’s a lasagna.’ I heard about your wife.”

The support has been both tangible and intangible.

“One day, everybody she knew wore blue. Hundreds of people,” Richard said.

The cancer has caused enormous pain and sorrow for Laura and her family, but they also have experienced the incredible kindness of others, Richard said.

Laura’s cancer did not define her, her husband said. It galvanized her determination and demonstrated her strength.

“You don’t really appreciate life, until you face down the barrel of death,” he said.

Services for Laura, who was 40 when she died, are pending.

Benefit for the Hauser family
Where: Harvester United Methodist Church, 2432 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes
When: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., June 13
What: Garage sales, vendors, concessions, 50/50 raffle, raffle items from vendors, bounce house, slide, dunk tank, snow cones and popcorn.
Vendor spaces are 10-by-10 and cost $25, payable to Penny Foote. Each paid vendor is also requested to bring an item for the raffle valued at $20 or higher.
All raffles will be done at the end of the event, and winners do not have to be present to win.
All of the proceeds will go to help the Hauser family. Laura Hauser lost her six-year battle to cancer on Monday, but the benefit will go on.
For more information, call Penny Foote, event coordinator at (813) 996-6959 or (813) 309-9993.

Published June 10, 2015

 

Celebrating a half-century of dance

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Sally Blackwood was just meant to dance.

And at age 79, she is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Blackwood Studios in Dade City with a recital of “The Wizard of Oz”.

The journey down the yellow brick road is a tradition begun in 1965 and has been repeated every decade since.

Sally Blackwood has a conversation with some students before a dress rehearsal dance number. (Fred Bellet/Photo)
Sally Blackwood has a conversation with some students before a dress rehearsal dance number.
(Fred Bellet/Photo)

“It is our signature piece,” said Blackwood who teaches up to five hours a day.

The faces of many of her students have a familiar look, because often they are the children or grandchildren of students she taught in the past.

“We really are a studio family,” Blackwood said.

Her own family is where her passion for dance began.

Her father’s orchestra traveled through Florida at the height of the swing band craze in the 1940s. Ben Atwood and his musical troupe played the swanky Vinoy Hotel in St. Petersburg. Her mother, Genevieve Atwood, played violin in the orchestra. It was a love match.

Blackwood would find her own love match, too. But first there would be a childhood of uninhibited movement.

She traveled with her parents to military bases as they entertained troops during World War II. She was 5 years old when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

They were part of the vaudeville circuit, playing one night in Jacksonville and another in Avon Park. Her hometown was Lakeland, Florida.

“They did everything they could to help the war effort. I was like their mascot,” Blackwood said. “I made up dances.”

She did a “little samba” to the song “Down South American Way.” Or, whatever she’d seen in the movies.

A Lakeland teacher spotted her and told her parents their young daughter had to take lessons, and join her dance troupe. Another teacher, Mary Fariday, told a teenage Blackwood to go to New York.

“Ballet was my big love,” she said. “(Fariday) took me under her wings and taught me everything.”

At age 20, she auditioned for the legendary Robert Joffrey, founder of the Joffrey Ballet School, then based in New York. He selected her to tour with a troupe that would perform at colleges and universities.

Blackwood is modest about the accomplishment, pointing out she is barely 5 feet. “He was a short man,” she said. “He liked short dancers.”

But fate and love intervened.

Her high school sweetheart, James “Woody” Blackwood, had returned to Lakeland from Germany after three years of military service. He wanted to see her one more time.

“I was going to go home for a week,” she said. “I never went back. I’ve never regretted it.”
Ballet with a professional company takes drive and ambition.

Besides, she said, “I’m not a competitive person for myself.”

Though the couple was living in Lakeland, Blackwood began driving to Dade City once a week to teach 19 dance students.

Enrollment grew and it made sense in 1966 to relocate the family.

“We had so many coming back,” she said. “I’d have to come back four times a week.”

They bought a house on Meridian Avenue in downtown Dade City where they raised their daughters, Mary Ann and Glenda. A kindergarten teacher whose daughter was in Blackwood’s dance class offered to build a facility next to the house which she would use during the day. It was Blackwood’s dance studio in the afternoon and evening.

Woody Blackwood, who died in 2001, operated an antiques shop in another house, adjacent to the studio.

“He did everything for us,” said his wife. “He’d make dinner for me. He built scenery. He was good with the kids.”

The antique shop is now a two-story maze of costumes collected through the years. Square-dancer skirts in a rainbow of colors hang along the walls. Racks and racks of gowns, tutus, leotards, fancy dress shirts, vests, bangles and beads, laces, a box of yellow polka dot bikinis, and the odd piece of stage scenery are showbiz cornucopia.

Cheryl Hauff is part of the studio family and in charge of making costumes for more than a decade. Her daughter is a former student.

“Everyone just becomes family,” she said. “It gives girls (and boys) something to do. They advance and progress.”

Ballet is the foundation.

“Nobody has ever gotten a system better to train bodies,” Blackwood said. “That’s why we really stress ballet.”

It teaches control, stamina, body placement, and how to move smoothly and gracefully.

“If they never dance (again), the posture they get from ballet is so healthy and beautiful,” she said. “It also teaches them respect for music and for themselves.”

Her studio offers 66 classes a week in ballet, tap, jazz, modern dance and acrobatics. Blackwood has seven teachers including her daughter, Mary Ann Blackwood, who also is the studio’s choreographer.

She seems somehow to know instinctively how to orchestrate the movements of dozens of children, Haupff said. “She is amazing,” she added.

“The Wizard of Oz” will have two performances on June 12 and 13. An old “reel-to-reel” tape recording of the narrative and music from 1975 will be used.

The play isn’t a re-creation of the familiar movie with Judy Garland, though bits of familiar songs are used as performers move scenery around between scenes.

L. Frank Baum wrote more than a dozen Oz books and Blackwood dips into many of them for the story line.

There are no flying monkeys. That would be too scary, she said.

Instead the witches have crows.

“We chose music to fit the characters,” Blackwood said. “So, it can be classical.”

On June 14, there will be a reunion of Blackwood and her extended dance family through the years. At least one former student is coming from California.

But a 50-year reunion doesn’t mean Blackwood is planning to retire any time soon.

“I hope I’ll have enough sense to know when I’m not doing a good job,” she said. “I still have patience.”

Plans are under way for a trip to Europe where some of her students will perform in Germany and Austria. And she has three girls who are going to a Joffrey-sponsored summer camp in Miami.

Teaching is where her heart is.

“This way you’re sharing everything. That’s the way I like it,” Blackwood said.

Blackwood Dance Studio presents The Wizard of Oz 50th Anniversary Recital and Reunion Party
When: Recital at 7 p.m., June 12 and 13; reunion party, 2 p.m. on June 14
Where: The recital is at Wesley Chapel Center for Performing Arts. The reunion party is at Dan Cannon Auditorium at the Pasco County Fairgrounds in Dade City.
Cost: Recital tickets are $15 per person
For information, call (352) 567-5919

Published June 10, 2015

Students help ‘Lost Boys of Sudan’

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The Skype call from Salva Dut, one of the “Lost Boys of Sudan” is likely something the sixth-graders at Pine View Middle School will never forget.

Social media for 15 minutes linked two worlds – the one of privilege in America and the other of poverty in South Sudan.

Jackson Hilborn, left, McKenzie Lee, Hannah O’Conner, Destini Randall, and on the front row, Aimee Fuss, all age 12, were among Pine View Middle students who collected money to help the nonprofit Water for South Sudan. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
Jackson Hilborn, left, McKenzie Lee, Hannah O’Conner, Destini Randall, and on the front row, Aimee Fuss, all age 12, were among Pine View Middle students who collected money to help the nonprofit Water for South Sudan.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

About 40 students filled the seats in the media center to listen to Dut and ask him questions about his life and his nonprofit, Water for South Sudan.

Pine View Middle was among more than 80 schools worldwide to accept the Iron Giraffe Challenge. The students collected more than $1,300 in donations to aid in drilling wells that deliver safe drinking water to villages in South Sudan.

As one of the top donors, the school was placed in a drawing. The prize was the Skype call from Dut.

Their funds are part of nearly $75,000 collected in total from all schools. The Iron Giraffe is the nickname, given by Sudanese children, to a drill used to bore wells.

“It kind of made me feel good to help people who aren’t as privileged as we are,” said 12-year-old Jackson Hilborn. “I didn’t know much about Sudan. It really helped me learn about other cultures and how they live.”

Hilborn and others in sixth grade language arts classes had read “The Long Walk to Water, “ a book by Linda Park that includes a biography of Dut as well as a fictional story of a young Sudanese girl. They also studied water issues, viewed a documentary on the Sudan and the Lost Boys, and saw the movie, “The Good Lie”, starring Reese Witherspoon.

“We were super psyched about the Skype,” said sixth-grade language arts teacher Chrissy Arrington.

Students delved into a culture they never knew existed.

“They are so in a bubble here,” Arrington said. “It’s opened their eyes where they see how much water they use and what other countries have.”

The fundraising by the students will help many people, Dut said. “You should be proud of yourselves,” he told the students.

He also spoke briefly about his experiences as a “lost boy” and answered questions posed by students.

The “lost boys” were orphans who fled the fighting that overtook their villages during Sudan’s second civil war from 1983 to 2005. Some were as young as age 5. They endured violence and years of hardships at refugee camps.

His story was inspirational to the students.

“He had a rough start to life, but he has changed things to where he’s doing something great,” said 12-year-old Hannah O’Conner.

Dut fled to Ethiopia, then led 1,500 lost boys to a Kenya refugee camp. In 1996, he was among 3,000 lost boys chosen to relocate to the United States. He went to school, found work and became an American citizen.

“The United States was different,” Dut said. “It was a cultural shock for me.”

Adjusting to cold weather was a particular challenge. But the abundance in America also was revealing. “Just going to a grocery store where you can see all the food and eat three times a day was awesome,” he said.

Dut thought all his family had died. But nearly 20 years after he escaped from the war, he learned his father was alive in South Sudan but ill from a water-borne disease. Dut returned home and started his nonprofit to bring clean, drinking water to people who had no access to water.

“I drilled one well. That was that,” said Dut who now has dual citizenship. But “good people” pushed him to do more.

Now more than 257 wells are pumping water to serve about 500,000 people.

“He doesn’t want other people to go through the same thing,” said 11-year-old Destini Randall. “It made us happy that we got to help out and saved people so that they can get healthy.

Published June 10, 2015

Troop 12 needs growing room

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The Boy Scouts of America Troop 12 is known in Lutz for its many good deeds.

Every year, troop members are highly visible at the Fourth of July parade in Lutz, an event that draws thousands of spectators.

But well before the parade begins, troop members are doing work behind the scenes.

Troop 12 often does community projects, including this cleanup at Lutz Elementary School. (Courtesy of Mike Ritchie)
Troop 12 often does community projects, including this cleanup at Lutz Elementary School.
(Courtesy of Mike Ritchie)

They stay overnight on the eve of the parade, near the Lutz Branch Library, so they can keep an eye on the vendor and exhibitor displays.

And, hours before the parade begins, the scouts help the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club prepare for the festivities.

They also post dozens of American flags to help celebrate the nation’s Independence Day.

Pitching in for the Fourth of July celebration is just one example of the helpful nature of this group.

The troop’s community roots go deep. Founded in 1933, the troop is one of the oldest in the country.

“From its inception (the troop) has been involved in the community in many ways,” said Scoutmaster Jeff Potvin.

In recent years, the troop has experienced a spurt in membership and has outgrown its scout “hut,” near Lutz Lake Fern Road, off U.S. 41.

“If you’re having a regular meeting, it fits everything. But when they have ceremonies where parents come, it doesn’t,” said Bill Anderson, whose 14-year-old son, Jackson, is a member of Troop 12.

The troop has 57 members, including about 25 who joined just this year.

Part of the troop’s growth is due to Cub Scouts moving up. But the membership ranks exceeded expectations, said Anderson, a former Cub Scout master.

To address the space shortage, the scouts hope to add a new room to the existing structure that was built in 1997.

The expansion would provide additional storage space and a meeting room for troop leaders. It also would free up space for activities in the main room.

The estimated cost of the addition is $12,000 to $14,000, Anderson said.

The boys are working to raise money.

They have collected more than $1,000 from a “buy a brick” program and sales of popcorn at community events. Those efforts will continue. This year the troop also will sell food at the July 4 celebration, Anderson said.

To help raise more money, Anderson has launched a “Give ‘Em Room to Grow” fundraising campaign.

He started things off with a $250 personal donation.

The hope is that local residents and businesses will join the effort, Anderson said. Those who want to contribute can do so at DonationTo.com/Troop12.

The fundraising campaign’s goal is to raise $10,000 by the end of the year, Anderson said.

The scouts aren’t the only ones who would benefit from a larger facility.

“They also have other (groups) that meet there,” Anderson said.

“We try to use it for a community type facility without going overboard,” said Potvin, the scoutmaster.

For instance, volunteers meet there to plan for the Fourth of July celebration. The woman’s club and an art teacher instructing home-schooled children use the space, too.

Anderson sees the fundraising effort as a way to give back to a group that has been involved in many worthwhile projects.

Those projects have included planting about 4,000 trees on behalf of the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Lions Club, doing a service project at the Veterans Memorial Park, and helping with the setup and tear down at the annual Lutz Arts and Crafts Festival, to name just a few examples.

“They are just very active in the community. And, they are very generous in letting people use their building,” said Phyllis Hoedt, a volunteer who has played a pivotal role for decades in many community projects and events.

Published June 10, 2015