Zephyrhills/East Pasco News

Under Construction 10/02/19

October 2, 2019 By Brian Fernandes

Motorists in Odessa will have another option for auto parts and equipment when the new AutoZone shop begins operation at 12090 State Road 54. It is expected to open in November. (Brian Fernandes)

AutoZone shop
Motorists will have another convenient spot to pick up automobile parts and accessories with the soon-to-come AutoZone shop. The 6,815-square-foot facility will be located at 12090 State Road 54 in Odessa. Construction began in September. The store is expected to open in November.

A Checkers quick-stop restaurant, going up at 5505 Gall Blvd., is nearing completion in Zephyrhills.

Checkers restaurant
A Checkers fast-food hub is coming soon to serve hungry patrons in Zephyrhills. The 900-square-foot restaurant, at 5505 Gall Blvd., will have a single drive-thru lane and an outdoor patio. Construction began in August. An opening is expected in November.

Located in front of The Preserve residential community in Odessa, off State Road 54, a new Publix is emerging. Construction of the supermarket, at 2189 Sembler Drive, began in August.

Publix supermarket
A Publix grocery store is emerging at the front entrance of The Preserve residential community in Odessa. The store, approximately 27,600 square feet, will be located at 2189 Sembler Drive, off State Road 54. Construction began in August.

Grease Monkey- Oil Changes & More, will be a convenient spot for vehicle tune-ups at 5847 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills.

Oil change stop
Retail chain Grease Monkey – Oil Changes & More, is opening its sixth mechanic shop in Florida. The 1,300-square-foot facility is located at 5847 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills. It will have three vehicle bays for basic auto oil change and maintenance. The shop is expected to open in October.

Dade City to hold first monarch festival

October 2, 2019 By Brian Fernandes

Dade City is getting ready for its first Monarch Butterfly Festival.

The Dade City Monarch Butterfly Festival will offer visitors insightful tips on caring for the monarch butterfly species. (Courtesy of Dade City Garden Club)

The Oct. 12 event, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will celebrate Dade City’s induction as a Monarch City USA. The designation refers to the city’s efforts in maintaining the survival of monarch butterflies.

Vendors will offer food and items for sale, including pottery, birdbaths, metal art and jewelry, to name just a few of the options.

The day also includes educational presentations on the monarch butterflies. There will be butterflies there, too, of course, as well as their eggs and caterpillars.

Plants will be on sale, too, including milkweed – a nutritional source for monarch butterflies.

There will be a kids’ area where butterfly-themed crafts can be designed and photos can be taken with an oversized butterfly.

Visitors will be able to take a stroll and view wildlife, and also can purchase tickets for a chance to win a hand-crafted potting bench. Tickets will sell for $2 each, or six for $10.

Admission and parking are free.

The function will be held at Hibiscus Park at Seventh Street and Bougainvillea Avenue in Dade City. It is being presented by the Dade City Garden Club and the Dade City Youth Council.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Out of Our Hands Gallery, 14245 Seventh St. in Dade City or on the day of the event.

For additional information, contact Joan Hepscher at (908) 890-4630 or at .

What: Dade City Monarch Butterfly Festival

Where: Hibiscus Park, Seventh Street and Bougainvillea Avenue in Dade City

When: Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Cost: Free

Details: Dade City will celebrate its induction as a Monarch City USA, which means it aims to help maintain the survival of monarch butterflies. Educational presentations and plant sales will be available, along with activities for kids.

Info: contact Joan Hepscher at (908) 890-4630 or at .

Published October 2, 2019

Scarecrow fest to enliven Dade City

October 2, 2019 By Brian Fernandes

Just in time for fall, patrons will have a chance to enjoy the Scarecrow Festival.

At the annual Scarecrow Festival, patrons get to customize their very own scarecrow and indulge in other fun activities.
(File)

The Dade City event function set for Oct. 12, will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A host of vendors will offer food and crafts, and there will be entertainment, too.

Mr. Tommy will make his return with live musical performances, and a sing-along for kids and adults.

Patrons can design their own scarecrows for $5, and characters from the PAW Patrol television series will be there, with photos scheduled from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

If patrons choose, they can leave their custom-made scarecrows in a supervised area while they engage in other activities, then can pick them up afterwards.

Kids will have lots of options for fun too.

There will be a petting zoo, a pony ride and a barrel train ride through a corn maze, with Conductor Joe at the helm.

Other activities will include rock climbing, rock and pumpkin painting and touch-a-truck.

Admission is free for those under 5; $5 for those 5 to 18; and $10 for ages 18 and up.

Parking is free. Service animals are allowed, too.

The event will be held at the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village at 15602 Pioneer Museum Road in Dade City.

For additional information, contact Brenda Minton at (352) 206-8889 or at .

What: Scarecrow Festival

Where: Pioneer Florida Museum & Village at 15602 Pioneer Museum Road, Dade City

When: Oct. 12 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cost: Free for those under 5; $5 for ages 5 to 18; $10 for ages 18 and up.

Details: The Dade City event makes its return with favorites such as performances by Mr. Tommy, and barrel train rides with Conductor Joe. Multiple vendors will offer food and other items, too.

Info: Contact Brenda Minton at (352) 206-8889 or at .

Published October 2, 2019

Dade City set for fall fun

October 2, 2019 By Brian Fernandes

The autumn season will soon be ushered in with the St. Joe Fall Festival, which will feature a wide range of vendors, diverse food selections and fun activities for kids.

At the St. Joe Fall Festival, kids will be able to show their creative skills with pumpkin painting. This will be one of many activities at the fall event on Oct. 5.
(File)

The Oct. 5 event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 32145 St. Joe Road in Dade City.

Hungry patrons can choose from a diverse selection of foods ranging from barbecue ribs, and Cajun and Polish cuisines, as well as catering by Chick-fil-A.

Tickets, which sell for $1, can be used to purchase adult beverages — for those who are old enough — and also can be used toward a gift basket drawing.

There will be picnic tables where people can relax, enjoy live performances and eat.

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office will present a canine demonstration.

And, there will be plenty for the youth to do, with bounce houses, face and pumpkin painting, obstacle courses and touch-a-tractor.

A $15 wristband gives kids unlimited access to activities.

Parking is free and the event is pet-friendly.

Proceeds will go toward the upkeep of the church.

For additional information, please call Larry Plunkett at (813) 431-8569.

What: St. Joe Fall Festival

Where: Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 32145 St. Joe Road in Dade City

When: Oct. 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cost: Free

Details: Patrons can check out items offered by various vendors and sample a diversity of ethnic foods. Activities will be offered for youths and there will be live music.

Info: Call Larry Plunkett at (813) 431-8569

Published October 2, 2019

Bellamy Brothers headline Rattlesnake Festival

September 25, 2019 By Kevin Weiss

The Bellamy Brothers are returning to a local festival that launched the beginning of their iconic country music career five decades ago.

Darby natives and residents Howard and David Bellamy will headline a special concert at the 53rd annual Rattlesnake Festival on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m., at the Pasco County Fairgrounds’ Dan Cannon Auditorium, 36722 State Road 52 in Dade City.

The duo will be available to sign autographs at their merchandise tables following their hour-and-a-half long performance.

The concert serves as a prelude to the traditional festival days on Oct. 19 and Oct. 20.

The Bellamy Brothers are scheduled to perform a special concert at the Rattlesnake Festival on Oct. 18. It marks their first appearance at the festival in about 40 years, event organizers say. (Courtesy of Rattlesnake Festival)

The Rattlesnake Festival marked The Bellamy Brothers’ first official gig back in 1968 — where Howard and David performed on stage with their father at San Antonio Park.

The Bellamys continued to play the festival for several years prior to the the release of their 1976 chart-topping country pop hit, “Let Your Love Flow,” which spearheaded a career of 20 No. 1 hits and 40 million album sales worldwide.

In an exclusive interview with The Laker/Lutz News, Howard Bellamy said he’s looking forward to returning to the Rattlesnake Festival and host a concert for his hometown community.

“There’s no place we love better. We’ve toured in 72 countries and somehow we always come back to Darby, Florida,” Howard, 73, said.

“It’s a special place and special people around, so when they got this all together and asked us, we jumped right on. It’s very special and you get to see a lot of old friends you haven’t seen forever.”

He added, “We’re always grateful to be back home because this is where it started and this is where it will end.”

Howard and 69-year-old David Bellamy graduated from Pasco High School in the 1960s before embarking on their successful music career.

They spend any downtime amid their frenetic showbiz schedule on their 200-acre family ranch in Darby, just outside the Dade City limits.

When they return to town next month, The Bellamy Brothers will be fresh off an overseas tour that takes them to Norway and Sweden. They’ll immediately head out for a show in North Carolina following the Dade City concert. “We should be well-rehearsed,” Howard quipped.

Howard said the special concert’s set list “definitely” will include “Let Your Love Flow” and several other hit tracks. He noted there also will be some cuts from the band’s latest studio album, “Over the Moon,” which released in February.

“You know, we do as many hits as we can during the show, and we thank God we have enough of them that we have a choice, so people want to hear the hits,” Howard said.

Known for their busy ways, the Bellamys’ appearance comes in the midst of filming the third season of their reality television show, “Honky Tonk Ranch,” airing on the Cowboy Channel. Howard said the band is also working on several other projects with other artists.

“We’re always up to something,” he said.

The Bellamy Brothers’ last appearance at the festival came about 40 years ago, according to Joe Simmons, executive director of the Thomas Promise Foundation that puts on the Rattlesnake Festival.

Simmons said he tried to book The Bellamy Brothers for the event a few years ago, but they were on another road tour at the time.

The event organizer went about getting in touch with the band’s manager earlier this time around, to try to work the Rattlesnake Festival into the band’s lineup that includes roughly 150 tour dates every year.

Simmons’ friendship with David Bellamy’s son, Noah, also helped get things rolling.

“I tried to put a bug in his ear about talking to his dad about them being able to come out to the festival,” Simmons said. “We’re just appreciative that everything worked out to where we could bring them back to the festival. You know, everybody loves The Bellamy Brothers.”

Simmons acknowledged The Bellamy Brothers’ forthcoming appearance has generated extra buzz for the weekend long festival.

“Everybody’s excited,” he said. “Everybody loves it when the Bellamys come back home and play and, for us to be able to accommodate that and bring them back, it was a win-win situation.”

All proceeds raised from the Rattlesnake Festival will go toward the Thomas Promise Foundation, which provides meals and other programs to food-insecure children. It is the nonprofit organization’s largest fundraiser of the year.

The Bellamy Brothers concert is described as an “intimate affair,” with 528 total seats available.

Beer and wine will be offered inside the auditorium during the concert. Proof of age is required. Food will be available from vendors outside the auditorium.

General admission seats are numbered for reservation and tickets come in two tiers: closer seats cost $75 and seats further back cost $40.

Corporate tables are comprised of eight seats and include unlimited beer and wine, and are available for $1,500 per table and must be bought as a full table. Businesses purchasing tables also get their logo on the festival banner.

Tickets may be purchased by visiting RattlesnakeFestival.com, or by calling (813) 312-7119.

53rd annual Rattlesnake Festival

When: Oct. 18, Bellamy Brothers Concert; Oct. 19 and Oct. 20, festival activities

Where: Pasco County Fairgrounds, 36722 State Road 52, Dade City

What: Food, arts & crafts, live music, wildlife, children’s games, and local history are highlighted each year. Family fun and entertainment are a main focus of the event.

Cost: $5 public admission, free for ages 2 and under; Bellamy Brothers concert tickets sold separately.

Info: Visit RattlesnakeFestival.com, or call (813) 782-0000.

Published September 25, 2019

Monarch City art show

September 25, 2019 By Brian Fernandes

The Dade City Monarch Project Art Show will soon display various art pieces from 30 artists.

Multiple pieces of artwork will be on display at the Dade City Monarch Project Art Show from Oct. 5 to Oct. 19. (Courtesy of Russ Taylor)

The public event is in recognition of Dade City being inducted as a Monarch City – tending to the survival of the monarch butterflies.

It will be held from Oct. 5 to Oct. 19 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., unveiling various paintings, photography and sculptures for sale.

Artwork also will be judged.

Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez will choose a piece worthy of a top award, as will the Dade City Garden Club.

And, first and second place winners, among three different categories, will walk away with ribbons and cash prizes.

Admission and parking will be free.

The function will be at the Out of Our Hands Gallery at 14245 Seventh St., in Dade City.

For further information, please contact the Out of Our Hands Gallery at (352) 437-3204 or by visiting OutOfOurHandsGallery.com.

What: Dade City Monarch Project Art Show

Where: Out of Our Hands Gallery, 14245 Seventh St., Dade City

When: Oct. 5 to Oct. 19 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Cost: Free

Details: An art show in honor of Dade City becoming a Monarch City, where various pieces will be on display and for purchase. The opening reception will be held on Oct. 5 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., offering refreshments.

Info: Call Out of Our Hands Gallery at (352) 437-3204, or visit OutOfOurHandsGallery.com.

Published September 25, 2019

Remembering the fallen of 9/11

September 18, 2019 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Danny Burgess, the executive director of the Florida Department of Veteran’s Affairs, speaks to a large crowd gathered for the 9/11 memorial at Zephyr Park. In his moving speech, Burgess said that 9/11 mobilized a generation to stand up and make a difference. (Christine Holtzman)

The morning of Sept. 11 was marked by a 9/11 memorial at Zephyr Park, 38116 Fifth Ave., in Zephyrhills.

The service featured remarks from members of U.S. Marine Corps Detachment 1124, which bears the name of Sgt. Maj. Michael S. Curtin, a first responder who perished in the North Tower of the World Trade Center on the morning of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Zephyrhills Mayor Gene Whitfield, and Danny Burgess, who serves as the executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs, offered remarks.

The Zephyrhills High School JROTC Color Guard presented and retired the colors, and the VFW Post 8154 Honor Guard performed a rifle salute to honor those who perished on 9/11.

Published September 18, 2019

Under the direction of Senior Army Instructor 1st Sgt. Jimmy McAuley, the Zephyrhills High School JROTC Color Guard presents the colors as Rod Rehrig (by podium), salutes. Rehrig is the past commandant of the Marine Corps League Detachment 1124.

The VFW Post 8154 Honor Guard performs a rifle salute to the fallen during the 9/11 memorial at Zephyr Park on the morning of Sept. 11.

Dade City sets workshop on medical marijuana dispensaries

September 18, 2019 By Kevin Weiss

The Dade City City Commission again will consider whether or not to allow medical marijuana treatment centers within city limits.

This city’s six-month moratorium, or temporary ban, on such dispensaries expires Sept. 21.

Commissioners will have a workshop on the matter Sept. 24 at 4 p.m., at City Hall, 38020 Meridian Ave., in Dade City.

In March, city leaders voted to extend its moratorium relating to the operation of cannabis dispensing organizations and the issuance of business tax licenses for such facilities.

It marked the fourth time commissioners passed a six-month extension of the moratorium. The original moratorium was enacted in 2016, to continue to study the potential impacts of such facilities on the municipality.

According to Florida Statutes, medical marijuana dispensaries and treatment centers are permitted in zoning districts where pharmacies are also allowed.

City leaders previously have expressed an interest to allow dispensaries, so long as they’re limited to commercial highways or the outskirts of town.

The commission earlier in the year directed city staff to draft an ordinance that would have allowed for medical marijuana in all zoning districts where the city allows pharmacies, except in the CRA downtown corridor and within 500 feet from any school.

However, the city’s planning board recommended denial of the drafted ordinance, with concerns about language ultimately limiting pharmacies or drugstores in the downtown area, in making them legal nonconforming use. The planning board then recommended the commission to extend the moratorium, with a time frame to be determined by the commission.

Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez emphasized the city needs to find a long-term solution to the matter, one way or another. “We can’t drag feet; we’ve got to do something,” she said.

Regarding medical marijuana facilities, City attorney Thomas Thanas said other Florida municipalities “are trying to get out in front of this with an ordinance one way or the other.”

“Quite a few communities have passed ordinances that ban dispensaries and quite a few have done just the opposite where they’ve allowed them,” he said.

Published September 18, 2019

Dade City approves budget, with some qualms

September 18, 2019 By Kevin Weiss

Dade City Commissioners adopted the city’s tentative budget for next fiscal year, but not without some disagreement.

A first reading ordinance of the $19,296,935 budget passed by a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Nicole Deese Newlon casting the lone dissenting vote during a Sept. 10 meeting.

The 2019-2020 budget is based on an approved 7.14 millage rate.

Newlon took umbrage with multiple funding issues, including the city using $150,000 in reserves to float its operating budget.

The Dade City Commission approved a first reading of its tentative budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. The $19,296,935 budget is based on a 7.14 millage rate. (Kevin Weiss)

“Effectively, to me, it’s like taking money out of my savings account to float my monthly expenses at my house,” she said, “so that to me means we are overextended.”

Newlon added it’s even more concerning with the city having “very large expenses” upcoming through its five-year Capital Improvements Program plan and proposed projects like a downtown splash park/bike hub, Morningside Drive extension and so on.

“We’re spending too much. That’s my opinion,” she said.

Newlon also took issue with certain aspects of funding for the city’s community and economic development department.

She disagreed with a $106,000 total salary benefits package for an economic development/CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) director position and creating a second city planner position.

Newlon argued the economic development/CRA director position “is effectively $7,000 to $9,000 more than the last person that was doing that job was making.”

Dade City Senior Planner Melanie Romagnoli is expected to take over the expanded CRA role, which has been vacant since Mike Sherman left the city in July. Romagnoli previously spent nearly a decade as a program administrator for the Pasco County Office of Economic Growth.

Said Newlon: “I don’t think that person should make more for doing what I think is less work because they now have another person working under them, and the other position that was under them is being transitioned into a much bigger position.”

Newlon also questioned $60,000 for advertising, special projects promotional activities, and $75,000 to rehabilitate the old police department building on Pasco Avenue.

Other commissioners, however, stressed the need for boosting the city’s economic development efforts for next fiscal year by any necessary means — and capitalizing on surrounding residential and commercial growth.

Commissioner Scott Black put it like this: “The economy as it is now, while it is booming, we need to have our staff in place so that we can allow some development to happen. If they’re being hamstrung because there’s not enough hours in the day and not enough hands available, then we’re not going to be well served.”

Black also said of the budget: “It’s not an enviable position to be in, but we have to be positioning ourselves to do these things.”

Commissioner Jim Shive agreed: “In order to move this city forward, we’ve got to grow and get some things on the table.”

Mayor Camille Hernandez added she’s “expecting big things” from an enlarged economic development/CRA team.

Said Hernandez: “We see the houses starting to build, we see businesses start to come and we’re not going to be able to continue that unless we have the expertise and the knowledge of that kind of input into our city.”

One reason for the city’s tight budget constraints this year: commissioners in July voted to set the tentative millage rate at 7.14 rather than a rolled rollback rate of 7.3297 recommended by city staffers.

Commissioners opted not to go with the higher property tax rate, asserting residents have already seen increases in water and sewer rates, and a stormwater fee assessment.

At 7.14 mills, ad valorem tax revenues in the city’s general fund decrease by $40,850 for the 2019-2020 fiscal year, according to Dade City Manager Leslie Porter. The rollback rate would have resulted in a $50,000 swing and thus increased ad valorem revenues in the general fund by about $10,000.

The mayor noted it’s been one of the more challenging budget years she can remember.

“It has been extremely tough,” Hernandez said. “I think in all the years I’ve been here this is probably one of the hardest that I have ever seen and trying to respect our community and keep the millage the same.”

Published September 18, 2019

Main Street roars with music & motorcycles

September 18, 2019 By Christine Holtzman

The distinct roar of motorcycle engines and live rock ‘n’ roll music filled the air around downtown Zephyrhills during the 15th annual Music & Motorcycles on Sept. 14.

Tony Cianci, the owner of Full Throttle Magazine, inspects a 1950 Harley Davidson Panhead motorcycle that has been entered into the ‘Ten-Class Bike Show.’ He is evaluating the bikes in several areas, including paint, seats, wiring, engine and drive train, as well as the overall look and theme. (Christine Holtzman)

The Main Street Zephyrhills bike night was blessed with perfect weather, and attracted hundreds — from far and wide — looking to have some fun.

Within the event boundaries, Fifth Avenue and several of its cross streets were reserved for use by motorcycles only.

Dozens of vendors peddled everything from motorcycle-inspired clothing and gear, to jewelry. Food trucks lined Fifth Avenue, complementing downtown eateries, to provide many options for hungry patrons.

Adults over age 21 could purchase ice cold Budweiser at the Main Street Zephyrhills beer tent, which came with special permit to drink throughout the event perimeter.

Kelly Madix, of Spring Hill, gives two thumbs up to the shoppers who approved of her decision to buy a black Harley Davidson designed headband at the ‘Sue’s Do it in Denim’ shop.

‘Bearded Brothers,’ a band based in New Port Richey, was rocking and rolling all night long.

They played southern rock, classic rock and country music hits, and Bluetooth speakers made it possible to hear their jams throughout Main Street.

There was a “10-Class Ride-In Bike Show,” judged by Tony Cianci, the owner of Full Throttle Magazine.

Cianci was looking for bikes that stood out in areas such as paint, seats, wiring, engine and drive train, as well as the overall look and theme.

Competitors were vying for trophies and bragging rights.

Published September 18, 2019