The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Parks

Quilters readying for colorful display

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Each year, the Leisure Days’ quilters make a special quilt to benefit the Fun Club. This year’s quilt will be on display at the 11th annual Leisure Days Quilt Show on Feb. 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Showcasing the 2016 quilt are, back row from left, Rose Knapp, Frances Shearer, Glo Pelley, Joanne Vandenhoek, Marie Taylor, Evalyn Hills and Gail Beebe. Front row from left, Ruth Fanson, Judy Weible, Marie Henhoeffer, Susanne Padgett, Jeanne-Marie Banderet and Peggy Goodmurphy. (Courtesy of Anne Astles)
Showcasing the 2016 quilt are, back row from left, Rose Knapp, Frances Shearer, Glo Pelley, Joanne Vandenhoek, Marie Taylor, Evalyn Hills and Gail Beebe. Front row from left, Ruth Fanson, Judy Weible, Marie Henhoeffer, Susanne Padgett, Jeanne-Marie Banderet and Peggy Goodmurphy.
(Courtesy of Anne Astles)

The Leisure Days’ quilters have been busy getting ready for the show, and once again, the hall will be transformed into a rainbow of colors, from the numerous quilts on display. Along with the quilts, other quilted items also will be displayed.

These quilters also make numerous quilts for the young and old in the Zephyrhills community. A popular design this year is the “Patchalot” quilt, made up of 2 ½ squares.

The instant win table, a popular stop for the visitors, will be available during the show.

Conveyor Marie Henhoeffer invites everyone, once they have admired the quilts on display, to enjoy a cup of tea with the Leisure Days’ quilters and to watch a demonstration of hand quilting.

Leisure Days RV Resort is located on Morris Bridge Road, at State Road 54, in Zephyrhills.

By Anne Astles

Published January 20, 2016

Sparkling cider and birthdays

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Rainbow Village started the New Year with Chrissy Hariman playing her great music for all of us to dance to.

Arlene Jones, chairperson for the New Year’s Eve dance, takes a moment with her husband, Brent. (Photos courtesy of Sandra Gilbert-Abel)
Arlene Jones, chairperson for the New Year’s Eve dance, takes a moment with her husband, Brent.
(Photos courtesy of Sandra Gilbert-Abel)

We celebrated two birthdays at the dance — Edie Dayton’s birthday on New Year’s Eve and Dick Poulin’s on New Year’s Day.

Brent Jones had a great time dancing around the floor with several ladies trying to put money in his belt. He was such a tremendous sport! Bottles of sparkling apple cider were shared at each table for a toast at midnight.

A big thank you to Arlene Jones and her great committee for planning a wonderful New Year’s Eve dance.

It was a great way to ring in 2016, dancing to Chrissy’s music and enjoying the fellowship of our Rainbow Village family.

By Sandra Gilbert-Abel

Published January 20, 2016

Oh, the weather outside is wonderful

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A hootenanny session with, from left, Richard Evans, Ron Graham, Carmen Carrey, Cliff Pryde and Mary Ann Evans. (Photos courtesy of Ian Marwick)
A hootenanny session with, from left, Richard Evans, Ron Graham, Carmen Carrey, Cliff Pryde and Mary Ann Evans.
(Photos courtesy of Ian Marwick)

The rest of the country was not enjoying the last few weeks as much as the lucky few of us snowbirds lolling in the Florida sun, but boy, has it not been grand? Some of the old sages in the park fondly reminisced about all the winters they had in days gone by, when the cold winds never arrived and only a sweater or two could be seen. Good story, but we will take this any day. This is the reason we came, to escape winter, and this is exactly why we were enjoying it to the limit.

Christmas was not even out of the distant past yet, and summer activities were still abounding. Gatherings of like-minded people were everywhere. Parties had even started up by just taking down a neighbor’s Christmas decorations and then rolling into a happy hour. Mary Ann and Charles Evans, new in the park this year, from Indiana, brought her electric piano and rhythm maker down to John and Pat Sweet to entertain happy hour friends. Rick Carrey brought a guitar, Cliff Pryde brought an amp and mike, with his trusty guitar in tow, to form an ensemble. Shorts and short-sleeved shirts were mandatory, and all joined in the hootenanny to sing songs, practice karaoke, dance some steps and, of course, hoist a few frosties. Hey, it was a nice way to pass a December afternoon, especially outside in 85-degree heat. Throughout the park on any afternoon, you heard people enjoying it (warm weather) while we had it. However, it is coming. Those northern winds are at the door. Get out and enjoy the warmth and your neighbors.

Our new king and queen, Jim and Mary Homrich, with former kings and queens, from left, Dick Johnson, Mick and Mona Eddy, and Phil and Brenda Knaack.
Our new king and queen, Jim and Mary Homrich, with former kings and queens, from left, Dick Johnson, Mick and Mona Eddy, and Phil and Brenda Knaack.

On another note, our new king and queen for 2016 were crowned at the morning coffee hour. Jim and Mary Ann Homrich are an active couple in the park, and have been involved for many years. The first thing you notice is their smiles. They are contagious. Jim, for many years, took on the lead of our golf league, a challenging time-consuming job. Thanks for your service from all the duffers. Jim and Mary Ann still have not been told yet, but all the crowns and regalia are not theirs to keep, but free admission to all activities will be nontaxable. Whoopee! Have a great reign.

Our outgoing queen, Maggie Johnson, has not enjoyed the best December, but is improving as this is written. Fast recovery Maggie. Looking forward to seeing you up soon.

This was also the time to make resolutions for 2016. We all have sworn off something sinful in the past, but at our age, we have little sin left to give up, so this year the resolution is to hopefully keep what we have. What is wrong with real butter on toast, a glass of wine, or a chocolate or two? We might be able to keep these.

Did you hear the music coming up the road from the rec hall? Happy New Year one and all from the residents, park management and corporate.

By Ian Marwick (the happy scribe)

Published January 13, 2016 

 

Welcoming the New Year Grand Horizons style

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Many residents attended a New Year’s Eve celebration at our community center on Dec. 31. Barb Livingston, Carol Wilcox and Annmarie Shackewyc hosted the party. A great deal of work was put into these preparations, and the party ran smoothly.

Annmarie and Chick Shackewyc enjoy the New Year’s Eve party at Grand Horizons. (Photos courtesy of Annmarie Shackewyc)
Annmarie and Chick Shackewyc enjoy the New Year’s Eve party at Grand Horizons.
(Photos courtesy of Annmarie Shackewyc)

The entire community center was decorated nicely with black fabric chair covers and white tablecloths. In the center of the tables there were lanterns with white and black accents. The centerpieces were made by Barb and Annmarie. The idea of the black and white was thought about previously, and when it came time to decorate the community center, it was done by Carol Wilcox, Cheryl Leone, Barb Livingston and Annmarie Shackewyc.

Billy Cole was the disc jockey/singer for the evening, and he sang a variety of songs. He has a good voice and took many requests.

There was plenty of dancing and 16 prizes were awarded. The prizes consisted of a free breakfast and more. A snack tray, plus chips, was provided, but everyone brought something for the table. When leaving the community center, people went home to the sound of fireworks shooting up to the sky.

Rich and Chris Fulton get into the swing of things at the New Year’s Eve party.
Rich and Chris Fulton get into the swing of things at the New Year’s Eve party.

On Jan. 5, bingo games started up once again, and the first game of the year was presented. We have a new committee, and bingo will be every Tuesday. There is so much fun during the games, and it’s also a good opportunity to socialize.

Also on Jan. 5, 15 women gathered at the community center to go and have a meal at The Great Catch. The meal and the company was excellent, and the menu consisted of a variety of tasty dishes. The waitresses were very helpful if anyone had a question. This outing was organized by Barbara Janelle, and our thanks go out to her. Everyone had a lovely time conversing and mingling with one another.

By Helene Rubenstein

Published January 13, 2016

Keeping a home beautiful pays off

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(Courtesy of Jo Ann Buley)
(Courtesy of Jo Ann Buley)

Timber Lake Estates recognized its Home of the Year winner as Warren and Jennifer Melvin, on Whispering Lane Drive in Zephyrhills. The Warrens were chosen from the quarterly winners, and were awarded a certificate, a flag and a $150 for the beautification of their home.

Serving up a beautiful Christmas

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The week of Christmas was very busy at Rainbow Village. Dick and Sandy Abel had the large trailer all trimmed with Christmas decorations, waiting for Reggie Short to hook it up to his truck. Then, the Rainbow helpers put some picnic tables on it so the carolers could sit and sing the carols, while we went up and down the lanes in Rainbow Village singing to all those that were waiting to listen. It was a lot of fun sharing the “Reason for the Season” along the lanes in Rainbow Village.

The Christmas eve choir helped celebrate the birth of Jesus. (Photos courtesy of Sandra Gilbert-Abel)
The Christmas eve choir helped celebrate the birth of Jesus.
(Photos courtesy of Sandra Gilbert-Abel)

Our worship service choir was in charge of our Christmas Eve service. Our choir director, Bev Were, brought a really nice program from Canada. A very memorable moment was when Laureen Hutt sang “Mary, Did You Know?” to the mother of baby Jesus. The choir sang and the congregation sang along with the carols that were sung. It was a beautiful service to help celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Doug Jones prepared our annual Christmas ham dinner. In addition to the ham, each person brought a dish to share for a table of 12. The tables were beautifully decorated. We had a full house for the Christmas dinner. Our Rainbow Village family is very special at this time of year, especially when our families are scattered all over the country. A big thank you to Doug for all of his work. Thanks to all who helped set up tables, clean up and serve, and to those that prepared meals for our shut-ins.

Rich Berkheiser lead the singing, with the help of Sandy Abel, while caroling around the resort on Christmas Eve.
Rich Berkheiser lead the singing, with the help of Sandy Abel, while caroling around the resort on Christmas Eve.

The big winners in our Christmas lighting contest were Jerry and Debbie Kirsch for the best decorated mobile home, and Jay and Karen Sharon for the best decorated RV. Congratulations to the winners.

We at Rainbow Village hope the New Year will be great for you all.

By Sandra Gilbert-Abel

Published January 6, 2016

Leisure Days’ residents have the spirit

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LeisureDays-afghans rgbLeisure Days demonstrates the art of giving
Leisure Days’ KC Busy Hands made and donated afghans for babies and new mothers to the Zephyrhills Pregnancy Care Center for Christmas. They also donated more than 300 hats to local children for Christmas. Paul and Karen Bovee have entertained residents of local nursing homes for 10 years through their Nursing Home Mission, and they also delivered afghans provided by Busy Hands. Back row, from left, are Fran Roes, Margaret McLean, Paul Bovee, Karen Bovee, Sandy Held, Evelyn Tunn, Vornie Colbath, Laurelyn Deans, Gloria Martin. In the front row are Carol Kruse and Betty Hobson.

LeisureDays-Bastarache rgbShowing off holiday spirit at Leisure Days
Taking part in the Christmas parade at Leisure Days RV Resort were, from left, Diane Bastarache, Artie Shaw, Bill Martin, and Dylan Mize as an elf.

Christmas traditions kept alive for residents

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Rainbow Village looks like Christmas with most of the homes decorated with beautiful lights. It is so much fun walking up and down the streets admiring how the residents have decorated their homes. There were prizes for the best decorated home and trailer. It sure was hard to pick a winner!

Gail and Tony Andrade with Buffalo Bob, who entertained at the Andrades’ going-away party after 23 years at Rainbow Village. (Photos courtesy of Sandra Gilbert-Abel)
Gail and Tony Andrade with Buffalo Bob, who entertained at the Andrades’ going-away party after 23 years at Rainbow Village.
(Photos courtesy of Sandra Gilbert-Abel)

Tony and Gail Andrade were honored at one of our ice cream socials. They have been residents for 23 years and, due to some health issues, are going home to Maine. Tony was very involved in organizing our shuffling teams, and we will always remember Tony for his great spaghetti dinners. We wish them the best and will miss them.

Judy Lykins and Ellie Sawyer co-chaired our annual “Christmas Cookie Exchange” this year. These ladies have refreshments and punch for the ladies that donate cookies, and they decorate the tables so prettily. The residents bring two-dozen cookies: one dozen to donate to Meals on Wheels, and one dozen to share. They also can pick out a dozen to take home. They collected over 125 dozen cookies for Meals on Wheels. A big thanks to Judy and Ellie for hosting this event for Meals on Wheels.

George Raab provided the music for our Christmas dance recently. The hall was beautifully decorated for Christmas. A large crowd attended. The electric slide was one of the favorite dances during the evening. A big thanks to George Raab for his great music, and a big thank you to the dance committee for all their work so we could dance the night away.

Pat Woolaver and Patti Hill wore their Christmas hats at Evie McMann’s Tea.
Pat Woolaver and Patti Hill wore their Christmas hats at Evie McMann’s Tea.

Our annual “Evie McMann’s Tea” was held at the social hall with Sue Flynn, our manager, and Vicki Arndt chairing the tea. We were greeted at the door by Nancy Pollack wearing the dress that Evie wore 24 years ago, when she started the tea from her little trailer serving fruit cake, sticky buns, and lots of cookies and tea. It has continued each year in her memory. Sandwiches, chips, cookies and tea were served. The entertainment was a bell choir from local churches, directed by Vicki Arndt, performing some beautiful Christmas songs. We ended the afternoon with singing Christmas carols, a great way to get into the Christmas spirit. The ladies brought gifts to share with the pregnancy center. Thank you to all who helped to continue Evie’s tea.

The Rainbowettes Red Hat Ladies enjoyed a night at The Shops at Wiregrass light show, and we ate dinner at the Red Robin restaurant. It was a beautiful night seeing a great light show, especially great music from a local Methodist church.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year to all!

By Sandra Gilbert-Abel
Rainbow Village

Published December 30, 2015

Christmas in shorts

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It is not hard to sit back and enjoy these warm, sunny days. Yes, it was Christmas week, and yes, we should have be thinking of friends and relatives up north freezing and shoveling. But, the truth is that we were having an exceptional December in Florida and our northern friends were also. This did not stop the enthusiasm for special events over these weeks.

The regular activities, however, go on as usual. The only noticeable difference, at the conclusion, were the happy faces, warm hugs and/or handshakes, and the heartfelt “Merry Christmas” wished to all. Wonderful!

Waiting for a ride are, from left, John Sweet, Rick Carrey and Ron Graham. (Courtesy of Ian Marwick)
Waiting for a ride are, from left, John Sweet, Rick Carrey and Ron Graham.
(Courtesy of Ian Marwick)

Christmas, as always, was celebrated at Happy Days starting with a craft sale on a Saturday morning. This year, for the first time, it was open to the public and was a commercial success for the crafters and also the hot dog lunch. The hall was quickly turned around for the evening annual Christmas party. This is always a favorite with residents. A mixture of why we celebrate Christmas is combined with the joy of spoofing ourselves, Santa and Mrs. Claus, surprise $5 gifts and, of course, more food. Thanks to Dennis and Paula Cosmo. The hit this year was performed by two former presidents who demonstrated why politicians are fodder for comedians. It is hard to imagine “The Night Before Christmas” as a slightly off-color routine, but you had to be there. Three cheers for Linda Jenkins and Phil Knaack.

On Saturday evening, our ad hoc carolers toured the park serenading those who are not as mobile, and entertaining all. Cookies and refreshments on the tour were appreciated, to keep the pipes moist. As usual, it was also the judging and awarding of individual lighting displays.

Some of us were expecting visitors from the not-so-frozen north over the week, packing bathing suits and sunglasses. However, we enjoyed family and friends wherever they were, remembered the true meaning of Christmas, and gave thanks for the goodwill of man and the freedom we enjoy.

From all the residents, and management of Happy Days, hope you had a very merry Christmas.

By Ian Marwick (the happy scribe)
Happy Days RV Resort

Published December 30, 2015

 

Christmas spirit on display

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On Dec. 12, we had our annual golf cart parade. Approximately 12 carts circled our development at Grand Horizons. The parade went at a pace where anyone could view it. Brian Heidman led the group and did a terrific job.

One of the gaily decorated golf carts in the annual parade. (Courtesy of Marty Rubenstein)
One of the gaily decorated golf carts in the annual parade.
(Courtesy of Marty Rubenstein)

Each cart was decorated very nicely, but only six decided to be judged. There were three winners. Those in the top three were Jim and Judi Leitzke, Paul and Carolyn Ray, and Ron and Joyce Bell. Each couple received a trophy and had their picture taken. The trophies were donated by Andy and Margaret Castonguay.

After the parade, we all gathered in the community center where there were goodies plus coffee, tea and hot chocolate. Fletcher Music had a sing-a-long and presented a free CD plus two certificates for a six-week course of beginner lessons.

Joyce Bell also presented a check to Beth Aker, director for East Pasco Meals on Wheels. This is a fundraiser that Grand Horizons has donated to for the past four years.

By Helene Rubenstein
Grand Horizons

Published December 30, 2015