Parks

On Dec. 31, we had a New Year’s Eve party at the community center and over 60 residents enjoyed a fantastic show with a variety of music.

Billy Cole sang everyone’s favorites, including many requests like “Open Arms,” “YMCA,” “New York, New York,” “Drinkin’ Problem” and so much more. The music was played from 6:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., and there was much dancing. There were fast dances, slow ones and some line dancing thrown in.

There were 16 door prizes with such gifts as a pancake breakfast, Egg in a Bag, and some monetary prizes.

Annmarie Shackewyc told me a little about how the show went, and she said that everyone had a good time. She was also good enough to take some pictures of the evening and the happy Grand Horizons residents. 

The entire community center was decorated, and there were some long tables with red tablecloths, black napkins, New Year hats and horns, along with other noisemakers to ring in the New Year. In addition to the lovely tables, the chairs had beautiful black backing.

Everyone brought a nibble to share with their table, plus more was set up on another table. 

The entire show was hosted by Gary Wilcox, and he did a fine job from what I heard from others. 

By Helene Rubenstein, Grand Horizons

Published January 8, 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Twenty-seven Grand Horizon ladies attended the annual Lunch Bunch Christmas luncheon at The Cheesecake Factory in Brandon on Dec. 12.

Since I was unable to attend, Joyce Bell said they all sat together at a large table, which made it nice to socialize. She also said that the menu had many choices, so it was fun making a decision on what to eat. There was a soup, salad and half-sandwich platter, and enchilada and burrito dishes.

The portions were generous, but no one passed up desserts of cheesecake. Many took the dessert home.

It definitely sounded like everyone had a good time and plenty to eat.

There was a Christmas show on Dec. 14, featuring Johnny M, The Brooklyn Balladeer. The show was in the community center, and approximately 60 people attended.

A separate area was provided for those who wanted to dance.

Before the show began, Joyce Bell presented to Beth Ayers a check representing monies collected from the Grand Horizons community for Meals on Wheels. Beth relayed her thanks.

Johnny M performed for two hours and sang many songs, including “I’ll be Home for Christmas,” “Blue Christmas” and “White Christmas.” He did a fine rendition of “Let it Snow” by Dean Martin, and people were swaying in their seats for “Jingle Bell Rock.”

During the evening, he walked through the audience and sang to individuals.

(Courtsey

He performed some Elvis Presley tunes, such as “Devil in Disguise” and “Little Sister,” and he shook his hips at the appropriate times and did several antics.

He also took several requests and tried to accommodate all.

He closed the show with “Behind Closed Doors,” a Charlie Rich hit, and “Goodnight My Love.”

Gary Wilcox hosted the event, which included many Christmas songs, some country songs and much more.

The following day, there was an appetizer potluck, and 56 residents were there to enjoy it.

This was hosted by Al and Sandy Lindke and their son, Greg, in appreciation to all who donated grocery store gift cards and food items to the First United Methodist Church’s Food Pantry.

Sandy thanked all of the donors for helping to make someone’s holidays easier.

No one seemed in a hurry to eat and run, as they stayed to visit with neighbors and friends.

A pancake breakfast was held Dec. 16, with a crowd of 90 residents. The breakfast was hosted by Dave and Mary Heim, and their crew.

On the following day, Grand Horizons had its yearly golf cart parade, with the carts gaily decorated. Some had Santa on the cart, while others had Christmas music blaring from their carts.

There were 24 entries in the parade, and they went around the entire development, while people waved and called out “Merry Christmas.”

The parade was led by Chick and Annmarie Shackewyc.

Afterward, everyone met in the community center for cookies, brownies, hot chocolate, coffee, tea and more. They also sang Christmas carols.

Nancy Huey arranged the event, and she, along with plenty of help, did a splendid job.

By Helene Rubenstein, Grand Horizons

Published January 3, 2018

Approximately 50 Grand Horizon residents, plus several friends, met at the community center on Dec. 3 to await a brand new bus that took us on a 5-hour bus ride to the port of Miami for a cruise on the Norwegian Getaway. The bus ride was long but passed quickly enough, with all the conversation going on. Some people spent the time reading, working crossword puzzles or doing other activities.

Once we boarded the cruise ship, we had a mandatory life jacket demonstration. It was interesting and informative, and then we settled in, unpacked and then all 50 of us had a leisurely dinner.

After dinner, we were treated to a welcome aboard show, “The Million Dollar Quartet,” and it had hits from Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.

They were excellent.
After this, in the same show, we viewed some dancers in beautiful black and white costumes.

This marked the end of the first day and we all turned in for a good night’s sleep.

The following morning, there were several places to have breakfast, but we wanted to sit and enjoy being served. So, on to “Savors,” for a relaxing breakfast, while sitting in our seats facing a huge window and beautiful scenery.

Later in the morning, we went to a presentation where they carved vegetables and/or fruit. They created, in front of our eyes, penguins, turkeys, ducks and more. Each piece was more fascinating and detailed than the last.

At the end of the show, all the finished pieces were displayed to people who wished to photograph them or just to admire the great work.

At lunch, we joined 20 of our neighbors to break bread and converse about the fun we’d had so far.

From there, some of us went to a diamond, gemstone and watch presentation (which was informative), while others went to other activities.

After that, we went to see a show that had a singer and three others in the band. It was a terrific show with a bunch of oldies thrown in. People were swaying in their seats to the music.

In the same theater, we saw a “Newlywed, not so Newlywed” game show. The show was so funny and shown on our TVs for the rest of the tour.

The time has changed, and we get an extra hour of sleep, and woke on the third day in Roatan, Honduras and, once again, had a pleasant breakfast with 16 others and had a fun time.

Later in the day after browsing the ship and meeting new people, we went to O’ Sheehan’s Irish Bar & Grill for a quick lunch with five others from Grand Horizons.

After the lunch, we went to the atrium for a general trivia game with Alberto from Brazil. We didn’t do so well, so I guess we have to brush up on our trivia.

From there, we were treated to a movie entitled “The Proposal.” It starred Sandra Bullock and was hysterical.

After the movies, we learned some Chinese characters. Some people got to see their name in Chinese.

Right after this, we played “Win, Lose or Draw.” Our team won, but it was a close game for a while.

We then joined our friends for dinner, and saw a show called “Burn the Floor,” which had lovely dances with many colorful costumes.

The following morning, we awoke in Belize and, after breakfast, we joined in on another trivia game. Once again, we didn’t get much right, but we had fun.

It was raining, so we walked around the ship, in between raindrops.

We saw a movie called “Ghost in the Shell,” a futuristic movie and since it was going nowhere, left before the end.

We went to another movie, a 3-D one, called “Wonder Woman.” This was somewhat better, as it did have a little story to it.

When evening approached, we saw a game show called “55 to Stay Alive.” This was an action- packed show. There were many other shows on board, including “Deal or No Deal” and others, but we definitely needed the rest, so we turned in.

The following day, we arrived at Costa Maya, Mexico, and it was a dreary day in the morning hours and got a little bit better as the day progressed.

We went for another trivia game with the same endings that we had previously. Before the trivia game, we tried out in a Sudoku Speed Challenge, and got nowhere fast.

I did try out origami and created a frog. It was fun and certainly was different.

There also was Nintendo Wii Sports. I tried my hand at bowling and it was fun. No exertion like 10-pin bowling. I was the guinea pig, as others followed after me.

After a full morning of activities, we had lunch with our friends. During lunch, another game show was going on and it was called Tri Bond Trivia. This was different, as they would give you three words, and you would figure out what they had in common. It was so different and really made you think.

After the game, we wanted to walk a little, but since it was still chilly outside, we took a long walk from floor to floor.

We joined the others for a game called Scattergories. This was also a challenging game, as you had to “think,” and our team won.

The following day, we docked at Cozumel and some people went to do some exploring.

With no crowd, we explored the boat and found a library, card room, meeting rooms and more that we didn’t know existed.

Later in the day, we saw a video documentary on Elvis Presley.

We also had an arts and crafts course to make a flower box.

We saw Latin line dances and some people (I give them credit) took lessons. It was loads of fun.

Later that night, we were treated to music by Grove International and, later, the same group along with a singer performed oldies but goodies.

Our last full day at sea was Dec. 9.

We started the day with supposedly easy trivia, but it was the hardest of them all.

We then were treated to a towel-folding demonstration. You would be surprised at the animals they could make. There was a monkey, a turtle, a penguin and several others. It was an absolute delight.

We then attended a cupcake-decorating demonstration. and the cupcakes looked yummy.

This entire cruise was hosted by Terry Gardner, and he says that at the end of the year, they will take another cruise through the Panama Canal, which will be 11 days.

Anyone that is interested can give Terry Gardner. Our thanks go out to him for his hard work.

By Helene Rubenstein, Grand Horizons

Published January 3, 2018

There was a pancake breakfast on Nov. 18 in the community center with 80 people in attendance. It was a fun gathering, and Jim Leitzke said grace before the meal.

There were pancakes and French toast, along with sausage and coffee or tea. If you wanted more, you could get seconds.

The hosts for the breakfast were Mary and Dave Heim. They had helpers who do a marvelous job, and everything ran smoothly.

The once-a-month egg in the bag was on Dec. 2. We usually attend, as the breakfast is delicious with eggs or egg beaters with green pepper, cheese, onions, ham, bacon and more. The end result is a perfect omelet, and there are home fries and biscuits and gravy, along with orange juice and coffee. This was run by Paul and Freda Williams.

Later on, at night they had, in the community center, an “open mic” with gospel songs. We went to the one they had last month, and my husband and I enjoyed it a lot. It is held once a month and because we were going on a cruise the very next morning (bright and early), we missed this one. But, I am sure it was still fantastic.

A lunch connoisseurs was held Dec. 8 at Texas Roadhouse. It was hosted by Sandy and Al Lindke. We happen to love this restaurant, but were unable to attend, so Sandy told me a little about it. This is what she said: “Forty-three residents descended on the Wesley Chapel Texas Roadhouse for a late lunch of their choice. The roadhouse buzzed with lots of chatter and laughter. A good time was had by all, and no one went home hungry. We happened to be celebrating Jim Holmes birthday, so he got on the saddle while they sang the roadhouse version of ‘Happy Birthday.’”

There was a potluck on Dec. 10, also in the community center, hosted by Nancy Huey. I spoke to Sandy Lindke, and she told me that there was more than enough food for the 50 people in attendance. She also told me that Paul Williams provided the Christmas music.

Also mentioned was the fact that Santa (Bill Sarver) and Mrs. Claus (Judi Davis) passed out the gift exchange packages.

By Helene Rubenstein, Grand Horizons

Published December 20, 2017

The Sally Langwah show was presented on Nov. 10 in the community center. This was a veteran tribute hosted by Gary Wilcox.

The stage was decorated nicely with miniature flags placed several inches from each other and little bottles with a flag in the center, and blue and red surrounding it.

The show started off when Gary Wilcox introduced Roy Langwah.

Roy said a few words and then presented Sally Langwah who started the show singing “The Star Spangled Banner.” This was followed by “A Salute to the Armed Forces.”

Because this was a patriotic show, she continued on with a song from each branch, such as the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Marines, Merchant Marines and the Air Force. These songs were sung while the ones who served in that particular branch stood to be recognized.

Roy Langwah then came on dressed as Willie Nelson, with his signature pigtails and bandana. He sang his hit “All of Me,” plus “The City of New Orleans,” and he did a marvelous job.

Sally then came back on stage in a long brunette wig and a red dress as Crystal Gayle and sang the hit tune “Don’t it Make my Brown Eyes Blue” and a Cristy Lane song entitled “One Day at a Time.”

There was audience participation, and one cute segment when Barbara Livingston and Joan Fisher (both residents of Grand Horizons) joined Sally in performing a couple of songs by The Andrew Sisters, including “Beer Barrel Polka” and “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.”

All three had the moves, and kept the audience swinging and clapping in their seats. It was some performance.

Rich Fulton, Paul Oi, Dave Lawrence and Rick Huey were called up as war vets while the song “When I Dream” was sung by Sally. They were each presented with a pin, which was a lovely touch.

Roy came out as Elvis Presley and shook hands with most of the audience while singing “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.”

Sally came back on stage as Marilyn Monroe, told some jokes like only Marilyn could, and sang “I Want to be Loved by You” to Bill Sarver and “Happy Birthday” to Freddie.

We also got treated to the hit song by Louis Armstrong called “What a Wonderful World.”

Charo, the “coochi-coochi” girl came out to perform. This was a cute performance, and she called on Jim Leitzke to dance. Sally was dressed in a long blond wig, and in a lovely white and blue dress.

Toward the end of the show, she had several people come to the front of the room to perform the “Electric Slide,” a line dance.

The show ended with Sally singing “God Bless America,” and the entire audience sang along.

This would have marked the end of the show, but then Sally and Roy outdid themselves by continuing another half an hour with more singing and dancing. Everyone left on a very high note.

The following morning, we had an egg-in-a-bag breakfast, and 114 people were served.

It was hosted by Paul and Freda Williams, and they had several volunteers, including Jim and Judi Leitzke, Sue and Galen Parker, Carol and Clayton George, and Doris Sutfin.

Phyllis Jones provided the music, and everyone did a fabulous job.

Before breakfast, Galen Parker said grace, while everyone bowed their heads in a moment of silence.

After everyone enjoyed a hearty breakfast, Jim Leitzke presented a veterans program. The program started with the Pledge of Allegiance, and the entire audience stood.

Jim then presented a special video entitled “My Name is America” by Todd Allen. The POW/MIA table and each item on the table was thoroughly explained. This table remembers all the military lost.

Flags were then brought forward for each individual service.

There are many vets from Grand Horizons, and as each branch was called, the vets who were there stood to be recognized.

Thanks to the vets that served and gave us our freedoms.

The afternoon ended with all singing “God Bless America.”

By Helene Rubenstein, Grand Horizons

Published December 6, 2017

The Lunch Bunch, a women’s luncheon, took place Nov. 7 at Fred’s Market Restaurant in Lakeland. There were 16 women who went to the restaurant, and everyone seemed to have a good time. It seems there was a little mix-up, but the restaurant came through very nicely.

The women who attended had a separate room to converse in.

The food was delicious, and they had a buffet, plus you were able to order from the menu. The buffet consisted of chicken, salad, dumplings and desserts.

This luncheon was arranged by Robbie Lockard, and about eight women went shopping afterward at the Lakeland Mall.

Several days later, on Nov. 10, we had Lunch Connoisseurs at Ford’s Garage in Lutz. There was a big crowd of 56 people. This was organized by Shirley and Chuck Carlson.

The restaurant was decorated with old cars greeting everyone upon entering the restaurant, with several more trucks/cars inside the restaurant with tires on the walls. The restrooms also had more tires around the sinks and gas pumps for door handles.

There was a sign in the restroom that stated the following: “What happened in the garage, stays in the garage.”

The menu was varied, and there were more than enough dishes.

Shirley and Chuck were the perfect host and hostess as, upon the completion of the meal, they asked everyone how their lunch was.

From the restaurant, there was a mall nearby, and people could take their pick and either shop or go home.

By Helene Rubenstein, Grand Horizons

Published November 29, 2017