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Commemorating a centennial of helping children

December 12, 2023 By Mike Camunas

For 100 years, it’s been all about the children.

The Kiwanis Club of Dade City is celebrating its centennial anniversary, as a service organization dedicated to helping children in need in the community. The club does everything from providing school supplies and clothing, to supplying food and gifts around the holiday season. It even provides the club’s trademark donation — eyeglasses — to those who need them, but can’t afford them.

Members and administrators of the Kiwanis Club of Dade City, including current president Kristie Dimarakis, third from the left, are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the local nonprofit organization. Throughout its history, it has helped thousands of local children by providing clothing, toys, school supplies and other items. The Dade City chapter is one of 15 in the Nature Coast area, as one of the oldest, and has had some notable presidents over the years, such as Florida’s 13th Commissioner of Agriculture, Wilton Simpson. It has raised more than a quarter million dollars and shaped Dade City during a century of operation. (Courtesy of Kirstie Dimarakis)

While its membership may be lower than desired or even as high as some of its fellow 14 sister chapters in the Nature Coast branch, the Dade City club strives to help every child that needs assistance it can — making sure they provide needed supplies and attention.

“Everything is for the children — we don’t do anything unless it’s for kids,” said longtime member and former Kiwanis Dade City president Mike Moorman. “That’s the whole point of Kiwanis: to help them grow and become adults. The K in the name should stand for kids because that’s what we do.

“And, honestly,” he added, “and this is just how I feel, but I know a lot of members do, too, but no kid should be deprived of getting something for Christmas.

“That should be our motto.”

The Kiwanis Club of Dade City was founded in 1923, with the first president being Alfred Francis “Frank” Price, whose name is now honored at Price Park on Meridian Avenue. The group has been significant in Dade City history, according to author and historian Madonna Wise.

It has been “involved in everything. The new highway through town, recruiting an early extension agent, building of roads, benevolent projects of all types and aspects of the culture, and even entertainment of the town,” according to Wise.

The Kiwanis Club of Dade City has been around 100 years, and in that time, they have collected an unfathomable amount of school supplies, clothing and more for families and children in need.

Over its century-long existence, the Dade City club and its members have focused on helping the community’s children.

“Because we only give back to kids, we don’t get involved in anything political or anything else,” Moorman said. “We just worry about the kids, so all money raised goes to the kids. We don’t take anything from the group and we pay for all our other stuff out of our own pockets.”

Moorman figures the Kiwanis Club has helped every school in Dade City, and partners closely with Pasco High, as well. But their big push throughout the years has always been the club’s free eyeglasses program.

Partnering with local optometrist Dr. Bradley Smurr, the group — which now works in collaboration with Pasco County on this project — raises money to get children eye exams and possible glasses, if they can’t afford it.

Club president Kristie Dimarakis says one of its members, Mike Carr, was a recipient of glasses as a kid, and now is passionate to keep this program alive.

“Since most members are Dade City natives or lifelong residents, it sometimes comes full circle,” Dimarakis added. “Especially, like (Mike Carr) where Kiwanis impacted his life. I think you see a lot of that — if it impacted their lives, now they want to give back.”

“Oh, it’s so rewarding or we wouldn’t be here,” said another former president John Swyers.

“We don’t meet the kids, we’re just told what they need or how we can help them,” he added. “From 1923 to now, 100 years later, that’s been a lot of money and clothing, gifts and eyeglasses. I’m not sure it is even quantifiable just how much we’ve collected and raised in 100 years, but it’s a lot and it’s been just for the kids.”

Kiwanis Club of Dade City of Dade City has raised thousands of dollars over the years to support many charities, including Habitat for Humanity.

Moving forward after the 100th anniversary celebration, Dimarakis is focused on increasing membership and keeping it steady.

“My grandfather was a president of Kiwanis club in Georgia, and had more than 100 members,” she said. “We always want more people to join and help out and keep this club going for another 100 years!”

“It does take a lot of dedication,” added Penny Morrill, another former president. “It takes a lot of passion, but then you don’t even realize how long you’ve been with Kiwanis. I was surprised when it was our 75th anniversary!”

Dimarakis and company know it can be tough to be part of Kiwanis, as the club meets Tuesdays at noon, making it tough for those who work to make meetings. Additionally, Morrill pointed out many companies no longer sponsor (i.e., pay the membership fees) employees to be in Kiwanis.

“That used to be a big selling point, a big point of pride,” she added, “but really, everyone here wants to help kids in this area. Many don’t realize the kids in Dade City are very poverty-stricken. Kiwanis is a great way to help them, if you can.”

Despite some membership hardships, this Kiwanis club has had some notable members, many of whom are now senior members — in that they support the club, but are not active participants.

Longtime members of the Kiwanis Club of Dade City are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the local nonprofit organization that works diligently to raise monies, clothing, school supplies and more to provide for children in need.

Those of notoriety include Price; Roy Hardy, who got the trail nearby named after him; and former Mayor W. Glenn Lester, who also has a park named after him. There’s also Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning and Florida’s 13th Commissioner of Agriculture, Wilton Simpson, both of whom were former club presidents.

Dimarakis welcomes any new member, either to expand or bring some youth to the club. Either way, expect this Kiwanis club to continue helping kids for another 100 years.

“I’m focused on the celebration right now, but after that, it’s about what’s next for the club,” she said. “Do we get more members? Do we get younger? What do we plan for projects? What are we going to do next year for the kids? … We probably need to go younger to stay alive, but that’s also not going to stop Kiwanis from helping the kids and families in (the Dade City) area.”

Dade City Kiwanis Club
Details: The Kiwanis Club of Dade City is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The service organization is dedicated to serving children through scholarships, school supplies, clothing and even eyeglasses for those that can’t afford them. Several former presidents and members of the club have been honored by Dade City, including Alfred Francis “Frank” Price, Roy Hardy and Wilton Simpson. The club is always actively looking for new members. Its 100th anniversary celebration is set for Jan. 18 at the Garden Club in Dade City.
Info: Visit the group’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/KiwanisDadeCity/, or email .

Published December 13, 2023

Members of Kiwanis Club of Dade City have been giving back to the community for 100 years through cookouts and school supplies, clothing and other essentials for children.

The city named Hardy Trail after Roy Hardy, a president of the Kiwanis Club of Dade City in the early 1970s.

Kiwanis Club of Dade City’s first president was Alfred Francis ‘Frank’ Price, as the club was founded 100 years ago in 1923. The city named Price Park, at 37415 Magnolia Ave., in his honor. He died in 1961. (Courtesy of Madonna Wise)

Finally, Hercules Park breaks ground in Zephyrhills

December 5, 2023 By Mike Camunas

In about a year or so, City of Zephyrhills residents and visitors will be able to jump right into a brand new park.

On Nov. 28, after more than five years of planning and budgeting, Pasco County’s largest municipality saw city officials break ground on Hercules Park — a 12-acre, $5.4-million park project coming to the corner of County Road 54 and Gall Boulevard, adjacent to Zephyrhills High and Woodland Elementary schools.

City of Zephyrhills officials and Kimley Horn representatives dig in for the ceremonial groundbreaking of Hercules Park — a 12-acre, $5.4-million project scheduled to begin construction in January 2024. The new park, which will be adjacent to Zephyrhills High and Woodland Elementary schools at County Road 54 and Gall Boulevard, marks the city’s first newly built park in more than 40 years. It will have a splash pad, trails, restrooms and other amenities. The tentative completion date is late 2024 or early 2025. (Mike Camunas)

Designed to be a hub for community engagement, recreation and natural beauty, Hercules Park will feature a splash pad, playground and restrooms, sheltered picnic area, open playfield, 54 spaces of parking, a .75 perimeter walking trail and 5.3 acres of area with trails for hiking and biking. Construction is slated to begin January 2024, with a tentative completion date set for late 2024 or early 2025.

However, getting to the groundbreaking was a years-long process, with many hurdles city officials had to jump right over again and again.

“The (city) council had the desire, from the very beginning, to get it done, and the staff kept pushing to get the funding, so once we got the funding, it was set,” City Manager Billy Poe said.

Penny for Pasco revenues are being used to pay for the Hercules Park construction.

Talks of creating a new park and refurbishing the land began in 2017, shortly before Zephyrhills took control of the land in June 2018. Before that, Pasco County operated Hercules Aquatic Center, but that closed in 2009 because of budget constraints.

Once the city had the land, it began putting together a budget for the project, as well as designs, which went through many phases over the years. In late 2022, city officials, along with park designers Kimley-Horn, sat down and came up with designs that would honor the history of the land upon which the park will be built.

City of Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe speaks to a crowd during the groundbreaking ceremony for Hercules Park, the new 12-acre project coming to the city at County Road 54 and Gall Boulevard.

These design choices were made to honor the Hercules Powder Company, which previously owned 80 acres of land and established Camp No. 39 on this land in 1946. The site featured between 60 and 70 company-built, prefabricated homes rented to employees for $4 per room per month. Once the largest employer in Zephyrhills, with 150 people on its payroll at any time, the company also featured a commissary and baseball team.

Additionally, over that time, the city took into consideration feedback from the community and its residents, many of which were looking for a public pool. The splash pad was the workaround solution and added to the designs, especially since the splash pad at nearby Zephyr Park is already a popular attraction.

“We’re trying to have water aspects in everything we do in the city, we’re still the city of pure water, even if it’s not our motto anymore,” Poe said with a laugh, referring to the city’s newly-adopted slogan, ‘Jump Right In.’

“But,” he continued, “we want people to jump right into our parks, as a place for families to spend time together, a place people want to visit, and we felt it was important to incorporate the history into the design.

“For a while, during the process, I was little scared, in just making sure, as a city, we were doing it justice, from the history to giving the residents something to be proud of and that they wanted. I think it turned out really well.”

Lori Hillman, clerk of the City of Zephyrhills, signs a board marking the occasion of the groundbreaking ceremony for Hercules Park on Nov. 28.

Hercules Park is just the first part of a much larger parks’ project in Zephyrhills.

Poe said the city plans to evaluate all of its parks and recreational sites “to determine where and if there are deficiencies and how we can improve our parks.”

The parks and recreation department in Zephyrhills includes the YMCA, the municipal golf course and Zephyr Park.

Zephyr Park was the focus of community uproar in April, after an old rendering of renovations to Zephyr Park was prematurely shared on social media. That sent the town into a tizzy — because it came as a surprise to its 18,000-plus residents.

It also raised concerns among residents about losing the sense of history associated with the 34-acre park on Fifth Avenue that features Alice Hall Community Center, five lighted tennis courts, handball, fishing, picnic pavilions with picnic tables, barbecue grills, horseshoe pits, playground equipment, and a 5/8 of a mile lakeside fitness path and trees dating back to the Civil War era.

The city held a town hall, reassuring residents no definitive upgrade plans have been set or even discussed for Zephyr Park. Many residents raised concerns about the removal of the Veterans Memorial at the park, though Poe and other city officials also reassured town residents that it would not be removed or relocated.

Now, with another hurdle cleared, and a groundbreaking complete, Poe and fellow city officials are ready to jump right into construction and present Hercules park to its more than 18,000 residents.

“If it takes us to spring (2025 to finish the park), it’s not going to hurt my feelings,” Poe said. “Because then, maybe, when we have the ribbon-cutting, the kids can actually go in the water at the splash pad.

“I think we’re all very excited to see it completed about a year from now.”

Published December 06, 2023

The master plan for Hercules Park, a 12-acre park project that is being built by the City of Zephyrhills shows where various amenities will be situated in the park, located at County Road 54 and Gall Boulevard. The $5.4 million project is tentatively scheduled for completion in late 2024 or early 2025. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

This artist rendering depicts what the restroom at the new Hercules Park will look like.

Oh, baby, it’s cold inside

November 28, 2023 By Mike Camunas

Check out this very cool attraction.

It happens every year, during the holiday season, and it’s just a stone’s throw away from the “Most Magical Place on Earth.”

It’s ICE!. Literally.

Over at Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center, the hotel constructs its ICE! Attraction and Alpine Village. It’s a holiday spectacle that draws thousands of visitors for the 52-day run of its showing.

‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ when walking through ICE!, Gaylord Palms’ yearly winter wonderland spectacle and attraction in Kissimmee. While this year’s theme is scenes from the beloved TV special ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas,’ visitors can grab a parka and check out the sculptures hand-carved from more than 2 million pounds of ice. The ICE! Attraction, which runs daily through Jan. 3, also includes ice slides, and music and dialogue from the Charlie Brown TV special play throughout the venue. (Mike Camunas)

It’s ice sculptures, winter fun, shopping and more, all family and couple-friendly, while bringing holiday cheer to those, young and old.

And, it’s totally worth the trip.

Jingle Bells, Santa Claus and ho ho ho
Merry Christmas, Peanuts fans!

You have come to the right place, whether that be wanting to see ice sculptures in Florida, life-size scenes from the beloved TV special “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” or both. Gaylord Palms, each year, chooses a different theme, and this year, it has gone back to the tried-and-true classic of the aforementioned lead character, his “going commercial” dog, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy and the rest of the Peanuts gang.

Before entering the ICE! exhibit, visitors will be given a comfy parka because the 16,000-square-foot cold room stays at a very chilly 9 degrees thanks to seven air handlers. Gaylord Palms employs a team of 35 ice artisans to shape the 300-pound blocks of ice into sculptures, spending 12,000 hours transforming the 6,000 blocks into spectacular ice scenes.

The attraction features nearly 2 million pounds of ice that come to life through the exquisite sculptures.

Keeping it at a very chilly 9 degrees, ICE! at Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, will give visitors parkas to keep warm as they walk through the ice sculpture attraction that draws thousands annually.

There’s Charlie Brown and Linus picking out the little tree, the gang goofing off at rehearsal for the Christmas play and even when Snoopy wins first place in the “commercialized” decorating contest.

Ah, but there’s more.

Visitors can also head down ice slides, perfect for videos and pictures. Of course, everyone can pose with their favorite characters and spend as much time with the sculptures — depending on how long you can stand the cold.

Going commercial
While going into the ICE! area is the main attraction, there is still plenty more to see and do, thanks to the Alpine Village, in which visitors exit out into from the chilly exhibit.

Hard to miss will be the indoor Snow Flow Mountain, a tubing experience that requires additional tickets and can be bundled with other attractions. Those include the game Snowball Build and Blast, photos with Santa, storytime with Mrs. Claus, Elf Training Academy (a toy workshop), gingerbread house decorating and even a Snoopy Scavenger Hunt.

Even made of ice, it’s still not a bad little tree, as Charlie Brown and Linus pick out the perfect, but least expensive one that will be featured in Peanuts’ annual Christmas play at Gaylord Palms’ ICE! sculpture exhibit.

There also is a gift shop — what central Florida attraction wouldn’t have one? — where there’s plenty of Peanuts’ and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas souvenirs, as well as other Christmas knick-knacks, like ornaments and snow globes.

Additionally, there’s a snack bar and, for all you weary parents out there, mercifully, a bar.

Not a bad little exhibit after all
In the final scene in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the Peanuts gang comes together and fixes up the little tree Charlie Brown thought “he killed.” But they do it just right, finding out, as Linus says, “it wasn’t a bad little tree after all.”

Gaylord Palms does the same thing, bringing to life its convention center with a holiday classic, and some winter fun, with ice, flair and holiday cheer. Even if someone hasn’t seen the TV Special, or hasn’t seen it in years, after leaving this exhibit, they’ll want to watch it as soon as they get home.

Snoopy jams out on the guitar, ruining rehearsal for his owner, Charlie Brown, in a classic scene from a beloved holiday TV special, but this time in ice sculpture form at Gaylord Palms’ yearly attraction, ICE!

Because, after all, during this holiday season, seeing this icy attraction is absolutely worth the trip.

ICE! and Alpine Village
Where: Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center, 6000 W. Osceola Parkway, in Kissimmee
When: Daily, running through Jan. 3, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Cost: Prices vary on dates, but start as low as $20 for children under 12 and $30 for adults.
Details: ICE! is Gaylord Palms yearly, signature holiday attraction, and this season features favorite scenes from the beloved TV special “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” The television special is brought to life in magnificent sculptures hand-carved from more than 2 million pounds of ice. The attraction also includes Alpine Village, which is chock full of options. Visitors to the village can shop, eat and drink, get pictures with Santa, tube down the indoor Snow Flow Mountain, play games, see storytime with Mrs. Claus, enroll at the Elf Training Academy (toy building and painting) and even decorate Gingerbread Houses.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit ChristmasAtGaylordPalms.marriott.com/all-activities.

Published November 29, 2023

Shouldn’t everything be 5 cents? Certainly the psychiatric help Charlie Brown is supposedly getting from Lucy should.

Visitors to ICE! — Gaylord Palms’ chilly, annual attraction in Kissimmee — can wear a comfy parka, as they enjoy a ride on an ice slide.

Visitors can enjoy dancing in some ‘snow’ at the Alpine Village at Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee.

Dry conditions prompt declaration of a ‘Phase 1 Water Shortage’

November 21, 2023 By B.C. Manion

Lower-than-normal rainfall has led the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s governing board to declare a Modified Phase 1 Water Shortage.

The restrictions apply to all of Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter counties; portions of Charlotte, Highlands and Lake counties; the City of Dunnellon and The Villages in Marion County; and the portion of Gasparilla Island in Lee County from Nov. 21, 2023 through July 1, 2024.

The area within the Southwest Florida Water Management District has received lower than normal rainfall during its summer rainy season and currently has a 9.2-inch districtwide rainfall deficit compared to the average 12-month total, according to the Water Management District’s news release.

Water levels in the Water Management District’s water resources, such as aquifers, rivers and lakes, also are beginning to decline, the release says.

The Modified Phase I Water Shortage Order does not change allowable watering schedules for most counties, however it does prohibit “wasteful and unnecessary” water use and twice-per-week lawn watering schedules remain in effect except where stricter measures have been imposed by local governments.

Residents are asked to check their irrigation systems to ensure they are working properly. This means testing and repairing broken pipes and leaks, and fixing damaged or tilted sprinkler heads.

Residents should also check their irrigation timer to ensure the settings are correct and the rain sensor is working properly.

Also, beginning Dec. 1, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties will be limited to once-per-week lawn watering. These additional restrictions are needed because Tampa Bay Water, which supplies water to most of the three-county area, was unable to completely refill the 15-billion-gallon C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir this summer due to the lower-than-normal rainfall.

Once-per-week lawn watering days and times are as follows, unless your city or county has a different schedule or stricter hours in effect (Citrus, Hernando and Sarasota counties, and the cities of Dunedin and Venice, have local ordinances that remain on one-day-per-week schedules):

If your address ends in:

0 or 1, water only on Monday
2 or 3, water only on Tuesday
4 or 5, water only on Wednesday
6 or 7: water only on Thursday
8, 9 and locations without a discernible address, water only on Friday

Also, unless your city or county already has stricter hours in effect, properties under 2 acres may only water before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.

For properties larger than 2 acres, unless your city or county already has stricter hours in effect, watering may only occur before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.

Low-volume watering of plants and shrubs, through micro-irrigation, soaker hoses and hand-watering is allowed any day and any time.

The order also requires local utilities to review and implement procedures for enforcing year-round water conservation measures and water shortage restrictions, including reporting enforcement activity to the Water Management District.

The water management district continues to work closely with Tampa Bay Water to ensure a sustainable water supply for the Tampa Bay region, the release says.

For more information, WaterMatters.org/Restrictions.

For tips on conserving water, visit WaterMatters.org/Water101.

Published November 22, 2023

Right of way concerns at U.S. 41/State Road 54

November 14, 2023 By B.C. Manion

The Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization has directed Pasco County’s real estate department to explore the possibility of making an advance right of way purchase of some land on the southwest side of the intersection of U.S. 41 and State Road 54.

The board took the action at its Nov. 9 meeting, after Pasco County Commissioner Seth Weightman raised concerns about the future availability of the site.

“Pasco has a potential Live Local project site coming in at (State Road) 54 and (U.S.) 41, potentially on the southwest side of the road,” Weightman said.

Pasco County’s real estate department is expected to explore the potential for advance right of way acquisition for some land on the southwest side of the U.S. 41 and State Road 54 intersection. The site is being considered for multifamily development under the state’s Live Local Act, and the county is exploring whether it can be acquired before that happens. The southwest corner is in the background of this shot. (Mike Camunas)

“If this goes through — if that happens, we have no control over this — how can we plan to find the solution for the 54/41 improvements that need to happen?

“So, we talk about our five-year long-range plan, within a matter of months, there could be a crucial piece of property that could be used to improve that intersection lost to multifamily development. Then what happens?” Weightman said.

Pasco Commission Chairman Jack Mariano asked David Goldstein, the county’s chief assistant county attorney, if the county could change the site’s designation to prevent a Live Local project.

Goldstein responded: “You could rezone it to office. Office is probably immune from Live Local, but you might be effectively downzoning the property. You would be doing it, maybe against the property owner’s consent. So, I don’t know if that would create a cause of action against the county.

“Because if it’s C2 now and we downzone it to office, then they argue that we’ve taken away their C2 rights.”

Live Local is a law the state Legislature adopted last year, intended to increase the supply of multifamily for renters meeting income eligibility requirements.

The only zoning designation Goldstein thinks might be safe from the state’s Live Local provision would be Professional Office 1 or Professional Office 2.

Weightman told Goldstein: “My greater concern is that it impacts a significant project that this board, that this county, is trying to figure out.”

Goldstein responded: If it appears the site will be needed for the improvement project, the county and Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) should be looking to see if funds are available for advance acquisition.

“When we were doing the widening of State Road 52, we did a lot of advance right of way acquisition before we ended up widening the road,” Goldstein said.

Weightman added: “Timing is of the essence here. If we think we’re going to need this, we need to start looking at it today. Because it’s game time.”

Goldstein noted that “the issue of whether they’re entitled to do Live Local or not may come up in the eminent domain process. You’re looking at what is the highest and best use of the property when you go through eminent domain. My position is that it should be acquired under its current zoning, which is C2 (commercial 2).”

Traffic routinely stacks up heading east and west on State Road 54 and heading north and south on U.S. 41, as motorists try to make their way through the busy U.S. 41/State Road 54 intersection. Improvements to the intersection can’t come soon enough for Pasco and Hillsborough commuters, and area residents who routinely use these major arteries through the county.

The chief assistant county attorney added that he doesn’t know if FDOT has begun doing advance right of way acquisition for the U.S. 41/State Road 54 improvement yet.

Justin Hall, with FDOT, said a feasibility study does show a need for the northern portion of the property and that also has been identified for a potential stormwater detention pond site.

But the FDOT doesn’t have the clearance yet to pursue eminent domain for the project, Hall said.

“We could approach them to see if they’re a willing seller. If the property owner is a willing seller, that’s a little bit of a different story,” Hall said

Goldstein suggested directing the county’s real estate department to find out if the property owner is a willing seller, and if so, the county and FDOT could look to see if they can come up with the necessary funds.

“We buy land all of the time for roads, as voluntary transactions. We did that for Overpass Road. We did that for (State Road) 52,” Goldstein said.

“If the property owner is probably trying to sell it for apartments, that means they probably don’t want it anymore for its current uses. So, it’s kind of on the market, I’m guessing.”

“Maybe there’s an opportunity for us to purchase it now — certainly before it becomes another use,” Goldstein said.

Weightman made a motion to direct Pasco County’s real estate department to explore acquisition of the site, which was seconded by Mariano and approved by the board.

A report on the issue is expected at the Pasco MPO’s board meeting in January. The Pasco MPO is Pasco’s lead transportation planning agency. Its board is made up of elected leaders from Pasco County, Dade City, Zephyrhills, New Port Richey and Port Richey.

Published November 15, 2023

Pasco wants to take another look at how Connected City is playing out

November 7, 2023 By B.C. Manion

The Connected City Corridor is a state-initiated pilot program adopted by the Florida Legislature in 2015, which spurred a special planning area in Pasco County — bounded by State Road 52, Overpass Road, Interstate 75 and Curley Road.

The county adopted the Connected City plan in 2017 — envisioning a place that would harness the power of high technology, generate jobs, offer myriad housing choices and create special gathering spaces.

Beyond being connected through technology, it also calls for connections through roads, trails and sidewalks — making it easy for people to get where they need to go — by walking, running, bicycling, riding on golf carts and in vehicles.

The Mirada Lagoon, 1 Mirada Blvd., San Antonio — the largest human-made lagoon in the country — opened to the public, and Mirada residents, in June. It has 15 acres of water and offers activities such as kayaking, paddleboarding, swimming, and obstacle course, water slides, a swim-up bar, lounging and beach play and playgrounds. (File)

Landowners opt into Connected City, which gives them more flexibility in their land uses, additional incentives to receive mobility fee credits, an expedited review process, and an exemption in transportation analysis.

The plan caps the number of single-family residential units that can be built and encourages higher densities near employment-generating areas in the plan.

Two of the largest developments approved and under development in Connected City so far are Epperson and Mirada, with other projects in various stages of approval or planning for the area.

The Pasco County Commission wants to take a closer look at how Connected City is playing out.

Commissioner Seth Weightman raised the issue during the county board’s Oct. 24 meeting.

Weightman said he understands that all of the single-family entitlements in Connected City are used up, leaving only multifamily options remaining.

“I think it’s time — and after talking to some of the stakeholders, I think it’s time we take a look at the overlay and understand how much property is left and what’s exactly the multifamily entitlements that are remaining and if they’re appropriate to be in those spaces where the land is left,” Weighman said.

The county board member said he wants to make sure there’s a balance and that there are products people will want. He wants to prevent an oversaturation of rental, he said.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey responded: “Just because it’s multifamily doesn’t mean it has to be standard, Brandon-style apartments. Multifamily is brownstones, duplexes, quadruplexes. “They can be owned. Garden apartments, garden villas.

“There’s so much product that’s in multifamily, that in my opinion, we’re not seeing.

“And, better layouts, especially when you’re in an area that’s supposed to be a village concept, and walkable, and we’re getting big parking lots with three-story, four-story apartment complexes. And, that’s really old-style, and I just think we can do better.”

Mirada Lagoon features a waterpark playground and water slides for residents and daily visitors who come to play in the 15 acres of water at the Pasco County attraction.

But Brad Tippin, the county’s development review manager, told the board: “I was involved with Connected City from the beginning. The design is this, it’s not so much village-oriented, like Pasadena Hills is. This is a very specific design that is very high density along I-75. The intent is vertical. There is an urban core. So, multifamily units of a vertical nature are really necessary here, to achieve those densities and get that pattern.

Tippin added: “The urban core was supposed to be kind of like a mini-downtown style, with vertical — lots of different uses, and the business core stretching out.

“The lower-density piece is the piece over toward Curley Road, as you go out toward VOPH (Villages of Pasadena Hills), toward that more village-concept area.

“The second piece of that puzzle is that Connected City is its own special dependent district. It’s actually based on its own financial plan. And, that financial plan requires these types of units and this level of density to actually be able to achieve the different things it is obligated to pay for, in the financial plan.

“So, that’s one of the hurdles we would have to find a way to overcome to consider that.

“The most important consideration, I believe personally, is related to the financial plan and the way that it is set up. If we were to reduce this to allow more single-family units, we would reduce the density to such an extreme that it would be difficult to meet the financial plan obligations.”

Weightman countered: “I’m more worried about the quality of life and the quality of the product that’s there.

Mirada Lagoon joined its sister lagoon in the nearby Epperson community in Wesley Chapel, in June. Both communities are part of an area known as Connected City.

“We’re a good portion of the way through this. I think it would be wise that we take a look at the land that is left and understand the makeup of it, and what product is appropriate where, within this project, to ensure that the quality of this project doesn’t erode away, as we come across the finish line.

“I’ve heard from stakeholders in the private sector that probably think it would be a good idea to take a look at it. It can’t hurt. It’ll take time, but there’s some learning lessons that can come out of this exercise, and trust, but verify.”

Tippin suggested having a workshop.

“It has been a long time since Connected City came through. There are some new board members that might appreciate that, if we could go through it step-by-step and actually have a little bit more time to discuss it.”

Joel Tew, a private land use and zoning attorney, told the board that he worked with county staff and a consultant from the outset, when the plan was being formulated.

Tew said that he’s aware that some private developers have decided not to opt into Connected City because there were no single-family entitlements available and they didn’t think that multifamily was appropriate for the site they wanted to develop.

Tew said a workshop likely would be valuable for the board, if it can make time for it.

Before that workshop is scheduled, research will be done to provide a report on what has been entitled in Connected City, and where, and what entitlements are remaining.

More information about Connected City is available on the Pasco County website at PascoCountyFl.net.

Published November 08, 2023

Will Pasco impose a moratorium in wake of Live Local Act?

October 31, 2023 By B.C. Manion

The Pasco County Commission doesn’t want to impose a moratorium on multifamily development, but board members say that may be their only option if they can’t get relief from the state’s Live Local Act requirements.

The Florida Legislature adopted the Live Local Act last session, as a way of spurring more development of affordable housing.

The Live Local law makes it impossible for local governments to block the conversion of existing commercial, industrial and mixed-use sites to be developed for multifamily use, if the project meets requirements regarding the provision of affordable housing units for a specified period. The law also provides a tax break for such projects.

Pasco has been getting around the issue with new requests for commercial, mixed use and industrial zoning by asking applicants to submit voluntary deed restrictions that would prohibit those lands from being converted to residential development.

Pasco County Commissioner Seth Weightman vehemently opposes the conversion of the county’s prime commercial and industrial locations for multifamily development, under the state’s Live Local Act.

But the county has a multitude of sites that already are zoned for commercial and industrial use and developers are coming in, invoking the Live Local Act.

Pasco County board members have repeatedly raised concerns that the Live Local Act is undermining the county’s efforts to increase jobs so local residents won’t have to commute elsewhere for work.

The county has focused considerable effort in recent years — supporting efforts by the Pasco Economic Development Council — to get sites ready for development, and using incentive money to help attract industries to Pasco.

Pasco County Commissioner Seth Weightman brings up concerns about Live Local’s impacts at nearly every board meeting.

But he said learning about two new Live Local sites in the county have pushed him over the edge on the issue.

He talked about those sites during the board’s Oct. 24 meeting.

One site is at Curley Road and State Road 54, where 300-plus multifamily units are planned.

The site had been designated for commercial use.

“It’s completely inappropriate and I’m vehemently opposed to it,” Weightman said.

The second site is at Old Pasco Road and Overpass Road, along Interstate 75.

The site “potentially would have been a fantastic light industrial site, but we’re unfortunately not going to get there,” Weightman said.

“We plan a long time. We have good actors who want to put multifamily. We go through the process of proper planning and make investment.

“This Live Local group that comes in, they’re not community partners. It’s an abomination of what they’re (good actors) are trying to do.

“It’s killing our jobs. It’s killing Pasco County jobs.

“The Live Local bill is not healthy for our community, especially when you’re going after properties like we’ve just shown.”

Weightman said he and David Goldstein, Pasco’s chief assistant county attorney, got together with some stakeholders to ask: How can we figure this thing out, without hurting the people who are following the rules, playing by the rules?

“The news wasn’t good,” Weightman said. In essence, the county’s option would be to impose a moratorium on multifamily development.

The commissioner said the county doesn’t want to do that because it’s not fair to those who are playing by the rules.

“But we’re literally stuck in the corner, and there is one option open, which is an unhealthy option for us to combat this,” he said.

County has limited options
Goldstein said the only thing the county controls under the Live Local Act is land development regulations.

A moratorium could be imposed to give the county time to do the work necessary to pass an ordinance amending its land development regulations, Goldstein said.

Weightman reiterated his outrage: “We’re about to spend a pile of money, widening Old Pasco Road, finally, and in that plan to widen that road and just north of it — schools and everything else, that was planned to be a commercial hub or potential industrial hub, job-creating, right there on that brand new interchange. But instead, it’s potentially 33 acres of some sort of vertical multifamily, not mixed use.”

Goldstein also noted that Live Local developments are entitled to a tax exemption.

“We zoned this property for commercial office, light industrial and hotel before Live Local occurred. That’s what we thought would occur here,” Goldstein added.

Kathryn Starkey asked: “So, how many properties are at risk here? Do we need to go back and do something to those?”

Goldstein: “The only thing I think you could do that would be safe from Live Local might be PO1 and PO2 (Professional Office 1 and Professional Office 2) because Live Local only applies to commercial, industrial and mixed use.”

The county could change the zoning on those properties and let the owners know they can come back to seek their zoning, but would need to voluntarily deed restrict their property, Starkey said.

But County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder said: “You are downzoning property. That’s what you are doing.”

Goldstein added: “To be honest with you, it’d be easier to defend a moratorium, than what you are talking about.”

Starkey asked: “How long can we have a moratorium for?”

Goldstein replied: “You can’t have a moratorium for more than a year. To be clear, the moratorium’s purpose would be to develop regulations that would be applicable to multifamily projects.”

Goldstein continued: “I don’t know if you want to exercise that quote, nuclear option, because it’s going to affect projects that are not Live Local projects.”

Weightman said he knows that a lot of investment has made its way through the process and he doesn’t want those projects to suffer. But he said a moratorium seems to be the county’s only option.

Starkey agreed that the site at Overpass and Old Pasco roads is a prime location.

“This is one of our most valuable corners in the county. I hope the legislators like what they did,” she said.

Starkey puts the blame on the law
“You really shouldn’t put it on the bad actors that are out there. They’re doing what the law allows. I’m sorry. That’s a bad law for us,” Starkey said.

Weightman added: “This is such an awesome opportunity in this 54, Old Pasco Road, Curley Road, to have really something great built — and to get eaten up by discounted residential is just horrible.”

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said the Live Local Act adopted by the Florida Legislature last year is a bad law for Pasco County.

Starkey agreed: “This is a great example to show off the unintended bad consequences. I am very curious to know if we have any other very important corners like this that are at jeopardy.”

Longtime land use and zoning attorney Barbara Wilhite urged the board to avoid imposing any type of moratorium.

“I’ve been doing this all of my life. The conversation about big M, moratorium, kept me up all night. It is a nuclear option, and I would ask you to explore all other options.

“It would just stop everybody.”

Commissioner Ron Oakley agreed with Wilhite’s point: “You’d hurt a lot of people,” he said.

Steinsnyder told the board: “You can do lesser things. We might be able to revitalize the old commercial node concept and create a moratorium on nodes on the major roadways for multifamily, if we’re trying to encourage other things in those corridors.

“You’d be able to describe it to finite property. It wouldn’t cover the entire county, but it would be those critical areas that you’re describing.”

The board expressed an interest in looking at that option.

County Administrator Mike Carballa said his staff could make that a priority, if that’s what the board wants.

“I don’t know what size of a task that is,” Carballa said.

Oakley responded: “We need to get started on it sooner than later.”

Starkey, like Weightman, expressed frustration.

“We paid for that Overpass interchange. We’re paying for the widening of Old Pasco Road. To have this kind of user come in, is just a kick in the gut,” she said.

The issue is expected to be discussed at a tri-county meeting of the county boards of Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, and also during the upcoming legislative session.

Published November 01, 2023

Long-range plan should spell out costs for priorities, planning board says

October 24, 2023 By B.C. Manion

Pasco County and its consultant have held a series of public meetings around the county to help assess where the county is, where it wants to go and how to get there during its visioning process for its Pasco 2050 plan.

It turns out that participants have had a lot to say, and some of those thoughts were shared with the Pasco County Planning Commission at a meeting in September.

Hayat Mazili, the county’s project manager for the Pasco 2050 planning effort, and Nicholas Hill, a consultant from Inspire Placemaking Collective, covered many high points in a session with the Pasco County Planning Commission.

Priorities that have been identified include:

Stronger tree preservation regulations
Cultivating wildlife corridors
Protecting productive aquifer recharge areas
Increasing efforts to monitor and increase the county’s water supply system
Increasing transportation efficiency, by improving crossings over U.S. 19
Identifying opportunities to increase the interconnectedness of Pasco’s roadway systems
Fostering greater transit, sidewalk and trail connections

Hill also noted: “Whether or not they were in the rural area, or the urban area, we also heard tons of folks say, ‘Protect rural lands and character.’”

Participants offered ideas to achieve that, too.

Those include:

Limiting increases in maximum permitted densities within the rural areas
Maintaining the Northeast Rural Overlay
Working with agricultural property owners to develop incentives for placing portions of their property in conservation
Evaluating and refining standards for solar farming

“They also wanted a robust park system by 2050,” Hill said.

Their suggestions for making that happen include:

Identifying land acquisition opportunities for new parks
Requiring the provision of on-site parks and recreation facilities for new large-scale developments
Increasing the connectivity of multi-use trails
Expanding programming catered to the county’s most vulnerable populations.

Other suggested priorities include:

Working to eliminate regulatory barriers for redevelopment
Seeking to strategically reduce minimum living areas
Allowing additional housing types within select residential zoning categories
Working with developers to make sure our most vulnerable populations have housing

A desire for vibrant and walkable spaces was expressed, as well.

Planning participants recommended:

Working with developers to establish town centers
Permit limited commercial developments close to neighborhoods
Refining landscaping standards to match the character of the surrounding community

Planning process participants also shared scores of other priorities and strategies.

But, so far, the vision plan fails to identify costs for the various priorities.

Planning Commission Chairman Charles Grey noted: “Oftentimes, what the public wants doesn’t merge with what the public is willing to pay for.”

David Goldstein, chief assistant county attorney, asked the planners: “Is there a reason you didn’t ask the question, ‘Which of these would they be willing to spend taxpayer money on?’

“It seems like you’ve got a group of people over here saying, ‘We want all of these things,’ and to the chairman’s point, they all cost money. But unless you know which of these things they’re willing to put their money where their mouth is, I’m not sure how helpful it is.

“Are they willing to pay additional taxes to grow the park system?

“Are they willing to pay for transportation efficiency?

“Santa’s wish list can be 20 pages long, but there’s only so many things that Santa can afford.”

Planning board member Derek Pontlitz asked the planners: “Is there any reason why you couldn’t have a rough projection for costs for these things?

“One thing might be completely cost-prohibitive. Another thing might be pretty easy.”

Hill said there is an exercise that can be done that assigns values to different types of improvements and seeks public participation on setting priorities for expenditures.

Goldstein said it’s a good idea to plan for the costs: “Somebody needs to put a monetary reality check on our comp plan.”

Planning board member Jon Moody said the county needs to assess its resources, decide how it can better use them and then determine what infrastructure is needed to support them.

“We have to work with the resources that we have, not the resources we wish we had,” Moody said.

Planning board members noted that some desires that have been expressed are contradictory.

As planning board member Jaime Girardi said, “There’s a lot of competing interests. Someone will tell you that they want affordable housing, but they want big lots.”

Pontlitz noted: “A lot of the people who want to preserve the character are people that live here already, whereas the 40-foot lot buyers are people who are moving in from out of the area.”

It’s also important to recognize the natural growth of communities, Moody said.

Towns typically spring up around major routes of transportation, such as ports, rails, airports and highways, he said.

“Planning doesn’t happen just because we say, ‘This should be here because we said so.’ That’s not happening in the real world,” Moody said.

The planning board’s discussion was just one of many that are expected between now and the adoption of the 2050 plan.

The public will be invited to participate throughout the process, Mazili said.

“This is an ongoing conversation with the public,” Mazili said. “The comprehensive plan is for the community and by the community. We want them to be involved every step of the way.”

You can find out more about the process, planning efforts to date and to get involved by visiting Pasco2050.com.

Published October 25, 2023

Plenty of bones to pick on display

October 17, 2023 By Mike Camunas

Brian Clay knew if he built it, people would come. And, they have.

The 63-year-old truck driver spent 10 months creating a Halloween decoration display in the carport of his Dade City residence in The Pines community next to John S. Burks Memorial Park.

The Rolling Bones are on display, and playing music, at the impressive, and fully motorized, Halloween display that Dade City resident Brian Clay built by hand in the carport of his home in The Pines community. Clay, who has done this display for four years now, says he builds the display for the love of it and invites anyone to come out and see it, free of charge, in the evenings through Halloween. Clay added the display took 10 months to build and cost about $10,000. (Mike Camunas)

It is one of the most impressive, and ingenious, Halloween house displays around.

In fact, his display, which cost about $10,000 to build thanks to all the motorized skeletons — and parts — is so impressive, theme park prop departments were looking to acquire Clay’s builds and services.

“I think it’s one of a kind, where fantasy becomes reality,” Clay said. “You have to look at it with the eyes of a 10-year-old kid and with imagination.

“This will probably be my last year (doing it),” he added. “Now, I’m on too many groups and pages for Halloween and decorations and they want to buy my stuff, but I’m not interested.

“I could make a lot of money off it, but it’s just a hobby.”

Clay said the props department at Disney emailed him, but he turned them down, saying, “You start putting your hobbies into work, you lose interest, at least that’s how I feel.”

So, instead, Clay took his skills and spent any free time he had working on the 70 motors that make the skeletons move. He also routed 3 miles of wiring around his carport to complete the display, full with music and sound effects.

Dade City resident Brian Clay spent countless hours and invested his own money to build his expansive Halloween display in the carport of his home. He welcomes neighbors, residents and nearby locals to come see his motorized creations during the evenings, now through Halloween.

Clay began doing these displays about four years ago, starting with a large pirate ship inside Ace Hardware. He moved it to his home hoping to inspire others in his neighborhood to also decorate extensively for Halloween.

So far, he says, only one other home does any sort of decorations.

“I thought this would give the neighbors a kick in the butt (to also decorate), but I guess not since I’m the only one who does it of the 72 homes here,” Clay said. “People do love coming to see it, especially since I had like 700 people and gave out about 90 pounds of candy on Halloween (last year). The cops had to direct traffic on the road.”

Clay got the display up fully running Oct. 13 (also Friday the 13th) and welcomes any to come see it in the evenings.

“It’s best when it’s all lit up,” he said.

Clay’s Halloween display includes several sections of different businesses, all of them run by motorized skeletons. There’s a bank, a dentist, a bar, a casino, a doctor’s office and, of course, a band — The Rolling Bones — playing music.

Skeletons give out massages, somehow, in one of the several sections of Brian Clay’s Halloween display at his home in Dade City.

Additionally, at the front of the display, Clay built a skeleton fire department, with an actual water hose that will be dousing out real fire on another part of the display.

“Whenever I come up with all this, I just figure out a way to make it work and put it together,” Clay said. “That’s what I’ve always been doing.”

To see the display is free of charge — though Clay just asks for one thing.

“Come in with a smile, leave with a smile,” he said. “Just to have people come, for free, to come and have a smile on their face, that’s more than I can ask.

Brian Clay works on his Halloween display. He spent 10 months building it in the carport of his Dade City residence.

“It’s like the baseball film — ‘If you build it, they will come,’” Clay added. “(There) aren’t many kids in this neighborhood, but they come from all over Dade City and other neighborhoods to come see it, which is great.

“It’s really all for the kids. I don’t want to scare anyone or kids — I just want to make them laugh with this whole thing.”

Brian Clay’s Halloween House
Details: A no-cost Halloween display in Dade City resident Brian Clay’s carport in The Pines community. Clay says he built the skeleton-heavy display for the neighborhood and kids. All are welcome to come take a look.
When: Evenings through Halloween
Where: 36020 Serbia Spruce Drive, Dade City
Info: Visit Clay’s Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/278680211647750.

Published October 18, 2023

Dade City resident Brian Clay has several sections of skeletons in the Halloween display he created, with motorized skeletons that include music, all intended to the delight of neighbors and residents who come out to see the expansive display.

Scary skeletons on display at Brian Clay’s Dade City home are awaiting some medical attention.

There are several sections of skeletons in the Halloween display.

Riding the rail for Halloween frights, delights

October 10, 2023 By Mike Camunas

Board … if you’re brave enough.

Enter … if you dare.

The Halloween Spooky Train and Scary Trail, at the Grand Concourse Railroad in Shady Hills, offers frights and delights, in excess.

These passengers dared to board the Halloween Spooky Train at the Grand Concourse Railroad, 11919 Alric Pottberg Road, in Shady Hills. The 7.5″ scale train takes riders on a Halloween-themed 10-minute to 15-minute ride through the woods. Riders then walk through the quarter-mile Scary Trail, where volunteers put a friendly fright into the visitors who are brave enough to venture in. The train and trail will run Friday and Saturday evenings through Oct. 29. (Mike Camunas)

Still, it is a family friendly outing intended to delight people of all ages, and it happens as the sun sets and darkness takes over the woods.

It’s spooky fun, a wickedly good time and the perfect Halloween outing available on Fridays and Saturdays for the rest of October.

And, of course, it’s totally worth the trip.

On track for scares
First and foremost, people want to know is it really scary? And, as a family friendly outing, that is a legitimate question.

“We get a lot of parents who go, ‘Will my kids be scared?’” Spooky Train director Chris Ward said. “And when they do, the only thing I tell them is, ‘It’s your kid — so I don’t know! (laughs)

“We’ve got 5-year-olds who love it and then we have adults who are scared to death of it, so I can’t tell you — why not find out for yourself?”

The train ride takes about under 15 minutes while going through Halloween and scary movie-themed displays and a tunnel.

And, the scares? That’s in the eye of the beholder.

Volunteers of the Grand Concourse Railroad Spooky Train aren’t out to “get” anyone, like, say at Halloween Horror Nights or Howl-O-Scream at Universal Studios and Busch Gardens, respectively.

In fact, the ride is “spooky and not scary,” as it’s geared toward those that are easily startled, so there is less to scare you but plenty to see.

There is definitely plenty to see while riding the 7.5″ scale train through the woods. Children, and adults, of all ages can board the train and take a slow ride, just feet from displays of ghosts and ghouls, demons and witches, and much, much more.

The Halloween Spooky Train ride at the Grand Concourse Railroad in Shady Hills will take riders, if they dare, on a venture into the ‘scary’ woods aboard a 7.5″ scale train on Friday and Saturday evenings in October.

“We do try to keep the train spooky, not scary,” Ward added. “We have things to look at, so we don’t want people getting scared and falling off the train. Plus, we have lots of families — mostly families, but we do have some individuals and couples, but mostly families. We’re not trying to scare anyone on the train.

“Because the trail is meant to be scary.”

Who’s afraid of the dark?
Seriously, if you are, perhaps the Scary Trail is not meant for you.

Through an approximately quarter-mile walking trail through a maze in the woods, visitors will find volunteers dressed to scare and give you nightmares.

“They’re high school kids and a few ‘pro’ actors, who make their own costumes, and we even have volunteers who do make-up,” Ward said.

“We do this all for fun. It’s all volunteers, but we do have fun with it.”

All that “fun” will find daring thrill-seekers winding their way through section after section, many of them with themes such as zombies, possessed individuals and even those from pop culture.

Visitors may get a kick, and a jump scare, when they find themselves in Hawkins, the fictional town from the hit show “Stranger Things.”

The Scary Trail, a quarter-mile hike with frights around every corner, is available to those who are brave enough to explore it, at the Grand Concourse Railroad in Shady Hills. The attraction is open through October.

But those really getting a kick out of all it are the volunteers hiding around every corner, with some even being a family affair. A mother-daughter duo await timid children in a foggy graveyard, while a trio of friends enjoy themselves — maybe a little too much —as an “insane clown posse.”

“Scared or not,” Ward said, “people really enjoy the Trail.”

All aboard
In the end, it’s all in good, old-fashioned Halloween fun.

The Grand Concourse has hosted this Halloween event ever since it opened in 2018. It also has Christmas and Easter events.

The railroad is supported by “The Concourse Council” of Florida and is also a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational railroad. The railroad donates 50% of its yearly proceeds — and the money made from Spooky Train — to local charities, and the rest is reinvested for maintenance and new equipment.

“The concourse takes care of all that,” Ward said. “We just provide the fun.”

Riders of the Halloween Spooky Train, in Shady Hills, were wary about what was around the bend, in the final tunnel on the roughly 15-minute ride. The 7.5″ scale train makes its run through the woods and ‘scary’ Halloween decorations.

So come aboard the Spooky Train and hold on for a good time.

Enter the trail if you have the spine to do so.

Enjoy a ride, and walk, through the woods for some Halloween … fun.

Halloween Spooky Train and Scary Trail
Where: Grand Concourse Railroad, 11919 Alric Pottberg Road, in Shady Hills
When: Friday and Saturday evenings starting at 7 p.m., through and including Oct. 29
Cost: $8 for the train or trail separately, $15 for both
Details: Take a ride on the Spooky Train for 10 minutes to 15 minutes aboard a 7.5″ scale train through the woods and “scary” Halloween decorations. Scary Trail is an approximately quarter-mile walking trail through a maze in the woods where visitors will find volunteers dressed to scare and give you nightmares. Attractions are designated spooky and scary (but not too scary for those who are easily startled). Both attractions are for all ages, with kids under 2 getting in free. There are also food and vendor booths, Halloween displays and music.
For more information or to buy tickets, visit GrandConcourseRailroad.simpletix.com or GrandConcourseRailroad.com.

Published October 11, 2023