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Dade City Little League

The Dade City Banner chronicled local news

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By the time Katharine Graham became publisher of the Washington Post in 1963, Margaret Bazzell had already been the publisher for The Dade City Banner for 20 years.

Both women became owners of their family owned newspapers upon the deaths of their husbands.

Succeeding in a male-dominated industry, Graham was the first female publisher of a major American newspaper. Her paper’s coverage of the Watergate scandal eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974.

The National Guard was brought in to protect dozens of homes and businesses damaged by a tornado, as reported by The Dade City Banner on April 2, 1959. (Courtesy of the University of Florida Digital Collections)

Bazzell became the first female publisher in Pasco County during World War II. Her husband died when he was just 42.

The newspaper reported the death under the headline — “H. S. Bazzell died suddenly Sunday p.m.,” spelled out in all capital letters.

An account, published Jan. 22, 1943, said in part: “When an employee is called upon to chronicle the passing of his employer and intimate friend it borders on the impossible.”

Prior to the Banner’s first publication on July 25, 1913, it chose a name that was briefly considered for Pasco County in 1887.

Volume 1, number 1 of the Banner was a “well-edited and well-appearing paper,” observed its first editor John Tippen.

Published on the Banner’s front page was a picture of “the beautiful Edwinola Hotel.” It was completed the previous year at a cost of about $50,000.

The structure was described this way in the Banner: “It is a fire-proof concrete building of three stories, containing 32 guest rooms, all of which are located on the second and third floors, the first floor being used for office, parlor and a dining room.”

In a notice to its readers and advertisers in 1915, the Banner promised “to conduct a clean, wholesome newspaper, which will give in every instance a fair deal to all.”

For much of the Banner’s history, that public pledge was followed by Margaret Bazzell.

During her time as owner and publisher until 1968, Margaret Bazzell would see her son, Harley S. Bazzell Jr., become editor.

She also hired her daughter-in-law Roszlyn “Ro” Bazzell (who died earlier this year); Harold Taylor, as typesetter; and William R. Branas, as advertising manager.

Calling itself “Pasco County’s Leading Newspaper,” the Banner became a daily and would eventually cover all of East and Central Pasco County, including the towns of Blanton, Dade City, Land O’ Lakes, Richland, Ridge Manor, San Antonio, Trilby, Gator (Wesley Chapel) and Zephyrhills.

“We lived within walking distance of our jobs,” former reporter Nell Moody Woodcock recalls on the Pasco County history website Fivay.org.

This old post card shows the offices of The Dade City Banner sometime in the early 1920s. The newspaper’s staff is pictured on the front steps, while a company car is shown on the right. (Courtesy of David Ward)

Keeping a finger on the pulse on Pasco
“The Banner was the newspaper of record for legal advertisements. Hard news was generated at the Pasco County Courthouse or city hall,” Woodcock recalls.

It was convenient that the Coleman and Ferguson Funeral Home was located on the opposite side of Seventh Street from the Banner.

“Their ambulances were called to emergencies, and a check with the front office would reveal the location and severity of the incident,” explains Woodcock, who grew up in Lacoochee and later retired as a staff reporter with The Tampa Tribune.

Readers especially enjoyed the Society Page by editor Catherine H. McIntosh. This section of the Banner was filled with articles about children’s birthday parties, families entertaining out-of-town guests, and weddings that were not complete without full descriptions of the dresses worn by the brides.

Typical was the following published on June 30, 1952: “Given in marriage by her father, the bride (Miss Vivian Bailey) wore a gown of candlelight satin with the full skirt terminating in a cathedral train. An overskirt of princess lace was a feature of the gown, which was fashioned with a basque bodice, with jewel neckline and long fitted sleeves with points over the hands. Her fingertip veil of illusion fell from a Queen of Scots cap, caught with orange blossoms, and appliqued with princess lace. She carried a shower bouquet of lilies of the valley and stephanotis, centered with a white orchid.”

With no door-to-door delivery, “subscribers got the paper in the mail (and) those who were in the military could learn all about what was happening back home by having the paper mailed to them,” according to the Fivay.org website.

That included local sports coverage by Gerald Newton, who was hired by the Banner in 1965 while still a 23-year-old student at Southeastern Bible College in Lakeland.

“I was once warned about being too wordy with some of my articles,” Newton posted on his Facebook page for Feb. 23, 2020.

This undated photograph shows the new Edwinola Hotel near downtown Dade City. Opening on March 8, 1912, it made front page news published in the first edition of The Dade City Banner on July 25, 1913. (Courtesy of Fivay.org)

The 1979 Dade City Little League state championship and the 1992 Pasco Pirate state title were covered during his 47-year career that spanned three newspapers following the Banner, as well as sports director for radio station WDCF in Dade City, and as a coach and teacher for Pasco County Schools.

Nearly 3,000 issues of The Dade City Banner are part of the digital collections on file at the University of Florida.

Preserving the newspaper began with efforts by the Pasco County Genealogy Society in 2000.

“They thought it would be a good idea to start indexing the births, deaths and marriages in The Dade City Banner,” explains Glen Thompson, a member of the Friends of the Hugh Embry Library in Dade City.

Following seven years of work on issues printed from 1913 to 1923, these copies were sent to the University of Florida. Also shipped out were Banners found in a dumpster, and others stored in archival boxes at city hall.

According to Angelo Liranzo, the library’s manager, copies of The Dade City Banner were digitized from 1914 to 1971 at a cost of approximately $15,000.

While the digital files are all PDF, the original papers still survive.

They chronicle news including construction of the new Evans bulk orange juice concentrate facilities south of Dade City in 1957, and the closing of the Cummer & Sons Cypress Company in 1959.

But, the stories of generations of families are the primary history that is preserved, in part, on the pages of The Dade City Banner.

The records are not clear, but sometime between 1973 and 1974, The Dade City Banner changed its name to The Pasco News under new management.

Doug Sanders has a penchant for unearthing interesting stories about local history. His sleuthing skills have been developed through his experiences in newspaper and government work. If you have an idea for a future history column, contact Doug at .

Published October 07, 2020

Smithsonian’s sports exhibit stops at local museum

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Jim “Mudcat” Grant is a Lacoochee native son who blazed a trail as the first African-American to pitch a 20-game winning season in the American League.

His 1965 win/loss record for the Minnesota Twins was 21-7.

Grant, now age 82, lives in California.

He won two World Series games, also in 1965, pitching for the Twins against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Stephanie Black, executive director of Pioneer Florida Museum, shows off the Smithsonian traveling exhibit, ‘Hometown Teams: How Sports Shaped America.’ (Kathy Steele)

During one of those wins, he powered a three-run homer over the fence. He was named The Sporting News American League Pitcher of the Year.

Grant’s career began in 1958 with the Cleveland Indians, about a decade after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in major league baseball. He pitched his last game in 1971, pitching for the Oakland Athletics and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Mudcat is a name given to Grant by another ballplayer who reportedly thought he was from Mississippi, and Mudcat fit.

Grant’s star quality as an athlete is now on view at the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village, in Dade City.

His career is part of the Smithsonian Museum’s traveling exhibit, “Hometown Teams: How Sports Shaped America,” which runs through April 28.

Baseball, and Grant’s achievements, are just one of the highlights of the exhibit, which covers every sport imaginable.

There are interactive videos and trivia on baseball, football, bowling, soccer, cheerleading, roller blading, basketball, surfing and much more.

“There are all different sports,” said Stephanie Black, the museum’s executive director. “Everybody can come in here and see something different.”

The interactive nature of the exhibit is meant to get conversations going about the impact of sports in American culture.

Items on display include a Wheaties box with soccer star Brandi Chastain; videos with marching bands and mascots; a mock-up of bleachers with seat cushions that reveal answers to baseball trivia; photographs; trophies; sports magazines; and, audio of athletes and fans talking about their favorite memories.

A lecture series is planned, too
On April 14 at 2 p.m., University of Florida history professor Steve Noll will be the featured speaker. Anyone wearing a sports team’s jersey or T-shirt will get a 25 percent discount on the museum’s fee.

Other lectures are tentative, but information can be found at PioneerFloridaMuseum.org.

It’s a true traveling exhibit.

The Smithsonian traveling exhibit, ‘Hometown Teams: How Sports Shaped America,’ is the second Smithsonian exhibit to visit the Pioneer Florida Museum.

Once “Hometown Teams” leaves Dade City, it heads to the Dunedin Historic Museum, among other stops in Florida.

This is only the second Smithsonian exhibit for the Florida Pioneer Museum. The first was last year when the museum featured “The Way We Worked,” a look at the working life of Americans from the mid-19th century to the late 20th century.

The exhibits are part of the Museum on Main Street series, sponsored by the Smithsonian in partnership with state and local organizations.

The Florida Humanities Council selected the Pioneer museum to host Hometown Teams, and awarded a $5,000 grant. A portion of the grant will help sponsor a Dade City Little League team.

Host sites are encouraged to reach out locally for athletes who can be featured in the exhibit.

It was special to see Mudcat play
Most of the memorabilia from Grant’s career came from family members who still live in the area.

“We were fortunate that they were able to be so involved,” Black said.

A few items also are from the collection of artifacts on loan to the museum from alumni of Moore Academy, and the later schools bearing the names of Moore-Mickens.

“We’ve had a tremendous response from the community,” Black said. “Everybody is so excited about this.”

A life-size cutout of Jim ‘Mudcat’ Grant is featured in a display highlighting Grant’s career in major league baseball. Grant grew up in Lacoochee.

Grant’s twin sister, Johnnie Mae Lopey, remembers her first time watching her brother pitch professionally in Cleveland. She went there with their mother, Viola Grant.

A scoreboard announcement splashed her name onto the screen as Grant’s twin sister.

“That was special to see him play,” she recalled.

Through the years, Grant has left memorabilia with her, including a life-size cutout, which is part of the exhibit.

His nephew, Jamie Lopey, described Grant as a “family guy” who always encourages youth to play sports, especially baseball.

Grant is co-author of “The Black Aces,” a book that chronicles 15 black pitchers who had 20-game winning seasons in the majors. He also includes some who played in the Negro League.

Johnnie Mae Lopey said her brother had challenges even a decade after Robinson began playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

On one trip through Georgia, team members stopped for lunch, and Grant was told to go to the back door.

“His teammates said if he has to go to the back door, we’ll all go to the back door,” she said.

Grant has been back to Lacoochee on several occasions. Mudcat Grant Boulevard, near the entrance to Stanley Park, is named for him.

Local businessman Jesse Stanley, for whom the park is named, was an early booster of Grant when he played baseball at mini-camps, and was signed by the Cleveland Indians.

Johnnie Mae Lopey said her brother never let being from a small town hold him back. And, she said, that’s his message to youngsters still.

“Keep on practicing and try to be somebody,” she said.

What: Smithsonian Exhibit, “Hometown Teams: How Sports Shaped America”
Where: Pioneer Florida Museum, 15622 Pioneer Museum Road, Dade City
When: Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Exhibit ends April 28.
Cost: $10, adults; $8, seniors; $5, students including college students with valid school identification. No charge for children under age 5, and for active duty military with identification (with immediate family).
Info: (352) 567-0262 or PioneerFloridaMuseum.org

Published April 4, 2018

Big things are in store for Pioneer Florida Museum and Village

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For the second year in a row, the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village in Dade City will be hosting a traveling Smithsonian Exhibition.

This year, it will be presenting “Hometown Teams: How Sports Shape America,” from March 17 through April 28.

A young woman competes in a high school rodeo in 2011. (Courtesy of National High School Rodeo Association/David Jennings Media Group)

The Pioneer Florida Museum & Village, in cooperation with Florida Humanities Council, will be presenting the program, which is part of the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program.

The exhibit will feature a variety of sports, said Stephanie Black, the museum’s executive director.

The Smithsonian does one traveling exhibition a year that travels to six different place in the state, Black said.

“Out of the group from last time, we’re the only ones who got it for a second time in a row,” she said.

The exhibition also will arrive at the Dade City museum first, which helps because the Smithsonian and the other museums all come to help set it up, Black said.

The Florida Humanities also is involved with a family reading project leading up to the exhibition, Black said.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the museum receives grant money and must meet certain requirements, Black said. One of those things is to help a home team in the area, she said.

“We’re looking at Dade City Little League. We’re going to sponsor a team this year,” Black said.

Stephanie Black, executive director of the Pioneer Florida Museum and Village in Dade City, is excited about upcoming events and improvements at the museum. (B.C. Manion)

“Hometown Teams” will capture the stories that unfold on the neighborhood fields and courts, and the underdog heroics, larger-than-life legends, fierce rivalries and gut-wrenching defeats. For more than 100 years, sports have reflected the trials and triumphs of the American experience and helped shape the national character. Whether it is professional sports or those played on the collegiate or scholastic level, amateur sports or sports played by kids on the local playground, sports are everywhere in America, according to a news release about the exhibition.

Black said she’s still working on the details regarding what will be part of the exhibit at her museum.

In other news, the museum is working on improvement projects and additional events.

It is using a state grant to pay for the construction of eight new bathrooms.

“Those will help us when we have events here, we don’t have to rent port-a-lets. Nobody likes those anyway,” Black said.

The permanent restrooms will provide more comfort for guests and eliminate the rental costs, she said.

“The grant was for $53,500,” Black said, so the museum just needs to chip in a few hundred dollars to cover the remaining cost.

The museum is also adding a new blacksmith’s shop and a new carpenter’s shop. The blacksmith shop is 24 by 24 and the carpenter’s shop is 24 by 32.

In the blacksmith’s shop, the museum acquired Dade City road bricks to put in the floor.

There are also beams from one of the railroads, to put in the buildings, Black said. Since the buildings weren’t moved there, the staff still wanted it to be full of Dade City history, she said.

In another project, the community is trying to organize a room that will feature an exhibit focusing on black churches and black businesses.

“There’s a woman from Saint Leo University who is doing a lot of work on black history that’s involved with this,” Black said.

The museum also is planning some additional events this year.

The Living History & Civil War Re-Enactments will be on the museum grounds on Feb. 24 and Feb. 25, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a special school day planned for Feb. 24.

“We’re very excited about it,” Black said.

The event had been held at the museum years ago, but it was in September, which was the wrong time of the year.  “It was just way too hot for them.”

The Pioneer Florida Museum & Village is at 15602 Pioneer Museum Road in Dade City. It is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with general admission of $10 for adults; $8 for seniors and $5 for students. Children under age 5 are free.

Revised February 15, 2018

Pasco property tax rates holding steady

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Property tax rates won’t go up in fiscal year 2017, though a more robust trend in property values could bring a slight boost in property taxes for some homeowners.

At a final hearing on Sept. 27, Pasco County commissioners approved a $1.3 billion operating budget that includes increases for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, and 16 new business initiatives that give residents more services.

The fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

Mike Fasano
Mike Fasano

The final budget is about $80 million less than what was proposed in July, partly due to accounting adjustments in how unspent funds for capital projects are counted.

Tax rates remain the same as last year. A homeowner will be assessed about $7.61 for each $1,000 in property value for the county’s general fund, and about $1.81 per $1,000 for the fire district.

However, as the economy has improved, property values in the past year have increased. Tax bills also could tick up slightly.

On average, county officials anticipate an additional $6.89 on a tax bill for a home valued at about $106,000.

“Hopefully, most citizens are going to see some reductions in their taxes,” said Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader.

A request weeks earlier from Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano resulted in a one-time allocation of $100,000 to the elderly nutrition program.

The money will be held in a reserve account while county staff members provide details on how the money will be spent. Fasano told county commissioners he wanted the funds to reduce the waiting list of elderly residents who want to participate in the free meal program.

The money is from additional funds returned to the county from the tax collector’s office.

Dade City resident Amy Gant made a plea for money to repair the Dade City Little League concession stand at John S. Burks Memorial Park.

The 30-year-old structure is in dire need of repairs, she said.

Code violations include a leaking roof and broken plumbing.

An electrical fire happened recently, and critters crawl through broken windows, Gant said.

“The concession stand for our league is one of the biggest moneymakers,” she said. “I know that it’s expensive, and you probably can’t afford it, but I’m going to ask anyway.”

As a youngster, Gant said the Dade City Little League was a lifeline for her. She told commissioners she would be dropped off at the ballpark by her drug addicted mother, and picked up at the end of the day.

But, she said, “A lot of the character I learned was on that field from coaches that mentored me.”

While the county set aside about $1.5 million for park upkeep, the concession stand isn’t on the list. Gant did get some encouragement.

County officials will look into repairing the electrical outlets.

A 2015 parks’ master plan that included an overall needs assessment is in early stages of implementation.

“This is a story that is repeated all over our parks’ system,” said Pasco County Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey. “We just don’t fund them enough.”

Budget highlights include:

  • A bus circulator route for Land O’ Lakes
  • A $6.3 million increase for the sheriff’s office to fund a second year of salary raises, 24 additional fulltime employees, and new patrol laptops
  • A fire rescue ambulance and crew for Fire Station 37 on State Road 54 at Ballantrae
  • A code enforcement initiative to clean up major corridors, such as U.S. 41 and U.S. 19

Published October 5, 2016

Pasco merges county departments

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Pasco County will merge its parks and recreation department and its environmental lands program and create a new division – the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department.

The Pasco Commission approved the merger at its May 5 meeting.

Pasco County is preparing to implement a 10-year master plan to improve existing parks and add new ones. The plan was crafted with public input. (File Photo)
Pasco County is preparing to implement a 10-year master plan to improve existing parks and add new ones. The plan was crafted with public input.
(File Photo)

The restructuring comes as the county prepares to implement a master plan for county parks. The focus is on improving efficiency, better customer service and keeping up with the growth from new development.

“It all comes down to funding really,” said Cathy Pearson, assistant county administrator for public services.

The restructured department would have three managers for natural resources, fiscal and support services, and parks and recreation, who would report to a director of parks, recreation and natural resources.

“We’re going through the budget now,” Pearson said. “It’s been a challenge.”

The parks department has struggled since 2009 through lean times with budget cuts and job layoffs. To fill in financial gaps, the county began charging user fees four years ago at 11 of its parks, including $2 parking fees. Youth league teams, co-sponsored by the county, including the Central Pasco Soccer Club, the Wesley Chapel Athletic Association and the Dade City Little League, also have been charged fees.

Some commissioners would like to see an end to the parking and athletic participation fees.

“We’re taxing things that we’re trying to encourage,” said Commissioner Jack Mariano.

But losing revenues means more tough budget decisions.

Parks and recreation employees have done a “tremendous” job keeping up with services, but Pearson said, “We’re really struggling. Hopefully we’ll come up with some creative ideas.”

Revenues since 2009 have increased from about $840,000 to about $1.5 million currently. But the department’s overall budget in that same time dropped from about $10 million to about $8.9 million.

The loss of parking and athletic fees would mean about $440,000 in lost revenues, Pearson said.

During public comment at the May 5 meeting, Jeff Olsen of the Wesley Chapel Athletic Association made a plea for commissioners to restore the parks and recreation’s budget to a level more in line with budgets prior to the recession.

“A lot of money has been siphoned away from some important needs,” Olsen said.

A job description for the newly created position of natural resources manager will be advertised in the next week or so.

Along with the reorganization, Rick Buckman, the county’s current parks and recreation director, will take on a new role as park supervisor for Moon Lake Park, Robert Strickland and Robert Rees Memorial parks.

He also will provide support during the transition, said Pearson, adding that finding a natural resources manager could take months.

Another newly created position of program coordinator will not be filled until the manager is on board and can decide if the position is needed, Pearson said.

The county has budgeted $160,700 for salaries and benefits for the two positions. The manager’s salary would be in the range of $70,000 to $85,000.

The decision to step away from the director’s job was one that Buckman made on his own, said Pearson.

“It was a surprise to me,” she said.

Buckman’s new job as parks supervisor became available as the result of another employee’s retirement.

“Rick Buckman has been a tremendous asset for the county, building a tremendous team, ” said Land O’ Lakes resident Sandy Graves.

Chairman Ted Schrader also had praise for Buckman.

“I think we all realize the work Mr. Buckman has done through trying times,” he said. “You never complained. You managed to get your job done.”

Published May 13, 2015