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Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
Proud to be independently owned.

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Pam Oakes

Terri Dusek Central Pasco’s new honorary mayor

June 30, 2014 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

The votes are in, and so is the money. Pasco County has a new mayor, and it’s Terri Dusek.

Dusek, a local real estate agent, ran a campaign of “Paying it Forward Through Music.” She was one of several people and businesses honored at the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce annual dinner last week. Dusek also won Ambassador of the Year.

The dinner included the installation of the new chamber president, Charlene Ierna, of Ierna’s Heating & Cooling. She succeeds Denny Esber, who also is retiring from board along with director Gary Loman. Before he left, Esber handed out his President’s Award to Tony Masella of OurTownFla.com for his outstanding service to the chamber and the community.

Hungry Harry’s Bar-B-Que was the Large Business of the Year while All Smiles Tampa Bay won Small Business of the Year. A Focus on Fitness was New Business of the Year, while Habitat for Humanity of East & Central Pasco was Non-Profit Member of the Year.

If honorary mayor and the chamber’s top ambassador wasn’t enough, Dusek topped a successful season as Chamber Member of the Year.

The Community Service Award was a tie between April Saland of A.L. Saland Insurance Solutions, and Pam Oakes of Pasco International Tourism.

Finally, the Central Pasco Chamber honored the lifetime service of Larry Delucenay, and retiring Pasco County commissioner Pat Mulieri.

To learn more about the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, visit CentralPascoChamber.com.

Filed Under: Updates Tagged With: A Focus on Fitness, A.L. Saland Insurance Solutions, All Smiles Tampa Bay, April Saland, Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, Charlene Ierna, Denny Esber, Gary Loman, Habitat for Humanity of East & Central Pasco, Hungry Harry's Bar-B-Que, Ierna's Heating & Cooling, Larry Delucenay, OurTownFla.com, Pam Oakes, Pasco County, Pasco International Tourism, Pat Mulieri, Terri Dusek, Tony Masella

Documentary could encourage a nude German invasion

June 12, 2014 By Michael Hinman

The end of the Cold War may have spelled the destruction of the Berlin Wall, but a culture war continues between what was once West Germany and East Germany over one simple thing: being naked.

Monique Liliensiek, center, oversees filming of her German documentary ‘World of Nudism’ last week at Lake Como from the perspective of her travelers, Luise and Peter Krause.  (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Monique Liliensiek, center, oversees filming of her German documentary ‘World of Nudism’ last week at Lake Como from the perspective of her travelers, Luise and Peter Krause.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

With nowhere to go anyway, East Germans found comfort and freedom from leaving their clothes at home. Being nude was a way of life, until their neighbors from the west arrived and told them to put those clothes back on.

Nudism doesn’t have the popularity it once had in the European country, but it’s prompted one film crew to travel the world to see what being naked is like in other countries. And they ended up in the American heart of nudism, Pasco County, this past week.

“The people in the east were definitely raised naked,” said Bjorn Buck, the husband of documentary producer Monique Liliensiek, who both made the trans-Atlantic trip to Land O’ Lakes. “All the Baltic Sea beaches were naked beaches, and that was absolutely normal to them.”
Liliensiek found Pasco’s nudist community thanks to a Google search, which introduced her to Caliente Resort. A phone call later, she was in touch with retired firefighter and nudism champion Pam Oakes, who introduced the entire film crew to the rest of the local community, setting up stops in a variety of places including Lake Como and Paradise Lakes.

“This has been a niche kind of tourism for Pasco all these years,” Oakes said. “There was an opportunity to reach out to Europe where there are 50 million naturists alone, and they speak English.”

The documentary is tentatively called “World of Nudism,” and is set to air on Germany’s Vox network next month — a channel typically home to American shows like “CSI: Miami” and “Burn Notice.” Liliensiek and her crew from Runge.TV already have visited places like Turkey and Austria, but plan to make Pasco’s nudism community a primary focus of their two-hour exploration into nudism.

Pasco County commissioner Pat Mulieri has represented the area where most of the nudist communities are centered for the past two decades, and said even she had to have a little time to adjust.

“I’ll never forget the one day at the beginning of my term, I was speaking at the Butt Hutt (at Lake Como), and I was thinking, ‘I got this made,’” Mulieri said. “All the guys there had shirts on, and was fine, until they stood up.”

The communities, however, are one of the key components to Pasco’s tourism, and also to other services like charity, said county tourism director Ed Caum.

“I wanted to say thank you to our naturists and all you do,” he told a crowd that gathered at Hungry Harry’s Lake House last week to welcome the film crew. “They are great volunteers. I’ve never seen so many people without clothes do such a great job of collecting clothing to give to other people.”

Buck spoke on behalf of his wife, who did not know a lot of English, but said he and his crew were welcome from the minute they stepped off the plane.

“We come from the second-largest network, and we have a little budget, but nobody cares about that,” he said. “We were told that you’re a family and you’re a friend, and that is quite overwhelming.”

This exposure on national television may not be the last time Pasco County ends up in German living rooms in the near future, either. While Liliensiek and her crew headed back to Europe last weekend, Buck stayed behind, and will explore other areas that might get a more in-depth look from the crew. That’s especially true for Caliente, which Buck says could warrant a feature of its own.

“This isn’t only for the naked community in Germany, but for everyone there,” Buck said. “In the end, I think what people will realize is that nudism is something good, or at least it’s not bad.”

Published June 11, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Filed Under: Land O' Lakes News, Local News, Top Story Tagged With: Bjorn Buck, Caliente Resort, Lake Como, Monique Liliensiek, Pam Oakes, Paradise Lakes, Pat Mulieri

In Print: Germany looks to Pasco for that nude you

June 11, 2014 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Next month, Pasco County will be featured prominently on Germany’s second-largest television station, and it’s all thanks to the diverse — and pretty sizable — nudist community here.

Charlene Ierna, right, brings an alligator to Lake Como to help spark the interest of a German film crew on hand for a documentary airing in Europe next month. (Photo by Michael Hinman
Charlene Ierna, right, brings an alligator to Lake Como to help spark the interest of a German film crew on hand for a documentary airing in Europe next month. (Photo by Michael Hinman

A film crew spent a week in the area visiting places like Lake Como and Paradise Lakes, exploring the naked life outside of Europe. And it could mean a further European tourist boom to the county.

“This has been a niche kind of tourism for Pasco all these years,” retired firefighter and nudism activist Pam Oakes told reporter Michael Hinman. “There was an opportunity to reach out to Europe where there are 50 million naturists alone, and they speak English.”

The story of nudism was told from the perspective of German couple Peter and Luise Krause, and you can read all about what this trip could mean in this week’s print edition of The Laker. You can also read the online edition for free by clicking here.

As executive director of Farmworkers Self-Help Inc., and her own work as a community activist, Margarita Romo has spent years pushing to make in-state college tuition prices available for undocumented students. And with the single stroke of Gov. Rick Scott’s pen this past week, she finally achieved that goal, opening the door for higher education for more people who now call Florida home.

“We’re very happy that we got what we got,” Romo told reporter B.C. Manion. “It’s been a long time coming. You can pick enough orange to pay in-state tuition, but you cannot pick enough oranges to pay out-of-state tuition.”

You can read the full story in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, or read our online print edition by clicking here.

Sam-I-Am may like green eggs and ham, but Blake High School freshman Cameron LeVine simply likes being green.

LeVine is taking on the roles of the Grinch and Yertle the Turtle in the upcoming New Tampa Players’ musical production of “Seussical.”

“I am so honored,” LeVine told reporter Michael Murillo. “The Grinch is my favorite out of the Dr. Seuss stories. I love how over the top mean he is, but not in a bad way.”

LeVine and his sister, who also is appearing in the play, hail from Lutz. They will join a cast of more than 30 people who will put this production on at CrossPointe Church of the Nazarene in Lutz beginning in August.

To read more about “Seussical” and LeVine’s role, check out this week’s print edition of the Lutz News. You also can read it free online by clicking here.

All of these stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.

If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.

Filed Under: Updates Tagged With: B.C. Manion, Blake High School, Cameron LeVine, CrossPointe Church of the Nazarene, Europe, Farmworkers Self-Help Inc., Germany, Grinch, Hillsborough County, Lake Como, Luise Krause, Lutz, Margarita Romo, Michael Hinman, Michael Murillo, New Tampa Players, Pam Oakes, Paradise Lakes, Pasco County, Peter Krause, Rick Scott, Sam-I-Am, Seussical, Yertle the Turtle

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01/25/2021 – Fizzy bath bomb

The Land O’ Lakes Library, 2818 Collier Parkway, will offer an adult fizzy bath bomb craft, through curbside pickup only. The kit will include lavender Epsom salt, citric acid, a reusable mold, instructions and more. Pickup is from Jan. 25 through Jan. 30. Registration is required through the calendar feature on the library’s website, or by calling 813-929-1214. … [Read More...] about 01/25/2021 – Fizzy bath bomb

01/25/2021 – Lego building

Mr. John from Bricks 4 Kidz will show participants how to become a Lego Master Builder with an online class that teaches various building methods and techniques. The program will be presented on Jan. 25 at 4:30 p.m., for ages 5 to 12. Registration is through the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 01/25/2021 – Lego building

01/26/2021 – Crystal snowflakes

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will present Virtual STEM Studio: Crystal Snowflakes on Jan. 26 at 4:30 p.m., for grades four to seven. Learn how to create your own crystals with just saltwater. Follow along with the video on the Regency Park Library’s Facebook page. No library card is needed. … [Read More...] about 01/26/2021 – Crystal snowflakes

01/27/2021 – Into the Interstellar

The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will present “Into the Interstellar Unknown” on Jan. 27 at 6:30 p.m. Natalia Guerreo will present the latest news from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Guerrero works at the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research on the MIT-led NASA TESS Mission. The program is for teens and adults. Registration is through the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 01/27/2021 – Into the Interstellar

01/27/2021 – Zentangles

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will host “Stroke of Genius” on Jan. 27. This virtual craft includes an instructional slide show on how to draw Zentangles. View the post, available all day, on the South Holiday Library’s Facebook page. … [Read More...] about 01/27/2021 – Zentangles

01/29/2021 – One Book, One Night

The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will host “One Book, One Night” on Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m., for teens and adults. Participants can start online as the beginning excerpt of the book “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, is read in English, Spanish and French. For information and to register, visit the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 01/29/2021 – One Book, One Night

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NAMI/Pasco addresses growing need for its services

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NAMI/Pasco addresses growing need for its services

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Don’t forget: This year’s Kumquat Festival is set for March 27

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