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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Rebecca Smith

Attend a Kentucky Derby party, and help local groups

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Celebrate the Kentucky Derby and raise money for area rotary clubs and the Pasco Education Foundation.

The event, which is open to the public, is set for May 4 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Guests will have a chance to roll cigars and dance to music by the Strictly Bizness band.

Those who enjoy donning fancy attire can also compete for awards for the best hat or best dressed contests.

Among many fun activities at the Kentucky Derby Party, guests can try their luck at the casino table. This year’s event will be on May 4 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. (Courtesy of Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel)

Winners will be able to take home bragging rights, and prizes.

“The nice thing is everybody can get dressed up in their derby finest,” said Rebecca Smith, member of the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel.

There will be a southern cuisine buffet, and drinks available at the bar.

Two auctions will be offered as well. Commemorative items, such as sports memorabilia, will be sold at the live auction, while the silent auction will offer an array of items donated by the community.

And, of course, those attending can cheer on their favorite horses and jockeys, as the Kentucky Derby will be broadcast on numerous television screens.

The function is being hosted jointly by the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel and the Rotary Club of Dade City.

It will be held at the Waller Ranch, at 17307 Powerline Road in Dade City.

Proceeds will help raise money for both rotary clubs, and will benefit the Pasco Education Foundation.

Tickets can be purchased online for $75 or at the door for $100.

For additional information or tickets, visit HatsAndHorses2019.eventbrite.com.

Rebecca Smith may also be contacted at (307) 851-4312 or at .

Hats and Horses – Kentucky Derby Party
Where: Waller Ranch, 17307 Powerline Road, Dade City
When: May 4 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Cost: $75 online or $100 at the door
Details: Come celebrate the Kentucky Derby with a buffet, contests for the best dressed and best hats, and auctions.
Info: For tickets, visit HatsAndHorses2019.eventbrite.com. For further inquiries, contact Rebecca Smith at (307) 851-4312 or at .

Published May 01, 2019

Turning back the clock to the 16th century

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Every year, tens of thousands of people get a chance to transport themselves into the past and escape from the real world at the Bay Area Renaissance Festival.

A knight and rook battle it out on a large chess board during one of the human chess match events at MOSI’s Renaissance Festival.
(Fred Bellet)

Now entering its 39th season, the annual festival attracts about 80,000 people a year, according to the festival’s website.

Set in 1524 in the fictional English town of Fittleworth, the seven-week long Tampa festival creates a captivating medieval adventure, with no shortage of sights and spectacles.

From re-enactments of King Henry VIII and Queen Catherine Parr, there’s a litany of characters — peasants, gypsies and fairies — all of which never stray from using English accents.
At every turn, the festival offers amusement for children and adults, alike.

Besides an eclectic blend of renaissance-style mimes and madrigals, there’s archery contests, live-armored jousting and elephant rides.

Dawn Boone of Riverview uses her phone to capture the king and queen’s entrance into the Renaissance Festival grounds.

With modest beginnings in Largo, the jubilee relocated to Tampa in 2004, adjacent to the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), at 11315 North 46th St.

To accommodate its cult following and ever-growing demand, the festival expanded to seven weekends long.

Each weekend has a distinctive motif.

The weekend of March 18, for instance, was titled Shamrocks & Shenanigans, an ode to St. Patrick’s Day.

Festival Friday kicks off the final weekend, starting March 31.

That is followed by the pirate-themed High Seas Adventures, on April 1 and April 2.

Its attractions include a pirate costume contest, tattoo competition and pirate peg leg relay race.

For thousands of festivalgoers each year, dressing up in diverse medieval garb is a significant aspect of the event’s charm.

So, too, is meeting like-minded people with similar interests in renaissance culture.

Lutz residents, Scott Dorman, left, and his 8-year-old son, Nathan, portrayed members of a Scottish Clan, wearing a McLeod kilt and carrying hardwood walking sticks. Like father, like son, the two have attended every weekend of the event for the past three seasons. Nathan hopes to participate at the event as a re-enactor, someday.

“It’s fun. You get to know the people — the repeats,” said Niko Alissandratos, of Tarpon Springs, who was sporting Vulcan ears and a vintage drinking horn during the March 18 weekend.

Another patron, Alicia Askey, makes it a point to drive down from Ocala each year to attend the festival with her husband, Stephen.

Besides the varied food and entertainment offerings, she enjoys the ability to express herself, this year portraying an Anglo-Saxon from the 12th century.

“I like being able to dress up,” Askey said, “and no one looks at you funny.”

The same mindset can be applied to Lutz resident Scott Dorman, and his 8-year old son, Nathan.

Both portrayed members of a Scottish clan, wearing a MacLeod kilt and toting hardwood walking sticks.

Matching outfits aside, the festival’s choreographed human combat chess match is one reason the father and son have attended the show three years running.

Dorman, who grew up playing Dungeons and Dragons as a youth, said he enjoys “everything” about Bay Area Renaissance Festival.
“It’s just a lot of fun,” Dorman said. “Each year we come a little more often and get more into it.”

The Renaissance Festival appears to be a hit among vendors, too.

Queen Katherine Parr, portrayed by Catherine Jett, of Tampa, enters the staging area to watch the human chess match.

Amanda Stevens is the owner and operator of Krakens Chest, which produces on-site pirate rings and other jewelry.

Part of the festival’s appeal, Stevens said, is its leniency in portrayals from the entirety of renaissance period, which spans from the 14th century to the 17th century.

Unlike some other medieval-themed festivals, she values the ability to roam as any character, may it be a knight, a pirate, or a Greek warrior.

“I think a lot of people like this festival,” Stevens said, “because it’s not strict.”

“It’s more like a giant convention,” she added, “because you see people dressed up as everything here.”

A regular since the event’s Largo days, Stevens noted the renaissance festival does have a “different feel” since it moved to Tampa.

Nearby traffic on Fowler Avenue and other urban noises, she explained, can sometimes disrupt the festival’s ambiance, contrary to the wide-open, rural setting in Largo.

“You felt like you were transported back in time,” said Stevens, referring to the festival venue in Largo. “It was in the backwoods and you had to walk like half a mile to get to the (entrance) gate, so you really felt like you were in the Renaissance period.”

Fourteen-year old Marina Khimko, of Brooksville, who because of a rare birth defect lives life from a wheelchair, was overwhelmed when the re-enactors presented her with a Shakespearean-period, purple velvet dress with gold-braiding. She was there with her mom, Rebecca Smith, of Brooksville.

The proximity to the bustling Fowler roads, however, doesn’t disrupt the experience for Cat Desharnais, one of Stevens’ co-workers.

To her, it’s still a “getaway” from everyday life.

“I love it. It’s a fun time to be artistic and creative,” said Desharnais, of Tampa. “I meet a lot of crafty people and mobile artists; it’s very nice.”

For pop culture junkies, the festival incorporates some elements from Game of Thrones, the hit HBO television series.

Desharnais noted several attendees in recent years have dressed up as various characters from the show: “You’ll find a dozen Khaleesis just walking around.”

One of the best moments during the festival’s March 18 offerings came during opening ceremonies, when re-enactors presented a Shakespearean-style purple velvet dress to Marina Khimko, a 14-year-old who lives from a wheelchair because of a rare birth defect.

As the teenager from Brooksville, smiled ear-to-ear, her mother, Rebecca Smith, said described the gesture as being “spectacular.”

The Bay Area Renaissance Festival kicks off its final weekend on March 31 and concludes on April 2. For information, visit BayAreaRenFest.com. The popular seven-weekend long event is at MOSI, 11315 North 46th St., near the University of South Florida.

Published March 29, 2017

Rubber ducks create a splashing success

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The crowd cheered.

The loudspeaker broadcast a quacking-good tune – “Disco, Disco Duck.”

And, with a quick dumping of about 2,000 rubber ducks into Lake Padgett, the flock of ducks floated off, with a push from a high-pressure fire hose squirted into the water.

The rubber ducks, numbered on their underside, were adopted through donations. The owner of the duck that floated to first-place also won a bonus of $2,500. Some 68 prizes were awarded to the first ducks that floated to the finish line, out of a field of more than 2,000. (Fred Bellet/Photos)
The rubber ducks, numbered on their underside, were adopted through donations. The owner of the duck that floated to first-place also won a bonus of $2,500. Some 68 prizes were awarded to the first ducks that floated to the finish line, out of a field of more than 2,000.
(Fred Bellet/Photos)

Prizes went to donors whose ducks were among the first 68 to hit the finish line. But, the true winners were the community organizations that will receive donations from the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Noon.

More than 100 people came to the service club’s Duck Derby on May 21. Held for the first time this year, it is intended to become an annual event.

The all-day affair brought out families that shared shady spots on the lawn behind Hungry Harry’s Family Bar-B-Que, off Land O’ Lakes Boulevard.

They enjoyed live music and dined from a buffet of Hungry Harry’s barbecue, beans, chicken, and macaroni and cheese.

Ducks could be adopted at prices ranging from $5 for a single duck to $100 for a flock of 25.

The inflatable Rotary International sign is reflected in the sunglasses of Geoff Kranich, a member of the Rotary Club of Trinity. Kranich helped Erin Meyer, president of the Wesley Chapel Rotary, install the inflatable sign at the entrance to the Duck Derby.
The inflatable Rotary International sign is reflected in the sunglasses of Geoff Kranich, a member of the Rotary Club of Trinity. Kranich helped Erin Meyer, president of the Wesley Chapel Rotary, install the inflatable sign at the entrance to the Duck Derby.

Marcey Knight, 16, and Abri Woods, 17, worked at a drink table, taking tickets and handing out cool refreshments.

The Wiregrass Ranch High School students are members of Interact, a school-sponsored club that provides opportunities for community service.

Children bounced in the bouncy house, slid down an inflated slide or played carnival-like games for prizes.

Sales of the rubber ducks, barbecue and drinks went toward community projects, organizations or student scholarships.

“We support a variety of charities every year,” said Erin Meyer, club president.

Local and international projects and groups that receive the club’s donations include Pasco Education Foundation, Everyday Blessings, Farmworkers Self-Help, Habitat for Humanity, Sunrise Women’s Shelter and installation of water filters in third-world countries.

Jimmy Mason, in the foreground, of the Wesley Chapel Rotary goes after an errant rubber duck that jumped the floating lane during the Duck Derby.
Jimmy Mason, in the foreground, of the Wesley Chapel Rotary goes after an errant rubber duck that jumped the floating lane during the Duck Derby.

In all, 68 prizes were handed out including a $2,500 grand prize to Brian and Isabelle Dunleavy. Other prizes included a fishing trip for five with a charter boat captain, two nights at Saddlebrook Resort, a $250 certificate for automobile repairs from TWA Firestone, a wine basket, pet grooming, and bowling games from Royal Lanes.

Derby sponsors included Fun Services of Land O’ Lakes, Sam’s Club, Cash 4 Gold, The Laker/Lutz News, and Hungry Harry’s Family Bar-B-Que.

The Wesley Chapel Rotary Club Noon hosts fundraising events annually to aid local community organizations or projects. The duck derby is expected to become a yearly tradition.

“Things like this allow us to have fellowship as a club and also to give back to the community,” said Kelly Mothershead, past president of the club.

Mike McDonald, of Trinity, was one of the performers at the Duck Derby held behind Hungry Harry’s Bar Family Bar-B-Que on U.S. 41. Held for the first time in Land O’ Lakes, it is expected to be an annual event.
Mike McDonald, of Trinity, was one of the performers at the Duck Derby held behind Hungry Harry’s Bar Family Bar-B-Que on U.S. 41. Held for the first time in Land O’ Lakes, it is expected to be an annual event.

Events like the duck derby create a presence in the community, said Rebecca Smith, chairwoman of the club’s foundation.

“We kind of touch everybody, and the more the merrier,” Smith said.

The Webelos of Cub Scout Pack No. 149 in Wesley Chapel helped build the duck derby course. They practiced their skills in tying square knots to link together the colorful noodles that marked the course’s boundaries.

“It was fun,” said 6-year-old Andrew Holliday.

His family bought a few ducks the day of the race, and enjoyed a picnic lunch.

“We just wanted to see what it was like,” said Brian Holliday, Andrew’s father.

Brother Connor, 5, sat in a lawn chair, with a plate piled high with his favorite food – mac n’ cheese.

At the shoreline, children waded into the lake, splashing and tossing small pebbles into the water. Or, they wandered over to climb inside the cab of the fire truck parked nearby. Pasco County Fire Rescue provided the hose and water to get the duck derby moving along.

At the derby’s finish line, club members plucked the winning ducks from the water and popped them into plastic bags for identification. Each duck had a number printed on its belly.

The disco dance tune “Disco, Disco, Duck” kept the festivities bouncing along.

“Wasn’t that adorable?” said Smith, who is already ready to join in the fun next year.

Published May 25, 2016