The Laker/Lutz News

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San Antonio Farmers Market

San Antonio welcomes back outdoor market

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The San Antonio Farmers Market is set to return with an array of unique merchandise, starting on Sept. 14.

From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., patrons can visit numerous vendors offering produce, bath and body products, honey, jams and plants, among other things.

A local winery also will offer samples of fruit-flavored wines to entice potential buyers.

Multiple park benches will be available for relaxation and to enjoy food, including Mr. Jim’s Famous Hot Dogs.

Also, kids can be dropped off at their own station where they can create free crafts.

For a $1-ticket, visitors can enter a drawing to win a gift basket.

The Barking Dogs will perform, too.

Admission and parking are free, and the event is pet-friendly.

Proceeds will support future projects of the San Antonio Rotary Club.

The function will be held at the San Antonio City Park at 12202 Main St., in San Antonio.

The market will take place the second Saturday of each month from September through May 2020.

For additional information, please call Winnie Burke at (352) 437-5161.

San Antonio Farmers Market
When: Starting Sept. 14 and continuing every second Saturday of each month through May 2020. The event is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., each time
Where: San Antonio City Park, 12202 Main St., San Antonio
Cost: Free
Details: Patrons can shop for various products in an outdoor setting. There also will be music and activities for kids.
Info: Call Winnie Burke at (352) 437-5161.

Published September 11, 2019

San Antonio Farmers Market makes its return

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The San Antonio Farmers Market is making its return, for its second year, beginning on Sept. 8.

The event runs on the second Saturday of the month, from September through May, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at San Antonio City Park, 12202 Main St., San Antonio.

The event is sponsored by the Rotary Club of San Antonio.

The market features vendors who set up around the park, offering a variety of products, including jams and jellies, honey, produce, jewelry and quilts.

San Antonio Rotary Club’s Terrie Grissom, left, and Winnie Burke are helping to host the San Antonio Farmers Market. Now in its second year, the monthly event begins this year on Sept. 8. (Brian Fernandes)

One highlight this year will be live music by the Tampa Bay Ukulele Society.

Those wishing to donate blood also will be able to do so, at OneBlood’s Big Red Bus that will be parked at the site to accept donations. Donors will receive both a free T-shirt and a checkup.

Mr. Jim’s hot dog stand is returning to the market this year.

A table also will be set up for kids to give them a chance to create a craft, at no charge. A Rotary Club member will oversee that activity.

“That’s a part of doing what we can for kids,” said Terrie Grissom, treasurer of San Antonio’s Rotary Club. “We are very much a community-focused club, serving the San Antonio area the best we can.”

The park has a playground for children and numerous picnic tables for dining.

In addition to exploring the vendors, patrons are welcome to volunteer their voices for singing performances.

The event is free of charge, and pets are welcome, too.

Proceeds benefit causes supported by the Rotary Club of San Antonio. The club supports scholarships for students and donates food bags to the San Antonio Elementary School, among other things.

“One main thing is to try and improve education and the life of people,” said Winnie Burke, chairwoman of the Rotary Club.

Club members also will be on hand to help vendors set up tents.

San Antonio Farmers Market
Where: San Antonio City Park, 12202 Main St., in San Antonio
When: The second Saturday of the month, September through May, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Cost: Free admission
Details: The event will hold various vendors, food, live music and a blood drive. Pets are welcome, too.
Info: Contact Winnie Burke at (352) 437-5161 or .

Published September 5, 2018

Egg hunts and services planned to celebrate Easter

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If you’re looking for a way to celebrate Easter season, you’ll find plenty of options across the region.

There are fun events, such as Easter crafts and egg hunts, solemn Good Friday events and Easter service celebrations.

Here are few highlights from around the area covered by The Laker/Lutz News.

They are presented here, in chronological order.

  • The Pioneer Florida Museum & Village, at 15602 Pioneer Museum Road in Dade City, has created a new event called the Jelly Bean Fling that will debut on April 8, and will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission is $5 for anyone over 5 years old, and parking is free.

Natalie and Nolan Kassabaum pause for a photo op with Jasper the Easter Bunny, who will be one of the highlights at the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village’s Jelly Bean Fling, set for April 8. The photo was taken at The Book Shack.
(Courtesy of Pioneer Florida Museum & Village)

The schedule begins with “Breakfast with Jasper, the Easter Bunny” at 9 a.m. A pancake breakfast, with bacon or sausage, will be served for $3 each. After breakfast, kids can make their own Easter bonnet, with hats provided to decorate, while supplies last. Then, they can march in the Easter Parade with Mr. Tommy.

There will be Easter egg hunts, with four different age groups, up to age 12, which will have staggered start times, beginning at noon.

Other highlights will include face painting, a petting zoo, touch a truck, a bounce house, a slide, train rides and many games to play. There also will be armbands for $5 each for unlimited selective activities. Individual pricing will be available as well.

Mr. Tommy will perform at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., at the Gazebo. The concession stand will be open with freshly made hamburgers and hot dogs. There also will be food trucks.

For information, call Brenda Minton at the Pioneer Florida Museum (352) 567-0262 or (352) 206-8889.

  • First United Methodist Church, 38635 Fifth Ave., in Zephyrhills, invites children through fifth grade to a free Easter egg hunt on April 8, from 10 a.m. to noon. To maximize fun and fairness for all, four separate hunts will take place. The groups are: Infants to 2-year-olds; 3- and 4-year olds; kindergarten through second-graders; and, third- through fifth-graders.

Additional activities will include a petting zoo, pony ride, jumpy house, games with small prizes, snacks and crafts. All activities are free and there is no event admission.

  • The San Antonio Farmers Market is offering a Spring Market on April 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at San Antonio City Park, 12202 Main St., in San Antonio.

The market will feature a basket chance drawing, with more than a dozen baskets containing everything from gift certificates to chocolates to Irish Coffee ingredients.

Vendors will sell fresh produce, free-range brown eggs, jams and jellies, wine, organic plants and seeds, old-fashioned roses, dried herbs and herbal oils, honey, jewelry, woodwork, dog treats, and several types of yard art. Jim’s Hot Dogs will offer hot dogs, coffee and sodas for sale, and there will be free Easter crafts and games for the kids. The event is sponsored by the Rotary Club of San Antonio. For information about the Farmers Market or the Rotary Club of San Antonio, contact President Winnie Burke at (352) 437-5161 or .

  • Saint Leo University’s Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority and the First Year Experience team are hosting Easter Eggstravaganza on April 9, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Children of all ages from the community, as well as faculty, staff, and students, are welcome to attend the free event, which will be in The Bowl, behind Saint Francis Hall and the Daniel A. Cannon Memorial Library. The university is at 33701 State Road 52. Take Exit 285 off Interstate 75 and go 4 miles east.
This cross, shrouded in purple, is a sign of the Lenten season at Saint Leo University. Many area churches will be having Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter services, so check the local church’s bulletin or website for more information.
(Courtesy of Saint Leo University)

Activities will include an Easter egg hunt, egg toss, egg race, games, and more. Candy and snacks will be available. Tri Sigma also will have a tent where participants can make tie blankets for the March of Dimes. For information, contact .

  • Grace Community Church, in Wesley Chapel, is inviting area residents to celebrate Palm Sunday on April 9 at 10:30 a.m. Plans include an outdoor worship service on the church property, 7107 Boyette Road, with a large shade tent and comfortable church chairs. There will also be a full-length Grace Harbor program for kids from newborns to fifth-graders. After the service, there will be a hot dog lunch, bounce house and an egg hunt. For information, visit ExploreGrace.com.
  • The Tampa Bay Moms Group is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt and Craft event April 12, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Northdale Park, 15550 Spring Pine Drive in Tampa.
  • Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 20735 Leonard Road in Lutz, has scheduled Holy Week services, including Maundy Thursday on April 13 at 7 p.m.; Good Friday on April 14, at noon and 7 p.m.; and Easter Sunday on April 16, with a sunrise service at 7 a.m., and a worship service at 10 a.m. For information, call (813) 9494-7173, or visit HolyTrinityLutz.com.
  • Harvester United Methodist Church, at 2432 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes, has scheduled its Holy Week services, including Maundy Thursday on April 13 at 7 p.m.; Good Friday on April 14 at 7 p.m.; a community Easter egg hunt on April 15 from 10 a.m. until noon; and Easter services on April 16, at 7 a.m., 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. For information, call (813) 948-2311, or visit HarvesterUMC.com.
  • Heritage Church, 1854 Oak Grove Blvd., in Lutz, has schedule Easter weekend services for April 15 at 6 p.m., and April 16, at 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11: 30 a.m. It will have a kids’ egg hunt after each service, so be sure to bring baskets for the kids. There also will be live music and a special message of “Hope and Purpose.” Also, there will be children’s classes for all ages. The atmosphere is casual, and there will be free refreshments. To find out more, call (813)909-4080, or visit YesHeritage.com.

Many area churches have special celebrations planned for Palm Sunday, Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter. Check their websites or church bulletins for more information.

Published April 5, 2017

San Antonio Rotary goes to the market

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The Rotary Club of San Antonio is getting a fresh start on a popular trend – the farmers market.

The nonprofit will host its first San Antonio Farmers Market on Jan. 14 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the San Antonio City Park, at 32810 Pennsylvania Ave.

In the future, the farmers market will be held every second Saturday of the month, at the same time and place.

“It will be really festive,” said Winnie Burke, the club’s president.

The market will offer fresh produce, yard art, baked goods and more. Local musicians will entertain. Rotary club volunteers will sell hot dogs and popcorn.

Wines from Brooksville vineyards will be sold, but Burke said a city alcohol ban in the park, means “it’s not for drinking in the park.”

The seed for the farmers market sprouted after a local produce stand on State Road 52 shut down.

“People were telling us they wanted a place to buy produce,” said Burke. “It grew from there.”

The second Saturday was chosen so as not to compete with Dade City’s farmers market, Burke added.

The rotary club has a loyal group of about 15 volunteers, who will organize the monthly event.

“Our club is pretty small,” Burke said. “But, we try to be active.”

Rotarian fundraisers help support local charities and community projects including playground equipment at the city park. The club also supports a girls’ mentoring program and food giveaways to area schools.

The Rotary Club of San Antonio was founded in 2005, and is one of eight clubs in east Pasco County.

Rotarians are governed by Rotary International, which has about 1.2 million members in 32,000 clubs in 200 countries and geographic areas, according to the international organization’s website.

To reserve a vendor space – for $25 a day – contact Burke at (352) 437-5161 or .

Published January 11, 2017