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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Ybor City

Local club celebrates Italian heritage

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Members of the Italian-American Social Club of Tampa Bay meet monthly in Lutz with the goal of preserving their heritage for future generations.

The nonprofit club also provides a social atmosphere that’s conducive to meeting new friends.

And, it supports local charities.

“We’ll talk about events we’ll want to do – our future plans, but mostly it’s the camaraderie of the folks,” said Frank Giordano, the club’s marketing officer. “The folks really enjoy the togetherness.”

Although the Italian-American Social Club of Tampa Bay focuses on community outreach, they also know how to have a good time. Last year’s Columbus Day event, allowed members to sway with their partners on the dance floor. (Courtesy of the Italian-American Social Club of Tampa Bay)

The organization initially branched off from the Italian-American Club based in Ybor City in 2014.

Italian descendants who attended the St. Timothy Catholic Church in Lutz noticed the ethnic group’s large number in the Tampa Bay Area – especially in North Tampa.

So, about five years ago, the church members decided to open a new branch to accommodate residents living in this region. It was a matter of geographical convenience — because it eliminated the commute time between North Tampa and Ybor City.

“I’ve been looking for a local club, so I joined,” said Giordano, who’d been invited to a meeting by a member.

Currently, the second generation Italian-American is among the club’s estimated 150 members.

Part of the reason the club has so many members is that it welcomes non-Italians to join.

All are welcome to join, Giordano said, whether the person is married to someone of Italian descent, or has no ethnic connection whatsoever.

With a grin, Giordano said newcomers can be expected though to hear members brag about their heritage.

Indeed, he might be the one who is bragging: “I’m very proud to be Italian,” he said.

Of course, club meetings aren’t complete without delicious food. Members bring dishes to share in a potluck meal before the business part of the meeting begins.

Some of the foods they share include pizza, spaghetti, pasta, salads, sausage and chicken, to name just a few.

With Italian music playing in the background, it is customary to stay active with several rounds of bocce – an Italian ball game.

Some of the club’s members hail from the homeland, and are known to tell stories about life in Italy. They also provide advice to other members who are planning to travel to the “beautiful country,” Giordano said.

While meetings are based at the Lutz Cheval Golf and Athletic Club, members occasionally go out for social gatherings.

This includes dining at Italian restaurants.

They also host holiday functions, such as the Columbus Day event and a Christmas cookie exchange.

But, the club goes beyond building friendships and socializing. It also finds ways to give back to the community.

Members raise funds by volunteering their time doing customer service for the New York Yankees’ spring training at George Steinbrenner stadium in Tampa.

With about 20 club members on staff each game, they help to distribute memorabilia and souvenirs.

“We like doing the team store – selling the goods,” Giordano explained. “Last year, we made $20,000.”

With those funds, they contributed to the charities ALS Association of Florida, Guiding Light and Make a Wish.

The club also places emphasis on higher education for high school students.

A portion of collected funds goes toward as many as five scholarships – $1,000 each.

The club sets criteria for what makes students eligible – foremost, being a family member of someone within the organization.

Mostly made up of older generations, the club is trying to attract younger members.

One of the club’s future plans involves inviting students from Steinbrenner High School’s Italian club, in Lutz, to their meetings.

Building membership will help the club sustain itself and will help it do more charitable work, as well, Giordano said.

The club welcomes new members, he said.

“Come to a meeting; [we would] love to have you,” Giordano said.

For meeting dates or additional information, visit ItalianAmericanSocialClubTampa.com.

Published April 10, 2019

Bus express service links Wesley Chapel and Tampa

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A new express bus service running from Wesley Chapel to downtown Tampa could potentially carry about 200,000 passengers annually, according to calculations by officials at the Hillsborough Area Transit Authority, also known as HART.

The 275LX bus route, which launched July 1, was among the topics discussed at the monthly economic development briefing luncheon sponsored by the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

About 20 people attended the luncheon at Hunter’s Green Golf & Country Club on July 26.

Ruthie Reyes Burckard

Ruthie Reyes Burckard, HART’s chief operations officer, was guest speaker.

She gave an overview of the 275LX, as well as other upcoming bus services from HART, and efforts to increase regional connections into Pasco, Pinellas, Manatee, and Sarasota counties.

Burckard said estimates on annual ridership aboard the 275LX are based on factors, such as community density and employment centers.

The 275LX route includes a bus stop at the Wiregrass park-n-ride, at 28222 Willet Way. The lot is near Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel and The Shops at Wiregrass. There also is a stop at the Lowe’s park-n-ride in New Tampa, at 16907 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. Passengers are picked up hourly, seven days a week, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The new 275LX route replaces the 51LX, which had limited pickups from the Wiregrass park-in-ride traveling to Marion Transit Center in downtown Tampa. There were two trips up n the morning and two trips back in the afternoon to Wesley Chapel.

“It wasn’t very productive,” Burckard said, adding that people didn’t seem to like the lack of options.

HART routinely does third-quarter reviews of its bus services, said Burckard. “We’ve been continuously looking at our services, and tweaking.”

The 275LX express route includes stops at Wiregrass park-in-ride, Tampa International Airport and the James A. Haley Veteran’s Hospital. (File)

That will happen in coming months, with the new express route. “If there are adjustments to be made, we’ll be looking very closely at that,” Burckard said.

On the 275LX, buses ride along Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, and Interstate 275 toward Tampa, with stops at Tampa International Airport, James A. Haley Veteran’s Hospital, the University area by University of South Florida, and the Marion Transit Center in downtown Tampa.

A one-way ride takes about an hour and 45 minutes. The cost is $2 each way.

The park-in-rides are free to use. However, Burckard said the lots aren’t available for overnight or multiple days of parking. So, for people taking the bus to catch a flight at Tampa’s airport, they should have someone drop them off at the park-in-ride, she said.

The 275LX is useful in making tri-county connections, or to other bus routes in Tampa.

For instance, the University area bus stop allows transfers to Temple Terrace. At Marion Transit, passengers can connect with Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority.

Funding for the 275LX is from the Florida Department of Transportation. The state transportation department also gave HART a $1 million grant for a pilot project to test a low-speed, self-driving bus between the Marion Transit Center and the southern end of downtown Tampa.

That is expected to launch in fiscal year 2019.

In October, the TECO Line Streetcar System will begin providing free rides for the next three years. Funding is about $200,000 from Tampa Electric Company, or TECO, and about $2.7 million from FDOT.

One-way fares between the Channelside District and Ybor City currently cost $2.50.

A study is planned to consider extending the existing 2.7 miles of streetcar track.

HART also is launching the Flamingo Fares mobile application, which provides regional bus fare passes. Hillsborough County, Pasco, Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota will partner in this.

One bus pass can be used for rides on all systems.

“You don’t have to buy fare passes for each and every connection,” Burckard said.

Published August 1, 2018

Baldomero Lopez was more than a local hero

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When motorists drive past the Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Nursing Home in Land O’ Lakes, chances are they won’t know much about the history of the man for whom the facility is named.

That’s where Bill Dotterer comes in.

This iconic image was taken of 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez leading troops in an invasion at Inchon during the Korean War. Lopez died minutes after the photo was taken.
(Bill Dotterer)

He’s a volunteer with the Tampa Bay History Center and he shared the story of 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez’s life and his heroic actions during a talk earlier this year at the Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library. The history center and library jointly presented the free program.

Lopez may not be widely known in many circles, but he is in the U.S. Marine Corps, Dotterer said.

“Lopez is a very important person in Tampa Bay’s history,” the speaker added, noting Lopez was the first person who grew up in Tampa to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Dotterer shared details of Lopez’s early years.

Lopez grew up during a time when Ybor City and West Tampa were vibrant places, with a thriving cigar industry, with people living there who had come from Spain, Cuba, Italy and Sicily, Dotterer said. There were social clubs, baseball teams and dominoes, he noted, and Lopez grew up in that milieu.

“In the neighborhood where he lived, he was well known as a baseball player. He had a paper route. He was just an All-American kid,” Dotterer said.

Lopez also was interested in the military.

He attended Hillsborough High School, where he was in charge of the ROTC program. He marched in the Gasparilla Parade one year, leading all of the junior ROTC units, Dotterer said.

Baldomero Lopez
Company A, 1st Battalion
5th Marines, 1st Marine Division
Born: Aug, 23, 1925
Died: Sept. 15, 1950

The speaker noted that much of his talk was based on information he gleaned from a conversation he had with E.J. Salcines, a former judge and noted Tampa historian.

Lopez was third in his class when he graduated from Hillsborough High in 1943. He decided to enlist in the Navy, Dotterer said.

Initially, Lopez was sent to Quantico, Virginia, but he was pulled from that program and sent to Annapolis for an officer training program, Dotterer added. Next, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps, as a second lieutenant.

By then, it was 1947 and the war had ended.

Lopez was sent to China, to lead a mortar platoon, and after that, he returned to Camp Pendleton, where he received orders to become an instructor at the Basic School in Quantico, Dotterer said.

Lopez was still at Pendleton when the Korean War broke out and his unit was assigned to go overseas, Dotterer said. Lopez wanted to go with them.

Dotterer then shared this account, which he said came from Salcines.

Lopez was a on a train, heading from California to Virginia, Dotterer said.

“Every place that the train stopped, he got off and called and said, ‘Please change my orders. I want to go with my unit.’

“When he finally gets to Quantico, they say, ‘OK, you can rejoin your unit.’,” Dotterer said.

Lopez heads back to California, but at that point, his unit is already gone. Somehow, he catches up with them, across the Pacific, Dotterer continued.

The Korean War began when the North Koreans attacked south of this 38th parallel, which is what divides North Korea and South Korea, Dotterer said.

Gen. Douglas MacArthur was the head commander of allied forces in Korea, and he decided to take back Seoul, Dotterer said.

The invasion is made at Inchon Harbor, near Seoul.

It wasn’t an ideal place to invade because it had the third-highest tides in the world, going from zero to 40 feet in a day. It also had 40-foot seawalls around it, which the Marines had to build ladders to scale, Dotterer said.

“The anchorage, itself, where all of the ships would end up for the invasion, was pretty small. It was pretty tight to get in there,” he added.

At the same time, however, the limiting factors at Inchon also may have made it a good place to invade because the enemy would never expect it, he said.

Lopez demonstrated courage
Lopez, who was 25, was on one of the landing ships.

Before the invasion, he wrote his parents a final letter, not knowing it would be his final letter, Dotterer said.

“Basically, he said, ‘Hey, I chose to do this, so if anything happens, I decided I wanted to be a Marine officer, so here I am. Secondly, please send me some good cigars.’

“On Sept. 15, the invasion begins. He is with Company A, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, and they’re going into Red Beach,” Dotterer said.

This historic marker in downtown Tampa commemorates the heroic actions that 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez took during the Korean War.
(B.C. Manion)

There were two hills, which meant the enemy was at the top of the hill shooting down.

An iconic photograph, taken during the invasion, shows Lopez leading his troops up a wooden ladder over the seawall, Dotterer said.

“Sad to say, this is minutes before he is killed. He’s leading his troops over the seawall. There’s a machine-gun, automatic type position here, that they are trying to take out.

“He had actually pulled a pin on a grenade to throw it into the pill box,” Dotterer said.

Instead, “he gets hit with automatic weapon fire. One in the shoulder. One in the abdomen or chest. He’s shot down. That grenade has the pin out.”

Within seconds, Lopez decided to save his troops. He scooped the grenade under his body.

“He took the full brunt of the grenade in the explosion. His troops were essentially saved. They went on to take that pillbox,” Dotterer said.

Since then, Lopez has been honored in various ways.

There’s a historic marker commemorating Lopez’s heroics in downtown Tampa and there’s a memorial for him at Hillsborough High School. There’s a public elementary school named after him in Seffner and there’s a memorial to Lopez at Veterans Memorial Park.

In 2012, the Tampa Bay History Center received a Korean War Veterans Medal on behalf of Lopez, presented by Jong-Hoon Kim, a member of the 19th National Assembly and Chair of the International Relations Committee, Saenuri Party. Kim was accompanied by Choi Young-Jin, the Korean Ambassador to the United Nations and other Korean Dignitaries.

Additionally, there’s Lopez Hall at the Basic School aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, a dining facility that was dedicated in 2013, and there’s a navy ship named in his honor.

And, the Marine Corps Association and Foundation, (MCA&F), bestows The Lieutenant Baldomero Lopez Honor Graduate Award to the Marine of each graduating company from the Basic School who demonstrates the highest potential for future leadership and responsibility in the Marine Corps.

In essence, Dotterer said, “he was an amazing hero.”

Published June 6, 2018

Rays 2020 pitches a new ballpark for Ybor

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Though recent on-field performances may suggest otherwise, the Tampa Bay Rays’ long-term future in the region should generate excitement to the community and fans alike.

At least that was the pitch from Jason Woody to a room filled with business leaders and elected officials at the North Tampa Bay Chamber’s breakfast meeting earlier this month, at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus in Wesley Chapel.

Woody, president and CEO of Lions Eye Institute for Transplant & Research, spoke on behalf of Tampa Bay Rays 2020. He’s on the advisory board for the privately funded nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing a new Rays ballpark to Tampa.

Jason Woody, president and CEO of Lions Eye Institute for Transplant & Research, serves on the Rays 2020 advisory board. He was the featured speaker at the North Tampa Chamber’s April 3 breakfast meeting at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus in Wesley Chapel. (Courtesy of North Tampa Bay Chamber)

Woody is making the rounds discussing the group’s initiatives and the progress made since the Rays officially announced a new stadium site in Ybor City, in February.

While the total costs and funding sources have not been identified, the initiative calls for relocating the Rays from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg to a 14-acre parcel along Adamo Drive, between Channelside Drive and 15th Street, and adjacent to the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway. An additional option to acquire 27 acres is also available, if expansion is needed for parking and so on.

Woody branded the Ybor stadium site as “a perfect anchor, a perfect bookend” to the $3 billion Water Street development in downtown Tampa orchestrated by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik.

Rays 2020 was co-founded by Sykes Enterprises CEO Chuck Sykes and Ron Christaldi, partner at Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick. It now features several Tampa business leaders and volunteers ensuring the baseball franchise remains in Tampa Bay.

The leadership team helped secure the land from Darryl Shaw, the CEO of BluePearl Veterinary Partners and a major developer in Ybor City.

Said Woody, “Most of the…problems coming up with the ability to build a new ballpark is the location and the land. They got the landowners together to say, ‘Hey, if it was to come here…would you be on board?’ and that’s what they did.”

He jokingly added, “The last thing you want is find out you’re going to build a great ballpark and somebody’s home is where the pitcher’s mound is.”

Conversations of a new Rays ballpark have been ongoing for over a decade, since Stuart Sternberg took controlling ownership of the team.

Those talks were heightened from perennially poor attendance and low revenues —

even in times of winning seasons and playoff berths.

Ample blame has been placed at the current stadium location, frequently an inconvenience for Tampa residents forced to fight rush-hour traffic and cross the congested Howard Franklin Bridge.

The more centralized Ybor City site, however, promises to deliver convenient access for a much higher yield of people living and working nearby. About 300,000 people live or work within 5 miles of the proposed stadium site. Moreover, about 1.6 million people live or work within 35 miles of the location.

Woody said those numbers “are almost triple” in comparison to Tropicana Field, while noting about 50 percent to 70 percent of the Rays current attendance is from people living in Hillsborough County.

“Every county in proximity had more attendees show up to a game than in (St Petersburg’s) backyard,” he said.

“People don’t realize this, but I’m not sure that even if we wanted to keep the Rays in St. Pete that Major League Baseball would allow it to happen. We don’t have the attendance. We don’t have the numbers,” he added.

The Rays contract with St. Pete runs through 2027, but the city has agreed to let the team pay to leave early. Some leaders, including Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan, say the first Rays game in Ybor City could happen by 2022.

Woody also shared some details about what the new ballpark may look like, and what it may cost.

Tampa Bay Rays 2020 is a privately funded nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing a new Rays ballpark to Tampa. (Courtesy of Tampa Bay Rays 2020)

Early sketches show an indoor ballpark without an upper deck, seating about 30,000 — considerably smaller than the Tropicana Field’s capacity of 47,000.

Woody portrayed it as “a unique ballpark” that delivers the intimacy of a spring training game, close enough “to hear the crack of the bat.”

While renderings show an option for a retractable roof, Woody pointed out the added maintenance and expense costs — upward of $100 million. He also cited the unreliability of retractable roofs, based on experiences of other MLB clubs.

“If you have looked, they have not been that successful. Some stadiums have had to manually close the roofs, which takes almost two days to manually retract it,” Woody explained.

The ballpark is still in design, so an exact figure hasn’t been determined, but Woody said its construction cost is “probably in the neighborhood” of $600 million to $800 million.

As for financing the stadium project, Woody suggested tourist development taxes could be utilized, along with contributions from Rays ownership, private funding and stadium naming rights.

“The very first thing is, we have to figure what this is going to cost and how much (the Rays) are going to come in, and then we’ll work from there,” he said.

Woody mentioned each of the Rays’ corporate sponsors have agreed to support the team’s move to Ybor City. There’s also the ‘Rays 100,’ a collection of 100 executives and civic leaders willing to serve as ambassadors for the effort to move the Rays across Tampa Bay.

The Rays 100 group, unveiled earlier this month, is expected to enlist local businesses and corporations to pledge financial support for a new stadium, through corporate boxes and season tickets.

Said Woody, “Two things make a baseball team successful — corporate sponsorships and butts in the seats. That’s the cheat code. Revenue goes up, you have a budget, and you can get better players on the field.”

Toward the the end of the meeting, a Rays 2020 representative extended an invitation to the North Tampa Bay Chamber to sign a letter of support for a new stadium.

In response, chamber members belted out a resounding “Yes!” — accompanied by a loud burst of applause.

For more information on Rays 2020, visit TampaBayRays2020.com.

Published April 18, 2018

Ybor City Saturday Market offers crafts, food and fun

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Variety adds spice to the Ybor City Saturday Market.

Every Saturday, vendors fill their tables with goodies to eat and crafts to carry home.

New Tampa resident Reginald Beck offers freshly baked breads, including focaccia and scones, on Saturdays at his Fearless Bread booth at the Ybor City Market in Centennial Park.
(Fred Bellet)

Some — like Dave DeAngelis — show how they make the items they sell. He turns pine needles into decorative baskets.

“In 40 years, I’ve never made the same thing twice,” said DeAngelis, who has been coming to the Ybor market since it opened nearly 17 years ago. “I’m sort of a fixture here,” he said.

He learned his craft from a book he found in a store in Clearwater.

One recent Saturday morning, he took a break to nosh a scone he bought from Reginald Beck, a baker who lives in New Tampa.

Beck spread out an array of focaccia and scones as he prepared for the market to open.

He is a third-generation baker, and this was his second year selling at the Ybor City market.

“My mother’s favorite thing was baking,” said Beck, who also teaches baking classes.

He said some of his student tell him they’re afraid to bake.

Brianna Hall makes unique headbands for special occasions and holidays. Her inspiration was the iconic ears of Mickey Mouse at Disney World.

“What I specialize in is taking the fear out,” said Beck, whose company is named Fearless Bread.

The Ybor City Saturday Market is the largest continually operating outdoor market in the Tampa Bay area, according to its website.

Admission is free, and the market is open every Saturday year-round, though operating hours vary according to the season.

Dozens of vendors sell foods, sauces, baked goods, herbs and plants, honey, artwork, woodwork, candles and fine cigars.

Each Saturday at 9:30 a.m., Yoga by Loft hosts a yoga class in the Ybor City Museum Garden. And, on the third Saturday of the month, the Bay Area Greyhound Association has greyhounds available for adoption.

Directly behind Centennial Park, the Ybor City Museum is open from Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $4 each, with children under age 5 admitted free.

Co-owner Debra Chatfield sets up her display for the Lutz Nuts Company at the Ybor City Market in Centennial Park.

Visitors come to the market from all over the Tampa Bay area, as well as from out-of-state and international locales.

Cruise ships docking at Channelside provide a fair share of tourists checking out the market.

Some vendors, who were born in Turkey, Cypress and Tunisia, add to the market’s international flavor.

“There’s a lot of unique people here,” said Debra Chatfield, co-owner of Lutz Nutz Company. She and her husband, Richard Chatfield, started their business about 14 years ago in their home.

They sell gourmet mixed nuts and granola, including the Bodacious Blend of nuts and Amazing Oatz.

“Everything is hand done,” Debra Chatfield said. “It’s truly artisan. I have to feel good about what I’m selling.”

Antonio Tugunns crafts flowers from palm fronds that he offers for sale at the Ybor City Market in Centennial Park. He learned his skills from his father.

A love for Disney World and the famous mouse ears gave Brianna Hall, 21, an idea. She makes decorative head bands for special events, holidays and any day that calls for a unique accessory.

“They’re my own expression,” said Hall, who also sells her items online at Etsy.

Jeannie Lewis started making soaps as a hobby at home in Valrico.

“Soon enough, my whole house was filled with soap,” she said. Now, it’s a business. She and her husband, Lee Lewis, set up displays at Ybor and at other markets, including in Mirabay and Valrico. In addition to soaps, they also sell pedicure sets, shaving kits and facial masks.

“I love coming out, selling it and meeting people,” she said.

A 5k race in Ybor brought Tyrone Mussio and his daughters, Tyra and Monique Mussio, to the area, and they checked out the market after they crossed the finish line.

They strolled through the market, stopping to sample cake from Sugs Rum Cake, operated by Sugar Kerr.

They took home a rum cake, and they plan to be back.

“We’re just amazed,” Tyrone Mussio said. “We love the atmosphere and the environment, and making it a family fun day.”

What: Ybor City Saturday Market
Where: Centennial Park at 1901 19th St., in Tampa
When: Every Saturday: May through September, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; October through April, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost: Free, and pet friendly
Information: Visit YborMarket.com, or email .

Published May 3, 2017

Honoring my stepmother, Bettye

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My stepmother, Bettye, is a remarkable woman.

She was married to my father, Don Kortus, for over 36 years, until his death a little more than a year ago.

While I miss Dad every day, I would miss him even more if we didn’t still have Bettye.

A colorful bird perches on Bettye’s hand at Busch Gardens. (Diane Kortus)

I just spent a week with Bettye over the Easter holidays— the first time she visited me without my father.

To be honest, I was a bit apprehensive about Bettye’s visit because I thought we would be so sad without Dad, and would spend the week being constantly reminded of his absence.

But, that was not the case at all.

Bettye joyfully talked about Dad all the time, and always had a comment about how much he would have enjoyed, or resisted, the things we did.

Dad would have loved sitting down to Easter dinner with his Florida family, enjoyed a fabulous Parade of Homes gala at a $2 million home in Lutz, and would have been charmed by historic Dade City and our southern-style lunch at Lunch on Limoges (although he would have been clueless about the French Limoges porcelain).

And, Dad would have hated our day at Busch Gardens, strolling down Seventh Avenue in Ybor City and lounging out by the pool.

But, Bettye loved it all — even sitting in my lanai when I was at work.

It was snowing when she left St. Paul, and Bettye never tired of calling friends back home with daily weather reports from Land O’ Lakes.

We even laughed that if there was anything positive about Dad being gone, it was that Bettye and I could plan our activities without Dad’s standard objection: “We’ve already done that — why would you want to do it again?”

And truthfully, we never would have had such an action-packed week, if Dad had been here.

Which brings me back to the remarkable strength and ongoing love that Bettye extolls. At age 84, her positive outlook on life and her many memories of Dad that she warmly shares, help me to accept that Dad is really gone, and reminds me that life goes on, and I have much to be thankful for.

I am so grateful for Bettye.

I first met her when I was a college student and Dad introduced her to me as his new girlfriend. This was almost four years after my mother died from breast cancer at age 48, leaving behind 10 children, the youngest just 10 years old.

My father taught seventh-grade social studies, and Bettye’s daughter was one of his students. They met at a parent-teacher conference. Dad admired Bettye’s fortitude as a single mother, and was impressed by her commitment to her children and their education.

A few years after my mother died, Dad and Bettye reconnected at a bowling alley where they played on different leagues. They began dating, and married in 1980.

Bettye enjoys a bite to eat at Carmine’s in Ybor City.

I was 25 when they married, and had already moved to Florida. Dad and Bettye visited me every year, sometimes more than once. They were always here — at the most joyous and most difficult times of my life.

They were here for the births and christenings of my two children, Andy and Rachel. They were here for their graduations from high school and college. They helped my family make major moves from Florida to Chicago, and back to Florida again. And, they shared countless holidays and birthdays.

Dad and Bettye were also at my side during my darkest days, including a divorce after 25 years of marriage. They guided me as I rebuilt my business and encouraged me to open my heart to love again.

I always thought it was Dad who insisted he and Bettye visit every year, who made sure my children were loved as much as their grandchildren in Minnesota, and who helped me financially when I had nowhere else to turn.

I realize now that it was Bettye, as much as my father, who insisted on our close family connections through the years.

Bettye never took credit for their regular visits to Florida, or for forging the strong relationships between my children and their Minnesota grandparents.

She was the one who my father listened to, his partner for almost four decades, who quietly, behind the scenes, helped make Dad the man his children and grandchildren so admired and loved.

Today I want to honor and thank Bettye for being a marvelous mother to me, and endearing grandmother to Andy and Rachel.

She is a woman who influenced me more than I ever realized until this glorious Easter season that we shared together as mother and daughter, and as women who are working to overcome the almost unbearable loss of a husband and father.

Published April 26, 2017

Heroes for Hire playing the right tunes

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Being a boy band with a first release on iTunes is heady stuff.

But, Heroes for Hire is getting used to the attention, playing their brand of edgy, alternative rock at venues such as Skipper’s Smokehouse, New World Brewery and Buckets.

Louis Mittens, 15; Ben Hense, 13; Ryan Romero, 15; Corey Fox, 15; and, Josh Morin, 14, came together as a band at Jim Chambers Music Box.

Heroes for Hire celebrated their first iTunes release with a performance at the Orpheum in Ybor City.
(Courtesy of Marlene Fox Photography)

Chambers is the maestro who orchestrates and fine tunes young musicians at his “school of rock” in Carrollwood. He puts bands together with that right mix of personal chemistry and musical chops.

“In six weeks, they’re expected to play a show,” Chambers said.

Heroes for Hire started playing gigs more than a year ago.

On Feb. 4, the band had a release party for its first iTunes’ song, “The Wanted One,” at The Orpheum in Ybor City.

Romero is the group’s songwriter. He also came up with the band’s name which salutes the military.

“You think of soldiers. They’re always heroes,” said Romero.

He started writing songs in seventh grade. “I like emotional topics that have a moral meaning, that are inspirational.”

Some band members knew one another before coming to “the box,” but mostly they’ve become fast friends because of the music. They attend Blake High School, Buchanan Middle School and Gaither High School, and live in Carrollwood and Lutz.

Fox’s mother started him on bass guitar when he was age 10.

“I was super into it,” he said, adding that a long career in music “would be a dream.”

Chambers knows how those dreams can sometimes happen.

He is a former music executive who earned Grammy awards with Maroon 5 and Loudon Wainwright III.

Chambers got his start in the mailroom at Sky Records, which was co-owned by Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls. Ray got him a job promotion after a chatty encounter one day at work.

In a podcast interview with Cigar City Radio First, Chambers recalled Ray asking afterward, “Who’s that kid in the mailroom who won’t shut up? Put him on the phones.”

From there, marketing and promotion became his way up the music industry ladder.

In nearly three decades, Chambers built a long resume. His jobs included merchandise representative for Sony Records in Miami and national sales representative for a division of Sire Records in New York.

Along the way, he watched Maroon 5 break into the outer stratosphere of the music world.

The economic crash in 2009 cost him his job. He flirted with moving to Belize, but ended up back home in Carrollwood, with his parents.

He taught drum lessons for awhile. Then, he ran a home-based music academy, until the homeowner’s association objected.

In July 2015, he opened Jim Chambers Music Box in a small shopping plaza, at 4312 Gunn Highway. Creative Loafing magazine recognized his school as “Best of the Bay” band incubator.

His band protégés include the all-girl band, Extra Celestial, and Inkblot.

Musical influences on Heroes for Hire are the Foo Fighters, Jack White and Jimi Hendrix.

Morin admires instrumental rock guitarist Joe Satriana. “He lets the guitar be his melody,” he said.

Rehearsals at Chamber’s studio are free-wheeling, get-it-on rock shows. But, live performances are the best.

“This is a way of getting feedback,” said Hense, who plays the drums.
It also builds a fan base that gets to know their music.

Mittens thinks he’s found his niche.

“Pretty much all I want to do is play guitar, in and out of school,” he said.

Published February 22, 2017

St. Armands Circle: A day tripper’s delight

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A visit to Sarasota isn’t complete without a stroll around trendy St. Armands Circle.

Go round and round on a journey through St. Armands’ boutiques, restaurants and galleries, doled out to sidewalk strollers with all the casual charm and kitschy pleasures of Old Florida. But, with a fashion-forward zest for life.

Statues on John Ringling Boulevard showcase the seven virtues of Sarasota – music, flora, learning, sculpture, medicine, bounty and water. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)
Statues on John Ringling Boulevard showcase the seven virtues of Sarasota – music, flora, learning, sculpture, medicine, bounty and water.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)

It’s also the right spot to soak up fun ’n the sun at Lido Beach, only a quick swirl motoring through St. Armands roundabout. Or, leave the car behind and take an easy half-mile walk from St. Armands to the beach — and back again for more shopping and dining.

Day trippers, tourists and Sarasota natives all find their way to St. Armands.

Austrians Max Sambs and Sabine Balleitner passed up Miami to spend their Florida vacation in Sarasota and St. Armands.

“It’s more relaxing, more quiet, more charming than the big city,” said Sambs, as the couple strolled past gia ventola.

The boutique sells couture dresses, a denim collection and fashionable accessories from hats and belts to one-of-a-kind jewelry. Cher, Britney Spears and Nicole Kidman are fans, according to the store’s website.

Lido Beach is within walking distance of St. Armands Circle and is a popular destination for tourists.
Lido Beach is within walking distance of St. Armands Circle and is a popular destination for tourists.

But, St. Armands isn’t all upscale.

Tourists who need swimwear, floats, shorts, ball caps, sundresses, sunglasses, a Florida souvenir cup, toys, games, towels, beach bags, shot glasses, a stuffed Minnie Mouse from a Disney carousel or the requisite Florida T-shirt can find that, and more, at Alvin’s Island.

In between, there is everything else.

The Columbia Restaurant — with its original location in Ybor City — brings its Latin menu and familiar elegance to the Circle.

From casual to fine dining, there are plenty of places to please the palate, including Cha Cha Coconuts, La Creperie Caffe, Lynches Pub & Grub, Crab & Fin, the Blue Dolphin Café and Tommy Bahama’s Restaurant & Bar (and retail store).

The Columbia Restaurant is a historical landmark and dining spot in Ybor City. But, it also is popular at St. Armands Circle in Sarasota.
The Columbia Restaurant is a historical landmark and dining spot in Ybor City. But, it also is popular at St. Armands Circle in Sarasota.

Men’s and women’s wear can be found at Binjara Traders Inc., Cotton Club, Island Pursuit, Foxy Lady West and Lily Pulitzer.

Other shops and galleries include Green Ginger Hair Designs, FantaSea Coastal Home, Soap Stories, Flip Flop Shops, Charleston Shoe Co., Tervis, The Stadium Gallery, McCarver & Moser and Woof Gang Bakery.

Ice cream aficionados can scoop up treats from Ben & Jerry’s or from the old-fashioned ice cream parlor at Kilvin’s Chocolate & Ice Cream.

Gigi’s Cupcakes is one of the newest treat shops on the Circle, opening just months ago. One-of-a-kind gourmet cupcakes are made fresh daily by baker Caroline Kaye.

The bakery is the brainchild of Gigi Baker, who moved to Nashville for country stardom but founded a cupcake empire of more than 100 stores instead.

St. Armands Circle soon could be her busiest store in this natural outdoor mall.

Shoppers check out the colorful array of tumblers, mugs and water bottles at Tervis.
Shoppers check out the colorful array of tumblers, mugs and water bottles at Tervis.

“People like to come down for a day and shop at the boutiques,” said the store’s marketing consultant, Jerry Pippins. And, to choose from such selections as Hunka Chunka Banana Love and White Midnight Magic.

St. Armands Circle has come a long way since Frenchman Charles St. Amand bought 130 acres for $20 in 1893 for his private home. The name change to St. Armand can be chalked up to a clerical misspelling.

The Circle of today belongs to the vision of circus ringmaster John Ringling who bought the island in the mid 1920s.

“St. Armands is here because of his layout and street grid,” said Diana Corrigan, executive director of the St. Armands Circle Association. “It really is a shoppers’ paradise. It’s very unique. The majority of our businesses are individually owned. They are unique boutique stores.”

The mantra of the association?

“Get out of the box. Get into the Circle.”

What: St. Armand’s Annual Fall Sidewalk Sale/28th St. Armands Circle Art Festival
When: Nov. 12 for both events; sidewalk sale from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and art festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Also, on Nov. 11 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., St. Armands Circle businesses will celebrate Veteran’s Appreciation Day, with special discounts and offers for members who served in the military. Bring proof of military service.
Where: St. Armands Circle, 300 Madison Drive, Sarasota
Parking: Free at two parking lots within walking distance from the Circle; also, free 3-hour parking on St. Armands Circle from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Information: Contact the St. Armands Circle Association at (941) 388-1554, email , or visit StArmandsCircleAssoc.com.

Published November 2, 2016

Commuters could get a faster ride

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Pasco County commuters understand the frustration of gridlock, as they head to and from work every day.

Florida Department of Transportation officials believe the proposed construction of a project known as the Tampa Bay Express could make life easier for motorists traveling from St. Petersburg in Pinellas County to Wesley Chapel in Pasco County.

Nearly 50 miles of new toll lanes would be built adjacent to existing non-toll lanes along Interstate 275 and Interstate 4, in a project that state highway officials have pegged at initial costs of $3 billion, but said it could get as high as $6 billion.

If the project is approved, construction would be five or more years away.

The toll fees would vary depending on traffic volume —  with more expensive tolls applying at rush hour. SunPass would be the only accepted method of payment. The system will not allow billing by license plate.

The potential is there, too, for a rapid bus transit service that would operate within the toll lane system, but not pay tolls. A 44-foot “multimodal envelope” is included in the design. Park and ride stations would be built. including one in Wesley Chapel.

The project is stirring an intense struggle between those who support the TBX as a regional approach to easing traffic congestion and those who characterize the TBX as a boondoggle that will destroy historic Tampa neighborhoods, and do little for mass transit.

TBX-FDOT_system_map
The proposed Tampa Bay Express would add toll lanes to existing non-toll lanes along Interstate 275 and Interstate 4, creating a managed toll system linking Wesley Chapel in Pasco County to St. Petersburg in Pinellas County. (Courtesy of Florida Department of Transportation)

A coalition, including the Tampa Bay Partnership, now has The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce as a partner. The chamber’s board of directors approved a resolution on April 21 in support of TBX “as an essential foundation to pursue a variety of forward-thinking transit options” in the Tampa Bay area.

The day before the chamber’s vote, state transportation officials made a presentation to about 20 people who attended a public meeting on the TBX, sponsored by the chamber.

Kirk Bogen, the transportation department’s environmental manager engineer, said the Wesley Chapel presentation was the first one in the “outskirts” of the TBX project area.

“We’re putting out feelers, accepting invitations,” he said.

Hope Allen, president of the Wesley Chapel chamber, said the coalition’s goal is to inform people of what’s going on and “to make sure it’s the right fit for our commuters.”

The TBX and gridlock relief are key to the area’s future development, she said. Without the project, she added, “Wesley Chapel doesn’t look quite as appealing. We’re here to help you get this moving along.”

The toll express lanes also have strong support from Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

But, the project faces resistance within Tampa’s historic neighborhoods, including Tampa Heights, Ybor City and Seminole Heights. Community activists and a newly formed Sunshine Citizens coalition are working hard to block the TBX.

They have held a series of protest marches through neighborhoods that could lose about 100 businesses and homes to the road project. Among area businesses that could be torn down are Café Hey, the Oceanic Market and La Segunda Central Bakery, which has operated in Ybor City for more than 100 years. A public housing complex, Mobley Park apartments, also could be torn down.

Many in the neighborhoods remember past urban renewal projects that divided and devastated communities.

A crucial vote on the matter will take place on June 22 at 6 p.m., at the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization in the Hillsborough County Commission Chamber, at 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., in Tampa.

Members of that board approved the project in 2015 as part of their Transportation Improvement Plan, but opponents are hoping to sway some members to vote against it now.

There is critical need for the project and for toll revenues that can “help maintain the roads into the future,” Bogen said. Otherwise, he said, “Your system basically will continue to fail.”

On any day during rush hour, Pasco residents chug south on I-275 at speeds well under highway limits.

“I spend so much time stuck on freeways or Bearss Avenue or downtown, I don’t know where the time goes,” said Tom Ryan.

Ryan is economic development manager for the Pasco Economic Development Council, but said he was speaking as a private citizen.

Greg Vinas, B2B sales manager in Wesley Chapel, said he also would like to see light rail as an option, but the TBX is needed to reduce congestion and create connections.

“It will make the community that much smaller,” he said.

With improved transportation, one trend he hopes to see is reverse commuting with Tampa area residents coming to Pasco for jobs, as the area attracts new businesses.

“I know people now (from Tampa) who won’t come up here,” Vinas said.

To find out more about the proposed TBX project, visit TampaBayExpress.com. To learn more about the opposition, visit StopTBX.com.

Published April 27, 2016

Local man makes unique jewelry

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For Dan Balk, creating jewelry for a living wasn’t his original path in life.

But, he’s glad it’s turned out that way.

Balk, who operates a jewelry studio from his home in Lutz, has been making jewelry since 2008—around the time the United States’ recession was in full swing.

With a background in athletic training and physical therapy, the New Jersey native spent 13 years working as an associate dean of education for a massage school in Tampa. Simultaneously, he worked as a massage therapist for the Tampa Bay Mutiny and the New York Yankees.

However, once the nation’s economy took a tailspin for the worse, Balk’s seemingly stable career was no more.

Dan Balk handles the entire jewelry-making process for all of his pieces. (Courtesy of Nataly Balk)
Dan Balk handles the entire jewelry-making process for all of his pieces.
(Courtesy of Nataly Balk)

His massage school went bankrupt, and the Yankees, like many companies at the time, began laying off employees.

“Massage is very much a luxury for people, and people weren’t spending that type of money at that time,” Balk explained. “I must’ve sent 2,000 to 3,000 resumes in any one of the fields I was licensed to work in, and nothing was happening.”

With a wife and two children to support, Balk was at a crossroads — until his father-in-law, Roberto Vengoechea, suggested Balk make some “trinkets” to sell in the meantime.

Taking up Vengoechea’s suggestion, Balk served a 28-day apprenticeship under the guidance of his father-in-law, a master jeweler in Black Mountain, North Carolina.

Vengoechea’s tutelage turned out to be a  “cathartic” and “powerful” experience for Balk.

It was like the planets began to align, he said.

“I really, really loved what I was watching him do, and what I was doing,” Balk said. “What a boon for us that I was able to learn from someone who was so well-versed in the trade.

“We haven’t looked back since,” he said. “This is was what I was made to do.”

The craft of making jewelry by hand is declining, Balk said, due in part to the proliferation of graphic design, 3D printing and overseas production.

“All of these things that were done by hand — in a couple generations, if we don’t teach other people, they’re lost,” Balk said. “As a craftsperson, you’re under an obligation to teach.”

Balk designs and fabricates every piece of jewelry from raw materials.

Typically, the process can involve as many as five or six different parties, from the time a piece is designed until it is sold, he said.

Balk handles the entire jewelry-making process—whether it’s a ring, a pendant, a necklace or a bracelet.

He leaves the “business side of things” to his wife, Nataly.

“I create all of my own (metal) sheets, I make all of my own (silver and gold) alloys, I design all of my own pieces, and I finish them; I set all of my own stones, and I select my stones. When I can cut and polish the stones myself, I do that myself,” Balk said. “That’s a premium — that the artist had direct contact with a piece all the way through to completion.”

Depending on the type of jewelry and its complexity, Balk may spend anywhere from a few days to a week on a piece.

While most of his jewelry designs are labeled as “modern and futuristic,” there’s essentially no limit as to what Balk can create based on a customer’s request.

From that standpoint, each piece of jewelry made by Balk is “one of a kind,” and not constrained to basic round rings and singular stones.

One customer, for instance, had rings and pendants made out of antique silverware. Another had a wedding band containing fossilized dinosaur bone. Others have had shark’s teeth and sea glass casted into their personalized pieces.

“If you have the idea, it probably can be made. Because I do it all myself, I’m not limited by just the components I can buy,” Balk explained. “Some (jewelers) say, ‘I do customer ordering — these are the settings you can choose, and these are the bands you can choose.’ We don’t do that; we can make anything you want to make.

“It’s not limited by a picture in the catalog.”

A look at one of the rings Balk recently completed. (Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)
A look at one of the rings Balk recently completed.
(Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)

After operating the Singing Stone Gallery in Ybor City for six years, Balk has been working out of his home jewelry studio in Lutz since last August.

The change in work location logistically made more sense, especially for teaching jewelry classes, which he’s done since 2012.

Balk’s daily “five-step commute” to work allows him to both focus on his craft and teach hands-on, personalized classes in a relaxed setting.

“We’re really getting to know each person that comes in. It’s not a class of 17 or 18 people that leave after an hour,” Balk’s wife said. “He’s taking you into his studio and saying, ‘Let me tell you everything I know, and if you have any questions, please let me know.’ He starts very calmly and patiently, and explains everything.”

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, men will often surprise their partner by taking them to one of Balk’s jewelry making classes — a unique experience compared to a typical dinner date.

“I’m not against a good meal, and they are memorable when they are good, but you have that night, you eat your food and the next day, you’re done. This kind of thing—you’re making a memory,” Balk said.

“It’s an experience as well as a timeless piece that you keep forever,” Nataly said.

For more information, call (813) 728-4325, or email .

Published February 3, 2016