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The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

       

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Cal Ripken

Sharing the beauty of organ music is this man’s quest

May 19, 2020 By B.C. Manion

He’s 74 now, but Dave Cucuzza recalls a moment from decades ago — as if it was yesterday.

He was 8 years old at the time, living in Bradford, Pennsylvania, and his family was heading out to church.

Their car was buried in snow, though, so they had to dig it out.

Dave Cucuzza fell in love with organ music when he was just a little boy, and then he went on to spend decades playing the music for others to enjoy. (Christine Holtzman)

By the time they arrived at church, it was the High Mass.

“The organist was up in the balcony in the back, and it was a stone church, so the sound really reverberated — with the high ceiling.

“And, at the end of the Mass, he had everything on — on the organ. He did full organ,” Cucuzza recalled.

“That sound roared out there and echoed through that place,” he said. “I’d never heard it full blast.

“That’s when God gave me that little gift box — wrapped up so nicely — of music, that was going to be a big part of my life,” said Cucuzza, who now lives in Land O’ Lakes, is one of the volunteer organists at Tampa Theatre. (See related story.)

Hearing that huge sound set Cucuzza off on a quest.

He just had to learn to play organ.

First though, he took piano lessons.

He played on an upright piano his dad had acquired from a friend.

“It was a great hulking thing. And, it never was in tune much, because it was so old,” Cucuzza said.

He hated playing it. It simply didn’t sound right.

His wish to play the organ was finally granted when he was 13, after his family moved to Florida.

He had talked about playing the organ so much, his dad went out and bought a used one, Cucuzza said.

The young musician took lessons from Frances Slocum.

She was a kind and generous teacher.

“If she didn’t have anybody after me, she would give me extra time.

“She was always positive, and she showed me the basic way that songs were written, and she taught me how to learn a song in the most simplest of ways. And then, in the next month or two, add different things to it so that when you would play it, after a couple of months, it sounded like you really knew your stuff.

“People would think: ‘Wow, how did you learn to play like that? You must have been playing forever.’

“She taught me how to learn,” he said.

Cucuzza practiced constantly.

A little too much, in fact, for his family.

“They would kindly ask me to take a break,” he said.

Cucuzza said he didn’t learn in the classic fashion, but had a solid foundation in music theory.

He learned by listening to great organists, too.

“E. Power Biggs was the organist that made at least 35 albums for Colombia Master Works.

“He was a Bach guy. I would listen to it, because some of his bigger sounds. When he would get a lot of stuff going — using a lot of sets of organ pipes on a piece — it would really sound massive.

“I thought, ‘Wow, listen to that.’”

He also admired Virgil Fox.

Fox took liberties with the pieces, while Biggs was a purist, Cucuzza said.

Listening to them inspired him.

“I loved to hear it, so I was drawn to it, again and again. It would just make me want to do it more,” he said.

Playing in all sorts of venues
Cucuzza sold organs for a living, and performed at restaurants, awards ceremonies, baseball games and other events. He estimates he’s played on at least 50 organs.

At Tropical Acres Steakhouse, in South Florida, one couple, in particular, dropped in frequently.

“I don’t know when they ate because they danced nearly every song,” Cucuzza said.

Stirling’s Country Kitchen, another South Florida restaurant, had lots of regulars.

“I knew all of their songs, and I’d play their songs when they came in. They’d be waiting to get seated, and I would play their song and wave. And then, when they’d get their food, I’d play their song again,” he said.

He played organ for preseason baseball, at what was then Joe Robbie Stadium, before Miami was awarded the Marlins.

When Wade Boggs came up to bat, Cucuzza would play “Wade in the Water.” And, when Cal Ripkin was at the plate, he’d play the movie theme from “Superman.”

Dave Cucuzza is one of several volunteer organists who share their talent at Tampa Theatre. The theater is dark for now, but it will be live-streaming a performance of a guest organist on May 22.

One gig he particularly enjoyed involved playing in a gathering space at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, in Ft. Lauderdale — leading up to numerous performances of a touring group of the Radio City Rockettes.

At Tampa Theatre, he plays a variety of songs hoping to have something for everyone, in the 20-minute pre-show.

He wants the audience to experience the full, rich sounds of organ music.

He hopes to ignite a passion for this music, and perpetuate a need for it.

He put it like this: “I want to have them love this sound — and have to have this sound, in their life.”

No matter where he’s playing, he hopes to pass along the joy he derives from organ music.

“There’s so much connected with music. It does such great things to people, and for people. And, it’s like, you’re happy after. You’re happy that they enjoyed what you did, and you tried to do what they enjoyed.

“You’re trying to make that connection. It’s something they really can’t buy,” he said.

Published May 20, 2020

Proposed baseball complex could bring in sport’s biggest names

October 2, 2014 By Michael Hinman

Has Gary Sheffield done something the late Hugh Culverhouse never could?

The retired Major League Baseball star is excited about working with James Talton and Blue Marble Strategic in bringing a massive youth baseball complex to Wesley Chapel. But he is looking to bring in other big names too — especially those already associated with youth baseball — like former National Football League and professional baseball star Bo Jackson.

James Talton, the owner of Blue Marble Strategic, talks about his company’s idea to build a youth baseball complex in Wesley Chapel, while partner and retired Major League Baseball star Gary Sheffield listens in. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
James Talton, the owner of Blue Marble Strategic, talks about his company’s idea to build a youth baseball complex in Wesley Chapel, while partner and retired Major League Baseball star Gary Sheffield listens in.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

The Culverhouse-owned Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Jackson, the 1985 Heisman Trophy winner, in 1986. But after a trip on Culverhouse’s private jet forced him to forfeit the rest of his collegiate baseball career, Jackson vowed he would never play a single down for the Buccaneers, and refused to sign when the team drafted him.

But 28 years later, Jackson could end up in the Tampa Bay area after all, as one of several sports stars participating in Blue Marble’s proposed 20-field complex at Wiregrass Ranch.

“Bo Jackson wants to be involved,” Sheffield told business leaders at a recent economic development event of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce. “I just saw him two days ago, and they came down and met with us. All ex-athletes want to do is give back to kids.”

Jackson, who runs his own baseball program in Chicago, was one of several names Sheffield mentioned as interested in participating in some way or another at the $70 million complex, that will be built in part using $11 million in Pasco County tourist tax money. Another one tied to youth sports is former Baltimore Orioles shortstop and third basemen Cal Ripken, whose youth baseball program also has become quite popular in various parts of the country.

“It won’t be a Cal Ripken facility, or a Bo Jackson facility, but we can always integrate all of those things into what we’re doing,” Sheffield said. “What it does is give us the ability to probably have 20 to 30 MLB players that (at) any one time your kid might bump into, and that ups the brand.”

Talton wants to fill Pasco with 20 diamonds — baseball diamonds, that is. Many will have dimensions similar to Major League Baseball, but would include smaller fields as well for younger players. He wants to target teenagers, tapping into an amateur sports camp industry he says is currently worth $7 billion.

“We could make between $18 million and $20 million, and that’s just in the summertime alone,” Talton said. “If we took the 13- or 14-year-olds, and we did nothing else, I could pay down my debt service of $54 million.”

Several investors are ready to sign on the dotted line to fund the project, Talton said, but only after the county guarantees it will spend $11 million in collected tourist tax money from local hotels to help balance out some of the costs.

The return for the county could be extraordinary, according to Talton’s estimates. That includes the creation of an estimated 8,000 jobs, a $318 million annual economic impact boost to the county, and even $9 million in direct revenue from taxes and other costs, that would go directly back to the county.

“We’re already thinking we can make $53 million in revenue each year, and $16 million in net profit,” Talton said.

The more than 100 acres needed to construct the facility, not far from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, would cost about $5 million, Talton said. And it could create Wesley Chapel into a major destination, especially for families looking to spend the money they need to help their kids play better baseball.

The facility could have other benefits as well. Besides possibly expanding to include a small stadium to attract a Major League Baseball team for spring training, the new baseball complex would need plenty of nearby amenities, including hotels and restaurants — providing even more economic opportunities in the area.

“We don’t want this facility sitting out here by itself,” he said. “We don’t want people rushing to Busch Gardens or to Tampa because there is nothing here. We need to see this kind of growth in the immediate area.”

But a grand opening is still some time down the road. Talton has until next week to secure his overall financing, but then he’ll have to work with the county through the land development and permitting stage. If everything stays on schedule, the complex could be open to its first ballplayers in January 2017.

“We can’t predict how big this is going to be,” Sheffield said. “And I think it’s going to be 10 times bigger than what James is putting to paper right now.”

The county has essentially committed $11 million to the project, but Talton says some language in its legal documents need to be cleared up, so that the final amount doesn’t come in below $11 million.

Could the Atlanta Braves someday call Wesley Chapel its home? Click here to find out.

Published October 1, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

In Print: New baseball, new schools, a new rivalry?

October 1, 2014 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

On a Wiregrass Ranch site where Pasco County officials had once dreamt about a massive tennis complex, developer James Talton has put together a new dream. And with a little help from the county — about $11 million worth — he might be able to make plans for a massive baseball complex come true instead.

Talton is ready to take on more than 100 acres not far from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel to build 20 baseball diamonds, a dormitory and other amenities, to make Pasco a true destination for developing baseball players.

“We could make between $18 million and $20 million, and that’s just in the summertime alone,” Talton told members of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, according to a story by reporter Michael Hinman. “If we took the 13- or 14-year-olds, and we did nothing else, I could pay down my debt service of $54 million.”

Talton expects to need $70 million total to build the complex, with a lot of that money coming from private sources. Even baseball legend Gary Sheffield is ready to be involved, and has been working to bring in the likes of Bo Jackson and Cal Ripken — who already are running their own youth baseball programs in other parts of the country.

“It won’t be a Cal Ripken facility, or a Bo Jackson facility, but we can always integrate all of those things into what we’re doing,” Sheffield said. “What it does is give us the ability to probably have 20 to 30 (Major League Baseball) players that (at) any one time your kid might bump into, and that ups the brand.”

Want more details on the project? It’s all in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, which is available right now everywhere, as well as online by clicking here. And don’t forget to check out our previous story about how this complex could attract a Major League Baseball team like the Atlanta Braves. Read all about that by clicking here.

Pasco County is about to get its first magnet school, and a meeting introducing some details of that new campus attracted more than 200 students and parents to learn more about Sanders Memorial Elementary School.

The furniture in Sanders Memorial Elementary School will be easy to move around, so students and teachers can easily cluster together in groups to work on learning projects.
The furniture in Sanders Memorial Elementary School will be easy to move around, so students and teachers can easily cluster together in groups to work on learning projects.

Sanders will be different from other schools in many respects, reporter B.C. Manion writes. For one thing, the school’s design includes large spaces next to classrooms, intended to encourage collaboration between students, between teachers and students, and between classrooms.

The school’s furniture also will accommodate a greater degree of teamwork. The chairs and desks will move easily to accommodate clusters of learners tackling various tasks.

Want to learn more about Sanders? Pick up a copy of The Laker/Lutz News, or read our online e-edition by clicking here.

And finally, the Zephyrhills Bulldogs football team started out the season strong, dominating teams and looking a lot like division foe South Sumter High School played last season.

The roll continued, until the Bulldogs ran into South Sumter, and discovered that not much has changed with that team since last year.

“We knew that we can’t make mistakes with that team and survive, and we did that,” Bulldogs head coach Reggie Roberts told reporter Michael Murillo.

Those mistakes included a muffed punt, and being forced into a field goal instead of a touchdown early on that allowed the Raiders to jump out to a 28-10 lead, instead of a more manageable 21-14 or 21-10 lead.

“That’s tough to do against a very good football team,” Roberts said. “I think that was a turning point.”

What does it all mean for Zephyrhills as it looks to make the postseason? Find out in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, or read it online right now 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.

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08/15/2022 – Animal Services temporary closure

Pasco County Animal Services, 19640 Dogpatch Lane in Land O' Lakes, will close to the public on Aug. 15 through Aug. 17. The PCAS team members will be training on a new pet management software, to better serve customers. Offices will re-open for regular business hours on Aug. 18. … [Read More...] about 08/15/2022 – Animal Services temporary closure

08/16/2022 to 08/18/2022 – National Rarities buying event

Kiefer Fine Jewelers will host an exclusive buying event with National Rarities from Aug. 16 to Aug. 18, at both Kiefer locations: 37850 Meridian Ave., in Dade City (Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.), and 24144 State Road 54 in Lutz (Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.). Top dollar is expected to be offered for fine jewelry, coins and currency, scrap gold and silver, fine art, diamonds, sterling silver, watches, and antique toys and advertising. This event serves those looking for a professional evaluation of their items in a convenient setting. Estate specialists will share information about the items and help the seller to consider options. Payment is on the spot should the customer decide to sell, plus a 20% bonus if taken as store credit. The event also will feature an Estate Jewelry Trunk Show, presenting one-of-a-kind pieces. For information, call Dade City store at 352-567-2378, or Lutz at … [Read More...] about 08/16/2022 to 08/18/2022 – National Rarities buying event

08/17/2022 – Bat seminar

The Starkey Ranch Theatre Library Cultural Center, 12118 Lake Blanche Drive in Odessa, will present a master gardener seminar on bats on Aug. 17 at 11 a.m. Topics will include why bats are threatened and misunderstood. Masks are recommended. Registration is required online at PascoLibraries.org. … [Read More...] about 08/17/2022 – Bat seminar

08/17/2022 – Guardian ad litem sessions

Anyone interested in volunteering for abused, neglected or abandoned children in the Pasco County foster care system can attend one of these upcoming sessions for the Guardian ad Litem program: • The New River Library, 34043 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel, will host a Volunteer Orientation on Aug. 17 at 1:30 p.m. Masks are encouraged. Register online at PascoLibraries.org. For information, call 813-788-6375. • The Starkey Ranch Theatre Library Cultural Center, 12118 Lake Blanche Drive in Odessa, will host an Information Session on Aug. 18 at 1:30 p.m. For information, call 727-834-3493, ext. 2929, or visit HeroToAChild.org. … [Read More...] about 08/17/2022 – Guardian ad litem sessions

08/18/2022 – ZooTampa Story Time

The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will present “Story Time with ZooTampa: Senses in Nature” on Aug. 18 at 10 a.m., for ages 3 to 6, online. The program will use stories, action rhymes, songs and interactive activities to combine an animal experience with early literacy skills, to encourage reading readiness and social interaction. Register online through the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 08/18/2022 – ZooTampa Story Time

08/18/2022 – ZooTampa story time

The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will present “Story Time with ZooTampa: Senses in Nature” on Aug. 18 at 10 a.m., for ages 3 to 6, online. The program will use stories, action rhymes, songs and interactive activities to combine an animal experience with early literacy skills, to encourage reading readiness and social interaction. Register online through the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 08/18/2022 – ZooTampa story time

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Once again it’s 🐪 Day and the day to grab your copy of the @LakerLutzNews out of one of the many bins in #lutz, #landolakes, #wesleychapel, #zephyrhills and #dadecity!!!

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FYI, #lutz tweeps: the Lutz Branch library is still closed for plumbing repairs but also still offering curbside services. @LakerLutzNews

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THIS WEEK IN SPORTS: They be jammin’ to gymnastics, with story and photos from our own @MikeCamunas https://buff.ly/3QxaJjq

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