The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Suzin Carr

It’s time for the Autumn Market at the Old Lutz School

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Organizers of Autumn Market Day at the Old Lutz School hope that motorists passing by on busy U.S. 41 will decide to stop and shop for awhile.

This year’s Autumn Market Day is set for Oct. 14, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the school grounds at 18819 N. U.S. 41.

The event seeks to raise money for upkeep and improvements at a school that is on the National Register of Historic Places and where generations of Lutz children were educated before it was closed a few decades ago.

The building is considered a community icon and there’s such a strong attachment to it that a group called Citizens for the Old Lutz School

Here’s what the Old Lutz School looked like decades ago — not much different from what it looks like today. (File)

holds occasional fundraisers to preserve the building for future generations.

“We really, really need people from the community to come out and walk the event. You can’t have these things and nobody show up because then you don’t have these special events anymore,” said Suzin Carr, a two-time Lutz Guv’na who has been the lead organizer of the event in recent years, but is transitioning out of that role because she has moved to Citrus Park.

Stefanie Ensor, another former Lutz Guv’na, is the new market coordinator, Carr said, adding that Ensor has done an excellent job of organizing the event.

Ensor said she expects 35 to 40 vendors to be there, offering jewelry, candles, tote bags, vintage gifts, plants, custom handmade wood signs, among other things. Some nonprofit organizations and a politician have also rented out spaces, she said.

“It’s a perfect holiday time to buy gifts and to support local vendors as well as nonprofits,” Carr said. Plus, there will be a bake sale.

Proceeds from the Autumn Market will be used to pay for electricity and building upkeep.

“We’re always up there replanting and weeding and painting and mulching,” said Ensor, a member of the Old Lutz School Board.

The event also includes a micro-irrigation and water conservation class by the Hillsborough County Extension Service, which begins at 10 a.m.

The Old Lutz School Museum also will be open, with some long-time Lutz residents there to talk about Lutz’s early days, and the role the school has played over time.

The old brick building was designed by Frank A. Winn Jr., who also designed the Seminole Heights Methodist Church in Tampa, the Municipal Fishing Pier and Pavilion in Ballast Point Park and Tampa Heights Methodist Church, according to the Citizens for the Old Lutz School’s website.

Originally, the building had four rooms downstairs and a large auditorium upstairs. But within a few years, the auditorium was divided into four rooms, plus a teacher’s room, the website reports.

The site where the old brick school building stands is the same place where Lutz had its first schoolhouse.

That was a one-room frame schoolhouse, built by the North Tampa Land Company in 1910, says an account on the group’s website. Records show that 37 students, first through eighth grade, attended Lutz School in 1912. They were taught by 18-year-old Callie Berry, who was the school’s principal and teacher — earning $39 a day.

Published Oct. 11, 2017

 

 

Building the community, one check at a time

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After the race for the Lutz Guv’na wraps up every year, the money raised is doled out to local groups and causes.

Kori Rankin is the 2017 winner of the Lutz Guv’na’s race and she has the plaque to prove it. She’s shown here with Paul Vahue, emcee of a celebration held to pass out checks from the annual race’s proceeds. (B.C. Manion)

This year the race drew candidates Greg Gilbert of Beef O’ Brady’s Lutz, Jessica Sherman with Pinch A Penny, and Kori Rankin, of Kori Rankin Photography. Ultimately, Rankin won the Guv’na’s sash. Her stepmother, Jennifer Rankin, won the sash in 2015.

The 2017 campaign for the honorary title generated more than $7,000 in contributions and the checks to local groups were handed out in a ceremony on Oct. 3 at the Old Lutz School.

This year’s recipients included the Old Lutz School, the Lutz Chiefs, the Lutz Cemetery, Girl Scout Troop 2717, Boy Scout Troop 12, Books for Troops, the Lutz Patriots, the Little Woman of Lutz, The Lutz/Land O Lakes Women’s Club, Steinbrenner High School Student Ambassadors, and Martinez Middle School, Learning Gate Community School, and the North Tampa/Lutz Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol.

Suzin Carr, a two-time Lutz Guv’na, said the good that the funds help to generate goes beyond sheer dollars.

“All of these little nonprofits, we’re keeping them healthy and whole,” Carr said.

“A candidate gets to decide where 10 percent of their money goes,” she said.

“The Girl Scout Troop, for instance, this year they were recipients of Jessica Sherman’s 10

Paul Vahue hands a check to representative of the North Tampa/Lutz Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol. The group received a portion of this year’s proceeds from the Lutz Guv’na’s race. (B.C. Manion)

percent,” she said.

“That group can also apply for more money,” Carr noted.

“That scout group is going to go for an overnight at NASA. That’s something they could not afford, if this had not happened,” she said.

“You don’t know the impact that that will have, even if it’s just on one of those girls, what their future could be as a result of that trip,” Carr added.

The Civil Air Patrol cadets were there and they talked about their mission, she said. When a disaster hits, they’re among the first people on the ground to analyze what’s needed in an area, she said.

“It’s a tremendous feeling to be able to watch the money come in one hand, and immediately within a matter of a month or two go right back to the community,” Carr said.

The night the funds were being distributed a group from Learning Gate Community School arrived early, Carr said. “They helped set it up.

“This is a night to celebrate them, and here they are setting up tables and chairs, bringing stuff in from the cars to get it ready for everyone else,” she said.

Published Oct. 11, 2017

Area teenager bowls perfect 300 in North Carolina tournament

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Chandler Carr, who got his start bowling at Royal Lanes in Lutz, shot his first sanctioned perfect 300 in the Randy Pedersen 4 Game Sweeper in Shallotte, North Carolina.

He achieved the perfect score on Oct. 7 at Planet Fun, helping him to take fifth place in the competition.

Chandler Carr recently shot a perfect 300, while he was in Shallotte, North Carolina. (Courtesy of Suzin Carr)

Carr — whose mom is Suzin Carr, the only person to win the Lutz Guv’na race twice — has done a substantial amount of volunteer work at the Old Lutz School in Lutz, and in various Lutz activities.

The family moved to Citrus Park in November.

Besides this most recent accomplishment, Carr is one of 25 finalists for the Positive Coaching Alliance-Tampa Bay Chapter “Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship.”

The 17-year-old will be the Athlete of the Week in partnership with Casper’s Company on 860AM radio on Oct. 14.

Carr is a senior at Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School. Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate Charter School is the only public school in Hillsborough County which has a bowling team.

Published Oct. 11, 2017

Academy at the Lakes turns 25

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The Academy at the Lakes students came striding off the yellow school bus, ready for action.

They’d just arrived at the Old Lutz School, and before long, they were yanking weeds, pushing wheelbarrows and spreading mulch at the historic schoolhouse, an icon in the community of Lutz.

They were also picking up branches and sticks, strewn about by Hurricane Irma.

From left, Hannah Church, Anisa Nanavati and Addison Pollock work to transport mulch from a huge pile across the yard from the Old Lutz School to plant beds closer to the school. The trio of eighth-graders from Academy at the Lakes was taking part in a service day the school organized to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
(B.C. Manion)

This crew was just one of many spending the day doing volunteer work at various locations — as Academy’s students and staff spent the 25th day of its 25th year, giving back to the community.

“Service has always been one of our core values, whether you’re a 3-year-old or a senior in high school. We provide age-appropriate opportunities for children to learn an ethic of service,” said Mark Heller, head of school.

“We need to make sure that all of our children know how to be net givers to the world, as opposed to takers from the world.

“They need to understand, and be taught, and experience how to do things that make a difference for others — and how good it feels to do that.

“That’s part of what we did on the 25th day, thanking the community that has nurtured us and sustained us over our first 25 years,” said Heller, who leads the school, located at 2331 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes.

Suzin Carr, who organized the workday at the Old Lutz School, was delighted to have Academy’s help.

“Today, they’ll help clean up after the hurricane. They’ll do some mulching,” she said, pointing to a huge pile, across the schoolyard.

“That pile will be gone by the time they leave, no doubt,” Carr said.

She also appreciated the timing of the volunteer effort.

“They’ll help us get ready for our market, which is Oct. 14, the Market at the Old Lutz School,” Carr said, putting in a plug for the upcoming fundraiser.

Beth Nevel Rader and her brother, Ben Nevel, were there helping, too.

“My brother and I went to school here, one through six,” Rader said, noting her brother is the chairman of the Citizens for the Old Lutz School, a group that works to preserve the school.

“I think the kids are just awesome to come out and volunteer,” she added.

Colleen McCormick, science department chair, said Academy students routinely volunteer in the community.

“This is something that’s part of our core values,” she said.

Service is one of the core values at Academy at the Lakes, and those acts of service can be tailored to be done by the school’s pre-kindergarteners through seniors, said Mark Heller, head of school. (Courtesy of Academy at the Lakes)

That’s important, she said, because “hopefully, it instills a spirit of giving back that they’ll continue after they leave Academy.”

Kevin Crowley, who teaches video production and is the golf coach, has been at the school for 17 years.

“I can’t imagine doing anything else,” said Crowley, whose daughter attended the school, from pre-kindergarten through high school.

While one group was at the Old Lutz School, other groups were planting sunflowers, cleaning up Collier Parkway or pitching in at Feeding Tampa Bay and Metropolitan Ministries.

Heller attributed Academy’s staying power to its ability to create a culture that works on a scale “that takes great care of the individual.”

“I think there’s great power, in the small school, to unlock human potential,” he said.

In a school with a low student-teacher ratio, the teachers get to know each student “well enough to know how to motivate them to be their best and to inspire them to be their best,” Heller said.

With such familiarity, they can transmit “a sense of that joy in the journey, of how to walk through life finding things that are beautiful, and wonderful and meaningful,” Heller said.

Academy at the Lakes originally opened in 1982 as a preschool operated by Connie Wendlek, but evolved into Academy at the Lakes Day School in 1992, with 32 students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Connie’s husband, Richard, a former Pasco County principal became the head of school.

Besides drawing students from Land O’ Lakes, the school also attracts students from Odessa, Trinity, Lutz, New Tampa, Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills, Dade City, Tampa and other Tampa Bay communities.

The school now has more 500 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, in its lower division, middle division and upper division programs.

Essentially all of its graduates pursue education beyond the secondary level, with approximately 80 percent being accepted by their first-choice colleges, according to school statistics.

Heller is gratified by the school’s accomplishments during its first quarter-century, and he’s enthusiastic about what lies ahead.

“There are tremendously exciting things on the immediate horizon for Academy at the Lakes.

“We own 47 acres of undeveloped land just on the other side of Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church,” he said.

“We have our stake of the ground right here in Central Pasco, in Land O’ Lakes. As the community grows, so too, will Academy at the Lakes, just as has happened in the first 25 years of Academy of the Lakes.

For more information about the academy, call (813) 948-7600, or visit AcademyAtTheLakes.org.

Academy at the Lakes timeline
1982: Connie Wendlek opens Academy at the Lakes Preschool.

1992: Connie Wendlek’s preschool evolves into Academy at the Lakes Day School, which opens with 32 students in prekindergarten through eighth grade. Her husband, Richard, a former principal in Pasco County Schools, becomes the head of school. Connie is the music teacher.

1997: McCormick Campus opens to house a middle school.

1998-99 school year: The school adds ninth grade. In subsequent years it added 10th grade, 11th grade and 12th grade.

2002: The school has its first high school graduation. There are four members in the class.

2004: The new high school building opens. The structure has the same colonial touches as the middle school.

2006: Academy at the Lakes accepted into the Florida High School Athletic Association.

2008: School gymnasium opens, new sixth-grade classrooms added to the fifth-grade suite, and the school introduces its fifth- and sixth-grade program.

2012: Academy at the Lakes celebrates its 20th anniversary.

2013: Academy acquires 47 acres of land from the MacManus family.

2015: The new Lower Division playground is dedicated.

2017: Master planning for future begins.

Published September 27, 2017

Lutz Guv’na race debate set for May 20

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It’s campaign season again — in Lutz, that is.

The annual Lutz Guv’na Race is underway.

And, it kicks off with the 2017 Guv’na Debate on May 20 at the Old Lutz School, 18819 N. U.S. 41.

The event — which runs from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. — is free and open to the public.

Last year’s Lutz Guv’na candidates competed in several fun-filled activities, including a watermelon-eating contest. The annual Lutz Guv’na Race kicks off with the 2017 Guv’na Debate on May 20 at the Old Lutz School, 18819 N. U.S. 41. It runs from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
(File)

This year, three candidates will vie to raise the most money for their “campaigns,” with proceeds benefitting local nonprofits and community organizations.

Incumbent Guv’na Greg Gilbert, of Beef O’ Brady’s in Lutz, will square off against two first-time candidates: Kori Rankin from Kori Rankin Photography, and Jessica Sherman of Pinch A Penny in Lutz.

Throughout the fun-filled debate, the trio will field jocular questions from audience members and partake in other quirky activities, hoping to raise money for a good cause.

The event’s emcee will again be Paul Vahue of First Baptist Church in Lutz.

Attendees, meanwhile, can attach themselves to a candidate to benefit their campaigns; former Guv’na winner Stephanie Ensor of Flip Flop Embroidery Shoppe will offer a $100 campaign donation to the candidate who brings the most guests to the May 20 debate.

The annual charity event — which started in 1991— is sponsored by the Lutz Civic Association.

“This is what makes a small town a small town,” said Suzin Carr, ambassador for the Lutz Guv’na Race.

It typically raises several thousand dollars for about 20 beneficiaries, including scout troops, the Old Lutz School and Friends of the Library.

“They make community spirit what it is,” Carr said, of the beneficiaries. “They make Lutz a nice place to live.”
More than $100,000 has been raised in the past decade alone.

“There’s some years that are less, and some years that are more, but the impact…on these small groups is huge,” said Carr.

Last year’s event, like the others before it, proved particularly entertaining, thanks to a makeshift bowling competition, costume and watermelon-eating contests, and a Donald Trump-masked mystery candidate.

Besides various tasks and challenges, the debate regularly features plenty of laughs, as candidates offer up tongue-in-cheek answers to “hot button” issues surrounding Lutz.

The race continues through the Fourth of July weekend, where the winner is announced, and earns the coveted “sash” from the prior year’s winner.

The winner also typically earmarks 10 percent of what he or she raises to the organization of their choice.

Carr, a former two-time winner of the Guv’na Race, is actively seeking additional community involvement and volunteers for the Guv’na festivities.

“We want bodies out there,” she said. “When people don’t come out and support these kinds of programs, they die…and we certainly don’t want to see that.”

For more information, contact Carr at (813) 453-5256.

Published May 10, 2017

Guv’na candidate increasing fundraising efforts

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Greg Gilbert is new to the area — just like his competitor in the Lutz Guv’na race.

And just like his rival, Andre Pamplona of Royal Lanes Bowling, Gilbert was urged by by Suzin Carr, the Lutz Guv’na ambassador, to jump into the 2016 race.

“She was relentless,” Gilbert said, describing Carr’s encouragement for him to enter the race.

“However, it did sound like a lot of fun to do something like this, and to be involved in the community a little bit more,” said Gilbert, who took over as the managing owner of Beef O’ Brady’s in Lutz in December.

Greg Gilbert is a candidate for the annual Lutz Guv’na race. Gilbert is the managing owner of Beef O’ Brady’s, 18421 N U.S. 41 in Lutz. (File Photo)
Greg Gilbert is a candidate for the annual Lutz Guv’na race. Gilbert is the managing owner of Beef O’ Brady’s, 18421 N U.S. 41 in Lutz.
(File Photo)

Before moving to Florida, he spent 20-plus years in Michigan working as a general manager for both T.G.I. Fridays and Ruby Tuesday.

Due to his wide-ranging obligations to his restaurant, Gilbert admits he has some catching up to do on the Guv’na campaign trail.

To try to make up some ground, Gilbert plans to dive headfirst into fundraising efforts between now and July 4, the final day of the annual charity event.

He hopes to organize a car wash behind the restaurant, and perhaps hold a classic car show over the next few weeks to boost his campaign.

“I’m new to this area, so I have to find some avenues to make some of this happen,” said Gilbert, who lives in Spring Hill.

Though he considers himself to be “quite a shy guy,” he enjoyed participating in the whimsical Lutz Guv’na debate last month at the Old Lutz School.

There, he showed the ability to step out of his comfort zone during the question-and-answer portion of the debate, where he offered some clever responses to some of the “hot-button issues” pertaining to Lutz residents.

For example, during the light-hearted banter, Gilbert proposed to have “all Canadians stopped in Land O’ Lakes” as a solution to prevent snowbirds from inhabiting Lutz.

It’s also where he revealed his campaign slogan: “Beef it up at Brady’s.”

“I was pretty apprehensive going into it, but I had a lot of fun doing that,” Gilbert said about the tongue-in-cheek debate.

When he’s not working or dedicating time to fundraising efforts, the Guv’na candidate has a passion for brainteasers — he describes himself as a “crossword and Sudoku junkie.”

Despite his busy schedule, and no matter the outcome of this year’s Guv’na race, Gilbert has no qualms about becoming a candidate all over again.

“I’d be more than happy to try this next year, where I’ll be able to put a lot more into it,” he said.

The Guv’na race continues through the Fourth of July weekend.

The winner will be announced after the community’s traditional parade.

The next honorary mayor will receive the coveted “sash” from last year’s winner, Jennifer Rankin, who raised more than $9,200 in the 2015 race.

The annual charity event— which started in 1991— is sponsored by the Lutz Civic Association, and benefits about 20 local causes, including the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, the Old Lutz School and the Friends of the Library.

The winner of the Guv’na race may also earmark 10 percent of what they raise to the organization of their choice.

If you’d like to contribute to Gilbert’s campaign, call (813) 909-2300, or email .

Published June 22, 2016

First-time Guv’na candidate enjoying the ‘campaign’

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Andre Pamplona is relatively new to the area, having moved to Lutz from Miami just last June.

But, that didn’t stop the general manager of Royal Lanes Bowling from jumping into the race to become Lutz Guv’na.

Pamplona was first encouraged to run by Suzin Carr, who serves as ambassador for the annual race for the honorary title. Carr is the only one who has been named Guv’na twice in the Lutz charity event.

Andre Pamplona is a candidate for the Lutz annual Guv’na Race. Pamplona is the general manager of Royal Lanes Bowling, at 1927 Brinson Road in Lutz. (File Photo)
Andre Pamplona is a candidate for the Lutz annual Guv’na Race. Pamplona is the general manager of Royal Lanes Bowling, at 1927 Brinson Road in Lutz.
(File Photo)

For Pamplona, it was a “no-brainer” to throw his name into the hat, and “help the community” through fundraising.

Having a storefront property in Lutz has made fundraising efforts relatively seamless.

“One of the things we already do a lot here at Royal Lanes is try to make a venue for nonprofit organizations to raise funds in a very inexpensive way,” Pamplona said. “We try to gear it to as many different groups as we can,” he said.

“It’s one of those things where the community is aware of (the Guv’na Race) because it’s been around for so many years, so it wasn’t really something I had to pitch too hard,” he added.

As one of just two Guv’na candidates, Pamplona has also been able to make several newfound personal connections while acclimating himself to his new surroundings in West Central Florida.

“Everyone’s been very receptive,” he said. “I was able to meet a lot of people in the community that otherwise would have just been patrons of mine, but they don’t see me face-to-face and you don’t get to say ‘Hi’ all the time. So, you’re able to meet different people in the community.”

Pamplona has already raised “quite a bit of money” through a few fundraising events at the bowling alley. He’s also received some donations from bowlers at Royal Lanes.

Not big contributions, mind you.

“It’s been nickels and quarters at a time,” he said.

Whether he wins this year or not, Pamplona said he’d “definitely” consider getting involved in Guv’na festivities again.

“Because I have the (bowling alley), it makes no sense for me not to do it every year,” he said.

“Even if I don’t run, I’ll maybe get behind a candidate to hold events here at Royal Lanes; a lot of people that ran in the past didn’t have a storefront or a brick-and-mortar, so it was hard for them to raise funds.”

One aspect of the Guv’na Race that Pamplona won’t soon forget is his participation in last month’s amusing Lutz Guv’na Debate at the Old Lutz School, where he squared off against fellow Guv’na candidate Greg Gilbert, of Beef O’ Brady’s, in a mostly tongue-in-cheek event. That’s where Pamplona unveiled his campaign slogan: “Raising the education of bowling.”

“It was a lot of fun,” he said about the debate. “The good thing about it was instead of being a serious or tense thing, we came up with a lot funny answers here and there; the watermelon-eating contest was the best part.”

The Guv’na race continues through the Fourth of July weekend, where the winner is announced, and earns the coveted “sash” from the prior year’s winner. Last year’s winner was Jennifer Rankin, who raised more than $9,200 throughout the 2015 race.

The annual charity event— which started in 1991— is sponsored by the Lutz Civic Association, and benefits about 20 local causes, including the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, the Old Lutz School and the Friends of the Library.

The winner of the Guv’na Race may also earmark 10 percent of what they raise to the organization of their choice.

If you’d like to contribute to Pamplona’s campaign, call (813) 949-3606.

Published June 15, 2016

Lutz Guv’na Race Kickoff set for May 14

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Get your checkbooks ready, the annual Lutz Guv’na Race is underway.

Two candidates: Greg Gilbert of Beef O’ Bradys in Lutz and Andre Pamplona of Royal Bowling Lanes, will face off in the 2016 Guv’na Debate on May 14 at the Old Lutz School, 18819 U.S. 41. The debate will run from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. as both candidates field questions from the audience and partake in quirky activities to raise money for their “campaigns,” with proceeds benefitting local nonprofits and community organizations. The event is free and the public is welcome.

“They’re two very good and solid candidates.” – Suzin Carr on Lutz Guv’na candidates Greg Gilbert and Andre Pamplona. (Courtesy of Suzin Carr)
“They’re two very good and solid candidates.” – Suzin Carr on Lutz Guv’na candidates Greg Gilbert and Andre Pamplona.
(Courtesy of Suzin Carr)

“They’re always very tongue-in-cheek kind of things, and they’re doing those to earn money for their campaigns,” said Suzin Carr, ambassador for the Lutz Guv’na Race. “The whole goal of the Guv’na race is to raise the most money and ‘buy their way into office’ and we proudly admit that in Lutz.”

The annual charity event— which started in 1991— is sponsored by the Lutz Civic Association, and typically raises several thousand dollars for about 20 beneficiaries.

The race continues through the Fourth of July weekend, where the winner is announced, and earns the coveted “sash” from the prior year’s winner. Last year’s winner was Jennifer Rankin, who raised more than $9,200 throughout the 2015 race.

“It’s been going on for more than 25 years and it’s just a wonderful event that benefits a lot of nonprofits and community organizations in the area, like the scouts and the Old Lutz School and the Friends of the Library,” Carr said. “They all get a portion of the money that is raised by writing grants for that money once it’s raised by the Lutz Guv’na Association.”

Typically, the race has about three or four candidates, Carr said, adding, there’s still time is anybody wants to step into the race.

The debate emcee will be Paul Vahue of First Baptist Church in Lutz, whom Carr described as “a very funny guy.”

Carr, a former two-time winner of the Guv’na Race, is also seeking additional community involvement and volunteers for the Guv’na festivities.

“We are really encouraging the community to come out,” she said. “We really need community involvement for programs like this to continue.”

For more information, contact Suzin Carr at (813) 453-5256.

Published May 11, 2016

Fourth of July sparkles with patriotism

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Patriotism was on full display at the Independence Day festivities in Lutz.

Whether they were part of the parade, or on the sidelines watching, people came wearing red, white and blue — and were ready to celebrate.

The nation’s colors showed up everywhere.

Jennifer Rankin wins the honorary title of Lutz Guv’na 2015. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)
Jennifer Rankin wins the honorary title of Lutz Guv’na 2015.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)

They were on flags, in hair ribbons, on cowboy boots and emblazoned on the front of semi-trucks.

The parade, a community tradition, included the usual suspects.

There were Boy Scout troops, Girl Scout troops, elementary school kids and military veterans, too.

The veterans arrived in Jeeps and trucks, on motorcycles and some, riding stylishly, in a motorcade of Corvettes.

Adults and kids rode on floats featuring local businesses and area churches and sports teams.

Belly dancers jiggled their way down the parade route, while dancers from Dancercise showed off smooth moves and kids from martial arts studios broke boards with their hands and feet.

There were even some inflatable characters, including one representing the Civil Air Patrol and the Michelin man, who was there to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Dumas Tire Pros, a Lutz tire and auto repair shop.

Boy Scout Troop 12 has been a mainstay at the Lutz Fourth of July parades for decades.
Boy Scout Troop 12 has been a mainstay at the Lutz Fourth of July parades for decades.

“We like to support our community,” said DeWitt Dumas, of Dumas Tire Pros, and the company appreciates the community’s support, he added.

Lots of spectators arrived early to get a nice, shady spot.

Sam Calco was there early, staking out a spot for his family.

“We’ve lived in Lutz since ’87. We’ve made it every year, except for when we were out of town,” said Calco, who found a choice spot, under an oak, next to the library.

Now, with 4-year-old grandson, Leo McCullers, the event is even more fun, Calco said, noting, “He enjoys the beads and the candy and the fire trucks and the police cars.”

Karen Lucchese, another Lutz resident, said the parade is a great way to start Independence Day.

“To me, this is what it’s about. It’s all about hometown America. It’s exactly what you’re supposed to do for the Fourth of July, and it gives you a real sense of community,” said Lucchese, who was at the parade with her husband, Phil, her son, Tyler, his girlfriend, Lexi Neth and some other friends.

Little kids and adults lined the parade route, vying to take home some swag. There were beads, of course, but all kinds of candy, too. Some people walking down the parade route were handing out sunscreen and cardboard fans — welcome gifts on a sunny, sweltering day.

The parade wasn’t the only attraction.

There were amusement games and pony rides for kids, a cake and pie auction.

The cake and pie contest drew 28 entries, including a 5-pound apple pie, a cake shaped like a fish and another with the look of the community’s iconic train depot.

Wilma Lewis had eight entries in the competition.

Military officers rode in style during the Fourth of July in Lutz.
Military officers rode in style during the Fourth of July in Lutz.

“I’m thinking she’s wanting one of those blue ribbons,” said Karen D’Amico, who coordinated the competition this year, under the tutelage of Marilyn Wannamaker.

Shirley Simmons entered her famous, made-from-scratch pound cake, which fetched $75 in the auction after the parade.

Another highlight of the day was the swearing-in of Jennifer Rankin, as the honorary Lutz Guv’na for 2015.

It was a moment that Rankin has desired since she was a student at Lutz Elementary School.

Of course, at that time, she thought it was a real political race.

Once she learned it was to raise money for community organizations, she was even more enthused, she said while on the campaign trail.

As a Lutz native who grew up in the family business, Al’s Lawn Care on North Dale Mabry Highway, Rankin said she was pleased to represent the family business which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

She thanked her family members for all of their hard work in helping her to win the race, and she thanked everyone who donated to the cause.

Others competing for the title were Cheryl Lynn Ayers and KarenSue Molis.

Ayers raised more than $2,800 in her bid for the title, Molis raised more than $7,300 and Rankin raised more than $9,200.

“These ladies are awesome,” said Suzin Carr, a two-time Guv’na, who announced the new Guv’na.

“Every penny, nickel, dime — counts,” Carr said. “Last year there were more than 20 local charities here that got a piece of this pie.”

Lutz wasn’t the only place hosting celebrations during Independence Day weekend. The Shops at Wiregrass and the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel hosted the fourth annual Wesley Chapel Freedom Festival, and the Pasco County Fairgrounds had its annual Sparklebration celebration.

Published July 8, 2015

Final fundraisers keep Lutz Guv’na hopefuls busy

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The race for Lutz Guv’na is wrapping up, but the candidates aren’t ready to pack it in.

All three hopefuls are prepping for last-minute fundraising, with some big events in the final days of the race. All the money goes to Lutz organizations, and the candidate who raises the most earns the ceremonial title. So they’re pulling out all the stops to grab as much cash as possible.

The cash grab for the Lutz Guv'na race was already in full swing at the debate back in May. Now, the three candidates are ramping up the fundraising as the July Fourth deadline looms. (MIchael Murillo/Staff Photo)
The cash grab for the Lutz Guv’na race was already in full swing at the debate back in May. Now, the three candidates are ramping up the fundraising as the July Fourth deadline looms.
(MIchael Murillo/Staff Photo)

According to two-time former Guv’na Suzin Carr, that’s a good strategy to have in the last days of the race.

“The final push is huge, ” Carr said. “It ain’t over until it’s over.”

That motto came to fruition last year, when the race was decided by less than $20 out of around $9,600 raised. In the end, Dr. Cindy Perkins won the Guv’na sash by the thinnest of margins. And on July 4, she’ll hand it over to whichever of the three candidates pushes themselves over the top.

The bulk of the money is actually due the day before, July 3, at 2 p.m. After that deadline, the candidates can raise up to 10 percent more of their total between then and the Lutz Parade on July 4.

Even that final window gets utilized by the best candidates. Carr recalls raising money at the parade itself, doing whatever she could to add a few dollars to her total. When her races were finishing up, she was selling items at clearance prices and hitting up whoever was nearby for whatever they could spare.

“I was calling all of my constituents in my neighborhood and just begging,” Carr said.

By acting like she had nothing to lose, Carr earned herself a couple of big wins. She raised more than $6,000 in 2009, and more than $8,000 in 2013, making her the only two-time winner in Guv’na history.

Now she’s watching a new group vie for the title, and she’s come away impressed. All three are doing a good job of getting in the public eye and driving home the dollars, she said. In fact, Carr admitted she’d be a bit nervous if she had to face their fundraising skills.

Whoever wins the race, it’s not like the others will be considered losers. They’re all contributing to much-needed funds for local groups, and they’ll all have a say in where the money goes. Win or lose, each candidate gets to direct 10 percent of their total to whatever group they choose. A committee will disperse the remaining funds, and around 20 different organizations usually benefit from the annual event.

Here are the last major fundraisers for each of the three candidates:

On June 24, Cheryl Lynn Ayres will bring her campaign to Elsa’s Mexican Restaurant, 18450 U.S. 41., in Lutz. Starting at 4 p.m., the restaurant will donate 10 percent of the sales from anyone who states they’re supporting her Guv’na campaign. Ayres herself will be there after 5 p.m., with games and prize drawings. She’s also auctioning off prime parade-viewing space (complete with air conditioning and bathroom facilities) for the parade on July 4. Details for the auction can be found on her Facebook page (Cheryl Lynn Schmolke Ayres).

KarenSue Molis and her fellow Lutz Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club members are having an indoor flea market on June 27 at the Lutz Community Center, 101 First Ave., NW, from 8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. She promises to beat the heat with rock-bottom prices inside the center.

Jennifer Rankin has been auctioning items on her Facebook page (Jennifer Silence Rankin) and will host a “Shootin’ For Guv’na” clay pigeon tournament on June 27 at Tampa Bay Sporting Clays, 10514 Ehren Cutoff in Land O’ Lakes. Both spectators and participants are welcome, with prizes for the winners. The event begins at 9 a.m.

Those fundraisers could mean the difference between winning and losing. But each candidate is hoping for good things, and Carr expects another nail-biter when the winner is announced on July 4.

“I will be surprised if this is not extremely close this year. These three candidates have really put themselves out there,” Carr said.

Published June 24, 2015