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JANUARY 21, 2015
Kumquat Festival offers old-fashioned fun By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Every year, as marauders take over Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa’s Gasparilla Parade, there’s another invasion of sorts— as thousands stream into downtown Dade City for the city’s annual Kumquat Festival. “It’s a wonderful alternative (to Gasparilla),” said John Moors, executive director of The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce. The Dade City event — which draws its name from a diminutive, tangy orange fruit — gives visitors a chance to experience a taste of old Florida in a family friendly atmosphere, Moors said. With its free parking, free admission, free entertainment and assorted free activities, people can enjoy the day without having to
This tiny orange fruit has helped called attention to Dade City, a town that boasts a charming downtown and an annual festival with an old Florida feel.
would like to see festival-goers do a bit of spending on items sold by vendors, at area restaurants and in merchant’s stores. The event, now in its 18th year, is expected to attract 30,000 to 40,000. Event-goers come from as far north as The Villages, as far south as Sarasota, as far west as the beaches, and as far east as Orlando. For some, it’s an annual tradition. For others, a reunion. And for still others, it’s an introduction to the East Pasco city with the historic courthouse and quaint shops. The annual festival started simply. It began when Phyllis Smith, Roxanne Barthle and Carlene Ellberg were looking for a way to help inject new life into downtown Dade City. They decided to have a festival to honor
spend a fortune, Moors said. Of course, Moors said, the chamber
See KUMQUAT, page9A
Housing sales likely to improve expert says By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
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Most of the time when you hear what Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors has to say — it’s during a congressional hearing or on the national news. But last week, Yun made an appearance before real estate professionals gathered for a meeting of the Greater Tampa Association of Realtors. He offered plenty of food for thought about the housing market’s condition. “The bottom line is that we have encountered some degree of recovery. I think we will continue the recovery over the next two to three years, and then subsequently, the recovery may well change into expansion,” said Yun, who frequently speaks at conferences for real estate professionals around the country. “Now, you are just trying to get back to the prior principal in terms of prices. It may take an additional two to three years to get to where it had been in 2005-2006,” Yun said. When it comes to home prices, he said, Florida has a key advantage: Its warm winter weather. Through the years, people have moved to Florida from colder climates in northern states. “It sort of came to a halt during the housing market crash. People up North just could not sell their home, or they were somewhat underwater,”Yun said. The market recovery has put them in a better position to move, which is good news for Florida, he said. “So, you will regain that flow of new residents coming into Florida. Florida has been No 1, consistently, during normal years in at-
B.C. MANION/STAFF PHOTO
Lawrence Yun is the chief economist for the National Association of Realtors. He’s predicting a continued recovery for two to three years, and then possibly an expansion.
“There’s more people working in the Tampa region, so there’s more potential homebuyers.” –Lawrence Yun tracting new residents,”Yun said. The housing market had generally experienced a two-year recovery in 2012 and 2013, but then stalled in 2014, Yun said. So people are wondering what will happen next. “A two-year-and-out situation would be highly unusual, if one looks at the past,” Yun said. He considers it an anomaly and predicts that there will be a continued recovery
that may well lead to growth and higher prices in the market. “One of the key reasons is pent-up demand, Yun said. “We have 37 million additional people living in the country and yet we are essentially getting the same home sales,” he said. “We have lower mortgage rates today,” See HOUSING, page9A
Grandmother’s comforting book gets published By Michael Murillo mmurillo@lakerlutznews.com
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The first story Aleda Reilly wrote wasn’t designed to launch a writing career, sell a lot of copies or even get published. All she wanted to do was comfort her grandchildren. “(It was) just to help them through a really emotional, tough time,” said Reilly, who lives in Land O’ Lakes. Following the death of her mother, Gladys Soldato, Reilly’s grandchildren were confused and upset at the loss of their beloved Bama. They were close to their great-grandmother, and adult explanations weren’t doing the job for Isabella and Katie, ages 4 and 2. As their grandmother, Reilly wanted to console them and describe complicated feelings in a way they’d understand. So she sat down and wrote them a story. “Angel Balloons” describes the two girls spending time with Bama until she passes away right after Christmas. They’re told she didn’t get to say goodbye because she was tired, and now lives with the angels in Heaven. The girls send Bama drawings and stickers tied to balloons so she can receive them and share them with the angels. When Reilly showed the story to the girls, it wasn’t illustrated or published. It was just a story written by their Avia, a term for grandmother. But they got the message. “I read it to (Olivia) and in an exasperated attitude she said, ‘Well you know, Avia, if anyone had told me this, I wouldn’t have been so upset at the time,’” Reilly recalled. She decided that other children might benefit from “Angel Balloons,” and she selfpublished it. Tate Publishing, a family-owned
MICHAEL MURILLO/STAFF PHOTO
Aleda Reilly combs through copies of of her children’s story, ‘Angel Balloons,’ which has been published in a variety of formats. She wrote it to help her grandchildren cope with the loss of their great-grandmother.
Christian-based publisher later picked it up, turning it into a fully illustrated publication, a 3-D book with glasses, coloring book and audio download. Reilly appreciates any format that conveys the story to more children. Parents can be reserved when it comes to serious subjects with children, she said,
and aren’t always sure how to address new feelings. She wrote this story to tackle a serious topic in a positive way that young readers can understand. She’s pleased it can now reach more children than her initial audience of her two grandchildren. See BOOK, page9A