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Super Bowl LV creates big memories
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9 By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans were delirious with joy, after the Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV. Besides emerging victorious, the Bucs made history by becoming the first team in NFL history to play — and win — a Super Bowl game in its home stadium. Both the season and the Super Bowl were altered considerably by the COVID-19
pandemic — which created a scene where 30,000 cardboard cutouts outnumbered the 20,000-plus fans at Raymond James Stadium. The smaller crowd size didn’t diminish the experience in any way for Heather Stegmeier, of Wesley Chapel, one of the 7,500 vaccinated health care workers who received a free ticket to the game. In a pregame interview on CBS with interviewer James Brown, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell explained why the professional football league provided the free tickets to health care workers. “They’re our heroes,” Goodell said. “Today, the heroes are going to be sitting in
the stands.Those heroes have been working day and night for all of us, and taking risks and showing us courage, and obviously being the incredible professionals they are, to keep us all safe.” Goodell added:“We wanted to give them an opportunity to get away from all that for a day and just celebrate,” he added. Stegmeier’s happy Super Bowl experiences began on Jan. 29 — when she received a surprise videotaped message from Rob Gronkowski, known as Gronk to football fans, personally inviting her to the game. See SUPER BOWL, page 9A
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Survey results show gains, but ample room to improve By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Pasco County received higher marks this year than it did last year in numerous categories in the annual National Community Survey. Even so, substantial improvements are needed, if the county wants to achieve its stated goal of being a premier county. An average of 350 communities participate annually in the National Community Survey, which is a collaborative effort between National Research Center Inc., and the International City/County Management Association. Pasco participated in the survey in 2009 and then again from 2012 through 2020. Last year, the county had an 18% response rate, for a total of 1,600 respondents. The validated survey results show how the county compares to other survey participants, in numerous categories. The rankings can be lower, similar or higher. The county also does a separate online community survey, using the same questions — with the goal of collecting additional data to help inform county decisions.That survey received 2,007 responses in 2020. Marc Bellas, the county’s performance management director, presented the survey results at the Pasco County Commission’s meeting on Jan. 12. The really good news is that “everything, almost across the board, is up from last year. Overall quality of life in Pasco County is up 12% from last year; that’s wonderful,” Bellas said. He added: “If our vision was to be Florida’s good county, we could stop right now, because we’re really doing good work.” But, the county isn’t satisfied with that designation, Bellas said. “The county wants to take what it has now that is good and take it to the next level, which is great. We need to be better than the average,” he said. This year’s results show substantial gains, in numerous categories, which demonstrates the county’s efforts are having an effect, he said. “We have been at work for quite some time in order to create a better community, and it’s showing up and the citizens are seeing that,” Bellas said. Bellas also reminded commissioners See SURVEY, page 9A
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COURTESY OF HEATHER STEGMEIER/ADVENTHEALTH
Heather Stegmeier had an awesome time at Super Bowl LV, enjoying the electric atmosphere and feeling special, to have her work as a health care professional honored and appreciated. She was one of 7,500 health care workers who received a free ticket to the game from the NFL.
Pigz in Z’Hills festival set for April 10 By Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
A scaled-down version of the annual Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Fest has been set for April 10. The festival, being held for the 11th year, will take place at the Zephyrhills Community Venue, 5200 Airport Road, directly across from the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. Event hours are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Unlike previous years, activities will be staggered throughout the day, to accommodate health and safety protocols related to the coronavirus pandemic. A drive-thru BBQ meal pickup line will be in place from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., followed by a live blues concert from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., with select food vendors, such as gourmet French fries and kettle corn, as well as alcohol sales and more barbecue options. Other happenings include an all-day cornhole toss tournament and free tours of the Zephyrhills Museum of Military History, to get look at refurbished wartime planes and other unique memorabilia. Tickets are expected to be made available for purchase within the next couple weeks. Various packages will be sold separately for the drive-thru meal and concert, plus cornhole tournament entry fees. The popular food and music shindig has been twice postponed already — pushed back from scheduled dates in January and February. This latest reboot is all but set in stone, however. The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Committee recently came to a consensus with how to proceed with a setup, taking into account various COVID-19 protocols. Working in the festival’s favor is an anticipated increased rollout of coronavirus vaccines by springtime, plus a venue of more than a dozen acres, Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce Director Melonie Monson told The Laker/Lutz News
FILE
A socially distanced live music concert will be among the happenings at the 11th annual Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Fest. Chuck Riley’s All-Star Band will be one of the lead acts, among other performers.
in a recent interview. “We just kept building and formulating, and we really felt, ‘Let’s go forward with this. This event is really important to Zephyrhills, so we wanted to do it,” Monson said. “It was a relief to finally come up with a plan of action, and to be able to find a way that we could put this on safely and still really just showcase our community. Now comes the hard work though of making sure we put it all together, but we’re excited about this format, and we’re kind of really thrilled to see where it goes.” Noticeably absent from this year’s makeshift event is the prized BBQ cookoff contest that often attracts more than 60 competitive teams, plus a slew of judges and countless volunteers. The BBQ showdown often draws professional grilling teams who travel to barbecue events all over the United States. Monson said it was “a hard decision” among stakeholders to remove the hit cookoff competition from this year’s festival, but “we knew we could not do that safely in a COVID environment, so unfortunately, that had to go away this year.” Other elements, such as a classic car
show, a business expo and a kid’s fun zone won’t be part of the festivities this year either, according to Monson said. With a date, time and location locked in for Pigz In Z’Hills, organizers and volunteers are working diligently to get the logistics all in place over the next two months. This includes finalizing a full music lineup. One of the confirmed headliners is Chuck Riley’s All Star Band, a longtime festival act. As for other performers, Monson teased, “I think everybody’s going to be shocked when they see who all is going to be there.” Here’s how the concert will be laid out for attendees: • Spots are reserved by purchasing a 10by-10 foot grid, good for up to six people. • Price points will be based on vicinity to the music stage, with prices ranging from $40 to $100. • Concert-goers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets. For individuals or families just looking for a hearty BBQ meal, the drive-thru option will offer a choice of pulled chicken or See FESTIVAL, page 9A