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LAKERLUTZNEWS.COM
EAST PASCO EDITION
FEBRUARY 17, 2016
Zephyrhills chamber seeks new director By Kevin Weiss
kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
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For the second time in less than six months, the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce is seeking a new executive director to run its day-to-day operations. Chamber president Tim Linville said the chamber hopes to have someone in place by early March to “get prepared for next year.” The new hire will replace Rod Mayhew, who left the post in January. He began working for the chamber last October, spending just around three months on the job. According to Linville, the chamber’s selection committee began seeking Mayhew’s replacement three days after the 6th annual Pigz in Z’ Hills BBQ and Blues Festival ended on Jan. 16. Linville said Mayhew was “looking for
Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce president Tim Linville is heading the fivemember search committee to find a new executive director. COURTESY OF THE GREATER ZEPHYRHILLS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
other opportunities,” adding that the chamber position “wasn’t a perfect fit for him.” “He’s a good guy and, whatever he does, I’m sure he’ll be successful,” said Linville, who’s head of the selection committee. Mayhew could not be reached for comment.
Mayhew was hired to fill the vacancy left by Vonnie Mikkelsen, who held the leadership role for six years before departing in July 2015 to accept a similar chamber position in Springfield, Oregon. The executive director position pays between “$45,000 to $55,000,” according to the job posting. The five-member selection committee is currently vetting candidates, and will choose “seven or eight” to do a phone interview, the chamber president said. The top three candidates will get an inperson interview, with the committee choosing the top two to present to the chamber’s board of directors, which makes the final decision on whom to hire. According to Linville, the chamber is looking to hire someone that “has past experience with chambers, or has been a director of other organizations.”
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FLORIDA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL
It’s Pasco County Fair time By B.C. Manion
bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
®
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Roya R Royal al F Fun un un for Everyone! March 3-13, 2016 • Plant City, Florida
FLstrawberryfestival.com #berryfest16
Auto Accident? Slip and Fall?
At first glance, it may seem to be all about the rides. After all, there are a lot of them. Or, perhaps it’s all about the food. Fried anything, anyone? Or, maybe it would seem to be about the games or entertainment. There are certainly plenty of choices. But really, the stars of the Pasco County Fair are the kids and their livestock. At least that’s how Clark Converse, general manager of the fair, sees it. “The biggest thing about our fair is that we maintain our roots in agriculture in the community.That’s what really we’re about … it’s about the agriculture and the kids,” he said. “We have great participation in that. There are probably 300 to 400 livestock entries in the fair,” he said. “They’re all from Pasco County,” he added, with no small measure of pride. The fair, at 36722 State Road 52 in Dade City, is rooted in the desire to promote Pasco County’s youth and its other resources. Although fairs had been held in the community dating back to around 1915, one hadn’t been held there for years until a group of local businessmen got together in 1947 and decided to begin hosting the annual event, according to the fair’s website. San Antonio rancher D.E. Cannon led the
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE PASCO COUNTY FAIR
The Hoppers, a widely known gospel singing group, are set to perform on Feb. 18 at 6 p.m.
Little Roy and Lizzy are scheduled to perform on Feb. 17 at 6 p.m., in the Dan Cannon Auditorium.
group, which included agriculture agent Jimmy Higgins and businessmen George Nikolai, Bob Williams and Joe Collura.They found a 40-acre tract along State Road 52 and raised $3,500 to purchase the site. The first documented Pasco County Fair took place between Jan. 20 and Jan. 24, 1948. See FAIR, page 11A
Pasco County Fair WHEN: Through Feb. 21 (hours vary, check the website at PascoCountyFair.com) WHAT: Rides, food, games, entertainment, livestock and exhibits. WHERE: Pasco County Fairgrounds, 36722 State Road 52 COST: Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for children 6 through 12; parking is free. Wristbands are available for unlimited rides. Parking is free. (On Feb. 21, one child is admitted free with each adult)
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B INSIDE, PAGE 1B
Attendance down for Pigz in Z’ Hills event Zika virus cases keep growing
By Kevin Weiss
kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
The sixth annual Pigz in Z’ Hills BBQ and Blues Festival, drew a crowd of roughly 7,000. That’s down about 3,000 from the previous year. But, proceeds for the Jan. 16 event still met the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce’s projected revenue goals. One possible explanation for the reduced attendance could have been its simultaneous timing with The Tampa RV SuperShow at the Florida State Fairgrounds. The RV SuperShow, held from Jan. 13 to Jan. 17, drew more than 62,000 visitors, according to its website. Droves of people flocked to the RV SuperShow the same day as Pigz in Z’ Hills because of the especially pleasant weather on Jan. 16. “We had some early morning rains on Friday (Jan. 15) and Sunday (Jan.17) that kept some people away, but on Saturday (Jan.16), you could barely get into the building with the vendor booths from the time the gate opened until the end of the show,” Florida RV Trade Association Marketing Director Dave Kelly said in a report published by The Jacksonville-Times Union. Pigz in Z’ Hills will face the same competition next year, as it is slated for Jan. 21, while the Tampa RV SuperShow is scheduled Jan. 18 to Jan. 22. While Pigz in Z’ Hills’ turnout may have been down, Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce president Tim Linville was pleased with the shindig. “Overall, the event went great,” Linville said. “We had lots of vendors — the same number of vendors that we had last year — and the music was good. The attendees
By B.C. Manion
bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
seemed to be happy.” The chamber reached its revenue goals, and plans to donate $15,000 back to the Zephyrhills community. Various charities and local youth civic groups—such as the Pasco County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse, the YMCA of East Pasco, the Zephyrhills High School Interact Club and the Zephyrhills Army JROTC— will be beneficiaries. Donations will be presented at the chamber’s “Pay it Forward” dinner on Saturday, Feb. 25 at the Alice Hall Community Center. Linville was concerned that the chamber wouldn’t be able to do the same donations as it did last year, but it expects to be able to.
The news on the Zika virus keeps evolving, as the number of travel-associated cases in the United State continues to grow. As of Feb. 10, there were 52 travel-associated cases of Zika virus in the United States, including 16 in Florida, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Feb. 3 directed state Surgeon General Dr. John Armstrong to declare a public FILE PHOTO health emergency in Hillsborough, The Zika virus is spread Miami-Dade, Lee through bites of the and Santa Rosa Aedes aegypti mosquicounties relating to to, which is the same travel-associated mosquito that spreads cases of Zika virus the dengua and chikunfound in those guna viruses. counties. At the time, those counties had reported a total of nine travel-associated cases of the Zika virus. The Zika virus is spread through the bites of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which is the same species that spreads dengue and chikungunya viruses, according to the CDC. It also can be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy, the CDC reports. It also notes that cases have been reported of
See PIGZ, page 11A
See ZIKA, page 11A
FILE PHOTOS
The next Pigz in Z’Hills festival is slated for Jan. 21, 2017. The chamber hopes to find a permanent event location near the Zephyrhills Municipal airport that can provide water, electricity and permanent staging.