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OCTOBER 14, 2015
Pasco’s tourism figures are rising By B.C. Manion
bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
When the final tourism numbers are in, Pasco County’s tourism manager believes the county will be issuing a report on a record year for the county. “I’m actually probably going to have a record year, once I see September’s numbers. The average daily room rate is up about 10 percent across the board,” said Ed Caum, tourism manager for Pasco County.“It’s pretty exciting.” And, the prospects are bright for even more visitors in the coming year. The county has several new attractions that will be opening soon, or have recently opened. Among them: • Tampa Premium Outlets, off State Road 54, near Interstate 75: This 441,000-squarefoot mall, featuring 110 retailers, is scheduled to open on Oct. 29. • Florida Hospital Center Ice, off State Road 56, parallel to Interstate 75, is set to open next spring. It is expected to attract tournaments, as well as thousands of local hockey players, skaters and other athletes. • Tree Hoppers, in Dade City, is a zipline course designed for aerial adventurers of all ability levels. • SunWest Park, in Hudson, is expected
FILE PHOTO
B.C. MANION/STAFF PHOTO
Tree Hoppers is an aerial adventure park in Dade City, giving people of all ability levels the chance to experience ziplining.
Ed Caum, tourism manager for Pasco County, believes the county is heading toward a record year in terms of tourism.
to attract worldwide attention for its beach volleyball courts and its wakeboard course. These attractions will help draw more visitors, which will increase tourism — and that benefits the county, Caum said during the Oct. 6 breakfast meeting of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce. Tourism figures matter — not only to people working directly in the hospitality industry, but to all of Pasco’s business owners and residents, Caum said. Taxes paid by tourists reduce the tax burden for Florida residents, he said. And, tourism provides jobs.
Across Florida, the state is projecting the need for 300,000 more hospitality employees by 2020, Caum told the breakfast crowd, gathered in the conference center at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch. “A lot of people are thinking, well that’s not really a lot of high-paying jobs,” Caum said. But he added: “We’re going to have to change our mentality about that a little bit. “Actually, the median wage for someone See TOURISM, page15A
Festival features snakes, music, food and fun By B.C. Manion
bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
It’s a tradition that dates back 49 years, and it takes a community to stage it — but it’s worth the effort because people really seem to have a good time, said Betty Walker, chairwoman of the San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival & Run. “Once those tents start going up, the atmosphere is charged all over town. Kids start getting excited. It’s a big event for San Antonio,” said Walker, who is a member of the Rotary Club of San Antonio. The event nearly died three years ago, after the people who organized the festival for decades decided they couldn’t do it. The seven Rotary Clubs of East Pasco took over the event to keep it going, and the Rotary Club of San Antonio took the reins last year,Walker said. The festival is a community event, in the truest sense of the word,Walker said. “The community is behind it. We could not do this without the community,” she said. It’s an event that aims to provide affordable fun for people of all ages. “Some of the people from other areas thought: ‘Well, rope off the park and charge admission,’ ”Walker said. But she added: “That’s not the way it works here. You can do that somewhere else, but not in San Antonio.” Admission and parking are free. There are four parking lots and there’s a bus to provide rides for those parking in the lot that’s farthest away, because it’s on the other side of State Road 52. “The entertainment is music all day long, from 10:15 (a.m.) until 5 o’clock. It’s mostly old-time and country music. We have a blue grass.We have an ’80s band,” she said. “Food — we have quite a variety. We have food trucks and booths. We have hamburgers and cheeseburgers, and fries. We have pizza. Hot dogs. Pulled pork and chicken. We have Caribbean, Cuban, Cajun, churros and this — I can’t wait to see this — there is 30-foot inflatable ice cream cone, and it serves soft-serve ice cream,” she said. And there’s more. “We have kettle corn, boiled peanuts,
PHOTOS COURTESY OF RATTLESNAKE FESTIVAL & RUN
Those attending the San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival & Run can buy a ticket to find out more about snakes at Jim Mendenhall’s Snake Show.
lemonade and iced tea, and believe it or not, one of the big attractions is the fresh, boiled corn on the cob. People say to me, ‘Well, you’re going to have corn on the cob, aren’t you?’” Walker said. In addition to plentiful food selections, there are scores of free activities. There are free games for children, free crafts run by the Future Teachers Association from Saint Leo University and demonstrations by Cowboy Tom and his horse, a retired rodeo man who does rope tricks. “We have a pioneer village, with a blacksmith, a rope winder, a basket maker, a cane weaver. We have a juggler, who even juggles fire,” Walker said. There’s also a small farm animal exhibit. And, of course, there’s Jim Mendenhall’s Snake Show. There is a charge, but it is less expensive than it was before,Walker said. See FESTIVAL, page15A
San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival & Run WHERE: San Antonio City Park, 12202 Main St., San Antonio WHEN: Oct. 17, 9 .m. to 5 p.m. (The 5-mile and 1-mile runs begin at 8 a.m. Races are for walkers, families, kids and dogs. The entry fee for both races is $25, and $5 for children who are younger than 10 who are accompanied by an adult.) WHAT: Music, gopher tortoise races, handmade arts and crafts, children’s rides and games, pumpkin patch, farmer’s market, farm animals, food trucks, beer garden, pioneer village and more. COST: Free admission and parking. Charges for snake show, food and vendor items. INFO: Call (352) 588-4444, or visit RattlesnakeFestival.com.
Zephyrhills author book sale, signing The Laker/Lutz News Staff Report
Mary Adele Cluck has published her first book in a series of princess fairy tale adventures, and will be selling and signing the book on Oct. 15. The event will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Dash of Salt n Pepper, 10333 Cross Creek Blvd., in New Tampa. The book, “Princess Alana and her Magic Dolphin,” was written by Cluck, who goes by the pen name of Mary Adele. Amber Olsen illustrated the book, which was published by Chris Coad Taylor, of JoHazel Publishing, in Land O’ Lakes. The book tells the story of Alana, a lonely
IMAGE COURTESY OF JOHAZEL PUBLISHING
Princess Alana develops a secret friendship with Dorsey, a magic dolphin that can talk. The story is told in ‘Princess Alana and her Magic Dolphin,’ written by Mary Adele Cluck, who lives in Zephyrhills.
princess who lives in a castle near the sea in Italy, and who develops a friendship with a dolphin named Dorsey. It is intended for audiences from toddlers to around age 9. The book sells for $12.95. The book also may be purchased online at Amazon.com. Cluck previously served on the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce for five years and was the organization’s executive director for two years. She and her husband live in Zephyrhills with their two dogs. More information is available at PrincessAlana.com.