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DECEMBER 16, 2020
Foundation serves up tennis lessons
By Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
Since its October grand opening ceremony, the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Center in Zephyrhills has garnered widespread recognition for its breadth of racquet sports and other amenities. The 10-acre athletic complex, located off Simons Road, is owned by the City of Zephyrhills, but privately managed and operated. It boasts 11 tennis courts, eight pickleball courts and four padel courts. It also offers a mix of peak performance treat-
ments in the way of a state-of-the-art fitness center, cryotherapy, salt room therapy and sports counseling. These features, among others, set the facility up as a regional, national and even international racquet sports destination, with potential to host world-class tournaments and professional players on-site for training. But, beyond the scope of drawing tourism and big-money events to East Pasco, the sports facility also is serving up outreach opportunities for community youth. That’s being done through the facility’s
501c3 nonprofit partner organization, called the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Foundation. The foundation’s mission is “to provide tennis and education programming in Pasco County communities through characterbuilding, physical activity, and mentoring.” The foundation — and tennis center— is named in honor of the former Zephyrhills High School district champion who became a scholarship player on the University of South Carolina Upstate women’s tennis team.
See TENNIS, page 9A
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Pasco lifts restriction on Sunday morning alcohol sales By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
The Pasco County Commission has removed the county’s ban on the Sunday morning sales of alcoholic beverages. Now, alcohol sales on Sunday will be treated like alcohol sales on any other day of the week in the county, said County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder. Previously, the sales weren’t allowed on Sundays before 11 a.m. No one spoke during the public hearing and commissioners voted 5-0 to amend the ordinance, during the board’s Dec. 8 meeting. The change will take effect within 10 days of the board’s action. The change was prompted by Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, who raised the issue at a board meeting in September. “A lot of counties in the state and around the country have kind of moved away from this old-fashioned law,” Starkey said, at the time. She said constituents had told her they’d like to get rid of the restriction, and said she’d previously witnessed people milling around in the grocery store, waiting so they could purchase alcohol to take with them when they were headed out to go boating, scalloping or to another activity. She also said people who shop for groceries on Sunday morning shouldn’t be prevented from buying alcohol. The board also approved the selection of Shawn Foster LLC, doing business as Sunrise Consulting Group, to serve as the board’s outside consultant for a maximum of $60,000 a year. The board listened to presentations by Foster and by a representative for Shumaker Advisers Florida LLC before selecting Sunrise. At a board meeting in November, a panel of county staffers had recommended Corcoran and Associates, doing business as Corcoran Partners, be selected as the outside lobbyist. But, commissioners rejected the process and requested presentations before making a selection. Corcoran Partners did not participate in the presentations.
IN OTHER ACTION, COMMISSIONERS:
• Reorganized the board naming Ron Oakley as chairman and Starkey as vice chairwoman. See ALCOHOL, page 9A
faith &
Worship christmas Services and Activities
2020 DIRECTORY
inside this week page 7A
KELLI CARMACK
A showcase of the artistry of pottery The annual tradition of the Tampa Tour de Clay — now in its 13th year — gave pottery lovers a chance to check out new pieces — either live or virtually in an event that adjusted, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gallery hoppers could check out pieces on Dec. 12 and Dec. 13 at Jack Boyle’s San Antonio Pottery in San Antonio, Wellman and Welsch Pottery in Lutz, and Pottery Boys Clay Studios in Palm Harbor. Those who didn’t feel comfortable visiting the studios in person could take a virtual tour option, instead. One benefit of the virtual tour was that “attendees” could view and purchase work by some artists who were unable to attend the traditional tour, including Lynne Meade, Timothy Sullivan, Larry Allen, Jennifer McCurdy and Martha Grover. Above, Judy Bilek and Cindy Karafilis, both of Land O’ Lakes, browse Tampa Tour de Clay artist Ira Burhan’s work at Jack Boyle’s San Antonio Pottery studio. This was the first time the women had attended the tour, but after purchasing several pieces of pottery, it won’t be their last.
Tampa Tour de Clay artist Kimberli Cummings puts the finishing touches on her booth at the 13th annual Tampa Tour de Clay. She was stationed at Wellman and Welsch’s Pottery studio in Lutz. Cummings specializes in majolica pottery, and many of her pieces depict Tampa landscapes, such as the University of Tampa.
Tampa Tour de Clay artist William ‘Bill’ Kidd shows off one of his latest pieces available for purchase at the event.
Adding safety, security and savings to holiday shopping By Joey Johnston Special to The Laker/Lutz News
‘Tis the season of comfort and joy — unless you are trying to complete your holiday shopping in these pandemic-induced, economically shaky times. Then, it’s more like the season of stress. The good news is that with proper preparation, precautions and common sense, things can run much more efficiently. And, you might even save some money along the way. That’s the word from Taynisha Berenguer, a library service/technology guide with the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System. She recently shared a wealth of information in a webinar entitled: “Holiday Shopping: Safely, Securely, Sensibly.’’ “I know it’s a cliche, but shopping during the ‘new normal’ has a whole array of things to consider, and there are plenty of other things that you always need to think about,’’ she said. Here’s how Berenguer broke it down:
THE BASICS
Any good shopping expedition needs a plan.That’s where budgeting applies. Even when they have a sound budget, shoppers often overlook the holiday incidentals — such as tape and wrapping paper, Berenguer said. Research is essential, especially with so many online options. The pandemic has mandated some creative thinking. “You need to think outside the box … and by that, I mean it’s really easy to think about just the Big Three — Amazon,Walmart and Target,’’ Berenguer said. “There are a bunch of other retailers out there, along with many small local businesses.These are places to find some good buys and maybe find something really cool. “If you’re going to the brick-and-mortar store, make sure that store is open. Some may be offering curbside service.You’ve got to have your hand sanitizer and mask. You should research the busy times, especially if See SHOPPING, page 9A
COURTESY OF TAYNISHA BERENGUER
Taynisha Berenguer, of the Hillsborough County Public Library System, recently presented a webinar loaded with valuable information about saving money and avoiding scams during the holiday season.