The Laker-East Pasco-December 28, 2016

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The LAKER EAST PASCO EDITION

LAKERLUTZNEWS.COM

DECEMBER 28, 2016

Sugarcane festival adds spicy twist By Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com

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For the seventh straight year, the Raising Cane Festival returns to the Pioneer Florida Museum in Dade City. The sweet celebration, however, now comes with a spicy twist. The one-day festival, which highlights the traditional method of milling sugarcane into syrup, will include its first-ever chili cookoff. The event is set for Jan. 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 15602 Pioneer Museum Road. The International Chili Society (ICS), an organization that sanctions nearly 200 chili cook-offs worldwide each year, will sanction the cook-off, expected to feature at least 10

COURTESY OF RICHARD RILEY

A flat-belt tractor with steel rollers is another way sugarcane stalk is transformed into cane juice. One is shown here during a previous Raising Cane Festival.

professional chili competitors. The contest was added, in part, to help boost attendance, said event coordinator Brenda Minton. “I was always looking for something else to add to it that might bring in a different crowd — along with the ones that we had,” Minton said. Furthermore, she said the cook-off “adds credibility” to the annual Raising Cane Festival. “People come from all over to participate in it,” Minton said, referring to the chili cook-off competitors.They do that, she said, “because they want to get points, so that at the end of the year they can win prizes See SUGARCANE, page 15A

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Advance Tickets ON SALE NOW! www.flstrawberryfestival.com

FILE PHOTOS

Eighty-eight-year-old Angel Torres, center, a veteran from Puerto Rico and a resident of the Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Nursing Home, is being positioned to have his photograph taken by Mark Fosket, of Valrico, during the ‘Honor Flight’ ceremony at the nursing home. Gabrielle Perrella, a volunteer from Baltimore, Maryland, who is dressed in a uniform costume, posed with each veteran for their portrait.

2016 marked by rapid growth, touching moments By B.C. Manion

#berryfest17

bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com

March 2 –12, 2017 • Plant City, FL

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The national election captured headlines and attention, but 2016 was an eventful year in many other ways, as well, across The Laker/Lutz News coverage area. The big story is the region’s growth. New houses are popping up all over the place, with developments such as Long Lake Ranch, Estancia at Wiregrass Ranch, Connerton, Bexley and Asturia, just some of the residential communities beck-

oning to buyers. Pasco County is on the move in many other ways, too. A futuristic, technology-based network of communities across 7,800 acres in northeast Pasco County is in its planning stages. Raymond James Financial has closed on a deal to buy 65 acres across from PascoHernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, with the financial services giant expected to have hundreds of workers in Pasco County at some point. Florida Hospital Center Ice — a new

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See 2016, page 15A

Burgess seeks state funding for veterans’ health

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150,000-square-foot hockey arena and sports complex — is nearly set to open, and that is expected to be a big draw for both tournaments and tourists. And then, there’s the commercial development that continues to transform the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor, especially near the Interstate75/State Road 56 interchange. Just in that vicinity alone, there’s Tampa Premium Outlets, Longhorn Steakhouse, BJ’s

COURTESY OF THE GREATER ZEPHYRHILLS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

The venue’s moniker will be announced at the eighth annual Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Fest on Jan. 21. Naming winners will receive free parking to the BBQ fest, as well as other prizes.

By Kevin Weiss A new community venue in Zephyrhills needs a name. The City of Zephyrhills and The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce are conducting a contest to name the venue, which is located at the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. The venue, at 5200 Airport Road, is the site for the eighth annual Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Fest on Jan. 21. Ideally the venue’s name will reflect the purpose, location and history of the site.The name also should not imply that the venue’s sole purpose is for the annual barbecue and blues event. Submissions will be accepted through Jan. 6. Double entendres, that is, words with double meanings, will not be considered. The venue’s name will be selected by a city of Zephyrhills committee, and will be

ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

announced during the Pigz in Z’Hills event. Winners of the contest will receive a free parking pass to the BBQ fest, plus gifts and prizes. Melonie Monson, the chamber’s execuMelonie Monson tive director, said her office has already received “quite a few” submissions from locals. “Everybody’s got a different idea,” she said.“It’s quite fun to see the different ones that are coming in.” The $60,000 venue is owned and operated by the City of Zephyrhills. The city contributed $30,000 to its construction, while Florida Hospital Zephyrhills donated $30,000 to build a permanent stage.

Alternative therapies to treat post-traumatic stress or brain injuries are bringing relief to veterans who say more traditional approaches don’t work. Rep. Danny Burgess is sponsoring a bill (the Alternative Treatment for Veterans Act) in the 2017 Florida legislative session to authorize the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs to provide state funding for alternative treatments offered by nonprofits and state university organiza- Danny Burgess tions, according to a news release from Burgess’ office. It is similar to the national Cover Act (Creating Options for Veterans’ Expedited Recovery), sponsored by U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, which focuses on mental health care options, such as sports therapy and service dog therapy. Such legislation “will help ensure the (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) finally

See VENUE, page 15A

See FUNDING, page 15A

Name sought for new Zephyrhills venue kweiss@lakerlutznews.com

By Kathy Steele


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