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Happy Father’s June 16th www.newsofkingspoint.com
June, 2013
Model citizens -The Kings Point Model Train Club Brings Imagination to Life
By E. Adam Porter News of Kings Point Walk into the North Clubhouse and hang a left down the hallway. You can’t miss it. Peek inside and find a world in miniature, men studying it with deep concentration. Some tinker with this and that. Others flip switches and watch as their tiny trains come to life, chugging quietly down the track. The engines and their cars pass through industrial areas, countryside and small towns, all wrought in whimsical detail. One glance and two things become abundantly clear – what you are looking at sure took a lot of work, and these guys are having a blast. One of the latest decisions by the club is a plan to move away from DC current to DCC current. Member, Jim Langdoc, explains, “DCC or Digital Direct Current will allow us to do more. The trains can be operated more realistically. Model railroads for years have been run on the idea that to move
Members of the Kings Point Model Railroad Club include Charlie Gause, Vic Dougherty, Erwin Weinstein, Martin Helveston, Jim Langdoc, Joe Collins, Carl Tournear and Lou Einhorn.
the train you turn the current to the rails on and off. With DCC the rails are hot the whole time. You can dial up or down the speed of the train, regulating the engine rather than the power to the rails.” The cost of the DCC conversion will be largely covered by a grant from the Kings Point
COA. “This grant allows us to prepare for the future. We can modernize the layout and prepare for new members who are accustomed to using DCC current in their own train sets.” Langdoc said. Though the setup – and it’s expansive – has Grand Central, Orlando and Kings Point
stations, the environments are not precisely modeled after any specific geographical or metro area. The guys just let their imaginations drive their creativity. “Some of it is industrial and some of it is residential. A large part of it is industrial because that is where it makes Continued on Page 21
There is Nothing Like a Dame
Sun City Center is fortunate to have two theater companies, The Performing Arts Company and the Pelican Players, to entertain audiences from the greater Tampa Bay area. Both companies have recently appointed women to lead the way. These women have great energy, are passionate about theater, and are excellent performers who are both dedicated to ensuring the future of theater in the South Shore. PAC President, Ellen Kleinschmidt and Pelican Players President, Linda Halperin have dynamic new approaches to theater growth and hopes for South Shore theater lovers. To borrow the title of a song from the popular Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, South Pacific, “There is nothing like a dame”. And when it comes to excellence in theater production and management, these two dynamic, dedicated “dames” are out to prove that they’ve got what it takes to get the job done!! Both Linda and Ellen come from strong, yet different theater backgrounds. Linda was a theater major in college where she learned all aspects of theater production. But her career for 25
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years has been as an oncology social worker. Her retirement goal was to become involved with a local theater company. Imagine her joy when she found the Pelican Players in her own backyard. Ellen’s career has been in music education, with 25 years spent as an elementary music specialist. She has spent the last 13 years learning everything she could about the world of musical theater, both onstage and off. Her playground has been The Riverview Little Theater and The Rollins Theater, home of the Performing Arts Company. A recent meeting between the two presidents focused on how each group could work together to contribute to the success of the performing arts in the South Shore. Plans discussed include cross advertising, promoting each others’ shows, syncing calendars to avoid overlapping of performances and meeting on a regular basis to brainstorm issues and new ideas. A director’s workshop, conducted by PAC Chairman of the Board and former NY actor and director, Lew Resseguie and sponsored by both theater companies, is scheduled for this summer. Part of the future will most
Photo by Jo Prater Ellen Kleinschmidt, President of the Performing Arts Company, and Linda Halperin, President of the Pelican Players are the two “Dames” who are working together to prove that they’ve got what it takes to get the job done when it comes to excellence in theater production and presentations.
probably cause the two companies to unite in some fashion in order to continue presenting musicals and plays to an audience that doesn’t have to drive 45 minutes to Tampa or Sarasota for their theater entertainment. Foremost on both women’s agendas is to make sure that the surrounding communities know that all
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performances by both theater companies are open to the public. Everyone is welcome to audition and to attend all shows! The primary goal of the Pelican Players has been to provide college scholarships to high school seniors interested in pursuing a degree in the performing arts. Halperin
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