Osprey Observer Bloomingdale/FishHawk October 2022

POSITIVE

TWO BRANDON BREWERIES THAT SHOULD BE ADDED TO BAY CRAFT PASS

Visit Tampa Bay re cently created a Bay Crafted Pass. The Bay Crafted Pass was de signed to drive eco nomic impact to partner breweries in Hillsborough County by mar keting to beer and cocktail enthusi asts in Florida and drive mar kets.

Visitors can download the electronic passport, check in at diferent breweries via geo tar geting and will then be able to claim prizes from Visit Tampa Bay if enough locations were visited. As a partnership-based organization, Visit Tampa Bay presented the opportunity to be included in the Bay Crafted campaign to all its craft brew ery partners located within Hill sborough County. New brewer ies can be added at any time, so long as they are located within the destination.

By Libby Hopkins

popular with many local charities.

Visit Tampa Bay recently creat ed a Bay Crafted Pass. Te pass was designed to drive economic impact to partner breweries in Hillsborough County by marketing to beer and cocktail enthusiasts in Florida and drive markets. Breweries in the Brandon area need to be included with the pass.

My hope for this pass is that it adds some of the awesome breweries we have in the Brandon area, like Bullfrog Creek Brewing Company and Leaven Brewing.

Bullfrog Creek Brewing Company started out of a humble two-car garage, and now it is in its very own brewery and tap room in Valrico. It is owned by veteran Tampa na tives. “We have great beer and a cozy feel to our brewery,” said Jamie Ratclif, founder of Bullfrog Creek. “We also have something going on every night at Bullfrog. It’s a great place to come and hangout, have some great beer and a good time with your friends or family.”

Ratclif is also a huge supporter keeping things local and giving back to the commu nity. “We love being a part of our communi ty and we want to give back whenever we can,” Ratclif said. Its music bingos are very

Leaven Brewing is an other local favorite. The goal at Leaven was to become a neighborhood brewery with a hyperlo cal mindset. KJ and Jil lian of Leaven Brewing have accomplished that and then some. They make beer they like to drink and beer that the River view communi ty likes to drink as well. “Leaven is place where you can come alone and by the time you leave you’ve made a new friend,” Jil lian said. “We

have a lot of fun and we are very welcoming.

Leaven is also very family oriented, so Jil lian gets the awesome opportunity to bring her little girl with her to work. “This gives me the ability to do what I love and have my family with me while I’m doing it,” Jillian said. “Everyone knows my little girl, and she loves being around our customers.”

These are just a few reasons why I feel Visit Tampa Bay should extend their Bay Crafted Brewery Pass to include Bullfrog Creek and Leaven. If you are reading this, I encourage you to stop by these two great breweries and experience them for yourself.

Bullfrog Creek Brewing Co. is located at 3632 Lithia Pinecrest Rd. in Valrico and Leaven Brewing is located at 11238 Boyette Rd. in Riverview. For more information, vis it https://bullfrogcreekbrewing.com/ and www.leavenbrewing.com.

Those who are interested in a fun Hal loween event that isn’t oc curring on Hal loween itself can look for ward to lots of enjoyment and excitement for kids and adults at the 28th an nual Haunted Woods. This will be the return of the event, as it was unfor tunately unable to be held for the past two years thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s glad to be back to provide good times for all its guests.

Happening at Hills borough River State Park on Friday, Octo ber 21 and Saturday, October 22 from 5:3010 p.m., this is an event with fun, spooky times for the whole family.

By Taylor Wells costumes as well.

the Scare Trail, working with food, among other things. It needs 250 volunteers, and volunteers will be able to earn service hours while enjoying food and having fun. If you’re interested in volunteers as an individu al or a group, visit the event’s web site and register by Monday, October 10. All applicants will be background-checked.

“We have the trail; we have a DJ out there; we have a dance area; we have dance contests, and costume contests for the kids; and we have a kids area,” said Walt Wil liams, president of the Hillsborough River State Park Preservation Society. “We don’t recommend anybody under 12 going on the trail because it gets so scary out there sometimes.”

Be warned however, even adults have been known to get terrified by the monsters lurking in wait on the Scare Trail, accord ing to Williams. If anyone gets too scared, they only need to tell a Haunted Woods at tendant and they’ll be taken from the trail

There are also volunteer opportunities at the Haunted Woods, such as wearing cos tumes around the area, scaring guests on

Attending costs $10 per person, cash only, but children 12 and under are free. All pro ceeds from this event will go toward the Hill sborough River State Park Preservation So ciety and help improve the park. Among other things, the proceeds will assist in raising the $100,000 needed for restoring the park’s Fort Foster, as its wooden structures have deteriorated. So, with events like Haunted Woods, just com ing by and having fun can help the park.

Hillsborough River State Park is located at 15402 U.S. Hwy. 301 N. in Thonotosassa. For more information about the Haunted Woods or to volunteer, visit www.floridas tateparks.org/events/28th-annual-haunt ed-woods.

Cooper Dean of Valri co is a student at Lith ia Springs Elementary. In November 2020, she won a nationwide con test with her submission of Chicken Poo Bingo, a tabletop game she came up with after seeing a real-life depiction while camping.

After winning the con test, she was contacted by one of the sponsors about potentially licensing the idea and bringing it to market. “Which is exactly what has happened,” said Cooper’s dad, Ryan Dean. “More than 18 months after Cooper created the prototype, Goliath Games, a global toy company, is launch ing the commercial version this month in stores across the U.S. as well as several countries around the world.”

By Libby Hopkins

they get so many entries, but once she decided to do it, we wanted her to put in her best e f ort re gardless of the outcome. Having the game actu ally sitting on shelves is pretty surreal.”

The premise is for the chicken to ‘poop’ out candy onto a master bingo board and players try to fill up the squares on their card, just like in a bingo hall. The winner gets candy, which adds to the fun.

FISHHAWK TEEN WINS INTERNATIONAL SINGING COMPETITION

Alexis Bentinga nan competed in the “Colors of Voices” compe tition, presented by the Interna tional Festival of Language and Culture (IFLC) and earned a lot of “Respect” in the process.

Cooper Dean of Valrico is a student at Lithia Springs Elementary. In November 2020, she won a nationwide contest with her submission of Chicken Poo Bingo, a tabletop game she came up with after seeing a real-life depiction while camping. Her game is now available in national retail stores.

The Goliath team has been great about including Cooper in the development process via Zoom calls and even put her picture on the back of the box. “Needless to say, she is very excited to finally see it hit store shelves,” Dean said. “My wife, Jennifer, and I are simply happy for Coo per. The whole thing has been a great experience for her. We knew it was a long shot that she’d win the contest, as

In the real-life version, chick ens are enticed by players with feed to come to a square and mark it while Cooper uses a windup chicken she got in an Easter basket that wad dles around the board and makes deposits on the numbers. “Cooper still comes up with games all the time,” Dean said. “You can make a game out of almost anything, which is actually a great brainstorming exercise to get ideas flowing. Her young er brother, Brooks, also has a game that he wants to create, so we’ll see how that goes.”

Cooper’s game can be found in Target, Walmart, Kohl’s, JCPenney and Bass Pro Shop. It’s also available on Amazon.

Not only did the teen, a so prano, perform her rendition of Aretha Franklin’s 1967 hit song that mixes rock and roll, gospel and blues during the finals, held in Berlin, Ger many, but she beat out 12 other artists from 11 diferent countries and secured first place in the competition.

“I chose that song because Aretha Frank lin is an integral part of American history and was such an outspoken voice in her time,” she said. “I thought it was a fitting song for the competition.”

Sixteen-year-old Bentinganan, who is in the musical theater program at Howard W. Blake High School, practiced the song ev ery day for months, hoping to win the top prize.

She was selected as a finalist after judg es perused thousands of audition videos submitted to the organization from contes tants throughout the world. She earned a spot in the finals for her video performance of “Anyone” by Demi Lovato. In addition to Bentinganan, two other U.S. citizens were selected as finalists.

Bentinganan traveled to Germany with her father, Vimille Bentinganan, who said it was a fantastic experience.

By Michelle Caceres

“She put in many hours re hearsing, but when it was time for her to com pete, she just owned the stage and won,” he said.

When they an nounced her as the winner Bent inganan said she was shocked and amazed. “I was in a state of dis belief and excite ment that I had won,” she said. “I felt like all of my hard work and practice paid of.”

This competition was just the beginning as Bentinganan continues to hone her craft. She is training with vocal coach Craig Wich, who also coaches Talia Suskauer, currently playing Elphaba in Wicked.

Bentinganan hopes to one day perform on Broadway in New York City. Her dream role would be to play Kim in Miss Saigon. She also aspires to be a singer/songwriter. She plays piano and writes original songs.

She’s well on her way to achieving her goal, with auditions lined up in New York. She’s also in the final round of in-person auditions for a girl group America 2 Korea (A2K). If selected, she will attend a vocal bootcamp in Los Angeles. Semifinalists will be flown to Korea where they will undergo intensive training from choreographers and producers.

Benginganan is excited for her future.

“I just audition for as many things as possible and am happy to be doing what I love,” she said.

For more information about the “Colors of Voices” competition visit www.intflc.org.

FishHawk teen Alexis Bentinganan won the “Color of Voices” music competition with a rendition of Aretha Franklin’s Respect.

YMCA Camp Cristina is a 65-acre campus in Riverview that hosts an after-school program, group team building events, summer camp, spring break camp, family activities and so much more.

At YMCA Camp Cris tina, the staf aims to impact the lives of all their guests by provid ing inclusive experienc es and lifelong memo ries in an environment that awakens the imagination, inspires dreams and provides a sense of achievement and belonging. “With all of our programs here at YMCA Camp Cristina, we truly focus on the wellbeing of our members,” said YMCA Camp Cristina’s exec utive director, Dave Boyle. “No matter what program or class our members take, there is a focus.”

The land for YMCA Camp Cristina was donated in the late ’80s and became a summer camp in 1992. “It ran as a sum mer camp for about 30 years,” Boyle said. “I came on board with Camp Cristina in 2019.”

YMCA Camp Cristina is so much more than just a camp. “During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of our parents were telling us about their concerns for their mental wellbeing and their children’s,” Boyle said. “They were worried about their children becoming depressed and other ad

By Libby Hopkins

olescent issues coming to the forefront. The cool thing we do here at Camp Cristina is that we make all of our programs responsive to those things that parents are worried about.”

YMCA Camp Cris tina also works with local community part ners like Feeding Tam pa Bay to help with their programming. “Exercise and nutrition plays a huge part in the wellbeing of children,” Boyle said. “We know that many families in the area are food inse cure, so we make sure that food is available in our camps and af ter-school programs. Feeding Tampa Bay helps us meet this need of our families.”

The feedback Boyle and his staf get from their members is inspiring. “A lot of our parents tell us that the focus we put into the health and mental wellbeing of our programs has made a diference in their lives and the lives of their children,” Boyle said. “It’s a great feeling to know that we are making an impact with what we do here at Camp Cristina YMCA.”

To learn more about the programs ofered at YMCA Camp Cristina, visit www.tam paymca.org/locations/ymca-camp-cristi na or call 813-677-8400. Camp Cristina YMCA is located at 9840 Balm Riverview Rd. in Riverview.

YMCA Camp Cristina is a 65-acre campus in Riverview that hosts an af ter-school program, group team building events, summer camp, spring break camp, family activities and so much more.

OSPREY OBSERVER WEBSITE HAS GROWN MUCH SINCE LAUNCHING 20 YEARS AGO

By Taylor Wells

full editions online and we use it ourselves as a reference tool for re search purposes,” said Marie Gilm ore, managing editor of the Osprey Observer

Twenty years ago, the Osprey Observer began printing papers featuring stories about and for our local community. Short ly after in that same year, keeping up with the ever-rising importance of comput ers and the internet, we announced the launch of our website, www.ospreyob server.com, on page five of our October 2002 FishHawk edition.

Since then, the website has been con stantly evolving, now being more interac tive, mobile-compliant, having an updated layout as well as being hosted and main tained via WordPress, which is currently used by 34 percent of all websites. And our website is featuring more than just news articles, such as plenty of Osprey Observer TV episodes and podcasts.

The Osprey Observer has also grown to include Facebook (@OspreyObserverFans), Twitter (@ospreyobserver) and Instagram (@ospreyobserver) pages, as well as a You Tube channel at www.youtube.com/user/ myospreytv. Also, news articles from ev ery edition are post ed online, so readers can look forward to consistent news sto ries from the Osprey Observer in print and on the internet.

“The website is a great source of infor mation for our com munity. There are archived stories and

But other than additional fea tures, the website has also shown huge growth in page views since beginning. For instance, its month ly and yearly page views have steadily increased since 2017, to taling around 160,000 in 2017 to just over 1 million in 2021. It’s on track to surpass that number this year as well with about 850,000 views so far by the end of September.

In addiiton to this growth, the Osprey Observer has added a staf member to keep up with all of the website and social postings. Wendi Westrate is our social ad ministrator who keeps the site and pages optimized for easy viewing and searching.

“These pages are so fun to manage,” de scribes Westrate. “The monthly numbers are staggering due to our rich content.”

This growth could only be possible thanks to our community, and so the Os prey Observer thanks all of our readers in print and online for their support.

A screenshot of the Osprey Observer website back in November 2002, a month after it frst launched.

A screenshot of the Osprey Observer website’s homepage taken on September 14.

A photo of the story on page 5of our October 2002 FishHawkedition announcing the launchof the Osprey Observer website.

OHANA TRAINING CENTER’S DOGS ARE STARS

Breaking into the movie industry requires skill and a lot of luck, especially if your pre ferred method of com munication is a bark or tail wag.

Plant City resident Cassie Kennedy, owner of Ohana Dog Training Center, has found suc cess (well, her pooch es have), thanks to her ability as a trainer. Beck, her 1-year-old Belgian Malinois, re cently starred as a su perhero in R.A.D.A.R.: Adventures of the Bi onic Dog, a Dean Cain movie filmed in Dune din.

“Beck learned every behavior they asked of her, from digging a hole to pick ing up a treasure chest,” said Kennedy. “The only trick she couldn’t learn was how to fly, for that they used CGI.”

Her dogs receive extensive training to follow commands as well as how to inter act with others on the set.

Kennedy’s other dogs include border collies Ren, Stoke and Tiki, golden retriev er Atlas and German shepherd Murphy, who have been featured in kids’ music videos, at sporting events, on the Home Shopping Network and Puppy Pals

When not booked on acting jobs, Ken nedy’s pups perform tricks and demon strations at fairs, local events and area schools, including Lopez Elementary in Sefner.

By Michelle Caceres

“It’s fun to see kids’ faces light up when they see the tricks my dogs can do,” she said.

Kennedy, an Animal Behavior College-cer tified dog trainer and Do More With Your Dog-certified trick dog instructor, rec ognized her passion when, at 8 years old, she was given a gold en retriever puppy she named Fathom.

“I trained him to do tricks and really en joyed it,” she said.

In addition to train ing her prized pooches, whom she considers family, she also specializes in private and group obedience training with dogs and puppies of all breeds, private and group trick training and dog boarding.

“Adults and kids love it when they see their puppy doing a trick for the first time,” she said.

Ohana Dog Training Center is located at 6522 Staford Rd. in Plant City on 50 acres and is open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m., with classes held on the weekends. It features an agility course, disc dog training field and a swimming pool for canine hydrotherapy.

“We are proud to train our own dogs at our facility as well as yours,” said Kenne dy.

For more information, visit https:// ohanadogtrainingcenter.com or call 813344-2264.

TAILGATE TASTE FEST COMES TO CURTIS HIXON IN TAMPA

Sports fans from all over Tampa Bay will rejoice when Tampa Bay’s Tailgate Taste Fest comes to Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in downtown Tampa on Saturday, October 15 from 3-10:30 p.m.

Tampa Bay’s Tailgate Taste Fest started as a late summer event to celebrate the kickof to football season. “After a few years, we real ized that football isn’t the only sport that peo ple tailgate for, so we decided to move it to the fall, when more major sports are in season, and make it an all-encompassing tailgate party,” said Jenna Grooms of the Event Development Institute (https://growyourevent.com/). “Now, we celebrate tailgating for all sports seasons.”

Sports fans from all over Tampa Bay will rejoice when Tampa Bay’s Tailgate Taste Fest comes to Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in downtown Tampa on Saturday, October 15 from 3-10:30 p.m.

By Libby Hopkins

cation or you own a company and want to reserve a vendor booth to get expo sure to thousands of Tampa Bay locals or just want to vol unteer your time to help with the event operations, we’ve got a spot for you,” Grooms said.

Tampa Bay’s Tailgate Taste Fest will have everything that your favorite tailgate has, like food from 15 local restaurants, live mu sic, family-friendly games, cornhole, giant TV screens showing college football and, of course, cold beer. “What makes this event unique is the participation from all of our Tampa Bay professional franchises and a few other local sports entities, so attendees can interact with mascots and cheerleaders and participate in activations from the Bucs, Rays, Lightning, Rowdies, Valspar Champi onship, Gasparilla Bowl and Pelican Wom en’s Championship,” Grooms said.

There are multiple ways to get involved with Tailgate Taste Fest. “Whether you own a restaurant and think this event would be a good way to spread the word about your lo

The goal for Grooms and her team is to make Tail gate Taste Fest the sport event of the year. “Our goal is to grow the event from an attendance standpoint, but more impor tantly we want the event to make an impact on our local businesses,” Grooms said. “This year, we are paying special attention to lo cal, minority-owned businesses and hope to include them as restaurant vendors, spon sors and operational vendors.”

Tampa Bay’s Tailgate Taste Fest is free to the public to attend. “Bring your friends and family and enjoy a wonderful afternoon at the park and once again be immersed in the ultimate tailgate experience,” Grooms said.

“No outside food or drink is permitted, but feel free to BYOC (bring your own chair).”

Restaurants from around Tampa Bay will be cooking up all of your tailgate favorites, right in the middle of Curtis Hixon Park. To enjoy these award-worthy eats, a taste tab or VIT (very important tailgater) pass must be purchased. Taste tabs range in price from $15-$100.

For more information, visit www.tailga tetastefest.com.

Plant City resident Cassie Kennedy of Ohana Dog Training Center hires her well-trained pooches out for acting jobs but also ofers classes in obedience and trick training.

October is the month of frights and spookiness, but terrifying costumes and decorations aren’t the only way for kids to expe rience such thrills. Locales with mysterious histo ries and the possibility of ghosts are everywhere, waiting to share their own stories. Many such sites reside in Tampa, and kids with a taste for ghostly thrills can learn about some in New York Times best-selling author Sta cia Deutsch’s The Ghostly Tales of Tampa.

Published by Arcadia Children’s Books and adapt ed from Deborah Frethem’s Haunted Tampa: Spirits of the Bay, the book shares a selection of children-friend ly stories that will excite their adventurous spirits. A few include ghost sightings in the early days of Tampa, Hotel Floridian, the Sykes Building and Tampa The atre. With over 10 chapters totaling over 100 pages, it’s a short series of enjoyably eerie points in Tampa’s history.

“It was such a fun project. I can’t even believe what a great time I had doing this,” said Deutsch. “I’m not a huge ghost per son, and I tend to get a little bit scared. My husband … says that he sees ghosts all the time, and he always says, ‘They’re kind, they’re nice.’ … It’s not like the movies. He’s like, ‘It’s just part of the fabric of the world,

By Taylor Wells

right?’ And so when I think about it that way, it’s a little less scary.”

“And the ghosts I found for the Tampa book, they’re not like pop-up Halloween ghosts, they’re ghosts that are roaming on their properties or staying in the places that they loved,” Deutsch said. “I mean, I’ll admit it, I’m still a little bit scared.”

Deutsch wrote this book as a condensed version of Haunted Tam pa so it would be more interesting and appro priate for kids. Having written around 350 books for children, she is well experienced in writ ing for them.

She hopes The Ghostly Tales of Tampa will in spire kids and their par ents to try to learn more, seek out these sites and see if they can find a ghost or feel its pres ence. She also said she hopes they’ll “find out more about the building, what happened there before, who lived there and who walked there,” as well as explore online and local areas for similar tales.

“That stuf just sparks creativity and imagination,” said Deutsch.

To purchase The Ghostly Tales of Tam pa, visit www.arcadiapublishing.com/ products/9781467198745, Amazon and other places where books are sold.

NOVEMBERFEST RETURNS TO THE BRANDON COMMUNITY WITH ITS 51ST ANNUAL EVENT

Nativity Cath olic Church is preparing for its 51st annual No vemberfest in the middle of Novem ber that serves as the church’s largest fundrais er and as enter tainment for the Brandon commu nity after a twoyear hiatus due to COVID-19.

Starting on Thursday, No vember 17 and running until Sunday, November 20, Novem berfest will be hosted on the corner of Bryan Road and U.S. Highway 60 on the Nativity Catholic School and Church campus. While the event is especially fun for Nativity’s stu dents, who get to watch the carnival come to life through their classroom windows, the carnival is a staple in the Brandon commu nity. Each year, the field is covered in rides, games and food for family and kids of all ages.

The annual Novemberfest carnival is Na tivity Catholic Church’s largest fundraiser that helps organize and run its Faith For mation program and youth ministries. In addition to supporting church programs, the money earned during the carnival sup ports Nativity Catholic School for students in pre-K through eighth grade.

In order to make Novemberfest possible each year, Nativity relies on a team of ded icated volunteers for set-up, operation, and break-down of the event. Volunteer sign-ups

By Lily Belcher

open on October 1. Volunteers will give their time preparing for the event and run ning rafe tickets and food booths in the main tent.

“Novemberfest is an amazing weekend of fellowship, team work, celebration and dedication.” ac cording to the web site. “We look for ward to sharing this opportunity with you.”

Sponsorships are also vital to the success of the event. Dia mond, gold, silver and bronze sponsorships are available to companies that want to sup port the event and Nativity Catholic Church and will have a banner hung in the tent as recognition.

This year’s diamond sponsors already in clude Bill’s Prescription Center, SouthState, Rivard Buick GMC and B&B Ice and Wa ter. Gold sponsorships cost $1,000, silver sponsorships cost $500 and bronze spon sorships cost $300. Information on banner sizes, benefits of becoming a sponsor and the commitment form are available on the Novemberfest website.

With questions about volunteering, con tact Therese Alonso at 689-3395 ext. 2277 or at dosa@nativitycatholicschool.org.

For more information about November fest and sponsorship information, call the church ofce at 813-681-4608 or visit the website at www.nativitycatholicchurch.org/ novemberfest.

Photo credit: Val Westover Photography Stacia Deutsch, author of Te Ghost ly Tales of Tampa, has written over 300 children’s books.

Te 51st annual Novemberfest will be hosted by Nativity Catholic Church to support its school and ministries.

VILLAGE PLAYERS TO PRESENT SEX PLEASE, WE’RE SIXTY

The Village Play ers will present Sex Please, We’re Sixty in October at its theater, located in the historic James McCabe The ater in Valrico. Sex Please, We’re Sixty is a hilarious American farce written by Mi chael E. Parker and Susan Parker.

Sex Please, We’re Sixtywill be present ed on Friday, Octo ber 7, 14 and 21 and Saturday, October 8, 15 and 22 at 8 p.m. There will be two Sunday matinees on October 9 and 16 at 3 p.m. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.thevillage playersvalrico.com or by calling the box ofce at 813480-3147.

Sex Please, We’re Sixty, written by Michael and Susan Parker. The comedy is great because of their imagi native humor. They have created a hilarious American farce about folks, all age 60 and older, looking for romance at a seaside bed and breakfast owned and operated by Mrs. Stanclif, a proper, straightlaced, punctual widower.

The setting for Sex Please, We’re Sixty is a bed and breakfast. The characters include four women, including Victoria Ambrose,

By Kathy L. Collins

a romance novelist; Hillary Hudson, Henry Mitchell’s ‘guest’; and Charmaine Beaure gard, a quintessential southern belle. There are two men, both neighbors of Mrs. Standif, Bud Davis and Henry. Throw into the mix a 20-plus year romance with some little blue pills and you get lots of laughs. Sex Please, We’re Six ty quickly blossoms into a delightful bowl of giggles, stomach wrenching laughter and pay back.

“It has been a true joy working with the cast and crew of Sex Please, We’re Sixty,” said director Sheilia Stacy-Taylor. “Each ac tor has fully embraced their character and developed them with love and good humor. I hesitate to describe much about this play, but you will really miss out if you do not get out to see the antics of these laughable and loveable characters,” Stacy-Taylor added.

The Village Players are a nonprofit com munity teaching theater. It performs its shows at the James McCabe Theater, which was built in 1915, and the building is on Hill sborough County’s Registry of Historic Plac es. The theater is located at 506 N. 5th St. in Valrico.

RIDE AT BUSCH GARDENS TAMPA BAY HONORED AT THE PRESTIGIOUS GOLDEN TICKET AWARDS

RECORD-BREAKING

Iron Gwazi, North America’s tallest and the world’s fastest and steepest hy brid coaster, has been awarded the Golden Tick et Award for the Best New Roller Coaster in 2022.

The sought-after awards were an nounced this past September 10 at Amusement Today’s pres tigious award ceremony, designed to recognize ex cellence in the theme park industry. Results for the Golden Ticket Awards originate from a tabulation of hundreds of experienced industry individuals that, along with in dustry journalists and ride suppliers, vot ed for Iron Gwazi as the Best New Roller Coaster.

In addition to the highly desired acco lade, the record-breaking coaster made an astonishing debut on the Best Steel Coaster chart, determined from more than 500 ballots produced for the most experienced park enthusiasts to cast their votes. With less than half a year of operation, Iron Gwazi ranks in the top five steel roller coasters in the world.

“On behalf of all our ambassadors and enthusiasts around the world, it’s an hon or to be present at this year’s Golden Ticket Awards Ceremony and accept the award for Best New Roller Coaster,” said

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s park president, Neal Thurman.

“Iron Gwazi is the thrill of a lifetime. If you have not yet experienced the rush of Iron Gwazi, I hope you can join us at the park during HowlO-Scream this fall or our family favorite event, Christmas Town.”

North America’s tallest hybrid coaster takes thrills to new heights, plunging riders from a 206-foot-tall peak down a 91-degree drop and reaching top speeds of 76 miles per hour. Iron Gwazi is Bus ch Gardens’ 10th coaster and joins the already exhilarating collection of thrill rides. Riders can experience a dozen air time moments, three inversions and race along more than 4,000 feet of steel track.

Guests can visit https://buschgarden stampa.com/ to purchase tickets and know more about the current special ofer for the 2023 Fun Card, where pay ing for one day will allow unlimited visits through 2023 and the rest of 2022 free.

Be the first to know about new events, special deals and future announcements by following the park’s blog at https:// buschgardens.com/tampa/blog/, or fol low Busch Gardens on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter.

Te Village Players will perform the hilarious comedy, Sex Please, We’re Sixty in October at their historic theatre in Valrico.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s Iron Gwazi was awarded the Golden Ticket Award for the Best New Roller Coaster in 2022.

ThankYou For ChosingUs!

Manatee Memorial Hospital

Recipient of the Bradenton’s Best 2022 Gold Award

Presented by the Bradenton Herald

”Manatee Memorial Hospital provides quality and compassionate care to our patients. Now approaching its 70th year, we are proud of the services we deliver and look forward to continually meeting the healthcare needs of our growing community.”

Tom McDougal, Jr., DSc, FACHE CEO, Manatee Memorial Hospital

Physicians are on the medical staff of Manatee Memorial Hospital, but, with limited exceptions, are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Manatee Memorial Hospital. The hospital shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians. For language assistance, disability accommodations and the nondiscrimination notice, visit

FISHHAWK TEEN USES BRADY STATS TO RAISE FUNDS FOR 1VOICE FOUNDATION

FishHawk teen Ella Notel has combined her love of arguably football’s greatest quarterback, Tom ‘The GOAT’ Brady, and 1Voice Foun dation to create a unique fundraising opportunity.

The Newsome High senior, who has volunteered with the 1Voice Foundation, that supports children with cancer and their families by connecting them with financial, emotional and edu cation care as well as funding research for a cure, has learned a lot from work ing with the charity.

“Volunteering for this organization has opened my eyes to the number of ways I can help these families,” said Notel. The teen formed a particularly strong con nection with 7-year-old cancer survivor Laurel, who went through treatment during COVID-19 and couldn’t go in public much. Notel would set up regular Zoom calls, during which they’d would talk and laugh for hours.

“The day she told me that she had beat cancer, it put a spark in me and inspired me to do more,” she said.

This is where Brady comes in. Notel admires the Buccaneer star player’s phil anthropic nature. “He’s a great player on the field, but o f the field he’s formed his own charitable organization and helped many other organizations,” she said.

With the help of her father, she cre ated a website that uses Brady’s Sep

By Michelle Caceres

tember home game statistics (his pass ing and running statistics) to pro duce an amount to donate to 1Voice Foundation. Donors identify their dona tion multiple, input the multiple into the formula and make the donation.

For example, during the Sep tember 11 game against the Dallas Cowboys, he complet ed 18 passes out of 27 attempts for a to tal of 212 yards, scored one touchdown, had one interception and was sacked twice. He completed no running yards. If a donor had selected a donation multiple of one cent ($0.01), the total donation amount for that game would have been $1.31.

Each game’s statistics are input within 30 minutes after the end of the game.

“Since September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month and I’m a football fan, I thought this would be a great way to raise awareness for pediatric cancer and fundraise,” said Notel. “We raised $401.86 during the first game.”

If donations increase, she is consid ering expanding it to other games. Her total fundraising goal for the month is $6,000.

“The donation portal is still open, and if you prefer you can do a flat donation,” she said.

For more information or to make a donation to her fundraiser, visit https:// goatgifting.com. teen Ella Notel created GoatGifting with her father to raise funds for 1Voice Foundation.

SmileLYNN Pe diatric Dentistry in Apollo Beach has been a dedicated supporter of the FishHawk Spar tans since Dr. Casey Lynn started his practice in 2018. In addition to being a board member, Dr. Lynn and his team donate to the Spar tans to give back to the community and foster a love for the sport he grew up playing.

“My goal was to pick an organization that I aligned with when I opened to give back, and a youth football program was the perfect fit,” said Dr. Lynn about his decision to sponsor the Spartans. “The fact that the Spartans provide scholarships for those that could not traditionally aford to play was a big deciding factor in my involve ment.”

Dr. Lynn grew up playing sports and saw the benefits of learning discipline, communi cation and hard work through his time play ing football. As a pediatric dentist, he want ed to give back to his community and the families he serves. Sponsoring the Spartans allowed his to do this while supporting the sport that taught his important life skills.

“As a sponsor, I donate all of the football players mouthguards each year. Obviously, as a pediatric dentist, I care about teeth,” said Dr. Lynn. “I want to make sure our kids have a safe season each year. Our ofce also

By Lily Belcher

donates $1 for every fluoride varnish we place in the ofce to support the pro gram.”

In addition to sup porting the Spar tans, Dr. Lynn and his team of 12 em ployees are dedicat ed to providing calm and welcoming ex perience for his patients.

SmileLYNN Pediatric Dentistry books lon ger appoint ment times than needed

to ensure it has plenty of time to treat and answer questions. Parents are also allowed in the back with their child during all rou tine visits and restorative care so they are involved in their child’s appointment and treatments.

“We pride ourselves on doing pediatric dentistry diferently. I wanted to have an ofce that was focused on patients/par ents’ experiences rather than focus on see ing as many patients as possible throughout the day,” said Dr. Lynn. “It really makes a diference in the quality of the care we can provide.”

For more information on SmileLYNN Pe diatric Dentistry or to request an appoint ment at the Apollo Beach pediatric dental ofce, visit www.smilelynndental.com or call the ofce at 813-692-5645.

SmileLYNN Pediatric Dentistr pediatric

LIFETIME NETWORK FEATURES QUEENA’S STORY OF INSPIRATION

Our community knows both the trag ic and heroic stories of Queena Phu. Years later after her tragic story, Phu continues to thrive. “Although Queena has had to stay home for a long time as a precaution during the pandemic, she still did maintain most of her therapy schedule,” said her mother, Vanna Nguy en. “She has been as hard at work as ever. She smiles through most of her home therapy visits and her sessions at Stay in Step Recovery Center.”

Queena Phu’s life story was a recent episode on Lifetime’s #TextMeWhenYouGetHome series. Te documentary aired on August 15 and can be watched on the Lifetime app, Hulu Live on demand and is available for rent on Amazon.

Phu’s life story was a re cent episode on Lifetime’s #TextMeWhenYouGetHome series. The documentary aired on August 15 and can be watched on the Lifetime app, Hulu Live on demand and is available for rent on Amazon. “In February, we received a contact from AMS pictures via our contact form on Queena’s website,” Vanna said. “They had been researching stories of women who had been the victim of violence so they could tell their story in their own words and found Queena’s story and blog while doing their research. We filmed the interviews on March 9, and the show was released Au gust 15 of this year.”

Since the attack in 2008, Phu’s cogni

By Libby Hopkins

tive impairments due to her traumatic brain injury have made it harder for Phu to ex press her thoughts in an organized manner.

“For 14 years, she has been expressing her thoughts and feelings through facial expres sions, tone of voice, and body language,” Nguyen said. “She has struggled to modu late self-control and self-awareness, and as a result she can some times react impulsively in social situations. She was always a more re served person, even before the attack, so being in the limelight and having so much personal informa tion shared has been hard for her.”

According to Nguyen, Phu never liked having her life story being in the me dia over and over again, but this year, Phu has started to learn to be proud of her self. “We hope that this documentary will reach people all around the world, raising awareness about safety and self-defense,” Nguyen said. “We hope that Queena’s story will touch people who have gone through traumatic or very low points in their lives and show them that you can turn your life around if you never give up.”

For more information about Phu, you can visit her website at www.joinqueena.com.

WINTHROP ARTS RECEIVES GRANT FROM COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF TAMPA BAY

Winthrop Arts is the proud recipient of a grant from the Community Foun dation of Tampa Bay. The grant, to taling $15,000, is for the Winthrop Arts Mobile Art Factory. Specifical ly, the money will be used to expand the program in Wimauma. Howev er, the generosity of the grant also al lows Winthrop Arts to expand the program in Plant City.

Members of the Winthrop Arts Board of Visionaries and Mobile Art Factory instructors were presented with a grant check from the Community Founda tion of Tampa Bay on August 19 by representatives from the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay SouthShore Council. Te funds will be used to run and expand the Winthrop Arts Mobile Art Factory.

The Winthrop Arts Mobile Art Factory was established in February 2018. It is a program that provides free art classes to un derserved children who live in Southern and Eastern Hillsborough County. Winthrop Arts partners with several nonprofits to provide the art classes. The partners identify the children who would best be served and pro vide the venue for the free art classes.

The partners include Hispanic Services Council in both Wimauma and Plant City, Beth-El Farmworker Ministry in Wimauma and Achieve Plant City.

Paul Kaman, president of the Winthrop Arts Board of Visionaries, said, “Words can not capture our gratitude. This grant will allow us to improve, expand and deepen our Mobile Art Factory outreach program.”

Maria Garavito, La Red de Padres project director for Hispanic Services Council, said, “Hispanic Services Council has been chosen by the Winthrop Arts Mobile Art Factory

By Kathy L. Collins

to serve the chil dren that come to our programs in Wimauma and Plant City. They bring to the chil dren the opportu nity to explore the arts with amazing instructors that not only provide their knowledge but also invest their heart and minds with the community.”

Garavito added, “Children await their in structor every Wednesday and Thursday. They explore their inner artist, and they gain self-confidence and have fun. We value Win throp Arts and its program and thank the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay for its support.”

Winthrop Arts is now able to send two instructors every Wednesday to Wimauma, one to Hispanic Services Council and one to Beth-El Farmworker Ministry. Similarly, in Plant City, an instructor goes to Hispan ic Services Council three times a month. At Achieve Plant City, a coding professional leads a coding class, and an artist teaches at each once a month.

Winthrop Arts was established in 2015. In addition to running the Mobile Art Fac tory, Winthrop Arts ofers art classes to children ages 5 and up, teens and adults at the Art Factory, located at 11267 Winthrop Main St. in Riverview.

For more information, visit www.win throparts.org.

The Kiwanis Club of Greater Brandon will host its 21st annual Terrific Kids Golf Tournament on Tuesday, October 27 at Buckhorn Springs Golf and Country Club in Valrico. “This event is our only fundraiser at this time, and we raised $25K last year, which is 99.9 percent distributed back into our schools and communi ty through our programs we serve, such as Terrif ic Kids, K-Kids and Key Clubs, to name a few,” said tournament director and Kiwanis member, Dustie Amatangelo. “This will be a huge year because we have stretched our selves to raise $30K from this tournament. Our club supports so many programs in the Brandon/Riverview area that this revenue will allow us to do more in our community.”

The Kiwanis Club of Greater Brandon was established in May 1960 and continues to day to serve the Greater Brandon commu nity, especially its children. “The Brandon Kiwanis Club has been serving our commu nity for 51 years now,” Amatangelo said.

“Our focus is service leadership with our local schools. We teach our students what it means to be good leaders and how to give back to the community. Our initiative is food insecurities. Our partnership with Mosaic and Feeding America allows us to support a food pantry at Gibsonton Elementary and mobile food trucks in our local community especially through the pandemic.”

By Libby Hopkins

Registration for the tournament starts at 10:30 a.m. and the shotgun starts at 12:30 p.m. The club is looking to the Bran don community and beyond to help with sponsorship and play ers. “The community can help the Kiwanis by participating in the tournament with a sponsorship, hole sponsorship or a simple do nation,” Amatangelo said.

“They can buy a ball drop ticket, which replaces our 50/50 at the tournament.

A community member or business may want to spon sor a hole and join us on the course to promote their business for the day. It’s a fun day, and everybody wins when we all pull together.”

The club is always looking for new mem bers who will help them give back to the community. “We meet the first and third Thursday of every month at The Bridges on Bloomingdale at 8 a.m. and the third Thurs day at La Septima at 6 p.m.,” Amatangelo said. “We invite you to join us. If children are what makes your heart tick, then we are the organization for you. Our mission is to change the world one child, one community at a time.”

For sponsorship information, contact Am atangelo at Adustie15@gmail.com or call 813-294-0645.

For information about The Kiwanis Club of Greater Brandon, visit their website at www.brandonkiwanis.org.

Te Kiwanis Club of Greater Brandon host its 21st annual Terrifc Kids Golf Tour nament on Tuesday, October 27 at Buckhorn Springs Golf and Country Club in Valrico.

NEEM TREE FARMS IN BRANDON OFFERS MEDICINAL PRODUCTS, PESTICIDE AND MORE

In 1992, Brandon resident and avid gardener Vicki Par sons purchased a dozen neem trees to be used as a nontoxic pesticide in her gar den. Its oil reduces insect feeding, acts as a repellant and in terferes with insect hormone systems, making it more dif ficult for insects to grow and lay eggs.

After reading a book, Neem: A Tree for Solving Glob al Problems , published by the National Research Council, and reading about re ports on neem as a medicinal herb, in cluding its anti-inflammatory properties, she put it to the test.

She had just been told she’d have to put her 9-month-old Rottweiler to sleep because of irreparable congenital joint issues. Upon learning that neem can be used as an anti-inflammatory, she made a neem tea from fresh leaves and poured it over his food for a week. Soon after, he was able to walk without whimpering and went on to live a long and happy life.

In 1996, Parsons, Neem Tree Farms founder and chief dirt farmer, created a website for neem trees but soon began selling capsules, lotion, shampoo, soap and a complete line of facial care prod ucts made from the plant.

Parsons is a firm believer in the e f ec tiveness of the product. After starting a daily regimen of neem capsules, she

By Michelle Caceres

noticed a change in her vision. For ty years ago, she was diagnosed with nearsighted ness and astigma tism and had been wearing glasses since college.

“I thought my vision had deteri orated because I couldn’t see with my glasses,” said Parsons.

She visited her eye doctor, who performed tests and was surprised to learn her eyesight had improved and glasses were no lon ger needed.

“I had been wearing them so long it never dawned on me to try and see with out them,” she joked.

As a thriving wholesaler of neem products, Parsons is still a gardener at heart and hosts a monthly plant swap at the tree farm on the first Saturday of most months from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. She shares clippings from her garden and other gardeners bring several types of plants from their own gardens to swap.

“It’s a fun outing, and you never know what you’re going to walk away with,” said Parsons.

Neem Tree Farms, located at 602 Ronele Dr. in Brandon, is open by ap pointment only.

For more information or to purchase neem products, visit www.neemtreef arms.com or call 813-689-2616.

FINANCIAL FOCUS

LOOK CLOSELY AT OPEN ENROLLMENT CHOICES

Once again, it’s the season for football games and back-to-school activities. And if you work for a medium-size or large employer, it will soon be open enrollment season – the time of year when you can review your employee benefts and make changes as needed. What areas should you focus on?

Actually, it’s a good idea to pay close attention to all your benefts. Some of the oferings may have changed from last year — and you might have experi enced changes in your own life, too, which might lead you to look for something diferent from your existing benefts package.

You may want to start with your health insurance. If you’re satisfed with your coverage, and it’s essentially the same as it’s been, you may well want to stick with what you have. However, many employers are increas ingly ofering high-deductible health plans, which, as the name suggests, could entail more out-of-pocket costs for you. But high-deductible plans may also ofer something of beneft: the ability to contribute to a health savings account (HSA). Your HSA contributions are made with pre-tax dollars, so they can reduce your taxable income for the year. Also, your earnings grow tax-free, and your withdrawals are tax-free, provided the money is used for qualifed medical expenses. (Withdrawals taken before age 65 that aren’t used for qualifed medical expenses are taxable and subject to a 20% penalty; once you reach 65, the penalty no longer applies, although withdrawals are still taxable as income if not used for a qualifed expense.)

Your next beneft to consider: Life insurance. Your employer may ofer a group life insurance plan, but you’ll want to evaluate whether it’s sufcient for your needs, especially if you’ve experienced changes in your personal situation over the past year, such as getting married or adding a new child. There’s no magic formula for how much life insurance you need — you’ll need to consider a variety of factors, such as your income, family size, mortgage and so on — but it may be necessary to supplement your employer’s coverage with a private policy.

Your employer may also ofer disability insurance as a beneft. Some employers’ disability policies are fairly limited, covering only short periods of time, so you may want to consider a private policy.

Beyond the various insurance policies your employ er may ofer, you’ll also want to closely look at your 401(k) or similar retirement plan. Typically, you can make changes to your 401(k) throughout the year, but it’s important to make sure your investment selections and contribution amounts are still aligned with your risk tolerance and goals. Also, are you contributing enough to earn your employer’s match, if one is ofered? And if you’ve already receiving the match, can you still aford to put in more to your plan if such a move makes sense for you?

Your employee benefts package can be a valuable part of your overall fnancial strategy. So, as open enrollment season proceeds, take a close look at what you already have, what’s being ofered, and what changes you need to make. It will be time well spent.

TRAVELING TRIBUTE WALL HONORING VETERANS AND FIRST RESPONDERS COMES TO TAMPA IN OCTOBER Staf Report

A weeklong celebra tion and remembrance of veterans and first re sponders will begin with the arrival and display of the American Veterans Traveling Tribute Wall (AVTT) at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park in Tam pa. The AVTT, sponsored by the Chapters Health Valor Program, is an 80-percent-scale repli ca of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C. and will be open for free public viewing from Thursday through Sun day, October 13-16.

The AVTT also includes individualized memorials for all conflicts occurring since World War I and a 9/11 tribute. The expan siveness of AVTT’s me morial presentation will be compelling for many.

In celebration and remembrance of veterans and frst responders, the American Veterans Traveling Tribute Wall, sponsored by the Chapters Health Valor Program, will be arriving to be displayed in October at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park in Tampa.

As part of its annual pro gramming, Chapters Health Foundation will hold its highly anticipated ‘Rock the Dock’ fundraising event at the Tampa River Center at Julian B. Lane Riv erfront Park on Saturday, October 15. This year’s Rock the Dock, which includes an eve ning of celebration, food, music and fun, will raise funds for the Chapters Health Valor Program. The program provides knowledge able, compassionate care; physical, emotion al and spiritual support; recognition of sac rifice and service; and guidance to veterans, first responders and their families.

Combined, these two events will impact the greater Tampa market significantly.

Similar AVTT events have generated public attendance exceeding 20,000 participants, and Rock the Dock draws at tendance of more than 400 guests.

Tickets and sponsor ships are available for Rock the Dock at www. chaptersfoundation. com/rockthedock.

Beyond the exhibit itself, there will be both fun and moving daily events and entertain ment. They will include days of reveilles, all-day exhibit viewings, several ceremonies, music and much more, starting on Wednesday, October 12 with the ofcial escort of the Traveling Tribute Wall to its Tampa loca tion and ending on Sun day, October 16 with a closing ceremony at 2 p.m. There are also several special sponsorship opportunities, ranging from $500-$5,000, that allow for mean ingful involvement in this memorable event as well as unique opportunities to connect with the community. Along with the ben efits of social media acknowledgements, event program inclusion, Chapters Health System website recognition and Rock the Dock sponsor listing recognition, each spon sor level ofers unique recognition amenities specific to the opportunity.

For information, call 813-533-0580, email valorprogram@chaptershealth.org or visit www.chapterstravelingtributewall.com.

Neem Tree Farms founder and owner Vicki Parsons with her dogs.

ZooTampa Presents Creatures Of Te Night Event

Ever wonder what – or who- lurks in the swamp? This year’s ZooTampa event wel comes the Swamp Witch, a mysterious new resident who is looking to make a deal. Known to all who fear her as Blackwater Mattie, this spooky character spends her nights mixing potions and conjuring spells in the darkest

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween

corners of Florida’s murky swamps where few dare to tread. Ghouls and goblins of all ages can enjoy eerie fun and join mischievous characters for a night of Halloween adven tures complete with animals, spooky frights and festive treats. This has a limited capacity; reservations are strongly recommended for all guests 3 years and older (guests 2 years old and under are free). Children 12 years of age and under are invited to wear their most spooky Halloween attire, though toy weap ons are prohibited. Visit www.zootampa.org to purchase tickets. The event runs until Sun day, October 30.

Get your favorite costume ready and come and collect candies and treats while Magic Kingdom park thrills and chills you with eerie en tertainment, delightful at tractions and some beloved Disney Characters. Watch three sinister sisters bewitch and bedazzle in the Hocus Po cus Villain Spelltacular, boo gie down with friends from Disney Junior shows at Disney Junior Jam and finish the evening watching Disney’s Not-So-Spooky-Spectacular, a wicked ly wild fireworks display hosted by Jack Skellington. Tickets can be purchased at www.disneyworld.disney.go.com, please review the dress code and costume guide lines before attending.

Howl-O-Scream At Busch Gar dens

Busch Gardens’ Howl-O-Scream returns in full force, taking over the entire park with haunted houses, scare zones, sinis ter shows and more. Unspeakable hor ror lives in every dark corner, including on Busch Gardens’ pulse-pounding thrill rides. Howl-O-Scream is bring ing fear to the next level, and once you’re in there’s nothing you can do about it. This event is intended for mature audienc es and contains adult content; costumes are not allowed. Tick ets can be purchased at www. buschgardens.com. The event runs on select nights until Mon day, October 31.

A Horse’s Touch Halloween Party

A Horse’s Touch is holding a Halloween party on October 29 from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. for children ages 2-13 years old to raise funds for its various horse riding afliations, in cluding special Olym pics, Horses4Heroes and Professional Asso ciation of Therapeutic Horsemanship classes. It will be a funfilled event with trick-or-treating, games, food and a costume pa rade on horseback. A Horse’s Touch is located at 12435 Cody Dr. in Wimau ma. For more details and to reserve a place, please email mmbarn4@gmail. com.

A Kitten Place Res cue Black Cat 5K Run

Local cat and kitten rescue A Kitten Place is holding its annual Black Cat Halloween Run on Sunday, October 30 at Twin Lakes and is looking for vendors and corporate sponsors for the event. It is a fun family event; feel free to dress up in your Halloween costume. Last year, the 5K run had over 175 par ticipants. If you are interested and would like more information or register for the event, please email akittenplace@gmail. com.

Designer Handbag Boo Bash Bingo

The Brandon Junior Woman’s Club is hosting a designer handbag boo bash bin go. The event will take place on Thursday, October 20 from 6 p.m. at The Bridges, located at 11202 Dewhurst Dr. in River view. There will be 10 rounds of bingo, and winners can choose between a selection of designer handbags and totes from Kate Spade, Dooney and Bourke, Coach, Brah min, Michael Kors and more. Tickets are available from www.gfwcbrandonjuniors. org. This event is always extremely popu lar, so register early to make sure you are not disappointed. Additional information about the event can be found by emailing bjwc. fl@gmail.com.

Haunted Boat Tours

The highly popular Haunt ed Tours, ofered by the Pirate Water Taxi ser vice on the Hill sborough River, are back. It has a whole new crew of haunt ed storytellers sharing tales of terror and Tampa’s eerie past. The cruise will include terror filled storytelling, ghostly horror and haunted happenings on the 45-minute boat ride. This is a family-friendly event, and all ages are welcome. Visit www.piratewatertaxi. com for additional information and to book tickets.

LUCKY THE SNOWMAN INSPIRES GARDEN AND SEED PROGRAM

Last spring, Sefner resident Robin Hughes, a special edu cation teacher at Southshore Charter Acad emy in River view, taught a lesson about the weather to her students and re alized that many of them did not have relevant knowledge when it came to the concept of snow.

With the help of her sister, Amber Estes, who lives in Danville, Kentucky, Hughes was able to get a small snowman named Lucky sent to her to show her students. “I literally got tears seeing the joy on the students fac es when they saw and felt Lucky,” Hughes said.

Well, a lot has happened to Lucky since last spring. Hughes and her school’s prin cipal, Amy Sams, went to Canada to share about the lessons from Lucky with a con ference of 250 teachers. “We met with renowned child psychologist Dr. Jody Car rington to share our story as well,” Sans said. “This year, the impact of Lucky will continue as we partner with schools in oth er states and countries to do virtual lessons to share about shells, sand and the ocean with them while they share about their experiences with snow, ice and mountains. Students will make new friends in foreign lands and have reciprocal learning with each other. We can’t wait to see what the future holds from this learning collabora

By Libby Hopkins

tion.”

Lucky was melted for Earth Day and his wa ter was used to begin South shore Char ter Academy’s flower garden.

Hughes and Sams also had a small vial of his water that was worn as a neck lace. “We had a stufed, felt repli

ca of him,” Sams said. “The vial of water and doll traveled to the conference with us in Canada.”

The reaction of the conference attendees was overwhelming. “They, of course, see snow all of the time, so they were in awe of our students’ reactions to their first en counters with snow,” Sams said. “To see that something they take for granted meant so much to our students really caused them to reflect.”

The next steps for Sams, Hughes and their school is to partner with other schools to share cultural diferences that impact ac ademic understanding just as the lesson on snow did for their students. “We plan to box up some seashells and send to a school in Canada and an Indian reservation in North Dakota,” Sams said. “Our students will Zoom into classrooms there to meet new friends from other places. Our goal is to help make learning come alive through collabo rative educational opportunities.”

For more information about the school, visit www.southshorecharter.org.

TGH ICE PLEX FIGURE SKATING TEAM PLACES SEVENTH IN TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS

TGH Ice Plex Fig ure Skating Team traveled to Bensen ville, Illinois in the national Ice Sports Industry (ISI) World Recreational Team Champion ships from August 4-7. The team, led by Coaches Alyssa Krajacic and Alexis Van Vliet, is com posed on 19 skat ers that competed across three rinks in The Edge Ice Arenas.

“They competed in individual events, partner events, and we also had four group numbers. Each person had multiple events they competed in,” explained Coach Alexis Van Vliet.

If a skater was awarded a medal in their event, they would recurve the points in favor of that skater’s team in the rink. This allowed the TGH Ice Plex team to place seventh out of the 60 rink teams competing in the cham pionships.

“It was fun to hang out with my skat ing friends and support each other,” said 12-year-old skater Molly Kearns, who competed in ten events during the Cham pionship.

The team also won the Overall Per centage Award, which is presented to the team of five or more skaters with the highest point percentage per skater that

By Lily Belcher

did not place in the Top Five or win an alternative award. Van Vliet said win ning the award was “a huge success and honor” for the Tam pa Team.

“Because of that, we revived a banner and a trophy, which are displayed at our rink,” said Van Vliet. “Everyone had a blast, they skated great, made won derful memories, and got to explore the city of Chicago.”

The annual Team Championships amounted to over 112 hours of skating across three rinks in four days. For many, it was an opportu nity to make memo ries and bound with their teammates.

The TGH Ice Plex, in addition to being the training facility of the Tampa Bay Lightning, is an ISI sanctioned school that teaches figure skating to groups or indi viduals. They ofer freestyle sessions, pri vate lessons, and synchronized teams for aspiring figure skaters and veterans of the sport.

For more information on competitions and training options for figure skaters through the TGH Ice Plex, visit the web site at tghiceplex.com/figure-skating or contact Skating Director Tommy Brannen at tommy.brannen@TGHIcePlex.com or 684-7825 ext 252.

Plantar Fasciitis & Achilles Pain

Plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinopathy are two of the most over-diagnosed conditions for anyone with foot or ankle pain. If you’re experiencing pain on the underside of your foot or on the back of your ankle, just above your heel, it’s likely that you’ve irritated the fascia or tendon through over-use or improper biomechanics. It often goes mis-treated and becomes a chronic complaint. Some of the most effective treatments are rehab, strengthening the muscles of the foot, and therapy.

It is important to have your pain evaluated by a professional who understands the rehab necessary to correct it. It is not something that you want to attempt to self-diagnose or experiment with self-prescribed treatments such as kinesiotape and orthopedic braces that you are able to purchase over-the-counter. Long-term bracing can have detrimental effects on our biomechanics and can allow our muscles and surrounding tissues to get weak and become dependent on the brace for support, causing more issues. However, these tools can be effective under the care of a medical professional.

WHAT IT ISN’T

Plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendon pain can be frustrating to deal with due to its chronic nature and unresponsiveness to most other treatments. That doesn’t mean that you must live with the pain forever or even that it would take dozens of visits to correct. No matter how chronic the complaint, there is usually still improvement to be made, if not full resolution, however, the sooner you get a connective tissue problem like these evaluated and treated, the better the prognosis and the faster the recovery.

WHAT IT IS

Plantar fasciitis and Achilles pain are often mechanical in nature, meaning that it’s a result of how we move and use our body. Left alone to just “rest” or restricted to a splint or soft cast, the tendon and tissue will not be remodeled, will not heal on its own, and the pain will persist for long after the initial injury or incident. This is why seeking appropriate treatment is so important. At Motion ChiroTherapy, we tailor your rehab to restore full and pain-free ranges of motion and then strengthen the surrounding muscles and tissues to better tolerate load and stress.

Dr. Robert Lutz

Lucky the Snowman was melted for Earth Day and his water was used to begin Southshore Charter Academy’s fower garden.

TGH Ice Plex Team celebrated placing seventh and winning Overall Percentage Award at the beginning of August.

TGH Ice Plex Team hangs banner from winning the Overall Percentage Award at championships.

Grace Community Church Fall Market

Grace Communi ty Church, located at 5708 Lithia Pinecrest Rd. in Lithia, will be holding its fall market on Saturday, Novem ber 5 from 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. There will be a wide variety of ven dors with something for everyone, so go and get an early start on your holiday gift shopping. If you are interested in being a vendor at the event, please visit its website at www.gracecommunitymar ket.com for more information.

Plant City Community Chorale Announces Fall Concert

The Plant City Community Chorale is excited to announce its fall concert, Watersong. The concert will be pre sented on Saturday, October 8 at 7:30 p.m. at Eastside Baptist Church, located at 1318 E. Calhoun St. in Plant City. The chorale, under the direction of artistic director Coleman Flentge, will present this flowing musical offering of varied music styles, genres and lan-guages. Tickets are available at www.pcccho rale.org, by calling 813-965-7213 or at the Walden Lake Car Wash. They will also be available at the door the night of the concert.

Academy Of Dance Dynamics Car Wash Fundraiser

The Academy of Dance Dynamics had its 12th annual car wash fundraiser at

Cleaning Services

the River Hills Shell Garage and had a blast. The day was filled with lots of sign spinning, dancing and car washing. Renee Melanson, owner of Academy of Dance Dynamics, said, “I come from a big family and had to hand my parents my dance bill knowing we didn’t have it. I do this fundraiser to try and take some of the financial weight off of the parents and it’s always a great event.” Academy of Dance Dynamics is located at 4383 Lynx Paw Trl. In Valrico in the River Hills Plaza. For more information, visit its website at www.academyof dancedynamics.com or call 813-6558277. It would also like to thank Todd Kane, owner of the Shell Garage, for allowing them to use his location and for all of his support over the years.

Annual Nut Sale Returns

St. Francis Circle of Nativi ty Catholic Church’s Nativity Women’s Guild is pleased to announce that 2022 will be the 41st year that it will provide the communi ty with the op portunity to purchase nuts. Just in time for the holidays, the cir cle will sell the nuts in 1 lb. bags. These high-quality nuts will include shelled pecan halves and pieces, shelled walnut halves and pieces, salted cashews and a vari ety of candied pecans. All nut orders must be placed by Monday, October 17 and will be shipped to arrive by Sunday, November 20.

Proceeds from the nut sale benefit the Nativity Food Warehouse, which provides free groceries to the needy of 50-plus parishes in the Brandon area. To purchase nuts or for more informa tion, call Evelyn at 813-657-4309, Flo at 813-6957096 or 813-4310041.

Pelican Players Presents Nana’s Naughty Knickers

Pelican Players Community Theater will be presenting Nana’s Naughty Knickers from Thursday through Sun day, October 20-23. It is a wonderfully light-hearted play about a lively grand mother with a creative way of keeping her life interest ing, entertaining and laughout-loud funny from begin ning to end. “Audiences may assume they know what’s coming by the play’s title, but, as in any good comedy, there are hysterical and co medic twists and turns around every corner,” said Bruce MacDonald, direc tor of the show. Tickets are available from the Kings Point Box Office from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Mon day through Friday.

All performances are at the Kings Point Veter ans Theater in the North Clubhouse, located at 1900 Clubhouse Drive in Sun City Center.

Additional information can be found on its web site at www.pelicanplay ersscc.org.

Strawberry Ridge Ceramic Sale

The Berry Clay Pit in the Strawberry Ridge Community is holding its annual ceramic sale on Saturday, October 8 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. A wide range of ceramic pieces, including indoor and outdoor pieces will be available to pur chase. It is a great opportunity to find that unique piece of art for yourself or a gift for a friend. The Berry Clay Pit is located at 509 Strawberry Ridge Blvd. in Valrico.

FishHawk Ranch Annual Car Show Returns In October

FishHawk Ranch will be holding its annual car show on Saturday, October 8 from 12 Noon-3 p.m. at The Palmetto Club located at 17004 Dorman Rd. in Lithia. Along with the car show, there will be food trucks, DJ Joe Ferrante, a raffle with proceeds going to Paralyzed Veterans of America and the oppor tunity to give blood. This fun event is suitable for all ages and free to attend. Space to enter the car show is limited; if you want to preregister your vehicle, go to www.fhrcarshow2022.eventbrite. com. For additional information on the event, email sparvin@fishhawkranch cdd.org or call 813-657-6629.

FishHawk Turkey Trot Registration Is Now Open

The 14th Annual FishHawk Turkey Trot is a great way to kick off the holiday sea son. Enjoy free Thanksgiving crafts for the kids, photos with the Turkey Trot mascot, music from a live DJ and lots of vendor give aways at this family-friendly event.

Come participate in one of the run/ walk races on Thursday, November 24 at 8 a.m. The event will take place at 5668 FishHawk Cross ing Blvd. in Lithia. All proceeds bene fit the local Seeds of Hope food bank.

For more infor mation or to regis ter, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/ FL/Lithia/2022FishHawkTurkeyTrot

LOOK TO OLDER, LUNDY, KOCH & MARTINO WHEN LOOKING FOR LEGAL SERVICES

If you’re in need of legal services, take a look at the law firm of Older, Lundy, Koch & Mar tino. With 5 loca tions and eight ma jor practice areas, the firm is prepared to tackle many dif ferent cases.

The law firm of Older, Lundy, Koch & Martino is a mul tispecialty firm that values ser vice, integrity and hard work. The firm ofers family law, civil litigation, personal injury, corporate litiga tion, corporate and tax, trusts and estates, real estate and personal exposure preven tion.

Te partners of Older, Lundy, Koch & Martino strive to have an environment where employees and clients both feel confdent in not only the legal abilities of the frm but also its place in the community.

By Makenzie Atkins

continued to rep resent our clients with integrity, com petence, experience and grit. You simply will not find more dedicated and sea soned professionals in the Tampa Bay area.”

Not only does Older, Lundy, Koch & Martino ofer le gal services, but it also works hard to be involved in the community.

Its attorneys strive to be a full-service firm that will be there for clients to help with legal needs or questions as much as possible. The firm wants clients to know the truth about every detail involving their case in order to keep complete openness and understanding.

“I have been practicing with Older, Lun dy for over six years now watching the firm grow and expand with the needs of our clients while seeding success and empowerment into the local community,” said Jennifer Meister, a family law attor ney at Older, Lundy, Koch & Martino. “For 20 years now, the firm’s attorneys have

Along with spon soring many char ity events, the firm is on the board of several nonprof it organizations, including The Spring of Tampa Bay, Friends of Joshua House, Pace Center for Girls, Sunrise of Pasco and more. On top of being involved with so many charities, the firm spends time vol unteering and donating resources to help keep our community a safe place.

The firm was founded in 2003 by Ben Older and Michael Lundy in hopes to of fer a fresh and innovative approach to the practice of law. Since then, the firm has grown to have over 30 attorneys and five ofces located in Tampa, Clearwater, Dade City, Trinity and Wesley Chapel.

For more information, please contact Monica Angel, the chief strategy ofcer, at mangel@olalaw.com or visit https:// www.olalaw.com/.

COMPREHENSIVE CENTER FOR DERMATOLOGY CONVERTS TO DIRECT CARE MODEL

Patients with appoint ments at the Comprehen sive Center for Dermatolo gy soon won’t need to verify their insurance information during their visit.

That’s because the medi cal practice is transitioning away from the traditional insurance-based practice to a direct care model.

“We’re going to go back to the way medi cine used to be before third-party involvement, which means more price transparency,” said own er Jennifer Conde, M.D.

Patients will pay a reasonable fee at the time of their visit. New patient ofce vis its will cost $165; established patients will pay $110. If medically necessary biopsies, liquid nitrogen treatment of precancerous growths or intralesional keloid injections are performed during the visit, a flat rate of $75 per visit, not per procedure, is charged.

Patients with high deductibles or no in surance will likely find that its fees are significantly lower than what they are cur rently paying out of pocket. For those who have out-of-network benefits, the ofce can provide a ‘superbill’ so that the patient can submit an insurance claim for possible reim bursement. HSA and FSA accounts can still be used to pay for services.

“In this model, we’re not working for in surance companies or the government but for our patients,” said Dr. Conde.

The ofce ofers an in-house dispensary of many commonly prescribed generic medica tions with competitive cash-pay pricing.

“Leave our ofce with your prescription in hand,” said Dr. Conde.

By Michelle Caceres

The direct care model will mean she can spend more time with patients and pro vide higher-quality care.

Patients Lawrence and Sharon Jofe, who have Medicare, didn’t blink an eye when they were informed about the change.

After moving here from California, Sharon visited her primary care doctor, who noticed suspicious lesions on her forearm and recommended she see a dermatologist. Her primary care doctor rec ommended Dr. Conde.

“Dr. Conde diagnosed me with melanoma on both of my arms and my husband even had cancerous cells on his nose,” said Sha ron. “I credit her for saving our lives.”

The couple now sees Dr. Conde every three to six months for complete skin checks. They weren’t phased at all when they heard the news that she was not going to be accepting Medicaid.

“When we saw that her rates aren’t ex orbitant, we decided to stay with her,” said Sharon. “We think she’s the most caring doc tor and very thorough.” For the time being, TRICARE will still be accepted.

Its new model will not afect payment for its cosmetic services, which include neurotoxins, fillers, HydraFacials, chemical peels, microneedling, dermaplaning and ex tractions.

Comprehensive Center for Dermatology is located at 5607 Skytop Dr. in Lithia in the FishHawk Medical Plaza. Its ofce hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

To schedule an appointment, visit www. ccdermatology.com or call 813-530-6511.

Talented students at Newsome High School participated in New some’s Got Talent, an annual fundraising event benefitting its choral program. Up for grabs was a cash prize and the title of ‘Newsome’s Best Talent.’

The $5 entry ticket allowed audience mem bers to cast two votes for their favorite act. Additional votes could be purchased for $1 each.

Six acts competed in the first round of the performance, and after the audience voted, the top three competed in the final round. Those artists were: duet Ana Bingham and Hope Banks, male singing group The Back yard Boys and soloist Christian Reggi.

Bingham and Banks wowed the audience by performing two original songs, “Witness It” and “Figure It Out,” and playing the pia no and guitar. The songs poignantly reflect ed on their experiences in high school. The Backyard Boys, a boy band that wooed the crowd with their vocal ability, dance moves and playful interactions with fans.

Reggi, a sophomore and the last perfor mance in the finals, walked onstage donned in skintight jeans and a white tank top with a studded arm band and belt. From his first

By Michelle Caceres

notes, “Ay-oh!”, Reggi had the crowd in the auditorium eating out of the palm of his hand as he performed Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, singing and playing the piano in a very Freddie Mercury-esque way, earning him a standing ovation from the audi ence.

“I was standing back stage with the other fi nalists while he was performing and we all just said coming in second or third behind Reggi wasn’t such a bad thing,” joked Bing ham. “We knew he was going to win.”

To nail his impersonation of Mercury, Reg gi said he watched his performance at Live Aid a lot. “I was practicing nonstop until I got it right,” he said.

Reggi placed second in the competition last year, playing the piano and harmonica and singing Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.” He was beat out by senior Josh Burgess, the compe tition’s emcee.

Chorus teacher Jefry Bogue was pleased with the audience turnout and contestant performances. “We had a fantastic turnout and the chorus was able to raise money for our yearly expenses so it was a win-win for everyone,” he said. For info, visit www.hills boroughschools.org/newsome.

Dr. Jennifer Conde and her hus band, Jonathan, are transitioning their practice from a traditional insurance model to a direct care model.

Newsome sophomore Christian Reggi placed frst in Newsome’s Got Talent.

Veteran-owned Martin Se curity Services Protects Your Home

Martin Security Services is a veteran-owned and op erated small business based in Ruskin. It specializes in state-of-the-art home and business security products, cameras, video recording, smart devices and monthly monitoring. Martin Security Services o f ers full design services to create custom systems, and its highly expe rienced security experts will help you design and build the solutions you need to protect yourself and your business. It can also install retail kits and teach clients how to use them. Additional information can be found on its website at www.martinsecurityservices.com or by calling 813-352-6398. There is a 10 percent military and first responder discount.

Shred Event Helps You And Hope For Her Help protect yourself from identity theft by bringing all your old tax returns, bank statements, bills, credit card applica tions and any other identifiable documents to Focus Wealth Strategies to have them shredded. The event will take place on Saturday, Octo

ber 22 from 9 a.m.-12 Noon at Focus Wealth Strategies, located at 3419 Brook Cross ing Dr. in Brandon. It will also be collecting unwanted electronics (except televisions) and nonperishable food to benefit Hope for Her, a local orga nization where wom en experiencing crisis and trauma find the strength, skills and sup port they need to re build their best lives.

Market Day Returning To FishHawk Ranch

The very popular FishHawk Ranch Market will be returning to Cross Park at 16144 Churchside Dr. in Lithia on Sun day, October 2 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. It will continue to take place on the first Sunday of each month until May 2023. There are always lots of unique ven dors selling handcrafted and home made items.

For information on becoming a vendor, email sparvin@fishhawkranchcdd.org or call 813-957-1841.

Angel Foundation FL Announces New Board Appointments

The Angel Foundation FL’s board of directors has appointed the following in dividuals to its board of directors: Debbi Figlewski, realtor with YellowFin Realty, has been appointed president; Dr. Leon ard Mardis, owner of Leonard’s Academy of Dance & Centre for the Art, was ap pointed vice president. Gary Searls, CFO of HCA Florida Brandon Hospital, will con tinue as treasurer; and Julie Dahl, owner of Riverview Mortgage, will continue as secretary. Also appointed to the board of directors are Tina Blount, communi ty pastor of ARISE Church; Lisa Wheeler, senior home loan specialist with Chur chill Mortgage; and Pete Wheeler, senior vice president of marketing at Chadwell Supply. Ericka White, pastor of Revive Church Global, who successfully served as foundation president since 2020, has been appointed to its advisory board. “We are very thankful for these wonder ful community leaders who lead this or ganization and will help us achieve even greater things in the years ahead,” said Liz Brewer, CEO of the Angel Foundation FL.

The Angel Foundation FL has been serving the Greater Brandon commu nity since 2003 and has assisted well over a thousand families a f ected by a life-threatening illness or catastrophic

event by matching them with business es called ‘Business Angels’ to meet their practical needs, as well as providing fi nancial support to keep them on the road to self-su f ciency while in crisis. For more information about the Angel Foun dation FL, visit https://angelfoundationfl. com/ or call 813-689-6889.

MULTIPLE TRICK-OR-TREAT STATIONS

Motion ChiroTherapy Ex pands To Apollo Beach

Popular local chiropractic office Motion ChiroTherapy is expanding and opening a new location in Apollo Beach. In today’s world, health care costs are through the roof and traditional chiropractic clinics offer long-term treatment plans that only treat symptoms. At Motion Chi roTherapy, it does things differently. Pa tients are given the best care possible and it prides itself on getting to the root cause of your condition and getting you healthy quickly while ensuring you can sustain these results after completing your treatment plan. Motion ChiroTher apy’s new office is located at 1312 Apol lo Beach Blvd., Ste. M in Apollo Beach. Additional information can be found on its website at www.motionchirother apy.com.

Richard Martin, owner of Martin Security Systems.

Motown With A Twist Coming To Lakeland

Are you ready for a brand-new beat? Motown with a Twist, a new take on clas sic Motown, is coming to the RP Funding Center on March 7, 2023. It’s a sparkling, electrifying night of choreographed performances to the Motor City’s most famous hit songs featuring ce lebrity dance pros Anna Trebunskaya and Keo Motsepe from Dancing with the Stars part nered with finalists from So You Think You Can Dance, along with live vocals by American Idol, The Voice and America’s Got Talent final ists. Tickets are on sale now, visit the RP Funding Center Box Ofce at 701 W. Lime St. in Lakeland, call 863 834 8111 or visit its website at www. rpfundingcenter. com.

Dunkley Auto De tailing Comes To You

Dunkley Auto De tailing is a mobile detailing business for your vehicle, boat or RV. It can come to your home or place of work and needs nothing from you other than your keys, it is fully self-sufcient with its own power and water. It can also provide other ser vices, including paint enhancement, paint correction and ceramic coatings. Call owner Brian Dunkley at 304-719-3464 to discuss your needs and schedule an ap pointment.

By Jenny Bennett

Karma Yoga & Fitness Celebrates 10 Years In Business With A New Loca tion

Local yoga hot spot Karma Yoga & Fitness is celebrating its 10th anniver sary by moving from 4363 Lynx Paw Trl. in Valrico to a new loca tion. Starting in October, Karma Yoga & Fitness will be located at 13430 Boyette Rd. in Riverview behind The Talking Pint. The new location will ofer healthy infrared hot yoga classes, relax ing deep stretch classes, yoga with weights, med itation, teacher training, special workshops and more. Owners Megan and Nooie Hochheimer are excited about the move because of the opportunity to bring yoga to new students. Visit its website at www.karmayogafitness.com for addi tional details.

Action Karate Opens In River Hills Plaza

Action Karate recently opened at 4365 Lynx Paw Trl. in Valrico in the River Hills Plaza.

Its greatest pur pose is to provide children with lifesaving lessons through its unique self-defense programs led by its highly experienced instructors. It prides itself on providing a comfortable, energetic, educational ex perience to help students learn new skills, gain confidence and make new friends. For additional information, visit its web site at www.actionkarate.net or call 813609-2376.

WINNERS OF OF FINE ARTS

The Brandon League of Fine Arts hosted Artworks 2022, a jur ied art exhibit at Cen ter Place Fine Arts & Civic Association in Brandon this Sep tember. Artists from all over the area were invited to participate. The winners were rec ognized at a recent Artists’ Reception. There were 36 entries.

This year’s judge was Alice Anderson, an award-winning artist.

First place was awarded to Donna Morrison for her wa tercolor painting called Circle B Bar Reserve. Anderson said if the piece, “This large wa tercolor painting has a beautiful natural pallet of earth tones with incredible details ofer ing great contrast in the tree in the fore ground to the dying tree in the background with birds swarming around it.”

Donna Morri son (right) was awarded frst place in Brandon League of Fine Arts Artworks 2022. Christopher Klein (left), president of Brandon League of Fine Arts, was complimentary of both the show and the artists’ reception held at Center Place Fine Arts & Civic Association.

By Kathy L. Collins

strating beautiful figurative work with attention to the lighting and the tex tures of the stately woman’s outfit. She stands with purpose against a very loose colorful background.”

Honorable men tion was given to Doug Steinbarger for his pastel piece called Pennsylvania Pasture. Anderson said, “This pas tel of a field and brook caught mid day with a hazy filtered light and rendered with great details in the beautiful trees sur rounding evokes a serene setting.”

Honorable men

Second place went to Michael King for his watercolor painting called Skipper’s Smokehouse. Anderson said, “Skipper’s Smokehouse comes alive in this large wa tercolor painting showing its character as a music venue but not hiding any of its Floyd attributes, including telephone wires and poles, gaudy signs and road signs surround ing it.”

Third place was awarded to Kathy Durdin for Clogging to the Wandering Hour. This was also a watercolor painting. Anderson said, “This watercolor portrait is demon

tion was also awarded to Marsha Nelson for Wild Stallion, a photograph. Anderson said, “This photograph of the dappled horse caught as though he was dancing in the field of wild grasses and flowers captures a spirit of freedom and natural beauty. A great capture.”

Christopher Klein is president of the Brandon League of Fine Arts. Klein said, “The show is very high quality. No piece entered could be considered less than ex cellent.”

Brandon League of Fine Arts will next hold its Square-of Show 2023 in January 2023. For more information on Brandon League of Fine Arts, please visit http://blfa. us/.

JACK OWENS AWARDED 51ST ANNUAL TONY SALADINO MEMORIAL BASEBALL AWARD

Bloomingdale High School grad uate Jack Owens was awarded the 2022 Tony Saladino Memorial Baseball Award on August 7 and became coach Kris Wilken’s first athlete to win the award.

“[Coach Wilken] has had some great players on his past teams and to be even a thought of being a part of those great play ers is insane to me,” said Owens. “I was always the smallest kid, and even to day I still am, but Kris has trained me to the max to become the best player I can possibly be.”

The Stetson University commit was recognized for his exceptional talent on the field, boasting a 1.80 ERA and 53 strike outs over 35 innings pitched. He batted .460 with 17 RBIs and five home runs, showcas ing impressive talent both on the mound and at the plate.

While the Saladino Award is given to an outstanding athlete, the character, leader ship and scholarship of the recipient is tak en into consideration. Owens, in addition to being team captain, was on the principal’s honor roll and led the team to the state title as a junior last year.

“Jack understands that without account able actions for himself, he can’t create trust

By Lily Belcher

among those he’s leading,” said Wilk en in his nomination of Owens. “… Jack is tough, accountable, respectful and car ing.”

Owens said team mate Makye Hayes expressed that the team played difer ently when Ow ens is on the field. Owens took this to heart and reflected on how his performance could impact the team. He narrowed it down to one quote he tries to live by: “Treat others how you would want to be treated.”

“Just by that quote I ended up pitching the best game,” said the Saladino Award recipient. “We end ed up winning, and, most importantly, we all had fun because it doesn’t matter the talent level — if the chemistry level on a team is high, you will win.”

The 5’11” Valrico native is the third award recipient from Bloomingdale High School, following Mike Valdes in 1995 and Ryan Strauss in 2004.

“The Tony Saladino Memorial Baseball Award was established in 1971 and is pre sented annually to the outstanding high school senior baseball player in Hillsborough County as a memorial for my late father and my late wife, Bertha, to promote high school baseball,” said Tony Saladino.

Mother Angela Owens, son Jack Owens, Tony Sal adino, and father Jack Owens as the Bloomingda le graduate receives the Saladino Award.

18TH ANNUAL CHARITY CAR SHOW TO BENEFIT LOCAL VVA CHAPTER AND PROGRAMS

top 10 vehicles from 1973 and newer, top 15 from 1972 and older, best survi vor and best rat rod. And of course, best of show and best of show runner-up. Additionally, door prizes, donated by our sponsors, will be given to randomly selected participants. This is a family-oriented show that features all types of vehicles. There will also be oldies music, a 50/50 drawing and food to en

SPOOKTACULAR AT BUSCH GARDENS IS NOT-SO-SPOOKY FAMILY FUN

Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) Chapter 787 in Tampa will hold its 18th annual Charity Car show on Saturday, October 22 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Hill sborough County Veterans Memorial Park, located at 3602 U.S. Hwy. 301 in Tam pa, just 1 mile south of I-4. The park opens at 8 a.m. and registration is from 9-11 a.m. This annual event helps to raise funds for the many vet eran support programs of

the VVA. Some of the programs include holiday meals and gift cards to veter an families, awards to JROTC cadets at Hillsborough County high schools, as sistance for other veteran support or ganizations and participation in various veteran educational and support events. The opening ceremony begins at 12 Noon with the color guard presentation from Durant High School JROTC. Awards will be given at 1:30 p.m.

As with past shows, there are between 70-100 participants expected from throughout the central west coast of Florida. Awards will be presented to the

joy. The show has always been well attended, as spectators come not just for the cars but also to view the various memori als at the Tampa Veterans Memorial Park as well as visit the Rear Admiral Le Roy Collins, Jr. Veterans Museum.

Preregistration dona tion is $15 until October 15, with a regis tration donation of $20 October 16 through the day of the show. The show is free for spectators, and there is no parking charge. For addi tional information or questions, contact Herman (813-777-9450), Jim (813-352276) or Seth (813-731-6738).

Information about the programs the VVA sponsors and other VVA events can be found on the website at www.vva787. org.

Vietnam Veterans of America is the nation’s only congressionally chartered veteran’s service organization dedicat ed to the needs to Vietnam-era veterans and their families. VVA’s founding princi ple is: “Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.”

A whimsical world of enchant ment full of not-sospooky family fun is the place to cel ebrate Halloween at Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay with its all-new event, Spooktacular. In this playful world created by Kandy, a friendly witch in training, guests will find many ac tivities in this immersive Halloween expe rience.

Busch Gardens’ Spooktacular will be casting spells on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 Noon-4 p.m., Saturday, Septem ber 10 through Sunday, October 30 at the Festival Walkway and is included with dai ly admission.

Some of the activities for families in this all-new Halloween event, including other not-so-spooky surprises, are:

Kandy’s World: Join Kandy as she shares her journey to become a real witch. Guests will hear firsthand about the stories of this witch-in-training, including how much she loves candy and even how she accidentally turned her friends into toads.

Story Time with Kandy: Situated next to Kandy’s picture-perfect pumpkin patch and bubbling cauldron, guests will be im mersed in the popular story “Room on the Broom,” where everybody has a place and everyone belongs.

Spooktacular Costume Parade: On this catwalk, all the little ones are top models. A colorful parade of costumes will bring the Spooktacular Costume Parade to life.

Trick-or-Treating: The all-new Busch

able for purchase.

Gardens Spooktac ular is the place to be for trick-ortreating this season. All guests can bring their own bag and join in on the super sweet fun. Trick-ortreating bags will be avail

Because Busch Gardens Spooktacular is included with park admission. Guests should take advantage of the current spe cial ofer for the 2023 Fun Card, where paying for one day will allow unlimited vis its for the rest of 2022 and through 2023 for free. For more information on Busch Gardens Spooktacular and to purchase a 2023 Fun Card, guests can visit www.bus chgardenstampa.com.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is the ulti mate family adventure, ofering 300 acres of fascinating attractions based on exotic explorations around the world. Busch Gar dens is a unique blend of thrilling rides, an AZA-accredited zoo with thousands of animals representing more than 200 spe cies and exciting seasonal events all year providing unrivaled experiences for guests of every age. For more information, visit www.buschgardenstampa.com. Busch Gardens is owned by SeaWorld Entertain ment, Inc. (NYSE: SEAS), a leading theme park and entertainment company provid ing experiences that matter and inspiring guests to protect animals and the wild wonders of our world.

Staf Report

Participants in the 2021 car show.

Photos courtesy of Sandi Santos Photography.

Vintage, classic and newer cars all show up for the annual car show event.

Photo courtesy of Busch Gardens Kandy, a friendly witch in training, at Busch Garden’s Spooktacular.

BRING FAMILY TO HEIFER LIVING GIFT MARKET TO HELP END HUNGER

Would you like to be a part of helping people in need be free from hunger and have the chance to become self-re liant? If making a life-changing difer ence for someone in need is on your bucket list, come join us at the Heifer Liv ing Gift Market on Sunday, October 16.

This alternative gift giving opportunity will be held at the First Presbyterian Church of Brandon’s fellowship hall at 121 Carver Ave. in Bran don from 10:30 a.m.12:30 p.m.

This ‘market’ will provide an oppor tunity to ‘purchase’

Heifer animals or shares of animals like pigs, sheep, goats, cows, chicks or even water bufalo that will be distributed, along with education and training, to needy families around the world. This is not a handout but an actual opportunity for the recipients of these animals to become self-reliant. Heif er International (www.heifer.org) has a special approach to sustainable develop ment wherein the animal recipients “pass on the gift” by sharing an ofspring of their animal along with education about its care to another family in need, who then does likewise. This expands the network of hope around the globe.

The Heifer Living Gift Market is free to

Staf Report

attend and open to the public. Visitors of all ages will enjoy interesting exhibits presented in fun and informative ways, special activities for the kids, a chance to bid on gift baskets, a silent auction and a simple meal. All donations will go to Heifer In ternational.

For each animal or share of an an imal ‘purchased,’ donors will receive a specially designed honor card that can be sent to a loved one as an alterna tive gift. (Chances are good that some of the folks on your Christmas list, that already have every thing they need, would love to know that a gift given in their honor went to make a life-changing diference for someone in need.)

“The whole church gets involved, wear ing costumes, educating visitors and raising funds for this worthy cause. It is a great event for the whole family,” said Pastor Mike McCormack.

Come join in the fun, help people in need and make a lasting diference. Give the gift that truly keeps on giving.

For more information, contact the church ofce at 813-689-4597 or visit its website at www.fpcbrandon.org.

GLORY DAYS GRILL DONATES TO ARMWOOD HIGH SCHOOL AFTER FIRST BURGER BOWL

Glory Days Grill, located at 11310 Causeway Blvd. in Brandon, raised $1,000 to donate to Armwood High School in the first week of Septem ber after they won the Armwood at Bloomingdale High School foot ball game.

The rivalry game took place on September 2 and was the second game of the regular season for each school. The Armwood Hawks outscored the Bulls on Bloomingdale’s field 28-14 and the Armwood Athlet ics Department was awarded the dona tion from Glory Days after the win.

“We have a great relationship with both schools, and being in volved and supporting our community and youth athletics is one of our brand pillars,” said Jennifer Ulmer, Glory Days vice presi dent of marketing and public relations.

Brandon’s Glory Days Grill and their team of generous employees have been working on sponsoring the event for a few years now. Brandon partner Deon McClendon final ly got the initiative of the ground, making the 2022 rivalry game the inaugural Burger Bowl.

“Deon is a graduate from Armwood [High School],” explained Ulmer about the moti

By Lily Belcher

vation to sponsor the game. “[He is] also passionate about supporting our two local high schools in the Brandon area.”

Leading up to the September game, Glory Days raised the funds at its Brandon loca tion by rafing of “a Yeti cooler filled with swag and goodies.”

Glory Days plans to sponsor the Armwood vs Bloomingdale foot ball game each fall by donating a check to the winner of the match.

Glory Days has hosted similar fundraisers for other high schools in the past to support the community through oth er local markets.

Glory Days is known as a family-friendly, sports-themed grill committed to both the quality of its food and community involve ment. Through initiatives like the Burger Bowl, the company keeps its promise of supporting local sports groups and the com munity.

The sports restaurant has won the Restau rant Neighbor Award 16 times and the Com munity Partnership Award five times from the National Restaurant Association and works with seven charitable partners to help the community it serves.

For more information on Glory Days Grill, visit www.glorydaysgrill.com/community.

Deon McClendon presents a donation of $1,000 from Glory Days Grill in Brandon with the restaurant’s mascot, Gofer D. Glory.

Armwood High School beat Bloomingdale High School and won $1,000, donated by Glory Days Grill in Brandon.

Early Risers Bible Study sponsored the chicken booth.

First Presbyterian Missions Team sponsored the Heifer booth.

ARTINI IS AN ART EXPERIENCE LIKE NO OTHER AT JOIA MARTINI BAR

Artist Wayne Shaw is inviting anyone interested in creating art to participate in Art ini, an event set to take place on the last Sunday of every month from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Joia Fabulous Pizza & Martini Bar, located at 10475 Gibsonton Dr. in Riverview.

The cost to par ticipate is $79, and this includes all painting supplies, two martinis and pizza. Walk-ins are welcome if there is space. Payment for walk-ins is cash only.

Shaw explained, “My vision for Art ini came to life af ter completing the wall mural in Joia’s Fabulous Pizza & Martini Bar.” Shaw added, “The idea is to make an easy, safe place to have drinks and do something creative without the cleanup. Creating art while drinking martinis and eating gourmet pizza, all for one price, was something I wanted everyone to enjoy.”

Shaw created the mural at Joia Fabulous Pizza & Martini Bar in 2020. “The mural is four pictures from Italy out together. I did it in the summer of 2020 and it took six days. I did it with my now-18-year-old daughter.”

Shaw is a counselor in Hillsborough

By Kathy L. Collins

County schools and has been one for 15 years. He has been in ed ucation for 28 years and works with low-income, first-generation students. Shaw graduated from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in art ed ucation and a master’s degree in counseling.

“I am a believer that everyone has artistic abilities. But their percep tion of what they are painting is like a fingerprint — it will be one of a kind. I want peo ple to have fun and embrace their inner creativity to reduce mental stress,” Shaw said. “Artini is an opportunity to taste the best martinis and pizza and ex perience the greatest art experience ever,” he added.

Artini will be an ongoing art experience opportunity. The medium that will be used is acrylic on canvas, but it will change sometimes. For example, participants might paint actual martini glasses. The subject matter will also vary seasonally and will include some mental health strategies. Visit www.paintartini.com to register and pay.

JOIN OUTREACH FREE CLINIC AT THE LAUGH OUT LOUD COMEDY FUNDRAISER

Looking for a good night of fun and laughter? Join the Outreach Free Clinic and Re source Center and comedian Mary Ellen DePetrillo this October for the Laugh Out Loud Comedy Show.

The Laugh Out Loud Com edy Show is hosted to fund raise for the Outreach Free Clinic and Resource Center in Brandon. The show takes place on Friday, October 7 from 6-10 p.m. at The Regent in Riverview. In dividual tickets cost $75, or a VIP table, which includes eight seats, can be purchased for $800.

Each ticket provides access to dinner, a live comedy show, a cash bar, si lent auction, and more. This year, the main act will be DePetrillo, the comedian, pro fessional speaker and storyteller who will have you rolling on the floor laughing.

The Outreach Free Clinic and Resource Center provides a way for uninsured in dividuals to gain access to quality health care. Many individuals who cannot aford health care are living with life-threaten ing health issues and are leaning on the emergency room as primary care, or in stead not seeking medical help at all.

By Makenzie Atkins

In order to avoid this, a group of not only nurses and physicians but also pharmacists, social work ers, clergy, attorneys and bankers stepped up in 1987 to help those in the Brandon area who were falling through the cracks and needed help.

“I was referred to Out reach Free Clinic by Hill sborough County Breast and Cervical Cancer Pro gram. I had no in surance, no doctor and did not know where to turn. I received immedi ate attention to the concerns that I had a lump in my breast and needed care. Turns out that I tested pos itive for can cer,” said VC, a patient at the Outreach Free Clinic, “It was the caring and wonderful staf at the Outreach Clinic that put me on the path to the care and treatment that I need for my breast cancer. God bless all.”

Today, those involved at the Outreach Free Clinic and Resource Center continue to work tirelessly and use the LOL Com edy Show as a way to not only fundraise for the organization but also to spend time laughing and connecting with others in the community.

All funds from the Laugh Out Loud Comedy Show will go directly to patient care at the Outreach Free Clinic and Resource Center and make an immense impact on so many in the community.

Mary Ellen DePetrillo is a comedian with real-life stories that are relatable and hilarious.

Participants display artwork from the frst class with Wayne Shaw for an art experience like no other. Artini combines the joy of creating art with gourmet pizza and delightful martinis. Artini will take place on the last Sunday of each month at Joia Fabulous Pizza & Martini Bar, located in Riverview.

Best-selling author and world-renowned conservationist Carl Safina and woodpecker expert Stephen Shunk will be the keynote speakers at this year’s Florida Birding and Nature Festival from Thursday through Sun day, October 20-23.

The festival will be headquartered at the Suncoast Youth Conser vation Center, located at 6650 Dickman Rd. in Apollo Beach. The annual event coincides with the peak migration of more than 180 species and features expert-led field and boating trips to the best wildlife sites in W. Central Florida.

Trips include the Cross Bar Ranch in Spring Hill, Circle B Bar Reserve in Polk County, Egmont Key and Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve in Hillsborough County and Honeymoon Island and Fort Desoto Park in Pinellas County. A cross-Florida bus trip will ofer participants the chance to see a wide variety of birds, including rarities like the crested caracara and the scrub jay. One outing will identify butter flies.

Some of the trips are to areas normally not open to the public.

Space is limited, so early registration is advised.

There will also be two days of seminars with experts covering topics such as an hingas, alligators, short-tailed hawks, tar pon, black skimmers and dragonflies. The sessions also will be available on Zoom.

A Nature Expo on Friday and Satur

Staf

day, October 21-22 at the center will each feature displays from numerous envi ronmental organiza tions, nature-related businesses and art ists, plus a silent auc tion. Exhibitors will have artworks, bin oculars, bird boxes and other products for nature lovers.

Safina, the winner of a MacArthur ‘ge nius’ prize, is the au thor of numerous award-winning books, including “Song for the Blue Ocean.” His latest is “Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty and Achieve Peace.” He hosted the PBS series Saving the Ocean with Carl Safina He will speak on Saturday evening.

Shunk, a founder of the Oregon Birding Trails Program, is the author of the Pe terson Reference Guide to Woodpeckers of North America. He has studied wood peckers for over 20 years and leads bird ing and natural history tours throughout the Americas, as well as destinations in Asia and Europe.

Prior to both keynote presentations, there will be a dinner bufet and a beer and wine cash bar.

Both keynotes will be held at the Sun coast Youth Conservation Center, an edu cation facility established through a col laboration of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Tampa Elec tric Company and The Florida Aquarium. For more information and to register, visit www.fbnfestival.org.

With Halloween around the corner, we are focusing on all things spooky, and spiders often make the list of most scary things that creep and crawl in the night. Florida is home to over 57 species of spiders. One of the most in teresting and colorful spiders in the state of Florida must be the spiny-backed orb-weaver. Often referred to as a ‘crab spider,’ these spiders are technically not part of that family and are instead a species of orb-weaver. Orb-weavers are members of the family Araneidae and are grouped for the shape of the webs that they build. The ‘orb’ in their name is referring to the classic, recognizable and familiar circular-shaped webs that they commonly construct. The spiny orb-weavers are brightly colored of red, orange, yellow, white and black with six pointy spines protruding from their sides, giving it the appearance of a crab shell. They are often found around our gardens and breezeways hanging proud ly in their spherical webs. In fact, these spiders are almost always observed in their webs, as they spend the majority of their time there. They love to construct webs in windows, covered structures, nurseries, shrubs and trees, and this is a nightly activity for these spiders. Their webs average a size of 10-12 inches in diameter, and the spiders often rest in the center disk of the web. The web is

also how they meet a mate. An inter esting fact about the spiny-backed orb-weaver is that they have a short lifespan in the wild. Once a female lays an egg mass on her web, she will pass away, and the male only lives a few days after procreating. After just five weeks, the baby spiders will move on, construct their own webs, find a mate and start the process all over again. Spiny-backed orb-weavers are harmless spiders that live among us harmoniously. Their web not only acts as their home, but it is also their means to hunt and feed. Spinybacked orb-weavers, like many other spiders, lure their prey into their sticky webs for capture. Bugs and insects such as moths, beetles, flies and mosquitos are commonly caught in their traps. Therefore, having the spiders around is a natural form of pest control and very beneficial in keeping our pest population at bay. If you come across one of these fascinating spiders, remember that they provide a useful service to us and the ecosystem and admire their unique beauty.

Ali Holton is currently director of FishHawk TNR Inc. She has a master’s in biodiversity, wildlife and ecosystems and 20 years of experience specializing in animal behav ior and conservation. To reach her, email fshhawktnr4@gmail.com. 417

Karen J. Sims, Pastor and Roy Sims (brother)

Your one-stop shop for health care.

Primary care and pediatric care | Imaging and laboratories | Urgent care | Rehabilitation | Fitness center

There’s a new model of health care in your neighborhood, combining innovative technology with health care services to provide high-quality care for children and adults. Having multiple services at the same location means convenient, one-stop access, making it easier to get and keep you well: primary and pediatric care, imaging and labs, urgent care and rehabilitation services. Plus a fitness center that gives you an outstanding exercise experience. You can also stop by the TechDeck and learn about the latest in health technology and devices, with one-on-one support from our health technology coaches.

Located in Valrico, the BayCare HealthHub™ makes it easier and more convenient for you and your family to get the care you need and deserve, all in one place. Our physicians and team members are focused on providing an enhanced patient experience the moment you walk in the door. For more information: BayCareHealthHubBloomingdale.org

Know Where And How To Vote: By Mail, Early And On Election Day

Voting is a right, not a privilege. In or der to exercise this right, every voter in Hillsborough County must be informed and must know where to vote and how to do it. In Hillsborough County, there are three ways to exercise your right to vote: Vote By Mail, Early Voting and Election Day Voting.

In order to vote in the general elec tion, set for Tuesday, November 8, you must be registered by Tuesday, October 11. When you register, you are asked to select a party. The parties are Republican, Democrat or No Party Afliation. You can also register as a mem ber of a minor political party, such as the Green Party of Florida.

Florida is a closed primary state. This means that for the primary election, your ballot will reflect the party that you have se lected. In other words, you vote only for the candidates from your party as well as non partisan races, such as the judge (county and circuit) and school board.

In the general election, your ballot is based upon where you reside. You can view sample

ballots for both the primary and the general election by visiting www.votehillsborough.org.

“Many people are focused on the upcom ing general election in November, but please do not ignore the primary election. We have local school board and judge races on the pri mary ballot that are nonpartisan, so everyone votes in these races. If you are a Democrat or Republican, you will also have a say in which state and local partisan candidate moves on to the general election,” said Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer.

VOTE BY MAIL

Vote By Mail is the most convenient meth od. You do not need an excuse to choose this option. If you request this method, you will receive your ballot in the mail. The deadline to request that a Vote By Mail ballot be mailed to you is no later than 5 p.m. on the 10th day before the election, and you can take your time making your voting decision. The Vote By Mail ballot must be received by the Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections Of fice by 7 p.m. on Election Day. You can mail it or drop it of in person at one of its ofces or at an Early Voting site. The supervisor of elections is also ofering curbside drop-of this year. You can request your Vote By Mail ballot and track its delivery by visiting www. votehillsborough.org.

“Election Day is your last day to vote, not your first. I encourage everyone to consider voting by mail. During the March election, it was heartbreaking to get calls from voters who could not leave home and had planned to vote on Election Day,” said Latimer.

EARLY VOTING

Early Voting is set up be fore both the primary elec tion and the general elec tion. Early Voting for the

“We will have about twen ty-six early voting locations open. We are just finalizing those details now. We will have drop-of ballot boxes at each of those sites for voters who want to drop of their Vote By Mail ballot,” said La timer.

Early Voting is just like Election Day Voting. You must bring one or two forms of identi fication that have your photo and signature. Acceptable forms of identification include a Florida driver’s license, state-issued identifi cation, U.S. passport, student ID, public assis tance ID and more.

ELECTION DAY VOTING

Polling places or precincts, noted on your voter registration card, are open from 7 a.m.7 p.m. on Election Day. You can bring your sample ballot with you and use it while you vote.

Latimer said, “We are taking great mea sures to ensure a safe and healthy in-person voting experience.” Social distancing, hand sanitizer as well as adjusted layouts will be utilized.

According to Latimer, “All of this will mean that in-person voting is go ing to be slower than in the past, but it will be healthy and orderly.”

Whichever method you choose, re member that your vote counts.

DANNY ALVAREZ SR FLORIDA HOUSE, DISTRICT 69

Danny Alvarez is a Florida native, veteran and attorney who is run ning to become the rep resentative for District 69. Alvarez, a Republican, has been involved in the community for over 20 years. He is a member of both the Riverview and Plant City chambers of commerce.

On why he is running for a seat in the Florida State House, Alvarez explained, “I have been involved in the commu nity for many years. With the current po litical and cultural environment, I could not stand by and watch parents and police be attacked. I could no longer stand by and watch. I want to stand up for parents, pro tect children and stand up for law enforce ment. I want to keep Florida free.”

Alvarez added, “I am extremely honored that the Florida House leadership has en dorsed me. This will allow me to represent the district because I will be able to work with the leadership.” Alvarez further ex plained, “This will allow me to get maxi mum results for my constituents by work ing within the relationships established in Tallahassee.”

Alvarez is an attorney who practices in

By Kathy L. Collins

all facets of family law and is a business consultant with sig nificant experience in corporate com munications, market ing and messaging management. Within family law, Alvarez helps families through some of the most dif ficult times. His prac tice’s focus is to help children and families navigate through the process and emerge healthy and ready to prosper.

Alvarez is a veteran who was commis sioned as an infantry ofcer in the United States Army in 1997. He is a graduate of the Infantry Ofcers Basic Course, Bradley Fighting Vehicle Leaders Course, Basic Air borne Course and Jump Master Course.

Between his professional and education al experience and his real-world, on-theground community service, Alvarez will be able to represent the people of District 69. He said, “You have to represent all of the people in the district. I will accomplish all I can while preserving the Constitution and freedom.”

For more information, please visit his website at www.electdannyalvarez.com.

KIMBERLY OVERMAN COUNTY COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT 7 Staf Report

A 38-year resident of the Tampa Bay area, Kimberly Overman was elected to the county commission in 2018. Overman earned a Bachelor of Science in agricultural and resource economics from the University of Maryland, raised two children and has the joy of raising one of her four grandchildren as a single parent. Overman has also owned and op erated successful businesses.

She is a certified financial planner, for mer owner and CEO of a fee-only reg istered investment advisory firm, vice president of strategic planning for Con cierge Financial Organization, owner of The Heights Exchange LLC — a commer cial space in Seminole Heights — and the chairwoman of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commission, District 7 countywide. She also recreated a business chamber of commerce for the Tampa ur ban core. A longtime advocate of smart planning, economic growth, strong fami lies, sustainable communities and the im portance of education, Overman has a long history of public service volunteerism and community involvement.

During her career, Overman served on

several professional and community boards includ ing: Tampa Bay Estate Planning Council, past president; Financial Plan ning Association of Tam pa Bay, past president; Financial Planning Asso ciation of Florida, past member and legislative delegation; Business and Professional Roundtable, founder and board mem ber; Soroptimist Interna tional, member and Young Careerist Award; Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Associa tion, board member; Hillsborough County Housing Financial Authority, chairperson; Heights Urban Core Chamber, president; Women’s Yacht Racing Association of Tampa Bay, member; and Hillsborough Ed ucation Foundation Finance Committee, member/advisor.

The commissioner currently serves on numerous boards and councils including: Board of County Commissioners, District 7 County Wide (chairwoman); Afordable Housing Advisory Board (chairwoman); Commission on Human Trafcking (chair woman); Tampa Bay Transportation Man agement Area Leadership Group (includes MPO/TPO representatives from Pasco, Pi nellas and Hillsborough counties) & more. www.kimberlyoverman.com.

Elected county-wide to the Hillsborough County Commission in 2018, Commissioner Overman has utilized her experience as a successful business owner and public servant to successfully implement policy at the countywide level and lead the people of our county with courage and govern for its citizens—not special interests. She has been a champion in the battle against COVID-19, a fghter for equal economic opportunity for all, an unwavering advocate for increasing investment into Hillsborough’s transportation infrastructure, and became the Commission’s leading voice on com batting human trafcking in Hillsborough County. At the heart of Commissioner Overman’s service is always how she can help to improve the lives of her fellow citi zens and be the leader they deserve—be cause she still believes that Leadership Matters. approved by Kimberly

About Commissioner Overman

Commissioner Kimberly Overman is a 37year resident of the Tampa Bay Area, a proud mother and grandmother, a leader in Hillsborough’s business community as a successful small business owner in the fnancial planning sector, and a lifelong community leader. A longtime advocate for smart planning, equitable access to transportation, economic growth, aford able housing, and access to education, Commissioner Overman has a long history of public service and community advocacy in Hillsborough County.

Overman, Democrat for Hillsborough County Commission

MICHAEL ISAAK COUNTY COURT JUDGE, GROUP 14

According to Mike Isaak, who is run ning for Hillsborough County court judge in Group 14, “I believe that performing the duties of a judge is an art form. Successful execution requires proper morals and values, appropriate legal and life experi ences and a dedica tion to public service.”

Isaak has practiced law for 30 years. He began as an assistant state attorney. Isaak received a long-term service award for his dedication to protecting the citi zens of Florida. He then opened his own law practice. “I have focused on criminal defense for the past 25 years. As a crimi nal defense attorney, I protect and defend the Constitution. I have also represented clients in a variety of civil cases and am a member of numerous professional organi zations,” explained Isaak.

He has tried more than 150 jury trials and more than 500 nonjury trials, and he has written more than 300 appeals. In addition to his private practice, Isaak has taught thousands of lawyers. “I have lec tured locally, on a statewide level and na tionally. I often lecture on recent decisions in constitutional law in criminal cases and

By Kathy L. Collins

teach Fourth and Fifth Amendment constitutional law litigation. I also have more than 120 pub lished court deci sions,” said Isaak.

Isaak ex plained, “My legal experience has a unique balance. While most trial attorneys do not write appeals and most appellate attorneys do not try cases, I have done both.”

“I will serve the citizens of Hillsborough County with dedication and commitment. I have always wanted to be a judge. I be lieve that I am qualified to take on the challenges that accompany the role of a judge,” said Isaak.

Isaak’s family moved to Tampa in 1968, and he has called Hillsborough County his home for the past 53 years. He supports numerous local charities and serves on the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation Board of Directors.

He is married to Betsy Goode Isaak, and together they have two children. Betsy is a professional musician, having played with many of the local orchestras and other concerts in the Tampa Bay area.

Visit www.votemikeisaak.com.

ANDREW LEARNED FLORIDA HOUSE, DISTRICT 69 Staf Report

Andrew Learned has been a staple in our community for years. Before going of to the Navy, he grew up here in Blooming dale and returned af ter his service to open GradePower Learning, the local tutoring cen ter so many of us have relied on.

It caught all of us who knew him of guard when he first announced he was running for political ofce; frankly, as a lifelong Republican turned Democrat, we didn’t know what we’d get. The attack ads against him claimed he was an extremist that none of us who knew him thought to be true.

Since getting elected just two years ago in 2020, Learned has been on a sin gular mission: to fix the roads in Brandon and Riverview. He’s brought back millions of dollars via the Bipartisan Infrastruc ture Law, and the U.S. Highway 301 and Bloomingdale Avenue, Big Bend Road and Boyette Road I-75 interchange improve ments are all a result of that mission.

He was named the vice chairman of the Veterans Caucus, where he helped pass the largest tax break for military families in state history. He passed a bill to reward military-friendly schools and help improve

parent choice and helped tran sitioning military spouses have an easier time with state professional licensing require ments.

Learned has also focused on lowering the cost of living for Florid ians. This year in Tallahassee, he fought and delivered reforms to make homeownership more afordable and to ensure that the state’s savings go back into the pockets of consumers. He took on powerful insurance companies and lawyers to address roofing scams that are causing homeowners insur ance rates to skyrocket.

Even the gas tax holiday was his original work. While paired down from his original immediate and long-lasting proposal, the upcoming gas tax holiday in Florida was first called for by Learned.

When asked why he’s running for reelec tion, Learned simply pointed out the choice.

“I am fighting to make our schools safer and better funded, our roads wider, and to respect individual choices. I’m running be cause we need less polarization and more people doing the actual work for the peo ple,” he said.

Visit www.andrewlearned.com.

A N D R E W L E A R N E D

A n d r e w i s a l o c a l N a v y V e t e r a n , o w n e r o f a n e i g h b o r h o o d l e a r n i n g c e n t e r , a n d a h u s b a n d a n d f a t h e r w h o p r o u d l y s e r v e s U S i n y o u r F l o r i d a H o u s e

H e r e c e i v e d t h e G u a r d i a n o f S m a l l B u s i n e s s A w a r d b y t h e s m a l l b u s i n e s s c h a m b e r o f c o m m e r c e t h e f i r s t D e m o c r a t t o E V E R r e c e i v e i t i n F l o r i d a F i x i n g t h e d a m n r o a d s !

M i l l i o n s f o r o u r s c h o o l s V i c e C h a i r o f t h e V e t e r a n s C a u c u s B i p a r t i s a n s u c c e s s

L o w e r e d t a x e s F i g h t i n g a g a i n s t r i s i n g p r i c e s R e s p e c t f o r Y O U R c h o i c e

In 30 years, there has not been a single doctor who has served in Flor ida Senate to represent the voices of patients and to the sanctity of the doctor-patient re lationship. Dr. Christina Paylan is running for Florida Senate District 16 to change this dire statistic and to bring common sense to law making in Tallahassee.

Dr. Paylan believes that in order for a gov ernment to be representative for all, there must be people from all walks of life serving as elected ofcials. Currently, we have only one walk of life in government, and that is lawyers. Dr. Paylan is not against lawyers being elected to represent people, but she is against government being 98 percent made up of lawyers.

A daughter of an immigrant family, Dr. Paylan completed her earlier education in California, moving to Florida in 2001 to work at Tampa General Hospital to com plete her fellowship in plastic and recon structive surgery.

When COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Dr. Paylan realized more than ever before that Florida citizens would be well served by having a doctor as their representative

By Kathy L. Collins

in Tallahassee to make laws that directly im pact their health care and the health care of their children. Her candi dacy and position on the issues can be summa rized as follows: 1) Dr. Paylan strongly believes that parents should al ways choose when it comes to their children, 2) Dr. Paylan strongly believes in having an informed and educated voice in the Senate de ciding Floridians’ health care, 3) Dr. Paylan firmly stands by the fact that there has to be accountability and transparency by judg es and prosecutors, 4) Dr. Paylan strongly believes that we have an outdated court system that needs to be updated and mod ernized and 5) Dr. Paylan stands for com mon sense lawmaking instead of writing confusing laws that are hundreds of pages long with loopholes.

As a political outsider, and as an everyday average person wanting to represent every day average people, Dr. Paylan is asking for your vote for Florida Senate District 16.

For more on her position on issues, you can directly reach her at 813-919-6299 or visit her website at www.paylan4sta tesenate.com.

It started two years ago in Miami.

In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, LiquorSplit launched a delivery service for wine, beer, liquor and more, and in less than two years the com pany secured a loyal customer base that has propelled it into adding a new Valrico location. After open ing two locations in Miami and just releasing their new mobile app in March 2022, Liquor Split will be ofering its delivery service in Tam pa and opening the first smart liquor store in the nation.

The new location, lo cated in Valrico in the former AJ’s Fine Wine & Liquors location, is poised to be the first smart liquor store in the nation by integrating the digital and physical customer experiences. One initia tive will involve deploying smart kiosks for customers to place their orders and receive personalized recommendations based on their previous purchases, a specific meal or an event. The end point is to ofer each con sumer the highest-quality and most person alized shopping experience both from the

count as a thank you for their in-store pur chase, which they can apply toward their first order via the Li quorSplit app. The store is located at 3443 Lithia Pinecrest Rd., Unit 7 in the Shop pes at Lithia Publix Plaza.

“Convenience should not be a priv ilege, it should be a right for everyone,” said Russ Bruce, CEO of LiquorSplit. “We con tinue to innovate and change the way people think about retail stores. We feel strongly about empowering the masses to be able to enjoy an amazing shopping expe rience while saving mon ey and using their time wisely.” The mobile app will be ready to take orders in Tampa by the end of this month.

In addition to its superior delivery experi ence, LiquorSplit donates $1 of each delivery fee toward helping to solve homelessness in America through a few organizations that LiquorSplit supports. Who knew you could drink a cold glass of rosé in this Florida heat and feel great about it too?

Visit the store online at www.liquorsplit. com to place an order and download the app via the app store. The store is open Sun day through Tuesday from 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Wednesdays from 10 a.m.-10 p.m., Thurs days from 10 a.m.-11 p.m. and Fridays until 12 Midnight. Call 813-654-6488.

People who live in MetroPlaces communities don’t just buy a new home, they become part of a unique community and lifestyle. From weekend trips to the huge community Lagoon to carting the kids to and from playdates to meetings with two- and four-legged friends at the dog park, MetroPlaces residents are frequently found rolling along miles of paved pathways in their Electric Vehicle (EV) carts, going from one activity to the next.

In fact, many residents at MetroPlaces communities ofen leave their cars in the garage and use their more environmentally friendly EV carts to get around. Tanks to thoughtfully curated community designs, including Streetleaf solar streetlights and attentive community management, residents can easily live their lives throughout the community. Some even take advantage of the ULTRAFi high-speed internet at favorite neighborhood spots to work outside their homes!

Te Waves N’ Wheels promotions are sponsored by the Tampa Bay-area MetroPlaces communities of Angeline, Epperson, Mirada and Southshore Bay.

CASH SWEEPSTAKES: Potential winners must register in the model homes during the Promotion Period (Sep tember 15-October 16) and be validated by the Sponsors’ representative during the Promotion Period. One entry per model home and per household. Winners will be selected and their prizes determined by random drawing and notifed on 10/29/22.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER. Entrants must be US Citizens and ages 21 and up., No more than one winner per household. Additional restrictions apply.

EV CART GIVEAWAY: Up to 100 carts will be available for contracted new home sales with participating build ers during the Promotion Period (September 15-October 16). Limit of one cart per customer. Recipients must be at least 21 years of age. Additional restrictions apply. Please see http://www.metroplaces.com for Cash Sweep stakes Rules and EV Cart Giveaway Terms & Conditions or email wavesnwheels@metroplaces.com.

From September 15 through October 16, up to 100 new homebuyers in the MetroPlaces communities of Angeline, Epperson, Mirada and Southshore Bay will have the chance to join this MetroPlaces lifestyle and ride in style with a new ICON i40L EV Cart from Davis Islands Electric Vehicles. (Te vehicles are Caribbean Blue, to match the Lagoons!) Simply by purchasing a new home from participating builders, they will get the ultimate housewarming gif from MetroPlaces.

If you’re considering a new home this fall, plan to visit be tween September 15 and October 16. Tose who visit model homes of participating builders in the four MetroPlaces communities can also enter a cash sweepstakes with eight chances to win up to $10,000. Just be sure to register at any of the participating model homes when you arrive.

The weather is about to change for a more comfortable temperature. This will bring the bait fish back more in the flats for a while, and the target species will be on fire. October is typically loaded with trout, reds, snook and snapper. Redfish are schooled up and running the flats and passes. Use lots of chummers and look for the big wakes of water being pushed by large numbers of redfish. Catching redfish is kind of like finding the right girl: Most times, if you chase them, they will push further and fur ther away. The best way to target red fish is to get ahead of them and wait for them to get to you and become interest ed in your bait presentation. Cast well in front of the school and wait for them to come to you.

Mangrove snapper are on the prowl with great sizes and numbers. Use the smaller baits and double them up on the

hook. Chum heavy and they will show themselves in the flats and reefs inside the bay. The water, currently, is very dark with all the rain we have been having. This makes them a little less leader shy, but as the water cools o f and clears up, you may need to drop your leader down to #10 or #15. Hook sizes should be good with #1 or 1/0 circle hooks.

The water tem perature drop should bring the trout back into the shallower water around grass patches. Be cogni zant of your grass flat areas, as many of the sea grasses will begin to recede into their dormancy phase.

Spanish macker el haven’t really shown themselves this year in the typical numbers and may be a latent e f ect of last year’s red tide. Live greenies are the bait selection you want for some great-sized mackerel if you can find a school.

TAMPA FESTIVAL

Daily high tem peratures begin ning to slip out of the mid-90s means the local fall festival season is just about here, and among the events celebrating the region’s tastes and cultures is the Tampa Bay Co f ee & Art Festival in Brandon.

The festival bills itself as “The first craft co f ee festi val of its kind in the South East,” according to its website, and was first held in 2015. It had become an annual event un til 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily halted staging large public events. There was also no festival in 2021, but event co ordinator Ryan Kole said it is time to get out in the autumn air and enjoy a nice cup of co f ee while considering the works of emerging artists.

“The Tampa Bay Co f ee & Art Festival is designed and tailored to help intro duce people to the wonderful co f ee and art communities found throughout Flor ida,” he wrote in an email. “Our desire is for attendees to walk away from the festival feeling informed, inspired and

By Brad Stager

empowered to continue pursuing their own craft and art.”

Kole adds that the festival has grown be cause of public interest and reflects the appre ciation that people have for art and co f ee.

“2015 was the first year we held the Tam pa Bay Co f ee & Art Festival. We originally wanted to have a small, fun get-together to en joy some co f ee from a local roaster and have a couple artists come out. After we posted about the event on Facebook, we had such a large, positive response that we knew we needed to con tinue improving and building the event.”

Admission to the festival allows visitors to sample co f ee from regional roast ers and browse the works of local artists, craft creators and vendors.

The Tampa Bay Co f ee & Art Festival will be open from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Satur day, October 8 at 1310 John Moore Rd. in Brandon, just south of East Lumsden Road.

Tickets are $10 for general admission and $15 for a VIP ticket. They can be purchased online at www.tampabaycof feeandartfestival.com, where you can also view a gallery of works by local and international artists.

Mike Gigante stands with his slot redfsh catch.

BY MICHAEL MURPHY

Randy Wasmuth shows his slot redfsh catch.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Pierce.

Te cofee will fow on Saturday, October 8 at the Tampa Bay Cofee & Art Festival in Brandon.

GET THE DIRT:

IDENTIFYING UNWANTED WILDLIFE IN THE LANDSCAPE

BY LYNN BARBER, FLORIDA FRIENDLY LANDSCAPING™ AGENT

THE NEW ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR DEBUTS AT FREE POPS IN THE PARK IN SEPTEMBER

Most of us enjoy attracting wildlife to our landscapes. However, there are some wildlife spe cies that we would prefer just go else where. Nuisance wildlife can damage turfgrass, landscape beds and vegetable gardens. The first step in managing the issue is to iden tify problem species.

We can identify these species sev eral ways, as these unwanted interlop ers cause specific problems. The dam ages can include soil disturbances, bark damage, vegetation consumption, pil fering in vegetable gardens and leaving behind animal tracks and scat.

Starting with soil disturbances, the culprit can be identified by the size, location and shape of the holes. Small holes can be created by small critters, such as chipmunks, voles, rats or snakes. Larger holes are dug by larger animals, like a red fox, skunk or armadillo. Moles make underground tunnels and con sume soil insects. Their feeding tunnels are just below the soil surface. You will see raised ridges and soil in small sym metrical, volcano-shaped mounds. Be careful if you are walking over them be cause it’s easy to twist an ankle … yes, I know from experience. Armadillos create underground “homes.” Wild hogs greatly disturb soil and plants.

Bark damage can be caused by gray squirrels, deer, black bears, wild hogs and woodpeckers. Gray squirrels re move tree bark. Male deer rub against bark, removing one side of it. Wild hogs rub against the trees, leaving mud and coarse hair on that area. Woodpeck

ers drill holes in live trees to secure food.

Rabbits, deer and beavers can clip vegetation. Rabbits have sharp teeth and make clean cuts at low to ground levels. White-tailed deer rip vegetation (no upper incisors), which leaves a jag ged cut at a higher level. Beavers chew shoots, saplings or trees off at the base near water bodies, 2 feet from the ground. Their cuttings leave a ta pered point in the middle.

Vegetable garden pilfering can be challenging. Some crit ters dig a small hole in the side of a wa termelon, then claw out the contents. Others consume the center of the fruit or vegetable.

You can identify animal tracks and scat by their droppings. The size, shape and color help determine the nuisance. The smaller the critter, the smaller the scat. You can take a photo of the scat if you want to compare it with wildlife management field guides at the Inter net Center for Wildlife Damage Man agement.

For more information on wildlife iden tification, please view the source, “How to Identify the Wildlife Species Respon sible for Damage in Your Yard,” by Holly Ober and Arlo Kane, at: http://edis.ifas. ufl.edu/pdffiles/UW/UW36900.pdf.

Check the calendar of events for your county to determine what workshops are offered. In Hillsborough County, you can reach us at 813-744-5519 or visit us at 5339 County Road 579, Seffner, FL 33584. Remember to reduce, reuse, recycle and repeat.

New assistant conductor Chelsea Gallo will make her debut at The Florida Orches tra’s (TFO) free Pops in the Park concert at Vinoy Park. This year, TFO’s largest con cert of the year will bring fami ly-friendly music to St. Petersburg’s waterfront in September to celebrate the opening of the 55th season with the com munity.

The concert will be on Saturday, Sep tember 24 at 7:30 p.m. and feature film scores, Broadway hits and light classical favorites, conducted by Gallo. The nearly 30-year tradition annually packs the park with about 15,000 patrons, who spread out elaborate picnics with candelabras for free music under the stars.

TFO will give an encore performance on Sunday, October 2 at 7:30 p.m. at River Tower Park in Tampa. The spring Pops in the Park concert will be on Mother’s Day, May 14, at 7:45 p.m. at Julian B. Lane Riv erfront Park in Tampa. All park concerts will have food trucks from Gulf to Bay Food Truck Association. In a long-stand ing tradition, TFO will collect nonperish able goods for Tampa Bay Harvest’s annu al food drive at all park concerts.

This fall is Gallo’s first season with the orchestra. She will lead TFO’s youth and community concerts, conduct select Raymond James Pops and Morning Cof fee concerts and regularly assist music

director Michael Francis and other conductors.

The nonprofit Florida Orchestra exists to inspire, unite and edu cate as it builds community. TFO’s free and low-cost community con certs break down barriers to ensure everyone has ac

cess to the power of live music.

The orchestra announced more commu nity concerts, including the return of Sing Out Tampa Bay. Maestro Francis’ signa ture Inside the Music series helps unlock the secrets to composers and their mas terpieces so audiences can form a deeper connection with the music. Admission to all is pay what you can.

TFO will perform over 100 concerts this season in venues throughout Tampa Bay. Francis launches the season with TFO’s 55th Celebration benefit concert featuring Itzhak Perlman on Saturday, October 1 at the Mahafey Theater. From Friday to Sunday, October 7-9, the Hough Family Foundation Masterworks series debuts with Carl Orf ’s epic Carmina Bu rana, kicking of the classical series that includes Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, Rachmaninof ’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and much more. The Raymond James Pops se ries has blockbusters such as Harry Pot ter vs Star Wars, Holiday Pops and the Beatles’ iconic Abbey Road album.

For more information and tickets, visit https://floridaorchestra.org/.

Chelsea Gallo, new assistant conductor, will make her debut at Te Florida Orchestra’s Pops in the Park concert at Vinoy Park, located at 701 Bayshore Dr. NE in St. Petersburg.

Beaver damage.

Wild hog damage.

It’s a tough and compet itive field, the pickup mar ket, almost as challenging as the SUV segment, or maybe even more. There’s the best-seller Ford F-150, Ram, Toyota Tundra, Nis san Titan, GMC Sierra and more. In the midst lands a revamped inside-out 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4WD. However, the power train has been retained, at least the 6.2-liter engine.

Our high-end High Coun try Crew Cab version was equipped with the option al 6.2-liter V8 engine ($2,495) putting out 420 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 460 pounds-feet of torque at 4,100 rpm. It is mated to a slick 10-speed auto gear box.

GM’s Dynamic Fuel Management system deactivates half of the cylinders to conserve gas while cruising or at slower speeds. The front independent coil-over-shock front and solid axle rear suspension ensures a solid but compliant and calm ride with poised han dling and response. Guiding the large SUV into a tight parking spot with little efort is an accurate and well-weighted electric power steering. Tow capacity peaks at a commendable 13,300 pounds, and yes, you can turn on the optional hands-free driver assistance Super Cruise while trailering too on select highways. A 6.6-foot standard bed is ofered with 12 fixed tie-downs that have a capacity of 500 pounds.

Depending on the trim you pick, the Sil

verado front end has been restructured, so to speak. The High Country trim gets extra chrome in its grilles and wheels. C-shaped LED headlights and fog lamps meet up with a louvered, power dome-style hood. Step into the airy interior and you will notice the rede sign ASAP. The driver now faces a 12.3-inch diagonal digital cluster instead of the previous analog gaug es. And the prior 8-inch infotainment touch screen is a mammoth sweeping horizontal 13.4-inch instrument panel, and it includes built-in Google Assistant, maps, etc., if you are a fan, along with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Open-pore wood on the doors and center console along with stainless-steel speaker grilles with Bose audio are a sight to behold. Well-placed storage bins and cubbies are scattered throughout. Best of all is the cen ter console bin, which can consume a laptop. Other no-cost goodies include a power tilt/ telescopic steering wheel, dual auto AC, heated/cooled front seats, 60/40 folding rear bench with hidden bins, etc.

Numerous power trains are ofered in the Chevy Silverado for buyers to pick according to their needs. Regardless of the choice, you will get plentiful passenger and bed capac ity and laudable tow/haul capacities. What more can a pickup shopper ask for in a work ride?

ART PATRONS AND OLD SHOULD VISIT VOSLER ATELIER IN BRANDON

Kerry Vosler is the founder of Vosler Atelier, home of Vosler Young Artists’ Studio, located in Brandon. The Vosler Atelier ofers art class es for people ages 7-18, and it ofers art class es for adults as well.

Its purpose is to train young adults in the craft of drawing, ofering a skillsbased program designed to give the students a core body of knowledge and foundational skills by the time they are 18 years old.

By Kathy L. Collins Voslier Atelier, located at 330 Pauls Dr. in Brandon. Te ARC-approved Vosler Young Artists’ Studio has been a well-known 18

Vosler said, “What sets us apart from other classes for young artists is the fact that we are a skill-based program. We teach fundamen tal classic drawing skills and help students develop their portfolios.”

Volsler further explained, “We are an ARC-approved classical art school. The Art Renewal Center is the foremost and only vetting service for skill-based visual art schools since 2002. We are the only art school certified in the Greater Tampa Bay area and one of five in the state of Florida. This program is designed to give the stu dent a core body of knowledge and foun dational skills by the time they are 18 years of age. This classic drawing foundation prepares our students for any art-related

career, including sculptor, anima tor, visual artist or portrait and figure painter.”

Vosler Young Artists’ Studio has open enroll ment, and stu dents may enroll prior to the first of each month. Classes meet each Sunday from September through May. It also ofers spring break and sum mer workshops for teens. Students do not need prior experience to enroll in the programs. All supplies are provided from the Vosler Atelier in-house store.

In addition, Vosler Atelier

ofers adult classes and workshops. Vosler said, “We will have our first First Friday event on Friday, October 7 from 6-9:30 p.m. We will ofer live drawing demonstrations with a model. Our guest artist, Yeats Ihrig, is a graduate of the Angel Academy of Art and a Tampa native. Check Eventbrite for tickets and details or go to our website for more information. You can also see new works of art in our gallery and enjoy re freshments.”

For the Eventbrite page, visit https:// www.eventbrite.com/e/first-friday-tick ets-423458053437. For information on classes, workshops and events, visit www. vosleryoungartistsstudio.com.

All About Speech & Lan

guage, located of Dale Mabry Highway, was opened 10 years ago by two sis ters, Brieann and Alicia Papp, who wanted to pro vide skilled and compassionate care for their patients.

The Papp sisters were raised by a family of entrepreneurs and followed in the foot steps of their father and uncle by starting a private practice after college. Brieann, who entered the University of Florida as a com munication sciences and disorders major, encouraged her younger sister to take a course in the field.

“[Alicia] fell in love with the coursework and knew this was exactly the profession that would fulfill her passion of helping others and making a diference combined with the stimulating science behind human communication,” explained Brieann.

Following college, they shadowed local private practices and saw the benefits of combining individual therapy with func tional, group therapy.

“It allowed a therapist to build genuine connections and relationships with clients and their families and the 1:1 setting, in ad dition to collaborating with related profes sionals, allowed significant progress to be made in each child’s life,” the sisters said.

By Lily Belcher

A decade later, their team of 22 members hosts 500 individual sessions a week where they sup port 270 children and their families.

The family-owned business ofers speech-language therapy, occupa tional therapy and read ing and writing support. They also promote social skills through in dividual and group set tings and ofer addition al programs, such as Orton-Gillingham and Lindamood-Bell instruc tion and the Picture Ex change Communication System.

All About Speech & Language also publishes articles with care advice and tips for their patients, which al lows them to extend their support to their families and community outside of the ap pointment times in the ofce.

“Given the relationships we develop with our families, we do our absolute best to maximize their potential as they grow and develop; so that as each developmen tal milestone is turned over, they have the tools they need to succeed as individuals, within their families, and as members in our community,” said the sisters.

For more information, visit https://aa speech.com/ or follow it on Facebook and Twitter. To contact the Papp sisters’ ofce, call 813-616-4004 or fill out the contact form on the website.

All About Speech & Language celebrates 10 years of supporting local patients.

All About Speech & Language, a family-owned company, supports its patients with the help of 22 employees and speech pathologists.

FOREVER GREEN LAWN & PEST CONTROL ENSURES A GREEN AND LUSH LAWN

By Michelle Caceres

Keeping a Florida lawn healthy is no easy task, requiring year-round maintenance and pest control. Choosing to put of deal ing with fungal infections or pest infesta tions can be costly and require entire sod replacement.

Valrico resident Judith Vanzulli’s lawn is green and lush thanks to Forever Green Lawn & Pest Control. Five years ago, when her former lawn care company closed its business, she started looking for another company to care for her grass.

Forever Green’s pricing was competitive and its technicians were knowledgeable, so she decided to give them a try. She’s glad she did.

“They’re so consistent and dependable and my grass looks good all the time,” she said.

Customer Valeria Ortero concurred. She appreciates how easy it is to contact them and has been impressed with its services.

“We had tried other lawn care companies and were disappointed,” said Ortero.

She had to resod her lawn twice before finding Forever Green. Her lawn has been healthy ever since. She was such a satisfied cus tomer, and so she hired them to help her father,

whose homeowners association told him he needed to resod his lawn.

“A Forever Green technician came out and was able to overcome the weed and insect problems and save his grass, which is now green and lush,” she said. “I really wish we had known about Forever Green years ago.”

Owner Ben Compton said that customer satisfaction is one of the reasons why For ever Green is still in business after 35 years. “We strive to make our customers proud of their lawn,” he said.

Each customer is assigned a personal lawn care expert, ensuring they learn the customer’s preferences and finish the job to their personal satisfaction.

The company ofers a variety of services, from lawn spraying and pest control to tree and shrub maintenance and laying fertilizer. It uses nontoxic chemicals that are safe for pets.

Forever Green is a family-owned business founded by Mike Compton and takes pride in the quality of its work.

“We’re a family and we treat our custom ers like they’re family too,” said Compton. For more information or to schedule a free estimate, call 813-324-1004 or visit www.fglawn.com.

Forever Green Lawn & Pest Control creates healthy and lush lawns for its customers.

Newsome Wolf pack Theatre is excited to present its fall show, Hen ry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields’ The Play That Goes Wrong Shows will take place Wednesday through Friday, October 26-28 at 7 p.m. in the Newsome High School Theatre, located at 16550 FishHawk Blvd. in Lithia. Adult tickets are $10 and student tickets are $5; they can be purchased at https:// newsomewolfpacktheatre.ludus.com/ or at the door if available. Premier tickets that are closer to the stage and eligible for early entrance are also available for $15 (adults) and $10 (students).

As the play begins, the audience is wel comed to opening night of the Cornley Uni versity Drama Society’s newest production, The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to ut terly disastrous. This 1920s whodunit has everything you never wanted in a show — an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead and actors who trip over everything (including their lines). Never theless, the accident-prone thespians bat tle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious con sequences.

All eight cast members are powerhouse performers from the Newsome theatre program. Chris, the show’s ‘director’ as part of the Cornley University Drama Society, is played by junior Jacob Ost, who was re cently involved in the film Paragon. Ashlyn Jade Lopez (Disney’s Christmas…Again?!,

By Dr. Chad Cornwell

The Vam pire Diaries) plays Annie, the bumbling stage man ager trying to hold the show together. Daxton Chapell is Trevor, the show’s technical director who becomes roped into the production against his will. Charles Haversham (played by Athan Huskey) has been ‘murdered,’ his fiance, Sandra (Liliana Gonzalez), and her lover, Max (Edem Yao-Kumah, also playing the Haversham gardener), are suspects. Kas sidy Curnutte appears as Roberta, Charles’ old school friend, and Caroline Peacock brings more humor as Denise/Haversham’s butler.

The onstage cast is only half of the hu mor. Director Dr. Chad Cornwell said, “The technical element is probably the most im portant part of this show. There are prob lems from the very beginning, all the way to the set’s complete destruction by the end of the show.” Leading the technical crew are set designers Christopher Blazer and Nick Davis. Keila Vanda has the challenge of as sistant director and principal stage manag er, running the entire show. Of his set ideas, Blazer said, “This is my senior year, and we are literally going out with a bang.” Last spring, the Straz Center’s Broadway Star of the Future program recognized Blazer for his outstanding set design of Newsome’s production of Catch Me If You Can Mark your calendars for a whirlwind of entertainment. For more information, visit www.newsomewolfpacktheatre.com.