NEW LOCAL AWARD-WINNING SHORT FILM AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

By Jonathan Hurst

cal flood waters that would come around their house — and ultimately returned with four of them. Over the next decade or so, those four canoes grew into a fleet of canoes and kayaks, peaking close to 200 in the 1990s. While the success sparked two other canoe rentals nearby in the past, in 2023, Alafia River Canoe Rentals stands alone as the oldest canoe rental for the Alafia River.

“We just stuck it out through the floods and some tougher times, and we are still here,” Sybil said.

While it has sold of about half of those canoes in recent times, that has not led a downturn, as the company is firmly entrenched in the community it serves, and there are no plans to go anywhere anytime soon. Most popular in the springtime, as that is when the river is the most stable, it attempts to operate year-round.

If you find yourself interested, it is recommended to call ahead of time to make sure the river is navigable. For more information, call 813-689-8645 or visit its Facebook page, Alafia River Canoe Rentals. It is located at 4419 River Dr. in Valrico.

A new 30-minute film based on a short story by bestselling author

R.J. Hendricks II is making major waves on the film fest award circuit.

The film, The Hanging of William Cane, is now available as a cowboy series on Amazon along with another short film, Killer Miller . In fact, The Hanging of William Cane has brought home more than 40 awards for acting, directing, editing, screenplay, score and costume design to date.

The film is a western love story about a rancher, William Cane, on his Texas ranch in 1881. He’s about to lose his family farm and does one final cattle drive to try to save his home, but it fails. In an act of desperation, he agrees to accompany a bank robber to Dry Creek, but the deed takes a deadly turn and Cane must face the music.

Hendricks is an author of eight books and a huge fan of westerns. Hendricks said when he decided to start writing, westerns were the perfect genre for him.

“I was trying to send the message that decisions have consequences,” Hen -

By Marie Gilmore

dricks said.

Tampa-based director Preston Walden was pleased to be a part of the production and brought in many local actors and extras for the shoot.

One local extra, Jose Roldan Jr., was proud to be a part of the production. “Being a part of The Hanging of William Cane was awesome. It was like going back in time and reliving the old west,” said Roldan, who has been involved in local movie and short-film productions for almost a year.

The movie was shot over five days in March at Dry Creek Ranch — a Wild West movie set in Parrish — and created by Les McDowell, who also played the sheri f in the movie.

For more information about The Hanging of William Cane , visit www.facebook.com/authorrj.hendricks.7. The movie is available as a special feature called Tales from the Old West on amazon.com and is available to rent for $0.99 or to buy for $2.99.