Osprey Observer Valrico October 2022

DRUMLINES WILL PERFORM AT VFCC SHOP LOCAL HOLIDAY EXPO

The Valrico Fish Hawk Chamber of Commerce is hosting its VFCC Shop Local Holiday Expo on Sat urday, November 5 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Patrons will be able to shop at this annu al vendor market in the teachers’ park ing lot at Blooming dale Senior High School, located at 1700 Blooming dale Ave. in Valrico.

This event has been held by the chamber for over five years and offers more than 40 vendors who will be showcasing local products and services. In addition, mem bers of local high school drumlines will be making an appearance and having a ‘friend ly’ drumming competition and much more.

Each year, there is also a coveted flamingo deco rating contest where vendors can dress up their flamingos for the general public to vote on in different categories.

Proceeds from the event support the chamber’s 2022 Charity of Choice: Im pact. The Impact Program promotes

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healthy lifestyles and relationships to teens through its Teen Impact program, to parents through its parent program and to teachers and other youth leaders through its class room education pro gram.

“We will be there with a fun booth for families,” said Osprey Observer managing editor Ma rie Gilm ore. “This is such a fun event and I love to shop local and support our local busi nesses.” Booth space at the event is still available and costs just $60 per business.

For more in formation and to register, visit https:// valricofish hawk.org/.

Hillsborough Soil and Water Conservation Dis trict (HSWCD) youth con tests are gearing up as the nonprofit HSWCD prepares for its showcase tent at the Hillsborough County Fair in November.

Held annually are speech, photography, rain barrel decorating, youth horti culture and land judging contests, along with two poster contests and the Envirothon ‘environmental Olympics.’

Moreover, the annual Hillsborough 100 Conserva tion Challenge involves youth and adults in road, river, beach and stream cleanups; tree plantings; communi ty gardens; recycling and repurposing ef forts; and more. The two-year ‘Operation Pollination’ pledge for projects runs in con junction with Rotary International and the Rotary Club of Bran don Global Eco.

Set for display from Thursday, November 3 through Sunday, November 13 at the Hillsborough County Fair, at the county fair grounds in Dover, are posters and decorated rain barrels, which will be auctioned of at the HSWCD’s sixth an nual Great Plant Auction, set to start at 1 p.m. on November 13. Also on display, vying for ribbons, are Youth Horticulture Show entries, including bonsai, bromeliads, cac ti, succulents, ferns, palms, herbs, foliage and flowering plants.

Orchestrating HSWCD programs, proj ects and activities for inner city, urban, suburban and rural communities is ex ecutive director Betty Jo Tompkins, who answers to a five-member board elected and chaired by Andrew Brooks. Also on

By Linda Chion

the volunteer board are Sonja Brookins, Karen Cox Jaroch, Mark Proctor and, appointed to fill a vacant seat, Melissa Jackson.

“Soil and water conser vation districts address a large number of community needs dealing with natural resources conservation, education and understand ing,” Tompkins said. “We program for youth and adults and ofer a vast ar ray of services for agricul tural interests, including cost-share programs to support environmental and conservation enhance ments.”

The summer post er contest focuses on ‘Our Perfect Pol linators, Bees, Birds, Bats and Butterflies.’ Focused on water sheds, the ‘One Water’ school-year contest, run in conjunction with the National As sociation of Conserva tion Districts, allows for top finishers to ad vance from district to state to national com petition. The dead line is April 28, 2023. Cash prizes for both contests are awarded to first, second and third-place finishers in five grade categories. Each entrant receives a certificate and free county fair ticket.

For more, visit www.hillsboroughswcd. com, call Tompkins at 813-477-8332 or email bjt6890@yahoo.com.

The cham ber wants to thank Dia mond Member HiTech Automotive and Platinum Members Backbone Construc tion & Roofing, The Brothers That Just Do Gutters, Citizens Bank & Trust, Ex cellence First Insurance, Cruise Plan ners of Valrico and MIDFLORIDA Cred

Te Valrico FishHawk Chamber of Com merce will host its VFCC Shop Local Holiday Expo event at Bloomingdale High School on Saturday, November

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HSWCD board member Andrew Brooks helping to plant some 20,000 longleaf seedlings at the Lower Green Swamp Nature Preserve in Plant City.

Artwork from frst-place fnisher Giulia Jones in the HSWCD 2021 ‘Healthy Forests’ poster contest.

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AMPHITHEATRE ADDS NEW ROCK BOX VIP SECTION PERFECT FOR 12 PEOPLE

Ready to enjoy a concert or event at the MIDFLOR IDA Credit Union Amphitheatre and want to pam per yourself and 11 guests? Then the newly opened Rock Box VIP sec tion is perfect for you. The Rock Box accommodates up to 12 people and includes VIP parking, VIP club access, a dedicat ed wait service and an elevated menu with the option to preorder.

The private section includes comfortable seating, tables, couch es and prime viewing of the stage for concerts.

The concert and events venue at the Florida State Fair grounds in Tampa has been called the MID FLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre since 2013.

“We feel like a we have a great mes sage, and we want to get that out,” Kev in Jones, president and chief executive o f cer of MIDFLORIDA Credit Union, based in Lakeland, said.

The venue opened in 2004 as the Ford Amphitheatre, then 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre and, for a short time, Live

By Marie Gilmore

Nation Amphi theatre. Now the Tampa ven ue at the Flor ida State Fair grounds bears the name of MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre.

“We are truly excited about the opportuni ty to bring the best possible entertainment we can,” said Jones. “We’re looking forward to a long re lationship with Live Nation.”

The Tampa ven ue can seat up to 20,000 people and sits on the Florida State Fairgrounds. The venue was inau gurated in July 2004 with Curiosa, a stel lar alt-rock festival headed by The Cure. Since then, it’s hosted concerts by giants of every genre.

The MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Am phitheatre is located at 4802 U.S. Hwy. 301 in North Tampa and can be emailed at midfloridacreditunionamp@livena tion.com. To learn more about the Rock Box experience, email juliannebisceg lia@livenation.com or call 615-3469042.

For families seeking something di f erent than the education their assigned neigh borhood schools provide, options are available from Hillsborough Coun ty Public Schools (HCPS).

The district o f ers magnet programs and school choice opportunities that pro vide students a chance to pursue an edu cation that fits their interests and goals.

Magnet schools o f er students a chance to focus on a themed education with programs emphasizing arts, busi ness, health, technology and other sub ject areas.

According to the district’s website, “Magnet schools o f er students oppor tunities to discover, explore and refine their talents and interests while focusing on excellence in academics.”

Robert Cox is the district’s supervisor of magnet programs, and he encourag es families to learn more about what is o f ered.

“We have 42 magnet schools to o f er families for the 23-24 school year and they are all recognized nationally for their awards and excellence in educating students. Families can join us on social media on Twitter @SDHCMagnet to get up-to-the-minute info on all of our mag net schools.”

Bus transportation is provided by the district to attend a magnet school.

Many neighborhoods’ middle and high schools o f er career and technical ed

By Brad Stager

ucation programs that may be accessible to students outside of a school’s attendance zone on a space-avail able basis. These CTE programs range from in formation technology to hospitality and tourism.

The district website pro vides an interactive on line resource to match student interests with relevant schools. In this case, trans portation is not provided by the district to students residing outside of a school’s attendance area.

The current window of opportunity for enrollment in a magnet or other school choice program for the 2023-24 school year is Thursday, October 27 through Friday, December 16. Those are also the dates for applying to attend Hillsbor ough Virtual K-12 School for the second semester of this school year. Acceptance notification will be made in January 2023.

Last year, 25 schools in the HCPS mag net program received awards of excel lence or distinction from Magnet Schools of America, a national organization sup porting magnet programs. Among them, Lennard High School and Spoto High School each received a Magnet School of Distinction Award. Both high schools o f er collegiate academies that provide a way to earn an associate degree from Hillsborough Community College.

You can learn more about magnet and school choice options by visiting www. hillsboroughschools.org or calling 813272-4692.

Private groups of up to 12 people will love the VIP experience in the new Rock Box at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre.

BRANDON LIONS CLUB SELLS LUMINARIA KITS TO SUPPORT LOCAL CHARITIES

Brandon area residents have the opportuni ty to help oth ers and spread light next month thanks to the Brandon Lions Club and its an nual luminaria project and fund raiser.

Until Monday, November 7, res idents through out the Bran don area can purchase a Lu minaria Kit to raise funds for local charities supported by the Lions.

“Our Luminar ia Kits are con structed with white paper bags weighted down with sand and il luminated from within by a candle,” said Brandon Lions Club treasurer Joe Kueb ler. “They are traditionally displayed on Christmas Eve.”

According to Kuebler, each kit con tains 15 long-burning votive candles, 15 candle holders, 15 white bags and a plastic bag of sand (to use in the base of each bag).

Kits are $7.75, and orders of 15 kits or more will be delivered locally. No pay ment is required with your order. All orders are COD (cash on delivery) and

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can be picked up at the Brandon Lions Club, located at 610 Limona Rd. in Brandon, or will be delivered (orders of 15-plus kits) on Satur day, December 17.

According to Kueb ler, the fundraiser has been taking place an nually since 2002.

For the last seven years, the home owners associ ation in Parkside Village in Lithia has purchased enough Luminaria kits to light a path through the community on Christmas Eve. “This has become a favor ite community tra dition,” said homeowners association board member Marie Gilmore.

The proceeds will benefit Brandon Lions Charities, a not-for-profit 501(c)

(3) organization that has been support ing the club’s eyesight and hearing pro grams, Southeastern Guide Dogs, Great er Tampa Lions Sight Fund, ECHO, Family Promise, The Outreach Clinic, Brandon High School Don Bishop Track Meet and other local area needs since 1954.

Contact Kuebler at 813-263-2522 to place an order, or email brandonlions club@gmail.com.

EXPERIENCED AUTISM ALLIANCE GEARS UP FOR INCLUSIVE TRUNK-OR-TREAT EVENT

Tanya Hines en tertained the idea of starting an alliance for parents and care givers of children or adults on the au tism spectrum. This year’s second annual Trunk-or-Treat event is a testament to that dream realized.

Launched with her husband, James, and her son’s occu pational therapist at the time, Amanda Grozdanic, the non profit Experienced Autism Alliance is set to use the pro ceeds from food sold at the Saturday, Oc tober 29 event to further the alliance’s mission.

Outreach is focused on connecting fam ilies to resources and caretakers living the life of autism care and advocacy. Also, to share safety measures and to promote in clusion and awareness, all of which Hines has experience with as a mother with a 17-year-old nonverbal son with profound autism.

“Fifteen years ago, when my son was diagnosed, I had to do a lot of work find ing therapists, doctors and social activi ties for him within the Tampa Bay area,” Hines said. “For years I wanted to be able to have a one-stop shop for information, to connect families to local resources and to share my experiences.”

By Linda Chion

That one-stop shop is Experienced Autism Alliance, which last year re ceived a grant to purchase 100 scent kits, which are used to help law enforce ment canine units find missing loved ones. To distribute free kits, the alliance held its first Trunkor-Treat.

“The event was a lot of fun, so this year we amped it up a little bit for ev eryone,” Hines said. Scheduled are the Florida Foam Fac tory, a DJ, bounce houses, a dedicated sensory zone, can dy-bearing vendors, games and Star Wars characters set to pose.

“We really want to bring people to gether, where the autism community can feel welcome and everyone’s just having a good time together and no one feels left out,” Hines said.

The cost for vendors is $25 per spot. The 3-6 p.m. Riverview event is set for October 29 in South Pointe, located at 10520 Southern Pointe Blvd. For vendor information, email Hines, the alliance’s executive director, at tanya@autismal liancefl.org. For more information about Experienced Autism Alliance, visit www. autismalliancefl.org.

Experienced Autism Alliance co-founders Tanya and James Hines and Amanda Grozdanic.

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

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

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.

BOO BASH, HOWL-O-SCREAM...

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

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 Saturday, Oc tober 29 from 11 a.m.-

1:30 p.m. for children

ages 2-13 years old to raise funds for its vari ous horse riding aflia tions, including special Olympics, Horses4He roes and Professional Association of Ther apeutic Horsemanship classes. It will be a fun-filled event with trick-or-treating, games, food and a cos tume parade on horse back. A Horse’s Touch is located at 12435 Cody Dr. in Wimauma. 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.

PUMPKIN PATCHES & TRICK OR TREATS, SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

Third Annual Trunk-or-Treat

At Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church

Get ready for Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church’s third annual Trunk-or-Treat. This is a free community event including food, games, activities and more. Many unique and fun trunk displays with goodies for children of all ages. Bring your friends, family and neighbors. The event is being held on Sunday, October 30 from 5-7 p.m. Holy Innocents’ is located at 604 North Valrico Rd. in Valrico.

Trunk-or-Treat At First United Methodist of Seffner

First United Meth odist of Se f ner, lo cated at 1310 South Kingsway Rd. in Se f ner, is inviting the community to join in the fun on Saturday, October 29 from 4-6 p.m. Bring the whole family for some treats while playing games at di f erent trunks and game booths. There will also be a petting zoo and food avail able for purchase.

Crosswind Church Hosts Com munity Trunk-or-Treat

Crosswind Church is excited about its upcoming Trunk-or-Treat event be ing held at 1510 W. Hillsborough Ave. in Tampa

on Monday, October 31 from 6-8 p.m. This is a safe and fun event to bring chil dren of all ages to trick-or-treat with other families in the community. Stop by

Trunk-or-Treat at Crosswind Church to grab some candy have a great time. Opendoor Church In Brandon O f ers Fun Trunk-or-Treat Event

Opendoor Church located at 2908 Bell Shoals Rd. in Brandon is inviting the com munity to participate in its annual Trunkor-Treat on Sunday, October 30 from 6-7:30 p.m. This is a kid-favorite event, so don’t miss it. Kids will be able to vote for their favorite trunk, so come find out who will win this year. For more informa tion, visit www.theopendoorchurch.com.

Grace Community Church Is Holding Its First Pumpkin Patch And Mov ie Event

Grace Communi ty Church is holding its first Pumpkin Patch from Wednesday, October 5 through Monday, Oc tober 31. The patch will be open Monday through Friday from 2-8 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. and Sundays from 1-8 p.m. Bring the family out to pick out a perfect pumpkin to carve. There is also ‘Dinner and a Movie in the Pumpkin Patch’ on Saturday, October 22 at 6 p.m. Stu dents can get community service/Bright Futures hours for helping with shifts in the patch. Grace Community Church is located at 5708 Lithia Pinecrest Rd. in Lithia. For more information, visit www. mygraceumc.com or call 813-661-8858.

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.

Limona Village Chapel Unit ed Methodist Church Pumpkin Patch

If you’re looking for a pumpkin patch for the whole family to enjoy, you’ve found the right spot. Your fami ly will find the perfect pumpkin on the front lawn of Limona Village Chapel United Meth odist Church, which has been an icon of Old Brandon for more than 100 years. There will be pumpkins and gourds of di f erent siz es and photo opportu nities throughout the patch. Kids will enjoy games such as pump kin tic-tac-toe, pump kin ring toss and more. The pumpkin patch is open from Sunday, October 9 through Monday, October 31. Hours are Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., and Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.9 p.m. Limona Village Chapel is located at 408 Limona Rd in Brandon.

Liberty Southern Baptist Church In Plant City Announces Trunkor-Treat Event

Come out and enjoy a fun night for all ages that includes free food, games and, of course, Trunk-or-Treating. No tricks here. Bring your friends, family and neigh bors for this safe community event. Lib erty Southern Baptist is located at 2505 W. Granfield Ave. in Plant City. For more information, visit www.libertysbc.org.

By Kelly Wise Valdes

Trunk-or-Treat Event Hosted By Tony Baroni, Keller Williams And Suburban Tampa

Bring your family and friends to join the Tony Baroni, Keller Williams and Suburban Tampa teams at their scary and fun trunk-ortreat event. The fun-for-all event is on Thursday, October 27 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at 2350 E. SR 60 in Valrico. Have fun roaming around collecting can dy, popcorn and more. Attend in your costume or as you are.

St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church Hosts Its Annual Pumpkin Patch

Did you know that the tradition of the St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church’s pumpkin patch began over 25 years ago? It started as a youth fundraising venture where 1,500 pumpkins were unloaded into the arms of 40 students and 10 adults. It has since earned the name of the ‘Pumpkin Patch Church’ and serves as one of St. An drew’s largest community outreach events, all while raising money for youth mission trips. The pumpkin patch is open every weekday beginning on Wednesday, October 19 from 4-7:30 p.m. St. Andrew’s is locat ed at 3315 S. Bryan Rd. in Brandon. For more information, visit www.saumc.net.

CUSTOM

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.

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

HAUNTED WOODS RETURNS FOR 28TH ANNUAL EVENT AT HILLSBOROUGH RIVER STATE PARK

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 excite ment for kids and adults at the 28th an nual Haunted Woods. This will be the re turn of the event, as it was unfortunately 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 Hillsborough River State Park on Friday, October 21 and Saturday, October 22 from 5:30-10 p.m., this is an event with fun, spooky times for the whole family.

“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 Williams, 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

By Taylor Wells

attendant and they’ll be taken from the trail safely.

There are also volunteer opportunities at the Haunted Woods, such as wearing cos tumes around the area, scar ing guests on 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 individual or a group, visit the event’s website and register by Mon day, October 10. All applicants will be back ground-checked.

Attending costs $10 per person, cash only, but children 12 and under are free. All proceeds from this event will go toward the Hillsborough River State Park Preservation Society 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 struc tures have deteriorated. So, with events like Haunted Woods, just coming 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.

BRANDON ’86 ROTARY HOSTING 30TH ANNUAL SEAFOOD FESTIVAL

The Bran don ’86 Rotary Club will hold its 30th annual Brandon Sea food Festival, sponsored by Ferman Mazda, on Saturday, November 5 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Rota ry’s Camp Flor ida, located at 1915 Camp Florida Rd. in Brandon. The cost to attend is $25 per adult with an advance purchase ticket or $30 per adult at the gate. Children under 12 can get in free with a paid adult and a donation of a canned good. The price includes all-you-can-eat sea food and drinks. The event will also have the ability for pickup orders this year to give everyone an opportunity to partic ipate. All tickets can be ordered at the link provided below.

The Brandon Seafood Festival fea tures Southern fried fish, shrimp, hush puppies, coleslaw, hamburgers and hot dogs. There will be water, Gatorade and beer on hand to drink. In addition to the all-you-can-eat bu f et, families can en joy music, games, bounce houses, musi cal chairs for the kids and more. Larry ‘Stretch’ Mott and DJ Crisolo will be on hand entertaining the crowd throughout the event with live music.

All proceeds from the event benefit international and local charities, includ ing the Outreach Clinic, ECHO, Everyday Blessings and Rotary’s Camp Florida. In 2019, the last year that the event was held, the Brandon ’86 Rotary Club raised

$10,000 for these chari ties.

“Brandon ’86 Rotary Club has been working hard to make this a great event filled with fun and great food,” said Marlene Ad

kinson, public image chair of Brandon ’86 Rotary Club. “This is our signature fundraising event that has raised money for the needs of local charities for over 25 years,” added Adkinson.

For those who wish to become spon sors, there are many sponsorship levels remaining starting at just $100. For more information on becoming a spon sor or vendor, please contact Chad Nor gard at chad@norgardinsgrp.com or 813-454-5072.

The Brandon ’86 Rotary Club is a ser vice organization that meets every Fri day at 8 a.m. at the Rivard-Simmons Rotary Event Center, located at 3007 S. Kings Ave. in Brandon. Guests are wel come to attend. “Rotary is about friend ship, fellowship and community. We work together to solve local community issues, provide humanitarian aid and to promote goodwill and peace. Rotary is comprised of local businesspeople who believe that mutual service is the best way to create thriving businesses and societies,” said Adkinson.

Tickets to the Brandon Seafood Festi val can be purchased at https://brandon seafoodfestival2022.eventbrite.co.uk.

Some volunteers will be wearing costumes as part of the Haunted Woods, and guests are welcome to wear costumes as well.

ADDED TO BAY CRAFT PASS

Visit Tampa Bay re cently created a Bay Crafted Pass. The Bay Crafted Pass was de signed to drive economic impact to partner brewer ies in Hillsborough County by market ing to beer and cocktail en thusiasts in Florida and drive markets.

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 brewery partners located within Hillsborough County. New breweries can be added at any time, so long as they are located within the destination.

By Libby Hopkins

ty and we want to give back whenever we can,” Ratclif said. Its music bingos are very popular with many local char ities.

THE KIWANIS CLUB OF GREATER BRANDON’S ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT GIVES BACK TO LOCAL FAMILIES

By Libby Hopkins

Visit Tampa Bay recently created a Bay Crafted Pass. Breweries in the Brandon area need to be included with the pass.

Leaven Brewing is another local favorite. The goal at Leav en was to become a neighbor hood brewery with a hyperlocal mindset. KJ and Jillian of Leaven Brewing have accom plished 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,” Jillian said. “We have a lot of fun and we are very welcoming.

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 Val rico. It is owned by veteran Tampa natives. “We have great beer and a cozy feel to our brewery,” said Jamie Ratclif, founder of Bull frog 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

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 Vis it 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 Leav en Brewing is located at 11238 Boyette Rd. in Riverview. For information, visit https:// bullfrogcreekbrewing.com/ and www.leaven brewing.com.

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.”

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

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT YMCA CAMP CRISTINA?

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.”

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.

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.

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

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 excellence in the theme park industry. Results for the Golden Ticket Awards originate from a tabulation of hundreds of experienced industry individuals that, along with industry journalists and ride suppliers, voted 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 honor to be present at this year’s Gold en Ticket Awards Ceremony and accept the award for Best New Roller Coaster,” said Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s park

Staf Report

president, Neal Thurman. “Iron Gwazi is the thrill of a life time. 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 tall est 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 Busch Gardens’ 10th coaster and joins the already exhilarating collection of thrill rides. Riders can experience a doz en airtime 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.

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

‘SMART LIQUOR STORE’ OPENS

FIRST LOCAL LOCATION IN FORMER AJ’S LIQUOR

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 releas ing its 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 store associates and by interacting with the kiosk or using the mobile app whenever they feel like ordering from home.

Consumers in the Tampa area can now purchase physically at the store located in Valrico and will receive a 15 percent dis

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 privilege, it should be a right for everyone,” said Russ Bruce, CEO of Liquor Split. “We continue to innovate and change the way people think about retail stores. We feel strongly about empow ering the masses to be able to enjoy an amaz ing shopping experience while saving money 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.

BUSINESS LEADERS NEEDED FOR CEOS IN SCHOOLS

Staf Report

excited about this program and are en couraged by the pos itive outcomes we have witnessed thus far.”

Registration is now open for Tam pa Bay CEOs and senior execu tives to spend a day at a Hillsbor ough County public elementary school and share their experience with students and school leaders.

CEOs in Schools invites Tampa Bay area executives to spend a day away from the ofce and step into the classroom. On Friday, November 4, these role models will experience a day in the life of public educa tion, working side by side with principals, teachers and staf in applying successful business practices that enable these local schools to thrive.

Hillsborough Education Foundation, in partnership with Vistra Communications and Hillsborough County Public Schools, encourages business leaders to get in volved with their future workforce. Now in its fourth successful year, this innova tive program will place 150 CEOs in public elementary schools across the county to learn more about the challenges and op portunities facing our students, teachers, administrators and public schools every day. This one-day, unforgettable, hands-on learning experience often results in forged relationships that positively impact schools year-round.

“This program strengthens bonds be tween our public schools and business leaders and provides a new perspective on the role these relationships play in prepar ing our future workforce for academic and personal success,” said Hillsborough Educa tion Foundation CEO Kim Jowell. “We are

Brian Butler, pres ident and CEO of Vistra, founded the program in 2019 to encourage business leaders to address challenges and make an impact in our schools. “The support of business leaders in this community is what we need now more than ever,” said Butler. “Their expertise, in novation and resources are an important contribution to the success of our schools, principals and students.”

Addison Davis, superintendent of schools for Hillsborough County Public Schools, said, “This incredible initiative has already created important, lasting relationships within our schools. When our educational leaders and CEOs join forces for children, anything is possible. These partnerships can result in solutions that make our entire community stronger as we seek to create a world-class education for all.”

Participants who would like to volun teer for the CEOs in Schools initiative are asked to reserve a school at ceosinschools. com. With so much interest from returning participants, there are less than 20 schools to fill, especially in North Tampa, the Plant City area and south county.

Also, on Wednesday, October 12 at 3 p.m., the CEOs in Schools Kickof Reception will be held at TPepin’s Hospitality Center, located at 4151 N. 50th St. in Tampa. Par ticipants and principals will meet and learn more about this year’s event.

Russ Bruce, CEO of LiquorSplit, on one of the store’s delivery cars you may see around town.

Liquor Split is now open in Valrico in the former AJ’s Fine Wine & Liquors location.

Brandon High School student Valeria Lizardo-Cedeno shared her experience partici pating in Bloom Girls Club at Brandon thanks to HEF.

On September 14, near ly 400 business leaders, community part ners and education supporters attended Hillsborough Education Foundation’s (HEF) 2022 EmpowerED fundraising luncheon, held at Armature Works in Tampa. The an nual event celebrated success stories and shared how, collectively, people and busi nesses are working together to rewrite the narrative to help students, teachers and public schools now and in the next chapter.

“What our theme, Rewriting the Narra tive, means to me and to HEF is that togeth er we can help accelerate academic success through our programs so that every student can benefit from a high-quality public ed ucation and graduates ready for success,” said Hillsborough Education Foundation CEO Kim Jowell.

It was a record-setting year for HEF in 2021, raising $9.5 million to support the nonprofit’s programs, including mentoring, free school supplies, scholarships, technol ogy to close the digital divide, school and classroom enrichment, teacher support and

Staf Report

recognition and more. At the event, HEF celebrated two new initiatives that focus on the ‘bookends’ of education from the youngest students to graduates: early learning and college and career readiness.

The event was emceed by Laura Diaz, host of the Mix Morning Show on Mix 100.7, and included a lineup of guest speakers, including Superin tendent Addison Davis, teach er Sasha Fowler and others.

Fowler, a Brandon High School English teacher, is the founder of Bloom Girls Club at Brandon High School and previously re ceived a School and Classroom Enrichment grant from HEF to support the school’s Bloom Girls Club leadership retreat.

“With your support, HEF will continue to be a pillar of hope for youth across our district and will enable educators like me to continue to build the heroes of our next gen eration,” said Fowler.

“Because of Bloom, I went from a student who was struggling academically and emo tionally to bringing up my GPA to a 2.5, and my goal this year is to bring my GPA up to a 3.5.” said Bloom Girls Club member Valeria Lizardo-Cedeno. Bloom Girls Club is one of the many project submissions that has re ceived funding through a School and Class room Enrichment grant from HEF.

Hillsborough Education Foundation is a nonprofit focused on strengthening public education by supporting teachers and em powering students to achieve academic and personal success. Learn more at https://ed ucationfoundation.com/.

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.

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

Brandon High School teacher Sasha Fowler spoke on the impact of her Hillsborough Education Foundation grant for the Bloom Girls Club.

THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY TO HOST TEEN LIT FEST

By Kathy L. Collins

HARLEY-DAVIDSON HOSTS LIVE EVENT TO SUPPORT THE RECOVERY NETWORK TV LAUNCH

By Kelly Wise Valdes

This month, the Hillsborough County Pub lic Library Cooperative will pres ent Teen Lit Fest. Teen Lit Fest will be o f ered on Friday, Octo ber 21 and Saturday, October 22. All events are virtual, and you can register to at tend by visiting www.hcplc.org.

Te Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will present Teen Lit Fest on Friday, October 21 and Saturday, October 22. All events are virtual. Attendees can meet young adult authors, attend workshops and a panel discussion and even win free books.

Rebecca Greer, learning experienc es consultant, said, “We are excited to continue bringing talented young adult authors to our customers to learn about and interact with. There are no other festivals or events like this in the area — featuring authors who write young adult fiction. This festival is a mix of keynote speakers, writing workshops and an au thor panel where authors will answer questions about their experiences as published authors. We hope to have peo ple see their favorite authors, discover new favorites and learn about writing and the publishing industry.”

Greer added, “As in previous years, all events will be virtual. We are focusing on Florida-based authors this year. Our keynote speakers wrote a book that is set in Florida. All authors featured in the panel presentations either live or have lived in Florida.”

On Octo ber 21 at 6:30 p.m., you can at tend a ses sion called Meet the Au thors featur ing two Teen Lit Fest key note speak ers, Mayra Cuevas and Marie Mar quardt. The theme is

Rebel Readers: Finding Hope in Books During Hard Times. In this keynote ses sion, Cuevas and Marquardt will talk about the impact books have had during hard times in their own lives and how they found comfort and encouragement among the pages of their favorite novels. Their love of books led to a passion for writing and then co-authoring.

Then on October 22 beginning at 11 a.m., you can attend five workshops and a panel discussion.

First up is How Books Are Built with author M.K. England at 11 a.m. Next, you can attend Finding Your Muse with author Emery Lee at 12:10 p.m. Then, attend Building a World to Live in with author Amanda DeWitt at 1:20 p.m. Af ter that, attend Bodies of Water with author Natalia Sylvester at 2:30 p.m. Finally, Teen Lit Fest concludes with an author panel discussion at 3:40 p.m.

For more information and to register to attend, please visit www.hcplc.org.

Local residents Mark and Ruth Scott had a vision and goal for many years to help the com munity through outreach and Christian ministry. The couple prayed about how to spread the gospel and felt the Lord leading them to reach, reconcile and recover through a broadcast ministry and prayer call center.

“Mark and I are very excited with the vision the Lord has put on our hearts,” said Ruth. “We have been meditat ing on this for seven years.”

Te community is invited to a live event at Harley-Davidson of Brandon to help launch Te Recovery Network, a nonproft organization that will be providing prayer and support resources to the community.

The couple anticipates launching their television network, The Recovery Network (TRN), ofcially within the year, considering the necessary licensing and funding required for such an undertaking. But the Scott’s have wasted no time launching the outreach ministry portion, actively sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and finding community part ners. The first fundraiser is taking place on Saturday, November 5 beginning at 3 p.m. at the Harley-Davidson of Brandon.

“We are so thankful to Harley-Davidson of Brandon and pray this fundraiser will help us achieve our goal. It is God’s vision, so we have faith He will send the provisions,” said Ruth. “The heartbeat of TRN is to launch a 24/7 Prayer and Resource Support Call Cen ter with live operators around the clock.” “We will have a text-to-give option during the live event as well as on our website un der the ‘GIVE’ tab,” said Ruth. “We are a notfor-profit organization, and all charitable fi nancial donations are tax deductible.”

At the Harley-Davidson event will be multiple local speakers, such as Army Major Mack Macksam from Eyes of Freedom; Dr. Douglas J. Wingate, founder and president of Life Christian University; and Mark Mulligan of Soli Deo Gloria Internation al Ministries, who will share how TRN will im pact the community.

The Scotts will also be there to answer ques tions and share their vision. Mark is a U.S. Army veteran with over 30 years of experience in the area of communication, broadcasting and ministry. Ruth is a former English teacher and youth pastor. The couple is actively involved at Grace Community Church, located at 1425 N. Valrico Rd. in Valrico

TRN needs organizations to partner with in order to connect callers with local re sources to meet their needs. “We want to pray for our callers but also be able to con nect them with a local resource organization that can help meet their tangible need,” said Ruth. “Another way to support us would be to supply us with broadcasting cameras; Mac laptops/computers; ofce supplies such as cubicles, desks, conference tables, volun teers and more.

Until the launch of the actual television network, viewers will be able to find sup port through Facebook @youcanrecoverall and on YouTube starting in January 2023. For more information, visit www.youcanre coverall.com. Harley-Davidson of Brandon is located at 9841 E. Adamo Dr. in Tampa.

New Friends. New Beginnings.

WINTHROP

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.

OHANA DOG TRAINING CENTER’S DOGS ARE STARS

By Michelle Caceres

love because He frst

S. Clements- Pastor

First Baptist Church of Gibsonton

Traditional Worship Service

Gospel Hymns

Available

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.

“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.

Ministry

Sunday School………….

Morning Worship………

Sunday Evening………….

(Wed.)………

A.M.

A.M.

P.M.

P.M.

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.

As the holidays are quickly approaching, all the pecan fans are pull ing out their cookbooks to find their favorite pe can recipes. The United Women in Faith (UWF) group, formerly United Methodist Women, of New Hope United Meth odist Church in Brandon is holding its 52nd an nual Pecan Sale, selling fresh-from-thegrower shelled pecans. Profits from the sale will benefit many missions through out the local community and beyond.

Barbara Brooks, pecan chairman, is ex cited about this year’s Pecan Sale event. “We have donated almost $500,000 in the last 50 years to local and international charities, like ECHO, Choices, Hope for Her, United Methodist Children’s Home, Family Promise, Mary & Martha House, Zoe and Cuba.”

The pecan pricing this year is $48 for a 5 lb. box of pecan halves or pieces and $10 for a 1 lb. bag of pecan halves. Spe cialty items include: 1 lb. bag of chocolate amaretto for $12, 1 lb. bag of pralines for $12 and there is an assortment in a Christ mas tins (chocolate amaretto, pralines as well as roasted and salted pecan halves) for $26.

“My favorite part of this event is seeing many of the same customers each year and sometimes having time to catch up a little about their families,” said Brooks. “Many of the same UWF ladies volunteer each year, so it is fun seeing the same cus tomers annually.”

You can order in three easy ways from October 1 through Tuesday, November

By Kelly Wise Valdes

1: Call Mary Baker from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. at 813-643-4493, email bjbrooks5@gmail.com or visit www.pecansale. com to order online and pay with a credit card. Checks should be payable to UMW and mailed to P.O. Box 546, Lithia, FL. 33547. Only prepaid orders are re served. Others will be sold on a first comefirst served basis. Pickup times are Satur day, November 12 and Monday, November 14 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at New Hope Life Center, located at 213 N. Knights Ave. in Brandon.

For a quick and simple recipe for your pecans, consider the classic homemade pecan pie. This recipe is so easy, even the kids can help.

Ingredients:

1 cup Karo® Light or Dark Corn Syrup.

3 eggs.

1 cup granulated sugar.

2 tablespoons butter, melted.

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) coarsely chopped pecans.

1 (9-inch) unbaked OR frozen deep-dish pie crust.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Mix Karo Light Corn Syrup, eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla using a spoon or rubber spatula.

Stir in pecans.

Pour the mixture into pie crust and bake on center rack of oven for 60-70 minutes.

Cool for at least two hours on wire rack before serving.

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.

bingo, there will be ra f es as well as food and drinks available for purchase. This is a first-come, first-served event, so make sure that you and your friends come early.

Trunk Or Treat Event Hosted

By Tony Baroni, Keller Wil liams And Subur ban Tampa

tions or personalized gifts, such as jewelry and handbags, pot tery, candles, home decor and more, you will find just what you are looking for.

Dementia And Alzhei mer’s Support Group

by Jenny Bennett

New Date For Your Next Step Is The Cure 5K Run

Due to Hurricane Ian, event organiz ers Bernadette Boyle and Linda O’Brien received a call from the county saying that their event had been cancelled. The new date for the Your Next Step is the Cure 5K run is Saturday, November 19. This means that there is still time to sign up for this amazing event, which brings aware ness to ocular melanoma, at https:// runsignup. com/race/fl/ lithia/yournextstepisthecure. Follow its Facebook (@cureocularmelanoma) and Instagram (@yournextstepisthecure) pages to keep up with important infor mation.

Kappa Delta Phi Bingo At The Talking Pint Bar & Bistro

Join the Kappa Kappa chapter of Kappa Delta Phi for an evening of fun and prizes at The Talking Pint Bar & Bistro, located at 13418 Boyette Rd. in Riverview, on Tues day, November 1 at 7 p.m. Along with

Bring your family and friends to join the Tony Baroni, Keller Williams and Subur ban Tampa teams at its scary fun trunk or treat event. The fun for all event is on Thursday, October 27 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at 2350 E SR60, Val rico. Have fun roaming around collecting candy, popcorn and more. Come in your costume or as you are.

Brandon Elks Lodge Hosting Rummage Sale

The Brandon Elks Lodge is hosting a rummage sale at its hall, located at 800 Centen nial Dr. in Brandon. The event will take place on Saturday, October 29 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m., and there will be a wide vari ety of items for sale. Come early to find the best bargains. Additional informa tion about this event and The Elks can be found on its website at www.Bran donelks.org.

Get A Head Start On Holiday Shopping At The Bridges Retirement Community Annual Fair

With the holidays approaching, shopping for unique gifts could not be easier when you visit the 10th annual Gifts & Craft Fair on Sat urday, November 12 from 10 a.m.3 p.m. The event is being held at The Bridges Retirement Commu nity’s clubhouse, located at 11350 Bloomingdale Ave. in Riverview. Whether its handcrafted decora

Care partners of those with any type of memo ry loss, whether family, friends or profes sionals, need to be equipped

with the knowledge to best support their loved one. A great way to learn and share is the new hybrid support group now being held via Zoom and in person at Tessera of Brandon. It has two meetings, one during the day and one in the evening. The evening group is held on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. The Zoom meeting number is 897 6781 0479, password: evening. The daytime group is held on the fourth Wednesday of every month at 2 p.m. The Zoom meeting number is 869 4044 7508, password: support. Both these meetings are available to attend in person at Tessera of Bran don, located at 1320 Oakfield Dr. in Brandon. For additional information, call 813-607-6880.

Craft Show At The Fraternal Order Of Eagles Aerie

Come out and support your local vendors and artisans on Saturday, November 12 from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. at the Fraternal Order of Eagles aerie, located at 1810 Front St. in Valri co. A wide variety of merchandise will be available, including wreaths, homemade candles and soaps, jewel ry, art, tumblers, essential oils, signs, woodworked pieces and so much more. For more information on this event or to register to be a vendor, please visit its website at www.

foe3566.org or call 813-685-4173.

Summerfield Community Cen ter Is Looking For Vendors For Holiday Market

Are you an artisan who is looking for an outlet to sell your items? Summer field will be hosting a holiday market on Saturday, December 3 at its community center, located at 13011 Summerfield Blvd. in Riverview. The market is look ing for a wide range of items, including, jewelry, candles, soaps, signs, wreaths, decorated tumbers, embroidered items and more. If you are interested in be coming a vendor, please email ameni tycenter@oursummerfield.org for ad ditional information and a registration form. Vendor spaces are available both indoors and outdoors.

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.

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.”

DOVE INTERIORS CARPET ONE FLOORING & HOME MAKES LOCAL HOMES BEAUTIFUL

By Libby Hopkins

Dove Interiors

of Fine

First place was awarded to Donna Morrison for her wa tercolor painting called Circle B Bar Reserve. Anderson said of 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.”

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

League

Klein

Fine Arts,

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

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/.

Carpet One Floor & Home is your local flooring store in Ruskin for great service and quality car pets, wood floor ing, floor tiles, vinyl and more in a wide range of colors and pric es. It also o f ers window treat ments, bedding, kitchen and bath, cabinetry and countertops.

Locally owned and operated for 32 years by the mother-daughter duo Joan Miller and Kimberly Scott, Dove Interiors brings beauty, quality and outstanding customer service to all its clients. “All of this started in 1991 when I walked away from my successful career in finance to open Dove Interiors with my two chil dren, Kimberly and Rick,” Miller said. “We made the decision to start a family business and moved into a small space in the Sun Pointe Shopping Center.”

The family business received a warm welcome from the local community. “We credit our success to our trust in God and that He would help us through the good times and bad times,” Scott said.

Dove Interiors stayed in the Sun Pointe Shopping Center until the business built out its own building in 2007. “Talk about a leap of faith, when we started this business, we didn’t know anything about the carpet business,” Miller said. “Car pet was our first product, and luckily my

son, Rick, knew how to install it. Our first carpet representative was a godsend and taught us everything we ever wanted to know about carpets.”

The family slowly added ceramic tile and Hunter Douglas window treat ments to their growing business. “From there, we added vinyl, hardwood, laminate and then a few years later cabinets and countertops,” Miller said.

O f ering great customer service has always been a top priority with Dove In teriors. “Our job doesn’t stop at the final payment,” Miller said. “We take care of the job until it’s finished from showing up with the installer, making sure every thing is progressing properly while the install is taking place, and we are there when the job is completed.”

Miller and her family treat their em ployees like family as well. “We cannot say enough about our team at Dove Inte riors,” Miller said. “They are knowledge able about our products and they listen to our clients to make sure everyone of their needs are met.”

If you would like to learn more about Dove Interiors, you can visit its website at www.doveinteriorscarpetone.com or call 813-642-4369. Dove Interiors is lo cated at E. 2305 College Ave. in Ruskin.

Locally owned and operated for 32 years by the mother-daughter duo Joan Miller and Kimberly Scott, Dove Interiors brings beauty, quality and outstanding customer service to all its clients.

Donna

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.”

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

By Michelle Caceres

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

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

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

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.

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

Vitality Booth Wellness Celebrates Opening With A Ribbon-cutting

Vitality Booth Wellness celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting host ed by the Valrico Fishhawk Chamber of Commerce. Locat ed at 3113 Lithia Pinecrest Rd. in Valrico, the facility o f ers a variety of advanced cardio equipment, manual and au tomated massage therapies, vibration plates and the patent-pending Vitality Booth scientific wellness system. Dry salt therapy, red light therapy and ox ygen concentration booth therapy is also available. For more information, visit its website at www.vb wellnesscenter.com or call 813-315-9633.

Dunkley Auto Detailing Comes To You

Dunkley Auto

Detailing is a mo bile detailing busi ness for your vehi cle, boat or RV. It can come to your home or place of work and needs nothing from you other than your keys, it is ful ly self-su f cient with its own power and water. It can also provide other services,

including paint enhancement, paint cor rection and ceramic coatings. Call owner Brian Dunkley at 304719-3464 to discuss your needs and sched ule an appointment.

Karma Yoga & Fit ness Celebrates 10 Years In Business With A New Location

Local yoga hot spot Karma Yoga & Fitness is celebrating its 10th anniversary by moving from 4363 Lynx Paw Trl. in Valrico to a new location. Starting in October, Karma Yoga & Fitness will be located at 13430 Boyette Rd. in Riverview behind The Talking Pint. The new location will o f er healthy infrared hot yoga classes, relaxing deep stretch classes, yoga with weights, meditation,

teacher training, special workshops and more. Owners Megan and Nooie Hoch heimer are excited about the move be cause of the opportunity to bring yoga to new students. Visit its website at www. karmayogafitness.com for additional de tails.

Florida Strawberry Festival An nounces Theme For 2023

The Florida Straw berry Festival recently announced the theme for its 88th annu al event, ‘We Have a Winner.’ “Yes, it points to the recent win we achieved in naming

TRICK-OR-TREAT

strawberry shortcake as Florida’s o f cial dessert as we’re a little partial to the berry,” said President Paul Davis. “We’re excited about this years event and look forward to sharing in the celebration of the shortcake dessert that has come to make us so successful!”. A new theme is created for each year’s festival to o f er patrons a glimpse of the experience they will have at the event. The 2023 Flori da Strawberry Festival will take place from March 2-12 at the show grounds in Plant City. Additional information can be found on its website at www.flstrawber ryfestival.com.

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 per formances to the Motor City’s most fa mous hit songs featuring celebrity dance pros Anna Trebunskaya and Keo Motsepe from Dancing with the Stars partnered with finalists from So You Think You Can Dance , along with live vocals by American Idol, The Voice and America’s Got Talent fi nalists. Tickets are on sale now, visit the RP Funding Center Box O f ce at 701 W. Lime St. in Lakeland, call 863-834-8111 or visit its website at www.rpfunding center.com.

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 Acade my of Dance & Centre for the Art, was appointed vice president. Gary Searls, CFO of HCA Florida Brandon Hospital, will continue as treasurer; and Julie Dahl, owner of Riverview Mortgage, will continue as secretary. Also appointed to the board of directors are Tina Blount, community pastor of ARISE Church; Lisa Wheel er, senior home loan specialist with Churchill Mortgage; and Pete Wheeler, senior vice pres ident of marketing at Chadwell Supply. Ericka White, pastor of Revive Church Global, who suc cessfully served as foundation president since 2020, has been appointed to its advisory board. “We are very thankful for these wonderful com munity leaders who lead this organiza tion and will help us achieve even great er 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

By Jenny Bennett

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 financial support to keep them on the road to self-su f ciency while in crisis.

For more information about the Angel Foundation FL, visit https://angelfoun dationfl.com/ or call 813-689-6889.

Action Karate Opens In River Hills Plaza

Action Karate re cently opened at 4365 Lynx Paw Trl. in Valrico in the Riv er Hills Plaza. Its greatest purpose is to provide chil dren with lifesaving lessons through its unique self-defense programs led by its highly experienced instructors. It prides itself on providing a comfortable, en ergetic, educational experience to help students learn new skills, gain confi dence and make new friends. For addi tional information, visit its website at www.actionkarate.net or call 813-6092376.

A HORSE’S TOUCH FINDS NEW HOME AND ADDS EVENTS & PROGRAMS IN WIMAUMA

Mercedes McClel lan developed her love of horses since her time as a working stu dent at the Stanford Red Barn in Palo Alto, California in 1999. Fortunately, McClel lan was able take her passion for horses and turn it into a non profit organization to help the community in 2017 called A Horse’s Touch.

A Horse’s Touch program involves Work Exchange (WE) in support of the state of Florida’s Bright Futures Scholarship program. WE students exchange work at the barn for lessons in animal husbandry as well as basic riding skills in English and Western disciplines. Students in the WE program also develop confidence, commit ment and passion and pursue development in the leadership qualities of accountabili ty and responsibility.

McClellan also has number of clients with physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities that include cerebral palsy, autism, attention deficit disorder and chil dren recovering from abuse. Several of McClellan’s students from A Horse’s Touch participated in the equestrian competition at the Florida Special Olympics in 2018 and 2019.

Recently, McClellan relocated her pro gram from Lithia to Wimauma. “Things were hectic during the COVID period, said McClellan. “But we are now settled in Wimauma on our horse farm that we

By Kelly Wise Valdes

bought.”

With seven horses and a new location, McClellan is ready to help strengthen the community with af fordable programs that use horses to promote healthy liv ing and lifestyles.

A Horse’s Touch currently has riders ages 4-49 participat ing in its programs. These programs help these students, fami lies and adults learn riding skills as well as other horse-related caregiving and activ ities. With all the ac tivities and outreach programs provided by A Horse’s Touch, McClellan is always in need of help from people in the community who are willing to volunteer.

“We also host birthday parties, kid horse camps and horse recitals,” said McClellan. “There are also discounts for military vet erans, first responders, police ofcers and their families.”

A Horse’s Touch is also hosting a Hal loween party on Sunday, October 30 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. At this event, there will be a costume parade on horseback with games, prizes, food and trick-or-treating. The cost is $30.

A Horse’s Touch is located at 12435 Cody Dr. in Wimauma. For more informa tion about the program, events or volun teering, visit https://ahorsestouch.godad dysites.com/ or email mmbarn4@gmail. com. McClellan can also be contacted at 813-992-0743.

A Horse’s Touch is a nonproft organization in Wimauma that is working with people of all ages to teach basic riding skills as well as care for the horses. It ofers a variety of pro grams as well as camps and birthday parties.

Teatre’s

Tampa Theatre is excited to announce that its 10th annual Halloween Series will take place from Friday, October 14 to Mon day, October 31 at the historic theater in downtown Tampa.

Jill Witecki with Tampa Theatre said, “It is scary how fast a decade flies by. Tampa Theatre is as excited as Jason Voorhees on the first day of camp to announce the 10th annual manifestation of their petrifying ly popular A Nightmare on Franklin Street series, providing 18 nights of premium hee bie-jeebies.”

There will be two screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show with a live floor cast and audience participation.

Tampa Theatre will ofer plenty of Ghosts of Tampa Theatre Tours. Two will be Latenight, Lights-of Paranormal Investigations.

You can enjoy the elegantly gothic stylings of Phantasmagoria with an Edgar Allen Poethemed mainstage show.

There will be an evening of spooky camp fire stories under the theater’s star-lit sky.

You will not want to miss the fami ly-friendly Mummy & Me screenings with free tickets for kids 12 and younger.

The Tampa Theatre is a perfect venue for a presentation of Hitchcock’s silent thriller,

By Kathy L. Collins

The Lodger, with live musi cal accompaniment on the Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Organ.

On Sunday, October 16, local author Paul Wilborn stops by to discuss his new book, Florida Hustle, after a special screening of Friday the 13th at 2 p.m.

On Tuesday, October 18, local artist and filmmaker Antony Capers will debut the newest episode of his supernatural You Tube serial, Grand Hampton, as a free com munity screening.

Then, on Thursday, October 20, you can support the Humane Society of Tampa Bay by attending a screening of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary at 7:30 p.m. You can come meet some of those adorable, adoptable cats starting at 6 p.m. during a special pre film kitten-cuddling happy hour event in the lobby.

On Saturday, October 22, enjoy Spirits Fest: Opening Night. Patrons are invited to help sort through the dubious motives and solve the suspicious murder, all the while sampling creepy craft cocktails at every stop. Showtimes are at 6 and 9 p.m. Atten dance is limited, and 1920s-inspired attire is encouraged.

Earlier this year, TV’s The Ghost Brothers visited Tampa Theatre with a camera crew to see what paranormal activities they could capture. Come on Wednesday, October 26 for a free screening of the episode.

On Sunday, October 30, Tampa Theatre presents a day of spooky Spanish-language films.

For times, titles and tickets, visit www. tampatheatre.org/nightmare.

Assisted Living

Memory Care

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

HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR EARNS ALL 139 BOY SCOUT MERIT BADGES

Riverview High School senior Austin Moore earned all 139 merit badges available to Boy Scouts this summer after making it his goal to do so before his birthday.

The Troop 11 Eagle Scout became one of less than 500 scouts to earn all 139 merit badges. He also participated in the World Jamboree, which came to the U.S. in 2019, and completed all four adventure camps, earn ing him the Grand Slam Adventure Award.

“After my first two merit badges [in 2016], … I fell in love with the idea of learning of fields and hobbies that I otherwise wouldn’t come across in daily life,” said Austin.

For his Eagle Project, Austin built a Little Lend ing Library at St. An drew’s United Methodist Church after being inspiring by a news segment on Little Lending Library founder Todd Bol.

“And after having read so many merit badge pamphlets, I remembered how im portant reading was to the education and development of young minds,” explained Austin.

Austin’s neighbors and friends, David and Lynne Mergen, played an important role in helping him complete his merit badges, en couraging him throughout his journey and assisting him with woodworking projects.

By Lily Belcher

The Troop 11 Eagle Scout said the big gest challenge was overcoming his own doubts after he made it his goal to get ev ery badge. Along the way, Austin had the opportunity to learn about things he truly enjoyed and some ar eas he had no experi ence or interest in.

Austin’s favorite badge was the first one he earned as a Scout in May 2016, the Veterinary Med icine Merit Badge. This badge helped him realize he wanted to pursue veterinary medi cine as a career. He began volunteering at Boyette Animal Hospital to get hands-on experi ence and will earn the Veterinary Assisting Certificate at the end of his senior year.

“His dad and I are so proud he embraced the opportunities BSA ofered. It allowed him to participate so many diferent activ ities and experiences. By putting himself out in the world he gained confidence and reliance in himself,” said mother Eleanor Moore.

Austin, alongside his fellow Boy Scouts, will be recognized in the Eagle Court of Honor ceremony at St. Andrews United Methodist Church on November 5.

FLORIDA BIRDING AND NATURE FESTIVAL SCHEDULED

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

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.

2022

Austin Moore completed his Eagle Scout project with St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church.

The Florida Orches tra (TFO) will wel come eight musicians to its first full season this month. All have won highly compet itive blind auditions that attracted candi dates from around the na tion and the world for fulltime positions in Florida’s largest professional orches tra, under the artistic lead ership of music director Michael Francis.

Tenure track positions include Yefim Ro manov, first assistant concertmaster; Na talie Yu, assistant principal second violin; Chi Lee, associate principal viola; Matthew Eeuwes, assistant principal viola; Sebas tian Stefanovic, viola; Yoni Draiblate, cel lo; Ansel Norris, associate principal/utility trumpet; and Ben Hauser, second trumpet.

In addition, six musicians will join TFO this fall in one-year positions: Russell Hof man, acting assistant principal oboe; Jacob Thonis, acting assistant principal bassoon; Valerie Ankeney, acting assistant princi pal/utility horn; Nicole Haywood, bassoon/ contrabassoon; Jonas Benson, viola; and Troy Chang, cello.

The Florida Orchestra employs 68 fulltime professional musicians who live, work and give back to the Tampa Bay communi ty. For full bios on each of the talented new musicians, and the entire orchestra, visit https://floridaorchestra.org/musicians/.

TFO will perform more than 100 con certs this season in venues throughout Tampa Bay, including a wide range of clas sical, popular and family-friendly music. Maestro Francis launched the season with TFO’s 55th Celebration benefit concert,

featuring Itzhak Per lman on October 1 at the Mahafey The ater. The following weekend, October 7-9, the Hough Family Foundation Master works series debuted with Carl Orf ’s epic Carmi na Burana, kicking of the classical series that ranges from Tchaikovsky’s Sympho ny No. 4 to Rachmaninof ’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and much more.

The Raymond James Pops series includes blockbusters such as Harry Potter vs Star Wars, Holiday Pops, and the Beatles’ iconic Abbey Road album. All tickets are on sale now at https://floridaorchestra.org/.

The Florida Orchestra is recognized as Tampa Bay’s leading performing arts insti tution, the largest professional orchestra in Florida and one of the most vibrant and innovative orchestras in America. It cele brates its 55th season in 2022-23 under the leadership of Francis, TFO performs series of classical, popular, and morning cofee concerts in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater, as well as free Pops in the Park concerts. The orchestra is dedi cated to connecting to the community, both in-person and virtually, with family and youth concerts and other education al programs. For tickets and information, visit https://floridaorchestra.org/. The Florida Orchestra is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) — EIN: 59-1223691, CH#1830. To learn more about how you can support the pow er of music in building community, contact sweymouth@floridaorchestra.org. To do nate now, visit https://floridaorchestra. org/donate.

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.

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 Repub lican, Democrat or No Party Afliation. You can also register as a member 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 elec tion,” said Supervisor of Elections Craig La timer.

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 dead line 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

Sunday, No vember 6 from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

“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

Eleuterio

Daryl Rouson

LAUREL LEE U.S. HOUSE FLORIDA DISTRICT 15

Laurel Lee is the Re publican candidate for Congressional District 15.

Raised by a two-star general in the United States Air Force and a public school teacher, Lee has family ties in Eastern Hillsborough County that go back more than 70 years. Laurel’s husband, former Senate President Tom Lee, also served the area in the state Senate for 18 years.

For three years, Laurel Lee served as the Florida secretary of state, but she returned home to Eastern Hillsbor ough County and is asking her communi ty to allow her to represent their shared principles and values in Washington D.C.

“Representing the people of Congres sional District 15 would be my honor. It is my home and I know I am the right voice to represent our hardworking res idents in Congress. If elected, I promise to serve with integrity, deliver results on behalf of our community and fight every day to ensure our principles — not the principles of Washington D.C. — are pro tected and advanced,” said Lee.

Lee, who is also a former circuit court judge in Hillsborough County and federal

By Kathy L. Collins

prosecutor, has over 20 years of experi ence serving her lo cal community and the state of Florida, ensuring election in tegrity and uphold ing the law.

“Now more than ever, it is critical that we send the right type of leader ship to Washington — leaders who will stand up for what’s right and truly repre sent and reflect their community,” said Lee. “We can’t aford to sit idly on the sidelines as inflation continues to hurt families and our economy, or as long as politicians think they know what is best for our children and families. In Washing ton D.C., I will stand up and fight on be half of our community and its families.”

Lee has also been engaged in local civic organizations, including ECHO of Bran don and the Pepin Academies, serving as president of the board for both or ganizations. In the legal community, she actively supports the organized bar and has served as president of the Federal Bar Association, Tampa Chapter and the Givens Family Law Inn of Court.

By Kathy L. Collins

DANNY ALVAREZ SR FLORIDA HOUSE, DISTRICT 69

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

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

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

Danny

several professional and community boards in cluding: Tampa Bay Es tate Planning Council, past president; Financial Planning Association of Tampa Bay, past presi dent; Financial Planning Association of Florida, past member and legisla tive delegation; Business and Professional Round table, founder and board member; Soroptimist In ternational, member and Young Careerist Award; Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood As sociation, board member; Hillsborough County Housing Financial Authority, chair person; Heights Urban Core Chamber, pres ident; Women’s Yacht Racing Association of Tampa Bay, member; and Hillsborough Education 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.

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.

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.

Mike Bel

MIKE BELTRAN HOUSE DISTRICT 70 Staf Report

tran is run ning for re election to the Florida House of Representa tives. Beltran is running in House Dis trict 70, a newly config ured district in the newly redrawn leg islative maps. District 70 includes Sun City Center, Apollo Beach, Ruskin and northern portions of Manatee County.

For nearly four years, Beltran has been serving the people of Southern Hillsbor ough County as their voice in Tallahas see. Beltran is a leader on issues related to the judiciary, is the former Commerce Committee Whip and is a fierce advo cate for Hillsborough County.

“The past two years have shown that freedom is under assault,” Beltran said when asked about his reason for seeking a third term. “And no other state in the union has been a more hospitable home for freedom than Florida. I’m running for reelection to fight alongside Governor Ron DeSantis to defend the Constitu tion, preserve individual liberty, uphold the rule of law and preserve the Ameri

can Dream for my sons’ gen eration.”

Beltran at tended the University of Pennsylvania and graduated in 2005 with a B.A. and honors in in ternational re lations, mag na cum laude. He then went

on to earn his law degree from Harvard Law School in 2008 before moving to Florida in 2010, where he served as a law clerk to a federal district judge. He is still a practicing attorney by trade, and he is happily married to his wife, Hope. The couple have two young sons, Michael and Ross.

Beltran is also an Eagle Scout and takes pride in this formative experience he had growing up. He has been recog nized as an Outstanding Young Florida Lawyer and has been appointed by Gov ernors Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis to the Judicial Nominating Commission for Florida’s Thirteenth Circuit Court in Hill sborough County.

For more information, please visit Bel tran’s website at www.electmikebeltran. com.

MELISSA CORDON BLACK COUNTY COURT JUDGE, GROUP 14

Melissa Cordon

Black is running for Hillsborough County court judge in Group 14. Black is a seasoned attorney, an experi enced public litigator and a compassionate community advocate, and she would like your vote on Tuesday, August 23.

Black served as an assistant attorney general in the Chil dren’s Legal Services Department before starting her own family law practice, where she has served as a pro bono attor ney for hundreds of Hillsborough County’s youth and foster care children. As the mother of three boys herself, Black has been an unwavering advocate for foster children, teens and children with special needs across Hillsborough County.

Black was born and raised in Brandon. Black’s parents, the late Dr. Pacifico Cor don Jr. and Dr. Yolanda Cordon, grew their medical practices in Brandon for over 35 years, with her father being the medical director of Hawthorne Village Retirement Community for 25 of those years. As a child, Black attended Nativi ty School, was the runner up in the Little Miss Brandon competition and was a vol unteer at Brandon Regional Hospital.

By Kathy L. Collins

Black is a graduate of the University of Florida and earned her law degree from the Stetson University Col lege of Law.

Black said, “I will build on my years of community service to Hillsborough County by serving as county court judge.”

Black is a volunteer with the Challeng er Baseball program, which is designed for children in Hills borough County that live with physical or mental disabilities. She is a member of the Johnny Ferlita Memorial Fishing Tournament committee to benefit the Pediatric Cancer Foundation, a member of LAMPLighters (Ladies Assisting Met ropolitan People), a parishioner of Christ the King Catholic Church and an active member of the CKS Parent Teacher Club (PTC).

Black is endorsed by the honorable Ralph Stoddard; retired Chief Judge Manuel Menendez; and Plant City Com missioner Bill Dodson and his wife, Syl via; Sun City Center Honorary Mayor Joe Zuniga; and former Honorary Mayor of Brandon Sherry Stewart.

For more information, please visit www.melissablackforjudge.com.

DR. CHRISTINA PAYLAN STATE SENATE, DISTRICT 16

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 repre sentative 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. Pay lan is not against lawyers being elected to represent people, but she is against govern ment 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 impact their health care and the health care of their chil dren. Her candidacy and position on the issues can be summarized as follows: 1) Dr. Paylan strongly believes that parents should always choose when it comes to their children, 2) Dr. Pay lan strongly believes in having an informed and educated voice in the Senate deciding Florid ians’ health care, 3) Dr. Paylan firmly stands by the fact that there has to be accountability and transparency by judges and prosecutors, 4) Dr. Paylan strongly believes that we have an outdat ed court system that needs to be updated and modernized and 5) Dr. Paylan stands for common 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.

ANDREW LEARNED FLORIDA HOUSE, DISTRICT 69

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.

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

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K&H WINDOW TINTING PROVIDES PROTECTION FROM SUN HEAT AND DAMAGE

Opening a car door on a sunny Florida day, even in the winter, can re lease a blast of uncomfortable heat that rang es from toasty to broiling.

One way to avoid those moments of in tense warmth before the air conditioning kicks in is to install high-quality win dow tinting, such as ofered by K&H Window Tinting in Riverview.

K&H installs XPEL ceramic window tinting films, providing maximum protec tion from ultraviolet radiation and are designed to reject heat, which can keep a car’s interior cool and comfortable. XPEL films are also on the list of products rec ommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation that ofer protection from harmful UV rays.

“Window film has many benefits for people who sufer from health conditions such as eye or skin sensitivities from pro longed exposure to the sun,” said K&H owner Chris Phelps.

According to the XPEL website, the company’s proprietary ceramic film for mula can block up to 99 percent of the UV rays that would pass through untreated windows.

Phelps said he learned about the value of high-performance protective window treatments while working at a local auto

By Brad Stager

dealer.

“Over the course of about six years, I re alized I had learned a skill that was in credibly useful and almost nec essary in Flori da. From there, I no longer saw it as just a job, I wanted to start making a name for myself,” he stated.

That dedicated sense of purpose has yielded a solid reputation, as evidenced by the company’s Facebook page, with more than 1,300 likes and followers expressing interest in the subject of window tinting and showing satisfaction with their re sults by awarding K&H Window Tinting a 4.9 overall satisfaction rating.

“Building my business from the ground up, using the basic fundamentals of qual ity products and unmatched customer service, I have found a comfortable niche here in our area, providing comfort and re lief to my clientele,” explained Phelps.

K&H Window Tinting is not a mobile service. Work is performed at the compa ny’s location, 10218 Summerview Cir. in Riverview.

You can learn more about the benefits window tinting provides by visiting the K&H Window Tinting Facebook page at www.facebook.com/khtinting/ or its web site at https://kandhauto.business.site.

You can also call 813-322-2277 to sched ule a convenient appointment.

USF AWARDED $20 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT TO PROTECT CORAL REEF

The National Science Foundation has award ed a $20 million grant to a University of South Florida-led (USF) team of researchers to de velop a standardized approach to the pro tection and replenish ment of coral reef and mangrove ecosystems, which serve as a bar rier in protecting our coasts.

Led by civil and envi ronmental engineering professor Maya Trotz, the team includes USF experts in environ mental engineering, anthropology and ma rine science, as well as collaborators from six academic institutions. They’re working to develop scalable and equitable engineering practices to enhance coastal sustainability by combining natural features, such as coral reefs and mangrove forests, with built infra structure, such as sea walls and floodwater pumps, to promote re silience to waves, storm surges and sea-level rise — threats that can cause property damage, erosion and loss of life.

University of South Florida and University of Virgin Islands Strong Coasts Fellows plus a Fragments of Hope Ltd. coral reef restoration practitioner collecting water quality samples at Laughing Bird Caye National Park in Belize.

to grow in the U.S. and across the globe.

“Reefs and man groves play critical roles in protecting coastal communities. By rigorously valuing their social and eco nomic benefits, we open new opportuni ties to invest in these habitats and ensure their benefits to peo ple and nature,” Trotz said. “Not only will this project address the en vironmental questions of our time, it will also provide advice on how ordinary people every where can participate in finding solutions to our coastal crisis.”

The project is part of the National Science Foundation’s Coastlines and People Hubs for Research and Broaden ing Participation pro gram.

The U.S. Coral Reef Conservation Act pro motes the study, management, protection and restoration of coral reefs. Similar acts in Florida apply to mangroves. Work on reef and mangrove restoration continues

The University of South Florida, a high-impact global research university dedicated to student success, generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. Over the past 10 years, no other pub lic university in the country has risen faster in U.S. News and World Report’s national university rankings than USF. Serving more than 50,000 students on campuses in Tam pa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee. Learn more at www.usf.edu.

Active coral restoration in Laughing Bird Caye National Park Belize thanks to Frag ments of Hope Ltd.

K&H Window Tinting owner Chris Phelps installs win dow tinting on a Tesla Y’s panoramic sunroof.

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 con necting them with financial, emotional and education care as well as funding research for a cure, has learned a lot from working 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 creat ed a website that uses Brady’s Septem

By Michelle Caceres

ber home game statistics (his pass ing and running statistics) to pro duce an amount to donate to 1Voice Foundation. Do nors identify their donation multiple, input the multiple into the formula and make the do nation.

For example, during the Sep tember 11 game against the Dallas Cowboys, he completed 18 passes out of 27 attempts for a total of 212 yards, scored one touchdown, had one inter ception and was sacked twice. He com pleted 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.

ALL ABOUT SPEECH & LANGUAGE CELEBRATES A DECADE IN THE BUSINESS

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.

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

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

“[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.

FishHawk teen Ella Notel created GoatGifting with her father to raise funds for 1Voice Foundation.

BRANDON BALLET WINE PAIRING & SUGAR PLUM FAIRY TEA

Brandon Ballet’s Season 29 is currently underway with several upcoming events. Sea son 29 is going to be an exciting one with events and produc tions that are good for the whole community.

First, you can sup port the Brandon Ballet by attending the Wine Pairing en Pointe on Tuesday, November 1 from 6-9 p.m. at Bin + Board, located at 805 W. Bloomingdale Ave. in Riv erview. You will enjoy an evening of tasting, pairing and enjoying wine. In addition to good food and drinks, Brandon Ballet will be auctioning of various prizes throughout the night. Proceeds from this annual event ben efit Brandon Ballet, a local nonprofit that seeks to bring quality ballet art to the Bran don area. The cost to attend is $75 plus tax.

Photo courtesy of Brandon Ballet editorial photographer, Ricardo Romero. Brandon Ballet, a nonproft ballet company, invites the community to come and support them at two upcoming events in November.

GO SEE THE DROWSY CHAPERONE AT THE SHIMBERG THEATRE

Next, Brandon Ballet will present its annu al Sugar Plum Fairy Tea on Sunday, Novem ber 6 from 3-5 p.m. at The Regent, located at 6437 Watson Rd. in Riverview. The cost to attend is $17.50 plus tax.

At this sweet event, attendees can get up close with the dancers, who will perform in this year’s production of The Nutcrack er. You will get to see and meet the Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara, the Nutcracker, the Rat King, the Snow Queen and dancers from the

Spanish Dance. Dancers will per form small sneak peeks from Brandon Ballet’s upcoming production of The Nutcracker. You will also enjoy sweet and additional treats such as cup cakes from Sweet ie’s Delights and finger foods provided by Brandon Ballet. In addition to de lectable treats, at tendees will get to listen to story time, enjoy a character meet and greet with autographs and pictures and even get a temporary tattoo. There will also be a rafe featuring a children’s tea set and children’s dance at tire. Proceeds from the event and rafe help support the production and performance of Brandon Ballet’s upcoming The Nutcracker production on Saturday and Sunday, Decem ber 10 and 11.

Hannah Townend, administrative director for Brandon Ballet, said, “We want the com munity to know that the teas are a special event for us. These began as just small dance parties held in the studios at The Dance Cen ter and have grown to be the large-scale tea parties our company now knows and loves.”

For more information and to get tickets, please visit www.brandonballet.org or call 813-684-4282.

A local nonprofit community theater group, mad The atre, will present The Drowsy Chap erone at the Shim berg Playhouse, lo cated at the Straz Center in down town Tampa, from now through Sun day, October 30.

Several members of mad Theatre are local and have long ties with Plant City Entertainment.

These include Me gan Ziegler, mad Theatre’s music director, and Doug Buffaloe, an actor and director of several Plant City Entertainment productions, including Ruthless

The Drowsy Chaperone is the win ner of five Tony Awards, including Best Book and Best Original Score. The Drowsy Chaperone is a loving send-up of the Jazz Age musical, featuring one showstopping song-and-dance number after another.

Buffaloe will be playing Man in Chair in The Drowsy Chaperone

Justin Batten is the marketing chair for mad Theatre. Batten said, “Hailed by New York magazine as ‘The Perfect Broadway Musical,’ The Drowsy Chaper one is a masterful meta-musical, poking fun at all the tropes that characterize the musical theater genre. The show is a fast-paced, hilarious glimpse of musical theater and promises to lift spirits and produce many laughs.”

The Drowsy Chaperone is directed

by Kari Ann Sta matoplos, who said, “ The Drowsy Chaperone has something for ev eryone. If you like musicals, then you will enjoy its nod to the classic musical. If you do not like musicals, then you will ap preciate how the show kindly pokes fun at them. The main character (Man in Chair) brings you into his world where his favorite musi cal comes to life right there in his living room.”

Stamatoplos added, “ The Drowsy Chaperone is humorous, poi gnant and chock-full of strong charac ters we can identify with or recognize from our own lives. In short, it is just plain fun. It is definitely worth the drive to Tampa for a couple hours of belly laughs and a dose of happiness.”

Batten said, “The Shimberg Playhouse has been our home for years. It is a very intimate theater, where oftentimes the actors are up close and personal and larger than life.”

mad Theatre does three productions a year at the Straz. Batten said, “We have been in the area for more than 20 years and thrive on producing shows that make you think and that push the envelope of creativity.”

For more information about the musi cal and to get tickets, please visit www. strazcenter.org.

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 Es tes, 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 stu dents’ faces 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,” Sams 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 step for Sams, Hughes and their school is to partner with other schools to share cultural diferences that impact aca demic 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.

ART PATRONS YOUNG 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.

If you are looking for art classes for people young and old or want to add to your collection of art, check out Voslier Atelier, located at 330 Pauls Dr. in Brandon. Te ARC-approved Vosler Young Artists’ Studio has been a well-known classical art school for children under 18 since 2010.

By Kathy L. Collins

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.

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

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.

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

COMPANY OFFERS INTIMATE WEDDINGS

Mark and Al lison Stephens have been tak ing pictures for years, having started their photography business in Gold Sun Studios in 2013.

In 2018, Al lison and Mark came to Clear water and welcomed the Florida vibes. Florida life agrees with them. They also travel far and wide for destina tion wedding photogra phy. “My husband, Mark, has always been an avid photographer,” Allison said. “He introduced me to photography about 12 years ago. I had a passion for capturing people and moments. His passion was landscape. I started ofering portrait sessions to friends, and it grew into a full-blown business.”

After living in the Tampa Bay area for a while, it seemed to the couple that every one was a wedding and portrait photog rapher. “We needed a niche,” Allison said. “Mark became an ordained minister, and we put together elopement packages.”

They keep the price reasonable and take all the pressure of the couples as they come prepared with everything. “We even file the marriage license for the bride and groom,” Allison said. “The

By Libby Hopkins

elopements have been the high light of our business. When COVID came about, many couples decided to elope and we were very busy. We love mar rying couples of all ages, and we keep adding more and more options to our packages.”

All of their clients are so thankful that they provide these services, and they have a great time during their photo sessions. “Seventy-five percent of them fly in from out of state and stay at the beach and get married by us,” Al lison said. “The other 25 percent are our local clientele that meet us at the beach or often we come to their backyard or a nearby park to do the elopement. We’ve had great referrals from our clients, which is the best ‘thank you’ we can receive. We go all over the Tampa Bay area, including Brandon, for our elopements.”

If you would like to learn more about Gold Sun Studios and the photography packages it ofers or if you’d like to take advantage of its elopement packages, you can visit its website at www.goldsun studios.com or call 727-228-2163. Elope ment packages start at just $500.

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