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March 2017 Volume 15, Issue 3 Ph: 657-2418 C E L E B R A T I N G
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Y E A R S
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P U B L I S H I N G
New US. Hwy. 301 Plaza Welcoming Tijuana Flats Tex-Mex & First Watch In April
By Sharon Still
C O M M U N I T Y
N E W S
Riverview & SouthShore Relay Events Celebrate Hope, Survivors & Raise Funds For Cure SouthShore and Riverview residents have two opportunities to help fight cancer this month with Relay for Life events taking place at local high schools. On Saturday, March 25, students and community members will join teams at East Bay High School to walk, camp and participate in other activities to raise funds for the American Cancer Society, while the Relay at Riverview High School, with similar events, will take place on Friday, March 31. According to Experience Lead and Team Captain for Relay for Life SouthShore, Teena Garbus, more than 300 people are currently signed up under 38 teams for the East Bay event which has a goal of $75,000. The Riverview High School event, with a racing theme, is hoping to raise $100,000. “The Relay event isn’t really a race,” said Garbus, who attended East Bay High School and started participating in the Relay in 2003 after her grandmother passed away. “There will be no finisher medals and there is no requirement of how many laps a person has to walk. Rather, each team is encouraged to have someone walking at all times to signify the fact that cancer never sleeps, so for one night, neither will we.” During the times participants are not walking the track they will be able to join in a large number of other activities planned including karaoke, scavenger hunts, an eating contest and a Quidditch tournament at the SouthShore event and musical chairs and a Mr. And Mrs. Relay contest at the Riverview Relay. According to Garbus, some of the activities will be free and some will have a small cost. More details on the timing of the events
By Kate Quesada
can be found on the school’s Facebook pages. One of the highlights Community members and of Relay students from throughout for Life the area will meet at East events for Bay High School on particiSaturday, March 25 and Riverview High School on pants is Friday, March 31 to participate in Relay for Life events the Luminaria raising funds for the American Cancer Society. Ceremony which will take place at 9 p.m. at both schools. “During the Luminaria Ceremony we honor survivors and remember those who have lost their battle with cancer,” said Relay for Life Community Manager Samantha Schneider. All money raised at the events go to the American Cancer Society’s mission to save lives, celebrate lives and lead the fight for a world without cancer. Sign up to participate in either event at www.relayforlife.org. For more information, contact Schneider at 319-5920.
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The population of Riverview continues to explode and along with more people comes more plazas, more shops and more restaurants, both national chains and locally-owned establishments. Two Florida-based, national chains will soon be coming to a plaza near you as First Watch and Tijuana Flats are poised to open soon along U.S. Hwy. 301 in the Summerfield area in a yet-to-be-named strip center. First Watch, The Daytime Café, known for breakfast, brunch and lunch is scheduled to open in mid-April, 13013 U.S. Hwy. 301, Suite C, according to First Watch Restaurants Public Relations and Communications Manager Eleni Kouvatos. “We’ve actually had our sights set on Riverview for years,” said Kouvatos.”We saw the new development in Riverview as a fantastic opportunity to finally introduce our fresh breakfast, brunch and lunch to our friends in Riverview. The restaurant is near I-75, and the area is surrounded by booming residential developments too. We couldn’t be more thrilled to open here.” First Watch in Brandon opened four years ago and she reports that it has proven to be a very successful spot. The new restaurant will have our new Urban Farm restaurant design, which is different from the First Watch in Brandon. It combines the high energy of
urban life while bringing in a lot of rustic, farm elements. “It’s a comforting atmosphere we think people will love,” she said. First Watch in Riverview will also have a menu that offers a couple new options too. The 3,400-sq.-ft. restaurant will employ about 25 people and be open from 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., seven days a week. For more information, visit www.firstwatch.com. Next door to First Watch, Tijuana Flats Tex-Mex, also is scheduled to open in late Spring. At Tijuana Flats, everything is made-to-order. There are no microwaves and no freezers and the chips, salsa, queso, guacamole and tortillas are all made from scratch. Tijuana Flats offers a laid back atmosphere and an “anything goes” attitude. Menu items include all of the TexMex favorites including nachos, burritos, chimichangas, enchiladas, salads, combination platters and more. The restaurant prides itself on its healthy approach of using only fresh ingredients, lard-free vegetarian beans, no canned foods, hormone-free chicken, pork and steak and cooking oil free of trans-fat. Started by a UCF college student who had an idea, no experience in the industry and a $20,000 loan from his dad, Tijuana Flats now has more than 100 restaurants in six states. Find out more at www.tijuanaflats.com.
P O S I T I V E
Photo By Tamas Mondovics
Hillsborough County Emergency Operations Director, Preston Cook stands proudly behind the lectern inside the brand new 52,000 sq.ft. Emergency Operations Center (EOC), located at 9450 E. Columbus Dr., between U.S. Highway 301 and Falkenburg Rd. in Brandon. The facility is part of the county’s new $36 million Public Safety Operations Complex (PSOC). Please read more on this in this edition.
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