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Hometown Pasco

What's happening

By Times Staff Writer
Published July 17, 2005

"Waste Away in Margaretville" read a sign advertising an upcoming event and posted by the Dade City Woman's Club. Another note advertised a coming Indian artifact show at Saint Leo University. And there was the small handwritten note asking for someone to mow a lawn.

These were among the items posted on the new community bulletin board, erected recently in front of the post office in San Antonio. With locking clear plastic doors, the board can accommodate a variety of notices, including one space that is reserved for notices of deaths in the community.

The newly formed provisional San Antonio Rotary Club was responsible for the replacement of the old, worn bulletin board with the new one set solidly in cement. One passer-by noted, "Boy! that's really solid in the ground."

Prior to the dedication ceremony, a wine and cheese hour was held at the San Antonio Market. The small patio seemed adequate enough when Rotary members planned the event, but the crowd exceeded expectations with more than 50 people who came and went during the hour. Rotarians faces smiled with appreciation at the turnout.

Around the small patio, the talk was friendly and community oriented as many shared ideas of upcoming events in the area . Gloria Bohannon, president of The Rattlesnake Festival, J.D. Moore , president of the San Antonio Rotary, and Debra Iglesias discussed events for the October Rattlesnake Festival. Bohannon's group assisted the Rotary group with the bulletin board.

In one corner of the patio, classical guitarist Dean Johnson kept up a steady musical presentation while Rotarian RuthAnne Baumiller shaded him from the hot sun using a large blue-and-white umbrella. The wine from Vintage Selections and the Boars Head selections of cheese were a hit with those in attendance. Thanks were offered to both vendors as well as to the San Antonio Market for taking part in the community event.

Stan Sanford, sergeant-at-arms for the San Antonio Rotary, and the person who spearheaded the bulletin board project, welcomed the crowd and thanked all those in attendance. He summarized the Rotary, calling it "a community minded, charity driven organization."

Sanford then introduced Keith Kurber, who spoke briefly about Rotary International. Kurber introduced David West, district governor of Rotary International, who introduced many members and officers from the Dade City clubs. Also in attendance were Madonna Wise, district assistant governor and past president of Daybreak Rotary of Zephyrhills; Tony Lister, street commissioner for San Antonio; and Amy Greif, water clerk and assistant city clerk for San Antonio.

West praised the San Antonio group for their efforts to organize a new Rotary Club, which is just a few members short of the requirement that will grant them a full charter. West acknowledged the Dade City Rotary Clubs membership standing at near 100 and said, "We saw the growth in this area and knew the growth merits having a new club established. We knew we needed a service organization out here in Pasco."

West continued by encouraging all those in attendance to consider becoming a charter member of the San Antonio Rotary.

West's position as district governor has him in the position of leading about 50 clubs in Pasco, Pinellas, Hernando and Citrus counties.

The group then walked around the corner to the bulletin board and Sanford invited the Rev. Juan Garay to offer a prayer for the dedication. Moore, president of the San Antonio Rotary, thanked the Rotarians involved in the project, especially acknowledging Sanford's efforts. Moore then directed his remarks to all who were gathered saying, "I'm always thinking ahead for our next community project. If you have ideas, come to our lunch and present your ideas. We are looking for another project in addition to our service work."

The San Antonio Provisional Rotary Club meets at noon Tuesdays at Tampa Bay Country Club. Guests are welcome to attend.

As the dedication ceremony came to an end, San Antonio native Margaret Beaumont addressed the crowd: "Let's spread the word to be kind to the bulletin board and also remember to take down our old notices."

For information about the San Antonio Rotary, call club president Moore at (813) 629-1331.

Contempo School of Dance held recitals recently a t Eleanor Dempsey Performing Arts Center at Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School. The theme for the two recitals was "Hooray for Hollywood" with more than 500 students performing in the senior and junior/intermediate recitals.

Instructors for students in the recital included Susan Thompson, Allison Gault, Jade Barrios, Xayri Roldan, Sined Lopez, Lynne Seabury, Denise Lukacik and Lani Gunn, director and owner of Contempo.

Located at 1809 Collier Parkway, Contempo School of Dance opened its doors in 1994 with one classroom and one instructor. The school has continued to grow and will be moving to a larger facility on State Road 54 in September. The new facility will have four classrooms, offering a wider variety of classes in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, hip hop, modern, acrobatics, musical theater, acting and voice.

Gunn received her degree from the University of South Florida and though ballet was her major focus of study, she says tap and jazz are her favorites.

Registration for current students for fall classes is underway and runs through July 30. For new students, the registration period starts Monday and runs through July 30. Those interested can register from 5 to 8 p.m Mondays through Thursdays, and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. Fall classes begin Aug. 8.

For information about Contempo classes, call 813 948-3262 or visit the Web site, www.contempodance.com

Arts in Motion Community Youth Theatre/Arts Education Inc., is looking to fill key positions for the upcoming production of The Wizard of Oz. The non-profit, volunteer based theater group seeks to fill positions for director, musical director, producer, choreographer, set designer, stage manager, stage crew, prop master, costume designer and makeup/hair designer. Anyone interested in volunteering to support the director and producer team during the performances should communicate via the Web site at www.artsinmotionpasco.org or write to Arts in Motion, P.O. Box 762, Dade City, FL, 33526.

Auditions are scheduled for Aug. 12-14. Those interested must submit a resume/credentials to Arts in Motion, Attn. V.P. Production, P.O. Box 762, Dade City, FL, 33526.

The musical performance is scheduled for Nov. 18-20 at the Center for the Performing Arts at Wesley Chapel High School.

Arts in Motion welcomes new members. Annual family membership is $25. More information about memberships is available on the Web site.

Saint Leo University has trained more than 140 criminal justice professionals over the past four years through the school's summer "Annual Symposium of the Institute for Excellence in Criminal Justice Administration." The symposium, titled "Leadership, Ethics and Emergency Management in Criminal Justice," recently concluded for the summer.

Saint Leo has been involved in educating criminal justice professionals for more than 30 years with programs providing the values, knowledge base and skills necessary for them to become creative and effective criminal justice agency administrators and workforce managers.

During the symposium, participants learned the difference between leadership and management; the primary roles of the supervisor, manager and leader; the interdependence between quality supervision and liability management; and the importance or training, policy and procedures in relationship to employee performance and evaluations.

For information about this and other programs offered at Saint Leo University, visit www.saintleo.edu

The Daybreak Rotary Club of Zephyrhills recently celebrated its 10th new member of the year. Madonna Wise, presiding over the last meeting of her term as president, initiated new member , Brenda Paradis, in a ceremony that included charter members Nelson Ryman and Jean Murphy.

Paradis recently relocated to Zephyrhills from Lewiston, Maine. She is a mortgage broker and previously worked in the field of higher education. Paradis is interested in becoming involved in the local community and is currently scheduled to do a presentation for the Daybreak group later this summer.

The program of the day, presented by program chairman, Larry McLaughlin, included an inspirational PowerPoint of nature photography completed by McLaughlin at Myakka River State Park, one of Florida's oldest and largest state parks.

Daybreak Rotary announced new officers for the 2005-2006 year. They are Manny Funes, president ; Larry McLaughlin, president-elect; Sharon Heinrich, secretary; John McKenney, Web secretary; Jack Thies, treasurer; Joe Worrell, sergeant-at-arms; Madonna Wise, vice president/past president; and board of directors Danielle Hall, Patrick Graham, Kent Compton, Daisy Sanders, Terry Mears and Theresa Sommers-Peacock. District governor is David West and district assistant governor is Madonna Wise.

For information about the Zephyrhills Daybreak Rotary club, visit Web site http://zephyrhillsrotary.org

Liz Iaconetti, member of the Lutz/Land O'Lakes Woman's Club, was named Guv'na of Lutz at ceremonies following the traditional Fourth of July Parade in Lutz. Iaconetti won the title by collecting more than $5,000 in contributions, topping the amounts gathered by other candidates. All funds collected benefit community causes.

Moments before the parade, Iaconetti was busy organizing sign carriers, and doling out beads to be distributed, meanwhile carrying a plastic jug where her contributions continued to accumulate. She took a moment to hug Eric Rodriguez, the 12-year-old grandson of Patricia Weinmann (who stood nearby in Red Hat Society regalia), after he dropped a sizeable donation into the jug. "Now here's a real community supporter," Iaconetti said as she embraced Rodriguez.

When asked about his contribution, Rodriguez glanced around with a big smile directed at Weinmann and remarked, "Well, my grandma is here."

Bedecked in patriotic colors, wearing a red, white and blue top hat, and surrounded by friends and supporting club members, Iaconetti was all smiles as the parade began.

Iaconetti was assisted in her campaign by the woman's club, which hosted weekly luncheon for her promotion in the campaign. Also assisting her was a chapter of the Red Hat Society of which Iaconetti is a member.

The mother of two children, Iaconetti is a real estate agent with Best of the Bay Realty. She has lived in the area about 30 years and through her membership in community clubs has helped in supporting many charity causes in the area.

One of Iaconetti's firsts official duties will be to assist the Lutz/Land O'Lakes Woman's Club with the annual scholarship banquet slated for Thursday at the Lutz Community Center.

The Humane Society of the Nature Coast is looking for sponsors for the Humane Society's second annual Fur Ball to be held Sept. 16 at the Palace Grand in Spring Hill. This will be an evening of celebration for the 40-year anniversary of the Humane Society's commitment of service to Hernando County and the Nature Coast.

Festivities will include dinner, a special entertainment surprise, special guests and a live auction of selected gift packages.

The proceeds of this event will benefit the orphaned pets at the Humane Society of the Nature Coast.

For more information, contact Joanne Schoch at the Humane Society of the Nature Coast at (352) 232-3032.

Another exciting year is about to unfold for the Wesley Chapel High School Wildcat Band, under the guidance of teacher and band director Mary Harvey. Plans are underway for an upcoming trip to Phoenix in December for the Fiesta Bowl competition. The band members will be working on new music for the competition and local performances.

Upcoming events for the Wildcat Band include Band Camps, July 18-22 and July 25-29. A Rock-a-thon fundraiser will be held Aug. 5, and an indoor garage sale will take place on Aug. 20. A silent auction will happen on Sept. 17.

For information about the Wildcat Band, check their Web site at www.wchsband.net

Th e GFCW Lutz/Land O'Lakes Woman's Club will host its annual scholarship luncheon on Thursday at the Lutz Community Center, 98 First Ave. N. The event will recognize the club's 2005 scholarship recipients and HOBY winners from Hillsborough and Pasco counties.

The local woman's clubs awarded $7,000 in scholarships to 19 recipients.

The Education Department and Scholarship Committee will prepare and serve the lunch. For information about this event, call Dora Bean at (813) 996-4228.

[Last modified July 17, 2005, 01:06:14]