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Entertainment

Saturday full of Christmas cheer

In Dade City, an Old Fashioned Christmas, and in Zephyrhills, a two-wheel event.

By MICHELLE JONES
Published December 9, 2005

You can celebrate Christmas in east Pasco all day Saturday.

First, visit the Withlacoochee River State Park in Dade City, where an Old Fashioned Christmas is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Then head south to Zephyrhills for a lighted motorcycle parade at 6 p.m.

The park event benefits efforts to build an amphitheater within the park, and the cost is $5 per carload or $2 per person. Military personnel and veterans in uniform will be admitted free. Ten percent of the vendors' profits will go into the fund. Entertainment begins at 11:30 a.m. with the following: a Gospel quartet, local bands, church choirs, the Christian rock group Shattered Silence, Velez and a demonstration by the Dade City police dogs.

There will be a blacksmith demonstration, arts and crafts booths, hay rides, horse-drawn carriage rides and a lighted stroll through the cabin area, where the pioneer village will be decorated for Christmas. Messages can be sent to troops overseas via a video message center, and free hot chocolate will be given to the first 500 attendees.

Santa Claus will appear, and family portraits with the jolly old elf will be available.

A special salute to veterans will include color guards, taps and state Rep. Ken Littlefield, state Sen. Charlie Crist, Pasco Sheriff Bob White and Dade City Mayor Hutch Brock as speakers.

A CandyLand Fun Center with face painting, a balloon artist, children's games, free snow cones and candy canes will add to holiday festivities.

Sponsors are the Dade City Rotary Club - Friends of the Park, Pasco County Parks and Recreation Department, Boltin Pest Control, First National Bank of Pasco, TV Journal Inc. Tampa, Bay News 9, General Home Development, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office and the St. Petersburg Times.

Directions to the park are U.S. 301 north to Withlacoochee Boulevard, then follow signs to the park. It is 4.7 miles northeast of Dade City.

In Zephyrhills, members of the Gold Wings Riders Association celebrate Christmas with their annual Mingle and Jingle lighted parade, which begins at the C.A.R.E.S. Senior Center, Airport Road in Zephyrhills. The 200-unit group will ride down Fifth Avenue and then split into four groups, where each will visit 13 to 15 area mobile home parks.

The riders will stop at each park's community center and sing Christmas carols to the residents.

"This is our way of saying thank you to the park's residents for gathering all the toys, which will be given to underserved children in the community," said Sabrae Brown, who with her husband, Fred, joined the group four years ago. One park bought 21 bicycles for the children.

Motorcycles will be decorated with lights, and some will pull floats. After the parade, riders will gather again, split into two groups and go to Shady Oaks and Majestic Oaks parks, where they will be treated to refreshments.

[Last modified December 9, 2005, 01:19:17]