Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
By JULIE CHURCH
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 25, 2001
Fans of folk singer Lynn Miles might be interested to know that she will perform this afternoon -- not at a concert hall, but at the home of Craig Huegel and his wife, Christina Uranowski.
Huegel is the manager at Brooker Creek Preserve.
Recently, he and his wife decided that hosting concerts in their home on the grounds would be a good way to help folk singers supplement their income and offset some of their travel expenses. Many folk singers record on smaller record labels.
"Craig has been interested in folk music since college," Uranowski said. "He heard of another house concert and thought it would be a good idea to do it here on the preserve."
Miles, 41, was born in Canada and lives in West Hollywood, Calif. She is known for her acoustic guitar stylings and soprano voice.
The concert begins at 3 p.m. and is open to the public, but Uranowski suggests that people come as early as 1 p.m. and walk around the preserve.
"People can come out and enjoy the outdoors if they'd like," she said.
Uranowski said that this is the first house concert they are hosting, but they hope to offer three or four more in the next year.
Light refreshments will be served, including fresh lemonade squeezed from the lemons that grow on the grounds. Tickets are $10, and compact discs will be sold at the event. Reservations can be made by calling (727) 937-9449.
Teenagers in East Lake have a new, safe place to hang out and share their artistic talents.
Cafe Express-U, a coffeehouse for teenagers, will be held at East Lake Community Library, 4125 East Lake Road, from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday.
The event will showcase the creative talents of teenagers in music, poetry and other artistic endeavors. There also will be space provided for lounging and conversation.
The coffeehouse idea was developed by the East Lake Library Teen Advisory Board, a group of teenage volunteers who help library staffers generate teen programming and select materials for youths between 12 and 20.
"It's easy for me to sit back and come up with ideas, but I'm going straight to the teens," said Chris Marszalek, former director of the library, who now serves as assistant director of the Palm Harbor Library and is the staff contact for the advisory board.
This is the second time the event has been hosted by the library. About 30 people attended the first coffeehouse in October.
"We're hoping this time that more people might get up and read," said Christina Montgomery, 18, a member of the advisory board.
Montgomery says that it's more important than ever to make teens aware of the services the library provides.
"Nowadays with the Internet, teens hardly ever visit the library," she said. "They need to know that there is a library down the street where people are always willing to help."
In addition to organizing the coffeehouse events, the teen advisory board also makes recommendations to other teens on books that they have read and enjoyed.
"I've checked out a few books myself based on the opinions of other teens," Montgomery said.
Melitta USA donated cappuccino and espresso machines to the library for the first event and will sponsor coffee and refreshments on Friday.
For more information on Cafe Express-U, call (727) 773-2665.
East Lake High School Flight Night is an alcohol-free graduation party sponsored by area businesses and scheduled for June 7.
The Flight Night committee is seeking volunteers and donations. Meetings are the third Thursday of each month. For information, call Karen or Jim Farnham at (727) 781-8128.
The YMCA of North Pinellas will host Healthy Kids Day at the YMCA, 4550 Village Center Drive, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. April 7.
Scheduled activities include K-9 demonstrations, clowns, arts and crafts, a water kayak show and displays from local agencies.
Publix will serve free hot dogs and soda at the event.
This is the third year that the event is being held at the North Pinellas YMCA. It is part of a nationwide YMCA celebration, according to fitness director Chris Clines. Last year, more than 250 attended the event.
"This is an event for the whole family," Clines said. "It's a great way to promote health and fitness in an enjoyable way."
For information, call (727) 772-9622.
The Palm Harbor Garden Club will hold its monthly meeting on at 12:30 p.m. April 9 at Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, 1555 Windmill Pointe Road.
The program will be on small garden items and herbs, presented by Monica Brandies of Brandon. The meeting is open to the public. For information, call (727) 784-7425.
The Palm Harbor Branch of All Children's Hospital Guild is hosting Margaritaville under the Oaks, a fundraising event for the hospital at 5 p.m. April 21.
The event will feature Jimmy Buffet-style music, trained parrots and entertainment by local singer and songwriter John Mayeux.
There will be a silent auction and tropical drinks and refreshments. Tickets are $50. The event will be on the grounds of Florin, Roebig and Walker law offices, 777 Alderman Road.
The next meeting of the guild will be April 16 at George Young United Methodist Church, 2801 East Lake Road. For information, call (727) 784-8851.
- If you have news or photos about East Lake schools, churches, businesses, neighborhood groups, community organizations or people, contact Julie Church at the North Pinellas Times. Call her at (727) 445-4229, e-mail material to her at church@sptimes.com or mail material to North Pinellas Times, 34342 U.S. 19 N, Palm Harbor, FL 34684.