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Kids' holiday feast takes wings
By ANNE LINDBERG, Times Staff Writer PINELLAS PARK -- Outside, the strains of a rock version of Santa Claus is Coming to Town blasted from the restaurant's loudspeakers. But inside, the music was drowned by the din of laughing, talking and shrieking children celebrating Christmas. It was the annual celebration that Ker's WingHouse holds for underprivileged children. This was the biggest ever for the Pinellas Park restaurant, which opened its doors to about 200 kids from Tampa, Largo and St. Petersburg. The children ate lunch, then chose a gift from a room full of stuffed animals, basketballs, trucks and other toys. Each got a hug from Santa Claus. Restaurant owner Crawford Ker, a Dunedin native and former Dallas Cowboy, began the event eight years ago because he felt the true spirit of Christmas was giving to others less fortunate. Since then, employees, customers and sports celebrities have donated gifts and volunteered to spend their holiday helping with the event. "This is something I enjoy doing," said Dick Blasioli, a WingHouse customer who has spent the past five Christmases in the kitchen helping to cook for the event. It's a hot job, he said, despite the air conditioning in the kitchen. But it's an important job. The celebration began with food: wings -- about 4,000 of them by day's end -- in hot, mild or Dallas (honey barbecue) sauce; curly fries -- about 27 cases, or 1,350 pounds; and ketchup -- about 20 gallons. And plenty of soft drinks and cake. "Look at the faces," said Nona Jean King, who brought 20 children from the Cutlass Arms Apartments in Tampa. They were part of a contingent from the Tampa Housing Authority. "These are children that were hungry, complaining (of hunger) when they got here," King said. She said about half of them would have received no gifts this year if they had not come for the celebration. The children learned about the event in different ways. Christy Amico, 9, of Largo, found out Christmas morning when she and her siblings were asked, "Okay, who's going to take the first bath?" Christy still isn't sure the bath was worth it. "We didn't get hot water," she said. "My sister takes real long baths." Another Largo resident, Nico Starks, 7, said he was happy to be invited. He was enjoying a lunch of chocolate cake and curly fries. "Oh, you won't believe what he eats," said his 11-year-old sister, Trishia. "He'll dip his potato chips in Sprite. He'll dip anything in anything." Trishia was thrilled to be at the Wing-House, with its photos of sports heroes and other memorabilia on display. "Sports are my favorite thing," she said. "I can't live without sports."
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
