Several local families were on hand on July 31 when owner/developer JD Porter of Wiregrass Ranch (2nd from left) cut the ribbon at the first of three Little Free Library openings in his community.
Wesley Chapel may not have its own Pasco County Library System branch at the moment — as the renovation project at the New River Library on S.R. 54 continues — but it could soon have three Little Free Libraries.
The Wiregrass Ranch Foundation recently unveiled the first two Little Free Libraries, which are small, birdhouse-looking book depositories that allow anyone to share and read free books.
Porter was on hand to cut the ribbon at Wiregrass Ranch’s first Little Free Library ribbon cutting on July 31. It is located between the Glory Days Grill and Max’s Natural Pet Market on S.R. 54. A second location is near the Culver’s on the north side of S.R. 56, while a location for a third book-sharing box is still being determined.
“JD (Porter, who founded the foundation) and I were chatting one that we wanted to do something where the community can get involved, but doesn’t have to be together, due to Covid-19,” says Amanda Blackmon, who does marketing for the foundation. “We were looking for something new and creative, and JD said, ‘What about a Little Library?’”
When it opened, the S.R. 54 location had a selection of books ranging from To Kill a Mockingbird to some of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and even Good Morning, Moon. Users are encouraged to share their own books when taking one from the library.
“It is definitely about sharing books and bringing the community together,” Blackmon says, adding that the Wiregrass Ranch Foundation is encouraging those who are reading the Little Library books to share pictures and their thoughts on social media on Instagram at @littlefreelibrary_wc and on Facebook. “We wanted to get the conversation started,” she says.
Porter even suggested leaving notes in the books when you are done reading them, to be discovered by the next person who takes the book.
“It’s our hope that this Little Free Library will bring a little more joy, a little more connection and a whole lot more books to our community,” Porter said.
The locations in Wiregrass Ranch will be one of more than 100,000 book-sharing boxes world-wide.
Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization and received the 2020 World Literacy Award for its dedication to expanding access to books.
For more information, visit LittleFreeLibrary.org. For more info about the Wiregrass Ranch Foundation, visit WiregrassRanchFoundation.org. — JCC
A group of kids in the Lakes of Northwood neighborhood sold more than 300 tie-dyed face coverings to raise money for St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital.
It’s the accessory everyone’s wearing this fall, and not because it’s the hottest new fashion.
Local ordinances throughout Florida have made face coverings mandatory, and some creative Wesley Chapel kids have found a way to turn people’s need for masks into an opportunity to do good.
In The Lakes at Northwood neighborhood, located just off County Line Rd. and Bruce B. Downs Blvd., the Burnett, Caruso, Peretsky and White families have 10 kids between them, ages 5-13. They often play together outside.
When the pandemic hit, the kids started talking to each other about doing something helpful in their community.
“They wanted to be able to help other kids, in light of what was going on with Covid-19,” says Katie Burnett, who is mom to Jackson, Mackenzie and Alaina.
Katie says her kids – along with Diana, Ellina and David Peretsky, Mason, Kate and Troy Caruso and Josiah White — came up with the idea to raise money and donate it to St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Tampa.
They started with a lemonade stand. The idea grew when Katie and her husband Matt, who own Kona Ice Wesley Chapel, received a box of plain, white, reusable cloth masks to share with the community.
That’s when the kids decided to sell not only lemonade, but individually designed masks, too.
They took their revenue from that first lemonade stand and bought a tie-dye kit. Then, they got to work making fun summer art, using dozens of the masks as their canvases.
Their parents spread the word on social media, and then the kids took turns selling the masks on Saturdays in their neighborhood.
Late this summer, they tallied up their earnings and were able to make a $350 donation to St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. Parent company BayCare Health System’s senior vice president & Hillsborough County market leader Kimberly Guy stopped by the neighborhood and the families presented her with an oversized check — also made by the kids.
“They got really excited when Kim told them the money would be used to buy toys for kids at the hospital,” says Katie. “That helped make it real for them.”
So, as it turns out, you literally can get anything at a Walmart Supercenter.
Even a drive-in movie.
On August 18 and 19, the Walmart on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel converted a large portion of its parking lot into a drive-in movie theater, which was part of a nationwide pop-up drive-in movie event touring the country and visiting 160 Walmart locations.
At this free event, Walmart stationed two large digital screens and cleared out a big section of its parking lot. Anyone was welcome to go online and register to see a showing of “Spy Kids” on Tuesday evening and “Selena”’ on Wednesday evening.
Both showings were sold out, with about 70 cars lined up with families and couples
who received goody bags full of snacks and water at check-in.
“We love this,” said Wesley Chapel resident Janet Perez, who, with her son, enjoyed some drive-thru Taco Bell while watching “Spy Kids.” It didn’t even matter that the movie was a hit 20 years ago.
“You don’t know how much we’ve missed movies!,” Perez said. “Plus, this is both of our first time at a drive-in, so it’s been great. It was great of Walmart to do this.”
Families with little kids huddled in the front seat(s) of the cars to watch the movie and snack on popcorn, as the audio for the film could be heard by tuning the radio to 92.1 FM. Many of the cars enjoyed the experience with the windows down, as the Florida evening sky turned orange with the sunset.
In the end, it was a fun event that even new Wesley Chapel residents enjoyed.
“This was definitely great, especially for families who don’t have a lot going on, or are low on money because of the virus,” said new Wesley Chapel resident Tiffany Hardy, who said she recently moved here with her family from Leesburg.
Tiffany watched the movie with her husband, Jason, in the driver’s seat and her son, Talon, on her lap (photo, right).
“It’s nice to be able to get out of the house and do something a little different, too,” she said.
If you’re looking for delicious, homemade pastas and sauces, Wesley Chapel has a legitimately authentic new eatery called Pasta di Guy that features a unique, affordable menu created by owner/Chef Guy Carmeli, who is originally from Israel, but was classically trained at the London location of the renowned Le Cordon Bleu cooking school.
Since relocating to Wesley Chapel, Guy has had a popular food truck in our area, but he has since opened his casual, comfortable sit-down/takeout restaurant in the former location of OTB Delights Café at 4839 BBD Blvd. and his homemade pastas — especially the always al denté Strozzapreti (which are sort of like two pieces of thicker-than-linguini pasta twisted and cut into bite-sized pieces), wit your choice of sauces and toppings.
My favorite sauces so far are the vodka, creamy pesto and aglio e olio (garlic & oil), but I still have to try the marinara and beef bolognese (the latter costs extra). I also enjoyed adding chicken, bacon, Italian sausage, broccoli and cauliflower to the different pastas and sauces, but please note that all of the items mentioned do cost extra over the $9.99 base price. But, you know what? It’s worth it!
We also enjoyed the fried zucchini sticks appetizer and people were raving on Day One about the fried ravioli appetizer and photographer/videographer Charmaine George said her zucchini noodles were definitely spot-on.
For more info, stop in (closed Mon.) or visit PastadiGuy.com or call (813) 388-6676 and tell Guy and Emily (photo above) I sent you!
Visit The Exerscience Center!
Congratulations to my friend Dr. Lauren Leiva, DPT, on the recent opening of her new The Exerscience Center (24706 S.R. 54, in Lutz, less than two miles from the Tampa premium Outlets).
Not only is Lauren a Doctor of Physical Therapy, she’s also a personal trainer, nutritional counselor and yoga instructor who works with people of all ages — including athletes who are looking to recover faster from an injury or surgery, neurological patients looking to restore lost function, and busy people who want a more effective, and sustainable approach to fitness.
In the photo on this page, Dr. Leiva is performing what she calls a “master reset” on a client, which she says will provide a “holistic rehabilitation experience.” She uses lots of the latest technology, including the Neubie machine from NeuFit (photo), a patented electrical stimulation device to help re-educate your neuromuscular systems, coupled with manual therapy and functional training.
Dr. Leiva says her patients are healing up to 4x faster than with traditional therapy. She adds that neurological signals can shut down muscles and prevent movement for too long, leaving that area of the body more vulnerable.
At The Exerscience Center, you’ll be able to identify exactly where those neurological barriers are present and break through them on the way to more efficient and effective recovery. But, don’t just take it from me. There’s so much more Dr. Leiva can tell you about all of the unique services she offers. For more information, visit TheExerscienceCenter.com, call (813) 464-0313 or see the ad on pg. 8! — GN
Sprouts Gets Top Grade!
For those who went absolutely bonkers over the opening of the Aldi supermarket on S.R. 56, I invite you to check out a truly outstanding, truly “green” new grocery store — Sprouts Farmers Market, located in the new Village at Hunter’s Lake plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. at Hunter’s Green Dr., which opened last month.
Not only does Sprouts have a far superior selection (and quality) of produce (as indicated by the Farmers Market in its name), it also features delicious prepared foods, a beautiful meat and fresh seafood department, crusty breads, a huge variety of the healthiest snacks and so much more.
In addition to produce — not all of which is more expensive than at other grocery stores (here’s a hint — look for the amazing sales!), here are some of my Sprouts favorites to date:
1) Fresh Fish – I’ve already had still-swimming mahi-mahi for only $5.99 per lb. (a truly unheard-of price), and even though the fresh grouper was $22.99 per lb., that’s still $5 per lb. less than Publix!
2) Meats — Grass-fed filet mignon for $16.99 per lb. or the slightly fattier “regular” filet for only $14.99 per lb. ‘Nuff said!
3) Prepared Foods — Amazing tuna salad, savory garlic roasted red potatoes, chicken florentine and parmigiana and better pot stickers than most restaurants, plus different-each-day selections. Yum!
Sprouts (8620 Hunters Village Rd.) is open every day, 7 a.m.-10 p.m. For info, call (813) 683-8072 or visit Sprouts.com!
In the meantime, several of the other businesses in the Village at Hunter’s Lake plaza have already opened, including Grain & Berry, The Coder School of New Tampa and Via Italia.
Among the stores that are under construction but not yet open in that main part of the plaza are the Banfield Pet Hospital and Touch Nail Spa. According to owner Timmy Pham, this second location of Touch Nail Spa (the other is on S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel; see ad on pg. 28 of this issue) is expected to open in the Village at Hunter’s Lake sometime between mid-September and early October.
Meanwhile, in the separate outparcel building with frontage on BBD, Starbucks and Dental Care at Hunter’s Green are open; and, in another outparcel set further in off BBD, FitNiche (relocated from the Shops at Wiregrass), YogaSix and The UPS Store are open, with Pure Beauty Salon & Spa coming soon.
Tampa’s Nick Ryan lunges to try and stop a shot at the Goalies Inc. Performance Camp at AdventHealth Center Ice on Aug. 6. (Photos: Mike Camunas)
Nothing was going to stop these goalies from stopping pucks.
Despite the fact it had to be pushed back due to Covid-19, more than 40 youth ice hockey goalies recently were able to get in a training camp’s worth of goaltending work in two days (Aug. 5-6) at the Goalies, Inc., Performance Camp at AdventHealth Center Ice (AHCI) in Wesley Chapel.
Originally scheduled for March, Bernie Desrosiers, the executive director of Sunbelt Hockey Scouting and a long-time New Tampa-area hockey coach, says the camp was sold out well before the coronavirus shut down youth sports programs.
“We’ll have it again next year,” Desrosiers said. “This has been a great turnout and, so far, all the feedback we’ve gotten has been that everyone was happy to finally be able to come to this camp. “It’s been a great two days.”
Desrosiers added that of the 42 young goalies who participated, only one had to be sent home sick — not Covid-19 related — and that there were no injuries sustained. “Pretty remarkable, I’d say,” Desrosiers said.
Head instructor Jim Stanaway provides instruction to some of the 42 goalies in attendance.
Led by Goalies, Inc. head instructor Jim Stanaway, boys and girls, teenagers and “tweens” went through various drills to hone their goaltending skills in the hopes of being the next Andrei Vasilevskiy (the Tampa Bay Lightning goalie) or Madeline Rooney (the starting goalie for the Olympic gold medal-winning 2018 USA women’s hockey team). The young goalies worked on glove and stick saves, rebound shots, skating backwards, diving for pucks and even how to hug the pipes to block shots.
Stanaway also preached a lot, not only about teamwork, sportsmanship and respect for the game, but also for the goalies’ fans (their families).
As he watched netminders of all sizes and ages scramble to grab pucks, the goalie instructor of nearly two decades was impressed by his first trip to the Tampa Bay area and its local talent.
“With an NHL team, and them doing very well, it’s nice to see (the high interest in hockey in a southern city or state),” he said. “A lot of these southern NHL teams invest in their communities a lot, but the enthusiasm (here) is quite amazing.”
For more info about Goalies, Inc., camps, visit GoaliesInc.com.
