The round, cherry-cheeked giver of gifts (if you’ve been nice, that is) will arrive at the annual tree-lighting celebration at The Shops at Wiregrass, marking the official start of its popular Symphony in Lights display in the center of the mall.
The dancing light show, set to music featuring the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, is expected to premiere at 5 p.m., and there will be shows nightly from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. through December 31.
This will be the 11th year of the lights display.
After the trees and lights are unveiled, Santa will waste no time taking his toy requests from the kiddies, starting tomorrow — Saturday, November 16, 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
You can even get your pet a photo with Santa on Monday nights from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. between November 18-December 2.
For more information about Santa’s schedule (and his break schedule; it gets hot in that suit!) please visit TheShopsAtWiregrass.com.
Parrot Fest At The Lagoon!
However, if you’re not quite ready for the holiday season or prepared to put away your summer clothes to prep for winter, you might want to take an opportunity to check out the Epperson Lagoon (31885 Overpass Rd.) free of charge.
The lagoon is transitioning from water events to those held on land, as it plays host to its first-ever “Parrot Fest.”
The event will be held tomorrow (Sat., Nov. 16), 5 p.m.-10 p.m., and will feature the Caribbean Chillers (right photo), a popular Jimmy Buffett tribute band.
Bring your own blankets and chairs and get ready to chill out to some classic Buffett tunes.
There will be multiple food trucks on site — you might even be able to get a cheeseburger in, well, paradise — as well as drink specials at the tiki bar.
Although tickets are free to attend the event, Epperson is asking everyone to register online at EventBrite.com. Just go to the site and search for “Caribbean Chillers.”
For more information about the free Parrot Fest, visit LagoonInformation.com or call (813) 527-0775.
Almost every day when I go to North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon-cutting and other local events, I have at least one local business owner tell me that they don’t do any print advertising at all — and that Facebook, Instagram and other online advertising outlets are the only places they spend their money these days.
And then, inevitably, there’s always at least one person, who may or may not think that they’re being funny, who will tell me, “Haven’t you heard? Print is dead!”
When my blood finishes boiling, I usually explain that I’ve been the owner and editor of the Neighborhood News in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel for 25 years and that people who live in our communities — whether they got here before I took over an 11-month-old monthly in 1994 or they just got here last year — tell me constantly that the Neighborhood News is the only local publication of any kind that they read cover-to-cover. I’m not dissing any other publication, I’m just repeating what I hear literally every day.
But, before you say, “Yeah, right!,” and turn the page to see another great python pic or read about the upcoming second annual New Tampa Brew Fest (see pages 40-43), consider something as simple as our annual Reader Dining Survey & Contest, which appears for the last time for 2019 on page 35 of this issue.
Last year, when there were many more spaces to fill in than in this year’s revised, much simpler survey, we received fewer than 300 entries — not bad as local magazine contests go, but far fewer than our record 1,200+ Dining Survey Contest entries received either three or four years ago.
This year, that number actually may surpass 1,500 entries before this year’s November 11 entry deadline.
Yes, this year’s contest is easier to enter and yes, we’ve had quite a few people who have entered to date fill out the survey on our NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net website. However, we also believe that the vast majority of the people who go to the website to fill out the survey still read about the contest in our print editions first and then go online to fill out the survey to save themselves the extra effort (and cost) of having to put the survey in an envelope, writing the address info on the envelope, paying for and using a stamp and dropping it in the mailbox. So exhausting!
But, even if some of those entries came from people who only read about it online, how do you explain the 600+ people who already have taken the time to open one of our recent issues and do just that? And, I can assure you, with stories by managing editor John C. Cotey like the Burmese python hunter from Cory Lake Isles, The Brunchery coming to Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., the latest on the Kinnan-Mansfield flap and getting to be the first local media of any kind to break the story about the new owner of The Grove at Wesley Chapel shopping center, to name just a few — I know that the vast majority of our print readers still have not entered that contest at all.
Yes, we have worked hard to make the Neighborhood News a true multimedia experience, but the next time someone tells you that print is dead, make sure you tell them to take a look at the kind of information the Neighborhood News print editions provide for you about your community every four weeks — and that all it takes for you to keep up with what’s happening in your community is actually open it when you take it out of your mailbox. Â
Neighborhood News Online Update
I can’t believe that as this issue is reaching your mailbox, the calendar has turned to November, which means that we are nearing the end of the year in which we became one of only 23 U.S. media companies to receive 2019 funding from the Google News Initiative.
A lot has happened in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel over these past ten months, and we have done our best to keep up with the incredible amount of important hyperlocal news coming out of both of our distribution areas.
In fact, although we are still a little behind on our goal of reaching five new video releases every week, we are now right at three videos per week, up from only one every other week through the end of 2018.
But of course, it’s not just about the quantity of videos we release — it’s about the quality. In fact, since we became the first local news provider to break the story — in video first, then in print in our October 18 Wesley Chapel issue — about Mark Gold, the new owner of The Grove, the video has surpassed 10,500 views on Facebook and the Facebook post of John’s print story may have set a record for us, with a reach of nearly 80,000 people and 7,800+ total engagements!
I also have been thrilled that most of the nearly 21 videos we have released in the seven weeks since September have totalled nearly 80,000 views and an average of 4,300 views per video.
In fact, with a reach of nearly 700,000, and 400,000 views through Oct 25, we have an outside chance of breaking a video reach of one million people and 500,000 video views for 2019, especially if we can inch closer to our goal of five video releases per week.
And, we almost certainly will have an even bigger reach for our print stories that get posted on Facebook with a click-through to our website, NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net!
So no, not only is print not dead when you’re talking about the Neighborhood News, we also are the only local media outlet offering you and your business in or serving New Tampa and/or Wesley Chapel a truly multimedia advertising opportunity. Get yours today!
Call (813) 910-2575 today to find out how to get started!
This is the view from the end of Kinnan St., which runs north from Cross Creek Blvd. Mansfield Blvd. in Meadow Pointe is on the other side of the barrier, about 40 feet away. (Photo: John C. Cotey)
Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan, who has tried to get Kinnan St. in New Tampa connected with Mansfield Blvd. in Meadow Pointe II — the infamous Kinnan-Mansfield connection — for more than a decade, may finally get his wish.
Well, partially, anyway.
While Pasco County is firmly committed to not connecting the two roads to general traffic, it has expressed a willingness to connect them for fire rescue and other emergency vehicles. With no other options remaining, Hagan — who represents New Tampa as part of Hillsborough’s District 2 —thinks it’s time to make a deal.
At a Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting last month, Hagan introduced a motion to direct the county staff to meet with their Pasco counterparts to forge an interlocal agreement authorizing the Kinnan-Mansfield connection, for public safety purposes, to finally become a real thing.
The two sides were expected to meet last week.
Ken Hagan
“I basically introduced the item because I have been trying to make this connection for well over a decade now and, unfortunately, Pasco has steadfastly refused,” Hagan says. “While they have not completely seen the light, this is certainly a step in the right direction.”
If a deal is struck, the roads will be connected, and an entry-and-exit bar will be installed to keep vehicular traffic out. The two counties also will be connected at Kinnan-Mansfield by pathways for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Residents of Meadow Pointe II have fought the connection because they say it would add too much traffic to Mansfield Blvd., which is home to community entrances and area schools.
Proponents of connecting the roads have argued that it would be good for local businesses and residents and would help ease traffic in the area, while also benefiting fire rescue and emergency medical services, as the two counties have a mutual aid agreement.
Currently, roughly 30 feet of overgrown grass and bushes — and a good deal of junk that has been dumped in the area — is all that separates the two roads, which were never connected when Kinnan St. was completed in 2007.
Since then, the counties have bickered on numerous occasions over whether or not the roads should be connected.
In 2015, then-District 7 Tampa City Council member Lisa Montelione re-ignited the debate after K-Bar Ranch resident Otto Schloeter severely burned his arm and did not receive medical attention for 45 minutes, after his call was bounced between the two counties before a crew was finally dispatched. Because the roads weren’t connected, Montelione argued, it took emergency medical services twice as long as it should have to reach Schloeter.
Luis Viera, who replaced Montelione on the City Council, picked up the fight, but also to no avail.
Pasco County commissioned an engineering firm to study potential connections between the K-Bar Ranch area and Pasco County.
In June, Pasco’s Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) voted unanimously to recommend connections to K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. in New Tampa’s K-Bar Ranch community at Meadow Pointe and Wyndfields Blvds., while also recommending the first responders connection at Kinnan-Mansfield.
Pasco County’s commissioners have yet to vote on it.
“Is it what we wanted in full? No,’ says Viera, who has been busy holding meetings hoping to resolve the impasse. “But, does it address our public safety concerns? Yes.”
Viera says he had conversations recently with residents of K-Bar Ranch, which is building 400 more homes but still only has one way, Kinnan St., to exit K-Bar to the west.
“They seem supportive,” Viera says.
Hagan said it is his understanding that Pasco will vote for the public safety connection.
Hagan secured $250,000 from the county in September of 2017 for what he hoped would be a connection open to everyone.
That money is still available to build the public safety connection.
Mary Glassman considered what to name the Shell Pillow, and ultimately settled on a tribute to her dear friend who first inspired it, Shelley Archbold. (Photo courtesy of Bob Thompson)
It was one week after her wedding, when she was just 28 years old, that Shelley Archbold discovered a lump in her breast that turned out to be cancerous.
Through radiation and chemotherapy, her friend from college, Wesley Chapel graphic artist Mary Glassman (photo), sat by Shelley’s side.
Several years later, after Shelley gave birth to a son, she underwent genetic testing and decided to have a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of having a future recurrence of the disease.
Mary wanted to give Shelley a meaningful, useful gift. Searching the internet, she found that many women use a mastectomy pillow, but she didn’t find one she thought looked very comfortable — or sanitary, for that matter.
“I’m kind of a germophobe,” says Mary, who squirmed at the thought of a pillow up against a body recovering from surgery that couldn’t be washed. “My mom taught me to sew when I was very young, so I thought I could sew her something.”
Mary says she made a quick pattern, cut it out, and fashioned the first pillow. Since Shelley had a double mastectomy, Mary made two pillows so she would have one for each side.
“It turned out that her gift was by far the most useful thing that I didn’t know I would need,” says Shelley. “A lot of times when you’re sick, people want to help and they don’t really know how. Mary took it to the next level trying to think of what really would be the most comforting and helpful. She’s brilliant.”
Because Shelley liked the pillow so much, when Mary’s aunt had a mastectomy, Mary made her pillows, too. A couple of friends and neighbors asked her to make them for friends who had the procedure, too.
Mary, who lives in Seven Oaks with her husband and two kids, considered how many people could benefit from her pillows. She knew she couldn’t personally sew enough to make the pillows by hand, so she researched and found a company to manufacture the pillows.
Mary considered what to name the pillow, and ultimately settled on a tribute to her dear friend who first inspired it.
She named it, “The Shell Pillow.”
Her first production run has been completed and is currently being shipped. Once the pillows arrive, they will be ready for sale.
Mary says The Shell Pillow is better than others on the market because it is longer, offering more comfort.
While it was designed for those recovering from a mastectomy, it can be used by anyone recovering from breast or shoulder surgery who would benefit from being able to rest their arms away from their body.
And, of course, there’s that washable cover. “They have an aesthetic appeal and don’t look like a medical device,” Mary says. “You’d be comfortable having them out on the couch or on your bed.”
While Mary is both excited about launching her business and a bit nervous about the unknowns of undertaking something she’s never done before, she said she’s mostly looking forward to making the recovery process more comfortable for any women facing recovery from a mastectomy.
“I saw my friend and aunt suffer through it,” Mary says. “It’s difficult. If it could let them rest a little easier, ultimately that’s my goal, to give people comfort.”
Her friend Shelley believes The Shell Pillow will make a difference.
“I was really honored that she named it after me,” says Shelley. “I hope others find comfort the way I did, and know that it came from a friend helping a friend. Her reason to make these came from the heart.”
The Shell Pillow currently is available for pre-order and is expected to be available for purchase later this month. For more information or to purchase The Shell Pillow, visit TheShellPillow.com.
Did you know Florida’s Burmese python problem is spreading north? Former Cory Lakes Isles resident and Wharton High grad Kevin Reich is helping to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Kevin Reich caught and bagged this nearly-18-foot Burmese python back in July.
Kevin Reich was driving through the Grand Cypress National Preserve in Ochopee, FL, one evening back in late July, and was about to give up and head home when the tail of a Burmese python caught his eye.
“Just by the tail, I knew it was going to be a big one,” Kevin says.
So, he did exactly the opposite of what you might expect — but something perfectly normal for him — he parked his car on the side of the road, hopped out and walked up to the snake.
Armed only with his bare hands, Kevin grabbed the tail and dragged the python out, the two dancing a slithery dance, as he deftly avoided attempts by the python, which are non-venomous constricting snakes, to wrap itself around him.
After 15 minutes, the snake was tuckered out. Kevin grabbed it by the neck and victoriously bagged it.
He was right about the size, too: it checked in at a goosebump-inducing 17-feet, 9 inches long, and weighed in at 83 pounds, 12 ounces.
At the time, it was the second-longest ever caught by a member of the Python Action Team.
“I knew it was going to be a challenge and a bit of a battle,” Kevin says. “Big snakes don’t come along much. It was a very big, very strong animal. When it started to lose its steam, I just went in for its head and got a hold of it. I could tell it was still very strong. It was trying to turn its jaw around to bite me. The hardest thing sometimes is getting them in the bag.”
While Kevin’s full-time job is in the U.S. Coast Guard, he finds plenty of time to do his part to help the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) try to tame the ever-growing population of Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades and surrounding areas. The FWC created the Python Action Team in 2017, to combat the invasive species, and has captured nearly 1,000 pythons since.
Still, Kevin says that in certain areas, where racoons, rabbits and opossums should be bountiful, there too often is nothing, due to the spread of the Burmese python.
He says he knows what animals do and don’t belong in a certain area. Growing up in Cory Lake Isles, he says he was your typical Florida outdoor boy, exploring his nature-rich community.
“There isn’t one little portion of those lakes or islands that I don’t know,” he says. “I fished on that lake every day. It’s where I learned a lot about the outdoors in Florida.”
Kevin joined the Coast Guard in 2016, after graduating from Wharton in 2012.
He was stationed in Miami, which was a perfect fit, in part because it allowed him to explore the Everglades. It was while doing so with a buddy that he caught his first Burmese python — a freshly hatched 2-footer.
By the way, his second catch was a 15-and-a-half foot python.
He became a certified volunteer Burmese python hunter, before the FWC and Southwest Water Management District began programs that contracted people to help rid the area of pythons.
“It’s awesome,” Kevin says. “You get paid to go out in these places in the Everglades and explore and help remove these snakes.”
Python Action Team members make just $8.46 an hour, plus $50 for each snake measuring 4 feet, and $25 for each additional foot beyond that. So, a 17-foot Burmese python would net the hunter $375.
That’s a nice bonus for something Kevin confesses he would do for free just to help. He says that 95 percent of contractors do not euthanize pythons on site. Instead, they bag them and hand them over to the FWC for research, as the wildlife commission tries to figure out a way to more effectively remove the snakes.
Since he began trapping pythons, Kevin says he has captured well over 100 of them. He has been bitten numerous times, and has been sprayed with the snake’s musk, which he says leaves one the foulest odors he has ever smelled. He says he keeps Lysol disinfectant wipes in his equipment bag to wipe off his arms anytime he gets tagged.
The longest python ever caught in Florida was 18-feet, 8-inches (in 2013), and the longest ones caught by the Python Action Team are 18’-4” (in September) and 18’ (last December).
“Most of the folks that know me are not at all surprised that I do this,” Kevin says. “It’s definitely a challenge and something I enjoy. I know what animals do and don’t belong, and some of these places just don’t have any small mammals or birds left. These snakes are everywhere. I’m doing my part to help and preserve the area.”
