Displaying items by tag: Pinellas Community News

Kumquat Festival Returns to Downtown Dade City The 12th Annual Festival Celebrates Florida's Tiniest Citrus Fruit

DADE CITY, FL January 15, 2009  –This tiny little fruit is as fun to eat as it is to say. And at the 12th Annual Kumquat Festival in Dade City on Saturday, Jan. 31, you can learn how. (Here's a hint: Don't peel it, eat the whole thing.)

The self-proclaimed kumquat capital of the world is located in St. Joseph just outside of Dade City. Since 1998, locals have celebrated the kumquat on the last Saturday in January. 

The festival draws quite a crowd. Last year, more than 35,000 attended the event, which features unique kumquat recipes and tasty samples. In a contest before the festival, talented cooks mix kumquats into meat and vegetables dishes as well as salads and desserts.

Clay Walker Joins Bo Jackson, Evan Longoria, Huey Lewis and Michael Bolton to play in the 50th Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Hosted by Arnold Palmer, January 19- 25, 2009.

Nashville, TN (January 13, 2009) – Country music superstar Clay Walker joins former Major League Baseball and National Football League standout Bo Jackson, Tampa Bay Rays third baseman and 2008 American League Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria, and famed musicians Huey Lewis and Michael Bolton who are among the initial celebrity athletes and entertainers joining golf legend Arnold Palmer for the 50th Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Hosted by Arnold Palmer, Jan. 19-25, 2009.

During his 15 year career, Walker has participated in dozens of golf tournaments with a charity element.

Other celebrity participants for the Classic, a desert tradition since 1960, include musicians Alice Cooper, Don Felder (formerly of the Eagles) and Josh Kelley, actors Kurt Russell, Chris O'Donnell, Thomas Gibson, Oliver Hudson and Jeffrey Donovan, actor/comedian Kevin Nealon, actor/game show host John O'Hurley, timeless New York Yankees baseball legend Yogi Berra, comedian Tom Dreesen, NFL Hall of Fame quarterback and sportscaster Dan Fouts, Hall of Fame sportscaster Keith Jackson, television financial host Joe Kernen,  leveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson, former Green Bay Packers wide receiver and NFL analyst Sterling Sharpe, and former Vice President Dan Quayle.

Tampa, FL, January 13, 2009 – The 2009 Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival and State Farm Insurance are utilizing the Street Festival to highlight, and address, healthcare issues in the African American community and the need to emphasize healthy living and healthy lifestyles. The Mayor’s 2K Challenge, a 2K walk or run, will start at 9 AM Saturday, January 17 at Al Lopez Park located at 4810 N. Himes Avenue, Tampa, FL 33602. Registration will begin on site at 7:30 AM. The Mayor’s 2K Challenge is a free event, and everyone is invited to participate.

The Mayor’s 2K Challenge, a spin-off to the 2008 Festival’s partnership with State Farm Insurance and Dr. Ian Smith, founder of the 50 Million Pound Challenge, has previously drawn over 350 participants in a brisk, healthy walk. Having been recognized as a 2009 Top 20 Event by Southeast Tourism Society, the Festival’s remaining Saturday activities will provide a focus on health issues, will feature health screenings, and will also challenge participants to make healthy choices. In the absence of Mayor Iorio, walkers will be led by former County Commissioner and current City Council Chairperson Thomas Scott. In coordinated effort with Moffitt Cancer Center, a Health Village will be furnished to facilitate health screenings and the distribution of literature.

Buccaneers CB and G Joseph Added to Po Bowl Roster

Tampa FL, January 13, 2009 - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers today announced that CB Ronde Barber and G Davin Joseph have been added to the NFC squad for the 2009 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl. The annual all-star game will take place Sunday, February 8 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Barber, the NFC’s first alternate, replaces Green Bay CB Charles Woodson, while Joseph, also the first alternate, will take the place of Dallas G Leonard Davis.

Barber’s appearance will be the fifth of his career following a season in which he ranked fifth on the team with 100 tackles and led the defense with 16 passes defensed. His four interceptions tied for the team lead and he extended his consecutive games streak to 176 contests, including 151 straight starts, most in the NFL among cornerbacks. Barber also was named to the Pro Bowl following the 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2006 seasons. His five Pro Bowl selections are tied for the fourth-most in team history by a  defensive player along with John Lynch and Hardy Nickerson.

Bulls Set to Host the USF Under Armour Series

Tampa FL, January 13, 2009 - University of South Florida Softball is hosting The USF Under Armour Series, which is a series of two individual events that will bring two of the largest NCAA Division I softball tournaments to the Tampa Bay area. 
 
"We feel very fortunate that the City of Clearwater, the St. Pete/Clearwater Sports Commission and Under Armour have teamed together to bring two national caliber tournaments to the Bay Area," said USF head softball coach Ken Eriksen. "The USF-Under Armour Series has turned into a yearly event for fastpitch aficionados. It will be a great opportunity for our hometown to be able to see some of the nation's best collegiate players competing for a tournament championship." 
 

Golf Outing - SuperBowl XLIII Weekend 1st Annual Golf Classic to Support NFL Alumni of Tampa Bay

Tampa, Florida January 11, 2008 — The Chad Larkins Golf Classic will be held in Valrico, Florida, on Thursday, January 29, 2009, at Buckhorn Springs Golf and Country Club with a 1 P.M. Shotgun Start.

A total of 35 foursomes will gather at Buckhorn Springs Golf and Country Club to enjoy an 18-hole Florida scramble tournament followed by an awards dinner where outstanding awards will be presented to tournament winners.

Fantasy of Flight Founder Inducted into Florida Aviation Hall of Fame

POLK CITY, FL (January 5, 2009) - Kermit Weeks, creator and founder of Central Florida's premier aviation attraction, Fantasy of Flight, and a championship aerobatics stunt pilot has been selected to join some  of the greatest pilots in Florida history as a member of Florida Aviation Hall of Fame. Weeks was inducted into the Florida Aviation Hall of Fame Thursday, Dec. 11 at the society's sixth annual induction ceremony, which was held at the Florida Air Museum on the Sun 'n Fun campus in Lakeland, Fla.

Weeks was one of just three men inducted into the prestigious society this year, one of whom was honored posthumously. A pilot and aircraft designer, Weeks has placed among the top three aerobatics champions in the world five times and has won more than 20 medals in World Aerobatics  Championships.

Textbooks for Trees: "Less Waste, Healthier Forests"

Washington, DC. January 6, 2009 – American Forests is delighted to announce that our 2008 partnership with Chegg.com planted hundreds of acres of trees in deforested areas across the nation. These trees provide many benefits, such as cleaner air and water, habitat for wildlife, and more carbon dioxide sequestered by forests. This unique partnership proves that books and trees can have a positive relationship!

Chegg.com provides a service that allows students to rent, buy, or sell textbooks online. Students reuse textbooks, which means less waste and significantly smaller textbook bills for all those penny-pinched students. Last year, Chegg.com took its efforts a step further by vowing to plant a tree for every textbook that a student buys, sells, or rents through their site. Chegg.com plants these trees through American Forests, the organizations at the forefront of ecosystem restoration through the planting of native trees. 

Take Time to Find Your Tax Deductions!

Clearwater FL - Tax time is just around the corner, so you will be putting together the data you, or your tax preparer, will need to prepare your tax return. While assembling the data you can dig out information to help you keep more of your hard-earned money! Here are seven tips you can use to add to your tax deductions and SAVE when the return is filed.

1. Donations to Charity: Donating cash, property, clothing, household items or other goods is a great way to get a tax break and help a worthy cause at the same time. If you donated cash to an eligible charity this year, you can generally deduct up to 50% of your total income when you pay your taxes in April.

Important reminder: Under the newPension Protection Act, as of January 1, 2007 you need a written receipt for all charitable donations, regardless of the amount. So make sure you save receipts so you can take full advantage of your charitable giving.

2. Deductible Expenses: Do you have medical bills, state and local taxes, mortgage payments, or property taxes? If so, any payments you made before December 31are deductible on this year’s tax return. Making an extra mortgage payment or paying off outstanding dental or medicalbills is a great way to offset your tax bill. Just make sure you aren’t subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax (which generally applies to high-income or upper-middle income households) and that you plan to itemize your deductions.

Thomas Edison’s teachers said he was “too stupid to learn anything.” He was fired from his first two jobs for being “non-productive.”

As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, “How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?” Edison replied, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”

Albert Einstein did not speak until he was 4-years-old and did not read until he was 7. His parents thought he was “sub-normal,” and one of his teachers described him as “mentally slow, unsociable, and adrift forever in foolish dreams.”

He was expelled from school and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School.

He did eventually learn to speak and read. Even to do a little math.

Winston Churchill failed sixth grade.

He was subsequently defeated in every election for public office until he became Prime Minister at the age of 62.

He later wrote, “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never -in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never, Never, Never, Never give up.’’

Louis Pasteur was only a mediocre pupil in undergraduate studies and ranked 15th out of 22 students in chemistry.

Henry Ford could not read nor write, failed and went broke five times in business before he succeeded.