Bloomindale/Fishhawk Edition

Annual Community Garage Sale

Summerfield Crossing in Riverview is having its annual community garage sale April 2nd from 8am to 3pm. Rain date is 4/9.

Scrapbooking at the Aquatic Club in FishHawk Ranch

Do you want to scrapbook but never seem to find the time? Me too! So I decided to throw my first monthly Scrapbook Bash at the Aquatic Club in FishHawk Ranch. Do you always need fresh Scrapbook ideas? No Problem, numerous scrapbook vendors will be there with ideas and products to try out and bring home. Want professional, completed pages to show off to friends? Try out our mini-class. It includes all paper and embellishments to complete two 12x12 pages! Are you a "seasoned scrapbooker" who just wants to crop with friends? Great! Bring all of your own supplies and use some of the scrapbook tools available for use with your registration fee. There are many ways to enjoy the Bash!

Please call Wendi at 431-5973 or email wendi@nosmallmoments.net for more information about how to scrapbook just the way you want!

Brandon Library Plant Clinic

On Tuesday, April 5 at 7p.m., The Brandon Library Plant Clinic will present "Having a Wildlife Habitat," by Lucy Hoyt. The Brandon Regional Library is located at 619 Vonderburg Dr. For more information, call 744-5630.

AAUW Meeting

Brandon Branch, American Association of University Women (AAUW) will hold its April meeting on Tuesday, April 19, 6 p.m. at Stacey's Homestyle Buffet, 790 W. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. in Seffner. Jon Trombetto from Raymond James Investment Services will present a program on financial planning.

The literature discussion group will meet at the home of Barbara Reed on Tuesday, April 5, 7:30 p.m. to discuss The Things We Do For Love by Kristin Hannah.

Membership in AAUW is open to any women possessing a baccalaureate or higher degree from a regionally accredited college or university. Those joining AAUW between April 1 and June 30 will have membership through June 30, 2006.

For additional information or a membership brochure, contact Arliene at 689-8457 or Chris at 426-3367.

Delightful Sounds Classes

Delightful Sounds, located at 528 Kings Ave. will be offering weekend classes and summer camp for young children.

They will begin offering weekend classes for Village (birth - 18 months) and Imagine That! students (3-5 years) starting in May. The May session will be the first of five-week summer camps. The Village students will meet at 9 a.m. and the Imagine That! students will meet at 10 a.m. for their 1-1/2 hr. summer camp.

For more information on classes or upcoming summer camps, please call 503-6976.

Center Place Fine Art Show

The "Center Place Adult Fine Art Show" will be presented in the Mook Gallery during the month of April. The show highlights the works of students who have taken classes with Center Place instructors. This multi-media show includes oils, watercolors, acrylics, and pencil drawings. The public is invited to meet the artists at a reception to be held on Thursday, April 7 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The reception is hosted by the Brandon League of Fine Arts.

The showcases will feature Antique Butter, & Oyster Plates from the collection of Melody Townsend.

Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m-5 p.m. or by appointment.

Concerned Parents of Autistic Children Meet

The next meet of the Concerned Parents of Autistic Children will be on Sunday, April 24 from 3-5 p.m. They will meet at Natures Health Food, located at 3443 Lithia Pinecrest Rd. For more information, call Dr. H. Maursi, Late Hours Urgent Care, at 643-9393 or Ed Dickelman at 681-1491

AARP Meets

The Greater Brandon Chapter 4442 AARP will meet on Monday, May 2 at 11:30 a.m. at the Brandon Community Center, located at 502 E. Sadie St. After a brown bag lunch, Dee Marsh will speak on the proposed changes to social security. Visitors are always welcome. Call Better at 689-2173 for information.

Bloomingdale Club Hosts Charity Tournament

The Bloomingdale Golfers Club is hosting the East Tampa Rotary Club's golf tournament on April 18. All proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Rotary's Summer Camp Florida, disaster relief, S4TL, Training Initiave for Women and other club charities.

The day of golf will be followed by an awards BBQ dinner and lunch is provide by Subway Subs and Salads of Bloomingdale.

For more information, call Dan Powell at 980-6763 or Larry Cox at 621-1161. Bloomingdale Golfers Club is located at 4113 Great Golfers Club in Valrico.

Nativity Hosts Annual Auction

Nativity Catholic School will celebrate its 5th annual Auction & Gala 2005 on Saturday, April 9 at Raymond James Stadium. This year's theme is "Celebrate the Legacy - A Tribute to Sr. Irene St. Jean C.S.C.

Each year, the gala celebration has continually offered its auction patrons a wide assortment of auction items from sports memorabilia and fabulous vacation packages to local sporting event tickets and creative class baskets. Guests have also enjoyed participating in bidding wars over priceless artwork created by Nativity School students.

This year's auction is sure to create excitement again with the return of one of its popular raffles: One Year's Free Tuition, a raffle entry guaranteed with a purchase of an auction ticket.

Tickets are now available and can be purchased for a $65 donation and are available in the School and Church office. All proceeds from the Auction will benefit the school. Sponsorship packages and advertising opportunities are also available.

For more information, please contact Tina Sullivan at 689-3395 ext.

Kings Avenue Christian School Spring Carnival

Kings Avenue Christian School, located at 2602 S. Kings Ave., will have a Spring Carnival on Friday, April 8. This fundraiser will help remodel and renovate three classrooms that will be used for a Kindergarten center, which will hold about 45 students. There will be carnival games and a few rides for preschoolers and elementary school children. Food will be available. Radio Disney will provide music for the carnival. Prices will be reasonable. For more information, call Shanna Bird or Dave Bowden at 684-9453 or Jan at 685-3095.

Newsome Band Hosts Community Yard Sale

On Saturday, April 9 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m., there will be a community yard sale at the Amsouth Bank on FishHawk Blvd. to benefit the Newsome High School Marching Band. Parking spaces will e sold on a 1st come, 1st served basis for $25 each or $40 for 2 spaces. Sellers will then be able to come and set up their own yard sales and take advantage of a prime location on the same day as the big FishHawk Community yard Sale. Please make checks payable to "Newsome High School Band Boosters" and mail to PO Box 286, Lithia, FL 33547-0286.

For more information, please call Alice Wilkinson at 655-5314.

FishHawk Homeschoolers Park Lunch

Homeschoolers in the Lithia/FishHawk area are meeting every other Friday at Ibis Park in FishHawk Ranch. The group meets from 11:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m. and enjoy a sack lunch together. The kids play together on the playground while Moms encourage one another and build friendships. Our Park days for April are the 1st,15th,and 29th. For more information e-mail Victoria Jacobs at ljacobsjr@tampabay.rr.com

ROTC Naval Dinner

The Riverview High School Naval Junior ROTC unit will hold its first Annual Dinner Fundraiser and Silent Auction on Thursday, April 14th from 6 to 9 p.m. in the school cafeteria. The dinner will be catered by Miller's Café and will also include a performance by our cadets who participate on the drill team and color guard. This is a great opportunity to come out and support the cadets who are trying to raise money for a travel utility trailer.

Tickets are being sold in advance: $10 for adults and $6 for kids 10 and under. Please contact Monica Lockhart for more information at 813-671-5336.

Riverview Edition

RE/MAX South Shore Collecting Phones

To show appreciation and support to the brave American heroes injured in the war on terror, RE/MAX South Shore Realty is launching a fundraising campaign. The public is invited to donate used cell phones to help RE/MAX South Shore reach its goal of $100,000 by April 29.

The cell phones will be recycled and turned into a cash donation to the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, a non-partisan 501C3 organization that helps disabled veterans find a new beginning and a better life.

To participate, drop off your cell phone at the RE/MAX South Shore Realty office located at 9225 Bay Plaza Blvd., Suite 405. For more information, call 672-9000.

RE/MAX Miracle Homes and Miracle Offices raise Record-breaking contributions in 2004 to Help Kids

RE/MAX sales associates in the Florida region raised more than $660,000 for Children's Miracle Network (CMN), helping boost the RE/MAX International annual contributions to a record $8.1 million.

Local contributions from sales associates at RE/MAX South Shore Realty is given back to Tampa Bay through the Miracle Office Miracle Home Programs. One hundred percent of the funds contributed to CMN stay local.

Miracle Office status is awarded only to RE/MAX offices with 100 percent of their sales associates pledging a portion of their personal income to benefit CMN. Associates may pledge a certain amount per transaction, while others make annual contributions. At each closing, buyers and sellers may receive a Miracle Home Customer Appreciation Certificate signed by CMN co-founders Marie Osmond and John Schneider. When you are ready to purchase a home, look for the RE/MAX Miracle Office Home signs around town. Behind the signs are RE/MAX associates who are proud to be giving back to the community by raising funds to benefit All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, one of the 170 CMN Children's Hospitals located throughout north America. RE/MAX, the exclusive real estate sponsor for Children's Miracle Network, has raised over $56 million since 1992.

Florida Friendly Landscaping 101

Mark your calendars for Florida-Friendly Landscaping 101: Creating and Maintaining Backyard Wildlife Habitat on April 23 from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the University of Florida Balm Research & Education Center in Wimauma.

This half-day conference will offer presentations on landscaping for wildlife, attracting backyard songbirds, dealing with nuisance wildlife, and invasive species. There will also be environmental and educational displays and demonstrations throughout the morning. Participants will be treated to a continental breakfast and will receive a lot of information to help them create beautiful wildlife habitats in their own yards.

There is a $20 non-refundable fee for this event. You may download the conference registration at http://hillsborough_fyn.ifas.ufl.edu or call the Hillsborough County Extension Service at 744-5519, ext. 146 for more information. The deadline to register is Monday, April 18.

This event is sponsored by the Hillsborough County Extension Service, Hillsborough County Water Department, City of Tampa Water Department, Tampa Bay Water, the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, Mister Landscaper, Inc., and the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Clean-up Scheduled for Hackney Cemetery

Residents are asked to come out and join volunteers for the second Hackney Cemetery clean-up on April 23. Florence Sikes, who is organizing the effort, wants to thank the 50 people who came out to help in March, but stresses that there is a lot more work to be done. The group will meet at the cemetery at 11020 Hackney Dr. For more information, contact Sikes at 677-7606.

Valrico Edition

Brandon Masonic Lodge No. 114 Events

The Brandon Masonic Lodge No. 114 F.&A.M. will be holding a charity golf tournament on May 22 at 1 p.m. at Cypress Creek Golf Club in Sun City Center.

The event will benefit both the Shriners Children's Hospital Transportation Fund and the Iris & Hubert Allen Scholarship Fund. The Brandon Masonic Lodge, Iris & Hubert Allen Scholarship Fund awards scholarships to college students in the amount of $1,000 per year for four years. Currently six students are receiving these scholarships.

For information, please call Frank Goldston at 661-6262, the Masonic Lodge at 689-4221, or Herb Whisenant at 689-6273.

Brandon Masonic Lodge #114 has another Railroad Night

Years ago Brandon was a railroad center. Brandon Masonic Lodge #114 has a yearly event depicting this. On March 17, 173 brother Masons gathered at the Masonic Lodge to discuss railroading of the past and conduct Masonic degree. Picture - The Brothers that Assisted - From L to R: Brothers James Stark, Joe Rose, Tim Whisenant, and John Berg.

First Baptist Church Brandon Presents Mothers, Others…and so Much More

You are invited to Mothers, Others…and so much more. This will take place on Monday, May 2 at 6:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church Brandon in the church dining hall, located at 216 N. Parsons Ave. Mothers, daughters, sisters, girlfriends, co-workers, neighbors are invited to a delicious dinner, summer fashion show and guest speaker, Catherine Hickem.

Tickets are $10 and may be purchased in the First Baptist Church office Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Childcare is provided at no cost, but reservations for your child need to be made when you purchase your ticket. Girls over the age of 12 may attend the event with an adult woman.

Pottery Patch Mini Camp

The Pottery Patch, a paint your own pottery studio, located at 2551 S.R. 60 E., will sponsor a "Make it for Mom, Mini Pottery Painting Camp.” This is a great chance for kids to make a gift of art from the heart just in time for Mother's Day. This event will be held on Friday, April 29. There will be two sessions: 11 a.m.- 12 Noon and 1-2:30 p.m. The cost is $17 per child. This is a great project for kids ages 6 and up. Siblings can even create and paint coordinating projects. The project is a "secret," but is sure to please any mom.

To register or for more information, call Wendy Pettys at 643-0014 or visit www.potterypatchstudio.com

International Compost Awareness Week - May 1-7

Hillsborough County's Extension Service and the Department of Solid Waste are pleased to announce the International Compost Awareness Week, May 1-7. The public is invited to attend a "Compost Happens" Workshop on Friday, May 6 at 1 p.m. at Alderman Ford Park, located on Hwy. 39 in Lithia, or Saturday, May 7 at 11 a.m. at E.G. Simmons Park on Hwy. 41 in Ruskin, and receive a free compost bin and thermometer.

Learn how to turn yard trash into valuable resources (such as mulch and organic matter) and reduce the amount of waste going to the curb. Please call 744-5519, ext. 146 or 142 to register for the workshop.

Concerned Parents of Autistic Children Meet

Concerned Parents of Autistic Children left for Tallahassee on April 7 to partake in a rally with state legislature. The purpose is to make them aware of the need for assistance from various government levels in raising an autistic child. Various support groups participated. The next meeting of the Parents of Autistic Children will be on Sunday, April 24 from 3-5 p.m at Nature's Health Foods, located at 3443 Lithia Pinecrest Rd.

Mom's Club of Valrico Meetings

MOMS Club of Valrico is a non-profit organization which provides support to stay at home moms and their children. They meet the first Wednesday of each month from 10-11 a.m. For more information, please call Molly at 685-9899.

Grace Christian School Presents Musical Cinderella

The Grace Christian School Drama Department presents the musical, "Cinderella," adaptation by Vera Morris, music by Bill Francoeur of Pioneer Drama Service. The musical will be on Thursday and Friday, May 5 & 6 at 7:30 p.m. in the school gymnasium/auditorium.

This large cast musical will delight audiences of all ages. The story is old, but you will meet playful new characters, a brave mouse, hesitant cat and an amazing Pumpkinhead, who changes into a coach.

For tickets, call the school office at 689-8815. The cost is $8 for adults and $5 for children.

AAUW Events

The Brandon Branch, American Association of University Women (AAUW) will culminate its 2004/05 year with a dinner and installation of officers on Tuesday, May 17. The dinner will be held at Stacy's Homestyle Buffet, 790 West Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., Seffner at 6 p.m. Past Florida AAUW president, Leslie Henderson will install the following officers elected to serve 2005/07: Mary Ann Walters, Program Vice President; Director for Finance, Nancy Hollowell; and Betty Fadell, Recording Secretary.

On Sunday, May 15, the branch will recognize 34 eighth and twelfth grade girls attending Brandon area middle and senior high schools who have excelled in math and science at the 11th annual Girls Can! Awards ceremony.

The book discussion group will meet on Tuesday, May 3 at the home of Barbara Reed to discuss The Georgetown Ladies Social Club by C. David Heymann.

Membership in AAUW is open to women who have earned a baccalaureate or higher degree from a regionally accredited college or university. Contact Arliene, 689-8457 or Chris, 426-3367 for additional information.

Adult Driver Education Dates Announced

The School District of Hillsborough County Department of Adult and Community Education will offer a four-week, fee-based driver education program beginning June 1, at nine adult evening school sites.

Interested students can pre-register at any of the sites until April 29, from 5::30-8:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Classes will be held 2-5:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday from June 1 through June 27, at a cost of $171 per student.

Registration and classes will be held Brandon Adult School, 1101 Victoria St.

Free ice cream cake at the fourth annual World's Largest Ice Cream Cake Social

Eating dessert has never been so rewarding. This April, nearly 1,000 Cold Stone Creamery locations are gearing up for the World's Largest Ice Cream Cake Social, an annual nationwide fundraiser which benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation®. This year's Ice Cream Cake Social will take place on Monday, April 25 from 5-8 p.m. at all Cold Stone Creamery stores. A free slice of the newly created Make A-Wish® cake will be given to ice cream aficionados in exchange for a donation to the charity.

In addition to donations given during the World's Largest Ice Cream Cake Social, customers will have the opportunity to personalize paper wish stars and post them in the stores with all proceeds benefiting the local chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Each Wish Star is $1 and available for purchase throughout the month of April. Lastly, a portion of all ice cream sales will benefit the Foundation. Typically held in July, the World's Largest Ice Cream Cake Social was moved to April this year to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Last year, the Third Annual World's Largest Ice Cream Cake Social resulted in a total donation of $625,374.33 due to the generous contributions of Cold Stone franchisees, employees and ice cream lovers. More than 800 stores participated and the total amount raised was able to grant over 120 heartfelt wishes.