Toastmasters Meet

The Valrico Toastmasters meet the second and fourth Tuesday of every month at the Campo Family YMCA at 7 p.m.

For questions, please email Shannon at shannole@verizon.net or call 924-4679.

Veterans Meet

Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 787 meeting is held on the fourth Thursday of every month at the Brandon Veterans Hall at 115 Clay St. in Brandon at 7 p.m. All Vietnam and Vietnam ERA Veterans are welcome to join.

For more information, call Bob Silmser at 220-7246.

BNI Membership Drive

Success Express is a premiere chapter for Business Networking International (BNI), which is expanding our membership rolls. BNI is a referral network organization that passes qualified referrals to members. The group meets for breakfast every Tuesday morning and offer business development assistance.

For more information, call John W. Kubler at 841-1767.

Twirlers Meet

The Bay Area Twirlers Square/Round Dance Club meets every second and fourth Saturday night from 7-9:30 p.m. All ages are welcome. Every Thursday from 7-8:45 p.m. a workshop and lessons for intermediate dancers is offered. The cost is $4 for lessons and dances. Meetings take place at 502 Sadie St. in the Brandon Community Center.

For more information, call Trish at 659-2434 or e-mail tomntrisha@aol.com.

Annual Competition at BSAC

Brandon Sports and Aquatic Center (BSAC) recently hosted several hundred competitive swimmers from around the state during the annual Blue Wave Invitational swim meet. This year's meet was the third annual event since Blue Wave's reemergence on the Florida Swimming circuit as a competitive, championship swim team. With more than 10 teams on the pool deck, Blue Wave's 110 athletes from age 7 to 26 held on to first place once the water settled. 

For more information, visit www.mybsac.org.

Soccer Players Wanted

The South Hillsborough Girl's Under 12 Competitive Soccer is looking for skilled players to try out for the Celtic Terriers.

Please email Fred Mayo at mayonaise68@tampabay.rr.com for information on try outs and requirements. 

University Women Honor Students

The Brandon Branch, American Association of University Women (AAUW) honored 33 Girls Can! Award recipients recently at its 14th annual Recognition Tea in Maudlin Hall, First Presbyterian Church of Brandon.

For the 14th consecutive year the branch has recognized two eighth grade girls from each Brandon area middle school and two 12th grade girls from each Brandon area senior high school, one who has achieved the highest grade point average in math, the other in science.

Award recipients were presented with a $100 United States Savings Bond. Since this program's inception in 1994, $41,700 in United States Savings Bonds has been awarded to 335 eighth and twelfth grade girls who have excelled in math and science.

The American Association of University Women has implemented the "Give a Grad a Gift" program which provides a year's free membership in the Association to new female college graduates from an accredited four-year college or university.

Contact Barbara Reed at 671-3078 for more information. Membership in AAUW is open to women who possess an Associate's or higher degree from an accredited college or university. For more information, call Chris Sauciunac at 426-3367 or Marie Gay at 319-4235.

Music Showcase Present Seussical The Musical

Tickets are on sale now for the June 29 and 30 and July 1 performances of Seussical the Musical at Music Showcase.

Based on the beloved characters and stories of Dr. Seuss, Seussical the Musical features many of the authors favorite characters in a fun, family-friendly show.

Tickets are available at Music Showcase, located at 402 Oakfield Dr.

Shows will take place at the Music Showcase Theatre on June 29 and 30 at 7 p.m. and July 1 at 2 p.m.

For more information, call 685-5998 or e-mail Wendi Pruitt at prodir@musicshowcaseonline.com.

Family Birth Classes

The Birth of a Family is a faith based program offered through the Brandon Care Pregnancy Center for couples who are parents or expecting. The couples can be married or unmarried. In the class they will learn relationship and communicating skills with the goal of marriage so the child will be in a home with a mother and father.

For more information, contact Linda Mize at the Brandon Care Pregnancy Center at 654-0491.

Brandon Bagels Has Taste of New York

By Christina Johnson

For 17 years, Brandon Bagels and More never strayed from its New York roots. Unlike most stores that sell bagels, Brandon Bagels and More never freezes its food. The employees bake about 120 dozen fresh bagels daily.

The store opened in 1988 in Bloomingdale and three years later, it moved to its current location on Brandon Blvd.

Owner Rich Olinger and his wife took over the store two years ago and over the course of their ownership, they've made a lot of changes.

"We hope to actually have enough space in the future to be able to have seating," says Olinger, "but right now we're basically sticking with carryout. People come in to order, take it out. We do trays and we do catering as well for different businesses."

One of the biggest additions to Brandon Bagels and More is the new sandwiches with Boar's Head meat that were recently added to the menu.

"I had a sandwich so thick, I had to split it with my husband," says Denise Frissell a Valrico resident who has been coming there since her son, now 29, was a kid.

"You can't get this anywhere else," says Frissell.

In addition to the unique bagels and sandwiches, the Olingers started making other baked goods from scratch.

"One is a Russian tea biscuit, which is pastry dough filled with raspberry and raisins and cinnamon sugar," says Olinger. "We also do bagel dogs. We take a Hebrew national hot dog and wrap it in bagel dough."

The bagel dogs are then boiled and baked just like the rest of the bagels.

According to Olinger, Brandon Bagels and More is the only bagel shop in Brandon and Tampa that still makes New York-style bagels.

Brandon Bagels and More is located at 942 W. Brandon Blvd.

Call 654-9672 for more information or visit www.brandonbagel.com.