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Neighbors: Elegant Gardeners Share Herb Secrets

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By BARBARA ROUTEN

Tribune correspondent

Published: October 21, 2008

Updated:

SUN CITY CENTER - The Elegant Gardeners Club of Sun City Center will hold a two-part Herb Expo on Friday in the Atrium Building's Florida Room, 955 North Course Lane.

Moneys raised during the event will help provide scholarships for students to attend the Florida Federation of Garden Club's Camp Wekiva or SEEK programs. Students will learn how to protect and preserve the environment.

The Herb Gardening Expo from 9 a.m. to noon will feature seminars taught by Kathy Oliver of My Mother's Garden, an organic farm in Wimauma, on "Container Gardening with Herbs"; Willow Lamonte of Willow Herbal Delights on "Growing and Cooking with Organic Herbs for Health"; and Monica Brandies, who writes a gardening column for The Brandon News & Tribune, on "Growing and Using Herbs in Florida."

A $5 fee includes admission to the expo, a flower show, door prizes and the opportunity to bid on silent-auction items or buy herbs or gardening books.

The Herb Culinary Expo will begin at 2 p.m. Chefs Blake Ellis of Eloquent Entrees and Shari Mereness of Riverview will involve both wine and meal tasting. The chefs will prepare gazpacho soup, salad, grilled chicken kebabs and a yellow rosemary cake.

Tickets for the Herb Culinary Expo are $25 for reserved seating, $20 for general admission. They may be purchased at the ticket kiosk in the Atrium Building or from Pat Manson at jmanson3@tampabay .rr.com or (813) 634-5355.

Author To Be Guest At Luncheon

SUN CITY CENTER - The American Association of University Women Sun City Center Branch will host a five-course luncheon at 11 a.m. Nov. 1 at Community Hall, 1910 S. Pebble Beach Ave.

The guest speaker, author Kathleen O'Connor, will talk about her novel "No Doubt." The book is a fast-moving mystery about a volunteer library board member who not only is the prime suspect in the murder of the library director, but also catches the eye of the police detective trying to solve the case.

O'Connor is an award-winning author and member of the Florida Writer's Association and Sisters in Crime. Her work has been published in Good Housekeeping, Seventeen Magazine, Liguorian and St. Anthony Messenger Magazine. O'Connor's newest book, "Men of Paradise," will be released in 2009. For more about O'Connor, visit www.gottawritenetwork.com.

To reserve a place at the luncheon, send a $25 check payable to AAUW to Maryellen Thomas, 835 Oakmont Ave., Sun City Center FL 33573. The deadline for reservations is Monday.

Bealls Fashions Highlight Show

SUN CITY CENTER - Members of the 18-year-old Sonit Court No. 103 of the Ladies of the Oriental Shrine will host fashion show at noon (doors open at 11:30 a.m.) Saturday at Community Hall, 1910 S. Pebble Beach Blvd.

Co-chairwomen Betty Carlson and Joan Weiss, with Sharon Rapier, manager of the women's department of Bealls, selected the fashions for the show.

The models, all members of the court, are: Marilyn Clark-Williams, Dyna Dye, Patty Fricke, Ann Melrose, Kathern Schneider, Yvonne Orcutt, Donna Belle Wheeler and Past High Priestess Mike Novak.

"We are the wives of the Shriners. ... Our primary purpose is to help our Masonic brothers in the support of the Shriners Hospitals for Children-Tampa," said Carlson, publicity chair for the court. "However, our fundraiser takes place each year to enable us to pay our rent and other expenses such as postage ... to enable us to continue as a court."

The court meets the first Monday of each month from October through June at the DeSoto Masonic Lodge in Ruskin.

Fashion show reservations and information are available from Kay Lewis, (813) 633-8439.

Van To Run To Veterans Hospital

SUN CITY CENTER - The good news is the Disabled American Veterans Department of Florida Sun City Center Chapter 110 recently acquired a van to transport South County veterans to and from the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital in Tampa.

The bad news is "if we don't get enough riders, the VA may take the van back from us," said Lucille Malaney. "They are the owners."

Any U.S. military veteran with access to the Veterans Affairs system may use the free service that operates on a routine schedule Monday through Friday. The van leaves at 6:45 a.m. from stop No. 1, the bus station next to the lawn bowling greens near the Community Association building, 1009 N. Pebble Beach Blvd., Sun City Center; at 6:55 a.m. from stop No. 2, Bealls department store, 3846 State Road 674, Ruskin; at 7:05 a.m. from stop No. 3, the Ruskin post office parking lot, 24 Thriftway Plaza, Ruskin; and at 7:20 a.m. from stop No. 4, the main entrance of the Wal-Mart Supercenter, 9205 Gibsonton Drive, Gibsonton.

At 1 p.m. the van, which is not handicap accessible, will leave the hospital for the return trip.

To make a van reservation, call the DAV automated reservations service at (813) 642-0302 at least seven days in advance, and give name, phone number, date and day of the week the ride is needed and the number of the van stop to be used for boarding.

When boarding, the medical appointment reminder postcard sent from the VA will be your ticket to show the van driver.

The service also needs drivers. To volunteer to drive the van, call Richard Snyder, (813) 634-4489.

Republicans Host Putnam, Blair

SUN CITY CENTER - The Greater Sun City Center Republican Club will meet at 2 p.m. (socializing will begin at 1:30) Thursday in the Banquet Room of the Sun City Center Chamber of Commerce, 1651 Sun City Center Plaza.

Guest speakers, U.S. Congressman Adam Putnam, R-Bartow, and Hillsborough County Commissioner Brian Blair, are seeking re-election.

National Cemetery Subject Of Meeting

SUN CITY CENTER - American Legion Post 246 will host Billy D. Murphy, director of the Florida National Cemetery, at 9:30 a.m. Friday in Room 3 of Community Hall, 1910 S. Pebble Beach Blvd.

Murphy will discuss the requirements of eligibility, committal services and other aspects of interments in the cemetery.

Coffee and doughnuts will be served at 9.

Got Questions Club Has Answers

SUN CITY CENTER - The Sun City Center Macintosh User Club will meet at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday in the Caper Room, 945 North Course Lane.

Safari, Apple's Internet browser, and Pages, Apple's word-processor, will be presented.

"All Sun City Center area folks with an interest in 'all things Macintosh' are invited," said Dunham Swift, club president.

An informal question-and-answer period will begin at 3. For details, call Swift, (813) 633-7262, or Don Rawlings, (813) 634-7607.

Fantastic Fridays

SUN CITY CENTER - The Flavor of Germany, featuring singer, comedian and ventriloquist Homer Noodleman, is the theme of the first Fantastic Friday Dinner and Theater event of the season Friday at United Community Church, 1501 La Jolla Ave.

However, "only show tickets remain," said Dianne Carlson, event chairwoman.

The church will hold three more Fantastic Fridays: an Italian dinner Jan. 23 with entertainer Michelle James; an Irish dinner March 27 with Irish comedian Danny Justice; and a Polynesian dinner May 22 with Patsy Christy.

Ticket sales will begin about four weeks before each show. "Get tickets early," Carlson said. "They're all great entertainers."

For each of these Fantastic Friday events, dinner will begin at 6 p.m. and the show will start at 7:15. Tickets for the dinner and show are $15 per person; for the show alone, $5.

Advance reservations are required for dinner. Tickets may be bought after the 10 a.m. Sunday worship services at the church.

For information, call Carlson, (813) 938-5019, or Don Carlson, (813) 928-7278.

Snippets

Marion Scheller is the Art Club of Sun City Center Artist of the Month for October. Her works can be seen at the Sun City Center Library, the Sun City Center Chamber of Commerce, SunTrust Bank, A 1 Connection Realty, Wachovia Securities (formerly A.G. Edwards), SouthShore Community Bank, Bank United, the Sun City Center Visitors' Center and the Art Room showcase. ... Mable Hill and Shirley Turner of Sun City Center will co-ghost a Halloween costume party for Laureate Zeta Kappa sorority sisters, spouses and friends at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Turner home.

Send news and photos of community interest to Barbara Routen at The Tampa Tribune, 505 W. Robertson St., Brandon FL 33511, e-mail neighbors@tampabay .rr.com or call (813) 657-4531.

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