Hometown Happenings 0116

Social

VFW Post 8713 will hold a pig roast at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16, at the Post located at 1681 East Jefferson St., Brooksville. The donation will be $5 per person. Weekly events are bar bingo at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Country Pride Band from 2 to 5 p.m. and karaoke at 7 p.m., both Saturdays, and games and potluck at 1 p.m. Sundays. The public is welcome. In addition, the Post’s annual barbecue and membership drive will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23. The barbecue will begin at 2 p.m., and the Country Pride Band will perform from 2 to 5 p.m. The donation is $5 per person, and guests are welcome. Also, the Post and Ladies Auxiliary are seeking new members, and prospective members are being sought for a Men’s Auxiliary unit. For more information, call the Post at 352-796-4449 or Yvonne at 352-848-7988.

Brooksville Elks Lodge 2582 will offer breakfast from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 17, at the Lodge located at 14494 Cortez Blvd., Brooksville. The breakfast will include French toast, eggs to your liking, omelets, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, bacon, sausage and coffee, tea and juice. The cost will range from $3.25 to $5.25, and members and guests are welcome. For more information, call the Lodge at 352-596-2582.

In addition, the Lodge’s national service chairperson, Gail Cleaves, will host a brunch at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, at the Lodge located at 14494 Cortez Blvd., Brooksville. The event is being held to honor all women veterans and is free of charge. Reservations are required by Monday, Jan. 18, by calling Gail at 352-799-4464 or Kathy at 352-796-7083.

Long Island Club will meet at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, at St. Stephen’s Parish Hall, 5326 Charles St., New Port Richey. Coffee and cake will be served before the meeting. Prospective members are welcome. For more information, call 352-683-3019.

Computer Club

Hernando Computer Club will present “MS Word 03 and 07” by Joann Frucchione at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, in the North Room at the Education B building of Grace Presbyterian Church, 8375 Spring Hill Drive, Spring Hill. In addition, the club will present “Introduction to Computers with Windows Vista,” part three of four, by Ron Purkhiser at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, in the North Room. The cost for lecture classes is $2 per person. Lecture classes do not require registration, but hands-on classes require preregistration. The public is welcome. For more information, visit the club’s Web site at www.hcc.org or call the club at 352-684-7171.

Music/Dance

Brookridge Line Dance Social will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16, at the Brookridge Community located off State Road 50, just west of the Suncoast Parkway interchange, next to Register Chevrolet, Brooksville. Bring personal snacks, beverage and ice, if needed; and the community will provide a disc jockey for dancing. Requests are also welcome, and attendees can bring a CD. An on-site instructor will be available for those needing assistance; but there will not be any formal dance instruction, just dancing. The cost is $4 per person, and the social is open to the public. For more information, call Norma at 352-397-6088 or e-mail [email protected].

Hernando Harmonizers has openings for singers. Men who love to sing are invited to join the Hernando Harmonizers of the Barbershop Harmony Society from 6:45 to 9:15 p.m. every Monday at Nativity Lutheran Church, 6363 Commercial Way, just north of the intersection of State Road 50 and U.S. 19, Weeki Wachee. Singers have an opportunity to participate in community performances, annual show, competitions, etc. For more information, call John at 352-666-0633 or George at 352-556-3936, e-mail [email protected] or visit its Web site at www.HernandoHarmonizers.org.

High Point Community ballroom dance lessons for beginners and intermediate dancers will be conducted from 2 to 3 p.m. every Wednesday, and the cost will be $5 per person per lesson. Practice and review will be held from 3 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, and the cost will be $4 per person. All classes will be held in the High Point Community Center, 12249 Club House Road, Brooksville. For more information, call instructors Ken and Margaret Hammond at 352-688-4867.

State Clubs

Michigan Club will meet from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, at the Spring Hill Branch Library, 9220 Spring Hill Drive. For information, call George at 688-4198. Any former or current resident of Michigan is invited to join the club. For membership information, call Mary at 352-200-8072.

Wisconsin Club members will attend the Show Palace in Hudson on Wednesday, Jan. 20, to see “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.” The club will attend the matinee which will include the Show Palace’s buffet. Annual dues are $8 per person, and anyone that has lived in Wisconsin at some time qualifies. For more information, call Carol Zellmer at 352-666-2974.

Library Programs

Main Branch of the Hernando County Public Library will hold its next monthly book discussion meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 25, at the library located at 238 Howell Ave., Brooksville. “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin will be discussed. Registration is not required, but copies of the book are limited. Check out a copy at the Main Library to join the informal discussion. For more information, call the library at 352-754-4043.

Movies at your Library® will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2, at the East Hernando Branch Library, 6457 Windmere Road, Brooksville. Based on real-life experiences, a teacher enters into a high school ill-prepared for the challenges of her at-risk students. Met with conflict at every stage, she finally makes a connection with them through a discussion of “The Diary of Anne Frank” and encourages them to write their own daily journal. The movie is rated PG-13 and runs 123 minutes. The movie is free of charge, and registration is not required. Light refreshments will be provided. The program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library of Hernando County. For the movie title or more information, call the library at 352-540-6391.

Ethnic

Italian American Club will meet at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 2301 Deltona Blvd., Spring Hill. Newly elected officers for 2010-2011 will be sworn in at this meeting since the installation was not held at the January meeting due to illness. An installation luncheon will be held for the officers, and the luncheon will be free of charge for paid club members. Membership dues of $20 for 2010 will be collected at the meeting. On Friday, Jan. 29, the club will carpool to the Greek Festival in Tarpon Springs. The object of the club is for fellowship, social activities, trips, picnics, games as well as interesting speakers plus occasional entertainers at its meetings. Dues are $20 per year, and it is not necessary to be Italian to join the club. If interested in attending as a visitor, call Theresa at 352-683-6712 or Cathy at 352-686-9526.

Botanical

Spring Hill Garden Club will meet at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26, at Forest Oaks Lutheran Church, 8555 Forest Oaks Blvd., Spring Hill. Speaker will be D.J. Hall, a master gardener who owns and operates a landscape business. Members of the club maintain the plant nursery located at 1489 Parker Ave., off Spring Hill Drive, Spring Hill, the waterfall area at the entrance to Spring Hill on U.S. 19, and the Nature Coast Botanical Gardens adjacent the nursery. The nursery is open to the public from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and Saturdays. Visit the gardens anytime during daylight hours. For more information, call 352-683-9933 or visit its Web site at www.naturecoastbotanicalgardens.com

Community Outreach

Love Your Neighbor will provide a free community dinner from 2 to 4 p.m. every Sunday at First United Methodist Church, 109 South Broad St., Brooksville (sharing the parking lot with the Rising Sun Café in downtown Brooksville). Love Your Neighbor is a grass roots benevolence ministry under New Beginnings of Tampa Inc., providing free hot meals, food, toiletries and other needs to the less fortunate of Hernando County. For more information, call John Callea at 352-428-9434 or Lisa Callea at 352-428-9275.

People Helping People of Hernando will serve food from 4 to 6 p.m. the second and fourth Sunday of each month at the Senior Citizens Club of Hernando County, 7925 Rhanbuoy Road, Spring Hill. The meal is free of charge to families and singles, alone or together, that are homeless or are struggling. The interfaith group has been formed to help feed the homeless and hungry of Hernando County. For information, call 352-573-4178.

Arts/Crafts

Spring Hill Art League will hold its meeting and demo Monday, Jan. 19, at the United Church of Christ, 4244 Mariner Blvd., Spring Hill. A short business meeting will begin at 7 p.m., followed by a demonstration by Jude Caborn, a graduate of Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Caborn will demonstrate nontraditional grounds (surfaces on which to paint) for watercolor. New members and guests are welcome. For more information, call Esther Pohl at 352-398-1532 or visit www.springhillartleague.com.

History

Daughters of the American Revolution will meet at noon Thursday, Jan. 21, at Silverthorn Country Club, 4550 Golf Club Lane, off Barclay Avenue, Spring Hill. The DAR Insignia by Judy Felshaw will be featured. Membership is open to women 18 years or older who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution. The group can help with your genealogy. For more information, call Sharon at 352-796-7996.

Public Meeting

Humane Society of the Nature Coast will hold its annual meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, at the Humane Society located at 7200 Mobley Road, off Wiscon Road, Brooksville. The slate of officers will be confirmed, plans for the coming year shared, as well as the presentation of the annual reports. It is recommended to bring a folding chair, since an outdoor meeting and tour of the shelter is planned. For more information, call the shelter at 352-796-2711.

Seniors

Hernando County AARP Chapter 1026 invites members to its meeting at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, in the Great Room at The Atria of Evergreen Woods located at 7030 Evergreen Woods Trail, off State Road 50, Spring Hill. A special meal will be prepared by executive chef Stephen Westoff. There will be a nominal charge for the all-you-can-eat buffet meal, and the ticket for same will later be used for a door prize. The topic will be “What You Need to Know…Medicare 2010” and “You Can Change Your Plan…Up to March 31” by Betsy Vipond. Firm registration is required and must be on a first-come, first-served basis. For reservations or more information, call Bob at 352-596-0722, Joyce at 352-688-6910 or Rose Deorie at 352-688-5606.

Seniors Activities

Senior Citizens Club of Hernando County offers the following activities at the hall located at 7925 Rhanbuoy Road, Spring Hill: bingo will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday, and card games are held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Monday and Thursday. For information, call Barbara at 352-683-2440. For information regarding crafts, line dancing and Weight Watchers, call the club. Group road trips such as Biloxi, Sterling and Hard Rock plus cruises are periodically arranged for members and their guests. Club membership is $20 annually. For information, call the club at 352-596-1095.

Crime Watch

SHARP Crime Watch is seeking day and night patrollers and dispatchers. SHARP Crime Watch has been in existence for 27 years watching over the Spring Hill area. Patrollers are provided with radios and patrols his or her own area. Dispatchers keep close contact with the Sheriff’s Department, Animal Services, Road Department, Code Enforcement, etc. SHARP makes daily calls to the elderly who live alone and will also watch someone’s home when the residents are out of town. SHARP meets at 7 p.m. the second Monday of the month at the Senior Citizens Club of Hernando County, 7925 Rhanbuoy Road, Spring Hill. If interested in volunteering, attend the monthly meeting or call 352-683-5936.

Radio Clubs

Spring Hill Amateur Radio Club (SHARC) meets at 7 p.m. the third Tuesday of every month at the Oak Hill Hospital Enrichment Center. Anyone interested in Ham Radio is welcome to attend. Testing for an FCC license is conducted at 6:30 p.m. the third Wednesday of each month at the same location. The club operates a 2-meter repeater on 146.805 MHz (no tone). Every Tuesday except meeting night, the club conducts a Club net at 7:30 p.m. Anyone with a Ham Radio license is welcome to participate in both nets and attend monthly meetings. For club information, visit its Web site at www.kf4ixu.org or call Ed at 352-684-7623.

Gulf Coast Amateur Radio Club invites those interested in HAM radio to join the group on its radio net at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday nights on the club’s repeater WA4GDN, 146.670 MHz and read the club’s newsletter at www.gulfcoastarc.org. For information, call John at 727-848-7785.

Recreation

Nature Coast Bridge Club holds duplicate bridge games Monday through Friday at the Senior Citizens Club of Hernando County, 7925 Rhanbuoy Road, Spring Hill. Games begin at 12:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; and at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Bridge players of all levels are welcome. For more information, call Millie Dabbs at 352-666-5891.

Sales

Brooksville Regional Hospital Auxiliary will hold a gift fair from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, at the hospital located at 17240 Cortez Blvd., Brooksville. A wide range of jewelry will be available; and the Hospital Auxiliary is sponsoring the fair to support its scholarship and charity fund. For more information, call pat at 352-666-8755.

St. Andrew’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, 8064 Weeping Willow St., off State Road 50, Brooksville, will resume its perogi and bake sales from noon to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20. Bapka, apricot, prune, poppy and nut rolls, cookies and perogi will be featured. Phone orders will not be accepted on day of sales. For more information, call Alyce at 352-688-1839 or the church at 352-597-5589.

Thrift Shops

SPCA Thrift Shop, 9075 Grant St., adjacent to the shelter, Brooksville, is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Housewares, books, games, toys and clothing for the entire family are featured. All clothes are $5 a bag. All proceeds from the thrift shop benefit the care and upkeep of the animals at the shelter. Donations are welcome and can be dropped off from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursdays or Fridays, but large furniture or appliances cannot be accepted. To reach the SPCA shelter and thrift shop, take Sunshine Grove Road (off State Road 50) to Taylor Street, then turn left onto Grant Street. For information, call the thrift shop at 352-540-5727.

Karen’s Kit ‘n Kaboodle (St. Andrew’s Thrift Shop) announces a new feature – a small area known as La Boutique where unusual, trendy or special items will be available. The shop will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and is located at 2301 Deltona Blvd., Spring Hill. The boutique-style shop features a $5 bag sale the second Tuesday of the month. Donations are appreciated and can be left in the shop during hours of operation or in the drop-off bin after hours. To volunteer or schedule pick-up of large items, call 352-686-1114.

Daystar Lifecenter Thrift Store, 7120 Hope Hill Road, off State Road 50, Brooksville, is open from 8:30 a.m. to noon Fridays and Saturdays. Clothing, crafts, furniture, housewares, books, small appliances, electrical items and Christmas decorations are offered. The store is located one-quarter mile behind St. Anthony Catholic Church. To schedule a pickup or for information, call 352-799-5930.

Jericho Road Ministries has a thrift store in the Winchester Plaza located at 5260 Commercial Way, Spring Hill, in addition to its stores located at 16479 Wiscon Road, Brooksville, and in the Sunrise Plaza at 31170 Cortez Blvd., Ridge Manor. All stores are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Clothing for adults and children, household items, furniture, kitchenware, toys, as well as numerous specialty items are available for sale. The Ministry has a women’s shelter, Mary’s House, which is located at 1163 Howell Ave., Brooksville. The thrift stores were established for the purpose of supporting the Jericho Road Men’s Rescue Mission Shelter located at 1090 Mondon Hill Road, Brooksville. Donations are welcome and can be brought to any of the thrift stores during business hours or larger items can be scheduled for pick-up daily. For information or to schedule a pick-up, call 352-797-9009.

Habitat for Humanity Thrift Store, 19450 Cortez Blvd., in the Brooksville Square Shopping Center, Brooksville, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Clothing for adults and children, furniture, household items, kitchenware, books and a holiday room are featured. Donations are welcome and can be delivered to the thrift store during business hours. Larger items can be picked up Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. Volunteers are needed to work in the thrift store or on construction. Habitat established the thrift store to support the construction of decent and affordable Habitat houses for low-income eligible individuals who are willing to partner in the building of someone else’s home and their home. For information, call 352-754-1159.

Seniors Programs

Mid-Florida Community Services provides nutritious meals year-round to seniors age 60 and over. Seniors are welcome to visit any one of its four dining sites within the county. In addition, the Meals on Wheels program provides nutritious lunches five days a week to seniors who are homebound. The daily contact by the program’s volunteers ensures a visit by someone who provides companionship, while checking on the person’s health and well being. Volunteers are welcome, and donations are appreciated. For more information, call 352-796-1425 or 352-796-0485.

Experience Works, a senior work force solution, provides information and assistance with employment and training to income eligible seniors age 55 and older. For information, call Amy at 352-200-3042.

Education

HEART Literacy Adult Education Program is offering reading, math, language arts, free Pre-GED testing, Florida Ready to Work (work credentials for employment), and ESOL (English for Speakers of other languages). All classes are free of charge, and child care is also offered free of charge at most sites. An appointment is not necessary. To sign up, bring a Florida photo I.D. to any of the following sites: Career Central, 7361 Forest Oaks Blvd., Spring Hill, from 5:45 to 8:15 p.m. Monday and Wednesday; Northcliffe Baptist Church, 10515 Northcliffe Blvd., Spring Hill, from 9:30 a.m. to noon Monday and Wednesday; Grace World Outreach Church, 20366 Cortez Blvd., Brooksville, from 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday; HEART Literacy, 801 North Broad St., Brooksville, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. For more information, call 352-797-7018.

Equine Rescue

Schatzan Ranch is a nonprofit horse rescue/rehab facility that is accepting donations of any kind, i.e. monies, time, supplies, or services. Donations are tax deductible and are all used for the horses. Appointments can be arranged to visit the ranch. For an appointment or more information, call John and Kathy Schatzan at 352-585-7014 or 352-263-4701, or e-mail [email protected].