By LETITIA STEIN, JANET ZINK and JAY CRIDLIN
Published February 27, 2004
Strapping adults are needed for a spring cleaning of the Alafia River.
The Alafia River Basin Stewardship Council is seeking 50 adults in good health to remove river debris and trash on March 13. Organizers will supply canoes, nets and a picnic.
Volunteers need bring only their muscles and a willingness to get dirty.
"It's definitely work, and it's a full day on the river," said Karen Wagner, an organizer with the river basin council.
She said past cleanups have netted everything from a large tractor tire to yard furniture and broken boats.
The spring cleaning, co-sponsored by Hillsborough County, will concentrate on the stretch of river from Alderman's Ford Park to the Kings Avenue boat ramp. Work will begin around 8 a.m. at a location to be announced. March 14 is the rain date. To volunteer, contact Karen Wagner at 684-7300.
Two swimming areas need lifeguards
Hillsborough County is accepting applications for qualified lifeguards at two of its swimming areas: E.G. Simmons Park in Ruskin and Lithia Springs Park. All candidates must be at least 16 years old and have a Red Cross Life Guarding Certificate. Starting pay is $8 per hour, and all applicants must undergo a background check.
Lifeguards work daily in open water swimming areas from Memorial Day through Labor Day and possibly weekends before and after the prime swimming season.
Contact Kevin Church at 903-2260 for job applications and additional information.
West Virginia Picnic scheduled
BRANDON - Calling all Mountaineers.
A handful of Brandon-area residents are gearing up for this year's West Virginia Picnic on March 7, with any and all former West Virginia residents welcome to attend.
It's the fourth time Brandon has hosted such an event, though organizer Maggie Savich has attended similar picnics in Bradenton since 1982.
The best part, said the 82-year-old Savich, is being able to reunite with familiar faces.
"The first year I came down, I met the doctor that delivered my children," said Savich, who moved to Florida from Fairmont in 1960. "And I met the principal from when I graduated from high school."
Last year's picnic drew 249 Mountain State expatriates from as far away as Ocala and Sebring, Savich said.
The picnic will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the Brandon Community Center, 502 E Sadie St. There will be door prizes and a small concession stand, but attendees are encouraged to bring their own lunch. Admission is $2.
For more information, call Savich at 689-3770 or Tim Humberson at 689-5428
Krewe raises funds for Gibsonton boy
YBOR CITY - For members of Ye Royal Krewe of Charlotte DeBerry, the highlight of last weekend was the Sant'Yago Knight Parade in Ybor City. But before the parade, krewe members were focused on Neil Anderson.
The Ruskin krewe raised about $1,750 for the 9-year-old Gibsonton boy, whose mother and brother died in a house fire four days before Christmas, during a Knight Parade kickoff party Feb. 19 in Ybor City.
About 500 people showed up, said krewe spokeswoman Lisa McCorkle, including about 25 New York City firefighters.
"It was a complete success," said Hillsborough County firefighter Gary Rodriguez, who has helped orchestrate fundraising efforts for Neil.
To date, firefighters and benefactors, including members of Charlotte DeBerry and the Krewe of the Knights of St. John, have pumped more than $10,000 into a trust fund for Neil, who now lives with an aunt and uncle in St. Petersburg.
New Web site puts focus on Ruskin
RUSKIN - A few years ago, Nicole Davis was a St. Petersburg resident who loved taking her dog to Ruskin's E.G. Simmons Park on weekends.
Now, Davis is the woman behind www.ruskinonline.com a new community-based Web site in Ruskin that has attracted hundreds of visitors since it debuted in November.
The site offers photos, a community calendar and announcements, and tidbits on Ruskin's history. Davis also created a slate of discussion boards, each offering a different topic, from environmental issues to local obituaries.
"What I'm going for is a public forum for people," said Davis, who now lives in Riverview.
The site has already been a hit with residents. Davis estimates about 500 people visited RuskinOnline in February, and about 80 bookmarked it.
In January, the site accumulated about 40,000 "hits," the number of times a viewer has clicked a different link within the site. February's hit total was already up to 45,000 with several days to go.
Davis hopes that as Ruskin's population explodes, so will the appeal of her Web site.
"I thought this would be a good opportunity for current residents to get themselves out there before all this growth occurs," she says. "There's going to be a lot of new people, and I think it might give them kind of an online meeting place."
