Brandon Patch Postings (Feb. 28 - March 6)

Roads closed to replace railroad tracks, County Commissioners voted to extend — and simplify — the ban on roadside solicitations, fundraising season kicked off in earnest for some are charities and the Florida Strawberry Festival opened for its 76th year.

The week in Greater Brandon ended with fundraisers to support the Brandon Sports & Aquatic Center () and the Greater Brandon Arts Council (). The Emergency Care Help Organization hosted its monthly yard sale as well.

The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners voted this week to extend its — and, by association, panhandling — to state roads, as it does for county roads. A sheriff’s deputy explained at the public hearing and vote that for all intents and purposes, the power to band panhandling from all roads essentially exists anyway, with a Florida Department of Transportation directive to issue trespassing citations.

included the closing of sections of major roadways in Brandon for the replacement of railroad tracks by CSX. And community theater brought to the stage “” (Plant City Entertaiment) and “” (MDHF Productions).

“Patch Talks” were held with Seffner Community Alliance advocate Terry Flott and Greater Brandon Community Arts Council Vice President Kim Hall. We featured community director , of Plant City Entertainment, and  “Whiz Kid” , a student at Hillsborough Community College co-enrolled at the University of South Florida for band, who works at the Brandon Sports & Aquatic Center.

We offered, too, a comprehensive trio of stories previewing the Florida Strawberry Festival  for people on a , for people interested in the and for people interested in the festival overall and its designated days for .

There’s more, of course, including our weekly update on the season, and it’s all listed below. 

Also, archived for posterity are Brandon Patch news articles from Feb. 20 back through Jan. 24, included in .  For archived listings from Dec. 15, 2010 (launch date) through Jan. 23, visit . Postings from Feb. 21-27 appear below this week’s recap.

Another way to find the news you might have missed, or want to revisit, is to search by keyword on the home page — or on any page you visit at Brandon Patch. Just use the search box found in the upper- right-hand corner, right under the day's weather summary.

Enjoy!

BRANDON PATCH NEWS COVERAGE (Feb. 28 - March 6):

(Note: after clicking through to an article below, please use your back-arrow key to return to this recap.) 

•  — Take a look at these photos and post your answers in the comment box below. Some are easy, some not so much. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — We'll update you weekly on what has become the major local fundraiser of the year in terms of people participating and money raised: the American Cancer Society's grassroots Relay For Life. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Greater Brandon area actors and stage crew hobbyists have a new outlet for their talents with the upcoming Plant City Entertainment production of, “Daddy’s Dyin’ Who’s Got the Will?” Auditions are Feb. 28 and March 1 and 3. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — A snapshot look at news you can use — or might care to know —about things of interest in your life at home and beyond. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Jennifer Jackson draws upon her more than 30 years of experience in community theater to talk about what it takes to build a sense of community through the theater. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — A quick look at the birthday ritual, from four-line ditty to Facebook platform. This Brandon Patch look includes links to local news and shopping and tips for crafting online greetings. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Five road closings in north Valrico, between Martin Luther King Boulevard and Wheeler Road, mean a detour burden for heavily traveled Parsons Avenue as well. Closures are for CSX railroad tracks replacement. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Some 1.6 million lunch trays are used daily in the Hillsborough County school system, the nation’s eighth-largest public school district. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — News you need to know to make the transition from “preschool” to “the big school” for students starting their journeys in the Hillsborough County School District. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Health Fair 2011 focuses on “Future Trends in Health Care” with an annual sampling of community offerings, free screenings and giveaways. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Community activist and advocate Terry Flott often can be seen at Hillsborough County offices, where she keeps an eye on issues concerning her hometown of Seffner. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — News to know as community life gets underway in Greater Brandon and beyond. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — News to know as community life gets underway in Greater Brandon and beyond. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — The March 2 vote was preceded by a public hearing that drew seven speakers, all but two representing the newspaper industry. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — After attending to your civic duties at the Fred B. Karl County Center in downtown Tampa, visit the Joe Chillura Courthouse Square, across the street. Some views of the park, at dusk, following the March 2 meeting of the Hillsborough County Commissioners. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — MDHF Productions, founded by community theater veteran Clint Shepherd, stages “Love, Sex and the I.R.S.” at the James McCabe Theater in the Greater Brandon community of Valrico. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — We've done some research for you in compiling a list of things to see and do at the 2011 Florida Strawberry Festival that won’t cost a dime above the gate admission price. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Lady Antebellum is sold out but free tickets to all shows are available on a first- come first-served basis for viewing in the 3,000-seat Direct Auto Insurance Free Grandstand. Paid seating is it the Wish Farms Soundstage. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — We've done some research for you in compiling a list of must-knows — and good-to-knows — for special days at the 2011 Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — The latest production from Plant City Entertainment featured a large cast including many Greater Brandon thespians. Here’s a quick look back. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Visit the Florida Strawberry Festival, then support the Greater Brandon Arts Council and the Brandon Sports & Aquatic Center. Visit the Brandon chamber’s health fair at the Campo Family YMCA, see a show at the James McCabe Theater. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Taking students beyond the prompt on standardized tests, Bell Shoals Baptist Academy English teacher Tammy Perkins implores students to write from their hearts. The school’s annual "Authors’ Museum" showcases the results of that effort. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Every week we post landscapes, structures and internal furnishings as subjects in and of themselves is an invitation to Brandon Patch readers to challenge their knowledge of their community. Here's the answers to Round 4. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Proceeds from the Fourth Annual Casino Night Fundraiser will help support programming and scholarship opportunities at the Brandon Sports & Aquatic Center. The event is March 5 at the Barn Theatre at Winthrop. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — From thrift sale to Spring Fling, from yard sale to auction, the day gets underway in Greater Brandon. At night, fundraisers to support the Greater Brandon Arts Council and the Brandon Sports & Aquatic Center. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Kim Hall, vice president of the Greater Brandon Arts Council, talks about the power of the arts, the Greater Brandon Arts Council and the council’s March 5 “Arty Party” membership drive and fundraiser. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Healthcare providers speak passionately about their work at the 2011 Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce Health Fair. The event at the Campo Family YMCA feature more than 60 exhibitors. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Enrolled at both Hillsborough Community College and the University of South Florida, for band, Tracy Mare, an employee at the Brandon Sports & Aquatic Center, learns well from her high school band teacher, tennis coach and mom. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Justin Correia and his sister, Maritza, set high goals for themselves growing up as Brandon swimmers. She became an Olympian, he returns home to the Brandon Sports & Aquatic Center as Blue Wave Swim Team Head Coach. / Linda Chion Kenney

BRANDON PATCH NEWS COVERAGE (Feb. 21-27):

•  — Students mourn loss of popular teens, killed Friday night after being kicked by a bull. / D’Ann White

•  — Friends gather outside the cross and poster board that marks a memorial for Brooke Ann Coats, 16, who died Feb. 18 after she fell off, and was kicked by, a bull at the Remington Rough Stock bullring arena on U.S. 301. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office issues a report in connection to the bull-riding accident that led to the death of 16-year-old Brooke Ann Coats. Visitation is Feb. 23 and her funeral is Feb. 24. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Director April Golombek announces her cast for the family friendly production of "Bye Bye Birdie." Forty-eight community theater thespians have been cast for parts in the musical loosely tied to the 1957 draft of Elvis Presley. / Linda Chion Kenney  

•  — We'll update you weekly on what has become the major local fundraiser of the year in terms of people participating and money raised: the American Cancer Society's grassroots Relay For Life. /Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Three featured animals at Hillsborough County Animal Services are among many available for adoption as adult pets. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — A snapshot look at some news you can use with links to explore the issue further. Might not apply to you? Feel free to share the link to others. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — You might be crazed with demands on your time but your kids might be bored — and that’s not a healthy mix. Think ahead, be prepared and get creative. / Jeanette Henderson

•  — Young Crusader girls run out of steam against veteran Trinity Christian, 72-55. /Joel Ridley

•  — The viewing for teen bull rider Brooke Ann Coats is tonight, Feb. 23, at Stowers Funeral Home in Brandon. The memorial at the bullring site continues to grow with messages of grief and remembrances of an accomplished teen with a ready smile. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — The line wrapped around Stowers Funeral Home on Feb. 23 as friends and family gathered to pay their final respects to Riverview High School student Brooke Ann Coats, who died after a bull-riding accident. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Tickets still available for the Feb. 24 “Bunco for the Kids” fundraiser at Center Place. The event is hosted by the Kappa Kappa chapter of Kappa Delta Phi. /Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Close to 150 people attended this year’s Community Affairs Dinner, which featured local voices from the past and present, Nat Storms, Brandon’s first honorary mayor, and Col. Lenny J. Richoux, MacDill’s base commander, spoke about Brandon. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Plant City Entertainment and a variety show at the James McCabe Theater in Valrico are on tap this weekend, featuring musical comedy and student variety show entertainment, respectively. Links to G-rated and PG-rated movies included. / Linda Chion Kenney

• — Quick overview and links to review the Hillsborough County School Board’s March 1 agenda. The meeting is set to start 3 p.m. at the Raymond O. Shelton School Administrative Center in downtown Tampa. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — As March approaches, news you can use from the Florida Department of Transportation as you plan your daily commutes and evening activities. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Local fixture in Brandon has been serving up smoked meats and Southern sides for about 10 years. Secret to success, owner says, is passion and love. / John Majeski

•  — New bar at Brandon Mall features 60 beers on tap. Brass Tap offers refuge for "beer geeks" and others curious about brews beyond Bud Light. / John Majeski

•  — The “baby” of the Mulrennan clan turns 88 on Feb. 27. At a party in Valrico, a large crowd gathered on the eve of her birthday to wish her well. The Mulrennan groves today house a road and a middle school in the Greater Brandon community of Valrico. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — More than $2,200 was raised Feb. 26 at the Bunco dice-game fundraiser hosted by the Brandon Chapter of the All Children’s Hospital Guild at The Bridges in Riverview. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — Cariss Pettigrew attended a Feb. 26 fundraiser for the Brandon chapter of the All Children’s Hospital Guild at The Bridges in Riverview. She took time out assisting her mother, Janine, the guild’s co-president, to talk about life in general. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  — A military wife with time to spare took a class on framing at an air base in Japan and ended up with a passion and a career. Today Jo Powell is the owner and operator of Frames by Jo in the Greater Brandon community of Valrico. / Linda Chion Kenney

• — Billed as a wedding, reunion and retreat getaway, Cross Creek Ranch in Dover offers some startling scenery in a relaxed atmosphere reminiscent of a French country inn. There, on Feb. 27, the Rotary Club of Brandon held its annual Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. / Linda Chion Kenney 

• — Veteran community theater actress Cindy Miller-Ray and her husband, John, open their Greater Brandon home every year for a grand Oscar Night celebration. / Linda Chion Kenney

•  —The awards are in and top prizes go to a couple of toys, a couple of black swans and one blue valentine. In the youth category, prizes go to "Harry Potter" and "Easy A.” / Linda Chion Kenney