Love Works

Posted Feb 12, 2007 by Vidisha Priyanka

Updated Feb 12, 2007 at 04:32 PM

TAMPA - It’s less than 48 hours before Valentine’s Day and lovers around the world are scrambling for ways to wedge a little romance into the work week.

This year, the commercially designated day of love falls smack dab in the middle of the work week. Not much chance for a romantic getaway on Wednesday when the boss needs reports filed and the kids need a ride to soccer practice.

Read Full Story | Video Report by Crystal Lauderdale/The Tampa Tribune

---

It’s All ‘Fair’ Game

Posted Feb 8, 2007 by Vidisha Priyanka

Updated Feb 8, 2007 at 04:07 PM

By SARAH HOYE
The Tampa Tribune

2:15 p.m. Walkabout…       

The Fuller kids laughed all the way down the Giant Slide as they clung for dear life to their “magic carpet” burlap sacks.

“JJ” the lot man was making his rounds around the Midway making sure all of his layout plans were in working order while vendors and ride operators tried keeping out of the sun.

Crowds were low which made it easy getting around, and there was no waiting in line for rides or food.

If you’re looking for something to send home to mom, stop at the official State Fair souvenir shed and pick up a butter spreader for corn on the cob or a pig-shaped jar opener, both for $1.

Otherwise grab a foot-long corn dog, cotton candy and homemade soda and call it a wrap. 

Leftover ride tickets? Hop on the SkyGlider to watch the Fair from above and to let your feet get some rest.

 

1 p.m. Pig Races

Its nap time at the fair, especially after downing a roast beef sundae and some fried cheesecake.

For those in need of a seat, it was off to watch the Hollywood Racing Pigs.

That’s right folks, from miniature Vietnamese potbellied pigs to baby Yorkshires, you can watch them run in a circle. Or get stuck along the course.

 
12:30 p.m. Beef Sundae

Mashed potatoes. Roast beef. Gravy. Repeat. Top off with shredded cheddar cheese and a cherry tomato. Enjoy. All for the low low price of $6.

Act now and they’ll throw in a fork.

11:05 a.m. Midway

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Niko, Jada and Hayley — brother and sisters — made their way down an enclosed slide and plopped onto an inflatable landing. The slide is part of the Mighty Bluegrass Shows obstacle course for little tykes. 

“Its fun,” says 5-year-old Jada Reaves, standing in the shade of her mother, Millie Davis,. “I want to go again!”

11:30 a.m. More Midway

The smell of grilled sausage and onions drifted by the base of the newest fair ride, the Zyklon.

The magenta roller coaster had riders from St. Mary’s school in Tampa. A group of eighth graders squealed in delight. 

“That was superb,” says Kippy Castillo, 14. “It was a real thriller.” 

11:50 a.m. Fried Pepsi

Oh, it’s true. Fried Pepsi is real, and actually edible.

Here’s the deal: Elephant ear-like batter with Pepsi syrup all up in it. Then bam, fry it.

Roll it in some stuff to taste good like cinnamon sugar and drizzle on some more Pepsi syrup, top off with whip cream and maraschino cherries, and voila, Fried Pepsi, baby.

 

The next mission: beef sundaes and deep fried Oreos, preferable in chocolate batter. 

 

10:24 a.m. Florida State Fair Grounds

The Florida State Fair is officially open. Small groups of students wandered through the Midway while game operators lined up prizes and wiped down counters.

Food vendors lit their grills and heated up oil for whatever tasty treat they peddled.

Bill Volz, operator of DeJon Sausage from Lebanon, Ind., was busy watching over his sizzling meats from Polish sausage to turkey legs. Tampa is his second stop along the nearly 25 state fairs his visits throughout the year.

“On a busy day I’ll go through about 100 pounds of sausage a day,” he says, stepping out from his kiosk. “The Italians go pretty fast around here, with the turkey legs next.”

Scanning the walkway for customers was Dmitriy Mokievskiy, the 21-year-old operator of the mini-basketball game.

“I like it because I like to travel and meet new friends,” says Mokievskiy, who hails from Russia. “This is fun.” 

Beneath the tent covering the Cox Concessions trailer, workers were scrambling eggs, scrubbing out roasting pans and clearing off tables to keep up with the steady stream of fair workers looking for a hot breakfast.

---

On The Dotted Line: It’s National Signing Day

Posted Feb 7, 2007 by Crystal Lauderdale

Updated Feb 7, 2007 at 11:32 PM

10:00 a.m.

In the Middleton High School library people are speaking above a whisper, and no one is telling them to stop. Books have been pushed aside. Athletic jerseys and baseball caps have been spread across the tables. Several football players are joking loudly with each other, but one is sitting quietly pressing the top of a bright, red pen over and over again. Click ca-click. Click ca-click.

Watch Video Essay

It’s National Signing Day.

Defensive back, Sherod Murdock seems the center of attention. “Man, you’re always in the spotlight,” says a teammate giving him a playful shove as another member of the media snaps his photo. Murdock was intent on signing with Alabama but changed his mind at the last minute. After a few words of praise and encouragement from his coach, he stands, thanks God, his coaches and his family and places a cap on his head bearing the University of Pittsburgh logo.

1:30 p.m.

There are a total of 10 people at the Tampa Catholic High School signing ceremony - two parents, one aunt, one member of the media (that’s me), a few coaches and a young man who seems to have it all.

Matt Kelly, a kicker for the Crusaders, is a star athlete as well as a star student. Kelly has taken on the toughest classes even when his academic advisors thought the course load could be too much. “Academically he looks for a challenge,” says Carol DeMarinis, Assistant Principal of Academics. “He fights for a challenge.”

Kelly will face his next challenge as an athlete and an engineering major at Dartmouth. His mother says that he’s interested in aerospace, but he won’t declare and emphasis just yet.

With six members of the ceremonial crowd behind him and three taking pictures, Kelly signs his way into the Ivy League.

 

---

Coach Appreciates Dungy’s Help

Posted Feb 1, 2007 by Vidisha Priyanka

Updated Feb 1, 2007 at 06:53 PM

By Crystal L. Lauderdale
The Tampa Tribune

Watch Video Essay

When Debra Dawkins picked up the phone and heard Tony Dungy’s voice on the other side, she had to run to her bedroom and scream before she could speak any further.

Back then Dawkins was beginning her career as a football coach and Dungy was heading the Bucaneers. Dawkins, a University of Florida graduate, had already received guidance and encouragement from Steve Spurrier. She got up the nerve to contact Dungy for advice too, but hardly expected a response.

Now a football coach at Blake High School, she has maintained her correspondence with Dungy through letters, postcards and faxes. “He always inspired me and said that whatever I needed just to let him know,” said Dawkins. “He was always encouraging. Very encouraging.”

---

Zoo Animals Brave Cold, With Help

Posted Jan 30, 2007 by The Tampa Tribune

Updated Jan 30, 2007 at 10:49 PM

Photo By CRYSTAL L. LAUDERDALE / The Tampa Tribune

Video: Inside Lowry Park Zoo

By JULIE PACE
The Tampa Tribune

TAMPA - The arctic blast that was supposed to blow through the Bay area this morning was more subdued than expected, and that was good news to the animals at Lowry Park Zoo.

> More Cold Weather Coverage | Full Forecast, Maps

Zoo curators have prepared the animals with extra hay and blankets, and even T-shirts and sweatshirts for the primates.

However, when the animals woke up this morning to temperatures in the low 40s instead of the 30s, most of the animals decided to venture outside instead of staying in their covered night houses.

“They’re just like people,” zoo spokeswoman Rachel Nelson said. “They get antsy when they stay inside too long.”

The zoo chooses its animal collections based on the type of climate they can live in, Nelson said. That’s why there will never be polar bears at Lowry, but there are several animals from Africa, where temperatures can get chilly at some times of the year.

While some of the primates are still huddled inside or venturing out slowly, Nelson expects most animals will be outside by noon.

---