It’s a pretty big deal

It’s a pretty big deal

It’s a pretty big deal

By E. Adam Porter

Editor, News of SCC & South County

I heard a whispered conversation in the dining room and pretended not to notice, busying myself preparing the evening meal. It was beef stew night, so the slow cooker had done most of the heavy lifting, leaving me able to focus on eavesdropping while I finished the meal prep. My bride was on the phone with our lovely daughter-in-law discussing Thanksgiving dinner.

Our eldest son, Captain America, and his bride, Melissa, recently purchased their first home together. Cap’s duty station for the next few years also meant that – for the first time since he raised his hand and swore the Oath – he would be making his home in Florida. His mom and I are elated to have him on this side of the ocean for a change. Even happier that he’s reporting for his next training assignment, rather than wearing a rifle in the desert.

Since buying their home, Chris and Melissa have been working day and night to fix the house and property up to their liking, and they’re justifiably excited to show off their hard work. Almost as excited as my bride and I are to celebrate this important milestone with them. Given the timing, they suggested hosting Thanksgiving this year. That’s a pretty big deal. Though, I think, maybe, just hearing, “Y’all come up; we will cook this year!” put some more gray in my beard. Put a smile on the face behind that graying beard too. If there’s anything better than achieving your own goals in life, it’s watching your kids achieve theirs. Cooking your first Thanksgiving bird in your first new home as a family is a pretty big deal. We can’t wait to help them celebrate this milestone in their lives and their marriage.

Milestones are an ancient idea. Like some of the most enduring roads, we have the Romans to thank for the concept. They placed distance markers roughly every 1,000th double step, giving armies and traders clear answers to vital logistical questions as they traveled the length and breadth of the empire. Many centuries later, Matthew Simons described these markers in his 1635 travel guide, “Directions for English Travelers.” Though it would be another six decades after Simons’ book before uniform guideposts were codified into law in Britain. And it would be another 50 years before the term “milestone” entered common usage.

As with most words, “milestone” evolved new meaning with extended use over the successive generations. Today, milestones are not only symbols of distance traveled, but also metaphorical reminders that we’re going in the right direction; and, if we keep following that path, we’re likely to arrive where we’re headed. All the more reason to celebrate each time we achieve something new, learn something interesting, or arrive at a much-anticipated destination.

Speaking of milestones worth celebrating, this year, local SCC historians came together to write, curate, and publish a book commemorating 60 Years in Sun City Center. This community began with an idea, a vision that was picked up by the original residents and carried along by each new resident who chose to make Sun City Center their home. Active retirement, stimulation for the body, mind, and spirit. A community of volunteers willing to invest their hands, feet, smarts, and hearts in support of the ideal of “Neighbors helping neighbors.”

There are very few communities where one can learn textile art, painting, photography, woodworking, computers, chorale singing, organ playing, guitar picking, HAM radio operation, lawn sports, court sports, card games, and synchronized swimming in an afternoon, then have your pick of live music and dancing in the evening. Building these opportunities into this community involved all kinds of exciting, challenging, and important milestones. Individually and collectively, these are, indeed, something worth celebrating. So, be sure to stop by the Atrium ticket kiosk on Monday mornings between 10 and noon to buy your copy of 60 Years in Sun City Center, Florida.

Aerial photo of SCC’s north campus during FallFest 2021, courtesy Stan Lipski.

Over six decades, SCC residents have shared many meals together and celebrated countless milestones. As we enter this holiday season, many of us are excited to share a more “normal” celebratory time than last year allowed. Thanks to care, innovation, and a series of modern science miracles, we’re able to celebrate more safely. Already, many traditional services and ceremonies have returned, from Veterans Day celebrations to chorus concerts, dances, the Holiday Golf Cart Parade, and a host of other opportunities to come together with friends and neighbors as we close out 2021. If you’re interested, be sure to check out this issue of The News. There’s plenty here to fill up your calendar… and…. just maybe, help you take the first steps toward a new milestone of your own.

Cover photo: Melissa baked these pies, from scratch, to enjoy after the Thanksgiving meal. They cooled in this window for hours, and it was tough not to steal a slice.

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September 2023 NEWS is HOT off the Press!

September 2023 NEWS is HOT off the Press!

In this issue… Have some Pool Party fun, celebrate with the History Society, register for the Active Life Games, see why local volunteers rock, go Trail Blazing, learn why a local fire chief received a lifetime honor, support Adaptive Sports,...

August 2023 NEWS is HOT off the Press!

August 2023 NEWS is HOT off the Press!

In this issue… Relive the fun of the Pancake Breakfast and the Pool Party, make some Community and Family Connections, see how local Sew’n Sews are helping our community, get Shell Craftin’, celebrate the music of Bob Dylan with the Pickers,...

July 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

July 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

In this issue… Enjoy the artistry of some local green thumbs, be sure not to miss the July 4th Breakfast and Family Fun Day, explore the art of Quilling (not Quilting), take a Smooth Ride down Del Webb, hear about Master Plans, high five some...

June 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

June 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

In this issue… Save the Date for the July 4 community breakfast, applaud student excellence at HCC SouthShore, see how Rotary is helping feed the community, relive Earth Day, celebrate national acclaim for our lawn bowlers, enjoy Music on the...

May 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

May 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

In this issue… Learn about the Moffitt Cancer Center kickoff, get an update on the Waterset Sports Complex, improve your green thumb with the Tillers and Toilers and the Elegant Gardeners, sail with the Cygnet Yacht Club, save the date for the...

April 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

April 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

In this issue… Explore the myriad of opportunities in the community through FunFest, marvel at the wonders created for the Stained Glass Show, swashbuckle with the History Society, save the date for shredding day, catch up with the Long Range...

Late Summer Reflections

Late Summer Reflections

Late Summer Reflections

By E. Adam Porter

Editor, News of SCC & South County

A famous pirate troubadour from Mississippi croons through the sound system down the hall, There’s something in the wind tonight, some kind of change in the weather… I sit back in my office chair and think, Jimmy’s definitely not talking about Florida. We’ll be hot and humid well into October. Now I’m tuned in, though, listening to one of Buffett’s deep tracks, “Savannah Fare You Well,” written by prolific pop and country songwriter, Hugh Prestwood. 

A Texas native, Prestwood has written songs for James Taylor, Trisha Yearwood, Alison Krauss, Jimmy Buffett, and Crystal Gayle, among other very famous names. The opening lyrics of “Savannah” describing changes in the weather may not reflect the meteorological reality in Florida as summer turns to fall, but the imagery in the song, delivered with pensive authenticity by Buffett, still plucks my heartstrings.  

In a vision I had yesterday
It rained so hard that I drowned
While I waited for a hurricane to die down

Now, that sounds more like Florida. Every year, from June to November, we all watch storms cruise through the tropics on the news, waiting for our favorite weather forecaster to use words like “strengthen” and “rotation” and “turn,” terms that, for native Floridians and long-time residents, trigger an early warning system that sends us out to buy water and fill up the gas tanks in our cars. This season, thankfully, has been relatively mild. We’ve had a few named storms, but nothing like those that have brought the big wind and heavy rains of previous years. Hopefully, I didn’t jinx us, and that trend will continue. We certainly have enough to worry about without another storm coming this way. 

Down the hall, Jimmy is still strumming and humming, delivering lines from the song that many people think is about his daughter, Savannah Jane, but is really Prestwood’s ode to ol’ Savannah-town. If you’ve been there, perhaps you can commiserate with Hugh’s longing for that signature city with its idyllic parks, oak-shaded streets, cobbled lanes lined with palm trees, and camera-ready antebellum architecture. If not, you can probably still identify with the imagery Prestwood uses to describe the turmoil in his heart created by his love for the town and his need to leave, to get back on the road and earn a living. 

It’s easy to feel that tug, that longing for better days and new adventures over the horizon, especially these days. The constant firehose of calamity and tragedy on TV and the radio, the pandemic, school issues, foreign wars… Spend too much time immersed in that, and we forget the good times, beautiful relationships, and worthwhile endeavors available to us. Or, maybe that’s just me, but it sure feels like I’m not alone in this. 

Prestwood touches on the delicate, transitory nature of those beautiful opportunities in the song. He defines the spell cast by genuine moments of happiness as a “fragile magic,” describing the golden threads of hope and love and joy as “frail as spider webs.”

It’s a poignant image, and, for me, it brings to mind a moment yesterday when I stopped to examine an elaborate spider web woven between two trees at the top of my driveway. The orb weaver had wrought her fragile magic into a series of concentric, adjacent, and descending layers of web. The gossamer strands captured the late-morning light, creating a prism that flowed across the circular webs. For a moment, I was mesmerized by the beauty and the artistry of the web… and then I laughed, thinking about how my reaction would have been wholly different had I stumbled into it while mowing the lawn. Instead of contemplation and appreciation of the elegant beauty, there would be fussin’ and cussin’ and impromptu karate, as I worked to tear that web away from myself. 

Still chuckling as I imagined myself dancing awkwardly but enthusiastically across the lawn, desperately trying to shed an imaginary spider web, I walked up the steps and into the house, thinking about how the difference between appreciation and revulsion are often a matter of timing and perspective.

What we see around us every day could be a calamity or an opportunity, depending on where we’re standing.

That’s a tough one for me right now, given everything happening around us. But I’m working on it, trying to create moments of fragile magic, or at least take a moment to enjoy them when they find me.

September 2023 NEWS is HOT off the Press!

September 2023 NEWS is HOT off the Press!

In this issue… Have some Pool Party fun, celebrate with the History Society, register for the Active Life Games, see why local volunteers rock, go Trail Blazing, learn why a local fire chief received a lifetime honor, support Adaptive Sports,...

August 2023 NEWS is HOT off the Press!

August 2023 NEWS is HOT off the Press!

In this issue… Relive the fun of the Pancake Breakfast and the Pool Party, make some Community and Family Connections, see how local Sew’n Sews are helping our community, get Shell Craftin’, celebrate the music of Bob Dylan with the Pickers,...

July 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

July 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

In this issue… Enjoy the artistry of some local green thumbs, be sure not to miss the July 4th Breakfast and Family Fun Day, explore the art of Quilling (not Quilting), take a Smooth Ride down Del Webb, hear about Master Plans, high five some...

June 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

June 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

In this issue… Save the Date for the July 4 community breakfast, applaud student excellence at HCC SouthShore, see how Rotary is helping feed the community, relive Earth Day, celebrate national acclaim for our lawn bowlers, enjoy Music on the...

May 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

May 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

In this issue… Learn about the Moffitt Cancer Center kickoff, get an update on the Waterset Sports Complex, improve your green thumb with the Tillers and Toilers and the Elegant Gardeners, sail with the Cygnet Yacht Club, save the date for the...

April 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

April 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

In this issue… Explore the myriad of opportunities in the community through FunFest, marvel at the wonders created for the Stained Glass Show, swashbuckle with the History Society, save the date for shredding day, catch up with the Long Range...

“Thanks, Dad”

“Thanks, Dad”

“Thanks, Dad”

By E. Adam Porter

Editor, News of SCC & South County

There’s a picture on canvas, hanging over the stairwell to my bedroom. When I see it, I think, man, I look tired. And then I smile. Not because I look soggy, bedraggled, and thoroughly exhausted in the picture, but because of the other people in it with me: My boys.

We were at the end of a long, fun day at Rainbow Springs State Park: swimming, hiking, swimming again, picnicking, hiking some more, then swimming some more. I look exhausted, because I was, but the boys are grinning ear-to-ear. I love that photo for a lot of reasons. We don’t get the opportunity to get all four of us together much since the Big Kid re-enlisted. I’m proud of him, but it’s tough to be in family photos when you’re busy jumping out of perfectly good airplanes half a world away.

A love for exploring nature is something all four of us have in common, and that had been a great day. Taking advantage of those moments and capturing those memories is something I’m thinking about a lot as we’ll be celebrating Father’s Day in a few days. The celebration this year will be bittersweet for me. My father died last July, so this will be my first Father’s Day without the opportunity to talk to him. But we will talk about him. I’ll share his story so my boys will benefit from the lessons he learned through living.

Most of the day, though, will be about making memories with my boys.

I look forward to hearing from the Big Kid, learning more about his upcoming training assignment. For the two younger boys, Father’s Day is all about spending uninterrupted time with dad. We don’t get enough of that, and I’m not always the best at taking advantage of the opportunities when they’re presented. Maybe that’s something all dads deal with. I know I do, especially on days I’m working from home.

My home office has an open door policy. If the door is open, come on in. If it’s shut, Dad might be shooting a video, making a webinar, or doing a live consultation, so, unless it’s an emergency, wait. Sometimes, though, I get caught up in what I’m doing, and that open door is treated like it’s closed. That happened just a few days ago. My middle son ambled into my office holding a small stack of papers. “Dad,” he said, “Do you want to see my test scores?”

I knew he had just taken an achievement test to track his academic progress, but I thought that could certainly wait until I finished whatever Immensely Important Thing I was working on at the moment. Had I taken a second to glance at the stack of papers in his hand, I would have seen he was holding a lot more than test scores. I would have noticed the way he held them and seen the anticipation on his face.

But Dad was busy, so Dad was blind.

“Go put them on the dining table. I’ll look at them later.” I caught the hesitation as he, slowly and carefully, set the stack of papers on my desk. Now, I did look up, “B,” I said, using his preferred nickname, “I said the dining table. I don’t want those papers on my desk.”

This time, I saw the disappointment as he slowly retrieved the stack of papers and turned to leave. He made it three strides down the hall before my brain put all the pieces together. “Wait, bud, hang on.”

He stopped immediately, face writ with disappointment turning back to nervous anticipation. “I’m sorry, B. Did you want me to look at this stuff now?” He offered a small, hopeful nod.

I picked up the papers, scanned the bar graph indicating his results on the achievement test. He had done well in certain areas, needed to work on some others. Like the rest of us. I glanced over, saw his eagerness intensify. A thought tickled the back of my mind: there is no way this is about test scores. I flipped the page to find a note from the school, instructions about the last day. Nope, this wasn’t it. I flipped to the next page, and that’s when I understood.

The last page in the stack was a drawing.

Pen-and-ink on notebook paper. Science fiction fighter jets and fast-moving tanks. Rockets and missiles. Bunkers with a prominent acronym in giant block letters. Fairly common subject matter for an 11-year-old boy. Except, this drawing didn’t come from the mind of that 11-year-old boy. This drawing was a replica that came from his heart.

A few weeks ago, I’d been going through an old steamer trunk I keep in my closet. The trunk is filled with souvenirs and keepsakes, as well as a bunch of stuff from my school days. One of those things is an old, oversized sketch pad filled with drawings I made when I was B’s age. He had seen me going through the trunk and asked to look at the sketch pad. I handed it over and watched his eyes lit up. “You drew this?” I nodded, and he kept flipping pages filled with science fiction fighter jets, fast-moving tanks, bunkers chock full of rockets… and an acronym that made a lot of sense to a kid growing up during the Cold War.

What I held in my hand all these years later was a near-exact replica of one of those old drawings, which my son had completed at school during free time. This is what the stack of papers was all about. My boy was saying, “Look, Dad, I’m a chip off the ol’ block.”

I almost missed out on that moment because of some mundane chore.

I sat there staring at the drawing, and the longer I held it, the wider his smile grew. Finally, he asked, nervous, “What do you think, Dad?” I looked up, my smile matching his own, “This is amazing, B. Thank you for sharing it.” He stepped forward, threw his arms around me, and hugged me tight, said, “Thanks, Dad.”

Then he turned and bounded out of the room, forgetting the stack of papers now strewn across my desk. I took a moment to straighten them, tears in my eyes, whispered, “No, son. Thank you.”

September 2023 NEWS is HOT off the Press!

September 2023 NEWS is HOT off the Press!

In this issue… Have some Pool Party fun, celebrate with the History Society, register for the Active Life Games, see why local volunteers rock, go Trail Blazing, learn why a local fire chief received a lifetime honor, support Adaptive Sports,...

August 2023 NEWS is HOT off the Press!

August 2023 NEWS is HOT off the Press!

In this issue… Relive the fun of the Pancake Breakfast and the Pool Party, make some Community and Family Connections, see how local Sew’n Sews are helping our community, get Shell Craftin’, celebrate the music of Bob Dylan with the Pickers,...

July 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

July 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

In this issue… Enjoy the artistry of some local green thumbs, be sure not to miss the July 4th Breakfast and Family Fun Day, explore the art of Quilling (not Quilting), take a Smooth Ride down Del Webb, hear about Master Plans, high five some...

June 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

June 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

In this issue… Save the Date for the July 4 community breakfast, applaud student excellence at HCC SouthShore, see how Rotary is helping feed the community, relive Earth Day, celebrate national acclaim for our lawn bowlers, enjoy Music on the...

May 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

May 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

In this issue… Learn about the Moffitt Cancer Center kickoff, get an update on the Waterset Sports Complex, improve your green thumb with the Tillers and Toilers and the Elegant Gardeners, sail with the Cygnet Yacht Club, save the date for the...

April 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

April 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

In this issue… Explore the myriad of opportunities in the community through FunFest, marvel at the wonders created for the Stained Glass Show, swashbuckle with the History Society, save the date for shredding day, catch up with the Long Range...

Life as we know it

Life as we know it

Life as we know it

By E. Adam Porter, Editor

 

One thousand feet above the Fryar Drop Zone, the sky fills with deployed canvas. The crowd below cheers. Cameras flash, and smartphones film the final jump for the U.S. Airborne class graduating on March 20, 2020. Back on terra firma, these newly-minted Airborne soldiers move into formation and march to the parade ground, where they are welcomed by enthusiastic family members eager to pin on the wings that are the emblem of this singular achievement.

Second and third generation Airborne soldiers receive priority, as their parents and grandparents who served before them come forward to bestow the physical representation of their legacy. Then, other names are called. Mothers, fathers, siblings, and friends advance in small groups to greet their soldiers and pin on their wings.

At their turn, four people step from the crowd, two adults and two small children running ahead to greet their big brother across the field. They come together, and Mom reaches up, tears in her eyes, pinning wings on her eldest boy, knowing they will have only one day together until he moves on to his next duty station, where there will be more training and, perhaps, a deployment across an ocean. Another deployment.

All across the parade field, this scene repeats. Handshakes, hugs, words of appreciation, congratulations, and pride. Little brothers and sisters fling their arms around their heroes, peppering them with questions: How does it feel to jump? What was it like up in the sky? Are you going to war? So many questions…

I stand back and watch the scene, my eyes full of pride, marveling once again at the man my eldest son has become. Poised, confident, and squared away. I blink back tears, and the scene blurs, shimmers… and disappears…

Because it never happened.

Instead, the coveted wings were passed out in an informal setting, just a few soldiers and NCOs, freshly scrubbed hands and tense expressions. All around them, life at Fort Benning was changing. And life outside the gates? Not a clue. No one had been allowed to leave for a week.

Similar scenes have played out across the United States and across the world in recent weeks. The novel coronavirus has upended and suspended life as we know it. Memories that might have been made will never be. Walls where photos might have hung will remain empty, waiting for the next opportunity to experience something timeless. People who planned a fun spring break full of relaxation and family time are in the hospital or sick at home. Others, hoping to avoid this fate are self-quarantining, trusting social media to offer some semblance of connection. Hotels are closed. Flights are canceled. Beach access has been roped off.

Clubs, groups, businesses —even entire states — have closed down all but “essential” services. Educators across the country are desperately trying to learn how to teach using technology they had never seen before yesterday, and parents are trying to figure out how to help their kids learn from home, when many of them have to return to work.

Others have no work to return to. Stores, restaurants, service businesses, and many companies, large and small, have closed their doors, or they have found some kind of accommodation to make it worthwhile to keep the doors open. Curbside service, reduced hours, online sales, and the omnipresent “social distancing.”

Life is definitely different these days. And, in that difference there is legitimate fear, understandable concern, and ample opportunity. With each day, medical professionals and infectious disease researchers are learning more about how to fight this silent, faceless menace. They have cautioned all of us to follow a few simple guidelines. Chief among these is, “Don’t panic.” Our infrastructure is sound, and no one benefits from a freaked-out populace acting as if the apocalypse is upon us.

There are strange stories coming out of Thailand, footage of “gangs” of rival monkeys fighting in the streets over a single scrap of food. The tourists who generally keep them fat and happy are gone, and the monkeys are experiencing sudden scarcity of a kind they have never seen. Similar behavior has been observed in the toilet paper aisle at American grocers. We have to be better than that. Stores are getting new shipments almost daily. There is no need to hoard. American businesses like 3M (respirators) and GE (ventilators) are ramping up the manufacturing of key medical supplies. Large retailers are offering to hire laid-off or furloughed workers, so they can get products out faster, and those people have cash to pay their bills.

If we look for it, there is good news out there, hope shining among the toxic cloud of fear, uncertainty, and disease. If we choose to take a collective breath, keep our heads, follow the simple suggestions from the CDC, and look out for each other, this will pass. Our community and this nation will likely operate differently for some time, and it will probably look different even once all this is over; but in the meantime, we all get to choose, individually and collectively, how Life in the Time of Covid-19 plays out.

Already, examples of the right way to do this are all around us. People offering to pay for strangers’ groceries, sharing essentials, and reaching out to check on friends they have not heard from in a while. Local musicians are playing impromptu concerts in their driveways. Members of groups, kept away from public facilities, are meeting virtually, laughing and sharing stories.

Step back, squint a bit, and it almost looks like life used to. Families taking walks. Playing games and sharing meals. People discovering new hobbies, dusting off old projects, and brushing up on forgotten skills. Person by person, house by house, community by community, we are all finding ways to come together and get through this. Life as we know it sure ain’t what any of us want it to be right now. The challenges and the risks are very real. All we can do is make the best of it. And maybe share a roll of toilet paper. Or two.

September 2023 NEWS is HOT off the Press!

September 2023 NEWS is HOT off the Press!

In this issue… Have some Pool Party fun, celebrate with the History Society, register for the Active Life Games, see why local volunteers rock, go Trail Blazing, learn why a local fire chief received a lifetime honor, support Adaptive Sports,...

August 2023 NEWS is HOT off the Press!

August 2023 NEWS is HOT off the Press!

In this issue… Relive the fun of the Pancake Breakfast and the Pool Party, make some Community and Family Connections, see how local Sew’n Sews are helping our community, get Shell Craftin’, celebrate the music of Bob Dylan with the Pickers,...

July 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

July 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

In this issue… Enjoy the artistry of some local green thumbs, be sure not to miss the July 4th Breakfast and Family Fun Day, explore the art of Quilling (not Quilting), take a Smooth Ride down Del Webb, hear about Master Plans, high five some...

June 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

June 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

In this issue… Save the Date for the July 4 community breakfast, applaud student excellence at HCC SouthShore, see how Rotary is helping feed the community, relive Earth Day, celebrate national acclaim for our lawn bowlers, enjoy Music on the...

May 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

May 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

In this issue… Learn about the Moffitt Cancer Center kickoff, get an update on the Waterset Sports Complex, improve your green thumb with the Tillers and Toilers and the Elegant Gardeners, sail with the Cygnet Yacht Club, save the date for the...

April 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

April 2023 NEWS is HOT off the PRESS!

In this issue… Explore the myriad of opportunities in the community through FunFest, marvel at the wonders created for the Stained Glass Show, swashbuckle with the History Society, save the date for shredding day, catch up with the Long Range...

The News Staff Spends a Day at the Circus

The News Staff Spends a Day at the Circus

The News Staff Spends a Day at the Circus

By Paula Lickfeldt

 

The staff of The News of Sun City Center & South County all revisited their childhood as they marveled at the array of acts presented at The Sarasota Circus.  Each of us was asked what our favorite act was: the horses, the silly clown, the acrobatic sisters, the juggler, the dogs, or maybe the daredevil in the “Wheel of Destiny.”  We had lots of discussion and decided that we really could not choose, because they were all wonderful.

Reporting the news in and around Sun City Center is an effort all four reporters finds very rewarding. We started out as coworkers and have become very good friends. We laugh and tease each other a lot, and we are always supportive of the work that each of us does.

Each of the reporters, when asked why they write for the paper, said volunteering with The News gives them the opportunity to meet new people and learn new things. Each reporter, however, put their own spin on the opportunity.

Diane Loeffler said she likes knowing what is going on and being able to meet the people who make things happen. Working for the paper gives her an appreciation for the many people in our community who are willing to give of their time and energy to keep all of the activities running.

Ilona Merritt said she enjoys the variety of things she gets to write about. The reporting is full of surprises and is never just routine. Being a part of the team has opened new horizons for her.

Kai Rambow said he gets the opportunity to ‘learn about so many different hobbies and activities’. When he meets someone who participates in an activity that he has reported on, he can talk to the person about that activity with knowledge of it.

For me, it feels good when I’m out and about in the community and someone recognizes me and says how much they enjoy reading my articles. If you think you might be interested in joining our fun team of hardworking, enthusiastic community reporters, contact the editor, Adam Porter, here.

 

In the feature photo: The staff of The News of Sun City Center & South County had so much fun at the Sarasota Circus. Pictured, L to R: Paula Lickfeldt, Ilona Merritt, John Wolf, Diane Loeffler, Adam Porter, and Kai Rambow.