Wow, can we say COLD? The January freeze involving most of the US has even given us at Aripeka West a little taste of what Mother Nature can muster up in the winter. No there was no ice, no snow, no freezing rain, as a matter of fact, very little rain has fallen so far this year, but we did have a few cool days to remind us how lucky we are that we are here in Central Florida and not anywhere north of here. At Aripeka West, you won't need to scrape you cars' windshield to remove the ice, shovel the snow from your driveway and sidewalk or risk driving on ice and snow covered roads, but you will need to remember to bring a jacket with you when you go out. Oh and by the way, you can still wear your Flip Flops, even when wearing your jacket!
Super Bowl Tailgate Party...
On Sunday February 2nd we will host a "Tailgating Party" in the RV Park. There will be a Football Pool and we will have a couple of TV's set up to watch the big game. The Seattle Seahawks will play the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 PM. Hope Ol' Man Winter takes a break this Sunday!
We will have some Finger Foods to enjoy during the game. Bring your cooler and cheer for your favorite team. If "your" favorite team is not playing in Super Bowl XLVIII, maybe next year will be their year, but you can still enjoy the game with us this year!
What will Phil say???
Groundhog Day is held on Feb. 2, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania every year, and you might be wondering how a groundhog landed the job of predicting the weather. If you're unfamiliar with the tradition, it goes like this: If the groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, sees his shadow, we're stuck with six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't see his shadow, we luck out with an early spring.The tradition dates back to 1887, and though the origins are unclear, it is said to have originated from ancient European weather lore in which a badger or sacred bear predicts the weather, rather than a groundhog. It also has religious origins, as it shares similarities with Candlemas Day, which is also on Feb. 2. According to an old English song, "If Candlemas be fair and bright,/ Come, Winter, have another flight."
Punxsutawney Phil has definitely adapted to the times. He can now text you his Tuesday weather prediction. Just text "Groundhog" to 247365 on Groundhog Day.
States without groundhogs are taking matters into their own hands by choosing their own weather predictor. Texas, for example, chose its state mammal, an armadillo, to predict the weather for their first "Armadillo Day." Only time will tell whether the groundhog or the armadillo is the true prognosticator.
Here are five facts you probably didn't know about Groundhog Day:
1. Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow 97 times, has not seen it 15 times, and nine years are unaccounted for.
2. The National Climatic Data Center reportedly stated that Phil's prediction's have been correct 39 percent of the time. This number is in conflict with Phil's club, which states he's been right 100 percent of the time.
3. According to the funny website groundhog.org, there's a legend that during Prohibition, Phil threatened to impose 60 weeks of winter on the community if he wasn't allowed a drink.
4. In the years following the release ofGroundhog Day, a 1993 film starring Bill Murray, crowds numbering as high as 30,000 have visited Gobbler's Knob, a tiny hill in Punxsutawney where the ceremony takes place.
5. Though groundhogs typically live only six to eight years, Groundhog Day lore suggests that Phil drinks a magic elixir every summer, which gives him seven more years of life.
Scoop the Poop...Please remember it is YOUR responsibility to clean up after your dog. We have had complaints in the Mobile Home Park about "someone forgetting to SCOOP", so please be extra careful about cleaning up after your dog. Do not let your dog walk through the yards of others, we have plenty of walking space in the fields around Aripeka West.
Start your engine...
On Sunday February 23rd at 1PM The Daytona 500 begins. "The Great American Race" - Since 1959, it’s proven that year after year, lap after lap, this is the race that creates more memories, more hall-of-fame moments and more believers in the power of racing dreams than any other. At Aripeka West we will be watching the Race in the RV Park, we will have snacks and enjoy the first race of the 2014 season.
Hey Valentine...
Join us on Friday February 14th at 3PM in the RV Park for a few "Sweet Things", bring something sweet to share! Make it cookies, candy, cake or anything else to celebrate with Sweets for your Sweetheart. We will have "Non-alcoholic Valentine's Punch" to drink or you are welcome to bring a bottle of wine to enjoy!
Florida Strawberry Festival...
February 27th - March 9th
An Event Steeped in Tradition
Each spring, the Florida Strawberry Festival® rolls out the red carpet to welcome visitors from throughout the Sunshine State and the world. Guests come from near and far to enjoy exhibits of agriculture, commerce, industry, livestock, fine arts, horticulture, and crafts. The fabric of American life is woven into the Festival through social events, contests, youth developmental programs, top-name entertainment, and parades with glorious floats and high-stepping marching bands.
The Florida Strawberry Festival represents a piece of Americana, a time in American history when fairs and festivals brought communities together through celebrations of their harvests. It has continued to grow in popularity year after year through the preservation of this heritage. Central to its focus, the Festival continues to preserve and enhance the agricultural and historical legacy of the Florida strawberry.
Further, steeped in tradition, the Florida Strawberry Festival is alive with volunteer spirit, uniting people from all parts of Plant City, Florida and the surrounding area. The event began back in 1930 when members of the newly organized Plant City Lions Club conceived the idea of an event to celebrate the bountiful harvest of strawberries. In 1948, the American Legion Post #26 helped get the Florida Strawberry Festival reactivated following a six-year hiatus during and immediately following World War II. The Lions Club and other civic organizations have participated in the Festival ever since.
An Independent Event for the Community
Today, the annual event has become one of the best Festivals in the nation and now ranks among the Top 40 Fairs in North America. Having maintained the same internal structure since its inception, the Florida Strawberry Festival is a community-oriented organization, governed by a board of directors from the community that annually devotes many hours to establishing policies and direction for the annual event. And while it is an outstanding showcase of the local area, the Florida Strawberry Festival has never been subsidized by taxpayers.
The Florida Strawberry Festival is a great time to discover the charm and allure of Plant City, and it’s the perfect time to enjoy eating ripe, luscious strawberries alongside the local berry farmers that have worked hard to bring to them to market. More than 10,000 acres of strawberries are planted annually in the local area. In fact, there are some 2,800 farms in Hillsborough County that produce fruit and vegetable crops with an annual value of over $360 million. This county is now one of the largest agricultural counties in the nation. The diverse farm production includes strawberries, citrus, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, squash, okra, peppers, beans, dairy products, eggs, ornamental horticulture, tropical fish, beef cattle, swine and other related products.
Items of Interest
For all the headline concerts on the Wish Farms Soundstage — which take place at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. each day — there are about 3,000 free seats available for all shows. Those seats are filled on a first-come, first-seated basis as part of your paid gate admission. Reserve seat tickets are available for $15 and up (varies by show), while supplies last.
There are several special entertainment values on the midway with Ride-A-Thon Days and Moonlight Magic. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are Ride-A-Thon Days from 12:00 Noon until 11:00 p.m. where guests can purchase a wristband to ride most mechanical rides for one low price. Both Friday nights are Moonlight Magic from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. where guests purchase a wristband to ride most mechanical rides for one low price. Both Sundays are Mountain Dew Family Days where guests bring a specially marked Mountain Dew can to receive a voucher for $5 off the $25 wristband and ride all day.
Florida State Fair...
February 6th - February 17th
The year was 1904. The American Flag had 45 stars, Theodore Roosevelt was president and the average American earned 22 cents per hour. It was the year that T.J. Laud-Brown, the manager of the Tampa Bay Hotel convinced the city founders and the rail line that they needed to bring the South Florida Fair to the grounds of the Tampa Bay Hotel. The South Florida Fair Association was formed and plans for a new exhibition were proposed. That first Fair was held on a 27-acre plot adjoining the Henry B. Plant’s Tampa Bay Hotel, now known as the University of Tampa. The attractions were simple, as there were five races to bet on and the various agricultural exhibits were showcased in just one building. Soon after, the event became known as the Florida State Mid-Winter Festival and was the place to be! Families from near and far would come to the festival. Children would play games, eat popcorn and Fairy Floss while their parents won bragging rights for their prized Bull, the best pie, or the most beautiful quilt. In 1915 when Articles of Incorporation for the South Florida Fair and Gasparilla Carnival were filed with the Secretary of State office in Tallahassee, the Fair became known as the Florida State Fair.
In 1975, Florida State Legislature created the Florida State Fair Authority and designated that the Tampa event was the official Florida State Fair.
In 1976, the headlines read “A Stadium full of State Fair starts Thursday” as the Florida State Fair moved into the Tampa Stadium aka “The Big Sombrero” and home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while its final location was being created. In February of 1977 the first Fair was held at its current location near Interstate 4 and U.S Highway 301 in eastern Hillsborough County, a 330-acre site, just seven miles from its original downtown Tampa location.
Once moving to the East Tampa location, new buildings and barns were erected and a parcel on the northeast side of the grounds was developed into the Cracker Country historical museum. A turn of the century community with a post office, general store, black smith shop, train depot, governor’s inn, two homes, church, garden, and barn. The Mildred W. & Doyle E. Carlton Jr. Cracker Country is enjoyed by over 20,000 children each year to learn about the life of a Florida Cracker in the late 1800’s.
Today, the Florida State Fair attracts up to 500,000 people in twelve days. Each year Florida residents create exhibits for Aquaculture, Horticulture, Woodcarving, Needlework and more. Over ninety years later and bragging rights are still won for the prized bull, best pie and the most beautiful quilt. Being an Independent Midway, all rides are selected by the Fair Authority to provide our visitors with all the thrills and chills they’ve come to expect. As the first State Fair of the year, we get all the latest and greatest in Fair foods such as the Pizza Cone, Redneck Burger, Bacon Ice Cream, and more! It’s affordable family fun at its best! Nobody does it better than the Florida State Fair!
The Florida State Fair, Always in Tampa, Always in February.
Valentine's Day Trivia...
- About three percent of pet owners give Valentine's Day gifts to their pets.
- One-third of all Valentine's Day cards are accompanied by gifts.
- Hallmark has more than 1,330 different cards specifically for Valentine's Day.
- About one quarter of Valentine's Day cards have humorous messages.
- American women say they'd rather receive chocolate than flowers on Valentine's Day.
- Teachers will receive the most Valentine's Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, and sweethearts.
- About one billion Valentine's Day cards are exchanged each year. The holiday is second only to Christmas in terms of the number of cards sent.
- The celebration of Valentine's Day can be traced to the ancient Roman holiday of the Lupercal, which honored Lupercus the Lycaean, who protected flocks of sheep from wolves.
- Seventy percent of those celebrating Valentine's Day show their affection by giving a card. Others make a telephone call (49 percent), give a gift (48 percent), plan a special dinner (37 percent), give candy (33 percent), have a meal in a restaurant (30 percent), or give flowers (19 percent).
- Pope Gelasius declared February 14 to be Saint Valentine's Day in 498 A.D.
- Richard Cadbury invented the first Valentine's Day candy box in the late 1800s.
- The Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare's lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet every Valentine's Day.
- The Chocolate Manufacturers Association of America says 36 million boxes of chocolate are sold for Valentine's Day.
- About 110 million roses, most of them red, will be sold for Valentine's Day this year.
- Alexander Graham Bell applied for his patent on the telephone, an "improvement in telegraphy," on Valentine's Day, 1876.
- Valentine's Day was originally associated with the mating season of birds.
- Fifteen percent of women in the United States send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day.
- During Abraham Lincoln's campaign for President, a Democrat named Valentine Tapley swore he would never shave again if Abe were elected. Tapley kept his word and his chin whiskers went unshaved from November 1860 until he died in 1910, attaining a length of 12 feet six inches.
- Americans spend $655 million each Valentine's Day on candy, making it the fourth biggest holiday of the year for confectionery purchases, after Halloween, Christmas and Easter (in that order).
- In the U.S., it's estimated that 64 percent of men do not make plans in advance for Valentine's Day.
- During Victorian times, it was considered bad luck to sign a Valentine's Day card.
- Eighty percent of all Valentine cards are purchased for relatives.
SunWest Park...
Commission Chairman Jack Mariano and county staff said that Grubbs has volunteered to grade areas around the park, including near the lake to create a beach — work that could potentially save the county about $1 million.
County Administrator Michele Baker said the board will sign an agreement with Grubbs to perform the work after the next board meeting in two weeks. After that, the county will rebid the park project, but without the grading portion.
Only one contractor, David Nelson Construction, submitted a bid that met the project's qualifications, but it was thrown out after it exceeded the project's $4.5 million budget by $2.3 million.
Baker said she hopes that reducing the scope and size of the project will attract more bidders and bring the pricetag more in line with what the county wants to spend.
"We have no problem finding contractors to build parks," she said. "It's the grading portion that's the problem."
Mariano, the project's biggest booster on the commission, has pushed to have the park finished by Memorial Day weekend, but with these latest setbacks, that is looking less likely.
"I'm still hoping for Memorial Day, but if not then by July 4," he said.
Bidding and selecting a new contractor will take 30 to 45 days. Grubbs wouldn't start work at the site — a former mine — for at least two weeks. Officials said he would need to finish his work before the contractor can step in to complete the park.
In addition to a beach and lake, the facility will include a snack bar, walking trails, 500 parking spaces, 40 beach volleyball courts and a wakeboard device to pull riders through the water. Long-term, county officials hope SunWest Park will host volleyball and wakeboarding tournaments.
An agreement with the wakeboard operator is expected to come before the commission next month.
Baker said Grubbs, a miner, is free to collect the dirt to use toward other projects, but he will not receive any compensation. She noted, however, that the park may benefit his planned Harbourtowne resort and home development just to the north.
"I was worried when I first saw the bid," Mariano said. "I wasn't sure what we would do. Then Gary stepped up and said he could get the grading done. I was thrilled."
From the Pasco Times. Rich Shopes can be reached at rshopes@tampabay.com or (727) 869-6236.
Mobile Home Depot...
They also Have RV Parts!
Calendar of Events...
Dates to Remember...
February 2nd Super Bowl Tailgating Party 6 PM Finger foods served during the game!
February 14th Valentine's Day Sweet Party 3 PM Candy, Cookies, Cake & Punch
February 23rd Daytona 500 NASCAR Party 1 PM Tailgating food served during the game!
Coming in March...
Mardi Gras and St. Patrick's Day, Can you say PARTY????
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