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Greater Trilby News

Serving the Tri-Community Area

Vol. 2, Number 7 –August / September 2006      www.trilbyfl.com


Cooperation provides English and GED Classes in Trilby

 

The first day of adult classes this year in Trilby began on Thursday, September 14 with introductions by Phyllis Proctor, the new instructor for English and GED classes.

On hand was staff from the Healthy Families program and the Pasco County District School Board to kick off the registration and classes.  First on the agenda this day was a pot-luck breakfast of fruits, quiches, pastries, and juices.

            Classroom areas in the Trilby United Methodist Church addition have been equipped with computers and learning stations, and childcare is provided in adjacent rooms.

            On opening day, there were ten families who enrolled in the classes that are held from 9 to 12 on Mondays and Thursdays.

          

Reaching out and bringing residents of North East Pasco together is coordinated and supported by the Healthy Families Program.  Volunteers from the Greater Trilby Community Association and the staff of the Trilby United Methodist Church provide assistance and transportation from and to the families’ homes.

            Parents attending will be eligible to attend monthly workshops at Moore-Mickens Education Center in Dade City for life and literacy skills.  Family and educational support materials will be provided for those attending the workshops.

            For further information, please contact Kathy Bell at 813 714-5431

 

The Security Patrol Needs You!

 

The Greater Trilby Security Patrol (GTSP) is a volunteer organization supported by the Crime Prevention Department of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and needs more volunteers.  You are elibible if you are 18 years of age or over and haven’t had any felony or serious misdemeanor convictions.  

Selected volunteers go through a 4-hour training program and two 2-hour patrols with a certified Security Patrol member.  Uniforms and insignia/markings for your car are furnished plus a gas allowance for each patrol. You determine when and the length of your patrol with the GTSP Patrol Coordinator.

GTSP has been operational for almost 2 years and has been working to control crime in the Trilby area but we need to do more by scheduling daytime patrols and additional night patrols.

We are fully supported by the Sheriff’s Department and actually operate under its auspices. If we call in suspicious activity, a Sheriff’s Deputy is usually there in a very few minutes!   

Come join us and enjoy the experience!   Call me at 583-5936 or GTCA at 583-4150 during office hours 10 am to 1 pm Tuesday thru Saturday for more information.

Herb Green, Pres. GTCA


Trilby Fall Festival

Saturday, September 30th

 

The second annual Trilby Children’s Safety Rally has been incorporated into a Fall Festival for the Greater Trilby area, and will be held on the last day of this month. 

“We had a very successful event last year, and we look forward to again supporting children in the area and remembering those who have been victims,” stated Herb Green, GTCA President.  “This year, because of scheduling problems and conflicts, we have decided to incorporate the presentations of social services and community entertainment, along with the dedication of a special ‘Memorial Park’ in the Withlacoochee Trail.”

The primary purpose of the festival is to help parents with identification and services for their children.

The Festival begins at 10 AM on Saturday, the 30th, and runs till 2 PM with the dedication of the Memorial Park at noon.  Anticipated participants are:  Hilary Sessions, mother of Tiffany who was abducted; representatives from Kirk Browning’s office who will demonstrate and provide training on the county’s new voting machines; the Bloodnet bloodmobile, the Sheriff’s Office, and other social service agencies.

Coffee and snacks will be available at 10, provided by the Christian Edge Coffee House, and John Stewart of Mosstown Convenience Store will assist in providing and serving lunch.

 

There will be a special prize drawing of a girl’s and a boy’s bike at the end of the day.  A member of the Greater Trilby Community Association is donating the cost of two bikes at Wal-Mart.

If all goes as planned, there will be “hay rides” to the Trilby Playground and Park just behind Trilby Manor.  The park is maintained by Pasco County and has been recently upgraded with new roads and playground equipment.

Entrainment will include demonstrations of Pasco County Sheriff’s K-9 dogs by their handlers, and in the morning, there will be karate demonstrations by Bill Spivey of Spivey Karate.  He will show how small children can defend themselves and then half an hour later, how older children can defend themselves.  Arion, the trick horse from Trilby Trails, will show off just before the memorial dedication at noon and again at 12:30.

Smokey the Bear and a Talking Sheriff’s Car will also make appearances.

 

 

Kountry Kritters 4-H Club meeting is the second Monday of each month at 7 pm in the Rose Room at the Trilby United Methodist Church.  Contact Dawn or Dan Crouch at 583-4734.


Page 2 of 4                        Greater Trilby News               August / September 2006



Area Leaders support

Tri-Community

 

Under the leadership of Karen Marler, Lacoochee Elementary School Principal, thirty area leaders, from parent teams to the local County Commissioner, began another year of discussions about life in the northeast Pasco communities and how to improve it.

“What we are doing here is good, but not good enough,” stated Marler as she set the mood for the two-hour meeting on August 28th.  “This is not to be a gripe session, but a solution session.  We are here for communications.”

The previous week, Marler had a two-hour meeting with Pasco Sheriff Bob White over the recent increase of violence in the area.  She stated that she spoke to him about more patrols and deputy presence.  The audience at the meeting reflected the Sheriff’s response:  There were seven members of different parts of the Sheriff’s Department in attendance.

She also spoke about the immediate future and growth of the local facilities and services.  She reported that her school was undergoing a $1.3 million renovation in carpeting, lights, ceilings, paint, etc.  Plus, she continued, there will be a new million-dollar community center / school multi-purpose building in the near future.  The School Board and the Parks and Recreation Department of county government are funding the project. 

“This will be administered by both of us, and available day and night and weekends,” she stated.  “It can be used for school/community theater productions, family reunions, community events / meetings and anything that the school and community need.”

With a charge of “Without a vision of change, the community cannot change,” Marler opened the floor to other regional leaders on how life and safety in the Tri-Community can change.

Sheriff Captain Drageff told the group that he had increased the number of deputies covering Dade City and northeast Pasco in the past three months, but he has limited resources.  He also stated that this area is the largest zone, one of the least populated and has the least number of citizen calls.

Margarita Romo, a Dade City Latino Activist, spoke about how some members of the communities may be afraid to report crime and violence in their homes.  She agreed that the problem of people not contacting the Sheriff’s Office for common problems creates a false low statistic of crime in our area.

Sergeant Formoso spoke about the problems with drugs in the area and the slow process of organizing arrests.  He emphasized that his team was aware of the drug problem in the area and was working on it.

Herb Green of the Greater Trilby Community Association explained the Crime Watch and Security Patrol programs that are established in Trilby and offered to meet with anybody in the area to work with them in expanding patrols and gaining new Security Patrol members.  He also suggested that anyone who had the opportunity to attend the Sheriff’s Citizen Academy in Central Pasco would benefit significantly in their understanding of the duties and capabilities of the Sheriff’s Office.

County Commissioner Ted Schrader helped wrap up the meeting with his statement that this meeting had been an education to him as much as the others around the tables.  “I am very impressed with the concern and involvement of all here at the meeting.” 

“A long-range solution to part of the problems would be a post-secondary technical school here in East Pasco,” continued Schrader.  “There are few resources for the youth of East Pasco, and vocational job training would go a long way to making them more productive citizens.”

Additional meeting of this group will continue through the school year.

 

 

 

New Playground Equipment in Trilby and Lacoochee Parks

 

Children who go to Stanley Park in Lacoochee or to Trilby Park in Trilby can play on the new equipment in both parks.  Right now the paint is still shiny on the jungle gyms, swings and slides that the Parks and Recreation Department has installed.  The equipment, selected by Parks Manager Supervisor, Richard Barns, has been in place for about a month.

The access to the Trilby Park from Powerline Road along Polite Avenue has been improved and limerocked by the County Parks Department.

The Greater Trilby News

“Serving the Tri-community area”

Publisher:  The Greater Trilby Community Association, (GTCA)

Herb Green -- daddyherb2@earthlink.net

352-583-5936

Editor:  Kathryn Riley -- kwr48@yahoo.com

352-583-4994

 

The Greater Trilby News is a monthly publication of The Greater Trilby Community Association, Inc., and serves the tri-community area consisting of Lacoochee, Trilacoochee, and Trilby.  This newsletter accepts articles concerning the association’s activities and articles of interest to the area.

 



Page 3 of 4                        Greater Trilby News               August / September 2006



Thoughts from the Board Chair

 

As the dog days of the hot summer months linger on for a while yet, heres hoping that your summer has been a good one.  Remembering back when Labor Day signaled the beginning of the school year, doesnt it seem too early for school to already be back in session almost a month now?  Quite a few parents were lately counting the days, but I found myself sympathizing with the children for having to go back so soon!

I know Herb Green, our president, will join with me in thanking Kathy and Richard Riley for their efforts in writing and editing this newsletter.  What a big job, but what a great product for our community!  Be sure and thank Kathy and Richard every chance you get.

Other local heroes are our Trilby Crime Watch patrol members.  They stay on the alert for potential things of concern in our neighborhood and volunteer their time to patrol the area.  Make sure you thank them, too, for the program they have put together and support their efforts any way you can.  They are always looking for more volunteers too.

Watch for the upcoming Childrens Safety Rally and Trilby Fall Festival on Saturday, September 30th.  The committee has been diligently planning this event for the past several months.  Plan now to come out and join the cause of vigilance for our children and enjoy the fun events being scheduled.

Following in this months newsletter are some rather nostalgic Trilby news items gleaned from old copies of the former Dade City Banner newspaper, which I hope to share with you on an occasional basis.  This month, I have gone back 92 years to September 1914, when Trilby was on the rise.  I hope you find this backward glimpse enjoyable, but I hope we can also each be inspired to join together for a greater Trilby as was once envisioned by our earlier residents.

As always, remember to say hello to your neighbors, make attractive your corner of the world, and always be proud to say youre a Trilbian.  See you soon at the Fall Festival!

 

Scott Black, Board Chairman

 

Long Ago, Not far away...

 

September 1914...92 years ago this month in Trilby

 

On Tuesday evening a well-attended social was given at the Hall by Mrs. T.J. Blitch and a neat sum was raised toward the erection of the new Baptist Church.  On Friday evening, the Methodist ladies will give a pie supper at the Hall for the benefit of improvements under way at the church.

The Harrison Furniture Co. will move their stock of goods to Bushnell this week.

W.G. DeVane, mayor of Trilby, was a visitor to Dade City on business Wednesday.

A representative of the Kreuger Manufacturing Co. of Atlanta is here installing the fixtures in the Trilby State Bank.  Mosler Safe of Hamilton Ohio expertly placed the steel lining in the bank vault the first of the week.

The Trilby Glee Club held a very interesting meeting Monday evening during which three candidates were initiated into the club.  A literary program will be given at the Hall Friday evening consisting of short comedy dramas, readings, monologues, and musical numbers.

After a number of very extensive improvements, the Florida Tuberculosis Sanatorium opened for the season the fifteenth of this month.

The tank crews are erecting a new water tank in the ACL (Atlantic Coast Line) yards this week.

Mr. Chas. Branas and Miss Mary Cameron were married at Tarpon Springs and returned Thursday evening.  An informal reception was given them in their new home.  We extend the best wishes of the community.

 

(Selected Trilby news items unearthed by Scott Black from the former Dade City Banner newspaper from September 1914)

 

 

 

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Automated Community Connection to Economic Self-Sufficiency


Apply for Food Stamps, Temporary Cash Assistance or Medicaid.

Apply for Food Stamps, Temporary Cash Assistance or Medicaid.

Report Changes to your Food Stamps, Temporary Cash Assistance or Medicaid case.

Check Case Status or Benefit Information.

Medicare Prescription Drug Program - SSA's Low Income Subsidy application.

Information for Hurricane Katrina Evacuees


These services are available 10 am to 1 pm,

Tuesday through Saturday

at the Trilby House (Community Center),

37452 Trilby Road

Across from the Trilby Post Office

This service is provided by GTCA in cooperation with the Florida Department of Children and Families



Page 4 of 4                        Greater Trilby News               August / September 2006

 


A Timely Taste of Trilby

 

History and 1931 entertainment were on the agenda for the July Greater Trilby Community Association monthly meeting.  It consisted of comments by Trilby Historian Scott Black and a showing of the first “talkies” version of the movie, “Svengali.”

Popcorn, soda and coffee were provided at the second annual showing of a version of the movies that have been made about the novel, “Trilby.”  Last year at this time, the 1915 silent film “Trilby” was shown to residents of this area of Northeast Pasco County.  Last month, the Association showed the second surviving film, “Svengali,” which was made in 1931, starring John Barrymore and Marion Marsh. 

The movie was introduced by Black, a Trilbian by birth and now residing in Dade City.  He is known as the Trilby Historian because of his extensive collection of Trilby artifacts and knowledge of the lore of the Trilby area. 

According to Black, the community now known as Trilby was called Macon around the turn of the century.  In order to not confuse it with Macon, GA, it was renamed after a popular literary heroine of the time and the streets were named after characters in the novel.  The book, “Trilby,” was one of the first “best seller” novels.  One of the characters in the book, a devious and conniving music teacher, was named Svengali.  Thereby is the name of this version of the movie.

The movie, which starred one of the most popular movie actors of the time, John Barrymore, received many awards and rave reviews for its actors, set design, and special effects.  Sandy Cooper, one of the attendees, won the door prize, a first edition copy of the Trilby novel.

 

During intermission, Richard Riley, a resident and reporter interested in Trilby history, showed his collection of materials relating to the George Du Maurier novel.  It consisted of five different editions of the novel, published between 1894 and 1932.  He also has four surviving versions of the movie, playbills of the play produced around the turn of the century, and photographs of the actors and actresses who have portrayed characters of the book.  One of his treasures includes a 1951 “Classics Illustrated” comic book version of the novel.

Back-to-School Supplies Distribution Program Works in Lacoochee

 

On August 5, 2006, Isa Blanford and the other workers and volunteers arrived early to the site of the sixth annual Back-to-School Supplies Distribution in Lacoochee.  “If kids don’t start school prepared, everyone notices and they start out already behind,” Ms Blanford said, examining the 357 book bags lined up on the floor of the trailer from which she works.  ”When they come to school with the right supplies, it gives them a leg up and puts them immediately into the mainstream of the school.”

 

Blanford works alongside the Lacoochee Elementary School where applications for the supplies were available to students.  Parents also registered their children at the high school in Dade City, the Salvation Army, Harbor Premier Health and the Pasco Sheriff’s Department.

Preparation for the program begins every year in January.  Nineteen people meet monthly to line up vendors and gather donations for the program.  This year over a dozen vendors were scattered over the green space behind Blanford’s trailer.  They included the Pasco Sheriff’s Office doing fingerprinting, WellCare, the Victims of Crime Assistance Program, Bloodnet, USDA’s Rural Development Program and the Moore-Mickens Farmworker Jobs and Education Program.  In order to receive their bag of school supplies, the children and their parents had to visit each vendor and get a hole punched in a ticket supplied by Blanford.  The “magic” ticket got them into the school supplies trailer where they could pick up the school bags for their age group.

It wasn’t all serious work at this event.  There were balloons, popcorn, hotdogs and a bouncing house for the children to enjoy.  Some children played with Frisbees and others just sat in the shade enjoying quality time with their parents.