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Band Tunes Up Holiday Favorites

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 8, 2008

CARROLLWOOD - Get in the spirit of the season with a classical take on some modern holiday music.

The Fanfare Concert Winds, a 60-piece concert band, will hold the Holiday Pops concert 3 p.m. Sunday at Carrollwood Cultural Center.

The band, made up of professional musicians, local amateurs and Hillsborough Community College students, will perform a program of contemporary holiday pieces, including "The Eighth Candle" by Steve Reisterer and "Whisper to their Souls" by Hazo. Plus, they will play music from "The Polar Express," "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and other holiday favorites.

Tickets are $10 for cultural center members and $15 for nonmembers. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. and tickets can be purchased at the door. For information, visit www.carrollwoodcenter.org.

Michele Sager

Pay Utility Bill With A Click

LAND O' LAKES - Come June, Pasco County water and sewer customers will be able to pay their bills online.

County officials plan to begin testing a Web-based system in February that will eliminate the need for most of the county's 95,000 utility customers to mail or hand-deliver their payments to the utility office.

The goal is to make bill-paying more convenient, James Cerny, the county's information technology director, told county commissioners.

The county already offers customers the option of using electronic transfers to pay their bills - a system that gives the county access to their bank accounts. About 19 percent of the county's customers use that system.

"The billing system we have currently was fine when we had 10 or 15 thousand customers," said Michael Nurrenbrock, who directs the county's Office of Management and Budget. He said the current system can't handle the larger customer load.

Kevin Wiatrowski
Church Needs Donations

TAMPA - The cupboards and closets are bare at First Baptist Church of Progress Village, where members collect food, clothing and household goods for neighbors in need.
Congregation member Gemma Lewis said dozens of people come to the church one Saturday a month when donated items are doled out - triple the number who sought help six months ago.

"We really need more donations of everything to help these people," Lewis said.

In addition to nonperishable food and gently used clothing for babies, children and adults, the church seeks secondhand toys, games and gifts for families to exchange at Christmas.

Donated items may be dropped off at the church on the third Saturday each month. The last collection and distribution day before Christmas will be 8 a.m. to noon Dec. 20 at Simmons-Bowers Park, next door to the church at 8616 Progress Blvd., Tampa. For information, call (813) 677-1948.

Laura Frazier

Children Stage 'Holiday Tradition'

PLANT CITY - For about 75 members of the Plant City Children's Theatre, Saturday is the big day.

At 2 p.m., the theater will stage its annual production of the holiday classic, "The Nutcracker," at the Plant City High School auditorium.

"It's a holiday tradition," theater executive director Sharon Everidge said.

It's the biggest production of the year for the children's theater. A silent auction starts at 11 a.m., also at the school at One Raider Place off Alexander Street west of James L. Redman Parkway.

Last year's production and auction netted about $7,000 for college scholarships, Everidge said.

Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Advance tickets are available at Hardee's Fashions, 1501 N. Wheeler St., and the children's theater, 507 N. Wheeler St.

The silent auction will include gift certificates, theme park passes and tickets to the Outback Bowl, she said.

For information, call the theater at (813) 752-1683.

Dave Nicholson

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