Artists’ Holiday Market a Success!

The Westchase Artist Society’s second Annual Holiday Market proved to be an even bigger success than last year.

With nine members of the group participating along with other artists and vendors on Dec. 10 at the Westchase Golf Club, shoppers were able to find the perfect gift for everyone on their lists. Visitors were also treated to samples from area restaurants like Catch 23, Burger 21, FroYo and Tijuana Flats.Jennifer Joyner, the Holiday Market chairperson, was thrilled to announce that this year’s Market raised just over $1,000 for Autism Speaks. Be sure to keep an eye out for next year’s Holiday Market so you can take part in this great event.

The November meeting of the Westchase Artists Society was hosted by Dona and Ron McCaslin of Speedpro Imaging, located on Tampa Road in Oldsmar. Members were treated to a tour of the facilities and were able to view the equipment used in the large format printing in which Speedpro specializes. At the front of the shop, the artists got to see a sample of photographer Liz Rylan’s work blown up into a large trade show display. In addition to seeing how an image was enlarged to create custom wallpaper, artists had a chance to compare various materials used for large printing as well as examples of mounted prints.

The next meeting of the Westchase Artists Society will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. at the Westchase Swim and Tennis Center. The evening’s agenda will include election of officers for 2012. Make sure to check out the group Web site at www.westchaseartists.com for complete details. You can also friend the group on Facebook to stay updated on events.

The Westchase Artists Society is open to all types of visual artists from the Upper Tampa Bay area. Those interested in learning more are invited to drop by a meeting at 7 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of every month at the Westchase Swim and Tennis Center on Countryway Boulevard. Bring your creativity and a piece of artwork to share.

By Teresa Trubilla

Want WABA Information? Join the E-mail List!

The Westchase Area Business Association (WABA) strives to provide Westchase residents and businesses opportunities to build relationships.
For the last two years, we’ve been making this happen. It happens both online and in person.

For face-to-face interaction, there are meetings of all kinds to fit your style. All of these are excellent ways to meet and talk with other Westchasers.

On the first Monday of the month we meet informally at World Of Beer. On the second Tuesday, Power Breakfasts, held at Cracker Barrel on Race Track Road, provide an opportunity for intimate and in-depth interaction. On the third Thursday of the month a local business hosts the monthly business meeting. The next monthly meeting will be hosted by Chase Bank at 11650 Countryway Blvd.; R.S.V.P. at http://on.fb.me/prVn6b

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When not gathering in person, there are online opportunities. Most of our members are aware of that meeting announcements are posted on our Facebook page.  You can also visit http://yourwaba.com Membe.rs are welcome to make announcements as well. We have over two hundred followers on Twitter at http://twitter.com/yourwaba

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One of the best ways to stay informed of the offline and online WABA news is via e-mail. Not all members know that we do maintain an e-mail mailing list. E-mails are sent out once or twice a month notifying members of upcoming meetings and other WABA business. This list was originally started by WABA founder Joel Bigham, but fell out of use. Due to popular demand, the list was re-implemented several months ago.

If you are interested in receiving e-mail updates from the Westchase Area Business Association, simply provide your name and e-mail at http://bit.ly/WABAemail If yo.u have questions or want to contact WABA you can always post on the Facebook page or e-mail us at yourwaba@gmail.com.

By Nathan Bonilla-Warford

Nathan Bonilla-Warford is the owner of Bright Eyes Family Vision Care and can be reached at doc@brighteyestampa.com.