OLDSMAR — When word got out that Gene Dale was trying to establish a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Oldsmar, he said a common response was, “What took so long?”

Elected officials and community members gathered outside Oldsmar City Hall on Dec. 3 to flip the switch on the Christmas tree.

OLDSMAR — While the proposed multimillion-dollar development of downtown Oldsmar continues to struggle to get off the ground, the city’s public art program is soaring.

OLDSMAR — Gabby McGee, a longtime City Council member who made history when she was first elected in 2013, announced her resignation last week.

OLDSMAR — According to a 2012 Library of Congress article, “The responsibilities of Poets Laureate during their terms are not well understood because there are few formal requirements.”

OLDSMAR — The city swore in its newest fire chief in a ceremony held during the Aug. 20 City Council meeting.

OLDSMAR — Several Oldsmar officials, including Mayor Eric Seidel, Council members Linda Norris and Dan Saracki, and Assistant City Manager Felicia Donnelly, attended a dedication ceremony for the city’s new rain garden on July 16.

OLDSMAR — There’s a growing consensus that Oldsmar is one of the most veteran-friendly communities in the state. The reputation stems from its Veterans Memorial Park — a scenic, waterfront expanse that hosts Memorial Day and Veterans Day events — and the many veteran-related causes Oldsmar h…

OLDSMAR — For more than 15 years Oldsmar leaders have been trying to turn the downtown district into a commercial, residential and retail mecca.

Developer Grady Pridgen’s plan to transform the 40-year-old Oldsmar Flea Market into a regional food and entertainment destination kicked off with a circus, complete with giraffes and camels, horses and high-wire acts, spread over the last weekend in May and first weekend in June.

Instead of the gold shovels that are typically used for groundbreaking ceremonies, the pile of dirt in the open field at the Oldsmar Sports Complex on May 17 was lined with blue and black hockey sticks. The equipment change was appropriate for the occasion, however, as Tampa Bay Lightning and city officials broke ground on a new public outdoor street hockey rink, the first facility of its kind in Pinellas County.

OLDSMAR — For the first 100 years of its existence, the city of Oldsmar had no public art installations.

OLDSMAR — Dozens of local riders, family members and fans of the sport packed City Hall on May 7 to express their love and support for the city’s BMX Supercross Track.

OLDSMAR — With the roast of former Oldsmar mayor Doug Bevis kicking off at 7:30 a.m. on April 10, jokes about the early start could be considered low-hanging fruit.

OLDSMAR — The City Council will be female-centric moving forward after former council member Linda Norris and political newcomer Katie Gannon won on March 12.

OLDSMAR — In many ways, Doug Bevis’ final meeting as Oldsmar mayor March 5 epitomized his tenure. He made some people laugh and he made some people cry, and in the process, he made some people realize why he was such a perfect, if unconventional, leader for the city for the past six years.

OLDSMAR – After the City Council rejected a developer’s request for an extension on a proposal to build a 50-unit town home community on four acres of city-owned land near the Oldsmar Public Library last summer, Mayor Doug Bevis said the property was too valuable to support a project that wa…

OLDSMAR – The city of Oldsmar will have a new mayor next year, as current Vice Mayor Eric Seidel was automatically appointed to the position when no one qualified to run against him.

When Mike Boylan began tracking weather as a hobby nearly 15 years ago, he never imagined that one day he’d have half a million people relying on him for their weather forecast. The Oldsmar resident is still surprised that his Facebook page, Mike’s Weather Page, boasts more than 500,000 followers.

OLDSMAR – The leader of an Oldsmar nonprofit was recently recognized as a Hometown Hero by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

OLDSMAR – Oldsmar Vice-Mayor Eric Seidel recently announced his intention to run for mayor in the 2019 municipal election.

OLDSMAR – City of Oldsmar officials recently agreed to enter an agreement with the Tampa Bay Lightning to build an outdoor street and roller hockey rink in town.

OZONA – In 1985, what is now the historic culinary icon, Molly Goodheads’ Raw Bar and Seafood quietly opened in the small village of Ozona, with island music setting its laid-back tone for the next three decades.

OLDSMAR – Pinellas County officials recently held a town hall meeting to answer questions about the proposed Forest Lakes Boulevard reconstruction and widening project.

It’s a week into March and the high school baseball season is in full swing.

OLDSMAR – Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, was in an Oldsmar Elementary School classroom recently to promote a program developed by Google that helps kids learn about computer coding.

OLDSMAR – More than 1,100 American and international BMX riders, including 20 Olympians, from 15 countries and 30 states descended on Oldsmar’s Supercross track Feb. 23-25 for the 2018 USA BMX Gator Nationals.

OLDSMAR – For most young athletes, there’s no bigger thrill than meeting their professional heroes.

OLDSMAR – On the fifth anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting, a deputy from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department held an active shooter presentation at the Nielsen Media Research headquarters in Oldsmar.

OLDSMAR – Like many communities in the Tampa Bay area and all over the Sunshine State, Oldsmar officials were forced to grapple with allowing the establishment of medical marijuana dispensaries in their town following the passage of Amendment 2 last November.