Pioneer Days-Dade City

In case you've never been, there's a little gem of a museum in Dade City called the Pioneer Florida Museum and Village. Pioneer Florida is a collection of historical buildings and items of the Florida pioneer on display throughout 16 beautiful acres just north of Dade City on Highway 301. There's a main building housing many artifacts from all aspects of pioneer life such as farming, spinning, blacksmithing and food preparation. There's even a schoolhouse and train depot on the property. This weekend would be a great time to visit because it's the museum's annual Pioneer Days Festival (August 31 and Sept. 1). One will find civil war reenactments, children's activities, and craft demonstrations throughout both Saturday and Sunday. Pioneer Days occurs every Labor Day weekend. To find out more, just click on the link:

http://www.pioneerfloridamuseum.org/index.php

Pasco County Community Development Homebuyer Programs

Pasco County Community Development assists residents of the county with neighborhood revitalization and housing programs. One program they offer is the Homebuyer Assistance Program. With real estate prices down, now might be a good time to buy a home if you are ready. There are certain parameters applicants have to meet. The money provided by the county is considered a 0% loan and must be paid back according to each person's ability within a 30 year time frame. Click on the link below to be taken to the document page of Community Development:

Comm Development Docs and Forms

From there, click on the fifth PDF file down entitled "Homebuyer Assistance Program."

Take a glance. The program could help you get into that dream home you've always wanted.

SCORE Ch. 439-Serving Pasco & Hernando

Have you ever heard of the Service Corps of Retired Executives? Probably not. But, you've probably heard of SCORE, which is the acronym for the Service Corps. SCORE is a non-profit group dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and small business owners across America. SCORE is a resource partner with the Small Business Administration (SBA). If you are actively pursuing your own business or just thinking about it, the volunteers of SCORE are a valuable resource. Take advantage of their years of knowledge. We have a chapter right in our own area. SCORE Chapter 439 serves both Pasco and Hernando counties. You can view their website just by clicking on the link under "Business/Legal/Career." You can also view the national SCORE site by visiting the following link: http://www.score.org/index.html

Keep your eye out for SCORE business seminars at your local library. Seminars covering various topics from Record Keeping/Quickbooks to Writing a Business Plan are available. At the SCORE 439 website, just click on the link under seminars.

Pasco County Economic Development Council

Pasco County is home to many great groups that help different aspects of the community. One group that helps to promote growth and business development in the county is the Pasco County Economic Development Council. The PEDC helps new and established businesses (according to their home page):

• Find funding resources to expand your business
• Coordinate job and workforce training programs
• Coordinate employer activities/services with Career Central
• Obtain local permits and assist with regulatory requirements
• Work as a liaison with various state and federal agencies
• Link directly to the business leaders in the Tampa Bay region through its membership in the Tampa Bay Partnership
• Coordinate local and State incentives

The PEDC can also provide demographic/statistical data for anyone doing research on business in Pasco County.

The PEDC can provide you with:

• Up-to-date demographic figures for the County
• Manufacturing trends and needs based on the results of our annual survey
• Available commercial and industrial buildings and sites in the County
• Annually updated list of manufacturers in the County
• List of 24 Largest Employers
• List of 24 Largest Manufacturers

This is a very valuable, useful resource in Pasco County. Check out their website under "Business/Legal/Career."