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- Issue #491: Local Support Grows After SNAP Cuts | Belk’s Back in Town | Don’t Miss the Riverwalk Parade | Dodgers' Epic 11th-Inning Win
Issue #491: Local Support Grows After SNAP Cuts | Belk’s Back in Town | Don’t Miss the Riverwalk Parade | Dodgers' Epic 11th-Inning Win
11/3/2025
Ted Grellner
03 Nov
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In this issue of NewTampa | WesleyChapel
Local Pulse
Our Event Calendar
—> I have a volunteer posting events in the Events Calendar now. Hope it helps.
Feel free to also post events of interest to our NT|WC Live Events Calendar; its easy to do.
Local News
— Tampa Bay Restaurants Step In as SNAP Benefits End
— After 30 Years, Belk Returns to Tampa Bay with New Store
Of Interest
— Tampa’s Riverwalk Boat Parade Set to Sparkle December 20
Sports
— Dodgers Make History with 11th-Inning Heroics in Game 7
Our NT|WC Live Events Calendar:
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Tampa Bay Restaurants Step In as SNAP Benefits End
With SNAP benefits ending nationwide on Saturday, Tampa Bay's local restaurants and food pantries are rallying to support struggling families.
Pia Goff, owner of Gulfport’s long-standing restaurant Pia’s, has begun offering free meals to those in need. “If it were my aunt or uncle, I’d say, ‘Come over to dinner,’” Goff explained, highlighting the community-first mindset.
Joining her, The Blind Tiger café is providing free meals to children, no questions asked, while food pantries like Nameless Ministries and Parrish United Methodist Church report surging demand.
Goff emphasized Gulfport’s resilience, noting, “It doesn't matter if it's a hurricane, COVID, or now this—we come together.”
Pia’s will continue giving meals as needed and may seek additional funding if demand increases in the weeks ahead.
After 30 Years, Belk Returns to Tampa Bay
with New Store
Department store giant Belk is making its Tampa Bay comeback, announcing a new location at The Grove in Wesley Chapel—its first in the area since 1993.
The 30,000-square-foot space, formerly occupied by HobbyTown (and before that, Bed Bath & Beyond), is expected to open in 3 to 6 months, located between Cost Plus World Market and Ross.
Belk last operated locally as Belk Lindsey, a partnership-based chain headquartered in Tampa before closing its final Britton Plaza store in 1993.
Today, Belk operates nearly 300 stores in 16 states, including outlets in Spring Hill, Lakeland, and Land O’ Lakes.
Now operating as Belk Inc., the chain has modernized and rebranded, offering name-brand apparel, beauty products, shoes, and home goods—comparable to Macy’s or Dillard’s.
For many locals, this signals a nostalgic return of a once-familiar department store name.
Tampa’s Riverwalk Boat Parade Set to Sparkle December 20
Tampa’s most dazzling holiday tradition returns Saturday, December 20, 2025, as the Holiday Lighted Boat Parade sails through Downtown Tampa starting at 6:15 PM.
The festively decorated vessels—both large and small—will launch from near the Davis Islands Lighthouse, gliding past Sparkman Wharf, Harbour Island, and the Tampa Convention Center.
Large boats will dock at the Convention Center, while smaller boats (under 12’ air draft) continue north along the Hillsborough River, passing Curtis Hixon Park and Ulele, ending near Armature Works.
Spectators can watch for free along the Tampa Riverwalk, with prime views and VIP access at Sparkman Wharf, where judges will award prizes for the best-decorated boats.
Boat registration is open, and prizes are up for grabs—so locals are encouraged to join the fun and light up the water in this magical community celebration!
Dodgers Make History with 11th-Inning Heroics
in Game 7
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in 11 innings Saturday night to win their second consecutive World Series title.
Will Smith’s solo homer off Shane Bieber in the 11th gave LA its first lead, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto earned his third win of the Series with 2 ⅔ clutch innings of relief.
Down 4-2 in the ninth, Miguel Rojas homered to tie it, and the Dodgers turned a dramatic 6-4-3 double play to end Toronto’s 11th-inning threat and seal their ninth championship.
LA overcame a 3-0 deficit sparked by Bo Bichette’s three-run homer and leaned on every starter—Ohtani, Glasnow, Snell, and Yamamoto—to get the job done.
The Dodgers become the first back-to-back champs in 25 years, and manager Dave Roberts’ Hall of Fame case just got stronger.
Yamamoto was named Series MVP, capping a Game 7 packed with milestones and moments fans won’t forget.
Here’s a sneaky one: the trophy almost never gets handed out to the home crowd anymore. Since 2014, every champion has clinched the World Series on the road—except the 2022 Astros—and the home team hasn’t won a winner-take-all Game 7 at home since the 2011 Cardinals.
Top Things to do in Tampa Bay |
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🎭 Tonight in Wesley Chapel & New Tampa (& TB): Entertainment Spotlight
Date (Day) | Time | Act | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
Useful Arts & Entertainment Event Links
The Arts
- The Exhibiting Society of Artists (new)
- USF College of the Arts
- USF Steinway Piano Concert Series
Theater
- NTPAC - New Tampa Performing Arts Center
- New Tampa Players
- USF School of Theatre & Dance
- Wesley Chapel Theater Group
- Carrollwood Players Theatre
Misc
- Carrollwood Center Events
- Craft Festivals (new)
- Fall (Farmer’s) Market Guide for Tampa Bay (new)
- The Krate, WC
- The Shops at Wiregrass, WC
- visitflorida.com
For Kids
- Fun4TampaKids
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