PHOTOS: Relay For Life Largo 2013

The local edition of the nationwide cancer walk took place Saturday and Sunday at Largo Central Park.

Relay For Life, the annual neighborhood walk to raise money and awarenes for cancer research, came to Largo Central Park on Saturday. According to event organizers and officials, the Largo relay continues to grow in terms of money raised and people participating every year. Largo Relay For Life chair Maria Giasevits said the community had already raised $23,000 this year prior to the event, compared to $26,000 raised all of last year. "This has become a huge event for the city of Largo," Giasevits told Patch prior to the event's kickoff at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon. "It means a tremendous amount to the cancer survivors and their families." "The event just continues to grow," she added. "This year we've got more sponsors, more businesses …

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Jeffrey Rosenfield

8:17 pm on Monday, April 22, 2013

Good point, Mike. Look for a special feature on Skylar very soon on this site!   more ›

Relay For Life This Saturday at Largo Central Park

The all night event is part of the nationwide effort to raise money and awareness for cancer research and survivors.

The annual Largo Relay For Life event takes place this Saturday, April 20, beginning at 2 p.m. at Largo Central Park. The all-night event is part of a nationwide effort to raise money for cancer research and increase awareness and support for survivors of the disease. Lauren Hagwood, Florida spokesperson for the American Cancer Society, said the relays are designed to promote togetherness and teamwork between participants. "Relay For Life events are held overnight as individuals and teams camp out...with the goal of keeping at least one team member on the track or pathway at all times throughout the evening," Hagwood wrote via email. "Relay brings together friends, families, businesses, hospitals, schools, faith-based groups . . . people …

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Largo Central Park's Success Comes From Community's 'Heart'

Greg Brown, director of Largo's parks, talked about the popularity of Largo Central Park and its value to the community to a Clearwater neighborhood group recently.

A former orange packing plant and a patchwork of other parcels made way for what is arguably Largo’s most popular attraction, Largo Central Park. An estimated 800,000 people come to enjoy the more than 30-acre park’s green space, ride on the 1/10 scale train or play on the playground at Seminole Boulevard and Bay Drive. There is a veterans memorial, the Cultural Center and Library in close proximity. To the northwest of the park a new trail system links nearby Bayhead park to the neighborhood closeby. “It wasn’t always like this,” Greg Brown, who is in charge of Largo's parks, said to Clearwater neighborhood leaders recently. Brown, who has worked at the city for 15 years, talked at a March 4 Clearwater Neighborhoods Coalition meeting …

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Domestic Violence Vigil Sunday at Largo Central Park

Victims of domestic violence in Pinellas County in 2012 will be remembered with a candlelight vigil on Sunday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.

On Sunday, Feb. 24, the Pinellas County Domestic Violence Task Force will honor the memories of domestic violence victims in 2012 with a special candlelight vigil at Largo Central Park. According to Frieda Widera, victim advocate for the Largo Police Department, last year saw an unusually high rate of homicides related to domestic violence in the county, prompting the decision to hold the vigil. "We had a high number of domestic violence homicides — 13 of them — in 2012," said Widera, who is also the chair of the fatality review team. "Of those 13, five were homicide/suicide cases. So we felt we needed to do something to help bring awareness to this issue. The vigil is a way to raise awareness and get people thinking about lives lost to …

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PHOTOS: Touch-a-Truck and Florida Clown Day Event

Organizers say perfect weather and a variety of contributors made the family event one of the best ever. Were you there? Take photos? Add them to our gallery!

While a blizzard raged in the Northeast, there were nothing but blue skies and smiling faces at Largo Central Park on Saturday for the annual Touch-a-Truck and Florida Clown Day event. Thousands of people poured into the park to see all the vehicles, businesses and vendors that participated in the 18th edition of the family friendly event, which featured a dramatic appearance by Bayfront Medical Center's Bayflite helicopter. With the addition this year of a community business expo, plus a variety of vehicles and a cluster of clowns, organizer Christina Heubel said the event was a huge success. "This has been a great experience for our vendors, our instructors, the community businesses, it's just been an amazing time," Heubel, the city's …

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Come Touch a Truck at Largo Central Park Today

The annual Touch-a-Truck and Florida Clown Day, a family friendly event that’s suitable for kids of all ages, is Saturday.

Touch-a-Truck and Florida Clown Event This Saturday at Largo Central Park

The annual event features vehicles to interact with, clowns and family friendly activities.

Are you ready to climb aboard a fire truck, check out a helicopter while it’s on the ground or watch a bunch of clowns perform silly tricks? If so, you’ll want to head to Largo Central Park on Saturday, Feb. 9, for the 18th annual Touch-a-Truck and Florida Clown Day, a family friendly event that’s suitable for kids of all ages. The free event kicks off at 11 a.m. and will feature dozens of vehicles that visitors can interact with, including fire trucks, dump trucks, motorcycles, buses and 18-wheelers. In addition, there will be more than 100 clowns from all over the state present, courtesy of the Uptown Clown Alley. They will be entertaining the crowd with balloon animals, face paining and a slew of silly clown tricks.  This year the event…

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Jason Bartolone

10:47 am on Friday, February 8, 2013

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the Patch tent at the business expo! Stop by for some free Patch swag!   more ›

Celebrate Chinese New Year in Largo

Consider joining the first-ever Chinese New Year celebration in Largo's Central Park Feb. 2.

The first-ever celebration of the Chinese New Year is Feb 2 in Largo Central Park, said Largo City Commissioner Curtis Holmes at a recent meeting. "This ought to be a pretty, nifty thing," Holmes said. If you are looking to celebrate 2013, the Chinese Year of the Snake, the Largo Central Park celebration is from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. The Chinese New Year event includes children's games, art, crafts, and food. The live stage performances will include the dragon dance, lion dance, traditional folk dance, traditional music and kung fu demonstrations, according to a Facebook post by one of the event's organizers. While Largo's celebration is on Feb. 2, due to the track of the new moon, the 2013 Chinese …

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New Business on the Block

7-Eleven Now Open by Largo Central Park

The new 7-Eleven store is now open at 10 North Missouri Ave.

The new 7-Eleven opened Jan. 4. The location is open 24 hours daily. The new convenience store and gas station is located at the busy corner of East Bay Drive and North Missouri Avenue.  The 7-Eleven is in the former location of Metro Gas, which was previously a Citgo station. The new store has 7-Eleven's usual line of popular drinks like Big Gulps and Slurpees, plus sandwiches, salads, hot foods and grill products. The 7-Eleven is not the only new gas station in town. The new Thorntons opened Dec. 30 and a few Wawas are coming to the Largo area. If you go to 7-Eleven: Stay connected by signing up for our free email newsletter or "liking" us on Facebook.

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Holiday Lights and S'mores Return to Largo Central Park

The annual holiday light display returns to Largo Central Park from Nov. 29 through early January.

Since Oct. 29, the City of Largo has been setting up lights at Largo Central Park for the annual holiday lights display. More than one million lights will illuminate the park from Nov. 29 through early January. The community will be able to enjoy the elaborate lights on the trails, trees and rooftops in the park. All of the lights except for the holiday tree will be illuminated by Nov. 29. The holiday tree will be lit at a special celebration on Dec. 1, said Largo Parks Superintendent Greg Brown. A new lighted Largo sign will be part of the holiday lights display. The special three-foot-illuminated sign will spell out L-A-R-G-O in big block letters. The sign will be installed this week, Brown said. The holiday stroll and tree lighting is …

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