Tampa Bay Times du lieu suivant : St. Petersburg, Florida • 33

lt TIMES SUNDAY, MARCH 31, 1985 9' "'V; 'SMV itr-x cr I i Clearwater has a world of nature in its own back yard Mary and Elmer Nelson of Belleair Bluffs, above, pause along the nature trail at Moccasin Lake Park. Left, Diana King shows a red-tailed hawk to some of the people attending Saturday's Fun 'n Sun Nature Day at the park. nature. But with Moccasin Lake Park they've got a place within city limits to get out into the way Florida used to be." The park is at 2750 Park Trail Lane in east Clearwater, off U.S. 19.

Outside the park's visitor center, Diana King displayed two red -tailed hawks she brought from the Sun-coast Seabird Sanctuary. Pete Samuelson, a member of the Friends of Moccasin Lake Park, the group that sponsored Nature Day, set off down the nature trail to lead the first of two bird walks. Later, there would be a plant walk, a reptile walk and a snake-handling demonstration. The background to each activity was the sounds of nature the wind in the trees; the flapping of a hawk's wings. By KIT BOSS Llrgo-Sminol Tim 8tW Writ CLEARWATER Moccasin Lake Park enfolds 51 acres of woods and water.

Hundreds of animals find sanctuary in the park. Songbirds. Alligators. Snakes. Owls.

Squirrels. And people. "I have been dying to come up here and see the park," said Mildred Lipsteuer, of Clearwater. "It is just exquisite." On Saturday, Mrs. Lipsteuer visited the park for the first time.

The occasion was Fun 'n Sun Nature Day. "This is a day to let people get out and get away from things," said Eric Trogdon, chairman of the event that was part of the Fun 'n Sun Festival. "Most of the people here are condensed in the city of Clearwater and think they have to drive miles to find Largo-Ssminol Times STEVE HASEL cs L-4 p- 1 1 1 1 rr I 1 T3r 4' Michelle Kurtigs, left, and Shelly Coghill get ready to return the ball Saturday in the Fun 'n Sun Volleyball Tournament on Clearwater Beach. Largo-Smirot Timet JOSE FONT I L' Volleyball tournament nets a big audience By SHARON KIRBY Lrgo-Sminola Tinri Staff Wrifr Play begins again at 9 a.m. today and will continue until winners are determined.

The tournament is on the beach at Pearly's Oasis concession stand west of the Holiday House Motel, 495 Gulfview about halfway between the Holiday Inn Surfside and the Palm Pavilion in Clearwater Beach. Players pay $10 per team. The proceeds will benefit the March of Dimes. The tournament is free to spectators. Sponsors include Pearly's, Tropical Blend suntan products and radio station WAVE-FM.

Gusty winds didn't seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the players, who were practicing and exercising while they waited for play to begin. Many spectators showed up as well, with lawn chairs, beach blankets and coolers for a day in the sun watching sand-covered players battle it out in the preliminary matches of the two-day tournament with divisions for men and women. Several top two-man teams were expected to participate, including the Sarasota duo of Kerry Kleppinger and Doug Eisemann. CLEARWATER LoU of people came to Clearwater Beach Saturday for the Fun 'n Sun Volleyball Tournament, a new event this year featuring two-person teams. Tournament director Doug Vollmer, who owns Pearly's Oasis, one of the sponsors of the event, was still trying to fit about 50 entrants into a playing schedule for the available nets at 9:30 a.m.

Saturday. Participation was "more than I expected," Vollmer said. Largo-Ssminola Timet JOSE FONT Claude Miranda, a virtuoso among vendors, sells balloons to Pam Quicke and Elizabeth Tomalesky at Friday night's Fun 'n Sun parade. Balloon salesman soars above the rest along parade route By KIT BOSS Largo-Saminola Timet Staff Writer 1 3 I i it Sf J' I Li ta-mJ-- I Miranda crossed the street and approached Denise Fougeri. Miranda must have seen something in the 4' 2 -year-old's eyes because moments later she was buying a red balloon.

"Do you want to trade one of your pigtails for a balloon, little girl?" said Miranda. Denise did not. "I can tease little girls about their freckles and pigtails," Miranda said as he walked toward the empty storefront on Cleveland Street where other Sertoma Club members were inflating balloons. "You can't tease little boys." AFTER PICKING up another fistful of balloons, Miranda was back on the parade route, back to his patter. "I'd be willing to bet that Claude outsells everyone else," said Linda Hammond, who was helping inflate the balloons with helium.

Meanwhile, Miranda was tying balloons on the police cars and fire engines leading the parade. On an evening when there was no reason for a man wearing a tall fez hat and driving a midget car to be embarrassed, Miranda was in his element. "You kind of suspend all the staid rules of conservatism and just let loose," Miranda said. He spotted something in the eyes of a tan young woman standing on the curb. He approached, balloons in hand, tongue in cheek.

Little girl, would you like a CLEARWATER Among the vendors, Claude Miranda was a virtuoso. He worked the crowd from curb to curb, always moving, usually talking, selling his balloons. "Every once in a while you can read someone's eyes," Miranda said. "A good salesman, a good cop and a good bartender all can read eyes." On two of those three counts, Miranda should know. He used to be a police officer in Kansas.

Now the 41-year-old Miranda calls himself a bakery engineer. But once a year, as a member of the Clearwater Breakfast Sertoma Club, Miranda turns salesman and hawks balloons for charity at the Fun 'n Sun parade. By 6:40 Friday night, after about an hour on the street, Miranda said he had already sold 40 balloons. The parade start was still an hour away. HE COVERED a five-block section of the parade route, primarily between Missouri and Evergreen avenues.

"I put a pedometer on me one year, and I did 12 miles along this stretch of Cleveland Avenue," he said. Trying to keep up with Miranda on Friday night, you'd swear he logged at least 112. "How 'bout a balloon, folks?" Miranda bellowed. "Help put me through college. You're never too old for a balloon." Largo-Saminola Timai JOSE FONT Dishing it out Joseph Givliani, right, and Ralph Swanker dish up a serving of spaghetti for Joseph Stashkevetch at an all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner Friday night sponsored by the American Heart Association and Largo Medical Center Hospital..