Rockledge community gathers at pancake house to toast a loved hospital
Lyn Dowling | For FLORIDA TODAY In they poured to Kelly and Steve Mardis’ place, employees, former employees and plain supporters of Orlando Health Rockledge Hospital. They still stubbornly call it by the name it had for decades, Wuesthoff, as do many in the area, but on April 17 they gathered to say hello and […]
In they poured to Kelly and Steve Mardis’ place, employees, former employees and plain supporters of Orlando Health Rockledge Hospital. They still stubbornly call it by the name it had for decades, Wuesthoff, as do many in the area, but on April 17 they gathered to say hello and goodbye to one another as well as to the great white landmark that soon will go away.
They had no reception, no party, no sentimental get-together at the hospital, and so the Mardises — Kelly has been a registered nurse at the hospital for 33 years — threw them one at their restaurant, My Island Pancake House, where the staff wear scrubs to honor the health care community.
“We thought we’d get maybe 20 people,” Kelly Mardis said, and nodded toward the two gigantic “Thank you” cakes they displayed at the front of the dining room. “We’ve had probably 200.”
Such are things in Rockledge, where Wuesthoff employed thousands of people in its time and hundreds until recently. But such are things at My Island Pancake House, Merritt Island Pancake House and My Island Smokehouse near Port St. John, which the Mardises also own, every day.
They are there to sell food, of course, but they also are there to contribute something extra to the places in which they exist: spaces for get-togethers, donations of food and money to institutions that need them, faces at meetings, events and parades.
They do holiday drives, host youth sports teams and civic groups and are locally famed for their support of military and law enforcement organizations. They volunteer. They are stalwarts.
They are that because they believe they must be, that restaurants are more than hash-slingers but must personify the “hospitality” in “hospitality industry.”
“This gives us the opportunity to make the community a family, more than just cooking,” Steve Mardis said, and greeted another customer from Wuesthoff. “This is the fun part. The restaurant industry has changed since COVID . . . but we want to make sure this part of it never changes.”
He’s not the only one who believes such things.
As he spoke, volunteers in South Brevard put the finishing touches on an event at the home of Djon Pepaj, owner of Djon’s Steak and Lobster House, among other places, to benefit the Brevard Symphony Orchestra, in which Scott Earick of Scott’s on Fifth and former Florida Today food editor Suzy Leonard will serve as auctioneers and to which Emma Elliott Kirkpatrick of Ossorio in Cocoa Village will bring food.
The night before the Mardises’ event, Charlie Marchica of Genna Pizza Co. was huddled over a little two-top with a customer to discuss how Genna could help the man’s organization, and Marchica shrugged it off as normal, part of things restaurateurs should do.
Genna has donated time, space and food to civic groups, fire departments, law enforcement agencies and schools. “The whole bit,” as he said.
“It is very important for restaurants to be active in the community,” added Marchica, not a man given to pronouncements. “It is good for them to focus on one thing and spend time and grow with them. It’s important to help people in need. It’s better to help people who really need and appreciate it. It’s also important to be passionate about it.”
At a bittersweet event, Rockledge’s people, and Wuesthoff’s, couldn’t have been happier with their pancake house.
“They have become an integral part of our community,” said Deputy Mayor Frank Forester, who shared a table with mayor and former Wuesthoff chairman Tom Price and his wife Theresa; city council member Duane Daski; and city manager Brenda Fettrow. “It’s where people go to share meals and meet friends … but (events such as) this show it’s more than that.”
Kim Kitchin, a longtime Wuesthoff employee most recently in its education department, agreed.
“This (Wuesthoff’s demise) is crushing for a lot of us, though it’s not (last owner) Orlando Health’s fault. This is for all the employees we first knew 30 years ago and it’s brought out people we hadn’t seen in years,” Kitchin said.
“It’s like our little Brevard County community, still intimate and personal. I love Rockledge and I loved working at Wuesthoff. We’re so grateful to Kelly and Steve for this.”
Get in the game: Discuss Brevard County’s culinary scene with 78,600 other food lovers at Florida Today’s Facebook group, www.facebook.com/groups/321FlavorWhereBrevardEats.
To contact Lyn Dowling, email lyndowling@yahoo.com or message via 321 Flavor: Where Brevard Eats.
Tragic Kansas crash claims lives of two Tulsa students, TPS staff member, and youth coach
TULSA, OKLA (KTUL) — Two Tulsa-area students, a Tulsa Public Schools staff member, and a youth sports coach are among those who passed away in a deadly head-on collision in Kansas Sunday night. Kansas Highway Patrol said the accident happened around 5:30 Sunday evening on U.S Highway 169 near Greeley, Kansas. Eight people died, only […]
TULSA, OKLA (KTUL) — Two Tulsa-area students, a Tulsa Public Schools staff member, and a youth sports coach are among those who passed away in a deadly head-on collision in Kansas Sunday night.
Kansas Highway Patrol said the accident happened around 5:30 Sunday evening on U.S Highway 169 near Greeley, Kansas. Eight people died, only one survived and is in the hospital.
Out of those eight people, Tulsa Public Schools confirmed that a Booker T. Washington student and a member of the transportation department were killed. Family and friends confirmed that another man, who was a youth basketball coach, was in the car and was killed, and that his son is the one who survived.
Union Public Schools confirmed a student died as well. A statement from Union said:
It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that I share the news of the tragic passing of one of our 9th grade students who died in a car accident yesterday. On behalf of the entire Union Public Schools community, I extend our deepest condolences to the student’s family, friends, and loved ones.
We have activated our crisis response team and are providing additional counseling resources at the Union Freshman Academy and across the district. Licensed counselors, school psychologists, and support staff are available to meet with anyone who may need help processing this tragedy.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the student’s family, and everyone affected by this tragic event.
TPS said grief counselors are at Carver Middle School, Booker T., and the transportation department.
The victims have been identified as:
Kyrin Shumpert (Union student), Donald Laster, (Booker T. student), Jaimon Gilstrap (Kyrin’s dad and TPS transportation member), and Wayne Walls.
Fort Payne Garrett wins two titles as season comes to end | Sports
The Fort Payne Wildcat track and field teams closed their seasons at the AHSAA state track meet in Gulf Shores last week. In the overall standings, Fort Payne girls finished fourth, while the boys finished 20th. Senior Cooper Garrett not only won the 6A girls Javelin Thursday – she also got her name in the […]
The Fort Payne Wildcat track and field teams closed their seasons at the AHSAA state track meet in Gulf Shores last week. In the overall standings, Fort Payne girls finished fourth, while the boys finished 20th.
Senior Cooper Garrett not only won the 6A girls Javelin Thursday – she also got her name in the record book with a throw of 150.04 feet. Garrett followed the Javelin with another title on Saturday in the 6A girl’s discus, with a throw of 128.09 feet.
Fort Payne scored points in field events as Lydie Varnadore placed second in both girls’ 100- and 300-meter hurdles with times of 14.96 and 45.06.
Hadlee Powell and Garrett both scored points in the shot put event. Powell placed fourth with a throw of 38-03.50, and Garrett placed eighth with a throw of 35.10.00.
The remainder of the scoring in field events came from:
Audrey Pacini, fifth in pole vault 10.06.00
Ruthie Jones, sixth in 800 meters 2:18.06
Kyndal Hughes, eighth in 3200 meters 11:44.47
Fort Payne scored points in track events, finishing second in the girls’ 4×800 meter relay with a time of 9:46.66 and sixth in the girls’ 4×400 meter relay with a time of 4:06.79.
The Fort Payne boys’ scoring in field events went as follows:
Pablo Rodriguez, fifth in the boy’s 800 meters with a time of 1:58.36
Daniel Deleon, eighth in 800 meters with a time of 2:00.45
Kingston Orr, sixth in the boy’s 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.32 seconds
Barron Sanderson, sixth in the pole vault at 13-00.00 feet
The boys’ 4×800 meter relay team posted a sixth-place finish with a time of 8:18.50.
The Fort Payne track and field teams may not have finished the season the way they planned, but the 2025 season produced great results. The team broke several school records, and the athletes set new personal bests throughout the season.
“Every meet has highs and lows, this one was no exception. 6A gets tougher every year and that was true again in 2025 with Chelsea joining the division. Still, our kids showed they can compete with anyone, finishing 4th overall and posting some great times” said Fort Payne Head Coach, Cole Peters.
“It is such special group of kids and a bunch that you just love to be around. They run together and run for each other. Sad to see this year come to an end and we will miss these seniors dearly. Their great accomplishments will continue on long after their track career has come to an end. Looking ahead, we qualified four middle schoolers and 3 freshman for the state meet. The future is bright for fort Payne track and field” said Peters.
Application Submitted For 21 Acre Folsom Ranch Sports Complex – Folsom Times
Proposed facility includes 410,000 square foot facility with 3,000 seat arena, ice hockey rinks, turf fields and more After being proposed last year, an application has been submitted to the City of Folsom for state of the art sports complex within the Folsom Plan area, south of Highway 50. On Monday, business entity The Metal […]
Proposed facility includes 410,000 square foot facility with 3,000 seat arena, ice hockey rinks, turf fields and more
After being proposed last year, an application has been submitted to the City of Folsom for state of the art sports complex within the Folsom Plan area, south of Highway 50. On Monday, business entity The Metal Shop, officially announced submission of their application for Folsom Ranch Sports Complex, a multi-use recreational facility.
The approximately 410,000-square-foot facility will be located on a nearly 21-acre site in south Folsom. The sports complex will include four components: a 3,000-seat arena with a National Hockey League-size ice sheet, two NHL-sized practice ice sheets, and a covered and lit outdoor turf field,” according to the applicant’s plans.
The facility will be designed to host tournaments, practices, and public recreational activities for ice hockey, figure skating, basketball, volleyball, pickleball, lacrosse, soccer, and many other sports. When not used for sporting events, the facility can accommodate conferences, art installations, family festivals, live music, and other community gatherings.
“We’re thrilled to reach this milestone in bringing a much-needed recreational facility to Folsom and the greater Sacramento region,” said Joe Wagoner, CEO of The Mettle Shop. “The Folsom Ranch Sports Complex will not only fill the regional void for ice sports but also provide flexible spaces for a wide range of indoor and outdoor athletic events, from basketball and volleyball to lacrosse and soccer. Our vision is to create a venue that strengthens community bonds through sports, recreation, and entertainment.”
The sports complex will be able to accommodate multiple configurations for various sports and events. The design includes three NHL-size ice sheets, which can be divided into nine youth hockey rinks. When converted, the interior can host up to 24 volleyball courts or 27 youth basketball courts. The outdoor area will include approximately 145,000 square feet of space, including a 126,000-square-foot covered and lit outdoor turf field. Additionally, the facility will offer approximately 20,000 square feet of medical treatment and office space, with a focus on sports rehabilitation.
“We have been eagerly awaiting a formal application for the proposed Folsom Ranch Sports Complex,” said Folsom Mayor Sarah Aquino. “A facility of this scale could bring exciting new opportunities for recreation, tourism, entertainment, and economic activity to our city. While the concept still needs to go through the city’s thorough review process, we appreciate the developer’s investment in Folsom and look forward to learning more as the proposal moves forward.”
An early economic impact report projects the sports complex to generate substantial benefits for the city of Folsom, including the creation of hundreds of jobs and an estimated annual economic impact of over $23.7 million from retail, lodging, food and beverage, and entertainment sales. At full capacity, the facility is projected to serve more than 1.3 million visitors per year.
“This project is a game-changer not just for tourism, but for our entire business community,” said Joe Gagliardi, CEO of Choose Folsom, which includes both the Folsom Chamber of Commerce and the Folsom Tourism Bureau. “The Folsom Ranch Sports Complex will drive new visitor spending, create jobs, and open doors for local businesses to grow alongside the city’s expanding infrastructure. It reflects the kind of visionary development that supports both economic vitality and quality of life for our residents.”
Currently, Sacramento County is the largest county in the United States without a year-round ice facility, and there are no full ice sheets within a 30-minute drive of the project site. The sports complex aims to address this gap while supporting the growing popularity of ice sports in California.
“Our local sports organizations have long advocated for additional high-quality facilities,” said Rich Francis, president of the Folsom Athletic Association. “The Folsom Ranch Sports Complex will dramatically expand opportunities for our youth and adult athletes alike, allowing us to host tournaments and competitions that were previously impossible in our area. Our association represents more than 15,000 young athletes and families through Recreational and Competitive teams, and this facility will only be a net positive.”
According to its company materials, The Mettle Shop team has extensive experience in professional and recreational sports, including managing and operating venues such as Golden1 Center, Sutter Health Park, Oakland Coliseum, and Heart Health Park The project application, including environmental analysis, is will now go under review by the City of Folsom.
Listen to the article 7 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Sports tourism is booming, and not just during big-ticket events. According to UN Tourism, sports travel accounts for 10% of tourism expenditure globally, and the sector is slated to grow 17.5% between 2023 and 2030. Though events […]
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Sports tourism is booming, and not just during big-ticket events. According to UN Tourism, sports travel accounts for 10% of tourism expenditure globally, and the sector is slated to grow 17.5% between 2023 and 2030.
Though events like the Super Bowl and Formula 1 Grand Prix garner headlines for their significant boosts to city hotels — Las Vegas saw record-breaking performance from both events in recent years — the economic impact of sporting events is being felt across regions and hotel chain scales.
Hotel Dive spoke to hotel marketers about how accommodations providers can attract and cater to sports tourists of all kinds — from those traveling to big-ticket city events to regional youth sports competitions.
Supporting family travel
Las Vegas saw “remarkable” 22.2% year-over-year growth in meeting volume in 2024, “attributed significantly to sports entertainment,” according to a July Knowland by Cendyn report.
But while large events like the Super Bowl or World Series bring mass crowds to major markets, smaller events can also have a notable impact on tertiary markets, a Knowland by Cendyn spokesperson told Hotel Dive. “In a market like Chicago or Orlando, a single little league or JV tournament would probably have very little impact on the overall data, while a large tournament in a much smaller market would probably register in a much bigger way.”
Extended stay brand My Place Hotels caters to many of those smaller markets, Megan Kukowski, the brand’s director of marketing, told Hotel Dive.
“It’s definitely increasing,” she said. “And the ages for traveling sports [are] getting younger and younger. You’ll see families traveling hundreds of miles for children as young as first or second grade.”
Kukowski — a former youth athlete herself — said she sees the simple, convenient amenities she preferred in her competition days reflected in the desires of My Place guests.
“We don’t have some of the fancier amenities. Most of our hotels don’t have pools. We don’t have on-site gyms,” she said. “But what we’re learning from this segment is that these families aren’t looking necessarily for those amenities … you’re really looking for a comfortable place to crash after a long day.”
Simple amenities, such as healthy breakfasts, laundry facilities and the ability to store and cook food in-room, go a long way when catering to these travelers, Kukowski noted. Pet-friendly policies also help when entire families hit the road.
Multigenerational travel is on the rise, and more hotels and resorts are catering to large families, experts previously told Hotel Dive. According to Wanderland’s Kids Hospitality Report, released in November, kid-friendly hospitality could be a $175 billion opportunity for hotels globally.
Providing memorable experiences
Nashville, Tennessee, is better known for music tourists than sports tourists. But according to Lisa Bush, Thompson Nashville’s director of sales and marketing, that’s about to change.
“Music City in general has been doing so much better about all kinds of sports,” Bush said.
The NFL’s Tennessee Titans are slated to move into a new $2.1 billion stadium in 2027. But this year, the city has emerged as a soccer destination, thanks to soccer stadium Geodis Park, which opened in 2022. The 30,000-seat venue is the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S., according to the team it hosts, Nashville SC.
In June, Geodis will host club teams from around the world for the FIFA 2025 Club World Cup, an event that Nashville SC Vice Chairman Ian Ayre told local station News 2 will “bring so many people, fill hotel rooms, fill restaurants, fill stores and the spending is incredible.”
As the closest hotel to the stadium, Thompson Nashville is expecting soccer fans aplenty. Bush and her team created a package to cater to these visitors’ needs, including a see-through tote guests can take into the stadium, portable minifans and drink deals for when they return to Thompson after the game.
Unlike busy families crashing at a My Place, guests at the luxury Thompson want more from their hotel.
“They don’t come here just for the bed and the sleep. They want to experience our nightlife, our rooftop, our seafood restaurant and other things here at the property,” Bush said, adding that the biggest part of offering that experience is customer service. “They’re not going to spend the whole time at the sports facility.”
Other hospitality players are offering tailored packages for sports fans, too — often as a loyalty play. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts partnered with Minor League Baseball to allow its loyalty program members to exchange points for baseball tickets last year. And Marriott Bonvoy similarly partnered with the U.S. Soccer Federation to offer exclusive fan experiences.
Staying close to the community
Nashville — which is slated to open the second-most hotel rooms in the U.S. this year, following New York City — has plenty of sports facilities. In 2023, Sports Business Journal ranked the city No. 8 on its list of top markets for sports business.
The city has hosted everything from IndyCar racing to professional bull riding, Bush said. The key to staying prepared, she added, is keeping in touch with the city’s visitors and convention bureau about events.
“We really encourage our individual hotels to get involved in the community,” Kukowski said. My Place hotel managers often connect with local tournament organizers and venues, and sometimes they even sign on as official sponsors to serve as the event’s preferred hotel.
“Really, it is a grassroots effort, and we’re in a lot of tertiary markets so we do have the ability to get really involved in [local] chambers,” she said. “Get to know those people, because it can actually make a huge difference.”
Knowland by Cendyn’s July report also encouraged hoteliers to tap into local networks, as building relationships with sports organizations can position a hotel as “their go-to venue.”
“Understand their requirements, seasonal patterns, and how your hotel can meet their specific needs,” the report advised.
College-town hotels, in particular, are catering to college sports-loving guests with themed decor, gameday watch parties and tailgates — and sports development is directly driving hospitality growth in these markets, Gareth Brown, vice president of operations at Charlestowne Hotels, told Hotel Dive last year.
“The schools that are making strategic expansions in [this area] tend to have a growing need for premium accommodations,” Brown said.
Cape Coral City Council is expected to appoint members to its Youth Council, as well as a Youth Council advisor, on Wednesday. There are seven junior vacancies. The applicants are from Cape Coral High School, Ida Baker High School, Mariner High School, North Fort Myers High School, Oasis High School, and one at large from […]
Cape Coral City Council is expected to appoint members to its Youth Council, as well as a Youth Council advisor, on Wednesday.
There are seven junior vacancies. The applicants are from Cape Coral High School, Ida Baker High School, Mariner High School, North Fort Myers High School, Oasis High School, and one at large from home schooling, or other sources including, but not limited to private or virtual school.
There are three senior vacancies. The city received applications from Cape Coral High School, Island Coast High School, and North Fort Myers High School.
The potential candidate for the advisor vacancy is former city council member Tom Hayden.
In other business at the regular meeting set for 5 p.m.:
• The Multi-Family Impact Fee Deferral Program
Ordinance 17-25 was presented to council in June 2024, resulting in direction to bring a single-family and multi-family impact fee program forward. In August 2024, Ordinance 58-24 was adopted, which created Single-Family Impact Fee Deferral Program.
The key provisions for the Multi-Family Impact Fee Deferral Program include 10-year terms, rents subject to FHFC rental limits, minimum development size of 48 units, minimum set aside 40% of units, program ceiling of 250 units and lien/deferral agreement.
• Ordinance 22-25.
Ordinance 22-25, if passed, would allow for the “composition of the Youth Council to be temporarily increased to allow for all schools to have representation.” A public hearing would follow on May 21.
• Consent agenda.
Among the consent agenda items, approved without discussion unless pulled, is Resolution 114-25, an amendment to a contract between the city and Avalon Engineering, Inc. for additional final design services for the Oasis Sports Field project for a not to exceed amount of $1,062,941.57. This would increase the project amount to $1,359,996.06.
The City Council approved Resolution 102-24 on June 5, 2024, to authorize a 30% design services for the Oasis Sports Fields Project with a contract amount of $297,054.49. On Jan. 17, 2025, Avalon Engineering submitted a 30% design.
On Feb. 19, 2025, City Council and the Cape Coral Charter School Authority Governing Board granted Avalon Engineering, Inc. to “proceed with the final design and permitting phases for the football/track field and components, and the additional design of the baseball/softball field at the Oasis High School.
The amendment includes the “final design of the football/track field and components and the baseball/softball field at Oasis High School.” According to agenda documents, “it was determined that it is to the benefit of the city to add the services to the existing contract.”
Resolution, 123-25, is also on the consent agenda. The first amendment to the contract between the City of Cape Coral and Leon Younger Pros Consulting, Inc, for the Parks Master Plan Update and Development of a Financial Sustainability Strategy. The amendment will include the city-owned golf course on Palm Tree Boulevard in the Parks Master Plan and Financial Sustainability Strategy Project for $74,175, which will increase the amount to $292,755.
The meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 7, in City Council chambers, 1015 Cultural Park Blvd. The meeting is open to the public.
To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY, please email news@breezenewspapers.com
Kai Tak’s lack of cricket ground is missed opportunity, governing body’s ex-CEO says
Hong Kong missed the chance to create a thriving, world-class cricket hub when plans for a suitable playing arena at Kai Tak were abandoned, the sport’s former chief in the city has said. Tim Cutler said he had pushed during his two years as Cricket Hong Kong chief executive for the secondary stadium at Kai […]
Hong Kong missed the chance to create a thriving, world-class cricket hub when plans for a suitable playing arena at Kai Tak were abandoned, the sport’s former chief in the city has said.
Tim Cutler said he had pushed during his two years as Cricket Hong Kong chief executive for the secondary stadium at Kai Tak Sports Park (KTSP) – now known as the youth sports ground – to be configured for cricket.
Melbourne Cricket Club was among the sub-consultants employed during KTSP’s planning stage. Ultimately, however, an athletics track was installed at the 5,000-seat venue, which can also stage football and rugby.
“There are so many facilities with running tracks nearby, but Hong Kong has no world-class cricket ground to host major events,” said Cutler, who could not bring himself to visit the smaller venue when he attended March’s Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens at Kai Tak Stadium.
“All the early designs had cricket in the sports ground. It’s 150 metres [in diameter], which is exactly what you need for top-level cricket. It’s hugely frustrating.”
Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara during his second Hong Kong T20 Blitz appearance in 2018. Photo: Phoebe Leung
Now CEO of the Vanuatu Cricket Association, Cutler pointed to Rwanda’s 10,000-capacity Gahanga Cricket Stadium, which opened in 2017 and has already hosted more T20Is than any other African venue.
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