Tampa, Fla., to exchange visitors with the other Tampa
Tampa, Fla., radio station WLFA is conducting a contest for a new slogan for the station. The prize? A trip for two to Tampa, Kan. In addition, a couple from Tampa will be given a trip to Tampa, Fla.
The Tampa Community Association met Thursday and selected Mayor Jim Clemmer and his wife, Mary, to make the trip to Florida.
The exchange is expected to take place the weekend of Feb. 11-13. Gerald and Jeanne Rziha will host the Florida couple. They are planning an itinerary for them, including homecoming festivities Feb. 11 at Centre High School.
The two municipalities have previous connections. It began when the Girl Scouts held an international Jamboree at Marion County Lake. When a group of Scouts and their leader from Tampa, Fla., heard about Tampa, Kan., they asked to spend a day there.
Two years later, the scout leader, her husband, and daughter came back to Tampa and spent an afternoon and evening with the Clemmers. They presented the Clemmers with the keys to the city and a letter from the mayor. The two families continue to exchange Christmas cards.
Recently, the Clemmers received a call from a second-grade teacher in Tampa, Fla., asking for a history of Tampa, which was sent.
Then, in connection with the contest, the host of the radio station at Tampa called Clemmer and talked to him on the air for a few minutes. Clemmer told him a little about the town and surrounding area.
Tampa, Fla., is located in Hillsboro County, so the radio host was interested to learn that a town named Hillsboro was in the area.
Mary is nervous about the trip to Florida, but Jim is excited.
"I've never been to Florida," he said. "I want to look around and see things."
