Jon Didier arrives a little frazzled on a recent Monday at Blur Night Club. Didier, 25, a city parks and recreation employee recognized by his trademark dark-rimmed glasses and dreadlocks, explains a crazy day wrought with car problems. He made it just in time to start setting up for Hip-Hop Open Mic Night with his pajama-clad friend Derek Saballos, only to discover an unprecedented problem with the mic lines.  All of the tension melts away when Didier lets go and allows his hip-hip alter ego "J Ditty" take over as emcee at 10 p.m. when free-styling is scheduled to begin. In the back, live …

Dunedin Patch's April Facebook cover photo is a timeless Dunedin scene. Lucky for us, this month's featured photographer Richard Bennett is a 10-year Palm Harbor resident who found himself on the Dunedin Causeway on March 30. It isn't the first time we've noticed his photos in the Dunedin Patch community scrapbook, so wanted to learn more about the person behind all the amazing shots. Here's some of his stats: Rick Bennett, 50, is St. Petersburg native and 27-year Pinellas County Sheriff's veteran, who became interested in photography when he retired in 2010. Find more of his photography at …

Tia Bennett sees a homeless pooch, she tries to volunteer as a foster parent. Likewise, when she sees castaway yard sale or thrift items, she tries to re-purpose them.  "I don't see it as junk, even if it's a weathered old table. It's all about reusing. What can we make that into?" she said. Bennett, a Suncoast Animal League volunteer, turned her love for animals and yard sale treasures into a new business called "Lucky Dog Gone Green." The busy, mother of two has a home studio in Dunedin where she smashes colorful old plates into pieces for mosaic dog feeders and cuts up furniture, only to …

Dunedin resident Anne Hansen snapped a spring training moment at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium capturing this month's Dunedin Patch Facebook cover photo. Her shot captures a Toronto Blue Jays player in mid-air as he's turning a double play on Tampa Bay Rays prospect Wil Myers sliding into second base. We noticed Hansen's photo in the Dunedin Patch online community scrapbook and thought it would be a great way to celebrate spring training in Dunedin during March. It isn't the first time we've noticed her sports photos, especially of the Tampa Bay Rays, so we thought we'd learn more about the …

A Dunedin musician recently penned a touching song that commemorates the 26 lives lost in the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy. The song titled "Let the Little Angels Fly" begins poignantly: "There are 20 brighter stars shining down on us tonight."   The artist, Michelle Lee Grossman, frequently performs in Dunedin, and she shared her song-writing accomplishment in a Dunedin Patch announcement over the weekend. If you like what you hear, check out more of Grossman's songs on YouTube. Also, feel free let her know what you think in the comments section. Related Articles: Nathalie Hernandez Pens …

The City of Dunedin Pipe Band brought home a victory from Winter Springs over the weekend, the band reports. The band performed Sunday at the Central Florida Scottish Highland Games, held Jan. 19-20, and won over judges in the Grade 4 category. Christie Kelso shared video of the city band's winning performance on YouTube. It is also attached to this article. Last year, the City of Dunedin placed second at the Central Florida games. The Dunedin Highland Games are slated for April 13 at Highlander Park.

Dunedin High School needs you to help win $15,000 toward its music program. Band director Ian Black nominated a video of the Scottish Highlander Band performing "Deck the Halls" in Rack Room Shoes' national Gift of Music Video Contest. Four winning schools across the country will receive a $15,000 grant toward its music program, an Apple iPod Touch, a $500 iTunes gift card and a set of speakers. To vote, simply click the "VOTE" button on Dunedin High School's online video entry. This link takes you directly to Dunedin's entry. The voting period runs through Jan. 11. Dunedin High is one of 54 …

Dunedin High teen Nathalie Hernandez's recent song was meant to inspire hope. "Keep Smiling Child," a song she penned with Cole Holland, a young musician from Seattle, was originally intended to inspire hope in children's hearts at the largest pediatric hospital in Southern California: Children's Hospital Los Angeles. But the young singer-songwriter's lyrics also speak to a nation grappling with the Dec. 14 tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, her mother Sherry Hernandez wrote to Dunedin Patch. "Since the terrible tragedy in Connecticut, the words seem all the more relevant…

Don Kohler has been known for many things over the course of his 80 years. He is a former school teacher, a father, grandfather, an ex-cruise ship dance instructor, a self-proclaimed devout bachelor and a lover of collectibles. But the one thing he would really like to be known as is an artist.  “I had a teenager with spiky hair once tell me that I’m not a hobbyist, I’m an artist,” he said from his condo in Dunedin. “I liked to hear that. I think I am an artist.” Kohler creates original and intriguing works in the form of customized model train flat cars, a hobby he has pursued passionately …

Name: Kathy Lerche, age 63    Hometown: Warwick, RI  Time in Dunedin: Her family moved to Dunedin in 1978, but she has lived in Dunedin for the past 18 years.  Keys to Awesomeness: Kathy Lerche is a nurse at Morton Plant Hospital. She has been sharing life's simple moments through her photography for the past nine years, after taking a class at Dunedin Fine Art Center. Her photos have been featured in the St. Petersburg Times, at the Dunedin Public Library and at Morton Plant Hospital. She has won several regional and countywide contests including one sponsored by Tampa Bay Magazine last fall…