FOCUS PC 04-08 August 2005 by Floyd Publications

LOCAL • REAL ESTATE • BUSINESS • SPORTS • DINING • ENTERTAINMENT

FOCUS

VOLUME 4 NUMBER 8 • AUGUST 15 - SEPTEMBER 15 • 2005

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TAKE ONE

PLANT CITY EDITION

BACK TO OUR ROOTS Focusing Focusing on on the the Founding Founding Communities Communities of of Plant Plant City City

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 1

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contents LOCAL 7-23

In this month’s local section we meet quite a few neat people. There is Oﬃcer Allen who rides around the Downtown area making our community feel safe. Alexandria is a teenager whose life took an unexpected turn when she was diagnosed with a challenging disease. Dr. Ferry and Dr. Borders introduce to us a time-saving way to whiten your teeth.

FEATURE 24-45

This feature is far from anything ever done before at Focus. We zoomed in on nine surrounding communities around Plant City, looking at the history and interesting diﬀerences amongst them all. This will be a twopart feature. This month we will look at Dover, Antioch, Thonotosassa, Cork, Springhead, and Hopewell.

SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW 48-50

One of our home-town girls, Ann Poonkasem, was on the Reality TV show “Wanna Be a Hilton.” She has accomplished many things in her life and has an exciting life ahead of her. She has won multiple pageants and has many more roads to pursue.

DID YOU KNOW? 56

The Plant City Photo Archives discusses the history of the Hillsboro State Bank building, and what co-occupied it when it was in its previous location. The original location was placed on the Florida State Register of Historic Sites in 1974.

HOME GUIDE SECTION 59-81 This section is dedicated to buyers, sellers and owners

SPORTS 90-92

Congratulations to the Tampa Mustangs who won the ASA Fast Pitch Title. Multiple softball teams came out and competed at the Randy Larson Softball Stadium Complex.

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION

PUBLISHER Mike Floyd mike@ﬂoydpublications.com

EDITOR IN CHIEF Linda Floyd linda@ﬂoydpublications.com

MANAGING EDITOR Sophia Dedon sdedon@ﬂoydpublications.com

OFFICE MANAGER DeDe Floyd dede@ﬂoydpublications.com

CREDIT MANAGER Bob Hughens bob@ﬂoydpublications.com

SALES Tania Summers tsummers@ﬂoydpublications.com

Suzanne Gross sgross@ﬂoydpublications.com

Darsey Tyler dtyler@ﬂoydpublications.com

DINING & ENTERTAINMENT 103-116 The Rat Pack Too graced the Ramada in with its presence putting on an unforgettable show. We learn the history of this band and its formation. Sherri Robinson gives a review of Rick’s Custom Meats & Smokin’ Joe’s that will make all of your senses scream to fulﬁll the cravings of delicious Bar-B-Q.

Lisa Grimes ART DIRECTOR Phil Ransdell philrand@ﬂoydpublications.com

GRAPHIC DESIGN Stefanie Burlingame sburlingame@ﬂoydpublications.com

DISTRIBUTION Tony DeVane PHOTOGRAPHER Billy Friend STAFF WRITERS Sherri Robinson, Brian West, Amy Ellis, Brenda Paul, Kristen Toney, Lynne Warren, Ken Lawrence, Laverne Stevens, Chris Ricketts, Connie DuBois, Sherry Baldwin, Devin Dygert, Dawn Marie Simpson CONTRIBUTORS Sherry Nueesch, Gil Gott, Jim Brown, Shelton Keely, Shelton Keely, Michael Cameron, Al Cohen

Other stories that can be found in the magazine are updates on both Bob and Lt Stephens. Bob updates us on how he is doing with his weight loss program. We were excited to ﬁnd out he is below 300 pounds for the ﬁrst time in 15 years! Also, Lt. Stephens updates us on how our home-town boys are doing in their training to prepare them for what they will encounter in Iraq.

FOCUS Magazine is published monthly and is available through local Plant City businesses, restaurants, and many local venues. Letters, Questions and Comments can be sent to us at SDEDON@floydpublications.com. Advertisers warrant and represent the descriptions of their products advertised are true in all respects. Focus Magazine assumes no responsibility for claims made by advertisers. All letters and their contents sent to Focus Magazine become the sole property of Floyd Publications, Inc and may be reproduced thereof. All views expressed in all articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Floyd Publications, Inc. Use or duplication of material used in this publication is prohibited without approved written consent from Floyd Publications, Inc.FOCUS Magazine is published monthly and is available through local Plant City businesses, restaurants, and many local venues. It is also distributed to 10,000 homes.

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ON THE COVER: A road sign designating six areas of the Plant City region that are full of interesting data and history. Check out the details beginning on page 24.

ﬂoyd publications, inc. 702 West Mlk Jr. Blvd. Plant City, Florida 33563 Phone 813.707.8783 Fax 813.764.0990

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 4

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 5

letter editor FROM THE

recently watched a two-hour documentary on HBO about the Kindertransport of Jewish children from Germany, Austria, Poland and Czechoslovakia to Great Britain between 1937 and 1938. This is when the Nazis allowed the Jewish parents to send their children away to a foreign country to live with people who were complete strangers, mostly promising to join them shortly, but many parents suspecting that wouldn’t happen. When it was over, I just sat there while the credits ran, the impact of all I had just seen sinking deeper and deeper, crying and thinking, “What if that had been me?” As a mother and grandmother, I couldn’t help thinking about how hard it would have been for those parents to give up their children, not knowing to whom they were going, but also knowing that if they didn’t, their children would be in very grave danger. I was also awed by the generosity of the thousands of families who took them in, most of them with the best of intentions. A plaque was shown hanging in the House of Parliament expressing gratitude for the largest single display of mercy shown up to that date. But there was one lady throughout the program telling her story of how she was so loved by her father, so doted on, almost spoiled, and how her parents agonized over their decision to send her away. They knew it was best, but when the time came and she was on the train, her father hobbled with his cane beside it as it was leaving the station, asking her to let him hold her hand one last time. She was holding his hand as the train was pulling out and at the last possible minute, he pulled her out of the window and down to the platform. He couldn’t let her go, and they ended up spending some years in Auschwitz. Her parents didn’t survive, but she said that so many times she wondered how diﬀerent her life would have been had her father not pulled her out of that window. What would you do? Contemplation of this kind can really give us a long look at what we’re made of. While times have changed, I’m enough of an optimist to believe that, if circumstances were very dire, that we would have as many heroes today as we did back then. They are among us every day if we take the time to notice. Sometimes they aren’t noticed because, as Tom Brokaw once said, “Heroes are people who rise to the occasion and slip quietly away.” Do you know someone like that? I do; I’m married to him. There are many people in our community that have had to make some tough choices and we highlight a few of them this month. We learn of the struggles of Alexandria Prescott as she tries to overcome a devastating disease at a young age and about the folks in Plant City that want to help her. In our Tell Your Tale this month, Sherri found Tony Evans in the midst of making a life altering decision as he searches for a new job that could possibly move him from the hometown he loves. Patti Britt Walker shares her inspirational story of her determination and positive choices that led to her overcoming four strokes in less than a ten year period. Thanks for all your support and readership, and, as always, we hope you enjoy this issue.

Linda Floyd

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 6

l a c lo Starting this month we would like to keep our readers updated on the important events taking place in citizens’ lives around the community. If you have an exciting announcement you would like everyone to read, then contact us and we will include it in the following issue. First off, we are saying farewell to the five seniors of the Plant City High School softball team who have been playing together since they were 11 or younger. All of them received softball scholarships to various colleges and many even a full ride. Congratulations to Leticia Manning who will be attending North Florida Community College, Brittany Reece who will be attending St. Leo University, Kayla Adams who will be attending Hillsborough Community College, and to Jessica Polly and Samantha Waldron who will both be attending South Florida Community College. Also, two local girls, Ashlyn Robinson and Cali Leonard were invited to dance at Epcot during their 4th of July Celebration with their dance team, Mamie’s School of Dance in Bartow. They put two months worth of practice in towards preparing for this event. The show consisted of 5 routines and was repeated three times during the afternoon and evening. Both of these girls will be going into the 8th grade at Tomlin Middle School and were proud to represent the Plant City Community. The Plant City Flames, the 2005 Machine Pitch All-Star team earned second place at the Ridge Rookie Tournament in Dundee Florida. In the location where the old Long John Silvers was, there is going to be an 8,000 square foot office building. Courtney Paat and Jimmy Carapezza are partners in developing this property and will both be occupying the building as well as have space for other tenants.

Talk of the Town

Just because it’s not time for the annual Strawberry Festival doesn’t mean that those who make it happen are not staying busy. Mrs. Patsy Brooks, General Manager and Ms. Ellany Johnson, Administrative Assistant, attended the Florida Festivals & Events Association (FFEA) 11th Annual Convention and Trade Show in Saratsota in July and won three 1st place awards. With competitors ranging from Disney World to Gasparilla, our very own Plant City Strawberry Festival won Best Miscellaneous Printed Materials, Best Press Kit, and Best Website! Congratulations! Unity in the Community needs more recipes to go in their cookbook. This cookbook is being used as a fundraiser to purchase a concession trailer that they will bring to events. All the concession money will go to benefit people in need. We would like to welcome the new Senior Pastor of First United Methodist, Earl Smith, and the new Music Director, Michele Pruyn to the Plant City Community. In addition, Knights Baptist Church has a new pastor, Rev. Rob Dygert. We would also like to welcome him and his family to the area. Two different congratulations go out to Gail Lyons at Amsouth bank. She was promoted from Assistant Vice President to Vice President and is also the new president of the American Business Women’s Association. Other new officers are Courtney Paat and Tracy Myers who are the two Vice Presidents. Secretary is Tara Smith, and Lizzette Sarria is the new treasurer. The Walden Lake Swim team is having a Bar-B-Q swim party on August 27 at the Walden Lake Pool from 4:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome. For more information or tickets call 757-9681.

Check out Part 2 of our Feature coming in the September issue!

BACK TO OUR

ROOTS FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 7

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Look! It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane NO! IT’S THE NEW STRAWBERRY EXPRESS!

Story by Dawn Marie Simpson & Rolando Cruz Photo by Sophia Dedon

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aybe you’ve already seen one of the shnazzy new coaches rolling in and out of your neighborhood where the people on the bus go round and round, all through the town. These Red, White and Blue Ford vans are now part of the Plant City’s new “demandresponse” service. I bet Henry B. Plant, railroad developer for which Plant City was named after, didn’t envision the ﬁrst city-operated bus service in Plant City’s history.

Though not a door-to-door service, the Strawberry Express vans are available to groups of ten or more seeking a relatively inexpensive way to get around town. Cheaper than a cab ride at an average of $1.75 just to step into the cab, and then an additional $2 a mile, using the Strawberry Express is cheaper than a cup of latte at your favorite bookstore.

corridors sweating because your vehicle doesn’t have air conditioning. Trips on the new vans cost as little as $1 per person in the group and $10 on weekends. The higher weekend rates are due to the need to pay drivers overtime for their services during the weekends. The current city ﬂeet is made up of a few vans, two of which are used to cover four routes that span out to the neighborhoods surrounding McCall Park. The service runs daily from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M.

While the new van service is oﬀered at a slightly higher cost than the Hartline bus, the cost doesn’t seem to be a major concern to new riders, who have welcomed this next generation of transportation with open arms. Some new riders are even eager to see this brand new service expanded to cover additional areas. Next time you catch a glimpse of the Strawberry Express vans in your neighborhood, rest assured that you’re looking at the next great movement in the city’s ever growing battle to provide you with the best public transportation possible.

Groups such as day care facilities can now use the Strawberry Express for educational outings at a low price tag. Using the new vans is comfortable so you’re not at risk being caught in midday gridlock in the city’s business

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 8

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Join the great fun at the Prestigious Jackie’s Dance Theatre, Clogging and Gym and enjoy being a part of a exciting dance shows, Strawberry Festival and Gasparilla events, Fun Festivals, Fashion Shows, Nutcracker Plays, and Parades!

2005 - 3RD REGIONAL GRAND CHAMPIONS AT DANCE CARAVAN OPEN HOUSE - meet our certiﬁed staff on Sunday, August 21st from 3pm to 4pm Zanda Moore, Erick Corryn, Becky Conn, Lydia & Sara Oratowski, Yvonne & Todd Siverling, Robin Dawn and David Chernault, who is on Broadway and will tour with “ANNIE” 2005-2006 FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 9

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Chamber of Commerce

Story By Bruce Rodwell

This has been mentioned before but is worth repeating. The Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce maintains a Plant City Community And East Hillsborough County Calendar to keep people and organizations informed of events that will be taking place. A call to the Chamber oﬃce at 813-754-3707 will assure your organization’s event is listed on the calendar. This is a great way to prevent conﬂicts from occurring when events are planned on the same date.

❦ Congratulations to Doug ‘Gibber’ Gibbs on being named King Lion of the Year by the Plant City Lions Club. “Gibber” is Vice Chairman of Membership for the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce and is involved in many community projects.

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on the Florida Strawberry Festival Grounds. Major sponsors of this event were Bright House Networks, Florida Strawberry Festival, South Florida Baptist Hospital, Americare, Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union, and Westcoast Enterprise Group, Inc. Each of the new teachers was given “goodie bags” and there were many door prizes awarded. It was a great welcome for our new teachers.

❦ The Bing House restoration project presents an opportunity for community outreach. During the early 1900’s the Bing House served as a hotel for the African American community. Currently there is a campaign underway to raise dollars for the restoration of this National Historic Landmark located at 205 Allen Street. Once restored, this house will serve as a community museum and provide space for neighborhood initiatives. The restoration has the support of local businesses, faith-based organizations, the City of Plant City, Hillsborough County and the State of Florida. If you would like to contribute to this very worthwhile project, you can mail your donation to: Bing Rooming House Renovation Project, P.O. Box 3962, Plant City, FL 33564-3962. Additional information can be obtained by calling the Improvement League of Plant City, Inc. at 813-757-6760.

❦ On Thursday, August 25th, the Plant City Ymca will hold their annual Strong Leader Dinner. This year they are honoring former City Commissioner and Mayor Randy Larson. This event is being held at the Ramada Inn. Information on corporate table sponsorships and tickets can be obtained by calling Scott Warren at the YMCA 813-757-6677.

❦ On August 3rd the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce hosted a New Teacher Coﬀee for the new teachers in the 22 schools in Plant City/East Hillsborough County. Close to 200 brand new teachers attended this event which was held at the Arthur Boring Building

❦ Speaking of the YMCA, on August 19th at 7:00 PM they are holding a Talent Show and Art Exhibit in the YMCA basketball gym. Interested participants can sign up at the front desk of the Plant City YMCA.

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 10

❦ Want to learn all about fishing? Bill Heard Chevrolet and Harold’s Outdoor Product’s, Inc hold fishing seminars the third Tuesday of each month in the Bill Heard Chevrolet conference room, located on the second floor at the dealership, 2002 North Frontage Road, Plant City. You can learn from professional fishing guides all about equipment, bait, and receive pointers on how to catch the big ones! These FREE seminars are open to the public and get underway at 6:45 PM. Refreshments are served and you have a chance to win door prizes. Bill Heard Chevrolet is also involved in USSSA baseball. The Fall USSSA Plant City “A” Draft League is currently forming. USSSA Tournament teams will be formed in each age group. A very large number of kids have already signed up for this exciting league. This is real baseball, not AAU, Pony or Little League. All age groups steal bases, lead off, etc. For more information contact Chris Prevatt at Bill Heard Chevrolet 813-478-7286 or Bob Mondeaux at 813-763-5826.

❦ On Thursday, August 18th the Chamber will hold its monthly Business After Hours. This is a great opportunity to meet Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce members and at the same time have a great time socializing with your friends and neighbors. The August 18th event will be held at Tile Barn Carpet & Interiors location, 1103 Goldﬁnch Drive (behind Buddy-Freddy’s). If you have not had an opportunity to stop in and see their fabulous selection of tile and carpet, then this is your chance. The event gets underway at 5:15 and goes to 7:00 PM. Hope to see you there! Monday, August 29th is the date of the annual Pregnancy Care Center Of Plant City Celebration For Life Banquet. This year’s theme is Crown of Splendor. This event beneﬁts the intervention program of the Center. The program starts at 5:45 with a social hour and dinner is served at 6:30 PM. Scott Klusendorf is the guest speaker. This event takes place at Cronin

Hall, St. Clement Catholic Church, 1104 North Alexander Street, Plant City. Information and tickets can be obtained by calling 813-759-0886

❦ Don’t forget the date of Saturday, September 10th. That’s the date of the Mock Trial And Plant City Idol Vocal Contest. This event is sponsored by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners and is being held at the Plant City Neighborhood Service Center, 307 North Michigan Avenue. This promises to be both a fun and informational event. There will be free food and prizes. Additional information can be obtained by calling 813-757-3871, extension 201.

❦ DATES TO PUT ON YOUR CALENDAR: August 18 – Business After Hours, Tile Barn Carpet & Interiors, 1103 Goldﬁnch Drive, Plant City. Starts at 5:15 PM. August 19 – Talent Show & Art Exhibit at the Plant City YMCA. 7:009:00 PM. August 20 – Strawberry Classic Car Show. Downtown Plant City, 4:009:00 PM. August 25 – YMCA Strong Leader Banquet honoring Randy Larson, 6:30 PM at the Ramada Inn. August 29 – Pregnancy Care Center Banquet at Cronin Hall, St. Clement Catholic Church. Starts at 5:45 PM. Call 813-759-0886 for information. September 3 – Bike Fest, Downtown Plant City, 5:00-9:00 PM. September 10 – Law Fair & Plant City Idol contest at Plant City Neighborhood Service Center, 307 N. Michigan Ave. Call 813-757-3871, extension 201. for information. September 14 – Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce Contact Breakfast at the Ramada Inn. Starts at 7:30 AM. Call the Chamber at 813754-3707 to RSVP.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 12

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It’s Never Too Late ARTIST OF THE MONTH

Story by Sherri Robinson

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s adults, we get busy about our lives with work and family responsibilities, sometimes putting aside the things we’d really like to do. Fifty-two year old Tampa Electric Power Plant Operator, Leo V. Watson, Jr. (Punk) knows all too well what that’s like. He has always been interested in drawing but just felt he didn’t have the time or the talent to really draw or paint.

“Cape Anne Lighthouse” near Cape Cod, Massachusetts and the “Ponce Inlet” near Daytona. Painting is becoming a family aﬀair in the Watson household. They try to have regular “turn the TV oﬀ” family paint nights as much as possible with their daughter and son-in-law. Punk encourages everyone, “If you have any

inkling to paint you should at least try it.” He and Lou Ann both agree, “It is important to ﬁnd someone’s work that you like and get them to show you a few techniques; then is won’t seem so hard.” They also suggest having a photo or something from which to work. Good luck to Punk, one of our newest Plant City artists.

As fate would have it, he married Lou Ann Creel, who most of you know is a wonderful artist. He watched and admired her year after year, sad that he wasn’t painting, too. She continued to encourage him to take the chance and get started by sketching something out, which he did at 3 a.m. during a slow time at work one day. On January 29th this year he took a workshop and discovered his long time dream to paint was now something he just had to do. Since then, he has done several acrylic paintings and a couple of trial watercolors. He has done so well that he was the featured artist at the Chamber of Commerce during the month of June. In July, he hung his work at Southern Hospitality. Punk is even more excited that he just sold his first print. He is a huge history buff and plans on painting pieces that have a historic background. Currently he is focusing on lighthouses. He has two pieces finished, Leo V. Watson (Punk) proudly holds one of his most recent paintings.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 13

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Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous WILL MAKE YOU WANT TO…SMILE!

Story and Photo by Sophia Dedon

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or many Americans, the idea of receiving the same star-quality treatment as those in Hollywood seems unattainable. Occasionally, the average person may reap some benefits if chosen for some reality TV show like Extreme Make-Over. Wait! Citizens of Plant City can receive the same up-to-date treatment that even the movie stars get! Have you ever envied the beautiful, white smiles of a celebrity and figured it cost them thousands? Truth be told, it probably didn’t. Many celebrities in Beverly Hills or New York City use Zoom! whitening. Zoom! is a tooth whitener that can do as much in one hour as the old dentist-prescribed 7 to 10 day treatments. Very rarely is this product offered in towns the size of Plant City, but dentists Dr. Ferry and Dr. Borders decided they wanted to offer people in Plant City the same brand new technological opportunities that people in larger cities receive. You may be wondering, “How much does this cost exactly”? Well, if you go to Tampa to get it gone, it will cost you upwards around $700. However, with Dr. Ferry and Dr. Borders, located on W. Reynolds across from the Dairy Queen, you can get it for only $470. “We wanted to keep it economical

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 14

Dr. Ferry and Dr. Borders standing next to the light for the new Zoom! whitening.

so people in Plant City could aﬀord it and more people would choose to have whiter smiles,” said Dr. Ferry. Not only does that price include the one hour Zoom! whitening treatment, but also the take home treatment that most dentists prescribe for you to use within a week. Only this time, the treatment is for you to use around one time every 6 months, just to keep your smile bright. It may seem like $470 is a lot of money to spend to get your teeth whitened in one hour, when the 7 day treatment

works just as well at a price of $240. But Dr. Borders and Dr. Ferry shared stories of many patients that would skip one or two days due to the busy American lifestyle and end up not getting the results they wanted. Dr. Borders said, “I was born and raised in Plant City and I am proud of living in such a progressive town.” If you would like to learn more about all the beneﬁts of using the Zoom! one hour teeth whitening treatment, you can call Dr. Ferry and Dr. Borders’ oﬃce at 754-2605.

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The Sky’s the Limit! CHECKING IN WITH FORMER MANAGING EDITOR JEFF NEELY

Story by Kristen Toney Photos courtesy of Jeﬀ Neely

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t’s been a while since we’ve enjoyed one of those inspiring letters or intriguing stories from Focus’ former managing editor, Jeff Neely. While Jeff is no longer with Focus, he has not abandoned his talent for writing; he has simply elevated it to a completely different level…literally. “This summer has been such an intense time of top-notch experience and phenomenal opportunities,” he commented. “I work alongside journalists from all over the world, write for one of the coolest agencies there is, and get to spend my day hanging around spaceships. The fact that they launched the shuttle while I was here was the icing on the cake!”

“At Focus, the challenge was trying to really unearth the heart and soul of Plant City and do justice to the rich stories of the people that live there. At NASA the challenge is to take highly technical and complex operations and make them accessible and interesting to a general audience,” Jeﬀ observed. “It’s literally writing rocket science for everybody! But honestly, the work I did at Focus helped prepare me for the work I’m doing now. Mike and DeDe

gave me the opportunity to be a real player in a fantastic publication, and the experience I gained has given me a solid foundation.” Jeﬀ’s internship runs through August 26, and then he plans on returning to this area in anticipation of the next big thing life casts his way. To check out some of Jeﬀ’s current writing, visit www.nasa.gov

This was definitely an extraordinary opportunity, being that Jeff is the first journalism student from USF to intern at NASA, and also the first intern with the Public Web Operations Group at KSC. Not only has he been able to perform tasks such as providing information for more than 2,600 world-wide media groups, attend press conferences with NASA’s senior management, and produce voice-overs for web and video clips, but he has also written feature stories for NASA’s website and the Kennedy Space Center Newsletter. So what’s the difference between writing for Focus and writing for NASA?

NEW ALGEBRA PROGRAM

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 15

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AROUND TOWN

known makes all the businesses feel more comfortable,” said Allen. Over the past ﬁve years, he has built strong relationships with all the businesses in the area so that he seems easily approachable to discuss any problems they may be having. Sometimes you may notice him

riding around on an AT-V (commonly known as a four wheeler). He uses this vehicle to haul things or uses it during parades, shows, or any other events taking place downtown. “I ride the bike the most because it gives everyone a more one-on-one feeling to see me on a bike rather than in a car or anything else,” said Allen.

Thanks to Oﬃcer Allen everyone who visits the downtown area will feel completely relaxed and safe as they walk the streets and visit all the shops. Be sure to say a friendly hello to him the next time you see him riding through downtown.

A Comforting Presence OFFICER RUSSELL ALLEN’S ACTUAL DUTY

Story and Photo by Sophia Dedon

f you ever drive through the downtown area during normal business hours, you most likely have noticed a police officer riding around on a bicycle. Considering this is not a normal site to see, many citizens of the community ask questions such as: Who is he? Why is he on a bike? What is he doing? Is that all he does, ride around on a bike? Well, as you have most likely learned in your life experiences, once you get to know someone, you find out that there is much more to them than what appears on the surface. In all actuality, yes, Senior Police Officer Russell Allen really does ride on a bike all day. However, there is logic behind his assignment. Many years ago when downtown was being revived, there was a problem with crime. So, to solve the problem they assigned a C.O.P. to the downtown area of Plant City. A C.O.P. is a community-oriented policeman. When the position was first created, the role of the C.O.P was greatly reducing crime. Because of the great job performed by previous C.O.P.s, Officer Allen now just maintains the downtown area. A typical day for Officer Allen consists of him driving to work, getting on his bike and riding around, visiting all the stores. “Just to have my presence Senior Police Officer Russell Allen can frequently be seen riding his bicycle through downtown.

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 16

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When One Door Closes Another Opens TONY EVANS Story by Sherri Robinson

Another reason Evans to loves Florida is Disney. He is obsessed with it and spends at least one weekend and several holidays a year there, and visits as often as possible. When Evans needs to get away he says, “Disney is my place of solace and reﬂection.” Despite the fact that he spends so much time there, he says Disney World is no comparison to Disneyland. Speaking of visiting great places, Evans has been to 48 of the 50 states, several times, and says, “There are a few places everyone needs to visit before they die.” That list includes the Giant Redwoods, the Rocky Mountains, Yosemite, which includes the Victoria Falls, and the Grand Canyon. He is most impressed by that than anywhere else.

ony Evans has been a Plant City resident for the past 6 years and an employee of Owens Corning. He came here in July 1999 from Cleveland after he put in his two year requirement for relocation to anywhere he wanted to go. When they oﬀered him a position in Lakeland as an “Operations Manager” he took it. Unfortunately, the company recently decided to make some changes. They gave him the options of relocating or taking an early retirement at 49 years old. Early retirement was his best choice since the relocation oﬀers meant he would have to move far from Florida. Currently, he is investigating other job options.

Besides travel, Evans likes to keep active by lifting weights, which he has done most of his life. He works out 4 days a week for 2 - 3 hours a day at the Y in Plant City. He says he does it to stay in shape and look good for the ladies. That’s right ladies, he’s single. Evans has gone one step further than most and competed in bodybuilding. Though he refused to say which year he competed, he did say that he came in 3rd place in the Mr. Colorado competition. Many people who win competitions continue on to compete at higher levels, but Evans said “I decided not to, because I knew I would need to use steroids and I didn’t want to do that.”

Though he may still need to relocate, he is hoping to take a job that will only be a short plane ride or drive back to Florida. This is his favorite place to live and he has a son and grandson who will still live here. His son, Ty, is 20 and is enrolled in HCC’s Fire Academy. His grandson, Anthony, is 21 months and is very sociable. Evans says, “Anthony really is an angel and quite the “Babe Magnet.” No matter where he goes the baby always attracts a lot of attention. Of course, that makes him very proud. Evans also has a newly married son, Marc, who is 22 and who graduated last May from USF. Marc is continuing his education in Austin, Texas, where he is earning his Master’s degree in Advertising.

When asked who has inspired him the most in his life, he immediately said his father, who is currently recovering from a stroke. Thanks to the medical training of one of his 5 sisters, he will have his father around awhile longer. His father was a hard working man who raised 6 kids on a limited income and over his lifetime cheated death several times. He survived prostate cancer, an electrocution, a heart attack 3 years ago and a ﬁre blast which left him with no hair, but no scars, either. This amazing and courageous man taught Evans all the values he holds as a foundation for his life today. Plant City is made up of great people like Evans. We want to wish him the best in his job search. We hope you don’t have to relocate, just know that you will be missed.

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SEND QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS TO SDEDON@FLOYDPUBLICATIONS.COM FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 17

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AROUND TOWN

Alexandria’s Angel Fund HOPE FOR ALEXANDRIA

Story by Sherri Robinson

lexandria Prescott is a bright, sweet, 15 year old young woman who was looking forward to being a freshman at Plant City High School this year. Her year started out hopeful but was soon disrupted. Alexandria has been diagnosed with a rare intestinal disease that has no known cure. This disease causes dismobility of the lower intestine. She has spent a tremendous amount of time in hospitals here in Florida and this summer she was transferred to a wonderful hospital in Columbus, Ohio, where she and her family have discovered there are many other children there from all over the world who are suﬀering just like she is. It has already been a long road for her and her family as she has gone through countless painful tests and procedures and is currently required to take massive amounts of medicine everyday. In addition to her ﬁrst diagnosis, she is also diagnosed with another disease called “Scleroderma.” This young lady has had a very tough year, but through it all she keeps a smile on her face. Everyone who knows her, including her parents, sees her as “an angel. She is polite, good, loving and all a parent could ask for.” Now that she is back home, her family and

friends are trying harder than ever to not only make sure she is comfortable but that she gets what she needs. Alexandria takes 12 medicines along with a very important injection everyday which her family is fighting the insurance company to cover. She is also on a special diet that only allows her liquid or bland foods that we know for a teenager must be extremely difficult. Since there is no known cure for her disease, Alexandria’s best option for recovery is an intestinal transplant. What makes it even trickier is that she will also need a liver transplant. The survival rate for those suffering from this disease is 3 - 5 years, but currently the waiting list can be as long as 6 years. That’s why it’s so urgent that as much as possible be done to help her. Her family and friends have banded together to make our community aware of what she is going through

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 18

and encouraging the community to get involved. Please donate what you can to any of the money collection jars with her picture on it explaining her illness. Kelly Morris organized a golf tournament beneﬁt for Alexandria at the Walden Lake Country Club Golf Course. The 1st Annual Charity Golf Tournament for Alexandria’s Angels Fund, which will be a yearly event, took place on Sunday, July 16th. It was a huge success, raising approximately $6,000, after expenses. There were approximately 88 golfers and over 100 people came out to help. Alexandria was also there to enjoy the event. She was extremely touched by all those who came out to help. Individuals from Outlaw 92.5 Country radio station were there to participate, as well as some of the members of the Lightning and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Various individuals, vendors and businesses

donated time and items for the raﬄe and other items that were needed. Lunch was also provided. There are tentative plans to set up a website in conjunction with Outlaw 92.5 to get the word out about Alexandria’s Angel Fund and what you can do to help. Silver Eagle was also participating in the tournament as the music for this event. It is hoped that not only Alexandria will be helped by the Alexandria Angels Fund, but that it can be turned into a statewide organization and eventually built into a large foundation. Alexandria and her family are so grateful to all those who have helped them, especially all the people at Verizon, David Galloway Attorney’s Oﬃce and Sherry Mueller. A very special thanks goes to Kelly Morris for all his hard work and support.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 19

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Out of the Ashes Comes New Business NEW CONSTRUCTION IN DOWNTOWN PLANT CITY Story and Photos by Ken Lawrence

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irst it was Hurricane Francis that roared through Plant City, last September 5th. That was followed by an electrical problem that started a fire in the building that housed Broadway Tire Company and a Day Care Center called Tots Active Learning Center. The Plant City sky became lit up brighter than July 4th fireworks at the stadium, as burning tires also sent smelly and billowing black smoke into the nighttime. The blaze was one of two major conflagrations that struck downtown Collins Street in less than 6 months.

Baliet tells FOCUS that the building will be sub-divided into four units from 2,000 to 3,000 sq ft each. The interior will be built to suit the client’s needs and rents will run from about $10 a sq ft – net-net-net with a $3 per sq ft charge for common area maintenance.

the units will have bay doors for a possible return of a tire company or auto repair business. The other space is being setup for such businesses as an attorney’s oﬃce, accountant, engineer or architect. Long term tenants are being sought.

The building will be setback from Collins Street to allow for parking in front for up to 35 vehicles. One of

There will be two entrances, one on Collins, the other on Alabama Street.

The owner of the building, Ed Verner of City Properties has wasted no time in rebuilding. Of course it takes time to settle many issues related to a massive fire, led by cleaning up the debris, then insurance claims. That is followed by discussions as to what is best for the property, then hiring of engineers and architects, meetings with city officials and finally turning over the first shovel of dirt. Turning that shovel has not yet happened but the owners are well underway towards start of construction. City Properties has now announced that a 10,000 square foot building will be constructed on the site, with a combination of retail and commercial office space. Property Manager Phillip

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 21

l a c lo AROUND TOWN

Building Unity in the Community of Plant City ONE DAY AT A TIME

Story by Dawn Marie Simpson Photos by Debra M. Hill

y life belongs to the community and as long as I live here, it’s my privilege to do for it whatever I can. The harder I strive, the more I live.” Angela Dixon-Joseph.

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that includes proper nutrition, exercise, adequate rest, and respect for others. Family wellness goes beyond the physical body. It’s a holistic way of living that nurtures and develops the mind, body, and spirit. The spiritual aspect of family wellness means looking outside the self and tuning in to the feelings, needs, and welfare of others. It means going beyond the self and becoming part of something larger in the world, the environment, or your very own community. Ms. Dixon-Joseph believes in leading by example and volunteers throughout Hillsborough County. She travels the United States to attend workshops and seminars to enhance her abilities for coordinating special events for her home-based business called “Blessed Occasions.” Her experience and education has lent her the opportunity to spearhead and implement the Unity in the Park - Back to School Expo. It was a blistering hot day, yet children from all over the county came out for the special event. The 500+ children that attended the expo in the park received community education and awareness, learned techniques on communicatio n, discovered skills on respecting other cultures and how to develop healthy family communication.

Everyone was given a free lunch, school supplies, and the ﬁrst 100 school age students received a free t-shirt donated by one of the many sponsors. All food items were donated by the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, Plant City Family Resource Center, Neighborhoods United, and out of Angela’s own pocketbook. Many local businesses that wanted to join in Ms. Dixon-Joseph’s eﬀorts provided drinks, which were much appreciated on a sizzling summer day. One of the many guest speakers was James McDaniel, Manager of the Strawberry Express who brought greetings from the City of Plant City. Another was Sergeant Watkins from the Plant City Police Department who provided crime prevention tips and spoke about gang awareness. He also showcased illegal street drugs in a durable case for children to get an upclose look, as well as drug paraphernalia, followed by a Q&A session for all the children.

Angela’s parting words as the expo concluded at 6:30PM was “We must recognize that the word “Community” has the word “Unity” in it, but it doesn’t make communities united; it’s up to us.”

Angela Dixon-Joseph and Delores

Born and raised in Plant City, Angela recognizes and has a great deal of concern regarding the breakdown of the American family, especially in Plant City. Families living in Hillsborough County are diverse and complex, alive and adapting to our changing times. Angela’s challenge and vision was to help all families, including single parents, blended families, working couples, and older families, develop their strengths and learn to meet daily pressures and change, if only for one day. Angela strongly feels that children are the future and we as adults must mentor and teach them how to lead the way.

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 22

There were special musical presentations orchestrated by Rosalyn Johnson Entertainment and the Unknown Productions, Sam Miller Sounds, and Pure Funk DJ’s Entertainers for special occasions.

Various Florida Highway Patrol oﬃcers spoke on car safety and oﬀered a hands-on demonstration and proved to us all

Angela Dixon-Joseph believes the Unity in the Park - Back to School Expo was given to her in a vision from God. She organized a super planning team, including professionals such as Juvenile Probation Oﬃcers, Educators, and other Community Volunteers.

Wellness often refers to an individual’s physical and psychological health. Indeed, statistics show that each person’s wellness helps them manage their daily pressures and this has a positive impact on family well being. But family wellness also means that each family member has to work at having a healthy lifestyle and outlook

how important buckling up is! Evangelist Emmett Lee Wiseman Jr., from Bethel Baptist Church oﬀered inspirational words and prayed that the children would learn cultural diversity.

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We built this bank one satisfied customer at a time. If you think the big banks are getting bigger at your expense and are treating you like a number, it’s time you give Sunshine State Federal Savings a call. We offer small town service that is second to none. After all that is how we built a business that has been dedicated to Plant City for over fifty years. We are not a bank, we’re better.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 23

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social security, and retirement. The insurance that she was under provided the very minimal care she needed but certainly was not enough for her to join a gym or special program of any kind. Donofrio was so touched by what he heard from Walker that he oﬀered all of his facilities to her at no cost.

AROUND TOWN

One Step at a Time

Through this opportunity she was able to attend stroke rehabilitation programs and get the full care that she needed. Today, Walker would never be recognized as a stroke survivor. She walks normally even though she was never completely able to gain back feeling on her left side. He left arm is worse than her right, but while it is completely numb, is heavy and has no feeling, she can move it freely.

PATTI BRITT WALKER’S STORY OF RECOVERY

Story and Photo by Sophia Dedon

t all began June 26, 1993. Patti Britt Walker had just come back from enjoying a pleasant trip to Lithia Springs with her 8 yr old son, Drew, and 10 yr old daughter, Brittné. Suddenly, she felt like her leg was asleep and couldn’t wake up. She tried to walk and just fell. Immediately her son was frightened by his panicking mother and ran next door to the neighbor’s house, who called 911. Little Drew stood outside and waved in the ambulance and once they arrived, brought them to his mother. They later found that Walker had had a stroke at the age of 33. Her entire left side was paralyzed. Because they could not get the bleeding in her head to stop, they gave her 72 hours to live. During that three day period, her three brothers, who all came in from out of state, her parents and a friend gathered around her. After praying over Walker, it was time for another MRI. However, this time the doctors found that the bleeding had miraculously stopped. Walker would not die, but was told she would never walk again. Walker was full of determination and after three months in the hospital, including time in the ICU, a room and

the rehab unit, she was released to go home and continue rehabilitation there. Two years later, not only could she walk again, but she had gained back enough movement in her body to go back to work for the Hillsborough County School System. Since the initial stroke, she had another minor stroke but did not let that hinder her goal of walking again. In 1999, Walker had a third stroke that put her back into her state of paralysis, but this time she recovered in just one year. However, in 2002, Walker had her fourth and to this day, ﬁnal, stroke that resulted in the end of her working.

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 24

Just three months before that stroke, she lost her father who had been a pivotal part in her recoveries since the ﬁrst stroke. Rehabilitation was following the same process as it had in years past but just seemed like a never-ending cycle. In 2003, Walker met Kevin Donofrio, owner of the Athletic Club and Bayside Health Care, who was in utter disbelief that she had overcome four strokes and appeared to be in such healthy condition. Because Walker was not allowed to work, but had served enough time with Hillsborough County, she was living oﬀ disability,

Although Walker’s disability prohibits her from working at any profession in which she previously had experience, she hopes that her doctor will soon release her to work again. Walker wants to spread a message of hope to everyone; it is her new goal in life. She wants all stroke victims to know that there is a road to recovery. Since 1993, Walker has survived 4 strokes, had 6 lymph nodes taken out due to a Lymphoma scare, had an emergency hysterectomy, had her gall bladder taken out, and survived a horse accident where a horse stepped on her stomach, causing a ruptured spleen, resulting in its removal. Despite everything that Walker has been through, she retains a positive outlook on life. Walker said, “I could have never gotten through this without the help from so many people in this community, especially my mom, dad and family. Now my purpose is to help others and spread a message of hope.”

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

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

lant City is a community with an abundance of history and heritage, but have you ever really thought about the small, rural communities that surround it? Native Americans once occupied a village in the area we now know as Plant City, and the ﬁrst town there was named after that village: Ichepucksassa. The name was rather difﬁcult to spell and pronounce, so the postmaster renamed it Cork – after his home town in Ireland. Then in 1884, the city was renamed again in honor of Henry B. Plant. Many of us who were raised in and around Plant City know the history by heart… but there is so much more. The areas surrounding the actual Plant City limits, many of which existed in some form or fashion even before Plant City was really a city, have their own rich and varied history. Native Americans, military forts, development of the railroad, the growth of towns to support the railroad system, agriculture; these are just a few of the things that shaped rural communities like Thonotosassa, Cork, Springhead, Dover, Knights Station, Antioch, and many others…

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The best way to find out about history is to talk to the people who lived it. Some of the oldest history we have to pull from books and articles, but much of what we bring to you comes straight from the residents and their descendents. Some of the folks we had the pleasure of chatting with have lived in the area all their lives, others’ families have been part of the community for generations. Some were just visitors who wanted to express how they felt about the area. We’ve talked to people from 8 years to 80 and beyond, and have collected facts, figures, and treasured memories. This is the way we have chosen to get our information. Remember that as you are reading – understand that we wanted the rich stories and memories, not just the clinically researched facts. As with anything, these communities are changing. At one time many people wanted out of the country. They left rural areas like Pinecrest, Cork, Thonotosassa, and the like for more metropolitan areas like Tampa and Orlando. I guess everything comes full circle, and many now want what they call the ‘country life.’ Between the stress and difficulties of farming, and this new-found demand for land in rural Eastern Hillsborough County, many farms and citrus groves are being sub-divided, and development is happening all around us. Unfortunately, as more and more people move to rural communities, they bring the traffic and hustle and bustle with them – driving out the very thing for which they are coming here. We are slowly losing the ‘country community’ feel that makes these areas so special. If we can not hold onto the country, let’s at least keep holding onto the history and the memories. Let’s keep passing on the experiences and stories of the generations before us.



INTRODUCTION

LYNNE WARREN

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 26



A few months ago we had a brainstorm here at FOCUS. We decided it would be interesting to go out to these communities and talk to people: try to capture some of the history as well as current information, and bring it to our readers. How did these communities come to be, what have they and their residents experienced as they have progressed to this point, and what might the future hold for them? It takes a lot to pull something like this together, and it is easier to do for some areas than others. When we began trying to list all of the communities, we were amazed at how long the list was. So, we will be presenting a few areas each month for the next couple of months. Hopefully you will ﬁnd the journey informative and entertaining. Invariably, as with any endeavor this ambitious, we will probably leave out a community or a fact or ﬁgure about one of the areas, so we ask for your forgiveness in advance.



BACK TO OUR

ROOTS Focusing on the Founding Communities of Plant City

 ANTIOCH  A community whose name is almost forgotten

STORY & PHOTOS

KEN LAWRENCE

ant to do something interesting if you’re out for a drive one day? Take I-4 and head to the McIntosh Exit, go north on McIntosh, the road zigzags a bit, then head to the corner of Knight’s Grifﬁn and McIntosh. On the southeast corner you will see a feed store. Its name—Antioch Feed and Farm, which sums up what Antioch is all about, a community that is mostly farmland and sits on the eastern side of Lake Thonotosassa.

Road, just north of Thonotosassa Road, for the past 40 plus years.Attempts to reach anyone associated with the church were unsuccessful. Crystal Noriega is the owner-operator of Antioch Feed and Farm.The Savannah, Georgia native has lived most of her life in the Antioch area and has worked in construction, farming and now the feed business. She proudly claims that she is the only Nutrena dealer in the area and customers come from as far away as Tampa and Lakeland. Crystal says she, along with long time residents, “don’t understand why they have Thonotosassa

or Plant City mailing addresses”. She went on to tell FOCUS that one of her customers has looked back at old maps of the area and Antioch once had much more prominence than it does now. The Antioch area is really farmland and hopes remain such that owners resist the pressure to sell out to housing developers. It will be difficult for them not to take the money and move on. Agriculture takes the form of mostly pastureland for cattle, horses, chickens and pigs. With a population approaching about 2,500, Antioch has recently seen an influx of newcomers buying land and building homes. One customer at the feed store says it wouldn’t surprise him to see the population double in the next five years. One notable endeavor is The Antioch Redskin’s Youth Football and Cheerleading group, formed by locals in 1973 to provide an alternate environment for kids.The group promotes the

Antioch, whose history basically parallels that of next door Thonotosassa, has gone through numerous name changes since the 1800’s, back and forth between Antioch and some other name. Long time Thonotosassa residents consider Antioch to be part of their community.To make matters even more confusing,Antioch has a Plant City or Thonotosassa mailing address. In addition to the Feed Store are a couple of other animal feed businesses and a couple of churches. One house of worship is the Antioch Church of Christ, founded in the early 1800’s and has been at its present location on McIntosh

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 27

importance of education, non-violence, respect and no-drugs. Operated for kids 5-16 years of age, the group has won football state championships and cheerleading competitions. There is a sad side to the Youth Football operation. Back in 1985, three children from the program were killed instantly when a car driven by an intoxicated driver hit them head-on.The driver served less than 4 years in a youth detention facility.The football park has been named in honor of one of the victims, Roby Burgner, while the baseball ﬁeld carries the name of Wendy and Carol Brown. Crystal Noriega says the tight-knit community was devastated and people still talk about the tragedy to this day.

The Pioneers

She tells of one group a few years ago who made their own road signs stating “Antioch” and posted them on roadways in the area. She says Hillsborough County Public Works crews came along shortly after and took the signs down.

Feed Store Operator Crystal Noriega at the Center of Antioch life.

Ralph Brown says there is only one building remaining in Antioch that has some history to it and he expects it will be torn down any day. It’s the site of a former nursing home, once a school and way back when, an army barracks. Located on McIntosh between Thonotosassa and Knight’s Grifﬁn, Mr. Brown says he’s not even sure it’s in Antioch or the town of Thonotosassa, the boundaries are that uncertain.

 CORK  STORY

AND

PHOTOS

BRIAN WEST

ork was founded in 1839 as the site of Fort Hichipucksassa, or Fort Sullivan, the former site of an old Indian village that was no longer occupied. At that time, Cork encompassed much more area than today; basically a combination of today’s Cork, Knights Station, and Midway. According to Plant City – It’s Origin and History, Quintilla Geer Bruton and David E. Bailey, Jr., the fort was located about 4 miles northeast of the area that would later be platted as Plant City, today’s Midway. Presently, the area of Cork is roughly bounded by Knights Grifﬁn Road to the north, Macintosh Road to the west, I-4 to the south, and Wallace BranchKeene Road to the east.

4 miles north of this arrowhead, located in downtown Plant City, marks the point where the ﬁrst post ofﬁce in Cork was located.

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 28

Apparently, the name Hichipucksassa - often spelled Echebucsassa and Ichepuckesassa, and several other ways - was the most often misspelled of all the Indian names, causing great frustration for the postal service. As the story goes, Captain John Mooney arrived to collect a bag of mail for Ichepuckesassa (whichever spelling you’d like). Alfonso DeLauney,Tampa Mail Dispatcher, said frustratingly,“Captain Mooney can’t you get the name of this damn Ichepuckesassa changed. Change it to anything except this Ichepuckesassa!”At the time,

So, in spite of one long time Thonotosassa resident Martha Stewart Chambers, a travel agent, referring to Antioch as a “grease spot on the road”, locals still like to keep its name going in hopes that one day Antioch will have its own identity returned to it.



One family whose roots go back a long way in Antioch is Buckexum.The late Eugene Buckexum was a prominent farmer in the area, owning quite a bit of farmland, where he grew strawberries and citrus. His granddaughter, Barbara Brown and her husband Ralph have lived most of their lives in Antioch and they say it’s a shame that the name has almost disappeared.“No one really does anything to keep up the name”, says Barbara.

the postal service preferred four letter names so Mooney suggested Cork, the name of his birthplace. In 1849, the Cork Post Ofﬁce was established as the ﬁrst white settlement in the area, a short distance west of the former fort. Today, most residents of Cork are more familiar with the landmarks of the past several decades, like Cork Elementary and the Branch Ranch restaurant. Cork Elementary is located on Cork Road, just north of the corner of Cork Road and Sam Allen Road. Hillsborough County purchased the original school site, just more than an acre, in 1879, and two additional parcels were purchased in later years. Prior to that, a private school, Cork Academy, occupied the property. Cork Academy opened its doors as a public school in 1885, and its name was changed to Cork Elementary in the mid 1900’s. From the 1920’s – 1950’s, Cork was known as a “Strawberry School.” Many of the children attending the school were from families of farmers. Families couldn’t afford to hire extra help with the harvest, so the school scheduled breaks around the time of the harvest. Strawberries being the primary crop, children were on break from late December and into March, thus the name “Strawberry School.” Jewel Graves’ family has lived in the Plant City area as far back as he

CONTINUED ON

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CORK

contiued

can remember, at least through his grandparents on his father’s side of the family. Graves said,“I remember walking to school about a mile and a half each way. We didn’t even wear shoes to school until at least the 9th grade.The roads were all dirt roads except for Thonotosassa Road. It was paved from about Sam Allen Road all the way to the lake. But it was only one lane, so if another car came by, both would have to put two wheels in the grass to get by one another.” The Branch Ranch is another place to mention when talking about the Cork area.The Branch Ranch is a family owned and operated restaurant located on Thonotosassa Road.The restaurant is located in the home built by the Branch family in the late 1800’s.The restaurant is famous for its bread, butter pickles, and family style service. The restaurant is detailed in pecky cypress and includes a banquet room that’s been used for birthdays, weddings, receptions, anniversaries and reunions, for many, many years. While waiting for a table, you’ll notice the photos that line the walls of some famous celebrities who’ve visited, including Elvis Presley.The restaurant is currently closed for the summer through September 13th. Some families have had roots in the Cork area for decades, including the Bennett’s, Burt’s, Collins, Miley’s, and Walden’s.The Bennett family, who seems to be related to just about everyone in

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long. Miley Road was named after my grandfather, William Hampton Miley. He lived in the two-story house on Miley Road.” Dub’s grandfather bought 400 acres some time around the turn of the century from Mr. Strauss, the founding name of Strauss Road. Joe and Janette Walden, and several

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immediate family members, now retired dairy farmers, still reside at their farm on Cork Road, just a couple miles north of Cork Elementary.The area seems to be growing, but aside from new homes here and there, things haven’t changed that much.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 32

PHOTOS

STORY BY SOPHIA DEDON SOPHIA DEDON AND COURTESY

t all began with a man named John Robert McDonald. McDonald is one of the oldest names in eastern Hillsborough County. When he migrated from Alabama for health purposes, he settled in an area known by locals as Callsville, yet it had no residents. McDonald later renamed the area Hopewell after his home church in Alabama. In 1870, McDonald decided there needed to be a church, and Hopewell Baptist Church laid its roots. More than 130 years ago McDonald founded Hopewell and many of the residents there today can still trace their roots back to him.

One such example is 92 year old Roy Hull, who was born and raised in Hopewell and has resided there his entire life.“Actually, I was born in the house next door,” shared Hull.The home he was referring to was built by his grandparents in 1876. His grandmother was the daughter of John Robert McDonald.This house that has surpassed its 125th birthday is still being used today because Hull’s son and his wife currently abide there. Hull reported that at one point or another, seven generations have lived in that old home. History can be so fascinating at times.Take Hull’s property, for example. As previously mentioned, he was born in the house next door. Well, the house he is living in now and has lived in for a long time was built in 1895. If Hull looks out his window, he can see

ROY HULL

his son, and out another window he can see his grandson. His property consists of multiple acres.This land has grown various crops that Roy himself has farmed. Most recently he had orange groves, but a disease came and wiped out most of his fruit. As of now, he rents his land out to berry growers to produce those famous Plant City strawberries. Hull mentioned that he has had offers from people to buy his land and knows he would get a lot of money for it because it would most likely be used to build residential communities. However, Hull delights in the pleasure of looking out off his porch and having space. If you decided to take a drive out to Hopewell, you may notice that it looks rather barren. What you must understand is that this lack of development is exactly what the locals here enjoy. In his 92 years of existence Hull has seen this community change greatly, but at the same time, not change much at all.The only real changes that have affected Hopewell have been the inventions of cars, running water and electricity. Hull can remember back to the horse and buggy days of his childhood. When Hull attended grade school, it was a little two-room building, but only one room was used.This room consisted of all grades up to 8 and their one teacher. Hull’s father attended

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HOPEWELL C O N T I N U E D

John McDonald and wife, Sally, riding horse and buggy.

the even older school that was one-room. While Hull was still in grade school, they built a four-room school; it was then that he met the woman that would later be his wife. After the 8th grade, the students attending the grade school in Hopewell chose between Pinecrest,Turkey Creek and Plant City for high school. Hull was fortunate to have a car in which he hauled himself and about 7 others to the old 1914 school building in the heart of Plant City. Hull attended school with another great grandson of McDonald, Harry McDonald, who is the only one around his age that he can recall going off to college. Harry attended the University of Florida and came back as an attorney, later serving as a county judge. Although Hopewell has avoided big business, it has been forced to succumb to other changes in society over the last century. Hull remembers the days when no one locked a door; there was no reason. If everyone in the house was gone and a neighbor needed something, it was common to come home and ﬁnd a note saying,“Borrowed some ﬂour” and a signed name. If that happened today, it wouldn’t be surprising for a law suit to be in the works. Hull also remembers when men and women entered the church through separate doors and sat on different sides of the church. In Hull’s childhood there were only about 7 families that occupied Hopewell and all the children would gather after church on Sunday afternoons to play together. Now, it’s their descendants that live here, many who no longer attend the local church with over 125 years of history. One hundred years ago, Hopewell was pretty much a church, a funeral home, a graveyard, land, and a few homes.Today, that’s about all that still exists there and as long as they can resist the neverending growth of Plant City, then that truth may remain.

 FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 34

All the students and teachers gathered outside of the original school house that the children of Hopewell attended. Roy Hull’s father was approximately 6 in this picture, meaning it was taken around 1894.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 35

 SPRINGHEAD  ST

O R Y

A N D

O T O S

B Y

I A N

S T

pringhead, or “the head” as some locals call it, is a great place to live and raise a family. Springhead was founded by pioneers in the early 1800’s. It’s a church-and-school centered community located in the rural southeast corner just outside of Plant City. I grew up there in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s and it was wonderful. Springhead is a quiet place. In fact, you barely hear trafﬁc from the roads. Once in a while, if you happen to hear the sounds of sirens from emergency vehicles - unlike living in the city where those sounds are more commonplace – it seems to always involve something or someone you know.The area is roughly bounded by County Line Road to the east, Highway 92 to the north, Highway 39 to the west and Trapnell Road to the south.

There are several landmarks in the area that have been around for years; Springhead Baptist Church, Springhead Elementary School, Springhead Park, and the Springhead Volunteer Fire Department. The original building for Springhead Baptist Church was a sprawling wood frame structure. But it burned to the ground during a 5 alarm ﬁre in 1982. At the time, my family lived directly across the street. I was an eighth grader and I remember riding the school bus home one afternoon and seeing a rising cloud of smoke from that direction as the bus reached the corner of Park Road and Highway 92. Everyone CONTINUED ON

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 36

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SPRINGHEAD C O N T I N U E D

on the bus wondered what could be burning, but it never crossed anyone’s mind that we’d never see the old wooden church again. As the school bus reached the corner of Medulla Road and Wiggins Road, those of us that lived close to the church had to be taken home by the area bus supervisor, Charlotte Britt. She was the only one from the school district allowed within a half-mile of the area.The church was re-built just a couple of years later and still serves as a wonderful place of worship.

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Springhead Elementary School began teaching students in 1876. It was originally called ‘Spring Head.’ That name was chosen because all of the water used for the school was carried from a spring that had been dug in a bay-head nearby. The school was later moved to a more convenient site, the site of the current school, located at the southeast corner of Sparkman Road and Nesmith Road. Appropriately, today, Springhead’s mascot is the pioneers. Harold Mott, a resident of Cornett from 1930 – 1950 (a community within Springhead), attended Springhead for 9 years from 1936 through 1944, not because he couldn’t pass the ﬁfth grade, but because at that time, Springhead taught students from 1st through 9th grade. Mott bragged that Cornett had many things even the kids in the city didn’t have, including a swimming pool and tennis courts. All were built by the owners of the Cornett mine for the families of those who worked there. Cornett even owned many of the homes. Mott said,“I remember walking to and from school each day because we lived too close to ride a bus. And Springhead was a Strawberry School, so we went to school from

April through December and we were off in January, February, and March to pick strawberries.” Mott picked strawberries for Bryant Hicks, Evelyn Johnson’s grandfather. Johnson is the mother of Buddy and Freddy Johnson of Buddy Freddy’s. Mott also recalls the Strawberry Festival being located where the courthouse is today. In fact, Mott’s sister Faye was the 1939 Strawberry Festival Queen. Like people in other communities, many of the residents in Springhead have called the area home their entire lives. But there are also many families who have called the area home for generations. Brothers Rodney, David, and Mike Sparkman have called Plant City home all their lives. Sparkman Road, which runs east and west through Springhead from Wiggins Road to Highway 39, was named after their grandfather, James Marvin Sparkman. Rodney recalled that his grandfather had some land approximately one half-mile east of Highway 39 on the north side of the road, where he farmed and owned some orange groves. Today, there aren’t near as many acres of farm land as there once was. In fact, probably the two largest farms in Springhead now are Fancy Farms, owned by Carl Grooms, and Harrell’s Nursery, owned by Winifred Harrell.The area is currently a mix of older homes and trailers, and now new homes are being constructed most anywhere there was at least a few acres with which someone was willing to part. Much like the rest of central Florida, Springhead is seeing a boom in residential growth, but it’s still a wonderful place to raise a family.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 39

 THONOTOSASSA  Don’t Pronounce the “T”

STORY & PHOTOS

KEN LAWRENCE

ts history goes back hundreds of years and in some respects it looks like time has stood still for Thonotosassa, located northwest of Plant City and a short 20 minute drive. It boasts one of the largest lakes in Hillsborough County, more than 800 acres of calm waters and on any given weekend Lake Thonotosassa attracts quite a few visitors, mostly locals, which is just ﬁne with them.The swimming is good, as is the ﬁshing, and boating is not overcrowded.There are some really expensive homes surrounding the lake and more are on the way, as city folk have become attracted to the tranquility of the area. However, business is not too great in the town of some 6,000 people.

The History Thonotosassa (original name being Tenotosassa, meaning “lake of ﬂints”) has quite the history, dating back many centuries when the Seminole Indian Tribe held a regular festival in which tribes from the surrounding area came to celebrate. Marriages were performed, a court was held to settle disputes and, of course, much

eating and dancing.The white man established a community there around 1825 and a name of one the pioneer families is quite familiar to Plant City residents, Sparkman. All was not peaceful as there were several Indian uprisings over the years, forcing the white settlers to ﬂee, but most would always return. A prosperous citrus industry was established around the lake in 1878 by a General William Hazen. It was the ﬁrst orange grove in Hillsborough County.Thonotosassa was once connected to Tampa by a railroad, built by none other than Henry B. Plant. It carried citrus and lumber to the city.

The Present While Thonotosassa was once a thriving community, other than the influx of new residential construction and mainly high-end priced homes, the area needs an influx of investment. What few businesses remain seem to be hanging on by a thread, as people jump in their cars and head to the malls.Take the case of J J’s, a combination convenience and hardware store; it is one of the few businesses that seems to have any activity in Thonotosassa. On the Saturday that we visited at high noon, there was little traffic on Main Street. The store (see photo) has had a long history, Reese’s Beach at Lake Thonotosassa

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 40

from being a general store, a restaurant, a produce market and back to a convenience store. The iron bars on all the windows and doors, plus extra locks, indicate the business has had more than its share of robberies over the years. The operator of the most successful business in Thonotosassa, Reese’s Beach and Fish Camp, says she is perplexed why there are not more businesses in the community. Rosalee Nally, along with her husband Jerry, has been featured in newspaper and magazine articles because of their efforts to bring tourists to the lake. As we sat on the deck of her campsite, looking out over the lake, the Reese’s camp manager acknowledged that some trendy and pricey homes are being built on just about every square foot of the shoreline.“We have 2 Circle K’s,” she stated, “and that shows you there is a need for business in the downtown to grow”. Mrs. Nally went on, “The closest supermarket is Winn-Dixie on 301 and Fowler”.“There’s no pharmacy, no bank, not even a boat dealer, in spite of the boat and jet ski trafﬁc that goes to the lake”, she said. There has been an all out effort by the Thonotosassa Chamber of Commerce to attract businesses to the town, which is technically an

Early 1900’s Thonotosassa Homes making way for new development

unincorporated part of Hillsborough County. Even a local Sheriff’s Deputy, Roger Bradley, a.k.a.“Rabbit”, no kidding, has become a strong supporter of the Chamber of Commerce and is often unofﬁcially dropping by and encouraging businesses to attend meetings. One person who has been touting the lifestyle of Thonotosassa is not even a resident of the community.Tracey Elting, an insurance salesperson, lives in Wesley Chapel and has been spending her spare time at the lake.“It’s my home away from home”, says Elting, who even took time off work last summer to help people clean up after the hurricanes.“I am impressed with the community spirit in Thonotosassa”, she told FOCUS.“I recently met a man who had settled in from New Mexico and he loves the area”, said Tracey. She says that Thonotosassa is one of the last places around Tampa Bay that has a down home feeling to it.“I only wish the downtown would grow” as she pointed to the Main Street area. Whether a vibrant retail trade can return to downtown Thonotosassa is difﬁcult to say. One can only hope. Meanwhile, a vibrant life goes on around the downtown of Thonotosassa as residents and visitors alike enjoy the peace and quiet of the community.

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Long Time Thonotosassa Business Location-Now Convenience Store

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 41

STORY & PHOTOS

LYNNE WARREN

ears ago, in the early and mid-1800’s, people would travel from Ichepucksassa, the place that would eventually become known as Plant City, into Tampa.They would go to Henry Plant’s grand hotel and to Fort Brooke along the waterfront, and to the port, and to the water itself.To get there, many traveled Highway Number 23, which eventually came to be known as Highway 574 (now M.L.King Jr. Blvd.).This route took them right through the heart of a rural area now known as Dover.The name Dover is believed to have been given to the area in 1890, by settlers who came from Dover, Delaware. But, earlier, in 1882, the area was named Sydney, and then renamed Cork in 1884. Another area was eventually named Cork – north of Plant City where it still exists today, leaving Dover without a name for a while.

Highway 23 was one of the main routes, if not nearly the only passable one at times, into Tampa from the strange, wild areas to the east. The railroad was also built paralleling the same route and remains there today. Seffner, Mango, and Dover were the three principal towns along the South Florida Railroad right-of-way, between Plant City and Tampa. Dover, along with the other two towns, became an important shipping center. Because of this, the area of Dover grew and thrived over the years. A number of beautiful homes were built just off Hwy. 574 during the area’s heyday. Some of them still stand – a few restored, but many in disrepair. After World

 DOVER  Forts, Farms, and the Railroad

War II, with the network of hard-surfaced roads expanding, a more car-oriented society evolved. Shipping by truck, especially of farm products, became more popular, and dependence on the railroad waned – effectively squelching growth in areas like Dover that were built around that dependence on the railroad system. As with many of the small, rural communities surrounding Plant City, Dover is rich in history and legend. In the 1800’s, legend has it, a fort existed in Moore’s Lake in Dover. Called Fort Moore by local residents, the facility was built on stilts over the water, and was located about ﬁfty yards off the north bank. A drawbridge type walkway was used to get to the fort, and it could be raised in the event of an Indian uprising or siege. It is said the fort may have also been used during the Civil War. Another fort, known as Simmons Fort, was located in the Simmon’s Hammock area not far from Moore’s Lake. At one time, after the second Seminole War ended in 1842, Seminole Chief Billy Bowlegs settled his tribe just northwest of Moore’s Lake. It is reported, as late as 1845 there were nearly two hundred ﬁfty warriors in the Indian town, as well as many ‘old men’. Over the years, artifacts

and relics have been found throughout Dover and the area surrounding Moore’s Lake supporting the existence of Native Americans, the military, and the forts. Being a rural community, farming has always been a big part of life in Dover. Originally, cotton was a major crop produced in the area, but strawberries are now what Dover is known for most. Plant City is known as the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World, but Dover is where a large portion of those strawberries are actually grown. In fact, the ﬁrst carload of strawberries shipped out of the state of Florida came from Dover in 1897, bound for New York. For years, Dover ranked second only to Ichepucksassa (now Plant City) for shipment of strawberries. In the ‘old days’, berry farms were called strawberry patches, and if a man had a 5 acre patch, he really had something.Today, they are called farms, and a 40 or 50 acre tract is not necessarily considered all that big. Since 1925, Dover has been home to what locals have always called the ‘Strawberry Lab’. A main focus of this facility,

A fort once stood just off the north shore of Moore’s Lake where jet skis now play.

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 42

CONTINUED ON

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DOVER C O N T I N U E D

most recently known as the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, is to develop new scientific knowledge about strawberries and strawberry farming, and to get that knowledge into the hands of strawberry growers. In 1925, the population of Dover was 250, which is a long way from today’s population of about 18,000. During the railroad days, the town of Dover had a cotton gin, a sawmill, grinding mills, a doctor, churches, a general and a dry goods store. Dover’s ﬁrst school was built sometime around 1867 on property owned by the Sapp family. Roads in the area were named after early pioneer families: the Jaudons, Motts, Waldens, Gallaghers, and others – many of whom still live there today. During World War II, Moore’s Lake became a training camp for the army, and residents say the wooded area was blocked from view by green fabric strung up along the road. Local farmer and dairyman, Fred A. Gavin Sr., delivered milk, eggs, and vegetables to the facility. According to Gavin’s daughter, Donna Gavin-Ashley, who lives on the lake today, he was only allowed as far as the gate, where his goods were unloaded and he was sent on his way. At some point, Gavin Sr. bought the lake and surrounding property, cleaned it up,

and fenced it off for cattle. Gavin’s Dairy and Farm was originally located on Gavin Road in Dover, but he eventually moved it to Moore’s Lake Road, across from the lake. Sometime in the mid to late 1950’s, he built the area’s ﬁrst and only grain silo, which still stands today. Gavin decided to grow his own cattle feed and needed a storage facility. So, although grain was not a typical crop in the area, and silos were not something you saw here, he built his – and it was a big deal. The newspaper came out to do a story on it, and people came from all around to see it. Innovation and unusual structures, however, were not new to Gavin. He also built the area’s ﬁrst two-story chicken house, which was another oddity at the time.The structure attracted the attention of Progressive Farmer magazine, which published an article featuring Gavin and his double-decker hen house. Talking to folks who lived in Dover, it becomes evident that during the early and mid 1900s, life here was hardscrabble as it is in many rural, farming communities. Dover had a rough and tumble reputation. Families had to depend on each other, and people networked heavily through their churches. Picnics and church socials, as well as

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First Methodist Church of Dover, established in 1845. Churches were one of the bedrocks on which Dover and other small communities communities were built.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 44

The old grain silo, built by Fred A. Gavin Sr. in the 1950’s still stands watch over a farm on Moore’s Lake Rd. in Dover.

DOVER C O N T I N U E D

nearly all of the baptisms in the area were held on the north bank of Moore’s lake. In the 1950’s and 60’s, Dover boasted several grocery stores, as well as a drive-in movie theatre.The drive-in theatre was located on Hwy. 574, and had not only drive-in spaces, but wooden benches near the screen since many families didn’t have a car, and walked in instead. Some of the youth from that era joked how ironic it would be for a church to be built on the spot where the drive-in was, considering the activities that often occurred at a drive-in theatre. Sometime around the early 1960’s the drive-in closed down, and today, an old stone church – God’s Miracle Mission – sits in its place. Although you might never know it today, there was even a ‘downtown Dover’ in those days, at the corner of Highway 574 and South Dover Road.The anchor of downtown was Johnson’s Grocery store, and it was the place to be.The Dover school was also located in downtown at that time. A community school, it accommodated all grades through 9th, and the children attended 6 months a year – when strawberries were not in season. Many families here were poor, not even able to afford shoes for their children to

wear to school. But, says J.I. Gay, who lived here at the time,“You didn’t know you were poor. Everyone around you was the same, just as poor as you.”The school had at least one attendee who ended up famous, country music artist, Mel Tillis.

day. Although no major mining operations ever set up shop in Dover, the companies did dig some mine pits there. Ironically, today those pits are being called lakes, and developments and subdivisions are springing up around them.

In those days many of the roads were still dirt and gravel, and kids walked and hitchhiked everywhere. Some of the places they most commonly headed were the swimming holes. One of those was in a cow pasture owned by the Lariscy family on Bethlehem Road. Not only did the cows drink from the pond, but the kids swam in it, and many of the youngsters in Dover learned to swim there.

Today, some of the area that is considered Dover is still somewhat depressed, but much of Dover is succumbing to development.There never used to be a rush hour in Dover, but those days are quickly disappearing. Citrus groves and farms are being sub-divided into residential parcels, and new homes are springing up everywhere. Many of the people who are moving to rural areas like Dover are trying to escape the hustle and bustle of busier, metropolitan areas like Tampa. The times are changing, and those of us who call places like Dover home, hope the change does not cause these rural communities to lose their personality and country feel.

Intersections were known not by the names of the roads that crossed there, but by names like Bean’s Corner, where the Bean Auction House stood at Forbes Rd. and Hwy. 92; or Maxie’s corner at Hwy. 574 and Forbes, where Maxie owned a gas station and sold farm crates and supplies. Bethlehem Road was known as Duck Pond Road to the locals: affectionately named for the pond that sat at the corner of Bethlehem and Hwy. 574, and the ducks that called the pond home. Duck Pond has been ﬁlled in for more than 20 years now. The mines were one of the few places to work in those days. Since many families didn’t own a car, the mining companies had buses that made the rounds to rural communities like Dover, taking workers to the mines and back home each



A sign of the times. Signs like this, showing subdivided parcels where farms and groves once were, are popping up throughout Dover and other East Hillsborough county communities.

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 45

a r t ex DISTANT DIARY

Letters from a Soldier Away from Home

Submitted by Lt. Olan Stephens

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i, once again reporting late from Camp Atterbury, Indiana. For the past several weeks the unit has been doing METL (Mission Essential Task List) training. It covers a large spectrum of tasks from weapons maintenance to treating for various types of wounds on the battlefield. Twenty-five soldiers have completed CLS (Combat Life Saver) certification. This training enables the soldier to be able to stabilize and give immediate treatment to a wounded soldier until medical staff arrives or they are evacuated.

We are preparing for our field exercise that begins on the 1st of August. This training is designed to simulate the atmosphere of a Forward Operating Base (FOB). At the FOB we will conduct many of the tasks that we’ve spent time training on over the last 2 months. Some of the training includes perimeter security, security at entrance and exit points, and quick reaction force (QRF). QRF is a supplemental security force that can be dispatched to reinforce by sector if the enemy is trying to breach the perimeter. Part of the FOB operations also include scenarios where there are civilians on the battle field, car bombs, convoy security, reacting to convoy ambush (this training teaches how to engage the enemy from a moving vehicle). FOB training will last approximately 2 weeks; during that time we will be located in the field and will have little to no contact with the outside. Training is still on track for our deployment in mid to late August to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. I hope everyone is doing well back home. All of the soldiers have high morale and are thankful for the support we are receiving from home. We are receiving care packages and letters, both of which help us to cope with the difficulties of missing family and friends.

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m e s a k n o o P n An

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 48

Beauty Queen, College G raduate... Reality TV Contestant? Interview by Brian West Photos by Ann Poonkasem Some of you may know Ann Poonkasem as a 1995 graduate of Plant City HS, some as Miss Tampa 2001, and Miss Tampa USA 2004. But, many of you have probably become more familiar with Poonkasem since the debut of the new NBC reality TV show, “I Want to be a Hilton”. Since the FOX series, “The Simple Life”, starring Paris Hilton, the Hilton name has become a household word. The premise of “I Want to be a Hilton” is that Kathy Hilton, Paris’ mother and co-producer of the show, cultures 14 etiquette-ally challenged contestants competing for a prize package including a 200,000 dollar trust fund, a new wardrobe, jewelry, and one year in a NY apartment rent free. Poonkasem works part-time for the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center as host of the TV show “Center TV”.

How long have you lived Plant City? Since I was 3 years old. Where are you from? I was born in New York. We moved here after my uncle and aunt, Doctor and Mrs.Mahapaurya, moved to Plant City from New York. We lived in New York, New Jersey, California, and then we moved to Florida after experiencing an earthquake in California. Tell me about your family. My parents are from Thailand. My mom is a stay at home mom. My dad is an electrical engineer. My brother just graduated from the university of Florida medical school and is now doing his residency in family medicine at the Morton Plant Mease Hospital in Clearwater. He wants to eventually go into integrated alternative medicine. When did you get started in pageants? When I was nine years old one of my parents’ friends, Brenda Harris – her daughter Lisa was Strawberry Queen in 1980 said to my mom, “Why don’t you put little Annie in a pageant like the Junior Royalty pageant,” my mom said, “Are you kidding me?” My mom was surprised because we thought

pageants weren’t for Asians. My first pageant experience was the Junior Royalty Pageant. I was so scared. When I got up on stage to do my 30 second commercial, I froze, I could not speak. Fortunately, I ended up getting first runner-up. Whose idea was it for you to continue competing in pageants? I loved it! I did a couple more pageants while I was still 9 years old such as Little Miss USA and Little Miss Unicorn. They’re local pageants and I won both of them. My parents were like “OK are you sure you want to continue doing this?” and I said, “Yes.” Of course they are parents, so they didn’t really listen, which resulted in me quitting at 9 years old just as I had began. Sure enough though, I started again when I reached high school. It was for the Calendar Girl contest. Then my mom said, “If you want to do this and you make it into the Calendar, I will put you in the Strawberry Festival Queen’s Pageant.” I was like, “Oh no, I’m not ready,” because I was such an introvert growing up. To get up on stage and speak in front of people made me terrified. I was cool with the Calendar Girl competition because they gave you 10 questions in

advance for you to answer, so you were able to prepare ahead of time. The Strawberry Festival Queen’s Pageant is tougher because they give you an impromptu question if you make it into the top ten. When I ﬁnally made it to the ﬁnal thirteen in the Calendar Girl competition, I got to be Miss March. Then the Strawberry Queen’s Festival Pageant came along, I was so scared, I think I even bombed my answer. But, I managed to make it into the Queen’s Court. I didn’t hear my name called at all. Someone had to tell me that my name had been called. In fact, it was a contestant next to me. That was all back in 1994. I went out for it again the next year and the following year as well, but did not make it back into the court, but won Miss Congeniality. So, how did you get involved in other pageants? Well, I decided to compete in the Miss America organization because again Brenda Harris said to my mom, “Why don’t you put Annie in a pageant like Miss Tampa?” This time my mom said, “What? She has to be in a swimsuit?”, and Brenda said, “She has great legs.”

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 49

m e s a k n o o P n An Beauty Queen, College Graduate, …Reality TV Contestant?

My mom said, “What, those skinny legs?” However, I had heard that the Miss America competition has a talent portion and this would be a great opportunity to perform on stage. It would also be a great experience, not to mention a scholarship to help pay for school. So I called my parents while they were visiting Thailand and told them that I wanted to enter the Miss Bay Area Pageant. All the winners at the local level were guaranteed at least a $500 scholarship. Again, my mom said, “OK, if you are sure you want to do it.” I had to prepare for competing in evening gown, swimsuit, talent, and an interview during which I had to speak about my platform. My platform was helping disabled children. At that time, I was volunteering with the Shriner’s Childrens’ Hospital, The Joshua House, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. I loved working with children. I competed in several pageants before I finally won Miss Plant City in 1998. To show you that it isn’t true that the price of a gown will make or break you, the dress I won in was a white, one sleeve gown that I borrowed from a pageant director. She got it from some place like a thrift store for$4.99, not $499, but $4.99. I never made it to the top ten in the Miss Florida pageants, but my first year as Miss Plant City in the Miss Florida pageant; I won a non-finalist award for talent, giving me another $500 scholarship. When I was competing as Miss Tampa 2001, I won first place for the community service award, receiving

a $2000 scholarship. The other years that I competed in the Miss Florida USA system, I won Miss Amity each time as well as making it to the top ten. Are you still attending school? Yes, I am working on my master’s in communication and will graduate in December. I received my bachelor’s in music—vocal performance with a minor in communication and a second bachelors in mass communications— TV broadcast news. How did you become interested in singing? You know that after seeing the show people must be wondering about you breaking into song. (Laughing): I have loved singing since I was a young child, I was even in a kid’s band. I started taking voice lessons during my junior year in high school. When I changed my major in college to music from mass communications, my mom once again asked, “Are you sure you want to do this?” I began to think that maybe this wasn’t such a good decision after all. I thought maybe I will go back to what I had originally planned, mass communications—TV broadcast news, so I did. My last year, I interned with ABC 28 news. A couple of the news anchors referred me to a company for which I ended up hosting a national show on Speed Channel, “Hi-Rev Tuners.” It was a show about import and sport compact cars. I learned a lot about cars on the show. We went to many car shows throughout the country where people had modiﬁed both their car’s appearance and performance capability. I did

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 50

that for two seasons. I was also hosting a show on Bright House Network, channel 47, for the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, and still continue doing so to this day. About breaking into song on the Hilton show, please keep in mind it’s a show designed for your entertainment purposes only. Being involved in so many different things like pageants, singing, hosting, school, extra-curricular activities, etc. what do you want to do? (Laughing): All of the above, but hopefully on a much larger scale. I’d really love to have a legitimate recording contract. I actually did sign with an independent label in NY. They flew my mom and I to New York and paid for our accommodations in a nice hotel. During this period, I recorded a single that I co-wrote, a cover song, and had a music video in the works that was to be shot in the Tampa area. I’m not quite sure what happened with the label, but they didn’t fully uphold their end of the bargain. But, I’d also like to do more TV work as well. I’d love to host an entertainment or travel show; something like that. So, how did your appearance on “I Want to be a Hilton” come about? I received an email about it first, and then I read some information about it on the NBC website. I thought it would be a great opportunity for me. So my mom and I drove to Miami for an audition. It was basically an interview. They just asked different questions to see how I would respond. I finished the interview and they called me back the next day. After that, they put me

on camera. Then I was called back for another interview in Los Angeles. Then I was cast for the show and went to New York for the ﬁlming. I did about seven or eight radio interviews broadcast in Florida and other states as well, a couple weeks ago. My publicist, Stephanie, or her representative, had to be on the line listening to my responses to be sure I didn’t disclose too much information about the show. What are you working on now? I’m working on a self-defense video with my personal trainer in Sarasota that incorporates various forms of martial arts. When I was younger, I was two stripes away from a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. These videos are geared towards women, but we plan to also do a video for men and children. During August I will be ﬂying to Seattle to sing in a concert. I had met Ann a couple of times prior to our interview. She is a sweet girl. Although she is no longer a contestant on the show, don’t expect to see her around town much. She definitely has sights on entertainment in a big city. She has a couple of websites available to promote her career: www.AnnPoonkasem.com and www.musecube.com/siamdiva. Let’s just hope she continues to call Plant City home. I’m sure we will want to claim that she is from our town. Tune in to see “I Want to be a Hilton” on Tuesday nights at 9PM EST on NBC.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 51

This Fall Semester ��

Plant City Campus ANNOUNCES New Programs Associate in Science in Veterinary Technology Certificate in Advanced Water Technology Certificate in Irrigation Technology Applied Technology Diploma Pest Control Technology Geographic Information Systems Courses PLUS Certificates in Landscape and Horticulture Professional, Specialist, and Technician (prepares completers for the Florida Nursery Growers and Landscapers Association certification exams)

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 52

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 55

l a loc DID YOU KNOW?

School Bells Ring! THEN AND NOW Story & Photos By Plant City Photo Archives, Inc.

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hat is it about schools that just thinking about them takes us back to the core values of a community? Perhaps that’s it – maybe we look back at our schools as a symbol of what our community is all about. The Plant City area has always been proud of its schools, beginning with the ﬁrst small privately operated one-room schools. With a new city charter, the City of Plant City was able to issue bonds and built its ﬁrst public-funded school, Plant City Graded and High School (later Central Grammar School) in 1893. It stood between Thomas and

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 56

Wheeler Streets, just south of Baker Street. This brick building was reputed to be one of the ﬁnest in Florida. There have been many schools in the Cork, Bealsville, Springhead, Lithia, Dover, and general Plant City area over the years, including the four shown here: (1) Tomlin Junior High School on its ﬁrst day of school in 1959 in what was built as the Plant City High School in 1914; (2) Plant City Junior High School Band, 1951, then Tomlin Jr. H.S. and located in the old 1893 Central School building; (3) Marshall High School typing class, 1958;

the new school (built in 1957) grew out of the former Midway Academy and Plant City Negro High School, becoming Marshall H.S. in 1949; (4) Stonewall Jackson Elementary School ﬁrst grade, 1956-1957; this was built in 1925-26 along with identical schools William Jennings Bryan and Woodrow Wilson. Sources: Plant City Photo Archives, Inc., Quintilla Geer Bruton and David E. Bailey, Jr., Plant City; Its Origin and History, 1984.

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Quick..Circle this ad! 2 are better than 1! 2 adjacent commercial properties previously used as a ﬂorist (1984) & a used car lot sales business (1957). The 2 combined properties are over 1/2 acre. Call Barbara Jean Kulyk on her cell for more details. 813-781-1915.

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Statuesque golf course & Lake view home located in prestigious and beautiful Walden Lake of Plant City! Fit for the most discerning buyer, this home (just a short 25 mile commute to Tampa) has it all! Extraordinary features include custom design with architectural “Pizzaz” such as an impressive entry and formal living room with soaring ceilings almost 2 stories high!, a romantic stairway leading to the upper level rooms including an elegant master suite and 2 wonderfully large rooms, a ground ﬂoor versatile “imagination room” that could be den, exercise or game room, guest or “in-law” suite! The family room is spacious and complete with wood burning ﬁre place and the “ good morning” room is bright and inviting with a “triply” superb view of a glorious pool, gorgeous golf course and tranquil lake! Offered at $525,000 #128. call Barbara Jean at 781-1915

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 64

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 65

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THE WALDEN LAKE REVIEW

The Walden Lake Review

Story by Ken Lawrence

is the season of “summer doldrums”, with not much going on in Walden Lake this month, other than the chinch bugs having a feast on many lawns in the community. Make sure you sprinkle a pesticide on your grass or hire a pest control service, because once these creatures take hold of a lawn, they won’t stop until they are destroyed by a poison or they’ll eat it up, roots and all. With all the rain we’ve been having, your lawns should look as green as, err… grass. If there is any sign of brown, you’ve more than likely got chinch bugs. Believe me; I lost half my front lawn in a matter of less than a week. There have been quite a few ﬁshermen out on the ponds around Walden Lake and it appears several of them are not residents. Fishing is not permitted for anyone other than residents and their guests. A second point is that the community association rules state that it’s “catch and toss back”. No Keepers. Besides, with all the pesticides spread on lawns, much of it washing into the ponds, who would want to take a chance on eating the ﬁsh? One good spot for local folks to cast a line into the water is the

reservoir at Medard Park off Turkey Creek Road, south of State Road 60, or drive over to Lake Thonotosassa, just 20 minutes away. First it was Buddy Freddy’s, then Sonny’s, Applebee’s, followed by Outback, of course the return of Grandpa Johnson’s and just recently Chili’s. Now food connoisseurs take note…..another famous restaurant is planning to come to Plant City. Cracker Barrel Restaurant has purchased land on the southwest corner of I-4 and Thonotosassa, now occupied by Fleetwood Manufactured Homes. There are a few hoops for the company to jump through before construction will begin. No date for completion has been announced. If legal issues can be worked out, there may also be a Starbucks Coffee House on the same piece of property and in behind Cracker Barrel across from the pond owned by the Department of Transportation for highway runoff, there could be another hotel. There’s now a possibility of three new hotels in Plant City in the coming months. One is slated for

the land across the road from the proposed Cracker Barrel, just north of Waffle House on Thonotosassa, another at I-4 and Park Road, on the southwest side, and the aforementioned possibility behind Cracker Barrel. People in the hotel business say Plant City needs more rooms. Speaking of new businesses….WALMART is planning a new Super Center north of I-4 and Park Road and rumor has it that the existing WALMART on Jim Redman Parkway will become a Sam’s Club. Finally, we trust our city commissioners will make a wise decision and use every legal maneuver at their disposal to keep so-called “adult entertainment” out of our community. These strip clubs can remain in Tampa’s industrial districts, but have no place in peaceful Plant City. Unfortunately, these club owners have some pretty high priced lawyers at their disposal and they twist our freedoms to their advantage. Plant City Hall, please fight back for the good of our fine city. Till next month!

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 73

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 74

s e m ho HOME COMPUTING TIPS THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Preparing Your House for Buyers Story By Shelton Keely

our house should always be available for show, even though it may occasionally be inconvenient for you. Let your listing agent put a lock box in a convenient place to make it easy for other agents to show your home to homebuyers. Otherwise, agents will have to schedule appointments, which is an inconvenience. Most will just skip your home to show the house of someone else who is more cooperative.

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Most agents will call and give you at least a couple of hours notice before showing your property. If you refuse to let them show it at that time, they will just skip your house. Even if they come back another time, it will probably be with diﬀerent buyers and you may have just lost a chance to sell your home.

TRY NOT TO BE HOME Homebuyers will feel like intruders if you are home when they visit, and they might not be as receptive toward viewing your home. Visit the local coﬀee house, yogurt shop, or take the kids to the local park. If you absolutely cannot leave, try to remain in an out of the way area of the house and do not move from room to room. Do not volunteer any information, but answer any questions the agent may ask.

LIGHTING When you know someone is coming by to tour your home, turn on all the indoor and outdoor lights- even during the day. At night, a lit house gives a “homey” impression when viewed from the street. During the daytime, turning on the lights prevents harsh shadows from sunlight and it brightens up any

dim areas. Your house looks more homey and cheerful with the lights on.

FRAGRANCES Do not use scented sprays to prepare for visitors. It is too obvious and many people ﬁnd the smells of those sprays oﬀensive, not to mention that some may be allergic. If you want to have a pleasant aroma in your house, have a potpourri pot or something natural. Or turn on a stove burner (or the oven) for a moment and put a drop of vanilla extract on it. It will smell like you have been cooking.

PET CONTROL If you have pets, make sure your listing agent puts a notice with your listing in the MLS. The last thing you want is to have your pet running out the front door and getting lost. If you know someone is coming, it would be best to try to take the pets with you while the homebuyers tour your home. If you cannot do that, it is best to keep dogs in a penned area in the back yard. Try to keep indoor cats in a speciﬁc room when you expect visitors, and put a sign on the door. Most of the time, an indoor cat will hide when buyers come to view your property, but they may panic and try to escape.

THE KITCHEN TRASH Especially if your kitchen trash can does not have a lid, make sure you empty it every time someone comes to look at your home-even if your trash can is kept under the kitchen sink. Remember that you want to send a positive image about every aspect of your home. Kitchen trash does not send a positive message. You may go through more plastic bags than usual, but it will be worth it.

KEEP THE HOUSE TIDY Not everyone makes his or her bed every day, but when selling a home it is recommended that you develop the habit. Pick up papers, do not leave empty glasses in the family room, keep everything freshly dusted and vacuumed. Try your best to have it look like a model home-a home with furniture, but nobody really lives there. Shelton Keely Broker-Associate Walden Lake Realty, Inc. 813-503-0999

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a r t ex AL RUECHEL

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I don’t pretend to be an economist. But I think I know why the postal service is going broke. No, it’s not the high cost of labor, or the fact more of us are using the Internet to send letters than Uncle Sam. They are going broke because they have failed to recognize one simple principle: The shortest distance between two points is a straight line! About four weeks ago I ordered a gift for my wife. It was supposed to arrive within 5 to 7 business days. To make it more fun for the consumer they included a USPS tracking number, which I could use to follow the progress of the gift on a daily basis. Now I’ve ordered other items and followed the progress using FedEx and UPS. It was cool.

Why the Postal Service is going broke. Story By Al Ruechel

I watched the packages leave the regional warehouses, head for the airports, arrive one day and see it placed on a regional truck carrier, and usually within a day or two it arrives in my city, and presto it arrives at my door the next day. Isn’t it amazing how we tend to take this overnight and next day shipping for granted? And if you ever get the chance to visit a UPS facility you should. It’s the old “Industry on Parade” show times 100. The giant warehouse buildings are ﬁlled with long conveyer belts with automatic sensors and pushers (I am so stinking scientiﬁc) that separate packages based on bar codes and street addresses. The trucks are all lined up in a row and parade out each morning like a mother duck with her little ducklings following closely behind. Now consider the path of my package. According to the USPS tracking software, which I can access each day, it was picked up in San Bernardino, California on June the 16th. The 30-pound package then made its way to Seattle Washington. Of course this makes no sense given the straightline principle. There’s no need for panic just yet. They told me 5 to 7 business days, which doesn’t count the weekend. They can get it here with time to spare. Three days later the package heads to Chicago by truck. But two days out it arrives in Denver. The next day my little package is

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 82

sent on a side trip back to Oakland, California where it arrives two days later. I still haven’t picked up the phone to call the postal service because, quite frankly, this is all pretty amusing to me. Larry, Curly and Moe must be in charge. Another two days pass and that little square traveler is off again, this time to Oklahoma City. At least it is headed in the right general direction. It then heads to Chicago and is sent to Charlotte, North Carolina, where it arrives, according to the tracking service, two days later. Harkening to the sounds of the sea and sun, those men and women in blue send my wife’s gift off to Jacksonville. I’ve been here before with those other carriers. It will be in Tampa tomorrow. So it’s about two and a half weeks late. At least it will be here before the weekend. No way. After waiting two more days I call them. My package is nowhere in the system. What about all those numbers and the tracking software? What was that! They don’t know. As far as they are concerned it does not and never did exist. “We’ll I’m not sure what to tell you. But if the package is insured we’ll cover the cost! “Fine, but what happened to the package? And what was your tracking software following, phases of the moon,” I asked. The answer; “I’m really stumped by this one. It’s possible a package could be misdirected by the wrong address or a label, and then lost somewhere along the line.” “Yes, but my address is in Florida. Why would you send it to Seattle or even Chicago?”“We have contracts with bulk carriers and sometimes the routes will deviate because it ends up being more cost effective.” Let me guess; lowest bidder gets the contract! To their credit the postal service said they would contact the shipper and handle all the arrangements for sending a new product at their expense since I could provide them all the original paper work and copies of the tracking report. It’s due to arrive tomorrow. Here’s the kicker. A few minutes ago my postal carrier knocked on my door and finally delivered the original package. It looked like

one of those old suitcases with stickers from all over the world. Most of them had been partially removed so as not to confuse the sorting machines or the humans responsible for sorting them out. With great delight I began opening the box, which I immediately noticed, was feather light. “Hey, there’s nothing inside. The box is empty.”“Don’t look at me,” my carrier almost laughed. Late today an “official” from the post office called to apologize. These are exact quotes from our taperecorded conversation. “It seems your original package may have been sent to you by the manufacturer prematurely. The factory has no record of the product being placed in the box to be mailed.” Huh? “The original mailing label was double printed” (whatever that means), “sending the gift to three different regional warehouses. At one of those warehouses the label must have come off or the product lost. The tracking number given to you was for the wrong package. We’ve never seen anything quite like this. We are updating the software.” I’d love to do a cost accounting on my package or on any others that have encountered the same fate. That little 30-buck gift most have cost USPS a bundle, given all the places it visited and all the hands that touched it. And I don’t think those guys really know what happened to it along the way. With overnight you take it from the warehouse to the plane and out it goes… two stops to your door. With standard ground delivery, good luck! When we use computers and tracking software we’d like to think we are in better control. True, only if we input the correct information and all the stuff works. Technology is a wonderful thing, but sometimes it’s better to just dump the explanation. Just tell me somebody goofed. I can live with that. Now, where the blank is my package!

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Financial Focus RETIRING? WATCH OUT FOR INVESTMENT SCAMS Submitted by Edward Jones

If you’re planning to retire soon, you have a lot to anticipate: more time with your family, the chance to travel, the freedom to pursue your hobbies, and so on. Yet, there’s one thing you’ll want to avoid during your retirement years: investment scams. Unfortunately, retirees are the number one target for investment con artists. Unscrupulous stock brokers and financial planners do engage in abusive practices, and they seek out the elderly. However, you are far from defenseless against this kind of behavior. You can avoid being “scammed” by following these suggestions: Ask for credentials, background and references. As amazing as it may seem, anyone can call himself or herself a “financial planner,” “financial advisor” or similar term. Before working with anyone, ask for credentials, and find out how this person plans to work with you. You may want to ask these types of questions:

• “What securities licenses do you hold?” • “How long has your company been in existence?” • “How are you compensated?” • “How frequently will you communicate with me?” • “Which methods will you employ to determine if an investment is suitable for my risk tolerance and individual needs?”

If you are dealing with a reputable financial professional, he or she will be happy to answer these and other questions. But if you notice someone acting nervously or evasively when you pose these inquiries, break off communication instantly; you simply cannot afford to trust someone who is less than 100 percent forthcoming with you. Don’t be overly cooperative at first encounter. If a stranger calls and asks for personal or financial information, be suspicious. Con artists are good at winning their way into people’s confidence; furthermore, if you are a polite individual, you may feel it’s rude not to listen. This combination of their smooth talk and your good manners can be dangerous. You are under no obligation to listen to anyone on the phone; if you suspect you are talking to a predator, simply hang up or ask to be placed on a “do not call” list. Never say yes to “you must act now” offers. If you receive an investment offer that “must” be acted upon immediately, walk away - fast. Any offer that sounds too good to be true is too good to be true. Legitimate investment opportunities will still be around tomorrow and next week. Always stay in charge of your money. Never work with anyone who is eager to take “total control” of your money. True investment professionals will make recommendations based on your needs, communicate with you regularly and involve you in every step of the investment process. Take action immediately if you have trouble retrieving principal. Unless you are investing in a fixed-term vehicle, such as a bond, you should be able to receive your funds or profits within a reasonable amount of time. If the broker you are working with “stalls” you when you say you want to pull out your principal or profits, report him or her to securities regulators, such as the National Association of Securities Dealers. By taking these steps, you can help avoid being victimized by con artists. So, stay vigilant, seek out honest advice- and enjoy your retirement years.

• “Can you give me the names of some references?”

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y e n mo BUSINESS PROFILE

Tutoring in a Unique Way A REPORT ABOUT KNOWLEDGE POINTS TEACHING PROGRAM

S E N D Q U E S T I O N S A N D CO M M E N T S TO S D E D O N @ F LOY D P U B L I C AT I O N S . CO M

ENTER KNOWLEDGE POINTS Founded by the well known Sylvan Learning Centers out of Portland, Oregon, Knowledge Points is a franchise business that has spread its wings across America and in the eastern Hillsborough area, and is located in Brandon and Plant City. The local operator is Roderick Burkhardt, a retired TECO manager who spent 24 years with the power company before acquiring the local Knowledge Points business in 2001. The tutoring service usually partners with community facilities, including churches, in order to use their underutilized buildings during the week. In the case of Plant City, Knowledge Points holds its classes at Hope Lutheran Church, while in Brandon, Christ Community Church facilities are used. There is no connection with these churches, other than utilizing their space. For as little as $99 a month, thanks to possible future government grants for those in ﬁnancial need, Knowledge

Points claims it can improve a child’s overall educational standing by 1 ½ to 2 years of school years, and works with kids from kindergarten through Grade 12. Rod Burkhardt tells FOCUS that most of the children suffer from a “lack of self confidence”. The tutoring begins with a diagnostic assessment of the student and then an individualized plan is put together. The children who go to Knowledge Points have various personal issues to be dealt with. They could suffer from attention deficit syndrome, mental problems, discipline and, of course, self-confidence. Burkhardt says it could be something as simple as “requiring more hands on from a tutor and that they receive because the classes are very small”. He says the tutoring “focuses on the positive and it works very well”. The system rewards children with what are called “success credits” that they can use in many ways, including winning time to play a game or two. The largest group of children who usually require tutoring are those in the grades 1 through 3 ranges, but the Knowledge Points manager says the school also has a good number of middle and high school students.

The students usually go twice a week to Knowledge Points, immediately after school, for a one hour session. There is no contract needed to attend Knowledge Points. However, the average tutoring time is 40 sessions, in order to achieve maximum beneﬁts. The school calls in the parents after every 10 hours to give them a progress report and discuss how to make “Johnny or Judy” an even better student. Mr. Burkhardt says when it all comes down to it, “it’s the parent’s responsibility to ensure their children receive the best possible education and Knowledge Points can turn a ‘C’ student into an ‘A’ student”. Knowledge Points also works for children who are home-schooled. When all is said and done, Knowledge Points still works on the age-old educational premise of teaching children the three R’s, only it’s done on a basis of dealing with the many distractions children have in their lives these days. For more information on Knowledge Points, call Rod Burkhardt at (813) 655-4353 or e-mail him at Rod. Burkhardt@KnowledgePoints.com.

Story & Photos by Ken Lawrence

“A man can only attain knowledge with the help of those who possess it. One must learn from him who knows”….. George Gurdjieﬀ—19th Century Russian Philosopher

eaching methods in public and private schools have improved vastly over the years as the education system has adapted to technological changes. However, it’s the same technology that, in several cases has been a distraction to children. We’re writing, of course, about television and video games, which have cut into our kid’s knowledge and resulted in a country where one quarter of the population is considered to be “functionally illiterate”. Yes, fully 25% of Americans cannot read or write properly. For some children, all the new teaching methods in school have not been suﬃcient to send them into the work world, where they would stand a chance to earn a good living for the rest of their lives. For decades, there have been private tutors and they have improved the educational prowess of many children. However, there is plenty of room for other private teaching programs. Rod Burkhardt Manager-Knowledge Points and Sandy Howell,Dir. Learning

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 86

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s l o o sch & EDUCATION

The Plant City Raider Band Camp HARD WORK AND SUMMERTIME FUN

Story by Sherri Robinson Photos Courtesy of PCHS Band

ove of music and dedication made the Plant City High School Band members, grades 9 - 12, give up part of their summer to come to band camp. They prepared for the new school year by spending July 18 - 27th from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays practicing at the school. On Saturday they worked from 9 a.m. to noon, after which they had some fun at a pool and pizza party.

SEND QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS TO SDEDON@FLOYDPUBLICATIONS.COM

Some of the things they worked on during camp were the music, basic march fundamentals, and actual drill and movements. Director of Bands, Matthew Green, feels that this is especially important for the freshman who will be participating in the Plant City High School band this year because it is so different than middle school band. He was very proud of this year’s group of young people. They have come in prepared with plenty of over-the-summer practice and are also very dedicated and ready. The camp is very lucky to have had some great people working with the kids. Ivan Wansley was the main Clinician, Bill Brafford - Percussion Instructor, Tammy Castagno -Guard Sponsor, Dave Hobbs - Coach, and teachers from Marshal Middle School - Kassandra Thayer and Tomlin Middle School - Steve Hahn. For those students who are considering the band, Mr. Green says, “You can’t really make a decision on how you will feel about band until you actually try it. The friendships you make here can last you a lifetime. It can also help make high school seem less intimidating.” The band camp is free to all of the band students; however, the band is always in need of instruments and financial support. Green says the more support they get, the more they can provide for the kids. Even if all you can do is come to the game, that is supporting the Plant City High School Band. If you would like to find out how you can help the kids, please call 813757-9370 ext. 282.

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l a loc AROUND TOWN

I Can Do It! (Part 2)

Story by Bob Hughens (formerly Bob the Limo Driver)

ell, it’s been four more weeks on the program and I am losing weight, but it’s coming off slower. My initial weight loss was 24 pounds, which I expected when first starting a weight loss program. Obviously, having that kind of immediate weight loss is a real motivator, but as my body adjusts to the workouts and different eating habits, the weight loss has slowed down. Workouts continue to really test all of my joints, but I’m starting to see and feel the difference in my arms and my legs.

�� Whatever you do for a living, you experience a degree of mental and physical tension or stress everyday. This stress can easily contribute to bodily pains. Tension is a skeletalmuscle reaction that normally allows movements such as running, singing, or writing. Tension is defined as the contraction (shortening) of muscle fibers. However, when there is too much stress there is unnecessary muscle activity. This degree of tension can be unhealthy. It can cause pain including: headache, backache, leg or arm pain. Mental stress causes anxiety, nervousness, phobias, shakiness, depression, insomnia, chronic fatigue and teeth grinding. There are over 1,000 individual skelatal muscles in your body, almost half your body weight. In stressful conditions, all of these muscles will contract. This has a tremedous affect on your body, especially if the tension occurs one day after another. A doctor of chiropractic specializes in relieving the pain caused by tension. Our expert, hands-on treatment relieves the pressure and restores the body to its natural state. Chiropractic can also help you begin to reduce the day-to-day stress that is having such a negative impact on your phisical and mental well-being. Blessings, Dr. Dukes

The biggest change is my energy level. I don’t feel tired all the time. Physical tasks don’t seem as hard to do anymore. I know it sounds crazy, but I actually look forward to my workouts. I told myself when I started this program that I’m going to commit 100% to making it work. It will work if I make it happen and I’m going to stick with it. Yes, the workouts are tough and when I feel the pain, I try to imagine what the end result will be. The rewards outweigh the pain. It is definitely a lifealtering program. Thanks, everyone, for supporting me in this crusade. It feels great when people tell you how well they think you’re doing. It really means a lot. Well, that’s it for now. For those who want to start a weight loss program or just feel better, make the commitment today. There is a program that will work for you. You can custom design a routine that fits your lifestyle. If you have questions about starting your own fitness program, give Mike Gartz a call at (813) 786-1541. See you next month!

WEEK 4: Ending weight for this week is 308, loss is 4 pounds. WEEK 5: I didn’t experience any weight loss this week (bummer). My ending weight was still 308. WEEK 6: I made a little progress this week with a 2-pound loss, ending weight is 306. WEEK 7: I hit a wall again this week. No weight loss this week, ending weight 306. TOTAL WEIGHT LOST: 30 pounds. According to Mike Gartz of Elite Home Fitness, I need to concentrate on body changes and not worry about the weight. According to Mike, if I follow the three basic parts of the workout program, the weight loss will come. SEND QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS TO SDEDON@FLOYDPUBLICATIONS.COM

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 90

s t r spo

S E N D Q U E S T I O N S A N D CO M M E N T S TO S D E D O N @ F LOY D P U B L I C AT I O N S . CO M

Tampa Mustangs Take ASA Fast Pitch Title “Looking for the right pitch!”

1ST INNING: Story and photos by Bob Hughens

he Randy Larson Softball Stadium Complex in Plant City was the site of the ASA Girl’s 12-Under Southern National Championship Finals on Saturday, July 31. Teams from Tampa and Gwinnet County, Georgia participated in the elimination tournament. In preliminary games, the Mad Dogs of Gwinnet County lost to the Tampa Mustangs (Blue) by a score of 5-3. That game eliminated the Mad Dogs and set up the championship game between the Tampa Mustangs (Blue) and the Tampa Mustangs (White). Both teams are members of the Tampa Mustangs.

Tampa Blue: Erika Arcuri started off the inning with a walk, followed by a single by Kaelyn Castellanos. Cloe Saganowich was hit by a pitch and Cassidy Whidden walked to bring in the first run of the game. Kayleen Boatwright also walked and another run scored. The next three batters all popped out to retire the side. Tampa White: Briell Gordon led off for the White team with a walk and then managed to steal second base on the next pitch. Bianka Bell then singled to advance Gordon to third base. While Brittany Olsen struck out, Bell stole second. The next batter up was Alicia Hardin, who also struck out. The next two batters, Kristen Kaska and Devynne Berry walked, forcing one run in. With the bases loaded, Allison Wright singles, but a wild pitch to third base allows Bell and Kaska to score.

Berry was thrown out at the plate while trying to steal home for the third out of the inning. TB Blue 2-TB White 3

2ND INNING:

Tampa Blue: Alex Rogers leads off the inning with a single. but is thrown out at second when Erika Arcuri lays down a single. Castellanos pops out but Arcuri makes it to second. Saganowich squeaks out a single to advance Arcuri to third. Whidden walks. but Boatwright hits into a force out to end the inning. Tampa White: After Ashley Gornto strikes out, Alexia McIntyre walks and then takes second base on a wild pitch. Gordon flies to right field for the second out and McIntyre gets caught in a run down between second and third for the final out of the inning. TB Blue 2-TB White 3

3RD INNING:

Tampa Blue: Nicollete Levine starts the third with a ground out to first. Jade Palmer gets a single with a little help from an error from the second baseman. but on the next play, Palmer is forced out at second when Bailey Schinella singles. Rogers also singles to advance Schinella to second. but the Blue Team can’t capitalize when Arcuri grounds out to first, side retired. Tampa White: It’s a three up, three down inning for the White Team when Bell flies out, Olsen strikes out and Hardin flies out to right field. TB Blue 2-TB White 3

4TH INNING:

Tampa Blue: Castellanos leads off with a walk but gets cut down at second on a force play when Saganowich singles. Whidden flies out to center field and Saganowich manages to steal second.

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Tampa Mustangs Take ASA Fast Pitch Title. Continued

Boatwright gets a walk but Levine ﬂies out to end the side. Tampa White: Kaska leads oﬀ for the White team with a single and when Berry strikes out, Kaska is able to steal second base. When Wright singles,

Kaska is thrown out at third base and Gornto ﬂys out to retire the side. TB Blue 2-TB White 3

5TH INNING: Tampa Blue: This was the turning point in the game for the Blue team. They explode for seven runs on nine hits, including a double from Nicollete Levine to go up by six runs and take the lead for the ﬁrst time in the game. Tampa White: Despite singles from Gordon and Bell, the White team can’t capitalize and goes scoreless for the inning. TB Blue 9-TB White 3

6TH INNING: Tampa Blue: This proves to be another big inning for the Blue team. Rogers leads oﬀ with a single and Brandi Welch makes her ﬁrst appearance with a walk. Castellanos singles to load the

bases. A single for Saganowich drives in Rogers for another score. Whidden gets on first with a single but Welch is forced out at home plate. Boatwright gets on base with a walk, which brings in a run. Levine strikes out, but Saganowich scores on a wild pitch and before Karli Mikkelsen strikes out, Whidden scores on another wild pitch. Tampa White: The White team tries to make a comeback this inning when Kaska grounds out to first, but Berry manages a walk. Wright grounds out, but Berry scores on a wild pitch. It was too little too late, however, when Gornto strikes out to end the game. Regulation games under ASA rules is seven innings, but the “8 Run” rule was in effect after 4 ½ or 5 innings so the Tampa Blue team is declared the winner and crowned the ASA Girls 12Under Southern National Champions. FINAL SCORE = Tampa Blue 13-Tampa White 4.

The 2005 ASA Girls 12-Under Southern National Champions

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 92

By virtue of their victory on Saturday, the Tampa Mustangs Blue team became the ﬁrst team in the United States to qualify for the 2006 14-under Nationals that will be held in Johnson City, Tennessee. Congratulations go out to Head Coach Frank Arcuri, Coach Robert Boatwright, Coach Jerry Schinella and all the talented girls of the Tampa Mustangs Blue Team in their wonderful victory and we wish them continued success in the national competition. I would like to thank Carlton Benton of the Plant City Parks and Recreation Department for his assistance in providing team information and stats from the tournament. The Plant City Parks and Recreation Department was the sponsor of this softball tournament and through the hard work of Carlton and his staﬀ, the tournament was a great success. Keep up the good work, Carlton.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 93

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h t l A a he & FITNESS

re you craving methyl anthranilate or amyl acetate? If you are, go on down to the local fast food joint and order up some or go to the grocery store and buy yourself some.. Methyl anthranilate is a metal corrosion inhibitor found in jet engine lubricants. Seems the food industry doesn’t care what so ever that a metal corrosion inhibitor is going into kids all across America. It is the “grape” flavor used for grape Kool-Aid. Get this to simulate an oldfashioned strawberry milkshake, the “artificial strawberry flavor” in a Burger King shake contains forty-six chemicals, none of which is strawberry.

You’ve Been Graped

I got this information from Morgan Spurlock’s new book called “Don’t Eat This Book”. It is a good title because obviously in America we will eat anything. This is a riveting book. Morgan Spurlock is the brave man who made the movie “Super Size Me”. I started off reading the book with a bright orange highlighter in my hand. I highlighted everything I wanted to keep fresh in my mind so I could share it with others who were interested. A couple of chapters into the book and I realized I had highlighted a whole lot of stuff! You have got to read this book if you even slightly care about your health. Spurlock writes in a style easily comprehensible to anyone. He does his homework and backs up his facts. Straight from the book on page 111 Spurlock writes; A McNugget is pieced together from the mushed-up little bits of a dozen or more chickens. And they throw in water, modified cornstarch, salt, chicken flavor, yeast extract, salt, wheat starch, natural flavoring (animal source), safflower oil, dextrose, citric acid, rosemary, sodium phosphates, seasoning, natural extractives of rosemary, canola and/or soybean oil, mono-and diglycerides and lecithin. Battered and breaded with: water, enriched bleached

Submitted by Sherry Nueesch

wheat flour (flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), yellow corn flour, bleached wheat flour, modified corn starch, salt, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, calcium lactate) spices, wheat starch, whey, corn starch. Breading set in vegetable oil. Cooked in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (may contain partially hydrogenated soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated corn oil and/or partially hydrogenated canola oil and/or cottonseed oil and/or sunflower oil and/or corn oil). OUCH. As Spurlock writes, “Should they really have to add chicken flavor to chicken McNuggets?” Add a good old Burger King Strawberry shake with its forty-six chemicals and now you’ve got a meal. Is it no wonder that American kids are on drugs to make them behave? We aren’t feeding them food. We are feeding them chemicals. The sad part is, they don’t know any better. A four year old has no idea that his little body needs wholesome real food. The fast food chains and the food industry do. They know how bad their food is, but American’s want cheap food. We have a “pile it up high and bring it on cheap” attitude. We pride ourselves in cheap food prices. What other industry in America thrives by being cheap? Suppose the clothing industry lived by the same motto. Hey, it’s cheap, doesn’t matter that you wash it one time and it falls apart! It’s cheap!! How about the automobile industry? Our cars won’t get you across the street, but they’re cheap!!! Eat it and it will make you sick, or worse kill you, but it’s cheap!!

them, the trucking company to ship them, the food broker to handle the transaction, and the person to clean them and blend them into a shake. Chemicals are cheap and we want cheap food. We’ll spend plenty of money on all kinds of stuff. American’s love stuff. Take a walk on any Saturday morning and look inside peoples garages at the “stuff” piled high. Go to a yard sale and look at the “stuff” people are selling. We have our priorities wrong. The most important dollars we spend are the ones that keep us healthy, the ones that nourish our bodies. Until we demand quality food and are willing to pay for it, we will get chemicals and additives. Does anybody really not know and understand the role of food to our health? We really are what we eat. God made our first medicine food, not chemicals, but real food. Food like apples that have an ingredient list of, apple! And real chicken that has an ingredient list of, chicken! Nature does not make mistakes, man does. I’ll stand by my motto: “If God made it, eat it, if man made it, RUN!” The nourishing kinds of vitamins and minerals do not come from chemicals. They come from real food grown by real farmers. So call your local farmer and buy everything he has. Vote with your buying power. There is something special about making eye contact with the person growing your food. It is almost spiritual. Here is to your health, as always, and go buy the book, TODAY. Sherry

Proﬁts are a lot higher if you can throw a chemical or two or fortysix into some water and simulate a strawberry shake. Try paying the farmer to grow the berries, the migrant worker to pick

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 95

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Science of Sports Drinks Submitted by Susan M. Ott D.O. Sand Hill Bone & Joint

ith summer and high heat and humidity upon us it is more important than ever to keep yourself hydrated as well as fueled during your workouts. There is actually a lot of research going on in this area. What is the best sports drink?

· One that tastes good. If it doesn’t taste good you won’t drink it. · Cool drinks are more palatable than warm drinks · Flavored drinks are more palatable than unﬂavored · Sodium concentration of 20-40 mmol/L (not mg per serving) · Have a mixture of types of sugars So why is all of this important? There has been a lot of attention given to

hydration in the media lately. Despite the media attention to overdrinking during endurance activities, most people do not drink enough to replace sweat losses. At 2-3% dehydration you will see a decline in performance and thirst is not a suﬃcient stimulus to drink. So. Why that particular sodium concentration? Well, if there is more sodium then it’s not going to taste good and you won’t drink it. Also if there is too much salt the drink will inhibit the drive to drink. Sodium also enhances gastric emptying which is discussed below. Why a mixture of carbohydrates? This is good news for all you folks who have trouble with nausea and vomiting. There have been multiple studies looking at what combination of carbohydrates is best and the eﬀects on endurance athletes form performance to energy stores. Also an area of interest is gastric emptying…What’s that? That is how well something gets out of your

stomach. Ever had a bunch of fluid sloshing around in your stomach on a run? Not a good feeling. What researchers have found is that a sports drink with a combination of different types of carbohydrates (glucose and fructose for example) gets out of your stomach better than a drink with only one type of carbohydrate (glucose alone). So why not just plain water? If you are doing a short event you can probably get away with water. Research comparing performance in cycling compared water and 2 different sports drinks that the athletes were able to drink at will. Those using just water were unable to exercise more than 3 hours. Well, why is that? No more glycogen (energy). If you are going to exercise more than 3 hours you need to replenish glycogen (energy). The easiest way to do this is with carbohydrates in whatever form you want, being gels, sports drinks or bananas.

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So what is an athlete to do? First and foremost learn your sweat rate. Weigh yourself before and after your workout. A pound is roughly a liter of fluid loss. So if you ran for one hour and weighed 1.5 pounds less after your workout than before (and you did not drink during your workout) then you lost 1.5 liters of fluid. The basic rule is to replace what you lose. Most athletes underestimate the amount of fluid they are losing. So, the take home lessons are, replace the fluid you lose, sports drinks will serve you better than plain water in most cases and especially during endurance events, stay hydrated and have a safe fun summer. Dr. Susan Ott is an Orthopaedic Surgeon who specializes in sports medicine. She practices with her partner, Dr. John Carrozzella, at Sand Hill Bone & Joint. Please call 813-754-0817 for more information.

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have written about this so many times that I am amazed about how much of it we still see in the tech shops from home users and business users alike. We can control it on the business sites with servers, but those of you at home have to educate yourselves about these programs that you all download knowingly and unknowingly. Spyware researchers have been picking apart one of the more notorious spyware programs and have stumbled upon what appears to be a massive identity theft ring hijacking conﬁdential data from millions of infected computers. Sunbelt Software Inc., makers of the enterprise-grade CounterSpy spyware protection product, made the discovery during an audit of “CoolWebSearch,”(Yes, you heard me, “CoolWebSearch”!) a program that routinely hijacks Web searchers, browser home pages and other Internet Explorer settings.

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During the research, Sunbelt researcher Patrick Jordan deliberately installed the ”CoolWebSearch application on a machine and immediately noticed that the infected system became a spam zombie that was placing callbacks to a remote server, (I wrote about spam zombies a few months ago). When Jordan visited the remote server, he was shocked to find that it was being used to distribute sensitive personal information from millions of PC users infected by the spyware application.” We found the keylogger transcript files that are being uploaded to the servers. We’re talking real spyware stuff…chat sessions, usernames, passwords, bank

account information, full names, addresses,” said Sunbelt president Alex Eckelberry. Eckelberry said the sophistication of the operation suggests it’s the work of a “massive identity theft ring” that used keystroke loggers to grab confidential information that could be used to create fake online identities. “I’m not being dramatic. This is the most repulsive thing I’ve ever seen. It’s very painful to see what’s in these log files that are being uploaded in real time. We’re seeing a lot of bank information and usernames and passwords to get in,” Eckelberry said. He said the log files included logins to one business bank account with more than $350,000 and another small company in California with over $11,000, readily accessible.” There are lots of eBay account information and names and addresses of the people owning those accounts. Names, passwords, all matched up,” Eckelberry added. He said the server, which is hosted out of a data center in Texas, was effectively a “massive repository of stolen data” that was being replenished in real time. “As the [log] file gets to a certain size, it gets taken down and a new file starts generating. This goes on nonstop. We’ve been watching it for a few days while trying to get to the FBI, and it just keeps growing and growing.” While the site is being hosted in the United States, Eckelberry said the domain name is registered to an offshore company. Microsoft has been going after companies like this and Dateline NBC has been doing stories on this type of stuff, as well. Spam, Spyware, Adware, and Malware are all interconnected and can do more damage to you than viruses. Things you can do to protect yourself are: 1-Be aware when new items show up on your p.c. that you haven’t seen before. 2-Pay close attention if your p.c. is unusually slow. 3-Watch hyperlinks in e-mails, for example, you may get an e-mail that appears to be from e-bay but if you move your mouse over the hyper-link it may go to www. ebay.1234567//1111.com instead of www.ebay.com. 4-Investigate before you download anything! 5-If you aren’t sure, call some one. I’d much rather receive a call than have you put yourself at risk for identity theft. Take this stuff seriously people, because it isn’t all fun and games anymore. Until Next time, Happy Computing. Jim Brown Product Consultants Unlimited, Inc. 601 N. Michigan Ave. Plant City, FL 33566. 813-717-7717 www.pcustore.com www.plantcity.com www.whatsupplantcity.com e-mail:jimb@plantcity.com

SEND QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS TO SDEDON@FLOYDPUBLICATIONS.COM FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 98

a r t ex AUTO REVIEW

Gangster Looks Seem To Appeal To Everyone CHRYSLER TAKES THE NUMBER ONE SPOT WITH THE RESTYLED 2005 CHRYSLER 300

Story by Brian West Photos courtesy of Chrysler

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he past several months I’ve been noticing the new Chrysler 300, and it appears everyone else has also. Every time I’m with someone and we come across the car, they always seem to comment on how much they like it. So, I decided it was time for a test drive. The Chrysler 300 comes in a few different versions; the base model, Touring, Limited, and Hemi C. I drove the Hemi C. On the exterior, I can’t help but describe the car as having a gangster look. The full box style of the front end coupled with the higher profile doors, tall sedan styling, and low profile roofline, give the car a distinct look. There’s nothing even comparable to it on the road. That’s probably the reason these cars are flying off the lots. The 300 was the number one selling car in America until it was overtaken in the past few weeks by the Ford Mustang. That should tell you what type of car this is. The interior is spacious, not only by the numbers, but also to the eye. When I climbed into the car and looked around, I thought you could easily fit the starting 5 of any NBA team and everyone would be comfortable. The back seat looks like there is a mile of room to the front seat, a full 40.2 inches of leg room. According to the numbers, there is 105.8 cubic feet of passenger room, all made available due to the “wheels to the corners” design. The 300 I drove had California walnut trim, but was also available in tortoise shellstyle accents – an industry first - on the steering wheel, shift knob, and front and rear door pull handles. Aside from the trim work, other available features include power and heated seats, DVD systems, and Bluetooth technologies. The sound system was complete with a 6-disc CD/MP3 player and full-screen navigation system, coupled with Boston

Acoustics speakers, a subwoofer, and a 368-watt digital ampliﬁer. The sound was amazing. The 300 is also available with a built-in Sirius satellite radio system. Now it was time for the drive. Remember, this one has the HEMI - a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 – I might add, with 340 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque. Honestly, this was the smoothest shifting transmission of any vehicle I’ve ever driven, even if you stomped on it, and I did. The car has plenty of power, and then some. But remember, with that horsepower comes a price, the price at the pumps. Even though the car is considered to have very good gas mileage considering the horsepower and performance, the estimates are 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway. Other models do get better mileage, but not much. And again, I was driving the HEMI C; the top dog of the 300 series. This 300 handled very well. It was very easy to get the feel of the car. In just a few minutes I felt like I was ready to load up with friends for a long drive to dinner, or press the next car beside me at the light to see if they dare take on the HEMI. But being the conservative driver I am, I only pressed the gas a few times just to get an idea of the power of the car. The sticker for the 300 HEMI C was about $34,100. Given the styling, and performance, I was expecting that price to be higher. Plant City Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, is located at 502 East Park Road. They are trying to keep at least a few of the diﬀerent models available, but remember, these aren’t staying on the lot very long. If you’d like to test drive the new 300, give them a call and tell them you read about them in Focus magazine.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 99

a r t ex TRAVEL

Chalet Suzanne Country Inn & Restaurant MAGIC BEYOND THE KINGDOM

Story by Brenda Paul Photo courtesy of Central Florida Visitors and Convention Bureau

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hile Central Florida’s beaches and theme parks justifiably attract visitors from around the world, there are other Florida destinations that offer a quieter, more peaceful retreat. The Chalet Suzanne Country Inn and Restaurant, located along what is known as Florida’s ridge in Lake Wales, is one of those destinations. After sunning at the beach and maneuvering through theme park lines, pay a visit to the Chalet Suzanne for a flipside version of Florida and relax in tranquility and cozy elegance. In 1931, after a real estate partnership between Carl and Bertha Hinshaw and J.L. Kraft, head of the Kraft Cheese Company, was negatively affected by the depression, what was once known as Suzanne’s Chalet opened its doors to provide a place where guests felt at home. It was originally named Suzanne’s Tavern after the Hinshaw’s only daughter. Use of the word “tavern” in the name drew inquiries as to the type of establishment operated on the premises, so the name was changed to Suzanne’s Chalet in order to appeal to a more discriminating clientele. The name was later changed to Chalet Suzanne. Among some of the first discriminating visitors was Duncan Hines, a nationally known food critic long before his name was attached to cake mixes, who discovered Suzanne’s Chalet while visiting the central Florida area. He was so impressed with the venue

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 100

that he included Suzanne’s Chalet as a recommended site in his book, Adventures in Good Eating, one of the ﬁrst leisure and travel books published in the United States.

Suzanne can provide a romantic retreat from the demands of work, chaotic weekday schedules and adult responsibilities that take a toll on romance.

Now, nearly 75 years later, guests at Chalet Suzanne, whether spending a few hours enjoying a meal in the restaurant or spending a few days relaxing in one of 30 guest rooms at the inn, experience a setting that borders on enchantment. Although the restaurant and inn are quite enough to delight visitors, there is also a landing strip, soup cannery, ceramic salon, gift boutique and experimental vineyard on the property.

Chalet Suzanne oﬀers more than just a meal or lodging. It oﬀers an extraordinary venue and a unique experience in pampering and personal attention, no matter the occasion or length of stay. Whether you are celebrating a birthday, anniversary, engagement, honeymoon, reunion or business gathering, or just want to get away from it all, celebrating at the Chalet Suzanne will provide memories for many years to come.

If romance is in the picture and you are looking for an idyllic setting, the Chalet Suzanne is the perfect locale. A table with a view of the sun setting across Lake Suzanne is the perfect place to pop the question if the word “marriage” has made its appearance in your vocabulary. The charm of Chalet Suzanne’s setting alone is sure to evoke an enthusiastic “Yes!” After the engagement is sealed, Chalet Suzanne oﬀers an on-line wedding planner to assist in the coordination of a fairytale wedding, wedding reception and/or honeymoon-elegant simplicity for all of the memorable occasions at one location. If it has been a few years since the proposal and wedding, a weekend getaway or a quiet dinner at Chalet

The restaurant serves breakfast, a four course lunch and a six course dinner and is open from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. Guest rooms in the inn are delightfully decorated and are guaranteed to soothe the body, mind and soul. Reservations are required for the restaurant and the inn. Chalet Suzanne is located at 3800 Chalet Suzanne Drive, just oﬀ US 27 near the Eagle Ridge Mall in Lake Wales. For additional details regarding meal prices, room rates and directions call 1-800-433-6011 or visit the Chalet Suzanne web site at www.chaletsuzanne.com.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 101

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 102

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DINING REVIEW

Rick’s Custom Meats & Smokin’ Joe’s GET YOUR BBQ HERE THE OLD FASHIONED WAY

Story by Sherri Robinson

here’s BBQ and then there’s BBQ the way Smokin’ Joe’s makes it. Joe Shirley says, “We smoke our meat over true hardwood fire. We use oak, hickory, pecan and mesquite. It takes longer, but that’s okay. We don’t add anything artificial.” Imagine the fire is sizzling now as a slab of ribs is being placed over top. As it cooks the aroma of smoked tender beef fills the air, teasing your nostrils. Your stomach starts to growl and your head says, “Just stick to your grocery list.” You are next in line and your mouth begins to water. Your intention was to buy a couple of Rick’s Custom Meat Steaks that you plan to slap on the grill and have later with a

The fabulous beef rib dinner.

nice glass of wine. The lady behind the counter says to you, “May I help you?” Before you know it you’ve just ordered a couple of Smokin’ Joe’s Rib dinners. Immediately you realize that you have just eliminated kitchen duty tonight, so you leave happy as a clam. The only problem is you have to drive home with that fantastic BBQ aroma next to you in the car. It will become a battle to make it there before you tear open the package and enjoy the ribs with all the ﬁxings. That is a regular problem for the customers of Smokin’ Joe’s, but a problem anyone would take any night of the week. Before we talk about all the great dinners Smokin’ Joe’s has to oﬀer, let’s just talk about what our customer above just ordered. It was a couple of delicious beef rib dinners which will include 1/2 slab of tender beef brisket ribs smoked to perfection, along with a healthy serving of two of the following: creamy cole slaw, tasty potato salad, homemade baked beans (which I highly recommend), or macaroni salad. Add a cup of banana pudding for

dessert and some of their famous sweet tea to complete your meal. If Rick’s Custom Meats has become your regular stopping place for lunch or dinner at least a couple of days a week, you already know that Smoky Joe’s offers more than rib dinners, which include pork and beef done BBQ and country style. There’s chicken and much more. All dinners are $6.99. Jerky is one of their more popular smoked items and is not included in the dinners. Smokin’ Joe’s carries a full line of regular meat jerky and more exotic, like buffalo. A variety of seasonings is available, including their own signature seasonings. Jerky can be purchased for $ 4.99 lb. “Burgers are made fresh daily over the hardwood grill,” says Joe. They can be purchased for $4 and $4.10 with cheese. You can also order meat just by itself: ribs $4.99 lb. and done country style are $3.99 lb., BBQ pork & beef (brisket) $4.99 lb. Boston butt (whole, sliced, or chopped) $4.99 lb. and smoked chicken $2.99 lb. They make their own hand stuffed sausage. They can put together any style, type and flavor of sausage for $3.99 lb.

Having a party or event? You can order bulk meat or have the event catered. Smokin’ Joe’s can do it all. Just give them a little notice for big orders and they lighten your party planning load. They are located at 10252 S.R. 39 South in Lithia, and their phone number is 813737-6776. Next time you are in the area, just stop in and enjoy a little bit of Smokin’ Joe’s.

CRITICAL INFORMATION Rick’s Custom Meats & Smokin’ Joe’s BBQ Owners: Rick and Joe Shirley 10252 SR 39 S Lithia, Florida 33547 813-737-6776 Tuesday - Saturday 9a.m. - 6p.m. There’s no children’s menu Average Cost: All dinners are $6.99 Payment: Accept all major credit cards

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 103

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 104

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The Rat Pack Too REVS THE RED ROSE WITH THEIR “FEEL WHAT WE FEEL” PERFORMANCES

Story by Sherri Robinson

ntertainment is one of the highlights of the Ramada Inn Plantation House. They have both the Red Rose Ballroom for big events and the Red Rose Dining Room for fabulous entertainment and ﬁne dining. Those of you who are regulars at the Red Rose may also be fans of one of Tampa’s most talented groups, The Rat Pack Too. You will be happy to know that they will be performing here every Saturday night for the next few months. The group currently consists of Ralph Allocco, Andy Stefano, Bud Conover and Natalie Nelson. The story of Rat Pack Too begins long before the group actually came into existence. Allocco and Stefano became acquainted in 1998 at a local Karaoke bar. A strong friendship developed and two years later Allocco recorded a CD in Stefano’s studio. The two started putting their heads together and began coming up with ideas for a show. Though a couple more years would pass before their dream would come to fruition, the seed had been planted. In 2002 everything started to click when the two performed at Allocco’s restaurant gig, “Oyster Bay. Two more singers, Rafael Roger and Bill Modes joined the group and the audience loved them so much they were called The Rat Pack Too.

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 106

Since that time the group members have changed. Rogers and Modes are no longer singing with them, but two new voices have taken their places. Bud Conover, who previously performed as a stand-up comedian, and Natalie Nelson, who sings like an angel, is the daughter of Stefano and is due to have a baby. The Rat Pack Too considers their performances a “Las Vegas Style Show” and they are fantastic at it. They are animated and warm on stage, keeping to the true feeling and intent of their music. Audiences love The Rat Pack Too with their upbeat energy and interaction, especially with those who are celebrating birthdays. What’s better than celebrating a birthday with family and friends, unless you can get a special birthday song from The Rat Pack Too right at your table? They are unique in that they use the ﬂoor closer to the audience and make their way amongst the tables instead of staying on stage. It gives their whole performance more of an intimate feeling, drawing everyone into not just the music, but their love of the music, a kind of “feel what we feel” performance. With July came some variety as the group brought in some of their talented friends to entertain with them

during their three hour performances. The enthusiasm was irresistible, filling the dance floor with people while others at the tables joined in by handclapping and singing along. Time sure flies when you’re having so much fun and before we knew it, The Rat Pack had finished their time and the house band, Destiny, took over. They finished out the night with a collection of our favorite Destiny songs. The Rat Pack Too and Destiny are a recipe for a great night of entertainment you won’t soon forget, and you’ll want to bring your friends, too. Don’t forget to come and enjoy the show every Saturday from 8 p.m. until 11 p.m., followed by Destiny. The Ramada Inn Plantation House would love to have you come visit them as often as possible and bring your friends, special someone and family. You can always count on a wonderful evening out at the Red Rose Dining Room. For an upcoming schedule of events, log onto their website at www. ramadaplantation.com. There you can also see pictures from previous events and happenings. For more information on The Rat Pack Too, log onto their website at www. ratpacktoo.com or contact them for hire at 813-882-8047.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 107

Historic Downtown Guide S H O P P I N G

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Kim A. Allen (813) 719-8922 FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 108

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 109

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Movie Reviews by Sherri Robinson

Bad News Bears - PG13

Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Greg Kinnear, Marcia Gay Harden, Timmy Deters, Sammy Kane Kraft Bad News Bears is an irreverent remake of the original Bad News Bears. Morris Buttermaker (Thornton) is a washed out pro ball player who works as an exterminator and spends his off time drinking and hanging out with hot women. He has no interest in coaching a group of misfit kids, but a paycheck is a paycheck, so he reluctantly accepts. Little did he or the kids know how much they would influence each other. This season will not only teach them all how to become a team, but how to win. Visions of Thornton in Bad Santa somehow have followed him to the Bad News Bears. He pulls his character off fabulously, making him the worst character you’d ever want to know. Parents, if you are careful about what movies your kids see, this is not like the

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 110

original. There is LOTS of bad language and too many inappropriate references for kids. Rating 3

Stealth - PG13

Starring: Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx, Sam Shephard, Richard Rosenburg Three elite military pilots are about to face their toughest enemy yet, opposition from their own side. It’s not human, but it’s just as dangerous and out of control. A new experimental ﬁghter drone plane has been programmed to “learn” and it has. When it refuses to follow human orders, the risks for massive destruction runs high. It is up to the pilots to outsmart him and take him out before it’s too late. Forbidden romantic interests develop, but ultimately may save a life. Stealth was one of the most looked forward to movies this month. The special eﬀects were awesome, as was the scenery. A fascinating concept portrayed was

High school is scary, but when you are the kid of two parents who are famous super heroes, the expectations are extremely high. Will Stronghold’s worse nightmare becomes a reality when he shows up his first day at Sky High, his father’s own Alma Mater, with no super powers. He is granted status of hero support and realizes his problems are just beginning. What if he never gets any powers? And is that even possible when his parents are The Commander and Jet Stream? Only time will tell, but until then he has to try and fit in his new school and hide his super power deficit from his parents. In the light of last year’s release of the Incredibles, Sky High was another fun look at the behind scenes of the lives of Super Heroes. Rating 3

September DVD/VHS Releases

that a piece of machinery could have enough genius programmed into it that it can “learn” and attempt to make human decisions. The most interesting part was to see how far the movie makers would take it to make it believable. Watch for the drone’s last scene and see if you think they pulled it oﬀ. Rating 4

Wedding Crashers - R

Starring: Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams Crashing weddings and getting babes is their game. They get in over their head in the biggest social event of the year and ﬁnd it to be harder to get out of than the divorces they mediate. Vaughn and Wilson are in deep when

one falls in love with an unavailable Socialite and the other is fearful for his sanity and safety from this wacky family. Wedding Crasher will tickle your funny bone. Rating 4

Sky High - PG

Starring: Michael Angavano, Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston, Lynda Carter,

13th The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy Fever Pitch 20th Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3D The Longest Yard Mindhunters 27th Lords of Dogtown Robots

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 111

Dining Guide ABC Pizza 114 N Alexander St 752-5146

Catﬁsh Country 712 S Collins 752-0126

Alexander’s Café at S Fla

Chancy’s Catﬁsh Shack 2509 N Park Rd 754-3433

Baptist Hospital

301 N. Alexander St. 757-8451 Anna’s Restaurant 3410 Baker St W 754-6215 Apple Tree 2218 Jas Redman Pkwy 707-8109 Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar 1204 Townsgate Ct 719-1500 Arby’s Roast Beef Restaurant 1909 Frontage Rd S 719-3321 Arby’s Roast Beef Restaurant 201 Alexander St W 754-4881 Baker St. Café 1801 W Baker St (Hwy 92 W) 717-9785 Beef O’Brady’s Sports Pub 2418 Jas Redman Pkwy 757-0300 Bobs Sports Grill 226 Alexander St W. 719-8187 Bogey’s Restaurant 2001 Clubhouse Dr 752-1171 Boston Market 238 Alexander St W 759-2652 Brooklyn Bridge Deli 1309 S Collins St 659-3621 Branch Ranch Dining Room 5121 Thonotosassa Rd 752-1957 Buddy Freddy’s Restaurant 1101 Goldﬁnch Dr 754-5120

Checker’s 2405 Jas Redman Pkwy 759-0151 Cherry’s Bar & Grill 1701 S Alexander St W 764-8818 CiCi’s Pizza 211 Alexander St W 659-3400 China King Restaurant 2410 James Redman Pkwy 754-8098 China One 1862 James Redman Pkwy 707-8898 China Palace 1106 Collins St S 754-0990 Church’s Fried Chicken 106 E. Reynolds 754-5200 Courtyard 703 Collins St S 754-5200 Curbita Inc.

El Mirasol Bakery Cafeteria 1419 Collins St S 752-2108

Long John Silver’s Seafood Shoppe 1805 Jas Redman Pkwy 752-1717

El Rincon Mexicano 4109 State Rd 574 754-0620

Manatee Bay Café 119 S. Collins S 707-1450

Fred’s Market Restaurant 1401 W Dr MLK Blvd 752-7763

Maryland Fried Chicken 315 N Alexander 752-9200

Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q 1102 Goldﬁnch Dr 757-3118

Frontage Sports Bar & Grill Days Inn 1301 S Frontage Rd 752-0570 exit 168 & 169

Norma’s Ybor City Cuban Shop 1305 Baker St E 754-6557

Strawberry Hut Sandwich Shoppe 1505 Wheeler St N 752-3779

Grandpa Johnsons BBQ 1305 Dr MLK Jr Blvd 759-0009

Orange Blossom Tea Room 106 Evers St S 759-2247

Strawberry Paradise 4511 James L. Redman Parkway (813) 737-3866

Outback Steakhouse 1203 Townsgate Ct 759-4329

Subway 2305 Thonotosassa Rd 754-4550

Papa John’s Pizza 1829 Jas Redman Pkwy 719-7300

Subway 2403 James Redman Pkwy 754-4878

Heavenly Sinsations Inc. 1803 Jas Redman Pkwy 717-7512 Hong Kong Buﬀet 213 Alexander St W 764-8255 Hungry Howie’s Pizza & Subs 208 N Alexander St 752-6113 Hungry Howie’s - #200 2424 Hwy 92 E 764-0363

Dairy Queen 1902 W Reynolds 752-2236 Denny’s Restaurant 2001 Frontage Rd S 752-3338 Domino’s Pizza 202 Alexander St W 759-9424 El Buen Gusto Michaocano 3414 Baker St W 759-6635

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 112

Restaurant

805 Collins St S 759-0518 Snellgrove’s Restaurant 109 S Collins 752-3652

Subway 2209 N Park Rd 659-0288

Pizza Hut 2316 James Redman Pkwy 752-8222

Taco Loco Restaurant 14672 Dr MLK Blvd 659-0916

Joann’s Country Kitchen 12650 McIntosh Rd Thonotosassa 982-0739

Pizza Moni 2607 Thonotosassa Rd 759-6664

Tim’s Café 10903 Lithia Pinecrest Rd 737-4026

Kazbor’s Grille 2212 James Redman Pkwy 752-2700

Plant City Restaurant & Drive-in 2005 W Baker St 752-9202

Twistee Treat 2301 Jas Redman Pkwy 707-9303

(Only speaks Spanish)

4109 State Rd 574 754-0620

Pesos Mexican Restaurant 2006 Reynolds St W 752-8841

Shanghai Chinese

Kentucky Fried Chicken 2305 Collins St S 752-0437 La Esperanza Mexican Restaurant 113 Prosser Dr W 659-3940 Linda’s Crab Shack 202 Reynolds E 754-0492 Lin’s Express 2307 Thonotosassa Rd 719-6066

Ponderosa Steak House 1914 Jim Redman Pkwy 754-1129 Popeye’s Famous Fried Chicken & Biscuits 2005 Frontage Rd S 757-9742 Quiznos 1818 James Redman Pkwy 719-2999 Ramada Inn Red Rose Dining Room 2011 N Wheeler St 752-3141

Waﬄe House 1201 Townsgate Ct 707-0190 Westshore Pizza 1701 S Alexander St 754-5600 Whistle Stop Café 102 S Collins 752-7340 Woody’s Bar-B-Q 203 Alexander St W 754-3229

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 113

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 114

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 115

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EVENT GUIDE

Thursday, August 18

Saturday. August 27

Sunday, September 4

The Chamber of Commerce will hold it’s monthly Business After Hours at the Tile Barn Carpet & Interiors. This is a great opportunity to meet the Chamber members and have a fun, social time. The event is from 5:15 to 7:00 p.m. Tile barn Carpet & Interiors is located at 1103 Goldﬁnch Drive.

The First Baptist Church Plant City’s University of Christian Training will begin their fall classes. Each Sunday through November there will be various studies. Times will be diﬀerent each week. Call the church oﬃce for more information at 813-7524104.

Sunday, August 28 Friday, August 19

Event Guide

The YMCA is having a Talent Show and Art Exhibit in the YMCA basketball gym. Interested participants can sign up at the front desk of the Plant City YMCA Family Branch. Saturday, August 20 The Strawberry Classic Car Show will be held in Downtown Plant City from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Tuesday, August 16 The 2005 FSGA AgritechEducation Session & Trade Show at the Arthur Boring Building on the Florida Strawberry Festival Grounds. For more information contact Erin Freel Best at 752-6822 or erinbest@tampabay.rr.com. Tuesday August 16 Bill Heard Chevrolet and Harold’s Outdoor Products, Inc hold fishing seminars the third Tuesday of very month. They are located on the second floor of the dealership on N. Frontage Road. You can learn from Professional fishing guides all about equipment, bait, and receive pointers. The seminars are free, open to the public, and begin at 6:45 p.m. Refreshments are served and there I a chance to win door prizes. Wednesday, August 17 The 2005 FSGA AgritechEducation Session & Trade Show at the Arthur Boring Building on the Florida Strawberry Festival Grounds. For more information contact Erin Freel Best at 752-6822 or erinbest@tampabay.rr.com.

The Rat Pack Too will be appearing at the Ramada Inn Plantation House’s Red Rose Dining Room at 2011 N. Wheeler St. in Plant City. The show will start at 8:00 pm. For reservations, please call 813752-5452, or visit their website at www.ramadaplantation.com. Thursday, August 25 The YMCA will be hosting the third annual Plant City Family YMCA Strong Leader Dinner. This year the award goes to former City Commissioner Randy Larson. It will be held August 25 at the Ramada Plantation House in the Red Rose Ballroom. The evnt will feature a social reception at 6:30 p.m. and dinner begins at 7:00. Tickets are $75 per person or a corporate table of 8 may be purchased for $1000. All proceeds beneﬁt the YMCA. For more information or to purchase tickets call Mary Jo or Scott Warren at 757-6677. Weekend of August 27 and 28 The St. Clement Catholic Church will be having Welcome Weekend. For more information call Carol Rodriguez at 757-6234.

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 116

The First Baptist Church Plant City’s University of Christian Training will begin their fall classes. Each Sunday through November there will be various studies. This particular study will be at 6:15 p.m., but times will be diﬀerent each week. Call the church oﬃce for more information at 813-752-4104. Monday, August 29 The Pregnancy Care Center of Plant City will be hosting the Life Banquet at St Clement Catholic Church in the Cronin Hall. The theme this year is Crown of Splendor. The program begins at 5:45 with a social hour and dinner is served at 6:30. There will even be a special gust speaker. For information and tickets call 813759-0886. Wednesday, August 31 i9 sports Fall Youth Basketball League registration deadline will be August 31st. Registration has already begun. Fall Youth Basketball is for boys and girls ages 9-17. Games will be held at several gyms throughout the county. The season begins September 10 and all games are held on Saturdays.

Saturday, September 10 The Mock Trial and Plant City Idol Vocal Contest will be held at the Plant City Neighborhood Service Center at 307 North Michigan Avenue. This event is sponsored by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners. There will be free food and prizes. For more information call 813-7573871 extension 201. The Rat Pack Too will be appearing at the Ramada Inn Plantation House’s Red Rose Dining Room at 2011 N. Wheeler St. in Plant City. The show will start at 8:00 pm. For reservations, please call 813752-5452, or visit their website at www.ramadaplantation.com. Sunday, September 11 The First Baptist Church Plant City’s University of Christian Training will begin their fall classes. Each Sunday through November there will be various studies. Times will be diﬀerent each week. Call the church oﬃce for more information at 813-7524104. Monday, September 12

The Bike Fest will be held in Downtown Plant City from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m.

The Lakeland Concert Band will begin its 27th season with rehearsal from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. It will be in the Lake Mirror Center Auditorium. For perspective new members call Vic Larson at 813754-4441 or his cell at 863-6608428.

The Hillsborough County Gardening Programs will be featuring Bromeliads, aster Gardener Eileen hart at 7:00 p.m. at the Bruton memorial Library located at 302 McClendon St. The phone number for more information is 757-9216.

Saturday, September 3

Visit our web site: www.feltonsmarket.com

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Walker Plaza, 617 N Maryland Ave. Plant City, FL 33563 ATM Available at Customer Service TECO Payments Accepted

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • August 15 - September 15 • 2005 PG 117

Grandpa Johnson’s BBQ is worth the ride...

Lunch Dinner •

Family Style Meal Packages Call Ahead Drive Thru Catering

759-0009 • Tues - Sat • Closed Sun & Mon Located on the Florida State Farmers Market • I-4 exit (Alexander St.) South One Mile

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