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VOLUME 4 NUMBER 12 • DECEMBER 15 • 2005- JANUARY 15 • 2006

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TAKE ONE

PLANT CITY EDITION

Charleene C

Spotlight I n t e rv i e w

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 1

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�� FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 2

contents LOCAL 7-36 Our community is full of people who deserve special recognition. Read the story of Felton Williams; not only is he the owner and founder of Felton’s Meat Market but he has also made many contributions to this town. Keith Grant lives in Plant City and was recently contacted by the University of Southern Maine, his alumni college, to receive a special Hall of Fame honor more than 50 years after he graduated. Chris Gorman has served two six-month periods in Africa with the Florida Army National Guard and was able to do so willingly because of the support he had at home from his family and employers.

FEATURE 40-45 Many people are blessed with a “normal” childhood, a secure family environment and surrounded by love. However, there are also children out there who, due to varying circumstances, have had to go into foster care homes. Thanks to people who have decided to dedicate their time and hearts to these children, there are welcoming homes where they can go. Read about the children and families affected by these circumstances.

SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW 48-50 Many different people know Charleene Closshey as an array of different things: daughter, friend, college graduate, Vice President, Violinist, Vocalist, Actress, and volunteer, to name a few. Since the age of 2, Closshey has worked hard to make the best of her creative talents and to share them with those around her. Read the full story to understand how Charleene came to be what she is today and how she is applying it to her life.

series on one of Plant City’s pioneering families, the Hawkin’s. Learning the history of Plant City and understanding the struggles of those who came before can really give you an appreciation for the town in which you abide.

HOME GUIDE SECTION 59-85 This section is dedicated to buyers, sellers, and owners.

FEATURED HOME 76-77 Built in 1903, the McDonald Home is a Hillsborough County designated Historical Landmark. The McDonald lineage dates back to the 1800’s and the first Mr. McDonald was one of the original founders of this area. His grandson built a turn-of-thecentury home in Hopewell that still stands today, more than 100 years after its origination.

AL RUECHEL 82 Whether or not you support the war is irrelevant. One of the most interesting stories in this month’s issue, Al Ruechel wrote about his interview with some women who actually lived under Saddam Hussein’s regime. Their story will bring tears to your eyes as you hear of the oppression they suffered and the evolving freedom they are beginning to experience. Their story will certainly touch your heart and give you an appreciation for what our soldiers are doing overseas.

DID YOU KNOW? 54-55 Read more in part three of the 3-part

ON THE COVER Charleene Closshey Photo by Michael Cairns

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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 Jennifer Chamberlain jchamberlain@floydpublications.com ART DIRECTOR Phil Ransdell philrand@floydpublications.com GRAPHIC DESIGN Stefanie Burlingame sburlingame@floydpublications.com DISTRIBUTION Tony DeVane PHOTOGRAPHER Billy Friend STAFF WRITERS Brian West, Kristen Toney, Jessica Noble, Tracy Everett, Lynne Warren, Ken Lawrence, Willa Warren, Laverne Stevens, Amy Ellis, Connie DuBois, Amanda Fleming Dawn Marie Simpson, Debbie Bowers, Chelsea Hatfield, Devin Dygert, Joe Lane, Brenda Paul, Sherry Baldwin CONTRIBUTORS Sherry Nueesch, Gil Gott, Jim Brown, Shelton Keely, Michael Cameron, Al Cohen

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

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 4

letter FROM THE EDITOR

My favorite time of the holidays is when the children have torn open their loot and delivered their verdicts and are looking to you for something else…memories that have nothing to do with things bought. JAMIE LEE CURTIS IN TIP

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 6

y second absolute most favorite memory of Christmas (the ﬁrst one being the fact that my ﬁrstborn arrived on Christmas day!) has to do with a note that same son wrote me and attached to a box he had wrapped containing a $20 dollar bill. The Air Force had sent my father to San Antonio for major surgery and my mother and a sister and I drove up there to be with him. We left on December 8th, expecting to be gone two weeks, but to be back in time for Christmas. As it turned out, we had to stay an extra week and didn’t get back until Christmas night. My two sons, aged sixteen and thirteen, realized how much of what did or did not get accomplished depended on whether I was there or not. My husband never had to worry about putting up the tree, buying and wrapping gifts or decorating the house, or planning where we would have Christmas dinner. I don’t think he even knew where the ornaments were. So, needless to say, it was the blind leading the blind when it came to that particular part of the Christmas experience for that year. I felt so bad about that, but we were all so happy that my dad came through his surgery and he was healing nicely; that would be our best Christmas present that year. But when I arrived home my boys gave me that little box with a note written on a piece of notebook paper taped to it that I still carry in my purse to this very day. I can hardly ever read it, it always makes me cry. But I will for this purpose. Please keep in mind that this was from two rough-and-tumble

teenage boys whose biggest worries were where they were racing that weekend and what was for supper. This is verbatim: Mom here is 20.00 to buy a shirt or a pair of jeans cause I did not know your size. Love …P.S. We don’t always express how much we love you and appreciate all the things you do for both of us and how much of your time you take to make us happy, I just want you to know we love and always think of you. OXOX…. That was my second best Christmas present ever! In our Local section this month we have a story about a local pastor, Richard Mull, who would know exactly what I’m talking about. He is the initial founder of Operation Light Force, an organization that implements a 40-Day-Revolution, a program that can cause a complete attitude renovation in troubled youth up through adults and could transform entire communities. We also tell you about the transformation of Church on the Rock (formerly Southside) and how it’s now transforming its congregation. Be sure to check out our Did You Know section, courtesy of the Plant City Photo Archives, the third installment of a 3-part series on some of Plant City’s earliest settlers and pioneering families complete with photographs that are always a treat. Be especially appreciative of your loved ones this holiday season; they’re really the most important thing. We at FOCUS Magazine wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Be safe, may God bless you, and as always, we thank you for your readership and support.

Linda Floyd.

LOCAL

TALK

of the

town

Congratulations to Mike McGavin with Homequest Mortgage on his recent promotion from Loan Consultant to Sales Manager!

The Plant City High School class of 1986 is planning their 20 year class reunion. For questions or to help plan, call 813-763-0533.

The Plant City Recreation and Parks Department is proud to announce the appointment of Shane Johnson as Tennis Facility Supervisor for the soon to be completed Plant City Tennis Center.

The Foundation of the South Florida Baptist Hospital has announced the establishment of the Foundation’s ﬁrst donor society, The Rowena Mays-M.E. Moody Keystone Circle to distinguish those individuals whose level of giving sets them apart as leading benefactors of the hospital.

Happy Birthday to Curves, who has now been in Plant City for 6 years! The franchise was started 10 years ago and is the largest ﬁtness franchise in the world (in 35 countries), and is the fastest growing franchise of all time, worldwide. Remedi Spa & Chiropractic celebrated its grand Re-Opening on Nov 29th. Formerly Dunn Chiropractic, it is owned by Jeffery Dunn. The name was changed to reﬂect the variety of services offered. Remedi offers laser hair removal, IPL photo facial, Mesotherapy, acupuncture, chiropractic care, massage therapy, chemical microdermabrasion, facial peels, and more.

The winners of the 2005 Magical Night Christmas Parade were: Imperial Excavating, Best Over All; Withlacoochee Electric, Best Large Commercial; Capstone Tropical/Prudential Realty, Best Small Commercial; Kirkley’s Photoworks, Best Car; Blackwood Studios, Best Marching Unit; Pineview Middle School Band, Best Marching Band; Little Everglades Steeplechase, Best Horse Unit. The International Paper Company Foundation awarded over $10,000 in grants to organiza-

tions including the Improvement League of Plant City, Durant High School and the Florida Elks Children’s Therapy Services. Thank you for your generosity! G. Dean Snyder has recently earned the certification of Certified Senior Advisor (CSA). This will be helpful to many in our community. Jody W. Missildime graduated from P.C. high, joined the U.S. Army in June, spent basic training in Ft. Benning, GA, and was able to come home for a couple of weeks in November before flying out to Germany. We wish him the best of luck! The Marching Raider Band of PCHS scored a Superior rating at the District Marching Band Contest. This is the second year in a row that they have scored this top rating. 8th grade history teacher, Miss Andrews, has recently become engaged and is planning a wedding for next year. Her class is very excited for her and wishes her and her future husband a happy life together.

Focus Magazine wants to know what is going on in YOUR life. People have exciting things happen to them everyday and sometimes wish they could tell everyone. Well, now you can. If you have an announcement you would like to share with Plant City, tell us, and we will put it in our Talk of the Town section. There are drop-oﬀ boxes and notepads located around town for your convenience. Right now, a few box locations are Fred’s Farmer’s Market, Grandpa Johnson’s, Natural Creations, The Whistle Stop Café, Curves, and Manhattan Mortgage. More locations are to come, so keep your eye out for the Talk of the Town boxes. If you would prefer to call in your exciting news, the number is 813-707-8783 x 21. Focus Magazine cares about you and wants to share in your excitement. Devin Phinazee won the Calendar Art Contest for Rinker Material of Florida and 2nd place for the Tampa region. He is 12 years old and will have his picture published in the upcoming 2006 Calendar. He drew a picture representing safety for their company.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 7

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Story and photos by Kristen Toney

Braille Works

MAKING THE WORLD A MORE READABLE PLACE

hen was the last time you went out to eat? You know the routine…the hostess seats your party, passes out the menus and states that your server will be right with you. Most of us take for granted the fact that we can simply pick up the menu and read through the choices. If we’re having an incredibly hard time making a decision, the beautiful photographs strategically placed throughout the menu give assistance in our plight. But…what if you couldn’t read? What if you not only couldn’t read, but you couldn’t see the photos?

Lou Fioritto was born a perfect baby boy in 1947. Some moments after his birth, the doctors placed him in an incubator with oxygen, a treatment that was common for newborns at that time; only in this case, Lou’s retinas were burned beyond repair, causing him to be blind. Years later, while Lou and his wife Joyce were being seated at a table in a restaurant, Lou requested a Braille menu. “They brought him one,” Joyce remembers. “But it was so gross! I told him not to even run his hands over that thing. I didn’t want him touching it! We got to brainstorming while we were there and just decided…we could do this. We weren’t quite sure how…maybe make covers for the menus that could be wiped off, or use wipeable pages…but we just knew we could do this ourselves.” Once the idea was birthed, people originally found out simply by word of mouth. The demand was almost immediate. The Fiorittos completed their ﬁrst job with a friend’s Braille printer, and after that the search was on for their own equipment. Almost 12 years later, the client list for Braille Works totals out at 98, ranging from restaurants such

as Applebee’s and Bennigan’s, to hotels like Embassy Suites and Hilton, not to mention businesses and organizations including Blue Cross Blue Shield and even—you guessed it—Wal-Mart! And we’re not just talking in the Plant City area. Braille Works supplies material for the blind to these locations all over the United States. Although credit card statements in Braille and large print are in growing demand, restaurant menus still account for the largest amount of product created by the company. However, there are many more items which are requested. One of the most unusual products Braille Works has created was a cruise ship map. And obviously, various seasons call for different products; from political pamphlets to Christmas cards, Braille Works has done it all! “In the beginning I just got on the phone and started calling these clients,” Lou said. “If they didn’t have Braille, I talked them into it. If they already had Braille, I talked them out of whatever company they were using and into ours!” Apparently, it worked! Braille Works employs 11 individuals today, creates and ships right out of the Plant City area, and boasts the most sophisticated Braille technology that money can buy. “This equipment is a huge expense,” Lou commented. “Breakdowns are really a pain in the neck.”

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 8

Lou Fioritto prepares one of his Braille printers for the task ahead.

“You know, if your laser printer breaks down, you can run to the store and buy another one,” Joy said. “If your Braille printer breaks down, you can’t do that. You have to order them from out of state. In fact, we have one printer that was built in Sweden, and we had to wait for the people from Sweden to come all the way here to ﬁx it! It’s things like that which are really our biggest challenge.”

As much as Braille Works is about “making the world a more readable place” for those who are blind, there is another driving force behind all the hard work. “We want our business to be a ministry,” Lou said. “It’s really what we do over and above that makes us who we are.” For more information on Braille Works, log on to www.brailleworks.com.

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SEND COMMENTS TO SDEDON@FLOYDPUBLICATIONS.COM Story By Bruce Rodwell

Chamber of Commerce Were you one of the lucky ones that attended the 3rd Annual Pig Jam? There was a record turnout, the weather was “Chamber of Commerce” style and the food was nothing short of spectacular! If you missed this great event, remember that next November the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce will again be hosting the 4th Annual PIG JAM. Chris Sparkman and Jodi Smith, the Chair and Co-Chair respectively, and the Chamber team did a fantastic job of making this event one that will be remembered. Chris made the remark that this event will only get bigger and better and you have got to believe it. • The Plant City Photo Archives ‘Salute To Veterans’ which was held on Veterans Day, November 11th was a huge success. The program opened at 9:00 AM and was scheduled to close at 11:00 AM, however, the people kept coming and the doors remained open. It was interesting listening to the comments of the visitors as they viewed the hundreds of veteran’s photos that were on display. This addition to downtown Plant City is a wonderful example of the ﬁne work of Ed Verner, Gil Gott and Betty Patton. Countless hours were spent sorting through the many photos of Plant City’s veteran’s. The Veteran’s exhibit remained open till December 10th. Now Ed, Gil and Betty are hard at work producing another award winning historical “Photo Archive” of Plant City’s past history. The Archives is located at 119 North Collins Street in Historic Downtown Plant City and the gallery hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. You can call them at 813-754-1578. • Hats off to Myrle Henry and the Planter Productions of the Plant City Florida Opry. Myrle devotes many hours planning for the great shows that take place at the 1914 Plant City

High School Community Center, North Evers and Herring Streets in Historic Downtown Plant City. Thought it would be a good idea to list two upcoming shows so you can make plans to attend.

takes place at the Otis M. Andrews Sports Complex and is co-sponsored with the National Alliance of Youth Sports. There is a $25.00 charge per parent/child team and that covers 3 week/6 session programs. •

January 14th. Stephanie Ann, Harold Mott & Friends Jenny Rimmer and\ The Kings Messenger Quartet. January 28th. Margo Smith from the Grand Ole Opry, Ken McWilliams and The Nashville Band, Victoria-K and Chapter III Trio. You can purchase tickets Tuesday through Saturday from 10-5 at Family & Friends Antiques & Collectibles, 1304 Collins Street, or at the door, if available, at $10.00 per person. You can also reserve seats by calling Myrle Henry at 813-752-4094. Reserved seats are $12.50 each. Show time is 7:00 PM. This is great entertainment. Check it out!

The Christmas season is in full swing. On December 1st the annual Lights Of Love tree lighting took place at McCall Park. If you attended this spectacular event, you would agree the lights on the tree and decorations in the park were beautiful. Proceeds from the tree lights beneﬁted our South Florida Baptist Hospital’s Pediatric Care Unit. Then, on Friday night, December 2nd the 22nd annual Christmas Parade took place. Lots of great ﬂoats and topped off with a visit from Santa Claus himself! Great job by Co-Chairs Fran Neilsen and Frank LaBarbera! •

• Want to teach your youngster to be another Tiger Woods? The City of Plant City Recreation & Parks Department has a ‘Start Smart’ Gold Development Program available. Smart Start Golf is a developmentally appropriate introductory golf program for children 5-7 years old. It is a parent participation program for young children who have never played golf. Start Smart Golf teaches parents how to teach their child golf using fun, developmentally age appropriate equipment from SNAG ® that can be used almost anywhere. Smart Golf prepares children for traditional golf without the threat of competition or the fear of failure. Contact Deborah Haldane at 813-757-9166 or by e-mail at dhaldane@plantcitygov.com for more information. 2006 will mark the third year the Plant City Recreation & Parks Department will be offering this program. You can pre-register at the Planteen Recreation Center in early February. Program dates are Tuesday and Thursdays in March. The program

Mark your calendars for the 2006 Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s Banquet. This event will take place at the Red Rose Ballroom at the Ramada Inn Plantation House on January 26th. Call the Chamber ofﬁce at 813-7543707 for additional details. • Calling all kids……The City of Plant City Recreation & Parks Department will host the Kids All American Fishing Derby & Casting Contest on Saturday, January 21st, 2006. This great event will be held at Plant City Stadium in the back parking lot (off Albertson’s Drive). The Derby is open to youth ages 6-15 years of age. Pre-registration will be accepted until Friday, January 20th at the Parks & Recreation ofﬁce or there will be on site registration beginning at 8:00 AM on the day of the event.

DATES FOR YOUR CALENDAR: December 17 – 2005 Candlelight Tour sponsored by the East Hillsborough Historical Society. For reservations call the EHHS ofﬁce at 813-757-9226. December 17 - Mason Dixon Christmas Wish Show and Strawberry Classic Car Show taking place at McCall Park in Downtown Plant City. January 7 - Bike Fest in Downtown Plant City. Starts at 5:00 PM. January 8 - Concert at the Wesley Centre featuring JoAnn Castle from the Lawrence Welk Show. Starts at 7:00 PM. Ticket information can be obtained by calling 813-754-3519. January 11 - Chamber of Commerce Contact Breakfast at the Ramada Inn. Starts at 7:30 AM. Call the Chamber at 813-754-3707 to RSVP. January 14 - Florida Opry at 1914 High School. Call 813-752-4094 for additional information. January 14 - Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade. Starts at 1:00 PM.

On behalf of the greater plant city chamber of commerce, Its staff and membership, we wish you a merry christmas, happy holidays and a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!

Fishing begins at 8:30 AM and runs to 11:30 AM. Call Steve Rossiter at 813659-4200, extension 4311 for further information. You can also e-mail Steve at srossiter@plantcitygov.com

SUPPORT OUR GREATER PLANT CITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MEMBERS. BUY THEIR PRODUCTS AND USE THEIR SERVICES. IT JUST MAKES SENSE! FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 10

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 12

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Story & photos by Debbie Bowers

With God All Things are Possible THE STORY OF CHURCH ON THE ROCK

re all things possible with God? Can he really transform a difﬁcult situation? Less than ten years ago there were two young families at Plant City’s Church on the Rock (formerly Southside) and the rest of the members were in their retirement years. Property had to be sold to restore facilities. Pastor Jeff Howell and his family were happy serving the Lord in Louisiana. After considerable prayer the Howell family felt compelled to return to their home town, Plant City. Four months later Church on the Rock asked Pastor Jeff to come and lead their congregation. How is that congregation doing today? Recently over one hundred and forty attended a Sunday worship experience. A blend of

babies, teenagers, adults, wise seniors and various ethnicities has transformed Church on the Rock. On Sunday morning it is not unusual to have twenty children in a KidzRock worship service featuring their own live music, puppets, and inspirational Bible messages. On a Wednesday evening the E.D.G.E. student ministries and their pastor will have twenty to thirty teenagers with their own worship band. In a few weeks “Little Explorers Day Care will open at Church on the Rock. God has transformed this local congregation!

and our life situations. Yes, with God all things are possible! Right: Pastor Jeﬀ Howell and his family return to their home town of Plant City serving the members of Church on the Rock Bottom: Babies, teenagers, adults and wise seniors gather for Plant City’s Church on the Rock annual picture.

Who would have ever thought that God would use a cross and the death of His innocent son to free millions? When we humble ourselves before God He will transform our hearts, our churches

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 13

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Story by Dawn Marie Simpson Photo by Debra M. Hill

A Look into the Real CSI: Plant City DETECTIVE RICK WARNELL

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nvestigating a crime scene is an art and science. No one could bring a criminal investigation to a successful conclusion without the involvement of the artists - - the detectives like Rick Warnell, who link the components of a case into a complete package. The popular TV show CSI has inspired many books and is a common thread in lots of police shows. It’s more gruesome aspects are the stuff of nightmares, and in ﬁction forensics often allow detectives to make startling conclusions from conveniently placed evidence. Real life forensics is more complex than that. Detective Rick Warnell’s efforts bridge the gap from crime scene to courtroom. As a detective, it’s not uncommon to be called to a crime scene ﬁve minutes before dinner or receive a call after he’s sound asleep. But Warnell does it without complaint.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 14

4017 N. Lois Ave. Ste. 105-106 Tampa

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Warnell is one of my favorite detectives because he has integrity. Once, in passing, he mentioned that he felt the victim deserved the best investigation possible, regardless of the type of crime or hour of the call. Warnell graduated from HCC & Polk Community College. He’s been a detective since 1986, having worked his way to CSI, which stands for Crime Scene Investigation, by the way. He wanted to become a police ofﬁcer since age 9 because he believed he could make a difference in other’s lives and he does. Warnell points out that he’s honored to be part of the team he works with because everyone’s efforts are crucial as they toil together.

DNA testing is his choice of evidence gathering. He thinks it’s engrossing to put the crime together, frame by frame. It’s the challenge of solving the puzzle, knowing that justice will be served that keeps him charged. Warnell ﬁnds the tedious shoeprint impressions intriguing. Shoeprints become evidence as they identify the manufacturer and size of shoe, narrowing the search of a suspect list. I asked what he’d be doing if he wasn’t a detective and he sardonically grinned and said, “I’d just be Dad.” I told him if I worked with the Police Department I’d prefer to draw the chalk outline of people. That can’t be dangerous - the criminals are long gone! But I don’t know how chalk outlines help to solve a crime. I mean does Warnell look at the chalk outline on the ground and say, “Oh, look, her elbow was like that when she hit the pavement. That means the killer must have been….” I’ll save the real detective work for Detective Rick Warnell.

A crime scene perimeter is usually established with tape to restrict access & prevent evidence from being lost or destroyed.

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Story and photos by Kristen Toney

Branching Out ERICA DER ACCEPTS NEW ROLE IN THE NATIONAL FFA

ost people from Plant City are familiar with the name Erica Der. They may know her as the 2003 Strawberry Festival Queen. They may have attended school with her. They may know her from Cork United Methodist Church. As a 4th generation Plant City Citizen, Erica has a love for this community that will soon stretch far beyond its borders. Erica was nominated in April of this year to compete for the position of Southern Region Vice President for the National FFA. Six months and countless hours of campaigning later, after passing through

the final process of six interviews, written tests and exercises, she won out over 36 other candidates and was selected as the Southern Region’s Vice President for the National FFA. “I just think it’s a great chance to build relationships with young people, and help them to find what their passions in life are,” Erica commented. “You can gain leadership skills in FFA that will help you no matter what kind of career you go into. We want all students to feel like there is a place for them in FFA, whether they do or do not come from a farming background.” Erica has held her own in FFA for ten years, all of which has prepared her for this experience. Being in national office will take up the majority of her time: 300 days out of her year-long

term, to be exact. She will travel, along with the other ofﬁcers, over 100,000 miles across 40 different states, working with students, leaders in business and industry and also elected ofﬁcials. In February of 2006, the team will tour Japan as part of the FFA’s International Experience. However, Plant City is never far from her mind. “It amazes me how Plant City continues to grow, but those hometown values and that sense of community are ever present,” Erica stated. “It’s a tradition we hold to. I feel such a connection with so many people who are a part of this community.” For more information on Erica, the team she’s working with and FFA as a whole, visit www.ffa.org.

2005 Finalist SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Brandon Chamber

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 15

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Story and photos by Kristen Toney

Operation Light Force ENVISIONING THE FUTURE OF PLANT CITY

t all started as a dream. A vision of what the world would be like if there was a way to transform individuals, families, churches, even cities. What would it take to accomplish such a gigantic revolution? In November of 1997, 20 youth pastors came together to talk about exactly what it would take to change the atmosphere on a high school campus where any hope of morals or ethics were steadily fading. They called their newly-formed organization Operation Light Force. By February of 1998, 750 teenagers in Clearwater had already committed themselves to walk through the 40-Day-Revolution. Within two more years, 5,000 of our area’s youth had become involved, and currently over 200,000 (including youth in Canada and as far as Korea) have participated in the 40-Day-Revolution. Teenagers who had given themselves over to Satan worship and practices of the occult have turned their lives around. Young people who have been in the depths of depression have found a new reason to live. Adolescents who have felt no one could understand them have had a complete attitude renovation. So what is this 40-Day-Revolution, and why are today’s communities so in need of this transformation? The 40-Day-Revolution is a packet written and put-together by Richard Mull, a pastor out of Seffner, and initial founder of Operation Light Force. It follows four basic steps: Pray, Serve, Bless & Tell. In the ﬁrst step, the participants focus on searching inside themselves and studying their actions. They then move on to serving others around them in very practical ways (i.e. a high school student may offer to help a teacher grade papers). Blessing is the next step, one of the “assignments”

being to take donuts into your ofﬁce or classroom, or even to your neighbors. Once those around you have seen a change in the participant’s attitude, they ask questions, wondering about the transformation. This opens the door for the last step, Telling, which gives the individual involved a chance to share their faith with those around them. The entire process takes just 40 days.

Sullivan, Director of Ministry for Operation Light Force and pastor of Spirit Life Harvest Church in Oldsmar. “It’s for all ages, and can be done as a youth group, a Bible Study, a whole church, or a family. It can even be done in an ofﬁce setting. There’s really no limit to where it can be taken. It’s about stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something eternally meaningful for your community.”

“He [Richard Mull] wrote and put together the youth packet,” Director of Operations Tom Mull commented. Then people said, well, they needed an adult packet, so he did that. Then people asked for a children’s packet, so he did that, too. Now there’s also a college packet…it’s really amazing because there’s something for everyone in the family. It’s all basically the same thing…just on different levels and with different applications.”

The name Operation Light Force comes from the idea of a lighthouse. The program encourages each individual to be a light for their

community, their workplaces, their schools and their neighborhoods. “I believe we have a lot to offer the community,” Mull said. Just think what would happen in Plant City if we all would come together, doing acts of kindness, speaking words of encouragement…that’s what transformation really is!” If you are interested in becoming involved with or ﬁnding out more information regarding Operation Light Force, call 759-8905 or visit www.OperationLightForce.com.

Operation Light Force is deﬁnitely in a time of transition. Founder Richard Mull has moved to England with his family to undergo further ministry training, invoking the relocation of the organization’s headquarters— formerly in Mull’s home—to the Cornerstone Center (the old First Baptist Church ofﬁces). Yet the truth still marches on. “The great thing about this program is that there are so many avenues for it to travel,” said Barry Tom Mull (left) is the Director of Operations and Barry Sullivan (right) is the Director of Ministry for Operation Light Force

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 16

ARTIST OF THE MONTH

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Story and Photos by Dawn Marie Simpson

THE SCRAPPY LIFE OF JAN BURROWS

he beauty of a passionate artist is that retirement is a dirty word. This month I present a local Artist, Jan Burrows, who, at the blossoming age of 80, is only commencing to reach her pinnacle. Jan’s forte is designing collages & cards out of teensy-weensy scraps of paper. Jan was forced to put her art career on the back burner for most of her life as she had her hands full, managing as an Army wife, mother and caregiver to extended family members. During one of her husband’s army orders that shufﬂed the family to Europe, Jan, a National Honor Society member, was able to secure a stint & found herself teaching art in school. Burrows began piece-mealing collages at an early age. On rainy days, her Aunt Pearl used to boil paste on the stove and give her magazines to cut up. It’s here that she learned the technique of cutting paper into slivers of color & shapes and created masterpieces from images in her mind. Little did she know that this would become her trademark later in life. Jan’s cards and collages have won numerous awards, including Best of

Show in last year’s Women’s Club of Plant City, as well as at the District Level. Burrows hopes that her spiritually inspired art will continue to ﬁnd an appreciative audience. When you look at the beautiful pieces of artwork - - what you see is great detail in each one. If I didn’t tell you that each color and line is an individual slice of paper you would never know. She’s THAT good! What also amazes me is that, like me, Jan has implants in both eyes due to cataract removal. While she can sit for hours shearing slivers of scrap paper, I can’t cut a straight line to save my life! Here’s a caveat: No two cards are alike. Each one is unique and while you may recognize the design on some, she also creates surreal angelic forms that take the beauty in the eye of the beholder to see. Burrow’s cards can be found at Walden Lake Art & Frame at 1514 S. Alexander Street. Look for her collages at the Strawberry Festival this year. When asked what she was submitting, Jan winked and said, “I can’t tell you, it’s Top Secret!”

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 17

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Story & photos by Brian West

The Plant City Lions Club

IS LOOKING FOR OLD QUEENS CONTEST PROGRAM BOOKS

f you know anything at all about Plant City, you know about the Florida Strawberry Festival. In fact, the locals call it simply, “the festival.” In 1935, the Plant City Lions Club thought it would be a good idea to sponsor an event to celebrate the harvest of the strawberry crop which was the beginning of the festival as we know it today. After a short hiatus during World War II, a group of local businessmen began sponsoring the event and that’s the way it’s been ever since. Fortunately, the Lions Club also realized that you can’t have a Strawberry Festival without a Strawberry

Queen and the club has sponsored the Queen’s Scholarship pageant since its inception. The competition has evolved from choosing a winner based on who raised the most money into a competition more similar to a traditional beauty contest with today’s contestants competing in 4 different stages; interview, swimsuit, public speaking, and evening gown. The Lions Club uses the event as a fundraiser for the many charities they support and a program book is created to showcase the contestants, the Lions Club and the Florida Strawberry Festival. It’s an opportunity for local businesses to support the club by purchasing ad space.

Over the years there have been at least a few ladies to win the title of Strawberry Queen and their daughters compete in the pageant years later. In fact, Ruth Shuman Brown was crowned Strawberry Queen and her youngest daughter Becky was also a Strawberry Queen. Preserving the history of the event isn’t something the club thought about some 75 years ago. But today, the club realizes that its history is just as important as its future. The club is interested in putting together a complete set of program books representing the years the competition has existed. Dot Knox, member of the Lions Club Auxiliary, has the most complete set known to exist. Her

collection was put together in large part by her late husband, Glen Knox, former Lions Club member and past President. Her collection contains program books from 1938 to present, but many books from the 1930’s, 1940’s and 1950’s are missing. The Plant City Lions Club would like to solicit the community in hopes that many of you may have program books from past years, hopefully that are in good shape, that you’d be willing to part with. It doesn’t matter if the program book you have is 2 years old or 50 years old. The books are very interesting to look through. Photos of the contestants were not printed in the book until the early 1960’s. About that same time, businesses that advertised in the book were able to purchase advertisements in which they sponsored a contestant. Wishnatzki Farms and Badcock Furniture are the only sponsors who have continually sponsored contestants since at least the early 1970’s and late 1960’s. The club uses the list of past sponsors (in order of those who have continually participated as a sponsor the longest) to determine who will have the first opportunity as a contestant sponsor – not a specific contestant, but rather the opportunity to have a contestant to sponsor. The Lions club doesn’t promise sponsors a specific contestant because quite often, many businesses request a specific contestant. Stephen Robert, Lions Club President, said, “We’re so thankful for our sponsors and our advertisers who participate in the program book. Without them, the club wouldn’t be able to support many of its charities.” The 2006 pageant will be held in the Tomlin Middle School Auditorium on February 4, 2006, and for the first time, the program book will be printed in full color. If you have an old book that you’re willing to part with please contact Brian West, First Vice President – Plant City Lions Club – at 813-477-4034.

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 18

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Story and photo by Brenda Paul

A Call to the Hall of Fame TWO-SPORT STANDOUT INDUCTED AT AGE 81

inning a prestigious athletic award wasn’t on Keith Grant’s “to do” list when he began dribbling a basketball and swinging a bat as a boy in Gorham, Maine decades ago. Like most boys, Grant played basketball and baseball for fun, not to win awards.

Grant went on to play basketball and baseball in high school. After a stint in the Air Force, he began playing again while attending Gorham State Teachers College, now known as the University of Southern Maine. As he worked toward his bachelor’s degree in industrial arts, Grant excelled as a two-sport athlete. At 6’2 ½,” he played center on the basketball team and was often the team’s top scorer. He served as pitcher and inﬁelder for

the baseball team, as well as team captain.

was a Hall of Fame. I was very surprised,” he said.

After earning his degree, Grant spent 44 years in drafting and design but his love of sports never dimmed. He founded several corporate sports teams over the years, and, according to his wife, Erika, can still wield a mean golf club on the links near their home in Walden Lake.

Grant and Erika traveled to Maine to attend the 20th Annual Husky Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony on October 1, 2005. There, Grant was recognized for his outstanding athletic and academic accomplishments while on the baseball and basketball teams at Gorham State and was also acknowledged for his help in building the foundation for the success of the men’s athletics programs.

Much to Grant’s surprise, an impressive award did come his way 55 years after his college graduation. Grant was recently notiﬁed of his induction into the Husky Hall of Fame at the University of Southern Maine via a call from a former college teammate and was jolted by the news. “I didn’t even know there

No, Grant didn’t play baseball and basketball to win awards. Never-

Keith Grant with his Husky Hall of Fame award from the University of Southern Maine

theless, after years of playing for fun, an award came. And, at age 81, Grant couldn’t be more pleased with the recognition.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 20

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 21

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Story & photos by Jessica Noble

Winter Lights Spectacular IS JUST THAT... SPECTACTULAR!

ace cars, trains, polar bears and toys have taken over McCall Park. They are made of lights, of course, and are making their yearly appearance to help make memories for the citizens of Plant City. Once and only once a year does this event happen and it is really stunning. The lights, winter scenes, and decorations will ﬁll even the grouchiest scrooge with the Christmas spirit and leave you ﬁlled with holiday warmth and cheer. Gulf Coast Turf & Tractor of Plant City and The City of Plant City Recreation & Parks Department hosted the seventh annual celebration. The charming park has been transformed into a holiday wonderland of animation

and holiday reminiscence with scenes produced by the Recreation Division with the assistance of other departments and volunteers. The Winter Lights Spectacular is a wonderful place to get together with family and friends and enjoy a night of holiday festivities. Children have many activities to participate in as well. There is really nothing like looking in the face of a child as they walk through, looking at the lights in complete

amazement. That is what the season is all about and one of the many reasons to attend this event. As you walk through the displays of lights, they only get prettier as you go. The festivities stretch through the park and the surrounding blocks, transforming the entire downtown

area into a winter wonderland. Not only were there lights and decorations for everyone to enjoy, but on Saturday night a shaved ice mountain of snow was created for children to enjoy as well as a kid’s arts and crafts station, an inﬂatable Space Walk, stage entertainment

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 22

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Continued from page 22 One of the many beautiful light displays now on exhibit in downtown Plant City

from local performers, holiday music and special appearances by Santa throughout the night. Store owners in the area have also decorated, adding to the beauty. Everything from the lamp posts, to the side walks, to the trees and everything in between is decorated and covered with lights. This

particular event only runs two nights, but most of the lights are still in the park and can be seen now through Christmas. This makes it nice to go into downtown to do the shopping for everyone on your list at the many wonderful shops and then go to the park to experience the lights. It’s also lovely to go to dinner at one of our

great restaurants and then stroll through the park, enjoying the lights and burning off those extra holiday calories! This year’s event, taking place on Friday the 2nd and Saturday the 3rd, has already sadly passed. But, as we all know, next year will be here before you know it. Make sure

to mark your calendar for next year and plan on attending the Winter Lights Spectacular event with your entire family. It is also important to mention that this free event could not take place without the help of the many sponsors and the local merchants that donate their time and money.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 23

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Strawberry Square Dance Center SQUARE AND ROUND DANCER’S PARADISE

ust off the beaten path of Interstate 4, you will ﬁnd something you might not expect. Halfway down a quiet country road is a mobile home park planned especially to attract residents interested in square dancing and round dancing. Strawberry Square is a resident owned park located at 4401 Boot Bay Road in Plant City. It includes a shufﬂeboard court, a swimming pool and a quiet maze of streets with names like Promenade Lane, Allemande Dr., Circle Left and Circle Right. It should come as no surprise then that at the center of the park is the world-renowned Strawberry Square Dance Center.

around as they dance. Verbally cued dance steps allow all couples to dance the same steps at the same time. Waltz, foxtrot, jive, and chacha are some of the steps borrowed from normal ballroom dancing. Charlie is a round dance cuer for the center and has been dancing there since it opened. He cues the dances live with a brief reminder of steps before the music starts. Computer technology allows Charlie and Leona the opportunity to dance when the faster paced dances they love come around. He simply plays the music with cues recorded from his laptop computer and the two swirl and twirl with the others.

Opened in 1979 by Martie and Byrdie Martin, the park achieved its founders’ dream and beyond. The dance center attracts not only residents, but also dancers who regularly drive from Venice, Lakeland, Zephyrhills and Orlando to attend dances and workshops. In fact, dancers have come from as far away as Australia to stay at the park and enjoy square and round dancing.

In contrast, square dancing involves interaction between four couples who form a square. One couple outlines each side of the square. Called steps allow couples to

promenade, do-si-do and allemande the hours away. The center employs a variety of callers and instructors, including Art Springer, who, like Charlie, have been involved at the dance center since it opened. While the formations look tricky, dancers contend that anyone can learn to square dance. According to dancer Ona Gunter “if you can walk and listen, you can square dance.” Square dancing and round dancing differ in their style, tempo, and format. How they are alike, however, is much more important. Dancers and instructors agree that both forms of dancing are fun, provide an outstanding social outlet and are excellent methods of exercise for people of all ages. One enthusiastic 81 years young dancer, Jack Noon, states he loves to dance because it keeps him moving and everybody

The dance center itself is outstanding. It features a ﬂoating hardwood dance ﬂoor, a dance apparel shop, is air conditioned and smoke-free and has excellent acoustics. There is plenty of room for pleasant conversation with friends and enjoying snack bar goodies while taking a dance break. The wall at one end of the facility proudly claims that it is The Square Dancing Capital of the South. The plaque and picture lined walls are evidence that it is also the home of the Florida Square and Round Dance Hall of Fame. Round dancing, which is quite different from square dancing, is very popular at the center according to round dance instructors, Charlie and Leona Lovelace. Leona calls it “cued ballroom dancing.” Couples form a large circle that moves

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 24

Leona and Charlie Lovelace, round dance instructors.

knows that “you can’t bury a moving target.” Those interested in checking out the action at the Strawberry Square Dance Center should keep in mind that the season is now. During the season, which runs from the ﬁrst of November to the end of April, classes and dances on a variety of levels are offered nearly every day. Charlie and Leona Lovelace teach beginning round dance instruction on Mondays at 3:15 and beginning square dance instruction, taught by Roland Blanchette, follows on Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m. For directions and more information on classes and dances from beginner plus to advanced, contact the center at 813-752-0491 or visit the website at http://www.ﬂoridadancing. com/strawberry/. Happy Dancing!

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A Treasure in Plant City SIMPLY COUNTRY GIFTS & SOUTHERN BELLE’S TEA ROOM

lant City is obviously known near and far for our wonderful strawberries, which are deﬁnitely our claim to fame. But could it be that a new tradition is creeping into our city, one that will bring the past to life and bring a touch of class to our busy days? “Most people have never even heard of high tea!” commented SusanLynn Lewis, owner, along with her husband, Rick, of Simply Country Gifts & Southern Belle’s Tea Room. “Once people come in and are able to enjoy the full experience, they come back again and again!”

Simply Country was started in 1986 as a store full of country-style decor and gifts, located in the Walden Woods shopping center on Jim Redman Parkway. The Lewis’s raised their children while running the store: daughter Sarah and sons Johnathan and Joshua. In 2002, Simply Country moved into the beautiful Tudor-style house at 2214 Thonotosassa Road, and the tea room was then added. Today the house is beautifully decorated and set up to serve tea, scones and other lovely treats to all who

enter. Not only can you enjoy a relaxing cup of tea, but those who visit are easily able to spend hours browsing through the unique collectables and gifts available to purchase. The average shopper can find anything from dolls, to items especially created for the men in our lives, to inspirational books and other products. Of course, at this time of the year, another huge draw is the amazing supply of Christmas items. From villages to ornaments, shoppers can find all they need to celebrate the season! Patricia McClurer and her daughters Katie and Glory visit the tea room often for “girl time”. “It’s wonderful!” Patricia commented. “It makes me want to go home, put flowers on the kitchen table and redecorate my living room!” “We want people to come here and feel at peace,” Susan-Lynn said. “It’s a joy for us to be able to share that with others.” For more information on the store and tea room, call 754-5683. To check out reviews of the tea room itself, visit www.teamap.com.

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Patricia McClurer and her daughters Katie (left) and Glory (right) make it a point to come have tea as often as possible. FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 25

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Story & photos by Jessica Noble

Lights of Love 7TH ANNUAL PLANT CITY EVENT IS QUICKLY BECOMING A HOLIDAY TRADITION

ot chocolate, cool air and sparkling lights paint a beautiful picture of Plant City during the holiday season. Children and parents alike have gathered in McCall Park to experience the Lights of Love event. The evening is full of activities such as picture opportunities with Santa, a large toy train display, tons of lights and other festive things to do. There doesn’t seem to be a care in the world and for just a moment, we can all step back and enjoy what this time of year is really all about. The evening begins with hot chocolate and singing. Here We Come A Caroling, Let’s Celebrate, and Silent Night are sang by the local children choir from First Baptist Church and an invocation is given by the

Reverend H. Richard Bills of the South Florida Baptist Hospital. Then the lighting of the lights of love tree takes place and the whole park is ﬁlled with excitement. There are two gorgeous natural Christmas trees located year round in the park and they are transformed into stunning holiday marvels just for this event. The real reason behind the occasion is not just to provide a wonderful family outing, but also to help the hospital. Located all around the park are lights with the names of different individuals on them. These lights have been sponsored or purchased in the honor of local citizens. These gifts to the Lights of Love will help the South Florida Baptist Hospital Foundation in their efforts to aid the

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hospital. This year’s donations are going toward the Pediatric Department and other needs that arise throughout the year. The South Florida Baptist Hospital Foundation was established in 1995 and since then has made many contributions to the South Florida Baptist Hospital. They provide funds to ensure that our state-of-the-art health care facility continues to aid the Plant City community. This event is truly beautiful. The lights and the tree can really put one in the holiday spirit and inspire us to do things a bit out of the ordinary. Especially Matt Park; he saw this event as a perfect place to pop the question. His new ﬁancée said yes and all of us here at FOCUS magazine congratulate them both. We also want to mention Judy Martin, the executive director of this event, who has done such a wonderful job in creating a wonderful evening for a great cause.

I hope you will all keep this event in mind for next Christmas and will make it part of your holiday tradition if you didn’t attend this year. I had never been, but certainly plan to return in the future. It is a very enjoyable evening and beneﬁts a great organization that really does a lot for our community. Everyone loves beautiful lights and hot chocolate so please keep this in mind for next season.

Matt Park begins a fresh holiday tradition by proposing to his new ﬁancé.

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Turkey Creek Trojans UNDEFEATED & AIMING FOR THE PLAYOFFS

or the last five years, the Turkey Creek Trojans of the Florida Youth Football League has built up a record of 43-7. With this record they were also conference champions. Kassi Davis, who cheered for the Turkey Creek Trojans from 1978-1984, now has a son who plays for the Pee Wee division. “I think I speak for all the parents when I say we all thank the coaches for all their time they spend with our boys and we really appreciate all their effort,” said Davis. The first age group for Trojans is the Mighty Mites, ages 4-6. Coach Troy Martin has been their coach for three years. He says he enjoys coaching the young boys and seeing how much heart they have for football. Coach Jimmy Lawson and Coach Bobby Johnson have been the coaches for the Pee Wee’s for a couple of years. They both say that it is actually easier to coach the Pee Wee’s than any other team because they listen Eugene Moody is in his first year of coaching with the Midgets, ages 910, having worked previously with

The Turkey Creek Trojans (in yellow) remain undefeated this season.

the Pee Wee’s for a year. The most exciting thing Moody sees with the team is how they are building character and learning who they really are....little men Justin Wetherington, 19 years old, has played for the Trojans since he was 8 and is now helping out the coaching staff of the JV. He said

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 30

that he knows the team really wants to be here and works hard. “This team works harder than any other team and they will hit harder than any other team in the playoffs,” said Wetherington. Watching the Turkey Creek Trojans from ages 4 all the way up to 14, it’s amazing how hard these little

boys work. Not only are the parents there for their kids, but it’s family oriented all over, whether a child of your own plays or not. The Trojans get a lot of support and deserve a lot of credit.

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Story & photos by Joe Lane

Annual Pioneer Day

REVISITS LIFE IN PLANT CITY OVER A CENTURY AGO

he old 1914 Plant City High School had their annual Pioneer Day to exhibit the history of the building and show various aspects of life from earlier last century. There was lots to see and much to learn. Shelby Bender stood on the podium to begin the Annual Pioneer Day festivities, announcing the schedule of events and welcoming the people to look around and enjoy their time. A perfect fall day invited people outdoors. Not a cloud in the sky, just a gentle breeze. There were booths set up on the grounds for people to show their wares. Betty was dressed up in pioneer garb. She had woven split bamboo for a seat in an old rocker she was restoring. She used broken glass to scrape off the old

build-up in order to expose the beautiful wood beneath, then stained and ﬁnished it. Someone had asked her to restore and reﬁnish this old chair for an anniversary present. Over at the Morse code booth Tom Bjorkman and Warren McFarland had a few examples of the machines they used to use. They would help keep trains running as they were supposed to and make sure they went to the right place. There were also many different models of ticking machines, all with their own sound but the same purpose: transferring information over long distances. Warren says, “You don’t hear sounds, you hear words. It’s like another language, and once you get used to it, you can understand it like one”. His call sign was GR so

whenever he heard that he knew the information was for him. Leroy Rogers set up a booth to display some historical items from the Civil War for us to see. Guns, riﬂes and a cannon, as well as some pictures, covered his booth. “Almost all regiments had a smoothbore to load shot into for bird hunting to feed the troops,” he says as he picks up an example. A close inspection shows what appears to be a musket turned into a shotgun. He likes to teach the history with no politics involved, just what happened. It’s easy to see the excitement in his eyes when he shares his

Leroy Rogers displays a Civil War riﬂe

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Integrity • Professionalism • Experience • Privacy FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 32

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knowledge of the past. He is a proud Confederate; but that doesn’t mean he hates Yankees, he just likes that era. John Briggs, who painted the wall in downtown Plant City, which, thankfully, is still standing, shows his latest work: a beautiful painting of Jesus being baptized. The model railroad area is still growing. The little trains went around the track making ﬁctitious deliveries to miniature cities. The Native American booth had resources for researching one’s heritage. Many examples of their life tools and cultural items, such as tomahawks, knives, tools and animal skins were also on display. There was entertainment included in the day’s festivities. There was clogging, Native American dancing and Jackie’s promenade, plus a drawing for prizes. All in all it was an enjoyable Saturday morning. I hope to see you there next year Miniature trains deliver to ﬁctitious towns

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Story & photo by Ken Lawrence-Senior Writer

Felton Williams 50 YEARS OF SERVICE FROM A COMMUNITY ICON

very year hundreds of millions of Americans return to the fire in front of their cave and cook large chunks of raw meat over roaring flames”……excerpt from the book ‘How Life Really Works’. The barbeque has become an extension of early humankind’s existence. There’s nothing better than a meal whose main item is a steak, pork chop, spare ribs, ham, chicken, lamb chop or piece of fish. It all starts with a trip to a supermarket, but most people prefer to talk to a real butcher who can advise and cut you a meat product exactly the way you want it and at an affordable price. The people of Plant City are fortunate to have such a place, a venerable institution that has been an integral part of the community for decades. Of course, it’s Felton’s, at the corner of Maryland and US 92 (Baker Street), where, for the past 20 years, it has served tons of meat products to locals who have kept coming back for more and more. The Felton’s name goes back to 1938 when present owner Felton Williams’ father started a butcher shop at the corner of what is now Park Rd and Alsobrook. As he grew up, Felton helped out in his father’s shop, took time out to work on the railroad for awhile, then struck out on his own by opening a store on US 92 near Parkesdale Farms, in a building that later became Wyndle’s when the Williams family moved to their present location. He also had a couple of other stores in town and eventually sold all of those to consolidate into one. The present location has been expanded bit-by-bit to its present size that not only includes a huge variety of meat, but produce, groceries and health products.

HOW FELTON’S OPERATES Felton Williams has turned over the day-to-day operations to his son Lee and daughter Karen DavisWilliams, but in spite of some health issues, continues to be in the store on a fairly regular basis. The day your writer was at the store, Felton could hardly walk a few feet, when customer after customer would come up to him, give him a hug and inquire about his health. The man is part of family to thousands of people. The food business is not an easy one. Profit margins are small and operators make their money through volume of sales. Since moving to its present location, Felton’s has seen steady growth, so that today it has some 120 employees. Felton’s purchases its beef from the Midwest. Lee Williams tells FOCUS that much of Florida’s cattle is shipped to the Midwest to fatten them up before going to market. Different distributors are used by Felton’s. Most pork products are purchased from the Carolinas, the largest hog producing part of the nation. Most chickens come from farms in Georgia. Felton’s also carries a small line of fresh fish. How does Felton’s compete with the national food chains such as Publix and Wal-Mart? “First of all, we do our own thing because we’re independent and can be flexible in making changes as customers demand”, says Lee Williams. “We sell products that the chains might not find profitable for them”. That includes cheaper cuts of meat, which appeal to families with modest incomes and for people with different tastes from such places

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 34

Felton Williams, between his two children, Lee Williams and Karen Davis, has been a role model in this community for over 50 years.

as Mexico and the Caribbean. That includes such meat as goat.

RECOGNIZING FELTON WILLIAMS ACHIEVEMENTS Felton’s name recognition across the area has not only been confined to the meat business. He has been one of the strongest supporters of South Florida Baptist Hospital, which he has seen grow into a top-flight medical facility. Since 1947, Felton has been a very active member of East Side Baptist Church, including being a long time Deacon. He has helped many people in financial need for years. Add all of his good deeds together and Plant City has itself an outstanding human being. For all of that, as well as 50 years in the food business, Plant City Commission recently issued a proclamation honoring Felton Williams for the mark he has left on the city. Felton stood proudly in the commission chambers to receive this prestigious award.

THE DOWN HOME SERVICE WILL CONTINUE His name, particularly the quality and price of his meat products, has resulted in customers coming from far a ﬁeld, including Brooksville, Spring Hill, Zephyrhills, Dade City, Lakeland and Brandon and a little survey we conducted among people the day we visited Felton’s found that people enjoy the personal service as well as price and quality. People load up their baskets with a month’s supply and freeze it. Many items are sold in bulk, such as a whole pig or ﬁfty pound bags of potatoes. And let’s not forget the fresh produce section at Felton’s and the wide variety of grocery products as well. Son, Lee Williams seems cool to the idea of branching out. He does not want to lose the personal touch that Felton’s has developed. “We’ve been well blessed”, says a proud and modest Lee Williams, as his Dad, Felton and sister, Karen looked on.

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Story by Jessica Noble Photos courtesy of Ben Flock

i9 Sports

SPORTS & SPORTSMANSHIP WORKING HAND IN HAND

he nine I’s: Imaginative, Innovative, Interactive, Integrity, Impassioned, Inspirational, Instructional, Insightful and Inclusive. These are the values on which i9 Sports was established and where it gets its name. As one of the nation’s only franchised sports organizations, i9 is taking an original approach to youth sports: teaching not only the technical side of athletics, but good sportsmanship as well. The i9 philosophy includes working with parents to help them develop good “side line coaching” skills and to teach them how to help their children become good athletes through encouragement and positive reinforcement rather than undue pressure. Another key ideal on which i9 sports was built is professionalism. How many times do parents show up for youth sporting events to ﬁnd the game has been cancelled and no one called to let them know, or a coach doesn’t show up, or some

other problem arises and no one is there to deal with it. These things are very frustrating to already busy and stressed parents. The i9 Sports organization is run like a business. Professionals plan and maintain the schedules, make sure coaching and officiating staff are present, secure event facilities and handle all of the planning and administration. Another benefit of the businesslike organization is consistency. All i9 coaches and staff are required to participate in training courses to ensure the consistency of the principles and skills they teach. Local i9 Sports representatives, Eric and Ben Flock, were just granted his franchise last April. Unlike many franchised organizations, i9 franchises are awarded only to candidates who meet certain standards and qualifications. They must first go through a process where their philosophy, plan for the program and background in sports are scrutinized by the corporation. Coaches, volunteers, and referees

are also put through a similar inspection, including background checks, to ensure that the children are as safe as possible while participating in the program. This area’s chapter has already grown and expanded to cover most of Hillsborough County, Competition is taken seriously by the participants during co-ed basketball games including the Plant City area. After hearing about all of this posiBasketball, baseball, golf, and tive work being done in the area, I softball are presently being offered decided to go to one of the Saturin this area and leagues are curday basketball games. It happened rently forming. Plans for next year to be during the playoffs and was include baseball and softball camps really quite a game. The children and clinics focused on speciﬁc skill truly respect each other and the areas. The idea is to help children in coaches. There were very few fouls certain areas such as pitching, base and no irate parents screaming at running, and hitting. Golf clinics, the referees. The children enjoyed now in session, work with young themselves and had a good time children and parents together to playing while the parents had a help build self conﬁdence and good good time watching and cheering. sportsmanship. The Hillsborough county area is divided into conferences based on age. The youngest age group is the West Coast Lake Conference, then the West Coast Bay Conference, and lastly the West Coast Gulf Conference. The age groups for each conference respectively range from 3-8, 9-11, and 12-14 years old. As demand warrants, programs will expand to incorporate kids of all ages. Each team plays eight games a season and at least two playoff rounds. Throughout the season players can log on to the i9 website to see their stats and team standings. They are also encouraged to post comments, stories, or whatever they wish to contribute to the website’s chat boards.

The playoffs continued to be intense. The winners of the West Coast Bay Conference were the number one seated Blue Devils, defeating the number three Rim Rattlers in a 49 to 31 victory and attaining an undefeated season, going 10-0. The West Coast Gulf Conference championship was won by the number two Tarheels. They defeated the number one Sixers in a 53 to 52 victory in overtime. For more information on i9 sports children’s programs or to volunteer, please visit the website at www. i9sports.com or contact our local representative, Ben Flock, at 813754-1720.

2005 Fall Basketball Champions

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 35

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Story by Sophia Dedon Photo courtesy of Chris Gorman

Because He Serves OTHERS SERVE HIM

ometimes it simply feels relieving to proclaim the good things going on around you. Hopefully, everyone at some point in their life has experienced so many blessings at once that you just want to tell the world. Chris Gorman came to Focus Magazine asking for help to give credit where credit was due. In the Plant City community, Chris is known for being the Tennis Director at the Walden Lake Golf and Country Club. However, he is also in the Florida Army National Guard. Twice now, he has been called to serve in Djibouti, Africa with the U.S. Army, and both times he has happily fulﬁlled his duty to serve.

What separates Chris’s story from others who have had to put their lives on hold to go overseas is that when Chris returned, he was able to pick up his life where he left off. The Walden Lake Golf and Country Club has put his position on hold twice, each for a six month period of time, while he went away to ﬁght the war on terrorism. When he returned from Africa, his job was still there and he was able to maintain job security. Although he was limited as to what he is permitted to discuss in reference to the war, he did comment that, “The military is doing a lot of good things over there. Unfortunately, the media doesn’t portray it that way. I have seen ﬁrsthand that all we are doing is helping people.”

Sergeant Chris Gorman and Sergeant Major Preston the SGM of the US ARMY, Djibouti Africa 2005.

On January 20-22 Chris will be hosting a tennis tournament through the Walden Lake Golf and Country Club that is going to raise money for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. This foundation is designed to help provide a

college education for the families of soldiers who have fought in the war. The tournament is $33 for members of the country club and $35 to everyone else. The tournament is open to anyone who wants to help Chris help others.

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Fostering Love

Opening Hearts...

don’t think we can live for ourselves alone. If you think about it, I mean “really” think about it, our lives are connected by a gazillion invisible threads, and along these sympathetic ﬁbers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results. As a mother of ﬁve, I can assure you that children are not rugged individualists. They depend on the adults they know and on a thousand more who make decisions every day that affect their well-being. All of us, whether we acknowledge it or not, are responsible for deciding whether our children are raised in a world that doesn’t just espouse family values but values families and children. Statistics that are available today indicate that there are approximately half a million children in state-funded foster care placements throughout the U.S., with about 5,293 in Hillsborough County alone. These children’s ages range from birth to 17 years and may be part of a sibling or minority group. Children in foster care come from homes for one reason or another that were found to have parent(s) to be incapable of caring for them. In some cases the parents themselves decided that they could not care for their child or children adequately and voluntarily terminated their rights. In other cases, the courts terminated the parent’s rights because they abused and /or neglected their child.

& Homes to Children in Need

Because so may of these children were abused and neglected, they carry both physical and emotional scars from their past. Often, they have been moved from one foster home to another.

The children seem to be the ones that always suffer the most. It’s the children that have been taken away from everything that’s familiar to them, friends, family, school, and home, no matter the conditions.

If you ever gave the notion to becoming a foster parent or adoptive parent it’s an honorable position and with the right qualiﬁcations, a match could be made in a short amount of time.

It’s with great love and pride that the Joiner family, like many others, step up to the plate and welcome children not of their own ﬂesh and blood, with open arms and incorporate them into every aspect of their family life. These children are “their” children until they move on to where destiny guides them.

I met with the Joiner Family who is now entering into their sixth year of foster parenting. Terry and Karen began fostering when they met and fell in love with a little girl that was in foster care. After spending a great deal of time with this gem, they made the decision to proceed with adoption. But this little girl we’ll call (Debi) had many siblings. Not wanting to tear the family apart, the Joiner’s made the honorable choice to also adopt one of her brothers this past year. The Joiner’s recognized a desperate need to provide for these children in foster care. They have spent a great deal of time investigating the foster care and adoption program. They knew exactly what they were getting into and believed with all their hearts that they could help children ﬁnd a place to call home, ﬁnd loving individuals they could call “family” even if it was temporary.

These children are incorporated into the family’s everyday ﬁbers. I found a chore list on the refrigerator at the Joiner home & everyone, including the 5 year-old, has to pitch in. The Joiner’s don’t offer an allowance because they want to teach the children what it’s like to be part of a family and how to be independent. Instead of cash greasing the children’s hands, they are rewarded with “quality family time.” The family at night will hunker down with all the bed pillows, beanbag chairs and blankets in the living room, huddled around great family favorites like “The Polar Express.” They often go out for pizza and really spend time talking together. The Joiner home is a modest country-style home. It offers warmth and appeal the moment you step on the property. The children have four dogs, six cats, three

rabbits, two ducks, two ferrets, three cockatiels, two turtles, ﬁsh, a pony and I believe I may have spotted a partridge in a pear tree! There’s always something fun to do at the Joiner’s. They have a trampoline, swimming pool and enough space to set up a mud pie stand. While these are a few of the fun perks, the most important perk in the mix is the unconditional love that is shared beginning with Terry and Karen. I had the chance to meet “their” six children. One by birth and three by foster care and then later adopted. The other two are children from troubled homes and their parents are attempting to work through their issues in order to regain custody. The Joiner’s have no idea what time frame each child will be with them. It could be just providing a bed for one night or fostering for years. Karen said no matter how long the children are there, her heart breaks each time a child leaves her home. I witnessed this throng of children work together, play together and offer each other support. It’s obvious upon meeting them that they are content with the tenderness and attention bestowed upon them. The children have plenty of room to romp around and get dirty, and best of all, they’re doing it in a safe, stable and caring environment. They have been afforded the respite to forget the adult issues from which they came, such as drug abuse or domestic

Story by Dawn Marie Simpson, Photos by Sophia Dedon FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 41

Fostering Love • violence. These children can simply be children. Karen shared that it’s heartwarming to see a depressed, withdrawn child gently stroking one of the cats with a huge grin on their face. Or watching one of the children tossing handfuls of ﬁsh pellets in the pond and watching until the last morsel of food has been gobbled. Or better yet, the laughter that reverberates through the yard as they try to escape the slobbery wet kisses of their Labrador. Over the years, between fostering and respite, they’ve had 25 children in their home. In fact, this past Thanksgiving they had 20 rambunctious feet romping the yard after dinner. For the most part, their experiences have been extremely rewarding and they feel truly blessed. Although the Joiner’s had one birth child and have since adopted three – they must go through the exact same process of adoption as anyone else that are considering foster care or adoption. When asked, “What makes your home successful?” The Joiner’s are quick to say they attribute part of their success to knowing how to listen and being honest at all times no matter the question or challenge. The Joiners

believe that listening is a staple of their daily life. When they truly listen to not only “what is said,” but also what is “not” said, they can soothe the child or take a negative challenge and turn it into a fruitful one without destroying the child’s self-esteem. Karen shared her philosophy in a matter-of-fact tone, which is that she knows in her heart that every child is an individual and each has unique qualities and virtues that make them “special”. They feel (as parents) it’s their mission to uncover the hidden talent and virtues and encourage the children to see beyond the moment of hurt and pain they’ve endured; embrace life and trust again. Those who qualify to be foster parents are couples or single adults committed to providing a stable and loving environment for children. “Stable” means that you are not about to move or are not having ﬁnancial, marital or emotional difﬁculties. Your home must be clean and you must be prepared for a 10-week pre-service training program. Learning how to positively parent and to provide children ample space to grow should be your hearts desire. Foster parents demonstrate maturity and represent all ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Ongoing educational training is a requirement.

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 42

Opening Hearts and Homes to Children in Need Foster families need to be flexible enough to accommodate weekly counseling and visitation appointments for the children and their parents, as well as other commitments expected in caring for a child. Since foster care is a shared experience between the biological parents and the foster parents, a working relationship between the biological and foster parents may be necessary. The goal of foster care is to find a permanent home for children. Love alone is not enough to help these children and prospective adoptive parents need to become informed about the issues involved in raising challenging children. This can involve either reunifying children with their family or, if this is not possible, finding an adoptive home. It seems like the older the child, the more desperate the need is to find a family that is willing to accept them for who and what they are. Because foster parents are not ushered sole custody of the children they are unable to place their foster children on their medical insurance plans. But no need to fear, their medical and dental needs and costs are paid through the state via Medicaid. Full college tuitions are also given by the state.

The children who come into your home will present both challenges and opportunities. The Joiner’s attempted to foster one other sibling of Debi, but through laborious struggles and concentrated counseling, it was soon realized that this child not only didn’t want to be helped, but was extremely bitter and wanted to move on. Each holiday the Joiners drive around town to pick up every sibling of Debi’s and spend quality family time together. They don’t want Debi to lose a sense of her heritage and her rooted family. Foster parenting is about changing lives one child at a time. It is about believing and investing in the future. The challenges can be great, but so are the rewards. Patience, commitment, and unconditional acceptance; these are keys to parenting all children, but with special needs children – perhaps they often need a heavier dose. The YMCA has always had their communities’ number one in the forefront of their mission. Foster care is just another venue for them to show their support in their local communities. Michelle Long, Community Resource & Development Director of the Hillsborough Kids and Scott Warren, Executive Director of the Plant City YMCA are working together to locate

Fostering Love • the best suitable foster parents for Plant City’s children in need. What you should expect upon your first meeting with Ms. Long is an informational meeting to gain a prospective insight on foster parenting and learn more about the requirements of becoming a foster or adoptive parent. You’ll be given lots of informative paperwork and an outlying scope of the requirements. One being, that prospective foster and adoptive parents must attend a 30-hour training entitled “Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting.” (MAPP) After the initial interview, you’ll have a series of visits with a Development Specialist who will assess your readiness to become a foster or adoptive parent. You must have a stable and adequate income to meet your family’s need without relying on the State Public Assistance, but a family’s annual income isn’t as important as their ability to open their hearts and homes to a special child. You will then have a home study. Once your home study is approved, adoption staff will begin searching for children that may fit your family character, traits and culture. Once a child has been identified, you will begin a

meeting and visitation process to see if the chemistry is a good match. If all goes well, the child will move into your home. Fostering is a volunteer service. To assist you in meeting a child’s needs, monthly ﬁnancial assistance is provided. Adoption subsidy payment is available to parents adopting children with special needs. Are you ready to be a foster parent? Becoming a licensed foster parent could be the most challenging and daunting task you have ever considered. Here are a few questions found on the application. Answer them honestly and it will help you to determine if you are prepared to become a foster parent. Do you have enough room in your home for a foster child? You must have enough bedroom space for a foster child. A foster child may share a bedroom with your child/another foster child of the same sex. Foster children must have a bed of their own and cannot share a bed nor sleep on a cot or trundle bed. Are you emotionally capable of caring for children? Being a parent in my opinion is the most difﬁcult and demanding job you will ever have. The work can be grueling,

Opening Hearts and Homes to Children in Need unappreciated and often a heartbreak. You must be emotionally stable to care for foster children. Do you have an adequate income to provide for the child? You don’t have to be rich to be a parent. In fact, I often say having had ﬁve kids, I’m poor, but made rich in personality! So you don’t have to be wealthy but you have to be able to provide to meet you own family’s needs. Foster parents are reimbursed for the substitute care they provide. Karen doesn’t work a job outside the home but that certainly doesn’t mean she doesn’t work. Her job is 24/7 and for not much pay, but feels the rewards of kisses, “I love you’s”, and endless giggles are worth the wage. Her husband works the night shift as a truck driver for Estes Trucking. He’s desperately trying to get Human Resources to switch him to the day shift so he can help his wife and spend more quality time with “their” kids. I personally had to agree with his desire because when you think about it…is your job going to be visiting you in a nursing home or caring for you when you’re 83? No it won’t, but your kids will. So you have to decide where spending your time is most important.

become a foster or adoptive parent. But unfortunately we live in a world full of uncertainty and hidden dangers. Many of these children have had such a difﬁcult time coming to terms with the loss of the only parents they’ve known and the state doesn’t want to have them bouncing from home to home. They are searching for the best match from the moment of application to placing a child. I personally don’t believe that God gives parents manuscripts to write when it comes to the children’s lives but rather “code to decode.” As parents, we should study our children while we can. The greatest gift we can give our children is not our riches, but revealing to them their own. You’ll never get rich monetarily by taking in children, but your wealth will come from opening your heart and home to a child that needs you, and knowing that you have touched and perhaps molded that child’s life into a destiny of endless possibilities in a positive way. For more information on becoming a foster parent, please contact Michelle Long at 813/225-1105.

I know it sounds like there are many hoops to jump through in order to

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 43

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 44

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 45

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Story and photo submitted by Sherrie Mueller

PCHS Scholar

MAKING HIS HIGH SCHOOL PROUD

yan Napier was recently selected as the 2005 State winner of the Tony Jannus Essay Contest. Ryan was recognized along with David Neeleman, who is the 2005 Tony Jannus Award recipient for outstanding contribution to scheduled commercial aviation. Neeleman is the chairman and CEO of JetBlue Airways Corporation. Both were recognized at a press conference at the Museum of History in St. Petersburg. They were again applauded at a luncheon at the Renaissance Vinoy Golf Club in St. Petersburg. Ryan received three roundtrip tickets to Washington D.C. and $600.00

courtesy of the Florida Council on Economic Education. His essay entitled “The Great Indestructible” was centered on the accomplishments of both Captain Eddie Rickenbacker and Tony Jannus and their impact on commercial aviation. His parents, Barry and Melissa Napier and Sherrie Mueller, Guidance Resource Specialist, accompanied Ryan to the awards presentation. Ryan is a senior at Plant City High School and is a National Merit Semiﬁnalist. He is the captain of the school Academic Team and is a member of the marching band.

Barry and Melissa Napier with their son, Ryan, David Neeleman, CEO and Chairman of the Board for Jet Blue Airlines, and John O’Conner Chairman of the Tony Jannus Distinguished Aviation Society.

The December Garden Club Beautiﬁcation winners are Teresa and John Mulqueen. Their home is located at 4119 Kipling Avenue. Pictured from left to right are Liz Miller, Lois Reichard, Darcy Stottlemyer, Teresa and John Mulqueen, and Em Rawlings.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 46

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 47

Shooting for the Stars Charleene Closshey is making the most of her talents to achiev e h e r d re a m s

I n t e r v i e w b y B r i a n We s t . P h o t o s b y M i c h a e l C a i r n s a n d G r e g o r y C a m p b e l l

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 48

any different people know Charleene Closshey as many different things:

daughter, friend, college graduate, Vice President, Violinist, Vocalist, Actress, and volunteer to name a few. Since the age of 2, Closshey has worked hard to make the best of her creative talents and to share them with those around her. As an accomplished Violinist, she’s played with the likes of Josh Groban, Charlie Daniels and Ricky Skaggs. How did you get started with music? When I was 2 years old, I began the piano. We had a piano in the living room and I started banging on it. My parents chalk that up to my mother taking piano lessons when she was pregnant with me. That’s what she did to calm herself down. You know my mom; she’s very active and always has something going on. The doctor told her she needed to relax a little, so this was her bit of therapy I suppose. And apparently it did something. I took lessons and could actually read music before I could read words. So music has always been an important part of my life, whether performing, playing, or practicing – even listening to music. But you also sing, dance, and play the violin. About the time I got into music, I was beginning to pick up things from my father and was showing some tomboyish tendencies. So my mother thought, “Dance lessons!” I started taking dance lessons when I was 3, at Jackie’s Dance Studio here in town. I danced and I also competed with music throughout elementary, middle, and high school. But I was really focused more on music. When I was 12, I started playing the violin. Now the story behind me playing the violin is actually kind of funny because it was the beginning of my 6th grade school year and we had to pick one elective. The norm was one elective and P.E. I wasn’t too fond about the idea of P.E. So I opted to see if I could take chorus and orchestra. And as much

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as a tomboy as I was, it wasn’t because I didn’t want to get sweaty; I just didn’t want to go to P.E.! Funny how opportunities develop… So this was the beginning of your relationship with the violin? Yes. I started playing the violin and it stuck. I attended Harrison Art Center in Lakeland, which is a magnet school for the performing arts. I spent 3 years there and took all of my music classes; music theory, music history, music composition, music performance, solo performance, orchestra performance. It was a tremendous musical experience for me. I always like to try things that people typically don’t do for whatever reason, or things that I can’t do, just to see if I can actually eventually do them. During my “growing up” years, I loved to be on stage and I loved to act. I love to create things; characters that are interesting and fun. Maybe this is because I’m an only child. (My parents always tease me; give her a mirror or let her sit in front of a mirror and she can entertain herself for hours! I have vivid memories as a child sitting in front of a mirror make all kinds of crazy faces, just to see what my face would do by moving a particular muscle. It sounds funny, but it’s been very beneﬁcial to me knowing how to manipulate my body whether it’s on stage, which is more animated, or if it’s on screen, which is more subtle.) You’re involved in so many different things, is there anything you don’t do? [Without hesitation] I don’t scuba dive! I just have this very odd fear of the water. It makes absolutely no sense. I love the water, and I love being in Florida, and I love looking at the water and watching the sunset and walking on the beach, but don’t you dare try to get me IN the water! I suppose we all have some sort of strange or irrational fear of something perfectly natural or safe. Ironic that I live on a peninsula… How do you end up choosing Florida Southern College?

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To preface, as an only child, my parents and I are very, very close. When I’m in town, I usually have more fun spending a Friday night with them than I do with people my own age. They’re a riot! But at any rate, my decision to attend FSC was a combination of a variety of reasons - the opportunities that were afforded to me by remaining local, the education I received at Florida Southern and the proximity to my family were the primary deciding factors to what kept me in Central Florida. I obtained a Bachelors of Science degree in Marketing Management and Exercise Science. Originally I thought I was going to go into the exercise science/physiology/kinesiology ﬁelds through my doctorate, and I got there and thought, “This is really interesting, but I really can’t do this for the rest of my life - it’s a bit too dry.” So I opted for a Marketing degree as well. Both my parents are entrepreneurs, making Business almost like a third language to me, behind English and Music. I had an amazing experience at Florida Southern, wonderful professors and great staff. The college was incredibly good to me and I think it was a great decision. Could I have done something different? Yes. But I’d be in a completely different place than I am today. And I have no complaints with where I am. Tell me about your business, Ideas and Innovations. Funny you ask, as the company seems to be this ambiguous entity that very few people have any idea as to what it is or what we do. Simply put, Ideas and Innovations is a synergistic partnership between my mother and me where we create ideas that are fresh and innovative and implement them in a variety of settings. She handles more of the business side through business consulting and strategic management; the gamut. She’s able to draw on her years of experience through her own highly diverse international business background. I work more on the creative and entertainment side. Together and with our team of industry leaders from across the globe, we develop up-andcoming artists, book events and musicians and

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 49

S p o t l i g h t

I n t e r v i e w

create shows. On any given day, I may book a jazz trio for a Christmas party, contract musicians to play in a recording studio, or collaborate in writing lyrics for an independent movie theme song. Currently, we’re in the ﬁnal creative stages of a show that will debut in either New York or [Las] Vegas. Think Cirque Du Soleil meets Riverdance meets Celine, among other shows. We maintain a shoot for the stars approach. How does an idea like Ideas and Innovations come to be? Usually through a very well-thought out idea on my mother’s part, or through a more hair-brained, crazy idea on mine! Both she and I maintain exhausting schedules, so whenever we are able to connect, it’s usually a brainstorming session. Usually I’m in town for 24 to 48 hours at a time. I’ll call Mom on my way into town and say, “I’m going to be home in about 20 minutes, do you want to walk around the lake with me?” There’s something about walking around Walden Lake, especially with the beautiful weather we’ve been having lately, just being able to let go and reconnect with nature. One of the times when people are most creative is when they’re walking, and it works well for us. What do you do to relax? I enjoy being physical, and sometimes activity serves as a mental catharsis to get it all out. So I may be in town at the YMCA on the elliptical, going for a run, or practicing yoga in my hotel room. The physical part is number one. Number two is Retail Therapy. I love shoes and handbags! What kinds of shoes do you like? I don’t discriminate! A beautiful shoe is a beautiful shoe. I’m not brand speciﬁc, so I secure shoes from Nine West to Jimmy Choo’s and any/everything in between, as long as they’re good quality, fun, and unique. And that’s my thing. If I’ve seen somebody wear them, or if I think I would see somebody wear them, I won’t even look at them. I appreciate shoes that are unique.

C h a r l e e n e

C l o s s h e y

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 50

Where’s your favorite place to shop? Rome! They have rows upon rows of alleyways that are a shoppers dream. Shopping in Milan is fun, but stuffy. Shopping in the States

is exciting, but there’s something appealing about the atmosphere in Rome because the people are open. Shopkeepers will say, “Ah, come inside. Come inside!” You don’t have to buy anything, they just want you to come in and hang out with them. And finding neat purchases are easy, as the Italians seem to take such great pride in their respective creative crafts. What are you working on right now? A little bit of everything! ‘Tis the season for, well, everything to happen at one time. Tonight I’m playing Handel’s Messiah in Orlando. Then I’ll be filming more of an independent picture (movie) that I’ve been working on with the International Academy of Art and Design. And on Monday I’ll be playing in Naples with Ronin Tynan, one of the Irish tenors. He has an interesting story. He actually lost both his legs. It’s just an incredible story. He’s someone with an amazing voice. Then Tuesday through Sunday I’ll be in Fort Myers with the national equity tour of My Fair Lady that we will then bring back to Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater for another week. I’m actually fortunate that most of the stuff I have going on right now is in Florida, at least half-way local, which is not too bad. After the first of the year, the travel picks up again with working trips to LA and New York, and of course more tours throughout the Southeast, including “Jekyll and Hyde”, Dennis DeYoung from Styx, and BeBe Neuwirth (the actress from Frasier and Cheers). There’s another movie in the works that will be filmed on the Gulf Coast beginning after the first of the year. Many of my activities are posted on my website. That’s how my family keeps track of me! Just kidding… I’ve been fortunate to meet Closshey on a few different occasions prior to this interview and she’s very involved, not only with her career interest, but also in the community. Closshey was recently appointed to serve on the Florida Film and Entertainment Advisory Council and will serve on the education and membership committees of the organization. She is also involved with at least a half-dozen volunteer organizations. Charleene is a true joy to be around, very approachable, and just plain fun.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 51

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 52

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 53

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Story & Photo by Plant City Photo Archives, Inc.

Pioneering Families 3RD OF A 3-PART SERIES THAT FOCUSES ON ONE OF PLANT CITY’S EARLIEST SETTLERS.

artha Sue Ellen Hawkins Skinner’s grandfather and grandmother, Stephen Malathron and Ellen Tomberlin Hawkins, built the ﬁrst of their two homes a short distance from the southwest corner of Trapnell Road and S.R. Highway 39 in 1902. They had four children: Lois, Stephen Ellis, Sarah Irma, and Freda. Stephen Malathron gave to his only son, Stephen Ellis, a portion of his property that sits to the west of S.R. Highway 39, on the south side of Trapnell Road. Some of that land had been farmed, but the majority of it had been left to reforest itself. It was through a barter system that young Stephen Ellis was able to build a lovely home there in 1930 during the depression.

Enlisting the help from one of his cousins, Stephen Ellis struck a deal

with the owner of a local sawmill. Through this, he managed to build his home, (that still stands today, less than one-half mile west of S.R. Highway 39, on the south side of Trapnell Road), with beautiful grains of timber. It was on this property that Stephen Ellis planted his ﬁrst orange grove. Stephen Ellis Hawkins married Carabelle Morton. They had two children, Carolyn Faye and Martha Sue Ellen. Surrounded by loving family members, the four of them treasured their home and ways of life in Plant City until Martha Sue was nine years old. In 1951, because of his position with the immigration service, Stephen Ellis was transferred to Miami, and he and his family had to leave their home, their relatives, and their friends behind.

Stephen Ellis’s older sister, Lois, married Goldston Maxwell. His sister Sarah Irma married John C. Herring, Sr., (they had two children, Barbara and John, Jr.); Freda married Ed Stubbe. The properties on all four corners of Jim Redman Parkway/Highway 39 and Trapnell Road are still owned by heirs of the founding Hawkins family. Stephen Ellis’s daughter, Martha Sue Ellen, married Richard Skinner on February 4, 1961. They moved back to Plant City in 1980, and in 1982 they moved into their

new two story log home -- one that Richard and his son Mark, along with a few other relatives and friends, built with their own hands. The log house stands a short distance to the south of where Stephen Malathron built his ﬁrst home in 1902. Richard and Martha Sue are grateful and giving people. They maintain their home and property with great affection as they walk among the memories that linger there. They hold in high regard the hard work, the diligence and the sacriﬁces made by her ancestors who paved the paths that they now live and walk upon. They have put forth much effort to collect, preserve, and make known some of the rich history that breathes through the Plant City area. They love one another deeply, and they endeavor each day to give something back to the town they chose to make their own. Sources: Martha Sue Ellen Hawkins Skinner, Plant City Photo Archives, Inc., and Plant City Photo Archives’ Oral History Project 2005

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 54

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 55

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 56

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�� FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 57

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 58

HOME GUIDE

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For our community’s Buyers, Sellers and Owners As the seasons of your life change, so may your real estate needs. ��

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�� Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 59

Happy Holidays! Shelton Keely 503-0999

Barbara J. Kulyk 781-1915

Barbara Layton 967-1937

Janet Cavello 754-5787

Davey Miles 376-4444

John Walmsley 752-4835

Jackie Wyckoff 477-5562

Donna Hodges-Keel 967-4276

Jayne Rawnsley, CPM 719-6822

Peter Murphy 716-9037

Becky Bowdish 376-2100

Carol J. Brassart 949-5196

Jill Moore 752-2087

Stewart Angel 752-2087

Nick Ganey 752-2087

Buzzy Berry, GRI 752-2087

Mac McGrath, GRI CRS 752-2087

from your professionals at

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Call Becky for info & showing ofﬁce

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R E A LT O R

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The Entertainer -Beautifully maintained home in prestigous Forest Club of Walden Lake in Plant City! With newer roof, brand new plush carpeting and meticulous maintenance, this 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage home is ready to move right in! Enjoy the luxury of space in all of the main rooms including living room, formal dining room, family room, kitchen, dinette and ﬂexible bonus room with adjacent (relaxing) hot tub room! The beautiful backyard is handsomely fenced and the attached workshop/utility shed electric available) is a plus! Don’t miss this Walden Lake value. Offered at $349,500. Call Barbara Jean to sell 813-781-1915 #124

Pretty Package of a home with lots of spreading out space! See open family room to kitchen to dining area plus 3 nice sized bedrooms, 2 baths, a Florida/3 season room and laundry room (no A/C), a screened porch and shed/workshop plus a large backyard! The “relaxing” front porch is extra large, screened and shaded by a grand old oak tree! This could be the home for you! #126 Call Barbara Jean at 813-781-1915 $169,900

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The good life awaits you in this special Paddocks of Walden Lake home w/lots of space & many desirable upgrades. Added on to the orig. 1992 sq ft is an efﬁcient & spacious bonus room that will offer much to every household member. Buyers will appreciate this well maintained Walden Lake Home with newly enclosed FL room, elegant ﬁreplace, cathedral ceilings in main rooms & master suite, sky light in fam. room, breakfast bar as well as dinette area to accomodate many, side load garage & beautiful landscaping. Offered at $289,000. Call Barbara Jean

Lots of potential bus./land uses, located on main thoroughfare of burgeoning Plant City, FL. The 2 combined properties are over 1/2 acre. Call Barbara Jean on her cell for more details. 813-781-1915. Listed at $550,000.

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2 adjacent commercial properties previously used as a ﬂorist (1984) & a used car lot sales business (1957).

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True 5 bedroom, pool home with lots of living space. Located in prestigious Walden Lake in Plant City Florida, this golf course beauty awaits the buyer who appreciates comfort as well as value with 3460 Sq. Ft. under air conditioning, this mammoth home affords shared family living as well as individual privacy. The 5 true bedrooms are generously larger than most homes with the grand family room, living room and ofﬁce/den following suit! There are 4 1/2 bathrooms startegically located throughout, including a full outdoor pool bath! If you think big when it comes to your home requirements then this one’s for you! Offered at $429,900 Call Barbara Jean for the Grand Tour! #127

This traditional, better than new home with large covered front porch and darling side porch (for morning coffee or evening meal) will please even the “picky” buyer who wants homespun luxury... incredibly beautiful homestead. Offered at $399,900. #143, MLS# T2117502. Call Barbara Jean @ 813-781-1915 #130.

Statuesque Golf Course & Lake View home located in prestigious and beautiful Walden Lake of Plant City, Florida! 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 and 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

Just your cup of tea! Warm, comforting and beautiful are the words to describe this darling and perfectly maintained home in Walden Lake East in wonderful Plant City! Appreciate new roof, fresh exterior and interior paint, new carpet, designer tile and new 2 inch blinds as well as a warming ﬁreplace and private backyard. Come see if this is your cup of tea. Call Barbara Jean to view. 813-781-1915 Offered at $229,900

�� FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 62

Blackburn & Associates Realty LISTING HOMES FOR 2% or 4%

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 63

Blackburn & Associates Realty LISTING HOMES FOR 2% or 4% ��

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 64

Blackburn & Associates Realty LISTING HOMES FOR 2% or 4% ��

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 65

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 66

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 67

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 68

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 69

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HOMES

HOME GUIDE

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Story by Ken Lawrence-Senior Writer

The Walden Lake Review F

ore! --- Duck! Here comes another update on the status of the Walden Lake Golf and Country Club. There is yet another suitor wanting to purchase the hard-luck facility. The club management has conﬁrmed to FOCUS that one Robert Blackerby, a Panama City businessman, has been in negotiations to buy the golf facility that has lost a considerable number of members in recent years. That’s all anyone will say to this point. The rumor mill has been churning with such suggestions that one of the two-18 Hole courses will be turned into a golf school and the driving range will be closed so town-homes can be built to house golf students who would be coming from out of the area. (Strictly Rumor). A call to Robert Blackerby in Panama City did not bring a response. That’s

where the situation stands as of press time.

but said they would probably limit the number of signs.

Signs of the Times

As for those GARAGE SALE signs, some of which seem to be written on the back of an envelope, the Board is inclined to ban them outright. Plant City has a regulation which permits only two garage sales per year in an area and the people must obtain a permit. Some people appear to be running garage sales almost as frequently as a ﬂea market and that is spoiling it for others.

The Community Association has decided to crack down on the plethora of signs that have been popping up faster than weeds, especially along Timberlane Drive. A committee has been formed to determine what the rules should be. The feeling of some members has been to ban all signage. However, your writer, on behalf of my fellow Realtors, appeared before the Association Executive recently to request that professionally made OPEN HOUSE signs be permitted, as long as the Realtors put them up on the morning of the OPEN HOUSE and take them down immediately after the event. The Board seemed receptive to the idea

813-759-1200 1701 S Alexander St. Suite 104 • Plant City

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 72

to the association coffers. Emerald Forest has been the big winner for the past two years. New vehicle entry stickers have been mailed out to Walden Lake residents. The triangular stickers have been replaced by square white ones. After mid-January, if the new decals are not displayed on your vehicle, gate guards will stop you. Speaking of the guards, they are about to have their buildings renovated with new metal roofs.

Odds ‘n Ends As you read this, a committee from the Walden Lake Community Association will have completed its review of the Christmas decorations at each of the individual communities. There are three prizes --- $150-$100-$50, which would go

And as we bid you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, a reminder that your annual dues are due, at least half the amount in January. Fees have increased to $376 for 2006, plus whatever amount your local association charges. ‘Till next year.

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Story by Shelton Keely

Real Estate Investing B

eing a landlord can be profitable – or a big headache. Landlording isn’t science, but if you’re willing to put in the time and effort, buying and operating rental properties can pay off big. The key thing to remember is that buying rental properties is not for point and click investors. Even landlords who hire out the plumbing, painting and rent collection to contractors and management companies typically make a big time commitment. For the first time landlord, there is plenty to learn – about taxes, financing, dealing with difficult tenants—and usually there are many mistakes to be made. The payoff can be terrific though, even for investors who own just one or two properties. Doing it right will get you extra income now and a valuable addition to your retirement nest egg down the road. Know how to take your market’s temperature. When considering a rental property, your top concern should be whether you can make money renting it out now, not how much its price might appreciate in the future (although that’s important too). All you’re doing is speculating on real estate prices if you’re shelling out more than you’re taking in—and that can be dangerous, especially if you’re doing it with borrowed money. You never want to buy a property where every month you have to feed it. So before you buy, add up your projected property taxes, mortgage payments and maintenance costs, and make sure the total is less than your expected rental income. Find smart ways to cut your financing costs. Borrowing to buy real estate as an investment is more expensive than borrowing to buy a home. Lenders generally think they are taking more risk on buildings that the owner doesn’t live in. Consequently, the interest rates they charge tend to be 0.5 percentage point or more above those for traditional home mortgages.

Not only that, but borrowers need excellent credit scores to qualify for the lowest rates. In addition, the minimum down payment is usually 20 or 25 percent, instead of 0 to 20 percent for standard home mortgages. Learn to take advantage of the many tax breaks. For tax purposes, what you make in rent is generally taxable as regular income. Real estate taxes and mortgage interest on an investment property are fully tax deductible, though. Operating expenses such as utilities, insurance and repairs are also deductible. So are rental fees paid to brokers, although they must be spread out over the life of the lease. Even better, the federal tax code entitles rental property owners to a depreciation deduction even though housing prices usually go up, not down, over time. (There are, however, numerous conditions and catches, which is why it is essential to consult a tax adviser before you invest a cent.)

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Anticipate problems (they will be numerous). Reliable, prompt-paying tenants do up and leave suddenly. Minor leaks have a way of becoming expensive repair jobs. That’s why it’s smart to line up inspectors and contractors before you buy. And why it’s important to establish rainy-day funds. Two or three months’ rent is usually – but not always – sufﬁcient. Finally, don’t skimp on fees should you decide to hire a management company to tend to your rental property. The typical fee is 8 to 10 percent of rental income. Experienced landlords say it’s not worth it to be cheap: Property managers often work harder to ﬁll vacancies and to maximize rent. Shelton Keely. Broker- Associate Walden Lake Realty, Inc. 813-752-2087

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 75

HOMES

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Story by Sophia Dedon Photos by Sophia Dedon and courtesy of the Adkins

The McDonald House J

ohn Robert McDonald moved to Carsville (now Hopewell) in 1870 from Alabama with his wife and children, traveling by way of horse and buggy. The family soon became involved in citrus farming, at one point being one of the largest growers of oranges in the state of Florida. Their wealth and involvement in the community continued to rise and in 1903 the grandson of John McDonald, J.R. McDonald II, built a beautiful, large home on Old Hopewell Road. It contained 6 bedrooms, which was convenient when at one point J.R., his wife and children, and his parents were all staying in the home. There was a wrap around porch on all four sides of

the home. In the middle of the downstairs ﬂoor was a breezeway that was completely open from the left to the right of the house. Meaning, there were two solid walls separating the house and one would have to walk out on the porch and walk back in the other side of the house to get across. Obviously, there was no bathroom originally. The porch was sacriﬁced for bathrooms both upstairs and downstairs while the McDonalds still lived there. Robert McDonald died in the mid 1900’s and the home stayed in the

The McDonald home around 1910

The McDonald home as it stands today FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 76

HOMES

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family until his wife died in 1970. For a period of time, the house was abandoned and went into foreclosure. In the following years people stole things from the abandoned home at their own pleasure, including the old wooden doors until the home was purchased and restored in the 1980’s by the James family. In the 90’s the Colemans bought the house. They added modern day conveniences like air conditioning and a new kitchen, expanded one of the upstairs bedrooms into a master bedroom, added a bathroom, closed in the porch area and closed in the breezeway, making it a hallway. In the early 1990’s they applied for the house to be a designated Hillsborough County Historical Landmark and in 1994 it was subsequently awarded this honor. In 2000, the Adkins bought the house from the Colemans and reside there today. Mrs. Adkins shared a story from two years ago when she received a knock on her door and it turned out to be a daughter of Robert McDonald, Marzee. Marzee was born in this house in 1920 and later moved to Tennessee. She was visiting Plant City and just had to see her old home. She spent a few hours walking around the house, reminiscing about her childhood, and sharing stories with Mrs. Adkins of how she remembered the home before all of the current changes.

The old shack behind the home, part of the original house, was once a smokehouse.

Mr. McDonald wrote his name in the cement, dated April 4, 1946

A view of the rear of the house

This house represents art of the time in its architecture. It deserves respect for the many years it has remained stable and strong. But most of all, this house is full of history. Although physically it may only have two stories, it is actually full of an inﬁnite array of stories as it has watched its environment change over the last century. Once again the old saying applies, “If only walls could talk.” This house is not only a landmark to Hillsborough County, but more importantly, Plant City.

A view of the interior, standing in the kitchen looking into the dining room. Between the dining area and the sitting room was where the breezeway was once located before being closed in. FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 77

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Waking from the Dead! S

omething extraordinary is going on in Iraq. For the first time in as long as anyone can remember, women in Iraq are now alive and have a voice. For the first time in as long as anyone can remember, young girls can dream of getting an education, holding a political office, writing for a newspaper or saying no to a man who wishes to rape her. These are not my words and thoughts. These are the words of a group of Iraqi women journalists who visited my TV station recently. They are traveling in the United States as part of a state department program encouraging women who, again in their words, “are waking from the dead.” Let me tell you some of their stories. Anaha has been writing as a correspondent for the London Times for the past 11 years. She lives in Baghdad. Her parents were murdered by Saddam Hussein’s elite guard who determined that their house was needed to “protect” the southern approach to one of Saddam’s private palaces two miles away. Her father refused to leave. The guards slit her mother’s throat trying to force the issue. Her father raced to her aid and was shot twice in the back. They died lying in each other’s blood. She has dedicated her life to telling the stories of the hundreds of thousands of silent voices who “crying out from the depths” to be remembered.

Syrianna writes for one of Iraq’s 150 new newspapers born since the fall of the Saddam regime. She has written for several other international publications with a special emphasis on business stories. She says before the fall Saddam’s soldiers routinely extorted local businesses for everything from food to TV’s. She says pay-offs for protection were considered the cost of business. She says crime was relatively low because when someone accused another person of stealing, Saddam’s corrupt police would execute that person on the spot. That technique was often used to rid the field of competition. Nahala was one of the youngest in the group. She has been writing for the past 7 years. You may have read one of her stories that received worldwide coverage. It was accompanied by a compelling photograph of a young boy selling bits of candles in front of a large soccer stadium. Tears are streaming from his eyes in the picture as he points over his shoulder toward the soccer field. It’s been turned into a cemetery for the war dead. The boy told Nahala that his father and uncle are buried here. He recalled for her the afternoons they all used to play soccer here and picnic with other members of their family. Many of the dead are innocent victims of the war killed in cross-fire or victims of terrorist bombs. The boy’s father and uncle were murdered by

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 82

Saddam’s troops for refusing to take up arms against the Americans. My conversation with these remarkable women was very short. Using an interpreter burns up a lot of time. Are these women glad Saddam is out of power? Yes. They all can’t wait to see him executed. Do women have more freedom today than they had, say, 5 years ago? Yes. Nahala explains that under Saddam and strictly Muslim dictates women were like the walking dead. They couldn’t speak, their ideas were not important; they had no choices in life. The best they could hope for was favor with someone of status or a soldier or some Bathist politician. Is the war worth the cost of so many lives? Yes. They told me so many more people were murdered by Saddam than anyone is reporting. They said entire clans of families disappeared overnight. They said that near the end of the war some Iraqi troops were ordered to kill Iraqi citizens in the way of the approaching troops to make it look like the Americans were killing innocent people. Do you think the U.S. should pull out all of its troops as soon as possible? No. They told me they, as women, fear the old order will return. They know that the Iraqi forces must

eventually take over, but only when they are strong enough to fight the Syrian terrorists that are flooding into their country. They are also very anxious to take on more responsibilities of governing and protecting their country. They say women will play a key role because all their suffering makes them ready for the difficult times which they know will lead to a free Iraq. My time with our guests was running out. We all politely shook hands. I turned to one of the ladies who seemed to understand English better than the others. I asked her if she was excited about the upcoming vote for new leaders. Yes. Yes. Yes. We are excited and so very hopeful, she told me. Finally, I told her about two of my former soccer players who are now in the Marines and have served three and four terms in Iraq and are still there fighting. I also mentioned a young boy I knew who had lost his life in a roadside bombing. This is what she told me word for word: “The blood of your sons and your daughters shed on our soil is more precious to us than even the blood of our own martyrs. May Allah be praised for the United States.”.

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Financial Focus TIME TO THINK ABOUT YEAR-END TAX TIPS

ow that it’s December, you’re probably busy with family gatherings and holiday celebrations. Still, try to find some time to think about a non-holiday topic: taxes. You may have until April 17, 2006, to file your taxes, but you only have until the end of the year to make some moves that could benefit your tax situation - so you’ll need to take action soon. Here are some suggestions to consider:

MAXIMIZE YOUR RETIREMENT ACCOUNT CONTRIBUTIONS. If you haven’t “maxed out” on your 401(k), see if your employer will allow you to make additional contributions before year-end. For 2005, you can contribute up to $14,000 (or $18,000 if you’re over 50 years old). You typically fund your 401(k) with pre-tax dollars, so, the more you contribute, the lower your taxable income.

DONATE APPRECIATED SECURITIES TO CHARITIES If you have stocks that have appreciated greatly over the years, you might want to donate some shares to charitable organizations. Suppose, for instance, that you bought shares of XYZ stock for $250, and that they are now worth $1,000. If you were to give these shares to a charitable group, and you are in the 28 percent tax bracket, you would get a $280 tax deduction, based on the shares’ current market value. Furthermore, because you are not selling the shares, you will avoid having to pay any capital gains taxes on your $750 proﬁt.

SELL YOUR “LOSERS Did any of your stocks lose value in 2005? If so, you may want to sell some of them to take the tax

losses. If these losses exceeded your capital gains from selling appreciated stocks, you can deduct up to $3,000 (or $1,500 for married couples ﬁling separately) against your other income, reducing the amount on which you must pay taxes. And if you lost more than $3,000, you can carry over the excess into subsequent years. o Consider buying “big-ticket” items now - If you are planning on buying a car, boat or other “bigticket” item, you may want to do so before the end of the year. If the total sales tax is more than your state or local income taxes, you can choose to deduct any of these taxes on your 2005 federal tax return - but this is the last year in which this beneﬁt will be offered.

DEFER INCOME WHEN POSSIBLE If you’re self-employed, defer billing until late December. If you work for a company, and you’re scheduled to get a year-end bonus, see if you can put it off until January.

DELAY EXERCISING NON-QUALIFIED STOCK OPTIONS You will be taxed on any nonqualiﬁed stock options you exercise, so you may want to delay exercising them until next year. (Before you make this decision, though, you’ll want to evaluate the price and prospects of the stock on which you hold an option. If you hold an option too long, you will eventually be forced to exercise it; if the stock price is down at that point, you might not make much of a proﬁt - and, in a “worst-case” scenario, your option could become worthless.) If you are unsure about which of these suggestions may be appropriate for your individual situation, see your tax adviser. But don’t wait too long 2006 will be here before you know it.

We have a lot to be thankful for during the holidays because of you — our friends and neighbors here in Plant City. It is a pleasure to be part of this community. Enjoy the holiday season. Call or stop by today.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 85

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Story & photo by Ken Lawrence-Senior Writer

Learning Outside the Classroom THE GROWING BUSINESS OF HOME TUTORING

earning is weightless, a treasure you always carry easily”…. Chinese Proverb The public school reputation in the state of Florida is one of the worst in America. Mind you, it has been getting better, as Governor Bush and his brother in Washington have been working diligently to improve the quality of the three R’s. Never missing an opportunity, the business community has found a niche for itself in the form of private tutoring and the service has become very popular, as parents seek to improve their offspring’s education. One such company that has come on the Plant City scene is Club Z, a home tutoring service started by two Tampa businessmen ten years ago,

which has spread across Florida, the US and Canada. Operated as a franchise, Club Z was purchased for Plant City and western Lakeland about six months ago by Terry Criswell, a former Verizon employee for some 35 years. He has been ably assisted by his wife Cherie. The Criswell’s had never owned a business before but the orientation program provided by Club Z headquarters has a solid reputation. Add the fact that the Criswell’s daughter works for Club Z and the Plant City/Lakeland operation is in good hands. “It was a scary move but it’s been well worth it”, Terry Criswell told FOCUS in a recent interview. “It’s a business that gives back to the community and that I enjoy”.

Cherie and Terry Criswell operate the Plant City and Lakeland franchises of Club Z.

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 86

There are now more than 350 Club Z franchises in North America and more are added each month.

HOW IT WORKS A parent calls and inquires about the tutoring service. “We try to find out as much as possible over the phone”, says Cherie “and then we meet the parents and child”. That meeting involves an evaluation of the student and a recommendation as to how many sessions would be required. Then the Club Z staff assigns a tutor to match the student’s needs and parent’s schedule. At least one parent or guardian must be present for the tutoring sessions and extensive background checks are made of the teachers, many of whom are retired educators and full-time teachers augmenting their salaries. Professionals with specific degrees, such as engineers, also make up the teaching staff. The first class is basically a “get acquainted” session and each class is followed by a consultation with the parents. “We go until we meet the goals”, says Terry Criswell. Classes are held after school or on

weekends and the local school curriculum is used. The student is on a month to month contract, with an average of two sessions per week. The cost varies according to a number of factors. Terry Criswell says there is some lobbying being done in Washington and Tallahassee to have government contribute towards the cost of tutoring under the President’s “No Child Left Behind” program. Parents can cancel anytime.

WHO USES THE TUTORING SERVICE? Elementary to middle school aged children make up the bulk of the student body at Club Z. Children whose native tongue is not English are another group and kids with learning disabilities, such as Attention Deﬁcit Syndrome, are also students. Terry Criswell says many children don’t want to have tutoring because it cuts into their leisure time, “but it’s amazing how their attitude changes”. Club Z offers tutoring in all major subjects; reading, math, science, computers, language arts and much more. High school students also use the service. The classes help students prepare for SAT and ACT, plus other assessment tests. Summer tutoring is available. To ﬁnd out more about Plant City and Lakeland Club Z, call (813) 754-5245 or (863) 686-7680, or go to the Club Z WEB Site at www. clubztutoring.com The Criswell’s, Valrico residents for many years, know this area and its people well. They seem determined to make a difference in the education debate.

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 87

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Story & photo by Devin Dygert

Just a Classic Teenager AMANDA HAYNES

ith a weighted GPA of 4.5 Amanda Haynes, who goes by Mandi, spends her days constantly moving. She is Ofﬁcer of Junior Civitan and the ﬁrst Governess since the 70’s to have all Florida districts. Juggling time between the soccer team, managing the wrestling team and cheering, Mandi cannot just relax. “I love to cook and clean, and when I get that free time to just sit down and do nothing, I can’t.” She has a brother at USF who is 19. Mandi was accepted into USC and in June she’ll be moving up there to get a feel for the area and get herself into her apartment. She’ll be majoring in Civil and Environmental Engineering with hopes to be a Forensics Engineer. So just what is the life of a civinet like? Well, in March of last year Mandi went to Canada for a Dance-a-Thon to raise $1,500. All the proceeds will go to a civitan research center for things like cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. As the district Governor of all district clubs in Florida, Mandi has a big commitment. “I’ve met at least 10 close friends through the Junior Civitan,

and we keep in touch whichever way possible,” she told me. On September 24th she had ofﬁcer training in Orlando, to which clubs from all around the state came. Mandi told them what was expected of them and of reports she should be getting. Right now Mandi is raising money for Sno-Do, which is a non-proﬁt program to help with research. As a reward for raising a minimum amount of $1,750, (for which she has set her goal to raise $3,000), she will be able to go to Canada for a meeting recapping the last year and revealing plans for the next. There will also be a snowmobile race, and she will be staying in the home of a Canadian family. On a regular day Mandi doesn’t get home until 6:30-7:00. She is on the varsity cheerleading team and has practice every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday until 5-6pm. That’s not counting wrestling meets she has to attend, as she is manager of the team. “I love sports; I love football, just watching it. I grew up around it and my dad used to coach,” she said with a smile. “I’m a big tomboy, T-shirts and jeans.”

When Mandi does study it’s between the hours of 9pm- 1am. “I’ve lived in Plant City my entire life,” she told me, “and I love it. It’s expanding with a mall supposedly

being built and different stores and restaurants, but the whole attitude hasn’t changed. I like to please others; I love to see them enjoy themselves. I’m just a classic teenager,” she laughed.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES WE ARE LOOKING FOR…

Electrician/Maintenance Tech

Be a Key player on our Maintenance Team. PLC experience a must. Exc. Pay/Beneﬁts.

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 88

CDL Driver

$12.00/hour. Bilingual a plus.

Please fax resumes: Attention Human Resources to 813-759-9485 or mail to: 4006 Airport Rd, Plant City, FL 33563 email to: jobs@santasweets.com

Do you have the right investments in place to meet the financial challenges ahead? ��

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 89

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PERSONAL TRAINING

Story by Bob Hughens

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 90

I Can Do It (PART 6)

wanted to start my article off this month by talking about an event that took place this week and really had an inspiring effect on me. NBC aired the season finale of a program called “The Biggest Loser”, a reality show in which everyday people commit to losing weight, not by undergoing surgery or any other extreme measure, but rather doing it the old fashioned way, through diet and exercise. These contestants left home, leaving their family and friends to undergo a three-month workout program as they competed for a cash prize of $250,000. As I watched the program each week, I saw the problems and obstacles that they faced. These people went through the same aches, pains and suffering that I had gone through each day. For the final show, all but three contestants were eliminated, two men and one woman. As I thought back over the season, I began to realize what kept these three motivated, day-by-day. I realized it was nothing less than total commitment for what they had set out to accomplish. Suzy, the only woman to make the finals, said she wanted to win to show that the girls could keep up with the guys. Matt said it wasn’t about the money but rather the pride he felt by marking nine months of sobriety for him. During the blood, sweat and tears of training, Matt had to remain dedicated to his regimen while having to deal with the loss of an uncle who died while Matt was in training. Why am I telling you this? Some of you have seen the show and understand what I am talking about. For those of you who didn’t watch the show, let me explain how I feel. These people made a life altering decision to do something about their lives. They committed to losing weight through a simple formula. Hard work and diet turned out to be the key to their successful weight

loss. Matt lost 157 pounds! I continue to be committed to my program and despite the slow down in weight loss, I still continue to lose inches. The holiday season is a huge threat to my discipline and I don’t have to tell you what it’s like to have to resist the temptation. However, I feel like I am at a point where I can handle it. My stamina continues to grow and I can really see the progress in my cardio workouts. When I ﬁrst started at the track, I was doing good just to walk a mile and then the next day I would suffer from being stiff and sore. I now jog three miles and I feel great when I’m done. Every day, it becomes more apparent to me that if a person truly wants to lose weight, you have to realize that there is no “magical” way to do it. There is no pill, liquid, exercise machine or “mystical bean” to take to make you lose weight. It has to come from just plain old diet and exercise. According to my trainer, Mike Gartz of Elite Home Fitness, the average person gains 5 to 15 pounds over the holiday season. Mike suggests that those who want to lose weight get on a training program now. Don’t wait until the holidays are over. Get a head start now. Call Mike at (813) 786-1541 and let him get you started on an effective weight loss program. It will be the best thing you ever did for yourself. Ask yourself, what have you done today to make you feel proud of yourself? See you next month.

SPORTS

BASKETBALL

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Story and Photos by Bob Hughens

Rams Bring Down the Raiders T

he Plant City Raiders Boys Varsity Basketball Team played host to the Sarasota-Riverview Rams Tuesday night at One Raider Place. The Rams came away with their ﬁrst win of the season when they defeated the Raiders by a score of 62-57.

1st Period: Riverview wins the tip-off but turns the ball over right away when Cody Elliott steals the ball and puts it in for the Raiders first score of the game. However, Plant City could not win the battle under the hoops and were out rebounded by the Rams. The Raiders also had problems shooting from the field but the Raiders kept it close and at the end of the first period, the Rams were only leading by a score of 17-13. 2ND PERIOD:

The Rams continue to out rebound the Raiders and despite the fact that Plant City had eight turnovers, the Rams committed six turnovers themselves. The rebounding by the Rams hurt Plant City almost every time because they allowed the Rams to take the ball down court and hit a player who was wide open on almost every possession. The Rams ended up scoring fourteen points in the second period and led the Raiders by a score of 31-22 going into the locker room at half time.

3RD PERIOD:

During the third period, the Raiders showed some improvement under the boards. They were able to snag eight rebounds while the Rams had twelve. Neither team had very good luck at the free throw line. Plant City was 1-for-5 at the foul line while the Rams were 3-for-9. The big difference in this quarter was the ﬁeld goal accuracy of the Rams and the fact that they were able to hit on four 3-pointers while Plant City had none. The score at the end of the third period was 51-36 in favor of Riverview.

4TH PERIOD:

This period, the Raiders made a strong comeback effort on both offense and defense. The Raiders outscored the Rams by ten points in a brave effort to win this one. This period was very aggressive and we saw more activity at the foul line because of it. Neither team had very good accuracy at the foul line with the Rams hitting just 7-of-16 while the Raiders were 6-for-15 at the line. The Rams scored two easy ﬁeld goals when the Raiders let the Rams hit their man who was wide open under their basket after the Rams rebounded at the Raiders end of the court. Despite letting the Rams get the easy two-pointers, they managed to pull within four points with 56 seconds left in the game. However, each time Riverview got the ball back, they played ball control and the Raiders had to foul them to stop the clock. It was too little, too late and the clock ran out on the Raiders in a close battle at home. The ﬁnal score was Riverview 62-Plant City 57.

THE RAIDERS REMAINING SCHEDULE FOR THE BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL TEAM: Dec. 16 Dec. 20-23

Durant T-Mac Rotary Shootout

Away Auburndale

Dec. 28-30

William Hutton Ram Classic

Jan. 3 Jan. 6 Jan. 7 Jan. 11 Jan. 13 Jan. 18 Jan. 20 Jan. 24 Jan. 27 Jan. 31 Feb. 1 Feb. 3 Feb. 7,9,11

Freedom Riverview Jefferson Robinson Sarasota Sickles Lakeland Durant East Bay Newsome Brandon Armwood District Tournament

Ridgewood H.S. (New Port Richey) Home Home Home Away Away Home Home Home Home Away Away Home East Bay

Starting time for Junior Varsity games is 6:15 and Varsity games start at 7:45. Let’s all get out and support our Plant City Raiders Boys Varsity Basketball team. Go Raiders!

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 91

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 92

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 93

Quality health care is about more than diagnosing and treating . . .

It’s about listening, caring, explaining & encouraging. my whole life for a provider like Catherine, since “I’ve been looking she put me on bioidenticial hormones I feel like a new person. ” Catherine Vanella

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Dr. Lowe is very concerned about the reason I’m there for the visit, she is very in touch with patients, her personality is enjoyable, and the quality of care is exceptional. I followed her to several clinic locations, I wouldn’t go anywhere else. John Gross

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Catherine’s In-House Insurance has helped a lot of people who don’t have health insurance afford general medical care and Tammy Bean office visits. She’s got a heart and really cares.

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Both providers always give me a sense that they are genuinely concerned about my health, and go above and beyond to get me feeling better again, I trust their judgment completely & Connie Borgmann would highly reccomend them.

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Voted One of the Best Doctors in the Tampa Bay Area

Dolores Lowe, MD & Catherine Nutting, ARNP Certified Family Nurse Practitioner Our Staff “The Care Team” patients comments about how much they like the staff here, they say “Many ofit’sourreally personal, like family and that everyone is very nice.” Janice - Office Manager

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 94

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HEALTH

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Submitted by Sherry Nueesch

Diabesity T

here is something going on in our country and around the globe that we simply cannot ignore. We cannot ignore it, not only because it is killing way too many of us, but because it is going to bankrupt us also. It has reached epidemic proportions. One out of every third child will die early because of it. It is estimated that by 2020 (in only 14 years!) 300 million people in the world will have it and it isn’t pretty. It isn’t pretty because it is an ugly disease. The disease has a name and it’s called diabetes. Just about all of us know someone with diabetes. It did not used to be that way. It used to be rare. Not any more. Type 1 diabetes is where the body’s own immune system attacks the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Most people with type 1 are born with it or develop it early in life. It is not curable. Type 2 diabetes is where insulin is not lacking but that the body does not respond normally to it. Early stage type 2 diabetes can be cured, which I will talk about later. Type 2 diabetes used to be called adult-onset diabetes. That is because it affected mainly older people. Then it started to affect middle aged people next, then it spread to young adults and now ﬁnally it is epidemic in children. So, the name was changed to type 2 in 1997. Before 1990, diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in children was rare. Now it is common. Type 2 diabetes is strongly linked to being overweight and inactive. Type 2 diabetes is caused by genetics, environment and lifestyle choices. That is how the new name of Diabesity came about. What does diabetes do? I can answer that. It destroys cells and organs and shortens lives. Every year 24,000 people go blind from diabetes. Every year 28,000 people will have kidney failure and another 82,000 will have amputations. Diabetes shortens lives. It shortens lives for men by an average of 11 years and women’s lives by 14 years. What is much worse is the quality of life lost is even greater. Quality of life years lost for men is an average of 19 years and for women a whopping 22 years! Diabetes is the 6th leading cause of death. Where diabetes attacks us head to toes, the most serious of all complications is heart disease and stroke. Heart attacks and strokes kill 75% of all diabetes patients. Women with diabetes run a risk 150 times greater of dying

of heart disease. That number for men is 50 times greater. Heart disease is the number one killer in America. So what does diabetes do? Diabetes ruins your life and kills you. It does not have to happen. I’ll address that later. Diabetes controls you. Diabetes never takes a vacation and never gives you a break. Sugar control requires order in every aspect of your life. You must live by the clock. Everything is calculated and routine. Nothing is ever “spur of the moment” again. Your entire life becomes routine. You can no longer sleep in or eat whenever you want. When diabetes steps in, personal choice steps out. Besides being a killer, diabetes is expensive. The medical care for diabetes uses up one in every seven dollars spent on all health care. It is ranked number one in direct cost in the health care business. In 2002, the tab for diabetes related health care was 92 billion dollars. If you add the indirect cost of lost wages and productivity the price tag goes to a whopping 137.7 Billion dollars. That is the cost of approximately 18 million people currently with diabetes. Don’t think you are not paying for this. We all are.

an average of 168 more calories a day and for women it is up a whopping 335! We are fat!! As a nation we are fat and getting fatter. Thirty four million people worldwide die every year from obesity related illness. 60% of all deaths are related to obesity. It does not have to happen. Most of all I want you to understand it has to stop. We cannot afford this. Look around you and pick out three children. One of them will die early from diabetes. Francine Kaufman, M.D. writes in her book Diabesity, “We have managed to design a world designed to kill us”. All of the statistics in this article come from her book. It is hot off the press and a must read. She lays it on the line about how dire this epidemic is. Most all people who get type 2 diabetes have been overweight for years. The increase in diabetes mirrors the increase in obesity. There are currently 45 million obese adults living in America. We did not get this way for any other reason than we simply eat the wrong food and we eat way too much of it. There is absolutely no earthly reason to eat chips or donuts or drink sodas. What nutritional value does a moon pie or a Twinkie have? We have got to go back to eating real food from real farmers. You know the food I am always talking about, the food God gave us. My advice to all you farmers is

not to sell your land to developers. Keep it, when the world ﬁnally gets educated about the role of food and health, you are going to make lots of money on those good old fruits and vegetables. God gave us our original medicine. It is called food. Our DNA has not changed much in 40,000 years. It’s our diet that has. The human body cannot handle the changes in our diet. Our knives and forks are killing us. To directly quote Dr. Kaufman; “Our ancient genes have collided with our environment. Unless our environment changes, the diabesity epidemic imperils human existence as we know it.” So what are you to do? The experts know that you can prevent and reverse type 2 diabetes with a few life style changes. They are preaching it heavily, as a matter of fact. Eat real food and move your body. Losing 10% of your body weight can mean the difference of diabetes or not. Being overweight is a major health risk. Don’t let yourself or your loved ones be lost to this much preventable disease. There is a whole world of health waiting out there for you. Your family is counting on you. Your life may just depend on it. As always, to your health. Sherry.

How does it affect your own pocketbook if you have diabetes? You get check-ups every three months which lead to more co-pays. That is, assuming you even have insurance. There is lost time from work and huge monthly bills for testing supplies, meters, strips and medicines. How did this happen? It happened because we let it happen. We allowed the fast food industry to market directly to the most helpless of all our population, our children. We allowed our children to be enticed by toys and fancy advertising. Sugar and high fructose corn syrup are common ingredients in our foods. We drink soda by the gallons. We put soda machines in our schools and encourage our children to buy them because the schools get the proﬁt. We have business meetings where sodas, brownies, chips, donuts and cookies are served. We then wash them down with coffee sweetened and ﬂavored with more syrup and heart clogging Tran’s fats. We super size everything in restaurants and, worst of all, sit on our butts every chance we get. We don’t move and we eat too much. Between 1971 and 1990 men consumed

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 95

HEALTH

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Submitted by Dr Susan Ott

Sports Injuries in the Knee PART III: OVERUSE INJURIES

n the third and ﬁnal installment of our sports injuries of the knee series I will discuss overuse injuries of the knee. Pain in the front of the knee or anterior knee pain is perhaps one of the most common complaints an orthopedist sees regarding the knee. Typically there has been no injury and the patient complains of an insidious onset of pain in the front of the knee. Often it is worse going up and down the stairs or rising from a seated position. It is sometimes worsened with increased activities. In orthopedics we call this patellofemoral stress syndrome or PFSS. Typically when people begin having knee cap pain their quadriceps muscle (the big muscle in the front of the leg) becomes weak, which causes increased pain. Usually the inside (medial) part of the muscle becomes weak ﬁrst allowing the kneecap to slide to the outside and stretching the medial structures. This usually results in pain on the medial (inside) part of the knee. There is a band of tissue on the medial side of the knee called a

plica. Plica pain and knee cap pain often go hand in hand. Usually knee cap pain and plica pain can be treated without surgery through a combination of bracing, physical therapy and medications. Occasionally surgery is done to remove the plica.

athletes. This too is treated conservatively with stretching and medication. It rarely requires surgery. Many times overuse injuries of any kind are related to training errors or shoe problems. Overtraining, training on uneven surfaces, training

intensity and equipment problems are all potential causes of overuse injuries. Correcting these errors with a coach or sports medicine professional in addition to the treatments listed above will also help eliminate the problem and prevent further injury.

Tendonitis is another overuse injury that can occur at the knee. There are two common areas in which this occurs. The ﬁrst area is over the inside lower part of the knee (proximal medial tibia) where the hamstring muscles insert into the tibia. This problem often will accompany another knee problem. Usually with stretching and medication this problem will resolve. Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) is a tendonitis of the iliotibial band (ITB). The ITB is on the outer (lateral) side of the knee and thigh. It originates on the pelvis at a part of the bone called the ilium and runs down the side of the leg to insert at the tibia. It can become irritated at either the hip or the knee. ITBS at the knee is a frequent complaint of distance runners and endurance

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Fellow: American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Fellow: American College of Surgeons Member: American Society for surgery of the Hand Certiﬁed: American Board of Orthopedic Surgeons

Team Physician for Florida Southern College National Healthcare Referral Network for USA Gymnastics & USA Swimming American College of Sport Medicine

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 96

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�� FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 97

EXTRA

TECHNOLOGY

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Story by Jim Brown

Home Computing Tips WHY KEEP THAT OLD PHONE LINE IF YOU HAVE BROADBAND? (FOLLOW-UP)

ello everyone, I am writing to you all this month about a technology that I’m sure you’ve heard mentioned over the last few years. That technology is VoIP, which means Voice over Internet Protocol. What this means to you is, you no longer have to pay Verizon for a telephone bill and all of the extras that they tack on to it. Instead, you purchase a VoIP service from a company like PCU at a fraction of the price of your telephone service and you use your broadband Internet connection, i.e. Road Runner.

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�� FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 98

PCU offers residential and business based VoIP (Voice over IP) phone services. These services allow a customer to maximize their broadband internet connection and take advantage of inexpensive flat rate plans for all local and long distance calling with advanced features that are only possible with VoIP phone service. On the business side of things, these advanced features offer all the basic functionality of the old office PBX, along with many revolutionary new features. These features will deliver the office phone system of tomorrow to the small and medium sized businesses of today, all via a broadband Internet connection. Some of the features include you keeping your existing phone number if you want to, due to number portability. You get caller id, call waiting, 3-way calling, voice mail, voicemail delivered to your email or web page, call forwarding, personal Toll Free number, geographic mobility and it is all cheaper than your old land line plan guaranteed. The way we communicate is definitely changing and this type of service now makes broadband affordable for those who couldn’t afford it before because they are slashing their phone bills in half. If any of you have questions about this technology, feel free to call me,

e-mail me or visit the site @ www. pcuvoice.com . Folks, this is the way technology is heading and I am the first to tell you to embrace it; don’t be afraid because we are now in the Technology “New Frontier”. Follow Up to this article: After this ran in November 2004 many people have called me about VOIP and many of you have signed up. I wanted to share this with you. Jim, We signed up our home for PCUVOICE after reading your article. My wife has been thrilled that she is able to call her children up north all the time with no long distance charges. We have signed them up as well on your refer a friend program and have already been reimbursed for our first month’s service. Our children are also being reimbursed. Thanks to you and PCU it looks like we may never have to pay a phone bill again because for each person we have referred we get a month’s service free and they do as well. What a great program you all have developed. Thanks a million. Larry Dawson After reading what Larry had to say, I definitely wanted to share this with you all. We do in fact have a program that we call refer a friend. If you refer a friend and they sign up for PCUVOICE, you get a month free and so do they. We have also decided to honor this for as many friends as you want to sign up. So, in fact, Larry is right; he may never have to pay a phone bill again. Until Next time, Happy Computing Jim Brown Product Consultants Unlimited, Inc. 601 N. Michigan Ave.Plant City, FL 33563. (813) 717-7717 E-mail: jimb@plantcity.com www.plantcity.com www.pcustore.com www.pcuvoice.com

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AUTO REVIEW

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Story by Brian West Photos courtesy of Mercedes

Something Diﬀerent for Benz Buyers THE 2006 MERCEDES R SERIES BRINGS A NEW LOOK TO THE LINEUP

entral Florida Euro Cars recently asked if I’d like to drive the newest addition to their family. The all-new Mercedes R Series had just rolled off the assembly line and Mercedes is banking you’re going to want one. Mercedes is calling the R Series “the ﬁrst of its kind.” After driving one, I must say that I agree. The styling on the exterior is what anyone would expect from Mercedes. But once you get inside you realize this is where Mercedes is hoping to sell customers. The interior simply seems huge, and is, with more than 85 cubic feet of cargo space behind the front seats. The R Series comes in two choices, the R-350 or the R-500. The R-350 uses a V-6 that produces 263hp and a 0-60 time of 8.1 seconds. The R500 comes with a V-8 producing 302hp and streaking to a 0-60 time of just 6.7 seconds, which is pretty impressive for a vehicle like this. The R Series also features a

permanent 4-wheel drive system, creating better traction control and handling. The look of the R-350 is similar in styling to a mini-van but with Mercedes ﬂair. But the R-350 is no mini-van. The R-350 does sit higher with more ground clearance, but not as high as an SUV. It is supposed to be a cross between an SUV and a car and I think they were successful. The height of the vehicle is really noticeable as you reach for the door handles. To further set it apart, there is seating for 6 adults, 6 full-sized adults. In the second row of seating you won’t ﬁnd a typical bench style seat. Mercedes used 2 captain’s chairs. The large rear doors open extra wide to access the second row, and each chair in the second row folds forward to make accessing the back seat even easier. And there’s so much room between the second row captain’s chairs

that it almost feels like something should be there, like wasted space. Once inside, the first thing to catch your eye is the sunroof. This sunroof must be the largest made for any vehicle. In fact, Mercedes calls it a “Panorama Roof”, which is fitting considering it’s more than five feet long. It’s so big you’ll find yourself actually looking through the sunroof, just to look. The roof is divided into two sections; the first covers the area directly above the front seats and the second covering the second and third rows, and each panel has motorized screens that move at the touch of a button. The front roof panel opens to slide out and over the rear panel. Once it was time to drive, I had to be given a quick lesson. The controls for the transmission are located where you’d expect to find your blinker. Toggle the lever up once for reverse, down once for

drive and push a button on the end of the lever for park. What more do you need? This did take a little getting used to but was a nice change. It deﬁnitely makes for more room in the console between the front seats. The visual indicators for the transmission are located on the dash. The R Series has a 7-speed transmission that was exceptionally smooth. I couldn’t tell when it was shifting speeds. The sticker on the R-350 I drove was $58,500 and was pretty well equipped. I think the only option it didn’t have was the navigation system. So if you think you’re interested in the new R Series, visit Central Florida Euro Cars. They’re located in Lakeland at 325 Lake Parker Avenue South. I can honestly say their customer service is the best. You won’t be disappointed. Just tell them you read about the R-350 in Focus Magazine.

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 99

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TRAVEL

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Story and photos by Sophia Dedon

Up, Up, and Away!

IN A MAGICAL BALLOON RIDE EXPERIENCE

he common reaction to seeing a hot air balloon is, “Hey everybody, look!” The sight of a colorful floating object in the air is often a distraction for passers by. However, many people end their fascination after the balloon is out of sight. There are balloon companies galore in central Florida that make it available for everyone to have that once-in-a-lifetime experience. Magic Sunrise Ballooning out of Orlando, Florida is one such company. My first time in a hot air balloon was with them. My day began at 4:00 in the morning so that I would make it to Orlando by 6:00 a.m. After I arrived, I found out that many of the ballooning companies gather and fly together. So, once everyone arrived in the parking lot, we jumped in the vans and drove out to a large field. We watched as everyone lined up and pulled material after material out of oversized sacks. Then, they started blowing a fan into what soon became a very large balloon. Hot air balloons may look large in the sky, but they are gigantic when you are standing next to them. After all the colors finished rising from the ground, we were hoisted into the basket. With a few flames and a trustee pilot, the basket slowly began gliding across the field. Because I had never ridden in a balloon, it felt like the ground was moving beneath me, and I had nothing to hold onto for control. Eventually, the balloon began to rise. We were going up hundreds of feet into the air. I looked to my right and the view took my breath away. The sun had just begun peaking over the horizon, and the sky was transforming into pinks, oranges, yellows and other spectacular shades. I looked below and the trees were getting further away. I decided that this must be what it feels like to be a cloud,

the ability to float above the world and appreciate nature’s beauty. We continued floating over central Florida. At one point we had dipped down into a field and were gliding about 2 feet off the ground. A number of trees were approaching and we continued on low land. My fellow passengers and I were looking at each other, confused as to why we were not going higher. When we were about 30 feet from the trees, the balloon suddenly lifted high in the air and before I knew it, we were passing over the treetops. More than anything, a hot air balloon ride is peaceful. There are no distractions around except the view. After about an hour or so in the air, after the sun was out and the wind was beginning to pick up, it came time to end our journey. Norm, our pilot, explained that you are at the mercy of the wind when in a hot air balloon. You cannot start your flight knowing where you will land but rather must wait to see where the wind takes you. All the balloons we had taken off with wound up in other areas. Our balloon landed in an orange grove and we quickly stuffed the balloon back into its bag, loaded up the van and headed out to meet everyone again to have a final celebration.

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 100

Seeing as the hot air balloon started in France, at the end of the ride everyone gathered for cheese and wine. They also provide other drinks and snacks while everyone socializes after their ride. Around noon we ﬁnally climbed back into the van and were taken back to our cars. The overall day provided for quite a pleasant, relaxing experience.

To plan your own Magic Sunrise Balloon ﬂight call 866-606-RIDE. Pricing varies depending on number of passengers. Two to four people are $175 per person and $95 for children under 90 pounds that are at least 6 years old. For more information, visit www. magicsunriseballooning.com.

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LOCATED BETWEEN DOWNTOWN AND ALEXANDER STREET

�� FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 101

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 102

EXTRA

DINING REVIEW

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Story and photos by Sophia Dedon

City Grill Has Finally Opened. A RESTAURANT UNLIKE ALL OTHERS IN PLANT CITY

or months now everyone in Plant City has been eyeing the sign above the former Cherry’s Restaurant that says, “City Grill Coming Soon.” Well, when it finally opened, we here at Focus knew that we had to check it out to let our readers know about the new place in town. Walking in, I expected another restaurant similar to Cherry’s or at least the same layout. I was absolutely floored when the automatic doors opened before me to reveal a new restaurant that did not have one thing in common with the image in my mind. The owners moved down from the D.C. area with a vision to open a restaurant different than anything Plant City already has. Every aspect from the dining area, to the kitchen, to the bathrooms, to the walls, to the ceiling, and even down to every tile has either been replaced or covered. The atmosphere is dependant upon whether you come for lunch or for dinner. I stopped by at lunchtime, but chose to eat my meal at dinnertime. During lunch, the TV monitors lining the side walls are turned on and the three big screen flat TVs in the back behind the bar area are on as well. However, at dinnertime, they turn off all the small monitors, turn down the big TVs, candle light every table, and dim the lights to give a classier feel.

Concerning the food, they have a wide range to accommodate all taste preferences. The items on their menu are also higher class than what would be in a sports bar. For our appetizer we had calamari, and for our entrees I ordered ﬁlet mignon and my guest had shrimp linguine. They offered many other steak, seafood, and grilled chicken options as well. For any sushi lovers out there, you can even have that as an appetizer. One of the best things about City Grill is that it offers something that cannot be found anywhere else in Plant City. The prices are a little higher than other restaurants in town, but City Grill is offering the next grade up in taste selection. Plus, it also provides a great place to go for a lunch engagement. If you wanted to take a client or anyone else to lunch for work purposes,

you would not feel overdressed, and it has a low volume atmosphere, making it wonderful for discussion. Their lunch items are different from the dinner options, providing more sandwich and wrap options for your mid-day meal. And last, but certainly not least, I must boast on their dessert. My all time favorite sweet is tiramisu and when I saw that on the menu, it was a given that it would be the ﬁnale to my meal. For those of you that may not enjoy the rich, chocolate ﬂavor, they have plenty of other wonderful desserts. My guest had cheesecake served with fresh strawberries. They also offer key lime pie and many others, at least one thing to satisfy every taste preference. City Grill is a very pleasant addition to Plant City and we welcome it with open arms. The location is

wonderful, seeing as it is located on Alexander near Walden Lake and the high school, not far from downtown Plant City. I encourage everyone to stop by soon and try the new City Grill.

CRITICAL INFORMATION City Grill 1701 S Alexander Street 813-764-8818 Open Sun.-Thurs. 11a. m.-10p.m. and Fri-Sat. 11a. m.-12a.m. Prices range $3.25 (side)$29.00 (18oz steak entrée) Accepts all major credit cards Children menu available (all items $3.99)

I have never been to a restaurant quite like this one, so it is difﬁcult to describe. In some senses, it is similar to an Olive Garden, but crossed with a sports bar, if you can imagine such a combination. It is aesthetically pleasing with a semi-formal appeal, yet is not quite as fancy. You know you are not walking into a sports bar, but if you want, there are three large screen TVs on in the back. There are short walls separating the bar area, which is by the TVs, from the dining area.

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 103

EXTRA

JUST FOR FUN

Word to the Wise: Accolade An expression of Praise Sage Advice: Inﬁnity is the lack of limitation

Crossword: For The Birds

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�� FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 104

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 105

EXTRA

ENTERTAINMENT

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Story by Dawn Marie Simpson Photos by Debra M. Hill

The Red Rose Ballroom Was an Inferno AND I SANG “BURN BABY, BURN!”

he Trammps were on ﬁre at the Red Rose Ballroom in October. For those of you who can’t recall the platform and afro era, the Trammps played a prominent role in the development of dance-oriented soul in the 70s. They are without a doubt cult favorites of the early disco underground. The Trammps have always been an exciting and emoting vocal group whose exuberant dance records kindled the disco explosion. Building respectfully on the models of the past, the Trammps added a Philadelphia dance beat to the 50’s popular doo-wop to create some of the incomparable vocal-group records of the early 70’s. The pivotal component of the Trammps anomalous sound was the hardedged soul trilling of the great lead singer, Jimmy Ellis.

The Trammps seem to outshine their disco competition because when they dance and sing it’s as though they are having a love affair with their music; it’s genuine and, therefore, contagious for their audiences. The absolute pinnacle of the Trammps’ career was their Atlantic sound track, “Disco Inferno.” In 1977, Disco Inferno was the paramount song on the Disco stages and they were recognized as the best performing group by New York’s most popular club, “2001 Space Odyssey.” Here’s a little trivia - - 2001 Space Odyssey was the location for what motion picture that the Trammps recorded their mega-hit “Disco Inferno” for and blessed them with

a Grammy Award? (The answer is at the end) Throughout the years, the Trammps have toured the United States, South America and are still hot commodities in Europe. When asked “What is the worst part about being famous and touring the world?” Jimmy piped in with, “The travel, without a doubt. It’s not uncommon for us to travel on a ﬁfteen-hour ﬂight to play a two-hour gig and then turn right around and return home.” When asked “What is the best part about being famous and touring the world?” Stanley replied, “Making people happy.” The Trammps have stayed true friends through the years and they

Last month I was invited to sit in on the taping of a segment on “Entertainment Tonight”, which most will recognize as the daily entertainment news magazine. Tom Horn was in the executive producer’s seat and I on a barstool 6 feet above the floor as we made a round robin - - questioning the Disco Kings. When I threw out the question, “Who were you most influenced by”, they all about jumped out of their seats with excitement to give credit to the legends that they were influenced by. In unison they said, “Billy Ward & His Dominoes, the Coasters and especially Bill Pinkney and the Drifters.” The discothèque Trammps began in Philly, circa 1971, featuring the strong vocalist, Jimmy Ellis, Harold Doc Wade, Stanley Wade and Earl Young. Their very first recording, “Zing Went the Strings of My Heart,” is an impressive remake of a tune originally recorded by Baby Gumm (Judy Garland). The Trammps are a hot-ticket everywhere they go!

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 106

love getting together to mesmerize the crowds. The only change that has taken place within the group was when the group’s lead singer, Jimmy Ellis, retired and was replaced by the extremely comical and adorable Jimmy Williams. The Trammps tour nationally and internationally and they are a “mustsee” golden band. The correct answer to my trivia question is “Saturday Night Fever”, which starred John Travolta. Please visit one of my favorite entertainment websites in Plant City to see the upcoming rousing weekly entertainment at http://www. ramadaplantation.com/page9.htm.

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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 • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 108

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ANTIQUE DISTRICT Frenchmanʼs Flea Market 102 N. Collins St. 754-8388 RENT A BOOTH & RECEIVE A SECOND 50% OFF. Call Store for details

Mon-Sat 10am-5pm (Over 10,000 Sq Ft)

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 109

SEND QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS TO SDEDON@FLOYDPUBLICATIONS.COM

Movie Reviews by Brandon Hyde

is riddled everywhere with striking scenes and emotional ups and downs. From the ﬁrst time Cash sees June Carter (Witherspoon) to the end of his addiction to drugs, the audience is awed by the music and picturesque scenes that are no less than amazing. Powered by brilliant performances by Phoenix and Witherspoon, “Walk the Line” is a success story, a musical celebration, a redemptive tale - and ultimately, a love story for the ages. For sure, a good candidate for Movie of the Year. Rating: 5 stars

Walk The Line Rated PG-13, Drama Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin,

Chronicling the roller coaster life of the ever great Johnny Cash,

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Hollywood gives its best effort at portraying a man that eventually became infamous as the “Man in Black.” Struggling in early life due to uncontrollable circumstances, Cash (Phoenix) tries to ﬁnd his way to the big stage. The movie

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Happy Holidays!

Call or Visit the Plant City Office Today!

2303 Thonotosassa Rd Phone: 813-659-2165

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 110

Pride and Prejudice Rated PG Drama, Romance Starring: Keir Knightley, Matthew MacFadyen, Brenda Blethyn, Donald Southerland and Jena Malone

From the acclaimed novel of Jane Austen comes a very classical tale

of love and the unexpected paths it takes. Protruding forth from this ﬁlm is a soundtrack that links emotion to sound. The music sets the tone for every scene. As Elizabeth Bennett (Knightley), struggles through the constant nagging of her mother, the early marriage of a younger sibling, and the heartbreak of an older one, she becomes a woman driven by more thought and intelligence, rather than feeling. As many men show interest in marriage to her, she becomes closed off, even to despising one, to all. Only through hidden and unspoken secrets of a suitor unnamed, she realizes the depth of love and becomes less prideful to her own self. Moving performances by every member of the cast completes what is already an incredibly well-written story. Rating: 4 stars

Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire

Rated PG-13, Fantasy, Adventure Starring: Daniel Radcliﬀe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Robbie Coltane

Based on the beloved fantasy series from J.K. Rowling, The Goblet of Fire shows in great detail Harry, Hermione, and Ron’s adventures of their fourth year at Hogwarts. Following encounters with werewolves, dementors, overtly large serpents,

and an almost completely resurrected dark lord, Harry’s conﬁdence in his ability is growing. Nothing, however, can prepare him for this year’s journey. This is the fourth installment from Harry Potter. With the third director in four movies, the fact that they all are able to ﬂow to piece together Harry’s life is almost unbelievable. Some things have changed, like the design of Hogwarts (yes, watch movie #1 and #3 and you’ll see) but overall, these are fantastic movies. The amazingly young talents of Radcliffe (Harry), Watson (Hermione), and Grint (Ron) make these movies pure joy to watch. All the twists and turns from Rowling don’t hurt too much, either. With plenty of fun, tension, and outright enjoyment, Harry Potter is a good choice. Rating: 4 1/2 stars

encounter to “talk” with the urging on of Abby Mallard, it is ﬁnally restored in the most unlikely way. The ﬂow of the movie is a good one to keep the family, yes, even the screamers, entertained enough to enjoy fully what it brings to the table, even if it’s a tasty bit of poultry. Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Chicken Little Rated GFamily and Children, Comedy Starring: The voice talents of Zach Braﬀ, Joan Cusak, Steve Zahn,

Ranking with the likes of “Finding Nemo” and “Toy Story”, Chicken Little delivers the one-two punch of both child entertainment and adult enjoyment. The split-level humor gives the movie a good complexion. Many scenes are directed to the younger audience while others are much more for the supervising adults. From an unknown egg to a crazy little hatchling that believes the sky is falling, Chicken Little struggles to regain his credibility, especially with his father. After failed attempts, even one such as the humorous

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� � �� FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 111

Dining Guide ABC Pizza 114 N Alexander St 752-5146

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

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

Maryland Fried Chicken 315 N Alexander 752-9200

Alexander’s Café at S Fla

Checker’s 2405 Jas Redman Pkwy 759-0151

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

Grandpa Johnsons BBQ 1305 Dr MLK Jr Blvd 759-0009

Orange Blossom Tea Room 106 Evers St S 759-2247

Baptist Hospital

301 N. Alexander St. 757-8451 Anna’s Restaurant 3410 Baker St W 754-6215

CiCi’s Pizza 211 Alexander St W 659-3400

Apple Tree 2218 Jas Redman Pkwy 707-8109

China King Restaurant 2410 James Redman Pkwy 754-8098

Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar 1204 Townsgate Ct 719-1500

China One 1862 James Redman Pkwy 707-8898

Arby’s Roast Beef Restaurant 1909 Frontage Rd S 719-3321

China Palace 1106 Collins St S 754-0990

Hungry Howie’s Pizza & Subs 208 N Alexander St 752-6113

Church’s Fried Chicken 106 E. Reynolds 754-5200

Hungry Howie’s - #200 2424 Hwy 92 E 764-0363

Courtyard 703 Collins St S 754-5200

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

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 Brooklyn Bridge Deli 1309 S Collins St 659-3621 Branch Ranch Dining Room 5121 Thonotosassa Rd 752-1957

Heavenly Sinsations Inc. 1803 Jas Redman Pkwy 717-7512 Hong Kong Buﬀet 213 Alexander St W 764-8255

Curbita Inc. 4109 State Rd 574 754-0620

Kazbor’s Grille 2212 James Redman Pkwy 752-2700

Dairy Queen 1902 W Reynolds 752-2236

Kentucky Fried Chicken 2305 Collins St S 752-0437

Denny’s Restaurant 2001 Frontage Rd S 752-3338

La Esperanza Mexican Restaurant 113 Prosser Dr W 659-3940

(Only speaks Spanish)

Domino’s Pizza 202 Alexander St W 759-9424 El Buen Gusto Michaocano 3414 Baker St W 759-6635

Buddy Freddy’s Restaurant 1101 Goldﬁnch Dr 754-5120

El Mirasol Bakery Cafeteria 1419 Collins St S 752-2108

Collins Street Restaurant 712 S Collins 752-0126

El Rincon Mexicano 4109 State Rd 574 754-0620

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 112

Linda’s Crab Shack 202 Reynolds E 754-0492 Lin’s Express 2307 Thonotosassa Rd 719-6066 Long John Silver’s Seafood Shoppe 1805 Jas Redman Pkwy 752-1717 Manatee Bay Café 119 S. Collins S 707-1450

Outback Steakhouse 1203 Townsgate Ct 759-4329 Papa John’s Pizza 1829 Jas Redman Pkwy 719-7300 Pesos Mexican Restaurant 2006 Reynolds St W 752-8841

Strawberry Hut Sandwich Shoppe 1505 Wheeler St N 752-3779 Strawberry Paradise 4511 James L. Redman Parkway (813) 737-3866 Subway 2305 Thonotosassa Rd 754-4550 Subway 2403 James Redman Pkwy 754-4878 Subway 2209 N Park Rd 659-0288 Taco Loco Restaurant 14672 Dr MLK Blvd 659-0916

Pizza Hut 2316 James Redman Pkwy 752-8222

Tim’s Café 10903 Lithia Pinecrest Rd 737-4026

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

Twistee Treat 2301 Jas Redman Pkwy 707-9303

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 Snellgrove’s Restaurant 109 S Collins 752-3652 Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q 1102 Goldﬁnch Dr 757-3118

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

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 113

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 114

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Order your Holiday Platters Now

2201 N. PARK ROAD • PLANT CITY��813-752-7693 FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 115

Event Guide CONCERTS Dec 16, Friday 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 813-7525452, or visit their website at www. ramadaplantation.com.

Dec 17, Saturday The Mystics and Free Time with Johnny Love 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 813-752-5452, or visit their website at www.ramadaplantation.com.

Dec 23, Friday 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 813-7525452, or visit their website at www. ramadaplantation.com.

Dec 31, Saturday Sterling Smith presents “New Years Eve Gospel Music Celebration” featuring Psalms 101, The Singing Reﬂectsons, Southern Grace, and the Padgetts. Also including Rev. John Boyd. Begins at 7:30 at the Mango Church of God, located at 11402 Colony Hill Drive, Seffner. For more info call 813-300-0308 or 813-684-4007 For New Years Eve the Ramada Inn Plantation House Red Rose Dining Room presents the “Moonlight & Roses” package which features Gary Lewis and The Playboys and also The Rat Pack Too. In the ballroom presents the “Rhapsody in Blue” package which features The Diamonds and Destiny. To order your tickets visit www.ramadaplantation. com or call 813-752-5452

Jan. 8, Sunday First United Methodist Church of Plant City presents Jo Ann Castle, widely recognized for the ﬁnest Ragtime and Honky-Tonk piano skills. $20 per person. Begins at 7p.m. For more info call 813-7543519.

CHURCH ACTIVITIES: Jan. 8, Sunday First Baptist Church Plant City begins new training classes. Call 813-752-4104 for more info.

Dec 17, Saturday First Baptist Church of Midway is having their Christmas program at 8a.m., 11a.m., and 7p.m. Space is limited, so please call the church at 813-752-7209 to get your free tickets. They are also having services on Christmas Day and New Years Day at 10a.m., call for more info. The Walden Lake-Paddocks Home Owners Association will be having their annual drive-thru luminaries. It is free to visit the display. Call 813754-8999 for more information.

EVENTS FOR ALL AGES: Dec 17, Saturday The Annual 2005 Candlelight Tour of Homes is from 6-8:30 p.m. See page 10 for more details.

Jan. 9-16, All Week Plant City MLK Cultural Arts Festival celebrating “10 Years of History.” Featuring a step team competitions, city parade, concerts, food vendors, carnival, leadership breakfast, tribute to Dr. King, memorial service and luncheon. For times, locations, and costs call 813757-6760

Jan. 14, Sunday “Back to the 50’s Rock N Roll” celebration to raise funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Society from 6-9p.m. at the St. Clement Catholic Church at 1104 N Alexander St. Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children. There will be music, dancing, door prizes, silent auction, and of course, lots of food & fun! For tickets call 813757-6234 or 813-719-9695

Jan 19, Thursday Salute to Health is an open house event at the YMCA. There will be ﬁtness classes available, healthy snacks and more. The joining fee is reduced to $25 for anyone on that day. For more info call the Y at 813757-6677

SOUTH FLORIDA BAPTIST HOSPITAL EVENTS:

(For more info call 813-554-8268) Blood pressure checks every Tuesday 1 to 2p.m. in the Community Resource Center for no charge Infant and Car Safety Checks every Friday in the Main Lobby for no charge

Dec 22, Thursday Bereaved parents group meets in the SFBH Cafeteria Conference Room at 7p.m. No appt necessary, no charge

Dec 27, Tuesday Cholesterol Screenings (Total, HDL, Glucose) from 1-2p.m. in the Community Resource Center, $12 fee

Jan. 3, Tuesday Diabetes support group meeting from 5-6p.m., no fee. Call 813-7578202 to register

Jan. 10, Tuesday Alzheimer’s support group meeting at the First Baptist Church (Call

FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 116

Linda Bryant for more info at 813754-3761) Epilepsy support group meeting from 10-11a.m. in the SFBH Cafeteria Conference Room. No fee, no appt necessary.

SPORTS: Dec.27-29, Tues-Thurs The Tampa Bay Sun Bowl (TBSB) International Soccer Tournament will hold 42 of its games at the Otis M. Andrews Sports Complex. Admission and parking is free for these high level youth soccer matches. Visit www.tampabaysunbowl.com for more info.

Jan. 3-Feb. 15 PCRPD/Optimist Youth Soccer registration for ages 4-18. Runs from late March to the end of May. $20 registration fee (includes game jersey and accident insurance). To register visit www.plantcitygov.com/ rec, email dsmith@plantcitygov. com or call 813-659-4200 ext 4313 PCRPD Adult Rec Soccer registration has two leagues: Twentysomething League (ages 19-29) and 30 & Over League (30+ men, 25+ women). $35 per person, including games and ofﬁcials. To register visit www.plantcitygov.com/rec, email bdodd@plantcitygov.com, or call 813-659-4200 ext 4302

Jan 31, Saturday The PCRPD will host the Semi-Annual Kid’s All-American Fishing Derby for ages 6-15. Pre-registration is available through Jan. 20 at the Recreation and Parks ofﬁce on S. Park Rd. On-site registration will begin at 8 a.m. The derby will be located across from the Plant City Stadium in the parking lot off Albertson Drive. Fishing is from 8:30-11:30 a.m. To all organizations, churches, clubs, sports teams, lounges, businesses: If you would like your happening or event to be listed in this column, please e-mail to: sdedon@ﬂoydpublications.com, or fax it to 813-764-0990, Attn: Sophia – Event Calendar.

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 • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 117

226 W Alexander St • Plant City, FL, 33563 813-567-1203 Hours:5PM – 9PM Everyday • Located next to the Movie Theaters on Alexander St just off Hwy 39

SHRIMP Large Shrimp Fried or Grilled 1⁄2 Dozen ........................................................................ 10.99 1 Dozen .......................................................................... 17.99 Peel and Eat Shrimp Boiled and served with cocktail sauce 1 Dozen ............................................................................ 5.99 2 Dozen ............................................................................ 8.99 3 Dozen .......................................................................... 12.99 Shrimp Scampi 1 Dozen ............................................................................ 7.99 2 Dozen .......................................................................... 14.99 Popcorn Shrimp A pile of baby fried shrimp .............................................. 7.99

12oz Delmonico and Lobster ......................................... 29.95 Porterhouse 16oz Porterhouse ............................................................ 19.99 16oz Porterhouse and Shrimp Scampi ........................... 24.99 16oz Poterhouse and Lobster ......................................... 32.99 The best of both worlds, ﬁlet on one side, NY Strip on the other Sirloin Steak 8oz Sirloin Steak .............................................................. 8.99 8oz Sirloin Steak and Shrimp Scampi ............................ 14.99 8oz Sirloin Steak and Lobster ........................................ 19.99

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

SEAFOOD Snow Crab 1 1⁄2 Lbs. Snow Crab ..................................................... 15.99 3 lbs Snow Crab ............................................................. 24.99 Lobster Twin Lobster Tails .......................................................... 23.95 A Triple Tail Dinner ....................................................... 29.95

DESSERTS Mamaʼs Apple Pie ............................. 1.95 Chocolate Sundae ........................... 2.99 Island Pineapple Cake .................... 5.95 The Original Key Lime Pie ............... 5.95

BEVERAGES Coke, Diet Coke, Cherry Coke, Lemonade, Root Beer, Sprite, Sweet Tea, Iced Tea, Coffee on Request or your favorite cocktail APPETIZERS & SALADS Bobbers She Crab Chowder Cup ................................................................................... 2.95 Bowl ................................................................................. 4.95 Seafood Gumbo ................................................................ 4.95 House Salad ...................................................................... 2.95 Caribbean Salad (Chicken or Grouper) ............................ 7.95 Blue Potato Twins ............................................................ 5.95 Crab Cakes ....................................................................... 7.95 Calamari ........................................................................... 6.95 Buffalo Shrimp ................................................................. 7.99 Escargot w/garlic Toast .................................................... 5.95

PLANT CITY COMBOS 1st Mates Platter Fried Fish surrounded by Popcorn Shrimp, Calamari, ........... Fried Shrimp and clam strips .............................................. 15.95 Captainʼs Platter Broiled Fish, Shrimp Scampi, Escargot, Broiled ................... Shrimp and a Blue Potato ............................................... 17.95 BEEF New York Strip Steak 12oz Prime NY Strip ...................................................... 14.95 12oz NY Strip and Shrimp Scampi ................................ 19.95 12oz NY Strip and Lobster ............................................ 27.99 Delmonico(Ribeye) 12oz Delmonico ............................................................. 16.95 12oz Delmonico and Shrimp Scampi ............................. 21.95

SANDWICHES (includes 1 side item) Hamburger ........................................................................ 5.99 Grilled Chicken Sandwich ............................................... 5.99 Fried/Grilled Fish Sandwich ............................................ 6.99 Catﬁsh Sandwich .............................................................. 6.95 Grouper Sandwich ............................................................ 9.95

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BASKETS (includes 1 side item) Fried Clam Strips ............................................................. 5.95 Catﬁsh (approximately 8oz) ............................................. 6.99 Grouper Style Strips ......................................................... 6.95 Classic Fish and Chips ..................................................... 6.95 Jumbo Shrimp .................................................................. 9.95 Peel and Eat Shrimp ......................................................... 6.99 GRILLED CHICKEN (includes 2 side items) 6 oz White Breast Meat Filet............................................ 7.99 10 oz White Breast Filet ................................................... 9.99 WINGS Wings and Fries ................................................................ 7.95 FISH Available Fried, Charbroiled or Grilled Wild Alaskan Salmon Served Grilled (Approx. 8 oz.) ....................................... 10.99 Catﬁsh Small ................................................................................ 8.99 Regular ............................................................................. 9.99 Large.......................................................... 11.99 All you can Eat**............................... 15.99 **No Sharing or Doggie Bags Grouper Small .................................................... 8.99 Regular ...................................................... 13.95 Mahi Mahi Small ................................................................................ 9.99 Regular .......................................................................... 14.99 Orange Roughy A nice 8oz. portion ......................................................... 14.95

NOW SERVING SENIOR PORTIONS

SIDES All entrees are served with two side orders and our famous corn fritters. Additional side orders $2 each. Your choice of garden salad, cole slaw, baked potato, French fries or vegetable medley.

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813-754-4141

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...when you want something original. Featuring Local Artists! Art Classes Offered. Call for details.

244 N. KENTUCKY AVE Downtown Lakeland

863-682-3930

A Gallery Style Gift Shop

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 118

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FOCUS PLANT CITY EDITION • December 15 • 2005 - January 15 • 2006 PG 119

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�� PHONE: (813) 707-1221

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LIC# CBC059203