PLANT CITY TIMES &
Observer
Booth meets the Raiders.
SEE PAGE 13.
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 4, NO. 40
FREE
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FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2017
Enough to fill every basket Easter events in Plant City are scheduled from Friday, April 14, through Sunday, April 16. SEE PAGE 2.
REVVED UP
YOUR TOWN
The Strawberry Classic Cruise-In will celebrate its 20th anniversary in Plant City this weekend. EMILY TOPPER MANAGING EDITOR
I
n April 1997, J. Myrle Henry was worried about rain. It was the day of the inaugural Strawberry Car Show and Cruise, an initiative that Henry and fellow merchants in Historic Downtown Plant City had started as a way to revitalize the downtown district. The outdoor car show was scheduled for the afternoon. But that morning, Henry had gotten a call from Plant City Courier reporter Dave Nicholson. The weather forecast, Nicholson told him, wasn’t good.
At the corner of Collins and Drane streets, Henry watched the clouds, willing the sun to come out. The car show committee had been working on the event for six months. As the day shifted from morning to afternoon, the clouds dispersed. As they did, residents began to pour into Historic Downtown for the show, bringing 160 classic cars with them. On Saturday, April 15, the event — since renamed the Strawberry Classic Cruise-In — will celebrate its 20th year in Plant City.
“Plant City has the right recipe. I want to see it grow. This is one of the best, it’s a community working together.” — Bill Goodwill, GoodGuys event director, on the Strawberry Classic Cruise-In.
Festival elects first female chairman Sandee Parke-Sytsma was named the first female chairman of the Florida Strawberry Festival Tuesday, April 11. Prior to her election, the festival’s board of directors voted to change the title of president to chairman of the board, and to call the vice president the vice chair. Additionally, the general manager is now the president. While the position titles changed, the responsibilities for each did not. Sytsma has served on the board since 1995. She retired from Tampa Electric Company as a customer service representative. As chairman, she succeeds Dan Walden, who held the position for the last two years. “I am truly honored to be elected to this position,” Sytsma said. “The festival is a special place to me and to my family, and I enjoy helping make decisions that ensure it’s a special place for all my families.” The board also elected Floyd Hall to serve as the vice chair. W.D. “Dub” McGinnes was elected secretary, and Phil Waldron was elected treasurer.
SEE CAR PAGE 5
Relaying for a cure The 2017 Relay for Life of Plant City will be held Friday, April 21. EMILY TOPPER MANAGING EDITOR
Emily Topper
Joanie Petty, Shanna Kennedy and Karissa O’Neill helped organize the 2017 event.
As Shanna Kennedy knows, cancer touches everyone. When the third grade teacher at J.S. Robinson Elementary was a baby, her father had melanoma. He survived, but cancer found its way to her family members. To her brother, through melanoma. To her mother-in-law and grandmother, through breast cancer. Kennedy has been volunteering with Plant City’s Relay for Life for
about 17 years. After serving as chair 15 years ago, she’s back in the lead this year for the annual event. This year’s Relay for Life will be held Friday, April 21, at Plant City High School, 1 Raider Place. A total of 62 teams have signed up for the 2017 event. “It’s been a lot,” Kennedy said. “But even if I wasn’t touched by this, I would still do it. I enjoy volunteering and doing things for the community. You just have to be an advocate for it. You have to really love Relay.” She has support from fellow teachers, students and families at Robinson Elementary. The school has raised close to $6,000 so far, and the Plant City Relay for Life has raised a combined total of $101,161.92 of the $260,000 goal. Sponsorships are still
being accepted. Joining Kennedy for assistance organizing the event is fellow Robinson teacher Karissa O’Neill, who became involved after raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital while in college. Like Kennedy, she has had multiple family members affected by cancer. The women are also being assisted by former event leads Linda Herman and Joanie Petty, both of whom are teachers at Knights Elementary School. While regular Relay events will be making a return — including team laps, the pennant contest and the luminaria ceremony — this year, event organizers have introduced the Little SEE RELAY PAGE 5