Plant City Times &
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
A PARTNERSHIP WITH
SPORTS INSIDE
SPOTLIGHT
The Peacemakers gaining popularity in Plant City.
Plant City’s Cody YMCA throws Colding earns Under old-fashioned Armour accolade. pool party. SEE PAGE 11 SEE PAGE 8
PAGE 6
OUR TOWN
+ Bluegrass greats strum into P.C. The Central Florida Bluegrass Association will host a two-day camping and bluegrass event April 25 to 26, at Boone’s Nursery, 1111 E. Sam Allen Road, Plant City. Camping and jamming begins Friday April 25. Music takes place April 26, beginning with JR & Cecil and Friends at 3 p.m.; The Cotton -Eyed Does at 4 p.m.; Little Girl & The Dreadful Snakes at 5 p.m.; The Florida State Bluegrass Band at 6 p.m.; and The Roys at 7 p.m. Camping costs $45 for sites with water and electricity or $25 for no utilities. Admission is $5 for April 25 and $12 for April 26. For more information, call (863) 397-4497.
+ St. Mary’s hosts springtime event
St. Mary’s Community Church will celebrate the season with its Springtime at Tiffany’s event at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 26, at the church, 907 E. Laura St., Plant City. The event will feature Denesha Bradley, the Rev. Timothy Knighten and Hillsborough County Public Schools’ Peggy Adams. Tickets are $10 for adults; children 10 and under are free. For more information, call the church, (813) 7541616.
FREE • THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014
DOODLE BUG by Michael Eng | Editor
SEARCH-ENGINE
OPTIMIZATION Plant City homeschool student Kristyn Ardrey is one of 50 finalists in the Doodle 4 Google 2014 Contest. She already has won a trip to Google’s San Francisco headquarters, and her artwork could end up on the search engine’s home screen.
Kristyn Ardrey awoke noticed, and neither in a panic. For the past did a panel of judges two weeks, she had that included, among operated on just two others, author Rick hours of sleep a day. Riordan; Rosanne SomThe rest of her time was erson, president of the spent crafting and perRhode Island School of fecting her submission Design; astronaut Ron for Doodle 4 Google Garan; and Phil Lord 2014 Contest. and Christopher Miller, Every time she directors of “The LEGO looked at the piece, she Movie.” saw more issues. The Last month, Kristyn, shading wasn’t right on 18, was named Google’s that leaf in the corner. winner from Florida The butterflies needed (and one of 10 in her more color. Does that age category) and joins red snake pop enough? 49 other state finalists. Michael Eng On the night before Kristyn Ardrey is almost completely self-taught, save from her The accolade already the deadline to enter, weekly acrylics classes with LouAnn Watson, at the Art Lounge has earned her a trip to Kristyn again burned Gallery, in Historic Downtown Plant City. Google’s headquarters, her already-burnt canGoogle Mountain View, Gone! it out. That’s Mother-of-the- in California. Public votdle at both ends — finally Kristyn’s mother, Angela, Year material right there, ing, which begins at noon succumbing to exhausthought she was doing her she thought. tion. April 29, and runs through Even today, Kristyn in- 8 p.m. May 9, will deterWhen she opened her daughter a favor. She coleyes, the sun was shining. lected the piece, completed sists the piece is incom- mine the winner of each of And she realized her piece the entry form, packages plete. And perhaps it is. everything up and shipped But, if so, no one at Google SEE KRISTYN / PAGE 4 was gone.
+ Durant High presents comedy
Durant High School’s thespians will present “Captain Fantastic” at 7 p.m. April 24 to 26, in the high school auditorium, 4748 Cougar Path, Plant City. Tickets are $5. For more, call (813) 757-9075.
+ Plant City Entertainment
Plant City Entertainment will present “Sin, Sex, and the C.I.A.” from May 2 to 4, at the theater, 101 N. Thomas St. Doors open at 8 p.m. For more information, visit pceshows.com.
, 3&
This week’s winner is
Tyler Smith
See his photo on PAGE 15.
This year, Google challenged student artists to express the theme, “If I Could Invent One Thing to Make the World a Better Place ...” Kristyn Ardrey’s submission depicts a solar-powered robot that protects nature from harm.
hero’s fight
by Amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor
Burn pits blamed for P.C. Marine’s cancer
Sean Terry died April 19 of cancer, which his family believes came from his work with the U.S. Marines.
U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Sean Terry put on his dress blues. Once, a muscular Marine had filled the fabric. Now, his 33-year-old body had withered in size, and he couldn’t really stand. But, he had made it his final mission to attend a father-daughter dance with his three girls. It would be their last. Terry, a former Plant City resident, had been battling HOW TO esophageal HELP cancer. In Although S e p t e m b e r, the Terrys live he went on a in Denver, high advenwhere all the ture mountain fundraisers vacation, river will be held, rafting and Plant City camping. Just residents still 12 days later, can support he was diagthe family nosed. by visiting At his DenGoFundMe. ver home April com/saving19, he took his sean. final breaths while his wife, Robyn, kissed his forehead, cheeks and mouth. He finally could pass in peace. Since his diagnosis, Terry had been trying to get 100% of benefits with the Department of Veterans Affairs, so that he could take care of his family following his death. To do so, he had to prove that his cancer was caused from his service with the military, particularly his exposure to burn pits. The saga to help his family involved a vivacious band of motorcycle riders, one very important letter and a resilient spirit that would not settle for defeat.
BURNING SERVICE
Terry was living in Plant City when he first joined the Marines
SEE TERRY / PAGE 4
TAKING OUT THE TRASH by Amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor
Winter Haven church assists family WellSpring of Central Florida helped a local family clean up years of plant growth.
Vines twisted and writhed among the dry leaves that were piled high in the Hicks’ lot off North Gordon Street. An old, rotten shed leaned to the side. Ferns were waist-high. The jungle of the back yard was out of control — and too daunting a task for elderly siblings Harriet, Robert and William Hicks. They didn’t know what to do about the overgrowth, until their neighbor Jerry Vinnedge, approached his church, WellSpring of Central Florida, about the problem. The small congregation of about 25
loved the idea of helping the family. On April 12, six members spent almost four hours cleaning up the Hicks’ back yard. “I think it was great,” Harriet Hicks said. “Those young-uns came out there and came all the way from Winter Haven.” The volunteers took care to work around the family’s pet cemetery that holds all their beloved former dogs. They manicured the memorial, before taking down the wooden shed and ripped up its foundation.
They also cleared out all the brush in the yard, piling trash bag after trash bag on the sidewalk. All the while, and much to their relief, they only saw one snake. “The congregation did such a good job,” Associate Pastor Jason Deshazo said. “It was an honor for us to do it. They are a sweet family. It was for the glory of God.” Now that the yard is cleared, Harriet Hicks, 70, said she can take care of the
SEE CLEANUP / PAGE 5
INDEX Calendar.......................2
Courtesy photo
U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Sean Terry was able to attend a fatherdaughter dance before he died.
Vol.1,No.38 | Onesection Crossword...................15
Obituaries...................10
Sports.........................11
Weather......................15
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