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Plant City Observer

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VOLUME 6, NO. 78

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020

SPRUCING UP DOWNTOWN BREANNE WILLIAMS

The City of Plant City is in the planning stages of adding vibrant plant life and a plethora of way finding signs to downtown.

STAFF WRITER

City Manager Bill McDaniel broke the short term goal up into six steps: adding way finding signs, tackling landscape design, completing a string light project along Evers Street, adding more lighting throughout McCall Park, renovating the alley on Evers Street and looking into redesigning McCall Park.

2019 The ball is officially rolling for downtown revitalization thanks to the city’s commitment to move forward with simple, but meaningful, steps over the course of the next few years.

SEE PAGE 4

YEAR IN REVIEW SEE PAGE 3

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020

NEWS BRIEFS

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MLK Festival schedule The 2020 Plant City MLK Festival will officially kick off Jan. 11, 2020, and the Improvement League of Plant City has made the schedule available on its website.

Jan. 11-25 Selfie tour — local sites Jan. 11 1:30-3:30 p.m.: IMPACT Conference at Greater New Hope Anointed Ministries, 2104 Mud Lake Road Jan. 17 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.: Opening ceremony at Marshall Middle School, 18 S. Maryland Ave. Jan. 18 11 a.m.-8 p.m.: Freedom Parade, concerts, drumline battle, vendors and more at MLK sports complex

Jan. 19 7:30-9:30 a.m.: MLK Leadership Breakfast at Trinkle Center, 1206 N. Park Road (Tickets $35) 4-6 p.m.: Gospel Fest at location to be announced Jan. 20 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m.: MLK Day of Community Service at Bing House Museum, 205 S. Allen St. 4:30-5:30 p.m.: Room dedication at Bing House Museum Jan. 25 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: MLK Boardwalk to Better Health Fair at Mt. Olive Baptist Church, 604 W. Ball St. For anyone interested in marching in the 2020 Plant City MLK Festival’s Freedom Parade, now is the time to apply.

One of the biggest highlights of the festival, which runs from Jan. 11-25, 2020, the 34th annual Freedom Parade will hit the streets of downtown Plant City from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Jan. 18, 2020. The 1.4-mile route

begins at the corner of Wheeler St. and Dr. MLK Boulevard near Wells Fargo and ends at what will soon be the Sadye Gibbs Martin Community Center next to Marshall Middle School.

To apply, visit plantcitymlkfestival.com to download the application form on the site’s home page or call the Improvement League of Plant City at 813-704-5800 or 813-757-6760 for more information. The deadline to apply is Jan. 10, 2020. See the application form for rules.

Food Truck Rally returning Food fans need not wait any longer for Plant City’s monthly Food Truck Rally to come back to McCall Park.

The rally returns at 5 p.m. Jan. 31 and all are invited to “break your New Year resolutions” with a “cheat day” featuring The Kitchen by Devin Davis, Wicked Oak BBQ, The Chicks’ Coop, The Famous Greek Food Truck, the Bacon Boss, Sawadee Thai Food, Coco’s Food Truck, The Melt Machine, Engine 53 Pizza and Craving Donuts.

The event will still be held at 5 p.m. on the last Friday of each month at the eastern edge of the park, 100 N. Collins St. The dates are as follows:

• Jan. 31 • Feb. 28 • March 27 • April 24 • May 29 • June 26 • July 31 • Aug. 28 • Sept. 25 • Oct. 30

As always, the rally wraps up in October for a two-month hiatus.

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020

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LOOKING BACK ON 2019:

A YEAR OF PHOTOS

Countless memories were made in 2019. Here’s a look back at some of our favorite moments.

W

e’re not even 48 hours into the new year and it already feels like the anticipation is near overwhelming for the countless events, completion of major construction projects and community affairs that are planned for 2020.

Before we dive headfirst into the new year, though, let’s take a moment to reflect on the many exciting memories from 2019.

We crowned a new Strawberry Queen when Kendall Gaudens won the coveted pageant, ate our weight in sweet treats at the festival and tried not to tear up when someone proposed at the Reba McEntire concert. The City of Plant City officially broke ground

on the new community center and then later announced it would be named in honor of the legendary Sadye Gibbs Martin.

The Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce further opened doors between local residents and their elected officials with a variety of legislative round tables and the highly successful Capitol Coffee event. A developer officially stepped up to the plate and purchased the Walden Lake Golf Course. And another developer agreed to play ball with the city and is preparing to finally develop the long awaited Midtown District.

Main Street Plant City blossomed into a force to be reckoned

with. On top of partnering with the city to hire a consultant group to create a downtown vision plan the group also finally hired an executive director. Jerilyn Rumbarger has officially taken the helm and under her leadership the group is certain to further make waves in revitalizing downtown.

The Plant City stadium is now officially home to some striking tenants after the XFL’s Tampa Bay Vipers signed a contract to begin practicing in the strawberry town. Commission meetings as a whole have been anything but dull this year. After a mega-effort from Main Street Plant City and community members, city leaders finally agreed to alter the city’s

alcohol ordinance, which allowed a variety of changes including opening the door to wine bars like the new community favorite Roots Tap Room and Wine Bar. The city has also been heavily active on the roads. Everywhere you turn there has been an effort to repave worn down roads and in 2020 that trend is scheduled to continue.

Strawberry Crest High School said goodbye to beloved principal Dave Brown and Durant welcomed Gary Graham as its new leader after Pam Bowden retired.

Plant City High School’s Theatre Troupe 1449 proved the sky’s the limit for the program as it took home superior after superior and

steadily worked its way to glory at countless competitions.

The annual Plant City Christmas Parade had one of, if not the highest attendances to date and the number of holiday events held throughout the city only continued to grow. The City of Plant City partnered with MAKE Plant City and Main Street Plant City to add some art throughout downtown by wrapping utility boxes with unique artworks.

All in all, it was a year worth cherishing and the memories made will last a lifetime. Without a doubt, 2019 set a high bar.

Here’s hoping 2020 has even more excitement ahead.

JANUARY

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t’s hard to argue that 2019 did anything but kick off with a bang. Whether it was the introduction of PCPD’s new armored tactical vehicle, the induction of Junior Royalty, City Hall adding its new call center or the beloved MLK Festival the city had exciting events everywhere you turned.

Walden Lake was flooded with well wishers when the Budweiser Clydesdales delivered a special case of beer to a lucky local resident, Mayor Rick Lott sat down with MAKE Plant City to share insight to his successful career and thoughts on getting involved in the community and Plant City Businesses once again celebrated in a massive party for the Best of Plant City Awards.

Of course, January is also the beginning of festival season. The coveted Strawberry Queen and Court titles are awarded to a new set of young girls each year. This year Kendall Gaudens received the crown.

Madilyn Conrad was First Maid and Court Members were Olivia Frazier, Jada Brown and Kennedy Cullins.

The PCPD SWAT team practiced drills with the new piece of equipment.

The city closed on the former post office located at the corner of Reynolds and Thomas Street at the end of December.

The annual drum line competition jumped into action following the MLK Freedom Parade during the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Arts Festival.

The 2019 Junior Royalty Queen and Court are Rowen More than 100 local residents modeled clothes from local stores at the annual Ashford Morgan, Kennedy Duncan, Lylah Anne LinFlorida Strawberry Festival Fashion Show. ares and Avery Surrency. and Luncheon

The 2019 Strawberry Queen is Kendall Gaudens with First Maid Madilyn Conrad and Court Members were Olivia Frazier, Jada Brown and Kennedy Cullins.

One lucky person in Walden Lake, located on Polo Place Drive, stocked up on Budweiser products delivered by the company’s eight iconic Clydesdales.

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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BEST OF COPS CORNER 2019

JAN. 14 JUMP START TO NOWHERE 400 block of Abigail Road Vehicle theft attempt: The complainant told officers he had parked his green 2004 Jeep in his driveway while it was unlocked on the night of Jan. 13.

When he woke up in the morning he found the Jeep had been pushed out onto the cul-de-sac with the driver’s door open. Someone had also removed the steering column plate and damaged the ignition switch. They failed to get the vehicle started though and fled the scene.

JAN. 22 POUR ONE OUT 1400 block of South Collins Street Retail petit theft: An unknown man entered the store and concealed a bottle of wine in his pants. The bottle fell out and broke on the floor. The same man then concealed other items, which valued $9.20 and fled the store.

TREE CLIMBER 200 block of Waller Street Business burglary/theft arrest: A man was observed climbing a tree in an attempt to access the business property. He was arrested and sent to Orient Road Jail.

FEB. 3 ‘CANE’ YOU SHUT UP? 1100 block of North Johnson Street Battery: A woman told officers she was struck in the back with a cane by her friend’s elderly father. There was a slight redness on her back to back up the claim. The man in question said he struck her because she would not stop yelling. She declined prosecution and signed a waiver.

FEB. 17

PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020 Petit theft: Officers came out to this store after someone stole seven air fresheners.

APRIL 3 SHOULD’VE SWIPED LEFT Walden Woods Drive Theft: This victim met an unknown man on an online dating site. They met up, consumed some drugs together and then she exited his vehicle to use the restroom. When she returned, he had left with her purse still in his vehicle. She signed a waiver not wanting to pursue the matter any further.

APRIL 7 GOLF CART GETAWAY 2700 block of Turkey Creek Road Retail theft: The Walden Lake Food Mart told officers that four juveniles entered the store, selected a package of buns and some candy and then left without paying for the items. As the owner walked out to speak to them, they left on a white golf cart and entered Walden Lake.

JULY 16 SUSPICIOUS TALE 200 block of West Alexander Street Armed robbery (waiver): This victim told police four men approached his vehicle at a stop sign. Two were armed with handguns and made him exit the vehicle. They took his wallet, which contained only his identification, and his cell phone. Later, he admitted there was more to the story. He was driving around asking subjects to purchase illegal narcotics and was robbed. He waited 30 minutes before calling the police and did so from the south side of the city. He signed a waiver and didn’t pursue any criminal charges.

AUG. 10

OH, HOW THE TABLES HAVE TURNED 1 Police Place Warrant arrest: This man came to PCPD to file an unrelated report. While he was there, officers found he had an active HCSO VOP warrant for burglary. He was arrested and transported to Orient Road Jail.

MAY 19

SEPT. 9

I’M NOT LOVIN’ IT 2000 block of James L. Redman Parkway Battery/Waiver: This complainant told officers he was involved in a verbal altercation with an unknown person in the drive-thru of the McDonald’s. He said the verbal altercation was over line cutting at the drive-thru and that both he and the unknown subject exchanged words. When he went to walk away, the subject punched him, causing redness and swelling to his nose. He was unable to provide the license plate and declined to Steinberg 2019 pursue anyDecember charges. He 31, signed a waiver of prosecution.

Universal Crossword

Observer

CRAFTY CRAIGSLIST 2100 block of Spooner Drive Fraud: This victim reported to police that someone tried to sell his vehicle without his permission.

FANNY PACK PIRATE 1600 block of East Warren Street Residential burglary: An intruder to this victim’s home slunk away with an unusual swipe. The suspect entered the home via an open window and stole a fanny pack from the house, which contained keys, a Florida driver’s license and miscellaneous electronics.

APRIL 8

PLANT CITY

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OCT. 12

DOUBLE TROUBLE 700 block of Brown Street Stolen vehicle: This complainant said that during the night of Oct. 11, an unknown suspect entered his unlocked 1998 Ford F-150 and located a spare key to his second vehicle, Skillful a silver 2018 Ford Mustang. Using the swiped key, they stole the Mustang.

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SURF AND TURF 1500 block of East Baker Street Theft: A Dollar General store clerk said a woman concealed an estimated $155 worth of shrimp and chicken and then fled the store.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020

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UNITED FOOD BANK HELPING STUDENTS’ FOOD SECURITY The food bank offers three programs for local students to stay fed throughout any given week.

JUSTIN KLINE SPORTS/ASSOCIATE EDITOR

The United Food Bank of Plant City believes one of the best ways to keep students engaged in the classroom is to keep them fed.

That’s why the UFB currently offers three programs for students of any age in elementary school through college to take home bags full of food and, in some cases, toiletries to last them through a week or a weekend as needed. The programs cover students in seven local K-12 schools and anyone enrolled at Hillsborough Community College.

Two of the programs provide students with food on a weekly basis, but they’re very different.

Students at HCC, through the College Hunger program, can pick up a bag once per week containing food and toiletries so long as they either present their ID at the UFB or get a voucher from the office of the Dean of Student Affairs. UFB director Mary Heysek said there’s a misconception among people that college students have money to buy food whenever they need it, so the food bank is there so they don’t have to choose between eating or studying.

“They all think that if you’re going to college, you have enough money to buy food.

It’s just a thing that people think. But it’s not true,” Heysek said. “They’ll drop a class because they’re trying to afford which bills to pay, or they won’t buy supplies.”

Heysek said the food bank gives out roughly 60 bags to HCC students each month and that the college has been “very supportive” of the program. Many HCC students even volunteer their own time to help out at the food bank.

The other weekly program is for K-12 students who qualify for free or reduced lunches. Unlike at HCC, where a student can stop in once during any week to pick up a bag, this program covers time such as Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks, spring break and summer vacation. More than 600 bags with items such as bread, peanut butter and jelly, soup, macaroni and cheese and more were given out to Plant City-area students over Thanksgiving break, for example.

Then there’s the weekend program for K-12 students, which gets schools’ social workers involved. The social workers identify kids who don’t get to eat much (if at all) over the weekend and coordinates with the UFB to put together a bag with two serv-

ings of breakfast and lunch (for Saturday and Sunday) with some snacks for each child in need.

“We don’t need to broadcast that these people need help with food, so it’s meant to fit in a bag or backpack,” UFB operations manager Gayle Langenhan Tindle said.

“We’re not gonna have extremely heavy or bulky items.”

Generally speaking, the UFB gives out roughly 300 bags for each weekend during the school year. The program was launched two years ago at Plant City High School and Heysek said that test run showed the program is not being abused.

“You can tell that it’s not taken advantage of because Plant City High School has 2,000 kids and they have asked for help for 50 of them, so that’s not very many kids,” Heysek said.

The K-12 programs are currently offered at PCHS, Marshall Middle, Burney Elementary, Wilson Elementary, Trapnell Elementary, Cork Elementary and Springhead Elementary. More schools are on the waiting list and could be added as early as the 2020-21 school year. According to the food bank’s annual 2018-19 report, it distributes 7,436 weekly bags to K-12 students each year.

THE FOOD BANK IS LOCATED AT 702 E. ALSOBROOK ST. SUITE H. CALL 813-764-0625 OR VISIT UFBPC.ORG FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Though the UFB is always grateful for food donations, Heysek said monetary donations could be more effective when funding these programs. That gives the UFB more control over what it can put in the bags by giving it purchasing ability, which goes a long way considering it’s able to buy food and other goods for “even less than BOGO” from certain companies.

Each weekend bag costs the UFB about $8, while the K-12 weekly bag costs it $27 and the HCC College Hunger bag costs $50 to put together.

IN SEARCH OF VIBRANCY

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020

Downtown Plant City may soon be filled with color and plant life thanks to an effort from the City of Plant City to give historic downtown a long overdue boost.

FROM PAGE 1

Courtesy photo

This mockup shows how downtown Plant City could look with the addition of vegetation and some facade upgrades.

adding signage downtown to make the district more accessible to out-of-towners and even local residents that don’t frequent the area.

Tripp Muldrow, the presenter with CDS, said having signs displayed at all open lots and street parking strips that indicated the section was free parking and the hours a car was allowed to remain in the spot would make people feel comfortable stopping and exploring the area.

Adding way finding signs throughout downtown was one of the things McDaniel agreed the city was ready to bring to life and commissioners agreed on Dec. 9 to begin the process of getting the project planned and funded.

“First and foremost, we could easily implement a way finding signage program in downtown,” McDaniel said. “It’s been on my radar for a number of years and we are at the place now where it makes sense to go

through with the plan and really get some great signage up throughout downtown.”

CDS heavily recommended having building markers to indicate which locations were iconic destinations downtown as well as having trailblazer signs throughout the area to indicate which direction some of the prominent shops, restaurants or offices were. They said having an informational kiosk would also help guide travelers through the area.

The general landscape design of downtown was also toward the top of McDaniel’s to-do list. While there currently is a lot of greenery in the core, there isn’t much else.

CDS brought up transforming the bump out space on some of the one-ways like Reynolds Street into colorful avenues with the strategic placing of plant life along the side of the roads.

McDaniel said he has already begun the conversation with FDOT, and while that will ultimately be in their hands, there does seem to be some movement toward change on their end.

As for the rest of downtown, that’s up to the city’s vision.

“Everything else, Evers, Collins, Palmer, the cross-streets of Drane and Arden Mays, all of that is going to be our responsibility and I want it to be cohesive and flow with each other,” McDaniel said. “You don’t want a stark contrast from Reynolds to say Collins or over to Drane, even. You’d like it to all be complimentary.”

However, he said it’s a passion project he’s been hoping to tackle for quite some time. Currently when walking around downtown — which he does practically every day — he said he sees many opportunities to “improve, update and just make it better.”

“I kind of envision a landscaping plan that brings a color and a lot of vibrancy downtown,” McDaniel said. “Right now we have a lot of just greenery and I can just see color and I also like — and I probably don’t know the right terms — but I call it ‘dimensional landscaping.’ Where it might be tiered in places. You might get some more texture to it. That’s why, quite frankly, I want to work with a landscaping design professional to come up with the plan of what I think is in my head and what the folks in Main Street and downtown want to see and extract that and turn it into a viable plan for us.”

While there is no set timeline yet, McDaniel has expressed his intention to get things in motion as soon as possible.

Obviously a professional plan would have to be created before the city will move toward reworking the greenery in the area, but residents can nonetheless expect to at least see the conversation come into play very soon.

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The way finding signs will inarguably be one of the simplest, yet most immediately impactful, changes to come to downtown.

While the historic downtown core is not massive in size, many of the unique businesses that call the area home are spread out over several blocks. With McCall Park running through the middle of the shopping sector and the Robert W. Willaford Railroad Museum acting as the focal point between two of the largest parking lots downtown, it’s easy to miss what’s nestled in the district if you don’t know where to look.

Currently, most shoppers who go downtown pull up directly in front of the business they are looking to shop at, pop in for a few minutes and then get back in their car to leave. Despite the frequent traffic downtown, there are not too many pedestrians and businesses hurt because of it.

Community Design Solutions, the consultant group hired by Main Street Plant City and the City of Plant City, suggested

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

2019 YEAR IN PHOTOS FEBRUARY

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s the community began to brace itself for the incoming Florida Strawberry Festival, several of the biggest events of the year had their time in the spotlight.

The 16th annual Black Heritage Banquet and Gala along with its Jazz Festival was a massive success and the entire community flocked to the Trinkle Center to participate in one of the liveliest Celebrity Chef Dinners yet.

During the annual Night to Shine, Plant City opened its arms and spent a night spreading love and a festive spirit toward

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020

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MARCH

those with special needs age 14 and up.

Wish Farms and Monte Package Company held the annual Strawberry Picking Challenge. The event raised funds for the Redlands Christian Migrant Association.

The newly crowned Strawberry Queen and Court along with their family members were invited out to Neighborhood Village for a special reveal of the Queen’s Exhibit, which is altered every year to fit the Festival’s theme, add the new court’s photo, the new queen’s dress and highlight a former queen in a special display.

P

lant City came to a screeching halt at the beginning of March as the entire community flocked to the annual Florida Strawberry Festival. It garners more attention than any other holiday and draws thousands to town for the event.

Whether you were camped out along Reynolds Street for the annual Festival Parade or settling in the grandstands to see some of the mega entertainers that grace the Wish Farms Soundstage there was something to tickle everyone’s fancy during the event.

STYX, Terri Clark, Pam Tillis, Suzy Bogguss and Willie Nelson were just some of the many big names to come to town and several concerts were sold out long before the band ever pulled into town.

The Festival also introduced a new Battle of the Bands event to give local musicians the chance to win some awesome prizes

and perform before thousands of people.

In a lucky turn of events, Plant City resident Teo Kulyk won the 2019 Unity in the Community/Stingray Chevrolet raffle and was offered a brand new Corvette.

He decided to go with something with a smaller price tag and walked away with an icy white 2019 Stingray, a speed demon in its own right.

Outside of the berry-sweet festival the community ended March with a bang.

Plant City High School’s JROTC team took home two district championships and headed to state. Relay for Life had one of its best year’s to date. A new community event called Youth Explosion was created to honor the memory of Marie B. Ellis. The Plant City Arts Council treated its members to a fun evening at the Plant City Photo Archives & History Center with a soiree featuring pianist Dr. Teo Kulyk.

Plant City High School’s JROTC cadets brought home two district championships and are headed to show off their skills at state.

The 2019 celebrity chefs were Plant City Police Chief Ed Duncan and Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, notable not only for catching criminals, but also for being completely unable to cook despite being meticulously healthy eaters.

Chair of the annual Night to Shine event Lauren McNair said they do this event every year “because we love the people in our community, we love absolutely everyone in our community.” More than 120 guests as well as 100 parents and 250 volunteers showed up for the prom and made it a night to remember.

The Florida Strawberry Festival once again drew thousands to Plant City. On opening day some of the festival’s board and staff waited at the front gates to greet the first visitors.

The public gathered for a day of berry festivities at the Strawberry Picking Challenge where teams participated in an amateur and pro strawberry picking contest and competed for the title of best picker.

Inviting you and a guest to a free

Estate Planning Workshop

The 2019 Florida Strawberry Festival Queen Kendall Gaudens, as well as First Maid Madilyn Conrad and Court Members Olivia Frazier, Jada Brown and Kennedy Cullins, were joined by their family for the grand reveal of the 2019 Queen’s Exhibit, created by Marsha Passmore and Dodie White, in Neighborhood Village at the Florida Strawberry Festival.

Wednesday January 8, 2020 10:00am Hampton Inn 2702 Thonotosassa Rd. Topics to be covered

Students at Lincoln Elementary Magnet School participated in a special ceremony for Black History Month called “Know Your History.” During the presentation the students donned costumes to portray influential black and Hispanic Americans and acted out a speech about their character’s life.

The annual Black Heritage Banquet and Gala is always one of the highlights of the year for the community as everyone gathers to socialize, listen to a keynote speaker, enjoy live entertainment and participate in an awards ceremony.

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020

2019 YEAR IN PHOTOS APRIL

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pril was a month filled with community events and massive fundraisers as well as its fair share of peculiarities.

Students at Plant City High School brought a cult favorite to life when Troupe 1449 performed Little Shop of Horrors. Little did they know that performance would launch them to further glory as they continued to collect accolade after accolade for their high-quality performances.

Keel Farms drew massive crowds to Keel & Curley Winery for the 12th annual Tampa Bay Blueberry Festival. Families were scattered among the blueberry trees picking buckets of the fresh fruit to take home for their sweet treats. The Plant City Noon Rotary Club hosted its annual Wild Game Cookout fundraiser, which featured mouthwatering food and a massive raffle of outdoor equipment and guns.

For the second year, Praise in the Park was one of the highlights of the month. The relatively new event acts as a day of nonstop worship in downtown Plant City. This year the group partnered with On Common Ground and pulled more than double the crowd than the year before. The annual

Railfest was also a massive hit and the community was in for quite a surprise when during the festivities the Robert W. Willaford Railroad Museum announced it was officially opening “The Tower” to the public, which had acted as a glorified storage shed for the museum for years.

Easter is always one of the busiest weekends of the year in Plant City and the Recreation and Parks Department once again went above and beyond in hosting a fun family event the Saturday before Easter Sunday. Nearly 1,000 children and their parents came to Otis M. Andrews Sports Complex for the annual Easter Egg Hunt.

One of the more bizarre happenings of the month was when Walter Doyle rolled into town on his mobility cart. The disabled veteran drove the cart — which only goes approximately 10 miles per hour — from Tampa to Daytona Beach and Plant City Police Department gave him an escort through town.

The annual Railfest took an unexpected turn when the Robert W. Willaford Railroad Museum announced it would be opening “The Tower” to the public.

PCHS put on an uproariously talented production of Little Shop of Horrors complete with a massive man-eating plant.

Families were flocking to Keel Farms as soon as it opening during the 12th annual Blueberry Festival in order to pick the freshest and juiciest berries.

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MAY

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020

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JUNE

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very year, May is a time when families across town find themselves reflecting on the memories of the past 18 or so years. As high schoolers prepare to leave their childhood behind and walk across the stage to get their diplomas, the community pauses and takes a moment to cheer on the young students.

This year, there was an added layer of emotion to the event. Plant City High School had its high school graduation on the same night as a group of its seniors threw the first pitch of the 8A baseball state championship game. Many of the teammates were graduating seniors and several of the cheering fans in the crowd were as well. To make up for them missing their big ceremony, PCHS held a special ceremony the next day in their honor.

Local schools also added a new aspect for seniors to help get them excited for their next stage in life. While high school athletes usually have ceremonies when they sign National Letters of Intent, those preparing to enter the workforce following graduation rarely receive any recognition. To remedy that, Durant High School, Plant City High School and Simmons Career Center held post-grad hiring celebrations in the form of a pseudo National Signing Day. The Boys and Girls Club of Plant City hosted its first corn hole tournament at Hillsborough Community College at the

Early sun and afternoon rains didn’t stop twelve teams from raising more than $7,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of Plant City during the inaugural Corn Hole Tournament.

beginning of the month. The competition raised nearly $7,000 despite rain and twelve teams competed for the the top spot. Drew and Paul Lovelace took first place and a $200 cash prize. Ryan and Christine Schwartzkopf placed second and won $100 for their efforts.

Of course, every spring one of the biggest events is Little Miss Plant City. This year’s pageant was Alice in Wonderland themed. Marley Grace Mueller ended up taking the crown. On the completely opposite spectrum the first Mud Titan race of 2019 was also held in May. Hundreds came out to the cow field on Prevatt Road for the obstacle-packed 5K. The top overall male finisher was Esdras Castillo, who finished the course in 29:21.30. The top overall female finisher was Brittney Martinez, who finished in 52:43.90.

One of the highlights of the month was at the very start. May the Fourth Be With You is an internationally celebrated holiday where fans of the Star Wars universe dress up and celebrate the journeys of those rebel heroes who live in a galaxy far far away. Downtown businesses decided to get in on the action by having a day of discounts and specially themed goodies.

Children and adults alike flocked to the stores — many of whom wore costumes — to purchase Death Star soaps, wookie cookies, Star Wars LEGO sets and more.

Little Miss Plant City Queen: Marley Grace Mueller, First Maid: Bella Grace Bikowski and Court Members Ivy Belle Garner, Hayven LeeAnn Harrell and Demi Chyann Atkinson.

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s the thick heat of a traditional Florida summer encased the town, the community came up with fun and refreshing ways to stay active.

Rise Plant City hosted its third annual Dodgeball tournament on June 1 at the Plant City Family YMCA. Teams came out ready to hold their own. Some came in costumes, most came with elaborate names like the Daj Mabal and Jaws and Jeanies.

First Response Heating and Cooling, LLC took home first place during the tournament. The Blue Ballers from Blue Thumb Computer Repair won best team costume, Backbone Construction and Roofing had best team name with Daj Mabal and the Dixie Sticks from Dixie Maintenance won the sportsmanship award.

The iconic company out of Nashville, The Peach Truck, drove to town in June with countless crates of freshly picked Georgia peaches. Though the company was scheduled to begin selling the crates outside of Tractor Supply at 2 p.m. the line was around the side of the building as more and more cars drove in to get their sweet fruit.

Each box was 25 pounds and many customers walked away with cartfuls of the Georgia gem.

The Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce held its annual bowling tournament to the Favorite Decade theme. Teams came dressed in their best garb from the

The Peach Truck delivered 25-pound boxes of Georgia peaches to Plant City and local residents lined up down the block to get their hands on one of the iconic boxes.

Within an hour hundreds of boxes had been sold and the truck began preparing to head to the next town.

50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s and competed for the variety of trophies awarded each year. The winner of the competition was South Florida Baptist Hospital. The Florida Strawberry Growers Association won the costume contest.

Plant City had an animal filled summer in 2019. In June the Plant City’s Kiwanis Club created a new event called “Coolest Dog” where members of the community were able to vote on their favorite pup in town.

The money raised from the contest went toward helping fund the variety of services the organization provides for the community. The Coolest Dog of 2019 was awarded to Bonsai, who received 520 votes. Second place went to T. Oliver Wagglesworth, who received 447 votes. Third place was Angel, who received 150 votes. They were awarded a cash prize, a Coolest Dog bandana and the top dog also won an engraved Coolest Dog bowl and a photo shoot.

In another furry-firsts the Florida Strawberry Festival grounds was home to the New Vision Cat Club’s Strawberries and Sunshine event. The cat show had kittens, premiere cats, championship cats and house cats all mingling, competing and wowing the crowd. You could even walk away with cat-themed merchandise to fuel your obsession.

The Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce took us back in time with its annual Bowling Tournament. This year team’s dressed up like their favorite decade while they competed for the variety of trophies.

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020

2019 YEAR IN PHOTOS JULY

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lant City celebrated America’s independence in July, but there was plenty more than that to recognize.

Mercedes Perez made Plant City history becoming the first Assistant City Manager on record. The Sports Village project officially fell through, but Plant City did learn it’s getting a new Starbucks at James L. Redman Parkway and Alexander Street, as well as the 1,400-acre Lakeside Logistics Park off of Henderson Way. Plant

City was named one of Business Insider’s top 25 American suburbs for fast-growing home values. Three Plant City-area students were named state FFA officers.

There was also a big discovery made at the Plant City Commons Community Garden: a small trickle on its grounds is actually a headwater of the Tampa Bay Watershed, so a special dedication ceremony was held in July to mark the start of the water’s journey into Tampa Bay.

Mercedes Perez became the first woman to hold the title of Assistant City Manager this summer.

The Kiwanis Club’s annual Stuff the Bus event started in Stingray Chevrolet, where hundreds of book bags were filled with school supplies and later donated to students. This year’s haul featured 1,250 bags delivered to 28 schools and jackets donated to 18 elementary schools. The PCHS Key Club and Little Miss Plant City court also helped Kiwanis “stuff the bus” this year.

Plant City residents David and Susan Sullivan opened Florida’s first HteaO store in Lakeland after many months of working to bring the franchise out of Texas and promoting it in and around Plant City. The store serves freshlybrewed iced teas every day and uses natural ingredients as well as its own filtered water.

AUGUST

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he start of the 2018-19 school year was also a busy time for Plant City even beyond the ridiculous amount of rains that caused flooding and other problems.

Results from the Walden Lake Resident Advisory Council survey were released to the public, starting up a lengthy wave of discussion. City commissioners announced the XFL would come to Plant City, which would host the Tampa Bay Vipers at Plant City Stadium starting in December. Mt. Olive Baptist Church kickstarted the Ginger Jewelz Group program to help local students with a school supply giveaway event in honor of late educator

Ginger Bennett Forté. Ground broke for the new Sadye Gibbs Martin Recreation Center, which will replace the old MLK Recreation Center that was damaged during Hurricane Irma. Gary Graham took over as Durant High School’s principal after Pam Bowden, then the longest-serving principal in Hillsborough County, retired.

The Crossing Church started up a Plant City location near Midtown and Roots Tap Room & Wine Bar opened its doors as the month came to a close.

The Florida Strawberry Festival also announced the official theme of its 2020 event: “Our Perfect Vision.”

A groundbreaking ceremony for the incoming Sadye Gibbs Martin Recreation Center Aug. 12, one day after commissioners votShekinah Glory Cathedral hosted its first ed unanimously to name the new center back-to-school bash in its new home after in her honor. Martin was well-known in doing the inaugural event at Snowden Park Plant City for her two careers: one as an in 2018. The church had games and giveimportant educator, one as a trailblazer in aways for the kids, plus free hot food, school local government (as well as state governsupplies, clothes and access to its food ment, as she was Florida’s first-ever female pantry for anyone in need.

African-American mayor). The rec center is expected to open this year.

The city’s decision to alter a longstanding downtown alcohol ordinance helped give way to the creation of Roots Tap Room & Wine Bar, giving Plant City a family-friendly place to go out for a fun night.

Roots was the first business to open since the ordinance changed and has become a downtown hotspot.

Plant City Stadium hosted its big annual Fourth of July celebration on Independence Day and brought hundreds of local families to its grounds to celebrate America with food, fun and live music.

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PlantCityObserver.com

SEPTEMBER

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eptember could have been much worse for Plant City had Hurricane Dorian stayed course and landed a direct hit.

Instead, the city became a hub for Dorian relief efforts to help those affected in the Bahamas.

The city entered the final round of negotiations to bring a CSX quiet zone to the Midtown area. Plant City Police Department started its new Drone Program and purchased two drones to use for search and rescue work, monitoring fleeing suspects, traffic control and other situations at its

Strawberry Crest principal David Brown, who opened the school in 2009, is hugged during his going-away party in September.

Brown was tapped by Hillsborough County Public Schools to open yet another high school, one in Riverview that was later announced to be Jule F. Sumner High School.

Christie Raburn, assistant principal for curriculum, was promoted to SCHS principal after Brown left.

Jensen’s Heart of Gold hosted its annual Play for a Cure event in September.

Through a day filled with kids’ games and play areas, the event raises awareness fo childhood cancer and raises funds for the charity, which provides assistance to families fighting it.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020

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OCTOBER discretion. City commissioners voted on the budget for the new fiscal year. Community Design Solutions hosted a presentation to show Plant City its grand plans to revitalize downtown. Pelican’s Snoballs opened its doors to help Plant City beat the heat with cool treats.

Strawberry Crest High School said goodbye to David Brown, the only principal it had ever known, and started a new era with Christie Raburn at the helm — first as interim principal, later promoted permanently to the position.

Pelican’s Snoballs hosted its grand opening party of Sept. 6 and brought its unique twist on a classic treat to town. The building used to be a car dealership and is now a family-friendly fun spot serving up more than 100 flavors of shaved ice.

This year, the Plant City Observer highlighted five women making waves in local government for the annual Wonder Women section. The 2019 picks were Tina Barber, Susan Pruet, Tonda Morris, Mercedes Perez and Sharon Spires.

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lant City embraced spooky season in 2019, but October wasn’t just a time for Halloween fun and games.

Major moves were made within the city, as Richard Lilyquist joined Bill McDaniel’s staff as an Assistant City Manager, Fire Station Three and 2XS developers “put the champagne on ice” for Midtown by entering an agreement with the city to develop it. The Florida Strawberry Festival welcomed four new “red coats” to its board of directors. The city gave veterans a warm welcome a month ahead of Veterans Day with events like Operation Paying it

Downtown Plant City went all-in for Halloween with a new trick-or-treating event that saw many businesses stay open late, offer deals and hand out tasty treats to kids in costume.

The Plant City Family YMCA’s annual Trunk or Treat event had to be moved indoors due to rain, but that didn’t stop hordes of happy Plant City kids from getting in the Halloween spirit for an afternoon of fun and games on the basketball court.

Forward’s “Operation Appreciation” event and Medal of Honor recipients Lt. James Taylor and SSG Ronald Shurer II visiting Wilson Elementary to speak to students.

Two of Plant City’s own, Barrett Maravilla and Morgan Brake, were selected to participate in a program during the International Bluegrass Music Association’s World of Bluegrass Week.

Halloween was celebrated all over town as always, but downtown merchants partnered with Plant City Main Street for a new, massive trick-or-treat event during the Food Truck Rally.

Faith Christian Academy hosted its Hispanic Heritage Festival in October. Each participating student had a display of either a Hispanic country or a prominent artist and spent weeks researching their assigned topic to share their knowledge with the rest of the school. Many cooked and brought authentic cuisine from their countries to share with the other students, offering tastes of the world in the festive event.

Keel and Curley Winery started hosting Harvest Days in October. These weekend events were packed with family-friendly fun and set a trend that continued through the end of the year with more weekly events, such as Holidays on the Farm.

Burney Elementary School unveiled its first-ever Little Free Library on Oct. 24. The library offers free books for anyone passing by school property and people are also encouraged to leave books for all ages for others to enjoy at no cost.

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020

NOVEMBER

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ppropriately enough, November in Plant City was marked by giving thanks.

That included several major Veterans Day events, such as Hopewell Funeral Home’s annual gathering at Veterans Memorial Park and the Elks Lodge’s annual barbecue. Klein Tools showed its appreciation for Plant City High School teacher Fernando Guillen’s hard work by naming him its National Electrician of the Year.

Downtown merchants thanked residents for their business with their big Nov. 30 Small Business Saturday event, a

Winery to the Rescue, Keel and Curley Winery’s annual dog rescue awareness event, not only drew dozens of good boys and girls and their humans to the winery for a day of fun, but also served as a meetand-greet session for those interested in adoption.

Hopewell Funeral Home’s annual Veterans Day event featured the choir from Springhead Elementary School and readings of essays from local elementary and middle school students. The event is one of the longest-running Veterans Day ceremonies in Plant City.

DECEMBER partnership with Plant City Main Street that featured great deals for everyone.

Other big things that happened in November include the annual Dancing with the Locals fundraiser, Keel and Curley Winery’s annual Winery to the Rescue animal rescue awareness event, Marshall Middle School becoming a candidate to launch an IB program, Walden Lake, LLC unveiling plans for the Walden Lake community, Jerilyn Rumbarger taking the helm at Plant City Main Street as its new executive director, Empty Bowls coming back to the train depot and Pig Jam filling bellies with the tastiest barbecue around.

Plant City’s Pig Jam was once again a big hit. The annual barbecue competition also features tasting stations where you can turn in your “pig bucks” to pig out thanks to vendors inside and outside of town.

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hristmas cheer took over Plant City to end 2019 on a high note.

From the official start of Plant City’s holiday season with Lights of Love to big-time events like the Plant City Christmas Parade, Christmas Lane opening its annual light show extraordinaire at the Florida Strawberry Festival Grounds, celebrations like Santa and the Red Caboose at the train depot, Holidays on the Farm at Keel Farms, Holiday Crafts and Cocoa at the Plant City Family YMCA and the Mystery Christmas Build at Brick City Bricks,

plus events like Santa Sled Fest that gave back to the community and much more, anyone who wandered into town could tell right away that Plant City takes its Christmastime very seriously.

In less holiday-centric news, City Hall’s renovation and Hurricane Irma expenses were settled. Elements of the Downtown Vision Plan were discussed at length and commissioners agreed to start implementing some of them. Plant City Police and Fire Rescue personnel were honored with annual awards at the Elks Lodge.

The Plant City Christmas Parade drew one of the largest crowds city commissioners said they’ve ever seen on Dec. 5. The parade kicked off at 7 p.m. but crowds gathered downtown much earlier than that to not miss their chance to see community members go all-out decorating their floats, vehicles and marching entries.

Dancing with the Locals returned to the Trinkle Center at Hillsborough Community College and raised more than $100,000 for the Plant City Rotary Club. The winners of this year’s event for both Judges’ Choice and People’s Choice were Stephanie Eisenbach and Casey Stidham. Sophia Hyde and Audrey Schmidt placed second and Haylee Mathis and Aaron Brown placed third.

The Empty Bowls Project is a major fundraiser for the United Food Bank of Plant City and draws hundreds to the train depot every year. Attendees can try soups made by local organizations, buy handmade bowls and more to help the food bank.

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JANUARY 2, 2020

YEAR IN SPORTS

GLANCING BACK AT 2019 The year 2019 was an exciting time for sports in Plant City.

Our local athletes played their hearts out in their respective sports and even won a few championships to show for it. Our parks hosted some of the biggest sports tournaments in central Florida and Plant City even welcomed professional sports back to town.

There were so many exciting moments, big and small, that one thing is certain: 2020 has big shoes to fill when it comes to keeping us on our toes.

Take a look back at some of the Plant City Observer staff’s favorite sports photos from the last year.

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020

TOP 5 ATHLETES

TOP 5 TEAMS

1. Ashley Blessin

On a statistical level, Blessin’s last high school game paints a perfect picture of her as an athlete: 18.2 innings pitched, 72 batters faced and 29 strikeouts — more than twice the opponents’ total between two pitchers. Arguably the best pitcher in the state, Blessin hit 1,000 career strikeouts this year (and 379 for the 2019 season, 139 of which came in her first 10 games) and finished the year with 20 wins and an 0.12 earned run average through 179.1 innings of work. The Raiders went 20-5 this season and got to the regional semifinals, where they fought Sickles well for 19 innings in a 2-1 loss. Blessin left PCHS with a strong case to be considered one of the greatest athletes in Raiders history.

2. Katherine Ruppert

The FHSAA added girls javelin as a showcase sport for the 2018-19 school year with plans to make it a full-fledged event this school year, and it didn’t take long for someone from the Plant City area to make a splash. Ruppert had never thrown before her senior season but got so good so soon as to make it to girls javelin’s first-ever state championship competition. She gave that javelin a 35.58-meter heave at states, which set a new personal record, netted her a silver medal and helped her land a spot on the University of Central Florida’s team. Not bad at all, especially for a literal rookie.

3. Chevelle Hallback

Five years out of the ring would be a death sentence for most fighters’ careers. That didn’t apply to Chevelle Hallback, however. The longtime boxing pro finally got an opponent, Silvia Szabados, on Sept. 21, almost exactly five years and one month since her last fight. Hallback won by unanimous decision in six rounds in her big comeback, then did it again in the Nov. 2 rematch to prove to whatever doubters there may have been that her return to the scene was no fluke. Hallback’s opponent for Feb. 29 has not been finalized yet, but she wants “three or four” more fights this year — ideally with one against Claressa Shields — before retirement. The “Fists of Steel” are finally back in action.

4. Mario Williams

Williams’ football stats weren’t as eye-popping as last season’s, but stats don’t always tell the whole story. The speedster’s junior season game tape showed improvement across the board and, especially as the focal point of the offense, proved he can keep a team in the game as long as he somehow gets the ball in his hands. Though football season wasn’t as successful as last year’s, Williams did become a state champion in baseball with gridiron teammate Chris Rodriguez and batted .280 with 21 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, three triples and plenty of difficult catches made in center field.

5. Hendon Haley

The youngest of Durant High School’s flagship wrestling family (there has been at least one brother on the team for 11 years and counting), Hendon Haley wanted to become the first in the family since his oldest brother, Chase Haley, to place at states. Wrestling at 132 pounds, he placed second at districts, won the regional tournament with a 10-0 major decision and kept winning through the state semifinals. His fourth-place finish not only checked a major goal off his list, but it was also two spots higher than his brother’s. After that goal was achieved, only one thing remained: to win the state championship as a senior.

1. Plant City High School Baseball

For years, Plant City High School’s baseball team has been chock full of talent but couldn’t find a way to put it all together and get to the big show. That all changed in 2019 with the best season in the program’s history. The Raiders went 30-2 behind an elite offense that averaged almost six runs per game and an elite defense that only allowed 1.7 runs per game. They won their first-ever district and regional titles en route to states, where they exploded for an 8-0 win over McArthur before taking a 3-1 win over Crest in an all-time great baseball game that more than lived up to the hype coming from an all-area matchup.

2. Strawberry Crest Cheerleading

Most of the members of Crest’s competitive cheer team had no prior experience at the varsity level before the 2018-19 season.

It didn’t matter. Crest still performed at the highest level when it mattered most, like when it posted a state-high (all divisions counted) score of 89.50 in the regional tournament. After a fall ruined the Chargers’ hopes of winning Western Conference, they went to states and won their fifth consecutive championship with an 88.30. Crest got back to UCA nationals and, in a complete turnaround from last year’s early exit, learned a brand-new routine in five days and placed fourth in the nation in its division. This team’s been elite for half of its school’s existence.

3. Strawberry Crest Baseball

If you looked at Crest’s 13-10 record at the end of the regular season, you might not have penciled them into the state championship round.

But a deep bullpen, timely offense and valuable lessons learned from the previous season’s state Final Four run served Crest well this time around: the Chargers tore through their district tourney and the regional quarterfinal (outscoring opponents 21-1), then persevered through back-toback-to-back one-run games to meet PCHS in the grand finale. Though the Chargers lost that game, they still deserve all the credit in the world for both how they got there and how well they played the Raiders.

4. Plant City Dolphins Midgets

The PCD Midgets have been one of the most consistently great teams in the TCYFCC for the last four years, and this may have been the best team yet. Plant City went undefeated in league play, cruised through the playoffs and broke a 0-0 tie at halftime of the Superbowl with 14 unanswered points to take home their fourth title in four years. They then won their division in the inaugural Strawberry Jam Turkey Bowl in Plant City, then followed that up by winning their division in the UYFL national championships in early December. Can they make it five in a row in 2020?

5. Strawberry Crest Girls Basketball

The 2017-18 season wasn’t kind to the Strawberry Crest Chargers, who finished the year with a losing record (11-12) and couldn’t make it out of the district semifinal. One season later, Crest finished with a 22-7 record and made it to the regional semifinals despite averaging just one more point scored per game and a five percent increase in field goal percentage (up to 39 percent as a team). What was the kicker?

A recharged defense (steals per game skyrocketed from 9.7 to 16.1) helped Crest both stay in more games and come out ahead in them. With a winning record in the 2019-20 season, things still look good for the Chargers.

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WHAT’S ON KLINE’S MIND?

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020

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JUSTIN KLINE

MY FAVORITE SPORTS MOMENT OF 2019

The year 2019 in Plant City sports was quite eventful, but one thing in particular stood out.

I’m as excited as anyone to see what 2020 has in store for Plant City. But first, we’re taking a look back at 2019.

It was a really busy year for local sports, even without the proposed Sports Village coming to fruition. Our teams and individual athletes won numerous championships big and small, set records, made bigger headlines than ours and captured our attention with unforgettable moments. A lot of people have a lot to be proud of after that year.

This section is always pretty list-heavy.

Make what you will of my picks for the top five athletes and teams of 2019, but don’t assume there weren’t any close calls, tough decisions or ties broken by coin flip (before anyone asks, no, Dak Prescott wasn’t there). Just because an athlete or team didn’t make the cut doesn’t mean they didn’t have a good year.

In the spirit of list-making, I’m going to do something a little different with this

Year in Review column. There were plenty of great local sports moments in 2019 to pick from and set up yet another top five list. But no matter what I run through in my head, there’s always one thing that stands above the rest. Moment No. 1, we could call it. It was my personal favorite assignment of the year in terms of scale, importance, rarity and, of course, the onfield action itself.

It’s the Plant City-Strawberry Crest showdown for the FHSAA Class 8A state championship. That probably wasn’t a hard guess, but can you blame me?

I’ve covered sports in some capacity for going on nine years now and I’ve never had anything come together like this.

State championship appearances? Sure thing. First-ever postseason milestones?

Plenty. Local teams getting hot at the right time? You bet. Compelling narratives leading to exciting games? Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. But two teams from my beat making it all the way

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to the state championship round, knocking off some extremely talented teams along the way? If you would have told me at the beginning of the season that Plant City and Strawberry Crest would play that game for those stakes, I would have been skeptical. That’s no shade to either team — it’s just that the odds of that matchup actually happening, given how much baseball talent there is in Florida and how dominant certain programs have been, were slim. Many things could have gone wrong on the journey for either team.

We got the kind of championship game sportswriters like myself dream about covering. Tension you could cut with a knife. At-bats where you could have seen the hunger in the hitters’ eyes from the other side of Six Mile Cypress. Nervous energy in every pitch, for better and for worse. Probably more hustle on the field, both on defense and on the basepaths, than ever before for any of the players, as

far as I could tell. A game that went down to the wire, one that no one was ever truly comfortably up or devastatingly down in.

Even the non-local sportswriters in the press box, who asked us a hundred questions about where exactly Dover is on a map, could tell that wasn’t your average state championship game.

I hope I’ll get to cover something like that again in my career, whether it’s baseball or another sport. The odds are pretty slim, but now I know it’s not impossible.

Justin Kline is the Sports Editor at the Plant City Observer.

Email: jkline@plantcityobserver.com.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020

BEST OF CUTEST CRITTER 2019 If our dog Karah didn’t give it away by barking at you at the front door, we in the Observer newsroom love animals of all shapes and sizes. We love highlighting your furry and scaly friends whenever we can, and readers kept a steady stream of cuteness in our email inboxes and Facebook messages this year.

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020

BEST BET MONDAY, JAN. 6 ADULT SELF-DEFENSE CLASS

7:30 to 9 p.m. Chris Welbon Karate Clubs, 204 N. Mobley St., is hosting an adult self-defense class. In the class, you’ll learn practical escapes from grabs and attacks of all different varieties.

Experienced instructors can adapt to your exact skill level and help you get the training you need.

No uniform (Gi) is required to attend, just wear comfortable clothes, clean gym shoes and come ready to learn. Tickets are $15 and you can register at chriswelbonkarate.sites.zenplanner.com. Ages 12 and older.

THURSDAY, JAN. 2 HAVE A HEALTHY PREGNANCY CLASS

6 to 8 p.m. South Florida Baptist Hospital is hosting a Have a Healthy Pregnancy Class in ICU Conference Room, 2-South. This class covers recommendations for a healthy pregnancy and will be held the first Thursday of every month. Participants may bring one guest to the class.

Bring a notepad to take notes.

Snacks will be provided. Registration is free, but required. Call 1-855-269-4777.

FRIDAY, JAN. 3 DUPLICATE BRIDGE

1 p.m. St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 302 Carey St., is now hosting a weekly Duplicate Bridge game, the most widely used variation of contract bridge in club and tournament play. Contact Walt Arnold at 813-752-1602 for more information.

PURE CLASSIC GOLD AT KEEL FARMS

6:30 to 10:30 p.m. The Pure Classic Gold band brings classic and new country, bluegrass, classic and southern rock, and rock & roll oldies to Keel Farms at Keel & Curley Winery, 5210 Thonotosassa Road. Come out for food, drinks and fun while listening to live entertainment.

SATURDAY, JAN. 4 YOGA FOR BEGINNERS 1 to 2 p.m. The Koa Yoga Studio, 2806 James L. Redman Parkway #205, is hosting a Yoga for

Beginners Class. Join Katie for a specialty class designed for first-time practitioners of all ages and abilities who would like to be introduced to the practice of yoga. Yoga is an ancient system of self-care based on bringing harmony and balance to the body, mind and spirit. Yoga has become a very popular way for people to increase flexibility, reduce stress and reap the many health benefits that a regular yoga practice provides. In this specialty class, they will explore basic yogic breathing, yoga postures and relaxation. Grab your tickets at thekoayoga.com.

Register now for $20.

SOUNDS OF YESTERDAY AT KEEL FARMS

6:30 to 10:30 p.m. The Sounds of Yesterday will bring the music of today, yesterday, and everything in between to you! Join them at Keel & Curley Winery, 5210 Thonotosassa Road, for farm-fresh food, world-class wine, beer, and cider, and live entertainment.

SUNDAY, JAN. 5

BRIDAL WARS TAMPA

11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bridal Wars is coming to Plant City at Wishing Well Barn, 4302 Pippin Road.

Bridal Wars is not your typical bridal show. They’ve created something way more fun. Your team will compete against other teams in custom challenges for

bragging rights and some cool prizes. Compete in their War Zone in challenges (Tug of War, Last Maid Standing, Bouquet Toss and more). Have fun in the After Party area with even more challenges (Lip Sync, Wedding Jeopardy, Team Mug Shot Station and more). Meet some great local wedding pros, grab some food and drinks. Tickets are $24 per person. To get more info on Bridal Wars Tampa, click the link below https://bridalwarsevent.com/ bridal-wars-tampa/

BEGINNING MODERN WESTERN SQUARE DANCE LESSONS

6:30 to 8 p.m. Come on out to Strawberry Square Dance Center for a Beginning Modern Western Square dance lesson. They recommend you wear casual dress attire. Tickets are $6 per person, but your first three classes are free. Call 770-825-6513 for more information.

MONDAY, JAN. 6 PLANT CITY DAYBREAK ROTARY CLUB

7 to 8 a.m. The Plant City Daybreak Rotary Club holds a meeting every Monday morning. Now the group will be meeting in the Community Meeting Room of the Plant City Family YMCA, 1507 YMCA Place. Guests are welcome to join them.

PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY NETWORK (PCN) 7:45 to 9 a.m. Plant City Network’s meeting is held at OnPoint CoWork Solutions, 1805 James L. Redman Parkway. The Business Education Spotlight this month is Leanne Hahn with Digithead Business Services. Cost: $10 Per Person (cash only, please). Firsttime guests: no charge. Receipts will be provided. Bring plenty of business cards. (BYOB) Bring Your Own Breakfast.

TUESDAY, JAN. 7

Strawberry Festival Grounds in the TECO Expo Hall, 2301 W. Oak Ave. This month’s event features guest speaker Rob Higgins, executive director of Tampa Bay Sports Commission. Registration for members is $20 for early birds, $25 for normal members and $30 for nonmembers. Call 813-754-3707 for more information.

BIRTH EXPERIENCE CLASS

6 to 8 p.m. South Florida Baptist Hospital is hosting a Birth Experience Class in ICU Conference Room, 2-South.This class covers various aspects of labor and delivery, such as labor signs, breathing techniques, pain control options and hospital policies and is held the second Thursday of every month. Participants may bring one guest to the class.

Bring a notepad to take notes.

Snacks will be provided. Registration is free, but required. Call 1-855-269-4777.

SHUFFLEBOARD CLUB

9 a.m. Come on out to the Planteen Recreation Center, 301 Dort St., each Tuesday to play Shuffleboard. You’ll be an expert in no time. The club is hosted by Anita Balch and she can be contacted at 808-722-5821 for more information.

THURSDAY, JAN. 9 CHAMBER NETWORKING LUNCH

TEENS FRIENDSHIPS BONDS RELATIONSHIPS COMMUNITIES CHILDREN TODAY HEARTS CONNECTIONS

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce is hosting its monthly Chamber Networking Lunch at the Florida

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Universal Crossword Edited by David Steinberg December 30, 2019 PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

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BEST OF I LOVE PLANT CITY 2019

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020

BEST OF IT’S READ EVERYWHERE 2019 As great as Plant City is, it’s good to leave town every so often and go be a tourist in someone else’s back yard. Our readers love to travel and always make sure to

Did you take the Observer with you on vacation? Send your pictures to Associate Editor Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com to be featured.

Chelsea Hall and Dan Lauer - Colorado

Mike and Diane Griffin - Stonehenge

Starr Anderson - Egypt

Siebenthal family - New York City

GOLD & SILVER

Diamonds & Precious Gems,

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813.754.2360 | 1705 Jim Redman Pkwy. Plant City, 33563

Central Position by John Guzzetta

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14 Rot 15 Honolulu’s island 16 Loafing around 17 *Egocentric truck tankful? (note each starred answer’s middle letters) 19 Cain’s brother 20 Back talk 21 Frequently, poetically 22 Small river 24 Adams who played Lois Lane 26 Simple card game 27 Org. that checks board-

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25 Explosive power units 26 “Son of a ...”

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020

PlantCityObserver.com