Plant City Times &
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015
HANGRY
REAL ESTATE Find out which homes sold in October.
If you missed the annual Dancing with the Locals competition Saturday, Nov. 14, check out a photo gallery from the event at PlantCityObserver.com.
OUR TOWN
Anthony Muniz won the jam, hosted by Wally B.
+ Students place at poetry jam Strawberry Crest High School students competed in a poetry jam hosted by professional poet Walter B. Jennings, known by stage name, Wally B. This year’s judges were Barbara Bergholm, April Langston and Jessica McMichen. The winners were: First place: Anthony Muniz Second place: Austin Knight Third place: Joceline Lumbreras Muniz will go on to compete at the district jam against other high school winners. Knight and Lumbreras will be student judges at the district jam.
CADENCE
Residents fight hunger with Food Bank fundraiser.
PAGES 8-9
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE
FREE
Footballers prepare for Superbowl. PAGE 12
PAGE 10
SHOP TILL YOU DROP
by Emily Topper | Staff Writer
SBS: Promoting local buying This year, Small Business Saturday will be Nov. 28.
Where to Shop
About the Day Small Business Saturday began in Nov. 2010 as a follow-up to Black Friday. Instead of promoting large retail stores that sell many of the same items, Small Business Saturday promotes the shop small, buy local movement. The American Express Corporation trademarked the term Small Business Saturday.
Shops in Historic Downtown will be offering special deals and unique gifts on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 28. Plant City Mercantile will have 30 vendors. Other stores around Plant City will also be participating, such as RAOK Boutique and Fringe Boutique. RAOK: 2804 James L. Redman Parkway #103 Fringe: 601 E. Alexander St.
One of the most popular traditions after Thanksgiving is to wait in long lines outside of big box retailers in anticipation of Black Friday deals and savings. But in the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World, local business owners are preparing for the next round in the frenzy of holiday shopping: Small Business Saturday. Small Business Saturday, which began in Nov. 2010 around the United States, is being localized in the heart of Historic Downtown Plant City. On Saturday, Nov. 28, resi-
dents can flock to local shops to find deals and unique gifts that are sparse at department stores. This year, shopping addicts can look forward to about 12 downtown businesses participating in Small Business Saturday. “All downtown shops know that it’s going on,” David Schultz, owner of curated boutique marketplace Plant City Mercantile, said. Schultz, who is also a member of the City-supported Main Street Program in Historic Downtown, said that this
year businesses have used social media to promote the annual national event. “Through everybody’s Facebook page and Instagram, we’re trying to make people aware,” he said. “It’s important. Social media is incredibly important to retail businesses these days.” On social media sites, Plant City Mercantile has showcased items, such as jewelry and antiques, that will be for sale by over 30 vendors on Small Business Saturday.
SEE SMALL / PAGE 6
SENT FROM ABOVE by Emily Topper | Staff Writer
The Good Samaritan
The Shepherds are thankful for a mystery man and his dog, who helped Carole Shepherd after she suffered cardiac arrest during a morning walk. Editor’s Note: If you are the good samaritan/mystery man mentioned in this story, or if you know who the man is, contact News Reporter Emily Topper at etopper@ plantcityobserver.com to be put in touch with the Shepherd family.
+ Sculptures return to P.C.
C
Ten J. Seward Johnson sculptures will return to Plant City Tuesday, Dec. 1, through Tuesday, March 15. The sculptures are on loan from the Sculpture Foundation, which arranges the traveling of the sculptures around the world. The return of the sculptures has been in the planning stages for over a year. The Arts Council of Plant City was in contact with the Sculpture Foundation, but there were not any sculptures available until now because of several large national exhibits. The sculptures will be different from the sculptures that have been visited in Historic Downtown in the past. They will be placed in McCall Park, the Robert W. Willaford Railroad Museum and Wlecome Center, Plant City Photo Archives and History Center, Plant City Entertainment Inc., Village Green, Bruton Memorial Library and City Hall.
arole Shepherd has no memory of Thursday, Oct. 15. The Plant City resident, who has lived in the same house on North Wheeler Street for the last 46 years, doesn’t remember waking up that morning. She doesn’t remember delaying her early morning walk with her husband, Tom, so that he could have blood work done. She doesn’t remember what she wore or what she said. She especially doesn’t remember anything after 9:20 a.m. The Shepherds had been finishing their walk, albeit later than usual, when Carole Shepherd collapsed from sudden cardiac and reEmily Topper
Tom and Carole Shepherd have two dogs, Bunny and B. Nurses at St. Joseph’s Hospital gave them the white stuffed animal during Carole Shepherd’s stay.
SEE SAMARITAN / PAGE 4
GOBBLE, GOBBLE by Emily Topper | Staff Writer
Turkey Trot 5K to spread wings on Thanksgiving Feeling guilty about overeating on Thanksgiving? Plant City’s YMCA will host a 5K on Nov. 26.
In under a week, people across the United States will be celebrating Thanksgiving — the holiday that excuses eating enough mashed potatoes to fill a swimming pool. Thankfully, health-conscious Plant City residents can kick off Turkey Day the right way by participating in the Plant City Family YMCA’s 5K Turkey Trot. The Thursday,
Nov. 26, race will begin at 7 a.m. at the YMCA. Participants will start and end in the YMCA parking lot, and will run through the Walden Lake community. The race will end at 9 a.m., but most participants will finish the race, which is roughly 3.1 miles, in about an hour. “It’s a great way to start your day,” Dean Pfeffer, the vice
chairman of Plant City’s YMCA board of directors, said. Pfeffer is also the pastor of Hope Lutheran Church, which has been one of the event’s sponsors for the last two years. “Families can start the holidays together.” This is the fourth year that the YMCA has hosted the race
SEE BENEFIT / PAGE 6
INDEX Calendar........................2
IF YOU GO When: 7 to 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 26; registration begins at 5:30 a.m. Where: Plant City Family YMCA, 1507 YMCA Place Cost: $35 per person for non-YMCA members; $30 per person for YMCA members; cost will go up on race day. More Info: (813) 757-6677
Vol. 3, No. 16 | One section Crossword....................15
Obituaries....................11
Sports..........................12
Weather.......................15
PlantCityObserver.com