Plant City Times &
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015
FREE
PIGGIES
Protect yourself from thieves when gift shopping.
Guests stuff their stomachs at Pig Jam.
HANG TIME
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SEASON SAFETY
CHEERS TO 15 YEARS
Plant City Dolphins take Superbowl.
by Emily Topper | Staff Writer
Cuzzins Bar makes its last call ONLINE EXCLUSIVE Check PlantCityObserver. com for a complete list of holiday entertainment to perform at Christmas Lane. The holiday event will be from Friday, Nov. 27, to Sunday, Jan. 3, at the Florida Strawberry Festival Expo Hall, 2508 W. Oak Ave.
OUR TOWN + Sunshine Bank expands
On Saturday, Nov. 28, Mel and Sharon Ardelean will close the doors of their bar in Historic Downtown for good. Before 8 a.m., members of The Breakfast Club are already standing outside of Cuzzins Bar on North Palmer Street. A line of people outside before the doors open isn’t unusual for Mel and Sharon Ardelean. The couple has owned and operated the local watering hole for the last 15 years. But soon, The Breakfast Club — mostly local residents who have just gotten off of the night shift — will meet at Cuzzins for the last time. On
Saturday, Nov. 28, the Ardeleans will be shutting down the bar for good and retiring. It’s the final step of the 15-year plan they started in 2000. “I was 50 years old,” Mel Ardelean said. “Retirement looked pretty bleak. Pensions started disappearing. Job hopping was the way to get ahead.” When the bar first opened, the marketing plan was simple: a country western bar in a country western town.
Even behind the bar, Mel and Sharon Ardelean made sure to welcome everyone who entered Cuzzins Bar.
But the beloved bar had small beginnings. Because it was once a bar that was only open once a month during Bike Week, attracting customers to Cuzzins was harder than the Ardeleans had anticipated. “For the first two weeks, almost no one came in,” Mel Ardelean said. “We thought, ‘Oh my God, what did we do?”
Emily Topper
SEE CUZZINS / PAGE 5
BLITZ by Justin Kline | Sports Editor
Sunshine Bancorp Inc., the parent holding company of Plant City-based Sunshine Bank, announced the completion of its branch purchase agreement with First Federal Bank of Florida. This transaction positions Sunshine with two locations in Manatee County and a platform for continued growth in the greater Sarasota region. The transaction was announced on July 17, and all required regulatory approvals were received earlier in the fourth quarter of 2015. As a result of the transition, Sunshine’s network will include 12 banking facilities, operating under the Sunshine Bank name, in Hillsborough, Manatee, Orange, Pasco, Polk and Sarasota counties.
PLAYOFFPOWER
+ Purchase wreaths for veterans Plant City’s chapter of Youth in Government is asking for residents to purchase wreaths for Wreaths Across America. Youth in Government chapters across the United States will be putting the wreaths on the graves of United States military veterans in Arlington National Cemetery, in addition to local veteran cemeteries. Last year, volunteers placed over 700,000 memorial wreaths at 1,000 locations. Members of Florida Youth in Government will be at Florida National Cemetery, in Bushnell, in December to place the wreaths. In addition to selling wreaths, the sponsorships will help raise money for the Plant City chapter’s annual Florida Assembly trip in Tallahassee. Wreaths can be purchased by Sunday, Nov. 29, for $15 each. Checks should be made to Wreaths Across America and can be sent to Youth in Government, c/o Plant City YMCA, 1507 YMCA Place, Plant City, FL 33563.
T
Justin Kline
Markese Hargrove scored on a 75-yard run in the Nov. 20 game against Tampa Bay Tech.
HE RAIDERS are going to the ‘ship. • Plant City’s dominant 35-15 win over district rival Tampa Bay Tech Friday, Nov. 20, means that the Raiders are set to host the FHSAA regional championship game Friday, Nov. 27. The game against Braden River will be the last game in town before the Dec. 4 state playoffs. Read about the big game on Page 13.
CHRISTMAS BUSINESS by Justin Kline | Sports Editor IF YOU GO WHERE: John R. Trinkle Center at Hillsborough Community College, 1206 N. Park Road WHEN: 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1 COST: Free admission; drinks and some vendor items will cost money. Prices vary.
WHAT’S HAPPENING Holiday items for sale Santa Claus Concerts Door prizes Free samples
Chamber expo rebrands for holiday season shopping It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas — at least it will at the next Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce Community Expo. The annual expo, which showcases local businesses and gives them the chance to promote themselves, is changing its tune in 2015 and adopting a Christmas theme. The move was done not only to introduce a new
theme, but also to encourage local businesses to get in the holiday spirit. “(We) thought it would be a great opportunity for local businesses to sell holidaythemed items,” Chairman Jim Scott said. Scott and the chamber have gone all-out in making the event as festive as possible. The John R. Trinkle Center
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at Hillsborough Community College in Plant City will be decorated to suit the holiday, and everything will be family-friendly. Youth groups will be singing and entertaining at the expo, and Santa Claus will stop by for pictures for anyone who brings their own smartphone or camera.
SEE EXPO / PAGE 4 Vol. 3, No. 17 | One section
Crossword....................15
Obituaries....................11
Sports..........................12
Weather.......................15
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