Plant City Times &
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2015
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Durant and Plant City high schools take the court. PAGE 13
OUR TOWN
FREE
See who bought the first festival concert tickets.
Churches celebrate reason for the season.
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HOMETOWN HILARITY by Emily Topper | Staff Writer
Famous playwrights visit Plant City ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHTS
Jamie Wooten, Nick Hope and Jessie Jones toured Plant City Entertainment Inc. Dec. 15.
Festival tickets on sale Tickets for the 2016 Florida Strawberry Festival’s general admission and headline entertainment concerts on the Wish Farms Soundstage went on sale last week. There are three ways to purchase tickets: online at FlStrawberryFestival. com; over the phone at (813) 754-1996; or at the Amscot Main Ticket Office, 2209 W. Oak Ave. Advance general admission tickets are: $8 for adults; $4 for children 6 to 12 years old; free for children 5 years old and under. Beginning Jan. 28, advance admission tickets can also be purchased at participating Publix Super Markets. “We always encourage patrons to secure their concert tickets early,” Florida Strawberry Festival General Manager Paul Davis said. “Plus, they make great Christmas gifts for family and friends.” Twenty-two shows comprise the headline entertainment offered in the 2016 lineup. A full listing is available at FlStrawberryFestival.com. The 2016 Florida Strawberry Festival takes place March 3 to 13. For more information, visit FlStrawberryFestival. com. Use #berryfest16 on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Junior Woman’s Club donates shoes The Junior Woman’s Club of Plant City completed its 2015 Shoe Project, which provides athletic shoes to underprivileged elementary youth in Plant City. Various fundraising events allow the club to purchase over 700 pairs of shoes each year. James Hardie stepped up to sponsor 55 youth at Bryan Elementary. It donated about $750 to purchase shoes in partnership with Payless ShoeSource in Plant City. The Payless partnership has given the buy one, get one and additional discounts to the shoe project to reach as many youth as possible. The James Hardie donation has also inspired Railroad & Industrial Federal Credit Union bank to donate $450 to the project. The club gave the shoes to students at Bryan Elementary Friday, Dec. 4.
Jessie Jones, Nick Hope and Jamie Wooten, the playwrights who make up Jones Hope Wooten Comedies, are no strangers to the stage. The group has written 16 plays since they first formed 10 years ago, and about three million people have seen their shows performed across the United States — including in Plant City. On Thursday, Dec. 15, the trio toured Plant City Entertainment Inc. The community theater will be putting on “Rex’s Exes” in January. It is the playwrights’ sequel to the
Jones Hope Wooten Comedies has written 16 plays, including “Dixie Swim Club,” “Dearly Beloved,” “Texas Round-Up of the Guacamole Queens” and “Funny Little Thing Called Love.” Visit: Facebook.com/ JonesHopeWooten Website: JonesHopeWooten.com
“Red Velvet Cake War,” which Plant City Entertainment also produced. Like many of their other comedies, “Rex’s Exes” centers around a charming Texas town, which features small-town characters with big personalities. It’s the perfect production for the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World. The show, directed by Kay Secord, is set to debut at Plant City Entertainment in late January. The playwrights
SEE PLAYWRIGHTS / PAGE 4
Emily Topper
Left: Jamie Wooten, Nick Hope and Jessie Jones with Plant City Entertainment President Marsha Passmore
BUSINESS
LIGHTBULB GOES OFF by Emily Topper | Staff Writer
by Justin Kline | Sports Editor
Jimmy John’s opens Plant City Jimmy John’s owner Jesse Neagles sees potential in Plant City.
Emily Topper
Meagen Leiby, her fiance, Brian Masters, and their three children, Chloe, Nathan and Katie, stand in front of a 20-foot tall Christmas tree Masters made. The family’s display this year has grown to over 20,000 lights.
MASTERING THE ART OF CHRISTMAS IF YOU GO
Driving down Jim Johnson Road this holiday season just got a little bit brighter.
A
few years ago, Brian Masters went to Wal-Mart at midnight on Dec. 26, in search of a gallon of milk for his family. But as he wandered to the dairy aisle, something else caught his eye: Christmas lights. Not just a few lights. Boxes and boxes of lights — all 50% off. “I had no idea Wal-Mart did that,” Masters said. “Everybody thought I was crazy, because I was just taking complete boxes of Christmas lights off the shelves.” Now, the Masters’ family has a light display at their home
off Jim Johnson Road that has grown to have 20,020 LED lights this year, more than doubling last year’s 8,000 lights. This year’s display includes a 20-foot tall Christmas tree and a replica of the American flag, built to scale. The family is inviting the public to take a stroll through their winter wonderland beginning at 6 p.m. every night until Friday, Jan. 1. “It’s worth it,” Masters said. “When we’re out there, people just stop and holler out of their window, ‘Good job!” “We get bigger every year,”
The Masters Family encourages everyone to walk around the grounds of their home at Jim Johnson Road, where there is a display of over 20,000 lights. When: 6 p.m. until dawn, every night until Friday, Jan. 1. Where: 2329 Jim Johnson Road Cost: Free Facebook: Masters Family Christmas Plant City
SEE JIMMY JOHN’S / PAGE 4
TASTE TEST Where: 2424 James L. Redman Parkway Hours: Monday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Phone: (813) 756-5897 Website: JimmyJohns.com
SEE LIGHTS / PAGE 4
INDEX Calendar........................2
Plant City residents will now be able to enjoy “freaky fast delivery.” Jimmy John’s, a gourmet sandwich shop that prides itself on speedy delivery, has opened a location off of James L. Redman Parkway. Owner Jesse Neagles spent two and one half years trying to launch a franchise in Plant City, and it came to fruition Tuesday, Dec. 1. Neagles is originally from the Sarasota area and is a six-year veteran of Jimmy John’s corporate side. He has traveled the country as a business coach, visiting stores in many states to help them to bring up sales. He enjoyed the work so much that he knew he wanted to experience the ownership side one day. “I saw that some of those stores were really killing it, so I wanted to get in on it,” he said. Neagles has previously ran a McDonald’s restaurant. Not long after deciding to get into the Jimmy John’s franchising game, Neagles began planning. Originally, the store could have been located near Taco Rey, also on James L. Redman
Vol. 3, No. 19 | One section Crossword....................15
Obituaries....................10
Sports..........................12
Weather.......................15
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