PLANT CITY
Observer
HAPPY
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 6, NO. 26
FREE
•
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2018
YOUR STORIES. OUR PICTURES Revisit the biggest news and most compelling stories of 2018 through photos. SEE PAGE 3
TRAINING WITH A LEGEND
YOUR TOWN
Santa Sled Fest comes to town The annual Santa Sled Festival was held on Dec. 22 at Marie B. Ellis Park. The Des’ Aimes Social Club and Plant City Black Heritage host the event every year to ensure local families have a stressfree and merry Christmas. During the festival, the children can play on bounce houses and enjoy fun games. Free meals are provided for everyone as well. Then the participating families are given toys and a Christmas meal. Dozens of bicycles and lots of new clothes are also given out throughout the event.
Breanne Williams
Dave Letterfly has lived a life few could even dream of. Now he’s sharing his skills with the community.
D
BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
A local artist has lived a life that most would only see in the movies. Running away to the circus, traveling the country painting elaborate murals, Dave Letterfly has developed an enviable skill set.
ave Letterfly has spent his life chasing his passions. It’s led him around the world and allowed him to develop a skill set most could only dream of possessing. He’s spent the last several years offering an outlet for artists to learn his craft. At the start of each year, he hosts a five-day workshop in Plant City that teaches everything from old school pinstriping to airbrushing and gold leaf. Each day is a new topic and attendees are welcome to sign up for
their day of choice or for the entire week. “My life has been full of twists and turns and I’ve been lucky enough to have had opportunities to learn so many different skills,” Letterfly said. “These workshops are for anyone, but I created them with young people in mind. They don’t have the situations available that I had to learn how to do this, how to create this type of art.”
SEE PAGE 2
PCHS Theatre troupe prepares for states BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER
Students in PCHS’s Theatre Troupe 1449 enchanted judges at districts, receiving a superior and were given the opportunity to participate in the state competition.
SEE PAGE 2
Courtesy of Audrey Schmidt
The students performed Harvey in the One-Act competition.
Redecorating for the holiday The Sadye Gibbs Martin Auditorium in City Hall is currently undergoing repairs. Commissioners approved a budget of $160,000 to purchase a variety of new media systems and equipment to enhance the meetings and experiences in the auditorium. The room is under renovation and will kick off the new year with a new look.