12.8.22 PLCO

MICHELLE CACERES STAFF WRITER

The holiday spirit was palpable at this year’s Plant City Christmas parade as thousands of people gathered to witness the spectacle. Empty chairs lined the parade route hours before the event started as eager viewers vied for a front-row seat to watch the city’s high school marching bands, flats and city leaders decked out in Christmas apparel spread Christmas joy.

Plant City resident Dodie White thought it was the perfect evening for the event. “It was a beautiful night for a parade and we couldn’t have asked for better weather,” she said.

The parade included plenty of throws, from beads and glow sticks to candy and jingle bell bracelets. The crowd went wild as the Chick-filA flat rolled through while its festive elves passed out mini stuffed cows and cards for a free dessert.

LIGHTS OF LOVE KICKS OFF HOLIDAY SEASON FOR THE 24TH YEAR, THE SFBH FOUNDATION’S ANNUAL EVENT LIT UP MCCALL PARK

TAYLOR JENKINS STAFF WRITER

For the 24th year, hundreds made their way to downtown Plant City to join in the celebration that is Lights of Love, witnessing the towering Christmas tree along with all of the lights and decorations that fill McCall ark and the Robert W. Willaford Rail road Museum come to life, flooding the ciy with light and kicking off the holidy season.

But the night is not simply just a community event, it’s a fundraiser for the South Florida Baptist Hospital Foundation in partnership with the City of Plant City and First Baptist Church Plant City, aided by their many sponsors.

To raise funds, lights on the tree were “sold” and named in honor of their donors or in memory of individuals, with differing levels of donations being recognized by different colored lights. The foundation would then respond additionally with an acknowledgement card to the donor or to the family of the individual that the dedicated light shined bright for. Each year, hundreds of sponsors help raise thousands of dollars for the foundation, a fund

that will directly benefit South Florida Baptist Hospital and its ever-expanding medical services. When guests arrived they were able to share in the festivities including pictures with Santa, participating businesses and booths set up along the perimeter of the park. As the moment drew near, First Baptist Church Children’s Choir performed classic Christmas songs for the crowd and Plant City mayor Nate Kilton took the stage in his holiday-themed suit, thanking all who played a part in making the night a success before South Florida Baptist Hospital chaplain Eric Ayala blessed the evening with his invocation and South Florida Baptist Hospital president Karen Kerr spoke to the crowd. When the shining moment arrived, Santa and Mrs. Clause stepped forward with their trusty reindeer Rudolph to flip the switch and set the Lights of Love tree and the whole surrounding area aglow. The city’s lights and tree will remain lit for the remainder of the month, alongside several decorative gift boxes that each bear the name of the event’s sponsors.

PLANT CITY’S GRIT RAMBUSCH REACHES QUARTERFINALS FOR THE GREATEST BAKER

Grit Rambusch, owner of Plant City bakery Crumbles and Cream Kaffeehaus, has reached the quarterfinals or The Greatest Baker.

The Greatest Baker is an online, public voting competition hosted by celebrity bakers Alice Fervonia and Sophie Faldo, both finalits from past seasons of the Great British Bake Off The winner will take home the title, $10,000 in prize money and a two-page feature in “Bake from Scratch” Magazine.

Baking professionally since 1991, Rambusch’s signature bake is prasselkuchen, a buttery puff astry, a thin layer of homemade cranberry fruit preserve spread, topped with crunchy but tender ‘melt-in-your mouth’ vanilla butter crumbles, drizzled with a freshly squeezed lemon juice glaze after baking. The perfect combination of soft and crunchy and sweet and tart.

To vote for Rambusch in The Greatest Baker competition, visit https://greatestbaker.com/2022/grit-rambusch. One free vote can be cast every 24 hours throughout this round of voting, running through Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. For more information about Crumbles and Cream Kaffeehaus, visit www.crumblesandcream.com.

CHURCH WELCOMES MOBILE FOOD PANTRY

Hope Lutheran Church will once again host their mobile food pantry in the church parking lot, 2001 N. Park Rd., on Thursday, December 15.

This pantry, in association with St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Lakeland, will begin distributing food to those in need beginning at 6 p.m., running until the supplies are distributed. Anyone in need of grocery assistance is encouraged to join as Hope Lutheran works to help eliminate food insecurities within their local community. Various goods ranging from vegetables to meats to dairy and bakery goods will all be available.

The pantry, “Moving Hope,” takes place at Hope Lutheran Church on the third Thursday of each month, no identifiation is required to participate and the pantry is open to anyone in the Plant City community who may need an extra hand.

FLORIDA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL MAKES CHANGES TO CONCERT LINEUP

The Florida Strawberry Festival released its remaining list of headline entertainment artists that will be performing on the Wish Farms Soundstage at the festival in 2023.

The remaining artists are as follows:

Walker Hayes : Thursday, March 2, 7:30 p.m.

Chris “Ludacris” Bridges: Saturday, March 4, 7:30 p.m.

Chris Young: Sunday, March 5, 7:30 p.m.

The Jacksons: Wednesday, March 8, 7:30 p.m.

Along with some new additions, it was also announced that Keith Sweat will NOT be performing at the festival as previously scheduled due to unforeseen circumstances. Sweat was originally planned to perform on Saturday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m. and the festival’s entertainment committee is actively working on a plan to fill the open slo

HOPE LUTHERAN

PLANT CITY CHRISTMAS PARADE BRINGS

HOLIDAY CHEER

MICHELLE CACERES STAFF WRITER

“I definiely loved the Chick-fil A flat,” said 9-year-old Plant City resident Chloe Livengood.

Her mother Shelly said she and her daughters, Chloe and 13-year-old Chelsea, attend the parade every year but this year’s was definiely her favorite. “There was so much to see this year,” she said. “it definiely left us feeling lots of good Christmas spirit.”

Three judges included the Honorable Michael Scionti of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit , Danny Burgess’ legislative aide Kimberly Simon, and Trina Darby had their work cut out for them trying to select category winners from the festive entrants. “I was watching for lots of enthusiasm, creativity and holiday spirit,” said Scionti.

The Overall Entry award went to Chick-filA. The Best Marching Unit award went to Strawberry Crest Marching Band. The Best School Entry award went to Tomlin Middle School FFA. The Best Church or Religious Entry award went to Life Journey Baptist Church. The Best Business Entry award went to Judy’s Dance Academy.

This week on Cops Corner, Plant City Police investigate a restaurant scuffle, a fraudulent prescription and stolen gasoline.

FOOD FIGHT

4300 block of W. Hwy. 574

GONE GUN

900 block of Roux St.

YOU GOTTA GO

Publisher / Karen Berry KBerry@PlantCityObserver.com

Managing Editor / Sarah Holt SHolt@PlantCityObserver.com

Sports Writer / Taylor Jenkins tjenkins@plantcityobserver.com

StaffWriter / Michelle Caceres michelle@plantcityobserver.com

NOT SO LOW PROFILE

Reynolds St. / Franklin St.

Warrant arrest: An officer conducted a traffictop for failure to stop at a stop sign. During the traffictop it was discovered that the driver had an active Hillsborough County warrant for failure to appear for driving with a suspended license. The warrant was confirmed and the individual as transported to Orient Road Jail without incident.

NOVEMBER 26

TOO LITTLE TOO LATE

200 block of S. Frontage Rd.

Business burglary: An officer responded to a business at the listed location in reference to a burglary that had already occurred.

Battery: An officer responded to a restaurant at the cited location in reference to a fight all. Upon arrival, contact was made with an employee of the business. The employee states that he was in a verbal argument with another individual when the individual spit on the employee’s face/chest area. The employee then smacked the individual on the top of their head. Both subjects signed a waiver of prosecution and the individual was trespassed from the property.

NOVEMBER 27

YOU’VE GOT MAIL

W. Madison St.

Mail theft / drug investigation: An officer responded to the listed area in reference to a suspicious person taking mail out of mailboxes. One individual was subsequently arrested and transported to Orient Road Jail.

Vehicle burglary: An officer met with the victim at the listed location who advised that their fiearm, a 22 caliber handgun valued at $650, was stolen from the center console of their vehicle.

NOVEMBER 28

FRAUDULENT FIX

2200 block of James L. Redman Pkwy.

Fraud: An officer responded to a business at the listed location to investigate allegations of a fraudulent prescription.

SAD SITE

1500 block of Tropical Oasis Ave. Grand theft: Officers responded to the listed locations in reference to multiple thefts from a construction site.

300 block of S. Frontage Rd. Warrant arrest: Officers met with an individual at the listed location in reference to the property manager wanting them off f the property. An FCIC/NCIC check was completed which showed that the individual had an active Hardee County warrant for child support. The warrant was confirmed and the individual susequently placed under arrest and transported to Orient Road Jail.

NOVEMBER 29

GAS GUZZLER

500 block of N. County Line Rd.

Fraud / theft: An officer met with an employee at the listed location who advised an unknown customer received $954.92 worth of diesel and then left without paying.

CARD SHARK

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CITY FURNITURE HOLDS GRAND OPENING

MICHELLE CACERES STAFF WRITER

CITY Furniture celebrated the open ing of its more than 150,000 square feet showroom located at 3307 South Frontage Road with a grand opening celebration last weekend that included a ribbon cutting and visit from Plant City’s civic and busi ness leaders.

In addition to the spacious showroom where shoppers can find furniture and decor options for every type of style, from modern to coastal and glam to mid-century (which is definitely worth a visit), the new location is also home to its regional office and distribution center. In total, the build ing covers 1.3 million square feet of space.

The economic impact of the company’s opening has had a positive effect on many Plant City residents. When fully staffed, the company expects to employ approxi mately 500 people.

One of its newer employees is Plant City resident Mia Roach, who accepted a posi

tion as a sales associate in late October. Roach has six years’ experience in furniture sales working for one of CITY Furniture’s competitors.

“It’s been so refreshing working for CITY Furniture because its management is very organized and it sells such quality prod ucts,” she said. “I think they are really going to dominate this industry.”

She also recognizes and appreciates the innovation and outside-the-box thinking that has allowed Plant City to be on the forefront of corporate growth in the Tam pa Bay Area. “Our city government knows there’s a nice way to balance the small town feel with needed growth,” she said.

CITY Furniture hasn’t finished hiring yet. Several positions are still open, includ ing Building Custodian, Customer Ser vice Representative, Fleet Manager, Fleet Mechanic, Receiving Warehouse Associ ate, Sales Associate and Warehouse Main tenance Mechanical Associate.

“As we continue to grow we need to make sure we have the sales staff to support cus

tomers’ needs and service technicians to support customers’ deliveries,” said senior manager of Public Relations Caitlin Mari bona.

Maribona, who has worked for the com pany for 10 years, praised the company for the many benefits it offers employees, including a competitive salary (the average starting salary is approximately $50,000 a year), paid time off, sick leave, health insurance, 401k plans and room for pro fessional growth.

“City Furniture is a family company first and we treat all our associates like fam ily which is why we have so many tenured associates,” said Maribona.

It is a family business after all, founded in 1971 by brothers Kevin and Keith Koenig as Waterbed City. When demand for water beds waned, the company evolved into CITY Furniture in 1994, offering not just bedroom furniture but a full line of home furnishings for every room in the home.

Maribona is also proud of the fact that the company has made a 2040 Green

Promise, meaning its goal is to be car bon neutral by the year 2040. Warehouse employees break down and recycle card board and styrofoam packaging materials. Many of its showrooms are LEED certified, a designation that means the buildings save money, improve efficiency, lower carbon emissions and create healthier places for people. Its entire delivery fleet runs on natural gas, reducing its carbon footprint by 40 percent.

“Customers can feel good that when a delivery truck arrives at their home, it’s running green and clean,” she said. “This company is doing its part for the commu nity and for planet Earth.”

City Furniture is open Mon. - Sun. 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.

For more information about City Furni ture visit www.cityfurniture.com. To learn more about job openings with the company visit www.cityfurniture.com/jobs.

NEW FLAGS THANKS

Plant City resident and veteran Thomas Taylor had something precious stolen from his front yard a couple of years ago. It wasn’t a BMW sports car or Mercedes SUV. The for mer Navy “frogman”, a pre cursor to a Navy SEAL and a nickname for its Under water Demolitions Team, had three flags stolen off his flagpoles: the Ameri can flag, his Navy flag and POW flag.

This wasn’t the first time thieves stole from the man who turned 94-year-old in October. A year before his flags were stolen a wagon was taken from his yard. One of the officers responding to the crime was Officer Fiol. He formed an instant friendship with Taylor, who lives alone and whose stories about his experiences in the Navy and his life are as interest ing as they are formidable. Fiol took it upon himself to purchase a replacement wagon from the Tractor Supply Company.

“You can’t help but love him,” said Fiol. “His home is in my zone so I keep an eye on him.”

Fiol is modest; he does much more than that. When his flags were sto len the following year, he installed taller 12-foot flagpoles on his day off, hoping they’d be a deter rent for anyone wanting to steal them again. He also ordered replacement flags from Amazon.

Taylor was grateful for the kindness because the flags are a representation of freedom. He often sits on his front porch in a rocking chair, watching as the flags flutter in the breeze while contemplating his service to country.

“These flags mean I’ve

done my part and stand for our freedom,” he said.

Taylor joined the Navy right after he graduated from high school in 1956 and served for 16 1/2 years. He landed in Vietnam on March 5, 1958. Her’s hesi tant to talk about his expe riences in the country.

“There are things that you go through that you can’t talk about,” he said.

Taylor often has trouble sleeping at night. Memo ries from decades ago still haunt him. “I close my eyes and I’m right back there,” he said. Despite the flash backs that haunt him, he’s glad he was able to serve his country.

When Hurricane Ian tore through town in Septem ber, the strong winds left his flags in tatters. They needed replacing again. Fiol wanted to help his friend. Officer Vincent Wise also knew Taylor. On Thanks giving Day, Wise told his father, Elks Lodge member Ed Wise, who is in charge of a program that provides American flags to veterans, about Taylor’s situation. The father and son left their family’s holiday celebration to swap out the tattered flag for a new one. “He’s a vet eran and risked his life for his country,” said Ed Wise.

“I think I could delay my turkey dinner long enough to take the man a flag and show him the respect he deserves.”

Fiol ordered Taylor new Navy and POW flags, which he again hung up on his day off. It’s a small sacrifice for a man who’s given so much. “We kinda like each other,” he joked.

MICHELLE CACERES STAFF WRITER

MUSIC FANS CAMP OUT TO PURCHASE FLORIDA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL CONCERT TICKETS

Decorating Christmas trees and baking delicious cookies aren’t the only holiday traditions on Cape Coral resident Deanna Mather’s calendar. She and her husband John arrived in Plant City last Friday at 6:30 a.m. to set up their tent for a six-night campout.

They didn’t set up their tent in an offi cial campground but in front of the Flori da Strawberry Festival’s ticket booth. The festival’s concert tickets go on sale Thurs., Dec. 8 at 8 a.m. and they wanted to make sure they could snag front-row seats for some of the performances.

“This is one of our traditions since we come up here every year,’ said Mather. This year’s campout for tickets holds extra-spe cial meaning. She normally doesn’t arrive

as early as she did but her longtime friend Melissa McCorkle wanted to be the first in line for tickets this year. McCorkle passed away in October from a brain aneurysm. “We normally don’t show up until Monday but we got here early so I could honor her wish,” said Mather.

An empty chair sits near her tent in honor of her memory. “We all miss her,” she said.

Mather is here to score tickets to see The Oak Ridge Boys, Willie Nelson, Tanya Tucker, Neal McCoy and The Gatlin Broth ers.

Mather wasn’t the only one waiting on tickets with a story to tell. Plant City resi dent Tammy Chancey, a Realtor with Team Chancey LPT Realty, was fourth in line and hoping to snag tickets to see Walker Hayes and CeCe Winans. Chancey and her aunt Laurie Hill were both in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit at the same time last

year. Hill passed away but the last text she sent Chancey had a link to Winans’ video of her hit “Believe For It” and a message that she loved that song, whose inspirational words share a hope in Christ. “I’m going to bring her picture with me and we’ll watch the show together,” she said.

Other s in line included Plant City resi dents Donna Elliott and Jessica McDan iel, who’ve made camping out for tickets an annual ritual for more than a decade. Elliott has family coming in from St. Louis to attend the festival. She purchases tickets to give to her grandchildren as Christmas gifts. She hopes to see Willie Nelson and Lynyrd Skynyrd. “This is my Black Friday shopping,” she joked. McDaniel said she’ll purchase tickets to eight shows but is espe cially interested in tickets to see Lynyrd Skynyrd. Her son wants to see Chris “Lud acris” Bridges.

“People think we’re crazy but this is fun and we make friends here,” said Mather, whose tent is decked out with a large blow up mattress and cozy blankets.

Locals support the small band of devot ed fans. The group shouted for joy when a truck hauling a porta-potty showed up Friday night. An extension cord run from an outlet powers their cellphones and oth er electronics. Strangers show up bearing food from local restaurants like Fred’s and Chick-fil-A. They spend their days talk ing, playing games and watching videos on their phones.

The small group of stalwart fans will have their makeshift campsites town down before tickets go on sale at 8 a.m.. What are they going to do after they purchase the concert tickets they want? “We’re gonna go home, eat, shower and sleep,” they all said in unison.

DIE-HARD FANS CAMPED OUT FOR DAYS TO GET THEIR HANDS ON FRONT-ROW SEATS TO HEAR THEIR FAVORITE ARTISTS PERFORM ON FLORIDA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL’S WISH FARMS SOUNDSTAGE.

MICHELLE CACERES STAFF WRITER

GET YOUR PICKLEBALL ON AT SADYE GIBBS MARTIN COMMUNITY CENTER

MICHELLE CACERES STAFF WRITER

If you enjoy spending time in the kitch en, you won’t like pickleball, a tennislike sport that’s a combination of tennis, badminton and ping-pong, because the “kitchen”, whose official name is the nonvolley zone, is the area of the court that’s off limits to players.

For first-timers, professional players and everyone in between, pickleball is a fun and accessible sport promoting health and wellness and social and community build ing. A fun, light-on-your feet game, pick leball is more social and strategic than oth er low-impact activities so it’s the perfect way to simultaneously strengthen the body and mind. Residents can try their hand at the sport on one of eight indoor courts at the Sadye Gibbs Martin Community Cen ter for free Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. - noon.

Recreation supervisor Trey Phillips had never heard about or played the sport until he took the job at the community center but now he’s a fan of the sport and hopes interest in the sport will continue to grow. “I hope that one day we’ll be able to host tournaments here,” he said.

Phillips may be new to the world of pick leball, but Plant City resident George Ban ning has been playing for ten years. The 70-year-old was introduced to the sport at the YMCA. “It’s a great way to stay in shape and it’s a very social sport, we sometimes go out to lunch together afterward,” said Banning.

Plant City will one day add outdoor pick leball courts as an option for residents.

Plant City Parks and Recreation direc tor Julie Garretson said outdoor pickleball

courts will soon be a reality in Plant City. Thanks to a $1.9 million budget (with $1.5 million coming from the federal governo ment’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds) Rowena Mays Park, located at at the northeast corner of West Baker Street and North Alexander Street, will be renamed Rowena Mays Athletic Park.

Currently the park features lots of open space, picnic tables, two tennis courts and two basketball courts. When the project is completed, the new park will feature two lighted tennis courts, eight lighted pick leball courts, a pickleball practice wall for warming up, two lighted basketball courts, benches along the sidewalk, large restrooms, picnic tables and ample park ing. The park will be open every day from sunrise to 10 p.m.

“Our goal is to make better use of the current space and offer more amenities,” said Garretson. “It’ll be a very state-ofthe-art updated pickleball facility.”

While an estimated completion date is not yet available, a more accurate timeline will be released in early 2023.

Garretson thinks there are many reasons to love pickleball, a sport that stretches across all age demographics and socioeco nomic levels. “It’s a sport that plays on a court that’s smaller than a tennis court so it’s less intimidating,” she said. “Any one can pick up a paddle and learn to play because the rules are pretty easy to under stand.”

The fact that it’s free to play is also easy on the wallet.

For more information about pickleball at the Sadye Gibbs Martin Community Cen ter visit www.plantcitygov.com or call 813659-4253.

IN ADDITION TO PLANT CITY’S INDOOR COURTS, THE CITY IS PLANNING TO CONSTRUCT A OUTDOOR PARK WITH EIGHT LIGHTED COURTS.

Phase Two Hog Hunt Registration Begins Dec. 13

MICHELLE CACERES STAFF WRITER

Whatever you call them…feral hog, feral swine, feral pig, wild boar, wild pig or piney woods rooter…wild hogs, thought to have been introduced by Spanish explorer Her nando DeSoto in the 1500’s, are a prob lem for Florida’s landowners, farmers and native species.

The pesky intruders, which can grow to more than 150 pounds and measure five to six feet long, compete for food with native wildlife such as deer, squirrels and tur keys, destroy native vegetation in sensitive wetland habitats, consume agricultural crops and livestock feed, damage lawns and landscaping on private property and prey on birds, turtles and young domes tic livestock. They also can carry parasites and diseases, like pseudorabies and swine brucellosis, which can be transmitted to livestock, pets and people.

To help cull the population, Southwest Florida Water Management District will open Phase 2 hog hunt on wildlife manage ment areas (WMAs) across the state, which will include five hunts that will occur Jan uary through February 2023. Registration

for the event, now in its 14th consecutive year, begins on Tues., Dec. 13 at 9 a.m. and requires a $75 nonrefundable fee for each permit, which is transferable. A hunting license isn’t needed to hunt wild hogs at a WMA, but a management area permit is required.

Hunt areas include the Alston Tract at Upper Hillsborough Preserve, Chi to Branch Reserve, Flying Eagle Nature Center, Halpata Tastanaki Preserve and Hampton Tract at Green Swamp Wilder ness Preserve. Last year’s hunts removed 656 hogs on nine different tracts of land throughout the District.

The single top producer on each hunt of Phase 2 will be placed on the District’s “top producer” list and will be contacted between March and October 2023 to take part in feral hog management hunts on an as-needed basis.

“I’m pleased that we can offer oppor tunities for the public to hunt feral hogs on District conservation lands,” said land management manager Chris Reed. “It’s critical that we take this invasive species seriously and managing their population is important for our water resources and our region’s agriculture production.”

For more information, visit the District’s website at www.WaterMatters.org/Hog Hunts.

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT HOLDS A SERIES OF HOG HUNTS ON DISTRICT LANDS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO HELP REDUCE THE FERAL HOG POPULATION.

CHRISTMAS

Spread A Little Of Santa’s Magic With USPS Operation Santa

Make a child’s wish come true this Christmas season or encourage your child to write a letter of their own to Santa.

Once you ar have created an

To reduce shipping costs, adopt a letter from your state or a nearby state you like, adopt it because letters get adopted fast

Only adopt a letter if

Thousands of letters addressed to Santa arrive at the Post Office each year. Operation Santa invites people to adopt and respond to these letters that are written by children and families across the country.

Letters addressed to Santa’s officialdress are sorted, read and published on the website with personal information redacted. For those who want to participate by adopting a letter, USPS Operation Santa is now open for registration and identity verifiation. Go to USPSOperationSanta.com and start the process. Adopters are then able to browse and select letters they love and respond with a gift and a note.

While the program has been in operation since the 1940’s, it didn’t go online until 2017, which has allowed more people to get involved and adopt more letters.

When you successfully adopt a letter, an Adoption will

and to the email you used to register

Thanks to the generosity of adopters all over the U.S., Operation Santa delivers joy to more doorsteps every year, making holiday wishes come true.

Learn more about the letters, including tips for writing and mailing a letter to Santa to have a wish fulfilled at ww.uspsoperationsanta.com. Letters to Santa must be postmarked by Dec. 12. The last day to adopt letters before the website closes is Dec. 19 at 8 p.m.

MICHELLE CACERES STAFF WRITER

GUIDE 2022

IT’S READ EVERYWHERE

HONDURAS: Dodie White and Marsha Passmore took a copy of the Plant City Observer along with them on their cruise to the Western Caribbean.

Durant basketball hosted Blooming dale on Tuesday, with the Cougars’ boys moving to 3-0 with a 57-25 victory and the girls falling to 4-2 with a 60-52 loss.

The boys’ contest was tight to start, with the Cougars holding an 11-9 lead late in the first quarter before senior Cam Cotal hit a corner three with sec onds left in the period to give Durant a 14-9 lead after one.

In the second, Durant opened the scor ing as a steal from senior Xavier Peavy turned into an easy bucket from senior Bray Dulay as the Cougars went up 16-9, but the Bulls responded with a threepoint shot on the other end to leave it 16-12. Over the remainder of the quarter the Cougars would catch fire on both sides of the court, forcing turnover after turnover and converting on the offensive end with ease as they rattled off a 21-5 run to end the half, taking a 37-16 lead into halftime.

Onto the second half, Durant con tinued their dominant run like it never stopped as junior Wylde Correa imme diately drained a corner three to extend the Cougars’ lead to 40-16. After a buck et from Abiola Adeyemo made it 42-16, Bloomingdale would end the run with a layup that would ultimately be their only field goal of the quarter as they trailed 42-18. Later in the quarter, leading 47-18, Dulay hit a big three-point shot in transi tion and followed it up the next posses sion with a tough layup through the foul to put Durant up 52-18.

With the game easily in hand through three quarters, leading 55-18 heading into the fourth, Durant’s starters were able to exit the contest comfortably as the Cougars cruised to a 57-25 victory.

In the second contest of the night, Durant’s girls took an early advantage over Bloomingdale with red hot shoot ing in the first.

Ki’ajanae Gordon opened the contest with a corner three, followed by buckets from Sophia Flair and Miani Mejia to take a 9-4 lead in the game’s opening min utes. Solid defense and high-percentage shooting allowed Durant to outscore the Bulls 16-7 over the remainder of the peri od to take a 25-11 lead into the second.

In the second quarter Bloomingdale was able to scratch and claw every step of the way, keeping the Cougars from running away with the contest and matching Durant bucket-for-bucket as they whittled the deficit down to just 10, heading into halftime trailing 37-27.

Flair started the second half with a bucket to put the Cougars up 12 at 39-27 but Bloomingdale responded with five straight points by way of two consecutive trips to the free throw line and a layup over their next three posses sions. Gordon ended the Bloomingdale run with a three-pointer and senior guard Maggie Lauber followed it up with a steal on the defensive end, taking it down the court and converting the transition layup to once again put the Cougars up by 12 at 44-32.

Trailing by double digits, the Bulls began to press on defense, pressuring the Cougars on inbound passes and forcing turnovers by setting traps on Durant's guards in their backcourt. With the change in defensive planning came success as Bloomingdale scored 12 con secutive points to knot the contest up at 44-44, later taking their first lead of the night at 47-46 a few short minutes later as they converted a layup on their first possession of the fourth quarter.

The Bulls immediately moved their lead to three with another score but Elani Randall cut the Bloomingdale lead to one with a pretty move in the paint to beat her defender inside and convert at the rim. On the Cougars next possession Gordon earned a trip to the line, hitting one free throw to tie the game back up at 49-49. Over the next several minutes both defenses proved impenetrable as neither offense could muster a single point to break the deadlock, but ulti mately it was Durant that pulled ahead 51-49 as Gordon drove the lane and scored on a tough layup. And as quickly as Durant pulled back ahead, Blooming dale answered with a huge three-point shot on their next possession to take a 52-51 lead before outscoring the Cou gars 8-1 over the game’s final two min utes to escape with a 60-52 victory.

Durant’s boys returned to action on Wednesday against Haines City and both teams will finish the week at home as they host visiting East Bay.

Taylor Jenkins is the Sports Writer at the Plant City Observer. Email: tjenkins@ plantcityobserver.com.

Durant basketball hosted Bloomingdale on Tuesday, with the boys rolling to an easy victory and the girls falling victim to the Bulls’ late comeback.

STRAWBERRY CREST SOCCER BATTLES FREEDOM

TAYLOR JENKINS SPORTS WRITER

Strawberry Crest soccer headed to Freedom last Friday where the boys entered the night at 5-0, looking to remain undefeated, and the girls looked to build on a strong run that left them 2-1-2 after opening the season with back-to-back losses.

In the fist contest, Crest’s boys found themselves trailing 1-0 after the fist half and would need to break through if they wanted to keep their lossless streak to open the year intact.

The second half was a back-and-forth battle, with both teams looking to find some result in the tense match. While the Chargers were regularly able to ward off the atriots’ offensive runs, they were largely unsuccessful in translating that defensive success into meaningful opportunities despite regular possession in the attacking third. But in the 74th minute Crest was able to cash in on a bit of luck and knot the contest as junior midfielder Jordan Neyman corralled possession 30 yards out and sent a relatively pedestrian

chance toward Freedom’s keeper, watching as the ball rolled toward the goal and right past the netminder as he knelt to gather the shot.

With the match now tied, Crest upped the pressure in the game’s final momens and were nearly able to put themselves on top in extra time as junior Edwin Alejandro chased a ball sent deep up the right side, gathering a misplay from Freedom’s left back and sending a ball trickling past the charging keeper toward the Patriots’ net. Despite the shot rolling goalward, it was just soft enough for a Freedom center back to catch up and clear the potential threat.

As the final whitle sounded, Crest was unable to come away with the victory but clinched a nerve-wracking draw to remain undefeated on the year at 5-0-1.

In the girls’ match to follow, they immediately controlled possession in the attacking third and produced chance after chance after chance in the game’s opening minutes, only to be thwarted time and time again by Freedom’s keeper.

In the third minute, senior forward Ezra Carpenter took a run up the right side and put a shot on frame, saved by Freedom’s keeper and sent out for a corner. In the fourth minute she faced another opportunity on a through ball up the right side, saved again. In the sixth minute it was sophomore Diana Pena, bringing in a throw in and putting a shot toward goal only for yet another shot to be saved. The Chargers missed on another chance in the ninth minute and nearly converted on a free kick sent into the box by midfielder Nimisha Sankar just seconds later, narrowly failing to connect with the outstretched foot of Pena.

In the 10th minute Crest finally boke through. After Carpenter’s initial shot was saved and sent out for a corner kick, the ensuing corner was sent in and settled on the foot of Lillianna Bueno as she converted to give the Chargers a 1-0 lead. And late in the fist half, Pena beat her markers for a breakaway up the middle of the field beating the charging keeper and burying the open shot to extend the Chargers’ lead

to 2-0 heading into halftime. In the second half Crest was able to begin really finishing their multitude of chances and pull away. Carpenter extended the Chargers lead to 3-0 on a penalty kick in the 33rd minute, scored her second goal in the 58th minute and added a third in the 62nd. Freshman Elidia Bueno scored on another penalty kick in the 72nd minute and Pena added her second goal of the contest in extra time to seal a 7-0 victory.

Both squads returned home on Tuesday to host Middleton, each coming away with mercy rule victories as the Boys moved to 6-0-1 with an 8-0 victory and the girls moved to 4-2-1 on a 13-0 victory. Both teams will finish the eek at King High School on Friday.

Taylor Jenkins is the Sports Writer at the Plant City Observer. Email: tjenkins@ plantcityobserver.com.

While the boys were able to scratch out a draw to remain undefeated, the Chargers’ girls handled the Patriots with ease.

REAL ESTATE

NOVEMBER 2022 Real Estate Transactions

"HOLIDAY REAL ESTATE MARKETING"… should I list now or wait until the new year? This has been a question we receive from potential sellers during this time of the year. The final six o seven weeks of the year are extremely busy for everyone, Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, office parties, families visiting and so much more that takes time from our schedule. It has been our experience over the past 15 years, that this time of year brings out the most serious buyers because they would rather be enjoying the festive times than buying a home, so you don’t see as many just looking. They are the ones looking have a basic need to get into a property soon.

If you are considering selling your property, there is no time like the present to start the process. Just realize that market conditions reflect a nw normal in pricing valuation, time to contract and closing. Housing inventory is still below what we feel is the equilibrium mark, but buyers are still out there in force seeking their ideal property. Multiple offer situations are becoming less a thing of the past market run-up and sellers are making additional concessions to close the deal.

News media outlets will report many things about the general overall market circumstances, potential large price corrections, housing glut, etc., but we live in the good state of Florida, Plant City area where many of the general population wants to move and relocate to our slice of heaven. Our market corrections will be slight in comparison to other areas of the country.

As we look at the Plant City housing data, in November 2022, our market area sold 88 homes, a slight decrease from the previous month and year-to-date down 8.7 percent. New construction sales contributed 32 units or 36 percent of this month’s total. While the new construction production is increasing, it is also diminishing the average selling price per square foot. The new construction averaged $172.42 while all the other properties sold averaged $197.18 bringing the overall area’s average price per square foot to $188.18.

The average selling price was $340,167, which accounted for an 8.9 percent reduction over last month and compared to the year-to-date average, it accounted for a 5.6 percent decline. As we have mentioned before, our market area peaked in May/ June and we are still trending to finish the year out with a 20 percent growth rate over last year.

The active inventory decreased slightly this November to 2.1 months' supply from 2.3. However, we are still six to 12 months from the equilibrium of 3 months' supply levels.

Comparing the Median prices month over month data, November finished with a median sales price of $342,495, which was 2.1 percent less than in October and a 0.8 percent increase year-to-date. In addition, November’s average days on the market (ADOM) was 24.3 days. We are still closing contracts quicker than before the market surge, when we typically averaged 45 days on the market.

The past three weeks have seen mortgage rates decline from the high of 7.08 percent to 6.49 percent, although the financial marets are showing mixed signals, I do believe the mortgage market to stabilize by the summer months next year.

If you are in the market to buy or sell your home, seek an experienced professional Realtor® to assist you in this transaction process. There are too many consequences, going it alone without proper representation. If you have any questions, want a market value analysis of your home, or see what's available to purchase, please reach out.

M Crawford Crawford Group

SALES SNAPSHOT

The following residential properties were a sample listed as sold on the Greater Tampa Realtors Association MLS in November 2022 for the Plant City Market Area.

The home at 7229 Stanaland Rd sold November 18 for $124,750. Built in 1983, it has 2 bedrooms, 1 bath and 980 square feet of living area.

The home at 8705 Mary Ivy Dr sold November 18 for $202,500. Built in 1973 it has 3 bedrooms, 2 bath and 1440 square feet of living area.

The home at 777 Ashentree Dr sold November 18 for $232,000. Built in 2015, it has 2 bedrooms, 2 bath and 1185 square feet of living area.

The home at 4613 N Country Hills Ct sold November 4 for $235,000. Built in 1985, it has 3 bedrooms, 2 bath and 1305 square feet of living area.

The home at 1708 Hughes Dr sold November 15 for $261,000. Built in 1975, it has 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and 1394 square feet of living area.

The home at 1304 Oakdale St sold November 18 for $280,000. Built in 1956, it has 3 bedrooms, 2 bath and 1535 square feet of living area.

The home at 2605 Paul Buchman Hwy sold November 4 for $285,000. Built in 2006, it has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and 1262 square feet of living area.

The home at 5303 Keene Dr sold November 14 for $323,000. Built in 1962, it has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and 1276 square feet of living area.

The home 3601 Trapnell Ridge sold November 7 for $340,000. Built in 2013, it has 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and 2058 square feet of living area.

The home at 1221 Tahitian Sunrise Dr sold November 29 for $365,890. Built in 2022, it has 4 bedrooms, 2 baths and 1936 square feet of living area.

The home at 906 N Wheeler St sold November 4 for $425,000. Built in 1937, it has 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and 2271 square feet of living area.

The home at 3911 Midway Rd sold November 11 for $507,000. Built in 1990, it has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and 2048 square feet of living area.

The home at 3009 Beautiful Creek Ln sold November 10 for $550,000. Built in 2008, it has 4 bedrooms, 2 baths and 2283 square feet of living area.

The home at 2822 Hammock Dr sold November 3 for $560,000. Built in 1987, it has 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and 2985 square feet of living area.

The home at 4746 Justin Ln sold November 30 for $627,500. Built in 2003, it has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bath and 2308 square feet of living area.

Local November 2022 sales and trend information courtesy of The Crawford Group.

Data pulled from GTAR MLS as of 12/5/22 for the Plant City market area.

AROUND TOWN

YOUR AROUND TOWN SPONSOR

What do you think about

“When I read The Jacksons, I almost spit out my water. I didn’t know they were still around. It definiely isn’t The Jackson 5. Who is left to perform?” - Jim Brown

“I think the line up is good.” - Pamela Whiddon

“I think too many elder members are trying their best to pick artists THEY think the majority crowd would come to while sticking to budget, but miss the mark. I think it’s time to update the deciding members or However the entertainment is picked. Repeat artist should have a fie-year minimum gap before they return. I like how they try to incorporate many genres, I just feel like they’re hitting the target area never the bullseye.” - Mary Ann

“Much better than the original ones announced.” - Marilyn Frey

“I’d like to see them stay with the agricultural theme of the festival and country music, but I realize it’s hard to fil 22 spots and country artists don’t want to do two concerts like they used to.” - J.R. Pitts

“Happy!” - Jackie Goddard Wyckoff

“Not going to any this festival and that makes me sad. It’s tradition that we get tickets for Christmas but the lineup this year is very disappointing.” - Leslie Carlisle

“Haven’t heard of any of them. This year’s line up just doesn’t interest me. Sorry. I know it’s an effort to bring

variety. But bring in talent like Jennifer Nettles, Bob Segar, Reba again, and I’ll be happy to pay a higher ticket price.”Meg Scott

“Love Chris Young.” - Darlene Ingram

“There has to be a variety of entertainment for all people in the community.” - Cheryl Thompson

The Jacksons Plant City Observer

We asked Plant City: Walker Hayes, Chris Bridges, Chris Young and The Jacksons were recently announced as the Florida Strawberry Festival’s remaining headline entertainment artists for 2023.

the festival’s final additions

Lillian ‘Faye’ Horne

Lillian “Faye” Horne, 86, of Hiawassee, Ga., formerly of Lithia, Fla., born in Ft. Meade, Fla. on April 15, 1936, entered into eternal rest on November 27, 2022.

Expressions of condolence at www.HopewellFuneral.com.

HOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8

A SPECIAL BLUEGRASS EVENT FEATURING JASON CARTER AND BRONWYN KEITH-HYNES 7 to 8:30 p.m. at 101 E. J.

Blvd.. Head to the

at Krazy

erent

of the Year.

can be purchased at www.eventbrite.com/e/463945743207. Seating is limited, so don’t wait to purchase your tickets!

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10

FUN WITH FLOWERS

10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.at 303 N. Evers St. The Plant City Garden Club will host another Fun with Flowers event at the First United Methodist Church in Plant City this December. The event will allow you to create your own Christmas centerpiece with instruction from Margaret Kirkpatrick, a flwer judge at both the state level in Florida and the national level. Advanced registration is required and admission is $25, covering all supplies and a light lunch however it is encouraged that you bring your own scissors and clippers. The deadline for registration is Dec. 5 and admission can be paid via a check made payable to the Plant City Garden Club and sent to Plant City Garden Club, Att: Donna Severson, PO Box 3471, Plant City Fl.

OPEN MIC NIGHT

7 to 8:30 p.m. at 101 E. J. Arden Mays Blvd. Open Mic Night is back at Krazy Kup. Join them for a fun night where you get to be the star of the show. Come out, strut your stuff and shw everyone what you’ve got.

CHRISTMAS WITH THE CROONERS

3 p.m. and 7 p.m. at 601 N. Gordon St. The Plant City First Church of God will host an old-fashioned holiday variety show featuring the music of Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin and more. The event is free of charge and for more information, email pcfcog@gmail.com or call 813-7526438.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13

CHRISTMAS LIGHT RUN

6:30 p.m. at 100 N. Collins St. Come run (or walk) through downtown Plant City and burn a few calories while enjoying the Christmas lights at the 2022 Christmas Light Run, hosted by the Plant City Running Club.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17

STRAWBERRY CLASSIC CRUISE-IN 3 to 6:30 p.m. at 102 N. Palmer St. The Plant City Strawberry Classic Cruise-In is back on Saturday, Dec. 17, rain or shine. Cars and trucks manufactured in or before 1996 can register for free starting at 3 p.m. Live music by DJ John Paul Gasca.

Santa Sled

SANTA SLED FESTIVAL

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14

FREE ASSISTANCE FOR MILITARY VETERANS

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Federal, state and local opportunities are constantly changing. If you’ve served any time in the military, retired or non-retention, and would like to review your benefis please take advantage of free assistance at the Bing House Museum, 205 Allen St., every Wednesday. Walk-ins welcomed or call 813-704-5800 to set a specific tim.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16

GINGERBREAD HOUSE DECORATING PARTY

6 to 7:30 p.m. at 302 N. Maryland Ave. Plant City Parks & Rec invited you to their Gingerbread House Decorating Party. For just $30 per group (up to 6 people), attendees can decorate a gingerbread house and enjoy music, photo stations, snacks and more. Registration is required as spots are limited. Call 813-659-4255 or email iyibarra@plantcitygov.com to register.

CHRISTMAS WINE RUN 5K

9 a.m. at 5202 Thonotosassa Rd. Like walking or running and wine? This race is for you. Join in on a “Christmas-themed” timed race at Keel Farms this month. The event’s $50 registration fee includes a t-shirt, wine glass, finisher medal race bib and a pour of wine. For more information or to register, visit https://runsignup.com/ Race/FL/PlantCity/KeelFarmsWineRun5k.

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1601 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The Plant City Black Heritage and Des’Aimes Social Club hosts this annual event at the Sadye Gibbs Martin Community Center, providing toys, groceries, clothing and more to local families in need. To register for the event, families can obtain an application at Plant City Chamber of Commerce, located at 118 West Reynolds Street or at the Sadye Gibbs Martin Community Center, located at 302 South Maryland Avenue.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 3

BEGINNING MODERN WESTERN SQUARE DANCE LESSONS

6:30 to 8 p.m. at 4401 Promenade Blvd. Head down to the Strawberry Square Dance Center for Beginning Modern Western Square Dance Lessons, starting on Tuesdays in January. No experience is required and the fist lesson is free, with each additional lesson costing $7. For more information or to register, call Cherylene at 770-825-6513 or the Strawberry Square Dance Center at 813-752-0491.

Arden Mays

loft

Kup this week for an evening full of the sweet sounds of Award Winning Bluegrass, featuring TWO diff

Fiddlers

Jason Carter has been the fiddle plyer and vocalist for the Del McCoury Band for 30 yhears, a fie-time IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year. Bronwyn Kieth-Hynes has played fiddle with MileTwelve and currently plays with the popular Molly Tuttle Band, named the IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year in both 2021 and 2022. This event features the unique opportunity to enjoy quality, award-winning blugrass talents in one of the most intimate venues around. Admission is $25 and

Sunrise Sunset

THURSDAY, DEC 8

FRIDAY, DEC 9

SATURDAY,

SUNDAY,

Thursday, Dec 8 7:07a 5:32p

Friday, Dec 9 7:08a 5:33p

Saturday, Dec 10 7:08a 5:33p

Sunday, Dec 11 7:09a 5:33p

Monday, Dec 12 7:10a 5:33p

Tuesday, Dec 13 7:10a 5:34p

Wednesday, Dec 14 7:11a 5:34p

MONDAY,

“We provide compassionate care for you and your family.”

It’s not just an ID badge.

It’s

a badge of honor.

At South Florida Baptist Hospital, the team members who wear this badge give you high-quality care in a comfortable atmosphere. Our wide range of specialty services includes comprehensive orthopedic care, sports medicine services and total joint replacement procedures. We have a comprehensive gynecology program that offers a variety of women’s services, and our weight loss surgery program meets nationally recognized standards. And if surgery is required, we have surgeons who are experts in minimally invasive robotic surgical procedures, which means shorter hospital stays and smaller incisions that reduce the risk of infection. All of this means you get outstanding, compassionate care right here in Plant City. Learn more: SouthFloridaBaptist.org