3.7.19 PLCO

Plant City Observer YO UR HOMETO WN. YO UR NEWSPAP ER .

YOUR HOMETOWN. YOUR NEWSPAPER FREE

VOLUME 6, NO. 36

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THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

COMMISSION ROUNDUP A road near the Florida Strawberry Festival may soon be named BerryFest Place and SR 39 moves toward the next step in utility expansions, which will include in-depth surveying. SEE PAGE 6

FESTIVAL ENTERS SECOND WEEK

Breanne Williams

Children enjoyed many of the rides at the Florida Strawberry Festival.

Hundreds of thousands of attendees have already flocked to the Florida Strawberry Festival. Here’s some of our favorite memories thus far.

SEE PAGE 12

A SEUSSICAL BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION Dr. Seuss is being honored with a special birthday event at Bruton Memorial Library on March 13.

SEE PAGE 5

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

NEWS BRIEFS

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PC Area Dems install officers

Check out the Festival Guide

The Plant City Area Democrats group elected a new suite of officers the evening of March 4.

Greg Jewell succeeds Sherri Gay as club president and Hewitt Chatman was elected Jewell’s Vice President. Andy Hamilton was elected Communications Secretary and Susan McNaught was named Recording Secretary.

The Plant City Observer’s 2019 Florida Strawberry Festival Guide hit the streets last week and has everything you need to know about Plant City’s pride and joy.

Whether you’re wondering who’s performing or what to do on the grounds, are looking for parking tips or are coming from out of town and want to know what Plant City has to offer, there’s something for everyone in the guide. Visit the festival to find a copy or stop by our office at 1507 S. Alexander St., Suite 103.

Stingray raffle still open

’Strawberry event’ at Winn-Dixie

PCHS Class of 1956 reunion

To celebrate both its new look and the Florida Strawberry Festival the Winn-Dixie store at 205 W. Alexander St. is inviting the public to come check out a family-friendly “strawberry event” on Saturday morning.

The event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., will feature strawberry-themed giveaways, gift cards, photo opportunities with a strawberry character and plenty of free, berry-sweet samples throughout the store. That includes strawberry shakes and a “gigantic” strawberry shortcake courtesy of the bakery staff.

Plant City High School’s Class of 1956 is planning a lunch meet-up for 1 p.m. March 28.

The lunch will be served at Brick House Cafe, 206 S. Evers St., and anyone interested in attending is asked to RSVP in advance. To do so, call Barbara Miller at 813-752-2847 or Mary Jane Jackson Parolini at 813-754-0313.

Save $2.00 on Adult & $1.00 on Youth General Admission Tickets at Publix

With just $5 and a little luck you could leave the Florida Strawberry Festival with a oneof-a-kind Chevrolet Corvette Z06.

The 10th annual Stingray Chevrolet/ Unity in the Community raffle’s grand prize is one of the fastest cars $85,000 can buy, a brand new Corvette with a 650-horsepower engine that can take you from 0 to 60 in 2.95 seconds.

If you have at least $5 and can be present at the dealership after the festival to claim your prize, you’re good to go. You don’t have to be present at the festival during the March 10 announcement to win the car but you must claim the prize within 72 hours and visit the Stingray dealership to get the car. Stingray does allow winners to choose alternate prizes that add up to the cost of the Corvette.

You have three options for buying tickets. Online purchases can be made at stingraychevrolet.com/chevrolet-charity-raffle-entry-form until 3 p.m. March 8.

In-person purchases can be made at Stingray Chevrolet, 2002 N. Frontage Road, or at the festival. The deadlines for in-person purchases are 6 p.m. March 8 at Stingray and 4:30 p.m. March 10 at the festival. The winner’s name and phone number, not ticket numbers, will be called at the festival and the winner will be notified by phone if they are not present.

For more information about Unity in the Community, visit unityinplantcity.org.

February 28 - March 10, 2019 • Plant City, FL

It’s A Hit! Artists Appearing on the

Florida Blue SENIOR CITIZENS DAY

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Soundstage:

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The Lettermen Today, 3:30

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Ride All Day $17 with $3 voucher from participating stores

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Tent Battles, 6pm Today

Tampa Bay Times Day on the Midway Tomorrow

for King & Country Today, 7:30

Tanya Tucker Fri. Mar. 8, 3:30 $30

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Chris Janson

Fri. Mar. 8, 7:30 $30

Noon - 10pm, $5 Off Fun Pack Ride Coupon Book with printed Times coupon

Moonlight Magic Tomorrow 10pm - 2am $25

Farm Worker Appreciation Day Mar. 9 Sponsored by Astin Farms

Battle of the Bands Finale Sat. Mar. 9, 3:30 FREE

Keith Sweat

Sat. Mar. 9, 7:30 $30

Bill Anderson & Bobby Bare Sun. Mar. 10, 3:30 $20 Get FREE with each Midway wristband purchase!

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Ride All Day $20

Old Dominion Make It Sweet Tour Sun. Mar. 10, 7:30 $45

Concert dates and times are subject to change

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Sun. Mar. 10, 4:30 pm

Visit FLstrawberryfestival.com or call 813-754-1996 and get your tickets today!

While online, check out the Free Entertainment, Special Days & Discounts and our full Schedule of Events.

• Images Everywhere! • Local Ford Dealers • Verizon Wireless • Alessi Bakery • DIRECTV • AMSCOT • Stingray Chevrolet • Dakin Dairy Farms • Uncommon USA • Circle K • Astin Farms • Grove Equipment Service • Candyland Warehouse • Netterfield’s • Smithfield • Global Frequency Technologies • Master Spas • Good Health Saunas • Metro by T-Mobile • Choo Choo Lawn Equipment • Vision Auto Glass • Wyndham Vacation Resorts • Florida Dairy Farmers • General RV Center • O’Reilly Auto Parts • Kellogg’s •AT&T • Carolina Carports • Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association/VISIT FLORIDA

FAMILY MEDICAL SPECIALISTS OF FLORIDA Michael Paul Gimness, MD Kelli Woody, MD Katherine Newman, ARNP Jennifer Zeljkovic, ARNP 1703 Thonotosassa Road, Suite A, Plant City, Florida 33563

P: 813.567.5679 | F: 813.567.5686 www.fmsflorida.com 292382-1

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

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THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

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PIT COUNT SURVEYS LOCAL HOMELESS Volunteers hit the streets last week to participate in the Point in Time Count throughout Hillsborough County, which helps assess a snapshot of the homeless population in the county.

Breanne Williams

Ranger James peering into the pond behind a homeless encampment.

BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

Note: Names and locations have been redacted for the safety of those interviewed and observed.

He’d been living on the streets for more than 40 years. His skin was tan and leathery from decades under the brutal Florida sun and he shivered as a crisp morning breeze rippled through his thin jacket.

A volunteer for the Point in Time Count throughout Hillsborough County crouched before him in a bright red t-shirt and he picked up a stale beer from the night before to wet his lips as he slowly answered questions from the survey. The beer was a gift from a stranger who tossed the $3 drink to him as they left a convenience store. With a grimace he apologized for the beer, quietly murmuring it was all he had.

“How long have you been experiencing this period of homelessness?” the volunteer asked.

“What would you say is the primary cause of your homelessness?”

Slowly they made their way down the list as the man explained the warehouse he worked at all those years ago closed, causing him to miss his rent and end up on the streets before he could blink.

He lost everything and soon realized it was nearly impossible to get a job without proper hygiene and a physical address.

So began a long spiral of struggling to find work, landing an

odd job for a week or so and then winding up back on the street. It was a cycle he never seemed able to break. Shrugging his shoulders he said graduated with honors with a bachelors degree in business. He never thought he’d end up here.

He was one of approximately 100 people counted last week for the PIT Count. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires any Continuum of Care to conduct a PIT count of anyone experiencing homelessness at least every two years. Hillsborough County completes the count annually.

The data collected by volunteers helps provide a snapshot of what the homeless population in each community looks like and helps officials know what the need is for each area so they can determine how best to work on tackling the issue.

HUD requires the count to be completed within the last 10 days of January. Hillsborough, however, has a deferment so the count will not fall on Gasparilla. Unfortunately, the new date this year fell on Opening Day of the Florida Strawberry Festival.

“For me personally, it gives me numbers, as accurate as we can get them,” Jennifer Anderson, deployment site lead and COO and director of Frontline Community Services, said. “If I can pull up actual data and show the need for grants and funding we can make a difference. It also shows outcomes when we can get somebody off the streets. We’re trying to provide the picture, we

had this many this year and now we have this many. Is what we are doing making a difference?”

Anderson has worked with the local homeless community for years and she said many of those she serves are currently employed at the 11-day fair. Counting them becomes impossible so she knew before the first volunteer stepped out the door Plant City’s numbers would be down.

Though Anderson said many organizations, churches and businesses throughout Plant City routinely step up to the plate to help the homeless few individual residents ever come volunteer for the count. It’s another hurdle to leap as teams are filled with visitors unfamiliar with Plant City’s roads and nooks and crannies.

Volunteers from USF, Hillsborough County employees and friends and family of Anderson made up the bulk of the Plant City crew. The teams take five hour shifts, though anyone who wished to participate was welcome to come do so as long as they could. The first wave met at 7 a.m. and Anderson said they didn’t finish wrapping up the event until nearly 10 p.m.

One of the early teams was comprised of three Hillsborough County Park rangers. As they drove through their designated section they’d quickly pull the truck over when they saw what appeared to be the subtle markings of a trail into the woods.

Crouching as they strolled through a tunnel of woven branches they finally emerged into a clearing with a view many

developers would pay top dollar to obtain.

A pond filled with leaping fish was encased in the center of this wooden oasis. Blackberry bushes lined the rudimentary paths providing a sweet snack to those who used to call the location home.

Makeshift camps built from old mattress, tarps, sale signs from local stores and even a cardboard poster holder were scattered among the trees. Trash littered nearly every inch of the ground and the weathered state of the materials implied the camp had been abandoned for quite some time.

Whoever lived there, however, left in quite a hurry. A half-eaten bag of chips lay overturned on a tree stump near a soggy mattress. Children’s toys were in piles around the camps. Clothes were left hanging on a tree limb to dry.

With the soft chirping of the birds and the slow ripples across the pond it wasn’t difficult to imagine why this section of woods had been chosen to set up the camp.

With no person in sight, however, the rangers moved on.

As the day progressed they found a man sleeping on a cold concrete slab, using a pile of wet cardboard as a pillow. Another small group was camped out under the trees, spending some time catching up with one another as they shared stories of where they were headed next to look for work. One of them said he was a veteran of the U.S. Army.

All welcomed the volunteers with a smile, politely answering their questions and offering sug-

gestions as to where they might find a few more of their friends.

“There’s this big myth that homeless don’t work, that they’re all drug addicts or alcoholics, but when you take the time to get to know them you realize that couldn’t be farther from the truth,” Anderson said. “Everyone says you could be one paycheck away from being homeless, but you realistically could be one situation away from living on the streets.”

Just this past week Anderson met an elderly couple that came to have a free dinner in the park. The man was at least 80 years old and she said the couple was living in his car. They couldn’t find affordable housing so they were making do as best they could. It broke her heart, but she said it’s more common than most ever realize.

“Sometimes you have to walk in their shoes, you have to see the lives they are living to really drive it home,” Anderson said. “Everybody complains about the homeless, but nobody wants to do anything to help solve the problem.

Everyone’s answer is help feed a meal or give them clothes, but there’s so much more they need to prepare for the job market or to help them get to the next stage.

We need more Plant City people to step up and be a part of what we’re doing.”

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

ONE DEAD, ONE INJURED IN TUESDAY SR-60 CRASH

PLANT CITY

Observer Publisher / Karen Berry KBerry@PlantCityObserver.com Managing Editor / Sarah Holt SHolt@PlantCityObserver.com Associate Editor / Sports Editor / Justin Kline JKline@PlantCityObserver.com Staff Writer / Breanne Williams BWilliams@PlantCityObserver. com Advertising Graphic Designer / Juan Alvarez Circulation/ Office Manager / Linda Lancaster LLancaster@PlantCityObserver. com

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The Plant City Observer is published once weekly, on Thursdays. The Plant City Observer also can be found in many commercial locations throughout Plant City and at our office, 1507 S. Alexander St., Suite 103.

A head-on collision on State Road 60 Tuesday morning left one Lakeland woman dead and sent two to Tampa General Hospital.

Florida Highway Patrol personnel at the scene said witnesses saw Sarah Y. Dobson, 77, attempt to change lanes while traveling westbound on SR-60 and lose control, traveling Edited by David Steinberg across Marchthe 8,median 2019 and then colliding with a 2018 Chevrolet Cruze traveling eastbound. Dobson, 43 *Mall pizza 10 Descendant 32 Firstwho ___was kit driving a 2009 Nissan Sentra, died chain of Jacob 33 Bering, e.g.: at the scene.

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A 77-year-old woman died and another was Universal Crossword injured in a crash near Luckasavage Road.

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Sabrina Rae Eldridge, 24, was taken to the hospital with serious injuries and a child in the back seat, who was secured in a car seat, was unharmed.

Troopers blocked off a portion of SR-60 at the Turkey Creek Road intersection.

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

‘IF I SAY SO MYSELF, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!’

Seussville fans are invited out to Bruton Memorial Library to take part in a birthday party in honor of the iconic children’s author.

BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, has been capturing imaginations for decades with his wacky and whimsical tales.

The creator of such classics as “The Cat in the Hat” and “Green Eggs and Ham,” Seuss used rhymes to remind children they can achieve any dream if they simply put their mind to it. He taught empathy, using stories of “The Lorax” and “Horton Hears a Who!” to show children it was up to them to stand up for others and to fight for what was right.

Every year, communities across the nation come together to celebrate the creator of the stories they all have come to love by honoring Seuss on his birthday. Bruton is hopping in the festivities by offering a quirky birthday party themed around the event.

“Here at Bruton we celebrate reading,” Amanda Preece, youth services associate, said. “His characters are relatable and stories told in rhyme are always more popular. ‘Oh the Places You’ll Go,’ I got that book for graduation. These stories made a lasting impact on generations of readers.”

Bruton Memorial Library is partnering with the GFWC Plant City Junior Woman’s

Club to bring the festive celebration to local youth. Schools throughout the country, including several in Plant City, are celebrating Dr. Seuss on his birthday as is evidenced by the empty shelves at Bruton.

Preece said teachers have flocked to the children’s section to take back multiple copies of the beloved stories to share with their classes. Seuss was born on March 2, 1904, so most of the school celebrations have officially wrapped up.

Due to the fact the Florida Strawberry Festival is currently in town Preece decided it would be best to wait for it to conclude before the library hosted its special event. The party will officially be held from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

March 13.

The GFWC Plant City Junior Women’s Club won a grant for literacy and is using the funds to help bring the spectacular event to life. Not only will they use the funds to purchase all of the necessary supplies, but the group will also be volunteering at the party. There will of course be a Seuss story time as well as party games, crafts like coloring book markers and refreshments including birthday cake and apple juice. Photo opportunities will also be available throughout the party.

All in all, Preece said the party should last approximately 45 minutes and they are expecting a few dozen children to attend.

“People are more willing to read to their children what they read as kids,” Preece said. “So these stories are often passed down from generation to generation. It doesn’t seem to be a collection that children are losing interest in so I’m sure we will continue to see a fascination for his work for years to come. I’m sure both the children and their parents will have a fun time Wednesday night.”

Children are welcome to wear normal attire, however, if they have kooky Seuss-themed costumes they wish to celebrate in, they’re welcome to come decked out for the event.

To add to the fun affair the library has rescheduled the telescope night for the same evening at 7 p.m. Poor visibility led to the abrupt rescheduling for the event and as long as the skies are clear local youth will have the opportunity to gaze up at the moon through the lens of Craig MacDougal’s telescope.

The party will be held inside the library in the meeting room and the telescope event is outside on the library’s lawn. Both events are open to children of any age and their families.

Seuss even wrote a short poem

on the importance of honoring birthdays and reminded readers without them the world would be a darker place.

“If we didn’t have birthdays, you wouldn’t be you. If you’d never been born, well then what would you do?… Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you,” Seuss wrote.

IF YOU GO Dr. Seuss’s Birthday When: from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

March 13 Where: Bruton Memorial Library, 302 McLendon St.

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

COMMISSION ROUNDUP BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

A short, but nonetheless important, commission meeting last week set several projects in motion throughout the city.

On Jan. 14, commissioners approved to spend $3,020,000 to extend utilities down State Road 39 South in order to ensure the city had everything in place to seal the deal should interested developers make their way to town looking for a new County Line Road quarter.

While the type of development to come remains to be seen, the city is putting the foundation in place to ensure there will be few obstacles should a business wish to make Plant City home.

While the funds were approved on Jan. 14 the Capital Improvement Budget and the fiscal year’s budget ending on Sept. 30, 2019 was amended to make room for the approximately $3 mill alteration on Feb. 25. The project is mainly funded from development fees and the city said the money is transferred from other closed projects. To meet the estimated timeline established for the project the city approved the start of project development and environmental services (PD&E) so information will shortly be available for the selected Engineer of Record for the design of the project.

PD&E will survey the entire property as well as conduct subsurface investigations to identify existing utilities. During the pro-

cess it will also host geotechnical investigations to identify the soil conditions of the land and of course have environmental investigations so the city is aware of any wetland and surface water conditions.

The city will have Southeastern Surveying and Mapping, which is a City consultant already under continuing contract, perform the survey and investigations for a cost that will not exceed $145,646.62. Madrid Engineering is providing the geotechnical and environmental services under a different engineer work order.

The Capital Improvement Budget will be adjusted to include the cost of the survey and the money also mainly comes from development fees, according to the city.

Hillsborough County receives an annual EMS grant from the Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services. The money is intended to be used to improve or expand pre-hospital emergency medical services.

Commissioners entered into the Interlocal Agreement with the county to receive $6,584 from the grant funding, which will be used to purchase CPR-AED training manikins. The goal is to improve and expand the pre-hospital training for our first responders thanks to the assistance of the new manikins.

No matching funds were required for this agreement, the city simply had to adjust the budget to place the funds in the account. A public hearing was set for March 11 to rename a por-

tion of North Lemon Street, from West Baker Street to West Reynolds Street, to BerryFest Place.

The request came from the Florida Strawberry Festival Board of Directors, who wish to have a festive name for the portion of street that runs by the grounds.

The festival owns six of the 11 parcels adjacent to North Lemon Street in the requested area and the remaining five parcels are not addressed on Lemon Street. The five property owners were contacted and they either support or have no issue with the street being renamed.

There is no cost to the city because the Florida Strawberry Festival will pay for the cost and installation of any new signs for the streets. During the public hearing residents will have the opportunity to share their thoughts on the name change and commissioners will vote to either approve or deny the change.

City Manager Bill McDaniel said negotiations with the longanticipated Midtown development are “going great.” The city agreed to enter a partnership with 2XS Development and have been in negotiations for a few weeks. Last week that process was moved from McDaniel and the developers to the 2XS lawyers and the city’s lawyers.

“We are all excited to see how this unfolds,” McDaniel said.

“We’ve waited a long time for Midtown and we’re willing to wait more if need be to get the perfect addition to downtown, but I really think things are looking well with our negotiations.”

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THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

ONE KILLED IN FATAL ACCIDENT ON REYNOLDS

Courtesy of Plant City Police Department

The fatal accident occured on West Reynolds Street approximately 135 feet west of North Alexander Street around 3:44 a.m.

A driver was killed early Tuesday morning after striking the back of a tractor trailer at a red light.

BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

A fatal accident brought much of Alexander Street and Reynolds Street to a halt early Tuesday morning.

Plant City Police Department’s Traffic Management Unit responded to the deadly scene on W. Reynolds Street, approximately 135 feet west of North Alexander Street around 3:44 a.m.

According to police, a 2005 Freightliner brand tractor, which was attached to a 53-foot enclosed trailer, had performed its routine driving rules by stopping for a red traffic signal.

The vehicle was facing eastbound on West Reynolds Street waiting for the light to turn green when a 2016 Honda CRV, which was also traveling eastbound,

struck the rear of the trailer.

Police said the reason for the Honda speeding directly into the back of the vehicle is currently unknown.

PCPD Spokesman Al Van Duyne said the driver of the Honda died at the scene from injuries sustained in the crash.

The driver of the tractor trailer was uninjured in the accident.

At this time there are no charges currently pending.

Reynolds Street was closed from Alexander Street to Plant Street until approximately 9 a.m., according to PCPD as police continued the investigation. They

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were able to get the roads open and cleared before the festival officially opened its gates at 10 a.m.

Though the incident occurred around 4 a.m. those who were driving to work that morning commented on the Plant City Police Department’s Facebook post about the accident causing traffic problems at the intersection.

“I passed it this morning before the screen was put up, but police were on the scene,” Kathryn Elizabeth posted. “It must have just happened. We said a quick prayer for both people involved and I see

now that it was fatality. Love and peace to the family and friends.”

The original post from PCPD received approximately 120 comments from those sharing their condolences and others posting updates about the state of the streets as people navigated toward downtown Plant City.

“My deepest prayers and condolences to the family,” posted Adrie Lee. “Praying for the truck driver and first responders too.”

As of press time, PCPD has not yet released the name or age of the victim. This is an active investigation. Additional details to come.

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

BERRY UNIQUE VENDORS Before the Florida Strawberry Festival comes to a close you should check out some of these unique vendors.

BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

One of the best parts of the Florida Strawberry Festival is the unique vendors who set up shop throughout the 11-day event.

The Festival is the perfect place to visit old friends and stumble upon new favorites while you stroll the grounds with a hot donut in one hand and your wallet in another.

Breanne Williams

Denise Young at her boutique booth.

Denise Young has impacted fashion throughout Plant City for decades. For years she had a boutique on Alexander Street, but when the economy took a turn she quickly got out and transitioned to pop up shops. You can find her at Vintage Market Days in Tampa, Fancy Flee, downtown shows, the Plant City High School Holiday market and all across Florida at different festivals. She’s been a staple at the Florida Strawberry Festival for almost 15 years and has quite a cult following from out-oftowners and locals alike who flock to her booth in the TECO Hall.

“People come back looking for us every year,” Young said. “It’s a boutique style shop, which is something a little different than a lot of the vendors here. A lot come looking for our strawberry shirts, but many walk away with jewelry, home decor and a variety of chic clothes.”

Young participates in the Strawberry Fashion Show every year and many of her loyal Plant City customers are invited out to her home for a special preview of the new designs right before the opening of the festival. While they shop they also take the time to catch up with on another, turning the day into a memorable social gathering.

It’s become a generational experience.

Young’s boutique is also ran by her mother and now her daughter. The family loves getting to know their guests and helping them find quality goods they’ll love for years to come.

“I had one lady yesterday come over wearing a shirt she bought from me 10 years ago,” Young said. “She said she has loved it all these years and was always looking for something else to take home. I love fellowship, I love people. That’s my calling. You meet so many neat people doing these pop up shops. You may not see them every day, but you get to fellowship with them and hopefully see them next year at the same event.”

If you head across the street to the Parke Building you’ll find two one-of-a-kind vendors side by side, usually with a crowd hovering in their stalls.

Faye Bell has been a vendor at the festival for 24 years. Her Gone With the Wind booth features iconic pieces from the legendary film that every avid collector and faithful fan would adore. Giant paintings of the beloved characters, porcelain Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler figurines and even signed portraits of the stars are all on display.

Bell herself has a deep-rooted love of the film and has met and even befriended several of its stars. Many may recognize

Breanne Williams

Peter Holmbeck with his RockNRoll Jewelry.

Breanne Williams

Faye Bell at her GWTW booth.

the statuesque woman behind the counter.

She and her husband had a store at Cypress Gardens in 1998 and ran a shop in Plant City as well for years.

The Plant City residents share their love with the world now only through the festival and their online boutique at gwtwmemories.com.

It all began years ago when her personal collection continued to grow until she had enough to open a warehouse showroom to the public and share the items with the masses. It’s brought her countless joys over the years and she said she never tires of meeting the avid movie fans that are drawn to her collection.

“People don’t usually come in unless they’re big enthusiasts,” Bell said. “I’ve met some lovely people over the years. When they walk in they usually have their eye on something and are just ecstatic to have spotted it… It’s been a full time income for a long time. I told my husband I was going to retire, but he knew me well enough to know that probably wasn’t going to happen. I convinced him to give me two more years. That was 13 years ago.”

Bell recently added John Wayne, Lucille Ball and Elvis Presley merchandise to the booth as well to add an even more diverse offering to the mix.

If you step outside her booth and take two steps to the booth right next door you’ll

find Peter Holmbeck’s RockNRoll Jewelry stand. Holmbeck was in high school when he first sought a way to reuse his old guitar strings. He payed a lot of money for them and didn’t want them to go to waste so he decided quite spontaneously to see if he could make them into a bracelet.

When he was in college he began selling the unique jewelry and he was successful enough to graduate debt free. Established in 1991 the company operates under the motto of, “reduce, reuse, rocknroll.”

“Everything you see here I make out of music,” Holmbeck said. “I made my first bass-let and once I realized these could really be something cool I had a dozen designs completed within a week.”

A pun enthusiast, the designs bear names like GuitarWrist and Heavy Metal Chains.

He’s been selling at festivals throughout the country for decades and has been at the Florida Strawberry Festival for approximately 10 years.

The festival will forever hold a special place in his heart. Just a few years ago a beautiful redhead walked up to his booth to buy a GSUS Saves guitar pick for her father.

He was smitten and the two quickly began dating. Now they’re happily married and he said they even had a strawberry themed wedding.

“I really love the Strawberry Festival,” Holmbeck said. “I grew up on a dairy farm, I learned to work hard. We had Holstein cows and grew some crops as well. I love farm life so to have a festival that is so agriculturally focused I think is really special.”

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

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THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

TRADITIONS – REMEMBERING AL BERRY

ED VERNER

One of the few features of social media I enjoy anymore is the occasional reminder of what I may have been doing on this or that day four years ago. And one day last week I was reminded of how it was at this time of year when I would receive a call from Mr. Al Berry to take him for a flight over the strawberry fields.

As a proud lifelong Florida Strawberry Festival supporter (practically their mascot in the flesh), Al wanted to go up to take a few photos from the air, and, before drones, such was a rare and privileged vantage point. In addition, he always wanted to get a few shots of Plant City’s actual growing fields in their flush with green and dots of bright red.

Despite getting up there in years, no one would dare suggest Al Berry was getting too old for anything, and so several times during the last few years of his life during the late winter strawberry harvest time he would call and meet me at my small grass strip to take a photo journalism flight.

Always jolly, but with increasing difficulty, he would gamely fold himself up like an accordion bellows and get into the back seat of my old Aeronca Champ and we would take a morning flight. I regret now

that I didn’t get back from him any picture I insisted on taking of him with his camera: him crammed in that seat back there smiling like a Cheshire cat or afterwards leaning like a celebrity with a hand on the old plane’s wooden prop (a Sensenich manufactured here in Plant City). I wish I had one of those photos for it would be a dear keepsake of a great, gentle and affable Plant City ambassador.

To remember someone after they have passed is a gift to them and to yourself, I suppose. But to me it seems even more so to keep an old tradition alive, solo, which once was shared between two. And so, this morning when I found myself driving out the back gate of my home along the edge of the mist and dew-covered runway, I pulled over on a whim at the hangar and decided to take my “Al Berry” flight.

There was a slight chill in the air, which I know he would have reminded me should be good for sweetening the berries. And the air was still calm with the sun not yet above a low cloudbank to the east. Flying solo is often a wordless, calm, and serene moment. But as I flew around the many strawberry fields with some workers waving up at me, and my wagging the wings in return, I found myself smiling in remembrance of Mr. Al Berry. I hope he enjoyed the flight with me.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

PlantCityObserver.com

PFEFFER WINS PLANT CITY FAMILY YMCA VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD

The Rev. Dean Pfeffer was honored March 4.

Courtesy photo

Fourteen men and women accepted Volunteer of the Year awards on March 4.

JUSTIN KLINE SPORTS/ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Whenever the Plant City Family YMCA needs volunteer help, few are as quick to answer the call as the Rev. Dean Pfeffer.

Hope Lutheran Church’s senior pastor, who has been involved with the Y’s board of directors for the last six years, is a staple at nearly every YMCA-sponsored event in the community and his efforts were officially recognized March 4 when he was given the Plant City Y’s Volunteer of the Year award.

Pfeffer and 13 others from the Tampa Metropolitan YMCA network were recognized at the annual Volunteer of the Year dinner.

Involved as he is with just about every facet of the Plant City Y, Pfeffer said this was something he didn’t see coming at all.

“When Zach (Hilferding) told me, I was planning to meet with him to give him names to consider for the award,” Pfeffer said. “Getting that was not in my thoughts.”

It may have been a surprise to Pfeffer, but Membership Experience Director Bryan Cross called it an “easy choice.”

Pfeffer, who recently completed his term as chairman of the board, is active with the Dean’s Ride and Strong Leader events and heads up the Healthy Living Committee.

He is currently chairing the Parking Lot Committee for the duration of the Florida Strawberry Festival, which ends up being the Plant City Y’s most lucrative annual fundraising effort with a massive influx of festival-goers searching for the perfect parking spot.

He was on the search committee that brought Hilferding to Plant City several years ago and also helped hire new executive director Paul Conley. Cross noted Pfef-

fer is also adept at recruiting volunteer help from outside the Y. “Volunteers like Dean really ensure that (‘strengthening the community’) happens,” Cross said.

One of Pfeffer’s favorite things to do for the Y is give back to the staff and board members for their hard work. Every December, Pfeffer opens Hope Lutheran’s doors to the folks from the Plant City Y for the annual staff meeting and a dinner cooked entirely by his wife, Liz. “The staff at our Y, you can’t find a better bunch of people to be working and serving Courtesy photo with,” Pfeffer said.

Pfeffer’s time as chairman may be over, The Rev. Dean Pfeffer accepts his award. but he plans to stay as involved as he possibly can with the community center he calls further that within the Plant City comhome as both a gym member and an active munity. It’s one of those places where board member. everybody knows your name. You’re not “We’re not a ‘swim gym,’” he said. “The just some body that walks in to work out…

Y is something special and I just want to that’s a real special place.”

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

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THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

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Did you take the Observer with you on vacation? Send your pictures to Associate Editor Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com to be featured. www.drgaffney.com

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY,MARCH 7, 2019

FESTIVAL ENTERS SECOND WEEK

The Florida Strawberry Festival is coming to a close as we enter the last weekend of the 11-day event. Here’s a look back at some of our favorite memories so far.

F

or 11 days, Plant City welcomes hundreds of thousands of guests for the annual Florida Strawberry Festival. Live music from legendary musicians, insane eating contests and one-of-a-kind agricultural events ensure those who visit leave with memories that will last a lifetime.

The festival prides itself on having a welcoming and laid-back atmosphere and heavily supports the motto, “When you’re here, you’re family.”

Here are some of the “family photos” we’ve enjoyed taking throughout the event.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

CUTEST CRITTER Do you want Plant City to see how cute your favorite pets are? Send your pictures to Staff Writer Breanne Williams at bwilliams@plantcityobserver.com to be featured.

PARADE WINNERS SHOW OFF BERRY PRIDE

The winners of the Strawberry Youth Parade and the Grand Parade brought their A-game to this year’s events.

BREANNE WILLIAMS STAFF WRITER

The Strawberry Youth Parade and the Grand Parade are two of the hottest events in town each year during the Florida Strawberry Festival.

Churches, businesses, clubs, organizations and local high school bands all come together to participate in pulling off the grand events. To sweeten the deal there is a competition featuring a variety of categories so the attendees have the chance to walk away with a berry-riffic award if they bring their A-game to the streets.

BEST BAND CATEGORY 1st Dowdell Middle Scholl Dolphin Pride Band 2nd Turkey Creek Middle School 3rd Marshall Dragon Band GRAND PARADE WINNERS: BEST ANTIQUE DIVISION 1st James Matsko 2nd East Hillsborough Historical Society 3rd Harley Heroes SPECIAL FEATURE DIVISION 1st Patrick’s Patriots Twirling Corps 2nd Strawberry Cloggers 3rd Drawdy’s Dance CIVIC/CHURCH DIVISION 1st Gracepoint Church 2nd Eastside Baptist Church 3rd First Baptist Church of Plant City Student Ministries

YOUTH PARADE WINNERS:

Norton, a three-year-old black and white Manx cat, found his forever home with Sharon Lyons after being rescued following Hurricane Irene. Soon his family grew even more when Jax, a five-month-old kitten, was driven down all the way from Kentucky as a gift to the family’s grandson from his father. The two young cats quickly bonded and are now inseparable as they continue to delight the family with their playful antics.

ONLINE

Follow us on social media: @PCObserver on Instgram, @PlantObserver on Twitter and Plant City Observer on Facebook.

Join Us at Our Plant City Winn Dixie for our:

Strawberry Extravaganza Come see our gigantic strawberry shortcake and enjoy free samples Enjoy food samplings Live music Prizes, games and giveaways and so much more See you Saturday March 9th 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

205 W. Alexander Street, Plant City

BEST GROUP FLOAT CATEGORY 1st Advantage Academy of Hillsborough 2nd J.S. Robinson Elementary PTA 3rd Faith Christian Academy BEST CHURCH FLOAT CATEGORY 1st Eastside Baptist Church 2nd Gospel Mets Ministries BEST MARCHING UNIT 1st Patrick’s Patriots Twirling Corps 2nd Advantage Academy of Hillsborough County

MARCHING UNIT DIVISION 1st Durant JROTC 2nd Strawberry Crest Band 3rd Mulberry JROTC SCHOOL CLUBS/ YOUTH SPORTS GROUPS 1st J.S. Robinson Elementary PTA 2nd Faith Christian Cheerleaders 3rd Plant City Calendar Girls BUSINESS/COMMERCIAL DIVISION 1st Krewe of Carnival 2nd Tampa Bay Lightning 3rd Truly Nolen

PlantCityObserver.com

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

Breanne Williams

The Grand Parade draws thousands of attendees each year to the streets of Plant City.

Breanne Williams

The Strawberry Youth Parade is a special event held in honor of exceptional local youth.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019 of drug paraphernalia and also a concealed carry of firearm, which was stolen.

This week on Cops

COPS CORNER

Corner, Plant City Police investigated graffiti artists, red light woes, baffling bandits and careless concealment

RED LIGHT WOES James L. Redman Parkway/Trapnell Road DUI: Officers noticed a green Suzuki SUV with a Mississippi tag ran a red light. They conducted a routine traffic stop and the driver was arrested for a DUI.

FEB. 25 REPEAT OFFENDER(S) 400 block of Lisa Ann Court Vehicle burglary: A string of vehicle burglaries was reported to officers when during the night of Feb. 24 someone broke into at least three cars parked along Lisa Ann Court.

PAINT IT BLACK 4302 Reynolds Oaks Place Criminal mischief: Complainants told officers that during Feb. 23 and Feb. 25 someone broke into the rear glass door of their residence and spray painted the carpet and the walls with black spray paint.

FEB. 22

FEB. 23

REPO’S REPARATIONS 300 block of North Wilder Road Vehicle recovery: Officers came out to the residence after receiving word of a disturbance. They made contact with a repo company that was returning a vehicle they had taken on Feb. 19. Apparently the repo employees took the wrong vehicle and didn’t realize it until several days later.

Once the mistake was recognized they returned the vehicle back to the original owner.

CRUISIN’ WITH THE GOODS Airport Road/Sydney Road Drug investigation: Officers conducted a routine traffic stop on a silver sedan after they noticed it was speeding. However, upon pulling the car over the driver was quickly arrested for felony possession of narcotics and transported to Orient Road Jail without incident.

FEB. 24 CARELESS CONCEALMENT 300 block of South Frontage Road Recovered stolen firearm/drug arrest: A passenger within a stopped vehicle was charged with possession

THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM James L. Redman Parkway/Maki Road Traffic crash arrest: While officers were investigating a traffic crash they found a driver had a suspended license for the third time. He was arrested and transported to Orient Road Jail without incident.

JUST BROWSING 600 block of North Warnell Street Information report: Two unlocked vehicles located at a residence were entered by unknown subjects. However, the owner said there was no damage

FEB. 26

HOW TO SAVE A LIFE Nohlcrest Place Information report: Officers responded to the scene after receiving a call that a two-year-old child had fallen into a swimming pool and became unresponsive.

Plant City Fire Rescue responded as well and were able to revive the child.

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE 710 block of Coronet Street Fraud: This victim told officers they lost a total of $2,500 though an internet scam while attempting to purchase a vehicle online.

FEB. 27 BAFFLING BANDITS 2400 block of James L. Redman Parkway Criminal mischief: CSV Services told officers that an unknown person at an unknown date and time pried open a vacuum/air service station and stole an unknown amount of money.

THE BOGEY-MAN COMETH Dixie Street/Lime Street Drug arrest: Officers responded to the area after receiving calls of a suspicious person walking the streets while carrying a golf club. A man was arrested and transported to Orient Road Jail without incident.

FEB. 28 PUP PROTECTOR 110 block of West Drew Street Aggravated battery: Officers responded to the residence due to a verbal dispute regarding a dog that quickly turned physical. One man was arrested for aggravated battery and was transported to Orient Road Jail.

SHINE BRIGHT West Timberlane Drive/ North Golf Lake Drive Theft: Lighting from the entrance to the T:10” Laurel Lake Condo Subdivision was stolen.

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MARCH 7, 2019

Hendon Haley was the only Plant City-area wrestler to win a regional championship over the weekend. See Page 18

SPORTS

SHOWDOWN AT SCHS

Quick Hits Four area wrestlers make states

JUSTIN KLINE SPORTS/ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Strawberry Crest’s girls and Plant City’s boys braved the chilly weather to win all the marbles in the new Strawberry Festival Showdown.

The track and field tri-meet, the brainchild of Strawberry Crest’s program, was created to establish a friendly crosstown rivalry between the three Plant City-area schools and comes with a pair of identical traveling trophies — “like the Stanley Cup,” Crest coach Ben Henderson said.

Strawberry Crest won the girls competition handily with a total score of 97 points, the highest total of any team in Dover that day. Crest’s girls recorded first-place finishes in 10 of 17 events completed.

Plant City placed second overall with 59 points and Durant came in third with 19 points.

On the boys’ side, it was the Raiders who came through with the big win. Plant City scored 88 points and had eight first-place finishes in 17 events. Strawberry Crest’s girls brought home the win at the tri-meet.

Crest finished second overall with 61 total points and Durant finished third with 26 points.

Justin Kline

Three Strawberry Crest wrestlers and one Durant Cougar are set to compete for state championship glory this weekend in Kissimmee.

Jarrett Affronti (126 pounds), Triston Davidson (160 pounds) and Amneous Chambers (182 pounds) will represent Crest in Silver Spurs Arena. Affronti and Davidson each placed second overall in their weight classes in last weekend’s regional tournament and Chambers bounced back from a loss in the semifinal to win the third-place match and qualify for states.

Representing Durant is Hendon Haley, who became the only area wrestler to win first place at regionals when he put together a clean sweep in the 132-pound bracket. Haley is hoping to become the second person in his family to place in the state tournament: one of his four older brothers, Chase, placed sixth in the 2012 state championships as a senior while also wrestling at 132 pounds.

Blessin sets PCHS strikeout record

For Raiders ace Ashley Blessin, Plant City’s 9-3 win over Jefferson on Feb. 27 was more than just another regularseason win.

After 3.2 innings of work, in which she struck out 9 of the 11 batters she faced and gave up no runs, hits or walks, she left the game with the school’s record for career strikeouts firmly in hand. She’s since kept adding to the record with 57 strikeouts in the Raiders’ ensuing four games played — all wins, leaving the team undefeated.

Blessin now has 769 career strikeouts, 68 wins and a 0.79 ERA through 494.1 innings pitched.

Top 15 finishers at Nash Higgins Relays

BOYS 200m dash — Marwan Gilmore (PCHS) 11th place (23.60) 400m dash — Mark Hart (SCHS) 12th place (53.70) 110m hurdles — Jared Wiggins (DHS) 11th place (17.71); Cody Newman (SCHS) 12th place (17.72) High jump — Joshua Dunbar (PCHS) 6th place (5-08.00); Justyn King (PCHS) 10th place (5-06.00) Shot put — Zwanyiea Cooper (DHS) 12th place (39-03.00)

GIRLS Justin Kline

Durant’s girls placed third overall in the meet.

WHAT’S ON KLINE’S MIND?

Justin Kline

Plant City’s Justyn King catches some air in the long jump.

JUSTIN KLINE

More sports themes for the Florida Strawberry Festival The Strawberry Festival’s current baseball theme is perfect. Why not go further in the future?

I

believe the Florida Strawberry Festival hit a home run with its 2019 theme, “It’s a Hit!” I know that I’m pretty biased as a sports reporter, but I stand by my take.

Baseball totally works with the Americana of the festival and everyone else who’s getting in on this, from Parkesdale’s awesome custom jerseys to the FSGA’s baseballcovered strawberry shirts, is clearly having a blast with it.

No shade to other themes of the past and future, but sports just make

everything so much more fun. Let’s keep it going. I’ve got a few ideas for the festival to play around with in the future.

The festival is the biggest celebration in Plant City and nothing puts the “winter” in “Winter Strawberry Capital of the World” like winter sports. Let’s see “Light the Lamp” one of these years. Thanks to the Tampa Bay Lightning getting really ridiculously good over the last few

SEE KLINE, PAGE 19

100m dash — Monyette Montgomery (SCHS) 11th place (13.00) 200m dash — Monyette Montgomery (SCHS) 3rd place (26.59) 400m dash — Azauni Peterkin (SCHS) 13th place (1:04.31) 800m run — Kirsten Grindel (DHS) 10th place (2:40.39) 100m hurdles — Kylee Herndon (SCHS) 11th place (18.84); Sierra Orlando (SCHS) 13th place (19.18) 4x100 shuttle hurdles — SCHS 2nd place (1:13.38) Distance medley relay — SCHS 12th place (15:37.82) Discus — Yasmine Abdel-Kader (SCHS) 7th place (81-07.00) Shot put — Sharia Davis (DHS) 10th place (28-02.75); Yasmine Abdel-Kader (SCHS) 14th place (25-05.25)

Correction

In last week’s issue, it was stated Plant City’s baseball team beat Trinity Christian for the first time ever on Feb. 22.

The Raiders also beat Trinity Christian in the 2014 preseason.

SPORTS

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

SPONSORED BY SPORT CLIPS

DURANT HOCKEY CLUB TO HOST PLAYER EVALUATIONS

Hendon Haley

Anyone interested in playing high school hockey can try out on March 18 and 25 in Brandon.

After a second-place finish in the FHSAA wrestling district tournament, Hendon Haley (45-6) went into last week’s regional tournament determined to do better. He came through in a big way: Haley won the 132-pound championship by beating Ryan Bennett of Freedom by 10-0 major decision. Haley will now compete in this weekend’s state championship meet and hopes to be the second member of his family to at least place there.

You lost in the district championship but won at regionals. What did you do differently the second time around to get the win?

Courtesy of Todd Comunale

Durant Hockey Club is open to all area high school students.

JUSTIN KLINE SPORTS/ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Students from Durant, Plant City, Strawberry Crest and Brandon high schools can take their talents to the hockey rink starting later this month.

The four schools unite on the ice under the Durant Hockey Club banner in the Lightning High School Hockey League, which is currently comprised of teams from Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Manatee, Sarasota and Polk counties.

Boys and girls looking to give hockey a try, or looking to keep their skills sharp when not playing at the club level, are asked to come out to the Brandon Ice Sports Forum from 4:45 to 5:45 p.m. on March 18 and 25 to assess their skills.

“It’s really an evaluation,” head coach Todd Comunale said. “We typically don’t cut anybody.

Anyone interested in being evaluated for the team must first become registered by USA Hockey. That process costs $40 per person and can be completed online at usahockeyregistration.com/ register_form_input.action. Comunale said the cost to play in the 2018-19 regular season was approximately $675 per player, which covers 22 games and 20 practices.

Many programs in the league have a history of fielding rosters made up of students from several different schools in a designated area — or “catchment” in LHSHL terms — and this iteration of Durant’s hockey club sprouted in 2017 to help kids from the easternmost area of Hillsborough County stay local. “(Some players) were asked to play in Sarasota because Brandon wasn’t part of Bolts’ catchment area,” Comunale said.

Last season, Durant fielded a roster of 27 and, led by 19-goal scorer Jordan Putnam of Strawberry Crest, made the playoffs with a 13-7-2 record. Durant finished second overall in a tough Modin Division race led by 2017-18 league champion Manatee, but was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round with

an overtime loss to third-place West Manatee.

“Crushing loss, but we’ll get over it someday,” Comunale said. “It’s tough.

High school hockey’s tough. We had two players who also played for Tampa Bay Juniors missing our playoff game. Our leading scorer was in Buffalo for a travel tournament. It was very tough to get through that game and we did not do it.”

Durant is hoping to use last season as a stepping stone for bigger and better things in the 2019-2020 season. The team currently fields 34 players, seven of whom are seniors, and is hoping the growth of hockey in the area will help more talent turn up. Between the sustained success of the Tampa Bay Lightning in recent years and more families looking to hockey as an alternative to football — Comunale said “concussion headlines that have dominated football recently” have helped the sport grow in Florida at the club and high school levels — the program has two goals in mind.

First is to stick around for the long haul and not dissolve as other teams have done in the past. Second, which only happens if the sport keeps growing, is for Durant’s team to consist solely of Durant High School students — which means every other school in the LHSHL of the future would also have their own team with their own students rostered.

“We’re hoping that with the growth of hockey in the area over the years… this will be a sustainable program,” Comunale said.

Justin Kline is the Sports Editor at the Plant City Observer.

Email: jkline@ plantcityobserver. com.

A lot of it’s my mindset and preparation before my actual match. I usually go through this routine ahead of time but in my district (championship) match, I didn’t have time to do it before then. As crazy as that might sound, it really does make a difference. My routine is, you get a good warm-up to where you start breaking a sweat, then you hold that sweat right until you go up on the match and you wrestle from there. I have all four of my brothers always there, they rotate in and help practice and warm up with me before my match.

What are you looking forward to about going to states?

The good thing about this year is that after states, I’m not done. I still have another year… as long as I go out there and do what I know how to do, I should be good and hopefully place. I’ll still have another year on top of that to hopefully win it. That’s the goal. We’ll see.

You’ve got a strong support system with your coaches and your family also having a lot of experience on the mat.

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Any college plans?

I’m not sure about college plans. What all my brothers have done is go to Florida College, it’s a good Christian school in Temple Terrace. That’s where my entire family has gone. That would probably be it for my career in wrestling but I could always go back and ref or coach. I would love to do something like that. But who knows. If I got a real offer, I feel like my parents would let me go for that.

So you want to stay around the sport when you’re done wrestling.

Right, it’s just helping other people get to where, hopefully, I get. That would be awesome.

Any idea what you’d major in?

Maybe some type of engineering or mechanics or something like that. It would be fun to have something like that and maybe a side job of reffing on weekends just so you can stay up with all the high school kids and stuff.

What’s your strongest attribute on the mat?

I’d say the thing that’s helping me most is knowing what I need to work on 24/7. It all ties back to my brothers and everything they’re helping me with. That Kathleen match that I lost in (2019 district finale), it was conditioning. I needed to be quicker. After eight and a half minutes of wrestling you need to be able to stay on top of things. I run more and things like that to keep my agility and endurance up.

I’d say my strongest suit is probably my technique. I’ll go against way stronger guys than me but because I’ve been in the sport for so long, I know what to do in basically every situation.

It really helps me out to know what to do.

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39

Regionals. My brothers, I’ve been watching them for so long and they have done so well in that tournament, too. It helps to know that I’m up there with them because I really look up to them. They’re great supporters to me. That’s been my goal all through when I was younger. I started watching Chase when I was 7 and that was my goal — his senior year, four years later, he went to states and placed sixth. I wanted to place in states.

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What’s your proudest moment as a wrestler?

And my brother (Austin Haley), he’s an assistant coach. He’s a chemistry teacher at Durant now and he’s trying to be an orthopedic surgeon… he’s helped me tremendously.

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WHAT’S ON KLINE’S MIND?

SCORES AND MORE BASEBALL

Feb. 28

Mar. 11

Feb. 27 Strawberry Crest 14, Tampa Bay Tech 0

Durant 18, Brandon 3 Plant City 1, Wharton 0

Feb. 28

Mar. 1

Durant vs.

Newsome, 3 p.m.

Plant City vs.

Bloomingdale, 3 p.m.

Strawberry Crest vs. Wharton, 3 p.m.

Durant 5, Brandon 4 Plant City 9, Wharton 1

Newsome 2, Durant 0 Plant City 5, The First Academy 3 Strawberry Crest 9, Lake Weir 3 Plant City 4, Strawberry Crest 0

Mar. 14

Mar. 2

Durant, Plant City, Crest: at Manuel-Griffin Relays, 8 a.m.

Mar. 1 Newsome 6, Durant 1 Mar. 6 Plant City at Newsome, 7 p.m.

Bloomingdale at Strawberry Crest, 7 p.m.

Mar. 7 Durant at Plant City, 7 p.m.

Mar. 8 Freedom at Strawberry Crest, 7 p.m.

Mar. 9 Chamberlain at Durant, 10 a.m.

Plant City at Sickles, 10 a.m.

King at Strawberry Crest, 7 p.m.

Plant City 5, Taylor 4 South Sumter 9, Strawberry Crest 7 Mar. 6 Plant City at Newsome, 7 p.m.

Bloomingdale at Strawberry Crest, 7 p.m.

Durant at Plant City, 7 p.m.

TRACK AND FIELD Mar. 9

Mar. 12 Durant: at Newsome quad meet, 6 p.m.

Mar. 15 Plant City, Crest: at Jack Rice Invite, 4 p.m.

Durant, Plant City, Crest: at Western Conference, 1 p.m.

Apr. 2

Mar. 8 Freedom at Strawberry Crest, 7 p.m.

Durant, Plant City, Crest: at Vernon Kohrn County Championships, 1 p.m.

Mar. 12

Mar. 12

Apr. 8

Strawberry Crest at Wiregrass Ranch, 7 p.m.

Strawberry Crest at Wiregrass Ranch, 7 p.m.

Durant, Plant City, Crest: at District championships, 9 a.m.

Mar. 13

Mar. 13

FLAG FOOTBALL

Riverview at Durant, 7 p.m.

Riverview at Durant, 7 p.m.

Mar. 7

Mar. 14

Mar. 14

Strawberry Crest at Plant City, 7 p.m.

Strawberry Crest at Plant City, 7 p.m.

Mar. 16

Mar. 26

Sickles vs. Durant, 4 p.m.

Plant City vs. Plant, 7 p.m.

Chamberlain vs.

Strawberry Crest, 4 p.m.

Durant at Bloomingdale, 7 p.m.

Plant City at Riverview, 7 p.m.

Plant at Strawberry Crest, 7 p.m.

Mar. 18

LACROSSE

Armwood vs. Durant, 4 p.m.

Plant City vs. Blake, 7 p.m.

Mar. 7

Mar. 19

Mar. 8

Jefferson vs. Durant, 7 p.m.

Plant City vs.

Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate, 4 p.m.

Brandon vs.

Strawberry Crest, 7 p.m.

Steinbrenner at Durant, 5/7 p.m.

Mar. 26

Mar. 13

Durant at Bloomingdale, 7 p.m.

Plant City at Riverview, 7 p.m.

Plant at Strawberry Crest, 7 p.m.

Durant at Wharton, 5/7 p.m.

Durant at Bloomingdale, 5/7 p.m.

Newsome at Durant, 7:30 p.m.

Mar. 11 East Bay at Durant, 7:30 p.m.

Tampa Bay Tech at Plant City, 7:30 p.m.

Bloomingdale at Strawberry Crest, 7:30 p.m.

Mar. 14 Durant at Bloomingdale, 7:30 p.m.

Plant City at East Bay, 7:30 p.m.

Strawberry Crest at Riverview, 7:30 p.m.

Mar. 26

SOFTBALL Feb. 27 Plant City 9, Jefferson 3 Strawberry Crest 12, Tampa Bay Tech 1

Mar. 11 Durant at Robinson, 5/7 p.m.

Mar. 26 Freedom at Durant, 5/7 p.m.

TENNIS Mar. 7 Durant vs.

Bloomingdale, 3 p.m.

Plant City vs.

Strawberry Crest, 3 p.m.

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

Durant at Strawberry Crest, 7:30 p.m.

Plant City at Riverview, 7:30 p.m.

Mar. 28 Strawberry Crest at East Bay, 7:30 p.m.

19

JUSTIN KLINE

FROM KLINE, PAGE 17

MORE SPORTS THEMES FOR THE FLORIDA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL

Durant vs. East Bay, 3 p.m.

Plant City vs. Lennard, 3 p.m.

Mar. 27 Mar. 7

|

Justin Kline

Parkesdale Farm Market’s booth is a “home run.”

seasons, everyone’s finally realized how awesome hockey is and I’ve seen Thunderbug in town more often in the last two years than the other four combined. Why not get the festival on the hockey bandwagon?

You can’t tell me a ceremonial puck drop with Mr. and Miss Berry and the next Florida Strawberry Festival Queen wouldn’t make for a great photo op. And if the Bolts win the Stanley Cup this season, which I think is highly possible, wouldn’t it be perfect to celebrate this way? I’m already looking forward to taking a photo of Paul Davis hoisting the Cup. Football is America’s favorite sport and I know if there’s anything both the festival and those who participate in it would love to play around with more than the baseball theme, this would be it. All you have to say is, “Touchdown!”

The possibilities here really are endless.

I know it will be another big hit with the attendees. Do you have any idea how many Pittsburgh Steelers shirts I’ve seen around here since the festival started? STYX hadn’t even started playing “Renegade” as of press time, but I’d still seen a lot of them by then.

I’d also like to see a back yard-style football game played somewhere on the grounds by every mascot who appears at the festival.

Personally, I think the festival is a “Slam Dunk!” I love basketball and longtime readers of my column know I’d love to see it have a stronger presence throughout town. Maybe making a basketball theme for the festival is not quite a step in that direction, but I’m still here for it.

There are so many reasons to take this shot. You could easily host a dunk contest or other entertaining basketball shows on the Wish Farms Soundstage. The basketball shooting game is my favorite in the midway.

It gets really hot out there some days and the sleeveless jerseys are a smart idea for them.

How cool would festival-branded jerseys be?

I’d wear one just as soon as Mr. and Miss Berry would. On that note, if the festival does go through with this, I’ll challenge either Berry to a game of HORSE.

Justin Kline is the Sports Editor at the Plant City Observer.

Email: jkline@ plantcityobserver. com.

20

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THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

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Alexis Rayshell ‘Lexii’ Demere

Louis A. Caraballo Jr., 79, of Plant City, passed away Feb. 24, 2019.

Services were held Feb. 28, 2019 at Springhead Baptist Church.

Online condolences maybe left for the family at www. haught.care.

Alexis Rayshell “Lexii” Demere, 20, of Lithia, born in Brandon on May 24, 1998, entered into eternal rest on Feb. 28, 2019.

Expressions of condolence at www.HopewellFuneral.com.

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Ruthanne Collins, 78, of Plant City, passed away on Feb. 27, 2019.

Services were held March 5, 2019 at Haught Funeral Home.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www. haught.care.

Wayne B. Ward, 73, of Plant City, born on Nov. 15, 1945 in Lewiston, Maine, entered into eternal rest on Feb. 27, 2019.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

Jean Claar Jean Claar, 87, of Tampa, passed away on Feb. 27, 2019.

Services were held March 6, 2019 at Haught Funeral Home, 708 W. Dr. MLK Jr. Blvd., Plant City, FL 33563.

Online condolences maybe left for the family at www. haught.care.

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OBITUARIES

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THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

BEST BET SATURDAY, MARCH 9 12TH ANNUAL HILLSBOROUGH 4-H STRAWBERRY U-PICK

8 a.m. to 4 p.m. This special event is one day only. The strawberry u-pick will support Hillsborough County 4-H and also help out area food banks.

Bring the family ran or shine and grab $.50 per quart berries, containers provided. There will be signs posted to the event, which is located at 3524 Futch Loop, Plant City.

THURSDAY, MARCH 7 TOASTMASTERS

7:30 to 9 a.m. Plant City Toastmasters is held every Thursday.

Guest are always welcome to come join the free meeting at the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, 106 N. Evers St.

VITA FEDERAL INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

1 to 5 p.m. The VITA volunteer Federal Income Tax assistance program will have free tax preparation at the Bruton Memorial Library every Thursday through April 11. Taxpayers can come to the library each Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m. to sign up with a VITA volunteer and obtain the taxpayer interview form to be completed. Taxpayers will come back to the library with necessary tax forms and identification for use in completing and filing the income tax returns. This program is intended for any taxpayer with incomes less than $66,000 annually.

CRAFT NIGHT OUT

6 p.m. Bruton Memorial Library, 302 McLendon St., is hosting its monthly Craft Night Out for adults. It will have Mar back for another painting class and guests will paint on a canvas with a strawberry theme. All supplies provided. Registration necessary, $5 fee per person,

due prior to class. Call 813-7579215 to register or stop by the front desk.

HAVE A HEALTHY PREGNANCY

6 to 8 p.m. South Florida Baptist Hospital is hosting a Have a Healthy Pregnancy class in the ICU Conference Room, 2-South.

Registration is required, but the event is free. The class will cover recommendations for pregnancy and is held the first Thursday of every month. It will include topics like highlights of each trimester, proper nutrition, safety concerns and more.

Call 1-855-269-4777 for more information.

FRIDAY, MARCH 8

DATE NIGHT SWING DANCE CLASS 7:30 to 9 p.m. Rapid Ballroom is hosting date night swing dance classes. Come learn West Coast Swing, Hustle, Single Swing and Jive. Classes run through March and are $15 per lesson. Contact them today at 218-256-1873 for more information.

SATURDAY, MARCH 9 OPEN MIC NIGHT

8:33 to 10:33 p.m. Krazy Kup, 101 E. J. Arden Mays Blvd., is hosting its monthly Open Mic Night in the loft. Open to everyone, they want to hear what you’ve got. Sign ups are the night of around 8 p.m.

PLANT CITY FAMILY YMCA 1507 YMCA Pl., Plant City 813.757.6677

SUNDAY, MARCH 10 25TH ANNUAL GOSPEL JUBILEE

11 a.m. at Harmony Baptist Church, 6008 W. Knights Griffin Road. There will be preaching and singing for the entire week of March 10 to March 17. Come for a season of renewal and revival. Meals will be served Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Contact Pater Lee Osborne at 813-758-4873 for more information. Visit plantcityobserver.com/calendar/ for a full calendar of the week’s events.

MONDAY, MARCH 11 MASTER GARDNER SUCCULENTS AND CACTI 101

Growing succulents or cacti may be a solution to water restrictions. Learn about the advantages of growing succulents in landscapes, varieties of cacti and succulents cultivation, watering basics, potting soils, container gardening and propagation at Bruton Memorial Library, 302 McLendon St.

TUESDAY, MARCH 12 PLANT CITY LIONS CLUB

12 to 1 p.m. The Plant City Lions Club holds a meeting every Tuesday at Buddy Freddy’s, 1101 Goldfinch Drive. For more information call 813-924-3829.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13 DR. SEUSS’S BIRTHDAY PARTY

a seasoned expert, join them every week to play American Mahjong.

IMPROV NIGHT

7:13 to 8:13 p.m. Come on out to Krazy Kup, 101 E. J. Arden Mays Blvd., for a night filled with laughs for all ages. The free monthly Improv Night is the second Thursday of every month in the music loft. This month is featuring Your Middle Child and Dear Aunt Gertrude.

6:30 p.m. Celebrate Dr. Seuss’s Birthday with fun games, a themed story time, crafts, refreshments and more at Bruton Memorial Library, 302 McLendon St. The library is partnering with the Plant City Junior Woman’s Club for the memorable event. The library’s telescope night has also been rescheduled to this night at 7 p.m.

THURSDAY, MARCH 14 TOASTMASTERS

7:30 to 9 a.m. Plant City Toastmasters is held every Thursday.

Guest are always welcome to come join the free meeting at the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, 106 N. Evers St.

MAHJONG CLASS

2 to 4 p.m. Bruton Memorial Library, 302 McLendon St., is hosting a weekly Mahjong Class every Thursday. Whether you’re a first-time player or

tampaymca.org/LetsCamp

PlantCityObserver.com

Universal Crossword

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

Edited by David Steinberg March 7, 2019

3/7

FORECAST THURSDAY, MARCH 7 High: 75 Low: 53 Chance of rain: 0%

FRIDAY, MARCH 8 High: 82 Low: 57 Chance of rain: 10%

SUNDAY, MARCH 10 High: 87 Low: 64 Chance of rain: 10%

STRAWBERRIES Shipping point: Central Florida $14.90-$16.90

“Canned Speech” by Ross Trudeau

ACROSS 1 “I ___ thought of that” 6 Yukon and Sierra 10 Antlered deer 14 Notable book club maven 15 Cut with a beam 16 Road worker?

17 *Benevolent spellcasting 19 Thor’s father 20 Bumbling person 21 Taboo action 22 A, B, C, D or F 23 Clock change abbr.

24 *Chocolate ingredient 27 Bishop’s district

29 Hold in, as an emotion 30 $$$ manager 31 General ___ Anna 32 Energetic, or what the starred answers are 37 Groovy 38 Argon, e.g.

40 Be tantalizingly close to victory 43 Onsets 47 *Basic Starbucks order 49 “Agnus ___” 50 Earthen pots 51 Dublin’s poetic land 52 ___ Four (Beatles) 53 Not far

54 *“Three Little Pigs” comedy rock band 57 “My stars!”

58 Blunt 59 Staggering 60 Pelosi’s allies, briefly 61 Common V.A. malady 62 Some have 366 days DOWN 1 “Weird!”

2 Of a language impairment 3 Start falling asleep 4 ___ King Cole 5 From that point on 6 Quick peek

SUNRISE/SUNSET

Sunrise Sunset

Thursday, March 7

6:47a

6:32p

Friday, March 8

6:46a

6:33p

Saturday, March 9

6:45a

6:34p

Sunday, March 10

7:44a

7:34p

Monday, March 11

7:43a

7:35p

Tuesday, March 12

7:42a

7:35p

Wednesday, March 13

7:40a

7:36p

MOON PHASES

SATURDAY, MARCH 9 High: 86 Low: 65 Chance of rain: 10%

7 Myopic cartoon Mr. 8 Longtime CBS drama 9 “Hold on a ___” 10 Like a one-day forecast 11 Thus far 12 Tolerates 13 Lost causes 18 Heifer sounds 22 TV doctor Sanjay 25 Omani, e.g.

26 The “b” of n.b.

28 Get an edge at blackjack, say 31 Bay Area airport code 33 Scallionlike vegetables 34 Not of the clergy 35 Bart’s bus driver 36 Beach biter 39 Scene-___ (outshining actor) 40 Crashed into at 90 degrees 41 Claim 42 Low bow 43 Off course 44 Bruce of “The Hateful Eight” 45 MTV personality 46 Female oracles 48 Senses 54 Macroeconomic stat.

55 Frustrating groove 56 Before, to a bard

23

Apr. 5 New

Mar. 11 First

Mar. 19 Full

Mar. 31 Last

RAINFALL Monday, Feb. 25

0.00

Tuesday, Feb. 26 0.63 Wednesday, Feb. 27

0.05

Thursday, Feb. 28 0.00 Friday, Mar. 1

0.00

Saturday, Mar. 2 0.00 Sunday, Mar. 3

0.00

YEAR TO DATE:

MONTH TO DATE:

2019 3.68 in.

2019 0.00 in.

2018 3.92 in.

2018 0.18 in.

WEATHER

I LOVE PLANT CITY

ACROSS 43 Onsets 11 Thus far 40 Crashed 1 “I ___ 47 *Basic 12 Tolerates into at 90 thought Starbucks 13 Lost degrees Sendofyour photo submissionsorder to Associate Editor Justin Kline at jkline@PlantCityObserver.com that” causes 41 Claim Yukon#iloveplantcity and 49on“Agnus 18 Heiferto feature. 42 Low bow or6hashtag Instagram___” for @igersplantcity Sierra 50 Earthen sounds 43 Off 10 Antlered pots 22 TV doctor course deer 51 Dublin’s Sanjay 44 Bruce 14 Notable poetic land 25 Omani, e.g. of “The book club 52 ___ Four 26 The “b” Hateful maven (Beatles) of n.b.

Eight” 15 Cut with 53 Not far 28 Get an 45 MTV a beam 54 *“Three edge at personality 16 Road Little Pigs” blackjack, 46 Female worker? comedy say oracles 17 *Benevolent rock band 31 Bay Area 48 Senses spellcasting 57 “My stars!” airport 54 Macroeco19 Thor’s father 58 Blunt code nomic stat.

20 Bumbling 59 Staggering 33 Scallionlike 55 Frustrating person 60 Pelosi’s vegetables groove 21 Taboo allies, briefly 34 Not of the 56 Before, action 61 Common clergy to a bard 22 A, B, C, D V.A. malady 35 Bart’s bus or F 62 Some have driver 23 Clock 366 days 36 Beach biter change DOWN 39 Scene-___ abbr.

1 “Weird!”

“While walking around Walden Lake early one morning(outshining I came upon this scene and thought it typifies what makes living in this areaaof Florida so special,” Bob Collette wrote of his I Love Plant City 24 *Chocolate 2 Of actor) submission.

Collette wins thislanguage week’s I Love Plant City Photo contest. ingredient PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER 27 Bishop’s impairment Follow us on social media: @PCObserver on Instgram, district 3 Start falling O N L I N E @PlantObserver on Twitter and Plant City Observer 29 Hold in, as asleep on Facebook. an emotion 4 ___ King 30 $$$ Cole manager 5 From that 31 General point on ___ Anna 6 Quick peek 32 Energetic, 7 Myopic or what cartoon Mr. the starred 8 Longtime answers are CBS drama 37 Groovy 9 “Hold on 38 Argon, e.g. a ___” 40 Be tantaliz- 10 Like a ingly close one-day 3/6 © 2019 Andrews McMeel Universal to victory forecast www.upuzzles.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

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24

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019

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