Ali & Gracie’s Back to School Bash a hit!

“It’s expensive today, especially with three, you have to have three times everything,” she said. “It’s crazy.”

Amazon gift cards were also distributed to local teachers. Plant City educators

Heather Maxwell and Shayna Johnson were thankful for the cards that they’ll use to purchase school supplies for the classroom.

Maxwell, a science teacher at Strawberry Crest, said it’s nice to know the community is supporting her at the start of the school year. “We have so many things to figue out and prepare and this gift means others want to support us as we try to create the best environment for our students,” she said.

Maxwell said while the district does give them a budget for school supplies that varies from year to year, it’s usually not available until October.

Finally, on Monday, the library passed out school supplies and offered free health and vision screenings. A lucky few qualifying residents even received Chromebooks.

Ten-year-old Mia, was all smiles as she walked out of the library with her new laptop. The Florida Virtual School student now has more flxibility to access lessons. “It means a lot to me because I can do my work indoors or outside,” she said.

The collaboration between community members, local government and business leaders not only benefied parents and students but showcased the community’s solidarity.

As school drew nearer, Hungry Howies’ owner Ali Sobh partnered with Outback Steakhouse’s managing partner intern Gracie Martinez to host Ali & Gracie’s First Annual Back to School Bash in conjunction with Plant City-based nonprofit Operation Paying It Forward.

The event was held at the Sadye Gibbs Martin Community Center on Saturday, offering food, refreshments, school supplies, free haircuts and fun to hundreds of local kids as they prepare for their upcoming school year.

“This has just blown my mind, Ali’s mind, it’s just crazy,” Martinez said. “We weren’t expecting it to be this way for the fist annual Ali and Gracie’s Back to School bash so it’s definiely exciting to see and how the community came together for us.”

In past years, Sobh has hosted back-toschool events through he and his father’s Hungry Howies restaurant located at 208 N Alexander St. He says that he saw a need in the community as he returned to Plant City after college and that his back to school events have progressively grown larger and larger over the years, leading to him reaching out to Martinez in an attempt to combine their philanthropic efforts this year. Martinez has engaged in a number of charitable efforts throughout her time with Plant City’s Outback Steakhouse, located at 1203 Towngate Ct., and jumped at the opportunity. Collecting funds, along with over 2,000 pieces of school supplies through a donation and rafflevent at Outback, the team began additionally reaching out to local businesses that would be willing to promote themselves and provide food, drinks and/ or other amenities to attendees, with Sobh and Hungry Howies providing them with credit in return.

“Gracie was doing a back to school event, I was doing one and I knew that they always did a drive for school supplies, so I reached out to Gracie and said that I’m doing one too and that we should do one together,” Sobh said. “We’re two of the more powerful businesses in Plant City so I said what a great opportunity to work together. I know that Outback’s structured a little different with corporate but Gracie is the face of their social media and does all of their charity events so I reached out to her and she was glad to partner with me and do it bigger.”

With volunteer efforts from Pelican’s Snowball, Citi Ice, Cheat Meals and Zeus’s Training Hall, along with free haircuts provided by Golden Era Barbershop, pizza provided by Hungry Howies, a stand with chips and hot dogs manned by Plant City Police, inflaables from Joyful Jumps and face painting from Martinez, the event provided a ton of fun for families and kids as the summer winds down.

“It’s a really awesome back to school event,” local parent Lubna Shahen said. “I brought my kids, this is their fist time here, but I love it. It’s fun. The kids are enjoying it and it’s a great thing that they did for the community, they gave their time and effort to make the kids happy.”

Operation Paying It Forward is a 100 percent volunteer-based nonprofit oganization based in Plant City and founded in 2018, aimed at helping residents throughout the Plant City community as well as rural areas in eastern Hillsborough County and parts of Western Polk County.

“This event was community driven,” Michelle Valdes of Operation Paying It Forward said. “We don’t have major sponsors, we don’t have grants or anything like that. This is community-run, communitydriven, 100 percent volunteers and no one makes a penny off f this event, it all goes back into the community.”

JULY 28

STICKY FINGERS

2600 block of James L. Redman Pkwy.

Theft: An officer met with a loss prevention employee at a business at the listed location in reference to a theft.

ADDING INSULT TO INJURY

300 block of N Alexander St. Felony warrant arrest: An officer responded to the South Florida Baptist Hospital in reference to a wanted subject being discharged from the hospital. Upon arrival, contact was made with one individual who had an active PCPD warrant for burglary of an occupied dwelling, criminal mischief and assault. The warrant was confirmed and the individual was subsequently arrested and transported to Orient Road Jail without incident.

JULY 30

FIGHT NIGHT

600 block of N Maryland Ave.

Simple battery: An officer responded to a business at the listed location in reference to a simple battery complaint. A waiver of prosecution was signed for the incident.

JULY 30

DAMAGED GOODS

100 block of S Every St. Criminal mischief: An officer responded to a business at the listed location and met with the owner in reference to damaged property.

AUGUST 1

LOST AND FOUND

2200 block of N Park Rd. Warrant arrest: An officer responded to the listed location and arrested one individual for a violation of parole warrant out of the Polk County Sheriff ’s Office. The individual was subsequently transported to Orient Road Jail without incident.

AUGUST 2

CLEAN PLATES

2300 block of Maki Rd. Stolen tag: An officer made contact with the victim at the listed location who stated that they woke up in the morning and observed that their license plate was missing from their vehicle.

LONG LIST

2500 block of James L. Redman Pkwy.

Drug arrest / felon in possession / simple battery: An officer responded to the listed location in reference to observing a battery. One individual was subsequently charged with possession of cocaine, armed traffickinof fentanyl, possession of marijuana, felon in possession of a fiearm, felon in possession of ammunition and simple battery. The individual was subsequently transported to Orient Road Jail.

HOME GOODS

500 block of Allen St.

Theft: An officer made contact with the individual at the listed location who stated that their push mower and pop-up tent were missing.

DRINKS ON ME

1800 block of Jim Johnson Rd. Grand theft: An officer met with the complainant at the list location who stated that 15 cases of Hennessy cognac were stolen from the loaded area, valued at $5,130.

AUGUST 3

SWIMMING UPSTREAM

SR 574 / Lake Boulevard

DUI arrest: An officer conducted a traffictop in reference to a vehicle driving the wrong way. One individual was subsequently charged with DUI and driving with a suspended/revoked license and turned over to Hillsborough County Sheriff ’s Office.

CAR TROUBLES bserver

1700 block of N Park Rd. Vehicle burglary: An officer met with the victim at the listed location in reference to a delayed vehicle burglary complaint.

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Burney Elementary To Celebrate 100th Anniversary This Month

Burney Elementary School’s centennial celebration kicks off ugust 24.

IT’S READ EVERYWHERE

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Through the years, the building has served in a number of capacities. It was an elementary school (serving grades one through six), a sixth-grade center, a “strawberry school” (that would close during strawberry harvesting season so children of farmers could help their families in the field), the temporary location of Tomlin Junior High School and an exceptional education and alternative education center.

The school received much-needed facelifts in the last several decades. In 2002, the front windows were replaced and new offices constructed. A decade later a contractor replaced aging mortar and cement around the bricks and new structures were added to the site. Its name was changed to Esther D. Burney Elementary.

This year, a sprinkler system was installed and the building repainted.

Assistant Principal Megan Braglin has rich history with the school. She was a student at the school when it was a sixth- grade center. Her mother, Dr. Mary Knox, was the guidance counselor. Her father, David Knox, was a sixth-grade teacher.

“I went to Bryan Elementary but used to ride the bus here after school and the lunch ladies would share their leftovers and they used to cook from scratch,” said Braglin. “I remember the blondies they used to make and in the fall they’d make and sell homemade sweet potato pies.”

Fast forward to this school year. Quinlan expects student enrollment will be between 350 and 370 students. She also plans on bringing back the Halloween Carnival as part of its 100th anniversary celebration.

If Esther Burney were alive, would she be pleased to see her school still educating students? Quinlan thinks so.

“Our core of what we are is exactly what Esther D. Burney wanted, which was her vision to make sure every child is educated for the sake of the community,” she said.

For more information about Burney Elementary visit hillsboroughschools.org/ burney.

Local Building Earns Spot On 11 To Save List

The 1914 High School Community Center is on its 2023 list of the most threatened historic places in the state.

The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation recently announced the 2023 Florida’s 11 to Save, a list of the most threatened historic places in the state, at the 2023 Preservation on Main Street conference. The 1914 High School Community Center made on the list.

East Hillsborough Historical Society (EHHS) President Shelby Bender was the fist to know. She did, after all, submit the application to be included in this year’s list.

“Making the 11 to Save will bring a greater public awareness of the need for historic preservation of the building and that greater awareness will help us focus on the funding that’s needed,” said Bender. “It takes it outside our neighborhood to garner support from people who recognize the need for funding.”

Each year, the Florida Trust announces its 11 to Save sites, which are nominated by the public and reflect the hitoric places that matter to local communities. The program is designed to increase the public’s awareness of the urgent need to save Florida’s historic resources, highlight the breadth of Florida’s unique history, inspire unique collaborations and empower local preservationists and community groups in their work to preserve Florida’s rich history.

The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation is the state’s nonprofit dediated to protecting Florida’s extraordinary heritage and history. Founded in 1978, the Florida Trust has collaborated to save irreplaceable Florida treasures like the Historic Florida Capitol and is a statewide partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

“The 2023 Florida’s 11 to Save reflect the extraordinary breadth and depth of stories that make up the cultural mosaic of our state,” said Florida Trust Board President Mike Cosden. “By safeguarding these sites, we’re not just preserving buildings and landscapes, but also the diverse histories and voices that contribute to our shared heritage.”

Other historic buildings that made the list include: Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, Thelma Boltin Center in Gainesville, Community of Royal, Community of East Palatka, Ormond Beach Yacht Club, Opa-locka Bank, Port Charlotte High School, Mount Olive AME Church in Jacksonville, Hollywood Beach Hotel and Central Academy in Palatka.

Bender hopes that making the list will heighten the awareness of preserving the former school building, designed by Tampa- based architect Willis R. Biggers. Active since 1914, the year of its construction, the Georgian Revival school ceased being used as an educational facility in 1972. Added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 4, 1981, the school building has been occupied by the East Hillsborough Historical Society and used as a community center since 1977. Today, its future is in question as city leaders as the building’s owner, evaluate what to do with the historic structure that is falling into disrepair.

Hillsborough County agreed to allocate $1.5 million to the city for the building’s restoration, which Bender said will cover phase one of her three-phased approach to make improvements to the building. She said local leaders have been working on an interlocal agreement to transfer the funds since June. “I don’t have an update on that, I was told the city was working on getting the money transferred from the county to the city to hold in escrow,” said Bender.

Learn more about the 11 to Save list at www.FloridaTrust.org.

PLANT CITY AUTHOR WRITES BOOK ABOUT FORWARD-THINKING NAVY VETERAN

Residents can purchase a copy of the book “Kenneth Whiting: Remembering a Forgotten Hero of Naval Aviation and Submarines” at online retailers Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Kennth Whiting and Whiting Field (a Naval Air Station at Milton, Florida) were named after him, the general public is unaware of his achievements. “Whiting was a major factor in the development of naval aviation and he’s been forgotten, this book is a way to remember him,” he said. “It was a tragedy that there wasn’t a book written about all of his accomplishments.”

In the 1980’s, Whiting’s oldest daughter started researching her father’s life, intending to write a biography about her father but she passed away before it could be written.

Notably, Haynes’ father served as a communications officer aboard the USS Kenneth Whiting. He remembers stories his father would tell about life on the ship. This was one more reason why he felt the story needed to be told and he would be the one to tell it.

Jada Brown Crowned Miss Tennessee Volunteer

The win qualifiesher to compete in the Miss Volunteer America pageant in June 2024.

Local author Felix Haynes has just released his fourth book, a nonfiction biography, which tells the inspiring story of highly decorated Navy veteran Kenneth Whiting, who was the fist naval officer to conceptualize a ship that would one day prove invaluable to the US Navy, a ship able to operate airplanes, what we now call an aircraft carrier. He is often referred to as “the father of the aircraft carrier.”

Where would the Navy be (where would movies like “Top Gun” be) without Whiting’s vision?

The book, titled “Kenneth Whiting: Remembering a Forgotten Hero of Naval Aviation and Submarines”, chronicles the journey of Whiting, born at Stockbridge, Massachusetts in 1881, from his time as a Naval Academy cadet to his time commanding submarines to becoming a naval aviator during World War I. Whiting was the last naval officer taught to fly y Orville Wright himself. It also takes a deep dive into how he came up with the idea for the aircraft carrier and his participation in converting the USS Jupiter to the USS Langley, the Navy’s fist aircraft carrier.

While many Navy sailors recognize Whiting’s name, seaplane tender USS

Beginning in 2017, Haynes spent fie and a half years, some of that time during the COVID-19 pandemic, examining Whiting’s life, including extensive research and interviews, offering readers a vivid and authentic depiction of his illustrious career as well as his personal life. He visited Whiting Field, where the Navy trains its pilots. He spent a week at the naval air station, sorting through stacks of fils during the day and eating amberjack at Pensacola’s finst restaurants at night. He drove to Maine to interview one of Whiting’s granddaughters. He stayed in her garage apartment for a week, sifting through her family fils and eating Maine lobster. He visited the National Archives in Washington D.C. and the Nimitz Library at the Naval Academy to uncover more documents about Whiting.

Years passed.

“My wife asked me at the beginning of this process how long it would take and I told her three years but it took a lot longer,” said Haynes. “It was all in my head and meant many days of waking up at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. and writing for four or fie hours, that was my life,” he said. “It was a labor of love.”

When it came time to publish the book, he received offers from three publishers but declined them because they wanted editorial control. He decided to have Page Publishing in Pennsylvania print the book. “They made suggestions but at the end of the day I was able to say what was included in the book,” he said.

Haynes’ book can be purchased online at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Plant City native Jada Brown, a court member in the 2019 Florida Strawberry Festival Queen Scholarship Pageant, is wearing another crown.

Brown, a senior majoring in biology with a minor in chemistry at Lane College in Jackson, TN, captured the Miss Tennessee Volunteer title on Saturday, July 29 at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson, Tennessee. The pageant, a service-oriented scholarship program, honors young women who demonstrate a genuine commitment to making a positive impact in their communities through volunteer work and who embody the values of service, compassion and leadership.

After winning the title, her phone was flooded with alls and texts from Plant City residents offering heartfelt congratulations. “My strawberry sisters, my strawberry moms, Di Lott, Donna Keel, Paul Davis, my former teachers at Strawberry Crest, my friend group, it feels like all of Plant City has reached out to me,” she said.

As Miss Tennessee Volunteer, Brown will serve as the Governor’s Official Spesperson for Character Education in schools and be a Goodwill Ambassador for the newly- formed Miss Volunteer America partnership with St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Championing the platform “The Beauty Within Our Hands,” the 21-year-old presented an American Sign Language (ASL) song performance to “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman for the talent portion of the pageant.

“One of my sisters is deaf so part of my platform is educating students and teaching them beginner-friendly signs,” she said.

During her time as Miss Tennessee Volunteer, she promises to be the very best role model she can be and to strive to be a shining light when she enters every school to speak to youth. “I was taught to leave things better than I found them and that will be my mission for the next year while I travel the state of Tennessee, spreading my message about ‘CARE’ as my Character Eduction trait,” she said.

Brown qualified or the Miss Tennessee Volunteer Scholarship Pageant after winning a local preliminary pageant title, Miss Lane College, in March. It was her fist time competing since the Queen Pageant. While she was nervous, she said it felt good to be on stage again and said the lesson learned in the Queens Pageant quickly came to mind. “The Florida Strawberry Festival Queen Pageant was an amazing experience and really shaped me into the woman I am today,” she said. “It taught me interview skills and how to talk to people.”

In addition to her role as Miss Lane College, Brown will hold the Miss Tennessee Volunteer title through 2024 and receive an $11,000 scholarship. She has also earned the opportunity to compete for the Miss Volunteer America crown on June 22, 2024.