Valrico
36
April 2023
Volume 20, Issue 4
2
Ph: 813-657-2418
CELEBRATING 21 YEARS OF PUBLISHING P OSITIVE COMMUNIT Y NEWS
BRANDON’S TIMES SQUARE PIZZA STINGRAY CHEVROLET CAR RAFFLES RAISE MORE THAN $3 MILLION OWNER CELEBRATES 30TH FOR UNITY IN THE COMMUNITY ANNIVERSARY OF THE SANDLOT By Jonathan Hurst By Jane Owen
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While sports fans die. Follow your heart, are usually most paskid, and you’ll never go sionate about one wrong.” sport, most sports Obedzinski puts fans love The his heart into all he Sandlot, a movie does and loves living based on a group in Brandon. Our comof neighborhood munity is made up of kids connecting hardworking people. through baseball. Shane Obedzinski, The Sandlot’s Tommy Shane just happens The Sandlot resonates ‘Repeat’ Timmons, and Charlie Jonathan to be a hardworking own Times Square Pizza in Brandon. with them because of Bloomingdale busisports, the camaradeness owner who was rie of the kids, the nosin a famous movie. He talgia of the time and wouldn’t change anythe plight of the characthing. ters. “There’s not a lot of What most people in places in the world like our community don’t Florida. There’s not a know is that Sandlot’s lot of places where you Tommy ‘Repeat’ Timgrow up and you still mons graduated from like it as much as you The Sandlot actors will reunite in Bloomingdale High Utah in August to celebrate the 30th did when you were a kid. School in 2001. TomI’ve been lucky to travel anniversary of the iconic movie. my is Bloomingdale’s Shane Obedzinski. my whole life, and there’s nowhere else I He was born and raised in Brandon and would rather be than this area of Florida,” owns Times Square Pizza in Bloomingdale Obedzinski said. Square with Charlie Jonathan. Obedzinski and Jonathan embody the This year is the 30th anniversary of The sense of community portrayed in The Sandlot. The movie premiered in April of Sandlot, as they support all things local. 1993. Celebrations are being held all over The pizzeria highlights artwork from Burns the country this year, namely in Utah in Au- Middle School and Bloomingdale High gust, where the movie was filmed. Shane School, and they donate pizzas weekly to will be there with his Sandlot co-stars. Brandon Regional Hospital, welcome highObedzinski’s acting career started at the lighting local artists and quite simply love age of 3 in a Kool-Aid commercial. He cred- connecting with customers on a personal its his mom, Peggy Lawson, for recognizing level. his potential and giving him the leeway to And great news for all Sandlot fans: A follow his heart. He turned 10 on the set of Sandlot television series based in the late The Sandlot. 80s is set for next year with the movie’s “As I get older, I realize I was a part of players and their kids. something incredibly special,” Obedzinski Times Square Pizza is located in said. Bloomingdale Square at 927 E. BloomingIn The Sandlot, Babe Ruth said, “Remem- dale Ave. in Brandon. For more informaber, kid, there’s heroes and there’s legends. tion, visit https://tspizzaco.com/ or call Heroes get remembered, but legends never 813-651-0122.
Looking for something fun to do with the entire family outdoors? Come rent a canoe from Alafia River Canoe Rentals, located on the banks of the Alafia River just off Lithia Pinecrest Road. For more information, see the full article on page 14.
For the 14th time, United Food Bank Stingray Chevrolet and Lots of Hugs has successfully Summer Reading run its New Vehicle program. AdditionRaffle benefitting ally, Unity has 13 Unity in the Comscholarships that it munity. On March gives out annually 12, the May family to local high school were the recipients students. Unity has of a new C8 Cora board comprised Photos courtesy of Stingray Chevrolet. vette, as one of the of up to a dozen Steve Hurley and the Unity in the Community 20 tickets they purlocal business ownteam with the check presentation at Stingray chased was drawn ers and its founder, Chevrolet. as the winning ticket Joyce Jordan Hooke. at the Strawberry FesHurley also serves tival. on the Unity board With tickets costing and was brainstorming $5 each, there were ways to be able to raise between 60,000 to more funds than they 70,000 tickets in the had in the past, and he drawing this year, contemplated simply which was done live in donating a car. After front of a crowd at the The May family, the winners of the C8 some more thinking, he Corvette raffle. Strawberry Festival came to the realization and livestreamed on Stingray Chevrolet’s that through a legal new vehicle raffle, Facebook page. This year’s winner, James they would be able to generate three to May, purchased 20 tickets but had not four times the value of the car. The comeven consider winning and just wanted munity really rallies around this event, to help Unity in the Community continue which allows Hurley and Stingray to help their great work. Unity in the Community fulfill its mission. While all past years of this raffle are “I am just proud of all of the great peoconsidered successful, this year broke ple in Plant City who are able to help make records, as Stingray Chevrolet and own- this raffle happen each year. … The dozens er Steve Hurley were able to generate and dozens of volunteers collecting the $363,000 for Unity in the Community. In donations and the support of the radio total, Stingray Chevrolet has donated al- companies providing bonus ads over and most $3,000,000 to the organization over above our advertising buys each year is the 14 years that this raffle has been held. truly amazing,” said Hurley. “We have given $2.945M over the 14 For more information about Unity in raffles to Unity in the Community. Iron- the Community, visit its website at www. ically, that could have never happened unityinplantcity.org. Stingray Chevrolet is without the help of the community it- located at 2002 N. Frontage Rd. in Plant self here in Plant City. Without the Flor- City. For more information about it, visit ida Strawberry Festival, our Unity board www.stingraychevrolet.com. members, all of our volunteers at the festival, our outstanding radio media partners and so many more, the raffles could never have happened,” Stingray Chevrolet own- DURANT’S AG TEACHER.................PG 3 er Steve Hurley shared. PLAN HILLSBOROUGH ....................PG 7 Unity in the Community is a Plant CityRUNNING OF THE BULLS 5K........PG 9 based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping those in need through donations to EYE ON BUSINESS.........................PG 35 different local charities such as Plant City SUMMER CAMP GUIDE ..............SEC 2
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