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Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2015
OUR TOWN
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SPOTLIGHT
WINNING
FLAVORFUL
Find out more about the DWTL dancers.
Dolphins’ Pee Wees are undefeated.
Plant City Entertainment hosts tea.
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ACTING IN FAITH by Emily Topper | Staff Writer
‘War Room’ actress to speak at church The faith-based actress will be making an appearance at Greater Hope Anointed Ministries to talk about her recent film, prayer and worship.
+ Enter Halloween costume contest Try and spook the staff at the Plant City Times & Observer in the inaugural Halloween costume contest. We want employees of Plant City businesses to dress in their scariest gear Friday, Oct. 23. Our staff will come by each office to take pictures and judge the costumes. All participating ghosts and ghouls will be featured in a photo gallery on PlantCityObserver. com. The winner will get a special spotlight in the Friday, Oct. 30, print edition, just in time for Halloween. Email Managing Editor Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com if your business plans to participate. Make sure to include your business name, contact number, email and physical address. The deadline to enter is Wednesday, Oct. 21. Good luck!
+ Family welcomes baby Proud parents Anthony and Rachel DePerno are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter, Mia Louise DePerno. Mia was born Wednesday, Aug. 5, at Bayfront Hospital in St. Petersburg. She weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces, and she was 19 1/2 inches long at birth. She is the second child and the first daughter of the family.
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“War Room” actress Karen Abercrombie will be speaking at Greater Hope Anointed Ministries Saturday, Oct. 17, about faith and worship. The Pennsylvania native played prayer warrior Miss Clara in the 2015 film. “It was a perfect fit,” Abercrombie said of her recent role. “I heard the character’s voice immediately.” In the film, Abercrombie’s
character helps a damaged family solve their problems through faith. When Greater Hope Anointed Ministries Pastor Calvin E. Callins saw the film with 150 members of his congregation, he recognized his own grandmother in Abercrombie’s character. “It reminded me of ... how the older generations really kept everything together,” Callins said.
After the congregation saw the film, Callin’s uncle, Robert Callins, suggested that the church look into having Abercrombie as a speaker. With less than two weeks until the event, Callins is expecting about 800 guests. “We live, breathe prayer,” Callins said. “And not just for ourselves. In the movie, and what we do here, we pray for our country, we pray for every-
one around the world.” Guest attendees can expect praise and worship, and an atmosphere of fellowship. Oasis World Outreach, of Zephyrhills, will perform, and clothing and food vendors will be selling items in the church parking lot. “It will almost be a festival,” Callins said. This isn’t the first time that
SEE ABERCROMBIE / PAGE 4
¡Celebración!
Elementary students are tutored on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while younger children come every morning of the week.
IF YOU GO
A Hispanic Heritage festival will be held on Saturday, Oct. 17, as a fundraiser for Learn Tampa Bay, a local nonprofit that encourages literacy.
INAUGURAL HISPANIC HERITAGE FESTIVAL
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WHEN: Family activities are from 12 to 5 p.m.; evening activities are from 7 to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17 WHERE: John R. Trinkle Center, 1206 N. Park Road COST: Free, except for the purchase of food and beverages
WANT TO SPONSOR?
Businesses can email Angelica Ibarra at angelica@tampbabayliteracy.org.
This week’s winner is
Julia McConnell
romoting a love of literacy: that’s the primary goal of Learn Tampa Bay, a 501-c3 nonprofit in Plant City’s Historic Downtown. On Saturday, Oct. 17, Learn Tampa Bay will be hosting the first annual Hispanic Heritage Festival as a fundraiser. The event will celebrate Hispanic culture through traditional cuisine, music and games. The event also closes out Hispanic Heritage Month. “This event is out of control in a good way,” Learn Tampa Bay Director Angelica Ibarra said. She has been coordinating students, sponsors and parents. “I’ve
lived in this community for 30-plus years. That I know of, nobody has done an event like this.” Ibarra has found sponsorships through a number of organizations and businesses in the Plant City community for the festival, including SunCoast Credit Union, Publix and La Feria Mini Market. The Hispanic community has reached out in support of the event as well. Local bands have agreed to perform, including Instinto, Izenzible, Mariachi Loco and Ladrones del Norte. The festival will have daytime activities for families, with bands performing in the evening. “The support was tremen-
dous,” Ibarra said. The Hispanic Heritage Festival also will serve as a way for students of Learn Tampa Bay to learn about their culture. Ballet Folklorico Raices de Mexico, a nonprofit group from Clearwater, has volunteered to teach attendees traditional dances from Mexico.
ABOUT LEARN TAMPA BAY
On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons every week, 40 elementary school-aged children flock to the nonprofit’s building on East Baker Street, where they receive homework help and literacy skills that will help them in
SEE HERITAGE / PAGE 4
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH by Emily Topper | Staff Writer
See her photo on PAGE 15.
INDEX Calendar........................2
Courtesy photo
Karen Abercrombie plays Miss Clara in the 2015 film “War Room.”
BUSINESS BOOM
by Emily Topper | Staff Writer
Plant City Economic Development Corp. made official An organization that will focus on growing new and existing businesses in Plant City has been made official. The Plant City Economic Development Corp. bylaws were passed on Tuesday, Sept. 22, by a committee that had originally formed this June. Former mayor Randy Larson is heading the Plant City EDC as chairman, and David Sullivan, a senior executive vice president at Platinum Bank, is vice chairman. “This is a whole new sense of energy,” Sullivan said. “It’s all happened really fast, within a three-month period. It’s time for Plant City to shine.” The City of Plant City has a partnership with the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp. Both Larson and Sullivan see Plant City’s EDC as an organization that will work alongside the Tampa Hillsborough EDC.
SEE EDC / PAGE 4
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Steve Hurley, Stingray Chevrolet Karen Kerr, South Florida Baptist Hospital Nate Kilton, Sedita Kilton Life & Wealth Management LLC and Sedita Kilton & Company, CPA, P.L. Yvonne Fry, Fryed Egg Productions Jeff Lucas, Central Florida Development Robert Appleyard, Lakeside Station Logistics Park Keith Smith is the Plant City EDC’s secretary treasurer.
Vol. 3, No. 10 | One section Crossword....................15
Obituaries....................11
Sports..........................12
Weather.......................15
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