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North Plant City home tops monthly sales.
Plant City High’s Campaign trail linebackers anchor brings candidates its stout defense. to Plant City.
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+ Trapnell to host fall fest Trapnell Elementary School will host its Fall Festival from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday Oct. 24, at the school, 1605 W. Trapnell Road. The festival will feature carnival-style games, face painting, a haunted house, cake walk and food. For more information, call (813) 757-9313.
+ PCPD hires new officers The Plant City Police Department has hired four new officers. Justin C. Carpenter and Eric Cruz are former deputy sheriffs with the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. Manuel Diaz was a reserve deputy sherif with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. Joel Endel is new to the law enforcement profession.
+ Kiwanis installs new president Sharon Moody installed David Wolf as the president of the Kiwanis Club of Plant City for the 2014-2015 year.
by Amber Jurgensen | Managing Editor
BUMP IN THE NIGHT
+ Burney student needs donations Burney Elementary student Azaria Santos is going into her second year of doing charity work to help premature babies at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Last year, Azaria and her nana stuffed stockings and brought bears to babies and their parents for the Christmas season. This year, Azaria also wants to donate lullaby CDs, blankets, Bibles, books and, of course, more bears. Azaria also is accepting sponsorships and selling T-shirts for $10. To donate or buy a shirt, call (813) 764-7148 or email AzariaSantos8@ gmail.com.
by Amber Jurgensen | Managing Editor
This week’s winner is
Kimberly Bullard See her photo on PAGE 17.
Cancer Resource Center to host open house The center offers services such as providing wigs and hats to those battling the disease. Walking into South Florida Baptist Hospital’s Cancer Resource Center is like walking into a homey living room. Instead of a cold, sterile environment, couches are set up in the main lobby with books and refreshments. It’s this welcoming environment that the hospital wants the community to see and to use. To that end, the hospital will host an open house for its Cancer Resource Center from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18. “The Cancer Resource Center is a type of place that is more of a home,” Volunteer Coordinator Teresa Armbruster said. “It’s a comforting place … we like to take each patient — each visitor — one at a time. Because they’ve been through a lot.” The center works to improve cancer patients’ quality of life by providing information about free programs and services, gift items such as hats,
Amber Jurgensen
Zach Glaros says his character, Sir Henry, is the “ultimate Halloween villain,” a combination of the Joker and Michael Myers from the “Halloween” slasher flicks.
Plant City is possessed with several Halloween events, including two big draws, a ghost tour and haunted trail.
F
right night isn’t only reserved for Oct. 31 in Plant City. The town, chock full of its own ghostly history, has more than enough candy to go around, including fall festivals and trunk or treats in the weeks before Halloween. But, two main events are bound to scare your socks off this year.
Sir Henry’s Haunted Trail
Wind your way down a forested trail off South Frontage Road, and you’ll come across your darkest nightmares. A foggy graveyard reveals an army of undead. From the mist of a swamp comes wicked witches with gnarled claws. Beyond is a haunted pirate ship, twisted circus, werewolves, scarecrows and a serial killer bent on blood. It’s all part of the first Sir Hen-
ry’s Haunted Trail. The attraction has ghoulish actors using scare tactics on unsuspecting victims as they stumble down the dim trail on select nights. The project is the brainchild of Zach Glaros, who has been creating haunted scenes in the front yard of his parent’s Lakeland house since he was a teenager. “I wanted to take the concept I do every year and magnify it on a bigger scale,” Glaros says. So, with the help of his father, and using his grandfather’s land, he has created Sir Henry’s Trail. Glaros also has enlisted actors to help with the show. Sir Henry’s Trail is named for a character of Glaros’ own creation. The trickster skeleton wears a debonair vest, top hat and gloves, and carries a cane.
“He’s Joker meets Michael Myers,” Glaros says. “He’s the ultimate Halloween villain.” Sir Henry will be making surprise appearances each night the haunted trail will run. But, it’s guaranteed he won’t be the only monster you’ll see. “There’s no telling what could happen,” Glaros says. The trail will be running Oct. 17 to 19, 24 to 26, and 31. It’s open from 7 to 10 p.m. each night. Tickets, which cost $10, can be purchased at SirHenrysHauntedTrail.com. The trail is located at 2837 S. Frontage Road.
For a list of nonghoulish fall festivals and trunk-ortreats, see page 4.
SEE CENTER / PAGE 4 CANCER RESOURCE CENTER OPEN HOUSE WHEN: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18 WHERE: 1708 Palmetto Ave., directly behind the hospital PHONE: (813) 704-4838
1914 High School Building Paranormal Investigation
Christina Koplenik and her team of paranormal inves-
SEE HALLOWEEN / PAGE 4
governance by Catherine Sinclair | Staff Writer
ACHIEVEMENT by Catherine Sinclair | Staff Writer
City welcomes business Strawberry festival president inducted into FFA Hall of Fame development manager Jim Jeffries taught agriculture in and near Plant City for 20 years and was an agriculture supervisor for Hillsborough County Public Schools
, 3&
FREE • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2014
Before he was president of the Florida Strawberry Festival, Jim Jeffries spent decades coaching FFA students and supporting them when they won awards for their achievements. But, last month, Jeffries was the one receiving an award for his contributions to FFA in Florida. The FFA Florida Hall of Fame recognized Jeffries as a 2014 inductee Sept. 29, at a ceremony in Haines City. Just three days after graduating in 1969 from the University of Florida with a degree in agriculture education, Jeffries immediately started his career at
SEE JEFFRIES / PAGE 4
Courtesy photo
John Hoblick (right), president of the Florida Farm Bureau Federation, presented a plaque to Jim Jeffries (left) at the FFA Hall of Fame ceremony.
Adam Myers will work with the city manager to increase business in and around Plant City.
In his new position, City Manager Mike Herr plans to focus on economic development, and Adam Myers, a new employee from the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation, has relocated to Plant City to work side-by-side with Herr. “We’re going to be focusing on business recruitment and retention, and we’re already starting to get some inquiries now, with the economy starting to come back,” Herr said. Jake Austin previously held Myers’ position of business development manager, but was recently promoted to director of business retention for the corporation. He will still work with Plant City but in a more
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indirect capacity. Myers, however, will be positioned in City Hall, so he can focus on Plant City full-time. “I think that it would be better for Adam to be here, because I think it will provide for better communication and coordinator with our development and planning review team,” Herr said. “As clients come in to our process and introduce themselves, we’ll have our economic development person right here.” Herr also said he hopes to meet with Myers at least once a week to stay updated on the status of businesses that will potentially be relocating to
SEE COMMISSION / PAGE 5 Vol. 2, No. 13 | One section
Crossword...................17
Obituaries...................11
Weather ......................17
Sports.........................14
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