7.7.22 PLCO

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ALCOHOL ORDINANCE

The Plant City City Commission approved a proposed ordinance that will allow the sale of beer and wine only at an event by a sponsoring entity at a public park in downtown or midtown, including McCall Park, Village Green, the Depot, and any streets or rights-of-way closed for the event.

The ordinance also defines the sponsoring entities to be the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, Plant

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THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2022

City Main Street, United Food Bank & Services of Plant City, and the Improvement League of Plant City.

“These are organizations that currently provide a bulk of our downtown events,” Plant City City Manager Bill McDaniel said. “They’ve been successful with a wide variety of events.”

It also grants exceptions to other religious, charitable, or non-profit organizations approved by the city commission.

The sponsoring entity is required to hold an appropriate state alcoholic beverage license; not hold the city accountable for any liability related to the event; provide the city with a certificate of insurance in the sum of $1 million for general liability coverage; and must comply with all federal, state, county, and municipal laws, rules, and ordinances.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

PLANT CITY CELEBRATES INDEPENDENCE DAY JULY FOURTH FESTIVITIES DREW IN CROWDS TO THE TOWN STADIUM BRIAN FERNANDES STAFF WRITER

The town’s Fourth of July celebration brought out the masses to enjoy the festivities at the Plant City Stadium on Monday.

It was the 16th annual event which avoided the rain experienced at last year’s celebration, but still had a spectacular fireworks show.

Ivanna Ibarra is the special events coordinator for the recreation side of the Parks and Recreation Department.

“I’m a Plant City native, born and raised here,” she said.

“I’ve been viewing these fireworks as a kid myself.” She was instrumental in galvanizing the city departments, organizations and sponsors to make the event possible. She was happy to see the turn out that she said was bigger than last year’s.

“This is one event that everybody looks forward to and I’m glad to be a part of it,” she said.

“It definitely looks like we’re back to the pre-COVID times.”

For Karen Tucker, it was her second year attending the event and she expected this year’s event to top last year’s.

Especially with much drier weather.

“I think there’s going to be a lot more people coming out this year,” she said.

If she wasn’t at the stadium having fun, she would have spent her typical Fourth of July in her swimming pool and perhaps going to a ball game in Clearwater the Saturday before the holiday.

“This is the founding of our country, good or bad,” Tucker said. “We’ve done good stuff, we’ve done bad stuff, but this is our country. No matter what’s going on, we need to honor that and we need to celebrate it.”

Multiple vendors lined the entryway to the stadium, with concession stands as well.

While there were those who sat in the bleachers during the remainder of the event, many took to the field where more vendors could be found, along with food trucks.

Patrons walked away with funnel cakes, lemonade, corndogs, popcorn, and more.

Activities offered were corn hole, face painting, bounce houses, and a rock wall where kids made attempts to climb to the very top. And on stage, there was live entertainment that added to the festivities.

A 50-50 drawing was also held and a portion of the proceeds went back to funding the event.

Ethan Muller holds the rank of a major in Strawberry Crest High School’s JROTC program.

“We’re all a big family,” he

said. “We look out for each other.”

He was alongside his team as they presented the colors on the field during the national anthem.

“The Fourth of July – it means the birth of our nation, the greatness, and all that we’ve been through,” Muller said.

Connor McQuaig was another JROTC team member who performed as well. It was his first time at the annual Fourth of July celebration and he said that it was the fireworks show at the end that he was anticipating the most.

After a few words from City Manager Bill McDaniel, Assistant City Manager Jack Holland, and Mayor Nate Kilton, the fireworks finale began, which was met with much cheering.

The event was a joint effort between the Parks and Recreation Department, among other city departments, the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, Plant City Main Street, as well as sponsors.

“It definitely makes me proud not only for myself, but my department, the city, everybody that put their hand in it,” Ibarra said. “There’s a lot of hands that goes into it.”

Plant City came out to enjoy the festivities during the town’s annual Fourth of July celebration, on Monday.

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Last Thursday morning, like just over 500 times once each week going back 10 years, I repeated what has become a joyous habit, reading Plant City’s hometown newspaper. Now to be honest I have missed being on the day of distribution a time or two, perhaps due to vacation or travel. But I’ve read every issue of the Plant City Observer and I am very proud of it.

Being a weekly paper with editorial “put to bed” times 36 hours or so ahead of print, sometimes there are current event moments that miss their window of coverage. And thus, there are times when I must begrudgingly appreciate the speed of social media, or the good old word of mouth grapevine of our town. But just as often, or likely more so, I encounter a sense of calling BS on some of the negativity or downright falsehood often prevalent on what I call farcebook, or twiddle-D, etc. Therefore, I urge people to read and interact with our local newspaper when they want to cut through the hysteria and know some facts.

The duty of journalism to write facts and mostly eliminate any agenda is in some ways made easier for the Plant City Observer because our focus is only to report hyper-local events and activities, rather than save the world, create utopia, or raise awareness of politically correct nonsense. This duty is something the editorial staff at The Plant City Observer takes very seriously. Even so, sometimes the passion and opinion of our staff an peek through but compared to most major media outlets who pretended to serve our community (while often bashing it) we stand tall. They inspired me to help create a true hometown newspaper ten years ago, and I believe we not only whipped ‘em, but are better than they were. I am pleased with and appreciative of our Plant City paper because we cover the hyper-local news which many times would receive no other honest coverage.

And it matters.

Our advertisers have learned that being in our paper works for them. Whether it is keeping their brand vibrant and visible to future customers, or communicating with their existing ones, there is a great deal of pride for us when we hear feedback on how paying to advertise in our paper is effective. Many people know it works, as indicated by how often some ask for us to publish for free their upcoming events (smile). As best we can

we leave some comp space for upcoming charity or community events, but nobody can produce, print, and distribute almost 100 million pages of newspaper for a decade without some revenue, so we VERY much appreciate our paid advertisers.

10 years ago, many people, both in the industry and outside of it, were predicting the doom of small-town print newspapers. The rarity of success, and the dedication required from the people behind your paper make this 10-year anniversary especially poignant for me. Often the people who dedicate themselves to doing the work of reporting and producing a paper are a special kind of crazy, but like a romantic Don Quixote notion I’ve been guilty of a time or two, they are my kind of crazy. And I hope Plant City at large appreciates them all. If you know one, buy their lunch sometime, or drop them a message of encouragement. To do this work is a calling.

10 years ago, was our fi st issue, and I still have every one of that fi st year’s run in an ‘old’ distribution box in a corner of my office’s waiting area. It is a sort of a pride corner of mementos from some things I’ve worked on, and I like to take out that fi st issue and read it about once a year. I have this sappy notion that perhaps the mother of the kid pictured within has that newspaper clipping framed on her wall. Or the retiring fi e chief kept a copy of our coverage on his pride wall at home. Newspapers have that ability like no computer screen or cell phone can deliver.

Penultimately I would offer to our readers a hope that you all would keep in mind how fragile and precious is a hometown newspaper; hyper-local reporting and writing for and by those who live here, raise their children here, dine out here, and drink from the well that journalism can poison if it is careless or malicious. In that hope where I appreciate you all is the ever-present call to you for your support in readership, discussion, your checkbooks on occasion, and your being a part of Plant City’s ongoing stories.

Lastly, to thank everyone who has helped build and pull this wagon so far would be dangerous, dramatic, ineffective, and worst of all dull. You know who you are, and you all have my appreciation. Here’s to the future of the Plant City Observer, Your Hometown Newspaper.

- Ed Verner

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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OBSERVER CELEBRATES ITS 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY NEWSPAPER REFLECTS ON ITS HISTORY BRIAN FERNANDES STAFF WRITER

Snippets of local youth sports news, the retirement of Plant City Fire Chief George Shiley, plans to expand South Florida Baptist Hospital, and the inception of the Plant City Observer newspaper entitled ‘Born on the 4th of July,’ were several articles that graced the front page of the Observer’s first edition, on Wednesday, July 4, 2012.

This past Monday, not only was it a celebration of Independence Day, but also the 10-year anniversary since the Plant City Observer released its first issue.

It began with a vision from the newspaper’s co-owner, Ed Verner who wanted hyperlocal news coverage for Plant City.

The Plant City Courier was the publication that preceded the Observer and began serving the town in 1884. In 2007, a merger brought the Courier under the Tampa Tribune and its Plant City office was closed, and then operated in Tampa and Brandon.

“I didn’t start off thinking I wanted to create a competitor,” Verner said. In fact, he considered buying the Courier to cover Plant City exclusively and be based in town.

When the Observer began in 2012, there was a four-year overlap when both publications were providing local Plant City news coverage to their residents. However, after 132 years in existence, the Courier ceased operations on May 3, 2016.

This came after the publication’s owner, The Tampa Tribune, was bought out and closed by the Tampa Bay Times.

“There was very little add revenue toward the end because it was seen as not really covering Plant City,” Verner said. “There was no sports coverage of youth athletics.”

This left the Observer as the sole town newspaper.

In a 2016 article in the Plant City Observer, Dave Nicholson, a journalist from the former Courier stated that, “For the first time,

the Courier couldn’t force a competitor from its domain.”

Former Plant City Mayor Rick Lott recalled growing up when the Courier was a staple in town.

When the newspaper folded, he was relieved that there was still print journalism in town to represent the voices in the community.

“It was exciting to see the Observer step up and to fill that void that would have been in our community, and it has excelled in covering the local news, and that Plant Citians want to hear about it,” Lott said. “They want to hear about their local sports. They want to hear about their community, their government.”

Along with Verner, the current co-owners of the Observer are Plant City Mayor Nate Kilton, Felix Haynes and Karen Berry, its publisher.

Initially, the Observer was a partnership between Verner, Kilton, Haynes and Matt Walsh, the owner of the Observer Media Group in Sarasota. Verner eventually bought out Walsh’s share.

A pledge was made that there would not be an owner that was located more than 15 miles outside of Plant City.

Haynes is the former president of the Hillsborough Community College – Plant City campus. He left his role in 2012 as the Observer came on the scene.

“It was mainly me, although Felix Haynes was very passionate,” Verner said. “He was entering a phase in his life when he wanted a small business venture with some of his retirement. He didn’t have a whole lot of money to spend, but he had a great deal of passion.”

“Tucked between Tampa and Lakeland and sitting in the eastern end of the third largest county in Florida, the residents of Plant City knew their opinions about local and regional news stories often differed from those of their larger neighbors,” Haynes said. “With those differences, it was important to maintain and support a hometown newspaper that reflected our unique public opinions. We were blessed for many years with just such a

newspaper, the Courier. But the Courier’s desire to reflect our local perspectives deteriorated, and then things got worse when it was sold to the Tampa Tribune.

That was when I and my founding partners, Ed Verner and Nate Kilton, decided that we needed to establish another hometown, hyperlocal newspaper to replace the one we had lost. In July 2012, we published our first edition, and we haven’t looked back.”

Kilton was an accountant who had not entered public office when he bought his share of the publication.

Verner referenced him as being a “trusted voice in Plant City.”

“It’s hard to believe that it’s already been 10 years,” Kilton said. “I have a copy of the first printing of the Observer framed and hanging in my office. The headline was ‘Born on the Fourth of July.’ The title and timing of that first printing was perfect.

Other front-page news included ‘Plant City Hospital Plans $5 million Expansion.’ It’s amazing how much has occurred in a decade.”

Then in July 2015, Karen Berry became a co-owner and is the current publisher of the Observer.

“What I was dealing with were weeklies and I was an account representative,” she said. “I already knew how it worked and I already knew how important a weekly paper would be for Plant City.”

She previously worked at the Bradenton Herald, the New York Times at the Sarasota Herald, and the Tampa Tribune.

When she came on board, Berry was already publishing two In the Field magazines which cover agriculture in both Hillsborough and Polk counties.

In addition to In the Field, she decided to publish for the Observer as well after being invited by Verner.

The Observer initially operated in the Lee Building on Reynolds Street in downtown Plant City.

The building was a hub for dining as it had occupied 10 restaurants over the years.

The Observer briefly relocated to a building on Alexander Street,

before returning to the Lee Building.

Along with Berry as the publisher, the newspaper team consists of: Sarah Holt, managing editor; Taylor Jenkins, associate editor and sports/staff writer; Brian Fernandes, staff writer; Juan Alvarez, editorial designer; Linda Lancaster, circulation/ office manager; and Richard Brame, account executive.

Lancaster has been with the Observer since the very beginning.

Interacting with others whether by phone or in person is something she enjoys, Lancaster said.

Handling the newspaper’s obituaries gives her the opportunities to hear others’ stories and help console them.

“It gives me the pleasure to talk with families that are going through hard times with losing a loved one, and a lot of times I end up knowing these people, and I talk and it’s comforting,” Lancaster said. “That’s one of my favorite parts of my job.”

She credits the comradery among the employees and the assistance of the community as to why the paper has lasted as long as it has.

Jenkins echoed the same sentiments, having gratitude for the city playing a pivotal role in the Observer’s weekly operations, especially when it comes to sports coverage.

“Getting the opportunity to cover sports from all three high schools: Strawberry Crest, Durant, and Plant City is always a

challenge,” he said. “There’s a lot going on at any given time, especially throughout the school year when there’s numerous sports going on at the same time. But it’s a ton of fun and I love telling their stories.”

Aside from sports, Jenkins also provides other additions to the Observer with Cops Corner, Around Town, News Briefs, Cutest Critter, and assists Lancaster with obituaries.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the newspaper was able to thrive while other publications and establishments didn’t.

With the uncertainty of the situation, ads were lost.

However, Berry and Verner credit teamwork and the advertisers who remained for helping the Observer weather the storm.

Berry said that while the newspaper continues to learn and grow, it will move forward as a voice for Plant City.

“I think because of everybody as a group, as a team, it gelled and worked, and it’s still working even without the other entities that are bigger than us,” she said.

“We found our own way as being local owners and I’m proud of our team and what we do, and being in the community and listening and hearing them.”

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COPS CORNER

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THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2022

PLANT CITY

This Week on Cops Corner: Plant

Observer

City Police investigate a sneaky suspect, a stolen gun and a suspicious vehicle. istock

Publisher / Karen Berry KBerry@PlantCityObserver.com Managing Editor / Sarah Holt SHolt@PlantCityObserver.com Sports Writer / Taylor Jenkins tjenkins@plantcityobserver.com Staff Writer / Brian Fernandes bfernandes@plantcityobserver.com Advertising Graphic Designer / Juan Alvarez

JUNE 24

JUNE 25

JUNE 27

JUNE 28

CAUGHT YA

HOLE-Y MOLY

CAR TROUBLES

LIGHTS OUT

1600 block of Cedar Dr. Warrant arrest: Officers attempted contact at the listed location in an attempt to locate an individual due to an active warrant. The individual was attempting to exit the rear door of the residence where he was then located, arrested and transported to Orient Road Jail.

1200 block of Goldfinch r.

Criminal mischief: Officers met with the complainant at the listed location in reference to bullet damage to their apartment.

2700 block of Thonotosassa Rd. Drug arrest: Officers responded to a business at the listed location in reference to a report of a suspicious vehicle. One individual was subsequently placed under arrest for drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia and transported to Orient Road Jail without incident.

300 block of N. Frontage Rd. Drug arrest: An officer conducted a traffic top on a vehicle with no headlights. Two individuals in the car were then placed under arrest for drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia and transported to Orient Road Jail where they were turned over to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department.

RUNNING GUN 1500 block of E. Renfro St. Theft: Officers met with the victim who advised that his Glock 19 was stolen.

OUT-OF-TOWNER 300 block of Hunter St. Fraud: Officers made contact with a victim tht reported a fraud out of Orlando. Due to the location, an assist other agency report was completed

THE DAMAGE IS DONE James L Redman Pkwy. / E. Park Rd..

DUI: An officer responded as a backup officer to a traffic ash investigation where one individual was arrested for DUI with property damage.

RAZOR’S EDGE 2600 block of James L. Redman Pkwy.

Aggravated battery: An officer responded to a business at the listed location in reference to a subject stabbed during an altercation. One individual was subsequently arrested and transported to Orient Road Jail without incident.

BAD DREAM 1400 block of Hunter St. Warrant / drug arrest: An officer observed an individual sleeping at the listed location. Contact was made an an FCIC/NCIC check revealed that the individual had an active warrant out of Hillsborough County. The warrant was confirmed and the individual as then arrested for the warrant and possession of a controlled substance and transported to Orient Road Jail without incident.

YOU GOTTA GO 2100 block of N. Park Rd. Narcotics arrest: Officers responded to a business at the listed location in reference to a trespassing and possible fraud call. One individual was subsequently arrested for possession of narcotics and later transported to Orient Road Jail.

Circulation/ Office Manager / Linda Lancaster LLancaster@PlantCityObserver.com

TO ADVERTISE Call (813) 704-6850

Advertising / Richard Brame richard@plantcityobserver.com Advertising / Karen Berry kberry@plantcityobserver.com

CONTACT US

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, 110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100B. If you wish to discontinue home delivery or if you wish to suspend home delivery temporarily, call Linda Lancaster at 704-6850.

SEND US YOUR NEWS

We want to hear from you. Let us know about your events, celebrations and achievements.

To contact us, send your information via: Email: Sarah Holt, SHolt@ PlantCityObserver.com.

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The Plant City Observer is published by Plant City Media LLC.

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ALCOHOL SALES FOR SPECIAL EVENTS COMMISSION LIMITS ALCOHOL PURCHASE, APPROVES DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS BRIAN FERNANDES STAFF WRITER

A sponsoring entity also has to submit an application to the city manager, who will review the application to make sure that the event doesn’t conflict with other scheduled events.

However, the ordinance doesn’t allow the use of glass containers, bottles, or cups.

It goes on to state that the event has to end on or before 11 p.m.

It also changes the Sunday starting time restriction for the sale, consumption, or service of alcoholic beverages from 1 p.m. to 11 a.m.

VACATING RIGHT-OF-WAY

The city commission approved the request of an applicant to vacate a 25.3 foot-wide by 139-foot-long portion of an unnamed and unimproved right-of-way located just east of South Davis Street, south of the CSX railroad, and north of West Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard within the Wordehoff’s subdivision.

Various departments and agencies did not have any objections to the request when reviewed.

Some of these entities include Florida Public Utilities, Tampa Electric Company, the Hillsborough County 911 agency, the City Parks and Recreation Division, City Streets and Stormwater Division, Hillsborough County Planning Commission, the Florida Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Commission, and Charter/Spectrum.

The right-of-way was initially platted within the Wordehoff’s subdivision recorded in 1924.

In 2009, there was a previous vacation request within the same area. The request was to vacate approximately 300 feet of the

same right-of-way located further east of the approved vacation. The first request was also approved.

On May 25, the Planning Board approved and recommended to bring the vacate request to the city commission.

NORTH PARK ISLE

The City Commission also approved a request from the developer of the North Park Isle development to add a potential school to the area.

It is located north of East Sam Allen Road at North Park Road.

The developer does need to adhere to the requirement that a school site be located either as part of the project or off of site.

The development site is approximately 729 acres.

The proposal designates approximately 60 acres within the site plan as a potential school site that could house any type of school from Pre-K through grade 12 or vocational.

The North Park Isle Planned Development district was initially approved by the city commission in 2006 and then modified in 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022. The planned development district is already approved as a residential development allowing, at the most, 2,250 singlefamily lots and 250 townhome lots.

Construction plans for Phase 1, Phase 2, and Park East Phases of the project have already been approved and are under civil construction.

Based on comments received from the requirements of the school board, the main access is proposed to be off Park Road with a secondary access to North Wilder Road.

Any development that impacts wetlands and floodplain designated areas within the area designated for the school site, will be subject to all requirements of Hillsborough

Courtesy of the City of Plant City A proposed school may be incorporated within the long-planned North Park Isle development.

County Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) and the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD).

The developer will also be accountable for extending water, sanitary sewer, and reclaimed water lines to the site.

In August 2019, an updated transportation analysis was conducted by Landis Evans and Partners. It was based on 3,058 single-family units and 250 multi-family units. The daily average trips for the project at that time was 25,546. In accordance with submitted and approved construction plans, the single-family unit count will not go beyond 1,800 units.

Combined with 250 multi-family units and a 2,500-student school, daily trips are reduced to 22,943 average daily trips It was determined that the addition of a school along with the reduction of residential units, would not require an updated traffic study.

On May 25, the planning board found the modification to align with Article IV of the Plant City Code of Ordinances and the Imagine 2040: Plant City Comprehensive Plan.

It was approved with a vote of 7-0.

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THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2022

A NEW STORE, BUT A VINTAGE FEEL LONG JOURNEY OPENS IN TOWN WITH FURNITURE AND ANTIQUES BRIAN FERNANDES STAFF WRITER

In early June, Linda Feola’s vision finally came to fruition when she opened the doors to her Long Journey: Home Décor & Furnishings shop.

As its name implies, the establishment offers an array of antiques and furniture that have both a modern and vintage feel.

Over the years, the property at 1003 S. Collins St. in Plant City had gone through its transformations as a pizza shop and then an Allstate insurance office, before becoming Long Journey.

Feola gave her establishment that name because of the lengthy history behind the shop’s items, plus the time and effort she put into constructing it. It took a year to renovate the building. In fact, her now-retired husband was the agent that worked out of it when it was used as an Allstate office.

Instead of selling the building, the couple decided to hold on to it so she could open her own shop.

Feola has many antiques and items in her home and in storage that she wanted to put on display and share with the community.

She has a construction cleaning company, so that experience, on the business end, has helped her to start the new shop from the ground up, she said.

However, she was initially apprehensive to open up, being that it was a new line of work for her, but she eventually took the leap of faith, she added.

Since it started operating, there has been a steady number of visitors stopping in, with some days busier than others.

“It’s everything I thought it would be and more,” Feola said.

“I’m just really impressed by everybody coming in and making me comfortable. I’m trying to make them comfortable and they’re making me comfortable, and I love that.”

Not only does she receive support from her husband, but also from her assistant, Leslie Kimbel.

Kimbel has been a stay-athome mom for the past five years.

In passing, she would notice Feola setting up the shop one item at a time and was intrigued by the unique furniture and antiques that were being housed inside. As a full-time parent, she had little time to socialize with others, but that soon changed when Feola requested her help in maintaining Long Journey’s day-to-day operations.

“I wasn’t ready for a job,” Kimbel said. “I wasn’t ready to leave my family, then I bumped into her outside, because I’ve been watching the process. I’m like, ‘This is so exciting. I’m so excited for you,’ and she’s like, ‘Can you help out?’

I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, I’d love that, because I love doing that. I love decorating’.”

In the past Kimbel had helped her friends with home décor but she hadn’t done it professionally.

She had more interaction with the community in the first several weeks of the opening than she’s had in the past five years, she said.

They’ve added many things to the shop from their homes, that it’s become another dwelling place for them, both ladies said.

“This store, honestly, is a dream come true to me,” Kimbel said.

For the first two weeks, Long Journey was open every day so that they could determine when their busiest hours peaked and

what would be the best days to close. They finally settled on operating from Wednesday to Sunday, leaving Monday and Tuesday as their weekend.

In the rooms of the shop can be found offerings such as clocks, table pieces, vases, mirrors, chandeliers, paintings, signs, jars, bags, tools, chairs, benches, dressers, statues, lamps, tables, suitcases, jewelry, and even clothing. Each item adds to the vintage feel of the shop, with some going back hundreds of years.

Feola still has more antiques in storage and plans to bring them in as other pieces are sold.

“A lot of people that have stopped in, have been back two and three times, and they seem to be bringing people in with them, or someone will say so and so told them about it,” Feola said. “I like that. I like the word of mouth.”

It’s not only about selling products, but socializing with visitors and making them feel welcome, the ladies said.

Since opening, they’ve had not only customers from Plant City, but big cities like Tampa, and even folks visiting from Atlanta and New York.

The shop doesn’t cater to women exclusively but to men as well. Male customers have bought items or have put things on hold.

“I love for a man to be able to come in and leave and be just as happy as the wife or the girlfriend,” Feola said. “I have been pleased to see that there’s been a lot of men that come in or the wife goes home and comes back with the husband.”

She has plans to eventually turn one of the rooms into the “Man Cave” where guys can shop and

hang out. Also, a part of the agenda is adding what several customers have been suggesting – art classes. It could be an opportunity to offer activities such as drawing, painting, refurbishing antiques, and building furniture Constructing outdoor artwork is also an idea where the ladies would like the community to take part. They would like the exterior to be redesigned and become a noticeable landmark that stands out on a busy Collins Street.

There are plans to have the community help create a mosaic on the wall in front of the shop and its parking lot.

Folks would be able to add glass, China ware, and other unique crafts, that may have been passed down the family tree.

Plants will add to the decorative scenery as well as a lanai and seating sheltered under an awning.

Feola and Kimbel have longterm goals to travel outside of Florida and collect other antiques from other markets to add to the shop.

“I feel that this will be a big part of Plant City, places for them to go and buy some neat stuff,” Feola said. “They don’t have to drive all around Lakeland and Tampa.

They can stay in their hometown.”

Courtesy of Leslie Kimbel Leslie Kimbel (left) and Linda Feola operate the Long Journey: Home Décor & Furnishings, which opened in June.

Long Journey: Home Décor & Furnishings is a new shop in Plant City that offers a wide array of antiques and furniture.

7/7/22 & 7/21/22

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THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2022

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Photo courtesy of TK Photography, Thomas Lightbody

STRAWBERRY CREST FFA WINS AT STATE CONVENTION The all freshman team won at the state level and will now advance to the national competition in Indianapolis.

TAYLOR JENKINS STAFF WRITER

Strawberry Crest FFA was represented at last month’s 2022 Florida FFA State Convention & Expo in Orlando, where their team of seven freshmen competed and later came away victorious in their Agriculture Issues Forum Leadership Development Event.

The Agriculture Issues LDE is designed to stimulate interest and critical thinking around local, state, national and international issues related to agriculture, food and natural resources. And this event, open to one team per high school FFA chapter throughout

the state, required teams to investigate and research these topics before completing a written portfolio that details their selected issue, holding a number of in-person presentations within their local community and ultimately presenting their portfolio at the Convention for judging.

Crest’s selected topic was, “How are consumers’ perception and selection of food choices influen ed by social media and confusing food labels?”

“It was mostly about finding a relevant issue in agriculture so we kind of sat there and I said, ‘I think this would be fun to do,’ with my team,” member Milee Hasting said. “So we just started throwing ideas out there with social media

and how relevant it is and then we were thinking, what’s confusing when we go into the store?

Food labels. There are all of these practices that people don’t know about so that really sparked our interest. So we turned it into a presentation, a really fun one with jokes but also a lot of information as well. That’s kind of how it all started up and the kids wrote everything. Our teacher helped us with a couple of things but she really left it up to us.”

Their preparation began in October of 2021 before they thoroughly researched their prompt, developed a presentation and held forums before the Florida Farm Bureau, the Rotary Club of Plant City and the Rotary Club

of Brandon, among others. The team used all seven members to represent two different social media groups in their presentation, with one group representing those who are very knowledgeable about food labels and are very involved on social media and advocate for the food industry and another group that was misinformed and lacking knowledge on the food industry while spreading false information. Then the seventh member of the group served as the moderator.

Through their skit, the team portrayed both groups going back and forth on issues such as GMOs and gluten and antibiotics on the food products that everyone sees in stores as they shop.

Members of Crest’s state championship team include Tess Aguero, Jaden Ausburn, Jaylene Carey, Alivia Eben, Milee Hasting, Rachel Moore and Hope Storter, led by advisor Susan Mayo.

On the heels of their state championship, Crest’s team will represent the state of Florida as they present at the 2022 National FFA Agriculture Issues LDE, scheduled for October 26 and 27 during the 95th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2022

Free Health Services for Upcoming School Year Students can receive physicals, immunizations before school

BRIAN FERNANDES STAFF WRITER

The Back to School Coalition of Hillsborough County will be hosting its annual Back-2-School Health Clinics on July 9.

The event offers free health services for students in preparation for the upcoming school year.

In addition to physicals, children can undergo eye examinations, dental and hearing screenings, routine immunizations, and COVID-19 vaccinations.

The event will take place at the Ed and Myrtle Lou Swindle Medical Arts Center, 1601 W. Timberlane Dr., in Plant City.

Sports physicals, daycare physicals, or HeadStart physicals will not be offered.

However, there are six other locations that it will be held within Hillsborough County.

Parents or guardians must pre-register for an appointment as walk-ins will not be permitted.

Pre-registering for an appointment or additional information can be found by visiting www.Back2SchoolHealthClinic.org.

For additional information, email Info@ Back2SchoolHealthClinic.org.

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

a h rlotte‘s C Web DIRECTED BY STEVEN BUCKO

JULY 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17 AND 22, 23 & 24 OPENING NIGHT SPECIAL 2 FOR $30

GROUP TICKETS ONLY AVAILABLE ONLINE OR AT SHEAR EXPRESSIONS TICKETS AND INFO AVAILABLE AT PLANTCITYENTERTAINMENT.COM OR IN PERSON AT SHEAR EXPRESSIONS- 1514 S. ALEXANDER ST. PLANT CITY, FL

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THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2022

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SPORTS

FEATURED FUTURE: ETHAN PUES Featured Future is a summer series where the Observer will highlight local student athletes who are preparing to continue their athletic and educational careers at the college level, or those who have already begun that journey.

TAYLOR JENKINS SPORTS WRITER

Strawberry Crest’s Ethan Pues played four years for the Chargers, culminating in a commitment to continue his athletic and educational career at Pasco-Hernando State College this coming year.

As a freshman, Pues played on the Chargers’ junior varsity team, needing to grow and add size before he moved up to the varsity level. And as a sophomore, his year was cut short due to COVID-19 as he totaled just six plate appearances over the Chargers’ eight games. By his junior season, with very little varsity experience, Pues made his way into the starting lineup and became an offensive staple for the Chargers, hitting .315 and finishing the year with the team’s third-most hits with 23, the team’s third most runs batted in with 18, the team’s second-most doubles with six and tied for the team lead with two triples.

Following the 2021 season and heading into a crucial summer before his senior year, Pues hit a roadblock as he suffered a stress fracture in his elbow, causing him to miss most of the summer and fall seasons. Undeterred, he took advantage of the time off of the field to try and fill out his frame in the weight room, getting up to around 200 pounds before his final season of high school ball.

As a senior, Pues’ production took a huge leap. Leading Crest in nearly every category, he finished the 2022 season with a teamhigh .349 batting average, 29 hits, 26 runs batted in, nine doubles and five home runs.

He also finished second on the team with 22 runs scored and tied for third with 10 stolen bases.

“I put on probably 30 pounds, got up to about 200 pounds and really saw the results,” Pues said. “I hit a couple of home runs, a lot more power, a lot faster… My junior year my approach was completely different too.

I wasn’t as good at picking up on offspeed pitches, I was kind of going up there and swinging at whatever, swinging hard. Going into my senior year I realized that I didn’t have to swing as hard and I can utilize my strength, just putting the ball in play, trying to make hard contact, I’m seeing more curveballs out of the hand, I’m getting better at picking up little things like pitchers tipping their pitches, things like that. Just being more mature mentally and not trying to do too much all the time, the result is better contact, plus, as you get stronger you naturally hit the ball further.”

With four consecutive district titles for Strawberry Crest – most recently coming by way of a walkoff victory over rival Bloomingdale in 2022 – Pues is among a select group that finished their high school career without ever failing to win their district championship.

“It was just really fun,” Pues said. “We all knew that we had something special because we always knew that we had a shot at trying to make it to a state title. Then, it’s great winning districts because you’ve got the dog pile, you’re playing your rival in Plant City or Bloomingdale and getting the win in that district championship is something special, it’s not something that everybody gets to experience. We had a good bond and we played well as a team and it was a good run.”

Due to the elbow injury, Pues says that his recruitment process began a little late and that he knew his senior season would be a crucial window toward earning a chance to play at the next level. While he spoke with a number of schools ranging from local junior colleges to out-of-state junior colleges and Division II schools, Pues ultimately decided that Pasco-Hernando State College was the best fit for him moving forward.

“I had a decent amount of schools, some out-of-state JUCOs, some out-of-state Division II schools, a couple of local JUCOs around here,” Pues said. “But I went and actually practiced with Pasco and had a good time. The coach was really invested in me and I’m going there on a baseball scholarship so I feel like that was my best choice in order to develop as much as I can as a player.”

PHSC is a Division II program in New Port Richey. Since making the move to DII in 2010, their baseball team has appeared in the NJCAA Region 10 District Tournament in North Carolina seven times, winning the Region in 2014 and ultimately advancing to the World Series where they finished fourth nationally. In 2022, the Bobcats finished the regular season 37-15 and played host to the NJCAA DII Region 8 tournament where they advanced to the championship game before falling to Florida State College of Jacksonville.

Taylor Jenkins is the Sports Writer at the Plant City Observer. Email: tjenkins@ plantcityobserver.com.

4TH OF JULY WIFFLE BALL TOURNAMENT LIGHTS UP THE SKIES IN PLANT CITY At Ben Pues’ Mini Wrigley Field, the Plant City Wiffle League held their annual summer tournament this past weekend.

TAYLOR JENKINS SPORTS WRITER

Down a dirt road off of Knights Griffin there’s a small baseball diamond, with an outfield fence that barely stretches 200 feet away from home plate as wiffle balls go whistling over it and into the manicured and mowed field beyond it.

What started as an idea by Plant City native Ben Pues, a high school student at Strawberry Crest when the dream was first born, the field has steadily grown into a home for annual wiffle ball tournaments and

the Plant City Wiffle League. As a sophomore in 2017, Pues saw a story on SportsCenter focused on a team in Essex, Vermont that had built their own replica Fenway Park – known as Little Fenway – and held a wiffle ball tournament each year to raise money for charity, beginning in 2001.

Inspired, Pues went to work building his own miniature version of Fenway Park in his grandmother’s back yard.

With a “green monster” made of plywood towering over left field, Pues and his friends began playing their first tournaments that summer and their first season began in the fall.

The league began with four teams, all of which remain intact today, and has grown to around eight committed teams for their winter season, now heading into their fifth year.

“We’re starting to see a lot more commitment along with the growth,” Pues said. “People are buying into it.

It just wasn’t as big back when we first started, but now guys are getting where it’s like, this is something that we’re going to do every year and we have a lot of fun doing. It’s just starting to become more established.”

Photo courtesy of Ben Pues

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2022

MINI WRIGLEY BOASTS ONE-OF-A-KIND EXPERIENCE IN PLANT CITY

Brand new lights and fi eworks lit up the sky over Plant City’s wiffle ball fie d.

TAYLOR JENKINS SPORTS WRITER

The league now keeps stats throughout the season and has worked on adding highlights, interviews and even live-streamed games to their Instagram and YouTube pages. Each year Pues looks to make slight improvements to the field, making the field a little better and a little more unique with each addition. The walls of his replica Fenway Park began to wither away with the weather after two years and he decided to make another whole-scale change, thinking of another iconic stadium that he could emulate, thus “Mini Wrigley” was born.

With cattle panels used for the outfield fences, woven by confederate jasmine that grows up through the fence to represent Wrigley Field’s classic ivy walls, a replica of Wrigley’s scoreboard was added in center field along with the Cubs’ marquee red “Wrigley Field” sign that stands outside of their stadium entrance in left field.

“Each year I just try to add a few more features every year to make it a bit cooler, I just try to improve it a little bit every year,” Pues said. “With the league, I’d say we’re comfortable at eight teams because after that it’s just a lot of games to play on each weekend. Between eight and 10 teams is where we’re at and I’m happy with that going forward every year. Instead of having as many teams as possible, we just want as many teams that are going to be fully committed to playing each weekend. It’s just quality over quantity at that point.”

The league’s season begins in midNovember, starting the week before Thanksgiving, and ends with their World Series in January on the weekend of Gasparilla with a handful of tournaments in between, generally on Memorial Day, the 4th of July and one in late July as the summer begins to wind down. During the season, team’s play three inning games with one three-game series against a rotating schedule of teams each weekend. At the end, their playoffs mimic that of Major League Baseball, with Wild Card, Divisional and Championship rounds, culminating in their annual World Series.

The field’s biggest turnout came in 2020 alongside the cancellation of Hillsborough County’s annual Saladino Tournament – a yearly week-long, round-robin baseball tournament composed of 28 high school teams throughout Hillsborough County.

In May of that year, Pues reached out to Strawberry Crest head coach Eric Beattie about running his own version. With the help of local coaches, local businesses and coverage from 813 Preps, 16 high schools throughout Hillsborough and Pinellas counties came together and held their own tournament.

“It was a blast,” Pues said. “Teams played every single day, Monday through Friday, we had a big, big turn out for the games.

We had a second field going, we had people park on our neighbor’s property and there were probably 40 cars with people just sitting on their tailgate watching us

play. We were interviewing the kids like a Saladino game and it was treated just like the Saladino Tournament so it was pretty neat to see and kind of funny that we were taking wiffle ball just as seriously as baseball. That gained us a lot of followers, I got to meet a bunch of kids and it gave them something to look forward to that Summer, especially for those that had their senior season taken away. That was pretty neat to see and that was my biggest accomplishment, just getting a bunch of people together that were mostly strangers and building some good memories in a summer that really wasn’t full of anything.”

This past weekend Pues hosted their annual 4th of July tournament, with a fireworks display on Sunday evening after the championship game and a debut of his latest edition, a series of lights that illuminates the field and allows the game to go on even after the sun sets over the horizon.

“We’ve done it every summer for the past five years now,” Pues said. “You just can’t get much more American than this, playing some backyard wiffle ball on the 4th of July weekend, we’ve got some fireworks going off Sunday night, it’s just straight out of the Sandlot. That’s kind of what I imagined when I first started this, trying to get all of my friends back together and do stuff that we used to do as kids and don’t do as much anymore. And this is one of the biggest parts of our childhood, playing wiffle ball in the back yard. I wanted to incorporate that and that’s exactly what it’s been.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION on Mini Wrigley and the Plant City Wiffle eague, you can visit their Instagram Page (@mini.wrigley) or their Youtube Page (Mini Wrigley.)

Taylor Jenkins is the Sports Writer at the Plant City Observer. Email: tjenkins@ plantcityobserver.com.

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THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2022

PlantCityObserver.com

YOUR AROUND TOWN SPONSOR AROUND TOWN

289704-1

We asked Plant City: How did you celebrate the 4th of July this past weekend?

“Stayed home and really enjoyed it, did not see one fi eworks but heard many.” - Barbary Skaggs Ward

“Siting in the mountains, over a mile up. Nice cool weekend.” Bruce C. Hildreth

“Stayed home and turned the TV up to block the noise for the cats. We would have gone to see the fi eworks, but getting out of the parking lot is a pain.” - Jan Boarman

“Stayed home and worked in the yard.” - Sharon Williams

“Went to St Pete beach. Then did the St Pete walking mural tour.

I so wish we had that in Plant City!” - Ashley Saunders

“Stayed home and had hot dogs.”

- Randy Gyulay

“Watched fi eworks from a cabin in Blue Ridge with the family.”

- Gene Sanchez “Stayed home and minded my business.” - Ed Little

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

Ronald G. “Unk” McCoy, 90, of Dover, Fla., born in Fredericksburg, Va. on May 13, 1932, entered into eternal rest on June 29, 2022.

Expressions of condolence at HopewellFuneral. com.

HOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM

Michaela Marie Messer Michaela Marie Messer, 70, of Plant City, Fla., born in Akron, Ohio on Oct. 19, 1951, entered into eternal rest on June 27, 2022.

Expressions of condolence at HopewellFuneral. com.

Wayne Byron Evans

Wayne Byron Evans, 82, of Plant City, Fla., born in Tampa on Jan. 2, 1940, entered into eternal rest on June 26, 2022.

Expressions of condolence at HopewellFuneral. com.

David L. Jones III

Victor ‘El Gallo’ Hugo Nevarez

Wanda Sue Jordan Jones

Victor “El Gallo” Hugo Nevarez, 37, resident of Lithia, Fla., born on July 2, 1984 in Chicago, Ill. entered into eternal rest on June 27, 2022.

Expressions of condolences at www.HopewellFuneral.com.

Wanda Sue Jordan Jones, 72, of Brandon, Fla., born in Winter Haven on Nov.12, 1949, entered into eternal rest on June 27, 2022.

Expressions of condolence at HopewellFuneral. com.

HOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM

HOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM

Carole J. Stewart Carole J. Stewart, 89, of Plant City, Fla., born in Dartmoor, W.V. on Jan. 1, 1933, entered into eternal rest on June 24, 2022.

Expressions of condolence at HopewellFuneral. com.

Maki H. Giles Maki H. Giles, 86, born in Hitokawame, Aomori-ken, Japan, entered into eternal rest on June 23, 2022.

Expressions of condolence at HopewellFuneral. com.

David L. Jones III, 70, of Plant City, Florida, born in Montgomery, Ala. on Oct. 20, 1951, entered into eternal rest on June 29, 2022.

Expressions of condolence at HopewellFuneral. com.

HOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM

Lewis Hoyt Ritter, Jr. Lewis Hoyt Ritter, Jr., 68, of Lakeland, Fla., born in Plant City on July 31, 1953, entered into eternal rest on June 28, 2022.

Expressions of condolence at HopewellFuneral. com.

Roy G. Cotarelo Roy G. Cotarelo, 88, of Dover, Fla., born on Oct. 7, 1933, entered into eternal rest on June 25, 2022.

Expressions of condolence at www.HopewellFuneral.com.

HOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM

Pamela Roxanne Hamilton

Pamela Roxanne Hamilton, 53 of Plant City passed away July 5, 2022.

The family will receive friends from 2-3 p.m., July 7, 2022, Haught Funeral Home Chapel, 708 W Dr MLK Jr Blvd, Plant City with services to follow at 3 p.m. She will be interred the following day in Mt Enon Cemetery.

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

HAUGHTFUNERALHOME.COM

HOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM HOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM

HOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM

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THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2022

OBITUARIES

Ronald G. ‘Unk’ McCoy

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HOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM

HOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM

ALL OBITUARIES ARE SUBMITTED AND EDITED BY FAMILIES OR FUNERAL HOMES

Darla D. Simmons Darla D. Simmons, 92, of Plant City, Fla., born in Cecil, Georgia on Dec. 30, 1929, entered into eternal rest on June 29, 2022.

Expressions of condolence at HopewellFuneral.com.

HOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM

116 North Collins Street Plant City, FL 33563 ph: (813) 567-5735 allabloomtampa.com

YOUR CALENDAR

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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PlantCityObserver.com

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2022

BEST BET FRIDAY, JULY 8 MOVIE TRIVIA NIGHT 7 to 8:30 p.m. at 101 E J. Arden Mays Blvd. Bring your friends and family to grab a cup of coffee and head up to the loft to show off our movie knowledge, or just to cheer on your loved ones, with a chance to win a prize at this month’s Jurassic Park-themed Movie Trivia Night.

As always, the event is family-friendly and free.

SATURDAY, JULY 9

WEDNESDAY, JULY 13

OPEN MIC NIGHT 7 to 8:30 p.m. at 101 E. J. Arden Mays Blvd. Open Mic Night is back at Krazy Kup. Join them for a fun night where you get to be the star of the show. Come out, strut your stuff and sh w everyone what you’ve got.

GARDEN CLUB CLASSES 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 303 N. Evers St. The Plant City Garden Club will be holding a series of six Floral Design Classes at First United Methodist Church this summer, beginning on Wednesday, July 13 and running through Wednesday, August 17. The classes will be instructed by Flower Show Judges and are open to the public. Materials will be provided for the fi st three classes, with those in atten-

dance needing to bring their own supplies to the final th ee classes. Additionally, the Garden Club encourages all to bring scissors and lunch to each class. While the classes are open to the public, registration is required and will cost $25 per individual class or $100 for all six classes. For more information or to obtain a registration form for the classes, please contact Jan Griffin y phone at 813-716-6691 or by email at billjangriffin@gmai com.

SATURDAY, JULY 16 STRAWBERRY CLASSIC CRUISE-IN 3 to 6:30 p.m. at 102 N. Palmer St. The Plant City Strawberry Classic Cruise-In is back on Saturday, July 16 , rain or shine.

Cars and trucks manufactured in or before 1996 can register for free starting at 3 p.m.

Live music by DJ John Paul Gasca.

CHRISTMAS IN JULY 2 to 6 p.m. at 1701 S. Alexander St. Head to O’Brien’s Irish Pub & Grill on July 16 and 17 for their Christmas in July event. Bring in new, unopened school supplies and enjoy their hot dog bar for free. Supplies will be donated to the New Teacher Coffee hosted by the Plant City Chamber of Commerce.

Kids will also enjoy free ice cream sundaes while the adults will be able to take advantage of two-for-one domestic drafts or well liquor.

SATURDAY, JULY 23 BACK TO SCHOOL BASH 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2909 James L. Redman Pkwy., Suite #7. Mark your calendar for TKsweets and Your CBD Store Plant City’s 2nd Annual Back to School Bash. The event is sponsored by Vidacann Lakeland and will be giving away over 200 free book bags, with school supplies included. While all book bags with school supplies have been claimed through pre-registrations, walk-ups are welcome as some participating businesses will have book bags

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1606205

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on-hand, but make sure to come early as supplies are limited. Attendance is free to the community with vendors, facepainting and a food truck in attendance for shopping. For more information, contact TK Sweets by phone at 813-815-0932 or by email at tksweetsllc@gmail.com or Your CBD Store Plant City by phone at 813-652-8191 or by email at shopFL351@ getsunmed.com.

FRIDAY, JULY 29 LAST FRIDAY IN DOWNTOWN 5 to 9 p.m. at 110 N. Collins St. The Last Friday in Downtown Food Truck Rally is held with a new theme each month. There will be live music, market vendors and food trucks. The event is family and pet friendly and all are recommended to bring chairs and blankets. July’s theme will be a magical event for wizards and muggles alike as the Harry Potter Birthday Celebration takes over downtown Plant City.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6 BLUEGRASS JAM! 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 101 E. J. Arden Mays Blvd. This is an open invitation for local Bluegrass musicians and fans to come to the Krazy Kup loft and jam, clap hands, stomp feet and enjoy! Krazy Kup holds their Bluegrass JAM on the fi st Saturday of every month.

PLANT CITY OBSERVER

PlantCityObserver.com

FORECAST

Send your photo submissions to staff writer Taylor Jenkins at tjenkins@plantcityobserver.com or hashtag #iloveplantcity on Instagram for @igersplantcity to feature.

THURSDAY, JULY 7 High: 93 Low: 75 Chance of rain: 63%

FRIDAY, JULY 8 High: 94 Low: 76 Chance of rain: 19%

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2022

SUNRISE/SUNSET Sunrise Sunset Thursday, July 7

6:37a

8:28p

Friday, July 8

6:38a

8:28p

Saturday, July 9

6:38a

8:28p

Sunday, July 10

6:39a

8:27p

Monday, July 11

6:39a

8:27p

Tuesday, July 12

6:40a

8:27p

Wednesday, July 13

6:40a

8:27p

MOON PHASES

SATURDAY, JULY 9 High: 94 Low: 77 Chance of rain: 45%

SUNDAY, JULY 10 High: 93 Low: 77 Chance of rain: 50%

MONDAY, JULY 11 Celena Copeland submitted this photo of Village Green park, one of her favorite places in Plant City.

ONLINE

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

High: 92 Low: 76 Chance of rain: 58%

(C) 2022 TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.

Across 1 Wrap up 7 Game-watching, maybe 15 “Y Is for Yesterday” sleuth Millhone 16 One skilled at spelling 17 __ of: address words 18 Rocky time?

19 Slow-witted Bergen puppet 20 8-Down, e.g.

21 Impish 22 Boo follower 23 Key contraction 24 “Likewise” 25 Elect 26 Attributive term 28 One presented for pay-

ment 31 Driver’s aid 32 Legal show for 40 years, with “The” 36 Youngest-ever “Time” Person of the Year 39 Formal seizure 41 Tyke 44 Early Beatle Sutcliffe 45 “The Last Jedi” villain Kylo 46 Sticky substance 47 Pique 49 Tennis strategy 51 Brits’ luxury cars 52 Singer who founded a sewing company 54 Seasonal drink

55 “Romeo Must Die” star 56 Riviera resort, briefl 58 President, at times 59 “__ Wins By a Hare”: Bugs Bunny cartoon 60 Dog on a bun 61 Throw that anticipates the receiver’s timely arrival 62 Puck Down 1 Business concerned with going downhill 2 Jets’ home 3 Great-grandmother, say 4 Nicholas II et al.

5 Round up 6 Word with chart or color

7 Actor Davis 8 2015 best-selling 20-Across 9 Full house sign 10 Bad marks 11 Touches 12 Co-Nobelist with Rabin and Peres 13 Ruling period 14 The “I” in “E.I. du Pont” 20 Hot air 26 Some saxes 27 Listed in Liverpool?

29 Cup fraction 30 NFL coach Meyer 33 Chest muscle, briefl 34 Phi follower 35 Vietnamese festival 37 Pasta order 38 Modern-day checking suggestion 40 “Nuh-uh!”

41 Citrus garnishes 42 “C’mon, I’m not that good!”

43 Italian playhouse 48 Pulitzer-winning “The Goldfinch novelist Donna 50 Inches 51 Yankee whose #2 was retired in 2017 53 Fowl area 55 Cherokee on wheels 57 __ mater 58 Golfs on wheels, briefl

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July 28 New

Aug. 5 First

July 13 Full

July 20 Last

RAINFALL LAST WEEK:

MONTH TO DATE:

0.56in.

0.34 in.

YEAR TO DATE:

JUNE AVERAGE:

24.04 in.

9.71 in.

WATERMELON Shipping point: Central & North Florida $105.00-$126.00 Source: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture

WEATHER

I LOVE PLANT CITY

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PLANT CITY OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2022

Great health care is closer than you think.

South Florida Baptist Hospital is more than just a small community hospital. We’ve got a wide array of specialty care and surgical services that you don’t have to travel far to get. Our surgeons are experts in minimally invasive robotic surgical procedures that provide lots of benefits, including shorter hospital stays, decreased blood loss and smaller incisions that reduce the risk of infection. Plus, faster recovery times that mean you can get back to your normal activities sooner. You’ll find comprehensive orthopedic care—whether you’re an athlete who needs sports medicine services or you’re someone who needs a total joint replacement. Our all-inclusive gynecology program offers high-quality care to the women and mothers in our community with a variety of women’s care services. We’ve even been designated as a Center of Excellence for our weight loss surgery program, meeting nationally recognized standards and providing outstanding care to our patients. And all of this extraordinary care exists right here in Plant City. Learn more: SouthFloridaBaptistSurgery.org

21-1493769-0521

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