The Plant City City Com mission approved more reso lutions on Aug. 22 as the city approaches a new fiscal year starting on Oct. 1.
Style Bar: Blow Dry Salon recognized as recently-opened business New Salon Celebrated with Ribbon Cutting
Clay Keel and his wife Carmen are the owners of Keel and Curley Winery in Plant City.
FREE • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2022VOLUME 6, NO. 212 BRIAN FERNANDES STAFF WRITER CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 ANALYSIS TO ENSURE BEST WATER QUALITY CITY METER MAINTENANCE AND STORMWATER STUDIES TO COME
PALMETTO PLANT CITYROAD EASEMENT
The city commission approved the easements from Palmetto Plant City-Colson Road LLC, for the backflow preventer assemblies, meter maintenance, and for lift sta tion ingress and egress. The approval also autho rizes the city clerk to record the easements and mortgage subordination on behalf of the city to maintain the water backflow preventer assembly (BPA) and meter.
BRIAN
COLSON
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
A brand-new hair style and professional makeup is what ladies can expect when they enter the door of recently opened Style Bar: Blow Dry Salon in Plant City. While it has been opera tional since August, it had its traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony, on Sept. 1. Hosted by the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, the event had those from the community gather to get a view of what the salon has to offer.Angelina Giambo and her boyfriend, Billy Rinehart are the owners of the establish ment. Her vision for the salon came after visiting a salon which does the blowout pro cess for hair, which she was unfamiliar with at the time. “For a blowout, you get that luxury of shampoo,” she said. “Your shampoo is done twice so that your hair is really clean. You get the conditioning and then you get the scalp mas sage. It’s all about the prod ucts that you’re putting in and the way the blow dry is done. The blowout takes about 40 to 45 minutes depending on the length of the hair. It’s the way that they blow out the hair, is what makes it last.”
The City of Plant City Utilities Department main tains the backflow preventer assemblies and the meters throughout the city. A new BPA and meters were built for Palmetto Plant CityColson Road, LLC, located at 102 Colson Rd.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ fans will have new offerings to choose from when attending the home games, courtesy of Keel Farms. This year, the establishment has partnered with the team to sell several of their products at the Strawberrygames. and Blueberry Sangrias will be for sale while enjoying the sporting events. There’s also a cider called Pirate Punch that Keel Farms is also implementing.
FERNANDES STAFF WRITER THE ESTABLISHMENT AND FOOTBALL TEAM ARE IMPLEMENTING WINE FOR FANS KEEL FARMS AND BUCS TO ADD SANGRIA AT GAMES
BRIAN FERNANDES STAFF WRITER
Hope Lutheran Church will once again host their mobile food pantry in the church parking lot, 2001 N. Park Rd., on Thursday, September 15. This pantry, in association with St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Lakeland, will begin distributing food to those in need beginning at 6 p.m., running until the supplies are distributed. Anyone in need of grocery assistance is encouraged to join as Hope Lutheran works to help eliminate food insecurities within their local community. Various goods ranging from vegetables to meats to dairy and bakery goods will all be available.Thepantry, “Moving Hope,” takes place at Hope Lutheran Church on the third Thursday of each month, no identifiation is required to participate and the pantry is open to anyone in the Plant City community who may need an extra hand. For additional information, contact the Hope Lutheran Church office at 813-7524622.
Southeastern Grocers raises funds to benefit the American Red Cross in support of disaster releaf Southeastern Grocers Inc. (SEG), parent company and home of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, is launching a community donation program benefiting theAmerican Red Cross to raise funds in preparation of peak hurricaneCustomersseason.can help equip the nonprofit by donating $1, $5 or simply rounding up their grocery bill while shopping their local Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie stores through Sept. 27.
According to the National Hurricane Center, mid-August to mid-October is considered the most active months of hurricane season with the peak approaching on Sept. 10. Every dollar donated through SEG’s community donation program will help support Red Cross Disaster Relief, which provides essential aid to those affected by disasters across the country, including food, shelter, relief supplies, emotional support, recovery planning and other assistance.
“As a grocer serving fie coastal states in the Southeast, our communities have weathered many storms and we know fisthand the devastation that hurricanes leave in their wake,” Southeastern Grocers chief people officer Raymond Rhee said. “Storm recovery takes a village, and a big part of that village is the Red Cross. It’s vital we ensure our relief organizations are well equipped when disaster strikes because it can mean the difference between life and death. Every dollar donated at our registers will go toward American Red Cross Disaster Relief to support communities in their greatest times of need.” SEG has a long-standing partnership with the Red Cross, a national nonprofit whose mission is preventing and alleviating human suffering in the face of emergencies through the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. Last year, SEG, together with the SEG Gives Found tion and generous customers, donated more than $815,000 to aid and support disaster relief efforts. Donations to Red Cross Disaster Relief enable the organization to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie cu tomers can conveniently donate in their local stores through Sept. 27 to support communities and the nonprofits mission. For more information, visit www.frescoymas.com, www.harveyssupermarkets.com and www.winndixie.com.
PlantCityObserver.com We welcome the opportunity to become the medical home for your entire family at our Plant City location, offering Primary Care, Pediatrics, and Rheumatology. Now Accepting New Patients To make an appointment, please call: • 863.284.5000 for Primary Care or Pediatrics • 863.284.5115 for Rheumatology myLRH.org/Plant-City Your Health. Our Promise. Our Doctors: Offering same-day appointments! Alabsi,HumamMD Pediatrics Mahboob,Durkhani863.284.5000MD Rheumatology 863.284.5115 Fernandez,RodriguezSandra MD Internal Med. Primary Care Moncayo,Adriana863.284.5000MD Rheumatology 863.284.5115 Plant City High School Publix Winn-Dixie LRH 511 AlexanderWest St ALEXANDER STREETJAMESLREDMANPARKWAYJAMESLREDMANPARKWAYALEXANDER STREET HopeBRIEFSNEWS
Lutheran Church welcomes mobile food pantry
As far as sweets, there’s the bubble waffle, which is a cross between a Belgium waffle and a funnel cake. Inside is filled with ice cream and then top pings. One customer created the I Love Plant City treat, which is a bubble waffle with vanilla ice cream, strawberries, whipped cream, and toppings. Another popular dessert is the Sling Shot Ice Cream, which has a bubble waffle filled with two types of ice cream, strawber ries, bananas, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, cherries, and waffle“Whencrumbles.people order that, I come out and get everybody’s attention and I go and be silly and embarrass the person who ordered it and play with them a little bit,” Skipper said. “It’s a lot of fun. We call it the granddaddy of all ice cream desserts.” Patrons can voluntarily donate funds that go toward missionary work in regions of the world such as Haiti and countries where Ukrainian refugee children now reside, sending toys, stickers, and coloring books. “We still support missionar ies,” Skipper said. “So far, we’ve been able to give over $2,000 to missions organizations and we’re very proud of that.” Skipper and Tricia have offered spiri tual guidance to customers who have been going through diffi culties as well, which has made the establishment a place of been“We’vesolace.nevertheonethat believes you should hit them over the head with the Bible,” he said. “We believe that through our love and kindness, we want to live like Christ and let others see his goodness in us and the way we treat others. Our motto is to ‘Encourage and to Inspire and to Serve.’” The business owners even have an area of the café where patrons can purchase Bibles and pick up free religious booklets. While he’s keeping busy with his establishment, Skipper also works as a handyman part time and will occasionally fill in for a minister at a Sunday church service.
BRIAN FERNANDES
PLANT CITY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 3PlantCityObserver.com Bakery-café
STAFF WRITER
In its few months of opera tion, Sweet Missions Café and Bakery has appealed to Plant City locals with its sugar-filled delicacies, which is why it has been named September’s Small Business of the Month by the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce.Locatedoff James L. Redman Parkway, the establishment opened its doors to the public in April under the helm of its own ers Skipper Rodgers and his wife Tricia.“Sweet Missions began as a concept about 10 years ago when we were living up in Orange Park, Florida,” Skipper said. “I was serving full time on staff as a pastor up in Jacksonville…” He made plans to go on a trip to do missionary work and his son wanted to come along. While Skipper’s trip was already paid for, his sons was not, and so Tricia suggested holding a fund raiser. They sold her own baked goods and were successful in paying their son’s way on the missionAlthoughtrip.the fundraiser had ended, customers kept request ing more of Tricia’s sweet treats. That’s when the family decided to start a business selling cup cakes, cookies, as well as cakes, and providing their services at different functions such as car nivals.Inan act of charity, they would take a portion of their revenue and offer it as proceeds to either those who needed funds to go on mission trips or directly to mis sionTheyorganizations.continuedtheir business when they moved to Leesburg and purchased a food trailer. “Then all of a sudden, God opened the door for us to be able to do school lunches at a private elementary school and high school,” Skipper said. Now operating under the name Sweet Missions, they served delicacies once a week, then twice and then three times, for four years. In August of last year, Skip per moved back to his native Plant City with his family so he could care for his mother. At that point, Skipper had retired as a full-time minister and wanted to focus more on expanding the bakery business. “In the back of our heads was a dream to open up a small café someday,” he said. He and Tricia brought that vision to fruition after purchas ing an existing café this past March. The woman who had managed the previous estab lishment decided to sell it when her health began to decline. In just a month, Skipper and Tricia opened their first café after making several modifica tions and incorporations to the building. They added more des serts to their menu as well as other“Weofferings.makealmost everything fresh and in-house,” Skipper said. “We make our own pizza sauce, pizza dough…calzones.” There’s also sandwiches, soups, and salads. The soups range from chicken tortilla, to chicken potato, and Spanish bean – which Skipper said is the most popular of them all.
He is also currently writing a book about children’s ministry. Skipper said that there’s a chance that they may open another café, but the family’s time and attention will be on continuing to build the current one.“Our focus right now is try ing to get our café here up and running and well established and maintaining high quality of food and a high quality of service for our customers,” Skipper said. has made its mark in town offering delicious treats of the Month: Sweet Missions
Small Business
Courtesy of the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce Sweet Missions has been named the Small Business of the Month for September. Its delicacies are what has drawn in many customers.
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Observer PLANT CITY O This week’s Sudoku answers This week’s Crossword answers This week’s answers Jumbles: ICING SKIMP INVITE NOODLE Answer: You can buy shares of IBM because the exchange has plenty -- IN STOCK TILE & GROUT STEAM CLEANED 50 cents per Sq.Ft. CARPETS STEAM CLEANED 3 ROOMS $90 Includes Hallway cleaned Free Emergency Storm Water, A/C Leaks, Broken Pipes, Toilet Overflow WATER24-HourREMOVAL Carpet Repairs Carpet Restoration & Dyeing Minimum Service job $70.00
Nitish S. Rele operates motoringtampabaycom and Khaas Baat, and was an automotive editor/columnist for the Tampa Tribune. Email him motoringtampabay@gmail.com.at
Over the last few years, we have driven hundreds of vehicles but nothing comes close to the value, price and fuel economy offered by the all-new Maverick. And that is not an understatement. Check this out. The fist full hybrid compact pickup in the United States starts under $20k, seats fie comfortably in a spacious cabin and best of all touts over 42 mpg in city. You just can’t beat that! The only problem? Well, Ford cannot produce enough Mavericks since the demand, understandably so, is relentless. Pre-orders should be open soon for the 2023 model year, we are told. Under the hood of our hybrid version sits a 2.5-liter Atkinsoncycle 4-cylinder engine putting out 162 horsepower @ 5600 rpm and 155 pounds-feet of torque @ 4000 rpm. Add a 94 kW electric motor to the mix for a boost in hp by 29. The impressive pickup is coupled with a flwless electronic continuous variable transmission. An independent MacPherson strut front and a twist beam rear suspension isolates occupants from road noise and rough bumps. The electric power steering is razor sharp, with a consistent on-center feel. You can effectively go well over 500 miles in the Maverick, which offers normal, eco, sport, slippery and tow/ haul modes. Tow capacity is good at 2,000 miles with a standard payload of 1,500 pounds, affording 37 bags of 40-pound mulch! Boxy appears to be the theme with squarish LED headlights flanking a black msh grille with dark surround/gray bars, door and tailgate handles. And yes, boxlike windows for excellent outward vision. Ten tie-down hooks in the 4.5-foot-long bed can be useful. The spacious interior may be all cloth material but you will love the impression left by the two-tone dark gray and orange accents on the door handles, air vents and storage areas, sort of a marble look. The 8-inch touch infotainment screen sits atop the dashboard with simple knobs, cleverly separated from temp controls by a/c vents. A huge bin under the flip-up ear bench is a wise use of space. Other standard amenities include single-way a/c, manual tilt/telescopic steering wheel, six-way manual driver and four-way front-passenger seats and a rotary club dial. Dual front and side airbags, side curtain airbag, driver knee airbag, electronic stability and Advance trac controls, regenerative braking, tire pressure monitoring system and daytime running lights are standard. Opt for the worthy $540 Co-Pilot 360 package, which will fetch you precollision assist with auto emergency brakes, blind spot monitor with cross-traffic ale, lane-keep, rearview camera and auto highbeamSlottedheadlamps.between the Ranger and the F-150, the Maverick is an amazing value for the money. With gas prices still hovering over $3, it will lighten the burden on your wallet. And for a hybrid, the truck moves quickly and quietly down the road, with superb ride and satisfactory handling. So, the next time you are at the Ford dealership and happen to come across this renegade, snap it asap!
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ALL-NEW AFFORDABLE FORD MAVERICK IS INDEED A REBEL! MAVERICK XLT (FWD, 4X2) Tires: P225/65R17 Wheelbase: 121.1 inches Length: 199.7 inches Width: 72.6 inches Height: 68.7 inches Weight: 3,674 pounds Fuel capacity: 15 gallons City: 42 mpg Highway: 33 mpg Base price: $22,280 Price as tested: $26,390 Web site: www.ford.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.
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NITISH S. RELE
MAINTENANCE AND STORMWATER
BRIAN FERNANDES STAFF WRITER ANALYSIS
The Procurement Division published Request for Proposals (RFP), rate and impact fee studies on April 29. Four valid responses were received for the rate stud ies portion of work for the RFP submittal deadline, on May 26. A fifth response was received but was determined by the Procurement Division to be non-responsive to the requirements for the RFP. The staff evaluation committee con vened on June 30 to review and score the responses. The committee includes Plant City Assistant City Manager Jack Hol land; Chief Financial Officer Diane Reich ard; Utilities Director Lynn Spivey; Solid Waste Director Jill Sessions; and Streets and Stormwater Director Wayne Everhart. They ultimately chose Raftelis Financial Consultants for the project. TO BEST WATER QUALITY CITY METER STUDIES TO COME
An easement for the maintenance of the new BPAs and meters has been deeded to the city. The city’s utilities department will be responsible for the upkeep of the new facilities within the easement. The existing lift station easement does not cover the complete extent of the city’s lift station driveway because of the most recent development within the property. The ingress and egress easement for the lift station driveway has been deeded to the city from Palmetto Plant City-Colson Road LLC to cover the limits of the driveway. Both the BPA and the meter will be added to the inventory for the utilities depart ment and will be included in the mainte nance program.
TA Fancy Farms, LLC, easement Another resolution that was put in place was the easement from TA Fancy Farms, LLC, to maintain meters and backflow pre venter assemblies. The city clerk will also record the ease ment on behalf of the city to maintain the meters and BPAs. The new meters and BPAs were con structed for TA Fancy Farms, LLC, located at 3607 Fancy Farms Rd. An easement for the maintenance of the new meters and BPAs has been deeded to the city. The utili ties department will be maintaining these new facilities within the easement. The meters and BPAs will be added to the inventory of the utilities department and will be included in the maintenance pro gram.
Rate studies that are legally defensible and technically supportable, are manda tory for the city utilities department in order to ensure the best service to Plant CityTheresidents.mostrecent rate studies for water and sewer utilities were conducted in 2018, and the most recent rate study for storm water finished in 2003.
PLANT CITY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 5PlantCityObserver.com
WATER, SEWER, AND STORMWATER RATE STUDIES
The city commission gave City Manager Bill McDaniel authorization to go through with an agreement with Ratfelis Financial Consultants, Inc., for water and sewer rate studies for $49,790, and a stormwater rate study for $38,720.
ENSURE
KEEL FARMS USHERS IN SANGRIA FOR GAME DAY
However, any product affiliated with the team must commemorate it in some way. Clay decided to offer blueberry and straw berry-flavored sangrias with the Bucs logo on the bottles, an initiative called Tampa Two.“We chose sangria and I think that matches pretty well,” Clay said. “It’s an approachable drink.” Clay said he will be outside the stadium on game day to offer samples to patrons before they head to the bleachers and the products will also be displayed on the jum botron screen. He hopes that the sales of the sangrias will put more spotlight on Keel Farms. “We haven’t had a ton of interest and success in integrating sports into what we do, so it is a new avenue that we’re hop ing we can use to get some new customers,” Clay said. In 1981, Keel Farms was created when its namesake Joe Keel, started a 10-acre nurs ery for small plants, which would eventu ally grow blueberries as well. In 2003, Joe began using his blueber ries to make wine and established Keel and Curley Winery with 10 gallons of blueberry wine.Keel Farms Agrarian Ale and Cider began in 2013, producing craft beers and ciders. Clay and Carmen took over the business in 2018. The farmland has expanded to 35 acres with produce, a peach orchard, pasture-raised chickens, grass-fed cattle, along with its signature blueberries. The sangrias will not only be sold at the games but at limited Publix locations within Pinellas, Pasco, and Hillsborough counties.Claywould also like to come up with a new wine option for next year as the Bucs bring back the creamsicle color scheme that the team wore from 1976 to 1996 as an alternate unform. The sangrias will be sold starting at the Bucs home game against the Green Bay Packers, on Sept. 25.
PlantCityObserver.com6 PLANT CITY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 LOCAL COMPANY PARTNERS WITH BUCS TO BRING FANS A NEW DRINK OPTION THIS YEAR
BRIAN FERNANDES STAFF WRITER 866.588.7604 K eiserUniversity.edu Keiser University is a private, not-for-profit university Business Administration concentrations include: Entrepreneurship • Hospitality Management International Business • Marketing • Finance Human Resource Management • Transportation and Logistics CHOOSE A CAREER YOU LOVE. KEISER UNIVERSITY CAN HELP. Day, evening, and online programs available 9/8/22 & 4.15.22MS5x6Plant231-2023KU-Lakeland9/22/22Keiser_August_AdsCityObserver Keel Farms and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have partnered to offer sangria drinks to patrons at football games.
The marketing director for the team approached Clay, stating that the Bucs were looking for a wine sponsor and asked if he would be interested. Clay decided to jump at the opportunity. “One of the things I was particularly interested in was being able to use the Buc caneers branding on a product or make a product tied to the team,” he said.
Being impressed by the style, she sought out other salons that offered the technique when she came back to Plant City. The clos est one she could find was in Tam pa and had to book an appoint ment three weeks in advance. For her sake and for that of other ladies in town, she made the decision to become a first-time business owner and open her own salon that has blowout services. For Giambo, it was a new chap ter in transitioning into another career.“Iknew I wanted to do some thing on my own (but) couldn’t figure it out,” she said. Although she has a background in business, she has never run one herself.Prior to opening the salon, she had been a human resources manager for a real estate agency –a position she held for nine years. She and Rinehart initially wanted to have the shop in down town, but she eventually settled on where a Great Clips salon had previously been.
BRIAN FERNANDES STAFF WRITER
During the reconstruction, the vision gradually came to frui tion as she came up with more thoughts on what to install or incorporate.“Ididnot have a full idea of what I wanted to do,” Giambo said. “I knew the foundation and I built as I thought about it.” The newly white-coated walls are now lined with mirrors, mak ing it difficult for patrons not to catch a glimpse of themselves when walking further into the salon. It’s also decorated with a colorful mural just behind a hairwashing station.
Style Bar: Blow Dry Salon has up-to-date accessories to assist its clientele. Angelina Giambo and Billy Rinehart are the owners of Style Bar: Blow Dry Salon which opened up in August. They were joined by their employees and members of the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce for its ribbon cutting, on Sept. 1.
PLANT CITY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 7PlantCityObserver.com
In the center of the shop, a long, marble counter stretches out with chairs to accommodate cli entele on both sides of the table. From the ceiling circular mirrors hang down, just several feet from touching the countertop as well as small chandeliers to add to the décor. The table is not only where clients can get their hair styled, but also is the spot where cos metics can be applied, yet anoth er service that the salon offers. In the back, there is a wine bar to add a more social atmosphere and a separate room for a waxing. After over two months of labor, the establishment officially opened on Aug. 20. “It’s had its ups and downs, but overall, it’s been very rewarding,” Giambo said. “Every customer that has walked in here and knew what a blowout was, has been waiting for this to come to Plant City,” she said. “Those who do not quite understand what a blowout was, they’re definitely happy it’s here.”Those services are provided by six stylists, including three that are makeup artists. While Giambo is content with how the salon has turned out, she said that she may add facials to the list of offerings later. “It’s very rewarding – a little overwhelming at times,” she said. “I was nervous as anyone would be with putting a lot of time, money, and effort into some thing they’re not sure is going to succeed. To get the support that I have from the residents of Plant City, I’m very grateful.”
The property is off Thonoto sassa Road in the Publix Plaza and is a convenient spot, not only for being on a busy corridor, but for being close to the interstate. “I figured overall this is a great location,” Giambo said. “There’s the girls’ night out crowd. There’s the mom crowd that wants some ‘me time.’ There’s the older gen eration that doesn’t want to wash their hair anymore and would rather have someone do it for them.”Shealso noted that the plaza staying busy throughout the week is a Shortlyplus. after signing the lease on June 1, they began the reno vation process which included patching and repainting the walls as well as adding brand new floor ing and ceiling tiles. However, the process lingered on longer than anticipated due to inadequate supplies.
New salon makes its mark in Plant City.
“There was a lot of hiccups with the pandemic,” Giambo said. “There were some materials that we still couldn’t get.”
Style Bar Salon welcomed with ribbon cutting
8 PLANT CITY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 PlantCityObserver.com CUTEST CRITTER Do you want Plant City to see how cute your favorite pets are? Send your pictures to Staff Writer Brian Fernandes at bfernandes@plantcityobserver.com to be featured.
MYA AND BENNY: Jose Gonzalez sent us this photo of his pups Mya and Benny, two dogs that go crazy for treats, fetch and chasing each other around the house.
TAYLOR JENKINS
ONLY THE
SPORTS
But Crest’s drive would end as quickly as it began, failing to take advantage of the promising field position as they quickly lost a fumble of their own. Both teams exchanged punts once again as the first half came to a close, with the Chargers holding on to the razor thin 7-0 lead. To begin the second half, Crest took over at their own 17-yard line and a series of plus runs from sophomore running back Gage Reibsome and senior quarterback Jordan Lewis kept the Chargers on schedule and up across midfield to the Spoto 45. On thirdand-6, following two short carries on first and second, Lewis escaped the pocket and broke free into the open field for a 41-yard touchdown run to extend the Chargers’ lead to Spoto14-0. finally found some offensive con sistency on their first drive of the second half, led by run after run from quarterback Z’orey Cotton – who ended the day with a team-high 105 rushing yards on 15 carries – and moved deep into Crest territory. But once reaching the Chargers’ 30-yard line, the drive began to flame out as Walker met junior defensive lineman Didier Godonou Dossou at the quarterback for a first down sack to set up second-and-15. An incomplete pass on second, a short carry from Cotton on third and a holding penalty on Spoto forced them into a fourth-and-20 that was too much to overcome as the ensuing pass attempt fell incomplete and the Chargers took back over right around their own 40.
Carries from junior Devin Blunt and Ryan Weems moved the Chargers back into Spoto territory and down to the 25-yard line before three carries from Reibsome set them up with a goal-to-go situation at the seven. Blunt and Weems both rotated back in for a carry each as the Chargers worked their way to the two-yard line and Burger once again entered at quarterback, punching a QB keeper in for a touchdown up the middle and extending the Chargers’ lead to 21-0. Crest was able to continue their strong defensive showing and run out the clock, moving to 2-0 on the season with the shutout“We’vevictory.done a great job of responding after halftime,” Prior said. “Against King we went into halftime tied 7-7 and we responded well and put 21 points on the board in the second half, this week it was the same thing. We responded well. We kind of got off to a slow start, I think that’s the biggest thing that we have to improve. We’ve got a tough Robinson team next week so we have to start better, but I’m very proud of the way our guys responded. We’ve told them for the last two weeks, this is what we have to do in the second half and our kids have done it. Now we just have to start off a little bit better.”Lewis led the way for the Chargers’ offense on Saturday, completing five of his 10 passes for 40 yards and a touchdown while also leading their rushing attack with 69 yards and another touchdown on seven carries, followed by 47 yards on 10 carries from Weems, 39 yards on eight carries from Blunt and 21 yards and a touchdown on five carries from Burger. Springfield’s lone 14-yard touchdown reception was enough to pace the team’s receiving unit, along with fellow senior Grayson Haynes who hauled in one reception for 14 yards, while Springfield also tallied three passes broken up and an interception on defense. “Marcus has been in our program for four years and we finally got him in the end zone there so we’re happy about that but Jordan made a good throw, did a good job of man aging the game, but he also had that long touchdown run there,” Prior said. “So we’ve got a lot of guys that can make an impact in a multitude of different ways. We’ve got a lot of guys that can catch, a lot of guys that can throw and a lot of guys that can run.” Blunt also led the defensive side of the ball with five total tackles while Walker’s three sacks were followed by one each from senior linebacker Steel Crack and Godonou Dos sou. The Chargers’ defense allowed just 132 total yards, with 122 coming on the ground and 10 receiving yards on two total comple tions.Across town, Durant returned home as the moved to 2-0 on the year with a 38-6 victory over Middleton while Plant City fell to 0-2 on the heels of a 26-0 loss to Wharton. For Durant, sophomore quarterback Michael Ryan finished the day with 11 completions on 21 attempts for 100 yards, topped off with a 21-yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Treon Williams, his only catch of the day. Senior running back Calub Connell led all receivers with 34 receiv ing yards on two completions, followed by Williams, then junior Jayden Forte with 17 yards on two receptions and senior Elian Gonzales with 14 yards on two receptions. But the Cougars’ 38-point performance was anchored by their stellar ground game, led by the running back duo of Connell and junior Alex Daley, each eclipsing 100 rushing yards on the day. In addition to his teamhigh 34 receiving yards, Connell led Durant with 131 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, followed by Daley with 101 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries and Gonzalez with 38 yards on three carries. Defensively, senior linebacker Jacob Reed paced the unit with six total tackles, fol lowed by junior linebacker Brant Bovee and senior defensive lineman Ty Merkle with five, each also racking up a team-high 2.5 tackles for loss. Merkle tallied two sacks and Bovee added one of his own while junior linebacker Luther Scarlett and senior defensive back Xavier Peavy each totaled a half-sack. The Cougars’ defense forced two takeaways, coming by way of a fumble recovery from Bovee and an interception from Scarlett –his second in two games to start the year. Stats were not made available following Plant City’s game. After cruising to two comfortable wins to start the year, Durant will look to remain undefeated as they host Bloomingdale on Friday, with the Bulls entering the week at 0-2 following a 44-32 loss against Sumner and a 28-14 loss against Armwood. Straw berry Crest will be doing the same as they host 2-0 Robinson, with the Knights com ing to Dover undefeated as well following a 61-32 win over Spoto and a 41-12 win over Lennard. For Plant City, the Raiders are still searching for their first win under new head coach Michael Clayton after a two extremely tough opponents to open the year, hosting Steinbrenner who find themselves in a simi lar situation as they currently sit at 0-2 fol lowing a 28-21 loss to Gaither and a 44-0 loss to Tampa Bay Tech. Taylor Jenkins is the Sports Writer at the Plant City Observer. Email: plantcityobserver.com.tjenkins@ SPORTS WRITER
Senior Coby Burger came in at quarterback and took two rushes for five yards on first and second down and a short third down carry left the Chargers facing fourth-and-3 from the 20, but senior Ryan Weems would battle through tacklers on the do-or-die play for a first down to the 15. After moving inside the five-yard line, facing third-and-goal, quarterback Jordan Lewis rolled out to his right and dropped a perfect pass in the corner of the end zone — hauled in by Springfield— for a touchdown as Crest took a 7-0 lead in the first. The two teams exchanged punts on their following drives. On the first play of their third offensive possession, Spoto was immediately pushed back with a sack from Crest defensive line man Quintin Walker – his first of three sacks on the day – to set up second-and-14. Spoto then faced third-and-long after a second down incompletion and turned the ball over on a deep pass over the middle of the field that was hauled in by a diving Springfield, allowing the Chargers to take over at their own 43-yard line. “He had a heck of a game, Marcus is such an impactful player,” Prior said. “The tough est part is that we want those guys out there the entire game but we can’t, so it’s just managing their usage, but man, he flew around and made plays that we know he’s capable of making. I think he’s one of the best guys around, back there in our second ary.”
After a 28-7 win over King in their first contest of the season, Strawberry Crest had their game rained out on Friday evening but returned home with a 21-0 shutout win against Spoto on Saturday morning to move to 2-0 for the first time since 2010 and just the second time in school history. “The biggest thing that we’ve tried to set out and do with our program is just change the culture, not just the culture of the foot ball program but the culture of the school and I really think that it’s starting to happen,” head coach Phillip Prior said. “I think that the stands were going to be pretty packed last night and unfortunately we had to push the game to this morning but there’s a buzz going around the school. People are excited about our football program and our kids have done a great job. They represent our school well in school, out in the community, here on the football field, so it’s just a great group of kids to rally behind.”
STRAWBERRY CREST MOVED TO 2-0 FOR SECOND TIME IN SCHOOL HISTORY WITH THEIR WIN OVER SPOTO ON SATURDAY. STRAWBERRY CREST AND DURANT REMAIN UNDEFEATED, PLANT CITY STILL SEARCHING FOR FIRST WIN
The opening kickoff from Crest was sent out of bounds, giving Spoto a start at their own 40-yard line for their first drive, but the possession would be short-lived. On just the third play from scrimmage, the Chargers would force a fumble and recover at their own 44-yard line. Back-to-back first down carries from seniors Marcus Springfield and Quincy Hart would put Crest at the 27.
thickness as our logotype,with rounded corners to match the softness of our logo. We will maintain the clear space established on page 6 between the bar and
TAYLOR JENKINS WRITER
isthe
After starting the season 2-0 with wins over Armwood and Leto, Durant volleyball dropped their fist contest of the season against Sumner last Tuesday, losing the match 3-2 after forcing a fifth et despite trailing 2-1 after three. They then bounced back with a win over Brandon in three straight sets before hosting their toughest test of the season in Bloomingdale on Tuesday, falling 3-1 and moving to 3-2 on the season.Thefist set started close, knotted up at 5-5 before Bloomingdale began to rally for a 10-5 lead. Durant battled back to within two points at 11-9 before the Bulls rallied again to stretch their lead back out to 16-10. The Cougars would once again fight back to bring themselves within four at 18-14 but Bloomingdale would rattle off even straight points to take the fist set 25-14. After trailing 5-0 to start the second set, Durant would close the gap to 7-4 but Bloomingdale would respond by taking an 11-5 lead, then extending the lead to 16-6 with another run and ultimately taking the second set without much trouble at 25-15. Despite the Bulls claiming the fist two sets with relative ease, Durant showed resilience in the third (and potentially final) et of the match. After trailing 3-1 to start the set, Durant would battle back to take their largest set lead of the night to that point at 12-7, but Bloomingdale refused to roll over and concede. The Bulls fought back to make it 13-12 and Durant responded accordingly with six of the next eight points to build some breathing room with a 19-14 lead. Durant went on yet another crucial run to take a 22-16 lead but Bloomingdale quickly closed the gap to 24-23 and nearly clawed back to a set victory but the Cougars outlasted the pressure and took a 25-23 victory in the third set, forcing a fourth.“This team has heart, they don’t give up,” head coach Molly Settles said. “They definiely play until the end… That second set was just fin. The momentum changed and we kept it rolling until the end.”
logos. 1. Full color Logo Lockup On full color executions,the full color lockup is preferred, but it can ONLY be used in full color and only against awhite background. It cannot be placed in awhite box. 2. One-Color Logotype Lockup The One-Color Logotype Lockup is the most commonly used version. It can only be used against awhite background or as a Reverse White Logotype. 4. Reversed Logotype Lockup The reversed logotype lockup can be used against a black bacground or againstthe NEWTFFADA BLUE 3. Black and White Logotype Lockup Depending on the type of materials, we could use one In most of our printed materials and communications, we are required to show the Tobacco Free Florida logo in conjunction with the Florida Department of Health or SWATlogo. For those pieces of communication, we created the following logo lockups. More than DOUBLES your chances of success! Develop personalizedyour quit plan. FREE replacementnicotinepatches,gum,orlozenges.* Virtual Group Sessions -OR- In-Person Group Sessions Pre-registration is required. Sponsored by: Participants can receive $50 - $125 in gift cards for their participation.* *While supplies last 813-974-7886
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Taylor Jenkins is the Sports Writer at the Plant City Observer. Email: plantcityobserver.com.tjenkins@
loss moves the Cougars to 3-2 after starting the season with three wins over their first our contests. DURANT VOLLEYBALL FALLS TO BLOOMINGDALE FOLLOWING STRONG START TO THE SEASON There’s never been a more important time to quit. CALL TODAY: Learn more about all of Tobacco Free Florida’s tools and services at www.tobaccofreeflorida.com/quityourway *If medically appropriate for those 18 years of age or older QUIT TOBACCO GROUP QUITwith Free expert-led sessions to help you quit all forms of tobacco. 3. 4. TFF
Bloomingdale shot out to a 10-2 lead in the following set and ultimately cruised to victory as they took the match 3-1 on the heels of a 25-9 fourth set. “We just have to be disciplined, that’s really our focus,” Settles said. “We’re trying to be disciplined on defense, get to our lines and get more touches on the block. Like, we changed from last year where we had a single block in the middle and now we’re trying to put a double-block in the middle every time.” Despite the tough loss, Durant is in position to improve from recent years under a new head coach in Settles, a Durant volleyball alum herself who played a crucial role in the school’s fist state championship in 1999, later going on to play at Georgia State. “It’s crazy because I’ve coached at a lot of different places, even in club, but it’s just a whole different feeling to be back here,” Settles said. “To have a fan base full of support, there’s a lot of pride to come back here and give back to where I started.” Settles has previously coached at Plant City High School, Spoto High School and spent seven years as an assistant coach at Newsome High School – in addition to coaching club volleyball – before returning to her alma mater. After four consecutive seasons in which the Cougars have finished the ear below .500, the primary goal for Settles in her fist year is leading the team to their fist winning record since finishing 0-9 in 2017. “We’re getting there,” Settles said. “We’re going to keep pushing and our goal overall is to be above .500. We want to have more wins than losses and then if we can get through districts and get to regionals that would be a bonus.”Durant will look to get back into the win column on Thursday as they take on 1-4 Lennard. Around town, Strawberry Crest has started the season 3-1 with 3-0 wins over Chamberlain and Armwood and a 3-1 win over Hillsborough while Plant City currently sits at 1-2 with a 3-0 win over Tampa Bay Tech.
10 PLANT CITY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 PlantCityObserver.com
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Local August 2022 sales and trend information courtesy of The Crawford Group.
M SalesCrawfordCrawfordGroupSnapshot
August 2022
The following residential properties were a sample listed as sold on the Greater Tampa Realtors Association MLS in August 2022 for the Plant City Market Area.The home at 4505 Airport Rd sold August 23 for $140,000. Built in 1957, it has 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bath and 1298 square feet of livingThearea.home at 3002 Holloway Rd sold August 29 for $150,100. Built in 1958, it has 3 bedrooms, 1 bath and 768 square feet of living area.The home at 908 W Tever St sold August 4 for $200,000. Built in 1949, it has 3 bedrooms, 2 bath and 1400 square feet of living area.The home at 1202 W Ferrell St sold August 17 for $230,000. Built in 1950 it has 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bath and 1180 square feet of livingThearea.home at 815 Ashentree Dr sold August 31 for $275,000. Built in 2015, it has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bath and 1594 square feet of livingThearea.home at 602 W Cherry St sold August 18 for $280,000. Built in 1912, it has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and 1772 square feet of livingThearea.home at 4715 N Dawnmeadow Ct sold August 31 for $335,000. Built in 1986, it has 3 bedrooms, 2 bath and 1304 square feet of living area. The home at 3553 Coastal Dusk Dr sold August 29 for $369,990. Built in 2022, it has 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and 2584 square feet of living area. The home at 2907 Aston Ave sold August 28 for $400,000. Built in 1991, it has 4 bedrooms, 2 baths and 2284 square feet of livingThearea.home 3409 Walden Reserve Dr sold August 9 for $425,000. Built in 2014, it has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and 2200 square feet of living area. The home at 1204 Spotted Lilac Ln sold August 29 for $450,000. Built in 2013, it has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and 1903 square feet of living area. The home at 3512 Regner Dr sold August 25 for $505,000. Built in 2007, it has 4 bedrooms, 4 baths and 2901 square feet of livingThearea.home at 3021 Leila Estelle Dr sold August 31 for $575,000. Built in 1991, it has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and 2582 square feet of livingThearea.home at 7205 Big Buck Ct sold August 3 for $610,000. Built in 2000, it has 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and 2269 square feet of livingThearea.home at 2461 W Sam Allen Rd sold August 29 for $639,500. Built in 1986, it has 3 bedrooms, 3 baths and 2441 square feet of livingThearea.home at 1902 Sweet Bay Ct sold August 5 for $650,000. Built in 1985, it has 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths and 4373 square feet of living area.
PlantCityObserver.com PLANT CITY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 11
On a warm summer’s evening, on a train bound for nowhere I met up with… Are you a gambler, high risk taker? If not, why would you stake one of your largest assets with a real estate agent with little to no experience. As experienced Realtors, we see examples of this day in and day out and the outcome is truly unnecessary. Optimistically you have teamed up with an experienced Realtor to provide justifiation to the current state of the real estate market and how to market your asset. Inexperience will cost you time and money in the transaction.We had a listing appointment a couple of months back where all the data pointed to a pricing strategy in the $350k to $375k range, but it didn’t agree with what the Seller’s wanted to receive and they kept interviewing agents until they found someone who would list at their price point. Although none of us have a crystal ball in pricing, Agent X listed the property at a 30 percent inflaed price point. Can you guess what occurred next, half a dozen price declines, days on market approaching three months and the property still isn’t under contract. At this point in time, any potential buyer is concerned something is amiss with the property. Had Agent X priced the property closer to the anticipated range, it would perhaps be under contract and may have had multiples offers, but instead the Seller will either take the property off the maret or accept an offer substantially less than the original pricing strategy. Pricing higher to give the Seller more room to negotiate is a fallacy. The given market will determine the prevailingCrossroads…price.the real estate market has a new “old” normal coming back. So, what does the new normal consist of? Days on market or how quick a seller receives an acceptable contract offer will start averaging about 35 days, which will seem to be an eternality. Inventory of homes will continue volume escalation; the buyer gains a slight advantage in the process. Contract prices as a relation to list price will decrease in the range of 95-96 percent. Although mortgage lending rates have not peaked yet, the qualified buer will secure rates in the low to mid 6’s. During the 1990’s the rates fluctuaed from 6.5 percent-8.5 percent, in the early 2000’s it oscillated between 5.5 percent -7 percent which I think will be more of the scope going forward. Left to its own merits, the supply demand model will correct itself over time. So, it’s extremely important to gain the correct pricing on day one. As we continue to look at the Plant City housing data, August-2022, our market area sold 89 homes, about a 10 percent increase from the previous month while the year over year numbers were down 24 percent and yearto-date up 4.7 percent. The average selling price per square foot was $204.41, which accounted for a 0.2 percent decrease over last month, but when compared to the year-to-date average it accounted for a 2.2 percent gain. The average selling price was $352,877 in August or a 6.2 percent decrease over last month and compared to the yearto-date average it amounts to a 2.4 percent decrease. Now it’s hard to define the tendline, but it appears that our market peaked in May and has starting to decline slightly. One of the factors of the supply demand model, with higher interest rates for mortgages you tend to see prices decline in Therelevance.active inventory increased for the fifth month in a ow, August had a fie percent increase or 2.29 month’s supply over July and 59 percent increase Yearto-date. We are gaining ground on the equilibrium of four-six month’s supply levels. Comparing the Median prices month over month data, August finished with a Median ales price of $340,000 which was 9 percent less than July’s number and flat year-to-date.Theaverage days on market (ADOM) for August was 23 days, a 23 percent increase over July’s 18.7 days and 109 percent increase Year over Year (YoY). Lastly, in a recent real estate media article the writer highlighted 4 items: Slowdown, Correction, Recession and Collapse. The most negative is market collapse, the experts agree we are no where close to that, basically in part due to the new lending regulations that buyers must qualify to obtain mortgages. Recession: The organization informally defins a housing recession as six months of straight decline in home sales, which our community hasn’t had, but that is too simple an explanation since there are so many more moving data points to consider. As for Slowdown and Correction, I would group these two items together and say the law of supply and demand is taking shape here. Although we will never reach absolute equilibrium, these different variables are making movements to correct themselves over time. AS always, if you are in the market to buy or sell your home … seek out an experienced professional realtor to assist you in this transaction process. There are too many consequences to go it alone without proper representation. If you have any questions, please reach out.
ESTATEREAL Real Estate
“My youngest daughter is 10 today. Thankful for the privilege of getting to be her mama!” - Linsey Rhodes Hay
“My dad had an amazing surgery today and is going to have a full recovery.”Sheryl Irazarry Vitelli
“My family, they’re always here to help me out. Love them so much.” - Randy Penny “Cats.”Wall
“God , family, and health.” - Melody “AllYanceythis
rain we’ve been getting is a gift Floridians take for granted. I used to save my bath water to take it out to the trees in my Texas yard, so I sit on my porch here (even when I get wet) and enjoy each storm. Friends and family back in Texas and in California would give just about anything this year for these showers.”Meg Scott
- Vicky Smude
“Good Relationships. They can take you farther in life than money!” - Karla Jones King
YOUR AROUND TOWN SPONSOR 289704-1 TOWNAROUND We asked Plant City: What are you most thankful for today and why? 12 PLANT CITY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 PlantCityObserver.com iStock
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LoeberRobertHOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM‘Bob’
Donald Montgomery,P. Jr.
Robert “Bob” Loeber, 79, of Plant City, Florida, born in Schenectady, New York on September 15, 1942, entered into eternal rest on August 29, 2022. Expressions of condolence HopewellFuneral.com.at American Legion Post 26 Plant City, Fla. (1977-1979), PTA President at Bryan Elementary and Tomlin Middle School. Don and Cheryl were active members at the College Heights Methodist Church in Lakeland, Fla. Don loved to travel including spending summers at their home in Sugar Mountain in North Carolina. He also enjoyed collecting coins, reading about history, watching sports, and playing golf. Don is survived by his wife of 53 years, Cheryl Montgomery, predeceased by his daughter Monique Lee and survived by his daughter Karessa Lasher (Stuart) and fie grandchildren, LJ Pennachio (Karlee), Celeste Pennachio, Amelia Lee, Colton Caveny, Addison Lee, Tyler Lasher (Dara) and three great grandchildren (Piper, Kaia, and Zev). Don will always be remembered for his big smile and his great sense of humor. He will be sorely missed by everyone.Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m. on September 10, 2022, at the College Heights Methodist Church located at 942 South Blvd, Lakeland, Florida 33803 (863)682-8191.Inlieuofflwers, donations can be made to American Heart Association Lakeland, Florida. The family will be hosting a lunch immediately following the service at the home of Karessa and Stuart Lasher 4931 New Providence Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33629
Donald P. Montgomery, Jr. 86 of Lakeland, Fla. passed away on Monday Aug. 29, 2022. Born Sept. 17, 1935, in East Hardwick Vt. Don moved to Tampa, Fla. when he was young, and he graduated from Hillsborough Senior High School.Dongraduated from the University of Tampa in 1958 and later earned his Master of Arts from the University of South Florida. Don served in the United States Marine Corps from 19581962. He was stationed throughout Italy and Spain. After marrying Cheryl K. McDaniel, they moved to Plant City, Fla. and then retired in Lakeland, Fla. Don and his wife Cheryl owned a very successful realtor company, Frontier Realty where their slogan was “Let us Put You in Your Place and Spouses Who Sell Houses”. Don served on the Board of Directors of the Plant City and Lakeland Board of Realtors, and he also served on the Plant City County Planning Commission. Don was very involved in his local community serving as Kiwanis President (19771978), Commander for the
HOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM 2022.Expressions of condolence at com.www.HopewellFuneral. Expressions of condolence at neral.com.www.HopewellFu813-752-1111 WellsMemorial.com M2313_4832_Wells_PNT_Comm_7-25x9-75_C.indd 1 10/27/15 10:42 AMHOPEWELLFUNERAL.COMHOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM
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LawsonNorrisHOPEWELLFUNERAL.COM‘Wayne’
Norris “Wayne” Lawson, 82, of Dover, Fla., born in Plant City on Jan. 3, 1940, entered into eternal rest on Aug. 30, Expressions2022. of condolence at HopewellFuneral.com.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
ADVANCEDSEPTEMBERWEDNESDAY,21DESIGN
PLANT CITY GARDEN CLUB MEETING 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 303 N. Evers St. The Plant City Garden Club will host their monthly meeting at the First United
FLORAL CLASSES 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 303 N. Evers St. The Plant City Garden Club will be holding Advanced Design Florida Classes at First United Methodist Church over three Wednesdays in September, beginning Sept. 14 and ending Sept. 28. The design classes will be instructed by flwer show judges and are open to the public. You will need to bring your own materials and containers, including scissors/clippers and a bag lunch for each class. Registration is required and the classes will cost $30 per class or $80 for all three. Contact Jan Griffin billjangriffin@gmai com for registration form. For more information, call Jan Griffin at 3-716-6691.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
IMPROV NIGHT 7 to 8:30 p.m. at 101 E. J. Arden Mays Blvd. Improv night is making its way back to Krazy Kup this month and all are welcome to join in for a hilarious night of interactive side-spitting comedy. The event is free of charge and fun for patrons of all ages.
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. September’s theme will be Lord of the Rings - September in the Shire!
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 your movie knowledge, or just to cheer on your loved ones, with a chance to win a prize at this month’s Movie Trivia Night. As always, the event is family-friendly and free. September’s movie theme is Lord of the Rings.
CALENDARYOUR NEW MEMBER SPECIAL OFFER: JOIN FEE Offer valid thru 9/20/22 $0FIND YOUR Y AT PLANT CITY FAMILY YMCA PLANT CITY FAMILY YMCA 1507 YMCA Pl., Plant City | 813 757 6677 | tampaymca.org FIND YOUR BALANCE. FIND YOUR Y.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
ADVANCED DESIGN FLORAL CLASSES 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 303 N. Evers St. The Plant City Garden Club will be holding Advanced Design Florida Classes at First United Methodist Church over three Wednesdays in September, beginning Sept. 14 and ending Sept. 28. The design classes will be instructed by flwer show judges and are open to the public. You will need to bring your own materials and containers, including scissors/clippers and a bag lunch for each class. Registration is required and the classes will cost $30 per class or $80 for all three. Contact Jan Griffin a billjangriffin@gmaicom for registration form. For more information, call Jan Griffin at 3-716-6691.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
PLANT CITY TOASTMASTERS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 Rally
PlantCityObserver.com
BEST FRIDAY,BETSEPTEMBER 9
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, Sept. 17, 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.
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 shw everyone what you’ve got.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
7:30 to 9 a.m. Join the Plant City Toastmasters for breakfast, laughs, and fun; there’s no better way to start your Thursday mornings. Bring a chair and a mask. The Toastmasters also offer Zoom meetings for those who can’t make it in person. Visit the Facebook page, facebook.com/ PlantCityToastmasters, for meeting locations and information.
14 PLANT CITY OBSERVER |
PlantCityObserver.com PLANT CITY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 15 Across 1 Scrape remnant 5 Get off opic 10 Hurly-burly 13 Natural feeling 14 Sharing word 15 Like the top stripe of a pride fla 16 Analytical diagrams of Tuesday rush hour traffi in Paris? 18 “I’ve heard enough, 19thanks”Amazed feeling 20 Apt rhyme for “sin21cerely”Port SSE of Sana’a 22 Sports shoe feature 24 “Hurrah!” 25 Code opener 26 SoCal team 28 One of two tarot card 30groupsDeli favorite with a floal 34garnish?30-day mo. 36 N.J. town across from northern Manhattan 37 “... __ he drove out of sight”: Moore 38 Rodent that’s a Broadway star? 43 Charm 44 Take advantage of 45 Japanese noodle 46 Leaves for dim sum 49 Easy to pick up 53 Rascals 54 Come in 56 Blintz topping 57 Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy org. 58 Mobile device for the 60unhip?Swampy spot 61 Get-go 62 “Cupcake Wars” fixtue 63 Some replacement sites, for short 64 Greeted wordlessly 65 Forms a union Down 1 Shrub often toxic 2 Pub __ 3 Feel the same way 4 Board companion 5 Mist 6 Headwear for kid-lit’s Fancy Nancy 7 Comeback 8 In some pain 9 “I’d be glad to” 10 Buyer and seller of oils 11 Conduct 12 Frigga’s husband 14 Notable period 17 Luggage attachment 21 Aqueduct support 23 __ mode 25 Strasbourg-born Dada27ist Schedule for later 28 More than competent 29 Tool in the Portland Timbers’ logo 30 Bakery containers 31 Copier tray abbr. 32 Eighth-grade subj., 3433oftenModernistEnjoyedalot, with “up” 35 Chemistry class measurement (it’s 5 for this puzzle’s grid) 39 Book after Joel 40 It may be gross 41 Simona who won Wimbledon in 2019 42 Prefix with en 46 Channel for reality show 47fansBackspace over 48 Broadcast 50 Trees of a kind, often 51 Improved 52 Typical winter highs at the summit of Mt. Wash53ingtonFacts and figues 54 Teal relative 55 Nov. honoree 58 Barnyard mom 59 Method ONLINE Follow us on social media: @PCObserver on Instagram, @PlantObserver on Twitter and Plant City Observer on Facebook. I LOVE PLANT CITY Send your photo submissions to staff writer Taylor Jenkins at tjenkins@plantcityobserver.com or hashtag #iloveplantcity on Instagram for @igersplantcity to feature. Cecelia Trueman submitted the evening view of her backyard from her craft room. Sunrise Sunset Thursday, Sept 8 7:10a 7:41p Friday, Sept 9 7:11a 7:40p Saturday, Sept 10 7:11a 7:39p Sunday, Sept 11 7:11a 7:38p Monday, Sept 12 7:12a 7:36p Tuesday, Sept 13 7:12a 7:35p Wednesday, Sept 14 7:13a 7:34p FORECAST WEATHERTHURSDAY, SEPT 8 High: 88 FRIDAY, SEPT 9 High: 87 SATURDAY, SEPT 10 SUNDAY, SEPT 11 High: 93 MONDAY, SEPT 12 High: 90 Low: ofChance75rain:58% SUNRISE/SUNSET YEAR TO DATE: 41.36 in. MONTH TO DATE: 2.34 in. SEPT. AVERAGE: 6.99 in. LAST WEEK: 2.56 in. MOONRAINFALLPHASES Sept.New25 Oct.First2 Sept.Full10 Sept.Last17 Shipping point: South $16.35-$26.00Florida (C) 2022 TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC. Source: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture OKRA
16 PLANT CITY OBSERVER | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 PlantCityObserver.com
