FREE • thuRsday, JaNuaRy 10, 2013

insideNEIGHBORSArt Falconecreates woodenworks of art. 9

PLANT CITYObserveryou. youR NEighboRs. youR NEighboRhood.

SPORTSKendall dawson

begins career at st. Leo.

PAGE 11

Monthly BikeFest rumblesinto downtown.PAGe 7

Crossword ......... 14 Obituaries ......... 10 Opinion ................8 sports ............... 11Vol. 1, No. 27 | One section

PlantCityObserver.com

+ Garden producesoversized squash

The First United Methodist Church’s Community Cafe had some special menu items Jan. 4 — two 32-pound Calabaza squashes.

delivered by members of the Plant City Commons Garden, the vegetables were two of six that grew on a huge vine. The vine occupies a 10-foot-by-15-foot area of the garden, located at 309 n. Carey st.

“The vine had a mind of its own,” member Karen Elizabeth says. “A vine that big — it grew wherever it wanted.”

The two squashes were volunteered to be donated by harry West, a member of the garden and also a kitchen assistant at Christ’s Community Cafe, which serves food to the needy, the elderly and those looking for fellow-ship every Friday. The garden-ers didn’t plant the squash. instead, the vine sprouted from a pile of compost pre-pared in mid-september. Two gardeners each took one squash home.

Two more squashes still are available. The Plant City Commons Garden would like to donate the squash to any organization that serves food to those in need.

if you know an organiza-tion that could benefit, call elizabeth, (813) 435-8111.

+ Church plansnew quilting class

The Plant City seventh-day Adventist Church again will offer a quilting class.

The six-week class will begin at 2:30 p.m. Jan. 13, at the church, 2203 strawberry drive. Cost is $30.

A supply list will be pro-vided for a specific project, or students can bring their own materials and projects.

Come join the fun of learn-ing new techniques and meet-ing new friends. For more, call Linda hill, (706) 669-9406.

OUR TOWn

INDEX

Local grocer remembered for his work ethic, faith

iT’s ReAd eveRyWheRe!

Oh,The PlACES You’llGo!

One of our favorite features is our It’s Read Everywhere photographs. We love seeing our loyal readers and advertisers take us on vacation with them — and we can’t believe how far the Plant City Observer has traveled in just six months of publish-ing.

Our readers have taken us as far away as Africa, Florence and Paris — as well as dozens of places around the United States. As we grow, we hope to publish these more frequently, so please keep them coming!

Snap a photo of you with the paper at your destination of choice and email it to Managing Editor Michael Eng, meng@plantcityobserver.com. Make sure you in-clude your full name and where the photo was taken.

MaLaWi, aFRiCa. bill scannell and Joy trent took their favorite newspaper with them on a recent trip to Malawi, Africa. They snapped this photo at the Track & Trail River Camp outside of south Luangwa national Park. “We were in our chalet when we heard all this banging,” Trent says. “Turns out, the elephants knock the trees around the camp with their heads so the fruit and nuts drop to the ground, and they can eat them.”

Las VEgas. david and Cynthia Wolf took a break from the sights and sounds of Las vegas to enjoy the Plant City Observer at the Bellagio.

WayNEsViLLE, N.C. Rick and Jan albritton caught up on their hometown news while visiting the Mast General store in Waynesville, n.C. SEE TRAVEl / PAGE 6

TRiBUTe by amber Jurgensen | Associate editor

Felton Williams, founder of Felton’s Meat and Produce, died dec. 27.

When Felton Williams was drafted into the U.S. Army in late 1942, he looked out the window of a bus and thought he would never see his home again.

But, Mr. Williams did return home from his service in World War II and eventually started the iconic grocery store, Felton’s Meat and Produce.

Mr. Williams died Dec. 27, following a long illness. He was 87.

“I was thank-ful he passed after the holi-days,” his old-est son, Lee Williams, said. “I was expect-ing it, but you never think that to-day is going to be the day.”

Although Mr. Williams is gone, his store is still buzzing with shop-pers, serving as a living testament to his hard work. Mr. Williams’ father had owned a store on the corner of Alsobrook and Coronet streets. He grew up working at the store. But when Mr. Williams returned from the war, he had dreams of starting his own store.

“He wanted to be a man and be his own boss,” Williams said.

In 1955, Mr. Williams started an enlarged fruit stand on West Bak-er Street. When it grew, he built a more modern store behind it in the 1960s. Mr. Williams sold the store in the 1970s, bought it back and then sold it again in the 1980s.

But he couldn’t stay away from the grocery business for long. In the 1990s, Mr. Williams bought the current property off Maryland Avenue.

“Dad was an incredibly hard worker,” Williams said. “Dad thrived on customer service. He wanted to help people. He wanted to give people a good deal.”

Williams and his sister, Karen Davis, worked at the store when they were teenagers, bagging gro-

SEE WIllIAMS / PAGE 2

Courtesy of the Plant City Photo Archives

Felton Williams

Plant city observerTHURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 20132 PlantCityObserver.com

ceries, stocking shelves, helping in the deli and cashiering. They still work at the store, overseeing its operations.

“He surrounded himself with people who worked hard like him and who knew their skill with meat,” Williams said.

“He was just a very lovable dad,” Davis said. “He was very caring, very giving. He cared about all his employees, what was going on in their lives.”

The siblings described their father as compassionate and generous. Williams attributes his father’s desire to help people to his faith and his experience in the military.

“Compassion for people was really encouraged during his time in the service, because he saw such suffering,” Williams said.

Mr. Williams left for his de-ployment to England when he was just 17 years old. He was the youngest member of his unit. Mr. Williams had said he had a fox-hole conversion one dark night when his ship passed a German u-boat. He got down on his knees and prayed.

Since then, he built a family and life with his wife of 68 years, Lucille, based around that faith. Lucille brought him to Eastside Baptist Church, where he be-came treasurer and a deacon.

The couple met when he re-turned from basic training in 1943. She was working at his fa-ther’s store at the time.

“He loved her dearly,” Williams said. “He’d get up in the morning and fix her coffee and her fruit. They were a great team.”

In addition to the store and his love of God, Williams enjoyed grilling, real estate and spend-

ing time at grocery conventions and his mountain home in North Carolina.

“He loved to have a good time there,” Davis said. “He prided himself on scaring family on the road up the mountain.”

Williams said his father often drove close to the edge of the cliff to scare a cousin.

Mr. Williams was a member of the Plant City Lions Club, on the Board of Directors of South Florida Baptist Hospital and many other trade and service organizations. He was named Plant City Citizen of the Year in 2006.

“We all say that Dad gave us a

true work ethic,” Davis said. “The way you should give it your best.”

“I look back and see what he has done in life,” Williams said. “Where I see the decisions he’s made, how he had to step out on faith, compared to what I’ve done. What I have is all because of him and his chances.”

Mr. Williams is survived by his wife of 68 years, Lucille Williams; children, Leland Williams, Karen Davis (Elliot) and Jeff Williams; siblings, Leo Williams, Dorothy Andreu and Jeraldine “Dinky” Cribbs (James); grandchildren, Kayla and Cameron; and many loving nieces, nephews, family and friends.

Carly Knox, 15, is too old to compete in the Florida Straw-berry Festival Junior Royalty Pageant this year, but the cur-rent queen will make one more appearance as she crowns her successor this weekend.

“It’s one of my favorite parts,” Knox said. “I know what it feels like to be where they are and how much you want to win.”

The competition has been held since the late 1970s and has moved venues — from the fes-tival grounds to Tomlin Middle School to the TECO Expo Hall. This is the first year it will be held at the Evelyn and Batista Madon-ia Sr. Agricultural Show Center.

The competition features four age categories, with 30 com-petitors in each. The Baroness is open to 5- to 6-year-olds; Duch-ess, 7- to 9-year-olds; Princess, 10- to 12-year-olds; and Queen, 13- to 15-year-olds. The compet-itors are judged on personality (25%), overall appearance (25%) and natural beauty and smile (50%).

“It’s not your typical pageant,” chairwoman Donna Keel said. “It’s a community pageant on a glitzy scale. We do allow the girls

to compete in other pageants.”Knox has won the Baroness,

Duchess and Queen titles and was first maid twice in the prin-cess division. She attributes her wins to luck but does have some advice for this year’s competi-tors.

“Just have fun with it,” Knox said. “Don’t stress out.”

In addition to the crown, win-ners will receive a sash and tro-phy. The top winner will repre-sent her age group in the Youth Parade March 2, the Grand Pa-rade March 4, and the annual Florida Strawberry Festival Fash-ion Show Jan. 24.

Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.

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If YoU go Florida strawberry Festival Junior royalty PageantwHen: 6 p.m. Jan 12wHere: Evelyn and Batista Madonia Sr. Agricultural Show Center, 2301 W. oak Ave.cost: $10 per ticket

Junior Royalty pageant to kick off festival eventsMore than 100 Plant City girls will compete for crowns in the 2013 florida Strawberry festival Junior Royalty pageant this weekend.

CENTER STAgE by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

go online for more information about sign-ups for the Little Miss Plant City and florida Strawberry festival Baby Parade, Plantcityobserver.com.

Courtesy of the Plant City Photo Archives

williaMs/Page 1

PlantCityObserver.com 3 Plant city observerTHURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2013

MaDison astinParents: Sam and Buffy AstinscHool: Senior, Durant High School activities: Honor student, National Honor Society, Student Government Association president, varsity cheer captain and FFA state finalist of ornamental hor-ticulture demonstration

Kristin boZeKParents: Melissa Bozek-Pfost and the late Doug BozekscHool: Freshman, Hillsborough Community Collegeactivities: Member of the National FFA, Plant City’s First Baptist Church and the National Honor Society

Jessica broWnParents: Kenny and Denise BrownscHool: Senior, Plant City High School activities: Member of National Honor Society, Senior Executive Council, class historian, student council, Civinettes, Students Against Destructive Decisions and FFA

Kelsey broWnParents: Alicia and Aaron Pues, and Derrick and Angel BrownscHool: Senior, Plant City High Schoolactivities: Member of the Civinettes, Students Against Destructive Decisions, National Honor Society and Knights Baptist Church

sara brUMMerParents: Jeff and Laura BrummerscHool: Senior, Plant City High School activities: Secretary of the National Honor Society, vice president of the World Language Club, secretary of the senior class, student council sec-retary and member of the Civinettes

eMily colbUrnParents: Ron and Pamela ColburnscHool: Home-schooledactivities: Volunteers at the YMCA as an assistant home-school PE coach; at St. Clement Catholic Church as a teacher for fourth-grade faith forma-tion; and at the USTA-HCC Tampa Tennis Center as a court monitor

linDsey enGlisHParents: Chrystal EnglishscHool: Junior, Plant City High School activities: FFA vice pres-ident, student adviser for the Hillsborough County FFA Federation, member of the Civinettes, National Honor Society, Youth Alive Club and Florida Junior Cattlemen’s Association

saMantHa FarKasParents: George and Lisa FarkasscHool: Sophomore, Hillsborough Community Collegeactivities: Member of the Plant City Junior Woman’s Club and Turkey Creek First Baptist College and Career Ministry

Kayla FaUlKParents: Kelly and Michael MullisscHool: Hillsborough Community Collegeactivities: Member of Bethany Baptist Church and volunteers at South Florida Baptist Hospital

Kelsey FryParents: Glenn and Kendra HarrellscHool: Senior, Plant City High School Schoolactivities: Captain of the school varsity swim team, president of the Ronald McDonald Charity House Club and treasurer of the National Honor Society; member of Plant City’s First Baptist Church

Haley oUrsParents: Greg and Sharon OursscHool: Freshman, Hillsborough Community Collegeactivities: Ambassador for the Florida Strawberry Festival Growers Association; member of Bethany Baptist Church and Plant City Junior Woman’s Club

saraH PUPilloParents: Michael and Katrina PupilloscHool: Senior, Durant High School activities: Involved with student government, Leo Club and Durant Thespians. Member of National Honor Society and Students All Connected

stePHanie taylorParents: Scott and Diane TaylorscHool: Senior, Plant City High Schoolactivities: Member of the Civinettes, Students Against Destructive Decisions and the National Honor Society. Volunteers as a volleyball coach at the YMCA and Plant City Elite Volleyball Club

JaMee toWnsenDParents: James and Cathy TownsendscHool: Senior, Strawberry Crest High School activities: President of FFA, vice president of the senior class council and member of the National Honor Society, Beta Club, Mu Alpha Theta, Leo Club and varsity volleyball team

catHerine WellenParents: Bob and Cathy WellenscHool: Junior, Seffner Christian Academy activities: Member of the National Honor Society, vice president of the Debate Club and varsi-ty volleyball team, ensem-ble and chorus. Sings weekly in her church’s praise and worship band

rebecKaH WellenParents: Bob and Cathy WellenscHool: Senior, Seffner Christian Academyactivities: Member of the National Honor Society, president of the Debate Club, member of the varsity basketball team, ensemble and cho-rus. Projected school vale-dictorian

JUlia JorDan WilliaMsParents: Jerrold and Julia WilliamsscHool: Freshman, Hillsborough Community Collegeactivities: Member of the HCC science club and participates in fundraisers for the prevention of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease

niKKi HonaKerParents: Wendy and David Howell, and Billy HonakerscHool: Senior, Durant High School School activities: Member of FFA, Leo Club and River of Life Christian Center, where she volunteers with church events and the youth group

asHton HoUstonParents: Shannon Houston, and Travis and Tracey HoustonscHool: Freshman, Hillsborough Community Collegeactivities: Volunteer at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute

Katlyn JoynerParents: Darren and Lisa JoynerscHool: Senior, Strawberry Crest High School; dual-enrolled in HCC activities: Member of National Honor Society and attends Free Will Baptist Church

MaDison ‘MaDDy’ KeeneParents: LaRoyce and Debby KeenescHool: Junior, Plant City High School activities: President of the Civinettes; member of National Honor Society and ASL (Sign Language) Honor Society

coUrtney KitcHensParents: John and Toni KitchensscHool: Plant City High Schoolactivities: Member of Future Business Leaders of America, Youth Alive, Civinettes, National Honor Society, chorus and Raider swim team

Debra lentZParents: Ruth and Ken LentzscHool: Early admissions student at Hillsborough Community College activities: Airsoft, music and roller-skating

ericKa lottParents: Rick and Dianna LottscHool: Plant City High Schoolactivities: Member of Civinettes, National Honor Society, Students Against Destructive Decisions and Plant City’s First Baptist Church’s youth group. Participates in varsity soc-cer and volleyball

eMily GonZaleZParents: Steve and Kim GonzalezscHool: Senior, Durant High School School activities: Secretary of the Durant senior council and student leader in the youth group at Victory Worship Center. FFA state competitor for ornamental horticulture demonstra-tions

Here they are …Twenty-five young women will

compete for the title of 2013 Florida Strawberry Festival queen at 6 p.m. Jan. 26, on the festival grounds.

Tickets, which go on sale Jan. 14, are $15 each and will be avail-able at Hardee’s Fashions, 1501 N. Wheeler St.; Sunshine State Federal Savings and Loan, 102 W. Baker St.; and Regions Bank, 2302 Thonotosassa Road.

Reigning queen Chelsea Bowden will crown the winner of this year’s pageant, which is organized by the Plant City Lions Club.

Photos of this year’s contestants are courtesy of Stephanie Hum-phrey, Stephanie Humphrey Photography.

Plant city observerTHURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 20134 PlantCityObserver.com

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The season for horse shows has just begun, but Plant City’s Black Dog Farm Connemaras and Sport Horses already has garnered some national acclaim.

The farm qualified three horses and sent two riders to the American Event-ing Championships in September, in Chattahoochie Hills, Ga. Both riders placed in the top five in their respective divisions.

“We were hoping for top-10 finishes and were really happy with the way things turned out,” owner Beth David-son said.

Black Dog Farm trainer Lauren DeNe-ve competed with Cindy One in the nov-ice horse division and placed second nationally. Cindy One is owned by Jody Harwood. Nataly Pacheco, rider and owner of horse Monte Cristo, pulled out a fourth-place win nationally among 56 entries in the beginner novice rider di-vision.

This was the first year riders from Black Dog Farm qualified for the com-petition.

Black Dog Farm specializes in event-ing, an Olympic sport rooted in military tradition. The 25-acre farm has one barn with 20 horses. Most are show horses, but some are foals, yearlings and retired show horses that act as “babysitters” to the young horses.

A lifelong equestrian, Davidson rode as a child but quit in high school. After college, Davidson opened her own barn and trained many former riders from the Walden Lake equestrian center. Af-ter several years, she met her husband, Alan.

Together, they decided to acquire

more property. Davidson found a 40-acre piece of land on Barton Road in Plant City but didn’t want so much property. She told friend and Hillsbor-ough County Commissioner Al Hig-ginbotham and his wife, Devon, about the land. Devon asked if she would like to split the property. Davidson took 25 acres, and the Higginbothams took 15.

When DeNeve started to board her horses at Black Dog Farm, Davidson took notice of her skills in eventing. Da-vidson asked DeNeve to teach her the style and has been practicing eventing for two years. DeNeve, who has partici-pated in more than 50 preliminary and intermediate events, has been riding for 20 years and has worked with Olympic-level riders such as David and Karen O’Connor, Jim Graham and Kyle Carter.

Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajur-gensen@plantcityobserver.com.

Trotting to SuccessBlack Dog Farm placed two riders in the top five at the American Eventing Championships in September, in Georgia.

black Dog Farm connemaras anD sPorts HorsesaDDress: 6306 Barton Road, Plant CityPHone: (813) 365-0250Website: blackdogconnemara.com

SADDle UP by amber Jurgensen | Associate editor

Rotating through a loop of photographs during a slideshow, there was one pic-ture that stuck out to anyone who knew 12-year-old Dezeray Jenkins.

She was standing next to a pumpkin with a frown on her face — something she never did. For some reason that day, Dezeray didn’t want to join her relatives and pose for a picture, and her family remembers it, along with other precious memories.

The slideshow was shown at Dezeray’s cele-bration of life picnic Dec. 23, at the Otis M. Andrews Sports Complex. The Tomlin middle-schooler died Dec. 17 from inju-ries she sustained after she was hit by a car.

“We want Dezeray to be remembered for her pretty smile,” her aunt, Dawn Fusko, said. “She was always smiling at you.”

THE ACCIDENTDoreen Morgan, Dezer-

ay’s guardian and grand-mother, was taking a nap between her two jobs Dec. 9, when she got the call from po-lice. Dezeray had been riding her bike with a neighborhood friend earlier in the day. They were walking in the middle of East Calhoun Street at about 7 p.m., when she was hit from behind by a 2008 Toyota Co-rolla. Nineteen-year-old Aaron Ogilvie was driving the car, with 18-year-old Devon Browning in the passenger seat.

According to the Plant City Police De-partment’s incident report, Ogilvie’s vi-sion was impaired because of a glare. Dezeray’s family said police told them another car was driving in the opposite direction and that its headlights made it hard for Ogilvie to see the children walk-ing in the middle of the street.

“It was like the perfect storm of events,” Ted Fusko, Dezeray’s uncle, said.

Drugs and alcohol were not factors in the crash. There have been no charges made, but the investigation is ongoing.

Neighbors rushed from houses to help Dezeray. She was airlifted to Tampa Gen-eral Hospital and had a broken neck and pelvis and a fractured skull. For eight days, Dezeray remained on life support. The family waited to see if the pressure in her brain would lower. But on Dec. 17, doctors said she was gone.

Fusko stood behind the hospital by the river and talked with Morgan about Dezeray being an organ donor. At first, Morgan didn’t want Dezeray to be a do-nor. But, she changed her mind quickly.

“She’s trying to grasp what life is with-out her baby,” Fusko said. “She had to reach deep down and make this choice, instead of saying, ‘I’m done with this.’ I’m so proud of her. I’m so proud of Dezy.”

Dezeray donated five organs — her liv-er, kidneys, pancreas and heart.

“It makes us so happy,” Fusko said. “Happy that they (the recipients’ families) don’t have to go through what we did.”

IN LOVING MEMORYDezeray’s family described her as an

outgoing, independent, strong-willed girl with a big heart. She was tall for her age and equally as mature.

Dezeray loved to play outside and was often barefoot. She couldn’t wait for her family’s monthly picnics and often beat everyone to the sports complex by riding her bike. Growing up with older brothers,

Dezeray loved to play foot-ball and other sports and go fishing at the Sunshine Skyway. Her brother, Mar-cus Jenkins, said her death was especially hard on him, because they would take walks together through the neighborhood.

“She was always up for anything,” Fusko said. “We’d say, ‘Let’s play dodgeball,’ and she’d be right in the middle.”

But she wasn’t just a tomboy. Her aunt, Debbie Wood, said Dezeray also loved to dress up.

“She would wear a nice dress, but her hair would

be wild, and she would be barefoot, of course,” Wood said, laughing.

Dezeray’s biological mother is Angela Cintron, but her grandmother, Morgan, had custody of her. They were especially close, and Dezeray liked to sleep with Morgan.

Dezeray also had two younger sisters, Tori and Danielle Fusko.

“Dezeray is an important link in our family, because she was the in-between kid,” Fusko said at Dezeray’s celebration. “I think she filled the role nicely. At our picnics, she was like a busy bumblebee, buzzing everywhere. You never knew if she was in the sandbox with the babies, playing tackle football with the big boys or visiting at the ‘old fogey’s table.’ That’s where I sit ... the old fogey’s table. (She’d) buzz from one group to the next, giving hugs to everyone. I’ve heard she was also fond of giving smacks to the back of the head.”

Weeks later, the pain is still intense. Through tears, Fusko spoke from the end of the table, remembering her young niece.

“It’s just like a huge hole has been blown through our family,” she said. “Just losing one person — especially around Christ-mastime.”

Choking back tears, Fusko recounted a trip to the Suwannee River Music Fes-tival. Dezeray, then 8 years old, wanted to dance with the barefoot women by the stage, but she was too shy. So Fusko asked the women if Dezeray could join them, and they welcomed her with open arms.

“She just wanted to be free all the time,” Fusko said.

“That would have been Dezeray,” Wood said. “Just a free spirit, dancing in the dirt barefoot.”

Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajur-gensen@plantcityobserver.com.

Family, friends remember, celebrate Dezeray JenkinsThe Plant City 12-year-old died after she was hit by a car last month. But as an organ donor, she was able to give the gift of life to five people.

tribute by amber Jurgensen | Associate editor

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After attracting Plant City customers to her Lakeland location, All American Furni-ture owner Bonnie Evans began to consider opening a store in the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World.

She found the perfect spot off East Baker Street while driving through town one day.

“When I saw it, I made a U-turn to go back and look at it,” she said. “It just reminded me so much of our store in Lakeland. It was a wonderful fit.”

All American Furniture’s Plant City loca-tion welcomed its first customers in Decem-ber with a soft opening and will celebrate its grand opening Jan. 19. The event will fea-ture food and a live remote broadcast from Lakeland-based 97 Country WPCV.

All American Furniture is a family-owned and operated furniture and mattress fac-tory/company that has served Lakeland and its surrounding areas since 1982. Ev-ans’ father, Bud Stover, founded the com-pany, and Evans has worked there since 1988. She took over the business when her father retired in 2004 and now runs it with her brother, Doug Stover.

Wanting to expand to another location for years, Evans said it just came down to the perfect opportunity. Although she ad-mits it may not be the best time to open a store because of the economy, she felt the opportunity was too good to pass up.

“We love Plant City and love the home-town feel it has,” she said.

Evans said she even has shopped for sup-plies for the new office locally.

“We are a family-operated business that prides itself on promoting small business, and we hope we can continue to do that

here in Plant City,” she said.Evans and her husband, Perry, are famil-

iar with the area. Perry, a cattle rancher, has been a competitor in Plant City’s Pig Jam for many years. His famous brisket took fourth place at the 2012 edition of the annual bar-becue competition.

All American Furniture offers selections for living rooms, dining rooms and bed-rooms, including bunk beds, day beds and futons. The store also offers home accesso-ries and decorative items.

In addition to the shop’s family-owned feel, Evans said her company believes in supporting the American economy. Ninety percent of its inventory is domestic.

“We’re adamant about supporting the U.S. economy, and a lot of our furniture comes from right here in Florida,” she said.

According to David Barger, one of Evans’ suppliers from Higdon Furniture, obtaining furniture domestically is no easy task.

“It’s quite a challenge to get furniture not made overseas,” Barger said.

The Lakeland location includes a state-of-the-art mattress factory. The mattresses are sold at the Plant City location.

Contact Matt Mauney at mmauney@plantcityobserver.com.

All American Furniture expands into Plant CityA Lakeland business operating since 1982, All American Furniture has opened a new location off East Baker Street.

all american Furniture address: 1312 E. Baker St.Phone: (813) 752-9500email: Allamericanplc@gmail.com Website: allamericanfurniturelakeland.com. AllAmericanPC.com will launch soon.

NOW OPEN by matt mauney | Associate Editor

Matt Mauney

bonnie evans took over All-American Furniture in 2004 when her father, bud stover, retired. Plant City is the first branch location for the family-owned business.

Plant city observerTHURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 20136 PlantCityObserver.com

OH,THe Places You’llGo!

tUscaloosa, ala. earlier this football season, Diane Mabry took the Plant City Observer to a University of Alabama football game. Mabry went to watch the game, as well as Plant City alum Kendall Dawson and the National Champion softball team receive their rings at halftime.

Florence, italy. betty briggs caught up on all her Plant City news while on a belat-ed Mother’s Day trip to Florence and Paris — two of the world’s art capitals. “One thing has stuck with us,” she says. “People all over the world of every race and religion want to experience art (paintings, architecture, music, etc). Perhaps we feel closer to God when we experience creativity, whether in doing it, viewing it or talking about it.”

sPoKane, WasH. Plant City resident tricia Hoyle, left, brought the Plant City Observer with her on a trip to visit her son, U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Zack nedwick, and his wife, chelsea. Zack Nedwick is in SeRe training at Fairchild Airforce Base, in Airway Heights, Wash. “I believe it was 29 degrees when we took this picture at about noon,” Tricia says.

Above: beaver creeK, colo. tina and Gary Pike didn’t let the beautiful scen-ery interfere with their Plant City Observer time while vacationing in Beaver Creek, Colo.

Left: san DieGo, caliF. randy and laurette valdez and esther and George Herron took their favor-ite hometown news-paper with them to visit the USS Midway aircraft carrier at the USS Midway Museum in San Diego.

neW yorK city. samantha Farkas and britney balliet brought their favorite hometown news-paper with them on a December trip to New York City to visit family and friends.

Gainesville. richie long and samantha Messick shared the Plant City Observer with the statue of tim tebow at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium/Florida Field, in Gainesville.

PlantCityObserver.com 7 Plant city observerTHURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2013

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1206 N. Park Rd. | John R. Trinkle Centerwww.newlifeplantcity.org

New Life ChurchPastor Fred Harrold

Interactive Worship Experience A casual atmosphere and a relevant message

10:00am

Live Worship Band

Bike Fest cruises into new yearAfter celebrating its 10th anniversary last

fall, the Plant City Bike Fest kicked off 2013 with its monthly festival Jan. 5, at McCall Park.

Dozens of motorcycles and rid-ers attended the January event, which featured live music, ven-dors and a 50/50 raffle by the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce.

fUN oN Two wHeelS by Matt Mauney | Associate editor

Mark Provost has been coming to Bike fest since it started.

Plant City Chamber of Commerce ambassadors Donna Driggers

and chuck sullivan enjoyed working the event. Johnnie Pierson came with his lit up 2010

Harley Davidson Super Glide. It took three years to complete the custom look.

The following information was gathered from incident and arrest reports obtained from the Plant City Police Department.

DEC. 20, 2012SToleN SAfe

1700 block of James l. redman Park-way. Business Burglary. Unknown suspects pried the door lock off the front door with a crow bar and went to the back of the store. The suspects stole the store safe, which contained an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspects fled in a blue car.

PAIN AT THe PUMP1200 block of townsgate court. Battery.

Two customers at the convenience store battered each other. Both parties issued a request for prosecution for simple battery.

PURSe PRoBleM1400 block of south collins street.

Theft. The victim left her purse in a shop-ping cart. She realized the purse was missing when she went to pay for items. While the victim was at the counter, an individual walked into the store with two of her IDs and her keys, which were found in the parking lot.

BUSTeD1300 block of West Washington street.

Drug Investigation. An officer attempted to make contact with the subjects stand-ing next to a white Lexus at this location, but they walked away as he approached. The officer detected the odor of marijuana emanating from the car as he walked up. The suspect was sitting in the driver’s seat of the vehicle. The suspect attempted several times to push officers away, as well as made several attempts to reach into his pockets. The suspect was arrested for possession of 10.7 grams of marijuana and resisting arrest without violence.

woRST NIGHTMARe710 block of West Madison street.

Domestic Battery. The victim advised he was lying face-down in bed when the suspect jumped on him and began to bite his head. The victim turned over, and the suspect continued to beat on his chest. The suspect and the victim live together as boyfriend and girlfriend. The suspect was arrested for domestic battery and transported to Orient Road Jail.

DEC. 21, 2012QUICK CASH

3610 block of trapnell ridge Drive. Vehicle Burglary. Unknown suspect(s) entered an unlocked Jeep Liberty and stole $70 cash and some credit cards.

THRee IN A Row3500 block of trapnell Grove loop.

Vehicle Burglaries. Unknown suspect(s) entered an unlocked 2008 blue Honda car and stole a Coach purse, valued at $400, and a Nook Color. While investi-gating this call, two other vehicles were found burglarized.

CoPS CoRNeRPLANT CITY

DEC. 28, 2012THeRe’S THe Beef!

4700 block of Dawn Meadow court. Criminal Mischief. The victim advised she was sit-ting in the house, when a loud crash came from the rear of the residence. The rear window was broken, with $300 in damages. The object used to break the glass was a frozen piece of ground beef.

Plant city observerTHURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 20138 PlantCityObserver.com

“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding

principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly

progressive policy.” Friedrich Hayek

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944

ObserverPLANT CITY

Founding Publisher / Felix Haynes

Managing Editor / Michael Eng, meng@PlantCityObserver.com

Assistant Managing Editor / Jess Eng, jeng@PlantCityObserver.com

Associate Editors / (Community) Amber Jurgensen, ajurgensen@PlantCityObserver.com; (Sports) Matt Mauney, mmauney@PlantCityObserver.com Advertising Executives / Veronica Prostko, vprostko@PlantCityObserver.com; Ronda Kyler, rkyler@PlantCityObserver.com

Advertising Coordinator / Linda Lancaster, llancaster@PlantCityObserver.com

Accounting Manager / Petra Kirkland, pkirkland@PlantCityObserver.com

Advertising-Production Operations Manager / Kathy Payne, kpayne@yourobserver.com

Advertising-Production Coordinator / Brooke Schultheis, bschultheis@yourobserver.com

Advertising Graphic Designers / Peter Carlson, pcarlson@yourobserver.com; Monica DiMattei, mdimattei@yourobserver.com; Marjorie Holloway, mholloway@yourobserver.com; Luis Trujillo, ltrujillo@yourobserver.com; Chris Stolz, cstolz@yourobserver.com

President / Felix HaynesDirectors / Nate Kilton, Ed Verner,

Matt Walsh110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100A

Plant City, Fla. 813-704-6850

www.PlantCityObserver.com

The Plant CityObserver LLC

Locally OwnedPublisher of the Plant City Observer and

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©Copyright Plant City Observer LLC 2012 All Rights Reserved

to aDvertiseCall veronica Prostko or ronda Kyler at 704-6850.

senD Us yoUr neWsWe want to hear from

you. Let us know about your community events, celebrations and family member achievements. To contact us, send your information via: Email: Michael Eng, meng@plantcityobserver.com

Mail: The Plant City Observer, 110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100-A, Plant City, FL 33563

contact UsThe Plant City Observer is published once weekly,

on Thursdays. It provides free home delivery to several neighborhoods in Plant City. The Plant City Observer also can be found in many commercial locations throughout Plant City and at our office, 110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100-A.

If you wish to discontinue home delivery or if you wish to suspend home delivery temporarily, call linda lancaster at 704-6850.

My eyesight is pretty bad with-out my glasses. They’re not quite Coke bottles — but they’re close.

Most days, I lament my near-sightedness, and all those ads for LASIK catch my attention.

But on this day, Dec. 27, 2012, for the first time in my life, I was thankful for the impair-ment. As I sat in the hairdress-er’s torture chamber — with my sister and mother looking on — I couldn’t see the locks fall away as her scissors severed them from my noggin. Instead, I just stared into the blurry abyss, my hands a sweaty mess under the apron.

It was finished in less than 15 minutes. And I must have asked my sister 10 times whether she liked it. Then, when the hair-dresser seemed satisfied, she handed me my glasses. As my vision jumped back into focus, I stared into the mirror. For the first time in 16 years, the reflec-tion staring back at me didn’t have long, black hair framing his face.

It’s a drastic change and one I had been considering for years — and much more seriously for the past six months.

The week before we opened the Plant City Observer in June, my wife, two children and I drove to Houston, Texas, for a family emergency. My grand-father had been taken to the hospital, and at the time, we didn’t know how much time he had left.

We made the 16-hour trip in

one day, arriving at my mother’s house near midnight. The next morning, I stood at the foot of a hospital bed. Somewhere, hidden under snakes of tubes and beeping machines, was my grandfather. With so many things attached to his face, he couldn’t talk. But he was alert enough to listen.

For 16 years, my grandfather grilled me about my hair.

Mikey, he’d say. When are you going to cut your hair, boy? Golly! You look like a girl!

When I lived in Missouri, I’d tell him I needed it to keep me warm. That excuse was rendered invalid the second I arrived in the Sunshine State 12 years ago.

I grabbed a hold of my grand-father’s hand, and he squeezed back, letting me know he knew we were there. I told him about the new newspaper, about his great-grandkids.

And, when I felt there wasn’t anything more to say, I blurted out: And Grandpa, I’m going to cut my hair.

Grandpa turned his head to me, and I could see him smiling from underneath the oxygen mask. He started kicking his feet, too, which made all of us giggle.

It was settled, then. No turning back.

Since that visit, my grandfa-ther was able to leave the hos-pital. He’s at home but requires 24-hour care. He’s comfortable — for the most part — and still can enjoy a piece of his favorite pie now and then.

I couldn’t wait to show him my new “do.”

“That’s the way I like to see you, Mikey,” he said, smiling.

My grandfather is at the point in which all the nurses can do is keep him comfortable. He spends his days in a hospital bed,

and my uncle and aunt work in shifts to be with him every day. We don’t know how much longer he’ll be with us, and honestly, I would have shaved it all off com-pletely if that’s what he wanted.

A few days later, I posted the before-and-after photos on Facebook.

OMG, said my stepmother.I’ve not seen news this big since

Metallica cut their hair, added my brother-in-law.

Wow! said one of my former drum instructors. Looks nice. You look like an adult now.

And my favorite, courtesy of my favorite mother-in-law: Finally!

It’s been two weeks since the cut, and I’m still getting used to it. I still use way too much shampoo, and every time I pull on a shirt, my habit is to reach behind to pull the hair over the collar. After we returned to Plant City, I battled a few days of identity crisis — somehow I felt like a part of my being had been snipped off in the process. It’s untrue, of course, and my wife put it best: You’re more than long hair, aren’t you?

I sure hope so.And for those who are won-

dering, yes, my ponytail is on its way to the Locks of Love orga-nization, where it will be made into a hairpiece for children battling long-term medical hair loss. Hopefully, it can bring some joy and comfort to some-one who needs it much more than I do.

When first-graders at Knights Elementary School cracked open the pages of their free book, “School is Fun,” on Dec. 14, they never expected they would be part the story. The surprise came when students realized they were a character in the book and saw their name, teacher and family members incorporated into the text.

The program is part of a joint initiative between bookmaker Marla Banta, school social work-er Mari Wilensky and sponsor CF Industries. This is the third year the books have been distributed to Knights.

Banta always knew she had a unique name. When she was a child, she loved personalized items that had names printed on them, such as keychains and pencils. But she never could find her name on any of the products. When she was 8 years old, her father showed her how to make baby bracelets with lettered beads so she could spell whatev-er she wanted. She began selling her bracelets.

The creative process didn’t stop at childhood. In the 1970s, Banta became involved with a person-alized book company and began making and selling books. She quit to raise a family and then

picked the career up decades lat-er, selling the books at flea mar-kets, fairs and even Walmart.

Through her sales, Banta met a teacher who had a group of stu-dents with a low reading level. The teacher thought the books would be a great way to get stu-dents reading, so she bought them with her own money. The students were so taken by their names being in the story that their reading levels increased by the end of the year.

This sparked an idea with Banta, who saw the personalized books as an educational tool. Banta decided to start finding sponsors to fund book drives for students.

“In many cases, I’ve seen it and heard it,” Banta said. “It encour-ages reading from an early age.”

In the early 2000s, Banta was contacted by Wilensky, who was then a student at the Univer-sity of Florida and Miss Florida. Wilensky’s pageant platform was literacy, and she wanted to start book drives for students around the state. Together, the duo brought reading to hundreds of schools.

When Wilensky got a job at Knights Elementary School, she continued the program and recruited CF Industries as the sponsor. CF Industries has worked with Knights Elementary for years on other educational occasions, such as its preserva-tion project.

“Knights is right in our back-yard,” CF Industries’ Director of Community Affairs for Phos-phate Operations Richard Gh-ent said. “A lot of our employees live near there and like to be in-volved.”

One of those involved employ-ees is chief chemist Harold Falls,

who initially brought the idea of the program to Ghent’s attention.

“Every project is unique, but if you spend anytime with the teachers and administration, they’re dedicated and gener-ous,” Ghent said. “We just feel re-ally grateful to be involved in the project.”

Organizers hope to do anoth-er drive for second-graders this spring. Banta said she will con-tinue making books for as long as she can.

“You’re building a community when you’re putting literacy in the hands of these students who can use it to further their educa-tion,” she said.

If you know a school or daycare that could benefit from the pro-gram, call Marla Banta at (828) 367-5351 or visit her website, stagetricks.com/marlas/.

Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.

MANUFACTURING PROCESS

Brooksville-based Marla banta doesn’t actually write the books she distributes, but she does make them. Children at the schools and day cares that are part of her charity fill out forms that specify their name, teacher, school and family names. She then enters the information into a program, which inserts the names into a prewritten format. After, she prints and cuts the pages, she sets the gluesheets to laminate the covers. Then she staples it all together.

“The books is exactly like you would buy at a store,” Banta said.

Knights Elementary students get personal with readingThe Plant City students received books that featured each of their names, their teachers and families as parts of the story.

Haircut satisfies grandfather’s wishesobserved | my new ‘do’

Photos by Ashley Haywood

It took less than 15 minutes for the hairdresser to chop off my long locks. The ponytail is on its way to Locks of Love.

BOOkWORMS by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

Each book is personalized to include students’ names.

PlantCityObserver.com 9 Plant city observerTHURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2013

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NEIGHBORS

After retiring from a Rhode Island fire depart-ment and moving to Florida in 1989, Arthur “Art” Fal-cone found himself looking for a hobby.

After meeting his wife, Debbie, his hobby at the time — motorcycles — didn’t quite fit anymore.

“She has a herniated disc in her neck, so she couldn’t go for long rides,” he says.

Looking for a new hobby, Falcone discovered one in the early 1990s at the Flori-da State Fair, in Tampa.

“They have a fine hand-crafted furniture competi-tion that I just stumbled upon randomly,” he says.

After chatting with some of the attendees, Falcone discovered the exhibits he was most impressed by were made by amateurs. With no real experience, he began experimenting with woodworking, starting first with small projects, such as bird houses.

“I had some beginners tools, and figured I’d give it a try,” he says.

Falcone joined the Bran-don Woodworkers Club, and after a few years of meetings and attending the state fair to see what oth-

ers were making, Falcone’s work began to improve. He started taking on tougher projects.

“I just like to see things that look challenging and see if I can do it,” he says. “There were obviously mis-takes made along the way, but you learn from every mistake.”

Falcone’s work has come a long way since making birdhouses. Today, his piec-es include furniture from different periods, includ-ing more artistic works to detailed designs and hand-crafted carvings.

“Some projects are my own design, while others came from something I see and like and try to put my own touch to it,” he says.

One of Falcone’s favorite projects was a replica of an antique 1820 game table he and his wife found brows-ing one day.

“She was going to buy it, and I said, ‘Let me take a shot at it,’ and it came out pretty nice,” he says of the table, which is complete with chess and backgam-mon boards and two leafs for expansion.

One of Falcone’s most ar-tistic pieces is a display ta-

ble that has a carved design to appear like a table skirt is being lifted halfway off the table. He even designed a love seat from a business card-sized photo in a maga-zine.

Falcone has sold some of

his pieces on display in a gallery in St. Petersburg but says he does this solely as a hobby.

“The different wood-working clubs in the area all compete in a friendly competition to see who can

win the most ribbons at fair competitions,” he says. “The materials are expen-sive, so I’m certainly not do-ing this to make a living, but I just like challenging myself to see what I’m capable of.”

— Matt Mauney

ART FALCONE Plant City resident Art Falcone has developed his hobby of woodworking into an impressive collection of furniture and decorative pieces.

Plant city observerTHURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 201310 PlantCityObserver.com

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Joan Rowe EllisJoan Rowe El-

lis, 81 of Plant City, died Dec. 19, 2012, with her daughters, Liz and Suzanne El-lis, at her side.

Mrs. Ellis was born on July 25, 1931, in Rome, Ga., and moved to Plant City at age 14. She graduated from Plant City High School in 1949. In 2000, Joan moved to Carrollwood to be close to her surviving daughters.

In addition to running a busy household and working for 25 years at her late husband’s dental practice, Mrs. Ellis was active in the Women’s Investment Group and a participant in a women’s bridge club for more than 30 years.

Mrs. Ellis was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. John B. Ellis, and her son, Stephen A. Ellis.

She is survived by her sister Bar-bara Blanton, and an extended loving family.

In lieu of flowers, friends and family are asked to make a dona-tion in Mrs. Ellis’ name to LifePath Hospice Care or St. Peter’s Episco-pal Church.

Rogers P. FisherRogers P. Fisher, 77, of Plant City,

died Dec. 23, 2012. Mr. Fisher was born Jan. 12,

1935, to the late Holloway Knight and Leoma Fisher.

He was a furnace operator for Owens-Corning Fiberglas, from where he retired after 40 years of service.

He is survived by his children, Benjamin P. (Mary) Fisher, Mary

Fisher, Gloria Fisher, Leomia Dar-ling and Rose M. Fisher; brother, James Fisher; sisters, Rena Bell McDaniel, Lottie Bell Fisher and Melvina Peggy (Junior) Gimblet; grandchildren, Crystal, Marissa, Junior, Khadijah, Danielle, Alici-ana, Marcus, Marissa, Christian, Kaeyla and Janeen; and one great-grandchild.

Irene Pless GoughIrene Pless Gough, 90, died Dec.

24, 2012, at home. She was born in Antioch. Mrs. Gough was preceded in

death in 2007 by her husband of 68 years, Robert Gough.

Survivors include two sons, Robert B. Gough Jr. (Patricia) and David B. Gough; one daughter, Barbara Burger (Maurice); six grandchildren; 12 great-grand-children; 16 great-great-grand-children; and two great-great-great-grandchildren.

Online condolences may be made at wellsmemorial.com.

Reba Doris KeeneReba Doris Keene, 98, died Dec.

24, 2012, at the Hospice Center near Chattanooga, Tenn.

She was born near Adele, Ga., and moved to Florida when she was about 2 years old. She lived in Plant City in the Springhead community until 2007, when she moved to Ooltewah, Tenn.

She was an active member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Mrs. Keene had been an honored member of the Plant City Art Club and also served as a Pink Lady at the South Florida Baptist Hospital for many years.

Mrs. Keene was predeceased in

2006 by her hus-band of 74 years, Nathan Keene.

She is survived by two daugh-ters, Shirley Loyd (Howard) and Lois Sul-livan (Marvin), of Melbourne and Collegedale, Tenn.; and one son, Melvin Keene (Grace), of Ooltewah, Tenn; 11 grandchil-dren; 28 great-grandchildren; and 15 great-great-grandchildren.

Online condolences may be of-fered at wellsmemorial.com.

Alton “Al” L. Kirkland Jr. Alton “Al” L. Kirkland Jr., 53, died

Jan. 7, from heart failure.He was born Jan. 25, 1959.Survivors include his wife, Petra

Kirkland; mother, Dorothy My-ers; stepfather, K. Charles Myers; brother, Mark S. Kirkland; stepsis-ters, Deborah J. Mason and Lynda L. Mattson; nephews, Jherico and Hunter; and niece, Isabel.

Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 11, at Kersey Funeral Home, 208 E. Lake Stella Drive, Auburn-dale. Funeral service will be at 11 a.m., also at Kersey.

James Madison Prince IIJames Madison Prince II, 59, of

Plant City, died Dec. 25, 2012. He was born May 8, 1953, in

Hendersonville, N.C.Mr. Prince had worked for years

at the Fairlea Dairy Farm.He is survived by his children,

James M. Prince III, Michael V. Prince and Wynita Lee Chambers; mother, Martha Tew; sisters, Ann Marie Hoxit, Yolanda Sutliff and

Mary Ellen Ford; eight grandchil-dren; and six great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his father, James M. Prince Sr.; and siblings, Robert L. Prince and Glenda Hoxit.

Online condolences may be made at haughtfuneralhome.com.

Doris Ailene Randall

Doris Ailene Randall, 81, of Dover, died Dec. 21, 2012.

Born Feb. 5, 1931, in Dover to the late Ola But-ler and the late Irma Carr Butler.

She was pre-ceded in death by her husband, Ralph Randall Sr.; and two sisters, Helen Smith and Betty Surrency.

Survivors include sons, Ralph Jr. (Gloria) and Donnie (Debbie); daughter, Rae Ann Randall (Sha-ron); sister, Bonnie “Faye” Wether-ington; and grandchildren, Carri, Scott, Donnie Jr., and Eric Randall, and Jose and Fermin Gaona.

Online condolences may be made at haughtfuneralhome.com.

Love Joy SandsLove Joy Sands,

80 of Dover, died Dec. 16, 2012, at home.

Miss Joy was a pastor with her husband, Bill, for more than 30 years with Evangelists for Jesus Tabernacle and was known by many names — pastor, wife, mother and sister. But most of all, she was known to her heavenly fa-ther as redeemed.

Born Feb. 13, 1932, in Plant City,

she was the daughter of the late Nelson Smith and the late Effie Brewer Smith. She was preceded in death by her husband, Bill, in June 2012.

Survivors include sons, Ron-ald Lariscy, George, Gregory and Jeffrey Sands; daughters, Con-nie Reed and Cynthia Talarico; one brother, Frederick Smith; 10 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

The family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Miss Joy’s memory to the Evan-gelists for Jesus Tabernacle chil-dren’s program.

Online condolences may be made at haughtfuneralhome.com.

Carl A. SchumacherCarl A. Schumacher, 83, of Plant

City, died Dec. 15, 2012, at home, surrounded by his loving family.

Mr. Schumacher was a U.S. Air Force veteran and worked and re-tired after 26 years at the Vehicle Maintenance Fleet for the U.S. Postal Service, in Lakeland.

He was the past owner of Schumacher Grocery Store and a founder of the annual East Hills-borough Law Enforcement Appre-ciation Ceremony.

Mr. Schumacher is survived by his wife of 65 years, Betty; chil-dren, Darryl (Mary) Schumacher, Carla (Dan) Hart, Eva (Wayne) Caraway and Gina (Gary) Blake; brothers, Larry, of Plant City, Le-roy and Tom; and sisters, Alice Fawcett and Ruth Wood, all of Iowa.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank Albert and Arabella Schumacher; and brothers, Joe, Ray, Edd, Paul and John Earl.

Memorials may be made in Mr. Schumacher’s memory to Leba-non Baptist Church.

Online condolences may be made at wellsmemorial.com.

OBSERVEROBITUARIES

A few weeks ago, the Florida High School Athletic Association released the ten-tative football classification realignment for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years.

Appeals can be sent to the FHSAA Exec-utive Director Justin Har-rison until Jan. 18, but if the proposed realign-ment holds up, all three area football teams will compete in the same

class and district for the next two seasons.

The realignment has Plant City, Durant and Strawberry Crest in Class 7A District 8. This would start in the 2013 season and continue through the 2014 season, before another two-year realign-ment takes place the follow-ing spring. This realignment only would be for football, but other reclassifications for other sports should be an-nounced early next year.

This would mark the first time all three area schools would be in the same district for football. Durant and Plant City are currently together in Class 7A District 8, but Straw-berry Crest, which opened in 2009 and played in Class 6A last season, would move up. This would mark the fifth and sixth consecutive year Durant and Plant City will be in the same district. They were to-

Y O U T H | H I G H S C H O O L | G O L F | S E N I O R S | C O M M U N I T Y | T E N N I S

SportsATHLETE OF

THE WEEKGuard Devin Diggs

anchors Chargers in holiday tourneys. 14

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2013PLANTCITYObserver.COm

SEE MAUNEY / PAGE 12

SHOW ME THE MAUNEY

MATTMAUNEY

The new year is starting off on a good note for Kendall Dawson, and if it’s anything like last year, 2013 is bound to be a great one.

Dawson returned home to Plant City in late December, af-ter graduating from the Univer-sity of Alabama, where she was a part of the Crimson Tide soft-ball team, which won the first Women’s College World Series in school history and the first for the South Eastern Conference last summer.

It was the best way to end a great career.

“The experience I had while at Alabama was unlike anything I’ve ever had,” says Dawson, a for-mer standout for Plant City High School. “These last four years have been a blur.”

Now, she is pursuing a dream she has had since beginning her college playing career — coach-ing. With the help of former PCHS assistant coach Christina Dovale, Dawson recently began a gradu-

ate assistant coaching position with St. Leo University, a private, non-profit, Roman Catholic lib-eral arts university 35 miles north of Tampa.

Dawson will serve as the bench coach for Lions, a Division II member of the Sunshine State Conference, and assist head coach John Conway in infield and catcher development, as well as help out with the bullpen.

She also will be the team’s aca-demic liaison, in addition to re-

cruiting and travel coordinator, duties she says she is learning “on the fly.”

“I can relate to the whole re-cruiting process having gone through it just a few years ago,” she says. “I still remember things that were said to me on visits, so I know that those things stick with you and what you tell recruits and the experience they have with you can make or break their decision.”

After meeting with players and coaches, team officials of the Tampa Bay Storm arena foot-ball team have decided to cancel their participation in a charity flag football game in Plant City after the unexpected death of teammate Chandler Williams.

Williams, 27, died Sunday while playing in a flag football tournament in South Florida. No cause of death has been released at this time, but it is suspected

that Williams suffered from a heart condition.

The Storm was set to play in a charity flag football game Jan. 12, at Otis M. Andrews Sports Complex, against the Tampa Bay Sentinels, a full-contact foot-ball team comprising of first re-sponders from the Tampa Bay area, including local members of the military.

After funeral arrangements were made for Williams for noon

Saturday, in Miami, the Storm met Monday night and made the decision to attend the funeral.

“While we were excited to do something in the community and take part in the flag football game for charity, we have suf-fered a loss in the Storm family,” Storm Vice President of Football Operations Jeff Gooch said in a statement. “We, the team, will

Tentativealignments bolsterrivalries

Tampa Bay Sentinels still set to play at Otis AndrewsThe Tampa Bay Storm is foregoing a planned charity flag football game against the Sentinels to attend the funeral of teammate Chandler Williams, who died unexpectedly.

charity change by matt mauney | Associate Editor

Courtesy photo

The Sentinels, formed in 2008, comprises public-safety officials and military veterans from Tampa Bay. They are a full-contact football team that raises funds for local charities.

SEE DAWSON / PAGE 12

SEE GAME / PAGE 13

FOLLOWING Her DreAm

Former PCHS softball standout Kendall Dawson began her college coaching career this month after winning the sport’s most coveted prize last summer.

Matt Mauney

Kendall Dawson, a former softball standout at Plant City High School and the University of Alabama, started her college coaching career Tuesday as practice opened at St. Leo University.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? by matt mauney | Associate Editor

Plant city observerTHURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 201312 PlantCityObserver.com

Dawson began her duties with St. Leo this month. The team be-gan spring practice Tuesday, and Dawson soon will be certified to recruit on and off campus.

With school being out for Christmas break, Dawson re-cently had to show a recruit around by herself.

“It was a little nerve-racking,” she said. “But I’m enjoying it.”

Through Dovale and Conway, Dawson was able to enroll in a master’s program and begin her grad assistantship during the spring semester. Dawson is pur-suing a master’s degree in sports fitness, after earning her bach-elor’s degree in kenisiology and exercise science from Alabama.

“Education comes first for me,” she says. “I would love to be able to continue to coach and see where that goes, but you have to have a fall-back if that doesn’t work out.”

PERFECT ENDINGDawson, a senior catcher

for the Alabama champion-ship team, not only finished her career being named to the All-SEC Second Team and the SEC All-Defensive Team but also was a key contributor in bringing home the school’s first national championship in softball.

She drove in the winning run against California in the semifinals of the W C W S

and hit an RBI single in Game 1 of the championship series against Oklahoma. She also scored a run against the Sooners in the title-clinching Game 3 of the series.

Winning a national champion-ship meant a great deal to Daw-son and her team, after the Crim-son Tide advanced to the WCWS three out of the four years Daw-son was at Alabama.

“Each time, we suffered heart-breaking losses,” she remembers. “Every year, we had the potential and talent to win it all but always came up short. It meant so much to finally be able to do it.”

Dawson finished her career with Alabama as a two-time SEC All-Defensive team honoree and a Second Team All-SEC selec-tion as a senior. She also excelled in the classroom, earning her a place on the SEC Academic Hon-or Roll as a junior and senior.

Starting in 201 games, she fin-ished her playing career with a .988 fielding percentage, com-mitting only 18 errors in 1,507

chances and throwing out a Crimson Tide record 44-

of-80 base runners. She also got

plenty of na-tional expo-sure, playing on ESPN

more than 20 times last sea-

son.

COMING HOMEDawson returned home on

Christmas Eve. With the rigors that come with

playing a Division I sport and keeping up with academic stud-ies, she rarely had a chance to come home.

She was able to make it down only once — last fall to see her younger brother, Sawyer, play linebacker for the PCHS varsity football team. Sawyer also plays baseball, while Kendall’s older sister, Mackenzie, played softball for Eckerd College and hopes to volunteer as a pitching coach at PCHS.

Now at home full-time and commuting to St. Leo, Dawson says it has been an adjustment being away from Tuscaloosa, her home for the last four years.

“It’s a strange feeling,” she says. “Sometimes, I feel like I’m still on vacation from school, but I love being home, because I missed my family and friends.”

When she isn’t handling du-ties at St. Leo, Dawson teaches lessons and clinics locally and in Lakeland.

“There aren’t many catching coaches in the area, so there is a need for it,” she says.

Before taking on her first prac-tice as a college coach, Dawson made the trip to Miami Monday with several of her former team-mates to watch her alma mater stomp Notre Dame for the BCS National Championship.

Last year was a big one for Ala-bama — the softball, football, gymnastics and women’s golf programs all won national titles.

“We like to consider ourselves ‘Title Town,’” Dawson says.

Contact Matt Mauney at mmauney@plantcityobserver.com.

Kendall Dawson, a catcher, started in 201 games

for the Crimson Tide during her college playing career. Courtesy photo

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gether in 2009 and 2010 in Class 5A District 6.

If the realignment remains as projected, Brandon and East Bay would remain in Class 7A District 8 to complete the new five-team district. Newsome and Riverview, which played in Class 7A District 8 for the past two seasons, would move to Class 8A District 6.

This realignment will be a great thing for football in the Plant City area, as it creates more natural rivalries.

Strawberry Crest is the newest program in the area after wrap-ping up its fourth season last fall. The Chargers have played Plant City the last two seasons and came away with a landmark 21-7 win against the Raiders to open the 2012 season.

Strawberry Crest also has played Durant in the past, most recently last year in the spring game.

The realignment would guar-antee all three schools play each other at least once per year, with the possibility of playing again in the region playoffs, as with the case of Newsome and Durant this past year.

Although Durant would keep its rivalry with Plant City and begin one with Strawberry Crest, it would lose its annual rivalry with Lithia-based Newsome, un-less the match-up can fall in the non-district schedule.

Brandon and East Bay would remain in the same district as Plant City and Durant, keep-ing those natural rivalries, but Riverview would be following Newsome up a class.

On paper, it looks like all three

area programs likely will benefit from this proposal. Although Newsome makes for a good rivalry for Durant, the Wolves were the only real district com-petition this past season. After all, they handed Durant (11-1) its only loss of the season, and the 28 points scored against the Cougars in the regular season were the most given up by the Durant defense all year.

Plant City, which posted a 4-6 record in a rebuilding year with a young team, also should benefit. The Raiders beat Bran-don last season 22-20 and had a close loss to East Bay. As the Raiders mature over the next two seasons, they should be a legitimate contender to take one of two spots available for the playoffs.

But, no team would benefit more than Strawberry Crest. In addition to finally being in a district with natural geographic rivals, the new classification would remove the Chargers from a district anchored by state powers. For the first two sea-sons, Strawberry Crest played in Class 2A District 5 for its first two seasons, where it had to compete with state-powers Jesuit and Robinson. The past two seasons, the Chargers had the pleasure of sharing Class 6A District 8 against Armwood and Hillsborough and competitive programs in Sickles, Jefferson and King.

The Chargers didn’t play Bran-don last season but had wins against both Plant City and East Bay. If this realignment holds up, an improving Strawberry Crest program could be in position to make its first playoff appearance in the next two years.

MaUney/PaGe 11DaWson/PaGe 11

1005

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PlantCityObserver.com 13 Plant city observerTHURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2013

be there for the family of Chandler and come together to support them through this tough time.”

Williams was set to return to the Storm for his second season this spring. The former Florida International University standout led the AFL in 2012 with a 23-yard kickoff return average and caught 83 passes for 996 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Originally a seventh round selection by the Minnesota Vikings in 2007, Williams became just the second player from FIU to be drafted. He also spent time with the Mi-ami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs and the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts.

GAME MUST GO ONAccording to Sentinels coach Jim Gaczewski, his team

will still participate this Saturday.“Regardless of what happens, we’re going to play,”

Gaczewski said.Money raised by the event will benefit the MacDon-

ald Training Center, which has locations in Plant City and Tampa.

Gaczewski currently is working to find a new oppo-nent, with possibilities of the Sentinels scrimmaging against themselves, a fellow first-responders team from Orlando or taking on local high school or college play-ers.

“We might even play the employees and members of the MacDonald Training Center and just have a great time,” Gaczewski said. “They would love that. We are still planning on it being a great event and a great time.”

Founded in 1953, the MacDonald Training Center provides educational, vocational and residential sup-ports for people with disabilities.

Tickets to the event are $7 and can be purchased at the gate the day of the game. Children under 5 and people with disabilities get in for free. There also will be auction items and a 50/50 raffle, with all the proceeds going to benefit the MacDonald Training Center.

ROLLING ENTERTAINMENTAccording to Jim Robinson, media relations manager

of the Storm and the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, Roll-ing Thunder — an interactive exhibit of the Lightning, a fellow member of the Tampa Bay Sports and Entertain-ment family — will make an appearance at the event.

The appearance will feature the Lightning mascot, ThunderBug, and interactive games.

Because of scheduling and training camp conflicts, the game between the Storm and Sentinels cannot be rescheduled, but Robinson said there is a possibility to have additional fundraising efforts for the MacDonald Training Center at a Storm game this upcoming season.

This will be the first time in three years the Sentinels and Storm do not play in a benefit game. It would have been the first time the event was held in Plant City.

OUTLET FOR HEROESThe Sentinels plan on making two more stops in Plant

City during their four-game regular season, with games set March 23 and April 6 at Otis Andrews.

The Sentinels comprises members of law enforce-ment, corrections, probation/parole officers, firefight-ers, paramedics/EMTs and members of the military from five counties around Tampa Bay. Notable mem-bers include Tim Titus, an Armwood High alum, and Brandon Culpepper, who is from Plant City.

The Sentinels, formed in 2008, are the third public-safety team to form in Tampa Bay, being proceeded by the Guardians, now based in Orlando, and the Tampa Bay Posse.

In 2012, the Sentinels had their first winning season, posting a 3-1 record.

Contact Matt Mauney at mmauney@plantcityobserv-er.com.

CROSS_ANS_011013

This week’s Cryptogram answers

This week’s Crossword answers

2012

1. Nowadays, people take comedians more seriously and view politicians as just a very sad joke.

2. People make a big deal about our whopping national debt. I am not worried about the deficit. It’s large enough to take care of itself.

1004

30

WRESTLING

+ Local grapplers earn All-American honors

Two Plant City youth wrestlers became All-Americans at the Dixie Nationals Wrestling Championships Dec. 29, at the Georgia World Congress Center, in Atlanta.

r.J. noble, 7, went undefeated in the 60-pound weight class of the 8U division, wrestling in seven matches during the tournament. His older

brother, truman, 10, placed fourth in the 10U division in the 95-pound weight class.

The top six finishers in each division are classified as All-Americans.

R.J. and Truman wrestle with Caveman Wrestling Club in Tampa. They also train at the Plant City Family YMCA and have wrestling classes through August on Wednesday and Friday evenings.

SOCCER

+ Plant City Lancers win Tampa Bay Sun Bowl

The 17U Plant City Lancers Boys Premier soccer team took home the championship at the 2013 Tampa Bay Sun Bowl Dec. 27 to 30, in Tampa.

It was the 35th anniversary of the national tournament, which attracts college coaches and state teams from across the nation.

The Lancers advanced to the finals after four consecutive shutout wins. In the finals on New Year’s Eve, the Lancers defeated another Kentucky team 9-3, with this one ranked eighth in their state.

Lancers captain omar castro was awarded the MVP in the tournament.

“Omar played very well and was honored to receive this award,” said head coach stephen rossiter.

FOOTBALL

+ Local players shine at combine

Five local rising seniors participated in the Under Armour All-American Underclassmen Football Combine Jan. 4, at Tropicana Field.

Plant City High had two players par-ticipate — offensive lineman Montel Mcbride and defensive back Jyquis thomas. They were joined by fellow Class of 2014 defensive end prospect Dontriel Perry, from Durant, and his Cougars teammate, offensive lineman Cody Martin.

Strawberry Crest High was represent-ed by alex carswell, a wide receiver/defensive line prospect. Carswell had a good day in receiving drills, with reports that scouts were impressed with his catching ability.

Thomas also had a nice day in defensive back drills, while McBride had a chance to defend against some of the best defensive lineman pros-pects in the country.

Only 150 underclassmen pros-pects were selected for the combine, which is part of the Under Armour All-American game festivities. The combine consisted of skill testing and development work with an NFL alumni coaching staff, including former Strawberry Crest coach Gerald Dickens.

SIDELINESGaMe/PaGe 11

Plant city observerTHURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 201314 PlantCityObserver.com

CROSSWORD_011013

O B S E RV E R C RO S S WO R DEdited by Timothy E. Parker

CRYPTOGRAMS

1. C D B Y V Y M T , E P D E X P A Y N P L D H P V G Y C T H D Q P T P Q G D R T X M Y C V

K G P B E D X G A G L G Y C T Y T S R T A Y K P Q M T Y V S D N P .

2. G D B G T D Q X H D X U E Z W D X T X U B J O B J P A F B G G E Y Z Y X O E B Y X T

W D U O . E X Q Y B O A B P P E D W X U B J O O F D W D L E I E O . E O ’ N T X P Z D

D Y B J Z F O B O X H D I X P D B L E O N D T L .

ACROSS 1 Detonate 6 Andean drug-

yielding plants 11 Home for Walt

Kelly’s Pogo 16 Kenyan’s neighbor 17 Grown-up 18 “The ___” (Virgil

work) 20 Full of malice 21 From Scandinavia 22 What de

stenographer takes?

24 The Bard’s river 25 Places for feet in

automobiles 28 Fabric ridge 29 Just in or just out 30 “Huckleberry ___” 31 Dunderhead 32 Word with

“mouse” or “launch”

33 Couples 36 Africa’s longest

river 38 West Wing

underling 39 Swahili term of

respect 41 The Green Giant’s

sidekick 43 Like most

municipal bonds 45 Neptune’s largest

moon 46 Tedious task 48 Places for plaque

buildup? 49 Ball game

postponer 50 Space between

electrodes 54 Solution for a

clogged drain 55 Several southern

states, once 59 “Incredible”

comics hero

60 Begin 62 Gunslinger’s mark 64 Shape of the

human face 65 Where Tehran is

the capital 66 Host of the 2016

Olympics 67 0, in soccer scores 68 Had on 69 Nevada city 70 Large ray 72 Couch potatoes’

furniture 74 Depict unfairly 75 Write a second

film draft 77 Sheep bleat 79 Petty thieves 81 Hershey treat 82 Easy to lift 84 “Mighty

Aphrodite” star Sorvino

85 Accent 88 Amber wine 90 Posers for painters 94 Household task 95 Achy 96 Recycling

containers 98 Bicycle or piano

part 99 Sphere in a

scepter 100 Sound from a pig 101 Penny 103 “Who am ___

argue?” 104 Hotel rental 106 Certain artisan 110 Dance movement 111 Give the right to 113 “For Whom the

Bell Tolls” character

114 Mask feature 116 Actress Brennan

or Heckart 117 180-degree

maneuver

118 Outdated kind of phone

119 Are able to, to Shakespeare

120 Bassoonist’s buys 121 Unexpected

obstacles

dOwn 1 Start fighting,

militarily 2 Prophetic sign 3 Blockhead 4 Adjust, as pillows 5 Substitute (for) 6 Vatican dogma 7 Trash can

emanation 8 Parking meter’s

location 9 “I almost forgot ...” 10 Makes less wobbly 11 Jockey’s seat 12 Smallest 13 ___ Arbor, Mich. 14 Cat’s plaint 15 Heart murmur? 16 Accumulate 19 Part of FDR 20 Clock parts 23 Family car,

perhaps 26 “... and step ___!” 27 Hopped a freight 34 It’s used to see if

someone’s home 35 Like a ship on the

ocean floor 37 Glorify 38 “I Love a Parade”

composer Harold 39 Cheese from

France 40 Blinds alternative 42 Harbor vessels 44 Spider’s parlor

invitee 45 Dashboard gauge,

briefly 47 Persian governors 49 Get one’s property

back 50 Bake, as eggs 51 Blender setting 52 Arkin and Alda

53 It’s removed by a stripper

55 Not flexible 56 Conjure up 57 Less common 58 Bunches 61 Decay 63 Lennon’s Yoko 70 Feel longing for 71 ___ by the rules 72 Title of respect in

colonial India 73 Like some

pickings 76 “All ___!” (court

phrase) 78 Ripen 80 Harvester’s haul 82 Delphinium 83 Three-pointed

hats 85 Music for a movie 86 King’s chair 87 Like some high-

tech factory machines

88 Da Vinci’s “___ Lisa”

89 All over again 91 Magazine VIPs 92 “Read any good

books ___?” 93 Incline 95 Like the “k” in

“knee” 97 Disapproving

looks 100 Looks that lookers

get 102 Check for fit, as

clothes 105 “___ 18” (Leon

Uris novel) 107 Location 108 A color in the U.S.

flag 109 Cook’s canful 110 Carpet variety 112 You can hang it or

take it 115 LAX landing

approximation

MAKE ROOM by Mary Jersey

2

You’ve started on varsity since this program began. How have you seen the program grow over the years?

When we first started, we didn’t really have all the tools and pieces. I think the tallest person on the team was like 6-1 or 6-2,

but we competed and went out every game and played hard.

What are your thoughts on this season

so far?It’s been pretty good.

We’re still trying to get in the groove to have an open space court so everybody can do their own freestyle play. That’s basically what we run off of —freestyle and transi-tion plays.

Did your team do any holiday tournaments last year?

Yes, we traveled down to Naples for a tournament down there. They had a dunk contest, and I won it, so that was pretty fun.

What was the experience like participating in two big

tournaments this year?It was a great experi-

ence and was my second time playing on TV, so that was our goal at the Bright House

tournament — to get to the TV game. We made that, and it opened up a lot of eyes for us to get to the championship game, because a lot of people didn’t expect us to beat Clearwater High School.

What are some personal goals for you this year?

I try to be a good team player and distribute the ball. That’s one of my goals. Another one would be to get to college.

Do you have any schools interested in you?

I have a couple interested in me. Dean College and Elon are the main ones right now.

What would be some team goals for you this year?

Make it down to Lakeland. Our main goal is to beat Sickles and win districts. They beat us last year, but we should have a good chance this year.

Do you play any other sports? I run track and field and was

an All-State runner. I hope to use that as a way to get to col-lege, too. That will probably open the most doors for me.

What would you like to study?

Business management or criminal justice

DEVIN DIGGSStrawberry Crest senior guard Devin Diggs had a good holiday season on the basket-

ball court. The four-year starter averaged nearly 13 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game in tournaments. He scored 15 points in a 73-48 win over Clearwater in the

Bright House Shootout and had a double-double, with 15 points and 12 rebounds, in a 53-38 loss to Piper in the Adidas Slam, in Miami.

ATHleTe of THe week by Matt Mauney | Associate editor

JUSTTHESTATS

The number of teams cur-rently entered in the ISF/ISSA World Tournament of Cham-pions softball tournament to

be held Jan. 25 to 27, in Plant City. The senior slow-pitch tournament has age divisions ranging from 50 to 75.

The number of second-half goals the undefeated Strawberry Crest boys soccer team scored

to run away with a 4-2 win over Riverview Tuesday on the road. The Chargers will face Plant friday, in Tampa. Strawberry Crest is 10-0-1 this year.

3

The number of players listed on the roster of the Tampa Bay Sentinels. The Sentinels are a public-safety football team comprising first-responders and military veterans in the Tampa Bay area. The team is

set to host a benefit event for the MacDonald Training Center at 1 p.m. Saturday, at otis M. Andrews Sports Complex.

47The 40-yard-dash time of Plant City High defensive back Jyquis Thomas in the Under Armour All-American

Underclassmen Football Combine Jan. 4, at Tropicana Field, in St. Petersburg. The time was one of the fastest of the day in an underclassmen showcase of football players from across the nation.

4.5

The number of points scored by Strawberry Crest senior guard Karel Hamilton in a 73-48 blowout

of Clearwater High School Dec. 21, in the Brighthouse Shootout basket-ball tournament.

19

53

PlantCityObserver.com 15 Plant city observerTHURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2013

”““”

As a fifth-generation Plant City resident, I am proud to

have the Plant City Observer as an integral voice in the

community. With a focus on hometown news, the

Plant City Observer provides relevant, interesting

and valuable content each week.

Al HigginbotHamHillsborough County Commissioner

WHy tHe observer?

PLANT CITYObserverYou. Your Neighbors. Your Neighborhood.

ObserverPlant City. Longboat. East County. Sarasota. Pelican Press.

Longboat Observer and Sarasota Observer were named Local Media Association’s 2012 newspapers of the Year. OMG has brought its award-winning journalism to Plant City.

“”

It’s wonderful to have an actual newspaper in Plant City

that provides quality stories that are of direct interest to the

people who live here. On top of that, the people at the Plant

City Observer show a great love for our town. The Plant City

Observer is bringing our diverse community closer by

giving us stories that educate, entertain and inform us

of the city in which we live.

JOsePH mendoliaexecutive and Artistic Director, Plant City Community Choir

1008

17

Plant city observerTHURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 201316 PlantCityObserver.com

100

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