Plant City Times&

Observer

INDEX

OUR TOWN

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.A PARTNERSHIP WITH

This week’s winner isLinda HunterSee her photo on

PAGE 15.

Calendar.......................2 Crossword...................15 Obituaries...................11 Sports.........................12 Weather......................15

FREE • FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2015

+ Keller Williamsflushes out cancerThere were a few raised

eyebrows Thursday, March19, at the Plant City KellerWilliams office. Some cus-tomers and guests wereconfused by a toilet in thelobby. But it wasn’t just anytoilet.It was a purple bedazzled

toilet gifted by HillsboroughTitle through a Plant CityRelay for Life fundraiser.Before Keller Williamscould have it removed, theoffice had to raise money to“Flush Out Cancer.” It wasextra special because KellerWilliams was also celebrat-ing a groom shower for itsvery own Tres Hall and hisfiancee Jaimie, who gainedinsight on how crazy realestate can be.Keller Williams quickly

raised over $100 and hadthe potty sent to anotherbusiness.

+ Commisiondebate plannedThe Plant City Area

Democratic Club will behosting a debate betweentwo Plant City Commissioncandidates.The debate will take

place beginning at 6 p.m.Thursday, April 2, at BrutonMemorial Library, 302McLendon St.

Mary Yvette ThomasMathis is the incumbent.She is in administration atMarshall Middle School andpreviously served as mayor.Challenger Hasani

Jackson is a teacher atSimmons Career Center.The format will include a

moderator and three panel-ists. Questions from theaudience will be solicited.Contact President GerriSmith at (813) 720-5304for more information.

+ SimmonsPSA recognizedHawk Media Club and

Simmons Career Centerwere honored at an award-winning Service Day eventearlier this month for a PSA

ROCKINGOUTP.C celebratesWorld DownSyndromeDay.PAGE 10

STICKINGOUTYou don’t wantto cross theseDurant teams.PAGE 12

Vol.2,No.36 | Onesection

PICKED OUTPlant City hassome of the bestU-picks around.PAGE 9

After two delays, Indepen-dence Academy said “good-bye” to its campus of smallportable buildings off of Al-exander Street near Interstate4, and “hello” to a large, state-of-the-art campus at U.S.Highway 92 and McIntoshRoad March 16.

Independence Academy,formerly Shiloh CharterSchool, was initially set tomove to its new building inDover at the beginning ofthis school year, but permit-ting issues pushed back themove. It was rescheduled forDecember. Unusually heavyautumn rains delayed con-struction even further.

The new campus is expect-ed to accommodate morethan 300 additional studentsby the 2016-2017 school year.

For principal Shane Clark,the safety features at the newcampus are key. At the oldcampus, there were manyopenings through whichstrangers could enter theschool grounds. This is nolonger the case.

“The number one thingabout the new campus is thesecurity we have here,” Clarksaid. “There’s no possibility of

some random person walkinginto our building.”

There is only one doorthrough which visitors mayenter, and they first have tobuzz in to notify the officeof their arrival. After passingthrough the first door, theironly option is to go throughthe school’s main office.There is no direct access tothe interior of the school.

Jackson Trapnell, 7, decidedto enter the Shoebox Float con-test at the Florida StrawberryFestival for the first time thisyear. But his motivation wasmore than just the opportunityto win a trophy.

Trapnell’s grandfather, Theo-dore Knight, used to work atParkesdale Farms. He was sovalued as an unofficial memberof the Parke family that whenhe received a cancer diagnosis,the Parkes threw him an appre-ciation party and fundraiser atthe farm.

So when Trapnell found outthat the four-year-old grandsonof Parkesdale’s owners, HaydenHitchcock, died after fallingunder a truck at a strawberryfield in January, he wanted toshow that he cared. Just as theParkes had comforted Knightand his family before Trapnellwas even born, Trapnell want-ed to show his support for theParkes in their time of need.

Trapnell’s shoebox float, dis-played with other entries in aglass case just across the hallfrom Parksdale Farms’ booth

at the festival, won first placein his age group. It had a super-hero theme.

“I knew he liked superhe-roes, and it touched my heart,”Trapnell said.

The back of the float hadHayden’s name and a CaptainAmerica shield.

“He wore Captain Americaeverything. He had the shield,he had it all,” Matt Parke, whooversees farm operations forParkesdale Farms, said.

Shoebox floatwinner honorsHaydenJackson Trapnell’s float was dedicated to Hayden Hitchcock,who recently died from an accident in a strawberry field.

Catherine Sinclair

Matt Parke accepted Jackson Trapnell’s shoebox float on behalfof Parkesdale Farms.

HEROESFORHAYDEN by Catherine Sinclair |StaffWriter

Independence Academyopens new campuson McIntosh Road

Catherine Sinclair

Chloe Tew, 15, was crowned as the 2015 Miss Blueberry Queen Saturday, March 21,at Keel and Curley Winery. The third annual pageant had seven age groups and ben-efitted Fierce Athletics, a Plant City nonprofit organization that helps girls and youngwomen pay for athletic programs that they might not be able to afford otherwise. Formore photos go to page 8.

QUEENFOR AYEAR

It’s time to dust off thoseEaster baskets and get readyfor the fun-filled flurry ofPlant City’s city-wide egghunt, which will take placeSaturday, April 4.

“It definitely has a long-standing history with the cityand with our department, as

well as the Optimist Club,”Tim Hanlon, assistant pro-gram manager for the Recre-ation and Parks Department,said.

This will be the 26th yearthat the City of Plant City hasorganized the event.

The event starts at 10 a.m.

with a show by magicianand balloon artist Luis Cam-paneria of A-1 Magic. Thenchildren will split into fourage groups to hunt for eggscontaining candy and cou-pons for local businesses.

City offers Easter festival, egg hunt

BY THE NUMBERS3: Number of classroomsdedicated to the arts

4: Number of computerlabs

38: Current number ofteachers (up to 12 addi-tional teachers could behired next year)

40: Total number of class-rooms

600: Approximate currentnumber of students

950: Total number of stu-dents the new campus canaccommodate

A series of delays pushed back the move,but the school is now located at U.S.Highway 92 and McIntosh Road.

SHOWMETHEBUNNY by Catherine Sinclair |StaffWriter

The 26th annual egg hunt is free for children under age 12.

education by Catherine Sinclair |StaffWriter

Catherine Sinclair

Children can have lunch inside or out by the playground.

SEE SCHOOL / PAGE 4

SEE EASTER / PAGE 4

SEE HAYDEN / PAGE 4

OUR TOWN / PAGE 4

COMMUNITYCALENDARFRIDAY, MARCH 27Acoustic Happy Hour — musictakes place from 5:30 to 8:30p.m. Friday, March 27, atO’Brien’s Irish Pub and FamilyRestaurant, 1701 S. AlexanderSt. (813) 764-8818.Christian Contemporary Music —takes place from 6:33 to 8:13p.m. Friday, March 27, at KrazyKup, 101 E. J. Arden Mays Blvd.(813) 752-1220.Spaghetti Dinner — takes placefrom 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, March27, at Lebanon Baptist Church,110 N. Forbes Road. The dinneris a fundraiser for a revival April29 to May 2. Garlic bread, spa-ghetti, dessert and a drink willbe served. Adult plates are $8and child plates are $4. (813)752-2006.The Story: A Dramatic MusicalPortrayal — takes place begin-ning at 7 p.m. Saturday, March28, and Sunday, March 29, atPlant City Church of God, 2103Mud Lake Road. (813) 752-4591.Uncork Your Friday! — takesplace from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday,March 27, at Keel and CurleyWinery, 5210 ThonotosassaRoad. (813) 752-9100.

SATURDAY, MARCH 28Arts Council Chili Cook-off —takes place from 11 a.m. to 1p.m. Saturday, March 28, at the

historic Robert W. Willaford TrainMuseum in downtown Plant City.For $5, sample various types ofchili and Neumeister’s CandyShoppe chocolate. Entertainmentby Dance Connection.Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinner— takes place from 4 to 8 p.m.Saturday, March 28, at theOlin S. Wright Lodge #79, 304Acadia Drive. A $15 donationincludes dinner, a drink and des-sert.The Great Egg Safari — takesplace from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.Saturday, March 28, at HopewellBaptist Church, 6001 CR 39 S.(813) 737-3053.Lynn Lipham Poker RunFundraiser — takes place begin-ning at 11 a.m. Saturday, March28, at Cuzzins Bar, 111 S.Palmer St., Plant City. The runis a benefit for Lynn Lipham,who was in an car accident inFebruary. The run will be atvarious Plant City and Lakelandbars. Contact Tara for more infor-mation at (813) 440-0610.Skip Frye Blues Live! — takesplace from 6 to 10 p.m.Saturday, March 28, at Keeland Curley Winery, 5210Thonotosassa Road. (813) 752-9100.Texas Hold ‘Em Fundraiser —takes place beginning at 7 p.m.Saturday, March 28, at WaldenLake Golf & Country Club, 2001Clubhouse Drive. In a joint effort

to raise some money for PlantCity High School athletics, theRaider baseball and footballteams are joining forces to hosta Texas Hold ‘Em poker tourna-ment. The buy-in will be $100per seat, with re-buys available,and tables can be sponsored for$150 per table. There will be alimited number of seats at theevent. Call Armand Cotnoir at(813) 967-7417.Young Adult Nite — takesplace from 7:33 to 10:33 p.m.Saturday, March 28, at KrazyKup, 101 E. J. Arden Mays Blvd.Enjoy live music from local art-ists. (813) 752-1220.

SUNDAY, MARCH 29Easter Egg Hunt — takes placebeginning at 11 a.m. Sunday,March 29, at Antioch Park,8510 Franklin Road. Therewill be inflatables, face paint-ing, candy and a cookout.AntiochRedskins.org.Florida’s Our Little MissPreliminary Pageant — takesplace beginning at 1 p.m.Sunday, March 29, at the Boys &Girls Club, 213 N. Knights Ave.,Brandon. Registration starts at12 p.m. floridasolm.com.

TUESDAY, MARCH 31GriefShare — takes place begin-ning at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday,March 31, at Hope LutheranBaptist Church, 2001 N. Park

Road. Each GriefShare sessionincludes a video seminar andgroup discussion to help copewith the death of a loved one.(813) 752-4622.Heart Health Screenings — takesplace from 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday,March 31, at the CommunityResource Center of SouthFlorida Baptist Hospital, 301 N.Alexander St. No appointmentnecessary. Free. (813) 644-6720.The Recovery for Life — takesplace from 6:30 to 8 p.m.Tuesday, March 31, at theLorena Jaeb Rainbow House,504 N. Palm Drive. It is a12-step Bible-based programto help free individuals from allforms of addiction. Debbie Ray,(813) 763-1562.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1Open Mic Night — takes placebeginning at 8 p.m. Wednesday,April 1, at O’Brien’s Irish Puband Family Restaurant, 1701 S.Alexander St. (813) 764-8818.Plant City Local Harvest FarmersMarket — takes place from 4 to8 p.m. Wednesday, April 1, atMcCall Park, 100 N. Collins St.PCLocalHarvestFarmersMarket.com.Read with Bonnie the TherapyDog — takes place from 4 to5 p.m. Wednesday, April 1,at Bruton Memorial Library,302 McLendon St. Reading

with Bonnie can help childrenimprove reading, communicationskills and build confidence. Forchildren of all ages. (813) 757-9215.

THURSDAY, APRIL 2Commission Candidate Debate— takes place beginning at6 p.m. Thursday, April 2, atBruton Memorial Library, 302McLendon Street. TeacherHasani Jackson will debate withincumbent Mary Yvette ThomasMathis. Contact President GerriSmith at (813) 720-5304.Storytime — takes place begin-ing at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 2,at the Bruton Memorial Library,302 McLendon St. Enjoy aninteractive story that involvesdancing, rhyming and songs. Forchildren 18 months to 5 years.

FRIDAY, APRIL 3Jesus, Only Jesus — takes placebeginning at 7 p.m. Friday, April3, at First Baptist Church ofDover, 322 N. Gallagher Road.The guest narrator is State Rep.Rachel Burgin. The musicalevent is free and open to thepublic.Seder Service — takes placebeginning at 6 p.m. Friday, April3, at Shiloh Baptist Church, 905Terrace Drive. The Good Fridaydinner is $10 for adults, $5 forkids or $30 per family. Ticketsare limited. (813) 752-8345.

SATURDAY, APRIL 4The Living Cross — takes placebeginning at 6 p.m. Saturday,April 4, and at 10:15 a.m.Sunday, April 5, at Shiloh BaptistChurch, 905 Terrace Drive.Messiah in the Passover —takes place beginning at 6:30p.m. Saturday, April 4, at FaithLighthouse Church, 3409 PaulBuchman Highway. There is freeadmission and limited seating.RSVP to (813) 545-37748.Munn Park Saints Live! —takes place from 6 to 10p.m. Saturday, April 4, atKeel and Curley Winery, 5210Thonotosassa Road. (813) 752-9100.

To publicize your event in our Community Calendar, pleasesend by mail: 110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100-A, Plant City, FL33563; or by email: ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com. Photosare welcome. Deadline is noon Thursday.

BEST BETComedy for the Cure —takes place beginning at5 p.m. Friday, March 27,at First Baptist Church ofMidway, 2902 Midway Road.Concession runs until 6:30p.m. and the show starts at7 p.m. The show benefitsPlant City’s Relay for Life.

+ Man arrested forattempted murderAn 18-year-old Plant City

man has been arrested by theU.S. Marshals Fugitive TaskForce for a crime spree span-ning three counties.

Gregory Leon Ragins wascaptured March 10 on North49th Street in Tampa.Ragins is a suspect in a

March 6 Polk County shootingand armed robbery, a March8 Osceola carjacking and anarmed robbery in HillsboroughCounty March 9.Just before 9 p.m. March

6, Ragins entered the PrimaStore at State Road 60 andCounty Line Road in Lakelandand made a purchase.Ragins left the store and

got into his car. A witnessleaving the store saw that hewas holding a handgun. Thewitness tried to run back intothe store, but Ragins shot himin the leg, according to theHillsborough County Sheriff’sOffice.Ragins fled east on State

Road 60 and pulled intothe parking lot of the HessGas Station at 4785 W. S.R.60. The passenger in the car,who has not yet been identi-fied, approached a second vic-tim and pointed a small silverhandgun at him, demandingmoney. After the robbery, theyfled west on State Road 60.Ragins was later identified

through video surveillanceimages at the Prima Store.The Osceola carjacking and

Hillsborough County robberyinvestigations are pending.At the time of his arrest,

Ragins was in possession ofa black 2012 Honda Accord,the vehicle that was taken dur-ing the carjacking, and a silver.32-caliber revolver, whichmatched the description of thegun used in the Polk Countyshooting.He also had a felony

amount of marijuana inhis pants pocket, a pistolgrip shotgun, several creditcards, which were takenduring an armed robbery inHillsborough County, andcash.Ragins’ previous arrest

history, all in HillsboroughCounty, includes two counts oflewd and lascivious conduct,failure to appear in court,robbery/home invasion, twocounts of failure to appear incourt and petit theft.He has been booked into

the Hillsborough County Jailand charged with attemptedmurder by the Polk CountySheriff’s Office. Tampa Policealso charged him with grandtheft auto, carry concealedfirearm, marijuana possessionmore than 20 grams and mari-juana possession with intentto distribute.

+ Suspects arrestedin jewelry, gun theftTwo suspects were arrested

March 11 for a series ofburglaries that occurred inFebruary.

Justin Norris, 19, of Seffner,and Charles Cameron, 43, ofPlant City, were arrested oncharges of armed burglary,grand theft of a firearm,dealing in stolen prop-erty and more, according toHillsborough County Sheriff’sOffice.On Feb. 23, a burglary

occurred at 1130 RadisonAve. in Sun City. Norris priedthe front door open, break-ing the door frame, accordingto a Sheriff’s Office report.Once inside the residence,he stole jewelry valued at morethan $15,000.He pawned a pearl necklace

and a gold necklace, Feb.28 at South Shore Jewelersand received $115. The victimpositively identified both neck-laces as hers.On Feb. 26, Norris

and Cameron pried openthe rear utility-room door of ahome in Plant City. They emp-tied jewelry into a pillow caseand removed multiple fire-arms from the home. One ofthe firearms was a Smith &Wesson revolver.On March 2, detectives

arrived at 6010 Williams Roadin response to an unrelatedburglary and came into con-tact with Norris and Cameron.Cameron was found to be

in possession of some of thevictim’s stolen jewelry and thelisted stolen revolver.A pawn check revealed that

Norris pawned multiple piecesof jewelry March 2, at theSouth Bay Gold Buyers at 906U.S. 41. Norris received $315for the jewelry.

+ Suspect stealswallet at 7-ElevenHillsborough County

Sheriff’s Office investigateda theft at the 7-Eleven con-venience store at 12902Newsome Road, in Dover.At about 12:50 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 16, the suspectentered the store. He thenwalked through the back of thestore, entering the office area.The suspect then took the

manager’s purse and enteredthe men’s restroom. Heremoved a wallet from thepurse, as well as a depositbelonging to the store. Thesuspect left the purse in therestroom, but took the walletand deposit with him.HCSO describes the suspect

as a white male in his mid-20s, about 5 feet 10 inchestall and weighing about 160pounds. He has blond hair.He left in a black vehicle withtinted windows.

+ Two identified fromDecember homicideThe identities of two men

who were found dead insidea South Johnson Street homeDec. 18, 2014, have beenreleased.

Lazaro Chiroy Chiroy, 37,and Rolando Chiroy Chiroy,32, were found at 1:51 a.m.at 205 S. Johnson St.A citizen called the

Hillsborough County Sheriff’sOffice and said they got a tipabout a planned burglary atthe residence, according toPlant City Police DepartmentSgt. Al Van Duyne. A Sheriff’sOffice dispatcher transferredthe call to Plant City police.When officers arrived, theyfound the two Hispanic mendead inside the home.Without providing additional

details, police said the deathswere not a murder-suicide.“We believe that they were

targeted; there’s no reason tobelieve there’s a threat to thecommunity,” Van Duyne said.The house had been vacant

until this year, when fourpeople moved in, said AnabelCorona, 26, who lives nextdoor.“It’s crazy,” said Henry

Johnson, 59, another neigh-bor. “It’s very unsettling anddisturbing knowing my wifeand son were home.”He had been at work at the

time of the killings but saidhis wife heard what soundedlike a gunshot.The building had been a

church in the 1990s andinto the 2000s, according toJohnson. Earlier this year, thestructure served as a “guys’social club,” Johnson said,where people would watchsports.Police records show officers

responded to the house at2:31 a.m. Dec. 15, 2013, andfound a large crowd gatheredin the front and side yards.The officer also saw a womanstanding at the door takingmoney from people enteringthe building, the report said.However, Johnson said the

house had been vacant forfour or five months.

+ Mobile home firekills P.C. womanOne woman was killed and

a man was injured in a mobilehome fire that occurred atabout 2 a.m. March 15.The home at 1319 Candy

Cane Lane was fully engulfedin flames by the timeHillsborough County FireRescue and the HillsboroughCounty Sheriff’s Office arrived.

Edwin Jose Chico, 56, suf-fered severe burns and wastransported to Tampa GeneralHospital. He is in critical butstable condition.At about 5 a.m., a deceased

adult female was found insidethe house. She was later iden-tified as Linda Ann Vallee, 48.HCSO does not suspect that

foul play was involved. Aninvestiagtion in ongoing.

The Public TransportationCommission has historicallyincluded one representativefrom the Plant City Commis-sion, but Plant City could loseits spot on the board if a billproposed by Sen. Jeff Brandespasses the state legislation.

With Brandes’ (R-St. Peters-burg) bill SB 1326, transpor-tation network companieswould be permitted to oper-ate in Florida. These includeUber and Lyft, in which rid-ers find drivers with the use ofmobile apps.

In Hillsborough County, thePTC regulates transportationissues. Brandes’ ultimate goalis to abolish the PTC.

“First-class cities, like Tam-pa and St. Petersburg, deservefirst-class services, like Uberand Lyft. Regulators shouldnot stifle innovation,” Brandeswrote in a Facebook post thisFebruary. “It’s time to abol-ish the Hillsborough PublicTransportation Commission.”

In 2013, Brandes co-spon-sored a bill that would haveeliminated the HillsboroughCounty PTC. The bill did notpass, but he has said he ex-pects to introduce a similarbill in 2016. This year, he is ap-proaching the PTC at a differ-ent angle.

SB 1326 would also changethe composition of the PTC.The board comprises three

Hillsborough County com-missioners, two City of Tampacouncil members, one TempleTerrace commissioner andone Plant City commissioner,currently Billy Keel. Brandes’proposition is for the boardto comprise two HillsboroughCounty commissioners, oneCity of Tampa council mem-ber, and four HillsboroughCounty representatives se-lected by the governor.

Kyle Cockream, executivedirector of the PTC, spoke atthe Plant City Commissionmeeting Monday, March 23,

about this issue.“I truly believe that both

municipalities have earnedand do deserve a right to stayon that board and have a sayin what goes on,” Cockreamsaid.

Cockream said he takes itpersonally when someonesays Plant City doesn’t deservea seat at the table. His son wasborn near Plant City and at-tended Strawberry Crest HighSchool.

Temple Terrace commis-sioners have written letters tostate legislators who will have

an impact on the bill’s successor failure. The Plant City com-missioners will reach out toRep. Dan Raulerson and Rep.Ross Spano.

“I would like to propose thatwe need something similar towhat Temple Terrace has doneand draft it to all of the legisla-tors that can handle this for usif possible,” Keel said.

SB 1326 is currently beingconsidered by the RegulatedIndustries committee at thecapitol. Cockream and Keelhope to stop it before it ad-vances much further.

IN OTHER NEWS• Mayor Rick Lott and com-

missioners presented a procla-mation to Civitan Youth Paradegrand marshals Jackson Hardieand Kevin O’Hare. Thoughthe parade was canceled fromrain, Hardie and O’Hare werehonored for their service andleadership with an invitationto participate in the FloridaStrawberry Festival GrandParade instead.• City Manager Mike Herr

presented two options to thecommission regarding utilityextensions in the areas of thecity that have the most com-mercial potential: Option A,to move forward with utilities

along County Line Road only;or Option B, to proceed withutilities along County LineRoad as well as State Road 39.Based on its larger service area

and more promising potentialfor commercial development,the commission voted forOption A.

PlantCity’s TransportationCommissionboard seat at risk

When students at Focus 4Beauty Career Institute openthe doors to their studio andclassrooms, they are imme-diately reminded that theirfuture career in cosmetologywill be a way to make a living,but also a way to express them-selves.

After recently moving to abigger, brighter space, Focus4 Beauty can now flourishand fulfill its owners’ dreamsof serving the communitythrough beauty and service.And the help of a local artisthas kept the mood whimsicaland expressive, motivating stu-dents to be the best artists theycan be. Jules Burt, known forher bold pop art, has deckedthe walls in her signature style.

When Focus 4 Beauty firststarted at its studio on James L.Redman Parkway, it was con-fined to about one-fourth ofthe building. It expanded to fillthe second floor, and eventu-ally spilled onto the first floor.But the split between two lev-els caused disconnects.

“It really just wasn’t condu-cive for what we needed,” co-owner Paul Granville said.

As more and more students

began to enroll at Focus 4Beauty, Granville realized thatthe school was outgrowing itsspace. Plant City’s convenientlocation, central to Lakeland,Brandon and Tampa was at-tractive to many students, aswell as its focus on communityinvolvement and donating ser-vices to those in need.

“We’re offering a big city ed-ucation, but a small town feel,”Granville said. “Who wouldn’twant to do a job that makespeople feel better about them-selves?”

During the holiday breakthis past December, Paul andNanette Granville and theirstudents relocated Focus 4Beauty to 631 E. AlexanderStreet, in the Watson Clinicplaza.

The new studio is threetimes as large as the old one,all on one floor. About 70 stu-dents are currently enrolled,but the bigger studio can ac-commodate twice that num-ber. Granville expects clienteleto increase because the build-ing is right along a busy route.

But in addition to providinga conveniently located andspacious studio for their stu-

dents, the Granvilles wanted todecorate in a way that wouldfoster an atmosphere of art-istry and expression.

“We wanted to find a way todisplay that feeling of creativ-ity, and letting yourself go, andinspiration,” Paul said.

The Granvilles searched, butdid not find artwork that fit thepurpose and coordinated withFocus 4 Beauty’s thematic pal-ette of white, black and brightgreen. They realized that theywould need to commission anartist to design custom work,and Jules Burt was the perfectcandidate.

Burt, known as “America’sPop Art Diva,” is a Plant Citynative, but she is acclaimedthroughout the United Statesfor her paintings and sculp-tures.

Burt’s work has appearednumerous times on televi-sion, including on the series“Friends,” where her paintingshang in the set of the CentralPerk coffee shop. She oncedesigned a line of ceramicsthat was available in Hallmarkstores nationwide, and manyof her pieces appear in high-traffic public places, such asthe Tampa International Air-port.

Burt has known the Gran-villes for about 10 years, andhas been a longtime client of

services at Focus 4 Beauty.“I pop in any chance I get, in

case I need a quick manicureor a quick blow dry,” Burt said.

When the Granvilles ap-proached Burt and asked herto create art for the new stu-dio, she jumped at the oppor-tunity, even though using justthree colors wasn’t her usualstyle. She has created about 30pieces so far — mostly paint-ings, but also two chandeliersfor the skincare room.

“I especially loved this proj-ect because ... I have been inand around a lot of peoplein the beauty business, andthey’re artists in the same way,”Burt said. “It’s such a wonder-ful space, and they needed alot of art.”

Some of the paintings’ sub-jects are stylists’ tools, such asscissors, nail polish or hair-spray. Others feature Burt’siconic women’s faces, whichshe calls her “ladies.”

“Every one of them in someway or another just captureswhat we’re all about,” Granvillesaid.

“Every time I’d go in there,the students would get ex-cited, and I’d tell them, ‘You’reall artists,’” Burt said. “I’m justso proud of Paul and Nanette.It’s been a dream of theirs for along time. ... To see them growis just so exciting.”

Sen. Jeff Brandes is working to eliminate the representation of Plant City andTemple Terrace on the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission board.

governance by Catherine Sinclair |StaffWriter

Catherine Sinclair

Catherine SinclairJules Burt hopes her paintings will inspire the students at Focus 4 Beauty as artists in their own ways.

GREENERON THE OTHER SIDE

Focus 4 Beauty has moved to a biggerand better studio, and local artistJules Burt’s work livens up the walls.

‘BURTIFUL’ by Catherine Sinclair |StaffWriter

NEWS BRIEFS

There will be 2,500 eggs hid-den for each age group. Chil-dren are asked to bring theirown baskets or bags for col-lecting the eggs.

“It’s a free event, a fun eventfor the family. And then theother activities that follow,people enjoying participatingin those,” Hanlon said.

After the egg hunt, eachchild will get a free hotdog anddrink from sponsors ToufayanBakeries and the Plant CityOptimist Club.

There will also be bouncehouses, air brushing andtrackless train rides, each for$1. Photos with the EasterBunny are $5 each. The event

will close at 12:30 p.m.For the first time, the city-

wide egg hunt has a present-ing sponsor: Global SportsAlliance, a travel baseball or-ganization that hosts youthtournaments in Central Flor-ida.

“They’re very involved herein bringing lots of teens herefor tournaments, and that’sjust one way to give back tothe community,” Hanlon said.

The egg hunt event will beat the Otis M. Andrews SportsComplex, 2402 East CherryStreet, Plant City. For more in-formation, contact Hanlon atthanlon@plantcitygov.com.

Contact Catherine Sinclairat csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.

HAYDEN / PAGE 1

There are also security cam-eras placed throughout theschool, so no activity goesunnoticed.

Another advantage thatClark is pleased with is theabundance of state-of-the-art educational technology,from interactive projectors,to document cameras, tomedia-ready laptops.

“Just across the board, ev-erything is upgraded — thenewest stuff out there,” Clarksaid.

And there is plenty of roomto grow at the new campus. Asecond building in the backis not being used right now,but will open up next schoolyear to provide 13 moreclassrooms.

In additional to morespace, the students will havea broader range of classesnext year and beyond. Inde-pendence Academy will start

offering Spanish, art andcomputer media classes forits elementary students, forexample.

Before the move, there wassome concern about poten-tial traffic issues. There areno buses to IndependenceAcademy, so all studentsare dropped off by parentsor their carpool groups. ButClark said there have notbeen any major problemsso far, thanks to the help ofcounty offices that workedwith the school to design themost effective traffic flowpatterns.

“We’re able to get all ofour cars off 92, so they’re notadding to any backup on 92,”he said.

The Principal’s OfficeThe 2014-2015 school year

is Clark’s first as principalat Independence Academy.Clark has 20 years of experi-ence in education.

Previously, he has workedas an assistant principal atBell Creek Academy, in River-view, and an assistant princi-pal for student affairs at KingHigh School, in Tampa.

Like Bell Creek Academy,Independence Academy isa public charter school. It isgoverned by its own board ofdirectors, instead of the dis-trict’s school board.

“We have a little more free-dom as far as choosing cur-riculum and teaching meth-ods,” Clark said.

But the hospitality of In-dependence Academy inparticular was what helpedClark feel right at home fromday one.

“It’s very much a familyatmosphere,” he said. “Thestudents, parents and teach-ers all together — we justwork well together.”

Contact Catherine Sinclairat csinclair@plantcityobserv-er.com.

EASTER EVENTSSome of Plant City’s localchurches and organizationsalso will be offering spe-cial events for children thisEaster.

NINTH ANNUAL EGGDROP FESTIVALWhen: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.Saturday, March 28. Egghunts occur between 12 and12:30 p.m.Where: First Baptist Church,South Campus, 3309 JamesL. Redman ParkwayDetails: After a helicopterdrops eggs into the fields,children will hunt for themby age group. There willalso be free food, bal-loons, crafts and games.The event is free, butpreregistration is requiredat secure.siteorganic.com/f/?k=66LCCWALC7NHCYNK.Contact: (813) 752-4104

THE GREAT EGG SAFARIWhen: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.Saturday, March 28Where: Hopewell BaptistChurch, 6001 CR 39 S.Details: In addition to the“wild” egg hunt, there willbe food, games, crafts andpuppets.Contact: (813) 737-3053

HOPE’S EASTEREGGSTRAVAGANZAWhen: Sunday, April 5Where: Hope LutheranChurch, 2001 N. Park RoadDetails: Between the sunriseservice and the late morningservice, the church will offerbreakfast and story time forchildren and their families.An outdoor egg hunt will fol-low. Everyone is welcome atthis event, and church mem-bers often invite guests.Contact: (813) 752-4622

CYNERGY’S EASTEREGGSTRAVAGANZAWhen: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30p.m. Saturday, April 4Where: The Cynergy Church,600 W. Dr. Martin LutherKing Jr. Boulevard.Details: There will be Easterbaskets, toys, food, iPodand tv giveaways, bill pay,free cotton candy and snowcones, bounce house, and anegg hunt with cash prizes.Contact: (813) 708-2783

EASTER EGG HUNTWhen: 11 a.m. Sunday,March 29Where: Antioch Park, 8510Franklin Road.Details: There will be inflat-ables, face painting, candyand a cookout.Contact: AntiochRedskins.org

Parke was Hayden’s beloveduncle and role model.

At the festival, word of Trap-nell’s float spread quickly, andmembers of the Parke fam-ily were sure to seek it out. Itmoved Parke and other rela-tives of Hayden to tears.

“It was great (for Hayden) tobe remembered not by just hisfamily, but by children fromother families who have nevermet him,” Parke said.

After the festival, Jackson andhis mother, Gwen Trapnell, metParke at the farm office to givehim the float. Parke immedi-ately found a prominent placeto display it.

“It still is a very hard thing todeal with ... but I couldn’t bemore proud of that boy rightthere and what he did,” Parkesaid about Trapnell.

Contact Catherine Sinclairat csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.

File photo

Children will collect eggs filled with candy and coupons to localbusinesses.

Hawk Media Club producedusing Simmons Career Centerstudents.The PSA was part of the stu-

dents’ service learning projects.It was aimed at keeping studentsin school and preventing stu-dents from dropping out.The PSA was entered into the

Palm Beach Film Festival andmade it to the top 250 out of1,000 applicants.During the field trip to the

Service Day event, the studentswere also able to make new HCCconnections with a variety of pro-grams, including TV production,radio, journalism, child care,visual and performing arts andthe career center to gain knowl-edge on employment during andafter college.

OUR TOWNCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Catherine Sinclair

The school moved into its new campus after spring break this year.

SCHOOL / PAGE 1

EASTER / PAGE 1

A picture is worth a thou-sand words, but adding a fewhundred more words couldearn Plant City residents a cashprize.

The Plant City Photo Archivesand History Center is acceptingentries for its sixth annual pho-tojournalism contest, whichhas traditionally been opento students at Plant City HighSchool. This year, however,things will be a little different:the playing field will be bigger.

The center is allowing adults18 and older to participate inthe photo contest — a first, saysExecutive Director Gil Gott. Theidea came when Gott was givena copy of the book, “Zen andthe Art of Local History,” and heread it cover to cover. He cameaway from it with the sensethat more of the history of PlantCity, and other nearby towns,could be brought to light if thephotojournalism contest wereexpanded.

“These people know,” Gottsays. “They know stuff that youdon’t. They know stuff that youmay never know. Why not givethem a chance to start tellingyou?”

Gott’s believes that there arepeople in Plant City who stillhave untold stories and thephotographs to help tell them.These people know things thatthe local high schoolers don’t,or can’t, know. Things like thatcan help the center paint PlantCity in more intricate detailthan before.

This year’s theme will be the

same for both age groups: Par-ticipants are being asked todocument part of the history ofthe Winter Strawberry Capitalof the World through no morethan four pictures and a varyingamount of words. High school-ers can include between 300and 600 words, while adults areasked to bump that count up tobetween 400 and 800.

Although the contest is not

yet open to students at Du-rant and Strawberry Cresthigh schools, the center hasconfirmed that it’s working onplans to include both schoolsin the future. Gott says that thecenter is working to gauge theinterest of students at thoseschools and believes that itshouldn’t be too long beforethe center is able to openthings up to those schools inaddition to Plant City High.

Last year’s winners, JacksonHardie and Ashlyn Yarbor-ough, covered the history ofthe Glover School and its op-erators, Bealsville Inc., and theMcGinnes Lumber Company,respectively. This year’s winnerscan receive $100 for first place,$75 for second place and $50for third place, with honorablemention winners receiving cer-tificates.

Contestants may use old orrecently-taken photos of theirown in the contest, as long asthey provide the center withthe originals, which the centerwishes to scan and add to itscollection.

Gott hopes that the contestcould help other historical or-ganizations in the Tampa Bayarea add to their collectionswhile the people with untoldstories are still able to passthem on.

“It’s their history,” Gott says.“If you don’t give them a chanceto tell you, it goes down with thefamily — but that’s it.”

Contact Justin Kline atjkline@plantcityobserver.com.

HOW TO ENTERDeadline: Friday, April 10Cost: FreeGuidelines: No more thanfour photos. Fonts mustbe regular (Arial, Calibri orTimes New Roman) and 11to 12 points in size (exclud-ing headings). High school-ers: submit a 300 to 600-word story. Adults: submit a400 to 800-word story.Adults must be age 18or older, must live in thegreater Plant City area andmust not be a high schoolstudent.Submissions: Email to GilGott, at gil@plantcitypho-toarchives.org, or drop offat the Photo Archives andHistory Center, 106 S.Evers St.Winners will be announcedon or around April 17. Formore information, contactthe center’s office at (813)754-1578, or email info@plantcityphotoarchives.org.

It’s starting to warm up againin Plant City, and if you’re look-ing for a place to cool downwith a frozen treat, there’s anew place to try in the HistoricDowntown District.

Mr. Sebas Ice Cream andMore is officially open. Theshop is owned by the Ruizfamily, of Plant City. ClaudiaRuiz owns Claudia’s Boutiqueand a banquet hall downtown,but the family wanted to offersomething new in town.

“They wanted to open intoa more food-type of business,and they thought, ice cream,”Sebastian Ruiz Jr. said abouthis parents. “It’s a one-of-a-kind, family-owned ice creamshop. That’s what my parentswanted, because they like toown independent businessesdowntown.”

Mr. Sebas sells homemadeice cream, as well as snacks,cold drinks and lunch items.

“We’re adding new menuitems every week,” Ruiz Jr. said.

The Ruizes spent abouttwo years planning the shop’sopening, but started interiorconstruction last October. Theyhired an ice cream expert toteach them how to make theirown frozen desserts in house,and they offer their ice creamin scoops or in frozen bar form.

Customers will find theirfavorite classic flavors, suchas cookies and cream, andtasty toppings such as gummyworms and nuts. But some ofthe ice cream flavors are cultur-ally inspired and less commonin Plant City. Chamoy, a spicymango flavor, with chunks ofreal fruit, has been one of the

most popular.“We have to constantly keep

on making it because it runsout,” Ruiz Jr. said.

But as the shop name sug-gests, ice cream is not the onlything that Mr. Sebas offers.Customers looking for a savorysnack can order nachos, hotdogs or chicharrón, all with as-sorted toppings. By the end ofApril, the Ruizes expect to alsooffer Cuban sandwiches.

The Ruizes hope that theshop will become a destina-

tion for Plant City residents andvisitors of all ages, but specifi-cally, they have a vision of serv-ing teenagers looking for a safeplace to hang out.

“We want people to come, dotheir homework, get some icecream or a drink and hang outwith their friends,” Ruiz Jr. said.

Though the shop officiallyopened Wednesday, March 4,the doors were unlocked theday before. A number of peoplestopped by to find out whetherthe shop was open, and theywent inside to try it for the firsttime.

“Many people said theywould have come back, andthat was something nice tohear,” Ruiz Jr. said.

For now, Mr. Sebas acceptsonly cash payments, but theshop will accept credit cardssoon.

Contact Catherine Sinclairat csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.

The cheerful sound of chil-dren playing games at a play-ground on Waller Street canbe heard through the blocksof the surrounding neighbor-hood. Some children chal-lenge others to a contest onthe swings, seeing who cango the highest. Some enjoythe thrill of doing flips on theequipment, showing off theiracrobatic skills to their friends.

It must be Free Friday at theBoys and Girls Club of PlantCity, a carefree time for thekids to just be kids.

“I could not ask for a bet-ter group of kids and a bettergroup of staff workers,” MaryPearson, the club’s programdirector, said.

Pearson has worked as theclub’s program director forabout a year and one half. Shealways reminds the studentsof an important mantra: Theyare one big family.

Though Pearson planslearning opportunities, fieldtrips and events for the clubyear-round, there is one par-ticular week of the year whenher creative planning skills ful-ly shine: Boys and Girls ClubWeek.

Each year, the club des-ignates Boys and Girls ClubWeek as a time for specialevents and activities for thestudents. This year, Boys andGirls Club Week will be Mon-day, March 30, through Thurs-day, April 2.

Monday’s theme is “Aroundthe World.” Students will re-ceive passports and collectstamps as they complete ac-tivities in which they will learnabout China, Italy, Mexico andother countries. They will alsohave the opportunity to trytraditional foods from thesenations.

Tuesday is Board MemberAppreciation Day, and for a

fun twist, there will be boardgames for the children to playwith the board members.Cookies and punch will beprovided.

Students will enjoy dress-ing up in crazy accessories onWednesday, which is WackyTacky Sock Day. There will alsobe a SWAT demonstration bydeputies from the Hillsbor-ough County Sheriff’s Office.

The week will conclude witha bash Thursday. There will bea contest in which studentswill work with employees todecorate the doors throughoutthe club’s building. For a sweettreat, students will make theirown strawberry shortcake.

There will be no program-ming Friday, April 3, becauseof Good Friday and Easterweekend.

LIFE AT THE CLUBThe club currently has

about 94 members — twiceas many as last year. Thoughstudents between the ages of 5and 18 are allowed to join, 93of the Plant City club’s currentmembers are in elementaryschool.

“Mainly, it’s parents tellingother parents how much funtheir child is enjoying here,”Pearson said.

Attendance also increasedthrough Pearson spreadingthe word herself.

Throughout the week, stu-dents participate in a varietyof programs at the club. Topicsrange from health and fitness,to computers, to drug aware-ness, and beyond. On Fridays,they are free to play with doll-houses, video games, craftsand more, or expend their ex-tra energy on the playground.

Because of the recent spikein membership, the club nowhas more children of migrantfamilies than it ever had be-

fore. The staff does its best toserve these families despitethe frequent language barrier.

“For the most part, the kidswill translate if the parentsdon’t know what I’m saying,”Pearson said.

She also takes care to walkthrough the application pro-cess step-by-step with Span-ish-speaking countries, andhighlight the most importantparts. Recently, the club hiredtwo employees who speak flu-ent Spanish, which will con-tinue to make things easierfor migrant families and theirchildren.

Pearson said one of her big-gest desires right now is formore of Plant City’s residentsto become familiar with howthe club serves the commu-nity.

“I would love for people justto stop by and see where weare, who we are, and get a realfeel for how we run our pro-grams on a day-to-day basis,”she said. “The kids love visi-tors.”

Students may join the clubat any time. They must go tothe club at least three timesper week to retain their mem-bership.

Contact Catherine Sinclairat csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.

Plant City club celebratesBoys & Girls Club Week

BOYS & GIRLS CLUBOF TAMPA BAY,PLANT CITY CENTERAddress: 901 Waller St.Phone: (813) 707-8490Website: bgctampa.orgSchool Year Hours: 2 to6 p.m.Summer Hours: 7:30a.m. to 6 p.m.Membership cost persemester: $25

Catherine Sinclair

The staff at the clubare teachers, friendsand mentors to thestudents.

ONEBIGFAMILY by Catherine Sinclair |StaffWriter

MR. SEBAS ICECREAM & MOREAddress: 104 E. ReynoldsStreetPhone: (813) 756-3463Hours: Closed Monday; 11a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdaythrough Saturday; 1 to 6p.m. Sunday.

PhotoArchives to holdphotojournalismcontestFor the first time, the Plant City Photo Archives and HistoryCenter’s annual photojournalism contest will be open to adults.

New ice cream shop opensin downtown Plant City

competition by Justin Kline |StaffWriter

sweet treats by Catherine Sinclair |StaffWriter

Catherine Sinclair

Mr. Sebas offersice cream made in-house, in a numberof classic and cre-ative flavors.

General Manager/Executive Editor / Michael Eng, meng@PlantCityObserver.comGeneral Manager/Advertising / Stacey Hudson, shudson@tampabay.comManaging Editor / Amber Jurgensen, ajurgensen@PlantCityObserver.comAssistant Managing Editor / Jess Eng, jeng@PlantCityObserver.comStaff Writers / Justin Kline, jkline@PlantCityObserver.com; Catherine Sinclair,csinclair@PlantCityObserver.comAdvertising Executive / Veronica Prostko, vprostko@PlantCityObserver.com;Circulation/Office Manager / Linda Lancaster, llancaster@PlantCityObserver.com

110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100-APlant City, FL 33563(813) 704-6850www.PlantCityObserver.com

Plant CityTimes & ObserverLocally Owned by Ed Verner,Nate Kilton and Felix HaynesThe Plant City Times & Observer is published byPlant City Media LLC, a joint-venture of the TampaBay Times and Plant City Observer LLC.

Plant City Times&

ObserverTO ADVERTISECall Veronica Prostko,(813) 716-0007, orJoanna Verga, (813) 451-6489.

SEND USYOUR NEWSWe want to hear from you. Letus know about your events,celebrations and achievements.

To contact us, send your information via:Email: Amber Jurgensen, ajurgensen@PlantCityObserver.com.

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

CONTACT USThe Plant City Times &Observer is publishedonce weekly, on Fridays.

It provides free home delivery toseveral neighborhoods in Plant City.The Plant City Times & Observer alsocan be found in many commerciallocations throughout Plant City and atour office, 110 E. Reynolds St., Suite100-A.

If you wish to discontinue homedelivery or if you wish to suspendhome delivery temporarily, call LindaLancaster at 704-6850.

“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

Friends of the Bruton Me-morial Library hosted a fun-draiser book sale Saturday,March 14, at the library. Thou-sands of fiction and non-fiction selections were avail-able for browsing, each for $1or less. After 2 p.m., visitorscould take home an entire bagof books for just $1. Libraryvolunteer Gene Brummitt or-ganized the sale, as she hasdone annually for almost 20years.

How did your businessfirst get its start?

I was always a bartenderand I wanted to own onemyself.

What kind of services canyour business offer the com-munity?

Fun — beverages, pooltables, darts, karaoke, livebands, big screen TVs.

How does your businesscontribute to the commu-nity?

I have raised money forthe Plant City Food Bank,Unity in the Community,Cookson Hills Toy Run,breast cancer. Helped adeaf and blind child get into a school for the deaf andblind in St. Augustine. Andnumerous others.

Why is your businesslocated at its site?

It has been there since1914.

Can you describe yourcustomers?

My customers are mainlyPlant City natives. They areall wonderful people.

What is your back-ground? Professional?Education?

Bartending for 37 years.

Where do you see yourbusiness in the next fiveyears?

Hopefully booming.

THE SILVERDOLLAR SALOONQ&A WITH ANNA GENCO, OWNER

Did you know that every $100 spent at a local, independently-owned store generates$45 of secondary local spending, compared to $14 for a big-box chain? This was firsttested in 2003 by the Institute for Local Self Reliance and is nearly identical to later resultsacross multiple Civic Economic studies.

The Plant City Times & Observer agrees with buying local. With the Greater Plant CityChamber of Commerce, we’ve launched the Buy Local campaign, encouraging residentsto shop local. This week’s Buy Local spotlight is Silver Dollar Saloon. We caught up withowner Anna Genco to get all the info on this successful business.

BOOKWORMSby Catherine Sinclair |StaffWriter

Many readers couldn’t help but collect a whole stack of books to take home.

Hitting the Books

Left: Gene Brummit has beenorganizing the sale for years.

Right: Avid readers foundgreat deals at the sale.

REAL ESTATE | PLANT CITY LIFE | OBITUARIES | GAMES | FAITH | SPORTS

NeighborhoodPLANTCITYOBSERVER.COM FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2015

WINNERS

BUDQUEEN: Ava BikowskiFIRST MAID: SophiaKormondy

TINYQUEEN: AstinHallmanFIRST MAID: SuttonDuncan

LITTLEQUEEN: BellaBikowskiFirst Maid: BaileyKeys

JUNIORQUEEN: KarenJohnsonFIRST MAID: EmersonGivens

PRETEENQUEEN: Gracie GainerFIRST MAID: ToriWegner

TEENQUEEN: Kayla MosleyFIRST MAID: KayleeStallard

MISSQUEEN: Chloe TewFIRST MAID: EllieShouse

BLUE BELLESThe third annual Blueberry Queen Pageant

was held Saturday, March 21, at Keel andCurley Winery in Plant City. Girls competed inseven age groups for the titles of queen, firstmaid and the “fan favorite.”

The 2015 Miss Blueberry Queen is Chloe Tew,15. One of Tew’s hobbies is showing cattle. Shedescribes herself as honest, fun and a spitfire.Some of the reasons she competed in the Blue-berry Queen Pageant were to gain sisters andgive back to the community.

Though everyone who participated in the pageant earned a crown, seven girls earned sashes and bigger crowns as queens, and seven girls were named first maids.

Chloe Tew was crowned Miss Blueberry Queen.PAGEANT by Catherine Sinclair |StaffWriterEllie Shouse was named first maid inthe teen division.

Riley Butterworth in the pre-teen division gave a wave tothe judges.

Kristin Sullivan competed in the pre-teen division.

Right: Jessica Tillis in the teen divi-sion showed off with a spin.

Left: Kayla Mosley was crowned queenin the teen division.

U-PICK … I-PICK … WE-ALL-PICKPlant City residents craving

fresh fruit couldn’t have askedfor a better day Saturday,March 21, when Fancy Farmsopened up the grounds for aU-pick.

The County Line Road Farmwas packed with guests be-fore its official 8:30 a.m. starttime. The proceeds from theU-pick will benefit 4-H pro-grams around HillsboroughCounty.

Right: Ashley Parrish andMelody Hoffmann

Left: Plenty of clamshells werefilled Saturday.

Fancy Farms president Carl Grooms and Hillsborough 4-H presi-dent Betty Jo Tompkins

end of the season by Justin Kline |StaffWriter

For World Down SyndromeAwareness Day, a group ofPlant City residents wantedto throw a party. They named

it “Night of Rockstars,” andthrew the shindig Saturday,March 21. Party-goers enjoyeddancing, raffles and fun at a

barn on DeShong Drive. Thefree event was hosted by theNo Limits group. John Finleywas a guest speaker.

CELEBRATION by Justin Kline |StaffWriter

Everyone was happy to be able to relax and cut a rug Saturday evening.

Night of Rockstars

Sasha McCullers and NevaehGallegos

Left: Troy Kirby Sr. andBrooklyn RollinsCameron Weaver and Easton

Chandler

THISWEEK’S CROSSWORDANSWERS

THISWEEK’S CRYPTOQUIZ ANSWERS1) Juilliard 2) Omnivorous 3) Appalachian Journey 4) SilkRoad 5) Soundtracks. Yo-Yo Ma

Christopher M. BowmerChristopher M. Bowmer,

23, of Lakeland, died Sun-day, March 15, 2015, from atragic motorcycle accident.

He graduated from PlantCity High School in 2010,and he was a lifelong fanof the Florida State Semi-noles. He loved riding mo-torcycles, sitting on his bestfriends’ front porches justto watch the cars drive byand spending time with hiswife and son at the park.

Mr. Bowmer is survivedby his wife, Courtney, 20,and their son, Aiden, 15months; parents, John Bow-mer and Christine McNut-ly; paternal grandparents,Jerry and Maribel Bowmer;maternal grandparents,Brenda Burney and War-ren Officer; four sisters andthree brothers; fellow “TNTRyders” family; and numer-ous aunts, uncles, cousinsand in-laws. Mr. Bowmer,a.k.a. “Boner,” will surely bemissed, since he was alwaysthe life of the party and hissmile made any gloomyday brighter. Online con-dolences may be made atHopewellFuneral.com.

Wanda Jean Rouse BuhlWanda Jean Rouse Buhl,

83, of Plant City, and for-merly of Knoxville, Tennes-see, died March 20, 2015.

She was preceded indeath by her husband, EarlRay Buhl; parents, Edgarand Georgia Rouse; and sib-lings, Arliss Rouse, WilliamRouse and Dorothy Rouse.She is survived by her chil-dren, Ronald Buhl (Robin),Sharon Davis (Larry Sr.),Ricky Buhl, Donald Buhl(fiancee, Sonia) and San-dra Wenglewski (John); sib-lings, Lois Stallings and R.E.Rouse; six grandchildren;nine great-grandchildren;and a great-great-grandson.

A graveside celebrationof life will be held at 11a.m. Friday, March 27, atHopewell Memorial Gar-dens. Online condolencesmay be made at Hopewell-Funeral.com.

Linda BynumLinda Bynum, 62, of Plant

City, died March 16, 2015.A native of Plant City, she

was the daughter of the lateBurlington and Edith Car-roll Simonds. Mrs. Bynumhad worked in sales withFranklin Carpets. She wasan avid NASCAR fan andloved to fish.

Survivors include her be-loved husband, Daniel By-num; daughters, Michelleand Danielle Bynum; sib-lings, Annette Franklin,Billy, Renny and LeRoy Si-monds and Jack Killian; andseven grandchildren andone great-grandchild.

Funeral services wereheld March 20, at HaughtFuneral Home Chapel. On-line condolences may bemade at haughtfuneral-home.com.

Charles “Charlie” FloydCharles “Charlie” Floyd,

71, of Plant City, died March20, 2015, in Wesley Chapel.

A native of Knights Sta-tion, he was the son of Er-nest Floyd and Sarah An-derson Floyd. Mr. Floydretired as a project engineerwith FDOT after 43 yearsof service. He was a char-ter member of the CorkKnights Volunteer Fire De-partment, and a member ofthe Springhead VolunteerFire Department. Mr. Floydand his wife, Cynthia, weremarried March 28, 1969,and the family is observingtheir wedding anniversarywith the date of Charlie’s fu-neral.

Survivors include hischildren, Chuck, Ernie andAndrew Floyd and DawnWalker; and grandchildren,Nicole Walker, Natalee Gil-lespie, Zachary Floyd andSophia “Fig” Floyd. Mr.Floyd was preceded in

death by his beloved wife,Cynthia Floyd; and his old-est grandson, Johnathan(Johny) Walker. The fam-ily will receive friends from10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday,March 28, at Church On TheRock, with funeral servicesto follow. Donations can bemade to the Muscular Dys-trophy Association. Onlinecondolences may be madeat HaughtFuneralHome.com.

Cynthia HelmsCynthia Helms, 57, of

Plant City, died March 18,2015, at Bartow Center.

A native of Plant City, shewas the daughter of the lateFred Hallford and MaryStreetman; she survives.Other survivors includedaughters, Julie Ann (Mi-chael) Daniels and StaceyOliver; siblings, Penny Bry-ant, Brenda Grant, WandaHughes and Randy Hall-ford; grandchildren, Ra-ven Daniels and KatherineWhyte; and she was wait-ing on the birth of her twingranddaughters.

Funeral services wereheld March 23, at HaughtFuneral Home Chapel. On-line condolences may bemade at HaughtFuneral-Home.com.

Duane HenleyDuane Henley, 49, of

Plant City, died March 16,2015.

He was of the Baptistfaith. He is survived byhis sons, Kevin Faulknerand Christopher Faulkner;mother, Patricia Ann Hicks;siblings, Michelle Meek andBrian Henley; and step-sib-lings, J.L. Hicks Jr. and RitaWilkerson.

A celebration of life washeld March 21, at HopewellFuneral Home. Intermentat Cedar Grove Cemetery.Online condolences may bemade at HopewellFuneral.com.

Adrianna Iglesias“Audrey” Miles

Adrianna Iglesias “Au-drey” Miles, 57, of PlantCity, and formerly Glendale,California, died March 20,2015.

She is survived by herhusband, Dr. John RobertMiles; children, Melissa Ru-bio, Autumn Starr Raveiraand John Robert Miles Jr.;stepchildren, Sheila MilesDial and David JacksonMiles; grandson, Julian Al-exander Rubio; mother,Helena Ramirez Iglesias;and siblings, Robert VinicioColas and Roxana HelenaIglesias Lugo. She was pre-ceded in death by her fa-ther, Robert Iglesias Colas;and brother, Henry Iglesias.The family received friendsMarch 24, at Hopewell Fu-neral Home. In lieu of flow-ers, memorial contribu-tions may be made to theAmerican Cancer Society atcancer.org. Online condo-lences at HopewellFuneral.com.

Langford E. MooreLangford E. Moore, 84, of

Plant City, diedMarch 18, 2015.

He was a1948 graduateof Plant City High School.He was a retired MasterSergeant with the U.S. AirForce, having served inVietnam, and he retiredfrom the U.S. Postal Service.

He is survived by his chil-dren, Keith Moore, R. Mi-chael Moore and Ellen Sell-ers (Kevin); siblings, NettieJean Sloan (Earl) and AutryMoore (Collette); grandchil-dren, Michael Moore, ZachSellers, Hannah Moore andKendale Sellers; and great-granddaughter, SavannahBattson. He was precededin death by his wife, WinnieMoore. Online condolencesmay be made at Hopewell-Funeral.com.

Charles “Dave”Smith Sr.

Charles “Dave” Smith Sr.,85, of Plant City, died March16, 2015.

He was a member of FirstPresbyterian Church ofPlant City. He is survivedby his sons, Stan Smith(Cheryl) and Michael Smith(Rowena); grandchildren,Staci Moyer (Matt), LindsaySmith, Haylee Smith andSteffani Smith; and great-grandchildren, Piper Moyerand Tatum Moyer. He waspreceded in death by hiswife, Betty Jo Stanley Smith;and son, Charles D. “David”Smith Jr. Private intermentin Fayetteville, North Caro-lina. Online condolencesmay be made at Hopewell-Funeral.com.

JoAnn R. “Bug” StantonJoAnn R. “Bug” Stanton,

75, of Plant City, died March23, 2015.

She was a memberof Lebanon Baptist Church.She loved her family andenjoyed cooking for hergrandchildren.

She is survived by herchildren, Charlotte Burns(Jimmy), Charles R. “Bob-by” Stanton Jr. and RhondaDykes (Tracy); grandchil-dren, Kevin Burns (Shan-non), Sgt. Brian BurnsUSMC (Nicole), AmandaBurns (Jennifer), “Lil Bob-by” Stanton, Jessica Stevens(Kris) and Daisy Dykes;great-granddaughters, Bel-la Ann Burns and MadisonKaye Stevens; and siblings,Evelyn Brown, J.W. Rayburn(Frances) and Ronnie Ray-burn.

A celebration of life willbe held at 11 a.m. March 28,at Hopewell Funeral Home,where the family will re-ceive friends beginning at10 a.m. Interment to followat Central Cemetery, Lithia.Online condolences may bemade at HopewellFuneral.com.

Vickie VasquezVickie Vasquez, 46, of

Plant City, died March 20,2015, at Community CareCenter.

A native of Avon Park,she was the daughter ofWilbur Johnson and Ger-aldine Cheshire. Survivorsinclude daughters, Joannaand Heather Vasquez; sib-lings, Della Tomb, GwendaBarton, Suzanne Gray andBenton Lee Byers Jr.; com-panion, Stanley Oliver; andfour grandchildren. Ser-vices will be held at a laterdate. Online condolencesmay be made at HaughtFu-neralHome.com.

Edwina WrightEdwina Wright, 66, of

Plant City, died March 17,2015, at Lakeland RegionalMedical Center.

She was born Aug. 11,1948, in Milledgeville,Georgia. Mrs. Wright wasa champion for and lovedall animals, especially cats.She was a faithful friend tomany and was loved by ev-eryone that had the privi-lege to meet her. She lovedgardening, reading and artsand crafts. She retired fromSunshine State Federal Sav-ings and Loan Associationwith more than 25 years ofservice.

She is survived by her lov-ing and devoted husbandof 45 years, Matt; and hercat, Rosie. A celebration oflife was held March 20, atWells Memorial. In lieu offlowers, please make dona-tions to the SPCA, Mealson Wheels or the charity ofyour choice. Online con-dolences may be made atWellsMemorial.com.

OBITUARIESOBSERVER

I’ve been pretty lucky overthe last month and a half, atleast in the Athlete of the Weekdepartment: Some of my topfive or so favorite A.O.T.W.interviews happened in thattimeframe. Assomeone whoknows how ac-curate the Key& Peele comedysketch with thefootball player’spost-game in-terview can be,it’s refreshing tosee young ath-letes with openminds and dynamic answers.

Until last month, I’ve neverhad an interview subject flipthe script and take me outof the driver’s seat. Durantlacrosse player Baylee Cau-wels stopped by the Plant CityTimes & Observer office for aninterview. Once I was donewith my questions, she had afew of her own for me.

I’ll admit it: She stumpedme with one of them. I didn’thave an immediate answer fora question about the “coolestperson” I’ve ever interviewed,so I told her I’d have to getback to her on that one.

Well, now that the FloridaStrawberry Festival is over, Iwas able to think about it. Ican’t say I have one definiteanswer, though, because I’vemet a lot of people who Ithought were really cool in dif-ferent ways.

I’m sure most kids I inter-

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

SportsDo you have a good sports

scoop for us? Email JustinKline at jkline@plantcityob-server.com, or Tweet us at@PCTOSports.

BASEBALL

+ Rowland pitchesperfect gameThrowing a perfect game

is every pitcher’s dream,and a Plant City youth cannow say that he’s done it.Blaine Rowland, of theBrewington’s Towing Juniorsteam, threw a perfect gameMonday night in a 10-0 winover the Lott Farms teamon Field 2 at Mike SansonePark.

SOFTBALL

+ PCHS takesdistrict leadLast week, the Plant City

and East Bay softball teamswere tied for the districtlead. At home Thursday,March 19, the Lady Raidersfound themselves facinga 9-2 deficit in the sixthinning against East Bay.But the Lady Raiders,

powered its way back intothe game, taking hold of thedistrict with a 10-9 win.In the sixth inning, the

Lady Raiders’ hung fourruns on the Lady Indians tomake it a 9-6 game.In the bottom seventh,

sophomore standout EdmillyMolina came up clutch byhitting a walk-off grandslam over the fence in rightcenter, capping off a nightin which she went 2-for-3with five RBI, two walks,two runs and a home run.

TRACK & FIELD

+ PCHS, DHScompete in meetPlant City High School

hosted a home meetThursday, March 19.The Plant City boys won

first place.

FIRST-PLACE WINNERS:Plant City: Girls 4x800

meter relay (KeanuaGuevara, Cassie Highsmith,Hannah Stowe, NancyZenteno, 11:00.20); Boys4x800 meter relay (JorgeCardona, Cody Facer,Andrew Sotello, LukeWhitmore, 8:56.57); Boys1,600 meter run (LukeWhitmore, 4:42.73); Boys3,200 meter run (LukeWhitmore, 11:06.45);Boys triple jump (WesleyWeaver, 36-04.00); Boysdiscus (Evan Crowell, 122-08); Boys shot put (EvanCrowell, 42-09.00); Boyspole vault (Jackson Hardee,13-00.00); Girls shot put(Ty’china Bush, 38-06.50).

Durant: Girls 100meter hurdles (OliviaGraham, 17.89); Boys 300meter hurdles (BrandonLoudermilk, 46.55); Girlslong jump (Baylee Cauwels,15-01.00).

TEAM SCORES:Girls: East Bay (117);

Bloomingdale (47); PlantCity (41); Durant (36)

Boys: Plant City(104); East Bay (77);Bloomingdale (50); Durant(11)

SIDELINES

ATHLETEOFTHEWEEK

PlantCityHigh’sAveryBrown isona tear. 14

SPONSORED BY COURTNEY PAAT | STATE FARM

WHAT’S ONKLINE’S MIND?

JUSTINKLINE

Lookingback onthe ‘cool’people

hen most young athletesfirst set foot on a highschool campus, winning astate title is probably in theback of their minds. Maybe

it’s something to really thinkabout later, as a junior or se-nior with developed skills.

Cullen Telfer, on the otherhand, just wrestled his wayto a state championship as afreshman.

In his first year as a Straw-berry Crest Charger, Telfer — awrestler for over half of his life— brought his school its sec-ond state championship ever.And he’s the first to do it in apredominately male sport.

“It went well,” Telfer says.“I felt good, and confident,through the whole tourna-ment.”

LIFE’S WORKTelfer, now 15, began wres-

tling around age 7 with en-couragement from his father,John, who had wrestled inhigh school. The Plant City

native quickly took to thesport and hasn’t looked backsince then.

Before Strawberry Crest,Telfer wrestled for a club teamthrough the sixth grade. He at-tended private school at Tam-pa Bay Christian in seventhgrade, which allowed himto compete in high schoolsports. There, he made it tothe state tournament.

Last year, while home-schooled, he made it all theway to the state semifinalsand finished third in hisweight class.

C.J. Gittens, StrawberryCrest’s head coach for the lasttwo seasons, first encoun-tered Telfer in the 2014 tour-nament.

“I remember watching himat state, and I was like, ‘For aneighth-grader to make it to thesemis and place third, that’spretty good,’” Gittens says.

By then, it was essentially agiven that Telfer would be at-tending Strawberry Crest for

ninth grade: His mother, Nat-alie, is a teacher at the school.And Gittens knew he wantedto work with Telfer from thisseason onward.

“I said to his mom, ‘I wantyour kid,’” Gittens says. “‘I canhelp him with whatever heneeds.’”

On the first day of practice,Gittens noticed the potentialto mold a winner in Telfer.Although the boy was prob-ably the slowest runner on theteam, he made up for his lackof speed with a mat psychol-ogy beyond his age.

“When we started practic-ing, he was hitting movesthat most freshmen, even ifthey wrestled in eighth grade,weren’t hitting,” Gittens says.“The only things he neededwere a little bit of intensity,and a little bit of cleaning up.”

Gittens, a former NCAADivision 1 wrestler at Camp-bell University, immediately

CULLENTHECHAMP

As one of the best 113-pound wrestlers in Florida, CullenTelfer, is already making a name for himself at StrawberryCrest High. And, as a freshman, he’s just getting started.

Courtesy photo

TEAMTRENTON by Justin Kline |StaffWriter

Lacrosse may never be aspopular in the southern UnitedStates as it is in the Northeast,but it’s certainly on the come-up in Florida.

Need proof? Just go to DurantHigh School and ask around.

The school’s boys lacrosseprogram is barely four yearsold this year and already en-tering its second season as anofficially-sanctioned HALAX(Hillsborough County LacrosseAlliance) team. The girls teamhas spent its only two seasonsin existence as a HALAX teamand even made the playoffs inits first season. Thanks to talk-ing points like this, those in-volved with the Cougars canhonestly say that the sport’sfuture is looking far brighteraround these parts than everbefore.

“We had 39 guys come to try

laxby Justin Kline |StaffWriter

Durantlacrosseprogramgrowsinterest

COWBOY UPCullen Telfer is

best known for hiswrestling prowess.But the StrawberryCrest freshmanhas also beenknown to take partin the rodeo.The Telfer fam-

ily is passionateabout bull rid-ing, and muchof Cullen’s freetime away fromwrestling is spenton the back of alarge, angry ani-mal. Being able tosuccessfully ridea bucking bull for8 seconds andlive to tell about itmust be a confi-dence-booster forsomeone who alsohas to wrangleanother human ona mat for severalminutes.

Lacrosse in the PlantCity area has becomemuch more popularthan it was two yearsago, thanks to theDurant High lacrosseprogram.

SEE LACROSSE / PAGE 13

Justin Kline

Cullen Telfer worked through the FHSAA state tournament to become the Plant City area’s only champion.

SEE KLINE / PAGE 14SEE CULLEN / PAGE 13

W

PLANTCITYOBSERVER.COM FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2015

took Telfer under his wing.The coach opted to workone-on-one with Telfer forthe entire season and madean early promise that almostany coach would be nervousabout trying to fulfill.

“Because we’re the samesize, I made a promise,” Git-tens says. “I was like, ‘Youwill be my wrestling partnerall year. As long as you’re mypartner, you will become astate champ.’”

FIGHT NIGHTSWeighing in at 113 pounds,

Telfer finished the regular sea-son with a 34-1 record, losingonly to a senior from LakeGibson High School. His goalwas to make a deep run in theFHSAA State ChampionshipTournament, as he was com-ing off of that third-place fin-ish in 2014.

“I just remembered what itwas like to lose in the semi-finals last year, and it helpedme motivate myself to getthrough this,” he says.

Telfer got his chance tomake a run through the 3A

bracket and made the mostof it.

Going up against oldergrapplers, Telfer had to be justas prepared mentally as hewas physically. The mat toolswere already there, as coachC.J. Gittens will attest. It wasjust a matter of Telfer keepinghis head in the game and notgetting caught up in the mo-ment.

“I just reminded myself howhard I’d worked all year, andthat if I’d worked that hardall year, I might as well win,”Telfer says. “It wouldn’t be funto work that hard all year, andthen lose.”

In the semifinal match,Telfer got on the board with aquick takedown and contin-ued to be aggressive through-out. After the win, he knew hewas up for a tougher challengein North Port senior AnthonyTripke.

Tripke, who finished the2014-15 season with a 45-6 re-cord, gave Telfer quite a fightin the championship match.But, to his advantage, Telferhad already done plenty ofscouting on Tripke before thebout.

“The weekend before(states), I beat him at region-als,” Telfer says. “I knew hewas a tough kid, but I knewthat my conditioning was bet-ter than his and, eventually, if Ijust kept sticking to my game-plan, I’d eventually come upwith a win.”

Telfer’s aggression paid offin the end, as the freshmanwas able to secure a 3-2 deci-sion over Tripke for the statechampionship. He was thengiven a nice-looking medalthat, as a wrestler, went wellwith the busted-up nose healso had to deal with.

To celebrate, Telfer and theChargers took a Monday off.Since then, they’ve been backon the mats again — Gittenslikes to say that championsdon’t have offseasons — andpracticing for any upcomingtournaments they can. And,no matter what’s in store inthe near future, Telfer’s readyto face the challenge.

“This is a great school, andI feel good that I’m able torepresent it,” he says. “Hope-fully, I’ll be able to help bringsome attention to StrawberryCrest.”

out this year,” boys head coachAndrew Madden says. “We hadto cut 11 guys to get down to 28,to match the girls, which wasamazing.”

For perspective, the Cougarshad just enough kids try outin 2014 to meet the minimumroster requirements: 23 boysand girls.

Durant was a part of HALAX’s2014 inception, which broughtthe Cougars’ program togetherwith Alonso, Freedom, Jeffer-son, Newsome, Plant, Robin-son, Steinbrenner, Tampa BayTech andWharton high schoolsto create two districts: 15 and16. This season, HALAX wasable to add teams at Blooming-dale and Sickles high schools.

Durant’s program can beseen as a microcosm of what’sadvancing in both Hillsbor-ough County and at the schoolitself, with both of its teams of-fering different perspectives.

THE BOYSThe Durant boys team is

set up to do well in the future,thanks to the word getting outabout its program. Accord-ing to Madden, the incom-ing freshman class has muchmore experience with the sportthan the last one, and this classshould yield some good talent.

The team also has a pair ofsought-after seniors in RobertSeguin, who has committed toHendrix College, in Arkansas,and Jordan Jolly, at whom Mad-den says is getting looked atby several schools. It’s playerslike these two who are creatingthe blueprint for the future, asfar as recruiting and collegiateprospects are concerned.

Much like in football, a Flor-ida lacrosse prospect’s bestchance to be evaluated and

recruited will come at a skillscamp or showcase. Collegesaren’t clamoring to send scoutsto any of the high schools justyet but, if everything goes ac-cording to plan, it’ll only bea matter of time before theystart showing up at the HALAXschools, some of which havealready gotten on collegiate ra-dars.

“I’ve got to do a good job ofsetting the schedule up, beforethe season ends, getting us intogames against teams that willbe looked at,” Madden says.“This year, we’ve got Newsomeon our schedule, and I thinkthat was a big game that may-be, in the future, we’ll start get-ting some looks from.”

THE GIRLSThe girls really know what it’s

like to start from nothing andfight for support.

Last year, first-time headcoach Kiara Klingler took ateam that featured only threegirls with previous playing ex-perience to the playoffs. Thisyear, she’s once again workingwith a large number of girls thatare new to the sport. Thanks tothat playoff appearance, thingsare different.

“A lot of people know aboutit now,” Klingler says. “When Iused to go to Durant — I grad-uated in 2011 — I played forNewsome. And, nobody knewanything about (lacrosse). Theywere like, ‘What is la-crotch?’I would explain it, but no-body had any idea. Some boysplayed, but I was the only girlwho played it.

“But, now, we have people

showing up to the games, orcoming out to practice to watchus, to see what’s going on. I’vehad a couple of girls say thatthey want to try out next year.”

Despite losing many playersto graduation, jobs or what-ever turns their lives took, theteam is visibly growing. Thisyear, Klingler has 30 girls on thesquad.

And, around Durant, lacrossespirit is at an all-time high, evenif most are still learning aboutlacrosse itself.

“The school is very support-ive,” Klingler says. “Anything weneed, they’re more than happyto give us. It’s hard because theydon’t really know all the rules,what’s required for games andall that stuff, so it’s kind of up tome and my coaching staff, andextra parents who just kind ofhelp out. But, if we need any-thing, (Durant is) on it rightaway to get it done, and thatmeans a lot.”

No one has seen the impactthat the sport has made withinthe school like the coach has,and she couldn’t be happierthat the people at her almamater finally all know what la-crosse is.

“It went from nothing, towe’ve got a little something go-ing on,” Klingler says.

Contact Justin Kline atjkline@plantcityobserver.com.

CHECK IT OUTWant to catch lacrosse

fever for yourself? If so, youhave one more chance tocatch a Durant home gamebefore the end of the regu-lar season.Durant will host Robinson

High School Monday, March30, with the girls set for a 5p.m. start and the boys setfor a 7 p.m. start.

LACROSSE / PAGE 12

WINNERSFirst Bass: Tyler DavenportFirst Catfish: Bryson HamiltonFirst Perch: Brayden KeysFirst Brim: LilyAnn VelazMost Fish Caught (age 5-10):Aryona BrownMost Fish (age 11-15): TylerDavenportBiggest Fish (age 5-10):Emily Johnson (mudfish, 5.2lbs.)Biggest Fish (age 11-15):Austin New (bass, 4 lbs.)

SCALINGUP by Justin Kline |StaffWriter

BAITEDThe Plant City Recreation &

Parks Department wanted tohonor fishing enthusiast T.J.Vail’s memory with its mostrecent Youth Fishing Derby,and it couldn’t have picked abetter day.

Fishing conditions wereperfect the morning of Satur-day, March 21, and 67 younganglers were rewarded withbiting bass, catfish, perch andmore. After the event wrappedup, program manager Debo-rah Haldane announced thatthe next derby is already setfor Saturday, Sept. 26.

Top:Front row:AryonaBrown,BrysonHamiltonand BraydenKeys. Backrow: EmilyJohnson,LilyAnn Velaz,Austin Newand TylerDavenport.

Left: JoshuaSanchez

CULLEN / PAGE 12

PCHS, SCHS duke it outThe Plant City High

School flag football team ison a roll, and it kept its win-ning streak alive over Straw-berry Crest Monday night.

The Lady Chargers putup a fight early on but, oncethe Lady Raiders got into arhythm, they were able toleave Dover with a 19-0 win.

The Lady Raiders’ aerial attack proved to be tough for Crest tocontain.

The Lady Chargers foughthard all night.

flag football by Justin Kline |StaffWriter

Justin Kline

The Durant Lady Cougars squared off against Wharton High School.

view would want to knowwhich famous athlete I en-joyed talking to the most, andthat would be former TampaBay Ray Matt Joyce. I met Joycewhen I was working on a storyabout a new Florida SouthernCollege baseball facility whileinterning at the Ledger.

Joyce couldn’t have been anicer guy. He showed up lateto the facility’s opening cer-emony (can’t remember why),but made up for it by stickingaround to chat with whoeverwanted to meet him. My St.Pete friends have better, fun-nier stories about encounter-ing David Price, Evan Longoriaand B.J. Upton at bars, but it’snice to know that a famousathlete can be down-to-earthwhen visiting the town he’soften celebrated in.

But, as far as people whose

interviews have stuck with methe most, that’s a tough call. Ican tell you from experiencethat Kellie Pickler is a totalsweetheart and, even thoughI’m not a fan of anything butoutlaw country, I’d love to talkwith her again. As a classicrock junkie, I had a lot of funtalking to Lawrence Gowan,from Styx. Especially when Ilearned that we have the sametaste in KISS’s music. And I’vemet a lot of people aroundthese parts who have had fan-tastic stories to tell, such as B.J.Roetzheim, Buddy Mines andmany more that I wish I hadroom to fit.

But, I suppose I have to picksomebody. So, aligning withmy own personal interests,I’m going with former wrestlerTom Anderson. Anderson,whose story I wrote in Au-gust 2014, spent 15 years inthe wrestling business as a

manager and a competitor.I returned home from thatinterview with over an hour’sworth of notes to transcribefrom my phone.

Longtime readers of thiscolumn know how muchI enjoy professional wres-tling, even if I’m not activelywatching WWE every week. Ihonestly believe that there areno interview subjects in all ofsports (or, maybe even any-thing) more interesting thanwrestlers: These guys regularlyput their bodies on the line inmore ways than most peoplerealize and come away fromit all with fascinating stories.I’ve read enough wrestlerprofiles to fill a bookshelf, butspeaking with Anderson stillchanged the way I watch andread about wrestling.

Baylee: I may have rambleda little bit, but I hope this an-swered your question.

AVERY BROWNATHLETE OF THE WEEK SPONSORED BY COURTNEY PAAT | STATE FARM

Since rejoining Plant City High School’s flag football team, senior quarterback AveryBrown has been on a tear. In leading the team to back-to-back mercy rule shutouts ofDurant and Chamberlain, followed by Monday’s 19-0 win at Strawberry Crest, Brown hastotaled eight touchdowns (versus four picks) and 770 passing yards.

You took a little break from flag footballlast year.What made you want to get backon the turf this year?

I just missed my girls. When I last played,we had an undefeated season. Last year,they didn’t look so hot — like, .500. I don’tknow. Senior year, might as well do it.

Are you playing any other sports rightnow, or just flag football?

Nope, this is it. When this is over, Iget out of school and go from there.

Coach (Greg) Meyer says you’vebeen tearing it up lately.Was ittough for you to come back aftertaking a year off, or no sweat?

I mean, I had to work on things.My throws, I had to getback on point. I workedon my long ball a lot inthe offseason. I candefinitely tell the dif-ference.

You guys havegotten off to agreat start, so far.What are your expec-tations for this year?

State. That’s all Iwant. I want to takethem to state and goas far as we can fromthere.

Do you play anyother sports, besidesflag football andbasketball?

I’ve played softballmy whole life, grewup doing that, and thenplayed basketball a littlebit when I was 7 or 8. Iwould do the YMCA andstuff. I played middleschool, travel softball, andthat was my life. I startedbasketball in high school,and then flag, and didn’tplay softball until last year.I’d rather be out here anyday than on the softballfield.

Why give up softball?I got burned out. I

played it my entire life,year-round, maybea week off here and

there. You’d play seven or eight games aweekend, and it was exhausting. It was justtoo much.

What do you do for fun when you’re notplaying sports?

Fishing. I fish all the time. I like to beoutdoors, hang with my family, friends.Normal things.

What’s your favorite subject inschool?

It used to be math. I used to bereally good at math. Now, I guessit’s history, or something.

What’s your favorite movie of alltime?

“Love and Basketball”

What about TV?“Orange is the New

Black”

What’s your favoritesports team?

I like the Gators.

Who’s your favoriteathlete of all time?

Peyton Manning. He’sjust got a great headon his shoulders — heknows what he’s doing,and he’s great at what hedoes.

If you could meet any-one you’ve always lookedup to, who would it be?

Probably Peyton Man-ning. He’s awesome. I’d

ask him a lot of questions,and hang out.

If you could be rich orfamous, what would youpick?

Famous. Not everyone’shappy when they’re rich. I’drather people just know mefor whatever I do, not have allthe money in the world and bemiserable.

Is there any sport you’ve neverplayed before that you’ve always

wanted to try?Probably dirt bike racing. I

always thought it was cool. That orlacrosse.

KLINE / PAGE 12

SUNRISE SUNSETFriday, March 27 7:25 a.m. 7:43 p.m.Saturday, March 28 7:24 a.m. 7:44 p.m.Sunday, March 29 7:23 a.m. 7:44 p.m.Monday, March 30 7:22 a.m. 7:45 p.m.Tuesday, March 31 7:21 a.m. 7:45 p.m.Wednesday, April 1 7:20 a.m. 7:46 p.m.Thursday, April 2 7:18 a.m. 7:46 p.m.

MOONPHASES

PLANT CITYWEATHER

HIGH LOWFriday, March 27 79 56Saturday, March 28 74 49Sunday, March 29 74 50Monday, March 30 80 56Tuesday, March 31 85 60Wednesday, April 1 86 65Thursday, April 2 87 64

TEMPERATURES

RAIN

March 27

SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES

April 4

April 11

(INCHES)

April 18

Linda Hunter calls her photograph “Baby Face.” The adorable calf istaking an afternoon siesta.

The Plant City Times & Observer and Grimes Hardware have partnered to hostthe I Love Plant City Photo Contest. Winners will have their photo featuredand receive a $15 gift certificate to Grimes Hardware’s Strawberry Town Cafe!To enter, email your photo, along with a caption, to Editor Amber Jurgensen,ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com; subject line: I Love Plant City. Winners canpick up their prize at Grimes Hardware.

THURS.March 19

0.00

FRI.March 20

0.00

SAT.March 21

0.00

SUN.March 22

0.00

MON.March 23

0.60

TUES.March 24

0.00

WED.March 25

0.00

4.44(2014: 4.5)

MARCHTO DATE0.79

YEARTO DATE

(2014: 1.93)

STRAWBERRIES

$6.90-7.90Courtesy of the

United StatesDepartment of

Agriculture

SHIPPING POINT: Orlando

CROSSWORD YOUR CHOICE by Gia Kilroy

ACROSS1 Sitting Bull, e.g.6 Hospital divisions11 Boston basketballer, briefly15 Yemeni city19 “All systems go!”20 “Ciao!”21 Book after Joel22 Congress-thwarting move23 Inclines25 Chevy of yore26 Sometimes it’s safest to lovefrom here27 67.5 degrees, in terms of direc-tion28 Short on energy29 Well-read types31 Not together34 End of a film35 When leaves turn37 Present time, for many40 Cornered, in a way42 Be on the same wavelength45 Diver’s supply46 Freedom from pain or worry48 Longtime Chinese chairman49 With no moral qualities55 Driving rain, e.g.57 Poet’s dusk58 Some snack cookies59 Hawaiian gift61 ATM bill62 Word with “motion” or “smoke”65 Borgnine’s “From Here to Eter-nity” role67 Not tricked by68 Banned military tactic72 Farmer’s storage unit74 “Friends” star Matthew75 Nocturnal bug-eater79 Rogue or scoundrel81 Legendary elephant eater82 Word in two Steven Seagalmovie titles84 Seven on a sundial85 Current that goes with the wind87 Condition of having no offspring91 Provide with weapons92 Emmy-winning Ward94 Baseball’s Maglie95 We all live here96 Propaganda pamphlet98 State of unhappiness104 “God’s Little ___”105 “Billy Don’t Be ___” (1974hit song)106 “Desperate Housewives” lane110 What the Mohs scale measures112 Deep-bodied herrings114 ___ and outs115 Beaming look117 Long-ago days118 Be sold or traded121 Brown alternative122 While opener?123 Nomadic mob124 1/12 of a subscription, often125 Old wedding vow word126 Air France fleet members,once

127 Comic strip light bulbs128 A sturdy box

DOWN1 Dynamic Duo duds2 “Stormy Weather” singer Lena3 “___ Forgettin’” (Michael McDon-ald hit)4 Where a Cockney wears his ‘at5 “By the way” abbr. on a memo6 Moose relative7 Goes nuts over8 Shine’s partner9 Palindromic document10 Beginning to pend?11 Fido, for one12 Showing a lot of feeling13 Couple’s furniture?14 Romanov bigwig, once15 James Cameron epic16 Desecration17 Airport info, initially18 “___ gloom of night ...”24 Film-rating unit29 Fleur-de-___30 Epilogue32 Tablet maker33 She played Carla on “Cheers”

34 Passenger in a yellow car36 Primitive shelter38 Root vegetable39 Wire measures, for short41 Decayed, as wood42 Excelled on, as on an exam43 Indian liquid butter44 Go on the warpath, verbally47 Drunkard50 Pigeon coop51 Give a shellacking52 Twice as spooky53 Popular side dish54 ___ good example56 Continue, as a subscription60 Tel Aviv’s land63 Acclaim64 Sunday singer65 Travel by air66 Adult69 Hook’s nemesis70 Duke or bishop preceder71 God of war, in mythology72 ___ Nevada73 Hotel amenity76 Above77 “Schindler’s ___”78 Cod or bass

79 Surveyor’s map80 “___ to a Nightingale”82 Part of a blind spot?83 Hanging around86 Parker and Roosevelt88 “To know me ___ ...”89 Put in the post90 “Big ___” (comic strip)93 Massachusetts college97 Nook’s companion99 Attacks from every angle100 1040 collector101 Its capital is Kigali102 Gnatlike flies103 Actual existence107 Shampoo-bottle directive108 Pakistan’s longest river109 Cash, for one111 Rugmakers’ supplies112 Wearing footgear113 Greyhound’s quarry115 Main mail drop (Abbr.)116 Vicksburg victim118 T’ai ___119 Cup opening?120 Cigar dropping

7 6 5

3 5 8 6 2

8 3 2

3 6

1 4 6 8

3 1

9 4 2

8 3 1 5 9

7 5 3

SUDOKUSolve the puzzle by placing the numbers 1 through9 in each row, column and box.

CRYPTOQUIZEach of the following cryptograms is a clue tothe identity of an esteemed musician. Usingthe hints J=O and X=R, decipher the clues toname the musician.

1. K O T R R T W X C

2. J N B T Q J X J O A

3. W Y Y W R W G S T W B M J O X B Z F

4. A T R E X J W C

5. A J O B C I X W G E A

This musician owns several cellos butperforms most often with one nicknamedPetunia:

©2015 Universal Uclick