05.02.13 Plant City Observer

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Classifieds ........14 Crossword .........13 Obituaries ...........9 Sports ...............10Vol. 1, No. 44 | One section

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OUR TOWN

INDEX

+ Plant City’s NRGwins talent contest

Local pop singing group NRG beat out 20 acts to win the Emerging Talent Showcase April 26, at Howard W. Blake School of Performing Arts, in Tampa.

Auditions to be in the show-case were held at the begin-ning of the month and open to dancers, singers and actors over 10 years of age.

NRG auditioned against 300 acts to be in the show-case.

The teen group performs at events throughout Tampa and Plant City, including Relay for Life dinners, the Christmas parade and Lights of Love.

EXCLUSIVEDurant thespians,teachers shinein spring play. PAGE 8

ObserverWasabito sizzle at WaldenSquarePlant City’s first Japanese steakhouse will open in October,off Alexander Street.

kONNICHIWA! by Matt Mauney | Associate Editor

In a city known for country cooking and famous barbecue, Plant City soon will have a much different dining option.

Wasabi Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar will fill the space left by Woody’s BBQ in the Lake Walden Square Shopping Center.

According to owner Franky Wu, the restaurant plans to open in October and will feature four dining options for guests, includ-ing regular dining, hibachi din-ing, sushi bar and a full drink bar. Wasabi also will feature a party room with a hibachi grill that can accommodate 22 guests.

“We chose this location, be-cause we knew Plant City still did not have a Japanese steakhouse,” Wu said.

Wu has worked with his cousin in three res-t a u r a n t s in the Fort Myers and S a r a s o t a areas, but this will be the only one under the Wasabi name.

Wasabi will serve up tradition-al Japanese steakhouse favorites like teriyaki chicken and hibachi shrimp and ribeye. The restau-rant’s full sushi bar will feature chef Tony Wu, Franky’s brother, who has more than 20 years of experience.

“It was very important for us to have experienced chefs in our restaurant,” Franky Wu said.

The sushi bar will feature clas-sic favorites, such as California rolls, along with special Wasabi rolls unique to the restaurant.

Wu plans to have eight hibachi tables, which will each accom-modate 10 guests. Hibachi din-ing is famous for adding enter-

SPORTSPCHS’ BoganStitzel reachesnew heights.PAGE 10

+ Archives launchesendowment campaign

Plant City Photo Archives and History Center President Ed Verner announced last week a campaign to establish an endowment fund for future use and financial stability.

Speaking to the members of the Photo Archives Advisory Council at a recent meeting, Verner and Executive Director gil gott notified them of the campaign to establish the endowment fund and announced an anonymous donor had made the initial deposit of $5,000.

The endowment fund, Gott said, is a restricted fund and would not be used for day-to-day operations. The cam-paign’s initial goal was set at $100,000, with a time period of one year to reach the goal.

Investments are being requested from all members and interested parties and units or shares of the endow-ment fund are set at $100 each.

For more information, call (813) 754-1578 or visit plantcityphotoarchives.org.

SEE WASABI / PAGE 6

A record-setting 12,000-plus blue-berry fans flocked to Plant City for

the Sixth Annual Tampa Bay Blueberry Festival April 27 to

28, at Keel and Curley Win-ery.

Families, with Plant City Observer buckets in tow,

headed out to the fields to pick their own blueberries. Attendees also perused a variety of booths, while the younger ones enjoyed bounce houses, laser tag and more in the Kids Zone.

Morgan Pierce, the honorary Blue-

BLUEBERRYBLISS

Kayley hoyle had a blast picking blueberries at this year’s festival.

allison asaro, 6, had fun on this inflatable slide.

Julie hasting, Morgan Pierce, Emily Pierce and Clay Keel. The Pierce family received a check from this year’s pageant, along with a trip to an Anna Maria Island Resorts destination.

Recipe contest finalists included Megan Criscillo, Rhonda stephens, hope Wilms-sheldon, tom thoeni and family, and Cheryl Zelenak. aidan stallone loved picking.

SEE FESTIVAL / PAGE 6

SPOTLIGhT by Matt Mauney | Associate Editor

Plant city observerTHURSDAY, mAY 2, 20132 PlantCityObserver.com

“ They saved my husband’s life.”

A horrible motorcycle accident left Billy in extreme pain from life-threatening complications.“ We knew we needed a real ER fast, so we chose the emergency center at South Florida Baptist Hospital.”

The Emergency Center at South Florida Baptist Hospital is connected to the hospital where additional services, including surgery, are readily available. Billy chose to go to an emergency center that is connected to a hospital, so he could be in town for his personal doctor, his friends and his family. Get better emergency care ... and stay close to home.

Choose the Emergency Center at South Florida Baptist Hospital.

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PlantCityObserver.com 3 Plant city observerTHURSDAY, mAY 2, 2013

Even before the Boston Marathon bombing, officials at the Florida Strawberry Fes-tival were taking steps to make Plant City’s signature event as safe as possible.

Now, those steps seem more important than ever.

General Manager Paul Da-vis said the festival’s newest security measures will come in the form of additional se-curity cameras. Although he wouldn’t disclose their loca-tions, the system will allow 24/7 monitoring throughout the festival fairgrounds and parking lots.

“It will help us in a lot of ways — not just for public safety but for security while the grounds are closed,” Davis said.

Since its inception, the Flor-ida Strawberry Festival has grown from a small hometown event to one of the most rec-ognized fairs in the country. More than 520,000 attended this year’s event. In the wake of the Boston Marathon bomb-ings, during which two explo-sives killed three and injured more than 100 people, Davis said festival officials will con-tinue to examine closely their safety protocols.

“We take security very seri-ously,” he said. “It’s always a top priority.”

Each year, more than 100 of-ficers from both the Plant City Police Department and Hills-borough County Sheriff’s Of-fice are stationed throughout the grounds and at each of the 10 public entrances. Officers check large bags at the front gate and again at each concert gate.

Undercover officers also patrol the parking lots, pace the perimeter and walk the grounds. In the past, they have stopped people who were car-rying guns without a license.

“They’re looking at the crowds before coming in,” Davis said. “We are trying to be proac-tive.”

In ad-dition to the cam-eras and police pres-ence, Davis said festival officials meet with lo-cal law enforcement to discuss safety protocols at least twice a year. The protocols are then reviewed about two weeks be-fore the festival.

The festival grounds are less than two minutes away from South Florida Baptist Hospi-tal’s emergency room, and an ambulance with emergency personnel is stationed outside the main gate.

Contact Amber Jurgensen at [email protected].

Strawberry festival adds more videosurveillanceFestival officials say they hope to have the cameras in place for next year’s event.

SecURiTY by amber Jurgensen | Associate editor

For years, students have been told to power down their phones and tuck them away in the dark recesses of their backpacks.

But that has all changed for nine schools in Hillsborough County.

A new pilot program, called Bring Your Own Device, is encour-aging students to bring their elec-tronic devices to the classroom as a learning tool.

Two schools in the Plant City area, Strawberry Crest High School and neighboring Bailey El-ementary School, were chosen for the pilot. The schools are newer and were chosen because of their wireless capabilities. Both schools have about 95% wireless access throughout the campus.

The district launched the nine-week program April 1, and will run it through the end of the school year. The Hillsborough County School Board then will review feedback and decide whether the program should be implemented district-wide.

“The program is going well so far,” said Sharon Zulli, manager of customer service and support at the Hillsborough County School District.

CONNECTIONThe program is similar to others

that have been implemented in schools throughout nation.

Students are allowed to bring “non-disruptive” devices to the school, such as tablets, smart-phones and e-readers.

And although students can text, swipe, tap and click during the lesson plan, it’s limited to the classroom.

After a month of using their de-vices, students at Strawberry Crest have learned when and where to use them.

“You give them an inch and they want a mile,” Principal Da-vid Brown said. “But it seems to be going well. The kids are good. They haven’t been abusing it.”

The students have been using

their devices mainly for research, but some teachers have been in-corporating the electronics in other ways, such as Clicker, an pop-quiz app.

“This gives immediate feedback to the teachers since the student answers are calculated on the spot,” Brown said.

Virtual libraries, such as My-ron Reader Center and Leon, also are available to students through their devices. Some kindergart-ners are even learning to read on e-reader devices.

In addition to the students, teachers also have been advocat-ing more use of electronic devices.

“Many of the teachers are tech-savvy,” Brown said. “They under-stand how to use it for education-al purposes.”

CONCERNSFor students without devices,

the schools have their own com-puter labs, some portable. Stu-dents also participate in group

work and partner with other stu-dents with devices. It would cost the district more than $95 million to provide each of its 190,000 stu-dents with devices.

Schools are not responsible for any theft of the devices. But, so far, Zulli hasn’t fielded any reports of theft.

“It’s no different to the extent of sports equipment or musical instruments,” Zulli said. “They’re responsible for it. They care about it.”

Although equality and theft are major concerns, the district also has been dealing with the chal-lenge of getting all schools up to the same wireless capacity. The board’s goal is to have all schools wireless, but that is still two years away. It will cost about $11 million to equip the schools. A recent $4 million grant will help with the cost.


two Plant city schools upload new electronics pilot programStudents at Strawberry Crest High and Bailey Elementary schools are utilizing a variety of electronic tools as part of the district’s Bring Your Own Device program.

education by amber Jurgensen | Associate editor

It’s one of the best birthday presents high-schooler Darby Hasting has ever received: a trip to Italy.

Darby, a Durant High School student, left today for the trip, provided by the Make-A-Wish Founda-tion. She returns just days before her 17th birthday.

Darby was diagnosed two years ago with focal segmental glomerulo-sclerosis, a rare disease that attacks the kid-ney’s filtering system, causing serious scar-ring. Eventually, Dar-by will need a kidney transplant.

Darby was in Or-lando for a Future Farmers of America competition when she discovered something was wrong. She woke up puffy and weak. She was whisked to a hos-pital in Tampa, where doctors diagnosed her with FSGS.

“I thought, ‘All this from a kidney prob-lem,’” Darby says.

“I don’t think she realized the extent of it at first,” mother, Gloria, says.

Since her diagnosis, Darby has struggled at times. Last summer, she had trouble stand-

ing for long periods of time and couldn’t take the heat.

But this year, things have changed. Darby has been feeling much better, and the European

vacation couldn’t come at a better time.

“I’m someone who likes scen-ery, and I saw pic-tures of Venice in my world history books,” Darby says. “I wanted to see the city of water.

“The timing for this trip is really good now that I’m feeling better,” she says. “It was hec-tic for me to think that I had to live with this. But, you just got to suck it up. I’m so thankful, and I have had my friends and family supporting me.”

Darby, along with Gloria, her father, Dwight, and young-er sister, Cassidy, have a jam-packed itinerary ahead of them. Until May

11, the family will be touring all of Venice and Rome’s prime tourist hotspots, such as Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel.

Darby is most excited to see the

Colosseum and take a gondola ride through the waterways of Venice. The boat ride will be com-plete with a violinist on board.

“It will be neat to see the city of water lit up at night,” Darby says.

In April 2012, Darby inter-viewed with her “wish granters,” Sandi Sasser, of Plant City, and Dan Mosrie, of Tampa. The vol-unteers talked with Darby and or-ganized the best “wish” possible, as well as conduct monthly calls.

When she was interviewed, Darby shared several wishes. One was to meet Tim Tebow. Another was to go on a shopping trip in New York City.

But, Sasser and Mosrie loved the idea of a trip to Italy.

Before she left, Darby enjoyed a going-away bash April 29, at Mag-giano’s Little Italy, in Tampa. A huge supporter of Make-A-Wish, Maggiano’s and its staff wanted the Hastings to try American Ital-ian food. Darby then will report back to them about the authentic Italian cuisine she samples over-seas.

“The party was really, really nice,” Darby says. “They were all hugging on you.”


HOW TO HeLP

Darby Hasting has been col-lecting money for her medical fund through vari-ous fundraisers around town. Her most recent — selling fries at the Tampa Bay Blueberry Festival — earned her $1,500.

make a dona-tion at Bank of America to the Darby Hasting medical Kidney Fund. Or mail donations to 3807 Young Road, Plant city, FL 33565.

DREAM COME TRUEDurant High student Darby Hasting, who has kidney disease, left today for italy, as part of a trip provided by the make-A-Wish Foundation.

eUROPeAn vAcATiOn by amber Jurgensen | Associate editor

courtesy photo

Darby Hasting and her family will enjoy authentic cuisine, plenty of sight-seeing and more during their trip to italy.


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Only 4% of Boy Scouts at-tain the highest rank of Eagle Scout.

Four young men from Plant City are now part of that exclu-sive club.

Troop 14’s Daniel “D.J.” Gar-rett, Caleb Elliot Watson, An-thony Pullara and Benjamin Lee Carson all received their Eagle Badges during a cer-emony April 20, at Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

To earn an Eagle Badge, a scout must earn 21 merit badges; achieve the rank of a Life Scout; serve actively for a period of six months in a leadership position within the troop, varsity scout team or venturing crew/ship; com-plete a service project; and more.

The ceremony began with slideshows of the Scouts throughout their career. The Scouts, with their parents by their side, accepted their Eagle Badges in the middle of the ceremony. Each Scout gave a short speech following the slideshow.

Benjamin Lee CarsonCarson joined the Cub

Scouts as a Tiger. After earning his Arrow of Light, he crossed

over to Troop 14, earning 24 merit badges. A member of the Order of the Arrow, he has served as chaplain and patrol leader.

Carson’s favorite aspect about Scouts is camping.

For his service project, Car-son planned and implemented a 7,000-square-foot irrigation system at Steppin’ Stone Farm, a home for troubled girls.

“It was definitely a great ac-complishment,” Carson said about earning his Eagle Badge. “Achieving the highest rank in anything you do is an accom-plishment.”

Ben is home-schooled and dual enrolled at Hillsborough Community College, John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth and Florida Virtual School. He maintains a 4.0 un-weighted GPA.

He is also a pitcher for Faith Baptist Christian School and the Florida Burn Baseball Club.

Daniel “D.J.” GarrettGarrett joined the Cub Scouts

as a Bear Cub. He earned the Arrow of Light before transfer-ring to Troop 14. With 49 merit badges, Garrett is a member of the Order of the Arrow and has served as troop quartermaster,

patrol leader, assistant patrol leader and troop instructor.

His favorite aspect about the Boy Scouts is camping.

To get his Eagle Badge, Gar-rett completed maintenance on the Elks Lodge.

“I’m excited and proud of myself,” Garrett said.

The Plant City High senior is the only one in his family who has been a Boy Scout. He en-joys working on his truck and taking auto mechanic classes. He also played junior varsity football.

Anthony PullaraAnthony Pullara joined Cub

Scouts in the first grade as a Tiger Cub. After earning his Ar-row of Light award, he joined Troop 14, earning 39 merit badges. Pullara is a member of the Order of the Arrow. He is also a founding member of Venturing Crew 14, earning the Bronze Outdoor award.

Pullara’s favorite aspect about scouting is camping.

For his service project, Pulla-ra trimmed the hedges around Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Because his parents are both in law enforcement, Pullara noticed the high hedg-es were a safety issue to patrol-ling police.

“Now, I have a cool pin,” Pul-lara said.

The Plant City High School senior is a member of the wres-tling and cross country teams.

He is involved in the YMCA’s Youth in Government Pro-gram and won an Outstand-ing Participation Award for his presentation to the Florida Su-preme Court.

Caleb Elliot WatsonFor the past nine years,

Watson has been an active member of Boy Scouts. He is a member of the Order of the Arrow.

His favorite aspect about scouting is the fellowship.

“It’s like a brotherhood,” Watson said.

Both his brothers are also in Boy Scouts. His older brother was able to attain the Eagle Badge distinction, as well.

For his service project, Wat-son completed maintenance at the Evangelical Presbyte-rian Church prayer garden. He trimmed the hedges and even built an 8-foot wooden cross.

“It was really cool,” Watson said about earning the badge. “It’s basically being part of something greater than your-self.”

Watson has played the piano for more than 14 years. He also played three years of varsity football. In addition to serving the Boy Scouts, he has served as a messenger in the Florida House of Representatives, in Tallahassee.


Four Scouts earn Eagle statusFour Plant City Boy Scouts were recognized at a ceremony April 20, for attaining Eagle Scout status.

scout’s honor by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

Daniel “D.J.” Garrett

Caleb Elliot Watson

Anthony Pullara

Benjamin Lee Carson


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

APRIL 1NO GOOD REASON

cherry street west of Wilder road. Crim-inal Mischief. Unknown suspect(s) broke a water meter cap, pulled the cover off a TECO electrical box and pulled up the handicap signs and threw them in the re-tention pond.

GANG VIOLENCE2200 block of north Warnell street. Dis-

charged Firearm/Vandalism. The victim advised a lowered, white Dodge Dakota pickup pulled up to his vehicle which was parked in the roadway in front of his house. A person inside the truck shot the rear rim of his car, causing $200 in dam-ages. He believed that the truck was pos-sibly occupied by three Hispanic males who are Sur 13 gang members. As this call went out, another call was received at the 500 block of East Calhoun Street, where the same vehicle shot in the air. At this residence, they believe the occupants of the Dodge pickup were Norte 14 gang members.

ERROR IN JUDGmENT100 block of West spencer street. Aggra-

vated Assault on LEO. Officers responded to a call involving the suspect trespassing at the City Cemetery Office. The suspect attempted to run over one of the officers as he fled the scene.

APRIL 2END OF THE ROAD

3400 block of James l. redman Parkway. Recovered Stolen Vehicle/Grand Theft Auto Arrest. Officers responded to a vehicle in the median of the 3400 block of James L. Redman Parkway. On arrival, they found a white female in the driver’s seat of a vehicle reported stolen out of Hillsborough Coun-ty. The suspect was arrested and transport-ed to Orient Road Jail.

PERSONAL JESUS300 block of Park spring circle. Theft.

The victim’s gold chain and Jesus pen-dant, worth $600, are missing from her apartment. There are no signs of forced entry.

APRIL 4FUNNY mONEY

1510 block of south alexander street. Counterfeit Bills. The store manager ad-vised they had accepted several counter-feit bills over time and wanted to hand them over to the police department. The bills consisted of three $10 bills and two $20 bills.

POWER PLAY900 block of south collins street. Larce-

ny from Motor Vehicle. Two batteries were stolen from a Mazda truck parked on the side of the business. The batteries were valued at about $200 total.

APRIL 5ONE BAD NIGHT

100 block of north Palmer street. Bat-tery. The victim advised she was hit in the stomach by the suspect. As he was leaving, the suspect punched the busi-ness window, causing it to break. The suspect was arrested for simple battery and possession of marijuana (found on him during a search incident to arrest) and released on his own recognizance with a court date.

APRIL 5BAD CONNECTION

2200 block of West reynolds street. Burglary/Grand Theft. Unknown suspect(s) cut the lock and chain off the Edwards Street gate and entered the compound. Once inside, they broke into the storage area under the stage and stole about $40,000 worth of elec-trical cords.

COPS CORNERPLANT CITY

See more Cops Corner reports online.www.PlantCityObserver.com


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Since its inception, the Evangeli-cal University and Seminary has kept it local.

When it formed in 2007, there was no seminary in the Plant City area. Now, the university and semi-nary is asking for support from its community.

The second annual fundraiser dinner and presentation to benefit Evangelical University and Semi-nary will be at 6:30 p.m. May 3, in the Fellowship Hall of Plant City’s First Baptist Church, 503 N. Palmer St.

“It proved to be a very success-ful event, and we wanted to have it again,” trustee J. Myrle Henry said. “Last year, we had a lovely evening with fellowship, food and speak-ers.”

Fred’s Southern Kitchen will be catering the event. Two students will make testimonials.

This year’s guest speaker is Dr. Jim Henry, pastor emeritus of First Baptist Church in Orlando and a past president of the Southern Bap-tist Convention. Dr. Henry, a Nash-ville native, received a master’s de-gree of divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. After being ordained in 1960, Dr. Henry served churches in Alabama, Mis-sissippi and Tennessee. He served for 29 years as the pastor of First Baptist Church in Orlando. Dr. Henry has spoken at many events

and conferences and also has writ-ten six books.

Last year, 110 people attended the dinner, which raised $25,000 for the university and seminary. Henry said they were lucky to receive a $10,000 matching grant from an anonymous donor. So far this year, they have received a $5,000 match-ing grant.

“We would love to exceed last year,” Henry said.

Henry hopes to have 150 people attend this year.

“I am so convinced they will en-joy the evening (that) I will person-ally guarantee money back if they don’t,” Henry said.

University and Seminary Presi-dent Gary Williams agreed.

“It has helped the school in many ways,” Williams said. “It was very profitable.”

The seminary has conducted more than 20,000 student hours of conservative, biblical-based in-struction. It seeks to offer training to local pastors who can’t leave the area for ministry training and semi-nary work or who don’t have the time to travel out of the area.

“The primary purpose is for lay-people and young pastors who haven’t had formal training can come on board,” Henry said. “The seminary is just so amazing.”


Plant City seminary to host fundraiserThe second annual fundraiser will take place may 3, at Plant City’s First Baptist Church.

FAITH by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

tainment and social interaction to a dining experience. Meals are cooked to order in front of guests by trained chefs.

In addition to his brother, Wu said Wasabi already has several chefs who will come from his

cousin’s stores, and the restau-rant plans to add more.

“We want to build a customer base and bring people back to our restaurant,” he said. “By having experienced chefs, it helps make sure they have a great experience when they come.”

Wu said he plans to hire oth-er positions at the restaurant locally in Plant City, including cashiers and hostesses. This likely will be in the fall closer to the opening of the restaurant.

Contact Matt Mauney at [email protected].

berry Princess for the first Tampa Bay Blueberry Queen Pageant, received a check and a trip to Anna Maria Island Re-sorts destination Saturday. Pro-ceeds from the pageant went to the Morgan Pierce Founda-tion, benefitting Morgan’s fight against cancer.

Four bands took the Plant City Observer stage to entertain crowds as they sampled a va-riety of Keel and Curley wines, including its limited-edition Strawberry Shortcake Wine.

Plant City resident Hope Wilms-Sheldon won the Plant City Observer’s first Blueberry Recipe Contest.

Her Southern Blueberry Spe-cial won the hearts and taste buds of the judges, including

Mayor Mike Sparkman, 2013 Blueberry Festival Queen Jor-dan Williams, Keel and Curley Winery owner Joe Keel, Pak

Mail owner Giresh Sharma and Barbara Franques.

For more coverage, visit PlantCityObserver.com.

Recipe contest judges included Queen Jordan Williams, Pak mail owner Giresh sharma, barbara Franques, mayor Mike sparkman and Keel and Curley Winery owner Joe Keel.

adam Fennig held daughter elizabeth’s hand through the blue-berry fields.

robert Harris was among the many musicians who performed this year.

Festival / 1

Wasabi / 1


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IT’S ReAD eveRYwHeRe!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.So far this year, our readers have taken us as far away as Colorado, Las Vegas, New York and

even Italy and Panama City.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, [email protected]. Make sure you include your full name and where the photo was taken.

LOUISIANA. cheyenne crumley, left, ava risco, cody crumley and Dennis crumley brought the Plant City Observer with them on a trip to Louisiana.

ROME, ITALY. David Katzmayr took a group of Strawberry Crest High School students, along with the Plant City Observer, on a tour of Italy. The group visited verona, venice, Florence, Assisi and Rome. The tourists took a break march 17, near the Colosseum to be photographed with their favorite hometown newspaper. Front row: Dahara D’agostino, tori Wood, Dyani Williams and Kirsten Wainoris. Back row: Diego robles, laura Hale, Katzmayr, Morgan Mathis, shyann edenfield and Harrison strickland.

ThE FREEdOM TOwERS/wORLd TRAdE CENTER. Hannah Moore and colten Drawdy took the Plant City Observer to The Freedom Towers/world Trade Center in New York City.

PANAMA CANAL. Mike and sandra smith brought their favorite newspaper all the way to the Panama Canal. The Smiths were in Panama City for the annual elks Convention.


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Students from Durant High School’s Thespian Troupe 5444 — along with some brave faculty mem-bers — took the stage for

the school’s production of “Scandal at Hampton Estate” April 18 and 19, at the high school.

The comedy/murder

mystery had the audience in stitches — with plenty of larger-than-life charac-ters and outrageous an-tics.

SPOTLIGHT by Michael eng | managing Editor

Durant High thespians shine in spring production

laura estes-swilley and richard sheffield

Left: Matt stwan and amanda Griffith

Mekayla cook portrayed Candy, the air-headed fian-cee of George Hampton, played by Richard Sheffield.


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Richard “Jim” EifertRichard “Jim” Eifert, 80, died

April 21, 2013, in his home. He was born March 12, 1933. He

was a Korean War veteran. He mar-ried Eleanor Bowredey in 1957. He owned and oper-ated Eifert’s Eggairy for more than 25 years. Mr. Eifert was the friendly face who waited on you in your car — rain, shine or snow. He was an avid sports lover and en-joyed playing golf.

Upon retirement, he moved to Plant City. With his love of golf, he was active at Walden Lake Golf and Country Club for the last 14 years.

He is survived by his loving wife, Eleanor “Ellie;” daughter, Mi-chelle; his siblings, Robert (Doro-thy) Eifert and Sue (Dave) Atfield; brother-in-law, Robert Conroy; and several beloved nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his infant daughter; and siblings, Alexander Eifert and Dorothy Conroy.

A celebration will be held at 2 p.m. May 5, at Walden Lake Golf and Country Club. In lieu of flow-ers, memorials may be made to a favorite charity in Jim’s memory.

Howard Herbert Leddon

Howard Herbert Leddon, 74 of Plant City, died April 26, 2013, at Community Care Center.

Born Oct. 2, 1938, in Bonifay, he was the son of the late Albert Leddon and the late Minnie Baker Leddon.

Mr. Leddon was a member of

Calvary Freewill Baptist Church and worked for Lykes Brothers.

Survivors include a brother, Bobby Leddon; and sisters, Sar-ah Catherine Chestnut, Alberta Walker and Rebecca Leddon.

Online condolences may be made at haughtfuneralhome.com.

Dennis Kevin McEverDennis Kevin McEver, 54, of

Plant City, died April 22, 2013.Born Dec. 2, 1958, in Plant City,

he was the son of the late Arnold McEver Jr. and Donna Chase-McEver.

Mr. McEver was a former man-ager for Felton’s Grocery and at-tended Grace Methodist Church. His passion was for anything sports and especially baseball. He coached, man-aged and played baseball all his life. He was a third-de-gree black belt in karate.

Survivors include his wife and their son, Yvette Fender McEver and Chantz McEver; his for-mer wife and their children, Lori Friend-Giella, Dennis K. McEver Jr., Kristin McEver-Gilley and Lindsay McEver; brothers, Arnold J. McEver III, Timothy S. McEver and Joseph Wiggins; and grand-children, Braden and Brielle Gil-ley.

The family has asked in lieu of flowers that donations be made to the Plant City Little League in Mr. McEver’s memory.


Lucile Ann MillerLucile Ann Miller, 83 of Plant

City, died April 26, 2013, at Saint Joseph Hospital in Tampa.

Born April 20, 1930, in Eliza-beth, N.J., she was the daughter of the late Alfred Schroeder and the late Wilhelmina Ruhr Schroeder. She was the wife of the late Burt Miller Sr.

Mrs. Miller loved her fam-ily dearly and cherished them always. She was also a big Tampa Bay Rays baseball fan.

Survivors include sons, Burt Miller Jr. and Gary Miller; daugh-ter, Kathy Reyn-olds; sister, Janice Mortensen; grand-children, Rebecca Hudon, Bryan and Brandon Brodock, Lee Ann Mottern, Ryan, Ashley, Danielle, Kaitlyn, Abigail, and An-drew Miller; and five great-grand-children. And we must not forget Mrs. Miller’s beloved dog, Bella.

The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Mrs. Miller’s memory to the Hu-mane Society.


Audrey K. WhiteAudrey K. White, 73 of Lithia

died April 26, 2013, at Sun City Center Hospice House.

Born Feb. 24, 1940, in Tallahas-see, she was the daughter of the late Daniel King and Willie Nich-ols King.


OBSERVEROBITUARIES

Pack Five Cub Scouts cooked a delicious spa-ghetti dinner during a fundraiser Sunday, April 21.

They served hungry pa-trons at the American Le-gion Post 26.

Cub Scouts serve up fun,food at fundraiser dinner

SPAGHETTI SOIREE by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

Quinton Kahelin and Mark Wilson

Patrick rodriguez, andrew MacDonald and Gabe Hull

Right: alex rodriguez

Some of the best college soc-cer players from around the area and state will converge May 4, on Plant City’s Otis M. Andrews Sports Complex, for an open trial with the VSI PDL team.

The Professional Development League is the top men’s develop-ment league in North America. PDL gives elite college players an opportunity to get a taste of the

professional level while main-taining their eligibility, because the PDL season takes place dur-ing the summer.

The 2013 PDL season features 65 teams within four conferences throughout the United States and Canada, including the VSI Tampa Bay FC PDL team, which will be-gin its first year under the VSI Tampa Bay FC USL PRO franchise.

VSI Tampa Bay FC PDL will open its season at home against the Ocala Stampede May 17, at Plant City Stadium. All VSI PDL games are free.

“At VSI, we want our players to understand that we are prepar-ing them to be professional play-ers,” said VSI PDL head coach Sheldon Cipriani. “We’re trying to get them to understand that

there’s a different level outside of college, so hopefully, the envi-ronment we want to create at VSI will help them appreciate what it takes to be a professional player. ... They will train alongside pros daily and will probably play against the pros once a week.”

A Trinidad and Tobago native,

For those of you who don’t know, Plant City Stadium is still looking for a longterm leaser or outright new owner.

The Plant City Commission rejected April 22, a proposal from Big League Dreams Inc. The company, which special-izes in creating smaller repli-

cas of famous major-league ballparks and leasing them to the public, made the only pro-posal by the 2 p.m. April 1 deadline. Big League Dreams has had interest in bringing one

of its replica stadiums to Plant City for several years.

City Manager Greg Horwe-del said the proposal lacked key information regarding po-tential costs and the benefits of the proposal to the city. He declined to give details about the proposal.

The commission made the decision to reopen the propos-al process. Horwedel said the new request for proposals will launch the first week in May.

It is anticipated that Vision-Pro Sports Institute, which currently is leasing the sta-dium for its USL PRO soccer team and affiliate teams, could make a proposal for a longer-term lease. VSI has stated a desire to build a footprint in Hillsborough County, with a soccer academy, something that could fit nicely in Plant City with the Randy Larson

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 WEEKTyler Danish

leads Cougars to district title. 12

MATTMAUNEY

SHOW ME THE MAUNEY

SEE VSI / PAGE 12

young talent by Matt Mauney | Associate Editor

THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013PLANTCITYObserver.COM

VSI to hold PDL tryout at Otis Andrews The PDL is the top professional development league in North America. It is designed for elite college players to get a taste of the pro game while maintaining their eligibility.

Plant City Stadium options intriguing

It started out as suggestion from a friend on Bogan Stitzel’s swim team at Plant City High School.

“He told me to come out one day and give it a try,” Stitzel said about his first experience trying pole vaulting as a sophomore. “I had seen it on the Olympics be-fore and just thought it was so cool. I just went out there and loved it.”

It was a slow process at first, learning the ins and outs of the equipment, the techniques and getting use to the feeling of launching yourself 8 to 15 feet in the air.

“It was nothing like I expect-ed,” Stitzel admitted. “It looks su-per physically demanding, and it is, but it’s a lot like golf, where it’s all mental. There’s so many little form techniques and so many

little things that you have to do that just become muscle memo-ry after a while.”

It was getting to the muscle-memory stage that was most challenging, but Stitzel had the guidance of 2012 PCHS gradu-ate Alex Delphino, who currently holds the school record of 13 feet, 9 inches.

Now a senior, Stitzel is headed to the Class 4A state meet for the

second consecutive year, after finishing tied for second at re-gionals. He will vault May 4, at the University of North Florida, aiming for a top-three finish and hoping to match or break Del-phino’s school record.

A NATURALWhen Stitzel began jumping

higher than the friend who in-vited him out, he began to real-ize he could have success in the sport.

Starting low on the pole, vault-ers typically begin with a straight pole, where the pole doesn’t bend at all, and vaulters rely on muscle to clear relatively low marks. When vaulters become more experienced, they begin to move hand grips up, until they get to the top and get the most out of the flex of the pole.

Matt Mauney

Not only is bogan stitzel a standout pole vaulter for Plant City, but also he serves as a coach for the team, helping to mentor young vaulters.

SettingthebArPlant City senior pole vaulter Bogan Stitzel is headed to the Class 4A FHSAA state meet for the second

consecutive year, after finishing tied for second at region.

Courtesy photo

VSI Tampa Bay FC head coach Matt Weston and PDL coach sheldon Ciprani

SEE STITZEL / PAGE 11 SEE MAUNEY / PAGE 11

NEW HEIGHTS by Matt Mauney | Associate Editor


VSI to hold PDL tryout at Otis Andrews

“The bend is what slingshots you into the air,” Stitzel said. “When I first started getting that is when I realized that this was re-ally fun and something I wanted to do. It’s just an awesome feel-ing.”

Vaulters also can upgrade the lengths of their poles, which al-low for higher vaults. Each pole has weight restrictions for the vaulters. Stitzel currently has two 165-pound poles and one 170-pound pole.

“A lot of people don’t realize that they weigh you in before every meet,” he said. “The 170 number is the maximum weight that you can have to safely jump on that pole, so each pole is meant for different weight and strength types.”

Much like high-school wres-tlers, pole vaulters are expected to maintain certain weights. Stit-zel ran into this issue at regionals, when he had to cut three pounds in the matter of hours.

“It’s kind of scary, because if you don’t make weight, it’s game over,” he said. “It’s pretty terrify-ing when you get there and find out that you have to drop three pounds or you’re not jumping.”

Stitzel’s three poles are 13, 14 and 15 feet, but he noted that world-class Olympic vaulters have 18-foot poles, allowing them to vault record heights giv-en their skill level.

Stitzel just got his 170 pole,

which used for the first time at the Class 4A Region 2 meet, placing second with a vault of 12-6. He tied for the district championship this year, after winning it outright as a junior. He will be looking to improve on his seventh place finish at state in 2012.

“The school record is a goal and, I think, a realistic goal, espe-cially now that I have the 15-foot pole,” he said.

STUDENT-COACHOne of the more interesting

aspects of the sport, is that it is often student run at the high school level.

While PCHS head boys coach Ken Harlan oversees the event and the athletes, with no experi-ence or expertise in pole vault-ing, Stitzel acts as the coach of the event, leading practices and helping with techniques of un-derclassmen vaulters.

“At first, not having a coach was nice, because there wasn’t any pressure,” he said. “Practices were very laid-back and relaxed. As I got older, I maintained that attitude. I had four kids who came out (three boys and a girl). You just have to be positive ... and work your way up.”

Among the athletes, pole vault-ing is a close-knit sport. Stitzel said although he will be the only member of the PCHS boys team going to state, he’ll recognize many of the faces he’ll see.

“It’s not like other track-and-

field events, where you might do several things,” he said. “You work on this, and this is the one event that you do.”

This also creates a unique level

of competition, where the ath-letes encourage and help each other and even will trade out poles to accommodate more weight.

“There’s definitely a compe-tition level to it, but it’s almost more of a competition against yourself,” he said. “At Western Conference, we probably had four or five teams under one tent, hanging out, talking and sharing food. Everyone is very friendly.”

Stitzel swam for Plant City for three years, before deciding not to swim his senior year. Still, he said the strength and awareness both sports require helped with his vaulting.

“In the water, you have all the dimensions — up, down, left and right — and in the air, it’s the same thing,” he said. “So, being able to have that spacial aware-ness and knowing where your body parts are at all times and how they’re moving is very help-ful.”

Stitzel’s vaulting career likely will end Saturday, leading to the next stage: pursuing a degree in interdisciplinary natural sci-ences at the University of South Florida.

“I love science, and know that I want to go on to get at least my master’s degree, so that will help me narrow down which science I want to specialize in.”


3A-4A STATE mEETAREA STATE QUALIFIERS

Durant boys (region finish)200-meter dash: Tracy Watson (fourth)300-meter hurdles: Darrien Kelly (fourth)

Plant city boys (region finish)Pole vault: Bogan Stitzel (tied for second)

Plant city Girls (region finish)Discus: Ty’china Bush (third) shot put: Ty’china Bush (third)

strawberry crest boys400-meter dash: Karel Hamilton (third) triple jump: Chauncey Thomas (runner-up)

strawberry crest Girls (region finish)4X100 (first at class 3a-3 region meet): Brittany Barber, Yasmine Gardiner, Sequoya Williams and Ambria Keys200-meter dash: Yasmine Gardiner (runner-up)100-meter dash: Brittany Barber (fourth)triple jump: Terra Brooks (third)

BASEBALL

+ Durant High Schoolclaims district title

For the first time since 2001, Durant baseball became district champions, defeating Wharton 5-1 in the Class 8A-7 championship April 25, at Bloomingdale High School.

“It’s huge to bring it back home,” said Durant coach butch valdes. “Our softball team has done a tremendous job over there, and we’ve been trying to follow suit behind them, and hopefully, we can keep up the pace.”

Durant’s chaz Fowler got the win on the mound for the Cougars, allowing seven hits and just one earned run while striking out nine in a complete game performance.

“Getting ahead in the count and then throwing my change up for the third strike was big for me tonight,” Fowler said.

University of Florida commit tyler Danish homered to right in the fourth to give Durant a 1-0 lead.

“It’s a big relief for all of the seniors to win it our senior year and just make history for the school,” Danish said.

The Cougars hosted Sarasota-Riverview in the region quarterfi-nals may 1. That game occurred after press time.

+ PCHS takes district runner-up

Plant City baseball fell to Brandon 9-1 April 25, in the Class 7A-8 championship game.

chris Wells took the loss on the mound for the Raiders, while connor slagill was 2-for-3 at plate.

The loss came after a 1-0 win over Hillsborough April 23, in the district semifinals. Keven long threw a complete game shutout in that game, allowing just two hits. sawyer Dawson knocked in the winning single in the second inning.

Plant City will face George Jenkins High School in the 7A region quarterfinals at 7 p.m. may 2, at Jenkins.

SOFTBALL

+ Durant High School falls short of repeat

The Durant softball team fell at home to Palm Harbor April 30, in the Class 8A region semifinals.

The win avenged a 2012 loss for Palm Harbor to Durant in the region semifinals. Durant went on to win the 8A state champion-ship.

Jessica adam’s RBI single in the sixth brought in the only run of the game, ending Durant’s season at 20-9 overall.

Durant had two on with two outs in the bottom of the second but couldn’t get the tying or winning run across.

Durant advanced to the region semifinals after routing East Lake 11-0 in the region quarterfinal April 25. Durant repeated as Class 8A-7 district champions this year, with a 5-0 win over Wharton April 18.

+ Plant City shutout by River Ridge

After a big win over Bartow in the region quarterfinals, Plant City’s season came to an end April 30, in the Class 7A Region 2 soft-ball semifinals, with a 8-0 loss to Lake Region.

Plant City ends the year 17-9. The Lady Raiders finished as run-ner up in the Class 7A-8 district tournament before beating Bartow, last year’s 7A state runner-up, in the region quarterfinal.

FLAG FOOTBALL

+ PCHS flag football undefeated season ends

The Plant City flag football team dropped its first game of the sea-son April 27. Unfortunately for the

Lady Raiders, it was also their last game of the 2013 season, as they fell to county rival East Bay 33-19 in the FHSAA first-round play-in game.

The Plant City defense dropped seven interceptions, with two that resulted in scores for East Bay. The Lady Raiders end the season 11-1 after winning their fifth district championship in the last six years with a 14-0 win April 23, over Durant.

FOOTBALL

+ Plant City Highto host elite combine

The Rivals VTO Prep 100 invitation-only combine will take place may 5, at Plant City High School.

This combine is for elite high-school football prospects with FBS scholarship offers, who will be coming to PCHS to compete

against some of the state’s best prospects.

Plant City High’s Montel Mcbride and sedrick King will participate in the event. Both prospects have several Division I offers already, including one from Louisville for both athletes.

SCOREBOARDFour-Plex and Plant City’s central location to major markets.

Big League Dreams could submit another proposal, which could create some competition if VSI submits one, as well. The reopened request for proposals also could draw attention from other potential suitors.

The idea of Plant City having a sized-down replica Wrigley Field or Fenway Park in its backyard is certainly interesting and could become popular with the large youth baseball scene in the area. Just think about the possibility of Plant City and Durant squaring off each year under the shadow of the Green Monster.

On the other hand, a state-of-the-art soccer training facility in Plant City is intriguing in its own right. VSI, a European company that has a focus of promoting and developing the game of soccer in North America, already has a large presence in the Tampa Bay area. Plant City being the hub of the organization in Florida could be beneficial to the sports scene here and be a financial asset to the city.

Soccer is a popular sport in Plant City, given the high participation numbers in youth leagues, but so far, that hasn’t translated to big gates at VSI Tampa Bay FC PRO games. A continued lack of attendance at home games could affect a pro-posal decision from VSI.

Plant City Stadium is the for-mer spring training home for the Cincinnati Reds. Although the days of pro baseball in Plant City are long gone, I believe there is a chance — albeit a long shot — of bringing an MLB franchise back to the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World.

The state announced April 23, it will be funding minor league and spring training facilities to help promote tourism. Florida, home of the Grapefruit League and several Minor League base-ball teams, has relied on spring training and MiLB teams as a revenue source in the past.

With many outdated stadiums and training facilities in the state, including Plant City Stadium, this initiative will help rejuvenate that revenue source.

It is not yet known if Plant City would be considered for this or if the city is even eligible, because it currently has no MLB or MiLB tenant. But with several MLB franchises searching for new spring training homes, it’s too early to rule the possibility out.

The Toronto Blue Jays are one of those teams seeking a new home. Their lease with Dunedin expires in 2017. The Washington Nationals and Houston Astros also could be looking for new training homes.

Dunedin is also the home to the Dunedin Blue Jays, the Class-A Advanced affiliate of Toronto.

Imagine having not only an MLB team hold its spring train-ing here, but also having a Minor League team play all summer long in Plant City Stadium. Not to mention, the swarm of snow-birds and Canadians that Plant City attracts during the Florida Strawberry Festival, which coin-cidently fits in nicely with spring training dates.

One thing is for sure: The city is interested in getting quality, long-term use out of the stadium while saving upkeep money in the process. Whether its a replica ballpark, a soccer development academy or the new home of a professional baseball team, the future of Plant City Stadium seems bright for the first time in more than a decade.

stitZel / 10

MaUney / 10

Despite outhitting their oppo-nent 11 to 8, Strawberry Crest fell to Lakewood Ranch 5-1 April 30, on the road in the Class 6A Region 3 semifinals.

Lakewood Ranch’s taylor newton homered to left in the second to break up a scoreless game. Lakewood Ranch then broke things open in the fifth with four runs.

Strawberry Crest was led by Mia Fung, who went 3-for-3.

savannah bradley doubled to left in the seventh to bring in cacey simmons for the Lady Chargers’ only run.

Strawberry Crest ends the season with a 24-3 record, its best season to date after reach-ing the region semifinals for the first time in program history.

CREST FALLS In REGIOn SEmISmatt Kelly

Sophomore noelle Dietrich threw a complete game in a big win for Plant City April 24.


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TYleR DAniSHATHleTe of THe week by Matt Mauney | Associate editor

Durant’s Tyler Danish, a senior right-hander committed to the University of florida, had yet to give up an earned run this season entering the Cougars region quarterfinal game may 1. He is also batting .387 with 24 RBi, including two home runs in the district tour-nament, which the Cougars won for the first time since 2001.

What did the district title mean to you and your team?

It was huge, especially coming out of the district we came out of. To win it for the first time in 12 years is just huge and was a part of our goals when we met in Febru-ary. To do it my senior year is something I will never forget, and I don’t think the other seniors will, either.

What was your men-tality going into the district tournament?

I was definitely focused. The talk going in was that usually, the top seed gets knocked out. I’ve seen that the first three years I was here, so we didn’t want to be the team again. We came in focused as a team and just played well.

How have you been able to stay

focused with all the hype?The big thing for me com-

ing in was to just win games. If I had a great year, I had a great year, and if I didn’t, and we won, then that was great for us, as well. I couldn’t be happier with the year I’ve had and the team we have.

How have you seen your pitching develop?

My slider. Coming in, it was my out

pitch, but I didn’t think that it was

going to be my dom-inating

pitch that I could throw for a strike when I needed. About halfway through the year, I started throwing a change up, and it makes everything easier, because, instead of having two pitches, I have three dominate pitches I can throw.

Are you hoping having three pitches will help your MLB stock?

I know that it definitely helps to have three strong pitches. I’ve been told by scouts that with two pitches, I would probably be a bullpen guy, which would be fine, but I’m just trying to get better in everything I do and become a dominant pitcher.

How much do you pay at-tention to your stats?

I think about it before every start, that this could be the night the streak ends. But if it ends and we win, I’ll be happy. It’s a great run I put to-gether and something I think a lot of people have never done, and I’m just blessed to have the opportunity.

Cipriani has been coaching for 22 years at various levels of the game, including helping current VSI USL PRO head coach Matt Weston and the Ocala Stampede win their division last year.

Cipriani joined the VSI Tam-pa Bay FC coaching staff for the 2013 USL PRO season and serves as an assistant for the team while serving as the head coach of the PDL team. He has been hard at work forming his group of players for the start of the season.

Several spots already have been filled on the VSI PDL ros-ter, but Cipriani will be evalu-ating talent at the trial to add more talent.

“We have kids coming in from Tulsa, Monroe, Stetson and USF, along with kids from Pennsylvania and all over the country,” Cipriani said. “We have a good relationship with a lot of college coaches who have recommended very good play-ers to us in the past, and when they tell us this is somebody we’re going to like, it’s usually a correct call, and we’ll sign those players.”

Cipriani cited several dif-ferences between the college game and the professional lev-el, most notably the pace and speed of play.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean how fast players move, but how quickly they make de-cisions, how quickly they ex-ecute and how often they make the decisions,” he said.

Although elite talent exists at the college level, Cipriani said there is more turnover and more technical mistakes and tactical errors.

The goal of the PDL is to help bridge the gap and prepare players to play at a higher level, including improving decision making, consistency and tech-nical strengths.

“At the professional level, there is a very small margin for error,” Cipriani said. “The dif-ference with the amateur level is that you may or may not be punished. But at the pro level, you probably are going to be punished for making mistakes, especially close to your own goal.”

Among Cipriani’s current PDL roster, there is a large pres-ence of talent from the Univer-sity of South Florida, including Jamaica native Ricardo Webb, who appeared in all 19 games for the Bulls in 2012 and had one goal and three assists.

“We’re very excited about the players from USF, be-cause George Kiefer and his staff have an exceptional pro-gram,” Cipriani said. “They recruit some of the best play-ers in the college game and they are very good technically and have a high soccer IQ. That’s the kind of players we want here.”

Cipriani also has a strong relationship with Monroe Col-lege coach Marcus DiBernar-do. Karamba Janneh, a former Monroe College standout, is now a star and fan favorite with VSI Tampa Bay FC PRO.

While some players have been invited to the tryout, the May 4 trail is open to all.

For more tryout information and registration, visit vsi-fc.com.


vsi / 10


CROSSWORD_050213

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

CRYPTOGRAMS

1. T X M E C Z H U Z Q C Z T C U U H O Q M P Z R H Q H U D C H D R C R M P Q C J M J F

Q H T X D C D - Q Z R L P Z J E I H O L M J F N Z O E E H M J F I N Z Q M P Z X .

2. N S N Q M Q D N W M D Z F N O K Z B D E B T C M B O W J N O O G T Q M D P G X O

N T U Q M D B S V G Z Q N T W D G E Q M D O R K P D W Q . “ F B Q M G R Q

C D G S D Q Z X , ” M D O N B U , “ J B E D B O V G B T Q J D O O ! ”

ACROSS 1 Visiting the U.S.

capital 5 Astin and Lennon 10 Stinging remark 14 Big Hollywood talent

agcy. 17 Beast charging a

torero 18 “___ what I mean?” 19 ___-de-lis 20 Red or Met, but not

an Oriole or Yankee 22 Weathering the storm 25 Banks of fashion 26 Nicaraguan president

Daniel 27 Nose-wrinkling

stimulus 28 Jerusalem’s home, for

short 29 Purchase before the

Super Bowl, for many 30 Admit 31 Dodgers great ___

Wee Reese 32 Beach cooler 34 What patients may

need patience to get 38 “___ for Evidence”

(Sue Grafton novel) 39 Biblical wrongdoing 42 12-time Pro Bowl

linebacker Junior 43 British rule over India 44 Big name in

keyboards and motorbikes

47 Namesakes of an Egyptian queen, perhaps

49 Certain Ford models 52 “The ___ Express”

(2004 film) 54 Sulk 56 Wise-owl connection 57 Where a student sits 59 Barks 60 Kind of offender or

performance 62 Athletic shoe bottom 63 Certain bird shelter

65 Kind of armored jacket

67 Lennon’s wife 69 Blood sample

container 70 An insurance policy

may not cover it 74 British streetcar 77 ___ new course 81 Makes less distinct 82 Like some orbits 86 One of a hundred in

the Senate 87 “Why ___ We Be

Friends?” 88 Robinson Crusoe’s

creator 89 “The Big ___” (1993

Willie Nelson TV special)

90 Queue after Q 91 Popular garden

flower 93 Allowing alcohol

sales 95 “Dies ___” (Requiem

Mass hymn) 97 Some NYC block

separators 98 Wide shoe sizes 99 It can’t light just

anywhere 103 Statue material,

perhaps 107 “Well, whaddya

know!” 108 Off-___ (mountain

bike, e.g.) 112 Notorious fiddler of

Rome 113 Ring bearer? 114 “Be with you in just

___!” 115 Words after “Stick a

fork in me” 116 Post-WWII alliance 117 Be evasive, in a way 121 “CHiPs” star Estrada 122 Go ___ (deteriorate) 123 “The ___” (series

starring Mr. T) 124 Conversation filler 125 Happy response to a

marriage proposal 126 It’s for the birds 127 Some Air Force

NCO’s 128 Freelance submission

encl.

dOwn 1 “___ little

importance” 2 ___ Dame (Fightin’

Irish) 3 Old-fashioned

exclamations 4 Most demure 5 Nerve impulse

transmission site 6 Heart chart, for short 7 Crumb-running

insect 8 “There’s ___!”

(pessimist’s cry) 9 Garbo and Borg 10 ___-Ray (DVD

alternative) 11 Abodes in high places 12 MLB manager Tony

La ___ 13 Uncle Remus

character 14 Graduating together 15 Bonnie’s partner in

crime 16 “I Love Lucy” name 19 Supporting 21 “Run, don’t walk”

review 23 “Could be” 24 ___ d’Alene, Idaho 32 City in northwest

Missouri, informally 33 Crater’s edge 35 Soft mineral 36 The Babe and others 37 “Beverly Hills Cop”

org. 39 Wound remnant 40 Rick’s “Casablanca”

love 41 Ebb’s relative 44 Comedian Smirnoff 45 Prefix with “gram” 46 Abbr. on a doctor’s

schedule 48 Event to remember 50 “Cock-a-doodle-___!” 51 Go it alone 53 “Turn on, tune in,

drop out” drug 55 180 degrees from

WNW 57 Bachelor party, e.g. 58 Slow, musically 59 Informal affirmative 61 Landon and Clausen 64 Kind of admiral 66 Asian peninsula off

Manchuria 68 WHO and NOW, for

two 70 “Dancing With the

Stars” network 71 Not in the buff 72 Albacore in a can 73 Letters with 3, on a

phone 75 Jackie’s second

husband 76 “There’s no I in

team,” for one 78 Moistens flax 79 Having little slack 80 Three-wheelers, e.g. 83 “Marching as ___” 84 Popular snorkeling

destination 85 TV’s “___ the

Explorer” 88 Examines in minute

detail 90 Fix one’s hair again 92 Pasture 94 Mock 96 Skylit central courts

(var.) 99 Mexican man’s shawl 100 Letters before iotas 101 Fancy things at

marinas 102 Mecca pilgrims (var.) 103 ___ of Cleves (Henry

VIII’s fourth wife) 104 Actor Denis 105 Colts legend

Donovan 106 California border lake 109 ___ number on (treats

badly) 110 Endings for “differ”

and “prefer” 111 Attempt another links

drive 114 CIA operative 118 Fall asleep (with “off”) 119 Neurological test

letters 120 Did not stand for it?

wELL-EdUCATEd by Mary Jersey

3

1111

93

Need someone that speaks fluent insurance?I’m your agent for that.Tony Lee CLU, Agent1702 S Alexander StreetPlant City, FL 33563

813-752-7202www.tonyleeagent.com

Communitystarts withneighbors who care. That’s what our town is made of.

1201196 State Farm, Bloomington, IL

Get to a better State®.

Tony Lee CLU, Agent1702 S Alexander Street

Plant City, FL 33563Bus: 813-752-7202

www.tonyleeagent.com State Farm® has a longheritage of helping out in thecommunity. That’s why I’mproud to supportEvent/Charity.

SAM

PLE

sunrise sunsetThurs., may 2 6:48 a.m. 8:03 p.m.Fri., may 3 6:47 a.m. 8:04 p.m.Sat., may 4 6:46 a.m. 8:04 p.m.Sun., may 5 6:46 a.m. 8:05 p.m.mon., may 6 6:45 a.m. 8:05 p.m.Tues., may 7 6:44 a.m. 8:06 p.m.Wed., may 8 6:43 a.m. 8:07 p.m.

MOON PHASES

PlANt City WEAtHEr HigH lowThurs., may 2 82 66Fri., may 3 82 66Sat., may 4 82 63Sun., may 5 84 63mon., may 6 84 66Tues., may 7 90 68Wed., may 8 91 68

tEMPErAturES

rAiNWED.

April 240.00

THURS.April 250.00

FRI.April 260.00

SAT.April 270.00

SUN.April 280.00

MON.April 290.00

TUES.April 300.79

may 18

SuNriSE/SuNSEt tiMES

BluEBErry MArKEt PriCESSHiPPiNG POiNt: CENtrAl AND NOrtH FlOriDA

FLATS LOW HIGH12 1-pint cups $32 $3512 6-ounce cups $20 $23

may 25

may 31

Courtesy of the united States Department of Agriculture

6.47(2012: 2.34)

APRILtO DAtE

(2012: 1.28)3.44

YEARtO DAtE

(incHeS)

IPCcierra craft captured this image of 2013 Florida Strawberry Festival Queen Kelsey Fry and court member Jamee townsend having fun at the 2013 Relay for Life, at Plant city High School. The Plant City Observer, State Farm agent Tony Lee and The corner Store have part-nered to host the i Love Plant city Photo contest. Winners will have their photo featured in the Plant City Observer and receive a $10 gift certifi-cate to The corner Store! Submit your photos, with a caption, via email to managing editor michael eng, [email protected].

may 9

LV54

79

Sell your servicewith success.

$11500Every 4 weeks!

ACTUAL SIZE

ACTUAL SIZE


SAVE20% offthE rEgulAr pricEwith a 12-weekcommitment

Advertise inThe Plant City Observer

Service DirectoryCall

877-308-5642LV

5212

ACTUAL SIZE


$11500

ACTUAL SIZE

Every 4 weeks!

Sell your service with success.Call us toll free 877-308-5642

SAVE 20% offthE rEgulAr pricE

with a 12-week commitment

Advertise in Plant City Observer’s Service Directory

Legal Services

GREGG W. HOOTH, P.A.Attorneys & Counselors At Law

Business, Labor & Employment Law. E-mail: [email protected]

863-667-8027See our ad in the Service Directory

Professional ServicesNATALIE SWEET, LLC., REALTOR. The SweetTeam, Keller Williams Realty. Cell: 813-758-9586E-mail: [email protected] See ad in the ServiceDirectory.

HOUSE CLASSIFIEDS

LP # 108051

Reserved Space

LP Reserved Space

Items Under $200 For Sale

ADVERTISE YOUR MERCHANDISEwith the total value of all items $200 or less in

this section for FREE! Limit 1 ad per month,15 words or less. Price must be included next to

each item. No commercial advertising or garage sale advertising

Ad runs 2 consecutive weeks.Call

Toll Free: 1-877-308-5642Email ad to:

[email protected](Please include your name and address)

Or mail to:The Observer Group

P.O. Box 3169Sarasota, Fl 34230

RECLINER, LIGHT brown, $30. Blue rockerrecliner, $15. Bar stools (2), $40. 813-707-4673.

1 BEDROOM apartment for rent with all utilitiesfurnished - quiet, serene - Hwy 92 w of Plant City.813-690-8445. No pets, please.

Condos/Apts. For Rent

CUSTOMER SERVICE Representative needed forphone interactions. Looking for friendly voice,great customer service skills, ability to active listenand smile through the phone. If this fits you,please send your resume to the following address:[email protected]

MASSAGE THERAPIST position available at out-patient physical therapy clinic in Plant City. Pleasefax resume to: 813-759-8254.

Help Wanted

LOST: BASSET, female, tri-color. Lost at Wiggins& Old Mulberry. $500 reward for information.813-659-8083.

Lost & Found

BREWINGTON’S TOWING & RECOVERYwww.brewingtonstowing.com

813-754-TOWS(6300)See our ad in the Service directory

Auto Service

Cleaning RAIL TOWN Building Services. CommercialCleaning. Chuck Sullivan, 813-390-1851,www.railtownbuildingservices.com See our ad in the Service Directory.

Computer Services

ONSITE ACCOUNTING, INC.Lizzette Sarria, CFE Certified Fraud Examiner.

www.on-siteaccounting.net 813-764-9516

See my ad in the Service Directory

HOUSEMASTERHome Inspections Done Right Since 1979.

Robert & Michelle Southard866-931-2350

E-mail: [email protected] www.east-tampa.housemaster.com See our ad in the Service Directory

Home Services

SEPTIC PROSSeptic Tank and Grease

Trap PumpingSeptic System Maintenance and Installation

[email protected]

See our ad in the Service Directory

Landscaping & Lawn ServiceGREEN EAGLE, INC. Landscape and LawnMaintenance. Plant/Tree Installation and Removal,Mulch Sod Removal and Installation, Mowing, FillDirt & Cleanups. Call 813-967-6879. See our ad inthe Service directory.

CROSBY CONSTRUCTION SERVICES, INC.David Crosby, [email protected]

813-679-0096. See my ad in the Service directory

Home Improvement/ Remodeling

Home Services

Thursday, May 2, 2013

First 15 words ....................$15 per weekEach Add’l word ................................50¢

Your “NEW” SourcE for LocaL cLaSSifiEd adS

cLaSSifiEd LiNE ad PricE

call: 877-308-5642Email: [email protected]

fax: 877-308-7542

15% diScouNt for 4-week RunYellow color $5 per Week

Border as low as $3 per Week

This week’s Crossword answers

This week’s Cryptogram answers 1. My idea of a team effort is a lot of people

listeningtomypep-talksandworkingharddoingwhatIsay.

2. Amathteacherwasbriefinghisclassonthejoysand the importance of the subject. “Withoutgeometry,”hesaid,“lifeispointless!”

2013


THE PLANT CITY OBSERVER Thursday, May 2, 2013 www.yourobserver.com Classifieds 15A

Di

ACCOUNTING, INC.

www.on-siteaccounting.net

Lizzette Sarria, CFE, Certified Fraud Examiner

104 N. Evers Street, Suite 101Plant CIty, Florida 33563

813-764-9516813-764-0028 Fax

[email protected]

770

610

770

5

GREGG W. HOOTHBusiness, Labor & Employment Law

4798 South Florida AvenueP.O. Box 214Lakeland, Florida 33813

Telephone: (863) 667-8027Email: [email protected]: www.gregghooth.com

107

726

www.brewingtonstowing.com

(813) 754-TOWS(813) 754-6300(813) 719-7738 FAX

302 E. CALHOUN ST.PLANT CITY, FL 33563

1097

28

Christine RabelIndependent Sales Director

813.654.2322 Office813.758.3533 [email protected]

www.marykay.com/CRabel

God First, Family Second. Career Third

107

709

108263

Priority Pest ManagementAnt Control and Other Home Invaders

Bobby BenderOwner/OperatorP.O. Box 454Dover, FL 33527

TO SCHEDULE: 813.748.5634

1097

2610

9729

Gaffney Eye ClinicBarry M. Gaffney, O.D., P.A.Jeremy H. Gaffney, O.D.2002 S. Alexander St.Plant City, FL 33563

813.754.3593Fax: 813.754.5464drbgaffney.com

1117

60

Natalie SweetNatalie Antonia Sweet LLC

Cell: (813) 758-9586Fax: (813) 719-6300

Email: [email protected]

KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY1607 Alexander St., Plant City, FL 33563

Each office independently owned and operated

107

720

Martin’sP laceA Salon of Excellence Designed

to Meet Your Tailored LooksDowntown Lee Building

110 E. Reynolds St.Ste. 400Plant City, FL 33563

813.759.1023111644

LANGFORD’S SERVICE

We Get to the Root of the Problem

LP Missing:

# 111666

ACCOUNTING PEST CONTROL

ATTORNEY

AUTO SERVICE

BEAUTY

CLEANING

COMPUTER

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

REALTORS

SALONS

TREES

TUTORING

1116

56

PINECREST BAIT & TACKLE

NOW OPEN

Come check out the new bait and tackle store at the corner of Hwy 39 and Thompson Road

South of Aldermen’s Ford Park

(813) 737-1213

PERSONAL SERVICES

3807 Cason Road, Plant City, FL 33566

Herb PadgettCell 813.967.6879Email [email protected]

107

72

5

LANDSCAPING & LAWN

107

719

Robert & Michelle SouthardFranchise Owners / Inspectors, RMCC Home Inspections, LLC

866-931-2350Fax: 813-704-5190

Email: [email protected]

FL License #HI1060

107

72

9

HOME SERVICES

CONSTRUCTION

107

702

David Crosby

813-679-0096

Crosby Construction Services, Inc.

[email protected] Insured

FLOORING

1097

27

FLOORINSTALLATIONSERVICE, INC.

Commercial and ResidentialSales and Service

Wood Flooring | Laminate | Carpet | Vinyl | Tile

ERIC NEWSOMEVice President

5410 Boran PlaceTampa, FL 33610Phone813.664.8600Fax813.664.8611eric@floorinstalltpa.comwww.floorinstallationservice.com

Make Your Phone RingTeam Up With Classifieds

877-308-5642

Septic Tank and Grease Trap Pumping

Septic System Maintenanceand Installation

Dianne BryantOwner

Shaun BryantOwner

813-727-6905 phone

813-719-2855 [email protected]

107

72

9

3201 Jerry Smith Rd. Dover, FL 33527 • www.SePTIc-PRoS.coM

1116

66

Mary R. Davis, DirectorTutoring K-12 & Adults

Flexible Schedule & Locationwww.kklc.us • 813.804.6908

110 W. Reynolds St, Suite 104 • Plant City

Kaleidoscope Educational Services

Thursday, March 14, 2013

LV43

83813.752.1970 www.gouldsac.comCAC1816446

Get a FREE 2nd Opinion BEFOREa Major Repair or Purchase

Winter Tune-UpSPECIAL $4900

(Regulary $7999)

MENTION THIS ADFOR DISCOUNT

SPECIAL

STOP

1071

48

1070

01

Meeting ALL your cleaning needs!

Pressure WashingMaid/Janitorial

ServicesCarpet/Upholstery

CleaningRoof Cleaning

Free Estimates!

813.571-1993mtocleantampa.com

KAL-MARCONSTRUCTION, INC.

General Contractor, CGC 045134Roofing Contractor, CCC 052495

Scott RigsbeeVice President

Office (813)241-4219 / Cell (813)310-7748

Call usfor a quote

on your next construction

project

[email protected]

1069

99

RAYMOND RIVERACertified Flooring Sales Consultant

Master Flooring MechanicOwner

Cell (863) 934-8347Fax (863) 709-8307

There’s only 1 way...the Right Way!

[email protected]

We Specialize in Installing:

Licensed & Insured...All work Guaranteed 1069

96

AIR CONDITIONING CLEANING FLOORING

CONSTRUCTION

ELECTRIC

PerryElectric &Maintenance Inc.

1069

95

1069

98

Cathy ByrdPresident(813) 288-9335(813) 293-4663

Your Historic Restoration,Redevelopment &

Zoning Specialists

www.InnovativeRestorations.com

LP Missing:

# 107240

AUTO SERVICE 1070

02

REMODELING/HOME IMPROVEMENT

Septic Tank and Grease Trap Pumping

Septic System Maintenanceand Installation

Dianne BryantOwner

Shaun BryantOwner

813-727-6905 phone

813-719-2855 [email protected]

107

72

9

3201 Jerry Smith Rd. Dover, FL 33527 • www.SePTIc-PRoS.coM

1117

60

LV55

62

Local News That’sLOCAL NEWS!

Observe what you are missing...

LV3

43

3


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05.02.13 Plant City Observer

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