Plant City Observer 11.08.12

As one politician with roots in Plant City’s government va-cated his seat in the Florida House of Representatives, vot-ers gave another the nod.

Former Mayor and Plant City Commissioner Dan Raulerson cruised to a victory for the Dis-

trict 58 seat, beating Democrat Jose Vazquez and garnering nearly 57.45% of the vote.

Raulerson who celebrated with family, friends and sup-porters at O’Brien’s Irish Pub and Grill in Plant City, said he is looking forward to represent-

ing Plant City at the state level.“I want to make sure the

constituents get the most bang for their buck,” he said. “I want businesses to have a chance to do enjoyable business here.

FREE • thuRsday, NOVEMBER 8, 2012

IN FOCUSSPORTSDurant High’s Hamilton onthe right track.PAGE 13

PLANT CITYObserveryOu. yOuR NEighBORs. yOuR NEighBORhOOd.

SPOTLIGHTDance Carouselvictorious atfirst competition.PAGES 9

Plant CityYMCA throwsFall Festival.PAGE 10

Crossword ......... 19 Obituaries ......... 12 Opinion ................8 Sports ............... 13Vol. 1, No. 19 | One section

PlantCityObserver.com

+ Pfc. Ben Secorreturns to the U.S.

Plant City native U.S. Army Pfc. Ben secor, the first Hometown Hero we featured in the Plant City Observer, is back on home turf after nine months in Afghanistan.

Secor — along with about 230 members of the Fourth Brigade Combat Team, Fourth Infantry Division, received a hero’s welcome Nov. 4, at Fort Carson, Colo.

Even better: Secor’s son, Colt, was born while was overseas. Father and son met for the first time.

+ Pioneer Daysset for Saturday

Plant City will take a step back in time at the 35th annual Pioneers Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 10, at the 1914 Plant City High School Community Center, 605 N. Collins St.

The event will feature the Southern Belle Stroll, a new Pioneer Heritage Sweetheart Pageant, performances, dem-onstrations and more.

+ Plant Cityto honor veterans

Students from Springhead Elementary School will take center stage at Plant City’s Veterans Day ceremony at 10 a.m. Nov. 10, at Veterans Memorial Monument Park, 703 N. Wheeler St.

The school’s choir will perform a variety of patriotic songs, and students also will read speeches they wrote in honor of veterans.

+ Bruton libraryplants new program

Calling all green thumbs: Bruton Memorial Library will host a Master Gardening Program, titled “Florida Wildflowers,” at 7 p.m. Nov. 13, at 302 McLendon St.

Gardener Virginia Overstreet will be the guest speaker.

OUR TOWN

INDEX

ELECTION by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

SEE ELECTION / PAGE 4

RauLERsON WiNsThe former Plant City mayor and city commissioner will take on Tallahassee. Al Higginbotham also wasre-elected to the Hillsborough County Commission.

Whether he was taking care of patients at his practice or per-forming comedic sketches on stage, Dr. Hal Brewer always had a smile on his face.

And that’s how many com-munity members will remember him.

Dr. Brewer, longtime physi-

cian, philanthropist and com-munity leader, died Nov. 5. He was 85.

Dr. Brewer had been a pa-tient at the South Florida Bap-tist Hospital since Oct. 15. He returned home Sunday and was surrounded by family when he died.

“We were glad and happy to all have the time to be right there for his last breath,” son Les Brewer said.

A native of Mississippi, Dr. Brewer was a World War II veter-an. He married Lynn Holloway in

Plant City remembers Dr. Hal Brewer Dr. Hal Brewer died earlier this week after a stay in the hospital.

SEE BREWER / PAGE 9

IN MEMORIAM by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

Courtesy photo

Dr. hal Brewer was a longtime physician in Plant City.

Michael Eng

Emily thorston-Riley and the Durant High School marching band competed twice Nov. 3 — first at the FBA District 7 Marching Music Performance Assessment event, at Strawberry Crest High School, and later at the Music in Motion competition in Lakewood Ranch. For more photos, see page 3.

VisuaL EFFECt

Amber Jurgensen

shirley and dan Raulerson celebrated his win at O’Brien’s in Plant City.

Plant city observerTHURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 20122 PlantCityObserver.com

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PlantCityObserver.com 3 Plant city observerTHURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2012

Plant City voters made in-ternational news this week af-ter a broadcast crew from the Al Jazeera network featured the community as part of its coverage of the presidential election.

Andy Gallacher, a correspon-dent for the English version of the Arabic-language news network, along with a crew of four set up shop Nov. 5, outside of Parkesdale Farm Market, as part of the net-work’s package spotlighting the Interstate 4 corridor. The eight-week assignment began in Dayto-na Beach, and the crew also made stops in Pine Hills and Kissimmee before reaching Plant City.

The crew then completed its assignment on Election Day in Tampa.

“We wanted to focus on the diversity of the I-4 corridor — it’s the battleground within the battleground,” Gallacher said. “In Daytona, we were there for

Biketoberfest, so we interviewed some folks in full leathers.

“We’ve definitely met some real characters along the way,” he said.

The crew also matched each location with a different demo-graphic. In Daytona, Gallacher focused on seniors, in Pine Hills, African-American voters, and in Kissimmee, Puerto Rican voters. For Plant City, the crew searched for those who still were undecid-ed the day before the election.

“At first, the I-4 corridor doesn’t look like much, but beneath the surface, you begin to see all the little nuances,” Gallacher said. “Here, we’ve been just pulling people off the street, and every-body has been passionate and well-informed, and I think that’s a reflection of just how polarizing both of these candidates are.”

Gallacher said Parkesdale’s history as a must-stop location

for candidates made Plant City a natural stop. The market has a rich tradition of attracting atten-tion, including former President George H. W. Bush, 2008 Repub-lican nominee John McCain and former Republican vice-presi-dential candidate Sarah Palin. President Barack Obama also made a surprise visit to Parkes-dale during his 2008 campaign.

Before taking his position with Al Jazeera’s Miami-based bureau, Gallacher worked for more than 15 years as a correspondent for the BBC. He covered the 9/11 at-tacks from New York City.

During their stay in Plant City, Gallacher and the crew had an opportunity to sample the local fare, including lunches at Buddy Freddy’s and the corner store, and, of course, Parkesdale’s fa-mous strawberry milkshakes.

“It’s by far the best milkshake I’ve ever had,” Gallacher said.

“I’ve never tasted anything quite like it.”

The crew also enjoyed Plant City’s signature hospitality. While they were there stationed at Parkesdale, Public Relations Manager Xiomara Meeks made sure to keep them fed with the

market’s strawberry cookies and bread.

“Everyone has been so friend-ly,” Gallacher said.

Al Jazeera reaches an estimated 250 million households.

Contact Michael Eng at [email protected].

al Jazeera coverage features Plant cityThe English version of Al Jazeera, the Arabic-language newsnetwork, broadcast from Parkesdale Farm Market earlier this week.

Michael Eng

Al Jazeera correspondent andy Gallacher broadcast several segments from Parkesdale Farm Market earlier this week.

Armed with her “buy local” battle cry, Plant City entrepre-neur Amanda Pope hopes to bolster local business owners with a new event this weekend.

Called “Friends Don’t Let Friends Shop Chain Stores,” the event will feature about 17 lo-cal businesses. It will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 10, at The Corner Store, 121 E. Reynolds St.

In addition to giving entre-preneurs a chance to showcase their goods or services, the event will serve as a fundraiser for Madison’s Mission, a fundraiser for families in need launched by 6-year-old Madison Brewer, and a food drive for the food pantry at Pope’s church, First Free Will Baptist Church, in Seffner.

The idea sprouted from a sin-gle email Pope sent to friends af-ter Knotts Hardware closed.

“I envision an evening that ladies can get together and set up a place to show off their wares and services to others in our community,” she wrote. “As many of you know, Plant City has struggled through the cur-rent economy, and the grass-roots of our community has been hit pretty hard. You know times are tough when a 70-year-old family owned business such

as Knotts Hardware closes its doors, because it can no longer compete with the likes of Lowe’s and Walmart.”

That email inspired several businesses, including Ego Girl Outfitters, Parkesdale Farm Mar-ket, Sister’s & Company and Tay-lorMade Photography, to sign on as participants.

“It just snowballed,” Pope said.Each participating business

has donated a raffle item, and money raised through the raffle will benefit both charities. Host business The Corner Store will offer wine and food.

“I wanted to do this for (the businesses) but also to charita-ble causes,” Pope said. “It is im-portant to do good.”

Pope launched her own busi-ness, Restored Soul Studios, from her Plant City home. The business specializes in restoring used furniture.

If successful, Pope said she hopes to make the event a quar-terly venture.

Contact Michael Eng at [email protected].

Entrepreneur launches event for local startupsAmanda Pope, owner of Restored Soul Studios, will host the first ‘Friends Don’t Let Friends Shop Chain Stores’ Saturday.

IF YOU GO‘Friends don’t let Friends shoP chain stores’When: 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 10Where: The Corner Store, 121 E. Reynolds St.inForMation: Amanda Pope, [email protected] or the corner store, (813) 754-0900.

upcoming by Michael eng | Managing Editor

international spotlight by Michael eng | Managing Editor

Michelle Ferguson Photography

Amanda Pope owns Restored Soul Studios.MUSIC IN MOTION

More than 25 high school bands from throughout the area brought their 2012 com-petitive shows to Plant City for the FBA District 7 Marching Music Performance Assess-ment event Nov. 3, at Straw-berry Crest High School.

All three Plant City bands — Durant, Plant City and Straw-berry Crest — performed along with bands from as as

away as Lakewood Ranch and Tampa. Judges scored each in marching, music, general ef-fect, auxiliary and percussion categories.

Durant, Plant City and Strawberry Crest all compet-ed in the A division. Durant and Plant City both received an “Excellent” rating, while Strawberry Crest received a “Superior” rating.

LOUD AND PROUD by Michael eng | Managing Editor

The Durant band showcased plenty of interesting visuals during its performance.

alex sykes was a featured soloist for Durant’s show.

Left: The Riverview band performed a show called “Digital Deception: The Swan Virus.”


And I want to streamline processes. “I want to give back to the community

that’s given so much to me and my family throughout the years,” Raulerson said. “I want to help people of the district.”

The new representative plans to focus his attention on Midtown as his first order of business in Tallahassee.

“The first project I want to work on is the Midtown project and getting the as-phalt removed and greening that area up,” he said. “The Midtown project is a good example of where we could have some wiggle room with certain laws or regulations. We have the money, but be-cause of a legislative hiccup, we’re now in a position where we can’t do something good for the community.

“I’m really looking for-ward to the challenge and honored that people have faith in me,” Raulerson said. I’m going to go in and put up a fight.”

Raulerson also praised Vazquez for his campaign.

“God bless Jose Vazquez for stepping up and get-ting in the race and going through with it,” he said. “It takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there. I have had an absolute blast cam-paigning. It’s been educa-tional. It’s been inspiring.”

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS

Plant City resident and former state Rep. Rich Glo-rioso lost his bid for Hills-borough County Supervi-sor of Elections. Democrat Craig Latimer, who served in the office as its chief of staff, defeated the Repub-lican, garnering 55.95% of the vote.

Glorioso and his sup-porters learned of the out-come at his election party at O’Brien’s Pub & Grill in Brandon.

“We did everything we thought was right, but it just didn’t happen,” Glorio-so said. “I guess Hillsbor-ough County has decided it’s time for me to move on.”

Glorioso said he has en-joyed the time he spent as state representative and will look back with pride.

“I have enjoyed serving my country,” he said. “I’ve been in the military. Prob-ably the proudest thing I’ve done as state representa-tive was working with fos-ter kids as they age out of the foster-care system.”

Now, Glorioso said he will be able to spend more time with his family.

“My grandson asked, ‘What if you lose?’ And I said, ‘I’ll get my old boat fixed up, and we’ll go fishing,” he said. “And then he asked what would I do if I won. I said, ‘Get my old boat fixed up and go fishing.’ So, it was a win-win situation.”

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY COMMISSION DISTRICT 4

Plant City’s voice on the Hillsborough County Commission will remain strong, as Republican Al Higginbotham won 58.24% of the vote to remain a member of the commission.

Even after a long night day yesterday, Higginbotham said he woke up energized and ready to get to work.

“It’s been busy, but I got some rest last night, and I hit the trail with full steam to-day,” he said. “It’s been a long two years; we’ve been campaigning for that long.

“There’s been hundreds of hours put into this by volunteers, financial con-tributors. And we couldn’t have done this without the volunteers.

“I’m energized, I’m excited, and I’m really humbled,” Higginbotham said. “I know that is an overused word, but I am humbled by the support of the voters. It makes me feel like we’re on the right track. We’re doing what’s right.”

Higginbotham was a guest speaker Nov.

7, at the Istanbul Cultural Center, to pro-mote international trade.

CHARTER CHANGEPlant City voters approved a charter

change that eliminates special elections when city commissioners leave office with less than 15 months to serve.

This is the case with Raulerson’s seat on the commission.

Under the change, the commission will appoint an interim commissioner to hold Raulerson’s seat until the term is com-plete in June. City leaders say the change will save taxpayers from paying for a spe-cial election, which costs $15,000.

Contact Amber Jurgensen at [email protected].

GENERAL ELECTION RESULTScanDiDate PercentaGe votes

UniteD states senatorConnie Mack (REP) 38.74% 200,361Bill Nelson (DEM) 58.62% 303,233Bill Gaynor (NPA) 1.47% 7,589Chris Borgia (NPA) 1.06% 5,467

rePresentative in conGress District 12Gus Bilirakis (REP) 63.59% 34,456Jonathan Snow (DEM) 32.71% 17,722John Russell (NPA) 1.53% 831Paul Elliott (NPA) 2.17% 1,175

state senator District 24Tom Lee (REP) 54.1% 101,967Elizabeth Belcher (DEM) 45.75% 86,229

state rePresentative District 58Dan Raulerson (REP) 57.45% 31,586Jose Vazquez (DEM) 42.55% 23,398

HillsboroUGH coUnty ProPerty aPPraiserRonda Storms (REP) 42.86% 215,982Bob Henriquez (DEM) 52.43% 264,209James DeMio (NPA) 1.19% 6,006Robert Townsend (NPA) 3.52% 17,725

HillsboroUGH coUnty sUPervisor oF electionsRich Glorioso (REP) 44.05% 217,398Craig Latimer (DEM) 55.95% 276,171

HillsboroUGH coUnty coMMission District 4Al Higginbotham (REP) 58.24% 74,380Mark Nash (DEM) 37.1% 47,382Joy Green (NPA) 4.67% 5,961

HillsboroUGH coUnty coMMission District 6Margaret Iuculano (REP) 42.12% 205,512Kevin Beckner (DEM) 57.88% 282,440

HillsboroUGH coUnty scHool boarD District 7Terry Kemple 43.05% 181,524Carol Kurdell 56.95% 240,156

Plant city cHarter cHanGeYes 59.05% 6,508No 40.95% 4,514

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NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORYPOLICY AS TO STUDENTS

First Baptist Learning Center and First Baptist School of Music503 N. Palmer Street, Plant City FL 33563

admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, pro-grams, and activities generally accorded or made available to students of the organization. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and other organi-zation-administered programs.

election/PaGe 1


t takes more than luckto become Plant City’soldest and largesthometown financial

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...It also takes hard work and a steadfast commitment to

the people of Plant City who make this such a great place to

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We’ve had over 58 years to perfect our hometown

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“Banking on a First Name Basis”

PLANT CITY – Main Office, 102 W. Baker Street, 752-6193 • WALDEN WOODS – 2400 Jim Redman Parkway, 754-1844

Also offices in: BRANDON, RIVERVIEW and ZEPHYRHILLS

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Walk into Richie Long’s apartment, and it won’t take long to figure out he is a huge University of Florida Gators fan.

From signed memorabilia to a Gators throw blanket on the end of his bed, there is no mistaking Long’s love and passion for UF.

Long, the office coordina-tor at Sweetbay Supermarket off South Wheeler Street, says he has supported Florida Ga-tor football as long as he can remember.

“When I was old enough to know what football was, I was a fan,” he said.

Long’s parents, Elliott and Jan, were big supporters of the UF football team and passed their passion down to their son. Long, 33, is originally from Lakeland and has been working for Sweet-bay and living in Plant City for the past six-and-one-half years.

Long didn’t have any chances to make the trip up to Gainesville as a child. In fact, his first game came in 2010, and the experience only heightened Long’s pas-sion for Gators football. He returned last year for another game.

“It’s nothing like you see on TV,” he said. “You get goosebumps when you walk

into the stadium. I just enjoy the atmosphere and enjoy Gainesville. Hearing the band play live and taking every-thing in is just amazing.”

Long admits he also has some family members, including an uncle, who support the Florida State Seminoles, one of the Gators biggest rivals.

“I remember growing up when the Florida-Florida State game would come around; it was always fun,” he said. “The rivalry of the games between the families was always exciting.”

Long’s passion doesn’t stop with the Gators. He also claims to be the No. 1 Tim Tebow fan and supporter in town.

“When he started playing for UF, I just really latched on to him because of his leader-ship skills and the fact that he’s not afraid to show he’s religious,” Long said.

Long has had the oppor-tunity to meet Tebow several times, even before he was able to take in a Gators foot-ball game.

“I first met him in 2008 at Florida Football Fan Day at the campus in Gainesville,” he said.

Long waited in line for almost four hours that day and barely made the cutoff to

be able to meet Tebow. Long met him again at fan day in 2009 and even camped out at for his book-signing last year at an Orlando Barnes and Noble.

Among his many pieces of Florida memorabilia, Long’s favorite piece is a mini hel-met signed by Tebow.

Long said he still supports Tebow in his NFL career and has followed his progress

with the Denver Broncos and now the New York Jets. He wishes the Jets would use him more.

“I hate how his time ended in Denver,” he said. “I don’t think they gave him a fair chance to prove himself there, and now with the Jets, it’s even more frustrating, because they have Mark San-chez as their starting quarter-back and aren’t using Tebow

that much. I personally wish that they would trade him to a team that would let him show his true potential.”

Long said he would love to see the Gators win a national championship in person, and it would be a dream to take in an NFL game with Tebow playing, something he never got to experience when Tebow was at Florida.

— Matt Mauney

Richie Long As the self-proclaimed biggest Florida Gators and Tim Tebow fan in Plant City,Richie Long bleeds blue and orange.


PIG JAM Plant City 10TH Annual

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For More Information Contact the Plant City Chamber of Commerce

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WIN A:

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OR YETI COOLER

SPONSORED BY: Both items to be Awarded 11/17/12

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Plant City Entertainment, Inc. A 501 (c)(3) Corporation

Presents

Performance Dates:November 9, 10, 2012 at 8 p.m.

November 11, 2012 at 2 p.m. (matinee)

November 15, 16, 17, 2012 at 8 p.m.

More information at: www.pce-inc.comAll performances at: 101 N. Thomas Street Plant City, FL 33563

aDmission:

Adults $14Students $12Seniors (65+) $12members & GrouPs sales

of 10 or more $10Tickets available at the door

The first residents of a new se-nior living community in Plant City will move in this month.

GraceManor, situated on five acres off South Hunter Street, has 48 homes available.

Construction on the gated com-munity began in January. The complete campus construction is scheduled to end in December and will not extend past February.

“It’s very exciting,” Executive Director Brady Roberts said. “It’s something that we want to do to help out the community. I can’t stress that enough.”

The idea for GraceManor first came after the two owners, Louis Garrard and Will Smith, noticed there was a need for a senior com-munity in Plant City. Smith is a third-generation Plant City native.

GraceManor features two- and three-bedroom units. All homes are handicap-accessible, with a single-car garage. They also in-clude appliances such as micro-waves, dishwashers, washers, dryers and refrigerator. Homes have a front courtyard and back porch, and all maintenance is in-cluded.

Residents also will be able to use a 1,200-square-foot clubhouse, a one-half-mile paved trail and a pool, which will feature activities such as water aerobics.

“We want for residents to be able to utilize this place for activi-ties, events and to just shoot the breeze or have a cup of coffee and socialize,” Roberts said about the clubhouse.

Roberts and other manage-ment will be living in the commu-nity to ensure 24-hour service. He also hopes to have a police officer on-site.

In the future, GraceManor hopes to open up an assisted-liv-ing facility nearby to house about 50 residents.

GraceManor at Hunters Creek is part of a network that includes assisted-living facilities in Lake-land and Port Orange.


Plant City Fire Rescue Battal-ion Chief Vince Kiffner remained humble when he was named Firefighter of the Year by Interim Fire Chief David Burnett. But the Plant City fire station agrees Kiff-ner deserves the award.

“He’s one of those (who is) a problem-solver and one that we can really rely on,” Burnett said. “He’s an individual who is very passionate about what he does and has the respect of his peers.”

Kiffner was nominated by his peers for the award based on his job performance and leadership characteristics. Kiffner said he was surprised by the recognition.

“At first I thought, ‘Is this for real?’ because we do a lot of jokes on each other,” Kiffner said.

Plant City locals have prob-ably seen the Kiffner riding around town in one of the fire department’s red SUVs as a first responder. But Kiffner didn’t al-ways want to be a firefighter. His interest in firefighting was first sparked as a high-schooler at Plant City High School. He vol-unteered at the Cork/Knight Fire Department in the 1980s.

After graduating, Kiffner joined the U.S. Army and served for four years. He was involved with telecommunications, hop-ing to work for a phone company after his service. But memories of his volunteer firefighting days hadn’t left him.

“Firefighting is what I really wanted to do,” Kiffner said.

Kiffner went to fire school at Hillsborough Community Col-lege, where he climbed tall lad-ders, navigated through smoke mazes and learned everything he needed to know about firefight-ing. Kiffner said his prior military training helped him succeed.

In June 1988, Kiffner began working for the Plant City Fire Department and has remained on staff ever since.

“It’s always something differ-ent every day,” Kiffner said, cit-ing his first reason why he loves being a firefighter. “You can be outside. It’s like a second family, too, because you’re with them every third day.”

Kiffner has responded to thou-sands of calls throughout his ca-reer. One he specifically remem-

bers. Kiffner was able to help resuscitate a choking baby who had gone into cardiac arrest.

“That’s the job and that’s what we do,” Kiffner said. “I don’t feel special for helping, because that’s just what we get paid to do. If I were off the clock and saved someone’s life, then it might be something special, but it’s my job.”

Between calls, Kiffner trains at the fire station, works out, makes dinner and plays basketball with the other firefighters.

Kiffner is married to Heather Kiffner and has two daughters, Katy and Kristyn, and two grand-children, Justin and Lila.


GraceManor communitybegins leasing phase

GRAcEMANOR AT HUNTERS cREEkaDDress: 784 Hunter creek Drive PHone: (813) 399-7768

Two bedroom, two bath1,100 square feet$1,100 per month

Three bedroom, three bath1,300 square feet$1,300 per month

REAL ESTATE by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

An open living space makes mobility easy.

Fire rescue honors one of its ownPlant City Firefighters offered their congratulations to Battalion Chief Vince Kiffner, who was named Firefighter of the Year.

recognition by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

Amber Jurgensen

Battalion chief Vince kiffner is the 2012 Firefighter of the Year.


Artist Debra Bryant takes a smooth bowl from the pile of assorted vases, plates and pots and places it gently in front of her. Inspecting the tubes of paint next to her worksta-tion, she realizes chartreuse is missing from the array of colors. Instead, she opts for a red, which she squirts on a palate and begins dabbing the paint into the shape of a strawberry on the face of the bowl.

Bryant is just one of many artists donating her talents for the second Plant City Empty Bowls fundraiser. For $10, attendees can pick out a small bowl and fill it with a hearty soup. Proceeds from lunch benefit the United Food Bank of Plant City.

Each bowl included with lunch has a unique story. Since last year, children at local schools have been shaping, fir-ing up and painting smaller bowls for the fundraiser.

“This is to remind everyone of all the bowls that don’t get filled with food every night,” United Food Bank board mem-ber Silvia Dodson said.

Dodson was responsible for organizing the art project at schools, finding teachers and artists, gathering bowls from the schools and firing up those that didn’t make it to the kiln at school.

Pottery artists David Dye and Shawna Everidge have been going into schools and other centers to teach students how to shape and glaze their bowls. The schools that do not have their own kiln sent their bowls to Florida Brick and Clay for the final process. In the past month, bowls have poured into Florida Brick and Clay to get ready for the sale on Saturday. About 1,000 bowls have been gathered.

“I think that’s one of the most fun things about this project — the children’s involvement,” Bryant said. “A lot of times, they

don’t realize issues that are out in the community, because they are so well protected. But when they get hands-on, they are able to see the issues and know they can make an impact.”

A group of artists and volunteers gathered Nov. 2, at Florida Brick and Clay to finish glazing and firing up the student bowls and paint other ceramics for the sale, which were shaped by amateur potters.

John Briggs, Jules Burt and Jossie Azorin have been cre-ating artworks on ceramics to sell and auction off at the event on Saturday.

Many of the ceramics for sale have been created by Florida Brick and Clay President Tony Arozin. He took up pottery when he was first married. After a 30-year hiatus from art, Dodson asked him to fire of the potter’s wheel again to make pottery for Empty Bowls. Arozin designated a small part of one of Florida Brick and Clay’s warehouses as his workstation.

“It’s like a stress release,” Arozin said. “I can come in here and forget about the stresses of the day. And it’s a great way to raise money for the United Food Bank.”

Last year the event raised about $6,000 for the United Food Bank. This year the goal is to raise $10,000.


We’ve changed our name and a feW other things!

neW

Buy 1 EntréE at regular menu Price,

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YOUR CHOICE OF:

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2212 James L. redman PkWyPlant Cityin thE PuBlix Plaza

813.752.2700$6.95 meaL deaLsevery day! 11am-5PmincLudes Beverage, tea or soda

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margaritasBloody mary’sLong island iced tea

With Coupon Only. Cannot Be Combined With Any

Other Offers Or Specials. Expires: 12/31/12

thursdays & sundays59¢ WingsDine In Only

FEEDING THE HUNGRY by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

IF YOU GOsecond annual Plant city emPty bowlswHen: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 10wHere: Historic Downtown Train Depotcost: $10 for lunch and bowl

Don’t forget to browse through art while eating your lunch. The Art Lounge Gallery will have art booths set up at McCall Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Amber Jurgensen

Jossie azorin, who has been painting for 68 years, loved to create flowers on the round bowls for the fundraiser.

Behind the BowlsFor $10, attendees can enjoy soup in a hand-made bowl for the Empty Bowls fundraiser, which benefits the United Food Bank.

Go online to see what is on the menu and a list of participants.www.PlantCityObserver.com

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

OCT. 23RUNNING MAN

120 block of oak brook lane. Grand Theft. Unknown suspect(s) stole a treadmill, valued at $1,200, from the front yard of the home.

STONE-COLD THIEF300 block of Park springs circle.

Grand Theft. Unknown suspect(s) stole a concrete vibrator, valued at $1,000.

OCT. 24BLIND-SIDED

2500 block of thonotosassa road. Grand Theft. An unknown person stole 17 eyeglass frames from the store. The frames were valued at about $1,000.

BUSTEDintersection of cherry and John-

son streets. Drug Arrest. An officer checked out with a suspicious vehi-cle at the park, located at Cherry and Johnson streets. He made contact with the driver, who was trespass-

ing at the park after closing. At time of contact, the officer could smell a strong odor or burnt marijuana. The officer searched the car and was able to locate two small bags of marijuana in the car, along with a glass pipe and a circular grinder. The pipe and the grinder tested positive for marijua-na. The combined weight of the two bags of marijuana was 9.6 grams. The suspect was arrested and released on his own recognizance. He also was cited for possession of alcohol by a person under 21.

ALMOST GOT AWAY WITH IT4600 block of s.r. 574. Shoplift-

ing/Petit Theft. Officers responded to the convenience store in reference to a shoplifting in progress. While en route, officers received information the suspect left in a white Chevy Col-orado. Officers were able to locate the vehicle and confirm the driver was the person who took the mer-chandise. The suspect was arrested and later released on his own recog-nizance.

OCT. 25SCARY SITUATION

2000 block of north wheeler street. Carjacking At about 5 a.m., the victim

pulled up and parked on the north side of the gas station. He noticed someone walking toward his truck from behind. The suspect opened the driver’s door, grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the truck, causing him to fall to the ground. The suspect got into the truck and drove north-bound on North Wheeler Street. The suspect was described as a male wearing a hoodie and camouflage hunter’s-style mask. The victim’s ve-hicle is a 2012 Dodge Ram with Flori-da tag G944FV.

MISSING MUSIC1200 block of Goldfinch drive.

Residential Burglary. The victim re-ported her apartment had been bur-glarized and an iPod, valued at $300, had been stolen.

COPS CORNERPLANT CITY

OCT. 23GONE FISHIN’

1000 block of north Palm drive. Residential Bur-glary. Unknown suspect(s) stole five fishing poles, valued at about $100.

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


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

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

progressive policy.” Friedrich Hayek

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944

ObserverPLANT CITY

Publisher / Felix Haynes, [email protected]

Managing Editor / Michael Eng, [email protected]

Assistant Managing Editor / Jess Eng, [email protected]

Associate Editors / (Community) Amber Jurgensen, [email protected]; (Sports) Matt Mauney, [email protected] Advertising Executives / Veronica Prostko, [email protected]; Ronda Kyler, [email protected]

Advertising Coordinator / Linda Lancaster, [email protected]

Accounting Manager / Petra Kirkland, [email protected]

Advertising-Production Operations Manager / Kathy Payne, [email protected]

Advertising-Production Coordinator / Brooke Schultheis, [email protected]

Advertising Graphic Designers / Monica DiMattei, [email protected]; Marjorie Holloway, [email protected]; Luis Trujillo, [email protected]; Chris Stolz, [email protected]

President / Felix HaynesDirectors / Nate Kilton, Ed Verner,

Matt Walsh110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100A

Plant City, Fla. 813-704-6850

www.PlantCityObserver.com

The Plant CityObserver LLC

Locally OwnedPublisher of the Plant City Observer and

PlantCityObserver.com

©Copyright Plant City Observer LLC 2012 All Rights Reserved

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

senD Us yoUr neWsWe want to hear from

you. Let us know about your community events, celebrations and family member achievements. To contact us, send your information via: Email: Michael Eng, [email protected]

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

contact UsThe Plant City Observer is published once weekly,

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

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

I could feel my 2-year-old daughter’s grip tightening around me with every step. And even though — in my head — I knew the outcome, I kept convincing myself it would be different.

I had to. It was the only way I could justify standing in such a long line so Aria could take one little lap atop a pony.

After all, it was all she could talk about — even before we climbed into the car to go to Antioch Days last weekend. And even as we stood in line, she reiterated to me her intentions.

Of our two children, she’s the daredevil, so I was optimistic her bravery would squelch any appre-hension a tiny horse possibly could bring.

Boy, was I wrong.With her arms clamped

firmly around my neck, she screamed in terror as we ap-proached the pony. I looked up helplessly at the ride attendant, who only could smile and shrug her shoulders.

“I guess we’ll have to try an-other time,” I told her.

Aria buried her face in my shoulder as we made our way out of the line.

In hindsight, that was the only way our outing could have ended.

Like many dads, I’m guilty of harboring sky-high expecta-tions, so when I perused the Antioch Days website, my mind created all kinds of Norman Rockwell-ian images: My chil-dren gleefully shouting “choo-choo!” as we chugged along on the train; the four of us walk-ing hand-in-hand through the festival grounds; our children’s faces and fingers dusted with

powdered sugar after we all shared a funnel cake.

But here’s the reality: The four of us packed ourselves like sardines on a train seat built for two, and both of our children zig-zagged through the crowd and constantly tried to wiggle their fingers from our grasp. At one point, our 4-year-old son,

Lyric — even after performing his telltale pee dance — flung himself into the dirt, screaming that he didn’t have to use the facilities.

(It’s not that he didn’t have to use it. Rather, he was afraid of the port-o-lets. This is the same boy who won’t use a public toi-

let if it automatically flushes.)Oh, and we never got that

funnel cake.It’s not Antioch Days’ fault.

With everything from cloggers and balloon animals to a dunk tank and paddle boats, the Plant City tradition is packed with family fun. It’s a time when The Church at Antioch pays homage to the genera-tions who came before — the founders of the church, which was established in 1854.

And, frankly, it’s not even our kids’ fault. Sure, they weren’t the model of perfect behav-ior my wife and I absolutely deserve 24/7, but they also are 2 and 4 years old. Truthfully, they weren’t behaving in any other way than they knew how. Their world is governed by the simplest rules: Hunger, exhaus-tion, fear, impulse.

Rather, I was the one with the extraordinarily lofty perception of how the outing would go. I was the one trying to shoehorn my children into a morning

that fit my own ideals. And, yes, I was the one who decided not to focus on all the perfect memories Antioch Days actu-ally brought.

We started the day sifting through sand for treasures, and both kids worked together to find their keepsakes.

While waiting in line for the train in my wife’s arms, Lyric placed his head on her shoul-der and snuggled just a little closer. He remained still for several minutes, as my wife beamed. As he grows older, those moments are becoming less frequent.

And for me, as Aria’s fear of the pony overcame her, she clung to her dad for protection. Through-out her life, there likely will be many, many more times when I won’t be right there to comfort

her. But in that day, in that mo-ment, I was there for her.

A father can’t ask for much more than that.

Later that night, as Aria and I read her bedtime story, we came across a page with a horse.

“Look!” I said. “Don’t you want to ride one?”

“Nope,” she said.“No? Isn’t he cute?”“Nope. Don’t want to.”“Well, why not?”“He’s going to bite me,” she

said.Then, she thought for a

minute.“I’ll ride him when I’m 4,” she

said.“I’m sure you will,” I replied.

“That sounds like a great plan. Can Daddy come, too?”

“Yep, you can come.”

Kids kick dear old Dad back to realityobserved | Antioch Days

MICHAELENG

With the joint efforts of Hills-borough County and the City of Plant City, the Tampa Hillsbor-ough Economic Develop-ment Council currently is recruiting a Project Manager for Plant City and eastern Hillsborough County.

Funded by a joint agreement between the EDC, Plant City and Tampa Electric Company, the project manager will focus on growth in our community. The Tampa Hillsborough EDC is officially recognized as Hillsborough County’s primary business recruitment and retention economic development team in partnership with Hillsborough County and the cities of Tampa, Plant City, Temple Terrace and private investors.

As the county commissioner for District 4 and a Plant City native, I am pleased to repre-sent this strong community. Plant City is a vital stop along the Interstate 4 corridor. For more than 10 years, Plant City has had a growth rate of 10% and boasts easy access to airports, major freight rail cor-ridors and the Port of Tampa. A

national leader in agribusiness, Plant City major crops include strawberries, aquaculture and

tomatoes. In addi-tion to its agribusiness strength, Plant City has put concerted ef-fort into an economic development plan to identify strengths and opportunities for in-dustries such as nutra-ceuticals and manufac-turing. With more than 3,000 acres available for new development,

Plant City is ready to recruit new businesses.

“We believe there are signifi-cant opportunities for eco-nomic growth in Plant City,” said Rick Homans, president and CEO of the Tampa Hillsbor-ough Economic Development Corporation. “This new posi-tion allows us to realize that potential and maximize our efforts in eastern Hillsborough County. We appreciate the con-tinued support of the county and thank the City of Plant City and TECO for providing the necessary funding to make this happen.”

The project manager for economic development efforts

Plant City and eastern Hillsbor-ough County will be respon-sible for outreach to corporate CEOs in the Plant City area. The manager will focus on the tar-geted industries through com-pany visits, industry specific trade organization meetings, phone calls and face-to-face meetings.

In addition to helping exist-ing businesses with retention and expansion efforts, the project manager will work to generate new business recruit-ment opportunities. This posi-tion will work closely with city officials to identify incentives or proposals that can enhance the city’s offerings to prospects.

The project manager will maintain a list of available sites in Plant City and eastern Hillsborough to ensure they are listed on the EDC’s online com-mercial real estate directory. If you know of an available site, please work with the EDC to include it in the database.

“Plant City is focused on economic development and we are ready for new growth,” said Mayor Michael Sparkman. “The city is pro-business with a great workforce, an excellent school system and public services

second to none. Now that the Tampa Hillsborough County EDC has a new position specific to Plant City, we are ready for the challenge of 2013.”

The Plant City Commission has partnered with Hillsbor-ough County commissioners to identify potential obstacles and ways to resolve those issues. Through the Tampa Hillsborough Economic De-velopment Corporation, of which both the City of Plant City and Hillsborough County are members, we can recruit businesses on a national scale to our communities. EDC’s efforts recruited 4,176 jobs to Hillsborough County in 2011, and we look for an even higher number in 2012.

WORKING FOR YOU Working together with the

residents of District 4, I have found that we truly can make a difference for the future of Hillsborough County.

If you need anything or would like to share your opin-ion on Hillsborough County issues, please do not hesitate to call my office at (813) 272-5740 or email [email protected].

Economic council seeks new managerCOMMISSIONER’S UPDATE

ALHIGGINBOTHAM

Michael Eng

Our children, lyric and aria eng did enjoy sifting for treasures at their first Antioch Days outing.


1951. He moved to Plant City in 1960 after graduating from medical school at the University of Mississippi. His family was selected as Family of the Year by the Plant City Woman’s Club in 1971 and have since re-mained involved in the community.

Dr. Brewer was a charter member of the Toastmas-ters and a member of the Kiwanis Club of Plant City, Friends of the Library and the Plant City Entertain-ment community theater. He had been a Sunday school teacher, Spring of Tampa Bay board mem-ber, director and president of the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, member of the East Hills-borough Historical Society, and South Florida Baptist Hospital board member.

Dr. Brewer had also been honored as Outstanding Citizen of the Year and received a Heritage Award.

“I’ve always been very proud of my dad,” Les Brew-er said. “He’s seemed to have an impact on many peo-ple. He always liked to tell stories, entertain and make people happy.”

Kim Mitchell, who knew Dr. Brewer for 40 years, agreed.

“I have so many wonderful memories of him — from him playing in the junkyard band at the hospital picnics many years ago, to him playing a ‘G Man’ in Plant City Entertainment’s production of ‘You Can’t Take it With You,’ to all the wonderful jokes and sto-ries he told, in a true Mississippi Southern gentleman style,” she said.

“He helped me to overcome the fear of pub-lic speaking as well as countless others as our mentor (at Toastmasters),” Rick Norman said.

“He was a wonderful doctor, but beyond that, he is a marvelous person,” Jane Poppell said. “He always listened to you, and he was always smiling.”

Dr. Brewer had been Poppell’s doctor since he came to Plant City.

“If there was anything he could do for the commu-nity he would get involved,” Poppell said. “Just an in-credible person. I can’t say enough about him.”

In recent years, he suffered from an anemic condi-tion and brain cancer.

“I don’t think I ever saw Dr. B without a smile on his face,” Mitchell said. “He was always so kind and gra-cious. In all the time that he was battling his health problems, he always kept up his happy demeanor.”

“He was a wonderful person and will be missed by the community,” Poppell said.

Mr. Brewer is survived by his wife, Lynn Brewer; children, Cindy Gutowski and her husband, Gregg, Rodney Brewer and his wife, Karen, Les Brewer and his wife, Saira, and Dan Brewer and his partner, Rob-ert; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

A visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9, at Wells Funeral Home. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, at the First United Methodist Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that dona-tions be made in Dr. Brewer’s name to the Bruton Me-morial Library, the Plant City Photo Archives and His-tory Center, Plant City Entertainment and Madison’s Mission.

RENOWNED LEADERS. GENUINE RELATIONSHIPS. VAST EXPERIENCE.

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With over 230 years of diversified business experience and leadership, Platinum

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community and have experienced the advantages and challenges in the local

economy. The knowledge and understanding that has been gained through these

experiences is what makes Platinum Bank your established business partner. As

key leaders in the local community, they have a vested interest in ensuring the local

economy succeeds.

LOCAL OWNERS, LOCAL DECISIONS

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Walking into the new Dance Carousel studio at 402 S. Ball St., one can see three glittering tro-phies displayed proudly on the middle shelf over the dance floor mirror. The All Stars cheerleading competition team went to its first competition Oct. 28, at the Lake-land Civic Center, and took home two first-place awards and one second-place out of 192 teams.

“The Minis only lost to first place by one-seventh of a point,” owner Lori Matta said.

Matta, a former New England Patriots cheerleader, has been teaching dance, cheerleading and tumbling in Plant City for years. After moving from the Boston area about seven years ago, she taught dance at the 1914 Plant City High School Community Center, before purchasing the old Garden Club building, 1112 N. Wheeler St., for her own studio.

Matta has expanded her dance empire by creating a competition team in January and along with it, moved to a bigger facility in May.

For years, parents of her students had been asking her to create a competition team.

After meeting former cheer-leader Lindsey Baxter, the two decided to tackle the idea. Baxter introduced Matta to Courtney Browning. Together they created a teaching trio. Baxter and Brown-ing both cheered for their former high schools and have qualifica-tions in stunts, tumbling and in-jury prevention.

Matta was a gymnast. After blowing out her knee for a third time in college, she furthered her education and got a master’s de-gree in sports medicine and ex-ercise physiology from California State University. She ran Olym-pian Cathy Rigby’s gymnastics school and has been teaching for 35 years.

“We love what we do and we are very passionate at what we do,” Matta said. “It’s about being with the kids and building those childhood memories and building their self confidence.”

The All Stars practice their two-minute, 30-second routine about three to five hours per week.

“We tell them we’re develop-ing athletes — not cheerleaders,” Baxter said. “We’re always push-ing them to the next level. If they don’t leave here with a red face and pouring sweat then you’re not woking hard enough.”

But it’s not all work and no play at Dance Carousel.

The girls have a lock-in about once every two months, during which they can bond and have time to be kids. They also have “Secret Stallion Sisters,” where the girls are paired up and write secret encouraging notes to each other about their skills.

“It’s more than just cheer and tumbling,” Baxter said. “The girls are like family. Courtney, Lori and I are almost like their moms, because we spend so much time with them. We require them to have good grades and stay out of trouble.”

The All Stars consists of three teams divided by age — Mini Team, Youth Team and Senior Team. About 70 girls showed up at tryouts.

“It was a good fitness thing for me, and it was a good way to ex-press my love for cheer,” senior team member Kaitlyn Sullivent said. “The first competition was fun. I had so much adrenaline; it was crazy.”

In addition to the competition team, Dance Carousel offers rec-reation cheer and tumbling class-es and jazz, tap and ballet classes on its 2,300-square-foot dance floor.

Matta’s mother has run two dance studios and a gymnastics center for 50 years in New Eng-land. Matta gets her passion for coaching from her family.

“My mother always said, ‘You want those kids to run through that door and hug you,’” Matta said. “And that’s what they do here. It’s about the kids. The kids come first. I live for those kids.”


Amber Jurgensen

Members of the Senior All Stars competition team work hard on per-fecting their stunts.

Dance Carousel takes new turnWith a new location and cheerleading competition team, Dance Carousel is spinning straight to the top.

COMPETITIVE EDGE by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

breWer/PaGe 1


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This week’s Cryptogram answers

This week’s Crossword answers

2012

1. A canny tip for the ups and downs of life: be bold in what you stand for — and careful what you fall for.

2. This is quite hilarious: a Q-tip goes easily into an ear, yet a good,

practical tip can go in one ear and out the other.

The Plant City Family YMCA was alive with activity Nov. 3, when the organiza-tion hosted its Turkey Trot, Drive One and Fall Festival events.

The YMCA kicked off its Saturday with Turkey Trot 5K and One-Mile Gobble

Walk. Then, kids headed inside to enjoy games and other activities at the Fall Festi-val. Jarrett Scott Ford hosted its Drive One 4 UR Community, and donated money to the YMCA for every test drive. The fund-raiser earned $4,000 for the YMCA.

jailhouse rock by Michael eng | Managing Editor

Residents and employ-ees at The Health Center of Plant City enjoyed an afternoon of food, fun and Elvis Presley at the center’s car show Nov. 2.

The event featured barbecue, a classic car show and a live perfor-mance by an Elvis im-personator.

‘The King’ shakes, rattles, rolls into Plant City center

An elvis impersonator was the highlight of the event.

The event featured a classic car show.

laquisha smith, front, Josie Porter, Jenise travers, Jackie brower and reyna alejo had a blast at the event.

Residents enjoyed an afternoon outside.

Plant City Family YMCA ushers in new fall season

fESTiVE ATMOSPHERE by Michael eng | Managing Editor

reagan thomas climbed to the top of this armored Army vehicle.

lily stafford loved playing all the games at the fall festival.

alex Gonzalez mastered the hula hoop.

rylan Precott found some treats in the hay pile.


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Join Haught Funeral Home during the month of December as we remember those we have lost. Stop by during regular business hours and place a personalized Angel on our Angel Tree. There is no cost for the angel. This is our way of remember-ing our loved ones during the holiday season. This service is available to everyone in our community. Also plan on joining us Tuesday December 18 at 7:00pm for

our Service of Remembrance. Our address is 708 W. Dr. M.L.K. Jr. Blvd.

Please Join us as we remember.

Join Haught Funeral Home during the month of December as we remember those we have lost. Stop by during regular business hours and place a personalized Angel on our Angel Tree. There is no cost for the angel. This is our way of remember-ing our loved ones during the holiday season. This service is available to everyone in our community. Also plan on joining us Tuesday December 18 at 7:00pm for

our Service of Remembrance. Our address is 708 W. Dr. M.L.K. Jr. Blvd.

Please Join us as we remember.

Join Haught Funeral Home during the month of December as we remember those we have lost.

Stop by during regular business hours and place a personalized Angel on our Angel Tree.

There is no cost for the angel. This is our way of remembering

our loved ones during the holiday season. This service is available to everyone in our community.

Also plan on joining us Tuesday December 18 at 7:00pm for our Service of Remembrance.

Our address is 708 W. Dr. M.L.K. Jr. Blvd.Please Join us as we remember.

HAUGHT FUNERAL HOME(813) 717-9300

OBSERVEROBITUARIESGerald Norman DeLisle

Gerald Norman DeLisle, 83, died Oct. 29, in Lake-land, Florida.

He is survived by his daughter, Joan DeLisle.

Condolences may be of-fered at wellsmemorial.com.

Helen W. DoepkeHelen W. Doepke, 99, of

Plant City, died Oct. 12, in Lakeland.

Born Nov. 16, 1912, near Marshalltown, Iowa, she was the daughter of Louis and Louise Voege Wiese.

Survivors include sons, Chuck (Leslie) Doepke, of Plant City, and John (Robin) Doepke, of La Mesa, Calif.; grandchildren, Debra (Brent) Edwards, Plainfield, Ind., Scott Doepke, Chandler, Ariz., Scott Hulme, Bellevue, Neb.; great-grandchildren, Ally Edwards, Reese and Charlie Hulme, and Cash Doepke; and a nephew, Lester Wiese Jr., Palm Desert, Ca-lif.

She was preceded in death by her hus-band, John H. Doepke; brothers, Lowell and Lester Wiese; niece JoAnn Wiese Zang; and a great-granddaughter, Sara Elizabeth Hulme.

A Celebration of Life will be held on the 100th anniversary of Mrs. Doepke’s birth, at 3 p.m. Nov. 16, at Haught Funeral Home, 708 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Plant City. The family will receive guests one hour prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to the Plant City YMCA Sil-ver Sneakers Program, Good Shepherd Hospice, or the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Plant City.

Online condolences may be made at haughtfuneralhome.com.

Vivian L. EnglishVivian L. English, 79, of Plant City, died

Nov. 3. She is survived by children, Lamar Eng-

lish, Carol Brookheart (Bob) and Marilyn Eady (Mike); six grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by a son, Jesse English.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 8, at Hopewell Funeral Home, 6005 C.R. 39 S., Plant City. A Celebration of Life will be held at 3 p.m. Nov. 9.

Online condolences may be made at hopewellfuneral.com.

Helen Louise FutchHelen Louise Futch, 88,

of Plant City, died Oct. 29, at her home.

Born June 23, 1924, in Douglas, Ga., she was the daughter of the late Lutha Griffin and the late Mattie Smith. She was the wife of the late Millard Futch.

Mrs. Futch was a member of Eastside Baptist Church, Ladies Auxiliary at South Florida Baptist Hospital, former member of B.P.O.E. No. 1727 and American Auxil-iary.

Survivors include a son, Don Futch; daughters, Brenda Futch, Judy Dayton and Lynne Futch; seven grandchildren; and 11 great grandchildren.

Online condolences may be made at haughtfuneralhome.com.

Carl Allen HowardCarl Allen Howard, 63, of Tampa, died

Oct. 29, at Sun City Center Hospice House.Born Dec. 25, 1948, in Tampa, he was the

son of the late Allen Howard and the late Louise Beazley.

Surviving is his daughter, Cassandra Howard.

The Plant City Economic Development Council and the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce pre-sented awards to five business at the 20th annual Busi-ness of the Year Awards Banquet Nov. 1, at the John R. Trinkle Center.

Former Plant City mayor and City Commissioner Dan Raulerson gave a welcoming address, and attend-ees enjoyed dinner and watched short films on all the businesses nominated for awards.

and the winners are...

GrowinG business of the yearWorkComp PartnersAlso nominated: Helicon Foundation Repair, Plant City Handyman Inc.

small business of the yearBrewington’s Towing and RecoveryAlso nominated: Homestars Insurance, On-Site Accounting Inc.

mid-size business of the yearMyers CleanersAlso nominated: GT Grandstands, Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant

larGe business of the yearParadise Inc.Also nominated: Gordon Food Service, Stingray Chevrolet

sPecial business of the yearPlant City Entertainment

Chamber, EDC honor localbusinesses at awards banquet

STANDOUT SUCCESS by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

Courtesy photo

Chamber Chairman mark buzza presents the Special Business of the Year award to Plant City Entertainment’s dodie white.

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 WEEKCheerleader

Madison Simcox flies high. 18

Changes highlight the upcom-ing girls’ high school basketball season for area teams this year.

Plant City will usher in a new era with new head coach Stephen Eatman, who replaces Marc Bo-swell. Strawberry Crest is coming off a .500 season and will be look-ing to take the next step for the young program that returns every player from last year’s team.

Durant is coming off a suc-

cessful winning season that had a bitter end because of injuries. The Lady Cougars will now move forward and regroup after losing several key contributors to that team.

DURANTCoach: Kyla Donlevy Years as head coach at Durant: 72011-12 overall record: 23-52011-12 district record: 8-2

District finish/playoffs: Lost in district semifinals

Durant is coming off a great regular season with a disappoint-ing end. The Lady Cougars took the No. 2 seed in the Class 8A Dis-trict 7 tournament but fell to No. 4 seed Wharton 52-49 in the semi-finals, after receiving a first round

Girls take court for new season

If you look at the stat sheet now, it’s hard to believe that just four years ago, Durant senior fullback Jamarlon Hamilton didn’t know his right from his left.

“We had to put ‘R’ and ‘L’ on his shoes, so he would know which di-rection to run,” said offensive coor-dinator Mike Bradley.

Hamilton was convinced to play football by some friends and came to the Cougars as a freshman defen-sive lineman. After seeing potential

and raw talent, Hamilton’s coaches decided to move him to fullback. They described him as a “pudgy, out-of-shape and raw” version of the player he is today.

“When he started on JV, he was kind of goofy, and we were always worried if he was going to run the right way,” said running backs coach Matt Stwan. “He’s come a long way, and it’s amazing to watch the film

Matt Mauney

Durant senior Kera Kurns will be a key to the success of the Lady Cougars this season.

basketball by Matt Mauney | Associate Editor

The varsity girls basketball teams at Durant, Plant City and Strawberry Crest all will feature young, up-and-coming players.

Michael Eng

Fullback Jamarlon Hamilton and running backs coach Matt Stwan are two of the best backs Durant has had since the school opened in 1995.

SEE SOCCER / PAGE 15

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2012PLANTCITYObSERvER.COM

SEE MAUNEY / PAGE 15

by Matt Mauney | Associate Editor

GAME OF THE WEEKKing at Durant | 7:30 p.m. nov. 9

The Right DirectionDurant’s Jamarlon Hamilton hasn’t had an easy path to where he is today.

SEE GAME / PAGE 16

KING (2-7) AT DURANT (9-0)Outlook: This will be a non-district match-up, but

Durant has plenty to play for despite having its district title clinched. Durant will be looking to go undefeated in the regular season for the first time in school his-tory, along with getting a win over the Lions, a team that defeated Durant 28-20 in the season finale last year. King has struggled this season, with its only wins over Leto and Strawberry Crest. The Lions are on a three-game skid and have been outscored 106-23 in those three games. Durant is averaging more than 200 yards rushing per game.

Yes, the high school football season is coming to a close here, soon. Durant will be the only area team playing more than 10 games this season, but there is plenty to look forward to for high school sports fans out there.

Let’s start with those football Cougars. Durant is 9-0 going into the regular season finale this week against King. Durant is building a spe-cial program out there in the rural country, and it will be interest-ing to see how far the Cougars can go once the

postseason begins. Football tends to get most of

the attention, and for cases such as the magical season Durant is having, rightly so, but there is plenty of other things that will be interesting to watch for in the coming weeks.

I’m looking forward to the upcoming basketball seasons. As most of you know by now, I came down here from Atlanta, where I was born and raised. Football is certainly king up there as it is in Florida, but when basketball season rolls around, things are equally exciting.

I’ve heard that this area “isn’t big on basketball” from chatting with several coaches and par-ents, but I think there is more to it than that. I’m excited to see first-hand what this area has to offer on the hardwood.

Almost more than with foot-ball, when a special player is in action during a high school

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The Plant City Optimist Club was blessed with a sunny day for its annual golf tournament Nov. 3, at Walden Lake Golf and Coun-try Club.

Along with the Christmas Tree Lot, the golf tournament is an-other major fundraiser for the club and raises about $3,000 to $4,000, annually.

Golfers came to support the Optimist Club and have some fun on the green. Zaxby’s was present to pass out free chicken lunches, and participants also enjoyed a variety of raffle prizes, from out-door equipment to puzzles.

Optimist Club tees offwith annual golf tourney

fore! by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

alexis and victor Waldron organized the put-ting competition.

Mike schmidt took a spot in the shade before the start of the tournament.

C h e e r l e a d e r s from several area squads took the stage at the 2012 Florida Youth Football and Cheerleading As-sociation’s Cheer Off competition Nov. 3, at the Ev-elyn and Batista Madonia Agricul-tural Center on the Florida Strawberry Festival grounds.

Plant City squads included the Antioch Redskins, Dover Patriots, Pinecrest Pilots, Plant City Dolphins and Turkey Creek Trojans.

PARTICIPATING TEAMSBrandon BroncosPinecrest PilotsTurkey Creek TrojansBrandon LionsEastbay BucsAntioch RedskinsWesley Chapel CowboysLakeland GatorsDover PatriotsLakeland EaglesValrico RamsPlant City DolphinsBrandon BearsBrandon Cowboys

Competition showcasesPlant City cheerleaders

TEAM SPIRIT by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

The Turkey Creek Trojans had a blast competing at the Cheer Off.

Courtesy photos

The Antioch Redskins earned several trophies.


basketball game, it is hard to overlook. From what I’ve gathered in my exposure to basketball in this area, there is plenty of talent to go around and even more young talent coming through the ranks. I’m hoping to see this continue and urge everyone to go support your local high school basketball teams this season.

Wrestling is one of those sports I didn’t know much about and wasn’t very passionate about when I began my career as a high school sports writer. Wrestling was pretty big with the area schools at my old paper, includ-ing a program that had won the individual and dual state championships every year for more than a decade.

From what I’ve gathered from my time here, there is some good talent in Plant City on the mats. Trust me when I tell you to not judge a book by its cover. Wres-tling is one of those sports that tends to get overlooked, especially early on in the season and with smaller dual matches.

If you have a classmate, student, son or family friend who wrestles, try to make it out to at least one of the matches and show them some support. Once you pick up on how tactical the sport is and start to understand individual and team scoring, it becomes quite intrigu-ing.

The last sport that takes up the winter season is soc-cer. This is one I’ll have to get used to, because, in Geor-gia, soccer is a spring sport. Honestly, I might have to rethink my career choice if that wasn’t the case — it gets pretty cold up there. But, I’m looking forward to enjoy-ing cooler but pleasant Florida weather while covering area soccer teams this year.

Soccer is another sport that typically doesn’t see a whole lot of support, especially at the high school level, but fans and especially students can help motivate a team with chants, cheers and the constant blowing of vuvuzela horns.

The point is this: Try not to be narrow-minded with sports you may not find entertaining at first. Give them a chance, and kudos to all of you who already do. I know I’m looking forward to the upcoming winter sports sea-son and wish good luck to all area teams.

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JUSTTHESTATSThe number of frozen turkeys given away to the top male and female finisher at the Plant City Family YMCA’s annual Turkey Trot 5K. The event also included a one-mile Gobble Walk for the kids. 2

The total num-ber of kills this season for Plant City volleyball player alex arnold. She led the team in that category. The Lady Raiders ended the year 8-9 overall, af-ter a 3-0 loss to Jenkins in the regional quarter-finals last week.

151The total number of digs the Straw-

berry Crest volleyball team notched this season. The Lady Chargers ended the year 14-8 with a loss in the regional quarterfinals to Lakewood Ranch.

607

The number of shut-outs from the Plant City Dolphins youth football team in the first round of the

playoffs. Four of five teams advanced.

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The number of local swimmers who qualified for the state meet this week.

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angelina Gallastegui is one of the local swimmers that qualified for state.


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now and see how fundamentally sound he is.”

Stwan knows a thing or two about the running back position. He currently holds the school re-cord for most rushing yards in one season. He ran for 1,855 yards his senior year during the 2004 season and came back to coach the position at his alma mater in 2008.

“He was a great back and knows what we’re all about and does a great job with them,” said head coach Mike Gottman about St-wan.

Currently, Hamilton has 1,089 yards this season on 139 carries, a 7.84 yard-per-carry average, to go along with 17 touchdowns. He has rushed for more than 100 yards in seven of the eight games he’s played in this season and is well on his way of eclipsing his 1,117 yards as a junior. Durant is 9-0 on the year and will host the regional quarterfinals after Friday’s regular season finale against King.

“He’s been our workhorse, and when we need him to get us a first down, score when we’re close to the end zone or eat up clock, he

gets it done for us,” Gottman said.Barring a deep playoff run,

Hamilton likely will fall short of breaking Stwan’s record, but that won’t take anything away from what the 5-foot-10, 235-pound fullback has accomplished this season.

Aside from being a talented runner with solid fundamentals, another key quality Hamilton possesses is his heart.

“I don’t think there’s anybody on the field that has as much heart as him,” Stwan said.

That heart transcends more than just football. Hamilton has overcame many personal chal-lenges in his life. Hamilton lost his mom several years ago before los-ing his uncle, who he was staying with after his mom passed.

“I learned that life was too short and that you have to make the best of the moment that you’re in,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton also overcame adver-sity in November of 2010, when the then-15-year-old was severely injured in a car accident at State Road 60 and Horton Road. Hamil-ton was driving without a license and failed to yield the right of way while crossing S.R. 60 when he

and a 16-year-old passenger was struck by an oncoming vehicle. Hamilton and the passenger, Ja-vonte Shaw, were flown to Tampa General Hospital.

“It was a hard thing to go through, but you have to move on, because that’s how life is,” he said. “It’s an obstacle, and once you get over those obstacles, it makes you a better person, be-cause you learn from it,” he said.

Hamilton said football was his outlet for those troubled times. The sport made him a better per-son on and off the field.

“Being able to come to my Durant football family every day helped me cope with those things,” he explained. “I feel so blessed that I have that. Football became my new best friend.”

Hamilton’s “friend” has been good to him, but as of Tuesday, Hamilton has no college offers.

That’s something that Stwan hopes will change soon.

“He wants to play in college and is a great player and just a great person,” Stwan said. “He’ll be a great addition wherever he goes.”

Contact Matt Mauney at [email protected].

OTHER AREA ACTIONeast bay at strawberry crest

last week: Jefferson’s shaquille speights scored four touch-downs last week to hold off Strawberry Crest 35-31. Speights scored his final touchdown with just five seconds remaining, as Jefferson overcame the Chargers (3-6), who took a late 31-28 lead. tristan Hyde passed for two touchdowns, and chris Perez ran for two scores in the loss. East Bay (4-5) narrowly escaped a 7-6 win against struggling Brandon High last week. chris carpentier hit brandon byrd for a 63-yard touchdown in the second quarter to put the Indians up 7-0. They then held on, despite two field goals from Brandon.

last meeting: Strawberry Crest fell to East Bay in last year’s season finale 20-17.

tamPa bay tecH at Plant citylast week: Plant City (4-5) fell to Newsome last week 40-7,

in FishHawk Ranch. will worth carried the load for Newsome in the win. The quarterback carried the ball 23 times for 121 yards and rushed for two scores, along with throwing for another touchdown. The Wolves clinched the runner-up spot in Class 7A District 8 behind champion Durant. Plant City quarterback nick rodriguez connected with Joe Davis for 22 yards for the Raiders only score of the night. Tampa Bay Tech (6-3) is coming off a close 35-32 loss to Gaither last week. Sophomore Deon cain passed for 214 yards and two touchdowns in the loss, along with rushing for 58 yards. Deon thompson led the Titans with 135 rushing yards.

last meeting: TBT beat Plant CIty 31-28 in the 2011 regu-lar-season finale before advancing to the regional semifinals.

bye and with two starters out with knee injuries.

Defensively, the Lady Cougars should be sound, with the return of Kera Kurns. The 5-8 senior will transition from shooting guard to point guard this season, ac-cording to head coach Kyla Don-levy.

Magan Lee also returns to the team after two years in Miami. The senior started her freshman year for Donlevy before moving to Miami. Lee stands at 6 feet tall and will return this season as Durant’s center.

“She has a strong inside game,” Donlevy said.

Donlevy said Akacia Nelson is rehabbing a torn meniscus from a step injury earlier this year, and the team hopes to have the senior back in action sometime in December.

The Lady Cougars lost sisters

Asia and Ashley Nelson to gradu-ation. Both were four-year start-ing guards, with Ashley holding the three-point shooting record for most in one game.

According to Donlevy, the team will have to overcome be-ing young and inexperienced at some positions, with the goal of a strong district finish.

Durant is known for its high-intensity man-to-man defense, something Donlevy said will be a key to finding success.

“We are working on getting in shape so that we can finish games with a small bench,” she said.

PLANT CITYCoach: Stephen Eatman Years as head coach at Plant City: Entering first season 2011-12 overall record: 7-142011-12 district record: 3-6District finish/playoffs: Lost in first round of district tournament.

Plant City will return a young team this season after a 7-14 sea-son last year.

Head coach Stephen Eatman will replace Marc Boswell as the head coach at PCHS this season.

The Lady Raiders should be sol-id at the guard position with the return of sophomore point guard Avery Brown and senior guard Delazia Jones.

“We are a young team, so our goals are to grow, mature and develop as a team and to take ad-vantage of young talent,” Eatman said.

The Lady Raiders lost two se-niors — forward Whitney Sanford and guard Morgan McGavin.

According to Eatman, the key this season will be to be a disci-plined team that plays strong de-fense.

In addition to Jones, Janeisha Kelly and Brooke Leonard will round out the three seniors on this year’s squad. Half of Plant

City’s roster this season features freshman or sophomores.

STRAWBERRY CRESTCoach: Latosha Lewis Years as head coach at SCHS: En-tering fourth year2011-12 overall record: 11-112011-12 district record: 4-6District finish/playoffs: Finished fourth in Class 6A District 11, losing to Jefferson in the district playoffs

Head coach Latosha Lewis has been with the Lady Chargers since Strawberry Crest opened its doors in 2009.

The Lady Chargers return all of the main contributors to their .500 campaign last season and will be looking to further establish the young program.

“We want to become a pow-erhouse team in the upcom-ing years,” Lewis said. “We want to win districts and advance in

the playoffs and become a well-rounded team.”

Key players returning include Aliyah Gregory and Maiya Trigg. Gregory, a 5-11 junior shooting guard/power forward, was named 1st Team Western Conference last season and set a team record for most points in a game with 31, along with 12 rebounds.

Trigg, a 5-9 sophomore guard, was an honorable mention on that team and holds the record for assists in a single game with 13.

Sophomore point guard Domi-nique Butler also returns.

“She has good handles and court vision,” Lewis said.

According to Lewis, her team wants to run a fast-pace, run-and-gun offense and pressure defense.

“It takes a lot hard work condi-tioning and strength training to play this up-tempo game,” she said.

Contact Matt Mauney at [email protected].

game/Page 13

basketball/Page 13


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The high school wrestling season is right around the corner, and area wres-tlers are making their final weight ad-justments and prepare for the season that lies ahead.

Two area teams will have new head coaches this season, with Durant wel-coming back Drake Millard to the var-sity coaching spot.

Strawberry Crest will look to build a young program that saw success last season, while Plant City will look to get

some valuable experience to a young group. Durant will return a solid group and features a schedule that will have the Cougars competing against some of the best teams in the state and the na-tion, including the 17th annual Cougar Invitational Nov. 30 to Dec. 1.

The tournament will feature 32 of the top teams from around Florida and Georgia in what has grown to be one of the most prestigious tournaments in the state. Here is a breakdown of area teams.

PlANT CiTYcoach: Nick Ferrario years at school: Entering seventh yearMatch record last year: N/APostseason finish: Did not send any to postseason tournaments

Key wrestlers returning (weight class, class): Craig Knight (160-170, senior), lane Benton (120 junior), Jordan Evers (138, junior), Kip Wynn (160-170, junior)

team strengths: Ferrario said there are plenty of young wrestlers he will be looking to step up this season.

needs for improvement: The Raiders are fairly young this season, according

to Ferrario, so learning some things as the season progresses will be key to improvement and growth as a team.

outlook and goals for season: According to Ferrario, the Raiders hope to build on last season and hopefully give some quality experience to some of the younger wrestlers. Knight will enter his senior season and likely will be a key in leadership. Plant City also will rely on Benton, Evers and Wynn, who return with varsity experience.

From the coach: “This is going to be a building year getting young guys expe-rience and mat time.”

STRAWBERRY CREST coach: Ryan Joyceyears at school: FirstMatch record last year: 17-2Postseason finish: Third in districts; two wrestlers made state

Key wrestlers returning (weight class, class, record last season): Steve Colman (120, sophomore, 22-15), Cam Patisaul (126, junior, 16-15), TJ McNamee (138, junior, 25-12)

team strengths: According to Joyce, the Chargers are extremely strong from 120 to 160, with experienced wrestlers at each weight.

needs for improvement: Joyce said the light-weights will be young in a tough district. The Chargers also lost

some senior leadership. This year’s seniors have high expectations and must begin to step up.

outlook and goals for season: Joyce enters his first season as the head coach of Strawberry Crest after replac-ing Anthony Peace. Joyce takes over a fairly young team and said this year’s group of seniors will have high expecta-tions on them and will have to begin to step up. McNamee enters his junior season after posting a 25-12 record as a sophomore, while Colman posted a 22-15 record last season.

From the coach: “We expect to be district runners up and send two kids to state.”

DURANTcoach: Drake Millardyears at school: Returns as Durant’s head coach after 13 yearsMatch record last year: N/APostseason finish: N/A

Key wrestlers returning (weight class, class): Reagan Haley (120, junior), Austin Haley (126, junior), Jordan Evers (138, junior), Kip Wynn (160-170, junior), Darrien Kelly (132, senior), Evan Booher (152, junior), Matthew Millard (160, senior), levi Williams (160, sophomore), Keith Watford (170, senior)

team strengths: The Cougars enter the season with a talented and sea-soned group of wrestlers.

needs for improvement: Durant will

have a tough schedule ahead of it, including the Buzz Hill invitational and the annual Tiger invitational.

outlook and goals for season: Millard was the first head wrestling coach at Durant when the school opened in 1995. He served as head coach for four years and most recently led the USA Wrestling program at the school. Millard said he is excited about the upcoming season, saying his team is a highly skilled, experienced group. Haley placed first at the Super 32 qualifier last season, while Kelly, a team co-captain, finished fourth at FHSAA state meet last year.

From the coach: “We’ve been working hard and should be solid from 120 to 185 with skilled veterans.”

Area grapplers prep for 2012-13 season

wrestling by Matt Mauney | Associate Editor


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What do you like about cheering?Everything. I’m a flyer, and I’ve been a

flyer for nine years, so I get tossed up in the air, and it’s just fun for me.

What’s it like being a flyer? It’s actually really scary, be-

cause you have to keep balance, otherwise everybody could get really hurt. You have to have good agility and everything to be a cheerleader. People think it’s easy being a cheerleader, but it’s really hard, actu-ally.

What’s the hard-est thing about com-petition cheerleading?

It’s really stressful, be-cause we only get one chance to do the routine perfectly.

Do you have any hobbies other than cheering?

I play soccer, too.

Do you have a favorite TV show?

“Honey Boo Boo,” actually. That’s my favorite show, ever.

What do you like about it?That little girl is just hilarious.

What are some cool places you’ve traveled to?

I’ve actually been to Mexico. I was actu-ally doing research on Mexico as a research project, and my mom said, ‘Well then, let’s just take you to Mexico.’ We went, and I brought back pictures and everything, and I got an “A.”

When was that?In fifth grade, I believe.

If you travel anywhere and do any-thing, where and what would it be?

Probably California, because they have All-Star cheer

team there that I would like to go for.

Would you like to cheer in college?

Yeah, probably for either Florida or USF, because they

major in stuff I’m interested in.

What are you interested in?I’m an FFA officer for Marshall

Middle School. I’m the secretary, and we do a lot of outside work helping people that aren’t as fortunate as us.

That’s what interests me and agricul-ture.

Do you have any pets?Yes. I have four cows, a pig, chickens,

a dog and a cat.

Do you have a favorite out of those?Probably my pig. His name is Chubbs,

and I’m going to show him in the Straw-berry Festival in February.

ATHlETE Of THE wEEk by Matt Mauney | Associate Editor

Madison siMcox Madison Simcox, 13, has been cheering for nine years and is one of the most experi-

enced member of the Plant City Dolphins 13- to 15-year-old varsity competition cheer team. Simcox’s team placed third at the F.I.F.C.A. conference competition Nov. 3, at the Strawberry Festival grounds and fourth two weeks ago at the Gulf Coast Conference in the intermediate division.

SwIMMING

+ Area swimmers qualify for state meet

Several area high school swim-mers are state-bound after their performances at the regional meets last weekend.

for Strawberry Crest, three swim-mers will head to the Class 2A state fHSAA state championship meet Nov. 8, at the YMCA Aquatic Center, in Orlando. angelina Gallastegui qualified in the 200 free and 500 free. The junior will be seeded 16th and 14th, respectively. On the boys side, cole Wisecarver qualified in the 50 free and the 100 free. The junior placed fourth in both events at the regional meet. Zach Kitzis also is headed to state after qualifying for the 500 free.

for Plant City, bailey bowden will represent the Raiders in the 500-yard freestyle in the Class 3A meet Nov. 9, in Orlando. The junior was the only member of the Plant City program to qualify. She will be seeded 11th in the event.

Preliminary races both days are set for 9 a.m.

CROSS COUNTRY

+ Crest runners successful at districts

The results are in for area high school cross country teams’ perfor-mances in their respective district meets.

On the boys side, Strawberry Crest finished third as a team, with 63 points, at the Class 3A District 9 meet Oct. 30, at Dover Park. cody Williamson placed fifth over-

all, with a time of 18:07.20, while scott bartlett placed seventh.

Plant City placed fifth as a team, with 153 points in the Class 4A District 6 meet. Plant High dominated the meet, tak-ing the top six spots. Francisco salas was the top performer for the Raiders, finishing 17th, with a time of 18:27.71.

Durant finished at the bottom of the standings in the Class 4A District 7 meet at Newsome High School. Daniel butler was the top performer for the Cougars. The senior placed 11th, with a time of 17:46.95. He was the only Durant runner to finish in the top 30.

On the girls side, Strawberry Crest also had a big day at the Class 3A District 9 meet, placing second, with 46 points. Brandon High took first with 30 points and took the top three individual places in the race.

The top finisher for Strawberry Crest was freshman christina cauthen, who placed fourth, with a time of 23:58.59. Nancy watkins placed sixth (24:16.23), and nastassia cordero placed 10th (24:40.21). Melanie sexton, Meghan Pommier and Katherine Martinez also had good days for the lady Chargers.

Plant City also placed fifth as a team, with 145 points. Plant High again dominated, with a low-score of 15 points as the top six finishers were from the school.

Diana corzine was the top fin-isher for Plant City, placing 20th.

The Durant girls finished fifth out of five teams in its district meet. lexi Faliero was the top finisher for the lady Cougars, with a 29th-place finish. Newsome High took the girls title in Class 4A District 7 to go along with the school’s boys title.

SIDELINES


O B S E RV E R C RO S S WO R D

Edited by Timothy E. Parker

CRYPTOGRAMS

1. C N C L L K O T V H R G O E D F V Z C L X X R S L Z R H J T H D : Q D Q R J X T L

S E C O K R F Z O C L X H R G — C L X N C G D H F J S E C O K R F H C J J H R G .

2. Y J P N P N F H P Y V J P G U T P R H N : U F - Y P C I R V N V U N P G W P E Y R U E

V U T , W V Y U I R R B , C T U K Y P K U G Y P C K U E I R P E R E V V U T U E B

R H Y Y J V R Y J V T .

ACROSS 1 Second word of the

Golden Rule 5 Gerald replaced him

as veep 10 Japanese sword-

fighting 15 O’Hara’s plantation 19 Not imaginary 20 Wreck beyond repair 21 Miscellaneous

collections 22 Tavern offerings 23 Words of alarm 25 “Heavens!” 27 Place into bondage 28 Drescher of “The

Nanny” 30 Least healthy 31 Salute for Caesar 32 Prickly plant (var.) 34 Seven in Spain 35 Like many limericks 38 Deliver in person 39 Dog-food container 40 Make up, as a speech 44 Like some fireplaces 45 Spotted 46 “___ first you don’t

succeed ...” 48 One of Lyons’ rivers 49 Handwoven

Scandinavian rug 50 Prized violin, briefly 51 Protests without

marchers 54 Trigonometric

function 55 Was disloyal to 57 NYC subway overseer 58 Have-___ (the needy) 60 Actress Peeples or

Long 61 Seat without a back 62 Desiring water 65 Respond to depleted

stock 67 ___ Scotia 69 “Did you see that?!” 71 Country music’s

“Texas Troubadour” Ernest

72 Flowerlike sea creature

75 Hit, as a Texas Leaguer

77 Nobel Prize-winning physicist Bohr

80 U.S. president after J.A.G.

81 ___ terrier (Scottish breed)

83 “No ___, ands or buts!”

84 Peer’s title of respect 86 Places for playlists

(Abbr.) 88 Concerning this, to

lawyers 90 Picked-out haircuts 91 Bill below a five 92 In shabby shape 94 Noblewoman in

India 95 The best-___ plans ... 96 Country singer

Campbell 97 Where 4-Down lived 98 Word-word link99 Charmer’s snake 101 “In case you ___

noticed ...” 102 Bottommost point 104 Conserve, in a way 105 Aykroyd of “The

Blues Brothers” 106 Especial to special,

e.g. 109 90 degrees right of

north 110 Improves, as oneself 114 “Yikes!” 116 “Wait, already!” 119 ___ Kong (Chinese

port) 120 Wouk’s “The ___

Mutiny” 121 Very small amounts 122 Exile island for

Napoleon 123 Rounded church area 124 Earthenware cooking

pots 125 Identifying name 126 Merged news agency

dOwn 1 Sudden impulse 2 Sign of nightlife? 3 New Mexico tourist

town 4 Nursery rhyme

character with many children

5 Legendary McQueen 6 Mug for the cameras 7 “... for what ___

worth” 8 Hit headfirst 9 Type of hydrocarbon 10 Cleveland QB legend

Bernie 11 Spirited confidence 12 Ending for “beat” or

“neat” 13 Bumps off 14 Davis of “Do the

Right Thing” 15 Had a one-sided

conversation with 16 What George

Washington couldn’t tell

17 Races, as a motor 18 Play ___ (perform

some songs) 24 Commodore’s branch

of service 26 Serve in place of 29 Where births, deaths

and marriages are recorded in Britain

32 Spaciousness 33 Watermelon waste 34 Shimmery sheet

material 35 Cutting remarks 36 Up to this point 37 “Do my eyes deceive

me?” 38 Kentucky college or

its town 39 Dr. Seuss title

character 41 “What do we have

here?” 42 Common belly-

button type 43 “The View” co-host

Joy 45 Hog’s home 47 Catastrophes 50 Series of shots, as

from warships

52 “... ___ gloom of night ...”

53 Leave-as-it-was notation

56 Word with “back” or “breathing”

57 One thousand thousand

59 Auditory sensations 63 Fireplace ledge 64 Word with “seed” or

“banana” 66 Slugger’s stats 68 Egyptian cross with a

loop 70 Aid for the poor 72 Capital of Ghana 73 Nothings, in Mexico 74 It has one pupil 76 Andrea ___ (ill-fated

ship) 78 Housekeeping supply 79 Lightened one’s

billfold 82 Infielder’s miscue 85 Aid for anglers 87 Fred Flintstone’s time 89 Teacup part 90 They’re in a

clergyman’s closet 93 Dough additive 96 Section of railroad

track 98 Type of year used by

accountants 100 Prove shrewder than 101 Opposite of love 103 “Saturday Night

Fever” dance genre 104 Motel figures 105 Packed tight 106 Turkish honorific 107 Stagehand’s concern 108 Farm layers 109 Volcano in Sicily 110 Canaanite’s deity 111 “___ Enchanted”

(Anne Hathaway movie)

112 Messy barbecue offerings

113 “High” places for pirates

115 Engine essential 117 ___ polloi 118 Mel the Giant who

wore “4”

SHOUT IT OUT by Kathy Islund

2

CROSSWORD_110812

Plant City bests Durant in rivalry matchesBoth Plant City teams

picked up big wins over ri-val Durant Nov. 6. The Plant City boys team shut out Du-rant 3-0, thanks to two goals from Edgar Morales and one from Gerson Herrera. Jorge Navarrette had an assist on the night.

The Plant City girls team held off the Lady Cougars 3-1 Tuesday. Ericka Lott scored two goals, with one assist. Stephanie Galloway scored the other goal, and Dianna Corzine picked up an assist. Rebekah Anderson scored Durant’s lone goal of the night.

Greg bricker sped away from Parker suarez. Both Plant City and Durant played hard Tuesday. Jacqueline thompson crossed this ball over, while nidia castro defended.

Right: rebekah anderson and tori nizamoff played tough in the midfield.

Left: trey langston went for the header on this play.

kickoff by Matt Mauney | Associate Editor


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Plant City Observer 11.08.12

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Transcript of Plant City Observer 11.08.12