Plant City Little League’s Senior softball team found itself losing, 9-1, early in its championship game May 17, against Polk City. They ended up winning, 19-9, thanks to a bunch of offensive opportunities and great pitching from Emily Thompson. She didn’t allow a single earned run in the game and shut enough batters down to […]
Continue ReadingArtist completes murals for new Plant City preschool
After creating artwork for decades, it can be difficult to adjust to failing eyesight. “I’ve got advanced macular degeneration,” Marie Buttram says. “There’s nothing you can do about it. I can sometimes hardly see my hands in front of my face.” Despite the diagnosis, Buttram still found the motivation to complete three big murals for […]
Continue ReadingVehicles take center stage at chamber event
No, it’s not a watch party for that old John Candy and Steve Martin movie. This is Plant City’s fourth annual Planes, Trains and Automobiles event, which gives kids and adults the opportunity to check out plenty of cool vehicles — and, in some cases, take to the skies. As usual, the Plant City Airport […]
Continue ReadingPlant City-area spring football practice has begun
It wouldn’t be the month of May without three things: sunny days, Florida love bugs and spring football practice. All three Plant City-area high schools — Plant City, Durant and Strawberry Crest — are returning to the gridiron, shaking off the rust and, in some cases, carving out new identities. Annual intrasquad games aside, these […]
Continue ReadingPlant City athletes going for gold
Plant City’s Special Olympics Unified Sports teams enjoyed a successful summer in 2013, and this weekend, they will return to Orlando try to recapture the magic. Six teams, most of which are under the Plant City Raiders banner, will represent the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World in four different sports: soccer, athletics, volleyball and […]
Continue ReadingWHAT’S ON KLINE’S MIND? Denzel Drone seeks NFL home
Thanks to ESPN’s constant, almost suffocating coverage, this seems more like a question that’s already been answered. Kid declares for the Draft, hires an agent, performs at his school’s Pro Day and, maybe, the NFL Combine, and then spends the rest of the time leading up to the Draft talking to teams. On one of […]
Continue ReadingSIDELINES
Do you have a good sports scoop for us? Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com. VOLLEYBALL + Tomlin Middle girls take title May 8 was a great day to be a Tomlin Tiger: The Plant City middle school’s volleyball team won the Hillsborough County championship. The top-seeded Tigers beat fifth-seeded Benito Middle at home May 7, to […]
Continue ReadingATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Brandon Moore
2014 has been kind to Brandon Moore, a local tae kwon do black belt who trains under Master Steven Reynolds at Planteen School of Tae Kwon Do. After earning his second-degree black belt in March, Moore, 13, won the Florida State Championship on April 12. On Saturday, he completed certification training to become an instructor. […]
Continue ReadingFINAL INNINGS: Plant City baseball and softball
It’s been a good year for many of our area’s prep baseball and softball teams, but the 2014 season has come to a close in both sports. There were plenty of pleasant surprises along the way, and there will be plenty for these teams to look forward to in the future. So, what happened this […]
Continue ReadingISF plans fundraising campaign for museum
There was once a time when Major League Baseball was a part of Plant City, by way of the Cincinnati Reds. Although those days are long gone, there’s a chance that the Bigs could be back in Plant City Stadium. If everything goes as Don Porter and the International Softball Federation hopes they could, then […]
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