Whether a lifelong berry lover or a first-time visitor, the Florida Strawberry Festival has something to satisfy every craving. Festival goers can delight in a wide variety of mouth-watering strawberry-inspired treats, from refreshing strawberry milkshakes that are thick and creamy to strawberry pizza, a buttery shortbread crust, cream cheese spread topped with fresh strawberries and […]
Continue ReadingPlant City Native Prepares For NFL Draft
Photo courtesy of Colby Grant of GrantVisuals Plant Ctiy native and Boston College alum Treshaun Ward has come a long way since his days playing football with the Turkey Creek Trojans. But those were spectacular days. In fact, the Plant City Observer featured Ward as its Player of the Week on Aug. 8, 2013, when […]
Continue ReadingFlorida Strawberry Festival New Foods Tempt Festival Goers
As the Florida Strawberry Festival opens Feb. 27, it’s time for hungry (and adventurous) Plant Citians to dive into the array of new food offerings at this year’s festival. While you may be eagerly awaiting your chance to get in line for the festival’s staple dishes (Amish donuts, Fiske fries, Smitty’s corndogs or strawberry shortcake), […]
Continue ReadingNight to Shine in Plant City Crowns All Guests As Prom Kings, Queens
Plant City’s First Baptist Church rolled out the red carpet Friday night, literally, nearly 200 guests with special needs got the royal treatment at its annual “Night to Shine” prom, sponsored by the Florida-based Tim Tebow Foundation established by the former NFL quarterback. After being introduced and walking the red carpet amidst a throng of […]
Continue ReadingChase Mobley spends off-season in Plant City before spring training
Photos Courtesy of Jose Lozoya At first glance, bystanders at a recent Durant High School baseball practice would think the tall, lanky blonde player was just another student. They’d be wrong. He’s a former student. Right-handed pitcher and Durant High Class of 2024 graduate Chase Mobley, drafted in the tenth round by the Cleveland Guardians […]
Continue ReadingLinda Walden, Chairman of Florida Strawberry Festival Fashion Show & Luncheon, Retires After 35 Years
Linda Walden was in her 30s the first time she worked the runway at the Florida Strawberry Festival’s inaugural Fashion Show & Luncheon, held in the basement of First Presbyterian Church. She walked the runway in a yellow polyester dress from Hooker’s Department Store in downtown Plant City. She became an annual presence at the […]
Continue ReadingMeet 2025 Florida Strawberry Festival Queen Gabriela Norah Hagman
Photos by Jose Lozoya Every year, the Florida Strawberry Festival needs a queen to reign over the 11-day festival. This year’s queen was crowned Sat., Jan 18 at the 2025 Floria Strawberry Festival Queen’s Scholarship Pageant. Durant High School senior and contestant Gabriella Norah Hagman, daughter of Christopher and Jacqueline Hagman, was crowned the 2025 […]
Continue ReadingSimmons Career Acceleration Academy Graduation Rates Climb
When Simmons Career Acceleration Academy principal Sundy Chazares’ phone rang last Sunday night with congratulatory remarks from fellow high school administrators, he learned that his school had the highest year-over-year graduation increase in the county, climbing 16.5 percent. “For the state and the county to put it in writing and appreciate what we’re doing was […]
Continue ReadingThe Greenes Love the Daily Grind
In the world of entrepreneurship, timing is everything. For seasoned entrepreneur Tim Greene, the licensing of his newest endeavor, Greene Acres Stump Grinding, couldn’t have come at a better time. Two weeks before Hurricane Milton made landfall on Oct. 9 as a Category-3 storm, Greene applied for and was granted a business license for his […]
Continue ReadingMeet 2025 Florida Strawberry Festival First Maid Macey Faith Riley
Photo Courtesy of Jose Lozoya 2025 Florida Strawberry Festival First Maid Macey Faith Riley, daughter of Billy and Heather Riley, is a junior at Strawberry Crest High School. Her life’s ambition is to attend the Culinary Institute of America in New York and open her own dessert room to enrich her community with the art […]
Continue Reading
