Elks raise money for police
The Plant City Elks Lodge spent Saturday feeding hungry folks and raising money for the Plant City Police Department Unity Tour.
From 12 to 3 p.m., the Elks camped out at the Wooden Spoon Diner, 712 N. Collins St., and served up barbecue chicken and rib lunches from its “drive-thru” at the diner to support PCPD’s upcoming trip to Washington, D.C. to participate in the annual Police Unity Tour bicycle ride. Judy Wise said the fundraiser generated more than $5,000 for the cause.
“The primary purpose of the Police Unity Tour is to raise awareness of Law Enforcement Officers who have died in the line of duty,” Wise said. “The secondary purpose is to raise funds for the National Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial. As usual, the great Plant City Community came together to support our two riders and the goal was met.”
The fundraising event featured a giant blue line flag display courtesy of Brewington’s Towing and Recovery that many passersby waved and honked at. Universal Tire and Auto Repair also sponsored the event.
The Police Unity Tour ride starts in Virginia, approximately 250 miles from the nation’s capitol, and ends at the Memorial for Fallen Officers. Funds raised at the Wooden Spoon will help PCPD officers cover entry and travel fees.
Discounted Florida Strawberry Festival tickets on sale
The Florida Strawberry Festival prides itself on being an affordable, family-friendly event. But if you want to make it even more affordable, all you have to do is go to Publix.
Starting today, the festival and Publix are teaming up to offer discounted admission tickets at 300 stores through March 8. That includes both Plant City stores, located at 2515 Thonotosassa Road and 2202 James L. Redman Parkway. The full county-by-county list is viewable online at flstrawberryfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Strawberry-Festival-Store-List-2020-for-website.pdf. Stores listed in pink on the website are also offering discounted strawberry shortcake tickets.
The 20 percent discount brings ticket prices down to $8 for adults and $4 for kids age 6-12. Kids age 5 and under can still get in free with a paying adult.
Winter Guard International announces PC event
The 43rd Winter Guard International season is set to kick off this weekend and Plant City is one of many cities across the nation set to host a competition.
Durant High School will host the WGI Tampa Regional winter guard event on Feb. 22. Tickets are $15 for preliminaries, $20 for finals or $30 for both.
Winter guard, an indoor color guard event, uses flags, mock rifles, dance and more in performances. The WGI’s Sport of the Arts program awards scholarships to students who participate in WGI events and has given out more than $800,000 to date.
“WGI Sport of the Arts continues to be a catalyst for extracurricular activity in most high schools with over 115,000 dedicated students wanting to participate in the marching arts in local, national, and international events,” WGI Chief Executive Officer Ron Nankervis said. “From a humble beginning 43 years ago with 34 groups, WGI has grown to see more than 1,500 groups participating yearly.”
The WGI World Championships will be held in April in Dayton, Ohio. Visit wgi.org for more information.
Book drive kicks off Saturday
Goodwill Industries is starting a book drive this Saturday to support its BookWorks childhood literacy program.
The book drive, which will end March 15, is being held in Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sumter counties. Residents are encouraged to donate children’s story books (in good condition) or to make monetary donations to help Goodwill purchase new books. More than 55,000 children received books from the program in 2019.
To donate books, attach a note indicating they are “for BookWorks” and drop them off at any Goodwill-Suncoast store or donation site in the above listed counties. For donation locations, visit goodwill-suncoast.org or call 888-279-1988. To make a monetary gift to purchase new books for the program, visit goodwill-suncoast.org/give-online/. To volunteer for BookWorks, call 888-279-1988 and ask for BookWorks or email bookworks@goodwill-suncoast.com.
Walden Lake Elementary Kindergarten Round-Up
Children age 5 (as of Sept. 1, 2020) can be registered for kindergarten at Walden Lake Elementary School in next month’s Kindergarten Round-Up at the school.
Parents must bring their child’s birth certificate, immunization record, proof of a recent physical (since Aug. 10, 2019), their Social Security number and two proofs of residency, which can include a current electric bill, a current lease or a current homestead tax receipt.
The event starts at 6 p.m. Feb. 20 in the multipurpose room at the school, 2800 Turkey Creek Road. Parking is available on the north side of the campus. Call 813-757-9433 for more information.