Brewer Park gets outdoor fitness system
The Plant City Recreation and Parks Department announced the completion of Dr. Hal and Lynn Brewer Park’s newest feature, which will help residents get fit while enjoying the great outdoors.
Brewer Park, 1491 Hunter St., now has its own HealthBeat Outdoor Fitness System, which features 14 workout stations including an elliptical machine, parallel bars, a hand cycler, a mobility ramp, balance steps, a stretching area, a cardio stepper, a squat press, plyometrics, tai chi wheels, chest/back press, assisted rows/push-ups, ab crunch/leg lifts and pull up/dips.
“The stations promote flexibility, relaxation, balance, meditation, cardiovascular, step aerobic and strength exercises for users ages 13 and up,” department director Jack Holland said in a press release. “They are free and available every day during daylight hours. All stations are fully ADA compliant and the areas include poured-in-place rubber safety surfacing for potential falls.”
Holland added “a similar project is in the planning stages” for Samuel W. Cooper Park, 900 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd.
Elks, more help out Everyday Blessings kids
The children at Everyday Blessings had a big day out on Oct. 4 thanks to the Plant City Elks Lodge #1727 and several businesses and entities around Plant City.
The Elks, who have been providing dinner to Everyday Blessings all year and will do so through at least the end of 2020, first got the kids breakfast provided by Hebron Primitive Baptist Church and then got them haircuts at City Cuts Barber Shop. After the kids who wanted fresh cuts got them, they all got to eat lunch provided by Nick’s Pizzaria and Wings and dessert from Pelican’s Snoballs at Pelican’s picnic tables.
The list of businesses who have helped the Elks and Everyday Blessings since the COVID-19 pandemic also includes the Wooden Spoon Diner, Outback Steakhouse and Forbes Road Produce.
Paint it Forward project seeking nominees
Operation Paying it Forward is undertaking a new project to help make Plant City a better place, one person at a time.
The group is partnering with Hometown Painters and Behr for “Paint it Forward,” for which the goal is to apply a fresh coat of paint to the single-story home of “someone elderly or disabled that may not otherwise have the means to financially afford the cost of a project such as this,” the group said in a Facebook post.
If you or someone you know could use this service, email opayingitforward@gmail.com or mail a letter to P.O. Box 5365, Plant City, FL 33563. Message Operation Paying it Forward on Facebook or contact Michelle Valdes at 813-764-6488 for more information.
Photo Archives awarded CARES grants
The Plant City Photo Archives and History Center just got a helping hand from the Florida Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The Photo Archives announced it was awarded a pair of grants from the FHC with funds received through the National Endowment for the Humanities via the Congressional CARES Act. It applied for a $5,000 grant and got the funding in June, then applied for and later got an additional $3,000 in supplemental funding.
This money will help keep the Photo Archives going, as the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to many of its regular fundraising activities.
