-
Many Harry Potter fans gathered at the Corner Store on Feb. 17 for the first-ever Harry Potter Trivia Night. The event was also sponsored by Instagramers of Plant City.
-
Chef Fabio Viviani came back to Plant City for the 2018 Celebrity Chef Dinner. Viviani also starred in the 2015 edition of the United Food Bank of Plant City’s annual fundraiser dinner.
-
Plant City hosted Roadmaster Driving School in mid-February. The Plant City Police Department parking lot became the school’s testing site as a supplement to its other temporary training base, the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds.
-
The Bruton Memorial Library became Plant City’s only mini golf course on Feb. 17. The 12-hole course was built by Lowe’s of Plant City and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Adam Hayward made an appearance.
-
The Wish Farms and Monte Package Company Strawberry Picking Challenge raised funds for the Redlands Christian Migrant Association. In addition to the picking contest, there was also a strawberry shortcake eating contest.
-
Ed Verner and Don Walden pose with Walden’s Citizen of the Year award. At the ceremony, Walden stood and looked around the room before saying, “Well, I guess I know now why I had to get a haircut and a shave.”
-
FIRST LEGO League held its Championship Tournament at the Trinkle Center in February. The event tasked elementary and middle schoolers with building “robots” to solve real-world problems such as recycling, energy efficiency and more.
-
Part of St. Mary’s Community Church’s annual Black Heritage Celebration included a “roll call” where members of the Plant City community portrayed important African-Americans, including Nina Simone.
-
Students at Lincoln Elementary told the stories of influential African Americans during their annual Black History Month performance. As each speech was finished, the young actor would point to themselves and say "I am somebody."
-
Planes, Trains and Automobiles is always a big draw in Plant City and the 2018 event, held at the Plant City Airport, was no exception. The event puts all kinds of classic cars, airplanes and trains on display.
As always, February brought Plant City a new Citizen of the Year in Don Walden and a new chairman for the Chamber of Commerce in Jason Jones. We learned of plans for a new entertainment hall to come to Midtown, saw the Florida Strawberry Festival’s new and improved grandstand completed and celebrated Black History Month. Jensen’s Heart of Gold Gala returned to Plant City, as did Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
