When 2020 began, there was an air of optimism around Plant City.
The 34th annual Plant City Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Arts Festival honored those who had served and encourage inclusiveness and a moment of reflection and celebration. Local parks were filled with attendees who flocked toward a variety of sports tournaments including the Tampa Bay Ultimate Frisbee Janus XXVII Tournament and the International Senior Softball Association-World Baseball Softball Confederation World Tournament of Champions.
A new Junior Royalty court was crowned and Franklin Graham came to the Florida Strawberry Festival Grounds to talk about the fact that the country needed to make a decision on what it wanted its future to look like. Local residents camped out in front of the new Culver’s on North Park Road in hopes of getting free custard for the rest of the year.
Plant City High School’s Special Olympics basketball team prepared to head to state championship tournaments. Meghan White was crowned Strawberry Queen along with First Maid Kennedy Sapp and Court Members Denim Hughes, Lacie Collins and Emma Miller.
The annual Chilifest, hosted by the Arts Council of Plant City, brought the heat to downtown as the streets were flooded with attendees hoping to find their new favorite dish. Downtown also got a facelift as the newly created Downtown Strike Team began to bring a fresh look to McCall Park and its surrounding areas.