Downtown Plant City kicked off the month of May with a massive Star Wars-themed party to honor May the 4th, also known as Star Wars Day. What began at the city’s monthly Last Friday in Downtown event, the celebration continued on Saturday and wrapped up on Tuesday — the fourth of the month — as Star Wars fans flocked to Plant City throughout the weekend while several local businesses took the opportunity to create themed drinks, snacks, soaps, candy and other goodies for patrons.
Kenzie Wheeler moved through the top-9 and eventually on to the finale of NBC’s The Voice, bringing hundreds of supporters to the streets of Downtown where they lit up the night for a watch party as his final performance aired live on the big screen.
RVR Horse Rescue invited Plant City residents out to their grand opening festivities in May, drawing huge crowds as they finally had a chance to hold their first-ever Plant City edition of their annual Forever Home event after moving to Plant City over a year prior.
Four local law enforcement members were honored at the 59th annual East Hillsborough Law Enforcement Appreciation Dinner and Plant City’s Walmart got a new look as Sunbelt Rentals unveiled a new outdoor facility, the first such outdoor facility in the nation.
Plant City aimed to preserve its deep and unique history by spreading knowledge and heartfelt memories as the community gathered at the Glover School, one of the community’s most historic landmarks, in honor of Florida’s Emancipation Day.
After earning first runner-up honors at the Plant City Strawberry Festival Junior Royalty Pageant, Durant freshman Kennedie Clinton was selected to represent Plant City at the Miss Florida Teen USA competition later in the year.
Four Plant City track and field athletes headed to the state championships at the University of North Florida where Jackson Knotts and Kaylee Hahn earned top-5 finishes. Durant continued their run of dominance on the diamond as both the softball and baseball teams took district titles before runs to the softball regional finals and baseball state Final Four
To round out the month, seniors from Durant, Strawberry Crest, Plant City and Simmons Career Center all congregated for the final time as a graduating class, taking turns having their names called, walking across the stage at the Florida State Fairgrounds and receiving their degrees at graduation.