The 17th annual Black Heritage Festival is right around the corner and will feature a full weekend of fun for the entire community.
The festival kicks off on Feb. 7 with the Black Heritage Banquet Gala, held at the HCC Trinkle Center, 1206 N. Park Road. The gala will be centered around the theme “A Legacy of Strength, A Future of Hope.”
“We have planned a great event to celebrate Black History Month,” event coordinator Sharon Moody said. “February 7 is our banquet/gala where we recognize African-Americans for their role in the community. This year for our heritage award, James McDaniel will receive the award. The lifetime recognition is going to Darren Culmer in honor of his lifetime of achievement. The community service award goes to the Plant City High School Key Club. They help do 5,000 community service hours a year in the community. The Cornerstone award goes to a church and this year it’s going to Kainos International Church right here in Plant City.”
Rod Carter of WFLA News Channel 8 is the Master of Ceremonies and the Honorable Lesley “Les” Miller is the keynote speaker. Miller has crafted a speech around this year’s theme. Tickets for the gala are $40 per person and include a catered meal. Attendance averages around 500 people every year and the organization also gives out scholarships that evening to local students.
The next morning, local churches and youth groups with children age 10 and up, along with other students, are invited to attend the annual Youth Summit at the 1914 Plant City High School Community Center museum, 605 N. Collins St. Minister Denzel Singleton is the facilitator of the event and it is free for youth to attend.
Registration kicks off at 8:30 a.m. and all participants will receive breakfast and lunch. A cash prize will be given away to the youth group with the highest attendance.
The summit will run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Moody said it is by far one of her favorite events of the entire celebration. The youth will be able to chat with a panel of local leaders, including an officer from Plant City Police Department and local pastors, and have an honest and upfront conversation on what’s happening in the community.
As soon as the Youth Summit ends, the Jazz Festival swings into action at the Robert W. Willaford Train Museum, 102 N. Palmer St. There will be a portrait of leaders gone before us and in the present by students in the community, a presentation from Pattyzu Zumba crew line dancers, a car show by Curt Goodfellaz Brooks as well as performances by Wright’s Jazzstars and MIXX Group. A variety of vendors will also be on site throughout the event.
On Feb. 9, the celebration comes to a close with the Black Heritage Gospel Concert at Mt. Olive Baptist Church, 604 W. Ball St., at 4 p.m. It will be an afternoon of unique and powerful worship including performances by a variety of local choirs, solo singers, praise teams, a praise dance and more.
“We hit every age with this celebration, the old and the young,” Moody said. “There’s something for everyone and we just hope everyone comes out and takes part in it. We would just like to say thank you for everybody’s support for the past 17 years. This is a great event for the City of Plant City, all of Plant City and I’m thankful we’ve been able to connect with the city for all of these years.”
Sponsors for this year’s events include Rooms to Go Foundation, the City of Plant City, Stingray Chevrolet, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Amscot, Felton’s Meat and Produce Market, the Florida Strawberry Festival, Star Distribution Systems, Poppell Insurance, Sol Davis Printing and South Florida Baptist Hospital. Partners include the Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival, Winn Dixie, LEAD, Kiwanis International, Unity in the Community, Inc., Lazydays Employee Foundation, Hillsborough County and the Des’Aime Social Club, Inc.
For more information, call Moody at 813-453-7134 or visit celebration2.homestead.com online.