The 57th annual awards luncheon for Outstanding Citizen of the Year will be Wednesday, Feb. 17. Organizers need interested guests to RSVP by Friday, Feb. 5.
The buffet, provided by Simply Southern Caterers, will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Florida Strawberry Festival Expo Hall, 2301 W. Oak Ave. The cost is $25.
No one knows the identity of the 2016 recipient, who was chosen by a variety of service clubs in the Plant City community. The recipient doesn’t know either, until they are announced at the luncheon.
“I always enjoy the anticipating watching the person that wins — their surprise — because they have no idea,” organizer Ken Gibbs said. “As (the presenter) starts going through their bio … the person sitting in their seat knows that the person can only be them.”
The 2015 recipient, Dub McGinnes will announce the name of the winner.
This is the third year the event will take place at the festival grounds. Outstanding Citizen of the Year first celebrated Arthur Boring in 1960. Since then, names such as Sadye Martin, Mike Sparkman, Fred Johnson, Paul Buchman, B.M. Mac Smith Jr. and more have been selected. The first program was established by the National Bank of Plant City and later assumed by the Kiwanis Club.
The event is not a fundraiser, and its sole purpose is to recognize and honor an outstanding Plant City citizen.
To RSVP, contact Gibbs at (813) 752-6171.