The mission of the Arts Council of Plant City is to bring the arts to the community, to promote education in the arts, to develop artists, and to develop arts programs. One of the programs near and dear to the hearts of the members of the Arts Council is their Veterans’ Banners. These banners can be seen hanging all along the Historic Downtown corridor. “Knowing the support we have in Plant City for our veterans, a discussion between the Arts Council and the city manager took place several years ago to determine if there was a possibility for displaying veterans’ banners to honor our local service men and service women,” said Arts Council Board Member Dodie White. “It was decided that since we have the beautiful Veterans’ Memorial Park, it was a possibility for displaying the banners there, but it would take proper funding to make it happen.”
The Arts Council is dedicated to cultural excellence, community outreach, and arts educational enrichment. The organization also aims to heighten community awareness and participation in the programs the it offers. They started their banner installations in 2018. “The Arts Council’s first installation of Downtown Historic banners was in August 2018,” said Arts Council Board Member Marsha Passmore. “The first installation of the Veteran’s Banners was in October 2022. The first installation of the Veterans’ Banners was so successful that the Arts Council decided to do a second installation. That installation is slated for November 2025.”
The Arts Council is currently looking to the Plant City community to submit photos of their loved ones who served in the military to be used in their next installation of Veterans’ Banners. “Forms are available at the Plant City History & Photo Archives located at 106 South Evers Street in Historic Downtown,” said White. “A good quality photo in JPEG format will need to accompany the application. The new banners are slated for installation prior to Veterans’ Day, 2025. There is no cost for the family members. Fortunately, we have been able to secure local sponsors to cover the cost. The sponsors are the Arts Council of Plant City, City of Plant City, and Unity in the Community.”
The Art Council hopes the community will want to share their loved one’s photo and give them recognition for their military service to our country. “We hope to bring recognition and honor to our local veterans, as well as remind everyone that in 2026 we will celebrate 250 years of freedom in America,” Passmore said. “We would like to thank the families who have submitted photos of their loved ones. It’s our hope to be able to display every photo that is submitted; however, due to limited space, we might not be able to display all submissions in the second installation. If we are not able to display all submissions in October 2025, we will save the ones that are not displayed for a third installation.”
If you would like to submit a military photo of your loved one for the Arts Council’s Veterans’ Banner installation, you can pick up a submission form at the Plant City History & Photo Archives, Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., or call The Archives at 813-754-1578.