Plant City Times&

Observer

INDEX

OUR TOWN

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.A PARTNERSHIP WITH

This week’s winner isBrandy MoralesSee her photo on

PAGE 15.

Calendar.......................2 Crossword...................15 Obituaries...................11 Sports.........................12 Weather......................15

FREE • FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2015

+ Danes visitstrawberry festPlant City Daybreak

Rotary club hosted a groupof Rotarians from Denmarkthis month.

Svend Erik Jensen, Tomand Merete Nielsen, andJoanna and Jens Holdorflearned all about PlantCity and even attendedthe Florida StrawberryFestival. They stayedwith David and AliseSollenberger, Bruce andMargaret Rodwell, andGeorge and CassandraBanning.They arrived in Florida

March 6 and stayed untilMarch 15. Other thingson their itinerary includedDisney, Port of Tampaharbor boat tour, lunch inYbor City, a tour of a cigarfactory in Ybor City and avisit to Honeymoon Island.

+ Lupton’s hostspicnic for familiesLupton’s Catering held

its 25th annual FosterFamily Picnic at Lupton’sBoggy Bottom Ranch,8407 Lupton Place, inPlant City March 1.

Ralph J. Lupton Jr. sawthe need to celebrate thefamilies caring for childrenin need and began to hosta picnic in their honor 25years ago.Lupton’s partner,

Eckerd, also believes fos-ter parents are a valuedsystem of care partnerswho leave lifelong impres-sions on children in theircare.Eckerd was honored

to be working in col-laboration with Lupton’sto coordinate this year’scelebration. EckerdCommunity Alternativesis the lead agency forcommunity-based childwelfare and foster careservices in Hillsborough,Pinellas and Pasco coun-ties, serving nearly 6,000children and their fami-lies each day.If you are interested in

learning more about adop-tion or about foster chil-dren available for adop-tion, visit eckerd.org.

SPORTSTeen pocketsticket to nationalpool tournament.PAGE 12

NEIGHBORHOODSecondChanceBoxerRescue hosts secondannual benefit carnival.PAGE 7

Vol.2,No.34 | Onesection

Lynn Lipham is competitive.Whether its a game of pool orbeating you to the door, thehappy-go-lucky fitness guruhas a playful way about her.It’s that fun and positive atti-tude that draws patrons to the

bartender, who has worked allover Plant City and Lakeland.It’s no wonder they’re rallyingaround her now.

An F-250 slammed into theback of Lipham’s car on Inter-state 4 while she was going to

Lakeland in the early morn-ing hours after a shift Feb. 15at PaddyWagon Irish Pub inPlant City. The once smilingand vibrant young woman hasbrain damage and is fightingfor her life at Lakeland Re-

gional Medical Center.No one knows what her fu-

ture holds. So the Lakelandand Plant City communitiesare hosting fundraisers topay for medical costs, bothcurrent and future. The nextfundraiser will be a poker runSaturday, March 28, startingat Cuzzins Bar and ending at

PokerRunplanned for victimLynn Lipham was rear-ended by a constructiontruck while she was going home from work.

community support by Amber Jurgensen |AssociateEditor

For the 2015 Florida Straw-berry Festival, Unity in theCommunity and StingrayChevrolet aimed to make theirannual raffle bigger than ever.

The move paid off, as bothsides learned Monday thattheir Chevrolet Corvette reallybrought in the big bucks.

Presenting to a showroompacked with prominent PlantCity citizens and more, Sting-ray Chevrolet owner SteveHurley and his wife, Susan,grinned from ear to ear afterlifting the cover from Unity’slatest charity check. The lo-cally-based charity organiza-tion will now have an extra$162,000toworkwithbetweennow and the next StrawberryFestival, an amount that drewaudible gasps and thunder-ous applause from the crowd.

“It is $50,000 more than weraised last year,” Steve Hur-ley said. “Every dollar goesto Unity. Even if we wouldhave raised $20,000, that’sstill $20,000 more than Unitywould have had. That’s what

UnityshattersrafflerecordIn 2014, a Chevrolettruck raffle netted Unityin the Community around$112,000. This year, aCorvette Stingray broughtin an extra $50,000.

Justin Kline

Ann Trinkle, the first rafflewinner from inside Plant City,couldn’t wait to take her newride for a spin.

ALLREVVEDUPby Justin Kline |StaffWriter

Although the Florida Straw-berry Festival has just come to aclose, berry lovers still have theTampa Bay Blueberry Festivalto look forward to this spring.And one young woman willreign over the festival as MissBlueberry Queen.

This will the be pageant’sthird year. Organizer Julie Hast-ing said there is one way thatthe Blueberry Pageant is setapart from other similar com-

petitions, and it has been oneof the event’s most popular fea-tures.

“We’re the only pageant intown that gives everyone acrown and usually other gifts,too,” Hasting said.

Any girl or woman betweenthe ages of 2 and 19 can enterthe pageant, regardless of expe-rience or geographical bound-

Plant City to crown third Blueberry Queen next week

Braelyn Hines cannotmove and exercise asmuch as most children

his age, but the swimming poolis where he truly blossoms.

Although Braelyn does notalways have access to a therapypool, where he is motivatedto exercise and improve his

physical and mental health, hisfamily is making sure that their“fish out of water” will soon beable to swim freely, with thehelp of the community.

When Braelyn, now almost11, was born, he was a healthyinfant with no foreseeablemental or physical disabilities.

But within five months, he hadcontracted bacterial meningi-tis, and the effects would staywith him for life.

As a baby, Braelyn suf-fered strokes and seizures thatcaused significant brain dam-

BRAELYN’S BRIGADE

This year, seven will vie for the title ofMiss Blueberry Queen. Every contestantwill receive a crown at the pageant.

BLUEBELLES by Catherine Sinclair |StaffWriter

The Hines family has plans for a series of creative eventsto raise money for a therapy pool for their son, Braelyn.

FISHOUTOFWATER by Catherine Sinclair |StaffWriter

Catherine SInclair

The Hines family hopes to have the therapy pool in their yard before Braelyn’s birthday in April 2016.

SEE UNITY / PAGE 4

File photo

SEE BRAELYN / PAGE 4

SEE PAGEANT / PAGE 4

SEE LIPHAM / PAGE 4

HERESHEISPlant City nativecrownedMissOil Capital.PAGE 8

COMMUNITYCALENDARFRIDAY, MARCH 20Acoustic Happy Hour — musictakes place from 5:30 to 8:30p.m. Friday, March 20, atO’Brien’s Irish Pub and FamilyRestaurant, 1701 S. AlexanderSt. (813) 764-8818.

Christian Contemporary Music— takes place from 6:33 to8:13 p.m. Friday, March 20,at Krazy Kup, 101 E. J. ArdenMays Blvd. (813) 752-1220.

Live Music — takes place from9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, March20, at O’Brien’s Irish Pub andFamily Restaurant, 1701 S.Alexander St. (813) 764-8818.

Plant City Social Dance Club —dance takes place from 7 to 10p.m. Friday, March 20, at theFlorida National Guard Armory,4004 Airport Road. For moreinformation call Ken Miller at(863) 409-7714.

Skip Frye Blues Live! — takesplace from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday,March 20, at Keel and CurleyWinery, 5210 ThonotosassaRoad. (813) 752-9100.

SATURDAY, MARCH 214-H Strawberry U-Pick at FancyFarms — takes place from8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday,March 21, at Fancy Farms, offRice Road. The U-Pick benefitsthe 4-H Youth in the com-munity and food banks. VisitFancyFarms.com for directions.

Blueberry Pageant — takesplace all day March 21 atKeel and Curley Winery, 5210Thonotosassa Road. Any girl orwoman between the ages of 2and 19 can enter the pageant,regardless of experience or geo-graphical boundaries. Ages 2 to6 will compete from 9:45 a.m.to 1 p.m., and ages 7 to 19 willcompete throughout the restof the afternoon. Admission is$10. (813) 752-9100.Night of Rockstars — takesplace 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday,March 21, at The Barn, 4810Deshong Drive, Plant City.Celebrate World Down SyndromeDay with dancing, food, gamesand more.Young Adult Nite — takesplace from 7:33 to 10:33 p.m.Saturday, March 21, at KrazyKup, 101 E. J. Arden MaysBlvd. Enjoy live music fromlocal artists. (813) 752-1220.

MONDAY, MARCH 23Plant City Area DemocraticClub — takes place beginningat 6 p.m. Monday, March 23, atBruton Memorial Library, 302McLendon St. This is the firstannual meeting of the club.New officers will be elected and2015 goals will be finalized.

TUESDAY, MARCH 24GriefShare — takes place

beginning at 6:30 p.m.Tuesday, March 24, at HopeLutheran Baptist Church, 2001N. Park Road. Each GriefSharesession includes a video semi-nar and group discussion tohelp cope with the death of aloved one. (813) 752-4622.Heart Health Screenings —takes place from 1 to 2 p.m.Tuesday, March 24, at theCommunity Resource Center ofSouth Florida Baptist Hospital,301 N. Alexander St. Highblood pressure increases theheart’s workload, causing theheart to enlarge and weakenover time, and the risk ofcoronary heart disease risesas blood cholesterol levelsincrease. Get both your bloodpressure and cholesterolchecked on a regular basis. Noappointment necessary. Free.(813) 644-6720.The Recovery for Life — takesplace from 6:30 to 8 p.m.Tuesday, March 24, at theLorena Jaeb Rainbow House,504 N. Palm Drive. It is a12-step Bible-based programto help free individuals from allforms of addiction. Debbie Ray,(813) 763-1562.

WED., MARCH 25Open Mic Night — takes placebeginning at 8 p.m. Wednesday,March 25, at O’Brien’s Irish Puband Family Restaurant, 1701 S.

Alexander St. (813) 764-8818.Plant City Local Harvest FarmersMarket — takes place from 4 to8 p.m. Wednesday, March 25,at McCall Park, 100 N. CollinsSt. PCLocalHarvestFarmer sMar-ket.com.Read with Bonnie the TherapyDog — takes place from 4 to5 p.m. Wednesday, March 25,at Bruton Memorial Library,302 W. McLendon St. Readingwith Bonnie can help childrenimprove reading, communica-tion skills and confidence. Forchildren of all ages. (813) 757-9215.

THURS., MARCH 26Heritage Award Banquet —takes place beginning at 6:30p.m. Thursday, March 26, atthe Plant City Photo Archives& History Center, 106 S.Evers St. Al Berry has beenselected as this year’s winner.Berry served with the FloridaStrawberry Festival for 43 yearsand was co-owner and on airpersonality with Plant City’sradio station, WPLA. The eventwill begin with a champagnereception and feature photoexhibits, live jazz and phototrivia. (813) 754-1578.Storytime — takes place begin-ing at 11 a.m. Thursday, March26, at the Bruton MemorialLibrary, 302 McLendon St.Enjoy an interactive story that

involves dancing, rhyming andsongs. For children 18 monthsto 5 years.Tax Assistance — takesplace from 1 to 5 p.m.Thursday, March 26, at theBruton Memorial Library, 302McLendon St. Sign up is lim-ited to 25 people and begins at10 a.m. Participants are askedto bring a copy of their previ-ous year’s taxes, identificationall relevant tax documents.Applicants are eligible for assis-tance if they made less than$53,000 in 2014.

FRIDAY, MARCH 27Acoustic Happy Hour — musictakes place from 5:30 to 8:30p.m. Friday, March 27, atO’Brien’s Irish Pub and FamilyRestaurant, 1701 S. AlexanderSt. (813) 764-8818.Christian Contemporary Music— takes place from 6:33 to8:13 p.m. Friday, March 27,at Krazy Kup, 101 E. J. ArdenMays Blvd. (813) 752-1220.

SAT, MARCH 28Arts Council Chili Cook-off —takes place from 11 a.m. to 1p.m. Saturday, March 28, at thehistoric Robert W. Willaford TrainMuseum in downtown PlantCity. For $5, sample varioustypes of chili and Neumeister’sCandy Shoppe chocolate.

To publicize your event in our Community Calendar, pleasesend by mail: 110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100-A, Plant City, FL33563; or by email: ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com. Photosare welcome. Deadline is noon Thursday.

BEST BETYouth Fishing Derby —takes place from 8:30 to11 a.m. Saturday, March21. Anglers can be pre-registered until 5 p.m.Thursday, March 19, atthe Recreation and ParksDepartment AdministrationOffices, 1904 S. ParkRoad. On-site registrationwill be held the day of theevent, from 7:30 a.m. to8:15 a.m. For more infor-mation, contact Haldane atdhaldane@plantcitygov.com,or visit PlantCityGov.com.

For anyone who ever won-dered if those people who of-fer parking at their businessesand homes during the FloridaStrawberry Festival make goodmoney, the answer is yes.

Just ask the staff and stu-dents of Willis Peters Excep-tional Center.

Every year, the students andstaff of the school join forceswith Wells Memorial FuneralHome, just down the streetfrom the festival, and use thefuneral home’s lot to park carsto raise some money to helpimprove lives.

“The students are very for-tunate,” Rebecca Nance, an

elementary teacher, said. “Ev-eryone’s very dedicated to thestudents. It’s our only big fun-draiser that we do each year.Wells doesn’t take a cut of themoney. They donate everypenny to the school.”

Nance knows what kind ofimpact this makes. She’s beenworking behind the scenesfor years to make sure every-thing runs smoothly and hasseen every penny go to a goodcause.

According to Wells DirectorVerna McKelvin, the school hasgenerated tens of thousandsof dollars of revenue from theparking lot. Last year, Wells

confirmed the school raisedabout $12,000.

The partnership officiallybegan in 2008. Before then,it was just a one-family deal:A student lived behind Wells,and his father started openingup the yard for parking to raisemoney for teacher Phoebe Ir-by’s class. According to Nance,the neighbors soon learnedof this and volunteered theirproperties for the cause. WhenMcKelvin heard about it, sheand the funeral home werehappy to loan their empty lotat no charge.

“The lot’s empty during thefestival, and I struggled to man

it,” she said. “I thought it wouldbe a great relationship.”

Students and staff from theschool work in the lot at alltimes during the festival, andthe students get a good workexperience out of it in additionto the benefits they reap fromthe funds raised.

“They wave in cars, hand outcards, make change,” Nancesaid. “We like to get them in-volved with hands-on life skillsand understand where themoney comes from — whattheir time is going toward.”

Open Road Trailers also do-nates a trailer for the studentsand staff to store their equip-

ment during the festival.Wells might not take a cut

of the money, but the funeralhome has been showered withcards from well-wishing stu-dents, staff and parents, andthe kids even made a plaqueone year as a thank-you — aplaque that the funeral homeis proud to have on display.

As for the school, the moneygoes to help students of needin all areas. Everything fromschool supplies to winter coatsare covered, and McKelvin saidthe school was also able to usesome of the money to builda handicap-accessible play-ground.

With the way things havebeen going, Wells and WillisPeters don’t plan on splittingup any time soon.

“It looks like it’s going to con-tinue to be a long relationship,”McKelvin said.

Contact Justin Kline atjkline@plantcityobserver.com.

Wells donates festival parking funds

The emphasis on STEM— Science, Technology, Engi-neering and Math — has beengrowing in educational institu-tions in recent years because ofthe current and future demandfor workers in these industries.Thanks to a local competitionsponsored by University ofSouth Florida, students in PlantCity have been encouragedto follow their technologicaldreams and change the worldwith new ideas.

USF sponsors the Young In-novator Competition for stu-dents in grades three througheight. Sandy VanOosten, whoteaches gifted math and sci-ence for multiple grades atWalden Lake ElementarySchool, requires her studentsto enter the contest.

Throughout the year, shecarries out the theme of the sci-ence of invention in a numberof additional ways in her class-room, such as research projectsand guest speakers.

“(Because) children are al-ways so curious, it’s natural forthem to come up with inven-tions,” VanOosten said.

Sixty-three students fromWalden Lake entered the YoungInnovator Competition thisyear, and seven placed in thetop 50. But one fifth-graderin VanOosten’s class, ZacharyShinneman, excelled even fur-ther and was a finalist in thetop 10. His invention addressedsome of his concerns for safetyand environmental protection.

One day, Shinneman and hisfamily were driving down thehighway, and he saw some-thing that disturbed him.

He noticed the abundance ofdebris on the side of the road,and asked his mother, TriciaShinneman, who was respon-sible for cleaning it up. She ex-plained to him that volunteersor workers who are paid in taxdollars usually walk along theroadsides to clean.

“I thought that seemed kindof dangerous,” Shinnemansaid.

The idea for the HighwaySweeper was born. Shinnemanused engineering software todesign a truck that collectsroadside debris without put-ting pedestrian workers at risk.

He later discovered this was

an even more important issue:Last year, 13 people died inFlorida as a result of being hitwhile cleaning along roadways.

“I love the way Zachary saw aneed that needed to be fulfilledto protect our environmentand to make collecting trash onthe road more concise and pre-cise,” VanOosten said.

Shinneman designed a4-foot-long prototype of his in-vention. As a top 10 applicant,he also was required to give apresentation.

The organizers of the YoungInnovator Competition senthim and the nine other finaliststo Home Shopping Network’sstudio, where they worked withprofessionals and got feedbackon their presentation skills.

Shinneman gave his presen-tation on the Highway Sweeperand then received a medal andcertificate at an awards cer-emony Wednesday, Feb. 11 —Thomas Edison’s birthday — atUSF. He also received a Blue-tooth speaker and an annualfamily pass to MOSI.

Shinneman expects to con-tinue participating in theYoungInnovator Competition, evenafter he leaves VanOosten’sclassroom.

“He’s constantly thinking ofthings to improve or invent,”Tricia said.

Contact Catherine Sinclairat csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.

The lights fell. The musicstarted. Dana Carpenter’sphone died.

She didn’t think much of itas Alabama took the stage. Thememories were in the packedstadium of the Florida Straw-berry Festival, and not onsome lighted, plastic screen.And her 11-year-old daughter,Megan, was under good care.Her older brother, Chad waswatching her at their countryhome.

But with each changingchord of the guitar, Chad wastrying to reach her.

The band launched into asong:

Oh, I believe there are angelsamong us.

Voicemail.Sent down to us from some-

where up above.Voicemail.They come to you and me in

our darkest hours.Chad hung up the phone

and rushed to his sister’s side.She was convulsing. She wasunresponsive. The ambulancecame. It took her away.

All the lights in the housewere on when Dana Carpenterpulled into the driveway of thehouse.

When she entered, her chil-dren didn’t come to her. Andthen she saw there was a mes-sage on the recorder. Chad’svoice was shaking in a panic.They were at the hospital.

Chad had been her angel.Megan suffered more sei-

zures at the hospital beforeshe was transferred from PlantCity to St. Joseph’s Hospital inTampa. After the family wasreunited, all they could do waswait for an answer.

Megan loved the FloridaStrawberry Festival. So hermother knew she wasn’t feel-ing well when Megan decidedshe wasn’t going to the con-cert that night. Did that havesomething to do with whatwas happening to her?

The doctors did test aftertest. They asked questionafter question. Megan hadgained some weight earlierin the year. They had to keepletting out her evening gownfor the Junior Royalty Pag-eant the month before. Andher usually flawless skin hadstarted to be speckled withacne. Was it just coming ofage and hormones?

Several days went by, andthe doctors gathered the fam-ily around a table. They knew itwas serious.

Megan had adrenal corticalcarcinoma, a rare cancer thehospital had never treated be-fore. There was no known cure.Her prognosis was bleak: just afew months. Carpenter stoodup and backed away from thetable.

“I am not going to acceptthis,” Carpenter said. “This isunacceptable.”

There was modern medi-cine. There were doctors. ButCarpenter believed somethingmore powerful was going tohelp save her daughter: prayer.

Megan survived for fivemore years on that power. Andin those five years, she becamean angel to many.

PRINCESSES AND ANGELSThe princess tent at Relay

for Life is perhaps the mostpopular booth on the groundsof the Plant City High Schoolstadium. The school’s cosme-tology department organizesit, painting the nails and facesof all the little girls who comethrough. At the end, the Flor-ida Strawberry Queen wavesher wand over them and re-cites a magical blessing.

The tent is in honor of Me-gan.

“She would hate it,” Carpen-ter said.

Megan didn’t like to talkabout her cancer. She wentthrough three rounds of che-motherapy and eleven surger-ies. She lost her hair in gobs onher pillow. She refused to weara wig, because it wasn’t her.And she didn’t like to watch theyounger children go into treat-ment because she knew whatlay ahead.

But Megan was the way shewas because she was resilientand and selfless. Instead of awig, she had a baseball cap tomatch every outfit. She deniedan offer from the Make-A-Wish Foundation because shewanted other children to havethe chance to make their own.And she stayed connectedto her faith and church fam-

ily, and helped others do thesame.

“Megan touched a lot ofpeople with her faith,” Car-penter said. “She brought ev-eryone else up.”

It’s evident that Megan wasknown everywhere she went.From flying with a baseballcap on the Plant City Dolphinscheer team to a standing ova-tion at a Junior Royalty Pag-eant she competed in two daysafter finishing radiation, ev-eryone found Megan to be aninspiration.

“The doctors used to say,‘We don’t know why she’s stillkicking,’” Carpenter said.

She had a reason to be.“She changed a lot of kids’

hearts who were going astray,”Carpenter said. “She was thechosen one. Even though Iwould rather have her here.”

But now that she’s gone, theangel herself is still changinglives.

LUMINARIAAt every Relay for Life cer-

emony around the world, thelights shut off for a specialmoment no one can forget.Participants decorate bags inmemories of those who havedied from cancer. In Plant City,a candle is placed inside eachone that dots the track, turn-

ing the stadium into a glowingcircle of faith and support.

There is a moment of si-lence. And then a slideshowto remember all the faces whohave gone. It is hard to find adry eye in the crowd.

“The luminaria ceremony isso important to Relay becauseof its symbolism,” BritneyKoch, luminaria chair, said.“The luminaria handbooksays this about the ceremony’spurpose and symbolism: ‘Theluminaria ceremony is a cer-emony of remembrance andhope. It symbolizes a time togrieve for those we have lost, toreflect on our own cancer ex-perience or that of those clos-est to us, and to find hope thattomorrow holds the promiseof a cancer-free world.’”

For Carpenter, it’s a touchingmoment.

“(After your loved one dies)if you sit alone by yourself, youcan get down,” Carpenter said.“But when you’re around peo-ple who go through the samething … it’s a healing.”

A large portion of Plant City’sluminarias are decorated forMegan. Her friends gather, stillwearing their pink ”Our An-gel in Heaven” bracelets, andsome with their own daugh-ters who have visited the prin-cess tent. Chad is now a PlantCity police officer. His friendsjoin in during the night to sup-port him.

“You don’t even know someof these people and her namewill be on (their luminarias),”Carpenter said. “It’s so sad, butit’s amazing that she’s touchedso many.”

The Alabama song is neverfar from Carpenter’s mind.

Oh I believe there are angelsamong us.

To show us how to live, toteach us how to give.

To guide us with the light oflove.

LOCALSEMI-FINALISTSThese students from PlantCity-area schools placed inthe top 50:Christian Bentrovato, BeefBubbles for DogsCrystal Estrada, No BugsAbout ItAndrew MacDonald, WaterWake Up CallAnnabelle Salveson,Hourglass Stop LightAndrew Smith, AutomaticWasherCarson Sweat, Safe-T-WalletAidan Marino Vaughan,Powered Pet FecesRemoverCase Watson, Lighter andWick Cutter

ABOUT THE SCHOOLWillis Peters Exceptional

Center, located at 2919Nelson Ave., Dover, is apublic exceptional schoolthat serves students 3 to22 who have intellectualdisabilities. The school,which is right next toDover Elementary, runs aPreK-12 program with afour-year transition pro-gram to help the olderstudents adjust to life out-side of school. It currentlyemploys 50 staff mem-bers, and has 90 students.For more information,

call (813) 757-9462.

Wells Memorial Funeral Home enjoys a partnership with Dover-based Willis Peters ExceptionalCenter, raising upwards of $10,000 per year with Florida Strawberry Festival parking services.

exceptional gift by Justin Kline |StaffWriter

Student ‘cleansup’ at inventioncompetition

education by Catherine Sinclair |StaffWriter

A fifth-grader from Walden LakeElementary School placed in the top 10in the USF Young Innovator Competition.

Catherine Sinclair

Zachary Shinneman built a prototype of his invention, theHighway Sweeper.

REMEMBER A LOVED ONETo purchase a luminaria, current Relay participants can

contact their team captain for a form.Those who are not registered with a team can come visit

us at the Plant City Relay Rally at 6 p.m. March 23 at PlantCity’s First Baptist Church on the south third floor, 503 N.Palmer St. Find the luminaria station for more information.You can also purchase them on the day of the event,

April 10, at the luminaria tent on the south end of the field.Luminaria monies are a donation directly to your team ofany amount. At the event, you can decorate the bag howeveryou’d like.For any other questions, contact britneykoch@mail.usf.edu

or (813) 716-7947.

Angels Among UsMegan Carpenter died from cancer in 2006, but her memory liveson through the Plant City Relay’s luminaria ceremony and princess tent.

RELAY FORLIFE by Amber Jurgensen |ManagingEditor

Amber Jurgensen

Dana Carpenter keeps her daughter’s memory alive through Plant City’s Relay for Life.

aries. There are 20 contestantsin each age group.

“Many of the categories werefull after the very first sign-up,”Hasting said.

The contestants are judgedon stage presence, beauty andconfidence. Contestants whoare 5 or older also are judgedon their answers to the emcee’squestions.

There are three winners ineach age group: Queen, FirstMaid and People’s Choice. Thequeens and first maids keeptheir crown and sash, and thenparticipate in various commu-nity events throughout the year,such as the Blueberry Festival,Relay for Life, the ChristmasParade and the Grand Parade at

the Florida Strawberry Festival.Each year, the pageant has

been complemented by a silentauction and other fundraisingevents to help a local cause.This year’s event will benefitFierce Athletics, a Plant Citynonprofit organization thathelps girls and young womenpay for athletic programs thatthey might not be able to affordotherwise.

“We want to boost confi-dence,” Hasting said. “We wantevery girl to feel that if theycan walk across that stage tobe judged, then they deservesomething.”

Contact Catherine Sinclairat csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.

The Original Big Dogs Patio, inPlant City.

“It’s been pretty awesome,the amount of people who’vereached out,” sister-in-law TaraLipham said. “They’re doingeverything in their power tohelp her and her family.”

Everything in their power —for someone who empowerspeople.

Lipham is known for hittingthe gym, making it a passion acouple years ago. She still findstime to stay healthy in betweenworking two or three jobs, andshe gets others involved byposting positive messages onher Facebook and asking themto work out with her.

“She’s motivated a lot of peo-ple,” Tara said. “She motivatedme. She doesn’t like negativ-ity … She’ll post things like, ‘Ifyou’re ready to make a change,start with today.’”

Friend Chris Stovall grew upwith her two older brothersand knows her well.

“She’s all about eating right,living right,” Stovall said.“That’s how she is about ev-erything. She’s always happy …Everyone cares about her like alittle sister.”

Stovall is a manager at BigDogs and is looking forwardto sharing the hosting dutiesfor the poker run, as well asthrowing the pool tournamentand after party. He was also ata fundraiser at the Imperial

Swan Hotel in Lakeland.“You could feel the love,”

Stovall said. “I would hope ifsomething ever happened to

me, people would do that forme.”

Besides growing up withLipham’s family and workingfor her father, Stovall has stayedin touch with her through thehospitality industry. Both haveworked for bars and restau-rants. He saw her check intoPaddyWagon on Facebook thenight of the accident, just likeshe had many times before. Hedidn’t find out until the nextday she didn’t make it home.

“It makes you think aboutthings differently,” Stovall said.“She was working out, doinggreat, then thrown a curve ball.It’s unreal.”

Contact Amber Jurgensen atajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.

LIPHAM / PAGE 1

PAGEANT / PAGE 1

we’re very proud of. This ex-ceeded the car by almost threetimes the cost.”

The decision to raffle off theCorvette was a long time com-ing for the Hurleys, who sim-ply decided this year wouldbe the right time to give oneaway. Of the 32,400 ticketssold, it took only one to winand, for the first time in rafflehistory, someone from PlantCity won.

Ann Trinkle ended up in theraffle when her husband, Rob-ert, bought her ticket. As faras $5 purchases go, it doesn’tget much better than a brandnew Corvette — and she’s stillthrilled about it.

“On a scale from one to 10,how about 50?” she said.

Stingray employee DaveDavenport, a salesman whomTrinkle describes as being“like a son” to the family, soldthe winning ticket. Trinkle wasgiven the keys to the car dur-ing Monday’s check presenta-tion and got to finally take thecar for herself after it was over.

Although she turned down anaudience member’s requestto do donuts in the parkinglot, she did promise that shewould get “real sporty” behindthe wheel.

“Oh, you’d better believe,”she said. “I’m gonna love it.”

The Trinkles, longtime sup-porters of Unity in the Com-munity, might have beenmore thrilled only about theamount raised for the charity.Like the rest of the audience,they could hardly believe thesuccess of this year’s raffle.

As for Unity itself, the groupcan’t wait to cash the checkand start putting the money togood use.

“We’ll be doing some of thesame projects we’ve been do-ing in the past,” chairwomanLinda Lawson said. “UnitedFood Bank, Meals on Wheelsand Lots of Hugs. However,we will be looking at otherorganizations that are worth-while and may need funding,as well. With this raffle, we canbroaden our base.”

Contact Justin Kline atjkline@plantcityobserver.com.

age. He had a permanent shuntplaced to drain fluid from hisbrain. For a long time, he didnot express emotions and wasunable to communicate.

“It was a very scary time forus,” Braelyn’s mother, LaKeeshaHines, said. “They were basi-cally preparing us for him notto make it.”

Fortunately, one nurse’s pre-diction that Braelyn would sur-vive came true.

He began physical, occupa-tional and speech therapy as ababy, and did not take his firstindependent steps until age 6.He now communicates throughsign language and pictures, andoften uses a wheelchair.

But it was at age 4 that the Hi-neses started aquatic therapywith Braelyn, and it turned outto be an effective breakthrough.Braelyn began to strengthen hismuscles and relieve his stress.His self-injurious behavior,which had been borne out offrustration from his inability tocommunicate easily, began tosubside.

“We finally found somethingthat he loved,” Braelyn’s father,Willie Hines, said.

Braelyn has continuedaquatic therapy ever since, aswell as swimming lessons attheYMCA. These activities are agreat way for him to get exerciseand improve his overall health,because he cannot move andplay as much as other childrenhis age.

But aquatic therapy sessionsare only weekly, and swimminglessons are available only in thesummer. Braelyn’s therapistshave suggested that Braelyn’sfamily install a therapy pool intheir backyard, so he can havedaily access to a pool that fitshis needs.

The Endless Pool will allowBraelyn to swim against a con-stant current to strengthen hismuscles. There will be a tread-mill on the pool floor so that hecan work on his walking skillsand balance, as well as exercisethat way.

The Hines family hopes tohave this pool in place by Brae-lyn’s 12th birthday. They arerallying support for “Braelyn’sBrigade” through events andonline fundraising to offset thepool’s $30,000 price tag.

“It takes a team to do this; wecan’t do it by ourselves,” LaKee-sha said.

Donations can be made atgofundme.com/kbjhyk.

“We’re going to make it hap-pen, no matter what it takes,”Willie said.

Contact Catherine Sinclairat csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.

EVENTSCheck the Facebook page“Braelyn’s Brigade” forupdates on these eventsas more details are con-firmed. To order tickets orsponsor an event, contactLaKeesha and Willie Hinesthrough the Facebook pageor at support4caregivers@live.com.

BRAELYN’SBIRTHDAY PARTYWHEN: 12 to 4 p.m.Saturday, April 18WHERE: Edward MedardRegional Park, 5726Panther Loop, Plant CityDETAILS: The communitywill celebrate Braelyn’s11th birthday with games,prizes, music and food.The park at large offersboating, paddling, inlineskating, fishing, a play-ground and horsebackriding. This event will alsobenefit other students withdisabilities at Willis PetersExceptional Center.

WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENTSOCIAL & ‘SISTER SWAP’WHEN: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.Saturday, May 9WHERE: USF AlumniCenter, 4202 E. FowlerAve. ALC 100, TampaDETAILS: The theme ofthis event is “clearing theclutter.” Each attendee isasked to bring one house-hold item she does notuse, which she can swapfor an item that someoneelse brought. Guest speak-ers will address tips formaintaining a clean houseand a clean heart. Thisevent will also benefit TheSpring of Tampa Bay.

FISHING TOURNAMENTWHEN: JuneWHERE: TBDDETAILS: Whether fathersand their sons, or other menand the boys they mentor,attendees will bond as theylearn how to fish together.Awards will be given for thebiggest fish, smallest fishand most fish caught.

FORMAL DINNERWHEN: 4 to 8 p.m.Saturday, Oct. 3WHERE: USF AlumniCenter, 4202 E. FowlerAve. ALC 100, TampaDETAILS: As guests enjoyan elegant meal and timeof socialization, they willlearn more about Braelyn’sstory and what it is like tobe the parents of a dis-abled child. This event willalso benefit St. Joseph’sChildren’s Hospital.

IF YOU GOBENEFIT POKER RUNFOR LYNN LIPHAMWHEN: 11 a.m. March 28THE STOPS: CuzzinsBar, PaddyWagon, SilverDollar Saloon, Lucky’sNorth Lakeland, Linkster’sNorth Lakeland, T’Bows33 Lounge, Jimmy D’s(Imperial Swan Hotel)and The Original Big DogsPatio. A pool tournament,raffles and food will startat 7 p.m.

Justin Kline

Mike Sparkman, Jim Jeffries, Joyce Jordan Hooke, Steve andSusan Hurley, Linda Lawson, Rick Lott and Paul Davis werethrilled to present the big check.

IF YOU GOBLUEBERRY PAGEANTWHEN: All day March 21.Ages 2 to 6 will competefrom 9:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.,and ages 7 to 19 will com-pete throughout the rest ofthe afternoon.WHERE: Keel and CurleyWinery, 5210 ThonotosassaRoad.DETAILS: Any girl or womanbetween the ages of 2 and19 can enter the pageant,regardless of experience orgeographical boundaries.There are 20 contestants ineach age group.COST: $10 to attendINFO: (813) 752-9100

UNITY / PAGE 1

THE CONTESTANTSThe contestants forMiss Blueberry Queeninclude:

Hailey BlountFaith BehannaEmily GagnonKelsey HowardEllie ShouseChloe TewAmaiah Williams

BRAELYN / PAGE 1

General Manager/Executive Editor / Michael Eng, meng@PlantCityObserver.comGeneral Manager/Advertising / Stacey Hudson, shudson@tampabay.comManaging Editor / Amber Jurgensen, ajurgensen@PlantCityObserver.comAssistant Managing Editor / Jess Eng, jeng@PlantCityObserver.comStaff Writers / Justin Kline, jkline@PlantCityObserver.com; Catherine Sinclair,csinclair@PlantCityObserver.comAdvertising Executives / Veronica Prostko, vprostko@PlantCityObserver.com;Joanna Verga, jverga@tampabay.comCirculation/Office Manager / Linda Lancaster, llancaster@PlantCityObserver.com

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Plant City Times&

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CONTACT USThe Plant City Times &Observer is publishedonce weekly, on Fridays.

It provides free home delivery toseveral neighborhoods in Plant City.The Plant City Times & Observer alsocan be found in many commerciallocations throughout Plant City and atour office, 110 E. Reynolds St., Suite100-A.

If you wish to discontinue homedelivery or if you wish to suspendhome delivery temporarily, call LindaLancaster at 704-6850.

“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.” — Friedrich Hayek, “Road to Serfdom,” 1944

In just a few weeks, theWalden Lake Community Asso-ciation Board of Directors willbe back to its full nine mem-bers, and the split votes thathave plagued its meetings sincelate 2014 will cease. The annualmeeting and board of directorselection will be held April 9.

Eight new candidates arerunning for the three openpositions on the board: LynnBuehler, Robert Farkas, JoshuaHall, Blake Meinecke, Dan Or-rico, Daniel Pinero, Robert Rog-ers and Dave Sollenberger. JanGriffin, current director andchair of the landscaping com-mittee, is running for reelec-tion.

WLCA Acting President RichGlorioso said there had beensome problems with unau-thorized campaigning in thecommunity. Political signs andrallies are allowed only on pri-vate property with the owner’spermission. Some subdivisionsin Walden Lake do not allowssigns, even on private property.

“I believe everyone has aright to vote, and every candi-date has a right to campaign,”Glorioso said. “But every candi-

date has a responsibility to fol-low the rules,”

Glorioso urged candidatesto check with subdivisions todetermine whether signs areallowed.

“It’s not authorized, it’s notright, it’s not fair to the othercandidates,” Glorioso said.“Each one of them should havethe same rules ... and that is,you can’t campaign on WaldenLake property.”

Walden Lake PreservationInc., a group of residents whooppose Visions Golf’s rezoningof the golf course, submitted arequest to speak at the meet-ing. The board members votedto allow the group to speak un-officially after the meeting isadjourned, but they are lookingfor someone to represent theother side of the issue.

Glorioso said the opposingview is not necessarily just em-ployees of Visions Golf but alsobe could Walden Lake residentswho support the rezoning.

“We all probably have dif-ferences of opinion, and itwill probably get fleshed outover the next six months, butthe board has already taken a

position against the currentamended rezoning applica-tion,” treasurer Bob Huntersaid.

Contact Catherine Sinclairat csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.

Who would have guessedthat chili and chocolate gowell together?

According to peoplearound Plant City, it’s a win-ning combination. That’swhy, after a lengthy hiatus,the Plant City Arts Council isboth bringing back its ChiliCook-Off competition andchocolate feature Saturday,March 28.

“We had several peoplecome to us and ask if we’regoing to do another cook-off,” council administratorDodie White said. “We usedto have such a good time,and it was really a goodcrowd-drawer before.”

The last event was held atleast a decade ago, by White’sestimation, but she said ithistorically brought in plentyof money for the council andfor Plant City Entertainment.The idea to bring the eventback was floated aroundin the middle of 2014, andthe council began seriouslyplanning it toward the endof the year. The event’s datealready has been resched-uled once, but White said thegroup is all set to go March28 at the Robert W. Willaford

Railroad Museum.Back then, top chefs in the

Winter Strawberry Capital ofthe World made their ownchocolate — in addition tothe chili — for judging, spon-sored by Plant City Enter-tainment. This time will be alittle different.

The council has teamedup with Neumeister’s CandyShoppe to bring chocolatesto the event, and the choco-latier’s goods will not be pre-sented to a panel of judges.Instead, they’ll be availablefor all in attendance to enjoy.

Entertainment for this yearwill be provided by DanceConnection. The local out-fit will be sending a groupto perform some routinesthroughout the event. If suc-cessful, White said the coun-cil will look to add musiciansand other entertainers in2016.

All money raised from theevent will be put to work bythe council, and will be splittoward the group’s two mainventures. The group will usesome of the money to fundupcoming events and proj-ects around town. The othermain use for the money will

be for the group’s scholar-ship fund, which helps se-niors from Durant, Plant Cityand Strawberry Crest highschools who are aiming topursue careers in the arts.

With everything now set instone, White and the councilare now just hoping for per-fect chili weather.

“We’re saying our littleprayers for a cold snap,” shesays.

Contact Justin Kline atjkline@plantcityobserver.com.

IF YOU GOPLANT CITY ARTSCOUNCIL CHILICOOK-OFFWHEN: 11 a.m. to 1p.m., Saturday, March 28WHERE: Robert W.Willaford Railroad Museum,102 N. Palmer St.COST: $5 per ticket.CONTACT: For moreinformation, and forhigh-schoolers who wishto apply for the ArtsCouncil’s scholarship,contact Dodie White,(813) 927-0595, MarshaPassmore, (813) 245-2244, or Edith Kidde,(904) 465-1764.

WLCA preps formeeting, elections

Arts Council bringsback Chili Cook-Off

IN OTHER NEWS• Brewington’s Towing

Service will begin towingvehicles parked at the lakewithout resident stickers May1. Guest passes are avail-able at the office. The cost toreclaim a towed vehicle willbe $125.

• The landscaping commit-tee and Complete Landcarehave chosen four entrancesthat will take priority forwork on irrigation, plants andmasonry. Based on initialestimates, costs (excludinglighting expenses) will be:Park Wood ($745), WestOaks ($3,480), Forest Club($1,740) and the mainAlexander Street entrance($3,775). When these proj-ects are complete, the com-mittee will select the entranc-es to be updated next.

• Funding for the pier proj-ect will come partially fromthe board’s reserve accounts.The C1 Bank reserve currentlyholds $47,583. A CDARSaccount at BB&T will matureApr. 9, holding $40,000.The board will pull $75,000between these two accountsto fund the pier project.Another CDARS account thatwill mature at the end of year,holding $90,000, will remainuntouched.

community by Catherine Sinclair |StaffWriter

Eight candidates are running for three openpositions on the Walden Lake CommunityAssociation Board of Directors.

SIZZLEANDSPICE by Justin Kline |StaffWriter

Back by popular demand, the Plant City ArtsCouncil’s Chili Cook-Off is returning March 28.

THISWEEK’S CROSSWORDANSWERS

THISWEEK’S CRYPTOQUIZ ANSWERS1) Smooth Jazz 2) Duotones 3) Breathless 4) Selmer 5) RadioKenny G

Plant City pooches got someplay time March 14 and 15at the Second Chance BoxerRescue Carnival Fair and LureCourse.

SCBR hosted a carnivalwhere dogs could get some ex-ercise on the lure course, pickup some new toys, receivemassages and more. The hu-mans had fun, too, with foodand music and games aplenty.

BOXER BONANZA

FURRYFRIENDS by Justin Kline |StaffWriter

Jessica Whitehouse, Kaylee Goldfeder and Jonathan Lawson, with dogs Kenzie, Grace and Swiss.

Dogs, but not humans, could get mas-sages.

T-Rock came with Gulfstream GuardianAngels Rottweiler Rescue.

People and their pets had a doggonegood time at the carnival.

Right: Larry Seymour and Midas thecorgi.

Karen Baker and Lucy the sheltie.

Chamber, a lab/pit mix, runsthe lure course.

Bill Gray, M.J. Maruca and Tom Stack operated the lure course.

For the talent phase of hermost recent pageant, VictoriaGarren blew the audience awaywith a song called “Dirt RoadPrayer,” by Lauren Alaina.

“It talks about always havinga place to go and a place to feelsafe, so that song really con-nected with me,” Garren said.

Although Plant City will al-ways be that place where Gar-ren can go for safety and com-fort, she now lives in Oklahomaand is working her way up therein the Miss America system.She recently won the title ofMiss Oil Capital last month inTulsa, Oklahoma.

Garren has competed in pag-eants since she was a child.Growing up, she was crownedBaby Parade Queen at the Flor-ida Strawberry Festival, earneda title as Junior Royalty and be-came First Maid in the Straw-berry Queen’s court.

As a teenager, Garren startedentering pageants in the MissAmerica circuit. Her charitableplatform is Special OlympicsFlorida, inspired by her cousin,who has suffered from micro-cephaly since a young age andhas competed in Special Olym-pics events.

“For them, it’s not about whogets first, second or third,” Gar-ren said. “It’s about who crossesthe finish line, and they’re allcheering each other on. Thatreally stood out to me.”

Last July, Garren moved toNorman, Oklahoma, to start agraduate program in athleticadministration and a video pro-duction position with the Uni-versity of Oklahoma’s athleticsdepartment. She wasn’t able tostart competing in pageants asan Oklahoman right away, butshe did get involved with Spe-cial Olympics Oklahoma andhelped out with volleyball, bas-ketball and cheerleading.

“I’ve been a cheerleader mywhole life, so getting to inter-act with them was really cool,”Garren said.

But, after completing onesemester of classes in Okla-homa, Garren had fulfilledthe prerequisite to enter MissAmerica pageants there. Shedecided to compete for the

title of Miss Oil Capital.The most heavily weighted

phases were talent, for whichGarren sang “Dirt Road Prayer,”and interview, when she talkedabout her work with SpecialOlympics. There were alsoswimsuit, evening gown andon-stage question phases.

When third and second plac-es were announced and Gar-

ren’s name hadn’t been called,disappointment began to setin. But she soon discoveredthat she had been chosen forthe first-place title.

“It was a really cool momentfor me, being in a differentstate and being able to win thecrown,” Garren said.

As Miss Oil Capital, Garrenhas the opportunity to com-pete for the title of Miss Okla-homa in June. If she is crownedthere, she will continue on tothe internationally renownedMiss America event.

“The reason I continue tocompete is, one, the MissAmerica Circuit is great forscholarship money, and two,you get to meet so many peo-ple,” Garren said. “You get toserve your community on thelocal level, as well as the na-tional level.”

Contact Catherine Sinclairat csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.

Courtesy photo

Victoria Garren, a Plant City native, competed in her firstOklahoma pageant in February and earned the crown.

Plant City woman advancesin 2015 Miss America circuitVictoria Garrenwill compete thissummer for the titleof Miss Oklahoma.

HOW TO HELPThe Miss America circuit

has a history of benefit-ting Children’s MiracleNetwork. Before compet-ing for the title of MissOklahoma, Victoria Garrenmust raise at least $350for Children’s MiracleNetwork.To support her cam-

paign, visit missamerica-forkids.org/Donate/victo-riagarren.

HERESHE IS… by Catherine Sinclair |StaffWriter

Railfans flock to PlantCity railroad celebration

all aboard! by Catherine Sinclair |StaffWriter

The second annual Railfestwas held Saturday, March 14,at the Robert W. Willaford Rail-road Museum.

Between exploring the mu-seum’s iconic caboose andviewing the other displays,families could munch onfood vendors’ offerings andchildren could jump in thebounce house.

Simultaneously, the CentralFlorida Bluegrass Associa-tion had a jam in McCall Park,which provided an additionalnearby attraction for Railfestattendees.

The Whatley family learned about the historic equip-ment at the museum.

Right: Karson, Rylie and Ricky Morris hopped aboardthe caboose.

Children got to ring the bigbell at the train depot.

Plant City parties at PaddyWagonNobody does St. Patrick’s

Day like an Irish pub, so PlantCity residents flocked to Pad-dyWagon Irish Pub March 17to eat, drink and be merry.

Part of the fun included acostume contest, for thosewho went all-out with theiroutfits, and a performance bylocal band Down Seven.

Right: Everyone was in the St.Paddy’s Day spirit.

Local band Down Seven keptthe crowd on its feet with theirpopular covers.

Right: Patrons strutted theirstuff at the outdoor patio. Plant City residents had a blast at PaddyWagon.

The costumecontest was abig hit.

James and Cathy Ramey, and Christy and Todd Watts

EASYBEINGGREEN by Justin Kline |StaffWriter

CUTESTCRITTER

Kimberly Singletary’s dog, Kora, is a Siberian husky with super blue eyes. Sheloves to make her humans laugh by making silly faces at them.

Turkey Creek Animal Hospital and Animal Wellness Center have partneredto present a monthly Cutest Critter Contest. Entering is simple: Just submit a high-resolution photo (200 dpi or better) and a sentence or two about why your pet is thecutest. Include your name and contact information. Photos will be showcased in thePlant City Times & Observer.

Submit your entries to Managing Editor Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantci-tyobserver.com; subject line: Cutest Critter Contest. Good luck!

Plant City dads, daughtersenjoy unforgettable evening

BELLESOFTHEBALL by Catherine Sinclair |StaffWriter

The sixth annual Daddy DaughterDance at the HCC John R. Trinkle Cen-ter, held Saturday, Feb. 28, was such ahit that tickets were sold out.

Although the rain came down out-side, guests at the dance were remind-ed of sunshine and clear skies with thisyear’s theme, “Tropical Paradise.” Afterdinner were raffles and dancing, andeach girl received a flower and bracelet.

Left: Markand KatieHamilton

Below:Chuck,Reagan andRylei Lynchdidn’t missthe chancefor a keep-sake por-trait.

Matt and Kaylee Balliett won a giftcard to Chili’s in the raffle.

Some guests thought it would help tostretch before the dancing began.

Janette BarnhillJanette Barnhill, 57, of

Tampa, died March 12, 2015,at Brandon Regional MedicalCenter.

Janette was a member ofLandmark Baptist Churchof Seffner. She was a deli ca-shier for Winn-Dixie. She wasthe daughter of the late Rob-ert and Betty Waller-Brown.

Survivors include son,Sgt. Brett Bud Hall U.S.M.C.;brother, Allen Brown; andgrandchildren, Jullian, Brax-ton, Landen and Hailey.

Funeral services were heldMarch 17, at Landmark Bap-tist Church.

Condolences may be madeat haughtfuneralhome.com.

Persio Castro Sr.Persio Castro Sr., 85, of Sef-

fner, died March 12, 2015,at Sun City Center HospiceHouse.

A native of Santiago, Do-minican Republic, he was theson of the late Domingo andLidia Lopez Castro.

Survivors include his wife,Marina Castillo Castro; son,Persio Castro Jr.; daughters,Iris Castro, Mercedes Castroand Sonia Joiner RamonaCastro; eight grandchildren;and three great-grandchil-dren.

Funeral services wereheld Saturday, March 14, atHaught Funeral Home Cha-pel. Interment will be in Mt.Enon Cemetery.

Condolences may be madeat haughtfuneralhome.com.

Assunta “Tina” CullinsAssunta “Tina” Cullins, 83,

died March 1, 2015.Mrs. Cullins was born near

Naples, Italy, and moved tothe United States after meet-ing the love of her life andhusband of 53 years, Rich-ard Cullins. She was of theCatholic faith and very muchdevoted to her family.

Survivors include herhusband, Richard Cullins;daughter, Rebecca CullinsDenis (Edward); brother,Pasquale Iarro; sisters, AnnaIarro, Rose Apuleo and Mad-dalena Stellato; granddaugh-ter, Jovan Gilliland (Nathan-iel); and great-grandchildren,Olivia and Landon.

She is predeceased by sis-ters, Maria and Teresa.

A funeral Mass was heldMonday, March 9, at St.Clement Catholic Church,followed by interment at Me-morial Park Cemetery.

Condolences may be madeat WellsMemorial.com.

Rexford Dale Faircloth Jr.Rexford Dale Faircloth Jr.,

49, of Plant City, died March5, 2015.

He loved country and rockmusic. He enjoyed watchingall sports.

He is survived by his moth-er and stepdad, Brenda Fair-cloth and Jim Lindemann;and his dogs, Molly andSkippy.

He was preceded in deathby his father, Rexford DaleFaircloth Sr.

A celebration of life willtake place at noon Satur-day, March 21, at his mom’shouse.

Condolences may be madeat floridamortuary.com.

Alys Yager MorrisonAlys Yager Morrison, 93,

died March 6, 2015, fromcomplications after a fall.

She was born in Muskeg-on, Michigan, but moved toLake Wales at age 3. She at-tended Florida State Collegefor Women.

After World War II, shemarried the love of her life,Tilrow Morrison. She spentmost of her life in her adopt-ed hometown of Plant City,where she devoted herself toher family and spent her freetime in civic affairs and help-ing at Saint Clement CatholicChurch.

She is survived by her son,Joseph Morrison (Lynne);granddaughter, Erin John-son (Kevin); granddaughters,Colleen and Claire Morrison;and great-grandchildren, Ad-dison and Sam.

She was preceded in deathby her husband, Tilrow; sons,Adam Lee and Stephen; andgrandson, Adam Tilrow Mor-rison.

Her family will always begrateful for the kind, lovingcare provided by her caregiv-ers, especially Mary Nichols.

A funeral Mass was cel-ebrated March 13, at SaintJoseph’s Catholic Church inLakeland. In lieu of flowers,gifts can be made to the Na-ture Conservancy or othercharity of your choice.

Condolences may bemade at heathfuneralchapel.com.

Myrtice Streetman PorterMyrtice Streetman Porter,

99, of Plant City, died March12, 2015.

She was a member of theTurkey Creek Assembly ofGod. She loved her fam-ily, and she enjoyed shop-ping, traveling, fishing andcooking.

She is survived by her sons,Glendon R. Porter Sr. (Gayle)and Vernon L. Porter (Barba-ra); grandchildren, Glen Por-ter Jr. (Debbie), Doug Porter(Crysti), Dean Porter (Mozell)and Terry Walden (Carney);great-grandchildren, Tracy,Josh, Jennifer (Wes), Kyndal(Caleb), Gabby (Kyle), Davidand Clint; and great-great-grandchildren, Caden, Ben,Kaybree, Cara and Clayton.

She was preceded in deathby her husband, Herdis Por-ter.

In lieu of flowers, memo-rial contributions may bemade to the Civitan Scholar-ship Fund, P.O. Box 351, PlantCity, Florida 33563.

Condolences may be madeat HopewellFuneral.com.

Shirley Louise QuintanillaShirley Louise Quintanilla,

76, of Plant City, died March14, 2015.

She is survived by her hus-band of 32 years, Felipe M.Quintanilla; two children;four siblings; and manygrandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in deathby five children.

A celebration of life washeld March 18, at HopewellFuneral Home.

Condolences may be madeat HopewellFuneral.com.

Florencia “Flora” RodriguezFlorencia “Flora” Rodri-

guez, 69, of Plant City, Flori-da, died March 12, 2015.

She is survived by her hus-band of 54 years, Francisco“Frank” Rodriguez; children,Maria Jerkins, Angie Zer-tuche (Rodolfo), FranciscoRodriguez Jr. (Amanda),Linda Chapman (Christo-pher), George Rodriguez(Lisa), Irma Hiers (Greg),Harold Rodriguez (Cecelia),Joseph Rodriguez, Ricky Ro-driguez and David Rodriguez(Linda); siblings MarcelinaDonez, Vickie Ramirez andSantos Ramirez; 24 grand-children; and nine great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life will beheld at 2 p.m. Friday, March20, at Hopewell FuneralHome. Interment to follow atSpringhead Cemetery.

Condolences may be madeat HopewellFuneral.com.

Mark Louis Ruppe Sr.Mark Louis Ruppe Sr., 59

of Plant City, died March 12,2015, in Parma, Ohio.

He was born to the lateHarry and Mildred Ruppe;she survives.

Also surviving are son,Mark Jr.; brother, Dan (Wen-di) Ruppe; sisters, Jane andMaureen (Greg) Patrick; andtwo grandchildren.

A funeral Mass will be at11 a.m. Friday, March 20, atSt. Clement Catholic Church,with visitation an hour prior.

Condolences may be madeat haughtfuneralhome.com.

Amos Nathan SingletaryAmos Nathan Singletary,

73, died March 10, 2015.He was born in Plant

City and was a lifelong resi-dent. He was a Mason, U.S.

Army veteran and memberof Youman’s Praise and Wor-ship Center. He retired fromStone and Web-ster Engineer-ing. Mr. Single-tary enjoyed people, and heenjoyed life.

Survivors include his wifeof 49 years, Eugenia Single-tary; sons, Dewitt Bland andClarence Byrd Jr.; daugh-ters, Emma Benjamin andMelissa Singletary Hamil-ton; sisters, Myrtle Knipesand Carolyn Mack; eightgrandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in deathby his parents, Nathan andMary Lee Singletary; and twosisters and one brother.

Condolences may be madeat WellsMemorial.com.

Minnie Lou SmithMinnie Lou Smith, 75, died

March 10, 2015, in Plant City.She was born in Jasper,

to Thomas Bell and MaryElizabeth (Taylor) Bryan. Sheloved sewing, cooking andsinging.

Survivors include son,Nick Erimie; daughters, Cin-dy Caroway, Charlotte Com-mander (Ronald) and LynnBergeron (Dave); one broth-er; two sisters; four grand-daughters; six grandsons;eight great-grandsons; andseven great-granddaughters.

Mrs. Smith was precededin death her husband, Ron-nie Joe Smith.

A funeral service was heldMarch 17, at Wells Memo-rial and Event Center. Pas-tor Tommy Hampton offici-ated. Burial followed at RoseHill Memorial Park, Tampa.

Condolences may be madeat WellsMemorial.com.

Willie E. TaylorWillie E. Taylor, 76, of Do-

ver, died March 12, 2015.He was a veteran of the

U.S. Marines.He is survived

by his wife, Lo-raine Taylor; children, OpalSmith, Edwin Taylor (Trish),Hannah Taylor, Devin Am-erson, Pat Messick (Jimmy)and Heather Hutchinson(Terry); siblings, LucilleSanderfur, Dan Taylor andRachel Driggers; eight grand-children; 18 great-grandchil-dren; and two great-great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life will beheld at 11 a.m. Friday, March20, at Hopewell FuneralHome, where the family willreceive friends beginning at10 a.m. Interment to followat Hopewell Memorial Gar-dens.

Condolences may bemade at HopewellFuneral.com.

Alice Joyce“Othermama” Wacaser

Alice Joyce “Othermama”Wacaser, 80, of Plant City,died March 14, 2015, peace-fully surrounded by family.

She was a selfless servantof Jesus through her uncon-ditional love.

She is survived by her hus-band, Bill Wacaser; children,Joy Pearcy, Terry Wacaser (Al-lison), Bobby Wacaser (Char-lene), Gary Wacaser (Helen),Denise Wacaser (Keith) andJeffrey Wacaser (Christie);daughter-in-law, Dee DeeWacaser (Rossie); siblings,Margaret Petrie and LarryCopeland; 28 grandchildren;20 great-grandchildren;and many other family andfriends.

She was preceded in deathby her sons, Rossie Wacaserand Ronnie Wacaser.

A memorial service fol-lowed by fellowship willbe held at 5 p.m. Saturday,March 21, at Ahava Bap-tist Church, 6015 W. FarkasRoad, Plant City. Private in-terment at Hopewell Memo-rial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, memo-rial contributions may bemade to LifePath Hospice atchaptershealth.org and/orAhava Baptist Church Mis-sions Program.

Condolences may be madeat HopewellFuneral.com.

OBITUARIESOBSERVER

I’m sure many of you andyour buddies will be glued toyour couches or bar-stools for the next fewweeks, since it’s nowofficially March Mad-ness time. I’ve got mybrackets filled out andplans made, too.

But, really, we’re allgoing to need to getoff the couch at somepoint and stretchour legs. Take a walkaround. Maybe even go out-side and get some fresh air.There will definitely be some

sure-thing outcomes in thetournament, like Kentucky

running the tables inthe first few roundsand Gonzaga keepingup its tradition of get-ting eliminated early,so you can afford togo outside and take abreak.

Why not take a breakand support local highschool sports at thesame time?

Baseball and softball aregetting close to district tour-nament time, so the quality

of the games is pretty mucha lock to go up in the secondhalf of the 2015 season. Thisweek, we’re fortunate enoughto get some big-time match-ups that could not only shakeup the tourney seedings, butalso be semifinal or champi-onship sneak peeks.

Durant baseball (10-3; 5-0district) will travel to nearbyBrandon (10-2; 4-1 district) at7 p.m. Tuesday, March 24. Ifyou’re not totally in the loopwith the prep baseball scene,know that this is basically aclash of the titans. I wouldn’t

be surprised if these twosquads face each other in thedistrict championship game,and the chances of the Eaglestrotting out strikeout machineAntonio Velez to pitch arehigh. If you have gas money,do not miss this matchup.

The softball team will faceEast Bay (7-4; 4-1 district)Friday, March 27. The LadyIndians are currently tiedwith Plant City for the districtlead, and it will be Durant’sfirst home game after a tough,four-game road trip. Can thetalented Lady Cougars start a

hot streak to close out the lastmonth or so of the season?

Plant City (5-7; 2-3 district)and Strawberry Crest (9-5; 3-2district) will face each otherat Crest Friday, March 27. TheChargers will have playedBrandon (7 p.m. tonight) bythen, so anyone that wants tosee Mark Moclair in a pitch-ers’ duel with Ryan Boyd and/or Billy McKay would prob-ably be wise to head out toDover next Friday night.

Should Crest defeat Bran-

Y O U T H | H I G H S C H O O L | G O L F | C O M M U N I T Y

Sports

Do you have a good sportsscoop for us? Contact JustinKline at jkline@plantcityob-server.com, or Tweet us at@PCTOSports.

WRESTLING

+ Telfer firstSCHS state champ2015 is shaping up to be

a good year for StrawberryCrest High School, as theschool has just won its sec-ond state championship.Freshman grappler

Cullen Telfer, competingin the 113-pound class,just cleaned house in theFHSAA State ChampionshipSeries and gave the wres-tling team its first-ever statetitle banner.

SOFTBALL

+ Area teams playin spring tourneysAll three area softball

teams got in on someSpring Break tournamentaction.For the most part, things

didn’t quite go as planned.Durant, Plant City and Crestcombined for a 5-7 recordduring the week, but threewins belong to the LadyChargers (6-7; 3-2 district).Crest and Plant City (9-8;

4-1 district) both competedin the Sarasota SpringSlam tournament, whichtook place March 13 to 14.The district-leading LadyRaiders got started with a2-1 win over Sarasota butthen lost, 7-3, to Orlando-Timber Creek later that day.The Lady Raiders then lostboth of Saturday games: a3-2 nail-biter to Freedomand a 7-1 loss to LakewoodRanch.Strawberry Crest won

its first three games ofthe tournament. The LadyChargers swept their March13 series, picking upan 8-3 win over Naples-Gulf Coast and a 1-0 winover Lakewood Ranch innine innings. They beganSaturday with a 2-1 winover Alonso but then took a2-0 loss to Palmetto.Durant went to

Gainesville from March 6-7for the Raider InvitationalSoftball Tournament. TheCougars lost to Live Oak-Suwannee (7-2), Monticello-Aucilla Christian (6-4) andMayo-Lafayette (5-3) beforebeating South Carolina-Bluffton 7-1.

SIDELINES

ATHLETEOFTHEWEEKPlantCity Little

League’s JoshCruzhits homer.14

SPONSORED BY COURTNEY PAAT | STATE FARM

WHAT’S ON KLINE’S MIND?

JUSTINKLINE

March in Plant City is more than college hoops

Heading into the secondhalf of baseball season, nowis as good a time as any to bebreaking out of a slump.

The Plant City Raiders areon their way to doing just that,if some good performancesin the Saladino Tournamentwere any indication. Sure, theteam is sitting on a 5-7 record(2-3 district) and hasn’t beat-en Durant, Brandon or Straw-berry Crest, but this is still ateam to watch out for come

district tournament time.Why? Well, there are at least

two reasons.Plant City has, arguably,

one of the best one-two pitch-ing punches in HillsboroughCounty in Ryan Boyd and Bil-ly McKay. These juniors stillhave room to grow, but they’realready making their namesknown around the area.

Like baseball purists havedone throughout Felix Her-nandez’s entire career, throw

the win-loss records out of thewindow for these two. Neitherhas an ERA above 0.77 (McK-ay leads the regular pitcherswith an 0.62 ERA), and bothhave eclipsed the 30-strikeoutmark at this point. (McKayleads with 35 K, while Boydhas fanned 31 batters.) Com-bined, the two have walked 12batters and given up just sixearned runs.

Perhaps neither guy is asfearsome yet as, say, Straw-

berry Crest senior Mark Mo-clair, but it looks like thesetwo are on their way to bigthings.

Boyd, who transferred fromDurant last season, made animmediate impact on theRaiders’ 2014 squad withstrong performances — in-cluding a few no-hitters. Thisseason, head coach MikeFryrear says Boyd’s takingstrides to go from a talentedpitcher to a consistent topguy.

“The one thing aboutBoyd is, he competes on themound,” Fryrear says. “Hedoesn’t like giving up hits.

When he wants a K, he goesfor the K.”

With an arsenal that in-cludes a curveball, a slider,a cutter, a changeup and a

fastball — now hitting 87 onthe radar gun — Boyd has allof the tools to get batters out.

Raiders boast area’s top armsThe Plant City Raiders are starting to break out of their offensive slumps,and things are trending upward — in no small part because pitchersRyan Boyd and Billy McKay are two of the top arms in the county.

Billiards is one of thosegames that’s easy for anyoneto pick up but difficult totruly master. Most big-timechampions have spent yearsworking their way up the lad-der to make a name for them-selves.

Here in Plant City, TrentonWhite’s on the verge of makinghis name known around poolcircles nationwide — and he’s

doing it at just 10 years old.White, Florida’s 14 & Under

Boys Division 9-Ball cham-pion, recently earned the rightto play in the Billiards Edu-cation Foundation’s JuniorNational 9-Ball Champion-ships. By winning the statechampionship March 4, Whitebooked himself a spot in theLas Vegas-based tournamentthis August.

“I feel good,” White says.“I’m looking forward to playingpool and, hopefully, winning.”

It’s a big accomplishment,for sure. But, because White isstill fairly new to the game, it’seven more special for him andhis family.

IN THE FAMILYTrenton’s knack for shooting

pool undoubtedly came from

his father, Thomas, who wasalso a traveling competitor inhis younger days.

“I used to tour and play ina lot of local tournaments,”Thomas says. “I got out of ityears ago.”

Thomas got his start shoot-ing in Lakeland around age16 and, until age 24, he com-peted in tournaments aroundCentral Florida and, occasion-

ally, North Florida. He learnedmore about the game frompast state champion TommyKennedy but, once he stoppedat 24, he didn’t come back to

SEE WHITE / PAGE 13

BASEBALL by Justin Kline |StaffWriter

SEE BASEBALL / PAGE 14

SEE KLINE / PAGE 14

PLANTCITYOBSERVER.COM FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2015

SPONSORINFORMATIONThe BEF Junior National

Championships will beheld Aug. 4 to 7, in LasVegas, and the White fam-ily is looking for sponsorsto help cover the travelcosts.Any people or business-

es who wish to sponsorTrenton White can contacthis father, Thomas, at(813) 325-3226.

Justin Kline

Ryan Boyd and Billy McKay are Plant City’s top starter andreliever, respectively, but their coach calls them both aces.

RIGHTONCUETrenton White already has part of his summer vacation planned,thanks to his pool prowess: a trip to Vegas for a national tournament.

Justin KlineTrenton White, 10, is one of Plant City’s best young pool players.

Courtesy photo

TEAMTRENTON by Justin Kline |StaffWriter

the game until 2011.“We just had some down

time,” Thomas says. “My wifeplayed a part in getting meback into pool, here at the Sil-ver Dollar. I brought (Trenton)out to Brandon Billiards oneday, for leisure time, and hejust took to it.”

According to the Whites,that seems to be the casefor whichever sports Tren-ton takes up. They say he’s anatural athlete, but golf andbilliards are where he shinesthe brightest. In fact, Trentonhimself calls golf his favoritesport to play.

But, golf isn’t what he’s go-ing to Vegas for this summer.

EARNING ITThat fateful day in Brandon

Billiards was about two yearsago, and Trenton has sincecome a long way. His quicklearning inspired his father toget back into the game, pri-marily just to coach the boy,and it wasn’t too long beforehe began entering tourna-ments.

“He’s probably got about$500 saved in a bank ac-count from tournament win-nings, playing against adults,”Thomas says.

According to the family,Trenton almost always hadplayed against adults in tour-naments. He says this juniors9-ball tournament was a newexperience for him.

“It was fun because I usu-ally play in tournaments withadults, instead of kids,” hesays. “That was my first juniortournament.”

Going through the tourna-ment, White was sent into thelosers bracket by a 13-year-old named Bobby Bruce Jr.Bruce, listed from Tallahas-see, picked up the win bycapitalizing on a shaky gameby Trenton.

“He just put me in the losersbracket because I wobbled alot of balls,” Trenton says.

Trenton worked his waythrough that bracket to earna spot in the championshipgame, winning the semifinalby a score of 5-3. His rewardfor making the championship

game was a rematch withBruce.

The two boys went backand forth, each trading winsin the race to get to seven first.In the rubber match — the fi-nal — Bruce missed a crucialshot at the six ball, and Tren-ton was able to make him pay.

Bruce got a trophy anda goody bag for his efforts.Trenton got his Vegas tourna-ment entry fee paid in full.

THE TOURNEYThis venture to Vegas is a

pretty big deal for Trenton.The BEF sends one cham-

pion from each division ineach state to compete, andalso sends some players whohave won tournament quali-

fiers. The exact field isn’t setyet, but the competition willbe both large and tough.

To help cover the othercosts of this trip, the Whitefamily — “Team Trenton” —has begun to round up spon-sors. Of course, two of his big-gest sponsors are fairly local:Brandon Billiards, where hefirst started playing, and theSilver Dollar Saloon, whichThomas says has been verykind to the family over theyears.

“Anna (Genco) is a greatperson, and (Trenton) is well-known up there,” Thomassays.

The Whites have set up do-nation jars at both locations,and have also put one at Wal-

ly’s Billiards in Lakeland.Other sponsors include

Robertson’s Billiards, whichis supplying Trenton with acustom cue, Tandy Leather,which is donating leather tomake Trenton a custom case,and the USF Bulls Club.

With plenty of time leftbetween now and the Aug. 4tournament start date, Tren-ton’s family is confident thatthey’ll be able to work out thefinancial stuff and go watchtheir son shoot some pool onthe big stage.

“We’re gonna make it hap-pen, one way or another,”Thomas says.

Contact Justin Kline atjkline@plantcityobser ver.com.

WHITE / PAGE 12

don tonight, the Chargers’upcoming game with Durant(7 p.m. March 31, away) willcome with a ton of hype.

Strawberry Crest softball (6-7; 3-2 district) and Plant City(9-8; 4-1 district) will eachhave their next big matchupagainst, well, each other. TheLady Raiders will look to stay

atop the district in a toughroad environment, while theLady Chargers are hoping toturn a corner and keep up thesuccess they had in the Sara-sota Slam tournament.

JOSH CRUZATHLETE OF THE WEEK SPONSORED BY COURTNEY PAAT | STATE FARM

Plant City Little League’s baseball and softball seasons kicked off nearly a month ago, butAAA Gun & Ammo outfielder Josh Cruz hit the first home run of the season in a 12-2 winon March 6, at Mike Sansone Park.

Tell me about thathomer.What team did youhit it against?

Outlaw Aircraft.

When you went up to theplate, what was going on inthat game?

We were winning, andthen I had no strikes orballs. I swung at the firstpitch I saw, and I just hit it.It was a fastball.

Where did you putthat homer?

In that tree (nextto the Field 3 score-board).

How long have youbeen playing base-ball?

For, like, five or sixyears.

How old are you?Eleven years old.

What made you want toplay baseball?

It’s a great sport, andyou get a lot of exercise.You have a lot of choicesto play in baseball.

I see you’ve been playingout in left field. Do you playany other positions?

First base and the rest ofthe outfield.

What’s your favorite?Center field, because

I’ve been playing theresince tee-ball. I’m betterat that.

What’s your favorite proteam?

The Tampa Bay Rays.

Favorite player?Wil Myers.

Do you play other sports,besides baseball?

No, just baseball.

Are there any sportsyou’ve ever wanted to try?

Not really.

What do you think is thecoolest thing you’ve everdone on a baseball field?

Hitting that home run,because I didn’t know thatthat was going out.

What do you like to dofor fun when you’re notplaying baseball?

When I’m not playingbaseball, I have a lot ofschoolwork to do. So, I justget my homework done.

What’s your favoritesubject in school?

I like math.

What do you like towatch on TV?

Disney XD, Cartoon Net-work and Nicktoons.

Favorite movie?The “Diary of a Wimpy

Kid” movies.

If you could meet anyballplayer, or anyoneyou’ve ever looked up to,who would it be?

Evan Longoria.

If you could hang outwith Longo for a day, whatwould you want to do?

Play some baseball.

Do you play any videogames?

Yes, “Call of Duty.”

What are you hopingto do this baseball sea-son, before it’s over?

I’m hoping to playmore baseball andjust have fun.

Fryrear says his ace is alsogetting better at picking up onthe little things that turn goodpitchers into consistent aces.

“He’s understanding aboutgetting in the weight roomand eating right,” Fryrear says.

When Boyd’s gone morethan four innings, he’s beengreat. In consecutive gamesagainst East Bay and Crest,Feb. 17 and 24, he gave upone earned run and two walkswhile striking out 22 hitters.

McKay, working mostly inrelief, has been successful bynot overthinking things onthe mound.

“He just keeps it simple,”Fryrear says.

McKay throws a curveball, afastball and a changeup, andthrows with an uncommonside-arm motion. Althoughhis fastball is the most oft-

used weapon he’s got, thejunior has issued only threewalks this season.

“That’s why we’re in everygame,” Fryrear says. “And,when we do give up thosewalks, somehow, those guysscore.”

The best game McKay haspitched so far was againstTampa Bay Tech Feb. 20. In

that 3-2 win — which he didearn — McKay was called upfrom the bullpen and went sixinnings with 10 K, one walk,one earned run and one hit.

These guys have kept theRaiders in a lot of games, de-spite the losses taken — manyof which were 1-0 or 2-0 loss-es, and no defeat this seasonwas by a greater margin thanthree runs.

With a defense that’s com-ing around, sparked in partby Miguel Martinez’s switchfrom pitching to second base,and some of the hitters begin-ning to wake up, Plant Citylooks primed to either have agood second half of the sea-son, or make a run in the dis-trict tourney.

And, fans can bet that ifBoyd or McKay is in the game,it’ll be worth watching.

Contact Justin Kline atjkline@plantcityobserver.com.

BASEBALL / PAGE 12ON DECKRaider fans will be able

to catch Ryan Boyd, BillyMcKay and the Plant Cityteam in action again at 7p.m. Tuesday, March 24,as the Raiders host TampaBay Tech. The only otherhome games of the seasonwill be at 7 p.m. March31, against Brandon, andat the same time April 2,against Gaither.

KLINE / PAGE 12

SUNRISE SUNSETFriday, March 20 7:33 a.m. 7:39 p.m.Saturday, March 21 7:32 a.m. 7:40 p.m.Sunday, March 22 7:31 a.m. 7:40 p.m.Monday, March 23 7:30 a.m. 7:41 p.m.Tuesday, March 24 7:29 a.m. 7:41 p.m.Wednesday, March 25 7:28 a.m. 7:42 p.m.Thursday, March 26 7:26 a.m. 7:42 p.m.

MOONPHASES

PLANT CITYWEATHER

HIGH LOWFriday, March 20 89 62Saturday, March 21 90 64Sunday, March 22 88 65Monday, March 23 83 60Tuesday, March 24 81 56Wednesday, March 25 83 59Thursday, March 26 87 63

TEMPERATURES

RAIN

March 27

SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES

April 4

March 13

(INCHES)

March 20Brandy Morales’ picture features Nathan and Anthony “taking a break.”

The Plant City Times & Observer and Grimes Hardware have partnered to hostthe I Love Plant City Photo Contest. Winners will have their photo featuredand receive a $15 gift certificate to Grimes Hardware’s Strawberry Town Cafe!To enter, email your photo, along with a caption, to Editor Amber Jurgensen,ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com; subject line: I Love Plant City. Winners canpick up their prize at Grimes Hardware.

THURS.March 12

0.09

FRI.March 13

0.00

SAT.March 14

0.00

SUN.March 15

0.00

MON.March 16

0.00

TUES.March 17

0.00

WED.March 18

0.00

3.84(2014: 4.43)

MARCHTO DATE0.19

YEARTO DATE

(2014: 1.86)

STRAWBERRIES

$6.90-7.90Courtesy of the

United StatesDepartment of

Agriculture

SHIPPING POINT: Orlando

CROSSWORD JAM SESSION by Lewis Forte

ACROSS1 Jellied garnish6 Flight from the law9 Hollywood award14 English 101 readings18 Left-hand page19 Chip’s cartoon mate20 Fifth Avenue sight21 Fine cotton22 Garlic mayonnaise23 Knowing, as a secret24 Evergreen-forested landscape25 Catch a glimpse of26 It may be copyrighted30 Director Spike31 Airport info, initially32 Hairstyling goop33 Has a good, hard laugh35 “Shall I Compare Thee to aSummer’s Day?” for one43 Available to pour45 Perlman of “Cheers”46 ___ a bone (arid)47 Cartographic speck48 Bakery items50 Close-up map53 “___! A mouse!”54 Critic Shalit55 Field for the creative sort59 Self-important60 Victory symbol61 Color tones62 Heat conduits66 ___ trip (self-indulgent activity)67 Black gunk68 Not secret or hidden70 Nip in the bud72 Rock that’s mined73 Continue, as a subscription75 Formal greeting76 Abnormal radar blip77 ___ gum (food thickener)78 Bad thing for a leader to get84 What generic goods lack87 It’s loaded with cash88 Become hardened to89 Not good to eat90 Org. of physicians91 Lumber jacket pattern93 Behave like a lunatic95 Cubic liter96 Atom smasher101 Operatic showpieces102 Greek letter T103 World Cup zero104 Deg. from Wharton107 Event featuring the Virgin Mary115 Czech river116 “Cease!” on the seas117 Carpet layer’s calculation118 Haul off to jail119 Fruit spray no more120 Banister post121 Disordered situation122 Corpulent plus123 Have a rough night124 Distinguishing flavor125 It’s sometimes written in thesand126 “Fix” a pet

DOWN1 To no ___ (pointlessly)2 Fish net with floats3 Formal declaration of an objec-tion4 Welcome sight after a shipwreck5 Mattress component6 Historical section of northwesternEngland7 “Thanks ___!”8 Entree list9 Stablehand10 Used a Swingline11 Coconut fiber12 Jason’s ship13 Get, as profits14 Unit of gene activity15 Space between two points16 Like the heavens17 Put into words19 Calorie counter27 Money in Albania28 Khan’s title29 Cupid, to the Greeks34 Eyelid infection36 Safe harbor37 Expert in takeoffs?38 Remain undecided

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3 5 8 6

1 2 8 7 9

4

1 4 9 3 8

8 2 7 4 6

8

6 9 1 7 5

2 5 3 6

SUDOKUSolve the puzzle by placing the numbers 1 through9 in each row, column and box.

CRYPTOQUIZEach of the following cryptograms is a clue tothe identity of an esteemed musician. Usingthe hints U=O and G=S, decipher the clues toname the musician.

1. G D U U L B W E C C

2. H Y U L U T A G

3. X S A E L B K A G G

4. G A K D A S

5. S E H P U

This musician has their own line ofsaxophones:

©2015 Universal Uclick