Plant City Observer 11.29.12

FREE • thuRsday, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

EXCLUSIVEsportsDurant Cougars’historic seasoncomes to an end.pAGE 15

PLANT CITYObserveryOu. yOuR NEighBORs. yOuR NEighBORhOOd.

Tomlin MiddleSchool celebratesgarden completion.PAGE 9

Cops ....................7 Crossword ......... 19 Obituaries ......... 12 Sports ............... 15Vol. 1, No. 21 | one section

PlantCityObserver.com

+ raulerson aman of his word

For newly elected Florida state Rep. dan Raulerson, a bet is a bet.

The former mayor and city commissioner — a diehard Florida State University fan — appeared at Monday’s com-mission meeting sporting a Gator blue-and-orange tie.

He and City Attorney Kenneth Buchman had made a friendly wager on last weekend’s Florida-Florida State game. After the Gators trounced the Seminoles 37-26, Raulerson made good on his bet — much to the delight of Buchman and Gator fans in City Hall this week.

“I am a broken individual,” Raulerson said, obviously uncomfortable sporting his rival’s colors.

+ plant City choirkicks off Christmas

The Plant City Community Choir will usher in the Christmas season with its Christmas by Candlelight concert at 6 and 8 p.m. Dec. 8, at Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 1107 Charlie Griffin Road.

Christmas by Candlelight is an hour-long concert, with 15 standard holiday songs such as “Joy to the World” and “Come All Ye Faithful.” Evangelical Presbyterian Church Pastor scott Lingle and Commissioner Bill dodson will be the celebrity narrators.

Tickets are $10 in advance; $12 at the door. The $20 VIP package includes prime park-ing, seating and a meet-and-greet reception

For more information, call (813) 444-8863.

OUR TOWN

INDEX

IN tHIs IssUEAl Higginbothambrings circus to commission.PAGE 3

A bonfire burns in the backyard of the home at 7427 Burnt Barn Ave. It crackles and flickers — much like the bonfire the Thorpe family started on Nov. 24. That was the night Hillsborough Coun-ty Sheriff’s Office received a call from 17-year-old Channing Thor-

pe, who reported he had just shot his father, Christopher Thorpe, to stop him from beating his mother, Jill Thorpe.

According to Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office reports, Channing Thorpe called 911 at about 10:15 p.m.

When officers arrived, they dis-covered Christopher Thorpe, 36, dead in the master bedroom of the home.

Family members, including Channing Thorpe and Christo-pher Thorpe, mother Jill Thorpe and grandmother Dorothy Wil-

liamson, along with two friends, were outside enjoying a bonfire earlier in the evening. Jill Thorpe went into the home, and then Christopher Thorpe followed her.

Once inside, the two began ar-

TRAGEDY by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

sEE sHootING / pAGE 6

No charges filed in shootingHillsborough detectives say plant City resident Channing thorpe, 17, shot his father, Christopher, when he found him choking his mother, Jill, two days after thanksgiving.

“I became an addict in an in-stant,” Plant City native Glenn Long says without blinking.

The matter-of-fact delivery echoes in the room. He is used to sharing his story.

Today, Long, whose past in-cludes a crack cocaine addiction and convictions for a bank and

store robberies, runs Shiloh Bap-tist Church’s Kairos Club. Through the club, Long uses his stories to share the Christian faith with pris-on inmates.

And because he’s been there, because he’s lived it, his message is one that can reach beyond the bars.

DoWNWArD spIrALLong’s story starts on a night in

his past. He was 24 years old. Like many young professionals, Long was a social drinker who spent weekends in bars with his friends.

Former inmate inspires incarceratedGlenn Long uses his story of addition and prison to share his faith.

BROTHER IN BLUE by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

Amber Jurgensen

glenn Long runs Shiloh Baptist Church’s Kairos Club.

Michael Eng

inomi Ortiz, 7, was a fierce tic-tac-toe competitor during Springhead Elementary School’s annual Harvest Festival. For more photos, see page 14 or visit PlantCityObserver.com.

FuN aNd gaMEs

sEE LoNG / pAGE 6

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PlantCityObserver.com 3 Plant city observerTHURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012

When Hope Lutheran Fellow-ship team leader Cathie Walker learned that Hurricane Sandy had left millions of people without electricity, water and even homes, it touched her heart and remind-ed her of her mission trips to far-away lands.

Walker has ventured out of the country four times for mission trips to Romania, Nicaragua and Guatemala. She’s seen the plight of the poor and of those who were missing basic necessities such as food, water and shelter.

Walker decided to help people living on her own turf. Proceeds from the 18th annual Turkey Sup-per at Hope Lutheran Church on North Park Road went to the Lu-theran Church Missouri Synod’s disaster response fund desig-nated for Hurricane Sandy relief. After subtracting expenses, Hope Lutheran donated a check of $5,500.

“What better way to be mis-sionaries in our homeland?” Walker said. “Hardship was just so close to home. It was here in the states, and we could do some-thing about it.”

After Walker had been watch-ing TV reports and reading news stories on the computer, she pro-posed the idea to the board of di-rectors at the church.

“People were so excited to be doing this,” the Rev. Dean Pfeffer said. “As a pastor, it was great to see a leader step up and the con-gregation rally behind this idea with such enthusiasm.”

The hurricane also hit home for Pfeffer and his family. He and his wife are from Long Island. But he is thankful that the only damage his family up north received was the loss of power at one sister’s house.

The Turkey Supper was served on Sunday, Nov. 4, but the church had been preparing side dishes since the Oct. 30. There were 37 turkeys that volunteers took home to roast on Friday.

“It was very labor-intensive,” Pfeffer said. “It involves our entire congregation without question.”

On the day of the supper, Walk-er worked in the kitchen, prepar-ing the chicken broth, dressing and washing dishes from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. She has helped with the supper for 11 years.

“The whole time I was in the kitchen, I kept thinking about all the money we would raise for the victims and how this would really help those families,” Walker said.

About 800 people attended the feast, and leftovers were donated to the food bank.

Contact Amber Jurgensen at [email protected].

It was the Sunday before elections, and like many other political candidates, Hillsbor-ough County Commissioner Al Higginbotham was feeling stressed.

So his wife, Devon, suggest-ed the couple go see Cirque Italia Act XII at the Museum of Science and Industry, in Tampa.

“She brought me kicking and screaming,” Higginbo-tham said. “But I was at the edge of my seat the whole time.”

Not your traditional circus, Cirque Italia combines modern production values with an array of unique performers that include con-tortionists, acrobatic aerialists and even a quirky clown named Coco.

After seeing the show, Higginbotham called to arrange a meeting with the owner, Manuel Rebecchi. Higginbotham wanted to promote the show to his district, which covers the east-ern half of Hillsborough County, including Plant City.

“Since I focus so much on international relations and economic development, I wanted to connect with them,” Higginbotham said. “It really is a gem right here in our backyard.”

He invited circus mem-bers to his election party and a commission luncheon later in November. There several performers gave the commission a personal pre-view of the show.

“The commissioners are still talking about it,” Andy

Taylor, Higginbotham’s former aide, said. The show began as a prior arrangement

between the Venice Arts Foundation and the Cirque Italia company. Cirque Italia put to-gether Cirque Aquatic in Venice, Fla., to save an old Ringling facility.

Cirque Aquatic earned its name from a unique water feature Rebecchi invented. Un-der the circular stage is a 35,000-gallon tank of water. The stage lifts up to create a foun-tain and rain effect. This feature is also part of Cirque Italia Act XII.

“There is magic to a human being per-forming around water,” Milan-born Rebec-chi said. “It’s similar to the Trevi fountain in

Italy. People come from all over to see it.”“The acts are dangerous, but it makes it

more dangerous with water,” Producer and COO Chante Demoustes said.

Rebecchi and his friend, who was a plumb-er in Italy, put together the design for the fountain, which has its own filter, water sys-tem and pumps. It takes four days to set up.

“It’s not you’re typical circus,” Demoustes said. “It’s not a Cirque du Soleil. Not a Ring-ling. What they’re about to see has never been done before.”

Rebecchi grew up around the circus. His aunt, Moira Orfei, owned the third largest cir-cus in Europe. Today, he hopes to continue that tradition with Cirque Italia.

“I want to take the Peter Pan out of every-one,” Rebecchi said. “I enjoy watching people of all ages watch the show. I want to set their Peter Pans free.”


IF YOU GOcirque italia act XiisHoWtiMes: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays to Fridays; 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays; 1 and 5 p.m. SundaysWHere: MOSI, 4801 E. Fowler Ave., TampaticKets: $10 to $40Website: cirqueitalia.com

circus SPECTACLEHillsborough County Commissioner Al Higginbotham

invited circus performers from Cirque Italia Act XII to a recent County Commission luncheon.

Moscow born elena lev used more than 10 hoops in her performance.

Facundo arturo Kramer is a sixth-generation circus performer.

nicolette Fornasari has performed for Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.

Known as Duo AA, these strongmen amazed audiences with their acrobatic performance.

Top: The Fornasari Family entertained audi-ences with a comedic matador sketch that featured their dog.

under the big top by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

cOMMUNITY by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

Hope Lutheran serves up hurricane reliefOne turkey supper grew into a $5,500 check that Hope Lutheran sent to the victims of Hurricane Sandy.


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trial begins in TampaThe murder trial of Dorice

“DeeDee” Moore began this week in Tampa.

Moore is accused of killing Florida lottery winner abraham shakespeare in 2009. Shakespeare, of Lakeland, won $17 million in 2006. Three years later, his family reported him missing.

Shakespeare’s body was found in 2010 under a concrete slab at a Plant City home owned by shar Krasniqi, Moore’s boyfriend.

Moore had launched a busi-ness with Shakespeare, Abraham Shakespeare LLC, and gave herself control of the firm’s funds. Moore withdrew $1 million from the funds.

The trial is expected to last about two weeks.

+St. Clement churchcelebrates 100 years

St. Clement Catholic Church last week celebrated a century of faith in Plant City.

The church held its first Mass in 1912, inside a home on East Baker Street. On Nov. 23, the parish cele-brated its centennial with a procession from its current location, 1104 N. Alexander St., to two of its old homes.

The church also is selling commem-orative bricks that will be placed on the church grounds in January. Money raised from brick sales will be placed into the Centennial Fund, which will be used to preserve the church and its history.

For more information, call (813) 752-8251 or email [email protected].

+ Head-on crashkills Lithia woman

A retired custodian at Pinecrest Elementary School died last week in

head-on crash in Plant City.According to Hillsborough County

Sheriff’s Office reports, eula Dorman seeds, 81, was driving a 2011 Ford Fusion at about 7 p.m. Nov. 20, north on State Road 39, south of Swilley Loop.

Seeds crossed the center line and struck a southbound 1995 Ford Explorer, driven by Heriberto ruiz, 27, of Plant City. Seeds died at the scene, Ruiz suffered non-incapacitating inju-ries.

+ Police: Womankilled 5-week-old son

A Plant City woman faces first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse charges in the death of her 5-week-old son.

According to Plant City Police Department reports, officers respond-ed to a call regarding a suspicious person Nov. 15, near West Grant and South Alexander streets.

When police officers arrived, they discovered talae akei thomas, 30, lying in the median. Thomas said she needed to go to the hospital for treatment because she had lost her baby. She was taken to South Florida Baptist Hospital for treatment.

Officers then responded to Thomas’ home, 305 W. Grant St., to contact her family and advise them of her transport to the hospital. The respond-ing officers found the front door of the residence ajar. After receiving no response at the door, officers entered the home and conducted a welfare check. Officers discovered Thomas’ 5-week-old child, chase James Urijah Harrison, deceased.

Evidence found at the scene and statements made by Thomas indicate the child died as a result of criminal activity. The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy Nov. 16; the results are pending.


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City commissioners ap-proved Monday a contract worth up to $2.3 million to re-pair roads throughout Plant City in 2013.

The city will contract with Odessa-based Ajax Paving In-dustries Inc., which likely will begin work in January, City Manager Greg Horwedel said. Work will continue through February and stop during the Florida Strawberry Festival. If more work is required, it will resume following the festival but should be complete before the rainy summer season.

“You’ll see a dramatic differ-ence once the work is done,” he said.

During City Engineer Brett Gocka’s presentation at the Nov. 26 commission meeting, he outlined what his team iden-tified as the roads in most need of repair. Of those roads, about 6.49 miles were deemed top priorities and will be repaired first. An additional 1.71 miles will be repaired if funding al-lows, and .56 miles on Gordon Food Service Drive will be re-paired using a State Economic Development Transportation Fund Grant.

Gocka said every road in Plant City’s 156-mile network was evaluated based on a num-ber of criteria, including ob-servable condition, customer

complaints, crash data and more.

Many of the roads garner-ing top-priority are located within Walden Lake East. Some roads in Walden Lake Golf and Country Club — including Bridle Drive, Horseshoe Drive, Hitching Post Place, Hammock Drive, Laurel Oak Drive and Wedgewood Drive — as well as several roads in Pinedale also will be repaired.

Maki Road, along Plant City High School’s eastern side, is one of the most utilized roads receiving repairs this year.

Gocka likened the road work to opening a wall of a historic home, because problems on the surface may only be a small portion of the actual deficien-cies.

The top-priority roads all ex-hibit significant and widespread cracking; however, that cracking may be caused by larger drain-age and stormwater problems that also need repair. The cost of a road repair is about $130,000 per mile, but that number can jump to as much as $400,000 per mile if a road needs to be re-built completely.

If Ajax is able to complete all of the city’s top-priority proj-ects under budget, it then will move onto additional roads identified through Gocka’s re-search. Those include more in

Walden Lake East, including Redbud Circle, West Redbud Street, Sprucewood Lane and more.

The approved contract satis-fies a 2008 directive from the city commission that requires city planners to budget at least $1 million each year for road repairs.

Overall, city commissioners said they were satisfied with Gocka’s report and the plan for 2013.

“This was heck of a hard job, and I think we’re headed in the right direction,” Mayor Mike Sparkman said.

Contact Michael Eng at [email protected].

Commission earmarks $2.3M for road repairsPlant City leaders authorized Monday a contract with Ajax Paving Industries Inc. to repair roads in 2013.

governance by Michael eng | Managing Editor

TOP PRIORITIESstreet FroM to MilesBridle Drive Stirrup Court Horseshoe Drive .37North Burton Street West Garden Street West Spencer Street .09Cypress Court Cul de sac with Isle Hammock Drive .04Elmwood Court Cul de sac Sandalwood Drive .07Eunice Avenue West Reynolds Street Cul de sac .17Hammock Drive West Timberlane Drive Hammock Drive .98Hitching Post Place Bridle Drive Horseshoe Drive .08Horseshoe Drive Bridle Drive Cul de sac .38Hunter Street Mendonsa Road Cul de sac .23Juniper Circle Juniper Drive Juniper Drive .13South Lake Street East Reynolds Street E. Dr. MLK Blvd. .18Laurel Court Sandalwood Drive Cul de sac .06Laurel Oak Drive Hammock Drive Hammock Drive .22Live Oak Court Sandalwood Drive Cul de sac .03West Madison Street West Ball Street South Franklin Street .46Maki Road West Alexander Street Avon Street .4No Name Cul de sac Laurel Oak Drive .03Oak Hammock Place West Timberlane Drive Hammock Drive .05Oakwood Lane Sandalwood Drive Oakwood Lane .26Pinedale Drive Dead end Hunter Street .48Poplar Court Cul de sac Cul de sac .08Russell Drive Hunter Street Hunter Street .49Stirrup Court Bridle Drive Cul de sac .02Sycamore Lane Sandalwood Drive Sandalwood Drive .21Teakwood Drive Sandalwood Drive Sandalwood Drive .57Teakwood Place Teakwood Drive Sandalwood Drive .1Willow Court Sandalwood Drive Cul de sac .03Woodside Drive Mendonsa Road Pinedale Drive .09total Miles: 6.49

IN OTHER NEWS• Commissioners approved

a resolution designating the Lincoln Park Brownfield area for rehabilitation and economic redevelopment.

• The commission hosted the first of two public hear-ings establishing a temporary moratorium on Internet cafés. Commissioners also amended the moratorium to stipulate that the three existing Plant City cafés cannot expand operations.

• Commissioners approved a resolution to discourage the marketing and sale of tobacco products to minors.

• Mayor Mike sparkman asked commissioners to consider changing an ordi-nance regarding solicitations. Sparkman said a magazine salesperson came to his door after sunset recently. Currently, the ordinance allows solicitors until 9 p.m.

“It’s midnight dark at 9 p.m.,” he said. “I don’t like the idea of some of our vulner-able people going to the door.”

Sparkman suggested ending solicitations 30 minutes before sunset.


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But one night, he took it too far. A friend offered him crack co-

caine. “You get such a euphoria,” Long

says. “But it’s so fleeting.”It was just as fleeting as his free-

dom. Hooked on the drug, Long be-

gan to make up lies to get money for his habit. He held more than 50 jobs — and he quit each one after earning just enough money to finance his addiction.

“I soon started borrowing from family and friends until I had used them all up,” Long says. “If I couldn’t get any money from them, then I had no use for them. Isn’t that sad? That I chose a drug over family and friends.”

His mother, Kathryn Wether-ington, owner of T and K Produce, a well known food stand off James L. Redman Parkway, always cov-ered for him out of love.

“I saw my mother cry on many occasions because of the things I was doing and the shame I was bringing to her,” he says. “I was blessed with a mother who loved me, so much she never gave up on me — even when she saw the monster I became.”

Long knew he needed help, and one morning in 1991, he went to

the police station after a five-day crack binge, looking for a way out by finding a way behind bars. He wanted to be arrested, but the police told him they couldn’t do anything unless he committed a crime.

So, Long robbed a bank.

THE CRIMEAfter leaving the police station,

Long noticed a bank opening for the day. He wrote a quick note asking for money.

“As I walked into the bank, I knew I must have looked like a monster, because I had not bathed, eaten or even slept in five days,” Long says. “My lips were burnt from the crack stems, and I had brillo smut on my lips.”

Sliding the note to the teller, she gave him the money, and he left.

“As I walked out, I was expect-ing — and maybe even hoped — I would be shot in the back,” Long says.

But he got away, even passing a law-enforcement agent as he left the parking lot. After a few miles, he pulled over and counted the loot.

“I laughed out loud,” Long says. “The teller had given me five $50 bills. I had risked my life for $250.”

The money tempted him. In-stead of going to the police as

planned, Long spent the money on drugs.

Then, finally, Long returned to the police station to turn him-self in. Long was sentenced to 56 months in federal prison. He tried several drug-rehabilitation programs in prison, but nothing helped.

“I still was an addict,” Long says. “I still felt it wrapped around my soul.”

Long was released just eight months later — right back into the life he had tried so hard to escape. After several more years of crack binges, he robbed two grocery stores — and then turned himself in. Again.

He received an 84-month sen-tence for those crimes. And ulti-mately, prison saved his life.

FINDING SALVATIONEvery day was the same in pris-

on. Long felt like Bill Murray in “Groundhog Day.”

But that changed when he heard of a group that came into the Zephyrhills State Prison and gave the inmates cookies.

Long signed up for the group’s meeting just to do something dif-ferent. He didn’t expect to make it. He was No. 11 on the alternative list. On the day of the meeting, Long was called in.

“God knew he had a plan,” Long says.

The group was Kairos, a prison ministry with more than 30,000 volunteers worldwide.

As Long saw one speaker talk he felt a light coming over him.

“I wanted what he had,” Long says. “I had been through six different rehab programs, and nothing helped me the way I was helped when I finally asked God to come into my life.”

A man from Kairos gave Long the address of a pen pal in Indo-nesia, so Long could share his newfound faith.

The pen pal, Yetti Sumardin, and Long became close friends. She came to visit him, and af-ter his sentence was reduced by three-and-one-half years, Yetti came again to see him get out of prison in December 2000. In Feb-ruary 2001, they were married.

“She came around the world and faced prison to see me, a crack addict, serving 12 years in prison,” Long says. “No, she came to see the Christian I had become.

“God gave someone to love me — for me,” he says.

SHARING HIS MESSAGEFor Long, life has turned

around. Yetti and Long have a 7-year-old daughter. Long has

been active in Shiloh. He and his wife are Sunday school teachers, and he leads his own Kairos Club.

The church makes cookies for Long’s Kairos Club to take to the prisons they visit.

“It’s been great for me and my family,” Long says. “When I go and talk to the prisoners, every eye is focused on me.”

Long also collects letters from children to take to the inmates.

“These men are hardened, but a simple letter from a child will break them down,” Long says.

His club has 120 people in-volved in the meetings. About 36 to 40 volunteers go on the week-ends to visit the prisons. Twice a year, the group goes on a three-day trip.

“I wrote a story called ‘Tar-nished,’” Long says. “Tarnish is decay. And that’s what I did to my family name — I tarnished it. It hurt, because I love my family.

“The shame I brought to my family back then has been re-placed by pride,” he says. “I speak at churches, men’s breakfast meetings and visit people in jail by request. But my story touches the men in prison the most. They are my brothers in blue.”


guing in the living room. Chris-topher Thorpe began beating his wife, and the violence continued into the master bedroom. He was strangling her when Channing Thorpe came into the bedroom with a handgun. He fired several shots, killing his father. One of the bullets hit Jill Thorpe in the right thigh. She was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center. Christo-pher Thorpe died at the scene.

So far, no charges have been filed against Channing Thorpe.

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Offi-cer Debbie Carter said the family did not have a recorded history of domestic violence. Carter said detectives still are investigating details regarding the shooting, in-cluding factors such as alcohol.

Neighbors Linda and Bill Dun-lap awoke to the sound of sirens that night.

“I didn’t want to know what was going on,” said Bill Dunlap, who had worked with Christopher Thorpe for five years.

The Dunlaps said police knocked on their door about 1:30 a.m. to ask questions about the incident. When they learned of what had happened, they were saddened — but not surprised.

“I thought, ‘Wow,’” Bill Dunlap

said. “It shocked me, but I wasn’t surprised as fixated with guns as he (Christopher) was.”

“I just keep thinking about poor Channing and how this will affect the rest of his life,” Linda Dunlap said.

The Dunlaps said they could hear gunshots coming from the back of the Thorpes’ property on a regular basis. Christopher Thorpe was an avid hunter and had many guns in the house. He often would shoot target practice with friends, and he always carried a pistol.

Christopher and Jill Thorpe had

just returned from a hunting trip in Kentucky the Sunday before Thanksgiving, according to the Dunlaps. Jill Thorpe recently had started sharing the hobby more often with her husband. She even butchered the deer they brought back from Kentucky.

Bonfires were a common activ-ity at the residence, and the Dun-laps said Christopher Thorpe cut down on drinking beer after being diagnosed recently with diabetes.

There were never any signs of domestic abuse that the Dunlaps saw or heard in the seven years

they lived across the street from the Thorpes. But the Dunlaps did describe Christopher Thorpe as a “Jekyll and Hyde character.”

Christopher Thorpe could be helpful. He would bring meat from his hunting outings to sick co-workers at Sensenich Wood Propeller Company, off Wood Court in Plant City, where he worked as a quality control in-spector for 15 years. Anytime the Dunlaps needed help in their yard or home, Christopher Thorpe would make himself available.

But Christopher Thorpe, who

was a husky build, was also con-frontational, according to the Dunlaps. He talked down to wom-en and had a conceited attitude.

“I didn’t want to be around him at all, because of his attitude,” Lin-da Dunlap said.

Linda Dunlap knew Channing Thorpe the best out of all the Thorpe family members,

“He’s a good kid,” Linda Dunlap said.

“He’s very industrious,” Bill Dunlap said.

Channing Thorpe, a Plant City High School student, works at Sensenich Wood Propeller Com-pany after school about five days a week. He also works on Satur-days with his mother, a manager at Strawberry Hut.

Representatives from both Sensenich Wood Propeller Com-pany and Strawberry Hut de-clined to comment.

Except for two workers cutting carpet in the back of the home, the Thorpe house was quiet Nov. 26. Several cars were parked out-side. American and Confederate flags waved atop a pole in the front yard.

“It’s sad ... it really is,” Linda Dunlap said. “But like Bill said, a surprise ... No.”


lonG/PaGe 1

Amber Jurgensen

Neighbors say it wasn’t uncommon to hear gunshots coming from the Thorpes’ property.

sHootinG/PaGe 1


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Students in three choirs at Durant High School will maintain a rock-star scheduled as they celebrate the Christmas season with performances at three different theme parks.

This month, the Plant City singers will bring their talents to Universal Studios, Epcot and Busch Gardens.

“I think going to perfor-mances such as these al-lows the students attend-ing to get a well-rounded choir experience,” four-year choir student Macie Jones says.

Class Act, an audition-based mixed show choir, will be performing in the Candlelight Processional at 5 p.m. Dec. 10, at Ep-cot. The choir will per-form with other choirs from around the state and will be accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra at the American Gardens The-atre, an outdoor water-front venue at EPCOT.

The nightly event tells the story of Christmas along with a special celeb-rity narrator. On Dec. 10, the narrator will be Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel, from Disney’s “The Little Mer-maid.”

Una Voce, an all-female advanced choir that performs college-level music, will be performing at Christmas Town on Dec. 14, at Busch Gardens. Una Voce will join Christian rockers Jars of Clay in a finale.

The Chamber Choir, a group of 38 singers, will perform Dec. 7, at Universal Studios. The choir will be singing in a competition and be judged on their performance.

For a complete choir schedule visit dhschorusdepart-ment.wix.com/music#!home/mainPage.


PERFORMANCESchamber choirWhen: Dec. 7Where: Universal Studios, 6000 Universal Blvd., Orlando

class actWhen: 5 p.m. Dec. 10Where: Epcot, 200 Epcot Center Drive, Lake Buena Vista

Una voceWhen: Dec. 14Where: Busch Gardens, 10001 North McKinley Drive, Tampa

CLOSER TO HOME: For those who cannot make it to one of the three amuse-ment park performances, the choirs will perform their annual Christmas Concert at 7 p.m. Dec. 18, at Durant High School, 4748 Cougar Path.

The following information was gath-ered from incident and arrest reports ob-tained from the Plant City Police Depart-ment.

NOV. 3 WELL, THAT’S JUST WEIRD

intersection of Waller and West Warren streets. Abandoned Vehicle. Officers were patrolling the area when they observed a vehicle driving erratically. Officers issued an alert but did not attempt a stop. Mo-ments later, the vehicle was seen idling in a ditch with no occupants inside. The vehicle had no damage but was block-ing the roadway. The vehicle was en-tered into NCIC/FCIC as abandoned and towed.

NOV. 4 MUST HAVE BEEN HOT THAT DAY

10 block of north ritter street. Theft. Unknown suspect(s) stole a window air-conditioning unit, valued at $171.19, and a ceiling fan, valued at $100.

NOV. 21PRY, PRY AGAIN

1400 block of north Wheeler street. Attempted Burglary. Unknown suspect(s) attempted to break into the hair salon. The owner found pry marks on the front

and back door. No entry made, but the suspect caused about $200 in damage.

TRAGEDY700 east baker street. Death Investi-

gation. Officers arrived at the location af-ter business owner/neighbor called and stated he was suspicious something was wrong because the business was left un-locked with the lights on. While clearing the building, officers located an individu-al, deceased, with an apparent self-inflict-ed gunshot to the head.

ROAD RAGE2600 block of James l. redman Parkway.

Battery. The victim stated the suspect ex-ited her vehicle and struck her in the face after she yelled at her to “slow down” in the parking lot. Two witnesses confirmed the incident occurred as stated. The suspect was released with a court date.

NOV. 22LUNCH MONEY

1400 block of Plantation circle. Vehicle Burglary. Unknown suspect(s) entered the victim’s vehicle and stole $5 in cash.

WELL, THEY DID WARN HER2700 block of Paul buchman highway.

Battery. The victim said the suspects came to her residence and urged her to come

out to fight. Upon leaving the residence, she was battered by both suspects.

NOV. 23BIG HAUL

4700 block of Westwind Drive. Vehicle Burglaries. Unknown suspect(s) entered two unlocked vehicles and stole about $400 in cash, some IDs and a cell phone bluetooth device.

TAKEN IDENTITY1600 block of east alabama

street. Vehicle Burglary. The victim parked his car in the parking lot at about 5 a.m. Nov. 23. When he returned to the car later, he noticed someone had stolen his passport. The car was left un-locked with the windows down.

HIT THE DECK2000 block of sammonds road. Shoot-

ing into Occupied Dwelling. The victim stated she was inside her home when she heard four to six gunshots. The officer lo-cated three bullet holes in the front of the home and one in the victim’s vehicle.

NOV. 24WINDOW SHOPPING

300 block of morse street. Narcotics/Warrant Arrest. Officers made contact with the suspect after receiving a com-plaint of a male walking behind homes and looking in cars. It was discovered the suspect had a warrant for violation of probation for retail theft. While searching the suspect, a small amount or marijuana

and two Xanax pills were found in his pockets.

CRIME SPREE700 block of north Wilder road. Vehicle

Burglaries. Unknown suspect(s) burglar-ized six vehicles.

NOV. 25STOLEN SYSTEM

1500 block of Plantation Grove court. Vehicle Burglary. Unknown suspect(s) en-tered an unlocked vehicle and stole about $1,000 worth of stereo equipment.

SHOCKING SCENARIO700 block of east cherry street. Police

Standby. Officers responded to the area in reference to a broken power line. The power lines were live and started a small fire. T.E.C.O. responded to make repairs.

Durant choirs to perform with music stars Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel from ‘The Little Mermaid,’ and Jars of Clay, are the celebrity talents who will perform with Durant’s choir at several amusement parks.

SING-A-LONG by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

COPS CORNERPLANT CITY

NOV. 21FOOD FIGHT

2100 block of north Park road. Battery. The victim said an unknown black male punched him in the face

while he was inside of the fast-food burger restaurant. He did

not know why the suspect punched him. The suspect then fled in a

gold Taurus.


What’s the biggest safety risk you take when you drive a mo-tor vehicle?

Texting or talking on your cell phone while driving? Could be, especially if you’re like me. Be-fore I bought a car with a hands-free calling feature, I used to dial and talk on my cell phone while driving down Interstate 4 at 75 miles per hour. Not smart, and I’m very lucky I didn’t put myself and my car in a ditch, or worse.

I was reminded of a better answer last week at our Rotary Club meet-ing by a longtime Plant City Rotarian, businessman and farmer Alvin Futch. As he has done with so many of us over the years, Futch greeted me earnestly at the beginning of the meeting and asked me not to leave the meeting before

speaking with him first. Know-ing Futch to be a serious man, I sought him out after the meet-ing adjourned.

He asked me the same question. I answered, “Talking

on a cell phone at 75 mph.” Then, I waited pa-tiently for him to give me his answer. He told me about two friends of his who had each received traffic tickets in Plant City in the past week for speeding in a school zone.

He talked about how easy it is to drive blithely through a school zone, thinking about a prob-

lem, daydreaming or not think-ing at all. Maybe we’re talking on our cell phone, paying no attention to the traffic signage always displayed around a school zone.

We all know the impor-

tance of not speeding through a school zone. We know the safety risk of hitting a student as we speed through, ignoring the warning signs. We have all shuttered as we have imagined the awful consequences of not paying attention at this crucial time. Maybe becoming a parent ourselves has been the factor that has given all of us a clearer understanding of the impor-tance of obeying those school zone signs.

After Futch told me about his friends, he punctuated it all with a final question, “Do you know what the fine is for speeding through a school zone?”

I was unable to answer, so he told me. His friends’ fines were $400 and $450, respectively. Obviously, Futch said, the Legis-lature was trying to reinforce the importance of not speeding in a school zone by setting the fines that high.

The average fine paid in the United States last year for speeding anywhere was $150. Take a guess at the high-est fine you can get for speed-ing in a school zone, where the speed limit is normally 20 mph. If you get caught driv-ing more than 30 mph over the posted limit in a school zone, your fine in the state of Florida is $555.50. One reason it is that high is because the prescribed fine is doubled in school and construction zones.

Given the importance of being safety-conscious while driving in a school zone, maybe just the good warning posted in a school zone is not enough. Maybe even columns like this one in the Plant City Observer are not enough. Maybe we all need to look up the prescribed fines.

Felix Haynes is a co-owner and founding publisher of the Plant City Observer.

FELIXHAYNES

“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

ObserverPLANT CITY

Founding Publisher / Felix Haynes, [email protected]

Managing Editor / Michael Eng, [email protected]

Assistant Managing Editor / Jess Eng, [email protected]

Associate Editors / (Community) Amber Jurgensen, [email protected]; (Sports) Matt Mauney, [email protected] Advertising Executives / Veronica Prostko, [email protected]; Ronda Kyler, [email protected]

Advertising Coordinator / Linda Lancaster, [email protected]

Accounting Manager / Petra Kirkland, [email protected]

Advertising-Production Operations Manager / Kathy Payne, [email protected]

Advertising-Production Coordinator / Brooke Schultheis, [email protected]

Advertising Graphic Designers / Monica DiMattei, [email protected]; Marjorie Holloway, [email protected]; Luis Trujillo, [email protected]; Chris Stolz, [email protected]

President / Felix HaynesDirectors / Nate Kilton, Ed Verner,

Matt Walsh110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100A

Plant City, Fla. 813-704-6850

www.PlantCityObserver.com

The Plant CityObserver LLC

Locally OwnedPublisher of the Plant City Observer and

PlantCityObserver.com

©Copyright Plant City Observer LLC 2012 All Rights Reserved

to aDvertiseCall veronica Prostko or ronda Kyler at 704-6850.

senD Us yoUr neWsWe want to hear from

you. Let us know about your community events, celebrations and family member achievements. To contact us, send your information via: Email: Michael Eng, [email protected]

Mail: The Plant City Observer, 110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100-A, Plant City, FL 33563

contact UsThe Plant City Observer is published once weekly,

on Thursdays. It provides free home delivery to several neighborhoods in Plant City. The Plant City Observer also can be found in many commercial locations throughout Plant City and at our office, 110 E. Reynolds St., Suite 100-A.

If you wish to discontinue home delivery or if you wish to suspend home delivery temporarily, call linda lancaster at 704-6850.

Watch those signs, know your finesowner’s note

I sit a bit miffed by the fact I just paid $4 for a single bottle of orange juice. It is not like there is anything special about it. Maybe I am paying for their marketing. That must be it.

Here is what I paid for: “We use only the freshest, purest stuff in the world and leave out everything else. No added sugar — no preservatives, non-GMO (no idea what that means), gluten free, vegan.”

Really?! At the end of the day, it is just orange juice. It comes from an orange. I would expect to pay more if they had added sugar, loaded it up on gluten, infused it with so many preservatives that the expiration date would say “never,” and it be chock full of GMO. But, they cut all of “that stuff” out and gave me sim-ply … orange juice.

And they charged me dear-ly.

Love makes you do crazy things. I had bought this overpriced orange juice for a man who was in desper-ate need. He was skinny, ragged, his clothes barely clung to his bro-ken frame, and his eyes were tired but keenly focused. He was digging through the trash can, quickly eating whatever he could find and finishing off the contents of old drinks. He was talking to himself and seemed agitat-ed. The people sitting outside chuck-led, murmured, and some even went inside to avoid his appearance. So, I decided to help this guy out by buy-ing him the best Starbucks could of-fer.

I went inside and came outside with $8 worth of orange juice and one crumbled blueberry scone. I don’t like scones, but the very name “scone” sounds high-class and up-pity. So, outside I went to give this guy something far better than he was eating. Looking at his face, I noticed a star of David tattoo between his eyes. He looked so tired and hungry … I thought for sure that he would appreciate my gesture.

He did not. He took the scone and put it in his duffle bag. He then handed the orange juice back to me and said he didn’t want it. I offered

to buy him a different drink. Nope, he didn’t want that either. Then, he started murmuring in an angry tone about the people coming for him, and I watched him drink some milky liquid from a cup he found outside.

So, here I sit inside Starbucks, star-ing at an orange juice that was not meant for me. I wonder if he had any idea how good this stuff really is and how much he needs the vitamin C.

I wonder if he knew I would have bought him anything he wanted? But, he wanted the trash.

There is much more to this story. God had a larger agen-da and intended to show me something. I have never seen it this way until now.

This past week, I was con-fronted with a part of me I did not want to confront. I have been harboring bitterness to-ward certain folks in my life for

several years. There is not a week that has gone by that I have not thought about these folks, thought about how they wronged me, thought about how I felt abandoned by them and thought of how much they owe me. God showed me through this man at Star-bucks that I was no different than the old man I was trying to help.

Like eating old trash, I was feed-ing off my resentment about some-thing that happened seven years ago. I thought I had moved on, but I had not.

God has been trying to give me the very best — His daily bread — and I have consistently said, “No thanks,” and have feasted upon what will kill me. So, I have spent the last several days contacting each of these people I had hurt and who had hurt me, and I asked their forgiveness. Words can-not express the peace I feel in my heart and the freedom I have. God has replaced the bitterness with love, and now I am hungry — hungry for what is good and beneficial.

Josh Loudermilk is an inspirational speaker/comic and available to speak at your church, group or event. He, his wife, Melissa, and daughter, Chloe, live in Walden Lake. You can reach Josh at [email protected].

... On lessons learned outside Starbucks

JOSHING AROUND

JOSHLOUDERMILK

THEN&NOW

Plant City Mall, circa 1967. This shopping plaza off James L. Redman Parkway was home to Grants, Sears, Eckerd Drugs and more. Today, Big Lots anchors the plaza.

Courtesy of the Plant City Photo Archives and History Center

+ Moriarty family still seeks answers in daughter’s murder case

Dear Editor:Our entire family can’t thank you enough for the

beautiful work you did writing the story in regards to our daughter, Kelly.

This article was by far the best piece of work that has been done on this case in the past 10 months that we’ve had to live with this horrible homicide.

We just hope and pray that someone out there knows something so that this case will be solved. We just know that there is a butcher out walking the area, and we all pray that the person or people who did this are arrested and convicted.

Bud MoriartyBradenton

Editor’s note: If you have any information that could help lead to an arrest in this case, please contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff ’s Office, (813) 247-8200. The Moriarty family is offering a $5,000 reward for in-formation that leads to the capture and conviction of Kelly Moriarty’s killer.

letterto tHe EDITOR


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14th AnnuAl Lights of LovethursdAy, december 6thmcCall Park • Downtown Plant City

Music presented by First Baptist Church .....................6:45 p.m.Church’s Praise Team & Children’s ChorusLighting Ceremony begins ...............................................7:05 p.m.Honorary Chairs - Faye & Ronald Wetherington

Join us this Holiday Season for a very special

Community Tree Lighting Ceremony.Bring your lawn chairs and join your friends and neighbors

Professional photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus available at the Depot(Nominal fee $5) ...............................................................................5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

NRG - Next Radical Generation performing at the Depot ........6:00 to 6:30 p.m.Presented by

Lights of Love Major Sponsors:Publix Super Markets CharitiesThompson-Hartford Foundation

Photos with Santa Sponsor:Advanced Care Hospitalists

Tree Sponsors:City of Plant CityFirst Baptist Church, Plant City

Top Star Sponsors:Plant City Daybreak Rotary ClubJohn and Sally VernerThe Rooms To Go Children’s Fund

Patron Sponsors:Gregory & Carol ColemanRuby Jean RedmanBrenda J. Futch

Supporting Sponsors:Dart FoundationEdwards Platt Meyer, PAFlorida Gastroenterology Associates, PAJarrett-Scott FordJuli JeffreyMargie MenefeeMidFlorida Credit UnionBill and Diane Morrow

Morrow SteelDean and Nancy NouriePatterson CompaniesPaul’s Hand Lettering ServicePresto Food Stores, Inc.Mike and Diane SparkmanAl and Norma Whitaker

Between science fair geniuses, all-star athletes and dra-ma queens, it can be easy for a high-schooler to feel lost in the mix — especially if a student has to overcome unusual odds and hard life situations.

But for 12 students at Plant City High School, it was a proud day when they were recognized with the Jan Hen-rick Achievement Award Nov. 10, at the Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club in Dade City.

The Jan Henrick Achievement Award was established in 2002. Henrick had worked with students all her life. She was a guidance counselor and swim coach in the Plant City area before continuing her career in Tampa. Henrick died after a battle with cancer in 2004. Her husband, Kevin Bohne, and his company, Florida Gas and Electric Corpo-ration, have started fundraising events, such as an annual golf tournament, to keep the award alive. Four golfers from the Plant City High School girls golf team were in-vited to participate this year.

Students from Plant City High School, Wharton High School and Pasco High School are eligible to win the award. Students are nominated by teachers who notice their good behavior, grades and potential. Twelve students are chosen from each school and given a $150 Walmart gift card and a dinner with two guests at the awards ceremony.

“I was really, really surprised, because I don’t win a lot of awards, and I don’t really pay attention to that kind of stuff,” freshman Kindle Vandyne said.

When Vandyne told her grandmother, Ella, of her win, she was so proud and told her mother, as well.

When Vandyn was about 7 years old, her mother took her and her two sisters from her father after fearing she would lose custody of her children. Vandyn’s mother moved them to Florida with a new boyfriend, who wasn’t nice to the sisters, according to Vandyn. Now, Vandyn lives with her grandparents.

“Whenever I lived with my mom and her boyfriend, I didn’t really try,” Vandyn said. “But when I got this award, I wanted to be all I could be.”

Vandyn has interest in the arts and sciences. She has been painting with her mother since she was younger, and she learned to play bass guitar from her uncle. Vandyn also plays piano. One day, she would like to be an astro-physicist, because of her love of space.

Vandyn also watches out for her 12-year-old sister. She straighteners her hair in the morning and finishes it off with a hair bow. She also serves as her tutor for science and math.

Vandyn wants to buy Christmas for her family with the $150 gift card that accompanied the award. In her thank-you note to Bohne, she wrote:

“[My mother] is living with her father-in-law, and I don’t see her often,” she wrote. “I thought, for once in my mom’s life, she should be able to wake up and have gifts under the tree to open on Christmas morning. I am trying my hardest to be the best I can.”

Plant City High School College and Career Counselor Sherrie Mueller was present, along with Della Warner, a social studies teacher, during the award presentation.

“I’m hoping it will motivate them and have them con-tinue on a successful path,” Mueller said of the award. “It is rather touching.”


Tomlin Middle School students, faculty and parents celebrated the completion of a garden renovation project with a ribbon-cutting cere-mony Nov. 15, on the school campus.

The Campus Beautification Proj-ect, a partnership between Tom-lin and the Plant City Garden Club, features hundreds of new plants at the front entrance of the school and around the sides. The Garden Club,

along with several Tomlin groups — the Green Team, National Junior Honor Society, Future Farmers of America, S.T.E.M. and the Parent Teacher Student Association — got down in the dirt for a planting day Oct. 6, to remove the old plants and install the new.

Plant City Garden Club mem-ber Darcy Stottlemyer said she was pleased with the end result — and es-

pecially with working with the Tom-lin community.

“This was a great project, and it was a joint effort,” she said. “It took a lot of people. The kids are very in-volved here, and it gives them great ownership of the school. They made it happen.”

For more photos of the garden and renovation process, visit our website, PlantCityObserver.com.

RECIPIENTSJoshua BenthalFrancisco CruzKateri EmeryJordan FerrerMarkese HargroveKassandra MartinezGilberto MontanaWilliam RamseyMegan RogersMerissa SchearerBrenda SolisKindle Vandyne

Tomlin celebrates new landscapingTomlin Middle School hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new landscaping Nov. 15. Michael Eng

green thumbs by Michael eng | Managing Editor

Twelve Plant City students receive Jan Henrick AwardEstablished in 2002, the Jan Henrick Award is given to students who have overcome challenges in life.

EDUCATION by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

Courtesy photo

Twelve Plant City High School students received the Jan Henrick Award at an awards dinner Nov. 10, at the Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club in Dade City.

BUSINESS | PLANT C ITY L IFE | OBITUARIES | GAMES | RELIGION | SPORTS

NeighborhoodPLANTCITYOBSERvER.COM THURSDAY, NOvEMBER 29, 2012

Labeling Murphy Elliott simply as an artist or a painter would be cutting him short.

Elliott’s talents showcase something much deeper.

“I work at the speed of imagination,” he says.

Around Plant City, many people know Elliott as an excellent house painter, but it doesn’t take long after stepping foot in his own house to see his talent with a brush extends far beyond a perfect cut along a baseboard.

Elliott, 60, specializes in cosmic or sci-ence-fiction art, with depictions of futur-istic scenes of galaxies, asteroids and far away civilizations. His work has been fea-tured in space magazines, on the Hubble Telescope website and on the National Space Society’s calendar, just to name a few.

One painting was even published in Forbes Magazine for an April Fools edi-tion.

“It was a fake contest where they were offering a holiday vacation to a colony on an asteroid in space,” he remembers, laughing.

One of his most famous oil paintings,

titled “Space Pirates,” gives life to a series in the “Sci-Fi Almanac,” including a char-acter based on Murphy himself.

“Some people call it fiction, but I like to think that it just hasn’t happened yet,” he says.

UNCONVENTIONAL CHILDHOODElliott’s childhood was anything but or-

dinary.“Labeling it as a Huck Finn-like child-

hood would be putting it mildly,” he says. Like Elliott, his father was a house

painter, but during the heightened popu-larity of evangelist Billy Graham, he be-came a Pentecostal minister, who trav-eled the country preaching to big-tent revivals.

Elliott’s parents placed him in foster care at an early age, and he was put to work on a chicken farm in rural Dela-ware, where he says he was often beaten with sticks during his time there.

Through Elliott’s unconventional childhood, he always enjoyed drawing and art and also grew fond of math early in school.

“I excelled in math, and that was the di-rection they were pushing me in school,”

he says. “It was something that always ex-cited me, but then again, there’s a correla-tion between that and the art.”

Elliott realized his artistic talents in grade school, when he drew a photo-like picture of a rotary telephone. In the fourth grade, he drew a chalk drawing of the Bible scene of the three wise men traveling to Bethlehem on camels on a classroom chalkboard.

“They brought the entire school, class by class, to tour my classroom to see the drawing,” he says.

Elliott’s love for mathematics led to his infatuation with science fiction and, sub-sequently, science fiction art.

Elliott graduated with his high school diploma at age 14 and went on to get a degree in architectural engineering from technical school by 17. From there, he began working at Delaware-based ILC Industries, mostly on gasket systems of life-support systems used by NASA astro-nauts.

Elliott had a partial scholarship to the Philadelphia School of Art but never pur-sued that route and has no formal art

training to this day. Instead, he joined the U.S. Navy and spent two-and-one-half years serving on submarines.

“I was and still am a small guy, so when I got there, I didn’t really have much say in the matter,” he says smiling.

TRUE PROFESSIONALAfter earning a degree in interior de-

sign/decorating, Elliott became an expert in helping people choose décor, accents and colors that work for his customers. He started his painting business in 1972 and has completed more than 14,000 jobs in the last 40 years.

“I like to think that I use my experience to save people time and money,” he says.

Some of the memorable jobs he’s done include lassoing a church steeple and painting the cross on top and doing all of the decorating for the Ramsey Pavilion at the Expo in 1986 at the World’s Fair in Vancouver.

Elliott continues to express himself through his art when he isn’t at his day job. In addition to oil paintings of outer-space colonies, Elliott also specializes in sketches of celebrities, iconic figures or even everyday local people.

From Jack Nicholson to Tiger Woods to Hunter S. Thompson, name a celeb-rity and Elliott has probably sketched his likeness. He has more than 500 celebrity drawings.

Elliott’s sketches are so realistic that they are almost like looking at a photo-graph, but Elliott strives to make sure not to cross that barrier.

“If you want to have a photo of some-one, you can just get a picture,” he says.

The realistic elements of the sketches lies in the shading.

“Shading is all about dimension,” he said.

Contact Matt Mauney at [email protected].

OUT OF THIS WORLD

As a child, Murphy Elliott was fascinated with both art and mathematics. Today, the

Plant City resident dazzles with his painting talent both on houses and canvases.

For more on Elliott and to view his artwork, visit murphyelliott.wetpaint.com.

One of Murphy Elliott’s more famous drawings, “The Praying Soldier.”

Photo by Matt Mauney

Plant City artist Murphy Elliott has more than 500 sketches of celebrities. His work has been featured in Forbes Magazine, the Hubble Telescope website and the National Space Society’s calendar.

Murphy Elliott even sketched himself.

Murphy Elliott is known best for his science-fiction work.

FOCAL POINT by Matt Mauney | Associate Editor


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There’s something fishy going on in Plant City, and in this case, it’s a good thing.

When my friend told me about Shrimp & Co. Express, a new sea-

food restaurant near Parkesdale Farm Market, I placed it the top of my list, be-cause my hus-band and I are always looking for a great Friday night fish.

When we first walked in to Shrimp & Co.

Express, we were greeted imme-diately by owner Eric Cardona’s infectious smile — a welcome that made us feel like we had just been invited into his home for dinner. The restaurant is small, clean and features humorous fishing signs and bright décor you would expect to see in your favorite seaside restaurant. I felt like I should be able to look out the windows and see water in-stead of land-locked buildings and streets.

Cardona began telling us about the fresh seafood avail-able, with menu items touting a fusion of Louisiana, the Gulf, the Keys and the Caribbean. The menu offers a variety of grilled or blackened seafood entrées, including gulf shrimp, crawfish,

oysters, scallops, white fish and catfish, with sides of herb red potatoes, French fries, sweet po-tatoes, spicy shrimp slaw, garden rice and hush puppies.

For appetizers, my husband ordered deviled crab balls, and I ordered crab empanadas. The

crab balls came lightly breaded and had a zesty Cajun bite. My empanada dish consisted of two large light and fluffy empanadas stuffed with a delicious mild and perfectly seasoned fresh crab mix.

Because it was our first visit, we opted for the classic fish basket, which included a white fish from the mahi mahi family. When the baskets came, there were four large pieces of fish. The seasoned breading was light, and the fish was exceptionally tender, fresh and flaky, just as Cardona had promised. The herb red potatoes were a nice alternative to French fries.

I’m not a fan of coleslaw, but I thought the coleslaw was the best I had ever tasted. It featured baby shrimp and crunchy carrots mixed in fresh cabbage, and an-other slightly spicy ingredient I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It was that little something that made it different and delicious. My husband and I were quite satisfied with our dining experi-ence.

Before leaving, I asked Car-

dona’s wife, Wilma, to share what the spice in the coleslaw was, and she just laughed. There was no way she was going to reveal any family recipe secrets, but she did say everything was made with love. I’m still looking for that in the spice aisle.

Bottom line? You simply have to check this great little place out.

Plant City resident Susan Ka-zenas is a local foodie and mem-ber of the Second Saturday Din-ner Group. If you would like to be featured in her monthly column, email her at [email protected].

SUSANKAZENAS

New seafood restaurant offers flavorful fare

IF YOU GOshrimP & co. exPressaDDress: 3503 W. Baker St.hoUrs: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and SaturdaysPhone: (813) 752-9040

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Shrimp & Co. Express features a clean, inviting dining room with bright décor.


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Join Haught Funeral Home during the month of December as we remember those we have lost. Stop by during regular business hours and place a personalized Angel on our Angel Tree. There is no cost for the angel. This is our way of remember-ing our loved ones during the holiday season. This service is available to everyone in our community. Also plan on joining us Tuesday December 18 at 7:00pm for

our Service of Remembrance. Our address is 708 W. Dr. M.L.K. Jr. Blvd.

Please Join us as we remember.

Join Haught Funeral Home during the month of December as we remember those we have lost. Stop by during regular business hours and place a personalized Angel on our Angel Tree. There is no cost for the angel. This is our way of remember-ing our loved ones during the holiday season. This service is available to everyone in our community. Also plan on joining us Tuesday December 18 at 7:00pm for

our Service of Remembrance. Our address is 708 W. Dr. M.L.K. Jr. Blvd.

Please Join us as we remember.

Join Haught Funeral Home during the month of December as we remember those we have lost.

Stop by during regular business hours and place a personalized Angel on our Angel Tree.

There is no cost for the angel. This is our way of remembering

our loved ones during the holiday season. This service is available to everyone in our community.

Also plan on joining us Tuesday December 18 at 7:00pm for our Service of Remembrance.

Our address is 708 W. Dr. M.L.K. Jr. Blvd.Please Join us as we remember.

HAUGHT FUNERAL HOME(813) 717-9300

OBSERVEROBITUARIESSimon Caldwell

Simon Caldwell, 75, of Dover, died Nov. 22, at Brandon Regional Hos-pital.

Born July 27, 1937, he was the son of the late Virgil Caldwell and the late Netchel Meeks Caldwell. He was the husband of Iris Craig Caldwell.

Simon had served in the Florida Nation-al Guard of Polk County.

Survivors include sons, David, Mark, James and Paul Caldwell; daughters, Tam-my Caldwell and Janie Harris; brother, Carl Caldwell; sisters, Rudene Allred, Mary Gill and Janie Willis; nine grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

The family asks that in lieu if flowers that donations be made to AMVETS in Mr. Caldwell’s memory.

Online condolences may be made at haughtfuneralhome.com.

Josephine CarvalhoJosephine Carvalho, 92, of Plant City,

died Nov. 16, at her home. Born Jan. 1, 1920, in New Bedford, Mass.,

she was the daughter of the late Manuel Vasconcellos and the late Maria Moniz.

Survivors include daughter, Ruth St Pierre (Roger); five grandchildren; sev-eral great-grandchildren; two great-great-granddaughters; and several nieces and nephews.


Anthony James HitsonAnthony James Hitson, 26, of Plant City,

died Nov. 20, at his home.He was born July 26, 1986, in Plant City.

Mr. Hitson was a member of St. Clement Catholic Church, where he was altar serv-er of the year. He was also an Eagle Scout from Troop 14 in Plant City.

He is survived by his maternal grand-parents, James and Irene Blakey; mother, Suzanne Blakey-Moore; uncle, Raymond Blakey (Cheryl); cousins, Leah Kaye, Me-lissa Rae and Lauren Michelle Blakey; his soul-mate Lori Barker and her son, Lucius; and many relatives and friends.


Lori HolgateLori Holgate, 53, died Nov. 24, at her

home. Born Jan. 8, 1959, in Plant City, she was

the daughter of Charles Brunson and Flor-ence Gill Brunson. She was the wife of Reg-inald Holgate.

Survivors include a daughter, Holly Griffith; and brothers, Charles “Chuck” Brunson and Christopher Alan Brunson.

A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Nov. 30, at Haught Funeral Home Chapel, 708 W. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Plant City. The family will receive friends from 10 to 11 a.m. Nov. 30, at Haught Funeral Home Chapel.


Christopher Channing ThorpeChristopher Channing Thorpe, 36, of

Plant City, died Nov. 24. Born Saturday, May 29, 1976, in Lake-

land, he was the son of Tom Thorpe and Evelynn Martin Thorpe. He was the hus-band of Jill Thorpe.

Mr. Thorpe was an avid hunter and fish-erman. He was employed with Sensenich Propellers in Plant City.

Survivors include a son, Channing Thorpe; brother, Dale Thorpe; and sisters, Beverly Crummley, Mabel Alford, Audrey Thorpe, Tanya Patrick and Wanda Wygal. He was predeceased by brother, Andrew Thorpe.



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Members of the Plant City Christian Women’s Connection dined and social-ized at the annual Freedom in America Fall Festival Nov. 6, at Walden Lake Golf and Country Club.

Attendees browsed through silent auc-tion items, a bake sale and a General

Store, which offered household items at a discount. Entertainment included guest speaker Kathy Baarman, a Hungarian who spoke about having true freedom in Amer-ica. The musical feature included singers from Steppin’ Stone Farm, a girls’ home for at-risk teens.

Plant City women celebrate fall

MAkiNg A cONNEcTiON by amber Jurgensen | Associate Editor

Singers from Steppin’ Stone Farms performed at this year’s festival.

beth riggsbee and nancy christ helped sell items at the general Store. connie townsend and carolyn ballinger


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Springhead community cultivates fall festival fun

OlD-fASHiONED fUN by Michael eng | Managing Editor

Springhead Elemen-tary School students and parents enjoyed some fall fun Nov. 9, at the school’s annual Harvest Festival.

The festival featured carnival-style games, potato sack races, kara-oke and a variety of fall treats, including apples and caramel, cotton candy and more.

Proceeds from the event benefit the school’s Parent-Teacher Association.

attendees enjoyed competing in the potato sack race.

Jessica arnold sang karaoke with her daughter, Jasmine, 5.

Durant head football coach Mike Gottman said it best after the game Friday night.

“It’s hard to think about anything else right now,” he said minutes after a last-sec-

ond drive to tie the game fell short with an incom-plete pass in the right corner of the end zone. That led to the Cougars’ first — and only — loss this season

and ended the magical run for Durant at 11-1.

It had been more than a year since Durant had to deal with the feeling of a loss.

On the sideline, you could sense that feeling. It was as if the players and even the coaches were in a state of shock. Not that the Cougars thought they were unbeat-able or that they came in overly confident, but they simply weren’t used to the sting of defeat — especially in the way the game played out, with Durant looking to make a 95-yard drive with just a minute left to tie things up.

Any fan of football has felt this feeling when your team is in a similar position. You believe your team will win. Everything seems to move in slow motion until the outcome is realized. Then, a state of disbelief kicks in. You

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

SportsATHLETE OF

THE WEEKSoftball star

Kristen Wyckoffcommits to USF. 17

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2012PLANTCITYObserver.COm

SEE MAUNEY / PAGE 19

SHOW ME THE MAUNEY

MATTMAUNEY

After eleven straight wins to start the season, the Durant football team’s histor-ic run ended with one loss.

It had been more than a year since the Durant players and coaches felt the way they felt last Friday night.

On the same field that saw the Cou-gars lose in the region quarterfinals to Gaither in 2011, Durant was handed its first loss of the season, as district rival Newsome avenged a regular-season loss to the Cougars with a 21-14 victory Nov.

23, in the Region 2 semifinals. The loss ended Durant’s season at 11-1

overall, the best record in the history of the program. Durant went 10-0 in the regular season for the first time since the school opened in 1995.

The Cougars found themselves down 14-0 at the half, which was the largest def-icit they faced all season. Durant battled back in the third quarter with back-to-back scores to tie things up, before New-some scored the eventual game-winning

touchdown in the fourth quarter. With no timeouts and a minute to play

in the game, Durant drove down the field. Quarterback Trey VanDeGrift completed 7-of-9 passes, but a last-second pass in-tended for Corey Roberts in the corner of the end zone was swatted away by New-some’s Ricardo Rodriguez, ending the season for the Cougars.

“I’m proud of this team with the effort

For almost as long as the school has been open, Durant High School’s wrestling program has held its Cougar Invitational tournament.

This year, the tournament will celebrate its 17th year by hosting many talented teams Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, at the Evelyn and Batista Madonia Sr. Agricultural Show Center on the Strawberry Festival grounds.

The Cougar Invitational regu-

larly features some of the best teams around the state of Florida and the Southeast. This year’s field will feature in-state pow-ers South Dade (Homestead), Osceola (Kissimmee) and Winter Springs. All three schools placed in the top five of the 3A state meet last season. Springstead High, the reigning 2A state tournament champion and Lake Highland

Future isbright for Durant football

eND OF THe rOAD

Cougar Invitational celebrates 17th year Since 1996, Durant High has hosted the Cougar Invitational, which has become one of the premier high school wrestling tournaments in the state.

for the courageous by matt mauney | Associate Editor

Matt Mauney

Durant comes into the Cougar Invitational after taking first in the Tiger Invitational Nov. 17, in Lake City.

The Durant football team saw its historic season end last week with a 21-14 loss to Newsome in the Region 2 semifinals.

SEE FOOTBALL / PAGE 18

Matt Mauney

Newsome defensive lineman bentley easley consoled an emotional Zach Hooper from Durant after the Cougars 21-14 loss in the region semifinals.

FOOTBALL by matt mauney | Associate Editor

IF YOU GO17TH ANNuAL COugAr INvITATIONALWHeN: Preliminary rounds at 3 p.m. Nov. 30; Day 2 begins at 9 a.m. Dec. 1; Finals at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 1WHere: Evelyn and Batista Madonia Sr. Agricultural Show Center on the Strawberry Festival grounds, 303 N. Lemon St.TYPe: Bracketed individual tournament PrICe: $4 per session (two sessions each day)PArKINg: $5WebsITe: cougarinvita-tional.com

SEE WRESTLING / PAGE 16


Prep, the reigning 1A state champ, also will be in the competitive field.

Out-of-state teams include four teams from Georgia — Collins Hill, Effingham County, Cherokee High and Camden County.

With perennially competitive teams comes talented individuals. Last year, the 32-team Cougar In-vitational featured 15 individuals that finished the season as national champions, along with 75 state qualifiers and 40 state placers.

Durant head coach Drake Millard said as the tournament has grown during its history, it has attracted more talented teams.

“We’re always searching for tougher and tougher teams,” he said. “It’s gotten to the point now where mediocre teams seem to avoid the tournament. We like to say that it’s a tournament for the courageous few.”

As the annual host of the tourna-ment, Durant is always one of those teams that competes against some of the best wrestlers in the state. The Cougars are a competitive program in their own right, with a host of vet-erans on a team that placed 13th at the 3A state meet last season.

Durant kicked off the season on a high note by winning Tiger Invi-tational Nov. 17, in Lake City. Eight

Durant wrestlers placed in the nine-team tournament in Lake City, with Reagan Haley and Darrien Kelly taking first-place finishes.

“We have a lot of seasoned guys this year,” Millard said. “Those are guys you can depend on.”

Strawberry Crest will be the oth-er Plant City team in action this weekend. The Chargers should be a competitive team this year after finishing in the top 50 at the 2A state meet last season. Strawber-ry Crest will be ushering in a new era this year under first-year head coach Ryan Joyce.

Joyce, an alum and former standout at perennial power Bran-don High, takes the reigns of the Chargers after serving as an assis-tant with Steinbrenner High last season.

According to Joyce, his team is fairly young, but is working hard and has some guys with quality mat experience.

“We look to be pretty strong in the lighter weights, and we should have a positive season,” he said. “I just want to instill some more con-fidence in them.”

The Chargers recently com-peted in the Ten-way Tournament at Chamberlain High, where they placed ninth after sending only seven wrestlers. According to Joyce, he will have a full roster for the

Cougar Invitational this weekend. The 17th annual Cougar Invi-

tational returns to the Strawberry Festival grounds after being held at the Tampa Convention Center last year. The Madonia Center will ac-commodate eight mats, warm-up areas and seating for 1,200 people.

The tournament also has a part-nership with Flowrestling, the na-tional leader in media coverage for the sport at the high school, club, college and professional levels. Flowrestling’s presence will offer national attention to the tourna-ment with coverage and videos of the key matches.

“This will allow thousands of wrestling fans to watch matches anywhere in the country,” Millard said.

The tournament has grown since its 1996 inception as a fledgling eight-team tournament. Accord-ing to Millard, the tournament’s current structure brings in around $125,000 to the local economy through hotel stays, food and gas sales and entertainment and shop-ping.

“This tournament is a source of pride for us and is also a good ba-rometer for us as a team, as we face some of the toughest competition around,” Millard said.


CROSS_ANS_112912

11/22/12 Cryptogram answers

11/22/12 Crossword answers

2012

1. This makes a good, practical motto and advice for happy living: if you do what you love and love what you’re doing, you’ll never work another day in your life.

2. Say what you mean and mean what you say. But it’s mean and bad to say it in a mean way!

This week’s Cryptogram answers

This week’s Crossword answers

2012

1. A boss commented on one of his employees. “I like her. She has a perfect attendance record. She hasn’t missed a coffee break in ten years.”

2. What did the furry beaver say when his biggest log vanished over a humongous waterfall? ‘Damn!’

Visit hccfl.edu/registernow.

“Environmental science technology students receive cutting-edge training to compete in the global economy.” Dr. Pam Vergara, HCC professor of environmental science

HCC’s environmental science technology

program prepares students for jobs with

organizations such as the Southwest

Florida Water Management District and

Hillsborough County Environmental

Protection Commission. Examining the

relationship between natural and human

systems through hands-on training and

field work, students transfer new skills into

careers in natural resource management.

With small class sizes, affordable tuition,

and guaranteed transferability to state

universities, it’s easy to see why more than

47,000 students choose HCC.

Hillsborough Community College is an equal access/equal opportunity employer.

hccfl.edu/equity

HCC_PlantCity_OBS_6.8x10BW_Vergara.indd 1 11/1/12 2:45 PM

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The number of states that will be represented in the United Youth Football League

National Championships Dec. 3-9, at Otis M. Andrews Park. The tournament will feature more than 100 youth tackle foot-ball teams for a week

WrestlinG/PaGe 15

22

Average amount of points al-lowed by the Durant foot-ball team for the span of the Cougars historic 11-1 season.

9.3 Number of first half goals scored by the Strawberry Crest boys’ soccer team in

a 5-0 shutout win against Armwood Nov. 15.

4

JUSTTHESTATS

The number of teams par-ticipating in this weekend’s Cougar Invitational wrestling tournament. 28

Amount of points scored in a 19-point win by the Straw-

berry Crest girls’ basket-ball team Tuesday night at

Wharton. The Lady Char-gers are 5-0 as of Tuesday.

58


LV4

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Brown’s Floral ShopDeborah ClarkOWNER106 E. Reynolds Stwww.brownsfloralshopfl.com813-752-5189

LV41

27

Karen Sykes Ed.D, Owner

813-481-5671

• In-home sits • Dog Walking

• Cat Care • Pet Taxi

LV41

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110 West Reynolds St. #217

SAGEProfessional Christian Counseling Center, LLCNaNcy L. EgbErt, LcSWMental Health Therapist / Owner110 E. Reynolds St. Ste. 807Plant City, FL 33563Voice: (813) 431-1567www.sage7000.comProverbs 4:7 Wisdom is supreme …Office: (813) 752-7000

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PROVISION CLEANING SERVICECommercial Only

ProvidingClean ServiceYou Expect! (813) 764-4039

Don & Tina Cribbs

Owners

Licensed & InsuredFamily Owned & Operated

[email protected]

LV41

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CITYPROPERTIESCOMPANY

MANAGEMENT • SALES • RENTALSYour Hometown Property Management Company

40 years in Plant City • Philip Balliet - Manager

(813) 752-5262Post Office Box 1118 • Plant City, FL 33584

LV39

22

Come Visit the Downtown Businesses of historiC Plant City...

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Drive-Thru

All-U-Can-Eat

Salad Bar

Home CookedMeals

Always Prepared Fresh

Mon-Thur 7:00am-8:00pm

Fri-Sat 7:00am-9:00pm

Sun 7:00am-2:00pmOwners:

CURTIS & TAMMY

DEVANE

SNELLGROVES RESTAURANT

109 S. Collins St., Plant City, FL 33563

Ph & Fax (813) 752-3652

...where everyone loves to shop

Michael S. CameronFinancial Advisor110 West Reynolds Street, Suite 109Plant City, FL 33563

[email protected] Phone: 813.759.8485 • Fax: 813.759.8183

Securities Offered Through LPL FinancialMember FINRA/SIPC

LV41

36

LV40

86

ANNA’S

SILVER DOLLAR SALOON

POOL

DARTS

POKER

107 E. Dr. MLKJ Blvd. Plant City, FL

813-764-9811LIVE MUSIC

KARAOKE

FULL LIQUOR BAR

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A Group Class is available for Preschoolers (ages 3-5 years) Titled “Music to Grow On”

Private Lessons Offered in:

Give a Gift of

SPRING MUSIC LESSONSthis holiday season

For more information contact

Plant City’s First Baptist Church

School of Music & ArtsDella Watson: 813-750-4878

Spring Semester:January 14-May 17, 2013

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PianoVoiceGuitar

Bass GuitarDrumsCello

ViolinViola

Clarinet

TrumpetPercussion

and Timpani

6 Hours Free36 Hours of Professional Instruction

for $80 per month*

Over 35 yrs of Professional Baseball Experience

Come CHeCk us out!813.802.7196 Roberto

813.416.5391 Marlon“Once you know us, you’ll join us”

Baseball & Youth Sports Complex 1903 MLK Jr Blvd East • Plant City, FL 33567

[email protected] • www.fivetba.comtravel teams Now FormiNg

Ask us About Our Personal Instruction Specials

10% oFF Registration

Fee with ad

Marlon MejiaRoberto RojasHouston Astros, retiredDetroit Tigers, retired

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What was the recruiting process like?

I had no intentions of going out of Florida. Ever since I was little, I wanted to stay in Florida. It was between Florida and USF,

but I felt a lot closer with USF, because I’ve known all three coaches

there since I was 10 years old, doing les-sons with them, so it felt more like home.

Do you play any other sports?

All through middle school, I played bas-

ketball, soccer, track and volleyball, and when I got (to PCHS) my fresh-man year, I played bas-ketball, volleyball, softball and flag football. Sopho-more and junior year, I

played only volleyball, soft-ball and flag football. This year, I’m just going to play softball and flag football.

Other than softball, which is your favorite and why?

Flag football, because I feel like I can just use my speed and run.

When did you first dis-cover you were fast?

I always used to race my dad and my friends (when I was young), and I would beat every-one.

What are some personal goals for your senior softball season?

I’d like to break my batting average and stolen bases from last year.

What do you like about batting leadoff?

They say hitting is contagious, so if I get on, that can set the bar for the rest of the team.

What do you expect college ball to be like?

I’m kind of a scrawny person, so I’m worried a little about the workouts, but I’m excited, because it’s going to be a faster game.

What else do you enjoy?I love the beach. That’s my

favorite place.

What’s something people may not know about you?

I’m an extremely picky eater. I inspect all my food, and if it doesn’t look good, I won’t eat it. Also, for a refreshment in a game, instead of Powerade or water, I’d rather have Mountain Dew. That’s going to be another big change in college, because they won’t let me do that.

Kristen WycKoff After verbally committing to play for the University of South Florida her junior year,

Plant City High School softball standout Kristen Wyckoff made it official last week when she turned in her signed letter of intent to play for the Big East school. The left-handed shortstop/second baseman was a key player for last year’s 17-6 Raiders team.

ATHlETE Of THE wEEk by Matt Mauney | Associate Editor


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C h u r C hhas relocated...

John R. Trinkle Center1206 Park Road Plant City, FL 33563

newlifeplantcity.org

Nursery, Pre-School,Discovery Kids & Adult Worship 10 am

Lead Pastor: Fred Harrold

Join us for an excitingWorship Experience

On Our Celebration Sunday Dec. 2, 2012

Caféopens

at 9:00 am NewLife

they showed at the end,” Durant head coach Mike Gott-man said after the game. “I just wish we could have had a miracle at the end to send it into overtime, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”

With the win, Newsome (8-4) will face Osceola (12-0) for the region championship Friday.

Newsome’s high-powered offense gave the Durant de-fense fits, especially in the first half. The Wolves finished with 431 yards of total offense, with 317 of that coming on the ground.

Running back Clint Carnell led the Wolves with 109 yards on the ground, while quarterback Will Worth had 101 rushing yards and 114 passing yards, connecting on 7-of-8 attempts.

The one pass the standout senior missed was a big one. Durant linebacker Chris Smith intercepted the pass and returned it to the Newsome 2 yard line.

Durant fullback Jamarlon Hamilton then tied the game at 14-14 with a short run.

Hamilton finished the game with 64 yards and scored both of the Cougars’ touchdowns. The senior finished the season with 1,348 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns.

VanDeGrift, a junior who transferred to Durant after two seasons at nearby Strawberry Crest, finished the year with 1,150 passing yards for 12 touchdowns with five in-terceptions. He also had four rushing touchdowns and will return to the Cougars next year after transitioning to Durant’s more run-based attack from the spread passing attack he ran at Strawberry Crest.

Sophomore running back Cris Atkins also will return after rushing for 825 yards, despite missing some action because of an injury.

Durant will lose the majority of its wide receivers, in-cluding Roberts, Reggie Gainer and Zach Hooper, who also doubled as a running back. Junior tight end Paxton Sims will return after leading the team with 352 receiv-ing yards and three touchdowns. Hooper and Gainer also finished the year with three touchdown catches.

The Cougars will lose a good portion up front, includ-ing starters Zach Whitney, Alex Wood and Dalton Wilk-erson.

Defensively, Durant will lose leading tackler Randy Baker, along with leaders Smith, Tyler Moody and Zach Hoffman.

Defensive end Dontriel Perry will return for his senior season after leading the team in sacks. Sims also will be a key defensive returner after seeing significant playing time at safety.

Altogether, Durant will lose 23 seniors listed on their roster.


Football/PaGe 15

Durant quarterback trey vanDeGrift became a leader for the Cougars after transferring from Strawberry Crest High School.

Photos by Matt Mauney

Sophomore running back crispian atkins rushed for 825 yards this year, despite fighting off a late-season injury.

Quarterback trey vanDeGrift passed for 1,150 yards this year and will return to the Cougars for his senior year.


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Drawing for gifts baskets. Open to the public (813) 757 - 6356

Wine & cheeseReception

hosted by easthillsboRough

aRt guildDec. 6, 2012

5:00 - 8:00 pm

“a chRistmasshoWing of

fine aRt”

Walden Lake Country Club 2001 Clubhouse Drive Plant City, FL9670

8

Bruce’s Barber Shop

Monday thru Friday8:00 am. to 6:00 pm.

Saturday8:00 am. to 3:00 pm

Open

2311-2 Thonotosassa Road Plant City, Florida 33563 Phone: (813) 754 - 8250

$1 oFF any haircut with ad

O B S E RV E R C RO S S WO R DEdited by Timothy E. Parker

CRYPTOGRAMS

1. E W N K K X N L L B Y R B A N Y N Y B N V C P K B L F G N Q B B K . “ P G P O B

C B D . K C B C E K E F B D V B X R E R R B Y A E Y X B D B X N D A . K C B C E K Y ’ R

L P K K B A E X N V V B B W D B E O P Y R B Y Q B E D K . ”

2. R F T M G E G M F L J N X X Z V L T W L X P T Z R F L H F E P V E I I L P M D Q I

W T H E P F L G Q W L X T F N U Q H I Q N P R T M L X J T D D ? ‘ G T U H ! ’

ACROSS 1 Terra ___ 6 Dam builders 13 Inner souls, to

Jung 19 Downright 21 Square sins? 22 Go “poof!” 23 “Location,

location, location” business

24 McQueen film classic

26 Less fat 27 Nerve fiber 28 Feeling guilt 29 Coupon locales 30 Refusals 32 Showed the way 33 Photo ___

(journalists’ desires)

35 Trade-___ (some used cars)

36 Team follower 38 Ukrainian port, to

natives 40 Guy in a horned

helmet 44 “... ___ man with

seven wives” 46 Liberal arts degs. 47 Actor Mineo 48 Guys’ Broadway

counterparts 51 One mystery-

solving Charles 52 Mork’s planet 53 Blood line 55 It pours from

pores 56 “Where ___ At”

(Beck song) 57 Big figure in strike

negotiations 59 Murder victim in

Genesis 61 Rug rat 62 Trembles with fury 63 Relative of a

buttercup

66 Roth plan 67 Bottom-line

figures 68 Abject fear 71 Label for Elvis 72 Insurance

statistician 74 Courtroom

spokespersons 75 Completed 76 Placed

horizontally (with “down”)

77 Hair loss symbol? 80 Drug maker Lilly 81 1953 AL MVP Al 84 Places for pins and

small needles 85 Fleur-de-___ 86 Candid 87 Limbless reptile 88 Yule fuel 89 Forbid entry to 90 Pitt and Renfro 91 Naval petty officer 93 Late great golfer

Stewart 95 “___ the ramparts

we watched ...” 96 Inc., abroad 99 Popeye’s assent 100 Partner of sm. and

med. 101 Mu ___ pork 103 Soldier material 106 Japanese art of

folding paper 110 100 cents 111 Some college

contributors 113 Internal

combustion device

117 Most like a couch potato

118 Show runners 119 Brought back 120 Substance used to

curdle milk 121 Mushroom cells 122 Foxy trait?

123 Shabby and scruffy

dOwn 1 Cliff’s “Cheers”

nemesis 2 Mountain nymph

of Greek myth 3 Where to switch

trains 4 Tie up the phone 5 Antiquated TV part 6 Vegas action 7 Breathes out 8 Climbers’ goals 9 Fish player on TV 10 Merit, as

compensation 11 AAA

recommendation 12 Last word of

“America the Beautiful”

13 Birds, to biologists 14 “A Beautiful Mind”

subject 15 Pre-Columbian

Peruvian 16 Home of

basketball’s Heat 17 Rockies resort 18 Molts 20 Beginner’s luck

beneficiary 25 Work to be done 31 Kind of road test? 33 Roundish 34 Seasoned rice dish 37 One ___ time 39 State of the North

or South 41 Checks for age, say 42 “Then” partner 43 Brief flash of light 44 Monogram letter 45 Automobiles 47 Hindu Mr. 49 Where to find an

obstetrician in the government?

50 Written using an outline

52 ___ the other (either)

53 They’re good for tricks

54 Cries of surprise 57 Ashe Stadium org. 58 Mighty Ducks’ org. 60 Intros 63 Boudoir furniture

pieces 64 Offerings from

carolers 65 Coastal eagle 68 Ten below? 69 Make a goof 70 Go back to the

drawing board 73 Recant 74 U.S. crime solvers 77 Ignore, as a

nautical order 78 Show penitence 79 Snug bug’s place 82 Barely achieve

(with “out”) 83 Prefix meaning

“new” 86 Comstock load 89 Things best let be,

proverbially 90 Mile-high city 92 Large water pipe 93 Prepare to get

juice? 94 Depart’s opposite 96 Theater boxes 97 Canine who loved

Lady 98 “Saturday Night

Fever” joint 102 Bun contents 104 Map within a map 105 ___-gritty 107 “Party” or “beach”

attachment 108 Toward shelter 109 It’s as good as a

mile 110 Covetousness 112 Forearm bone 114 Hectic hosp.

sections 115 That’s a moray 116 The father-and-

son Begleys

SOUnd THE ALARM by wilbur Fleming

2

CROSSWORD_112912

either feel like you’re on top of the world or that a 20-ton building just fell on you.

If you know the feeling I’m talking about, try to imagine what that feels like for the players on the field.

Those players, and espe-cially the seniors, have a wave of emotions that hit them. Any coach in the country preaches to never give up until the final whistle. Being around the Durant football team all sea-son, I could tell those players believed, so when the clock hit zero and the scoreboard read in favor of Newsome, those emotions came pouring out.

There was no time to let the thought of losing sink in. The game was in reach until the final second.

Some of the players who were on the field collapsed where they stood after the final play. Tears began to fill the eyes of several of the Durant players on the field and the sideline. Some stood or lay motionless on the field for what seemed like an eternity.

You could almost sense that they didn’t want to move

forward, because that meant going to the middle of the field and shaking the hands of the Newsome players and coaches.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to show sportsmanship. It wasn’t that at all. It was simply that getting up and doing the post-game ritual of shaking hands meant the end of their season.

No more practices, and for many of the seniors, no more games.

Just as coach Gottman put it after the loss, I’m sure none of the players — be it a freshman or a senior — was thinking about what’s ahead in the fu-ture. They were thinking about what just happened and the season that was.

Now that reality has had a chance to sink in, I can say confidently that at least some perceptions of the players have changed. Sure, they still wish things went differently last Fri-day, but now, they have a new outlook on just how special this season has been, even if it’s their last time strapping on shoulder pads.

The seniors on this Durant team has laid the foundation for the future. Many counted

the Cougars out this year, but they used that as motivation.

Let’s call it for what it is. Durant isn’t the most talented team in the state. Even if the Cougars went on to complete the run and win the state championship, that opinion couldn’t be argued.

This is a group that has few standout players and an even thinner list of seniors who will go on to play in college. This group was special because they were a blue-collar team that outworked other teams.

They often found them-selves against bigger and more athletic teams but continually proved they can come out on top in those match-ups.

This Cougars team truly de-fined the meaning of the word “team.”

With the best season in the history of the school, the groundwork has been laid for the future.

With just a week removed from the heartbreaking end to the season, it may still be hard for some to swallow, but the Cougars proved themselves as a program to be taken serious-ly for anyone who may have doubted them.

The Durant High School student section was alive and loud throughout the season.

MaUney/PaGe 15

Durant High School fullback Jamarlon Hamilton ran for 1,348 yards in his senior season.


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Plant City Observer 11.29.12

Documents

thorpe family

mother jill thorpe

covered christopher

city commissioner

plant city choirkicks

christopher thorpe

city hall

plant city community