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Many Competitions Take Place At Strawberry Festival

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By BARBARA KENT, Tribune correspondent

Published: February 23, 2008

PLANT CITY - When the Florida Strawberry Festival opens its doors Thursday for its 73rd year, the highlights will include numerous competitions for young, old and in-between.

Here are some of the contests at the festival, which runs through March 9:

•The Baby Parade for ages 1 to 4 has openings for participants who are residents of east Hillsborough County, which includes Plant City, Brandon, Valrico, Dover, Keysville, Lithia, Balm and other communities.

Fifty children in each of the four age divisions will participate, with 25 walking and 25 riding on miniature floats.

Prizes will be awarded in each age group in seven categories: most beautiful girl, most handsome boy, best costume, most personality, healthiest, most beautiful float and most original float.

Those wishing to enter children for the parade can do so at Nia Bellas, 119 E. Reynolds St., Plant City. The registration must be completed in person and there is a $25 registration fee.

The Baby Parade is at 10:15 a.m. March 8.

•Hillsborough County's amateur plant growers have an opportunity to showcase their talent at the Horticulture Show sponsored by the Plant City Garden Club. The plants will be on display the run of the festival in the Arthur Boring Civic Center on the festival grounds.

Plant submissions must be brought during registration from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday or from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Each exhibitor can show no more than 10 plants and no more than one entry per plant class, of which there are 96. Potted plants must be in suitable pots, not cans or pans. No plants will be accepted in containers more than 15 inches in diameter, and hanging plants cannot weight more than 40 pounds.

Winners will receive ribbons, awards and money.

•Florida artists are invited to enter the Fine Art Show sponsored by the East Hillsborough Art Guild.

Open registration will be from noon to 6 p.m. Monday in the gallery in the expo building on the festival grounds. Artists ages 6 and older who are Florida residents or part-time residents may enter.

Four art media are admissible: oils/acrylics/watercolor; sculpture of metal, clay, wood, wire and assemblages; water media including egg tempera, ink washes and gouache; and graphics including pastels, colored pencil or marker, airbrush, mixed media and reverse glass painting.

Adult participants may choose either the professional or amateur division. An entry fee of $12 is charged for professional and $10 for amateur. Youth participants ages 6 to 17 will pay a $2 entry fee.

Prizes and ribbons will be awarded by judges. Ribbons and prize money will be awarded for first, second and third place. In the youth division, winners will receive rosette ribbons.

For information on the competitions and specific rules, go to www.flstrawberry festival.com or call (813) 752-9194.

The 'Hillbillies' Headed To Plant City

PLANT CITY - The next production by Plant City Entertainment, the area's community theater, will be "The Beverly Hillbillies" to be staged May 2-3 and 9-10.

Shannon Mack will direct, assisted by Kim Mitchell. They are looking for about 20 adults of all ages to fill the cast. Auditions will be March 10-11 and 13 at the Cornerstone Center, 315 N. Collins St. in Plant City.

Auditions are open to all. Those cast who are not theater members will be expected to join.

For information, contact Mack at smack@bankers lifefl.com or (813) 986-7141, or Mitchell at kimsgems @yahoo.com or (813) 754-9682.

In other news from the community theater, awards for outstanding work in the most recent production, "All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten," were presented at a party for cast and crew following the final performance Feb. 16.

People's Choice, selected by vote of audience members, went to Lesley Ives-Payne, who also was named Best Actor. Joe Osborn was chosen Cast Choice, and Lou Baird, Director's Choice. The Beverley Harrison Award for outstanding service went to Heather Barlow.

Flower Show Had Elvis Theme

PLANT CITY - The Plant City Garden Club picked Elvis on Parade as the theme for its Feb. 7 flower show.

Entries in the floral design class were based on Elvis Presley movies and songs, and an Elvis impersonator performed at the dinner that followed the event.

In the floral design class, Tana Williams won first place and the Novice Award for her design, "Blue Hawaii." Kathryn Bowers won first place for "Jailhouse Rock. Jan Griffin won first place and Designers Choice Award for her "All Shook Up" entry. Toshi Molden won for her entry for "Can't Help Falling in Love With You," and Liz Miller had the winning design in "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" Griffin won the "Viva Las Vegas" category and also the Table Artistry Award.

Top winners in the horticulture awards included Darcy Stottlemyer, an award of merit for her philodendron and the Arboreal Award. Miller won awards of merit for her Gollum and her bromeliad, and also the Collector's Show Case Award. Lev Stone won the award of merit for his multiple plantings, and Griffin won the award of merit for her hanging basket of rabbit foot fern, which also took the Horticulture Excellence Award.

Over 50 Group To Entertain At Festival

PLANT CITY - The Classy Sassy Lassy's, also known as the Disco Granny's, will perform at noon March 6 in the Florida Strawberry Festival's entertainment tent.

The 50-and-older group has been performing for nine years and will lip-sync to disco, rock and other numbers.

The 10 members of the group come from the area, including Valrico, Brandon, Thonotosassa and Riverview. The oldest member is 84, and their routines include dancing and skits, often with a theme of the challenges that people face when they get older, said Shar Rusk, who organized the group in 1999.

The group practices twice weekly and performs across the area.

Library Teen Club To Meet Tuesday

PLANT CITY - The Teen Library Club of Bruton Memorial Library will meet from 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesday at the library, 302 McLendon St.

March meetings are slated for March 11 and 25 at the same time and place.

The group plans and participates in library activities and recommends what DVDs, graphic novels, PC games and books to buy.

For information contact Salena Coller at scoller@plant citygov.com or www .myspace.com/teenlibraryclub, or at (813) 757-9215.

Columnist Barbara Kent reports on community news. Items submitted must include a telephone number. Send a fax to (813) 865-4441 or mail to Neighbors, 101 N. Wheeler St., Plant City FL 33563.

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