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Cultural Arts Festival To Honor King's Memory

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 12, 2008

PLANT CITY - The Improvement League of Plant City will host the 22nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Arts Festival Friday through Jan. 20. The theme is Courage to Live the Dream.

Plant City sites for the celebration will include the Randy L. Larson Softball Four-Plex, South Park Road and Albertson Drive; the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, 1601 E. Dr. Martin L. King Jr. Blvd.; Marshall Middle School, 109 S. Maryland Ave.; and the Red Rose Inn and Suites' Red Rose Ballroom, 2011 N. Wheeler St.

The opening ceremony will be at 11:30 a.m. and the senior luncheon at 12:30 p.m. Friday at the recreation center. Step team competition at Marshall Middle School will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Admission is $10.

The parade will begin at 1 p.m. Jan. 19 at Waller Street and travel east on Dr. Martin L. King Jr. Boulevard.

Entertainment featuring hip-hop artist Miss Netta and the Busch Gardens Sheiks will be from 2:30 to 10 p.m. Jan. 19 at the four-plex next to Plant City Stadium.

The leadership breakfast will be at 7:30 a.m. Jan. 20 at the Red Rose Ballroom. Tickets are $25.

Midway rides will be set up at the four-plex all three days of the festival. It will be open from 6 p.m. to midnight Friday; 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Jan. 19; and noon to 9 p.m. Jan. 20. Midway discount tickets may be purchased at the recreation center, the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, 106 N. Evers St., and the Historic Glover School, 5104 Horton Road, in the Bealsville area.

For information, go to www.plantcitymlkfestival.com or contact league President Henry Johnson at wsolution @tampabay.rr.com or (813) 757-6160.

Former Nurse's Aide Celebrates A Big Date

PLANT CITY - Lois Grooms will celebrate her 86th birthday today with family and friends.

She was born and raised in the Plant City area and worked for years as a nurse's aide.

She is the mother of five and grandmother to many.

Registration Under Way For Youth Soccer

PLANT CITY - Registration has begun for the youth soccer program of the Plant City Recreation and Parks Department and the Plant City Optimist Club. It will be the 32nd season of the program for ages 4 to 18 as of June 1.

The program teaches basic soccer skills and is not intended to be competitive.

The seven-game season will be played at the Otis M. Andrews Sports Complex. The season starts in late March and runs through early June. One practice a week is held during the season, to be set after teams are chosen in early March.

The registration fee is $22, which includes a game jersey and accident insurance. A birth certificate is required for registration.

A registration form and information are available at www.plantcitygov.com/rec or by contacting Larry Langston, the athletic program manager, at llangston@plantcitygov .com or (813) 659-4200, Ext. 4302.

Book Discussion Rescheduled

PLANT CITY - The discussion of the book "Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank, originally set for Jan. 8, will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Bruton Memorial Library, 302 McLendon St.

Florida Films To Be Shown And Discussed

PLANT CITY - Susan Fernandez and Bob Ingalls will discuss "Sunshine in the Dark: Florida in the Movies" at 7 p.m. Thursday at Bruton Memorial Library.

The speakers are co-authors of a book by the same name published by the University Press of Florida. Fernandez is an associate professor of history at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus, and Ingalls is a professor of history at USF in Tampa.

The program is the first in a series, "Florida on Film," to be offered at the library. The images of Florida, Floridians and tourists that have appeared in major studio and independent films have helped shape opinions of the state and its people.

Fernandez and Ingalls highlight the central plots, environmental settings and characters in movies with Florida themes using film clips, photos and publicity posters. They show how depictions of Florida have changed in more than 300 films in the past century.

In February and March, a Florida film will be shown, and Fernandez and Ingalls will lead a discussion of the film. For information on the titles that will be shown, call the library at (813) 757-9215. In April, a third film will be shown, and Anne Haywood, library director, will lead the discussion.

The program series is sponsored by the Florida Humanities Council and the Friends of Bruton Memorial Library. The program is free and open to the public.

The library is at 302 McLendon St.

Little Miss Pageant Part Of Gasparilla

PLANT CITY - This year's Little Miss Plant City will be named at the Gasparilla Pageant on Sunday at the Westin Harbour Island hotel in Tampa. All contestants will get to ride in the Gasparilla Parade.

For information, call (813) 892-5502 or visit www.star searchpageants.com.

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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