Grand marshal chosen for parade
The Plant City Christmas Parade Inc. announced it had chosen its grand marshal for the “Celebrate the Season — 2017” hometown parade. This year’s marshal is Reverend Dean Pfeffer, senior pastor at Hope Lutheran Church.
Pfeffer has been serving his congregation since 1996 and is a member of the board of the United Food Bank of Plant City, the YMCA of Plant City, Plant City Daybreak Rotary, and he is a Chamber of Commerce Ambassador. He has also gone on mission trips to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and India.
“Reverend Dean Pfeffer makes a positive impact wherever he goes, and we are honored to have him represent our 2017 Christmas Parade as the grand marshal,” the group said in a news release.
The annual parade will feature floats, marching bands and a visit from Santa Claus. There will be awards for the Best High School Entry, Best Marching Unit, Best Church Entry, Best Business Entry, and the Best Overall Entry. Each winner will receive a trophy and a cash prize.
The 2017 Christmas parade will be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 1. The parade route begins at the intersection of Alsobrook and Collins Street and will travel north on Collins to Reynolds Street. Then, the floats will head east on Reynolds and end at the court house.
Eat, drink and give thanks
The Plant City Photo Archives and History Center celebrated Thanksgiving with a special Tuesdays at the Archives presentation. The archive opened its doors on Tuesday from 5:15 to 7 p.m.
Gil Gott, executive director for the Plant City Photo Archives and History Center, said the archives will continue to hold special events to help bring the community together. To honor Thanksgiving, the group decided to provide a continuous showing of “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” because it is a family favorite that allows people to either watch or chat with other attendees.
The Archives also provided Thanksgiving themed refreshments along with wine, cheese and hors d’oeurves.
All Tuesdays at the Archives events are free and open to the public. The next meeting is Dec. 19 and will feature a Holiday Wine and Craft Beer tasting from 5:15 to 7 p.m. Gott said future monthly events could include concert, art, lectures, speeches and even a “So You Think You Know Plant City” trivia night.
Gott said the aim is for people to pop in and out as they please as he knows many will be headed home from work and want to avoid the traffic.
As community involvement grows, the Archives will decide how best to offer unique and all-encompassing programs to its monthly series.
The Photo Archives and History Center is located at 106 S. Evers St.
Chamber launches new series in 2018
The Plant City Chamber of Commerce has announced it will launch a new “Lunch and Learn” series in 2018 for its members. The series will be held on the last Wednesday of each month in the member meeting room at the chamber, 106 N. Evers St.
The luncheons will allow members to network and share their areas of expertise on issues like tax law, marketing strategies, networking tips and more.
Each lunch will offer a featured speaker and those interested in participating should contact the chamber at 813-754-3707 with their proposed topic. Nominations will be accepted until Dec. 5.
Correction
An earlier version of the “Dist. 58 candidates gather in Plant City” story incorrectly listed Plant City Area Democrats as one of the event’s hosts. It was not.