Plant City is in for a weekend unlike any other as pirates have set sail with their sights on downtown.
Plant City Main Street’s Last Friday in Downtown is embracing the traditional theme of the season with its Pirates Invade Downtown event. Typically Gasparilla would have been held in Tampa this weekend, but that was postponed until April with the pandemic ongoing. When Main Street initially planned the event, the dates lined up perfectly with the legendary Tampa event.
Those who head to downtown Plant City are in for a swashbuckling surprise as a variety of businesses have partnered with Plant City Main Street to throw a pirate-themed extravaganza. All are invited to don their best pirate costumes and come take part in the event. Businesses will hand out beads, candy, coins and special pirate treasures all night long. Pipe Pros Inc. has sponsored beads for the event.
“This is a family-friendly event and is going to kind of just set the stage for what Main Street is doing in 2021,” Jerilyn Rumbarger, executive director of Plant City Main Street, said. “Each month, our Last Friday in Downtown event will have a different theme and it will revolve around the merchants’ involvement. Businesses opt in to participate in the event — similar to our Harry Potter and our Halloween events last year — and then the community can go through downtown enjoying the special activities, merchandise, giveaways or whatever else is happening that month.”
A few crews from Tampa have already expressed an interest in the event and the Facebook event’s online presence indicates it will more than likely be another big draw for downtown.
There’s an added bonus for those who are planning to hit the streets Friday evening: an app called Distrx has a map of downtown readily available to download that highlights each participating business. You can either download Distrx from your phone’s app store or look for QR codes that will be in the windows of participating businesses — you can scan them to easily download the map to your phone.
Food trucks including the Mr. C’s Grilled Cheese, Sawadee Thai Food and the Cheesesteak Truck and unique vendors will be on site as well. Those who intend to go must follow the COVID-19 safety precautions in place. The attendance is expected to be high, so use caution around others, wear a mask and social distance as much as possible if you plan to go. If you feel sick or have been around anyone experiencing symptoms, stay home.
“We’ve shifted a lot of the focus from food trucks to downtown and Main Street’s goal going forward is for it to be about downtown,” Rumbarger said. “Downtowns are what attracts visitors to a community. Theses events are a combination of things that help highlight our downtown merchants. The food trucks draw people in, the theme helps make each month’s event one to remember and our merchants go above and beyond in coming up with creative ways to celebrate and show off their skills.”
If you go
Pirates Invade Downtown
When: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Jan. 29
Where: Historic Downtown, 100 N. Collins St., Plant City
Cost: Free to attend
App: Distrx
Participating Businesses:
◾ Replay: Upscale Resale,113 W Reynolds Street
◾ Aromatic Harmony, 110 E Reynolds Street, Suite 300
◾ Blue Thumb Computer Repair, 116 W Reynolds Street
◾ Honey Pot Wax Studio LLC, 104 W Reynolds Street, Suite 6
◾ Clever Massage, 104 W Reynolds Street, Suite 10
◾ Brick City Bricks, 107 E Reynolds Street
◾ Carlson Gracie Plant City / Cross Guard Fitness, 109 E Reynolds Street
◾ I Hate My Trainer, 117 E Reynolds Street
◾ the corner store, 121 E Reynolds Street
◾ Tennessee Jane Boutique, 120 N Collins Street
◾ Norma’s Plant City Cuban Sandwich Shop, 120 N Collins Street
◾ Device Clinic, 205 N Collins Street
◾ Kiki’s Lash Lounge, 301 S Collins Street, Suite 101
◾ Two Blondes Boutique, 301 S Collins Street, Suite 101
◾ The Mercantile, 208 S Collins Street
◾ The Industry – Plant City, 119 S Collins Street
◾ SpiritArt Gallery, 105 S Collins Street
◾ Dark Horse Music Store, 105 S Collins Street
◾ TubTreats Bath & Body, 106 NE Drane Street, Suite 1
◾ The Kandy Shoppe “Home of the Hand Dipped Chocolates,” 106 NE Drane Street
◾ Generation Fun, 102 S Evers Street
◾ Krazy Kup, 101 E J Arden Mays Boulevard
◾ V.E.V Fitness & Nutrition, 113 W Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard