After years of growing blueberries, owner Joe Keel wanted to do something with the leftover blueberries from his harvest. They still were quality berries, and he didn’t want them to go to waste. So, Keel cooked up an idea for the excess crop in 2003. But, he didn’t want to make jellies, jams or preserves. […]
Continue ReadingMigrant son earns spot at Harvard
Some people live their entire childhood in one house. Others may move one or twice. Durant High School senior Jose Perez has moved 57 times. The son of migrant workers, Perez and his family follows the harvest seasons around the eastern half of the United States. The schedule takes Perez and his siblings away from […]
Continue ReadingHistory of the Tampa Bay Blueberry Festival
What started as a way to get rid of the last remaining berries of the season has flourished into a beloved tradition. The Tampa Bay Blueberry Festival launched in 2008, and it just may be the area’s sweetest secret. The festival began as a U-pick event at Keel and Curley Winery. Blueberries are grown in […]
Continue ReadingExpanded Kids Zone offers games, laser tag for children
Beep. Beep. Beep. That’s the sound of a semitrailer backing up on the pristine lawns of Keel and Curley Winery. But it’s not loaded with any wine-making equipment, bottles or wine glasses. Instead, it is filled with arcade games. The truck is a traveling arcade that makes appearances at special events and birthday parties. Owned […]
Continue ReadingMeet Your 2013 Blueberry Pageant Contestants
MEET YOUR CONTESTANTS Click each link for biographies and photos of every contestant. Mini Blueberry Bud (3- and 4-year-olds) Tiny Miss (5- and 6-year-olds) Little Miss (7- to 9-year-olds) Pre-Teen (10- to 12-year-olds) Junior (13- to 15-year-olds) Teen 16- to 18-year-olds) Miss (19- to 23-year-olds) Since the first Blueberry Festival six years ago, event organizers […]
Continue ReadingBright Beginnings Daycare to close
It seemed like the end of a typical day, when Courtney Singletary picked up her 2-year-old son March 26, from Bright Beginnings Daycare at Plant City Church of God. But when she saw teachers crying, she knew something was wrong. Singletary was left with one puzzling clue, a letter sent home with her son. The […]
Continue ReadingUnique cuisine to roll into Plant City
It’s a million-dollar question — one Xiomara Meeks fields every year: What’s the last day Parkesdale Farm Market will be selling strawberry shortcakes? Although the exact date is unknown, Parkesdale usually stops serving them when its shipment of strawberries stops, around mid- to late-April. Meeks tries to let people know when the last day will […]
Continue ReadingPlant City High the perfect host for annual Relay for Life
For one night every year, about 2,000 people call the football field at Plant City High School home. Businesses, churches and other organizations erect more than 70 booths, and performances and other activities transform the field into a miniature city for Plant City’s Relay for Life. It’s a huge undertaking, but one that PCHS has […]
Continue ReadingBurglars strike new Plant City Motorsports
Robbery suspects could be in jail right now for stealing four dirt bikes, two goggles and two quarts of oil, thanks to Plant City Motorsports’ $1,500 night-vision security system. Unfortunately, the shop, which opened just last month, did not yet have the system installed. “Whoever broke in just took a 50-50 chance (of) knowing that […]
Continue ReadingSouth Florida Baptist Hospital completes 2-South renovations
South Florida Baptist Hospital has undergone many renovations within the past year, as part of a plan to revamp and modernize the hospital. Now, a newly-renovated medical/surgical unit has been added to the list of completed improvements. The unit, 2-South, which open April 1, will treat patients who will undergo major invasive surgeries and are […]
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