PERFORMANCE TIME: 10 a.m. Saturday, April 26 One of Plant City’s most popular local acts will return to the Tampa Bay Blueberry Festival this year — with a new face. In May 2013, Faces South brought in frontwoman Geri Blount to complete the lineup. Blount, a Plant City native, was recommended by drummer Andy Fritsch, […]
Continue ReadingBAND PROFILE: Mark Barrios
PERFORMANCE TIME: 7 p.m. Friday, April 25 Although this year’s Tampa Bay Blueberry Festival is going to be chock full of Southern rock ‘n’ roll, Mark Barrios will be offering something a little different. Barrios, a Tampa native, is bringing his brand of smooth jazz back to the festival for the first time in a […]
Continue Reading2014 festival offers new tastes
Sure, the little blue beauties in Keel and Curley Winery’s fields are the main attraction at the Tampa Bay Blueberry Festival. But guests of this year’s festival also should take the time to sample Keel and Curley’s newest offerings. For the first time in festival history, Keel and Curley Winery’ will serve its own beer. […]
Continue ReadingDown on the Farm
You don’t have to visit Plant City for more than five minutes to realize that the strawberry is king of area crops. But, it’s not the only sweet berry that grows here, and its round, blue rival certainly provides a tougher challenge. Just ask a blueberry grower. In short, it’s kind of a crapshoot: Blueberry […]
Continue Reading‘Sweetheart Granny’ to retire from downtown antique shop
As April 30 draws closer, Sweetheart Granny Antiques gets a little emptier inside. That’s because the end of the month also means the end of the business and, with it, Stephanie Leighton’s 15-year career as an antique seller. “I’m not closing because of any reason, but it’s just that time in my life,” Leighton said. […]
Continue ReadingBAND PROFILE: Skip Frye Group
PERFORMANCE TIME: 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 26 One of the two Tampa Bay Blueberry Festival newcomers in 2014 is Blues Hall of Fame guitarist Skip Frye and his band. “This is our first one,” Frye says. “We love the venue — who wouldn’t? Great place to play. The people like us; we like them.” It’s just […]
Continue ReadingBudding career steers local racer Aidan Keel overseas
One of the great things about sports is the ability for young athletes to use it as a ticket to another city, state or even a continent. Aidan Keel found out for himself earlier this month. Keel, 12, was invited to compete in Race 1 of the 2014 Rotax Max Euro Challenge — part of […]
Continue ReadingSIDELINES
BASKETBALL + Tigers win in second tourney Once again, the Plant City Tigers’ 10th-graders are champs. They played in a tournament last weekend in Auburndale, and nearly swept the competition. They started April 12, with a loss, 84-64, to the Auburndale Hoops 11th-graders, but that was the only mishap. They then snuck past the Plant City […]
Continue ReadingWHAT’S ON KLINE’S MIND? Baseball pranks
Part of the reason I love baseball is that no other sport gives you as much freedom for goofing around with teammates. Pranks and baseball go together like peanut butter and jelly, which is why you’ll often catch some if you pay attention. On Sunday morning, I went to Deadspin.com and immediately saw the headline, […]
Continue ReadingATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Jordan Jolly
Durant High School’s boys lacrosse team didn’t exactly go out the way it wanted to, following up a 13-7 win over Robinson April 9, with a 13-10 loss to Alonso two days later. But, there were a few bright spots in that stretch, one of them being Jordan Jolly’s performance. The junior midfielder contributed seven […]
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