Plant Citians and visitors alike will gather along the streets of downtown early Monday morning to begin a full day’s worth of celebrations.
The Grand Parade is one of the most anticipated days of the year and this time around, the annual event will be led by Grand Marshal Sharon Moody.
You’d be hard pressed to find a better representative of Plant City than Moody. For more than four decades, she has volunteered with a variety of organizations throughout the community. In 2016 she was honored for her dedicated service by being named Citizen of the Year.
She has led with Kiwanis Club, is the president and founder of Plant City’s Black Heritage Celebration and is a founder and former president of the Plant City Junior Elite Women’s Club. She’s served on the boards for the Christmas Parade, Unity in the Community and Code Enforcement, and she also served as the director for the Plant City Boys & Girls Club from 2004 to 2009.
She worked as a teacher’s aide for Hillsborough County schools from 1979 to 1981 and was also involved with the Plant City Colts youth football and cheer teams as a cheerleading coordinator. She is the organizer of the Lots of Hugs Summer Reading Program, which aims to help combat the “summer slide” where students fall behind their peers academically. Santa Sled Fest, also hosted via Plant City Black Heritage, has allowed thousands of families to have memorable Christmases over the years and Moody is at the helm as the event coordinator.
Listing her accomplishments would require a near-endless amount of print. Some of those highlights include receiving the Kiwanis International President Challenge Award, the Distinguished Lt. Governor Award and the Distinguished President’s Award with the Kiwanis Club. She also received the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce’s Good Egg award in Nov. 2015.
Despite her many accomplishments, Moody said she was genuinely shocked when she received the call announcing that she had been selected to lead the 2021 parade. Commissioner Mike Sparkman, Florida Strawberry Festival President Paul Davis and Berry Fine Productions Director Gail Lyons get together every year with nominations for the grand marshal. They discuss each suggestion and come to an agreement. Lyons said this year’s choice was a no-brainer.
“When Paul Davis and Commissioner Mike Sparkman called, I was shocked and just so honored to serve as the grand marshal,” Moody said. “It’s a great honor and I just, well, I don’t really know what else to say. I was just so shocked.”
This is more than just another honorific to add to her collection. Moody has attended the parade for as long as she can remember and said whether she’s watching with her friends or volunteering with the parade, she has countless fond memories of the event.
When she was younger, she said, she was always most excited to see the bands that marched along the route. The talent of the young musicians always stuck with her as the days progressed.
Afterwards Moody will head to the festival, where she volunteers at the Stingray Chevrolet Unity Car Raffle for all 11 days. Steve and Susan Hurley from Stingray Chevrolet donate the vehicle each year to Unity, which in turn uses every dime to give back to the community by pouring into more than 40 organizations around town. You can buy tickets for the vehicle in person at the festival up until the drawing or at Stingray Chevrolet, 2002 N. Frontage Road, until 6 p.m. March 12. You can also buy tickets online at StingrayChevroletRaffle.com until 3 p.m. March 12.
“This is going to be a great parade this year and I think we really have a wonderful grand marshal,” Lyons said. “She’s an outstanding individual. She does a lot for the community and she’s such a huge volunteer. That’s what we look for — someone who gives back to the community.”
If you want to zip around town Monday, you may want to prepare for the massive line of floats that will throw a wrench in your commute. The parade floats and attendees congregate on Prosser Street, Evers Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, then head north on Evers Street toward Reynolds Street. From Reynolds, the route turns west before hopping over toward the festival grounds, where it disperses on Sammonds Street.
The parade will be March 8 and will leave the starting area at 1 p.m., but streets will begin to close at 10:30 a.m. in preparation of the event. If you want to get a good spot on the route, you’d better prepare to get there early.
In fact, many set up their chairs the night before. At dawn you’ll see a string of cars headed toward downtown dropping off camping chairs at their preferred viewing locations. By 11 a.m., most of the spots are filled and many of the watch parties are well underway.
This will also be a year full of change. The Strawberry Youth Parade, which has been a longstanding tradition at the Florida Strawberry Festival, has officially dissolved. The Grand Parade will thus be the only parade during this year’s festivities.
Lyons said they wanted to come up with a unique way to represent all of the high schools in the area at the Grand Parade this year. She decided to have an award titled, “All-American High School Senior.” Principals and guidance counselors nominated students for the title. One student from each school was selected and given a $250 scholarship from Berry Fine Productions. They will represent their schools in the parade.
The Grand Parade has been a staple in the community since 1930. This year, despite the ongoing pandemic, the number of units has not been adjusted. However, Lyons said with it not being a major election year there aren’t a string of politicians hoping to secure votes in the parade lineup, which reduces its size.
The marching bands Moody has long adored will be there as well, with the exception of teams from Polk County. Lyons said there is also the addition of some middle school bands as well this year, as they would usually participate in the Youth Parade. The Grand Parade will also feature a drill team from the University of Florida.
The major difference this year is that Berry Fine Productions will live-stream the parade. A stage will be set up along the route and City Manager Bill McDaniel and Mayor Rick Lott will don their emcee hats once more to narrate the event, just like they did for the first time in December for the Plant City Christmas Parade.
If you want to watch the parade from the comfort of your own home, you can do so by heading to Facebook and going to the Florida Strawberry Festival’s page, where it will live-stream the event. The stream will also be shared to the Berry Fine Productions, the City of Plant City, Bill McDaniel City Manager, Nate Kilton Plant City Commisisoner, Plant City Main Street, Plant City Right Now or the Visit Plant City Facebook pages.
There will be a short pre-show before the parade begins, so Lyons said to begin to look for the link around 12:30 p.m. It should be live no later than 12:45 p.m.
“I hope that everybody comes out and enjoys themselves and is safe,” Moody said. “Enjoy yourself, have fun, watch the parade, make sure you’re social distanced and go to the festival. Enjoy this with your kids. It’s a great thing in this community and the festival really is something we all love.”
If you go
What: Grand Parade
Where: Downtown Plant City. The parade gathers on Prosser Street, Evers Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and then heads north on Evers Street toward Reynolds Street. From Reynolds, the route turns west before hopping over toward the festival grounds, where it disperses on Sammonds Street.
When: Streets begin closing at 10:30 a.m. and the parade begins promptly at 1 p.m.
Cost: Free to attend
Live Stream: Head to the Florida Strawberry Festival’s Facebook page