Get ready for Dean’s Ride
The eighth annual Dean’s Ride event, sponsored by the Plant City Family YMCA, has a set date and anyone age 15 and up can now register to ride.
Dean’s Ride, a fundraiser for the LiveSTRONG at the YMCA program, will start at 7:30 a.m. March 14 at the parking lot of the Trinkle Center at Hillsborough Community College’s Plant City campus, 1206 N. Park Road. This year, riders have four paths to choose from at distances to 19, 39, 46 and 62 miles which will let them “enjoy the scenic Plant City countryside and smell the sweet scent of the strawberry fields,” per a news release.
Plant City resident Dean Snyder, who used cycling as a means to stay active during his own battle with cancer, created and participated in the inaugural event and the community has kept it alive and well in his honor. LiveSTRONG is a free 12-week wellness program for cancer survivors, those fighting the disease and families affected by it.
Register online at caamevents.com/event/deans-ride/. You can guarantee a t-shirt size if you register by Feb. 17 and only have to pay $45 if you register by March 1. Check-in and ride registration on-site begins at 6:30 a.m. March 14 and the staggered starts begin at 7:30 a.m. Contact Jerilyn Rumbarger at 813-401-1477 or visit the Plant City Family YMCA, 1507 YMCA Place, for more information.
The event is once again being held in conjunction with the Bike with the Mayor event, which will start at 7:45 a.m.
Corvette raffle now open
If you want to upgrade your daily driver in 2020, the annual Unity in the Community Corvette raffle is now up and running.
For just $5 per ticket, you get a chance to win a brand-new 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8. This berry-red beast packs a punch with 490 horsepower, an eight-speed dual clutch transmission, a 14-speaker Bose sound system, four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes and much more.
All proceeds from the fundraiser benefit Unity in the Community, one of Plant City’s most prolific charity groups. Stingray Chevrolet has provided vehicles for the raffle for the past 11 years and has helped raise roughly $1.5 million for Unity in that time.
Contestants are limited to 50 tickets each and you don’t have to be present at the Florida Strawberry Festival during the March 8 drawing to win. You also don’t have to take that Corvette, as several recent winners have instead opted for other Chevrolet cars or SUVs. Tickets are available at Stingray Chevrolet during business hours until 6 p.m. March 6, at the Florida Strawberry Festival during all 11 days of the event through 4:30 p.m. March 8 or online at stingraychevrolet.com/chevrolet-charity-raffle/ through 3 p.m. March 6. Visit the website for more information.
Black Veil filming
Dozens gathered at McCall Park last Thursday to be a part of upcoming horror anthology Black Veil, which had an open set that evening.
Plant Citians became extras and showed off their acting chops at a “Summer Harvest Fest” that used the north end of the park and was based at the gazebo area. Filming in Plant City concluded the following day.