Plant City July 4th Celebration returns to Plant City Stadium
Coordinated by the Plant City Recreation & Parks Department and the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, the skies above Plant City will once again fill with fireworks this July 4th.
The celebration will take place on Monday, July 4 at Plant City Stadium, 1810 E. Park Rd. Parking lots will open at 5:30 p.m. and the gates will open at 6 p.m., with several activities available on the stadiums turf. Family-friendly activities offered will include inflatables, face painting, Corn Hole, tug-o-war and more, in addition to stadium concession stands and various venders inside the stadium and along the perimeter of the field. At 9:15 p.m., a spectacular 20-minute Zambelli fireworks display will begin.
Admission to the event is free with a parking cost of $5 per car. As it is a cash event, all are advised to bring cash for parking and vendors as no ATMs are available on-site.
Plant City’s July 4th Celebration is a family-oriented event, so please abide by Stadium and Parking Lot event policy. No alcohol is permitted on the property, per city ordinance, and bags and backpacks will be subject to search at the stadium entrance. No coolers nor any glass or open containers of any beverage are permitted into the stadium.
Should weather force the event to be postponed, the rain out date will be Tuesday, July 5 with gates opening at 8 p.m. and entertainment will be limited to the fireworks display only.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available! If interested or in need of more information, please email Special Events Coordinator Ivanna Ibarra at iyibarra@plantcitygov.com or contact the Parks and Recreation Department at 813-659-4255.
For more information on the event, please visit www.plantcitygov.com/parksrec
National Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week
Wednesday, May 11 began the week-long holiday – National Police Week, which honors the lives of the men and women in blue, both living and Deceased.
May 11 to May 17 observed officers with various functions, including the 34th Annual Candlelight Vigil at Washington D.C., on May 13. During the vigil, the names of the officers who lost their lives in the line of duty, and whose names are engraved on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, were read aloud. In 1962, National Police Week was established by a joint resolution of Congress.
That same year, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed National Peace Officers Memorial Day to be held annually on May 15 – during National Police Week.
The memorial day pays tribute to law enforcement officers on the local, county, state and federal levels, who lost their lives or who have been left with a disability.
Plant City commemorates the life of the fallen Plant City Police Officer Robert Yates who was killed in 1911. While on Patrol on Nov. 10, 1911, Yates spotted a suspicious man near the train depot. When he tried to question the man, he refused to cooperate, pulled out a gun, and fled the scene. As Yates pursued the man with assistance from a guard at a stockade, two local residents, and two bloodhounds. The suspect went into a swamp, where he shot and killed one of the bloodhounds.
Yates and the civilians entered the swamp and the suspect opened fire hitting both the officer and the stockade guard. The guard recovered from his wounds, but Yates was left paralyzed and died over a month Later. The suspect was apprehended the day of the incident and charged with murder. He was sentenced to one year in prison.Yates had served with the Plant City Police Department for several months, and was survived by his wife, son, and daughter.