City cancels July 4 celebration
The City of Plant City announced Monday its annual Fourth of July celebration at Plant City Stadium has been canceled for 2020.
“In the interest of our community’s wellbeing, the annual July 4th Celebration has been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns,” the Parks and Recreation Department said in a Facebook post. “The Plant City Parks & Recreation Department and The Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce have determined that the event cannot be held under the current COVID-19 guidelines. Though we are disappointed to not host our normal celebrations, the wellbeing of all residents and visitors is of our foremost concern. Thank you to our many community partners who help make this special event possible each year! Stay safe and be #PlantCityStrong!”
American Legion Post 26 honors local students
Students from seven area schools were awarded by the American Legion Post 26 last week, as the Legion decided to carry on with its annual School Medal Award Program.
Ray Cliburn visited the following schools on June 2 and distributed awards for Outstanding Boy and Outstanding Girl:
Marshall Middle Magnet School — Michael Bell, Taylor Smith
Tomlin Middle School — Tregg Aguero, Jaida Davis
Mulrennan Middle School — Aaron Abraham, Laila Sinkfield
Simmons Career Center — Jose Andrade, Luisa Garcia
Durant High School — Vincenzo Interdonato, Miranda Bihler
Plant City High School — Carson Magann, Olivia Charron
Strawberry Crest High School — Eric Ingersoll, Amber Hatton
In addition, Post 26 awarded $1,000 scholarships to Durant’s Victoria Leto, Plant City’s Mary-Catherine Stephens and Strawberry Crest’s Hunter Croslin.
Bank of Central Florida gets new PC office
Lakeland-based Bank of Central Florida’s new Plant City office, located at 409 N. Alexander St., is now open for business.
The bank has had a presence in Plant City for more than a year now and, even with COVID-19 changing the way everyone operates, is ready to serve local clients. Drive-thru services are currently available and customers can connect with bankers through video conferencing.
Visit bankofcentralflorida.com for more information.
Weekend, evening COVID-19 testing available in Brandon
Hillsborough County has expanded COVID-19 testing availability further, announcing last week its Brandon testing site will now offer free weekend and evening testing for anyone with an appointment.
The site at 313 S. Lakewood Drive now operates from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, as well as from 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays.
Plant City’s testing site at 307 N. Michigan Ave. is still open and the county said two additional sites are currently being planned.
To make an appointment, call 813-272-5900 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. There is no charge to get tested and health insurance is not required. Visit HCFL.gov/staysafe for more information.
On-site worship back at Hope Lutheran
Hope Lutheran Church, 2001 N. Park Road, reopened its sanctuary for worship this week.
The current English-language worship schedule is for Sunday services at 8 and 10:30 a.m. and Wednesday services at 6:30 p.m. Spanish-language services take place at 4 p.m. Sundays. Seating will be limited to promote social distancing and attendees are asked to wear a mask while on the church campus.
“We are excited to join together in worship in our sanctuary once again following this extended period during the precautions of the coronavirus,” Rev. Dean Pfeffer said. “Through these times we have seen and experienced the strong hand of our Lord as He has brought us to this point where we can return to public worship once again. We thank God for the gift of our modern day technology that has allowed us to not only stay in touch with our members, but also allowed us to worship together from our homes each week. While we are excited to be together again, we remind everyone that if you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive or symptomatic of the virus, you should not attend. Also, if you are sick or have a fever, you should remain home and worship with us online.”
Call 813-752-4622 for more information.