Plant City came to a screeching halt at the beginning of March as the entire community flocked to the annual Florida Strawberry Festival. It garners more attention than any other holiday and draws thousands to town for the event.
Whether you were camped out along Reynolds Street for the annual Festival Parade or settling in the grandstands to see some of the mega entertainers that grace the Wish Farms Soundstage there was something to tickle everyone’s fancy during the event.
STYX, Terri Clark, Pam Tillis, Suzy Bogguss and Willie Nelson were just some of the many big names to come to town and several concerts were sold out long before the band ever pulled into town.
The Festival also introduced a new Battle of the Bands event to give local musicians the chance to win some awesome prizes and perform before thousands of people. In a lucky turn of events, Plant City resident Teo Kulyk won the 2019 Unity in the Community/Stingray Chevrolet raffle and was offered a brand new Corvette. He decided to go with something with a smaller price tag and walked away with an icy white 2019 Stingray, a speed demon in its own right.
Outside of the berry-sweet festival the community ended March with a bang. Plant City High School’s JROTC team took home two district championships and headed to state. Relay for Life had one of its best year’s to date. A new community event called Youth Explosion was created to honor the memory of Marie B. Ellis. The Plant City Arts Council treated its members to a fun evening at the Plant City Photo Archives & History Center with a soiree featuring pianist Dr. Teo Kulyk.