Most who reached out to us enjoyed the trick. Some did not.
Halfway through reading this, I jumped up to yell for my mom to come read. Good thing she was in the shower! You got me. I was definitely concerned about our little town welcoming an amusement park. Well done!
— Kristina Carter
Very well written for a funny!
— JoAnn Sciame Ross
I clicked on this out of curiosity. OK, you got me. Now, give me back the two minutes of my life I used to do this.
— Donald L. Prouxl Jr.
We can’t even get a Target or Chick-fil-a — knew this was a joke.
— Teresa Hester
Letters
The National Enquirer
You, indeed, did fool me as a 22-year resident of Plant City. Having a 2,000-acre amusement complex with modern rides and subsequent housing would certainly jumpstart our little piece of paradise.
It was coincidental that the CEO of such a park was so named after yet another actual central Florida success character.
And a golden retriever sprinting ahead of a struggling Raiders air gasper, still believable. Even announcing the Strawberry Festival cancellation was somewhat a sigh of relief for many.
But come on now, growing coconuts in the area? I tried two times to do the same and learned that is an impossibility with our occasional freezes.
But to be honest, you’ve reinforced my opinion about media/journalists in general. Never believe what you read, as there is always some twist, opinion or
agenda being pushed to sway you to their viewpoint.
I’ll always remember CNN pushing the incompetence of FEMA under the Bush Administration by constantly showing how damage under Katrina’s destruction was not being dealt with. TV reporters would be put in front of a torn-apart structure that was a lesser priority to repair than a school or hospital months and months after the hurricane.
If, indeed, the camera had been panned either side you probably would have seen ongoing construction.
The standards of journalism has continued to degrade, but if you can wade through volumes of air/press time fillers, you can ascertain a portion of real facts — kind of like the Trump campaign. Through all of his smoke and rhetoric, which the press seems to really dislike as it reveals their own lack of in-depth research, some truth can be discerned.
Comes down to personal preference on picking who or what you want to believe.
While I do occasionally read through your nice weekly, it’s not much different than glancing at a National Enquirer while standing in line to buy groceries. You just thumb through the pages and shake your head with an undertone chuckle saying, ‘Really? Really? Really?’
It will be hard for me to ever take your weekly very serious, no matter if it’s April 1 or December 1.
But keep having fun, as it passes the day for many. I just hope others in the area are not duped with your tactics.
— Ron and Nita Schwartz
Amuse us too
You all better think more about this park thing. Why should Tampa and Orlando have all the fun and money that parks bring in? I love the Strawberry Festival, and this could be all year. I think it is a great idea, and I am sorry that it is not true. An April Fool’s prank.
— Jim Whiskin
Coasters make me sick
You had me for about the first three paragraphs (April Fools? But lots of detail!) I was feeling sick!
— Barbara Johnson
