Plant City Jazzes It Up at 20th Annual Black Heritage Jazz Fest
by James Coulter
Last weekend, Downtown Plant City celebrated Black History Month in style with the 20th annual Black Heritage Jazz Festival.
On Saturday afternoon, several live musical performances were hosted at the Robert W. Willaford Railroad Museum. Performing artists include the Mixx Group from Lakeland and saxophone player Joe Lewis. Attendees could also enjoy refreshments provided by food trucks and vendors and peruse merchandise sold by local merchant vendors.
The Jazz Fest was part of a weekend-long celebration. The festivities kicked off Friday evening at the Black Heritage Gala hosted at Hillsborough Community College. The ceremony was hosted by Captain Alfred Van Duyne of the Plant City Police Department, who served as the master of ceremony, and included keynote speaker Maurice “Mo” Bilington from 102.5 The Bone.
Saturday’s festivities started with a Youth Summit at Sadye Gibbs Martin Community College, and the weekend concluded with a gospel concert hosted at Mt. Olive Baptist Church on Sunday.
Sharon Moody, the founder of Plant City Black Heritage, started the annual celebration 20 years ago to help the community celebrate their black history and heritage as part of Black History Month.
“It has been very successful because it has been growing each year,” she said. “Each year, it gets bigger and better…So we have different generations in the community who paved the way for us…The celebration, the fellowship with different ones to come together and build each other better.”
Lakeland residents, would you like a place where you can buy fresh bread and fresh-sliced deli meats? Where you can pick up a ready-made breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee to go? And where you can buy some craft beer and wine for later that evening?
Sure, you could pick up all of those items at a convenience store, gas station, or fast food place. But how many of those places support large multinational corporations over local businesses and workers?
If you want a local shop that supports local businesses by selling locally-sourced food and drinks, then look no further than the new Bodega Market in Downtown Lakeland.
Located next door to Divicious Deli and Coffee Shop on Main Street, and owned and operated by the same owners, Bodega Market provides a convenient location for those who live and work in Downtown Lakeland to pick up and buy coffee, drinks, snacks, pre-made sandwiches, and other items.
The new store has been described as a “throwback” to the old corner stores that used to be common in most cities and towns. It is a place where locals can conveniently walk to and pick up the items they need, which they would have otherwise driven several miles to obtain at a typical convenience store.
Moreover, the bodega market will also sell fresh-sliced Boars Head cold-cut meats, fresh-baked bread from local bakeries, and locally-sourced and produced coffee, beer, and wine. So not only will customers be able to pick up something at their convenience, but their purchase will help support local businesses.
“People can expect to have great service and also find things they normally would have to drive to a big store,” said store co-owner, Yohansi Santana. “So they now have this convenience downtown.”
Santana was born and raised in New York. She now lives in Winter Haven. Having lived in a city where such bodega markets were common, she wanted to start something similar for her community. She and her husband have owned Divicious Deli for nearly eight years, and they wanted to utilize the space next door that was previously Silver Ring Café.
“The bodega is a little dream of my husband and I,” she said. “We saw a necessity that people were looking for…and that is how the idea started coming along.”
Santana is collaborating with small local businesses like Honeycomb Bakery and Heirloom Gem to stock their merchandise, thus allowing her business to support other local businesses in her area. She has high expectations to provide a store for locals, by locals.
“We want to grow with the community,” she said. “Our expectations are to meet the needs of the neighborhood and to anyone stopping by.”
Bodega Market is located at 106 N. Tennessee Avenue in Lakeland. For more information, call 863-937-6310, or visit their website at: bodegamarketlkld.com
At approximately 3:12 a.m. Saturday, February 18, 2023, Bartow Police responded to a single vehicle crash off the roadway of Highway 60 in Bartow near Main Street. They discovered 29-year-old James Peach of Polk County had been driving eastbound on Hwy 60 when he lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree on the shoulder of the road. He was driving his personal Chevrolet Silverado which sustained damage. Bartow officers determined that Peach appeared intoxicated, and he was placed under arrest for suspicion of DUI. Peach was uninjured.
Peach was taken to the PCSO Processing Center, where his blood alcohol concentration was determined to be .153 (over the legal limit of .08). Peach was hired in April of 2019 as a detention deputy and became a deputy sheriff in September of 2022. PCSO supervision accepted Peach’s resignation during the booking process. Peach would have been fired had he not resigned. He posted a $500 bond and was released.
“In orientation I tell everyone you are held to a higher standard than the rest of the community and if you drink and drive you will be arrested and lose your job–that’s exactly what happened.” –Grady Judd, Sheriff
When I started this column three years ago, I intended to share my experiences at Walt Disney World. However, my focus inevitably shifted from solely the Disney Parks and more toward the Disney company as a whole by incorporating reviews about Disney movies.
My decision to review Disney films was twofold. First—and admittedly, selfishly enough—was money. After all, what’s an easier way to make some extra cash than to watch a movie and write about what you liked and did not like about it? If you’re putting down money for a movie ticket (especially with inflation these days), you might as well make some money back.
Secondly, and most importantly, I feel it’s impossible to properly discuss Disney World without talking about Disney movies. After all, most of the rides and attractions are based on movies. Not only would incorporating film reviews help provide greater context to my discussions about the parks, but it would also help prompt discussion about movie franchises with the greatest potential for rides and attractions.
For example, it’s no secret Encanto has become hugely popular, becoming one of the most streamed movies on Disney Plus last year, and with its song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” becoming one of the most played. So, it’s no surprise Disney is currently considering creating an entire themed land and attraction based on the animated flick.
Then there’s Avatar: Way of Water, which, like the original Avatar film, surpassed more than a billion dollars at the box office. How much of the movie’s success can be linked to Disney’s Animal Kingdom dedicating 12 acres of its property to Avatar, thus helping the film franchise remain relevant even more than a decade after the original movie was released?
So, as you can see, it’s essential that I discuss both Disney movies and Disney parks. Disney parks are based on the movies, and more and more, Disney movies are being marketed with the potential of being turned into rides and attractions at the parks. The parks sell the movies, and the movies sell the parks. You cannot discuss one without the other.
However, recently, I’ve decided to expand my scope by reviewing movies other than those made by Disney. So why talk about more than Disney movies in a column dedicated to all things Disney? Two reasons. First—and, again, selfishly enough—money. The more films I can review, the more money I can make.
However, most importantly, I feel you can’t discuss Disney properly or fairly without also discussing its competition. As C.S. Lewis once said, you can only call a line crooked when you compare it to a straight line. And you cannot determine how good or bad a Disney movie is without comparing it to a movie not made by Disney. After all, Disney is only as great or as bad when compared to other movies.
For example, last year was not a very good one for Disney animation. The “best” Disney animated film, arguably, was Turning Red, which was only released direct-to-streaming on Disney Plus. As for the other two films with theatrical releases, they did not fare well, either
financially or critically. Lightyear only made $226.4 million at the box office, while Strange World flopped hard earning a meager $73.4 million.
Conversely, do you know what was the highest-grossing animated movie last year? Minions: Rise of Gru, which earned $939.4 million. That’s right! The freaking annoying Minions made more money than any Disney animated film. The other highest-grossing animated films were Puss In Boots: The Last Wish at $555 million and The Bad Guys at $250.5 million. Both of them are not Disney movies.
Why is it that Disney, the great-grandfather of animation, the company so synonymous with animated movies that most animated films are often called “Disney movies”, has slipped in the box office while DreamWorks and Illumination, both owned by Universal, have risen to the top? One cannot offer a proper analysis if one merely consumes Disney movies, which is why reviewing movies other than those made by Disney proves essential.
Also, personally, reviewing the same movies by the same company can prove tiresome. After all, while eating your favorite food can be great once or twice, if you eat nothing but your favorite food every day for every meal, sooner or later, it’s going to cease being your favorite. You’re going to grow accustomed to it, and you’re going to get tired of it. You need diversity in your diet to truly appreciate the spice life has to offer.
I felt that way with Disney last year. Most of the movies it released felt bland and flavorless. Meanwhile, the movies I enjoyed reviewing the most—RRR, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish—were movies not released by the House of Mouse.
All I’m saying is that I need to consume more in my media diet. Expanding my reviews to more than Disney movies will probably be good for both you and me. (Plus, there’s a lot of good non-Disney movies that I want to watch and review. After all, it says something that the animated flick I’m most looking forward to this year is the Super Mario Movie. Then again, who doesn’t want to see the Mario movie?)
What do you think? What non-Disney movies are you anticipating this year? Let us know in the comments on Facebook.
Tyler doesn’t have an easy life living in a family of success stories. His mother is a doctor. His father is a lawyer. His older brother went to college on an athletic scholarship. And his younger brother always makes the honor roll. Yet the only success Tyler ever had was with video games.
With the start of a new school year, Tyler hopes to turn his luck around. He aspires to make the team and make the grade. He even made friends with the new girl in town, Amber. Will she be able to help him achieve the same success as the rest of his family? He’ll need to overcome temptations from some real losers at school to do so.
*****
Recap: Tyler doesn’t have an easy life living in a family of success stories. He rarely makes the grade or makes the team. The only thing he seems to have any luck with is his video games. He can score big in the virtual world, but he can hardly score big in the real world. As he starts the new school year, Tyler determines to start himself on a journey to make something of himself and accomplish something great. Will he succeed?
Chapter 2: Refusal of the Call
The bus door slammed shut behind Tyler. He paced through the aisle to find an empty seat. The bus lurched forward as he sat by the window of an empty row. He pulled his game from his pocket and was about to turn it on when—
“Well, if it isn’t my main man, Tyler!” a voice exclaimed.
Another boy plopped down in the empty seat next to him. His baggy clothes hung loosely from his lanky frame, and his backward baseball cap covered a short buzzcut.
“Sup, playa?” The new boy asked, flashing peace signs with both hands.
Tyler sighed, pocketing his game, and smiled reluctantly at his uninvited bus mate.
“Hey there, Trevor,” he greeted the boy.
“C’mon, playa! You know I go by T-Man.” The boy patted his chest with both hands and gestured widely. “T-Man’s in the house. And so’s the rest of the posse. Ain’t that right, girls?”
He gestured to two girls sitting behind him. One girl was a dirty blonde with her nose in a
teen magazine. She glanced up briefly to flash her pearly whites.
“Like, hey there, Tyler!” She told him before resuming her reading.
The other girl was dressed all in black: black hair, black dress, black mascara, black lipstick, and black nail polish. The only color she sported was her pale white complexion. Her eyes remained shut and her ears were covered with headphones. She quickly threw back her earpieces, waved, and, maintaining her deadpan expression, uttered a monotone, “Hey.”
“Katie. Hannah.” Tyler greeted each girl respectively. “How’s it going?”
“Like, it kinda sucks that we have to go back to school so soon.” Katie glanced out the window. “But, like, at least the weather’s nice.”
“Nice is a subjective concept,” Hannah remarked, maintaining her monotone inflection. “Personally, I’d prefer pouring rain with black clouds. At least then the weather would match my mood.”
“Okay, then.” Tyler turned to T-Man. “So, what do you guys have planned?”
T-Man raised an eyebrow. “Planned?”
“You know?” Tyler replied. “For the school year.”
T-Man blew a raspberry. “Boy, who plans what they’re going to do at school?”
“Yeah, like, totally.” Katie set down her magazine. “What’s to plan? You arrive to class before the bell rings, sit at your desk, pretend to listen to what the teacher is saying, and go over the state-mandated curriculum until the school day ends. And you do that every day until the end of the school year. It’s, like, such a drag or whatever.”
“The public school system was designed by 19th-century industrialists to impart people with enough information to make them competent workers and soldiers but not enough to allow them to actually think for themselves,” Hannah commented. “I couldn’t care less about planning
for what the system has planned for me, because it’s the same cookie-cutter curriculum enforced upon the proletariat to make them conform to the bourgeoisie status quo.”
Tyler paused to absorb the content of Hannah’s diatribe before continuing their conversation.
“I meant like extracurriculars,” he replied. “You guys joining any clubs or functions?”
“Well,” T-Man said, pulling two drumsticks from his backpack, “I considered joining band, but my beats are way too sick for them to handle.” He banged away on the back seat with the same ferocity and commitment as if he were playing an actual drum set.
“Yeah—” Tyler rubbed the back of his neck “—I don’t think the band director would let you join again, not after you tried to improv a drum solo—during a home game!”
T-Man drummed the last beats of his imaginary drum solo before whirling his sticks in his fingers triumphantly. “Yeah! Like I said: too sick to handle.”
“Well,” Katie interjected, proudly pressing her fingers to her chest, “I think I might audition for the school play. I want to move to Hollywood one day, and, like, I need to get a head start on my acting career.” She folded both hands under her chin and beamed the brightest smile. “My face was made to appear on screens big and small.”
“I’m just going to use my free time to stare into the black abyss of my soul,” Hannah remarked. “Perhaps if I gaze into it long enough, it might gaze back at me.”
“Have you considered joining the poetry club?” Tyler asked. “I’m sure you could share your dark and depressing poems there.”
“The world isn’t prepared to hear the words I have penned to paper,” Hannah replied. “They’re too content in their own complacent ignorance that anything that would jolt them away from it would cause them to go insane from the sheer revelation.”
A deathly silence hung over the others like a pall. The sudden screeching of brakes and lurch forward jolted them from their thoughts.
Tyler looked out the window. “Hey, I don’t think we’ve ever stopped here before.” He watched as a dark-skinned girl wearing a bucket hat with a sunflower raced across the front lawn. “Looks like a new girl.”
“So, what are your plans for the school year?” T-Man asked with air quotes.
“You know, the usual,” Tyler replied. “Study hard. Prepare for the SATs. Try out for every single sport.”
“And fail?” Hannah asked.
“Ouch!” Tyler winced and sucked in a breath. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, there.”
“School athletic programs are nothing more than a shortcut for macho jarhead dunces to be accepted into university without academic credentials,” Hannah replied.
“Now that’s not fair,” Tyler retorted. “My brother was accepted into a big-name school and he’s way smarter than me.”
“Well, then—” Katie shook her head “—it’s a shame you didn’t receive the same brains and brawn as him.”
Feeling slightly more frustrated than before, he was about to rebut her when—
“Ah! My shoe!” a high-pitched voice shrieked. “Y’all done ruined them!”
All eyes glanced at the scene unfolding in the middle of the bus. The new girl lay flat on the floor as an angry blonde girl glared at her from her seat.
“Ooh, boy!” T-Man said through his teeth. “Looks like the new girl ticked off Rebecca.”
“Yeah,” Katie sighed and shook her head. “You never want to get on Becky’s bad side. I say that as someone who’s been her friend and her enemy.”
“At least we’ll get a decent funeral out of it,” Hannah commented. “I love funerals.”
The four watched silently as the two girls yelled back and forth at one another.
“Is there a problem back there?” the bus driver yelled.
Both girls froze.
“No, ma’am,” the new girl stuttered.
“Good,” the driver replied. “Now sit down.”
Tyler glanced at the empty row of seats across the aisle, then at T-Man.
“Yo,” he said, pointing to them. “You still sitting there?”
T-Man shook his head. “Nah, bro!”
Tyler stood as soon as the bus lurched forward. He leaped into the empty seat, positioning himself against the window. As the new girl passed by, he waved at her.
“This seat’s not taken,” he told her.
She stopped. He gestured for her to sit next to him. She accepted his offer.
“You new?” he asked. “I haven’t seen you before.”
“We moved two weeks ago,” the new girl replied.
“Name’s Tyler.”
“I’m Amber.”
###
“Tyler’s Journey” is a side-story to the fantasy novel, “The Light Prince Grail.” The story follows Tyler’s life before he and Amber ventured into the fantastical world of Arden. It details his many personal struggles and how they influenced his decisions in the novel. His story will help readers learn more about themselves as they do about him.
“The Light Prince: Grail” and “Tyler’s Journey” are available in paperback and e-book on Amazon. For more information, visit the author’s website at: jcalexandre.com
Mabel McClintock (affectionately known as “Mattie”), 77, passed away on Jan. 25, 2023 at 10:27 p.m. at AdventHealth Heart of Florida. She was surrounded by family members when she passed after being admitted to the hospital a short 9 days prior.
Mabel was born on Aug. 8, 1945 in Brooklyn, NY to her mother Ruth Arnhold and her father Herbert Shea. She graduated from West Babylon High School in West Babylon, NY. She previously lived in New York and Virginia before moving to Winter Haven in 2005. She worked as a teacher at Ridge Community High School until her retirement in 2015. During her later years, she loved camping RV with her husband in their RV and visiting Walt Disney World with her family.
Mabel is survived by her husband, Richard McClintock of Winter Haven; her daughter, Laura Williams of Brodnax, VA; her son, James Coulter of Winter Haven; three grandchildren; Courtney Overholtz and husband Justin, Thomas Morris, and William Ledger and husband Josiah, all from Brodnax, VA; and great grandson, Atlas Overholtz—her pride and joy. Mabel is preceded in death by her mother Ruth Arnhold, her father Herbert Shea, and her brother James Tully.
Detectives from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a crash that occurred in Waverly that resulted in critically injuring a 28-year-old Winter Haven man.
At around 8:20 pm on Wednesday, February 15, 2022, PCSO deputies and Polk County Fire Rescue responded to a two-vehicle crash on U.S. 27 near the Peace Creek RV Park.
The preliminary investigation determined that the Winter Haven man was driving a Yamaha motorcycle east on Cypress Gardens Boulevard passing other vehicles at a high rate of speed. He then turned north onto U.S. 27 and continued to drive at fast speeds. As he approached the Peace Creek RV Park, the motorcyclist struck the rear of another vehicle. The unknown vehicle was not at the crash location when deputies arrived. It is unknown at this time if that motorist was aware he was hit by the motorcycle.
Excessive speed appears to be a factor in the crash.
Detectives believe there may have been a 1997-2004 Dodge Dakota pick-up truck in the area when the crash occurred and would like to speak with the owner of the truck.
If anyone has any information regarding this crash investigation, please contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 863-298-6200. Tips can also be made anonymously to Heartland Crime Stoppers Florida at 1-800-226-TIPS (8477), and if the tips lead to an arrest, the tipster could be eligible for a reward
Haines City, Florida – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Polk County Fire Rescue is currently on scene of a accident involving a Polk County School Bus. We have reached out to the PCSO and they advise a vehicle rear-ended the school bus. According to the PCSO Public Information Officer “several students, the bus driver and the driver of the vehicle that rear ended the bus were transported for medical care with very minor injuries.
The accident occurred around 8:45am in the area of Hatchinaha Road and Detour Rd.
Sheriff Grady Judd will brief the media at 10:00 a.m. this morning (Thursday, February 16, 2023) at the PCSO Sheriff’s Operations Center, 1891 Jim Keene Blvd in Winter Haven, about a seven-day-long multi-agency undercover operation focused on human trafficking, during which 213 arrests were made of suspects who solicited prostitutes and those who offered to commit prostitution, and other suspects who profited from or aided & abetted prostitution.
He will be joined by detectives and representatives from state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as social services organizations who offered help for human trafficking victims. There were 24 potential victims rescued during this operation – and of those, six were in the country illegally from Cuba. Some of the victims told detectives they were forced into prostitution to pay the people who smuggled them into the United States
Dundee, Florida- A crash involving two vehicles on U.S. 27 in Dundee Wednesday, February 15, 2023 resulted in the death of one of the drivers.
Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, along with Polk County Fire Rescue, and Dundee Fire Rescue were dispatched at about 6:48 a.m., to the crash scene at the intersection of U.S. 27 and Fredrick Avenue.
Upon arrival of first responders, 23-year-old Leann Zayas of Kissimmee was found deceased. She was driving a gray 2022 Toyota Corolla.
The second driver, a 29-year-old Maria Diaz of Winter Haven, and he passenger were transported to a local hospital where they were treated for their injuries and then released. She was driving a gray 2022 Nissan Rouge.
Based on evidence and interviews at the scene, Traffic Homicide investigators determined that Ms. Diaz was driving north on U.S. 27, while Ms. Zayas was driving west on Fredrick Avenue. As Ms. Zayas attempted to turn south onto U.S. 27, she drove across the northbound lanes and into the path of the Nissan. The front of the Nissan struck the driver’s side door of the Corolla.
There is a stop sign on Fredrick Avenue, for drivers entering U.S. 27. Excessive speed does not appear to be a factor in the crash. A portion of the roadway was closed for approximately 4 hours during the investigation, which remains on-going.
