MyTampaLife » Plant City

Strawberry Classic Car Show

Denis Baldwin — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:42:00 +0000

When Plant City puts on the Strawberry Classic, it puts on a show! At over 800 cars spreading throughout the downtown area, there is something for everyone to see. I spent 3 hours walking around, took over 600 pictures, and I still didn’t see probably half of the show. As the show progressed, all of downtown Plant City was filled bumper-to-bumper with classics, hot rods, muscle cars and more.

I ended up getting there at 4:30 on Saturday, just in time to realize there was no parking left. A drive about 3/4 of a mile away finally revealed a spot, so I parked and made my way back through the collection of cars, shooting photos as I walked.

Some of the cars I saw were obvious collector cars, fully restored to their former glory. Others were modified for racing, such as this bastard frankenstein of ford mustang and chevy engine.

Others were obvious works in progress, ranging from “missing some finish pieces” all the way to “really, really needs body work.” Whatever the condition, it seemed that all of the people out here had the same passion for automobiles that would drive them to spend their savings, bust their knuckles on rusty parts and otherwise obsess over a couple tons of steel on wheels.

The Bucketrods and Ratrods made a big appearance too.

Some of the customs went to extremes, including completely re-sculpting body lines to chop heights, stretch length or otherwise skew a vehicle to a new purpose. Here’s a good example of that in a race application VW Bug.

For those interested in racing, you’d definitely appreciate some of the crazy horsepower these machines build.

For the full photo set, check out this link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/denisbaldwin/sets/72157616994830883/

12th ANNIVERSARY STRAWBERRY CLASSIC CAR SHOW IN PLANT CITY

Denis Baldwin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:11:00 +0000

The Plant City Strawberry Classic Car Show will celebrate its 12th anniversary this Saturday, April 18 from 4 to 9 p.m. in downtown Plant City with their biggest Strawberry Classic Car Show of the year – all for free.

Cars and trucks from 1984 and older will be on display in and around McCall Park, 100 N. Collins St. Six Sponsor’s Choice plaques will be awarded.

The Tampa Bay Classic Chevy Club will be present with more than a dozen 1955-1972 Chevrolets. Lakeland Region Model A Club will have over ten 1928-1931 Model A Ford Vehicles at the 12th Anniversary Show.

Registration begins at 3 p.m. and is free. Dash plaques will be given to the first 200 registered vehicles.

In addition to the spectacular array of vehicles to browse, there will be vendors of food, auto accessories, crafts and more, with live entertainment by Down Home Sounds, featuring Bluegrass, Country, Traditional and Gospel music. A 50/50 drawing will be held, and local restaurants and shops will remain open for the event.

Admission is free as well as free parking on neighboring streets and area parking lots.

For information on the 12th Anniversary Strawberry Classic Car Show, contact the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce at 813-754-3707, toll-free at 800-760-2315 or log on to www.plantcity.org.

Plant City Bike Fest

Denis Baldwin — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:44:00 +0000

The thunder of the engines could be heard for miles as they rolled into Plant City’s main street around 5PM on Saturday. Plant City’s Bike Fest brought in hundreds of motorcycles of every variety under the common goal of showing off each owner’s love of riding.

There were a lot of classic and contemporary Harleys, as well as every other iron make and model you can imagine.

The chopper crowd came out in force. Some of the owners spent almost as much on their paint as they did the structure of their bikes. Truly amazing detail is put into many of these rolling works of art.

There were a few Bike-Buggy hybrids as well, including “Boomer”, a trike with rear-mounted engine seen here.

A band played a mix of classic rock behind the wall of trophies, celebrating the winners in the various categories.

Trailer-pulled BBQ was served as well. Sure smelled good.

Going to this show makes me wish I had a motorcycle again. Perhaps in the next year or so, I’ll get back on a hog and back out on the road.

Restaurant Review: Grandpa Johnson BBQ

Denis Baldwin — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:09:00 +0000

Off the beaten path from my normal Tampa adventures, I found myself in Plant City for the Strawberry Festival and Bike Fest events and decided to try out a legend of local barbeque. Grandpa Johnson’s Barbecue (1305 W Dr Martin Luther King Jr, Plant City, FL 33563, (813) 759-0009) has been in business for over 50 years, working in conjunction with family-owned Fred’s Market to provide some of the tastiest food in Plant City.

The smoked food is on par with great barbecue that I’ve found all over Tampa. Meat is tender and hearty, without gristle or fat overwhelming it. The sides, especially the fried squash, were surprising. I’m not normally a fan of squash, and frying it always seemed like a bad idea, but this was exceptional; tender and hot inside served with a crunchy crust served with ranch dressing. An unusual and very tasty side.

The portions were decent size for the price. For under $30 (including tip), Kara and I were able to try just about everything they offered. We had the ribs, which were a very meaty cut that slid right off the bone. We had brisket, chopped with lots of stringy and succulent segments. What surprised me about the brisket was that there was seemingly no “outer crust”. While I personally enjoy the crust, many people only want the inside tender meat and that is the portion we were served. Baked beans and greens were standard.

Kara continued to remark how tasty the rolls are. Large and covered in a buttery glaze, these are piping hot on the inside and so incredibly tender. They literally melt in your mouth. I used mine to sop up BBQ sauce as I was plowing through the rest of the meal.

Speaking of the sauce, there’s one thing that fell slightly under par. They offered two versions, a sweet and a traditional. Both seemed pretty similar to me, tasting a bit like Heinz57. The one had more of a vinegar tone to it. Neither was bad, but I don’t feel like they were needed to make the meat taste great (which is a good thing!) and I think they may have actually detracted from the experience because the flavor wasn’t what I expected.

On top of the great food, I have to note how friendly the staff was. Not only were they all sweet and quick and accurate, but the dedication to Johnsons could be seen in everyone there. Even the owner, Owen Johnson, was seen scrubbing tables, helping bus dishes and meeting with customers. The generally care-free and happy feeling I felt while there brought me back to the family barbeques I had as a kid with my aunts and uncles.

Florida Strawberry Festival

Denis Baldwin — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:38:00 +0000

One event I look forward to covering each year is the Florida Strawberry Festival. Hosted in Plant City, this yearly event is a combination of fruit market, carnival, county fair and concert venue. There’s truly something to do for everyone.

The real start of the event is the strawberry, and all of it’s forms. The fruit market has vendors lining both outside tents and the inside market selling every variety of strawberry and it’s many uses. The traditional favorites like strawberry jam and strawberry bread can be found throughout the market. The oddities and specialties, such as strawberry wine, are also available. The market stays packed the entire time the festival is open, so you’ll want be sure you make enough time to visit each booth.

The carnival aspect of the festival has a variety of children’s rides and adult’s rides too. Standards like the Ferris wheel and merry-go-round are spread throughout the festival. Many of these have long lines, so be prepared to stand in the blazing sun for a bit to wait your turn.

The country fair is my favorite part of the festival. I grew up in a small town in Michigan and went to all the local fairs as a kid, so this brought back a lot of good childhood memories. Among the fun events are pig races, lumberjack shows and all of your favorite country fair food. Like everything else in the festival, the country fair events get packed quickly and it’s often shoulder-to-shoulder standing room only, assuming you can get a view at all. I made three attempts to watch the pig race and was never able to get close enough.

Lastly, there are concerts, some free and some premium, to entertain. Headliners included country/western entertainment including George Jones, Taylor Swift, Randy Travis, Travis Tritt, Ray Stevens as well as other entertainers including Jeff Foxworthy, Kool & The Gang and Jessica Simpson. While I didn’t get to see any of the concerts, everyone in the crowd seemed very positive about the shows.

While the Festival has left town for 2009, be sure to watch for the 2010 Strawberry Festival next spring in Plant City!

2009 Florida Strawberry Festival is almost here

Denis Baldwin — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:42:00 +0000

This week begins the Florida Strawberry Festival. Fun for the whole family, concerts, fresh strawberries and carnival rides. What better way to spend $10 for a whole day at the Fair?

When: Thursday, February 26 through Sunday, March 8, open daily 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Midway opens at noon daily except Sat., Sun. & Mon when it opens at 10 a.m. Moonlight Magic nights (Fri, Feb. 27 & Fri., March 6) from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Where: 2202 West Reynolds St., Plant City, FL 33563

Tickets: Admission (adults 13+): $8 advance/$10 gate; Youth (6-12): $4 advance/$5 gate; Children 5 & under are free w/paid adult. Advance discount admission tickets on sale at participating Sweetbay Supermarkets through March 8. Tickets also on sale at Festival Box Office, or charge-by-phone at 813-754-1996. Ticket sales are final. No refunds, exchanges or rain checks.

Parking: Parking is $5 for cars, pickups and vans. Handicapped friendly spaces available at Red Parking Bus Stop (Oak Ave. & Ritter St.). Shuttle buses run from lots to gates 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Event Info: 74th annual event is a showcase of Florida-grown strawberries; along with concerts, rides, games, attractions; exhibits of agriculture, horticulture, commerce, fine arts, livestock, homemade goods and crafts; and plenty of strawberry shortcake and other fantastic food.

Headliners: George Jones, 2/26; Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Bros, 2/26; Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, 2/27; Kellie Pickler, 2/27; Jake Owen, 2/28; Third Day, 2/28; Rodney Atkins, 3/1; Taylor Swift, 3/1; Helen Cornelius & Jim Ed Brown, 3/2; Randy Travis, 3/2; Connie Smith & Marty Stuart, 3/3; Travis Tritt, 3/3; Brenda Lee, 3/4; Ray Stevens, 3/4; Mel Tillis, 3/5; Lorrie Morgan, 3/5; Ronnie McDowell, 3/6; Jeff Foxworthy, 3/6; Mark Lowry, 3/7; Kool & The Gang, 3/7; and Jessica Simpson, 3/8. Special general admission free headline concert on 3/8 with Trent Tomlinson, Love & Theft, Chad Brock & Killer Beaz. Tickets for all shows are for reserved seats for GTE Federal Credit Union Soundstage concerts. Show tickets range from $10 to $45; gate admission additional. There are a limited number of free seats available (with paid gate admission) for all shows on first-come, first-seated basis in Edy’s® & Haagen-Dazs® Grandstands.

Highlights: Belle City Amusements Midway, Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show, Dennis Lee, Southern Star Bluegrass Band, Vocal Trash, Jason Young Band, Grand Parade, Shoebox Float Contest, Granpa Cratchet, the Strawberry Queen & Court, Kiddie Corral, Bikes, Boards & Blades, Robinson’s Paddling Porkers, Runa Pacha, Baby Contests, Livestock Shows, Hands-on Activities, Art Shows, Strawberry Production Exhibit, Photography Contest Display, Garden Club Horticulture Show, Demonstrations of Pioneer Skills in Early Arts & Trades, Grupo Climax (Feb. 28), Florida Opry® (Mar. 6), Rev. Art Jones & Bible Based Fellowship Cathedral Choir (Mar. 7), & more.

I’ll be posting photos and a review after we attend, some time next week.