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On The Midway

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By GEORGE H. NEWMAN

gnewman@tampatrib.com

Published: February 26, 2009

PLANT CITY - A small army of volunteers and vendors put the finishing touches on the Florida Strawberry Festival grounds Wednesday.

At 10 a.m. today, the show begins.

Festival General Manager Paul Davis said everyone has been working hard to get the grounds ready for another 11-day run.

"The Florida Strawberry Festival is family entertainment where patrons get tremendous value for their entertainment dollar," Davis said. "We are looking for this year to be a great year."

The festival includes carnival rides, entertainment and, of course, mountains of strawberry shortcake.

Visitors will notice improvements such as more lighting, expanded and relocated livestock areas, and new games and vendors.

Charles Panacek, owner of Belle City Amusements Inc., a Deltona company that is supplying the midway, said 500 workers have set up and will operate more than 80 rides. "That is the most ever constructed at the Strawberry Festival," he said.

There also will be more than 100 games and food concessions on the midway.

Rides range from a Ferris wheel that rises almost 90 feet to the traditional carousel and slides for the less daring.

Daily headliners such as Taylor Swift, George Jones and Jessica Simpson will provide entertainment at the GTE Federal Credit Union Soundstage. Swift's Sunday show is a sellout, but the festival offers a limited number of free bleacher seats at each concert on a first come, first served basis.

"We also have a terrific lineup of free entertainment inside the festival," Davis said, such as lumberjack and bicycle stunt shows. "It is a family-oriented event that is well worth the price of admission."

Today is Senior Citizen Day, and visitors 60 or older get $2 off the $10 gate admission. The festival runs through March 8.

Reporter George H. Newman can be reached at (813) 865-4451.

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