Plant City is known for its strawberries, but what they will unveil for the first time on New Year’s Eve is something you can’t grow on any farm.
“We are actually going to be dropping a six-foot-strawberry, 80 feet in the air, down during the whole countdown, but throwing a huge block party while we do it,” said Dawn Hyatt, executive director of Plant City Main Street. “We will have vendors and all kinds of shows going on.”
Hyatt is always coming up with new ways to revitalize downtown.
“Our job is to bring the people down, get the money in, and make our downtown flourish,” Hyatt said.
Hyatt was tired of watching locals and tourists travel to other cities to ring in the New Year, and that’s when the idea for the city’s first Strawberry Drop was born.
“We wanted to just give our community a sense of pride, ownership, and have something that they can own,” Hyatt said. “The people who can now celebrate the big day, bring families down, and build the memories. I don’t think you can put a price on that.”