PLANT CITY, Fla. — A fun tradition dating back more than a decade returns to Plant City this year. It’s part scavenger hunt, part art walk and part history.
It’s the annual J Seward Johnson Sculpture Exhibition in Downtown Plant City.
Gilbert Gott, with the Arts Council of Plant City, said you never know what’s going to be around the next corner. It could be friends playing chess, a couple kissing or Marilyn Monroe standing over a sewer grate. It’s a tradition that dates back to 2012.
“The people loved them, and they would just relate to them, and they would go up and start talking to a sculpture, so we said, this is really good,” said Gott.
Now, every year, the city ships in 10 different sculptures to be put on display at various corners, sidewalks and parks throughout the downtown.
“They’ll put their kids up on the sculptures. We have some on benches—people will sit next to the sculptures and put their arms around them. It’s great to see,” said Gott.
“We were actually on the way back from the Brick House for breakfast, drove past them. They first saw Marilyn Monroe, and we had to do a u-turn and come back and take some pictures,” said Brandi Towner, who was visiting with her three daughters from West Palm Beach.
Benny Lubrano, with the Railroad Museum, believes families specifically come to town for the sculptures, creating a nice little boost in business.
“Some of our northern visitors, they come and want to know if they are here yet, and they want to know where they are at. It’s something that they look forward to every year, and I think it’s just a great addition to the downtown area,” said Lubrano.
Gott said he is most amazed at how lifelike they are. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell what is real and what is not.
“We had a man sitting out here in an Adirondack chair, sleeping with a book in his hand. The city manager called me and said, ‘Gil, we have to do something. People keep calling in and saying there is a dead man in the park.' It’s just a statue,” said Gott.
Gott said it’s important to get out of the car and really take a good look because there are so many interesting details.
The sculpture exhibit is on display until March 3. You can find a map of all 10 statue locations at the Railroad Museum.
"Why are you not giving us our money back? You owe it to us — just pay us.”
After waiting over eight months for a refund from a medical clinic, an ABC Action News viewer reached out to consumer investigative reporter Susan El-Khoury for help.
