Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 11-26-21

Feature Local
Entertainment Lineup Announced For 2022 Florida Strawberry Festival
BOYZ TO MEN
Christian-Based Mortuary Service
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
Darrell and Sonya Johnson, owners of Scriven- sJohnson Mortuary, take a dif- ferent approach to funeral services. Their Christian-based business is based on Godly principles of helping people and easing them through their time of grief. The name ScrivensJohnson is a com- bination of Mrs. Johnson’s maiden name and their family name.
The Johnsons were both born and raised in Tampa. Mr. Johnson previously served in the military before becoming a Tampa Police officer for 22 years.
Mr. Johnson started working at Ray Williams Fu- neral Home when he was sev- enteen. He and Jeffrey Rhodes, current president of Ray Williams, were friends growing up. When he returned home from the military, he re- sumed working part-time for Ray Williams for several years while he worked for the Tampa Police Department.
Mrs. Johnson was also in law enforcement as a booking officer for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Johnson returned to school for his mortuary degree during the same time. He and his wife opened ScrivensJohn- son in 2008 as a body removal service. In 2011, the couple purchased a building and opened their mortuary and on- site crematorium.
The owners of Scrivens- Johnson Mortuary Services be-
DARRELL AND SONYA JOHNSON
... Owners of ScrivensJohnson Mortuary Services and Crema- torium
lieve that Christ is the owner and CEO of their business, and they are the stewards of the business. They tithe from their business and believe that their faith has blessed them with their business success.
As ScrivensJohnson ex- panded their business from re- moval services to mortuary services, they remained deter- mined to provide their clients with the same discounts pro- vided to other funeral homes, leaving their cremation serv- ices professional and budget conscious.
For a long time, Scrivens- Johnson was the main Black crematorium and remains one of the few in Florida. Presently, ScrivensJohnson does the cre- mations for Wilson Funeral Home, Harmon Funeral Home, Integrity Funeral Serv- ices, and Washington Funeral Chapel in Plant City as well.
ScrivensJohnson is also the official crematorium for Hills-
borough County. They have a 5-year contract.
The focus of their mortuary business centers on cremation as the industry moves away from costly traditional funer- als.
“We cater to those who struggle. I think it is weird that funeral businesses boast about how many years they have been in business, but do not step up to help those in need. We don’t want people to spend their entire inheritance on a fu- neral, then struggle with living costs.” Johnson states.
The owners of Scrivens- Johnson also manage indigent cases along with all other busi- ness from the county.
The services provided at ScrivensJohnson do not pro- vide the large expensive fu- neral productions. They concentrate on personal serv- ice that preserves the dignity of the deceased while ensuring that loved ones are not finan- cially burdened trying to pay for a huge funeral. They pride themselves on providing budget conscious cremation and cremation services without compromising high-quality service.
When asked to share his ad- vice for young people, Mr. Johnson says that “A ‘No’ is just an opening for another di- rection.” This powerful state- ment has been a motto for the Johnsons, especially early in their business.
The owners of Scrivens- Johnson are expanding and renovating their building at 8410 Temple Terrace Hwy, Tampa, 33637.
PLANT CITY, FL – The Florida Strawberry Festival released its lineup of headline entertainment artists per- forming on the Wish Farms Soundstage at the 2022 event.
Advance tickets for admis- sion and for headline enter- tainment shows will go on sale Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021 at 8 a. m. and can be purchased online at www.flstrawber- ryfestival.com, at the Amscot Main Ticket Office, located at 2209 W. Oak Avenue in Plant City and by phone at 813- 754-1996.
“The theme of this year’s festival is ‘We’re #1 For FUN!’ with a strong emphasis on bringing folks back together to celebrate fairs and festivals like ours. It’s a time-honored tradition and, in my opinion, one of America’s favorite past times, we’re #1!” said Florida Strawberry Festival President Paul Davis.
The 87th Annual Florida Strawberry Festival will take place March 3-13. Beginning in January, specials, dis- counts and free entertain- ment will be announced at www.flstrawberryfestival.co m.
Among those featured will be the Beach Boys and Boyz To Men on Friday, March 4th, 3:30 and 7:30p. m., respec- tively; the Lettermen, the Drifters, Cornell Gunter’s Coasters and the Platters, March 10th, 10:30 a. m. and 3:30 p. m., among many oth- ers.
The Florida Strawberry Festival is an 11-day commu- nity event celebrating the strawberry harvest of Eastern Hillsborough County. Each year, over 500,000 visitors enjoy the festival’s headline entertainment, youth live- stock shows, exhibits of com- merce and, of course, its strawberry shortcake.
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