Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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The all-new CenterState Bank Concerts Under the Stars series revives a music tradition at Bok Tower Gardens with four performances beginning Friday, March 12, and continuing through April. The series is a co-production of the Lake Wales Arts Council and Bok Tower Gardens. Advance tickets are $36 for Bok Tower Gardens and the Lake Wales Arts Council members and $40 for non-members. Ticket price increases to $48 day of show. Admission to Bok Tower Gardens is included in the...
Central Florida's Visitor Information Center (CFVIC) will host an Easter Egg Hunt event on Saturday, April 3. This free event will take place from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., featuring kid-friendly activities, giveaways and egg hunts beginning at the top of each hour (children will be separated into three age groups for each of the four sessions). There will be chances to win LEGOLAND® Florida Resort and Bok Tower Gardens tickets and vendors will be on hand with local goods and t...
Bok Tower Gardens carillonneur Geert D'hollander says the music of The King's Singers has inspired him since he was a child. That's why he is especially thrilled that the famed a cappella group awarded his original choral composition their top New Music Prize for 2021. "Winning this competition is an incredible honor as a musician and one of their biggest fans," said D'hollander, a Belgium-American who became Bok carillonneur in 2012. "To me, it's like standing in front of...
Janet Grace Robinson, 89, of Lake Wales, Florida passed away in the early morning hours of Feb. 20, 2021 at Good Shepherd Hospice House in Auburndale. Janet was born January 23, 1932, in Ashley, MI to the late Babe and Eli Ringle. She grew up in Lansing, MI where she met and married Jack Robinson, who preceded her in death on April 2nd, 2007. Jack and Janet lived in Lansing and raised their family until they moved to Lake Wales in their retirement to the beautiful Saddlebag La...
More than 50 artists will exhibit in the 2021 Lake Wales Arts Festival on the shores of Lake Wailes lake Feb. 20-21. The event is even more special this year as the festival celebrates its 50th anniversary. "We're one of the first art shows back in the whole country, especially in the state of Florida," said Andrew Allen, executive director of the Lake Wales Arts Council. "The quality of art will also go up dramatically since we're not taking as many artists." The free...
Citizen Support Services is a group of people from our community who volunteer their time, talent, and financial assistance to support and advocate for needs that exist within Lake Wales, where existing service organizations are not well positioned to support or coordinate. Citizens of Lake Wales, in partnership with leadership from several community service organizations, aim to ensure support and equity is provided to citizens in need. During the month of December, members...
Central Florida's Visitor Information Center (CFVIC) will host the "Caturday Kitten Cuddle" and adoption event on Saturday, Jan. 30, to benefit SPCA Florida. This family-friendly event will take place from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Visitors can enjoy five minutes of kitten cuddling time for a $5 donation and all proceeds go to SPCA Florida. Cash and credit cards will be accepted. Vendors will be on-site selling items such as homemade pet treats, leashes, collars and grooming...
It's starting to feel like the Holiday Season! Whatever it may be that gives you that festive feeling – the festive lights being switched on in the city, the first pumpkin pies appearing in the stores or that friend who always seems to put up the tree in the middle of November– for many of us, the festive period is a time to look forward to. However, for some of us, it may not be such a joyous time as we seem to find ourselves at loose ends on that Special Day. Maybe lov...
This is the twelfth installment in the Lake Wales Renaissance series. Lake Wales City Commissioner Robin Gibson serves as Deputy Mayor and Chairman of the city's Community Redevelopment Agency. Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. is recognized as the founder of the profession of landscape architecture. In the late 1800s he set a standard of excellence that continues to influence landscape architecture today. His two sons carried on and expanded the legendary work of the Olmsted firm wel...
Lake Wales City Commissioner Curtis Gibson got tired of seeing trash along Burns Avenue when he took his morning walk. So he obtained city support and enlisted sponsors for the first Crown Jewel Cleanup starting at 7 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26. Rotary on the Ridge will staff a volunteer check-in tent outside Grace Healthcare at the corner of Burns Avenue and U.S. 17/Scenic Highway. Grace is allowing volunteers to park in their lot. Keep Polk County Beautiful is providing trash ba...
This is the eleventh installment in the Lake Wales Renaissance series. Lake Wales City Commissioner Robin Gibson serves as Deputy Mayor and Chairman of the city's Community Redevelopment Agency. Nations strive for a positive trade balance, where they sell more products than they buy, thereby receiving increased capital and creating a higher standard of living for their citizens. The same holds true for any economic unit. Let's take Lake Wales downtown for example. It's a...
Virginia E. McGrath (nee Moorehead), of Mansfield, OH, passed away on Aug. 9, 2020 at her winter home in Lake Wales after a long illness. She was 86. Ginny was born Jan. 22, 1934 in Cleveland, OH, and attended Kent State University in Kent, OH where she met her husband Donald. Ginny majored in elementary education and minored in art at Kent State. She taught special needs children for nearly 40 years. Ginny immensely enjoyed baseball, faithfully serving as scorekeeper for each...
A vision of restored brick streets and sidewalk cafes under the shade of umbrellas and spreading Live Oaks changed many viewers' ideas of the future of downtown Lake Wales Thursday evening. Those images were among many shared during a 90-minute presentation by consultants and engineers hired by the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) to create the "Lake Wales Connected" plan. The plan is designed to attract crowds, and thus business investment, to the neighborhood...
This is the tenth installment in the Lake Wales Renaissance series. Lake Wales City Commissioner Robin Gibson serves as Deputy Mayor and Chairman of the city's Community Redevelopment Agency. Best Bang for the Buck Trees are the best. Their mere presence improves individual property values. Collectively they improve the town's tax base as a whole. The improved value comes from the purchaser's desire to buy the advantages of appearance and aesthetics. Not only do trees...
Efforts to beautify and green Lake Wales streets got another boost Saturday as community volunteers led by the Lake Wales Woman's Club prepared three street "triangles" along Lakeshore Boulevard for new floral plantings. "I'm totally stoked!" said Bonnie Poller, who is chair of the Environment Committee of the Woman's Club, which is spearheading the project. "Neighbors came out to help." More than a dozen volunteers participated. "This was only Phase one," Poller added....
William C. “Bill” Evans, 83, of Lake Wales passed away Wednesday, June 17, 2020 at the Winter Haven Hospital. He was born December 12, 1936 in Detroit, MI, to the late Charles and Marie Evans. He has been a resident of Lake Wales for 12 years, moving here from Mesa, AZ. Bill was a retired quality control engineer for General Dynamics in Michigan. He was a volunteer at Bok Tower Gardens, and was a Citizens Assistance Patrol for the Polk County Sheriff Office. He enjoyed hiking, traveling, reading, and wood working. Bill is sur...
After a week of monitoring visitor safety concerns, Bok Tower Gardens reopened Monday, June 1, without timed ticket entry. For limited contact service, visitors may purchase tickets online. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the gate upon arrival. The member preview week provided enough data and onsite evaluation that Bok Tower Gardens leadership felt comfortable suspending the advance ticket/timed entry requirement making the admission process more accessible and...
To provide the community with a beautiful destination for healthy walks and mental well-being, Bok Tower Gardens is reopening to the public on Monday, June 1, with timed entry. A soft opening for members is planned for May 26 through May 31. Until further notice, all visitors/members planning to visit the Gardens must reserve/purchase a ticket at boktowergardens.org before arriving at the entrance gate. Visitors must select their entry time from the following periods: 10...
This is the fifth installment in the Lake Wales Renaissance series. Lake Wales City Commissioner Robin Gibson serves as Deputy Mayor and Chairman of the city's Community Redevelopment Agency. Dover, Kohl & Partners is an internationally known town planning firm working out of South Miami. Among their many achievements are nationally recognized revitalizations of traditional communities much like Lake Wales. Victor Dover is co-author of the definitive work on the subject...
On a typical Earth Day, Bok Tower Gardens would be filled with the sounds of thousands of local school children learning about nature, wildlife, conservation, and more. However, on the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, April 22, 2020, the beautiful music of the Singing Tower and images of the stunning Gardens will be streamed to the community instead. Celebrating Earth Day's 50th Birthday Understanding the importance of this day in the current pandemic, the education team at Bok...
One year ago April 15, a devasting fire broke out at Notre Dame Cathedral, nearly destroying the iconic destination. The cathedral's bourdon bell (the largest bell) was rung for the first time on the one year anniversary as a symbol of resiliency and support for the French frontline health workers. In tandem with this message of hope, Bok Tower Gardens' Carillonneur Geert D'hollander rang the Singing Tower's Bourdon 10 times and then shared his performance of "La Vie En Rose"...
Attending the annual Easter Sunrise Service has been a tradition for generations; however, this year, viewers will be able to worship in new ways. Bok Tower Gardens has made two viewing options available. First via Facebook Live at https://www.facebook.com/boktowergardens/ or second, the embedded virtual viewer on the Bok Tower Gardens website at https://boktowergardens.org/join-us-live/. The service is also being recorded and uploaded later to the Bok Tower Gardens YouTube...
Bok Tower Gardens and the Lake Wales Library Association have partnered to create a unique program that will allow library patrons to check out passes to Bok Tower Gardens for up to four adults and up to six children. The Garden Lane Pass program, as it will be known, was developed by Bok Tower Gardens' Education Director, Tricia Martin. Martin reached out to the Lake Wales Public Library with the proposal and the Lake Wales Library Association, the library's non-profit...
In an abundance of caution to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus various organizations in the Lake Wales area are canceling events or taking extra safety measures. As of 1 a.m. March 14 the Florida Department of Health still reported no cases in Polk County, and a total of 83 cases statewide, which resulted in three deaths. Updates are available online at http://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/COVID-19/index.html Walt Disney World and Universal...
Eugene H. "Gene" Schedler, 85, of Lake Wales entered into glory with the Lord Monday, March 9, 2020 at Good Shepherd Hospice in Auburndale. He was born May 30, 1934 in Hamburg, WI to the late Pastor Herman and Lilly Schedler. Gene grew up in Hamburg, WI where he attended the Maple Grove one room schoolhouse. He then attended Concordia Lutheran College in Milwaukee, WI where he completed his high school and two years of college. Gene joined the U.S. Air Force after college...
