Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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The local favorite Orange Blossom Revue is poised to celebrate its 10th anniversary with a jam-packed musical lineup of bands featuring JJ Grey & Mofro, The War and Treaty, Robert Earl Keen, Steep Canyon Rangers and more December 6-7, 2024 in Lake Wales, FL. Held annually amidst the bounty of Spanish moss, palmetto trees, and citrus groves that define the central Florida landscape, the boutique music and arts festival has steadily become a cultural cornerstone that reflects th...
Eleven local non-profit organizations benefitted from grants distributed recently by the Lake Wales Mardi Gras Committee. Several dozen representatives and community members gathered at the Lake Wales Arts Center for the annual check presentation. The Lake Wales Mardi Gras Committee and Lake Wales Mardi Gras President Joshua Curchy presented a total of $20,000 from proceeds raised in the 2024 Mardi Gras event. The Mardi Gras celebration, now planning for its 41st year, draws t...
Ideal weather conditions and a wide area of beautiful works of art are expected to draw residents and visitors alike to the shores of Lake Wailes this weekend as the 53rd annual Lake Wales Arts Festival take place in Lake Wailes Park. The show will be open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, and from 10: a.m. until 4 p.m. on Sunday. Seventy artists have been accepted into the juried showing hosted by the Lake Wales Arts Council and will offer an array of media and...
An annual event that draws thousands of art lovers from Lake Wales and around the state, the 53rd Annual Lake Wales Arts Festival ill be happening Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 24 and 25 at Lake Wailes Park, preceded by a special event for artists and patrons on Friday evening. Hosted by the Lake Wales Arts Council, this year's festival will be enhanced as 70 artists have been accepted into the juried show to display their creative works. The show attracts submissions from...
The two-and-a-half weeks of the 40th annual Lake Wales Mardi Gras festivities are rapidly approaching their climax as hundreds of "krewe" members prepare for the combined parade on Saturday, February 10. The series of masquerade parties and musical events mark the days of the pre-Lenten "Carnival" season here. Last week's kickoff party, hosted by the Krewe Renaissance, will be followed by the Saturday, Feb. 3 Blacklight Ball sponsored by the Loyal Order of Wild Shiners....
The biggest outburst of fun and frivolity in the region, the Lake Wales Mardi Gras is preparing to offer its 40th year of festivities to residents and visitors from far and wide. The event draws an estimated 20,000 to the two-and-half-weeks of activities. Highlighted by a zany parade and two-day music festival, the celebration also features three masquerade dance parties offering live music, and a special "Mardi Gras Pre-Party" that will celebrate the 40 years of event...
Music fans from around the country are expected to gather in Lake Wales Friday and Saturday, December 1 and 2 as a local non-profit hosts the "Orange Blossom Revue." The annual "celebration of music, community, and nature" is returning the city for a ninth year and is expected to draw crowds of music-lovers to the shores of Lake Wailes. The two-day event features a lineup of top musical acts in a wide range of genres ranging from "R&B to country to folk to jazz," according to...
Although it's only early November, hundreds of people from Lake Wales and far beyond are preparing for the area's biggest festival of 2024. The 40th annual Lake Wales Mardi Gras celebration will reach a climax on the busy weekend of February 10 when more than a dozen parade "krewes" will step off in colorful costumes and festooned floats to present the annual parade, the traditional high-point of weeks of celebration. "Mardi Gras" is French for "fat Tuesday," the day before...
The critical importance of volunteers who help to keep the Lake Wales Arts Council and its many programs running was emphasized by director Tommy Frank at a special reception organized to thank those who step up to support the efforts of the Council. Each volunteer present was awarded a certificate and a custom, artistically hand-crafted ceramic mug. The Monday evening reception at the Arts Center drew a small crowd how shared refreshments and conversation before Fran...
The outsized impact of a relatively small number of Lake Wales women continues to shape and improve the lives of Lake Wales residents. With only two dozen members, the GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales continues to be a dynamic contributing force within the community. Part of the international Greater Federation of Women's Clubs, the local organization has served the community for more than 100 years. Operating from their historic clubhouse and auditorium at 275 East Park...
An annual "celebration of music, community, and nature" is returning to Lake Wales for a ninth year and is expected to draw crowds of music-lovers to town for the early December festival. The Orange Blossom Revue is a two-day event featuring a lineup of top musical acts in a wide range of genres ranging from "R&B to country to folk to jazz," according to festival organizer Rusty Ingley. Ingley and Reid Hardman have been running the concert since its inception. "it was an...
A chance to relax in the shade, enjoy food from your favorite food truck, listen to four different bands, and let the kids burn off steam as they learn and play is expected to draw crowds to Lake Wailes Park Saturday. The 10:00 am to 8:00 pm event will include a kite festival, a family-feud style trivia game, nature walks, a giant inflatable obstacle course, nature walks, a "fishing pond," and a wide variety of games and prizes for adults and kids. A silent auction and gift...
Get ready to enjoy another beautiful spring weekend outdoors in Lake Wales as the Lake Wailes Arts Festival offers a special atmosphere for a pleasant day. Presented annually by the Lake Wales Arts Council, the critically acclaimed two-day Festival attracts thousands of art lovers each year, many of whom purchase original, one-of-a-kind works of art. The show takes place Saturday and Sunday, February 25 and 26, under the shade of the Live Oaks on the shores of beautiful Lake...
Music fans are invited to a special concert this Saturday afternoon beginning at 3:00 at the Lake Wales Arts Center. According to a statement issued by the Arts Council, the concert is "part of the Lakeland Symphony Orchestra's ensemble series, featuring small ensembles of musicians performing in smaller venues throughout Polk County. This intimate, one-hour concert offers the chance to hear LSO musicians up close while still finding space to get lost in the music." Patrons wi...
More than $466,000 will flow to two Lake Wales cultural organizations from Polk County "bed tax" designed to promote overnight stays in area hotels, according to Kris Keprios, Senior Tourism Sales and Marketing Manager of Polk County's Tourism and Sports Marketing Division. "The Arts, Culture and Heritage sponsorships assist arts organizations by stretching their marketing dollars so they can draw more visitors to their events from outside of the county," Keprios said in a...
A civic organization working to re-create a historic landscaping plan in Lake Wales is seeking community help. Lake Wales Heritage is a non-profit group working to re-plant the 1930 landscape plan created by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. "We need to find some helpies," said Heritage director and volunteer Tish Sheesley, citing the several projects the group is tackling. Alongside the tree-planting effort, the organization is launching an educational program for middle school stude...
Lovers of beauty and the arts expect a breezy and beautiful weekend for the Lake Wales Arts Festival which opens Saturday morning March 12 in Lake Wailes Park for a two-day show. Presented by the Lake Wales Arts Council, the 51-year-old show attracts artists from across the region and nation. Up to 100 artists are expected to display their works while competing for more than $22,000 in awards, including two Judge's Choice awards for "Exceptional Works" and five Awards of...
Bok Tower Gardens is participating with gardens across the nation to commemorate the 200th birthday of Frederick Law Olmsted Sr., father of American landscape design. His son, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. designed Bok Tower Gardens and many of our nation's finest public spaces. As part of this nationwide celebration, the National Association for Olmsted Parks and Olmsted 200 sponsored an international carillon composition competition in 2021, entitled Inspired by Olmsted. An...
Nature or nurture? It's probably both when you look at three generations of women sharing a heart for serving the community. When she turned 18 in July, Jillian Gillis became Rotary on the Ridge's youngest member, joining her parents and grandparents as full members of the service club. Jillian's mom, Megan Gillis, is the 2021-22 club president and grandparents Sheri and Marshall Hartley joined when Megan served her first term as president in 2018-2019. Rotary is indeed a...
Marilyn Skinner Newell, 92, of Lake Wales passed away Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021 at Advent Health Lake Wales. She was born March 20, 1929 in Rochester, NY, to the late William and Mildred Skinner. She and her husband, Dr. Bruce Newell, moved to Lake Wales in 1958. Marilyn was a homemaker and was of the Presbyterian faith. Early in her adult life, she was a member of Indian Lakes Estates Methodist Church where she was a charter member and also the choir director for 28 years....
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...
Fifty years of fine arts excellence will be celebrated Feb. 19-21 at the 2021 Citizens Bank & Trust Lake Wales Arts Festival. With over 50 exhibiting artists, live music, and some of the best food from across Central Florida, the Lake Wales Arts Council is aiming to provide VIP guests with the best fine arts experience in Florida. The arts council is working hard to develop a strategy to follow CDC, local, state and federal health guidelines to keep everyone safe. Those suppor...
The Lake Wales City Commission Dec. 1 approved its first permit for a large-scale event in 2021 – the 50th annual arts festival the weekend of Feb. 19-21. Lake Wales Arts Council Executive Director Andrew Allen described safety modifications being made in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Allen said the artists' booths will be configured differently to allow a one-way flow and more green space between them. Marketing materials will stress the importance of wearing masks and f...
The Lake Wales Arts Council will host the opening reception and awards ceremony for the Chip Thullbery Fine Arts Invitational from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13. This is the 2nd annual juried fine arts gallery competition for the Lake Wales Arts Council and it showcases more than 40 talented artists from across Central Florida. The exhibit features more than 60 pieces of work judged by Susan Altman, a practicing artist, educator, professor, and assistant chairperson in the Visual,...
Rotary on the Ridge was honored Sept. 22 as the 2019-2020 Club of the Year in Rotary District 6890, which includes 37 clubs in four counties. District Governor Kip Kipnis announced the selection during an awards ceremony online event attended by more than 100 Rotary district leaders from Polk, Highlands, Hardee and Hillsborough counties. 2019-2020 Rotary on the Ridge President Herb Gillis accepted the award remotely, joined by his wife, Megan, who served as club president in...
