Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Offering live theatre in southeastern Polk County remains a challenge for volunteers who operate Lake Wales Little Theatre, according to a representative of the organization. The company is the only live theatre in the immediate area and is now in its 48th year of operation. Like many arts organizations, the non-profit, all-volunteer theatre company struggles to maintain its intimate auditorium while also paying for the other aspects of the five-a-year shows it produces. With...
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...
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...
If you're planning to be out and about this week, you may want to "hold on to your hat" as another round of windy weather will follow bands of rain expected to begin on Sunday and continue into Monday evening. According to forecasters from the National Weather Service, an "anomalous" or unusually-strong low pressure system will move over Florida from the Gulf of Mexico during that period, creating the possibility of more strong thunderstorms. Widespread rain and showers are...
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...
Representatives of thirteen area charitable organizations were smiling Thursday evening as they assembled to receive grant awards resulting from the efforts of the Lake Wales Mardi Gras. The event, hosted at Wales Pointe Restaurant, saw the awarding of a total of $26,000 to the groups. The $26,000 raised and donated by the Lake Wales Mardi Gras Committee represents funds raised in donations by sponsors, vendor fees, and sales during the event. The annual charitable donations...
Thousands of residents and visitors from across the state and nation gathered in downtown Lake Wales Saturday for the highlight of the local Mardi Gras celebrations, enjoying a zany and colorful extravaganza of performance art. More than a dozen colorful Krewes parades floats and costumes while tossing more than 100,000 "throws" to the gathered throngs of celebrants. The parade featured the crowd-pleasing all-female Krewe of ZaZu, bringing cheers from the crowd with their ente...
The Lake Wales Mardi Gras celebrations have reached their climactic day as crowds are preparing for the annual parade, continuing a local tradition now in its fifth decade. The big parade of Krewes, always a major highlight of the event, will step off at 3:00 today on Park Avenue before winding down Stuart and Central Avenues, ending at Lake Wailes Park, where the ongoing Mardi Gras Music Festival will continue into the night. More than a dozen colorful Krewes will parade...
It's that zany time of year for thousands of celebrants who will participate in the annual Lake Wales Mardi Gras, with festivities running from February 11 through 21. Between two book-end events, the heart of the traditional event will fill two days with music concerts and a colorful parade on the weekend of February 18. The long-standing tradition of Mardi Gras in Lake Wales typically attracts thousands of visitors, filling streets, restaurants, and other area establishments...
A night of colorful costumes and celebrations has officially initiated the 2023 Carnival season in Lake Wales. The Krewe of Wild Shiners hosted their traditional "Black Light Ball" Saturday night, the first of several events spread over the 10-day Lake Wales Mardi Gras. The popular festivities will continue this week, with 10 bands scheduled to appear at the Mardi Gras Music Festival in Lake Wailes Park beginning Friday afternoon. The concerts continue on Saturday, with the...
Reida Hansford Keen of Lake Wales passed away Wednesday, January 25, 2023 at her residence. She was born August 22, 1952 in Lakeland to the late Henry and Eleanor Hansford. Reida was a retired teacher and a lifelong resident of the area. She was a member of The Church on the Hill and previously attended First Baptist Church of Lake Wales. Reida was the Senior Regent of Lake Wales Chapter 1974 Women of the Moose and a member of the Lake Wales Moose Lodge. She was the secretary...
The concept of "community service" is alive and well in Lake Wales, as evidenced by an award presented to one of three local Rotary Clubs this week. Rotary on the Ridge received a membership award from Rotary District 6890 Governor Deborah Williams after the club doubled its membership in 2021-22, achieving the highest rate of growth among District 6890's 32 clubs. The club, which meets in Lake Wales, grew from 30 to 60 members in the year to end June 30. Williams presented...
A zany parade featuring colorful floats, marchers and faux royalty will fill the streets of downtown Lake Wales with thousands of revelers this weekend as the traditional Lake Wales Mardi Gras observances reach their climax. The pre-Lenten festivities end at midnight on "fat Tuesday," or Mardi Gras. Private parading clubs, known as "krewes" will vie for recognition as the best in parade as they liberally douse the crowds with thousands of strands of beads and other parade...
Norma Jean Rattey of Lake Wales passed away Wednesday, January 19, 2022. Norma was born in Lyons, NY on October 17, 1931, to the late George and Mabel Hall. Norma was the proud owner of Al's Place for 30 years, a well-known restaurant in Lake Wales, with her husband of 42 years; Albert Lionel Rattey Jr. Norma tended bar and would always greet her customers with a smiling face while her husband Al was the cook. Norma enjoyed listening to the big band music that her husband...
The Carnival season has returned to Lake Wales, and the annual Mardi Gras event is once again expected to draw tens of thousands of spectators and participants to a zany and colorful parade, and a dynamic two day line-up of musical entertainment on the shores of Lake Wailes. After a hiatus in 2021 due to the global pandemic, Mardi Gras organizers promise a strong rebound, with floats, beads, live music, food, and spirits. A Lake Wales tradition dating back to 1984, The Mardi...
A festive evening of colorful costumes, dance music, food and fun is in store for guests at a special Mardi Gras themed party hosted by the Lake wales Woman's Club. The party, slated for Saturday, February 19, comes exactly a week ahead of the climactic day of the Lake Wales Mardi Gras, when area "krewes" will parade through the streets of the city showing off their best costumes and floats. The party will be the first return to a long tradition of krewe costume balls that...
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...
Wow! It's hard to believe our Lake Wales online news site is almost 1-month-old. We did a "soft launch" with little fanfare Feb. 13 so we could load the site with great content before most people even got their first look. Our online readership is growing daily and many more are accessing the highlights on our Facebook page. In the last five days our posts reached more than 2,000 people, and more than half engaged in some way. We're the "new kid on the block," but we're...
It's not quite New Orleans, but Lake Wales no doubt throws one of the greatest Mardi Gras parties most people will ever attend. Unbound revelry, crazy costumes, colorful floats, beads and brew will highlight the 36th annual event scheduled for Feb. 21-22. The Lake Wales Mardi Gras attracts an estimated 15,000 people, making it one of the largest events of its kind outside of New Orleans. Mardi Gras starts at 6 p.m. Friday Feb. 21 with the annual 5k GLOW run around the...
The Lake Wales Mardi Gras committee is celebrating its best year ever, with the expanded event resulting in $8,000 in donations for community projects. Committee Vice President Denny Wittman said the 2019 Mardi Gras drew an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 parade watchers. The festival, which was moved to Lake Wailes Park, attracted between 1,500 and 2,000 attendees Friday night and an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 on Saturday. "Moving the Festival to the Lake was a huge success with all...
Lake Wales Arts Council members and supporters gathered Thursday, June 6 for their annual meeting to celebrate an art-filled year. Executive Director Andrew Allen, who completed his first year in March, thanked partners, spelled out a long list of accomplishments and shared highlights of plans for the coming year. "The Lake Wales Arts Council has seen an incredible amount of success during our 2018-19 season," Allen said. "We have been fortunate enough to maintain our classic...
Just in time for the Fat Tuesday celebrations happening across Europe and the Americas, a new Carnival club has been conceived for Lake Wales. The "Krewe Renaissance" will be a step back in time to the roots of Lake Wales' 35-year traditions of Mardi Gras. They announced plans to sponsor a black-tie-optional masquerade ball, complete with a dance band, food, and drink, to highlight the 2020 celebrations. "We are conspiring to ramp up the fun for next year!" said a krewe member...
Changing venues to move most of the Lake Wales Mardi Gras activities to the shores of Lake Wailes appears to have been a good decision. Hundreds of revelers came Friday night, March 1 to enjoy music, food and fun. Mardi Gras President Joshua Curchy promised a family friendly festival, and the event didn't disappoint. Children enjoyed a variety of activities in a special Kids Zone location while their parents enjoyed food, drink and dancing. Led by Eric Farewell of Aviator...
After more than 40 years of color and creativity, big changes are afoot for the 2019 version of the Lake Wales Mardi Gras. A burst of street art that couldn't be contained, the Lake Wales Mardi Gras popped into existence in 1984, and has been entertaining residents and visitors ever since. Hosted by more than a dozen private "krewes" and coordinated by a five-person committee, the 2019 events will take place on March 1 and 2, and include music, entertainment, and food, and...
