Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 202
Despite objections from nearby Ridge Manor residents, the Lake Wales City Commission July 6 approved preliminary plans for an 84-home subdivision on Lake Belle. City Attorney Chuck Galloway said denying the project could subject the city to litigation since the Belle Lago project obtained approval of the city's Planning and Zoning Board and met or exceeded the city's requirements for such a development. Attorney Shelby Loveless, who lives in the area, cited concerns about...
Green Horizon Land Trust, a Lake Wales-based not-for-profit conservation organization, announces the acquisition of a permanent conservation easement for the six-acre Scrub Plum Preserve in Babson Park. The property, which has previously been protected by a temporary easement, formerly belonged to the Babson Park Community Church. The Scrub Plum Preserve contains a series of trails that winds through native habitat on the Lake Wales Ridge that has been used for decades for...
Lake Wales Main Street's most recent mural project at Scenic Highway and Stuart Avenue called "Slice of Happiness" is about to get a whole lot happier. With a new full-time horticulturist hired by the city, Lester Gulledge is making one of his first priorities the beautification of the area around the nearly 100-foot long mural that was completed by artist Gillian Fazio late last fall. "If you go out there right now, you're going to see some piles of debris and dirt. That...
Throughout the month of March the Lake Wales Public Library's Local Artist Gallery has an amazing display of handmade quilts by local textile artists. The Lake Wales Quilters Guild was founded November 2008. The first monthly meetings were held in the Lake Wales Public Library's Schoenoff Meeting Room. The group currently meets the second Monday of each month, 1 p.m. at the 1st Methodist Church of Lake Wales, 230 St. N. Everyone is welcome, the fee to attend is $1. The Lake...
Come join Al Black, one of the original Highwaymen, and Kelvin Hair, son of Alfred Hair ~ an original Highwayman, Saturday evening Feb. 6, for an Evening of Art & Conversation. Special guest will be Perry Kwaku Ntow from GHANA, West Africa. The event is presented by Orgen D'nal at the Orgen D'nal Cafe location 1429 Resmondo Drive ~ off Scenic Highway in Lake Wales, Florida. With the Highwaymen movie soon to be released, Highwaymen, Legends of the Road, you will certainly want...
The show must go on. That's what the Lake Wales Little Theatre decided after an empty stage for nearly a year. The curtain will go up Friday, Jan. 22 for a two weekend production of The Odd Couple. Performances of the classic, fun play will be at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays through Jan. 31. The classic comedy opens as a group of the guys assemble for cards in the apartment of divorced Oscar Madison. And if the mess is any indication, it's no wonder...
Bright sunshine broke through the dreary morning Saturday, Jan. 23 as friends, family and history buffs gathered to celebrate the opening of the Mimi Hardman Collections and Research Center. Named for the city's most noted historic preservationist, the center is located on South Scenic Highway in the newly restored 1916 Seaboard Airline Freight Station. Known for developing the historic Depot museum, bringing millions of dollars in historic preservation grants to the city and...
The Lake Wales History Museum will dedicate the new Mimi Hardman Collections and Research Center at the restored 1916 Seaboard Airline Freight Station, one of its iconic buildings in the museum's historic corridor, at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 23. After adjusting the fundraising goals due to COVID-19, and approval of matching funds from the City of Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency, the project began in July, and is now complete. This newly restored building will now...
Greater love has no man than this, that a man would lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13. Memorial Day is a day to remember all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country. Those who serve are certainly cut from a different cloth and while I was at the Lake Wales History Museum today, I decided to go and actually read the plaque that has been there for, well, I don't actually know how long it has been there. What is says is, "BLUE STAR...
Lakeland artist Gillian Fazio specializes in "new age flora and fauna." She completed her largest project this week in downtown Lake Wales, a 3,000-square-foot mural of oranges, blossoms and butterflies. When restoration of the One Scenic Central Building required resurfacing of the building's north wall, Lake Wales Main Street stepped up to sponsor a modern mural to replace the one depicting the area's turpentine industry from the early 1900s. Local artist Tom Freeman, who...
Supporters of President Donald Trump will host their second parade starting at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1 - just two days before the General Election. Participants will line up at Crooked Bass Grill and Tavern, 1010 Scenic Highway North. Special guests include Polk County Commissioner Bill Braswell, Frostproof Vice Mayor Austin Gravley and Republican candidates Fred Hawkins for Florida State Representative Seat 42 and Bill Olson for U.S. House of Representatives District 9. More...
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...
The city's consultants in an online open house Aug. 20 unveiled a design plan for a Crystal Lake Connector Trail that links downtown to the trail around Lake Wailes. City staff will be showing off designs and answering questions from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21 in a storefront at 220 E. Park Ave. About 30 citizens participated in the online open house with city staff and consultants from urban planners Dover-Kohl and design architects S & ME. The consultants are working...
Anita L. Topper, 88, of Lake Wales, formerly of Waterloo, IA died Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020 at Advent Health, Lake Wales. Anita was born July 14, 1932, in Shreveport, LA, the daughter of Emory W. and Nancy J/ (Wallingsford) Holmes. She married Roger Dale Topper Sr. on April 17, 1953 in Opelika, AL; he died December 22, 1995. Anita worked as a bookkeeper at Keller Loan Company and was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Survived by: daughter Cynthia Kipp...
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...
Doris Gibb, 85, of Lake Wales passed away Friday, July 31, 2020 at her residence. She was born June 22, 1935 in Madison County, FL to the late Valto and Bernice Scurry. She moved to Lake Wales with her family as a child in 1937. Doris was retired from the payroll department of Florida's Natural. She was of the Baptist faith. She enjoyed reading, watching TV and politics. Doris was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Gibb; and brothers, Quincy Brackin, and Wilbur Scurry....
The Lake Wales City Commission, in its role as the Community Redevelopment Agency, will consider at its July 14 meeting offering $150,000 in incentives for two proposed downtown restaurants. James Ellis of Ava Properties in Heathrow is asking for a $100,000 grant - double the amount specified in the city's restaurant incentives program – to help him fund the Corner Café at One Scenic Central, a combination coffee shop and fine dining restaurant. His company purchased the tw...
This is the seventh 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. The Dover-Kohl plan is much more than an update of the well-worn 1973 improvements to Downtown. The plan covers the town's historic core. It is thorough, comprehensive, and doable. The entire plan can be viewed at: https://www.doverkohl.com/lakewales. Appropriately named "Lake Wales...
This is the sixth 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. First, let's talk about where we are headed, and next, about one of the trouble spots we may confront in getting there. Where We're Headed. The Dover-Kohl plan, entitled "Lake Wales Connected," is a comprehensive plan for the revitalization of the Lake Wales historic core. It connects...
When Gus hops on the bus he may have some extra stop options in Lake Wales. Erin Killebrew, director of external affairs with the Citrus Connection, gave city commissioners an update on the four local routes at their May 19 meeting. Killebrew said the current routes take riders from Lake Wales to Haines City, Lake Wales to the Eagle Ridge Mall, the mall to Legoland and the mall to Babson Park. The transit system is asking the city to nearly double its annual contribution to...
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...
Lake Wales city officials are asking commissioners to green light a study to determine the feasibility of building a sports and recreation complex that might attract tournaments and other special events. The study would be one element of an overall recreation master plan that would be funded with recreation impact fees. At their May 19 meeting commissioners will be asked to approve a contract with Clearwater-based Sports Facilities Advisory (SFA) for $42,500 plus travel...
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 History Museum opened the major traveling exhibit, Spirited: Prohibition in America on Tuesday, Jan. 28. Organized by the National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, PA, in partnership with Mid-America Arts Alliance, Kansas City, MO, Spirited: Prohibition in America explores the era of Prohibition, when America went "dry." Visitors will learn about the complex issues that led America to adopt Prohibition through the 18th Amendment to the Constitution in 1919 unt...
Lake Wales' longtime historian, visionary, beloved wife, and mother, Mimi (Mary Leigh Reid) Hardman, died at age 85 on Dec. 13 following an extended illness. A driving force for historic preservation and celebrating the pioneers who built Lake Wales, Hardman left behind an extraordinary legacy. In her adopted hometown and beyond, Mimi will be remembered as the founder and director of the Depot Museum, host of the annual Pioneer Days festival, red outfits and patriotic...
