Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Lake Wales pioneer and historic preservationist Mimi Hardman may soon have a city building named in her honor. The Lake Wales History Museum will be seeking donors to help restore and rehabilitate the historic 1916 Seaboard Airline Freight Depot, and repurpose the interior of the building as the new permanent Mimi Hardman Collections & Research Center. Items in the city collection date back to 1852, when the original government survey of Lake Wales was completed. A project of...
The popular Lake Wales History Museum speaker series took a hit when the Florida Humanities Council (FHC) announced June 11 it had lost all of its state funding. The museum now will need to find $5,000 to underwrite the five programs it expected to be provided at no cost by the Council. Executive Director Steve Siebert said the FHC normally gets about 25 percent of its annual funding for operations and programs from the state, but the Florida Legislature provided zero funding...
A "City in a Garden" with landscaped streets, a redeveloped Grove Manor featuring a mix of housing types, and a new "town square" were among the ideas presented to Lake Wales citizens Friday evening to cap a week of intensive study by the planning firm of Dover Kohl. Most of the 100 in attendance were excited by the possibilities. The week-long effort, sponsored by Lake Wales Mainstreet and funded by local businesses, included gathering ideas and suggestions from the public,...
To continue focusing on its mission and to promote brand awareness the Lake Wales Museum and Cultural Center has been renamed the Lake Wales History Museum. The Lake Wales City Commission Tuesday, May 21 approved the name change, recommended by Museum Director Jennifer D'Hollander. "As an established resource in the Lake Wales community, the museum has included many different activities over the years. Today, the museum looks to the future as a focused, vibrant center focused...
New restaurants, coffee shops, micro-breweries and grocery stores planned for the heart of Lake Wales are eligible to take advantage of up to $50,000 from a new CRA grant program to help get them off the ground. The grants are designed to stimulate the development of new food-related businesses in Lake Wales' two Community Redevelopment Districts. They are administered through the City's Community Redevelopment Agency. Targeting a variety of food and beverage businesses, the...
Good food and fun are drawing crowds into the popular Crooked Bass Grill and Tavern, but there's also a fascinating bit of Babson Park history behind the success. Featuring a large and diverse menu and a full bar, the Crooked Bass is already a familiar dinner-time destination for folks in Babson Park and Frostproof, but as its reputation grows, people are making the drive from Lake Wales, Avon Park, Winter Haven, Haines City, and surrounding towns. The project of Tammy and...
It's blueberry season, and blueberries are good for your health. Crown Jewel Farms U-Pick season opened April 1 for blueberries. We are fortunate to be able to get certified organic produce this good in our back yard. Their address is 106 Egg Farm Road in Lake Wales. Their phone number is 863-528-2402. Their website is https://crownjewelorganic.com/ Right now they also have cabbage, cucumbers, and kale. Egg Farm Road is on the west side of Scenic Highway between Mountain Lake...
An experienced cast and a script full of twists and turns lead to an entertaining evening of live theatre in "The Assassin's New Friend." The psychological thriller runs through March 31 at Lake Wales Little Theatre. Bok Academy educator Jeff Herman plays Kendrick, the "crazed man" plotting to kill attorney Douglas Brendan, played by engineer John Durbin. Both are veterans of multiple shows, as is apparent in their performances. Herman's portrayal of the "psycho" Kendrick...
Fans of live theatre will enjoy some spine-tingling chills during March as Lake Wales Little Theatre presents "The Assassin's New Friend." The psychological thriller features a very reluctant "friend" who finds himself dragged into a murder plot by a crazed killer. Faced with a "Hobson's choice," the true-crime writer is pulled deeper as the plot twists and turns. Featuring Jeff Herman as the scheming Kendrick, and Robert Connors as often-horrified writer Brian Hollander, the...
Downtown Lake Wales' Mélange Gallery will host a visit from poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker Will Berry on Thursday March 21. A resident of Maine, Berry has won numerous awards at film festivals in North America and Europe and is developing his own unique way of utilizing the media in very surprising ways. A graduate of Brown University's noted film school, Berry will screen some of his projects during the evening, and answer questions about his ground-breaking style. He...
April Love Belligan, 61, of Venice, Florida, died March 13 in her sleep at the Venice Regional Bayfront Health Hospital. She was born on March 1, 1958 in Lake Wales to the late Norma (Wooten) and Remus Perry Love Jr. She was the youngest daughter of six children. She is survived by her husband Richard Belligan of Nokomis, FL, who she married Oct. 14, 2005. April grew up in Polk County. She had various talents and interests. She enjoyed working in several management positions such as office manager of Swango Animal Hospital....
AAUW is hosting a Card Party from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, March 23 at the Lake of the Hills Clubhouse at 44 E. Starr Ave. off Scenic Highway north of Lake Wales. Players should reserve a table to play games with their own group. The cost is a donation of $10 per person, which covers desserts and beverages. Seating is limited. Call Betty Martin at 863-638-1877 to reserve a table. AAUW Lake Wales Branch is a 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable corporation promoting education and equity for...
It still surprises Jennifer D'Hollander when people drop by the Lake Wales Museum for the first time and say they didn't realize it was there. The restored railroad Depot has been offering visitors a glimpse into Central Florida's past for more than 40 years. Museum Director D'Hollander and her staff are working diligently to promote the facility, its exhibits and programs. Their hard work paid off in 2018, when they hosted 6,577 visitors, a 37 percent increase over 2017....
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...
There is something very special happening in the downtown historic district of Lake Wales. Melange Antiques and Art Gallery has moved to a new location at the corner of Park Avenue and Scenic Highway, and is now offering much more than its former incarnation. Melange Antiques originated in Venice, Florida. Proprietor Linda Ann Truitt brought it in 2014 to Lake Wales, where it became Melange Antiques, Art Gallery & Wine Bar. In September 2018, the establishment moved down the...
For more than 50 years, the Lake of the Hills Community Club has hosted an always popular Ice Cream Social. This year's event will run from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16 at the historic clubhouse, 44 E. Starr Ave. in Lake of the Hills off Scenic Highway north of Lake Wales. The Rock & Roll themed event will include servers in 1950s dress and music from that era. The event also includes raffles and a silent auction, which closes at 4:30 p.m. at the same time the last ice cream is...
Polk County commissioners sent plans for a large gas station and convenience store back to the Polk County Planning Commission after hearing public concerns that the development is too large for the area and might harm Crooked Lake. The gas station – a Circle K is being planned By Atlantic Funding Limited – would be at the intersection of U.S. 27 and County Road 640 just outside Lake Wales. It was proposed to have 28 spaces to pump gas. There would be no overnight par...
