Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 197
The Lake Wales Family YMCA will hold its annual 5K Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot leaving from 160 E. Park Ave. downtown. Pre-registration ended Nov. 24. Race day entry fee is $35 for adults and $15 for students. Registration is at 7:30 a.m. with the race start at 8 a.m. The race is bib chip timed, family and walker friendly. Participants receive a T-shirt and finisher medal....
The Lake Wales Arts Council put out an all-call for artwork for its Inaugural Fine Art Show and Juried Competition received 124 submissions. Fifty works from Florida artists, including across Polk County were chosen for the exhibit. The show will open to the public at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14 with a catered reception and open bar at the Lake Wales Arts Center, 1099 SR 60 East. The artists will be celebrated and 10 awards totaling $1,400 will be presented. Awards include $500...
The U.S. Marines Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program of Polk County continues to accept family and non-profit applications for toys. The deadline is Nov. 15. In 2018, due to the generosity of Polk County residents, businesses, and volunteers, the Toys for Tots program provided new toys to over 12,362 needy children in Polk County. Once the application is submitted, the applicant will receive a email acknowledging the application. Applicants must follow all instructions in the...
Sellers and buyers alike have a special opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the Ridge Scenic Highway Scenic corridor Saturday, Nov. 2 while hunting for bargains along the 39-Mile Scenic Highway Yard Sale. The Lake Wales History Museum at 325 S. Scenic Highway is one of seven official locations, hosting 30 booths along with music and food. Tables will line the Scenic Highway from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Other official locations are the Lake of the Hills Community Clubhouse, Krewe of...
The Green & Gold Foundation will host a Black & Gold Gala to raise funds to support the B Street Community Center. The Gala will include an enjoyable evening of dinner and music from 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2 at the Lake Ashton Ballroom. Tickets are $65 each or $500 for a VIP table of eight. Tickets or sponsorships can be purchased online at www.bstreetcommunitycenter.org. Sponsors also are needed for the event. Sponsor levels are: $150 for Sparkle, which includes one gala tic...
The Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE) in Lakeland is holding a contest to design the graphics and paint scheme for a modified Zenith 750, which will be named the "Spirit of Lakeland." ACE is partnering with Able Flight, a unique organization that shares a similar belief that learning to fly is a life changing experience. This partnership will enable those with physical disabilities an opportunity to earn their Light Sport Pilot Certificate in a customized aircraft that...
Bok Tower Gardens will host its annual Rootstock Plant and Garden Festival from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19. Admission is free, but there is a $10 parking fee for nonmembers. (Members park free.) The $10 parking fee can be applied at the membership lounge toward purchase of a Bok Tower membership that day. Bok Tower says Rootstock is "Central Florida's largest plant and garden extravaganza." Duke Energy is the event sponsor. Rootstock draws more than 40 vendors, who wil...
Just a few short years ago, restaurants were booming and cooking at home was something one watched on TV, but rarely attempted in real life. Then something shifted. Perhaps it was the economy. Or a desire to eat healthier. For whatever reason, people wanted to rediscover the joy of cooking. Recognizing that need, Chef Warren Caterson wrote the award-winning cookbooks Table for Two – The Cookbook for Couples and Table for Two - Back for Seconds, and Cooking Outside the Lines ...
The Lake Wales Arts Council is launching its 2019 Fall Semester education classes beginning Sept. 16. A variety of returning favorites and some new programs are scheduled for kids and adults. Classes are eight weeks in length. Enrollment fees are for the entire semester and include ALL supplies (excluding band and orchestral instruments). Multi-enrollment discounts are available as well as scholarships for youth programs. Payment plans are available for all Lake Wales Arts...
Kayak fishing is a growing sport and it's easy to see why. Kayaks are nimble, less expensive than most motorized boats and provide access to places even the best casts from land just can't reach. The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation confirms that kayaks are the most popular type of boat for Americans to own and that the number of people participating in kayak fishing has gone up in the past six years. But those who love the sport say kayak fishing is more than just a...
The Polk County History Center will host a program at 10 a.m. Aug. 31 about using Ancestry DNA for genealogical research. The workshop will be lead by Drew Smith, an associate librarian at the University of South Florida Tampa Library and the 2016 winner of the Filby Award for Genealogical Librarianship, presented by the National Genealogical Society. According to Smith, AncestryDNA continues to add new tools to help with matching other testers, categorizing the matches into...
The Lake Wales Public Library's Lifelong Learning series continues in September, with a UF/IFAS Extension presentation, Cool Weather Vegetable Gardening. This program, presented by Polk County Master Gardeners, will focus on vegetables that thrive as the heat subsides. It begins at 12 noon, Thursday, September 12. A light lunch will be provided, registration is required. The class size is limited to 20 students. Call 863-678-4004, ext. 221 to register. The LWPL's Lifelong...
Eighty Lake Wales area young people got to explore their artistic selves during two-week summer camp programs sponsored by the Lake Wales Arts Council. The children, ages 7-13, had opportunities for lessons in the digital arts, two music classes, sculpting, painting and drawing. At the end of the second camp session their work was displayed in the gallery at the arts center and their families were invited to a special reception. "Our goal is always to reach as many children as...
Supporters of Silly Socks Saturdays filled Cypress Lanes on July 27 for a fun day of bowling to raise funds to help make hospital visits better for area children and teens. High school junior Zachary Kirkland thanked participants, sponsors and raffle prize donors for helping give his organization more resources to do the work he started while in middle school. Through his Silly Sock Saturdays nonprofit, Zachary delivers gift bags with socks, games and other comfort items to pa...
Passion, drive, and follow through are items we don't always see today. To find them in one person is even less likely. Now, add strong Christian values, continually advocating for the agriculture mission, and an unflappable desire to educate the next generation of agriculture student, and you have Justin Sharpless. A few months ago, the opportunity arose to sit down and discuss his history with Warner University, his love of agriculture, and his faith. His thoughts are...
Research and geneology historian Preston Petermeier will present "The Who, What, Where and Why: A Look at City Directories" from 12:15 to 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 16 at the Polk County History Center at 100 E. Main St. in Bartow. The presentation is part of the Center's Out of the Archives Lecture Series. The Center's collection of local city directories, found in its Historical and Genealogical Library, dates back to the 19th century. Petermeier will show participants how these...
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...
Alice Absolutely is a self-taught artist positioning her work at the cusp of Abstract Emotionalism. She was born in Winter Haven and works now as Lake Wales Public Library's very own teen specialist (although you'd know her better as Amanda McCallister in that role). She is displaying artwork pieces through June 28 in the Lake Wales Public Library's Local Artist Gallery from her collection, "Flying High at the End of My Rope." This collection is a visual circus of emotional...
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Lake Wales Branch will host its 46th Annual Freedom Fund Banquet on Saturday, June 15 at the James P. Austin Community Center, 315 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., in Lake Wales. The reception starts at 5:30 p.m. and the banquet begins at 6 p.m. The Freedom Fund and Awards Banquet is celebrating the 2019 theme: "Defeat Hate - VOTE!" with the emphasis on "Vote-Our Lives Depend on It." The entire community...
The Lake Wales Arts Center is hosting two sessions of 2019 Summer Arts Camp! beginning June 17. Students ages 7-13 attend two-week camps where they participate in painting, drawing, pottery, music, graphic design, photography, and videography. The Arts Center is located at 1099 SR 60 E in Lake Wales. Classes meet from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The first session is June 17-28, and the second is July 8-19. This wheel-style day will allow students to participate in...
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...
Vice Mayor Robin Gibson issued a proclamation Tuesday, June 4 designating the week of June 8-15 as LGBTQ Pride Week in Lake Wales. Lake Wales members of PFLAG were on hand to accept the proclamation. Local PFLAG leader David Jones said 60 percent of Floridians had human rights protections, but they are not in force in Polk County. He asked the city commission to consider adopting a local human rights ordinance to protect all citizens from discrimination. Commissioners did not...
The Lake Wales Public Library's Adult Summer Reading program proves summer reading programs are not for kids only! Summer of 2019's summer reading theme for all ages is A Universe of Stories. Adult readers are encouraged to pick up a monthly reading log. Complete reading logs in June and July and you're entered into a drawing for prizes, sponsored by the Lake Wales Library Association - Friends of the Library. Adult readers can also pick up our word play, or crossword puzzle...
A team of Kairos Prison Ministry Weekend volunteers is headed to the Avon Park Correctional Institution to bring light into the darkness of prison during the annual event that begins Friday, May 25. The mission of Kairos, a Greek word meaning in "God's Special Time" or in the "Fullness of Time," is to share the transforming love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ to impact the hearts and lives of incarcerated men, women and youth, as well as their families, to become loving and p...
Lesta Woods of Vantage Deluxe Travel will be introducing her series Wine Cheese Travel Parties showcasing countries around the world at this month's Living Out Loud Poet's and Writer's Society. The group meeting starts at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 16 at Melange Antiques and Art Gallery, 250 E. Park Ave. in historic downtown Lake Wales. Woods is also this month's Guest Poet reading from her book, Thinker Thoughts. Also, the group will introduce the first of many Performing Arts in...
