Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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One of the joys of being Director of Florida State Parks is getting to know the many places within parks where visitors can learn about our state's remarkable natural and cultural history. Florida's historic and cultural landmarks are diverse and worthy of our interest, and protecting and restoring the sites that tell stories of our past help bring people together At this year's Park Ranger Academy, living history reenactors in period dress showed how interpretive programs...
If you like to fish and are willing to drive a couple of hours, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the Southwest Florida Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) have a list of invasive fish they would like you to catch. The two groups are hosting the 2019 Invasive Fish Roundup event April 26-28, with a weigh-in to occur from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 28 at Bass Pro Shops, 10040 Gulf Center Drive, Fort Myers. The roundup is a...
What is Pickleball? "It was started in 1965, in Bainbridge (Island), WA," Ambassador Helene "Pookie" DeCocq states emphatically. "It's just getting to (Florida and) the Midwest. There's tournaments all over." Carol Yarbrough adds, "We started with like four people." Another lady Pickleball organizer and player Deborah Waldrip chimes in, "And it just started growing. It's one of the fastest growing sports." From those first four players the group soon doubled to eight, and...
Three former professional athletes, a coach who won two state titles, and one of the program's most ardent supporters make up the inaugural class for the newly-created Highlander Hall of Fame. Pro football players Lorenzo Hampton and Buford Long, along with pro baseball player Pat Borders, softball coach Nancy Denton, and "The Voice of the Highlanders" Richard "Dick" Howell will be inducted May 4 during a dinner ceremony at Lake Wales Country Club. "The Highlander Booster...
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved in February rule changes for 2019-2020 regarding FWC-managed public hunting areas and statewide hunting, including many dealing with deer hunting. Visit the new FAQs webpage for information about the new rules including the annual statewide bag limit for deer, harvest reporting, youth-related deer hunting rules, Antlerless Deer Permit Program adjustments as well as other statewide rules. The new annual statewide...
On the shores of Lake Wailes, runners are invited to "Run Like You CARE" on Saturday, April 6. This race is put on by Lake Wales Care Center to benefit Meals on Wheels, one of the many service programs offered. CenterState Bank is the sponsor. Registration starts at 7 a.m. Race starts are staggered with the 10K beginning at 8 a.m., the 5K at 8:30 a.m. and the Kid's Fun Run at 9 a.m. Lake Wales Care Center is a faith-based community service organization which demonstrates...
Lake Wales High School Future Farmers of America will hold their first annual Fishing for Farmers Bass Tournament on Saturday, April 13. The event goes from safe light until 2 p.m. starting from Camp Mack Guy Harvey River Resort at 14900 Camp Mack Road in Lake Wales. The $80 entry fee includes "big bass," and there is also an $6 ramp fee. The "big bass" payout is $250. Other cash prizes are $700 for first place, $250 for second place and $100 for third place. The tournament...
Anyone who has ever said watching golf is boring has never attended a Symetra Tour event. From start to finish everyone present gave their all to make this professional and qualified amateur ladies developmental tour coupled with Florida's Natural's fundraising arm benefit event a resounding success. More than 200 volunteers administered to every need from the Pro-Am to the Junior Clinic Special Events to parking attendants to scorekeepers to standard bearers required...
On a beautiful March afternoon, we were asked to join in the celebration being held at The Vanguard School in Lake Wales. The sprawling 77-acre campus was hosting a special guest and honoring three athletes who will further their education after graduation from Vanguard. When I arrived on campus I was met by Julie Diaz, Director of Development, and she was bubbling with excitement to take me to the gym for the signing of the three athletes. As we meandered to the gym, students...
Often it is momentum that dictates success and when, in the top of the first Highlander center fielder Ben Gilbert made a diving catch off a Bloodhound line drive, it set the stage for the rest of the contest. To add insult to injury #9 Gilbert hit a single in left center and came in to score when eventual Player of the Game #2 Abdiel Flores nailed a pitch over the fence for a homer in virtually the same location as Gilbert's hit and his amazing catch. Flores followed up with...
The 11th Florida's Natural Charity Classic has brought to the area 132 women golfers participating March 12-17 in the Symetra Tour, a qualifying event for the Ladies Professional Golf Association. Earlier in the week, the ladies played with teams of three amateurs, who paid $1,800 to join them for an 18-hole round of golf to raise money for charity. The Florida's Natural Growers Foundation uses the pro-am tournament to raise funds for charity. They have awarded more than $1.4...
The Mahalak Auto Group, known as the Low Payment Kings, will be sponsoring a best ball scramble Golf Outing Tuesday, March 19 to benefit Pancreatic Cancer. The 18 Aces to Conquer Cancer 7th Annual Golf Outing will be held for the first time at the Country Club of Winter Haven, 4200 Country Club Road S. All 18 holes are set up as par 3s, so there will be18 chances for a hole in one to win the lease of a new Jeep. The organizers are looking for sponsors and vendors and can use...
On a beautiful Tuesday evening in Eagle Lake the Highlanders baseball team took on the Thunder of Lake Region. The game was decided heavily in the first inning with a six-run explosion by the Highlanders. They added two more runs in the top of the second to take a quick 8 to 0 lead. At this point Starting PItcher Blake Bradley had a no-hitter through two innings. During the third inning the Highlanders tacked on two more runs, one which was aided by an incredible bunt by...
Lake Wales Highlanders Varsity baseball took a turn for the better Monday night at Highlander Hill after splitting two games last Thursday and Friday with rival non-conference foe Bartow Yellow Jackets. Monday night's contest results were welcome news to Coach Don Bridges and his hard working Assistant Coaches Steven Wilmoth, Lorenzo Parker, Mike Gerlosky and Levi Borders managing a tricky game with two similar strength teams and Lake Wales needing to avenge an earlier loss...
When we were kids, we all had hobbies. It may have been Little League sports, theatre, music, Scouts, or any other menagerie of things that were fun. We loved being around our friends, gaining skills, and even getting rewards for success we had earned. How early in your life did you find your passion? For most of us it wasn't at four and 10 years old. Heck, some of us still haven't found it and to get to our age you would have to multiply four and ten together. This is...
Lake Wales High School is getting its own athletic hall of fame. The Highlander Booster Club will be inaugurating its first class on Saturday, May 4, with nominations for potential honorees due by March 15. Applications are available by visiting the group's facebook page or at www.lwboosterclub.com. "The purpose of the Highlander Hall of Fame is to celebrate the Highlander athletic program, honor the past success of Highlander athletics, inform students and community about...
Our Highlander boys varsity basketball are now idle after a loss Friday night March 1 to home team Lakewood Spartans in the FHSAA Regional Final in St. Pete. But the Lake Wales team and its supporters should be proud of their stellar, break out season nonetheless under the direction of Coach Don Grant, Assistant Head Coach Anthony Jones and Assistant Coaches J. R. Grant, Norman Jackson and Marcus Walker. Although falling one game short of entering the Final Four to participate...
In the final seconds of a hard fought Regional semifinal with the season on the line Lake Wales freshman Donald Gatlin took matters into his own hands sinking a 2-point shot with two seconds remaining, and the defense shut down the Tampa Jesuit Tigers to lead the Highlanders to victory, 45-44, at home. Lake Wales will face off with the 25-3 Lakewood High Spartans in the Regional State Championship Final in St. Petersburg. Lake Wales is 22-7. When asked what factor contributed...
Great Lake Wales Soccer Club results in the 2019 Polk County All Star Tournament held at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale. U15 girls won gold 2-1 verses Bartow coached by Woods. U12 boys won gold 4-1 verses LTFC coached by Mauricio. U10 boys won gold 3-2 verses LTFC coached by Minidakis. U12 girls got second 0-2 verse LTFC coached by Trantham. Coach Trantham says thanks to all the players, parents, coaches, referees and volunteers that made it all...
The Lake Wales High School varsity basketball team won the District 10 championship Saturday, Feb. 16 with a 46-44 win over Sarasota Booker that went down to the last four seconds. They now move on to the first Class 6A state championship playoff game against Tampa Robinson at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21 in their home gym, 1 Highlander Way. Coached by Don Grant, the Highlanders went 20-7 for the season, 6-2 in the district. According to MAXPREPS, Tampa Robinson was 13-11 for the...
In only their second season and under the steady hand of Coach Stacey Butcher the Lake Wales High School Boys Varsity Lacrosse team crossed a milestone under the Legion Field lights and a full moon by beating a similarly matched but seasoned Lakeland Christian in their season opener Tuesday, Feb. 19. Final score: 9-8 in double sudden death overtime. For those fortunate fans who braved a roller coaster ride of emotions over 54 unyielding minutes of nonstop action the seesaw...
The Lake Wales High School 4x800 meter track relay team set a new Polk County record at the George Jenkins Invitational tournament Feb. 16. Their time of 8:04.29 bested the school record by 3 seconds and is now the 2nd fastest in the state and nation. Relay team members in their running order were Stephen Ward, 12th grade; Ladarius Tellis, 10th grade; Joesem Torres, 10th grade; and Anderson Denton, 11th grade. They won the race by 19 seconds. Denton also finished first in the...
The Lake Wales Soccer Club is looking for additional corporate sponsors for its spring and fall programs. Cost to sponsor is $250, which is tax-deductible. Spring sponsors get their business name on the shirts of all players. Fall sponsors have their company name on each jersey for a specific team. The company also receives a team picture plaque to thank them for their sponsorship along with other recognition on the Club's website and literature published throughout the...
Senior Forward Raykwon Frazier scored 29 points while Donald Gatlin and Ty Hall each dropped in 14 of their own leading the Highlanders to a decisive 40-point victory over the (Tampa) Robinson Knights in a 6A Regional contest at home Thursday night. With a win-loss record of 21-7, Lake Wales socked it to the mismatched Robinson by working the boards on offense and applying a swarming defense using a double teaming strategy that forced numerous turnovers and missed shots that...
If you like baseball you might want to make a trip to Highlander Hill on Saturday, Feb. 16. High school players will go 50 innings against each other to prepare for the opening of prep baseball season. The event, starting at 9 a.m. is to raise funds from the community to support the high school baseball program and to build community support. Players have been collecting pledges from friends and neighbors – either a flat amount or a specific amount per inning. Donations w...
