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Green Ghost

4 ounces gin 1 ounce Chartreuse 1 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed

In a cocktail shaker add ice, gin, Chartreuse, and lime juice. Shake until well chilled. Strain into two cocktail glasses. Optional garnish with lime. Please drink responsibly. 21+

WORDS Daryl Ward

Local Art = Local Love

Perhaps my favorite part of my job as the Executive Director for the Polk Arts & Cultural Alliance is that I get to evangelize about the amazingly diverse arts and cultural opportunities that exist in Polk County. I’ve had numerous conversations over the years in which someone maligns Polk County as a rural “nothing to do here” place - to which I learned to respond, “Nothing to do here? Do you live under a rock?” While we may not have the quantity of arts and cultural offerings as our larger brethren to the east and west, Polk County is far from a cultural wasteland. And since October is National Arts & Humanities Month, it makes sense to make it hyperlocal by zooming in on the cultural offerings right here in our own backyards. We should strive to do more than just appreciate arts and culture. Instead, we should experience it. You can find web links to the places listed below here: polkarts.org/nahm.

TAKE A CLASS

Consider getting out of your comfort zone by learning something new. And don’t worry if you think you won’t be any good at it. Kurt Vonnegut, the renowned American author put it rightly when he said, “Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.” So here are a few local opportunities to grow your soul:

Basket Making - For October, Marcia Morse Mullins of the Bartow Art Guild is offering a three-week course on pine-needle basket making.

The Art of Palm Painting - Learn how to paint on palm fronds down in Frostproof at Florida Wildflower Studios.

Acting and Singing Classes - Think you’re the next Hollywood star? Consider Karissa Barber’s Acting For Film Classes in November. Or how about perfecting your musical theatre chops with a vocal lesson from Broadway Beginnings’ founder, Elizabeth Burton? You can even learn the art of improv with Out of the Box Improv at the Ritz Theatre in Winter Haven.

Beginning Pottery - Ever wanted to “throw a pot?” Then check out the Lake Wales Art Council’s Beginning Pottery Wheel classes.

Acrylic Painting - Get in touch with your inner Van Gogh by taking a painting class from renowned nature painter, Stephen Koury.

PURCHASE A MEMBERSHIP OR SUBSCRIPTION

You can directly support local arts and cultural organizations by buying season subscriptions or membership. When you do this, not only do you have access to their offerings, but if for some reason, you’re unable to attend one of the events, the organization still benefits from your patronage.

The Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern

College - Support Polk’s art museum by becoming a member. You’ll get access to special members’-only events as well as discounts on purchases.

The Lakeland Symphony Orchestra - By purchasing a season subscription, you’ll guarantee yourself a seat to hear Polk’s only professional orchestra.

All The World’s A Stage - Buy a season ticket package from Theatre Winter Haven or Lakeland Community Theatre to experience LIVE local theatre.

Bok Tower Gardens - When you purchase a membership to the historic Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, you’re giving yourself a ticket for year-round beauty.

Festival of Fine Arts - Florida Southern College’s Festival of Fine Arts is an annual event series featuring dance, music, theatre, and visual arts offerings.

TAKE A CULTURAL TOUR

Perhaps less publicized than other arts and cultural offerings, Polk County abounds with intriguing historical or architectural tours - many of which are self-guided so you can move at your own pace.

Old Polk County Courthouse - Visit the Polk History Center which now occupies the site of the iconic Polk County Courthouse, to get an architectural tour of the 1920-era building and learn more about its history.

Citrus Label Tour - Sponsored by the Davenport Historical Society, you can learn more about the art of citrus (and Polk’s past) by checking out Citrus Labels found throughout Polk County.

Frank Lloyd Wright Tour - Check out the largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world at Florida Southern College.

Frostproof Heritage Trail - Enjoy a peek into Frostproof’s historical past on this small-group tour.

VISIT A MUSEUM

Florida Air Museum - Visit the Florida Air Museum to see the world’s largest collection of Howard Hughes memorabilia and artifacts.

Lake Wales History Museum - Noting that “every town has an important history to celebrate,” the Lake Wales History Museum offers a glimpse into the past of one of Polk’s oldest communities.

Florida Children’s Museum - Though it doesn’t open at its new location until early November, the Florida Children’s Museum located at the beautiful (and new) Bonnet Springs Park offers our youngest residents engaging opportunities to learn and play.

The Mulberry Phosphate Museum - This museum, which features an actual rail car, will teach you why Mulberry, Florida was once known as the “Phosphate Capital of the World.”

The African American Heritage Museum

- The African American Heritage Museum, located in downtown Bartow, is a place where visitors can learn about the rich and diverse experiences of being a person of African American descent in Central Florida.

BUY LOCAL ART

One of the best ways to celebrate the arts and humanities is to support the artists who create the art - and what better way to do that than by purchasing local art. You can visit these locations to see and purchase artwork.

Mitchell’s Coffee House - This Lakeland landmark eatery fills its walls with rotating exhibits from local artists.

Florida Wildflower Studios - This gallery in downtown Frostproof offers an eclectic variety of local arts and crafts.

Pressed Books - Housed in an independent bookstore in downtown Lakeland, Vakti Gallery offers visitors a rotating selection from Central Florida Artists.

Winter Haven Farmers Market - Taking place every Saturday in Downtown Winter Haven, the market features more than fresh meat and produce. It also has many artisan vendors who offer art and craftwork items.

Mulberry Cultural Center - In addition to offering art classes and exhibitions of artists’ work, the Mulberry Cultural Center also sells the work of the featured artists.

BE A PATRON

Perhaps the most important way to celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month is to just go and get your art on! If there’s one thing we learned during the pandemic, it was that we need art and culture in our lives. The opportunity to gather together and experience live music or live theatre (or live comedy, or live art - you get the picture) is one that we can no longer take for granted. And many of our local arts and cultural opportunities are free or lowcost so there’s no reason not to be a patron of the arts. After all, that’s what October’s all about - that and pumpkin spice everything.

Follow the Polk Arts & Culture Alliance on Facebook and Instagram @polkartsandculture to see more local arts and culture with “31 Days of Local Arts & Culture.”

Check Me Out ;)

Compiled by Winter Haven Public Library 325 Avenue A NW (863) 291-5880

OTHER BIRDS by Sarah Addison Allen

If you like your ghost stories more magical and light than dark and creepy, you’ll want to read “Other Birds.” It is a story of a young woman who comes to live in her late mother’s apartment in a small island town and discovers she is not nearly as isolated as she thought. The book is filled with magical realism, endearing characters, and lots and lots of heart.

GHOST SUMMER: STORIES by Tananarive Due

“Ghost Summer” is a collection of a novella and 15 short stories filled with horrors, both otherworldly and not. These seemingly quiet stories suddenly pack a punch, knocking the breath out of you. Due skillfully creates character-driven, all too believable stories that feature zombies, werewolves, voodoo, and ghosts. But the genius of these stories is the way Due hides life’s larger truths under the guise of very good, very creepy horror fiction.

DAISY DARKER by Alice Feeney

This novel has all the elements I love - a gothic house in disrepair, an isolated island location, and a family with many deep secrets. But it still takes a skilled author to weave it all together in an engaging “who done it” that keeps you up at night, turning pages. Feeney does just that in this book. She is a master at twists and slippery turns. I loved this atmospheric thriller that captures the classic feel of Agatha Christie in a modern way.

SMALL ANGELS by Lauren Owen

A classic gothic ghost story centered around a small chapel surrounded by a dark and mysterious forest that comes alive (in more ways than one) in the beautiful prose of Owen’s writing. The book perfectly captures the creepy atmosphere of the forest, and the folk story fueled superstitions of the characters we meet along the way. It is a novel full of disorienting twists, and it’s best to let yourself go and get lost in the spooky story.

WHAT MOVES THE DEAD

by T. Kingfisher

“What Moves the Dead” is a masterful retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic “The Fall of the House of Usher.” In this version, a retired soldier rushes to the ancestral home of the Ushers to save a childhood friend, Madeline Usher. This tale has all of the elements of the original but weaves them into a new space. The story is wholly reimagined and yet faithful to the original. What sets this story apart is the addition of more fully developed characters who give the story new twists - some creepy, some witty, and all unique. The short novella, only 131 pages long, also deepens the original plot and gives more explanation to the ending. Impressively, Kingfisher’s storytelling matches Poe’s creepy atmosphere and psychological tension. Read with the lights on.

INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE

by Anne Rice

What a great time to revisit Anne Rice’s chilling and sexy vampire world. This month, a new TV show based on the book premiers - and I recommend reading the book first. “Interview with the Vampire” is the tale of Louis and his life as a vampire. It is a story filled with emotions and physicality - a lushly descriptive novel that engages all the senses. Rice’s writing captures the imagination and immerses you fully into the story of immortality and the age-old desire to find meaning in this world.

THE ANCESTOR by Danielle Trussoni

What a story premise! Bert Monte is leading her ordinary life when she discovers she has inherited an ancestral castle as well as the money and title to go with it. Too good to be true? Um, definitely, yes! Trussoni sends us on an eerie adventure to an isolated castle deep in the Italian Alps. This book is expertly filled with dark secrets and unexpected turns that kept me up at night.