LKLD May 2023

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May

During Women's Health Care Month, we celebrate the women of Bond Clinic! 85% of the Bond Clinic workforce are women and they play a pivotal role in our day-to-day operations. They are our doctors, nurses, & hundreds of other positions that have sustained us for 75 years! Thank you for being a crucial part of the community.

ON THE COVER: Molly Ahler, Academy Director for the Florida Dance Theatre

Hello and thanks for picking up the May issue! This month we’re focusing on the arts. We visited the Florida Dance Theatre, Polk County’s only professional dance company. We also spent time with Jaret Landon, a Fort Meade native now living and working in LA. He has made it his mission to give back to the community where he was raised.

I’d like to welcome our new contributing writer, Shannon Carnevale. Shannon is the Natural Resources & Conservation Extension Agent II, M.S. for Polk County. She will be writing on various environmental issues, we’re so excited to have her join us. Thank you to the Lakeland Public Library for the May book recommendations. Continue tagging your Facebook & Instagram posts with #lkldhaven and you might find them in the next issue.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms, grandmothers, and mother figures out there, we are better because of you. XO

Have a great month & I hope to see you around town!

Amy Sexson Editor/Partner Haven & LKLD Magazines Winter Haven Farmers Market CentralfloridaTix.com Destroyer Media & Marketing

amy@destroyermedia.com

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LOCAL NEWS

ZONING CHANGED

The northern shore of Lake Wire – between Lawton Chiles Middle Academy and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvdd – is set for explosive growth in the next year with two new lakefront apartment complexes planned. The City Commission green-lit a zoning change for one property and up to $775,000 in infrastructure reimbursements for the other in April. The commissioners voted 5-2 to change the zoning of 401 W. Peachtree St. from commercial to multifamily residential.

Commissioner Stephanie Madden launched a last-minute bid to delay the vote to try to save a red brick home on the site that has been vacant since Zohra’s Restaurant closed in 2011. Attorney Tim Campbell stressed that the 1925 structure is not protected by any historic designation and the company that now owns it has a legal right to demolish it under the existing zoning.

MUNN PARK

City officials are talking about adding a welcome center, restrooms and various play activities for children and adults at Munn Park. But officials, concerned residents, and board members of the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority say plans for a revitalized Munn Park cannot move forward until the city genuinely confronts the longstanding issue of the homeless population loitering in the park and the related issue of churches and residents continuing to donate meals to them each day in the park. The issues were discussed during the LDDA board’s half-day retreat. Executive Director Julie Townsend said the city needs to create a level of expectation of law-abiding behaviors because arresting people repeatedly for their bad behaviors is not the answer. Churches and other concerned groups have been asked by city officials in recent months to stop bringing food to distribute in Munn Park.

DOWNTOWN TRANSFORMATION

Soloman Wassef’s dream of opening a tiki bar in downtown Lakeland is one step closer to reality. The Lakeland City Commission voted unanimously in April to grant a conditional use permit for the proposed Island Breeze bar, located under his existing Lakeland Loft. The Lakeland Downtown Development Authority held a board retreat recently to discuss downtown’s ongoing transformation, including the number of bars that downtown can support, how often streets should be closed and the best ways to prevent rowdy behavior. LDDA Director Julie Townsend sent out a survey recently to downtown business owners, with 34 responding. Among the most popular ideas: more public events like First Fridays, a daytime shuttle like The Squeeze for area residents, valet parking, beautification of the sidewalks, staff to ensure a clean and safe environment, and a police presence to prevent panhandling and bad behavior.

MAGIC & TROPICS

In April, The Lakeland Magic announced that it was moving to Kissimmee and then 10 days later, the Florida Tropics said it would no longer play at the RP Funding Center. Both teams cited a doubling of their rent as the reason for their departures. RP Funding Center manager Tony Camarillo has been under pressure from the Lakeland City Commission to generate more revenue and reduce the city’s subsidy of the center. At a 2022 retreat, Mutz assigned Camarillo the task of cutting $800,000 from the $1.8 million subsidy the RP Funding Center projected it will request from the city in the next fiscal year’s budget — down from $4.4 million in annual subsidies three years ago. For fiscal year 2022, which began Oct. 1, Camarillo forecasted the center’s total revenues would top $5.2 million, but with costs of about $8.23 million — a $3 million deficit. Following the Tropic’s announcement, Camarillo tendered his resignation.

SCHOLARSHIP FINALISTS

The Polk County School Board recently recognized its best and brightest students: the seven students – five from Lakeland -- are among this year’s National Merit Scholarship finalists. The students took the Practice Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) in October of their junior year. From those results, the National Merit Scholarship Corp. named the semifinalists in September of their senior year. In February, they named the finalists, who are the highest-scoring entrants from each state, representing less than 1% of seniors nationwide. The finalists are: Cullen Wyatt of Lakeland High; James Barrios, Neil Dave, Elijah Englund and Keshav Singh of International Baccalaureate at Bartow High School (all are Lakeland residents); Gianna Junqueira of Davenport High; and Payson Keown of Haines City High IB.

RECYCLING ENDS

Polk County officials announced it will permanently end its recycling program in October 2024. County Commissioner Bill Braswell and newly retired Waste and Recycling Director Ana Wood explained that only 60-65% of county residents participate in recycling and a lot of what they put in their bins isn’t actually recyclable – so much of it ends up in the landfill anyway. The change will affect people who live outside of Lakeland’s city limits and have black and yellow trash bins. It will not affect Lakeland city residents whose trash bins are green. The county has struggled with regular trash collection and declared a local emergency in November as a result of missed collections. While the county will save money by ending the service, Braswell cautioned that customers not only will not see a decrease in their bills, residents of unincorporated areas will likely see an increase in 2024. The county has not raised collection rates in seven years.

SCHOOL UPDATES

Rochelle School of the Arts recently unveiled its refurbished auditorium, with new cushioned seats replacing the original wooden ones, greater accessibility for those with disabilities, fresh paint and carpeting, and upgraded fiber optic connectivity. The school opened in 1950 as William R. Rochelle High School, an all-Black school during segregation. It transitioned to Rochelle School of the Arts in 1992, a K-8 Performing Arts school, the first of its kind in Florida and the second of its kind in the country. Rochelle has been a model for the various other performing arts elementary and middle schools in the state that have followed. Many Alumni of Rochelle High School were on hand for a special performance of the school’s show chorus and ribbon cutting with dignitaries in April.

LAKELAND ELECTRIC

Lakeland City Commissioners got an unexpected and shocking $21 million repair bill in April for Lakeland Electric’s McIntosh Power Plant Unit 5. The natural gas-powered unit, which produced 64% of the utility’s electricity last year, lurched to a halt on Feb. 23 and has been out of commission ever since. Lakeland Electric officials said damage was most likely caused by failure of 16inch metal expansion bellows used to cool the air in the rotor -- original equipment that had been in service for 22 years. General Manager Mike Beckham said Unit 5 is not expected to be functional again until late June, but repairing it is far more cost effective than any alternative. The equipment is insured, and Lakeland Electric has been in contact with an adjuster to file a claim, but it will likely be two to three years before the city receives any money.

SCHOOL SAFETY

A plan is under consideration by Polk County Public Schools to replace all Lakeland Police school resource officers with sheriff’s deputies and that has alarmed some city officials, who said they are receiving calls from concerned parents. The idea was proposed by PCPS Superintendent Frederick Heid during a two-hour, closed-door session with the School Board and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd last month as part of annual update on school safety. The Sheriff’s Office oversees the school district’s Safe Schools Office. Heid said he wanted to work with only one law enforcement agency and have uniform ways of dealing with students at all schools. The change would affect every municipality in the district that has its own officers in schools. The meeting was held behind closed doors because it discussed security issues and safety plans, which are exempt from Florida’s Sunshine Laws.

EDGAR PICKETT, JR

Edgar Pickett, Jr., one of Lakeland’s first Black police officers, died April 6 surrounded by his family. He was 95 and many say will be remembered as a trailblazer, and a hero. Pickett went from a patrol officer during segregation to detective and one of the most accomplished forensics experts in the state. He attended trainings at the prestigious FBI Academy and taught law enforcement to students at several community colleges in Central Florida, including at Polk Community College, an institution he was not allowed to attend to become an officer in March 1954. After being shot while on duty in 1964, Pickett taught himself the aspects of forensics work, including fingerprinting, photography, evidence collection, and how to identify different bullets left at crime scenes. After retiring, he continued to work with young people in the hope of guiding them onto the right path. Pickett spent the twilight years of his life caring for his wife Lena. The couple was married for 72 years until her death in 2022.

MORE THAN A GREAT SHOW

Lakeland Community Theatre’s Out of the Box Troupe is a community theater group made up of 75 active members aged 14-65 with special needs. The group meets every week at LCT to work on improv, scene work, dance and other skills. Twice a year, the troupe performs a one-act musical production for the community. The first show of 2023 takes place May 5 & 6. The troupe accepts new members in January/February and August/September each year. This program is free to anyone who would like to join!

CITYWORKS (X)PO

May 4 & 5 at The Ritz. Attendees will be immersed in thought-provoking presentations and performances from speakers around the US. By night, the conference continues with networking events. Attendees represent communities from across Florida. (X)po is about the people, places and the projects that inspire us. cityworksxpofl.com

POLK TOP 10

TEN STORY CHALLENGE

May 5, 3 – 9 pm. The Ten Story Challenge is a peer-to-peer fundraising event where community members raise a minimum of $500 and then rappel from the Lakeland Electric building. Guests can enjoy food trucks, Little Bus Books, a DJ, a photo booth, and more. pacecenter. org/locations/florida/polk

FIRST FRIDAY: CINCO DE MAYO

May 5, 6 – 9 pm at Munn Park. First Friday is a family-friendly event held in the streets of Downtown Lakeland between Lemon St and Oak St along Kentucky and Tennessee Ave. Downtown shops and restaurants will be open late. Don’t miss the Makers Market & Food Trucks on Pine St. downtownlkld.com

MAYFAIRE BY-THE-LAKE

May 13 & 14, 9 am – 4 pm. This is one of Florida’s largest and most celebrated annual outdoor art festivals. Presented on Mother’s Day weekend every year, Mayfaire features more than 150 artist booths on the shores of Lake Morton in downtown Lakeland. mayfairebythelake.org

BASEBALL BINGO

May 16 at Publix Field. Every Tuesday night when the Flying Tigers play at home. All fans receive a bingo card as they enter the gates, with a chance to win prizes from local area restaurants and attractions. Baseball Bingo starts at bat beginning in the bottom of the 1st inning. The fun ends once 10 winning fans have been announced. milb.com/lakeland

ORSON’S SHADOW

May 17 & 18 at Lakeland Community Theatre. A tale of Orson Welles and Laurence Olivier. The time is 1960; the place is a West End theatre. Critic Kenneth Tynan has made a startling proposal: Welles should direct Olivier and the young Joan Plowright in Rhinoceros, Ionesco’s absurdist masterpiece. lakelandcommunitytheatre.com

CINEMA ART HISTORIQUE

May 20, 6 pm at Polk Museum of Art. Watch Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003). After the screening, enjoy a Q&A and discussion with Dr. Alex Rich, Executive Director and Chief Curator, about how the evening’s film aligns with the histories and stories it strives to tell. Registration is required, and space is limited. polkmusuemofart.org

VISTE OPEN

May 22 beginning at 11 am at The Club at Eaglebrooke. This friendly 18-hole competition is limited to 34 teams. Register your team today for an afternoon of good fun for a great cause! The day begins with a Putting Contest and box lunch, followed by a Shotgun Start. Try your skills at the $25,000 Hole-in-One Shootout at the 18th Hole, followed by the awards reception with heavy hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, silent auction awards, and 50/50 drawing. viste.org/viste-golf-open

WAWA SUMMER FUN DAYS

May 25 & 26. Wawa and Bok Tower Gardens are teaming up again to offer Wawa Summer Fun Days featuring complimentary admission on the last Thursday and Friday of May through September. Pre-registration is required for this complimentary offer. Visitors can register at boktowergardens.org.

DINNER & A MOVIE

May 27, 6:30 pm at the Gem Theater. Watch Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). A strange prehistoric beast lurks in the depths of the Amazonian jungle. A group of scientists try to capture and bring it back to civilization for study. Admission includes screening of the film and a seated dinner. centralfloridatix.com

ORLANDO TOP 10

FLOWER & GARDEN FESTIVAL

Through July 5 at EPCOT. Gardens are the feature, see live sculptures of your favorite Disney characters, try exclusive sips & bites inspired by nature, and stay for the Garden Rocks series including the bands Smash Mouth, The Pointer Sisters, and The Commodores. disneyworld.disney.go.com

DINOSAURS

Through July 8 at Leu Gardens. Explore the the nearly 50-acre gardens to discover over 20 life-size dinosaurs. A map will guide you, please allow 1-2 hours to find all the dinosaurs. Admission to the dinosaurs is included with regular daytime admission. No entry after 4 pm. leugardens.org

HISTORIC WALKING TOUR

May 5, 9:30 am at the Downtown Orlando Info Center. This is a free guided tour of the Downtown Historic District featuring architectural and historic information about some of downtown Orlando’s oldest and most historic buildings. Tours last approximately 1.5 hours. Reserve online. downtownorlando.com

DERBY ON PARK

May 6, 4:30 – 7:30 pm at the Winter Park Events Center. Enjoy 4-hours of fun at the ultimate Kentucky Derby viewing experience with two large format drop down screens, lite bites and passed hors d’oeuvres, premium open bars, music inside & outside, dancing, and best hat contest. Derby attire encouraged.

winterparkevents.com

BLUEY’S BIG PLAY

May 6 & 7 at Dr. Phillips Center. A brand-new theatrical adaptation of the children’s television series, that features an original story and new music. Join Bluey, Bingo, Bandit & Chilli as puppets. This is Bluey as you’ve never seen it before, brought to real life. drphillipscenter.org

DOWNTOWN BOUTIQUE STROLL

May 11, 5 – 8 pm in historic Downtown Winter Garden. Participating shops will provide complimentary light refreshments, in-store raffles, and outdoor and indoor sales and promotions. Enjoy ideal weather while strolling shop-toshop along the twinkle-lit, brick-lined streets. cwgdn.com

“LET’S MISBEHAVE” SONGS OF COLE PORTER

May 13, 3:30 pm and 7:30 pm at the Dr. Phillips Center. This is a fresh and sexy take on the timeless songs of Cole Porter, sung, danced, and played by the Orlando Philharmonic and special guest artists. “Anything Goes” on this night dedicated to Porter. drphillipscenter.org

FRINGE FESTIVAL

May 16 – 29, The Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival is a 14-day immersive cultural experience featuring hundreds of ticketed theatrical performances and a free outdoor music festival. Loch Haven Park serves as the main campus for the festival. Fringe is uncensored, unjuried, inclusive and all proceeds go to the artists. orlandofringe.org

BEER‘MERICA

May 20, 3 – 6 pm at Ivanhoe Village. Featuring 100 different craft brews from the USA to sample from, along with live music, food trucks, game zone and more. Come dressed up in your most patriotic gear for a chance to win your favorite beer for a year. 21+ only, dog-friendly, rain or shine, VIP available. beermericaorlando.com

RUN NONA H20

May 20, 6:15 pm at the Lake Nona Town Center. Lake Nona’s signature race transforms into a family fun festival. There will be ice-cold treats and live entertainment after the race. The Kids’ Run and Kids’ Zone will have fun and splash-tastic activities for the kids. Chip timed 5k, virtual option available. trackshack.com/event/298

TAMPA TOP 10

TAMPA BAY RAYS

It’s baseball season! Catch the Rays play the Pirates, Yankees, Brewers, Blue Jays and Dodgers in May. Purchase tickets, learn about stadium promotion days, season tickets, and the latest news on the players online. Rays Up for the Rays! mlb.com/rays

SUNSET PADDLE HAPPY HOUR

Every Friday from 6 – 7pm at Armature Works. Urban Kai is offering Sunset Paddle Happy Hour stand up paddleboards & kayak rentals. The SUP or kayak rental is a special happy hour price of $25. double kayaks are $35. Reserve in advance. urbankai.com

RIVERFEST

May 5 & 6. Riverfest spans the entire length of the Tampa Riverwalk with a concert series on the main stage at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park with a balloon glow at sunset both nights. Other activities include a wiener dog derby, a lantern parade, yoga and a paddle invasion. thetampariverwalk.com

ALICE

May 10 – 20 at the Straz. Based on the works of Lewis Carroll, performed by Jobsite Theater, this cabaret spectacle will combine live music, visual art, puppetry, aerial and circus arts, plus plenty of good old fashioned theater magic. strazcenter.org

SECOND SATURDAY ART WALK

May 13, 5 – 9 pm at The Factory in St. Pete. Wander through The Factory, support talented local artists, and check out newly revealed gallery exhibits, spaces, murals, & expansions of artist studios. The Art Walk Trolley makes it easy to visit everyone. thefactorystpete.com

IMAGINE MUSEUM’S NIGHT SHIFT

May 13, 5 – 9 pm. Discounted admission of $10 per person every 2nd Saturday of the month. Imagine Museum members can attend for free. Imagine Museum is dedicated to contemporary glass art, and the Night Shift allows patrons to experience the museum at night. imaginemuseum.com

JAGGED LITTLE PILL

May 16 – 21 at the Straz. This is the new musical based on the music of Alanis Morissette. This production is about a perfectly imperfect American family. The Grammywinning score breathes life into this original production. Ages 17+. strazcenter.org

MARDI GRAS IN MAY 5K

May 21, 7 am at Gadsden Park. Everyone is encouraged to “dress the part” and engage in the spirit of the event. They will hand out beads & masks, stay for a costume contest following the completion of the 5K. Funds benefit the Early Childhood Council of Hillsborough County. victorysportsmgt.com/ecc5k

SUNSET MUSIC FESTIVAL

May 27 & 28 outside of the Raymond James Stadium. This two-day festival features a cross section of genres including techno, house, trance, and bass. Ages 18+ only. General Admission tickets, GA Plus, and VIP tickets available. smftampa.com

CUBAN SANDWICH FESTIVAL

May 28, noon – 6 pm at Centennial Park in Ybor City. Enjoy live music and some of the best Cuban sandwiches in the world; featuring contestants and chefs from all over the world competing for the chance to go to the World Food Championships. VIP Tickets available. ilovecubansandwiches.com

Florida Dance Theatre

The Florida Dance Theatre, founded in 1993 by Carol Krajacic Erkes, is a “home and a community rather than a program,” according to Artistic Director Stefan Dolbashian and Board Chair Tiffany Van Wieren. Florida Dance Theatre (FDT) is Lakeland’s only nonprofit professional dance company and a hub for dance education, excellence, and outreach.

The studio’s inclusion and community outreach are what drew Stefan Dolbashian to the dance company. Dolbashian was born and raised in New York City. He grew up surrounded by artists – his mother, a classical singer and vocal coach; his father, a percussionist who played for Earth, Wind & Fire; and his brother, a dancer and choreographer. Dolbashian, his father, and his grandfather are all alumni of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, known ubiquitously as the “Fame School.”

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WORDS Tara Crutchfield PHOTOGRAPH Provided

At 19, he auditioned with the Florida Dance Theatre at the Alvin Ailey School in New York, where he trained. Offered an apprenticeship with the company, Dolbashian moved to Lakeland. He left for several years on contract with Peridance Contemporary Dance Company and spent that time touring the U.S. and Europe. “After the touring was over, I found that I really missed Lakeland and FDT,” Dolbashian said. As soon as his contract was up, he called Erkes, who gave him an opportunity to return to the company he loved as a resident choreographer until she retired in 2019 and Dolbashian took over as artistic director.

Board Chair for Florida Dance Theatre, Tiffany Van Wieren, is the Arts and Medicine coordinator for Watson Clinic Foundation. After meeting Erkes, Van Wieren was impressed with the company she’d created. “I thought this was a beautiful blend of having professional dancers and education and outreach,” Van Wieren said. As a former art teacher, the emphasis on arts and education was important to her. She later met Executive Director Jermaine Thornton, appreciated his vision, and decided to sign onto the Board last year. “I am very committed to Florida Dance Theatre being the first thing that pops to mind when you think of arts impact in our community,” she said.

A DANCE COMPANY FOR EVERYONE

Florida Dance Theatre started as Lakeland Ballet, a training school in a modest warehouse in Lakeland. “[Erkes] never originally designed it to have a professional company. She just wanted to be able to teach dance and have that available to the youth here in Lakeland,” Dolbashian said. “Over time, belief in the organization continued to grow, as well as the student body.”

As her first students graduated, they didn’t want to leave her school. That, Dolbashian said, was the birth of the professional dance company. “That has only empowered the school further because these wonderful current professional dancers are the children’s educators,” he said. “I think that’s powerful.”

According to FDT, “Ms. Erkes was impressed by the talent available in the Polk County region; and while recognizing a lack of dance programming in the area, she formed Polk County’s first, and to this date, only professional dance company.”

The dance company has seen dancers from around the country and the world, including Russia, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. These professional dancers make up the faculty of the auxiliary training academy, which offers instruction in classical ballet, jazz, modern, and more. “Several Academy students have gone on to pursue their professional careers with other companies, including the Joffrey Ballet, Ballet Met, Memphis Ballet, Ballet Magnificat, the Smuin Company, and Hartford Ballet,” according to FDT. “Many students have also received scholarships to college dance programs, including Florida State, Southern Methodist University, and Goucher College.”

The company serves as a nonprofit professional dance company, training academy, and hub for community outreach. Florida Dance Theatre has had educational partnerships with organizations such as Family Fundamentals, Salvation Army, and the Lakeland Housing Authority, summer camps, scholarship programs, and in-school Arts in Education performance series.

A vested interest in creating awareness and exposure to arts education has led the organization to do many large-scale productions, including original fulllength ballets. “We’ve been able to combine the professional academy as well as the students to do full-length professional productions,” Dolbashian said.

“This group of individuals that dance and teach here, I always refer to them as the most beautiful band of misfits I’ve ever seen,” said the artistic director. Where many dance companies require one standard body type, “That’s not a vision that we see here. We believe dance is for everyone. There’s no such thing as too tall, too short, too thick – that doesn’t exist here. We do want you to be technically strong. [...] But as long as you have that hard work and drive, this is a dance company for everyone.”

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A REBIRTH

Florida Dance Theatre will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year. With this milestone comes a restructuring and revitalization for the company. Board Chair Tiffany Van Wieren noted that they look to other arts organizations, like Polk Museum of Art and Lakeland Symphony Orchestra, who have undergone similar growth and rebirth in recent years. “That’s what we’re looking to do,” she said.

A part of that process will be moving to a new location and revamping the company’s infrastructure. “The three directors here have done amazing things with very limited resources,” Van Wieren said. As Board Chair, she is tasked with giving them better resources and helping them to flesh out the behind-thescenes systems to keep things running smoothly and “do the most good in our community.”

The move means bringing their facilities to an even higher standard. The dance theatre looks to have a prominent building with more space. Van Wieren called the move “part of a bigger picture” to inspire awareness and support to build or purchase their own building. “If you look at similar cities where they are now, they typically have three strong arts organizations. They have a very strong nonprofit dance organization, arts, and symphony,” Van Wieren said. “Here in Lakeland, we have two out of the three. This organization has amazing, wonderful quality, […] but there’s still not a lot of awareness of what FDT does, and I think that’s the missing piece, truly.”

“Lakeland deserves this,” Van Wieren added. “We are fully nonprofit; we belong to Polk County. […] We belong to our citizens.”

OUTREACH PROGRAMS

Community outreach isn’t an afterthought for FDT; it’s at the dance company’s core. “The way they do it is very personal,” Dolbashian said. “Our executive director, Jermaine, is a fantastic grant writer and is fantastic at implementing these programs.”

Van Wieren said, “Dance is integral to who we are as human beings, and it’s so important that we move our bodies.” The company’s outreach is inclusive of all ages and tends to fall into three categories – Arts and Education, Arts and Health, and Passport to the Arts.

Under Arts and Education, FDT has partnered with other arts organizations

like the Lakeland Symphony Orchestra to tie in performances for Polk County Schools. They also host annual summer camps and have created year-round after-school programs in local public schools. “We were able to have the kids from Crystal Lake in our “Nutcracker” this year,” Dolbashian said of the afterschool program.

Another workshop involved a partnership with the Robotics and Engineering department at Florida Poly Tech. “We were able to marry dance and engineering together in a summer program where the students learned aspects of robotics and created costumes that would light up,” Dolbashian said.

“Dance is so expensive to participate in. There are so many children who want to do it whose families don’t have the accessibility to do so,” said the artistic director. FDT provides education, studio space, and dance clothes through its outreach programs. “My parents went through a lot and sacrificed a lot to make sure I was able to do what I wanted to. I would love to make it easier on our Polk County families if we can.”

For Arts and Health, FDT partners with the Watson Clinic Foundation to integrate arts and aging programs. Florida Dance Theatre has also established relationships with local assisted care facilities for their Passport to the Arts. The program utilizes sponsors to provide tickets for those in partnering assisted care homes to see FDT productions like “The Nutcracker” and “The Wizard of Oz.” Passport to the Arts is modeled after a nationwide ‘social prescription’ program that pairs seniors with a social prescription for something they’re interested in, like dance, music, and art.

BE PART OF THE POSSIBLE

Those interested in supporting Florida Dance Theatre can patronize the 30th anniversary season and ‘Be pART of the Possible’ by donating to their 30th Anniversary Giving Campaign. Donors can choose where their funds go, like towards moving expenses and build-out for the new space or to sponsor a dancer. In-kind donations are welcome, as well as time, as they look to expand and diversify their Board.

Florida Dance Theatre

305 W Main St, Lakeland (863) 802-0399

FB: Florida Dance Theatre www.floridadancetheatre.org

Dorothy Jean’s Dream Initiative

On the breezy front porch of the Fort Meade Historical Museum, Founder & Executive Director of Dorothy Jean’s Dream Initiative, Jaret Landon, began to tell his story. He chose the setting for its connection to the rich history of the oldest city in Polk County, a city he loves dearly. “This place has my heart,” he said. Landon is an NAACP Award Winning Composer and Music Director with work on Broadway, film, and television. He returned to Fort Meade ten months ago in the throes of his career to ignite the foundation he started in his mother’s honor.

Since age five, Landon could hear a song once and play it on the piano. He said, “I actually started playing because my brother got all the attention.” Landon hails from a musical family with his grandmother, mother, and brother playing piano. “My grandparents and mother nurtured that gift,” he said.

That gift eventually landed him at Harrison School for the Arts. He’d wake up each day at 4:30 a.m. to catch the bus to school. Before he went off to college, Landon promised his grandparents that as he grew his career, he would always come home to give back. He intends to keep that promise. “There is a pump inside of me that pumps into my veins, the belief that you can be great, you will be great, and with this greatness, it is not for you. It is to serve and help others. […] And I believe it deeply.”

“I wanted to be an artist,” Landon said. He comes from an honest, hardworking family. His grandfather was a pastor and worked for the U.S. Steel Corporation, and his grandmother worked at the canning plant. “The idea of being an artist and making a living was a little bit foreign… or a lot a bit foreign, and they wanted to make sure I had something to fall back on.” They continued encouraging his abilities and trusted he would figure it out as he attended Florida State University for Music Performance.

Landon’s foundation is family and faith. He grew up singing hymns in church just a mile from the Historical Museum. His grandfather pastored Beulah Baptist Church for some 45 years, and Landon grew up there playing the piano, drums, and organ. He ushered, was a choir member, maintenance man, and whatever else the Lord and his grandfather called on him to do.

“Beulah Baptist Church is my home church,” he said. “It’s where they allowed me to explore, allowed me to grow. The patience and the love that they gave me while I was there is the foundation of who I am, of who I became in my journey, and it really gave me wings to fly.” At age 11, Landon became the music director of the church’s youth, adult, and men’s choirs. By 13, he was planning Christmas cantatas and Easter concerts, laying the bedrock for his career to come. That role validated Landon in ways he wouldn’t understand until years later. It made him feel loved and appreciated. Because of his early

experiences at his grandfather’s church, Landon could go off to FSU, lead the big jazz band and combos, and music direct the Florida State gospel choir for the first two years.

During his freshman year at FSU, Landon put out his first record and live DVD recording. As the backdrop for the project, he returned to the flock that gave him wings to fly. Landon and twenty college friends loaded into his mom’s station wagon and the church bus and road-tripped from Tallahassee to Fort Meade. He hired a film crew and recorded at Beulah Baptist. He reflected on that first of many milestones. From a young age, he was told, “You are going to do well.” Landon said, “Sometimes when someone’s belief in you is so far greater than what you can see, when they say it enough, you believe it.”

Upon graduating from Florida State, Landon had a decision to make. Was he to move to New York for theatre or LA for film and television? Both felt overwhelming at the time. He was the first in his large extended family to leave the state. One of his teachers, an alumnus of Northwestern University in Chicago, suggested the Windy City as the best move for Landon. He applied, was accepted, and he and his mother loaded up his two-door Toyota Solara and drove from Tallahassee to Chicago. He eventually transferred from Northwestern to VanderCook College of Music, where he earned his master’s in education.

In Chicago, Landon’s whole life changed. In 2008 he found himself with the unexpected opportunity to work on the musical “Black Nativity” by Langston Hughes. It was the first show he’d ever been the musical director on, and though he’d never done it before and didn’t know exactly how everything worked, he had solid footing. “What I did have is I was the music director at my granddad’s church at 11 and 12.” Since then, Landon has directed a show regionally, off-Broadway, or on Broadway every year.

In 2010, Landon was called to Chicago’s Goodman Theatre to work on a show. Denzel Washington’s wife, Pauletta, was coming out of retirement for the production “Crowns” by Regina Taylor. Unfortunately, Landon was passed up for the role of music director.

According to Landon, a nervous Pauletta requested an accompanist for a photo shoot, and they tapped him for the gig. He played the piano while she was photographed. “She was raised in a church where they sang a lot of hymns,” he said. Landon knew all the hymns from his time at Beulah Baptist. “As she’s going from hymn to hymn to hymn, I am following her no matter what key she was in. I knew all of them. She said, ‘Who is this little boy?’”

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WORDS Tara Crutchfield PHOTOGRAPH Amy Sexson

“She took me in under her wing, and from that time, they have been like parents to me,” Landon said of Denzel and Pauletta. The show hired him as assistant music director at Washington’s behest. He went on to write original music for the project just one day before its premiere.

Through Pauletta’s music director, Landon was hired to work on American Idol, and from 2013-2016 he flew back and forth from Chicago to LA during filming. “Denzel comes to Chicago a handful of times, and they give me tough love. ‘If you want to do this, you have to move to Los Angeles,’” Landon said. “I was scared. My family was here. Chicago was already far enough.”

When Idol ended, Landon took Washington’s advice and decided to move. His mother’s health was already failing, and her doctor advised her not to go to Chicago to help with the move. She told her doctor, ‘Okay.’ “The next week, she says, ‘Make sure you book my ticket to Chicago,’” Landon said, laughing. Ravaged by chemo and radiation, Williams wasn’t well, but she willed her ailing body to fly to Chicago and drive with Landon to Los Angeles. “I could tell she was in pain but smiled through it,” he said. That was the last car trip they took together. “It was the most beautiful time that led me to Los Angeles.”

Within a month, he was working on the film “Fences” with Viola Davis and Denzel Washington. He later worked on the LEGO Batman Movie and ramped up his work on Broadway. His five-year project in the making, “The Pursuit of Happiness,” is set to premiere on Broadway soon.

DOROTHY JEAN

“My mom was my best friend,” Landon said. Everyone thinks they have the best mother in the world, as they should, but Landon said, “I truly feel I have the best mother in the world for me and my journey. The biggest supporter, defender. She had a fierce love and protection over me. [She was my] corrector, guide, my heartbeat. We talked on the phone ten times a day.”

The eldest of eight children, Dorothy Jean Williams was a hard worker who helped raise her seven siblings while her parents worked. She was the first to go to college and to graduate. Her siblings followed her lead. “They all lived with my mother in Miami, every last one of them. They had children, and all of them lived with my mother.”

In the late 60s and early 70s, anyone from Polk County who went to school in Miami sought out Williams, who worked in the financial aid office. She helped secure scholarships for students, one of many ways she helped others. Many students, unrelated to Williams, stayed in her small Miami home for a time while they attended school. “Mom’s life inspired me to do what I do because I watched her help so many,” Landon said. “I wanted to mirror her heart. The way that I first knew how to do that was through music.”

She was a good daughter and best friend to her parents. Dorothy Jean took care of them both. She cared for her father even while she battled stage 4 colon cancer. “We didn’t argue much. We did there,” Landon said. “She would tell me, ‘As fierce as your love is for me, is the same for my father.’ It was a battle I knew I couldn’t win.”

Piano keys, his mother’s heartbeat from her EKG during her cancer journey, and a heart with a cross are tattooed on Landon’s arm. “She is a part of everything that I am, of who I desire to be in the world.”

When his mother was diagnosed with cancer, Landon would fly down from Chicago every weekend to be with her. In the last months of her life, Landon worked on “Born for This: The BeBe Winans Story” with iconic names like Sidney Poitier, Cicely Tyson, and BeBe Winans. Knowing his mother’s health was declining, Landon came home that April and told her he would pull out of the project. Williams’s strength was waning – she could hardly walk by this time, but “She pulled herself out of the bed and started packing my suitcase. She said, ‘You have to go. You have to go.’”

Growing up, we think of soulmates as the singular person you’ll grow old with — a romantic, once-in-a-lifetime love. “As I grew in both a spiritual sense and an understanding of the world, I learned your soulmate can be someone who connects in your life with your purpose, who you are in the core of your being. That’s what my mom was.”

Landon flew home on July 3, 2022, and his mother passed away the following day. Before she passed, she told Landon three things: ‘Get my purse (Landon laughed at this), I love you, and be strong.’ “That’s who she was. Her love was so great, and it was sacrificial in a way.”

A DREAM FOR FORT MEADE

Landon built a home in Los Angeles in 2020 and was ready to enjoy the fruits of his labor, “and God redirects my path two years in.” With little outside help and plenty of obstacles, Landon was honest in sharing that the journey has been challenging. He’s shed tears and questioned his decisions, but he said, “I’m still here.” His initial goals were to start the foundation and create events until they could drum up funding to put infrastructure in place for their longterm vision of lessons, masterclasses, and performance opportunities.

“Dorothy Jean’s Dream Initiative exists to bring arts and cultural opportunities to all of Polk County,” Landon said. They have started with underserved communities, but the goal is to bring those opportunities to the entire county.

“This town of less than 6,000 people is in desperate need of arts and cultural opportunities. I came back home to be a part of that,” he said.

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Photo Provided

Photo Provided

During a time when cattle and citrus were booming industries, and Fort Meade had a Coca-Cola bottling plant and a commuter train ran through the town, “There was much more life here, much more commerce. It’s just dried up.” Now that the mines have left, Landon described it as a veritable “ghost town” after 5 o’clock. “I come [to the historical museum] often to be reminded of what was and what can be with heart, tenacity, money, and a steadfastness to make it happen,” he said.

Landon hopes to change the perception of the town for outsiders and the reality of its residents. “My ideal Fort Meade looks like a place that is welcoming for all,” Landon said. “There are some racial challenges that still exist in Fort Meade, and I’ve encountered a lot of them in the last ten months.” Landon envisions a Fort Meade beyond racial divides with thriving restaurants, retail, and activities for all citizens.

The Dorothy Jean’s Dream Initiative founder is taking an intergenerational approach to community development with dreams of a theatre on Main Street as there once was, farmer’s markets, and food trucks. He looks to the downtown park in Wauchula for inspiration on a beer and wine garden that’s already underway. “That’s a lofty ideal of what Fort Meade could be, but that’s what exists in my head.”

The foundation is a team of two, Landon and his business partner Ramel Ford. Ford is an Entrepreneur and CEO at RFI Group Inc. “providing resources and opportunities to underserved communities throughout Polk County, FL and abroad.”

From Winter Haven, Ford is connected to Fort Meade through Landon’s family. He works in New York and has flown to Florida every Friday for the past ten months to work on the initiative with Landon. The pair have invested time, blood, sweat, tears, and money into the city. They’ve purchased buildings and land downtown and on the southside.

Landon and Ford created the Fort Meade Soul Music Festival last year. Knowing the town was in sore need of arts and cultural opportunities, they thought if 200 people showed up, it was a win. They walked almost every block in Fort Meade handing out flyers for the event and were turned away by more than one person, yet they persisted. “We put that same sweat equity into getting people out here,” he said. In their hope of 200 people, 2,000 showed up. The street was closed off with food trucks and a community choir which Landon called “one of the most beautiful experiences.” When they hosted the event again this year, they thought perhaps the 2,000 from the year prior was a fluke. This February, about 3,000 people flocked downtown for Soul Fest 2023. Dorothy Jean’s Dream Initiative also hosted a 2022 Scholarship Gala at Streamsong Resort called Stars Under the Stars.

In the empty lot downtown, where Western Auto previously stood, landscaping is already underway for Landon’s planned civic space, Paz Garden. “Paz in English means ‘peace,’” Landon said. “There’s a large Hispanic population here in Fort Meade that feels like they aren’t seen. I am making an effort to include them in all of our plans so they can see identity in what we’re doing.”

A nucleus for community gatherings, Paz Garden will house a stage for entertainment, a beer and wine bar, murals along the walls, a fountain, and ample seating. Next door to the soon-to-be Paz Garden, Landon opened Bella Vita Salon and Spa. In another building he purchased, the Dorothy Jean’s Dream Initiative founder envisions a performing arts theatre and, across the street, restaurants and retail. “If you can endure the trials, I know the blessings are on the other side,” he said.

Dorothy Jean Williams lives on in legacy. A woman of strong character, service, and drive, she raised a son who is changing the world – one song, one event, one opportunity at a time. “Mom will continue to live,” Landon said. “Because if I go into the bathroom, and I smile, and I look long enough, she shows up in a spiritual way.”

Dorothy Jean’s Dream Initiative www.dorothyjeansdream.com

FB: Dorothy Jean’s Dream Initiative

WORDS

Tara Crutchfield

Access Art: Special Needs

Artist and educator Tinia Clark said, “Art connects us all.” Thanks to her and the Polk Museum of Art, the special needs community has a local connection to the arts all their own. Access Art: Special Needs is a program that invites individuals with varying exceptionalities to meet monthly at the Polk Museum of Art to view and discuss exhibited artwork. After the tour, the group heads to one of the Museum’s education classrooms to create an art activity inspired by what they’ve viewed and discussed during the visit. The group meets for the talk and tour at 2 pm on the first Thursday of every month, excluding June, July, December, and January.

The 90-minute program is led by specially trained educator and artist Tinia Clark. Clark, a docent and facilitator for Access Art, has years of experience volunteering with individuals with special needs, Alzheimer’s, and dementia at the Museum and her former Sidestreet Studio in Winter Haven. She notes that encouragement and listening skills on her part are “the main qualifications needed to make the experience a good one.”

An abstract painter herself, Clark has been a practicing artist for some 35 years, working primarily with acrylics and watercolors, and has experimented throughout the years, including creating sculpture. Clark also penned and self-published a children’s book called “Mars: Escape from the Meanies.” The book was produced twice as a play for the special needs community, which the author called a “highlight in my life.”

In addition to her special needs program, Clark works with the Alzheimer’s Association to facilitate tours for individuals with dementia. These tours follow a similar format to Access Art: Special Needs but are less frequent.

IT STARTED AT SIDESTREET

The artist moved into her now-closed Sidestreet Studio space in July 2014. An after-work volunteer opportunity with Arts Ensemble and The Alzheimer’s Association led Clark to focus on people with dementia and Alzheimer’s and, eventually, those with special needs. Her Access Art programs, which officially began around 2016, were designed to inspire creativity and social and cognitive engagement. These free-to-attend sessions included therapeutic drum circles, drawing, coloring, painting, and beyond.

Unfortunately, as the pandemic continued to rage in early 2021, “My clients [and] participants had evaporated as a result,” Clark said. “Many of them were at higher risk, and it was recommended that they stay home, shelter in place.” Sidestreet Studio closed that February. “Not knowing the future and the impact on my population served, I felt that the best thing would be to close up the studio and divvy out the remaining funds we had to other local nonprofit organizations which were also hurting.”

ACCESS ART

“The Access Art programs at the Museum is almost like coming full circle,” she said. Closing the studio didn’t mean an end to Access Art, whose participants Clark is steadfast committed to. Clark made do and, for a time, used Kelly Rec as the art marking space for Access Art following the Museum tour. Now, Clark and her participants are able to utilize space within the Museum.

“The program is designed to engage the participants,” she said. “The participants get exposure to art as well as an opportunity to express their views on art and [interact] with peers in a safe environment.”

She starts by greeting her attendees at the door and welcoming them to the Museum. After asking who has been to the Museum, explaining they cannot touch the art, and that the Museum is free to attend all the time, the group enters the main galleries to view and discuss the art there. They typically follow that up with the student gallery before traveling upstairs to a classroom. “I try to incorporate, on some level, a tie-in with the exhibit,” Clark said. After the April tour, Access Art: Special Needs participants recreated the Bunnies paintings by Hunt Slonem. The month before, they used fabric and inspiration from Lauren Austin’s quilt exhibit. “Over the years, I have seen some great pieces developed,” she said.

“The program is important because art connects us all – it is meant to be shared with every person in our community. You don’t have to have a degree or background in art to share an experience with art. It is a universal language where words are not necessarily needed,” Clark said. “I am grateful that the Museum understands and promotes it as such.”

FRIENDS ALONG THE WAY

Clark has known many of whom she fondly calls her “people and friends” for years. “I watched many of the younger people literally grow up over the past seven years.” She stays in touch on social media, adding, “They have touched my life and taught me so much and brought joy to me just in sharing art and ideas.” On the adverse, Clark has lost many of “her people” with Alzheimer’s and dementia, “which hurts as they become like family.”

Those losses, though painful, haven’t diminished the gains – the joy in what she does. “My favorite part is the people and the shared experience. Whether

it is one person or ten people, it is nice just to know you have made a little difference in someone’s day.”

For those interested in improving the quality of life and programming for individuals with special needs, dementia, or Alzheimer’s, donate. Clark suggests giving to the Alzheimer’s Association, the Polk Museum of Art, or Out of the Box at Lakeland Community Theatre.

Tinia Clark shared one of the most valuable lessons she learned at Sidestreet. “We all have challenges, and if you can make a difference for just one person, it is worth trying. It is not the quantity of lives you touch, but the quality of life you share.”

Access Art: Special Needs

Thursday, May 4, 2023 2:00 pm 3:30 pm

Polk Museum of Art

800 E Palmetto St Lakeland, FL 33801

Registration is preferred but not required. For registration or questions, please text Tinia Clark at 863-224-8557.

Please include guardian or caretaker in the total attendee number.

Lakeland Ice Cream Company

If there’s anything that transcends age and occasion, it’s ice cream. Nine to 99, birthdays to ‘just because’ there’s nothing like premium hand-dipped ice cream dripping down a homemade waffle cone on a sunny day. Owners of the former Good Buddies BBQ, Joel and Melissa Vann, implemented a magical combination – barbecue and ice cream. Melissa formerly worked in marketing, and Joel is a BBQ competition pitmaster. “He’s a BBQ competition cook, and we both really love ice cream, so we married the two,” Melissa Vann said. Now, the couple owns multiple locations serving BBQ or ice cream, and some with both.

BBQ BEGINNINGS

Lakeland BBQ is beloved, smoked over oak and hickory for hours and hours with all the typical southern fixin’s like pulled pork, pulled chicken, chicken quarters, ribs, brisket, banana pudding, and the like. A best-seller at their BBQ restaurants is the Couch Potato, a baked potato covered with BBQ chicken or pork topped with bacon, shredded cheese, butter, BBQ sauce, and chives. Another popular side dish is the BBQ pit beans with six different types of beans, and we can’t forget the collard greens. “Everybody loves our collards – we have a secret ingredient in the collards, and we are sworn to secrecy,” Melissa said, who described their fare as “very southern, very traditional.” She added, “We make everything from scratch and smoke everything every day.”

The pair started catering under the Lakeland BBQ Company name in 2015, opening their first location, Polk City BBQ, the same year. They opened a BBQ joint downtown, where Pressed Books and Coffee is today, and eventually moved to Combee Road, serving their southern favorites and ice cream.

In 2020, they opened Lakeland Ice Cream Company and Avon Park BBQ, which now exclusively serves ice cream. The busy couple also owns Mulberry Ice Cream, Dade City BBQ (and ice cream), and, last month, opened Frostproof BBQ.

Each location is different – some just BBQ, some just ice cream, and some with both! We visited their flagship ice cream shop on Duff Road to get the scoop. “This was our first addition of ice cream,” Melissa said of the location.

“He was the BBQ guy, and I was the dessert person,” she said. The Vanns always traveled to try new ice cream, even outside the county and decided to open a shop of their own. They signed the Lakeland Ice Cream Company space lease three months before the pandemic, put their best scoop forward, and persevered.

After trying many ice cream brands (for research), Melissa said, “We went with a more premium, higher butter fat ice cream that gives you that rich creaminess.” Their manufacturer, Ice Cream Club, started as a small 600-square-foot dipping store in Manalapan, Florida. Now manufacturing in Boynton Beach, Ice Cream Club produces two million gallons of ice cream annually. “We like this brand the best,” she said. Lakeland Ice Cream Company is the only vendor in Polk County to carry Ice Cream Club.

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WORDS Tara Crutchfield PHOTOGRAPH Amy Sexson

THE GOOD STUFF

Sundaes, banana splits, milkshakes, malts – oh my! Lakeland Ice Cream Company is a cute shop carrying premium hand-dipped ice cream. They’re also famous for the cotton candy burrito. A huge base of fluffy cotton candy made fresh (the air is filled with a sugary aroma as they twirl it), two scoops of the ice cream of your choice, and two toppings. Talk about a sugar rush. “We have kids come in and make the craziest combinations,” Melissa said, smiling.

The Duff Road ice cream shop offers over 60 flavors of ice cream, including sugar-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free options. Fan favorites fill the freezers like Strawberry, Coffee, Rum Raisin, and Cherries’ n Cream. Their specialty flavors steal the show, like Red Velvet Cake, Carrot Cake, Elephant Ears (vanilla ice cream swirled with peanut butter and chocolate chips), and Garbage Can (with seven name-brand candy bars mixed in).

Smurf is a sought-after flavor – a blue raspberry ice cream with mini marshmallows folded throughout. It’s a dupe for the popular Midwest flavor, Blue Moon, first made in Milwaukee in the 1950s. “We get calls once a week asking if we have Blue Moon, and this is kind of the same thing. But the Blue Moon had a marshmallow ribbon, this has miniature marshmallows. Everyone loves that one.”

They also get calls for Bubblegum, a snappy pink ice cream with colorful bubblegum throughout. It’s a throwback to a mid-century flavor from Dipper Dan in Lakeland, according to Melissa.

The owner’s go-to scoop is Special Praline, with praline pecans and caramel swirled in vanilla ice cream.

The waffle cones may take the cake (or cotton candy burrito, rather).

Lakeland Ice Cream Company offers delicious homemade waffle and bubble cones (freshly made bubble waffles). Of the latter, Melissa said, “We cool them off just a minute, and then we [dip] your ice cream with all your toppings.”

As you enter the shop, after taking in the wall of scoops and flavor after flavor of the good stuff, your eye is drawn to a row of colorful cones. The artisan cones are handmade in batches in Brooklyn, New York, and shipped in monthly. They are colored beautifully with tantalizing flavors like red velvet, salted blue corn, lavender, matcha, pink vanilla, birthday cake, cookies and cream, and seasonal offerings like pumpkin and peppermint.

The list of goodies to ‘top it off’ is almost as massive as their ice cream selection, with options like hot fudge, hot caramel, peanut butter, pineapple topping, rainbow sprinkles, gummy bears, cookie dough, Oreo crumbles, and much more.

Don’t forget to pick up your Ice Cream Passport! Patrons can get stamps for trying the listed ice cream flavors from any of their locations. After filling up their passport, customers can redeem it by December 31 for a $50 gift card for ice cream or BBQ.

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MAKING MEMORIES

Ice cream is the best way to celebrate a special occasion or create a sweet moment. Lakeland Ice Cream Company hosted a 99th birthday party for a veteran recently, and Melissa said, “We have elderly couples that come every week and have an ice cream date, and it’s so sweet.”

The Duff Road ice cream shop prides itself on a vast selection of premium ice cream and equally exceptional customer service. “We hope to give [guests] a good experience and make memories,” Melissa said. “We want everybody to make memories with their family. We’re glad to be a part of that.”

Lakeland Ice Cream Company

2973 Duff Rd, Lakeland

(863) 337-5652

FB: Lakeland Ice Cream Company www.lakelandicecream.com

Ranch Water

3 ounces tequila

1.5 ounces fresh lime juice

Topo Chico, cold Tajin & lime for garnish

In a highball glass, line the rim with lime juice and dip in Tajin. Add ice, tequila, lime juice, and then top it off with Topo Chico. Garnish with lime, enjoy! Ages 21+ please drink responsibly.

This is a drink we used to make when we lived in Texas. It can be modified in so many ways. Add jalapenos, berries, citrus, really whatever you have on hand that you love. Enjoy!

Mayfaire by-the-Lake

The Polk Museum of Art is thrilled to announce its 51st annual Citizens Bank & Trust Mayfaire by-the-Lake festival, to be held along the shores of Lake Morton May 13 and 14, 2023, from 9 am to 4 pm. Showcasing over 150 artists from nine states working in a variety of media, from painting and sculpture to woodworking, hand-crafted jewelry, and more, this free two-day fine art festival promises to have something for every art enthusiast and visitor to enjoy.

In addition to the artists’ booths, this year’s celebration will include a robust daily event schedule, including fun activities for everyone of every age. “Kids Collect,” a kids-only tent where children can purchase artwork donated by Mayfaire artists at nominal prices, returns to Ruthven’s Mayfaire Kids Zone to engage even the youngest of art connoisseurs. Free hands-on art activities for children of all abilities will also be available at each Kids Zone tent.

“Thanks to our community of art lovers, our loyal sponsors and local partners, and all the talented showcasing artists from near and far, Mayfaire by-theLake has been a fixture of the Florida art scene for five decades and counting, and it just keeps getting better and better,” said Dr. Alex Rich, executive director and chief curator of the Polk Museum of Art. “Mayfaire is soaring at

51, and, this Mother’s Day weekend, we can’t wait to launch officially into our second half-century.”

Performances by FrediDANCE Project, Samira Belly Dance, and Musical Hammers, among others, will also be held throughout the weekend on the Lakeland Public Library lawn. Concessions will be available for purchase from Jimmy’s Famous Seafood, Chicks Coop, Heavenly Pretzel, and more. At the Museum, visitors will be able to re-experience festivals of yore with “A Blast from the Past: Festival Favorites from the Permanent Collection” on display in the Murray/Ledger Gallery, highlighting past festival winners.

On Saturday evening, Mayfaire welcomes back the Lakeland Runners Club to host the 44th Annual Mayfaire 5K. The run begins at 7 p.m. near Lake Mirror and ends on Francis C. Promenade. Interested participants can register online or volunteer for the run at runsignup.com/Race/FL/Lakeland/Mayfaire5k. Registration will close Wednesday, May 10.

Additional information about this year’s Mayfaire Judge, Featured Poster Artist, and event details are available on MayfairebytheLake.org.

Check Me Out ;)

PORTRAIT OF A THIEF

By Grace D. Li

A Chinese American art history major at Harvard, Will Chen is offered a (very illegal) chance to reclaim five priceless treasures China lost centuries ago and assembles a team of fellow students, chosen for their skills and loyalty, to help him on his mission—and make history.

THE TRACKERS

By Charles Frazier

Commissioned to create a mural representing Dawes, Wyoming, for their new Post Office, Val Welch, a painter in Depression-era America, stays with a wealthy art lover, his wife and a mysterious elder cowboy where he turns up secrets that could spark formidable changes for all of them.

SONGS IN URSA MAJOR

By Emma Brodie

In 1969, Jane Quinn, an aspiring singer, gets the chance of a lifetime when she goes on tour with Jesse Reid, a folk music superstar, and as their partnership turns into a passionate love affair, Jane discovers too late the dark secret beneath his music.

THE INGENUE

By Rachel Kapelke-Dale

When the family estate is bequeathed to a man she shares a complicated history with, former piano prodigy Saskia Kreis is forced to reexamine her own past—and the romantic relationship that changed the course of her life—for answers.

DON’T THINK, DEAR

By Alice Robb

A former student at the elite School of American Ballet describes how the strict codes of that world, which included thinness, stoicism and submission, forced her to grapple with the contradictions and challenges of modern womanhood.

WHEN WOMEN INVENTED TELEVISION

By Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

The best-selling author of Seinfeldia documents the lesser-known story of how four trailblazing women from the radio era, including Irna Phillips, Gertrude Berg, Hazel Scott and Betty White, helped establish the foundation of the modern television industry.

THE REMBRANDT CONSPIRACY

By Deron Hicks

Art and his best friend Camille team up to solve a large museum theft, using one of the biggest heists in history to help them solve the case. With a billion dollars’ worth of paintings on the line, the clock is ticking for Art and Camille to solve the conspiracy.

FOLLOW YOUR ART

By Trish Granted

Jeanie and Willow’s world is turned on its head when a classmate makes a wish to bring art to life. Can Jeanie and Willow keep the art fair from running rampant at school?

AARON SLATER, ILLUSTRATOR

By Andrea Beaty

Aaron Slater loves listening to stories and dreams of one day writing them himself. When his teacher asks each child in the class to write a story, Aaron can’t get a single word down. He is sure his dream of being a storyteller is out of reach until inspiration strikes.

STUDIO: A PLACE FOR ART TO START

By Emily Arrow

A young bunny makes the rounds of a studio building, taking in all the different artists in their habitats. Making, thinking, sharing, performing, but can our bunny find the perfect space to let imagination shine?

Compiled by the staff of the Lakeland Public Library 100 Lake Morton Dr, Lakeland

Larry R. Jackson Branch 1700 N Florida Ave, Lakeland lakelandgov.net

American Wetlands Month

May is American Wetlands Month, and with one-fifth of the nation’s wetlands, Florida is the perfect place to appreciate the beauty and importance of these ecosystems. Home to various types of wetlands, these areas provide crucial habitats for threatened and endangered species, help maintain water quality, and protect our communities from flooding while contributing to the state’s rich biodiversity.

Wetlands are unique and complex transitional areas between dry upland ecosystems and waterways. They can take many forms, including saltwater marshes, mangrove forests, inland wetlands connected to lakes and rivers, or even seasonal wetlands that fill up during summer rains. The duration a wetland remains wet, called its hydroperiod, dictates the species found there and shapes the intricate balance of life within these ecosystems. Florida has a distinct dry season (November – April) and rainy season (May –October), which further adds to the dynamic nature of wetlands.

Wetlands serve as natural buffers against stormwater and flooding, acting as vital components of our landscape. The dark, organic matter in wetland soils swells when filled with water, helping to store floodwaters and keeping them away from our residential areas. By restoring wetlands on the edges of our communities and reconnecting them to existing water bodies, we can enhance natural surface water storage capacity and improve water quality, reducing the impact of summer storms and even hurricanes. These benefits extend beyond protecting human settlements and help preserve vital ecosystems.

The Green Swamp is a prime example of Polk County’s large historical wetland areas, showcasing the incredible diversity of these ecosystems. It provides flood protection and serves as a crucial recharge area for the Floridan aquifer and several area rivers. Polk County also has successful municipal wetland restoration projects, such as Lake Gwen, Lake Hancock, and Lake Conine. These projects aimed to restore natural wetlands or add engineered wetlands to improve water quality and provide storage capacity for the surrounding areas, while also fostering vibrant habitats for local wildlife.

Wetlands play a critical role in maintaining water quality, acting as Earth’s natural filtration system. Disconnected from their natural wetlands, lakes, rivers, and coastal areas often experience higher nutrient loading and more frequent algae blooms, which can have disastrous effects on water quality and aquatic life. The tannic waters and soil microbiota in wetlands help filter and process nutrient contamination, highlighting the essential role these ecosystems play in maintaining a healthy environment. And so, if you care about healthy lakes and rivers, then you should also care about healthy wetlands.

Circle B Bar Reserve and the Lake Hancock Wetlands projects are great examples of engineered wetlands that improve water quality

for their neighboring lake and river. Circle B’s wetland areas clean the water flowing from Saddle Creek before the water continues into Lake Hancock, protecting the floodplain and restoring the Banana Creek marsh system. Then, before the water leaves Lake Hancock for the Peace River, the water flows through the constructed wetlands of the Lake Hancock project to clean up the water before it is released into the Peace River. Eventually, this water makes it all the way down to Charlotte Harbor. These successful initiatives demonstrate the effectiveness of well-designed wetland restoration projects in achieving multiple environmental goals.

Another example of a constructed wetland treatment facility is the Se7en Wetlands Park in Lakeland. Se7en Wetlands park has been an engineered water treatment wetland for decades but recently re-opened as a recreational area. There are, appropriately, seven wetland treatment cells that the City of Lakeland’s cleaned wastewater travels through before connecting to the North Prong of the Alafia River, which flows directly to Tampa Bay. Se7en Wetlands also provides water for Tampa Electric Company’s Polk Power Station.

Florida’s wetlands are home to a diverse range of wildlife, from our state reptile, the American alligator, to the roseate spoonbill (state-listed threatened) and federally endangered wood stork. They provide habitats for mammals like marsh rabbits and raccoons and host numerous small fish species that help reduce mosquito-borne illnesses. These vibrant ecosystems are also crucial for migratory birds, which rely on wetlands as stopover points during their seasonal journeys.

A local initiative that underscores the importance of wetland restoration is the City of Winter Haven’s “Sapphire Necklace” project. This ambitious long-term initiative aims to create a network of restored wetlands encircling the city, providing both ecological benefits and recreational opportunities for residents. The project, part of a 50 year effort, demonstrates a commitment to preserving and enhancing wetlands for future generations, showcasing the dedication required to protect these valuable ecosystems.

Despite their many benefits, Florida’s wetlands face threats from development and outdated public opinion. People once believed that wetlands harbored disease and dangerous wildlife, but we now understand their vital importance to Florida’s future, economy, and the enjoyment of the state’s water resources. Current policy protects many wetlands from the threat of true development within their borders. However, there are some ways around this, if the profitability is estimated to be high enough. One such way in Florida involves something called mitigation banks. Theoretically, if you are causing harm to a wetland and you get approval from the managing agency, you can spend money to restore wetlands somewhere else in an existing mitigation bank. Essentially, you are moving that wetland’s benefits away from wherever you’re developing into

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Shannon Carnevale PHOTOGRAPH

Amy Sexson

wherever you buy mitigation bank credits. It’s a bit abstract, but the end result is that the area developed loses the wetland area, and wherever the mitigation bank happens to be, they may see some restoration benefits for their wetlands.

Being at the top of the watershed, Polk County does not typically benefit from mitigation bank credits. If we want improved water quality in our region and the many other benefits from wetlands, such as flood protection and wildlife habitat, we need to ensure that wetlands here are protected here, and not where a mitigation bank may be located. This calls for a renewed commitment from local communities, businesses, and policymakers to prioritize wetland conservation and restoration. By protecting and restoring our wetlands, we can help ensure a healthier and more sustainable Florida for generations to come.

A heightened awareness of the importance of wetlands and support for initiatives like the many upcoming municiapl wetland restoration projects will enable us to work together in maintaining these crucial ecosystems, safeguarding the many benefits they provide for our communities and environment. To find out about wetland resotration projects near you, reach out to your city hall and ask!

As we celebrate American Wetlands Month, let us remember the immense value of these ecosystems and commit to preserving them for the health of our planet and the well-being of future generations.

The best thing you can do for American Wetlands Month is to build your connection to these amazing ecosystems! Visit one of the parks discussed here. Look for wetlands while you visit any of our State and National Parks and take a moment to appreciate all they do for us. Tell your friends and family all about wetlands and the amazing services they perform. Help us spread the word that wetlands are wonderful and we need them.

By fostering a greater appreciation for wetlands and advocating for their conservation, we can create a lasting legacy that benefits both people and wildlife.

Learn more about the projects discussed here:

• Se7en Wetlands Park: lakelandgov.net/departments/water-utilities/se7en-wetlands/about

• Winter Haven’s Sapphire Necklace Project: storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/73ea131e01ec4baa9baf982238aa77f7

• Circle B Bar & Polk’s Nature Discovery Center: polknature.com/explore/circle-b-bar-reserve

• Lake Hancock Constructed Wetlands Project: swfwmd.state.fl.us/projects/lake-hancock-outfall-treatment-project

Tiger Creek Preserve

LIVE TRIVIA

May 01, 2023 | 7:30-9 p.m.

Cob & Pen

1221 Florida Ave. S., Lakeland

Live trivia every Monday.

KNIT & CROCHET NIGHT

May 02, 2023 | 5-9 p.m.

The Union Taproom

245 W. Central Ave., Winter Haven

Every Tuesday!

ENDEAVOR WINTER HAVEN: TRAILBLAZERS

May 02, 2023 | 5:30-8 p.m.

AdventHealth Fieldhouse

210 Cypress Gardens Blvd., Winter Haven

Talk with leaders in the community at this round table event. Register in advance. endeavorwinterhaven.com

TRIVIA TUESDAYS

May 02, 2023 | 6:30-8 p.m.

Grove Roots Brewing Company

302 Third St. SW., Winter Haven

Trivia with Triviosity, free to play!

TEXAS HOLD’EM POKER

May 02, 2023 | 7-9 p.m.

Barrel 239

239 Third St. SW., Winter Haven

Every Tuesday starting at 7pm! More info on FB @ barrel239

CHAIR YOGA

May 03, 2023 | 10-11 a.m.

Bok Tower Gardens

1151 Tower Blvd., Lake Wales

Appropriate for beginners, and anyone with limited mobility. Register in advance. 863-676-1408 boktowergardens.org

WINE DOWN WEDNESDAY

May 03, 2023 | 5-8 p.m.

Obscure Wine Company

276 W. Central Ave., Winter Haven

Every Wednesday. Unlimited tastings of sommelier chosen wines for only $25.

WINE DOWN WEDNESDAY

May 03, 2023 | 5-7 p.m.

The Social Cocktail Lounge

356 Third St. NW., Winter Haven

Every Wednesday.

OPEN MIC NIGHT

May 03, 2023 | 8-10 p.m.

Laugh Out Lounge

19 Third St. NW., Winter Haven

Every Wednesday, hear from local up and coming comics!

CITYWORKS(X)PO FLORIDA 2023

May 04, 2023 | 8 a.m.- May 5, 2 p.m.

Historic Ritz Theatre

263 W. Central Ave., Winter Haven CityWorks(X)po FLorida is a gathering focused on sharing knowledge to build stronger communities. During the day, attendees will be immersed in thought-provoking presentations, performances and engaging dialogue. By night, the all inclusive conference continues with networking opportunities at high energy and (X)citing events. centralfloridatix.com

ACCESS ART SPECIAL NEEDS

May 04, 2023 | 2-3:30 p.m.

Polk Museum Of Art

800 E. Palmetto St., Lakeland

Participants will create and discuss art with specially trained educator and artist, Tinia Clark. Registration preferred but not required. For registration or questions, please text Tinia Clark at 863-224-8557. polkmuseumofart.org

$15 to play, proceeds going to a different charity every week. More info on FB @Quinteassence

GARDEN THEMED ACCORDION BOOK

May 05, 2023 | 10 a.m.-noon

Bok Tower Gardens

1151 Tower Blvd., Lake Wales

Create your own springtime photo book or journal. Register in advance. boktowergardens.org

TEN STORY CHALLENGE

May 05, 2023 | 3-9 p.m.

Lakeland Electric

501 E. Lemon St., Lakeland

Rappel ten stories for Pace Center for Girls fundraiser. Register in advance. pacecenter.org/locations/florida/polk

FIRST FRIDAY: CINCO DE MAYO

May 05, 2023 | 6-9 p.m.

Downtown, Lakeland

First Friday is a family-friendly event between Lemon St. & Oak St. along Kentucky and Tennessee Aves. bmelson@ldda.org

FRANKIE PAUL FROM COMEDY

CENTRAL

May 05, 2023 | 8-10 p.m.

Laugh Out Lounge

19 Third St. NW., Winter Haven

May 5 & 6.

winterhavenlol.com

KARAOKE

May 05, 2023 | 8-10 p.m.

Barrel 239

239 Third St. SW., Winter Haven

Every Friday! More info on FB @barrel239

WINTER HAVEN FARMERS MARKET

May 06, 2023 | 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

250 Magnolia Ave., Winter Haven

Food, plants, makers, & community every Saturday in the parking lot across from Grove Roots Brewing. winterhavenfarmersmarket.com

YOGA IN THE GARDENS

May 06, 2023 | 9-10 a.m.

Bok Tower Gardens

1151 Tower Blvd., Lake Wales

Join us for a morning of bending, breathing, and relaxing in the great outdoors. Register in advance. boktowergardens.org

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY

May 06, 2023 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Bartow Public Library

2150 S. Broadway Ave., Bartow

Meet Hocus Pocus Comics creator & writer! Receive a free copy of Vampire Squid Boy between 10 am - 1 pm, meet the creators from 10 am - 4 pm. hpcomics.net

CRAFT BEER CRAWL 2023

May 04, 2023 | 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Downtown Winter Haven

400 W. Central Ave., Winter Haven

A long time ago in a Downtown far, far away....or right here in your community! Main Street Winter Haven invites you to celebrate May the Fourth with good friends and GREAT beer at our Beer Crawl! Purchase your tasting ticket in advance. centralfloridatix.com

TRIVIA NIGHT

May 04, 2023 | 7-9 p.m.

Barrel 239 239 Third St. SW., Winter Haven

Trivia every Thursday with Triviosity. More info on FB @barrel239

BINGO WITH MOMMA & FRIENDS

May 04, 2023 | 8-10 p.m.

Quinteassence Kava Bar

839 N. Massachusetts Ave., Lakeland

Every Thursday with Momma Ashley Rose and the Rose Dynasty Foundation. All ages welcome.

CINCO DE MAYO

May 05, 2023 | 7-11:45 p.m.

Balmoral Bar & Grill

124 Kenny Blvd., Haines City

The festive atmosphere and delicious food and drinks are the perfect way to honor Mexican culture and traditions. Savor authentic Mexican cuisine, featuring favorites like tacos and guacamole made fresh. Enjoy a refreshing margarita or cerveza or try one of the specialty cocktails crafted with your favorite tequila. RSVP in advance. centralfloridatix.com

DAN PEPIN

May 05, 2023 | 7-10 p.m. Grove Roots Brewing Company

302 Third St. SW., Winter Haven

Live music with Haven’s 2-time winning Best Musician! danielpepinmusic.com

IMPROV COMEDY SHOW

May 05, 2023 | 7:30-10:30 p.m. Rec Room

202 N. Massachusetts Ave., Lakeland Lakeland’s Best Improv Comedy Show. nate@swancityimprov.com swancityimprov.com

FAMILY NATURE WALK

May 06, 2023 | 10-11 a.m.

Bonnet Springs Park

400 Bonnet Springs Blvd., Lakeland

First Saturday of the month. Guided one-mile tour. Tour begins at the bench rest area by the Boathouse. More info on FB @Bonnet Springs Park

THE TONY MOTOWN KNIGHT SHOW

May 06, 2023 | 6-9 p.m.

Balmoral Bar & Grill

124 Kenny Blvd., Haines City

Come hear all your favorites from the 50s, 60s, and 70s as Tony Knight and Friends pay stunning tribute to legendary greats like Aretha Franklin and Martha and the Vandellas. centralfloridatix.com

DAN PEPIN

May 06, 2023 | 7-10 p.m.

The Union Taproom

245 W. Central Ave., Winter Haven

Live music with Haven’s 2-time winning Best Musician! danielpepinmusic.com

OPEN MIC NIGHT

May 10, 2023 | 8-10 p.m.

Laugh Out Lounge

19 Third St. NW., Winter Haven

Every Wednesday see local comics take the stage!

LAKELAND FOOD TRUCK RALLY

May 11, 2023 | 6-9 p.m.

Munn Park

210 E. Main St., Lakeland

Food Truck Rally on the 2nd Thursday. bmelson@ldda.org

TRIVIA NIGHT

May 11, 2023 | 7-9 p.m.

Barrel 239

239 Third St. SW., Winter Haven

Every Thursday with Triviosity!

ADD YOUR EVENT

JOHNNY MAC FROM HBO

May 12, 2023 | 8-10 p.m.

Laugh Out Lounge

19 Third St. NW., Winter Haven

May 12 & 13. winterhavenlol.com

KARAOKE

May 12, 2023 | 8-10 p.m.

Barrel 239

239 Third St. SW., Winter Haven

Every Friday!

WINTER HAVEN FARMERS MARKET

May 13, 2023 | 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

250 Magnolia Ave., Winter Haven

MOTHER’S DAY

May 14, 2023

MOTHER’S DAY AT THE GARDEN

May 14, 2023 | 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

Bok Tower Gardens

1151 Tower Blvd., Lake Wales

Free admission offered to all mothers. boktowergardens.org

MAYFAIRE BY-THE-LAKE

May 14, 2023 | 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Lake Morton

Lake Morton Drive, Lakeland

AC/DC TRIBUTE SHOW

May 06, 2023 | 7-9 p.m.

Historic Ritz Theatre

263 W. Central Ave., Winter Haven

This AC/DC tribute band will bend and twist you until your wrung out and hung to dry! A show you will never forget! centralfloridatix.com

MOM & ME BELLY DANCE

May 07, 2023 | 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Inside Out Yoga

219 Fifth St. SW., Winter Haven

Celebrate Mother’s Day with this memorable dance class! Register in advance. ioyogastudio.com

LIVE TRIVIA

May 08, 2023 | 7:30-9 p.m.

Cob & Pen

1221 Florida Ave. S., Lakeland

Live trivia every Monday.

TRIVIA TUESDAYS

May 09, 2023 | 6:30-8 p.m.

Grove Roots Brewing Company

302 Third St. SW., Winter Haven Trivia with Triviosity every Tuesday.

TEXAS HOLD’EM POKER

May 09, 2023 | 7-9 p.m.

Barrel 239

239 Third St. SW., Winter Haven

Every Tuesday starting at 7pm! More info on FB @ barrel239

WINE DOWN WEDNESDAY

May 10, 2023 | 5-8 p.m.

Obscure Wine Company

276 W. Central Ave., Winter Haven

Every Wednesday. Unlimited tastings of sommelier chosen wines for only $25.

WINE DOWN WEDNESDAY

May 10, 2023 | 5-7 p.m.

The Social Cocktail Lounge

356 Third St. NW., Winter Haven

Every Wednesday!

SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN JR.

ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC SCHOOL

May 11, 2023 | 7-9 p.m.

Historic Ritz Theatre

263 W. Central Ave., Winter Haven

Join St. Joseph Catholic School for the student production of Singin’ in the Rain Jr. Family friendly concessions will be available in the downstairs lounge, including chips, candy, soda and bottled water. centralfloridatix.com

BINGO WITH MOMMA & FRIENDS

May 11, 2023 | 8-10 p.m.

Quinteassence Kava Bar

839 N. Massachusetts Ave., Lakeland

Every Thursday with Momma Ashley Rose and the Rose Dynasty Foundation. All ages welcome. $15 to play, proceeds going to a different charity every week. More info on FB @Quinteassence

MARY POPPINS JR.

May 12, 2023 | 6-8 p.m.

Theatre Winter Haven

210 Cypress Gardens Blvd., Winter Haven

Go on a magical adventure with Jane & Michael! Tickets required. 863-294-7469.

May 12- 14. theatrewinterhaven.com

SIP & BEATS

May 12, 2023 | 8-11 p.m.

Obscure Wine Company

276 W. Central Ave., Winter Haven

2nd Friday of the month with DJ Deek Beats.

Food, plants, makers, & community every Friday in the parking lot across from Grove Roots Brewing. winterhavenfarmersmarket.com

MAYFAIRE BY-THE-LAKE

May 13, 2023 | 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Lake Morton

Lake Morton Drive, Lakeland

Mayfaire is a free, two-day juried fine art festival held in Downtown Lakeland. mayfairebythelake.org

NATURE NARRATOR

May 13, 2023 | 10-11 a.m.

Bonnet Springs Park

400 Bonnet Springs Blvd., Lakeland

Second Saturday of the month. Storytime begins at 10 am followed by a fun activity. Seating will be at the Outdoor Classroom. bonnetspringspark.com

Mayfaire is a free, two-day juried fine art festival held in Downtown Lakeland. mayfairebythelake.org

KISS ALIVE THE TRIBUTE

May 13, 2023 | 7-9 p.m.

Historic Ritz Theatre

263 W. Central Ave., Winter Haven

Almost 15 years ago, what began as 4 fans wanting to cover KISS tunes for Florida fans has evolved into one of the country’s premier KISS tribute acts. centralfloridatix.com

EVIL BILL AND THE STRUGGLE BUS

May 13, 2023 | 9 p.m.- May 14, 1 a.m.

Ybor Cigars & Spirits

5263 Florida Ave. S., Lakeland

Live music with Haven’s two-time Best Musician award winner. danielpepinmusic.com

MOTHERS DAY BRUNCH

May 14, 2023 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Balmoral Event Center

116 Kenny Blvd., Haines City

Celebrate Mother’s Day in style with an allyou-can-eat brunch event! Treat your mom to a delicious spread of mouth-watering dishes that will delight her taste buds. Reserve in advance. centralfloridatix.com

MONTHLY SACRED STILLNESS: MEDITATION + PRAYER

May 14, 2023 | 3-4 p.m.

Ignite the Fire Inside Wellness Studio

140 SE. Plaza Road, Winter Haven

Join us for a special afternoon meditation, prayer & sound bath to wrap up the year in community. This monthly Sacred Stillness experience is held the 2nd Sunday of each month to provide a safe space to reflect, meditate, pray + encourage one another. Feel free to invite a friend but do RSVP as space is limited. centralfloridatix.com

CRYSTAL BOWL SOUND BATH

May 14, 2023 | 5-6 p.m.

Inside Out Yoga

219 Fifth St. SW., Winter Haven

Join Cosmic Sound Healer, Buffy La Roux for a high-vibratory journey of sound through time and space. Register in advance. 863-224-2311 ioyogastudio.com

LIVE TRIVIA

May 15, 2023 | 7:30-9 p.m.

Cob & Pen

1221 Florida Ave. S., Lakeland

Live trivia every Monday.

TASTY TUESDAY

May 16, 2023 | 4:30-9 p.m.

Downtown, Lakeland

Experience multiple Downtown restaurants all in one night with hearty samples. Live music at Munn Park from 5:30 - 8:30 pm. Purchase tickets online. downtownlkld.com

FSC INDUSTRIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY VIRTUAL INFORMATION

SESSION

May 16, 2023 | 6-7 p.m.

Polk County

Learn about the FSC Master’s Degree. Hear from your program director and get your questions answered. Register online. flsouthern.edu/admissions

LAKELAND FLYING TIGERS VS FORT MYERS MUSSELS

May 16, 2023 | 6:30-8 p.m.

Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium

2301 Lakeland Hills Blvd., Lakeland

May 16 - 19.

milb.com/lakeland

TRIVIA TUESDAYS

May 16, 2023 | 6:30-8 p.m.

Grove Roots Brewing Company

302 Third St. SW., Winter Haven

Trivia with Triviosity, free to play!

TEXAS HOLD’EM POKER

May 16, 2023 | 7-9 p.m.

Barrel 239

239 Third St. SW., Winter Haven

Every Tuesday starting at 7pm!

WINE DOWN WEDNESDAY

May 17, 2023 | 5-8 p.m.

Obscure Wine Company

276 W. Central Ave., Winter Haven

Every Wednesday. Unlimited tastings of sommelier chosen wines for only $25.

WINE DOWN WEDNESDAY

May 17, 2023 | 5-7 p.m.

The Social Cocktail Lounge

356 Third St. NW., Winter Haven

Every Wednesday.

ORSON’S SHADOW

May 17, 2023 | 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Lakeland Community Theatre

121 S. Lake Ave., Lakeland

May 17 & 18. The time is 1960 in London. Orson Welles and Laurence Olivier. Purchase tickets in advance. 863-603-7529 lakeland communitytheatre.com

OPEN MIC NIGHT

May 17, 2023 | 8-10 p.m.

Laugh Out Lounge

19 Third St. NW., Winter Haven

Every Wednesday see the local comics take the stage.

ROCKYIN

May 18, 2023 | 4:30-5:45 p.m.

Inside Out Yoga

219 Fifth St. SW., Winter Haven

It’s yin yoga with a NEW twist! Register in advance. ioyogastudio.com

TRIVIA NIGHT

May 18, 2023 | 7-9 p.m.

Barrel 239

239 Third St. SW., Winter Haven Thursday Trivia with Triviosity.

BINGO WITH MOMMA & FRIENDS

May 18, 2023 | 8-10 p.m.

Quinteassence Kava Bar

839 N. Massachusetts Ave., Lakeland

Every Thursday with Momma Ashley Rose and the Rose Dynasty Foundation. All ages welcome. $15 to play, proceeds going to a different charity every week. More info on FB @Quinteassence

BARK IN THE PARK

May 19, 2023 | 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Central Park

1-35 Fourth St. NW., Winter Haven

Four-Legged Friend Fun! Free :) mainstreetwh.com

BELLY DANCE FITNESS WITH KELLY

May 19, 2023 | 6-7:30 p.m.

Inside Out Yoga

219 Fifth St. SW., Winter Haven

Join Kelly for a heart-pumping, booty-shaking cardio belly dance party! Register in advance. ioyogastudio.com

STEPHEN NETTA FROM MTV!

May 19, 2023 | 8-10 p.m.

Laugh Out Lounge

19 Third St. NW., Winter Haven

May 19 & 20.

winterhavenlol.com

KARAOKE

May 19, 2023 | 8-10 p.m.

Barrel 239

239 Third St. SW., Winter Haven

Every Friday.

DAN PEPIN

May 19, 2023 | 8:30-11:30 p.m.

The Pink Piano

1015 Florida Ave. S., Lakeland

Live music with Haven’s 2-time winning Best Musician! danielpepinmusic.com

WINTER HAVEN FARMERS MARKET

May 20, 2023 | 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

250 Magnolia Ave., Winter Haven

Food, plants, makers, & community every Saturday in the parking lot across from Grove Roots. winterhavenfarmersmarket.com

YOGA IN THE GARDENS

May 20, 2023 | 9-10 a.m.

Bok Tower Gardens

1151 Tower Blvd., Lake Wales

A morning of bending, breathing, and relaxing in the great outdoors. boktowergardens.org

DISCOVERY BAGS

May 20, 2023 | 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Bonnet Springs Park

400 Bonnet Springs Blvd., Lakeland

Third & fifth Saturdays of the month. Stop by the Nature Center Classroom to check out a bag. More info online. bonnetspringspark.com

DOCENT-LED TOUR

May 20, 2023 | 11 a.m.-noon

Polk Museum Of Art

800 E. Palmetto St., Lakeland

A fresh look into the Museum’s featured exhibition. polkmuseumofart.org

LAKELAND FLYING TIGERS VS FORT MYERS MUSSELS

May 20, 2023 | 6-7:30 p.m.

Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium

2301 Lakeland Hills Blvd., Lakeland Go Flying Tigers! milb.com/lakeland

CINEMA ART HISTORIQUE: GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING (2003)

May 20, 2023 | 6-8:30 p.m.

Polk Museum Of Art

800 E. Palmetto St., Lakeland

Cinema Art Historique: Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003). Watch the film with Q&A afterwards. Reserve in advance. polkmuseumofart.com

LAKELAND FLYING TIGERS VS FORT MYERS MUSSELS

May 21, 2023 | 1-2:30 p.m.

Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium

2301 Lakeland Hills Blvd., Lakeland Go Flying Tigers! milb.com/lakeland

ORLANDO GAY CHORUS PRESENTS: A BROADGAY TOUR!

May 21, 2023 | 2:30-4 p.m.

Theatre Winter Haven

210 Cypress Gardens Blvd., Winter Haven

BroadGAY Spectacular! From classic shorts to movie-musical adaptations, all your favorites performed by the OGC! Purchase tickets in advance. theatrewinterhaven.com

VISTE GOLF OPEN

May 22, 2023 | 11 a.m.-7 p.m. The Club at Eaglebrooke

1300 Eaglebrooke Blvd., Lakeland

Good fun for a great cause!. viste.org

LIVE TRIVIA

May 22, 2023 | 7:30-9 p.m. Cob & Pen

1221 Florida Ave. S., Lakeland

Live trivia every Monday.

FSC GRADUATE NURSING OPEN HOUSE

A NEW POINTE DANCE SPRING SHOWCASE

May 20, 2023 | 2-5 p.m.

Historic Ritz Theatre

263 W. Central Ave., Winter Haven

Join A New Pointe Dance Company at The Historic Ritz Theatre for their Spring Showcase. Enjoy watching these talented dancers showcase the many techniques and performances they have learned this year. Light concessions will be available for purchase. centralfloridatix.com

May 23, 2023 | 12-1 p.m.

310 Frank Lloyd Wright Way, Lakeland

Observe a typical day in the life of a FSC grad. flsouthern.edu/admissions

TRIBUTE TUESDAY: BEE GEES

May 23, 2023 | 5-7 p.m.

Theatre Winter Haven

210 Cypress Gardens Blvd., Winter Haven

Two shows, one day. 5 pm & 8 pm. theatrewinterhaven.com

THE DEMOCRATIC WOMEN’S CLUB OF EAST POLK/RIDGE

May 23, 2023 | 5:30-6:30 p.m.

35523 US Highway 27, Haines City

All Democratic women welcome. The club meets on the 4th Tuesday at the R-Place Eatery. Discuss shared political views and volunteer for activities that elect fellow democrats. Contact Anne Huffman, Club President 863-242-3230 or email annehuffman01@gmail.com

TRIVIA TUESDAYS

May 23, 2023 | 6:30-8 p.m.

Grove Roots Brewing Company

302 Third St. SW., Winter Haven

Trivia every Tuesday with Triviosity!

TEXAS HOLD’EM POKER

May 23, 2023 | 7-9 p.m.

Barrel 239

239 Third St. SW., Winter Haven

Every Tuesday starting at 7pm!

WINE DOWN WEDNESDAY

May 24, 2023 | 5-8 p.m.

Obscure Wine Company

276 W. Central Ave., Winter Haven

Every Wednesday. Unlimited tastings of sommelier chosen wines for only $25.

WINE DOWN WEDNESDAY

May 24, 2023 | 5-7 p.m.

The Social Cocktail Lounge

356 Third St. NW., Winter Haven

Every Wednesday.

OPEN MIC NIGHT

May 24, 2023 | 8-10 p.m.

Laugh Out Lounge

19 Third St. NW., Winter Haven

Every Wednesday.

WAWA SUMMER FUN DAYS

May 25, 2023 | 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Bok Tower Gardens

1151 Tower Blvd., Lake Wales

Complimentary admission, you must register online to attend. boktowergardens.org

FSC DOCTOR OF NURSING PRACTICE

(DNP) VIRTUAL INFORMATION SESSION

May 25, 2023 | 12-1 p.m.

Polk County

Learn more about the Doctor of Nursing Practice program.

flsouthern.edu/admissions

“SHE KNOWS WHERE SHE’S GOING”

LUNCHEON

May 25, 2023 | 12-1:30 p.m.

Polk State College

999 Ave. H NE., Winter Haven

Fundraiser for Girls Inc. of Winter Haven celebrating Amanda Jo Nicholson, Dr. Cathy Thornhill, LaTonnja Key, and Amy Sumerlin. Reserve tickets in advance.

girlsincwinterhaven.org

FIRELIGHT

May 25, 2023 | 7-11 p.m.

The Social Cocktail Lounge

356 Third St. NW., Winter Haven

Reggae Night!

TRIVIA NIGHT

May 25, 2023 | 7-9 p.m.

Barrel 239

239 Third St. SW., Winter Haven Thursday Trivia.

BINGO WITH MOMMA & FRIENDS

May 25, 2023 | 8-10 p.m.

Quinteassence Kava Bar

839 N. Massachusetts Ave., Lakeland

Every Thursday with Momma Ashley Rose and the Rose Dynasty Foundation. All ages welcome. $15 to play, proceeds going to a different charity every week. More info on FB

@Quinteassence

WAWA SUMMER FUN DAYS

May 26, 2023 | 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Bok Tower Gardens

1151 Tower Blvd., Lake Wales

Complimentary admission., you must reserve in advance.

boktowergardens.org

DAN PEPIN

May 26, 2023 | 7:30-10:30 p.m.

Crave & Copper

117 E. Lake Ave., Auburndale

Live music with Haven’s 2-time winning Best Musician!

danielpepinmusic.com

RICKY STEPINSKY:

BEST OF THE BAY 2019!

May 26, 2023 | 8-10 p.m.

Laugh Out Lounge

19 Third St. NW., Winter Haven

May 26 & 27.

winterhavenlol.com

KARAOKE

May 26, 2023 | 8-10 p.m.

Barrel 239

239 Third St. SW., Winter Haven Every Friday.

WINTER HAVEN FARMERS MARKET

May 27, 2023 | 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

250 Magnolia Ave., Winter Haven

Food, plants, makers, & community every Saturday across from Grove Roots. winterhavenfarmersmarket.com

STEM IN THE PARK

May 27, 2023 | 10 a.m.-noon

Bonnet Springs Park

400 Bonnet Springs Blvd., Lakeland

Fourth Saturday of the month explore topics in science, tech, engineering and math! bonnetspringspark.com

MORE EVENTS ONLINE

SIMPLE COLD-PRESSED JUICES WITH ORGEN D’NAL

May 27, 2023 | 1-2 p.m.

Bok Tower Gardens

1151 Tower Blvd., Lake Wales

Learn how to create homemade cold-pressed juices. Reserve in advance. boktowergardens.org

LAKELAND FLYING TIGERS VS JUPITER HAMMERHEADS

May 30, 2023 | 6:30-8 p.m.

Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium

2301 Lakeland Hills Blvd., Lakeland

Go Flying Tigers!. milb.com/lakeland

TRIVIA TUESDAYS

May 30, 2023 | 6:30-8 p.m.

Grove Roots Brewing Company

302 Third St. SW., Winter Haven

Trivia every Tuesday with Triviosity!

TEXAS HOLD’EM POKER

May 30, 2023 | 7-9 p.m.

Barrel 239

239 Third St. SW., Winter Haven

Every Tuesday starting at 7pm!.

DINNER AND A MOVIE: THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON

May 27, 2023 | 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Gem Theater

110 NW. First Ave., Mulberry

Dinner and a Movie will be a classic creature feature with Creature from the Black Lagoon. A strange prehistoric beast lurks in the depths of the Amazonian jungle. centralfloridatix.com

CANDLELIGHT CONCERT

May 27, 2023 | 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Historic Ritz Theatre

263 W. Central Ave., Winter Haven

The Historic Ritz Theatre is proud to put on another beautiful candlelight evening featuring our areas finest classical musicians. centralfloridatix.com

IMBIBE AND VIBES

May 28, 2023 | 3-7 p.m.

Obscure Wine Company

276 W. Central Ave., Winter Haven

Last Sunday of every month with DJ Deek Beats.

PETER ANTONIOU FROM AGT!

May 28, 2023 | 7-9 p.m.

Laugh Out Lounge

19 Third St. NW., Winter Haven

Psychic comedian, from America’s Got Talent!. winterhavenlol.com

MEMORIAL DAY

May 29, 2023

A federal holiday for honoring and mourning the US military personnel who have died while serving in the US Armed Forces.

LIVE TRIVIA

May 29, 2023 | 7:30-9 p.m.

Cob & Pen

1221 Florida Ave. S., Lakeland

Live trivia every Monday.

WINE DOWN WEDNESDAY

May 31, 2023 | 5-8 p.m.

Obscure Wine Company

276 W. Central Ave., Winter Haven

Every Wednesday. Unlimited tastings of sommelier chosen wines for only $25.

WINE DOWN WEDNESDAY

May 31, 2023 | 5-7 p.m.

The Social Cocktail Lounge

356 Third St. NW., Winter Haven

Every Wednesday.

LAKELAND FLYING TIGERS VS JUPITER

HAMMERHEADS

May 31, 2023 | 6:30-8 p.m.

Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium

2301 Lakeland Hills Blvd., Lakeland

Go Flying Tigers!. milb.com/lakeland

OPEN MIC NIGHT

May 31, 2023 | 8-10 p.m.

Laugh Out Lounge

19 Third St. NW., Winter Haven

Every Wednesday. winterhavenlol.com

SCAN TO ADD YOUR EVENT

there’s no place like

home...

when you are at The Estates

BARTOW

- CONTINUED ON PAGE 50

DAVENPORT

HAINES CITY

LAKE WALES

LAKELAND

WINTER HAVEN

Small City Rising!

WALKABLE, BIKEABLE, EATABLE, DRINKABLE

Six/Ten has plans to build additional townhomes and apartments in vibrant downtown Winter Haven.

Interested? Intrigued? Register your interest at ideas@sixtenllc.com

We’re All Stardust

ARIES

March 21 - April 19

This month, you will experience a surge of energy that will help you tackle all your pending tasks with ease. You will feel confident and self-assured in your decisions, and your hard work will pay off in the form of new opportunities.

TAURUS

April 20 - May 20

May is the perfect time for you to focus on your relationships. Whether it’s with your romantic partner, family members, or friends, make sure to carve out time to connect with those who matter most to you. You may also find yourself feeling more creative and inspired than usual.

GEMINI

May 21 - June 20

You may find yourself struggling to make decisions. Trust your instincts and don’t overthink things too much. Remember that it’s okay to ask for help or advice when you need it. You may also experience some unexpected financial gains.

CANCER

June 21 - July 22

You could be feeling more emotional than usual this month. Take some time to focus on self-care and prioritize your mental health. You may also have an opportunity to learn something new or take on a new challenge, do it.

LEO

July 23 - August 22

May is a great time for you to focus on your career and professional goals. You may receive recognition for your hard work or even a promotion. Just be careful not to let your ambitions overshadow your personal life and relationships.

VIRGO

August 23 - September 22

This month, you will feel more adventurous and curious than usual. Embrace this energy by trying new things and exploring new places. You may also experience some positive changes in your personal relationships.

LIBRA

September 23 - October 22

May is the time to focus on your finances and budgeting. You may also find yourself feeling more confident and assertive in your personal relationships. Just be careful not to let your desire for harmony and balance overshadow your needs.

SCORPIO

October 23 - November 21

You may find yourself feeling more introspective and reflective this month. Use this time to focus on personal growth and self-improvement. You will also have an opportunity to deepen your connection with a loved one.

SAGITTARIUS

November 22 - December 21

This month, you will find yourself feeling more sociable and outgoing than usual. Embrace this energy by connecting with friends and family and exploring new opportunities. You may receive some positive news related to your career or finances at the end of the month.

CAPRICORN

December 22 - January 19

May is a great time for you to focus on your personal growth and development. You will have an opportunity to take on a new challenge or learn a new skill. Don’t let your perfectionism and self-criticism hold you back.

AQUARIUS

January 20 - February 18

You may find yourself feeling more creative and inspired this month. Use this energy to pursue a new hobby. You will have an opportunity to connect with new people and expand your social circle.

PISCES

February 19 - March 20

May is a great time for you to focus on your relationships and connections with others. You may also find yourself feeling more intuitive and in tune with your emotions. Use this energy to strengthen your bonds with loved ones and pursue your dreams.

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