The 863 Magazine - Spring 2020 by The 863 Magazine

EXCEPTIONAL EVENTS EVERY WEEK! COMEDY | CONCERTS | LIVE THEATRE | SPECIAL EVENTS & MORE

GET TICKETS FIND YOUR ENTERTAINMENT

RitzWinterHaven.com 8 6 3 - 2 9 4 - 74 6 9

263 W Central Ave, Winter Haven, FL 33880

Spring 2020

Content Spring 2020

Apropos of Nothing | Jamie Beckett That moment when you realize you’ve left your cell phone at home... oh, to panic or savor the silence?

Crossword Theme: Ancient History. Answer key on page 13.

Lakeland’s Dixieland | Steve Steiner One of Lakeland’s oldest neighborhoods is a nostalgic haven for shops, galleries, historic buildings, homes and more.

Cover: Storytelling in Neon | By Kris Conroy Lakeland artist Alison Lamons, known for her “vintage neon” art, draws upon her colorful life for creative inspirations.

Local 863 Art Fest: Saturday, April 18, 2020 The Local 863 Art Fest will happen in downtown Winter Haven on April 18, 2020. Come to shop, eat, and enjoy the day.

The 863 Magazine

Editor | Publisher Note

aving worked part-time in a yarn shop for seven years now, I (Andrea) know that there aren’t any “ugly” or bad colors. Every color has its merit and can be matched with something else—sort of the same concept as “there’s a lid for every pot.” When you work with color you start to see hues of all sorts—everywhere— and improbable color combinations grow on you. It’s a joy to work and play with color—and get paid for it. Our cover story this issue is about the colorful life and artwork of Lakelander Alison LaMons, Florida’s “vintage neon” artist. Her pieces are so brilliantly crafted they are often mistaken for photographs and her talent with use of color is remarkable. She draws

upon her travels and studies in Europe for inspiration and has quite the creative body of work to show for it. Read Alison’s fun story starting on page 10. For a fun day out and about in Lakeland we present Dixieland, a community off of Florida Ave. that holds a nostalgic appeal with antique stores, boutiques, cafes, green spaces and just tons of charm. The residents of Dixieland have made sure it all stays family-friendly and as quaint as it can be. Read more about Dixieland beginning on page 8. Our funny guy Jamie Beckett tells us the story of being at a red light and realizing he’s forgotten his phone (which, frankly, sounds like a glorious scenario). But even he needs to decide if he should panic or bask in the peace

and quiet. Which would it be for you? The 863 Magazine is proud to be the main sponsor of the 6th Annual 863 Local Art Fest, happening on Saturday, April 18, 2020, in downtown Winter Haven’s beautiful park blocks. The event will feature the wares of artisans and crafters (plenty of shopping to be had). Also, there will be plenty of eating with several food trucks and cottage food vendors. Come for the shopping and food—and stay for the live music and people watching. Page 16 has more information. Happy spring,

Sergio & Andrea Cruz Publisher | Editor

Publisher & Ad Sales

Contributors

Sergio Cruz | sergio@polkmedia.com

Andrea Cruz | andrea@polkmedia.com

Jamie Beckett Zack Bibby Kris Conroy James Coulter Steve Steiner

Art Director

On the Cover

Alejandro F. Cruz | alejandrocruz.com

Diving Girl Lodge is watercolor on paper by Lakeland “vintage neon” artist, Alison LaMons. Drawing upon her studies in Europe and years of being an architectural designer and draftsman, the award-winning artist has quite the resume and accomplished body of work. Page 10 starts that colorful journey. Note: The upper right image on page three’s table of contents is titled “Cracker Girl Grille.” It is from 2013 and is also a watercolor on paper.

Editor

Cover Designer Deborah Coker

Publisher | Editor Photo This was a selfie right before an 80s party a few years ago—and we dressed the parts: a toned-down version of Madonna and a yuppie tennis player, complete with vintage shorts that were waaaay too short and a flashing visor. It was a totally tubular night and unfortunately we didn’t ‘just say no’ to the Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hills wine, which was, like, grody to the max. We later learned it was actually a table decoration. Oops!

The 863 Magazine is a product of Polk Media, Inc., a woman- and minority-owned business. For more info visit us online: PolkMedia.com or The863Magazine.com.

Visit us online at The863Magazine.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

The 863 Magazine

Apropos of Nothing By Jamie Beckett

Trapped in the car at a stoplight without a phone to distract you. The longest 90 seconds ever or a glint of true freedom? You decide.

’m telling this story for two very good reasons. For one thing, it’s absolutely true. It really happened. For another, my therapist says I need to be more open and willing to share. So here I am, and there you are with this magazine in your hands. Who better to share the story with? As has so often been reported in the press, I live on a palatial estate that I won in what can only be described as an all-night poker binge. It was my first time playing the game, so I have no idea how I won. But I did. And so, I moved my family, sight-unseen, into what turned out to be a rambling, ramshackle semi-mansion on grounds that were so overgrown that Tarzan himself would have been intimidated by the overgrowth, undergrowth, and exceptional collection of deadfall in my new backyard. Truly, it was a sight. Because I am incorrigibly cheap I’m clearing the land and repairing the house myself. This is not to say I’m particularly good at any of the tasks that have to be undertaken, but seriously, how bad can you screw up clearing a jungle? When the point is to cut things down and haul them away, you’re on solid ground even if you accidentally set the whole thing on fire. But that’s another story for another day. Hopefully, I’ll be able to tell you all about it in the future, assuming the gag order is lifted, of course.

Anyway, while working myself into a tizzy with a chainsaw, a series of ladders of varying heights, and a small tractor, I realized I was in need of several fairly specific tools of destruction. With multiple home improvement stores nearby, I grabbed my wallet and keys and headed out to pick up a handful of items that may or may not

have included an axe, an industrial-sized fire ring, and a flamethrower. That’s all I can say about that right now, for reasons I alluded to earlier. In my rush to get on with my master plan for ultimate deforestation project I jumped into the car and drove down the road with everything I needed to accomplish my mission, except—and I only realized this when I got to a red light and was left with absolutely nothing to do and nobody to talk to for several seconds—I’d left my phone at home. Imagine! I was out in the world without any means of communication or entertainment. Obviously, my first impulse was to panic. I, like you, have rarely been out of the house without my phone since Steve Jobs turned our world upside down on June 11, 2007. Sure, you might have held out for a while. I tried. So many of us turned a blind eye and a deaf ear. But eventually we succumbed to the apparent convenience of being able to communicate with anyone we wished from anywhere we might be whenever we got the urge. And that’s the problem. Our phones have transitioned from being convenient tools to a necessary crutch we can’t tear ourselves away from. Every driver in every car at that red light was talking on their phone, or playing Candy Crush, or cruising through Facebook in an effort to distract themselves from suffering the inhuman boredom of 90 seconds of solitude. Everyone but me. Being deprived of a wireless tether that might connect me to the world at large, I was left to myself. I was forced to have thoughts. And to actually consider them.

I had no pictures of cats to distract me. No inane conversations to participate in. Nothing. I was on my own and I’m not the least bit embarrassed to tell you, it was scary. Then something amazing happened. I had a revelation. An epiphany, I tell you. I realized that I was completely free for the first time in years. Nobody knew exactly where I was. Nobody could track me down. Or call me, or text me, or message me for any reason. I was on my own and it was magical. By the time I got to the next intersection, I felt as if I’d time traveled back to 1985, when I was young, thin, free, and had a full head of hair. The world was a blank canvas and so was I. Anything was possible. And so my mission was amended. When I got home I retrieved my phone with glee, fired up that flamethrower, and went to town on the digital device that had trapped me into a miserable life of constant contact. By the way, you shouldn’t put your phone right near the gas can you fill the lawnmower with. It’s a basic safety thing. Something about the possibility of sparks, I guess. You especially shouldn’t put it near the gas can if the gas can is in the garage. You live, you learn. At least that’s what the judge said. Jamie Beckett appears to be an average, everyday guy who just happens to hail from Arizona, Connecticut, New York City, and Central Florida. He wears many hats — pilot, mechanic, writer, politician, musician, stayat-home dad — often an odd combination of all those things. Frankly, we don’t care. At The 863 Magazine we just keep him around because we think he’s funny. That’s that. Read all of his musings at The863Magazine.com.

Spring 2020

61. *Pharaoh’s resting place 65. Tear-jerker 66. *The ____ Peoples, attackers of ancient Egypt 68. *Infamous Athens’ legislator 69. Continental money 70. Lincoln lumber 71. Itsy-bitsy bits 72. Pre-Soviet Russian ruler 73. Opposite of WSW 74. *Per Aristotle, there are 3 categories of this

DOWN

ACROSS 1. Imposing abode 6. ____ ____ mode 9. Musical finale 13. Declares to be true 14. Bud or chum 15. Petroleum tanker 16. Relating to a gene 17. “La” precursor 18. Big Dipper shape 19. *Between Stone Age and Bronze Age 21. Concentration equalizing process 23. *E in BCE 24. Youngster

25. *The Romans built one at Bath’s hot springs 28. Make like a cat 30. Mountain cover 35. Instinctive motive 37. “General Hospital,” e.g. 39. Fresh Prince: “____ ya later!” 40. Lose coat 41. Upside down frown 43. Original thought 44. Not odds 46. Distinctive elegance 47. Feeling great delight 48. Mr. Selfridge’s sphere of expertise 50. Green-eyed monster 52. *Early christogram Chi ____ 53. In the back 55. Granola grain 57. *Italian city, Mount Vesuvius’ victim

Solution on page 15.

Theme: Ancient History

1. Gaspar, Balthasar and Melchior 2. Affirm solemnly 3. Wag of a finger 4. Don’t cast your pearls before it 5. Inner wall of a trench 6. Altar holder 7. *____ Tzu, ancient Chinese philosopher 8. Metallic mixture 9. Bye in Palermo 10. Auto pioneer 11. Kosher eatery 12. *One of Greek mythology’s twelve Olympians 15. *Mesoamerica’s earliest known civilization 20. One maxwell per square centimeter 22. ____, snowshoe, tube 24. Movie teaser 25. *Mesopotamia’s earliest civilization 26. Establish validity 27. End of a shoelace 29. *Romulus’ domain 31. Ruler of emirate 32. Mothball substitute 33. 1st letter of Hebrew alphabet 34. *Founder of first Academy in Athens 36. *Virgil wrote of this volcano in the “Aeneid” 38. Blueprint or outline 42. Diplomat on a mission 45. “The Odyssey” temptresses 49. Hula accessory 51. Jamaican gang member 54. Bridal path 56. Divination card 57. *Virgil or Homer 58. Cross to bear 59. Actress Sorvino 60. Standard’s partner 61. One side of a leaf 62. *Euclid’s sphere of expertise, for short 63. International Civil Aviation Org. 64. Take a nap 67. Long, long time

The 863 Magazine

Lakeland’s Dixieland: A Nostalgic Neighborhood Made Anew Story and Photos by Steve Steiner

They’re the ones who ask about why her shop, Dixieland Relics, located at 949 S. Florida Ave., in Lakeland, is in a neighborhood named, aptly enough, Dixieland.

other shops similar to hers; two, maybe three coffee shops; a bakery/sandwich shop open only several hours on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings, in which devotees will queue in a line that snakes its way to and around the corner; and several other related businesses.

There’s nothing racist about it. If anything, nowadays, it’s quite the opposite, she claims.” “It’s very artsy, bohemian.” By her estimation, there are at least four

However, it has only been of recent note that Dixieland’s status as an “in place” to be has developed. Prior to that, for decades starting in the mid-1950s and

aren Dasher will tell you. “It’s the Northerners.”

lasting only up until recently, Dixieland was in a serious state of decline according to articles and columns in newspapers (such as the then Lakeland Ledger, Tampa Tribune and Orlando Sentinel-Star). Many of these articles and columns attributed the decline to a shift from owner-occupied residences to renters. Matters may have reached a low point in the 1970s as despite an $85k renovation, the nearby Dixieland Mall (which was

Karen Dasher, owner of Dixieland Relics, and lifelong Lakelander, has been part of the revival that has been taking place in the Dixieland neighborhood of Lakeland.

Spring 2020 Bill Lewicke points to what he described as “oddball” items inside “The Shop Across the Street,” which he and his wife, Luanne, operate. They were persuaded to open their shop by their friend, Karen Dasher, who owns and runs Dixieland Relics, which, not so coincidentally, literally is across the street.

outside the actual Dixieland neighborhood but still considered part of Dixieland), the area was considered so dangerous that store owners whose storefronts were being vandalized were paying off-duty police officers to patrol it from midnight to 6 a.m. But before then, Dasher remembers how different Dixieland was. “It used to be the posh neighborhood,” says Dasher. Although a lifelong Lakelander, she herself has never lived in Dixieland, but her grandparents did and as a child she often visited. She remembered, too, that the neighborhood had its own water tower. According to Katie Wilson, writing for an online news platform dated April 25, 2016, (www.ylakeland.com), the current revival began in 2016, and she credited Hillcrest Coffee as the genesis. Another major influence was the involvement of Greg Fancelli, whose interest in Dixieland has been cited by several sources. Fancelli is a descendent of George Jenkins and one of his major accomplishments was saving (and then moving) a landmark structure that now houses the Cob and Pen restaurant. Regardless, the neighborhood has begun improving. “I’ve been here on and off 15 years,” says Mike Henning. He likes the neighborhood because of the old houses, many of them craftsman-style structures. “My home is 104 years old. You don’t get that comfy feeling in other, newer houses.” He also likes the fact the neighborhood is quiet, but it has taken some doing on his part, as well as those of neighbors, who have developed a working relationship with the Lakeland Police Department. Henning gave an example of a nearby house. “It was like a McDonald’s drug house,” says Henning, who further stated it was like a 24 hour drive-thru. But the residents working hand in hand with police put it out of business. Henning says the community is no longer tolerating that kind of behavior and activity anymore. Continued on page 15

The 863 Magazine

Artist Alison LaMons Storytelling In Neon Story by Kris Conroy Photos by Zack Bibby

s the saying goes, to everything there is a season, and for award-winning artist Alison LaMons, this is a time of quiet contemplation following years of frenzied success, which includes her largest commission yet—a 30’x13’ mixed media neon mural in the Art Deco District of South Beach, Miami. But taking a bit of time to “relax” from a nearly year-long commission project doesn’t mean she isn’t creating. Her creative process, however, is varied these days. Her three daughters – ranging from 16 to 21 years old – no longer require as much time for homeschooling. As she finishes five busy years of “saying yes” to invitations and whittles down the last of three years’

worth of commissioned pieces, the Lakeland resident is entering a “regrouping” phase of life. While she continues to paint, both in her Lakeland studio and her cozy home, she now devotes more time to writing a current narrative an in an attempt to define what she wants her art – and her life – to be. “It seems good and necessary, approaching 60 years, to consider how and what body of work to contribute to the most meaningful statements about life, mind and the world in general, since there is only so much time and soul to spend,” she says. “The limitation makes art all the more inherently valuable, to the artist as well as

Artist Alison Lamons stands amidst her various artworks in her Lakeland studio.

Spring 2020

Right: A 30’ x 13’ mixed medium art neon mural installation created by Lakeland artist Alison LaMons features more than 20 individual ‘vintage’ neon signs. The mural was commissioned by SKECHERS USA and is in their Miami South Beach store.

the culture, I believe.”

Known for Neon LaMons, 58, is a striking woman with a long, silver-laced chestnut mane, eyes that light up her face when she talks, and with hands in constant motion whether she’s conversing or painting. This same intense, colorful animation in storytelling is alive in her artwork – whether it’s an illuminated palm tree and parrot on a neon sign or a stately gentleman grasping a cane in a current oil portrait series she is working on. The signature work LaMons is known for are large watercolors of vintage neon signs she calls, “neon nostalgia.” Though they are watercolor paintings, few artist use watercolor the way LaMons does by using twilight and neon the painting’s light source, so they are often so color-saturated as to be mistaken for photographs. Although LaMons neon paintings are largely done in watercolor, she loves oil as well as other mixed medium. LaMons

plans are soon to expand far beyond exclusively watercolor on paper. Executive Director Emerita of Polk Museum of Art, Claire Orologas, describes LaMons’ paintings as luminous. “Her work is simultaneously current and nostalgic, and her images vibrant,” Orologas says. “Like any talented artist, Alison’s way of seeing and interpreting the world is unique.” Mike Furr, Lakeland resident, business owner, and patron of LaMons’s work, agrees with Orologas. A fan for several years, Furr says he was drawn to her ‘neon nostalgia sign portraits.’ “The paintings were vivid, lively, and fun,” Furr says. At Lakeland’s Mayfaire, Furr purchased LaMons’ “Reef Fish” because it reminded him of a trip to Belize that he and his wife had taken in 2018. The second painting he purchased is called “MacArthur Park Fashions,” a painting of a clothing neon store sign set in a 1940’s rainy urban elevated train scene. And he actually purchased it for the Polk Museum of Art. “It was a new piece she had just painted,” Furr says. “It was a clear departure from “the fun art signs,” towards serious museum quality work that made a strong statement.”

Not All Painted Neon Once upon a time Lamons worked for 15 years as an architectural designer and draftsman. So when the shoe company, Skechers USA, came looking for a neon artist, they found the perfect match in LaMons. They commissioned her to make a giant mixed media neon mural installation piece for their Miami South Beach store, which is one of their three flagship stores in the country. LaMons was the designer, artist, and project manager. She vetted and worked with neon fabricators, ultimately choosing to work with a sign company in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area. A watercolor on paper titled “Publix Supermarket.” This colorful rendition of the very first Publix Supermarket neon sign on the original store in Winter Haven, Florida, was imagined from black and white archived images from 1940.

Continued on page 12

The 863 Magazine

Storytelling in Neon, from page 11

The sketches for the Skechers sign were all hand drafted by LaMons. She included many local references and except for Pier 5, all were invented. It is a huge neon sign assemblage with 24 signs in various levels and depths from the mural wall with actual animated neon. “It was great fun and it took me into uncharted territory which I am eager to expand into now.” LaMons says.

European Adventures As a young woman LaMons spent some time working and studying in Europe, specifically Paris and Venice, which colorfully painted her life thereafter. LaMons has many fun stories about her time in Europe. Her eyes light up as she speaks of her literary connections, such as that of Ernest Hemingway, who wrote about her friend’s aunt with whom he had an affair. LaMons even named her own daughter Mariel

after Hemingway’s granddaughter. But literary connections from her time in Europe and the people she met are not the only treasured stories LaMons carries with her; she was also influenced by the art history she studied—as well as real life experiences. Having attended Venice’s organic “carnevale” back in the 80s (now highly commercialized) accounts for LaMons’ living room wall featuring homemade Venetian masks, many of which were created over the years by her own children and others during her years of teaching homeschool art. “I was reliving my days in Venice,” she says. “It was a creative outlet for me before I started working full-time as an artist.” Having created an entire curriculum on The Art of the Venetian Mask, she hopes to incorporate the Venetian masks into her paintings someday. Another memory she cherishes from her time in Europe was a glimpse of the famous sculpture, The Dying Gaul, an experience that seems even more poignant to her now. LaMons first saw the sculpture during the 1980s while studying at Parsons Paris, the European branch campus of NYC’s Parsons School of Design. As her class marched through the Sorbonne to look at a particular exhibit, they passed though the sculpture room. “There were clear windows and these beams of light with all of these dust particles floating in the air and it was just magical,” she says. “I turn around and take in the scene and there was a life size copy of The Dying Gaul.” Because she walked through the room

“MacArthur Park Fashions” is a watercolor of a clothing store neon sign set in a 1940s rainy urban elevated train scene. The pose of the woman on the sign references a sculpture artist Alison LaMons once saw in Paris called The Dying Gaul—a wounded warrior sitting with one leg bent at the knee. This piece was purchased by Lakelander Mike Furr for the Polk Museum of Art.

Spring 2020

so quickly, she didn’t have time to see the name of the sculpture. A decade later, she found the image and the sculpture’s name, in a book. The sculpture depicts a wounded warrior sitting with one leg bent at the knee in front of him and the other extended to the side. LaMons used this same pose of The Dying Gaul when composing her painting, “McArthur Park Fashions,” the piece bought by Furr for the Polk Museum of Art, in which a dress-clad young woman stretches across a neon sign advertising clothing.

“I had never seen anything like it,” LaMons reflects. “Most sculptures are of victorious tall proud heroes. This one beautifully shows a frail honest humanity in its weakness, and yet its strength.” To this icon, LaMons pairs the subtlety of a pop song of lost love from the mid-century 1960’s, MacArthur Park. She says the moody ethereal painting begs the question—was something lost along the way, either personally or culturally? “The artist’s job is almost to feel, question and create on behalf of the culture,” Lamons states. “That is perhaps why I am

in a season of more reflection now. I think it’s sometimes a good thing to stop and get your bearings. That way you can focus in on what is truly important and how you can use your art, and your life, more purposefully and meaningfully.” “Sometimes it feels risky to ‘sit one out’… as if we lose momentum. I think the opposite is true,” LaMons says. “R&R it is for rest and re-creation—I love that word. I am looking forward to the next stage of creation.” For more info visit AlisonStudios.com.

Fused Glass Jewelry Classes in Winter Haven!

www.MariposaFusedGlass.com

Dixieland, from page 9

Spring 2020

Crossword on page 7. David Elfring seconded that. A neighbor of Henning, Elfring has lived in Dixieland approximately two-anda-half years. “All the houses aren’t rentals, says Elfring. “They’re owned and that’s a big difference.” Today you will find a charming community dotted with nostalgic shops that have long been a part of the fabric of Lakeland, historic buildings, green spaces, restaurants, and art galleries. Many of the streets are still paved with bricks and many of the homes in Dixieland are known as “craftsman-style” architecture and design. Dixieland has a distinctive vibe that is part retro, part eclectic— and all Lakeland. For more info on Dixieland Relics visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DixielandRelics/.

DIXIELAND...

AT A GLANCE

In 1907, two men, Henry B. Carter and C.W. Deen, developed from 160 acres what is now the Dixieland Historic District. It was designed in what then was a traditional style of streets and alleyways, with the majority of homes bungalows in the “craftsman style.” According to Wikipedia, the neighborhood circles the east side of Lake Hunter, reaches north to the southern border of downtown Lakeland, and is anchored on the south by Dobbins Park. It was designated as a historic district on Dec. 23, 1994. Businesses such as Concord Coffee, Patio 850 and Nineteen 61 had their start in Dixieland; the latter two have since moved to downtown. Nineteen 61 now occupies the former Posto 9 restaurant site. A number of the surrounding residential streets are paved with bricks and many of the houses are known as “craftsman-style” architecture and design.