The Lakelander I January - February 2013 by The Lakelander

JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2013

NOW IS BLISS / HEADING OUT / SUPER TRANSFORMATION WE NEVER NEED NOBODY / DIRT GEM

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2013

DEPARTMENTS JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2013

16 18 70 106

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR EDITORIAL BIOS EVENTS A RIPE LEGACY

Vibrant labels remind us of Lakeland’s citrus-industry roots

ON THE COVER

NOW IS BLISS / HEADING OUT / SUPER TRANSFORMATION WE NEVER NEED NOBODY / DIRT GEM

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Our friends, Robyn Wilson and Jarrid Masse, the duo behind Lakeland’s much beloved Poor Porker. Check out their killer apartment and a DIY project they whipped up just for us on page 42. If you haven’t visited them on a glorious Saturday morning at the Downtown Farmer’s Market for some of the best beignets ever, you really should do so soon. Photos by Penny & Finn.

Dow n t ow n L a k e l a n d : Dale Dreyer, Community President of Central-West Polk 500 S. Florida Ave., Ste. 100, Lakeland, FL 33801 863.683.2300 L a k e Mi r i a m : Juli Surface, Branch Manager 4719 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland, FL 33813 863.648.0900 Ba r t ow : Anita Stasiak, Branch Manager 1375 North Broadway Ave., Bartow, FL 33830 863.533.0475

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

34 74

FEATURES CULTURE

SHELTER

42 NOW IS BLISS The Poor Porker Guide to Living Well

LAKELAND’S SILVER MOON A retro modern icon

28 COME ON OVER The best concert in Lakeland just might be in your neighbor’s living room

PEOPLE 34

TO OUR HEALTH

laine Thompson, CEO of Lakeland Regional Medical E Center, tells how transforming LRMC into a teaching hospital through a merger with USF will do our bodies good

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

56 TASTE

PHILANTHROPY

56 SUPER TRANSFORMATION A big game meal redefined

86 WE NEVER NEED NOBODY Lakeland leads the way in eradicating local

RECIPES

Add some kick to the big game

STYLE 74 HEADING OUT Going out for a night in Lakeland doesn’t need to include the same old jeans and T-shirt

childhood hunger

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SPORT 94

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PUBLISHER Curt Patterson ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Jason Jacobs, Brandon Patterson

Advertising

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Curt Patterson ADVERTISING SALES Jason Jacobs, Brandon Patterson, Adam Spafford

Editorial

EDITOR Jackie Houghton CULTURE EDITOR Adam Justice MEN’S STYLE EDITOR Mark Nielsen PEOPLE EDITOR Adam Spafford PHILANTHROPY EDITOR Brooklyn Lindsey SHELTER EDITOR Rachel Plating SPORT EDITOR Jarrett Smith TASTE EDITOR Logan Crumpton WOMEN’S STYLE EDITOR Courtney Philpot COPY EDITOR Laura Burke OFFICE MANAGER Deb Patterson

LAKELAND TV

Design

ART DIRECTOR Philip Pietri

Photography

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Greg Allen, Michael Nielsen, Penny & Finn Tina Sargeant, Jason Stephens

Circulation

CIRCULATION DIRECTOR

Jason Jacobs

General Counsel

Ted W. Weeks IV

The Lakelander is published bimonthly by Patterson Publishing, P.O. Box 7517, Lakeland, FL 33807. Reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission of The Lakelander sis prohibited. The Lakelander is not responsible for any unsolicited submissions.

Contact

Patterson Publishing, P.O. Box 41, Lakeland, FL 33802 863.701.2707 www.thelakelander.com Customer Service: 863.701.2707 Subscription Help: subscriptions@thelakelander.com “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

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EDITORIAL

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

he year is new, and everyone seems delighted to have the opportunity of beginning again with the chance at a fresh start. It’s a funny thing for me to consider in relation to what we do here at The Lakelander, because I feel as if we have only just begun our little journey as a city magazine. So, for this issue, it’s less about the potential thrill of starting over and more about continuing to do well. As many of you know, there is an equal (albeit less shiny) thrill in being involved in truly good and satisfying work. We at The Lakelander are officially here for the long haul to do just that, and are committed to the continued effort and privilege of getting into the trenches with our community. This is evidenced by a few changes to the issue as compared with our last two. We are introducing a new section authored by a familiar face. Brooklyn Lindsey is now at the helm of our Philanthropy section, and we couldn’t be more pleased. You see, we feel that giving is at the heart of our identity as a city, as it helps shape who we are and continues to set our community apart as a people who take care of each other. It’s a legacy of which we are intensely proud, and so from this point forward, we intend to highlight those who touch lives through their philanthropy. You will also continue to see us expand our repertoire of writers, photographers, and contributors as we connect with more and more talented folks in our great city. It has been wonderfully fun to discover these Lakelanders’ exceptional talents. Please keep it coming. Thank you for reading and for the continued support. We are all truly grateful. Happy New Year from all of us. With sincere thanks, Jackie Houghton Editor

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EDITORIAL BIOS

ELYSE JUSTICE

CULTURE CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Elyse Justice loves old stuff. She studied historic preservation and art history at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, before receiving her master’s degree in the history of decorative arts from the Bard Graduate Center in New York City. She relocated to Lakeland in 2011 and works as Pinewood Estate coordinator at Bok Tower Gardens in nearby Lake Wales. She also teaches art history courses at Florida Southern College. Besides working amidst old stuff in an old house and teaching college kids about old stuff, she loves prowling through antique stores and visiting some of the best places Old Florida has to offer.

ADAM SPAFFORD BROOKLYN LINDSEY

PHILANTHROPY EDITOR In 2007 Brooklyn Lindsey moved to Lakeland to work as the middle school pastor and Saturday night campus pastor, alongside her husband, at Highland Park Church of the Nazarene. Wife of Coy. Mommy of Kirra and Mya. Pastor to teenagers. Advocate for giving and partnering. Community leader. Dreamer. Ideator. Over the past decade, she’s authored six books, and shared with thousands of students and youth workers locally and across the United States. She and her family love living and giving in Lakeland. Find out more on her blog: www.brooklynlindsey.com or follow on Twitter: @brooklynlindsey

PEOPLE EDITOR

Adam Spafford came to Lakeland in 1999 to attend Florida Southern College and, except for a 20-month graduate school stint in Massachusetts, has been here since. When he’s not writing page-turners for The Lakelander, he trades stock and index options.

ADAM JUSTICE CULTURE EDITOR

Adam Justice is a Virginia native who moved to Lakeland in 2010 to become the curator of art at Polk Museum of Art. He received his B.A. in art history/museum studies from Radford University and an M.A. in art history at Virginia Commonwealth University. Previously he was the chief curator at William King Museum in Abingdon, Virginia, and also served as the director of the Southwest/Blue Ridge Regions for the Virginia Association of Museums. Additionally, he taught art history at Virginia Commonwealth University, Rappahannock Community College, and Virginia Highlands Community College. While being the curator of art at Polk Museum of Art, he is also an adjunct professor of art history at Florida Southern College. He currently serves on various boards, including the Downtown Lakeland Partnership, Polk Vision and Polk Arts Alliance, and is involved with various service and civic organizations. 18

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JARRETT SMITH SPORTS EDITOR

Jarrett Smith lives in Lakeland with his wife, Diana, and their two children, Everett and Orion. A graduate of Florida Southern College, Jarrett is director of Strategic Services at Maximize Social Media LLC in Lakeland. A few mornings a week he can be found running early classes at CrossFit Lakeland.

EDITORIAL BIOS RACHEL PLATING SHELTER EDITOR

Rachel Plating is the mother of two sweet little girls and married to Mr. Fix-It ( Jack). She was born and raised steeped in Southern Bluegrass and sweet tea. An accomplished musician and designer, Rachel and her family fell in love with Lakeland while attending Florida Southern, and they just couldn’t stay away! When she’s not chasing a two-year-old or feeding a newborn, you can most likely find her creating idyllic spaces for her family and friends.

LOGAN CRUMPTON

MARK NIELSEN

TASTE EDITOR

MEN’S STYLE EDITOR

Logan Crumpton has been employed with the United States Postal Service for the last twelve years. Although he has lived nearly his entire life in the Lakeland area, he seeks out a world of food culture with the mindset of sharing it on a local level. Like many who have developed a love of food, he honed his skills in his grandmother’s kitchen, learning traditional Cuban and Italian classics. Pursuing more of a life in food has afforded him the opportunity of co-creating the food blog Eataduck, guest writing for online publications, as well as trying his hand as a caterer and private chef.

Mark Nielsen moved to Lakeland at the age of 12, moved away at 21, and came back just five years later. He attributes his interest in style to his career in design, translating the aesthetics and principles of design into fashion. Mark doesn’t sit still for long, and is currently building a café racer, has shaped a couple surfboards, maintains three blogs, and pursues a hobby shooting medium-format film. An accomplished designer, his work has been featured in such international design publications as HOW, Communication Arts, and Print, as well as the New York Times Magazine, and others. Over the years, he has also added photography and filmmaking to his resume, winning awards for cinematography with his twin brother, Michael. Mark currently holds the role of creative director at Publix and lives in Lakeland with his wife, Jill; their daughters, Andie and Bridget; and a German shorthaired pointer, Charlie.

COURTNEY PHILPOT

WOMEN’S STYLE EDITOR For as long as she can remember, Courtney has been doodling girls in dresses on any available paper, pad, or napkin. Born and raised in Lakeland, she attended FSU, where she received a degree in sociology and then earned a degree in fashion design and marketing from the Academy of Design in Tampa. After many years helping friends and family prepare for big events, she decided to turn her knack for fashion into a business. She created Style by Courtney, where she works as a stylist for personal clients, groups, photo shoots, and runway shows. Eventually, she wants to design her own prints to be used in her own apparel line. Until then, she plans on spending time with her husband, Bryce, and daughter, Sydney, while sharing her fashion philosophy that “You don’t need a million bucks to look like a million bucks” with her clients and readers.

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CULTURE

A retro modern icon

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story by Adam Justice | photography by Tina Sargeant

niquely American, the drive-in theater has emerged as a testament to our country’s long infatuation with the silver screen. These modern amphitheaters introduced a new generation of movie-goers whose nationalism in the 1930s and ’40s spurred them to seek experiences that were truly American. Drive-ins filled that niche as an authentically American form of entertainment where you could sit in your Oldsmobile, eat hotdogs, and watch the newest cut from Hollywood. Later, drive-in theaters were effective contributors to the family entertainment boom of the ’50s and early ’60s. They were made popular in part by the rising status of America’s automobile culture and a new lifestyle centered on other such modern conveniences. At its peak, the age of the drive-in included more than 4,000 theaters nationwide.

With their popularity skyrocketing, drive-ins gradually became less known as family destinations and more as “passion pits,” thanks to the throngs of hormone-laden teenagers who preferred the privacy of an in-car date. This newfound reputation helped to make drive-in theaters the ideal settings for the new American youth movement of the ’60s and ’70s. Camden, New Jersey, rightfully claims to be the home of the American drive-in theater. It was there that chemical company mogul Richard Hollingshead Jr. opened the first drive-in in 1933 after having been awarded the patent for the concept only weeks earlier. Promoting the venue with the tagline, “The whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are,” Hollingshead revolutionized the film industry by transforming it from being a mere pastime into a family event. These outdoor theaters were especially popular in rural areas

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where Tinseltown seemed worlds away and vast outdoor spaces were plentiful. They quickly turned into pop culture icons themselves, despite which icons they premiered on their screens, and it became fashionable to catch a flick at the local drive-in. But, as time passed and Hollywood grew alongside technology, drive-ins lost footing to larger indoor theaters which became more and more prominent with each subsequent generation. In recent years, however, pop culture has undergone a retrospective makeover. It is truly the age of eBay and irony, so anything currently in-style is unabashedly old-fashioned; the words vintage and retro are thrown around to describe anything from luggage to architecture these days. Of course, Hollywood bleeds itself on fashion trends, so it’s no surprise that we’ve recently been invaded by an onslaught of modern remakes of classic films — even remakes of films produced less than a decade ago. Perhaps the slimiest part of modernity’s underbelly is how we’ve allowed Hollywood to cash in on movies that were initially pretty good but are now renovated to look slicker, despite mundane casting. But, there is that proverbial silver lining to the recycled silver screen. Classic drive-in theaters have found themselves amid a renaissance. (It’s just too bad we failed to realize their worth before 75 percent of them unplugged their projectors for good.) Now, aided by our current reflective interests, hip young families, older nostalgic baby boomers, and a fresh population of teens who are rabid for anything social and nuanced, have offered drive-in theaters a golden opportunity for a much awaited sequel. Lakeland is fortunate to have one of only eight drive-in theaters still operating throughout Florida. The Silver Moon Drive-in, located at 4100 New Tampa Highway, has been screening movies since April 13, 1948, making it the second oldest drive-in in the state and the first to open in Lakeland. It was originally owned and operated by Mr. I. Q. Mise and Mr. M. G. Waring, then sold in 1952 to Floyd Theaters, a statewide theater chain. When the company went bust in the early ’90s, its former president, Harold Spears, founded Sun South Theaters and purchased the Silver Moon. Mr. Spears still owns the theater and is proud of its designation as Polk County’s only operational drive-in movie theater. In 1986, Mr. Spears added a second screen to the theater, making it a double-feature venue that can now accommodate approximately 500 cars and opens to an average of 49,000 people a year. 24

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For better insight into the story and identity of the Silver Moon, I met with Charlie Rickman, the theater’s manager, and James Andrews, a supervisor for Sun South Theaters. I arrived at the drive-in midday, and the entire scene seemed something quite surreally Hollywood itself with its deserted parking lot and looming blank screen. Rickman and Andrews were more than happy to give me the grand tour of the place and provide a better sense of the Silver Moon then and now. Originally, the theater was half its current size and backed by a dense patch of forest. As we stood in the center of the large viewing lot, which was completely vacant except for a number of speaker poles still lining the aisles, Rickman pointed to the base of the large screen and said, “That’s where the snack bar used to be.” Attendants formerly worked as wait staff, moving like ants to and from the base of the screen, jotting down orders from alongside car windows. The movies were originally projected from a dugout in the center of the parking lot. Jokingly referred to by Rickman and Andrews as “the dungeon,” this bunker is still accessible and houses one of two large antique projectors used in the theater’s early years. The bulky machine more closely resembles a large locomotive engine and would probably radiate as much heat. As Andrews hit the switch, the dinosaur jerked and fired up, requiring us to yell over its loud generator. The projectionist endured hours of grueling heat and noise each evening in this claustrophobic space. The original method of screening movies involved a dual-projector system. Since films arrived on two large reels of 35-millimeter film, a

theater had to have two projectors. As the movie wound to the end of one reel, small indicators called “burn marks” would appear in the corner of the film. These marks signaled the projectionist to start the other projector in order to seamlessly continue the picture. In the ’70s, theaters starting using another system that utilized large rotating platters on which both reels of film could be spliced and placed for one continuous feed. This required theaters to need only one projector. Both of these systems are now obsolete with the advent of digital technology. Although there are still theaters operating on a film-based projection system, Rickman and Andrews predict it is only a matter of months before major production companies abandon film altogether. Last year, the Silver Moon took a giant leap into the 21st century by purchasing two state-of-the-art digital projectors. These computerized behemoths are operated via touchscreen technology and are each equipped with an oversized light bulb comparable to the circumference of a basketball. They run on separate video and audio systems, one for each side of the drive-in, and are effortless to operate. Movies arrive on compact cartridges that resemble 8-track tapes (how retro). They’re loaded into the back of the projector and played at the touch of a screen; perhaps less dramatic than the old 35-millimeter film process but much more efficient. Efficiency comes with a price, however, and not only monetarily. As Rickman and Andrews described these two cutting-edge projectors, they mentioned an interesting dichotomy: How do you retain a drive-in movie theater’s unique nostalgia while

conforming to the technological demands of the 21st century? In an age when technology and trends fade in and out in a matter of months, historic drive-ins find themselves in a curious predicament, having to initiate a massive selfreassessment that affects their new identities as some of the last bastions of true Americana. As drive-ins have succeeded in retaining their antique appeal, they‘ve also somehow managed to keep their unusually low admission prices. The Silver Moon remains one of the most inexpensive tickets around, charging $4 for people age ten and over, and only $1 for children between the ages of four and nine. These prices have remained constant throughout the modernization process when basic equipment, i.e. projectors, cash registers, audio equipment, and payment methods, have had to be revamped to accommodate the new age. But, as the drive-in continues to progress digitally and an already much larger overhead continues to grow, will the Silver Moon remain so accessible and cost efficient? “Without a doubt,” says Rickman. And, it’s difficult not to believe him. Despite the steeply rising costs of being digital, the Silver Moon is dedicated to remaining an affordable attraction for family entertainment. Through shifting tides in technology and culture, the Silver Moon has remained one of Lakeland’s most coveted gems for nearly 80 years. It continues to grow according to rising demands but has successfully retained an important part of its identity. To peer beyond its large welcoming neon sign and see anything other than its legacy as a Lakeland icon would be a modern approach, and we are all too old-fashioned for that.

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CULTURE

The best concert in Lakeland just might be in your neighborâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s living room story by Elyse Justice | photography by Greg Allen

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he thought of hosting a party or dinner for a large group of friends sends many into a tailspin of event-planning frenzy. These people would find the idea of hosting a live concert in their living room for twenty-five friends, neighbors, and even strangers absolutely ludicrous. Becky Abel, however, does so regularly and with great passion for her “hobby.” Becky, with a little help from her husband, Tom, organizes a series of concerts that they have dubbed “Among Friends Music.” If this seems strange, the Abels are not alone. They are members of a growing subculture of the house concert. The concerts feature nationally touring musicians who are accustomed to playing original music in this very intimate setting. House concerts have emerged as an answer to needs of both artists and fans. In recent years, small businesses that have traditionally hosted open-mic nights or jam sessions featuring emerging artists have witnessed dropping profits due to the poor economy and performance rights organizations’ increasingly strict policing of licenses and fees, causing many of them to cease accommodating these types of concerts. The house concert affords many emerging musicians a friendly, intimate, and private atmosphere in which to perform, filling a void. Most house concerts are organized so that performers receive all of the proceeds, a better alternative to low-paying gigs, and because they are essentially private parties, most fees are not a concern. In turn, fans of live, original music also have a place to go. Many fans love the living room setting because of all of the things it does not have — a large, open space where sound is lost; noisy groups of people; the constant clink of dishes or glasses; or a great deal of hustle and bustle. “There is no football game on a TV in the corner,” Becky says. Devotees of the house concert are music purists; they want to hear every note and word.

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Becky first became exposed to the idea of a house concert many years ago when Mad Agnes, a favorite group of hers, suggested she host their concert in her house. She thought the band was crazy, and she instead arranged for a concert at a local art gallery, Arts on the Park. She found that she enjoyed booking the group and making the arrangements. Over the years, she began using Facebook and other web outlets to become better acquainted with independent musicians. In February 2011, Butch Ross, a dulcimer player from Chattanooga, Tennessee, again

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floated the idea of a house concert to Becky. The musician referred her to the website for Concerts in Your Home, an organization that promotes hosting in-home concerts and has created a network for hosts, musicians, and fans. The company, operated by Fran Snyder, screens both homes and musicians to ensure quality and security, and provides hosts with a simple outlet for finding talent. After researching the idea further, Becky decided to pursue a house concert for the dulcimer player and invited twenty-five friends and neighbors to it, suggesting a $15

to $20 donation. Becky’s second featured artist, Cary Cooper, prompted the necessity for a name for the series when she asked Becky for one to promote on her website. The title came from one of Becky’s favorite books, which revolved around being a “friend among friends.” Becky and Tom now host entire seasons of concerts, limited to twenty-five people due to the physical constraints of their living room. They largely choose musicians classified as folk, though Becky is quick to point out that the genre encompasses quite a range of styles. They rent

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For more information and concert schedules for Among Friends Music, visit Becky and Tom Abel’s website at www.amongfriendsmusic.com.

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No Ordinary Days

Tyranny of the Innocent

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Small Possible Worlds

chairs and provide coffee and tea, and most people bring their donations along with a snack to share. Attendees find the concerts via friendships, word-of-mouth, or Becky and Tom’s website. Becky asks for requests for invitations in order to maintain her family’s privacy and the small size of the audiences. She books roughly one half of her concerts from the Concerts in Your Home site, and the others from artists she has found through her own connections or through a Florida state organization. Becky also is known in the Lakeland community for organizing musicians for the Lakeland Farmer’s Market, as well as for joint efforts between Among Friends Music, and Arts on the Park. Beyond the satisfaction of discovering new artists and organizing these unique musical experiences, Becky has found that her hobby has opened her to new friendships and possibilities. A professed non-talent, she feels this is her way of contributing to the music that she loves so much. She speaks about the artists who have performed in her home much as an art collector talks about her favorite works. There is Ronny Cox, a success as an actor and a guitarist perhaps best known for his performance in Deliverance, whom she felt was like a friendly next-door neighbor. Rebecca Loebe, a recent contestant on The Voice, was wonderful. Vinx, an AfricanAmerican singer of a jazzier vein, was “all that and a bag of chips.” Becky develops deeper connections with the musicians when she and Tom house the artists overnight. With a four-bedroom home and grown, independent children, hosting the concerts “keeps the house alive.” She fondly speaks of the experience after the concert has ended. “The best part is after everybody leaves,” she says, “and the musicians continue to play. Sometimes they bring out instruments they didn’t use in the concert, like an accordion.” Clearly, this is where Becky’s heart lies. Becky and Tom’s spirit exemplifies that of Lakeland’s artistic community. Their passion for their favorite art form leads them to go above and beyond to share it with their friends and neighbors, creating new connections along the way.

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TO OUR HEALTH

Elaine Thompson, CEO of Lakeland Regional Medical Center, tells how transforming LRMC into a teaching hospital through a merger with USF will do our bodies good story by

The Lakelander: Please give us a brief professional history. Elaine Thompson: I am from the Philadelphia area and went to the University of Pennsylvania where I studied physical therapy. For over ten years I was a partner in a privately owned physical therapy practice. I held the positions of assistant professor of physical therapy at Jefferson University and Arcadia University. When I was at my last faculty appointment at Arcadia University, Beaver College, one of my little girls had become ill with a brain tumor, and because of that I actually shifted positions to go to the University of Pennsylvania Health System to take on a job of broader administrative responsibilities. 34

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Adam

Spaffo rd | photo graph y by T ina Sa rgean t

My career at Penn just took off — it was crazy in the ’90s, and I was promoted from running rehab sections to running cardiac sections to G/I sections, and I learned a great deal. I even attended Wharton when I was at Penn. Prior to that, I had earned my PhD at Drexel in Biomedical Engineering. From the Penn relationships I was asked to go to one of their affiliates — St. Luke’s Hospital, about an hour and a half north of Philadelphia — to be a president over that small hospital. I did fairly well there and was promoted to run their four hospitals in the St. Luke’s Health System. Then I moved over to the mainline Jefferson system and was president of their large hospital for four years before Lakeland recruited me, and

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now I’m starting my third year here. It’s been a great journey. If anyone asked me as a physical therapist if I’d wind up running the fifth largest hospital in Florida, I would have said no. I would have thought I’d still be helping patients with amputations, which I still miss doing now and then. But it’s a great experience. I’ve been mentored by great people and had a lot of luck, and I feel very fortunate to be here. TL: What is a teaching hospital? ET: It’s funny because when you say a “teaching” hospital, it does mean in our industry a hospital that has the ability to teach medical students and graduate medical students — positions that have already finished medical school — who then go on to further internships in their residency programs. Now in some ways you may think that’s unfair, because we’ve been teaching nursing students and pharmacy students throughout the history of LRMC, but in the industry standard, it is when you become a hospital that teaches the physicians that you are a teaching hospital. TL: As the merger with USF begins, what will change? ET: Although we’re still planning — all the “i”s are not dotted and all the “t”s are not crossed — our goal is to have everything in place 36

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in March. We’re describing it as an operational merger; it’s not an asset merger. There will be a new not-for-profit organization created that will be called the University Hospital Support Service Organization. It will become the sole member of Lakeland Regional Health Systems, and that new board will be comprised of four members of USF, four members of Lakeland Regional, the dean of the medical school, and two national experts who will be recruited by the board itself to join the board. That board will have responsibility for any hospital that wants to become part of the University of South Florida Health System, and that not-for-profit will hold that name of the USF Health System. We’re excited about this. USF has a national reputation in running what’s called the Distributive Residency Program, which means they hold residency for a lot of hospitals in the Tampa Bay area, not just Tampa General, so they are very good at getting the accreditations, developing the programs, the curricula, and the recruitment. Having their combined governance leadership we think will allow us to much more effectively become a teaching hospital. For example, when we start going out to recruit residents, it will be a co-branded residency program with USF and Lakeland Regional, and we know we will get better candidates to apply for those residency programs because of that

strong USF brand and their ability to do such a great job on their residency program. The other way this gets operationally merged is that I actually assume a role at the university in addition to being the CEO of that new health system. I also will be a vice president of the University of South Florida Medical School, and with that I’ll have responsibilities for all the clinical operations of their faculty practice plan. That will allow to not only have the hospital side have some shared governance, but will also allow the physician side to share operational administration. That’s why it’s defined as an operational merger and not an asset merger. The assets of the hospital will stay separate from USF. There is a way at the end of the day that if Lakeland Regional makes more than 1.5 times its depreciation expense, excess funds could be allocated from the system for strategic deployment, but it would need at least one member of the Lakeland board to agree to that movement of funds. So there’s a lot of protection for the funds that are generated in Lakeland to stay in Lakeland, and we think that’s a real advantage of the system. TL: What benefits accrue to patients, physicians, residents, and the Lakeland community from this new relationship? ET: First, let’s look at the timing of this plan.

We plan to have residents here in July 2015. However, we currently have undergraduate medical students rotating through the Family Health Center. So we’re very excited about having a preview of this new relationship, as 2015 seems far away. It’s a huge opportunity for the state for LRMC to open up these residency programs because Florida has opened up a new residency program. Right now there are not enough residency slots in Florida for all students to attend in state, and 60 percent of residents will stay in the area where they receive their residency training. If one of your goals is to get the number of physicians per 100,000 lives up to the national average, then you want to have residencies to be able to keep residents in the community as practicing physicians. So we’re happy to be able to add 200 to 250 resident positions for Florida, and we’ve received a lot of accolades from different members of the state government to do that. Nobody wants to spend all of the money that the state has to train medical students to then have those students leave for other parts of the country and set up their practices there. Equally, when you have residency, it’s not as though they are only open to students who have graduated from the state’s medical schools. Our residency will be open to anyone in the country who wants to apply. What’s nice about that is

that it will allow students who’ve trained in other states to come here, and remember, six out of ten of them are likely to stay. Hopefully this will give us the best of both worlds in terms of resident opportunities. We believe there is only one other hospital in the country as large as LRMC that is not a teaching hospital, and oddly enough that’s St. Joseph’s in Tampa, which is a very large hospital in terms of beds, yet has no residency. But it is very atypical for a hospital of our size not to have a teaching program. We are very complex and very rich — in terms of content — because of the types of patients we see, the high volume, and the outstanding medical staff that we have here. We should contribute educationally because it’s the right thing to do for the community. When you realize that we have the largest emergency department in Florida — we’ll have over 170,000 visits this year — not to have emergency medicine residents have the opportunity of learning from those visits is just not what we’d be proud of as a community resource. Not only should we be doing great health care, but we also need to open our doors to help shape the future of medicine. We want this rich environment to be available for the kind of continued research that is so outstanding at USF. When you look at the USF College of Medicine, their National Institute of

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Health funding is only a million dollars below the University of Florida School of Medicine. When you look at the researchers to whom we are tying ourselves in this affiliation, it will be very good as well. So from the resident perspective, it’s a wonderful thing to keep those physicians here who want to stay in Florida. The community benefits because teaching hospitals are the best hospitals in the country. When you need a second opinion, you go to MD Anderson for cancer, you go to Hopkins, you go to Cleveland Clinic — they’re all teaching hospitals. If you look at U.S. News and World Report’s honor-roll hospitals, they’re teaching hospitals. What you tend to see is that a hospitalized patient who needs to be diagnosed and treated has a team of people making that determination. The attending physician, senior residents, and junior residents meet together and look at the test results together prior to meeting with the patient. They read the articles together. They test the latest research and come up with a team diagnosis so they can translate that back to the patient and say, “We’ve really studied your case, and we believe this is what needs to be done.” So having a team diagnosis as to treatment, having students who have just read the latest literature each day be part of that team decision, having grand rounds — the environment changes when

there are conferences everywhere throughout the house where doctors and nurses get to hear residents report of unusual cases and treatment methods that a literature search uncovered. It becomes an inspirational learning organization. TL: You mentioned there will be between 200 and 250 residents. Which medical disciplines will be represented? ET: We’re still in the planning process, but we believe it will be family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, general surgery, psychiatry, pediatrics, and emergency medicine.

As LRMC becomes a clinician-led health system, Mack Reavis, MD is recently promoted to president and retains his position as chief medical officer. (pictured with Thompson)

TL: Are there plans for a fellowship program? ET: Right now our planning experts have advised that we start with what I’ve described already — core residency for primary-care residents. However, once we understand more of the medical staff ’s interest for what they’d like to see, we may open up a fellowship program. For instance, we may begin with 36 internal-medicine residents, but in the coming years we may decide to have 28 residents and the remainder in a fellowship. But for the first phase between 2015 and 2020, we don’t have such plans, unless, for instance, the cardiology division requests one.

TL: You mentioned retention of physicians after their residencies. Will this improve the physician shortage that we’ve heard about? ET: Absolutely. We believe this is our best strategy for dealing with the physician shortage in Polk County. When we look at primary-care physician statistics, Polk County is about 30 percent shy of physicians per 100,000 lives, compared to the Florida average. Now that’s primarily in the underserved areas. I think if you have good commercial insurance you can probably find a primary-care doctor in Polk County to take care of you, but the reason we’re making sure our programs begin with primarycare residencies is to address this shortage. In addition, we’ve done a medical-staff plan — bringing consultants in last year — to take a look at what we have a shortage of now and looking toward 2016 and 2017. Due to the retirement of physicians in the state and the complexity of specialists that are needed, we’ve seen not only a primary-care shortage but also a specialty shortage. So our hope is that our relationship with USF will provide support for that shortage. I’ll give you an example from neurosurgery: I’ve been here now for two years, and pretty much every day I’ve been involved in trying to recruit neurosurgeons to this campus. There are only a few neurosurgeons trained in the

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Chief Academic Officer Graham Greene, MD will be instrumental in Lakeland Regional’s transformation to a teaching hospital. (pictured with Thompson)

country each year. Florida is a hard state to come to. It’s probably one of the worst environments for malpractice controls, so neurosurgeons are scared to come into the state to begin with. And then we are poor — Polk County is poor. So our ability to bring in neurosurgeons hasn’t been great. We do have a wonderful neurosurgeon — Dr. Campanelli — and he’s outstanding, but he’s been by himself for a while now. A large trauma program like ours really should have three neurosurgeons. So we tried to work with the Watson Clinic to see if they would like to bring in neurosurgeons to help us, like they do with cardiac surgeons, but they also did not want to recruit neurosurgeons because they were afraid of the liability due to the malpractice exposure. So we’ve recently gone to USF, and they have recruited for us two additional neurosurgeons. One is here currently, another is coming in March, and we’re looking to further our recruiting efforts through our partnership with USF. That’s the kind of additional benefit with the partnership that we’ll need down the road to fill the physician shortage. TL: How will the program be staffed? Will existing LRMC physicians oversee the residents? Will USF counterparts oversee them? ET: First, we are asking anyone on the staff who would like to be part of the teaching program to do so, and if anyone is unwilling then there will be no change for them. Each of the residencies needs an experienced program director. When we ask members of the staff to join the teaching program, they have the 40

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credentials to teach residents, but they may not be qualified to serve as a program director because they may not currently have the teaching experience. So, if we don’t have internal program director candidates, then we’d look to USF to bring in those program directors. Any time we have an unmet need, let’s say a transplant unit — we’re not a transplant hospital, but if a residency, say general surgery, wanted to have a rotation [in a transplant unit] — then we will ask USF to allow the residents exposure to that. TL: What makes a member of the medical staff qualified to teach residents? ET: All eligible members of our medical staff are board certified and therefore qualified to teach, so our credentialing criteria from a content perspective is pretty robust. Along with USF we will provide a lot of faculty development programs for anyone who is interested. USF already has very strong development programs. It has 700 distributive residencies in its system, and the undergraduate medical school, as well as graduate programs, have faculty development plans. So anyone interested in teaching will go through those faculty development programs to be sure we’re comfortable with their ability to evaluate and mentor the residents. USF has innovative ways of testing both residents’ capabilities and faculty members’ capabilities procedurally, because it has this amazing center for medical learning and simulation, the CAMLS building in downtown Tampa, a 90,000-square-foot education and simulation center. A resident can try robotic procedures, practice in hybrid labs — I’ve never

seen anything like it in my life. I thought Penn’s simulation lab was intense, but this is truly amazing. It’s the largest in the world right now, and they have been asked to do another one in Panama. So to have that as part of this bridge from student to bedside, to have the ability of the CAMLS — it’s huge. TL: How do patients generally feel about having their care provided by residents? Is it a concern? ET: We’re going to spend a lot of time working on that because this hospital has never had residents, so it will be different for this community to have a residency program. As I mentioned previously, US News & World Report ranks the best hospitals as teaching hospitals, so obviously when you’re sick you want to get to a resident hospital. However, we need to make sure that whenever we run a program, it’s run exceptionally well. It really depends on how the program is organized. The joy of it is that, during morning rounds, there is a team of people discussing a patient’s case, but communication to the patient is through the attending and chief resident on the case. A lot of time the attending has to go back to the office at the end of the day, but the nice thing is that the resident stays on the floor and sits at the bedside for an hour, explains the disease process, and can draw out what’s going on. So patients can actually get a much higher level of attention by having 200 to 250 more physicians here to be with the same number of patients (we have 851 beds). So when it’s orchestrated well, there’s nothing like it. There’s a lot more teaching,

a lot more education. Again, we are going to work hard so that, from a patient-experience perspective, we’re doing what our patients want. We’ll actually be pulling together a group of patients under the leadership of our Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Graham Greene, and design some of the curricula for the residents. What’s nice is that we have a two-year window for this. We’re not going to assume we know what the patient wants; we’re going to ask them. We’ll explain, this is how it works; tell us how this could be the best environment. I think there is so much we can do between having patients’ input on the residency program and leveraging our information technology platform in a better way than we have before. I would imagine that, by 2015, you will actually see not only an enhanced resident complement, but also a user-friendly technology platform for family members and patients. For example, right now if a family member isn’t here at the time an attending physician is walking through, that family member doesn’t get to talk to the physician. But I am hoping we will have the sophistication for the family members to schedule conferences with the attending and the resident through a scheduling system, so that when the resident looks at the caseload, they would know that not only do they have a teaching round but also, for instance, a 3 p.m. family conference. We could have predictability and a patient/family centering. TL: How will this change affect the nursing and ancillary staff? ET: For the most part it will be easier to recruit because we are a teaching hospital. It provides the opportunity to learn, to attend grand rounds, case conferences, etc. Each day the members of these staffs will know that not only are they doing great work, but they’re learning. Their careers are moving forward. USF is one of the few medical schools that believes in a team approach to care. So they expect the nurses to do a lot of teaching of the residents. USF has a very integrated curricula. Nurses, pharmacists, medical students all take their core courses together. They don’t want to see physicians be educated in a certain way as undergraduates and then have them join a residency and be separated from the nursing staff. I actually have a hissy fit when I see the words “nurse’s stations” on some of our master facility plans — that’s what they were called twenty years ago. These are team stations, and it will be fun to know the nurses won’t see themselves just as great professional caregivers, but also as teachers on the medical staff of new professionals. TL: Will residents spend their entire residency at LRMC, or rotating through other hospitals? ET: Anything that they can do here, they

will do here. It doesn’t mean they won’t have a rotation in one of the health departments, clinics for HIV, etc., so when I say “here,” I mean greater Lakeland. There may be times when we would need to rotate a resident for a different level of care, and at that point we will take a look at all organizations that would be willing to have some of our residents rotate — for instance, a psychiatry residency — and we’d look for all hospitals that have a distinctive psych rotation that we may not offer. We have memory disorder, adolescent psych, full inpatient psych, but there may be a special rotation in an Alzheimer’s facility that could provide the best teaching experience for the need. Similarly in pediatrics, we would make a relationship with a pediatric hospital if we couldn’t meet the rotations. And a lot of that planning is going on right now with our consultants. Anything we can offer here at high quality will be here, but otherwise it won’t be limited to just USF or Tampa General. TL: How will criteria for recruitment be established? ET: We will be going through USF’s centralized residency recruitment process. It’s a national system, and USF will be our liaison to the system. After residencies are approved, we will advertise our residency program opportunity at LRMC. Then all of the students coming out of medical school look at what’s available and interview with the programs in which they have the most interest. We’ll look at applicants and invite some of them to come and look at the program. And then there’s Match Day, which is a crazy computer simulation model that goes on across the country and matches people with their choices. If you’re a teaching hospital, you want to get the top ten applicants, those with top grades, top performance. And if you’re a potential resident, you want to get your top choice. So there’s not a lot of criteria selection per se other than the ranking that a hospital and medical students do for Match Day. If a hospital doesn’t fill all of its spots, you go back to look at the residents who didn’t get their first choices and invite those residents to visit the program. TL: What is the potential benefit and impact of LRMC becoming a research center? ET: This is a huge community opportunity, and we haven’t spoken much about it publicly yet. Because we’re becoming a teaching hospital, I think that the first question people ask is: What does that mean? As you asked me, will patients get care from residents? Will they see their doctor? How does it work? On the research side, when partnering with a huge research organization [such as USF], it has huge transactional benefits, but probably I get

more excited about the transformational benefits we will see. For example, today, if you are at the bedside, there could be a clinical trial going on that we don’t know about, but the residents will have known about it, will have been talking about it, and can suggest a certain treatment method which, although it might be on trial, has been used to treat a condition. And the patient can be asked if he or she would like to be involved in that trial. I think there will be a lot more clinical trials offered here than what has been done in the past, because a lot of the time, drug companies, when they are looking for hospitals to host clinical trials, go to the major medical schools, go to the chairs of major departments. For example, we talked about neurosurgery: Prior to the USF relationship, a drug company or clinical trial sponsor may or may not have stopped here and talked to Dr. Campanelli. But [USF neurosurgery department’s] Dr. van Loveren has twelve neurosurgeons. If Dr. van Loveren agrees to the trial, you have the population of Tampa covered. So each day we will have more opportunities to offer people clinical trials. This is exciting — if a patient is dealing with disease, it would be very important to that patient to know of new treatments. Dr. Steve Klasko, MD, MBA, is the CEO of USF Health and Dean of the Morsani College of Medicine. What’s unique about having this relationship with USF’s medical school is that it has done wonderful recruitment of some very serious researchers during Dr. Klasko’s eight years there, maybe even prior to that — for example, the recruitment of Dr. Les Miller to run the lipid work. Right now, they are starting to recommend the right lipid and right statin drug based on the genomics in a patient’s blood. No longer do they have to try a certain drug to see if it works, if a patient’s liver can handle it. From a blood test going back to a genotype, you’ll be prescribed the right drug the first time. That’s pretty huge. And to start having blood samples go back to researchers who can figure out genotypes — that’s not your normal community hospital activity, and it allows the transition for research on mice to bedside in a quicker way. The other huge change is the Byrd Center for Alzheimer’s, a research institute on USF’s campus that does everything from basic research in Alzheimer’s to functional applications of training and safety. Patient’s blood and genomics are studied to determine what affects and what doesn’t affect Alzheimer’s. So there will be huge advantages for USF, for Lakeland’s patient population to be research engines, and for our community and the aged population of Florida, to contribute solutions for Alzheimer’s. We’ve created solutions for cardiac disease in the same way. So it’s beyond transactional. It’s world transformative. THE LAKELANDER

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now

“

bliss The Poor Porker Guide to Living Well (and within

your means)

story by Rachel Plating | photography by Penny & Finn

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”

Walking into Jarrid Masse and Robyn Wilson’s shared apartment is like walking into an extension of what you see every Saturday morning at their beignet stand, The Poor Porker, at the Downtown Farmer’s Market. Their hands-on aesthetic, lived out, makes this couple an inspiration for everyone from experienced junkers to the novice DIYer, to fans of higher-end bohemian decor like retail store Anthropologie. Their homeplace hits just the right balance of rustic, modern, and cozy. Not to mention affable. In fact, affability is as crucial an ingredient to their brand as powdered sugar or roasted chicory coffee. When they moved in a year ago, the apartment was furnished with castoffs and utterly lacking in style. Let’s refer to the “before” photos. This was a fully furnished budget rental. Take a look at the details here. Drop ceiling, check. Knotty pine panelling throughout, double check. Tiny kitchen, with nary an inch of prep space (not a big deal if you subsist on microwaveable meals and takeout, but for these two food aficionados, this was a real problem). The horrors continue. The only things going for this place were its price point and barebones potential — bones of which were even hard to see at first. Not many people move into a dated, furnished apartment and manage to make it an object of envy and admiration, but that is just what Robyn and Jarrid have done. Fearlessness is essential in this style of decorating. I mean, how many folks do you know who say to themselves, “I hate this drop ceiling. I think I’ll just knock it down.” But that’s just what they did. Fast forward about a year, and the changes are truly incredible. This inspired pair has managed to completely transform their space using mostly found and thrifted objects, on the very smallest of budgets. A huge part of the Poor Porker manifesto is living in the now, and using the resources at hand to live and love well. Each weekend they live out their philosophy at the Downtown Farmer’s Market, frying up delicious beignets from their custom-built, salvaged food truck. The lines are usually long, but nobody seems to mind. The beignets are only part of the experience. Jarrid and Robyn prove that living well doesn’t take a ton of money. So take heart, apartment dwellers and lovers of junk! Grab an axe and start the demolition! Paint that hideous refrigerator! Strip and sand those chipped-up floors! Well, maybe check with your landlord first...

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Top Row Kitchen - Before and After Center Row Left This hutch was inspired by a similar piece at Anthropologie. Robyn loved the style of the original but not the $9,000 price tag (no, that is not a misprint). Jarrid and Robyn built their version using a found vintage cabinet for inspiration and built the rest of the piece from salvaged wood, railroad ties, and chicken wire. Center Row Middle Jarrid’s riff on the taxidermy trend. They found the deer head in a dumpster on one of their many junking adventures. It was pretty mangy, but Jarrid could not be deterred from taking it home with them. He treated it with caulk and two different sheens of black paint; and then added tree branches for antlers. It’s not Robyn’s favorite thing, but we think it’s pretty awesome. The cabinet below is an old mechanic’s cabinet they’ve upcycled for use as a TV/media cabinet. Center Row Right With a little clever furniture placement, one can minimize the impact of less attractive appliances such as window A/C units. Here Robyn has cleverly placed her wingback chair slightly in front of the air conditioner, and propped up some art on top, making the unit fade into the background. Found tree branches serve as a hat rack by the window.

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Top Left Jarrid, in his natural habitat

Top Right Another of the DIY projects featured on their blog is this kitchen island made from old discarded pallets and metal salvaged from an old water tank found in the woods. This is where they come up with new recipes for their beignet business and document recipes for their blog, thepoorporker.com. Middle Left “Now is Bliss” — a good reminder before you walk through the front door. Bottom Left Robyn, hard at work on the social networking end of their business, with the help of her dear friend, Dagney the Wonderdog. Bottom Right This is where the word “fearless” really comes into play. Jarrid tore down the hideous drop ceiling and replaced it with custom salvaged wood. The pair also built the sink cabinet and spice rack above, all from salvaged items.

Robyn Wilson and Jarrid Masse of The Poor Porker

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Q A &

Q: Who are you? A: We’re the dynamic duo of all things creative and resourceful. Nah, just kidding. We’re crazy. Jarrid grew up in Lakeland and is a graduate of the Harrison Performing Arts Center. Living true to his title of jack of all trades, he’s done everything from performing with a circus, to building government command centers, to cooking with celebrity chefs. Robyn is a self-proclaimed thrift-store master and junker extraordinaire. She’s done everything from feeding 1,200 hungry people at the Coachella Music Festival to cooking for Jessica Alba. She has a real passion for entertaining. After all, doesn’t the name “The Poor Porker” scream party!?! We think so.

Q: What is The Poor Porker? A: The Poor Porker is based on the simple idea that you really can do whatever you want to do. We believe that elegance can be achieved 48

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without extravagance. It just takes looking at things and our own capabilities in a different way. Oh, yeah, and we make some pretty yummy beignets, too.

Q: When did you first get the idea to start your own business / know you were destined to become wandering purveyors of fried deliciousness? A: We love New Orleans’ tradition of beignets and chicory coffee. We came up with the idea to sell beignets when we scoured an entire city looking for them, couldn’t find any, went home and learned to make them ourselves using our own recipe (that just so happens to be 100 percent vegan). Sometimes, trying to find a perfect simple thing is not so simple. We’re both very inspired by the vibe of Café du Monde in the French Quarter. Somehow, the minute you walk into that bustling café, you’re transported to another place and time. We

wanted to create a place like that in our own way. Honestly, we started The Poor Porker with $300, a car full of tools, and a big dream. Building a stand gave us the chance to be artistically expressive. We used discarded wood and metal that we found in Florida when we arrived, and decorated with trinkets that we found in local thrift shops.

Q: Where did you meet / do you find inspiration / do you find the raw materials for your projects? A: We met while filming a food show for the Syfy channel called Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen. We were instant friends. Oddly enough, our visions were insanely similar. We’re both very inspired by what nature and time do to the world around us. We find our materials everywhere from junk piles to thrift shops. We’ve also gotten some lovely things to use from our friends and customers.

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SHELTER Q: Why did you drive across the country to create your business from scratch? A: Neither of us wanted to work for anyone. We both knew that we’d be happiest working for ourselves. The chance to go to a place with a strong and supportive community like Lakeland made the most sense. We couldn’t do something like this on our own. We needed support.

Q: Did you know you were going to end up building a food truck and slangin’ beignets for the hungry masses? A: We definitely had a plan, but we had no idea just how wonderful and fulfilling beignet slangin’ could be.

Q: Why should anyone quit his or her job to follow a dream? A: You only live once, and really, everything you’ve heard is true. There’s nothing better than watching your dreams become realities. You’re either following your own dreams or the dreams of someone else.

Q: How has the community in Lakeland been a part of the growth and development of The Poor Porker? A: We couldn’t have done any of this without the amazing support of this community. Not only have the people here shared us with their friends, but they continue to come every week and show their love. We could give you so many examples. This has been such a moving experience.

Q: What do you love about Lakeland? A: What’s not to love? We’re so lucky to live in such a supportive and creative community. It’s quite beautiful here, too.

Q: How do you find the work/life balance? Is there such a thing? A: Well, honestly, that’s a work in progress. We find so much pleasure in our work. Sometimes it’s hard to put it down and rest. We’re go-bunnies! Finding the perfect balance takes time.

Q: What advice can you give wannabe dumpster divers and DIY junkies? A: Be on the lookout — you never know where you’re going to find a glorious pile of junk! A simple junking kit is good to carry with you. Ours contains ratchet straps, a hammer, a crow bar, a cordless drill, and a pair of hefty gloves.

Q: The Poor Porker is more than beignets and chicory coffee (although both are superyum). Can you invite us into your creative process? How does it work? A: We spend most of our time trying out new things (recipes, projects, etc). We travel a lot, finding inspiration for our blog, thepoorporker. com. We challenge ourselves by learning new things and documenting our journeys.

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Indulge. Revitalize. Awaken.

How you do it

•U se the grinding wheel to cut the section of bed springs you find most pleasing.

•U se wire cutters to clip off springs or wire when necessary.

• Feed socket wire through. • Clasp sections of bed springs at top of wire, making sure to keep any metal from touching the light-bulb area. • Use pliers and any excess wire to secure. • There are many ways of doing this project. All pieces of material are unique. Creativity with materials on hand is most important.

< THE LAKELANDER

TASTE

A big game meal redefined. story by Logan Crumpton | photography by Penny & Finn

THE LAKELANDER

t all began with a football-shaped cheese log, technically the most clichĂŠ Super Bowl party fare of all. Four young friends, ranging in age from fifteen to nineteen, joined forces in an attempt to make their annual gettogether more than just another day of football watching. The goal was to create an event that would be remembered for years to come (at least thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how I remember it now after almost fifteen years have passed). Much has changed since then. My cooking skills have considerably improved, for one. And I think, in general, we all have grown to appreciate the beauty of cuisine, become more adventurous, and strive to eat even better than we did as kids. We have all come a long way in this journey.

THE LAKELANDER

When it comes to planning a party, food and drink are the most important aspects, which is why my crew begins planning well in advance.

THE LAKELANDER

More often than not, as the years go by, it’s much harder to remember the actual participating teams of each and every Super Bowl. I could, however, describe in vivid detail each menu and list all of the guests in attendance. Now I’m not speaking for everyone, but I will say that my focus, since that horrific cheese-ball entry, has moved away from the actual game and more toward the gathering together of my friends and family. There’s a problem with concentrating only on the game at hand. As a football fan, if you gave every team an even shot at the trophy, mathematically speaking, your team would have about a three percent chance of winning the Super Bowl. Not much to hang your hat on, especially when you consider that my team (the lowly New York Jets) have yet to make a return appearance in forty-three years. The solution is to concentrate on the things you do have control over, namely the food. And let’s be honest, food is king. When it comes to planning a party, food and drink are the most important aspects, which is why my crew begins planning well in advance. We assemble after the leaves start turning brown to discuss

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A QUICK GUIDE TO SUBCONTRACTING YOUR SUPER BOWL PARTY There will always be a small contingent of people who are not inclined to cook such a feast or even in a position to entertain guests all night. They may be better suited to venture out to one of the many local dining establishments showing the big game. Whether you prefer take-out or are just looking for a fun place to spend an evening away from home, we’ve compiled a short list of a few best bets in Lakeland. These dining halls will give you more than just typical bar food. There’s a uniqueness to each place that adds to the enjoyment of the game.

HOT WAUCHULA’S

1401 E. Gary Road | Lakeland, FL | (863) 683-0303 Not only will the folks at Hot Wauchula’s cater your entire party if you so desire, but they will do so with some of the best competition-quality BBQ you’ll find anywhere. The restaurant’s dining room is equipped with big-screen TVs for an enjoyable atmosphere while watching some serious football action. They also have the Cooking Channel playing at all times — a big plus for a foodie like me. Highly recommended are the Chula Fries. As close to a highly refined poutine as you can find. Tennessee Pool Hall Slaw Burgers are incredible and perplexing all at once. Do yourself a favor and order Rib Tips too, as in my opinion they’re the best part of the rib (they’re also the part many unfortunately discard).

CHAMPS

6645 South Florida Avenue | Lakeland, FL | (863) 647-5900 You would be mistaken if you wrote off Champs as being in the same company of the other cookie-cutter sports pubs. Sure, they have classic bar fare, but they’ll also turn your head with a few menu items I’ve never seen before. Behold the Cordon Fries! Crispy fries topped with shaved ham and Swiss cheese, and then smothered with a creamy béchamel-based sauce. Also not to be overlooked are the fried banana pepper rings, served with a nice horseradish sauce. The rings are an ode to (as well as a serious departure from) the famous Southern-fried pickle we all have come to love.

NAT’S AT THE HEIGHTS

2900 Buckingham Avenue | Lakeland, FL | (863) 834-2377 We all shed a tear when Natalie’s Sports Bar and Grill in South Lakeland shut their doors for good. That really hurt my heart more so than any other restaurant closing. The reason for the heartbreak was because they had the best wings and most welcoming space of any other competitor in town. Truly, you can’t keep a good thing down for long, because Natalie’s has been resurrected in a new form. She has a new gig heading up the lounge at the Cleveland Heights Golf Course. The best news is that she brought her signature wing sauces with her, and they’re as good as I remember. The crowd can get rowdy, but the wings are well worth a small tussle. 60

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possible menu plans in a war-room style meeting, complete with charts, graphs, recent food trends, and the like. When the playoffs begin, we reconvene talks to propose possible region-specific, food and drinkrelated themes. For example, last year, after much deliberation and at times through an arbitrator, it was decided that we would do a semi-traditional New England-style seafood bake that went well with some avant-garde side dishes such as pork-belly Boston baked bean balls with apple-butter barbecue sauce (we like alliteration). To add to the theme, we paired some easy-to-find Boston-based beers alongside and had ourselves a smashing success. The key to this approach is to make everything easily accessible without being boring and predictable. There’s nothing worse than being presented with a reheated bag of chicken wings from the frozen food section, right next to a bag of chips and a jar of dip. Putting thought and a tiny bit of effort into what you do will only add to the overall enjoyment of your guests. Even better, you may be able to get your entire guest list involved by asking if they have an interest in contributing to the thematic spectacle with a dish they could claim as their own. Once everyone has bought in on this sort of super supper, they will be the ones wanting to plan next year’s feast. My philosophy with any recipe is that anyone can conquer it. We wouldn’t bother sharing these with you if they were impossible to recreate relatively easily. Take a look at some menu ideas for this year’s soirée. They range from the incredibly simple to the slightly involved, with cost always in mind.

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TASTE | RECIPES

COLLARD GREEN PIE Preheat oven to 350 degrees F Prepare crust with the following: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/3 cup canola oil 4 tablespoons cold whole milk

1 pound high-quality, thick-cut bacon 2 containers prewashed baby arugula 2 cartons cherry tomatoes or baby San Marzano tomatoes 1 baguette olive oil coarse sea salt

Whisk dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then combine with dry. Use your hands to form a dough. You can either form a crust directly into a pie plate or make six to eight individual tarts. You can also use a greased muffin tin to make even smaller versions yet. The ratio of ingredients will remain the same throughout. Form the crust with your fingers or a fork evenly up the sides of the vessel of your choosing, until the dough is very thin, almost translucent. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

For the pie filling:

In a large skillet on medium-high heat, fry whole bacon strips until crisp. Remove from pan to cool. Retain a small amount of the grease in the skillet and place it back on the burner. Add tomatoes and pan roast only until the skins are slightly scorched on all sides. Remove and set aside to cool. Slice baguette into 1-inch squares and spread onto a cookie sheet. Drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil. If you think you poured too much, you probably need to drizzle some more. Sprinkle coarse sea salt over bread cubes and place in oven for about 10 minutes, tossing every few minutes so as not to burn the bread.

1 1/2 pounds collard greens, thoroughly washed and sliced into thin strips 4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms sliced 3 medium shallots sliced 3 garlic cloves chopped 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup whole milk 1 cup heavy whipping cream 8 ounces Gruyere cheese shredded olive oil for saute and sauce 1 large egg

BLT SALAD WITH SMOKED MAYO VINAIGRETTE

For the smoked mayo vinaigrette: 1 cup mayonnaise 2/3 cup white wine vinegar 3/4 teaspoon Liquid Smoke Combine all ingredients, and whisk until thoroughly blended. To assemble the salad: Lay the baby arugula down on a long platter or narrow salad bowl. Randomly place the cooled, pan-roasted tomatoes and croutons atop the arugula. Tear the bacon into inconsistently shaped shards; then place sporadically in the salad. Drizzle vinaigrette with reckless abandon. 62

THE LAKELANDER

In large saute pan on mid-low heat, soften shallots and garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, and raise heat to medium. Saute until mushrooms have released water and it evaporates. Add greens and 2 more tablespoons of oil. Cook and continually toss until the greens are a vibrant green color. Remove from heat and set aside in separate bowl. Place pan back on heat and add 2 more tablespoons of oil and the flour. Cook flour until it becomes golden brown. Turn heat down to low, then whisk in milk and cream until smooth. Add greens back into pan and simmer for a few more minutes. Take off heat and let cool. Once at room temperature, fold in cheese and egg. Fill prepared pie crust with mixture. Bake 35-40 minutes or until the pie is set and the tops are browned.

Serve immediately and garnish with a generous sprinkling of fried onions (such as French’s French Fried Onions)

OPEN-FACED “PIMENTO” CHEESE SANDWICHES For the “pimento” cheese: 6 ounces diced roasted red pepper 1 garlic clove finely chopped 2 green onions 8 ounces aged cheddar cheese (shredded) 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup sour cream 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 3 splashes of Worcestershire sauce Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and set in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Remove when ready to serve. Spread an even layer across crisp flatbreads, crackers, or grilled bread. Top with ribbons of the most high-quality, extra thinly sliced, smoked ham or prosciutto that you can find. Then top with slices of Quick Pickled Cucumber and shards of Pickled Green Onion. Can be made as soon as a week before serving or as late as two hours before.

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THE LAKELANDER

TASTE | RECIPES

QUICK PICKLES 1 cup apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup water 2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar pinch of dill, parsley, and tarragon (or spices of your choice) 1 cucumber very thinly sliced 2 green onions cut into 2-inch pieces 1 carrot julienned 4 whole garlic cloves Combine liquids and spices in a small saucepan. Heat until salt and sugar are dissolved and liquid is hot. Place cucumber and vegetables in a mason jar or sealable container. Pour pickling liquid over the cucumber and vegetables until everything is submerged. If there is not enough liquid, add cold water. Refrigerate at least two hours. Once the sandwiches have been assembled, finish with a sprinkle of crushed corn chips right on top, to add a nice textural and flavor contrast.

FROZEN SPIKED ARNOLD PALMER To make lemon mint granita snowballs: 2 cups purified water 2/3 cup cane sugar zest of 4 lemons juice of 4 lemons 10 mint leaves, plus more for garnish pitcher of sweet tea, separated into 6-ounce servings (optional) 1 ounce of bourbon per 6-ounce serving In a medium saucepan on low heat, add all ingredients until sugar dissolves into water when stirred. Remove from heat and pour into shallow baking dish. Place into freezer 45 minutes. Remove and stir around any ice crystals that have begun to form in the liquid. This process is called agitation. Repeating this step every 15 minutes until completely frozen will assist in creating a softer crystallized snowflake. Once the liquid is frozen and you are ready to serve, remove from freezer. With a fork acting as a rake, scrape until “snow” begins to form. Once it has reached the desired texture, scoop out granita and form into balls. Place three scoops on the bottom of a classic highball glass. Gently pour 1 ounce of fine Kentucky bourbon over the top. Add 6 ounces of sweet tea and make just a few stirs. Crush a mint leaf in your hand to release its oils and fragrance, and drop it into the glass. Best enjoyed when swigged. 64

THE LAKELANDER

SWEET TEA BRINED CHICKEN WINGS WITH HONEY HOT SAUCE Prepare brine in large stock pot by combining: 64 ounces sweet tea 1 medium onion roughly chopped 5 garlic cloves crushed the juice and zest of 1 lemon 1/4 cup salt 1/2 cup light brown sugar Stir until incorporated. Taste to make sure you have enough salt for your liking. If you feel it’s too salty, add more tea. Submerge: 5 pounds of chicken wings into solution. Seal with plastic wrap and let sit in refrigerator for at least 48 hours. Drain liquid and any bits of seasonings. Pat dry with paper towels until all of the moisture has been removed. Heat deep fryer or Dutch oven to 360 degrees F and cook for 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of the wings. If the wings appear to be dark, do not be alarmed. This is due to the caramelization of sugars from the brine. For the sauce: In a small saucepan, combine: 2 garlic cloves finely minced 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 cup hot sauce (whatever brand you prefer) 1/2 cup Orange Blossom honey 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon black pepper a few shakes of red pepper flakes (optional) 1 teaspoon chopped chipotle pepper Simmer on mid-low heat for 30 minutes or until thickened. Toss wings in a large bowl with desired amount of sauce. Garnish with crumbled blue cheese and sprigs of celery leaf. Serve with celery stalks on the side.

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TASTE | RECIPES

FRENCH FRIES The amount of potatoes required depends on how many individuals you plan on serving. The amount called for in this recipe will serve roughly eight to ten people. You can achieve a proper fry with many different methods, the traditional deep fry giving the best result. However not everyone has access to a fryer. You may also use a Dutch oven or a high-sided cast-iron skillet, if that works for your particular circumstances. If all else fails, you can roast the fries in an oven. You can complete all the steps of making these perfect fries far ahead of time, right up to the final high-temperature frying. As for accompaniments, these options will stand on their own, or you can really go for it and use all three to make a fry bar for your guests. Any way you slice it, you will need: 5 pounds russet potatoes canola oil for frying sea salt Wash and scrub potatoes in warm water. Cut into 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch batons and place in a very large bowl. Pour warm water over cut potatoes and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain and repeat. This will assist in pulling out some of the starch in the potatoes. Drain, and lay potatoes onto cookie sheets lined with paper towels. Heat oil to 325 degrees F in desired cooking vessel. Fry in batches for 5-6 minutes. You are looking for the fries to not have any color, almost cooked through and pliable. Lay onto cookie sheet to cool, and transfer into sealable storage containers. Place in freezer until completely frozen. Heat oil to 375 degrees F. For the final frying, place potatoes in batches into oil for 3-4 minutes or until dark golden brown. Once they have reached the color of your liking, shake off excess oil and dump into a large bowl. Sprinkle fries with salt, and toss until coated.

DIRTY FRIES 1 cup sour cream 1/4 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons grain mustard 2 garlic cloves minced 2 green onions chopped 1/2 celery stalk finely chopped 1/4 teaspoon vinegar dash of Tabasco chives for garnish Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl until well 66

THE LAKELANDER

blended. Toss fries with a hearty amount of the sauce until coated well. Garnish with ripped bits of chives sprinkled atop a large mound of fries

SAGE, LEMON, AND PARMESAN FRIES WITH LEMON AIOLI Pro Tip: Performing this next step before you actually do the final fry on the potatoes will reduce the amount oil used and add flavor to the final product. 1 parcel of sage leaves 2 lemons 4 ounces Parmesan cheese Heat oil to 375 degrees F Fry sage leaves for 1 minute until crispy. Remove and set on paper towel to dry. Zest the two lemons and set aside. Grate Parmesan into a small bowl. FOR LEMON AIOLI: (Authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Note: I strongly urge you to use only farm-raised, cagefree, organic, and extremely fresh eggs when making mayonnaise or this aioli.) 1 egg yolk at room temperature juice from 2 lemons 1 garlic clove minced 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cold water 3/4 cup olive oil in a pourable container In a food processor, blend together the yolk, juice, salt, and water. After it has been mixed well, pulse the food processor with small drips of the oil at a time â&#x20AC;&#x201D; literally, drip by drip. As the mixture begins to emulsify, slowly add a little more oil. Just a little at a time until all the oil has been poured. Scoop out and place into a shallow serving bowl Sprinkle prepared fries with fried sage, zest, and parmesan. Serve with aioli on the side.

SHORT RIB POUTINE 2 pounds beef short ribs olive oil 2 carrots roughly chopped 1 celery stalk roughly chopped 1 medium sweet onion roughly chopped 5 whole garlic cloves 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cans of brown ale 16 ounces beef stock 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese In a medium-sized pot, turn heat to high and pour in 1 tablespoon of oil. Place ribs meat-side down, and sear on all sides until deep brown. Turn down heat to medium then add carrot, celery, onion, and garlic. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Deglaze pot with the beef stock, and then add one can of ale. You want the liquid to almost cover the meat but not quite. Leave about 1/2 inch of the meat sticking out. Turn down heat to low, and simmer for at least 3 hours or until the meat will easily give way and fall of the bone. Take meat and bones out of liquid as well as all of the soft-cooked vegetables. Reserve stock and leave on low heat. Remove any gristle or fat from the meat, shred with your fingers, and then set aside. In a large sauté pan, melt butter on medium heat. Add flour and cook through until the mixture turns a light caramel hue. Ladle in 2 cups of stock from your reserve as well as 1/2 can of ale; then whisk until smooth. Add shredded meat and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. The gravy will begin to thicken gradually. If needed, add more stock. Add salt to taste. (Truffle salt will work stupendously, if you can find it.) To create a poutine: Set oven to high broil. Lay a heaping amount of fries in a shallow baking dish or cast-iron skillet. Ladle gravy over fries. Pull apart the mozzarella, tearing it into small pieces. Place on top of gravy. Set entire dish under the broiler until cheese starts to brown. Serve as fast as you can get it out of the oven!

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TASTE | RECIPES and then the raisins. Roll into 2-inch balls, and then flatten them on an ungreased cookie sheet. You want the bottoms crispy. You’re looking for a thinner cookie. Don’t overcrowd them. Just make six at a time. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Will yield around 24 cookies, depending on size preference. For the filling: 12 ounces cream cheese at room temperature 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature 1 cup confectioners’ sugar 4 tablespoons dark maple syrup With a hand mixer, beat cheese and butter in a medium bowl until creamed, about 2 minutes. Slowly add sugar a little at a time. Finally, pour in syrup and beat until fully mixed in.

BROWN BUTTER OATMEAL CREAM PIES

Assemble by spreading 1/4 inch of frosting on the bottom of a cookie. Top with another cookie to make sandwich. Eat before your kids see them. Leftovers (if there are any) should be refrigerated.

1 1/4 cups butter 2/3 cup dark brown sugar 2/3 cup cane sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon sea salt 2 packets instant oatmeal 1/2 cup golden raisins To make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F In a saucepan over a medium flame, heat the butter. After a few minutes the butter will start to bubble and probably pop at you. It’ll begin to change to a caramel hue. Stir until you see it actually turn brown. There will be little bits on the bottom of the pan. Let the pan cool until it’s safe to put in the fridge for a complete cooling. Let it set about 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl. When the butter has cooled, add the sugars, egg, and vanilla, and combine with a hand mixer for about two minutes until it looks like frosting. Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture. After everything is evenly incorporated, mix in the packet of oats 68

THE LAKELANDER

LOCAL FOOD • LOCAL FOLKS PLANT CITY

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EVENTS CALENDAR

NOW - JANUARY 12 IN VIBRANT COLOR: VINTAGE CELEBRITY PORTRAITS FROM THE HARRY WARNECKE STUDIO Polk Museum of Art (863) 688-7743 www.polkmuseumofart.org

NOW - JANUARY 12 PMOA COLLECTS

Polk Museum of Art (863) 688-7743 www.polkmuseumofart.org

NOW - JANUARY 12 ABOUT FACE

Polk Museum of Art (863) 688-7743 www.polkmuseumofart.org

JANUARY 10 FOOD TRUCK RALLY

JANUARY 16 AN EVENING WITH DON WILLIAMS

Downtown www.tastingtampa.com

The Lakeland Center (863) 834-8100 www.thelakelandcenter.com

JANUARY 11 GIRLS NIGHT: THE MUSICAL The Lakeland Center (863) 834-8100 www.thelakelandcenter.com

JANUARY 11-13, 18-20, AND 25-27 LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL Lakeland Community Theatre (863) 603-7529 www.lakelandcommunitytheatre.com

Saturday, February 23, 2013 8:30am until 4:30 pm First Baptist-Church at the Mall

THE LAKELANDER

The Lakeland Center (863) 834-8100 www.thelakelandcenter.com

JANUARY 19-20 ORIGINAL LAKELAND GUN SHOW The Lakeland Center www.thelakelandcenter.com www.lrpc.org

Wrecked

Featured Speakers: Andrew & Christina Gard, Sharon Hersh and Terrance & Allonda Hawkins Music by: SEU Worship

JANUARY 18-19 FAMOUS TATE PRO RODEO CLASSIC

CultureRock.org

EVENTS CALENDAR

JANUARY 19 - APRIL 19 COINCIDENCE: WORKS BY LOUVIERE & VANESSA

JANUARY 25 ONE INCREDIBLE EVENING WITH VINCE GILL

Polk Museum of Art (863) 688-7743 www.polkmuseumofart.org

FEBRUARY 5 IN THE MOOD

The Lakeland Center www.thelakelandcenter.com

The Lakeland Center (863) 834-8100 www.thelakelandcenter.com

JANUARY 19 - APRIL 20 NO ORDINARY DAYS: WORKS BY MAGGIE TAYLOR

FEBRUARY 7 AN EVENING WITH GEORGE JONES The Lakeland Center (863) 834-8100 www.thelakelandcenter.com

FEBRUARY 1 FIRST FRIDAY

Downtown www.downtownlakelandfl.com

Polk Museum of Art (863) 688-7743 www.polkmuseumofart.org

FEBRUARY 14 KENNY ROGERS

FEBRUARY 2 ARLO GUTHRIE

JANUARY 22 ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK

The Lakeland Center (863) 834-8100 www.thelakelandcenter.com

Polk Theatre (863) 682-7553 www.polktheatre.org

The Lakeland Center (863) 834-8100 www.thelakelandcenter.com

FEB. 5, 7:30 PM JAN. 25 8 PM JAN. 11, 8 PM

JAN. 18-19, 8 PM

JAN. 16, 7:30 PM

JAN. 22, 7:30 PM

FEB. 20, 7:30 PM

FEBRUARY 14 8 PM

FEB. 18, 7:30 PM

FEB. 7 7:30 PM

MAR. 12, 7:30 PM

FEB. 26 7:30 PM

MAR. 14, 7:30 PM MARCH 20, 8 PM

MAR. 6, 7 PM

FEBRUARY 28, 8 PM

MAR. 21, 8 PM MAR. 21, 7:30 PM

FEB. 25, 7:30 PM

FEB. 21, 7:30 PM

MAR. 27, 7:30 PM featuring SHIRLEY ALSTON REEVES BOBBY RYDELL TOMMY MARA BRIAN HYLAND

24-HOUR TICKETING TheLakelandCenter.com

888-397-0100

MAR. 29 8 PM

MAY 7, 7:30 PM APRIL 3 7:30 PM

lakelandraiders.com

TLC BOX OFFICE Monday- Friday, 9:30 am - 5:30 pm

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EVENTS CALENDAR

FEBRUARY 14 FOOD TRUCK RALLY

FEBRUARY 19 IMPERIAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: MASTERWORKS CONCERT #4 “PACIFIC RUN”

Downtown www.tastingtampa.com

The Lakeland Center (863) 834-8100 www.thelakelandcenter.com

FEBRUARY 16 - JUNE 9 FLORIDA ARTISTS Polk Museum of Art (863) 688-7743 www.polkmuseumofart.org

FEBRUARY 20 FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

FEBRUARY 16 BREWZ CREWZ CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL Downtown www.brewzcrewz.com

Mark Piburn

The Lakeland Center (863) 834-8100 www.thelakelandcenter.com

FEBRUARY 21 VIENNA BOYS’ CHOIR

The Lakeland Center (863) 834-8100 www.thelakelandcenter.com

Cathy Hyde

Taylor Caf fey

FEBRUARY 23 THE GALA 2013: ALICE IN WONDERLAND Polk Museum of Art www.polkmuseumofart.org

FEBRUARY 25 MANDY PATINKIN

The Lakeland Center (863) 834-8100 www.thelakelandcenter.com

FEBRUARY 26 THE RUSSIAN NATIONAL BALLET THEATRE PRESENTS SLEEPING BEAUTY The Lakeland Center (863) 834-8100

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THE LAKELANDER

STYLE

HEADING

OUT Going out for a night in Lakeland doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to include the same old jeans and T-shirt story by Mark Nielsen and Courtney Philpot photography by Michael Nielsen makeup by Melissa Kinsey, Salon Salvatore

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hile both on recent trips to New York City, we each returned conceivably coveting more opportunities to dress up for a night out in Lakeland. The occasion to step out in fancier attire does not come around often, but we do have the luxury of experiencing “date night” on a more quaint and intimate level. Although Lakeland is not home to any cool underground speakeasy, nor do we need to be on a list to enter any hip downtown bar, what we do have here is authentic charm. Unfortunately, many Lakelanders forget all that our little town has to offer when planning an evening out — the friendly smile that greets you at your favorite downtown eatery, the restored pieces of history that occupy our downtown streets, or the surroundings that promote a quiet walk around Lake Mirror to cap off a night. For your next night out, why not opt for something different? Grab dinner at a locally owned restaurant such as Bay Street Bistro or La Porta Rossa and head to the Polk Theater for an independent film. While a night out in the big city can be enticing with its endless entertainment options, we believe that, with a little forethought, a night here in town can be even better. When the opportunity presents itself for a date with your significant other, a factor that is almost equally important as location is your appearance. In Lakeland we have the liberty to really dress up or down. While flip-flops and shorts are acceptable attire for almost any sit-down restaurant here in town, let’s step up the effort a little on such occasions. As The Lakelander’s style team, we’ve pulled together some looks from right here in town to show you how you can achieve a stylish, Lakeland-appropriate look for a night out. THE LAKELANDER

Lavender Top from Liz Claiborne, JCP Straight-Cut Jeans from LOFT Floral Scarf from Marshall’s Brown Boots from Banana Republic Clutch (stylist’s)

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WOMEN’S CLOTHING TIPS • It’s no secret that when it comes to getting ready, women inevitably take a little longer than their male counterparts. If you’re anything like me, you may have found yourself in this situation a time or two — it’s 45 minutes before the sitter arrives and you still have to shower, do hair, makeup, and pick out an outfit. To make matters worse, you find yourself standing in your closet like a deer in headlights, while your husband, who was finished getting ready in 10 minutes, stands by and points at his watch. Sound familiar? I suggest preparing an inspiration board for your closet. Have a friend take pictures of different looks and create a style book that categorizes your looks for each occasion, or simply post pictures to a bulletin board or wall in your closet. This will save you hours of prep time when getting ready. • In recent years, jeans have become the new “black pant” — certainly a popular date-night staple. Because choosing jeans can be as grueling as swimsuit shopping, here are a few tips to look your best when stepping out in denim. For your evening denim, be sure to choose a mid or low rise in a dark wash with no embellishments or exaggerated stitching on the derriere. Leave the rips, tears, and patches for your weekend-casual, boyfriend jeans. Whether you prefer them straight, skinny, the ever-popular matchstick or toothpick, or the most universally flattering style — boot cut — the most crucial element is to choose a cut that works best for your body type. • Another important factor when selecting a style of jean or pants is making sure the hem length is appropriate. Here are a few guidelines: For toothpick, matchstick, and cropped straight-cut jeans/pants, the hem should be at least 1 inch above your ankle bone. For boot-cut (or longer straight cuts) — 1/2 inch from the ground. For flares, wide leg — skim the ground. • Something that can make or break your look is choosing the right shoes for each style of jeans or pants. Cropped styles, toothpick, matchstick — classic pumps (pointy toes look great with these styles), flats, or tall boots. No short boots, bootie styles, or sandals. Skinny — almost all shoes styles work with this cut (besides sneakers, of course), and keep in mind that skinny jeans are the perfect accessory for your show-stopping shoes. Tall boots, especially ones with a wider shaft, are a great complement to skinnies as they create a great balance to the pencil-thin fit. Boot-cut — While I think pumps or flats work best with this style, you really could get

away with almost any shoe, since most of the shoe is hidden. That said, be very careful with the length of your hem. You do not want the hem too high to where you are sporting high waters! You must have a pair for flats and a pair for heels; you can’t force one pair to work for both. Flared or wide-leg — Platforms would be the best choice with this style. However, if you must wear flats, make sure the hem is the right flat-wearing length. Pants should skim the floor, no higher, as you don’t want flats to show; and no longer, as you don’t want the pants to drag. Relaxed or boyfriend style — oxfords, ankle booties, or an edgy wedge or platform. Please keep in mind the aforementioned guidelines on hem length, as it’s very important in order for your shoes to look right. • Winter in Florida means we have a very limited window to utilize our cozy sweaters, winter coats, and scarves. Take advantage of the season and layer up. For instance, throw on an elbow-length sweater or blazer over a longsleeve top. Allowing the sleeve and hem of a blouse to show underneath adds style while presenting an opportunity to mix colors and prints. • When mixing colors, play with the idea of color blocking by pairing complementary colors. A little phobic to the idea of colorblocking? Go grade school and break out a color wheel. Combine colors directly across from one another or colors next to each other. Color combos I love include cobalt and deep purple blues with turquoise, burgundy and rich reds with soft pastels like soft pinks and greens (yes, you can wear pastels in winter), purple with citron colors, and pink with red. We’ve illustrated this by putting our model in a burgundy-wine blazer layered over a mint-green blouse (see photo, page 85). • If you need to wear a jacket, throw on a classic trench or one of this season’s colorful coats. One wardrobe piece that’s almost as essential as a little black dress is a black blazer. A couple of key decisions when choosing a blazer: If you’re looking to emphasize your waistline, choose a feminine style with a waist seam and princess darts. For a more streamlined look, go with a boyfriend blazer. Either way, a blazer is an easy piece to throw on over jeans or a skirt to pull your look together, and it’s also a great alternative to a jacket during cooler months. So it may be a good investment to add a couple more colors or styles of blazers to your wardrobe in addition to the classic black, such as a classic tweed or a bright jewel tone for a pop of color. THE LAKELANDER

THE LAKELANDER

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Blazer from JCP Shirt from JCP Bow tie from Izod, JCP Slim Straight-Fit Jeans from American Eagle Socks from HS by HappySocks Shoes from Magnanni

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MEN’S CLOTHING TIPS • We know most guys here like to wear jeans, and that’s OK. We also know there are many different fits of jeans, and what works on one guy won’t work on another. My advice is to wear what fits and what feels right. If you’re not comfortable in a slim or skinny jean, try a straight cut. If you feel your jeans are always too baggy, try a slimmer cut. One particular area to pay attention to is the length of your jeans. You don’t want them so long that you’re either stepping on the back of them or having a bunch of material piled above your shoes. • Some guys wear their jeans short with no break. This is a great look if you can pull it off, but it only works with slim pants. Another option is to roll the cuff. You can go for the 3-inch cuff, which is just folded up once, not rolled; or roll it a couple times so it’s about an inch wide. The choice really depends on the outfit as a whole. The main thing is to try and keep your look clean and distinguished. No rips or tears, no embellishments on the backside — just simple, classic, dark jeans. • Most likely your wife or significant other takes over an hour to get ready for your night out — shaving her legs, straight-ironing her hair, picking out the perfect outfit, etc. Show a little respect and at least tuck in your shirt. Better yet, wear a tie or bow tie. And please don’t pick a clip-on bow tie. Tying a bow tie really isn’t that hard once you get the hang of it. Check out http://bit.ly/Vo8iSw for easy-to-follow instructions. To keep a standard necktie modern and cool, wear one that’s no wider than 2-1/2 inches at the widest point, and stay away from the ultra-skinny ties. A simple repeat-stripe

pattern is always classic, or you can go for a repeating pattern in something that shows your personality, like skulls, or yes, even golf clubs. • Winter is one of the few times you can dress up your look with a sweater. Pair a V-neck sweater over a button-up shirt, with or without the tie, and you’ve already taken it up a notch. Here are some guidelines on sweaters: Crewnecks look best by themselves (or over a T-shirt, thermal, or henley). V-necks look best layered over a collared shirt — no V-neck showing off chest hair. Either type of sweater will look great under a sport coat or jacket; again, it all depends on the total look you’re going for. • I personally have an affinity for jackets, mainly because they’re versatile: easy to take on, easy to take off, and they go with anything. They’re also an easy way to add layers to your look. Again, fit is critical. You shouldn’t be swimming in a jacket. It should be just big enough to fit over a sweater and zip or button up. To dress up an outfit for a night out, upgrade to a blazer. If you don’t know you’re jacket size, get measured; then buy a blazer that fits. Nothing is worse than a giant blazer that makes it look like you’re out on the town in a Snuggie. A Snuggie made out of nice fabric. • If you’re dressing up for a nice night out, leave the sneakers at home. Opt for a classic desert boot, chukka, or dress shoe. If you can swing it (I can’t), get a pair of double monkstraps. They’re killer shoes, and they look great with almost anything. And remember, brown belt with brown shoes, black belt with black shoes. Don’t mess this up. An exception is when you wear a cloth belt — then you can take some liberties.

THE LAKELANDER

Blazer from Izod, JCP Shirt from American Eagle Jeans, Levi’s 511 Socks from HS by HappySocks Shoes from Magnanni Belt from Magnanni

THE LAKELANDER

Floral Dress from Target Faux Leather Jacket from Allen B, JCP Fuschia Belt from Target Layered Multiple Long Necklaces from Flea Chic Fab, Hatties’ Branches

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Mint Green Blouse with Gold Buttons from Lauren Conrad for Kohl’s Burgundy Blazer from Lauren Conrad for Kohl’s Dark-Wash Skinny Jeans, JBrand, (model’s) Clutch from Marshall’s Earrings and Ring from Banana Republic

THE LAKELANDER

Sweater from H&M Thermal Shirt from J.Crew Jeans, Levi’s 511

THE LAKELANDER

PHILANTHROPY

Never Need Nobody Lakeland leads the way in eradicating local childhood hunger story by Brooklyn Lindsey | photography by Tina Sargeant

he young student scribbles the words “I don’t care” across his test paper. Later, when the teacher goes to the student to ask why, the child says, “I don’t know why I wrote it. I’m hungry and just can’t think.” He just can’t think. Because he hasn’t eaten since Friday. And he can’t tell anyone his situation. And he’s restless, frustrated, and unsure of his future. Imagine if this same young man was in your care. Lakelanders and other Polk County citizens are paving the way nationally to bridge the hunger gaps that exist in the lives of impoverished children. And they need your help.

THE LAKELANDER

Randy Browning, founder of kidsPACK

KNOWLEDGE

THE CATALYST FOR MOBILIZATION Knowledge. Information. Peering into a reality that had previously gone under the radar. These were the motivations that ignited a dream in Randy Browning’s mind in 2011. After reading in the Ledger that the Gallup Poll had listed Polk County as the third worst county in the nation when it came to child hunger, Browning began to do some research. He found that there are now at least eighty local hotel/motel bus stops where homeless children are picked up for school. He learned of the Hearth Program that helps provide services for these children but soon realized that a minimum of services exists on the weekends. There were no collaborative efforts on the map. After learning that local children were arriving at school on Monday mornings hungry and asking for food after having gone the weekend without eating, Browning realized it was a problem that couldn’t be

THE LAKELANDER

ignored. With the wealth of community resources, the scope of the problem was hard to believe. “These children were coming to school not to learn, but to eat,” Browning says. “At school they had access to subsidized breakfasts and lunches; at home they often went without.” This realization motivated Browning to form kidsPACK, a Lakeland nonprofit organization on a singular mission to feed kids. “kidsPACK feeds hundreds of local children in Polk County schools,” Browning says. “The organization seems to be a central source for every walk within the community. It allows people the opportunity to join in and help children more efficiently and more effectively. It provides a place that people can trust to give to and/or volunteer. They know that the money is going into the community. And the whole community feels the positive impact.”

RESOURCES

A COMMUNITY WAITING TO HELP Lakeland is a community waiting to help. Leveraging our community’s resources helps kidsPACK bridge the gap between home and school, ensuring that needy, “food insecure” children have enough food to sustain themselves when school is not in session. Currently, kidsPACK serves 548 of the 2,400 homeless children in Polk County schools. It started with a donated warehouse, equipment, vehicles, and fuel. It continues with local businesses consistently giving. Partnership happens at packing sites at churches, where children and families pack food together. Individual community members give $19 a month to make child sponsorship possible. In turn, kidsPACK, through the sustaining work of volunteers, provides food to 548 children every week. But there are still 1,852 to go. What’s in a pack? Each child receives enough food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a two-day weekend. It’s important that the food provided be items that can easily be prepared and consumed by a child without the help of a supervising adult. And the benefits are more than not being hungry. Nourished kids learn better and pay attention longer. They experience less anxiety and have better self-esteem. Ask any teacher to describe the energy levels of their students after lunch period. Food brings life and gives us energy to perform and to learn. kidsPACK wants to help students stay healthy while they learn. Volunteers of all ages help sort and package the food for kidsPACK.

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Polk County public schools have embraced the program. kidsPACK is already serving needy children in forty-five schools. Browning says they won’t give up the fight until every child in Polk County has access to food. He’s motivated to see Polk County go from being one of the worst in the country for child hunger to one of the best. While Browning serves as a steward to the program, he makes it very clear that the program is sustained through the support of its volunteers and local business sponsors. Regional sponsors, including Publix Supermarkets Charities and Sam’s Club, have jumped on board with food and monetary donations. BB&T and Community Foundation of Greater Lakeland are also key contributors. The efforts of the team at 97 Country have done tremendous work to bring awareness to this cause. And awareness is half of the battle. There are six local churches packing food for the program: Highland Park Church of the Nazarene, Bartow First Assembly of God, North Lakeland Presbyterian, Fuel Community Church, Shepherd Road Presbyterian, and Winter Haven Christian Church. Even with the added support, the needs are always great as more and more children are identified. “kidsPACK is a tourniquet,” Browning acknowledges. “We have a simple, feed-kids-first model. We know that we can’t fix the larger systemic problems in so many disadvantaged homes, but we can make sure that the children are fed.”

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At the corner of Massachusetts Ave. and Main St., a “Happy New Year” sign stands in front of the Lakeland Terrace Hotel, Lake Theater and in sight of the City’s business district. (1950s) Photo Courtesy Of Special Collections, Lakeland Public Library

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UNREPORTED

BUT NOT UNNOTICED The number of needy and hungry children in Polk County is daunting. There are more than 2,400 known registered homeless children living in Polk County whom are enrolled in school. It’s believed there are many more that go unreported for fear they will be taken away from parents unable to provide stable care. Many of these children are hidden from view, living out of cars, motels, shelters, and other irregular accommodations. School officials say it’s not uncommon for children to be found looking through refuse cans, hiding the food uneaten from other children, to save for after-school hours. While they do not have stability at home, they do have stability at school.

POLK COUNTY TEACHERS OUR HEROES IN THE TRENCHES

The teachers are in the front lines, seeing and meeting needs first-hand. They are passionate about education and the students in their care. It’s not surprising that they spend personal income on school supplies. What we didn’t know until recently was that they were also feeding hungry children. A recent survey reports that teachers spend an average of $26 a month on food for their students. We spoke with Sarah Rodgers, one of Polk County’s brightest kindergarten teachers. Her experience over the last ten years at Stephens Elementary and Spessard Holland Elementary in Bartow, and Medulla Elementary in Lakeland gives us a picture of what being in loco parentis — someone who is charged to act in a child’s best interest — looks like in some cases.

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Rodgers shares, “I often struggle disconnecting heart strings. The kids are more than just my schoolchildren. They feel like my own children, and I hurt when they hurt.” She describes the heartache when doing math manipulatives in her classroom. While passing out Goldfish crackers for counting exercises, she notices that some students eat them long before they’ve had time to work with them for learning. Rodgers told me of a student who, before kidsPACK, had a diet that consisted solely of vending-machine food. She would find students salvaging used Ziplock baggies from the classroom trash. She imagined these same baggies would be saved for whatever they could find after school. “The need is real,” she says. “And often these same children are sharing with siblings and grandparents.” As I spoke with Ms. Rodgers, I could see that she was filled with gratitude for an organization to stand in the gap that she witnessed. kidsPACK not only feeds kids, it also supports the teachers, the unsung heroes in the trenches. Teachers are the direct link to each child. kidsPACK is not a benefit program in which parents can register their children. Instead, teachers identify those students who seem to be at risk and show signs of hunger. They then pass along numbers — not names — to a kidsPACK liaison to add to the weekly food-delivery schedule. After a meeting discussing the idea at its beginning stages, one very concerned school administrator spoke to Mr. Browning. “Let me ask you this, Mr. Browning. What exactly do you intend to feed my babies?” Every principal and teacher Browning has met has been a delight and is equally concerned about the health of these precious children. A critical component of the program is that the children receiving help are not singled out in the community or among their friends

THE LAKELANDER

as being in need. The children remain nameless to kidsPACK. The backpacks are nondescript as well. When the food arrives at the schools, it is discreetly distributed. “What makes the kidsPACK program so appealing is its simplicity,” Browning says. “We reach the kids through their schools, energize community volunteers, and leverage the existing infrastructure of local organizations for warehousing and distribution.” While many local organizations don’t know how to get started, kidsPACK is pleased to offer guidance. As a result of Browning’s business experience (he’s the owner of Browning Moving & Storage, an agent of United Van Lines, one of the largest carriers in the industry), he is an excellent sounding board for others. His logistics expertise gives him the tools necessary to know how to mobilize and move food and resources quickly to the greatest sources of need. But, while Browning and his staff are leading the local effort, they make it clear that the real muscle behind kidsPACK is its volunteers who make it possible to operate with almost no administrative overhead, allowing for more than ninety percent of donations to go directly to feed kids. The volunteers come from all walks of life and each has something unique to offer. There are business and religious leaders, concerned citizens, and even children, all wanting to help. Every week, volunteers meet to pack a weekend’s worth of food for each needy child within the program. The packs are delivered to the schools on Friday and then returned on Monday for replenishment for the coming weekend. “It’s a way to feed children in our own local community — not across the country or across the world, but right here in Polk County.” Browning says. “Once people are aware of the problem, they want to help. It’s humbling.”

FUTURES BRIGHT WITH HOPE On Saturday nights, you can find families serving together at Lakeland’s Highland Park Church, packing food for others in need. Parents are teaching their children the sacred Golden Rule of caring for others as we would care for ourselves. And in churches all over our community, the efforts are being multiplied. Jared Hatcher and his wife, Gloria, kidsPACK volunteers and members of Highland Park Saturday Night, have delivered boxes of food to schools. A few weeks ago, Gloria sent me a text when she saw a child with a kidsPACK bag. She described the smile on the child’s face and how it brought tears to her eyes. Gloria sees that she is part of something so much bigger than herself. What’s beautiful and messy, raw and redemptive about the work of kidsPACK is that it takes all of us, regardless of our religion or nonreligion, political party, or affiliation. Our community reaches out to

contribute, to keep the homeless children that are ours to care for and feed during the times when our schools aren’t able to do so. We are up for the challenge to feed our children, because indeed, they are ours. Not only do kids get food, but they feel valued by a community that loves them and cares for them deeply, regardless of their background or situation. It really does take a village. A city. A community. A county. It takes us all to bridge the gap. Eradicating hunger in our community is no small task, but it’s one that Lakeland won’t ignore. We think about the children who walk into our schools each week. We reach out to them with our heads, our hearts, and our hands. We understand that we never need nobody. We need each other, and no one person can serve alone. We support the kidsPACK efforts and hope that someday there will be no more hungry children in Lakeland. Not one.

HOW YOU CAN HELP Since the inception of kidsPACK in September 2011, the program has expanded to Osceola and Hillsborough Counties. kidsPACK will start in Hardee County in January 2013. Browning and his team are committed to support any local school or organization which they feel would benefit from the kidsPACK program. There are many ways to join the kidsPACK efforts. If you’re not able to donate financially, you can lend a hand through activities such as: • packing donated food for the kidsPACKs • transporting kidsPACKs to schools 1-800-598-7871 • administrative or clerical work at the kidsPACK office info@kidsPACK.org • holding a local fundraiser www.kidsPACK.org We invite you, your family, and friends to become a part of the kidsPACK program.

kidsPACK

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South Lakelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mountain-biking jewel

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story by Jarrett Smith | photography by Jason Stephens

ike airline food or civil politics, there’s something inherently contradictory-sounding about mountain biking in Central Florida. But despite the seeming improbability, Lakeland is home to some of the most challenging, technical, and terrifying mountain-biking trails in the Southeast. Stretching over 400 acres in South Lakeland, Loyce Harpe Park (formerly Carter Road Park) offers Lakelanders a pleasant, well-maintained space for softball, soccer, and a game of Frisbee with the family pooch. But for cycling communities around the country, the park is infamous for just one thing: white-knuckle mountain-biking trails.

Like many county and state parks in Central Florida, Loyce Harpe Park has its roots in phosphate mining. Although the mining has long since stopped, the activity scooped and piled the otherwise-flat landscape into a mottled map of lakes, steep hills, and craggy knife-edge ridges. What once was a boon for the phosphate industry is now a goldmine for two-wheeled thrill-seekers. LeRoy Manninen, owner of LeRoy’s Bikeworks, a full-service road and mountain-bike shop just a mile from the park’s entrance, says the park offers something for every level of rider. “You can have a completely easy seven-mile ride,” Manninen says, “or you can have seven miles of brake-squealing, dust-flying terror.”

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He’s not exaggerating. With well over ten miles of developed trails, riders can choose between three levels of difficulty. Follow the yellow-blazed trails and you’ll find yourself skirting past swampy ponds and bouncing along winding, single-track paths. Although true novices might not find these yellow trails to be exactly easy, they’re a good starting place for healthy riders willing to respect their limits. For intermediate riders, the park offers blueblazed trails. Select these and you’ll be upping the intensity a few notches. Roots and potholes

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become more numerous. Trails get narrower, and the ups and downs get steeper. While taking a spill is always a possibility even on the easy trails, blue trails make the probability of careening offtrail, over the handlebars, or into a tree somewhat higher. Still, given strong legs and a healthy dose of judgment, most regular weekend warriors will find the blue trails within reach. Finally, for those brave and/or skilled riders looking for an extra dose of challenge, there are the red-blazed trails. While it’s a good time to point out that many riders will find the yellow

and blue trails plenty challenging, it’s the red trails that have built Loyce Harpe’s reputation as a must-ride destination. “[Loyce Harpe] is one of the most technical places in Florida,” Manninen says. “Really, it’s one of the more technical places in the Southeast. It’s the kind of place that when you say [Loyce Harpe Park] to another racer, they shiver.” Rocky, rooted, and littered with off-camber lines, sudden drops, and impossibly steep climbs, the park’s red trails can test the fortitude of seasoned riders. Particularly noteworthy are “The

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HITTING THE TRAIL Loyce Harpe Park offers some of the best mountain-bike riding in the Southeast, but before you try your hand at shredding some single track, be sure to follow a few guidelines:

WEAR A HELMET

Mountain biking involves speed, obstacles, and skill, and any experienced rider will tell you that accidents happen all of the time. Proper head protection is an absolute must, even on the easiest trails.

RESPECT YOUR LIMITS

Challenging yourself and improving your skills is half the fun of mountain biking, but taking on trails outside your ability level is a one-way ticket to getting hurt. Most trails in Loyce Harpe Park are color-coded according to their difficulty. Still, sometimes park visitors remove signs. Always pay attention and know when you’re starting to ride beyond your limits.

TAKE A BUDDY

Taking a friend along is always more fun. It’s also safer in case you taco a wheel or take a header into the swamp.

VISIT A SHOP

Local bike shops are often the best place for quality intel on trail conditions and places to ride. Stop by any of the shops listed below, and they’ll be happy to point you in the right direction.

BENT’S SCHWINN CYCLING & FITNESS

1058 South Florida Avenue Lakeland, FL 33803 (863) 688-2126 www.bentscycling.com

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6935 South Carter Road Lakeland, FL 33813 (863) 937-9028 www.leroysbikeworks.com

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5113 U.S. 98 S. Lakeland, FL 33812 (863) 937-8058 www.roadandtrailbicycles.com

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Fingers,” a set of three down-and-back knife-ridge trails that stretch out into the park’s lakes. Make a mistake or hesitate at the wrong moment, and you’ll find yourself sliding down a rock embankment into swampy water below. “You have to respect the trail,” Manninen warns, “because it’ll bite you. I’ve got a scar on my head to prove it.” According to Manninen, the credit for the diversity and quality of the mountainbiking trails belongs to Ridge Riders Mountain Biking Association. This allvolunteer organization, which has been active in the area for about fifteen years, is the driving force behind the park’s extensive network of trails. “The group has been working really hard to keep the park fairly friendly, while also keeping it technical enough to be fun to ride,” Manninen says. “They’re not just making it a better park for mountain bikers; they’re making it better for everyone.” Ridge Riders’ Vice President, Charles Gilbert, says the group now numbers almost 100 members, many of whom

spend considerable amounts of their own time and money maintaining the trails. From mowing grass, to building new routes, to removing downed limbs — in many ways, caring for the trails has become a community effort. “We get donations from bike shops, and people will come out and help,” says Gilbert’s wife, Angie. “If we’re building a bridge, they’ll throw in money.” And it appears Ridge Riders’ effort has gotten noticed. Loyce Harpe Park now hosts mountain-biking events year round. Most notably, this past November the park played host to the Florida State Mountain Biking Championships, which brought scores of riders from across the state to take part in two days of high-intensity, all-out competition on some of the park’s most difficult trails. “That’s the cool thing about the Ridge Riders maintaining the park,” Manninen says. “We now have mountain-biking events all year long. It’s a really special place, and you won’t find many like it anywhere else.”

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HISTORY

A RIPE LEGACY Vibrant labels remind us of Lakeland’s citrus-industry roots

“Citrus labels evoke memories of a simpler time when desk-top publishing capabilities did not exist, and people took the time to design and print the colorful labels which adorned citrus shipping crates. Crate labels probably originated in California in the late 1880s but reached their artistic pinnacle from 1920 to 1950. They were affixed to the wooden crates which were used to ship citrus as well as other fruits and vegetables. The crate labels remained in common usage until shortages of wood brought about by World War II resulted in a shift to cardboard boxes with pre-printed labels. “The citrus labels were always colorful and often humorous. Growers in certain areas of Florida frequently used the labels to promote a particular theme or to identify their products with a particular concept. The Lake Wales Citrus Growers Association almost always used royalty as a theme, with such labels as ‘Royal Guard,’ ‘Prince of Wales,’ and ‘Crown Jewel.’ Indian River growers often depicted Native Americans on their labels, while other growers used birds (Blue Heron) or flowers (Tiger Rose) on all of their labels. “All of the Florida citrus labels were registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture, and their fanciful names and vivid colors had meaning to those who bought and sold the products. The color on the label or in the name indicated the grade of the fruit. Blue was grade A, red was grade B, and green, grade C. The ‘Auk’ label depicted here, for example, would have been affixed to a crate carrying grade A fruit because blue is the dominant color in the label.” Source: The Lakeland Public Library Special Collections 106 THE LAKELANDER

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