The Lakelander | March 2017

MARCH 2017

CALL AND RESPONSE / MEET THE LEGEND / THE LOST ART OF BRUNCH THE BUNGALOW / ALL IN THE DETAILS

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THE LAKELANDER

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THE LAKELANDER

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LAKELAND • 2017

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

90 MARCH 2017

DEPARTMENTS 20 NOTE FROM THE EDITOR 22 CONTRIBUTORS 26 PHOTOGRAPHERS 28 METRO 136 OPENINGS 140 EVENTS 146 HISTORY

ON THE COVER In this issue, we set out to explore the growth of faith-based themes in mainstream music today. We brought together a group of recording artists who lead music at local churches, to hear their thoughts on this growing trend and its direct impact on our city. Photo by Jordan Randall.

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PEOPLE 42 MEET THE LEGEND Inside the mind of “Mr. Tiger.”

SHELTER 50 THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT THE BUNGALOW Because sometimes smaller can just be cozier.

STYLE 64 IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS It’s the small things that make all the difference.

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CULTURE 90 CALL AND RESPONSE No longer are inspirational songs limited to sanctuaries on Sunday mornings.

TASTE 102 THE LOST ART OF BRUNCH

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PEOPLE 114 LEGACY OF DREAMS The story of Lakeland’s Taekwondo Grandmaster Sun T. Choe

SPECIAL 124 HOOKED This local seafood fare has had a hold on customers’ taste buds since 1968.

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THE LAKELANDER

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PUBLISHER Curt Patterson ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Jason Jacobs, Brandon Patterson Advertising ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Curt Patterson; 863.409.2449 ADVERTISING SALES Jason Jacobs; 863.606.8785 ADVERTISING SALES Brandon Patterson; 863.409.2447 ADVERTISING SALES Nathan Patterson; 863.409.0267 www.bankofcentralflorida.com

COMMERCIAL BANKING TEAM

Editorial EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

EDITOR

Brandon Patterson Kristin Crosby

CONTRIBUTORS

Nicole Curtis, Christina Ingrassia,

Alice V. Koehler, Jenn Smurr, Adam Spafford, Gina Terry, Julie Townsend, Paige Wagner COPY EDITOR Laura Burke OFFICE MANAGER Deb Patterson Design CREATIVE DIRECTOR Daniel Barceló DESIGNER Emily Vila

Randy Hollen, SVP

David Houston, SVP

Marilyn Watson, VP

Photography PHOTOGRAPHERS Dan Austin, Daniel Barceló, John Kazaklis, Richard Om, Jordan Randall, Tina Sargeant INTERN Nicole Curtis

David Brown, VP

Nancy LaFountain, VP Treasury Management

Circulation CIRCULATION DIRECTOR

Jason Jacobs

General Counsel

Ted W. Weeks IV

Published by Patterson Jacobs Publishing, LLC

Scott Gardner, VP

The Lakelander is published bimonthly by Patterson Jacobs Publishing, P.O. Box 41, Lakeland, FL 33802. Reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission of The Lakelander is prohibited. The Lakelander is not responsible for any unsolicited submissions.

Contact Patterson Jacobs Publishing, P.O. Box 41, Lakeland, FL 33802 863.701.2707 www.thelakelander.com

DOWNTOWN LAKELAND 101 S. Florida Ave. | 863-904-4109 SOUTH LAKELAND 5015 S. Florida Ave. | 863-701-2685 BARTOW 515 N. Broadway Ave. | 863-534-3585

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Customer Service: 863.701.2707 Subscription Help: jason@pattersonpublishing.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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It always seems like spring returns here well ahead of the rest of the world. To be clear, I should explain that, by the rest of the world, I mean where I was born and raised (millennial that I am, assuming the world revolves around me).

Of course, if you’ve lived in Florida most of your life, you may be oblivious to the rain, snow, and sleet you missed out on all winter long. I, on the other hand, New York-born and Boston-raised, am well acquainted with yearly tumultuous nor’easters that dutifully ensured more than one snow day after Easter.

But, in Central Florida, the feeling of spring (and yes, spring is a feeling) seems to settle in well before Easter, even its official first day (March 20, to be exact).

And it always has an odd effect on my seasonal expectations. (But who are we kidding? What doesn’t have an odd effect on a woman’s expectations?) In all honesty, I’m rather a sucker for weird weather; cool, cloudy, rainy days. Over the years, however, I’ve gathered an appreciation for this early spring that naturally occurs here.

I first came to Lakeland for school.

That was the plan. Four years of college and no more. Of course, the four-year plan somehow turned into five thanks to a piano proficiency exam I managed to fail only once. (I’d like to think I was ahead of the game in catapulting the five-year college plan which continues to be a running trend.) The goal was to study music and theatre (not to be confused with musical theatre — two very different things) at Southeastern University and then head back north. Yet I found myself returning to Lakeland, and then leaving. And then (to make a long story short) returning, and returning, and then . . . returning. Back in Lakeland now these past three years, it’s funny how — when it’s not even planned (by someone who tends to be an instinctive planner) — you find yourself reaching for your winter coat come 60 degrees and ice coffee come February. It’s strange, in fact.

I hate to say it, but maybe my blood has thinned out a bit.

I’ve often heard that the cold weather eventually gets to Northerners, causing perpetual frowns on their faces. It was a notion I always disregarded. But, after a weekend visit to Chicago last March, rushing through frigid train stations to get to a show on time, the highs at 31 degrees, I jumped on the train, found an empty seat, lifted my coat’s collar around my ears and face attempting to warm up, just to look up and see . . . that frown. Countless frowns.

All around me. And not just frowns, as in not smiling. But genuinely, cold, isolated frowns. A train full of them.

It’s a frown you get accustomed to up there, oddly enough. But, after my years in Lakeland, I guess I had grown more accustomed to smiles from strangers.

There’s a bit more life in them. And I dare say, sometimes maybe an early spring contributes to what our face reflects. Or at least whatever life can exude from us.

It’s easy to grow accustomed to the perks that premature spring months bring: Saturday evening dinner outdoors, local grapefruit at its peak, a true need for coldbrewed coffee, movies by Lake Mirror, and even breezy bike rides downtown to gander at the artistic endeavors, if your heart so desires. (Well, I guess that depends on whether you consider frozen life-size balloon-like figurines doing yoga on a downtown building art, or just plain eerie.)

Come March through May, there is plenty we benefit from with a few extra months of warmth than those north of us.

Even if just at face value.

And when it brings early spring showers and professional baseball games (and yes, even smiles), I’m all for it.

KRISTIN CROSBY, EDITOR

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CONTRIBUTORS KRISTIN CROSBY EDITOR Originally from the North, Kristin Crosby first came to Lakeland to study at Southeastern University. Prior to Patterson Publishing, she worked at Relevant Magazine and the nonprofit organization LifeNet International as a grant writer.

Kristin is a frequent contributor at LifeZette, an American news and opinion site based in Washington D.C. As editor, Kristin endeavors to uncover and give voice to the untold stories of this city. See more of her work at lifezette.com/ author/kristincrosby/ and kristincrosby.com.

Thorpe AC Testimonial: Jeanne Jenkins

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THE LAKELANDER

ADAM SPAFFORD 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.

JENN SMURR Jenn Smurr is a Florida native and a proud Lakelander. She is a lover of people and all things food (especially dark chocolate), an excursionist, and the owner of Born & Bread Bakehouse. Jenn has traveled the world working full time as a fashion model. Taking advantage of the gift of travel, she spent her free time exploring the local cuisine. Her affinity for bread came to a tipping point when she visited a standing-room-only cafe in Paris. It was there that she first tried “life-changing fresh bread and local butter.” She has since traded a life in fashion for one in food.

ALICE V. KOEHLER, MBA Alice V. Koehler is a longtime Lakeland resident, graduate of Florida Southern College, returned Peace Corps Volunteer, mother, team player, and lifelong learner. She enjoys a challenge. In her 37 years, she has learned to speak French and dance Salsa, tasted termites and bush rat, birthed two children without drugs or doctors, lived in Africa, and been fired from a job she loved. She has experienced success in social mobilization, fundraising, grant writing, parenting, editing, teambuilding, project origination, and management.

She reads ravenously, travels adventurously, and writes passionately. She currently works as the chief development officer for Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine, ensuring that Polk County’s working uninsured have access to highquality primary healthcare.

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CONTRIBUTORS CHRISTINA INGRASSIA Christina Ingrassia grew up in Central Florida but embarked on a few adventures elsewhere after high school. Twelve winters (and about 12,000 glossies) later, she fortuitously found herself back in the city of trains and sunshine (and subsequently, living downtown). For more style inspiration, follow Christina at girlaboutdowntown.com and on Instagram at @girlaboutdowntown.

PAIGE WAGNER Paige Wagner made Lakeland home five years ago from Southern California.

Leading the Paige Wagner Homes real estate team at Olive Branch Realty, she loves assisting people through the process of buying or selling homes in our wonderful city. With experience in remodeling historic bungalows and sitting on the board for Historic Lakeland, Paige is enamored with historic homes and feels that charm and character is an experience everyone should have at least once. Paige and her husband, Chase, also serve as the creative pastors at Grace City Church. To learn more about Paige, visit paigewagnerhomes. com or follow her on Instagram @paigewagnerhomes.

PHOTOGRAPHERS DANIEL BARCELÓ CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Daniel Barceló is a multidisciplinary creative profesional leading the design and photography teams as The Lakelander‘s creative director. As a graduate of both Lakeland Christian School and Southeastern University, Daniel is excited for the opportunity to work and invest in the city that he has called home for many years. He endeavors to grow the magazine’s brand and influence as it continues to empower and inspire Lakeland’s creatives and the community at large.

TINA SARGEANT Tina Sargeant has been professionally capturing the moments, events, and people of our region for the last seven years and photographing for The Lakelander since issue one. Tina’s photography is driven by the ability to suspend time and create emotion, and her work embodies a passion for anthropology – people, culture, and stories. sargeantstudios.com

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THE LAKELANDER

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JORDAN RANDALL Jordan Randall is a 22-year-old freelance photographer from Upstate New York currently attending school in Lakeland. He specializes in portraiture, lifestyle, and street photography. For Jordan, it’s about embracing culture and creating community. He has a sincerely deep passion for telling stories that matter and for capturing fleeting moments. imjordanrandall.com

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THE LAKELANDER

Richard Om was born in San Jose, California, but grew up in Tampa. A student at Southeastern University, he moved to Lakeland in 2014 to pursue a bachelor’s in organizational leadership. In the meantime, he works at SEU’s specialty coffee shop, Portico, as well as being the creative director for DS Collective, a newly founded arts nonprofit based out of Orlando. Richard loves photographing close, in-action moments of community and hopes to use his degree and photography to inspire people to do what they love. instagram.com/richardjom

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METRO NEW AND NOTABLE IN LAKELAND

dogmatic Tweets, maybe there’s another way to go about this. Perhaps this isn’t the most constructive path to lead us to complete reconciliation and repair. Maybe there’s another place to share our opinions, invest our pent-up energy, and make some lasting changes right where we are planted.

Differing from the national government, our local government focuses on the specific and immediate needs of our community that, while glued to national morning TV shows, can easily go unnoticed.

Made up mostly of city commissioners who are willing to dialogue with small businesses, families, and even individuals, Lakeland’s government exists to care for the good of our community, increase the potential of our citizens, and ensure a whole and well-working future for the 97,000-plus people in our city.

OUR SEARCH FOR CLARITY ON WHERE WE ARE HEADED AS A NATION, IN WHAT SEEMS A CONSTANT UPHEAVAL, HAS BEEN TRYING, TO SAY THE LEAST.

LOCAL HOPE AMIDST NATIONAL CONFUSION When thinking globally becomes dismal, it may be time to shift our sights locally.

F

ollowing the stress of one of the most eventful presidential elections in history — the aftermath of which has proved to be a splitting apartheid, if not pure confusion, for the leading of our nation — 2017 has certainly started out to be an interesting year. The endless bickering and bantering of presidential campaigns and debates, for an election that proved itself more entertaining than reality TV, has surely worn out many of us.

Though, as the dust has somewhat settled (at least for an upcoming four-year term), innumerable protests, demonstrations and rants continue to drain us mentally, fogging our political thought and, in many ways, our world view. Our search for clarity on where we are headed as a nation, in what seems a constant upheaval, has been trying, to say the least.

Many of us feel somewhat worn, maybe even a little lost, after last year’s episode. At face value (or simply at any daily viewing of the six o’clock news), a nationwide defense seems to be the one last standing thing we all share. Divisiveness and disunion remain a result of what has been one whirlwind of a monumental election. As we continue to drown out each other’s opinions with the verbal spewing of Facebook posts and torrential downpour of

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THE LAKELANDER

Artist of famed works Pietà and the Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michelangelo once suggested we “Critique by creating.” Creating real change for our nation surely appears a monumental, if not miraculous, need. But change is possible. And it can begin with us, right here, for our city. Actual, impactful, deep-rooted change by making room for conversation, attending city hall meetings, vocalizing our concerns and beliefs, and, lastly, getting our hands a little dirty. Often, though, the most long-standing turnaround requires more than a 140-character thought.

It requires commitment, loyalty, and often the hardest thing for us to give — our time.

Now, thanks to ever-advancing technology, it’s easier than ever to be involved in local government . . . if necessary, even from the comfort of your own home.

Instead of physically attending, now you can watch online through the city’s government website (lakelandgov.net/ lgnlivestream). Lakeland’s government has constructive programs in place for small-business owners, as well as those individuals who are at-risk, homeless, overcoming drug addictions, former criminals, and much more.

Instead of being consumed with worry over our current broken state on a national level, now is the time to consider what we can do at home. Speaking to the racial disunion of slavery, Abraham Lincoln said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Turning towards the strong community of Lakeland to find support and hope amongst a global concern may be our best step forward this season.

It’s in these unique and testing periods that it may be the best time to love instead of hate, befriend rather than oppose, hope instead of fear. If our every motive stepped out of such intents, who knows what change could come?

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Each year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Hurricane Hunters (NOAA) fly into storms to record each slight change of temperature, humidity, wind, and pressure. Their mission: equip meteorologists on how to most effectively protect the safety of the public. Soon the NOAA will start their season right here in Lakeland. Late last year, the NOAA Aircraft Operations announced plans to move their location from Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base to Lakeland Linder Regional Airport.

The announcement of the agreement between NOAA and Lakeland was made on the last official day of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season. With the new lease agreement between the federal agency and the City of Lakeland comes $13 million for a 10-year lease on a 100,000-square-foot space at the airport, as well as 100 employees, nine aircrafts, and its famed P-3 Orions “Miss Piggy” and “Kermit.” The Hurricane Hunters building has made quick progress since and plans to be completed before the 2017 hurricane season kickoff which launches June 1.

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Serving up fresh fare and craft beverages, this New England-inspired gastropub aims to make every visit a memorable one. Owner Richard DeAngelis shares what to expect at Red Door.

The Lakelander: How did the Red Door Wine Market first start out?

Richard DeAngelis: We redefined the

TL: With the recent renovations, what can customers expect now?

RD: We’re now doing live music, which had

TL: What can guests expect?

RD: We do a seasonal menu. Our burger

WE TAKE OUR CRAFT MANTRA AND APPLY IT TO ALL WE DO.

gastropub mentality. Our mission statement is to be craft, defined as the folding of all our professional experiences into one expression.

It allows us to serve a burger without having to reinvent it.

changes weekly and we have a sandwich of the week. Our fish — if it’s not fresh, we’re out of fish. We make nearly everything in-house, even our ketchup.

TL: Do you have a favorite dish right now?

RD: We have a pot pie, one of our most

popular: braised rabbit with winter vegetables and puff pastry on top. It’s incredible.

TL: Tell us a bit about your “to-go” dining options.

RD: We call them the “hoodie,” a one-plate

wonder: for $35 you get three courses for two and a bottle of wine.

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been on hold, and many say the porch feels like it’s part of the original building.

TL: What has been a key factor to Red Door’s success?

RD: The people. We don’t have a cookie-cutter

idea of what we look for in our staff. And that’s how we feel about our food. We take our craft mantra and apply it to all we do.

For hours and reservations, go to reddoorlakeland. com or call 863.937.9314.

LAKELAND’S NEW URBAN PARK BEGINS TO TAKE SHAPE Lakeland’s plan for its newest public park, Bonnet Springs Park alongside Lake Bonnet, will allow generations the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of Florida’s unique habitat.

Although the city already has a wonderful park system, the population is predicted to grow to one million in the next 50 years. As local realtor David Bunch says, “Great cities have great parks,” and the plan for this one is sure to be exceptional.

At 160-plus acres west of downtown, this urban park is expected to cost around $50 to $60 million, funded by the Barnett family of Publix Super Markets — Barney, Carol, and their sons Wesley and Nicholas. The current plan will reduce any environmental damage done to the former Florida Tile site and build a commercial and residential community, giving all proceeds to funding of the park. Bonnet Springs Park will be a great place for families and children to enjoy the great outdoors.

SCRAMBLED EGGS GOLF

HYPPO POPS AT TEA LARGO

A monthly golf tournament, Scrambled Eggs brings together men of all ages and skill levels who love golf. Sign up to play competitively, or simply for fun, in tournaments with men across the Lakeland area. • scrambledeggsgolf.com

Tea Largo is now serving up fresh Hyppo Pops! Originally made in St. Augustine and previously sold only in Tampa and Jacksonville, now you can treat your taste buds to these freshly made, organic fruitfilled gourmet-sicles right in town all season long. • Tealargo.com

THE LAKELANDER

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s get to work.

You have a product, service, or idea that our community needs. We want to help you communicate beautifully and effectively.

lkldrcreative.com | 863.701.2707 THE LAKELANDER

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METRO

BY THE NUMBERS The 42nd Annual SUN ‘n FUN International Fly-In & Expo, presented last year by VISIT FLORIDA and the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association. In anticipation for this year’s events, April 4 - 7, here is a look at the facts and statistics of this this globally renown event.

attendees took advantage of the free ticket offer for active military

OVER

9,000 AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS TOOK PLACE

440

Approximately

200,000

media representatives attended from

16 COUNTRIES

guests attended from over

COUNTRIES

SUN ‘n FUN distributed

90,000

bottles of water and approximately

19,000 sandwiches to volunteers

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THE LAKELANDER

EXHIBITORS PARTICIPATED

Lakeland’s HOMETOWN BANK

Our Core Values • Local Market Driven • A Long Term Horizon • World Class Service • Relationship Banking • Faith and Family

METRO

CULTURE COLUMN Engage Lakeland’s Arts Community

FOUNT CONCERT AT LKLD LIVE Fount, an eight-piece Americanfolk band from Lakeland will perform alongside other local musicians at LKLD Live.

MARCH 31 , 8 P.M. - 11 P.M. LKLD LIVE

Brian Sutherland singing at LKLD Live Swingtime Valentine concert

IMPERIAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA TEA AND SYMPHONY Enjoy beautiful music and listen to the history of the masterminds who wrote it, while sipping on a soothing cup of tea.

APRIL 4 , 5:45 P.M. - 7 P.M. THE LAKELAND CENTER

CREATIVE YOGA FRIDAY WITH MICHELLE PUGH Like art? Like yoga? Come to the Polk Museum of Art for an unforgettable experience of yoga ending with meditation focused on the current art exhibit. ($5 members / $10 non-members) APRIL 21 , 12 P.M. - 1 P.M. POLK MUSEUM OF ART

PLAY IT FORWARD

LKLD LIVE: A VENUE OF POSSIBILITIES love the possibilities here. I love the community — it’s like anything is possible,” says Shane Lawlor, who never expected to call Lakeland his long-term home. But, after the immense growth in the creative community, he can’t imagine being anywhere else. This attitude of possibility that Lawlor describes is certainly evident with the opening of Lakeland’s newest venue, LKLD Live.

With so much artistic talent in this city, Lawlor, who is the executive director of LKLD Live, has long hoped to be part of creating a space that showcased the gifts of local artists. This hope became reality in the form of LKLD Live, a nonprofit organization

“I

with a mission to foster art, education, and drama within our community. What makes this venue unique is its variety; there isn’t an emphasis on one genre of music or one form of art. It is simply a space that gives artists a platform to create.

LKLD Live has already had several events that reveal the beauty of diversity in art, including performances by local jazz and indie artists, and a symphony orchestra.

“Everyone isn’t going to like everything [we do], [but] hopefully there is something for everyone,” says Lawlor.

Lakeland is proud to have dreamers like Shane Lawlor who empower other artists to pursue their passions, making it easy to see all the possibilities that this city has to offer.

A nonprofit organization, this annual night of music comes this year with Kat & The Dawgs. All profits go to benefit underprivileged music students of the Polk County public schools with instruments they would not be able to afford otherwise.

MARCH 25, 5 P.M. - 10 P.M. THE POLK THEATRE

Shane Lawlor, Executive Director

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THE LAKELANDER

presents

2017

SCHOLARSHIP GALA Friday, March 10, 2017 | 6:30 p.m.

Southeastern University | Sportsplex 1000 Longfellow Blvd | Lakeland, FL 33801

On Friday, March 10, 2017, the Southeastern University Foundation presents an unforgettable evening at its annual Scholarship Gala fundraising dinner. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Scholarship Gala will be held on the beautiful campus of Southeastern University.

Special guest speaker Edward Davis, former Boston police commissioner, will share his personal experiences during the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings and discuss leadership and challenges we face today.

We invite you to purchase tickets or a corporate table, and to join us for an unforgetable evening with Ed Davis.

Event begins at 6:30 p.m.

Special guest speaker

EDWARD DAVIS

All net proceeds raised through the Scholarship Gala directly benefit the Southeastern University Scholarship Program.

GALA SPONSORSHIPS AND TICKETS are available for purchase online at www.SEULeadershipForum.com For more information about sponsorships, please call: 1-877-FORUM2017

THE LAKELANDER

35

METRO

DOWNTOWN LAKELAND’S UNIVERSAL VALET PROGRAM While downtown is bursting at the seams with new restaurants, events, and businesses, so is the traffic. But a recent development is soon to make your Friday nights out on the town much more accessible and, maybe even, more frequent.

T

he lack of available downtown parking has been a frustration of locals and visitors alike for some time.

No doubt you may have experienced an evening or two frantically circling to make your POSTO 9 reservation on time.

Recently, valet parking has become available in downtown Lakeland. A service called Universal Valet will operate Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, making visits to new restaurants and businesses much more feasible and a bit less stressful. Many restaurants and bars will offer a form of validation to reduce or eliminate the cost of the valet service for customers. But, regardless of destination, anyone visiting downtown can use the service.

Valet stand locations have been placed at the corner of East Main Street and South Kentucky Avenue in front of Nathan’s Men’s Store, and at the corner of South Kentucky Avenue and East Lemon Street across from Fresco’s. Valeted cars will be parked in the city-owned parking lots located at Massachusetts Avenue at East Orange Street, and South Florida Avenue at the railroad tracks. Valet services are currently contracted 36

THE LAKELANDER

with 717 Parking Services through the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority.

“I am confident that this service will be a significant value-added experience to downtown commerce,” says Angelo Rao, City of Lakeland manager of traffic operations and parking services.

“More importantly, this service will provide our citizens and visitors with more parking choices.”

In addition, for convenience and faster customer service, a ticketless check-in and check-out process has been created. Upon giving their cell numbers to the attendant, customers will receive a valet ticket through text, which will include instructions on how to retreive your car at the end of your visit all from your cell phone. The text-messaging system allows you to call for your car before you leave the business you are patronizing.

Downtown is expecting as many as four new establishments around Munn Park in the next year, including Café Roti and Mojo BBQ, both on Tennessee Avenue. All four establishments, located within the same two-block urban area where no additional parking is provided, have close to 1,000 seats collectively. New customers will soon be competing for the same convenient

spaces, both with each other and with the existing restaurants and bars. As downtown continues to grow, customers will find it more challenging to find on-street parking spots near their destination.

Not everyone is willing to walk more than a block, so valet provides a convenient parking option for those willing to pay for it.

Universal Valet costs $6 per vehicle. But some businesses are willing to help defray that cost for customers. Fresco’s; POSTO 9 Brazilian Gastropub; Urban Appeal; and Lakeland Loft Cigar, Jazz, Spirits will offer a full validation of their customers’ valet costs. Black & Brew Coffee House will offer 50 percent off with a purchase of $10 or more, and The Chop Shop Bar & Grill will offer a $2 discount with a purchase of $10 or more.

Additional restaurants are expected to join the program as it gets underway.

In addition, POSTO 9 Brazilian Gastropub will provide valet parking, for its customers only, on the evenings the Universal Valet system is not available, Sunday through Wednesday.

QUICK REFERENCE OF VALIDATION OFFERS (Dont’ forget to tip your valet!)

FULL VALIDATION OFFERS Fresco’s POSTO 9 Brazilian Gastropub Lakeland Loft Urban Appeal OTHER VALIDATION OFFERS: Black & Brew // 50 percent off valet with a purchase of $10 or more The Chop Shop // $2 off valet with purchase of $10 or more Ask for validation from the participating business upon paying your bill. Validation is valid only on date issued. Offers may be combined up to $6. Valet service is $6 per car unless validated (cash and credit accepted). Credit cards incur a $1 transaction fee.

TWO VALET STAND LOCATIONS The corner of East Main Street and South Kentucky Avenue in front of Nathan’s Men’s Store, and at the corner of South Kentucky Avenue and East Lemon Street across from Fresco’s.

We can give you 8,000 reasons, our legion of independent STIHL dealers nationwide.

We count on them every day and so can you. To give you a product demonstration, straight talk and genuine advice about STIHL products. To offer fast and expert on-site service. And to stand behind every product they carry, always fully assembled.

You see, we won’t sell you a chainsaw in a box, not even a big one.

Are you ready for a STIHL?

To find a dealer: STIHLUSA.com | STIHLUSA.mobi 1-800-GO-STIHL The Home Depot and Lowe’s are registered trademarks of their respective companies.

2 Lakeland Locations

WDER BRO O S. R C

Southgate Center | 2633 S. Florida Ave. | 863-683-6702 Sandpiper Plaza | 6549 N. Socrum Loop Rd. | 863-859-9909

FAMILY, FRIENDS, & YETI GO HAND-IN-HAND AVAILABLE AT

WDER BRO O S. R C

2 Lakeland Locations Southgate Center 2633 S. Florida Ave. | 863-683-6702 Sandpiper Plaza 6549 N. Socrum Loop Rd. | 863-859-9909

THE THE LAKELANDER LAKELANDER 97 37

METRO

WHAT IT TAKES Q&A with Cliff Otto of Saddle Creek Logistics Services

BY ADAM SPAFFORD • PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAN AUSTIN

Saddle Creek has long been in the business of quick deliveries for manufacturers, distributors, and e-commerce across the country. While serving over 41 locations nationwide, their business continues to flourish right where it all began.

The Lakelander: How did you come to your role at Saddle Creek?

Cliff Otto: I joined Saddle Creek in 2001, became president in 2007, and CEO in 2013. As CEO, I’m responsible for guiding the company in delivering omnichannel supply chain solutions 38

THE LAKELANDER

and ensuring that we do “Whatever It Takes!” to satisfy our customers in the process.

TL: How did Saddle Creek come to be?

CO: Saddle Creek was founded here in Lakeland by David Lyons and his business partner in 1966. What started with one 12,000-square-foot warehouse has now grown to become one of the largest family-owned third-party logistics provider (3PL) in North America, offering a full range of services. Over the years, we have introduced new capabilities, expanded into new markets, acquired related companies, and more. Our unwavering commitment to service excellence and continuous improvement has enabled us to achieve 50 consecutive years of revenue growth.

TL: Describe the services Saddle Creek offers and the customers it serves.

SADDLE CREEK LOGISTICS SERVICES 3010 Saddle Creek Road Lakeland, FL 33801 863.665.0966 sclogistics.com

CO: At Saddle Creek, we specialize in helping retailers, manufacturers and e-commerce companies get products where they need to be quickly, seamlessly, and cost-effectively. As a third-party logistics provider, we offer a variety of logistics services — warehousing, omnichannel fulfillment, transportation, and packaging. We manage over 17 million square feet of space and 41 locations around the country with the help of more than 2,700 associates. We leverage these resources to customize scalable omnichannel solutions that support our customers’ business goals.

TL: Please give us an example of the motto “Whatever It Takes!” in practice.

CO: There are countless examples of our brand promise in action. As our chairman Scott Thornton has said, Whatever It Takes! isn’t meant to describe something we want to do. It is a description of what we actually do every day.

One example would be the way our associates approach a new business start-up. It is truly “all hands on deck.” Associates from all areas and levels of the company work diligently to make sure that the new operation runs smoothly. We bring in associates from other operations throughout the country and train new associates. They often spend days or weeks away from their families to help ensure our success. Everyone shares the commitment to a common goal: planning and implementing the most efficient and effective start-up possible.

TL: Saddle Creek’s 50th Anniversary was in May 2016. How did the company celebrate?

CO: We marked our 50th anniversary on May 4th with celebrations at every location across our nationwide network, including here in Lakeland.

Those celebrations really focused on our associates, because we recognized that, without the hard work of every Saddle Creek associate, we wouldn’t have had 50 years of consecutive revenue growth. Of course, we took the time to thank our customers as well.

TL: What’s the best part of doing business in Lakeland?

CO: The Lakeland community gives us the ability to readily hire good associates that share our sense of family and community and understand the importance of taking care of the customer. We also value the work being done by the Chamber of Commerce, the Lakeland Economic Development Council (LEDC), and Mayor Wiggs to make Lakeland more attractive to employers — specifically employers of higher-wage workers.

TL: Are there any challenges of doing business in Lakeland?

CO: The strength of the education system in Polk County certainly impacts our ability to recruit and hire professionals who want to work and live in the same community and are seeking solid education for their families. We need to continue to strive for improvement in every aspect of our

primary and secondary education system.

TL: What does Saddle Creek’s future look like?

CO: Moving forward, we will continue to expand our resources, refine our services, and evolve to help our customers meet the needs of an ever-changing marketplace. We’ll keep adding strategically located facilities and building our team of talented associates and honing our logistics services to help customers adapt to today’s omnichannel marketplace.

TL: Final thoughts?

CO: We’re proud to be part of the Lakeland community and excited to see the growth and development happening here.

THE LAKELANDER

39

New look.

New place.

Same great service.

We now have two convenient state-of-theart locations offering a full range of dental services. Visit us and see how a stunning smile is within reach!

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THE LAKELANDER

Now Open!

2410 S. Florida Avenue Since 1979, Agnini Family Dental has grown from a small practice to offering a full range of services including preventative, restorative, implants, and cosmetic procedures. As a family of accomplished dental professionals, we are certified in IV sedation, advanced innovations like Cerec 3D™ same-day crowns and veneers, 3D x-ray guided implant placement, and Damon Braces™. These are just a few of the technologies that set us apart.

We have assembled under one roof the best technology and a family of the finest practitioners, making us a convenient, one-stop destination for all of your family’s dental needs.

With two convenient locations and multiple payment options, you’ll have every reason to smile when you come to Agnini Family Dental.

North Lakeland Office

South Lakeland Office

1805 Lakeland Hills Blvd.

Lakeland, FL 33805 863-682-1500

2410 S. Florida Avenue Lakeland, FL 33803 863-682-1500

AgniniDental.com We accept CareCredit

THE LAKELANDER

41

Meet

Legend the

i n s i d e t h e m i n d o f “m r . t i g e r”

Written by Kristin Crosby Photography by Daniel Barceló

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PEOPLE

BASEBALL HALL OF FAMER AL KALINE HAS LONG BEEN CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST CONSISTENT PLAYERS IN THE HISTORY OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL. NOW AN EXECUTIVE ADVISOR FOR THE DETROIT TIGERS, HE RETURNS TO LAKELAND EVERY YEAR FOR THE TEAM’S SPRING TRAINING. HE CONTINUES TO GIVE BACK TO THE GAME. THEY DON’T CALL HIM MR. TIGER FOR NOTHING.

A At a young age, Al Kaline was

somewhat of an athletic anomaly: actively playing basketball, baseball, and football with the kind of effortless finesse and relentless accuracy that kept scouts on his tail and opponents on edge. At just 10 years old, with a frail build but a competitive drive, Al’s dad believed the boy was destined for professional sports.

“My dad was actually going to make me a jockey,” Kaline laughs. During weekly visits to the racetrack in Baltimore on his dad’s one day off from work, Al would help out as his dad tried warming him up to a potential future. Kaline would look up at the horses that towered over him as he walked them around the track, in dread.

“I was scared to death, because those horses were so big!” Fortunately, by age 12, Kaline shot up, filled out, and could steer clear of stallions in favor of playing ball.

Showing notable skill in every sport

44

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he played, Kaline was somewhat of a scout’s dream. Consistency was always his greatest strength. “I saw early on that scouts were looking at me, and I thought, ‘Well, maybe I have a chance to do this instead of working at the factory like my dad or scrubbing floors like my mother did.’

So I said, ‘I’ll put all my effort in playing baseball.’” Preparing to graduate high school, Kaline had several scholarship offers for basketball but none for baseball.

Regardless, from a young age there was only one ball game Kaline had his eye on.

Fresh out of high school and standing at a slender 5’10” and 150 pounds, Kaline received not just one offer to play in the Major Leagues, but three. One of them was from the Detroit Tigers, which at the time stood in last place. The other two teams, known for their rotation of heavy hitters and likely paths to a World Series, had offers that significantly outweighed the Tigers.

“At the time, my dad told me, ‘You want to play. You don’t want to sit and watch,’” says Kaline. “‘You won’t get a chance to play with the two other teams.

But you might get a chance to play for the Tigers.'” While his father was right, a chance to play may have been a slight understatement of just what was ahead.

On June 20, 1983, at the ripe age of 18, Kaline signed on as a right fielder for the Detroit Tigers. Assured at least two years to play, just days later he made his Major League debut. He would go on to play with the Tigers for more than two decades.

After 22 seasons, Kaline had played 2,348 games, scoring a total of 399 home runs (not to mention the scoring pair that won the Tigers the 1968 World Series). It was one of the longest runs in the Major Leagues for a player to stay with one franchise team his entire career. Now at age 82, as special assistant to the general manager and invaluable influence to the current team, Kaline remains one of the Tigers’ most valuable players to date.

First joining the Tigers also meant many months that this Baltimore boy would travel south to spend Spring Training in Lakeland each year. (Since 1935, Lakeland has remained the host Spring Training city for the Tigers, with the exception of 1943-1945 due to WWII.) Prior to the newly renovated Joker Marchant Stadium,

where the Tigers’ spring preparation now resides, the team first trained at Henley Field. Originally built in 1922 for the Cleveland Indians’ Spring Training, the historic site had been a stomping ground for some of the most iconic sluggers in the history of the game.

“At Henley Field, on a field that Ty Cobb, Charlie Gehringer, and Babe Ruth played, and all of a sudden I’m on the same field that these guys played on,” Kaline recollects as if just stepping on the nostalgic greens for the first time, “and I

showing notable skill in every sport he played, kaline was somewhat of a scout’s dream.

couldn’t believe it! I got so emotional. I thought, ‘Here I am on the same field as all these great players!’”

Still just a teen, newly married to his high school sweetheart, and skipping right past any Minor League preliminaries, Kaline’s entrance into the big leagues wasn’t quite met with a warm welcome.

“I wasn’t looked at very highly right off the bat,” says Kaline. A new young player in would mean a player out. And at the time, outside of the Major Leagues there were few prospects for professional players. Unlike the many opportunities today (analysts, sportscasters, playing for the Minor Leagues, endorsements, and relentless media opportunities), the only hope a player had of making a living in the 1950s was playing in the big leagues.

“Back in those days it was different,” says Kaline. “You couldn’t be a free agent back then. You were owned lock, stock, and barrel by the team. You couldn’t do anything else. We didn’t have the choices players have today: that they can be free agents. You had to wait for them to trade you or release you. But I always felt blessed to be with the Tigers.”

The current average career span of a Major League player is 5.6 years. Kaline played with the Tigers for 22 years.

Just before retiring from the game in 1974, Kaline would end his career on an all-time high. On September 24, 1974, he became the 12th player in MLB history to hit the 3,000-hit plateau, collecting a total of 3,000 regular-season hits. In 1980, the Tigers would retire their first uniform number, Al Kaline’s #6.

But baseball wasn’t done with Kaline just yet.

Continuing as analyst and play-by-play announcer for the Tigers over the next 20 years, Kaline presented games to homes with the likes of Ernie Harwell. “One of the greatest people and announcers of all time,” Kaline adds. “Though I have to admit,” he says reluctantly, “I was really lousy my first year I worked as an analyst.

I was usually a very quiet person, and when you’re doing a game you have to give an opinion.”

Kaline recalls, “I would be very hesitant to do it because these players were my friends and I knew how hard it was. But the producers would say, ‘Hey, you’ve got to make a comment one way or the other.’”

No doubt the role was stretching, taking

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45

Right outfielder for the Tigers in 1972, Kaline helped Detroit win the American League East Pennant, finishing one-half game ahead of the Boston Red Sox.

him out his comfort zone, off of the field.

But soon Kaline’s humble opinion became recognized as essential expertise for the Tigers that would serve to help the team succeed in the years to come.

In 2003, Kaline received a call from Mike Ilitch [Detroit Tigers and Red Wings owner, who recently passed away on February 10]. “I had known him when I was 18, 19 years old when he would bring little pizzas into the locker room after the game,” says Kaline. “He signed with the Tigers in the Minor Leagues, had to go into service, and then came back. And in his travels he would see little pizza places in towns, and he’d say, ‘Maybe that’s something I can do.’ And that’s how he started Little Caesar’s Pizza.”

Once he bought the ball club, Ilitch asked if Kaline would mind moving Photo courtesy of Doug McWilliams and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

46

THE LAKELANDER

into the Tigers’ front office to give his opinion and keep him up to date on the team. “Well,” Kaline told Ilitch, “if that’s what you want. But you may not like my opinion.” Ilitch replied eagerly, “That’s OK! I want different opinions.”

Since that time, Kaline has served as special assistant to the president, at the time David Dombrowski was with the Tigers, and he remains actively involved in the team, serving as a keen eye when the team prepares to draft, connecting with potential suite holders, and offering his view in the team’s strategic meetings.

“But basically,” he says, “I think of myself as a Detroit Tigers’ employee, of all things.”

Still, every year, Kaline returns to Lakeland for six or seven weeks as a support and mentor to the players

Extended 7am to 7pm Drive Thru and Saturday Hours

throughout Spring Training. “These guys are all wonderful human beings,” says Kaline. “They all participate in great charities. I have high respect for the players today.”

The 18-time All-Star player and Hall of Famer has had four times the career most MLB players could dream of. Still energized, he has chosen to remain an asset to the team.

“My wife, Louise, keeps asking me, ‘How come you still want to work?’ And I say, ‘Honey, it’s not work to me. I love it. It’s something I look forward to.’ I like golf, but I can’t play more than once or twice a week.”

From those who first coached Kaline in the game to the scouts who helped launch him into the big leagues, if there is one person he claims has been the greatest support through his professional career, it’s Louise. “She’s been down here every year with me. She’s lived here [in Lakeland] for over 35 years in the winter time. She’s put up with me and baseball.

She’s been there with me all the way.”

Kaline and Louise have been married 62 years.

You could say consistency has been a recurring theme in Al Kaline’s life. It’s actually why they call him “Mr. Tiger.”

48

THE LAKELANDER

the 18-time all-star player and hall of famer has had four times the career most mlb players could dream of. Still energized, he has chosen to remain an asset to the team.

SHELTER

something about the

BUNGALOW FOLLOWING THE OPULENT AND EXTRAVAGANT HOME DESIGNS OF PREVIOUS DECADES, TRENDS TEND TO ALWAYS CIRCLE BACK TO THE NOSTALGIC, SIMPLISTIC MAINSTAYS OF YEARS PAST. BECAUSE SOMETIMES SMALLER CAN JUST BE COZIER. Written by Paige Wagner Photography by Tina Sargeant Styled by Lisa Malott

AN

appreciation for the “bungalow” styled home has been reborn in recent years.

The heart of Lakeland is bursting at the seams with bungalows and a slew of people who adore them, causing somewhat of a provincial bungalow renaissance.

Owning and caring for a bungalow is like fostering a piece of the city’s history. A snapshot in time entrusted to the current owner to care for and pass on better than it was received. The bungalow is as beloved as it is captivating. People who call these low-rise adorning cottages home and spend weekends driving through neighborhoods admiring their architecture are drawn to their character. Bungalows hold history, charm, and a rich wealth of story worth telling.

In its original form, the term bungalow means a small home with a broad front porch. The bungalow originated from India in the mid-19th century. At the time they were built by British settlers as easily constructed homes for travelers to stay in for a night or so. With its open porches and low-hanging eaves, the form and function of the

52

THE LAKELANDER

bungalow made living in the hot Indian summer a breeze.

The bungalow style was a refreshing departure from the 1800s' popular grand, high-towering Victorian design, stripping away the ornate and starchy detailing at the new turn of the century towards a more simple and quaint way of life. This style of home construction made its way to the United States in the early 1900s and dominated home designs until the 1930s. First built in Southern California, the dry air was perfect for the natural-style home with broad eaves, exposed rafters, and porches that blended well into the landscape. Southern California had more single-family dwellings than any city of its kind in the 1930s, with 94 percent of its people living in single-family homes.

With its growing popularity, soon everyone across the nation wanted their hands on a California bungalow.

Large companies like Sears began to sell “Bungalow kits,” where people could easily construct their own bungalow themselves with materials manufactured on an assembly line. With the bungalows’ growing popularity in California, lumber builders and construction companies

Porch Banisters These banisters were repurposed from a bungalow on Riggins Street that recently burned down.

Instead of building new banisters, the homeowners saw the opportunity to continue the history of the banisters at their home. The years of paint layering and chipping are seen on the banisters, giving rich character to the porchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appearance.

THE LAKELANDER

53

Historic Windows Windows are the eyes of a home, allowing the outside landscape to leave its impression on the interior. Historic windows are known by the amount of panes in their windows. It is rare to find two very distinct paned windows side-by-side via a corner wall.

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jumped on the bungalow build train, and its buzz spread all over the United States.

“Bungalows were designed and inspired to be homes with simple design, sparse decoration, and natural materials” (Wentworth, Inc. Architects). With the Arts & Crafts movement heavily influencing the birth of the style, the revival of simple handicrafts and the rethinking of ordinary domestic design paved the way for the bungalows’ character to develop and flourish. The combination of embracing local materials and merging features of the geographical location into the house birthed a fresh revival for what Americans desired in their home. Simplicity and quality reframed the mindset of what construction began to look like in the early 1900s, and it’s those same qualities that continue to draw people to the bungalows nearly 100 years later.

Admired for many of their characteristics, the bungalows' most popular feature are their large wraparound porches that cover the front exterior of the home with overhanging rooflines and supported by decorative columns. The front porches were finished with banisters made out of local wood or stone that perfectly finished off the home. It was common to enter a bungalow and find yourself in the center of the living room, this idea was considered “open concept” for its time. The large brick fireplaces popularized the bungalow living spaces with built-in shelving or benches framing the fireplace.

The aged oak hardwood flooring also remains a big

New Look...

Same Hometown Pride.

intrigue for many home seekers. It’s part of the whimsical mystery of never fully knowing the people who walked these floors, danced on these floors, the tables that stood on these floors that served meals shared through the generations. The floors alone are the history book of these homes with their natural markings, different stains through the decades, and even typical Florida termite damage adding a charm that cannot be duplicated.

Just like all trends travel through decades, the old flame of bungalow lovers has been rekindled. The heart of Lakeland holds seven historic districts, with some of its oldest homes dating back to 1884. As you drive through streets like Success Avenue, Lake Morton Drive, and Orange Park Avenue, you can’t help but feel a sense of old, a nostalgia for the past where life was simple and appreciated. As the millennial generation approaches the age of having families and purchasing homes, the pull to

Butler’s Pantry A small room filled with built-in shelves and drawers dressed in beautiful historic crown molding is every kitchen’s perfect match. This butler’s pantry, sandwiched between the formal dining room and kitchen, was the location for food presentation for many years. As meals finished cooking in the kitchen, they would make their way to the butler’s pantry to be plated before arriving at their final destination on the dining room table.

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historic home style living is becoming more and more popular. Where the generations before them pursued the “American Dream” of bigger and better, the millennials are seeing value in going back to the roots of our country’s history. In bungalow style living, quality trumps quantity.

Lakelanders who call bungalows home strive for a quality of life that matches the richness of their residence.

Eleven hundred square feet on a 0.17-acre lot may not seem large and extravagant, but it is the convenience of walking the lakes and being amongst homes of its same kind that creates a feeling of camaraderie. It’s a lifestyle of bringing the outside in and letting the landscape of your geographical location dictate the style and feel of a home. Opening doors and windows to allow natural air to inundate the home has always been the vision of the bungalow.

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PHILANTHROPY

Believing In

Girls Creating opportunities for a better future

Written by Alice V. Koehler, MBA â&#x2013;ª Photography by John Kazaklis

HIDDEN IN THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE OF DOWNTOWN EXISTS A SPACE THAT BUILDS FUTURES, RESTORES HOPE, AND INSTILLS CONFIDENCE IN THE NEXT GENERATION OF YOUNG WOMEN. IT IS A SCHOOL., A COUNSELING CENTER., AND IN SOME WAYS, A HOME. DISCOVER PACE CENTER FOR GIRLS, AN ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO PROVIDING YOUNG WOMEN AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A BETTER FUTURE.

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hirty-two years ago, during a time when girls who ended up in the juvenile justice system were sent to programs designed for boys or placed deep within the system for “their own protection,” PACE Center for Girls was born.

Girls who ended up in the system could seldom get out, making the hope of a future a distant dream. There were no other alternatives; today, there are also few options for such girls at-risk outside of getting caught in the justice system cycle.

Vicki Burke, PACE’s founder, saw beyond the present, however, and sought a better tomorrow. She thought that if she could identify girls before they got in trouble, she could make a real difference. Armed with research-based alternatives to institutionalization and incarceration, Burke launched PACE in the basement of a church in Jacksonville with just 10 girls, all desperate for a shot at a future. Today, PACE has grown to 19 centers throughout the state. Together, they serve nearly 3,000 girls each year and have changed the stars of more than 39,000 girls in our state.

PRACTICAL, ACADEMIC, CULTURAL EDUCATION Girls from sixth to 12th grade come to PACE on a referral basis from a teacher, a parent, or sometimes on self-referral. Upon entering the PACE program, girls are often at the lowest point in their lives, strapped with the burden of three or more risk factors like depression, anxiety, drug abuse, truancy, histories of physical abuse, or absent parents due to incarceration or death. The list is long, the future often harrowing.

Last year, Mary Marx, PACE’s CEO, shared a moment with a young girl who, before finding PACE, had suffered repeated sexual abuse at the hands of her uncle. When asked how she found the strength to cope with her experience, she said that her science teacher at PACE recently taught a biology lesson in which she learned that all of the cells in the human body regenerate themselves.

She then added that she looks forward to the day, in just a few years, when there won’t be a single cell in her body that was touched by him.

PACE is the only organization of its kind. Seeking to solve problems before they are unsolvable, PACE helps girls crawl out of the desperation they face in circumstances beyond their control. Meeting girls where they are, PACE (which stands for Practical Academic Cultural Education) provides a strength-based environment for students to identify their problems, work through them, and learn coping skills and healing strategies — all while catching up and keeping up academically. Girls attend school year-round but return to their homes and caregivers in the evenings. This model is part of the success; PACE

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includes the entire family in the process.

It doesn’t take long for PACE to work its magic. Girls come for the short term, usually 12 to 15 months. After completing the organization’s nurturing, healing program, girls learn to thrive in the real world. Ninety-one percent have no involvement with the juvenile justice system after leaving the program (compared to 56 percent who exit the system without PACE). Ninety percent improve academically, and 90 percent pursue higher education, stay in school, or are gainfully employed after completing the PACE program. These success rates ensure a bright future for girls and for us. What’s more, a girl confined in the justice system costs 151 taxpayer dollars a day. PACE costs $62.01 per day. (“Sticker Shock: Calculating the Full Price Tag for Youth Incarceration,” Justice Policy Institute, December 2014).

“PACE is now recognized as a national model for reducing recidivism and improving school success, employment, and self-sufficiency amongst girls by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children’s Defense Fund, National Mental Health Association, National Council on Crime and Delinquency, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention” (pacecenter.org/about-us).

WHY GIRLS EDUCATION? I have been involved with PACE Center for Girls for more than a decade, first as a teacher, then as a contractor. Soon after that, I became a volunteer, joined the board, and today I am humbled to say that I am the Chair of the PACE Polk Board of Directors. To say that

this organization runs deep in my veins would be an understatement.

As I think about the important role that girls and young women play in society, I think often about 1995. I was 16 years old, at the beginning of my becoming much like the girls mentioned here today. In 1995, Hillary Clinton delivered the plenary speech at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women. I was all ears.

In this speech, Clinton said, “What we are learning around the world is that if women are healthy and educated, their families will flourish. If women are free from violence, their families will flourish. If women have a chance to work and earn as full and equal partners in society, their families will flourish. And when families flourish, communities and nations do as well.”

From that moment, the issues girls face stuck with me.

I went on to graduate from high school and college, and then joined Peace Corps where I flew across the globe and landed in Togo where I got to work with girls in West Africa. During that time, I saw firsthand the importance of girls’ roles in community-building. We can read about such things in books and editorials like this one. We can see

it in the movies. And, we can hear about it in speeches like Hillary Clinton’s. To live it, though, is an entirely different story.

I saw girls denied access to education because it wasn’t accessible. I saw girls beaten by poverty. I saw girls struggle with sexual abuse in a way that impeded their lives’ motion forward. I saw girls resigned to a singular role in society. Many of these girls and young women were my friends, my colleagues, and my peers.

I was so far from home.

Everything was foreign. And, I thought, these issues are issues here. In Togo. In West Africa.

It’s not like this at home.

Then, I came home.

And, I saw girls denied access to education because it wasn’t accessible. I saw girls beaten by poverty.

MEET SIERRA Seeking to solve problems before they are unsolvable, PACE helps girls crawl out of the desperation they face in circumstances beyond their control.

A PACE Polk Alumna When Sierra came to PACE, she was caught in the crossroads of circumstance. Her father had been absent most of her life, in and out of prison. Sierra felt she was an outcast among her peers. She felt shunned by teachers and that she had been labeled a problem because of her family situation.

Determined to rise above, however, Sierra looked for a way to get help and found PACE. “I learned how to be more confident and not

let others put me down,” she says.

“I became aware of my strengths. I am helpful and kind, understanding and compassionate. I began to use my strengths to help others. I helped my peers and the younger girls during and after school. I felt better when I helped others.”

Today, Sierra has reconciled with her father and shares a relationship that continues to grow in healthy ways. Currently a student at Florida Technical

College, Sierra is slated to graduate at the top of her class with an associate degree this spring.

Sierra loves volunteering in the youth ministry at her church and recently celebrated her second wedding anniversary. She has also accepted a position as a corrections officer trainee, while continuing her education with the goal of earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a long-term goal of becoming a juvenile probation officer.

“What we are learning around the world is that if women are healthy and educated, their families will flourish. If women are free from violence, their families will flourish. If women have a chance to work and earn as full and equal partners in society, their families will flourish.

And when families flourish, communities and nations do as well.”

— Hillary Clinton, speaking at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women

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MEET MORGEN a current PACE student Before finding PACE, Morgen suffered from anxiety and had a hard time making friends. She was considering leaving school and figuring out a future without an education. She desperately needed a change.

Since beginning her journey at PACE, Morgen has already

decided to stay in school, as she no longer finds it stressful and has learned ways to cope with her anxiety. Morgen now has a new dream. She says, “I definitely want to graduate from high school and take my education further by attending college to hopefully become a nurse or a teacher.”

PACE students celebrate their successes at a Levels Ceremony.

The brightly colored sand mixes together to symbolize a girl’s progress as she advances through the program and reaches personal and academic goals.

I saw girls struggle with sexual abuse in a way that impeded their lives’ motion forward. I saw girls resigned to a singular role in society.

What I found is that our problems really aren’t that different.

Sure, the problems are different in scale but not in subject. And, maybe the resources to solve these problems are far more available in the United States than in places like Togo around the globe, but the problems still exist, and for many these resources are still unreachable.

WHEN GIRLS SUCCEED, WE ALL SUCCEED In 2013 the Brookings Institution published Confronting Suburban Poverty in America, reporting that Polk County ranked seventh highest in poverty among the nation’s 100 largest metro areas. Additionally, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 18.9 percent of Polk County’s citizens who are 25 years or older have a bachelor’s degree.

We, myself included, often forget that we all live in the same world. That we all — regardless of our gender or status — strive to create communities where people care about each other and want each other to succeed. Because

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when our neighbor succeeds, we, too, can succeed.

And, you know what?

Specifically, when girls succeed, we all succeed.

PACE Center for Girls is teaming with energy, bubbling with brains, and is a bright spot in what most would deem as a dark stain on society. PACE sees the best. PACE believes the best. PACE is a school that enriches intelligence and is a place that strengthens the heart.

PACE believes in the unique talents and abilities of each student simply because they are human, have value, and have not been forgotten. PACE helps girls find their best selves and helps us all find our better angels.

To find out more, please visit pacecenter.org or call Ellen Katzman, executive director, at 863.688.5596.

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HOW YOU CAN HELP Make a financial investment by visiting pacecenter.org/support/donate.

Come visit! Call to schedule a tour and see how you can volunteer.

Visit our website to learn more about the toll violence and victimization takes on girls.

Save the Date for "Believing in Girls" Annual Appeal, April 27th. Call PACE today to reserve your spot!

PACE Polk staff pose for a photo.

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A R T S & C U LT U R E • C O M M U N I T Y D E V E L O P M E N T • E D U C AT I O N • H E A LT H & H U M A N S E R V I C E S

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A community is only as strong as the people who live there. When we connect and share our resources, we make a better place to live, work, and raise our families.

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There are lots of ways to give. Find out at GiveCF.org/Giving

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CULTURE

C A L L R ESP ONSE

BY KRISTIN CROSBY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

JORDAN RANDALL

NO LONGER ARE INSPIRATIONAL SONGS LIMITED TO SANCTUARIES ON SUNDAY MORNINGS. WORSHIP MUSIC IS BREAKING LONG-HELD CULTURAL BARRIERS AND CAPTIVATING NEW AUDIENCES. RECOGNIZED HIP-HOP ARTISTS ARE RAPPING ON THE COMPLICATIONS OF THEIR FAITH, AND SPIRITUAL THEMES ARE RAPIDLY GAINING RELEVANCY IN MAINSTREAM MUSIC. SO, THE LAKELANDER BROUGHT TOGETHER A GROUP OF MUSICIANS WHO LEAD WORSHIP IN LOCAL CONGREGATIONS TO DISCUSS THIS NEW WAVE OF FAITH IN MUSIC.

ive hundred years ago, Martin Luther posted a 95 theses memo on the doors of the church. It was a document that challenged the traditions of an age-old religion, that questioned the Catholic Church, and ultimately that changed the future of a faithfilled experience in a corporate setting.

These 95 statements would also establish the new pivotal role that music would play in the church — and possibly the world — for years to come.

What was once created as a selective, performed liturgy simply to be dictated to a congregation grew from a reformed movement to an enduring influence that today translates to endless languages, people groups, and

genres of music. Leading the way to original hymns, spirituals, and gospel tunes, faithbased music would eventually be viewed as the bread and butter of nearly every church-service experience.

In the 20th century, the likes of holy-rollers Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and their distinct church-music influences were all credited as the origins of rock and roll.

By the ’80s and ’90s, gospel singers such as Andraé Crouch were collaborating with popmusic’s key players, contributing to songs such as Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” and Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror.”

More recently, Kanye West produced his sixth studio album, Yeezus (rhyming with Jesus).

Justin Bieber broke out with an impromptu

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acoustic performance of “I Could Sing of Your Love Forever” on tour in Paris. In his latest album, To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar references the gospels through one running metaphoric account. And in preparation for last year’s release Coloring Book, Chance the Rapper woke up daily to the sounds of gospel music — Kirk Franklin, to be exact.

Church music, this lyrical marriage of faith and song and its wave of influence, continues to shape culture in fresh form and function.

music. But worship music today isn’t what it was 10 years ago. Not even five years ago.

From our local church services, to hiphop concerts, to collaborative Grammy performances, there is no denying the integration and influence of faith in mainstream music.

WORSHIP TODAY

“You’ve got this exciting undercurrent of worship music that’s happening,” says Dan

T H E FA C T T H AT C H A N C E T H E RAPPER IS AS INFLUENTIAL AS HE IS RIGHT NOW . . . I THINK IT’S A D I R E C T R E S U LT O F W H AT I S G O I N G O N I N C U LT U R E . ” — JORDAN RIPPY

A REFORMED SONG

In 1517, church music was comprised solely of well-trained vocals for performed choral numbers. The singing of hymns and choruses wasn’t open to the congregation to freely join in. It was rather exclusive.

Along with challenging the status quo of a legalistic and hierarchical service that was merely observed and not participated in, Luther sought to establish songs in the church that would be accessible to all — music that was congregational, collective, and experiential. “But poets are wanting among us, or not yet known, who could compose evangelical and spiritual songs,” Luther wrote at these turn of events.

Luther’s Reformation created a shift in the music of the church, if not the very pinnacle of its existence. A new wave of hymns began to emerge with the masses in mind, now created with an ease of melody and concept in lyrics as opposed to a showcase for the few accomplished vocalists onstage. It was a movement that composed the congregational song for the church.

In the 17th century, gospel music was birthed in the dark season of slavery. Soulful work songs sung among slaves in the States became known as “Negro spirituals.” They were songs based on repetition, easily sung and remembered for anyone to sing along, but whose depth of persistence and power planted a deeply rooted endurance amidst pain, almost as a means of communication: a call and response.

Throughout the centuries, a merging of hymns and gospel choruses paved the way to what is often referred to today as worship

A NEW KIND OF GENRE

Worship is not just for Sundays anymore.

In recent years, songwriters and bands have emerged, no longer with the mere influence of church music, but with the sole intent of writing, producing, and playing music that serves the church, offering a worship experience wherever it’s heard.

“I remember my mom giving me a Delirious cd probably when I was in third grade,” says Chase Wagner, worship leader at Grace City Church. “That was probably the first time I heard a band that was singing to God [rather] than necessarily about God. In the ’90s and ’80s, you had rock and pop, saying, ‘Oh, we can talk about God.’ Delirious was the first I heard and [thought] ‘Ah, this is like an encounter. This is like singing to God.’” When albums like Hillsong United’s Empires and Zion began to hit the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, it’s fair to acknowledge a growing demand for music that engages faith. Now with each new release from Hillsong United quickly topping the charts, church music appears to be paving its own path.

Rivera, director of Southeastern University’s CORPORATE CONNECTION School of Worship. An alumnus of SEU, “Ultimately, worship is interesting,” says Rivera spent his recent years as a worship Jordan Rippy, worship leader at Access leader for National Community Church in Church and songwriter, “because it’s this Washington D.C. before returning to the ministry to God, not so much to people. On a area. “While so-called Christian music and practical level, [worship music is] something worship songs continue to evolve, worship that’s simple to wrap your mind around. That has distinguished itself in both the industry doesn’t mean it’s not a hard concept, but the and the culture as something that is not way it’s presented is something that people merely Christian music, per se. But even can quickly understand and get on board with faith-based music coming from the church corporately.” has greatly evolved in recent years.”

“Those who have stayed extremely true to [a] specific formula that still resonates with many church-goers today would be Chris Tomlin,” says Letra Davis, singer and worship director at Strong Tower Church in downtown Lakeland. “He is a mainstay, a phenomenal songwriter, very simplistic in his approach, and yet it still works. But then Tye Tribbett will take it and do something completely different with it. There is a group of people who are willing to push boundaries and not be afraid to Influential in Southeastern University’s first introduce some new things SEU worship recordings, Chase Wagner now leads worship and creative ministries at Grace that have never been done City Church. or heard before, which is really exciting.”

“Putting together music that is corporate and congregational . . . it’s a fine line,” explains Free Life Chapel worship leader Jeremy Rosado. “It’s not a pop song or a regular Christian-themed song. It’s finding a way of building these songs that brings them in and makes them want to sing it. The corporate thing for me is huge.”

Worship music albums also differ from the mainstream, with their production focusing mainly on live recordings. The rise of highly produced worship albums has driven a shift in the recording process to meet new demands from an increasingly musically discerning audience.

“I’ve recorded stuff in the studio and live,” says Wagner, “and the live [albums] are listened to more, streamed more. Way more than the studio stuff, always. I think there’s this unique yearning that can be captured from a congregation, a crying out for God. There is something people really grab onto.”

“It’s actually returning to what they did back in the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s,” says Davis. “Live recordings, whether it was at a speakeasy or a church cathedral, there was something about it.”

Where the corporate element remains a key intrigue is for its live recordings and concerts.

Many attend these experiences seeking a new kind of communion, a lyrical declaration of faith.

“It was moments in corporate worship,” says Rivera, “where I realized that’s where I made some important decisions that ended up guiding my life. So, I felt, why not give my life back to creating those moments for other people? Ultimately, encounter Jesus.”

SONGS FROM SUFFERING

“Now [in February] that it’s Black History Month,” says Davis, “I’m starting a series of Negro spirituals. Because people need to remember. The types of songs written on the fly in the cottonfield because someone was feeling the woes and the oppression, but their faith was deep in the roots of Christ. There are still songs that need to be written that encourage people to keep their roots and foundation.

“No matter how much things are shaking in our economical, our political, world, there are still songs that can be birthed out of that.

That is necessary. I was actually just thinking about that last week. I was saying, ‘Lord, what songs are going to be birthed out of the last 12 months? ’Cause they were crazy.”

Whether considered reverent, or not, it’s hard to deny the running theme of trial and faith in mainstream music. “Especially within the hip-hop circles,” says Rippy, “you can’t ignore the cultural element: Here we are in 2017 still asking the race questions and a lot of black culture feeling oppressed and feeling like their voice doesn’t matter. People still feel enslaved. So I don’t think it’s an accident that God is popping up in these themes again in the hip-hop culture.

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Letra Davis, singer and worship director at Strong Tower Church

“Music can be like activism, subversive in some way,” Rippy continues. “The fact that Chance the Rapper is as influential as he is right now, I don’t think it’s an accident or a coincidence. I think it’s a direct result of what is going on in culture.”

A REVIVED REFORM

While the implications of faith in song have taken many shifts and turns, as an industry of worship music evolves, it also recalls the words and concepts that once solely welcomed a congregation into a place of worship.

“I heard someone talk about how in today’s world we’re seeing revival, renaissance, and reform all at once,” says Rivera. “The renaissance was this culmination of faith, art, and science all into one. It used to be, if you’re in this camp, you’re in the camp; that’s

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“ I T ’ S C R A Z Y H O W, 2 , 0 0 0 Y E A R S [ L AT E R ] , P E O P L E C A N ’ T S T O P TA L K I N G ABOUT HIM.”

the kind of music you make. It’s taking all kinds of influences to make music. There is definitely back and forth going on.”

“It used to be a hymn book,” says Wagner, “which was art, of course, but it was very regimented. And now people are even going back to that, and it’s becoming more of an artistic expression.”

“The power of worship music is that we can sort of rally home around some of these topics with people that come from all sorts of different backgrounds,” says Rivera. “As a worship pastor, I think that’s the true power to what we do on the weekends. Writing songs that encourage faith in people is about finding

— CHASE WAGNER

THE LAKELANDER

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MUSIC MAKERS Here is a small collection of some of the faith-based music produced in Lakeland or by Lakelanders. Sounds range from pulsing and electronic to soulful and jazzy to acoustic folk.

SEU Worship SEU Worship

NOVUM

Grace City Worship

New Name Dan Rivera

Heartbeat

Jeremy Rosado

Sweet & Strong Letra Davis

Seek You First

Jordan & Kristin Rippy

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American Idol contestant and runner-up for four years in a row, Jeremy Rosado (left) now leads worship at Free Life Chapel.

those things that are the characteristics of God. The sort of things we know are true about the Lord, no matter where you come from, and celebrating them in our lyrics and function with how we’re writing them. I think it all kind of comes together with that. And I think it would be wise for us, as worship pastors, to do as much of that as we can.”

IN RESPONSE

Worship music — a melodic prayer and statement of faith — is viewed as even meditative in its approach. It could be another reason that live recordings are continually in high demand.

“Recently, Watson Clinic called our church [Grace City] and asked if we could play for their chemo patients before they go into radiation treatment,” says Wagner. “They sent us studies that prove the brain actually goes into a healing state [listening to music]. We have guys going out there for the next few

weeks, just playing piano or acoustic guitar for girls and guys before they go into treatment.

There are experiences and healing that can happen from worship music. Which is really spooky and strange. And science is attesting to that.”

In clinical terms, worship music is being recognized for its level of holistic health, even elements of mindfulness. A recent Harvard study, “Music as Medicine: The impact of healing harmonies,” found through a nurse-led team at Massachusetts General Hospital that patients with heart disease confined to a bed had lower blood pressure, slower heart rates, and less distress after listening to 30 minutes of uplifting music than those who didn’t listen to music.

“That’s the difference between worship and a secular situation,” says Davis. “I believe there is an exchange between what a musician has in their spirit and what is being received. And I don’t always necessarily want to receive what they got.”

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Dan Rivera, director of Southeastern University’s School of Worship

Worship leader at Access Church and songwriter, Jordan Rippy. His album Seek You First is full of heartfelt melodies partnered with the powerhouse vocals of his wife, Kristin.

Not only is the worship experience received, but it is experienced simultaneously, sung in unison. The same Harvard study also discovered the healing power in collective singing has significant effects on the body in addition to the experience when merely listening. “The effects of group singing, and the results, show benefits for mood, stress levels, and even the immune system.

Singing may also offer benefits not unlike those of deep-breathing exercises, a way to promote the stress-relieving ‘relaxation response.’”

“I think in some ways the difference is expectation,” says Rippy. “When you go to a live concert, your expectation is to see a great show. But your expectation in entering into worship should be that some kind of change should take place.”

ON A BEIBER LEVEL

Special thanks to Grace City Church for the use of their sactuary.

While generic love songs continue to flood the charts, tunes that will forever have “Love on the Brain”, just what will become of this growing genre of faith-infused songs is still unknown.

“I think it comes back to the reason I gave my

life to worship,” Rivera recalls, “because I felt it was a vehicle to encounter the presence of God. And if it is just feel-good emotions and poetic imagery that we’re painting, then I feel like maybe we’re missing the mark. It ought to create an intimate, or at least authentic, experience with God. It’s got to have the ‘presence of God’ factor.”

Regardless of the church’s thoughts on Kendrick Lamar’s interpretation of the gospel, or how a worship band of Aussies may continue to push traditional barriers, faith is having a moment in music. Quite possibly there have never been more examples of God-exploration set to song.

“It’s crazy how, 2,000 years [later], people can’t stop talking about Him,” says Wagner.

“On your biggest level of culture, on your Bieber level of culture, on your Kanye West level of culture, the ones dominating Instagram, the ones dominating whatever our culture is — you can’t keep Jesus out of it. And it might be a really weird interpretation, it might be Yeezus, it might be a bizarre interpretation-perversion, but you can’t keep His name out of it.”

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TASTE TASTE

THE LOST ART OF

WRITTEN BY JENN SMURR PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAN AUSTIN ST Y L E D B Y L I S A M A LO T T

WHERE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH MEET TO CREATE MOMENTS OF PURE BLISS

here does the time go?

I’ve asked my husband this quite a bit recently. In the background I can hear my grandmother’s voice warning me of this eventually happening. It’s no longer, “Whoa, that month went by so fast!” Now a year seems to pass by just as swiftly.

The leisurely moments in life seem fewer, yet it’s those moments that we’re after: when time slows down enough for us to catch up.

The ideal moments are the leisurely mornings (that seamlessly turn into afternoons) spent with friends and family . . . and food, of course!

There’s this concept called brunch. It’s the clever meal combination of breakfast and lunch. Today, ours is plated at home, simple, with savory filled croissants, eggs, pancakes, and mimosas. Do you want to know how much we love you? Not only did we capture a beautiful brunch to drool over, we’re going to tell you how to make it happen in your kitchen, too.

For me, the toughest decision at brunch is always the climactic deciding factor between savory or sweet. I’ve even been known to choose two meals and then force the waitress to surprise me. Some call it co-dependence. I like to call it spontaneous and adventurous.

Somehow during brunch, time stops, and in some moments even winds down to slow motion. (Picture syrup dripping onto plate as fork moves toward mouth.) It’s during times like this that smartphones are useless, better set on airplane mode, and what matters is exchanged in smiles, shared stories, and memories that last forever.

So, live spontaneously. This weekend, randomly call friends or family. Invite them over on a whim. And make brunch.

THYME AND RED GRAPEFRUIT MIMOSAS Prosecco, Champagne, or your favorite bubbly Fresh thyme sprigs Red grapefruit juice Fill a flute glass halfway with sparkling wine.

Top it off with a swig of grapefruit juice and a sprig of thyme.

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15-MINUTE PANCAKES 1 1/2 cups flour 3 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 Tbsp sugar 1 1/4 cups milk 1 egg 3 Tbsp melted butter, plus more for the pan In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Pour in the milk, egg, and melted butter.

Mix until just smooth.

Heat a griddle and melt the butter for getting the best crispy pancakes in all the land. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle (about 1/4 cup). Cook until brown on both sides and serve hot.

BANANA CRISP PANCAKE TOPPING 1/4 cup regular rolled oats 1/4 cup of your favorite chopped nuts 2 Tbsp granulated sugar 1 1/2 Tbsp butter 3 medium to large bananas, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices 1/2 cup dried calimyrna or kalamata figs, stemmed and chopped (about 3 ounces) 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 2 Tbsp bourbon or water 2 Tbsp honey In a skillet, cook oats and nuts over medium to medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until nuts are very lightly browned, stirring frequently. Cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes more or until mixture is evenly toasted. Add sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons butter; stir until butter is melted and mixture evenly coated.

Remove from heat. Transfer to bowl and set aside.

In the same skillet, cook bananas, figs, 1/4 cup butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until bananas and figs are just softened, gently stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add bourbon and honey. Return to medium heat; cook 1 minute more, gently stirring to coat fruit well. Remove from heat.

Top pancakes with warm banana mixture and sprinkle with oat topping, whipped cream, and (optional) freshly grated nutmeg.

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SOMEHOW DURING BRUNCH, TIME STOPS, AND IN SOME MOMENTS EVEN WINDS DOWN TO SLOW MOTION.

Lakelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Premier COFFEE HOUSE & CASUAL EATERY

THE LAKELANDER 109

110 THE LAKELANDER

Dinner Is Served!

Ribs Served nightly!

CROISSANT CROQUE MADAME 4 croissants (or 8 slices of your favorite bread) 4 eggs 8 slices of ham (thinly sliced) 4 ounces of grated Gruyere cheese Freshly chopped thyme and chives

P A R M E S A N B É C H A M E L S A U C E 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour 1 cup whole milk 1/2 tsp salt 1/8 tsp nutmeg 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper 3 Tbsp finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Once melted, add the flour and stir for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk, increasing the heat to medium high, and bring to a simmer. Add salt, nutmeg, cayenne, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, and whisk to combine. Cook for 3 minutes, whisking constantly until the sauce thickens. Remove the béchamel sauce from heat and set aside until ready to use.

Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the broiler.

Slice the croissants in half and place the bottom half of the croissant on a baking sheet. Place 2 slices of ham on the croissant, and place 1/4 cup of the Gruyere on top of the ham. Broil the sandwiches for 1 to 2 minutes, or just until cheese is melted.

Top with remaining half of croissant. Ladle 2 tablespoons of the béchamel on top of each sandwich.

Sprinkle each sandwich with 1/4 teaspoon thyme and 1/4 teaspoon chives. Place a fried egg on top of the béchamel. Equally divide remaining cheese between the four sandwiches. Broil sandwiches for 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese is melted to a light golden brown.

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PEOPLE PEOPLE

L E G A C Y

BY ADAM SPAFFORD PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARD OM

O F D R E A M S

OVER 40 YEARS AGO, TAEKWONDO GRANDMASTER SUN T. CHOE ARRIVED IN AMERICA WITH THE HOPE OF BUILDING A BETTER LIFE FOR HIMSELF AND HIS YOUNG FAMILY. WE SAT DOWN WITH HIS SON, MASTER JAE Y. CHOE, TO TALK ABOUT THE GRANDMASTER’S REALIZED HOPE, AND HOW MASTER CHOE’S MARTIAL ARTS HAS HELPED COUNTLESS LAKELANDERS BUILD BETTER LIVES, TOO. The Lakelander: Yours is one of those classic American stories of arriving in the U.S. with very little and building a life and legacy. Could you share how and why you moved to Lakeland?

Jae Y. Choe: My father, Grandmaster Choe, and his family were poor. He grew up on a farm in a rural area of South Korea. As a boy, he delivered the Stars and Stripes newspaper to American soldiers stationed at a nearby military base. Due to this exposure, he began learning English and became proficient rather quickly. When he served in Vietnam with the Korean Army and the White Horse division, he taught hand-to-hand combat to American soldiers. Due to his martial-arts skills and his understanding of English, his American students encouraged him to move to the States.

Back then, and still to this day, every foreigner knows that America is a land of opportunity. Why my father chose Lakeland of all places is beyond me. He had the entire continental United States to choose from! Anyway, he had only $600 cash

and a suitcase when he arrived, while my mother, brother, and I stayed in Korea. I was four years old and my brother was two. There used to be an oldschool mom-n-pop pizza shop down the street from where we are now, and the owners let him sleep on a cot in the back while he searched for his first location. As you can imagine, my mother was anxiety ridden, awaiting word from my dad to see if he was OK. Remember, these were pre-internet days where dialing an operator to get international long-distance was the reality.

TL: Your father achieved the highest possible rank in Taekwondo, but that isn’t his only remarkable achievement, right?

JC: Throughout the years, my father earned many accolades. The ninth-degree black belt is indeed the highest rank to achieve in Taekwondo and to go beyond is a posthumous honor. Besides his rank and winning championship tournaments in South Korea, the number of students that he has taught would THE LAKELANDER 115

(left to right) Master Dae Y. Choe, Master Jae Y. Choe, Grandmaster Sun T. Choe

likely go into the thousands. I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even guess what the number would be. The Guinness Book of Records has him having taught and promoting the youngest black belt in the world in 1989. If I remember correctly, the child was only five years old.

TL: Why has Lakeland been such a good place for Master Choeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for nearly 40 years?

JC: I didn't realize we were about to hit our 40th year in Lakeland . . . that certainly gives me pause.

Lakeland has been great to our family. We really lucked out to end up here. And 40 years in business is a long time. I think we can attribute that longevity to a number of things. First, we are an immigrant family with a small, local business that aims to do well with

116 THE LAKELANDER

The Arts Visual Arts Strings, Theater, Dance

Lower School STEAM Discovery Zone Outdoor Classroom

Middle School Tech & Design Daily Advisory Program

Upper School Center for Innovation College Advising

Saints Athletics 31 Teams Grades 6-12 State & District Champs

Your Child’s Future Begins Here...

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Individualized, project-based learning College preparatory curriculum PreSchool 2 - Grade 12 Growing leaders through innovation and collaboration Weekly Chapel services with student involvement Daily recess & outdoor exploration Proud to be a Leader in Me school World Languages beginning in PreSchool 2 Conveniently located off the Polk Parkway with bus transportation in Lakeland and Winter Haven

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everyone around us. Second, we provide a service that is sincere and comes from the heart. And last, with my father halfway retired, the baton was passed to me and my brother. As a team, we continue to seek ways of improvement.

TL: What do students learn at Master Choe’s?

How does Taekwondo affect someone physically and mentally as a discipline influence for the rest of life?

JC: We teach a martial art called Taekwondo. There are many variations of this discipline throughout the world, but it is primarily a Korean-born art that utilizes striking with kicks and punches. It’s probably the most popular martial art in the world, so much

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so that it is also an Olympic sport. Our style of Taekwondo combines aspects of self-defense, sport, and art. People take our classes for many reasons, some of the most common are focus, stress-relief, fitness, impulse-control, self-esteem, and confidence.

But it’s equally important to note that it is a fun and enjoyable activity. We have a school oath that all our students remember: “Respect each other. Help each other. Be honest. Always stand by the weak.” I believe it’s a simple way to guide ourselves, whether you take Taekwondo or not.

TL: What’s the most important thing to you about how Master Choe’s contributes to the community?

JC: I believe in everyone doing their part to contributing to the well-being and success of a community. A lot of people associate “contribution” to a dollar amount, which my father’s charitable work has done over the years. But if you recall the 120 THE LAKELANDER

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old saying, “It takes a village to raise a child,” our school is a throwback in that regard. We teach an art that emphasizes discipline, manners, and focus.

It lends itself to be a vehicle for young people to grow up engulfed in discipline. Parents recognize this, and each year we have to wait-list registrants for our after-school program and summer camps due to the demand.

TL: What would you say is Grandmaster Choe's legacy?

JC: I speak on behalf of my father when I say this: all the success in the martial-arts world and business pale in comparison to what he has done to provide for our mom, my brother, and me.

Just the odds alone to survive in a war-ravaged country, to serving in war in another country, to taking a chance on transplanting a wife and children to a new world, all to live a better life.

My gratitude is not enough. My brother and I work hard to make our school worthy of the chance he took.

CHOE'S MARTIAL ARTS 2136 EAST EDGEWOOD DRIVE LAKELAND, FL 33803 863.665.0488

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“WE HAVE A SCHOOL OATH THAT ALL OUR STUDENTS REMEMBER: ‘RESPECT EACH OTHER. HELP EACH OTHER. BE HONEST. ALWAYS STAND BY THE WEAK.’”

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SPECIAL FEATURE

THE LOCAL SEAFOOD FARE THATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S KEPT CUSTOMERS COMING BACK SINCE 1968

By Adam Spafford Photography by Dan Austin

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TUCKED AWAY ON EAST PALMETTO STREET IS M ​ ISTER FISH, A ​ ​"HOLE-​IN-​ THE-​WAL​​L​" EATERY​ THAT IS AT ONCE INCONSPICUOUS YET FAMOUS. W ​ ELL KNOWN FOR ITS ​M AINSTAY​OF F ​ ISH AND ​CHIPS (NOT TO MENTION ​ITS HUSH PUPPIES, CLAM STRIPS, AND FRESHLY SQUEEZED LEMONADE),​ THIS FRESH FAST​- ​F OOD JOINT HAS REMAINED A ​L OCAL FAVORITE FOR OVER 50 YEARS. O ​ WNER MICHELE CHRISTMAN TELL US ​HOW​ THEY DO IT.

The Lakelander: How did Mister Fish first come to be?

Michele Christman: My parents, David and Geneva Martin, moved from Illinois in the 1960s and planned to open up an ice cream shop. But my dad started tinkering with some fish recipes and the ice cream shop idea became a fish restaurant! As soon as I was old enough I began to work at Mister Fish, and I grew up in the business. If I wasn’t in school, I was in the restaurant.

Our home [where Mister Fish now stands] on Palmetto Street, which used to be a gas station, isn’t the original location. That was just off of Memorial Boulevard; then it moved to Kathleen Road and finally to Palmetto Street in the early 1970s. At one time there was even a Mister Fish on Highway 17 in Bartow. All the restaurants had the same small mystique and delicious food as the existing location.

TL: What’s your secret sauce of success? How does one small restaurant stand the test of time?

MC: Well, everyone knows the little hole-in-thewall places have the best food! But it’s really the loyalty of our customers — it’s wonderful. They just keep coming back, and not only that, they are bringing their children and their grandchildren. We treat everyone like family. Of course, it’s important to have a tasty product to go out in the first place, and we have that.

TL: Have you noticed any change in people’s tastes over the years that you had to adapt to?

MC: Yes, we have. So, over the last few years we’ve added menu items on the lighter side such as grilled tilapia, grilled chicken, steamed and grilled vegetables.

But we still sell so many Philly cheesesteaks — people say they are really good! We have a chicken Philly, as well. We also have boneless fried chicken that’s delicious. And corn fritters, hush puppies, okra, homemade tuna fish salad and chicken salad, too . . .

I can go on and on! You can eat here every day of the week and have something different. We get nothing but the best ingredients.

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CAMP IS COMING! YMCA OF WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA

SUMMER CAMP CAMP LOCATIONS:

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Day Camp Aquatics Camp Sports Camp Golf Camp Gymnastics Camp Camps for Children with Special Needs Enrichment Add-ons

FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 2017 LAKE MIRROR PROMENADE 5:30 - 9:30 PM

Celebrating

YE ARS 10

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“EVERYONE KNOWS THE LITTLE HOLE-INTHE-WALL PLACES HAVE THE BEST FOOD!” — MICHELE CHRISTMAN

128 THE LAKELANDER

TL: What’s the best thing about running a small business in Lakeland?

MC: Hands down, the loyalty of our customers.

There are a lot of great people in our city. I think our customers like to see that this is family-owned and run. We love our customers. We don’t treat them like customers or strangers. We probably serve an average of 100 customers a day. Some people even come for lunch and dinner the same day. We’ve got some outside seating to enjoy the nice weather.

TL: What’s the most challenging part?

MC: In the restaurant business, changing tastes can be a challenge, and that’s why we introduced those lighter side-menu options which have worked well. Sometimes people give up certain things for a season, such as meat or soda, and we notice that. But again, their loyalty keeps them coming back after the season ends.

130 THE LAKELANDER

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TL: Have you considered more locations, or is your current one part of the Mister Fish mystique?

MC: I’d like to, but keeping a consistent, highquality product is key. Sometimes when you put your work in another person’s hands, the customer doesn’t have the same experience. We’re fortunate to have a wonderful staff at Mister Fish, so it’s certainly possible to expand if we find the same caliber staff for another location. But then again, there is something about having this one, small location that lends to the mystique of the restaurant. It’s probably less than 200 square feet. In that small space we have two fryers, a big hood, a grill, and several refrigerators and freezers.

TL: What’s your favorite item on the menu?

MC: I don’t think you can beat our fish! You can have it any way you want: dressed up, grilled, fried, with onions, tartar sauce, cheese, hot sauce.

TL: What’s the secret that makes it so delicious?

MC: The love we put in it! [laughs] It’s all made with love.

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MISTER FISH 715 East Palmetto Street Lakeland, FL 863.688.4280 misterfish.org Monday - Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Closed Sunday

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To better understand your risk for breast cancer and what you can do to manage it, consult with your health care professional.

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OPENINGS & COMING SOON

OPEN COB & PEN

Location: 1221 South Florida Avenue The stately Tudor house in Dixieland is a gathering place for the city. Serving craft beers and fine food, this smoke-free bar is all about keeping good company.

MASONS LIVE

Location: 5501 South Florida Avenue Lakeland’s latest music venue, this spot features a spacious patio bar, serves a crafted bar menu, and offers entertainment ranging from karaoke to trivia nights to live music.

PUBLIX FIELD AT JOKER MERCHANT STADIUM JERSEY MIKE’S Location: 3801 U.S. 98 North Jersey Mike’s is known nationally for its tasty subs and quality service. If you’re looking for an affordable and delicious lunch spot, check it out.

LAKELAND ESCAPE ROOM

Location: 308 East Pine Street If you’re an avid gamer, always up for a challenge, this latest entertainment destination just might be the thrill you’re seeking.

Part game, part story-telling, part team-building, the Escape Room is a logic-based, real-life game. Solve mysteries and escape a room in a set timeframe. Sure to liven up your next date night or family outing.

LITTLE GREEK FRESH GRILL

Location: 4756 South Florida Avenue Tampa-based, fast and casual, this Greek restaurant serves a variety of authentic Mediterranean appetizers and entrees.

LKLD LIVE

Location: 202 North Massachusetts Avenue LKLD Live is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to enhance and engage local artists. Come out and enjoy the diverse styles and performances hosted by the new venue.

Location: 2301 Lakeland Hills Boulevard The Detroit Tigers have been an important part of Lakeland for years. Holding their Spring Training here has added to our city’s economy, but seeing them play at this world-class facility is more exciting than ever. With a $40-million renovation that took over 15 months to complete, it is sure to be a great experience for the team’s fans.

STATIONERY LOFT

Location: 230 North Kentucky Avenue This stationery and gift shop is the perfect destination for all your wedding and party invitation needs. In its new location, the floors above also include event venue space.

ZARZA LATIN FOOD & GRILL

Location: 4648 Cleveland Heights Boulevard Located in the Shoppes at Hallam plaza, Zarza specializes in grilled chicken, steak, and seafood, as well as arepas, black beans and rice, fajitas, and yucca fries.

COMING SOON BEYA

Location: Lakeland Square Mall Date: early June 2017 Lakeland’s newest accessory haven. With walls lined with colorcoordinated accessories ranging from earrings to scarves, adding elegance or color to your wardrobe at an affordable price has never been easier.

MAGNOLIA POPCORN

Location: 248 North Kentucky Avenue An endless array of homemade gourmet popcorn with flavors to match any mood or taste.

136 THE LAKELANDER

TUESDAY MORNING

Location: Southgate Shopping Center Date: to be announced This business specializes in closeouts from medium to high-end home furnishings and so much more. If you’re looking for quality items at a quality price, be sure to check out their new location opening later this year.

MONDAY - THURSDAY 8am - Midnight FRIDAY - SATURDAY 8am - 2am

LOCALLY ROASTED CRAFT COFFEE SERVED IN SOUTH LAKELAND.

• 10 different blends of loose leaf tea • Create your own coffee blend from our single origin coffee wall • Cold brew

5327 FLORIDA AVE S LAKELAND, FL 33813 @GETJITTERSWITHIT

SOUTH LAKELAND’S

Premier Luxury Apartment Homes • Unique Spacious Floorplans • 9’ Ceilings • Top of the Line Amenities • Brand New Apartments • Granite Countertops • Open-Concept Kitchen STARTING AT

$975

Receive $150 off your security deposit by bringing this ad in on your first tour!

MOVE IN TODAY! The Getaway 2 Bedroom • 2 Bath

4100 Clubhouse Rd Lakeland, FL 33812 arivaliving.com

THE LAKELANDER 137

LAW OFFICES OF

TED W. WEEKS IV, P.A. LAWSUITS & DISPUTES | CORPORATE & BUSINESS LAW

2 1 1 7 H A R DE N B O U L E VA R D • L A K E L A N D , F L OR I DA 3 3 8 0 3 • 8 6 3 . 8 0 2 . 5 0 0 0

A portion of Edge Hall overlooking Lake Hollingsworth on the Florida Southern College campus in Lakeland, Florida. Originally known as Social Hall, it was one of the first buildings completed on the campus of what was then known as Southern College. It opened in 1922 and housed the library, the dining hall, classrooms, and laboratories. It was renamed Edge Hall in 1935.

Photo Courtesy of Special Collections, Lakeland Public Library

@ExclusiveCrPl

138 THE LAKELANDER

ExclusiveCruisePlanners

You missed a spot.

We never do.

20/20 WINDOW CLEANING

We see to it.

Call 863-644-4000 for a free estimate Insured • Professional • Courteous 20-20windowcleaning.com

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2/22/17 4:43 PM

At Grace Manor, my dad is treated like family. The experienced caregivers and a community of friends have helped to make his transition to assisted living a graceful one. He stays active and lives independently, with help when he needs it. I have peace of mind knowing my dad is loved and cared for.

It truly is like family taking care of family.

GRACE MANOR SUITES 4620 N Socrum Loop Rd 863.577.0977 | GraceManorSuites.com Assisted Living Facility License #11995

GRACE MANOR LAKE MORTON 610 E Lime St 863.937.9114 | GraceManorLakeMorton.com Assisted Living Facility License #AL5217

THE LAKELANDER 139

EVENTS CALENDAR

Illusionist: Rick Thomas

RECURRING EVENTS EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT PUB RUN @ RED DOOR LAKELAND 6:15 p.m. - 7 p.m.

EVERY WEDNESDAY DIXIELAND TWILIGHT MARKET 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

EVERY SATURDAY MORNING MITCHELLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PUB RUN 7 a.m. - 8 a.m.

EVERY SATURDAY MORNING BLACK & BREW FUN RUN 8 a.m. - 9 a.m.

EVERY SATURDAY DOWNTOWN FARMERS CURB MARKET 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.

MARCH MARCH 15 THE CHIEFTAINS 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. thelakelandcenter.com MARCH 17 BITE-SIZE BLUEGRASS 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. lkldlive.com

140 THE LAKELANDER

MARCH 17 CREATIVE YOGA FRIDAY WITH MICHELLE PUGH 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. downtownlakelandfl.com MARCH 23 THE TEN TENORS: THE POWER OF TEN 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. thelakelandcenter.com MARCH 24 HOLD ON, I KNOW THIS! 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. lkldlive.com

MARCH 25 SONGWRITER SHOWCASE 8 p.m. - 11 p.m. lkldlive.com MARCH 24 PRYDERAWK 9 p.m. - 11 p.m. polktheatre.org MARCH 25 ROTARY BENEFIT CONCERT FEATURING WILSON PHILLIPS WITH SISTER HAZEL AND JESSIE JAMES DECKER 7 p.m. - 11 p.m. thelakelandcenter.com

let us help bring your vision to life

863.606.8689 WISHVINTAGE.COM

photo by Jordan Weiland Photography

All Creatures Animal Clinic

Have you heard about Lakeland’s new best kept secret?

Exceptional Grooming for Exceptional Pets where #TLCisAlwaysFree

LAKELAND PET SALON 115 E Alamo Drive, Lakeland, FL 33813 863-644-WOOF • 863-644-PURR www.lakelandpetsalon.com

NOW ACCEPTING PATIENTS!

Welcome to your “other” family doctor!

All Creatures Animal Clinic has worked hard to not only gain the reputation of being an exceptional medical facility, but also to become an integral part of the families we serve. We are committed to always making time for our clients and providing compassionate care in a cutting-edge medical environment. In addition, we also offer alternative medicine options which include chiropractic care, laser, and a hydrotherapy pool. Our clinic recently earned AAHA accreditation, a distinction awarded to the top 12-15% of animal hospitals in the United States and Canada. We are also a certified Cat Friendly Practice. Pets are our passion, and keeping them healthy is our #1 priority.

HOURS: Mon & Thurs - 7am - 7pm / Tues, Wed, Fri - 7am - 5:30pm / Sat - 8am - Noon

(863) 646 - 5683

1019 W PIPKIN RD LAKELAND, FL 33811

THE LAKELANDER 141

EVENTS CALENDAR

MARCH 27 ILLUSIONIST: RICK THOMAS 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. thelakelandcenter.com MARCH 29 THE OSMONDS 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. thelakelandcenter.com MARCH 30 ASSISTED LIVING: THE MUSICAL 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. thelakelandcenter.com

APRIL 21 CREATIVE YOGA FRIDAY WITH MICHELLE PUGH 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. downtownlakelandfl.com APRIL 22 GIRLS NIGHT OUT IN DOWNTOWN LAKELAND 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. downtownlakelandfl.com

MARCH 31 FOUNT + SPECIAL GUESTS 8 p.m. - 11 p.m. lkldlive.com APRIL APRIL 1 RING OF HONOR WRESTLING SUPERCARD OF HONOR 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. thelakelandcenter.com APRIL 7 BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. downtownlakelandfl.com APRIL 11 IMPERIAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: MASTERWORKS CONCERT 7:30 p.m. - 9:15 p.m. thelakelandcenter.com

142 THE LAKELANDER

Fount

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THE LAKELANDER 143

7/31/

HAPPYFROM EASTER

Marshall Jewelers

Since 1972 We’ve treated them like family.

2535 S. Florida Ave. | Southgate Shopping Center

863.682.4725

• Comprehensive Medical Services • Professionsal Grooming & Stying • Comfortable & Spacious Lodging • AAHA Accredited

marshalljewelerslakeland.com

3710 Cleveland Heights Boulevard 863.646.2995 pethospital.com

Now Delivering

Little Squares of Heaven. (and pretty much everything else on the menu, too!)

LOCATED IN DOWNTOWN LAKELAND

244 North Kentucky Avenue (863) 225-­‐2426 ScoutandTag.com

Scout & Tag is a blend of urban industrial design showcasing hand-­‐painted furnishings, vintage finds, home décor and unique local artisan gifts! In addition, we are the exclusive local stockist of Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan and home of Rafa Natural Bath & Body.

144 THE LAKELANDER

2306 E. Edgewood Dr. | 863-450-2986

Don’t tackle tax season by yourself.

Jim D. Lee, CPA

full-service, locally based accounting firm Over 30 years experience with businesses, individuals, churches, and nonprofit organizations, Jim D. Lee, CPA offers a variety of high-quality services to fit your needs: • Federal & State Personal Tax Returns • Federal & State Business Tax Returns • IRS Representation • Estate & Tax Planning • Financial Planning

Call today for an appointment 863.686.7330 Or visit our office in the Lake Aston Sales Center Tuesdays & Thursdays beginning February 3

HISTORY

Date: 1925 Workers pave Main Street with bricks. A number of businesses are visible, including the King Insurance Company, the Lakeland Cafe, and the Magnolia Pharmacy.

Photo courtesy of Lakeland Public Library 146 THE LAKELANDER

years of

EXPERIENCED MINDS handling

COMPLEX MATTERS Since 1948, Peterson & Myers has provided experienced legal advice to help our clients’ innovative ideas become a reality.

We believe each client deserves attorneys who create learned, practical, individualized solutions in a constantly changing and complex environment. Please call us or visit our website today for more information about our time-tested legal experience.

PETERSONMYERS.COM • 863.683.6511 • LAKELAND | WINTER HAVEN | LAKE WALES

THE LAKELANDER 147

Watson Clinicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all-encompassing brand of healthcare is expanding in south Lakeland, Bartow and the surrounding communities. That means the board-certified physicians and services you and your family need most are now closer than ever before. Go to www.WatsonClinic.com/Growing to learn more about the future of healthcare in our community.

863-680-7000 |