LakeWalesNews.net - Hometown stories that count from people who care

A vision of restored brick streets and sidewalk cafes under the shade of umbrellas and spreading Live Oaks changed many viewers' ideas of the future of downtown Lake Wales Thursday... — Updated 8/13/2020

Efforts to beautify and green Lake Wales streets got another boost Saturday as community volunteers led by the Lake Wales Woman's Club prepared three street "triangles" along... — Updated 7/22/2020 Full story

A group of Lake Wales police officers were treated to a free tasty lunch and desserts on Friday by a group of homeowners from Lake Ashton, who wanted to show their appreciation for... — Updated 7/22/2020

Lake Wales has long been known as "The Crown Jewel of the Ridge," but that didn't happen by accident. It took the efforts of Edward Bok and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. While many are... — Updated 6/24/2020

A "City in a Garden" with landscaped streets, a redeveloped Grove Manor featuring a mix of housing types, and a new "town square" were among the ideas presented to Lake Wales... — Updated 5/31/2019 Full story

Memorial Day is about far more than beach outings and barbecues. Now students of Bok Academy in Lake Wales have a special understanding of what Memorial Day means, thanks in part... — Updated 5/29/2019 Full story

Lake Wales' busy downtown Alexander Center of Polk State College is again facing possible closure, according to College President Angela Garcia Falconetti. The crisis is due to the... — Updated 5/16/2019

Bok Tower Gardens has finished third in a USA Today reader's choice poll of Best Botanical Gardens in the nation conducted by USA Today and 10best.com. Bok Tower's famed Mountain... — Updated 5/8/2019

New restaurants, coffee shops, micro-breweries and grocery stores planned for the heart of Lake Wales are eligible to take advantage of up to $50,000 from a new CRA grant program... — Updated 5/8/2019

Bok Tower Gardens is currently ranked third in a USA Today reader's choice poll of Best Botanical Gardens in the nation. The voting is ongoing, and the poll allows readers to vote... — Updated 4/30/2019

"The road to progress is always under construction," Lily Tomlin reminded us many years ago, and that is no less true around Lake Wales. Keeping up with the rapid growth of the... — Updated 4/22/2019

Long a local favorite with a big reputation, Crazy Fish restaurant may have gotten even better since two ambitious young men assumed control last year. Now run by Matthew Brock and... — Updated 4/21/2019

The twice-a-month Lake Wales Downtown Farmers' Market has been on a tremendous growth curve for the last year, and a recent Saturday morning found nearly 50 vendors offering a... — Updated 4/14/2019

A visit to Lake Wales by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Dr. Jack E. Davis brought rich reward to a group of citizens who attended his talk at Lake Wales Library Thursday. Davis... — Updated 4/12/2019 Full story

Good food and fun are drawing crowds into the popular Crooked Bass Grill and Tavern, but there's also a fascinating bit of Babson Park history behind the success. Featuring a large... — Updated 4/9/2019

Do YOU have an interest in the future of Lake Wales? In how our city grows, and the services and lifestyle we will enjoy? Then this is your moment to speak up. (See the outcome of... — Updated 4/7/2019 Full story

An "Open Design Studio" is drawing visitation and input from citizens interested in helping plan a bright future for Lake Wales. Part of the "Connecting Lake Wales" effort... — Updated 4/5/2019

A colorful, air-borne sight will fill the skies in one part of town soon, as Lake Wales enjoys its first-ever Spring Kite Festival. The high-flying event is planned for noon on Satu... — Updated 4/2/2019

Fans of Italian travel, or those who just dream about it, are invited to share lunch and enjoy an hour of fellowship Saturday, April 6 at l'Incontro Italian Restaurant in Lake Wales... — Updated 4/2/2019

More than 100 civic and business leaders gathered for breakfast at the Vanguard School to hear the annual "State of the City" report delivered by Lake Wales Mayor Eugene Fultz on We... — Updated 3/26/2019

A report from the public about missing and fallen traffic signs on a county road brought a prompt response from Polk County's traffic engineering department. After damage caused by... — Updated 3/25/2019

When Lake Ashton resident Al Goldstein became the only candidate to qualify for April's District 4 City Commission election, he won automatically, leaving plenty of Lake Wales... — Updated 3/19/2019 Full story

Travelers passing through the Lake Wales area will have an additional reason to pause upon the completion in June of the Love's Travel Stop and Country Store now under construction... — Updated 3/16/2019

Downtown Lake Wales' Mélange Gallery will host a visit from poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker Will Berry on Thursday March 21. A resident of Maine, Berry has won numerous awards... — Updated 3/15/2019

Housing has been in high demand in the Lake Wales area, and planned single-family developments have been building out rapidly, but demand is equally strong for apartment homes. Some... — Updated 3/13/2019