Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Dover Kohl consultants will present their plans to the Lake Wales City Commission, serving as the Community Redevelopment Agency, at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1 at the City Administration Building, 201 W. Central Ave. You can view and download the plans online at https://www.doverkohl.com/lakewales- The City of Lake Wales has hired Dover Kohl & Partners Town Planning to draft and propose a comprehensive redevelopment plan called "Lake Wales Connected." This plan...
The Lake Wales History Museum will honor retired Bok Tower carillonneur Milford Myhre as Pioneer of the Year during the 44th Annual Pioneer Days Festival. The celebration will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26 at Lake Wailes Park. Myhre has been a resident of Lake Wales since 1968. He served as the carillonneur of Bok Tower Gardens for 36 years, until his retirement in 2004. During that time he played daily concerts at the tower, greeted thousands of visitors to the...
Margaret Mary “Peggy” LaSalle, 77, of Lake Wales passed away Monday, Oct. 7, 2019 at her residence. She was born January 3, 1942 in Queens, NY to the late Frank W. and Mary E. (Gilchrist) Golemme. She has been a resident of the area for 34 years coming from Hollywood, FL. She was a secretary for the Polk County School Board and of the Catholic faith. Peggy enjoyed reading, cooking and spending time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband Rocco LaSalle Jr., son Rocco LaSalle III...
Twelve area high school juniors kicked off their Youth Leadership Lake Wales year with an opening retreat Sept. 28 at Lake Aurora Christian Camp. This program of the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council enables high school juniors to develop leadership skills, while increasing awareness of their community. The students attend a Parent/Student Opening Retreat, five Program Days - one per month, each with a different focus - and a Graduation...
The City of Lake Wales now has an ambitious plan for the redevelopment of its historic downtown and the Northwest business district. City commissioners, in their role as the Community Redevelopment Agency, started their new fiscal year Oct. 1 with the adoption of the Community Connected plan developed by Miami urban planning consultants Dover Kohl & Partners with extensive public input over the last year. "Now the work begins," said Karen Thompson, assistant CRA and Lake...
More than 65 volunteers gathered Saturday, Sept. 28 to help renovate a church parsonage to provide a home for homeless students attending Polk State College. A majority of the volunteers were from seven Polk County Rotary Clubs including Rotary on the Ridge, a regional service club that meets in Lake Wales. The home at 122 Ave Q N.W. in Winter Haven is being leased to the nonprofit Heart 4 Winter Haven by the Living Word of Faith Assembly. Polk State College will identify...
Rotary Clubs from throughout Polk County are partnering with Heart 4 Winter Haven to renovate a church parsonage to provide a home for homeless students attending Polk State College. Club members and other volunteers will hold a work day starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28 at the home at 122 Ave. Q N.W. in Winter Haven to paint, repair fascia, install snap-in vinyl flooring, work on landscaping and possibly complete other work. Living Word of Faith Assembly will lease the...
Most people know about the Boy Scouts, but its water-related affiliate, the Sea Scouts, is far less known. But 20-year-old Ron Cain from Lake Wales is working to change that. "We're the premier aquatic program in the country," said Cain, who is serving as Southern Region Boatswain, an ambassador and national board member for the co-ed program that serves young people ages 14-21. "They always say it's like the best kept secret in scouting." Cain joined Sea Scouts at age 16,...
Lake Wales History Museum Curator Bartholomew Delcamp worked tirelessly for the last three-plus years cataloguing nearly 20,000 items, organizing collections, creating new exhibits and assisting in educational programs and tours. His hard work and dedication to the history of Lake Wales were recognized Sept. 17 when he was named 2019 Outstanding New Professional by the Florida Association of Museums. Delcamp started as an intern, then served as a part-time museum assistant...
The new Friends of the Lake Wales Museum will host a mixer Sunday afternoon, Sept. 22 to recruit members, introduce its board of directors, talk about fundraising projects and describe how people can get involved. Complimentary refreshments will be served from 2-4 p.m. at the museum, located in the old Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot at 325 South Scenic Highway. The event is free but people are asked to register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/friends-of...
Leadership Lake Wales Class 24 kicked off its 10-month program Wednesday, Sept. 18 with a class retreat at Bok Tower. The program is coordinated by the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce and EDC through its nonprofit Lake Wales Area Foundation. Class 24 has 20 members, representing various businesses, nonprofits and government agencies in the area. Alumni from some of the previous 23 groups came to meet the new class, reflect on their participation and offer suggestions on...
Patsy Sanders, 86, of Lake Wales passed away Friday, Sept. 13, 2019 at Somers Hospice House in Sebring. She was born May 27, 1933 in Stanton, TX to the late W.J. and Ruby (Dismore) McCamey. She has been a resident of the area since 2015 coming from Oklahoma City, OK. She was a homemaker and a member of the South Lake Wales Church of God. She is preceded in death by her husband Marvin S. Sanders. She is survived by her daughter Lisa Stockton (Jeremy) of Salt Lake City, UT, sons Clifford Sanders (Becky) of Oklahoma City, OK,...
If you've been keeping an eye on economic trends lately, you may have noticed that Florida has been shining bright on the national and international stage. Our state's profile has skyrocketed thanks to a growing number of companies that are confirming the state's potential and strategic advantage in the aviation and aerospace industries. And Lake Wales is no exception to this success. International flight simulator manufacturer ALSIM recently announced its intentions to open...
There's an old truth about hurricanes: they take out the trees that gardeners don't have the heart to cut down. Like wildfires, they clear the land of deadwood. They fell trees weakened by disease or stunted roots, leaving only the strongest – or the luckiest – when skies clear. Such ruthless pruning reveals which plants can stand up to a 100-mile-an-hour wind. Palm trees hold up beautifully in storms: their limber trunks bend with the wind, which blows right through the...
Lake Wales City Commissioners will hold their second and final public hearing Sept. 24 to adopt a $55 million budget for 2019-20, with a slightly lower property tax rate. Commissioners approved the budget at their first hearing Sept.10, with a millage rate of 6.9339, or approximately $6.93 for every $1,000 of taxable property value. This is considered the "rollback rate" that based upon anticipated growth can be expected to generate the same amount of tax revenue as this...
When the company was having difficulty finding qualified electricians, their maintenance managers decided to work together to find a solution. Six years later, one of those solutions has been implemented locally and is helping one local teen prepare for his first full-time job at Nucor Steel Florida Inc. in Frostproof, about 20 miles south of Lake Wales. Tommy Massey, maintenance manager at Nucor Steel Florida, said the pool of talent for industrial electricians who could work...
The Lake Wales Arts Council has named Bill Doherty as its new Lake Wales Chorale Director. Mr. Doherty is an accomplished conductor, pianist, and composer. The first Chorale rehearsal takes place on Sept. 9 at the Lake Wales Arts Center. All singers are welcome. Those interested in joining the Chorale are asked to complete the online application at http://www.lakewalesartscouncil.org/lake-wales-chorale-1/2018/8/22/the-lake-wales-chorale An audition will be scheduled with the...
The early settlers of what is now Lake Wales were hearty, adventuresome people, real Pioneers, descendants of their ancestors who traveled via oxen-driven covered wagons and were true to their code of "Ten Tandra Via Est" meaning "The way remains to be tried". Such people included Nellie and her husband, Nile E. Stewart. In October 1912, after a long and difficult, sometimes dangerous trip through swamp, overcoming their fears of possible snakes and alligators, they travelled...
In preparation for Hurricane Dorian, Lake Wales Mayor Gene Fultz declared a state of emergency for the city starting at noon Thursday, Aug. 29 and lasting up to seven days. This declaration followed a similar one by Gov. Ron DeSantis covering the entire state of Florida. The order gives City Manager Ken Fields authority to enact emergency management procedures for the city. The city's Emergency Operations Center is expected to open in the main fire department around noon on...
Lake Wales Breakfast Rotary Club's plans to plant 200 southern live oaks around Lake Wailes lake hit a snag recently when homeowners along Lakeshore Boulevard South complained that the trees eventually would block their view of the lake. Club member Dick Howell on Aug. 21 updated the city commission about the project, noting the 50 trees planted in the spring of 2018 on the north side of the lake were "thriving nicely." After the second 50 trees were planted in May of 2019...
George O'Neill III has traveled the world, but he still has a heart for small cities like Lake Wales where he grew up and played youth soccer. The 25-year-old University of Florida theater major has created a tool to help local businesses, cities and organizations promote their events and expand their reach. He's holding a pre-launch mixer Aug. 28 to introduce his PROMO app to potential early adopters in Polk County. O'Neill recognizes the frustrations of people who create a...
Mary Janet Reese Seitz, 89 a resident of Bellatage Assisted Living Facility in Winter Haven, Florida, departed this life in the faith and fear of the Lord on Thursday, August 22, 2019. Jan, as she was known, was born February 14, 1930 in Massilon, Ohio, the youngest daughter of Charles and Marjorie Reese. She was preceded in death by her husband of 65 years, Thomas C. Seitz, Sr., and sisters Constance, Barbara and Carolyn. She is survived by four sons, Thomas Seitz, Jr....
Linda Elaine Law, 95 of Lake Wales, passed Monday, Aug. 19, 2019 at Brandywyne Healthcare in Winter Haven. She was born Feb. 12, 1924 in Caimanera, Cuba to the late George Percival and Lydia (Joseph) Tennant. Early on in life she taught business at Bennett College in Jamaica, then moved to New York and worked at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. She was a Paralegal Assistant for Bristol-Myers for over 20 years, retired from there and became a substitute teacher for Janie Howard Wilson in Lake Wales. After teaching, she...
Joyce Lucille Hickman, 79, of Lake Wales passed away Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019 at the Lake Wales Medical Center. She was born September 28, 1939 in Griffin, GA to the late Charlie and Lucille (Nixon) McLean. She was a Service Associate for K-Mart for 20 years and was a member of the Westside Baptist Church. Joyce loved her grandchildren and playing bingo. She is preceded in death by her husband Douglas Hickman, son Timothy A. Hickman, sister Ann McLean, brothers Mickey, Charles,...
Linda Elaine Law, 95 of Lake Wales passed Monday, August 19, 2019 at Brandywyne Healthcare in Winter Haven. She was born February 12, 1924 in Caimanera, Cuba to the late George Percival and Lydia (Joseph) Tennant. Early on in life she taught business at Bennett College in Jamaica, then moved to New York and worked at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. She was a Paralegal Assistant for Bristol-Myers for over 20 years, retired from there and became a substitute teacher for Janie Howard Wilson in Lake Wales. After teaching,...
