Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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The popular network of walking and biking trails weaving through Lake Wales is about to grow a great deal better, thanks to grants received by the city. New planned segments include the Ridge Scenic Highway Connector Trail that will connect the western end of the Lake Wales Trailway to the new Park Avenue Trail near Crystal Lake. It will run south along Third Street from a point just west of the Lake Wales Little Theatre, thereby also accessing the Lake Wailes Trail. That link...
An old photograph of Crystal Lake, reportedly taken by a pioneer resident, has revealed a long-overlooked secret. Visible in the background is what appears to be a large animal, it's head and neck protruding from the water, partially obscured by palm trees in the foreground. "The image appears to be unaltered, and further evidence that there actually was a large beast living in local waters," said Dr. Jonathan B. Normativo, saying that the image reinforces one story of the ori...
Christine Frances Magruder Hackl, age 96 of Indianapolis, Indiana, passed away on March 23, 2024. Christine was born on June 16, 1927 in Jackson, Mississippi. She married Albert James Hackl and celebrated 67 happy years of marriage, and raised eight children seemingly with ease, navigated numerous moves around the country with an adventurous spirit, and never wavered in her Catholic faith. Known for her strong convictions, Christine never shied away from tough topics and...
A day of free fun for the entire family is offered in Lake Wailes Park on Saturday, March 23 as the annual Olmsted Day event takes place. The event is the Lake Wales observance of Arbor Day and takes place in the shade of the historic Olmsted Oaks in the park. Entertainment, exhibits, games, musical performances, and food trucks form part of the attraction, along with vendors offering live plants and trees and a wide range of other products. Special exhibits will be offered...
Voters will have two chances next week to see and hear incumbents and candidates for seats on the Lake Wales City Commission air their views and positions on a wide variety of topics during two candidate forums. Events are planned for both Monday and Wednesday evenings, March 4 and March 6, giving registered voters within city limits extra opportunity to become informed. Five candidates will vie for two seats on the commission in the April 2 vote. Although candidates must...
The final ballot is set for the April 2 City Commission election is set, and all registered voters within the city limits of Lake Wales will have an opportunity to choose two two guide the city through the current wave of growth. Area residents outside the city limits are ineligible. Incumbent commissioner Daniel Williams will face two challengers in Brandon Alvarado and Crystal Higbee in the race for Seat 2 on the commission. Williams was elected in 2001, representing...
Ideal weather conditions and a wide area of beautiful works of art are expected to draw residents and visitors alike to the shores of Lake Wailes this weekend as the 53rd annual Lake Wales Arts Festival take place in Lake Wailes Park. The show will be open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, and from 10: a.m. until 4 p.m. on Sunday. Seventy artists have been accepted into the juried showing hosted by the Lake Wales Arts Council and will offer an array of media and...
An annual event that draws thousands of art lovers from Lake Wales and around the state, the 53rd Annual Lake Wales Arts Festival ill be happening Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 24 and 25 at Lake Wailes Park, preceded by a special event for artists and patrons on Friday evening. Hosted by the Lake Wales Arts Council, this year's festival will be enhanced as 70 artists have been accepted into the juried show to display their creative works. The show attracts submissions from...
Carol Gillespie was a prompt qualifier for the April 2 Lake Wales City Commission Seat 4 on Monday as qualifying opened for a pair of three-year terms on the board representing seats 2 and 4.. Gillespie is challenging incumbent Commissioner Danny Krueger in the non-partisan city-wide vote. Krueger had not yet turned in his qualifying packet as of late afternoon on Monday, the first day of qualifying. Both Gillespie and Krueger are residents of Lake Ashton. Seat 4 candidates...
The two-and-a-half weeks of the 40th annual Lake Wales Mardi Gras festivities are rapidly approaching their climax as hundreds of "krewe" members prepare for the combined parade on Saturday, February 10. The series of masquerade parties and musical events mark the days of the pre-Lenten "Carnival" season here. Last week's kickoff party, hosted by the Krewe Renaissance, will be followed by the Saturday, Feb. 3 Blacklight Ball sponsored by the Loyal Order of Wild Shiners....
The biggest outburst of fun and frivolity in the region, the Lake Wales Mardi Gras is preparing to offer its 40th year of festivities to residents and visitors from far and wide. The event draws an estimated 20,000 to the two-and-half-weeks of activities. Highlighted by a zany parade and two-day music festival, the celebration also features three masquerade dance parties offering live music, and a special "Mardi Gras Pre-Party" that will celebrate the 40 years of event...
Lake Wales got a good bit greener last Saturday, not only because of welcome rains, but due to the efforts of a team of volunteers from Lake Wales Heritage who braved the damp to landscape the campus of McLaughlin Middle/High School. In a six-hour effort the group planted more than 40 trees on school grounds. "It was a day of bonding for the volunteers, a really rainy day" for the thoroughly saturated group of volunteers, said Heritage Vice President Ron Poller. "It was an...
Improvements to the Lake Wales Northwest Recreation Complex on Florida Avenue are on the way after the city received a $50,000 recreation grant from the state. The sports facility is the home of Frasier Field and hosts a variety of other recreational activities along with picnic facilities. The grant from the Florida Recreational Development Assistance Program, known as FRDAP, will pay for improvements to basketball and tennis courts, two new picnic tables, and fencing at the...
Music fans from around the country are expected to gather in Lake Wales Friday and Saturday, December 1 and 2 as a local non-profit hosts the "Orange Blossom Revue." The annual "celebration of music, community, and nature" is returning the city for a ninth year and is expected to draw crowds of music-lovers to the shores of Lake Wailes. The two-day event features a lineup of top musical acts in a wide range of genres ranging from "R&B to country to folk to jazz," according to...
Although it's only early November, hundreds of people from Lake Wales and far beyond are preparing for the area's biggest festival of 2024. The 40th annual Lake Wales Mardi Gras celebration will reach a climax on the busy weekend of February 10 when more than a dozen parade "krewes" will step off in colorful costumes and festooned floats to present the annual parade, the traditional high-point of weeks of celebration. "Mardi Gras" is French for "fat Tuesday," the day before...
Hundreds in Lake Wales were left stunned and saddened recently by the sudden passing of Drew Truitt, a community volunteer described by one friend as a "social instigator." Truitt, 67, had celebrated his birthday only days earlier at a meeting of Rotary on the Ridge, which was one of several avenues for his enthusiasm and willingness to help. Truitt had been named Rotarian of the Year in 2018-19 largely due to his contagious enthusiasm for volunteer projects and his...
Nancy M. Hunt, 90, passed away peacefully Monday, November 13, 2023 surrounded by beloved family members. Nancy was born December 30, 1932 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the late William and Helen McClelland. In 1945, she moved to Jacksonville with her family. In 1952, after marrying the love of her life, Ellis, whom she met while attending the University of Florida, they moved to Lake Wales. She loved her role as wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and homemaker. Nan...
The Ultra Ultras, a running club, is offering area walkers and runners a good excuse to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving feast without overwhelming guilt. An Ultra Ultras Turkey Trot 5K will offer families plenty of exercise and a fun outing Thanksgiving morning while also supporting the important local charity, Lake Wales Care Center. "Scott Hoover and his running club, Ultra Ultras are donating a portion of the registration fee," said Jolee Beamer of the Care Center, "and...
The extension of a local rail line to reach the east coast of Florida was all the talk of Lake Wales residents in November 100 years ago. Many were undoubtedly hoping that the line would be the spur that already extended to Nalaca on the Kissimmee River. That line, which served logging, cattle, and mining interests, passed through Hesperides and Sumica before ending along the river. Today a portion of that former line is the Lake Wales Trailway on the north side of Lake Wailes...
Bill Redmon has been selected as the recipient of the prestigious 2023 Pioneer of the Year for the annual Pioneer Days festival, which will take place at Lake Wailes Park on October 29 and 29. Redmon's extraordinary dedication to his community and his outstanding achievements make him a true pioneer in every sense and led to his selection by the board of the Lake Wales History Museum, sponsors of the long-standing and popular festival. Only 50-year residents of the Lake Wales...
Lake Wales will become a healthier city if traditional neighborhood design standards are applied to future development proposals here, according to studies shared by Dr. Joanna Lombard of the University of Miami. Lombard, who has dual appointments to the university's medical school and the school of architecture, was the lead panelist on a webinar hosted this week by 1000 Friends of Florida to discuss the health and wellness impacts of where we live. The significant increases...
Precautions are advised for strong winds and heavy rains due to the approach of Hurricane Idalia, still expected to move near Florida's Gulf Coast overnight on Wednesday. The 11:00 am, update from the National Hurricane Center in Miami indicates that the center of the storm is still on a generally northward track of five degrees, indicating a slight eastward movement. Any increased eastward adjustment in the course would raise the potential impacts of the storm in the east Pol...
The threat of a direct strike from Hurricane Idalia on east Polk and the Lake Wales Ridge area continues to diminish this morning as the storm has continued on a northerly track with no sign of a dreaded turn to the east. That much-feared jog would bring the storm ashore on Florida's populous west coast rather than the sparsely-populated Big Bend area. Nevertheless, precautions continue in Polk County for anticipated tropical storm-force winds and the possibility for heavy...
Plans are underway for its 2nd Annual Fall Festival, a free event that features food trucks, beer, music, professional carnival games, inflatables including two bounce houses, general vendors, community booths, farm animals from several area schools, selfie photo spots, and more. The annual event is sponsored by the GFWC Lake Wales Junior Woman's Club, and will run from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm on Saturday, October 14. at Lake Wailes Park. Event proceeds will fund programs that...
Who will be the next "Pioneer of the Year?" That's a honor you may have a hand in deciding. The annual honor of Pioneer of the Year has been a highlight of the two-day Pioneer Days festival in Lake Wales since Morris Jones won the honor in 1978. Now it's time for the community to step forward to nominate another honoree. The award is bestowed by the Lake Wales History Museum, which has announced the commencement of nominations for the 2023 award. This accolade celebrates...
