Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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A Lake Wales tradition for more than 90 years, the annual Easter Sunrise Service will be held this Sunday morning, April 17 at Bok Tower Gardens. The event is free to the public, and gates will open at 6:00 am. Free admission to the service will continue until 8:00 am. The service "quite literally helps the sun get over the horizon on Easter morning," according to Curtis Bok, son of the garden's founder Edward Bok. The Easter Sunrise Service has been an annual tradition since...
Long before Frederick Law Olmsted left his generational "City in a Garden" imprint on Lake Wales -- and a decade before he transformed impoverished scrub into the lush gardens of Bok Tower – the first of his Florida landscapes was the verdant canvass of Mountain Lake. By early in 1915, the famed landscape architect who will be celebrated locally on April 30 – and whose work is the foundation for the city's current "Lake Wales Connected" redevelopment plan for the historic dow...
A small crowd gathered Monday morning on Third Street near the shores of Crystal Lake to witness a historic moment for the city as officials formally broke ground for the long-anticipated "Park Avenue Trail." The location was perhaps an indication that the marketing name may not last long, as the trail will eventually encircle Crystal Lake and encompass parts of three streets and two parks. Outgoing Mayor Eugene Fultz called the event "historic," noting that the $1.4 million...
More than 40 young magnolia trees will once again grace the length of Lakeshore Boulevard's western stretch when work is completed this week on the replacement of the missing trees from the historic Olmsted landscape. The original trees, planted more than 90 years ago, were mostly lost to hurricanes over the decades. The project is the work of Lake Wales Heritage, the local group that has dedicated itself to restoring the historic "City in a Garden" streetscapes designed by famed architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. at the...
A portion of Third Street between Park Avenue and Crystal Avenue will be permanently closed to vehicular traffic on Wednesday, April 6 in order to become a segment of a new pedestrian and bicycle trail linking the popular Lake Wailes Trail with downtown Lake Wales. Bollards will be installed at both ends of the short block in order to prevents motorized vehicles from entering, but are designed to be removable to permit special events such as food-truck rallies to take place. T...
The unofficial vote tabulation is completed and It is apparent that Jack Hilligoss and Danny Kreuger will fill the mayoral post and that of city commissioner. With the votes tabulated, Jack Hilligoss has apparently won the three-way race for mayor, with almost 44% of ballots cast. Under the Lake Wales City Charter there are no run-offs in city elections, so a plurality is sufficient for victory. In the City Commission race, Daniel Krueger defeated James Loydd by less than 100...
James Edward Brinkworth of Babson Park passed away Thursday, March 31, 2022 at Good Shepherd Hospice in Auburndale. He was born March 22, 1936 in Lake Wales to the late Ernest and Mabel Brinkworth. Jim graduated from Lake WaHillcrest Nurseryles High School in 1954 and received an NROTC scholarship to Auburn University where he earned an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering. Following graduation, he went into the Navy as an Officer & then on to work for Boeing. After...
An anonymous YouTube post surfaced Saturday attacking mayoral candidate Curtis Gibson with a video his campaign manager said he'd created more than a decade ago, when he was an aspiring professional wrestler. In the video, which was viewed dozens of times within hours Saturday, Gibson appears threatening and uses offensive slang. Chevon Baccus, his campaign manager, said he was acting in character as Bad Boy, his wrestling persona, before an upcoming match. An email sent to...
Thursday, March 31 was the final day candidates for two Lake Wales municipal seats could accept contributions, and their final reports, filed Friday, offered a glimpse into their bases of support and the strategies they pursued to attempt to win office. Collectively, the five candidates have spent $27,775 in the last few months to win the support of Lake Wales voters. Three seek to be the city's next mayor, and two others hope to fill an open seat on the City Commission....
When Edward Bok visited the site of his carillon tower on Jan. 11, 1927, more than two years before its dedication and opening, progress at the site left him with a smile. "He was greatly pleased with the growth that the large live oaks have made. He was equally pleased with the large palms. Mr. Bok hardly thought it possible for the Sanctuary to look so fine during mid-winter," read a report received in the Massachusetts offices of the Olmsted Brothers, the world renowned...
Ignacio Soto Rodriguez of Lake Wales passed away Wednesday, March 30, 2022 at AdventHealth Lake Wales. He was born July 23, 1951 in Santa Teresa, Guanajuato, Mexico to the late Luis Soto and Maria Rodriguez; he moved to Lake Wales from Mexico 27 years ago. Ignacio was a retired welder and a member of Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Ignacio is survived by his wife of 50 years, Antonia Soto; daughter, Patricia Benitez (Ataulfo) of Lake Wales; Ernesto Soto (Veronica) of Lake Wales,...
As the campaigns that will shape the election of a mayor and city commissioner come to a close, some have asked whether our editorial board will endorse any of the five candidates. We believe a response is in order. The three candidates for mayor, Curtis Gibson, Jack Hilligoss, and Tammy James, agree on much, but offer clear distinctions in their leadership styles and priorities. The two candidates for city commission seat 4, Danny Krueger and James Loydd, differ not only in...
A Thursday-morning ceremony in downtown's new linear park saw plenty of smiles as a crew representing T Mobile presenting a mock-up giant check representing their company's grant of $48,623 that was awarded to pay for landscaping the park, which borders Scenic Highway opposite the public library. The grant is part of T-Mobile’s Hometown Grants Program to help communities across the country kickstart development projects that will enhance the area and help enrich the lives o...
Downtown Lake Wales is seeing a significant uptick in property transactions that some see as the result of ambitious street renewal plans being advanced by the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency. The CRA plans to invest some $18 million in renovations across a wide swath of the historic city center. In the latest transaction Monday, investors Stephen and Tammy James have acquired four additional parcels from the Park Avenue Building Company. The couple had purchased...
Municipal elections will be held April 5, and Polk County Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards has some important tips to keep in mind as workers and voters employ safe practices when voting. Precautions to protect voters and workers from COVID-19 mean less voters may be allowed in each polling location at one time. Face masks are encouraged, but not required for voters in the polling room. Election staff, however, will be wearing face masks and/or face shields. Voters may...
The public is invited to join officials and staff of the City of Lake Wales for the groundbreaking of the Park Avenue Connector Trail on Monday, April 4. The ceremony is scheduled to take place at 11:00 am on Third Street, behind the library. A portion of that street between Crystal Avenue and Park Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic to become a part of the new trail, which will link the Lake Wailes Trail with the downtown commercial district's restaurants and...
An unexpected third election forum for candidates for Lake Wales mayor and city commission has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 29 at the Lake Wales Arts Center, 1099 SR 60 East. The event was revealed by Chamber President and CEO Skip Alford, who said that the Chamber has a responsibility to the citizens to make sure they are well informed. This will be the third forum of the election cycle. Three candidates for mayor, and two for city commission seat 4, have been invited to...
Some 100 guests and supporters of the Lake Wales Main Street gathered Monday morning for a 90-minute session and left filled with not only lunch but inspiration. City planner Ed McMahon visited Lake Wales from his home in Maryland to tout the assets and potential of the city, which is facing unprecedented growth. McMahon is a Senior Resident Fellow at the Urban Land Institute in Washington, DC. "People in small towns don't like change," McMahon told the assembly, including...
More than 70 guests gathered Monday evening at the Lake Wales Woman's Club to hear all five candidates for election to two city posts discuss issues and answer questions. Speaking from the stage all five candidates received polite applause following most of their answers, but there were also moments of division. All five candidates were asked the same questions. Mayoral candidates Curtis Gibson, Jack Hilligoss and Tammy James generally agreed on most issues, including that...
Local Resident J. Lawton Lilly has completed his initial training assignments and has been assigned to the Navy's Seventh Fleet in the Pacific. He shipped out 3/16/22 as a US Navy Sailor to the Yokosuka, Japan Naval base outside of Tokyo. Lilly has been assigned to the USS Howard, a guided-missile Destroyer supporting Carrier Strike Group Five, consisting of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, supported by the guided missile cruisers USS Antietam, USS Chancellorsville and...
The Florida Farm Show is Florida's largest agricultural trade show. The show features live music, over 200 local vendors, heavy equipment retailers, great food, family fun and educational opportunities. The annual show also serves as a networking opportunity for Florida's farmers and ranchers. The Low Payment Kings which include three Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealers in Polk County are inviting farmers and ranchers to join them at their Florida Farm Show booth to see the...
Lake Wales has been blessed by the creation of the Lake Wales Charter Schools system nearly two decades ago. Now representing seven schools educating students in grades 1 through 12, the system has received nationwide attention for its innovative methods. Competition between schools for the attention of parents and students has been a positive. The mere existence of the quasi-independent district was likely motivation for improvements at Polk County School System's McLaughlin...
Given an opportunity to help heal the community after a divisive search for a new charter school superintendent, two city commissioners said "no." A resolution presented to the city commission Tuesday night by Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson offered a welcome to the incoming Superintendent Dr. Wayne V. Rodolfich, who was chosen after a nearly year-long process. Commissioners Jack Hilligoss and Daniel Williams voted down the resolution, which failed on a 2-2 vote in the absence of...
Nearly two dozen middle school girls from Lake Wales and the surrounding area spent the weekend March 11-13 at camp learning about female empowerment and being encouraged to be "fearless" and to never stop reaching to achieve their goals. Rotary on the Ridge and the Lincoln Community Development Corp. partnered to host the first ever Camp Fearless at Lake Aurora Christian Camp. The girls participated in adventure activities, such as a zipline, giant swing and the gaga ball...
Some 300 Florida native plants and 1,052 Florida friendly plants have been planted in select areas by the City of Lake Wales Horticulture Department, and more are on the way, part of the city's new emphasis on reclaiming its original status as "a City in a Garden." New plants are now gracing various parts of the city including the Stuart Avenue and Scenic Highway parking lot, downtown Linear Park and the Lake Wales Family YMCA. "We're kicking up the charm in the city," Lake...
