Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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The boom in development of new fast-casual restaurants in Lake Wales is continuing unabated, pacing the area's fast-growing residential population. New conceptual applications have been submitted for both a Chipotle Mexican Grille and a Chick-fil-A restaurant. Pre-application meetings have been completed for both, according to city officials. Most of the newly-announced sites are clustered around the Eagle Ridge Mall on US 27 at Chalet Suzanne Road. An announced new Dunkin...
After a serious months-long drought that saw falling lake levels and withered lawns and shrubs, southeast Polk and the entire region are finally expecting to see the start of the normal summer monsoon rains. Forecasts are calling for as much as 2" to 3" of rain in some locations on a daily basis this week, with areas that see repeated rounds expected to incur localized flooding. A saturated atmosphere and light steering winds will lead to the development of thunderstorms...
A team of civic-minded volunteers from Lake Wales Heritage took advantage of the rainier weather this week to work on the organization's ongoing streetscaping project. Monday morning found a team of volunteers planting nine young lemon bottlebrush trees on South 4th Street. The trees were replacements for some lost due to heat stress and drought this spring. "Now that the seasonal monsoon rain season has begun, the time is right," said Heritage volunteer director Preston...
An upbeat message of economic progress was shared with more than 100 area business leaders during a Business After Hours event at the Eagle Ridge Mall Tuesday evening. The event was sponsored by the Lake Wales and Winter Haven Chambers of Commerce. Eagle Ridge Mall General Manager Curtis Gibson told the gathering that the mall "belongs" to the people of the Ridge, from Frostproof to Winter Haven, and touted the expansion of business that has been happening there. When he took...
(Editor's note: This story introduces a new series addressing the economic impacts of real estate development in the Lake Wales and east Polk County area.) Lake Wales has a need for economic development, and it can only be achieved through responsible growth. Attracting new businesses will provide greater opportunities for the community. In recent years, Polk County has experienced a fast growing population which has stimulated developments across the area. According to the U....
The drought and intense heatwave that has gripped the Ridge and most of central Florida has led Polk County to declare an outdoor burn ban which will go into effect next week. The move comes just as the 2024 hurricane season begins. The annual six-month cyclone season is predicted to be far more active than normal by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and a host of private weather predictions. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center has released a forecast...
Work has begun on Hickory Ridge, an 85-lot single-family subdivision that will rise just east of Lake Wales Country Club. The project is the work of Garden Street Communities Southeast, based in Pensacola, FL. It adds to the growing list of residential projects now under development in the southeast quadrant of the city. Site work is underway, being conducted by Diamondback Civil. The 47-acre project site lies in unincorporated Polk County and includes a significant wetland...
Life-long resident and supporter of numerous area charitable causes, Dale Patrick Cain of Lake Wales passed away Monday, May 20. Pat, as he was known to his many friends, was a third generation Lake Wales resident who served as a Lake Wales City Commissioner from 1988 until 1992, serving as mayor in 1991-1992. A 1965 graduate of Lake Wales High School, he played both offense and defense on the Highlander football squads in two undefeated seasons in 1963 and 1964, as more...
Dale Patrick Cain (Pat) of Lake Wales passed away Monday, May 20, 2024 at his residence after a short battle with cancer. Pat was a third generation Lake Walean born on October 16, 1947 to the late Lucas and Mary Cain. He attended the Georgia Institute of Technology on a football scholarship and later graduated with a major in finance from the University of Florida. Pat was in the financial planning industry for over 29 years following many years as owner and operator of...
The newly-bricked and landscaped Park Avenue served as the backdrop for a recent ribbon cutting marking the official start of service by the new downtown shuttle known as The Squeeze. A happy crowd of citizens and officials representing Lake Wales Main Street, the Citrus Connection, the City of Lake Wales, and the Community Redevelopment agency shared the moment, celebrating the rapid changes coming to the city. The service is already earning great reviews from shoppers and lu...
A free patriotic concert on Memorial Day weekend will be offered to the public to mark the Memorial Day weekend. The Ridge Brass will offer "many familiar standbys of American music that will stir hearts to renewed love of our great country," said Arts Council spokesperson Carrie Ingley. The Ridge Brass was formerly known as the Lake Wales Brass Ensemble, and is familiar to many music-lovers in the area, having accompanied the Lake Wales Chorale at many past performances. Spon...
Lunch-hour diners and shoppers will find getting around downtown Lake Wales a breeze beginning Monday as the newest city service arrives in town. Described as "fast, frequent, and fun," The Squeeze will offer free transportation around the city's center, ranging between Central and Crystal Avenues between First Street and Market Street. The service will utilize new 8-passenger open-air "golf cart" style vehicles to shuttle guests to and from area businesses. The shuttles will...
A new Panera Bread restaurant is expected to rise soon on a vacant parcel adjacent to the Aldi grocery on US 27 north in Lake Wales. City officials have revealed that they have conducted a pre-construction meeting with the developer, and construction should begin within weeks. Panera is the latest in a wave of chain restaurants finding sites on the fast-growing corridor near Eagle Ridge Mall. Panera Bread, based in St. Louis, MO, offers a bakery-café style restaurant that...
Scorching temperatures are expected to bake the Ridge area this week before increasing clouds bring growing rain chances to the area early next week. Floridians acclimated to warmth may still be shocked to encounter temperatures rising into the 90s to near 100° this week under sunny skies. Long-range models are showing that relief could come with more cloud cover beginning as soon as Sunday. The baking temperatures are adding to the stress of gardens, lawns, and even trees....
Former Bok Tower Gardens carillonneur William N. De Turk Jr. passed away on Thursday, March 14 after a fall at his home in Lake Wales. The 78-year-old worked for the National Historic Landmark for 18 years, including seven years as director of Carillon Services. Only the third carillonneur since the opening dedication in 1929, De Turk succeeded Milford Myhre before resigning on Oct. 31, 2011. Myhre was the Singing Tower's second carillonneur who played the bells for 36 years...
Development of new roads and utilities will be behind a lengthy disruption to traffic in an area between Dundee and Lake Wales, according to county officials. Starting Wednesday, May1, installation of a water main for a new subdivision and related road reconstruction will close H.L. Smith Road just north of the Lake Mabel Loop Road intersection for 10 weeks. Traffic will be briefly detoured along Lake Swan Road or Lake Mabel Loop Road to Lake Trask Road to bypass work zone....
Eleven local non-profit organizations benefitted from grants distributed recently by the Lake Wales Mardi Gras Committee. Several dozen representatives and community members gathered at the Lake Wales Arts Center for the annual check presentation. The Lake Wales Mardi Gras Committee and Lake Wales Mardi Gras President Joshua Curchy presented a total of $20,000 from proceeds raised in the 2024 Mardi Gras event. The Mardi Gras celebration, now planning for its 41st year, draws t...
The vision of a "Big Green Network" of environmental lands flanking Lake Wales to the east and west moved a small step closer to reality this week as Polk County's environmental lands program addressed the possibility of acquiring a large tract of land just northeast of the city. The expanse of lands totaling 1,195 acres spanning Masterpiece Road and partially surrounding the former Masterpiece Gardens tourist attraction belong to corporations or individual members of the...
A new welding program at Roosevelt Academy is allowing students to learn basic and advanced welding techniques, preparing them for immediate careers. Students involved in the program also receive dual enrollment credits that could be used to further their welding training at Ridge Technical College. Seniors planning to take the test this year, including Fred Miller, Joseph Fletcher, McLens Pierre, and Juan Villalpando, will receive certification by the American Welding...
Women Who Made History on the Ridge was the theme of three awards granted by the Laker Wales chapter of the American Association of University Women this week. Dr. Glenda Morgan and two former mayors of Lake Wales, Linda Kimbrough and Kathy Manry Smith, were honored for their years of contributions to the community at a luncheon at the Good Shepherd Church March 12. Each of the three was introduced by Lake Wales City Clerk Jennifer Nanek, who included personal anecdotes of...
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...
Lake Wales' Interim Growth Management Director Autumn Cochella has announced her decision to step down from her role effective April 12. Her announcement may have come at an inopportune moment as the city commission is currently contemplating the adoption of new ordinances governing Planned Development Projects and Traditional Neighborhood Design. Cochella was appointed to the interim position in January 2023 after the resignation of former director Mark Bennett. A...
If forecasters are correct, Floridians should expect and prepare for a very active and threatening hurricane season for 2024. Reports from private forecasters are already sounding alarms about the sharply-elevated water temperatures in the waters of the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico. That heat, released as steamy air, is condensed and cooled in the heart of hurricanes, falling as torrential rain and creating the lowered pressure that drives the intensity of the...
Setting students on a path toward success has long been a goal of Polk State College. On April 10, that vision will extend to the entire community. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the College will host a Career Expo in the gymnasium on the Winter Haven Campus. The job fair-style event is free and open to all Polk State students and community members. The Career Expo will feature more than 30 vendors from various industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, education, government,...
Freddy's, a "fast-casual restaurant concept," will become the newest addition to the Lake Wales restaurant scene as it opens this week. The 2,751 square-foot, freestanding restaurant seats 76 guests, has additional seating on the patio and offers drive-thru service. Mobile ordering is available through the Freddy's app and website. The new eatery opens Thursday, March 14, at 23525 Hwy 27, just across from Eagle Ridge Mall. "Freddy's is committed to providing high quality food...
