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(98) stories found containing 'Mountain Lake'


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  • The Sign Said: If You Ate Today, Thank a Farmer

    Terri Miller, Contributing Writer|Updated Jan 10, 2021

    I am so blessed to live in such a wonderful and diverse state. Not only do we get to boast about being the happiest place on earth because Disney World is not too far down the road, but we also are a huge agriculture state - from citrus to cattle to fruits and vegetables. Sometimes I take it for granted how blessed I am to have all this bounty around me. When my sister asked if I wanted to go pick blueberries three weeks ago, I was so excited. Growing up, I thought...

  • Charter School Buses to Deliver Meals Along Five Routes

    Updated Apr 15, 2020

    Starting Thursday April 9 the Lake Wales Charter School bus drivers will start delivering meals to 18 locations along five routes. Meals will be available to children 18 and under regardless of where the student attends school. Social distancing of at least six feet is mandatory for neighborhood pickup locations. If able, masks and gloves are highly recommended for the safety of all. Children need to be present to receive the meals. Meals will be delivered Monday through...

  • Betty Annene Smith, 1946-2019

    Updated Jan 8, 2020

    Betty Annene Smith, 73, of Lake Wales passed away Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020 at Grace Healthcare. She was born October 12, 1946 in Lake Wales to the late Ebin T. and Sara N. (Goldin) Holt. She has been a lifelong resident of the area. She was a CNA for Lake Wales Hospital and member of the First Baptist Church in Lake Wales. She is survived by her son William Smith and wife Christy of Lake Wales, sister Fran Gerlosky and husband Mike of Lake Wales, brothers Hugh Holt and wife Brenda of Lake Wales, Harold Holt and wife Sigrun of...

  • Wawa Credits Success to Valuing Employees, Servant Leadership

    Chevon T. Baccus APR, Executive Editor|Updated Jan 1, 2020

    A Wawa convenience retail store manager who completes 25 years can retire a multimillionaire because of the company's lucrative profit-sharing program, according to George Wood, who will become the company's chairman of the board next June. Wood will take over from his brother Dick, who is also his next door neighbor in the exclusive gated community of Mountain Lake, just outside the Lake Wales city limits. The brothers are the third generation to own homes in Mountain Lake,...

  • 6th Orange Blossom Revue Dec. 6-7 on the Shores of Lake Wailes

    Updated Dec 5, 2019

    Thousands of barbecue, craft beer and music lovers will converge on the shores of Lake Wailes this weekend for the 2019 Orange Blossom Revue. Hosted by the Rotary Club of Lake Wales, the event runs from 4:30-10:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6 and noon to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. Admission is free and proceeds from food sales and raffles will support arts and education programs for Lake Wales area youth. The event, in its 6th year, grew out of an annual barbecue hosted by the club....

  • Big Pioneer Days Event Planned Oct. 26-27

    Updated Oct 22, 2019

    The Lake Wales History Museum is planning a larger than ever 44th Annual Pioneer Days Festival Oct. 26-27 in Lake Wailes Park. Admission and parking are free for the heritage celebration that will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. At 10 a.m. on Saturday, retired Bok Tower carillonneur Milford Myhre will be recognized as Pioneer of the Year. See story at https://www.lakewalesnews.net/story/2019/10/02/news/retired-bok-carillonneur-milford-myhre-named-pione...

  • Dr. John Storer, 1921-2019

    Updated Oct 16, 2019

    John Storer, MD, a pioneer in heart and vessel surgery, died peacefully at his home in Lake Wales on Oct. 2. Dr. Storer was born on July 15, 1921 in Pitman, NJ to parents Alexander and Helen (Stanger). John graduated from the University of Alabama in 1942 and from Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia in 1945. Dr. Storer served in the Army from 1943-1945 and in the Medical Corps from 1946-1948. He served an internship at Huron Road Hospital in Cleveland, OH from 1945-46,...

  • History Museum Curator Delcamp Earns State Professional Award

    Chevon T. Baccus APR, Executive Editor|Updated Sep 25, 2019

    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...

  • Planner Shares Revised "City in a Garden" Vision for Redevelopment

    Chevon T. Baccus APR, Executive Editor|Updated Aug 14, 2019

    Urban planner Victor Dover was man of the hour Tuesday, receiving applause and high praise after presenting a draft Lake Wales Connected plan for redevelopment of the city's downtown and northwest business district. About 75 interested persons, including numerous downtown merchants and community business leaders, listened attentively as Dover described the potential to turn Lake Wales into a popular destination, returning to city founders' concept of a city in a garden, as des...

  • Highlander Guild Promotes Vocational Careers, Connections with Local Trade Employers

    Lake Wales Charter Schools|Updated Jun 26, 2019

    Over the past six years, the graduation rate at Lake Wales High School has soared, from just over 70 percent for the 2013-14 school year to over 90 percent last school year. While a vast majority of grads decide to head off to college, there are many who also want to pursue a different path, which was the genesis of the Highlander Guild, a new organization at the school this past year designed to introduce students to potential vocational careers to become plumbers,...

  • Maria Tovar Becomes 100th Family Literacy Academy GED Recipient

    Chevon T. Baccus APR, Executive Editor|Updated Jun 16, 2019

    Maria Tovar just achieved two major milestones: she obtained her high school equivalency diploma (GED) and became the 100th person to accomplish that goal with the help of the Lake Wales Family Literacy Academy. Cleaning houses for a living and taking care of her 5- and 8-year-old children kept her so busy that there were times she thought about quitting. She dropped out of Lake Wales High School her junior year and wasn't sure she would ever be able to earn a GED or go to...

  • Planners Propose Lake Wales Restore "A City in a Garden"

    Robert Connors, Associate Editor|Updated May 31, 2019

    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 citizens Friday evening to cap a week of intensive study by the planning firm of Dover Kohl. Most of the 100 in attendance were excited by the possibilities. The week-long effort, sponsored by Lake Wales Mainstreet and funded by local businesses, included gathering ideas and suggestions from the public,...

  • City Approves New Name: Lake Wales History Museum

    Chevon T. Baccus APR, Executive Editor|Updated May 23, 2019

    To continue focusing on its mission and to promote brand awareness the Lake Wales Museum and Cultural Center has been renamed the Lake Wales History Museum. The Lake Wales City Commission Tuesday, May 21 approved the name change, recommended by Museum Director Jennifer D'Hollander. "As an established resource in the Lake Wales community, the museum has included many different activities over the years. Today, the museum looks to the future as a focused, vibrant center focused...

  • Clinton Morrison, 1920-2019

    Updated May 22, 2019

    Clinton Gilbert Morrison, 98, of Lake Wales passed away Sunday, May 19 at Water's Edge in Lake Wales. He was born October 8, 1920, in Great Neck, Long Island, New York, to the late Charles E. and Marie D. (White) Morrison. He was a World War II U.S. Navy veteran, having served as a Pharmacist Mate, First Class, (Corpsman), attached to the Marine Corp in the Pacific Theater. He spent his career in the medical supply field and was the owner of Hazleton Medical Supply in Hazleton...

  • Bok Tower Gardens Finishes Third in National Vote of Best Botanical Gardens

    Robert Connors, Associate Editor|Updated May 8, 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 Lake Sanctuary, actually older than the tower itself, was designed by the Olmsted landscape design firm. The term "landscape architecture" was coined by firm founder Frederick Law Olmsted, who was renowned for his designs of such landmark parks as New York's Central Park, the grounds of the US...

  • Family Literacy Academy Celebrates Founders Cowles and Crum

    Chevon T. Baccus APR, Executive Editor|Updated May 2, 2019

    Lake Wales Family Literacy Academy friends and volunteers celebrated founders Deming Cowles and Gail Crum at a dinner Friday night, April 26. The Lake Wales High School orchestra, directed by teacher Meg Smith, performed a special concert for the event, closing with "You Raise Me Up," as a tribute to what Cowles and Crum do for others. Howard Kay, a longtime academy volunteer and board member, praised the commitment of Cowles and Crum: "I never dreamed of all the families...

  • Bok Tower Gardens Rises in USA Today Poll Voting

    Robert Connors, Associate Editor|Updated Apr 30, 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 for their favorite garden once a day. The poll leaderboard may be found at 10Best.com. In the final days of the contest, the leaderboard is not visible, so the winner will be a surprise. Bok Tower's famed Mountain Lake Sanctuary, actually older than the tower itself, was designed by the Olmsted...

  • Healthy Blueberries Ready to Pick

    Nancy Gossard, Staff Writer|Updated Apr 3, 2019

    It's blueberry season, and blueberries are good for your health. Crown Jewel Farms U-Pick season opened April 1 for blueberries. We are fortunate to be able to get certified organic produce this good in our back yard. Their address is 106 Egg Farm Road in Lake Wales. Their phone number is 863-528-2402. Their website is https://crownjewelorganic.com/ Right now they also have cabbage, cucumbers, and kale. Egg Farm Road is on the west side of Scenic Highway between Mountain Lake...

  • Vernon Stanley Dempsey, 1940-2019

    Updated Apr 1, 2019

    Vernon S. Dempsey, 78, of Lake Wales passed away Friday, March 29 at Good Shepherd Hospice in Auburndale. He was born December 12, 1940 in Signal Mountain, TN to the late James Willie and Minnetta Dorothy (Miles) Dempsey. He has been a resident of the area for 12 years and Florida for 22 years. He was a controller for DuPont and a member of the First Baptist Church in Lake Wales. Stanley loved his Corvette and was in several Corvette clubs. He enjoyed golf, the outdoors,...

  • Mayor Touts City's Good Health

    Robert Connors, Associate Editor|Updated Mar 26, 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 Wednesday morning, and most were impressed by what they heard. Ranging from a summation of new businesses arriving, including a Lake Wales Medical Center Wound Care facility, plus Aldi's, Wawa, and Love's, to imaginative plans for re-invigorating the downtown area and Crystal Lake Park, the address wa...

  • Sun Shines on First Day of Art Show

    Chevon T. Baccus APR, Executive Editor|Updated Feb 25, 2019

    It was perfect Florida weather as 80 artists exhibited their work on the shores of Lake Wailes Saturday, Feb. 23. The show continues from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24. It was Angela Pulido Wadsworth's first show. A hard-charging personal injury attorney for 21 years, she began painting after a battle with breast cancer sidelined her from her work as a trial attorney. She created De Novo Art named for the Latin term that means to start from the beginning. The effects of he...

  • An Oasis of Beauty and Peace Celebrates 90 Years

    Cynthia J. Turner, Staff Writer|Updated Feb 25, 2019

    Traveling by car in Central Florida in 1929 wasn't easy. In the late 1920s, many Florida roads were clay. Yet, thousands of cars full of curious people headed to Lake Wales to see the President of the United States and to see Edward Bok's Bird Sanctuary. On Feb. 1, 1929, President Calvin Coolidge dedicated the Mountain Lake Sanctuary and Singing Tower, now known as Bok Tower Gardens. It was a very rare occasion to see the President in those days. To have the opportunity to...

  • J. Clyde Parlier, 1928-2019

    Updated Feb 14, 2019

    J. Clyde Parlier of Lake Wales, Florida passed away Monday, Feb. 11, 2019 at his residence. Born on June 18, 1928 in Statesville, NC to Elisha Worth "E.W." and Ethel E. (Chappel) Parlier, he has been a resident of Lake Wales for 58 years. He was a well-known and prolific architect. Clyde enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1946 and served proudly for two years. He married his high school sweetheart, Florine (Flo) Blackburn in 1950, attended North Carolina State and the...