WineDOWNtown Brings Lake Wales Residents Downtown to Enjoy Local Businesses

Lake Wales

Allison

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February 15, 2022

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WineDOWNtown Brings Lake Wales Residents Downtown to Enjoy Local Businesses

by James Coulter

More than 20 local shops and boutiques remained open after hours to allow residents an opportunity to browse their wares and sample drinks and food during the annual WineDOWNtown on Thursday evening.

Hosted by Lake Wales Main Street, the downtown event allowed residents and visitors alike to purchase tickets and travel to various downtown businesses to sample wine, craft beer, and appetizers while also seeing what each store had to offer.

More than 20 stores and boutiques participated that evening, including Cocoa Cake Studio, Kathyrn’s Bookstore, and many others. For many residents, it was their first time visiting these places, even if they are located in their own hometown, said Karen Thompson, LWMS Executive Director.

“Some of these people did not even know these businesses were even here, so it is just people gathering and going to different places,” she said.

Lake Wales Main Street is a non-profit organization dedicated to revitalizing the downtown area and hosting events to draw people, especially potential customers, to local businesses. WineDOWNtown proves especially popular, as it actually draws people inside downtown businesses.

“It is always a sold-out event,” she said. “We can bring thousands of people downtown, but we cannot guarantee that they go inside. This is the event we can say 350 people were inside your business.”

Amanda Calhoun owns and operates Southern Roots, a salon that also serves as a boutique that sells home decor, gifts, and accessories. Her business has been around for nearly a decade, and this event allowed even more potential customers to learn more about it.

“It think it has been very good,” she said. “We had a lot of good feedback. Meeting new people and socializing. They met our expectations.”

Rachel Cullen has been running Cocoa Cake Studio for three years. Her business sells custom cakes, cake pops, and other baked goods. That evening alone, she saw many people she normally does not see arrive to her shop, so she hopefully was introduced to many new customers.

“It is a good chance to bring people downtown that we normally do not get to see and it is a huge turnout so far,” she said. “We were slammed when they were open. [It] more than met our expectations.”

Moose Lodge Hosted Inaugural Redneck Games

Winter Haven

Allison

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February 15, 2022

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Moose Lodge Hosted Inaugural Redneck Games

by James Coulter

Forget the Winter Olympics. Forget the Super Bowl. The real athletic competition involved tossing fake poop into toilets, tossing rings at beer bottles, and watching chickens poo on bingo boards.

The Moose Lodge of Winter Haven hosted its inagural Redneck Games on Saturday afternoon. Attendees could purchase tickets and test their skills at nearly a dozen “classy” games, including Nerf gun targets, toilet sh*t toss, and chicken sh*t bingo. The more games they won, the more chances they had at winning prizes and trophies. They could also enjoy a casual afternoon with barbecue, bounce houses, a dunk tank, and live musical performances.

Proceeds went towards the reconstruction of the docks near the Moose Lodge. Ed Willis, Moose Lodge president, explained that they plan on rebuilding the dock area, adding beach sand along the shore near the canal, and constructing a tiki hut area behind their concession area to create a weekend bar.

“We have prime property over here and we are letting it go to waste,” he said. “We need to open this place up and put everyone in the Moose.”

While the event that day was slow at first, attendance quickly grew into a fantastic turnout. He loved seeing so many people come together, and he hopes to host the event again with a similar, if not larger, turnout next year.

“[I love] the fellowship and people,” he said. “You can bring people all under one roof, and you have a good time. We will do another one next year. We will continue it, and it will get bigger and better.”

Branden Crawford was one of the musical artists who performed. He loves being able to perform his music for his fans, especially for a great cause such as this, he said. He loves being able to interact with and give back to a community that has done so much to support him.

“All these people come to my gigs to support my music, so this is something I can do to support my appreciation for them and help moose lodge out,” he said. “Everybody so far are people I know and love and they are friendly and just going to have a good time and it will be a lot of fun.”

Mike Myers, Vice President, has a son who is a close friend of Crawford. He appreciated seeing so many people like him come together to have a good time and help support a good cause. He appreciated the turnout, and he has more than high expectation for the dock refurbishments.

“I am enjoying the outcome of people coming together and supporting one another, and that is what we need in this time today,” she said. “Everything is turning out real good. We hope things work in our favor.”

Melanie Brown Culpepper volunteered for the event to help out Willis, who is a good friend of hers. As someone who is involved with many local committees and fundraisers, Melanie loves to get involved any way she can to help give back to her community.

“That’s what we do. We give back to each other and help each other,” she said. “I think it is a beautiful day that turned out really good…I want to give back and help the Moose Lodge because they want to help bring more people come in through the lake and dock…and it is all about helping each other and the community.”

Two Winter Haven First Responders Honored For Commitment And Dedication To Keeping Citizens Of Winter Haven Safe

Winter Haven

Allison

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February 15, 2022

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Two Winter Haven First Responders Honored For Commitment And Dedication To Keeping Citizens Of Winter Haven Safe

Winter Haven Police

On Saturday, February 12, 2022, American Legion Post 8 honored First Responders from across the County with Winter Haven Public Safety receiving two awards.
Winter Haven Police Officer Bruce Cooper and Fire Chief Joseph “Sonny” Emery were honored for their commitment and dedication to keeping the citizens of Winter Haven safe.
Officer Cooper was nominated for his outstanding dedication to the Department along with a specific incident that occurred in October of 2021. A call was received involving a woman seen on the tenth-floor ledge of an apartment building with a bedsheet tied around her neck. Officer Cooper arrived at the scene and immediately ran into the building finding a security guard who could help him enter the apartment should it be locked. Rushing to the apartment, entry was made and Officer Cooper located the woman. She had tied the bedsheet to the leg of the bed and the other end around her neck. The urgent situation had to be handled with care due to the unstable state the woman was in. Having no regard for his own safety, Officer Cooper went to the window and reached out to get the woman pulling her to safety. Once inside, the woman shared with Officer Cooper that she was overly distraught due to the loss of her children in recent years. The woman was able to obtain the much-needed care and is now being cared for by family and friends and on the road to recovery. Officer Cooper’s immediate awareness to get the security guard and care in bringing the woman to safety saved this woman’s life.

Fire Chief Emery was honored for 2021 prior to being appointed Chief. Chief Emery, the former Fire Marshal, was asked to step up to the role as interim Chief in July 2021 while the City started a search for a new Fire Chief. Then Fire Marshal Emery took the task to heart and ensured the Department ran efficiently ensuring the citizens of Winter Haven would continue to receive the customer care they are used to. Emery maintained a command presence with the members of the Fire Department keeping the operations flowing while continuing to meet the day-to-day needs of the firefighters. Chief Emery was ultimately selected as the new Fire Chief and took the Oath of Office in a ceremony with family and friends on February 3, 2022.
“I am so proud of the dedication, commitment and compassion our members display each and every day,” Public Safety Director Charlie Bird said. “These two men are an outstanding representation of what the men and women in the Winter Haven Public Safety Department are committed to – protecting and serving.”

Public Notice

Polk County

Staff Reporter

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February 14, 2022

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Notice is hereby given that the undersigned pursuant to the fictitious name statutes 865.09 Florida statues will register with the division of corporations of the state of Florida upon receipt of proof of publication of this notice the fictitious name to wit Neat & Klean Cleaning Services under which we are or intend to do business as in Polk County Florida that parties interested in said business enterprises are as follows Names or officers Nona Newbold and Krystal Newkirk.

Public Notice

Polk County

Staff Reporter

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February 14, 2022

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Notice is hereby given that the undersigned pursuant to the fictitious name statutes 865.09 Florida statues will register with the division of corporations of the state of Florida upon receipt of proof of publication of this notice the fictitious name to wit ALL IN ONE under which we are or intend to do business as in Polk County Florida that parties interested in said business enterprises are as follows Names or officers Robert J Heredia Torres.

Orlando Man Captured By PCSO K9 After Originally Fleeing Traffic Stop & Eventually Ditching Vehicle

Carl Fish

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February 14, 2022

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Orlando Man Captured By PCSO K9 After Originally Fleeing Traffic Stop & Eventually Ditching Vehicle

On Saturday, February 12, 2022, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested 29-year-old Jason Starkweather of Orlando on multiple charges stemming from a traffic stop on Interstate 4.

The incident began around 8:30 a.m., on Interstate 4 in Lakeland, when a deputy working a traffic safety initiative recorded a black Ford Mustang traveling at 94 miles per hour in a 70 mile per hour zone. The Mustang was also swerving within three lanes of traffic, cutting off other motorists, and almost caused a traffic crash.

When the deputy conducted a traffic stop, he made contact with the driver, and noted there were two passengers inside the vehicle. Starkweather provided the deputy with a Florida State Identification Card.

The deputy smelled the odor of alcohol and observed numerous open containers inside the vehicle. Starkweather’s eyes were bloodshot and watery, and his speech was slurred. He refused to follow the deputy’s commands and put the car in drive to attempt to flee.

The front seat passenger yelled at Starkweather not to run, grabbed the gear shift, and put the car in neutral. Starkweather again put the Mustang in drive and fled the scene, almost striking the deputy who was standing next to the driver’s side of the car.

The deputy returned to his patrol car, activated his emergency lights, and followed the Mustang. Starkweather stopped at the end of the S.R. 33 exit and fled from the vehicle. As Starkweather exited the Mustang, he dropped a clear plastic bag containing a white powder, which later tested positive as cocaine.

PCSO K-9 Units, the Aviation Unit, and deputies responded to establish a perimeter. K-9 Units tracked Starkweather to the Manheim Auto Auction on S.R. 33, where he was found hiding under a van in the business parking lot.

Starkweather refused to come out and was apprehended by a PCSO K-9. Deputies spoke with both passengers, and learned that one them, 32-year-old Alex Murray of Orlando, had an active warrant for felony battery from Orange County. He was also taken into custody.

“This man has a blatant disregard for the public’s safety. He put the lives of his passengers, my deputy, and the other drivers on the road in jeopardy. We will do everything we can to hold him accountable for his actions.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff

Starkweather was arrested for:

False Imprisonment (F3)
Possession of Cocaine (F3)
Fleeing to Elude (F3)
Burglary (F3)
Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer (F2)Resisting a Law Enforcement Officer without Violence (2 counts) (M1)
Reckless Driving (M2)
DUI (M2)
Knowingly Driving with a Suspended Driver’s License (M2)
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (M1)
Violation of Probation
Orange County Warrant

Starkweather’s previous criminal history includes 12 felonies and 7 misdemeanors, for charges of Domestic Violence Battery, DUI, Hit and Run, Grand Theft, Dealing in Stolen Property, False Verification to a Pawn Broker, Failure to Appear, multiple Driving with a Suspended Driver’s License, and Violation of Probation.

Kiwanis Celebrates Flipping For Charities For 63 Years

Lakeland

Allison

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February 14, 2022

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Kiwanis Celebrates Flipping For Charities For 63 Years

by James Coulter

Catherine Cook has been a member of the Citrus Center Kiwanis Club for 26 years. She has served as president four times and lieutenant governor twice. Yet her most favorite role is being able to dress up as a pancake during her club’s annual Flipping For Charities.

After a two-year long hiatus, Cook and her club members were able to host their annual Lakeland tradition once again with their Flipping For Charities pancake event on Saturday morning. Once more, Cook donned her pancake costume and mingled with the many attendees who arrived for breakfast.

“This has been a Lakeland tradition…and we have not had it in the last two years,” she said. “I think the turnout has been very steady. We had a lot of advance ticket sales. Of course, we can always improve on this. I think it has been a great success.”

Sponsored by Citrus Center Kiwanis, Flipping For Charities was hosted at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. Attendees could purchase tickets and enjoy an all-you-can-eat breakfast with pancakes, sausage links, and orange juice.

Proceeds went towards nine local charities, many of whom were showcased at the event, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Camp Fire Sunshine Council, Early Learning Coalition, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Girls Inc., Idols Aside, kidsPACK, Lobo Ranch, and Parker Street Ministries.

“Every dime you raise for profit goes toward those charities,” said Alan Higgin, President of Citrus Center Kiwanis. “We do not keep a dime for it. We hand out that money to those charities toward helping the community and those children.”

This is the first year Higgins has served as president. He is honored to take up the mantle. He was also proud to take up an apron and serve pancakes during this beloved local fundraiser. He especially appreciates representing a 100-year-old worldwide organization that has helped out their local community and the world at large.

As this was the first event to be hosted since the start of the pandemic, the turnout proved to be exceptional. Higgins saw huge lines stretch outside the stadium from the start of the event around 7:30 a.m. near the end around 11 a.m.

“I think the great thing about Kiwanis and this event is that it is a truly the first event, one of the few in our community where people of all kinds, [from across the] political spectrum, come together,” he said. “And what makes us success is people think of it as a tradition. People have been coming for 63 years, and they think of it as a tradition where they get a good breakfast and help a good cause, and it is the place to be.”

The Citrus Center Kiwanis took over the event five years ago. Initally, a local pub wanted to replace it with a rum festival, but Kiwanis preserved the event as it was to keep it family-friendly, Cook said.

Rebecca Knowles currently serves as President Elect. She anticipated being able to continue the good work of the organization, including the annual pancake fundraiser. She appreciates how the event allows so many locals to come together and enjoy each other’s company for a good cause.

“I think this event has a long history of helping the children in our community,” she said. “So people know to expect a fun event with a good turnout and we have so many good community partners, all of the charities that our event is supporting is here and everyone is coming together and working together for a great event.”

Lakeland Scholarship Competition Contestant Crowned Miss Polk County 2022

Lakeland

Allison

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February 14, 2022

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Lakeland Scholarship Competition Contestant Crowned Miss Polk County 2022

by James Coulter

Eryn Grace LaLonde started competing in the Miss America organization her freshmen year of high school. She and her mother were looking for scholarship opportunities when they discovered a county fair pageant with a $500 scholarship. She did not win her first year competing or even her second year. But her third year competing in 2015, she finally won Miss Manatee County’s Outstanding Teen.

Since then, her career as a pageant contestant skyrocketed. She has been awarded more than $200,000 in scholarships. These scholarships have allowed her to obtain her master’s degree in healthcare administration and pursue her PHD.

“That spiraled into everything happening today from the connections that I made, and [I have been] really falling in love with an organization that does more than promote beauty,” LaLonde said. “The organization is so giving, and you get to meet so many individuals along the journey that it is setting you up for the future.”

LaLonde was crowned Miss Polk County during its competition at the Polk Theater in Downtown Lakeland two weeks ago. She is now eligible to compete at Miss Florida 2022 this June at the RP Funding Center. If she were to win that competition, she will be able to compete in the Miss America competition in December.

Nearly two weeks after being crowned, LaLonde has already set up meetings with the Lakeland mayor, several city commissioners, and even the Honorable Sheriff Grady Judd. She has gained many sponsors to help her on her journey, from providing her facials to giving her radio show appearances, and she has high expectations moving forward.

“Marketing myself has always come easy,” she said. “I have always been out there with marketing and public relations, so I am good with marketing myself.”

As someone who has been competing in pageants since she was in high school, she has learned that the secret to success is not trying to meet the expectations of other people, but rather, to be herself and not let the opinions of others bother her.

“[At the pageant], it is only the opinion of five judges on that specific day,” she said. “I had to [determine] how can I be the best version of myself and present it to the individuals who are electing me for that title…That is what I did for Polk County. I went in as Eryn. I did not go in as [a] Miss Florida who looks like her or tried to impersonate someone that I think the organization wants. I went in as myself and own all of my accomplishments.”

Having won more than $200,000 in scholarships during her career has allowed her to attend college debt-free. She wants other girls to be awarded the same opportunity, which is why her social impact initiative is, “Operation Success, Planning and Paying for Higher Education.” Her initiative helps students apply for scholarships that are readily available and teaches them how they can better obtain them.

“So many of them are not taught how to write a resume or apply for scholarships so they don’t,” she said. “Last year, $4.1 million in scholarship funds in Southwest Florida went unawarded in scholarships, but students in Florida took out $98.3 billion in student loan debt. So, trying to make an impact on high schoolers or even college students in their 50s and 60s, and they will help you apply for scholarships and alleviate student loan debt.”

So far, she has helped students apply for more than $37,000 in scholarships. This year alone, she helped four students in sixdifferent states apply for over $200,000 in scholarships. She hopes to continue inspiring more young girls, both on and off the stage, in the near future.

“That is why I compete, it helps me to get an education debt free without taking out of my scholarship savings, and that ties into my personal platform,” she said. “[It’s] just going into schools and educating students that you don’t have to take out loans to go to college. It does not need to be expensive.”

Learn more about LaLonde on her Instagram (Eryn.LaLonde) and Facebook (Eryn LaLonde Miss Polk County 2022), and her website at: ErynLalonde.com

15 Yr Old Boy Killed In Lake Wales Crash Sunday Night

Carl Fish

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February 14, 2022

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15 Yr Old Boy Killed In Lake Wales Crash Sunday Night

Polk County Sheriff’s Office Press Release

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office investigated a traffic fatality in Lake Wales last evening, involving a teenager on a dirt bike and an adult on a motorized bicycle. Preliminary details are as follows:

Around 7:35 p.m. on Sunday, February 13, 2022, 15-year-old Landen Cole Jackson of Babson Park was operating a green and black Kawasaki dirt bike northbound on Lewis Griffin Road near Grove Road 3 when he was struck head-on by 53-year-old Marrell Faison, Jr., of Lake Wales, who was going southbound on Lewis Griffin in the northbound lane on a black motorized bicycle. Jackson was critically injured and flown to a hospital as a trauma alert – he succumbed to his injuries shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Faison was also critically injured and flown to a local hospital as a trauma alert. He is in critical condition.

Neither of the two involved in the crash were wearing helmets or protective gear, and neither of the bikes had lights (it was dark at the time of the crash). The roadway was closed for approximately three hours during the investigation, which is ongoing.

Charges Pending After Pickup Truck Allegedly Blows Through Stop Sign Killing 70 Yr Old Lakeland Woman

Lakeland

Carl Fish

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February 14, 2022

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Charges Pending After Pickup Truck Allegedly Blows Through Stop Sign Killing 70 Yr Old Lakeland Woman

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office investigated a two-vehicle crash in north Lakeland on Saturday, February 12, 2022, that resulted in the death of a passenger. Preliminary information is as follows:

Around 7:20 p.m. that evening, the PCSO ECC received 911 calls from the area of Sleepy Hill Road at the intersection with Galloway Road. According to the evidence and witnesses, a 2014 gold GMC Sierra pick-up truck was heading westbound on Sleepy Hill Road at the same time as a 2020 black Cadillac Escalade that was heading southbound on Galloway Road. The driver of the truck, 29-year-old Sondra Franceschi of Lakeland, admitted to deputies that she failed to stop at her stop sign and entered into the path of the Escalade, being driven by 39-year-old Kenia Ramirez of Lakeland. Her truck struck the Escalade on the driver’s door, and both vehicles spun. The Escalade also rolled over and came to a rest in a residential backyard.

One of the passengers in the Escalade, 70-year-old Isabel Morales of Lakeland, was critically injured and transported to a local hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.

Neither of the drivers nor any of the other passengers were injured. The roadways in the area were closed for approximately four hours during the investigation, which is ongoing. Charges are pending the final outcome of the investigation.

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