Photo credit: Lake Kissimmee State Park Facebook page
LAKE KISSIMMEE, FL — Families are invited to celebrate the season at Lake Kissimmee State Park’s annual Easter Egg Hunt, promising a day of fun, games, and sweet surprises.
Children ages 2 to 12 are welcome to participate in the event, which features more than 1,500 hidden eggs hidden. Participants should bring their own baskets and arrive early to enjoy a variety of carnival games.
The hunt will be divided into three age groups: 2–4 years, 5–8 years, and 9–12 years. Prizes will be awarded to winners in each group, adding a competitive twist to the family-friendly festivities.
Organizers encourage families to come out and enjoy the springtime tradition in the scenic setting of one of Florida’s beloved state parks.
Regular emission applies. For more information, visitors can contact Lake Kissimmee State Park, 14248 Camp Mack Rd., Lake Wales.
Lee Allen Bryan of Winter Haven, Florida was fully healed by God by joining with Him on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at his residence.
He was born November 8, 1941 in McComb, Ohio to the late Clyde and Maxine Bryan; he moved to Winter Haven from Bluffton, Ohio in July of 2004. Lee was a retired tire sales representative and was a member of Heartland Church in Winter Haven. He was a fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Lee was a wonderful tennis player. He enjoyed doing anything out doors, especially shooting skeet, hiking, boating, and going on cruises. During his younger years, he raced stock cars and drove an ambulance. Lee loved Jesus and was a dedicated family man.
Strong, confident, hardworking, and loving barely scratch the surface to the depth of character of Lee. Lee loved his wife, Donna, fervently and faithfully. Lovingly called Paw Paw, he enjoyed coffee ice cream shakes while watching a horse opera with Suzi and/or Evelynne snuggled in his lap, with one of his kitty’s on his chest, while working on a jigsaw puzzle. He built three homes for his family and was the man who knew how to fix and build anything! He set the example to his family to love Jesus and faithfully read His word. Lee was trustworthy, reliable, meticulously organized with spreadsheets and everything else filed and alphabetized, dependable and loved deeply by his family and friends. Lee was a 24 year cancer survivor and we thank God we were blessed with him and encouraged by his ability to overcome every challenge he faced. We were blessed to have him and thankful he is now rejoicing in Heaven with our Lord and Savior, Jesus.
Lee was preceded in death by his daughter, Leanne Eileen Bryan; sons, Tony Bryan and Cristopher Bryan; sister, Annamae Bryan; and cats, George, Tink, and Baby. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Donna E. Bryan; daughter, Lindsay Ratliff with husband Timothy Ratliff of Lake Wales, Florida; grandchildren: Cohen, Lucille, Evelynne, Brahm, Suzette, Cale, and Rebekah; five great-grandchildren; and cats: Mia, Figaro, and Sissy.
The family will receive friends from 10:30 a.m. until the celebration of life at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, May 10, 2025 at Marion Nelson Funeral Home in Lake Wales, Florida.
Ever been to a beer crawl? Wish you could experience a similar event, only for books? Well, you can at the upcoming Lakeland Book Crawl.
From Thur. Apr. 24 to Sat. Apr. 26, you can visit seven different bookstores in Downtown Lakeland for special deals and giveaways.
The following venues will be participating in this year’s book crawl with the following special deals and offers:
Bookends Used Books: 30% off, excludes classics
Unbound Bookery: 20% off purchase
Inklings Book Shoppe: 10% off & free sticker with purchase
Pressed Books & Coffee: Free coffee with the purchase of a new book
Crash Bookshop: 10% off new books
Bookareaderville: Buy 2 books, get 1 free
Little Bus Books: 50% of proceeds go towards Hope House “Literacy Landing”
For more info about the Lakeland Book Crawl, visit their website at: lakelandbookcrawl.com.
Sandi Silverman will be participating in this year’s event with her bookstore, The Unbound Bookery. Established in April 2019, her shop specializes in antique, rare, vintage, and collectible books covering all genres.
“It is a dream of mine that I had for years,” she said. “I decided that I was going to live my dream. And I was fortunate enough to find a space here in Bungalow Boutique. I rent this beautiful little space. This is a sun porch located in this 1920s bungalow.”
Sandi and the other local bookstore owners have successfully organized their annual book crawl for more than four years. What has allowed their event to remain successful has been the promotion.
“We have been really successful in what we are doing, and we all work together to try and promote across the state so people can come to Lakeland and see what it has to offer with independent bookstores.”
Recently Sandi appeared on the Chattin on the Ridge podcast to discuss her bookstore and the upcoming book crawl. Listen to the full episode on Acast: https://shows.acast.com/chattin-on-the-ridge/episodes/ep-59-art-fests-and-book-crawls-wellen-kimble-sandi-silverma
CITY OF LAKE WALES – Famed University of Florida basketball player, Walter Clayton Jr. is scheduled to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony at Albert Kirkland Gymnasium in Lake Wales on Friday, April 18 at 5:15 p.m.
A small motorcade will begin at the corner of Kissimmee Avenue and 4th Street at 5:00 p.m. and travel to the gymnasium. Citizens are encouraged to line the streets and follow the motorcade.
“It is exciting to see a hometown hero return to the gym he played in for years,” Stephanie Lutton, director of parks and recreation said.
More than 13,000 square feet of surface area in the gymnasium was restored to be more durable. It accommodates various types of athletic sports, such as basketball, volleyball and pickleball.
“Many generations of our citizens have frequented the facility, since it was built in the 1930s,” Lutton added. “We want it to be known as a safe space for the youth to play sports and engage with one another.”
Following the motorcade, citizens and the media are invited inside the gymnasium to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5:20 p.m. A brief press conference will be held for questions by the media.
Due to time constraints, Clayton Jr. will depart the event following the press conference. Autographs will not be permitted.
Following the ceremony, staff in the parks and recreation department invite citizens to stay at the gymnasium and continue the celebration. Music and outdoor activities will be on site.
On Saturday April 12, 2025 NASP (National Archery In the School Program) and FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife) hosted the 2025 NASP Florida State Archery Tournament at the Alachua County Sports and Events Center in Gainesville, FL. This tournament consisted of K-12 Public Private, and Home-Schooled Schools across Florida. There were over 700 archers from 4th through 12th grade from 35 different schools.
Background on NASP
What is NASP®
NASP® is an activity that doesn’t discriminate based on popularity, athletic skill, gender, size, or academic ability.
It’s a different kind of team sport. It’s open to any student. Its biggest supporters are professional educators. Teams come together around one thing: Archery.
The National Archery in the Schools Program is an in-school program aimed at improving educational performance among students in grades 4th – 12th. And through it, students are learning focus, self-control, discipline, patience, and the life lessons required to be successful in the classroom and in life.
School’s Journey
Last year Edward W. Bok Academy- South from Lake Wales, FL finished in seventh place. In previous years we have bounced around 4th and 5th place.
This year Edward W. Bok Academy- South came to win and that is what they did! The team finished in 1st place for the first time in team history. This finally brings the trophy back home to Central Florida since 2018.
The Coaches and Parents are all very proud of the archers for the hard work and dedication they put in to make this happen. We look forward to competing in the National Championships in Louisville, KY in May.
Side Note:
Bok Academy also place 3rd Place in 2025 Florida State IBO 3D (Animal Targets) Tournament
Edward W. Bok Academy- South Website: https://www.bokacademy.org/ NASP Program: https://www.naspschools.org/
City of Winter Haven, FL– The City of Winter Haven has issued a Burn Ban following the Polk County Burn Ban recently issued. We have had extremely dry conditions and the risk of outside fires spreading are far too great of a risk. It is imperative for residents to take heed to this ban and report any suspicious behavior you may see.
The Dixie Walesbilt Hotel will be returned to the City of Lake Wales now that city commissioners have approved a settlement agreement with the hotel’s current owner.
At their meeting on Tues. Apr. 15, 2025, Lake Wales city commissioners voted unanimously to approve a settlement agreement that would allow the city to regain ownership of the historic building located in Downtown Lake Wales.
Now that the agreement has been approved, the Dixie Walesbilt Hotel will be returned to the City within 30 days via a Special Warranty Deed. In exchange, the City will pay $450,000 to the hotel’s current owner, Dixie-Walesbilt LLC.
Located at 115 N 1st Street, the Dixie Walesbilt Hotel was built in 1926. The 10-story skyscraper served as a resort until its closing in 1995. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
The City had initially entered into a redevelopment agreement with Ray Brown, president of Dixie Walesbilt LLC, on Feb. 10, 2010. However, on Aug. 2, 2024, the City filed suit against Brown for alleged violations of the agreement. Brown, in turn, filed a countersuit against the city on Sep 13, 2024.
Per the agreement, the city will withdraw its suit against Brown, and Brown, in turn, will withdraw his countersuit against the city.
Commissioner Carol Gillespie commended the negotiators for being able to pull together the settlement agreement.
“At least it will not be torn down,” she said. “I hope that is not one of the alternatives because it is one of the landmarks and attractions for downtown.”
Commissioner Keith Thompson was pleased their negotiations not only resulted in an agreement but also a signed agreement.
“Why are we buying back a hotel that should be ours?” he said. “Well, it is not ours. It belongs to another entity. And this will be the most efficient way to do it.”
Commissioner Thompson expressed his optimism of the city regaining ownership of the historic hotel. He claimed the city was in “a better position” than they were when they turned it over to Brown and Dixie Walesbilt LLC.
“We have every reason to be hopeful,” he said. “We are in a better season than we were in 2010. There was no equity for these improvements, and that put us in a desperate place. But we are in a different place. So I am very encouraged about the future of the hotel.”
Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson likewise commended the legal counsel that allowed them, within the span of a two-hour executive session (or “shade meeting”)mhosted last week, to achieve this settlement, which he considered to be the best decision for Lake Wales.
“We developed the approach that was the right approach that turned out to be successful,” he said. “It was done the right way for the right reason and ended up being the right result.”
Mayor Jack Hilligoss expressed his gratitude that the hotel will be rightfully returned to Lake Wales, as it will help the City “reactivate” the downtown revitalization efforts.
“We should move forward with this because it is the right decision,” he said.
A motion was made and seconded to approve the settlement agreement, and the city commission voted unanimously through a roll call vote.
A basketball player who was raised in Lake Wales will be honored by his hometown with both a parade and a ribbon cutting ceremony this Friday.
Lake Wales will welcome back star basketball player Walter Clayton Jr., the point guard for the Florida Gators, with a parade and ribbon cutting ceremony to be hosted on Fri. Apr. 18 from 4 PM – 9 PM.
Walter Clayton Jr. is an American college basketball player for the Florida Gators of the Southeastern Conference. He was born in Sebring, raised in Lake Wales, and graduated from Bartow High School.
As Wikipedia states: “[Clayton] played an instrumental role in getting the Gators to the SEC Tournament Championship for the first time in 10 years and the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 3 years…[he] went on to lead the Gators to the national championship, making a crucial defensive stop causing Houston’s Emanuel Sharp to pump-fake on a potential game-winning three-pointer and lose his dribble.”
For his achievements, Clayton has been named the Most Outstanding Player (MOP), and, as of this year, he was named a consensus first-team All-American.
His hometown welcome event will begin with a parade that will travel from Sunrise Park Apartments to the Kirkland Gym, which will then host a ribbon cutting for its new gymnasium floor.
The City of Lake Wales Recreation had submitted a request to host the event and to close the following roads for the parade route: Old Scenic Hwy., Dr. JA Wiltshire, 4th Street, Seminole and 3rd Street.
The Lake Wales City Commission approved the request, along with the rest of the consent agenda, with a unanimous vote.
A driver involved in a fatal crash in Winter Haven back in January has been arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office after test results showed the man was driving under the influence of alcohol.
The crash occurred on State Road 60 at Logistics Parkway at 4:25 am, Saturday, January 25, 2025.
35-year old Orli Dagoberto Argueta Sanchez of Honduras was killed in the head-on crash when his 2004 Nissan Sentra was hit by a 2022 Hyundai Sonata that was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes.
On Tuesday, April 15, 2025, detectives from the PCSO’s Traffic Homicide Unit arrested Sergio Nino Ramirez, 27, of Lake Wales, and charged him with DUI Causing Death (F2) and Vehicular Homicide (F2). Ramirez is a US citizen.
“An innocent man was killed in that horrendous crash nearly three months ago, but Sergio Ramirez’s life goes on. My detectives are the best at what they do, and they have built a very strong case that should result in Ramirez getting the justice he deserves.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
The detectives had to obtain warrants to get Ramirez’s blood that was taken at the hospital following the crash. The blood was then delivered to the toxicology lab at the University of Florida and tested.
Lab results showed that Ramirez had a blood alcohol content of 0.12 g/100mL at the time that he was admitted at the hospital, after the crash. The legal limit is 0.08 g/100mL.
The detectives also examined the Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) from Ramirez’s car. It showed that there was no braking or other driver input just prior to the collision.
Following his arrest, Ramirez was taken to the Sheriff’s Processing Center and booked-in. He currently has no bond, and will have First Appearance Wednesday.
Bartow, Fla. (April 15, 2025) — As Polk County continues experiencing dry weather conditions due to a prolonged lack of rainfall, Polk County officials issued a burn ban effective April 15. The ban includes unincorporated Polk County.
The burn ban is determined using the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI). The KBDI is a continuous reference scale, ranging from 0 to 800. It assesses the moisture content from no moisture deficiency (0) to maximum drought conditions (800) of the soil. This helps predict the potential for wildfires.
Utilizing the KBDI, the process of a burn ban begins once more than 50% of the county reaches 500 on the index. Polk County’s current daily reading is 55% over the 500 benchmark with a countywide average of 503.
The burn ban prohibits:
• Campfires;
• Bonfires;
• Unpermitted controlled burns;
• Burning yard and household trash;
• Burning construction debris;
• Burning organic debris;
• Igniting fireworks; and
• Noncommercial burning of materials other than for religious or ceremonial purposes, in which case they must be contained in a barbecue grill or barbecue pit, and the total fuel area cannot exceed 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet in height.
Anyone who refuses to comply or violates this burn ban shallbe in violation of Polk County Ordinance 08-015 and can be punished by a fine not to exceed $500 or by imprisonment not to exceed 60 days in the county jail or both.
Polk County officials may repeal the burn ban when deemed safe.
