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Runways At Bartow Takes Flight With Grand Opening

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Runways At Bartow Takes Flight With Grand Opening

Runways At Bartow Takes Flight With Grand Opening

by James Coulter

The early bird gets the worm, all the better to prepare themselves for a day of flying. Pilots wanting to take flight from Bartow are sure to prepare themselves likewise with an early meal at the airport’s newest eatery.

Runways At Bartow recently opened at the Bartow Municipal Airport, and celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Greater Bartow Chamber of Commerce on Saturday morning.

The airport’s newest eatery serves breakfast, brunch, and lunch all through the week from Tuesday to Sunday. Fridays have them open late with both Happy Hour until 6 p.m. and a dinner after 5 p.m., while Sundays offers an all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch buffet.

For breakfast, start your day right with down-to-earth dishes, whether you prefer oatmeal, pancakes, or a diverse selection of omelets, while lunch offers hamburgers and other sandwiches. Either way, you’re sure to enjoy a meal that will fuel you up enough to take flight, even if you aren’t a pilot or passanger.

Everything is served through fresh cooking with a simple manner. The corned beef especially is highly recommended by the owner, as its slow-cooked up to 18 hours until prepared to tender, melt-in-your mouth perfection.

Whether you stop by for breakfast or lunch, or even if you plan on staying late on Friday for happy hour or dinner, you’re sure to be treated with the type of Southern hospitality one would expect from a city such as Bartow.

“We offer friendly southern charm,” said owner Darren Denington “The management team want to know the guests and personalize their service and take great care of you.”

Ever since he was a teenager at the ripe age of 13, Denington has been involved in the resturant industry. As a certified chef with a degree in food and beverage management, he brings with him 36 years of resturant experience.

Such experience makes him the prime candidate to take over the eatery at the Bartow Municipal Airport. The airport itself has gone through several eateries in the past, so this new one helps fill a great need, especially with the local airport experiencing recent expansion and renovation.

“I have been getting to know Bartow more and more,” Denington said. “The vision of the airport and what I felt the resturant could be was well aligned, and they have been great support. So we had the right idea at the right time with the right partners.”

The Bartow Municipal Airport recently hired a new airport director one year ago. Since then, the airport has concentrated on improving overall infrastructure through maintenance projects, especially restoring the 80-year-old airfield.

The director himself, John Helms, brings with him ten years of airport management experience. Prior to that, he served within the Navy and as a commercial pilot. Such experience has made him the best person to oversee the revitalization of the local airport.

Part of these revitalization efforts has been bringing in a new eatery. Helms considers that an important asset to any airport, as pilots needs a place to eat before and after their flights.

As someone who has had lunch there and tried everything on the menu, he especially recommend the corned beef, which is good either with hash or as a Reuben.

“This one [eatery] is unique,” he said. “The effort that their crew put into working around a diverse group between the airplanes and industrial park, and making sure to not only have a nice place for the aircraft to fly into, but also a place for the working members for the airport to come into for lunch.”

Trish Pfeiffer, Bartow Airport Authority, is not big on meat herself, as she preferred the broccoli casserole. However, she has seen the burgers and believes they would look and taste awesome for any carnivore.

“The new resturant, we are excited to have it here at our terminal,” she said. “We had many eateries come and go before, but Darren and this team are professionals cooking up good food, so we are looking for success from them at this location.”

Pfeiffer herself has a close friend from Ocala who flies in once a month to have lunch with her husband. As such, the eatery serves as a big draw for many pilots, and will hopefully help draw in greater traffic to the airport, she said.

Everyone involved, from the resturant owner to the airport manager, all have high expectations for the new eatery, and hopes that it will not only serve the many busy pilots there, but also bring in more people to the airport with its good food.

“My expectations is that we will offer good food at great prices at good service,” she said. “It is really important because we have aviation traffic that comes in here, so we want to have something to offer the pilots…We are not a destination place, but a lot of pilots do say lets fly to Bartow, to the airbase, and have lunch. And so pilots like to do recreational flying, and we want to be a destination for that.”

Runways At Bartow is located within the Bartow Municipal Airport, located at 5995 Airport Blvd Bartow, Florida 33831. For more information, call 863-519-4400, or visit their website at http://runwaysatbartow.com/

Crime is down 12.7% inside the City limits of Lakeland!

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Crime is down 12.7% inside the City limits of Lakeland!

Crime is down 12.7% inside the City limits of Lakeland!

Lakeland PD Press Release:

LAKELAND, FL (March 12, 2019) –  According to Uniform Crime Data Reports (UCR) there were 550 less crimes reported in 2018 than 2017 under the jurisdiction of the Lakeland Police Department. UCR data is reported both semi-annually and annually by law enforcement agencies across Florida to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). There were 3,778 crimes reported in 2018, as compared to 4,328 in 2017, a total reduction in reported crimes of 12.7%

Chief Ruben Garcia said, “These results show what happens when a community and a police department work together. We can’t do it alone. Our dedicated team works every day to not only bring justice for victims but implement proactive programs to hopefully prevent crimes with support from our engaged citizens.”

The UCR data measures seven categories of part one crimes: Homicide, Sexual Crimes, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Burglary, Larceny and Motor Vehicle Theft.

 

The downward trend for lower crime rates in the City of Lakeland has remained consistent for the past four years. There were 5,285 crimes reported in 2014, as compared to 3,778 in 2018, a total reduction in reported crimes of 28.5%

 

Firmly operating on the foundation of Community-Oriented Policing, LPD has implemented and expanded many of the agencies outreach and enforcement initiatives since 2014. Those efforts in concert with the traditional policing activities of our Uniform and Investigative divisions continue to bring a positive impact to our neighborhoods.

  • In 2014 in the Gang Task Force was established with City departments, Polk County School Board, local faith-based organizations and community groups. The group meets quarterly to discuss and develop plans for continuous youth involvement. In 2014 there were 18 gang-related shootings in Lakeland. In 2017 that number dropped to zero and only one gang-related shooting was reported in 2018.
  • In 2015 the Neighborhood Liaison Section was reestablished; Comprised of two teams of 5 officers and a Sergeant. These teams work proactively within neighborhoods instead of responding to the daily calls-for-service received through dispatch. The officers also attend all neighborhood meetings and events within their zones. This allows citizens to develop relationships with the Neighborhood Liaison Officers (NLO) assigned to their area. Also assigned to the Section is a Homeless Liaison Officer. During 2018 NLOs made over 1,000 arrests and attended 197 community events and meetings. Since 2016 the team has collaborated with the Nuisance Abatement Board to close 12 properties known for illegal activities.
  • The agency’s School Resource Unit has expanded from 8 officers in 2014 to 16 in 2018. Two of the added positions are College Resource Officers, funded by and located at Florida Southern College. The unit is expected to add five additional officers in 2019, with four of those dedicated to primary schools in Lakeland and one dedicated to Florida Southern College. Along with focusing on student safety, School Resource Officers proactively mentor and build relationships with students to build positive relationships with law enforcement at an early age.
  • The Crime Prevention team has continued with consistent community engagement initiatives and programs. In 2018 alone the five-member unit participated in over 1,200 community meetings, 334 crime prevention programs and 244 neighborhood watch programs. The team also initiated over 70 Park, Walk & Talk Operations in local neighborhoods. The operations involved crime prevention practitioners walking neighborhoods, talking to residents and reminding them of important crime prevention measures such as locking vehicles and properly securing residences.

 

Cooking on the Ridge: Chicken Marsala Over White Rice

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Cooking on the Ridge: Chicken Marsala Over White Rice

 Cooking on the Ridge: Chicken Marsala Over White Rice

 

Ingredients

Directions

  • Prep 15 m

  • Cook 40 m

  • Ready In 55 m

  1. Bring the rice and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Set rice aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour with salt, black pepper, and oregano. Gently press the chicken breasts into the flour mixture to coat, and shake off the excess flour.
  3. Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange the chicken in the skillet and cook until the chicken is no longer pink inside and golden brown outside, 5 to 8 minutes per side. Drain the cooked chicken on a paper towel-lined plate.
  4. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the same skillet over medium heat while scraping up any brown bits with a spoon. Stir in the garlic; cook and stir until fragrant. Add the mushrooms, and cook and stir until they are tender and have released their liquid, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper, then stir in the Marsala wine and chicken stock.
  5. Transfer the chicken back to the skillet, and spoon sauce over chicken pieces. Increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes more. Serve the chicken and sauce over the cooked rice.

Beware of Money Scam From Law Enforcement Imposters

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Beware of Money Scam From Law Enforcement Imposters

Beware of Money Scam From Law Enforcement Imposters

PCSO has received several reports about a scam where callers are pretending to be Polk County Sheriff’s Office employees. There have been 4 reported incidents so far, and one person is now a victim of the crime. The caller number (863-225-0924) has a voicemail that says you’ve reached the Sheriff’s Office, but it’s a scam. Sometimes the number has a different message.

On March 7, 2019, PCSO responded to the Polk County Court House in Bartow in reference to a reported scam.

The victim, a 65-year-old man from Bartow, told deputies an unknown person called his cell phone and identified himself as a Sergeant with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. He said the person told him there’s an active warrant out for his arrest for Failure to Appear. The victim said he had not been in any trouble and did not receive a notice in the mail. He also stated the caller told him that on December 19, 2018 a court summons was sent to his address in Bartow and due to him not responding to the summons, a Failure to Appear Warrant was issued for his arrest.

He then said another man got on the phone claiming he was a Lieutenant and said he needed to pay $2,000 to make the warrant go away.

First, the suspect told the victim to go to a Family Dollar or Dollar General where he could find Money Pak cards for sale. He would then need to purchase eight Money Pak Cards and put $250.00 on each card. Once the cards were purchased, he was told to scratch the code bar on the back and provide the code on each card. He then called back the suspect and provided all of the codes, which released the money. He was then told to mail the receipts and four of the cards in an envelope to a Susan Boyle in Winter Haven, which detectives believe is both a fake address and a fake person.

He was then instructed to take the other four cards to the Clerk of Courts Office. That’s when he told deputies he realized it was a scam. He lost the $2,000.

Detectives attempted to locate the envelope through the Post Office, but it could not be found. The detective also called the number back (863-225-0924), but could not reach anyone, the number has been verified as a Bandwidth.com (VOIP) Voice over IP phone number.

The investigation is on-going and subpoenas are being sent to Bandwidth.com and Money Pak.

PCSO has also received reports on three other similar calls from the same phone number. Two calls involved the same scenario, except the victims did not send any money and alerted us. The other call involved someone claiming to be a PCSO deputy calling in reference to an “urgent legal matter.”

“This is now the fourth time recently someone has alerted us about this specific scam. There are endless variations of this type of scam, so the bottom line is that no one from an official agency, like the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, is going to call you asking for money for legal issues. If anyone is unsure, you should call the agency in question’s main telephone number and ask. Remember, if something doesn’t seem right, it’s probably not right.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff

Gators Grilled For Tenth Year At Annual Gator Crawl

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Gators Grilled For Tenth Year At Annual Gator Crawl

Gators Grilled For Tenth Year At Annual Gator Crawl

by James Coulter

The only thing more quintessential to Florida than barbecue are alligators. So what could be more Floridian than barbecued alligator?

Rick “Porkchop” Stewart has been preparing barbecue gator for the past ten years at the annual Gator Crawl in Winter Haven, as hosted by Lakeside Adventures.

He and his friend, Tracey Howell, have been very creative since starting the annual event nearly a decade ago, preparing alligator ribs, gumbo, and even sausage.

Most people don’t like preparing gator. Others prefer to blacken or grill it. But Porkchop and Howell have barbecuing gator down to a tee. Often they spend two days preparing for the event.

The process proves difficult, but as long as you apply a good base and don’t overcook the meat, you have good barbecue that tastes exactly like—alligator!

Yes, contrary to popular belief, alligator does not, in fact, taste like chicken. It has a much unique flavor that makes the barbecue prepared from it taste unlike any other, Porkchop said.

“No, it does not taste like chicken,” he said. “It tastes like alligator. It has its own taste.”

Porkchop once again had the opportunity to serve up his famous alligator barbecue during the tenth annual Lakeside Adventures Gator Crawl in Winter Haven last Saturday.

 

The event was hosted at both Tanner’s Lakeside and Old Man Franks along the scenic waterways of Lake Howard and Mary. Guests could enjoy a diverse selection of gator barbecue including ribs, gumbo, and sausage, as well as other items including corn on the cob and swamp cabbage.

All the while, guests could participate in raffles with gift baskets provided by local businesses, as well as listen and dance to live music and entertainment all afternoon.

 

With the tagline “Commitment To Community And Conservation”, the annual lakeside barbecue event raises proceeds that go towards the conservation and beautification of the Chain of Lakes through the efforts of Keep Winter Haven Beautiful, along with proceeds going towards several other local organizations.

The biggest draw, of course, is the barbecue. While barbecue events are a dime a dozen in Polk County, very few, if any, serve barbecue made from alligator.

“The food is awesome,” said Jeffery Hunt, treasurer of Lakeside Adventures. “A lot of people do not get to experience what we have to offer. We are the only ones that make alligator barbecue.”

 

Hunt has been participating within the event for the past four years. During that time, he has seen the event grow in leaps and bounds, not only with its attendance, but also with the proceeds towards local charities.

“They always exceed our expectations,” he said. “It always keeps getting bigger and bigger. I enjoy being around the people and being able to enjoy them being able to enjoy the food, as well as help to give back to the community.

Melanie Brown, who is also on the Lakeside Adventures committee, has been providing her own assistance for the past five years. She and her volunteers help run the event like clockwork, as is typical of her involvement with various other local events.

Brown appreciates being able to engage within the camraderie of the local community through events such as this, as it shows how other people are more than willing to give back to the community in which they live, especially if it involve keeping it clean and beautiful through conservation of the local lakes.

“I think [this year’s event] will be better than ever, one of the best ones yet,” she said. “We give to different things to help in the community so of course everyone wants to get involved because it is all about helping the community.”

 

Help Winter Haven Police Department Locate Teenager

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Help Winter Haven Police Department Locate Teenager

UPDATE 3/13/19

Teen has been located! Thanks for helping spread the word.

3/11/19

Release by Winter Haven Police Department:

Has anyone been in contact with Shaniya Johnson? The 14 year-old left her Vista Del Lago apartment on March 4 and did not return. She may be with a friend or family member. Detectives need to speak with her to ensure her safety.

Anyone who knows where she is located, please call Det. Cooper at 863-401-2256.

CommunityFest Brings Winter Haven Community Together For Fifth Year

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CommunityFest Brings Winter Haven Community Together For Fifth Year
CommunityFest Brings Winter Haven Community Together For Fifth Year

by James Coulter

Three years ago, Jeff Skipper started Redeemer Southwest Church. His church meets at the Howard Johnson hotel beside Wawa along US Highway 17.

 As the pastor of an unconventional church within an unconventional location, Skipper always seeks new ways to draw in new members into his flock.

Upon learning about the annual CommunityFest in Downtown Winter Haven, he and a few members from his congregation decided to join the hundreds of other local organizations as a vendor at the event.

Their booth featured several cards advertising their upcoming Easter sermon, as well as a full-sized Plinko game similar to the one featured on “The Price Is Right.”

Their game, of course, drew in many curious children who had the opportunity to play the game and win candy while the church members talked with their parents about the church and its services.

“The younger generation has never seen [Plinko], but they are very drawn to it, and the older generation think it is fun,” Skipper said. “Every kid who comes by wants to play.”

With this being their first time attending this year, Skipper was more than impressed by the turnout and the camraderie shared by the attendees.

“We would love to do this again next year,” he said. “It has just been fun, so many people come by seeing old faces that I know because I grew up here, and just being aware of all the businesses and organizations that I did not know about.”

His booth was one of nearly one hundred others vendors hosted by local organizations and businesses within the Winter Haven community for this year’s CommunityFest hosted on Saturday.

For the fifth consecutive year, Winter Haven residents could enjoy the camraderie of the local community with games, food, and entertainment as provided by local businesses and organizations.

 

This year saw the event utilize the new South Central Park area, with more than 100 booths set up offering free items and information about their local businesses.

Children could frolic around in the bounce houses, play carnival-like games for candy prizes, and even meet several costumed guests attend the event, including Spider-Man, Batman, Moana, and Princesses Anna and Else from Disney’s “Frozen.”

 

Citizens Bank And Trust served as the main sponsor for this year’s event, and has been serving as a sponsor for the past three years.

As a community bank, the bank has a vested interest in giving back to the local community, and being able to do so through a grand community get-together such as this proves most ideal, explained Denise Vickory, assistant sales officer.

“We are the community bank, and we have very strong involvement in our community, and we feel as though the more involvement we have in our community, the better we can be as a bank,” she said.

 Since starting nearly half a decade ago, the annual event has grown in leaps and bounds, especially with the park having recently expanded with its new South Central Park location.

 Katie Worthington, Chamber CEO and president, as a new mother herself, appreciates how this annual event offers free family fun for the entire community, none of which could be possible without the support of local businesses and the interest from the local community.

“It brings together every corner of the community,” she said. “We will continue to do it every year for as long as the community is happy with it.”

PCSO In Need of Substitute School Crossing Guards

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PCSO In Need of Substitute School Crossing Guards
PCSO In Need of Substitute School Crossing Guards

 

PCSO is seeking qualified men and women in various locations in Polk County who desire to work as substitute crossing guards.

The locations would be in the Combee area of North Lakeland, and in Lake Wales. The substitute should be available to work for one hour in the morning and for 30 minutes in the afternoon when scheduled to work a crossing.

Anyone interested in applying for a position should contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at (863) 534-7300 ext 108.

School Crossing Guard services are provided by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office through funds provided by the Polk County Board of County Commissioners. This vital program provides adult crossing guards at selected hazardous school crossings to ensure the safety of our elementary school children walking to and from school.

Jury Scams Reappear in Polk County

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Jury Scams Reappear in Polk County
Jury Scams Reappear in Polk County
 
Bartow, Fla. (March 11, 2019) – Polk County Clerk of Courts Stacy Butterfield is warning residents that jury duty scams are once again targeting Polk County.
 
The scams usually come as either a fraudulent email or telephone call. Scammers typically impersonate Clerk employees, law enforcement or other government officials. They state the intended victim missed jury duty and must pay money or provide private information to avoid arrest.
 
Important tips to remember:
  • Jury summons are sent by mail, never by email.
  • The Clerk’s office does not call or email residents to request payment for missing jury duty. The office will also never demand payment via any sort of prepaid debit card or voucher.
  • The Clerk of Courts does not call or email residents to verify information related to jury duty or to notify them that they missed jury duty. Communications are only sent by mail.
  • If a resident misses jury duty, the individual receives a failure to appear notice in the mail from Chief Judge Donald G. Jacobsen, Tenth Judicial Circuit.
  • Arrest warrants are not issued for failure to report for jury duty.
  • Do not open an email attachment from an unfamiliar source, and never provide personal information to an unfamiliar source, either by phone or email.
  • Residents can check if they’ve been called for jury duty online using the Jury Application System at www.polkcountyclerk.net/jury-duty.
  • Residents can contact the Clerk’s Jury Department directly at 863-534-4568 or 863-534-4569.
 
“It saddens me to know that citizens are being taken advantage of by unscrupulous individuals, especially through jury duty—the very cornerstone of our justice system.” Clerk Butterfield said. “Please don’t be intimidated and don’t fall for these scams, as elaborate as they may be. Scrutinize every inquiry, no matter what agency it alleges to come from. Hang up or delete a message immediately if there’s suspicion of fraud, and contact the organization through its official phone number to verify the communication. Please notify your neighbors, friends, families and especially the elderly that scams have increased in our community.”
 
If residents encounter scams, they should write down as much information about the encounter as possible, and contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 863-298-6200.
 
For more information, contact the Polk County Clerk of Courts office at 863-534-4000.

Lake Wales Women’s Club Raises Funds At Spaghetti Dinner For Children’s Healthcare

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Lake Wales Women’s Club Raises Funds At Spaghetti Dinner For Children’s Healthcare

Lake Wales Women’s Club Raises Funds At Spaghetti Dinner For Children’s Healthcare
by James Coulter

 

Nothing inspires a great big smile more than slurping a long, saucy noodle from a homemade plate of spaghetti. The only thing better is being able to enjoy such a great spaghetti dinner while raising funds to help fix the smiles of countless children around the world.

More than a hundred Lake Wales residents were able to do exactly that as they attended a spaghetti dinner hosted by the Lake Wales Women’s Club on Friday evening to raise money for a global children’s foundation.

For only $7.50, guests could grab themselves a plate of spaghetti topped with homemade tomato sauce and meatballs with a side of garlic bread, along with a small side salad and several dozen desserts to choose from. For an additional $2, they could enjoy their meal with a glass of wine.

By offering this small town a taste of Italy, the Women’s Club was able to raise proceeds from the meal to go towards Smiles Across Miles, a program part of the non-profit organization, Operation Smile.

The organization helps fund the medical operations for facial reconstructive surgery for both children and some adults, many of whom suffer from disfigured faces due to illness or accident, ensuring that they are able to offer the best smiles after their surgery.

Being able to raise money for such a great cause, as well as cater to the local community, is more than reward enough for the volunteers who helped out with the dinner than evening, explained Jessica Bray, president of the Women’s Club.

The Lake Wales Women’s Club, which was first created in 1913, has been hosting these dinners once or twice a year for the past 15 to 20 years. So long have they done this event that they have perfected coordinating it to a tee, Bray said.

Each year, more than 25 to 30 pounds of spaghetti are cooked to serve the hungry participants. Even then, being able to anticipate how many people will show up proves to be quite the challenge, she said.

This year, the sales at the door appeared to supersede the sale of tickets prior to the event, with up to 200 people potentially arriving that evening, she said.

“[We love being able] to continue to provide this particular event because it is so well appreciated by the community, and it is all done with volunteer help,” she said. “We do enjoy it. It is a nice clubhouse, and we all love to cook because it is fun.”

Mary Walkup, the secretary of the membership committee, has been with the Women’s Club for a little more than a year. She enjoys participating within the various community projects that her organization hosts, including volunteer work with Spook Hill Elementary, Lake Wales Care Center, and American Legion.

Currently, their biggest obstacle is with their membership, specifically with bringing in new members to replenish the older ones.

“Our biggest problem right now are membership,” she said. “A lot of the women who work with us are older women, and they can no longer participate, so we are struggling to get younger members who can get more involved with what we do.”

Though she did not see a greater response that evening than at previous events, she noticed quite a few many walk-ins. This more than inspired her confidence that her organization would meet their goal, having pledged $2,500 to donate towards Operation Smile, she said.

Fran Hanrahan has been with the organization since 1994. She enjoys being able to volunteer for such events that give back to her community and help raise funds for such great causes.

“I like working for an organization that does things for the community,” she said. “So much fun to see everyone come in and say it’s so good and raise money for our cause.”

During her time, she has held many positions from president to district manager. Having been with the organization for as long as she has, she has seen this particular event get bigger and better every year.

“We have got it down really good,” she said. “We are accustomed to putting it together and putting it on. Our reputation proceeds us. Our sauce is outstanding, and the causes are notable.”

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