Roosevelt Academy’s Annual Christmas Sale
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Roosevelt Academy is once again hosting a Christmas sale complete with food and unique gift items. Crafts items include wooden outdoor furniture and picnic tables made by the students. BBQ lunches and a variety of sweet treats will be available along with vegetables, plants and herbs from Roosevelt Farms. The sale is located on the campus at 115 E St, in Lake Wales and runs from 9:00 to 2:00 pm
Lakeland Parade Celebrates A Storybook Christmas
by James Coulter
We all have our favorite Christmas stories. For some, it’s “Twas The Night Before Christmas.” For others, it’s “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.” And for many, it’s the original Christmas story of the Nativity.
Many of these stories and more were showcased through more than 100 floats in this year’s Lakeland Christmas Parade on Thursday evening with this year’s theme of “A Storybook Christmas.”
From traditional Christmas stories such as Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, to other classic children’s stories such as The Jungle Book and Madeline, 115 floats each told a different story based off of a classic or modern storybook.
Medulla Baptist Church decided to stick with the original Christmas story this year with an elaborate Nativity scene cast aglow with hundreds of sparkling electric lights.
Planning and preparation for their church’s float begins early in the summer and continues on until the night of the parade, explained Karen Fair, a member of the church in charge of the float.
For the past eight years, the church has consistently won awards as presented by the parade’s judges. Last year they won the “Judge’s Choice” award.
Their success thus far has been solely attributed to the grace of God, as it is their goal through their participation within the parade to honor His glory, Fair said.
“We owe it all to the Lord,” she said. “Our goal is to witness for the Lord and to tell everyone what Christmas is really about.”
McKeel Academy Central has been participating in the award each and every year, yet has not really won any awards for their floats.
This year, they decided to base their float off of “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, making it one of many others with a similar theme.
Even though their float may not be original, and even though they never really win any awards, their school enjoys participating within the parade nonetheless, and they feel that their float feels apropos of the entire situation.
“We liked how he [Charlie Brown] learns the true meaning of Christmas from his friends, they all came together to help teach him a lesson and feel good about Christmas again,” said Megan Meisner, a volunteer from the school. “We love having fun with the fellow students and the staff from the school.”
This marked the 38th year for the parade, which featured 115 floats and vehicles, and drew in an estimated 30,000 community members to Downtown Lakeland, said Callie Miller, President of Junior League of Greater Lakeland, the organization which hosts the parade.
The theme this year of “A Storybook Christmas” was inspired by her organization’s love for “inspiring the imaginations of children”, especially through storybooks. When the theme was proposed earlier this spring, the city loved it, Miller said.
Also keeping with this year’s theme, aside from allowing the floats to be decorated after storybooks, more than 5,000 copies of “The Biggest Tree Ever” were distributed during the parade by the Junior Leauge from their float, which was themed to the book itself, Miller said.
This year’s Grand Marshal was local student Laney Kirkpatrick, who was selected from hundreds of other elementary school students through an essay contest for her own essay, “Just Be You!”
Having been hosted for nearly four decades, the parade continues to remain a Lakeland tradition due to the hard work of the many people who help make it happen, especially the dedicated city employees.
“None of this would be possible without the Parks & Recreation team, the police officers, fire department, and the hundreds of others from the City of Lakeland who make this evening possible,” she said.
“Our community has embraced the parade,” she continued. “It’s a wonderful occasion for the Community to unite with one another as we welcome the holidays and Santa and Ms. Claus to Lakeland.”
This year’s award winners will be announced at the next city commission meeting on December 17 at 3 p.m. at Lakeland City Hall, located at 228 S. Massachusetts Ave, Lakeland, Florida 33801. Meetings can be watched on-line at: bit.ly/LakelandGovLive.
Polk County Toys for Tots 2018 Campaign Announces December 15, 2018 Toy Distribution Information
Families who have been approved for toys through the Polk County Toys for Tots application process will receive their toys at distribution locations around Polk County. Between October 1, 2018 and November 15, 2018, Polk County families were able to apply for toys online. The applications were reviewed and approved. Volunteers working in our Auburndale warehouse “shopped” for the toys. After packaging, the bags of toys were readied for movement to our distribution sites.
Families scheduled to receive toys have been contacted by emails with the location of their individual distribution site. The 15 sites are scattered around Polk County and are separated by zip codes supplied by the families. The families must go to their scheduled distribution site for their toys. Families are encouraged to not bring children to the distribution sites.
Families must bring documentation to the distribution site. The documents include:
Parent / Guardian and child must be a CURRENT Polk County Resident.
Child(ren) must be between 0 to 13 years of age.
Parent / Guardian must be able to prove they are currently receiving Medicaid, food assistance (SNAP or WIC), or cash assistance (TANF). If the parent / guardian has recently become unemployed, proof must be provided.
Volunteers have been working to complete the orders for over 11,365 children across Polk County. The Program is asking for patience at all the distribution sites. Volunteers are needed at sites. Members of the community wishing to volunteer at the distributions should email us at [email protected].
Any media questions should be directed to David Waller, Coordinator, Polk County Toys for Tots Campaign at 863-292-8687. The sites are listed below:
Auburndale Distribution Site (304)
Zip Codes: 33823, 33868
Auburndale Community Center
405 Bennett Street
Auburndale, Florida 33823
Community room on North side of building
Bartow Distribution Site (505)
Zip Codes: 33830, 33831
First Baptist Church
410 East Church Street
Bartow, Florida 33830
Ministry Center, North of the Church sanctuary
Davenport Distribution Site (502)
Zip Codes: 33836-37, 33858, 33896-97
Davenport Community Building
5 South Allapaha Avenue
Davenport, Florida 33837
Ft. Meade Distribution Site (506)
Zip Codes: 33834, 33841, 33847
Ft. Meade Community Center
10 3rd Street SW
Ft. Meade, Florida 33841
Haines City Distribution Site (503)
Zip Codes: 33844, 33845
Ridge Technical College
7700 State Road 544
Winter Haven, Florida 33881
College is located just off Highway 27
Health Building at entrance
Kissimmee (Poinciana) Distribution Site (504) Zip Codes: 34744, 34758-59
Poinciana Community Center
395 Marigold Ave
Poinciana, Florida 34759
Lake Wales Distribution Site (501)
Zip Codes: 33827, 33838, 33851, 33853-55, 33859, 33898
1750 Longleaf Boulevard Building #11
Lake Wales, Florida 33859
Building on block West of Highway 27, last building on the left.
Lakeland Central Distribution Site (509) Zip Codes: 33801, 33802
First United Methodist Church
72 Lake Morton Drive
Lakeland, Florida 33801
Distribution in gym area on North side of church
Lakeland East Distribution Site (513)
Zip Codes: 33805
REAL Academy
951 Mt Airy Avenue
Lakeland, Florida 33801
Lakeland North Distribution Site (508) Zip Codes: 33809, 33810, 33849
2000 North Gilmore Avenue
Lakeland, Florida 33805
Building located at Southwest corner of the Tigertown parking lot
Lakeland South Distribution Site (512) Zip Codes: 33803-04, 33811-13, 33840, 33846
Highlands Church of Christ
GYM
5730 Lakeland Highlands Road
Lakeland, Florida 33813
Lakeland West Distribution Site (514) Zip Codes: 33815
Jesse Keen Elementary School
815 Plateau Ave
Lakeland, FL 33815
Distribution from Parent Portable Bldg – East side of Campus
Mulberry Distribution Site (507)
Zip Codes: 33835, 33835m, 33860, 33860m, 33860r
Mulberry Senior High School
1 Panther Place
Mulberry, Florida 33860
Distribution from the high school gym
Winter Haven North Distribution Site (510) Zip Codes: 33850, 33881, 33883
Citrus Center Boys and Girls Club
2400 Havendale Boulevard NW
Winter Haven, Florida 33883
Distribution from the gym
Winter Haven South Distribution Site (511) Zip Codes: 33839, 33880, 33884
Johnny & Freda Brooks Eloise Resource Center
710 Snively Ave
Eloise, FL 33880
Christmas Nativity At Westgate River Ranch Inspires Christmas Miracles
by James Coulter
One December day long ago, a mother and her 13-year-old daughter stopped by a manager sitting alongside Westgate River Ranch in Lake Wales.
There they met Geny Castro, the elderly lady who sets up the manager each and every year alongside State Road 60 in front of the Westgate entrance.
They entered into a conversation with her, through which the mother informed that her daughter had given up faith in God. Castro asked the young girl to enter the manager and see the Baby Jesus for herself.
“Then I look to her and said if there is not one God, do you think you would have the life and parents that you have, and have the life that you have? So don’t you think there is some force out there, no matter what you call, don’t you think that?” Castro asked. “She said she would think about it.”
Several weeks later, she received a phone call from the woman, who tearfully told her how her daughter had confessed her faith in Christ through tears in her eyes.
“Stories like that I have hundreds,” she said. “Every year something happens, and that is the reason I still do it, because we saved marriages and drug-addicted people.”
For more than 30 years, Castro has been setting up the manger outside of Westgate River Ranch in Lake Wales.
Each and every year since then, she has received countless letters and phone calls from past visitors about how that manager touched and changed their lives.
The 60-foot-structure is set up using hundreds of palm tree and palmetto leaves stapled onto a wooden frame. Inside the manager are set up ceramic figures of the Baby Jesus and his family surrounded by dozens of animals.
Even at age 80, Castro continues to set up the manager every year for Christmas. She spends at least one week or two setting up the nativity after Thanksgiving.
Even though the structure is complicated to assemble, especially for an elderly lady at her age, what results is a simple scene that evokes such complicated emotions for all who stop to gaze upon it.
“It is so amazing,” she said. “That is what touches everyone’s heart. Many people tell me that the manager touches their hearts more than any church, and they tell me that all of the other places in Florida, including Disney World, touches their heart the way the manager does because of the simplicity.”
She initially started constructing a manager outside of her business, Castro Interiors, in her hometown of Stuart, and has since decided to set up another outside of Westgate River Ranch, where she owns a place.
What inspires her to set up the manager each and every year is her desire to share the message of the nativity scene in a world where she fears many people have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas, which is the birth of Christ.
“I am very particular about the nativity scene because I feel like Christmas is the birth of Christ, but all the children these days believe it’s about Santa Claus and presents, and that really upsets me,” she said.
Like the Wise Men traveling to the real nativity from the East, the very spectacle of this nativity scene itself draws in many curious visitors along State Road 60.
For many of these visitors, whether they are religious or not, the scene often leaves them with an experience that literally changes their life.
Castro recalls one Christmas when a Jewish couple stopped to visit the manager. The husband initially did not want to see the scene for himself, but he decided to do so anyway.
He stood before the Baby Jesus, and so encapsulated was he by the sight that he stood there silently for several minutes without moving or saying a single word, she said.
“So after that, he turned around and gave me such a big hug and said thank you for pushing me the way he did and left,” she said. “I felt I touched his heart.”
Countless stories such as that have been the main motivation for Castro to continue her work setting up the manager, which she expects to continue doing until she can do it no longer.
Creating a scene such as that takes plenty of time and effort. As such, Castro appreciates any donations that people can offer in the donation box within the manager, and any promotion they can give by taking one of the many postcards.
“I am over 80 and I cannot work the same way I used to work anymore,” she said. “That is why I have arrived to the point where people need to help me to be able to keep the manager up because it is something unusual.”
The nativity scene can be seen anytime during the holiday season outside of Westgate River Ranch, located alongside State Road 60 at 3200 River Ranch Blvd, River Ranch, FL 33867.
Article From ABC Action News
FORT MYERS, Fla. — The truckloads of toxic sludge that has been removed from a contaminated site in Dunbar now has a closer destination in state.
The sludge had been en route to a cement plant in Theodore, Alabama via dump truck, but that plan was nixed this week due to practical reasons.
The company that’s transporting the sludge confirms that there are now plans to instead ship the material to a site in Mulberry in Polk County, Florida run by Clark Environmental. Read Complete Article Here: Toxic sludge from Fort Myers now headed to Polk County
Polk County Clerk Of Courts Press Release
Bartow, Fla. – 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 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.
“Sadly, scams continue to target our community and play-off people’s intimidation of law enforcement and the court system,” Clerk Butterfield said. “Please don’t be intimidated and don’t fall for these scams. 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.
Polk County Sheriff’s Office Press Release
Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested 36-year-old Giselle Reyes Felix on Wednesday, December 5, 2018 for her instigating a fight between two juveniles on November 29, 2018.
Reyes Felix, of Dundee, was charged with Child Abuse (F3) and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor (M1), and taken to the Polk County Jail.
“Our adult suspect was supposed to be responsible for the 16-year-old girl. Instead, she not only drove the girl to the victim, but she also incited and encouraged a fight, and coached the girl on how to hit the victim. This was totally irresponsible.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff.
According to the affidavit, Reyes Felix drove a 16-year-old girl to the area of where a 17-year-old girl (Kissimmee/Polk area) lived, because of problems between the two juveniles.
The 17-year-old victim was walking home from school when she heard a car horn and saw a car quickly approaching her. The 16-year-old suspect yelled at the victim and then attacked her.
While the two girls were fighting, Reyes Felix was coaching the suspect on what to do. When the victim fell on her back, the 16-year-old stomped on her head multiple times with her feet. A Good Samaritan was able to stop the fight temporarily, but Ms. Felix encouraged the 16-year-old to again attack the other girl.
Neither of the juveniles suffered serious injury from the fight.
The 16-year-old suspect was also arrested and charged with Battery (M1). The identities of the two girls are not being released.
Click here to see cell phone video recorded of the fight:
Polk County Sheriffs Office Press Release
An alert deputy with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office spotted a suspicious vehicle early Thursday morning, December 6, 2018, which eventually led to the arrest of 34-year-old Christopher Cordell of Langston Avenue in Haines City.
The deputy spotted a Chevy pickup at around 2:58 A.M., on a dead-end road near Citrus Ridge Academy school in Davenport and approached it. Cordell, who was in the truck, immediately fled the scene, and ran through a red light as he drove north on US Hwy 27.
As the deputy was trying to catch up to Cordell, he saw the truck abruptly turn into Northeast Regional Park.
With the deputy blocking the only way out of the park, Cordell rammed a fence, but the truck became stuck, and Cordell fled on foot. Additional deputies and a K-9 unit responded to the scene.
When Cordell saw the K-9, he quickly surrendered. He was found to be in possession of a switch-blade knife and methamphetamines. The truck had been reported stolen out of Osceola County.
“There is a hope that when someone goes to prison, that person will have time to think and make the decision to change their ways to stay out of trouble. This guy obviously hasn’t done that on any of his five stays. Maybe a sixth, much longer stay will do the trick.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
Cordell was arrested and charged with: Aggravated Fleeing or Eluding (F2), Possession of Concealed Weapon (F2), Grand Theft Motor Vehicle (F3), Possessing a Weapon While Engaged in a Crime (F3), Felony Criminal Mischief (F3), Possession of Methamphetamine (F3), Felony DWLSR (F3), Resisting (M1), Possession of Paraphernalia Container (M1), Possession of Paraphernalia Device (M1), and Possess Narcotic Paraphernalia (M1).
Cordell’s prior criminal history includes 34 felony and 20 misdemeanor charges, has been convicted of 16 felonies and 10 misdemeanors, and has been to prison five times. His most recent stay in prison ended in February of 2018.
The Grinch Drew In 1,200 Visitors To Gourmet Goodies
by James Coulter
The mean old Mr. Grinch took time out of his busy schedule returning the Christmas he stole from the Whos down in Whoville to visit his countless fans at Gourmet Goodies in Winter Haven on Tuesday.
For the second year in a row, Gourmet Goodies hosted its annual Grinchmas, allowing its visitors an opportunity to take photographs with the titular character from Dr. Seuss’ “How The Grinch Stole Christmas”, as well as enjoy a few free cookie samples from their bakery.
More than 1,200 guests young and old lined up outside the store and around the block for a nearly two-hour wait just for an opportunity to meet everyone’s favorite green Christmas character.
Many of these guests were from the local Winter Haven area, while others traveled from other cities such as Lakeland and Haines City, and even from outside the county from as far as Plant City, Sebring, and Tampa, explained Carisa Hughes, Owner of Gourmet Goodies.
“We were super excited,” she said. “We were really ecstatic with the turnout. We were thrilled to see so many people come out and be excited about a community event.”
One Gourmet Goodies customer on Instagram, whose post was shared on Facebook, mentioned how she and her children visited the event as a last minute outing. The hour-and-a-half-long wait was more than worth it for her children to meet their favorite Christmas character, she wrote.
“I don’t think they complained hardly at all, and once we got to meet the Grinch it made the wait all worth it,” she wrote.
Another customer on Facebook also mentioned how she and children were willing to wait in order to meet with the Grinch, and how she actually preferred it to the usual greetings with Santa Claus.
“My kids loved it & so did I,” she wrote. “The line wasn’t that bad either, it was long but it moved pretty quickly (I thought). Overall, it was awesome.”
Hughes was inspired to start her Grinchmas event last year. She and her team only had a few weeks to prepare and market the event last year, which initially drew in at least 200 to 300 people, she said.
This year she received the assistance from many local organizations. Theater Winter Haven provided the Santa chair upon which the Grinch sat upon, while AO Makeup in Orlando was hired to provide the makeup for the green one himself.
With much more time to prepare and market the event, this year drew in a much larger crowd from far and wide, most of which was attributed to word-of-mouth on social media, she said.
“People seem to enjoy the fact that it is something different and they were able to come out and enjoy a free event, and I think people really responded well for that,” she said.
As this year’s turnout more than exceeded expectations, Hughes is hoping to grow the event next year with two additional days as to better accommodate the crowds.
She’s even considering the possibility of even expanding the event outdoors to the park across the street with additional vendors.
“It is something that we are considering at this point,” she said. “We are still assessing all the different feedback. We are excited about doing it again and hosting it and continuing this tradition with Gourmet Goodies in Winter Haven.”
Haines City, Florida – Early Thursday morning around 1:40 am Haines City Police Officers responded to the Intersection of Hwy 27 & RWS Ranch Road in reference to a vehicle crash. Upon arrival officers located the vehicle in the median with extremely heavy damage. The vehicles roof had been removed during impact and the driver of the vehicle was slumped over behind the wheel. According to reports officers could see that the driver was breathing, there was a very strong odor of alcohol emitting from the vehicle and countless beer cans scattered amongst the debris and inside the vehicle. Due to the amount of damage EMS / FIRE did not have to extricate the driver. They were able to remove him from the vehicle and advised that he would be airlifted for treatment. The driver at the time was complaining of shoulder pain, lower back pain.
Due to debris Highway 27 S was shut down. Highway 27 N was shut down temporarily while the helicopter landed on Highway 27 S. to transport patient.
According to reports a flat bed semi tractor trailer was pulling onto Highway 27 S from RSW Ranch Road. He observed DUI suspects vehicle at the last second south bound on Highway 27 in the outside lane traveling at a high rate of speed. He attempted to pull his semi off to the shoulder but the vehicle struck him before he could. The suspects vehicle struck the left rear tires of the flatbed trailer, continued under the semi until it struck the forks that allow for the trailer to be dropped, breaking them free from the semi. The vehicle dislodged from the semi and spun at least one and a half rotations before coming to final rest in the median facing North.
Due to the medical treatment of the driver who was suspected of DUI an investigation couldn’t be conducted. Officers asked him to consent to a blood draw in which he denied consent. According to police reports the suspect advised that he had drank 1 beer per hour since 1600 hours and he knew he was drunk.
Officers followed up with care of the suspect and were advised he suffered a fractured wrist and was being checked out for his shoulder & back complaints. There were no life threatening injuries.
The driver of the semi tractor trailer was issued a civil citation for violation of right of way. An investor took over the case for the DUI investigation. The suspect was identified to be Travis Lawrence Gerlach (DOB: 05/09/1973) of Haines City, Florida. According to reports Gerlach had a blood alcohol level of .281 and cocaine was also allegedly found in his system.
Highway 27 S was shut down for approximately 3 hours, cars were diverted down South Boulevard to 10th Street to Bates Road then back to Highway 27 S.
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