Crowds Flock To Lake Wales Fourth Of July Event Despite Rain

Lake Wales

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July 5, 2018

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Crowds Flock To Lake Wales Fourth Of July Event Despite Rain

by James Coulter

The boom of thunder and lightning gave way to the boom of fireworks during the Lake Wales Fourth of July celebration on Wednesday evening.

When the annual celebration started earlier that afternoon at Lake Wailes Park, the local area was drenched with thunderstorms; but as the day progressed, the weather improved, and more and more people arrived for the festivities.

By sunset, there was a slight drizzle of rain, but the weather was good enough to allow for the fireworks show to light up the night with red, white, and blue explosions.

“It was a slow buildup,” said Robert Foss, Master of Ceremonies. “We have a lot of happy people. The rain isn’t going to hold them back. A little sprinkle has never held them back.”

Foss played music and oversaw many of the activities that afternoon including the water balloon toss, limbo, hula hoop contest, and sidewalk chalk drawings.

Having attended and overseen many other local events such as Pioneer Days and Mardi Gras, Foss loves to see the local community gather together and celebrate, especially during this time of year.

“I love seeing so many people come together for the same reason: American pride,” he said.

Aside from the fireworks and festivities, the event also included vendors and food trucks from local businesses such as WTF Concessions and Happy Hives.

The latter of which is run by Jack Stokes, who owns and operates his business by selling natural honey and honey products and educating the public on beekeeping.

Stokes has been attending the local celebration for the past six years, and has been involved with other local event such as the bi-monthly Farmer’s Market.

For him, his success as a local businessman comes from the support he receives from the community, which he receives in part due to the support he provides.

“We love Lake Wales,” he said. “I like the support of the people from Lake Wales because I am from Lake Wales. If you want to have things going on in Lake Wales, you have to support what is going on in Lake Wales.”

Families gathered along the scenic lake in preparation to watch the fireworks that evening, as well as barbecue their own food and even set off their own fireworks.

Children young and old participated in many fun activities, including pony rides provided by My Little Rescue.

Originally from Lake Wales, this Fort Meade non-profit organization adopts and takes care of animals that have been neglected and abused.

Aside from the annual celebration, they have also been involved with other events such as Pioneer Days, and have even offered rides at private parties and events.

Pam Mosher, who has been with the organization for the past decade, loves seeing the animals receive love and affection from the children, as well as the children enjoying rides from the animals.

“Watching the kids grow, I have seen them from [ages] 2 to 16 year olds,” she said. “I love everything. I love that it is oriented for families, they come together and have a good time.”

One Suspect Caught 2 Others Sought In Gangland Style Shooting

Kissimmee

Staff Reporter

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July 4, 2018

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One Suspect Caught 2 Others Sought In Gangland Style Shooting

Polk County Sheriffs Office Press Release

On June 26, 2018, Polk County Sheriff’s detectives obtained three arrest warrants for the suspects responsible for a shooting in Poinciana on June 5, 2018, that resulted in one person being critically injured (see original news release below). All three suspects are from the Orlando area.

One of the suspects, Hector Jomar “Yomi” Garcia, DOB 8/11/95, of 1757 Grande Pointe Blvd in Orlando, was arrested in Orange County on the Polk warrant on June 28, 2018, and transferred to the Polk County Jail on July 2, 2018.

The other two suspects, who remain at large, are:

Victor Manuel “Victorino” Ortiz, DOB 5/28/98, last known address 1322 Pine Castle Lane in Orlando;

Hector Rafael “Segeta” Garcia, DOB 1/31/94, last known address 249 Park Tree Terrace Apt. 1123, Orlando.

Their warrants are for 3 counts attempted murder (F-1) and shooting into an occupied vehicle (F-2).

If anyone has information on the whereabouts of Hector “Segeta” Garcia or Victor “Victorino” Ortiz, they are urged to contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 863-298-6200.

To remain anonymous and be eligible for a CASH REWARD, contact Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS (8477), or visit www.heartlandcrimestoppers.com. P3 Tips allows tipsters to submit secure and anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers on your IPhone or Android. To install this free app, tipsters can search for P3 Tips on the Apple App Store or Android Market.

Anonymity is guaranteed!

The victim is expected to recover, and is in stable condition.

Original Release

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting in Poinciana that occurred on June 5, 2018, and resulted in one person being critically injured.

Preliminary details so far are as follows:

Around 7:00 p.m. that evening, the PCSO Emergency Communications Center received 9-1-1 calls in reference to a shooting that occurred outside 800 Squirrel Court in Poinciana. According to witnesses, the 19-year-old victim responded to the residence with friends in a white SUV. The victim exited the SUV and was standing in the front yard talking to a 21-year-old resident of the home when a silver four-door car drove up and parked. Three unknown suspects got out of the car and fired multiple rounds from an unknown style handgun at the parked SUV.

The silver car then fled the scene, last seen heading northbound on Gazelle Drive. The suspects were described as Hispanic males.

The 19-year-old was struck by several bullets, and was taken to Poinciana Medical Center by his friends in the white SUV. Nobody inside the SUV was injured. The victim was airlifted to Osceola Regional Medical Center due to the severity of his wounds.

If anyone has information about this incident, they are urged to contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 863-298-6200.

To remain anonymous and be eligible for a CASH REWARD, contact Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS (8477), or visit www.heartlandcrimestoppers.com. P3 Tips allows tipsters to submit secure and anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers on your IPhone or Android. To install this free app, tipsters can search for P3 Tips on the Apple App Store or Android Market.

Anonymity is guaranteed!

Lake Wales Woman Wakes To Burglar In Her Bedroom

Lake Wales

Staff Reporter

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July 4, 2018

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Lake Wales Woman Wakes To Burglar In Her Bedroom

Lake Wales Police Press Release

Lake Wales Police Detectives made an arrest yesterday in the July 2nd burglary where an intruder burglarized a home occupied by a sleeping juvenile. Detectives arrested Marvell Mario Parkinson, age 19, of Lake Wales after matching his fingerprints to those recovered from the crime scene. Polk County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene personnel had assisted on the day of the incident and submitted latent prints they recovered to their Identification Section. Additionally, Detectives located shoes at Parkinson’s residence that matched the description given by the victim. The soles of those shoes also matched impressions recovered from the scene following the burglary. Parkinson refused to speak with police following his arrest; but the homeowners and witness said they did not know him and had never invited him to their home before.

This is not Parkinson’s first run in with the law. In 2017, police arrested him for grand theft auto, burglary to a dwelling, burglary to an unoccupied structure, criminal mischief, petit theft and resisting arrest. The Lake Wales Police Department hopes the victim can now rest a little easier knowing the suspect is off the street and in jail where he belongs.

——— Previous Release ——

Lake Wales Police Department Press Release

On July 2, 2018 at approximately 9:30am Lake Wales Police Officers were dispatched to 334 D St for an in progress burglary. The victim stated she woke up and saw a man standing behind her dresser trying to unplug the television. When she asked him what he was doing, he replied “my uncle told me to get my phone”, and then exited out the back door of the residence. The victim stated as she exited the front of the house she saw the suspect standing in the front yard and he tried to engage her in conversation. At that point, the victim ran back into the house and noticed the kitchen window shattered, she grabbed a knife, and ran to get help.

The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 5’7”, short hair, wearing a white hat, partial facial hair, white t-shirt with red and blue stripes, acid washed shorts, and red, white, and blue Air Jordan shoes.

The victim met with a Lakeland Police Department Forensic artist who completed this composite sketch of the suspect. If you have information on the identity of the suspect please contact Detective Metz at (863) 678-4223 extension 265 or Heartland Crime Stoppers at (800) 226-8477.

69 Yr Old Lake Wales Woman Killed On Thompson Nursery Rd.

Lake Wales

Staff Reporter

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July 4, 2018

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69 Yr Old Lake Wales Woman Killed On Thompson Nursery Rd.

Lake Wales Police Department Press Release

On Tuesday July, 3, 2018 at around 12:05 PM Lake Wales Police responded to a traffic crash that occurred on Thompson Nursery Road in between Conserveysion Way and Lake Ashton Boulevard. The crash involved a 2007 Kia SUV traveling East on Thompson Nursery Rd being driven by 69 year old Donna Lee Laughton of Lake Wales and a 2009 GMC 3500 pickup owned by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) traveling West on Thompson Nursery Road being driven by SFWMD employee Ronnie Crosby age 59 of Lakeland. SFWMD employee Cale Broom age 50 of Winter Haven was a passenger in the GMC. A third vehicle, a 2003 Toyota SUV being driven by Marisol Garcia-Delgado age 40 of Lake Wales was following the GMC traveling west.

For unknown reasons Laughton’s vehicle veered into the oncoming lane and onto the shoulder on the north side of the roadway then back onto the road. Crosby took evasive actions while slowing down to try and avoid a collision. Laughton swerved back onto the roadway and the two vehicles collided head on. Garcia-Delgado could not stop in time and collided with the rear of the trailer being towed by Crosby’s vehicle.

When Officers arrived they found Laughton unresponsive and they began life saving measures. Emergency personnel arrived and pronounced Laughton deceased. Responders also located a small dog in Laughton’s vehicle that was critically injured. The dog was transported to Lake Wales Veterinary Hospital where it died a short time later.

Both Crosby and Broom were transported to Winter Haven Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Laughton’s next of kin has been notified. Garcia-Delgado was not injured. A portion of Thompson Nursery Road was closed in both directions while the investigation was conducted. This case is still under investigation.

If you have any information regarding this crash please contact Officer Robertson at the Lake Wales Police Department at 863-678-4223.

Teenage Girl Physically Accosted & Robbed At Lake Wales RaceTrac Last Night

Lake Wales

Staff Reporter

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July 3, 2018

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Teenage Girl Physically Accosted & Robbed At Lake Wales RaceTrac Last Night

Lake Wales Police Department Press Release

Officers responded to the Race Trac, located at 1740 HWY 60 E, in reference to past occurred personal robbery. Officers made contact with the juvenile victim who reported the following: She stated she got off work at approximately 10:00pm and drove to Race Trac to get gas. She parked by pump 1 and proceeded to walk into the business to pay for the gas with cash. As she got to the west corner of the building a black male grabbed her and pulled her behind the bushes. The suspect told her to give him her money. At which point he took her wallet, removed her money, threw the wallet on the ground, and fled the area. She then picked up her wallet, ran back to her car, and drove away. She described the suspect as a dark skinned black male, with a beard, and a deep voice. She stated the suspect was approx. 5’8” tall, muscular build, wearing a dark hoodie, dark jeans, dark tennis shoes, and had a musty odor.

Officer Waldron conducted a canine track and PCSO Air Unit responded to assist. However, the track and air search ended with negative results. Det. Metz responded to the scene to take over the investigation. PCSO Crime Scene responded and processed the scene. At this point no witnesses have been located but there were vehicles coming and going from the parking lot. If anyone witnessed this incident they are asked to contact Detective Metz at (863) 678-4223 extension 265 or Heartland Crime Stopper at (800) 226-8477. Detectives are currently working to see if the incident or the suspect was captured on video surveillance. As of this time the suspect is unknown. This investigation is still currently active.

Spurlow’s Archery Pro Shop Opened With Ribbon Cutting In Bartow

Bartow

Staff Reporter

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July 3, 2018

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Spurlow’s Archery Pro Shop Opened With Ribbon Cutting In Bartow

by James Coulter

Spurlow’s Archery Pro Shop may have recently opened in Bartow, but this small shop has a large customer base with a worldwide reach.

Since first opening in Frostproof, this small pro-shop has served customers from across the country and even from across the world.

Old and new customers have flown in from as far as Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ireland, and Germany to purchase bows, arrows, and other archery gear and equipment of only the highest quality.

Through its dedication to both high-quality brands and service, the store has continued to remain successful since first opening 12 years ago in Frostproof, and it’s only expected to continue experiencing such success at its new Bartow location.

“It isn’t the brand as much as it is the quality of service that I provide,” said owner David Brimlow. “The brand is a big staple point, but the service is what brings people here.”

The store’s new location celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony last Wednesday, which had previously been re-scheduled earlier that month by the Bartow Chamber of Commerce.

Brimlow decided to make the move to Bartow to place him closer to other locations such as Lakeland, Orlando, and Tampa, thus better facilitating customers driving from those locations.

Prior to opening his shop, Brimlow had plenty of experience as a proffesional archer, competing and even winning many state and national championships.

His skills were harnessed by one of the best archery coaches, Frank Gandy, a Bartow local who had been inducted into the National Field Archery Association (NFAA) Hall of Fame.

As someone who has served within archery proffesional, Brimlow brings with him a proffesional level of expertise and attention to detail, ensuring that everything that he sells is at a proffesional standard.

“That is what I bring myself,” he said. “Bringing the experience that I have as a proffesional shooter and hunter is different from any other shop. They may hunt a little bit, but my life revolves around it.”

As such, he considers his store to be less of a “bow shop” and more of a “pro shop”, with him being a proffesional archer providing proffesional service.

“I’m 100 percent pro-shop, not an archery shop,” he said. “I don’t just sling bows. I sell a service. Everything I do is about service.”

By moving into Bartow, his store has helped contribute to the city’s booming economic growth that has been growing over the past few years, explained Jeff Clark, Executive Director of the Bartow Chamber of Commerce.

Recently, the city opened an Aspen Dental, and will soon be opening its own Starbucks Coffee. Even more projects are currently on the table, and the city is excited that Spurlow’s has been one of their newest businesses, Clark said.

“We had a lot of activity going on, and we are so proud to have people move their business here,” he said. “I think the fact that even though it is a small business, they have a big reach from all over the world to this little shop. It is just amazing.”

As for Brimlow, he expects his business to continue to grow and do well, and hopefully his decades’ long commitment towards proffesional service will allow him to attract customers from far and near.

“I expect from what I have seen so far to grow by the end of the year businesswise,” he said. “Not sure where it will go from here, but I have a feeling that in the next three years I will outgrow this place and end up moving into a bigger store in Bartow.”

Spurlow’s is located at 1264 N Broadway Avenue in Bartow, right next store to Badcock and More.

For more information, call 863-635-0240, or visit their website at http://www.spurlowsoutfitters.com/

Miss Florida 2018 Crowned At RP Funding Center in Lakeland

Staff Reporter

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July 3, 2018

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Miss Florida 2018 Crowned At RP Funding Center in Lakeland

by James Coulter

Ever since she was a little girl, Taylor Tyson, 23, from Jupiter, FL always dreamed of being crowned Miss Florida.

She often attended beauty pageants when she was young, and just as she considered many former Miss Florida and Miss America winners as role models, so too did she aspire to be a similar role model for young girls.

Her dream finally became a reality on Saturday evening when she was crowned at the 2018 Miss Florida Competition at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.

“I still can’t believe it,” she said. “When my name was called on stage, it felt straight out of a dream, but it was everything that I imagined and more.”

Taylor shone bright as the Florida sun during the competition and its three categories.

For the talent portion, she exhibited her talent as a classically-trained pianist with more than 20 years of experience by performing the Mephisto Waltz by Franz Liszt.

In the lifestyle and fitness portion, she was able to showcase the best physical shape of her life upon competing a year ago.

And within the interview portion, she expressed her interests as a political science major by discussing funding for the disabled, specifically how the non-profit organization, For The Kids, helped her local community over the past 12 years.

Ever since she was a young girl, she had been engaged within talent competitions for scholarship programs, and she had since been competing within the Miss Florida program for the past three years.

Being able to win this year’s competition allowed her to achieve a lifelong dream of becoming an inspiration for young girls that she always aspired to be when she was growing up herself.

“[This allowed me] to be somebody who is filling the role that I as a younger girl looked up to, somebody who is involved in the community with academic goals who seeks to be a light to others, and that is something I am proud of,” she said.

Up until this point, she has had as many failures as she had successes, but she never allowed her failure to let her down, but rather motivate her to continue moving forward.

“It doesn’t matter what goes wrong in your life, what matters is what you make of it,” she said.

Helping her through this dream every step of the way has been her parents, without whose sacrifice she would not have been able to make it as far as she has.

“My parents have sacrificed so much to allow me the upbringing that I have, to inspire the goals that I have in my life,” she said.

Now that she has been crowned Miss Florida, she is anticipating serving the role she has been provided faithfully in an effort to make her home state a much better place.

The scholarship she has received through this program since starting three years ago has allowed her to graduate from college debt-free.

Upon finishing her current role, she aspires to one day fulfill a promising career as an attorney and legal analyst.

Until then, she will be assuming her role as Miss Florida by participating within several events across the state, and later competing within the upcoming Miss America competition this September.

“It is the greatest honor for me as a woman to receive this,” she said. “This competition encourages you to be the very best version of yourself, and it encourages you to be a very well-rounded person, so it’s not about looks or talents, it is who you are holistically.”

Man Arrested In Polk County For DUI Crash Is Osceola County Dispatcher

Poinciana

Staff Reporter

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July 3, 2018

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Man Arrested In Polk County For DUI Crash Is Osceola County Dispatcher

Polk County Sheriff’s Office Press Release

On Saturday, June 30, 2018, PCSO deputies arrested 39-year-old Michael Gonzalez of Kissimmee, for one count Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs (M-1).

According to the affidavit, around 9:30 p.m. that evening, deputies responded to a single-vehicle crash in the area of the Poinciana Parkway & Cypress Parkway in Poinciana, involving a Nissan Murano stuck in a ditch and surrounded by water. The vehicle had to be towed out of the ditch so the driver (Gonzalez) could exit the vehicle. Once he exited the vehicle, Gonzalez exhibited several signs of impairment before and during field sobriety tests. Gonzalez gave two breath samples at the PCSO booking facility, both of which displayed a breath alcohol level of .142. He was booked into the jail, and has since been released after posting $500 bond.

No other people were in the vehicle with him and no other vehicles were involved.

Gonzalez told deputies he has been a full-time dispatcher for the past two years at the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.

Tech Tuesday: How to Reduce Telemarketing and Robo Calls

Staff Reporter

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July 3, 2018

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Tech Tuesday: How to Reduce Telemarketing and Robo Calls

By : Kip Kirchberg

I work in a profession where my phone is the lifeline of my business. I cannot begin to count the number of calls I get from Marketers or Robo callers trying to refinance my home, get me better car insurance rates, or tell me my computer is infected with a virus. According to robocallindex.com 4.1 billion robocalls were placed in the first four months of 2018. That’s equates to about 12.5 calls per person, so I am not alone.

Well I have finally found a way to stop most of the calls and fight back against unwanted Robo calls. I utilize an app from Itunes called RoboKiller. Now this app is not free but in my opinion well worth the $2.99 per month or the $24.99 annually to keep me from answering unwarranted calls.

The app essentially filters all calls and checks the caller ID against a database to determine if the call is from a robot, spam, or a scammer. If the caller ID is not listed in the database the call will forward to your phone and complete as normal. If the caller ID has been flagged the call will forward to greeting of your choice and be sent to your personal spam box for future review.

Believe it or not there are actually some robo calls I want to get on my phone. Like a reminder from my Dentist for my semi-annual cleaning, drug store pickup reminder, or any other automated call I want to receive. Well RoboKiller will allow you to review blocked calls and whitelist numbers for the robo calls you want to receive.

For me the best part about the app is Answerbot. The answerbot will answer calls and play a user chosen recording like a Number Disconnected message or play an interactive response message. The interactive response is so good that some scammers sometimes think they are talking to a real person and simply waste their time by talking to a machine. These calls can be very entertaining and are captured for your listening pleasure in RoboKillers Spam box.

If you are like me and heavily rely on your phone for your business do yourself a favor and give RoboKiller a try. It is free for the first 30 days and if you like it sign up month to month or pay annually for a discount.

The app is available on Itunes and Google Play.

Here is an example of RoboKillers Answerbot at work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzas2QW4t4c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohP94NlvNWc

16th Annual Guest Bartender Bash Raises $50,000 For Boys & Girls Club

Winter Haven

Staff Reporter

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July 2, 2018

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16th Annual Guest Bartender Bash Raises $50,000 For Boys & Girls Club

by James Coulter

From the outside, the building at 650 6th Street SW in Winter Haven could easily be mistaken for any warehouse or industrial building.

But on the inside, Venue 650 is Winter Haven’s newest and biggest event venue, sporting an industrial chic style and providing enough space inside and out to facilitate more than 300 guests.

Winter Haven’s newest and hippest venue served as the location for the city’s hippest and most popular annual fundraiser, the Guest Bartender Bash

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Last Thursday evening, more than 300 guests mingled within this spacious facility, providing more than enough room for the nearly two dozen vendors that evening serving drinks and food.

Various local businesses set up their own booths to serve various cocktails and finger foods, including The Catering Company’s fried buffalo wontons, Spectrum Studio’s pineapple jalapeno fruit cocktail, and Ovation Bar and Grill’s barbecue nachos.

Having recently opened their second location in Winter Haven, this was the very first year that Ovation Bar and Grill participated in this year’s bash.

Cory Beckwich, Ovation’s catering events manager, had been involved with various events such as Smoke on the Water at the Boys and Girls Club of Polk County, for whom the proceeds raised during the annual bash benefit.

As such, Beckwich recommended that Ovation become involved with the fundraiser as a way to contribute to and become involved with the local community that they became a part of.

“When I heard this was for the club, I told the owner that we should jump on board, and it was awesome,” he said. “What better way to help than to raise money?”

This year also proved to be the very first time that other local businesses became involved with the event, as was the case with The Bike Shop.

Bike Shop owner, Stewart Mackie, and his team served up a special coffee cocktail with rum and tonic water.

Mackie had previously visited the event many times before, but this was the very first time that he had actively participated as a vendor.

“Raising money for the kids is what I love,” he said.

April Larence, owner of Spectrum Studio, had visited the event last year, and loved it so much that she and her team decided to also participate by serving sweet yet spicy fruit drinks with pineapple and jalapeno at their tropical bar.

“It is wonderful this year,” she said. “We have connections with some of the people who do the event. It was a lot of fun last year, and we wanted to do it again.”

For the past 16 years, the bash has been the main end-of-the-year fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Polk County, raising money for the end of its fiscal year as to help keep their facility open during the summer months.

The bash had its start at Tanner’s Lakeside before eventually being hosted by other local businesses such as Grove Roots last year and Venue 650 this year.

“They recently renovated this venue, and very generously made it available for us tonight, and people are raving about it,” said Kerry Wilson, former Boys and Girls Club president and board member. “So we’re having a great turnout and great support from the community.”

This year’s event raised more than $50,000, ensuring that the club will continue to provide a safe place for local children during the summer months.

“We will end up in the black because of this event this year,” Wilson said. “What great is to see so many people who believe in the notion of the boys and girls club and continue to support us every year.”

For more information about the Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida, visit their website at: http://www.ccbgc.com