Polk County Parks & Rec
Letters from the North Pole are officially on the way!
Today the team at Polk County Parks and Recreation heard from friends up at the North Pole that letters are on the way to families who registered all across Polk County. We’ll be looking forward to hearing from everyone when their letters come in!
Be sure to tag us at @PolkCountyParksandRecreation when your letters arrive. Happy Holidays!
Polk County Sheriff’s Office
On Saturday, December 9, 2023, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Polk County Animal Control will host its annual Pet Fest at their facility located at 7115 De Castro Road in Winter Haven (just off the Polk Parkway Winter Lake Road exit).
Pet adoptions are FREE and include spay/neuter, rabies vaccination, microchipping, and the county license.
Tons of vendors will be on-hand, including food and drink trucks and pet-friendly products. Kids’ activities include: face painting, balloon artists, bounce houses, train rides, and exotic animal petting.
Santa Claus will also be there for “Pets with Santa” photos.
For more information call 863-577-1762 or visit our website.
DECEMBER 14 UPDATE:
We are updating all our social media events and accounts at this time. Please share!
We hope to see you all there!
————
Original post:
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office will host their 4th annual “Ho! Ho! Ho! with the Po-Po” on Saturday, December 16, 2023, from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, at the Northeast District Command in Davenport.
The event is a free Christmas event for the public that is put together by deputies and other staff members who work at the PCSO substation that is located at 1100 Dunson Road, which is less than a mile north of the I-4 and US 27 intersection.
There will be many great photo opportunities for everyone as the parking lot of the command center will be transformed into a “Winter Wonderland,” to include Santa Claus and his elves.
Some amazing vendors will be set up, handing out cookies, candy canes, cocoa, and many more sweets, treats, and other freebies.
Parking for the event will be east of the substation at Ridgeview Global Studies Academy, and free shuttle service will be available for anyone who can’t make the short walk.
City of Auburndale
Lights in the Park will surely brighten your day! On December 7th (a Thursday), from 5:30 to 8:30 P.M., there will be holiday festivities including music, food trucks, faux snow machines, a glice skating rink, and Santa Claus located at 120 W. Park Street! Come on by, bring a friend or two, and enjoy the holiday festivities!
Winter Haven Celebrates 34th Carols in the Park
by James Coulter
For more than three decades, Winter Haven has rung in the holiday season with its annual Carols in the Park presented by Citizens Bank and Trust.
Last Saturday, more than several hundred performers from local school choirs performed holiday favorites for the 34th Annual Carols in the Park.
The annual holiday event was hosted in Central Park in Downtown Winter Haven, where attendees could hear holiday favorites performed by local school choirs.
Attendees could also peruse several dozen arts and crafts vendors, skate on an artificial ice-skating rink, and, of course, meet and take photos with Santa Claus himself.
Bonnie Parker, Senior Vice President of the Bank of Central Florida, was on the board of directors for the first committee to develop the event that is now Carols in the Park.
As someone who grew up playing flute in the school band, she especially enjoys being able to hear band students performing classic holiday tunes
Even though the number of craft vendors was relatively scant, this year’s event experienced a tremendous turnout, Parker said.
“You can hardly find an empty seat for all the different performing groups,” she said.
She owes its overall success to the event being a longstanding annual tradition warmly embraced by the community.
“The Chamber of Commerce ordered perfect Florida weather,” she quipped. “There is nothing more enjoyable this time of year than watching children sing and play Christmas carols, and being out, and doing shopping, and getting in the holiday spirit.”
Auburndale Police Department:
”We are reporting a bicycle theft at 131 Waterview Circle, Auburndale. The children at the home were playing outside with the bicycle, then went inside to get a snack. The bicycle was left outside near the sidewalk in their front yard for 10 minutes. When the children went back outside the bicycle was missing.
Video surveillance captured an unknown Hispanic Male exit a maroon Ford pickup truck, walk towards the bicycle, and pick up the bike and place it in the back of his truck and then drove away. The subject drove off in a maroon two tone Ford pickup truck bearing an unknown license plate.
The subject is described as a Hispanic male, last seen wearing a white baseball cap, red t-shirt, gray shorts, and dark color shoes.
Bicycle description was a pink and black Strider bicycle with Frozen stickers on the frame.
If you have any information, please contact Officer Nason at 863-965-5555 or by email [email protected]”
Elf On The Shelf and Polk County Sheriff’s Office’s Little Grady On The Loose In Polk County
Have you seen them? Elf On The Shelf and Little Grady have been running around Polk County engaging in some shenanigans! If you spot them- let us know!!
Recent sightings:
Mrs. Nettles’ 4th grade class at Sikes Elementary
Camping with Pack 528 of Davenport
Little Grady spotted at the Mulberry Walmart Loss Prevention Office
Where else will they go? You never know!
City of Winter Haven:
We Posted New Job Opportunities!
Openings Include:
Learn More: https://ow.ly/3pzv50QbYC7
Auburndale Police Department
You can help a child experience a wonderful holiday season!
The Auburndale Police Department is hosting a Toys for Tots Toy Drive. It runs until December 15th. Toys must be new and unwrapped.
The collection box will be located in the Auburndale Police Department’s lobby located at 2 Bobby Green Plaza, Auburndale, FL 33823. Hours are Monday – Friday, 8am – 5pm.
For more information, please contact (863) 965-5555.
Information gathered from United States Consumer Product Safety Commision
November 30
Hazard:
The recalled bassinets violate the Safe Sleep for Babies Act because they were marketed for infant sleep and have an incline angle greater than 10 degrees. Infant fatalities have occurred in inclined sleeper products after the infants rolled from their back to their stomach or side while unrestrained, or under other circumstances. The bassinets also violate the Infant Sleep Products regulation because they do not have a stand.
Remedy:
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled bassinets and contact Peg Perego for instructions on how to receive a full refund or repair instructions for the recalled bassinets. Consumers who purchased their bassinet for a stroller system or with a stand will be given instructions on how to disable the backrest recline adjustment feature. Peg Perego will offer a $50 cash incentive for consumers who provide proof of backrest disengagement for bassinets part of this recall. Consumers who solely purchased the bassinet should return the product for a full refund. Peg Perego and Amazon are contacting all known purchasers directly.
Units:
About 550
Consumer Contact:
Website: https://us.pegperego.com/store/pegus/en_US/recalls
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: (877) 737-3464
November 30
Hazard:
The recalled mattresses violate multiple provisions of the federal safety regulation for crib mattresses, including the thickness test and missing warnings and labels. The product poses a suffocation hazard to infants.
Remedy:
Consumers should immediately stop using and destroy the pack and play mattresses by cutting them in half, then contact DODO Baby House to send photos of destroyed recalled products for a full refund. DODO Baby House and Amazon are contacting all purchasers directly.
Units:
About 1,650
Consumer Contact:
E-mail: [email protected]
November 30
Hazard:
The recalled mattresses violate multiple provisions of the Safety Standard for Crib Mattresses, including the firmness and thickness tests and missing warnings and labels. The product poses a suffocation hazard to infants.
Remedy:
Consumers should immediately stop using and destroy the mattresses by cutting them in half and contact Beyond Baby [email protected] to send photos of destroyed recalled products for a full refund. Beyond Baby and Amazon are contacting all purchasers directly.
Units:
About 820
Consumer Contact:
E-mail: [email protected]
November 16
Hazard:
The stems of the toy mushrooms can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children.
Remedy:
Consumers should immediately take the recalled toys away from young children and return them to any Target store for a full refund or contact Target to receive a prepaid return label to return the toy set by mail. Target is contacting all known purchasers directly.
Units:
About 1,850
Consumer Contact:
Website: https://help.target.com/help/
Phone: (800) 440-0680
November 2
Hazard:
The bath seats fail to meet the federal safety regulation for infant bath seats, including requirements for stability and leg openings, and can tip over while in use, posing a drowning hazard to babies.
Remedy:
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled infant bath seats and contact UncleWu Life to receive a pre-paid label to return the infant bath seat. Upon receipt of the returned infant bath seats, consumers will be issued a full refund. UncleWu Life and Amazon are notifying all known purchasers directly.
Units:
About 360
Consumer Contact:
Website: http://www.unclewulife.com/
E-mail: [email protected]
November 2
Hazard:
The recalled loungers fail to meet the safety requirements of CPSC’s Infant Sleep Products Rule, creating an unsafe sleeping environment for infants and posing a suffocation risk and fall and entrapment hazards to infants. The failures include not having a stand and not meeting the requirements for side height and fabric-sided openings. The product’s sides are shorter than the minimum side height limit; the sleeping pad’s thickness exceeds the maximum limit; and an infant could fall out of an enclosed opening at the foot of the lounger or become entrapped.
Remedy:
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled baby loungers and contact Yoocaa Direct for instructions on how to receive a full refund and properly dispose of the product. Yoocaa Direct and Amazon are contacting all known purchasers directly.
Units:
About 4,140
Consumer Contact:
Website: https://yoocaa.com/pages/safety-recall
E-mail: [email protected]
October 26
Hazard:
The activity centers’ straps can detach or break while a child is in the activity center, posing fall and injury hazards to the child.
Remedy:
Consumers should stop using the recalled activity centers immediately and contact Dorel for a replacement. Consumers will be instructed to cut through the straps of the activity centers and send a photo of the cut straps to Dorel to receive a free replacement activity center.
Units:
About 115,700
Consumer Contact:
Website: https://www.coscokids.com/
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: (877) 657-9546
© 2026 Dailyridge.com | All rights reserved.
