Superheroes, Clowns, and Zombies Participated in Trick or Treat Contest at Winter Haven Saturday Market.

Superheroes. Super villains. Cave people. undead ballerinas and creepy puppets. All of these and more were some of the costumed characters who arrived at last week’s Winter Haven Saturday Market to participate in the annual Trick or Treat Contest.

Several hundred people dressed in costume and took selfies of themselves to upload to the event’s Facebook page last Saturday. The photos that received the most likes and comments were able to select one of the countless prizes at the prize table later that afternoon.

The top winner was Isabella McCaffery, a little girl dressed up as the children’s character Strawberry Shortcake. Her photo on Facebook received 147 likes and 11 shares. 

She was one of the nearly 100 people who participated in the contest that day. In fact, so many people uploaded photos to the event’s Facebook page that it experienced technical difficulties, explained Sergio Cruz, event organizer.

“I am having trouble with Facebook today because I have uploaded so many pictures and videos that it is not allowing me to keep up,” Cruz said. “That is how busy and how wonderful this event is going on.”

This year’s event drew in a larger crowd than the previous year. Thousands of attendees arrived to peruse the nearly 100 vendors and participate in the day’s festivities including the costume contest.

“Yesterday was about three times bigger and larger in attendance than last year, probably 4,500 to 5,500 people attended without a doubt,” Cruz said. “The number of [attendees] is always much higher than the actual numbers on the event page, so if the event page had 3300 interested and going you figure the actual attendance was much higher.”

Cruz hopes that even more people attend next year and that the crowds continue for their upcoming Haven Holiday Market, to be hosted on Sat. Nov. 18 in Downtown Winter Haven.

“It is above expectations, it is much better than last year,” Cruz said. “Haven Holiday Market will be bigger. We sold out a month ago, but it is four times the size of this.”

For more information, visit their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/WinterHavenSaturdayMarkets

Sergio Cruz was the most recent guest on the Chattin on the Ridge podcast, where he discussed the event and the upcoming Haven Holiday Market. Listen to it here: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/IYBzfxRmiEb

City of Eagle Lake, FL

Celebrate Halloween with us this year, at the park behind Eagle Lake City Hall! Welcoming ghouls, goblins, superheroes and princesses for a family-friendly trick-or-treating.

We will also have a DJ, food vendors, inflatable fun for the kids, a rock climbing wall, and kid friendly games!

This event is FREE to the public, and we would love for you to join us!

Oct 31 from 6-8pm

More Than 400 Guests Attended Heart 4 Winter Haven Annual Vision Banquet

by James Coulter

Heart 4 Winter Haven, true to its name, is an organization that has a heart for its community, specifically for the local homeless and impoverished. Their mission statement is to eliminate childhood poverty within Polk County by 2030.

Evidently, plenty of other people in the community agree with them and their mission. More than 400 guests attended the organization’s annual vision banquet, hosted on Thursday at Heartland Church in Winter Haven.

That evening’s festivities drew in a full house with guests enjoying dinner catered by The Catering Company and musical performances provided by the First Baptist Choir.

Representatives from Heart 4 Winter Haven also shared stories about their organization’s great work toward accomplishing their overall goal of eliminating poverty–especially childhood poverty–from Winter Haven and the whole county.

President Brad Beatty was delighted by that evening’s turnout. Not only did he enjoy being able to mingle with residents and entrepreneurs who share his organization’s vision and mission, but he also appreciated how so many supported their shared goal of assisting the local homeless and impoverished.

“Our expectations for tonight, it [the banquet] has exceeded every other event we have done,” Beatty said. “It is already off to a great start financially, so we are excited to see what is going to happen here tonight…We are enjoying the energy from a great group of people from all over Winter Haven.”

Proceeds from the banquet will go toward financing their organization’s services and programs. One such program, the Housing Partnership of Winter Haven, helps to re-house homeless families, especially those with young children in local schools.

“Our organization is laser-focused on ending child homelessness by the end of the year 2030, so that supports all the programs that we will need to support families to get them re-housed and to get them stabilized so we can put child homelessness to an end,” Beatty said. “It is our 2030 goal is to end child homelessness, so we have a lot of work to do, it requires housing and inventory and doing a lot to equip families to make them more stable, so we have a lot of work ahead.”

To learn more about Heart 4 Winter Haven, visit their website at: https://www.heart4wh.org/

More Than 70 Boats Showcased at Winter Haven Boat Show Hosted by Marine Supply

by James Coulter

From large pontoons and deck boats to small jet skis, more than 70 boats new and used were showcased during a recent boat show hosted by Marine Supply, the Boating Center.

Last weekend, the boat show was hosted in the parking lot of Publix Supermarket along Cypress Gardens Boulevard and across the street from Legoland Florida in Winter Haven.

More than 70 boats large and small, old and new, were displayed, from a $2,000 little boat package to a $80,000 pontoon. Attendees could browse and purchase these vehicles as well as enjoy hot dogs, drinks, and other refreshments.

“The turnout [this weekend] is a little lower, but that is typical for this time of year and economy, but it is a beautiful day, we are selling boats, so we are happy,” said Trisha Gurr, Vice President of Marine Supply, the Boating Center.

For more than 70 years, Marine Supply, the Boating Center has been Winter Haven’s premier boating venue selling, trading, and repairing boats. From Hurricane and Speedrunner boats to pontoons and deck boats, they sell boats brand new and used.

“We have plenty of great used boats,” Gurr said. “We can restore your boat and get it back on the water. We can repair your boat and sell you accessories. We are the full package and we are located on the Chain of Lakes.”

Marine Supply, the Boating Center is located at 717 6th St SW, Winter Haven, FL 33880. For more information, visit their website at: https://www.marinesupplyboats.com/

Want to Set Up a Sidewalk Cafe in Downtown Winter Haven? Here’s How Much You’ll Need to Pay for the Application Fee.

by James Coulter

Who doesn’t enjoy being able to eat outdoors? Especially during this time of year? What better way to enjoy a piping hot pumpkin spice latte at your favorite cafe than feeling the brisk autumn breeze passing by?

Cafes and eateries in Downtown Winter Haven will soon be able to set up outdoor seating along the sidewalk. However, they’ll need to pay an application fee to do so.

At their recent meeting, Winter Haven City Commissioners adopted a sidewalk café application fee schedule for downtown eateries wanting to provide outdoor seating.

Sidewalk cafes using existing infrastructure along sidewalks or public right-of-way will need to pay $150 for their first application, while cafes creating their own infrastructure will need to pay $300.

Annual renewal rates will depend upon the type of outdoor dining provided. For sidewalk cafe uses other than restaurants, food sales/service, or alcoholic drinking establishments, the annual renewal fee will be $100. Sidewalk cafés less than 200 square feet in area will pay $200, while those greater than 200 square feet in area will pay $300.

“This is a relatively minor expense in staff’s opinion for the expansion of a footprint in which to serve,” said City Manager T Michael Stavres. “Keep in mind, because these are in the CRA, there is a grant application process up to $3,000 toward the actual furniture to get on the space that businesses can avail themselves to.”

Currently, in Downtown Winter Haven, construction and renovation are underway on the north side of Central Avenue between 3rd and 4th Street. Concrete is being poured to install pavers and to create barricades along the right-of-way.

“I believe that we are hot and heavy toward our target completion goal,” City Manager Stavres said. Another city staff member claimed that construction could wrap up as soon as Thanksgiving weekend.

City Commissioner Brain Yates asked if it would be possible for the City Commission to discuss the fee schedule again at another meeting if they passed the resolution. City Manager Stavres said it was always possible for them to circle back to the resolution for further discussion if it passes.

“It is a pretty small insignificant cost,” Commissioner Yates said. “But the financial impact…a lot of the businesses downtown has been felt because of this construction that is taking place. Be that it is small, I think it could go a long way to helping a small business move forward…I am fine with passing it tonight because I do think new businesses as they come in should be charged that fee to utilize that space.”

Mayor Pro Tiem Nathan Birdsong asked about the potential financial impact of the fee, asking how many businesses would be able to avail themselves of the cafes in place. City Manager Stavres estimated that 20 to 24 cafes were currently in the downtown area, and that, if they paid the $150 application fee, they would generate roughly $3,000. “A very small amount maximum,” he said.”

Mayor Brad Dantzler asked whether it would be possible to make roads that run alongside sidewalk cafes be one-way streets rather than two lanes. City Manager Stavres replied that implementing that idea would be a challenge, as it would require considering the flow of existing traffic.

“The catch-22 is that you have to figure out what is the opposite pair [of roads],” he said. “So, if you have a one-way road to the east only, then you have to come up with another road to pick up the westbound traffic. Part of the challenge in downtown [is that] you have to align that with where the [traffic] signals are so there is no gridlock with traffic flow.”

City Commissioners voted unanimously on the resolution, adopting the sidewalk cafe application fee schedule.

Want To Win a Prize for Your Costume? Come to the Halloween Trick or Treat Costume Contest in Downtown Winter Haven This Saturday

by James Coulter

What could be better than getting free candy in your trick-or-treat costume? How about winning hundreds upon hundreds of dollars worth of grand prizes? You have a chance to do exactly that at the Winter Haven Saturday Market this Saturday at Central Park in Downtown Winter Haven.

The Winter Haven Saturday Market will be hosting its annual Halloween Trick or Treat Costume Contest this Saturday. From 9 am until 2 pm, attendees can come dressed in their Halloween costumes (and their pets can come dressed up in costume, too!), take a selfie of themselves, and upload their photo to the Winter Haven Saturday Market Facebook page. The people who receive the most likes will be able to pick one of countless prizes from the market’s prize table around 2:30 pm.

More than 27 participants won prizes at last year’s inaugural costume contest, and expectations for this year’s event remain high, explained Sergio Cruz, director of Central Florida Event Vendors, which hosts the bimonthly Winter Haven Holiday Market in Downtown Winter Haven.

“This year, we only expect things to get better and bigger,” he said. “So, we are very, very excited, and we look forward to seeing our local families from Winter Haven. It is something they cannot miss. It is beautiful. It is very well attended. We have over 80, close to 100, vendors. It is a lot of fun. It is a wonderful and beautiful Halloween experience and we highly recommend everyone attend to experience it.”

For more than a decade, Sergio Cruz has been hosting the Winter Haven Saturday Markets to help support local artisans and craftsmen sell their merchandise, as well as draw people to beautiful Downtown Winter Haven. More than 80 vendors attend this bimonthly market.

Last year, he decided to host the costume contest. More than a hundred people came dressed in costume and uploaded their photos to the event’s Facebook page, and 27 participants walked away with prizes.

“It was overwhelming,” he said. “It was so beautiful. It was amazing. We had hundreds of hundreds of families and a lot of kids trick or treating, dressed up real beautifully. It was very top-notch, almost like being at Universal Studios or any theme park in Orlando. It was a great success, and people loved it.”

Another major holiday-themed event will be hosted next month in the form of the annual Haven Holiday Market, to be hosted on Sat. Nov. 18. More than a hundred vendors will be participating, and thousands of attendees are expected to arrive.

The Halloween Trick or Treat Costume Contest will be hosted at the upcoming Winter Haven Saturday Market on Sat. Oct. 28 from 9 am to 3 pm, located at Central Park in Downtown Winter Haven across from the public library.

For more information, visit their Facebook page at:https://www.facebook.com/WinterHavenSaturdayMarkets

Sergio Cruz discussed both the Halloween and Christmas events on the latest episode of the Chattin on the Ridge podcast. Listen to the episode at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chattinontheridge/episodes/Ep–14-Sergio-Cruz-e2au540

Haines City Police Department

Haines City Police investigators need your help in finding a missing 14-year-old boy. On Oct 24 at 11 a.m., Robles Canales JeanCarlos was taken to Haines City High by his mother. She decided to sign him out and take him to his father. Robles, who didn’t want to go to his father’s house, left the school. He was wearing black pants, a black shirt, and white sneakers, and carrying a black Michael Jordan backpack. Anyone with information should call the Police Department at 863-421-3636.

Winter Haven Public Safety Department

** EXTENDED ROAD CLOSURE NOTICE **
Road repairs and paving will be conducted for the new Staybridge Hotel along Ave. D NW between Hwy 17 and 5th St. NW has been extended thru Friday, October 27, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
During the closure, the contractor will alternate from one lane to the other, however it is advised for drivers to plan alternate routes during this time.

original post:

** ROAD CLOSURE NOTICE **
Road repairs and paving will be conducted for the new Staybridge Hotel along Ave. D NW between Hwy 17 and 5th St. NW on Wednesday, October 25 and Thursday, October 26, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Lanes will be open overnight.
During the closure, the contractor will alternate from one lane to the other, however it is advised for drivers to plan alternate routes during this time.

Painted Vases and Handmade Quilts Sold at Annual Lake Ashton Craft Fair

by James Coulter

Lynda Warden is a member of the Lake Ashton Blankets of Love. She and her fellow quilters, which consists of 150 club members, sew blankets that they then donate to children in need across Polk County. Last year, they donated more than 1,500 blankets to children at local schools and through the guardian ad litem program.

Every year, they host a sale to raise money so they can purchase fabric. This year, they attended the annual Lake Ashton Craft Fair to sell some of their blankets to help raise their proceeds. Warden and her group had attended several years ago, and they decided to return this year.

“I like to see all the people and talk to all the people,” Warden said. “Everyone here is nice.”

The Lake Ashton Blankets of Love were one of nearly one hundred vendors who participated in this year’s Craft Fair hosted at Lake Ashton Clubhouse in Lake Wales. Last Saturday, these vendors showcased their diverse arts and crafts for visitors to peruse and purchase, from holiday wreaths and scarfs to gnome dolls and plastic ornaments.

Rick Arnold is a local musician and artist who has performed at many events at Lake Ashton. Aside from performing music, he also created oil paintings and painted vases. His oil paintings are created through oil and acrylic paint, and his vases are painted with acrylic. In either case, he usually paints landscapes and patriotic portraits.

Arnold has many friends who reside at Lake Ashton, which is how he learned about the craft fair. He has been attending for the past few years, with this year being his third. He loves to come back time and again for the good company.

“I keep coming back because of the good people and the good show,” he said. “It is just a very nice place to set up right, it is a good place to come and find a bunch of good prints.”

Joan DiBattista, President of The Lake Ashton Veterans Association Auxiliary, hosts this fair with her organization to raise money for charity. Every year, they choose a local organization to donate to. This year, they chose K9 for Veterans. This year drew in more than 6,000 visitors, and the proceeds they generate through it will most certainly go to a good cause, Joan said.

“The turnout has been tremendous,” she said. “We have had more than 6,000 people turn out thus far. So we know it has been the highest count. We can make a nice contribution to our veterans charity and the vendors want to come again next year.”

You Won’t Believe How Many Animatronics This Auburndale High Schooler Uses to Decorate His Lawn For Halloween

by James Coulter

They say spooky scary skeletons send shivers down your spines. When joined by zombies, killer clowns, and other monsters, they’re sure to send shivers all throughout your body. And where can you find all of these creepy creatures this Halloween? How about on the lawn of a local Auburndale high school student?

For nearly a decade, Matthew Reynolds, 17, has been collecting animatronic displays and other Halloween decorations. Many he purchases from Halloween stores like Spirit Halloween. Others, he bought online through websites like eBay. And others he managed to custom-build and repair himself.

“Ever since I was little I have always had a passion for animatronics, mainly Halloween ones,” he said. “My father did a few Halloween yard displays when I was little, when I was around 10 I started collecting these Halloween animatronics myself. Since then I have grown a collection of over 50 animatronic characters of all different rarities, some way older than others.”

Every year, on Halloween, Matthew showcases his collection of animatronics and decorations in his front yard for his annual Haunted Yard display. Planning usually starts months in advance, and setting up the decorations starts early in October. Oftentimes, it requires him to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to do so.

Once completed, his yard and even house are open on Halloween night for trick-or-treaters and other guests to come and peruse his collection of ghosties and ghoulies and other creepy creatures, all set to motion on a ghoulish display.

Having procured most of his decorations from Spirit of Halloween, Matthew has fallen in love with the store so much that he is currently living his dream–or rather, his nightmare–of working there. He began working at the Davenport location last year and is now working again this year.

His experience collecting and repairing these animatronics has allowed him to gain an interest in mechanical engineering. Matthew will be graduating from Auburndale High School theyear after, and he will be later attending college. Matthew expects to bring his love of animatronics along with him.

“Animatronics, in general, as I get older, I plan to kind of shift away from Spirit [of Halloween] and move onto engineering in general,” he said. “So, I will still be in the Halloween industry doing my passion, but it will be engineering for sure. As far as plans for the future, I still plan on doing the display as long as I can imagine, but next year is my senior year…I am looking to get than engineering degree in animatronics [and possibly moving onto] Disney [or] Universal.”

The Haunted Yard will be on Display this Halloween on Oct. 31 from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. The yard is located at 136 Patterson Drive in Auburndale, FL.

To learn more about Matthew Reynolds and his Haunted Yard, listen to the most recent episode of the Chattin on the Ridge podcast where he appears as a guest: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/WaStfZPX3Db