Winter Haven Public Safety:
This Saturday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., bring all of your unused or expired medications for safe disposal. And yes, we take pet medications too. In the Police Department parking lot, located at 125 N. Lake Silver Dr., NW.
Winter Haven High School Presents Blue Devil 5k Dash On May 13
Winter Haven High School presents the Blue Devil Dash. A 5k to raise money for Denison Stadium. The 5k course will start in the parking lot on the east side of the Chamber of Commerce and finish at the same place.
Packet Pickup information: TBD
Race Day Registration: 7:00AM
Race Start: 8:00AM
Awards: 9:00AM (TBD)
Busy May 13th, but still want to contribute? You can donate through the registration page, or join us virtually! Virtual athletes will be able to upload their results to the results page after the event.
Register here:
Registration is $35.
863 Art Fest Gets Artsy for 9th Annual Event
863 Art Fest Gets Artsy for 9th Annual Event
by James Coulter
For most people, cigar boxes are good for mostly storing stogies. However, for an artist like Kathy Graziami, these boxes are perfect for creating dioramas.
From little gnome homes to doll houses, Kathy has created countless creations using leftover cigar boxes. Some serve as downtown New York-style pizzerias. Others serve as a little home for Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
As a retiree, Kathy creates her crafts as a way to keep her mind busy through all the free time retirement grants her. She has showcased her cigar box dioramas and bottle art at the Holiday Market and 863 Art Fest in Winter Haven.
“I have done the Christmas show here, and I decided to do the spring show,” she said. “Lots of vendors with a really good crowd. And good weather. So that is all you can ask for.”
More than 100 vendors congregated in Central Park in Downtown Winter Haven on Sunday for the 9th Annual 863 Art Fest. From glass figurines to homemade wreaths, anything and everything that could be made into art were showcased on Saturday.
Married couple Laurie and Caroline Hart displayed their painted wooden plaques. Though they often paint Disney characters, they often derive their inspiration from the natural world with birds and turtles. During the event, they showcased art commissioned for Chef Jason Smith.
The Harts have been coming back time and again to 863 Art Fest. What has allowed the event to remain successful for them and everyone else has been the hard work and dedication of the event organizer, Sergio Cruz.
“He should be able to do more events like this that bring the community together,” Caroline Hart said. “We are local artists, so this is a full-time job. So to have events like this helps our small business. A lot of people come from out of town. He does a great job at advertising.”
This year’s event was 25 percent bigger than last year’s, Cruz explained. He owes its growth and success to advertising. He heavily promotes his events on social media, promoting not only the venue itself but the individual artists who attend.
“Every single vendor shares all our social media work, and I ask that everyone does their part so we can grow as a team,” he said. “The 863 has shown that it brings the community together to encourage people and motivate them into the cultural artwork. It is overwhelming and very encouraging.”
AED Installed at Boys & Girls Club Citrus Center
AED Installed at Boys & Girls Club Citrus Center
by James Coulter
Melanie Brown Culpepper has assisted the Boys and Girls Club of Polk County for more than a decade by volunteering through fundraisers like Smoke on the Water and EggFest. Now she had given back to the organization by donating an automated external defibrillator (AED) to their facility.
The Culpepper Cardiac Foundation donated its 10th AED to the Boys and Girls Club Citrus Center in Winter Haven. The AED was installed in the facility’s lobby along with a plaque commemorating the late Kenneth Cogdill, a local youth pastor towhom the AED was donated in memory.
Mike Hosier, who has served as the unit director for the facility since March, appreciates the donation, as it will allow his organization to better provide for the safety of their children.
“I think it is a lifesaver, both figuratively and literally,” he said. “You can never be too safe when it comes to the life of the young people that we serve. It is important to have life-saving equipment when the situation presents itself. Thank God we have not had a situation where we have needed it. Safety is our number one priority. You can never be too safe when it comes to the life of our children.”
The AED was sponsored by Fred, Melissa, and Mary Cogdill in memory of Kenneth Cogdill. Fred and Melissa also sponsored the AED that was installed at the Cypress Gardens Ski Team stadium at Lake Silver in Winter Haven. They are also members of the Spankin Sadie band that had performed at various fundraisers for the Culpepper Cardiac Foundation.
“Any way we can help to make things better, we are all for it,” Fred said. “We are for them whenever they need it. They are a great organization, and we look forward to helping with them more.”
“We are happy this will be in the youth center,” said Melissa. “A lot of things are not considered for the youth when it comes to cardiac issues, but they happen a lot.”
Melanie Brown started Culpepper Cardiac Foundation two years ago following the death of her late fiancée, Michael Culpepper, who passed away from cardiac arrest. Since then, she has raised money to assist local firefighters and other first responders and install AEDs throughout the county.
Her organization has installed ten AEDs at local businesses and organizations, including Melanie’s Cutting Edge, Old Man Frank’s, Winter Haven Boxing Club, The Mission of Winter Haven, the Winter Haven Moose Lodge, the Bartow American Legion, the First Presbyterian Church of Lake Alfred, and Caribbean Bay.
Another AED will be installed at Tanner’s Lakeside later this month. She also plans on installing two more AEDs over the next month, and she will be raising money for two scholarships to be conferred in May to eligible fire, EMT, and medicalstudents.
“This one [donation] touched me a lot as I’ve helped the Boys and Girls Club for 11 years now and have helped raise money throughout the years to support them,” she explained. “Curtis Reddick who has been there for years has been here for me no matter what event I’ve had and it’s what friends do in helping one another.”
The donation of the AED at the Boys and Girls Club received a significant turnout, as many of Codgill’s family and friends attended to show their support for their late loved one.
“I was overwhelmed in disbelief in how many showed up to support us in putting up this AED and it meant so much to me to see the way their family all pulled together to be here in support of Their love for Kenneth Cogdill who also had heart problems,” Melanie said.
“I just want to thank everyone who helps donate, support, sponsor, and shows up to help raise money for Culpepper’s Cardiac Foundation,” she continued. “Without you all we couldn’t do this as it takes us all as a community pulling together to make this happen. If we save one person this is all worth it. It could be your family member or even your own life you saving.”
For more information about the Culpepper Cardiac Foundation, visit their website at: https://honoringculpepper.com
FDOT Traffic Advisory: SR540 Around-the-Clock Lane Closures Scheduled Week of Sunday April 16
FDOT Traffic Advisory: SR540 Around-the-Clock Lane Closures Scheduled Week of Sunday April 16
BARTOW, Fla.: Work in the median of SR 540 (Cypress Gardens Boulevard), between US 17 and 1st Street North in Winter Haven, will require around the clock single lane closures in each direction for approximately one week, starting at 8 p.m., Sunday night, April 16, and lasting through 5 a.m., Friday morning, April 21.
In the early morning hours on Monday crews will close the inside lanes (closest to the median), repaint the striping and adjust the signal heads to direct traffic through the reduced number of lanes. The lane closures are necessary to safely construct the permanent traffic separator between US 17 and 2nd Street Southwest.
“We tried to avoid closing any lanes on Cypress Gardens Boulevard during the day, but readjusting the signal heads and pavement striping to align with traffic before and after each shift will not allow enough time to complete the actual work each night,” said Kevin Morrisey, FDOT Bartow Operations Construction Engineer. “Keeping the lanes closed around the clock is much safer for the traveling public as well as workers and shortens the time to complete the work by half or more,” added Morrisey.
A similar process may have to be repeated when crews install a drainage structure at the northeast corner of US 17 and Cypress Gardens Boulevard, currently planned for a few weeks from now. At that time only westbound lanes will be affected. Watch for portable message signs alerting motorists to the upcoming closures.
Motorists can expect heavy traffic and delays in the area and may want to seek alternate routes during the closures. Use caution, be prepared to merge and watch for law enforcement officers helping direct traffic.
The work next week is estimated to take the entire week, but lanes will be reopened as soon as possible.
This work is part of an ongoing project to resurface US 17, SR 540 and 1st Street, add turn lanes, lengthen existing turn lanes, replace the temporary traffic separators with a permanent concrete traffic separator on SR 540, improve crosswalk striping and add pedestrian countdown signals, upgrade signal equipment and replace streetlights with LED lights. Expected project completion is early 2024. For more information about the project visit www.swflroads.com/project/444050-1.
9th Annual 863 Art Fest April 15
9th Annual 863 Art Fest
April 15, 3023 from 10am-4pm.
FREE COMMUNITY EVENT handicap & pet-friendly! More than 100 fine arts and crafts vendors, food trucks, live music, and many other great local vendors!
LOTS OF FREE PARKING AVAILABLE!
Central Park
469 W Central Ave.
Winter Haven, FL.
33881
Winter Haven Fire Department Rehangs American Flag After It Blew Down
Main Street Winter Haven – Special shoutout to the Winter Haven Fire Department for going the extra mile and stopping to rehang Old Glory after it blew down in recent hurricanes. Looking good up there!
Cypresswood Ladies Golf Group Results
Cypresswood Ladies Golf Group Results:
Cypresswood Ladies Golf Group
April 11, 2023
5 Shortest Holes – Net
1st Place Missy Finch 15
2nd Place Linda King 16
3rd Place Jill Atchinson 17
1099 Clubhouse Rd.
Winter Haven, FL 33884
863-324-6174
$1,000 First Place Prize To Be Awarded At Bass Fishing Tournament Hosted By Tanners Lakeside April 15
Tanners Lakeside
Fishing friends, family, and anyone that would like to participate!!!
One of our amazing friends has been fighting leukemia for some time now and has been kicking its butt! Recently, Robert Anthony Cutrupi found out he will need to start treatments, and we want to help him out in every way we can!
EL’s Mobile Fleet Services, LLC is going to sponsor the 1st place prize of $1,000.00.
Big fish will pay out $250.00 as well.
Entry fee: $100.00 per boat!
As more donations come, in the prize value and placing will increase!
The after party and weigh in will be Tanners Lakeside at 3pm.
Fisherman’s Candystore is also going to be donating some awesome raffle prizes!
We will also have a 50/50 raffle!
The The Nathan Baldwin Band will be playing as live entertainment at Tanners as well! Thank you Nathan Baldwin and Nicky Godwin!
All proceeds will be going back to the Cutrupi family to help Rob with his fight.
This is the first time we’ve ever held an event, but we have some awesome people helping us get it rolling.
- Any local businesses that would like to help out by donating raffle prizes or a monetary donation, please call or text me.
- Anybody who wants to pre register can call me.
Registration will be open the morning of the tournament as well. - Take off is at safe daylight from the new Lake Shipp boat ramp.
Weigh in will be at Tanners at 3:00 pm.
We appreciate everyone and look forward to seeing everyone come out and support a great family!
FREE Cypress Gardens Water Ski Show April 15
Cypress Gardens Water Ski Show
Saturday, April 15
Enjoy the Chain O’ Lakes Big Band performance 4:00 PM
Bicycles Slow Roll from THE BIKE SHOP to Lake Silver at 4:30 PM
FREE Cypress Gardens Water Ski Show 5:00 PM
Bring your lawn chair!
Concessions available
