Haines City is wrapping up 2025 with one more unforgettable event—the Centennial Celebration on the Ridge, a special community gathering honoring 100 years of history, progress, and hometown pride.
The city is inviting residents and visitors to come together for an afternoon filled with celebration. Guests can enjoy delicious food, exciting kids’ activities, and live entertainment designed for all ages. The evening will conclude with a spectacular firework display lighting up the sky above Lake Eva.
This family-friendly celebration is all about honoring the past while looking forward to the next century of growth, unity, and community spirit.
Event Details
Saturday, December 20, 2025
Lake Eva Park
4:00 – 7:00 PM
Bring your friends, your family, and your love for Haines City—this is a milestone worth celebrating. Let’s make this centennial moment one to remember!
Patricia Gale (Loftin) Prindle returned to her Heavenly home on December 3, 2025, to join her husband, Alvis Richard Prindle, her 2 sons, Monty Ray Prindle and Cecil Bruce Prindle, her parents, Nelleve (Manley) Slawson and Buford Earl Slawson.
Joining the reunion will be her sisters Edna Lorene Farmer and LaVerne Yvonne Prindle, and countless other family and friends.
Patricia was born on July 1, 1941, and is survived by her daughters, Velda Gale (Prindle) Green and her husband, Ace Green, and Michelle Kay Prindle-Martin and her husband Rickey Martin, along with 14 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren and her sister Wanda Nell Christian.
Throughout her life Patricia was known for her loving and giving spirit, her hospitality, beautiful cakes, wonderful floral arrangements, and the paintings she created for those she loved. Over the years she supported multiple military wife’s clubs during Rick’s 24 years in the Navy, served church members, and worked at the Orlando Florida Temple.
Viewing was held December 11, 2025 at Ott-Laughlin Funeral Home in Winter Haven, Florida, and graveside services will be at Peaceful Gardens Memorial Park in Lubbock, Texas on December 19, 2025, at 1 pm. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to American Heart Association, in Patricia Prindle’s name.
This Local Woman is Collecting “Toys 4 Our Town” to Give to Families in Need by James Coulter
Christmas is right around the corner. Have you done your Christmas shopping yet?
Sadly, many families are unable to afford gifts for the holidays. That’s why one local woman works tirelessly to collect Christmas presents for families in need.
Every December, Melanie Brown Culpepper hosts Toys 4 Our Town to collect and distribute holiday gifts for children and families in Winter Haven. Last year alone saw more than 1,100 donations.
Melanie was inspired to start the toy drive eight years ago after participating in a toy drive that distributed the collected gifts outside of Winter Haven, but not within the city itself.
“I didn’t like the fact that the toys were being sent to places that nobody knew where they were going, and I wanted to make sure that kids right here in our town were being taken care of, so I decided to start my own [toy drive] right here,” she said.
Old Man Franks will be collecting donations at its Bad Santa party on Fri. Dec. 19 starting at 7 PM. Additional toy drop-off locations will be at Melanie’s Cutting Edge, Gary’s Grove, Jessie’s Lounge, Somewhere Sports Bar, and Twisted Prop Bar & Grille.
Neurodivergent Diversions: 2025 Holiday Gift Guide for People with Autism
by James Coulter
With the holidays approaching, finding the right gift for a loved one on the Autism Spectrum can feel overwhelming. Consider sensory-friendly options like fidget toys, weighted blankets, and noise‑reducing headphones. Look for items designed to provide predictable, controllable stimulation so they can stay engaged without becoming overstimulated. Here are some gift suggestions for your loved ones with Autism.
These stretchy, connectable tubes pop when squeezed—stimulating both touch and sound. Bright, flexible, and easy to join, they stretch in any direction to create endless shapes and structures. The uneven textures and satisfying popping sound help children calm down and regain focus during stressful moments. Even adults can enjoy them too, finding simple stress relief that makes them feel like children again.
A hands-on sensory board with zippers, buckles, switches, and latches designed to build fine motor skills and encourage sensory exploration. Kids practice everyday actions like unlocking, latching, zipping, and unbuckling through focused, playful repetition that holds their attention. Its durable, child-safe components deliver hours of developmental play while teaching coordination.
A soft, evenly weighted blanket that offers gentle deep-pressure input to help calm and comfort children. Available in kid-friendly sizes and a wide range of colors and patterns, from space and dinosaurs to unicorns and dolphins. These blankets match your child’s interests while providing soothing sensory support. Constructed from 100 percent microfiber with a seven-layer design, they’re especially effective during moments of sensory overload and overstimulation.
A rocket-shaped pop-up play tent with a built-in LED star projector that creates a cozy, calming retreat for sensory breaks and imaginative play. Quick to assemble and easy to move, it offers a soft, enclosed space where children can relax, explore a projected galaxy of stars, and learn about space in a soothing, low-stimulation environment.
A compact, silent wooden fidget cube designed for one-handed use to help improve focus and ease anxiety. Crafted from smoothed, durable beechwood, its precision folding mechanism flips and folds quietly for satisfying tactile play. Pocket-sized and sturdy, it’s an ideal stocking stuffer that keeps kids and adults calmly engaged during stressful or overstimulating moments.
If your children love Minecraft, they’ll love these magnetic cubes that promote hands-on building and sensory fun. This 100-piece set snaps together to form endless shapes and structures, encouraging creativity, spatial reasoning, and problem-solving. Bright, tactile pieces keep kids engaged while supporting focus and fine motor development, delivering hours of constructive play.
A liquid-filled bubble timer that delivers slow, calming visual input to support focus and time awareness. Flip it over and colorful bubbles drift like an hourglass, creating a mesmerizing, soothing display that helps children pass the time and stay centered. The textured casing provides a comfortable, non-slip grip, and the timer even glows in the dark for gentle nighttime use.
Upgraded Slider 3 in 1 Bedtime/Morning/Daily Routine Chart
A magnetic or dry-erase visual board that simplifies routines and eases transitions. Use visual icons and written cues together with a sliding checklist to help children mark tasks as they finish them. Clear, consistent prompts help build independence, reduce morning and bedtime stress, and keep daily structure visible for the whole family.
Work or traveling stressing you out? This pocket-sized metal roller delivers discreet stress relief for office, travel, and other public settings. Crafted from lightweight aluminum, it spins smoothly in one hand to engage fingers, massage muscles, and ease anxiety. Compact and durable, it fits comfortably in a pocket and includes a small carrying pouch for convenientstorage.
Sometimes a simple pillow won’t do. That’s why you need this portable, battery-powered pillow that delivers gentle vibration to soothe muscles and improve focus. Designed to target the lower back, it provides a quiet, massaging sensation that eases stress and tension. Compact and easy to carry, it’s ideal for use at home, in the office, or while traveling.
There’s nothing more relaxing after a stressful day than unwinding with a cozy blanket. This soft, lightly-weighted blanket delivers gentle deep-pressure comfort to help you unwind after a stressful day. Irresistibly cozy and easy to drape over shoulders or head, it creates a quiet, comforting space for solo relaxation and helps reduce sensory overload for people with Autism of all ages.
A customizable visual schedule app that simplifies daily routines. More than a calendar, it combines visual icons and written cues to help users track tasks and progress. User-friendly and designed with positive behavior support in mind, it’s tailored for people with communication needs and developmental delays, especially those with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The following is directly from the City of Lake Alfred, FL):
At the City Commission meeting earlier this month, Micki Bond was recognized as the Employee of the Year.
Finance Director Amber Deaton said, we have the privilege of recognizing someone whose presence, dedication, and heart have truly made a difference this year. Micki Bond is more than someone who excels at her work, she is someone who encourages the people around her, makes challenges feel manageable, and reminds us of what it looks like when someone shows up with consistency and care every single day.
She doesn’t look for recognition or ask for applause. She simply does what’s right with humility, kindness, and with a work ethic that inspires the rest of us. Her impact isn’t just seen in the results they produce, but in the way she treats others: with patience, respect, and genuine warmth.
The finance department has had a very demanding year. But even in the hardest moments, she brought steadiness, positivity, and a sense of calm that helped all of us keep moving forward. She set a standard not because she tried to outperform anyone, but because she consistently chose to give her best.
We get to honor her the way she deserves.
To our Employee of the Year, thank you for your dedication, for the way you lead by example, and for the quiet but powerful way you make this team better. We are grateful for you, we are inspired by you, and we are incredibly proud to celebrate with you. Congratulations, this recognition is well-earned!
Mayor Fuller read the Agricultural and Labor Program, Inc. Proclamation into the record. Executive Director Arlene Dobison accepted it.
Ms. Dobison said it was a pleasure to serve. The program has been in our community since 1968, and they serve families throughout the State of Florida. She shared the numbers of families served were closer to 13,000 and they are proud to serve the community. She spoke about being proactive during the government shut down, saying they did not have to lay anyone off as they were not impacted. She thanked the City of Lake Alfred City Commission and said she was honored to accept the proclamation.
At approximately 10:24 p.m. on December 13, 2025, Winter Haven Fire Department Engine 4 was involved in a motor vehicle accident while returning to its station after a call for service. The incident occurred at the intersection of Dundee Road and Overlook Drive.
Engine 4 was attempting to make a left turn from Overlook Drive onto Dundee Road with a green traffic signal when it was struck in the intersection by an SUV, resulting in significant damage to both the fire engine and the civilian vehicle. The fire engine was staffed with a crew of three firefighters at the time of the incident. All three firefighters were unharmed.
Immediately following the collision, the firefighters exited the apparatus and began providing emergency medical care to the driver of the SUV, who sustained critical injuries and was trapped inside the vehicle. Firefighters performed extrication operations to safely remove the driver from the SUV. Due to the severity of the injuries, the patient was transported by medical helicopter to a local trauma center as a trauma alert.
The Winter Haven Fire Department is grateful that no firefighters were injured and commends the Engine 4 crew for their quick, professional response and dedication to patient care under extremely challenging circumstances.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is conducting the ongoing investigation into the cause of the crash. No additional information is available at this time. Further updates will be provided as they become available.
Holiday desserts set the stage for seasonal delight and add a touch of joy to gatherings. From festive cookies to indulgent dips, these delicious desserts bring people together to create memories that will last a lifetime.
If you’re looking to impress guests, Santa Cookies are the ultimate treat. Made with Maple Hill Salted Butter, they’re rich, soft and full of festive spirit. For a unique twist, try Gingerbread Dip, featuring vanilla Greek yogurt made with 100% grass-ted organic milk.
Whether you’re hosting or deciding what to bring to the potluck, Maple Hill’s 100% grass-fed organic dairy makes it easy to whip up desserts that are as wholesome as they are delicious. Rich in nutrients and free from GMOs, hormones and antibiotics, each product comes from farms that prioritize regenerative practices as nature intended. With a 40% healthier ratio of omega 3:6 and 40% higher levels of CLA fatty acids compared to traditional organic dairy, you can feel good about sweet treats at the holiday table.
Santa Cookies
Yield: 14 cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) Maple Hill Salted Butter,
at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red food coloring
mini chocolate chips
mini red chocolate-coated candies
Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) Maple Hill Salted Butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until combined. Add flour and salt; mix until dough begins to form ball.
Remove 1 cup dough and set aside. Add red food coloring to remaining dough.
From red cookie dough, make one 1-inch ball and five 1/2-inch balls. From plain cookie dough, make one 3/4-inch ball and five 1/4-inch balls.
On prepared baking sheet, place red 1-inch ball and gently flatten until 1/2-inch thick. Attach four red 1/2-inch balls for arms and legs. Attach plain 3/4-inch ball for head and gently flatten until 1/2-inch thick. Attach plain 1/4-inch balls for hands and teet. Shape remaining red 1/2-inch ball into triangle for hat and attach.
Repeat with remaining dough, arranging cookies 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Add chocolate candies for eyes and buttons.
Bake 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden.
To make frosting: In medium bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and powdered sugar; mix until combined.
To decorate: Place half of frosting in piping bag with small tip to line Santa’s arms and legs. Place other half in second piping bag with small star tip to add Santa’s beard, hat and hands. Put small dot of icing between eyes and beard and place red mini chocolate-coated candy on face for nose.
Gingerbread Dip
Servings: 8-12
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room
temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons molasses
1 container (16 ounces) Maple Hill
Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups whipped cream
graham crackers
fruit
In medium bowl using electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese and sugars about 1 minute. Add molasses and mix until combined.
Add Greek yogurt, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg; beat until combined. Fold in whipped cream and mix until fully incorporated. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving or overnight.
Haines City Fire Department Invites Families to “Santa at the Station”
The Christmas spirit is growing, and the Haines City Fire Department is excited to welcome families back for this year’s Santa at the Station celebration. Taking place on December 20, 2025, from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM, the event will now be held at HCFD Fire Station 1, located at 138 N. 11th Street in Haines City.
This festive, family-friendly morning offers plenty of holiday fun. Guests can enjoy cookies, hot cocoa, coloring activities, and a special area where children can write and drop off their letters to Santa. It’s also a great opportunity for the community to stop by and visit the department’s newest station.
Please note: The event’s original location in Davenport has been changed to Haines City Fire Station 1.
The department looks forward to celebrating the season with families from across the community and spreading holiday cheer at the station.
The manuscript, written around 1508, was one of some 30 similar books da Vinci produced during his lifetime on a variety of subjects. It contained 72 loose pages featuring some 300 notes and detailed drawings, all relating to the common theme of water and how it moved. Experts have said that da Vinci drew on it to paint the background of his masterwork, the Mona Lisa. The text, written in brown ink and chalk, read from right to left, an example of da Vinci’s favored mirror-writing technique. The painter Giuseppi Ghezzi discovered the notebook in 1690 in a chest of papers belonging to Guglielmo della Porto, a 16th-century Milanese sculptor who had studied Leonardo’s work. In 1717, Thomas Coke, the first earl of Leicester, bought the manuscript and installed it among his impressive collection of art at his family estate in England.
More than two centuries later, the notebook—by now known as the Leicester Codex—showed up on the auction block at Christie’s in London when the current Lord Coke was forced to sell it to cover inheritance taxes on the estate and art collection. In the days before the sale, art experts and the press speculated that the notebook would go for $7 to $20 million. In fact, the bidding started at $1.4 million and lasted less than two minutes, as Hammer and at least two or three other bidders competed to raise the price $100,000 at a time. The $5.12 million price tag was the highest ever paid for a manuscript at that time; a copy of the legendary Gutenberg Bible had gone for only $2 million in 1978. “I’m very happy with the price. I expected to pay more,” Hammer said later. “There is no work of art in the world I wanted more than this.” Lord Coke, on the other hand, was only “reasonably happy” with the sale; he claimed the proceeds would not be sufficient to cover the taxes he owed.
Hammer, the president of Occidental Petroleum Corporation, renamed his prize the Hammer Codex and added it to his valuable collection of art. When Hammer died in 1990, he left the notebook and other works to the Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Cultural Center at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Several years later, the museum offered the manuscript for sale, claiming it was forced to take this action to cover legal costs incurred when the niece and sole heir of Hammer’s late wife, Frances, sued the estate claiming Hammer had cheated Frances out of her rightful share of his fortune. On November 11, 1994, the Hammer Codex was sold to an anonymous bidder–soon identified as Bill Gates, the billionaire founder of Microsoft–at a New York auction for a new record high price of $30.8 million. Gates restored the title of Leicester Codex and has since loaned the manuscript to a number of museums for public display.”
Winter Haven is gearing up for a festive and activity-filled weekend, with holiday celebrations, live entertainment, markets, and community gatherings happening across the city.
The excitement kicks off on Friday, December 12, as FPW Wrestling goes live at Tanner’s Lakeside at 7 PM. Fans can enjoy high-energy performances on the waterfront as the wrestlers take the ring for an action-packed night.
Also on Friday from 6-9pm at Central Park Downtown Winter Haven: Winter Haven Winter Wonderland.
On Saturday, December 13, the Winter Haven Saturday Market returns to Central Park in downtown from 9 AM to 3 PM. Visitors can browse local vendors, shop for holiday gifts, and enjoy seasonal treats in the heart of the city.
The holiday magic continues Saturday evening at Christmas at the Barn, hosted by Hope Equine Rescue, starting at 5 PM. Guests can celebrate in a rustic, festive setting while supporting a meaningful local cause.
Also on Saturday, CenterPoint Church will host its Community Christmas Festival at 11 AM, offering family fun, holiday activities, and a warm community spirit.
Sunday, Tanner’s Lakeside will host its Annual Toy Drive at 12 PM, with live music from 2–6 PM, making it a full day of giving back and enjoying local entertainment.
With so many events lined up, Winter Haven residents and visitors have plenty of ways to celebrate the season. Whether you’re shopping local, giving back, enjoying live entertainment, or spending time with family, it’s a perfect weekend to embrace the holiday cheer.
