LAKE WALES — The Lake Wales Mardi Gras parade was created in memory of the late Vinton Davis, who owned Vinton's New Orleans Restaurant in downtown Lake Wales.

BARTOW — Several members of Bartow's police force gathered at City Hall last week to see one of their own honored for his life-saving actions in January.

I’m not going to lie — the 5K I mention in this week’s edition of Weekend Best Bets is one of my top-three favorite races in all of Central Florida. I’m not much of a morning person, but getting up early and participating in this event is so gratifying! Read on to hear which race I’m talking about.

LAKE WALES – Back in 1960, three friends formed the Winter Haven Corporation as a real estate investment and, over the course of roughly a decade, purchased around 3,300 acres of land in what is now Lake Wales.

Event staff say new features and patron events look to make the 49th Annual CB&T Lake Wales Arts Festival the best one to date.

LAKE WALES — The Lake Ashton Recreational Vehicle Community Benefit Association (CBA) will hold its 16th Annual Casino Night and Silent Auction on Saturday, Feb. 29, at 7 p.m.

WINTER HAVEN — Knights of Columbus Council 7091 of Cypress Gardens is waging war on hunger through a unique partnership with the non-denominational Freedom Church, which is hard at work to provide food for those in need in Polk County’s Eloise community.

Vote by Mail ballots are now available for eligible voters who wish to vote by mail in Florida’s Presidential Preference Primary Election. The March 17 contest is open only to registered Democrats or registered Republicans wishing to choose their presidential nominee.

HAINES CITY — A member of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office for nearly 30 years, Loyd Stewart was named deputy chief of the Haines City Police Department and started his tenure this month.

WINTER HAVEN – In November of 2019, the Winter Haven City Commission voted 2-2 on a controversial proposal to build an “aging in place” retirement community in the Country Club Road area.

POLK COUNTY — A bill filed in the Florida House of Representatives recently has taken aback the Florida Polytechnic University community.

FROSTPROOF — The fun began with a 5K run, sponsored by Rotary Club members.

BARTOW — Two people died in a plane crash last week occurring near the Bartow Executive Airport.

POLK COUNTY — Polk County Public Schools officials and representatives for the Polk Education Association, the county’s public school teachers union, announced Feb. 14 that the two sides have reached a tentative agreement on teacher contracts for the 2019-20 school year.

POLK COUNTY – The words “senior games” may call to mind images of lawn bowling, shuffleboard, scrabble, golf, euchre or bocce.

HAINES CITY — The name Ribs on the Ridge can be a bit deceiving, since it only reflects the barbecue portion of the popular event.

BARTOW — Bartow commissioners took the first steps toward conserving more water in the future with the first reading of an ordinance that places restrictions on plumbing, appliances and lawn irrigation for all new development.

AVON PARK – Hemp4Water Founder W. Steven Edmonds, Jr. says no one else in the country is studying how hemp could be used to remove metric tons of nitrogen and phosphorus, nutrients which can cause problems at high levels in rivers and lakes.

There is a unique food competition going down in Winter Haven this weekend. It is a “people’s choice” competition — and the competition’s planners need your opinion! Not only is it a neat way to try out the final products of Big Green Eggs, but it’s also a delicious way to support the Citrus…

The Polk County Sheriff's Office is investigating a homicide that occurred on Feb. 16 in the Poinciana area, within unincorporated Polk County, which led to a SWAT callout and a deputy-involved shooting that occured Feb. 17.

Detectives from Polk County Sheriff’s Office’s Identity Theft Strike Force arrested a Winter Haven woman last week on Thursday, Feb. 13, after an investigation concluded that she had stolen or misappropriated approximately $1.6 million.

POLK COUNTY — Several Lake Eloise Drive property owners and nearby residents recently petitioned the Polk Board of County Commissioners to install speed bumps on the residential road, which they say is being used to avoid congestion on Cypress Gardens Boulevard in Winter Haven.

POLK COUNTY – In 2018, Lake Wales City Commissioner Terrye Howell turned in her completed candidate qualification paperwork for Seat Three around an hour after the official deadline — and, in doing so, failed to qualify for her own reelection.

LAKE WALES – On the day before his 70th birthday, Mayor Eugene Fultz announced that he will not be running for reelection in 2022.

BARTOW – Representing Polk County’s public school teachers, staff for the Polk Education Association teacher’s union and representatives for Polk County Public Schools met Feb. 5 for another round of teacher work contract negotiations.

BARTOW — The Bartow City Commission recently celebrated February’s role as Black History Month by issuing a proclamation to honor the life and work of Celesta Washington Crosby, 90, who educated countless Bartow youth in both segregated and desegregated schools.

A degree in government, with which I graduated 57 years ago, can only teach you so much.

LAKE WALES – A couple of weeks ago, the Lake Wales City Commission voted to purchase the YMCA of West Central Florida facility on Burns Avenue near Lake Wales High School — known as the Lake Wales Family YMCA.

BARTOW – Steve Githens recently qualified to face off against incumbent Trish Burdin-Pfeiffer and Gerald Jacob Cochran for Seat Four on the Bartow City Commission in the Bartow municipal election April 7.

POLK COUNTY – Staff and volunteers with the Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College have been working with Dr. Willem Jan Hoogsteder and his Hoogsteder Museum Foundation staff for more than two-and-a-half years to put together the exhibit “Music and Dance in Painting of the Dutch Gold…

POLK COUNTY - If the first two months are any indication, 2020 may just be Eli Mosley’s year.

Frostproof’s Historic Train Depot was built in 1912 and is now the home base for Mister Chris’ Coffee Gallery. Recently, the depot was renamed Mister Chris’ Magical & Musical Coffee Depot by the new owner, Chris Drake. Drake says he is on a mission to create a place that is magical, musi…

Polk County Commissioners did some significant bond juggling recently and, by refinancing some bonds and adding some new ones, managed to save almost $6 million, according to the county's Comptroller and Clerk Stacy Butterfield.

If there’s one skill I would say almost every law enforcement officer possesses, it’s the ability to recognize when someone is being dishonest.

If you’re wanting to make some memories this weekend, I’ve got the ideal night for you. Lakeland’s Nineteen61 is hosting a five-course meal, prepared by Chef Chem, and a special dessert, prepared by Pastry Chef Lily. After finishing, head upstairs for a salsa lesson paired with bubbly on the…

BARTOW – In advance of another round of negotiations between Polk County Public Schools and the Polk Education Association — the public schools teachers union for Polk County — PEA President Stefanie Yocum organized a rally at the Polk County School Board meeting Jan. 28.

BARTOW — For decades, Frank Johnson has personified service to the Bartow community.

LAKE WALES – According to statements made during a Jan. 27 board meeting, the Lake Wales Charter Schools Board of Trustees is close to purchasing the Hardman School Complex.

LAKE WALES – A couple of weeks ago, at a Lake Wales City Commission meeting, a resident told the commissioners that the roof over Kirkland Gym was leaking on the new basketball floor.

Each February, over 80 teams of barbecue masters compete for the Florida State Grand Champion title at the annual Smoke on the Water BBQ Competition. What’s in it for you? The best barbecue you’ve ever tasted along with a music festival, aerial flyover and awards show!

Polk County Public Schools staff are ready to begin a new chapter with PCPS’ Surplus Textbook Warehouse.

Polk County Public Schools’ next hiring event for bus drivers and attendants is coming to the Winter Haven Public Library on Wednesday, Feb. 12, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more info, call (863) 534-7298.

POLK COUNTY – Until recently, Dr. Danielle DeConcilio thought the most interesting thing about her was that she is a twin —or perhaps that she once lived in New Zealand and was an extra in one of the movies from “The Lord of the Rings” franchise.

BARTOW – On Jan. 23, Bartow Economic Development Council Director Rob Clancey announced that Coca-Cola North America is investing $98 million in a partnership with Peace River Citrus Products to expand the citrus processing facility on U.S.17.

BARTOW – During a Bartow Rotary luncheon meeting Jan. 22, city commissioner Trish Pfieffer said one of the first things she focused on after getting elected in 2014 was working toward getting Bartow residents a dog park.

The Polk Board of County Commissioners decided last week to make the county a “Second Amendment sanctuary,” joining a growing number of municipalities and counties across the nation in declaring support for the Second Amendment.

POLK COUNTY – When a veteran struggling with a service-related mental health diagnosis is arrested in Polk County, that veteran may be referred to a “Veterans' Docket” — a court-supervised treatment program for veterans whose service experience may have contributed to criminal charges.

POLK COUNTY — Three more historic Polk places were recently added to the National Register of Historic Places, which brings the county's registered properties up to 74.

POLK COUNTY – Winter Haven High School math teacher Dr. Vincent M. Miller II was named the 2020 Polk County Teacher of the Year at a Polk County Public Schools awards ceremony held at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland Jan. 23.

POLK COUNTY – State Rep. Melony Bell used strong language while referring to a Polk County School Board member during a Florida House PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee meeting in Tallahassee on Jan. 21.