Do you ever have a story you can't wait to tell others? For me this post is one of those stories...a long one, but well worth your read!
When I first moved to Lakeland someone tried to describe the Annual Christmas Parade to me. It’s hard because for a city our size it is so unique. As Chuck mentioned this morning people lined the streets with their empty chairs over 12 hours before the parade started. Not only were chairs left out but [...]
I was reading the Downtown Lakeland Partnership newsletter while chowing down at Palace Pizza this past Monday. I will admit I hadn’t been to downtown Lakeland in a while and wanted to catch up on what has been happening. As I was flipping through all of the articles I noticed Pics on the Promenade was [...]
That is right all you parents of CRAZY and FANATIC kids who love Junie B. Jones. Really it becomes almost an obsession. Here is your child’s chance to see the pages from the Junie B. Jones books come alive in performance. The musical will be performed by TheatreWorks USA this Sunday at the Polk Theatre. [...]
On July 4, 2009 our house was broken into through a window in the back. The thief was able to use a knife to bust through the window, climbed into the window by standing on our grill and then steal…a LOT of our stuff. He took everything from computers to electronics to our vacuum cleaner, [...]
I will admit I am a craigslist junkie. When we bought our home and were “revitalizing” we were glued to the site. My husband and I purchased a dishwasher, microwave, and stove for $300, some furniture, a grill, a TV (twice), and all sorts of other odds and ins. Last year a [...]
Are you young or young at heart? Do you love music? Do you love the local scene? Free this Friday? If you’ve answered yes to any of those questions then I know the place you need to be this Friday night. (How about that for a catchy introduction?) This Friday the [...]
At the Polk Theatre annual meeting, held last night, Dale Anderson, Executive Vice President, was clear, “The Polk Theatre is alive & thriving. Tell your friends!” After having been through severe flood damage, a minor fire and roof troubles in recent years the theatre is once again making a come back. Celebrating Good Times There was [...]
Can you hear the blasting of Alice Cooper’s “Schools out for SUMMER” throughout the county? Maybe it was just me playing it as loud as possible in my classroom today. This is the LAST day of the 2008-2009 school year for Polk County Public Schools. The question beckoning most parents now is, [...]
Around tax time our car always breaks down. Never fails. This year the same was true. We had just received our return and boom our Honda’s air conditioning was making hideous noises. No problem, we had a free Saturday morning so off we went to the Auto Mechanic. I used to believe [...]
A few months back I was enjoying a great burger from the new Five Guys in the Southgate plaza. After my third or fourth refill I excused myself to use the facilities, aka restroom. I was amazed. I had seen electronic faucets, soap dispensers and paper towel machines, but I had never [...]
Dear Ledger: I missed you. I once received the paper everyday and then due to a change in work no longer had my subscription. At first I needed the break. I didn’t think it was worth paying to read what I could find on-line. As time passed though my heart grew fonder [...]
Most of you are thinking I am going to talk about gay marriage and the such, but you’re thinking about the wrong Amendment. Rewind and travel back to January 29, 2008. Floridians voted on property tax law. Is it coming back? Picture Governor Crist lobbying throughout the state proclaiming we NEED Amendment 1. [...]
Personally, I love the dentist. I have never had one of those horrendous experiences with the terrible drilling sounds and all. I have dealt with some serious tooth pain though. As most individuals it was recommended I have my wisdom teeth pulled. I was pretty sure it wouldn’t be too bad and while on my parent’s [...]
The fact is we live in Florida and everyone in Florida should have a dermatologist. The reality is who wants to get buck naked in front of a doctor and be checked out every year? Not me. Last year as I was trying to be proactive in my health and was convicted that in my 20+ [...]
If you are on Lemon Street headed toward the Lakeland Center you will be passing by a new street sign that was installed in the alley behind the Polk Theatre. Representatives from the Polk Theatre met with the city officials and the process began to find the history of the alley. Thanks to some investigating by [...]
Last year I had a few firsts in my life, one being I visited a chiropractor for the first time. My mom loves seeing a chiropractor on occasion, but I thought they were a bunch of quacks. When I hurt my back in high school I went to the “real” doctor, had an MRI done, [...]
Bio: Cat Carter first moved to Lakeland in 2001 to attend Florida Southern College. After graduation, she taught Computer Science and Math in a small Virginia town. In 2006, she returned to Lakeland for a two-year stint at the Lakeland Economic Development Council. A strong supporter of downtown Lakeland, Carter loves the Parker Street Neighborhood where she and her husband work together in the neighborhood revitalization team. In addition to other duties for the LEDC, Carter spearheaded Y Lakeland, a program aimed at retaining Lakeland's college graduates. The YLakeland blog quickly grew as one of Lakeland's most respected Web sites. The experience propelled her into the world of hyperlocal blogging where she will continue to write as one of the contributors to Lakeland Local.