Coming this fall: Polk Pride 2021.

After last year’s cancelation, Polk Pride will take place this year on Sept. 25-Oct. 2 with a multitude of events and celebrations happening all across town. If you want to attend this year, here’s what you can expect:

🌈 Polk Pride Kickoff | The date, location, and time of this kickoff event are to be determined, but what isn’t up for debate is the excitement coming with the first official event of the celebration to get things rolling and get Polk residents excited.

🌈 Pride for Youth | Wed., Sept. 29 | 6:30 p.m. | Skate World Lakeland, 911 N. Lake Parker Ave. | In collaboration with Lakeland Youth Alliance, Pride for Youth centers around celebrating pride for individuals ages 13-20 during this skating event.

🌈 Pride in Faith | Thurs., Sept. 30 | 7 p.m. | Beacon Hill Fellowship, 220 W. Beacon Rd. | Hear from local faith-based leaders standing alongside the LGBTQIA community during this interfaith celebration of pride.

🌈 Pride in the Park | Sat., Oct. 2 | 10 a.m.-3 p.m. | Munn Park | Celebrate all day with Polk Pride’s main event happening in Downtown Lakeland. The whole family can enjoy music, food, entertainment, and access to community resources.

#MUSTDO

TryThis

Hold On I Know This (Trivia) w/ Cuban B’s | Wed., June 2 | 6-9 p.m. | Swan Brewing | Free | Cuban B’s is on deck tonight to help boost your trivia knowledge + win prizes.
June Luncheon | Wed., June 2 | 11 a.m.-1 p.m. | Cleveland Heights Country Club | $22 | Come out to listen to guest speaker Gary Kosak, a former airforce pilot + celebrate veterans.
Trivia Wednesdays at Front Page Brewing | Wed., June 2 | 7-9 p.m. | Front Page Brewing | Free | Enjoy new beer on tap, food trucks, and the opportunity to win prizes. 🍺

Deal

Duke’s Brewhouse Lakeland Bike Night | Wed., June 2 | 6-9 p.m. | Duke’s Brewhouse Lakeland, 4960 Florida Ave. S. | Free | Head over to Duke’s for deals all week long on burgers, tacos, wings, and more.

PlanAhead

Kitchen Fundamentals: Pasta and Saucemaking | Mon., June 7 | Publix Aprons Cooking School, 4730 Florida Ave. S. | $50 | A hands-on cooking class featuring sauce making and the best of Italy’s cuisine.
Steeln' Peaches: An Allman Brothers Revue | Fri., June 11 | Lkld Live | $20+ | The Steelin’ Peaches will be performing an Allman Brothers revue at Lkld Live for an exciting evening of music. 🎵
Juneteenth Celebration | Sat., June 19 | 1-8 p.m. | Free | Enjoy The City of Winter Haven’s Juneteenth Celebration featuring historical reflections, a battle of the bands, spoken performances, and a performance by the Gritz and JellyButter Band.

MORE OF THIS WEEK'S EVENTS HERE

📸 @polkcountygovfl

The Lake Wales Connected: Revitilization Plan is looking to city designs from 1931 as inspiration. The face lift has been in the works since late last year with the final plan for the revitalization centering around the idea of "a city in a garden."

The plan calls for natural elements to take center stage in the city makeover, with more options for pedestrian-friendly connections + even an extension of Bok Tower Gardens.

To read more and view all of the renderings click here.

#DYK that your photos and quotes could be featured in our newsletter?

Just use #LALtoday on social media.

NEWS NOTES

Weather

90º | Scattered T-storms | 60% chance of rain

Announced

The Lakeland Christmas Parade is back this December. After its cancellation last year due to COVID-19, the event is slated to take place on Thurs., Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. Float applications will open on June 15. You can find those applications here once they go live.

Civic

Judge Lori Winstead, a Lakelander, was appointed yesterday by Gov. DeSantis to fill an upcoming position within the 10th Judicial Circuit Court. Judge Winstead has served Polk County as a judge since 2019 and will be replacing Judge Steven Selph. (The Ledger)

Number

90,000,000. That’s how many N95 masks that Lakeland based biz ACI, produced during the COVID-19 pandemic. President, Matt Muller, says they will continue production as long as there’s a need for frontline workers. (Bay News 9)
4,000. That's how many Polk County Public School students are considered homeless every year under federal standards. The district's Homeless Education Advocates Restoring the Hope project, works to identify + provide students experiencing homelessness with the support they need. (The Ledger)

Stat

47.24%. That’s the current percentage of vaccinated people within Polk County as of June 1. The figure includes residents ages 12 and up that have received at least their first dose. Alternatively, 37% of residents are fully vaccinated. (LkldNow)

FeelGood

Lakeland resident Scott Leavitt is getting a new house after a tornado destroyed his previous residence back in December 2020. With help from the Lakeland community, Scott hopes to be in his new home by the end of the summer. 🏡 (Bay News 9)

Trending

Plant City native Casey Hamilton has become an internet personality over the past year through his Tik Tok content. From impressions to sketches + singing, @mrhamilton, as he’s known on TikTok, has amassed over 5.6 million followers due to his over-the-top yet relatable humor. (Tampa Bay Times)

Regional

Tampa International Airport celebrated the first flight of Breeze Airways from its runways. The brand new airline is planning to launch more flights from Tampa (9 to be exact) through July. If you fly out of TIA, you can book through Breeze here. ✈️

Asked

Where do you like to go for free? Reader Jerry B. emailed in asking for the best places around Lakeland to enjoy without admission fees. Drop us a line with your favorite freebies.

Finance

These cash back cards might break the internet. They offer no annual fee, $200 bonus offers, up to 3% cash back, and 0% interest for 15 months. (Read: If you’re looking for a new cash back card, there’s a lot to love.) Ⓟ

THE WRAP

Answered: On Monday we shared a poll asking you what part of heading to the beach you enjoyed the most. Here’s what 33 of you said:

53% — “Enjoying what it’s like to not be landlocked”
23% — “Getting as much sun as possible”
15% — “Soaking in the water, sans swans”
9% — “Beach day? Don’t you mean lake day?”

💭 Say Hello: What do you want to know about your city?

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