#MUSTDO

Today

• Plant for Pollinators! | Wed., Oct. 27 | 1-2 p.m. | Bok Tower Gardens | $16 | An in-person class with tips on planting your garden to support pollinators — class is included with general admission. 🌱

Thursday

• CCA Polk BBQ | Thurs., Oct. 28 | 6-10 p.m. | SUN ‘n FUN Expo Campus | $50+ | Enjoy an open bar, bbq dinner, oysters, raffles + auctions — proceeds support Florida’s marine resources. 
• Mr. Central Florida 2021 | Thurs., Oct. 28 | 5:30-9 p.m. | CMX Cinemas Lakeside 1650 Town Center Dr. | $25+ | Support your favorite Mr. Central Florida contestant with entertainment, food + drinks — proceeds support the Central Florida Speech and Hearing Center. 

Friday

• Catapult Pop-Up: Chocolate Covered | Fri., Oct. 29 | 11 a.m.-2 p.m. | Catapult Lakeland, 502 E. Main St. | Free | This Friday, Chocolate Covered will be hosting this event, serving a variety of charcuterie and chocolate-covered fruits and thick-cut bacon.

Saturday

• Buena Block Party | Sat., Oct. 30 | 5-10 p.m. | Downtown Lakeland, 117 N. Kentucky Ave. | Free | Celebrate Halloween and Día de los Muertos with the biggest Buena Block Party yet with a night market, food + drinks — costumes encouraged. 💀

Sunday

• Fall Festival | Sun., Oct. 31 | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | Believers’ Fellowship Church 5240 N. Socrum Loop Rd. | Free | Celebrate fall with hayrides, carnival games, crafts + food — bring a nonperishable food item donation. 🍁

Monday

• Trivia Night | Mon., Nov. 1 | 7:30 p.m. | Cob & Pen | Free | Bring your friends to Trivia night + enjoy happy hour prices all day. 💭

Tuesday

• Fall Soups | Tues., Nov. 2 | 6 p.m. | Publix Aprons Cooking School | $50+ | Learn how to make cozy fall soups including shoyu ramen, Cuban black bean, corn and crab chowder + curried carrot soup. 🍲 Ⓟ

Wednesday

• Winter Haven Happy Hour Tour | Wed., Nov. 3 | 4:30-7 p.m. | 220 Ave. A. NW | $69+ | Tour downtown Winter Haven to visit family-owned restaurants and bars that host Happy Hour on weekdays. 🍸

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

NEWS NOTES

Weather

• 85º | Partly cloudy | 10% chance of rain

Biz

• Lakeland entrepreneur Richard Wills sold his athletic footwear company FITNiche to Fleet Feet after 16 years in business. FITNiche was recognized as one of the Top 50 Running Stores in America in 2013, 2018, and 2019. 👟 (The Ledger)

• Dissent Brewing has extended its hours and now serves up Unspoken Ales seven days a week. You can stop by for a brew Mon.-Thurs. from 3-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. from 12-10 p.m., and Sun. from 12-8 p.m. 🍺

Coming Soon

• Chef Marcos Fernandez of Nineteen61 took to Facebook yesterday afternoon to share the business’ new space: Banquet61. The new space boasts a full kitchen and bar, private entrance on Kentucky St., three banquet spaces, two bathrooms + access to Nineteen61. For information on wine lockers + naming rights, email Chef Marcos. 

Development

• Onicx Group, the Tampa developer who may develop a new space on Oak Street, is also building a Marriott Hotel in Winter Haven at 310 W. Central Ave. Construction on the 130-room hotel is slated to begin in June 2022, with a tentative completion in July 2023. 🚧 (The Ledger)

Feel Good

• Angie Iorio and Shannon Medina of the Polk County Bully Project were recognized this week for their work for dog breeds labeled “bully breeds.” Founded in 2019, the Polk County Bully Project has rehomed countless dogs and is working to change the stigma around the breeds. 🐶 (Bay News 9)

Legacy

• Bradley Community Park has been renamed the Frankie L. Smith Community Park in honor of the late Frankie L. Smith, who was a pillar in the Polk community. Frankie founded the Bradley Community Project, which was responsible for the park, as well as neighborhood cleanups and holiday events. (The Ledger)

Arts

• Is that a new mural we see? Lakeland Retro shared this image of what appears to be a new mural, extraterrestrial in nature, near Low Country Vintage (913 S. Florida Ave.). Now that’s something to “phone home” about. 👽

Watch

• If you’re a lover of art, or maybe just of Winter Haven, watch this video of local muralist Gillian Fazio creating her “Haven” mural. The video was produced by Central Florida filmmaker Blanton Creative and shows Gillian’s mural progress over time. 🎨

Eat

• What’s better than a cruffin from Born and Bread Bakehouse? A seasonal one. Check out the bakery’s spooky season staples, like the Matcha Monster, Wednesday evenings from 5-8 p.m. and Saturday mornings from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. 

Sports

• Lakeland High School senior Analiese Raath won the golf district title by shooting 1-under 71. Lakeland High School also won the team district title with a total of 319, 27 less than celebration. This is the second year in row Analiese will be the district champion. ⛳ (The Ledger) 

Question

• As the spookiest day of the year draws near, we wanted to ask our readers about a rumor we’ve heard buzzing around Swan City: a haunted apartment building in Downtown Lakeland. Have you ever seen or heard anything otherworldly around Lake Mirror Towers? Let us know. 👻

#LALTODAY

THE WRAP

Yesterday, we asked what would draw you to living in Oak Street’s proposed apartment building the most. Here’s what your priorities were:

• 37.9% said affordable housing in downtown Lakeland
• 37.1% said the walkability to downtown 
• 19% said the views from your unit
• 6% said access to retail in your building 

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

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