Events Archives
Posted by Meredith Spresser on May 10, 2008 at 02:44 PM
Whew! It is hot out there, but let me tell you, Volvo Mayfaire is EXCELLENT this year.
People of all ages are coming out and enjoying the great art and the great food to be found around the lake. And a lot of people are wandering into Polk Museum of Art for a few minutes of AC and to see even more wonderful artwork.
So far, the MayFerries have been a big hit. Every time I see one, it's full! And when I was driving one this morning, the people I picked up were really pleased to be able to catch a lift.
We're looking forward to finishing off a great day, and celebrating some more at Mayfaire Saturday Night tonight. Be sure to come on down to Lake Morton in Downtown Lakeland before 5pm to see the art, and then mosey over to Lake Mirror for music by The Rogues and fireworks at 9pm. I'll see you there!
Posted by Josh Hallett on January 17, 2008 at 08:34 AM
Why is it that I can't drive by the Citrus Festival without feeling dirty? Never been a big fan....perhaps it's the carny's.
Posted by Josh Hallett on January 10, 2008 at 09:22 AM
Of course the tragic crash on I-4 yesterday is the big news in all the local papers. However, it's interesting to note the difference in the 'lead' story for the two papers, The Ledger and the Orlando Sentinel.
The Ledger's main headline is 4 Dead, 38 Injured in Massive Pileup and the story focuses on the wreck and the rescue operations. There are interviews with crash survivors and rescue personnel. Only at the end is there a short discussion about the conditions that lead to the poor visibility.
The Orlando Sentinel's main headline is Warning Signs Began Nearly 20 Hours Before Polk Crash and the story focuses on who could possibly be at fault for the accident. Should FHP have closed the road? etc. The story features segments like this:
Before sunset Tuesday, National Weather Service meteorologists issued a fog alert based on a scale of one through 10. Experts consider seven or higher to be risky for drivers. The forecast for north Polk County was a 10.
A few hours later, the state Division of Forestry told the Florida Highway Patrol to expect dangerous conditions because of a particularly stubborn and smoky wildfire at I-4 and County Road 557....
...The warning was not a routine call. Only once or twice a year do forestry officials, who rely on sophisticated computer models, tell FHP to be on guard for a smoked-in highway.
In all, those and other warnings of horrendous visibility caused by smoke, fog or both were unmistakable. Yet as it turned out, FHP troopers would find little to be concerned about, and the state Department of Transportation installed just one warning sign in each direction
The Ledger does have a sidebar story about the role the smoke played in the accident, but it's not the main, above the fold story. Perhaps because the Ledger is more 'local' to the story they're still focusing on the immediate/human aspect of the story, while the Sentinel is moving beyond the initial story.
I expect in the coming days the Ledger's focus will shift from the events of the accident to the events that caused the accident. It's a natural progression of the story and the details will emerge as the investigation continues.
Anyway, I just thought it was interesting that two major papers would have those different angles on the story one-day out.
Update: The Orlando Sentinel has posted two items looking and the varying coverage:
- How we and other media covered the pileup
- A look at the front pages across Florida
Posted by Josh Hallett on October 10, 2007 at 07:09 AM
Next Tuesday, October 16th I'll be part of the Florida Public Relations Association's local media breakfast event. Yep, you guessed it, I'll be playing the part of the 'blogger'. The event is from 7:30 am (that's early) till noon. The round-table discussions, of which I'll be a part of, start at 9:00 AM.
Check the FPRA web site for more details.
Posted by Josh Hallett on August 21, 2007 at 09:41 AM
One of the other things I do in real life is organize a conference in Orlando called....you guessed it BlogOrlando. It's a free un-conference, which means that there are no boring PowerPoint slide shows or endless panels...just industry experts facilitating conversations among the attendees.
The event is scheduled for Sept 27-29th at Rollins College in Winter Park. The main event though is Friday the 28th. This will be the second year for the event and we have a tremendous speaker line-up There are a few Polk County friends registered so far, but I'd like to see some more.
To learn more about the event you can check out the BlogOrlando site, or watch this brief video interview that Joe Thornley did with me while we were in Seattle for Gnomedex a few weeks ago.
Posted by Josh Hallett on July 11, 2007 at 04:40 PM
Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing are hosting an event with Fantasy of Flight in November but it doesn't have a name. They're asking you to help name it. From Kris Keprios at PSCM:
The three day festival will be held at Fantasy of Flight November 9-11, 2007 and will start Friday with a VIP food and wine tasting. The weekend will feature a hot air balloon state championship race, water ski demonstrations, vintage racing boats, a classic car show and airplane aerobatics featuring aircraft from all eras. The Polk County Restaurant Association, which is made up of several Polk County area restaurants, will be serving samples from their menus throughout the weekend as well. All entries must be submitted by Sunday, July 22. The winning name will receive a hot air balloon ride for two and VIP access to the entire weekend.
You can submit your entry and review the contest details at: http://visitcentralflorida.org/festival/
Posted by Josh Hallett on May 9, 2007 at 05:44 PM
This past Friday I had a business lunch at PR's Taco Palace in Winter Park, FL. Walking out the door of the restaurant something caught my eye on the window. It was a Sun 'n Fun sticker.
You might say, how does a sticker stay there? Well, PR's is a rather eclectic dining experience. The walls are covered with hand-drawn cartoons, sayings and just anything else you can imagine.
Posted by Josh Hallett on May 7, 2007 at 07:10 AM
This past Saturday I attended the Concert Under the Stars at Historic Bok Sanctuary. The Imperial Symphony Orchestra performed a number of classics along including the 1812 Overture to conclude their concert season. There was a little bit of rain before the concert started, but by the time the music started the weather was perfect.
MySpace user Beka writes:
There is nothing I love more than live, lovely classical music with a cool breeze blowing in my hair, sitting below a blanket of stars peeking through the branches of the huge oak trees.
I've uploaded a photoset from the evening.
Posted by Josh Hallett on May 1, 2007 at 12:13 PM
What happens when people from all over the world come to Sun 'n Fun and then go home? They blog about it. There are a number of blogs that have Sun 'n Fun content, but here are a few:
- David West talks about his trip to the Fly-In
- Rachael and her husband combined a trip to Disney with Sun 'n Fun
- Carolyn and John Spratt have a write up and plenty of photos
- Garmin GPS blogged from the event quite a bit including some video: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Posted by Josh Hallett on April 22, 2007 at 10:54 PM
I stopped by Sun 'n Fun twice this weekend and snapped quite a few shots. The entire photo gallery is on Flickr, all 226 shots.
Posted by Josh Hallett on April 16, 2007 at 07:48 AM
Do you know what Lakeathon is? Lakeathon is the annual convention of Lake owners, pilots, and aficionados held annually in Bartow, FL (Lake is a type of seaplane). Lakeathon 2007 was held the weekend of April 13-14 and was blogged by aviation enthusiast Steve Whitney.
Steve posted 15 items during the course of the two-day event which included lots of planes, flying, lunches and other social activities. Check out the blog, it's an interesting look into a unique group of passionate folks.
Posted by Josh Hallett on April 3, 2007 at 02:32 PM
Don't get too excited by the headline, Formula 1 only has one race in the U.S. and it's in June in Indianapolis, IN (I'll be going). No, the headline relates to F1 great Stirling Moss. Ford Heacock has announced that the F1 legend will be the honorary chairman of the Mercedes-Benz Lake Mirror Classic Auto Festival in October.
Way to go Ford.
You can check out the Lake Mirror Classic Auto Festival web site, or look at some Flickr images from the event.
Posted by Josh Hallett on November 1, 2006 at 10:24 AM
Vivian from MamaNeedJava has posted an article on what to do for the holidays in the Lakeland area over at Associated Content.
Moving to Lakeland for college over four years ago, I had no idea I would be raising my young family in the area after graduating. Had I known about the unique charms the city has to offer, I might have guessed it. Lakeland is located in the very center of the sunshine state, and is a pretty good size city if you ask me. But don’t be fooled by its four Starbucks locations and new upscale strip malls- Lakeland is a delightful historic town at heart....
Posted by Josh Hallett on October 23, 2006 at 07:23 AM
I was not able to make it over to the Lake Mirror Classic Auto Festival this past weekend :-( However, a few folks have uploaded some photos to Flickr.
Be sure to look over photos from: Trykemom (who took the shot above), Red Dog and The Paper Girl.
Posted by Josh Hallett on October 16, 2006 at 09:25 AM
The new, News Chief publisher Armanda Nardi is scheduled to speak to the Florida Public Relations Association (DPPC Chapter) this Wednesday. The luncheon meeting will be held at the Lakeland Yacht Club.
I'll be attending and will post a write-up after the meeting. If you have any burning questions (What's their circulation?) send them my way.
Posted by Josh Hallett on September 21, 2006 at 08:40 AM
I'll be in Orlando for the rest of the week/weekend attending BlogOrlando. For those of your watching at home, you can follow all the action at BlogOrlando.com or do a Technorati search for BlogOrlando (or tag:BlogOrlando).
See you next week.
Posted by Josh Hallett on September 16, 2006 at 10:31 PM
The Polk Museum of Art held their annual Family Day today. It also was their 40th Anniversary. It was a great event with plenty of stuff for the kids to do. I took some photos and have uploaded a gallery on Flickr.
The Mote Marine Laboratory offered a fun hands-on experience and the stunt bike riders were a bit hit with the kids.
Posted by Josh Hallett on September 16, 2006 at 10:03 PM
Seen at the Polk Museum of Art's Family Day on the second floor in the kid's art area:
The writing doesn't look like a child's....hmmm.....
Posted by Kevin Cook on August 2, 2006 at 09:14 AM
The City of Lakeland plays host to the fall season of Lakeland Electric’s Music on the Promenade starting Friday, August 18, 2006 when renowned jazz saxophonist Eric Darius and his band take the stage from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. during the FREE music series.
The monthly music series takes place at the Lake Mirror amphitheater which is in-between Hollis Garden and the Lake Mirror Center. The event is free to the public and families are encouraged to attend. There will be food and drink vendors on site so bring a blanket and enjoy the lake setting with music under the stars.
Music on the Promenade Fall Schedule
• August 18, 2006 – Eric Darius (Jazz)
• September 15, 2006 – Azwon (Reggae)
• October 20, 2006 – Michael Bell & the Boogalizers (Rock)
Eric “Smooth Breeze” Darius will start the fall series in support of his newest recording entitled Just Getting Started. Darius took the contemporary jazz world by storm with his 2004 Jazz debut, Night on the Town. The critics raved! Fans clamored! His awesome talent and unjaded enthusiasm make him an instant favorite everywhere he performs.
His current release is a bold statement by a jazz star well on his way to the top. Darius said, “I have to admit this was by far the most incredible recording experience I’ve ever had.” He added, “Throughout the past year, I have progressed as a songwriter and a player, and in my opinion, this new CD clearly reflects that.”
Darius quotes his influences as John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Kenny G and David Sanborn. He plays the saxophone, flute and the piano. This young star is fast becoming a regular on jazz radio and his current CD is climbing the jazz charts. Eric Darius is an exciting emerging saxophonist whose versatility will be demonstrated as he hits the Music on the Promenade stage on August 18th.
Posted by Josh Hallett on June 30, 2006 at 06:51 PM
For all you Polk County bloggers (all 4, 5 or 6 of us) you might be interested in a blogging unconference that I am hosting in Orlando this September. You can get all the details over at BlogOrlando.com.
Posted by Josh Hallett on June 29, 2006 at 08:49 AM
In 2004 I worked as a voter information specialist on election day for the Polk County Supervisor Elections. It was a great experience and I really enjoyed it. This year I am moving up a bit and will serve as a precinct clerk for the primary on September 5th and the general election on November 7th.
I encourage you to sign up as a poll worker and help out this fall. If you work full-time, take a day off or ask your boss if you can have the day off with pay. Some employers are willing to grant that special request for election work. We especially need the younger folks to help out. Much of the day of a precinct worker or voter information specialist can be technical and process oriented, perfect for geeks.
If your interested head over to the Polk Elections web site and sign-up. I'd love to have a gang of friends/readers help out at my precinct.
Posted by Josh Hallett on June 5, 2006 at 09:18 AM
For the past few weeks I have been assisting myregion.org with a blog project for the How Shall We Grow? initiative.
The purpose of these community involvement meetings is to start discussion about how Central Florida as a region should grow over the next 50 years. Here in Polk County we know that growth is a major issue, but of course we are not alone. Growth is a regional issue. A large number of Polk County residents in the Four Corners area work outside of Polk County. The same goes for Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties. We can't continue to take an isolationist's view of growth.
In the next few weeks there will be a series of How Shall We Grow? meetings in Polk County. I encourage you to attend at least one, if not all of them. Click the links below to learn more about the event, and to RSVP online. See you there.
Part One - June 13th: 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM at Polk Community College
Part Two - June 15th: 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM at The Lakeland Center
Part Two - June 22nd: 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM at Polk Community College
Posted by Josh Hallett on May 16, 2006 at 06:10 AM
The Ledger has an article about the first day on the job for new USF Lakeland head Marshall Goodman:
On Monday, Marshall Goodman's first day as the University of South Florida Lakeland's new chief, he already had 179 meetings and appointments scheduled.
One of those meetings is a luncheon speech to EMERGE Lakeland:
Join us for lunch at Grasslands Golf & Country Club featuring Dr. Marshall Goodman, the new CEO of the University of South Florida-Lakeland Campus, on Wednesday, May 31st at 11:30am. EMERGE will be one of the first community groups to meet with Dr. Goodman.
The cost for EMERGE Lakeland members is $15, guests can register for $20.
Posted by Josh Hallett on May 7, 2006 at 10:38 AM
Last night I went with a large group to the Imperial Symphony Orchestra concert at Historic Bok Sanctuary. What a great event. The crowd estimate was around 3000, with many of them coming early to enjoy a picnic before the concert. I've uploaded a photoset of pictures I took last night.
Posted by Josh Hallett on April 27, 2006 at 08:23 AM
A loyal EP reader suggested that I remind all you guys out there that Mother's Day is approaching fast, it's May 14th. Start planning now.
Don't haveany idea what to give the mom's in your life? It doesn't hurt to ask them. But it's better to do that now rather than wait till 8 o'clock on Saturday the 13th.
There's nothing more pathetic than seeing all the procrastinators fighting over the last Mother's Day cards at Target five minutes before closing on Saturday night.
Posted by Kevin Cook on April 21, 2006 at 09:39 AM
Uncle John's Band will play the Friday, April 21st Music on the Promenade. The FREE Music Series takes place at the Lake Mirror Amphitheater (downtown Lakeland) from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. The group is one of the best Grateful Dead tribute bands in the land. Bring a blanket and enjoy great music under the stars. There will be food vendors on site and there is even the added bonus of a chili cook-off. Chili and Sugar Magnolia on a beautiful night – it just does not get any better.
Posted by Josh Hallett on April 16, 2006 at 10:04 PM
What a difference one year makes. After the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In last year there were around 50 photos online at Flickr from the event. This year there are over 2000. The clear winner in photos uploaded is Flickr user JerryC98. Jerry has a photoset for every day of event (sometimes even two).
Other Sun 'n Fun photosets:
- SomeSmokingMonkeys
- Mandyble (some other airshow photos as well)
- Br1ckhouse
Posted by Kevin Cook on April 12, 2006 at 09:01 AM
The City of Lakeland will play host to the Grateful Dead tribute band, Uncle John’s Band from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. on Friday, April 21, 2006 during the Music on the Promenade.
The monthly music series takes place at the Lake Mirror amphitheater which is between Hollis Garden and the Lake Mirror Center. The event is FREE to the public and families are encouraged to attend. There will be food and drink vendors on site so bring a blanket and enjoy the lake setting with music under the stars.
Uncle John's Band was formed in 1990 in Clearwater Florida from a combination of talented musicians who love to play the music of the Grateful Dead. The purpose of Uncle John's Band is to recreate the atmosphere and musical adventure of a live Dead show. Over the past many years, Uncle John's Band has performed hundreds of shows full of musical energy and pleasure for all those who have attended. Over the last fifteen years the band has developed a loyal fan base in the thousands who enjoy the music, atmosphere, and experience of the Grateful Dead.
Lakeland Electric’s Music on the Promenade is proudly sponsored by The Ledger, the City of Lakeland, Lakeland Parks & Recreation Department, Center Door Productions and Lakeland Electric. Parking is available at the Lake Mirror Center's parking lot and in the Iowa Street parking garage. No glass bottles within the park please.
Posted by Josh Hallett on April 5, 2006 at 10:59 PM
Garmin, the makers of all things GPS are blogging from the Sun 'N Fun Fly-In. Their first post invites folks to stop by their booth at the show. Today they check in with the launch of a new Mooney aircraft.
We'll keep an eye on their blog to see what else they have to say about the event and perhaps Lakeland.
Posted by Josh Hallett on April 5, 2006 at 10:22 AM
I4 Jamming mentioned this the other day, but just to add to it.....for the next week Lakeland Linder Airport will be the busiest airport in the world because of Sun-N-Fun Flyin.
How can this be? There are usually two measures of how 'busy' an airport is. The first is passenger volume, i.e. the number of people that use the airport on a daily/yearly basis. In this category the major international airports can't be touched. The second measure is movements, or in layman's terms, the number of take-offs and landings. With so many airplanes coming and going for the fly-in, plus volume associated with the 'show' aspect of the event there are more movements at Linder than anywhere else in the world.
It's a unique distinction that Lakeland can call it's own and is always a good conversation starter with an aviation geek.
Posted by Josh Hallett on March 6, 2006 at 09:25 AM
Your local 'blogger ace' (who writes these headlines) got a mention in the News Chief today. The story/plug/press-release-reprint is for a speech that I am giving next week in Lakeland, FL. I'll be speaking to a joint meeting of the Imperial Polk Advertising Federation and the Florida Public Relations Association at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 14. The event is being held at the Lakeland Center.
Posted by Josh Hallett on February 13, 2006 at 08:37 AM
The Central Florida Technology Partnership and the Tampa Bay Technology Forum will hod the 3rd Annual Fast & Furious Partnering Conference at The Lakeland Center in Lakeland, Florida on March 2, 2006 from 1:30 – 6:00 PM. Up to 50 companies representing the digital media, software & information technology services, modeling, simulation & training, optics & photonics, e-learning, and bioscience sectors are expected to participate. From the Metro Orlando Innovators blog:
Each of the presenting company spokespersons are given 2.5 minutes to give their elevator speeches and discuss partnering, business development, or even funding needs. Audience members receive a program that provides them with additional information on the companies, including full contact information to facilitate follow up. After the presentations, all Conference attendees are invited to a cocktail reception in an adjacent exhibit hall, where presenting firms and sponsors have booths set up for product demonstrations and interaction with company spokespersons.
I took part in the event last year and received a few good leads from the session. Even if you don't want to present you can just watch the presentations. The session is a real eye-opener for people that feel there isn't much 'tech' in Central Florida.
Posted by Kevin Cook on January 26, 2006 at 09:54 AM
This is just a quick reminder to check out Pigfest on Saturday. The event brings some of the best professional cook teams in the country to Lakeland and of course some of the most talented local teams take part in the Backyard Division. Don't miss lip-smackin' good BBQ on Saturday, January 28th from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. The event is at Tigertown (Joker Marchant Stadium). WPCV is sponsoring the entertainment and I understand there will be some great bands on hand. Live music, good Q and the aroma of searing pig - it just does not get any better.
Posted by Josh Hallett on January 16, 2006 at 11:17 AM
The area around the Orange Dome in Winter Haven is slowly filling up with Citrus Festival (warning: annoying Flash intro) related gear.
Perhaps with a hint of pride I can say that I have never been to the Citrus Festival in the 20 years I have lived in Winter Haven (I guess 15 if you subtract the years at the University of Florida). To be fair I have been to a few citrus industry dinners that were held at the fair, but I never ventured out to the 'midway'.
What are your experiences with the Citrus Festival?
Update: Thomas Oldt says: Citrus Festival Should Be Put Out of Our Misery
Posted by Josh Hallett on January 11, 2006 at 02:36 PM
The Ledger reports that FOX News commentator Sean Hannity is limiting press access to his speech at Southeastern University this Friday. Why?
In this day and age everybody is the press (yes I use the term loosely). What happens when a Southeastern University student writes about the speech on their MySpace or Facebook account? Or if a local resident blogs about it? Might want to ask Eason Jordan about that.
Posted by Kevin Cook on January 10, 2006 at 01:43 PM
Are you ready for some great BBQ? Coming up on January 28th is one event that I look forward to each year. It's the 10th Annual Lakeland Pig Festival at Tigertown (Lakeland) on Saturday, January 28th, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Some of the best cooks in the country attend this sanctioned event. There is one cook team from Mobile, Alabama that has some of the finest baby back ribs....I purchase two slabs each year from him. Quite a few of my friends compete in the backyard division so I make my way through the crowd to see them, stopping to taste a sample or two on the way. Bring your appetite and don't miss this fun event. If you want to compete or just want some additional information go to www.lakelandpigfest.com.
Posted by Josh Hallett on January 9, 2006 at 07:09 AM
Bill Rufty reports that gubernatorial candidates Rod Smith and Jim Davis will appear at the Polk County Tiger Bay luncheon in Bartow on Monday, January 23rd.
On the blogging-front, Jim has a blog that is frequently updated and reaches out, but is mostly written my Matt Thornton and not Jim. Meanwhile Rod provides a list of blog links right on his home page (good job), but his blog appears to be down.
Update: Turns out Rod Smith does not have a blog. The Talk page just promotes blogging.
Posted by Josh Hallett on January 6, 2006 at 12:52 PM
U.S. Congressman Adam Putnam will be the luncheon speaker for the January 18th EMERGE Lakeland event. The luncheon will be held at the Polk Museum of Art from 11:30 AM till 1:00 PM. More details
Posted by Josh Hallett on January 1, 2006 at 03:47 PM
Welcome to Empirical Polk, a blog all about Polk County, Florida.
Why Empirical? It's a play on words. In 1914 Polk County was named 'Imperial Polk County', twist that a bit and you get Empirical Polk County. Empirical is defined as:
being based upon experience or observational information and not necessarily on proven scientific data
Why a blog? A number of community blogs have helped citizens report news and comment on issues outside of the traditional media. If there is a hot-topic in a paper and 100+ people write letters to the editor only a few will be printed, the commentay aspect of a blog allows all those people to be heard/read. In some cases people may have advance knowledge of news or other items and are able to report it before the local media (Sticks of Fire in Tampa does this all the time).
The blog will always be written by a number of authors (hopefully that list will expand) and feature of different points of view, sometimes opposing views on the same topic. Interested in writing? Contact Us
This blog, like others features the ability to comment on articles. Have something to add? Want to tell us we're wrong? Comment away. Comments will only be moderated or removed if they violate the comment policy.
If you just want to send us a tip you can e-mail: tips@empiricalpolk.com
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A hyperlocal blog about Imperial Polk County, Florida. It is written by local residents that wish to provide an alternative to traditional media sources. The focus is commentary and open discussion of the issues that face Polk County, FL.
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