Our Town: Lakeland

A. Our tell Blakeley is made possible in part by the Community Foundation of greater Lakeland serving the Lakeland community for good or ever by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. And by the members of WUSA TV. The city of Lakeland is nestled between a series of lakes that are the centerpoint of the community lake Hollingsworth is lined with beautiful homes and churches. This beautiful

setting includes a paved jogging path that attracts area residents. Lake Morton attracts many wild birds including this one which is the town's symbol. Some of these majestic birds are descendants of a pair of swans that were a gift from her majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second in 1057 Lake mirror with the beautiful fountain at its center directly borders the downtown area of Lakeland on the south side of the Lake Gardens where you find a beautifully maintained garden featuring plants from around the world on one cool spring morning. Over 20 volunteers came together to tape a day in the life limbs of Lakeland. They took us to beautiful lake

explored the wonder kids at the Children's Museum along with a variety of reasons so many people call Lakeland home through the view of their own cameras. These community producers showed us the people places and events that make Lakeland so unique. This is their story. My name is Jim Gaines and I was shot by the sun and fun lion today. The flying itself is operated by the Experimental Aircraft Association and they're all it's a basically as an organization for home builders of people to build and fly their own

experimental aircraft. And it's a it's a big industry in homebuilt kids. And so you see a lot of vendors there marketing that sort of thing. It kind of reminded me of I for a busy afternoon with all the traffic and require traffic cops You'll see guys riding motorcycles with red shirts that actually lead airplanes around so they can control the ground traffic. And they have other people parking airplanes. The people that are flying in for the air show and it's all controlled controlled by a control tower that's manned by volunteers from the FAA. There's aircraft parking all over the field. Anywhere you look you can find you can see airplanes parked wing to wing it's that's it's almost like a supermarket parking lot. There's so many aircraft parked you know just wing that wingtip to wingtip out there and there they run the gamut some

are a little light weight air airplanes like Piper Cubs which a lot of pilots learn is you know as their first airplane did their first solos and Piper Cubs and then you've got the big war birds that are out there aircraft that flew during World War 2. I saw Guy Navy Corsair do a low fly by as I was out there shooting an airplane that's been around since 1940 3. The thought in the war and in the Pacific there they have Vietnam era aircraft and they have World War 2 aircraft. So there's a lot to a lot of different aircraft U.S. not the least of which are the ultra lights ultralight aircraft probably have their biggest following among EAA members because they are experimental aircraft they're the kind of airplanes that you can fly without a license. You do have to have some training if for no other reason than to you know be able to

fly the not fall out of the sky. Some of the things like the tri Sickles it looks like a motorcycle you know like a tri sickle motorcycle with with a hang glider wing on it which probably doesn't inspire a lot of confidence and a lot of people but I thought it was the biggest feature for the average viewer. Just going to sun and fun and probably for everybody else out there this as well is the air show every day they have a long list of aerobatic pilots. Some of them make their living as air show pilots. Some of them are airline pilots that do it on the side just for fun. I remember I saw a fall a couple years ago. He was doing a very low level show and this guy was doing and doing four point rolls and a point rolls and barrel rolls at the 50 feet off the deck

and then a bright yellow aircraft is very impressive. This just started out as a kind of an excuse for a bunch of guys to fly to Florida and have a good time everywhere and it's just taken on a life of its own announcing its 20th year the second largest air show on in the nation. I've been around and just did the wild airplanes and flying since I was 13. I've done a lot of aerial or videography and photography both from airplanes and helicopters. Anytime someone wants to give me a ride in an airplane I'm I'm game. My name's damn Lonnie and I see all the showcase the pretty much the

Central Park in the south part of Lakeland. One of the reasons why I just you know like the profile the street success is that we do travel it pretty much just about daily. But it is it's really a beautiful street it's just really pretty majestic theory. When we moved to Lakeland back in 92 or 93 I was invited by my secretary to attend the first setting up this church and like when we went there in me I really fell in love with him. You now have a contemporary service in our contemporary service is actually larger than you are to traditional sources now. When I came to Lakeland Are you a public associate asked me if I would be interested in volunteering and sitting on the board with campfire boys and girls and then we had the news. We have teenagers. Really we do our success by six program where we teach people to read or help people read on the get the list just goes on and on. I one of the things that intrigues me the most is they can't fire us a mission that is to to build caring responsible use. OK and for our next generation

and being involved an organization I see the use it that they were mentoring and the success that they have I mean you see the ones that have come through the system and now are in college and they are you know the top of their classes and they're very unique people in the sense that you know they're very very self very self-motivated. Your response in the young people it's a just a great organization to you to be affiliated with and we just really joy being here in the city of like of a just a just a great place to be for the three to succeed project developed by the generally we happened to be at medulla Elementary which is their Head Start program. Harrison performing arts professional actors happen to be there and they had an absolutely darling get that they performed to the book click clack. I'm going to take a look back at the singing but the acting

was great they were really involved and it was fun to see the parents interacting with the kids to see how much their children really did enjoy reading. I left excited because I knew that those families who were going to be sharing literacy activities in their homes in the future and that it was going to last beyond the project that we did that day we were there from like one public library and she had gathered 13 we had to write down. 13 parents and guardians attended and we also presented computers to help us in the project they received their computer that each school received a brand new computer. One of our league members Marty Crenshaw read to the children and she did such a great job and I had I have to say I had been there to see her. Amazing how they responded to her and I think the one thing we have learned in watching just by reading to

these children. The response that you get from them. We learned that if children enter school ready to learn their chances of success later in life is much greater. And that's why we focus all of our efforts on school readiness and family literacy. These kids say they impact the health of our community and so it's not just about these children but it's about improving your community as a whole. You leave feeling great you just want to leave because you have children just to watch the film the type of them laughing and saying and even our parents on that thank you because a lot of their lives have not been touched or they don't have books in their homes think they can afford to buy these books. Just makes you feel great and also you know we were trying to compare this to any one of these days all these children are going to looking for jobs so it's very important that they do know how to read and I think it's all of our our duty and responsibility in this community.

One is with us in Delhi and I wanted to show swing dancing and my church and me and a group of friends as we go and dance. We do. Close and your heart basically in the Lindy Hop is an eight count dance an East Coast has six count and it was started back in the 40s by a wide usually hopper. Ever since then it's just become really popular with my age group who because it's a really cool band it's a really cool dance to watch like people can improvs different steps and they can still get on the dance floor in a park and if they know what they're doing and they're a good dancer it's cool I have most fun dancing. It's a social dance so you can dance with anybody it's not like a high school dance where you have to dance with your boyfriend or two every year.

Dating is really cool but a lot of church of God is a really cool church to go to because it's very charismatic. You can worship any way you want to be free to worship. Anyhow it's really cool. You can feel the presence of God in there most definitely in the building has like a huge wooden cross. When you walk in there's a balcony on the left and on the right and the left and there's a fountain right in the middle. It's really pretty. We have one of the best choirs I think in the world. They have like you know the trumpet solo the sax poems and the drums and they just have everything but they sounded good. They practice a lot so make sense. My name is Carolyn Gosling and I'm a Weight Watchers leader.

That means I actually run meetings and help people learn how to lose weight. There are 20 plus meetings in Lakeland and I picked one of my meetings that the members are extremely interactive and just have a whole lot of fun as well as get group support. And you think about Weight Watchers there's a puzzle our logo is actually a puzzle and it shows how the food plan the activity plan the behavior plan the support plan all go together like a puzzle. One of the basic assumptions is there's a positive intention behind every behavior. It's my favorite one because people think that they eat for negative reasons and they don't eat for positive reasons. The first goal that we suggest for members is 10 percent of their body weight. I would use something called chunking down their weight loss so that it doesn't seem overwhelming and losing 10 percent of your body weight will reduce your blood pressure and cholesterol as well as your blood sugar levels at their high or your risk of heart disease and diabetes.

But it also makes people feel better. There are a lot of overweight people in Lakeland. They're coming to meetings to learn how to lose weight but how to eat healthier. And I think that's the biggest thing in the community. People want to be healthy you see them out there exercising all the time. But unless you start to eat a little differently it's not going to work. She was introduced to the people down there. There are different every year sounds like. That's why you need to turn on my charm

that director for the groom Steiner. She's really nice lady and she's a nice lady. When we get something around she she doesn't call our name she just tells the people we need to work on this morning and different apple pear for all just doing a song when she wants something don't she do something the guy who was on they like this and later the children made the sample it is just a thought. Relax is stuff like this. She she just really is good for that. It's interesting the songs we have and how many groups we have it's just cool the way we sing and the songs meeting and that when they practice is something different when they go to the performer. She is really good and the music when it gets to be missing the children feel you feel something in your heart and your mind is there going and going and this is beautiful when they are with the racist stuff like

they're the orchestra and this is beautiful. My name is Sherry say Bo and I'm representing Florida Southern College and the Frank Lloyd Wright architecture which is the largest one site collection of Mr. Wright's architecture in the world. One thousand thirty six and thirty eight our college president at the time who is Dr. lead Spidey believe that the college needed to grow and that there needed to be a true American college all the colleges up north had a European type of player an influence he wanted something truly American. Mr. Wright was certainly a household name when it came to architecture and doctors he sent him a telegram saying he wanted to speak to him about building a great education temple in Florida. We think that several things appeal to Mr. Wright he was to be given free reign to make this large collection of structures for one client. He fell in love with the setting we were in orange grove originally so he had to nestle these buildings all amongst the orange trees. We were on rolling hills Mr. Wright loved to build into the landscape that was there

he didn't level things off. And we were on the shores of a lake and he loved the sound of presence of water and incorporated that into his designs. And finally Florida sunshine Mr. Wright love the use of natural lighting a fire chapel is our landmark on the campus anything that you see about Florida south and you'll see the tower area in particular of any Pfeifer chapel. It was completed in 1941 and our students were actually the construction workers for that building and two of our others. At 85 her chapel is affectionately referred to as the bicycle rack in the sky or gods bicycle rack because the wrought iron work that's up on the top is a classic Wright design very textured blog very smooth Cancri the candle leaver just has all those elements that truly make for Mr. Right. Architecture day in fourth chapel is very similar to some of

his other designs has only leaded glass on campus has the pure right flooring purer church pews that Mr. Wright had designed on has all those elements that that just make it very quaint. You had a true transition in destination space that transition space he has you very close to the confines as you enter as you open it up he had that destination space you truly feel that the space that he's given us a wonderful magnificent building. You know I think the Esplanade are are really neat. I like those we have 1.5 miles of them and the Esplanade there are functional and they certainly keep you out of the sun. They provide a pattern. They keep you very close to the confined in that transition space that is used extensively so that as you really get to the heart of the room the heart of the building you have a greater appreciation for that space was one massive pond of water up perfect circumference of a circle. But the water dome was designed to be a meeting area. And what made it a water down was the fountain was around the exterior.

So when they were on you had this nice dome that these are buildings that we live in and breathe in they are treasures they are works of art. It makes Florida Southern unique because we're not a museum we do use these buildings for our classrooms for our offices as a tourist destination. We have between 20 and 20 year visit our campus and a share in what we think are incredible treasures. And the way it's designed the way they laid it out is that the water is kind of a journey of water. It starts in the rain forest and then as it goes down and down to the lake and it takes through a series of fountains and there was a real nice roll along it right

down to a big panoramic view of Lake. Each area is really neat because they have different themes they have a they have the different colors and they change throughout the season. I really like the tropical area they have the banana trees and that's also the area that has the cornerstone. It's called Broken window through the window and you see all the old downtown buildings and you can also see the rest of the garden. Colors vary wildly from bright Deep Purple to magnificent shades of red. And the area can contain one color or it can be a mix and match. I also like the vegetable garden or is actually they plant vegetables. There's fresh corn cabbage even a peach tree. If you're facing it you face the rain forest area. But when you turn around you see the rest of the garden and the other down where the plants are off to the left and right

visually stimulating aesthetically pleasing the spider web and of course there's a lot of flowers or flies birds. The plans come from all over the world so I'm guessing that they attract a variety of it's all been donated. Somebody wanted to get one. And even from the to the building it's all donated money and their families go the kids playing on the grass. People strolling around on a day like today were so beautiful. When you first walk into City Hall it's got all these beautiful flowers. The city just doesn't incredible

job of taking care of the exterior of their properties. The architecture of that building was a Spanish style building. And then as you walk you know it's like two or three stories up and yet it's just open. And so the city made a commitment in the Downtown Development Authority did and they started improving the physical facilities of downtown area by putting in streetscape and they put in beautiful trees and parking areas and all of a sudden. About four five years ago one little store goes into Kentucky. You have then another then another one and now you've got restaurants you've got shops you've got stores you've got and you've got activity in the marble arcade has beautiful oak paneling that has been completely restored the ceiling as you walk in there looks like something Roman asking something Greek almost of the pattern that is on the on the ceiling. The elevators were built in 20 so they've got that antique look to him even though they've been updated modernize the lemon Street problem that was put in maybe five years ago the idea was to take one of

the streets that run through the town and widen it and make it kind of like a Parisian Boulevard. You know it's not a sham silly. But if we hey if we had Paris was here Lakeland history probably not to be the shawl and the terrace was originally an abandoned old hotel. We put out proposals to try to get it to improve and working with the city of Lakeland in the Downtown Development Authority were able to get a developer who came in and made a tremendous investment and they took that building and turned it into a beautiful exquisite hotel saving many of the features that the hotel had originally you know would be a lot easier if you just went in there got it but he didn't. He went in there and preserve the character of that building. Our downtown area is kind of like a living room. When they come to the community it's the first thing that you see. And 10 15 years ago people came to Lakeland and they saw all that downtown area you think oh my goodness this is a disaster. You know this is not a very pleasant area. Now when you come to downtown Lakeland you say this is kind of fun. This is enjoyable.

The area that I showcased is the late Morton historic district. When I first bought the house a year ago it didn't have a front porch on it so I've put over a new front porch with the swing and that finalize the actual historic style look. And then my dog was their English bulldog. And he'll sit on the front porch and just sit there and look out the fireplace mantle. It's kind of unique. It's the the brick is the brick fireplace which I think is unique. There's a house down the road. It's old home huge just like three stories. Anyway the story behind it is the original owners are married horse and they they are friends that live next door to each other. Prior to that when they were they're young and they ended up getting married each other. There are owners now are friends of mine and then the funny thing is that the same thing is happening to me.

I bought my house a year ago next door a girl ran the house and we ended up started dating and now we're getting married. So I don't know if it's just something in the grass in the historic district. You end up marrying your neighbor or what. But it's happening. I'm Marge de Batz and I'm talking about volunteering an alimentary school. And I also have showing some beautiful churches from the like when they are real. I volunteered current palm or all my children have gone there and all my grandchildren have gone there and it's kind of where my roots are because often on for thirty seven years I have worked with reading at home or I was sitting in a large rocker right in front of children in a first grade class and they were so excited there was a new book they had never heard this before and they were there was laughing and smiling

and they were real happy. I think one of the greatest things I can do is to teach a child to read because if you don't learn to read. How far can you go in education. And they and the children are so excited after they learn to read and I really I just don't want to stop the Church of the resurrection is a relatively new church. It is beautiful has a lot of stained glass windows and it has a large congregation. And then across the street there happens to be a man of his church and that's what they're all Baptists and they both on Sunday mornings have packed. Parking lot and then Southside madness which is one of the older Southern Baptist churches in like one. And then we went to the First Methodist and it sits kind of further back on the lot and it's beautiful. And then we also went to the First Presbyterian Church which is on like Hollingsworth and on the last one was my church and I

was interested in that because I was on the building committee for that church and I think it's Bertie I've been there for 39 years. I'm surely Paul. Then I chose to set the whole Museum of Art and the downtown antique section of Lakeland. I've always liked the old museum because of the quality of art there. The Those shots I took outside were pictures of the tiles that they used as a fundraiser that children decorated it's a very nice place to stop with your children and look at the tiles of art that children have created one of the pieces I really like is a still life. It's by a Russian artist. When I look at it Ed just gives me a feeling of happiness to see it. There's another piece by a Cuban artist also that gives me the same feeling when I look at it. It's the creative spark that I guess I recognize there. It's very relaxing too.

Go out into the sculpture garden and stand by that wall and listen to the water come down and see the water droplets rippling over the wall. There's a sculpture in the garden. It's really thought provoking to me sometimes gets a bad rep because it's considered most of the artists I've known are not. Most artists are kind of on the edges when I view art. It's a creative spark that that person never they created. And it gives me a zip that I didn't before I went into the band. I'm very grateful that we had this great place here in Lakeland that I can go to. The downtown section of Lakeland is very picturesque. Most of

the stores were refurbished from older buildings in the downtown section so they themselves have an antique look to them. The shop I particularly enjoy is Casey Lynn and they specialize in old jewelry and rare books which I like both. I work in a library saw definitely interested in old books and I like old jewelry and vintage vintage items are always light and whenever I was growing up my grandmother lived with us and every summer she would go away to visit and we would plunder around her room and of course she was loaded up with old things because she was old and that I'm sure is where my love of antiques comes from when I'm in the downtown section there are a lot of old buildings there. The stores are chock full of old things and it's really like revisiting my grandmother's room again. My name is Khalid Gardner and I did the independent record stores around

life and evolution is just a little small store kind of like a boutique almost. But it does have a lot of records there. They have a lot of this for like hardcore and rock and rap and jazz and just kind of music that you would like. And there have been in Japan you have a lot of the old records but they do have a lot of new violence for the deejays around there and the area owns a store. He opened it about a year ago. So a lot of great music and like oneself gives these folks a chance just to come on in and hear you're exposed to different things and I knew my chances by right here and like I keep the money and all counting if there's music develops there's a couple more have more of the atmosphere that you might find in other towns right here Michael wood pecker is kind of spacious but it's based itself mainly as the brand for the Lakeland music scene. Jeremy woodpecker he kind of values a lot on what the kids think and the stuff that they like because he's pretty much a big kid

himself. I'm going to you have no idea about high school like it was for this record store I was working on. I love my barley already sees so little of the sun and the store all hand-built calendars display rack is what it is but it can stay in the bedroom that the store with I feel the best selection that rides. Anyway they have a kind of pride themselves on the hardcore punk indie rock that's pretty much what they do. He really cares about who he is getting his money from and if it's the right reason that they're giving their money to him because some people just see kids as pocket books with clothes. My name is Jean whipping and I've been doing photography for the Imperial Symphony Orchestra for about 18 or 20 years. About four years ago I started doing video and I drew from that four years of of tapes to get some

clips for for this program today. It started in March in 1965 as I understand. And became the Lakeland Symphony Orchestra and later was turned into the Imperial Symphony Orchestra when they started branching out into the other parts of the county personnel are basically amateur musicians or professional summer music teachers. They come from all over the county Lakeland parto Winter Haven Auburn Dayo. Some from Brandon and Tampa. I've even had some people from Clearwater and I think a few from Brighton. It's basically a volunteer orchestra nobody's ever going to get rich playing in the orchestra. These people really love to play music and it shows on the masterworks concerts or five of those during the year those are the the cities and concerts they call them and are basically serious music presented to us as as concert pieces. One of those is also a young artists concert where high

school and college students or compete for the honor of playing a concerto with the orchestra. I consider two other aspects of the performance schedule one is the outreach concerts and which we could go outdoors and play pops concerts around the county. Traditionally we go to Martell to Winterhaven the Bach tower in Lake Wales and there's one in downtown Lake on probably the most important aspect of the whole thing is education of the Young People's Concerts. There are about 5000 fourth graders and about 5000 fifth graders in the county and the symphony and its sponsors will pay for all of those children to be bussed over to the like on to the Lakeland center and as a group they will see and experience a concert theater holds about twenty five hundred people for the ring and into groups and to concerts alone. Weekday

morning with these kids and I speak to a lot of musicians and all audience members and so forth and they remember going in about the fifth or sixth grade and seeing their first orchestra there's a clip of a concert that was done about two years ago I believe the Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. This involved the Tampa Bay children's chorus the Lakeland choral society and several other choral groups whose names I didn't catch at the time so I can't give them my apologies to anyone who's offended but I think that was really a great concert. I shot quite a bit of the rehearsal for that and some of the the clip show and intercutting concert and rehearsal. I always think that backstage is more interesting than that out front anyway. We've also Madama Butterfly which was produced this year for the first time. It's a fundraiser and

went over very well where we well produced and apparently that's going to become an annual event. I'd have to say that the clip of the debut CD afternoon of a faun has to be my favorite because my wife is a principal flutist and this is this is always going to be a favorite of ours. I am I'm Georgann Carlton and I've been with explorations five children's museum either as a volunteer or a staff person for about 10 years now and explorations by a children's museum is 11 years old. Our Children's Museum has a model. Please touch. In a world where children are told to hands off of everything because we know that children learn best through clay and so our facility is set up with educational hidden learning values in

every exhibit in all the components. But the children don't realize their learning they just see it as a good time it's a fun site for them. The children's festival was hosted in the past by the pope association of young children. And that group as of last year decided to turn this event over to another group and they were out soliciting groups to take it over and we volunteered. Social wonder who is our exhibit an education director along with Bernadette Curtis took on the task with some of our other staff contacting all sorts of organizations in schools in the community to ask for their support of this event. We had about 25 different organizations come out and host activities today everything from Swan art to new bubble making. And there was an ethics etc. where pummelling and his whole activities along with face painting and woodworking there were children building cabinets.

All children learn differently. Some learned from hearing them through reading some through the site. Most almost everyone learns best by doing. And so a children's museum has that environment where it can take those learning and concepts and turn them into interactive exhibits and components and even programs. The mission of explorations by Children's Museum is to provide a hands on fun filled adventure and learning for children and families. We are in a 30000 square foot facility right now two floors are filled with hands on interactive exhibits. The first floor is considered our town with exhibits representing the various aspects of our community. And then when they move to the lower floor that's our impressions gallery and that's considered world. And the goal of that series is to try to give children a basic understanding of the various cultures so that they have a better understanding of their neighbors as well as themselves. Colin Powell chairman of America's Promise

the Alliance for Youth said if you want to solve the problems of violence and crime on our streets It begins with us teaching children to value life and to have respect for themselves and for others. He went on to say that you do this by providing safe places for kids to learn and grow and by surrounding them with the adults who will keep them in play. And this is exactly the work of a children's museum. I'm Dave Fleming and I looked at the US at Lakeland campus and its impact on Polk County. The first thing I shot was our front entrance and I thought that was kind of important that's the first thing people always see when they come to this campus and the fact that it's a joint use facility there's both a community college and a university here. I thought the courtyard and the groves are kind of important because this campus is not designed to change the county radically. It's designed to integrate with what's already going on here the orange groves are basically what built this county in Moore with the staple this county was for a while and now we're developing we're growing and this is kind of just a

great example of how we're growing and developing and changing New Times. I'm actually the student body president here and I thought the student government's kind of an important feature of this campus the fact that even as a regional campus we have our own student government that's independent from the one in Tampa is kind of an important feature of this campus. It allows us to make our own decisions in terms of student activities and student issues a library is a key feature to every university campus no matter where it is and I just thought that you know as students that's where we spent a lot of time we do research there. We're trying to become part of the high tech I-4 corridor here in Lakeland that runs between Tampa to Orlando in a computer lab is just an example of the high tech stuff that we're trying to develop. And it's just designed to allow our students better access to all the high tech stuff that's going on in this area. I love the 2 plus 2 program because it provides an affordable education to everybody. I mean anybody can pretty much afford it. It's you know to communicate than two years in a major state university this ridge recognizes Tier 1. Our name is Nick or Effie and showcased skateboarding and

like when I did their skate park is pretty good skate park is pretty fun. Kind of I'm glad lichen has something to offer like this they have the bell. It's like a home and you can do pretty big errors or tricks off of they have a ball that's like it. It's I guess shaped like a figure eight and a ball whatever and it's got a little different pills in it like they do tricks into the ball. I like skateboarding because it's a challenge. First of all it's exciting and strange board so there is a fun thing to do. And instead of playing baseball or football a group activity like skateboarding is like all by yourself out there. Just skate. I love to do it. It's pretty fun hanging out with all your friends they show you new things and show new

tricks just different things to do. You kind of feed off their energy makes you guy go bigger and ask a lot harder. My favorite trick is a 360 flip. It's a move where you put the board and it goes around 360 degrees and laying back on it I like doing that trick a lot. Ever gets hurt. Even the pros get hurt. Just how bad you hurt really. I guess I fall like every day. That's how you learn a trade. All the kids out there just keep skateboarding if you have it. I've stabling it's even bigger than it is today. And I did take on the theater it's a

historic atmospheric theater that's been restored. It has big glass doors and the marquee and it's got a kiosk in the middle that you can see from the street that actually is where the ticket booth is the acoustics are good there. There's been a play by the musical our drama dramatic plays and of course the theater shows the movies and that's just that's a weekly thing on Friday. Seats are all been restored. There's a lot of columns there's a lot of different aerials on the wall. There's actually paintings on the wall especially downstairs. There's even some. It's around when you actually look around the balcony is like would you like a little city around like a Spanish or something like that. As you come in there's the first staircase on your right. And what's unique about that it is tile but it has different designs on the steps and there are still the old metrical boards and stuff

that are downstairs in the basement. The dressing rooms are all old but they've been kind of dated new bulbs and stuff put in it. Elvis has a signature in one of the dressing rooms what's on the wall. I think people that are middle age or older they look at it as you know here is you know something has been restored and they have memories of when they were kids going to the movie and then people that are younger they see the theater and can see how old it is and it just you know I just really need to see is more like coming to see a museum. Oh of course it's a nonprofit place and has to be a charity money or fundraisers and things like that to keep it afloat in a lot of dedicated volunteers who keep it together and I'm a volunteer projectionists. And so I I do that my wife works there. It's just it's just a neat neat place. My name is Lane pre-war. I live in the heart of Lakeland and the two sites which I selected are important to me. The art style on the part gallery park in Lakeland

represents the cultural interests and then I think that an essential part of Lakeland is Lake Hollingsworth itself where you see the energy of the people arts on the part gallery is a very narrow gallery probably 30 feet wide and approximately 75 or 80 feet deep inside they have a like a wonderful building with a spiral staircase that goes up the front to show was a woman show and it was pretty dynamic. She has a bent toward nature particularly rocks and almost everything she does according to her has a basis in rocks and how they're piled together. Her art is excellent. One particular piece is almost an auto biographical sketch of having lost an aunt and what that meant in the in the big picture of womanhood. Yeah.

US group Lake Hollingsworth was one of the first paved paths vailable which a sufficient distance that you actually had a workout at the end. This was the SPCA dog walk their fund raising for dogs cats animals. It was kind of interesting because about every other person was walking their dog around like Hollingsworth. I think the SPCA dog walk was particularly interesting and I had a opportunity to go down and talk to a few dog owners. They were glad to talk about their dogs. There was a lot of positive stuff there a lot of children adults people dedicated to animals in a

manner that I admire yet you still remember and at least a greyhound came through on foot to make the rescue. Please write and write and then around the lake it is always fun to shoot the white pelican that come over from St. Petersburg or wherever they come from then hang like there's always something happening. Most everyone around the Lake who's involved in a physical activity tends to be very friendly and I would like that I guess for about an hour. This way is probably one of the last city in Lakeland and I love working right Hollingsworth it's a nice walk in the morning in the springtime. I enjoyed watching guy looking at beautiful houses on the way and it's a beautiful time. It's almost becomes a community and you see the same people over and

over again. And there's a reward and there's the fellowship that comes with the path dedicated to energy or fitness. Like when they have these little wooden blocks in the shape of the buildings around the city it's kind of like a town that you would put on display in your house and right in the middle the company made one of the recycling building and I just think that's very representative of what that restaurant is to the town. It was opened in 1934 when purchased it was called the ducky Walky and then they changed the name grease cliff. It

was recent Clifford's that I think that that had to do with a lot of their success. I'm pretty sure that a restaurant called Duffy would make it for 70 years gives you a great sense of history to the place to you can really kind of grasp it as soon as you walk in because there are these pictures from the 40s from the 50s from the 60s with the restaurant looked like and who owned it at the time and they have a picture of the current owner at 8 years old playing outside of it it's really neat. It has the atmosphere of kind of classic 50s diner. There's the the bar area in the middle with the bar stools around it. There's tables out further. They have the soda fountain still there in the middle that you can see just kind of has a very old restaurant kind of feel to it very intimate very friendly atmosphere. Larry Larry Larry. The fact the number of people that we spoke to said that that's one of the main draws that you

look and feel like you're somewhere you've been many many many times before even if it was ONLY person. There's a lady there that's the food that's been there for one another lady who makes the pies in their homemade pies and they've won new awards for best dessert. She's been there for over 50 years making the night just for you know my name and did you know that when you and I think it very likely felt a little like like like like you're you right. That's all it was yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah I think they were that that was one of the coolest things for me was talking to those two because I grew up hearing like one and just about halfway through and then it suddenly dawned on me that these two ladies had cooked so much food from my childhood and from growing up and I never even knew what they looked like or met them

until I was that was when they were there pretty much every Sunday and usually one weeknight for most of my childhood was kind of like get a Bentley. Yeah. And you wouldn't tell. But it's a great restaurant just by driving by and it looks just very very down home. Yeah. Yeah but you know what's interesting is that the two trademarks are still there and they they have a sign that from the pictures that we saw went back to the 40s or 50s and also in the overhanging entrance yawning on OUTFRONT. But I have to tell you the reason why I like Reese is because whenever I knew my dad was going to get mad at me for something that I did that was obviously wrong. I don't get it. He loves their peach pie. Sit down my tires if I hold you not side to

side that over here and I always manage to get it a little less sensitive because of the peach pie so I had to give that lady a Scot mythological. Our town Lakeland is made possible in part by the Community Foundation of greater Lakeland serving the lake Lake Community Board good for ever by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting aired by the members of WUSA TV.