Things To Do - Lake Wales Daily News

Things to Do in Lake Wales Saturday, August 9

Maria Iannucci — Sat, 09 Aug 2025 04:19:14 +0000

If you’re looking for something to do today, Saturday, August 9, 2025, you have a few possibilities to consider:

The Lake Wales Downtown Farmers Market will be held from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Market St. Downtown. Lake Wales Main Street’s Facebook page states new vendors are expected.

The Back to School Bash at the Lake Wales History Museum is planned from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Grab your school spirit and get ready for a day of fun: Supplies will be available at the Back to School Bash for families in need and will also be donated to the Lake Wales Charter Schools for distribution. Get creative at the craft station. Enjoy face painting and colorful fun.

Bok Tower Gardens invites you to its Beginner Watercolors art class from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM. Create your own Screech Owl watercolor painting from sketch to finish. All the necessary materials for the class are provided and Polk County – based artist, Kelly Quinn, will share her tips and techniques to guide you step-by-step through the process. They also offer stencils for those who would rather focus on the watercolor aspect only. Participants will receive a 9″ x 12″ watercolor paper with stencils also. This will be held in the Alexander Discovery Center. Members: $55 / Non-members: $75 (Includes admission for the day). Registration required; visit their website to register.

The post Things to Do in Lake Wales Saturday, August 9 first appeared on Lake Wales Daily News.

Free Crafts at the Lake Wales Public Library July 12

Maria Iannucci — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 03:02:57 +0000

Beat the heat with fun, free crafts at the Lake Wales Public Library this Saturday, 7/12 at 1 PM to create your own Needle Punch Coasters. All supplies will be provided. Sign up on Eventbrite.com or by calling the Library at 863-678-4004.

The Lake Wales Public Library is located at 290 Cypress Garden Ln., in Lake Wales.

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Mixed Media Art Classes for Kids and Adults Today, June 28

Maria Iannucci — Sat, 28 Jun 2025 12:35:26 +0000

An Adult Mixed Media Art class is taking place today, June 28, 2025, at the Lake Wales Family Recreation Center. It is designed for ages 13+ and will be led by local artist Toni Doku. Participants will integrate painting and textiles to create a unique art piece. The class runs from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM.

Also at the Lake Wales Family Recreation Center today, a Youth class is available for children in Kindergarten through 13 years old. Toni Doku will guide participants in integrating painting and sculpture. This class is scheduled from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM.

The post Mixed Media Art Classes for Kids and Adults Today, June 28 first appeared on Lake Wales Daily News.

Make Your Own Flower Press Book At Bok Tower Gardens May 17

Maria Iannucci — Mon, 12 May 2025 22:50:43 +0000

Photo credit: Bok Tower Gardens.

BOK TOWER GARDENS – You will love creating your own Travelers Flower Press Book to take along wherever botanicals may lead you. Make a compact size flower press that will fit in your backpack or purse that is perfect for pressing small flowers. There is no stitching in this basic bookmaking class and all materials are provided. Claire Formilan from Beyond the Fold Paperie will give step-by-step instructions to walk you through the whole process. Along the way we will talk about some tips for pressing flowers and using your book. You’ll take home your own Travelers Flower Press Book (4.5” X 6”) along with instructions for pressing flower.

Event Date & Time

Saturday, May 17, 2025
10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Location

Alexander Discovery Center

Price

$45 members/ $60 non-members
Registration required

Register Now

The post Make Your Own Flower Press Book At Bok Tower Gardens May 17 first appeared on Lake Wales Daily News.

The Ramon Theater Presents Arkansas Trainwreck June 14

Maria Iannucci — Thu, 01 May 2025 16:27:03 +0000

The Ramon Theater will present Arkansas Trainwreck on Saturday, June 14, 2025, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. The theater is located at 15 East Wall Street, Frostproof.

Arkansas Trainwreck, a Senior Bluegrass Band, boasts over 100 years of collective experience. Founded in Little Rock, Arkansas, the band focuses primarily on Folk, Originals, and Bluegrass music, while also performing covers from renowned artists such as the Beatles, Bob Dylan, John Prine, and John Denver.

Alan Stewart, lead vocalist and songwriter, plays guitar, banjo, and serves as the band’s musical director. Having hosted the largest music jam at his Little Rock residence for over 40 years, Alan’s expertise is unparalleled. Julie (Jewels) Shelmire contributes lead and harmonizing vocals, playing bass guitar.

With a background in choir singing from a young age, Julie began playing bass a few years ago, participating in music jams and collaborating with Alan. Barry Lee Spence, on acoustic guitar and lead/harmonizing vocals, studied guitar under notable local musicians Victor Tutlo and Fred Douglas in Chester, Pennsylvania. His performances include appearances on local TV programs and the 1974 Mason Dixon 500 country music show, featuring George Jones and Tammy Wynette.

Tickets are $10. To purchase tickets, visit https://www.simpletix.com/e/summer-music-nights-arkansas-trainwreck-tickets-215688

The post The Ramon Theater Presents Arkansas Trainwreck June 14 first appeared on Lake Wales Daily News.

2025 Bok Tower Gardens Wawa Summer Fun Days Return

Maria Iannucci — Sat, 26 Apr 2025 23:00:21 +0000

BOK TOWER GARDENS – Thanks to the generous support of Wawa, we are pleased to share that Wawa Summer Fun Days will return this summer with free admission on the last Thursday and Friday of the month from May through August. The partnership began in 2021 with the launch of Wawa Summer Fun Days, and the offer was expanded in 2022 when over 12,000 participants received complimentary admission.

This complimentary offer is limited to four visitors per registration, and admission for the day is limited to assist with capacity issues. All members of the party visiting on Wawa Summer Fun Days will need to have a ticket to enter.

Event Date & Time

Thursday, May 29, 2025
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Location

Bok Tower Gardens

Price

Free Admission!

Registration required.

Click the dates below to register for alternative dates.

Register Now: May 30th, 2025
Register Now: June 26, 2025
Register Now: June 27, 2025
Register Now: July 24, 2025
Register Now: July 25, 2025
Register Now: August 28, 2025
Register Now: August 29, 2025

https://boktowergardens.org/event/2025-wawa-summer-fun-days/

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One Movie Later with J.C.: King of Kings” is a Good Enough Adaptation of the Gospel Story

Maria Iannucci — Sat, 26 Apr 2025 22:09:35 +0000

by James Coulter

Mainstream religious films are hard to come by. In recent years, Hollywood has released a few good films like Prince of Egypt, Passion of the Christ, and Noah. Otherwise, most Christian flicks serve a rather niche audience, especially with such controversial films as the God’s Not Dead franchise.

Enter Angel Studios, a faith-based company with the aspiration to push faith-based films and shows into the mainstream. Their most popular and successful property has been The Chosentelevision series. Now, the studio has released its first animated film, King of Kings. But will this animated film about Jesus live up to its royal name? Or, unlike Christ, will it remain dead and buried?

King of Kings begins in Victorian England. Charles Dickens is giving a dramatic reading of A Christmas Carol when his performance is interrupted by his rambunctious King Arthur-obsessed son. Charles snaps at him, but quickly relents his harsh reaction. To cheer his son up, Charles shares with him a story that he has been working on: an adaptation of the Gospel story. Through it all, father and son both learn the importance of grace and forgiveness.

King of Kings is a very basic adaptation of the Gospel story, telling the story of Jesus Christ from his birth to his resurrection. If you’re a Christian or are familiar with the Christian story, you pretty much know what to expect.

The only unique aspect about this adaptation is the framing device of Charles Dickens telling the story to his son. Essentially, it allows Charles to serve as the narrator. And sometimes it also involves his son imagining himself in the story.

This telling of the story emphasizes the theme of forgiveness, focusing on Jesus’ teachings forgiveness, as well as him exemplifying the virtue like when he defended a woman from being stoned for adultery. And, of course, there’s the fact that Jesus died to forgive humanity of its sins.

One scene I found particularly enthralling was Baby Jesus and his family fleeing from Herod. Most telling of this story have Mary and Joseph flee to Egypt before Herod orders all newborns to be killed. But in this movie, Herod’s soldiers are literally banging down the doors to the stable. It’s a real tense scene, and how Jesus’ family escapes proves to be quite surprising.

I also loved how Charles would occasionally deviate from the main narrative to share other Bible stories like the first Passover and the Garden of Eden to help explain the main Gospel story. I especially love how the Genesis story is conveyed through classic Gustave Doré illustrations. (Any children’s movie that exposes kids to fine art like Doré is a plus in my book.)

Otherwise, this film is rather unremarkable. The animation is decent, and it manages to tell the story of the Christian Gospel in one-and-a-half hours. But the condensed run time essentially forces the story to focus on hitting every plot point of the Jesus story without really doing anything to flesh out Jesus and the other characters.

Here’s a good example of what I’m talking about: there’s a scene in the movie where Charles names the twelve apostles, all of whom walk across the screen after being introduced. But aside from maybe Peter, none of them are given any real character development in the film, and you’d be forgiven if you forgot which character was supposed to be who.

It’s ironic this movie mentions King Arthur. Because it reminds me of Excalibur, the 1981 King Arthur movie by John Boorman. That movie also focuses more on telling the barebones story of King Arthur and less on developing its characters, who merely exist to act out the roles they are meant to play in the narrative. The result is a film with plenty of style but no real substance.

Overall, this movie does a basic job recounting the story of Jesus Christ. If you want to use this movie to introduce your children to the Gospel, they’re sure to find it somewhat entertaining.

However, if you want to watch a better adaptation of the Gospel, better movies exist like the 1979 Jesus film or even Passion of the Christ. And, of course, Angel Studios also distributes The Chosen, which, as a television series, has enough time to tell a proper story and develop its characters. As for children, shows like the Superbook cartoon or even Veggietales provide more entertaining and engaging adaptations of Bible stories.

As for this film? I’d recommend watching it once it comes out on DVD and streaming. Otherwise, I’d save your tickets for a better animated film.

The post One Movie Later with J.C.: King of Kings” is a Good Enough Adaptation of the Gospel Story first appeared on Lake Wales Daily News.

Fairy Festival Coming to Bok Tower Gardens June 14

Maria Iannucci — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 17:25:26 +0000

Photo credit: Bok Tower Gardens

BOK TOWER GARDENS – Come dressed in your fairy best as Bok Tower Gardens presents a summer Fairy Festival like none other! This magical day is perfect for fairies and fauns of all ages, with activities and entertainment throughout the Gardens.

See a fairy godmother take flight from the Singing Tower as she dances amongst the trees, meet fantastical fairies and awesome animals, discover hidden Fairy Doors, and delight your senses with art, music, and plenty of bubbles!

Event Date & Time

Saturday, June 14, 2025
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Location

Bok Tower Gardens

Price

Free for members / $20 for non-member adults / $10 for non-member children ages 6-17 (Includes admission for the day) Free for children 5 and under.
Activities are included in general admission – some activities are available while supplies last
Purchase General Admission Now

Please Note:

To assist Bok Tower Gardens with the rising costs of online transactions, a small processing fee is required for to confirm your registration.

Ticket price includes general admission to the Gardens. Tickets are available for purchase at boktower.org, in person at the Visitor Center or by phone at 863-734-1222. All programs and classes promptly begin at stated time and visitors are encouraged to arrive at least 10 minutes before class begins for check-in. Check-in begins 30 minutes prior to the class start time. Culinary events are demonstration based and late arrivals may not be accommodated. For classes held after 5 pm, the entrance gate will stay open for an additional 30 minutes after the start time. Once the gate closes, late arrivals will not be admitted. Due to the nature of culinary events held at the Outdoor Kitchen, Bok Tower Garden may attempt, but cannot guarantee, to accommodate food allergies. Dogs are not permitted at any educational program.

The post Fairy Festival Coming to Bok Tower Gardens June 14 first appeared on Lake Wales Daily News.

United Way Children’s Kindness Pop-Up Class Coming May 6

Maria Iannucci — Sat, 19 Apr 2025 12:56:02 +0000

In partnership with InnerAct Alliance, The Carol Jenkins Barnett United Way Children’s Resource Center will be hosting a new Humane Education Program titled “Kindness Class” on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. at the Lake Wales Family Recreation Center.

Children aged 4-5 years old will engage in lessons using high quality, age-appropriate literature, critical thinking techniques, and activities that reinforce healthy ways to interact with peers and promote animal welfare and care for nature.

The class is offered at no charge to any family wanting their child to attend.

Class size is limited. Please reserve your space online and be on time. Anyone arriving 15 minutes late to class may not be able to attend.

The Lake Wales Family Recreation Center is located at 1001 Burns Avenue, Lake Wales.

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The Sugar Express Offers Fun, History, and Even Ice Cream

Maria Iannucci — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 14:36:49 +0000

If you’re looking for a day trip idea that’s not to far, sounds fun and relaxing, and may involve a sweet treat, consider the Sugar Express.

With the closest station in Sebring, the Sugar Express steam locomotive No. 148, a 4-6-2 type steam engine, is a 100-year-old icon of American ingenuity. No. 148 is now again back operating on the U.S. Sugar rail lines, after it has seen multiple owners, and many uses over its hundred year career.

Thanks to the vision of U.S. Sugar CEO Robert H. Buker, Jr., No. 148 was re-acquired by U.S. Sugar for restoration to operation in 2016. A team of outside railroad preservation experts and more than two dozen U.S. Sugar employees completed the project in April 2020.

The Sugar Express travels between Sebring, Lake Placid, and Clewiston, depending on the excursion.

The 2025 season will begin with three weekends of events in January featuring Sugar Express steam locomotive no. 148, including the Lake Placid Local out of Lake Placid, Clewiston Comet between Lake Placid and Clewiston, Highlands County Crescent out of Sebring, Lake Placid Limited between Clewiston and Lake Placid, and the Palmdale Pioneer Ice Cream Train.

For details, tickets, times, and bookings, visit www.sugarexpress.com.

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