Happy one year anniversary, Lakeland. We can’t believe that it’s been a full twelve months since we launched and celebrated with you all at Cob & Pen. Oh, the memories…
To celebrate our first birthday, we put together some of our favorite stories and posts – and a snapshot of how far we’ve come – and where we’re going. Plus, a little reminder of who exactly we are.
🎉 Here’s a snapshot of a year ago today…
- Subscribers: We started with 5,525. Today: 17K subscribers. We appreciate every single one of you.
- Instagram followers: We started with nearly 7,783 followers. Today: 10.4K followers. Y’all make our community thrive with your tags and comments.
- Facebook: We started with about 9,624 followers. Today: 13K followers. An extra shoutout to the 40+ of you who have given us 5 star reviews.
🎉 Here’s some of our favorite conversations our staff has had with you this year…We’re not crying, you’re crying. ⬇️
Jessica, Editor, is a travel-fiend and barista when she is not in the office. She is pondering on pursuing a second master’s degree. Her current book recommendation? Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work.
Here’s a few conversations she had the most fun writing:
- What you would change about Lakeland
In response to a viral tweet, we asked you, “If you had the power to change just one thing in Lakeland in order to make it much better, what would that one thing be?” You blew us away with 300+ comments and 15+ shares. I’m proud to be a LAL citizen. - Lakeland’s first aviatrix
Have you ever heard about the two Lakeland residents that nearly made aviation history by flying across the Atlantic? This piece flies through the history of our city’s first aviatrix, Ruth Elder. - Blinky – Lakeland’s unofficial mascot
When we heard that those who have Lake Mirror water running through their veins know the story of Blinky, I decided to do a little research about our city’s unofficial mascot. And the result? The one-eyed gator will always live in our hearts + across from Lake Mirror by Catapult 3.0.
Kaylee, Editor, is a wannabe hiker, attempting to take on all 1,300 miles the Florida trail, one boot at a time. She’s currently working on a book about the ‘Weird Side of Florida’ + you can also catch her volunteering with The Red Tent Initiative.
Here’s a few conversations she had the most fun writing:
- The truth behind Florida Man
Who really is the Sunshine State’s favorite love-to-hate mascot? In an effort to find the answer, I researched the three reasons why Florida Man exists, collabed with one of the coolest podcasts in the county + talked to a real Fla. man who gave possibly the greatest quote of all time. - 14 Trails to “peak” your interest
Florida may be a little flat, but that does not – by any means – take away from its beauty. So I put together a list of the coolest trails in town – from my own experiences – plus tips on who to bring when you explore them. - You know you’re from Lakeland if...
We ran a full feature about all the ways people know they’re from Lakeland – and why they’re proud to call it home – but we couldn’t have done it without your responses on social media. Y’all made this Central Florida girl proud.
Our partners
We couldn’t do what we do without our incredible year-one Partners. These local bizzes invest back into their community by supporting LALtoday and help us provide this free newsletter every morning.
- City of Lakeland
- Lakeland Economic Development Council (Catapult + Lakeland Intern)
- Lakeland Regional Health
- Lakeland Chamber of Commerce
- MIDFLORIDA Credit Union
- Publix
- Southern Homes
Want to learn about how you can be a part of the conversation? Check out our advertising opportunities here.
