Kick it back to the 1970s at Disco Fever and the RP Funding Center’s 50th anniversary events. | Photo by @evrnest + @werlostboysmedia via @buenamarket
Hey Alexa, play “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire. We’re filling our day planners with the top events we recommend heading to next month, from markets to concerts to festivals.
Get Lucky with Rotary | Friday, Sept. 12 | 5:30-8 p.m. | Florida Children’s Museum | $50+ | Try your luck with casino games while raising money to fund Rotary projects for Lakelanders in need.
Marshall Tucker Band - “All Our Friends” Tour | Saturday, Sept. 13 | 8 p.m. | RP Funding Center | $23 | These Southern rock icons return 50 years after their first performance at the Lakeland Civic Center.
Disco Fever | Saturday, Sept. 20 | 9 p.m.-1 a.m. | Union Hall | $15+ | The disco inferno will stay lit thanks to themed food + drinks, a funky dance floor, and interactive experiences.
Bienvenido a BSP - Hispanic Heritage Celebration | Friday, Sept. 26-Saturday, Sept. 27 | Times vary | Bonnet Springs Park | Free+ | This event is expanding to two days of family activities and live entertainment, with headliner Cortadito — new this year, $10 preferred parking inside the park.
Free Coworking Day | 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. | Catapult | Free | The business incubator is opening its doors for a day of coworking and facility tours.
Nitro Bingo | 4:30-8 p.m. | The Historic Ritz Theatre, Winter Haven | Free+ | This energetic bingo night blends strobe lights, upbeat music, and big prizes for winners.
Friday, Aug. 29
Jimmy Buffett Day | 10 a.m.-8 p.m. | Picassoz Art Cafe | Price of purchase | Walk in to paint themed pottery, and get a free Tortuga latte or piña colada from Tea Largo.
Exploration Station | 2-4 p.m. | Bonnet Springs Park | Free | Go wild by checking out a book about the animals that live in BSP before exploring replicas of them.
Saturday, Aug. 30
Super Saturdays: Back-to-School Book Fair | 10:30 a.m. | Coliseum of Comics | Price of purchase | Soar into the comic shop for kid-friendly activities + specials on select books.
80s Country Music Night | 8 p.m. | The Social Cocktail Lounge, Winter Haven | Price of purchase | After working “9 to 5" all week, relax while DJ Dylan spins the twangiest hits of the 1980s.
Sunday, Aug. 31
Sunday Crafternoon | 1-3 p.m. | Rose Dynasty Center | Free | Work on your own arts + crafts projects alongside others, or use the provided supplies to start something new.
Monday, Sept. 1
Labor Day Vendor Market | 12-4 p.m. | Keel Farms, Plant City | Price of purchase | Shop from a variety of local vendors and take home two bottles of wine for $25.
Here’s what Massachusetts Avenue looked like yesterday morning.
Photo by LALtoday
Traffic
CSX railroad repairs could stop you in your tracks this week. Yesterday, crossings at Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Tennessee Avenues were closed for track replacement and repaving. The first two are expected to reopen by Saturday, Aug. 30, and Tennessee Avenue should be open today.
Job
PCPS teacher vacancies dropped 9.1% from this time last year, but that still leaves around 300 open positions in classrooms across the district. Browse the available jobs, from fourth-grade teacher at Dixieland Elementary to math teacher at Lakeland Senior High. (LkldNow)
Number
128.88 ft. That’s the elevation of Lake Bonny, which is within its normal range of 128.70 to 129.70 ft. Here are more stats after this week’s rain: August has seen 7-8 inches of rain (within its average range for this month), and the aquifer is only 42% saturated. (The Ledger)
Try This
Graze Craze is teaming up with AR Workshop Winter Haven for tasty events where you can create a work of art while eating one. The Charcuterie & Creativity series begins Thursday, Sept. 18 with wine glass painting, followed by apron customization on Sunday, Sept. 28.
Environment
Work has begun on the Southeast Wellfield and Water Production Facility in Lake Wales, which will draw water from the Lower Floridan aquifer to add to Polk County’s water supply. Crews are now laying pipes for the project east of Bok Tower Gardens. (WFTS)
Travel
Passengers traveling with children can now get to their flights faster thanks to TSA’s new “Families on the Fly” program. MCO was one of the first airports to add dedicated security lanes for families, and TPA just opened its own lanes on Tuesday. LAL next?(WFLA)
Quoted
The internet was abuzz after Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement on Tuesday, and even Publix got in on the excitement. The company released a reminder about its bakeries’ custom wedding cakes and promised, “With our bakery involved, there won’t be any fumbles or ‘Champagne Problems.’” (PerishableNews.com)
Finance
The institutional firms that backed Uber and Venmo also invested in Pacaso, whose co-ownership tech revolutionizes the $1.3 trillion vacation home market. Pacaso has earned $110 million+ in gross profit to date. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO. Invest for $2.90/share before the opportunity ends Sept. 18.†‡*
Ready to launch ads in your pajamas? Our Self-Service Ad Portal gives you instant access to thousands of engaged readers — click, create, conquer. Got a real estate listing or a local event? Get it seen, stress-free.
Jobs of the Week
Check out openings at three of this year’s CareerSource Polk Best Places to Work Award winners:
The fun doesn’t have to end here. After reading the newsletter, head over to our games page. Games refresh with new challenges every day at 6 a.m. from crossword puzzle to Sudoku to themed word search.
If you have a French bulldog at home, give them an extra treat from us today — that’s the most popular dog in Florida, according to U.S. News & World Report. Here’s how the guesses shook out:
From weddings to hurricanes, there’s been a lot of talk about Publix cakes this week, and I’m adding one more story to the mix: the Dixieland cake of 1952. You can’t celebrate an entire neighborhood’s birthday without 5,000 lbs of baked goodness, right? I think I’ll grab a carrot bar cake this weekend to celebrate.
We would want to dig into this colossal confection, too.
‡‡Finance “investment method” disclaimer: This is a paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the Nasdaq is subject to approvals. Comparisons to other companies are for informational purposes only and should not imply similar success. Under Regulation A+, a company has the ability to change its share price by up to 20%, without requalifying the offering with the SEC.
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