Can you guess what retailer occupied this space before Spirit Halloween? | Photo by LALtoday
Do you remember the Burlington Coat Factory in north Lakeland? What about the Badcock Furniture near downtown Winter Haven? Those retail spaces have something in common — they’re getting dressed up as Spirit Halloween stores.
The seasonal chain has converted four vacant retail spaces in the Lakeland area into Spirit Halloween stores, including:
1395 6th St. NW, Winter Haven — formerly Badcock Furniture
1427 S. Collins St., Plant City — formerly Big Lots (opening soon)
Local shops
Prefer to shop local? There are many stores with a scary good selection of new and pre-owned clothing that can help you create a Halloween costume (or dress you up any day of the year). We recommend:
Minis Meet-Up on The Lawn | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Lakeside Village | Free | Let the little ones play while you connect with other grown-ups.
Veterans Happy Hour | 4-6 p.m. | Keel Farms, Plant City | Free+ | The first round is on the house for veterans + active duty military members with an ID.
Thursday, Sept. 4
Girls’ Night | 5 p.m. | Vasco61 | Price of purchase | Support the Breast Cancer Foundation of Central Florida while sipping pink drinks and getting permanent jewelry.
Clay Class: Pumpkin Dishes | 5:30-7 p.m. | Picassoz Art Cafe | $28 | Create a custom clay creation to get in the seasonal spirit.
Friday, Sept. 5
Opening Exhibition | 6-10 p.m. | Notta Gallery | Free+ | Swan City’s newest art gallery opens with its inaugural exhibition, “Love, Lakeland,” featuring works by Central Florida artists.
Saturday, Sept. 6
Downtown Farmers Curb Market | 8 a.m.-2 p.m. | Downtown Lakeland | Price of purchase | The farmers market is back after its summer hiatus with homegrown + handmade items for sale.
Thursday, Sept. 11
Gallery Series Concert: Brass Quintet | 7 p.m. | The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art | $60 | The Lakeland Symphony Orchestra kicks off its 60th season with an intimate concert and cocktail hour.
Elevate your event with Graingertainment’s DJ + entertainment services. | Photo provided by Lakelandermedia, Graphic by 6AM City
Calling all 2026 brides (or Sweet 16s, or Bar Mitzvahs, or any big day celebrants) — ready to throw the party of a lifetime? Enter to win our Party on Us Giveaway.
We’ve partnered with Florida-based DJ + entertainment group Graingertainment to give away a night of music that will have your dance floor packed all night.
The $1,000 prize includes four hours of music spun by DJs, online planning + consultations, and all necessary equipment (dance lighting, PA system, wireless microphone). The prize is valid for any wedding or event through 2026 within the state of Florida that allows loud music.
The winner can also choose to combine any of Graingertainment’s other services up to the $1,000 mark, like:
Live musicians
Market lighting
Cold sparklers
Photo booths
A CO2 cannon
Phone booth + audio guest book
Head to our Instagram and follow the instructions to enter by Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 12 p.m.
Psst...if you don’t win, Graingertainment DJs all over Florida + beyond. Check out their website to discover their services and book to bring the party to your next event.
The City of Lakeland has received nearly $1.4 million in grants from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for two water quality projects. Lake Morton will be fitted with water treatment modules to remove nutrients, and stormwater runoff inlets will be retrofitted to filter polluted water at Lake Mirror.
Plan Ahead
Shop ‘til you drop during the 18th annual 39-Mile Yard Sale on Saturday, Nov. 1. In addition to six official shopping sites, unofficial yard sales will pop up along the Ridge Scenic Highway on US 17, offering spots to bargain hunt from Haines City to Frostproof. (The Daily Ridge)
Number
3,000. That’s Florida Polytechnic University’s 2030 enrollment target, and with a record of 1,930 students this year, it seems to be in reach. The school aims to build more student housing to keep up with growth, in addition to developments like the Gary C. Wendt Engineering Building. (LkldNow)
Try This
Vegetation will hold a second Evening Tasting fine dining event on Saturday, Sept. 20 at its cafe on East Gary Road. Starting tomorrow, Sept. 4, snag tickets to indulge in a fully vegan, six-course meal — tickets are limited.
Gallery
Keep the Labor Day vibes going by scrolling through the Lakeland Public Library’s photo archive, “Workers of Lakeland,” featuring everything from a soda jerk to phosphate miners. Love freebies? Keep scrolling for more library perks.
Biz
Fuel Our Power has named its first nonprofit partner. If she completes the organization’s lifestyle challenge, a portion of proceeds will go to the Breast Cancer Foundation of Central Florida for as long as Executive Director Ashley Lloyd serves as the program’s spokesperson.
Eat
Don’t wing your dinner plans. Hakucho has you covered on Thursdays, which are now Wing Nights. Starting with buffalo lemon pepper, you can try a new flavor of Korean barbecue wings each week with buy-two-get-one-free discounts.
Health
Moving matters. Whether you’re chasing grandkids, scoring game-winning goals, or finally tackling that nagging knee pain, Lakeland Regional Health has orthopedic care for every pace of life.*
Biz
“Straightforward, transparent, and low stress.” That’s how one business described our self-service ad portal. No sales pressure. No hidden fees. Just you, your message, and the tools to get it out there — your way. Get started.
Learn
📚 Check it out (literally)
There’s so much more to explore at Lakeland’s three library branches, including the Main branch seen here. | Photo by LALtoday
Having fun isn’t hard when you have a library card — especially here in Lakeland where it comes with so many perks. How many of these features did you know were offered by the Lakeland Public Library?
Vending machines
Grab some brain food by visiting a book vending machine at Lakeland City Hall — it’s as easy as picking a snack.
Seed library
Show those (book)worms in your garden some love by heading to the library service desk and getting up to three packets of seeds to grow everything from vegetables to wildflowers.
Culture Pass
Each library location has one Culture Pass available each day. Be the first to check one out and get free, same-day admission for up to five people to the Florida Children’s Museum.
Your go-to item for upping fall runs and workouts: a top-selling weighted strength training vest. Choose from six pounds up to 30 pounds and add the weighted vest to runs, classes, or gym sessions to enhance calorie burning, improve your core, and increase muscle gains.
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.
Our look back into summer photo archives was a top-clicked article last month, so it seems our readers enjoy old photographs as much as I do. This one from the library’s “Workers of Lakeland” gallery caught my eye. Writing the news looks much different today, but I’d love to know the scoops they swapped back in 1913.
Pictured here are Lillian Hetherington, Michael F. Hetherington, and Helen Hobbs of the Lakeland Evening Telegram.
}})
