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March Madness has arrived, with the first round of the men’s NCAA Division I Tournament tipping off tomorrow.
While you won’t find any Lakeland colleges on the men’s or women’s DI brackets, we’ll be cheering for these Polk-raised players. Maybe they’ll follow Bartow High alum Walter Clayton, Jr., who won the 2025 championship with the Florida Gators.
This guard helped lead Victory Christian Academy to back-to-back district championships before being recruited to Michigan. Now, the Wolverines call him a “low-maintenance superstar.”
As a Winter Haven High Blue Devil, James recorded 57 double-digit scoring games. Now, the forward has scored 335 total points for the Bulldogs.
Watch: No. 9 Saint Louis vs. No. 8 Georgia | Thursday, March 19 | 9:45 p.m.
Asked
Asked
Who will win it all this year?
Make your picks in LALtoday’s NCAA DI Tournament bracket challenges. Brackets lock soon, so choose your winners soon — bragging rights are on the line.
The Harveys Supermarkets on Ariana Street and US-92 will be converted into Winn-Dixie stores, and the Winn-Dixie on North Socrum Loop Road will become an Aldi. If you’re keeping track at home, that’ll be two Lakeland Winn-Dixies, five Aldis, and zero Harveys stores when all is said and done. (The Shelby Report)
Asked
Does Lakeland need a bouldering gym? That’s the question posed by locals exploring the possibility of opening a rock climbing gym. If your interest is peaked, fill out this interest form to share your thoughts.
Sports
Don’t miss a chance to meet a local sports legend. Former pro baseball player and author Greg Pryor will speak at his alma mater, Florida Southern College, at 5 p.m. this Friday, March 20 in the McKay Archives Center. It’s free to join, but books will be available for purchase. (The Ledger)
Weather
Look for new weather graphics when hurricane season begins in June. The National Hurricane Center will officially start using graphics showing where storm effects will be felt beyond the cone of uncertainty. It tested the five-day model over the last two hurricane seasons — check it out. (The Palm Beach Post)
Eat
Coffee and rum cake: a match made in heaven. Bang Bang Bakehouse is bringing limited-time cake flavors on the road for cafe pop-ups around Central Florida. Don’t miss the collaborative menus next week at Black & Brew, or catch them next month at Concord Coffee.
Kids
Aspiring recording artists can get their first experience at Sound House Studios’ Youth Recording Academy. The program returns for two sessions in June, including a week full of songwriting, recording, producing, and performing. Registration is now open.
Southeastern University alumnus Sam Simon, ‘20, won a Dove Award for Gospel Worship Album of the Year. Simon earned the award for his work as a producer on Chandler Moore’s album, “Live in Los Angeles."*
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Category
History
🐅 Jokers and Tigers and pilots
Get ready to hit this sports history lesson out of the park. | Screenshot via Google Maps
Oh my. If you haven’t caught a Detroit Tigers Spring Training game at the iconic Joker Marchant Stadium yet this season, you have one more chance. The Tigers will end their 90th spring season with a matchup against the New York Yankees at 1:05 p.m. this Saturday, March 21.
The Tigers’ Lakeland connection is quite the story, but it wouldn’t be the same without its stadium. It was built in 1966 on the site of the former World War II-era Lodwick School of Aeronautics to serve as the Tigers’ new Spring Training home.
Initial construction of the 4,900-seat ballpark cost $360,000 — that would be around $3.7 million in 2026. The project was largely driven by former City of Lakeland Parks and Recreation Director Marcus “Joker” Marchant, thus explaining the stadium’s unique name. You can find a statue of Marchant and Publix founder George Jenkins shaking hands outside the park.
One of the best deals this spring: 60% off a lifetime subscription with Babbel. Whether you’re planning a trip, eager to connect with your community, or simply want to stretch your mind, Babbel can help you speak your desired language out loud in as little as three weeks through just 10 minutes of practice a day.
Did you join our bracket challenges? If so, you might have noticed that the Michigan and Georgia men’s teams could go head-to-head if they both win their first-round games. I picked the Wolverines to win it all, but I’m notoriously bad at these — you have a pretty good chance of beating me if you enter above.
