Gene Leedy's Bold Mid-Century vision turned a citrus town into a quiet capital of modern design. On a crest of land between an old grapefruit grove and the gentle shoreline of Lake Elbert, eleven low-slung homes sit beneath flat roofs and sliding glass walls, looking very much as they did the day Gene Leedy drew them. Locals call them the Craney Spec Homes. The rest of the world, increasingly, calls them a treasure. Decades after Leedy first set up his drafting table in town, Winter Haven remains the indisputable epicenter of one of the most original architects Florida has ever produced. BEGINNINGS Gene Robert Leedy was born on February 6, 1928, in Isaban, West Virginia, but the design world claims him as a Floridian. His family settled in Gainesville while he was still a boy, and by sixteen, he was enrolled at the University of Florida’s College of Architecture. He graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1950, headed straight for Sarasota, and walked into the office of a young Paul Rudolph as Rudolph’s first employee. Working under Rudolph—and earlier for Ralph and William Zimmerman—Leedy joined a small group of designers who were quietly reinventing how Floridians could live in their climate. That group came to be known as the Sarasota School of Architecture. Leedy was one of its founders. The Gene Leedy House A CITRUS TOWN FINDS ITS ARCHITECT In 1954, a commission to design the Sparrow House brought Leedy to Winter Haven. He never left. The town was a citrus hub then, modest and unassuming, and at first glance an unlikely setting for radical modern design. Leedy saw it differently. The lakes, the light, the openness, he believed Florida living deserved an architecture that answered the climate honestly, with crossventilation, deep overhangs, courtyards that pulled the outdoors in, and walls of glass that erased the line between living room and lawn. THE DOUBLE-TEE SIGNATURE What made Leedy’s work unmistakable was his audacious use of pre-cast concrete. While most residential architects of his era reached for wood and brick, Leedy embraced industrial structural systems, most famously, the long-span “doubletee” concrete beams more typically seen in parking garages and warehouses. In his hands, they became poetry. Exposed overhead, the twin ribs of the double-tee cast crisp shadows across courtyards and ceilings, providing both structure and ornament in a single, honest gesture. Combined with locally quarried “Ocala Block,” sliding glass doors, and clean postand-beam framing, the look was unmistakable: low, horizontal, calm, and very Florida. Dormon House THE CRANEY HOMES AND A LIFE LIVED IN HIS OWN DESIGN Among Leedy’s earliest Winter Haven projects, none became more beloved than the Craney Spec Homes. Begun in the late 1950s on a parcel between a grapefruit grove and Lake Elbert, the eleven modular houses ranged from roughly 1,200 to 1,500 square feet, modest by spec-builder standards then or now. Leedy’s goal was to prove that an inexpensive home could carry the charm and dignity of a custom-designed one. The prototype was the home he designed for himself, where he lived for sixty-five years until his death. The Craney Homes have since been recognized as a National Historic District, and Leedy’s own residence has been carefully restored as a public landmark, opened for tours and a designer-in-residence program. PRESTIGIOUS COMMISSIONS Leedy’s reach extended far beyond his neighborhood. Among his prestigious commissions were the President’s House at the University of South Florida, the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house at his alma mater in Gainesville, the First National Bank of Cape Canaveral, Brentwood Elementary School in Sarasota, and the Syd Solomon Residence on Siesta Key. Closer to home, his fingerprints are on much of civic Winter Haven—City Hall, the Chamber of Commerce, the Country Club, and the Garden Center—and a long roster of houses including the Strang, Dormon, Sands, Ellison, Brogden, and Sparrow residences that read like a directory of mid-century Florida design. The profession noticed. Leedy was elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects in 1992, and in 2014 the Florida Chapter of the AIA awarded him its Medal of Honor. A PROTÉGÉ’S DEVOTION Few have done more to keep that legacy visible than architect Max Strang, FAIA, who grew up in a Leedy-designed home and went on to apprentice in Leedy’s Winter Haven office before founding his own firm. After his mentor’s death in 2018, Strang acquired both the architect’s residence and adjoining studio, buildings that had served their owner for 58 and 62 years respectively, and led a meticulous restoration that earned a 2021 AIA Florida Award for Historic Preservation. “The boldness of his personality comes through in the boldness of his structures,” Strang has said of his mentor. “He evolved this very signature, identifiable style and it was bold, like him.” Asked once to sum up Leedy’s reach in their shared hometown, Strang put it more colorfully: “Gene Leedy designed damn near the entire city of Winter Haven.” Gene Leedy & Max Strang Max Strang A LEGACY ETCHED IN CONCRETE AND GLASS Gene Leedy died on November 24, 2018, at the age of 90. But step out into Winter Haven on almost any morning, past a Leedy bank on the way to a Leedy city hall, past a Leedy home with its courtyard fountain catching the light, and his presence is impossible to miss. He gave a small Florida town an architectural identity that designers from around the world now travel to study. For his neighbors, the legacy is more personal: the quiet conviction, embedded in concrete and glass, that even the most ordinary day deserves a beautiful place to live it. Photos: Cody James + Provided

Amidst the ocean breeze and tropical climate of Key West, high schooler Selina had fallen in love with the Sunshine State and told herself, “I would never live in the cold again.” Originally from Michigan, Selina was introduced to her newfound fashion style of lightweight and breathable clothing while living the island life. Years later, her high school outfits would become the inspiration behind her brand’s identity. Today, she calls Winter Haven, Florida, home and is the owner of Island Dreaming, a boutique dedicated to natural, sustainable clothing inspired by the easygoing spirit of the Keys. Founded in 2017, Island Dreaming began as Selina’s creative clothing line featuring naturally tie-dyed yoga wear and beach wraps. In partnership with a woman-owned yoga apparel company in California, Selina personally handdyed each piece, making every item one of a kind. “I used bamboo fabrics and I did a whole collection,” she said. “It was a lot of fun, but a lot of work.” Although she discontinued making handmade clothing, Selina kept her business name to open her own bohemian, chic, and classy-wear boutique. With the intention of selling thoughtfully made clothing, Selina fills her shop with items that will make her customers look and feel great. With a wide range of styles, Island Dreaming offers effortless everyday outfits, chic date-night looks, and versatile athleisure that can be dressed up or down. From breezy dresses and fashionable tops to skirts, shoes, and statement pieces, the boutique adapts to your lifestyle. “This is my happy place,” shared Selina. “With every price point, every style, and every age range of clothing, I want others to feel like it’s their happy place too.” When customers step inside Island Dreaming, they’re greeted by natural light, vintage island-inspired décor, and a calming atmosphere that reflects Selina’s personality. In addition to clothes, you’ll also find a variety of natural self-care products, from candles and perfumes to essential oils and botanical-driven fragrances—items Selina found to be her favorite and wanted to share with the community she calls home. “Everything on the walls are fun little collectives that are almost all from my first house,” Selina said. “It’s my little vibe here. It’s islandy and easygoing, and I want people to walk in and not feel overwhelmed by colors or scents, just aesthetically calm.” While Selina has made Island Dreaming her own style, she credits much of its foundation to her college boss turned lifelong friend, Gina Fox, owner of Down to Earth Boutique in Gainesville. The two first met with an unforgettable first impression during Selina’s freshman year of college, where she was dressed head-to-toe as Cinderella at a Project Princess fundraiser. Laughing about their first interaction, Selina recalls telling Gina, “This isn’t what I look like on a regular day.” Once Gina met Selina outside of the fundraiser, the two quickly connected. What followed was a decade-long mentorship that introduced Selina to natural living, sustainable fashion, and smallbusiness ownership. “She is like my family, and it’s really funny to think about that first meeting,” said Selina. “We are so close now.” More importantly, it showed her how clothing could help people feel confident. “I watched her perspective, and then I grew my own,” said Selina. “I fell in love with helping people feel good about themselves, and I learned about the ways to help others dress with confidence.” Even as a child, Selina loved fashion. She styled friends, made clothes for her Barbie dolls, and hand-sewed her own clothes. “The inspiration was there,” Selina said. “And my mom always told me, ‘You’re going to do something with fashion one day; I just know it.’” Two decades later, Selina has created Island Dreaming with the hope that everyone who walks in leaves feeling beautiful and confident. Since opening the boutique, exceptional customer service has remained at the heart of it, with every customer receiving the care and attention they deserve. “Whenever someone walks in, everything in the world stops, and what they need becomes my first priority,” Selina said. Whether it’s someone’s first time in or they’re a regular, Selina strives to create an experience for all her customers to feel welcomed, valued, and never overwhelmed. “I really try to focus on my customers, and although I love fashion, I love them even more,” said Selina. “We have a lot of fun, and it’s created a sense of community here.” After years in the fashion industry, Selina’s developed what she calls her “superpower.” Her instinctive ability to remember every piece in the store, visualize how it fits on different body types, and quickly pull together outfits for any occasion. “When someone needs help matching pieces together, it becomes a fun puzzle for the day,” Selina said, “especially when people say, ‘Can you just pull me a room?’” To Selina, fashion is more than just styling someone—it’s about helping them discover how to confidently dress themselves. Rather than simply picking out an outfit for her customers, she guides them through the process of discovering styles, colors, and sizing that complement both their personality and body type. “One of my favorite things is when someone comes in and says, ‘I don’t know how to dress myself,’” Selina said. “And I’m like, ‘Okay, we’re going to learn because we’re going to do it together.” She also believes brick-and-mortar boutiques will always have a place because of the personalized experience they offer—something online shopping can’t replicate. “The white-glove service of walking in and having someone actually see you, help you find what you need, and encourage you along the way—that’s something you just can’t get online,” Selina said. “That’s why places like this are still important, especially in our little communities.” For Selina, Island Dreaming is more than a boutique—it’s a welcoming space where women are encouraged to slow down, discover clothing that makes them feel confident, and leave feeling like the best version of themselves. ISLAND DREAMING BOUTIQUE 337 W Central Ave, Winter Haven islanddreamingboutique.com IG @islanddreamingboutique FB: Island Dreaming Boutique by Selina Gaudette Photos by Kamryn Tutiven

It’s something about the words ‘bang bang,’ it’s so fun to say. It’s so easy to remember. And people always remember our name. Cake with a bang. We wanted [our] name to reflect what you’re feeling when you’re eating our cake. - Raquel Figueroa It’s a bang in every bite, in every jar, or plate waiting for the next customer to encounter the onomatopoeia of it all. One part idea, one part cake, one part icing, one part rum. And not the essence of rum … or rum extract … or rum flavoring … it’s rum from your favorite cocktail rum. And that is just the start of this ideal rum cake. To make it the perfect adult treat, you need key ingredients from creators Raquel Figueroa & Christian Rosario, and then you have the perfect Bang Bang Bakehouse surprise. Figueroa and Rosario are graphic designers by day and rum cake extraordinaires by morning, noon, evening, and on very special nights. The “more than a bakery” brand, Bang Bang Bakehouse, created and solely run by this husband and wife team, is centered around individualized, specialty flavored rum cakes. One part idea. One part rum. One part topping. One part unique. Figueroa and Rosario aren’t making your average rum cake. They incorporate elements from traditional and non-traditional craft cocktails into cake form. They do the same with snacks and cultural staples from their childhood. Figueroa describes a favorite of hers, “... one of the most fun flavors that I love is the Thai Tea rum cake. We do a Thai tea cake, and we do a cereal milk frosting, which we actually use the Fruity Pebbles cereal to soak in the cream, and then a funfetti crumble on top. Super fun flavor!” and along with Rosario, they continue to share other cakes that represent how invested the duo is in knocking on nostalgic doors, “Our Hottie cake, which is Mexican hot chocolate inspired. It’s a dark chocolate rum cake and then we put a little bit of cayenne pepper in it so it’s a little spicy like Mexican hot chocolate. It has a dulce de leche icing and cinnamon sugar churro crumbles on top.” Of course, many of the flavors come from things they had growing up in their Latino households. Rosario, being Puerto Rican, and Figueroa, who is Cuban and Nicaraguan, have plenty to pull from. “We have a guava and queso flavor which is inspired by guava and cheese pastelitos,” adds Figueroa, before exclaiming how they’re always wondering what more they can do. “I like cocktails, so obviously I get a lot of inspiration from [them], and I’m always asking myself, ‘How can I turn this into a cake?’ And now I go crazy with flavors. I like to throw in something fun, something you’re not expecting in a cake, like we’ve thrown stuff in with cereal milk, and we have our own version of Twinkies now, too, called Bangies!” The cakes are decadent and made with care and intention. Imagine a vanilla rum cake with toasted pecan crumbles, that’s The O.G. Imagine a take on bananas foster, with a caramelized banana rum cake, espresso tahini icing, and salted dark chocolate crumbles. Imagine a PB&J rum cake, topped with smooth peanut butter, strawberry preserves, and brown sugar peanut crumbles that are toasted and finished with classic rum icing. Using toppings to make the cakes interesting, like pistachio buttercream, toasted crunchy crumble with pistachio and black sesame, and variations to make the cakes unexpected like matcha olive oil, pina colada cake, and even cornbread rum cake. The flare of Figueroa and Rosario‘s enjoyment in their recipes is more than evident. We like to consider ourselves a brand, not just a bakery. Our brand is built on creativity and community. One part wholesale. One part shipping. One part catering. One part pop-up. Bang Bang began when the couple decided during the pandemic to turn a hobby into a business. Figueroa had been making rum cake since she was a teenager. And she thought that it would be cool if they could make them into personalized sizes. She started with her best friend as a birthday gift, only to then open up orders to family, friends, and neighbors. As word spread and internet posts were shared, they found themselves delivering door to door around Miami until they packed up the bakery and headed to Polk County. Now, as members of Catapult (Lakeland), they have an industrial kitchen where they are doing their best to handle the expansion of the brand. The vision of Bang Bang Bakehouse is to be the one you call for catering needs as well as collaborations between small businesses, for small batch jars to groups having ‘make your own’ Bang Bang parties and workshops. Bang Bang cakes are at restaurants in Orlando, The Gnarly Cuban, Diablicos Coffee, and Aguila Coffee. They can be found across Lakeland at stores such as Bodega Market, dining establishments like Sabu Ramen, and Hakucho (where you can even experience the delicious rum cakes as a plated dessert following your entree). They’re currently in Concord Coffee, both the Winter Haven and Lakeland locations, where the featured Cortadito rum cake is an espresso martini that uses Concord’s classic coffee. Of course, for these confectionery imagineers, the greatest pleasure is meeting the customers in person. They want to do intimate parties, be a part of pop-ups, and events that they organize. Their two big events they are looking forward to are a festival for Hispanic Heritage Month in October and The Central Florida Food Festival in November at Bonnet Springs. The chance to personally grab a bite of Bang is but an Instagram scroll away. The digital duo updates their page @bangbangbakehouse to include all new products and partnerships, but also where in Central Florida they will be. Click their profile and look for the cool yellow pickup truck that screams Bang Bang.

As we all know, Florida occupies that peculiar borderland where the unusual settles down, raises a family, and retires. It seems fitting that America’s strangest fictional newspaper was born and raised here. Weekly World News began in Lantana, Palm Beach County, Florida, in 1979 for an entirely ordinary reason. When the National Enquirer switched to color printing, its black-andwhite presses suddenly became available. Rather than retire them, publisher Generoso Pope Jr.’s company created a new weekly newspaper. In its earliest years, the paper resembled countless other supermarket tabloids, but under editor Eddie Clontz, it evolved into something wholly unique from its South Florida offices, which it shared with the National Enquirer in Boca Raton. For twenty-eight years, with peak circulation reaching 1.2 million copies per issue, Weekly World News insisted it was “The World’s Only Reliable Newspaper.” It was certainly the world’s only interesting newspaper, in my childhood opinion. Among my sharpest memories are those of standing in the checkout aisle at Publix with my eyes glued to the fantastic claims on the cover. I felt what I can now only describe as sideshow fear: a curiosity charged by the human condition, capable of making the desire to peek between our fingers at an oddity impossible to resist. Weekly World News was unlike anything else on the newsstand: a peculiar blend of pulp science fiction, urban legend, religious allegory, and parody journalism. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, its pages became home to alien abductions, time travelers, government coverups, miraculous births, supernatural phenomena, and just enough recognizable reality to connect readers to the parallel world it designed. Though it welcomed freelance submissions, breaking into its pages was not easy. As former writer Bob Lind recalled, “We had brilliant journalists like Joe Berger and Jack Alexander. One came from The Washington Post; one was from The New York Times. Berger was a White House correspondent.” The publication’s influence spread far beyond the supermarket checkout line. Bat Boy became something of a folklore figure, inspiring an acclaimed off-Broadway musical and countless references in film, television, and advertising. Although its print run ended in 2007, Weekly World News found a new life online, where it continues to publish and adapt its style to the digital attention economy. Its headlines now circulate widely across social media, increasingly divorced from their original context and often shared alongside genuine conspiracy theories, creating the curious spectacle of satire becoming nearly indistinguishable from the culture it once parodied. The X-Files, Men in Black, and countless later works drew upon the same ecosystem of conspiracies, cryptids, UFOs, and impossible headlines that Weekly World News helped popularize for a mass audience. Some UFO researchers have even suggested that the paper unintentionally—or perhaps conveniently—trained the public to associate flying saucers, extraterrestrials, and paranormal claims with obvious absurdity. Whether or not there is any truth to that idea, the effect is difficult to deny: genuine mysteries and obvious jokes increasingly occupied the same cultural shelf, making it easier to dismiss one by laughing at the other. Weekly World News parodied, in exaggerated black and white, the style of newspapers that once reported astonishing accounts with surprising sincerity. Strange creatures, unexplained lights, prophetic dreams, haunted houses, and impossible inventions routinely appeared in local papers throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Previous generations were not uniquely gullible, but their relationship with newspapers, rumors, folklore, and speculation was more complicated than that. There is a kind of mental play that develops differently according to the shared cultural moment. Traditions such as Dadaism, Absurdism, Discordianism, and even Forteana invite us to examine culture by exaggerating it. Some of history’s most influential artists and thinkers deliberately blurred the line between sincerity and satire, provoking reflection precisely because audiences could never be entirely certain where the joke ended. Too often, these traditions are dismissed as nonsense by those unwilling to engage with ideas they have already decided belong to the realm of people “not quite right in the head.” It seems more appropriate to contextualize pre-internet ridiculousness and crude Photoshopping as the creation of proto-meme imagery shared in print rather than online, revealing not simply a different sense of humor but a different way of collectively playing with truth, fiction, and possibility. Instead of black-and-white tabloids beside the grocery checkout, we now scroll through endless feeds populated by AI-generated photographs, fabricated videos, cloned voices, and synthetic articles that can be nearly indistinguishable from authentic reporting. Unlike the gleeful fabrications of Weekly World News, today’s content is engineered to maximize engagement, influence opinion, manufacture outrage, and harvest data. Weekly World News invited readers to laugh at the impossible while quietly reminding us that the world remains full of genuine mysteries. Absurdity, in an absurd moment, can be a comfort, or at least a moment’s respite from the ache induced by the weight of a heavy world. I have always experienced an uptick in awareness of the bizarre occurrences dancing just behind everyday curtains during my seasons of sadness; it seems to me that the ridiculous is the only member of the family that pain is still willing to sit down with, the conversation between them creating an atmosphere that is just a little easier to breathe in. In that spirit, I’ll end with a prediction: in a December 2001 issue, self-proclaimed time traveler Hyram Trowbridge revealed to government officials that Bat Boy would become president in 2028. His campaign slogan: “HE BITES FOR YOUR RIGHTS!”

“I don’t believe in ghosts. I don’t believe in ghosts.” Evers laughs at himself. In part because of how absurd it is to say that out loud. To feel compelled to remind himself he’s a rational person. Mostly though, he laughs because it calls to mind the Cowardly Lion’s timorous refrain: I do believe in spooks. I do believe in spooks. I do, I do, I do, I do, I do believe in spooks. “I don’t believe in spooks,” he says, trying on the impression. Then—as if to convince himself—he screams it, from the bottom of the staircase, up into the darkness. “I don’t believe in spooks!” His voice caroms off the walls of the old cracker house. A bleat of defiance that fills him with a confidence as durable and enduring as a chewing gum bubble. Because if he truly does believe that he doesn’t believe in spooks, why is he so convinced his dead girlfriend from thirty years ago is in his bedroom upstairs? Probably because of the dream he had last night. His first night back home in years. In his old bedroom, in his old bed. Of course he dreamed of her. She was covered in black plumage and perched on the hood of his truck. A line of dried clay split her face like a horizon, across the bridge of her nose. Above that line, she was as she was. The way he tried to remember her. Milk-white skin with just a touch of freckles. Those huge, wet, green eyes. Below that line, everything was caked and cracked and gray. Like sunbaked mud. Like a molting statue. She opened her mouth to speak, but instead she let loose a string of low, chittering hisses and croaks. A staccato of chirps and squawks. The sounds of carrion birds fighting over scraps. Then he woke up, impossibly, to the overwhelming scent of her. A cheap, department store body spray called Meadow Rain that she used to mask the musty smell of her dad’s old Army jacket. The same jacket she wore every day, over everything she wore, regardless of whether it clashed. For a moment, he was convinced the fragrance was simply a sliver of the nightmare that he had yet to fully slay; but it only seemed to deepen the longer he laid there. Laura had been the new girl in school. In town. In the country, really. She was an Army brat. A title she wore with pride. Like a gaudy epaulet on the shoulder of that damned giant jacket. She had stick straight, straw-blonde hair that swished around her shoulders and she cursed like a Wild West madam. Her eyes—if you could catch them before they rolled at nearly anything anyone said—were a paralyzing grass-green; and when she smiled, it looked like she had too many teeth. But in a good way. She had seen him play Bo, the lovesick rodeo cowboy in the school production of Bus Stop. It was a caricature of a performance. Shit-kickers and a secondhand Stetson, a big belt buckle and an over-the-top southern drawl. After the show, she elbowed past all the gushing moms and aunts and grandmas to tell him how great she thought he was. She’d seen him around and never would have guessed he had it in him. “You were really, really, funny. Honestly. And so sweet.” “Wow, thank you. So much, I—” “Wait, what happened to your accent?” “What accent?” “From the stage. Before. The Oklahoma thing you were doing.” “Well, that’s just… That’s the character. I don’t really talk like that.” “Oh really?” She frowned. “Damn. Oh well, never mind.” And then she turned and walked away. Left him standing there stammering, bewildered and bewitched, until finally she spun around and stuck her tongue out and laughed. “I’m kidding!” “Oh, okay, that’s good. That’s funny.” “My name’s Laura by the way.” “I’m Evers.” “Nice to meet you, Evers." “Likewise.” “Likewise? What are you, forty?” “People say likewise. It’s a real word.” “Okay. Well, the next time you see me you should ask me out.” “Maybe I will.” “Well maybe I’ll say yes.” “If I do, should I use the accent?” “It can’t hurt.” By the start of that summer, he was as big a fool in love as ever there was. A full foot taller from floating. They were seventeen. He spent every last nickel he made at the car lot on presents and flowers and burgers and fries, movie tickets and Twizzlers. They held hands and made up silly songs and she painted his fingernails. He met her parents. Had dinner with her family. Afterward, her father insisted on showing him all of his guns. For his birthday, Evers’s dad gave him a stubby little Japanese pickup with a quarter-million miles on the odometer. He and Laura would watch the Tuesday night softball games and afterward sit there in the truck and make out. She kissed him a different way every time. Like she was practicing for some future, worthier boy. Like she was trying out all the styles she’d seen in movies to find the one that worked best with her mouth. When the timer finally turned off the big outfield lights they would fumble through their own awkward baseball game, right there in the cramped cab of his Toyota. Usually, they pulled up at second base. A few times, they managed to leg out a triple. Most nights, before he dropped her off at curfew, they would stop at the video store and rent two copies of the same movie. One for each of them. When he got home, he would plug the extra-long cord he kept in his sock drawer into the telephone at the end of the hall and quietly drag it all the way to his room and wait for her to call. They tried as best they could to sync the two videos over the phone. Play, then pause, then play, then pause, until the sound mostly matched up. Then they would talk over the movies the whole time anyway, only occasionally referencing what was happening on screen. The big hair, or the big boobs, or some gratuitous axe murder. There were a few mornings he only realized he’d fallen asleep talking to her when his mother yanked the wire outside his door and tore the phone out from under his cheek. “Sorry,” he’d say, “sorry, sorry,” and scramble to collect the cradle and receiver. The first time it happened, she just shook her head and said, “Honey, I want you to remember something, for later on, when it feels like you’re gonna die: If it was supposed to last forever, they wouldn’t call it First Love.” Then she unclipped his not-sosecret extra-long cord and handed it back to him. It was sometime in late July, during one of their witchinghour phone calls, that Laura first mentioned the Night Birds. It would be easy, in retrospect, to call it a portent. They were the reason, she said, that she’d been so tired all the time lately. “The night birds?” “Yes.” “What night birds?” “I don’t know. They’re in the trees outside my window or on the roof maybe, but they wake me up, over and over, all night. They never stop.” “It’s probably just a mockingbird. They’re night singers.” “No, it isn’t a song. It’s not birdsong, it’s like… a screeching.” “A screeching—?” “THERE! THERE IT IS! Right there, do you hear that?” “No, I don’t—” “Here listen…” He heard the bed springs groan and the snap of a latch. He heard the window being wrenched open. But he didn’t hear any birds. “You hear that?” “I’m sorry I—” “SHUT UPPPP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!” The window slammed and the bed squealed again and there was silence for a long time. Then, softly, she said, “I wasn’t telling you to shut up.” “Oh I know. I know, it’s okay.” “I think I’m just homesick.” “But you always say you aren’t from anywhere.” “I know!” She laughed a little. “That’s why I feel so crazy.” “You’re not crazy.” “I miss the mountains.” The next night he packed a cooler with snacks and contraband beers and drove her out to the Wekseth phosphate mine on Barlow’s southernmost frontier. The truck wound its way along a service road flanked by massive settling ponds filled with a milky, blue-grey, slurry of water and clay. The entire place looked like an abandoned moon colony. Monotone and pocked with craters. On a ridge in the distance, a dragline crane the size of a gymnasium sat like the carapace of some enormous, ancient spider being uncovered in the sand. And then there it was, towering ahead of them, so tall she had to stick her head out the window to see the whole of it: Barlow Gypstack 3. A colossal, four-hundred-foot-tall pyramid of slightly radioactive phosphogypsum waste. The tallest mountain in Florida. “That’s not a mountain.” “I know. But it’s the thought that counts, right?” She smiled and kissed him. He spread a blanket out in the bed of his truck and they lay there for a while. He stared at her. She stared at the stars. There were three words in his mouth and he was working up the nerve to finally spit them out when she said, “Ev, we need to talk.” It had been one of the best summers of her life, she said. But she didn’t want to get too attached. It was always too hard when she had to leave. She thought it would be best, for both of them, if they went into senior year without any obligations to anyone else. No hurt feelings, no titles or commitments. It was their last chance to be reckless and free and have fun and she didn’t want to resent him. She hoped they could still be friends. He said it anyway, “I love you.” “Likewise,” she said. Then she asked if she could stay the night, one last time, so she didn’t have to hear the birds. Three months later, a worker at the Wekseth mine found her body in one of the giant clay settling ponds. At first, he thought an osprey or a buzzard had fallen in and drowned. Until he saw her bright green eyes. Open. Peeking out, just above the still, murky surface of the water. Her hair had been meticulously threaded through with vulture feathers. Dozens of them, all knitted into a strange, black headdress. Her new boyfriend confessed a few weeks later. Some soccer player with a ponytail. He said she insisted they drive out there because she wanted to see the mountain. They had an argument. He pushed her, she hit her head. He panicked and dumped her in the slurry pond. He thought the sludge might keep her under. He was insistent and emphatic, that he had nothing to do with the feathers. “Did you hear me?!” Evers takes two quiet steps up the stairs and says it one more time, louder, “I said I don’t believe in spooks!” Somewhere on the second floor, a phone rings. He yelps and retreats to the relative safety of the dogtrot. An exit at either end. He has half a mind to take one, right then, hit the turnpike and be back in Mobile by breakfast. Call his brother on the way out of town and tell him whatever is left he can keep it, or junk it, or sell it, or let it rot. Hell, he can burn it for all he cares. The house along with it. He swore when he left the last time, that it would be the last time. That he was never coming back. And yet here he is. Barlow sets its hooks in people. It might let you run for a while, but it always reels you back in. Hauls you up by your lip and has a good long look at you. Sometimes it throws you back. Sometimes it eats you up. The phone rings again. An analog, metallic trill that somehow proves nearly as transportive as the smell of Meadow Rain. The sound triggers a long-dormant Pavlovian response in him. He has to answer it. On the second floor landing he sees that the wall phone is missing. In its place, his super-secret, extra-long, sock drawer cord snakes around the corner and down the long hallway. He follows it, and the shrill, relentless ringing, to his bedroom, where he finds the old phone on his bedside table. He closes the door and sits and stares at it. He picks it up. A muffled hum of white noise crackles on the other end. “Hello?” he asks. And then, somehow, from somewhere, her voice: “Evers?” “Laura?... Is that really you? “Evers…” “How is this possible?” Then, she asks him, one last time: “Do you hear the night birds?” The cord snaking into his room suddenly pulls taut. The phone is torn from his hand. It clatters and smashes in a heap at the base of the door. And then, from the hallway, and the rooftop, and the trees outside his window, he finally hears them.

August is the heart of Florida’s rainy season. On a typical summer afternoon, towering puffy clouds build on the horizon before producing the thunder, lightning, and rain that many of us associate with summer. For lifelong Floridians, these daily storms are familiar and almost comforting. For newcomers and visitors, they can be surprising. Either way, lightning is one of nature’s most fascinating (and dangerous) phenomena. WHY DOES FLORIDA GET SO MUCH LIGHTNING? Florida is often called the lightning capital of the United States. The highest frequency of cloud-to-ground lightning in Florida occurs in the stretch of land between Tampa and Orlando … which includes us, here in Polk County! Florida is surrounded by warm water and receives intense sunshine throughout the summer. As the land heats up, warm air rises and cooler air from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean moves inland. These sea breezes help fuel the afternoon thunderstorms that are so common across the state. In Central Florida, where sea breezes from both coasts often meet, thunderstorms can become especially active. WHAT IS LIGHTNING? Lightning is a giant electrical discharge in the atmosphere. Inside a thunderstorm cloud, water droplets, ice crystals, and hail collide, creating areas of positive and negative electrical charge. When the difference becomes large enough, electricity suddenly moves between clouds or between the clouds and the ground. The air around a lightning channel can briefly become hotter than the surface of the sun. This intense heating causes the surrounding air to expand rapidly, producing the sound we know as thunder. Put simply, lightning is a massive electrical discharge that occurs within a storm cloud, between clouds, or between a cloud and the ground. Thunder is the sound created by that spark. Without lightning, there is no thunder. LIGHTNING’S ROLE IN NATURE Although lightning can be dangerous, it also plays an important role in Florida’s ecosystems. For thousands of years, lightning has been one of Florida’s primary natural sources of fire ignition in our ecosystems. These natural fires help recycle nutrients, reduce accumulated vegetation, and maintain habitats such as longleaf pine forests, sandhills, and pine flatwoods. STAYING SAFE Lightning can cause serious injury, damage buildings, and destroy electronics. One of the biggest misconceptions is that danger only exists when it is raining overhead. In reality, lightning can strike 8-10 miles away from a storm and even when the skies above you are blue and sunny! It’s also worth remembering that lightning does not need to strike you directly to cause injury. A nearby strike can send electrical current through the ground, especially in wet soil or water. A note about counting “Mississippi”: Many of us learned to count the seconds between lightning and thunder to estimate a storm’s distance. That’s fine for satisfying your curiosity, but I often see people use those calculations to justify staying outside longer. Remember, every five seconds equals roughly one mile. If you can hear thunder, you can continue debating the math … after you head inside. ALWAYS REMEMBER: WHEN THUNDER ROARS, GO INDOORS. If you hear thunder, move to a substantial building or a fully enclosed vehicle. Avoid pavilions, tents, dugouts, boats, and isolated trees. If you’re fishing, hiking, camping, participating in or coaching youth sports, or spending time at the beach, watch for warning signs that a thunderstorm is developing: • Darkening clouds • Shifting winds • A drop in temperature • Distant thunder Before heading outdoors, have a lightning plan. Know where the nearest safe shelter is and how quickly you can reach it. Florida’s weather has a reputation for being fickle and changing every five minutes. That may be the case but remember lightning can strike well away from the heaviest rain and even beyond the edge of the storm. Once in a safe lightning location, remain there until at least 30 minutes after the last sound of thunder. A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY Living in Florida means learning to live with thunderstorms. By paying attention to changing weather conditions and planning ahead, we can safely enjoy Florida’s lakes, trails, parks, and natural areas throughout the summer. If you’ve been here a while, I hope you learned something new about lightning that you can share with friends and family next time you’re watching nature’s fireworks during the next summer storm. If you’re new – well, you’ll get used to the rain, the lightning, the frequently changing weather, and believe it or not I truly believe you’ll come to love our rainy season in Florida. As we move through the peak of storm season here in Polk County, please take a few minutes to talk with your family about lightning safety. Consider your usual outdoor activities and discuss what a ‘safe shelter’ location looks like with kids. A simple plan today could prevent a tragedy tomorrow. For more information about lightning safety, including a link to the Naturally Florida podcast’s All About Lightning episode, visit my webpage at go.ufl.edu/HAVENLKLD.

It’s hard to think about a fall vegetable garden when temperatures are soaring into the 90s, but now is the perfect time to begin planning your fall vegetable garden. In Central Florida, July and August are ideal months to prepare your garden and start seeds for cool-season vegetables. Taking time to plan before planting will help you grow a productive garden and avoid many common gardening challenges. Whether you are planting your very first vegetable garden or preparing an established one for another growing season, these three simple steps will help set you up for success. 1. START WITH A GARDEN PLAN A successful vegetable garden begins with thoughtful planning. Before purchasing seeds or plants, decide how much space you want to dedicate to your garden and choose the growing method that best fits your landscape and lifestyle. Vegetables can be grown directly in the ground, in raised beds, in containers, or using a combination of these methods. Select a location that receives at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight each day, has access to irrigation, and is convenient for regular maintenance and harvesting. Sketching a simple garden layout before planting can help you determine how many plants your space will accommodate and prevent overcrowding. If you have limited space, consider incorporating edible plants into your ornamental landscape. Many vegetables and herbs provide colorful foliage, attractive flowers, and interesting textures while also producing fresh food. For new gardeners, it is tempting to plant everything at once. However, starting with a smaller garden allows you to gain experience and establish a routine for watering, fertilizing, scouting for pests, and harvesting. You can always expand your garden in future seasons. 2. PREPARE YOUR GARDEN FOR PLANTING Proper site preparation is one of the most important steps toward a productive fall garden. If you are replanting an existing garden, begin by removing weeds and any dead or diseased plant material. Cleaning the garden helps reduce insects and plant diseases that can carry over from previous seasons. Next, test your soil. A soil test provides valuable information about soil pH and nutrient levels, allowing you to make amendments only when needed. Most vegetables grow best in soils with a pH between 5.5 and 7.0. Soil tests are provided for a small fee at most UF/ IFAS Extension Service offices. Improve the soil by incorporating organic matter such as finished compost before planting. Organic matter increases water-holding capacity, improves drainage, and supports healthy root development. Follow UF/IFAS recommendations for compost and manure applications and avoid applying excessive amounts as this can damage your new plants. If you are growing vegetables in raised beds or containers, use a high-quality, well-drained potting mix rather than garden soil. Gardeners interested in making their own potting mix can find a recipe at: sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/lawn-and-garden/homemade-pottingmix. Soil will need to be replaced and/or amended each season. Your soil test will guide you as to what you need to add to help the soil support your fall vegetable garden. 3. PLANT COOL-SEASON VEGETABLES AND HERBS Central Florida’s fall growing season offers an excellent opportunity to grow many vegetables and herbs that struggle during the heat of summer. Depending on the crop, you can plant seeds directly in the garden or start with healthy transplants. Find free seeds at the Seed Library located at the UF/IFAS Polk County Extension office or local libraries around Polk County. Popular fall vegetables include: • Arugula • Beets • Broccoli • Brussels sprouts • Cabbage • Cauliflower • Collards • Kale • Lettuce • Mustard greens • Onions • Radishes • Spinach • Swiss chard • Sweet potatoes Many herbs also thrive during the fall growing season, including: • Cilantro • Dill • Fennel • Garlic • Mint • Parsley Planting dates vary by crop, so consult the UF/IFAS Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide at ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ VH021 for recommended planting windows, varieties that grow best in Central Florida, fertilization guidelines, and pest management recommendations. One of the best habits gardeners can develop is keeping a garden journal. Use a journal to record where each crop is planted, planting dates, varieties grown, harvest yields, pest problems, and notes about what worked well throughout the season. These records make crop rotation much easier. Rotating crops means avoiding planting vegetables from the same plant family in the same location season after season. Crop rotation helps reduce insect issues and diseases while promoting healthier plants and better harvests over time. Contact the UF/IFAS Extension Polk County Plant Clinic for a handy guide on crop rotation. If you have any questions about fall vegetable gardening in your Central Florida yard, contact UF/IFAS Extension Polk County at 863-519-1041 or visit us online at sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/polk. The Plant Clinic is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to answer your gardening and landscaping questions. If you are not in Polk County, Contact your local UF/IFAS Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Plant Clinic. To learn more about gardening and landscaping in Central Florida, listen to the “Your Central Florida Yard” podcast. You can find the podcast wherever you listen or find out more on our Substack: substack.com/@yourcentralfloridayard. Anne Yasalonis is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent and Master Gardener Volunteer Program Coordinator for UF/IFAS Extension Polk County. Please contact her at anneanne@ufl.edu. An Equal Opportunity Institution.

BIER FEST BREWS & BBQ Saturdays and Sundays from 2 p.m. to park closing at Busch Gardens. Featuring over 70 craft brews and cocktails, including 40 local Florida favorites, and an all-new menu with over 20 beer-inspired BBQ dishes. This summer celebration includes live entertainment, Oktoberfest-style games, and more. Included with park admission. buschgardens.com DEVO: MUTATE DON’T STAGNATE Aug. 27, 7 p.m. at The Baycare Sound in Clearwater. Co-founder Mark Mothersbaugh said in a statement, “from those who’ve been with us since the beginning more than 50 years ago to a whole new generation discovering Devo for the first time. This tour is a celebration for everyone who’s been part of our journey.” Purchase tickets at rutheckerdhall.com. U-PICK ZINNIAS Every day from 11 a.m. to sunset at Keel Farms in Plant City. For just $6 per container, you can pick as many flowers as you can fit into that container. All supplies are provided, just come ready to explore and enjoy the season of zinnias. While you’re there, grab a bite to eat and try their locally made wines, agrarian ales, and ciders. keelfarms.com WICKED SING-A-LONG Aug. 23, 6:30 p.m. at Sparkman Wharf. Now you can finally belt out “Defying Gravity” at the volume it deserves. Join Tampa Theatre for this special free sing-along outdoor presentation of “Wicked” (2024). Limited area to sit; no ticket required. First 100 guests receive a free fan and a free bag of popcorn. tampatheatre.org FIRED UP! A raku pottery experience with Nina Samuels. In this two-hour workshop, your instructor will supply bisquefired pieces of pottery for you to glaze. While the kiln is heating up, you will learn about the process and prepare the flame pit for this Japanese-style of firing. You will take home two pieces of personalized pottery. Held at the Morean Arts Center, the day and time will be scheduled at registration. More info at moreanartscenter.org. DARK EIGHTIES DANCE PARTY Aug. 14, 9 p.m. at The Orpheum. This is not your standard 80s night! At this dance party you’ll hear music like Sisters of Mercy, Soft Cell, Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Depeche Mode, The Cure, The Damned, Gary Numan, Front 242, Malaria, Xmal Deutschland, Joy Division, Skinny Puppy and so much more. Pull out those Docs, eyeliner, and everything black in your closet. Tickets at theorpheum.com. 21+ SECOND SATURDAY ART WALK Aug. 8 in St. Pete. The Central Arts District, Grand Central District, Warehouse Arts District, Uptown Arts District, Deuces Live District, Edge District, and Waterfront Arts District come together as one arts destination with many venues hosting the opening night of their latest exhibit. Galleries and studios are open from 5-9 p.m. View the map at stpeteartsalliance.org. LASER LIGHT SHOW: RUSH Aug. 28, 6:30 p.m. Step inside America’s second-largest planetarium at MOSI and experience vivid laser visuals and special effects. Designed for all ages, before each performance an astronomer will guide you through a live star show, taking you on a journey into the night sky before the music begins. Purchase tickets in advance at mosi.org. MONSTER JAM: FREESTYLE MANIA Aug. 14 – 16 at Benchmark International Arena. Monster Jam trucks have teamed up with Freestyle Motocross bikes to deliver gravity-defying skills and thrills. The one-of-a-kind FMX bikes for this epic team competition will each have the iconic look of your favorite trucks like Grave Digger, El Toro Loco, Sparkle Smash, and more. monsterjam.com CUPCAKE CRAWL 5K Aug. 29, 8 a.m. at Al Lopez Park. A 5K chip-timed run, and a 1K dash for kids. Proceeds benefit Celebrate Birthdays, a 501c3 charity non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure that every foster child and all children, regardless of personal or financial circumstances, have the opportunity to celebrate their birthday and receive a present! Register at runtampa.com.

FREE DAY! Aug. 3, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Leu Gardens. Did you know that you can visit Leu Gardens for free on the first Monday of every month? Take a few hours and explore the 50 acres and 15,500 botanical specimens in the Florida Native Plant Garden, the Edible Plant Garden, Rose Garden, the Camellia Collection, and so much more. leugardens.org HIREPALOOZA Aug. 20, 10 a.m. at the Kia Center. Attendees can explore hundreds of open positions, meet recruiters faceto-face, attend free career sessions, receive professional resume reviews, take free headshots, and access support from community partners dedicated to helping people take the next step in their careers. Free admission. orlandojobs.com SIDEWALK SALE Aug. 1 in Downtown Winter Garden. Stroll through the historic streets and shop the sale racks for bargains along West Plant Street from Woodland Street to Central Avenue plus Main Street and Boyd Street. Live music from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. at the Centennial Plaza Gazebo. This is also during a Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday! cwgdn.com SENSORY SUNDAYS Aug. 16, 10 a.m. - noon at the Crayola Experience. Designed for kids and families who would like to experience the attraction adapted for sensory needs including low lighting, music and sounds turned off, quiet room available, paper towels in the restrooms, and sensoryfriendly Crayola products. Enjoy a special character appearance at 11 a.m. crayolaexperience.com TAI CHI IN THE GARDEN Every Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at Mead Botanical Garden in Winter Park. This is a gentle exercise program composed of slow, deliberate movements, meditation, and deep breathing to enhance health and well-being. Purchase tickets in advance; all proceeds benefit Mead Botanical Garden. meadgarden.org CELEBRATION OF RUNNING 5K Aug. 15, 7:30 a.m. The 3.1-mile USATF-certified route starts at Orlando Cultural Park, passes by two lakes, and runs through the eclectic Mills50 neighborhood, finishing on the Orlando Urban Trail. Kids’ runs are free and recommended for children 12 and under. Distances range from 100 yards to one mile, and children will be placed in age-appropriate groups. Register at trackshack.com ORLANDO STORY CLUB Aug. 5, 7 p.m. at CityArts Orlando. This is a live storytelling competition, the August theme is “Salty.” Anyone with a story that fits this theme can enter by putting their name in the story hat. Ten names are drawn at random. Each storyteller is given five minutes to impress the audience, and the top three tellers take home prizes. Tickets at downtownartsdistrict.com. SCIENCE NIGHT LIVE Aug. 22, 8 – 11:30 p.m. at the Orlando Science Center. Adults will enjoy signature cocktails & mocktails, live demonstrations, hands-on activities, an up-close experience with animals from the Life exhibit, see works by talented local creators, and finally stargaze under the night sky with a telescope tour of the stars. 18+ only. Purchase tickets at osc.org. MICKEY’S NOT SO SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY Select nights at Magic Kingdom from Aug. 7 through Oct. 31. This separately-ticketed event includes the Boo-To-You Halloween parade, Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular stage show, the Not-So-Spooky Spectacular fireworks show, seasonal food, Trick or Treating throughout the park, character Meet & Greets, and more. disneyworld.disney.go.com LOVE & BOSSA NOVA Aug. 22, 9 p.m. at Judson’s Live. An intimate showcase of classic bossa nova featuring Daniela Soledade’s vocals accompanied by Nate Najar on guitar. Together, they paint a sunny portrait of 1960s Rio de Janeiro. Love & Bossa Nova returns with songs from Daniela’s latest album, “Deco Tropical,” alongside classic bossa nova hits. drphillipscenter.org

FINDING NEMO JR. Aug. 1 – 9 at the Gem Theater in Mulberry. The Missing Piece Theatre presents this 60-minute musical adaptation of the beloved 2003 Pixar movie “Finding Nemo.” Marlin, an anxious and overprotective clownfish, lives in the Great Barrier Reef with his son Nemo, who longs to explore the world beyond their anemone home. centralfloridatix.com CYPRESS GARDENS WATER SKI SHOW Aug. 15 at MLK Park at Lake Silver in Winter Haven. Watch the world-famous ski team perform for free! Pre-show begins at 4:15 p.m., and the show begins at 5 p.m. Bring a chair or blanket to sit on and cash for the 50/50 raffle. Concessions available for purchase. Fun for the entire family! cypressgardensskiteam.com WINTER HAVEN FARMERS MARKET Every Saturday in August from 9 a.m. to noon along Magnolia Ave between 2nd St SW & 3rd St SW in Downtown Winter Haven. The market features a variety of produce, food trucks, baked goods, meat, seafood, plants, honey, pickles, artisan food, and local makers. Pick up a free market bag at the info tent, while supplies last. winterhavenfarmersmarket.com ORCHID FEVER + HAVANA HEAT Aug. 15, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Bok Tower Gardens. A celebration of one of nature’s most exotic and captivating blooms, combined with music and delight in the flavors of Cuba! This event invites you to experience exotic orchid varieties from around the world and much more. Visit boktowergardens.org for more information. PAINTING PARADISE “Painting Paradise: The Rise of the Highwaymen” will be on view at The AGB Museum of Art all month. A group of African-American artists painted Florida’s landscapes and sold their work from the trunks of their cars. With landscapes laced with nostalgia, the Highwaymen produced an estimated 200,000 works. agbmuseum.org FOUNDATIONS IN CLAY Beginning Aug. 6 at the Marvelous Mud Pottery Studio in Lakeland. This four-week class is an introduction to handbuilding techniques of pinching, slabbing, coiling, wheel throwing, and glazing. Included: all clay and glazes, use of tools and equipment, kiln firings, and guided instruction. Registration required at marvelousmudpotterystudio.com. LAKELAND FLYING TIGERS Head over to Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium to watch the Lakeland Flying Tigers play! The Single-A Affiliate of the Detroit Tigers plays 18 times in August. Visit milb.com/lakeland to see the full schedule of games, purchase tickets, and check for promotions like the “$2 hot dog,” “All-You-Can-Eat” nights, Baseball BINGO, and more. THE POLK YOUNG PROFESSIONALS AWARDS Aug. 19, 5:30 p.m. at Idlewood in Bartow. This will be an evening to celebrate the work of young professionals’ groups throughout the year and the people making a difference in Polk County. A finalist representing each of the young professional groups from Lakeland, Bartow, and Winter Haven will be recognized before honoring one county-wide young professional. emergelakeland.org STUFF THE BUS Aug. 5, 7 a.m. at the RP Funding Center. For 25 years, the Lakeland & Citrus Center Kiwanis Club has delivered school supplies to nearly 10,000 students across 29 Lakeland elementary schools. So many families here are stretched thin, and supplies are often out of reach. Your support gets kids ready to learn and takes the burden off teachers. Learn how you can help: kiwanisoflakeland.com/stuff-thebus. FINE ART AT THE MAGNOLIA Aug. 22, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Aug. 23, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Magnolia Building at 702 E Orange St. in Lakeland. This show exhibits 19 highly accomplished artists and craftsmen from across the state in a variety of media. Don’t miss the awarding of the “Rising Star Scholarship” to college-bound art students. thebohrergallery.com

LAKELAND FLYING TIGERS Head over to Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland to watch the Lakeland Flying Tigers play! The Single-A Affiliate of the Detroit Tigers will play 18 times in August. Visit milb.com/lakeland to see the full schedule of games, purchase tickets, and check for promotions like the “$2 hot dog,” “All-You-Can-Eat” nights, Baseball BINGO, and more. THE POLK YOUNG PROFESSIONALS AWARDS Aug. 19, 5:30 p.m. at Idlewood in Bartow. This will be an evening to celebrate the work of young professionals’ groups throughout the year and the people making a difference in Polk County. A finalist representing each of the young professional groups from Lakeland, Bartow, and Winter Haven will be recognized. winterhavenchamber.com WINTER HAVEN FARMERS MARKET Every Saturday in August from 9 a.m. to noon along Magnolia Ave between 2nd St SW & 3rd St SW in Downtown Winter Haven. The market features a variety of produce, food trucks, baked goods, meat, seafood, plants, honey, pickles, artisan food, and local makers. Pick up a free market bag at the info tent, while supplies last. winterhavenfarmersmarket.com CYPRESS GARDENS WATER SKI SHOW Aug. 15 at MLK Park at Lake Silver. Watch the world-famous ski team perform for free! Pre-show begins at 4:15 p.m., show begins at 5 p.m. Bring a chair or blanket to sit on and cash for the 50/50 raffle. Concessions available for purchase. Fun for the entire family! cypressgardensskiteam.com PAINTING PARADISE “Painting Paradise: The Rise of the Highwaymen” will be on view at The AGB Museum of Art all month. A group of African-American artists painted Florida’s landscapes and sold their work from the trunks of their cars. With landscapes laced with nostalgia, the Highwaymen produced an estimated 200,000 works. agbmuseum.org ORCHID FEVER + HAVANA HEAT Aug. 15, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Bok Tower Gardens. A celebration of one of nature’s most exotic and captivating blooms, combined with music and delight in the flavors of Cuba! This event invites you to experience exotic orchid varieties from around the world and much more. Visit boktowergardens.org for more information. FREE BINGO! Spend your evening at Bowen Yard in Winter Haven every Wednesday for free BINGO. The games begin at 6 p.m. where you will have the chance to win great prizes. Come hungry, with six restaurants to choose from, there’s something for everyone in your group including seafood, burgers, tacos, ice cream, Indian food, and more! THE COCKTAIL CLASSIC Main Street Winter Haven will host The Cocktail Classic, August 21-29. This is a week-long tasting experience designed to showcase Downtown Winter Haven’s cocktail and dining offerings. Venues will offer specialty cocktails & mocktails, a creative appetizer menu, and educational mixology experiences. Sample them all and vote for your “Best Cocktail Bar” and “Best Cocktail.” FB @ MainStreetWinterHaven WHISTLESTOP CANDIDATE HOBNOB Aug. 13, 5 p.m. at Nora Mayo Hall. Local candidates, voters, and community leaders come together for an evening of connection and conversation. Enjoy live entertainment, delicious BBQ, drinks, and the opportunity to meet the candidates running for office in a relaxed and engaging atmosphere. Purchase tickets at winterhavenchamber.com. FINE ART AT THE MAGNOLIA Aug. 22, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Aug. 23, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Magnolia Building at 702 E Orange St. in Lakeland. This show exhibits 19 highly accomplished artists and craftsmen from across the state in a variety of media. Don’t miss the awarding of the “Rising Star Scholarship” to college-bound art students. thebohrergallery.com

MAN OF MY DREAMS By Olivia Worley A romance author is shocked when one of her characters-in-progress seemingly comes to life … but is he too good to be true? This dramatic and twisty thriller is perfect for fans of Ashley Winstead and Kate Alice Marshall, where the truth really is stranger than fiction. THE INVISIBLE BRIDGE By Julie Orringer Paris, 1937. Andras Lévi, a Hungarian-Jewish architecture student, arrives from Budapest with a scholarship, a single suitcase, and a mysterious letter he promised to deliver. But when he falls into a complicated relationship with the letter’s recipient, he becomes privy to a secret that will alter the course of his and his family’s history. FREE FALLING By Jill Shalvis College rivals become workplace frenemies-turned-lovers in this warm, sexy contemporary romance from New York Times bestseller Jill Shalvis. First, they were rivals… Now they’re stuck with each other, restoring a beautiful historic building. THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE By Shirley Jackson First published in 1959, this book has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers, and soon it will choose one of them to make its own. THE DUTCH HOUSE By Ann Patchett From Ann Patchett, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of “Commonwealth,” comes a powerful, richly moving story that explores the indelible bond between two siblings, the house of their childhood, and a past that will not let them go. This is the story of a paradise lost, a tour de force that digs deeply into questions of inheritance, love, and forgiveness, of how we want to see ourselves, and of who we really are. THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH By Ken Follett A spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England. This is Ken Follett’s historical masterpiece, following a devout monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known. LOVING FRANK By Nancy Horan From the author of “The House of Lincoln,” an enthralling novel that brings the buried truths of the ill-starred relationship of Mamah Borthwick Cheney and Frank Lloyd Wright to light. Elegantly written and remarkably rich in detail, “Loving Frank” is a fitting tribute to a courageous woman, a national icon, and their timeless love story. MID-CENTURY MODERN By Judith Miller From the ‘soft modernism’ of Scandinavian furniture to the sleek, clean lines of the lighting created by the Castiglioni brothers in Italy, Judith Miller’s “Mid-century Modern” takes an in-depth look at the artifacts and designers that shaped one of the most exciting periods of design history. THE PARIS ARCHITECT By Charles Belfoure In 1942 Paris, architect Lucien Bernard accepts a commission that will bring him a great deal of money, and maybe get him killed. All he has to do is design a secret hiding place for a Jewish man, a space so invisible that even the most determined German officer won’t find it. GREAT HOUSES OF FLORIDA By Beth Dunlop “Great Houses of Florida” presents the greatest and most intriguing houses in the state, including John and Mabel Ringling’s fabulous Venetian Palazzo Ca d’Zan, James Deering’s spectacular Italianate Villa Vizcaya in Miami, and the Audubon and Hemingway houses in Key West.