Artist and educator Tinia Clark said, “Art connects us all.” Thanks to her and the Polk Museum of Art, the special needs community has a local connection to the arts all their own. Access Art: Special Needs is a program that invites individuals with varying exceptionalities to meet monthly at the Polk Museum of Art to view and discuss exhibited artwork. After the tour, the group heads to one of the Museum’s education classrooms to create an art activity inspired by what they’ve viewed and discussed during the visit. The group meets for the talk and tour at 2 pm on the first Thursday of every month, excluding June, July, December, and January. The 90-minute program is led by specially trained educator and artist Tinia Clark. Clark, a docent and facilitator for Access Art, has years of experience volunteering with individuals with special needs, Alzheimer’s, and dementia at the Museum and her former Sidestreet Studio in Winter Haven. She notes that encouragement and listening skills on her part are “the main qualifications needed to make the experience a good one.” An abstract painter herself, Clark has been a practicing artist for some 35 years, working primarily with acrylics and watercolors, and has experimented throughout the years, including creating sculpture. Clark also penned and self-published a children’s book called “Mars: Escape from the Meanies.” The book was produced twice as a play for the special needs community, which the author called a “highlight in my life.” In addition to her special needs program, Clark works with the Alzheimer’s Association to facilitate tours for individuals with dementia. These tours follow a similar format to Access Art: Special Needs but are less frequent. IT STARTED AT SIDESTREET The artist moved into her now-closed Sidestreet Studio space in July 2014. An after-work volunteer opportunity with Arts Ensemble and The Alzheimer’s Association led Clark to focus on people with dementia and Alzheimer’s and, eventually, those with special needs. Her Access Art programs, which officially began around 2016, were designed to inspire creativity and social and cognitive engagement. These free-to-attend sessions included therapeutic drum circles, drawing, coloring, painting, and beyond. Unfortunately, as the pandemic continued to rage in early 2021, “My clients [and] participants had evaporated as a result,” Clark said. “Many of them were at higher risk, and it was recommended that they stay home, shelter in place.” Sidestreet Studio closed that February. “Not knowing the future and the impact on my population served, I felt that the best thing would be to close up the studio and divvy out the remaining funds we had to other local nonprofit organizations which were also hurting.” ACCESS ART “The Access Art programs at the Museum is almost like coming full circle,” she said. Closing the studio didn’t mean an end to Access Art, whose participants Clark is steadfast committed to. Clark made do and, for a time, used Kelly Rec as the art marking space for Access Art following the Museum tour. Now, Clark and her participants are able to utilize space within the Museum. “The program is designed to engage the participants,” she said. “The participants get exposure to art as well as an opportunity to express their views on art and [interact] with peers in a safe environment.” She starts by greeting her attendees at the door and welcoming them to the Museum. After asking who has been to the Museum, explaining they cannot touch the art, and that the Museum is free to attend all the time, the group enters the main galleries to view and discuss the art there. They typically follow that up with the student gallery before traveling upstairs to a classroom. “I try to incorporate, on some level, a tie-in with the exhibit,” Clark said. After the April tour, Access Art: Special Needs participants recreated the Bunnies paintings by Hunt Slonem. The month before, they used fabric and inspiration from Lauren Austin’s quilt exhibit. “Over the years, I have seen some great pieces developed,” she said. “The program is important because art connects us all – it is meant to be shared with every person in our community. You don’t have to have a degree or background in art to share an experience with art. It is a universal language where words are not necessarily needed,” Clark said. “I am grateful that the Museum understands and promotes it as such.” FRIENDS ALONG THE WAY Clark has known many of whom she fondly calls her “people and friends” for years. “I watched many of the younger people literally grow up over the past seven years.” She stays in touch on social media, adding, “They have touched my life and taught me so much and brought joy to me just in sharing art and ideas.” On the adverse, Clark has lost many of “her people” with Alzheimer’s and dementia, “which hurts as they become like family.” Those losses, though painful, haven’t diminished the gains – the joy in what she does. “My favorite part is the people and the shared experience. Whether it is one person or ten people, it is nice just to know you have made a little difference in someone’s day.” For those interested in improving the quality of life and programming for individuals with special needs, dementia, or Alzheimer’s, donate. Clark suggests giving to the Alzheimer’s Association, the Polk Museum of Art, or Out of the Box at Lakeland Community Theatre. Tinia Clark shared one of the most valuable lessons she learned at Sidestreet. “We all have challenges, and if you can make a difference for just one person, it is worth trying. It is not the quantity of lives you touch, but the quality of life you share.” Access Art: Special Needs Thursday, May 4, 2023 2:00 pm 3:30 pm Polk Museum of Art 800 E Palmetto St Lakeland, FL 33801 Registration is preferred but not required. For registration or questions, please text Tinia Clark at 863-224-8557. Please include guardian or caretaker in the total attendee number.

If there’s anything that transcends age and occasion, it’s ice cream. Nine to 99, birthdays to ‘just because’ there’s nothing like premium hand-dipped ice cream dripping down a homemade waffle cone on a sunny day. Owners of the former Good Buddies BBQ, Joel and Melissa Vann, implemented a magical combination – barbecue and ice cream. Melissa formerly worked in marketing, and Joel is a BBQ competition pitmaster. “He’s a BBQ competition cook, and we both really love ice cream, so we married the two,” Melissa Vann said. Now, the couple owns multiple locations serving BBQ or ice cream, and some with both. BBQ BEGINNINGS Lakeland BBQ  is beloved, smoked over oak and hickory for hours and hours with all the typical southern fixin’s like pulled pork, pulled chicken, chicken quarters, ribs, brisket, banana pudding, and the like. A best-seller at their BBQ restaurants is the Couch Potato, a baked potato covered with BBQ chicken or pork topped with bacon, shredded cheese, butter, BBQ sauce, and chives. Another popular side dish is the BBQ pit beans with six different types of beans, and we can’t forget the collard greens. “Everybody loves our collards – we have a secret ingredient in the collards, and we are sworn to secrecy,” Melissa said, who described their fare as “very southern, very traditional.” She added, “We make everything from scratch and smoke everything every day.” The pair started catering under the Lakeland BBQ Company name in 2015, opening their first location, Polk City BBQ, the same year. They opened a BBQ joint downtown, where Pressed Books and Coffee is today, and eventually moved to Combee Road, serving their southern favorites and ice cream. In 2020, they opened Lakeland Ice Cream Company and Avon Park BBQ, which now exclusively serves ice cream. The busy couple also owns Mulberry Ice Cream, Dade City BBQ (and ice cream), and, last month, opened Frostproof BBQ. Each location is different – some just BBQ, some just ice cream, and some with both! We visited their flagship ice cream shop on Duff Road to get the scoop. “This was our first addition of ice cream,” Melissa said of the location. “He was the BBQ guy, and I was the dessert person,” she said. The Vanns always traveled to try new ice cream, even outside the county and decided to open a shop of their own. They signed the Lakeland Ice Cream Company space lease three months before the pandemic, put their best scoop forward, and persevered. After trying many ice cream brands (for research), Melissa said, “We went with a more premium, higher butter fat ice cream that gives you that rich creaminess.” Their manufacturer, Ice Cream Club, started as a small 600-square-foot dipping store in Manalapan, Florida. Now manufacturing in Boynton Beach, Ice Cream Club produces two million gallons of ice cream annually. “We like this brand the best,” she said. Lakeland Ice Cream Company is the only vendor in Polk County to carry Ice Cream Club. THE GOOD STUFF Sundaes, banana splits, milkshakes, malts – oh my! Lakeland Ice Cream Company is a cute shop carrying premium hand-dipped ice cream. They’re also famous for the cotton candy burrito. A huge base of fluffy cotton candy made fresh (the air is filled with a sugary aroma as they twirl it), two scoops of the ice cream of your choice, and two toppings. Talk about a sugar rush. “We have kids come in and make the craziest combinations,” Melissa said, smiling. The Duff Road ice cream shop offers over 60 flavors of ice cream, including sugar-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free options. Fan favorites fill the freezers like Strawberry, Coffee, Rum Raisin, and Cherries’ n Cream. Their specialty flavors steal the show, like Red Velvet Cake, Carrot Cake, Elephant Ears (vanilla ice cream swirled with peanut butter and chocolate chips), and Garbage Can (with seven name-brand candy bars mixed in). Smurf is a sought-after flavor – a blue raspberry ice cream with mini marshmallows folded throughout. It’s a dupe for the popular Midwest flavor, Blue Moon, first made in Milwaukee in the 1950s. “We get calls once a week asking if we have Blue Moon, and this is kind of the same thing. But the Blue Moon had a marshmallow ribbon, this has miniature marshmallows. Everyone loves that one.” They also get calls for Bubblegum, a snappy pink ice cream with colorful bubblegum throughout. It’s a throwback to a mid-century flavor from Dipper Dan in Lakeland, according to Melissa. The owner’s go-to scoop is Special Praline, with praline pecans and caramel swirled in vanilla ice cream. The waffle cones may take the cake (or cotton candy burrito, rather). Lakeland Ice Cream Company offers delicious homemade waffle and bubble cones (freshly made bubble waffles). Of the latter, Melissa said, “We cool them off just a minute, and then we [dip] your ice cream with all your toppings.” As you enter the shop, after taking in the wall of scoops and flavor after flavor of the good stuff, your eye is drawn to a row of colorful cones. The artisan cones are handmade in batches in Brooklyn, New York, and shipped in monthly. They are colored beautifully with tantalizing flavors like red velvet, salted blue corn, lavender, matcha, pink vanilla, birthday cake, cookies and cream, and seasonal offerings like pumpkin and peppermint. The list of goodies to ‘top it off’ is almost as massive as their ice cream selection, with options like hot fudge, hot caramel, peanut butter, pineapple topping, rainbow sprinkles, gummy bears, cookie dough, Oreo crumbles, and much more. Don’t forget to pick up your Ice Cream Passport! Patrons can get stamps for trying the listed ice cream flavors from any of their locations. After filling up their passport, customers can redeem it by December 31 for a $50 gift card for ice cream or BBQ. MAKING MEMORIES Ice cream is the best way to celebrate a special occasion or create a sweet moment. Lakeland Ice Cream Company hosted a 99th birthday party for a veteran recently, and Melissa said, “We have elderly couples that come every week and have an ice cream date, and it’s so sweet.” The Duff Road ice cream shop prides itself on a vast selection of premium ice cream and equally exceptional customer service. “We hope to give [guests] a good experience and make memories,” Melissa said. “We want everybody to make memories with their family. We’re glad to be a part of that.” Photography by Amy Sexson Lakeland Ice Cream Company 2973 Duff Rd, Lakeland (863) 337-5652 FB: Lakeland Ice Cream Company www.lakelandicecream.com

The Polk Museum of Art is thrilled to announce its 51st annual Citizens Bank & Trust Mayfaire by-the-Lake festival, to be held along the shores of Lake Morton May 13 and 14, 2023, from 9 am to 4 pm. Showcasing over 150 artists from nine states working in a variety of media, from painting and sculpture to woodworking, hand-crafted jewelry, and more, this free two-day fine art festival promises to have something for every art enthusiast and visitor to enjoy. In addition to the artists’ booths, this year’s celebration will include a robust daily event schedule, including fun activities for everyone of every age. “Kids Collect,” a kids-only tent where children can purchase artwork donated by Mayfaire artists at nominal prices, returns to Ruthven’s Mayfaire Kids Zone to engage even the youngest of art connoisseurs. Free hands-on art activities for children of all abilities will also be available at each Kids Zone tent. “Thanks to our community of art lovers, our loyal sponsors and local partners, and all the talented showcasing artists from near and far, Mayfaire by-the-Lake has been a fixture of the Florida art scene for five decades and counting, and it just keeps getting better and better,” said Dr. Alex Rich, executive director and chief curator of the Polk Museum of Art. “Mayfaire is soaring at 51, and, this Mother’s Day weekend, we can’t wait to launch officially into our second half-century.” Performances by FrediDANCE Project, Samira Belly Dance, and Musical Hammers, among others, will also be held throughout the weekend on the Lakeland Public Library lawn. Concessions will be available for purchase from Jimmy’s Famous Seafood, Chicks Coop, Heavenly Pretzel, and more. At the Museum, visitors will be able to re-experience festivals of yore with “A Blast from the Past: Festival Favorites from the Permanent Collection” on display in the Murray/Ledger Gallery, highlighting past festival winners. On Saturday evening, Mayfaire welcomes back the Lakeland Runners Club to host the 44th Annual Mayfaire 5K. The run begins at 7 p.m. near Lake Mirror and ends on Francis C. Promenade. Interested participants can register online or volunteer for the run at runsignup.com/Race/FL/Lakeland/Mayfaire5k. Registration will close Wednesday, May 10. Additional information about this year’s Mayfaire Judge, Featured Poster Artist, and event details are available on MayfairebytheLake.org.

We are surrounded by water, both fresh and salt. What happens when an aquatic ecosystem becomes unbalanced or worse? We sat over coffee with Sea & Shoreline President and Partner Carter Henne to discuss seagrass solutions, saving Crystal River, and how you can help keep Florida water bodies clean. Winter Haven-born biologist Carter Henne lives in Polk County with his wife, Dr. Michelle Henne, and their two dogs. The avid angler and outdoorsman grew up on Lake Daisy. “It was interesting to see Lake Daisy go from a really undeveloped lake to a developed lake and the changes that went along with that,” he reflected. In high school, he co-founded the Winter Haven Competitive Bass Fishing Team – the first in the country. “It allowed me to get my competitive side out in a sport that I really loved,” Henne said. Henne attended the University of South Florida, where he obtained a degree in Biology. The Polk County boy who ‘loved the water’ and getting his hands dirty was fixated on aquaculture. “I thought that by farming fish, you’d be able to save the world. You don’t see chickens or cows going extinct anytime soon,” he said. In college, he interned at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) and started farming redfish, sea trout, and blue crab for the state. “I loved it, but there wasn’t a clear career path to stay in the country and do aquaculture.” As he learned more about habitat restoration, he dove head-first into working as the Chief Biologist and Project Manager with Seagrass Recovery, Inc. In 2014, he joined Sea & Shoreline Founder and Partner Jim Anderson in his efforts to restore rivers, lakes, lagoons, and estuaries and “pioneer innovative technologies that help to ensure the long-term success of restoration projects.” Henne serves as the lead biologist, partner, and president for Sea & Shoreline. Since 2014, the Florida-based aquatic restoration firm has grown from six to 100 employees and counting. Henne attributes this to apt timing and a resounding need for their services. His primary responsibilities are restoration project acquisition and management and the ensured growth of Sea & Shoreline. Henne’s first success metric is hiring new people and “pouring love” into their team. “It means we’re doing something correctly, and we’re providing a benefit to the communities. We’re providing a service that people want, and we’re effectively doing it if they continue to rehire us, and we’re able to grow.” The company’s mission is to restore aquatic ecosystems, with an emphasis on seagrass and the vital part it plays in cleaning the water, stabilizing sediment, sequestering harmful nutrients that cause algae, and providing food and habitat for fish and animals. Sea & Shoreline is the largest seagrass restoration company in the world and, until last year, the only commercial seagrass nursery. Sea & Shoreline has planted over one million seagrass plants in Florida waterways. In addition to their submerged aquatic vegetation/seagrass restoration, the company offers services including dredging, propeller scar restoration, oyster reefs, wetland plants, living shorelines, coral reefs, mitigation banks, wave attenuation devices, surveying and mapping, and vegetated retaining walls. Henne said, “You can’t feed yourself on biology alone. I tell everyone, ‘We do marine contracting to pay for our seagrass addiction.’” Sea & Shoreline has grown outside of the Sunshine State into the Carolinas, Louisiana, and most recently, acquired licensing in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Their focus is to serve the southeast coastal and Caribbean for now. Sea & Shoreline have refined their restoration process, with Henne describing their projects as a sort of “cut, paste, repeat,” adding, “There are environmental issues surrounding water, water quality, development, and growth. How do you do that responsibly?” WHY IT’S NECESSARY The cause is essential for animals, the environment, and humans. As Sea & Shoreline states, “All life depends on water to survive. When these ecosystems become unbalanced, they pose health risks to not only humans but also to plants and animals that rely on the water to live.” According to Henne, ninety percent of all commercially derived seafood depends on a seagrass meadow for some point in its lifecycle. “One acre of seagrass is worth roughly $50,000 a year back to ecosystem services, back to the state whether that’s commercial fishing, recreational fishing, habitat, sediment stabilization, [or] nutrient buffering.” As for the human health concern unbalanced ecosystems pose, he invoked Florida’s largest lake. “Lake Okeechobee needs 26,000 acres of submerged aquatic vegetation to function as a wetland. After Hurricane Irma, it had less than 6,000 acres,” Henne said. “All those nutrients go from a plant to phytoplankton which is algae. Then you saw these phytoplankton blooms going east and west out of the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries.” The algae’s Microcystis toxin caused health concerns. Red tide is another example. Though red tide is a naturally occurring phenomenon, Henne explained, “When those red tides kill fish, those dead fish wash into backend canals. They sink, they rot, and create anoxic conditions. [That] creates algal blooms, which further reduces seagrass. Then you lose those ecosystem services. [...] It’s the death by a thousand cuts. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We’re trying to get ahead of some of these environmental disasters, calamities, issues.” Submerged plants, namely seagrass, are the tool Sea & Shoreline uses to address these issues, which also has a marked economic impact. During a relatively small project, about $50,000, Sea & Shoreline planted in a Martin County stormwater canal. “It had the same effects of water quality filtration as a $5M stormwater pond,” Henne said. The project was an added benefit to those communities to be able to filter their water economically. “It’s my job to be able to A: Identify the benefits. And B: articulate them,” he said. Sea & Shoreline has worked to temper its habitat restoration methods. Seagrass mitigation projects of the past were going for about a million dollars an acre. “It was cost-prohibitive to use on restoration. But we’ve been working on refining the process, and we’re sub $50,000 an acre right now. […] If you think about seagrass being worth somewhere between $20,000 to $50,000 of ecosystem services back to the state every year, you’ve got a one to three-year return on investment.” Seagrass is a veritable Swiss army knife for aquatic habitat restoration. In one function, it acts as a nursery for fish, Henne explained. “Seawater is about 32 parts per thousand (ppt) salinity. Freshwater is zero ppt. Juvenile fish need to stay around 9-15 ppt salinity. That’s why these rivers and the upper parts of these bays are so important because it’s the nursery ground for all these juvenile fish. One acre of seagrass supports 40,000 fish and 50 million small invertebrates. It protects them, and it provides food for them.” Seagrasses also filter out water quality. Henne used the example of going inside after a barefoot walk along the beach. If you walk across the tile floor, your feet will remain sandy. But, if you walk across the carpet, it will scrape that sand from your feet. “That’s what seagrasses are doing,” Henne said. “They’re sequestering all the suspended particles out of the water column, and then they’re stabilizing the seabed.” It’s hard to see the trajectory of a waterbody going from an algae-dominated system to a plant-dominated system. “I can’t tell you when it does it or what the exact acreage is – but when you see the flip, it’s apparent,” Henne said. “That day when you can see the switch go to the positive side is incredibly fulfilling.” THE CRYSTAL RIVER PROJECT Though Sea & Shoreline provides a niche service, the company touches many components of the Florida lifestyle. Clients approach the organization seeking various solutions to environmental issues. The Angler Action Foundation, for example, is planting to increase fisheries. In Martin County, the aim was to sequester sediments and clarify water before it goes into the Indian River Lagoon, and in Crystal River, they worked to beat algal blooms. Henne called Crystal River a center point for merging issues – endangered species management, invasive species management, algal blooms, water quality, and “how do we deal with coastal communities and how they interact with what’s natural and what’s not natural?” A waterbody exists in two stable states, Henne explained – either a plant-dominated or algae-dominated system. Crystal River was a plant-dominated system until the climatic impact of the 1993 “no-name storm,” which sent a saltwater plume, killing all the hydrilla in its system and switching it to an algae-dominated system. “It couldn’t recover because now there were dense algal blooms, there was muck on the bottom, and any plant that was there, the manatee would come by and rip it out,” Henne said. Seagrasses are manatee’s primary food source. “It’s not the manatee’s fault,” he added. Whenever a sea cow came by to eat, they would pull the plant up from the soft bed. If the ground were harder, the manatee would eat the leaves, leaving the plant for its leaves to grow back. “Save Crystal River was formed as a response to government oversight,” Henne said. “It was a small, tight-knit community of locals. U.S. Fish and Wildlife started taking over and cutting off access to different parts of the bay, and the residents that grew up there didn’t like that.” Save Crystal River is a non-profit, grassroots organization on a mission to address the damage done by human and environmental factors that had made the river inhospitable for sea life and recreation alike. The community banded together to raise funding for land acquisition and restoration. Save Crystal River raised funding in Tallahassee for a demonstration project which included a vacuuming out of all the algal bloom, the macroalgae on the bottom, and the muck. Sea & Shoreline reduced it to a hard mineralized substrate and planted native eelgrass. “It was tough going in the beginning. The problem is scale,” Henne said. The project showed success, so Save Crystal River returned to Tallahassee and raised more funding. “They got everyone in line behind a cohesive mission,” said Henne. “That’s critical for any large-scale transformational change in a water body.” Six years later, the project is ongoing. Sea & Shoreline restored over 80 acres which have rippled into over 200 acres of naturally recruited native, dense submerged plants throughout the system. “Now the manatees have something to eat. The water clarity went from about 2-3 feet in visibility. Now it’s upwards of 20-30 feet,” Henne said. Crystal River is Sea & Shoreline’s second largest project, beaten out in scale only by their current Caloosahatchee project, which will be over 100 acres of directly planted submerged vegetation. Perhaps more important than the restoration itself will be ongoing efforts to protect that work. Crystal River is a hot spot for people moving to Florida from out of state. Unaware of the river’s condition years earlier and the exhaustive work to restore it, new residents are calling to remove the seagrasses. “Ongoing education is critical to maintaining Florida in some semblance of balance,” Henne said. “We’ve effectively turned back the hands of time from predevelopment era to developed, and now they’ve done all the septic to sewer conversions, all the fertilizer ordinances, all the things we talk about. […] Now they’re on a good track for sustainability.” With its abundance of rolling seagrass meadows, Henne said of the Crystal River Project, “It’s the poster child for manatee health now.” CONSERVATION COMMON GROUND In a state divided on a great many issues – protecting our natural spaces has proven uncontentious. Polk County saw that with last year’s rally behind and passage of the Environmental Lands Acquisition and Management Referendum, thanks in no small part to Polk Forever, a nonpartisan political committee of volunteers. Communities, both red and blue, are opting to tax themselves in the name of conservation. In a November 17, 2022, article titled “Florida’s Green Wave,” Conservation Florida President and CEO Traci Deen wrote, “Voters in Polk, Brevard, Indian River, Alachua, Pasco, and Nassau counties turned out during a surprise November hurricane to cast a vote for wild Florida. These counties join Collier, Volusia, and Manatee in passing recent measures that support natural resource protection.” Henne noted, “It’s apolitical because we now have to sleep in the bed we’ve made.” Altruism and duty to the environment aside, the issue has become a common ground because it makes economic sense. According to the Indian River Lagoon Basin Management Action Plan, “the return on investment from achieving water quality and seagrass restoration goals is 33 to 1,” for that project. Investments in improved water quality and seagrass beds mean considerable economic benefits for the region. In 2016, Brevard County voted to impose a ½ cent sales tax providing almost $500M for wastewater infrastructure projects and aquatic restoration over ten years. Part of that sales tax goes to the Save Our Indian River Lagoon Program, which is “designed to address excess nitrogen and phosphorus pollution to the Indian River Lagoon through various projects to reduce pollution inputs, remove legacy loads of pollution, and restore natural filtration systems,” according to www.brevardfl.gov. It is estimated that this program will bring in up to $542M in revenue over ten years. Natural spaces, specifically coastal communities, are embedded in Florida’s economy and lifestyle. “Tourism is a main driver of the economy, and if people aren’t coming to the state because of bad water quality – it becomes a return on investment [issue]. […] Everyone understands that an investment in the environment, an investment in education, an investment in good law enforcement is just good for communities all around,” Henne said. LEADING BY EXAMPLE Wondering what you can do to keep Florida water bodies clean? Sea & Shoreline shared a few easy ways you can help reduce polluted runoff from homes: Properly dispose of hazardous household items by checking with your county waste management service to find out what hazardous materials they accept. Reduce or eliminate the use of fertilizers and chemical herbicides and pesticides. Make sure to check your septic system annually. Make a rain garden in a low-lying area planted with native species that can handle wet soil to help reduce flooding and erosion and filter runoff. Always remember to clean up after your pet. To learn more about Florida’s ecosystems, Carter Henne recommends the “Naturally Florida” podcast hosted by Shannon Carnevale and Lara Milligan. And for those curious about marine science – the “So You Want to Be a Marine Biologist?” podcast. You don’t have to be a biologist to slow the issues that Sea & Shoreline work to ameliorate. Small changes make the most significant difference. Education, policy, and leading by example are key. “There are no silver bullets in this,” Henne said. “It’s a game of net sums.” Sea & Shoreline FB: Sea & Shoreline IG @seaandshoreline YT @seashoreline463 Seaandshoreline.com

Good. Vibes. Only. These words are illuminated in neon on the wall inside Lucille’s American Café and is exactly what you feel when you enter this cozy, mid-century modern space. Warm wood tones, deep blue, and retro lighting beckon you in, but for those inclined towards al fresco dining, their beautiful patio is just as inviting. While this classic comfort-food restaurant specializes in meals that conjure nostalgia for grandma’s cooking, they also offer modern dishes to please every palate and a carefully cultivated list of craft cocktails. From the décor to the menu, every detail was specifically chosen by husband and wife owners Beth and Paul Nunez to create a space that welcomes locals and visitors alike to relax, dine, share stories, and feel the love. STARTING FROM “SCRATCH” Lucille’s in Winter Haven celebrates its one-year anniversary this month, but the story behind this restaurant goes back decades. The couple met in ‘91 at a Ruby Tuesday in Miami, where Beth was a top server and trainer, and in the process of earning her BS in Hospitality Management. Paul was a new manager and had recently graduated with the same degree. Initially, the two didn’t really like each other, butting heads as an established server working her way up and a new, career-driven manager. Still, both admit there was a definite attraction. Paul said, “She stood up to me, tough, and I think I respected her a lot for that.” When asked about Paul, Beth laughed, “He is cute and he smelled good!” One night, after a party, Beth asked Paul for a ride home, and the rest, as they say, is history. After dating for only a year, they married in 1992 and have a 27-year-old daughter, Alyssa, and a 30-year-old son, Nicholas. Paul was born in California and lived in many different places throughout his childhood due to his father’s job. He almost always held positions in the food service industry and eventually ended up in Miami. Beth was born and raised in Miami and, like Paul, worked for various restaurants and catering companies. Both graduated from FIU in Miami, Paul in ‘91, and Beth in ‘92. Their shared love of the industry would eventually lead them to help open the first Lucille’s American Café in Weston, FL in 1999 with a gentleman named Craig Larson. “[Larson] owned a company called Crazy From The Heat Restaurants, and I had helped him open and run a few of his restaurants,” explained Paul. “He had a restaurant called Lucille’s Bad to the Bone BBQ, so that’s actually where this concept came from. It started with that.” The original plan was to open the BBQ restaurant in Weston, but the aesthetic didn’t seem to fit the neighborhood. “We knew comfort food was going to be making a comeback, and we just thought it would be the right concept,” said Paul. They began to get excited at the idea of offering home-style meals made from scratch in a comfortable and welcoming environment. They wanted to create a place that made “mealtime a time for friends and family to share the stories that unite us while enjoying classic comfort food favorites like mom and grandma have always made,” explains Beth. Paul helped to open the restaurant as General Manager, and it was a success. “After about a year of operating with him (Larson), we got an investor, and we bought him out,” said Paul. The couple has since bought out their investor and are 100% owners. LOCATION IS EVERYTHING Beth and Paul had been interested in opening a second location for years, but in 2019, the idea finally came to fruition. “Colleagues thought that we should look in Central Florida, specifically by Legoland,” said Beth. After researching the demographics, they began looking in Lakeland, Winter Haven, and surrounding areas for the perfect spot. “We did not want to get lost in a plaza, so we were looking for something stand-alone [and] we kept coming back to this great building on 3rd street,” explained Beth. “We really wanted to be a part of downtown and be a spot where both locals and visitors could enjoy what we have to offer.” She added, “We really fell in love with the small-town charm present in Winter Haven. Every time we visited, we knew we were making the right choice for our business.” Once deciding on 205 3rd street as their new location, the couple embraced Winter Haven. An entire wall in Lucille’s is adorned with photos that celebrate the town’s rich water-ski and citrus industry history. Paul, an admitted historophile, spent hours in local museums learning about the town’s past. “We worked closely with Bob Gernert from the Museum of Winter Haven History and wanted to showcase the culture and history of Winter Haven,” said Paul. “What is really fun about our image wall is that most people know the people in the pictures, either a relative or friend. It is such a great community feeling,” Beth added. In addition to celebrating the town’s past, the duo have put major stock into Winter Haven’s present and future by partnering with several local businesses, including Grove Roots, Haven Coffee Roasters, The Treasured Olive, and Obscure Wine Company. Beth said, “We are all independents, and we feel very strongly about supporting each other to make downtown Winter Haven a great place to dine, shop and enjoy!” THE FARE The food at Lucille’s is like a warm hug, designed to make folks feel comforted and nourished while dining and connecting with friends and family. Everything is made from scratch, with love, from the hearty meatloaf and the scrumptious chicken pot pie to the decadent three-cheese baked macaroni. The salad dressings and sauces are made in-house, and you can even request homemade ketchup for your burger or fries. In addition to the classics, Lucille’s offers modern dishes. There’s the Macadamia Chicken with a citrus beurre blanc and the Marinated Skirt Steak with chimichurri sauce. There are sweet potato sticks served with marshmallow dipping sauce, and let’s not forget Lucille’s Famous Tomato Blue Cheese Soup! With a plentiful selection of soups, salads, sandwiches, and entrees, both the lunch and dinner menus offer something for everyone. On the weekends, guests can enjoy the brunch menu boasting everything from eggs benedict and shrimp and grits to avocado toast and biscuits and gravy. For dessert, there are offerings such as Aunt Betsy’s Carrot Cake and bread pudding with homemade bourbon sauce, alongside an array of sundaes, malted shakes, and floats. The libations at Lucille’s are in a league of their own and showcase the Nunez’s support for local businesses. “Wellie [Liao] with Obscure Wine Company assisted with our wine list, and we have many of the same clients who enjoy wines here at Lucille’s and there at OWC,” said Beth. Lucille’s proudly reserves their draft lines for brews from Grove Roots. “Joe [Dunham] and his team have such a great product, we wanted to support them and carry their beer on tap,” explained Beth. Even the coffee is from local roasters. “We met Jon and Lynsey Lane [from Haven Coffee Roasters] at the farmer’s market before we even opened and before they even opened. Jon offered to roast us a special blend, and we have been partners ever since,” said Beth. She added, “We also met Nathan and Cassie [Briggs] from the Treasured Olive at the farmer’s market [and] we use some of their products in our cocktails.” This brings us to one of my favorite things about Lucille’s: the craft cocktail menu. “In the bar, we wanted to offer unique cocktails made with the best ingredients that we could source,” said Beth. “We fresh-squeeze local oranges for juice, as well as lemons and limes for our sour mix and margaritas, and we also use fresh produce, fresh herbs, and infused liquors.” Beth and Paul wanted to be sure there was something for all palates, so their daughter Alyssa, an experienced bartender, worked for six months to create a diverse selection of cocktails. “It is frustrating to go somewhere, and all the cocktails are only vodka or tequila, so we have something for everyone; different liquors, sweet, spicy, fruity, as well as non-alcoholic options,” said Beth. Take it from this self-proclaimed cocktail connoisseur, they knocked it out of the park! THE LOVE As much as the Nunezes are committed to delighting every diner, they recognize it all starts with a great staff, and they are as passionate about their employees as they are their guests. “Our people are the face and backbone of our business. We believe if we take care of our people, our people will take care of our customers,” said Beth. “Everyone deserves a chance to earn a living while being treated with respect as well as enjoying healthcare and vacation benefits.” A small but sweet detail you’ll notice inside Lucille’s is that the salt and pepper grinders have custom labels with “ Paul & Beth ” printed at the bottom. It perfectly sums up the couple’s dedication: Paul and Beth Nunez have literally put their hearts into this restaurant. They love what they do, and it shows. Photography by Amy Sexson Lucille’s American Café 205 3rd Street SW, Winter Haven, FL (863) 875-5005 FB: Lucille’s American Cafe - Winter Haven IG @lucillescafewh www.lucillescafe.com

A love for nature and science landed Natural Resources and Conservation Extension Agent II, M.S., Shannon Carnevale, her dream job. Now she spends her days researching, planning programs, hosting a podcast, and sharing that love with others. We chatted with Carnevale about her career, the “Naturally Florida” podcast, civic engagement, and small changes citizens can make to foster Florida’s wild spaces. Shannon Carnevale and her husband, City of Winter Haven Public Works Director M.J. Carnevale, hail from West Palm Beach. “M.J. and I both, because we were in Scouts, grew up camping and hiking and being outdoors,” said Carnevale. Her parents were Scout leaders, and her dad encouraged her to join a co-ed group in the program called Venture Crew. The Crew would travel across the country for summer camps and backpacking trips on high-adventures like white water kayaking, rock climbing, and hiking. Carnevale even did an eight-day hike over 100 miles through the Sangre De Cristo Mountains. “I grew up loving the outdoors, and I knew I didn’t want a traditional desk job,” she said. Shannon and M.J. became high school sweethearts and attended college together at the University of Florida. She initially studied Environmental Engineering in college, hoping to work in ecosystem management. After finding the field different from what she’d expected, she looked into forestry. Shannon was interested in how M.J., who’d switched to forestry, talked about the coursework and potential career paths after graduating. After talking to the academic advisor at what was formerly called the School of Forestry, Carnevale transferred her major. A seminar series in her senior year inspired Carnevale to go after her current job. Every other week in the class, a professional would speak to the students about what field they had gone into with their forestry degree. The term’ forestry’ might evoke images of a park ranger, but the field is much broader than that, including production forestry, habitat management, environmental lands, and beyond. Her professor spoke one week about the 30 percent of his job as an extension agent. He told the class, “All the research we do in school is only as good as we can communicate it with the people who need to use it.” His extension job entailed reading scientific journal articles, going to training, and perpetually learning. He would then relay that information to professionals managing land. “I just fell in love with it,” Carnevale said. “You’re telling me I can be a student (sort of) but get paid like an adult, and I still get to go outside and meet with land managers?” She was all in. In 2010, she began interviewing and was hired for her dream job as the Polk County Natural Resources and Conservation Extension Agent II, M.S., for US/IFAS. Her interview at the Bartow extension office was her first-time visiting Polk County, which she and M.J. now call home. NATURAL RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION “The Natural Resources and Conservation program in Polk County is committed to improving the current state of our local ecosystems through natural resources educational programs,” according to their website. “By sharing science-based information to improve upon current management and land use practices, the Natural Resources and Conservation Extension Program will improve the function of our natural systems.” Carnevale’s job is different all the time. In an academic role, employed by both UF and Polk County, Carnevale is responsible for touching on Florida’s ecosystems in Polk and reporting back to the university. That academic reporting is what she’s working on this time of year – looking at engagement rates, surveys, and what people are learning from her podcast, “Naturally Florida.” Carnevale also plans engaging nature-focused in-person programming. She has several upcoming trainings, including Introduction to Backpacking and Camping (in-person and webinar), Leave No Trace webinars, a new multi-week water course for the public (in-person only) called Florida Waters Stewardship Program, and webinars about wildlife and wildlife safety for families over summer break. The extension program is a taxpayer-funded operation. “We’re not out to make a profit, which is different than a lot of places. We can be flexible. We can bring in experts, and we try to charge as little as possible.” Carnevale partners with businesses and parks around the county for events and programs held at the Bartow extension office, Circle B Bar Reserve, Bonnet Springs Park, and beyond. The Natural Resources and Conservation Extension Agent discussed an upcoming in-person event at Circle B Bar Reserve called the Heartland CISMA Invasive Species Workshop. Targeted toward anyone who works outside with plants – biologists, land managers, technicians – the April 12 program is a combination of classroom workshops and in-the-field training. Throughout the morning, speakers from across the state will give presentations, including an updated treatment plan for invasive plant species and an update on invasive mosquito species from Polk County BoCC Entomologist Jackson Mosley. After lunch, they will split into groups, with one group learning how to calibrate spray equipment on the lawn adjacent to the classroom and the other learning to identify plant species in the ‘Garden of Evil,’ a patio brought in by FWC with 125 different plants. The groups will switch after an hour to give everyone the opportunity to participate in both breakout sessions. Carnevale holds events for the general public as well. Several times a year, she guides a two-hour nature night hike. “We ask [participants] what do you want to see? What do you want to hear? What are you afraid of after dark? All we’re trying to do is get people comfortable being in a natural area after dark. One of the big barriers to people going out on their own and doing outdoor recreation like camping is because they’re scared of it.” Immersive outdoor events like Carnevale’s night hikes are an ideal way to show people how to become more comfortable in our natural spaces. The extension agent remembers a kayak trip she took with the City a few years ago – specifically, one terrified little girl. She said, “By the end of the one-and-a-half-hour tour, not only was she so excited and wanted to go kayaking that weekend, but she was jumping around in the water trying to catch fish with her hands. A dragonfly landed on her, and it wasn’t the end of the world. That’s a win.” THE “NATURALLY FLORIDA” PODCAST The “Naturally Florida” podcast hosted by Shannon Carnevale and Lara Milligan has a target audience of professionals who otherwise can’t or won’t come to an extension program workshop. Carnevale described the audience as busy people who are likely working, caring for children, or both – and are looking to learn a little bit about the natural world around them. One of the reasons they started the podcast was to “bottle up” all the fun facts they had to share. All about “Florida’s natural areas and the wild things that live here,” the podcast is brought to listeners by UF/IFAS Extension’s Natural Resources programs in Polk and Pinellas Counties. “One of our main objectives for our program is to increase science literacy related to our natural ecosystems,” Carnevale said. She and Milligan, both extension agents, touch on a broad swath of topics on the podcast. This includes individual species profiles (like the native Green Anole) and concepts like prescribed fire and the natural role of fire in our ecosystems, urban heat islands, and lake health. “It’s an introduction level to all of these different topics. My goal is that someone listens to it who otherwise wouldn’t come to an environmental program and is like, ‘Hm, that’s kind of cool. I want to go into the show notes and find those resources they shared. Maybe I want to go to an extension program. Maybe I just want to go on a nature hike at my park,’” Carnevale said. “Anything where we can try to help get people who maybe weren’t raised with a culture of hiking and camping outside to enjoy that natural area. [...] If people don’t have a connection to those areas, nobody values them, and if we don’t value them, we don’t try to protect them.” SMALL CHANGES “Small changes by every citizen can contribute to a brighter tomorrow for our natural environment,” reads an excerpt from the UF/IFAS Natural Resources and Conservation Extension Program webpage. What are some of these ‘small changes?’ “For Polk County residents, the easiest thing people can do is control their stormwater,” said Carnevale. “Stormwater is all the water that hits your home, driveway, or sidewalk and then runs into the street. If you can keep that water on your property and let it soak into the ground, you will help everything in Winter Haven. You’ll help our lakes and our drinking water.” She described our lakes as ‘sinkhole lakes,’ putting it simply, “They fill from the bottom. They seep up and from the sides.” Rain falls, and stormwater pipes dump water into them, but “water is filtered by the soil and the soil microbes that live in the soil. It helps reduce the over-nutrification of our water. (Think fertilizers, dog waste, cat waste, pollution from cars, brake dust, that sort of thing.) Having your water on your lawn, it can soak in, and it will be clean by the time it gets to our lakes.” For example, Carnevale noted that it only takes water that falls in downtown Winter Haven less than a minute to get to Lake Howard, “and everything it touches, it takes with it.” The City of Winter Haven implemented rain gardens downtown to trap that water. The water goes into the rain garden and has a chance to collect and seep. “If we get a really big gully washer, and we get a ton of rain in a short timeframe, it will do what we call ‘pop off.’ It’ll overflow the rain garden and then go into a drain. It gives it that little percolation area first.” Carnevale encourages citizens to turn their gutters away from the driveway and into their lawn. This tip applies countywide. Your yard may be a good candidate for a rain garden if you have sandy soil. If you have any questions about whether or not a rain garden would work in your yard, you can call the extension office for assistance. “If you happen to live lakefront, having emergent plants (plants that grow up out of the water) at least for part of your lakefront, that will help with erosion control and water quality,” she added. “That emergent vegetation’s root zone is where a lot of the nutrient cycling happens, which improves water quality and clarity over time. So not killing all the plants on your lakefront is a big thing.” Those living in an apartment complex or condo can work with their property manager to see if a Florida-Friendly Landscape can be planted around the complex. “Florida-Friendly Landscapes use less fertilizer, fewer pesticides, less water, and they also tend to highlight species that are good for our local area,” Carnevale explained. GET INVOLVED “If people care about green space, whatever form it may be – agriculture, parks, all these things – they need to get involved.” The community can make many ‘small changes’ to care for our natural spaces, but Carnevale emphasized civic engagement. “Get involved with your City government. Join those committees, show up at visioning meetings, participate in surveys they put out,” she said. “They want to know what the residents want as far as urban forests are concerned, park land, natural areas, and development.” To get the most from your engagement, get involved early. “With natural resources, people don’t care until they’re gone, and when they’re gone, it’s really hard to get them back,” Carnevale said. You can engage with US/IFAS by listening to the “Naturally Florida” podcast, attending workshops and webinars, and subscribing to the “Your Polk Yard” newsletter. The newsletter is composed by Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for the UF/IFAS Extension of Polk County, Anne Yasalonis, with contributions from other extension agents, like Carnevale. It covers everything from vegetable gardening, flower gardening, lawn care, wildlife you may see in residential areas, really anything to do with your yard. Find this email newsletter on their website (sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/polk). And if you have a stubborn plant problem, try the Plant Clinic (863-519-1057 or polkmg@ifas.ufl.edu). You can call, email, walk in, or video call with the plant clinic to troubleshoot plant problems; soil pH testing; insect, disease, and plant identification; Florida-Friendly Landscaping recommendations; and vegetable and fruit tree growing assistance. With more classes than we can count, the Extension Program hosts small farms programming, 4-H youth development, nutrition and budgeting, and more. “We have so much to offer,” Carnevale said. Those interested in Extension can visit the Extension Program Facebook page for various events or visit the website to read up on blog posts. Photography by Amy Sexson Natural Resources and Conservation UF/IFAS Extension Polk County 863-519-1051 TWT and IG @PolkNR FB @PolkExtension scarnevale@ufl.edu sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/polk

When communities come together to celebrate what makes those communities unique or special, memorable things usually happen. This October at Bonnet Springs Park in Lakeland, just such an evening will take place – the 2023 Polk Arts & Culture Hall of Fame Gala presented by CORE Wealth Advisors. The event will feature live music, great food, and local artwork, but the highlight of the night will be the time spent honoring and celebrating the arts and cultural icons of Polk County by inducting the 2023 Class into the Polk Arts & Culture Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was created in 2014 – its first inductee was visual artist, Richard Powers – with the goal of recognizing Polk County individuals who have made significant contributions to the arts and cultural community in Polk County or who have enhanced Polk’s national or international reputation as a county with a strong and sustained commitment toward the development of cultural excellence. Physically located within the Art & Culture exhibit on the second floor of the Polk County History Center in Bartow, the exhibit gives recognition to Polk’s arts & cultural individuals who have raised awareness of or made significant contributions that have enriched Polk’s arts and cultural community. Currently there are eight members in the Polk Arts & Culture Hall of Fame, with the most recent being Meri Mass who was inducted last year as a Champion of the Arts for her work serving as the Executive Director of the Polk Arts Alliance. You can see all the members by visiting the polkarst.org website. This year’s event will also see the return of the annual arts and culture awards that had previously been used to recognize local individuals and organizations for their contributions to the arts and cultural community during the preceding year. These awards are specifically designed to honor the current work being done in our communities while the Hall of Fame designation is a lifetime achievement honor. Jennifer D’hollander, the current president of the Polk Arts & Cultural Alliance Board of Directors, is especially excited about the opportunity to pay tribute to those who are making Polk County a thriving arts and cultural destination. “It is so important to recognize outstanding individuals who have been paramount to the development of the arts and cultural field in Polk County and beyond. We are proud to be accepting nominations for both the Hall of Fame and the annual awards and look forward to announcing new inductees and award-winners this fall.” If the Hall of Fame and the Polk Arts & Culture Awards are to be truly representative of the entirety of Polk County, then the voices of Polk Countians must be heard. This is where the democracy part comes in. Starting on April 1, the Polk Arts & Cultural Alliance is asking for community input into both the Hall of Fame Class of 2023 and Polk Arts & Cultural Annual Award honorees. The nomination process, which starts on April 1, closes on April 20 after which the Polk Arts & Cultural Alliance will gather the nominations and then select the award winners. Nominees for the Polk Arts & Culture Hall of Fame can be nominated in one of three categories: ARTIST: Artists of all disciplines are eligible: theatre, visual arts, performing arts, music, etc. ARTS & CULTURAL CHAMPION: Non-artist individuals who through philanthropy, advocacy, leadership, or all three - have championed the arts/cultural opportunities in Polk County. ARTS & CULTURAL EDUCATOR: Individuals whose primary lifelong contribution to arts/culture has been in the realm of arts/cultural education. If you are interested in nominating someone for the Hall of Fame, please consider the life-long community impact of the nominee’s work, contributions, leadership, etc. to arts/cultural initiatives in Polk County. Additionally, previous residents of Polk County (for a minimum of five years) who have gone on to make significant contributions to arts and culture on the national or international level are also eligible for nomination. Community members may also nominate individuals or organizations for the Polk Arts & Culture Awards in the following categories: ARTS/CULTURAL ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR: Honors an arts/cultural organization for their work in their respective communities AND recognizes outreach efforts that promote Polk as an art and/or cultural destination. Awardees could include nonprofit organizations, creative industry organizations, or local municipalities that meet the expectations of this award. ARTS/CULTURAL PHILANTHROPIST OF THE YEAR: This award is presented to an organization or individual whose philanthropic support of arts and cultural programming has advanced the status of Polk County as an arts/cultural destination. VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR: Honors an arts/cultural volunteer for their work within a specific organization – especially recognizes work that reaches beyond the specific organization for which they served to assist multiple arts and/or cultural organizations. ARTS/CULTURAL EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR: This award recognizes a local arts or cultural educator for their work with students. Awardees may be public/private school teachers, higher-ed teachers, or private art teachers. RISING STAR AWARD: Honors an individual who works to advance the arts/cultural community – specifically honors those who seek to expand Polk’s reputation as an arts/cultural destination. Awardees may be volunteers or paid staff of local arts and cultural organizations. With both recognition programs, it is important to make sure that award recipients represent all regions of our county. This means considering individuals and organizations from a variety of geographic sections of Polk. From Frostproof to Davenport and from Lake Wales to Mulberry, Polk is fortunate to have such vibrant arts and cultural communities throughout the county. Additionally, attention must be given to racial and ethnic factors when considering whom to recognize with these honors. Just like with the geographic diversity of our county, the arts, and cultural work being done by people of color is integral to Polk’s desire to be a “destination for arts and culture.” All the information regarding nominating an individual or organization can be found on the Polk Arts & Cultural Alliance’s website, polkarts.org. I’m confident that the citizens of Polk County will provide us with numerous individuals worthy of recognition for their arts and cultural achievements. In fact, we’re so confident of this that we’re keeping the nominations on file for three years – no need to nominate the same individual/organization next year as we’ll already have their info. I also believe that we will see the best of Polk’s arts and culture on display at the Polk Arts & Culture Hall of Fame Gala. It’s my hope that the evening will be both a recognition of fantastic work and a celebration of why Polk is such a hub for arts and culture. More information will come in the following months about the gala itself, but in the meanwhile, please consider nominating someone – we want to hear from you!

Grab your reading glasses and get ready to book-shop until you drop. It’s time for the 2nd Annual Lakeland Book Crawl! Presented by the Lakeland Booksellers, this weeklong event – featuring sales, surprises, and bookish bonding – runs from April 24 to April 29, 2023. The Booksellers were so encouraged by the community response to the inaugural Book Crawl, they decided to make it an annual event. Like last year, the Book Crawl takes place leading up to National Independent Bookstore Day on the last Saturday in April. “The Lakeland Book Crawl is a weeklong celebration for the book-loving community here in Lakeland,” said one Lakeland Bookseller, Pressed Books & Coffee owner, Christina Needham. “Each day of the week, we will feature a different local bookstore, each with their own daily deals and giveaways, all while highlighting literacy, small business, and our customers.” Here’s what eager readers can expect each day in this “six-day tour de force of books, books, and more books!” Day one kicks off at Bookend Used Books on Monday, April 24, from 10:30 am – 5:30 pm. 30% off *excluding classics. Tuesday – Inklings Book Shoppe from 9:30 am - 7:00 pm. Indie author signing, FREE kids book with any purchase, and 10% off all. Wednesday – Pressed Books & Coffee from 8 am - 6 pm. Free coffee with book purchase. Thursday – Crash Bookshop from 10:30 am - 6:30 pm.  10% off new books. Friday – The Unbound Bookery  from 10 am - 6 pm. 20% off all books. Little Bus Books from 10 am – 7 pm, 50% of proceeds of Spanish titles for No Covers – Free Mobile Bookshop. Lakeland Book Crawl bookmarks will be available for purchase at each of the six locations. One hundred percent of the Book Crawl bookmark proceeds go to the Children’s Home Society of Lakeland “to help promote the literacy and care of orphans and children in foster care.” Keeping with the local love, the Book Crawl hosts collaborated with Lakeland-based commercial artist and illustrator Josh “Bump” Galletta to create their adorable bookworm mascot. Local artist Tate Krupa of the pop-culture-inspired handmade gift shop Red Swan designed this year’s bookmark. According to the Lakeland Book Crawl website, “The goal of this annual crawling is to bring booksellers, book lovers, and the greater Lakeland community together for a bookish good time. We are a kooky collaboration bringing awareness to the community about local independent bookstores.” Pressed Coffee and Books owner Christina Needham noted how much the booksellers enjoy collaborating on the event throughout the year. “We think the more people we can reach to promote books and the importance of books in our community, to use them as a way to connect people, as a way to educate, as a place where people want to come and spend time – we find that brings great value to our city,” she said. “Even though the event does promote our stores, we also want it to be a celebration and appreciation to our customers who faithfully support us all year.” Needham sees the annual Book Crawl as a testament to the community’s commitment to its city. “I think it goes to show how much people in Lakeland love local business and enjoy working together for the greater cause of the city.” Don’t forget to tag your bookish posts with #lakelandbookcrawl and scan the QR code when you visit a participating bookshop to enter for a chance to win a gift card from all six stores. Visit www.lakelandbookcrawl.com for more information. Photography Provided

When Geanie Folder walked into 801 E. Main, inspiration struck her like lightning. “I knew I could do something with the building,” she said. “I looked at probably 11 or 12 buildings in Lakeland, and I just know. I know when I walk in if I’m going to be able to make it happen.” Folder quit her job in 2016 and started a vintage market, the Beatnik Exchange, the following year. She opened Unfiltered Bartow in 2019 and adapted her business to ride out the pandemic. She launched Unfiltered Lakeland on February 25, 2023, in partnership with Wesley and Ashley Barnett and her son, Tray Towles. CHAMPAGNE AND GRAVY With their Lakeland location opening, it was a good time to rebrand and take the concept back to its roots – especially in Bartow – the way she’d first envisioned it. That vision means less emphasis on food and more on retail and art, crochet, and sewing classes. Unfortunately, the Unfiltered Punta Gorda store closed post-Hurricane Ian at the end of last year. “That was heartbreaking,” Folder said. “It just wasn’t meant to be down there.” In Bartow, Folder and company are curating a first-floor shopping experience with boho-style goods, vintage fashion, new merchandise, and the build-you-own-brim hat bar, Champagne and Gravy. Hidden Gem Consignment out of North Lakeland is opening another location on the second floor there as well. The custom hat bar is Folder’s baby and has opened its third location inside her marketplace and coffee shop, Unfiltered Lakeland. Folder described Champagne and Gravy as her “newest love.” She added, “It belongs to me solely, and I get to be creative. Other than designing the spaces, I’ve lost that whole creative part of me. I vowed going into this year I would try to niche out something for just me.” Inspired by her friend who owns the vintage shop, Echoes of Retro in Orlando, Folder started working with hats. Out of respect, she asked her friend permission to go forward with her own brimmed hat concept. “By all means,” her friend said. The pair took a trip to Texas to tour the Lone Star hat bar scene, and when they returned, Folder said, “I’m doing this!” She came up with the name Champagne and Gravy, which her friend now also uses. “I’ve expanded that brand to include anything that I love, that I would keep in my home,” Folder said. “While the hat bar is the focus, there is clothing, bath stuff, lots of fun things, and more fun things coming for that brand. THE SPACE In addition to Champagne and Gravy inside Unfiltered Lakeland, the property hosts three other micro storefronts: East of These, My Crazy Plant Life, and The Vintage Warehouse. Folder noted the location’s retail popularity. They have a waiting list of almost 20 stores that would snatch up a micro storefront immediately if space were available (and more space may be on the way). The Unfiltered marketplace is entirely her own. Sage walls contrast funky plush couches, mauve loveseats, knick-knacks strewn here and there in a way that just works, and a large mural encouraging patrons to “Live Life Unfiltered.” An antique Packard organ draws the eye as you enter, a remnant of the building’s former life as the Poor Porker. “I saw them build this, and I was saddened by the whole thing. I know what it’s like to lose a dream,” Folder said. “I vowed to pay homage to them, pay homage to Lakeland.” To Lakeland’s delight, she kept the beignet cart – and all of the Poor Porker staff. “These stores need to be the least commercialized as possible – every last detail,” Folder said of the Unfiltered concept. From the onset, she asked herself,’ Would I put that in my home?’ and ‘What kind of coffee cup would I serve if I had company over?’ “It was always built on people being able to be who they were,” she said. This individuality is the brand’s pulse. And though Folder is confident in her art and style, she was nervous about opening. “It was crazy,” she said. “I worried if we were going to be good enough for Lakeland – would Lakeland embrace us? […] There’s always that fear when you open, ‘Is anyone coming?’ and ‘Can we hold our own [here].’” To her relief, the community rallied around her business with a steady line of daily patrons. “So far, it’s been phenomenal,” she said. “I would be remiss if I didn’t say how many people come to bat for you, how many people stand up for you, how many people show you grace, how many people show you leeway. If you just reach out – how many people are willing to mentor and help you.” Folder said, “We house artists, we are a marketplace, and we are an experience. A coffee shop is just a portion of what we do.” Food and coffee may not be at the heart of the business, but they certainly weren’t an afterthought. Unfiltered Lakeland serves tea and various coffee drinks using Lakeland’s Ethos Roasters. Uncle Nick’s Bagels grace the menu, along with baked goods and beignets — traditional and “The Poor Porker” topped with maple syrup and bacon — along with soups, salads, and specials like the Waffled Grilled Cheese and Waffled Monte Cristo. A social media post mentioned plans to expand portions of the business in the future. Folder divulged ideas for quirky portable air-conditioned ‘houses’ in the courtyard during summertime. Unfiltered Lakeland is also looking to add more retail space in some capacity. Folder said they are in the process of obtaining their beer and wine license too. With that will come live music and woodfired pizza in the courtyard. Folder plans to bring the Beatnik Exchange to Lakeland at least quarterly (maybe even monthly). She started the bohemian vintage market in the middle of a field in Brooksville. The free-spirited event, gathering an eclectic union of artisans, was later hosted at Music Ranch and SUN’ n FUN but stopped for a time. Folder is excited to bring it back to platform artists and makers. ALL ABOUT THE STORY The Unfiltered brand is one of collaboration. That collaboration is rooted deep within founder Geanie Folder. “It’s all about the story,” she said. And, pushing through the discomfort of having the spotlight on her, she was ready to share hers. “I grew up homeless,” Folder began. She was the oldest of five siblings who lived with their dad, sometimes in a car or squatting in houses. “It sounds bad, but it was all I knew. I view the early part of my childhood as this beautiful, adventurous life, and that kind of set the pace for what I would do into adulthood.” Art is another central part of the Unfiltered brand. It’s an essential foundation in Folder’s life. There was a period in her childhood when she and her siblings were sent back to live with their mother and stepfather. “We lived in this old house, and there was a closet on the second story. He [her stepfather] would lock me in there for weeks,” Folder said. “My brother would shove me pencils under the door. By the time my dad came and got us again, I had taken a pencil and two crayons and completely muraled the entire closet. For me, it saved me. [...] The art portion of this comes from knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt how art is good for us and how art can save our lives. That’s why I never veer far from that.” She eventually adopted her brothers and sisters at age 16 and spent her whole childhood making a home for them. “It was always important to me that they felt loved, they had a place to go, they felt safe. Whatever shabby furniture we managed to get, we made it comfortable, and we made these places feel like home,” Folder said. When the last sibling left home, she knew, “I wanted to be able to provide a space that felt the same for people who wanted to come or needed to come or needed a space. That’s the bones of why we’re here. [...] I only know how to live that way. I don’t know what else to do to serve my community and serve others other than what I’m doing.” Photography by Amy Sexson Unfiltered Lakeland 801 E Main St., Lakeland FB: Unfiltered Lakeland IG @unfiltered_welcome_home

Pace Center for Girls’ mission is to provide girls and young women an opportunity for a better future through education, counseling, training, and advocacy. The organization is guided by nine values and principles: Honor the female spirit; Focus on strengths; Act with integrity and positive intent; Embrace growth and change; Value the wisdom of time; Exhibit courage; Seek excellence; Create partnerships; and Invest in the future. This mission statement and guiding values drew Pace Center for Girls of Polk Executive Director Ellen Katzman, ACSW, to the organization in 2016. “I learn from them every day,” Katzman said of her Pace girls. “I learn from them that it’s not easy to walk a mile in somebody else’s shoes.” Katzman, also the executive director for Pace’s Pasco Center, earned a B.S. in criminal justice from Indiana University College of Arts and Sciences, a master’s degree in social work from Indiana University School of Social Work, and is a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW). Katzman’s career focus has been community organization, planning, and management, and she’s been in the non-profit sector for over 40 years. “I have loved, and still love, every minute of it,” she said. Perhaps Katzman’s fire to change lives was lit by the women who inspired her. She named former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir – the first woman to hold that post – as an influential figure growing up. “She made a difference, and she made a difference being female,” reflected Katzman, who is arguably doing the same. “I also come from a line of strong women in my family, and I think I’ve had really good role models.” HISTORY OF PACE Founder Vicki Burke launched Pace with ten girls in Jacksonville, Florida. “Vicki had an idea, rooted in facts, that girls were entering the juvenile justice system as a response to delinquent behavior often caused by trauma.” Between 1989 and 1998, Pace opened 13 new locations in Florida. The organization has since expanded into 23 communities across the Sunshine State, Georgia, and South Carolina. Since serving those first ten girls in 1985, the program has cared for over 40,000 girls and young women – over 3,000 each year. Pace Center for Girls of Polk County opened its doors in 2001 and has served more than 1,500 girls through its academic Day Program and Pace Reach therapy program. The Day Program provides year-round education, counseling, and life skills training for middle and high-school-aged girls. Pace Polk served 126 girls through their day program in 2022, with enrollees seeing marked improvement academically and socially and re-engaging in their communities. In 2009, Pace piloted its Reach Counseling Program, providing services to girls outside their Centers. In partnership with local schools, community organizations, and court systems, the Reach Program offers social, emotional, and behavioral health and support services for girls ages 11-17 and their families. Seventeen Reach locations have been established across Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Last year 55 girls were served through Pace Center for Girls of Polk County’s Reach Program. A MEASURABLE IMPACT “We’re an evidence-based organization,” Katzman said. The organization offers small in-person classes; individual academic planning and support; personal guidance, counseling, and goal planning; and career and college preparation. “You’ll see how kids improve academically, [...] how they’re engaged in their own home life and school.” These results are observable through statistics collected by the non-profit. For instance, 9 in 10 girls were failing school six months before attending the Pace Day Program in Polk County. Nine in 10 girls improved academically, measured by Florida STAR testing, after attending Pace. A measurable testament to their Reach Program, 7 in 10 girls were feeling sad or hopeless, including thoughts of self-harm before attending Pace Polk, with 8 in 10 exhibiting improved healthy social relationships with peers and family members after time spent in the program. The proof is in the pudding at Pace – or on their Board of Directors, rather. Pace Polk alumnus Jasmine Decelle, owner of Jasmine Decelle Branding & Design, serves as the board’s secretary. Last year the impact of Pace rippled far beyond the southeast United States. Pace President and CEO Mary Marx wrote in a letter published in the organization’s 2022 Impact Report, “This year marked the first global application of our approach, partnering with IREX through a Community Collaboration Impact Grant sponsored by the U.S. Department of State to share our model with girls in Bhutan.” EMPOWERING YOUNG WOMEN Pace approaches its mission to support and equip girls through three pillars: gender-responsive, strength-based, and trauma-informed. According to Katzman, potential enrollees meet with an intake counselor for an interview. To be accepted into the program, a girl must have at least three risk factors. These could include truancy, incarcerated parents, physical or mental abuse, or sex trafficking. “Most of our kids are at six or seven [risk factors] – that’s overwhelming,” she said. “Needless to say, they’re unsettled, and a lot of them don’t want to be in an all-girls school.” But, that all-girl environment, especially one that is trauma-informed, is to their benefit, says Katzman. She evoked founder Vicki Burke. “She saw boys and girls going through the system and realized they needed to be treated separately. They learn differently. Girls that have been traumatized learn much differently than boys and much differently than girls who haven’t gone through trauma,” Katzman said. Pace Center for Girls “creates an environment that responds to the needs of the girls,” according to their website, “so they can feel safe to develop meaningful and trusting relationships and embrace their capability, strength, and autonomy.” The Pace Day Program, driven by its three pillars, operates year-round. Katzman says the job isn’t always easy, but it is rewarding. “There’s not a day that goes by that you don’t realize you’re changing the trajectory of these young women’s lives,” she said. “Today’s young women in our program are tomorrow’s moms, so this trajectory goes on and on and on.” Girls are provided breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday and take regular academic classes in smaller class sizes (14 students per teacher) following the Polk County School System curriculum at Pace. Where the organization differs from public school is unfettered access to social services – an imperative for girls who have endured trauma. This department is headed up by Social Services Manager Michelle Brown, who oversees a team of counselors and therapists. The girls can speak with a counselor as often as they need. The Center offers a “May I see you” form that girls can fill out to meet with someone promptly. Katzman noted how access to these resources affects students as they progress at Pace. “They start to open up, to articulate, to self-advocate. They start to have social skills, peer skills – getting along with others,” she said. Students presenting risk factors who don’t require extra academic help can be referred by guidance counselors, teachers, and school staff to join the Reach Program at participating Polk County schools. Pace provides a licensed mental health therapist in these schools to further support local girls. When Katzman first took charge seven years ago, she wanted to get to know each of the girls. She decided to sit in on weekly Care Reviews, in which staff, teachers, and counselors meet to discuss a student’s progress. Not ten minutes into her first Care Review, it struck the 40-year non-profit veteran, “The staff that have chosen this, to work here, it’s got to be in their DNA. It’s hard, it’s challenging, it’s difficult – but it’s so rewarding. They get to see the fruits of their labor.” Those fruits manifest in higher grades, happier days, and brighter futures. Support for Pace girls is comprehensive. Beyond grades and therapy – it’s life-changing. Organization leaders and staff work diligently for holistic growth in their girls. President and CEO Mary Marx wrote in that same 2022 Impact Report letter, “Our work and the future of our girls remains grounded in celebrating not only empowerment, but real, lived power. Our girls must not only benefit from policies but also use their voices and lived experiences to design those policies. In 2022, our advocacy work gave young people the ability to have their record expunged, removing a substantial barrier to college admission and employment for some 26,000 Florida youth.” SANDRA’S STORY One thriving Pace girl is 16-year-old Sandra. The high school junior has been attending Pace Center for Girls of Polk County for nearly a year and has found refuge at the Center. “Pace has helped me a lot, just learning how to self-advocate and finding my voice,” she said. “I struggled a lot with my self-worth before I came here, and I can honestly say it’s improved and helped me achieve a lot of my goals.” The women Sandra most admires and who have supported her are her mother and her Pace Spirited Girls teacher, Michelle Taylor. “She looks after me a lot and notices when I’m having a bad day,” said Sandra. Asked what she liked about attending Pace, she noted, “I love the environment, the people, it’s open, everyone’s warm. No one’s shut off. You don’t feel out of place. You feel like you belong here.” Once a year, Pace Polk sends two girls to Tallahassee for Pace Day at the Capitol. Sandra earned the coveted spot, an incentive for excelling socially and academically, and will be attending this year, where she’ll have the opportunity to meet legislators and other Pace girls from across the state. Executive Director Ellen Katzman described Sandra as sweet, articulate, compassionate, and a model student. “Every girl that comes here comes with challenges. We call them ‘at-risk factors.’ They are obstacles in the young women’s lives, and they have to overcome them. [Sandra] is strong – she’s resilient, and in overcoming those, she’s learned to have her own voice, to advocate for herself,” Katzman raved. “When she leaves here, I have all the confidence in the world that this child is going to be an incredible young woman. She’s going to make her own path, her own future.” The executive director noted that she most admired Sandra's inner strength and adoption of self-advocacy, something Pace empowers all girls to do. “When there’s someone like Sandra who grasps it so easily and well – it was there all time, we just helped bring it out.” Sandra, who spoke with the poise and self-assuredness of a young woman destined for success, beamed from within. In the future, she hopes to shine that light on others as a substance abuse counselor, helping people with addictions better their lives. SUPPORT PACE GIRLS Those interested in supporting Pace Center for Girls can volunteer or make monetary, supply, and clothing donations. Consider involvement in committees, board membership, and events, like their upcoming Ten Story Challenge on May 5, 2023. The annual peer-to-peer fundraising event takes place at the Lakeland Electric building, where community members raise a minimum of $500 to rappel from the towering structure. Pace Center for Girls transcends the current day and the current girls they serve. The program blazes paths for generations of girls to grow into women of integrity and self-worth, ascending their circumstances to claim the inherent, inalienable power they each possess. As Pace Center for Girls, Polk Board of Directors Co-Chair, Lakeland Electric’s Interim General Manager Mike Beckham wrote, “Pace Polk provides a safe space where girls feel like they matter. […] The staff focuses on positive affirmation and advocacy to build empowered women with strong voices ready to face the future. Our community is fortunate to have an organization of this caliber to support our youth.” Photographs by Amy Sexson Pace Center for Girls of Polk County 213 Tyler Ave, Lakeland, FL (863) 688-5596 FB: Pace Center for Girls IG @pacecenterforgirls pacecenter.org/locations/florida/polk

The couple behind Bandidas pop-up café, Gio and Gabriella Favilli-Vigoreaux, could teach a masterclass in self-expression. Everything about the brand they’ve created together is intentional, inimitable, and just plain good. The two-woman team operating out of the Catapult Kitchen Incubator started as Vicky G’s and Casita Verde. A Central Florida native and first-generation American, Gio would travel to Nicaragua several times a year to visit family growing up. She delighted in meals made up of fresh fruits, vegetables, beef, and chicken from her grandparents’ farm in Masaya, Nicaragua. That love of food translated to a pursuit of the culinary arts down the line. Gio moved to New York to study at the International Culinary Center and worked in restaurants and bakeries in the city after graduating. She also worked in food media and recipe development for Vice Media’s food department, Munchies. The pandemic prompted a move back to Florida, where she started Casita Verde as a creative outlet and a way to introduce Polk County to Nicaraguan food. Gabriella grew up in Winter Haven. After attending the University of Miami, she moved to New York for culinary school. She spent the next eight years working in restaurants, food media, and recipe development in test kitchens for Epicurious, Good Housekeeping, and Cherry Bombe before returning home in 2020. She pulled from her Puerto Rican roots and formal culinary training to start Vicky G’s, offering handcrafted empanadas with unique fillings and other “twists on Latin food.” About a year and a half ago, Gabriella and Gio joined their ventures to start a new pop-up café called Bandidas. They closed Vicky G’s (as they began offering their hand-formed empanadas through Bandidas) and continue to use Casita Verde as a subsidiary for provisions like hot sauce and kombucha. “It just made sense,” Gabriella said of the transition. “We knew we were going to get married. We’d gotten engaged, and we were spending all our time in the kitchen, side by side.” The couple’s love story intertwines with food from its genesis. They’d met initially when Gabriella was home from New York to visit family, and Gio was selling shave ice at a market. Gio reached out later for information about culinary school as she planned to attend the same school Gabriella had eight years earlier. Before moving to New York, Gio showed up unannounced at Smith Canteen in Brooklyn, where Gabriella worked as the culinary director and head baker. In what could only be culinary kismet, Gio remembered, “I didn’t tell her I was going to be there, and we were actually wearing the same shirt when she came out of the kitchen.” The block-printed shirt was one Gabriella had purchased from Gio during her last visit home. ONCE A BANDIDA, ALWAYS A BANDIDA The name of their pop-up comes from a term of endearment. “As a kid, my parents used to call me a bandida because I was super mischievous and trying to make people laugh,” Gio said. “I was like a little rascal always showing up after playing outside, covered in dirt with scraped up knees – my bike chain connected to my jeans.” Gabriella said, “On the grand scale, it feeds into our desire to do things our own way and not go about anything in the traditional way.” The Bandidas babes are uninterested in the ‘traditional kitchen brigade’ setup. “We’re just doing our own thing,” said Gabriella. Her wife nodded in agreement. “Totally still identify with being a bandida.” Bandidas fare melds their Nicaraguan and Puerto Rican background, formal culinary training, and what they’ve learned working in the industry. “I think a lot of people assume that we only make Latin food, but that’s such a small part of what inspires us,” said Gabriella. “Of course, I grew up eating empanadas, and she grew up eating Nicaraguan food. We sell a lot of things that were taught to us by our mothers, our grandmothers, but we are both classically trained, so we did learn a lot of other types of cuisine along the way.” An excerpt from their website notes, “From pop-up markets to wholesale pastries, our menus are ever-evolving to highlight the seasons and our current inspirations.” And much of what they do now is inspired by their extended time living in New York. “The focaccia for me feels so Brooklyn,” Gabriella said. “There was definitely a focaccia sandwich moment there at one point.” The duo also draws from travels and techniques learned from their favorite cookbooks – always with credit to the source. “It’s really important to credit where you get your inspiration from,” said Gabriella. Both women remember the foundational food that solidified their confidence in cooking. For Gabriella, it was her chocolate chip cookies and hippie scones. “They represent a time in my life when I was working in food media and test kitchens. I got hired to be the baker at a café that was transitioning from getting their pastries wholesale to having an in-house pastry program,” she said. Kerry Diamond, owner of Smith Canteen, was also the editor of Cherry Bombe, where Gabriella worked years prior as the magazine’s first employee. “She gave me a few months to play, and in those few months, I tested a lot of things.” Baking the final iteration of that cookie and scone is marked in her memory for the sheer accomplishment and because Gio eventually worked at the bakery. “So it kind of represents us, too, in a weird way because we both had to make them there but never together, and now we’re making them together,” Gabriella said. Gio remembers developing sardine galettes – her first published recipe. She’s glad to have that same freedom to create treats that break tradition through Bandidas. With Casita Verde, she was firm on offering authentic Nicaraguan cuisine. “Now with Bandidas, if anything, it feels more ‘me’ because I’m not purely Nicaragüense – I’m all things. I’ve learned so many things and have so many relationships with different recipes and experiences I’ve had.” The guava and cream cheese layer cake stands toe to toe with her galettes as a touchstone treat in her repertoire. “I’ve recently gotten really obsessed with making layer cakes, and I knew that the guava and cream cheese one would be a hit,” she said. “I love making these cakes because they’ve sort of become a blank canvas where I get to design the outside of them however I want. Lately, they’ve been pretty whimsical-looking, and I love it.” Gilded galettes and pretty pastries are Gio’s domain. She’s always been into art and working with her hands. “I love it, and I think that comes out in the food,” she said. Her creativity doesn’t stop with decorating desserts. Gio drew the Bandidas logo and turned her handwriting into a font for the brand. She also produces a bi-annual zine called Paloma. Unstimulated after returning to Florida, she thought, ‘What if there was a zine where there were a bunch of different voices and representation?’ So Gio made it herself – a collection of photojournalism, recipes, art, and poetry. Gabriella called the hand-stapled, block-printed zine “very Rocket Power.” Look out for the next issue of Paloma on the Bandidas website. PUTTING DOWN ROOTS Gio finds her most joyous moments are thinking about the future of their business. “At times, it feels like it’s not getting here quick enough because I feel like we’ve been grinding for so many years,” she said. “I know we’re going to get there. A place where our kids can grow up and our nieces and nephews can work. We’ll have that place to express ourselves in every way that we want – through food and colors and branding.” The couple envisions Bandidas as a local bakery selling beautiful, seasonal pastries, among other things – a model Gabriella has admired elsewhere through her travels. “The charming irregularities of a homemade pastry versus a mass-produced pastry – that means a lot to me,” she said. “I always want to keep it feeling small even as we grow.” Though there is no set-in-stone timeline for a brick-and-mortar shop, the two say change is in the air. GIRL POWER Both say they feel lucky to have worked under women in New York. Gio’s first line-cook job was under head chef Kia Damon, who also hails from Florida. “I had a unique experience for New York in that I only ever had a female boss,” Gabriella said. Right out of culinary school, she was hired to help launch Cherry Bombe, a magazine focused on women and women-identifying people in the food industry. “I was always reporting to some badass lady with an extensive career from restaurants to publishing and beyond,” she said. “It really does help you,” Gio said. “Obviously, not every woman that leads a kitchen is perfect and supportive. I’ve had my fair share of women that tend to carry that patriarchal [attitude] probably because they went through it. But it does feel good [to work with women].” Not just women, she noted, but being around Queer folks or anyone who knows what they’re going through has been affirming. “You feel it and acknowledge it, and you never forget it.” Gio admitted to feeling more seen in New York, more impressive even in a sea of people. “Coming back here, it was hard to get people to trust that you know what you’re doing, and you’ve been doing it for a while,” she said. “It’s hard to know if it’s because we’re women or because we’re new faces (even though we both grew up here) or because we’re Latin, or if it’s because we’re Queer or a combination of a lot of things people aren’t used to,” said Gabriella. “If I had a dime for every time somebody told me how we should be making this empanada or why don’t we have Cuban sandwiches.” Along with continued mentorships from their time in New York, Bandidas named DOU Bakehouse owner Diana Cortes-Blanquicet as a guide in navigating their business. “She has been so accessible and transparent and honest about what she faced when she was starting out to where she is now,” said Gabriella, a quality she’s found rare in the local food scene. “We can all help each other. There’s room for everyone.” Gio called Cortes-Blanquicet “a mentor,” Gabriella added, “Everyone who works for her speaks highly of her, and when we’re lucky to have employees, that’s what you aim for.” Foodies can order online or find Bandidas on Saturdays at the Winter Haven Farmers Market and Lakeland Downtown Farmers Curb Market. The pop-up café recently entered the wholesale market at Agape Agora in Winter Haven, offering goods like whole wheat salted chocolate chunk cookies, pear and pistachio galettes, and more. Check out their website below for catering packages. What advice do the Bandidas have for fellow women in the culinary space? “Help other women,” said Gabriella, not missing a beat. Gio added, “And it’ll come back to you.” Photography by Amy Sexson FB: @BandidasLKLD IG @bandidas_lkld www.bandidaslkld.com

The man, the myth, the Eric Crump. Who is he? What is going on at the Aerospace Center for Excellence in Lakeland? Are there aliens hidden away at the Lakeland Airport? Eric Crump, the Director of the Aerospace Center for Excellence in Lakeland, gave us an exclusive tour and behind-the-scenes look at what’s going on there. I left inspired, and after you read this, I hope you are encouraged to venture out there as well. A licensed pilot with years in the aviation field and previous director of the Polk State College aviation program, I’d say Eric Crump is the right person for the job. “Kids and inspiration, it’s why I do this. I used to be that kid,” Crump said. Eric is fueled by the inspiration he creates for anyone who walks through that door. His goal is not only to provide a fun learning experience for kids but to leave them motivated and continue learning about the aviation field. “If they leave motivated, I think we’ve done our mission,” he said. The Aerospace Center for Excellence, also referred to as ACE, is remarkable — a campus filled with world-class facilities sought by students and people worldwide. The ACE Campus includes the Florida Air Museum, the Central Florida Aerospace Academy (CFAA) High School, Elevate Aerospace & Logistics Incubator, The Lakeland Aero Club – a high school flying club, the Ramus Skylab Innovation Center, and even a full-size Boeing 727 classroom. These are just some of the many facilities they house on their vast campus. “We live our mission,” said Crump. ‘Engage, educate, and accelerate the next generation of aerospace professionals’ are the words that every staff member lives by on the ACE campus, and it’s why they exist. The center has tons of programs that educate and inspire new pilots. Weekly free storytime readings, summer camps, and multiple scholarships are just some of the things they have to offer new pilots. They’ve had 159 people attend the scholarship program and receive their private pilot’s certificate. RAMUS SKYLAB LABORATORY One of the many unique things housed in the Ramus Skylab Innovation Center is the Redbird Flight Simulation Lab, where people have the opportunity to fly a simulation plane. With this simulation plane, students have a chance to learn how to make an airplane take off and land. They are even introduced to four fundamentals through the simulation: straight-and-level, flight turns, climbs, and descents. From personal experience, don’t attempt a barrel roll on your first simulation run. It will end badly. The Drone Lab is another part of the Ramus Skylab, where students can learn basic aviation terminology and practice simple controls using a mock flight simulator. Other drone opportunities include drone search, where students are taught how drones can be helpful in disaster situations by practicing aerial photography and conducting a simulated disaster relief mission. My favorite part in the Ramus Skylab was the NOAA Science on a Sphere Lab which I was told there are not many of these in the world. Such a powerful sphere, in an instant, it can show galaxies, planets, weather patterns, the sun, and more. Such a powerful tool to teach how hurricanes are formed and how climate change impacts severe weather formation and the planet. SUN ‘N FUN While this is all going on 51 weeks out of the year, there is one week you may have heard about it’s the SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo. If you plan on going for the first time, you’re in for a loud treat. It’s one of the biggest aviation fly-ins in the world that welcomes over 200,000 people annually. It’s also the biggest fundraiser for the Aerospace Center for Excellence and its programs. “That one week of the year helps fund what we do 51 weeks of the year, which is our mission,” said Crump. The Aerospace Expo runs from March 28 through April 2 this year, and you don’t want to miss the excitement. The week-long event contains hot air balloons, Warbirds, fireworks, vintage aircraft, and a 5K race where the proceeds benefit the Lakeland AeroClub (a high school flying club that teaches high school and college-age students how to build, restore and fly airplanes, as well as the Women in Aviation, Heart of Florida Chapter). Catch the United States Navy Blue Angels performing stunts and demonstrating amazing teamwork in the air. The Expo is packed with talent and loud entertainment. THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT Does the ACE campus have any UFO aircraft stored away in one of their secret warehouses? Of course, I had to ask. “That’s classified,” said Crump as he laughed. What I did find out is that new events and projects are on their way to the ACE campus. A new speaker series will be introduced, inviting people like NOAA hurricane hunters, so kids can learn and ask questions about what it’s like to fly through a hurricane. Wings and Waffles, a Saturday program, is geared toward the adult audience in which you can listen to various people and hear about their impact on the aviation industry. The future for the ACE campus is bright, and the leadership there is just a part of the reason. The volunteers, staff, and mission all come together to help keep the operation going in the right direction. “Our goal here is to increase opportunities in aviation for everybody,” Crump said. They want to share this campus with everyone and introduce students and kids to a new career they have yet to learn about or maybe even a new hobby. Inspiring and creating possibilities is what the Aerospace Center for Excellence is all about, and I hope you go check them out. Photography by Nate Schaller Aerospace Center for Excellence 4075 James C. Ray Dr., Lakeland aceedu.org FB @AerospaceCenterForExcellence IG @aerospacecenterforexcellence SUN ‘n FUN flysnf.org FB @FlySNF IG @flysnf