We talked with Timothy Collette from Clean Pirate Life to learn about the fifth annual Foot the Chain Music & Waterski Festival happening in February. With a new sober living facility as the end goal, find out about the fun happening along the way to get there. HOW DID FOOT THE CHAIN COME ABOUT AND WHY? TC: Foot the Chain (FTC) started with a group of guys who came to Winter Haven every year after the holiday season, to warm up and barefoot waterski our beautiful chain of lak

This month, we look back to 1915 when a small group of determined residents had a vision of connecting many of our lakes by canals. The group organized as the Twenty Lakes Boat Club. At the time, some of the lakes had small “runs” or swampy places that connected them. This club wanted to create canals there. Pleasure boat in Howard/Cannon canal, one the Chain’s most scenic. Foot bridge spanning the canal behind boat was originally installed to connect the properties of Dick a

Carol Burnett recently celebrated her 92nd birthday. She is currently among the stars of “Palm Royale” on Apple TV. She spent seven decades sharing her acting and comedic talents. Winter Haven played a role with Burnett in the early days of her career. It was January 1961 and Robert “Bobby” Hiers just returned to Winter Haven from working on an oil pipeline in the western U. S.. The twenty-nine-year-old Hiers moved here from Georgia with his family in 1938 and graduated from

As 1936 began, Dick and Julie Pope would host the grand opening of their park on January 2. Many local leaders had serious doubts about the park’s viability, and Pope often faced ridicule from those who felt the operation would surely fail. But the doubters failed to recognize Dick Pope’s skill set. His work with brother Malcolm in daredevil boating, as well as his golfing talent, had earned him valuable media contacts. He leveraged those contacts and promoted the gardens wit

My idea of a perfect morning would start with a cup of coffee as I watch the fog burn off the top of the lake. Eventually, the mist would clear, and water so perfectly flat that you can’t tell where the shore ends, and the water starts would greet me. That right there is true Ski Diva water. If I could trademark that phrase, I’d make millions just from my family members, who make fun of my aunt because she refuses to ski on anything less than perfect water. To be fair, she’s

Polk County’s population increased by 93 percent between 1900 and 1910. Winter Haven’s population more than tripled from 429 to 1436 residents. Still, 1400 is a relatively small number for the adventures the village pursued between 1910 and 1920. Here are the bold initiatives that marked the decade … Florida Chief BOARD OF TRADE Along about 1910, in fact before Winter Haven formally incorporated, local businesses banded together to form a Board of Trade. Forerunner to the Cha

As our holiday seasons come to a close, Polk County residents and visitors are treated to a spectacular natural event: the arrival of American white pelicans. These majestic birds, easily distinguishable from their coastal cousin the brown pelican, are a remarkable sight as they gracefully navigate the skies above Polk County’s many lakes. UF/IFAS Photo by Eric Zamora These large water birds, protected under the Migratory Bird Act, are here for a winter respite and do not br

This Winter Haven home, nestled on a scenic canal on the Chain of Lakes, was once owned by Andy Thornal. Built in 1938, the house saw several additions throughout the years, including that of a ballroom by Thornal. The home hadn’t been touched in the last decade and needed some tender, loving care. The current homeowners put in that TLC, updating the upper floor and some of the main living areas, refinishing the wood floors, painting the walls and the exterior. For the spaci

July is National Lakes Appreciation Month, and as a UF/IFAS Extension agent, I’m taking this opportunity to shed light on an aspect of our local lakes that’s often overlooked but is incredibly important: the value of aquatic plants. Many of us might view these plants as pesky water weeds, but if we dive deeper, we’ll discover that they play a critical role in maintaining the health of our lakes and the wildlife that inhabits them. Watershed kayak tour led by Polk County Exte

A waterskiing and wakeboarding legend turned towed water sport exponent, Zane Schwenk got his start in a unique after-school program. The Sarasota native said casually, “I was in a circus as a kid, which was weird and fun.” The young adrenaline junkie dove into acrobatics, the flying trapeze, and the teeterboard, and by 12 years old, he had a 12-foot unicycle. Nothing too crazy happened at the circus, Schwenk said, well, except for that one time four lions chased him in South