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Wow Lakeland, it’s hard to believe that August has already come and gone, but if you ask me, I’m ready for spooky season. Who’s with me? ✋
Katelyn here, and I think it’s time to bid adieu to August and say, sup to September. While we encountered so many awesome moments this month, I’m ready to look to what’s next. But first, before we jump straight into September, let’s take a final look back at good ole’ Auggy, shall we? 🤩
Alright, let’s get this party started, here’s looking at you, August. ⬇️
Top conversations:
The 2020 primary election in Polk County, FL
We rounded up all of the information you might need as we approached the 2020 primaries here in Florida. From where to vote to who’s running - we covered it all. We also shared the results of the primaries in a follow-up conversation here. Also, be on the lookout for more info coming your way on the upcoming general election.
10 huge things coming to Polk County this fall
Despite a global pandemic, Polk County is still trekking forward with many developments to the county including the opening of HomeGoods, Spirit Halloween, Plenty + more.
8+ local college classes we wish we would have taken
This conversation was so fun to put together, reading all about our local colleges here in Polk County + all of the super cool classes offered. We also learned a ton from our readers who reached out sharing unique classes they were able to take during their college glory days. From this conversation, we learned that 36.4% of readers went to school elsewhere, while 28% attended Florida Southern College + 15.9% attended Southeastern University.
Top clicked links:
HomeGoods opening date announced (LALtoday)
The enthusiasm for the opening of the long awaited HomeGoods was real as this post alone gained 1,048 likes + hundreds of comments. The store opened a little over a week ago and it’s safe to assume that this store will do very well in the 863. 🎉
Florida Election Watch (Florida Election Watch)
The primaries were a huge topic (539 clicks from our newsletter), so it’s no surprise to see the Election Watch was a popular link for our readers to keep an eye on who was winning, who won, and by how much.
Drive to these local film locations for The One and Only Ivan (LALtoday)
This post received a ton of love (383 clicks from the newsletter alone) from all of our readers across all of our platforms in support of Lakeland’s cameo in Disney’s The One and Only Ivan. What made this so unique is our partnership with local artist @bumpgalletta, who designed this incredible map featuring all of the locations where Lakeland appears in the film.
Top Comments:
On: ‘College classes we wish we would have taken’ “One of my former papers at FSC was a look at Buffy the movie vs Buffy the series in one of Dr. Pharr's film classes... So much fun.” – @thewrensnest
On: ‘LAL’s birthday’ “I still have the LAL rock y'all hid downtown 2 years ago. 50 dollar gift card is long gone, but the painted rock remains in my car ☺️” – @crabbwoman
On: ‘Mini-pony on the loose’
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– Reader Austyn R.
Remind your friends to wake me up when September ends, okay? (Sorry, I had to.)
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○ Four more COVID-19 cases were reported at Polk County Public schools last week, including Chain of Lakes Elementary School and Denison Middle School. Parents at the schools were notified and it is unclear if the positive cases were of ill staff or students. (The Ledger)
○ Lake Wales High will delay on-campus learning due to two positive cases of COVID-19. The school is planning to go online for two weeks. (The Ledger)
○ Florida’s medical examiners have relinquished the act of divulging whether or not certain deaths are due to COVID-19. The vote took place on Aug. 14 and it will now be up to the personal doctors whether or not they will inform the FDOH if COVID-19 was a primary or secondary cause of death. (The Ledger)
○ EDC Orlando was officially canceled on Friday due to COVID-19 concerns. The event is slated to take place next year as the 10th annual Electric Daisy Carnival. It was originally scheduled to occur mid-November. (Click Orlando)
○ Orlando’s major theme parks have not had any COVID-19 outbreaks related to the parks’ opening or attendance. While there have been cases, outbreaks have been a non-issue, according to Dr. Raul Pino. This is believed to be due to guests remaining primarily outdoors + lower admittance into the parks. (Click Orlando)
○ On Sunday, the Florida Department of Health announced 2,583 new cases of COVID-19 and 14 additional deaths in Florida. That brings the total number of cases in FL of COVID-19 to 621,586 + the total deaths to 11,119. You can find more updates on the Florida Department of Health dashboard. See Lakeland numbers here. (FOX 13)
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Hey, there. Looking for today’s #MustDo events? In accordance with the
CDC’s recommendations regarding public gatherings, we have decided to postpone public event coverage for the time being. We look forward to bringing you Lakeland’s #MustDo events soon (until then, feel free to submit your virtual events
here).
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#DYK that your photo could be featured in our newsletter? Just use #LALtoday on social media.
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Weather
○ 86º | Scattered Thunderstorms | 50% chance of rain
Announced
○ Congrats to Annette R., the grand prize winner of our Ultimate Labor Day Weekend Giveaway sponsored by Lakeside Village. They’re going home with a brand new Yeti Cooler, Big Green Egg grill, flat screen TV, Le Creuset cookware set + more. If you missed out on this giveaway, don’t worry – we’ll have new ones launching each month, so stay tuned.
Development
○ Lakeland Regional Health will resume construction for the new Behavioral Health Center. Construction was originally halted in April and is expected to be finished in 2022. The new facility will house 80,000 sq.ft with 86 in-patient services beds.
Biz
○ Sun 'n Fun opened its doors over the weekend as a year-round campground for individuals or groups. The campsite houses electrical hookups, showers + dump stations for RV guests. 🏕️ (The Ledger)
Civic
○ The City of Lakeland needs help in naming the new aquatic plant harvester. The machine was purchased from Inland Lake Harvesters Inc. out of Wisconsin and will be used to remove floating or submerged aquatic plants from lakes. Because this harvester is technically a vessel, it needs a name + residents are invited to submit names until Sept. 4 at 5 p.m. The winner will receive a $100 gift card.
Dish
○ DYK? September is National Figs Month. Whether you eat them raw, poach them, or add them to a charcuterie board, it’s time to celebrate the sweet fruit. Bonus: They’re currently on sale at GreenWise Market. Ⓟ
Cause
○ Hurricane Laura caused vast devastation to parts of Louisiana + Texas last week and the team at Christian Disaster Response of Auburndale has leaped into action to help those victims. The team has been at crisis response for years, providing outreach to those in need. Doing so during a pandemic will be a first. (FOX 13)
Ranked
○ Let’s get weirder. Florida was named number two behind California in the number of reported UFO sightings. Currently, California has 10,015 reported sightings + Florida has 5,602. 👽 (Bay News 9)
Family
○ Rejoice, Lakeland passholders. Fall is coming to Disney. Walt Disney World announced that, while Mickey’s Not So Scary will be canceled this year, fall decor will not. Beginning on Sept. 15, park visitors can expect to see fall decorations + Halloween treats, and for the first time ever, guests of all ages will be allowed to wear costumes into the Magic Kingdom park during normal operating hours through Oct. 31. There will also be Halloween themed cavalcades throughout the day with all of your favorite characters. (Bay News 9)
Gallery
○ Check out some of the most unique AirBnB locations across Florida including a Star Wars-themed house in Davenport. ⭐ (Orlando Sentinel)
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Peace out, August. ✌️
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