Beer, Brats, And Om-Pa-Pa Returned For 2nd Annual Lakeland Swantoberfest by James Coulter For the second consecutive year, Downtown Lakeland was transformed into Bavaria with beer, brats, and lively om-pa-pa music during the annual Suncoast Credit Union SwantoberFest on Saturday. The Oktoberfest event allowed attendees to enjoy a “wunderbar” time…
Lakeland Hispanic Festival Celebrates Polk County's Growing Diversity By James Coulter With more than 4.2 million Hispanic residents, Florida has the nation's third-largest Latino population. In Polk County alone, the Hispanic population has grown by more than 114.5 percent within the past 15 years. With more and more residents speaking…
Lakeland Snowfest Brings Snow Downtown For 38th Year by James Coulter The children of Lakeland don't usually have a chance to celebrate a White Christmas down here in sunny Florida; but last Saturday, they had such a chance to do exactly that in Downtown Lakeland during the 38th Annual Lakeland…
Cancer Survivors Honored At Lakeland Relay For Life by James Coulter Like most other women, Charise Pacheco checks herself through regular breast self-exams. However, even when checking herself routinely, it was not until her annual mammogram that her breast cancer was detected and diagnosed in 2012. "The biggest thing I…
Spring Obsession Springs Back to Munn Park for 20th Anniversary by James Coulter The official first day of spring maybe two weeks away, but spring already sprang in Lakeland with its annual premier garden event, Spring Obsession. After two years of being hosted at Lake Cargo Park, Spring Obsession made its epic…