Kevin Cook, Lakeland s spokesperson, said the city will not require attendees to adhere to any health safety guidelines such as wearing a face mask or social distancing following Gov. Ron DeSantis May 3 order suspending all local COVID restrictions. But, things could change based on COVID numbers as we get closer to the event, Cook wrote in an email to The Ledger.
Out of precaution, the city has cancelled this year s watermelon eating contest due to the virus.
The celebration will kick off with a live concert featuring the Tampa-based 60 West Band, a professional top 40 cover group. The group was voted Best of the Bay for best vocalists and best local release. Their music ranges from The Beatles to the latest hits of Bruno Mars.
Lakeland foodies, rejoice. After more than a year of waiting, the Lakeland Food Truck Rally is finally driving back to town next Thursday, May 13.
The popular monthly rally gathered last in February of 2020 before the March rally was canceled altogether because of COVID-19. And in the early months of the pandemic hopes of the rally continuing were dashed as local governments cracked down on any events that drew large crowds in an effort to reduce the spread of the virus.
Last November, the rally was set for its grand return. But the fun was rained out by Tropical Storm Eta, which didn t hit Polk County particularly hard but still brought out the kind of wet weather even Florida natives would rather avoid.
Swan said she could not disclose the physical address of the location yet but said the Culver s will be a brand new construction project with a double drive-thru and two patios - one covered and one not. She said the restaurant will likely seat about 100 people.
Swan said the building, tentatively set for groundbreaking in June, will be a brand new construction. She added that the restaurant is set to open before the end of the year, hopefully around November. We wanted to be in Lakeland since I started with Culver s, since I went through the training to be a franchisee, and that was six years ago, Swan said. We finally found this location and we just feel like it s just going to be a wonderful addition to that area.