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Welcome to the WBF Community Calendar. This page is designed to post announcements of events around the Polk County area. The announcements are listed according to the date of the event, current events at the top. Click here, If your club or organization would like to post an announcement on this page. |
 
It's time for A-C-T's 10th Annual Chili Cook Off to benefit the United Way of Central Florida!! Enter your own awesome chili to see if you can earn this year's bragging rights! ALL you can eat chili and fixin's for $10. Every penny collected goes to the United Way of Central Florida. Stop by, eat some great chili, get moving to some tunes by Rich & Al of the Sofa Kings, and say hi! #ACTChili Ready to enter your chili or need more information? Call 863-533-2000 x 603 or email Chili2@A-C-T.com. Sponsorship Opportunities Available! Friday, February 28, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM A-C-T Environmental & Infrastructure 1875 W Main Street Bartow Lakeland Downtown Farmers Curb Market, February 29
The Downtown Farmers Curb Market is a key component of a vibrant, diverse and exciting Downtown. It is designed to serve and bring together all segments of our community. It is a positive force in bringing people Downtown to purchase fresh produce, plants and local handcrafted items. The 11-month Market (closed in August) is a showcase for the talents and the work of local artisans and local growers. The Downtown Farmers Curb Market is a project of the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority (LDDA).
The 11-month market (closed in August) is a showcase for the talents and the work of local artisans and local growers, can be found at 200 North Kentucky Avenue in Lakeland from 8am to 2pm. 
Bartow Community Market, Monday, March 2
FREE Political Forum for Bartow City Commission Race Set, March 5A Greater Bartow Chamber of Commerce political forum is set for Thursday, March 5, 2020, at Carver Recreation Center in the East/West Assembly Room from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend.Sponsored by the Chamber, the forum will afford voters the opportunity to meet and greet the candidates for the Bartow City Commission race for Seat 4, an at-large seat. Elections for the seat will be held April 7, 2020, between candidates Gerald Cochran, Steve Githens, and Trish Pfeiffer (incumbent). According to Bartow City Clerk, Jacki Poole, there will not be an "early voting" precinct for City elections; however, once the ballots are available on March 10, 2020, anyone may go directly to the Supervisor of Elections headquarters and walk in to vote. There is also a "Vote by Mail" option. March 28, 2020, is the deadline to request the VBM ballot (10 days prior to the election). March 9, 2020 is the deadline to register. Refreshments will be served at the forum. Carver Recreation Center is located at 520 South Idlewood Avenue. For more information, contact the Greater Bartow Chamber of Commerce at 863-533-7125. 
49th annual Fine Art Festival brought to you by Bartow Art Guild, Greater Bartow Chamber, and Main Street Bartow. Over 100 artists from all over the country. Student art, kids activities, Bloomin Bike Ride, Bartow Garden Club Flower Show, Car Show (Saturday Only), live entertainment with a free 3 hr concert Sunday at noon. Food trucks, local restaurants...lots to see and do. To apply as an artist, go to this link https://www.zapplication.org/event-info.php?ID=7896 
CommunityFest 2020, presented by Citizens Bank & Trust, will take place on Saturday, March 7th from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Downtown Winter Haven! Get ready for a day full of fun, games, entertainment, balloons, face painting and so much more! Did I mention it's all FREE? We hope to see you there! 
On March 7, 2020, Polk Sheriff’s Charities, Inc. will be holding its 12th Annual “Bustin’ Clays with Sheriff Grady Judd” fundraising event at Tenoroc Sporting Clays in Lakeland. Last year’s event attracted over 360 shooters, and over 500 people were in attendance. We are looking for a few special sponsors to support this important event. Several sponsorship levels are available, with some levels including media recognition. We encourage you to sign up early so that we can properly recognize you in all our materials, including our brochures. Sponsors are also able to set up tables at the event and add items such as company literature to the gift bags given out at the event. Polk Sheriff’s Charities, Inc. will use 100% of all proceeds from this event to further their mission to support activities and charities that benefit the community associated with and identified through the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. By participating in this event, you are positively impacting our community in a real way! 
Welcome to the team registration for Fire It Up! Frostproof! Join us as we celebrate the art of outdoor cooking in Frostproof, Florida! We have a 2 day celebration planned and the Kansas City Barbeque Society sanctioned BBQ contest and the Steak Cookoff Association is a part of it on March 6 & 7, 2020! (Friday evening and all day Saturday) Sign up for the Steak and Kids Que contests are at www.steakcookoffs.com for Friday night. We are offering both Professional and Backyard divisions. $10,000 purse for Professional division and $1500 purse for Backyard division. Overall and all four meat categories we are calling for PRO 10 places, paying 1st - 5th, trophies 1st - 5th, Ribbons/banners 6th - 10th and for Backyard 5 places. 20x40 spaces for professional (talk to organizer if you need more) 20x40 spaces for backyard. Professional division gets priority space but if there is space available, we will give it to our backyard teams as well. 30 amp electrical service, a few 50 amp with $50 fee, water at each site. Trash removal and ice service provided. We will have a few spots that we will provide electricity (up to 50 amp) for free but there is no water service. Thursday, March 5, 2020: 5:30 pm check in begins Friday, March 6, 2020: 3 pm - BBQ Cooks Meeting 4 pm - Steak Cooks Meeting (including Kids Que participants) 5 pm - SCA Judges' meeting 6 pm - 6:15 pm Kids Que Turn in 7:30 pm - 8 pm Steak turn in 9 pm Steak and Kids Que Award Ceremony Saturday, March 7, 2020: 12 pm - Chicken turn in 12: 30 pm - Ribs turn in 12:30 pm - People's Choice pork butt turn in (Main tent in front of stage) 1 pm - People's Choice begins at Main tent 1 pm - Pork turn in 1:30 pm - Brisket turn in 2:30 pm - Cabo Wabo infused, grilled Recipe turn-in 3 pm - CaboRita turn-in 5 pm - People's Choice, Cabo Wabo and BBQ Award CeremonyCabo Wabo Tequila presents two ancillary contests: The Cabo/KCBS CaboRita and Cabo Infused Grilled recipe series. $250 first prize for each category. $40 to participate (both or just one/flat registration fee) MUST BE AT LEAST 21 YEARS OLD TO PARTICIPATE. You must type/write out the recipe of each entry submitted or your submission is not completed. The City of Frostproof is conveniently located in Central Florida within an hour’s drive to LEGOLAND, Walt Disney World, the Sebring Raceway, and many other Florida attractions. As a sportsman you will find many activities to enjoy. Some of the nation’s best fishing lakes are located in the Frostproof area, great golf courses, nature trails, state parks, are just a few of the many outdoor opportunities. 
Mulberry's inaugural BBQ Competition, Pigapalooza! will be Friday, March 13th from 4 PM - 9 PM and Saturday 14th from 9 AM - 5 PM on Kid Ellis Road.
Bartow Rotary Wild Game Dinner Fundraiser, March 14
For those who want to have a good time, perhaps bid on a few nice items and help the community all at the same time, they are invited to attend the Bartow Rotary Wild Game Dinner. on Saturday March 14, at Leland Young’s barn in Alturas, the fun starts at 6. Tickets are on sale and can be bought from any Bartow Rotary member, or purchased at Main Street Bartow, on South Central Avenue. Each $60 ticket includes dinner, open bar and door prizes. The money raised from the Bartow Rotary Wild Game dinner funds projects the club takes on each year; projects such as the scholarships it awards to Bartow High School students; the dictionary project, where elementary school children get a free dictionary; the Just Say No to Drugs parade and rally; and the vision project that provides inexpensive eyeglasses to students, to name just a few things. It is the biggest fundraiser project of the year for the Bartow Rotary. This event will help Bartow Rotary serve our community by partnering with many organizations like the Bartow Church Service Center, Women’s Care Center, Option’s for Women, George Harris Youth Shelter, Heartland for Children (annual adoption picnic). We also provide scholarships for students attending Bartow Senior, International Baccalaureate and Summerlin Academy for secondary education, have literacy programs, and our most notable current global project is PolioPlus for the global eradication of polio. For more information please call or text Ernie Cooper at 863-512-0951. 
Bartow Rotary Club is a service organization whose stated purpose is to bring together business and professional leaders in order to provide humanitarian service and to advance goodwill and peace around our community and around the world. It is a non-political and non-religious organization. There are 35,000 clubs worldwide and our Bartow Club has approximately 70+ active Rotarians, which also include Rotaract members (college students) and Interact members (high school students). Our primary motto is “Service Above Self”.
We're BAAACCKK! We are excited to announce our 2nd annual City-Wide Garage Sale in Mulberry on March 14th, 2020! Here is how it works. We will be creating a "Garage Sale Map" featuring any home in the City of Mulberry (City limits only) that wants to be a part of the day. Once the map is completed we will publish and advertise for all to come to Mulberry and experience the many garage sales! 
The Orpheum is proud to present the Imperial Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Peter and the Wolf, narrated by Mr. Luis Rios. This family friendly event is especially entertaining for children, but all ages will enjoy coming to this special concert. It begins with a “musical petting zoo”, allowing kids to try different instruments and experiment with making their own music. The BHS drum corps will lead the crowd into the concert arena where you can sit in and around the orchestra while they perform. It’s a lively, interactive, enjoyable (and dare we say educational!) experience that will create memories to last a lifetime. We may even discover our future orchestra and band members! Concert is FREE thanks to the support of Florida Natural Grower’s Associative, Patel Greene and Associates, the City of Bartow and YOU. Your support makes this possible. We hope to see you all there!
Chow Down Food Trucks is bringing in the A-Team of Florida's best Food Trucks heading to Central Florida's Lake Wales. Come join us and have dinner & dessert from the best South Florida gourmet food trucks! Every meal is freshly prepared and cooked to order..... Bring your appetite - lawn chair - sit back and relax - enjoy gourmet food!!.......Impact Kids Zone by Impact Church Windows open from 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM on Monday March 16. Lake Wailes Park/Gazebo 499 E Park Avenue Lake Wales 
Polk County Parks & Recreation and G FIVE Feed & Outdoor presents Rally in the Valley!
East Polk County Largest Easter Egg Hunt April 11th - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Location: Lewis Mathews Sports Complex 400 Palm Street Davenport Age divided hunts Don’t forget your baskets and camera for pictures with the Easter Bunny For more information call 863-419-3300 ext.138 or visit our website www.mydavenport.org 
Save the date for April 18, 2020! And, Join us at your 6th Ann 863 Art Fest in Central Park downtown Winter Haven, FL. from 10am-4pm. FREE Community event/ pet-friendly! Lots of free parking, too! More than 100 vendors offering beautiful one of a kind arts, crafts, clothing design, jewelry, soaps, candles, wood works, fair trade, vintage, plants, delicious home baked goods, cottage food, local authors, face painting, food trucks, live music, and lots more! NO COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS. ONE OF A KIND ONLY. Request vendor application TODAY at 863artfest@gmail.com Sponsorships available! Request yours at 863artfest@gmail.com For more information go to www.CentralFloridaEventVendors.com 
Swan Derby is a unique and premier community event, held every year to bring recognition and awareness to Lakeland Volunteers In Medicine and the mission it serves. This is a free community event, featuring swan boat races, local food vendors, youth activities, a derby hat contest, live music, on the main stage and a fantastic fireworks show to cap off the evening. Bring your chairs and join us on the promenade, Friday, April 24. City of Bartow Customers Urged to Sign Up for Emergency Notification System
Bartow citizens are urged to sign up for a new notification service from the city to keep citizens informed in emergencies.
The new phone and email service will provide customers with important information in a timely manner. Customers can sign up through the city’s website www.cityofbartow.net or by calling the city’s customers service department at 863-534-0188. The system will be used for emergency alerts, community alerts and other urgent communication. For example, it is expected to be used to share information on major power outages or significant weather events. The messages will be important information that needs to be communicated quickly and widely for public safety. Frank Canovaca, the city’s director of information technology, said customers need to opt in to the system by providing their contact information. “If your phone number is not in the database, we will not be able to contact you,” he said. All individuals and businesses are urged to log on to www.cityofbartow.net and follow the link to the “SmartNotice Community Notification Enrollment” page. Each customer will want to enter their first and last name, street address (physical address, no P.O. boxes), city, state, zip code, primary phone number and any additional phone numbers. The easy way to sign up is with a text. Just text BartowAlerts as one word to the number 99411. Again, text BartowAlerts as one word to 99411. “SmartNotice allows geographically based message delivery,” Canovaca said, “which means street addresses are required to ensure notification calls are received by the proper individuals in a given situation. The system works for cell phones, but we need to have an associated street address to provide geographic-relevant messages.” SmartNotice gives those who want to be included an easy and secure method for inputting information. The data collected will only be used for notification purposes. Questions about the new emergency notification system should be directed to Bartow Customer Service at 863-534-0188. 
Monitor and protect your personal information by registering for Property Alert. Once you register for the free service, you’ll receive email alerts when documents are filed in our office using your name and/or property information. Find out more at Polk County Property Alert. Meals on Wheels Volunteers
Meals on Wheels needs drivers to deliver hot meals to seniors throughout Polk County. Kitchen volunteers are also needed to help package the meals. The Meals on Wheels program delivers hot meals to approximately 315 homebound residents. Service areas include Winter Haven, Lakeland, Auburndale, Haines City and Davenport. Volunteers may choose to work from one to five days a week. For information call 863-299-1616 or visit www.mealsonwheelspolk.com or facebook.com/mealsonwheelspolk. 
VISTE's Volunteers
Volunteers in Service to the Elderly is a community-based non-profit organization that was started Lakeland since 1983. VISTE’s primary goal is to help frail senior citizens continue living independently and safely in their own home. VISTE is a United Way agency. VISTE, which is a United Way agency, works with schools, churches, civic groups, local corporations and individuals. To volunteer, attend one of VISTE’s monthly orientations. A volunteer application can be found at http://viste.org/become-a-viste-volunteer. For more information, call 863-284-0828 or email info@viste.org. 
L.E.A.P - Emergency Notification Program for Residents Age 55 and up How Does the Program Work? First, complete a registration form. Forms are available online at http://www.lakelandgov.net/lpd/special-svcs/community-services-section/leap-lakeland-elderly-assistance-program or you can call the number below and request a form be mailed to you. Registration will include requests for emergency contact information. A member from the Lakeland Police Department will enter the information into the LEAP database, making the information accessible only to first responders. Once the resident is registered they will receive a small sticker to be placed in a visible location on the front window or door with a unique identification number. The sticker will immediately notify first responders to check the LEAP database for additional information should an emergency situation occur. If you have additional questions regarding the LEAP program, call 863.834.6912. 
SPCA of Lakeland
Each month SPCA Florida provides over 200 pets in the community with supplemental pet food and supplies through its Ani-meals program. Due to increasing community need, SPCA Florida is asking the community for donations of cat food and litter. Donations can be dropped off at 5850 Brannen Road South in Lakeland, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. or Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit spcaflorida.org or call (863) 646-SPCA for more information.
The SPCA, Inc. in Lakeland is in desperate need of cat litter. Any type of cat litter is welcome. Donations can be dropped off from 11am to 5pm, Monday through Saturday. For more information, call the SPCA at 863-646-7722. New Hazardous Waste Collection Program Available for Small Businesses
Polk County businesses that produce less than 220 pounds of hazardous waste per month can properly dispose/recycle it the third Wednesday of each month by appointment-only at the North Central Landfill’s Household Hazardous Waste Facility. The first collection day will take place February 16.
Quotes will be based on the quantity and types of waste materials to be disposed/recycled. Participants must complete a registration form and inventory sheet and may need an onsite inspection prior to participating. Waste materials being collected include: paint, solvents, waste ink, fluorescent lamps, used oil, antifreeze and other hazardous waste. For more information, paperwork and appointment schduling, visit www.polk-county.net or Contact Andrea at (863) 284-4319 ext.203, andreastermer@polk-county.net. The North Central Landfill is located at 5 Environmental Loop South in Winter Haven. Viewing of Adoptable Pets
The Polk County Sheriff's Office, in an effort to help adopt out as many eligible animals as possible, has added a new
feature to their website www.polksheriff.org. The link, located
at the bottom of the home page, is titled "Animal Services Section".The "Pet Harbor" is a brand-new feature offering viewers a searchable database of adoptable pets, in and out of Polk County. Customers can select whether they are looking for a dog or a cat, an age range, a gender and even a size. Photos of the animals are available at the click of a button, and are updated on a routine and timely basis. The section also has a wealth of information such as laws, rabies, spaying/neutering and is very user-friendly. American Red Cross
The Polk County Chapter of the American Red Cross is offering Community Disaster Education presentations to the community, free of charge. The Community Disaster Education program teaches people how to prepare themselves, their families and their property for disasters, such as hurricanes or tornadoes.
For more information about the program, or to schedule a presentation, call the Polk County Chapter at 863-294-5941. Girl Scouts
Adult volunteers can have just as much fun as the Girl Scouts they serve. Adults can volunteer as troop leaders and advisors so that they work with the same girls all year. Volunteer opportunitites also exist
for guest speakers, teachers for specific skills and projects, advisory committee members, and a wide range of other volunteer services to girls and Girl Scouting.
To find out more about becoming a Girl Scout volunteer, contact the Lakeland office at 863.688.7648. Household Hazardous Waste Collection
The Polk County Board of County Commissioners' Hazardous Waste Section collects household hazardous waste Monday through Friday 7:45a to 3:45p, and Saturday 8a to 5p at the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility. The facility is located on SR 540 at the North Central Landfill, four miles east of highway 98.
At the facility, the county accepts household paints. aerosol cans, motor oil, gasoline, antifreeze, kerosene, diesel fuel, pool chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, cleaners, polishes, paint strippers, paint thinner, fluorescent tubes, mercury containing devices, household and auto batteries. All household items are accepted during these times except biohazardous materials, i.e. hypodermic needles or lancets. No explosives or radioactive wastes will be accepted at this location. No waster generated by businesses will be accepted for disposal. For more information call the Polk County Household Hazardous Waste Section at 863-499-2771 or 863-499-2689. 
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