A recent series of scandals that rocked Hillsong, a global network of popular megachurches, has led a fast-growing Lakeland congregation to drop its affiliation with the organization.
Author Archives: Cary McMullen
Posted inA & E, News
Re-christened Lakeland Symphony Looks to New Season, With Changes
In the wake of the chaos left by the Covid crisis, some nonprofit organizations emerged with new goals, names and plans. Polk County’s only professional orchestra is no exception. After being known for more than 30 years as the Imperial Symphony Orchestra, it will enter the 2021-2022 season as the Lakeland Symphony Orchestra, the name […]
Posted inA & E, People
Couple Shares Their Journeys with ‘Spirits’ Gallery at Polk Museum
Dr. Alan “Rico” Rich points to his favorite object in the collection of African and Oceanic art that he and his wife, Linda, acquired over the years. It is an imposing 4-foot tall wooden figure, carved from a single piece of wood, painted and embellished with woven grass and shells, given to him by the […]
Posted inA & E
Lineup Announced for Swan City Piano Festival
The organizers of this weekend’s Swan City Piano Festival have announced the three-day event’s schedule, and piano enthusiasts can expect to hear everything from the classical repertoire to Gershwin to new works likely not heard before in Lakeland.
Posted inA & E, People
Robert Fleitz Wins International Award, Plans Piano Festival for Lakeland
Robert Fleitz’s talent as a pianist has taken him from Lakeland to the rarified cultural air of New York City, where he studied at the famed Julliard School and is forging a career as a performing artist and composer. That career has now taken an important leap forward, with the recent announcement that he is […]
Posted inA & E, City Hall
City Promotes Arts With Grants, New Marketing Push
In spite of the economic and health threats posed by the coronavirus pandemic, arts organizations in Lakeland will continue to receive funding from the city in the coming year. And a new city-funded website and marketing campaign could raise their visibility and viability in the weeks and months ahead.
Posted inA & E, People
Indie Atlantic Documentary to be Distributed Nationwide
A locally produced documentary has attracted attention from a California distribution company, and the film is now set for release in several major markets next week.
Posted inA & E
Arts Groups Get Creative to Resume Programming Safely
After shutting down for months and facing financial uncertainty, arts organizations in Lakeland are finding creative ways to continue their missions under conditions intended to keep patrons and performers safe.
Posted inA & E
Polk Museum Reopening to Public on Sept. 8
After months of hanging in isolated silence, the paintings, drawings and sculptures of the Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College are about to have admirers again. The museum announced this week that it would reopen on Sept. 8, more than five months after closing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Posted inBusiness, People
Lakeland Venture Capital Firm Makes Its First Investment
A fledgling Lakeland venture capital company funded by the Barnett family has made a splash with its first investment, in a Tampa-area tech firm. The young leaders of the company, Lakeland Venture Investments, say that although their investment was directed outside Polk County, they envision closer ties between Gulf Coast and Central Florida enterprises.