The 863 Magazine - July & August 2016

table of CONTENTS July/August 2016

www.The863Magazine.com

4 Editor + Publisher Letter

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Apropos of Nothing

Burritos and Gasoline

He’s just really tired — tired of dealing with the age old problem of not enough sleep.

An excerpt from Burritos and Gasoline, a novel written by one of our own 863 writers.

By Jamie Beckett

By Jamie Beckett

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Winning the Citrus Label Lotto of Dads Signs Tour

Cover: K-9 Officers

Father’s Day might be over but that doesn’t mean that a father or fatherfigure can’t still be appreciated.

Polk County’s citrus label tour highlights the area’s sweet heritage and is a reminder of Florida’s citrus heydays.

K-9 officers take a bite out of crime in Polk County.

It’s a ‘ruff’ job, but somedog’s gotta do it.

By Jai Maa

By Brenda Eggert Brader

By Meredith Jean Morris

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863 Photo Contest

Non-Profit Spotlight

Explore the 863

Going on vacation this summer? Take The 863 Magazine with you and send us your selfie!

We Care of Central Florida

What’s going on in the 863 in July and August.

www.The863Magazine.com

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t’s difficult to find a person who doesn’t love cats, dogs — or both. More than companions, our pets are like best friends, if not family. Personally, I credit our black lab named Ruby with helping my sons through difficult pre-teen and teenage years. She was always there, not judging, just being her loving self. Imagine getting to take your pet to work everyday, in fact, imagine it being required to take your pet to work. How fun would that be?

Our main story this issue is about K-9 officers and their human partners who keep Polk County safe. They live, work, and play together. They’re a package deal — wherever one is, the other is nearby. Also, some of these K-9s take their commands in foreign languages — so cool. That story begins page 12.

With a strong command of the English language, our funny guy Jamie Beckett uses his words to make a living. We are lucky enough this issue to have an excerpt from his novel,

“Burritos and Gasoline.”

The story in its entirety isn’t what you’d expect and takes an unforeseen turn… but I won’t spoil it for you. So, without further ado, read the excerpt beginning page 8.

There’s much ado happening to highlight the heydays of Florida’s citrus industry with a signage tour of classic citrus labels. While there are only a handful installed and up for viewing pleasure, more are coming and the history of the yesteryear of local citrus is getting juicy — page 10.

Now is the time to submit your vacation photos holding The 863. We are letting you vote on your favorites and have some big prizes for those with the most votes. Find the details on page 15.

Our Non-profit Spotlight this issue is We Care of Central Florida.

Stay made in the shade 863’ers — or totally inside in the air conditioning...

Publisher | SERGIO CRUZ Editor | ANDREA CRUZ

Contributors JAMIE BECKETT ANDREA CRUZ SERGIO CRUZ BRENDA EGGERT BRADER JAI MAA MEREDITH JEAN MORRIS

863

Cover Designer | DEBORAH COKER Ad Sales Rep | SERGIO CRUZ Sergio@The863Magazine.com 863-258-3561

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Editor + Publisher LETTER

July / August 2016

Sergio Cruz, publisher Andrea Cruz, editor Sergio@The863Magazine.com Andrea@The863Magazine.com

Cover Photo Winter Haven Police Officer Jennifer Elliott holds onto 8-year-old German shepherd Ares, her K-9 partner of five years. Story page 12. Photo credit: Jenny Mechtel / JennyMPhotographs.com.

The 863 Magazine is independently owned and produced in Winter Haven, Florida. For more info visit us online: www.The863Magazine.com.

APROPOS of Nothing An Editorial by Jamie Beckett

L

et me get right to the point.

I’m tired. That comes as no big shock to you, I’m sure, because if you’re even a few days past the age of enlightenment, you’re probably a few Z’s short of being fully rested, too.

Modern problems may be modern, but they’re still problems. And damn it, I need a nap. There’s got to be a solution out there somewhere.

Many years ago I read a news story that claimed older people need less sleep than younger people. Being young at the time, I believed it. What a dunce I was. Lies! All lies. There is no truth to the pseudo-science of how-do-you-sleep studies. I’m sure of it. Now that I’ve got a few more miles on the original machinery, I’ve come to realize it’s not that older folks need less sleep, it’s just that they can’t stay asleep. Aching hips, backs, knees, and necks are just a few of the reasons why we roll out of bed at the crack of dawn, or earlier. On a related note, there’s that whole getting up in the middle of the night to go pee thing.

There are reasons we can’t sleep. That’s all I’m saying.

Besides the physical limitations of

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July / August 2016

sleep, somewhere along the line reality came along and slapped enough sense into us that we can’t help but wake up, startled and a little afraid we screwed up. Maybe we forgot to take the garbage can out to the street before turning in for the night, or perhaps the looming due date on our quarterly tax bill is at hand, or perhaps we neglected to pick up one of the kids from some school field trip that ran late… or maybe that’s next week. Who can remember all these little details? The point is, we’ve got stuff on our minds, and that stuff wakes us up.

This being a grown-up thing… it’s exhausting.

The answer to this conundrum of continually interrupted catnaps is well documented and heavily advertised, of course. Buy a new mattress. Buy a better mattress. Buy a more expensive mattress.

Why, if a good night’s sleep is your goal, all you need to do is go out and buy the latest and greatest miracle mattress that will bring your aching bones such indescribable bliss, you’ll float away on a cloud of etherial dreams each time you even brush up against the feather soft fringes of its majesty. Or maybe not.

I don’t mean to be a gloomy Gus about this, but I think it’s just possible we’ve taken the whole bed thing a bit too far.

Modern science, online shopping, and expanded credit card limits make it possible for us to find and purchase the latest and greatest mattresses ever imagined without leaving the semicomfort of our currently lumpy and thoroughly inadequate bed. But they don’t call them mattresses anymore.

Now they’re sleep systems. And they aren’t made from straw, or wool, a couple of springs and a bunch of left over rags anymore, either.

The best sleep systems available today are

made from the most perfectly crafted micro-this, and nanothat, space-age polymers, modern science can concoct in a cut-rate Chinese factory.

Apparently, the very best available today are using some of the same materials the astronauts use in space.

Pardon me for noticing, but aren’t astronauts in space living in a zero-gravity environment? I mean, seriously, what’s the likelihood a bed that feels all comfy and soft in Zero-G is going to be adequate for me, my spouse, a couple dogs, the occasional late-night visit from a freaked out grandchild, and maybe a pile of laundry that hasn’t made it all the way out to the washing machine just yet?

I can’t help but think that for thousands of years humans somehow found a way to put together a bag of random household scraps that were soft enough and pliable enough to sleep on. That was before the age of Don Draper, of course. Before someone actually took the time to theorize that changing the name of the product somehow improved the product itself.

Me? I’m just a tired old man who needs to grab a few winks and can’t be bothered to study the science of the modern methods of sleep enough to care about it all that much.

Instead, I think I’m going to haul that pile of clothes and towels and sheets and blankets out to the laundry room, throw it all in a pile on the floor, and curl up on top of it for a while.

It may not be a modern solution to my age old problem, but I’ll bet it will work just fine. And I might just get some private quiet time for once. After all, who in their right mind is going to come looking for me in the laundry room in the middle of the day?

Pssst. See page 8 for an excerpt of “Burritos and Gasoline” by Jamie Beckett.

Jamie Beckett appears to be an average, everyday guy who just happens to hail from Arizona, Connecticut, New York City, and Central Florida.

He wears many hats — pilot, mechanic, writer, politician, musician, stay-at-home dad — often an odd combination of all those things. Frankly, we don’t care. At The 863 Magazine we just keep him around because we think he’s funny. That’s that. www.JamieBeckett.com

Burritos and GASOLINE: An Excerpt An Editorial by Jamie Beckett

A

n author in our midst...

Somewhere within the pages of every issue of 863 Magazine (specifically page 6) we include a humorous essay from the undeniably peculiar mind of our own funny guy, Jamie Beckett.

With a wandering imagination and far too much free time on his hands, Jamie has also produced longer works, including his debut novel, Burritos and Gasoline.

The bulk of the story takes place in the front seat of a dilapidated Ford Taurus, which the main characters enlist for a long, strange road trip. Starting in central Connecticut and continuing on a direct trajectory to north Florida, readers encounter a bizarre array of characters and events that keep the story moving even as they pose an interesting question for the main character, Frank. Just how far down is rock bottom, anyway?

We hope you enjoy this glimpse into the pages of Burritos and Gasoline: Manchester, like so many towns that came into their own during the golden days of the industrial revolution, can be viewed in one of two ways. How you choose to see it depends very much on your point of view. It could easily be taken as a lovely little working class town, full of charmingly narrow streets, majestic leafy trees, a multitude of tidy parks and several thousand residents who represent the salt of the earth.

The place exudes a certain southern New England charm that cheerfully embraces and celebrates the town’s hard working, mechanized roots.

Then again, it could be viewed as a prime example of urban decay, where the potholed and cracked asphalt arteries are thickly lined by weather beaten, multifamily homes inhabited almost entirely by families who are either too poor or too dumb to move somewhere more prosperous.

Somewhere like East Hartford, perhaps.

In general, I subscribed to the latter opinion. A fact that I’m not the least bit proud of.

As fate would have it, I lived in East Hartford, which borders Manchester to the west. I suppose you could say that my hometown was distinguished from Manchester primarily by being a more economically hopeful place overall. It wouldn’t necessarily be true, but you could say it. Others certainly have.

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I believed that degrading theory with all my heart in those days. Although if I’m being honest, I didn’t have much heart to work with at that point.

Even further west, only one short river crossing away from my own apartment, was Hartford, the capital of the state. In Hartford there was opportunity. White collar jobs in government office buildings or the crisp, clean, modern glass and steel high rises of the insurance industry paid much better than most of what was available on the east side of the river. A certain measure of status was attached to having a job, or even better, a career, in the city. To be employed in Hartford was to be upwardly mobile. Those who were lucky enough to steer their cars west with the morning commute were seen as being headed in the right direction in life. Those lucky bastards had hope. A big, rosy, flashing neon sign that read, “Prosperity!” was clearly visible on their horizon.

My drive to work took me the other way, to Manchester, which forced me to

squint into the rising sun as I made my way.

I lived in East Hartford, hardly more than walking distance from downtown Hartford and a substantially better life. As a matter of fact, I’d lived in East Hartford for the entire 42 years of my existence to that point.

But I drove the wrong way to work. Each morning I steered toward that blue collar kingdom with a chip on my shoulder and a scowl on my face.

It was that fact more than any other that caused the color to slowly bleed out of my life. The act of driving eastward, away from the opportunities of the city, eventually caused me to become a shell of the man I was convinced I should have been. I’d achieved so little, my life was barely a thin shadow of what my boyhood dreams had suggested for my future.

To be blunt, I was one hundred percent dissatisfied, disgusted and disinterested in any aspect of even my own life, let alone anyone else’s.

Then the hands of the clock ticked over Continued on page 11

Break THROUGH Your Threshold “Winning the Lotto of Dads” by Jai Maa

T

he sound of the garage door opening at 5:25 p.m. was my favorite time of day growing up. It meant my dad was home from work and I would run to greet him with a hug. I won the

lotto of dads.

My dad is a simple, quiet, and brilliant man who has a heart of gold. His eyes are tender with love, and he laughs at such unusual things that it makes you laugh with him. Every Saturday, he religiously took us kids out on an adventure. We would wake him up after we were done with our morning cartoons, and he would quietly get out of bed without waking mom to take us out for a pancake breakfast. Afterward, we could choose whether we wanted to feed the ducks, play at the park, or go buy a toy.

Every blue moon, and if we asked sweetly, he would take us to two places. He never missed a Saturday.

When I became too cool for ducks

and parks, I would talk with him for hours about everything from the pain of being rejected by my peers to the complexities of Aristotle’s metaphysics. It didn’t matter what we talked about, I just felt at peace in his presence. I loved sneaking up on him while he was in deep thought. Sometimes, I would think about his reaction and start giggling before I could say “Boo!”. He would turn around and we would both laugh.

My dad also loved watching me competitively dive at my swim meets. He said I would “pierce the water like a needle” and he would yell at the judges if they didn’t give me the proper “10” score as I deserved.

My daddy had my back like no other.

When I became too cool for pranks and swim meets, my dad unconditionally loved and accepted me for my teenage reckless behaviors. I approached my dad with an uncommon conversation: “Dad, I’m sexually active. I don’t want to get pregnant, and I’m sure you don’t want to be called “grandpa” earlier than expected. I would like to get on birth control.”

After pausing for a moment he gently responded, “Okay, that’s a good idea.

How do we go about this?” And that was that.

He didn’t try to control me with shaming behavior, he just faced reality head-on with unconditional love. What kind of father would respond this way? One who has earned the inexplicable trust of his daughter.

As my challenges in early adulthood increased, so did my dad’s love and support of me.

I looked like a

train wreck from partying the night before when I met my dad for lunch one day.

His eyes filled with amazing compassion, he said, “Any man who ever insults your beauty or your intellect doesn’t deserve the mere breath of you.” His kind words felt like being tossed a rope in my self-sabotaging quicksand, and it changed my life.

When I became too cool for reckless behavior, my dad would come to my art events where I raised thousands of dollars for charities. He would walk into a room filled with hundreds of people and proudly tell the receptionist that he was my father.

When he came to my book signing party of my first published book, he pranced into the room like a peacock with his head held high, letting everyone know that I was his daughter. He laughed and made jokes all evening, shining with pride from my success.

My dad deserves to feel proud. Not because he raised an awkward little girl with a reckless adolescent twist to become a community leader, but because he truly is the World’s Greatest Dad. Enlightenment Challenge: Let your father know how much he means to you. Whether he is your biological dad, a stepfather, grandfather, or another wonderful man who showed up in your life as a fatherly figure. Write him a letter of appreciation. Even if he has crossed over, write a letter thanking him for the positive impact he has made in your life.

Magically, Jai Maa Jai Maa is a touring author and enlightenment facilitator who inspires others to create their visions with no compromise.

An interfaith minister and native of Polk County, she travels with her cat companions teaching others how to co-create with God and live their own version of Heaven on Earth. Jai Maa is a regular instructor at THE SELF Center in Winter Haven. For more info visit BreakThroughYourThreshold.com.

www.The863Magazine.com

9

Citrus Label TOUR: Polk’s Sweet Heritage

By Brenda Eggert Brader | Photos by Sergio Cruz

C

rate labels, those colorful works of art, are once again advertising the Polk County citrus industry. Now a part of the Polk County Heritage Trail, anyone can take a car tour to view the crate labels while easily learning about the local citrus industry’s historic marketing.

A partnership among the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame, Visit Central Florida and the Polk County History Center’s History and Heritage Trail has inspired the creation of the Citrus Label Tour of Polk County. The history and heritage trail has been around about four years and now expands with the citrus label tour, started about 18 months ago.

The brainchild of the idea came from Harriet Rust of Davenport, who admired the “barn quilt trail in Ohio where painted

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quilt squares were placed on barns,” Rust says. “I kept thinking, what if we did our citrus labels like that, we could put them in permanent places by or near packing houses and have a tour like what we started in the Polk County Heritage Trail.”

The labels may be purchased by citrus companies or even individuals through an application process requesting the use of specific labels. The process includes going through a selection committee to earn consent. Florida Southern College has the rights to many of the labels and they choose what labels to use, Rust says.

“Most labels are copyrighted and some that the families have not released at all,” Rust adds.

Davenport selected the Holly Hill large colorful label. Labels will be placed in historic places or as close to the original packing house as possible. The Holly Hill label is located across the street from the original offices, Rust says.

“We have no idea how fast it will happen,” Rust says of the development of the label tour. “We are the original county (creating a label tour) and hope that others will pick up on this. If in the citrus business, you get it; we need to help (non-citrus) people to understand the history of labels. The labels are tied to community history, art and a lesson. We would love to have all the labels onsite, but that is not doable. Some of the processing sites don’t even exist anymore,” she says.

“As many label signs will be done as people apply for the labels to be made into signs,” Rust says. “The general desire is to have other counties come onboard and add their labels to their own tours. Orange County is looking into starting a program.”

The sponsors plan all outdoor signs with hardcopy tour guides, the first of which will sign, be paid for The PolkODot at the old Polk by the Polk County Courthouse in Bartow, was one County of the first signs Sports installed on the Marketing, Citrus Label Tour.

Rust says.

All labels are to be selected for their historical significance to each site on the Polk County Heritage Trail, according to the application form. No duplications will be allowed and are selected on a first-come basis. History of the label, building, family, and site must accompany each label request.

The label square must be prominent and properly maintained in order to remain on the tour.

Digitech of Lakeland is the creator of the label signs. They make the mounts desired and install them.

“The purpose and intention of the citrus label tour was to have it as an outdoor historical experience, but close to the intended location of the label. Intended as a driving tour, you can stop and view or just drive by and see them on the building or the site,” says Myrtice Young, historic preservation manager working for Polk County.

There will be no limit to signs, Young adds.

“Our desire and my hope and desire is Continued on page 16

Burritos and GASOLINE, cont. from pg. 8

to 5:05 PM. Everything in my world was about to take a big, dramatic turn in the wrong direction.

“Frank, we’ve got a problem.” Ted was matter-of-fact. He didn’t hem or haw or beat around the bush in the least. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to let you go.” The words rolled smoothly, effortlessly off his tongue.

There was no emotion of any kind in his voice.

I returned his gaze with the blank expression of a man who’s only recently received a sudden, debilitating head injury.

“Huh?” “It’s your attitude, Frank.” Ted wasn’t apologizing and he wasn’t about to backtrack or try to rephrase the salient point of my visit to his office. He merely proceeded to form the news into neat little bite-sized portions that he no doubt assumed I would find more easily digestible.

When it came to personnel matters, Ted Winters was the consummate professional. He didn’t show his feelings one way or the other. For all I knew, he was mentally working out the potential benefits of changing auto insurance providers while we were having our little chat. The man was that emotionally detached from his work.

He was a wonder. And I mean that in a good way.

Ted continued, “Your productivity scores have been sliding for months ... you’ve received three consecutive unsatisfactory reviews from your supervisor and from what I’ve been able to gather, you

haven’t made any effort to correct these inadequacies at all.”

Throughout the entire exchange, brief as it was, Ted was polite, dispassionate and unshakable as he delivered the bad news. I, on the other hand, was having great difficulty getting myself mentally up to speed. I watched his mouth move for several more seconds, although not a word was sinking into my addled brain. By the time the gist of his message finally began to register, I realized that Ted was holding an envelope in his right hand, offering it to me. Slowly, unsteadily I took it. The envelope contained my paycheck. The one I’d expected to receive without comment from Mildred moments earlier. Now here it was, weighing on my mind far more than it did my hand.

As it turns out, the thin slip of paper inside that envelope represented the last paycheck I’d ever receive from an employer.

No more would I take money in exchange for hours of mind-numbingly dull work each week. Not that I didn’t want to. But in a tight job market, a man in my position was left with limited options.

I’d given so little thought to each of those previous 400 odd paychecks. The first one got me excited, I imagine, although I have no clear recollection of picking it up or feeling anything one way or another about it. The last one certainly caught my attention, though. My head was swimming.

The rest of me was locked in place, not moving an inch. I was dumbfounded.

“Good luck, Frank.”

Ted stood deliberately and reached out to shake my hand. I rose unsteadily and shook the offered appendage, as much out of reflex as anything else. Then I turned to the open door and slunk out. Mixing among the throngs that were lined up to receive pay envelopes of their own from Mildred, I felt oddly out of place. For her part, Mildred sat as quietly as ever, diligently working her way through the pile of envelopes on her desk and the associated line of workers that stretched out through her doorway and into the hall beyond.

Shouldering my way through the crowd, I began making my way toward the main exit as best I could. The walls seemed to heave and swell as if they were attempting to expel me from the building. The floor beneath my feet felt as if it had softened to the consistency of marshmallows. Time lost all relevance, except for the fact that I wanted to get out of that hallway, out of the building and out of the company parking lot, as fast as I possibly could. Unfortunately, try as I might, I felt as if I was unable to move any faster than a hobbled octogenarian using a slightly irregular walker.

Thank you for reading this excerpt from Burritos and Gasoline, which is available in full length in paperback and ebook formats, sold exclusively through Amazon.com.

Please visit JamieBeckett.com or The863Magazine.com for the specific links.

www.The863Magazine.com

11

Polk’s K-9 Officers Take a Bite Out of Crime

By Meredith Jean Morris | Photos by Jenny Mechtel

L

ike most hard workers, when Ares gets home from a long day on the job he likes to veg out.

“Right now, he’s lying in the hallway being lazy,” says Officer Jennifer Elliott, Ares’s partner at the Winter Haven Police Department.

Ares, an 8-year-old German shepherd dog, has been a K-9 officer for most of his life.

“I’ve worked with him over the last five years,” says Elliott, who has been a police officer for 11 years. “He had

Winter Haven police officer Jennifer Elliott has worked and lived with her K-9 partner, Ares, an 8-year-old German shepherd, for the past five years.

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another handler before me.”

Elliott, who grew up with horses, says she loves working with animals, and working with a K-9 was a goal from the start of her police career.

“It’s more fun,” she says. “You get to go to more high priority calls and take an active part in the investigation.”

For example, at a call like a business burglary, Elliott would get Ares out and start trying to track the suspects.

“In my opinion, tracking is his strong suit,” Elliott says.

However, when Ares is not at work, Elliott says he knows it’s time to be a regular dog.

“It’s like he has a light switch,” she says. “He knows when he’s at work, and he’s excited to be at work, but the rest of the time, he’s just lazy. He’s good around my family.”

Elliott says she thinks one reason for Ares’s “light switch”

personality is the stress he feels on the job.

“I know Ares gets more stressed in the car with the lights and sirens,” she says.

“When he gets home, he’s just so tired. My other dog, a personal dog, is just happy all the time.”

Her other dog, a mutt named Tucker, is like a brother to Ares.

“They love each other,” Elliott says.

“We also have cats, and Ares hates cats outside, but cuddles with the ones inside.”

The hatred of cats can prove challenging to Ares when he’s on the job, Elliott says.

“He’ll try to chase them, but he’s on a leash, so I’ll tell him to get back to work and try to get him to refocus,” she says.

Elliott says she most enjoys working with Ares and teaching him new things, but perhaps is most surprised when he learns new behaviors on his own.

“He learned to open car doors by himself,” she says.

The life of a K-9 officer is similar to that of a family pet, except that the city pays for the dog’s healthcare until they retire, Elliott says.

The dog and his handler also go through constant training. In addition to the everyday training, there is countywide training with the Polk County Sheriff ’s Office several times a month.

All of this is after 400 hours of training in school with the K-9 before beginning active duty with the police department.

At 8 years old, Ares is at retirement age, Elliott says, but she hopes he has some time left on the job.

“Personally, I love working with him,” she says.

“I won’t get a new dog when he retires, and he should be able to stay with me as my dog at that time.”

Officer Greg Oftedal is another K-9 handler with the Winter Haven Police Department, who has been working with K-9 officers for the past six years. When he first started working K-9, Oftedal worked with

a now-retired dog named Ninja. Oftedal’s new partner, Onyx, is a 2-year-old all-black German shepherd dog from Germany, who understands commands in German.

“Even though he understands German, he really knows my emotions, he knows my movements, and he responds to that first,” he says.

Oftedal says the transition from working with Ninja to working with Onyx was an adjustment.

“One dog will be better in one thing, one better in others,” he says. “Ninja knew all of his commands, and Onyx just wanted to bite. His defense was really good. Now, he tracks really well, his obedience is really good when we’re working. When we’re not, he’ll bark at anything that moves. It’s like when we drive up to the house, he stands up and gets ready to be home for the day. He’s knows he’s off work, and he’s ready to eat.”

Oftedal says working with Onyx is rewarding, even on frustrating days.

“Even when everything is going wrong,

Right: Officer I get to spend my day Jennifer Elliott of with my dog,” he says. the Winter Haven “Then, when we find the Police Department bad guy or find dope in does bite work with 2-year-old Onyx, a car, everything is all the K-9 partner of Officer Greg better.”

Oftedal, also of Onyx’s reward on the Winter Haven the job is an Orbee, a unit. Below: Officer Oftedal holds rubber ball dog toy. onto Onyx, his K-9 “It’s flexible, partner who understands commands chewable, he’ll do in German. anything for that toy, he’ll jump at my pocket when he knows it’s in there,” Oftedal says.

“He has a drive, an intensity. I can throw the toy in the yard, and he’s not going to quit.”

Onyx isn’t the only Polk County K-9 who understands another language.

Auburndale Police Department K-9, Kondor, a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois, is from The Netherlands, and takes commands in Dutch.

Continued on page 17

Got art?

Let us know!

Send your poetry or images or other art to Andrea@The863Magazine.com.

863 Readers ART: Sybella Norman

U

p-and-coming artist Sybella “Bell” Norman, a student at Harrison School of the Arts in Lakeland, started drawing a lot at a pretty young age. She says around age 6 she started consciously trying to improve her skills.

She’s been drawing ever since.

“I started getting a lot of comments from teachers and friends telling me I had potential, and I think that is what helped me stay with it for so long,” she says. Having take a few classes here and there, Norman is largely self-taught.

“I would probably say that my art can, for the most part, be considered bright and colorful, especially recently,” Norman continues. “I tend to lean towards fantasy and/or whimsical subjects.”

Surprise is a typical reaction to her artwork, Norman says.

“People often comment on the detailed nature of my work, and my age in relation to my ability,” she says.

When it comes to larger pieces, Norman says she usually starts with an idea and sketches out a few different views of it, and works from there.

[

“My mediums vary quite a bit,” she says, “though I have been practicing with more saturated mediums such as acrylic paint and chalk.”

Norman’s inspiration comes from nature and the unknown more than anything else.

“I often listen to music to help bring ideas to mind as well,” she says, “and I always prefer to create from the mind rather than from visuals.”

Never having been fond of portraits or still life observations, Norman believes that creating original concepts shows more of her personality.

“I create due to the satisfaction I feel at the end when a piece comes out just right, and because many people appreciate my art, the feeling is even more fulfilling,” Norman says.

She hopes that her art will continue to grow and change as she also grows into adulthood.

“I am hoping to attend a college that may feed my artistic mind and help forward me into a job where I can continue to do what I love,” she says. “I have thought about possibly going into game design.”

Norman’s art has been featured at a number of school shows and at the Polk Museum of Art, as well as at First Friday in downtown Lakeland a couple years ago. In addition, she has won a few small awards, mostly at school shows, such as best in show.

Below: Sybella Norman’s series called “Metamorphosis” used prismacolor pencils and markers to create it. Part of a school project, the assignment was to transform one thing into another. It wasnt required that the things have any sort of connection (for example some transformations could be a car into a dog) but Norman wanted for her series to have something in common. So, being that the heart is a part of the body, she started by looking at a picture of a heart and pieced together similarities (veins to hair) and figured out a pose that emulated the shape of the heart.

“In 2012, I was awarded 3rd place in the Florida Radon Poster contest, and participated in the local chalk art competition for a couple years,” Norman says. “I was given the Polk Museum of Art purchase award not long after.”

“Recently I was given a few propositions that would allow me to show and sell my art at some local areas. I believe these shows are important because they help to get my name out in the open and they show what I am capable of, being a young artist, even small bits of support are appreciated,” she says. “They also help support the creation of more pieces.”

Savor summertime with this cool treat!

You’ll need: - Gummy bears - Clear soda - Ice pop tray - Wooden treat sticks Combine your favorite clear soda with gummy bears in the ice pop tray, insert the sticks and freeze. Yummo!

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July / August 2016

[

Visit The863Magazine.com for a link to the same ice pop tray pictured here. Photos by Andrea Cruz.

The 863’s Summer Vacay Photo Contest

I

t’s time to send us your selfie with The 863 Magazine. And the prizes are even bigger this year. We are also changing the way the winner is chosen.

To participate in the 2016 summer photo contest, take The 863 Magazine with you this summer on vacation and get a picture taken with it. So easy.

Send your photo (one per email, please) with a caption (description of who, what, where, etc.) to Andrea@The863Magazine. com. The deadline to receive your emailed photo is July 31, 2016.

The photo submissions will be uploaded to The 863 Magazine’s Facebook page (facebook.com/the863magazine) on August 1, 2016. The five photos with the most “likes” by midnight, August 14, 2016, will win one of five prizes. The photo with the highest amount of likes will receive first place, the second highest number of likes will receive second place, etc.

The five winners will be announced and printed in the Sept./Oct. 2016 issue of The

863 Magazine. The prizes this year: First place will receive a Zoom Whitening from Winter Haven Family & Cosmetic Dentistry. Prize includes exam and Pano X-ray, which are required. Total value: $570.

Second place will receive a catered luncheon for eight people from the Winter Haven Panera Bread. Total value: $125.

Third place will receive a $100 gift certificate from Lakeland’s Il Forno Italian restaurant. Total value: First place 2015 went to Mona McKinley from Winter Haven who took The 863 (May/June 2015) to the Swiss Alps and $100.

Fourth place will receive a $80 gift was photographed with the Matterhorn in the background. certificate to Winter Haven’s Outback published on The 863’s Facebook page, and Steakhouse. Total value: $80. published in the Sept./Oct. 2016 issue, Fifth place will receive an oil change should they be a winner. In addition, they and tire rotation from Alfa Romeo FIAT agree that they are the legal owner of the of Winter Haven (credit given toward photo and hold the sole copyright to the synthetics). Total value: $50. submission. They further agree that neither In the event of a tie, the editor will cast Facebook nor The 863 Magazine shall be the deciding vote. By submitting a photo, held liable for any damages incurred from participants agree to have their photo publishing a submission. Good luck!

www.The863Magazine.com

15

Citrus Label TOUR, continued from pg. 10

is in Lake Wales – only Lake Wales labels are there.

Labels can’t be duplicated as that label is approved exclusive to that particular sponsor.”

“We have a prospective list contacted, are making recommendations, and that is really the way it has happened so far,” Young says.

“We have several members of the citrus industry and those working in the industry seeking or working through sponsorship on the labels. Several labels are at different stages of selection and development.”

“Florida produces more than 180 billion boxes of fruit each year, out of that only 10 percent goes into packing houses,” says LuAnn Mims, research historian and genealogy librarian at the Polk County History Center and writer of the recently released You Tube No. 30 Citrus Label Tour video.

“There are approximately 45 currently active packing houses.

Historically, this number reached into the hundreds,” Mims says. “Many packing houses in Polk County are no longer used and the few that remain have come through the ups The Citrus Label Tour highlights the yesteryear of Florida’s citrus heydays with signs such as this one, commemorating Golden Holly citrus. It is installed in Davenport at 5 North State Street.

that by the end of 12 to 18 months at least one citrus label will be on display in all the incorporated areas in Polk County that are supported by citrus crate labels,” Young says.

“Only Polk County labels can be used and must be native to a certain area. An example

and downs of the citrus business – freezes, diseases and pests.”

After the fruit is picked, then as now, it is washed, sorted into type, quality and size through a series of conveyors and workers.

A citrus inspector certifies that the fruit to be packed meets the established guidelines for that particular shipment. The citrus then was packed into bags and loaded into wooden crates that sported the labels (before that, barrels were used).

“Crates became the standard due to ease of loading and stacking,” Mims says. “In the late 1880s though 1900s California citrus produced the most fruit for fresh market sales. Florida became a competitor in the fresh fruit market with the advancements made in refrigeration and railroad transportation. The largest markets in the north have been New York, Indiana, and Illinois, which are closer geographically to Florida than California.”

For marketing, a large warehouse was the final destination for the crated citrus before shipment. Stacked to the ceiling in a dark warehouse, buyers found crates marked with only a burnished logo on one end of the crate, similar to what you would find to identify cattle.

“Following a lead from the California market, the idea of placing a colorful label (9” by 9” square) at the end of the crate would present the buyer with more information and better identification to develop product loyalty and branding,” Mims says. “Showing Florida with warmer weather and flowering winters – would foster interest in the winter buyers in Northern markets – an alternative to the cold and snow.”

Creating labels for the packing crates came about simply out of necessity to be able to identify what was in each crate since Continued on page 19

Advertising Sales Representatives Wanted.

No quotas. No pressure. Make your own hours.

Sell the magazine you love.

Contact 863 Publisher Sergio Cruz at Sergio@The863Magazine.com for info.

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July / August 2016

K-9 OFFICERS, continued from pg. 13

“He has a high drive and a good personality,” says Kondor’s partner, Officer Derek Martin, who has worked with Kondor for three years. “He knows when to go, and likes to apprehend things. He really likes to catch the bad guy.”

When Kondor isn’t catching bad guys, Martin says they enjoy doing demonstrations at local schools. Kondor is the Auburndale Police Department’s only K-9.

“Everyone is always excited to see him,” Martin says. “Working with a K-9, it’s a learning process. The surprising thing is the dog’s willingness to do any task they are asked.”

The partnership between local police officers and their K-9 partners is a close one.

Oftedal says he spends more time with Onyx than anyone else in his life.

“You play with them, you feed them,

and they love you no matter what,” he says.

Martin agrees that relationship is what makes his job so enjoyable.

“I personally think it’s the best job in law enforcement,” he says. “It’s so great to have my best friend come to work with me every day.”

Right: Officers Oftedal, left, and Elliott do bite work with Oftedal’s K-9 parter, Onyx. Below center: Ares, the K-9 partner of Elliott, trains in Winter Haven’s downtown Central Park. Bottom: Officers Elliott, left, and Oftedal stand with their K-9 partners, Ares and Onyx, respectively.

www.The863Magazine.com

17

Non-Profit SPOTLIGHT

W

e Care of Central Florida, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(C) (3) organization that operates to help the community through specialty healthcare. We Care is a network of healthcare individuals who volunteer their time and services to make a difference in the lives of Polk County residents who don’t have access to quality healthcare.

Funded primarily through the Polk County Board of County Commissioners Indigent Healthcare Division half cent sales tax, We Care is dependent on funding from donations, fundraisers, grants, and other sources in order to fulfill its mission and vision of delivering specialty healthcare to those individuals that need it the most.

We do this because we care, and we do this through a network of volunteers

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July / August 2016

and allied healthcare professionals in our community, as well as partner organizations who donate their time and services. Monies donated help pay for Specialty Healthcare Services including Diagnostics aimed at helping our uninsured community.

We began in 1998 as an initiative of the Polk County Medical Association.

Later incorporated as a 501(C)(3).

Currently, We Care of Central Florida has 215 providers, including 186 volunteer physicians. Our people are a network of compassionate and dedicated physicians, allied healthcare professionals, and administrative support staff who provide the uninsured in Polk County with low incomes access to high quality

volunteer specialty medical care.

We Care refers patients to medical specialists that will see them for care at no charge. Primary healthcare clinics refer patients to We Care for specialty services.

Through our We Care Project Think Pink, mammograms and diagnostics are provided to eligible individuals in order to help our community combat and fight breast cancer.

Our Vision is that all Polk County residents will have access to high quality specialty medical care in order to preserve lives and create a healthier community.

We Care has been a blessing to many.

Most of the patients who are sent to us are sent a last alternative and are unaware that there is assistance.

For more information, please visit WeCareCentralFlorida.org.

Tell Us

About a Non-Profit Sergio@The863Magazine.com

Citrus Label TOUR, continued from pg. 16

they were stacked hundreds and hundreds in warehouses awaiting purchase and shipment.

“A lot of the packing houses worked in close conjunction with printers for the design implement as there were not many choice designs for Florida fruit labels,” Mims says. “As each Florida packing house had its fruit, then each packing house had an idea and what it wanted on the label.

The Matador in Davenport was in place to recognize the Spanish bringing citrus in the beginning to Florida in the 1500s when Spanish explorers carried oranges onboard their ships to ward off scurvy.”

“The period of 1880-1900 began to distinguish the outside of the box for quality of the product inside by adhering a colorful label to the crate,” Young says.

“All the labels had to be certified through the citrus commission that came into being in 1935,” Mims adds. “All the ones before that were certified as unique to that packing house. A blue background or reference to blue was used for the grades of oranges (as were the colors red, yellow, green and black). Each orange was selected according to color and size. Many (packing houses) used stock labels they could print out quickly and not hold up fruit production. Florida Grower Press in Tampa printed most all of the labels for Florida citrus.”

Florida packing houses tried to update labels.

“An example is Lake Wales, which had the royalty series of a king, followed by the prince,” Young says. “The Lakeland Highlands had the Detroit Tigers (baseball spring training team) and used a tiger in the label and it appeared on the packing house. They had the tigress and the tiger cubs and formed that as a series.

Buyers in the Northern market would look for the tiger and tiger theme and to make it interesting, derivatives of the original.

Florida flora and fauna and pictures of sunsets and ladies brought thoughts of how nice to be in Florida this time of year (winter).”

The golden age of the crate label is considered 1900-1920 with most fruit shipped in crates with the distinguishable labels.

“Many themes evolved that would attract the typically male buyer,” Mims adds through her research. “Prominent themes included Native Americans (Savage label); wildlife, hunting (Lucky Day); fishing, adventure (Holly Roger), and beautiful girls (Truckin.)”

This, too, was the era for the King series from Lake Wales and the Lakeland Tiger series.

“In the decades from 1920 to 1940, labels progressed as printing processes improved to include a variety of colors and more printer options such as photo offset, which allowed for personalizing to include photographs of children (Eversweet), family, pets, and the packing houses (Maxcy, Florence Villa, Golden Holly and Alturas),” Mims says in doing research for the video.

“Post and prewar years featured automobiles and airplanes (Speed King, NC-4),” Mims continues. “The 1940-1960 labels continued to depict Florida through a variety of themes such as nostalgic

Southern romance (Cracker Girl), religious connections (Roe and Sons), historic sites (Fort), and the arts (Fiddler). On most people’s minds was the U.S. involvement with the World War (Bugle and Florence Villa). The first priority for labels was marketing citrus and the second was marketing Florida.”

“We are excited about this project and it is a very important part of Polk history,” Young adds.

A retail line to support the interest and enjoyment of the label tours has developed from the project, including notecards in boxed sets of six or seven labels on the trail, as well as some canvas bags sporting labels.

Those are now available at the Polk County History Center and will be available later at other locations.

For updated tour information, call the Polk County History Center, 100 E. Main St., Bartow, at 863-534-4386.

As the tour project develops and the labels are installed, pamphlets containing the tour route and history of those labels on the tour will be available at the Polk County Visitors Center in Davenport, the Polk County History Center, and in area museums. To view the Polk County Heritage Trail Series No.30 Citrus Label Tour video, visit The863Magazine.com.

www.The863Magazine.com

19

Explore | July & August HAPPENINGS Send Your Community Event to Andrea@The863Magazine.com.

FJuly 2 & Aug 6: Antiques, Arts & Oddities in Downtown Lake Wales near Walesbilt Hotel at 39 W Park Avenue. 7 a.m. – 12 noon every first Saturday of the month.

Info: 352-446-8448.

FJuly 3: Rock N Freedom Fest — The City of Winter Haven is hosting the annual Rock N Freedom Fest on at MLK Park on Lake Silver. There will be food, drinks, games, and activities for everyone. Fireworks by Zambelli to end the night. 4-9 p.m. Info: 863-291-5656 or MyWinterHaven.com.

FJuly 3: Red, White and Kaboom T.Mims Corp. Red, White & Kaboom Independence Celebration will take place at Lake Mirror along the Frances Langford Promenade from 5 - 9 p.m. with a fireworks display at 9 p.m. Info: LakelandGov.net.

FJuly 4: Lake Alfred’s Fourth of July Celebration — At Lions Park 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Kids under 12 receive free snow cones, compliments of the City of Lake Alfred. Info: 863-291-5275 or MyLakeAlfred. com.

FJuly 4: City of Davenport's July 4th Celebration — Live entertainment, food, family fun, fireworks. Lewis Mathews Sports Complex, 400 Palm Street Davenport.

2-9:30 p.m. Fireworks at 9:15 p.m. Info: 863419-3300.

FJuly 4: Lake Wales’ July 4th Celebration The Independence Day Celebration will be on the Shores of Lake Wailes 2 – 9 p.m. The fireworks will begin at 9:30 p.m.

Music, games, pony rides, face painting, food, and much more. 33 N Lake Shore Boulevard Lake Wales. Info: 863-678-4182, x270 or CityOfLakeWales.com.

FJuly 4: Thunder on the Ridge — All day live entertainment and Polk County's largest fireworks display. Entertainment, food, activities, fireworks. 3-10 p.m. Lake Eva Park in Haines City. Info: 863-421-3700.

FJuly 4: Dundee’s Fourth of July —

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July / August 2016

Activities start at 6 p.m. and fireworks start about 9:20 p.m. Dundee Community Center 603 Lake Marie Blvd, Dundee. 6 - 9 p.m. Info: TownOfDundee.com.

FJuly 7: Biopesticides Workshop — Good Bugs and Natural Pesticides by Master Gardener Joe Wolf. Every living thing on earth has enemies who will use it for sustenance, including humans. We may think of any insect, or other animal that bothers us as pests. But these pests also have enemies, which want to eat them. Come and learn how to control unwanted garden pests, while supporting your sustainable Florida garden and the native wildlife. 10 a.m. – 12 noon. Info: 863291-5275 or MyLakeAlfred.com.

FJuly 9: KRaP ART Grand Opening Party Kimberly’s Recycled Art Projects (KRaP) is celebrating its grand opening. Art is alive and thriving in Lakeland, come celebrate this new space with us. Instruments, books, an ever-changing variety of art supplies, the pottery studio, and stage. 938 E Main St, Lakeland. 3-6 p.m. Info: KrapArt.com.

FJuly 13: Chat n Chew — Chamberlin's Grocery Tour. Travel the store aisles with Chat & Chew members and the assistant manager while stopping to taste several products, learning what is available to add foods to your diet that match your health goals. 1531 U.S. Highway 98 South, Lakeland. 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. RSVP required to ChatAndChewRSVP@gmail. com by July 5th.

FJuly 13: Unmanned and Sunny Drone Education Presentation — A free drone education and awareness event presented by Aerospace Center for Excellence for the public to learn about safe drone operation and the upcoming career opportunities that exist in the drone industry. 1 – 4 p.m. at Aerospace Discovery at the Florida Air Museum, located on the

SUN ‘n FUN Expo Campus, 4175 Medulla Rd., Lakeland. Info: Sun-n-Fun.org FJuly 14 & 15: Kayak Lake Silver — Hosted by the City of Winter Haven’s Natural Resources staff. Equipment and supplies provided. For all ages, with signed waiver form. Must register via Eventbrite.com.

9 a.m. – 12 noon. Info: 863-291-5656 or MyWinterHaven.com.

FJuly 14 & Aug 11: Thursday Squared Food Truck Rally — Join us on the second Thursday of every month for this food truck rally, which features about 20 food trucks.

Come hungry. See you in downtown Lakeland’s Munn Park, 100 N Kentucky Ave. 6-9 p.m. Info: LakelandChamber. com.

FJuly 30: Family and Seniors Health Expo 2016 Family and Seniors Health Expo serves to educate, inform, and meet the community face to face to create awareness of health issues, new products, and services that benefit the community.

Raffles, gifts, and entertainment. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Lakeland Square Mall, 3800 US Hwy 98 N, Lakeland.

FJuly 30: Astronomy Night — At Mackay Gardens and Lakeside Preserve At the Mackay Gardens and Lakeside Preserve Free of charge. 7 - 10 p.m. Info: 863-2915272 or MyLakeAlfred.com.

FAug 4: Common Weeds of Central Florida Yards — Presented by Master Gardeners, a slide show of common weeds of the Florida landscape, with discussion to follow. Bring a weed! Free workshop provided by the Polk County Master Gardeners, UF/IFAS Extension Polk County and the City of Lake Alfred, Parks and Recreation. 10 a.m. – 12 noon. 900 MacKay Blvd, Lake Alfred. Info: 863-2915275 or MyLakeAlfred.com.