Lakeland
Earlier this month I attended a family member's college graduation. Florida Southern University. Lakeland, FL. What do you know about Lakeland, invisible audience? Have you even heard of it? Know where it is? It's east of Tampa. The college is what it is best known for. Well, that and that the Publix supermarket chain has its headquarters there.
I did not set foot on the Florida Southern campus. The ceremony was at the nearby RP Funding arena. I've heard that Florida Southern has some architecture designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The school apparently ranked #1 a few years in a row in a poll of attractive campuses. Sorry I missed this, especially as the rest of Lakeland was, uhm, so-so.
It has its own modest appeal. Everyone was friendly, including some homeless folks who did not ask for anything but a "hello" back. We did stroll the downtown area near and through Munn Park and around Lake Mirror, which in spots is covered with water lilies. Off the walkway is Hollis Garden, which is quite serene and scenic, with thousands of varieties of flowers and trees.
Also had a coffee at the Black & Brew on Main Street. I had to shoo the plethora of lovebugs away from it. The grill of my car was not so fortunate.
We had a graduation party at the Cob and Pen restaurant on Florida Ave in the Dixieland district. A back room was reserved and trays of mac & cheese, grilled cheese, tomato soup, slightly spicy penne pasta, and pork sliders awaited. I had a German pilsner and my wife had a cider spiced with blackberry. They were good, though I'd like to explore the remainder of the very interesting looking beer menu. "We are craft", they bill themselves. I later learned that a church friend back in WPB is buddies with the owner, too.
When I think of Lakeland I also think of an old radio personality you have very likely not heard of named Glen Hill, unless you listened to a guy named Neil Rogers, the best known and highest paid talk show host in South Florida for thirty or so years. In the late '80s, Hill worked as a producer for Rogers, occasionally sitting behind the mike to react to (mainly laugh at) Neil's rants. Eventually, he became a full time sidekick. The duo would work together at three stations, before Neil decided he wanted to fly solo again. Glen was unceremoniously fired in December '89 but given the chance to offer his side of the story a few months later on Neil's show. It was a bit painful to listen to. He would eventually return to his hometown of Lakeland and work a few more radio gigs in the '90s, including one at a Christian station. Sadly, he would pass at age fifty-one in 2000.
I liked Glen's contributions. Many didn't. His cackles and ineffectual personality did get annoying at times. He also seemed a bit passive aggressive. Sometimes just like a child. But his mellow demeanor (and frequent mispronunciations) was endearing. Listening to the old Neil shows on YouTube is like checking in with old friends, though both are long gone. I thought about Glen as I walked around Lakeland. I wondered if he ever walked the same areas, saw what I was seeing. I'm fascinated with those kind of thoughts, and saddened that I'm unable to share the sights with those who came before. You never know who stood where you stand. Giants, maybe. Glen was not a giant by too many folks' definition, but thinking about him as I briefly traversed his hometown made Lakeland that much more interesting.
I did not set foot on the Florida Southern campus. The ceremony was at the nearby RP Funding arena. I've heard that Florida Southern has some architecture designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The school apparently ranked #1 a few years in a row in a poll of attractive campuses. Sorry I missed this, especially as the rest of Lakeland was, uhm, so-so.
It has its own modest appeal. Everyone was friendly, including some homeless folks who did not ask for anything but a "hello" back. We did stroll the downtown area near and through Munn Park and around Lake Mirror, which in spots is covered with water lilies. Off the walkway is Hollis Garden, which is quite serene and scenic, with thousands of varieties of flowers and trees.
We had a graduation party at the Cob and Pen restaurant on Florida Ave in the Dixieland district. A back room was reserved and trays of mac & cheese, grilled cheese, tomato soup, slightly spicy penne pasta, and pork sliders awaited. I had a German pilsner and my wife had a cider spiced with blackberry. They were good, though I'd like to explore the remainder of the very interesting looking beer menu. "We are craft", they bill themselves. I later learned that a church friend back in WPB is buddies with the owner, too.
When I think of Lakeland I also think of an old radio personality you have very likely not heard of named Glen Hill, unless you listened to a guy named Neil Rogers, the best known and highest paid talk show host in South Florida for thirty or so years. In the late '80s, Hill worked as a producer for Rogers, occasionally sitting behind the mike to react to (mainly laugh at) Neil's rants. Eventually, he became a full time sidekick. The duo would work together at three stations, before Neil decided he wanted to fly solo again. Glen was unceremoniously fired in December '89 but given the chance to offer his side of the story a few months later on Neil's show. It was a bit painful to listen to. He would eventually return to his hometown of Lakeland and work a few more radio gigs in the '90s, including one at a Christian station. Sadly, he would pass at age fifty-one in 2000.
I liked Glen's contributions. Many didn't. His cackles and ineffectual personality did get annoying at times. He also seemed a bit passive aggressive. Sometimes just like a child. But his mellow demeanor (and frequent mispronunciations) was endearing. Listening to the old Neil shows on YouTube is like checking in with old friends, though both are long gone. I thought about Glen as I walked around Lakeland. I wondered if he ever walked the same areas, saw what I was seeing. I'm fascinated with those kind of thoughts, and saddened that I'm unable to share the sights with those who came before. You never know who stood where you stand. Giants, maybe. Glen was not a giant by too many folks' definition, but thinking about him as I briefly traversed his hometown made Lakeland that much more interesting.
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