These people were very kind and patient. I have to type 85…read morecharacters but have nothing else to say.

They were compassionate and caring during a very difficult loss for our family. The makeup artist…read moredid a wonderful job.

The Willow Lawn Cemetery is an African-American burial place just west of downtown Lake Wales. It…read moreis located next door to Washington Park across Highway 27, on Washington Avenue near Florida's Natural. The Lake Wales Cemetery was established in 1918 when the Lake Wales Land Company that founded the city donated 9.3 acres of land "on a pine knoll west of town" for a cemetery. Additional land was acquired in 1938, and the Lake Wales Cemetery on U.S. Highway 27 was expanded to its current 27.4 acres. Only whites could be buried there because of the segregation laws in place at the time which necessitated the creation of a place where the African-American community could bury their dead. According to a sign in the back of the Willow Lawn Cemetery, it looks like this place was used as an unofficial place of burial for the African-American community long before it became a recognized cemetery. The 10-acre Willow Lawn Cemetery on Washington Avenue was deeded to the City by a group of African-American community churches in 1941. The oldest part of the cemetery is a back field area where there is a single sign honoring all those buried unmarked in the field before 1941. It is likely that the graves here had wood markers that decomposed over time. Another section of the cemetery contains graves from the 20's and 30's but records were not kept until the 40's and 50's. The earliest people buried here would have come to the area to work in the turpentine industry. The hard work and exploitive practices of the turpentine industry and lumber industry were documented by Zora Neale Hurston in her famous work, Of Mule and Men. Later African-Americans found work in the railroad and citrus industries. In 1921 the Lake Wales Land Company subdivided a new plat just north of town on the other side of the railroad tracks for the African-American community known informally as "the Quarters." Many of the citrus packing houses were built in the surrounding areas which the community worked at. Interestingly this hallowed historic land is still used as a cemetery today. As such it is well maintained. The Willow Lawn Cemetery holds the history of the African-American pioneers who built Lake Wales. More can be leaned about the early settlers and history of the cemetery from the Lake Wales Historical Society.

This is a lovely old cemetery hidden deep in the heart of Mulberry, FL, south of Lakeland. Like…read moremany old cemeteries, it has its troubles and they are trying to fix them. When I went to find it, I was searching for a Prairie Cemetery or a Bone Valley Cemetery; people call it many things. When I arrived, I found a brand new sign with the name "Laurel Hill Cemetery" and "No Trespassing" signs everywhere. I even saw a sign stating there was a security camera. Since part of this cemetery bordered on a neighborhood, I decided not to take any chances and called the first phone number on the sign. I spoke to a pleasant lady at the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, who owns and cares for this particular cemetery. Yes, it WAS called Prairie Cemetery at one time and is now Laurel Hill Cemetery. I explained to her that I liked going to very old cemeteries and photographing headstones, etc., and I would like to have permission to walk about this cemetery. She was a bit hesitant but said yes. Fifteen minutes later, the caretaker showed up to further investigate me. He was very personable and actually had family buried there himself. He told me that because of the out of the way nature of the place, they had an issue with garbage dumping and other more unsavory things going on there. They are trying to keep control of the yard work there, but being Florida's wild and crazy flora and all, it's difficult to find volunteers these days to devote their time on things like this. This particular cemetery is quite gorgeous. It was, and perhaps still is, primarily African American. Records fluctuate on times of use, but the belief is this place has been used for burial for at least a hundred years, perhaps longer. Different areas appear to be clustered in different burial eras. The farthest away is the most new. I just took a quick look at that, mostly family groups. Many of the older headstones are handmade. Touching and quite lovely, some you can still see the handwriting and others are eroding away with time. (Sadly, the landscape has swallowed up an older section or two that needs to be pruned very soon or lost.) I have a feeling there are many more graves there than are marked. Many. It is so quiet out there. You'd never know you were next to a neighborhood, by a water treatment plant, a rail yard, a highway, etc. The breeze was blowing, the birds were singing, the butterflies were fluttering.

The owners and family of Seigler Funeral home were very supportive, kind, and extremely caring to…read moremy friend Esteban Santos Jr. They were very attentive, knowledgeable and helpful during the shocking death of his father. Thank you, you will forever be in our hearts. God Bless

Awesome local theater Historic building…read more Support local theater and culture!! Very nice local crew!

While visiting family in Valrico they took us to the James McCabe Theater to see the Village…read morePlayers in Sunday School for Adults. The play was written and directed by Domin Pazo. My entire family and friends thoroughly enjoyed the play. As the characters performed each unique roll attending Sunday school and bantering with each other through various bible stories we laughed and cried. All the actors in the village players were great. The theater is just adorable and everyone gets a good view of the stage. There was even a small snack bar serving fresh popcorn and all run by volunteers. Such a great place to go for local, quality entertainment. Certainly checkout one of the upcoming shows and also make a donation to keep it running.

Town Tailors is the definition of what a family business should be. The service and craftsmanship…read moreon my suits were absolutely incredible--everything fit perfectly and the attention to detail was outstanding. What really set them apart, though, was their kindness. I mentioned that my wife had been in an accident, and without hesitation, she came outside to check on my wife and make sure she was okay. That level of genuine compassion is something you rarely see anymore. In a world where it's hard to find people who truly care, Town Tailors is a special place. They don't just do amazing work--they treat you like family. I can't recommend them highly enough.

I had taken several pieces there in the past and the prices were reasonable. Just took 3 items (2…read moredresses and a pair of jeans) and my total was $190!!! One of the charges was $40 to take in two seams on an unlined dress. Not only is that a 5 minute job they price gouged me on, when I went to put the dress on today, the seams are puckered (see pic). The other dress was ok but not great, and the jeans will have to be taken elsewhere the job was done so horribly. Save your money and go elsewhere, I know I will be.

First of all, my husband and I went by to get quotes to have an idea in case something happened to…read moremy loved ones. My first point of contact was with Joshua the funeral director. I must say Joshua is a very respectful and caring person. They were very transparent, which we truly liked, the first thing he gave us was a price list. The price was reasonable and there were no hidden fees. The next day we met with Blair which was also a nice person and not a pushy salesman. I would definitely recommend this funeral home because they treat you with compassion and they went above and beyond to accommodate us, since unfortunately we ended up using their services a lot faster than expected. Overall, they were punctual, compassionate, and very friendly. My family and I are very thankful for the beautiful service and special thanks to Joshua, for accommodating my family and myself the day after my dad died, which 8 of us showed up to his office for the final planning and he was very comforting at this difficult time. Thank you and I have recommended it to all our friends and family in Sebring.

My family went to (then) Stephenson Funeral Home in 1976 when my great grandfather passed away to…read morehold services. Over the years our poor record keeping meant that in 2018 we were unsure where his final resting place was. Craig Nelson answered the phone (outside of normal business hours!) and took down what little information I had. He promised to see what he could find and arranged a time to call me back. He went above and beyond to locate the records and help us figure out where my great grandfather was buried and all of us are so thankful. They don't use an answering service, so I was able to talk to him right away. He was kind, helpful, professional and empathetic - I can't imagine a better character for someone in this industry. He didn't try to brush off my call or delay returning my call, even though we were customers 40+ years ago. He treated me with respect and kindness. For a family who is grieving, I doubt there's a better place to gather and remember loved ones lost.

Glad this daycare closed for good. Mrs Debbie never do activities. She treated kids like soldiers…read more She was nice with parents only but after that she was no nice. She didnt pay well to staff.

We absolutely LOVE this daycare! My son has gone here for the past three years with several other…read moreclassmates. The owner, Ms. Debbie, is wonderful. She truly loves each and every child in her care. My son loves her and his other teachers' to pieces. The staff are highly qualified and so patient. Ms. Jeanine and Ms. Madelyn are so great with all the children. Every teacher must have at least a associates degree to work there. High expectations are expected for all the children. As an educator myself, I feel like my child has grown so much and it's because of the love he receives at Valrico Child Care. He's a happy, smart, and strong willed child that is held accountable when he needs to be and loved all the time. I'll be so sad when he to go to kindergarten, but thankful for the lessons he's received here.