Mural Info 2

•Richard Archbold (1907-1976): Explorer, Aviator, and Patron of Science

•He founded (1941) Archbold Biological Station, 8 miles south of Lake Placid

•He was founding member (1945) of Glades Electric Cooperative

After leading three biological expeditions to New Guinea (1933-1939), Richard Archbold founded the Archbold Biological Station in 1941 at the Red Hill Estate, donated by John A. Roebling II. The Station is now recognized internationally for its ecological research on the Florida scrub.

The mural shows all aspects of the Station’s mission: land management through prescribed burning for plant community maintenance; ecological research through studies of plants and animals; and education through class visits (K-college). These activities guide conservation of the globally imperiled Florida scrub and the remaining natural areas of Florida’s Heartland.

The mural closes with the scene of a family’s rural home being connected to Glades Electric, Richard Archbold’s long-cherished aspiration for the entire community.

Recognizable people pictured from left to right: Richard Archbold, as a young aviator: John A. Roebling II, donator of the Red Hill Estate, and Richard Archbold. Archbold staff conducting a controlled burn, Kevin N. Main, Roberta L. Pickert, Kristin Snow and Bert G. Crawford. Archbold scientists: Glen E. Woolfenden, James N. Layne, and Mark A. Deyrup. Frances A. Hufty, Richard Archbold’s sister and Chairman of the Board. The closing section recognizes Willie Chapel, who recently retired after 50 years of service at Glades Electric.

•Ten year old Grady Parrish was instrumental in foiling an attempted bank robbery

•The intended robbery was at the Tropical State Bank

•This mural is painted on the spot where the Tropical State Bank was located

The mural depicts the first bank robbery in Lake Placid. It happened in September, 1931. Ten-year-old Grady Parrish was waiting for a haircut in R.T. Morgan's Barber Shop. Mrs. T. W. Loftin, Sr., getting her hair cut, pointed out two men passing by the shop wearing wigs, one red, one black. Young Grady waited as long as he could before curiosity got the best of him, and he went outside to follow what he thought were men from the circus. By that time, the men had entered the Tropical State Bank, next door, and were holding up the bank manager, B.F. Williams, and tellers Myra McAuley and Helen Thomas. Young Parrish ran to tell his Daddy, O.C. Parrish, Sr., who told him to "Go get Tom". Tom was Town Marshall Tom Bozeman. As Grady raced to the Bozeman home, Tom responded to his shouts and came out the door strapping on his weapon. Stopping by the town office, he picked up a shotgun and proceeded to the bank, accompanied by the senior Parish. Arriving at the bank as the hold-up men were trying to make their get-a-way, guns cocked, Bozeman was forced to shoot one of the robbers before both were captured. Later Bozeman was given $100.00 by the bank owners for capturing the bandits, and Grady was rewarded $10.00 for his part in foiling the crime.

The mural is painted on the spot where the Tropical State Bank was located. The original building was destroyed in a 1991 fire, which ravaged most of the buildings in the block of Main Street from Interlake Boulevard to Park Avenue.

•Toby started teaching the Art of Clowning in 1991, at the Florida Hospital, Lake Placid.

•The number of clowns increased

•Toby’s Clown Alley formed, chartered with Clowns of America International #296

•Clown students come from all over the United States & Canada to learn to become a clown

The year was 1980; the Lake Placid Hospital was just a clinic, with high hopes of becoming a full-fledged hospital, when Toby, Keith Stokes, entered the picture. In past years, Toby practiced the art of clowning as a Shrine Clown, where he went into the hospitals to entertain the patients, and the hospital staff. Things were about to change in Lake Placid. In 1982, the clinic became the full-fledged hospital it had hoped to become, and now Toby’s brand of Clown Medicine began to take hold. The demand was great, and other hospitals, Walker Memorial, Wauchula Hospital, Highlands Regional, and the Lake Placid Health Care Center requested his special talent. Now what was he going to do? Toby was just coming off some health issues of his own, and could not keep up with the demand, and there were no other clowns in Lake Placid or Highlands County. In 1991, Toby decided he needed to teach the art of clowning. He went to Florida Hospital with his plans, and they gave him permission to use one of their rooms to teach his first class of six eager students. Soon Walker Hospital and Wauchula Hospital requested he teach in their facilities also.

Here we depict Toby’s first clown school. Can you imagine the pride Toby felt when these six new clowns graduated, and went out into the community to spread smiles, love, and laughter? Could you imagine if Toby could have realized, as he watched the first class graduate, that his clown school would grow rapidly, and that today, in 2010, over 1,500 clowns, ages 8 to 96, from all over the US, and Canada, would graduate from his clown school? As more graduates came on the scene, Toby started Toby’s Clown Alley, chartered with Clowns of America International #296.

Another one of Toby’s dreams came true in 2010, when this building became The American Clown Museum, the only known one in the USA. Isn’t it amazing what just one dedicated man, filled with enthusiasm and boundless energy, can do to make a positive affect in a community, and far beyond?

•This mural depicts what clowns do to entertain and bring smiles, love, and laughter

•There are three types of clowns, Auguste, White Face, and Tramp/Hobo

•Many clowns make their own costumes, and must design their own faces

Smiles, love and laughter is the wonderful medicine dispensed by the clowns of Toby’s Clown Alley. Ever since 1982, when Florida Hospital Lake Placid expanded from a clinic to a full fledged hospital, Keith “Toby the Clown” Stokes’ brand of Clown Medicine has been a vital part of the compassionate patient care.

The student clowns must decide which of the three types of clowns they will become, Auguste, White Face, or Tramp/Hobo. Each student receives individualized attention in selecting his or her one-of-a-kind outfit. Many clowns make their own unique costumes. Each clown learns to apply make-up to bring out his or her individual clown personality. They learn to take the utmost care when applying their make-up. Each of Toby’s Clowns must look very professional. This is just the beginning of their training. They also learn magic acts, balloon sculpturing, puppetry, and skits. They learn that sensitivity to those they interact with must be of paramount importance. They must always be aware of the feelings of others.

So, what does a bunch of clowns do at graduation? They all appear in several clown skits. Some of the skits are simple, some very intricate, but always hilarious. Family and friends attend the graduation to enjoy an evening of good wholesome fun.

After graduation, the new clowns are ready to clown in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living, and children’s parties. As depicted in this mural, there are so many ways to entertain. You will find clowns marching in parades, reading to children in our libraries, painting children’s faces, giving out balloons, and visiting the pediatric wards. During the months of January, February, March, and April, you often find five or more clowns walking the streets of Lake Placid to greet the visitors to our murals. This gives a feeling of welcome, and we are so glad that you are here.

The members of Toby’s Clown Alley, just like their founder, “Toby” Keith Stokes, are wonderful, caring people, who spend so much of their time bringing smiles, love and laughter wherever they go.

•Artist Thomas Brooks won the turkey stamp competition for Florida two years in a row

•The Osceola turkey has very keen of eyesight and hearing and a challenge to hunt

•This is a scene you can see in the Lake Placid area

This beautiful mural captures the mood of old rural Florida. The massive live oak trees, dripping with moss, make one feel they are going back in time. The old cattle pen aged and falling down is reminiscent of days of long ago. In the distance you can see cattle grazing in the open pasture land. Scenes like this are seen today along the back roads around Lake Placid.

Turkeys are abundant in this area and hunting is a favorite sport. The Osceola species of turkey is native to Florida. they are very cunning and have very Keen eyesight and hearing. It does not take much to spook them; therefore, the hunters know to remain as quiet as possible.

Hunters arise before dawn, don camouflage clothing, and conceal themselves in their hideaways. Can you find the sleeping hunter with the turkeys all around? We know the hunter is sleeping or the turkeys would be gone.

•She worked for the State Board of Health from 1918 to 1976

•Annie Hill was a mid-wife for 58 years in Lake Placid

•In that time she delivered 1,500 babies

Nurse, mid-wife Annie Hill was born on December 26, 1891, in High Springs, Florida, and passed on in 1988, at the age of 92. Annie Hill worked with the State Board of Health from 1918 to 1976 in the field of Mid-Wifery. In that time, she has had the pleasure of delivering 1,500 babies, both black and white during her 58 years as a nurse in Highlands County, Florida. She resigned her position due to changes in the law.

Mid-Wifery is as old as humanity. Mid Wives are the most common birth attendants in many parts of the world. In the 1930s, two small nurse Mid-Wifery programs began. Today, there are more than 40 programs in the United States.

The love of her profession was not her only passion. Annie Hill, at the early age of nine, made the decision to follow the Lord. Annie Hill truly loved people, and she served them with much strength and vigor. Many young people owe their beginnings in the church and the Masonic Organization to her efforts to give them the opportunity.

She was a faithful and ardent worker of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church where she served as a missionary and bible teacher, Sunday School Superintendent, Emeritus President of mission, organizer of the Prayer Band, President of Sunlight Pallbearer Charitable Society No. 146. She also served in the Masonic Family as past Most Ancient Matron of the Heroines of Jericho and the Order of the Eastern Star.

Annie married Deacon James Hill, and their family grew to six children, two sons, and four daughters.

•On the morning of September 11, 2001, our hearts were broken

•Stunned Americans watched in shock the World Trade Center and the Pentagon collapse

•Lake Placid reached out with the rest of the nation to bind the wound and pray

Lake Placid area residents come from nearly every part of the nation. Some come from rich Midwestern soils, some from deep valleys sheltered between majestic mountains, some fun and interesting cities full of people busy in their comings and goings, and some come from quaint small towns where no one is a stranger.

God Bless America reminds us that we have roots in other places---all over the united states.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, some enemies of the United States hoped their calculated punch would fatally injured the nation they hated.

Instead, to their dismay, they watched in awe as one by one, from sea to shining sea, across the farmlands, through the valleys, in the cities and towns, we turned to one another and joined hands. After Americans had watched in shock the collapse of the World Trade Center in volcanic dust and debris and a wall of the Pentagon go down, our enemies saw our ringing hands but for a moment.

Words we knew from childhood exploded in our hearts and minds - "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." And, we prayed to the God in whom we trust.

Our enemies watched that day as their deadly blow broke our hearts and when our broken hearts began to bleed, they watched in horror that the love that poured out was pure.

We in Lake Placid and in Highlands County, rich with veterans of earlier wars, reached out with the rest of the nation to bind the wound and prayed over the injury.

This mural memorializes this day and another dangerous test of the kind we have faced many times as a community and as a nation.

As it is for any nation that hopes to survive attack, the hands that hold it together mean the difference between life and death, hopelessness and faith.

•The Spaniards brought oranges to our shores and shared them with the Indians and settlers

•New methods of irrigation save water and help protect our natural resource

•As a result of research our trees are more productive and disease resistant

The Spaniards brought orange seeds to Florida about half a millennium ago.

The first orange tree seeds were planted in the Lake Placid area by Seminole Indians, and by the first white settler, Joshua Lastinger. Over a hundred years old, some of these trees still produce fruit and stand on C.R. 17, just past the new bridge north of town.

Today, more than 100,000 Highlands County acres hold over 91 million citrus trees that produce over 30 million, 90-pound boxes of oranges. About 80-percent of all the orange juice consumed by Americans comes from this region.

This mural is painted on a wall at the crossroads of Florida's citrus industry.

Although the citrus industry has historically encountered dangerous frosts and times of drought, fortunately, agricultural research has produced better ways to irrigate trees and protect fruit from freezing temperatures. As a result of this research, trees are more productive and disease resistant. Strides have been made toward better equipment, transportation, and processing the fruit.

The industry employs more than 3,000 full-time workers and another 10,000 part-time employees during the harvesting and processing season.

Altogether, more than $225 million a year is pumped into our area's economy from our historic citrus industry.

•The last known sighting of a red wolf in L.P. area was in 1917 at Lake Istokpoga

•Red wolves were gone from Florida by the 20's: now 250 animals are in captivity & the wild

•A captive breeding program started with 14 red wolves & saved them from extinction

These beautiful red wolves were listed as endangered in 1967, and the first red wolf was placed in a zoo in 1969. In 1980, the last of the wild red wolves were placed in captivity and the red wolf was declared extinct in the wild. A captive breeding program with 14 animals saved these beautiful creatures from the brink of extinction. Now there are approximately 250 red wolves in captivity and in the wild in the United States. There is a pair of red wolves on St. Vincent's Island off the cost of Apalachicola. There are twenty-two captive breeding facilities in the U.S.

The red wolf is of medium size and resembles a coyote, however, its ears and legs are longer and it is more robust. At the age of two or three, red wolves become sexually mature. They mate for life and both the male and female participate in rearing the young. Breeding occurs in December through February and March, and pups are born in April, May, and early June. Red Wolves establish dens in hollow tree trunks, stream banks and abandoned dens of other animals, drainpipes and culverts. In costal regions, they excavated dens in sand knolls. Pip mortality in the wild is significant due in part to severe heartworm and intestinal parasite infections.

The diet of the red wolf includes whatever small to medium sized mammals occur in abundance within their area. their diet consists of rabbits, carrion, deer, hogs, raccoons, rodents, frogs and turtles. It also may depend heavily on white-tailed deer.

The Florida red wolves preferred warm, moist densely vegetated habitat and could be found in both upland and wetland areas, occupying pine forests, bottomland hardwoods and costal marshes.

•Sandhill cranes reside here in our area of Florida the year round

•They nest in and around water and they also enjoy our improved pasture lands

•Sandhills are a beautiful gray bird and noted for their red cap of feathers

This mural shows a typical early morning sunrise over a marsh. The mist is just starting to clear to reveal four Sandhill Cranes finding an early morning feast.

The non-migratory Florida Sandhill Crane is an inhabitant of the scattered marshes and wet prairies throughout the state. These beautiful birds are seen from late fall through winter. Large nests containing two eggs are located in thick patches of marsh vegetation such as pickerel weed and maidencane.

Sandhills are often seen in improved pastures and open woodlands feeding on a variety of plants and invertebrates. They are water birds, so they are often seen in and around lakes.

Their voice is a raucous and unmistakable, distinctly different from other large birds. And they are easily identified by their cap of red feathers.

•Dr. Melvil Dewey talked the Atlantic Coastline R.R. into building this new depot in 1926

•These days South Central Florida Express freight trains regularly pass through town

•The depot is on the National Historic Registry and home to the Lake Placid Historical Society

The railroad was as important to Lake Placid as it was anywhere else, bringing both tourists and freight.

This mural was painted by a father and son team from Chemainus, B.C., the town that originally inspired our mural project. Dan and Peter Sawatsky replicated pen and ink style to create an oncoming engine that bears down on you as you walk past, complete with authentic sound.

In 1912, the Atlantic Coastline Railroad decided to extend their track south of Haines City. They reached Sebring on June 14th. Four years later, they reached town and named the stop, Weco.

Railroading around here has gone through many changes. Henry Plant bought some bankrupt companies in Georgia and South Carolina and put together the Savannah, Florida and Western Railroad. By 1902, Plant's trains were rolling on 1,665 miles of track.

Then Atlantic Coastline took over. This depot was built in 1926, about a year before Melvil Dewey persuaded the state to change the name of the town from Lake Stearns to Lake Placid.

These days, South Central Florida Express freight trains regularly pass through town, serving southern Florida's thriving industries.

The depot is home to the Lake Placid Historical Society. In 1993, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places and became the area's historical museum.

•This mural portrays our unique environment here in Lake Placid

•Many of the children depicted were classmates of the artist's husband

•This mural teaches our children about their environment and the love of are

One of our murals often goes unnoticed. It is painted above the cafeteria doors at Lake Placid Elementary School. Tucked away a short drive or walk from DeVane park, the mural further explores our rural culture.

Classmates of the artist's husband are depicted.

This mural carries on the Turkey Hunt theme portraying our unique environment. Here we see reflections of old Florida.

Llewellyn Rinald's impression blends school children at play near a creek. Our children have the unique opportunity to learn about each other from a wide variety of backgrounds held together by some very basic common threads---respect and dignity.

Scattered throughout the artwork are birds and other animals registered as endangered---among them the same help sandhill crane, wood ibis, and the very shy Florida panther .

This mural was not placed by accident. It is hoped this daily reminder may help our children and all of us to understand why our natural environment is special in worth saving .

To view the mural, please register at the school's office first.

•In 1927 Swain Bowers opened Lake Placid Motor Co. & provided employment to many

•He served on a variety of boards and took pride in each opportunity to be of service

•In 1927, he rescued three globally famous men stuck in sugar sand around Lake Annie

The following account is a highlight of his career: Around the year 1927 three men of national prominence took a road trip through Highlands County. They explained they started from Ft. Myers and were going to take the loop around Arcadia in a quest for goldenrod, which could possibly be used as a potential source of rubber. Roads were primitive in nature and breakdowns were frequent. The travelers had the misfortune of getting their Model-T stuck in the sand near Lake Annie. The local motor company owner Swain Bowers was called to their rescue with his truck and chains to pull them out. He found the thoroughly exhausted men with their car jacked up and they were putting palmetto fans under the tires for traction. The young entrepreneur would soon have this famous trio back on the road. At some point Swain Bowers realized in amazement he had just met Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone all at the same moment! Nearly ninety years ago!

Swain Bowers operated the Old Eagle service Station with his older brother. In 1927 he opened the Lake Placid Motor Co., at that time on N. Main St. He and his wife Frances were members of many civic organizations. He served for 12 years as Lake Placid School Board trustee. In addition, he was a member of L.P. Chamber of Commerce, the Cattlemen Association and National Auto Dealers Association.

•Dr. Akes was point man for the advancement of pre-hospital care in Highlands County

•He brought the first Advanced Cardiac Life Support training in Highlands County

•He established the first Paramedic-Advanced Life Support ambulance service

Dr. Charles Akes was the point man for the advancement of pre-hospital care in Highlands County as well as several other counties in Florida.

He served as Co-EMS Medical Director officially from September 1984 until his death in October 1997. He provided this service free for the first nine years, and received a small stipend in the later years.

Not only was Dr. Akes instrumental in assisting Highlands County in establishing the first Paramedic-Advanced Life Support ambulance service, he also instructed many of the classes and training for the first Paramedic class. He often allowed the students to use his own arm to practice as a teaching aid. He also brought the first Advanced Cardiac Life Support training to Highlands County for doctors, nurses and paramedics.

Dr. Akes dedicated his life to providing excellent patient care, and inspired others to be their best by his example. His love for people was evident, and he was loved, admired and respected everywhere he went. His life and work made a positive and enduring impact in Highlands County.

Dr. Akes blended the coldness of modern technical medicine with the biggest heart of caring ever to beat inside a human chest. He loved life and lived to serve others.

•The linotype was often called the 8th Wonder of the World

•The printing press was designed to print pages at a time

•They delivered newspapers by mail, newsboy and by news racks

In bygone times, life was harder for people in all professions, from housewives, secretaries, construction workers to doctors, nurses, salesgirls and preachers. Hometown newspapers were no different. It took manual labor to get a newspaper printed.

Machines employed included the linotype, used for setting type for news stories and advertisements. The linotype was a temperamental mechanical miracle of the time. It resembled the child in the nursery rhyme 'and when she was good, she was very very good and when she bad, she was horrid'. When she was good, much type could be composed quite handily and when she bad, she would take vengeance by unexpectedly squirting hot metal, usually hitting the operator on the leg or on the foot and now & then squirting into the shoe of the hapless keyboard person.

Some news came in over the telephone and other news was produced by the efforts of a reporter, who, by the way, also had to be able to do at least three jobs.

The printing press was designed to print two pages at a time, side by side. The printed pages were then turned over and put back through the press to print the other side. Things could go wrong with a printing press too.

The paper could be fed into the press unevenly, which would cause it to go astray and wrap tightly around the ink rollers. Removing it was a tedious and dirty job. After the four-page sheets were all printed, they were assembled and folded by hand and stacked. The newspaper was then ready for distribution by mail, by newsboy or by news rack.

A lot of work goes into producing today's newspapers, but life is easier now for the editors, reporters, typists and other employees. In another 30 or 40 years, the modern digital tools used to produce today's newspapers may be as obsolete as those used in decades past.

•Clowns shown are the Auguste clown (German), White Face (English) & Hobo (American)

•These are three clowns living in our town, graduates from Toby's Clown School

•Lake Placid boasts more clowns per capita than any other town in Florida

Time out for fun!

This mural proves that history can be entertaining. Created in this mural are the three main types of clowns that come to us via American and European tradition.

They are seated on a bench in the trompel'oeil tradition. Balloons glide overhead to add a more contemporary flavor to the happy atmosphere.

Lake Placid is home to Toby's Clown School, and Toby, aka Keith Stokes, sits on the right and, representing the Auguste a clown, a clown fashion which originated in Germany with wild hair, oversize shoes, and wild clothing---the brunt of clown jokes.

Ora Mae Meggitt, as Gabby, exemplifies the white faced clown common in English history. Gabby starts the fun, the intelligent one, always with tricks on her mind.

Dick Meggett, on the left, captures America's famous hobo. His handled is Roadrunner. He traces his comical ancestry to the Great Depression when hobos rode railroad boxcars looking for work. And since railroads generally did not supply toilet facilities in their boxcars, hobos appeared unshaven and were seldom bathed. They cleaned sleep from their eyes and from their mouths with saliva. Their grinning faces were white in those areas.

Toby's Clowns regularly provide delightful entertainment at area events and festivals.

Lake Placid proudly claims the highest per-capita number of clowns of any community in the state.

•The Seminole Indian lady is grinding corn with a mortar and pestle to make grits for sofkee

•Her dress is authentic and her hair resembles a bonnet

•The chickees were their only shelter and used for sleeping and communal cooking

Artist Guy LaBree pulls an Istokpoga image straight out of history. This is a replica of a Seminole village about 100 years ago.

Today, these big billowing clouds still loom over the lake on a warm afternoon as we ponder these wondrous waters that sustained the life of this Indian woman and, in a remarkable way, sustain life 100 years later.

Village men found abundant food around and in the lake. Still, the mystery of Istokpoga's history includes stories of dangerous whirlpools were people drowned. Impossible? Consider the word "Istokpoga" means "many men died here". Thankfully, these stories also included the legend of the shaman who magically "fixed" the whirpools to make the lake safer.

Village woman prepared the food. This Indian woman pounds corn with a mortar and pestle to make grits for sofkee, a bland corn soup. It is a favorite hot drink of Florida natives.

Behind her, the chickees are built of cypress logs and palm thatching. Designed to let the breezes blow freely through, they also bore mosquito netting. Chickees had roof rafters for storage. Everyone shared a cooking chickee and the fire never went out.

The Indian lady is wearing a dress made by cutting brightly colored fabric into squares and folding it like origami. Then it is sewn together on a hand operated sewing machine.

Her hairstyle emulates the bonnets adopted from non-Indian fashion. She is barefoot and loves necklaces.

Like the Caucasian settlers that followed, the Seminole Indians were not native Floridians, but drifted southward mostly from Alabama and Georgia.

•Istokpoga means "many men died here"

•Two Seminole Indians, each in a different century of dress, are hunting the gigantic alligator

•Behind the Great Blue Heron a thunderstorm is approaching, making the lake dangerous

At first glance, Lake Istokpoga resembles many large freshwater lakes. But Istokpoga is not a typical lake. Far from it, Istokpoga is a fascinating mystery. While its debts averages about six feet, it stretches across about 27,692 acres. It contains nearly half of all the lake surface in Highlands County. For thousands of years, nearly all of the water draining off the Lake Wales Ridge reaches Istokpoga, and from Istokpoga the water eventually flows into Lake Okeechobee on its way to the Everglades. Finally, water from the Ridge flows into Florida Bay.

Life has always thrived around this lake that has never become a swamp, in spite of its shallow depth---and has become one of North America's greatest natural nurseries. It is being groomed for premier fishing lake.

Keith Goodson captures both Istokpoga's history and ecology. His featured living creatures are birds that call the lake home. The majestic blue heron stands a watchful sentinel. Ducks arriving at their winter nesting grounds encounter the great white heron and little green heron and wintering red wing blackbirds scold. The osprey carries food to feed its young.

He captures the fascinating history around the lake---18th and 19th century Indians bent on conquering an alligator. Settlers visited the lake frequently, searching for food.

It is a great mother lake tirelessly sustaining life. Moody in its constant changes; Goodson shows its ups and downs. Early morning serenity around Big Island changes into a windy froth by afternoon when heavy clouds return evaporated water to the lake.

•For over 20 years the Rose Man grew beautiful roses and gave them away

•He often delivered 140 bouquets of roses each day throughout the summer

•He washed 200 vases each day before rose picking time

Willard Campbell was a teenage coal miner, wartime soldier, but in his hometown of Lake Placid, he is known as "The Rose Man."

No grass grew under Willard's feet. Since 1990, he dedicated his energy, money and time to growing beautiful roses and giving them away on a daily basis.

At the break of dawn, Willard was in the garden picking roses. As he picked, he put them in vases filled with a mixture of Listerine and water to keep them germ free. He then put them in vases filled with his recipe for rose food. He had special carriers made for him by a good friend.

Willard's rose bushes bloomed most of the winter when the weather was "Chamber of Commerce" perfect. Some days, in the middle of summer, when his 150 tea rose bushes and 40 miniature bushes were already blooming, he would make two trips into Lake Placid with 70 bouquets on each trip. It would be hard to name a business in Lake Placid that did not received a bouquet from "The Rose Man."

On the weekend, Willard would provide bouquets for patients in the hospital, nursing homes and assisted living facilities and for special occasions.

There is a thorny side of growing roses. He would awaken early and wash 200 vases before rose picking time. Hours were devoted to fertilizing, pruning, and spraying. When he read the notes expressing thanks for comfort, joy and delight received from the gifts of roses, he considered the time well spent.

Willard received a great pleasure from growing roses, but his greatest pleasure was in giving them away. His philosophy is expressed in the refrain from a song. "Give me the roses while I live, trying to cheer me on, useless the flowers that you give after the soul is gone."

"He wears the rose of youth upon him."

William Shakespeare

•There are 27 beautiful fresh water lakes within 7 miles of Lake Placid

•Our largest lake is Lake Istokpoga at 27,692 acres

•Lake Istokpoga was groomed as a premier fishing lake

This fascinating mural vividly displays our most treasured resource – dozens of lakes sprinkled across our county, each of them flashing under the bright sunshine like a diamond. Within seven miles of where you stand and among gently rolling hills lie 27 of these beautiful lakes. The smallest is Buck Lake at 10 acres, the largest, 27,692 acre Lake Istokpoga, only a short drive east on County Road 621.

This mural draws you into our heritage and history built on these shores. Not that long ago, Indians fished and traveled on these lakes. These days, thousands of people come from all directions to share what our native residents once had all to themselves.

Blessed with two summer seasons—mild months October through April and warmer months May through September—visitors and residents alike enjoy boating, fishing, water-skiing and wave running Thanks to our southern climes, these treasures are always buoyantly ready to lift anyone’s spirits.

While you enjoy our jewels, LAKEWATCH volunteers throughout the county monitor lake quality. A long list of agencies work cooperatively in a lakes management program, which is unique in all of Florida.

The mission of both the Mural Society and these agencies and volunteers is preserving this fragile and appealing treasure for generations to come.

•Bassin' won first place in a national contest for Air Brush Magazine

•Lake Istokpoga is 27,692 acres and it is being groomed as a premier fishing lake

•Bass tournament weigh-ins regularly measure fish over 18" and weighing over six pounds

The lakes of Highlands county are unique. These are the only lakes in the state of Florida that have escaped the problems most of our state's lakes have faced in recent years. While Floridians work on finding answers to water quality questions, bass tournament weigh-ins regularly measure fish over 18 inches long weighing over 6 pounds. Nine pounds or more is not uncommon.

All of our lakes are connected with the famous Florida aquifer. But they are also connected through rivers, creeks, and ditches with one of the most notorious spawning beds in all of North America - Lake Istokpoga.

All these lakes and Istokpoga are merely part of the Kissimmee watershed that stretches over 100 miles through Orlando and on to Lake Okeechobee. From there, the water drains into Florida Bay at the southern end of the state were salt water mixes with the freshwater of the Everglades.

For the bass master, our lakes offer unsurpassed bass fishing.

The charm of this mural is obviously the 3-D effect; the bass appears to be leaping out of the wall. This mural won first place in the prestigious Air Brush magazine's national competition for billboards and murals.

•There are only 30 to 50 panthers alive in the wild - our most endangered species in Florida

•Litters are one to four kittens and they are ready to live on their own at two years of age

•Favorite foods: white-tailed deer, wild hog, raccoons, armadillos and cotton-tailed rabbits

The Florida panther is an endangered species. For this mural wildlife painter Terry Smith chose a mother looking for her kitten. Our big cats may need their nine lives because many are killed on the road and others are losers in their fight over habitat. These big cats reached seven-foot lengths weigh 150 pounds. It is also the only big cat that purrs.

Male panthers roam over 200 square miles, females 100. Scientists believe the recently noticed crook in their tails and cowlick in the middle of their back are caused by inbreeding as both panther numbers in their territory have diminished.

The live to 18 years in some cases, the their average lifespan is about 10 - 12 years. Mostly residents of hardwood hammocks, their favorite food is white-tailed deer and wild hog. But they also eat smaller animals, including raccoons, armadillos, cotton-tailed rabbits, and an occasional alligator.

In south Florida the state built 40 underpasses on interstate 75 and State Road 29 to allow the panthers to cross the road safely. Radio collars are worn by many panthers to allow wildlife officers to monitor them.

•Wood Ducks (woodies) are making a comeback on the lakes of Lake Placid

•Ecologists are installing Wood Duck boxes on many of our lakes to encourage nesting

•Eggs incubate for thirty days and mated pairs produce eight to fifteen offspring

Soft white clouds sweep a backdrop for the wood ducks pulling off misty Lake Istokpoga in this mural of native wildlife. The tall cypress trees flourish in swamps where their buttressed roots sink deep into wet soil, a cathedral-like environment woodies love.

The shy bird is rarely seen in the open. They pair up during mating season and raise their family. Mother duck performs all the incubation duties and nurtures the ducklings.

Wildlife conservation groups are supplying special nesting boxes, but on their own, woodies also like hollow trees or deserted woodpecker holes anywhere from four to sixty feet above the ground. The clutch contains eight to 15 eggs and incubate for about a month.

Within 24 hours of hatching, the mother stands on the ground and calls them from their nest. They drop to the ground and when they land they follow their mother to water. Sometimes, the mother carries the ducklings one by one in her bill. Other times they get a free ride on her back.

•Great Blue Herons are wading birds that live around the lakes and marshes

•Their nests are platforms of sticks built high in trees

•Both the male and female incubate the three to seven eggs and care for the young

Serene is a beautiful study in blue. The stately Great Blue Heron appears frozen in a typical pose watching for a meal of fish or frogs. Typically they wade slowly in shallow water, sometimes shading the water surface with outspread wings. The heron thrusts its head forward quickly, grasps the prey in its long, straight mandibles, and swallows it whole.

These Herons live around lakes and marshes in Florida. The nests are platforms of sticks built high in trees. Both male and female incubate the three to seven eggs and care for the downy young.

Purple Martins seem to glide in the background. These are the largest swallows, measuring seven to eight and one half inches. They nest in deserted Wood Pecker holes. Early settlers encouraged these beneficial birds by erecting martin houses or hanging clusters of hollow gourds in trees.

Resurrection fern is growing on the tree stump. This fern dries up and looks dead in the dry season. The rainy season finds it a beautiful lush green.

•For nearly 40 years The Lake Placid Journal has been a hometown newspaper

•The Dalmation puppies are tearing the first paper published by the new owners

•You can read the first two pages of the paper on the mural

The mischievous nature of three Dalmation puppies comes to life in "ink spots", a mural that reflects the history of Lake Placid through the perspective of its hometown newspaper of nearly 40 years, The Journal.

Having already chewed up a gardening trowel next to a pot of Lake Placid's world-famous caladiums, the puppies are climbing on a crate of citrus. This great bears one of Lake Placid's early labels, Bark Canoe. They are having a wonderful time tearing up the first edition of the Lake Placid Journal published by longtime owners the Lamonte and Emmalene Moore.

Since the Moores acquired The Journal in March 1963, the weekly newspaper has remained a family affair and today continues under the ownership of the Moores' daughter, Constance Delaney. Over the years, Constance Delaney's five children have contributed to its management.

After starting in the newspaper business in Largor, Ind., Lamonte and Emmalene Moore eventually settled in Lake Placid and spent their lives affectionately promoting this town. Lamonte Moore was a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis Club and a steadfast supporter of youth baseball.

•Florida has more Bald Eagles than any other state, with the exception of Alaska

•Eagles' population declined through habitat destruction & environmental contamination

•Concentrated efforts to protect wetlands & nest sites statewide will ensure their existence

An eagle family living on the beautiful lake shore of Istokpoga is pictured in this mural. The female brings food to her eaglets while her partner can be seen flying in to help feed and protect the family.

Eagles are one of the largest and most powerful birds in the world. Outside Alaska more Bald Eagles live in Florida than any other state. The Bald Eagle has experienced population declines throughout most of its ranges due to habitat destruction and environmental contamination. Despite the loss of many of Florida's wetlands, Bald Eagles are still abundant here. their nests are usually built in tall pine trees near lakes, marshes, or coastlines. Paired eagles will use the same site year after year, adding new material each season until nests become quite large. Two to three eggs are laid during late fall or winter. Young eagles are fed by both parents a varying diet dominated by fish, but supplemented by large wetlands birds. Despite Florida's large eagle population, our national symbol is under continuous pressure due to habitat loss and increased human disturbance. Only concerted efforts to protect wetlands and nets sites statewide will ensure the continued existence of this magnificent bird.

ref: Florida's Bird