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🌱 How Winter Haven Hospital’s teen camp is shaping tomorrow’s healthcare workers
Winter Haven, Florida Patch AM: a 5 min readHi there, Winter Haven! We've got your morning read ready! Read on to stay connected. ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
- How Winter Haven Hospital’s teen camp is shaping tomorrow’s healthcare workers
- How a Lake Jessie subdivision became Winter Haven’s own “Mayberry.”
- Winter Haven honors 100-year-old World War II Navy veteran
Also on today's calendar: Better Together Second Chance Job Fair and 6 more events.
Today's riddle: What did the carpenter ant say when he walked into the bar? 🤔 (Answer below!)
- Wednesday: A stray t-shower; not as warm, with a high of 82 and low of 68 degrees.
- Thursday: Mostly sunny and beautiful, temps: high: 84, low: 68.
- Friday: Mostly sunny with a shower, with a high of 88 and low of 69 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
📰 News we're reading
1. Winter Haven Hospital Career Camp aims to build future healthcare workforce (tampabay28.com) — Winter Haven teens are getting a rare, hands-on look at hospital careers through a three-day Career Camp at Winter Haven Hospital aimed at tackling local healthcare worker shortages. Fifteen students are touring departments like radiology and labor and delivery, meeting hospital leaders, and exploring medical career paths that could bring them back to serve Polk County in the future. 
2. Biltmore Shores: The Mayberry That Was (havenmagazines.com) — Residents of Winter Haven’s Biltmore Shores share vivid memories of growing up along Lake Jessie in the 1950s and ’60s, from Dog n’ Suds runs to boating the Chain of Lakes. The story also recalls the neighborhood’s grief over Officer Gordon Stotz, the first Winter Haven Police Department officer killed in the line of duty, and reflects on how that close-knit “Mayberry” era shaped families who still remember it today.
3. World War II Navy Veteran Gentry Edgar Taylor Celebrates 100th Birthday (jacksoncountytimes.news) — Winter Haven readers may recognize World War II Navy veteran Gentry Edgar Taylor, who built a long career with State Farm Insurance here before retiring as a senior underwriter. Now 100, he’s being honored for his wartime service, deep church involvement, and decades of community leadership, with family and friends planning a celebration later this month.
4. Man arrested in shooting at SUNY Morrisville; second suspect not arrested yet (syracuse.com) — A former SUNY Morrisville student now linked to Winter Haven has been indicted in a 2025 campus shooting in upstate New York that left a 20-year-old man seriously injured. Prosecutors say the 19-year-old, who had been living in Winter Haven after previously residing in Brooklyn, faces attempted murder and multiple weapons charges, while a second suspect remains at large.
5. In Loving Memory of Bertha 'Bert' Lee Belford (winterhavendaily.com) — Family and friends in Winter Haven are mourning Bertha “Bert” Lee Belford, a beloved soul food cook who spent decades working in nearby Lake Hamilton. She is remembered by a large family, including her son Alfonso Lewis of Winter Haven, along with many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and extended relatives across Polk County and beyond.
📸 Around Winter Haven
Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!
🗓
Upcoming Events in
Winter Haven
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
★ Featured events ★
-
Mosaic Art Classes Winter Haven: Turkish Lamp Workshop →
Cypresswood Golf and Country Club, 1099 Clubhouse Rd, Winter Haven
10:00 am
Sunday June 7
Want to see your event featured? Click here!
Other local events
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Fort Meade - Silent Reading Club
Kathryn L. Smith Memorial Library Fort Meade Public Library, 75 E Broadway St, Fort Meade, FL 338 -
Lake Alfred - Crafts and Chat (Adults)
Kathryn L. Smith Memorial Library Lake Alfred Public Library, 245 N Seminole Ave, Lake Alfred, FL
10:30 am -
DOWNTOWN: Winter Haven Writers →
Winter Haven, FL Calendar, 325 AVE A NW, Winter Haven
12:30 pm -
DOWNTOWN: Chair Yoga & Standing Balance →
Winter Haven, FL Calendar, 325 AVE A NW, Winter Haven
10:30 am -
Fort Meade - Fairy Tale Interactive Films
Kathryn L. Smith Memorial Library Fort Meade Public Library, 75 E Broadway St, Fort Meade, FL 338
11:00 am -
BRUNCH ON 1ST “Brunch & Day Party” →
KULTURE on 1st, 1780 1st St N, Winter Haven
4:00 pm -
Polk City - Take and Make Craft
Kathryn L. Smith Memorial Library 325 Avenue A NW, Winter Haven, FL 33881 -
Better Together Second Chance Job Fair →
RidgePoint Church, 100 Hatfield Rd, Winter Haven
11:00 am
Thursday June 4
Friday June 5
Sunday June 7
Monday June 8
Tuesday June 9
📣 Winter Haven Shout Outs!
Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!
🗓 Events Nearby
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Fort Meade - Chilling w/ Quilling Facilitated by Ms. Sharon
Kathryn L. Smith Memorial Library Fort Meade Public Library, 75 E Broadway St, Fort Meade, FL 338
10:00 am -
Fort Meade - Silent Reading Club
Kathryn L. Smith Memorial Library Fort Meade Public Library, 75 E Broadway St, Fort Meade, FL 338 -
Lake Alfred - Crafts and Chat (Adults)
Kathryn L. Smith Memorial Library Lake Alfred Public Library, 245 N Seminole Ave, Lake Alfred, FL
10:30 am -
Fort Meade - Fairy Tale Interactive Films
Kathryn L. Smith Memorial Library Fort Meade Public Library, 75 E Broadway St, Fort Meade, FL 338
11:00 am
Wednesday June 3
Thursday June 4
Friday June 5
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.
💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- Me and my Husband Stan Schmidt want to thank everyone at 4 lakes during our house fire on Wild Dunes Ct.
There are still so many good people out there and we can't thank you enough. (Nextdoor 4 Lakes) - Update: Pet Reunited
Thor, a dog who went missing in Winter Haven, FL, has been safely reunited with their family after 5 hours, 25 minutes. Message from Owner: "Mr… (Nextdoor Elbert Lake)
- Kentucky Fried Chicken posted a job opening for Team Member in Winter Haven. Apply here.
- SAS Retail Services posted a job opening for Traveling Retail Merchandiser in Winter Haven. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Winter Haven here.
Ok Winter Haven! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Is the bar tender here? (Thank you W. M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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