The Hilton Garden Inn Lakeland will be offering two special events during Sun ‘n Fun 2012 on Saturday, March 31 and Sunday, April 1.

On Saturday, March 31, the HGI Lakeland will be offering a special rooftop dinner reception buffet on our observation deck featuring prime rib and other delectable items while providing you with the opportunity to view the nightly show.  Pricing is $25.95 per person from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  Seating is limited for this event with reservations strongly encouraged.

On Sunday, April 1, the HGI Lakeland will be holding a brunch buffet with mimosas and a “build your own” bloody mary bar in our Hangar Bar & Grill.  Pricing is $26.95 per person from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Reservations are required.

Please contact the Hilton Garden Inn Lakeland at (863) 647-0066 for more information or to reserve your space.

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The City of Lakeland is among the most pleasant and desirable places to live in Florida, in part because of its unique place in the world of architecture. Just above the shore of attractive Lake Hollingsworth is the beautiful Child of the Sun collection of buildings at Florida Southern College, designed by the great American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

The city will soon have the opportunity to give the Child of the Sun collection even more visibility. The Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Florida) is marking its 100^th anniversary with a contest, Florida Architecture: 100 Years, 100 Places, and members of the public can participate.

Florida Southern College is on the list of buildings and sites to be voted on in the state-wide public survey, which runs March 5-31, 2012. Anyone can vote via AIA Florida’s website, www.aiafla.org, for their top choices of great architecture in Florida.

When concluded, the survey will rank the public’s choices of its favorite architectural sites in Florida. The results will be announced in April, and a mobile app will be released that when downloaded will give a virtual tour of the Top 100 buildings and places. Sites in the Top 100 are assured attention, generating more public interest and more visitation.

FSC President Anne B. Kerr said the College is honored to be part of the survey.

“AIA Florida has recognized that Florida Southern is part of a rich and diverse architectural heritage in our state. We believe the survey will help make the public aware of all the beautiful buildings and sites in Florida, and we hope the College’s friends will participate to ensure that Florida Southern takes its place in the top 100 architectural sites,” she said.

Florida Southern is encouraging its friends in the City of Lakeland and beyond to help place the College at the top of the AIA Florida list. Starting March 5, visit the AIA Florida website, www.aiafla.org, and follow the link to the Florida Architecture: 100 Years, 100 Places survey page. Voting early and often is key to a successful result. Vote totals are maintained in real time so voters can see how their favorite site is faring.

Constructed between 1938 and 1959, the Child of the Sun collection at Florida Southern College is the only college campus that Wright designed. It comprises 12 buildings and other structures, with the centerpiece being the magnificent Annie Pfeiffer Chapel. It is the largest single-site collection of Wright’s designs anywhere in the world.

Thousands of tourists from around the world each year come to gaze at the striking buildings, the esplanades and the newly restored Water Dome. The college and the city are the beneficiaries of Wright’s remarkable vision.

At least two dozen architects and six architecture firms in Lakeland are members of AIA Florida, which is dedicated to building up communities through good design and sustainable practices. Mike Murphey of Wallis Murphey Boyington Architects, Inc., said Lakeland should support Florida Southern by voting in the AIA Florida survey.

“People tend to take for granted what is in their own backyards. Since Mr. Wright is generally considered to be the greatest American architect, this collection is an extremely valuable asset to the Lakeland community. Its value is reflected in our sense of pride as well as the economic impact of the 60,000 visitors who make the pilgrimage to see it each year,” he said.

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Recognizing the need for guidelines dealing with weather operations, the National Weather Service designed the StormReady program to help cities, counties, towns and events implement procedures to reduce the potential for disastrous weather-related consequences.

SUN ’n FUN, with the requirement to provide its guests with the safest possible aviation event, has achieved the prestigious recognition of StormReady.

Through StormReady, NOAA’s National Weather Service gives communities and event organizers the skills and education needed to survive severe weather—before and during the event.  StormReady helps emergency managers strengthen their local hazardous weather operations.

Working with StormReady guidelines, the SUN ‘n FUN Severe Weather Team has formulated a plan to ensure our guests that we are StormReady.

Steps have been taken to facilitate the StormReady process with the following identifications:

• Three locations for the NOAA Weather Radios;
• Safe Shelter Areas for each geographic area of the event grounds to comply with SUN ‘n FUN’s “Tornado and High Wind Safety Zone Designation;”
• Alternative methods of receiving National Weather Service warnings including local TV and radio; internet weather sources;
• Methods for alerting staff, guests and participants, with areas of exception taken into account, as well as alternative means for alerting staff, guests, and participants if electricity is off;
• Methods to provide special assistance to handicapped staff and participants;
• Pre-planned announcements for the SNF announcer, radio station and Safety Officers to avoid confusion and misunderstanding; and
• Processes to notify all concerned as the weather conditions and/or emergency have passed.

In a continuing effort to ensure safety and preparedness and maintain diligence at all times, SUN ‘n FUN performs a tabletop drill in November, as well as a physical on-site drill in February each year to familiarize staff and volunteers with the StormReady process.  Volunteer meetings will include announcements of emergency preparedness planning.

SUN ‘n FUN staff and volunteers pledge to make our event the safest possible.  Look for the StormReady site designation signs next time you enter the SUN ‘n FUN campus.

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Gene Conrad, Lakeland Linder Airport Director, has a lot to smile about after receiving the call from Ed Warneck and Kay Ellison, managing partners of Direct Air, from their corporate office in Myrtle Beach this week. Not one, not two, but three new routes are being added to the Direct Air schedule starting in May, 2012, less than 9 months from when service began from the under-utilized airport.  Direct Air also reported they were close to finalizing two or three more destinations within a few weeks if all goes well. “For now,” commented Warneck, “let’s get ready for Pittsburgh, Columbus, Ohio, and Gulfport-Biloxi.”

Direct Air announced today the introduction of new nonstop service between three additional destinations;

1) Pittsburgh, PA will begin nonstop service Friday, Saturday, and Monday beginning May 18, 2012

2) Columbus, OH, served from Rickenbacker International Airport, will begin nonstop service Thursday and Sundays beginning June 17, 2012

3) Gulfport-Biloxi, MS will begin nonstop service Wednesday, Friday, and Sundays beginning June 15, 2012

“This is the typical expansion pattern of Direct Air,” states Warneck. “We start off with a few flights per week and add frequency and additional destinations based on demand. I guess you could say we grow with the market. The support from the community and careful management by the Lakeland Airport Director and his staff helped accelerate the process.”

“What a year it has been for Direct Air, our marketing partners and Lakeland Linder Regional Airport,” said Gene Conrad, Lakeland Airport Director. “When we began service back in June of last year we never thought we would see the passenger numbers we are seeing now.  We will move over 100,000 passengers through our facility in our first year of operations and we are looking forward to far exceeding those numbers with the additional destinations that are being added today.”

The addition of Gulfport-Biloxi, MS; Columbus, OH; and Pittsburgh, PA, will compliment the already served markets of Niagara Falls, NY; Plattsburgh, NY; and Springfield, IL.

To celebrate the announcement of the new service from Lakeland a special promotional fare of $99 will be offered, certain restrictions may apply.  The reservation must be booked before midnight, Wednesday, February 22, 2012. Reservations can be booked at www.visitdirectair.com or by calling Direct Air’s Reservations Department toll-free at 1-877-432-3473.

Tourism and Casino officials in Gulfport applauded Direct Air when they received notice of the introduction of year-round air service between Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Florida and Gulfport-Biloxi Airport, MS beginning this spring. The nonstop ninety-minute flight service will be offered three times per week, on, Fridays, Sundays, and Wednesdays beginning June 15, 2012.

Florida residents are eager for the nonstop flights between the two vacation destinations. Scheduled service did not exist at Lakeland prior to June 23, 2011 when Direct Air began service from the under-served airport. From the beginning, Direct Air was pleased with the positive response it received and quickly began researching additional destinations that would fit the Direct Air model.

Direct Air has been providing scheduled public charter flights since March 2007; flying 67,000 passengers the first year of operation.  Since then, Direct Air has carried over 1.5 million passengers and increased service from 4 destinations to 17. The company has carved out a strong niche in developing secondary markets through under-utilized airports with a focus on leisure travel.

When asked the reason for their success when others are ending service and grounding planes, Warneck responded by saying, “Our business foundation has been built on four basic cornerstones;

1) Safety is always first.

2) Selling to the needs of the customer – low fares, nonstop service.

3) Building community relationships by working with them rather than doing it alone.

4) Bringing economic growth and jobs to the community. “

Warneck’s partner Kay Ellison commented, “Are we excited, you bet we are! Gulfport, Mississippi has always been an attractive vacation destination. Year after year, Gulfport is consistently a top leisure destination for people from central and western Florida looking for a quick getaway. Gulfport offers the excitement of eleven world-class casino resorts, twenty top-tier golf courses, and an abundance of outdoor activities.  We believe Gulfport will be the getaway destination of choice for our customers from the Tampa Bay and Orlando areas. Travelers in central Florida have discovered the exceptional value and convenience that Direct Air offers.”

Direct Air offers flight service in the following markets: Myrtle Beach, SC; Pittsburgh, PA; Newark, NJ; Columbus, OH; Plattsburgh, NY; Toledo, OH; Kalamazoo, MI; Worcester, MA; Niagara Falls, NY; Allentown, PA; Rockford, IL; Springfield, IL; Orlando-Sanford, FL; Punta Gorda, FL, West Palm Beach, FL, and Gulfport, MS.

All Direct Air flights are Public Charters operated on Boeing 737-400, 150 passenger jet aircraft by Xtra Airways and by Sky King Airlines.

For additional information contact Stan Rydelek at Direct Air Corporate Office at 1-843-916-9700.

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Florida has long been a place of fascination for those living in other states, and a scholar who has studied Florida’s complicated relationship with tourists will be the next guest speaker in Florida Southern College’s Florida Lecture Series.

Historian Tracy Jean Revels will lead off the spring season of the Florida Lecture Series on Feb. 16.  Dr. Revels’ lecture, “Sunshine Paradise:  A History of Florida Tourism,” will be held in the Hollis Room at 7 p.m. on the FSC campus.  The event is free and open to the public.

The Series is sponsored by FSC’s Lawton M. Chiles Jr. Center for Florida History.

Walt Disney’s entertainment empire looms in the minds of many when they think of Florida, along with other tourism magnets such as beachside resorts, extensive nature preserves, and numerous other theme parks. Dr. Revels has explored the intricate link between tourism and the Sunshine State. In her book, Sunshine Paradise: A History of Florida Tourism, she examines how the tourism industry has immeasurably impacted the state’s identity, economy, and residents. Incorporating 200 years of historical perspectives from tourists, politicians, and Floridians, Revels paints a vivid picture of the continual evolution of the state’s tourism industry as it works to create the ultimate tourist haven.

“We are really excited about having Dr. Revels back on campus,” said James M. Denham, Director of the Lawton Chiles Center for Florida History.  “Her program will be entertaining and well as informative.”

Dr. Tracy Revels is associate professor and chair of the history department at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. She earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in history from Florida State University. Dr. Revels has written numerous articles and essays as well as four books, covering subjects ranging from the impact of the Civil War on Floridian women to a humorous collection of stories featuring Sherlock Holmes.

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