>> This is a production of Wedu PBS, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota.

>> Support for Greater Lakeland is generously provided by Lakeland Regional Health and Candi Packett.

>> On this compilation of Greater Lakeland.

An iconic college campus boasts the largest collection of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in the world.

Learn the legacy and the drama of the Lakeland Swans.

The magic of the movies endures with the Silvermoon Drive-In Theater.

Witness the history and the future of aviation in Lakeland and explore the Central Park of central Florida.

Hello, I'm Lissette Campos, and this is Greater Lakeland.

The city of Lakeland is a special mix of old Florida charm and modern ideas, nestled in the heart of the state.

In this program, learn the stories of the people and the places who embody the essence of Lakeland, showcasing its history, beauty, and the power of local community.

Frank Lloyd Wright was an architect and a dreamer, embodying ideals of individualism and traditional American values.

He found inspiration at Florida Southern College, where he included students in the construction of the buildings.

The campus, fully integrated with Lakeland's natural landscape, is now the largest collection of Wright buildings in the world.

>> Until it has one of its own.

You can't live your entire life on borrowed ideas.

Borrowed knowledge.

It borrowed culture.

We must evolve something from within ourselves.

>> Frank Lloyd Wright didn't believe in the quote "Common Man".

He believed that everyone has creative potential, has a creative spirit.

He tried to produce an architecture that would instill and allow that creative spirit to blossom.

He felt that each individual could also be an architect.

>> Here at Florida Southern College, we have the largest concentration of Frank Lloyd Wright's work in the world for any one site, one client, one commission.

It's his largest commission, spanning about 20 years.

The creation of this campus was created at a time when humanity was being forced into being seen as a number.

He felt that each individual could also be an architect, even though they weren't perhaps architects by profession, that they could shape the world around them to reflect their own minds, their own spirits.

Frank Lloyd Wright tried to provide a way for them, to give them courage, to go out and do things for themselves, to think for themselves, to think differently, to fully live life.

The significance of the Frank Lloyd.

>> Wright architecture at our institution, I think, goes back to the intention of when Mr. Wright was invited to design this campus.

So the president at the time, Doctor Lloyd Spivey, had contacted Mr. Wright because he was so distinctly American.

And between the two of them, they determined that they did not want architecture that would be a copy of anything in Asia or Europe, but it would be distinctly American, reflecting the American spirit of innovation, independence and relying upon distinctive talents in all areas of education.

>> It needed more if it were to realize fully its own destiny and inspire the other colleges of America with the practical necessity for a better balance between spiritual and scientific teachings.

Here, let me add that I agree completely with you.

Doctor Spivey is a fascinating individual.

He was very ahead of his time in a number of different educational ideas.

He championed the values of experiential learning long before it became a staple of higher education.

And he was defined first and foremost, above all, by his ambition and drive.

In 1935, I was over in Geneva, Switzerland, and I saw a famous monument there to Protestantism, and this monument suggested to me to return home as quick as possible and do something extraordinary here in America.

Doctor Spivey was a visionary.

He wanted this architecture to be distinctive and attract national attention.

In 1938, when Doctor Spivey reached out to Frank Lloyd Wright, Wright was nearly 71 years old.

He had just embarked on what would later be looked on as kind of the renaissance of his career, with the completion of Falling Water.

And yet, I think Frank Lloyd Wright saw something really special about this project.

It was the ability to design an entire master plan of different buildings.

A blank slate of sorts, where he could not only freely, openly express his ideas, but also create a sort of thesis of his ideas.

A perfect summary of his various styles, his various movements from all corners of his work.

From the earliest stages of the planning process, Wright made it clear that he had the students and the students experience foremost in his mind.

Even in early letters to Doctor Spivey talking about his vision as it was forming, he seemed to express interest more in how the students would react than anyone else in the general public, and talked at length about the student experience that he wanted to create.

America.

The land of opportunity.

America is the richest country in the world.

America's standard of living is the highest yet achieved.

America spends more to educate her children than any other country in the world.

>> A little before my time, the college had little money and so they worked students to build the buildings.

One must remember that this campus was designed and the construction started during the Great Depression.

A lot of people didn't have a lot of lot of money, particularly to go to college.

So let's buy.

We came up with actually a brilliant idea.

Perhaps the students can work on these buildings for three days a week, and then they can study for three days a week and take Sundays off.

And in that way, a lot of students that couldn't have possibly dreamed of going to college were able to realize their dreams coming here.

And in the same way, they realize the dream of creating Frank Lloyd Wright architecture as a restoration architect.

I work on these buildings every day, and I know how they're put together, and I see the mark of the students hands in these buildings.

I'm incredibly impressed by what they were able to achieve.

If you were to give the plans for these buildings to a builder today, a builder would think that you're completely out of your mind.

But yet these students were able to build the first few buildings on this campus almost by themselves.

And it's a miracle that they that they're here at all.

The students building the buildings were overseen by trades professors, industrial arts professors from back in the day, and a lot of their learning in those departments extended into the construction of the right buildings, and vice versa.

The work done here by the students must have been incredibly difficult, backbreaking.

The sun was shining on them, no shirts, so they were sweating it out.

Extremely difficult work.

These blocks are very, very heavy, very exacting work.

The building that we're in right now is the old library.

It was built mostly by female students after the onset of World War 2.

Most of the male students had to go overseas, but yet they didn't stop.

Ludd Spivey, the president of the college, kept forging ahead, and the female students built most of this building.

We have some great photographs of the women on bulldozers and cement mixers.

They were building this building using, again, very, very crude techniques.

And it's a real testimony to their gut and grit to get it done.

When I walk into the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel, it brings back a flood of memories.

Frank Lloyd Wright's visit my graduation.

I probably sat on this row in graduation.

I graduated mid-year, so a small class.

And it's always a place filled with almost worship for me as I met my wife.

She was a freshman and I was a sophomore.

In a week, we'll be married 68 years.

And all that floods my thoughts as to see this beautiful place, as visitors call it, a place of worship.

And it truly.

>> Is.

Frank Lloyd Wright developed the concept of Organic architecture.

Organic architecture is an architecture that is connected to nature and is connected to its time and its place.

As an architect, Wright practiced for over 70 years, he started his architectural career in the 1890s.

He had several key goals to his work.

He primarily wanted to establish the central core tenets of organic architectural design.

He wanted an architecture that, as he put it, belonged on the landscape that belonged exactly where you saw it, that respected and preserved the preexisting nature around it.

He also wanted to create a much more free flowing, easygoing, more in his own mind.

Democratic architecture that was different from the overly stuffy, boxy, very formal revivalist and Victorian styles that were predominant at his time.

I have the distinct pleasure of being the only college president in the United States that is in an office designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The story goes that Ludd Spivey contacted Mr. Wright to complain that there was this huge leak over his desk, and to that, Mr. Wright replied, move your desk.

One of Frank Lloyd Wright's great passions beyond architecture was classical music, and I think that one can look at this campus as his largest symphony, as an architect.

He often wrote extensively at the connection between classical music and architecture.

He thought that the mindset of composition and architect was one and the same.

And so this campus is a symphony of different movements, different periods of his work, all brought together into one cohesive vision.

I think Frank Lloyd Wright was esthetically.

An architect ahead of his time.

These designs look modern now, so they must have been.

Earth shattering at that time in their design brilliance.

And his architecture here has something to teach all of us if we take the time to look at it.

We can see that we ourselves can build something like this.

That every time someone does something really daring, it gives us a certain level of permission to be able to do it for ourselves.

Now.

Look upon these buildings and look upon this little college, and look upon the wise doctor here as engaging in an adventure, the greatest, most important of all adventures.

An adventure in the realm of the of the human spirit, searching for a greater harmony, a greater truth of being.

And with it comes God knows a more blessed, richer life.

Thank you.

While not native to Florida, swans have a rich history in Lakeland that harkens back to its earliest residents.

Discover the fascinating and dramatic legacy of the Swans that continues today with dedicated residents who help care for these iconic Swans.

>> So the swans have a very interesting history in Lakeland.

I liken it to like a made for TV movie.

There is a lot of drama and intrigue.

>> That takes place.

Go, go.

Check in on you.

I am the Swan lady.

I've been working with the Swans for almost 20 years now.

On a daily basis.

They've become a part of my life.

They're like my little kids.

I call them my babies, you know?

So they're very, very close to me.

Swans are not native to Florida.

They were brought here by some of our seasonal guests.

They were used to seeing swans on their local waters, and so they would bring them down here as pets.

So by 1926, there were maybe about an inventory of about 20 to 25 swans.

And so the city of Lakeland decided to create a swan department to help managed these swans.

I feel like I've had an emotional connection to my swans since I first started work here.

Being a type of person that loves animals in any kind of way, to be able to be on this route, you'll learn to love these animals.

If you work with them on a daily basis like I do.

>> So when new baby swans are born, Samantha the swan lady will bring them into us.

We'll collect blood sample for sexing.

We'll make sure that they're healthy and don't have any birth defects.

We'll also place a microchip so that the that the city knows that who's who.

And in case any of them wander off, that they do belong to the city.

And we also do pinioning.

By the 1950s, however, due to disease, attrition or just, you know, being hurt, the swan population quickly died off.

And there was an organized effort about 1954 to bring the swans back to Lakeland.

An interested former resident had connections to the Royal Swannery in England.

Queen Elizabeth granted a mated pair of mute swans to the city of Lakeland.

All we had to do was pay, shipping and handling.

Sounds easy right?

But unfortunately, along that way there was a lot of things that happened before the swans were taken a barge overturned in the Thames River and coated all of the birds with oil.

Flash forward to 1957.

The swans were ready to come to Lakeland.

They are met at the Tampa airport by our city manager and our mayor.

They have a police motorcade coming into Lakeland, so once they arrive here at Lake Morton, unbox the crate.

And the crowd took a step back because the scent of oil was still present and everybody was.

Whew, those birds.

But the next day, both of the swans had gone missing.

>> Very shocking.

It's all right, babies.

All right.

Y'all ready to see the doctor?

>> I know.

That.

One's trying to get out.

>> A little bit.

Oh my goodness.

Oh my gosh.

>> Two of them were trying to get out.

Oh their little heads sticking out.

The other one.

Lakeland has two different types of swans.

The one that are affiliated with the Queen of England are the European mute swans.

We also have Australian black swans on the lake as well.

In case you didn't know, swans have some really interesting names.

A male swan is called a cob.

A female swan is called a pin.

Baby swans are called cygnets and a group of swans is called a bevy.

One of the things in all of the excitement they had not done is clipped their wings to let them kind of gradually acclimate to this area, so they were able to capture the female swan pretty quickly, but the male swan evaded for 3 to 5 days.

There was helicopters involved, there were boats involved.

Everybody was on alert for looking for this swan.

When they finally see him, instead of chasing after him, they grab her and bring her to him and he comes and he's like, oh, hey, I know you.

So sir and Lady Swan were reunited.

They brought them back into Lake Morton, and at the same time they also purchased another mated pair of swans.

And that formed the basis of our wonderful Swan program that today has produced over 200 swans of all varieties here for the City of Lakeland.

Honestly, just.

Take in it.

From here.

Being the sworn veterinarian gives me an opportunity to interact with these birds in a much more intimate way than I would otherwise.

Being able to be out on the lake and feed them is wonderful, but being able to actually put my hands on them, examine them, check for any illnesses.

It really gives you a window into how these birds are living and what their problems are like.

>> All right, kiddo, what do you think?

Huh?

This is actually a smaller version of the same microchip we use for dogs and cats.

My sweetheart.

And it goes right next to the right leg.

Here.

Hey.

Hi.

Hi, hi.

Good job.

Good job.

Say, ah.

Says no.

You were feisty.

Oh, hi.

Where are you going?

Where are you going?

Good job.

Good job.

All right, let's go get kiddo.

>> Go show yourself.

As a little girl, when I was growing up, I never really envisioned I'd be working with swans on a daily basis.

I feel very honored and grateful because it has been an awesome experience.

>> Go go go go go go.

Oh, I brought him back to you guys.

Look at that.

And they are okay.

Hopefully in the future until I'm not able to I would I want to keep on working with them.

Swans are very like people.

There are swans that like each other.

There are swans that don't like each other and swans do tend to be monogamous.

They will pair off and pretty much mate for life.

There's been a couple of cases of a swan where their partner has passed away finding a new mate, but it's the same with people.

They generally will wait some time to grieve.

They're called mute swans because they're so quiet.

The phrase swan song is because there's an old legend that when swans die, they sing a very beautiful song before they die, and that's why they're so quiet.

Their whole life is because they are saving all of their music to the end.

I think that's a beautiful story.

Lakeland's first drive-in movie theater opened in the year 1948.

The Silver Moon Drive-In Theater has been entertaining families under the stars for decades, and it endures as one of only four drive ins left in the state.

See the magic of the cinema unfold through the journey of a dedicated movie fan.

Welcome back.

To your favorite drive-in theater.

And a sparkling new season.

Show after show will feature the latest hits the biggest stars for fun filled, pleasure packed evenings.

Relax.

Come as you are and spend an enjoyable night out with the entire family.

No parking problems.

No babysitting problems.

Thanks, folks.

And once again, welcome back.

>> Going to the movies.

>> Going to the movies.

>> All right.

Don't get in any trouble.

Behave yourself.

I'll try not to.

Maybe I'll see you tonight when I get back.

I love you.

♪ When Liberty Valance rode to town ♪ ♪ The women folk would hide ♪ ♪ They'd hide ♪ ♪ When Liberty Valance walked around, the men ♪ ♪ would step aside.

♪ ♪ Cause the point of a gun was the only law that ♪ ♪ Liberty understood.

♪ ♪ When it came to shooting ♪ ♪ Straight and fast ♪ ♪ He was mighty good ♪ I went to the first drive- in theater with my father, my mother and my sister.

We went there to watch The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

Um.

I seen the whole movie, and I was surprised.

I stood awake that night.

I've probably been going to the Silver Moon Drive-In for about the last 24 years.

And the reason why I do that is because it's simple.

I don't have to.

I don't play cards and I don't fish.

>> The Silver Moon Drive-In has been around since 1948, and in that time we've had the pleasure of serving multi-generations.

People will come out and bring their kids.

Those same people came out here as a kid decades ago.

They have the ability to show their kids and grandkids how they experienced movies decades ago, in the same exact spot in Lakeland.

At one point, there were over 5000 drive-ins in the United States.

Now there's a little less than 300.

You know, a lot of theaters.

They saw declining ticket sales.

They saw the rise of multiplexes, they saw the rise of television, in-home entertainment, and they gave up and they sold out.

We're magical because we didn't do that.

Over the years, have continued to believe in the film industry.

And at the end of the day, that's what people are here for.

They want to see those movies, then they want to see it on the outdoor screen.

And that's that's where we come in.

Drive-in theaters are better than walk in theaters, because if you don't like them, you just get in the car and drive away.

But I love the drive-in movie because it's an easy way to bring my stuff.

I can take drinks, whenever I want.

I can't do that in a walk-in.

I can't put my backpack on and go into a walk-in.

I can do it in a drive.

I love that we're only one of four drive-ins left in the state.

I mean, that's, that's really cool to say.

So close to Disney, so close to Tampa.

Kind of at the center of everything and away from it all.

That's how that was.

Lakeland's old saying, people will travel, you know, even coming from overseas to go to Disney World and stuff like that, they will, you know, come over here to check us out because they want to see an authentic American drive-in.

Over the years, we've seen all sorts of setups.

You know, people will have couches in the back of their trucks, they'll back their SUV or their truck up, and they'll pop their tailgate and they'll have their pillows, their blankets, and people that have been coming here a long time.

They've they've got it down.

♪ You know, let's all go to the lobby ♪ ♪ Let's all go to the lobby ♪ ♪ Let's all go the lobby together ♪ Remember, lots of adults and kids, too.

Paid admission to enjoy the show.

We must insist on absolute quiet.

On any given night you can drive through.

So at our entrance, we've got our beautiful neon marquees.

You drive up to our box office, you know, you say which movie you want to see.

We have two different screens, so we have two different offerings of movies each night.

You buy your ticket, you go into your spot.

We still have our concession stand, which is the original building here, built in the early 50s.

And so you can buy your popcorn, your soda, your nachos, your hot dogs.

Movie comes on, you get that double feature.

So you can watch two movies for the price of one.

And we have one thing that kind of sets this Drive-In apart from many other drive ins in the nation.

Not many drive ins at all have it yet.

Is we upgraded to laser projector?

It really differentiates us from most of the other theaters.

That's my sister.

My sister Judy, in Arizona.

Okay.

Hello, sis.

Hello.

Well, I'm here at the drive-in.

Do you remember the first movie we went and saw?

>> I wish I could.

Well, I know the one.

We went and saw the Liberty Valance.

That was in California with daddy.

Yeah, I remember that because I stayed awake to watch John Wayne.

We had fun.

I mean, we looked forward to going to the play area, and then we look forward to going back and watching some more drive-in movies.

We really had a good time.

I mean, it's something you remember, something you were.

I mean, you can't forget that.

Okay?

Love you too, sis.

Bye bye.

Bye bye.

I enjoyed going to the drive-in and the regular family thing.

I mean.

My father, he died of a heart valve when I was six years old and I know he would love to, to, to watch movies with me.

Well, if I could be in any kind of movie.

I would probably be in a Western movie.

♪ Western music.

♪ ♪ Western music ♪ ♪ Western music♪ ♪ Western music ♪ Well, I hope that they keep the drive-in theater alive because it's part of history.

People, they need that.

So many movies today, they don't have anything where people can relate to.

That's a shame.

They come away feeling nothing.

You want to ask me why I like the movies?

Because I love the movies.

Lakeland Linder International Airport is a key hub for Amazon Air Cargo, and it's also home to NOAA's Aircraft Operations Center.

But Lakeland's aviation heritage dates back to 1933 with its own pioneering female pilot.

Explorer women in aviation.

Through the perspective of Abigail Dowdy, a student at Central Florida's Aerospace Academy.

>> We have to remember that aerospace traditionally has been a boys club and really specifically a white boys club.

So there are a lot of systems and processes in place that are quite prohibitive to people that don't fit certain marks or stereotypes.

A lot of times it takes just one person to stand in the gap against what is known and what is common.

To say that there is a different way we can do this.

>> So as we do a preflight, when we're initially walking out to the aircraft, we're always kind of looking, making sure nothing looks like it's hanging down.

We don't see any puddles under it.

>> My name is Abigail Dowdy.

I am 16.

I go to Central Florida Aerospace Academy.

I became interested in aviation whenever my dad would take me to women in aviation events and all different events for all different age women at the Florida Air Museum, Aerospace Center for excellence, and the Lakeland Linder Airport.

The Florida Air Museum started in 1986 with a really small mini museum and has grown to what we have today, which is a collection of some 30 to 40 aircraft along with 2000 or so objects that we keep on display or in our preservation space.

But then also our other learning opportunities in our Skylab Innovation Center.

And that's science on a sphere, which is a really cool amphitheater program that we have.

We just recently launched our first full motion flight simulator.

We endeavor to capture the imagination of students and kids in Polk County so that we can get them on the track of aerospace.

So the flaps we're looking at, if you push the flap all the way down, you can actually see the bolts in there.

So we're making sure there's movement in this and that.

We can see we have at least four fingers on the strut.

There are so many careers in aerospace.

For every pilot, there are a thousand people that put that pilot in that seat.

And so we really try to emphasize to students that you don't ever have to fly an airplane, that aviation is for everyone.

A lot of places say this, but we really are unique to the nation of what we offer here on the sun and Fun campus.

We have a philosophy here that we call cradle to cockpit, which is we want to develop programs and systems in place that a student or a child from the ages of six months, all the way until high school graduation, that they can be taught aerospace methods and trainings and lessons.

A great example of someone who's come through these systems is Abigail Dowdy.

I attend Central Florida Aerospace Academy, and a little thing that makes it so special is that as a 16 year old, a teenager, I am able to be fully immersed in aviation, through my peers, through my classes.

My ultimate goals in aviation is to be an NTSB officer, which is the National Transportation Safety Board, to investigate all different types of aviation related incidents and accidents.

But in the long, long run, I want to be a missionary pilot who can hopefully bring peace and just love to different types of people of people of all different places, and just to be able to overall help people with my gifts and aviation, that's just really what I want to do.

Aircraft likes to be around six years old.

I work at the Florida Air Museum as a museum attendant, and most recently I was able to work the Women in Aviation event, and I was able to talk to many different women of different walks of life.

And but most importantly, I got to meet Carrie.

>> I kind of combined both of those passions because I learned to love aviation when I was flying with the Navy, and then by getting my meteorology credentials in Miami, I was offered this job up here working as a flight director with NOAA.

People like Carrie are really inspirational people to meet because they can kind of give me a glimpse into different opportunities that I may be able to have one day.

My name is Carrie Englert.

I am a flight director here at NOAA Aircraft Operations Center.

Flight directors are essentially like in-flight meteorologists.

We are sometimes also considered the belly button of the crew.

As we talk to both the pilots, as well as the navigators and then science crew and technicians that we have in the aircraft as well.

I absolutely love flying into storms, flying into hurricanes.

Specifically, we are called the Hurricane Hunters.

We often get asked, are you afraid to do what you do?

It can be inherently scary to a lot of people, right?

We're in the business of going into dangerous environments to get this data, to get this research.

And it's it's hard to say that it's not scary because you don't always know what you're up against.

You respect the environment that you're in.

And we we adjust for that.

My advice for young women who maybe have trepidations about being in the aviation industry is really to hold on to that level of level of confidence.

You are just as qualified to be there as anyone else in the room or in the aircraft.

I have been the only female on a crew in the past, and it's that level of confidence that will then gain you their respect at the same time.

Eventually you really start to.

At least here at NOAA, I can speak to we become a family.

We go on the road together and I might be with all males, an all male air crew other than myself.

And yet they're like my brothers.

They're like my family.

And it really becomes a wonderful experience.

You might hear some people say that the plane doesn't care if you're a man or a woman, and that's that's true.

Um, but it's also really unique to show that presence.

Ruth Elder was a very important aviator for her time.

Her, like other women, decided that they weren't going to let the status quo get in the way of what they really wanted to do and what they dreamed of doing.

So Ruth Elder decided, along with George Haldeman, that they were going to fly from Staten Island all the way to Europe, and she would fly for eight hours.

And unfortunately, just hours before they could land, they had an oil leak, a malfunction, and they ended up having to bail out of that aircraft.

And then just about a year later, Amelia Earhart would complete her first solo flight across the Atlantic.

Ruth Elder was an incredible figure, and it's amazing that she came from Lakeland.

She's one of Lakeland's own.

That really did forge a pathway ahead for all women in aviation.

>> Clear prop.

>> All right.

Then we can turn avionics on and we should have use of our headsets.

My first flight experience was because my mom wanted me to have a flight before I fully dedicated my life to aviation.

And she says to this day that I got into the plane like I owned it.

Actually, everything looks like it's working and operating well.

All right.

Your flight controls.

>> My flight controls.

Your controls.

You already have decent aircraft controls, so you're holding headings.

You're able to hold the altitude.

Very nice.

Found CFR.

And before my mom allowed me to apply, she made me do a discovery flight to make sure that, like, the school would actually be beneficial to me.

And it wouldn't just be a waste of time.

And you're a member of the Lakeland Aero Club, too, right?

Yeah, I'm a member of the Lakeland Aero Club, the Ninety-nines EAA, which is Young Eagles, and I work at the Florida Air Museum.

So it's like I breathe, sleep and eat.

So you're fully immersed?

I am.

I remember a time, my ninth grade year, that a guy told me that I couldn't do a part of a group project because I was a woman, and just to let the guys handle it and that they got it covered.

And I didn't like that.

It made me uncomfortable.

It made me upset.

And I remember being able to tell him, basically, I can do anything that you can do, and sometimes I can even do it better because we all have these set of gifts that we're able to use all the time.

And at the end of the project, we got our grades back, group grade and individual grade.

And I remember I got the highest individual grade for my section of the project, which was really rewarding to feel after that, if you know what you want, you're able to get it.

As long as you work hard for it, you can do it.

Just put the time and the effort and the work in and the reward will be ten times greater.

The Lakeland rail yards were once the heart of Florida's phosphate and agricultural transport.

With the help of some local visionaries, 168 acres of former industrial land has been transformed into a flourishing world class park.

Witness this transformation through the eyes of a Lakeland native.

>> There's a lot of times I find myself walking through the park thinking back about my dad working in the rail yard.

I think to myself, and he must have his footprints all over this rail yard.

And then I think again, and my brothers and I playing out here and geez, our footprints are everywhere else.

And I think a little bit more and think how many thousands of kids today their footprints are here as well.

This place is just a dream.

Parks are great for a lot of reasons.

Mostly I think it's just a just able to get away.

Get away with family and friends.

Forget about all the worries in life and just enjoy being in the world.

>> We're a free park with no admission and for that reason we really can reach all the population.

So there's no barrier to entry from an income standpoint.

And once you get here, it's absolutely a bit of escapism.

So if you need to get out and walk, jog, run, look at some animals.

We really have a space where someone can do all of those things on a daily basis without spending a dollar.

Volunteers are a big part of what we do at Bonnet Springs Park.

We couldn't accomplish everything that we do without them.

We have hundreds of volunteers who come work here on an annual basis.

One of the most dedicated volunteers we have is Andrew Rubinsky.

This was the house that my parents raised nine children in, and we were literally a stone's throw across the road from Bonnet Springs Park.

One of the fascinating things about Andrew is that his father actually worked in the rail yard when it was active.

Andrew grew up playing in the natural area of the remainder of the property, and then came back to Lakeland and has been a volunteer here since we got started.

This was my backyard.

This was my playground.

It was almost imperative that I come back here and become part of it.

Give back to Lakeland, share my childhood with the people that come to the park.

In 2015, David Bunch, along with his wife Jean, knew that this property would end up becoming a warehouse space next to downtown Lakeland.

He got with Barney and Carol Barnett.

Bill and Martha Tinsley, and the six of them formed the initial board to move into the creation phase of Windsong Park, which would eventually become known as Bonnet Springs Park.

If you look over here, there's a picture of my father.

He worked at the rail yard for 34 years.

Carol Jenkins Barnett I went to high school with her.

So it was just too many connections for me to stay away.

Yeah.

My dad hired on with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, probably in 1948.

Moved up through the ranks, became a yard switchman which he got to walk around switching train tracks, decoupling cars and things like that.

>> Education is liberation, right?

So, you know, my job as a principal really talk to the teachers about the importance of building our kids from something that they may not have, and having the vision to shape them into something, that they can become better citizens.

So giving back to back to the community like this is absolutely amazing.

That is one of the main premises of this park is to grow into the future.

You know, being down in this gorge really brings back a lot of old, old memories.

One of the first times I came down to the area that was Bonnet Springs Park was when I was five years old, and we stumbled upon this gorge.

It was almost impossible to cross because the water you see below me now, it was probably this deep.

The gorge itself was deeper.

This is all sediment because there was water flowing through here.

It kept eating and eating and eating into the clay.

These sidewalls were almost like marble.

It was white clay.

Now they're covered with this topsoil that's falling out of the root system.

These two trees behind me when I was a kid, they were growing straight up together.

They formed a huge canopy here.

The branches went to the ground and it formed like a little hiding place here, a little secret hideaway.

I do remember as a kid putting my initials in this tree over here, over my right shoulder.

Now, today, I come back out here and I can't find them.

The bark's grown over the trees falling over.

But the neat thing about it, if you look at some of these trees here, they're covered with initials.

So the kids today, for some reason, this is the only spot in the park that I find initials right here by this tree that I put my initials in 40 years ago.

The impact Bonnet Springs Park has had on the greater Lakeland area truly makes the city a place to live, work, and play.

We opened the gates at 6 a.m., and we have a line of cars for people who want to exercise and come out and enjoy the park.

Through our cultural programs, we offer experiences for diverse populations that make us an inclusive property for.

I'm sitting here at the creek and close my eyes.

Feel the cool water on my toes.

Takes me back to 1970.

Not a care in the world.

Checking out fish and turtles and snakes when I see them.

One day I looked down and saw this triangular stone.

And when I picked it up, I realized it was an arrowhead.

So what I would do is I'd come out here and look for a rock bed.

I see some shells over here and some rocks over here, a big rock here.

And I just get down and look real close.

And if I saw something that had, like a triangular shape, you bend down and pick it up and you find it.

So if you ever find yourself in the stream, look down.

You might find one yourself.

One of my first memories here in the park was walking around Lake Bonnet, the lady from our neighborhood.

We came with a group of siblings.

A couple of friends from the neighborhood ended up at this very spot when we got here.

What took our breath away was the beauty of beauty of this magnolia tree that you see behind me.

So 60 years later, when I came back to work at the park, it's one of the first places I came was right to this very spot to find the old magnolia tree.

And it was still there.

What I love about the magnolia tree today is it's easily accessible by the Monarch Trail.

And what I love about the Monarch Trail, it's the only trail in Bonner Springs Park that's in a natural setting.

>> Woo hoo!

That looks like fun.

Yeah.

Are you having a great time today?

>> Oh, they ought to do this.

All day long.

Give me a high five.

Yeah.

All right.

Way up there.

So, one of the best.

Oh.

You hear a train in the background?

We still have an active rail line right out in front of the park.

So kids and adults who are interested in seeing trains get to see them on a daily basis as they move trains up and down the line.

Bonnet Springs Park is so important to so many people of people of this city.

I look around and I see kids playing on all the playground equipment.

Screaming and yelling and just having a great time.

Our goal in 100 years is to become the Central Park of Central Florida.

When I think about future generations, I truly hope that the kids who are here today bring their kids out in 20 years and they get to roll down the mountains like we see here on a daily basis.

I can't help but be excited about the quality of life that Bonnet Springs Park is going to bring to Lakeland and all of Central Florida.

You know, one of my favorite things about volunteering at the park is all of the different kind of people you meet.

I meet kids of all ages.

I meet adults, and what I really like about that is sharing experiences.

Because I had all my experiences of childhood and now I get to hear other people's experiences.

My years growing up at this park, I've made many memories.

And as a volunteer, I've made a bunch of new ones.

And if you ask me what the ultimate purpose of this park is, I think it's for families to come here and make their own memories.

Memories that will last their lifetime.

With its sprawling landscapes, rich history and forward thinking community, Lakeland is truly at the center of everything and away from it all.

We hope you've enjoyed these stories.

I'm Lissette Campos.

Thanks for watching.

Support for Greater Lakeland is generously provided by Lakeland Regional Health and Candi Packet.