SEBRING — From red-bellied turtles to green tree frogs to alligators big and small, students touring Highlands Hammock State Park on Thursday got a close up view of Florida wildlife and the effects of the drought. During the first week of the two-week Sebring Middle School summer science camp about 35 students have been taking part in day trips that included a canoe trip down the Peace River on Wednesday and Thursday's exploration of the state park. Park Specialist Dorothy Harris took the students on a tram-ride tour of the park stopping at various spots to point out wildlife, plant life and other features. ...more

June 19, 2008

SEBRING – Except when he's sleeping, 5-year-old Justin Burgess rarely stays inside his home. "He loves to be outside, just like me," said his mother, Corine Burgess, the natural resources specialist in the Highlands County Soil & Water Conservation District office. "He's a little nature lover and a tree-hugger, just like his mamma," Burgess said about the boy she and husband, Dan, adopted four years ago when Justin was one year old. They adopted the African-American boy when Corine was 45 and she and Dan were in their 26th year of marriage. High school sweethearts who have been together since their days at Coral Shores High School in the Florida Keys, they both love everything about the ocean. ...more

June 15, 2008

SEBRING — A small wildfire in the northeast part of Highlands Hammock State Park was extinguished Monday evening, causing no injuries or property damage. The rain helped firefighters and forestry officials put a quick end to the fire. Chief Scott Mann of the West Sebring Volunteer Fire Department said the fire affected about five acres before it was put out 7:30 p.m. ...more

June 3, 2008

AVON PARK — Bill Jarrett sat on the sidelines waiting for his turn to play in the first and probably only practice for the newly formed Highlands Hoppers at the South Florida Community College gym. "I keep thinking to myself that this is for a good cause," Jarrett laughed as he jogged onto the court and nearly came up with a block. The Highlands Hoppers are a menagerie of local hoopsters that have been assembled by local businesses to play the Harlem Ambassadors on Tuesday. The Ambassadors are much like their famous counterparts — the Harlem Globetrotters — with a bit of a twist. "They all must be either college graduates or working toward a college degree to be on the team," said Avon Park Noon Rotary Club president Alice Oldham. "They also have a very strong stay-in-school and anti-drug message for today's youth. That impressed me." ...more

February 21, 2008

SEBRING — Maybe it was because he was in great shape. Maybe it was Darrel Smith's helmet that made the difference and saved his life after a car struck his bike in August. Perhaps, Smith thought, it was the thousands of prayers given for him from other park rangers, his fellow bicyclists and the entire community. In a little more than three months, Smith came out of a month-long medically induced coma, regained 20 pounds of lost muscle and just last Thursday took a two-mile ride on his tricycle for the first time since the accident. "Yes, it hurt like hell... I got nine pieces of stainless steel (in me) right now. Two of them are cables," he said, showing his right hip. His smile and his beaming optimism goes against the grain of the aches he described. Smith's trainer, Keith A. Bowyer Jr., thinks it was Smith's drive that got him where he is now. Smith's hoping by Friday that he will get back on his job at Highlands Hammock State Park. By Christmas, Smith's hoping he can try out a bicycle. ...more

December 11, 2007

SEBRING — 'Tis the season to spread a bit of the bounty of Highlands County to friends and family up North. There are several locally produced and unique products and goods available for shipping a piece from the Sunshine State or for gifts for friends closer to home. At Maxwell Groves, Highlands County grown citrus is shelved along with orange blossom honey, assorted jellies and even citrus bubble gum. Owner Steve Maxwell said his plant is the only commercial house for orange production in the county. He bought much of the machinery still used, and on display, in 1970 and said it was 30 years old then. Then, there are several outlets for local artists to display and sell their wares. The Caladium Arts and Crafts Co-Op in Lake Placid, and Sebring's LK Gallery and Village Gallery, and gift shop of the Highlands Art League specialize in locally produced and affordable art. Other locally produced food products include Everglades Seasoning, direct from the manufacturer, and wines, gift baskets and other assorted goodies from Henscratch Farms and Winery. ...more

December 11, 2007

I spent Saturday night relaxing at Highlands Hammock State Park with lots of other people, listening to the songs of the California Toe Jam Band. The weather was perfect (if not a bit too warm), the food was plentiful, and my $10 in raffle tickets supported someone else winning the 50/50 prize. It was a nice way to pass the evening, far from the crowds and lines at every store in my Christmas shopping lineup. My mother recently asked me what I want for Christmas. I think I was much easier to shop for as a kid. I knew what I wanted. I went meticulously through the Sears Wishbook, making a list for Santa, complete with catalog page numbers, item numbers, and prices. Give me a talking G.I. Joe with Kung Fu Grip, a Haunted Mansion 3-D board game, some books, candy to fill the stocking...and, oh, you can keep the underwear and socks. ...more

December 10, 2007

This year's Turkey Trot 5K event at Highlands Hammock State Park on Nov. 22 drew one of the largest crowds on record. ...more

November 24, 2007

SEBRING — Doug Morton wasn't exactly in it to win it. The 36 year-old environmental analyst from Sebring, who competed last week in a half-Iron Man competition in Miami, outpaced two of Highlands County's top prep runners to capture the overall title at the 15th annual Turkey Trot 5K at Highlands Hammock State Park. "I'm really surprised to win it," said Morton, who finished the 3.2-mile course in 17 minutes, four seconds. "I expected [Sebring's Connor Bauer and Hardee's Gilberto Guiterriez] to be all over me at the end. They sprint a bit faster than I can." Bauer, Sebring's lone state cross-country qualifier this past season, took top honors among 15-to 19-year old men with a 17:06, two seconds behind Morton. Guiterriez, meanwhile, held off top female finisher Laura Woznicki with a 17:25. ...more

November 24, 2007

SEBRING — Dorothy Harris, the Highlands Hammock State Park ranger, was describing all the artists and exhibitors at the CCC Festival when Nancy Dale, a local historian, walked up, a small, elderly man in tow. "This may have been the man who the statue was modeled after," she said, and started telling his story. In front of the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum, there's a bronze of a CCC worker on a four-foot stone pedestal, shirtless, his right hand resting on an axe. He's about the same size as the man in front of her, wearing a floppy boonie hat all the CCC boys used back then. ...more

November 4, 2007