LAKELAND - An icon in Polk County is celebrating an anniversary - 60 years to be exact.

On April 14, 1948, the Silvermoon Drive-In, located on U.S. Highway 92 in Lakeland, opened with the promise of family entertainment at very affordable prices.

Today, the Silvermoon continues to fulfill those promises with first-run movies and a flea market and swap shop on the weekends.

The first 60 cars each night on April 11 and 12 will receive two free souvenir cups and free sodas from the snack bar.

Any carload with a 60-year-old patron will be admitted free. Additionally, any carload arriving in a 1948 car wil be admitted free.

Other promotions for the celebration include annual passes given to anyone with a birthday of April 14, 1948.

News Chief looking for Citrus Festival memories, photos

The News Chief is requesting readers' stories and photos about their best Florida Citrus Festival and Polk County Fair memories for use in an upcoming issue.

Submissions can be sent by mail to the News Chief at 455 Sixth St., N.W., Winter Haven, FL 33881, or by e-mail at news@newschief.com.

Auburndale paper will only be online

The Hometown Sun has gone digital.

After 13 years of printing the paper, Auburndale's hometown newspaper will no longer produce a printed weekly paper. It will be available online only.

According to it Web site, it will continue to publish the same kind of feature stories, however readers will be able to see more new features more often.

The Web site also says that there will no longer be limits on the number of pages the paper will be able to print in color. There will be new additions to the online paper like community pages for church, organizations and schools. Subscriptions are also free.

For details about the online paper, call 863-967-5781 or e-mail at aubsun@aol.com.

Voters can join Polk election team

LAKE WALES - Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards will host an informational meeting for anyone interested in working at the polls during the 2008 elections.

The meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. today at Trinity Baptist Church, 2601 S.R. 60 E., Lake Wales. Applicants should bring along a copy of their Social Security card for payroll purposes.

Poll workers are paid for the time they work, as well as their training before election day. Voters who have served as poll workers in Polk County in recent years are welcome, but do not need to attend.

To reserve a seat, or for additional dates and locations, contact the Supervisor of Elections at 863-534-5858, or visit the Web site www.polkelections.com.

Housing taskforce will meet today

BARTOW – The Farmworker Housing Taskforce will meet today, from 10 a.m. to noon, in the Growth Management Department conference room on the second floor of the Neil Combee Administration Building, at 330 W. Church Street in Bartow.

Democratic Club plans meeting today

WINTER HAVEN - The Greater Winter Haven Democratic Club will have its monthly meeting today at Perkins Restaurant on Cypress Gardens Boulevard.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Fellowship and food will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Brenda Reddout, a member of the Polk County School Board, will be speaker.

New officers for the club are Frank Chichetto, president; Camille Rudicil, vice president; Grant Denn, treasurer; and Anne Eastridge, secretary.

For details, call Nancy Simmons at 863-291-3734 or Tom Macy at 863-293-7732.

Town hall meeting set for District 1

BARTOW - Commissioner Bob English will host the fourth in a series of Town Hall meetings scheduled for District 1. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. today in the Community Room of Community Southern Bank, located at 3340 S. Florida Ave. in Lakeland.

District 1 includes areas within the boundaries of Lakeland and its Southern suburbs.

A representative from the Lakeland Police Department and also the Polk County Sheriff's Office will make presentations about crime and traffic-safety concerns for the city and county. Commissioner English will give a report on District 1 activities within the county.

For details, call Sharon Ahearn at 863-534-6450 or 863-534-6423.

Professionals group meets today

WINTER HAVEN - Jacob Stuart, president and chief executive officer of Central Florida Partnership, will speak to the Winter Haven Young Professionals Group today, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., at the Greater Winter Haven Area Chamber of Commerce, 401 Ave. B.

Stuart will speak about the impact young professionals are having and will have on the Central Florida region in the coming years.

Admission is free for members and $10 for others.

Bipolar disease a topic of meeting

WINTER HAVEN - Curing Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia will be the topic of a meeting that will be held April 3, from 6 to 7 p.m., in the multipurpose room at the Winter Haven Public Library.

Topics discussed will be symptoms of mental illness, the cause of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and the tools needed to restore mental health. This event is free, but seating is limited.

For details, call 863-514-7728.

Super Science Saturday is set

LAKELAND - Explorations V Children's Museum, located at 109 N. Kentucky Ave., in downtown Lakeland, will host a Super Science Saturday on April 26.

The session will a feature science-based theme that will include hands-on activities related to Preserving Our Earth.

Museum visitors can participate in the session any time between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The activities are included with admission, which is $5 per person. Senior citizens 65 and older are $2.50. Children under 2 and museum members are free.

For details, call 863-687-3869 or by e-mail to info@explorationsv.com.

Winter Haven Heritage to meet

WINTER HAVEN - Winter Haven Heritage will meet at 10 a.m. April 2 in the multipurpose room at the Winter Haven Public Library.

The guest speaker will be Jim Greenfield, pioneer radio another of the area. Meetings are sponsored by the Friends of the Library and are free to the public.

Anonymous group planning meetings

LAKE WALES - A new meeting of Gamblers Anonymous will start in Lake Wales on April 12, from 7 to 8 p.m.

The meeting is open to the public and will take place at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Campbell Building, 211 S. Fourth Street.

For details, call 863-679-3267.

School play set for Wednesday

WINTER HAVEN - Grace Lutheran School recently announced the cast for "Doo Wop Wed Widing Hood," which will be performed Wednesday at Polk Community College. Show time is 6:30pm.

The cast includes Ana Kargakos, as Mrs. Hood, and Keaton Fuller as Mr. Hood. Paige Butz takes the role of Little Red Riding Hood. Narrator No. 1 is Charli Riedemann and Nealy King is Narrator No. 2, and will also play Sophie. Medium Purple is played by Johanna Peterson and Big Green is Mariah Braddy.

Tickets are $5 each. They are available at Grace Lutheran School, 320 Bates Ave., Winter Haven.

For details, call 863-293-9744.

Four 'Fantasy 5' players share prize

From News Chief wire reports

TALLAHASSEE - Four winners of the "Fantasy 5" game will collect $45,382.21 each, the Florida Lottery said Monday.

The winning tickets were bought in Winter Springs, Englewood, Miami and Spring Hill, lottery officials reported.

The 226 tickets matching four numbers won $129.50 each. Another 6,942 tickets matching three numbers won $11.50 each, and 72,022 tickets won a Quick Pick ticket for picking two numbers.

The numbers drawn Sunday night were 11-14-22-33-35.