Thanksgiving Day Local News

It’s that time of year again. Christmas Parade season begins Monday at 7pm with the annual Avon Park Christmas Parade down Main Street in downtown Avon Park. Sebring’s parade follows the next Friday, December 3, and the Sebring Boat Parade on Lake Jackson the following Saturday, December 11, the same date as the Lake Placid Christmas Parade through downtown Lake Placid.

It’s Thanksgiving Day – Highlands County Government offices are closed for both today AND tomorrow, So will the Department of Health Covid testing service on S. George Boulevard … that’ll be back to its regular schedule Saturday. Trash pickup schedules for County pickup also gets moved around a bit. If you normally get your trash picked up Thursdays, think Friday. Friday’s schedule will get handled Saturday.

Volunteers are working hard to day to make Thanksgiving happen for the lonely and needy. Faith Lutheran Church and the Salvation Army are working together to provide free meals today. Pick-up meals are being provided at Faith Lutheran Church on Lakeview Drive in Sebring. Call the church for availability at 385-7848. Harvest House in Lorida is also reportedly open and helping out today.Heartland Christian Academy is providing a drive-through meal service at the corner of Kenilworth and Persimmon Avenue … ham, mac and cheese, cornbread and more. And First Baptist Church in Lake Placid is offering Thanksgiving dinner from noon till 2pm.

Avon Park has agreed in principle to lease out its Municipal Airport to Florida Airport Management, and the state has agreed to the idea, but before things can be reduced to formalities, the Federal Aviation Administration needs to put its “okay” on the deal. So far, the city’s heard crickets from the FAA, so the City Council this week instructed City Manager Mark Schroeder to call and ask what the City can do to jump start the approval process.