By Wesley Wright
Some weekends simply feel different. For Lakeland, this past weekend brought school traditions, community gatherings, severe weather and, ultimately, a reminder of just how much there is to be thankful for.
It began Friday evening under the lights at Lakeland Preparatory School, where the first football game of the season brought students, parents and residents together for Friday Night Lights. With every season, events like these feel a little less new and a little more like established Lakeland traditions.
That continued Saturday morning as Lakeland Prep seniors gathered to paint their individual parking spaces. What might seem like a small high school tradition is something more for a relatively young school and community. Each painted space adds personality to the campus while giving the Class of 2027 another memory that is distinctly its own.
Then the weekend changed.
Severe storms swept through Shelby County Saturday, 70+ mile per hour winds, leaving significant damage and widespread power outages, particularly in communities south of Interstate 40. Lakeland lost power in areas as well, but compared with the devastation experienced elsewhere in the county, the city emerged remarkably fortunate.
Even Saturday evening, the LAMP was able to continue despite the earlier storms at IH Park. By Sunday morning, most Lakeland residents who had lost electricity had seen their power restored, allowing the city to return relatively quickly to normal while many of our neighbors elsewhere continued dealing with the aftermath.
It would be easy to view these as unrelated events—a football game, seniors painting parking spaces, a community event and a summer storm. Taken together, however, they provided a snapshot of a growing community where traditions are taking root, neighbors are gathering, and this weekend especially, there was much to be thankful for.
