Bok Tower Gardens to use timed-entry tickets
Bok Tower Gardens will reopen to the public on June 1, the Polk County attraction has announced. It will use a system of “timed entry,” meaning that visitors will have specific, assigned times to enter.
The gardens, including its famed Singing Tower, have been shut since mid-March in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
All visitors and members wanting to go to the Gardens must purchase a ticket at boktowergardens.org before getting to the entrance gate. They will select an entry time: either 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. or 4 p.m. Visitors can enter any time in their two-hour windows and can stay on the grounds until 6 p.m.
This system will be in use until further notice, Bok says.
Tickets and reservations will not be available for purchase at the entrance gate. Bok is suspending discount programs during its timed-ticket entry phase.
A soft opening for members
May 26-31.
There are other changes for the Lake Wales landmark during the initial phase of reopening. Hammock Hollow Children’s Garden, Pinewood Estate, and the Visitor Center will not be open. Online ordering for its Blue Palmetto Café will be available, and The Shop at Bok Outdoor Plant Shop will be open for purchases. Discovery Days camps are not going to be offered.
The Bok Tower Gardens staff will wear masks while in public areas or when in close proximity to visitors. Guests will be required to bring a cloth mask or face covering when visiting the gardens. All will be asked to keep was set for safe distances apart.
“We are not requiring guests to use masks or face coverings at all times; however, we highly encourage all visitors to respect our team and others by participating in this safety measure,” Bok’s website says.
Carillon concerts will be at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. daily.
State adds to orange juice promotion
Florida Department of Citrus money unused because of the coronavirus pandemic will be directed toward increasing orangejuice sales, as projections of this season’s citrus production have declined.
The Florida Citrus Commission agreed recently to add $277,000 to an ongoing digital ad campaign, with most of the money coming from employee travel plans that were halted because of the deadly virus.
“The additional funding for global marketing is going towards extending and enhancing the current digital and social marketing campaign to drive sales of 100 percent orange juice,” department Assistant Director of Global Marketing Shelley Rossetter said in an email after the commission’s vote, which came in a conference call.
The campaign, budgeted at $4.5 million for the fiscal year that ends June 30, is targeted at “lapsed” orange juice buyers, primarily parents between the ages of 30 and 60 who haven’t bought juice during the prior month.
Because of the pandemic, the agency’s global marketing staff has shifted from the road to working online and by telephone. Also, the commission staff has had to cancel plans for a media presentation in Arizona on the health benefits of orange juice and attending a registered dietitians conference in Canada.
The increased attention on the marketing campaign came as the state saw projected orange production drop this month by 0.5 percent from an April forecast, while projected grapefruit production is down 5.7 percent in the same period, according to a forecast released earlier this month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In numbers that are close to final for the 2019-2020 growing season, oranges are now projected to fill 69.65 million the industry’s standard of 90-pound boxes, down from a forecast 70 million boxes in April.