Two recent articles about “The Cottages of Lake Worth”. . . and one with an unfortunate loaded word.

Clearly, if the reporter knew the word “gentrification” (aka The ‘G’ Word) was one used to stir up emotions here in Lake Worth, not all of them good, he would have chosen a different synonym. As Emily Badger at The Washington Post explains, “It’s time to give up the most loaded, least understood word . . .”.

For too long now The ‘G’ Word has been used as a political tool to go after political enemies and confuse the public. But more on that below.

A short blurb in the Post needs to be clarified. The event coming up next Wednesday (Dec. 7th) is by invitation-only. The Lakeside Castle is a private home and the owner was very nice in letting the venue be used for this event. Hopefully people won’t have to be turned away believing this is open to the public.

A very good article also appears in The Coastal Star by Ron Hayes and he cites the public event to be held later:

A book signing will be held from 3 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, 601 Lake Ave., in Lake Worth.

Here is another excerpt from the article:

     “We were having a committee meeting and somebody said, ‘Who would like to do a coffee table book?’ ” Janice Snearer recalls. “And I looked and my hand was up.”
     Snearer, an artist and former gallery owner, became the coordinator, hosting meetings in her 1931 home on Lakeside Drive.
     Now the eight-member book committee had to select the 60 homes to be included in the book.
“Joan Appel drove the getaway car,” Snearer recalls with a laugh. “I’d go to the door and have to talk very fast to explain what we were doing. One woman had that what-are-you-selling pose, arms crossed, but slowly she relaxed.”
     In the end, only one man politely declined to have his cottage included.

From earlier in the article by Hayes:

     Cottages. Small, wood-frame, single-family dwellings. From the Middle English cot, and the Old Norse kut, as in “hut.”
     Then came the gentrification, [emphasis added] the renovation and the corporation.

Courtesy of Word Hippo, a short list of synonyms for The ‘G’ Word:

• transformation
• redevelopment
• urban renewal
• refurbishment
• renovation
• restoration
• improvement

And FYI: To see “The Cottages of Lake Worth” book for yourself stop by the City of Lake Worth’s Farmers Market every Saturday until the end of December. Including tax the hardcover book costs $34.93 (list price is $32.95).

This image just in (click on to enlarge). The next “Cottages” tour is January 29th. The first tour sold out quickly, so there might not be any tickets left “At the door” next time.