{"id":80974,"date":"2026-03-23T13:41:27","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T17:41:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.winterhavendaily.com\/?p=80974"},"modified":"2026-03-23T13:41:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T17:41:27","slug":"battle-of-the-badges-set-to-kick-off-in-winter-haven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winterhavendaily.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/23\/battle-of-the-badges-set-to-kick-off-in-winter-haven\/","title":{"rendered":"Battle of the Badges Set to Kick Off in Winter Haven"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Polk County residents are invited to come out for an exciting evening of friendly competition as local first responders face off in the inaugural \u201cBattle of the Badges.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hosted by Polk County Parks and Recreation, the event will feature a gridiron showdown between the Polk County Sheriff\u2019s Office (PCSO) and Polk County Fire Rescue (PCFR). The two agencies will trade their daily duties for football jerseys as they battle it out for bragging rights in this community-focused matchup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Festivities begin at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 11, at Simmers-Young Park, located at 339 American Spirit Road in Winter Haven. The event will kick off with a Fantasy Draft game, giving spectators an early dose of the action before the main event. The highly anticipated Battle of the Badges game is set to start at 5:30 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event is free and open to the public, making it a great opportunity for families to enjoy an evening outdoors while supporting local heroes. Food trucks and light concessions will be available on-site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For additional information, residents can contact Polk County Parks and Natural Resources staff at 863-534-6911<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flyer courtesy of Polk County Parks and Rec <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Polk County residents are invited to come out for an exciting evening of friendly competition as local first responders face off in the inaugural \u201cBattle of the Badges.\u201d Hosted by Polk County Parks and Recreation, the event will feature a gridiron showdown between the Polk County Sheriff\u2019s Office (PCSO) and Polk County Fire Rescue (PCFR). […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":80973,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[112,29,16,17,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-80974","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-event","10":"tag-pcso","11":"tag-polk-county-sheriffs-office","12":"tag-winter-haven"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winterhavendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/img_0888-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1","aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t