15 minute read
HI, SOCIETY
The Florida Lakes Symphony Orchestra has faced more than its share of obstacles during the past decade, but it still creates world class music that attracts devoted patrons. This month, the symphony begins its 12th year with concerts in Mount Dora and Clermont.
“By rights, we really shouldn’t have a symphony here because the area is too small,” said Executive Director Audrey Sanders, who co-founded the symphony in 2005 with her husband, the late Guy Saint-Clair. “We have been able to depend on people and sponsors in Lake County who think culture is important. It’s a miracle we’ve survived.”
Although trying to create a self-sustaining symphony orchestra has been challenging, the biggest hurdle came in April 2010 when Saint-Clair, an internationally-known classical piano soloist and composer, passed away suddenly on the eve of a concert. The symphony fi nished the 2010 season and continued in the following years with steadfast resilience to carry out his vision of bringing classical music to Lake County.
Professional musicians come from Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville, and other locations to play two nights a month during the six-month concert season. Audrey said many of them have been with Florida Lakes Symphony Orchestra since the beginning. In addition, concert master and violin soloist Konstantin Dimitrov has been with the orchestra since 2006.
Audrey continues to work toward the goal of fi nding a permanent location for the symphony orchestra, but in the meantime she is grateful to area churches that have hosted programs. The Mount Dora concerts are returning this year to the Community Building on Baker Street, and the nearby St. Edwards Episcopal Church will offer parking and shuttles for patrons who are handicapped or have mobility issues. In Clermont, concerts are performed at the First United Methodist Church.
The new season begins with “Harvest Moon,” a program that honors veterans and features music that tells stories of love in times of darkness.
“November is a special month of remembering loved ones,” says Audrey. “The music will be exciting, moving, and beautiful.”
Konstantin Dimitrov
Concerts are held at the Mount Dora Community Building, 520 N. Baker St., and at the First United Methodist Church, 970 7th St., Clermont. Ticket prices range from $15 (students) to $42 (adults) for individual concerts. Series packages are also available. Florida Lakes Symphony Orchestra is a 501 c3 public charity. Get concert descriptions and ticket information at www.fl oridalakessymphonyorchestra.com.
“Harvest Moon”
Nov. 17, Mount Dora Nov. 18, Clermont
“Vienna New Year”
Jan. 19, Mount Dora Jan. 20, Clermont
“Film and Fantasy”
March 30, Mount Dora March 31, Clermont
“Christmas Concert with the Mount Dora School of Ballet”
Dec. 22, Mount Dora
“Hungarian Rhapsody”
Featuring piano soloist Sten Heinoja Feb. 23, Mt. Dora / Feb. 24, Clermont
“Latin Lovers” April 20, Mount Dora April 21, Clermont
Brittany Hansen
Megan McAvaney
JM Mattox Jordan Egner
Theresa Morris
Jayme Johnson
Shemir Wiles Lou Dibenedetto
Karen Riscinto
Johnny Malik
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE
After glaciers carved out the Great Lakes 2 million years ago, nature had enough left in the tank to dig in and create 11 linear lakes—the Finger Lakes of western New York. Check out a map of the and you’ll see a roughly rectangular area the local tourism board calls “Wine, Water, Wonders.” That’s where you want to go.
This space is scarcely enough to explain roughly 20,000 square miles, so here’s a suggestion: Map out an itinerary based on a few of the destinations below, and then create a customized tour via country roads that skirt along the shores of these glorious glacial lakes.
CORNING (corningfi ngerlakes.com)
The Chemung River that fl ows through the Chemung Valley is as essential to Corning today as it was in 1868. It was then, with this constant source of power, Corning Glass Works relocated from Brooklyn to become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of glass. Today it also features one of the state’s most popular tourist attractions.
More than 3,500 years of glassmaking are covered at the Corning Museum of Glass, from glass formulas written in clay to circa 1450 BC Egyptian vases to Roman mosaics that have lasted thousands of years without a scratch. In the museum, which recently added a $64 million wing, breathtaking examples of contemporary glass art are showcased in multiple galleries. Allow around four hours here, more if you opt to make your own glass. Experienced artisans will help you create a hand-blown pumpkin, Christmas ornament, or fl ower, although they’ll handle the molten glass while you just pick the colors and blow. As if CMOG weren’t enough, there’s another worthwhile worldclass museum a few blocks away. Downtown’s Rockwell Museum (no relation to Norman) features extraordinary paintings, many Westernthemed works highlighting cowboys, Native Americans, and the majestic landscapes of our national parks.
The Rockwell is part of the historic Gaffer District, which is one of the fi nest examples of Americana. Here you’ll fi nd a fabulous range of independent shops: restaurants, music stores, bookshops, bicycle shops, antique shops, cigar stores, art galleries, diners, soda fountains, a newsstand, and a historic movie theatre. You’ll think you’re in Bedford Falls and wouldn’t be surprised to bump into good ol’ George Bailey because when you come to Corning; it feels like you’re coming home.
THE CORNING MUSEUM OF GLASS ROCKWELL MUSEUM
SENECA LAKE, THE LARGEST OF THE FINGER LAKES
HAMMONDSPORT
(hammondsport.org)
You’ll learn quickly the Finger Lakes are designed for a road trip, with small villages and towns appearing every few miles. Minutes northwest of Corning is Hammondsport where a picturesque and walkable downtown is centered in a village green. The place readers of Budget Travel named 2012’s ‘Coolest Small Town in America’ features a picturesque waterfront park, marina, and boat launch on the shores the fi rst of the Finger Lakes you’ll see.
It was on Keuka Lake that Glenn Curtiss, a local kid who’d already earned a reputation as a bicycle champion and the “Fastest Man Alive” (he
raced his motorcycle at 136 mph at Ormond Beach in 1907) designed and tested seaplanes that could take off and land on the water.
The Glenn H. Curtiss Museum features Curtiss airplanes including the JN-4D (the famed Curtiss Jenny) that helped the Allies win World War I. Exhibits also showcase his bicycles, motorcycles, and his Florida connection. After breakthroughs in aviation, he came to Florida and created Hialeah, Miami Springs, and Opa-Locka, and then invented the forerunner of the modern RV for camping trips to the Everglades.
WATKINS GLEN
(watkinsglenchamber.com)
From Hammondsport, head east on County Road 23 and after cruising through some of America’s most beautiful hills and valleys, you’ll arrive in an absolutely gorgeous lakefront community. Or maybe the word is gorges.
A 400-foot deep gorge with 200foot cliffs and 19 waterfalls is the centerpiece of Watkins Glen State Park, a natural attraction drawing visitors from around the world. Its surreal appearance lures guests deep into the park where each turn and change in elevation introduces light, shadow, and waterfalls to create a photographer’s delight.
Near downtown at the southern end of Seneca Lake, a lovely park is ideal for photos, a walk along the jetty, or boarding a vintage vessel for an hourlong narrated cruise on the alpinelike lake. Just how large is the largest of the Finger Lakes? From the park, you can’t see the end of it. The earth curves long before it reaches the north shore in Geneva.
If the town’s name sounds familiar, you may recognize it as the home of the Watkins Glen International Speedway. Away from the track, each September downtown streets are reserved for a road rally featuring vintage autos.
Leaving town, head north along the west shore of Seneca Lake. As the road rises and falls it reveals constantly varied views of the water as well as what brings many travelers to the Finger Lakes.
THE GORGEOUS GORGE AT WATKINS GLEN STATE PARK
WINERIES
More than 100 wineries are along the shorelines of Seneca, Keuka, and Cayuga lakes, and you’ll often fi nd several vineyards in the space of a single mile—either small, independent growers producing boutique wines or larger operations bottling wines you may recognize. Many offer
EASTMAN HOUSE AND MUSEUM
tours and have gift ships, restaurants, and tasting rooms. For a complete list of these and others, visit fi ngerlakeswinecountry.com.
ROCHESTER (visitrochester.com)
At the northern fringe of the Finger Lakes, Rochester is no quaint village or walking town. Among the city’s
numerous attractions are two highly recommended choices. First, Eastman House and Museum. After the bank clerk-turned-inventor democratized photography with his ingenious Kodak cameras, the resulting wealth gave him a beautiful mansion accented by manicured gardens. The adjacent museum chronicles the evolution of photography and adds rotating exhibits focused on different aspects of the medium, from food, fashion, and photojournalism to art, motion studies, and the simple ways
A tour of the mansion reveals how the philanthropist lived. Each morning at the same time, Eastman dined alone to the sounds of a musician playing a two-story pipe organ. That was only part of a home that includes a verywell appointed library, conservatory, billiard room, and great hall where he entertained his notable guests.
His fellow Rochester resident had a similar impact on America. Raised to believe in equality between races and genders, Susan B. Anthony’s persistence in gaining rights for women was essential in the passage of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote in 1920.
On a tour through her Rochester home, just a few miles from Eastman’s, docents are dazzling as they tie together the amazing history of the women’s movement, from a meeting at Seneca Falls (see sidebar) to Anthony and her colleagues continuing the struggle here in a house that became the nerve center of the suffrage movement.
Women are too often overlooked by history, and a visit here sparks a desire to correct that. A block away you’ll see a statue of Anthony and her friend and fellow equal rights legend Frederick Douglass, lifelong friends who are now neighbors in Rochester’s Mount Hope Cemetery.
SUSAN B. ANTHONY HOUSE 2
TRAVEL TIPS
WHEN YOU GO Wine, Water, Wonders of Upstate New York
www.winewaterwonders.com
GETTING THERE Allegiant fl ies from the Orlando-Sanford International Airport to Elmira, often for less than $100.
ABOUT THE WRITER An award-winning writer, Gary Mckechnie is known for his travels across the U.S., many of them done on his motorcycle. He has written six books and a variety of articles, including some for National Geographic.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
This only scratches the surface of the Finger Lakes. Depending on your schedule, consider adding these other destinations
AUBURN Above the north shore of Owasco Lake, you’ll fi nd the home of William Seward, our almost-16th president who became Lincoln’s Secretary of State. He also became a punchline as the champion of a $7.2 million transaction known as Seward’s Folly. Today we call it Alaska. In 1859, Seward sold land to a neighbor who a later built a home, a hospital, and a senior center on it. You can learn about this amazing woman at the Harriett Tubman Home. To pay your respects to ‘The American Moses,’ visit the Fort Hill Cemetery where she was buried with military honors, having served in the Union army as nurse, scout, and spy.
CANANDAIGUA South of Rochester, it sits at the north end of Canandaigua Lake. For a real treat, follow picturesque Route 16 south, which hugs the shoreline.
ELMIRA America’s greatest writer, Mark Twain, is most closely associated with Hannibal, Missouri; Hartford, Connecticut; and Elmira, New York. After seeing his study (it looks like the pilothouse of a Mississippi steamboat) on the campus of Elmira College, visit his gravesite at Woodlawn Cemetery.
NAPLES At the south end of Canandaigua Lake, this small town is known for its grapes, wines, and produce. Grab some fresh fruit at Joseph’s Wayside Market, here since 1952.
SENECA FALLS West of Auburn, the name Seneca Falls is synonymous with the Women’s Movement. At the west end of this attractive walking town is the Women’s Rights National Historic Park.
SKANEATELES East of Auburn and on the north shore of Skaneateles Lake, this unique, upscale village has a city park and one of the most picturesque waterfronts in New York.
ED ANDERSON
DOMENIC BERSANI
ROBERTA AND RICHARD MORANO
TIFFANI HOLLENBECK
TOM FORMANEK (PRESIDENT AND CEO OF JENKINS GROUP) CHRISTINE HENRY
DAKOTA MADDOX
HUGO POTTS, HEATHER REED, DAVID NEAL, AND RASHAD JOINER FALL MEANS BACK TO SCHOOL!
Parents and students recently participated in orientation at Beacon College in Leesburg. The college president, Dr. Oksana Hagerty, addressed the opening convocation to welcome students and parents for another exciting year. They enjoyed a full day of activities before heading to classrooms and digging into textbooks.
SHADAE CAPERS AND CANDIE PRYCE
KYLE AND ROBERT MAMALONY
MORIAH AND KAILA WALTON, DIONJANAE REED, AND DEVON BROWN
NICHOLAS AND IDA JAGG
GINA MANN, DANIEL SOYA, AND KATIE OVERTON MICHAEL AND ISABELLA KROTORDOLD, KENDALL WOODS, AND TAYLOR SCHARY
ROSS AND PALMER JOHNSON WITH WANDA BOOTE SUSAN COX, CAROLYN GREEN, GIGI GARZON, AND MARGARET WILLIAMS
DONDI COTÉ PHOTOS:
A HEART
FOR EXCELLENCE
Kirk Malone, president of The Villages Ear, has opened a whole new world of opportunity for thousands of people by properly fi tting them with hearing instruments and vastly improving their hearing ability.
Now, he is creating a fi rst-rate impression for patients who walk through the door.
His newest office, which opened last February in the Brownwood area, does not have a clinical feel. Instead, the waiting room resembles an upscale living room, complete with comfortable furniture and warm pendant lighting. The overall brightness and spaciousness of the reception area soothes, calms, and cheers the soul.
In addition to the modern and inviting atmosphere, there is the smiling face of Patient Care Coordinator Denease Burns, whose personable, friendly demeanor makes you feel as if you’ve known her your entire life.
“Every time I walk into the reception room, Denease is engaging a patient in conversation. Our patients love our warm and friendly office,” said Kirk, a board-certified hearing instrument specialist.
Although this is the third Villages Ear location, Kirk wanted this offi ce to be different. His logic is simple, yet precise. Patients tend to relax more in an attractive, comforting environment and the processes of having their hearing screening and being fi tted for hearing instruments go much more smoothly.
“I’m very excited about having a presence in Brownwood because it’s the fastest growing part of The Villages,” Kirk said. “We’re on the outskirts of Wildwood and only four miles from Leesburg and Fruitland Park. Residents from these towns have convenient access to us, and we look forward to developing relationships with them.”
The Villages Ear already has nearly 5,000 active patients and typically sees 12,000 patients each year. Approximately 70 percent of new patients come via referral, a glowing testimony to Kirk’s emphasis on patient satisfaction.
“You will not fi nd a more caring and friendly staff, and we always put the needs of our patients fi rst – that is our GUARANTEE! Our impeccable reputation is proof of that commitment. In addition, we pride ourselves on treating our patients with the most advanced and up-to-date technology that the industry offers”.
No wonder The Villages Ear consistently receives an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
All of these reasons—and many more—are why The Villages Ear is The Villages largest and most trusted name in hearing healthcare.
THE VILLAGES EAR
3 convenient golf-cart-approved locations in The Villages:
2951 Traverse Trail | 352.259.8976
(Grand Traverse Plaza west of Brownwood)
3399 Wedgewood Lane | 352.259.8070
(in the Southern Trace Professional Plaza)
314 LaGrande Blvd. | 352.753.3033
(U.S. Hwy. 441 across from Wendy’s)
www.TheVillagesEar.com
