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A long march for King

January is known for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a celebration of the civil rights leader. But much like the progress of that movement, the road to King’s holiday was long and arduous, taking 18 years before fi nal approval. Rep. John Conyers of Michigan introduced legislation to create the federal holiday just four days after King’s assassination in 1968 at the age of 39. In 1973, Illinois became the fi rst state to adopt a state holiday for King. Ten years later, Congress fi nally passed and President Ronald Reagan signed legislation creating the national holiday, which was fi rst celebrated Jan. 20, 1986.

This year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Jan. 15, his birthdate, and communities throughout the region will honor King. In Leesburg, for example, the fi fth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade is scheduled to start at 11am Saturday, Jan. 13. The multicultural parade and march of walkers, fl oats, and groups will travel on West Main Street in downtown Leesburg. Call 352.552.7540 for information.

This is hard to put into words

Here’s deeply disturbing news for anyone reading these words and for the people who write them: Emojis are the fastestgrowing “language” on the internet, with almost a third of global internet users classified as “emoji super-users,” according to Foresight Factory, a business that analyzes consumer trends. This number is predicted to double to nearly two-thirds in 2018. For people who still communicate in words, emojis are the small digital icons used to express emotions in electronic communications.

The use of these icons extends beyond millennials and across age groups and demographics. A Foresight Factory web post states that emojis aren’t just providing a means of emotional expression that resonates—humans respond to them in a similar way to human facial expressions, a 2014 study found—they also quantify those emotions in a manner that’s ideal for data analysis that helps marketers and businesses.

What does all this mean for the written word?

James Combs’

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2 This Honest Food, a holistic teaching kitchen, will open this month in Clermont. The company provides individual and group cooking lessons, as well as holistic seminars and healthy cooking boot camps. If I’m being honest, here’s what my meal plan would look like on the first day I attempted to eat healthy food. 9am: protein shake and oatmeal. Noon: chicken breast and asparagus. 5pm: grilled salmon and organic tomatoes. 9:30pm: two large and greasy “I-don’t-give-a-crap-anymore” pizzas.

Here’s an interesting fact: More than 1.78 million Floridians have a concealed-weapon license. That number will startle some because they feel guns kill people. If that’s the case, can I blame my spoon for being obese?

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A man known as “Minneola’s Superhero” was arrested after breaking into a woman’s car and attempting to pull her pants down. He’s considered a superhero because he dresses like Superman and waves at cars passing by. If he continues doing things like this, however, people will assume the “S” on his cape stands for stupid.

4 Some moron tied a quail’s legs to a block and left it under a tree near Florida Hospital Waterman. Fortunately, Tavares police off icers were able to free the bird. It’s nice to hear heartwarming stories like this. I’m glad the police off icers took the quail under their wings.

5 Lake County commissioners voted to ban medical marijuana shops. Hasn’t anyone told our elected off icials that a joint a day keeps the doctor away?

MOUNT DORA

Preserving Mount Dora’s charm

The Mount Dora Chamber of Commerce will join city leaders and offi cials from Visit Mount Dora and Lake County Economic Development and Tourism to discuss partnerships and goals in keeping the area the best place to live, work, and play, according to the chamber website. The event will be hosted 5:30-8:30pm Jan. 25 at Lake Receptions, 4425 N. Highway 19A, Mount Dora. Tickets are available by contacting the chamber at 352.383.2165 or by visiting mountdora.com.

LEESBURG

New meeting place for 2018

Businesses that need a place in downtown Leesburg for corporate meetings for 20-plus people will soon be able to meet at Southern Gourmet & Café, 314 W. Main St., since the popular eatery has expanded its location with an additional 3,000 square feet of space.

“There are lots of changes coming, a little at a time,” says Sandy Maddox, who co-owns the café with her son and husband. Sandy says the banquet/meeting room will be a new offering in 2018, and it will be set up in a secluded area behind the café’s new gift shop.

Walk or bike off the pounds

Almost everyone resolves to shed some pounds after the holiday eating. Lake and Sumter counties abound with outdoor walking trails to make exercise more pleasant and better than watching treadmill televisions. Check lakecountyfl .gov for information on Lake County trails. See discoversumterfl .com for Sumter County adventures.

Listening to radio Tune radio, call/dial

EUSTIS/CLERMONT

Broadway bound

In the midst of its 13th season, the Florida Lakes Symphony Orchestra will ring in the new year with well-known songs from Broadway shows. The orchestra presents two performances of “Broadway Baby,” at 7:30pm Jan. 11 at Epiphany Celebration Anglican Church, 1724 S. Bay St., Eustis, and at 7:30pm Jan. 12 at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 13600 Caspian Lane, Clermont. Music includes songs from shows such as “Porgy and Bess,” “Showboat,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “The Music Man,” and many others. Made up of more than 60 professional musicians from all over the world, the Florida Lakes Symphony Orchestra is the resident professional orchestra of Lake County. Tickets are $15-$42 and can be purchased at fl oridalakessymphonyorchestra.com. For more information, call 352.589.1500.

LADY LAKE

Did you know?

Start the new year with a new pal

Feeling blue after all the excitement of the holidays? Maybe you just need a good pal to hang out with you. Where do you fi nd a new friend? At your local animal shelter.

Lake County Animal Shelter

28123 County Road 561, Tavares

352.343.9688

Mon-Fri: 10am-6pm Sat: 10am-4pm Closed every third Wednesday of the month for cleaning and training.

Sumter County Animal Services Partnership Program

Mon-Fri: 10:30am-4pm Sat: 10:30am-1:30pm

Human Society of Sumter County

994 County Road 529A, Lake Panasoff kee

352.793.9117

Mon-Fri: 8am-5pm Kennels: Mon-Sat: 9am-4pm

Kibbles Pet Food Program

Sat: 10am-2pm

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Distracted teen drivers

According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2,333 teenagers were killed in 2015 in the United States, and 221,313 teens were treated in emergency rooms for vehicle crashes. This chart may off er some reasons why. Be alert, wear seatbelts, and arrive alive!

Before Lady Lake was incorporated in 1925, the Lady Lake Historical Society says the area was known as Conant, a thriving community named after Sherman Conant, one of the financiers of the Florida Southern Railroad. Structures in the town included a threestory hotel; the Osbern House, a ladies’ finishing school built in 1884; the McLean Farm; a post off ice; Conant’s General Store; and many homes.

According to Lake County historian William T. Kennedy, the demise of Conant occurred because the promoters were snobbish and did not accept people who did their own work rather than hiring laborers or who sent their children to a public school, so many families moved to more congenial towns. The historical society says residents named Lady Lake after a lake east of town, and Conant became part of the town.