TRENDING

Spotlighting the best of local people, places, and events

INTRODUCING THE TALL TEXAN

h May Style coverThe M ph o of a sandwichphot ffdwith an ungodlystuffed w amount of grilledam mat was meant formea ll trative purposesillust o l So imagine ouronly. s prise when Johnsurp e’s SmokehouseDance owner John Danceow reported that ers tried to ordercustome th buster piled highthe gut-bu hsausage, brisket,with s ch ken, pulled pork,chicke bs and cole slaw.rib John, who believes in customer faction, built thesatisfa q d sandwich andrequested “The Tall n” — more thanTexan th pounds of BBQthree basity — is nowbomb featured on the John Dance’s Smokehouse m menu. Want one? Bring your ppetite … and anapp Andy Jackson.

JAMES COMBS’ JUNE

THEHITLIST

1 // A DRUNK FLORIDA

woman who called police asked the responding offi cer for sex. Fortunately, the offi cer was not willing to cooperate with this bizarre “call to duty.”

2 // FACEBOOK, THE WORLD’S

biggest online social network, will now allow users to pick someone to manage their account after they die. Ahhh … the online afterlife. I can just see it now. Five years after my funeral, my account manager writes “Still Dead” on my wall. I just hope it doesn’t generate too many likes.

3 // THIS MONTH MARKS THE

beginning of hurricane season in Florida. Hurricanes certainly can blow, but with adequate preparation, they should be a breeze.

4 // THE SIXTH ANNUAL

Leesburg Cornfest will be held June 6 on Main Street. Anyone who attends the event is sure to get an earful!

5 // JUNE IS NATIONAL Adopt-A-

Cat month. Plenty of kittens and cats are waiting to be adopted at the Cat Protection Society in Eustis. One look at these beautiful creatures, and you’ll be purr-suaded to take one home. There’s no way you can paws-ibly resist!

6 // NEW VISION FOR

Independence recently held its popular Dining in the Dark event where guests eat in a pitch-black dining room. I won’t give away further details, but be sure to attend next year so you’re not left in the dark.

DUDLEY READY TO RACE

CHRIS P. BACON

Doctor Doolittle has nothing on Ronnie Graves, owner of VIP Veterinary Inclusive Prosthetics and Orthopedics in Bushnell. Graves recently made a prosthetic foot for a Tennessee steer named Dudley, who was hobbled after having a foot amputated. Graves, himself an amputee, has made more than 100 artifi cial limbs, including a leg with wheels for Chris P. Bacon, a potbelly pig.

JOSH TAKES ON:

AN ADMITTEDLY ASKEW POINT-OF-VIEW FROM THE MIND OF ILLUSTRATOR JOSH CLARK

Spotlighting the best of local people, places, and events

Hurricane season is here. Wind-proof your home by picking up dead tree branches, cleaning out gutters and storing lawn furniture, bird feeders and gardening equipment.

Cassidy Clayton and Bobbie Jo Tibbets won the Teen Video Showcase with their video “Time Heroes.” The video, which was fi lmed at the Leesburg Public Library, can be viewed on YouTube under TVC Time Heroes.

Get Wet Watersports has its grand opening at the intersection of Highway 441 and State Road 19 on June 19-21. Get Wet will rent jet skis, kayaks, paddle boats, wakeboards, pontoon boats, and more. www.TavaresWaterSports.com.

Lake-Sumter State College’s fi rst graduating class of 14 Bachelor of Applied Science in Organiztional Management students recently received diplomas. The program provides practical, applicable preparation for management positions.

WHAT’S IN A MALL NAME?

What’s in a name? Confusion in the case of The Lake Square Mall, which has been renamed VIAPORT FLORIDA. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but “via” means “by a route that touches or passes through” and “port” means “a city, town, or other place where ships load or unload”. Odd choice considering that the new owners of the mall surely want their shopping center to be a destination, not a place you just want to pass by. And, the nearest port is a wine on the shelf of a local liquor store. … at least Leesburg has a mall. Plans for an open-air super mall with 1.2 million feet of shops near the Orange County line in Southeast Lake County have evaporated. The 142-acre Plaza Collina site instead will be occupied by two auto dealerships and a big-box store.

WHEEL DEAL

Facebook business deal of the month: The owner of a golf cart rental business that services The Villages wants to sell his operation for $95,000. The deal includes 25 carts that he delivers from storage units. If you charge the going rate of $20 a day, you can make your investment back in 190 days (before expenses)… assuming you rent all 25 carts… every day.

More POWER to them

M/I Homes is making a presence in Lake County. The Orlando-based company recently opened its fi rst Energy Star home in the county at Serenity at Red Tail in Sorrento. The company hopes to build 69 new homes in the community.

“It means we strictly adhere to a rigorous design, engineering and construction protocol with standards that only 20 percent of new homes built in America today can meet,” says David Byrnes, area president of M/I Homes. “Compared to a house built to code, Energy Star standards can save homeowners as much as 30 percent on energy bills.”

HERE WE GROW AGAIN

Here’s a milestone you may hate to acknowledge — Florida is now the third most populous state. Time to put a fence at the border?

Furget Xtra Lurnin

The start of the 2015-’16 Lake County school year will not be moved up by two weeks after all. Superintendent Dr. Susan Moxley made that announcement after a community survey revealed 71 percent of respondents wanted school to start on Aug. 24. It appears that the majority of the 10,849 people who responded to survey would rather their kids have a full week off for Thanksgiving than two weeks of additional learning. Howey-in-theHills’ new police chief Rick Thomas is a 20-year veteran of the department.

Florida Hospital Waterman earned a fourth consecutive “A” grade in the Spring 2015 Hospital Safety Score, which rates how well hospitals protect patients from preventable medical errors, injuries and infections within the hospital. Leesburg Regional Medical Center, The Villages Regional Hospital and South Lake Hospital each earned a “B.” Visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.

Vintage Goods and Chattel recently opened at 344 S. Highland St. in Mount Dora and ABC Liquors will soon open on Highway 441… Pizza@ on Main Street in Tavares is the Seaplane City’s newest eatery… Turners restaurant just opened on 3rd Street in downtown Leesburg… In The Villages, World of Beer is moving into the former radio station on Spanish Springs Town Square.