17 minute read
HI, SOCIETY
The Villages Premier Board Certified Plastic Surgery Group
MEMBER OF
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
MEMBER OF
American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
Our practice is dedicated to providing exceptional plastic surgery and achieving a beautiful, natural-looking result for our patients. We s strive to combine surgical expertise, artistic vision, and outstanding service to st make your visit with us a positive, rewarding experience. We offer a complete m range of modern procedures that include non-surgical and surgical techniques. ra
Each of our surgeons is board certified in plastic surgery. They are all fully trained and experienced in cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery and reconstructive surgery. Our surgeons are always on site and are directors of our medi-spa and ancillary procedures.
In addition, we have registered nurses assisting the physicians with your care.
This cadre of dedicated professionals ensures that all your questions are answered and that your experience is personal and complete to your satisfaction.
E tr s a
In T a So, if you are seeking a more youthful face, enlarging your S breasts, a flattering figure, the solution to a problem area, or b guidance to help beautify and rejuvenate your skin, our practice g can help you achieve your goals. c
GET TO KNOW OUR
James Rogers DMD, MD
Dr. Rogers is a native Floridian. He is a graduate of Emory University, and completed his dental and medical degrees from the University of Florida. He trained in surgery at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida, and completed his plastic surgical training at Tulane University and Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans. Dr. Rogers is a member of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and has performed Cosmetic and Reconstructive Procedures in Ocala for over twenty years. He is one of the most experienced surgeons in Central Florida. Navinderdeep Nijher MD
Dr. Nijher is a native New Yorker who now resides in Ocala with his wife who is a pediatrician. He completed his plastic surgery training at the prestigious New York Hospital of Cornell and Columbia Universities and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He provides the latest cutting edge techniques in minimal scar surgery of the breast, face, forehead, and eyes. He also specializes in all facets of body sculpting including but not limited to liposuction, abdominoplasty, and post bariatric body contouring. Dr.Nijher lectures extensively trying to educate patients on plastic surgery and has subsequently become one of the most sought out plastic surgeons in Central Florida. Leonik Ahumada MD, FACS
Dr. Ahumada specializes in cosmetic and plastic surgery. He is trained in the latest plastic surgical techniques of the face, eyelids, breast and body with emphasis on minimal scarring. This includes non surgical (fillers,botox,fat grafts,sclerotherapy) and surgical procedures (facelift, eyelids, nose, breast,tummy tucks,liposuction). He graduated from Harvard with a degree in biochemistry and completed medical school at the University of Miami. He was awarded many honors while completing Plastic Surgery training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and has authored and co-authored papers in plastic surgery. He prefers a personal approach to his patients and will listen to your concerns when suggesting procedures. Dr Ahumada’s family is from South America; in addition to English he is also fluent in Spanish and has an international clientele. He is married and father to three girls; when not seeing patients he enjoys time with his family.
On the scene
THE TO-DO LIST 72
LOCAL TALENT 74
OUT + ABOUT 76
HI, SOCIETY! 82
august
To have an event considered for the calendar, send a short text description along with a color photo (if available) 45 days in advance of event to: calendar@akersmediagroup.com or Lake & Sumter Style Calendar, P.O. Box 490088, Leesburg, FL 34749
AUGUST 8
Troops from the 501st Legion – Florida Garrison are landing 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Cagan Crossings Community Library, 16729 Cagan Oaks, Clermont. Information: Call Herb Pilgrim at 352.243.1840 or email hpilgrim@lakeline.lib.fl .us.
EVENTS
AUGUST 5
LAKE COUNTY SENIOR EXPO This free, one-day event features information on health, insurance, services for seniors. It will be 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Lake Receptions, 4425 North Highway 19A, Mount
Dora. FOR INFORMATION, CALL
AL WITTNEBERT AT 352.383.1958 OR EMAIL AL@UACC.ORG.
AUGUST 7
FAMILY FOOD TRUCK NIGHT The Clermont Downtown Partnership hosts First Friday Family Food Trucks and Music on Montrose at 5:30 p.m. every First Friday at City Hall Park, Clermont. Jay Guess and Class Act Jazz Combo Quartet will kick off Friday night for 2015.
INFORMATION: 352.394.3392
AUGUST 8
STRUT YOUR MUTT Can your dog strut his or her stuff? Register today to participate in the event of the year, where your pup can vie for the title of king or queen! Tickets to attend this black tie affair cost $75 and are on sale now. It is 6-10 p.m. at the Eustis Community Center, 601 Northshore Drive, Eustis. FOR
INFORMATION, CALL SUSAN ELLIS AT 352.455.5941 OR EMAIL JENNIFER.FERGUSON@LCSO.ORG.
AUGUST 8
LEESBURG FOOD TRUCK-NFLICK NIGHT Enjoy food from gourmet food trucks and a free movie 6-9:30 p.m. at Towne Square, Leesburg.
INFORMATION: 352.365.0053
PHOTO: Stefano Buttafoco / Shutterstock
AUGUST 15
CHESS TOURNAMENT Friends of the Cagan Crossings Library are sponsoring a chess tournament 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Cagan Crossings Community Library, 16729 Cagan Oaks Blvd., Clermont. Entry fee is $40 before Aug. 1 or $50 at the door. FOR
INFORMATION, CALL HERB PILGRIM AT 352.243.1840 OR EMAIL HPILGRIM@LAKELINE. LIB.FL.US.
AUGUST 15-16
ALEX MARLEY & THE REBEL BAND AT THE MOUNT DORA SEAFOOD FESTIVAL Bring your own chair or blanket 11 a.m.-9 p.m. at Elizabeth Evans Park,100 S. Donnelly St., Mount Dora, Aug. 15-16 and enjoy an evening of reggae as only the Marley family can deliver. This concert is free. Seafood, cocktails, beer and wine will be available for purchase. VIP tickets available for purchase.
INFORMATION: 352.383.2165.
AUGUST 26
BUTTERFLY AND WILDFLOWER HIKE It is hot, but the butterfl ies and pollinators are in high gear, sipping on nectar and collecting pollen from the wildfl owers. Come learn about the relationships these winged wonders have with native plants. The hike will be 9-11 a.m. at PEAR Park Wildlife Conservation Area, 4800 University Ave., Leesburg. FOR
INFORMATION, CALL LAKE COUNTY PARKS & TRAILS AT 352.253.4950.
MUSIC+THEATRE
AUGUST 8-9
SIMPLY STREISAND, “THEN & NOW” Carla DelVillaggio portrays Barbara Streisand with an uncanny resemblance to “Vintage” 1964 Barbra. Titled, “Then and Now, a Tribute to Barbra Streisand,” this show features the classic songs and newer hits by the beloved artist. See it 8 p.m. August 8 and 2 p.m. August 9. Tickets are $16. The show will be at the Bay Street Theatre, 109 N. Bay St., Eustis. FOR INFORMA-
TION, CALL 352.357.7777.
THROUGH AUGUST 9
GREASE Come see the gang dance and sing its way through “Summer Nights”; “Greased Lightnin’”; “Beauty School Dropout” and more. Showtimes vary at the Icehouse Theatre at 1100 N. Unser St. Ticket prices vary. Information:
352.383.3133
AUGUST 16
STATE THEATRE IMPROV FUN FORCE Join us every third Sunday of the month for an evening of fun! The Bay Street Players are proud to present “State Theatre Improv Fun Force” every third Sunday. This show promises fun for all ages, inviting the audience to shout suggestions, jump onstage and laugh in an out-of-control fashion. It is at the Bay Street Theatre, 109 N. Bay St.,
Eustis. FOR INFORMATION,
CALL 352.357.7777.
AUGUST 22
Divas and Diamonds Show
PHOTO: Lucian Milasan / Shutterstock
Renowned Tribute Artist Stacey Whitton Summers as Marilyn Monroe, Shania Twain and Martina McBride brings her highly acclaimed one woman show to Mount Dora. The event will be 7-9 p.m. at the Mount Dora Community Building, 520 N. Baker St., Mount Dora. Tickets range from $15 to $30 for VIP.
For information, call Janet Ganache at 352.217.8390 or email janet.gamache@gmail.com.
ARTS+EXHIBITS XHIBITS
AUGUST 9
RENNINGER’S GUITARS S GUITARS AND CARS Come enjoy two swap meets o swap meets for the price of one: a car f one: a car and cycle show mixed with w mixed with a musician’s swap meet. You wap meet. You can buy, sell, or trade musical or trade musical equipment and listen to live listen to live music. See classic cars, sell ssic cars, sell cars or car parts, and watch ts, and watch a car cruise. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at a.m.-2 p.m. at Renningers Antique Center, tique Center, 20651 US Hwy 441, Mount y 441, Mount
Dora. FOR INFORMATION, ORMATION,
CALL 352.383.8393. 393.
AUG. 14-31
CONCEPTUAL JOURNEYS The artists in this show take the viewer on separate journeys through concepts realized in wood and paint. The perfect artistic outcome comes through the conceptual journey. The exhibit is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. select days through September at Mount Dora Center for the Arts Gallery, 138 E. 5th Ave.,
Mount Dora. FOR INFORMA-
TION, CALL BETH MILLER AT 352.383.0880 OR EMAIL BETH@ MOUNTDORACENTERFORTHEARTS.ORG.
STORY: BROOKE ROBLES PHOTO: FRED LOPEZ
Tyler Haney has established himself as one of Lake County’s newest up-and-coming country acts with the swagger of modern country artist Sam Hunt and a sound rooted in the music of Waylon Jennings.
Tyler’s appreciation for music started when he was a young child coping with multiple health problems. Tyler, who was born with an incurable blood disorder, was hospitalized throughout childhood. He suffered from many serious symptoms that often left him extremely fatigued symptoms that often and dehydrated, and he had to receive and dehyd fl uids and monitoring.fl uids and “Through all of this, the only thing I “Throug had to look forward to was the music had to look on the radio during that frequent car on the rad ride to and from the hospital or while ride to and in my hospital bed,” Tyler said. “Havin my hosp ing the music on calmed me and made ing the mu the world of difference.” the world
Over time, music became his passion. Over time, music b
“I wasn’t your average boy,” he said. “I couldn’t “I wasn’t your aver play football, wrestle, or play outside, so I turned playfootballwrestle to music.”
Tyler was born in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, but he considers himself a “Florida Boy” because he moved to Leesburg at age 4.
Like many artists, Tyler’s music and love of music was infl uenced by his upbringing. His family turned him on to Clint Black, Eddy Arnold and Tracy Lawrence.
Tyler is a self-taught guitarist. In fact, he’s been a musician for most of his life. He started out as a sax man 13 years ago and then moved on to French horn, trumpet and piano.
After graduating from Leesburg High School, Tyler pursued a music career while attending Southeastern University in Lakeland. After a few years, Tyler moved back home to help his family. That’s when he made the decision to take his music to a professional level. He began booking shows and playing in the Lake County area and indulging in songwriting. He plans on taking his best fi ve original songs and releasing his debut EP in 2016, which will feature his catchy new tune, “Perfect Crime.”
Tyler’s style of country music has many country “roots” infl uences, but his sound is most like country artists Sam Hunt and Brantley Gilbert. Tyler plans to make his fi rst visit to Nashville, Tennessee, this summer to begin planning his next move in his music career. To learn more about Tyler Haney, visit www.facebook.com/tyler.arnoldhaney.
INCONCERT
DATE TIME ARTIST VENUE
8/3 7 p.m. Smooth Country Band Wind Horse Theater, Eustis 8/5 7:30 p.m. Jeff Whitfi eld, Ruby Street Grille, Tavares 8/6 7:30 p.m. Kelly Jarrard Ruby Street Grille, Tavares 8/6 7:30 p.m. Ric Mac and The Windjammers Band Wind Horse Theater, Eustis 8/7 7:30 p.m. BJ Thomas The Sharon, The Villages 8/8 7:30 p.m. BJ Thomas The Sharon, The Villages 8/8 8 p.m. Clicker Rhythms Bar, Eustis 8/9 1:30 p.m. Kelly Jarrard Ruby Street Grille, Tavares 8/9 7:30 p.m. Defenders of Daisies Ruby Street Grille, Tavares 8/10 7 p.m. Smooth Country Band Wind Horse Theater, Eustis 8/12 7:30 p.m. Jeff Whitfi eld Ruby Street Grille, Tavares 8/13 7:30 p.m. Ric Mac and The Windjammers Band Wind Horse Theater, Eustis 8/14 9 p.m. Keeper Shamrock Lounge & Package, Leesburg 8/15 8 p.m. Justin Heet Ruby Street Grille, Tavares 8/15 8 p.m. Micah and the Reason Rhythms Bar, Eustis 8/15 9 p.m. Keeper Shamrock Lounge & Package, Leesburg 8/16 1:30 p.m. Dangerous Dave Merrill Ruby Street Grille, Tavares 8/17 7 p.m. Smooth Country Band Wind Horse Theater, Eustis 8/19 7:30 p.m. Jeff Whitfi eld Ruby Street Grille, Tavares 8/20 7:30 p.m. Ric Mac and The Windjammers Band Wind Horse Theater, Eustis 8/20 7:30 p.m. Bobby France Ruby Street Grille, Tavares 8/21 8 p.m. Shadow Cabinet Ruby Street Grille, Tavares 8/21 9 p.m. Confl ict of Interest Shamrock Lounge & Package, Leesburg 8/22 7 p.m. Divas and Diamonds Community Building, Mount Dora 8/22 9 p.m. Confl ict of Interest Shamrock Lounge & Package, Leesburg 8/23 1:30 p.m. Dennis Gallo Ruby Street Grille, Tavares 8/23 7:30 p.m. Defenders of Daisies Ruby Street Grille, Tavares 8/24 7 p.m. Smooth Country Band Wind Horse Theater, Eustis 8/26 7:30 p.m. Jeff Whitfi eld Ruby Street Grille, Tavares 8/27 7:30 p.m. Ric Mac and The Windjammers Band Wind Horse Theater, Eustis 8/28 8 p.m. Kings County Ruby Street Grille, Tavares 8/28 9 p.m. Liquor Box Shamrock Lounge & Package, Leesburg 8/29 9 p.m. Liquor Box Shamrock Lounge & Package, Leesburg 8/30 1:30 p.m. Dennis Gallo Ruby Street Grille, Tavares 8/31 7 p.m. Smooth Country Band Wind Horse Theater, Eustis 9/2 7:30 p.m. Jeff Whitfi eld Ruby Street Grille, Tavares 9/3 7:30 p.m. Ric Mac and The Windjammers Band Wind Horse Theater, Eustis 9/4 9 p.m. Stone Wagon Shamrock Lounge & Package, Leesburg
Bands subject to change… Email inconcert@akersmediagroup.com to submit an event for In Concert. Submissions must be received by the ninth of the month prior to month of the event (example: September 9 for October issue).
Palacio Vienna Hotel, built in 1906 near Havana’s Plaza Vieja (Old Square), undergoes extensive renovations after sitting vacant for several decades.
CUBA
IN TRANSITION
Traveling to Cuba is hot, hot, hot… and it’s not the tropical temperatures we’re talking about. For half a century, the island has been forbidden fruit for U.S. citizens, but that is quickly changing as both governments move to restore relations.
STORY: MARY ANN DESANTIS PHOTOS: TONY + MARY ANN DESANTIS
The cranes protruded from the Spanish Colonial buildings like giant bugs’ antennae, and the rat-tat-tat of jackhammers fi lled the narrow cobblestone streets in Old Havana. An art gallery displayed new lithographs featuring the American fl ag while the old pieces with Soviet symbolisms were stacked elsewhere. The city is defi nitely getting ready for an invasion of Americans visitors. Cuba has an allure for Americans that is hard to describe. Many are anxious to see a place that has been off-limits since 1961 when the U.S. broke diplomatic ties and closed the embassy. Others want to step back in time where vintage American cars dominate the roads and Internet access is limited. For me, visiting Cuba meant meeting the people and hearing in their own words how they felt about their neighbors to the north.
It was also an opportunity to see how the country had changed since my fi rst trip there in 1991 as a journalist. That trip was mostly daily meetings fi lled with rhetoric from Fidel Castro’s government and very little exploration on my own. I
saw decrepit buildings with no attempt to improve them and ate in governmentrun restaurants. What I most remember, however, were heartbreaking conversations on the sly with people who barely had enough to eat after the Soviet Union pulled out of the country.
Fast forward 24 years and I returned to fi nd a country truly excited about its future… and a future that includes U.S. visitors. For years, tourists from Europe, Canada and Mexico have been able to explore Cuba on their own. But it’s the Americans that Cubans want most.
“You are American?,” an elderly man asked me as I took a photo of his shiny 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air on my second morning in Havana, the capital city of 2.2 million people. Before I could add anything other than “yes,” he grasped me in a bear hug and genuinely said, “Welcome to Cuba. We are so glad you are here.”
The reception was much the same for the 36 members of our group, comprised mostly of people from The Villages and Ocala. who traveled to Havana in May. We may have looked like tourists, but we could not be called that — at least not offi cially. We were on a people-topeople exchange, one of the 12 categories of authorized travel to Cuba by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Offi ce of Foreign Assets (OFAC). General tourism is not yet one of those categories. Currently, visitors must travel with an OFAC -licensed agency on charter fl ights and stick to a planned itinerary… in other words, no free time at the beach. My eight-day itinerary focused on visiting museums, schools, historic sites and cultural institutions.
A HISTORIC LINK TO FLORIDA
It’s easy for my baby-boomer generation to forget that Cuba, often called “the Pearl of the Antilles,” has a colorful and important history that began centuries before Fidel Castro established a revolutionary socialist state. The Spaniards founded Havana in 1515 to be the “strongbox” for the gold they accumulated in the New World. Explorer Hernando DeSoto was the fi rst Governor of Cuba in 1536 and even left his wife in Havana when he set sail for Florida’s west coast.
Spain controlled Cuba for nearly three centuries before Havana fell to a British invasion in 1762. A year later, however, Britain swapped Havana for Florida, and Spanish rule returned until 1898. After Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders defeated the Spanish at the Battle of San Juan Hill, Spain ceded control of Cuba to the U.S.
Today, the Spanish Colonial buildings in Old Havana survive alongside architectural infl uences from Great Britain, France and Italy. The people of Havana, called Habaneros, take pride in the exquisite architecture, which is a reminder that the nation once had considerable wealth. Unfortunately, that wealth evaporated after the 1959 revolution and many buildings fell into disrepair. Today, the Pearl of the Antilles may lack its luster, but with the help of UNESCO many historic gems are being restored.
The Plaza Vieja (Old Square) is a prime example of Havana’s transition toward becoming a tourism destination. Once in complete disrepair, the plaza is in the fi nal stages of restoration with restaurants, boutiques, a photography museum and even a planetarium. Private enterprise is
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Singer at the Tropicana Cabaret, which opened in 1939; Ernest Hemingway’s home in Finca Vigia, just outside Havana; Lázaro Franqui Marrero inherited his 1956 Chevrolet from his grandfather; Cuba’s outdoor dining cafes are growing; a couple walks in an Old Havana residential neighborhood; iconic St. Christopher’s Cathedral was completed in 1777; Cubans love entertaining visitors, especially in Cathedral Plaza.
also creeping into the socialist state with many family-owned restaurants, known as paladars, throughout the country. The Cuban cuisine was prominently showcased during our journey, which included an evening at Havana’s Artechef Cooking School where we learned to make the perfect Mojito, considered Cuba’s welcome drink.
“After you spend a week here, you’ll see there are more things to keep us together than to keep us apart,” said Abel Contreras de la Guardia, our guide from Habanatur, the government-owned tour agency.
Indeed our group came away with hopes that we would each be able to return someday on our own. In the meantime, however, the U.S. embargo still exists (as of press time) and Cuba is still very much in transition. Even Cubans on the street admitted there aren’t enough hotel rooms for the expected onslaught of Americans. Many of the historic sites are government-run and access can be diffi cult without an experienced guide. Despite the paperwork and challenges of getting there, Cuba is defi nitely a pearl worth seeing.
