IN THE KITCHEN

festivals

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Photo: Nicole Hamel

Lake County festivals

In 1975, Mount Dora led the charge to promote visual arts in the area when a group of art lovers put together a small event in the historic downtown. It was beyond anyone’s dreams that more than four decades later the event would be one of the best-loved and largest fine arts festivals in the nation. Mount Dora has become known as “Festival City” with good reason, as other municipalities around Lake County began as other municipalities around Lake County began imitating the successful arts festival model. Juried art imitating the successful arts festival model. Juried art shows in several communities—as well as arts and shows in several communities—as well as arts and crafts fairs—have made Lake County a premier arts festival destination for artists, visitors, and art lovers. No matter where you are in Lake County, there’s bound to be an art show near you.

CLERMONT

Arts, Cra s & Gi Show

Nov. 16, 10am-5pm clermontdowntownpartnership.com/art-festival The former Downtown Clermont Art Festival has been revamped to include crafts and gifts with a holiday theme. In addition to an array of artists, the free event will feature Santa, live music, food vendors, and more in the downtown area. Sponsored by the Clermont Downtown Partnership.

EUSTIS

Busker Festival

March 28, 2020 eustis.org “Buskers,” or street performers, from all over the United States will converge for the fifth annual festival. The lineup includes artists, musicians, dancers, comedians, jugglers, mimes, living statues, acrobats, and more. The free, family-oriented event includes a grand finale in which the top performers compete for prize money.

LADY LAKE

Art in the Park

Jan. 18-19, 2020 ladylakechamber.com The 15th annual Lady Lake Art in the Park is a great weekend full of arts, crafts, and music. Artists and vendors line the area in and around Lady Lake’s picturesque Log Cabin Park.

LEESBURG

Leesburg Fine Arts Festival

March 2020 leesburgarts.com/art-festival The Leesburg Center for the Arts presents its 43rd annual festival next spring in downtown Leesburg. As many as 100 visual and performing artists from around the state and the country will exhibit their work. Special features will include interactive art stations, Kids MAS (Mobile Art Studio), and live music and entertainment.

Photo: Douglas Tyler

MOUNT DORA

Mount Dora Cra Fair

Oct. 26-27, 9am-5pm mountdoracraftfair.com The 35th annual fair will feature an eclectic mix of arts and crafts, from sculptures to ceramics to paintings to woodworking and more. It’s a great opportunity to find unique holiday gifts. More than 400 talented crafters and artists from all over the country display and sell their finest works to the more than 100,000 visitors who attend this annual two-day event.

Photo: Nicole Hamel

Florida Highwaymen Art Show

Aug. 10-11, 11am-5pm; January 2020 mountdora.com Scenic renderings of Florida’s landscape expressed in the colorful and classic Highwaymen art style are shown at this twice-yearly event held at the Donnelly Park Pavilion. Several of the original Highwaymen artists participate and sell original pieces as well as prints.

Central Florida Film Festival

Sept. 6-8 centralfloridafilmfestival.com The 14th annual festival will return to Epic Theatres in Mount Dora after relocating to that venue and its Epic XL

festivals

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screens in 2018. The festival continues to expand its lineup of filmmakers and speakers from around the world as well as provide education to aspiring filmmakers and entertainment to the Central Florida community.

Mount Dora Arts Festival

Feb. 1-2, 2020 mountdoraartsfestival.org Ranked as the seventh-best arts festival in the nation, the Mount Dora Arts Festival is the epitome of Lake County art festivals. Heading into its 45th year, the fine arts festival attracts 250,000-plus visitors and about 300 local, national, and international artists who participate in the juried art event. Art lovers, casual fans, and families enjoy this well-organized, two-day event.

Photo: Nicole Hamel

Mount Dora Spring Festival

March 2020 mountdoraspringshow.com Downtown streets come alive with craftDowntown streets come alive with crafters and artists displaying their works for ers and artists displaying their works for show and sale. Formerly known as the show and sale. Formerly known as the Spring Collectibles, Crafts, and Antiques Spring Collectibles, Crafts, and Antiques Show, the revitalized Mount Dora Spring Show, the revitalized Mount Dora Spring Festival’s 23rd annual show will attract Festival’s 23rd annual show will attract thousands of visitors and more than 250 thousands of visitors and more than 250 exhibitors to the downtown streets. exhibitors to the downtown streets.

TAVARES

Lady of the Lakes Renaissance Faire

Nov. 1-3, 9-10 lakerenfaire.com Take a trip back in time to see characters like jousting knights, musical madams, and washlike jousting knights, musical madams, and wash-

Photo: Chris Redd

ing-well wenches. The Renaissance Faire, staged not far from Lake Idamere Park, spotlights 70 artisans practicing their crafts in many mediums, entertainers on seven stages, shops with special events such as royal weddings, and an “adult section” for fun and games.

African American Heritage Festival

February 2020 The 16th annual Tavares African American Heritage Festival and Parade is a free family-friendly event celebrating the cultural contributions of African-Americans in Lake County. In addition to arts and crafts, the free event features live performances, music, food, and more at Wooton Park.

Photo: Chris Redd

ARTIST PROFILE

Brendon Rogers

Brendon Rogers, Executive Director, Central Florida Film Festival.

hough originally from Bridgeport, Connecticut, Brendon Rogers was a part of the theater scene in Orlando since he moved to Florida in 2000. The award-winning actor, director, and producer has an interesting theater resume from his time in Orlando, performing in everything from “Wait Until Dark” to “Children of a Lesser God” and the delightful “Arsenic and Old Lace.”

He’s known best in this area as the director of the Central Florida Film Festival (CENFLO), which he brought to Mount Dora in January 2018. A full-fledged international film festival, CENFLO o ers residents of the area a chance to see films they most likely would never see.

This year, CENFLO entered a partnership with Lake-Sumter State College for development of a new Showcase Series. These films will be showcased outside the festival and have a more narrow criteria. There will also be educational film programs and scholarship drives.

Brendon says there are many challenges to driving a film festival, but he enjoys the work. “It has been a great honor helping up-and-coming filmmakers have an outlet for their work and to help them network with other filmmakers and make valuable industry connections,” Brendon says. “It’s shaping up to be great this year. We already have far more submissions than we had at this point last year.”

Those who attend the 14th annual film festival Sept. 6-8 at Mount Dora’s Epic Theaters can expect some surprises during the weekend, but Brendon says one thing you can count on is great entertainment.