5 minute read
Garden Variety
Celebrate our Winter Garden roots with old-fashioned fun.
City leaders came together and founded Winter Garden 118 years ago. Imagine if they had not—how different things might be today. We are grateful for our founders and their vision. A.B. Newton was Winter Garden’s first mayor, but he was also much more than that. He published the town’s first newspaper, served as its first postmaster, and operated a general store. We are thankful that our first mayor cared so much about Winter Garden and had the vision to plant those first seeds that grew into our city. Good leadership and a strong vision are important. We appreciate the leaders we have today and their commitment to our city.
Winter Garden will come together as a community to celebrate these roots on Saturday, November 6, with good old-fashioned field games, fall festivities, and a variety of heritage activities, with live music in the afternoon.
Winter Garden’s history is preserved by the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation. Founded in 1994, the foundation has been an integral part of the preservation and revitalization of our community and a gatekeeper of our history. It is fitting that they are partnering with the City of Winter Garden on this celebration.
November is a month to be grateful for our nation, our family, our friends, and our city. Our city is certainly grateful for you, the citizens who make up our past, present, and future.
Tanja Gerhartz is the Economic Development Director for the City of Winter Garden. In her free time, she loves gardening in her yard and walking the town with her two goldendoodles.
LOCAL HISTORY
High School Heritage
Pictured: The Lakeview High School Homecoming Queen of 1955, Patricia Seagraves
Initially considered far out of town, Lakeview High School was built in 1927. The graduating class of 1955 was 73 students strong, and its Senior Motto was, “A live wire never gets stepped on.”
Today, our graduating classes are typically over 500 students each year—which necessitated the building of a larger school, West Orange High School, in 1975. As for Lakeview High, the building now functions as Lakeview Middle School. Go Devils!
VOCAL LOCALS
What’s the best way anyone has ever shown you gratitude?
Gina K.
Melvin A.
Steven R.
Jean S.
Fernando F.
MARKET WATCH
Donevette’s Confection Perfection
“You should sell this!” What started as a running joke in the Williams household is now a Farmers Market staple. Donevette’s Confections was founded in 2018 by Tee and Elaana Williams, a mother-daughter team who wanted to bring Tee’s from-scratch baked goods to the community. The name is a tribute to three family members: Donald, Elaana’s grandfather; Lynette, her grandmother; and Eva, her great-grandmother. Mix them all together and bake for an hour, and voila! One sweet Don-ev-ette.
Today, Donevette’s offers more than 30 cookie varieties. Some classic flavors, like chocolate chip, are always on the menu, while others are seasonal. When asked her favorite, Elaana happily recommended “The COW,” which stands for chocolate chip, oat, and walnut.
Even if cookies aren’t your confection of choice, Donevette’s is still one sweet stop! Try the Oreo cheesecake brownies, bread pudding, or cake-sicles, the latter of which is already a market favorite.
Donevette’s is also popular with local police officers and fire fighters. They often stop by the booth just to say hello, something Elaana says they love—a sure sign that their sweets are baked into the community.
READER REVIEWS
Listen
True crime is my favorite genre, and every Monday, I love to check out the latest episode of “Crime Junkie” (2017–Present, available on all streaming platforms). Hosts Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat tell the stories of past murders, serial killers, and missing persons. The stories take place all over the U.S. and cover only factual evidence found through their research.
Some of the stories are hard to listen to, and some crime scene details and released 911 calls are not for the faint of heart. But connections and efforts of some listeners have even helped solve some real-world cases!
Desiree H. is a teacher in our community and a super-mom of two frisky boys. She and her husband can often be found volunteering and doing good for multiple organizations in Winter Garden.
Read
“The Witcher Saga” by Andrzej Sapkowski is a high fantasy series about the intertwining fates of Geralt, who is a Witcher, and Ciri, the young girl he is destined to protect. I love it for its deep worldbuilding, well-developed characters, and brilliant story.
I read the series on eBook. I love fantasy books (my favorite author is J.R.R. Tolkien), and I really loved this six-book series. If you love fantasy, you will love it, too.
Jenna B. is lover of baking, theme parks, traveling, and, of course, high fantasy. Her favorite time to read is in the evening, right before bed.
CHARITABLE SPOTLIGHT
American Legion Post 63
One of the common exercises for those preparing for military service is “rucking.” These long marches with loaded backpacks (typically 50 pounds or more) train military members for fast moves with essential gear, including food, water, tools, and clothing.
In 2016, Commander Kurt Gies founded the first Challenge 22 event to raise awareness and money for local veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress. The number 22 represents the estimated number of military members who commit suicide each day.
The first activity of this year’s Challenge 22 event is a 2.2-mile Ruck Walk. Veterans and active military are welcome to walk with their own ruck sacks, and civilians are invited to walk alongside them, or to purchase their own ruck sack on site for a more authentic rucking experience. Learn more about the event, participation, and volunteer opportunities online at in.thelocalwg.com/challenge-22.
GET INVOLVED: 5th Annual Challenge 22 Event: Saturday, November 13, 10am–3pm / legionflpost63.org
