Garden Variety

Book Box Bonanza: The Little Free Library comes to Stoneybrook.

Little Free Library is the world’s largest book-sharing movement: a community “take a book, return a book” free book exchange. Functioning on the honor system, Little Free Libraries come in all shapes and sizes, with the most common being a small wooden box of books.

While there are a few other Little Free Libraries in Winter Garden, there were not any where I live in the Stoneybrook area. Because my neighborhood, Westbrook Townhomes, is not gated, I thought it would be an ideal location for a Little Free Library in our community.

This past summer, I proposed the idea to our home owners association, and with their permission, worked with community residents to raise around $500 to purchase and install a library in a common area of our neighborhood.

Our visitors do a great job of keeping it stocked with books, but I also like to swap out the contents from time to time using book donations I keep on hand. The library has become popular with neighborhood kids in particular, but adults enjoy the library too. There’s usually a nice mix of both kids and adult books available.

Our library is registered with LittleFreeLibrary.org and appears on its world map so nearby residents can easily find it. There’s also a brand new Little Free Library mobile app for iOS and Android, which makes it even easier to find nearby libraries. To stay informed about what’s new at our Little Free Library, you can follow its Instagram account @WestbrookLittleFreeLibrary.

Lindsay S. is a resident of the Stoneybrook area of Winter Garden. As a Little Free Library steward, she’s delighted to share her passion for reading with the community.

Vocal Locals: What is your favorite holiday indulgence?

Chloe S.: I love to drive around with my family and look at all the pretty Christmas lights in the area.

Grace J.: My favorite indulgence is the homemade pumpkin cookies that I bake with my family.

Erica H.: A little Bailey’s in my coffee— especially when there’s a little chill in the air!

Katja G.: I love making lots of Christmas cookies with my family. My favorite are peanut butter kiss cookies.

Grace W.: Christmas dinner! Anything like stuffing, dressing, mashed potatoes—I always have a lot.

Charitable Spotlight: Holiday Gifts for Kids

The spirit of the season comes in many ways. For the Winter Garden Police Athletic League (WGPAL), it is derived from the ability to give many kids in our community gifts for the holiday. Throughout the year, WGPAL o ers events and activities to fundraise for their two big community outreach programs: an eight-week summer camp for 140 local children and the annual holiday gift giveaway. The Annual Holiday Gifts for Kids drive has been wildly successful in the past, reaching as many 283 youths in a season. Applications are secretly submitted for a child’s gift wants, and the WGPAL team uses donated and fundraised money to purchase these gifts for parents to collect and gift. This year, the need is as strong as ever. Donations of cash and gift cards are appreciated and can be dropped right at the precinct, located on W. Plant Street. If you are having a holiday party and would like to do a group donation, a representative of WGPAL will be happy to stop by and collect your offering. Gifts will be distributed on December 18. If you can’t give money, the gift of time to volunteer for one of their many events is also appreciated.

Get involved: wgpal.org

Market Watch: Dicuru Mozzarella

Mozzarella, burrata, the creamy, salty goodness, is made with love and tradition at Dicuru Mozzarella.

The Dicuru family hails from the Puglia area of Italy, where Grandma and her siblings learned the cheese-making craft from an early age. She emigrated to Venezuela with her children and their spouses in the 1930s. Her son, Vladimir, and his wife, Elimar (who also has a family history with cheese making), moved to Miami in 2003, followed by their nephew Jorge in 2012. It was there that they began to play with the old family recipes, eventually turning it into a family business.

Four years ago, they saw an opportunity to grow the business in Orlando. They purchased a warehouse space to make the products fresh to order, and have been a staple at the Farmers Market ever since.

Even if you don’t buy your cheese directly from Dicuru, you may still be eating it; if you’ve ever sat down at Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill at Disney Springs, Antica Pizzeria in Altamonte Springs, Kres Chophouse in Downtown Orlando, or Three Birds Café right here in our downtown, you’ve eaten at a restaurant that gets its cheese from Dicuru.

Currently, the three are working on a storefront to adjoin their warehouse to sell additional Italian products, including sausages made with a family recipe. Stop by their booth to sample the product or check out the Dicuru Mozzarella Instagram

Reviews

Watch: The Walking Dead

Everyone’s probably heard of "The Walking Dead" on AMC. It’s hard not to, since it’s been one of the most talked about shows off the decade. In my opinion, the show deserves all its fame! If you don’t know much about it, "The Walking Dead" is about the constant struggle the survivors of a zombie apocalypse go through to protect, feed, and provide shelter for each other. The living are just as dangerous as the undead, and they all face diminishing resources, disease, and the unknown. It’s one of those shows where main characters can die, and quite a few of the people I liked most didn’t make it to the end of the series. If you somehow haven’t seen it, or dropped off in later seasons, I recommend picking it back up again.

Mike A. is a lover of comedy, suspense, drama, and horror. In his free time, he enjoys cycling and doing CrossFit.

Read: The Reincarnationist Papers

If you saw the trailers earlier this year for a movie called In nite, then you already know a little bit about The "Reincarnationist" Papers by D. Eric Maikranz. It’s about members of a secret society who remember all their past lives, blending known history with a little something more. It also challenges religious concepts and makes the reader think about just how far back they can remember. The book can drag in some places, a bit like Forrest Gump in that there were several flashback-type stories that didn’t really add to the plot. But I don’t think that takes away from it being a really great read.

Dani C. loves books like fish love water, reading between five and 10 each month. When she’s not reading, she’s helping her husband brew bee, and playing with her dogs.

Listen: Watercolors

Smooth jazz has been my favorite musical genre for my whole adult life, and I really love listening to Sirius XM. If you have XM radio, I recommend tuning into “Watercolors” on Channel 66. It’s a great place to discover your new jazz favorites; it’s where I discovered the song “Trying Times” by Leo Sidran! I love his soft vocals, which remind me of longtime jazz vocalist Michael Franks. Their nearly breathless quality is so unique! I’m glad I was tuned in when that song came on.

Though Ann M. is a jazz lover, her favorite song is “Hotel California” by The Eagles. In her free time, she enjoys loving on everyone’s dogs and catching up with old friends.

Local History: The Shelby Hotel

Images and research for Local History courtesy of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation

Looking for a little bubbly to enhance your holiday? Head to Tony’s Liquor on the corner of Plant and Main and learn about the unique history of the building it does its business in. In 1912, a fire swept through Downtown, wiping out most of the wood-frame buildings. The following year, James Lafayette Dillard (or J.L. as he was known) built the first brick structure, the Shelby Hotel. J.L. was a pioneer of Winter Garden, settling in the area in 1887. He built the hotel to house early settlers and board local workers. The site was ideal since it was one block from the train station. The Shelby has been repurposed many times since then. You can still see the garage door imprint on the side of the building from the days when it was an auto repair shop. Stop by Tony’s Liquor, if not to get a libation, then to appreciate the history of the building!