10 minute read
New on the Scene
The Local is stoked to be your newest resident expert on WG life. But we certainly aren’t the only new kid in town. Here are just a few of our new people, places, and more.
Story by Rheya Tanner / Photos by Fred Lopez
Miguel Salas poses as a modern-day Don Quixote in front of the Winter Garden clock tower.
New Performer: The Possible Dream
Miguel Salas’s first exposure to “Don Quixote” was because of his grandma, an avid reader. She gave him that book among many, many others when he was a young boy in his native Venezuela. “It made a mark on me then, the way he sees things,” he says. “And when I first discovered ‘Man of La Mancha,’ I really engaged with the ‘impossible dream.’”
His passion for performance started young. He enrolled in a music school at the age of 9 and fell in love with opera at 15. By his 20s, Miguel was performing in operas in Italy and Belgium— including the lead role of Marcello in “La Bohème.”
In that time, Miguel had tastes of the Don Quixote role, but the stars never quite aligned. “There was a production in Caracas, but I didn’t find out about it until it had already been cast,” he says. “So I saw it as an audience member. It was actually the last play I saw before I left Venezuela.”
Miguel emigrated to the United States five years ago this month. That’s when it truly seeped into his bones. “I started from scratch,” he says. “I worked the small jobs, still seeing myself on the big scene again. There was something about that phrase, ‘the impossible dream,’ that kept me going.”
Miguel and his wife first developed a relationship with the Garden Theatre as educators, leading a kids’ bilingual production of “Coco.”
“We have an academy called Play And Arts where we teach music and painting. A friend and fellow actor recommended us to the Theatre, and they hired us to help run the summer camp,” he says. “That’s where I met Joe Walsh.”
The artistic director of the Garden Theatre connected with Miguel and shared his vision for “Man of La Mancha.”
“I fell in love with the project,” says Miguel. “Auditions were actually over when he called me again. I met up with him, we talked, and I sang for him. Now, here I am.”
Miguel Salas stands outside the entrance to the Garden Theatre
Photo by Fred Lopez
Miguel finally becomes Don Quixote in a production of “Man of La Mancha” that has been launched forward as a modern American immigration story. “The setting is very real and will feel very close. You’re going to see Quixote in a broader way,” says Miguel. “And after you leave the theater, you’re going to keep seeing him. That’s the magic of this production—seeing Quixote in other characters in the play, in the people around us.”
As for the people around Miguel, he considers them dazzlingly talented. “It’s amazing to see so much talent here, and so many diverse faces, a lot of Latinx actors like myself,” he says. “It really gives me hope for my career.”
Miguel is delighted to be part of the ride. “It’s finally happening—I’m reconnecting with my essence,” he says. “Joe’s vision is amazing to be part of. I’m looking forward to see how this flourishes within the community.”
“Man of La Mancha” at the Garden Theatre runs through Sept. 19. Visit gardentheatre.org to purchase tickets.
Learn how you can take the leap at skydiveseb.com
Photo courtesy of Skydive Sebastian
New Experience: Taking the Leap
Skydiving was never on Tracey Forrester’s bucket list. “For one, I’m afraid of heights!” she says, having turned down the high-flying opportunity the first time it was presented to her.
“I didn’t want any more would’ve-should’ve-could’ve. I’ve said that to myself too many times,” she says. “If I can face my fears and jump out of a perfectly good plane, I can do anything!”
And jump she did. Since feeling the thrill and freedom of that dive, she’s learned that her only limitations are the ones she places on herself. “I’d definitely do it all over again!”
Photo courtesy of Desiree Dawson
New Attitude: Talking Attendance
West Orange High School certainly isn’t new. But for many of its students, who have been off-campus for nearly a year and a half, it might as well be.
“A lot of the people I started with have graduated. They were either seniors last year or the year before,” says Desiree Dawson, now a senior herself at West Orange High. Desiree was one of many students who opted to spend last year learning online. And while she’s glad to be back with friends, there are still a lot of unknowns.
Despite that, Desiree is looking forward to reaping the rewards of three years of hard work. “I’m excited to not only be an officer in the clubs I’m in, but to already have a strong footing in my classes,” she says. “This is the year when I can step back and look at my accomplishments.”
For the freshmen, sophomores, and even some juniors who may have had little face time with their classmates, Desiree suggests taking it one day at a time. “Going back to school is scary for everyone,” she says. “But when people say it goes by quickly, they are in no way exaggerating. Do as much as you can—the best thing I did was join every club and take every opportunity I could.”
Kennedy Rose Walker pictured at 3 weeks old
Photo by Fred Lopez
Winter Garden’s Newest Residents
Meet two of our newest locals. This precious pair were born in separate hospitals, to parents on opposite sides of the city, on July 7th—within an hour of one another.
Kennedy Rose Walker
Born: July 7, 2021, 7:51pm at Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies
Weight: 8 lb 5 oz / Length: 21 inches
Parents: Amy & Austin Walker
Happy, wiggly little Kennedy is the picture of babyhood. She is alert and strong for her age, maybe because she was two weeks late. Current hobbies include snuggling and making poopy diapers whenever dad is on diaper duty. Kennedy is also the proud inheritor of Flash,a stuffed panda her father has had since he was six weeks old. “We introduced her to Flash, and it was love at first sight,” says mother Amy. “It’s amazing to see our daughter enjoying one of her father’s favorite childhood toys.”
Leilani Juliana Joseph
Born: July 7, 2021, 8:36pm at AdventHealth for Women Orlando
Weight: 5 lb 3 oz / Length: 18.5 inches
Parents: Kayla Alvarez & Julian Joseph / Siblings: Hazel Henry, 6
Calm, curious Leilani didn’t want to wait any longer. After a routine checkup sent mother Kayla to get “checked out” at the hospital, she realized her second daughter was coming three weeks early. “We didn’t have the hospital bag packed or the car seat put together,” she says. “Talk about last minute!” Sure enough, the perfectly healthy, teeny-tiny Leilani was born—and already checking things out. “Within a few days, she was lifting her head and looking around,” says Kayla.
Photo courtesy of LiveTrends
New Storefront: Going LiveTrends in 3…2…
Check the label on that fancy potted succulent you bought at Target last year and you’re pretty likely to find a LiveTrends logo. Maybe you bought it because it matched your style, or because times are tough and you needed a leafy little friend. What you might not realize, though, is that when you bought LiveTrends, you supported a local business.
Since it established in 2013 in Apopka, FL, the LiveTrends brand (which also designs under the labels Urban Jungle and Be You) has been entirely wholesale, selling through larger retailers like Target and Lowe’s. But with the opening of its very first retail location in the Plant Street Exchange, that’s about to change.
Artist's rendering of the new LiveTrends store opening in the Plant Street Exchange
Photo courtesy of LiveTrends
“We want you to look at this storefront and see so much more than just a garden center,” says Rachael Eagan Marks, co-manager of the flagship LiveTrends store. “Our goal is to show people how they can incorporate life into their living space.”
Apart from the golden opportunity to open a plant store along Plant Street, LiveTrends’ attraction to Winter Garden is a bit more personal. “Our CEO Bisser Georgiev lives in Oakland, and is very involved in the city,” says Rachael. “We’re local, and we wanted to give back to our community. So when the Exchange opened, he was like, ‘let’s do it.’ I think his hope was to be closer to home.”
The store will feature a variety of collections for every taste and every shade of green thumb. The brand’s planters are hand-crafted by in-house designers, and the vast majority of the plants themselves are grown just down the road, in Apopka.
Rachael Eagan Marks and Sam Follmer
Photo courtesy of LiveTrends
—Rachael Eagan Marks
Another reason for opening a brick-andmortar location is it gives LiveTrends a better opportunity to connect potential plant parents with exactly what is right for them. “People might recognize a pretty tag, but they won’t understand until we open this retail space that there’s a real trend each pot is based on,” says fellow co-manager Sam Follmer. “We put out over 150 product lines each year. It’s all about finding something that speaks to you.”
LiveTrends / Coming Soon 279 Tremaine St., Ste. 4 livetrends.co/shop-livetrends-wg
Mimosa flights at The French Café in Hamlin, Winter Garden
New Taste: Mimosa Flights of Fancy
Tired of sipping the same old Mimosa at every Sunday brunch? Neither are we—but we still welcome a taste of variety with a brand-new Mimosa Flight from The French Café in Hamlin. The flight includes orange juice, pineapple juice, white peach coulis, raspberry coulis, two champagne flutes, and a whole bottle of Simonet Brut Sparkling Wine to experiment with.
$35 / thefrenchcafe.com
The front of the new Horizon High School building
New School: Horizon Rising
Whether they’re transplants from Windermere High or from all over the map—at Horizon High School, everyone’s the new kid.
“I didn’t think my son would be going at all,” says Rhonda Finkel, a four-year Horizon West resident and the provisional Vice President of Horizon High PTSO. “The school was supposed to open a year later, when he’d have been a senior grandfathered in at Windermere. But now he is going to in be the inaugural class of Horizon High.”
For Rhonda’s son, Anthony, the change was unexpected, but not unwelcome. “One of the reasons we moved here was that Windermere was offering pre-major engineering courses,” says the aspiring astrophysicist. “Horizon High will be offering all the same courses, but now I’m even closer to home.”
Several local businesses, including Jeremiah’s and the Pizza Press, contributed their space to Horizon High fundraising efforts. “When we did our first shirt sale, everyone we met was really excited,” says Rhonda. “The Publix at Hamlin is amazing for letting us stay out there and sell.”
The new principal, Laura Beusse,is also eager to sow the seeds of success. “I’m excited about building a school culture among staff and students,” she says, “… and that we will offer a stateof-the-art culinary program and a digital media program through career and technical education.”
And while in with the new usually means out with the old, there are no goodbyes here. “Some of my friends stayed at Windermere, but you know, they still live close by,” says Anthony. “I can visit whenever I want.”
Now that the Horizon Hawks have settled on their new nesting grounds, they’re ready to soar. “A smooth transition is the No. 1 thing,” says Rhonda. “We’re excited to be Hawks. Go purple and orange!”
