Times& WEST ORANGE
Observer WEST ORANGE COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER FOR 109 YEARS
+ Daigles win proposal contest
INSIDE
IN THIS ISSUE
SPORTS
W.O. fathers, daughters enjoy special evening. PAGES 9-10A
Celebrate Feb. 14 with our special Valentine’s Day edition. SPECIAL SECTION
Hollis tests mental mettle in new sport. PAGE 1B
OCOEE GOVERNANCE by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
Mel Jenner, a retired Air Force chief master sergeant, recently went up in a plane just like the one he flew in as a gunner in the European Theater during World War II.
Leaders consider safety upgrades to gated communities
by Amy Quesinberry Rhode | Community Editor
An ordinance would ensure gated communities the latest emergency vehicle access systems.
Congratulations to Savannah Daigle, of Orlando, for winning our Best Marriage Proposal Contest for Valentine’s Day. Here is Savannah’s story: “My husband, Jonathan, and I were kayaking at one of our favorite spots: the Rainbow River in Dunnellon. We were gliding through the crystal-clear water when we rowed into a secluded pond area off the main waterway. A large wooden dock stood opposite us on the far side of the pond, and, as we neared it, we were greeted with turtles and cormorants swimming underneath our oars. Once we had climbed up onto the dock, Jonathan took a green jewelry box out of his backpack that held a genuine antique engagement ring from the 1930s. Then, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! After I said “Yes!” I learned that wasn’t the only surprise for the day. My new fiance had a photographer secretly capture the proposal, and we spent the afternoon taking our engagement pictures at Rainbow Springs State Park where we used beautiful waterfalls as a backdrop. We got married exactly one year after he proposed, on July 19, 2014.” As winners, Savannah and Jonathan will enjoy a prize package that includes dinner for two, flowers from Shaw’s Florist of Winter Garden and a box of candy.
+ WOHS grad finishes training Air Force Airman 1st Class Cassandra Vil graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, in San Antonio, Texas. Vil is the daughter of Therese Vil and Karline Ladouceur. She graduated in 2011 from West Orange High School.
I
WO This week’s winner is
Dana Wells.
See the photo on PAGE 7B.
RECEIVE TWO WEEKS
FREE
FEBRUARY 12, 2015
FREE
WINTER GARDEN, FLORIDA
OUR TOWN
THURSDAY
OCOEE — The Ocoee City Commission held the first reading of an ordinance Feb. 3 that would amend the city’s code pertaining to access provisions for gated communities. This proposed ordinance would ensure new subdivisions and current subdivisions with emergency vehicle access systems that those systems would be up to date and meet the best standards in new development, within the field of emergency vehicle access. The second reading and public hearing for this ordinance are scheduled for the next regular commission meeting, 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17. In its unanimously passed consent agenda, the commission approved fuel-monitor-
ing system upgrades, reappointments to the Planning and Zoning Commission, a reappointment to the Community Grant Review Board and an increased project budget to upgrade the City Commission Chambers broadcast system. The fuel-monitoring system from TRAK Engineering has been in use for at least 10 years and performed satisfactorily, but it is obsolete, according to Public Works staff. TRAK will upgrade the system for $33,707. Jim Sills and Don Marcotte received reappointment to the Planning and Zoning Commission following expiration of their current terms this month. Glenda Dunn’s term also expires this month, but she did not seek reappoint-
SEE OCOEE / PAGE 7A
close call by Amy Quesinberry Rhode | Community Editor
Fundraiser set to assist man who was ejected from vehicle
Courtesy photos
Top: Mel Jenner, of Ocoee, stands next to a B-17 during World War II. Above: Mel Jenner dons a flight suit and stands by the B-17 he flew in last month.
BACK IN A B-17 It had been 70 years and six months — a lifetime ago — since Mel Jenner had stepped inside a B-17 heavy-bomber aircraft, but the memories of his experiences in World War II came flooding back as he inspected the turrets, the
waist guns, the communications equipment and the cockpit. Jenner, of Ocoee, was invited to fly last month in a restored B-17G Flying Fortress, which tours the
SEE BOMBER / 6A
Amy Quesinberry Rhode
Holding a replica of a B-17 bomber, Mel Jenner points to the window where he sat as a gunner for most of his missions in the 452nd Army Air Corps during World War II. His many medals, pins and stripes are gathered in a shadow box at his home in Ocoee.
Cody Lowery has had four surgeries since his car flipped Jan. 3 off Hartzog Road. WINTER GARDEN — A Winter Garden family will be forever grateful that a motorist was stranded with a flat tire at one particular spot on State Road 429 Jan. 3. The man has been credited with saving 23-year-old Cody Lowery after his car swerved off Hartzog Road, flipped and ejected him into a secluded area of a burned-out orange grove. Hartzog and S.R. 429 run parallel to each other north of Seidel Road. The stranded motorist, known only as Liam to the Lowerys, heard the crash and ran toward the noise, finding Lowery on the ground. Liam called 911, and it took the helicopter 25 minutes to find them and get to them, said Kristi Baird Lowery, Cody’s mother.
Courtesy photo
Cody Lowery is recovering from a Jan. 3 car crash.
He was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center with injuries including a broken shoulder and ribs, cracked vertebrae in his neck and spine, multiple cuts and a big section of skin torn from his left thigh.
SEE LOWERY / PAGE 7A
INDEX Arts & Culture.......................13A Classifieds..............................8B
Community Calendar..............2A Crossword...............................7B
History..................................17A Obituaries.............................17A
Sports.....................................1B Weather..................................7B
Vol. 82, No. 7 , Two sections
WOTimes.com
2A WOTimes.com
WEST ORANGE TIMES
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
COMMUNITYCALENDAR THURSDAY, FEB. 12 America in Bloom — 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, at the Windermere Town Hall, 520 Main St., Windermere. The Windermere Garden Club will hold its weekly meeting and feature guest speaker Katy Moss Warner, who will discuss America in Bloom, a nationwide beautification program through community involvement. Warner is president emeritus of the American Horticulture Society and a former director of Disney Horticulture and Environmental Initiatives. The public is invited to attend. Coffee and treats will be served. For more information, call (407) 909-1461. “Doubt, A Parable” — through Sunday, Feb. 22, at the Garden Theatre, 160 W. Plant St., Winter Garden. Show times are 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. A special Industry Night will take place at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16. In this Pulitzer Prize and Tony Awardwinning drama Newsday hails as “passionate, exquisite, important and engrossing,” “Doubt, A Parable” follows a Catholic high school priest’s battle for truth and personal integrity. Tickets are $25 for general admission or $21 for students and seniors. To purchase, visit gardentheatre. org/plays. Holy Family Open Registration — 8 to 9:30 a.m. now through Monday, Feb. 23, at Holy Family Catholic School, 5129 S. Apopka-Vineland Road, Orlando. The school is open to children in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. All are welcome. For more information, visit hfcschool.com or call (407) 876-9344.
FRIDAY, FEB. 13 AARP Income Tax Assistance — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays at the West Oaks Branch Library, 1821 Silver Star Road, Ocoee. AARP volunteers will provide free income tax assistance. Attendees must provide a valid I.D., Social Security card and any tax forms and annual benefit
statements needed to complete a tax return. Insurance coverage information will be needed this year, as required by the Affordable Care Act. Taxpayers will be seen on a first-come firstserved basis. Presidents Day Movie — 3:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13, at the Windermere Branch Library, 530 Main St., Windermere. Take a break from school this Presidents Day and watch a funfilled movie. Children ages 6 to 12 are welcome. For more information, call (407) 835-7323.
SATURDAY, FEB. 14 Be My Valentine — 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at the Winter Garden Branch Library, 805 E. Plant St., Winter Garden. Children ages 3 to 12 are invited to join the library for a Valentine’s Day celebration. Share the love while making heartwarming crafts and enjoying special activities with friends. For more information, call (407) 835-7323. Take a Hike — 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at the Oakland Nature Preserve, 747 Machete Trail, Oakland. ONP Program Coordinator Taylor Clark will guide the hike to take a closer look at the different bird species that call Florida home in the winter months. Learn more about why birds fly south for the winter and how Oakland Nature Preserve is a good resting spot for many migratory birds. Binoculars will be provided for the first 10 people. Participants should bring water and wear comfortable walking shoes. This hike is free and open to the public. For more information, call (407)-905-0054. Valentine’s Day Concert — 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at Temple Free Will Baptist Church, 1208 E. Story Road, Winter Garden. The concert will feature Squire Parsons. Over his career, he has written and recorded southern gospel megahits, such as “Sweet Beulah Land,” “Gone,” “The Master
of the Sea” and “He Came to Me.” There is no charge for this concert, but a love offering will be received. After the concert, there will be a time of fellowship and refreshments, along with the opportunity to meet and speak with Squire Parsons. For more information, visit templefwb.org or call (407) 656-7715. Valentine Movie Night — 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at the Windermere Town Square, W. 6th Ave., Windermere. Attendees will enjoy music, flowers, chocolates, giveaways and the film “Sabrina” under the stars. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs, wine and picnic baskets to this unforgettable evening. This event is for adults only. Admission is free. In the case of rain, the movie will be moved inside Town Hall. For more information, call (407) 909-8000.
MONDAY, FEB. 16 The Bucky & Gigi Show — 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 16, at the Windermere Branch Library, 530 Main St., Windermere. Bucky & Gigi will amaze guests with their comedic clown show full of magic, juggling, circus skills and more. For more information, call (407) 835-7323. A “Frozen Sing-Along” — 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 16, at the Winter Garden Branch Library, 805 E. Plant St., Winter Garden. Children ages 6 to 12 are invited to experience Disney’s “Frozen Sing-Along” edition “for the first time in forever!” For more information, call (407) 835-7323. Stinky Science — 3 p.m. Monday, Feb. 16, at the Southwest Library, 7255 Della Drive, Orlando. Children ages 6 to 12 will explore their sense of smell as they discover bizarre and gross facts about some of the world’s most stinky stuff. For more information, call (407) 835-7323.
TUESDAY, FEB. 17 Southwest Book Club — 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, at the
To publicize your event in our Community Calendar, please send by mail: 720 S. Dillard St. Winter Garden, FL 34787; or by email: news@wotimes.com. Photos are welcome. Deadline is noon Thursday.
BEST BET Grand Re-Opening Celebration — 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at the West Oaks Branch Library, 1821 E. Silver Star Road, Ocoee. Fall in love with genealogy and gather at the newly renovated West Oaks Branch Library & Genealogy Center. Library staff and special guests will kick off events with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by exciting educational events. For more information, call (407) 8357323. Southwest Branch Library, 7255 Della Drive, Orlando. Join the club to discuss the authors and works featured at this year’s Winter with the Writers annual event at Rollins College. The book club will focus on the works of best-selling novelist Amy Bloom and Sapphire, whose novel “Push” was made into the major motion picture “Precious.” For more information, call (407) 835-7323.
will be needed this year, as required by the Affordable Care Act. Taxpayers will be seen on a first-come first-served basis. For more information, call (407) 656-4155.
Holiday Inn. The cost is $10 per person and must be paid in advance to reserve a spot. To register, visit wochamber.com/ calendar/event_details/coffee_ and_connections4.
Teacher Job Recruitment Fair — 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, at Edgewater High School, 3100 Edgewater Drive, Orlando. Orange County Public Schools invites the public to explore teaching opportunities within the district. Specific slots are being sought. School administrators will be on site extending offers for employment. To register, visit ocps.net and complete the online application.
Got a Life Book Club — 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, at the Southwest Branch Library, 7255 Della Drive, Orlando. This month’s selection is “Einstein: His Life and Universe,” by Walter Isaacson. (407) 8357323. “Millions of Cats” Puppetry Workshop — 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, at the Southwest Branch Library, 7255 Della Drive, Orlando. Presented by Bits ‘n Pieces Puppet Theatre, guests will draw, create and perform a puppet show based on Wanda Gág’s “Millions of Cats.” Children ages 6 to 12 are welcome to attend. (407) 835-7323.
Eco Movie Night: “Fabulous Frogs” — 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, at the Oakland Nature Preserve, 747 Machete Trail, Oakland. David Attenborough will take guests on a journey through the weird and wonderful world of frogs, shedding new light on these charismatic, colorful and frequently bizarre animals through first-hand stories, the latest science and cutting-edge technology. (407) 905-0054.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 18 AARP Income Tax Assistance — 8:30 a.m. to noon Wednesdays at the Jesse Brock Community Center, 310 N. Dillard St., Winter Garden. AARP volunteers will provide free income tax assistance. Attendees must provide a valid I.D., Social Security card and any tax forms and annual benefit statements needed to complete a tax return. Insurance coverage information
THURSDAY, FEB. 19 Coffee and Connections — 8 to 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, at Holiday Inn Express, 7474 W. Colonial Drive, Orlando. West Orange Chamber of Commerce members are invited to participate in this lightning round event, set in a ‘speed dating’ style, letting guests maximize business exposure in a limited amount of time. Complimentary coffee and hot breakfast items will be available, courtesy of the
FRIDAY, FEB. 20 Food Truck Friday and Movie in the Park — 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, at Bill Breeze Park, 125 N. Lakeshore Drive, Ocoee. Bring the family for dinner and afterward, watch Disney’s film “Maleficent,” beginning at 7 p.m. Several food trucks will offer gourmet treats, including Krispy Kreme hamburgers, lobster rolls, barbecue pulled pork, crepes, gourmet cupcakes, Swedish burgers and more. From 6 to 8 p.m., the friends of Ocoee History Preservation will give free tours of the historic Withers Maguire house, located at 16 E. Oakland Ave., Ocoee. For more, visit ocoee.org.
WEST ORANGE TIMES
WOTimes.com
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
in memoriam by Amy Quesinberry Rhode | Community Editor
Family, friends to celebrate Aubrey Clark’s life Sunday The West Orange community will celebrate the Ocoee 10-year-old at the gazebo at Bill Breeze Park. OCOEE — Ten-year-old Aubrey Clark will be remembered in a Celebration of Life service at 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, at the Bill Breeze Park gazebo on Starke Lake, in Ocoee. A reception will be held afterward at the Jim Beech Recreation Center, on A.D. Mims Road, in Ocoee. The young Ocoee resident was hit by a vehicle Jan. 20 as she and a friend rode their bikes home from school. The friend had minor injuries, but Aubrey suffered severe brain damage and spent two weeks in a medically induced coma. Her parents made the decision to take Aubrey off life support Feb. 5; one of her kidneys was immediately flown to Tampa and transplanted into a patient. The Osceola Fire Depart-
ment still is accepting donations through its benevolent fund to help with the Clark family’s medical bills. For information, visit osceolafdbenevolent.org. Checks can also be sent to Osceola FD Benevolent, 3117 Innovation Drive, St. Cloud, Florida 34769. Aubrey’s father, Danny Clark, is a firefighter with the Osceola County Fire Department. A fundraiser was held Sunday in Avalon Park, and hundreds of people showed up, eating, drinking and bidding on tables full of silent auction items. Aubrey’s cousin is a softball player on Team Buckedup 12U, which participated in the NSA Fastpitch Frenzy at Foundation Academy, in
Winter Garden, last weekend. The girls on the 10U and 12U teams played in Aubrey’s honor, with her initials on their arms, and took first place. They plan to give a signed championship T-shirt and the plaques they won to Aubrey’s father. Other scheduled fundraisers will go on as planned: • Feb. 14 to 15 — Aubrey’s Angels Charity Baseball Tournament at Osceola County Softball Complex, 1900 Ballpark Road, Kissimmee. The registration fee is $200 for 9U-12U; there are no umpire fees. All teams will be accepted, including Little League, AAU, USSSA, GSA, Nations and Triple Crown. • Feb. 21 — “Workout of the Day” for Aubrey at CrossFit Panoply, 2004 Jaffa Drive,
Courtesy photo
Danny Clark will celebrate his daughter’s life Sunday.
Suite B, St. Cloud. It starts at 9 a.m. • Feb. 28 — Fla_Flossin Truck Meet at Frank’s Place, 146 N. Clarke Road, Ocoee. The event starts at 6 p.m. There is a $10 registration fee.
Brooke Baldwin won the overall girls’ gold last month at the Junior Water Ski World Championships.
Photos courtesy of waterskimag.com
SUPREME SKIERS
Local teens Taylor Garcia and Brooke Baldwin earned gold at the 15th Junior Water Ski World Championships, held in Lima, Peru.
Taylor Garcia won boys’ overall gold at the championships. long ski (measuring) 64 inches; and jumping, in which you go over a ramp with two skis,” she said. Her favorites are trick and slalom, because she is better at those two, which are not as scary as jumping, she said. “(In) tricking, you get two passes, each 20 seconds,” she said. “My flips are very accurate with good technique and efficiency. I have good balance, and I’m fast. I get a lot more tricks in in the same amount of time. Tricking is fun because it’s a lot of flipping,
twisting and stuff. Slalom is speed and rhythm.” Jumping is most dangerous because it involves flying off a ramp about 120 feet, Brooke said, similar to the death-defying snow-ski jump event. “You can easily drop a ski or catch a tip,” she said. “Common injuries are torn ACLs and stuff like that. Water-skiing injuries are pretty common. Don’t ask why we still do it — the thrill of flight, I guess.” Relative to snow-skiing, water-skiing might be slightly safer, especially for someone
health care by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
Three appointed to West Orange Healthcare District Health Central Hospital President Greg Ohe also announced plans to close its three-bed pediatric unit at the hospital.
WORLD DOMINATION by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
While winter was setting in on the Northern Hemisphere Jan. 8, 75 athletes from 21 countries traveled to Lima, Peru, for the biennial four-day 15th Junior Water Ski World Championships. The individual overall gold medalists both hail from West Orange County: Taylor Garcia, of Winter Garden, won boys’ overall with a score of 2,677.87, and Brooke Baldwin, of Windermere, won girls’ overall at 2,622.35. USA Water Ski officials dubbed them Male Athlete of the Month and Female Athlete of the Month, respectively, and named the U.S. Junior Water Ski Team its January Team of the Month. All were eligible for the U.S. Olympic Committee’s monthly awards, as well. Taylor is an 11th-grade home-schooled student who also won the gold in jumping. Brooke is an eighth-grader at SunRidge Middle School and won the silver medal in slalom and the bronze in tricks. Brooke was also USA Water Ski Rising Superstar of 2014 and on the USA World Junior Team, which won the team championship at the event and won USA Water Ski Team of the Month. Also on that team was Anna Gay, of Winter Garden — a ninth-grader at The First Academy who won the tricks title with a score of 8,470 — and Brooke’s mother, Brenda, the team’s coach. In the overall classification, there are three events, Brooke said. “There’s trick, which you do on one ski; slalom, with one
3A
who does it every day, but it depends on skill level, ability, technique, coaching and proper equipment, Brooke said. “In the school year, I’ll ski two to three times a day, and then summer is three to four minimum,” she said. “Tricks sessions last an hour or an hour-and-a-half. Slalom sets last 20 minutes. Jump sets are 15 minutes. I live on Lake Roper, so I train and ski there, which is the lake by the Winter Garden Cemetery. I also train sometimes on Lake Butler.” Now in Utah for snow-skiing — on vacation and just for fun, not competitive — Brooke finds the transition natural, because she is accustomed to wearing skis and using them in similar motions, she said. “Edge control is similar, also,” she said. “Water-skiing to snow-skiing is like wakeboarding to snowboarding. Water-skiing is side-to-side control, and then wakeboarding is front to back, heel-toe.” Like many peers, Brooke wants to set world records and win professional world championships someday, and she is looking forward to May for the Masters Water Ski and Wakeboard Tournament at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia, she said. Neilly Ross, a Winter Garden resident and eighth-grader at Bridgewater Middle School, won silver in tricks at the competition and was a member of Team Canada, which won silver. Contact Zak Kerr at zkerr@ wotimes.com.
The members of the West Orange Healthcare District added three trustees at its regular meeting Jan. 27. Gov. Rick Scott appointed Windermere women Norma Sutton, Cheryl Miller and Leslie Cervenka to the board, said John E. Murphy Jr., chairman of the West Orange Healthcare District and OneBlood Inc.’s executive vice president and chief financial officer. Sutton worked with Glaxo SmithKline for 33 years and helped to construct medical labs around the United States and Europe. Miller is a community volunteer, and Cervenka is vice president of Cervenka Developments. Scott also reappointed Windermere’s Mark Griffith to the board of trustees. Griffith is a certified financial planner with Griffith Financial Services. Timothy M. Keating, vice chairman of the West Orange Healthcare District and president and CEO of R.C. Stevens Construction, reported a Management Performance Committee recommendation for the hiring of Tracy Swanson as its executive director, replacing interim executive director Ken Harker. The committee unanimously approved the recommendation, leading to the official announcement of Swanson’s hiring Wednesday, Jan. 28. “The board was very impressed with Tracy’s combination of business skills, health care leadership and vision,” Murphy said. “Tracy brings substantial experience in deploying health and wellness services to specialized populations.” Swanson was president and CEO of Swanson Business Solutions, a Disney human resource health and benefits executive and a business strategist and accountant. She is also on the Advisory Committee for BETA Center and has been part of the board of Florida Health Care Coalition. In 2004, she received the Central Florida YMCA Tom Ross Champion of Youth Award. “I am thrilled to be working with such a talented and dedicated board of trustees and feel this position is a perfect opportunity to use my skills and prior experience to move the mission of the district forward,” Swanson said.
HEALTH CENTRAL CLOSES PEDIATRIC CARE
Greg Ohe, president of Health Central Hospital, announced at the meeting that Health Central was planning
IN OTHER NEWS • The Community Health Benefit Committee viewed annual grant presentations from grantee agencies Shepherd’s Hope and Dave’s House, said Dr. A. Denise Carter, a physician at the Florida Center for Orthopedics and trustee of the West Orange Healthcare District. The committee declined the diabetes grant request of the American Diabetes Association and the Center for Multicultural Wellness and Prevention. The board unanimously approved the report. • Finance Committee Chairman Rod Talbot said net assets of the district at the end of 2014 were $192,892,441. An excess of revenue of $153,250 in December put the threemonth total excess of the fiscal year to date at $1,138,890, he said. • A revised buy/sell agreement had been drafted and submitted to the legal counsel of Health Alliance, pertinent to an offer to purchase the Health Alliance property on Plant Street. The Health Alliance Board of Trustees will review the agreements during its meeting in the first week of February. to discontinue pediatric care and close its three-bed pediatric unit at the hospital. Although pediatric ambulatory services will continue to be provided in the emergency room for stabilization purposes, all pediatric patients will be referred to Arnold Palmer Hospital. All nurses currently working in the pediatric unit are cross-trained and will transition to the obstetrics unit, Ohe said. Construction on the new emergency department at Health Central, which Ohe said would include a kids’ corner for children’s ambulatory medical needs, has begun, with pipes installation. This construction will temporarily reduce available parking space. The board unanimously approved the discontinuation of pediatric care with continuation of ambulatory pediatric services at Health Central. For more information, visit wohd1949.org or call (407) 808-3441. Contact Zak Kerr at zkerr@ wotimes.com.
NEWS BRIEFS + Ocoee celebrates Black History Month OCOEE — Ocoee will pay tribute to Black History Month throughout the month of February. The city’s Human Relations Diversity Board is holding its 11th Annual Black History Month Essay Contest. The essay contest is open to fifthgrade students who attend Ocoee schools. The theme for this year’s competition is “Many Voices, One Dream.” An essay awards ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, at City Hall, 150 N. Lakeshore Drive. Students will recite their winning essays at the ceremony and be presented with their awards. For each participating school, there will be one firstplace winner, who will receive a prize valued at $50. The overall winner will receive a prize valued at $250 in
addition to being invited to deliver their winning essay at the 2016 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Parade and Celebration in Ocoee. Throughout the month of February, residents can tune in to Ocoee TV on Channel 200 and at tv.ocoee.org/ Streams/OcoeeTV.htm to watch programs that highlight significant people and events from African-American history.
+ Church offers Ash Wednesday service Windermere Union Church will host its annual Ash Wednesday service at 7 p.m., Feb 18, at the church, 10710 Park Ridge-Gotha Road. This service is solemn and somber but also inspirational. The Rev. Barton Buchanan will officiate. For more, visit windermereunion.org or call (407) 876-2112.
4A
WEST ORANGE TIMES
WOTimes.com
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
OMG readers respond Observer Media Group CEO Matt Walsh asked last week on this page: ‘Never again?’ It was referring to the Holocaust and implied that Islamic terrorists’ atrocities resembled those of the Nazis. We said it was time for the U.S. to act forcefully. OMG readers responded — forcefully. + We need to wake up Dear Editor: Well, finally, a media source that is trying to make a difference. This makes me like the Plant City Observer even more. It is the job of the president and our elected officials to protect us and our country. We need to insist on it now! Thanks for this much-needed editorial. I pray people wake up before we have no freedom! Carol Bridges Lakeland
+ Inappropriate for children Dear Editor: While I agree with your views, this editorial was hidden inside the paper with little or no warning. Your paper is dropped off to local elementary schools weekly. My 10-year-old son found himself reading an article in the back seat of the car and looking at pictures that my adult brain struggles to make sense of. He was horrified. It opened up the door for some real conversations about acceptance, witnessing and choosing God even when it seems hopeless. (My 5-yearold’s take on it: “You have to choose Jesus even when bad guys don’t.” My 10-year-old’s view: “We live in a big world, and there are bad guys. We just have to remember to plant a seed.”) While I feel they were able to talk this out, I wasn’t planning to share this kind of information yet. I ask that you continue to stand firm in your beliefs, but please don’t deliver issues such as this to elementary schools. Patty Baxter Plant City
+ Aggressively eliminate them Dear Editor: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! Finally, someone had the nerve and clear view of the EVIL in our world that is like a cancer that no one is treating. To say that this EVIL is confined to a few Muslims and that Islam is the religion of peace is pure baloney. You have only to study Muslim aggression in history and the true life of Muhammed to see what we’re facing. Compare the lives of Jesus and Muhammed. How can we get serious about this threat to the entire civilized world and let known terrorist camps operate in this country? We must call them what they are and aggressively eliminate them. Period. Just a patriot … Phil Stewart Bradenton
+ Act on your message Dear Editor: Thank you, thank you, thank you! Your castigation of the president and Congress is so on target. And, as you mention, we all seem to be content with talk and no personal action. Like you, I have urged those who are outraged by what is going on to write to their
ACT NOW, ACT WITHOUT MERCY Dear Editor: I am glad to have read the editorial concerning ISIS. People need to know. As most Americans go about their daily lives they seem to forget that what ISIS can and might do to our nation is real. As the wife of a career retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel (Vietnam and Desert Shield veteran), and myself being an honorably discharged U.S. Navy reservist, we are watching and we are worried. We are grandparents. elected officials and demand accountability and action. Thank you for taking what is an unusual stance for a publication such as yours. We need to hear your message and act on it! Sandy Savin Lakewood Ranch
+ Make our voices heard Dear Editor: Thank you for the article on the terrorist attacks that have become alarmingly more frequent and horrendous. It took courage for this little newspaper to report out-ofthe-box commentary, atypical for the usual community news you deliver to us each week. I also appreciate your noting that Obama is totally unwilling to step up and take a stance on this impending doom that will surely affect us in the United States. It’s a scary world we live in; I feel for the innocent children being born every day. I, for one, intend to write to my congressman as you suggested. Hopefully more people will do the same before it is too late. It’s a shame that our government is not more involved in wiping out these vile zealots. We, the people, need to make our voices heard! Audrey Carroll Smith Bradenton
+ Thanks for your guts Dear Editor: FINALLY! A paper that has the guts to print the truth about what is REALLY going on regarding our current administration’s unwillingness to identify an enemy that has but one mission: to destroy America and all who believe in what we as a country stand for. It’s shameful to see that we, the people, have spoken (and loudly) in the results of the mid-term elections and yet the POTUS turns a deaf ear to the wishes of THE PEOPLE! Our military has been stifled by the State Department. We are now on our third Defense Secretary! We are in serious danger by “leading from behind.” We must change our position of inaction and support those Arabic countries that are now moving forward to destroy ISIS. There isn’t any other nation but ours that can take these barbarians on, and if we cooperate with our allies who need
West Orange Times The West Orange Times (USPS 687-120) is published weekly for $21.50 per year ($35 outside of Orange County) by the Observer Media Group, 720 S. Dillard St., Winter Garden, Florida 34787. Periodical postage paid at Winter Garden, Florida. POSTMASTER send address changes to the West Orange Times, 720 S. Dillard St., Winter Garden, Florida 34787. Opinions in the West Orange Times are those of the individual writer and are not necessarily those of the West Orange Times, its publisher or editors. Mailed letters must by typed and include the author’s signature and phone number. Letters to the editor are subject to editing for space and grammar and become the property of the newspaper. © Copyright 2015 Observer Media Group All Rights Reserved
When we look upon our grandchildren, we wonder: Will our nation’s elected officials always stand up to terrorism as well as protect our borders? Lukewarm, namby-pamby reactions to terrorism doesn’t cut it in our opinion. I agree that we must act and act now and act without mercy. Thank you for publishing the editorial and graphic photos, because it is time. God bless our America. Linda Urban Windermere us now more than ever, we can once again be the moral source for the entire world. Thank you for printing real news! Thanks for finally making the Observer just that — a good observation for its readers! Joseph A. Massimilla Lakewood Ranch
+ Editorial belongs in trash Dear Editor: I object to your statement that the president refuses to identify radical Islamic extremists and that his response is “feckless.” Are you saying he should have already committed ground troops in the fight against ISIS? We just got out of two different wars! I want to remind you there is a presidential election next year, and you are welcome to run for president. I have always enjoyed the Observer up until last week’s editorial. We already have Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity stirring up fear on Fox News every night, and now we have you trying to defame our president. I object to your article. It belongs in the Tampa Bay Times or St. Louis Post-Dispatch, not a neighborhood newspaper. If you continue to have offending opinions like this, I’ll remove the paper from my driveway and deposit it directly in the trash can. Jerry Signaigo Lakewood Ranch
+ Powerful and so true! Dear Editor: Your Feb. 5 editorial is so powerful and so true! This is something that is seldom written in our local newspapers, and it SHOULD
be! I really hope the American people will wake up! Please continue to write these excellent and informative articles. Thank you. Joan Eveland Lakewood Ranch
+ ‘I applaud your stand’ Dear Editor: I’ve never commented about your paper since we moved here almost seven years ago and became a loyal reader. But your Feb. 5 Opinion page really got my attention. I loved it. Thanks for showing the reality of what these Islamic nut jobs are doing. Perhaps the armchair liberals won’t be so tolerant of this intolerance if they are presented with FACTS. There are so few media outlets that present the truth. It takes courage, and I applaud your stand. SueAnn Carpenter Bradenton
+ It’s just like pre-WWI Dear Editor: The question you pose is indeed a serious ponderable, with no clear answer. There is no doubt that the ISIS and other related Islamic pathological criminals are heinous, of the same ilk as the Nazis were, maybe worse. Often it is stated that the situation in the world is analogous to 1939 in terms of ISIS aggression, and no aggressive counter balance from world governments. I believe it is more like the first decade in the 20th century prior to WWI when European countries were colliding with each other, and Germany behaving like Russia is today. All European countries agreed to spend 2% of GDP to provide a military capability. To date, only four countries are doing that. Thus, their impotence in addressing ISIS, Russia or Iran. European countries have, for the most part, been protected by the U.S. military since the end of 1945. The issues of clear and present hostility and danger to the U.S. are multiple. Russia is arming and posturing for war. China stealthily is arming at a rapid rate. Iran is developing a nuclear weapon. Terrorism both domestic and foreign will continue well into the future. ISIS is going to have to be resolved by a coalition of countries in the Middle East.
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE Dear Editor: Bravo to you for your editorial regarding terrorism. I hope it helps bring people to their senses. It’s refreshing to see someone call it like it is and put forth a call to action by the people. It is frightening that our president continues to release terrorists and defend them while innocent people are being crucified, beheaded and burned. Perhaps you could craft a template letter that people could print, sign and send to our representatives. Amber Suka Lakewood Ranch Ms. Suka: Send the editorial page to Congress. Or email your representative a link to it: yourobserver.com/news/ longboat-key/Opinion/0204201538528/Our-View-Neveragain. — Ed.
TO ADVERTISE
For display or digital advertising, call Cyndi Gufstason, (321) 2393252, or Kim Edwards, (407) 656-2121. For Classifieds, call (407) 6562121.
SEND US YOUR NEWS
We want to hear from you. Let us know about your events, celebrations and achievements. To contact us, send your information via email to Michael Eng, meng@wotimes.com.
Unfortunately, because of a deliberate policy by the current administration over the past six years, the U.S. military has been compromised in capability and capacity. Military resources are substantially stretched and need to be rebuilt and restored in every regard. Congress needs to demand and appropriate funds to start immediately the process of rebuilding and expanding the military. Bottom line: Because of a void in leadership within the U.S. government and administration, the multiple perils threatening the U.S. are extremely serious. Elections have consequences — do they ever! We are presently living the results. Vic Cameron Sarasota
+ Stick to Cops Corner Dear Editor: I write with no illusions of seeing this in print. Nevertheless, I was so upset by your editorial calling for all-out war that I had to respond. Your “Never Again?” editorial went way beyond the expected limits of an advertisement-laden, local weekly. It is wrong on so many levels that I don’t know where to begin. To compare ISIS or any other fringe terrorist group to Hitler’s Germany is not only out of proportion with history, but it diminishes the deaths of millions of innocent, Jews, Slavs, gypsies, homosexuals, intellectuals and others who were slaughtered by a tyrant who has no equal in infamy. Yes, we had 9/11. Yes, there have been gruesome beheadings. But most of the killing has been Arabs killing Arabs, which has been going on for centuries. Your call to arms is frightening. Pumped up by jingoistic quotations from Army officers, you call for all-out war, risking the lives of thousands of young American soldiers to fight a battle that you are thousands of miles away from. Why don’t you and your family move to the Middle East and publish your paper there? Because you, personally, have no intention of putting yourself in harm’s way. It’s easy to throw spitballs from the comfort of your safe office. You even pay homage to that great American Spiro Agnew by using one of his favorite words — nattering. The president is “feckless,” the Congress “afraid.” But not you and your warrior friends. The answer is always war. My advice: Stick to Cops Corner and condo ads. If you have to vent, write a letter to the Times. You can’t turn the Longboat Observer into a bully pulpit when all you have to offer is bull----. Jeffrey Meltzer Longboat Key
+ You said it like it is Dear Editor: Bravo for taking such a stand against the Islamic terrorists. Your “Never Again?” editorial is a must-read for everyone, and I mean everyone. We are at war. Make no mis-
HONESTY APPRECIATED
Dear Editor: I just wanted to thank the editor for writing the “Never Again?” article. I thought it was not only informative and moving, but so courageous of the paper to tell it like it really is for Christians and other victims of terrorist acts in the Middle East. I showed it to my high schoolers and they were left speechless by the photographs, as it all became very real for them. I also gave the article to our high school Bible teacher who was planning on discussing it with her class. So appreciate your honesty in reporting this. Mary Ellen Murray Foundation Academy, Winter Garden
take about it, and you took it upon yourself instead of writing about local news to warn our country that we must take action now. There is no one: “No other nation with the might, the ingenuity or the ability to muster the will, courage and commitment to do whatever is necessary to end the slaughtering of innocents, to destroy this mortal enemy of Western values and civilizatiion.” Because, as you said, “If not we, then who will stop them?” What a courageous person to say it like it is. Gloria Max Executive Director, Jewish Federation of Volusia & Flagler Counties Inc. Ormond Beach
+ Yes, never again! Dear Editor: I cannot commend you highly enough for your bravery, your honesty and the courage it took to print “Never Again?” I am sure your readership expects a weekly stance on the usual: construction on a roadway taking too long; or a plea for money for school sports, etc. For you to boldly state what many of our citizens think, and make a plea for action on our part, as well as our state and federal leaders, required courage. Congratulations. We watch in horror as the radical Islamists destroy civilization, brutally murder and degrade, and yet nothing is done. Those in government are there through our generosity; we, in the small communities, are the voters. We sent them there. They are required to do OUR bidding, not satisfy their own petty agendas, living in their own self-satisfying world. Yes, you are correct: Never Again! Yes, you are correct: If not us, then who? Can we possibly be so naive to think it will not come here? It has in the past, and it is only a matter of time before it comes again. And if not for us, do we stand by as it happens on the other side of the ocean? The world did that before, and shame on us for that. Yes, Never Again. It has been argued that we are not the policemen of the world, let someone else do it. But there is no one with the power; no one with the moral standards backed by such power. It has to be us. On behalf of Jews, Christians, non-radical Muslims, any peace-loving people, we must all shout “Never Again!” And let our politicians know we mean it, before it is too late. Eleanor Fella Palm Coast
Times WEST ORANGE
CONTACT US The West Orange Times is published once weekly, on Thursdays. It provides subscription home delivery. The West Orange Times also can be found in many commercial locations throughout West Orange County and at our office, 720 S. Dillard St., Winter Garden. If you wish to subscribe to the West Orange Times, visit our website, WOTimes.com, call (407) 656-2121 or visit our office, 720 S. Dillard St., Winter Garden.
Publisher / Dawn Willis, dwillis@wotimes.com Executive Editor / Michael Eng, meng@wotimes.com Community Editor / Amy Quesinberry Rhode, aqrhode@wotimes.com Design Editor / Jessica Eng, jeng@yourobserver.com Sports Editor / Steven Ryzewski, sryzewski@wotimes.com Staff Writer / Zak Kerr, zkerr@wotimes.com Advertising Executive / Kim Edwards, kedwards@wotimes.com Advertising Executive / Cyndi Gustafson, cgustafson@wotimes.com Creative Services / Laine Richardson, lrichardson@wotimes.com Customer Service Representative / Sarah Felt, sfelt@wotimes.com
“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.” — Friedrich Hayek, “Road to Serfdom,” 1944
WEST ORANGE TIMES
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
WOTimes.com
5A
6A
WEST ORANGE TIMES
WOTimes.com
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
BOMBER / PAGE 6A United States through the Experimental Aircraft Association, paying tribute to the Americans who fought in the Second World War. The 74-foot plane was nearly identical to the one he flew in 1944, but this one never saw combat. It couldn’t have, he said; there were no patch repairs inside. Nevertheless, he was “thrilled to death,” he said. He stepped up to the waist gun on the left side of the plane, just as he did more than seven decades ago. This was where he sat for most of his war missions. On last month’s flight, he rode in the cockpit with the pilot and co-pilot. “It was a fantastic ride,” he said. “I never would have figured that this would happen, because there aren’t that many flying B-17s, you know.” The exhilarating experience took place Jan. 22 at Orlando Executive Airport, and Jenner’s son, Bud Jenner, and grandson, Chad Jenner, were there to photograph him as
the other passengers were in the air for about an hour, heading toward St. Cloud and then circling back around Orlando. It was a thrilling ride for the 92-year-old, who served 26 years in the Army Air Corps and the Air Force.
WARTIME ASSIGNMENTS
Mel Jenner soared high above Orlando in this B-17 bomber. he reunited with his past. He said his family walked through the plane and remarked how big it was.
“What was amazing to me was how small it was,” he said. Four or five other World
Courtesy photo
War II veterans took the flight with him, but he was the only one who had flown in a B-17 during combat. Jenner and
Jenner was in the 8th Air Force, 452nd Bombardment Group and flew 30 European missions as a gunner on the plane known as Lady Satan. His final mission was June 6, 1944 — a photography assignment on D-Day — and he was positioned beneath the plane in the ball turret. This was a place of honor for him, he said, and he sat there in memory of his friend, Oscar McClure, who was the ball-turret gunner when his plane was shot down just two months prior. Jenner’s crew was the first in the squadron to complete its mission and go home. The staff sergeant was back in the United States in July 19, 1944, and was discharged out of the service the next year. Missing the military life, Jenner re-enlisted in 1947 and was
sent to Japan. A year later, he was back in Europe, helping keep 2.5 million people fed through the Berlin Airlift program. He also participated in the chocolate drop that sent candy bars attached to handkerchiefs drifting down to the children caught in the middle of the Soviets’ Berlin blockade. Jenner served stateside during the Korean War and was stationed in the Philippines in the early days of the Vietnam War. His final retirement was in 1968 as a chief master sergeant. Through Central Florida’s Honor Flight program, World War II veterans took a day trip to Washington, D.C., to see the WW2 memorial in 2012, and Jenner was among the participants on the flight. He enjoys fishing from his bass boat, but he always has the military on his mind. In a 2013 interview with the West Orange Times, Jenner said, “If I was 50 years younger, I’d go in tomorrow.” That still holds true today. Contact Amy Quesinberry Rhode at aqrhode@wotimes. com.
WEST ORANGE TIMES
WOTimes.com
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
COPS CORNER
GOING STREAKING by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
WEST ORANGE
OAKLAND
OCOEE
JAN. 24
JAN. 21
17000 block of West Colonial Drive. Drunken Driving. At 2:16 a.m., an officer stopped a vehicle that had swerved back and forth across all lanes of the road. The passenger admitted to drunkenness from a friend’s birthday party, and the officer smelled alcohol and saw bloodshot eyes and lethargic movement in the driver, so the driver performed sobriety exercises. The driver failed the exercises, according to the report, and was arrested on charges of DUI.
2300 block of Ocoee-Apopka Road. Theft. Officers met a woman at a burger joint about hot pink Beats headphones. Her daughter had used the restroom, ordered and eaten food and then prepared to exit. She noticed her backpack was open with no headphones in it. A girl accused a boy of stealing them. The daughter asked the boy, who denied taking the headphones, worth about $200. The manager said she would obtain security footage.
PARTY FOUL
Windermere Mayor Gary Bruhn led the race start.
Windermere Mayor Bruhn joins undies run for charity Among hundreds of colorfully and skimpily clad characters was Windermere Mayor Gary Bruhn for the 2 p.m. start of the Feb. 7 Cupid’s Undie Run in downtown Orlando. The run occurs each February in 35 American cities and three Australian locations to support the Children’s Tumor Foundation, the world’s largest non-government organization dedicated to ending a genetic disorder called neurofibromatosis through research. Neurofibromatosis results in tumors all over the nervous system, possibly leading to severe chronic pain, learning disabilities, deafness and blindness. The 2015 Orlando run has raised more than $90,000, exceeding the goal of $52,000. As of race day, Bruhn had raised $255 of the $300 goal he had set, according to the event site. Bruhn was part of the 27-person Lilly Ann’s Lab Nerds team, which exceeded its $10,000 goal by more than $2,600. The team’s name honors the daughter of Belle Isle Mayor Bill Brooks — Lilly Ann
JAN. 26
YOU AGAIN
16000 block of West Colonial Drive. Driving While License Suspended. Around 3:37 p.m., an officer noticed a suspect twice convicted of driving with a suspended license parking at a gas station. When the suspect began to drive off, the officer stopped him, and he confessed to having a suspended license. A search of the suspect revealed roughly 2 grams of marijuana in his pocket. The vehicle did not belong to the suspect, so it was towed. Officers arrested the suspect on charges of driving while license suspended and misdemeanor marijuana possession.
JAN. 28 This man ran with a giant teddy bear! Brooks, 13 — who has neurofibromatosis. “After an 18-month long process, Lilly Ann and her family finally received a diagnosis,” Bruhn wrote for his donation page. “At first, they were relieved by an answer, until they heard the words, ‘no known treatment or cure.’ Now nearly 14, Lilly Ann has what the doctors call a ‘constellation of issues,’ including multiple ‘plexiform neurofi-
Photos by Zak Kerr
broma’ tumors in her neck and in the brachial plexus from her chest to her arms. She has neurofibromas in cranial nerves near the brain and spinal tumors causing severe dystrophic scoliosis, bending her spine past 90 degrees.” For more information on this disease and the run, visit cupidsundierun.com/city/orlando/. Contact Zak Kerr at zkerr@ wotimes.com.
STOLEN RING
20 block of North Brock Street. Grand Theft. An officer met a complainant around 11:36 a.m. The complainant said someone had stolen her white gold sapphire and diamond ring from her unlocked jewelry box in her bedroom closet, where she had last seen the ring a month prior. The only people with access to the room other than immediate family were members of a cleaning company. The estimated value of the ring is $1,950.
BEATS BURGLAR
JAN. 22
JUST LOOKING?
East Silver Star Road. Burglary. Around 5 p.m., a woman parked her car in her driveway, but her glovebox was open with its contents on the passenger seat upon her return, she told police. The car has no alarm, and there was no forced entry because she keeps it unlocked.
JAN. 23
GRAB AND GO
Mobile Lane. Larceny. A complainant told an officer his tools were missing from his truck bed as of 6 a.m. A neighbor saw a white truck and a black motorcycle in the complainant’s driveway and leave quickly. There were no signs of forced entry. Suspects stole six Hitachi frame guns, a black Craftsman toolbox and a Chopin hammer, collectively worth about $1,600.
JAN. 25
THAT’S COLD
McCormick Woods Drive. Grand Theft. A complainant reported a stolen air conditioner via a tip by lawn-maintenance staff. The complainant’s real-estate agent said she had shown the home Jan. 23 but did not notice missing units, worth about $6,000. A neighbor said she had noticed the units missing Jan. 21 or 22. An officer found pliers by the units and submitted them as evidence.
7A
CALL STATS OCOEE FIRE The Ocoee Fire Department (stations 25, 26, 38 and 39) reported 79 calls for assistance from Jan. 22 to 28: Fires: 0 EMS: 48 Vehicle accidents: 3 Hazardous materials/conditions: 1 Public service: 19 False alarms: 8 OCOEE POLICE The Ocoee Police Department reported 937 calls for service from Jan. 22 to 28: Arrests (adult): 25 Arrests (juvenile): 2 Assault/battery: 5 Burglary (residential and business): 7 Burglary (vehicle): 8 Child abuse: 5 Criminal mischief: 1 Drug violations: 9 DUI: 1 Homicide: 0 Robbery: 0 Sexual battery: 2 Thefts: 14 Vehicle accidents: 13 Vehicle thefts: 1 Missing/endangered adult: 0 Missing/runaway juvenile: 1 WINDERMERE POLICE The Windermere Police Department reported 96 calls for assistance from Jan. 26 to Feb. 1. WINTER GARDEN FIRE The Winter Garden Fire Department (stations 22, 23 and 24) reported 98 calls for assistance from Jan. 18 to 24: Fires: 2 EMS: 61 Vehicle accidents: 7 Automatic fire alarms: 9 Public assistance: 0 Hazardous conditions: 2 Calls for service: 17 WINTER GARDEN POLICE The Winter Garden Police Department reported 490 calls for service from Jan. 22 to 28: Arrests (adult): 21 Arrests (juvenile): 4 Assault/battery: 11 Burglary (residential and business): 1 Burglary (vehicle): 2 Child abuse: 0 Criminal mischief: 4 Drug violations: 6 DUI: 4 Robbery: 0 Sexual assault/battery: 0 Thefts: 10 Vehicle accidents: 14 Vehicle thefts: 0 Missing/runaway adult: 0 Missing/runaway juvenile: 0
8A
WEST ORANGE TIMES
WOTimes.com
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
APPETIZERS
• Baked Brie Pastries with Artichoke and Prosciutto: Puff pastry baked with herbs, artichoke, prosciutto & fresh brie • Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms: Four seafood stuffed mushrooms topped with Parmesan • Crab Cake: One crab cake with our house-made avocado cream sauce and remuloude • Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail: Four jumbo shrimp with cocktail sauce
SALADS
• Cranberry & Gorgonzola Salad with warm bacon dressing • Mixed Green Salad with choice of dressing
ENTREES
• Seared Trout with shrimp and corn sauce served with herb rice and vegetables • Chicken Marsala Our special recipe for Marsala sauce over pan-seared chicken breast served with mash potatoes and vegetables • Surf and Turf Petite Filet Mignon topped with merlot butter sauce, shrimp scampi served with twice baked potato and vegetables • Seafood Diablo with Pasta Clams, Mussels, Shrimp in zesty Diablo Sauce
DESSERT
• Ghirardelli White Chocolate Mousse with Drunkin’ Berries • Grand Marnier Strawberry Parfait Package comes with champagne or a non alcoholic beverage.
Valentine’s Day Dinner for Two
$59.99
Accepting reservations now.
15002 Stoneybrook W. Pkwy Winter Garden, FL 34787
407-654-3279
IN OTHER NEWS
• Mayor S. Scott Vandergrift issued proclamations in recognition and commemoration of Black History Month in February and Crossing Guard
OCOEE / PAGE 1A
We insu re
JoAnne Quarles, C.L.C.
your trea
m sure, one closing at a ti
e!
• joanne@treasuretitle.com
office 407.654.8811 • mobile 407.758.4479 • fax 407.654.4885 12184 W. Colonial Dr, Ste 102 • Winter Garden, FL 34787
ment, leaving a vacant spot on the board. Keith Carrington’s twoyear term on the Community Grant Review Board expires next month, but the commis-
LOWERY / PAGE 1A Cody Lowery had three surgeries during his twoand-one-half-week stay in the hospital, and he returned Feb. 2 for the first of several skin-grafting surgeries. Doctors used skin from his other thigh for the graft, and Kristi Lowery said it went well. “It will be a long recovery process,” she said. “He will have to go home with a wound-care nurse and lots of physical therapy because he lost a lot of muscle in that leg. He’ll have a few scars, but he’s here.” After his fourth surgery, Cody Lowery wrote on this Facebook page: “I really appreciate all the love and support I have received from everyone. From the bottom of
Appreciation Week Feb. 6 to 13.
Cancer Foundation.
• Fire Lt. James Kelly, top, of Ocoee Professional Fire Fighters Local 3623, presented a check of $3,250 to BASE Camp Children’s
• Jack Vinson, bottom, presented trophies to 2014 Ocoee Tennis Players of the Year Luke Lence, of Ocoee High School, and Madison Fitch, of Dr. Phillips High School.
sion reappointed him for another two years. Staff received $15,000 more for upgrades to the City Commission Chambers broadcast system, putting the maximum total at $45,000. Among upgrades are replaced podi-
um electronics; new large, high-definition monitors on the chambers’ side walls for commissioners’ viewing; and various changes to the broadcast booth. Contact Zak Kerr at zkerr@ wotimes.com.
my heart, I’m very thankful, and it’s meant the world to me.” Cody Lowery is currently on medical leave from his job as a technician with Advanced Mechanical Services; his friends organized a fundraiser to help with bills and other expenses. The car wash is from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, in the parking lot of Tijuana Flats, 13770 W. Colonial Drive, Winter Garden. Donations are being accepted. Last week, The Tasting Room at Chef’s Table in downtown Winter Garden donated a portion of the proceeds during Make A Difference Monday. “We just appreciate everything that everybody has done,” Kristi Lowery said of her and her husband, Marty
FIRM FOUNDATION PRESCHOOL
WWW.MATTHEWSHOPEMINISTRIES.ORG
IF YOU GO CAR WASH FUNDRAISER
WHEN: 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14 WHERE: Tijuana Flats, 13770 W. Colonial Drive, Winter Garden Lowery. “Everybody has been very nice with the support, the calls …” A family friend, Sandi Bradshaw Williams, also set up an account at GiveForward.com. Liam, who lives in Lakeland, has told the family that once Cody Lowery is back on his feet, he would like to meet the family. The Lowerys are grateful for his tremendous act of kindness and want to meet him, too. Kristi Lowery said, “The Florida Highway Patrol told us that if Liam hadn’t gone down to help, (Cody) wouldn’t have been found for days.” Contact Amy Quesinberry Rhode at aqrhode@wotimes. com.
Now Hiring OTR Drivers! Company Drivers • Leased Owner-Operators
Locally Owned • Great Pay & Benefits
(863) 422-8752
www.fellowstrucking.com
Neighborhood W E S T O R A N G E L I F E | S C H O O L S | C L U B S | FA I T H
WOTIMES.COM
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
Michael Iapaluccio and his daughter, 8-year-old Michaela, both donned cowboy hats for Oakland Avenue Charter School’s “Cowboys and Angels”themed dance. Right: Ken Thomas sent his daughter, Halee, for a dip at the Daddy-Daughter Masquerade Ball.
Miola and Arman Hedayat were on the dance floor for most of the night at Windermere Elementary’s Father-Daughter Dance.
Armani Goins demonstrated “La Macarena” at the Daddy-Daughter Masquerade Ball.
FAMILY AFFAIR
Left: Sienna Veidis, left, Hanna Lamoriello, Jada Wilson and Payton Reilly took to the stage at Windermere Elementary’s Father-Daughter Dance.
UNFORGETTABLE EVENING by Michael Eng, Zak Kerr and Amy Quesinberry Rhode
Dads and daughters throughout West Orange enjoyed nights to remember as the community hosted three father-daughter dances on the same weekend. Windermere Elementary School girls enjoyed an unforgettable evening with their dads Feb. 6 during the school’s annual Father-Daughter Dance. The next night, Oakland Avenue Charter School hosted its own “Cowboys and Angels”-themed dance at the Jessie Brock Community Center, in Winter Garden, and Orange County Parks and Recreation invited guests to its Daddy-Daughter Masquerade Ball, held at West Orange Recreation Center. The dads and daughters hit the dance floors early, grooving to popular hits such as Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” and Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass.” Guests also enjoyed snapping portraits to commemorate the evening and munching on treats, including an incredible spread of cookies. Oakland Avenue Charter School guests enjoyed a particularly touching moment when retired
Brent and Julia Jordan were all smiles at Windermere Elementary’s Father-Daughter Dance. Army Sgt. Jeff Kelly shared the dance floor with his daughters, Jade and Lindsey. Kelly served three tours of duty in Iraq and, in 2008, suffered serious leg injuries in a mortar attack. He attended last year’s dance in a wheelchair, but this year, after undergoing a leg amputation seven months ago, he walked the girls onto the floor with the help of a prosthetic leg, which was even fitted with a cowboy boot.
Retired U.S. Army Sgt. Jeff Kelly has a special dance with his daughters, Jade and Lindsey, at Oakland Avenue Charter School’s “Cowboys and Angels”themed dance. He attended the dance last year in a wheelchair but wore a special prosthetic, equipped with a cowboy boot, for this year’s event. Left: This mustachio-ed duo, 8-year-old Hanah and her dad, Scott Yetter, celebrated the cowboy theme at Oakland Avenue Charter School’s dance.
MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 10A
10A WOTimes.com
WEST ORANGE TIMES
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
Jason and Olivia Brown took a break from dancing at the DaddyDaughter Masquerade Ball. Below: Pat Nix and his 7-year-old daughter, Kyndall, are all smiles during Oakland Avenue Charter School’s dance.
Erik and Maddie Belanoff shared a special evening at Windermere Elementary’s Father-Daughter Dance.
Spending time together was great for 9-year-old Teagan and her dad, Jerry Pegram, at Oakland Avenue Charter School’s “Cowboys and Angels”themed dance.
Even the deejay hit the dance floor at Windermere Elementary’s Father-Daughter Dance.
Steven J. Sober, DMD
Left: Dr. Nick Mahavir enjoyed time with his daughter, Ariana, at the Daddy-Daughter Masquerade Ball.
General Family Dentistry www.stevensoberdmd.com
Serving the West Orange & East Lake County Area Residents for 29 years! Accepting new patients
Dillard St.
50/Colonial Dr
Daniels Rd.
Located in the Windtree Professional Center (Behind KFC)
Windtree Professional Center
KFC Wendy’s
13330 W. Colonial Dr, Suite 120 Winter Garden, FL 34787
Hours: M-Th 8-5, F 8-12
407-877-6666
We offer individualized care in a relaxed unhurried environment. Our focus has always been on the quality of your dental treatment to insure the best possible outcome for the long term. Network provider for Delta Dental, MetLife, CIGNA, Aetna, BC/BS, Florida Combined Life, Humana, United Healthcare, & Dentemax PPO’s. Financing offered through Care Credit. Most major Insurances Accepted
West Orange Times & Observer in partnership with Gracie’s Pet Food present
e t Photo P C the NEW monthly
ONTEST!
hi to Co me say
Fuji
scot! Gracie’s Ma
Please email a photo to
contest@wotimes.com A winner will be selected
monthly for a $25.00 gift card fro m Gracie’s.
Winter Garden’s original pet food store! 220 S. Dillard St. Winter Garden, FL 34787 (407) 654-6169
WEST ORANGE TIMES
WOTimes.com
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
11A
FIGURED IT OUT YET
1st Class Auto We don’t want your Tax Money!
Laurel Kellett, of Re/Max Properties SW Inc., and The Willows at Lake Rhea presented each of the 135 fourth-graders at Windermere Elementary School a Sabal palm seedling to plant at home to celebrate Arbor Day. The Sabal palm is Florida’s state tree.
CLASS NOTES
ACADEMY HONORS HONOR-ROLL RECIPIENTS Light Christian Academy and Childcare recently awarded its honor roll recipients for
the second quarter of 2014. Light Christian Academy is located at 1105 N. Lakewood
Ave., in Ocoee. For more information, call (407) 6566314 or visit mylcac.com/.
2011 Hyundai Sonata 2010 Mazda 3 2009 Grand Caravan 2008 Honda Pilot 2008 F150 Lariat 2008 Dodge Avenger 2007 Mountaineer 2007 Pacifica Suv 2006 Ford F150 4x4 2004 Honda Civic 2004 Mercury Van
$1000 DOWN $1000 DOWN $1000 DOWN $1000 DOWN $1500 DOWN $1000 DOWN $1000 DOWN $1000 DOWN $1000 DOWN $800 DOWN $650 DOWN
BAD CREDIT? NO PROBLEM!
www.equity1stauto.com (see more) 1909 S. Orange Blossom Trail, Apopka • 1/4 mile south of Walmart
407-703-7888
+ Windermere Prep student earns honor Camilla Delfino, of Windermere Preparatory School, placed among the top winners in the 2014 Quill and Scroll Yearbook Excellence Contest, hosted by the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society. Delfino has been designated as a Class A Sweepstakes Award winner in the advertising division. High school students who are contributors to or on the yearbook staff at any public or private high school were invited to enter the competition. More than 1,600 entries were evaluated in the 2014 contest. Awards were presented in 18 divisions and in two enrollment categories. The contest yielded 36 sweepstakes winners and 217 National Award winners. Gold Keys, plaques, and the opportunity to apply for college journalism scholarships were awarded to the winning yearbook staff members. The Yearbook Excellence Contest is conducted annually by Quill and Scroll, an honor society for high-school journalism students, which has encouraged and recognized academic and journalistic excellence since 1926. About 7,000 high-school journalists in schools located around the globe are annually inducted into Quill and Scroll Honor Society.
+ Buses powered by B20 biodiesel The entire bus fleet for Orange County Public Schools now is powered by B20 biodiesel as part of a long-term “Green Fleet” initiative. To recognize the initiative, a special decal is now on all B20-powered school buses. The decal was approved by the Florida Department of Education, intended to inform motorists that the school district has a comprehensive program to ensure the buses used to transport students are environmentally friendly. Biodiesel is the country’s first advanced biofuel. It is a renewable, clean-burning diesel replacement that reduces U.S. dependence on fossil diesel, creating green jobs and improving the environment. OCPS once used
Front row, from left: Milani Ramirez, Jordyn Kersey, Lexis Cole, Jasmine Bridgewater, Yerodin Houston, Shelby Jarvis, A’niya Major, Tyler Thompson, Amelia Thompson, Meariah Odom and Jelani Houston. Back row, from left: Natasha Mercer, Gabrielle Wrye, Isabelle Wrye, Brendan DeLong, Austin Jarvis, Alaina Jenkins, Heather Jenkins, Dayniya Law and Titus Odom.
FREE ADMISSION
COUPON
(REG $2 ADMISSION)
HOURS: Thurs 3/5 - 9a-7p • Fri 3/6 - 9a-7p • Sat 3/7 - 9a-2p (50% off sale!)
jbfsale.com 3409 Maguire Road, Windermere, FL, 34786
Front row, from left: Owen Thompson, Cartayshia Salmon, Daisha Law, Sara Jenkins, Keyun Anderson, Hannah Mercer and Cherith Odom. Back row, from left: Symour Hamilton, Anica Austin, Krista-Robin Cantrell, Davion Law, Nicholas Mercer, Garrett Atkinson and Jamar Houston. Not pictured: Leah Almanza about 2.8 million gallons of fossil-based diesel fuel per year. The conversion to B20 biodiesel allows the district to save 560,000 gallons of fuel per year.
+ OCPS to host Teacher Job Fair Orange County Public Schools will host a Teacher Job Fair from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, at Edgewater High School, 3100 Edgewater Drive, Orlando. School administrators will be on site to conduct interviews and extend offers for employment in several areas, including elementary education, ESE, language arts, math, science, social studies, reading and physical education. Attendees must register online at ocps.net and have a valid Florida teaching certificate or statement of eligibility.
FRESH PRODUCE DAILY
WWW.MATTHEWSHOPEMINISTRIES.ORG
While celebrating the 100th day of school, Westbrooke Elementary students also wore yellow to support Aubrey Clark, the student from Citrus Elementary who was struck by a hitand-run driver.
BRIAN RAMSKI, DMD
BR DENTAL - DR. BRIAN RAMSKI ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS
INTRODUCING PAIN FREE INJECTIONS! Ask us about the “wand”. Call today for your appointment!
213 S. Dillard St, Ste. 140
407-905-9965
www.drbrianramski.com OFFICE HOURS: Tuesday-Thursday 8 - 12 and 1 - 5, Friday 7 - 1 BR Dental is an In-Network provider with the following PPO Dental Insurance plans: Aetna, Cigna, Ameritas, BC/BS, Florida Combined Life, MetLife, Principal, United Concordia, Guardian, Humana, United Healthcare and Dentemax.
WE MOVED!
1575 Maguire Rd. Ste. 105 Ocoee, FL Family Owned & Operated
• Dry Cleaning • Laundry • Shoe Repair • Alterations • Shoe Care Products
407-877-8889
12A WOTimes.com
WEST ORANGE TIMES
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
CLUB
ALONG THE TRAIL by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
HUBBUB WINTER GARDEN
+ Winter Garden Fire Department
Co-owners Karen and Dennis Jones, left, prepare to cut the ribbon for the Winter Garden Station grand opening with team members Richard Whisenhunt and Beverly Edgar.
Zak Kerr
WG Wheel Works opens West Orange Trail station WINTER GARDEN — On Feb. 7, Winter Garden Wheel Works celebrated the grand opening of its West Orange Trail station in style — with refreshments, door prizes, music, balloons and more. “It’s just to make it a formal event,” said Dennis Jones, co-owner of Winter Garden Wheel Works, which opened the station for service Jan. 20. This station, at 455 E. Plant St., is a partnership between the company and Orange County Parks and Recreation and includes a bicycle rental service. This service has moved from the Winter Garden Wheel Works shop on West Plant Street a few blocks along the road, with the idea of making it easier for trail riders to park, ride and play. This station is about 5 miles east of the trail’s starting point, Killarney Station, the only other rental location on the trail at this time, Jones said. Among bicycles available for rent are comfort hybrids, performance road bikes, recumbent and tandem.
THE DETAILS WINTER GARDEN WHEEL WORKS WEST ORANGE TRAIL STATION ADDRESS: 455 E. Plant St., Winter Garden PHONE: (407) 877-7433 (Winter Garden Station) or (407) 654-1496 (Winter Garden Wheel Works) WEBSITE: wgwheelworks. com Rentals, accessories and nutrition products are offerings at the station, with no plans to expand into service because of the close proximity to Winter Garden Wheel Works’ main location. “We say we don’t do service, but we will help with triage, flat tires and small things,” said Karen Jones, Dennis’s wife and co-owner. “In the worst-case scenario, we take them a few blocks down and service them there. We make sure they’re riding safe — no loose handlebars or seats not tightened. It’s a two-sec-
ond fix; we’re here for convenience. If it doesn’t take parts, pieces or time, we’ll get you back on the trail, and air is always free.” In addition to rider safety, the Joneses and their staff want to make it easier for riders to access the trail from a location with a lot dedicated almost exclusively to the trail, as well as provide information to people not familiar with the area. “We can refer them to local restaurants and show them the charm of Winter Garden,” Dennis said. The manager of the Winter Garden Station will be Beverly Edgar, who joins the Joneses in excitement for this addition to not just the trail but the community. “There is a lot of excitement among trail riders that this is open again,” Edgar said of the station, which was a dormant building for about two years. “We will get a lot of visitors not familiar with the area who can get a lot of information on the area and the store.”
Gift Certificates available for
Keratin Treatments Treat your sweetie to smooth straight hair!
Love The Look Hair Studio & Spa 352-559-3690
4 S. Tubb St • Oakland, FL 34760
www.Lovethelookhairstudio.com • book@lovethelookhairstudio.com
• CRAWFISH BOIL • BEST CAJUN & ZYDECO MUSIC • KING CAKES • RAFFLES • HAPPY HOUR ALL DAY • BEADS FOR EVERYONE INDULGE WITH US
FEBRUARY 17TH The Big Easy
15502 Stoneybrook West Pkwy
facebook.com/whodatbigeasy • thebigeasyfl.com • 407-654-3278
Discover
GENTLE CHIROPRACTIC
CAR ACCIDENT PAIN? I CAN HELP!
DR. JO J. REEVES,
CHIROPRACTOR 407-656-0390 Discover the effectiveness of GENTLE SPECIFIC CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTING. Our therapy department, including a licensed massage therapist and acupuncturist enables us to treat many varied conditions. Acute or chronic, mild or severe,if you are suffering, we have the facilities and training to help you. Most insurance accepted. Lic. # MM1720, MA32524
1080 S. DILLARD ST. WINTER GARDEN, FL • Back Pain • Headaches • Shoulder Pain • Neck Pain • Arthritis • Painful Joints • Stiffness • Numbness • Arm/Leg Pain • Bursitis • Hip Pain • Cold Hands/Feet
There is stiff competition at the Winter Garden Fire Department each December, and it has nothing to do with heavy equipment or rescues. It has everything to do with who responds the quickest to the email request for Santa Run volunteers. Since 2002, firefighters and other city employees have participated in the yearly Christmas event that takes Santa Claus through many of the city’s neighborhoods, spreading moments of happiness, festive music and thousands of pieces of peppermint candy. “An annual Calling of the Elves email invitation is sent to all city employees a few weeks before the event to fill the volunteer vacancies,” Fire Chief Matt McGrew said. “These slots are usually filled within the first five to 10 minutes.” The Santa Run is a five-vehicle parade, and Santa’s float is the same one used in the city’s Christmas parade. The Winter Garden Police Department supplies a vehicle and an officer to lead Santa around town. Every year, the department tries to make improvements to make the experience better, the chief said, and the latest Santa Run featured nine illuminated flying reindeer that extended 15 feet into the air to lead Santa. They replaced the float’s three standing reindeer. To pull off the Santa Run, a handful of people work on the project throughout the year, planning the evenings, ordering Santa’s supplies and candy, making repairs or upgrades to the float and updating the route maps. During the actual event, 12 people are required each night to fill all the positions. Volunteers receive a pin for their Santa hats, and after the second year, repeat participants receive a fire department patch to sew on their hats “to designate their elf seniority,” McGrew said. The role of Santa Claus rotates, and many people have worn his red suit, including police and fire department members, city employees, city commissioners and, at least once, an Orange County commissioner. McGrew said he’s grateful to all the people who volunteered their time or made a donation to this holiday event. “While the city covers the majority of the costs for the run, we also count on help from our local business community and local restaurants to bring it all together,” he said. The Bond Foundation is the primary donor, but others making contributions for 2014 event were Candela Controls Inc., Windsor Realty Group Inc., Larry Cappleman, Jim Carter, Denny Gillard, Matt Hadley, Tim Hukill, John Kirby and Eric Roukey. Santa’s helpers were fed each night by one of the following: Beef O’Brady’s, Bella Room, Firehouse Subs, Uno’s Pizzeria & Grill and Winter Garden Pizza Company. “With the holidays behind us and another Winter Garden Santa Run in the books, all of Santa’s local helpers wish to extend a heartfelt thanks to the community for a successful Santa Run 2014,” McGrew said. — Amy Quesinberry Rhode
+ American Legion, Hugh T. Gregory Post 63 The American Legion, Hugh T. Gregory Post 63, in conjunction with Florida Blood Centers, will conduct a blood drive from 2 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, at the post, 271 W. Plant St., Winter Garden. Each pint of blood donated is equivalent to three lives saved. All successful donors will receive free movie ticket vouchers. The post will be open with sodas, coffee, tea, water, fruits and pastries available for participants.
SENIOR OF THE MONTH: HELEN ESPOSITO The West Orange Seniors recently announced Helen Esposito as its Senior of the Month. It was May 25, 1935, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — the city of brotherly love and the second largest city on the East Coast — when along came Helen Jablonski. Her father, Steve, a printer, and mother, Anna, divorced when she was very young. She Esposito then went to live
with her grandparents, Frances and Stanley Jablonski. After graduating from school at 17, she married John Esposito, who worked as a jeweler on Sanson Street, Philadelphia’s famed Jewelers Row and oldest diamond district in America. Their family grew with the addition of four children, Frances, John, Celeste and Steve.
To benefit local and national charities, dry chemical fire extinguishers and 3-by-5-foot American flags are being sold for $15 each. The legion is also looking for historical articles, pictures or memorabilia about the post. Anyone with items to donate or lend can call (407) 656-6361. The post building is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays. Veterans are welcome to stop by for coffee, conversation and lunch. Meetings are held at 7 p.m. the second Thursday of each month. For more information, email americanlegion63@cflrr. com.
WINDERMERE
+ Rotary Club of Windermere The Rotary Club of Windermere welcomed Greg Ohe as the guest speaker at its recent meeting. Ohe is the president of Health Central Hospital in Ocoee and was invited to discuss the numerous upgrades that have taken place at the hospital within the past few years. The discussion centered on the various achievements of the hospital, including its most recent success in becoming one of the 44 top-rated hospitals in the United States. The facility is home to more than 1,800 team members, with 600 professional medical personnel spanning 46 different specialties. Health Central also has expanded its cancer, stroke and heart attack centers to meet the growing needs of West Orange County.
+ Windermere Garden Club The Windermere Garden Club will welcome Katy Moss Warner to its monthly meeting, which will take place at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, at Windermere Town Hall, 520 Main St., Windermere. Warner is president emeritus of the American Horticulture Society and a former director of Disney Horticulture and Environmental Initiatives. Warner will talk with the club about America in Bloom, a nationwide beautification program through community involvement. Coffee and treats will be served at 9:30 a.m. The program begins at 10 a.m. The public is invited to attend. For more information, call (407) 909-1461.
WEST ORANGE
+ Rotary Club of Lake Buena Vista The Rotary Club of Lake Buena Vista recently attended an elegant reception at the Wyndham Resort Hotel at Downtown Disney. Guests enjoyed the first world-wide presentation of Matsusaka kobe beef being made available in the United States. Rotary Club members, along with food and beverage experts, press members and guests, were given a brief introduction to Japan’s most exclusive of kobe beef, and after a light libation, attendees were given the opportunity to taste the various cuts of this special meat. This
The Espositos later moved to Florida and built a home in Melbourne Beach. After seven years, they moved back to New Jersey. When her husband died in 1989, Esposito moved back to Melbourne and lived with her daughter for three years. Sadly, her oldest daughter, Frances, died last November, and her son, John, died this November. Celeste currently resides in Georgia, and Steve is in the Air Force, where he has become a lieutenant colonel. Esposito became a member of the West Orange Seniors in 2004. She was also president of the group in 2007. Now living in Melbourne, Esposito continues to join the seniors for luncheons, Hard Rock gambling trips and once-a-year long trips. event marked the first time this product has been offered for sale anywhere in the world.
+ W.O. Women The West Orange Women will hold their monthly meeting and luncheon Thursday, Feb. 19, at Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurant, Pointe Orlando, 9101 International Drive, No. 2400, Orlando. The meeting will take place at 11:30 a.m., followed by the luncheon at noon. The main program, featuring Robert Bowden from Leu Gardens, will begin at 1 p.m. The cost is $25 per person. For more information and to make reservations, contact Dot Ansel at dotansel@aol.com or call (407) 258-8155.
CLERMONT
+ Pastfinders Genealogical Society of South Lake The Pastfinders Genealogical Society of South Lake welcomes all residents and visitors of Lake County and nearby neighborhoods and campgrounds who are interested in pursuing genealogical information about their family and ancestors. The Pastfinders Genealogical Society offers meetings, a Computer Users Group, free classes and help sessions for beginners or more experienced researchers who may have hit a brick wall. The group also welcomes interested visitors to its monthly meetings and presentations, which cover a variety of topics. The next general meeting will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, in Room 102 at Cooper Memorial Library, 2525 Oakley Seaver Drive, Clermont. Michael Corradino, veteran broadcasting and print journalist and founder of the South Lake Tablet, will present the program “The Adventure of the Star-Spangled Banner.” The next Computer Users Group meeting will take place at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, in Room 221 at the library. Bob Dill, webmaster of Pastfinders, will present a program on the latest trial release of Windows 10. Free classes are held in the Genealogy room, as scheduled per month. Upcoming General Help classes are from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17; 9:30 a.m. to noon Thursday, Feb. 19; 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24; and 9:30 a.m. to noon Thursday, Feb. 24. For more information, call (352) 242-9805.
WEST ORANGE DUPLICATE BRIDGE CLUB Results from Jan. 29 N-S: 1. H. Parker – M. Lesnik 2/3 tied B. Ballenger – B. Cox, J. and R. Jett 4. S. Kmiec – M. Ryan 5. L. and T. Saulino; E-W: 1/2 tied J. Thompson – L. Madison, L. and J. Pylman 3. M. and F. Schwartz 4. B. and R. Blair 5. V. Oberaitis – J. Muzeni.
Arts&Culture WOTimes.com
QUICK
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
STUDENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT by Michael Eng | Executive Editor
HITS
Courtesy photo
FRIDAY, FEB. 13 Outside The Box “Southern Hospitality” — 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, Feb. 13 to 22, at The Franklin Pearce Jr. Auditorium, 17404 Sixth St., Montverde. A laughout-loud farce and a standalone play in its own right, “Southern Hospitality” is the final play in the Sermonettes trilogy that began with “Dearly Beloved” and continued with “Christmas Belles” in Outside The Box’s 2014-15 season of Hope, Jones and Wooten. Cost: $10 for adults, $5 for kids and students. Andre Provencher (321) 663-2608 or Outside_The_Box_Florida@ Yahoo.com.
Michael Eng
Ocoee High School junior Alex Langham hopes to secure a spot in a prestigious five-week summer teen program at the Stella Adler School of Acting in New York.
FLAIR FOR THE
DRAMATIC Courtesy photo
SATURDAY, FEB. 14 Music on the Porch: Evan Taylor Jones — 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at the Winter Garden Branch Library, 805 E. Plant St., Winter Garden. The public is invited to hear music from Evan Taylor Jones, a singer/songwriter and performer from Orlando. In just three years, Jones has made a name for himself around Florida as one of the top soul performers. For more information, call (407) 835-7323.
SUNDAY, FEB. 15 “God is Love: A Celebration of Valentine’s Day” — 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, at The Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe, 8300 Vineland Ave., Orlando. The Basilica Choir will present a concert, titled, “God is Love: A Celebration of Valentine’s Day,” as part of the Basilica’s annual concert series. There will be a wide variety of sacred and secular music around the themes of divine and romantic love, including music by composers Palestrina, Duruflé, Holst, Schubert and LennonMcCartney. Selections from romantic opera scenes will also be included. Tickets are $15 for adults and free for children ages 12 and younger. To purchase, visit the Basilica Gift Shop or call (407) 239-6600. Tickets will also be available at the door.
FRIDAY, FEB. 20 Winter Garden Art Association First Gala — 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, at the SoBo Art Center, 127 S. Boyd St., Winter Garden. Tickets are $60 for WGAA members; $75 for non-members. The gala will feature gallery exhibits, live artist demonstrations, silent and live auctions, and food by alFresco’s of Winter Garden. Attire is festive black and white with a splash of red. Reservations required. For more information, call (407) 347-7996 or email to info@wgart.org.
Alex Langham didn’t discover his true passion for acting until he joined the drama program at Ocoee High School. But, his experience there has changed the course of his future, and he now has his sights set on Broadway.
OCOEE — Sixteen-year-old Alex Langham knows all the pitfalls. He knows the acting industry is unrelenting and brutal. He knows a life in the performing arts is unpredictable, humbling and yes, even cruel. But the Ocoee High School junior also harbors a passion for the stage, and he’s fully prepared to endure whatever gauntlet is required to turn that passion into a career. Already, Langham has a plethora of experience to his name, including many roles within Ocoee High’s theater department. He also signed recently with Legacy Talent Group, a Jacksonville-based agency, which has led to some film experience. And his next anticipated step — securing a spot in the prestigious five-week summer teen program at the Stella Adler
EXPERIENCE THEATER PRODUCTION ROLE ORGANIZATION Moliere’s “The Miser” Cleante Ocoee High School “Freakshow” Ringmaster Glad Tidings Church “The Family Man” Vincent Blaire Ocoee High School “The Iliad … Or Less” Principle Ocoee High School “Willy Wonka Jr.” Grandpa Joe Ocoee Middle School “Once Upon a Mattress” Sir Luce Ocoee Middle School FILM “Half Way” Narrator Independent Short COMMERCIAL Universal Studios Mardi Gras Background Actor Universal Studios School of Acting in New York City — will be his biggest to date. “It’s a program for teens, but it’s done with the rigor adult students have,” he says. “Stella Adler is the only school affiliated with the NYU Tisch School of the Arts that isn’t the Tisch school.” In just a few weeks, Lang-
ham will audition for the program with a one-minute monologue at the Southeastern Theatre Conference. Sixty seconds. That’s all he will get to impress Stella Adler’s representatives. But, with the true love Langham exudes for the performing arts, it may be enough. “I believe I have the talent
and the passion to get in,” Langham says, smiling. “I’m excited; I love being challenged. I’m also ready to take risks. Actors who don’t take risks are just good reciters. I also know there’s always work in the work. I know I’m never going to be the best, and I’m never going to be perfect. But, I’m always looking for an opportunity to grow.” Langham first took the spotlight when he was just 6 years old at his church, Glad Tidings Church in Ocoee. He also dabbled in school productions in elementary and middle school but didn’t discover his love for the stage until he met Ocoee High Director Jeffery Cook. “The theater program just opened all the doors,” Langham says. “I felt more of a home there (in the school’s theater troupe) than in any other organization. Our troupe, 6893, has a motto: ‘One Goal, One Troupe.’ The troupe is a really accepting place, and that’s where I really fell in love with the art of acting. Now, as a leader, I feel blessed and honored to welcome new people in.” In addition to his education at Ocoee High, Langham also works with Dana Brazil, director of education at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, as well as acting coach Courtney
SEE LANGHAM / 15A
A SONG STORY by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
New FBCWG worship leader continues family legacy of praise Jarian Felton joined First Baptist Church of Winter Garden Jan. 18 for its Tilden Road location. WINTER GARDEN — As of Jan. 18, the newest member of the worship team at First Baptist Church of Winter Garden is Jarian Felton, an Orlando native whose specialties include vocals, piano and drums. “First Baptist was a bit of a hidden jewel,” Felton said. “I was exposed to Pastor Tim (Grosshans) before anything else, and he just had this great personality: very easy to talk to and inviting. He said, ‘Hey, man, I’m preaching a message on hope; I love your song; and
I’d love for you to come and sing it at the church just before the message.’ When I did, the people were so welcoming, hungry, teachable and open. I just enjoyed the experience and kept coming back.” That song, “I Am Hope,” became available on iTunes as a single in April 2012. Felton described it as a soulful but happy and bright song, likening it to Jason Mraz. “It’s very bouncy, happy-golucky, definitely the kind of song you want to play when
the sun is shining,” Felton said. “The melody of it is very infectious and just has this easygoing tune — you could put a ukulele on that thing and have some fun with it. One of the cool things I like about it is, toward the second half of the song, I got some inner-city kids, and I brought them to the studio and had them sing on the record.”
A HOPE-LED JOURNEY
“I Am Hope” has been a big part of Felton’s journey as a
Courtesy photo
Jarian Felton is excited for worship opportunities at First Baptist Church of Winter Garden. worship leader, including his new position at First Baptist. “After being a worship leader for so many years, I did some background singing for a few gospel artists here and there and released a project of my own in 2005,” he said. “I got off the road, got married, settled
down, really started just focusing more so on family.” One of Felton’s best friends, First Baptist Orlando Worship Pastor Doug Pierce, connected him with Willy Pete, a network of musicians that performs
SEE FELTON / PAGE 14A
14A
WEST ORANGE TIMES
WOTimes.com
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
FELTON / PAGE 13A at U.S. armed forces stations around the world, including the Middle East. “It’s our way of evangelizing at the same time, because we play all the songs that they want to hear,” Felton said. “It was pretty amazing to do that, and that kind of led to another friend with New Missions.” New Missions personnel liked “I Am Hope” so much that they wanted to use it for Felton to sponsor a Haitian child, and for him to sing it at a vision night, he said. “I went to that vision night and sang the song, and that’s the place where I met Pastor Tim,” Felton said. “Everything just led one thing to another; it’s an interesting storyline.” Although “I Am Hope” was meant for the church Felton initially was part of, the team there did not use it, he said. “I thought about shelving it,” he said. “At this particular point, I hadn’t even recorded. I just had played it for them on the piano. A good friend who’s the co-producer of that record, Derrick Harvin, a phenomenal jazz pianist here in the city, said, ‘Let’s just record it.’” This led to the iTunes release in 2012 and Grosshans’ invitation to perform at First Baptist Church of Winter Garden and, last month, become part of the worship team. The premise of the song is identity in actively spreading hope to others in the world, Felton said. “One of the lyrics to the song is, ‘I am hope for the next generation; I’m making a difference; my love’s on display,’” he said. “That’s really what it’s all about: putting our love on display and just being hope.” During performances, Felton enjoys seeing how easily people catch on and sing along, which particularly in-
spired him and the congregation at First Baptist within that message of hope, he said. “The acronym I like to put behind hope is ‘Helping Open People’s Eyes,’” he said. “Even in some of the things I do, it’s not necessarily about me gaining a name for myself. Sometimes, I’ll just do things that will help boost another organization. If I’m doing a walk for Haiti, I don’t necessarily have to say Jarian’s doing a walk for Haiti. I’ll just say, ‘Hey, partnering with New Missions today, and they’re doing a walk for Haiti — check them out.’ It’s almost like pointing at other organizations that are already doing things.”
EXTENDING FAMILY
Felton grew up in a musical Georgian family: His mother and her sisters had a singing group, and his dad played bass and had a singing group with his brothers. But the biggest influence for Felton was his grandfather, he said. “He passed a few years ago, full of life, but I could not walk into his house without the radio being on,” Felton said. “Either the radio was going to have gospel music playing from 1680 or some James Brown or Ray Charles, which was a heavy influence, that whole soulful era. Other than that, just growing up in the church, I started off playing drums at the age of 7 and just kept evolving and eventually ended up toying with my vocals.” Extending that familial passion for music and worship in Winter Garden is an exciting future for Felton, whose wife, 4-year-old daughter and 5-month-old son appreciate Winter Garden’s charm, he said. “I am at the moment still learning a lot about the culture,” Felton said. “I love the fact that First Baptist Winter
Garden is a good representation of Winter Garden, which has a lot of the different cultures and ethnicities. I love the fact that I can look out and see different nations represented. That’s a beautiful thing. I know one of the things that I’m doing now is choosing a lot of songs that are very congregation-friendly, because it’s one thing to get up there and sing songs and tell stories and people don’t join in. The part it gets so much better is if you can make it so everyone gets involved.” Felton credited fellow worship leaders, such as Tom Dale, Mark Byrd, Jim Gentry and Randy Nichols, with making the band a great sound and a melting pot reflective of the congregation. This is a theme Felton plans to magnify, splicing in everything from rap to hymns and works of established musicians such as Andrae Crouch, Chris Tomlin and Michael W. Smith, he said. For now, Felton is performing primarily vocals for 9:45 a.m. services at the church’s south campus on Tilden Road, Foundation Worship, he said. He wants to form a worship team and a praise choir, to supplement a band that can go almost anywhere musically, he said. “I would definitely say God has favored me to be a part of it,” Felton said. “I think it’s history in the making. We pride ourselves in knowing that we’re not just the First Baptist Church of Winter Garden but Winter Garden’s First Baptist Church, because we belong to the city that we’re in. I think that’s a key thing because I heard one guy say when God sees the Earth, He doesn’t see a city with a church in it. He sees a church with a city around it, because the church is the heart.” Contact Zak Kerr at zkerr@ wotimes.com.
WHERE IN WEST ORANGE?
The West Orange Times & Observer invites you to participate in our new scavenger-hunt game. In our new Arts & Culture section, we’ll feature a photograph taken somewhere in West Orange County. We’re asking you to identify the location featured in the photo. Entering is easy! Just “Like” us on Facebook and find the photo on our Facebook page, facebook.com/wotimes. Then, just comment on the photo with your best guess! If you’d like to submit a photo for the contest, please send high-resolution images to Executive Editor Michael Eng, meng@wotimes.com. Please be sure to note the location of the photo.
WEST ORANGE TIMES
WOTimes.com
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
HOW TO HELP
AMERICAN SNIPER
R
JUPITER ASCENDING
PG-13
Friday 4:15P 7:15P 10:00P Sat 1:15P 4:15P 7:15P 10:00P Sun-Mon 1:15P 4:15P 7:15P Tues-Thursday 4:15P 7:15P
1575 MAGUIRE RD. (1 BLK. OFF HWY. 50)
www.westorange5.com
407-877-8111
“Homemade Sandwiches and Snacks Available” W. HWY 50
X
MAGUIRE RD.
is home to stacks of plays, as well, and he takes inspiration from the classics — “Les Misérables,” John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” and Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” and “The Crucible.” Following graduation from high school, Langham hopes to pursue acting at a leading conservatory; The Juilliard School is among his top choices. And, should he find himself in the Big Apple, he plans to immerse himself in the theater culture Courtesy photo as quickly and as fulAlex Langham signed with a talent agency ly as possible. He unin January. derstands he won’t be stepping off a plane and directly onto the stage. That’s why he’s also LANGHAM / PAGE 13A taking time to learn other Prince. Although he has per- aspects of the production informed roles in several differ- dustry. “I’m learning about sets ent genres, Langham says he and lighting — I’m always prefers dramatic roles. “I prefer the heavy,” he looking to get better,” he says. says. “To me, that’s the stuff “I just have to find a way to that matters. I love things make money in the theater — that are historical, that influ- as a production assistant or, ence culture. That’s the stuff really, any job I can find.” Langham also knows that, that makes a difference.” Although Langham’s par- as a Christian, he is choosing ents have been supportive of an industry that can be chalhis dream, the talent came lenging to a person of faith. from one generation back — However, he sees that as an from his grandfather on his opportunity. “I want to be identified as father’s side of the family. “He was a lieutenant col- a person of faith in the busionel in the Air Force, and he ness,” he says. “That would would give public lectures to be such a cool opportunity — 900-plus people,” Langham to steer against some of the says. “One day, I asked him stereotypes and really love on where it (the acting talent) people.” Contact Michael Eng at came from, and he said, ‘It meng@wotimes.com. probably came from me.’ “The level of support from my parents has been incredible,” he says. “They’ve done whatever they’ve had to to In less than a month, Alex help me succeed. Even if Langham will audition for things at home were hectic, a spot in the summer teen they made sure that I had a program at the Stella Adler way to get to class. I wish evSchool of Acting in New York erybody had parents like my parents.” City. His family has set up a Langham cites a wide fundraising site to help with range of influences — from expenses associated with Marlon Brando and Robert the program. To donate, visit De Niro to Tom Hanks and gofundme.com/gjwvcw. Kevin Spacey. His bedroom
15A
General $8.00 Child (2-12) $6.00 Senior (60+) $6.00 Matinee (before 5pm) $6.00 3D is an additional $2.00 per ticket
THESE SHOWTIMES FOR:
FRIDAY, Feb. 13 thru THURS, Feb. 19 THE BEST MOVIE VALUE IN WO COUNTY
Friday 3:50P 6:50P 9:55P Sat 12:50P 3:50P 6:50P 9:55P Sun-Mon 12:50P 3:50P 6:50P Tues-Thursday 3:50P 6:50P
KINGSMAN THE SECRET SERVICE
R
SPONGEBOB MOVIE SPONGE OU
PG
Friday 4:20P 7:20P 10:00P Sat 1:20P 4:20P 7:20P 10:00P Sun-Mon 1:20P 4:20P 7:20P Tues-Thursday 4:20P 7:20P
Friday 4:40P 7:40P 9:50P Sat 1:40P 4:40P 7:40P 9:50P Sun-Mon 1:40P 4:40P 7:40P Tues-Thursday 4:40P 7:40P
FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
Friday 4:00P 7:00P 9:50P Sat 1:00P 4:00P 7:00P 9:50P Sun-Mon 1:00P 4:00P 7:00P Tues-Thursday 4:00P 7:00P
R
ww
COME LAUGH, PRAY, LOVE
5 OFF
$ 00
With a $20 or more purchase
Help Us Help Others by:
• Shopping our store • Donating • Volunteering Donate your gently used furniture and home appliances. Call us and schedule a FREE pick up.
INCOME TAXES Enrolled Agent Master of Science in Taxation
NEW STORE HOURS Mon, Tue, Thurs, Fri: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Wed: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Saturday: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Sunday: Closed
West Orange Habitat ReStore 114 S. Dillard Street Winter Garden, FL 34787 407-905-0406
57 N Lakeview Avenue, Winter Garden.
ReStore@westorangehabitat.org
16A WOTimes.com
WEST ORANGE TIMES
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
from the archives
faith by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
OLD TIMES
75 YEARS AGO
“Three Little Maids” will be presented by the junior and senior classes at Lakeview High School, with A.C. Valdes directing. The cast includes Peggy Smith, Billie Ruth Denmark and Ellen Wallace, who play the parts of the three little maids.
special thanks to
Winter Garden Heritage Foundation
45 YEARS AGO
Among the cooks working at the annual Winter Garden Rotary Club pancake supper were the chief sausage makers for the past 10 years: Charlie Root, Leroy Hoequist, the Rev. Basil Hicks and Franklin Cappleman. Dr. Bob Foster and Bill Arrington kept the pancakes coming. Winners of the Dillard Street Elementary School smile contest were Ricky Maloy and Lynn Walker.
Last year, First Baptist held a prayer service for the church it helped to fund.
Church celebrates five years of work in Haiti
35 YEARS AGO
Guest of honor at a coffee at the Windermere home of Gladys and Win Pendleton was Denny Zavett, popular entertainer at the Empress Lilly’s Baton Rouge Lounge. The Bay Hill resident does it all — sings, plays the guitar and does hilarious comedy routines that he writes himself. Royal Canadian Development Corp. has begun construction of a neighborhood shopping center on State Road 50 just east of Maguire Road. The initial phase, to be called The Village Marketplace of Ocoee, will feature Fairway Market.
30 YEARS AGO
SPRING SALE
Windermere resident remembers Iwo Jima: On Feb. 19, 1945, U.S. Marines landed on Iwo Jima, a craggy island in the Pacific where they encountered very stiff resistance from the Japanese defenders — one of the bloodiest battles in history. Maurice Marshall, of Windermere, was a 19-year-old sergeant in the 4th Marine Division when they fought to capture Iwo Jima. He is fortunate to have been one of only 2% of the entire division who survived to the end of World War II. A memorial service is taking place in Iwo Jima this week
Courtesy photos
Winter Garden Baptist Church’s fourth trip to Haiti began Feb. 3. Pictured are Eddie and Lillie Walker Wade, of Oakland, at their wedding on Nov. 15, 1936. Oakland’s African-American heritage is reflected in the families who have lived in the area for many years, a number of churches and two cemeteries. WGHF is presenting a monthlong photographic exhibition in celebration of Black History Month. Images depicting daily life and education efforts within this community are displayed in the History with both American and Japanese survivors participating. (Maurice Marshall died Jan. 16 and has been buried in Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.)
25 YEARS AGO
County Judge Charles Prather, formerly of Windermere, received a call from Gov. Bob Martinez telling him that he had
Center windows along Plant Street, as well as on the walls of Heller Hall, the history center’s large multi-purpose room. The address is 21 E. Plant St. in downtown Winter Garden’s historic district. The Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, which seeks to preserve our heritage and architecture while creating new cultural experiences, is celebrating its third decade with the debut of its new History Research and Education Center. been appointed to the Circuit Court. He had served as Windermere town attorney. Woody Woodbury, comedian and nightclub entertainer, was at the Ocoee Community Center to perform at Winnie Griffin’s 70th birthday party. Woodbury is Ben Griffin’s old buddy and fellow Marine Corps pilot.
Want more?
Accepting Consignors
Earn up to 75% Thursday, February 26, 9am-8pm Friday, February 27, 9am-6pm Saturday, February 28, 8am-2pm* *Select items 1/2 OFF Basics • Clothing • Toys • Maternity • Home Decor
visit: www.thekidsale.biz email: thekidsale@aol.com
Visit us online at wotimes.com
WINTER GARDEN — Since the Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake of 7.0 magnitude with an epicenter near the town of Leogane, about 16 miles west of Port-auPrince, Haiti’s capital, service groups from all over have tried to help the Haitians. Five years later, First Baptist Church of Winter Garden is beginning its fourth service trip to Haiti since that catastrophe, which involved at least 52 aftershocks at a magnitude of 4.5 or greater and killed more than 100,000 people. The trips have been involved with a group called New Missions, including being on the ground on a missions trip during the earthquake with a team of students from the church and Foundation Academy, said Keith Yarborough, executive pastor/youth pastor for First Baptist Church of Winter Garden. While in Haiti, Blackhawk helicopters evacuated that group, but teams have returned with the hopes of providing more aid in Haiti’s ongoing restoration effort, said Will Blaine, family pastor at First Baptist Church of Winter Garden. “Every one of them had to go back because they saw what kind of need was there,” Yarborough said. On Sunday, Jan. 18, the church hosted a special service that honored its ongoing partnership with New Missions and the fifth anniversary of the earthquake, Blaine said. “Tim DeTellis, new missions director, was our special guest, and he presented a symbolic shovel to highlight the rebuilding projects we are involved with,” Blaine said. Yarborough accepted the shovel as the primary point person for the church’s projects in Haiti, and he was on the ground when the earthquake struck, Blaine said.
CONTINUED SERVICE
On Jan. 26, students packed 143 shopping boxes for a minimum of 1,250 shoebox gifts for Haiti, Yarborough said. “We leave Tuesday, Feb. 3, for the fourth trip into Haiti with a
In 2010, First Baptist members evacuated Haiti via Blackhawk helicopters.
Two years ago, FBCWG members attended the groundbreaking of a church and school in Haiti that they contributed about $10,000 for.
Haitian children stand in front of their new church and school.
First Baptist members helped distribute shoeboxes in Haiti on the afternoon of the 2010 earthquake. team of students,” Yarborough said. Two years ago, First Baptist Church of Winter Garden members participated in a
WE BUY GOOD and JUNK CARS!
CALL BILLY PAYNE @ 407-948-2723 RICK LARSON LAW
Richard S. Larson Attorney at Law Employment and Human Resources Free 20 minute consultations
310 South Dillard St., Ste. 100 Winter Garden, FL 34787 (O) 407-877-7115 (C) 321-438-3392
www.ricklarsonlaw.com
groundbreaking for a church and school they helped to fund, with a donation around $10,000, he said. Last year, First Baptist held a prayer of dedication for that church, he said. And this is not the first time since the earthquake that Haitian children will receive shoebox gifts from First Baptist. A team from First Baptist has been distributing shoeboxes on site at the church since the afternoon of the earthquake five years ago, Yarborough said. The earthquake was a catalyst for already impoverished Haiti to suffer even worse poverty, which made the call to continue serving the people of that nation even greater for Yarborough and his team. For more information, visit fbcwg.org or call (407) 6562352. Contact Zak Kerr at zkerr@ wotimes.com.
WEST ORANGE TIMES
WOTimes.com
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
17A
TIMES&OBSERVER
NOW OPEN by Amy Quesinberry Rhode | Community Editor
OBITUARIES Amy Quesinberry Rhode
Ginger Allen, left, and Katie Reed demonstrate activities in the practical-life section of the classroom.
Matthew’s Hope offers preschool for firm foundation “As soon as we can get 10 kids, we’re ready to open the doors,” says director Ginger Allen. WINTER GARDEN — The maps and puzzles, the blocks and books, the tables and chairs are all in place at the Matthew’s Hope Firm Foundation Preschool in Winter Garden. All that is needed are children ages 3 to 6 with an eagerness to learn. This is the latest program unveiled by West Orange County’s homeless ministry — a preschool based on the Montessori system of teaching and learning. Open-house events and registration began last week and continue through this weekend. A maximum of 21 students can attend, although only 10 are needed to get classes started. All children in the community are welcome to attend, but priority will be given to families in deepest need and those who are Matthew’s Hope clients, or guests, as they are called. More than half of the people served by the ministry are women and young children. “These kids have no place to go,” Matthew’s Hope founder Scott Billue said. “But we didn’t want to have glorified childcare. The kids are actually getting a foundation to work from.” Two teachers will lead the class: Ginger Allen, the preschool director, and Katie Reed. “We want to provide an affordable Montessori education with a Christian worldview,” Reed said. “The best part is we get to talk about God to these kids,” Allen said. “(I am) excited to share my experience and new Montessori training with these kids. We will nurture their emotional, intellectual, and spiritual growth, preparing them not only for kindergarten but for life.” Tuition will be a sliding scale based on the family’s income and bills. The cost will range from $25 to $100 per week and will be assessed on a case-bycase basis.
CLASS FOR ALL SENSES NG A portable classroom is set up on the south end of the NISTRIES.ORG
West Orange Church of Christ campus, in Winter Garden, near where Matthew’s Hope operates. The room is a neat NISTRIES.ORG and orderly environment, full of colors and shapes and opportunity. There are many opportunities to work on fine-motor skills. In the practical life area, where there is a monthly color and theme, children can start with the basics: pouring, sorting, sweeping — activities that stimulate the hands and brain to work together. They will learn self-care by brushing their teeth, washing their face and drinking plenty of water. The sensorial area has color tablets, boxes for sorting colors and shades, puzzles and more. Students can take out whichever activities they want and sit down on the colorful rug for playing and learning. The idea is for the children to gain confidence on their own, Reed said. Allen pointed out that there are no toys in the classroom
REGISTRATION Open house and registration continues this week at the Matthew’s Hope Firm Foundation preschool, 1460 Daniels Road, Winter Garden: • 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13 • 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14 • 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15 — but there are plenty of fun activities. In the language area, participants can trace sandpaper letters in a pre-reading program and learn sounds, words, phrases and sentences. There is a math area, too. One of the volunteers has already created multiple math games to share with students. A culture area will concentrate on science, botany and geography with maps, puzzles and other learning tools. In the reading corner, colorful pillows are set up next to one of two bookcases donated by the Dawn Brancheau Foundation. The organization also provided four picnic tables that are set up outside by the classroom. Bright Horizons, a childcare facility in Winter Garden, donated a bunch of school supplies.
ALL IN A DAY
The schedule will depend on the parents’ needs, Allen said. Tentatively, the school hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, with before-care from 7 to 8:30 a.m. and after-care from 3 to 6 p.m. The director said the morning will include a long work cycle so the children can concentrate on their activities, followed by outside time and lunch. Another volunteer has
put together a preschool fitness program that will be incorporated. In the afternoon, community members can come in and share. Reed is working on chapel lessons for a Bible curriculum.
VOLUNTEERS WELCOME
Many people already have signed up to volunteer in the classroom, but there is no limit to the number of people who can be a part of the preschool program. About 15 people have agreed to help, including retired teachers, longtime educators and others with a background in the Montessori program. Volunteers can work on an art project with children, play a musical instrument, share a unique collection or bring their service dog. They can also help students with one-onone reading. Even garage-salers can be on the lookout for specific items, Allen said. Immediate assistance is needed in printing, cutting and laminating the learning sheets. For more on volunteering, email ginger@matthewshopeministries.org. For general Matthew’s Hope information, call (407) 905-9500. Contact Amy Quesinberry Rhode at aqrhode@wotimes. com.
PRESCHOOL PRE-ENROLLING
WWW.MATTHEWSHOPEMINISTRIES.ORG
Aubrey Sue Clark
Our sweet Aubrey Sue Clark, of Ocoee, Florida, passed away Thursday, Feb. 5, at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, from injuries received when hit by a car while riding her bicycle home from school on Jan. 20. Born in Orlando, Florida, on June 3, 2004, Aubrey was a fifth-grader at Citrus Elementary in Ocoee, Florida. A bright, energetic and loving 10-year-old with a big heart, Aubrey was loved by all who came into contact with her. She had a beautiful spirit and enjoyed spending time with her family and friends, going to the beach, eating chocolate, and listening to Katy Perry. Aubrey would have loved how famous she has become. She is survived by her parents, Danny Clark and Karen Burton-Jenkins; brothers, Dawson Clark, Ryan Burton-Jenkins and Christian Burton-Jenkins; sister, Haley Moffett; paternal grandparents, Bob and Kathy Clark; uncles, Bobby (Sheri) and Andy (Amy); and a multitude of great aunts, great uncles, cousins and friends. Aubrey was preceded in death by her paternal great-grandmother, Mary (Nanny) Gorden. A Celebration of Life will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15 at the Bill Breeze Park gazebo, corner of Lakeshore Drive and Oakland Avenue on Starke Lake in Ocoee. A reception will follow at the Jim Beech Recreation Center, 1820 A. D. Mims Road, Ocoee. A benevolent fund has been established by the Osceola Fire Department to help defray the costs of Aubrey’s medical care. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made at osceolafdbenevolent.org. Services provided by DeGusipe Funeral Home, Ocoee.
Barbara Evelyn DeVol
Barbara Evelyn DeVol, 74, of Ocoee, Florida, went home to God on Feb. 3, 2015. She passed away at home
with her family. She was born in Armorel, Arkansas, on April 22, 1940, to Amos and Floella Burlison. She was the wife of Gary DeVol. She is preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, Donald L. and James (JimB) Burlison; and two sons, Donald L. and Edmund Charles Mathis. She is survived by her husband, Gary; siblings, Denver Burlison, Bobbie Morgan, Joyce Mercer, Vivian Akins and Dorothy Tippens; two sons, Wade and Jason Mathis; and nine grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
Have You Planned Ahead??
To Receive Your FREE Planning Guide, Call
407-877-6700
Collison Carey Hand Funeral Home
www.collisoncareyhand.com
1148 E.Plant St • Winter Garden • Fl 34787
“Proudly Serving all of West Orange County with Dignity and Respect”
DIFFERENT... COME SEE
“We have the largest chapel in West Orange County”. Owned and operated by the Romano family.
407-614-8350
“That’s My Wish” We are your Hometown Funeral Home, offering our:
750.00
$
Direct Cremation for: Call for details
“Because you care” Cremation, Funeral and Burial Starting at $795
(407)695-CARE (2273)
www.DeGusipeFuneralhome.com Family owned & operated 1400 Matthew Paris Blvd. Ocoee, FL 34761 Maitland Sanford West Orange
Use of our newly renovated “Celebration of Life” reception room included with selected funeral packages
www.winteroakfuneralhome.com
1132 E. Plant Street, Winter Garden Florida 34787 • LIC #F080822
18A WOTimes.com
WEST ORANGE TIMES
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
Sports
YOUTH | HIGH SCHOOL | GOLF | COMMUNITY
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Stevanna Ames hits, pitches Foundation Academy to victory. 2B SPONSORED BY MAIN STREET MOWERS
WOTIMES.COM
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
boys soccer by Steven Ryzewski | Sports Editor
W.O. advances to state semis The Warriors’ win over Flagler Palm Coast in the regional championship sets up semifinal match against Freedom. FHSAA Class 5A State Semifinals, which take place at 3 p.m. Feb. 13 at Eastern Florida State College in Melbourne. The Warriors will take on a local opponent in the Freedom Patriots from south Orange County. The return to the state tournament is quite an accomplishment for a team that graduated 13 players
The West Orange boys soccer team is returning to the state semifinals for the second time in three years.
WINTER GARDEN — So much for a rebuilding year. The West Orange Warriors boys soccer team is going back to state. The host Warriors defeated Flagler Palm Coast on Feb. 6, 3-1, in the FHSAA Class 5A Region 1 Final. With the victory, West Orange (13-1-4) advanced to the
BASKETBALL by Steven Ryzewski | Sports Editor
WRESTLING by Emilee Jackson | Contributing writer
Steven Ryzewski
from its 2013-14 roster. “It means a lot,” said senior Fernando Torres, who scored the Warriors’ first goal Friday night. “We grew tremendously from the start of the season. We really didn’t have that much chemistry (at first), but toward the end of the season, we grew
SOCCER / PAGE 2B
IF YOU GO FHSAA BOYS SOCCER SEMIFINALS: WEST ORANGE VS. FREEDOM WHEN: 3 p.m., Friday, Feb. 13 WHERE: Eastern Florida State College, 3865 N. Wickham Road, Melbourne COST: $9 admission, $5 parking WEBSITE: fhsaa.org
Four area hoops teams advance to state playoffs CFCA, DP, WO and Windermere Prep all will play in respective regional quarterfinal games Feb. 12. The action on the hardwood is about to amp up a notch. Four coverage-area boys basketball teams are set to begin play in the state playoffs for their respective FHSAA classifications. Central Florida Christian Academy (Class 2A District 4), Dr. Phillips (Class 8A District 4), West Orange (Class 8A District 3) and Windermere Prep (Class 3A District 6) all finished as runner-up in their respective district tournaments and, in doing so, secured berths in their respective re-
gional tournaments. Regional quarterfinal matchups for all four programs are set for 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, with all four also going on the road. The following is a team-byteam look at how these teams got there — and what lies ahead.
CFCA (22-6)
Amid a breakout season under first-year head coach Jonathan McClintock, the
BASKETBALL / PAGE 2B
game-changer? by Steven Ryzewski | Sports Editor
Controversy arises over W.O.-Ocoee semifinal A video of the Feb. 4 game shows West Orange head coach Eric Jones possibly touching the ball in the final seconds of regulation. The Class 8A District 3 semifinal between West Orange and Ocoee on Feb. 4 — a game the Warriors won in overtime, 81-75 — has become the subject of some controversy. The controversy stems from the belief that West Orange head coach Eric Jones might have knocked the ball
out of Ocoee junior Damerit Brown’s hands during a pivotal sequence late in the game. With about eight seconds remaining and the Knights ahead by two points, Ocoee inbounded to Brown, who made a move up the side-
CONTROVERSY / PAGE 2B
Steven Ryzewski
A play near the end of regulation of the district semifinal between West Orange and Ocoee has stirred up some controversy.
Emilee Jackson
West Orange senior Ishmael Hollis, who will play football in college this fall, has had great success in his first season as a varsity wrestler for the Warriors.
MENTALLY TOUGH West Orange two-sport standout Ishmael Hollis took up wrestling for the first time this year — his senior year — and has benefited greatly from the mental aspects of the sport. WINTER GARDEN — Ishmael Hollis is hard to miss. Weighing in as a heavyweight for high-school competition, the West Orange wrestler and football player has a towering stature. Still, looking calmly through glasses is a soft-spoken highschool senior — one who will play football in college and picked up wrestling for his senior year just to give it a shot. And, considering that Hollis — in just the past month — has placed first among competitive fields at the King of the Ring tournament in Deltona and at the Michael P. Hutchins Invitational at Bishop Moore, it seems to be a shot that the Warrior senior was wise to take. “Coach (Kristen) Iannuzzi inspired me to come out and join wrestling,” Hollis said. “I’ve been wanting to come
out — I really wanted to do it this year because it’s my last year. I’ve been wanting to try every sport I can.” Wrestling seemed to be a good sport for Hollis. Becoming a grappler gave him the opportunity to grow mentally, given the sport’s psychological element, as well as physically. “I’ve grown a lot because wrestling,” Hollis said. “It calmed me down, because it’s a different aspect than football. Wresting makes you control your anger, in a way.” Although the rugged training regimen for wresting has been a difficult adjustment for Hollis, he said it doesn’t compare to the struggle he went through as a child. Financially, life has been tough on him and his family. “It’s never been an easy road for me, but I’ve had opportu-
nities, and I just take them, and I just try,” Hollis said. “Because life wasn’t good for me, I guess, and sports was like an alternative; it kept me going.” Iannuzzi said Hollis’ story of perseverance, in some ways, has been more of an inspiration to the team than his actual success on the mats. “He’s had a rough life, and he’s turning around, and he’s taking the right steps to graduate and go into college and not using it as an excuse to fail,” Iannuzzi said. What’s more, Hollis has seen his support system blossom through the West Orange High School community. “Being here at West Orange, it’s like a family life for everything — they support every decision you make,” Hollis said. “Every good decision you make they support it 100%, and that’s what I like
Matthew’s Hope Firm Foundation Preschool now Pre-Enrolling
OPEN HOUSE
February 13, 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM February 14, 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM February 16, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
An affordable Montessori Education with a Christian Worldview 1460 Daniels Road Winter Garden 407.905.9500
www.MatthewsHopeMinistries.org
“I’ve grown a lot because wrestling; it calmed me down, because it’s a different aspect than football.Wresting makes you control your anger, in a way.” — Ishmael Hollis about West Orange and my wrestling team.” Being new to the sport gave Hollis a steep learning curve, but he proved to be a quick and able learner. “You can tell that he picks up on a sport quickly,” Iannuzzi said. “He watches not only his own matches on Hudl or video, but (also) he watches other people’s matches. … He analyzes, he listens to what people say, and he’s able to really process that quickly.”
HOLLIS / PAGE 2B
2B WOTimes.com ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
WEST ORANGE TIMES
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
SPONSORED BY MAIN STREET MOWERS
STEVANNA AMES Foundation Academy senior softball player Stevanna Ames had a pretty good week last week. The senior went 3-for-3 in a season-opening win over Lake Highland Prep, pitched five innings in a win over The First Academy, signed a National Letter of Intent to play softball with Seminole State and celebrated her 18th birthday. Helping the Lions get off to a fast start in 2015 has made Stevanna our choice for Athlete of the Week. You played a big role in the team’s win to open the season — how’d that feel to start the 2015 campaign on such a positive note? It felt really good. It was a great way to kick off the season. I wouldn’t have done it without the help of my teammates, because we were struggling there for a little bit. We’re new playing together, so it was really cool to see how we all worked together to come back. You’ve been on the varsity team here at Foundation since sixth grade. What’s it like to now be a senior? It doesn’t feel real yet. It hasn’t hit me that it’s my senior season. But it feels cool, because I know that I’m the leader on the team, and girls look up to me. Is it nice to have the recruiting process out of the way in time for your senior season? Yeah — it’s a great confidence-booster, definitely, going into the games knowing that I don’t have to worry about getting committed. It’s just more fun, and when you have more fun, you tend to play better. What did you like about Seminole State? It was a really good choice for me. It’s where I can play softball for two years, because I want to go into nursing. So, that way, after two years I can just focus on my degree. It’s also really close to home, which I like because I’m a family person. The coach (Courtney Miler), she’s awesome. … It just seemed like a great fit for me. What does the team need to do to be successful this year? This year, it’s mostly our defense that we should work on, because we have great hitters. We have a lot of experience, so that really helps. This is kind of our first year that we’ve been a great team, so I’m hoping that can take us past regionals and on to states. Did you play any other sports before you settled on softball? I played volleyball up until freshman year. I was not as serious as the rest of the girls on the team, so it was just kind of something that I did for fun, so I just decided to focus on softball, because that has been my dream since I was 4 years old — to play in college for softball.
What have you liked about attending Foundation Academy all these years? It’s awesome, because the teachers and the coaches, they really care about your success. So grades are a really big thing, and grades are basically what gets you a scholarship to college. That played a really big factor in getting a scholarship (for me). Why did you decide you wanted to study nursing? I actually had a cousin who passed away from cancer, and that kind of just led me to go into pediatric oncology. I want to be a nurse for kids with cancer. Do you have a hobby or something that you like to do outside of softball and schoolwork? I like to travel. We go to Hawaii a lot, and I serve in Hawaii, so that’s fun. So where is somewhere that you haven’t traveled to that you would like to visit? Probably Europe. My sister just went on a trip to Europe, and it seemed really nice to go there, so I would like to go to Europe. — Steven Ryzewski
Isaiah Curry has been a force for Windermere Prep on the boards and scoring the basketball.
Decary Croaker had 21 points in West Orange’s district semifinal win over Ocoee.
Jonathan Laurent hopes to lead Dr. Phillips past Evans and onward to a playoff run in his senior season.
Freshman guard Dante Treacy has been an invaluable part of CFCA’s surprising success this season.
BASKETBALL / PAGE 1B CFCA Eagles secured a berth in the Class 2A State Playoffs with district tournament wins over Calvary Christian and Trinity Christian last week in the 2A-4 quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. The Eagles fell to Agape Christian, 47-41, in the district championship, but if they can get past Meadowbrook on the road in Ocala, they could get another shot at the Saints in the regional semifinals on Feb. 17. Agape plays Cornerstone (Gainesville) in its own quarterfinal. Meadowbrook is 19-8 and enters the playoff opener on a six-game winning streak.
Dr. Phillips (19-8)
The Dr. Phillips Panthers, who started the calendar new year on a 13-game winning streak after ending 2014 at a 6-7 mark, lost for the first time in 2015 Feb. 6 to the Boone Braves in the Class 8A District 4 Final, 44-43. Fortunately for coach Anthony Long’s Panthers, who secured a berth in the state playoffs with a win earlier in the week, it was the one game left on the schedule they could afford to lose. Unfortunately, by finishing as runner-up, Dr. Phillips is now charged with the unenviable task of going on the road to take on the No. 1 team in the state in Class 8A
GAME-CHANGER / 1B line near the Warriors’ bench. Brown turned the ball over after dribbling out of bounds at about the six-second mark, setting up a play with three seconds remaining during which West Orange’s Quinton Forrest scored as time expired to send the contest into overtime. A video from the game shows Jones, who was waving instructions to his defenders, possibly touch the ball as Brown made his move up the sideline. On Monday, Jones said any contact with the ball was unintentional and that it is his impression that Brown was called for stepping out of bounds before the contact occurred. The coach expressed concern that his integrity as a coach might be questioned. “I just care about my integrity,” Jones said. “I was directing my team to come
SOCCER / PAGE 1B up together, and we’re really close to each other now.” Torres’ goal was matched by a goal from FPC’s Nathan Monsanto early in the second half, and the score remained tied until about the 67th minute. That’s when a flurry of shots on goal by West Orange led to freshman Affonso Temporal finding the back of the net for what would become the deciding goal. “We talked about crashing
— the Evans Trojans (22-6). The Panthers defeated the Trojans at Evans on Jan. 13, 6151, in one of their signature victories. Still, replicating that feat — and keeping the program’s streak of 20-win seasons alive — will be a tall task. The winner of Thursday’s game will face the winner of West Orange at Boone on Feb. 17.
West Orange (16-10)
Don’t count out the West Orange Warriors. The Warriors, who have had trouble with inconsistency at times this season, overcame a double-digit deficit — and, later, a two-possession deficit in the game’s waning moments — to force overtime against Ocoee in the Class 8A District 3 Semifinals. West Orange defeated the Knights in overtime, 81-75, to secure its berth in the state playoffs. Afterward, coach Eric Jones praised his team for fighting through adversity when other teams might have packed it in. “I’m excited for the kids — they gave their all,” Jones said. “Perseverance … these guys have just been doing a fantastic job the last few weeks in terms of preparation, and I feel like that was the difference.” The Warriors, who fell in the 8A-3 Final to Evans, 77-66, will take to the road to face the Boone Braves. West Orange fell big to the Braves before the and trap, and the ref blew the whistle as he was going up the sideline. Honestly, I had no idea that he was even that close to me.” The Warriors will take on Boone Feb. 12 in the Class 8A Region 1 Quarterfinals of the state tournament. Ocoee coach Rob Gordon said it wasn’t until Friday that he learned about the video. “My freshman coach said he saw the incident on the video, but I wasn’t able to really get a good look at it until Friday evening,” Gordon said. “That was after I received several texts from my players wanting to know what was going to be done about the whole situation, because by that time, (the video) had been on Hudl. When I put it up on full screen on Hudl, I was able to see what they were so upset about.” Gordon, who said Athletic Director Steve McHale and Principal William Floyd have
after shots, which we have been doing a poor job of — (but) we did a heck of a job that time because we kept on crashing,” Warriors coach Scott Fisher said. “Affonso is a heck of a freshman. He sees the field really well for a kid his age.” Senior Anthony Schultes scored West Orange’s third goal in the game’s waning moments to seal the win. West Orange goalkeeper Alec Holland had six saves, and the Warriors’ defense continues to be a pleasant
holidays, 63-41, but has shown vast improvement since then. Senior forward Quinton Forrest, who led the Warriors in scoring all season and scored the bucket that sent last week’s semifinal into overtime, said his message to his teammates has been about proving those who would doubt them wrong. “My favorite quote is, ‘Be phenomenal or be forgotten’ — so I just tell the guys, ‘If we lose, they’ll forget about us, but if we win, West Orange is going to be on people’s mouths forever,’” Forrest said. The winner of this game faces the winner of the Dr. Phillips- Evans semifinal.
Windermere Prep (17-9)
To this point, at least, The First Academy Royals just seem to have the Lakers’ number. Windermere Prep fell for a third time to the Royals (25-4) in the 3A-6 Championship on Saturday, 66-56. This happened despite the Lakers hitting nine of their first 11 attempts from the field and leading by as many as 15 points early in the second quarter. “We got away from doing what we were doing,” Windermere Prep coach Ben Wilson said. “The defensive pressure and intensity was great, the shot selection was great — and I think we got away from all that.” With the loss, the Lakers will be tasked with traveling to The
given them assurances that they would do whatever is possible to follow up, said he was disappointed the incident might have cost his team a trip to the playoffs. “Losing possession of that ball basically changed the outcome of that game,” Gordon said. “On that particular play, Damerit immediately turned around and started pointing toward the coach (Jones), and (because) the official didn’t see it, and, from our viewpoint, we didn’t see what had occurred, immediately he makes that reaction and nobody understood what he was saying or doing. “I’ve been asked the question, ‘Well, why didn’t the kid (Brown) tell you?’” he added. “There wasn’t time for him to tell me. For him to have to live with that outcome ... I’m just extremely disappointed for that young man.” The video can be seen at wotimes.com.
surprise during this playoff run. “The funny thing is, when we came into the season, we were a little iffy about our defense — and our defense played phenomenally,” Fisher said. “We gave up a goal off of a throw-in in this game, but otherwise, we shut down a team that’s been scoring quite a few goals. “Holland came back (for this season), and we knew we were going to be good (at keeper),” he said. “I think it just took a while (for the defense) to mesh.
FULL-COURT PRESS
Here is the schedule for Thursday’s regional quarterfinal action (all games to tip at 7 p.m.): CLASS 8A Dr. Phillips at Evans West Orange at Boone CLASS 3A Windermere Prep at The Master’s Academy CLASS 2A CFCA at Meadowbrook (Ocala) Winners advance to their respective regional semifinal contests on at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17. Sites to be determined. Master’s Academy (22-4) on Thursday to take on the upstart Eagles — a program energized since first-year coach Reggie Kohn came over after a memorable run at Orlando Christian Prep. If Windermere Prep can be successful against The Master’s Academy, though, it could get a fourth shot at TFA, which hosts Mount Dora Bible in its quarterfinal game. “(The Royals have) had our number three times, but the good news is that the two times we’ve played them really well have been in this gym (at TFA),” Wilson said. Contact Steven Ryzewski at sryzewski@wotimes.com.
HOLLIS / PAGE 1B Hollis said his favorite thing about wrestling is watching and analyzing his teammates. “It works out pretty well for me,” he said. “I’m more of a sightseer; I look at what my teammates are doing and I try to do the same thing as them — or try to do it better.” When he graduates, Hollis will be pursuing his football career with Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas, for a year until moving on to Missouri. As he continues to push through the learning process of being a varsity wrestler, Hollis finds value in the mental toughness he continues to accumulate. “I know my body gets tired, but it’s all just in your mind,” Hollis said. “That’s how I see it; that’s how everybody sees it in here. It’s all in our mind. So (we) let our bodies do the work.”
We just finally found a group that could play together.” The hope now is that that level of defensive play will continue to the Feb. 13 match with the Patriots (19-3-2). The two teams played one another roughly a month ago, battling to a 2-2 draw on Jan. 15. The winner of Friday’s semifinal will advance to the FHSAA Class 5A State Championship Match at 3:05 p.m. Saturday against the winner of the semifinal between Cypress Bay and Haines City.
WEST ORANGE TIMES
WOTimes.com
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
SIDELINE SCENE
Fans get game they want with renewal of the DP-WO rivalry The announcement that Ole Orange Crate rivalry will resume is a sign of the times as heavyweights in prep football may have to play each other more often. A few months before I authentic rivalry games bewas born, in the fall of 1987, tween powerhouse programs? West Orange and Dr. Phillips Easily 5,000-plus spectators played each other in football will pack either Bill Spoone for the first time. Stadium or Raymond Screws Last weekend, we broke the Field this fall because, let’s story that — after a face it, real rivalries four-year hiatus from can’t be manufactured. 2011 through 2014 — Specifically, real rivalthe Ole Orange Crate ries with some history Game will return this are hard to come by — fall. and by Central Florida Two of the top teams standards, with its in the state in Class 8A influx of new schools, will meet on Friday, a rivalry dating nearly Sept. 11, although the three decades is pretty STEVEN site of the first game of RYZEWSKI old. the home-and-home Of course, there are series has yet to be other things to take determined. One team will away from this development win and one team will lose, beyond the fact that we’re but I can already tell you who going to be treated to an the real winner will be — the awesome football game. For fans. one, it’s becoming harder for There are plenty of reasons Central Florida’s truly elite why the area’s top schools programs — teams such as don’t necessarily want to defending state champion play one another during the Apopka, DP, WO, Lake Mary regular season if they are not and Oak Ridge — to schedule district opponents. One of the games. As the heavyweights oldest sports sayings goes, of the greater Orlando area “It’s hard to beat a good team continue to hang lopsided twice.” scores on opponents, more Just ask West Orange, which of the programs that are scored a program-definrebuilding or simply cannot ing win over Apopka in the compete are inclined to say, regular season this past fall “No, thanks,” if a game is not but then suffered a deflating mandated by district alignblowout loss to the Blue Dart- ments. ers in the Class 8A Region 1 Frankly, that’s understandSemifinals. able. But, at the same time, who So these schools that, as can say no to the electric mentioned earlier, would atmosphere that comes with prefer not to schedule one
another, may increasingly have to do so. Score that as a win for the fans. Also, they may come to embrace doing so. For starters, there are the huge amounts of money to be made at the gate for games that are sellouts or near-sellouts for the home team. Second, perhaps more importantly, there is the value of playing a tougher schedule come playoff time — a fact Apopka already knows. The Blue Darters lost four games in the regular season in 2014 but stood atop the Class 8A mountain when it was all said and done. Dr. Phillips, which has made 10-0 regular seasons seem like an expectation, appears to be taking a starkly different approach this fall. The Panthers have scheduled a gauntlet of games that includes Lake Mary, West Orange, Apopka and Mainland (Daytona Beach). A release on the school’s PantherZone website on Saturday said the tough slate was exactly how the coaching staff wanted it for the Panthers. Well, that much we have in common. With West Orange playing DP and Apopka this fall, and DP playing darn near everyone, prep football fans may find themselves counting down the days until kickoff even earlier than usual this time around.
GIRLS BASKETBALL by Steven Ryzewski | Sports Editor
Olympia scores playoff win A shot by Taylor Hair with four seconds remaining lifted the Titans over Cypress Creek in the opening-round matchup. ORLANDO — Sophomore forward Taylor Hair hit a shot with four seconds left in regulation to propel the Olympia girls basketball team past Cypress Creek in the Class 8A Region 1 Quarterfinals, 42-40, Feb. 5. The big-time shot capped a frenzied second half that saw the Titans (21-6) lose and regain the lead multiple times. Olympia struggled with turnovers, something that allowed Cypress Creek (10-14) to keep it close, but the Titans also shot the ball well down the stretch — highlighted by two 3-pointers keying a pivotal 8-2 run in the fourth quarter. “A win is a win is a win,” head coach Robert Carmody said. “It was ugly — we turned it over probably 20-plus times
tonight. … The three ball won it for us, and turnovers almost lost it for us.” Umesha Beckwith had 10 points for the Titans, also, and Cypress Creek was led by 16 points from Tacaya Bryant. Olympia took to the road to face Boone in the Class 8A Region 1 Semifinals on Tuesday after press time. The result for that contest can be found online at wotimes.com. The two teams have met earlier in the season, with the Titans defeating the Braves back on Jan. 15, 49-44. It is the first time the Titans have advanced this far since 2011, and a win would put Olympia in a regional final for the first time in program history. Contact Steven Ryzewski at sryzewski@wotimes.com.
Steven Ryzewski
This block by Olympia’s Taylor Hair pumped up the home crowd.
ONLINE EXTRA FOR A RECAP OF TUESDAY’S FHSAA CLASS 8A REGION 1 SEMIFINAL BETWEEN OLYMPIA AND BOONE, WHICH TOOK PLACE AFTER PRESS TIME, VISIT WOTIMES.COM.
coaching update by Steven Ryzewski | Sports Editor
Ocoee continues search, names Aaron Jones interim head coach The search for a new head coach for the football program at Ocoee High School is still ongoing, but the Knights do have a head man for the interim to steer the program through spring practice, if needed. Aaron Jones, the head coach for the boys track team who also served as the defensive line coach for the Knights during the 2014 football season, has been named interim head coach by Ocoee Athletic Director Steve McHale. Jones is aware of the temporary status of his position, McHale said, as the program continues its search for a replacement for Dale Salapa, who departed after three seasons at the helm. McHale said Monday that Jones is a talented, up-and-coming coach and expressed confidence in his abilities to lead the Knights through this transition.
“He’s going to be good — he’s going to be very good,” McHale said of Jones’ coaching potential. The opening at Ocoee has been the cause of speculation over the past few weeks as reports have surfaced in local media about potential hires. Longtime area coach Chip Gierke, who left Evans in 2013, and former Seminole coach Mike Cullison have both been linked to the Knights’ opening. On Monday, McHale acknowledged Cullison had been interviewed by the school but said the candidate’s application was not cleared by Orange County Public Schools and that, unless that changes, he is out of the running. Gierke cannot take a job until June 1, because he entered Florida’s Deferred Retirement Option Program.
There is mutual interest between Ocoee and Gierke, but the veteran coach is also rumored to be considering opportunities in Georgia — where the pay for coaches is substantially higher. “I have nothing but the utmost respect for Chip Gierke,” McHale said, acknowledging the Knights’ interest in hiring the veteran coach once he is cleared to take a job on June 1. “He could really help Ocoee in a lot of ways.” In the meantime, the Knights are continuing to explore opportunities and have candidates they will be interviewing throughout this week and perhaps into next week. Ocoee went 2-8 in 2014 and was 7-23, combined, in Salapa’s three years at the helm. Contact Steven Ryzewski at sryzewski@wotimes.com.
3B
Davenport Fights Back Presents the 2nd Annual NEW for 2015
Child’s Division $25 per child
Fishing Tournament
Saturday, February 21, 2015 Kissimmee Chain of Lakes Camp Mack River Resort Lake Wales, FL
Register at
davenportfightsback.com $100 per 2 man boat Sponsorship available
Guaranteed Pays: $1500 - 1st Place $750 - 2nd Place $500 - 3rd Place
Goodie Bags
T-Shirts Raffles 50/50
Big fish pays $1000 (1st) $500 (2nd) $250 (3rd)
All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society. For more information, contact Donna Fellows at 863-287-5639 or visit www.DavenportFightsBack.com
4B WOTimes.com
WEST ORANGE TIMES
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
REAL ESTATE by Michael Eng | Executive Editor
Lake Butler home sells for $1.675M A home on the shores of Lake Butler topped all residential real-estate sales for the week of Jan. 30 to Feb. 5. The home at 1040 W. Second Ave., Windermere, sold Jan. 30, for $1.675 million. Built in 1964, it has five bedrooms, four baths, a boat house and two slips and 3,528 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $439.34.
DR. PHILLIPS ESTATES AT PHILLIPS LANDINGS
The home at 9102 Southern Breeze Drive, Orlando, sold Jan. 30, for $776,000 (short sale). Built in 2001, it has four bedrooms, five-and-onehalf baths, a pool and 4,276 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $181.48.
SAND LAKE COVE
The home at 7801 Glen Crest Way, Orlando, sold Jan. 30, for $356,500. Built in 1998, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,231 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $159.79.
WINDERLAKES
The home at 4010 Winderlakes Drive, Orlando, sold Feb. 4, for $257,000 (REO/ bank owned). Built in 1981, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,168 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $118.54.
METROWEST AZUR AT METROWEST
The condo at 6308 Raleigh St., No. 313, Orlando, sold Jan. 30, for $104,500. Built in 1997, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,248 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $83.73.
FOUNTAINS AT METROWEST
The condo at 6021 Westgate Drive, No. 824, Orlando, sold Jan. 30, for $92,500. Built in 1999, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,344 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $68.82.
HAMPTONS AT METROWEST
The condo at 3396 Parkchester Square Blvd., No. 102, Orlando, sold Jan. 30, for $80,500 (REO/bank owned). Built in 2000, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,235 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $65.18. The villa at 3226 Greenwich Village Blvd., No. 201, Orlando, sold Jan. 31, for $73,000. Built in 2000, it has one bedroom, one bath and 930 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $78.49.
HAWKSNEST
The home at 7263 Hawksnest Blvd., Orlando, sold Feb. 5, for $283,000 (REO/bank owned). Built in 1994, it has three bedrooms, two baths,
SNAPSHOT Total Sales: 65 High Sale Price: $1.675 million Low Sale Price: $34,900 REO/Bank Owned: 17 Short Sales: Six a pool and 2,001 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $141.43.
MADISON AT METROWEST
The condo at 2598 Robert Trent Jones Drive, No. 1014, Orlando, sold Feb. 2, for $74,000. Built in 1995, it has one bedroom, one bath and 854 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $86.65.
METROWEST
has five bedrooms, four baths and 3,070 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $94.46.
MCCORMICK WOODS
The home at 783 Ayden Oak Lane, Ocoee, sold Jan. 30, for $339,000. Built in 2012, it has four bedrooms, four baths and 2,971 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $114.10.
NEWBURY PARK
The town house at 8489 Leeland Archer Blvd., Orlando, sold Feb. 2, for $200,000. Built in 2009, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 1,584 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $126.26.
OCOEE HILLS
The home at 7843 Saint Andrews Circle, Orlando, sold Feb. 2, for $289,000. Built in 1994, it has four bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 2,856 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $101.19. The home at 1901 Chathamoor Drive, Orlando, sold Jan. 30, for $250,000. Built in 1994, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,965 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $127.23.
The home at 504 Apricot Drive, Ocoee, sold Jan. 30, for $94,000. Built in 1974, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,100 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $85.45. The home at 1307 Flewelling Ave., Ocoee, sold Jan. 30, for $69,500 (REO/bank owned). Built in 1971, it has three bedrooms, oneand-one-half baths and 960 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $72.40.
VENTURA AT STONEBRIDGE COMMONS
OCOEE WOODS
The condo at 6434 Cava Alta Drive, No. 106, Orlando, sold Jan. 30, for $117,000 (REO/bank owned). Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,247 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $93.83.
MONTVERDE
The home at 17517 C.R. 455, Montverde, sold Jan. 30, for $90,000. Built in 1933, it has two bedrooms, one-andone-half baths and 1,368 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $65.79.
OCOEE BORDEAUX
The condo at 1990 Erving Circle, No. 305, Ocoee, sold Feb. 4, for $85,900. Built in 2001, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,292 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $66.49.
FOREST OAKS
The home at 634 Sherwood Oaks Circle, Ocoee, sold Jan. 30, for $149,900 (short sale). Built in 1986, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,371 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $109.34. The home at 506 Hager Drive, Ocoee, sold Jan. 30, for $104,199 (REO/bank owned). Built in 1987, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,371 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $76.
FORESTBROOKE
The home at 281 Otter Tail Court, Ocoee, sold Jan. 30, for $290,000. Built in 2011, it
The home at 708 Nicole Blvd., Ocoee, sold Feb. 5, for $96,900. Built in 1982, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,200 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $80.75. The home at 900 Nicole Blvd., Ocoee, sold Feb. 5, for $55,000 (short sale). Built in 1982, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 1,008 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $54.56.
PEACH LAKE MANOR
The home at 710 Crystal Drive, Ocoee, sold Feb. 5, for $34,900 (REO/bank owned). Built in 1959, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 1,051 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $33.21.
SAWMILL
The home at 6901 Cross Cut Court, Ocoee, sold Feb. 4, for $138,000. Built in 1989, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,246 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $110.75.
SOUTH SPRINGDALE
The home at 1220 Sand Pine Ave., Ocoee, sold Jan. 30, for $84,672 (REO/bank owned). Built in 1979, it has three bedrooms, one bath and 1,300 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $65.13.
VILLAS AT WOODSMERE
The town house at 2300 Aloha Bay Court, Ocoee, sold Feb. 5, for $154,495. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 1,540 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $100.32.
Courtesy photo
The home at 1040 W. Second Ave., Windermere, features five bedrooms, four baths, a boat house and two slips. It offers views of the sunset and nightly Disney fireworks. The property sold for $1.675 million.
WEST ORANGE ALMOND TREE ESTATES
The home at 1039 Almond Tree Circle, Orlando, sold Jan. 30, for $230,000 (REO/ bank owned). Built in 1989, it has four bedrooms, twoand-one-half baths, a pool and 2,494 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $92.22.
FAIRWAY COVE
The home at 6608 Andrea Rose Drive, Orlando, sold Feb. 5, for $320,000. Built in 1990, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,686 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $119.14.
FRISCO BAY
The home at 1132 Summer Lakes Drive, Orlando, sold Jan. 30, for $144,900 (REO/ bank owned). Built in 1988, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,311 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $110.53.
HARBOR POINT
The home at 7221 Catamaran Drive, Orlando, sold Feb. 5, for $136,000 (REO/bank owned). Built in 1981, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,515 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $89.77.
PALM COVE ESTATES
The home at 914 Palm Cove Drive, Orlando, sold Feb. 5, for $255,000 (REO/bank owned). Built in 1993, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 2,232 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $114.25.
VALENCIA HILLS
The home at 7863 Murcott Circle, Orlando, sold Feb. 5, for $145,000 (REO/bank owned). Built in 1985, it has three bedrooms, two baths, a pool and 1,168 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $124.14.
WINDSTONE AT OCOEE
The home at 2450 El Marra Drive, Ocoee, sold Feb. 2,
for $220,000. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, twoand-one-half baths and 2,810 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $78.29.
WINDERMERE ESTATES AT WINDERMERE SOUND
The home at 13290 Penshurst Lane, Windermere, sold Feb. 5, for $346,100. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,966 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $116.69.
KEENE’S POINTE
The home at 11638 Claymont Circle, Windermere, sold Jan. 30, for $675,000. Built in 2003, it has five bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 3,655 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $184.68.
LAKE BURDEN SOUTH
The home at 7407 Lake Albert Drive, Windermere, sold Jan. 30, for $980,110. Built in 2015, it has six bedrooms, sixand-one-half baths and 4,645 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $211.
RESERVE AT LAKE BUTLER SOUND
The home at 11055 Ullswater Lane, Windermere, sold Feb. 3, for $1.475 million. Built in 2007, it has five bedrooms, six-and-one-half baths and 5,999 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $245.87.
SOUTHBRIDGE VILLAGE
The town house at 6363 Southbridge St., Windermere, sold Feb. 4, for $219,000. Built in 2007, it has three bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 1,632 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $134.19.
SUMMERPORT
The home at 4243 Saltmarsh Sparrow Drive, Windermere, sold Feb. 5, for $341,810. Built in 2014, it has four bedrooms, three-andone-half baths and 3,628 square feet of living area.
Call ANYTIME to receive our State Farm Good Neighbor service
No HOA. Beautiful home with a great location on a 1/2 acre. New roof, A/C, freshly painted inside and out and plumbing. Just a couple blocks from the West Orange Trail, Oakland Charter School and the community playground. Open floor plan. Come see today! Katie Claflin 407.375.6341 • L A Grimes Agency Realtors
Hablamos Español
The greatest compliment you can give is a referral!
407-963-4186
Kimberly@TheRealEstateCollection.com
www.SuedmeyerTeam.com
100 West Plant Street, Winter Garden FL 34787 (O) 407-656-7814 Located in the heart of Historic Winter Garden
The home at 2106 Willow Brick Road, Windermere, sold Feb. 2, for $375,000. Built in 1990, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,403 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $156.05.
WINDERMERE DOWNS
The home at 9675 Woodmont Place, Windermere, sold Jan. 30, for $305,000. Built in 1976, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,904 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $105.03.
WINTER GARDEN BAY ISLE
The home at 14321 Hampshire Bay Circle, Winter Garden, sold Jan. 30, for $480,000. Built in 2002, it has four bedrooms, three baths, two half-baths, a pool and 3,779 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $127.02. The home at 14519 Tabago Bay Drive, Winter Garden, sold Feb. 2, for $365,000. Built in 2004, it has five bedrooms, four baths, a pool and 2,917 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $125.13.
BELLE MEADE
The home at 15152 Serenade Drive, Winter Garden, sold Feb. 2, for $389,500. Built
MARK HIDE 407-832-7332 markhide@remax.net
www.orlandorealestateliving.com
Blair M. Johnson M. Johnson Blair M. Johnson Blair Blair Blair M. M. Johnson M. Johnson Johnson AttorneyAt AtLaw Law ••• 407-656-5521 407-656-5521 Attorney Attorney At Law 407-656-5521
“I Care About Our Community, its History and its Future.” Kimberly Suedmeyer
WILLOWS AT LAKE RHEA
Call, text or email your address 9/25/14
407-656-1040
The town house at 13767 Beringer St., Windermere, sold Jan. 30, for $243,000. Built in 2014, it has two bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 1,913 square feet. The price per square foot is $127.03.
FREE Home Price Evaluation Report
Agent - ChFC, CLU, CLF
Craig@CraigMartinInsurance.com www.CraigMartinInsurance.com 13330 W. Colonial Dr., Suite 110 • Winter Garden, FL 34787
422 E Henschen Ave • Oakland, 34760 $230,000
VINEYARDS AT HORIZON WEST
Selling your home?
Health Insurance OPEN ENROLLMENT Nov. 15 thru Feb. 15
Craig Martin
The price per square foot is $94.21. The home at 13739 Bluebird Pond Road, Windermere, sold Jan. 30, for $329,900. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 2,445 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $134.93.
Attorney Attorney Attorney At Law At St. Law •At407-656-5521 Law • 407-656-5521 • 407-656-5521 425 South Dillard Winter Garden,FlFl 34787 South Dillard St. Garden, South Dillard St.••••Winter Winter Garden, Fl34787 425425 South 425 South 425 Dillard South Dillard St.Dillard • Winter St. St. Winter Garden, • Winter Garden, FlGarden, 34787 Fl 34787 Fl34787 34787
• • • • •
• Wills/Advance Directives
• Landlord/Tenant
Wills/Advance Directives Landlord/Tenant •• Wills/Advance Directives Landlord/Tenant Wills/Advance • Wills/Advance • Wills/Advance Directives Directives Directives • Landlord/Tenant •• •Landlord/Tenant • Landlord/Tenant • Estates • Real estate: Contracts Estates Real estate: Contracts Estates • Estates • Estates • Real•• •estate: Real • Real estate: Contracts estate: Contracts Contracts •• Estates Real estate: Contracts Closings, Short Sales Closings, Short Sales •Corporation/LLC Closings, Closings, Short Closings, Short Sales Short Sales Sales Closings, Short Sales Corporation/LLC • Corporation/LLC Corporation/LLC • Corporation/LLC •• Corporation/LLC Deed in Lieu Deed Deed in Lieu Deed in Lieu in Lieu Deed in Lieu •Commerical transactions Commerical • Commerical Commerical • Commerical transactions transactions transactions Deed in Lieu transactions •• Commerical transactions •And And other matters • And•• other • other And matters other matters matters Divorce • Divorce Divorce • Divorce And other matters • •Divorce
• Divorce
• And other matters
Proudly Proudly serving Proudly serving West serving West Orange West Orange County Orange County for County over for over for years. over 30 years. 30 years. Proudly serving West Orange County for30 over 30 years. Proudly serving West Orange County for over 30 years.
Proudly serving West Orange County for over 30 years. www.blairjohnsonlaw.com www.blairjohnsonlaw.com www.blairjohnsonlaw.com www.blairjohnsonlaw.com
www.blairjohnsonlaw.com www.blairjohnsonlaw.com
WEST ORANGE TIMES
WOTimes.com
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
BUSINESS BRIEFS + Lennar hosts Summerlake opening
in 2011, it has seven bedrooms, four baths and 5,096 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $76.43.
BLACK LAKE PARK
The home at 599 Cape Coral Drive, Winter Garden, sold Jan. 30, for $216,049 (REO/ bank owned). Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,365 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $91.35.
JOHNS LAKE POINTE
The home at 618 Egret Place Drive, Winter Garden, sold Jan. 30, for $325,000. Built in 2014, it has four bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths, a pool and 2,423 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $134.13. The home at 15007 Egret Hammock Drive, Winter Garden, sold Jan. 30, for $290,900. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 2,000 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $145.45.
LAKEVIEW RESERVE
The home at 132 Zachary Wade St., Winter Garden, sold
407-656-7947 MultiMillion Dollar Producer www.patsharr.com patsharr@aol.com
Broker/Owner Broker/Owner
CUPIDS PICK!!!
800,000 homes in more than 50 cities nationwide. For more, visit LennarOrlando.com.
+ Blackton earns $2.3M contract from KB Home Blackton Inc., a major provider of roofing and flooring materials for the homebuilding industry, recently earned a contract from KB Home that eventually will be worth an estimated $2.325 million. Feb. 1, for $200,000 (REO/ bank owned). Built in 2002, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,708 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $117.10.
OAKLAND PARK
The home at 973 Prosperity Drive, Winter Garden, sold Feb. 4, for $417,503. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,971 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $211.82.
RESERVE AT CARRIAGE POINTE
The home at 15372 Sandfield Loop, Winter Garden, sold Jan. 30, for $349,620. Built in 2014, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,555 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $136.84.
SHADOW LAWN
The home at 241 Pennsylvania Ave., Winter Garden, sold Jan. 30, for $72,000 (short sale). Built in 1953, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 648 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $111.11.
Micky Blackton, chief executive officer of Blackton Inc., said the family-owned firm will provide roofing and flooring materials to KB Home for the construction of 75 new homes in the first phase at Orchard Park, located in Winter Garden. “Our contract covers the first phase of 75 new homes at Orchard Park,” Blackton said. Blackton said altogether, KB Home plans to build 155 new homes at Orchard Park.
STONEYBROOK WEST
The home at 2371 Baronsmede Court, Winter Garden, sold Feb. 3, for $345,000. Built in 2002, it has four bedrooms, three baths, a pool and 3,967 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $86.97.
SUMMERLAKE
The home at 14741 Bahama Swallow Blvd., Winter Garden, sold Jan. 30, for $394,472. Built in 2014, it has four bedrooms, two-andone-half baths and 2,773 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $142.25. The home at 14750 Bahama Swallow Blvd., Winter Garden, sold Jan. 30, for $354,990. Built in 2014, it has five bedrooms, four-andone-half baths and 2,901 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $122.37. The home at 8017 Atlantic Puffin St., Winter Garden, sold Jan. 30, for $310,000. Built in 2014, it has four bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 2,667 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $116.24.
LAKEFRONT Private ski lakefront For under $500,000. Pool, kitchen upgrades. Call Scott Taylor at (407) 925.2526
REALTORS WANTED PREMIER OCOEE LOCATION NO FRANCHISE FEES - NO DESK FEES Join our talented Real Estate Team today Serving Central Florida for 25 years.
LUCY MARTINELLI
REALTY CENTER Broker/Owner 10175 West Colonial Drive Ocoee FL 34761 Across from Health Central
(407) 721.0264
Lucy@RealtyCenterOrlando.com www.RealtyCenterOrlando.com BUYING OR SELLING? CALL TODAY! FREE FORECLOSURE LIST
SELLING YOUR HOME?
CALL ME TODAY!
407-948-1326
VALENTINE SPECIAL!!!
This 3 bdrm.1Ba. Cute as a button, and ready to movein. Completely remodeled. New doors and windows, new drywall with foam insulation, new wood cabinets, all appliances stay, refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave! Laminate flooring throughout, all electric and plumbing has been replaced, new front and back porch ... Completely painted inside and out. Ideal for a first time home buyer or someone wanting to down size. Fantastic location...Walk to downtown, walk/ride the West Orange Trail... ***No HOA *** corner lot*** if you have been looking for a home in Winter Garden with a great location this is it! Don’t delay, see it today!!! Asking only $175,000
PE SA ND LE IN G!
was crucial.” The new location serves both Orange and Lake counties and offers customers the convenience of a mobile storeroom. “I’ve been fascinated with the home improvement and design industries for as long as I can remember, and I’d previously done several redesign projects in my own home,” Keoppel said. “I love being able to look at a job at the end of the day and see the results of your labor.” Floor Coverings International has more than 100 locations throughout the United States and Canada and expects to add 50 additional units by the end of 2015. For more information, visit floorcoveringsinternational. com.
BUYING A HOME?
CUPID SAYS-THIS HOME WILL STEAL YOUR HEART!
SAY HELLO, to this fantastic buy in TUSCANY!!! This 4 Bdrm. 2 Ba. beauty is waiting for a new home owner, this is a TRADITIONAL SALE, NOT a short sale or bank owned. No rear neighbors!!! Step inside to the impressive Travertine tile, throughout except for bedrooms and living room. This home features a formal living room and dining room, family room with wood burning fireplace, kitchen with breakfast nook, breakfast bar, pantry and all kitchen appliances stay! Inside laundry room, split bedroom plan, large master bedroom adjoined by master bath, garden tub, separate shower, his/her closets, dual sinks. Gorgeous screened lanai, sparkling pool, heated spa, open wood deck off of lanai, fenced yard. Asking only $299,900.
LOCATED ON PLANT ST.
DOWNTOWN WINTER GARDEN!
Prime downtown location, this is a great business oportunity for you!!! Currently zoned R-NC (residential neighborhood commercial). The value of this property is in the land and not the home. The home is a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, living and dining room according to Orange County records it was built in 1941. Asking only $499,000.
JUST LISTED!!! UNDER CONTRACT SAME DAY!
This is a rare find!!! 3 Bdrm. 2 Ba, split plan, living/ great room, kitchen, breakfast nook, inside laundry room, screened lanai, privacy fenced yard and 2 car garage. The home is like new!!! Just painted inside, new roof, new porcelain tile installed, new light fixtures in foyer, dining and breakfast nook. Kitchen has all new stainless steel appliances, range, refrigerator, dishwasher and microwave. New washer & dryer. Asking only $179,000.
PE SA ND LE IN G!
Floor Coverings International recently opened its Winter Garden location at 1170 Elboc Way. Franchise owner Kent Keoppel brings 25 years of experience in corporate America to the business. “I wanted to get reinvigorated after spending so many years in a depressed economy where big businesses were laying people off in order to satisfy the shareholders,” Keoppel said of his decision to leave his former career. “I had no shortage of choices for franchising, but Floor Coverings International stood out among them all for the franchise’s tremendous reputation of support for its franchisees. I was confident that I wouldn’t be going it alone as I started my business, which
LD
FLOOR COVERINGS OPENS IN WINTER GARDEN
HONEY STOP THE CAR!!! That is what you will say when you see this 3 Bdrm. 2 Ba. IMMACULATE CONDITION!!! This home features a tiled foyer with tray ceiling. Open floor plan consisting of your living/great room with sliding glass doors leading to the privacy fenced back yard, to your left is dining area, kitchen and breakfast bar. Kitchen comes complete with pantry and all appliances, all window coverings stay too! Just off the foyer is the hallway with two great bedrooms and full bath. This home also features, granite countertops in kitchen, breakfast bar and baths. Inside laundry, dual sinks in master bath and 2-car garage, paver driveway. Walk to the W.O. trail, minutes from downtown Winter Garden. Original Owners...Nothing to do but move in and bring your furniture!!! Asking Only $237,500
SO
Lennar Homes welcomed prospective homebuyers to its new Summerlake model with a grand-opening event Feb. 7. Guests enjoyed food, a giant slide for kids, a deejay and more. The new model, The Peabody, is located at 8001 Pond Apple Drive, Winter Garden, “Lennar Homes is excited to offer traditional home designs with large lanais that contribute to the resort lifestyle that Summerlake is known for,” said Ericka Pace, Lennar VP of sales. “We know homebuyers will enjoy choosing from a wide variety of plans on beautiful home sites with our exclusive Everything’s Included promise, which includes all the luxury features that help make their new house a dream home.” Lennar Homes has nearly 300 Summerlake home sites available with three different options for homebuyers: • Manor homes on 40-foot home sites with six floor plans from which to choose. Homes range in size from 1,900 to 2,600 square feet and start at $276,990. • Estate homes on 50-foot home sites with seven floor plans from which to choose. Estate homes range in size from 1,700 to 3,000 square feet and start at $287,490. • Executive homes on 65-foot home sites with five floor plans from which to choose. Executive homes range in size from 2,200 to 3,900 square feet and start at $325,990. Summerlake features on-site amenities, including a resortstyle swimming pool, a clubhouse and recreation center, athletic fields and courts. Lennar Corporation, founded in 1954, is headquartered in Miami. It has built more than
Pat Sharr Realty
5B
ARE YOU READY TO BUILD???
VACANT LAND (2.28) ACRES!!! If you have been looking to build, take a look at this!!! No HOA!!! City water, city sewer. The property is ZONED R-NC/ RESIDENTIAL (RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD/ COMMERCIAL SINGLE/2 FAMILY/ with special exception could be school, church, etc. You can call city of Winter Garden for more information on usage. SELLER IS MOTIVATED AND WANTS TO LOOK AT ALL OFFER’S. Asking $175,000.
6B
WEST ORANGE TIMES
WOTimes.com
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
DIGITAL IMAGE by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
Wallfrog leaps into West Orange marketing The business specializes in website design and branding. WINTER GARDEN — Since founding Wallfrog in 2006 in Connecticut, Lou Ferraro and Mike Stanczyk have tried to help other businesses with branding and web design on a personal level. “Really, the website is the hub of everyone’s marketing efforts, so we want to make sure that has the right look and has the right setup to attract visitors into paying customers,” said Ferraro, CEO. In October, Ferraro and Stanczyk, the president, expanded to a second in-person location in Winter Garden. “Basically, the explosion of growth in the area (attracted us), and of course it doesn’t hurt with the nice weather,” Ferraro said. The idea behind Wallfrog is to tailor a website and brand to each particular business or client, considering aspects such as driving web traffic, social media, graphics and photos. “For us, it’s really taking the time to get to know our clients and get to know their goals and challenges, really getting them to think about, in detail, who their client is,” Ferraro said. “When you know who your client is, it’s a lot easier to know how to attract that kind of client. Far too often, most web design companies throw up a glorified brochure: just the basics of who we are, what we do, and how to get ahold of us. But we dig deeper. We want a site to be well branded, easy to navigate, updated graphics, but bottom-line, it needs to be useful and valuable to a client.” Image is one key to business success, and the intricacies of photography are an area in which Wallfrog specializes, so that businesses with great products and services can properly display them, Ferraro said. Among photography
offerings of the company are headshots, products, buildings, vehicles and aerial photography. “With the explosion of drones coming on the scene, it’s opened up a lot of things that wouldn’t be feasible or affordable in the past, with the video and images we can now capture with a drone,” Ferraro said. “We’re sensitive to issues like privacy, so we’re trying to find the right mix.” An example of this aerial photography would be real-estate developers, who can walk land but might like to see it from a bird’s-eye view, Ferraro said. “It comes down to follow through, what you do with images after the fact, turning those into compelling marketing pieces after that,” he said. “Shooting footage is the easy part. Since we can incorporate video, sound, graphics, we can turn that into something to use for a business.” But each product should be unique, because each business is unique, Ferraro said. “One business could be the same line of work but with goals and challenges that are completely different,” he said. “Our challenge is to differentiate between the two, especially online. You can’t have the greatest online marketing in the world and not tell anyone about it. You can’t have tunnel vision being concerned about getting found online but not have the capital or ability to convert that to paying customers. There’s a lot of people in my line of work who can build a technical website that functions, but the marketing falls far short of the goal.” Within website functioning, Wallfrog wants to show the potential business a site can generate, ensuring ideal display, working on mobile devices
Courtesy photos
A Wallfrog drone captured this picture of Lake Apopka.
One of Wallfrog’s specialties is aerial photography, demonstrated in this shot of downtown Winter Garden. and including proper content, Ferraro said. “Our business has done well these nine years in just really sitting down and educating our clients, first and foremost,” he said. “One of our big goals is to provide an honest, valuable service. Far too many people in
my line are selling something without substance. People find themselves in bad situations where they don’t even control their domain name and can’t access it to update it.” Even with great marketing and branding, the most important aspects of business are
connections, referrals and how a business is run, Ferraro said. “That’s sometimes lost on owners,” he said. “People now are conditioned to verify, so even if they get a referral from a trusted source, they can get a little more confidence from a good website to get more information. Even with current clients, it can make business that much smoother and easier. That’s what really sets us apart.” The customer is always right and always comes first. “Honestly, we just want to help them make the best choice for the business, even if that means directing them to a competitor,” Ferraro said. “It’s got to be right. These are people’s businesses and livelihoods.” Contact Zak Kerr at zkerr@ wotimes.com.
THE BASICS WALLFROG PHONE: (407) 454-9806 EMAIL: info@wallfrog.com WEBSITE: wallfrog.com
WEST ORANGE TIMES
WOTimes.com
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
RAIN
WEST ORANGE
(INCHES)
WEATHER
TUES. Feb. 3
0.00
WED.
TEMPERATURES
Feb. 4
0.00
Thurs., Feb. 12 Fri., Feb. 13 Sat., Feb. 14 Sun., Feb. 15 Mon., Feb. 16 Tues., Feb. 17 Wed., Feb. 18
THURS. Feb. 5
1.38
FRI.
Feb. 6
0.00
SAT.
HIGH 70 57 63 50 58 72 71
Feb. 7
SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
SUN.
Thurs., Feb. 12 Fri., Feb. 13 Sat., Feb. 14 Sun., Feb. 15 Mon., Feb. 16 Tues., Feb. 17 Wed., Feb. 18
0.00
Feb. 8
0.00
MON.
Feb. 9
0.89
FEB.
TO DATE 2.32
FRI.
SUNRISE 7:08 a.m. 7:07 a.m. 7:06 a.m. 7:05 a.m. 7:04 a.m. 7:03 a.m. 7:03 a.m.
SAT.
SUNSET 6:14 p.m. 6:14 p.m. 6:15 p.m. 6:16 p.m. 6:17 p.m. 6:17 p.m. 6:18 p.m.
SUN.
LOW 38 37 41 33 45 52 46
MOON PHASES
Feb. 3
Feb. 11
(2014: 1.05) Feb. 18
YEAR
TO DATE
6.6 (2014: 3.97)
7B
HIGH
HIGH
HIGH
LOW
LOW
LOW
57 37
63 41
50
The West Orange Times & Observer is hosting the weekly contest, and winners will have their photograph featured and receive a $20 prize. To enter, email your photo, along with your name and city and a caption, to aqrhode@wotimes.com; put “I Love West Orange” in the subject line. Winners can pick up their prize at the Times office.
33
CRYPTOQUIZ Each of the following cryptograms is a clue to the identity of a renowned dancer. Using the hints J=I and L=R, decipher the clues to name the dancer.
1. P L E B Y 2. W L Y B J H J V F 3. Q V W D E Q 4. H N J F P Q J R Y 5. P J F P Y L L V P Y L H This dancer nicknamed their partner “Feathers”:
SUDOKU
Feb. 25
I WO
Dana Wells, of Ocoee, shared this impressive image of a sunset after the storms, taken from the Wesmere community.
Solve the puzzle by placing the numbers 1 through 9 in each row, column and box.
CROSSWORD SUNDAY POTPOURRI by Carl Cranby Across 1 On ___ with (equal to) 5 Like a tack 10 Coarse file 14 Indian state 19 Not false 20 Shire of “Rocky” 21 51, famously 22 Asian wild dog 23 Sondheim’s Sweeney 24 “Are you calling me ___?” 25 Dawn, poetically 26 Bob and Elizabeth 27 It’s free 31 The puck stops here? 32 Present-day Persia 33 Blanc, for one 34 Frolic, as a child 35 “Do as ___, not ...” 36 Data transmission speed measure 37 Suit-tag letters 40 Shopping binge 43 “There’s more than one way to skin ___” 44 Former German chancellor 45 What one earns 46 Grand ___ (vintage) 47 Like some churches 52 Participate in a 10K 53 Takes in a book 54 Sunrise direction 55 Cancels 56 “Corn” or “cycle” prefix 57 “Gotcha!” 58 Grandma 59 Whopper 60 Certain applied science 69 “8,” sometimes (Abbr.) 70 At the center of 71 Word on a dipstick 72 Classic introduction? 73 Cultured gem 76 Camera part 77 Abstain from 80 Coffee dispenser 81 It issues securities 85 “If ___ told you once ...” 86 Casual Friday casualties 87 As many as 88 Mosque VIP 89 Playful aquatic animal 91 Billboard displays 92 African plains grazers 93 Bakery appliance 94 Peepers or spheres 96 Court order 97 Accessible to everyone 98 Conspiratorial groups 101 Movie-watching machine of old 108 Farewell 109 Grizzly, for one 110 Zola or Griffith 111 Just a smidge 112 Uses a needle and thread 113 Toy building-block brand 114 Lack of laxness
©2015 Universal Uclick
115 Assist in the weight room 116 Old hat 117 Adam’s garden 118 Data and such 119 Brownish shades down 1 Bering Sea island 2 Fork tine 3 Part of a sound system 4 Bureaucracy problem 5 Arrowhead and Yankee 6 WWII admiral nicknamed Bull 7 Came down to earth 8 Org. combating music piracy 9 They take sides 10 Chef Gordon 11 Mac’s attachment? 12 Bygone peasant 13 Tropics headgear 14 Either 2 in “2 + 2” 15 Definitely not tall 16 Unaccompanied performances 17 Baldwin of TV and film 18 Clifflike, flat-topped elevation 28 Talk show name 29 Bard’s inspiration 30 Lose feathers, in London
35 Topped a cake 36 Small oriental tree 37 Hindu noble 38 Archaic exclamation 39 Some hair products 40 Rugby formation 41 Wrinkled fruit 42 Mystical 43 Holly Hunter in “The Piano” 44 Wild ass of Asia 45 He goes a-courting 48 Arboreal ape 49 Soda brand 50 Intend 51 Like a Cub’s walls? 57 Does some trucking 58 Flanders on TV 59 Deceived 61 Hounds’ prey 62 Editor’s inserts 63 Type of acid 64 Grocery shopper’s helper 65 People of northeastern India 66 Alaska native 67 Signal carrier in the body 68 One lacking hope 73 Bread for a gyro
74 “National Velvet” author Bagnold 75 St. crossers 76 Subject to blame 77 Agitators 78 Yemen neighbor 79 Speed, to a DJ 82 Greek knee-length garment 83 Catlike creature 84 Roughneck, in London 90 Like old autocratic Russia 92 Pennsylvania state bird 93 Group of genes 94 Leopard look-alike 95 500 cars 96 Lawn intrusions 97 River in Missouri 99 Parkinson’s drug 100 ___ Hall University 101 Seductress in silent films 102 “What’s the big ___?” 103 Cacophonies 104 Thing to plant 105 Put out 106 Gulf of ___ (arm of the Baltic) 107 Charlie Brown exclamation
8B WOTimes.com
WEST ORANGE TIMES
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
Here's My Card BUSINESS DIRECTORY TFN
5/7/15
ONE COMPANY, ONE CALL Everything from maid services, handyman repairs to household chores. • handyman • maid • painting • household repairs • home organization
Phone: 407-877-3841 Email: highlinecarsalesinc@gmail.com
$
75
00 COMPLETE
TFN
OIL SERVICE
Have clipper, will travel
With service message reset. Full synthetic (up to 7 quarts) and oil filter.
4/30/15
Mobile In-Home
Offer expires 2/28/15. Environmental, disposal fees and tax not included. Not valid with any other offer. This ad must be presented to receive this offer.
Call for a FREE quote! TruBlue of Orlando 6220 S. Orange Blossom Trail, Suite 195 Orlando, FL 32809 All employees bonded & insured
Dog Grooming
TO SCHEDULE AN APPT. TODAY CALL US AT
by Cara
407-877-3841
25 yrs. experience
We are your European/Foreign car auto Repair/Sales alternative dealer.
407-203-6000
407.450.2007 4/30/15
JP TREES AND LANDSCAPING, LLC
Cell 407-716-3010
John Freeman
Windsor Realty Group, Inc. 160 S. Main Street Winter Garden, FL 34787 407-877-FIND (3463) TFN
Owner/Operator
cell: 321-229-1958
Licensed and Insured
Bill Straugh Broker Associate
Tree Trimming, Tree Removal, Landscape Installs FREE Estimates
5/15/15
www.TruBlueOrlando.Com
email: jptrees09@gmail.com
CRAWFORD TIRE SERVICE, INC.
5/7/15
TFN
110 Taylor St. • Ocoee • (407) 656-4575
MORE THAN JUST
TIRE VALUES
-FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED –
• Bridgetone • Michelin • Toyo • BFG Tires
407.296.9622 407.877.6268
www.gsairsystems.com email: gsairsystems@cfl.rr.com Licensed & Insured - State License #CAC1814407
• Quality • Service • Sales • Installation • Commercial • Residential M/WBE Enterprise since 1980
407.656.8920
• •
Bobby Swindle, Jr. Owner
Call for a FREE estimate on Equipment Replacement. We offer financing with approved credit
SOD
• ALIGNMENT • BRAKES • SHOCKS • OIL & LUBE SERVICE • NEW & USED TIRES • REPAIR & BALANCING • ROAD SERVICE • WE INSTALL LIFTS!
Licensed & Bonded Licensed #RC29027533
TFN
MV03215
Mobil 1 Oil
FREE ESTIMATES
Amsoil Synthetic 5/14/15
FIRE TECH
EXTINGUISHER
SERVICE
Winter Garden Grassing Inc. Ph: 407-877-0709
Commercial Seeding and Sodding
Ocoee, FL
Danny Motes
• Residential Pick Up and Delivery
• Pine Straw • Seed • Bahia • St. Augustine • Bermuda • Zoysia • St. Augustine, Zoysia and Bahia by the piece
Cell 407-466-4738 Tel 407-654-2395 Fax 407-654-2986
532 N. Bluford Ave, Ocoee, FL 34761 www.WinterGardenGrassing.com
4/30/15
Branch Manager
TFN
Residential • Commercial • Tile • Metal
1081 9th Street Winter Garden, FL 34787
10% OFF your rental
(407) 654-9516 Office (407) 491-0355 Mobile (407) 654-0145 Fax pcm050@sunbeltrentals.com
sunbeltrentals.com
407.614.5962
Email: keithksj@cfl.rr.com Ocoee, FL 34761
TRAYWICK'S GARAGE
TFN
www.Firetechextinguisher.com
Travis Hamric
Mention this ad for
TFN
TFN
1045 S. Vineland Rd. •Winter Garden • New and Used Tires • Alignment • Complete Auto Repair • A/C Serv. & More
407-656-1817
Keith Keller President CCC1325778
& Service, Inc.
"Your Complete Service Center" 10 West Story Rd. Winter Garden, FL 34787 TFN
REG# MV-01095
Phone (407) 656-6646
Richard Hudson • Reggie Hudson
WEST ORANGE TIMES
WOTimes.com
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
Classifieds 010 ANNOUNCEMENTS PUBLIC AUCTION. Live & Online. Tues, Feb 17th at 10am. 2252 Hayes Street, Hollywood, FL 33020. Sale will consist of: 6,600+ brand handbags, pick-up trucks, armored van, forklifts, medical equipment, office furniture, computers, laptops, office equipment, flat screen TVs, warehouse equipment, pallet racking, new IT equipment, lg. qty of body/compression undergarments, stretch jeans and much more! 15%-18%BP. Assignment & Receivership cases. www.moeckerauctions.com / (800) 840-BIDS. AB-1098 AU-3219, Eric Rubin 2/12fcan
040 BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES FREE DOWNLOADABLE E-Book. How to s t a r t yo u r ow n o n l i n e b u s i n e s s. www.SunsetVistaGroupBooks.com 3/19tj
180 EMPLOYMENT WANTED
200 ITEMS FOR SALE Woodlawn Single Plot. Freedom Section. $3,000. 407-905-0909 2/12bh Woodlawn Memorial Park - $10,900. Two crypts and two crypt plates. Mausoleum Unit: 74 Elevation D. Crypts: 1 and 2. $10,900 for both crypts and crypt plates. 407-654-0724. 3/3kj
AIRCRAFT DISPATCH Grads work with JetBlue, Southwest, PSA and others- start here with 10 week training for FAA certification. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 866-314-5838 2/12fcan Flight attendant careers start here. Learn how to land job in the friendly skies and prepare for training by the airlines. Five information packed days in Orlando. Call AIM 1-888-242-3630. 2/12fcan Struggling with DRUGS or ALCOHOL? Addicted to PILLS? Talk to someone who cares. Call The Addiction Hope & Help Line for a free assessment. 1-855-588-1161. 2/12fcan
CHECK OUT OUR CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE @ WOTIMES.COM
Subscribe today for $21.50
Call 407-656-2121 or email classifieds@wotimes.com
Preemie clothes, Chicco infant carseat $19.95, Stroller/carseat $24.95, Walker $14.95. Babylady 407-731-4248 2/12bl
Looking for cleaning jobs, organizing, running errands, dog walking, pet sitting, etc. References. 352-874-0857 or 407-654-3450 2/19kn
Garage Sale - Saturday Feb 14, 8AM until ? 1051 Sadie Ln, Winter Garden. Island Pointe Subdivision. 2/12gh
300 PETS
620 APARTMENT & DUPLEXES
A cute female kitty approximately one year old is available for adoption. She's an orange tabby with beautiful green eyes and is spayed and current on vaccinations. Please call/text 407-223-0034. bk2/26
570 LAWN & TREE
WINTER GARDEN - 1BR $695, 2BR $745, 3BR $935 on Lake Apopka. Water/Sewer included. 407-656-7162. 9/25tfn
To place an ad in Classifieds Call 407-656-2121 or email classifieds@wotimes.com Ad deadline is Tuesdays @ 10 am.
$1000 One owner. A/C, runs great.
Infant/Toddler carseats, playpens, walkers, highchairs, wagons, 25 cent children's clothes, strollers, swings, cribs. Babylady 407-731-4248 2/12bl
407-656-6771 315 Winter Street Winter Garden, FL
Crib/Mattress $39.95, Toddler bed/mattress $19.95, Spongebob toddler carseat $39.95. Babylady 407-731-4248 2/12bl
DISH TV Starting at $19.99/month (for 12mos). SAVE! Regular price $34.99. Call today and ask about FREE SAME DAY installation. CALL NOW! 855-588-1161. 2/12fcan
NOW PURCHASING
WELDING CAREERS. Hands on training for career opportunities in aviation, automotive, manufacturing, and more. Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Call AIM 1-877-206-7679. 2/12fcan
BATTERIES
SCRAP
Winter Garden
LLOYD LAWN SERVICE. Lawn Cutting, Weed Eating and Edging, Hedge Trimming, Grass Clipping Removal/Blowing, New Mulch Replacement, Flower Bed Weeding, Minor Tree Trimming, One Time Cutting Serv. Avail., SOD Replacement. PRESSURE WASHING. llongleyjr@centurylink.net. 321-278-6981. 2/12ll
1968 RAMBLER AMERICAN FOR SALE
240 GARAGE SALE
13178 W. Colonial Dr
9B
407-656-3495
S.E. Dollen, LLC.
Winter Garden longest established electrical contractor serving Central FL since 1983. All Service Techs are LICENSED Journeymen and Master Electricians. For professional results and competitive rates
call 407-656-5818 EC 13001719
The City of Winter Garden is currently seeking applicants for various positions Job descriptions and applications are available online.
www.wintergarden-fl.gov Phone: Fax:
407-656-4111
407-877-2795
The City of Winter Garden is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
TOP CASH PAID FOR OLD GUITARS! 1920's through 1980's Gibson, Martin, Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Mosrite, Rickenbacker, Prairie State, D'Angelico, Stromberg, and Gibson Mandolins/Banjos. 1-800-401-0440. 2/12fcan
130 MEDICAL Attention Viagra Users! Viagra 100mg, Cialis 20mg. 40 pills + 4 FREE for only $99. No prescription needed! Discreet shipping. Call now 1-800-224-0305. 2/12fcan
160 GENERAL EMPLOYMENT
This week’s Cryptoquiz answers 1) Grace 2) Precision 3) Top Hat 4) Swing Time 5) Ginger Rogers. Fred Astaire
Police Dept - Town of Windermere is accepting applications for a p/t crossing guard for Windermere Elementary. For more information go to town.windermere.fl.us. DFW and EOE.2/12ac
This week’s Sudoku answers
CHURCH DIRECTORY
Lead cook / P.M. supervisor for prestigious academy in Montverde. Strong knowledge and background in cooking. Large volume up to 400 people. Strong sanitation skills, team player, and a hospitality attitude. Schedule is Sat-Thurs 12:00pm-7:30pm, Sunday 8:30am-6:30pm. Must pass background check and drug test. Major medical plan, eye and dental plans, paid holiday vacation, sick time, retirement. Competitive salary. Apply in person Montverde Academy, CR 455, Montverde, Fl. 2/12gh
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
DRIVER TRAINEES NEEDED NOW! Become a driver for Werner Enterprises. Earn $800 per week! Local CDL Training. 1-877214-3624 2/12fcan
“FOUNDATION WORSHIP”
BAPTIST 125 E Plant St., Winter Garden 407-656-2352 Sundays 8:30 am Traditional 9:45 am Bible Study 11:00 am Contemporary Awana - Wednesdays - 6pm Pastor Tim Grosshans www.fbcwg.org 2nd Campus:
Sundays 9:45 am - All Ages at Foundation Academy High School 15304 Tilden Road - Winter Garden www.FoundationWorship.com 407.730.1867
Hiring General Laborers. Apply today at Lott's Concrete Products, located at 429 N. Hennis Rd, Winter Garden. 2/12fcan170
STARKE LAKE BAPTIST CHURCH
This week’s Crossword answers Now taking applications for
611 West. Ave., Ocoee Pastor Jeff Pritchard (407) 656-2351 Email: starkelakebaptist@gmail.com
To advertise in the Church Directory please call 407-656-2121 or email sfelt@wotimes.com CHURCH OF GOD OCOEE CHURCH OF GOD
Pastor Thomas Odom 1105 N. Lakewood Avenue, Ocoee 407-656-8011
EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF THE MESSIAH 241 N. Main, Winter Garden Services: 8, 9:30, & 11am, 7pm www.churchofthemessiah.com
CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION
4950 S. Apopka-Vineland Rd. Orlando Sun.Serv 8:30am, 10:30am, 6:30pm. 407876-3480 www.ascension-orlando.org
CATHOLIC
BAY POINTE
RESURRECTION CATHOLIC CHURCH
APARMENTS
1211 Winter Garden-Vineland Rd. Winter Garden. 407-656-3113
1053 Horizon St. Winter Garden, Fl 34787 Ph (407) 656-1661 1-800-955-8771
CHRISTIAN WEST ORANGE CHURCH OF CHRIST
1 bdrm start at $461 2 bdrm start at $497 3 bdrm start at $526 4 bdrm start at $556
1450 Daniels Road Winter Garden 407-656-2770 www.cocwo.com
• We accept Section 8 Housing. • This institution is an Equal Opportunity provider & employer. Equal Housing Opportunity. • Rental assistance may be available for those who qualify. 2015
METHODIST FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
125 N. Lakeview Ave Winter Garden Service Times: 9:00 AM & 11:15 AM Blue Christmas Service: Dec. 21, 4pm Christmas Eve Services: 5, 7 & 11pm www.fumcwg.org 407-656-1135
PRESBYTERIAN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF THE LAKES, USA
Conroy-Windermere Rd. @ Lincoln Ave. Sunday School 9:00AM, Worship 10:30 407-291-2886 Worship on Wed. 7:00 - 7:30 PM “Come hear the Gospel” Rev. Ferdinand Brits www.pcol.org
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST WINDERMERE UNION CHURCH 10710 Park Ridge-Gotha Rd. Windermere, FL 34786 407-876-2112 Worship times: 9:00am Adult Sunday School 10:00am Worship www.windermereunion.org
10B
WOTimes.com
WEST ORANGE TIMES
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015
Come and experience an opportunity for self-care and to learn new skills to mindfully move through times of change. Presented by Chonteau Blake McElvin , a mindfulness trainer and facilitator.
www.chonteau.com
Are You In A Caregiving Role?
Friday, February 20, 2015 2pm-3:30pm
Serenades by Sonata West Orange 720 Roper Road Winter Garden FL 34787 Please RSVP to (407) 614-8680 to reserve your spot today!