Don’t miss this chance to take home $100, $50, and $25 Dexter’s gift card by simply putting on your best Halloween Costume this coming Saturday at Dexter’s Winter Park FL.

Our very own Winter Park FL Fire-Rescue Department Chief, James White, and the rest of the boys in his department brings one home from the recently concluded 2009 Fire Rescue International (FRI) Conference and Exposition held at Dallas, TX with none other than the “Garry Briese IAFC Safety Performance Award” which was cosponsored by Salamander Technologies.

The award is one of 4 awards given by the Safety, Health and Survival Section Awards Program and it is presented only to the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) member to commemorate the individual’s achievement and commitment in the health and safety fields.

What could our beloved Winter Park FL Fire-Rescue department have done again this time to deserve such a prestigious award? Nothing much really. They just somehow manage to design, develop and then implement a safer patient compartment for the country’s ambulances used by firefighters. Dubbed the Ambulance Safety Initiative (ASI), the compartment features a vast improvement in the restraint systems in ambulances that the paramedics and patients use. Overall, thanks to the ASI, paramedics can now safely treat patients thanks to the innovative design of the device.

Just to put things into the right perspective on how difficult it could be to win this award, the IAFC is composed of more than 1.2 million able and witty fire chiefs and emergency responders in the country. And we all thought our guys at the Winter Park FL Fire department had more than enough to take care of, they still managed to squeeze in some valuable time to come up with something totally worthy of everyone’s praise. Oh well, must be just another day at the office for Chief White and his crew.

On October 31, 2009, The City of Winter Park FL will host its 6th annual Family Fall Festival, happening from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., in Central Park. This serves as the kick-off event for Orange County’s Week of the Family Celebration which also runs on the 31^st of October until the 7^th of November. Aimed at bringing together families and the community, the ceremony—to start at 11:30—will be lead by Mayor Kenneth W. Bradley.

With plenty of family activities such as interactive inflatables, a children’s costume parade, old-fashioned hay rides, pumpkin patches in the park, family history information and interactive displays by Winter Park FL Historical Museum, art workshops by Crealde School of Art and many more, this is one event everyone in the area should watch out for.

In addition, patrons are sure to enjoy the free popcorn, snow cones, cotton candy, hot dogs and assorted drinks offered at the event. But it’s not all fun and games, as they are also requested to donate much needed shoes for the Week of the Family “Heart & Sole” shoe drive in support of the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida.

Also participating are the Winter Park FL Police and Fire-Rescue departments who will give fire safety advice, biking safety tips and free candy and treat bags. To help families live healthy lifestyles, the Crosby Wellness Center YMCA, the Winter Park FL YMCA and Orange County Public Schools Food and Nutrition Services Department will sponsor heath and nutrition programs aimed at educating the public.

Even more, Scooby Doo will grace the event to mingle with the kids, courtesy of Bright House Networks™. And last but not least, families are set to have a blast with “Trick or Treat on Park Avenue” with everyone getting treats from different stores between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

These and other more activities happening at Orange County’s Week of the Family Celebration!

For details and information on the City of Winter Park’s 6th annual Family Fall Festival, kindly call 407-599-3506 or visit www.weekofthefamily.org.

One of the oldest golf clubs in the Central Florida can be found on Winter Park FL, the Winter Park Country Club (WPCC) will host the sixth installment of the first Golf Lecture Series presented by Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children on October 6, 2009, at 6 in the evening. The series which continues each month until December showcases some of golf’s most celebrated PGA® and LPGA TOUR® players as well as fitness gurus, mental coaches, golf historians and other experts in the sport. Tickets for the sixth installment are priced at only $10 at the WPCC.

The Winter Park Country Club, a place rich in history, traces its roots back to 1900. The club has successfully maintained its stature in the golfing world, hosting some of golf’s biggest events. The club’s history includes plays from the likes of Hogan, Snead, Sarazen and Hagen. Featuring 2,470 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 36, it has a rating of 32.4 and a slope rating of 50 on Bermuda grass.

Lee Janzen

On this month’s lecture, the Winter Park Country Club is proud to bring over Lee Janzen as the guest speaker for October’s session. Janzen is known for being an eight-time PGA Tour winner and two-time US Open winner. Drawn to golf at an early age, he won his first tournament at 15, playing for the Greater Tampa Junior Golf Association. In the next few years that followed, Janzen along with the Florida Southern team won the Division II national team championship. He turned pro in 1986.

For details and information on the lecture series, please call 407-599-3339 or e-mail winterparkgolf@cityofwinterpark.org.

Score your tickets now. Space is limited so grab this opportunity to hear from the masters of golf.