Date: Saturday, July 4, 2015

Time: 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Cost:Free

The City of Winter Park will present their annual 20th Anniversary Olde Fashioned 4th of July Celebration!

Wear your red, white and blue, bring a blanket or beach chair, and gather with family and friends to enjoy this Winter Park tradition.

The annual celebration will feature live patriotic music performed by the Bach Festival Brass Band and the Bach Festival Choir, Orlando Cloggers, Rockin’ Roadster Road Show, Clydesdale horse-drawn wagon rides, and much more! Children’s activities will include the annual bicycle parade at 9 a.m. from City Hall to Central Park, and fun games and inflatables. Families and friends are also invited to stroll along Park Avenue and Hannibal Square to shop and dine at the wide selection of boutiques and eateries.

FREE hot dogs, watermelon and water will be available while supplies last. Chips, snacks and sodas will be available for purchase. The city will be providing a free bike valet service as an incentive for alternative modes of transportation in the beautiful downtown area. The bike valet is available from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. behind the main stage in Central Park near Garfield Avenue.

In addition, The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art will present their Independence Day Open House. The museum, which is home to the world’s most comprehensive collection of work by American artist Louis Comfort Tiffany, will provide FREE admission to its galleries from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Join The Alfond Inn as we celebrate Mom

FOR A MOTHER’S DAY BRUNCH

Our Chefs will be busy in the kitchen preparing something special just for her.
There will be elaborate Chef attended stations, accompanied by a complimentary Mimosa or Champagne,
as well as live piano music.

SUNDAY, MAY 10TH, 2015

11 A.M. – 3 P.M.

$69.00 (plus tax and gratuity) per guest
$24.00 for Children ages 5-12 (plus tax and gratuity)
Children under 5 complimentary
Valet Parking complimentary

For Mother’s Day reservation, please call 407-645-6605

15th Annual Crealdé Holiday Sale
Established and emerging Central Florida artists exhibit their arts and crafts along the shores of Lake Sterling in the sculpture garden, including chiefly pottery, as well as sculpture, paintings, jewelry, prints and photographs. The Photography Department will have a Studio Sale with equipment, accessories and photographs by the late Rick Lang. Also the Front Office will be open to register for classes. Food trucks. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at the Crealdé main campus, Winter Park.

Event Dates:
December 6 & 7

The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce is proud to host the annual Winter Park “Ye Olde Hometown” Christmas Parade.  The event has been held on the first Saturday in December for more than 60 years, making it the longest-running holiday parade in Central Florida.

Each year the parade travels down Park Avenue, starting at Cole Avenue and proceeding south to Comstock Avenue.  More than 100 units participate including marching bands, local police and fire departments, scouting groups, local dignitaries and, of course, Santa Claus.

When & Where
62nd annual Winter Park “Ye Olde Hometown” Christmas Parade
Saturday, December 6, 2014
9:00 a.m.

Park Avenue, downtown Winter Park, Florida

Before and during the parade, Leadership Winter Park will host their annual Pancake Breakfast at the Central Park stage from 7:00-10:30 a.m. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for children.  Proceeds benefit Winter Park area elementary schools. Learn more about the Pancake Breakfast here.

Please note, public restrooms are available at Winter Park Welcome Center and Shoppes on Park (near Paris Bistro), in addition to near Central Park Stage.

Letters to Santa
The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce, Winter Park Public Library and Winter Park/Maitland Observer will be sponsoring the Letters to Santa Contest again this year.This competition is open to children 13 years of age and younger with residence in the Winter Park, Maitland, College Park, Baldwin Park or Goldenrod area.

Contestants will be asked to write a letter to Santa explaining how they plan to spread holiday cheer this season beginning with “The gift I most want to give is…”

Contest entries are to be no longer than 300 words and are due by November 28, 2014. Entries should be submitted along with the author’s name, age, phone number and mailing address by email toeditor@observernewspapers.com, or physical mail, Letters to Santa c/o Winter Park-Maitland Observer, 1500 Park Center Drive, Orlando, FL 32835.

This year’s winning letter will be published in the Winter Park/Maitland Observer and the recognized winner will ride in the Christmas Parade (Dec. 6). Four tickets to the 16th Annual Winter Park Pancake Breakfast (Dec. 6) and four tickets to the Winter in the Park ice skating rink (valid through Jan. 11, 2015) will also be included. Winners will also receive a holiday book and movie package from the Winter Park Public Library.

Deadline for parade entries is Friday, October 10, 2014. Please note, due to the logistics of our parade, we do not accept applications from political organizations or candidates. We also ask that no political collateral, messaging or signage be present in the parade.

For additional information, sponsorship and other inquiries, contact Ashley Fraebel at 407-644-8281 orafraebel@winterpark.org.

The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce invites you to kick off the holidays at the 25th annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony in Central Park in downtown Winter Park on Friday December 5th.  Bring the entire family to this free event for an evening of holiday cheer as Park Avenue is transformed into a Winter Wonderland.

Kick off the evening with performances by local children’s choirs. The tree lighting will be broadcast live on WFTV – Channel 9 with anchor Bob Opsahl.  Afterwards families can enjoy refreshments and activities provided by local businesses, plus visits with Santa.

The Tree Lighting event is also a collection site for the local Toys for Tots campaign. In partnership with WFTV 9 Family Connection, attendees are invited to bring a new, unwrapped toy to the event and help spread holiday cheer to children throughout Central Florida this holiday season. Details on Toys for Tots can be found at 9Family.com. Other highlights for the evening include the City of Winter Park’s “Popcorn Flicks,” which will screen the holiday hit movie “Jingle All the Way” free of charge beginning at 7 p.m. near the Central Park stage.

Do you have a child who loves art? Why not send them to a summer camp built around the visual arts?

Camps are offered for students ages 4 to 17, who are placed in age-appropriate groups of up to 13 participants. Students explore their creativity in photography, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, painting and drawing. Crealdé School of Art’s Young Artist Program offers over 20 classes a session for children who have completed kindergarten through high school. Hands-on instruction in painting and drawing, ceramics and sculpture, photography, printmaking, and mixed-media is conducted in a non-competitive environment by professional artists using well-equipped art-making studios.

Most classes for younger children are offered on Saturday mornings; teens have more options, meeting after school as well as on the weekend.

SUMMER CLASSES NOW REGISTERING
Session June 16 – Aug. 9

For a complete list of class and schedules visit the Créalde website.

For easy registration, register online here.

Want a taste experience that’s a little bit different? On the Winter Park Walking Food Tour, you won’t be cooped up behind bus windows and a humming diesel motor in all of the touristy neighborhoods, your tastebuds will lead you on a savory journey around Winter Park. You’ll be up close and personal with local delectable tastes and experience a diverse cultural space you’ll want to brag about.

Join us this May 25 from 11:30am-2:30pm for the taste express! Tickets are $47.

For more information visit the Orlando Food Tours website, or call, 850-443-6635.

Come to the Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Garden on Friday, April 18 from 10am-4pm for an Easter treat. In observance of Good Friday the Polasek Museum will be open to the public.

Visitors are encouraged to come and view the many liturgical works created by Albin Polasek including “The Victorious Christ” and “The Stations of the Cross.” Visitors will also have the opportunity to find 20 hidden traditional Ukrainian Easter eggs, or pysanky, in the historic home.

This is a FREE event. For more information call 407-647-6294, or visit the museum website at, http://www.polasek.org.

This saturday join us as we gather on the streets of beautiful downtown Winter Park to enjoy the magical Christmas Parade. Hosted by your Winter Park Chamber of Commerce, you’ll take in the bands, the marching and all the spectacle that is in the parade.

The parade route follows Cole Avenue and proceeds south to Comstock Avenue. Thanks to all of our media partners, including: Orlando Family Magazine, Orlando Life, The Park Press, WFTV Channel9, Winter Park/Maitland Observer, 89.9 FM WUCF, and 98.9 FM WMMO.

Join us on December 7 from 7am-10:30 for a delicious pancake breakfast at the Central Park Stage. This holiday tradition allows us to support the Winter Park elementary schools and their teachers through out the year. So bring your wallets and your appetites for some delicious breakfast for a great cause.

If you come down early enough you’ll also have great seats for the start of the “Ye Olde Hometown” Christmas Parade. Order your tickets at the park or online here: http://www.winterpark.org/content/pancake-breakfast

Cost
Adults $6
Children $4
Price includes pancakes, sausage and refreshments.

Photo by tiverylucky