The Harvest Hustle 5K is one of the fastest growing races in Orlando and will be held on Thursday, October 25, 2012 in Baldwin Park. Wear a costume, bring your Halloween spirit and get ready to enjoy a night of fun! The Harvest Hustle Halloween Party includes live entertainment, food, drinks, trick-or-treating, face painting and more. Funds raised will support the Junior League of Greater Orlando’s core cause of Childhood Health, Hunger and Poverty benefiting community programs in those areas. Visit www.jlgo.org/5k to sign up!

125 DAYS TO CITY’S 125TH ANNIVERSARY

WINTER PARK, Fla., an internationally recognized ICMA Excellence Award winner with accredited fire, police and parks & recreation agencies (June 8, 2012) – The City of Winter Park invites the community to join in the celebration of the city’s 125th anniversary. Beginning Saturday, June 9, the 125-day countdown starts. The countdown continues to Friday, October 12, 2012 – the city’s celebration of its official incorporation as the “Town of Winter Park.” For the next 125 days, the city will be posting historical facts on Facebook ® and Twitter ® reminding the community about its rich and interesting history. Continue reading ‘THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS!’ »

WINTER PARK, Fla., an internationally recognized ICMA Excellence Award winner with accredited fire, police and parks & recreation agencies (April 18, 2012) – A presentation of the proposed elevations and floor plan of the new Winter Park train station will be presented by Associated Consulting International, Inc., (ACi) at the regularly scheduled City Commission meeting on Monday, April 23. The meeting begins at 3:30 p.m. at the Winter Park Community Center located at 721 West New England Avenue.

The proposed plans are currently available for viewing at the following locations:

•  Rachel D. Murrah Civic Center
  1050 West Morse Boulevard
•  Winter Park Amtrak Station
  150 West Morse Boulevard
• Winter Park City Hall West Wing Lobby
  401 Park Avenue South
• Winter Park Community Center
  721 West New England Avenue
• Winter Park Public Library
  460 East New England Avenue
• Winter Park Welcome Center
  151 West Lyman Avenue

The proposed plans are also available for viewing on the city’s official website at www.cityofwinterpark.org > Info at Your Fingertips > Amtrak & SunRail Information > Winter Park Amtrak Station Information.

Details regarding this agenda item can also be found on the city’s official website at www.cityofwinterpark.org under Government > City Commission > Agenda > Action Items Requiring Discussion – Item 10b.

WINTER PARK, Fla., an internationally recognized ICMA Excellence Award winner with accredited fire, police and parks & recreation agencies (April 3, 2012) – The City of Winter Park and Rollins College present “Earth Day in the Park” on Saturday, April 21, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Central Park. Winter Park Mayor Kenneth W. Bradley and Rollins College President Lewis Duncan will address attendees at 11 a.m. from the main stage.

Founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970, Earth Day is designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the earth’s environment. Winter Park’s celebration will showcase how the City of Winter Park and Rollins College are working to make Winter Park more sustainable. Attendees will learn how the city is working toward achieving the Florida Green Building Coalition’s Green Local Government Platinum certification; an effort spearheaded by the Environmental Review and Keep Winter Park Beautiful boards.

“Earth Day in the Park” will provide educational workshops focused on recycling, native landscaping, growing organic food, and awareness of endangered species. Music will be provided by the Rollins College Music Department led by Dr. John Sinclair. Additional music and a live broadcast will be provided WPRK, the radio station of Rollins College.

The city’s Forestry Division will have certified arborists in attendance to answer questions and they will perform a live tree-planting demonstration with a 25-foot tall Live Oak at 11:30 a.m. near the main stage. The division will also give away an array of 3-gallon containerized trees for city residents to plant at home (proof of city residency will be requested). A rope course will be available for anyone willing to try their hand at ascending/descending a tree.

Additional FREE sustainability events earlier that week include:

• Monday, April 16, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
  “The Synergy of Sustainability: Campus and Community”
  Rollins College SunTrust Auditorium

•  Wednesday, April 18, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
  Joel Salatin “Folks, This Ain’t Normal”
  Rollins College Bush Science Center Auditorium

• Thursday, April 19, 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
  “Making a Difference: An evening with Dr. Jane Goodall”
  Rollins College Alfond Sports Center

For more information regarding the Earth Day Celebration, please call 407-599-3364 or visit Earth Day in the Park at www.rollins.edu/earthday.

For information regarding additional events in the City of Winter Park, please visit the city’s official website at www.cityofwinterpark.org.

Join us as Delta Dawn, transported directly from the 70’s, invites you into her living room and back to a simpler time. Through interactive song, games and stories, she recreated the spirit of the seventies and gives kids a glimpse of Winter Park in the past. Appropriate for children and parent of all ages!

Brought to you by the Winter Park Historical Association.

Starting: Saturday, November 5th, 2011 at 10 am.
Then: Every Wednesday & the first Saturday of every month at 10am.
At: Winter Park History Museum, 200 W. New England Ave.

Call 407-647-2330 for more information or visit www.wphistory.org.

To celebrate the re-opening of the City of Winter Park’s crown jewel, Central Park, the city’s Public Art Advisory Board showcased its newest “Art on the Green” exhibition, which highlighted the works of Chris Scala and Barbara Sorensen. “Art on the Green 2010” featured an exhibition of sculptures: Barbara Sorensen’s Dwellings in Red, and Chris Scala’s Trailer.

Dwelling in Red is Barbara Sorensen’s continuing investigation of the vessel form. It was made with intricately woven powder-coated aluminum with a bright red color finish. The sculptures, which relate to each other, also captivate the viewer—a clear sign of Sorensen’s focus on human-landscape relationships.

Chris Scala’s piece on the other hand, concentrates on his interest in the study of privacy, transparency and light. Taking ordinary copper wire and stainless steel, he’s woven them into a fabric, resulting in sculptures that look either transparent or opaque, all depending on how the light strikes them. Scala’s work is based on the travel trailers of yesteryear, and is made entirely of metal fabric.

For details and information on “Art on the Green,” you can contact the Winter Park Public Art Advisory Board at 407-599-3498. You can visit the exhibition at Winter Park’s Central Park.

“Music at the Casa” Sunday Open House presents “Bossa Novas at Casa Feliz” Joe Young IV Trumpet Quartet!

Date: September 26th, 12-3 pm

Come celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum!

For more information, call Angela Roark at 407-484-1246.
Visit our historic home museum from 12 noon to 3 pm, listen to beautiful music and take a tour of the house and the James Gamble Rogers II Studio by trained docents. Open to the public, free of charge, suggested donation $3 per person.

With spring just around the corner, it’s time once again to enjoy the great outdoors and the fast green scenery here in Winter Park, Fl. The city is holding an event next month that’ll let you do just that. Interested? Read on.

The Multifaith Education Project, together with the City of Winter Park is proud to once more bring you the 7th annual Trees for Peace Interfaith Tree Planting Project, which takes place on the 19th of April, Monday, at Lake Island Park, situated along West Morse Boulevard here in the city. Winter Park Mayor Kenneth W. Bradley will be present during the opening ceremonies to officially kick things off at 11:30 in the morning. The program will be led by the director of the Multifaith Education Project, Louise Sheehy.

Over 60 students from 3 different schools in the Central Florida region will come together next month to plant trees for peace. And as a way of bridging the gap between different cultures and beliefs, students get to bless the newly planted trees according to their respective faiths.

Of course, such an event wouldn’t be complete without a bit of celebration. A picnic will be held right after the activity on the lawns of Lake Island Park.

Do you have a green thumb? If so, then we’ve got news of a great series of seminars we’re sure you’re going to enjoy.

The City of Winter Park, Fl, together with the Orange County Cooperative Extension brings you the “Nine Principles of Landscaping Seminar”, a seminar that discusses the ins and outs of landscaping, and shares with everybody gardening techniques and secrets.

The seminar, which takes place on one Thursday of the month, running from March until August of 2010, will feature a guest speaker each month tasked with discussing vital landscaping information. He or she will also be answering questions from those in attendance.

Each seminar will also tackle the nine principles of landscaping, which are:

• Water efficiently
• Fertilize appropriately
• Pollution Management & pollution
• Right plant, right place
• Plant selection, soil, pH Irrigation & calibration
• Mulch
• Selection, application, scheduling Guidelines
• Manage yard pests responsibly Recycle
• Integrated pest management Benefits, mowing,
• ID, treatment & disease pruning & composting
• Reduce stormwater runoff Protect thewaterfront

The seminars will be taking place at the Winter Park Welcome Center, located along 151 West Lyman Avenue, from 7 to 9 in the evening, on one Thursday of the month.

Mark your calendars and register now by calling 407.599.3597.

With spring just around the corner, nature lovers have a reason to truly smile about. If you care about the planet we live in and want to know more about conservation methods and the like, we have an event – rather, a series of presentations in one event you’ll definitely love.

Taking place today from 9 to 11 in the morning is Nature’s Bounty “Growing Green”, a series of 3 presentations packed into one morning. The first, which begins at 9:30 in the morning is an icebreaker titled “Growing Your Photography Skills,” a presentation/workshop about garden and floral photography and its appreciation. Professional photographer Claudia Wickham will be the guest speaker.

At 10:30 in the morning, another presentation titled “Growing Green and Blue” kicks off. It’s a discussion on low maintenance water conserving yards to be presented by Teresa Watkins, a Florida Water Specialist.

Last but not least is “Greening Your Own Piece of the Planet,” a presentation that tackles landscaping methods that are eco-friendly and cause the least damage to the environment. Ed Fosgate, architect, landscape artist and owner of Landscapes Orlando will be the featured speaker.

If you’re interested, simply head to the Winter Park Garden Club. The best part? Admission is free.