The City of Winter Park and the Public Art Advisory Board are pleased to announce the return of Art on the Green, a prestigious exhibition of large-scale sculptures magnificently displayed in Central Park and on the lawn of City Hall in downtown Winter Park.

Art on the Green 2012 will feature the unique and creative works of eight noted sculptors on display from September 1, 2012, through March 1, 2013, concurrent with park hours. Visitors can begin their outdoor sculpture tour at Winter Park City Hall, located at 401 S. Park Ave., or from anywhere in Central Park. Exhibition catalogs will be available at City Hall and the Winter Park Welcome Center, located at 151 W. Lyman Ave., during regular business hours.

Selected by curator Olga Viso, Rollins College graduate and executive director of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, the Art on the Green 2012 collection includes a range of sculptures from elaborate bronze pieces to those fashioned from stainless steel and reclaimed materials. “Besides improving the quality of public spaces, art in the public realm can generate healthy civic dialogue, foster social exchange, and lead to the expression of a unique and nuanced community identity,” says Viso.

On display at Art on the Green 2012 will be Russell Bellamy’s “St. Prego,” Doug Makemson’s “Ain’t Gonna Work on Maggie’s Farm No More,” Allie Pohl’s “Ideal Woman: Caryatid (Fuchsia),”  Dale Rogers’ “Think and Be Free,” Carolina Sardi’s “Three Double Nests,” Chris Scala’s “Airbourne,” Barbara Sorensen’s “Muse I” and Bill Woods “Doorways and Roadways.” The Art on the Green 2012 exhibition can be viewed FREE of admission seven days a week. A fun, family-friendly opening event celebration will also be held Saturday, September 15, from 10 a.m. to noon, in front of Winter Park City Hall.

For more information about the Art on the Green 2012 exhibition, please visit the city’s official website at cityofwinterpark.org and click on the
Art on the Green logo.

Thursday, 8/16
COFFEETALK featuring Vice Mayor Steven Leary
8 a.m. to 9 a.m., Winter Park Welcome Center

Monday, 8/20
CITY BLOOD DRIVE
8 a.m. to 2 p.m., City Hall

Monday, 8/27
CITY HALL GRAND RE-OPENING CELEBRATION
1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (ceremony at 1:45 p.m.), City Hall

8/28 – 10/16
BALLROOM DANCE LESSONS – BEGINNER
7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Winter Park Farmers’ Market

BALLROOM DANCE LESSONS – INTERMEDIATE
8:45 p.m. to 9:45 p.m., Winter Park Farmers’ Market

Monday, 9/3
CITY OFFICES CLOSED FOR LABOR DAY
Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday!

Thursday, 9/6
WINTER PARK WELCOME CENTER
5TH  ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Winter Park Welcome Center

Friday, 9/7
PHOTO HISTORY/DOCUMENTARY OF WINTER PARK
Celebrating the city’s 125th anniversary
11:30 a.m., University Club of Winter Park

Sunday, 9/9
“PINK OUT” KICKOFF
5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Central Park West Meadow

Tuesday, 9/11
FALLEN HEROES MEMORIAL DEDICATION CEREMONY
2 p.m., Public Safety Facility

Thursday, 9/13
ENZIAN’S POPCORN FLICKS IN CENTRAL PARK
featuring “Viva Las Vegas”
8 p.m. to 10 p.m., Central Park

Wednesday, 9/19
ART IN CHAMBERS RECEPTION
featuring the works of Rose Thome Casterline
5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., City Hall Commission Chambers

Wednesday, 9/26
FAIRBANKS AVENUE INFORMATIONAL MEETING
6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Winter Park Community Center

This year our city of Winter Park celebrates the 125th anniversary of its incorporation as a town (1887- 2012).

In honor of this momentous, once in a lifetime occasion, we have the exclusive opportunity to host celebrity floral artist, author, and TV personality, Jeff Leatham, brought to our city by Purple Label Events who is donating its services.

Jeff Leatham is known world-wide for his floral installations that are often compared to contemporary art.  Leatham’s floral design clientele is as impressive as his work, including Oprah Winfrey, Madonna, and His Holiness, the Dalai Lama.  Mr. Leatham would create a large scale uniquely Winter Park floral display in Central Park December 27- 28 for all to enjoy.

If you have an interest in sponsoring or being a patron of this exciting event, please contact Patrick Chapin, President/CEO of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce, at 407-644-8281 orpchapin@winterpark.org to receive more information.

A grand re-opening celebration for Winter Park City Hall will be held Monday, August 27, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Residents and visitors are invited to join city officials for the festivities which will include a special ceremony at 1:45 p.m., live music and refreshments. City Hall is located at 401 South Park Avenue in downtown Winter Park.

During their strategic planning session in April 2011, the City Commission decided to renovate City Hall with necessary improvements to serve the city for at least the next 10 years. This renovation which coincides with the city’s 125^th anniversary was made possible by a stimulus grant from the federal government intended to make city buildings more energy-efficient. In addition to providing a more welcoming, customer-friendly environment for city staff to greet residents and visitors, the renovation includes new lighting and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

The exterior of City Hall was also renovated to create a more welcoming and attractive vista for guests and those passing by. The retention area between City Hall and Park Avenue was relocated to allow for the installation of a large, inviting public lawn which is shaded by a magnificent live oak. Sprinkled throughout the property is an emphasis on seasonal color with flowering trees framing and accenting the open views across the newly expanded lawn. Vibrant, annual flower beds and clusters of colorful, potted accent groupings finish off the new look.

“On behalf of the City Commission and management, thank you to everyone who participated in making this renovation possible. Thank you also to our residents and visitors for their patience during the entire transformation process.” said City Manager Randy Knight.

For additional information regarding Winter Park, please visit the city’s official website at cityofwinterpark.org or call the main information line at 407-599-3399.

President Barack Obama made good on his promise to come back to Central Florida for a campaign stop he had to cancel two weeks earlier.

Obama was supposed to speak at Rollins College on July 20, but after news broke about the deadly massacre at a Colorado movie theater, the president cancelled his campaign plans for the day and headed back to the White House.

The crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to the president as he opened his rally in Rollins College in Winter Park. His 51st birthday is Saturday.

The president also talked about the Olympic games, saying that “we come together when we have to present ourselves to the world.”

The president then went into his campaign speech, saying this election was “a choice about two fundamentally different visions for America.”

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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 (May 1, 2012) – It’s that time of year again! Now is the time for spring cleaning and the City of Winter Park encourages residents to participate in the city’s annual Spring Cleanup which will be held during the month of May.

The annual Spring Cleanup provides an extra “bonus” pickup day so that residents can dispose of old furniture, broken appliances and other bulky  items. To take advantage of this convenient service, residents must place their items curbside after 5 p.m. on the evening prior to their second regularly scheduled pickup day.

Quadrant                                                   Assigned Pickup Day
North of Fairbanks/Aloma avenues               Week of May 7
South of Fairbanks/Aloma avenues              Week of May 14

PLEASE NOTE: Hazardous waste, electronics and yard waste are NOT included in the Spring Cleanup.

For more information regarding Winter Park’s annual Spring Cleanup, please contact Utility Billing Customer Service at 407-599-3220 or Waste Pro® at 407-774-0800.

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

WINTER PARK, Fla., an internationally recognized ICMA Excellence Award winner with accredited fire, police and parks & recreation agencies (April 30, 2012) – The City of Winter Park and the Winter Park Public Art Advisory Board announce that the Art on the Green 2012 “call for artists” deadline has been extended. Art on the Green 2012, a juried exhibition of eight sculptures in downtown Winter Park presented by the City of Winter Park and Massey Services ®, Inc., will run from Saturday, September 1, 2012, through Friday, March 1, 2013.

Olga Viso, Rollins College graduate and executive director of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, one of the most important contemporary art museums in the United States, will serve as guest curator for Art on the Green 2012.

Eligible artists nationwide are encouraged to submit entries for the competitive selection process between now and the updated deadline Friday, June 1, 2012. Complete details regarding artist entries may be found by visiting the home page of the city’s official website at www.cityofwinterpark.org and clicking on the Art on the Green button.

Winning entries to be included in the exhibition will be  announced on Friday, June 22, 2012. Each selected artist will receive a $1,000 honorarium. There will also be a $500 “People’s Choice” award presented to the artist with most the votes from the public during the exhibition.

For more information regarding “Art on the Green,” a project of the Winter Park Public Art Advisory Board,  please call 407-599-3498.

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

The City of Winter Park will host a ceremony to unveil their latest green initiative as six electric car charging stations are made available to the public on Tuesday, January 10, 2012, at 11 am. Several electric cars currently on the market will be on display and residents and visitors will be invited to charge their car for FREE at any of the following six new locations.

Check out more photos from the event at the City of Winter Park’s Facebook Page

1) Winter Park Public Safety Facility- 325 West Canton Avenue
2) North of Central Park- 120 Garfield Avenue
3) Municipal Parking Lot A – 110 North New York Avenue
4) Winter Park City Hall – 401 Park Avenue South
5) Azalea Lane Tennis Complex – 1045 Azalea Lane
6) Hannibal Square Heritage Center – 642 New England Avenue

The new electric car charging stations support the city’s commitment to being a Green Local Government. In 2008, the City Commission passed a resolution to “Pursue Measures to Become a Florida Green Local Government,” using criteria and standards developed by the Florida Green Building Coalition. The Green Local Government concept focuses on local government taking actions to reduce energy consumption, waste and pollution, along with increasing recycling in our community.

A rock-and-roll legend was in Central Florida on Thursday, September 1, 2011.

The Beatles band member Paul McCartney was seen in Winter Park on the campus of Rollins College and on Park Avenue.

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McCartney wasn’t on the campus of Rollins College for long. The school wouldn’t comment on what he was doing there or how long he spent on campus.

But McCartney did spend some time dining on Park Avenue. The tables and booths at Luma on Park looked pretty much the same except for something special about one tucked in the corner.

Table No. 40 as it is known by the staff will now be known as the spot Paul McCartney sat and quietly dined with a group of friends.

“It was really cool to see someone like him in person,” Luma General Manager Tim Noelke said.

Noelke wouldn’t give up too many secrets about the surprise McCartney visit. He was part of a 7 p.m. dinner reservation for nine people,including his fiancee Nancy Shevell.

“They kind of did a family style at the table. They did a lot of pizzas and pastas and salads, and they all just kind of shared,” Noelke said.

McCartney didn’t go unnoticed. People who passed the restaurant tried to catch a glimpse.

There were no photos or autographs for the Luma staff, but there was a quick thanks.

“At the end of his dinner, he did come up, shook his hand and told me what a great experience he had and thanked me. I thanked him, and then he left,” Noelke said.

When he left, restaurant staff said he was greeted by a small crowd outside the restaurant. He apparently didn’t sign autographs, but waved quickly before getting into a car.

The restaurant wouldn’t say how much McCartney and his party spent on the meal.