博客帖子 - MOUNT DORA BUZZ

PASSION TAKES FLIGHT IN EUSTIS

11/16/2015

They appear like over-sized eagles soaring over Mount Dora, Eustis and Tavares. Some call them ultralights or powered motorcycles of the sky.

However, these light sport aircraft are called 'air trikes' in reference to the vehicle's three-wheeled landing gear. Unlike ultralights, these planes can have two seats, fly faster and carry more fuel.
Read more...

INSIDE MOUNT DORA'S HISTORIC LANDMARK

11/12/2015

Like an aging Southern beauty, it remains charming and captivating. The old, weather-beaten, chalky white church inevitably piques the interest of passersby.

Mount Zion Primitive Baptist Church of Mount Dora is tiny by today's standards No matter its size, it remains proudly perched at the southern entrance to Mount Dora as if it was a welcoming ambassador. Read more...

RAMBLING GOOD TIMES HEADED FOR MOUNT DORA, TAVARES & EUSTIS

11/3/2015

First, onlookers see something very big and cheerful coming their way. Then they catch a glimpse of the whimsical, random objects on the roof. Finally, they are happily engulfed by a trail of bubbles and lively tunes

As the The Fun Bus rambles through downtown streets, it has been turning heads and generating wide, curious smiles. Later this month therenovated, purple school bus will start operating and taking passengers on family-friendly tours of Mount Dora, Tavares and Eustis. Read more...

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

11/1/2015

Three of the many special things Mount Dora boasts are its blossoming artistic community, friendly neighborhoods and the many vibrant local businesses that provide truly distinctive experiences. The Best of Mount Dora are our readers' choice awards with categories ranging from music and dining to shopping and neighborhoods. Read more...

HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES RETURN TO MOUNT DORA

10/30/2015

It goes with Mount Dora like wine and cheese.

For years, the horse-drawn carriages rides cemented Mount Dora's charming image. So when the rides ceased downtown earlier this year, their absence left a void. Fortunately, a new carriage operator has stepped in and will be providing more rides as the temperatures decline and tourist season amps up.
Read more...

MOUNT DORA HIGH ALUMNI TOP OPEN COFFEE SHOP

10/30/2015

Contrary to the an old saying, there's proof you can go home again.

Sisters with deep roots in Mount Dora, Mitzy and Vivian Crunk, will be opening Coffee Branch Cafe on Fifth Avenue next to Atkins Realty in November.
Read more...

THE REAL GHOSTLY RESIDENTS OF MOUNT DORA

10/28/2015

Meet Amy. She is a six-year-old resident of the Lakeside Inn for the past 130 years.

One foggy morning in the late 1800s, Amy wanted to join her father in a fishing outing on Lake Dora. He told her to stay with her mother at the Inn. Unbeknownst to her father, Amy followed him down to the lake. She was never heard from again, but there have been sightings. Read more...

PART 2: A TRIP INSIDE MOUNT DORA'S SECRET CATACOMBS

10/26/2015

A rare, first-hand account of a trip inside the city's hidden bomb shelter is the second part of this series. In 2006, with the promise of its location remaining a secret, writer Bill Sievert and photographer Rich Stayton were given permission to go underground for "Gimme Shelter", an article published in PULSE Magazine and now republished by Mount Dora Buzz. (For Part 1, click here )

A TRIP DOWN UNDER
As Richard and I inch our way into the eerie darkness, having nothing but a flashlight and Richard’s flashbulbs to illuminate our path, I am overcome with the feeling that a nuclear holocaust truly has occurred and that we are witnesses to the end of civilization. Just past the steel trap door Read more...

COMMUNITY TURNS HATEFUL ACT INTO A POSITIVE

10/25/2015

It wasn't the first time. Or the second.

In the few short months since Joe Gertis purchased Irene's Lounge, a landmark roadside tavern in Tavares, his business has been vandalized multiple times with gay epithets. He also received a hate letter. Read more...

MOUNT DORA'S BIGGEST SECRET: THE CATACOMBS

10/21/2015

The community's shrouded atomic bomb shelter is arguably the most intriguing aspect of Mount Dora's past, yet many residents know nothing about it. Mount Dora Buzz was generously given permission to reprint Bill Sievert's captivating article. "Gimme Shelter", that uncovered the city's secret catacombs, reportedly the largest private bomb shelter in the country. Read more...

EARLY VOTING BALLOT ISSUE

10/21/2015

Some early voters at the W.T, Bland Library polling place may have been given the wrong ballots. Yesterday, District 1 voter, Bill Sievert, was not given the ballot for his district which would have denied him the ability to vote for the council member to represent him. Sievert realized the election worker's error and had to make several requests to get the correct ballot.

According to Seivert, the problem arose because the election workers were not aware of different districts or the corresponding ballots and two employees misread the small print on the ballot. It took the resident's dogged determination, plus involvement of three election employees, including a call off-site, and a poll worker's review of Sievert's sample ballot before the proper ballot was issued.

Supervisor of Elections, Imogene Stegall, had not spoken to anyone involved in the incident by this morning, but said poll workers are trained on the different ballots and have them available. She said the poll worker that handed out the incorrect ballot was experienced and had been working at that location since 9 am that morning. Sievert went to the polling place at approximately 1 pm.

"When you go to the bank, don't you check what they gave you?" said Stegall. "You would think the voter would check their ballot."

The unintentional, yet significant, error does not favor one candidate over the other. However, Mount Dora residents learned from a tie vote during the last election season that one vote can affect the outcome.

Stegall said she couldn't determine if this was an isolated incident or if more voters had been affected until she spoke to the parties involved. Residents that cast ballots on Oct. 19 & 20 can call (352) 343-9734 for more information. Meanwhile, voters are encouraged to make certain they are given the proper ballot for their district at every polling place.
For more local news, click here...

MOUNT DORA TEENS & COPS THINK PINK

10/8/2015

The community's embrace of Breast Cancer Awareness Month was not lost on two special groups of Mount Dora residents this week. On Wednesday, Mount Dora High School art students happily joined forces with Mount Dora Police Department and spray-painted large pink ribbons on the driveways of the police station's driveways on Donnelly and Lincoln streets. The young artists used a stencil bigger than themselves to create the ribbons the demonstrate support of the cause. Mount Dora's finest and Mount Dora High School students have a history of working together on community service projects. Well done!

For more local news, click here...

LOCAL SECRET: BREAKFAST SERVED MOUNT DORA'S CORN FIELDS

10/5/2015

There is something uniquely Central Florida about enjoying a meal among the corn fields in the fall.

After a short drive on country roads in rural Mount Dora, Long & Scott Farms provides an open-air cafe to enjoy both breakfast and lunch. The limited menu features weekly specials, as well as staples like breakfast sandwiches and biscuits & gravy. Read more...

FOOD TOURS PROVIDE A TASTEFUL WAY TO SEE MOUNT DORA

10/5/2015

It's the fun thing that happens when the passion for food is melded with the love of a community.

It's that fun experience that Mount Dora residents, John and Paula Tucker, created when they started Taste of Our Town food tours in 2013. Read more...

MOUNT DORA'S MUSEUM OF SPEED: A VAULT OF DREAMS

10/2/2015

Typically, time capsules are buried deep in a hole for a future generation to uncover. However, one large capsule has sat in plain sight in Mount Dora for 14 years.

On a non-descript corner in this small Central Florida town is a vault of memories where dreams are meticulously stored. Stepping inside Mount Dora's Museum of Speed uncovers an extraordinary collection of spotless dream cars, as well as perfectly staged vintage vignettes of the time period they represent. See pics and read more...

Above: Cindy and Kerry Bogard, owners of Mount Dora Museum of Speed.

MOUNT DORA GETS CREATIVE FOR A CAUSE

9/29/2015

Artists and businesses let their creative juices flow for this year's Bra-Vo event, an annual art bra fundraiser for free or low cost mammograms in Lake County.

The exhibit that will run October 1-25 and highlight the many artists, students and sponsors that have taken the challenge to submit a creative and inspiring art bra entry. Read more...

MOUNT DORA'S GIRL ON THE GRIDIRON

9/27/2015

"I was hit hard on one play but got right up and tried to shove the guy out of bounds."

That was how Cassandra Patrick, a freshman at Mount Dora High School (MDHS), described the first hit she took during her inaugural junior varsity football game this season. Read more...

Mount High School freshman, Cassandra Patrick.

RESIDENTS ASKED TO HELP 'KEEP LAKE WARM"

9/26/2015

The Fall season has many locals looking forward to the cooler weather and everything it brings. For less fortunate local families, the change in temperatures can create a hardship when trying to keep their families bundled up during cold snaps.

"Keep Lake Warm" is a hoodie and jacket drive currently underway to benefit Lake Cares Food Pantry read more...

MOUNT DORA'S CHALLENGING CORN MAZE RETURNS

9/21/2015

Get lost. And have a blast doing it.

The annual corn maze at Long & Scott Farm opens on October 3. The popular seasonal attraction brings in an estimated 1500-2000 weekend visitors, according to Rebecca Ryan, the farm's agri-tainment manager. Read more...

LOCAL BUSINESSES TO COMPETE AT HISTORIC CLUB

9/19/2015

Business is always competitive. Yet. this fall promises to turn the heat up just a little.

Mount Dora businesses will face off against each other at the Mount Dora Lawn Bowling Club’s Fall “Bowling Blast" tournament beginning September 30. Sixteen business teams will bowl for bragging rights, prizes and a trophy. Read more...

ANOTHER NEW BOUTIQUE PREPARES TO OPEN DOWTOWN

9/18/2015

'Tis the season for many vacant spaces to be dusted off, repainted and given new life downtown. Finishing touches are currently being done to the decor, displays and merchandising of The Lacy Ladybug, a women's boutique set to open September 26 in the Renaissance Building.

The bright, contemporary store distinguishes itself as being "a unique, chic, curvy ladies' boutique" featuring fashionable women's apparel in sizes twelve and above. The shop will also stock complementary women's handbags and costume jewelry.

For more local business news, click here...

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVS IN 14 NEW CATEGORIES

9/17/2015

Locals are passionate about the many shops, restaurants, live music venues, charming neighborhoods and other distinctive features that make Mount Dora a thriving community. The Best of Mount Dora awards gives residents the chance to share their appreciation and spread the good word.

This fall's 14 new categories asks 'Buzz' readers to vote for their favorite chef, happy hour, local musician, salon, neighborhoods and more. Click here to get your ballot. Voting ends October 7.
To read the winners of 2015 spring categories, click here...

NEW RESTAURANT LEAPS FROM TRUCK TO TABLES

9/14/2015

New restaurants take time to build a following. Occasionally, one starts with a driving force.

Tavares' newest restaurant, Eduardo's Lokos Tacos, opened earlier this month after one year pleasing patrons out of a popular food truck in Mount Dora at the intersection of US 441 and Wolf Branch Road. Read more and its review...

MOUNT DORA'S OLDEST FESTIVAL RETURNS IN OCTOBER

9/14/2015

Mount Dora’s longest-standing festival will take place in the next four weeks. For forty-one years the annual Mount Dora Bicycle Festival has been held in this charming town. This year the festival is going to bring as many as 2,000 cyclists from at least fifteen states and three countries. And this year promises to be one of the very best – and biggest- ever. Starting and ending at the Mount Dora Area Chamber of Commerce each morning at 7am from October 9-11th... Read more...

BUZZIN' WITH MUSICIAN, JEFF WHITFIELD

9/13/2015

Maybe it's something in the water. Something that ignites the right side of the brain with intense musicality and creativity. Whatever the reason, Mount Dora seems to be an incubator for emerging music artists.

One local singer and songwriter, Jeff Whitfield, apparently drank much more than his share of the water. Read more...