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Mount Dora Blueberry Festival celebrates local blueberries on April 26 & 27

4/22/2025

The Mount Dora Blueberry Festival returns to downtown Donnelly Park on April 26 and 27 for a weekend celebrating all things blueberry, including ripe local berries, baked goods, crafts, and blueberry plants.

In addition to Amber Brooke Farms and Far Reach Ranch selling their local blueberries, culinary students from Umatilla High School will be offering blueberry baked goods made from berries donated by Amber Brooke Farms. Proceeds will help purchase equipment for the school’s culinary program.

RELATED: Discover the area's local u-pick blueberry farms

Food and beverage vendors will feature themed offerings such as blueberry pies, blueberry BBQ with blueberry salsa, blueberry mochi, blueberry beer, and blueberry wine. Craft vendors will also be in the park selling a variety of handmade creations.

The event’s popular pie-eating contest will take place at 2 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday will also feature a Blueberry Pie Bake-Off with children and adult divisions. There is no entry fee to compete, but participants must register at the information booth before 1 p.m.

The free, two-day festival takes place in Donnelly Park, located at 530 N. Donnelly Street in downtown Mount Dora, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days. A free shuttle will run Saturday and Sunday from 900 Lincoln Avenue in the northeast area of Mount Dora and take passengers downtown.

For more events and news in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here. Find out what's happening locally with just a tap on your phone by downloading the area's free mobile app. Free monthly issues of Mount Dora Buzz are available here.

Art Center gets a second home in Mount Dora

4/1/2025

ABOVE: Mount Dora Center for the Arts new building on 5th Avenue and Highland Street. (Mount Dora Buzz photo)

After an impressive transformation, Mount Dora Center for the Arts (MDCA) will soon open its second site on the corner of 5th Avenue and Highland Street in uptown. The retro building with a modern twist was formerly a gas station and sat vacant for several years.

MDCA’s new building is approximately 2,000 square feet with ample on-site parking. The one-story building will have visual and performing art classes and a gallery space for art exhibitions. An outdoor space will be the venue for some of the art center’s community events.

The decades-long downtown location, on 5th Avenue across from Donnelly Park, will continue to have classes and art exhibitions. Earlier this year, G3 Development LLC (G3), the landlord at the downtown location, lost its attempt to evict the 50-year-old non-profit which supports the local art community and children's programs. That two-story building was owned and occupied by MDCA since 1995 until its former board voted in April 2024 to sell the building to G3, whose principal is Gerry Guenther, for approximately $1.3 million.

The complex deal to acquire the brick building had three agreements between the two parties, and has since resulted in ongoing litigation. There is a lease agreement whereby G3 would be MDCA’s landlord, a mortgage agreement whereby G3 would be the borrower and the art center would be the lender, and a sponsorship agreement with the developer becoming a long-term sponsor of the annual Mount Dora Arts Festival. Additionally, G3 was to construct a new 4,600 square-foot, custom-designed building for the non-profit to lease from the developer. The site of that building was to be in the vacant lot on Royellou Lane directly behind the existing MDCA building. To date, that building hasn’t come to fruition or broken ground.

In January a circuit court judge dismissed two counts without prejudice of a four-count lawsuit G3 brought against MDCA. One of the dismissals included the developer’s attempt to evict the art center from the building (see judge's rulings attached below). Despite the judge’s ruling, G3 recently placed an oversized “for lease" sign on the window of MDCA's gallery in the building and was cited by Mount Dora Code Enforcement. At press deadline the conspicuous violation remained.

judges_order_on_mdcas__motion_to_dismiss_g3s_lawsuit__1-23-2025.pdf
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judges_denial_of_g3s_eviction_of_mdca_1-23-2025.pdf
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In addition to organizing the top-ranked Mount Dora Arts Festival, MDCA also offers various art programs for all ages and experience levels throughout the year. Its annual summer camp for school-age children is one of the area’s most popular summer programs. The center’s ground-floor downtown gallery features monthly art exhibits of established and emerging artists.

For more events and news in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here. Find out what's happening locally with just a tap on your phone by downloading the area's free mobile app. Free monthly issues of Mount Dora Buzz are available here.

Mount Dora hosts Earth Day celebration in Donnelly Park

4/1/2025

In addition to eco-friendly vendors and workshops, the 30th annual Mount Dora Earth Day Festival on April 12 will also feature a diverse lineup of free activities. Here’s the highlights of the day’s schedule of events in Donnelly Park from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

9:00
Round Lake Charter School Drumline – Kicking off the festivities with high energy at 9:00 AM.

9:30
Informative workshops every half hour on native plant species, proper pruning techniques, and best planting practices.

10:00
Martial arts performance by Lake County Capoeira.

10:00-Noon
Sidewalk Chalk Art Festival features artists of all ages creating vibrant chalk art near the park’s fountain.

10:00 - 1:30
Silent Auction to support local environmental issues.

11:30
Musical theatre students perform “On-the-Boards.”

Noon
Mount Dora Mayor James Homich delivers an official Earth Day message.

12:30
Eco-Fashion Show featuring innovative and upcycled fashions

In addition to the event’s activities, attendees can also take part in an electronic recycling opportunity by bringing old phones, laptops, cords, chargers, tablets, and other devices for responsible disposal.

Donnelly Park is located at 530 North Donnelly Street in downtown Mount Dora.

For more events and news in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here. Find out what's happening locally with just a tap on your phone by downloading the area's free mobile app. Free monthly issues of Mount Dora Buzz are available here.

Arts & Entertainment

Mount Dora Blueberry Festival celebrates local blueberries on April 26 & 27

Art Center gets a second home in Mount Dora

Mount Dora hosts Earth Day celebration in Donnelly Park

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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