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SANTA TOURS MOUNT DORA WITH LIGHTS & SIRENS ON DEC. 3-5

11/23/2019

Every year Santa and Mrs. Claus visit Mount Dora neighborhoods with a few of their local friends. This year, Santa will tour neighborhoods on three evenings: December 3, 4 and 5.

Santa covers a lot of ground touring the city, so he relies on the generous help of Mount Dora's Police and Fire Departments. The sound of loud sirens will fill the evening air as Santa and his festive motorcade travel throughout the city from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. each of the three nights. Residents shouldn’t be alarmed when they hear the prolonged sound of emergency vehicles on those three evenings and just understand it’s Santa spreading some local cheer.

RELATED: Local Holiday Events Guide for Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis

One of Santa’s stops is always right in the heart of downtown Mount Dora among its millions of twinkling lights. The Central Florida town has earned a reputation as the best little Christmas town in Florida.

Mrs. Claus reports Santa loves Christmas in Mount Dora, so his 2019 tour schedule covers a lot of the city and rotates a lot of neighborhoods every year. Residents of neighborhoods not on this year's tour can see Santa at Donnelly Park or Target at one of the times below.

Santa exact arrival times can be unpredictable due to traffic and unforeseen delays, but his elves assured Mount Dora Buzz that it's always well worth any wait that might occur.

TUESDAY, DEC. 3

Leave Police Headquarters at 5:30 pm
5:30 pm – 6:00 pm

Normandy Drive
Overlook Drive
Dogwood Mountain
Old Eustis Road

6:00 pm – 6:20 pm

Downtown area
Donnelly Park

6:20 pm – 7:20 pm

Hammock Oaks
Lake Center Drive
Spring Harbor

7:20 pm – 9:00 pm

TJ Maxx
Walmart
Target (stopping @ Target)

NOTE: Times are approximate and subject to change due to traffic and unforeseen delays.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 4

Leave Police Headquarters at 5:30 pm
5:30 pm – 6:00 pm

1300 block of Tremain Street
Grant Avenue o Wardell Street o Pine Avenue
Grandview Street between Pine Avenue and 11th Avenue

6:00 pm – 6:20 pm

Downtown area
Donnelly Park

6:20 pm – 7:45 pm

Unser Street & 9th Avenue (east)
Highland Street & 5th Avenue
Lake Franklin
1st Avenue
Simpson Street (south)
Liberty Avenue
Cobble Hill
Dorsett Drive
Mountclair Court
Claire Morris
Rossiter Street
Camp Avenue

7:45 pm – 9:00 pm

Chautauqua
Johns Avenue
South Grandview Street
South Clayton Street
3rd Avenue
Donnelly Park

NOTE: Times are approximate and subject to change due to traffic and unforeseen delays.

THURSDAY, DEC. 5

Leave Police Headquarters at 5:30 pm
5:40 pm

Bristol Lakes

6:00 pm – 6:20 pm

Country Club of Mount Dora, clubhouse

6:45 pm – 8:00 pm

Lancaster at Loch Leven
Loch Leven

8:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Summerview
Veranda Apartments
Summerbrooke

NOTE: Times are approximate and subject to change due to traffic and unforeseen delays.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, this month, click here. Discover the area's online event calendar here. Also download the area's free mobile app.

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SAVE DEC. 14 FOR MOUNT DORA'S "SNOW IN THE PARK"

11/23/2019

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It’s always a surreal scene. One day a year, drivers make a double-take as they pass a snowy hill in downtown Mount Dora.

2019 marks the eighteenth year that snow has fallen and this year it’s forecast for the evening of December 14. That’s the day the City of Mount Dora transforms the slope at Donnelly Park into six lanes of fun-filled sledding (see event video). To complement the night’s family-friendly activities, the pickleball courts will become an ice-skating rink during the annual Snow in the Park event.

RELATED: Local Holiday Event Guide for Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis

The festive atmosphere will also include holiday princesses, music and kids’ activities plus a visit from a special guest from the North Pole.

The favorite seasonal event for local kids has 40 friendly staff members from the City’s parks department creating the fun by helping with the sledding and ice-skating, providing security for Santa and looking after the park’s maintenance.

Participants are encouraged to support the Lake Cares Food Pantry by bringing donations of non-perishable food items in exchange for a fast-pass ticket which will get you to the snow slopes quicker.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, this month, click here. Discover the area's online event calendar here. Also download the area's free mobile app.

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LIGHT UP EUSTIS FEATURES SNOW , SANTA & ICE SKATING ON NOV. 29

11/20/2019

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ABOVE: Downtown Eustis holiday lights (Mount Dora Buzz photo)

The day after Thanksgiving is much more than Black Friday in Lake County. It’s also the night of the 32nd annual Light Up Eustis celebration in its historic downtown.

This free, family-friendly event kicks off the holiday season and will include ice skating, a 75-foot snow slide, live music, entertainment, food trucks, and vendors from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

RELATED: Light Up Mount Dora festivities and schedule

Santa and Mrs. Claus will make a big arrival from the North Pole on a sleigh with the help of a fire truck. Dancer the reindeer and its baby, Donnie, will also be there. Children are invited to take a free photo with Santa and Mrs. Claus and decorate a personalized keepsake frame with representatives from the Lake Eustis Area Chamber of Commerce. Kids can also enjoy the thrill of sliding down on the 75-foot snow hill. Santa’s arrival will be followed by holiday music by the LifePointe Church Teen Choir at the Downtown Center Stage.

This year, the city’s real ice-skating rink, Eustis On Ice, has a new location at Fountain Green. Admission to the 40’ x 100’ ice rink is $10 per skater and includes skate rental. Skaters can opt to purchase a skate pass for $90 for ten admissions and ten beverages while the seasonal rink remains open.

RELATED: Holiday Event Guide for Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis

event schedule

5:00 p.m. - with the Bay Street Player’s Young People’s Theater taking the stage
5:30 p.m. - Eustis Heights Elementary “Tiger Sound”
6:00 p.m. - Ceremony and countdown for the lighting of approximately 400,000 LED holiday lights across all of Downtown Eustis.

“This year’s celebration promises to be magical. We invite everyone to come celebrate this beautiful time of year with us,” said Eustis Mayor, Michael Holland.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, this month, click here. Discover the area's online entertainment calendar here. Also download the area's free mobile app.

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MOUNT DORA TO ADD ARTISTIC FLAIR TO LIGHT POLES

11/19/2019

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ABOVE: Winning Banners, "Sunset on the Lake" by Matt Hyland (left), "Donnelly House"by Cathy Shoemaker (center), Sunset by Christine Smith (right)

Drum roll, please. The City of Mount Dora announced three winners of a creative banner design contest that concluded in October. 94 entries were submitted by 46 artists.

The City issued a “Call to Artists” in August for banner designs with artwork that illustrated what made Mount Dora “Someplace Special,” the city’s slogan. The three winning designs of differing artistic styles will be displayed on decorative light poles throughout the city. Each winner also receives an $800 cash prize.

WINNING ARTISTS:

Matt Hyland of Mount Dora – “Sunset on the Lake”
Cathy Shoemaker of Mount Dora – “Donnelly House”
Christine Smith of Umatilla – “The Sunset”

Two of the original designs are colorful interpretations of sunsets on Lake Dora, and the other is digital art of the iconic Donnelly House. The winning designs were chosen by a panel of judges from the Mount Dora Public Art Commission and will be printed and hung city-wide in January.

“The members of the Commission were so excited about the quality and the quantity of the submissions, which evidences a thriving arts community in Mount Dora,” said Harlow Middleton, Chair of the Mount Dora Public Art Commission.
The three winning artists presented their artwork at the November 19th CIty Council Meeting.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, this month, click here. Discover the area's online entertainment calendar here. Also download the area's free mobile app.

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SCOTTISH HIGHLAND FESTIVAL COMES TO MOUNT DORA THIS WEEKEND

11/13/2019

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Bring on the kilts. Mount Dora’s Scottish Highland Festival comes to downtown’s Donnelly Park and Evans Park this weekend. The two-day festival celebrates Scottish culture with a big line-up of events including performances by the Mount Dora Pipes and Drums Corps. (view event video)

The festival’s family-friendly events begin at 10:00 a.m. on both days and admission is $10 and $5 for children and seniors. Throughout the day there will be traditional dancing and performances on the stage, plus a reenactment camp, bagpipers, and vendors selling Scottish food, merchandise and, of course, tartan kilts.

The Parade of Tartans, featuring numerous Scottish clans and bagpipers, starts at noon and will go from City Hall, across Baker Street to Donnelly Park. The challenging Scottish athletic games will take place on Saturday only at Elizabeth Evans Park and feature grueling events like the keg toss, firetruck pull, caber toss, stone carry, and sheaf toss.

The festival ends at 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here. Download the free Mount Dora Buzz mobile app here and follow the Mount Dora Buzz Facebook page .

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LIGHT UP MOUNT DORA TO ENCHANT SPECTATORS ON NOV. 30

11/1/2019

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ABOVE: Donnelly Park in downtown Mount Dora (Photo by Mount Dora Buzz)

Mount Dora will come alive with over 2 million lights on Saturday, November 30, during the 38th annual Light Up Mount Dora.

Workers with Mount Dora Marina, the City of Mount Dora, and local businesses have been stringing up the lights in the city since mid-October. The combined efforts of these groups have turned the Central Florida town into an increasingly well-known Christmas destination. Mount Dora Marina alone has over a million lights and is reportedly the largest privately-owned light display in Central Florida. (see video)

ABOVE: Mount Dora Marine privately-funded light display (Photo by Mount Dora Buzz)

Light Up Mount Dora will feature pre-ceremony shows in downtown Donnelly Park with dancers, traditional Christmas carols and much more. Residents and visitors are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs and blankets to the park.

RELATED: Guide to Local Holiday Events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis.

Most of the historic downtown’s quaint shops will be open late, so guests can get a jump on their holiday shopping. The area’s diverse restaurants and bars will also be open late to accommodate the visitors.

"LIGHT UP MOUNT DORA" EVENTS SCHEDULE

4:30-5:30: Pre-show events in Donnelly Park with dancers, traditional Christmas songs and more entertainment.
5:30-6:30 Christmas Show
6:30: Light Up Ceremony begins at Donnelly Park with Lights to be turned on shortly afterward.
6:40: Large Christmas Tree in Sunset Park will turn on lights and music.
The night will be topped off with a special visit from Santa.
The city’s lights will remain on nightly through February. For more holiday events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here.

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ANTIQUE LOVERS FLOCK TO MOUNT DORA FOR A BIG EXTRAVAGANZA EVENT

11/1/2019

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Vintage lovers and treasure hunters are getting giddy.

Once again, Mount Dora will play host to Central Florida's massive and eclectic shopping experience November 15, 16 and 17.

Three times a year Renningers Antique Center organizes the Antique Extravaganza, the motherlode of vintage and antique shopping, set in the rambling hills under majestic oaks.

Make no mistake. There is antique shopping and then there is the ‘Extravo’ shopping. That’s the term seasoned buyers and ‘pickers’ use for the event that boasts over 800 dealers during its 3-day run spread on a scenic portion of a 130-acre property.

Dealers from across the U.S. descend on Mount Dora to offer a tremendous variety of vintage finds and fine antiques at every price.

Extravos only happen the third Friday, Saturday and Sunday of November, January and February. Shoppers and the curious can roam the hills from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday admittance costs more, however eager shoppers get first dibs on hard-to-find treasures. Sunday shoppers get better bargains, but some vendors do pack up early.

Parking is free. Admission is $10 on Friday, $6 on Saturday, and only $4 on Sunday. A three-day pass is $15. Renninger’s Antique Center is located at 20651 US Hwy 441.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis,  download the area's free mobile app. Free subscriptions to the monthly issue of Mount Dora Buzz are available here.