What's better than scoring big at a yard sale?  A big yard sale with more to score.  

Renningers Antique Center hosts the biggest and longest yard sale in Central Florida June 17 to June 19.  The outdoor event will feature three days of antiques, vintage, collectibles, plants, produce, household goods, tools, designer clothing and more.

In addition to shoppers hunting for the deal of the century, sellers cleaned out their garages to hawk their treasures in one of the reserved spaces at Renninger's Antique Center.

The longest yard sale runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Get more events for Mount Dora here

The smell of buttered popcorn just got closer. Mount Dora's Epic Theatres scheduled its ground breaking for this Friday.  

Site work will then begin on the 12-screen multiplex  being erected on the land between Target and Walmart.  The theater's  expected opening is early summer of 2017, according to an Epic representative.

The state-of-the-art theater will feature reclining seats, beer and wine,  optional reserved seats and an enhanced concession menu.
 
The 50,000 square foot theater is a greatly anticipated  $10 million project.  Currently,  local residents travel to Leesburg or Apopka to view movies on the big screen.

In addition to the theater space, there are five and a half acres of adjoining land available for development.  The land is suitable for restaurants and a medium retail anchor tenant requiring 20,000 to 40.000 square feet.  

Stay up-to-date on the theater's opening and other local news for Mount Dora, Tavares and Eustis, here.

Get recent articles about the area here.

Mount Dora's newest neighborhood, Dora Parc, completed its first two model homes and dozens of eager real estate agents got the first glimpse.

Perched on a hillside, the gated community sits on the southeastern border of Mount Dora a mile from downtown.   The neighborhood boasts 38 luxury home sites with deeded access to Lake Dora when completed. 

Each home on the 22-acre community will have a lake view and a private walking path in the center of the neighborhood meandering to the waterfront. 

The four models are named after famous artists and range from 2,574 to 3,365 square feet with prices starting in the low $500,000s.   Buyers can opt for an elevator or stay the standard  features  that include granite counter tops, a wine cellar and their own covered boat house.

The subdivision got tongues wagging when its unique entrance feature was installed in March.  The center median of Dora Parc is the permanent home of an art installation of four penguins in bright colors.  The large birds, approximately four feet tall, are made of recycled plastic and stand on cubes of masonry that represent blocks of ice.  To celebrate the grand opening, the penguins are decked out in black ties, derby hats and sunglasses.

The art installation was commissioned from the Cracking Art Group, a collective of European artists that creates over-sized sculptural animals made from brightly colored plastic.  Dora Parc's developer wanted to bring the artistic essence of Mount Dora to the community.

Dora Parc, located on south Clayton Street, will have its grand opening on Saturday, June 4 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more local news and events for Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here.

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It's difficult to get a favorable consensus on a restaurant.   Difficult, but not impossible.  

Lago Dora Ristorante opened six weeks ago in Tavares and diners' glowing reviews are piling up.  

The brick oven and colorful mosaic tables are the focal point of the inviting modern space, but the food steals the show.  Their lunch menu features ten fresh dishes all priced at $7.50, including chicken alfredo, spaghetti with perfectly seasoned meatballs, shrimp diavolo and their popular 10" margherita pizza.    To accommodate the nearby courthouse employees, the restaurant strives to get lunch guests in and out within forty-five minutes if they need to return to work. 

It's no surprise the food is getting such high marks. The owner, Deshaun Scott, was the original chef of Tasso when it received great reviews.   Not only is Scott a good chef, but his humble personality and welcoming smile light up the place.  

Appetizers include buttered Italian clams ($9.95), wedge salad ($7.95), insalata caprese ($7.95) and red pepper bruschetta ($7.95). Fresh dinner entrees range from chicken picatta ($15.95), shrimp fra diavolo ($16.95) and veal marsala ($18.95) to lobster ravioli ($19.95) and fettuccine al pesto ($14.95).

Lago Dora Ristorante also provides a full bar, plus a little something for the sweet-tooth:  crispy canolis and tiramisu martinis.

The restaurant is located at 134 E. Ruby Street in downtown Tavares.  It's open Monday-Saturday for lunch and dinner.

Stay up-to-date on new restaurant and store openings in the area on the Mount Dora Buzz Facebook page.

For more news on Mount Dora, Tavares and Eustis, click here.