OCTOBER NEWS & EVENTS for Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis

October ushers in the return of some of the area's popular events and brings in some new ones. Watch for Fall in the Field, the Steampunk industrial Show (read more) and a new event, Plaid in the Park. Read more. In Eustis, First Friday Street Fest and its Fall Festival returns in October.   Whenever you're searching for things to do this fall, just check out the area's entertainment calendar here.

Tis the season for Pumpkin Spice everywhere, but finding the perfect pumpkin can be a little more elusive. Mount Dora Buzz put together a list of the Best Local Pumpkin Patches that not only have a great selection of pumpkins, but also offer other seasonal activities as well. Read more

Pull up a piece of the sidewalk or set up a lawn chair on October 16 at 1 p.m. to watch the Mount Dora Homecoming Parade while enjoying the sounds of the impressive Hurricane marching band. The parade starts at the high school and travels down Fifth Avenue into downtown and then turns right onto Donnelly Street.

It's time to update the Doors of Mount Dora pictorial, so if you know of a unique door in Mount Dora, email Mount Dora Buzz a photo of it, along with the address, and it may be included among the City's most creative, beautiful and interesting doors. Please put Doors of Mount Dora in the subject line of your email. View the original Doors of Mount Dora here.

With any luck, the weather will cool for the season later this month making it the perfect time to enjoy the great outdoors. If you're itching to be in nature and the water, you're in luck. This part of the State has plenty of both, so here's the Top 7 Springs in Central Florida to visit this fall. Read more      Discover more local things to do here.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and local business owners, residents and artists are being encouraged to participate in a Pink Out by decorating their sidewalks and driveways with pink chalk. In normal years, AdventHealth Waterman holds a Pink Out 5k and other events, but due to COVID-19, they are promoting this idea as a fun and creative way to show support for the warriors and survivors of breast cancer.

Mount Dora will have some festive visitors during October. For years creative scarecrows ushered in the season in downtown Mount Dora. Once again, residents and businesses will create the stuffed figures to grace the historic area as part of the City's Mount Dora Scarecrow Stroll. Read more

October is the month to drag the bike out of the garage. CycleTober is expected to bring cyclists to Mount Dora with group rides and fun activities throughout the entire month.  Read more

There is some really good news in Mount Dora. Goblin Market, one of downtown Mount Dora's most popular restaurants, is re-opening. The fine dining restaurant with an eclectic atmosphere has been closed since March due to COVID-19. Read more

One of downtown Mount Dora's oldest shops closed its doors at the end of September. The owners of The Secret Garden, a French-inspired clothing boutique on Donnelly Street, decided it was time to retire and move out of the area. Read more. The owners Mount Dora Memories, a souvenir and gift shop in the Renaissance Building, also recently decided to move and closed their shop on the first floor of that historic building on Donnelly Street.

Watch for a new scavenger hunt among downtown locales this month. Participants can hunt for QR codes in participating stores to read the clues to help them continue on the hunt.

Scroll down for local government buzz, Best of Mount Dora winners and links to more local entertainment.

At its September 24 meeting, Mount Dora City Council formally adopted the final tax millage rate for fiscal year 2020/2021. The Council was able to balance the budget at the roll-back millage rate of 5.9603. That means that the City portion of residents' property tax bill won't increase this year. 

The City of Mount Dora has important charter referendum questions on the Nov. 3 ballot. One question is on term length and would expand the mayor and city council member terms from two years to four.  The second question would cap the consecutive number of years the mayor and city council members can hold the same position to eight. However, a council member or mayor could change positions on the council to continue serving another 8 years.  Read more

Lake County registered voters interested in voting by mail in the General Election on November 3 can request a ballot now from Lake County Supervisor of Elections. Voters need to make sure their signature on the ballot matches the signature on file with the Elections Office. Read more

Want to know more about what's happening or coming up at City Hall? Check out Mount Dora Buzz's government page.

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