DECEMBER BUZZ for Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis

.Looking for Santa this season?
This year you can find Santa dividing his time between downtown Eustis and Mount Dora on Friday, December 5. He'll be at the Ferran Park Bandshell from 6 to 9 p.m. To flash his Christmas magic, Santa will also be providing photo ops near Sunset Park in Mount Dora at the same time. He'll top that by arriving at Wooton Park by seaplane in downtown Tavares on December 6 at 7p.m.. Santa will pay another festive visit to downtown Mount Dora on Saturday, December 13 during Plaid in the Park at Sunset Park.

Mount Dora's Christmas Walk returns December 5
'The best little Christmas town in Florida' will show off another reason why it deserves the title as Christmas Walk returns to downtown on December 5 from 6 to 9 p.m. The streets will be closed to accommodate pedestrians for the family-friendly tradition that brings residents and business owners together to celebrate the season and reconnect with old friends. During the event, attendees can enjoy holiday-themed entertainment, photos with Santa, live music, holiday shopping in unique boutiques that will stay open later, plus dining and cocktails at any downtown's diverse eateries and watering holes. Learn more at the Holiday Event Guide here.

Tavares celebrates the holidays with Winter Wonderland
Downtown Tavares will become a cheerful Christmas wonderland for families as the city celebrates with a parade on Main Street on December 6 at 5 p.m. The parade will be followed by a festive Winter Wonderland Celebration featuring "ice skating," snow storms, Santa arriving by seaplane, stilt walkers, live toy soldiers, and more fun entertainment continuing until 9 p.m.. Learn more on the local entertainment calendar here.

Local toy drives provide opportunities for giving
This season there are plenty of opportunities to help make Christmas brighter for children less fortunate. Anyone interested can support their pick of toy drives. Mount Dora Police Department will be doing its annual toy drive for the Northeast Community to benefit local kids in need. The police station on Donnelly Street will be accepting new unwrapped toys until December 19. Mount Dora Fire Department will once again be collecting for Toys for Tots, and numerous local businesses are also collecting for various toy drives.

"Snow in the Park" returns to Mount Dora Lakefront
Downtown Mount Dora will host Snow in the Park on December 13 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event features a snow slide for kids on Donnelly Street near Evans Park, plus holiday-themed bounce houses inside the park. Learn more on the local entertainment calendar.

Mailbox for letters to Santa magically appears in Mount Dora
The elves are at it again! A bright red mailbox has appeared in a quaint Mount Dora neighborhood for children to drop off their letters to Santa. If a self-addressed envelope is included with the letter and its dropped off early, a personalized response from Mrs. Claus will be sent. The festive mailbox is located at 201 W. 4th Avenue.

Santa may be coming to your neighborhood
Don't panic when you hear loud sirens December 8 through 11. It's just the annual Mount Dora Santa Tour when St. Nick, along with his motorcade of Mount Dora's police and fire personnel, visits neighborhoods inside Mount Dora's city limits beginning at 6 p.m. each night. Watch Mount Dora Buzz's Facebook page once routes and stops become available.

Mount Dora to host two festive parades
Nothing kicks off the season better than a small-town Christmas Parade. Mount Dora boasts two very festive options on the same day. The first takes place in the morning and travels down Donnelly Street into downtown. The other is a lighted boat parade on Lake Dora. You can find the details for both on the local Holiday Event Guide.

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A new owner to take over a favorite downtown Mount Dora eatery 
Claire's Creperie, maker of amazing sweet and savory crepes, will be under new ownership this month. The community-oriented business has generously given a lot back to the local community and we wish Claire and Jesse Ernst all of the wonderful things they deserve.

Two new restaurants to open in downtown Mount Dora in 2026
According to Peter Pan Properties, the former location of the Olive Branch restaurant has been leased to Roman Flavor, which has a location in Winter Park.  However, there are conflicting reports whether the lease has actually been signed.  According to the owner of Peter Pan Properties, Dave Hurley, Roman Flavor's owner will be remodeling the space and it's expected to open in early 2026. (Editor's note: The landlord's name for the restaurant is incorrect. It's actually Rome's Flavours).

The former Magical Meat Boutique location next door is slated to be a "New York-style" restaurant; however that description means different things to different ages, so stay tuned!  Magical Meat can now be found a short drive from downtown Mount Dora on Old Highway 441.

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Donnelly Street repair should be done sooner than original timeframe
The City provided an updated schedule to repair the Donnelly Street washout. The project won't have more heavy equipment work until a contractor is selected, which won't be until early in 2026. First engineering drawings should be ready soon for biddable plans. The best guess on construction starting is early 2026, and if all goes well, it will reopen sometime this spring. The new stoplight at U.S. Highway 441 and Fiddler Drive could be installed anytime which should help the detour constraints. Fortunately for the city, Emergency Relief funding from the Federal Highway Administration is expected to cover 80% of the estimated $4-5 million cost.

City of Mount Dora installs new Christmas Tree downtown
The City of Mount Dora is now in charge of one of downtown Mount Dora's festive holiday traditions. Beginning in 2010, the large musical Christmas tree on stage adjacent to Sunset Park was made possible solely by the generous donation of Main Street Leasing. This year the City took on the Christmas tree tradition and purchased a new musical tree to hopefully last another decade or more.

Scroll down for this month's featured events, the Best of Mount Dora, or find more local government news here.

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