PORT ORANGE
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
SPORTS PAGE 13
VOLUME 2, NO. 12
The battle over stray shopping carts
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DECEMBER 2018
This global warming is an inside job ... Christmas in the Park, parades and other events in this month’s OUT + ABOUT. PAGES 2-3
We rode the bus to ask why. PAGE 8 INSIDE JACKETS FOR STUDENTS
Krystal O’Dell inspires Facebook group — and her own children — to help. PAGE 6
TAYLOR ROAD STILL CLOSED
A water main break will keep Taylor Road closed till Jan. 11 — longer than expected.
PAGE 4
COASTAL OPENS AND DONATES
New restaurant donates over $9,000 to Boys and Girls Club of Volusia County. PAGE 8
ATLANTIC WOWS ON STAGE
Photo by Zach Fedewa
Luka and Jake Knisley have fun inside the life-sized snow globe at Christmas in the Park on Saturday, Dec. 1.
YOUR TOWN PORT ORANGE COUPLE’S CHRISTMAS VILLAGE HAS OVER 1,000 PIECES
The cast rose to the occasion and impressed their theater teacher. PAGE 10
JAZZ BAND TAKES ON HUNGER Port Orange teens play jazz to help feed the hungry. PAGE 12
It all started in 1991 when Monica Van Splinter’s husband, Michael, bought her three pieces of the Lefton Colonial Village. Over the years their Christmas village grew until the company retired the collection at the end of 2010. The Van Splinters owned roughly 170 houses, over 1,000 little people and a couple hundred trees. Van Splinter was drawn to the Lefton Colonial Village due to the diverse colors. “Christmas was always
big in my family,” she said. Every October, the Van Splinters begin to arrange their Christmas village, which takes them up to three weeks. After the village is complete, an open house is held for friends and family. The village remains up until the end of February. Collecting these pieces can get pricey. That’s why they always checked the after-Christmas sales to help add shops and other pieces to the village. But as much as the Van Splinters love
their large Christmas village, they had to downsize when they moved to Florida. There wasn’t enough space in the new home to display their collection as they did in their old home. They’re still in the family, though — the pieces went to Van Splinter’s daughter, Karen Mellow, who lives in Oregon. In addition to the village, the entire home is decorated in Christmas decor, including some handcrafted pieces. “I always made Christmas special,” she said. “You gotta love Christmas to enjoy it.”
Photo by Alyssa Warner
Monica Van Splinter