02.15.19 Winter Park/Maitland Observer by Orange Observer

WINTER PARK/MAITLAND

Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

VOLUME 31, NO. 7

FREE

•

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

You can be a new man Alexander Ferguson — a Winter Park native who took voice lessons at the Winter Park Playhouse — is touring with “Hamilton.” SEE 1B.

Selfless servant BAILAMOS! Orlando Ballet preps for Latin-infused show. SEE 3B.

YOUR TOWN CITY TO HOST FIX-IT WORKSHOP

Family members and fellow firefighters remember the life of Winter Park EMS Capt. A.J. Isaacs, who died unexpectedly Jan. 30. STORY ON PAGE 4A.

Winter Park purchases land for more park space

IN FOCUS

Courtesy photo

Don’t Pitch It — Fix It!, initiated by the city of Winter Park and Winter Park Public Library, is a community repair workshop in partnership with Orange County and the city of Orlando. Winter Park will host its fifth “Don’t Pitch It, Fix It” workshop from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, at the Winter Park Community Center, 721 W. New England Ave., Winter Park. The event reduces the daily consumption of goods and encourages recycling.

Commissioners voted Monday to buy land along Temple Trail for added trail connectivity near Howell Branch Preserve. TIM FREED ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Lakemont Elementary hosts unforgettable evening for dads, daughters. PAGE 7A.

Winter Park has found the missing link. City commissioners voted to purchase a parcel of land at their Monday, Feb. 11, meeting that will be converted into park space —

giving the city a way to connect two major pieces of the Howell Branch Preserve. Plans for the piece of property at 2917 Temple Trail, approved Monday with a unanimous vote, involve demolishing an existing SEE LAND PAGE 2A

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

Winter Park High School student attends State of the Union Address HARRY SAYER BLACK TIE REPORTER

Some students still are getting used to high school when they are 15. Others travel to Washington, D.C., to watch the State of the Union address with their local congresswoman. Such is the case with Uma Menon, a Winter Park High School junior who recently accompanied U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy to hear President Donald Trump’s address Feb. 5. Menon was the winner of Murphy’s SOTU essay contest, which tasked students in Florida’s seventh district — which covers Winter Park, Maitland, downtown Orlando and Seminole County — to write 500-word papers on the importance of civic youth engagement in a democracy. The essays then were reviewed by a group of local educators. Menon won the contest with her essay detailing the importance of the 1960s free speech, the March for Our Lives demonstrations, United We Dream and the Black Lives Matter movement. It wasn’t a tough subject for the 15-year-old — she’s been interested in progressive movements since her last year at Glenridge Middle School. She joined the Orlando Strong movement following the Pulse shooting in 2016 and has advocated for net neutrality, as well. A collection of her poetry, much of which fights for race and gender equality, was published in 2019. Ultimately, Murphy made the call to Menon to inform her she

Uma Menon attended the State of the Union address alongside U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy. Harry Sayer

would make the trip. “I can’t express it in words; it was one of the most exciting things ever,” Menon said. “I was so surprised to hear her on the other end of the line.” Menon and her father headed to Washington together and, after meeting with Murphy, attended the State of the Union speech in the visitors gallery. It was ultimately Trump’s words of unity during the State of the Union that gave Menon hope for the coming year. “I was happy to hear the president is interested in cooperation and looking forward to bipartisanship in 2019,” she said. “I’m hoping to see him work more with Democrats across party lines in order to create more solutions, especially to a lot of problems that affect our

generation.” Menon is a Florida regional president for Future Business Leaders of America, student adviser for CollegeBoard’s Access to Education Youth Council, a student senator for Winter Park High’s IB program, a part of Winter Park Youth Leaders Class XVII and more. It might not come as a surprise then that the high-school student is considering a career in public service for her future. “We can create change in little ways and big ways,” Menon said. “We don’t always have to be in the positions of those lawmakers to create change. Just being in that room with so many distinguished guests of other congresspeople making changes in their own communities … it really inspired me.”

Land CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A

1,853-square-foot home to make way for the park space. The land would be rezoned as such, City Manager Randy Knight said. According to the meeting agenda, a creek bed currently flows through the property, and the piece of land could be used for possible trail connectivity within the Howell Branch Preserve. “This property is kind of the missing link in our Howell Branch property we acquired with the help of the FDEP last year,” Knight said. The land was listed for $335,000 and purchased by the city for $318,000. CANOPY BUDGET UPDATE

Knight also took an opportunity during the meeting to share an updated budget for the Winter Park Canopy project. The total cost sits at $31.2 million, and will be paid for with $27.9 million in bond proceeds, a $2.5 million fundraising commitment from the library and $800,000 in interest earnings from the bond proceeds. “Late last week and early this week, we’ve been meeting with the architects on the Canopy project, and I’m happy to report that we have a project that is in budget — a very good project that is in budget that meets all the requirements that the library wanted and the event staff wanted for this project,” Knight said. The budget also listed various add alternates the city can seek through fundraising and grants, including a $1.5 million porte cochere, a $3 million rooftop venue on the events center, a

IN OTHER NEWS n Winter Park’s new lake buoys are currently being manufactured and should be installed by early April. n Construction on the city’s new railroad crossing quiet zones began as of Monday, Feb. 11, and should be completed by the end of August. n City Manager Randy Knight said the city recently met with FDEP to discuss resolving the recent issue raised over the 1994 FRDAP grant in Martin Luther King Jr. Park. The city provided aerial photographs and site plans to show the city’s intention of honoring the grant restrictions and hopes to hear back from FDEP soon.

$800,000 outdoor amphitheater and a $600,000 raked auditorium in the library. Knight also went through several additional enhancement opportunities, including improvements to the architecture and finish ($2.9 million) and getting 60 additional parking spaces on top of the planned 220 spaces ($500,000). Knight told the City Commission that it also still has access to an additional $2 million, because the original bond referendum passed by the voters in 2016 allowed for up to $30 million issued by the city. Mayor Steve Leary said the city should first see how fundraising efforts progress before tapping into that $2 million. “We do have fundraising efforts underway — if we don’t have to issue that, it would be interesting to see where we end up,” Leary said. “If we need it, it’s there.”

291135-1

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

Maitland approves neighborhood utility undergrounding project The Greenwood Gardens neighborhood initiative has been years in the making. HARRY SAYER

IN OTHER NEWS n The council approved the purchase of 28 self-contained breather apparatus air packs from Municipal Emergency Services for $151,340.

BLACK TIE REPORTER

Tim Freed

Jenya Kimlat and her family live near Interstate 4 and the current construction.

Resident sues I-4 contractors Jenya Kimlat is seeking justice from SGL Constructors after cracks formed in her home near the I-4 Ultimate project. TIM FREED ASSOCIATE EDITOR

It started out as just an annoyance, Winter Park resident Jenya Kimlat said. But then the walls of her home started to crack. Kimlat is suing SGL Constructors (Skanska-Granite-Lane), the builders for the I-4 Ultimate project, for causing damages to her home as a result of the ongoing construction. The complaint filed late last month against SGL states the house at 3685 Midiron Drive — where Kimlat lives with her family just one house down from I-4 — has “endured daily disturbances caused by strong vibrations, seismic activity, concussions and loud noise from heavy construction machinery.” Kimlat’s attorney, Louiza Tarassova, said her client has visibly seen damages begin to surface, including cracks all over the exterior of her home and other places, despite just recently renovating her house. “For the last four years, the constant daily vibrations from the heavy machinery that the construction company is using is destroying her house,” Tarassova said. “She started noticing cracks,

her hardwood floors are separating, and she just recently renovated the house about a year ago. It’s been pretty bad since — it’s been getting worse and worse. “She installed glass doors in her shower, and they have become misaligned within one year,” she said. “Obviously she’s very frustrated with that.” Beyond the physical damages in excess of $15,000, the constant construction has disrupted her daily life, as well, with the shelves in her house shaking and bottles of perfume falling to the ground. “We have bathrooms bubbling up because they’ve been messing with the drains for so long,” Kimlat said. “I’m not even the closest to I-4, so I don’t know how other people are functioning or why they’re not taking steps to mediate this.” Tarassova said it’s possible the company didn’t properly research how close some of the homes were before it started the project. SGL Constructors has denied the claim, she said, adding that the company is taking a hard position that it is not paying any claims unless it can be proven the damage was caused by the construction. “They have — it’s my understanding — (more than) 40 claims of houses being destroyed by their

INFORMATION Any parties looking to learn more about the class action lawsuit can visit mylawadvocate.com or contact louiza@ mylawadvocate.com.

activities,” Tarassova said. SGL Constructors did not respond to a request seeking comment. The complaint from Kimalt is a class action lawsuit as well, so other residents that are experiencing something similar can sign on and back the lawsuit, Tarassova said. “I’ve personally spoken to several people who saw it (the lawsuit), contacted my office, and they’re also interested in participating in the class action, because they have suffered similar if not more damage than my client,” Tarassova said. Kimlat said she wants it to end. “They’re being very guarded with what they’re doing,” she said. “The further into this process we get, the more apparent it is that they are completely not interested in what’s best for the community.” Tarassova said her firm is looking to gather more class members to participate in the lawsuit and then go through the discovery process, where it will gather information from SGL as to whether it has been monitoring the vibrations and what kind of planning it had done. The court also will have to certify the class, she said.

Maitland City Council approved a long-gestating neighborhood lighting project, confirmed an air pack purchase for the fire department and classified wetlands as conservation land during a brief meeting Monday, Feb. 11. GREENWOOD GARDENS

Greenwood Gardens resident Laura Hardy was pleased when the Maitland City Council approved a plan to underground her neighborhood’s utility lighting and install new street lighting. After all, she’d been fighting to make it happen for two years. “I’ve been involved with (this) since day one,” Hardy said. “I want to see something get done, and I see a way of helping things to go forward. I wanted to see it happen. I have a house here, and I want my value to increase.” Hardy, a neighborhood resident of more than 20 years, has been hard at work with the city to secure easements from her neighbors to allow the underground installing plan to take effect in the 74-house neighborhood. The underground utilities, which will be installed by Duke Energy, will increase property values, improve the neighborhood’s aesthetics and greatly lower the number of power outages Greenwood Gardens experiences, Hardy said. “We always lose power when we have hurricanes,” she said. “We used to joke that if a squirrel jumped on a line, we’d lose power. If it was a cloudy day, we’d lose power.” The plan was suggested back in 2003 as part of the city’s Quality Neighborhoods Program, which boosted areas of the city to reverse stagnating or decreasing property values. Minnehaha Circle and a Ridgewood neighborhood were also recipients of the program.

n The city’s fire department made a request to purchase the air packs from the Fischer Scientific Company to city council during the Jan. 28 meeting but received a more competitive offer from MES shortly after.

The process was shelved in 2008 following the financial crisis, Assistant City Manager Mark Reggentin said. It was put on the city docket again in 2016. Following Hurricane Irma, Duke Energy launched a program targeting areas that were more susceptible to power outages and qualified a part Greenwood Gardens, which funded nearly $170,000 of the underground costs. The city of Maitland also has contributed $500,000 to this project to pay contractors up front to install the underground electrical system and have property owners pay back the amount over time. The city has begun writing checks for the project, Reggentin said. CONSERVATION WETLANDS

The council classified a donated parcel of Howell Branch wetlands as conservation land at its Monday night meeting. The 3.38-acre package of land — donated by the city of Winter Park — is adjacent to wetlands that are already owned by the city of Maitland and classified as environmental land. The Maitland charter’s Maitland Heritage Land classification covers lands whose use promotes the environmental, recreational, cultural and aesthetic character of the city. The classification will not restrict recreational activities if walking trails in the wetlands are considered in the future.

Redlick colleagues organize fundraiser for his children The fund launched the same day a judge ordered Danielle Redlick to be held without bond. TIM FREED ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Former colleagues of Michael Redlick, the University of Central Florida executive who was slain in his Winter Park home last month, have organized a college scholarship fund on GoFundMe for Redlick’s two surviving children. Last week, Winter Park Police Department investigators arrested Redlick’s wife, Danielle Redlick, 45, and charged her with seconddegree murder with a weapon and tampering with evidence. She made her first court appearance Feb. 7, and a judge ordered her to

SCHOLARSHIP FUND The scholarship fund is available at bit.ly/2StOy3V.

be held with no bond and barred her from any unsupervised contact with her children. Danielle Redlick’s arrest came less than a month after Winter Park officers responded Jan. 12 to the home at 1231 Temple Drive in reference to a deceased male. The call was made to police by Danielle Redlick, who told an operator her

husband appeared to have suffered a heart attack. She then told the operator they had an altercation the night before and that Michael Redlock had stabbed himself before she hid in a bathroom, according to a written account accompanying the arrest warrant. The same report states Danielle Redlick said she went to check on her husband but was too late. According to Danielle Redlick, she waited 11 hours before calling the police and claimed she didn’t call sooner because she was on probation and was afraid no one would believe her. Michael Redlick’s body was

found by police with a stab wound on the left shoulder, and officers observed Danielle had blood on the right side of her neck, lacerations on her wrists and blood on her feet. Police also noticed blood on the floor with circular marks made in it, as if someone attempted to clean it up. In a Department of Children and Families interview with Danielle following the incident, she claimed that the altercation stemmed from when she was eating a McDonald’s hamburger. She said that her husband took a bite out of her burger and spat it in her face before pushing her down to

Danielle Redlick

the ground. She reached for a knife to defend herself, but her husband managed to take it away before making “stabbing motions” at himself. Michael Redlick, 65, most recently worked at the University of Central Florida as the Director of External Affairs and Partnership Relations for the DeVos Sport Business Management Program.

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

A hero remembered TIM FREED ASSOCIATE EDITOR

henever the weight felt like it was too much to carry, you would find him there. In the cluttered confines of his workshop set up in his garage, Winter Park EMS Capt. A.J. Isaacs found solace in the sawdust. He crafted, shaped, smithed and carved for hours. The lathe, the forge and workbench were welcome distractions. It was his quiet place after seeing how fragile life was day after day on the job as a first responder, and Isaacs knew idle hands made the devil’s work — it was best to keep the mind busy by working on a new project. “I could tell when he came home from shift if he had a rough night or he was up all night or if he had a call that was really difficult for him to process,” Heather, A.J.’s wife, said. “I would tell him to come out into the workshop, because that’s where he’d be able to process things in his mind as he’s doing things with his hands. It ended up to where he just created beautiful things with it.” The Isaacs home has traces of A.J.’s creativity at every turn, from decorative wall art to vases. Today, the pieces of woodwork serve a far greater purpose than decoration — they’re precious memories of the man who crafted them. A.J. — a husband, a father of five, a Winter Park first responder for more than 25 years and a gifted craftsman — died unexpectedly in his sleep Jan. 30. He was 47. Since that day, the Winter Park Fire-Rescue Department has wrapped its arms around the Isaacs family and continues to reflect on the memory of a man who left an impression on so many others. A.J. joined the Winter Park FireRescue Department in 1993 as a firefighter, later getting promoted to engineer then fire lieutenant and then finally EMS captain. He also led the group that watched over the MARC-5 unit — a mobile area radio cache system for Central Florida maintained and operated by Winter Park first responders. Last year, A.J. and three other team members traveled to the Panhandle with the radio system for a 10-day deployment to rescue and aid those affected by Hurricane Michael. The team provided 911 and radio traffic for the entire area, supporting the rest of Florida Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 4 and anyone else who needed it. But above all his work as a first responder, A.J. was a family man first, Heather said. “He was incredible — he never took overtime while we were together, because he knew it was important for the two of us to have this incredible foundation to support his career and support my career and to raise the five children as a blended family,” Heather said. “He frequently told his guys and his gals to turn down overtime. I had one of the guys come up to me, and he said, ‘Every time I turned down overtime, I’d send A.J. a picture of me and my kids and say, “Thank you, man.”’ I know that he would want nothing more to be his legacy than to make sure the guys and gals take care of themselves and their families at home.” Heather said she and A.J. were fiercely in love, and that she was always with him wherever he went. She let him know that in many ways — one of which was

WINTER PARK/MAITLAND

Observer “If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.” Friedrich Hayek

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944 Publisher / Matt Walsh mwalsh@YourObserver.com Executive Editor / Michael Eng, meng@OrangeObserver.com Design Editor / Jessica Eng, jeng@OrangeObserver.com Associate Editor / Tim Freed, tfreed@OrangeObserver.com Black Tie Editor / Danielle Hendrix, dhendrix@OrangeObserver.com Black Tie Reporter / Harry Sayer, hsayer@OrangeObserver.com Associate Publisher — Arts & Culture / Jackie Fanara, jfanara@OrangeObserver.com Multimedia Advertising Executives / Ann Carpenter, acarpenter@OrangeObserver.com Terri Hope, thope@OrangeObserver.com Advertising Operations Manager / Allison Brunelle, abrunelle@OrangeObserver.com Creative Services / Tony Trotti, ttrotti@orangeobserver.com Customer Service Representative / Office Coordinator / Katie Rehm, krehm@orangeobserver.com

HOW TO HELP In lieu of flowers and gifts the Issacs family has asked donations be made in Captain Isaac’s honor to the Winter Park Firefighters Benevolent Fund. The Winter Park Firefighters Benevolent Fund is a nonprofit organization that directly benefits the men and women of the Winter Park Fire-Rescue Department and their families. Donations are accepted at bit.ly/WPFDCaptIsaacs.

Heather Isaacs remembers her husband as a loving servant, both at work and at home.

TO ADVERTISE

For display or digital advertising, call Associate Publisher Jackie Fanara at (407) 401-9929. For classified advertising, call (407) 401-9929. Our fax number is (407) 656-6075.

LEGAL ADVERTISING To place a legal notice for Orange County, please call Kim Martin at (407) 654-5500 or email to legal@businessobserverfl.com.

SEND US YOUR NEWS

the inscription written in Sharpie inside his helmet. “With all my love I send you off,” it reads. “Please be safe and know forever you’re my amazing man.”

Let us know about your events, celebrations and achievements. Send your information via email to Michael Eng, meng@ OrangeObserver.com. Mailed letters must be typed and include the author’s

LOOKING AFTER OUR OWN

Winter Park Fire Chief Dan Hagedorn said he always will remember A.J. as a progressive thinker. In a profession in which the unexpected occurs often, A.J. always tried to think of a better way to do things, Hagedorn said. “His creativity was off the charts all the time,” he said. “In addition to being a woodworker, he’d do different things different ways mechanically speaking. It’s easy to get entrenched in the way you’ve done things for so long. A career can go by doing it the same way. … It takes a creative person and a forward thinker to question what we’ve done or the existing procedure.” A.J. ultimately used his knack for creative thinking to make patients and responders safer in the back of ambulances. He was instrumental in the custom designs of rescue vehicles for the department — a standard that has since spread across the nation. In nearly all circumstances, a medic providing aid in the back of a vehicle was unrestrained. A.J. reasoned the rescuers should wear a harness and have their devices and supplies within reach. “(It was) even to the point where we angled the walls that, if we did get a side impact, our head would not hit a 90-degree wall,” Hagedorn said of the modifications. “It’s easier to bounce off a wall at an angle versus going right into one. A lot of forward thinking there. … On many occasions, our rescues were on display at trade shows, the biggest trade shows in really the country. Our rescues were there and people wanted to know everything

signature and phone number. Letters to the editor are subject to editing. Photos by Tim Freed

EMS Capt. A.J. Isaacs was a dedicated father, husband and first responder.

TO SUBSCRIBE The Winter Park/Maitland Observer is pub-

about them. We sent A.J. to those trade shows to speak on behalf of his design, so it was a pretty monumental thing.” Heather said A.J. was passionate about his support of legislation that would offer firefighters further protections with health care. “It’s critical,” Heather said. “They dedicate their whole lives and their bodies and their minds to serving other people, and the day they retire, it’s just supposed to be over — your time has been served even though they may have gotten cancer that doesn’t show up for years, and it may not be covered because of current legislation. “He wanted to do anything and everything he could to make sure that the people that worked in the fire service had the best ability to care for themselves and care for their families,” she said. A LEGACY OF LOVE

Heather’s attention now focuses on paying tribute to her late husband. She hopes to start a support group for firefighter spouses within Central Florida. There’s also a sketchbook full of invention ideas that A.J. kept over the years with the hope of someday pursuing patents. Heather said she hopes to see some of those projects through. She also intends to donate the tools in A.J.’s workshop to the Audubon Park Covenant Church so it can start a maker space for the community to use and take

classes on how to make repairs. Those worn tools will be put to good use once more. “When all this happened … I’ve already talked to the pastor — I thought that the best way to honor him and this neighborhood and this community is to donate his tools and his workshop over there to create that maker space in his honor,” Heather said. “(The conversation) started before anything happened to him. It was important to him.” A glimpse around the Isaacs household reveals a striking truth: not one of those projects A.J. fashioned in his workshop was for himself. A vase for his wife carved on a lathe. Ornate wooden biggie banks for his children that resembled P.O. Boxes. An urn holding his father’s ashes built from a Harley-Davidson motorcycle cylinder. A cutting board for a neighbor. Even an updated display of the retired firefighter badges hangs today at the Winter Park public safety building thanks to A.J.’s handiwork. The heart of a selfless servant showed not only through A.J.’s work as a firefighter, EMS captain and MARC-5 unit operator far from home but also in every last aspect of his life. “He was a servant,” Heather said. “He was a public servant and he had a servant’s heart — whether he was a father, a husband, a sonin-law. He was always about serving other people.”

lished weekly, on Fridays. Subscriptions are $40 per year ($50 outside of Orange County). To subscribe for mailed home delivery, call (407) 401-9929; email to subscribe@OrangeObserver.com; visit orangeobserver.com; or visit our office, 180 S. Knowles Ave., Winter Park, FL, 32789.

WINTER PARK/ MAITLAND OBSERVER

The Winter Park/Maitland Observer (USPS #00-6186) is published by the Observer Media Group, 180 S. Knowles, Winter Park, Fl., 32789. Periodical postage paid at Winter Park, Florida. POSTMASTER send address changes to the Winter Park/ Maitland Observer, 180 S. Knowles Ave., Winter Park, FL, 32789.

Observer Media Group Inc. 1970 Main St. • Sarasota, FL 34236 941-366-3468

Editor and CEO / Matt Walsh Vice President / Lisa Walsh Chairman / David Beliles Publishers of the

Longboat Observer, East County Observer, Sarasota Observer, Siesta Key Observer, Palm Coast Observer, Plant City Times & Observer, Ormond Beach Observer, West Orange Times & Observer, Observer, Winter Park/Maitland Observer, Business Observer, Jacksonville Daily Record, Jacksonville Realty-Builder Connection, LWR Life Magazine, Season Magazine

Weldon, Weaver meet at candidate debate Two candidates for Winter Park City Commission Seat Four discussed traffic, development and connectivity. TIM FREED ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Winter Park residents got their first look at two of the Winter Park City Commission Seat Four candidates as incumbent Pete Weldon and challenger Todd Weaver took the stage for a debate Friday, Feb. 8, at the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce. Both Weldon and Weaver responded to questions about topics such as growth, medical marijuana dispensaries, undergrounding power lines and the best way to spend CRA funds. A third candidate, Barbara Chandler, declined an invitation to participate in the debate. “My purpose in serving the city for the last 12 years is to keep Winter Park the special oasis that we all love,” Weldon said. “I started volunteering my time for the city 12 years ago. I served on the Tree Preservation Board, the Code Enforcement Board, Planning and Zoning under three different mayors and I was elected to the City Commission in 2016. I’ve proven my commitment to protecting our oasis.” Weaver spoke to his own experience and what makes him the best candidate. “I’m running, because I bring breadth and depth of experience and a unique skill set to the job,” Weaver said. “I have 40 years of

hands-on experience in many areas. I’m a UCF mechanical and aerospace engineer. I have a general contractor’s license, and I’ve been a developer. I have two successful ongoing businesses here in Winter Park.” The candidates were asked about what can be done to bring attractive development to the gateway entries to the city. “I’ve been working on this for at least six years and going back before that on P&Z, I looked at all our codes in the context of ‘What is Winter Park?’” Weldon said. “When we look at developments, we don’t want to have larger apartments — that’s why I led the effort to get rid of them. What we want to do is we want to develop around open space, just like Central Park and just like the Hannibal Square park area. I am a supporter of low-height, mixed-use projects — especially on Orange Avenue.” Weaver said Weldon takes more credit than he should. “Mr. Weldon takes credit for taking the R-4 designation out of our codes,” Weaver said. “Actually, that was done by public outrage over the Paseo and a few other earlier projects. He does point out that Hannibal Square and Park Avenue are very good examples of mixed-use development. ... But we also see mixed-use development all along 17-92 from Lee Road throughout Maitland, and I

Tim Freed

Candidates Todd Weaver and Pete Weldon introduced their platforms in their first debate Feb. 8.

haven’t met a single soul that likes that kind of development. Right now, we have no transparency on what the mixed-use codes look like. ... I believe we need to look ahead at traffic, at infrastructure and a lot of other things that go concurrently with raising our population and our density.” Both candidates were then given a question on which takes priority — undergrounding utility lines or undergrounding fiber optic lines. “They’re both pretty important,” Weaver said. “Fiber optics has the advantage of decreasing the chance of hacking from outside sources. Going forward, it also is the control device for the quiet (railroad) crossings. We can use it for coordinated signaling for our major thoroughfares, which I think we’re sorely in need of. All of those things can run concurrently — I wouldn’t place a priority over one or the other.” Weldon pointed out his track record of supporting the fiber optic lines within the city.

ONLINE The public can watch the full debate in a video posted on facebook.com/WinterParkChamber.

“I voted to invest $600,000 of our tax money two years ago to build out the fiber optic connections out of our corridors in order to initially connect our water/ sewer and electric control systems — exactly for the reason Mr. Weaver said, to provide added security and reliability to our systems,” Weldon said. “Down the road, there are lot of technological changes on the horizon. … I intend for Winter Park to be a leader as all those technologies roll out.” The candidates also addressed assisting the city’s senior population. “The complete streets makeover that we’ve done on Denning — it’s continuing now — what that does is it allows shorter crossings of

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

the traffic lanes, and that’s a good thing for slow-walking seniors like myself and Mr. Weldon,” Weaver said with a laugh. “Our downtown is lacking in some areas as far as ADA standards for wheelchairs and things like that. … There’s a lot for things we can do and piece by piece we can resolve it.” Weldon said it’s a difficult issue, and he has heard plenty of complaints from senior residents about their lack of mobility. “They’re scared to go out onto Aloma or onto 17-92,” Weldon said. “What we have to do is work more closely with Lynx, (which) has senior transportation services. I’ll be happy to study that more closely with Lynx to see if we can’t get more done in that regard.” In Weldon’s closing statement, he urged Winter Park voters to search for substance. “I don’t deal in platitudes and pandering — I am always looking behind the façade, working to understand and deliver tangible results that create value for our residents and for our city,” Weldon said. “I have proven you can trust me to protect Winter Park and make smart, responsible decisions on your behalf.” Weaver took a different approach with his closing remarks, reaching inside a brown sack at his side and pulling out a sizable red cabbage that he then set on the table in front of him. “I’m not only an engineer, I’m a contractor — I’m also a skilled welder, machinist, carpenter, plumber, electrician, stonemason, auto mechanic and harmonica player,” Weaver said. “I’m a bee keeper and vegetable gardener. I picked this beauty here this morning. If you’ll elect me on March 12, we’re going to have a hell of a victory party, and we’re going to have some really good coleslaw, too.”

292679-1

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

Dommerich students lace up for Chiefs on the Run 5K Maitland Mayor Dale McDonald welcomed arriving runners.

Wright Wanzenberg and Cooper Snelson were the first boys to cross the finish line. Betsy Ryan, girl’s first-place winner Melanie Hayman and Natalie Ferguson were proud of their medals.

ommerich Elementary School families raced to the finish line at the 11th annual Chiefs on the Run 5K on Saturday, Feb. 2. Hosted by the Dommerich Elementary School PTA, the 5K had students, teachers and families racing to win early Saturday morning. The event awarded medals to winners in each grade group.

Tony King and his dog, Maple, enjoyed the festivities. Right: Ivelisse Gotay and Alicia Thacker

Trey Fisher won first place.

— HARRY SAYER

Peaceful, easy feeling

Students weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty as they got to work planting the trees.

Students from the Jewish Academy of Orlando blessed the trees with a prayer.

ore than 50 students and faculty from three different faiths came together to celebrate peace and unity at the annual Trees for Peace event on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at Mead Botanical Garden. Children from The Geneva School (a Christian school), the Jewish Academy of Orlando (a Jewish school) and Leaders Preparatory School (a Muslim school) planted and blessed trees together in a display of harmony. The 16th annual tree planting project was put on through the city of Winter Park and the Multifaith Education Project.

Students from the Leaders Preparatory School had a great time at the event.

— TIM FREED

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that public hearings will be held by the City Commission of the City of Winter Park, Florida, on Monday, February 25, 2019, at 3:30 p.m. or as soon thereafter in the Commission Chambers of City Hall, 401 Park Avenue, South, to consider the following:

Wenxian Zhang archives & special collections, rollins college – and –

maurice o’sullivan

professor of english, rollins college

Free admission, please RSVP by email to rsvp@casafeliz.us or call 407-628-8200. 656 N. Park Avenue Winter Park, FL www.CasaFeliz.us

All interested parties are invited to attend and be heard. Additional information is available on the City’s website at www.cityofwinterpark. org so that citizens may acquaint themselves with each issue. “If a person decides to appeal any decision made by the Commission with respect to any matter considered at such meeting or hearing, he/she will need a record of the proceedings, and that, for such purpose, he/she may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based.” (F.S. 286.0105) Persons with disabilities needing assistance to participate in any of these proceedings should contact the City Clerk’s office (407-599-3277) at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting. /s/ Cynthia S. Bonham, City Clerk, MMC

299775-1

– featuring –

A Trip to Florida is one of the state’s earliest novels and, arguable, the first American coming-of-age novel (written almost 30 years before Huckleberry Finn). For nearly five decades, the handwritten manuscript was preserved but forgotten in an archive at Rollins College. Learn about how this important work of Florida fiction came to be published 150 years after it was written.

299434-1

Tuesday, February 19 6:30 recepTion, 7 p.m. lecTure

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF WINTER PARK, FLORIDA AUTHORIZING THE LEASE OF CITY-OWNED PROPERTY LOCATED AT 2525 CADY WAY PURSUANT TO THE TOWER LEASE WITH OPTION AS AMENDED BY THE FIRST AMENDMENT ATTACHED THERETO AS EXHIBIT ‘A’ PROVIDING FOR CONFLICTS AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

Lakemont dads, daughters share unforgettable evening

Claudia, 9, and Edgard Robelo had a great time at the dance. Right: Scott and Emani Mulbah, 10, cut a rug together at the Father-Daughter Dance.

Alexandra, 6, and Andrew Peet made some special memories together.

S Giselle, 6, and Elyze Lafaille were ready to dance and have a blast.

McKenzie, 6, and Steve Sherrill had a wonderful time dancing with everyone.

pecial memories were made on the dance floor as fathers and daughters from Lakemont Elementary School danced the night away at the Father-Daughter Dance Friday, Feb. 8. The special event had a winter wonderland theme with decorations and a DJ. — TIM FREED

Right: Zach and Shilynn Jickell, 8, were all smiles at the dance.

ONLINE

See more photos at OrangeObserver.com

RESHAPING THE FACE OF HIV SATURDAY MARCH 16 2019 6:30PM THE RITZ CARLTON, SARASOTA GALA CHAIRS : SUSAN MALLOY JONES TERRY MCKEE JAMES AMATO

299634-1

FOR TICKET AND SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION CALL: 941-366-0134 X10182 OR EMAIL: RSVP@CANCOMMUNITYHEALTH.ORG 299840-1

PROCEEDS BENEFIT

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

Best in class The Winter Park and Bishop Moore cheer teams recently both took home their respective state championships.

295852-1

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Winter Park High School and Bishop Moore Catholic High School both captured state titles at the statewide competitive cheer tournament Thursday, Jan. 31, and Friday, Feb. 1, in Gainesville. Both squads stepped up and continued their ongoing legacies of dominance, with Winter Park taking the Class 2A championship in the medium group category and Bishop Moore earning the Class 1A championship in the medium group category. BACK ON TOP

292473-1

Established in 1972 – we are celebrating 45 years of service this year.

You. Your Neighbors. Your Neighborhood. WINT ER PARK /MAI TLAN D

Obser ver VOLUME 29, NO. 26

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHO OD.

TIM FREED

De Sola showcased her ASSOCIATE EDITOR ballet skills alongside partner Max Cauthorn It’s cold backstage in the Linda on Saturday, June 24 Chapin Theater, but that’s fine. at the World Ballet Ballet dancer Sasha De Sola has Competition’s Gala Perto warm up anyway. formance, performing “Black Between a towering hallway of Swan pas de deux” from “Swan dark curtains just feet away from Lake” at the Orange County stage right, De Sola practices her Convention Center. craft while wearing a black tutu The 27-year-old knows the with elegant gold trim. Linda Chapin Theater and its She hops in place for a moment backstage well – she grew up before stretching her joints. Feet performing numerous ballet wrapped in silk extend straight dances there. She was born in out, carrying her entire body Winter Park Memorial Hospiweight on her toes. She flexes her tal and grew up not far away in feet up and down in a crisscross Winter Springs. pattern – her heels kissing the But Central Florida isn’t ground for just a second at a time. just her home, it’s where she The routine almost resembles discovered her passion for the pregame warmup of a profesdance. sional athlete, and that’s not far Flying into Orlando from from the reality of being a worldwhere she currently lives in renowned ballet dancer, De Sola San Francisco, the memosaid. It could even be an underries came flooding back statement. for De Sola. “We’re trained to make it look “It felt sort of surreal,” easy,” she said. she said. “I would train six hours a day “Just even getting on from the age of 11 on. … It’s dif417, it’s very nostalgic. It’s ficult on the body.” a really good feeling to be Later that day she would be perback.” forming in front of 2,600 people. But this isn’t just any audience – it’s her hometown crowd. It’s been four years, but she’s SEE BALLET PAGE 4 finally come home.

1601 Lee Road, Winter Park

(407) 644-2676

BY TROY HERRING

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

During Monday night’s City Council meeting in Maitland, the Council motioned and passed an ordinance to amend the Planned Development (PD) zoning district and Development Plan for an apartment complex in the city. After a presentation on the plan’s specifics by Community Development Director Dan Matthys, and Becky Wilson, who was representSEE MAITLAND PAGE 5

YOUR TOWN

Courtesy Erik Tomasson

MAYOR LEARY ELECTED TO FLORIDA LEAGUE OF MAYORS Winter Park Mayor Steve Leary was elected to the Board of Directors of the Florida League of Mayors for a term ending August 2018. The Florida League of Mayors is an organization for mayors and governed by a Board of Directors of mayors from around the state representing geographical districts.

Winter Park ponders banning medical marijuana dispensaries TIM FREED ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Winter Park City Commissioners are pondering their approach to medical marijuana dispensaries in the wake of Gov. Rick Scott signing the medical marijuana bill into law last week. City Attorney Kurt Ardaman does give cities the opportunity to gave the City Commission an ban dispensaries if they choose to idea of what’s next for the city of do so, he said. Winter Park during their meeting Unless the facilities are banned on Monday. The state legislation outright though, the city has no on medical marijuana preempts control over where the dispenany local regulations in place, but saries go or how many of them

FRIDAY, JUNE 30, 2017

The controversial ordinance will be ultimately decided upon on July 10. Professional ballet dancer Sasha De Sola gave a special performance in front of her hometown crowd on June 24 at the Orange County Convention Center.

Born in Winter Park, Sasha De Sola

is now a world-famous ballet dancer.

•

Maitland City Council moves unpopular apartment ordinance forward

Homecoming Dance

Caring for Winter Park’s Pets and Their People Since 1955

July Fourth area celebrations. PAGES 6-7. FREE

De Sola’s

Photo by Tim Freed

Will Winter Park ban medical marijuana dispensaries? Some City Commissioners think it’s for the best for now. SEE NOW PAGE 4

The general purpose of the League of Mayors is to provide a forum for Florida mayors to: • Jointly study and assist each other in solutions to problems faced by Florida’s municipalities. • Work cooperatively for the general improvement and efficient administration of Florida’s municipalities. • Promote the exchange of ideas and experiences in successful methods of administration of Florida’s municipalities.

Advertise or Subscribe Today! Call 407-656-2121

The recent championship in cheer marked a bounce-back effort for the Wildcats, who fell just short of the state title last year with a second-place finish behind Jupiter High School. That turned into extra motivation for the girls however, as Winter Park made a terrific showing in the finals this year with a score of 91.20, topping Jupiter and getting the highest score of any team in the entire Class 2A. “I am so excited for this team; we faced some fierce competition at the local and state level,

“I think this team is one of the best I’ve been on in all my years of cheering at Winter Park. We all just have this special drive and motivation to win and accomplish all our goals.” — Haleigh Collins

and it was a huge accomplishment for the program,” coach Angela Austin said. “I’m really proud of the athletes.” With each cheer team getting scored in a tumbling/gymnastics segment, a building/stunting segment and a cheer segment, the Wildcats knew they would have to come up big in their strongest area: the stunting, Austin said. “Our strength-and-conditioning coach does a wonderful job, and our girls are able to put each other up into stunts,” Austin said. “We’re able to just put up more people than some of the other teams. The other teams use three and four bases to lift up a girl, and we only do two bases. It comes across in the level of difficulty — we just throw more tricks than the other teams.” Senior Haleigh Collins was thrilled the team’s hard work paid off this year. “I wasn’t really expecting to win — it was just really exciting because we had worked so hard,” Collins said. “I think this team is one of the best I’ve been on in all my years of cheering at Winter Park. We all just have this special drive and motivation to win and accomplish all our goals.” The state championship marked the Wildcats’ ninth title in 12 years. It’s an impressive tradition of excellence, and it felt great to bounce back, Collins said. “I know after last year a lot of us were really disappointed, because we got second after having a six-year winning streak,” Collins said. “That kind of gave us even more motivation to win this year. We wanted to be back on top.” AGAINST ALL ODDS

Bishop Moore Hornets cheer team head coach Shannon Lambert said it’s safe to say the girls had a rough year — although the ending made it all worthwhile.

297055-1

TIM FREED

292521-1

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

Bishop Moore Catholic High School’s cheer team overcame numerous injuries to capture a 10th state title.

The cheer team went through a coaching change in the middle of the spirit season during football and suffered numerous injuries to start the competitive cheer season. Despite the challenges, the Hornets showed heart and worked hard leading up to the state finals, where they took first place with a score of 85.30.

It was the 10th state championship in the program’s history. “I’m so proud of these girls, because they did have to go through adversity,” Lambert said. “I was the coach that was there for eight years. I retired, and then I was asked to come back when they lost their other coaches. “They were going from being

Courtesy photos

Winter Park High School’s cheer team recently captured its ninth state championship.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

super close to their coaches to now having somebody who has a totally different thought process,” she said. “What was amazing is that these girls are super athletic. They had to start from a whole different coaching style, and they just absorbed it and went with the flow. It was just amazing.” So how did the girls turn a season around that was looking so bleak with injuries? Lambert said it was the girls being solid and stepping up to their role. “Alternates are valuable,” Lambert said. “Our very first day, we broke an ankle, and in our very first competition we tore an ACL, and she had a full knee blow out. Two competitions after that, we had a sprained ankle and sprained wrist. Then, we had a major concussion (for one) of the girls (who) stepped up. … This championship did not go unearned. I’m so proud of the team. I’m so proud of everything we’ve overcome. They just stepped up to every challenge.” Bishop Moore senior Olivia Veigle said the championship was a huge accomplishment — and something the girls will never forget. “There was a lot of challenges along the way, and in the face of all of it, each person on the team had an open mind and always just looked for that end goal,” she said. “For us, that end goal was to be state champions again. We wanted to continue the legacy and keep it going. “For me personally, going out with a win was huge as being a senior on the team after dedicating so much time to it,” she said.

WE OFFER EASY-TO USE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM

222 Neighborhood Market Rd • Suite 111• Orlando, FL 32825

407-776-3193 • www.SterlingHearingCenter.com

299626-1

*We carry battery free hearing aids

Sonja Dean

HAS, ACA, BC-HIS

299055-1

• We set ourselves apart by providing an unparalleled client experience. • We fit superior hearing devices that match your lifestyle needs. • Ask about our exclusive leasing program.

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

Maitland estate sells for $2,125,000 A home in Maitland

was among the top

Winter Park/Maitland/

Baldwin Park-area residential real-estate transactions from Feb. 4 to 8. The home at 149 James Place, Maitland, 32751, sold Feb. 7, for $2,125,000. Built in 2002, it has five bedrooms, six-and-one-half baths and 8,310 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $255.72. WINTER PARK 32789

The home at 1628 Elizabeths Walk, Winter Park, 32789, sold Feb. 7, for $835,000. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 3,699 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $225.74.

eragrizzard.com

The home at 149 James Place, Maitland, 32751, sold Feb. 7, for $2,125,000. The first floor features the master suite with sitting area and views of the lake, his and hers walk-in closets, a master bath with his and hers private toilets, a Jacuzzi tub and large walk-in shower.

The townhouse at 1134 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Winter Park, 32789, sold Feb. 8, for $736,000. Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,422 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $303.88.

The condo at 250 Carolina Ave. No. 302B, Winter Park, 32789, sold Feb. 4, for $350,000. Built in 1982, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,350 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $259.26.

The home at 1323 S. Denning Drive, Winter Park, 32789, sold Feb. 4, for $485,000. Built in 1950, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,265 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $214.13.

The home at 1545 Indiana Ave., Winter Park, 32789, sold Feb. 7, for $296,000. Built in 2005, it has three bedrooms, two-andone-half baths and 1,419 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $208.60.

Serving Winter Park for over 12 years!

SNAPSHOT

Total Sales: 26 High Sale Price: $2,125,000 Low Sale Price: $104,500

The home at 1407 Pelham Road, Winter Park, 32789, sold Feb. 8, for $295,000. Built in 1954, it has two bedrooms, one-and-one-half baths and 1,371 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $215.17.

The home at 1921 Karolina Ave., Winter Park, 32789, sold Feb. 7, for $257,000. Built in 1945, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 1,230 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $208.94. The home at 2881 Sanbina St., Winter Park, 32789, sold Feb. 8, for $245,000. Built in 1962, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,128 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $217.20.

A private, personal training facility with one-on-one programs for busy individuals.

• 20 minute workout for busy lifestyle • all one-on-one training • strength training and nutrition • cardio room • private and non-intimidating environment

407-740-7750 elitestrengthandfitness.com

1312 Palmetto Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789

299043-1

REAL ESTATE

10A

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

11A

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

YourObserver.com

WinterJune Park/Maitland Observer reserves the right to classify and edit copy, or Friday, 9, 2017 Friday, June 9, 2017

INFO & RATES: 407-401-9929 Announcements EMAIL: lrubio@orangeobserver.com RETIRED COUPLE providing personal services for HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 8:30am-4:30pm individual needs. References available. 407-491DEADLINES: Classified - Monday at 10:00AM • PAYMENT: Cash Check or Credit Card. 2123 6/16fb

Announcements RETIRED COUPLE providing personal services for individual needs. References available. 407-4912123 6/16fb

Announcements

realtor.com

The home at 2262 Smiley Ave., Winter Park, 32792, sold Feb. 4, for $325,000. Built in 1959, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,753 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $185.40. The home at 2272 Nairn Drive, Winter Park, 32792, sold Feb. 7, for $300,000. Built in 1973, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,064 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $145.35. The home at 2225 Coldstream Drive, Winter Park, 32792, sold Feb. 8, for $270,000. Built in 1958, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,527 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $176.82. The home at 1810 Willow Lane, Winter Park, 32792, sold Feb. 6, for $269,125. Built in 1958, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,420 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $189.52. The home at 3329 Australian Circle, Winter Park, 32792, sold Feb. 7, for $231,500. Built in 1963, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,420 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $163.03. The home at 5447 N. Woodcrest Drive, Winter Park, 32792, sold Feb. 4, for $213,000. Built in 1977, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,216 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $175.16.

The condo at 5168 Lazy Oaks Drive, Winter Park, 32792, sold Feb. 5, for $155,000. Built in 1984, it has two bedrooms, two-andone-half baths and 1,236 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $125.40.

243 W. Park Avenue, Winter Park www.KellyPriceAndCompany.com

OPEN HOUSE

1306 S PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, WINTER PARK, FL 32789 $245,000 2 Bed 1 Bath 830 SF The Bagby Team 407-620-8868

SATURDAY 2-4

3818 Inwood Landing Court, Orlando 4 BR | 3 BA | 3,427 SF | $515,000 Traditional pool home in Conway area

1566 N CAROLWOOD BLVD., FERN PARK, FL 32730 $210,000 3 Bed 3 Bath 1,793 SF Olivia Maxwell + Julie Dalessandro 407-222-4440

SATURDAY 2-4

1725 Spruce Avenue, Winter Park 5 BR | 3.5 BA | 3,904 SF | $949,000 Custom-built pool home with beautiful woodwork

1700 LYNDALE BLVD., MAITLAND, FL 32751 $1,025,000 4 Bed 4.1 Bath 3,272 SF Wendy Crumit 321-356-8590

The condo at 4914 Tangerine Ave. No. 4914, Winter Park, 32792, sold Feb. 7, for $120,000. Built in 1973, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,058 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $113.42.

L I S T I N G S

The condo at 2936 Antique Oaks Circle No. 67, Winter Park, 32792, sold Feb. 8, for $115,000. Built in 1984, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,018 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $112.97. The condo at 256 Lewfield Circle, Winter Park, 32792, sold Feb. 8, for $104,500. Built in 1973, it has two bedrooms, two baths and 927 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $112.73.

MAITLAND 32751

The home at 195 Cherrywood Drive, Maitland, 32751, sold Feb. 6, for $215,000. Built in 1959, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,161 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $185.19. The home at 540 Lime St., Maitland, 32751, sold Feb. 4, for $157,500. Built in 2007, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,260 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $125.

SUNDAY 2-4

1110 N. Park Avenue, Winter Park 3 BR | 3.5 BA | 3,217 SF | $1,170,000 Elegant brick home in prime location

1440 SUZANNE WAY, LONGWOOD, FL 32779 $350,000 4 Bed 2 Bath 2,225 SF Kelly Maloney 407-310-5035

SUNDAY 2-4

261 SPRING LANE, WINTER PARK, FL 32789 $899,000 5 Bed 4 Bath 3,788 SF Patrick Higgins + Gwyn Clark 407-256-8690 2763 MEETING PLACE, ORLANDO, FL 32814 $1,395,000 5 Bed 6.1 Bath 5,272 SF MaryStuart Day 407-620-8683 8514 AMBER OAK DRIVE, ORLANDO, FL 32817 $459,000 4 Bed 3 Bath 3,257 SF Maria Van Warner 407-256-8066 1365 GROVE TERRACE, WINTER PARK, FL 32789 $947,000 4 Bed 3 Bath 3,159 SF Greg Vazzana 321-947-7218

860 Mayfield Avenue, Winter Park 4 BR | 3 BA | 3,576 SF | $1,149,000 Beautiful Spanish-style home This week’s Celebrity on quiet Cipher brick street answers

Puzzle One Solution: SUNDAYhow 2-4 -- the “I do the very best I know 1795 Greenwich Avenue, Winter Park very best I can; on 5 BR |and 5.5 BAI mean | 3,803 SFto| keep $1,595,000 doing so untilBrand the new end.” home with resort-style pool and spa – Abraham Lincoln Puzzle Two Solution: SUNDAY 2-4 “You don’t know 731 W.what Swoopeunconditional Avenue, Winter Parklove 2 BR | 1 BAa| child, 950 SF |you $325,000 is... if you don’t have don’t Remodeled home on large corner lot know what that is.” – Regina King

SUNDAY 2-5 1595 Harston Avenue,answers Baldwin Park This week’s Sudoku

2608 MEETING PLACE, #203 ORLANDO, FL 32814 $389,000 3 Bed 2 Bath 1,412 SF Mary Colton 407-222-7388

5 BR | 4.5 BA | 3,730 SF | $799,000 Spacious, pristine home with garage apartment

331 E READING WAY, WINTER PARK, FL 32789 $915,000 4 Bed 4.1 Bath 3,361 SF MaryStuart Day 407-620-8683

Continued Growth!

fanniehillman.com

WINTER PARK/MAITLAND

Observer

STAY CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY.

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

E-NEWSLETTERS!

TO ADVERTISE OR SUBSCRIBE CALL

Visit WPMObserver.com/eNews to subscribe! ©2019 NEA, Inc. This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers Puzzle One Solution: “I do the very best I know how -- the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.” – Abraham Lincoln

This week’s Crossword answers

Puzzle Two Solution: “You don’t know what unconditional love is... if you don’t have a child, you don’t know what that is.” – Regina King

This week’s Sudoku answers

This week’s Crossword answers

407-401-9929

2019

299063

The home at 1357 Sawgrass Court, Winter Park, 32792, sold Feb. 8, for $414,500. Built in 1979, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,971 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $210.30.

N E W

The townhouse at 3051 Autumn Court, Winter Park, 32792, sold Feb. 8, for $175,000. Built in 1981, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,266 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $138.23.

299302

32792

Homes For Sale

299854-1

The home at 1872 Biscayne Drive, Winter Park, 32789, sold Feb. 8, for $243,000. Built in 1959, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 969 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $250.77.

Open House

MAUSOLEUM FOR Sale: True Companion 2space, Glen Haven Memorial Park Cemetery, Winter Park. Crypt 76, C-level, East, Tranquility #6. $16,000. 407-330-9095. 2/22av

The home at 1628 Elizabeths Walk, Winter Park, 32789, sold Feb. 7, for $835,000. This home has 2,000 square feet of refinished hardwood floors, new carpet in the second bedroom with ensuite bath, a bonus room and a custom stairwell. There also is a pet-bath station in the laundry room with a long countertop, cabinets and a clothes-hanging area.

LV16623

to reject or cancel an advertisement at any time. Corrections after first insertion only. *All ads are subject to the approval of the Publisher. *It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in the Winter Park/Maitland Observer to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with town codes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property.

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

W EAT HER

12A

Dr. Stan K. Sujka, of Winter Park, took this gorgeous photo overlooking Lake Virginia and two fishermen. The Winter Park/Maitland Observer is hosting this weekly contest, and winners will have their photograph featured in the newspaper. To enter, email your photo, along with your name, city and a caption, to tfreed@ orangeobserver. com; put “I Love Winter Park” in the subject line.

I LOVE WINTER PARK

SUNRISE / SUNSET

FRIDAY, FEB. 15

High: 78 Low: 58 Chance of rain: 10%

SATURDAY, FEB. 16 High: 79 Low: 63 Chance of rain: 20%

Sunrise Sunset

Friday, Feb. 15

7:04a

6:15p

Saturday, Feb. 16

7:03a

6:16p

Sunday, Feb. 17

7:02a

6:16p

Monday, Feb. 18

7:02a

6:17p

Tuesday, Feb. 19

7:01a

6:18p

6:59a

6:19p

Wednesday, Feb. 20 Thursday, Feb. 21

MOON PHASES

SUNDAY, FEB. 17 High: 83 Low: 65 Chance of rain: 20%

Feb. 4 New

Feb. 19 Full

Feb. 12 First

Feb. 26 Last

RAINFALL Wednesday, Feb. 6

0.00

MONDAY, FEB. 18

Thursday, Feb. 7

0.00

High: 83 Low: 66 Chance of rain: 10%

Friday, Feb. 8

0.00

Saturday, Feb. 9

0.00

Sunday, Feb. 10

1.00

Monday, Feb. 11

0.20

Tuesday, Feb. 12

0.00

See other winning photos at OrangeObserver.com

YEAR TO DATE:

FEB. TO DATE:

2018 4.42 in.

2018 1.20 in.

2017 2.35 in.

2017 0.50 in.

299052-1

ONLINE

FORECAST

ACROSS

32 Back, at sea 33 Popular Belgian brew, 1 Go on incessantly casually 4 ’60s activist grp. 35 Goes easy (on) 7 One of 11 for “Titanic” 37 “Minecraft” tools 12 Few and far between 40 Stay true to 18 Letter-shaped joint 42 Very, musically 19 Tailor’s line 43 Release, as classified 20 Appliance brand info 21 Esoteric 22 She tries to raise a star 44 Insta upload 25 Constitution’s approval 45 Enter quickly 47 Basic skateboard trick process 27 Speech about oneself 51 Mr. ‘iggins 52 Old-timey OMG 29 Criminal flight 54 Pelted biblically 30 Be nosy 56 Charged particles 31 ___ Fields cookies

57 Rapids boat 59 Defendant’s excuse 61 Eye drop? 62 Old pal 63 Work from home? 65 Common Vietnamese surname 66 Upstate N.Y. school 67 Simplicity 68 How juicy bits may be acquired, or how this answer runs? 74 Be idle 75 Lower digit 76 Barking marine animal 77 “Star Wars” villain Kylo

78 Gillette brand 79 Sundance Film Festival state 81 PowerPoint part 83 Katniss’ “Hunger Games” chaperone 87 Attentive, and then some 88 Green film on bronze 90 Brooklyn 102-Down team 92 Goblins’ relatives 93 Kona greeting 95 Treatment 97 Bake sale grp. 98 Yanks’ foes

34 Always, poetically 36 Unpopular singer? (1, 4, 8, 10, 15) 37 Baldwin of “Still Alice” 38 Lucy Lawless princess 39 Bring home the bacon 41 Angel Stadium nickname 42 Ore locale (1, 4, 5, 7, 11, 14) 46 ___ link (spicy sausage) 48 Actress Lindsay 49 Occupied, as a bathroom 50 Salinger girl 53 Gossip 55 Comparatively arid 58 Punk subgenre 60 “___! Humbug!” 64 Build, or house 68 Amount to 69 Oprah’s company 70 Increased one’s paycheck 71 Hair goo 72 Reason for indoor recess 73 Letter-shaped neckline 74 Croft of filmdom DOWN 80 That guy 1 Huck Finn’s assent 82 Accusatory Latin words 2 Harmony singer’s voice, 84 Out of jail often 85 Long-range nuke carrier 3 Blueprint 86 To be, to Claudius 4 Perch for a toy elf 89 Require on the double 5 Sony submission 91 1600 is the highest one 6 Unhealthy air 94 Antivirus software choice 7 Galley propeller 8 Little shop champion (see 96 “___ out!” (baseball cry) letters 2, 3, 5, 6, 11 and 18) 100 Plant transplants 102 Lakers’ org. 9 It’ll cause a reaction 104 Be coy, perhaps 10 Jungian principle 105 Perfume ingredient 11 Brit. WWII heroes 106 “Nightcrawler” actress 12 Of religious rites Rene 13 Worships 107 Love, in Livorno 14 Bit of legislation 109 Date sites? 15 Director Sam 114 Rocky ___ ice cream 16 Nasal guffaw 115 Egyptian Verdi heroine 17 Tiny, informally 116 Key of Beethoven’s 23 Parental deferral (4, 6, Ninth (Abbr.) 9, 11, 13) 24 It has songs and dialogue 117 Seemingly forever (var.) 119 Absorb, with “up” (1, 2, 3, 5, 11, 12) 120 Bus. card no. 26 One may not have an 121 “That’s painful!” Android version 28 Takeoff guess (Abbr.)

CELEBRITY CIPHER

By Luis Campos Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

“Y KX NUL JLBE CLHN Y OZXI UXI -NUL JLBE CLHN Y DMZ; MZK Y RLMZ NX OLLS XZ KXYZT HX WZNYV NUL LZK.

–MCBMUMR VYZDXVZ

“NCD OCH’P FHCV VGXP DHKCHOBPBCHXJ JCTM BE... BZ NCD OCH’P GXTM X KGBJO, NCD OCH’P FHCV VGXP PGXP BE.” –LMSBHX FBHS Puzzle Two Clue: K equals C

99 Poet Poe 101 Make smooth 103 Cat image with a caption, e.g. 104 Italian sports car 107 Totes ___ (so cute) 108 Massage therapist’s workplace 110 Baton Rouge sch. 111 Existed 112 iMovie computer 113 Carrier with a maple leaf logo 118 “I’m relatively sure ...” 122 Show within “Home Improvement” 123 Honeymoon destination 124 Muse of lyric poetry 125 Humerus’ limb 126 God, in Genova 127 Movie cliches 128 Pepe who adores Penelope 129 ___ Moines 130 Landers of advice

Puzzle One Clue: J equals V

GROWIN’ DOWN by Jim Quinlan CROSSWORD YOU’RE Edited by David Steinberg

SUDOKU

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

2-14-19

ARTS + CULTURE

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

ORANGEOBSERVER.COM

Winter Park native Alexander Ferguson, front row, kneeling, has performed several roles as part of the touring cast of “Hamilton.”

Joan Marcus

Right-Hand Man As a youngster growing up in Winter Park, Alexander Ferguson spent time learning dance at Orlando Ballet School and later singing at the Winter Park Playhouse. He then discovered musical theater at Trinity Preparatory School. Now, he’s in the touring production of one of the most successful musicals in history.

299667-1

SEE STORY PAGE 6B.

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

ADVERTORIAL

299668-1

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

En pointe for Puerto Rico Orlando Ballet is set to perform “Bailamos!” at the Dr. Phillips Center, with 1,000 tickets going to families displaced from Puerto Rico by Hurricane Maria. TIM FREED ASSOCIATE EDITOR

IF YOU GO

A Latin-infused dance production with a touch of classical ballet? A local ballet company offering 1,000 tickets to a worthy cause? Talk about raising the barre. Orlando Ballet is set to hit the stage and bring the sizzle for its upcoming production of “Bailamos!” from Friday, Feb. 15, to Sunday, Feb. 17, at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. The show features a mix of tango, salsa and ballet that celebrates the diversity within Orlando Ballet and the Orlando area. It will feature music ranging from the contemporary to the classical — from the Latin Grammy Award nominee “I Love Salsa!” to excerpts from the classical ballet “Don Quijote.” “It’s a little bit of a challenge, but it makes it fun for us,” Orlando Ballet dancer Daniel Benavides said. “It’s funny to see the girls doing salsa — instead of being in heels they have pointe shoes. They play it off though; they do (well).” The performance is a testament to the talent of the Orlando Ballet dancers, who are well-versed in numerous styles, Orlando Bal-

“BAILAMOS!” WHEN: 7:30 p.m Friday, Feb. 15; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17 WHERE: Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave., Orlando TICKETS: drphillipscenter.org/events/ tickets/2019/bailamos/ or call the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts box office at (844) 5132014. FREE TICKETS: Tickets for the 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, show are now being offered to individuals and families who were displaced from Puerto Rico by Hurricane Maria. Those eligible for tickets to “Bailamos!” can call the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration for more information at (407) 776-9000.

let Artistic Director Robert Hill said. Audience members can also expect orchestral music by Mexican composers like Tomás Méndez and excepts from the ballet “Ojala,” which consists of music by singer Chavela Vargas. “I really wanted to show a sort of cross section of the types of styles and genres that we can execute well,” Hill said. Many Orlando Ballet dancers hail from countries like Columbia, Cuba, Brazil and Mexico as well, setting the stage for a beautiful celebration of the diversity within the company and the community, Orlando Ballet Executive Director Shane Jewell said. “It is such a fun evening of passionate music and dance,” he said. Hill selected “Bailamos!” to bring a vibrant performance to his 10th anniversary season — he created several of the works when he was artistic director of Ballet de Monterrey in Mexico. “I think there’s a lot of contemporary dance that is done by classically trained ballet dancers,” Hill said. “I directed a company in Monterrey, Mexico for five years before I came here, so I have a whole list of these choreographies that I did while I was there.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

The Hispanic community here in Orlando is very prominent and it just made sense after I did “Bailamos!” the first time in 2010.” On top of the extravagant production, the Orlando Ballet is welcoming some very special guests to its Saturday matinee show. The dance company is partnering with the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to offer 1,000 free tickets to individuals and families that were displaced from Puerto Rico by Hurricane Maria. “I think it’s amazing,” Hill said. “That wasn’t the purpose of doing this program, but it just happened to be that we decided as part of my 10th anniversary to add this into the mix. As a result of the tragedy, it made sense for us to do this for humanitarian purposes and to give people an opportunity to do something that they may not be able to do otherwise.” “We’re not just a professional ballet company, we are Orlando Ballet,” Jewell said. “We belong to this community. Whenever we see a need or something we can help with … art has always been kind of an escape for people.” Hill added that another part of the production that makes it special is how accessible it is. “This can be your first time going to the ballet — you don’t need to know anything about ballet or dance or anything,” Hill said. “You will come, you will see very high-energy, strong dancing, strong choreography and you will go away happy that you came to see this performance.”

299713-1

OrangeObserver.com

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

THIS WEEK ALOMA BOWL’S KARAOKE IDOL FINALS 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15, at Aloma Bowl, 2530 Aloma Ave, Winter Park. The search is on for Orlando’s next singing star. The best vocal talent in Central Florida will battle it out for a top prize of $1,000 cash and the title of Aloma Bowl’s Karaoke Idol. Six finalists will sing their hearts out for the top prize Feb. 15. They will perform two songs, and a panel of local celebrity judges and the audience will determine the winner. First place takes home $1,000 cash, second place earns $500 cash, and third place wins a $100 gift card. For more information about Aloma Bowl, visit AlomaBowlingCenters.com. PAUL JACOBS 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15, at Knowles Memorial Chapel at Rollins College, 1000 Holt Ave., Winter Park. This Grammy Award-winner, called “one of the most supremely gifted organists of his generation” by the Chicago Tribune, unites technical skills of the first order with probing emotional artistry. This is a free event, and no ticket is needed. Seating is first-come, first-served on the night of the concert. Funded by Rollins College through the Faith Emeny Conger ’54 Visiting Organist Concert Series in Honor of John Oliver Rich ’38. For more information, call (407) 646-2182.

WINTER PARK’S WEEKEND OF THE ARTS Friday, Feb. 15, through Monday, Feb. 18, at select times and locations. Rediscover arts and culture in Winter Park at the city’s Weekend of the Arts, presented by the city’s Arts & Culture Alliance. Be inspired with extraordinary performances, unique exhibits and exciting events at more than 20 arts organizations throughout the city. Each day features a new and exciting cultural experience. For more information, call (407) 5993428 or visit cityofwinterpark. org/visitors/arts-culture.

SUNDAY, FEB. 17

BILLY COLLINS Presents ‘What Poets Talk About When They Talk About Love’ 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17, at Tiedtke Concert Hall at Rollins College, 1000 Holt Ave., Winter Park. Hailed as the most popular poet in America, two-term U.S. Poet Laureate and Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Winter Park Institute, Billy Collins, presents “What Poets Talk About When They Talk About Love.” Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the box office at (407) 646-2145. For more information and to buy tickets to this presentation at Rollins College, call (407) 646-2559.

Courtesy photo

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 20

‘MAKE MINE A DOUBLE’ 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20, and Thursday, Feb. 21, at The Winter Park Playhouse, 711 N. Orange Ave., Suite C, Winter Park. Popular stage performer Kevin Kelly premieres his latest solo cabaret, “Make Mine A Double.” Playhouse Musical Director Christopher Leavy will accompany on piano. Kelly promises an evening full of familiar songs and musical pairings that guarantees laughs, toe-tapping favorites and a few classic patron-pleasing drinking songs. General admission tickets are $20 plus a one drink minimum. Once sold out, standing-room-only tickets may be purchased for $10. Seating is limited, so advance reservations are strongly recommended. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. show. Call (407) 6450145 or purchase tickets online at winterparkplayhouse.org.

THURSDAY, FEB. 21

NEIGHBORHOOD MUSIC JAM 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, on Winter Park Community Center, 721 W. New England Ave., Winter Park. Join local musicians on the stage in back of the Winter Park Community Center for a fun evening of making music. Musicians of all ages, instruments and abilities are invited to make new friends and play a variety of songs — from pop to rock to blues to country. If the weather is nice, they will be set up on the stage out back near the splash pad. If it rains, they will move indoors. For more information, call (407) 599-3275.

SATURDAY, FEB. 23

DANNY BACHER AT BLUE BAMBOO 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts, 1905 Kentucky Ave., Winter Park. Danny Bacher is a fresh new face

on the jazz landscape. His clean, crisp delivery is reminiscent of the true greats in entertainment. An engaging stage presence, a smooth-as-silk voice and the gift of a storyteller all come together to complete this package. Add to that his saxophone prowess and you have one of the hottest musicians on the scene today. Cost is $20. To buy tickets and for more information, visit bluebambooartcenter.com.

ONGOING

‘AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ — THE FATS WALLER MUSICAL’ Through Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Winter Park Playhouse, 711 Orange Ave., Suite C, Winter Park. This high-energy all singing, all dancing revue evokes the delightful humor and infectious spirit of the American original Fats Waller. The production features 30 songs he made famous in a career that ranged from the Cotton

299049-1

FRIDAY, FEB. 15

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

HAND IN HAND: THE CREATIVE WORKS OF JAVIER MILLER AND GUSTAF MILLER On display through Saturday, April 27, at Crealdé School of Art in the Showalter Hughes Community Gallery, 600 Saint Andrews Blvd., Winter Park. This artistic duo met at Syracuse University and then studied in Rome, Italy, each with a lifelong love of creating works of art. The exhibition will feature their most recent paintings, sculpture, and ceramics. Sharing a home studio in Vero Beach or Stonington, Connecticut, Janvier and Gustaf support each other’s efforts through collaboration, critiques, and problem solving and exhibit annually at more than 12 locations along the Eastern Seaboard. The exhibit will be curated by Barbara Tiffany, curator of exhibitions. (407) 671-1886.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

LAY OF THE LAND: THE ART OF FLORIDA’S CATTLE CULTURE Through Sunday, April 14, at the Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Garden, 633 Osceola Ave, Winter Park. This exhibition will feature art and objects representing the culture of Florida’s 500-year cattle industry. A broad range of items will be exhibited, from handmade functional objects such as saddles, whips, chaps and spurs to fine art photography, sketches, paintings and sculpture. The exhibition will convey the excitement of the rodeo and cattle drive, the unspoiled beauty of Florida’s native scrub and working landscape, and a culture completely unique to our state. Objects and art on loan come from members of the Cowboy Artist’s Association of Florida, Cowboy “craftsmen” from around the state, private collections and the Seminole Tribe. This exhibition is presented by the Florida Cattlemen’s Foundation with additional support from the Florida Humanities Council. It is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays, with museum admission. For more information, visit polasek.org. ART CLASSES 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesdays at the Maitland Senior Center, 345 S. Maitland Ave., Maitland. Get help with techniques in this art class. Seating is limited. Cost is $16 per month. Supplies are not provided. For more information, call (407) 539-6251.

299921-1

Club to Hollywood and concert stages across the world. The show was conceived by Richard Maltby Jr. and Murray Horwitz and created by Maltby Jr. Tickets are $15 to $42. For more information, call (407) 645-0145.

Combine & Save. Combine

mbine & Save.

& Save.

things happen your home and auto insurance Good things happen whenGood you combine your when homeyou andcombine auto insurance ® Like$894.* saving Plus, an average $894.* with State Farm . of an average you’ll of have a Plus, you’ll have a good with State Farm . Like saving neighbor like me to help life go right. good neighbor like me to help life go right. CALL ME TODAY. CALL ME TODAY. ®

Good things happen when you combine your home and auto insuran with State Farm . Like saving an average of $894.* Plus, you’ll have a Good things happen when you combine your home and auto insurance neighbor like me to help life go right. Plus, you’ll have a good with State Farm . Like saving an average of $894.* CALL ME TODAY. neighbor like me to help life go right. CALL ME TODAY.

annual household based on 2016 national survey of new policyholders reported savings by switching to State Farm. * Average annual household savings based on*Average 2016 national surveysavings of new policyholders who reported savings bywho switching to State Farm.

1606205

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm Indemnity Company, Bloomington, IL State Farm County Mutual Insurance Company of Texas, Dallas, TX State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, State Farm General Insurance Company, Bloomington, IL State Farm Florida Insurance Company, Winter Haven, FL State Farm Lloyds, Richardson, TX

267340

Henry Wahl, Agent 417 S Summerlin Avenue Orlando, FL 32801 Bus: 407-895-5285 insurewithhenry.com

*Average annual household savings based on 2016 national survey of new policyholders who reported savings by switching to State Farm.

Henry Wahl, Agent *Average annual household savings based on 2016 national survey of new policyholders who reported savings by switching to State Farm. 417 S Summerlin Avenue Orlando, FL 32801 Bus: 407-895-5285 insurewithhenry.com

292095-1

1606205

299896-1

1606205

267340

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

“I feel the caliber of artistry, the whole thing is elevated. You’re around people in the peak of their fields doing the peak of what they do on a project that is, right now, the peak of musical theater.”

Courtesy photos

Alexander Ferguson has performed with the ‘Hamilton’ ensemble for more than a year.

Young, Scrappy and Hungry E HARRY SAYER

BLACK TIE REPORTER

very actor hopes to make it big. It’s just never a sure thing when it will happen — if at all. At 27, Alexander Ferguson is part of the touring “Hamilton” production, the historical hiphop musical phenomenon. “I feel the caliber of artistry, the whole thing is elevated,” Ferguson said. “You’re around people in the peak of their fields doing the peak of what they do on a project that is, right now, the peak of musical theater. It’s truly daunting to be mixed among those folks and trust your place in it all, but I’m finding, after a year, I could learn to trust that a little more.” But before he was a critical component of the most popular show in the country, which recently toured in Orlando, he was a theater student from Winter Park.

‘WE’VE GOT BROADWAY SHOES!’

Stephanie Ferguson Cromwell knew from her young son’s time at Orlando Ballet School that he

Winter Park native Alexander Ferguson is on the national Hamilton musical tour.

with a condition known to many college students — senioritis. The burgeoning actor said he didn’t try out for almost any plays or shows that year. Things took a turn when Ferguson was encouraged by his friend to attend an audition for a Denver rock production. The casting director for the show was also in charge of the “Hamilton” musical, and Ferguson received an audition invitation the next day for an Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr understudy role. Two callbacks and a dance call later, Ferguson found himself face-to-face with Alex Lacamoire and Thomas Kail, the original creative team for the Broadway production. The entire process took a little over a week. He officially joined The Angelica National Tour of Hamilton last March. It was a surreal experience that finally clicked for the Winter Park native when he was getting his boots fitted. “(This guy) traces my feet, writes ‘Hamilton Angelica’ and tosses it into a pile,” Ferguson said. “Underneath my name is a stack of papers from the entire cast of “Frozen on Broadway.” My name just got thrown into a pile with these people and I just thought, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re all getting shoes! We’ve got Broadway boots!” ‘PAID TO HAVE AN IDENTITY CRISIS’

If he wasn’t pushing himself as an actor in high school, he certainly is now. Ferguson plays James Reynolds as part of the Angelica ensemble full-time but understudies as John Laurens, Alex-

ander Hamilton, Vice President Aaron Burr and King George. There’s rarely a rhyme or reason for whom Ferguson will play any given day — he says it can be a gamble based on who is unavailable or sick — but the process keeps him challenged. One recent week had Ferguson playing John Laurens twice, Hamilton for a full run, James Reynolds all week and four shows as Burr. Although Ferguson connects the most with John Laurens’ goofball, class-clown character, he has to keep his mind open to assuming new roles. Much of his process is predicated on music. Ferguson has playlists set for each character that he listens to before the show. The “Jesus Christ Superstar” play’s rock music puts him in the mood to play Aaron Burr, while the basic “Hamilton” soundtrack keeps Ferguson fresh if he assumes the titular role. Between the tour’s eight shows a week where Ferguson is expected to fill in as one of several characters, it can become downright schizophrenic. “I can’t tell you how many times, in my first month or so, where I’d get up there and say, ‘Pardon me, are you Aaron Burr?’ and I’d be like ‘I honestly don’t know,” Ferguson said. “It’s like being paid to have an identity crisis.” ‘YOU’RE ABOUT TO SEE SOMETHING’

It’s been a little over a year since Ferguson had his first fitting for the “Hamilton” show and he’s just signed on for another year of performing with the cast. He had anxiety at the start of his time with the ensemble — he jokes he has a disorder called perfectionism — but has learned to trust himself and accept his position. And those anxious feelings usually evaporate when he walks out on stage. After all — the show must go on. “I walked out for last night’s show, put on some eyeliner for the first time and said, ‘I am going to do this,’” Ferguson said. “This weekend was truly one of the first times I walked out and went, ‘All right, sit tight people. You’re about to see something.”

had talent as a dancer. It wasn’t until a few years later she learned he had other skills, as well. “(Orlando Ballet staff) came up to me and said, ‘We may have a triple threat on our hands,” she said. “He asked ‘Have you heard your son sing?’” Ferguson Cromwell, who owns a photography business with her mother, Patricia, in Winter Park, signed her son up for voice lessons at the Winter Park Playhouse. Eventually, Ferguson gravitated toward musical theater over traditional plays at Trinity Preparatory School but admits he didn’t take his craft as seriously as he should have at that age. He attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York for a couple years before spending time working on a Disney cruise. Upon his return, he was struck

2019 OSCAR SHORTS Live Action, Animation, & Documentary Opens Friday! Visit Enzian.org for showtimes

Ferguson has had support from his entire family throughout his young career.

Midnight Movies: LORDS OF CHAOS Fri & Sat: 11:59PM

Reel Representation:

Diversity in Film Showcase The Third Wife - Sat: 11AM Life & Nothing More - Sat: 2PM Rafiki - Sun: 11AM • Museo - Sun: 2PM

1300 SOUTH ORLANDO AVE, MAITLAND, FL 407-629-0054

Music Mondays:

JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE: ELECTRIC CHURCH Mon: 9:30PM 292106-1

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida’s Chef’s Night

REAL BLACK

TIE

OrangeObserver.com

Dan Samuels

Nicole LaBosco and Kate Quinones

Alex Perry, KC Borjal, Angela Pittman and Ricardo Gilliam

Sylvette Wittmer, and Steve and Sharon Kirschner

he Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida hosted its annual Chef’s Night on Thursday, Feb. 7. Guests mingled, sipped drinks and enjoyed a number of meals made from the organization’s Spoon Full of Hope Line. Proceeds from the night benefited the group’s 16-week Darden Foundation Community Kitchen’s Culinary Training Program, which provides culinary skills to disadvantaged adults.

R E M M SUN GUIDE

— HARRY SAYER

Earth into Art THE FLOWERING OF AMERICAN ART POTTERY

Megan and Madelynn Scofield

Karrie and Nate Shannon

m mer ca o sum t e id u eg ty. e Coun ehensiv compr ities in Orang t s o m tiv The and ac

Summertime is all about fun and frolic! Kids are out of school and it’s the long break that every child looks forward too. But this long break can create havoc for a parent’s work schedule. More than 172,000 families in Orange County have children under the age of 18 living at home. Advertise your summer programs in the 2019 Summer Fun Guide, while parents are thinking about summer break and what their kids will be doing when school is out.

FILL UP YOUR SUMMER CAMP FAST! Call your advertising executive today! (407) 656-2121 advertisenow@orangeobserver.com

Now Open

morsemuseum.org

445 north park avenue winter park, florida 32789 (407) 645-5311 just a 5-minute walk from the sunrail station.

299880-1

299669-1

Selections from the Morse collection that provide a window onto American achievements in art pottery in the late 19th century, including the industry’s roots in Ohio and the key contributions of women.

PUBLISHING IN PRINT:

Thursday, Apr. 4, 2019 The eEdition will be promoted beginning Mar. 29

SPACE DEADLINE: Tuesday, Mar. 12

WINTER PARK / MAITLAND OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2019

the art of Florida’s cattle culture

December 11, 2018 April 14, 2019

polasek.org

297346-1

633 Osceola Avenue Winter Park, FL

298227-1

“Working in the Florida Flat Woods” by E. L. “Buster” Kenton.