W E ST O RA N G E T I M E S &
Observer Celebrating more than 110 years in West Orange
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. FREE
VOLUME 85, NO. 27
•
THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2018
Meet a mini Michael Jackson Caleb Brewer slides, shuffles and moonwalks as a young King of Pop impersonator. SEE PAGE 7.
‘SHEAR’ HISTORY Ocoee’s longtime barber says he’s not ready to lay down his clippers. SEE PAGE 3.
Winter Garden gets BurgerFi The gourmet burger chain will open its Winter Garden location on July 16. ERIC GUTIERREZ STAFF WRITER
West Orange County residents are about to have a new place to get their burger fix. BurgerFi is set to open its newest location in downtown Winter Garden on Monday, July 16. The restaurant will be located at 360 W. Plant St., Suite 101. SEE BURGER PAGE 4
YOUR TOWN
Amy Quesinberry
Larry Herrington engages all of his clients, including Jim Sills, seated, in conversation while he cuts their hair. The barbershop wall is a collection of first-time haircut photos and knick-knacks his customers have brought him through the years.
Winter Garden resident creates nonprofit to help kids with special needs Building Pathways, a new nonprofit in Winter Garden, caters to the needs of individuals with developmental disorders with the goal of teaching independence. GABBY BAQUERO NEWS EDITOR
For teens and adults with special needs, high school might not offer adequate preparation for the social demands and skills required of an independent lifestyle. Recognizing this fact, Winter Garden resident Patty Myers founded a nonprofit named Building Pathways. The nonprofit’s mission is to provide individuals with special needs hands-on training that can get them ready for life on their own in the future. Myers, the director of Building
Pathways and the former principal of First Hope – a program she initiated at The First Academy in Orlando that also helps children with special needs – just launched the nonprofit in June. But, being the mother of a 16-year-old with autism, it had been her long-held goal to create a valuable resource in the West Orange area for individuals who might need that extra push and guidance to make it on their own. “My son is my inspiration,” Myers said. “He’s about to be 17, SEE FOSTERING PAGE 4
Gabby Baquero
Patty Myers is the founder and director of Building Pathways. “A lot of these children have a great skillset, but it’s the social part that’s hard for them,” Myers said. “So that’s where I come in – I help them with the social etiquette required for that job.”
VILLAFANE COMPLETES BASIC TRAINING U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Christopher F. Villafane graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas. The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills. Airmen who complete basic training also earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force. Villafane is the son of Beberlee Maldonado of Winter Garden, Fla., and Francisco Villafane of Jacksonville, Fla. He is a 2017 graduate of West Orange High School, Winter Garden, Fla.