08.01.19 West Orange Times & Observer

W E ST O RA N G E T I M E S &

Observer Winter Garden, Ocoee, Oakland

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. VOLUME 86, NO. 31

YOUR TOWN HOWARD FINISHES BASIC TRAINING

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Building character Young Star Musical Theatre marks first anniversary. Page 9.

A senior year abroad U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Kavina R. Howard 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.

Howard is the daughter of Cina Howard and Kevin Howard Sr., of Oakland. She is a 2013 graduate of The First Academy, Orlando.

Man charged with seconddegree murder in Ocoee Jose Luis Chavez, 23, allegedly stabbed a man in an apartment complex off Wurst Road.

HANNAH SWAYZE NEWS EDITOR

Ocoee police arrested 23-yearold Jose Luis Chavez as part of an investigation into the suspicious death of a man discovered on July 21 in an apartment complex on Wurst Road.

SEE STABBING PAGE 4

Amy Quesinberry

SPORTS

Marli Watson returned home with many gifts, including a picture book from a flea market, a piece of the Berlin Wall, a painted rock she found and traditional German candy.

Olympian visits local gym 11.

Marli Watson has returned home to Winter Garden after a 10-month foreign-exchange experience in Germany. STORY ON PAGE 4.

Commission approves sale of downtown .19-acre property Developers plan to construct a threestory building on the property.

HANNAH SWAYZE NEWS EDITOR

Downtown Winter Garden will grow with the sale of another property.

The Winter Garden City Commission approved the sale of the property at 270 W. Plant St. to Crazy Plant Holdings LLC at its July 25 meeting for the price of

$423,000.

According to city documents, plans for the .19-acre property include the construction of a 45,000-square-foot, three-story structure, designed to look like three distinct, but connected, buildings. The first floor, which spans just more than 15,000 square feet, will be split — half for retail and half for restaurant

use. The second and third floors will provide 30,606 square feet of office space.

“Our goal is always to ensure that the architecture complements the historical architecture and doesn’t copy it,” City Manager Mike Bollhoefer said. “It’s very important not to lose our SEE PROPERTY PAGE 4

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YOUR CALENDAR

THURSDAY, AUG. 1

JOURNEY THROUGH IMMIGRATION RECORDS 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, at the West Oaks Library, 1821 E. Silver Star Road, Ocoee.

Learn more about your family’s history by using passenger lists, passports, alien registration cards and naturalization records. A brief overview of immigration laws also will be presented. (407) 835-7323.

PLANT CLINIC 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, at the Winter Garden Library, 805 E. Plant St. Take your plants, get your soil pH tested and ask questions. (407) 835-7323.

POKÉMON PARTY 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, at the Winter Garden Library, 805 E. Plant St. Calling all trainers

big and small — we choose you to party like Pikachu! Fun, activities and crafts are waiting for you. (407) 835-7323.

FRIDAY, AUG. 2

ART EXHIBIT OPENING 7 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, at Oakland Manor House, 620 N. Tubb St. The exhibit opening is hosted by curator Gaby West of Artscapes. The event is open to the public, with live music, snacks and drinks. Entrance is free, but RSVP is required because of limited space. (407) 614-8219.

PUPS, PINTS & PEEPS 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, at The Barrel Room at Crooked Can, 426 W. Plant St., Winter Garden.

Take the pooch to this dogfriendly event and enjoy “Puppy Hour/Happy Hour.” (407) 3959520.

SATURDAY, AUG. 3

KIDS’ END OF SUMMER CELEBRATION 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at the Winter Garden Library, 805 E. Plant St. It’s time to celebrate all the fun you had this summer.

Take your Prize Pass to enter

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the grand-prize drawing and see if you are one of the winners of prizes such as bicycles and tickets to local attractions.

Visit ocls.info/srpkids for complete rules. Ages 6 to 12.

TUESDAY, AUG. 6

CINÉPOLIS SUMMER KIDS SERIES 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6, and Thursday, Aug. 9, at Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas, 14111 Shoreside Way, Winter Garden.

Enjoy a special screening of “Minions.” Tickets are $6 and include a snack pack with popcorn, fruit gummies and a small drink. (321) 250-3580.

DATE NIGHT NOSTALGIA 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6, at Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas – Hamlin, 14111 Shoreside Way, Winter Garden. See “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” in this Cinépolis Handpicked series of cult classics and nostalgic oldies. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at cinepolisusa. com/home/cinepolis-handpicked.

THURSDAY, AUG. 8

WEST ORANGE REPUBLICAN WOMEN FEDERATED MEETING 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8, at the West Orange Country Club, 3300 West Orange Country Club Drive, Winter Garden. Guest Nick Adams will speak on political correctness “transforming the American Dream into a socialist nightmare.” Donations can be made to the Edgewood Children’s Ranch in the form of back-to-school items. Buffet lunch is $20. RSVP at rebeccatmellen@gmail.com or (407) 230-5968.

SATURDAY, AUG. 10

AAGHS: AFRO-AMERICAN HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the West Oaks Library, 1821 E. Silver Star Road, Ocoee. Members of the Central Florida Chapter of Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society will share information on black history, heritage and genealogy. (407) 835-7323.

AFTERNOON DELIGHT PIG ROAST 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Winter Garden

Elks Lodge, 700 Ninth St. Play games such as cornhole and “What’s in Your Pocket?”

Participate in a 50/50 raffle.

For $8, enjoy a pulled-pork sandwich, corn, macaroni salad and baked beans. Proceeds go toward the Elks building fund.

(407) 656-2165.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL CELEBRATION 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Winter Garden Library, 805 E. Plant St. Get a head start on the year and prepare your mind to learn with stories, activities, crafts and lots of fun. (407) 835-7323.

CUISINE CORNER JUNIOR: SNACKS 2 GO! Noon Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Winter Garden Library, 805 E. Plant St. Learn how to mix up delicious snacks for those summer road trips and long days by the water. (407) 835-7323.

DIY BACK TO SCHOOL 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Winter Garden Library, 805 E. Plant St. Make your gear the coolest in school with fun and useful crafts. (407) 835-7323.

IN STOCK NOW!!

Models include: Dump, Utility, Tilt, Deck Overs, Flatbed Goosenecks, Equipment, Landscape and Car Haulers!!

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Former Winter Garden Commissioner Theo Graham dies Graham was instrumental in creating the veterans memorial to honor residents killed in war and organizing the annual Memorial Day program.

AMY QUESINBERRY COMMUNITY EDITOR

Theo E. Graham placed a high value on service through his life. He served his country as a member of the U.S. Navy during World War II, served his church for 70 years and served the city of Winter Garden as a postal worker for 37 years and an elected official for 20 years.

Graham, a resident of Winter Garden since he was 8 years old and a 1947 graduate of Lakeview High School, died Thursday, July 25, 2019, at the age of 93.

Graham was born June 12, 1926, in Dodge County, Georgia.

Eight years later, his family was living in Winter Garden. After graduating from high school, Graham enlisted in the military and served a short time as a Navy seaman.

Upon discharge, Graham worked several jobs in Winter Garden. He delivered messages by bicycle for the local telegraph service. He was a volunteer firefighter with the Winter Garden Fire Department and, for a short

time around 1950, lived with his family in the upstairs portion of the fire station on South Boyd Street.

He pulled moss from the swamps and took it to local nurseries, which soaked it in water and used it to keep plants moist during shipping. Once a week, he and his family rolled, bagged and tossed the Winter Garden Shopper in the driveways of Winter Garden and Ocoee residents.

Graham’s longest career, however, was with the U.S. Postal Service, and he invested almost 38 years in the downtown Winter Garden Post Office. For close to 15 years, he delivered mail by bicycle — 12 miles daily — to the east side of town, and he knew all the residents’ names and addresses.

After 15 years as a deliverer, Graham was transferred indoors and worked as a clerk.

Religion was an important part of Graham’s life, and he was faithful to Vineland Road Christian Fellowship Church (formerly First Assembly of

Theo Graham was a Navy seaman in the 1940s.

God Church) for 70 years. He served on the Board of Deacons and was the church’s secretarytreasurer for 50 years.

It was Graham’s faith that led him to run for a seat on the Winter Garden City Commission.

His children said he thought the city leaders were making some decisions that went against Christian principles, and he wanted to have his voice heard.

He served a total of 20 years as a city commissioner.

“He loved his church, and he fought for his church,” said his daughter, Sherri Steffen. “He loved his city and fought for his city. If he believed in it, he fought for it.”

Graham also served on the Planning and Zoning Board, the Board of the Friends of Lake Apopka and the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council. He recently was the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the City of Winter Garden Pension Plan for General

Courtesy photos

Theo Graham was a city commissioner and longtime postal employee.

Employees.

One of Graham’s greatest achievements in the city was spearheading the campaign for a permanent veterans memorial to honor Winter Garden residents who died in battle. In 1993, a granite monument was dedicated at Veterans Memorial Park, on South Park Avenue, during the first Memorial Day ceremony.

Graham organized the program, arranging guest speakers, singers and wreath placers, for 25 years. Today, the monument has the names of 24 deceased residents, many of whom Graham knew personally.

In May of this year, Graham was in the hospital and doctors determined he needed bypass surgery. Graham agreed to immediate surgery on one condition: He had to be recovered enough to attend the Memorial Day program on May 27. If not, he would return for the surgery after the ceremony.

Graham was a longtime avid fisherman, and his family estimates he has fished every watering hole in the area.

Graham is survived by his wife, Daisy; two children, Larry L. Graham and his wife, Patricia, and Sherri Steffen and her husband, Gregg; three grandchildren, Ashley Steffen, Gabriel Graham and Tripp Steffen; and three great-grandchildren, Aiden, Eden and Colten Graham. His marriage to Daisy brought three step sons into his life: Paul, George and Sam Childers; as well as numerous grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 52 years, Mabel Jones Graham.

Funeral services were held Monday, July 29, at Vineland Road Christian Fellowship, in Winter Garden. Collison Carey Hand Funeral Home handled the arrangements.

Former Piercing Pagoda worker Oakland proposes lower millage rate arrested for fraudulent sales

The Town Commission set the tentative rate at 6.5 mills.

Jada Monet Wright is accused of stealing identities to open credit card accounts.

AMY QUESINBERRY COMMUNITY EDITOR

ERIC GUTIERREZ STAFF WRITER

A former employee of the Piercing Pagoda kiosk in the West Oaks Mall is being accused of making thousands of dollars in fraudulent transactions.

Police arrested 24-year-old Jada Monet Wright Tuesday, July 23, on charges of grand theft, obtaining property by fraud and fraudulent use of personal identification of 20 or more persons. She’s accused of making 31 fraudulent transactions totaling $34,998.21. That total represents 52% of Wright’s sales, according to Wright’s arrest warrant.

Wright allegedly used driver’s license numbers to open store credit cards without permission. A lossprevention manager with Signet Jewelers — the parent company of Piercing Pagoda — told an investigator with the Ocoee Police Department that Wright was fired for making fraudulent credit card accounts. The lossprevention manager then provided the investigator with a list of 21 different driver’s license numbers that were used in the fraudulent transactions. Additionally, the manager told the investigator that the company pushes the credit card accounts and paid extra commission for them, which may have been a motive for the crimes, according to the warrant.

It is not known at this time how Wright obtained the driver’s license

numbers she allegedly used to open the fraudulent credit card accounts.

The transactions occurred between November and April. Police were made aware of the fraud after the victims whose driver’s license numbers Wright allegedly used to open the accounts notified authorities about unauthorized credit card activities.

Some of the victims who reported the fraudulent activity were from Orange, Osceola and Nassau counties, according to the warrant.

Wright was working alone at the Piercing Pagoda kiosk for 26 out of the 31 unauthorized transactions she’s accused of making. The kiosk does not have video surveillance, and neither does the West Oaks Mall. A pretzel shop across from the Piercing Pagoda did have a live video feed, but it did not record, according to the warrant.

After a decade of holding the millage rate at 6.75, the town of Oakland is proposing to lower it to 6.5 mills for Fiscal Year 2019-20. Mayor Kathy Stark said this would move Oakland from the second-highest tax rate to the third-highest in Central Florida — and would make it lower than the city of Orlando.

Millage rates are the tax rates used to calculate local property taxes. The rate represents the amount per every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value. The millage rate is multiplied by the total taxable value of the property to get the property taxes.

The Oakland Town Commission voted on the tentative rate and set the tentative budget at its July 23 meeting.

Oakland’s budget is broken down into two categories.

The proposed budget for the General Fund is $5,203,548; the Utility Fund is proposed

IN OTHER NEWS n The Town Commission agreed to table a vote on the second reading of the proposed Comprehensive Plan amendment from Orange County rural to Oakland mixed-use activity center for two parcels of property along

at $2,489,630. Impact fees bring the budget total to $10,863,449.

This is the first year the individual impact fees were broken out and budgeted for projects.

The town-owned Oakland Avenue Charter School operates on its own budget schedule.

When preparing the budget, the town looks at reducing the millage rate while, at the same time, setting aside adequate reserves and planning for infrastructure projects.

Town Planner Jay Marder gave a presentation at the meeting with a breakdown of the more significant points in the proposed budget.

In the General Fund, property values have increased by 24%, the funding for Orange County Fire Rescue increased by $120,508, and the town expects to lease new police vehicles. The General Fund also includes a new full-time construction inspector position to replace a part-time West Colonial Drive. The applicant, Gary English, requested the vote be tabled, and the commission granted it be tabled until the Sept. 24 meeting. The first reading was denied at an earlier meeting. n Commissioners approved a separate mental health

position, funding for a maximum 3% salary increase for staff and increased funding for the Oakland Nature Preserve.

Reserves for the General Fund are estimated at $240,308.

The Utility Fund includes a 5% projected increase in water revenue, state funding for the next phase of the wastewater project, funding for a new utility vehicle, funding for a maximum 3% salary increase for staff and funding for pump replacement.

Reserves for the Utility Fund are estimated at $962,751.

Impact fee expenses include wa te r- sys te m ca pa c i ty improvements at several locations, improvements to Speer Park, the Oakland Avenue roundabout, transportation study and design, and property acquisition.

Budget public hearings are set for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9, and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24.

plan for Oakland Avenue Charter School at a cost of $13,139. Last year, the school participated in Orange County Public Schools’ district mental health plan, which required forfeiture of the funding allocation.

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019

A German immersion AMY QUESINBERRY COMMUNITY EDITOR

Marli Watson has shared her family with foreign-exchange students for most of her life — but in her most recent experience, it was her turn to serve as the exchange student.

Watson has returned home to Winter Garden following a 10-month stay in Germany through the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange. She said the experience made her realize her own capabilities and left her with a desire to learn more about international relations.

“I have become so much more confident since I left,” Watson said. “I went to a country without speaking the language and turned it into a life-changing experience.

I pushed through all the difficulties you experience when you don’t know the language. … It makes you more sympathetic to foreign-exchange students.”

LEARNING A LANGUAGE

The homeschooled high-school senior began her 10 months abroad with a language camp held in a German castle. There, they took a series of German classes with native speakers. “(In) the language camp, we did a lot of cultural activities, like workshops,” she said. “We were taught about culture shock and things we might encounter during

the year — how to deal with host families … even what to do with our trash and how to recycle.”

Watson had two host families during her stay, and both lived in northern Germany near Hamburg and right outside Bremen.

She said she formed a close relationship with her first host mother, Inga Leymann, and her daughter. In December, Watson moved in with another host family — Tanja and Jens Wigger — in the same neighborhood, but continued to have lunch weekly at Leymann’s house.

With the Wigger family, Watson had her share of chores, including washing her clothes and hanging them in the living room to dry and walking Diego, the family dog.

Family activities were part of the routine, too, she said. They attended a small-town festival, regularly ate dinner together and shared their favorite movies.

Her school was one train station stop away in the city of Verden.

“Everything was in German, and that was difficult for me,” she said.

“I couldn’t participate very much because of that … I had to concentrate on learning as much as I could.”

Foreign-exchange programs are popular in Germany, and her school had numerous students from other countries. She said she formed a close friendship with them because they all had cultural differences in common.

She spent a great deal of time reading, too, and one of her favorite books is “Outlander,” which took place in Scotland. She took a four-day trip to the Highlands, Inverness and Edinburgh, visiting the book’s battlefields and other sites.

Another excursion took her to The Netherlands.

While in Dusseldorf, Watson was able to meet up with an exchange student who lived with her family about a decade ago.

“That’s one of the greatest things about foreign-exchange students — you make friends all over the world and it’s fun to reconnect,” she said.

She participated in a Fridays for Future protest, an ongoing weekly student strike against climate change.

Watson is one of 250 students from the United States selected for the U.S. State Department scholarship through the CongressBundestag Youth Exchange. At the Bundestag (federal parliament), she met politicians and had the chance to thank them for funding the program and sat in on a voting session while political decisions were being made.

“We got to ask these members of the political parties in German about the Fridays for Future protests,” she said. “It made me more aware of impact and I can make my voice be heard. … It makes

“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

you think, ‘How do you really feel about your opinions?’ … It was very eye opening. I think it made me more patriotic. You don’t think about what you appreciate about your culture until you’re away from it.”

Now that she’s back home, Watson plans to work so she can pay for college classes.

“My main goal is to be able to incorporate travel into my life, not just in terms of vacationing but in terms of living there and learning the culture and maybe doing volunteer work abroad,” Watson said. “I want to create a job that will allow me to do that, (maybe) an audiobook narrator.

“I sort of figured out my love of languages,” she said. “Learning a language in a year is like having a superpower.”

Watson said the CBYX program is amazing, “and everyone who can apply for it should.” For information on becoming a foreign exchange student in Germany, visit Usagermanyscholarship. org.

IN OTHER NEWS n Commissioners awarded a contract for in-line inspection and rehabilitation services to American InLine Inspection Services Inc., through a piggyback contract with Eustis, Florida, for $100,000.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

will become customers to other downtown businesses.

“There’s a critical mass you need in a downtown to attract more people,” Bollhoefer said.

“Many people think we have a lot of foot traffic — we really still do not have enough foot traffic to support a large retail business.”

The city also set aside an adjacent piece of land to create a green space next to the splash pad, creating a park and a “gateway” to the farmers market pavilion.

Bollhoefer said it will not take away from the farmers market, but enhance it, with the restaurant in the building activating the streets in that direction, making it more pedestrian-friendly and adding more green space to the downtown area.

Stabbing at Ocoee complex CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Jose Luis Chavez

Observer

SO MANY EXPERIENCES

Property, stormwater discussed character and charm.”

The property is located across from the American Legion and next to City Hall in historic downtown Winter Garden. The building will be located diagonally to the property recently sold by the city for the development of a 60-room boutique hotel. Bollhoefer said the contract for this property is very similar and even modeled after the contract for the hotel.

“But the key thing we need for the city of Winter Garden for our long-term viability, we believe… is to have some larger office space so we can target some of the middle-sized corporate headquarters,” Bollhoefer said.

Bollhoefer added that the city has been aiming to get more office space and retail into the downtown area to increase foot traffic for all of the businesses. He also pointed out that the people who work in the office spaces

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According to the Ocoee Police Department, officers responded to a call from Chavez’s landlord at 473 Wurst Road in Ocoee just before 10 a.m. that day. She told officers she received a text message from Chavez saying he had stabbed someone, police reported. She promptly called him and he said he was moving and would no longer be living in the apartment, according to police records.

“Hey dude yesterday a guy came into my room and he wanted to nail me so I killed him dude,” the text said, according to the

STOPPING STORMWATER

n Winter Garden Police Department will continue to provide dispatching services to Ocoee and the town of Windermere for another five years as the commission approved the renewal of the interlocal agreement with the two municipalities.

Co m m i ss i o n e rs a p p rove d $48,000 to fix stormwater issues plaguing residents of a subdivision off of Hennis Road.

Bollhoefer said residents are experiencing flooding issues in the subdivision between Hennis Road and Glenview Drive, where the stormwater swales have not been maintained.

“One thing that has happened is people have built swimming pools and they’ve eliminated swales — people have put fences in swale areas,” Bollhoefer said.

“There’s some fault on our part — our staff has gone out and actually approved permits for fences, not verifying how they’re affecting the swale system.”

He said city staff will have to go

in and adjust fences to repair the infrastructure to help the water travel to the nearby pond.

Bollhoefer said the city will increase inspections moving forward for permits to build pools, fences and other structures.

arrest affidavit.

Upon searching Chavez’s apartment, officers discovered the body of 40-year-old Rogelio Andrade Hernandez, who had been stabbed, according to police.

Chavez was taken into custody at a Greyhound bus station on John Young Parkway during the investigation on Monday, July 22.

According the arrest affidavit, Chavez said he was in bed when he woke up to a man he thought was trying to rape him, so he grabbed the knife he kept in his room and stabbed him. Chavez said he didn’t remember how many times he stabbed the man and that he “wasn’t thinking” at the time, the report said.

Chavez also said he and the vic-

tim had been drinking that night and had consumed drugs, including cocaine, according to police.

Investigators later recovered the victim’s van, which Chavez reportedly drove off in heading to a location near the intersection of Reba and Flewelling avenues.

A knife was found nearby.

“During the interview, at no moment or time did Jose Luis Chavez seem remorseful; he appeared as if he was not bothered at all by what he did,” Ocoee Officer Juan Munoz wrote in his report.

Chavez was charged with second-degree murder with a weapon and third-degree grand theft auto and is being held in the Orange County Jail.

n TD Thompson Construction will be paid $150,474 for rehabilitation of brick roads and curb replacement in the city.

President and CEO / Matt Walsh, mwalsh@yourobserver.com Editor and Publisher / Michael Eng, meng@OrangeObserver.com Managing Editor / Tim Freed, tfreed@OrangeObserver.com Design Editor / Jessica Eng, jeng@OrangeObserver.com Community Editor / Amy Quesinberry, amyq@OrangeObserver.com News Editor / Hannah Swayze, hswayze@OrangeObserver.com Sports Editor /Troy Herring, therring@OrangeObserver.com Associate Editor / Danielle Hendrix, dhendrix@OrangeObserver.com Staff Writer / Eric Gutierrez, egutierrez@OrangeObserver.com Multimedia Advertising Executives / Ann Carpenter, acarpenter@OrangeObserver.com Cyndi Gustafson, advertising@OrangeObserver.com Terri Hope, thope@OrangeObserver.com Creative Services Francesca Davidson-Di Fiore, fbannerman@OrangeObserver.com Advertising Operations Manager / Allison Brunelle, abrunelle@OrangeObserver.com Office Coordinator / Accounting Ashley McWilliams, amcwilliams@OrangeObserver.com

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019

From Gujarat to Winter Garden

Element by Shangri-la is selling imported furniture and decor from its new Winter Garden location.

MANAGING EDITOR

A new import furniture store in Winter Garden is putting Eastern artistry in the spotlight.

Element by Shangri-la started a soft opening for its new location on July 17, with a grand opening tentatively set for the first week in October.

The store sells imported furniture and decor from India and Indonesia. Ornate doors, intricate arches, weathered planks of boat wood and other materials are repurposed by artisans overseas into decorative wall art, coffee tables and book shelves. Handcrafted metal tools and trinkets, beaded chandeliers and woven baskets offer more subtle touches to a living room or counter surface at home.

It’s a business that owner Smita Patel hopes will draw customers who are curious about Indian and Indonesian culture.

“It’s exciting — it’s something new to the area and we’re getting very positive feedback from people,” Patel said.

Element is a brand that stemmed from Patel’s other business, Occasions by Shangri-la, which provides event decor for

weddings and other events that blend Eastern and Western culture.

Patel has been traveling overseas for years as part of her business. The company purchases and commissions many handcrafted items as decorative pieces for the events — customers started to take notice, asking if the items were for sale.

“I go to Indonesia and India for our other business, and we used to bring a lot of furniture and people loved it,” Patel said. “We were using it for events and we wanted to bring that sort of culture.”

“It’s exciting to see how they react to all of this.”

— Smita Patel

Back in October, Patel went to Indonesia for two weeks and India for two more weeks. Six containers later, she had a store full of items in a warehouse along West Colonial Drive. Patel runs Element alongside her son, Remmal Karamsadkar, and daughter, Rena Popat — also getting help from her other daughters, Tina Alice and Kamine Mehta, with some design advice.

Tim Freed

Owner Smita Patel, center, and her children, Remmal Karamsadkar and Rena Popat, are excited to see Element by Shangri-la thrive in Winter Garden.

All the items are authentic — Indonesian pieces primarily come from Bali and Jakarta, and items from India come from the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan.

It gives residents of Winter Garden and Central Florida a place where they can take a piece of culture and display it in their homes — regardless of whether they’ve traveled there or not, Karamsadkar said. “(It’s) importing culture … making it available,” Karamsadkar said. “What we want to do is tell more of a story.”

“That’s what we want people to see.”

Vignettes within the warehouse also give customers an idea of where the pieces can fit into

COMING

an existing design. A decorative piece of teak wood might not mesh within an existing home at first glance, but the examples help provide context, Karamsadkar said.

“Some people say ‘Well, that’s not my style’ when you see a whole warehouse full of it, but when you break it down in front of a black-and-white wall or a brick wall, you get to see ‘Oh, I can use it with modern. I can use it with a regular Macy’s sofa and I could have that one coffee table and it looks amazing,’” Karamsadkar said.

Patel said she hopes to gather imported items from other countries like Morocco, East Africa, Vietnam and Mexico in the future

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With Observer School Zone we will celebrate the accomplishments of the students and educators at all our West Orange schools and provide unparalleled coverage of educational achievements.

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019

RusTeak moving to new location

Eric Gutierrez

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RusTeak Ocoee staff members Jah-De Lawrence, RusTeak co-owner Brian Buttner, Taylor Boyd, Jessica deBeaumont and Cassandra Graham are excited for the move.

A new space for RusTeak Ocoee will be built about a mile away from the restaurant.

ERIC GUTIERREZ STAFF WRITER

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RusTeak Restaurant and Wine Bar in Ocoee is getting a new place to call home.

The restaurant will be moving to a brand-new, custom-built space that will be open by the end of next year.

The restaurant’s new location will be at 11077 Roberson Road, which is about a mile south from RusTeak’s current location in Ocoee.

RusTeak is a modern American, “polished-casual” restaurant that offers a diverse food, wine and cocktail menu. “(RusTeak) is a version of an American gastropub,” co-owner Brian Buttner said. “(We offer) a little bit of everything. … It’s a play on comfort foods.”

Buttner co-owns RusTeak with Jonathan Canonaco. They both attended the Culinary Institute of America in upstate New York, and opened their first restaurant, Teak Neighborhood Grill, in MetroWest in 2010. In 2012, they opened their second restaurant, RusTeak Restaurant and Wine Bar, in Ocoee as a 2,500-square-foot restaurant. In 2014, the RusTeak in Ocoee expanded to 5,000 square feet, and a second RusTeak location opened in College Park. That same year, they sold Teak in MetroWest. In addition to the two RusTeak restaurants, Buttner and Canonaco own The Stubborn Mule and the Menagerie Eatery & Bar in downtown Orlando.

“We both have a culinary background and a business background,” Buttner said. “Jonathan grew up in the kitchen because his father owns a restaurant. He was always in the

kitchen, (but) when he graduated from the CIA (Culinary Institute of America), he decided to take the front-of-the-house position. (For) me, where I was always (working) front of the house, I took back of the house. We wanted to see each others’ (work environments) where we weren’t as strong. We wanted to kind of jump in and tackle (those weaknesses).”

Buttner added that the current location of RusTeak in Ocoee is the only restaurant space where they don’t own the real estate. The restaurant owners are leasing the space of the current location of RusTeak in Ocoee, but that will change once the restaurant moves to the new location.

The owners purchased property for the restaurant’s new location July of last year. “(Reason) number one (for moving) is the real estate,” Buttner said. “We always have owned the real estate (for our restaurants). The only reason we didn’t own the real estate for the first time for the Ocoee location (of RusTeak) was because we were poor and we were starting Teak … and we used up all our dollars to open up Teak. … We just didn’t have the money, so we decided to lease.”

A house currently sits on the property, but it will be demolished when construction of the new restaurant space begins. The new restaurant space will be a two-story, 15,000-square-foot building. Constructing the new space from the ground up allows the owners to customize how they want it to look. It also allows them the opportunity to customize the space to further enhance the customer’s experience. Plans for the new space include a rooftop and garage bar and even an outdoor pond area for guests to relax as they wait to be seated, Buttner said.

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Ralph Johnson closing Ocoee business (1 BLK. OFF HWY. 50)

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When Ralph Johnson took a job as an auto mechanic at a business on Highway 50 in 1967, little did he know that he would remain at that location for the next 52 years. In the last five decades, he has had his own series of businesses at that location — just east of Marshall Farms Road on West Colonial Drive in Ocoee — and each one bore his name and offered customers the “like family” treatment.

“I can remember Dad towing people (who were) broken down or had been in an accident and would make them feel at home,” Betty Swackhammer, one of Johnson’s daughters, said. “He would try and fix their vehicle, offer them a meal or make sure that they (had) somewhere to stay.”

Ralph and Ann Johnson have decided it is time to close their business and sell the two-and-ahalf-acre property. The couple, who live on 26 acres in Eustis, are ready to enjoy their retirement years, but said they are grateful for the community’s loyalty for so long.

THROUGH THE YEARS

After working for someone else for three years, Johnson leased

the same property and went into business for himself, changing the name to Johnson and Johnson Auto Repair. At the time, the land wasn’t annexed into Ocoee, so the company had a Winter Garden address.

In 1974, Ralph and Ann purchased the property and opened a Buy Here, Pay Here Car Lot. Ann worked in the office. Weekly car payments were as low as $10. The Johnsons have sold vehicles to three generations of families.

“I can remember when I was little and they had the car lot,” Swackhammer said. “I would help my mama write out the receipts, and they were $10 a week. We did everything (manually).”

The Johnsons added Ralph Johnson Towing in the early 1980s and have been hired to tow for multiple agencies, including the Ocoee and Oakland police departments, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Highway Patrol.

The business continued to expand, and the Johnsons bought the property to the west in 1990.

Ralph Johnson truly was a family business, as all three of their children and five grandchildren have grown up there. Their son, Timothy Johnson, has worked there his entire adult life.

“Mom and Dad made everyone

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feel welcome,” Swackhammer said. “People would just come by and have a cup of coffee and chat a while. If anyone was ever in need, they did their best to help them out.

Another daughter, Patty Nape, recalled days at the business.

“Growing up at the shop, we all worked whenever needed,” Nape said. “We were always at the shop, even in our adult years.

The most impressive thing about my parents and the business is that anyone was welcome. All were treated like family, and they always put others first, especially our large extended family. They will be greatly missed in the community.”

“To my parents, it was more than a business,” Swackhammer said. “They were there to help others in need. They made many friends through the business.

They treated people the way that they like to be treated.”

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Ann and Ralph Johnson regularly decorated their antique cars for the Ocoee and Winter Garden Christmas parades.

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019

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Johnson has operated his auto businesses at the same location for 52 years.

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019

Logan Lindley, 17, helped mix a mold for Cadence Phillip’s face cast.

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The molds can later be used to make props, costumes and more special-effects makeup.

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Cadence Phillips, 16, sat patiently as her face cast dried.

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019

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Confidence coaches building character The women behind Young Star Musical Theatre hope to build confidence among their students through the performing arts.

ERIC GUTIERREZ STAFF WRITER

Young Star Musical Theatre’s first production was “Seussical the Musical” and featured 27 students.

raise their hand in school. They don’t have very many friends.

They’re so shy, always.’ And then they’re in our group and I could not tell you who is shy because they’re not shy. They’re confident. They’re strong. … It’s just so rewarding to hear when they step out the door that, in the real world, they are confident and strong and don’t care about what people think about them.”

The YSMT students are from all over West Orange County, but most come from Winter Garden and Windermere. When the program started locally, there were 12 students who signed up for its first summer camp last year. That number grew to 27 for YSMT’s first production, “Seussical the Musical,” in August 2018, and grew again to 43 students for its second production in January.

Lexy hopes that those numbers continue to grow.

“I have kids from all over,” Shepherd said. “I have kids mostly from Winter Garden (and) Windermere. I have kids from Dr. Phillips. I have kids who live by the airport. … I have kids from

Courtesy photos

Shmaine and Lexy Shepherd are the mother-daughter duo who run Young Star Musical Theatre in Winter Garden.

with the family business, Lexy continues her grandmother’s mission of enriching the lives of children through YSMT today, but here in Central Florida.

“A lot of my kids say that they never feel left out (and) they never feel like they’re not welcome,” Lexy said. “That’s really important because you don’t think of things like that until a kid tells you.

My mom always says that we’re ‘confidence coaches’ because parents will come up to us and say, ‘Oh, my kid is so shy. They don’t

IF YOU JOIN Those interested in joining the Young Star Musical Theatre for its 2019-20 show season can register in person from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Right Combination Dance Studio, 15497 Stoneybrook West Parkway, Winter Garden. Additionally, online registration is now open at iloveysmt.com.

Clermont, but (they’re) mostly from this side of town.”

As YSMT gears up for its upcoming show season, Shepherd is already planning out what’s next for the program. She’s working toward making YSMT into a nonprofit organization, and she’s hoping to have her own facility for YSMT in the near future. Eventually, she hopes to have another branch of YSMT closer to the east side of Orange County, like Winter Park.

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before Christmas break.”

Although YSMT recently had its one-year anniversary locally, the program has been around for much longer than that. YSMT was created by Lexy’s grandmother, Barbara Shepherd, in the 1980s in Los Angeles. Barbara created YSMT to enrich the lives of children and families through the magic of theater. In 2001, Shmaine took YSMT to Prescott, Arizona, and grew the program from 11 children to more than 100 within two years. In keeping up

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Lexy Shepherd has been doing musical theater practically her whole life, but she later learned that she preferred the behindthe-scenes work over being center stage.

“I grew up in my mom’s (theater) program,” Lexy said. “I was at every rehearsal, and I worked with my mom every day since I was 5 (years old).”

Today, Lexy, 23, runs Young Star Musical Theatre with her mother, Shmaine Shepherd.

The two Horizon West residents recently honored the theater’s one-year anniversary on July 23.

YSMT is an after-school, theaterarts training program for students ages 6 to 18. The program is open to students of all skill levels, as no prior theater experience is required to join. Students meet twice a week on Fridays and Saturdays at the Right Combination Dance Studio.

“From August through December, (our students) learn a show, and we pick a show basically around our kids based on what we think they’ll enjoy (and) what can showcase them all,” Lexy said.

“We don’t want to do shows that have limited parts because we like to make sure that all the kids are always having fun and always learning something. They learn a show in four or five months in the fall, and we usually put it up right

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019

WE ARE HERE TO SERVE YOU

WEST ORANGE OBITUARIES BENJAMIN SHANE WARREN DIED WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2019.

Collison Carey Hand Funeral Home is a proud fixture of Windermere and West Orange County. We have built our homes and reputations here.

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Benjamin Shane Warren, 68, passed away Wednesday, July 10, 2019, in Winter Garden, Florida, after a long battle with Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease.

Ben was born Sept. 5, 1950, in Benton Harbor, Michigan, to John A. Warren and Helen B. Warren (Palmer), who preceded him in death.

He leaves behind his brother, Edward A. Warren, and sisterin-law, Betsy L. Warren, of Winter Garden; and brother, Gary L. Warren, of Benton Harbor, Michigan. Ben also was very close to his extended family, including many nieces, nephews and cousins. Ben was like a father to Tommy Colburn of Kansas City, Missouri, and helped to raise his nephew and niece, Jonathon Warren and Elizabeth Allen, during their teenage years.

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Ben loved to watch baseball, especially the Tampa Bay Rays games. He was an avid dog and cat lover. His Celebration of Life was held Saturday, July 27, in Winter Garden, Florida.

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Danny R. Blevins, 68, passed away Saturday, July 20, 2019, at ORMC. He was born June 1, 1951, in Saltville, Virginia, to Ralph and Dorothy Blevins.

He lived in Sidney, Ohio, for more than 20 years before moving to Florida in 1980. He lived in Winter Garden for 39 years.

Danny married his wife, Vickie Sue Blevins, on Aug. 1, 1969, and they were together for 49 years before she passed away in May 2015. They had three children, Mike, Tony and Russ Blevins.

He worked for 31 years at Winter Garden Citrus Co-Op, retiring in 2009.

Danny was loved by his siblings, Harvey, Gary, Dave and Patty; his 10 grandchildren; and five greatgrandchildren.

Danny enjoyed spending time with his family and his dog,

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SPORTS

SOCCER

PICK-(ME)-UP

A love for soccer has led Real Winter Garden Manager Cristian Guare to put on pick-up games.

TROY HERRING SPORTS EDITOR

S

IF YOU GO WHEN: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays; 6 to 8 p.m. Fridays; 5 to 7 p.m. Sundays FORMAT: 11 v. 11 full field, regulation goals, first 33 players get to play AGES: 17 years and older COST: $5 per player

treaks of purple and gold flash across the soft, green grass of the practice field at Deputy Scott Pine Community Park.

Despite the stymying heat on this cloudless Sunday afternoon, the 22 players in their brightly colored jerseys run at full sprint and play with a bounce in their step as they enjoy a game of pickup soccer.

They’re just happy to have a place to play, and so is Winter Garden resident Cristian Guare —

the man who brought this whole thing together.

“I love the idea of just coming out — pretty much forget about everything — and kick the ball around and joke around with the guys,” Guare said.

Guare’s pick-up games at the park have drawn soccer lovers looking for a place to play from all over — including Winter Garden and Windermere.

In Winter Garden particularly, it’s been a hassle to find somewhere to get some playing time in, Winter Garden resident Bruno SEE GUARE PAGE 12

Nastia Liukin visits Gymnastics USA The five-time Olympic medalist visited the Winter Garden gym to share her gymnastics experiences and give advice to up-and-coming gymnasts.

DANIELLE HENDRIX ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Danielle Hendrix

Gymnasts enrolled in Gymnastics USA’s competitive gymnastics camp got the opportunity to meet Liukin.

It’s not every day that a five-time Olympic medalist walks into your gym.

But on Sunday, July 28, Olympian Nastia Liukin was greeted with cheers and applause as she made an appearance at Gymnastics USA in Winter Garden during the gym’s Brunch with Nastia.

For each of the five years that GUSA has been part of Winter Garden, the gym’s staff has hosted a free back-to-school event for its gymnasts and members of the community. Everyone is invited in for an open gym session, complete with raffles, games, music and food trucks.

This year, however, owner and head coach Zander Arthur and his staff decided to take things

up a notch. They wanted to do something special and bring some inspiration to their competitive gymnasts and the community at large. That’s when they decided to reach out to Liukin.

Liukin competed in the 2008 Olympic games and earned the all-around championship title.

She also is tied with Shannon SEE LIUKIN PAGE 12

HIGH

Devin Mendieta has fallen in love with martial arts through Winter Garden Karate. Page 12.

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West Orange High baseball’s Sam Brodersen announced his commitment to play baseball at Wingate University Sunday, July 28. The rising high-school senior will take to the mound next year for the Bulldogs in the fall of 2020.

2

The Winter Garden Squeeze saw its season come to a close in a 3-1 loss to the DeLand Suns Saturday, July 27. Centerfielder Justin Holmes would go 1-for-4 at the plate with an RBI single in the top of the second inning to score the Squeeze’s lone run of the night.

The Squeeze finish the season at 6-30-1.

3

The bats for the Winter Garden Squeeze exploded in a 13-4 victory over the DeLand Suns Friday, July 26 in DeLand.

Bobby Head led the way for the Squeeze going 3-for-6 with four RBI, while six other Squeeze players contributed at least an RBI of its own.

The Squeeze amassed their 13 runs on a whopping 20 hits throughout the game.

4

It was a big day for the Foundation Academy JV and varsity cheer squads as they each brought home second place at this year’s FCC Camp Championships Thursday, July 25.

5

Foundation Academy baseball’s Braden Holcomb recently was named to the NextGen30 All-American East Squad Tuesday, July 23. Holcomb, who will play at third base and pitcher, will travel to Forth Worth, Texas, to take on some of the best baseball players in America at the NextGen30 All-American game — which will be hosted by Texas Christian University.

12

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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SPONSORED BY MARK’S FLOORS

Devin Mendieta Devin Mendieta has dedicated most of his life to martial arts. As a member at Winter Garden Karate for 12 years, Mendieta has rose through the ranks and is now a second-degree black belt, also helping teach younger students who visit the dojo.

How did you get into karate?

Before karate, I was in afterschool care at my school, and then my dad found the karate school after driving by and then he signed me up in first grade and that’s pretty much it. I’ve been doing after school and summer camp ever since first grade.

THE BASICS

ORGANIZATION: Winter Garden Karate YEARS IN WGK: 12 years BELT: Second-degree black belt AGE: 18

What’s been your favorite thing about being a part of Winter Garden Karate?

It’s different experiences that you get from day to day — it’s always something new here.

There’s always new things to do, new things to learn — it never stops. You’re improving on stuff and getting better at what you do.

Do you have a role model in martial arts?

A lot — Bruce Lee, he is obviously No. 1. Donnie Yen, Tony Jaa, Jackie Chan, Jet Li — I love all of them.

What’s your favorite aspect of karate?

I love all of it. I didn’t like it at first, but then I grew into it and I love it all right now — I don’t know what I’d be doing without karate.

You said you didn’t like it at first; why is that and what made you change your mind?

I don’t know why I didn’t like it. I think it was because it was new, and — I’m not going to lie — I was lazy when I was little.

I didn’t want to start anything new, I was like, “No mom and dad, don’t put me in here … I want to go back to where I was before with my other friends.”

But then I just grew into it.

What would you say has been some of the best words of advice?

Karate has taught me a lot of patience, because there are certain times where you don’t get something right and then you get frustrated with it, and then sensei comes and tells me, “Be patient, you’ll get it over time.

Keep practicing, keep practicing and then you’ll eventually get it.”

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019

Is there a highlight moment for you since you started doing karate?

Probably my first tournament, when I was a blue belt. I was matched with my friends and I beat one of my friends, (then) my friend beat me and then another friend got first place. There were only four of us in the division. It wasn’t the friendly competitive stuff where you’re like, “Oh I’m going to beat you,” we were just having fun with it and it was just a good time.

What are your plans for the future? Do they involve karate?

I’ve already signed up for the Air Force — I’m going in January and I plan on being a pararescueman. Funny story — I have a fear of heights, but I’m still doing this.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Well, I like doing karate in my spare time. Since I’m a black belt, I have to keep up with my stuff — I can’t let these guys pass me, because then that’ll be bad raps on me.

Whenever I have time, I stretch, practice my kicks and I even practice with weapons sometimes.

— TROY HERRING

Athlete of the Week sponsored by:

Liukin inspires locals CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

Miller for the third-highest number of world medals won by an American.

Liukin has won nine world medals, and her Olympic medal haul includes one gold, three silver and one bronze. In 2018, she was inducted into the Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

The retired gymnast now speaks publicly, among other ventures, and uses her story to encourage young women to turn their own dreams into reality and inspire them to find their passions.

Even though she is retired from the sport now, her accomplishments continue to inspire gymnasts around the world — including those at GUSA. It’s why Arthur and his staff decided to bring her to their gym for a special Brunch with Nastia during the back-toschool event.

The brunch included a question-and-answer session with Liukin, who spoke of her accomplishments and bestowed some advice on the dozens of young GUSA gymnasts seated in front of her.

One of the biggest things she told the gymnasts was something her father and former coach, Valeri, always told her:

Even though it feels like gymnastics is everything, always remember that education is just as — if not more than — important, because it will stick with you the rest of your life.

It’s also important, she said, to find your passion and run with it. “(Gymnastics) was definitely something I loved and I had fun doing it and I had a passion for it, and I think that’s the most important thing,” Liukin said.

“For all of you, no matter if it’s gymnastics or another sport, you have to find your passion.

It always has to come from within.”

It’s a passion that has followed her even throughout her post-gymnastics career.

No matter where she is in the world, even in Winter Garden, walking into a gym feels like home to her.

“It was so awesome,” Liukin said of visiting GUSA Winter Garden. “Everybody was just so nice and I loved being able to come out today. My competitive career was over 20 years and I feel like I learned so much throughout those years … so I just love being able to kind of share some of the things I’ve learned and hopefully pass some advice to that next generation.”

Liukin’s advice on gymnastics and life in general stuck with 12-year-old Windermere resident and rising Level Nine gymnast Lauren Hartmann, who was awestruck at being able to hear from the decorated Olympian.

“It was insane,” Lauren said of getting to see Nastia. “I remember watching her on TV and seeing how good she was. Seeing her now has really inspired me to be better on bars and beam, because I know those were her best events. I just want to be like her and do as well as she did.”

That inspiration for Lauren to apply Liukin’s words of wisdom to her budding gymnastics career is exactly what Arthur and his staff hope all their gymnasts were able to take away from the experience.

“It’s very inspirational for our gymnasts, because every day you work so hard to be a successful gymnast — hours in the gym — (and) sometimes you forget why,” he said. “So when you have an Olympic gymnast come here and they share their accomplishments … you go, ‘Wow, that’s the reason why we’re doing this, all this hard work.’ It really does pay off. It’s good to show a success story to the kids, and it’s good for us to bring that value to them in person.”

Guare brings pick-up soccer to the community CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

Chionha said.

Chionha ventured out to the park with some friends after hearing that there were some games going on. It was something he couldn’t pass up — despite the hot weather.

“A lot of people here have been playing for years and years, and when you want to play soccer with a few boys, nothing will stop you,” Chionha said.

FINDING A HOME

Getting the pick-up games off the ground at Deputy Scott Pine Community Park was no easy feat for Guare, who had been wandering the proverbial desert for the past five to six years to find a home for this idea of his that was spawned from a need for summer soccer.

Having been involved with the Central Florida Soccer League for 20 years, Guare knew that once the season ended in the spring, there wouldn’t be any soccer throughout the summer months.

“During the offseason we were all wondering what we could do with our lives when there was no soccer,” Guare said. “We could have spent time

with our kids and our families, but that wasn’t enough for us — we wanted something more, so after I started my own team (Real Winter Garden) six years ago, I started looking around for fields.”

That would be the start of the frustration for Guare, whose games were jumping from place to place.

At first he held pick-up soccer at Ward Park in Winter Park, but he could only rent fields on the weekends or whenever available — it wasn’t consistent enough for Guare’s liking.

Then for the next couple of years, Guare would take his games further northeast to Boombah Sports Complex at Seminole County in Sanford. It was a solid location, but it was a decent drive and he wanted something closer to home.

“Here in Winter Garden, we never really found a place to actually rent and have organized pickups,” Guare said.

“We tried without having to rent them, but we always got kicked out, because you can’t have organized soccer without renting a field — even if no one is using them.”

Once Guare learned the hard way that he had to go through the proper channels in order to

rent a field, he waited three to four years before finally getting a spot reserved at the park.

STRESS RELIEF

Many of the players who make their way down to Windermere have played for Guare’s Real Winter Garden at some point in time, while others are new guys looking to take advantage of some simple, cheap recreational soccer.

“It’s relatively inexpensive, but this field is perfectly playable and the grass is not too long — it’s actually pretty nice,” Chionha said.

The pick-up games offer up a place for Guare and local players to let off steam after busy, stressful days out in the real world.

For Guare, who works as a nurse practitioner, it’s that need to find an outlet for stress that keeps him coming back.

“I think (everyone) must have as much stress that I have, because they keep coming out,” Guare said with a laugh. “When you grow up and the very first sport that you were introduced to is soccer … it just gets engraved. Then you use it not only as recreational, but also as a stress reliever — that brings it to another level.”

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019

CHURCH DIRECTORY

OCOEE CHURCH OF GOD Pastor Thomas Odom 1105 N. Lakewood Avenue, Ocoee 407-656-8011

EPISCOPAL

CHURCH OF THE MESSIAH 241 N. Main, Winter Garden Services: 8, 9:30, & 11am, 7pm www.churchofthemessiah.com

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

Advertise your Services or Events on this page weekly.

WINDERMERE UNION CHURCH 10710 Park Ridge-Gotha Rd. Windermere, FL 34786 407-876-2112 Worship times: 9:00am Adult Sunday School 10:00am Worship www.windermereunion.org

This page appears weekly in the West Orange Times & Observer and online at OrangeObserver.com.

To advertise in the Church Directory call 407-656-2121 or email AdvertiseNow@OrangeObserver.com

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

METHODIST

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 125 N. Lakeview Ave Winter Garden Service Times 9:00 AM and 11:15 AM Phone – 407-656-1135 Web: fumcwg.org

313517-1

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH 125 E Plant St., Winter Garden 407-656-2352 SUNDAYS 8:30 am Traditional 9:45 am Bible Study 11:00 am Contemporary WEDNESDAYS - 6pm - Awana Pastor Tim Grosshans www.fbcwg.org 2nd Campus: FOUNDATION WORSHIP SUNDAYS 9:45 am - All Ages Foundation Academy High School 15304 Tilden Rd., Winter Garden www.FoundationWorship.com 407-730-1867

CHURCH OF GOD

PURPOSE CHURCH OLANDO 13640 W. Colonial Dr., Ste 110, Winter Garden 407-654-9661 • Prayer 9:30AM, Fellowship 9:45AM, Service 10:05AM

MIKE YOAKUM PASTOR

STARKE LAKE BAPTIST CHURCH PO Box 520, 611 W Ave, Ocoee Pastor Jeff Pritchard (407) 656-2351 www.starkelakebaptist.org

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NOW ENROLLING FOR FALL! AGES 1-6 Enrollment for Ages 1 - 2 Begins September 1st

1 Overgrown 6 Went for enthusiastically 13 African antelopes 19 Composer Morricone 20 “Sweet Child O’ Mine” vocalist 21 50/50 wager 22 “Lethal Weapon” or “Rush Hour” (first word) 24 Folgers alternative 25 UCSD athlete (Neptune) 26 Back muscle, familiarly 27 Woodworking tools 29 Chucklehead 30 Kill, as a bill

31 Folk hero Daniel 33 Queen dowager of Jordan 34 Eighth letter 36 Actress Rachel of “Spotlight” 38 Quick chess game ending (last word) 40 Domicile 44 ___ center 45 Boost 47 Styx ferryman (Pluto) 48 Thin 50 Karaoke need 51 Dumpster smell 52 2000 stoner film (first word)

58 Sign of joy or sadness 61 Perlman of “Cheers” (Saturn) 62 Antsy 63 Chemical bond former 65 Arduous journey 67 One may ring or have a ring 68 Horace, for one 69 Lawn figure 70 See 6-Down 71 “Star Trek” helmsman 73 Corn ___ (Southern bread) 74 Job with wrinkles?

75 Far from ruddy 76 Match up

42 Neat 43 De Matteo of “The Sopranos” 46 Aloof 49 Joyful yell 50 High USAF rank 51 Start of a line by Juliet 53 Funds 54 Marie Antoinette, par exemple 55 ‘50s Ford flop 56 Religious law 57 Make amends (for) 59 Work event?

60 Make over 64 Singer Haggard 66 Security system component 69 Hot rum drink 72 Risky 74 Fool 75 Prefix with “phobia” or “bat” DOWN 77 Apt lipstick shade for a 1 Netflix domain scuba diver 2 Accustom (var.)

79 Airplane bathroom, 3 Break up informally 4 Inflicted upon 80 Asinine 5 “Walk the dog” toy 82 “What’s ___?”

6 With 70-Across, Taoism 85 Not in favor of founder 86 Hot spot 7 Blow up 87 Atop 8 Annual fact-filled book 88 College Board offering 9 For the time being 89 Kind of calendar 10 “Mazel ___!”

90 Lamborghini competitor 11 From Thailand, perhaps 91 Italian football club 12 Hot under the collar 92 Pie-mode filling 13 Days before holidays 95 Passed bad checks 14 “___ Miserables” 97 Hair removal substance 15 Mandela’s org.

98 “Do ___ others ...”

16 Kevin Durant, e.g.

101 Playground retort 17 Actual 103 Cowell on “America’s Got 18 Scary King Talent” 21 January, to Juanita 23 “Deal or No Deal” channel 104 Oak tree’s start 28 Cesar Chavez’s suit type 105 Question of ownership 106 Vicks spray brand 32 Propel, in a way 108 Father of Eros 34 Give it ___ (try) 111 Faris or Kendrick 35 Turkish lodging 113 Anguish 36 Feline plaint 37 Gunk that a kid may make 114 Suitable 39 Digital readout, for short 116 Code-cracking org.

117 One may be full of Natural 40 Guitarist Segovia Light 41 Historic German art school

100 “La ___ Bonita” (Madonna hit) 102 Financial guru Suze 103 Adages 107 End of many hotel names 108 Perfume oil from petals 109 Part of TNT 110 Martial art with slow movements 112 Free app that frequently prompts you to pay 115 New York Times headline from 50 years ago on 7/21/69, and a hint to five two-row arrangements in this puzzle 118 Served ice cream 119 “Insecure” actress 120 Like Eric the Red 121 Beliefs 122 Encouraging 123 Add on

©2019 Universal Uclick

ACROSS

MatthewsHopeMinistries.org | www.facebook.com/MatthewsHopeFirmFoundation/

78 Brit’s “Good job!” (last word) 81 Princes, e.g.

83 Multinational financial corp.

84 Italia’s continent (Jupiter) 85 Blazing 88 Popular show recorder 90 JFK overseer 93 Did an outdoor chore 94 His face appears on many masks (first word) 96 Steering wheel attachment 99 The Little Mermaid (Uranus)

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.

“GRC GS EPC EPZRFO EPLE ECJJCH LRK Z LHC GDOCOOCK YZEP ... ZO EPC KZSSCHCRBC DCEYCCR SLRELON LRK HCLJZEN.” –XCRR MZJJCEEC “VHTOYOHFP HJC SDC VEPS DEFCPS RCERNC OF SDC XEJNL. SDCK SCNN KEB SDCK’JC TEOFT SE ZEEN KEB HFL SDCF SDCK LE OS.” –UHVCP JHFLO Puzzle Two Clue: X equals W

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©2019 NEA, Inc.

SUDOKU

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

©2019 Andrews McMeel Syndicate

8-1-19

CLASSIFIEDS

are obsessed with ... is the difference between fantasy and reality.”

– Penn Jillette Puzzle Two Solution: “Magicians are the most honest people in the world. They tell you they’re going to fool you and then they do it.”

– James Randi

This week’s Sudoku answers

Thursday, August 1, 2019

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West Orange Times & Observer reserves the right to classify and edit copy, or 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 West Orange Times & 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.

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Includes up to 7 quarts of Full Synthetic Oil. Parts and Labor.

Service includes: Front or Rear Pads, Expires 3/31/19.

Not valid with any other offers.

Tax and recycling fees are extra.

WE BUY JUNK CARS WE BUY SCRAP METAL OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK • 8AM

MADE IN THE USA

CALL FOR YOUR FREE IN-HOME CONSULTATION TODAY!

Serving Orlando & Surrounding Areas

umShutters.com 407-415-7185 • OrlandoPremi

- 5PM

PAINTING

• All Engines $200.00 each each • All Transmissions $100.00 • Tires $15.00 and up • Batteries $25.00 • Warranties on all parts sold!

407-656-4707

ww w.b udg etu pul lit. com

302117

See store for details

Custom measured, designed, manufactured and installed by shutter experts.

FL 34787

301027

STRESS

FREE

179.95 Mercedes E-Class $199.95

4

$ 99/ sq. ft.

The best shutte The best prices!

With the best warranty!

Financing

$

3 Business Card Sizes to choose from:

/ sq . ft.

Tires and Alignments

Tune-Ups and General Repair

In House Towing Available

en, 881 S. 9th Street • Winter Gard

179.95 BMW 5 Series $199.95

3 59

$

...

s y In

WATERPROOF

AUTO SERVICE

$

Full LAMIN y In stall ATE ed F rom

. ft.

9 / sq

19

Fully Installed From...

301025

-FAMILY OWNED &

LV11098

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- BUSIN HERE’S MY CARD

301035

THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019

301014

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298995

22

OBSERVER WEST ORANGE TIMES &

PEST CONTROL

Color included on all ads!

Publishes every thursday, and deadlines Friday the week prior.

B:10” T:10”

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

S:10”

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2019

OrangeObserver.com

This is more than great rates This is more savings for wherever you’re going.

Platinum Savings Account

2.00

%

Annual Percentage Yield for 12 months with new money deposits of at least $25,000 and a minimum daily account balance of $25,000 or more1

Guaranteed Fixed-Rate CD Annual Percentage Yield for a 7-month term with new money deposits of at least $25,0002 S:8”

Enroll in a branch by August 30, 2019.

Business owner?

Ask about our business savings rates.

1. To qualify for the advertised APY, you must enroll your new or existing Platinum Savings account in this offer between 07/08/2019 and 08/30/2019 by speaking to a banker and requesting the special rate. Offer is subject to change at any time, without notice, and is available only to Platinum Savings customers in the following states: CT, DE, FL, NJ, NY, PA. In order to earn the Special Interest Rate of 1.98% (Special Rate), you must deposit $25,000 in new money to the enrolled savings account and maintain a minimum daily account balance of $25,000 throughout the promotional interest rate period. “New money” is money from sources outside of the customer’s current relationship with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. or its affiliates (which includes all deposit, brokerage and loan/credit accounts). The corresponding Annual Percentage Yield (APY) for this offer is 2.00%. The Special Rate will be applied to the enrolled savings account for a period of 12 months, starting on the date the account is enrolled in the offer. However, for any day during that 12 month period that the daily account balance is less than the $25,000, the enrolled account will not be eligible for the Special Rate and will instead earn the applicable Standard Interest Rate for a Platinum Savings account. As of 05/31/2019, the Standard Interest Rate and APY for a Platinum Savings account in CT, FL, NJ and NY with an account balance of $0.01 and above is 0.05% (0.05% APY); and for a Platinum Savings account in DE and PA with an account balance of $0.01 to $99,999.99 is 0.05% (0.05% APY) and with an account balance of $100,000 and above is 0.10% (0.10% APY). Each tier shown reflects the current minimum daily collected balance required to obtain the applicable APY. Interest is compounded daily and paid monthly. The amount of interest earned is based on the daily collected balances in the account. Upon the expiration of the 12 month promotional period, then-current Standard Interest Rates apply. Minimum to open a Platinum Savings account is $25. A monthly service fee of $12 applies in any month the account falls below a $3,500 minimum daily balance. Fees may reduce earnings. Interest rates are variable and subject to change without notice. Wells Fargo may limit the amount you deposit to a Platinum Savings account to an aggregate of $1 million. 2. Available in-branch only; you must speak with a banker to request the special rate. Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is effective for accounts opened between 07/08/2019 and 08/30/2019 and requires a minimum of $25,000 in new money brought to Wells Fargo. “New money” is money from sources outside of the customer’s current relationship with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. or its affiliates (which includes deposit, brokerage and loan/credit accounts). Public Funds and Wholesale accounts are not eligible for this offer. APY assumes interest remains on deposit until maturity. Interest is compounded daily. Payment of interest on CDs is based on term: For terms less than 12 months (365 days), interest may be paid monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or at maturity (the end of the term). For terms of 12 months or more, interest may be paid monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. A penalty for early withdrawal will be imposed and could reduce earnings on this account. Special Rates are applicable to the initial term of the CD only. At maturity, the special rate CD will automatically renew for a term of 6 months, at the interest rate and APY in effect for CDs on renewal date not subject to a Special Rate, unless the Bank has notified you otherwise. 1., 2. Due to the new money requirement, new accounts may only be opened at your local branch and you must speak to a banker to request the special rate offers for both new and existing accounts.

Wells Fargo reserves the right to modify or discontinue the offer at any time without notice. Minimum new money deposit requirement of at least $25,000 is for this offer only and cannot be transferred to another account to qualify for any other consumer deposit offer. If you wish to take advantage of another consumer deposit offer requiring a minimum new money deposit, you will be required to do so with another new money deposit as stated in the offer requirements and qualifications. Offer cannot be: • Combined with any other consumer deposit offer. • Reproduced, purchased, sold, transferred, or traded. 3. The Portfolio by Wells Fargo program has a $30 monthly service fee, which can be avoided when you have one of the following qualifying balances: $25,000 or more in qualifying linked bank deposit accounts (checking, savings, CDs, FDIC-insured IRAs) or $50,000 or more in any combination of qualifying linked banking, brokerage (available through Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC) and credit balances (including 10% of mortgage balances, certain mortgages not eligible). If the Portfolio by Wells Fargo relationship is terminated, the bonus interest rate on all eligible savings accounts, and discounts or fee waivers on other products and services, will discontinue and revert to the Bank’s then-current applicable standard interest rate or fee. For bonus interest rates on time accounts, this change will occur upon renewal. If the Portfolio by Wells Fargo relationship is terminated, the remaining unlinked Wells Fargo Portfolio Checking or Wells Fargo Prime Checking account will be converted to another checking product or closed. © 2019 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. Deposit products offered by Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.

Job #

075487

Filename

Job Client Media Type Live Trim Bleed Pubs Color(s) Varnish Paper Stock

Approvals 075487 WF Newsprint None 10” x 8” None None None None None

At The Sheridan we believe in celebrations, Saved at 6-26-2019 2:44 PM smiles and happiness. From happy hours

By Rivero, Sal / Dougherty, Brian Round No. 1 to monthly theme parties to Brain Health Printed At None Fonts & Images Initals Inks University, ourImages award-winning programs Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, GettyImages-168831470.tif (CMYK; 834 Black 35.94%), WF_logo_box_cmyk_red_ are focused onppi; happiness and well-being.

F1.ai (23.16%)

WF_075487_BBPH3_E_10x8_S5.indd

Description None Job info

312466-1

Offers available in CT, DE, FL, NJ, NY, and PA. Portfolio by Wells Fargo® customers are eligible to receive an additional bonus interest rate on these accounts.3

HAPPINESS is here Date

Creative Dirctor Art Director Copywriter Account Mgr Studio Artist Proofreader Producer PM

None Nikki Jason Karen Brian None None None

Fonts Wells Fargo Sans (Regular, Italic, Condensed, Display, Light, SemiBold) Notes None

Meet our residents and families and see for yourself that Happiness is Here!

Happy Hour EVERY THURSDAY IN JULY 4:00PM TO 5:00PM CALL 407-413-8650 TO RSVP OR TO LEARN MORE

Be ready to smile!

THE SHERIDAN ASSISTED LIVING | MEMORY CARE 13798 SPEER ISLAND DRIVE WINDERMERE, FL 34786 SHERIDANWINDERMERE.COM Assisted Living Facility License #13029

T:8”

2.10

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312851-1

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