W E ST O RA N G E T I M E S &
Observer Celebrating 110 years in West Orange
INSPIRED DESIGN Read about our new look. Page 8
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 82, NO. 40
FREE
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015
Meet the man in the rave cave
Sean O’Neill launched the Facebook group, Winter Garden — Rants, Raves and Reviews, 18 months ago. Story on 13. ARTS+CULTURE
ALL FIRED UP Winter Garden single mom Erin Akers has found her passion — firefighting.
West Orange High thespians dish up a spoonful of sugar.
AMY QUESINBERRY RHODE COMMUNITY EDITOR
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appelling down the side of a sevenstory building was easy for Erin Akers because she’s not afraid of heights, but confined-spaces training was a bit of a challenge for the Winter Garden resident, who is working toward becoming a firefighter.
YOUR TOWN ALUMNI MEET ON GRIDIRON
STORY ON PAGE 4
Two former West Orange Wildcats and West Orange Warrior football players competed in a recent SEC game. Garrett “Juice” Johnson is a wide receiver for the Kentucky Wildcats, and Sean Kelly is a punter for the South Carolina Gamecocks. With them is Eric Poole, who was one of their coaches during their Wildcats years.
HISPANIC HERITAGE Ocoee is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month through Oct. 15. The month recognizes the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans to the United States. Motorists traveling on Clarke Road will see festive “Ocoee Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month” pole banners dotting the street. Viewers can tune in to Ocoee TV to watch a fourpart series titled “Latino Americans: The 500-Year Legacy that Shaped a Nation.” The show will air at 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays on Channel 493, Bright House Networks.
David Haynes
Erin Akers is nearly finished with her firefighting training, and then she’s hoping to get a position with a local fire department. She and her 6-year-old son, Liam, live in Winter Garden.
Parker Boudreaux chooses Notre Dame — much to the delight of longtime supporters of his school. SEE STORY ON 25
Car-show organizers search for new sponsor The Sept. 19 Cruz-N-Car Show in downtown Winter Garden might have been the last. ZAK KERR STAFF WRITER WINTER GARDEN Droves drove to the large parking lot on West Plant Street for what might have been the last Cruz-N-Car Show, a tradition each third Saturday of the month for about seven years. The longstanding sponsorship of the show from the Winter Garden Merchants Association ended recently, based on cost increases that caused the association to lose money with the show each
SEE CAR SHOW PAGE 4
Courtesy photo
A lack of sponsorship has led to the possible finale of a monthly downtown Winter Garden car show fervently supported among community members.