11.21.19 West Orange Times & Observer

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

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Observer Winter Garden, Ocoee, Oakland

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. VOLUME 86, NO. 46

FREE

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

God bless us, every one!

SHIPPING DEADLINES // Page 12

After selecting the perfect gift, make sure it gets there on time

WHAT’S INSIDE

HOLIDAY EVENTS // Page 18-19

Discover a new way to celebrate the holiday season in Central Florida

GIFT OF GIVING // Page 22-23

West Orange is home to numerous nonprofits that can use your help

MERRY AND BRIGHT // Page 24 Find the brightest holiday homes using this new app

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Garden Theatre’s production of “A Christmas Carol” hits the stage. PAGE 10.

UCP charter purchasing land for new campus The school, in Winter Garden, will have more space and will add grades six through eight.

AMY QUESINBERRY COMMUNITY EDITOR

Big changes are coming to UCP West Orange Charter School in Winter Garden, now that the purchase is being finalized on an 8-acre piece of land on County Road 535. A new and larger campus will provide the school with greater capacity and an enhanced educational experience for both special needs and general education students.

United Cerebral Palsy of SEE UCP PAGE 4 Danielle Hendrix

Lt. Steve and Julie Phillips, along with sons Chase and Jack, were happy to be together again in time for the holidays.

A HERO’S HOMECOMING After a nine-month deployment, Lt. Steve Phillips returned home and surprised his son, a second-grader at Whispering Oak Elementary School. SEE PAGE 4.

PLAYOFF PRIDE Foundation Academy advanced to the regional finals after a gutsy win.

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Winter Garden approves new phase of Oakland Park City leaders voted to approve the final plat for 104 homes off of East Oakland Avenue.

TIM FREED MANAGING EDITOR

The stage is set for one of the last phases of the Oakland Park development within Winter Garden.

City commissioners voted during their meeting Thursday, Nov.

14, to approve the final plat for 104 single-family residential lots for Phase 5 of the development.

Community Development Director Steve Pash said that’s far less than what could have been SEE COMMISSION PAGE 9

YOUR TOWN DONATE TO FOOD BASKET DRIVE The West Orange Christian Service Center is holding a food basket drive for the Thanksgiving holiday. All donations must be dropped off at the center, 300 W. Franklin St., Ocoee, before Monday, Nov. 25.

Required food items are two types of canned vegetables; white or sweet potatoes; stuffing mix; bread, rolls or roll mix; cranberry sauce; a dessert; and a turkey or $10 Publix or Winn-Dixie gift card. Non-perishable items must be in a separate bag for refrigerating.

For more information, call (407) 656-6678.

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YOUR CALENDAR

THURSDAY, NOV. 21

COFFEE WITH THE TOWN MANAGER The town of Oakland is hosting another “Coffee with the Town Manager” from 9 to 10 a.m.

Thursday, Nov. 21, at Oakland Meeting Hall, 221 N. Arrington St. Town Manager Steve Koontz is inviting the community to learn more about town services and programs. Residents can ask questions and share their thoughts and ideas. The coffee events are held the third Thursday of the month at various locations around town. (407) 656-1117.

FRIDAY, NOV. 22

IRONMEN OF GOD COFFEE 7 to 8 a.m. Friday, Nov. 22, above Axum Coffee, 146 W. Plant St., Winter Garden. Join with other Christians in this independent men’s ministry focused on

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

serving the men in the community. The guest speaker is Steve Brown. IronMenofGod.com.

FRIDAY NIGHT JAZZ 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22, at the Oakland Town Meeting Hall, 221 N. Arrington St. This month’s special guest is the William Santos Quartet. Friday Night Jazz is presented by HAPCO Music Foundation. (407) 656-1117.

SATURDAY, NOV. 23

WOHS FFA FALL FESTIVAL 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, at West Orange High School, 1625 Beulah Road, Winter Garden. The event will include a petting zoo, games, food, hay rides and face painting. Get one free child admission with a paying adult ($5). Each additional child is $3. Proceeds benefit the school’s FFA program. (407) 905-2400.

TUESDAY, NOV. 26

HEALTHY DESSERTS 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26, at the Teaching Kitchen inside the Healthy Living Zone in the Roper YMCA, 100 Windermere Road, Winter Garden.

FINANCING AVAILABLE

Hosted by Orlando Health. Free samples will be provided for a tofu chocolate mousse. (407) 656-6430.

THURSDAY, NOV. 28

WALK/RUN SWEET POTATO MASH 5K 7 a.m. registration, 8 a.m. 5K Thursday, Nov. 28, at Chapin Station Park, 501 Crown Point Cross Road, Winter Garden.

Enjoy a 3.1-mile walk or run on the down-and-back course along West Orange Trail. Each participant will receive a finisher medal, and top participants will receive awards. Medals will be given also to participants dressing in Thanksgiving costume, especially sweet potatoes. Entrance fee is $25 for adults; the kids run is free. To register, go to sweetpotato5k.com/e/1.

SATURDAY, NOV. 30

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, at businesses in downtown Winter Garden. Kick off the holiday shopping season at local shops and enjoy retail sales, raffle giveaways and live music throughout the day. cwgdn.com.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 4

FIRST-YEAR POTION CLASS 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4, at the Winter Garden Library, 805 E. Plant St. First-year wizards, it’s time to practice potion-making skills. Create a chocolate wand and magic potion. Space is limited. Registration required at (407) 835-7323.

THURSDAY, DEC. 5

PLANT CLINIC 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, at the Winter Garden Library, 805 E. Plant St. Take your plants, get your soil pH tested and ask questions of master gardener volunteers from the UF/IFAS Orange County Extension Office.

(407) 835-7323.

SATURDAY, DEC. 7

HOLIDAY SHOWCASE: ACCORDION CRAZE 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the West Oaks Library, 1821 E. Silver Star Road, Ocoee. Get in the holiday spirit with

this lively showcase of holiday music by the Central Florida Accordion Club. cfaccordionclub. com.

LEGO BLOCK PARTY 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Winter Garden Library, 805 E. Plant St. Is there anything you can’t build with LEGO? LEGO bricks will be provided but cannot go home with participants.

(407) 835-7323.

MONDAY, DEC. 9

CENTRAL FLORIDA RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MEETING 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9, at the Central Florida Railroad Museum, 101 S. Boyd St. Winter Garden. Videographer Danny Harmon presents “Coverage of Recent Florida Trains.” Free.

(407) 656-0559.

HANDMADE GREETING CARDS 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9, at the West Oaks Library, 1821 E. Silver Star Road, Ocoee. Learn the basic principles of card-making using card stock, stamps and more. Ages 18 and up. Supplies are limited. Registration recommended at (407) 835-7323.

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WINTER GARDEN HOLIDAY FARMERS MARKET 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, at the downtown pavilion on South Lakeview Avenue.

There will be Christmas and fun shaped cookies and other treats. (407) 656-4111.

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

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Orange teachers to vote on new contract agreement The tentative agreement between the district and CTA includes permanent salary increases, more planning time and no increase in health insurance costs until October.

DANIELLE HENDRIX ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Many attendees took part in the ruck walk representing different military branches. These individuals took part in the walk in honor of the U.S. Marine Corps.

VOICE FOR VETERANS Victor Perea and Richard Marsh took a moment to catch their breaths after running the ruck walk.

Bill Wahl, left, was just one of the Vietnam veterans who received a pin from American Legion State Commander Rick Johnson during the pinning ceremony.

M

ilitary veterans and members of the community came together in downtown Winter Garden Saturday, Nov. 16, for the third annual Challenge 22 event organized by the Hugh T. Gregory American Legion Post 63. Hundreds took part in the 2.2-mile ruck walk around downtown Winter Garden at the event, which also included a pinning ceremony for Vietnam veterans, a block party and live musical performances. A Vietnam & Global War Memorial Wall was on display at the American Legion Post 63 throughout the event. Challenge 22 is held to raise awareness of veteran suicides.

— ERIC GUTIERREZ

Members of the U.S. Navy Sea Cadet Corps Lone Sailor Division of Ocoee locked arms in a group huddle after taking part in the ruck walk.

John Fischer of Code 3 America played the Marine Corps hymn as walkers passed by.

Left: Hundreds of walkers showed their support by taking part in the 2.2-mile ruck walk.

After heading back to the drawing board for further bargaining, the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association and Orange County Public Schools have reached a new tentative agreement regarding teacher compensation and working conditions.

On Nov. 8, the CTA announced that it signed the tentative agreement. And on Nov. 12, the Orange County School Board approved the teacher salary increases pending CTA ratification.

“Together we showed that when our members speak with one voice, we have strength and power at the bargaining table,” Wendy Doromal, president of the CTA, told members. “You said you wanted salary increases and not bonuses, you said you wanted a one-year deal, you said you wanted more planning time, and together, we have achieved those things.”

The district and CTA have gone back and forth with bargaining teacher salaries and benefits for the 2019-20 school year since June. The two previous agreements proposed in June and September included cost-of-living increases to base salaries and one-time, lumpsum bonuses.

However, teachers voted to reject both offers, stating that they wanted salary increases rather than bonuses. They also asked for more planning time, and many stated concerns about the increase in insurance costs.

The most recent agreement, should it be ratified, would include higher permanent salary increases, no temporary bonuses and no insurance increase in the 2019-20 school year. Staff across the board would receive a $700 cost-of-living increase.

Personnel rated “effective” would receive a $2,100 total salary increase, while those rated “highly effective” would receive a $2,800 total increase.

Staff would receive their retro pay before the end of the year.

Additionally, employees would not have to pay a health insurance increase until October 2020, giving them time to prepare for the increase and seek alternative arrangements if needed.

Highlights of the agreed-upon working conditions include a maximum of two early-release day meetings per month, limits on meetings during preplanning, guaranteed restroom breaks and free replacement ID badges.

The tentative agreement comes as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposes a $91.4 billion state budget for the fiscal year beginning in July, which includes the $600 million needed to raise teachers’ starting salaries to $47,500. DeSan-

PROPOSED CHANGES

+ $700

cost-of-living for staff across the board

+ $2,100

total raise for personnel rated “effective”

+ $2,800

total raise for personnel rated “highly effective”

+ 10 months

time employees’ increase in insurance payments will be delayed * Staff would receive their retro pay before the end of the year.

tis said this would boost the pay for more than 101,000 teachers.

The Legislature will approve a budget during the annual session beginning Jan. 14.

“It is an extraordinary increase compared to what you’re seeing around the region,” School Board Chair Teresa Jacobs said of the district’s tentative agreement. “This board has been actively engaged in continuing to work with the Legislature.

We’re excited to hear the governor talk about raising starting salaries and minimum salaries but think it’s important for everyone to know that as excited as we are about that, we also understand the concern about compression.

“It’s extremely important to us — and to most of the members of the Legislature that we’ve talked to — that our teachers that have been in the classroom for years, our teachers that are encouraging and mentoring other teachers need to see that same appreciation and respect in terms of pay,” she said.

Ballots for the 2019-20 contract ratification were mailed to teachers on Nov. 18 and are due back to the CTA office Dec. 5.

Ballots will be counted Dec. 6, and results will be announced after vote counting is complete.

Results also will be posted on the CTA’s website at orangecta.com.

Doromal said CTA members stood up and spoke loudly and clearly about what they wanted, and the deal reached represents their victory in achieving one of the biggest salary increases in recent history, as well as a victory in regaining planning time and respect to their working conditions.

“We must continue to make progress to increase Florida’s average teacher pay from the bottom 10 nationally to the top 10,” Doromal said. “We hope that we can get our message out to fund our future for students, teachers and public education.”

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OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

WEST ORANGE TIMES &

FAMILY REUNION

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 President and CEO / Matt Walsh, mwalsh@yourobserver.com Editor and Publisher / Michael Eng, meng@OrangeObserver.com

DANIELLE HENDRIX ASSOCIATE EDITOR

S

even-year-old Chase Phillips always wanted his father, U.S. Navy Lt. Steve Phillips, to come to his school in uniform.

What he didn’t expect, though, was that dream to come true in the form of his father’s surprise homecoming at school Friday, Nov. 15.

Chase, a second-grader in Kelsey Longley’s class at Whispering Oak Elementary, hadn’t seen his dad in nine months.

Steve Phillips, a task force movement logistics officer of U.S. Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 11, was deployed in February. He has been serving in Bahrain with the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, supporting Task Force Five Six. Steve Phillips was in charge of the planning, coordination and tracking of all Task Force cargo and personnel in support of combat operations and international exercises. He received the Navy Achievement Medal during the deployment, and he returned home last week — along with 71 other deployed personnel from his Jacksonville-based reserve.

SWEET SURPRISE

Julie Phillips, Chase’s mom and Steve Phillips’ wife, knew she wanted to do something special to make her husband’s homecoming memorable. After all, it was his first deployment. When she told the staff at Whispering Oak Elementary he was coming home, they were ready to do all they could to help welcome the hero home.

“This has been in the works for just a couple of days,” Julie Phillipssaid. “I got a call from (Assistant Principal) Ms. Joy (Stribling) and she said, ‘I don’t know how big or how small you want to make your husband’s homecoming, but if you’re interested, we’ve contacted Orange County Public Schools public relations and you can make it big or small. I said, ‘Let’s make it as big as we can.’

“It was everything I could have hoped it would be, and he’s always wanted his dad in a uniform at the

Danielle Hendrix

Friends, family and Steve Phillips’ Orange County Sheriff’s Office squad welcomed him home.

school to show all of his friends that his dad is somebody to be proud of,” she said.

Chase’s class was set to be rewarded for good behavior with a special event at the media center Friday, so Whispering Oak Elementary decided to have Steve Phillips walk out in his uniform and surprise Chase in front of his class.

“It actually was easy as far as keeping it a secret with the kids, because they were going to be rewarded anyway, so they didn’t really suspect anything,” Whispering Oak Principal Lee “Kip” Montgomery said. “It was harder just keeping it quiet around school, because we didn’t want word to get out. … I just wanted to make sure it was special for Dad. Those kinds of moments are why we do this job.”

As the class filed into the media center, Montgomery praised them for being kind, respectful and honest students who set an example for the rest of the school.

The room was dark as Steve Phillips walked to the front of the class, and it took Chase a moment to process that his dad was standing in front of him with outstretched arms. As soon as it registered, the 7-year-old’s eyes lit up as he ran to his dad, both crying tears of joy as they reconnected.

Cheers, clapping and tears ensued from the entire room as the father and son embraced, and again as 4-year-old Jack Phillips — Chase’s younger brother — joined the huddle.

“Every time I see (videos like this), I tear up, and here I am, tearing up being a part of it,” Steve Phillips said afterward.

But there was a surprise for Steve Phillips, too. Although he’s a reserve officer, he is also a corporal

at Orange County Sheriff’s Office’s Human Resources division. As he surprised his sons, Sheriff John Mina and his OCSO squad team were there to surprise him.

“Like everyone else, we’ve seen these types of reunions on the TV and social media, so to be a part of it was very special,” Mina said. “I spoke with him I think a day or two before he was deployed and told him be careful, hurry back and get back safe. Little did I know that we would be here several months later watching him get reunited with his kids. It was amazing, just to see the smile on his face and to see the smiles on his kids’ and wife’s faces, and the tears everyone had.”

‘YOU CAN’T REPLACE FAMILY’

It’s never easy for a military family when someone gets deployed.

Not only were Julie Phillips and the children without Steve Phillips for nine months, but also Chase started school at Whispering Oak Elementary — his first time not attending a small, private school.

“It was Chase’s first time in a large, institutionalized school, and I literally spent the first two weeks of school walking to his classroom and crying on the sidewalk outside of the parking lot that my child would never adjust to this school,” Julie Phillips said. “It was Ms. Joy (who) would meet me out there — she was directing car-rider traffic and she would just say, ‘Mom, it’s going to be OK. Just give it time.’

“It was a lot of emotion while his dad was gone,” she said. “There were several nights when he went to bed crying and things like that, because he just missed his dad so much.”

It was a tough adjustment, but Chase and his family persevered.

Stribling worked with Julie Phil-

lips and ensured she and staff were following up on Chase’s progress.

Fast-forward a couple of months, and Chase has made a beautiful transition.

“He’s made friends, he’s making good grades, he’s happy,” she said.

“He jumps out of the car in the carrider line, and he’s elated to call the school his own now.”

Being away from his family for so long was tough on Steve Phillips, too. Although technology such as FaceTime and phone calls made it easier to stay in touch with his wife and children, nothing can replace being with them in person.

“It’s really the homesickness (that’s) hard,” he said. “You’re thinking about your family back home while still trying to maintain focus on the mission at hand, so it’s kind of balancing those two.

It’s that tough deployment dichotomy, as they say, of the balance of the mission and also being mindful of your family.”

He also was worried that Chase may be a little standoffish or unsure when he saw his dad again.

But as Chase ran to his dad with tears in his eyes, Steve Phillips knew everything was going to be OK. Chase said he was “super duper happy” that his dad was home and he couldn’t wait to play with him.

“He’s been gone for a very long time, and I missed him so much,” Chase said.

Steve Phillips is taking a few weeks off to be with his family before returning to work at OCSO. “It was everything in the moment that I was looking for,” he said. “It’s hard not to get emotional. ... It’s just priceless — I mean, you go from two dimensional to three dimensional, and you just can’t replace family.”

UCP moving, adding three grade levels CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Central Florida’s Winter Garden facility is moving just north of its current location at 1297 Winter Garden Vineland Road, Suite 112. The school serves 170 children in prekindergarten through fifth grade, and about 70% of the students have a disability and are receiving educational or therapy services, according to the principal, Tom Brickel.

The school is at capacity and has a waiting list, he said.

The move will give UCP the space to provide education for 250 students.

“The new campus will provide our West Orange students with the opportunity to seamlessly receive educational and therapy ser-

vices during their middle school years,” Brickel said. “Our families have struggled to find satisfactory school options for their students after they graduate from fifth grade. “How convenient will it be for West Orange families to finally have an elementary and middle school for students with and without disabilities in the heart of Winter Garden?” Brickel asked.

Dr. Ilene Wilkins, CEO of all UCPs in Central Florida and surrounding municipalities, said the organization will ask for feedback from staff, teachers, parents and students to create a wish list.

Once that’s determined, then the architect firm, SchenkelShultz, will start working on the design.

Brickel said construction will take up to one-and-a-half years.

The initial space will be 22,000 square feet, and there is space for future expansion of another 8,000.

UCP has been in the current space about five years. Prior to that move, the school was in the West Orange Shopping Center, on South Dillard Street, and the Winter Garden Plaza, on West Colonial Drive.

“I am truly excited at the prospect of a larger, more accommodating facility,” Brickel said. “Our new facility will have some essential school features we currently lack, such as a cafeteria, a larger kitchen with ample room for our kitchen equipment, a teacher break room and rooms for diagnostic testing.

“We will also be able to design a playground/P.E. area equipped for our students in wheelchairs from

the ground up,” he said. “With the increased number of classrooms, we will also be able to accommodate a greater number of students with and without special needs that are currently on our waiting list.”

The new school will cost $6 million to $7 million, including the land; a capital campaign has begun, with several commitments.

For information, email info@ ucpcfl.org.

“For years, our UCP families have been waiting for the time when their kids can continue their integrated education and therapy services into the middle school years,” Brickel said. “For me, it is a joy to finally tell them, ‘Yes, your kids can stay with us through eighth grade.’”

Managing Editor / Tim Freed, tfreed@OrangeObserver.com Design Editor / Jessica Eng, jeng@OrangeObserver.com Community Editor / Amy Quesinberry, amyq@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 Lindsay Cannizzaro, lcannizzaro@OrangeObserver.com Advertising Operations Manager / Allison Brunelle, abrunelle@OrangeObserver.com Office Coordinator / Accounting Ashley McWilliams, amcwilliams@OrangeObserver.com

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

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CFX’s Lake/Orange Connecter is responsible response to growth

Betsy VanderLey

hen I heard 1,500 people W a week were projected to move to Central Florida

through 2030, I couldn’t help but think about the new infrastructure that would be needed to help accommodate such rapid growth. Anyone who has lived in Horizon West for any length of time probably can

relate to my concerns.

Keeping up with the pace of growth impacting our area is next to impossible. But responding to it in a responsible and timely manner isn’t. That’s what the Central Florida Expressway Authority’s Governing Board did with its recent unanimous decision to build the Lake/Orange County Connector as a congestion-relieving traffic corridor.

Being a regional toll authority, CFX closely monitors the pulse of its member counties, Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole. It responds to population shifts and seeks to alleviate the traffic congestion they cause.

Building toll-funded, limit-

ed-access expressways where they’re desperately needed is what CFX does so well, and you don’t need to be the Orange County commissioner sitting on the agency’s board to know that.

Just think what living in Horizon West would be like today without CFX’s State Road 429 connecting the community to major travel arteries such as Interstate 4 and Florida’s Turnpike.

The Lake/Orange County Connector will provide further congestion relief to local roads in West Orange and serve as a bridge to South Lake County, connecting two emerging super-communities. Extending from U.S. 27 in Lake to S.R. 429 in Orange, the divided and

lighted four-lane expressway will provide a nonstop travel alternative to heavily congested State Road 50 to the north and U.S. 192 to the south. It also will draw commuters off County Road 545 and other narrow rural roads meant for local traffic.

Besides its obvious time-saving benefits to intercounty travelers, the connector will spur economic development in our area, improve the flow of labor and goods and services between counties, provide a fastermoving evacuation and emergency corridor, and enhance the region’s overall quality of life.

With the populations of Lake and Orange counties projected to grow by 30% each by 2030

(and Horizon West fueling Orange’s growth), the connector can’t be built soon enough. The CFX Governing Board advanced the project to the production phase, with design expected to start in spring 2020. To stay informed about the project’s progress, please visit the CFX website, CFXway.com.

While the Lake/Orange County Connector is only five miles in length, it will go a long way toward making West Orange County a better place to live.

District 1 Orange County Commissioner Betsy VanderLey is the county’s representative on the Central Florida Expressway Authority’s Governing Board.

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

Oakland Park preparing to build in town limits

Oakland Park is a step closer to building its first homes in the town for which it is named.

The Oakland Town Commission approved at its Nov. 12 meeting the final plat for Phase 6A of the community, which stretches across two municipalities: the town of Oakland and the city of Winter Garden.

The 38 single-family homes in the 22.63-acre phase will be the first built within the town limits; prior home construction in the multi-phase subdivision was in the city limits of Winter Garden.

The final plat includes the reconfiguration of eight lots and two small parks on the shores of Lake Apopka to allow for the completion of the infrastructure.

The applicant, Landeavor LLC, also provided the recorded easements for the Winter Garden utilities and the conservation agreement.

Although the Oakland Park subdivision has gone through multiple plat changes, Jay Marder, Planning & Zoning director, and Town Manager Steve Koontz are assuring residents that the current iteration is consistent with all previous approvals.

Among them: The only entrance into Phase 6A is through Winter Garden, and this phase does not back up to any existing Oakland residents.

Lots in this phase now are being sold; it will be about six months before any homes take shape.

Debra Dremann, general manager of Oakland Park, vowed to keep an open line of communication with Oakland residents, including periodic newsletters, emails and community meetings.

First Baptist Church Pastor Tim Grosshans 125 E. Rant St, Winter Garden (407) 656-2352 Sundays: 8:30 a.m. Traditional 9:45 AM Bible Study 11:00 AM Contemporary Wednesdays: 6 p.m.- Awana

n The commission approved the purchase of the .58-acre piece of property at 205 E. Gulley Ave. for $185,000.

According to Public Works Director Mike Parker, the land will be used for a future water well site, as well as future expansion of VanderLey Park. The town currently has two drinking water production wells at VanderLey and Speer parks.

2nd Campus: Foundation Worship Foundation Academy High School 15304 Tilden Rd., Winter Garden (407) 730-1867 Sundays: 9:45 a.m. All Ages FoundationWorship.com

n Commissioners approved the first reading of an ordinance that would change the text in two sections of the Comprehensive Plan.

The first affects the units-per-acre density in the Mixed-Use Activity Center land-use designation. The current density range is 3.5 to 55 dwelling units per acre, and the commission is proposing decreasing the cap to 25 per acre. This is more consistent with typical three- and four-story buildings, Koontz said.

The second part of the ordinance seeks to revise the Conservation, Infrastructure and Intergovernmental Coordination elements based on recommendations in the 10-Year Water Supply Facilities Master Plan.

EPISCOPAL

Church of the Messiah 241 N. Main St., Winter Garden Services: 8, 9:30, & 11 a.m., 7 p.m.

ChurchftheMessiah.com

METHODIST

First United Methodist Church 125 N. Lakeview Ave., Winter Garden (407) 656-1135 Services: 9 and 11:15 a.m. fumcwg.org

CHURCH UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

Windermere Union Church Starke Lake Baptist Church 10710 Park Ridge-Gotha Rd., Pastor Jeff Pritchard Windermere PO Box 520 611 W Ave., (407) 876-2112 Ocoee STARKE LAKE BAPTIST ANGLICAN METHODIST NON-DEN Adult Worship: 9 a.m.

(407) 656-2351 CHURCH FIRST UNITED METHODIST PURPOSE CH ANGLICAN COMMUNITY PO Box 520, 611 W Ave, Ocoee Sunday School: 10 a.m.

CHURCH 13640 W. Colon StarkeLakeBaptist.org FELLOWSHIP CHURCH Pastor Jeff Pritchard 125 N. Lakeview Ave Winter Garden Winter Garden WindermereUnion.org Rector The Rev. Canon Tim Trombitas (407) 656-2351 1146 East Plant St, Winter Garden SUNDAY SERVICE 10:00 AM Find us at: Theacf.net

www.starkelakebaptist.org

Service Times 9:00 AM and 11:15 AM Phone – 407-656-1135 Web: fumcwg.org

CHURCH OF GOD CHURCH OF GOD NON-DENOMINATIONAL

407-654-9661 • Fellowship 9:45

Ocoee Church of GodOCOEE CHURCH OFPurpose UNITED CHURCH OF Church Orlando BAPTISTThomas Odom Pastor Thomas Odom GOD Pastor CHRIST 13640 1105 N. Lakewood Avenue, Ocoee W Colonial Dr. Ste 110, BEULAH BAPTIST WINDERMERE UNION CHURCH 1105 N. Lakewood Ave.,Ocoee 407-656-8011 Pastor Casey Butner Winter Garden 10710 Park Ridge-Gotha Rd. (407) 671 Beulah656-8011 Rd, Winter Garden Windermere, FL 34786 (407) 876-2112 EPISCOPAL 407-656-3342 | BeulahBaptistWG.org 407-876-2112 Worship times: CHURCH OF THE MESSIAH SUNDAY BIBLE STUDY 9:30AM Adult Worship: 9 a.m.

9:00am Adult Sunday School 241 N. Main, Winter Garden SUNDAY SERVICE 11:00AM 10:00am Worship10 a.m.

Sunday School: Services: 8, 9:30, & 11am, 7pm WEDNESDAY SERVICE 6:00PM www.windermereunion.org WindermereUnion.org www.churchofthemessiah.com

n Parker presented a proposal to the commission regarding several right-ofways that were abandoned to adjacent property owners in the 1980s. The land in question is a 25-foot section of the former East Hull Avenue, which Parker said needs to be traded for 20 feet of South Arrington Street. The land is needed to provide electric service for the future sewer lift station No. 5 and to re-create another section of the town’s street grid network. The land swap is being exercised with West Orange Baptist Church at no cost to the town.

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

n Police Chief Steve Thomas, in his report to the commission, said there was an increase in criminal activity in October. Two vehicles in John’s Landing and three in Oakland Trails were burglarized, and Thomas said all five were left unlocked.

MIKE YOAKUM PASTOR

P: 407.656.1520 C: 407.758.3570 MYOAKUM407@AOL.COM

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Sign up for a 10’x10’ Booth Area with a Christmas Twist.

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With your help we can provide Games for Kids Window Shopping Visit with Santa Elves to help to make Christmas Lists Parents can return later to “shop”

We also need assistance with Food and Music!

If you are interested in hosting a booth, helping in another way, or donating toward the event, please call 407.905.9500 or email info@MatthewsHopeMinistries.org Learn more at MatthewsHopeMinistries.org

WANT TO SEE YOUR LISTING HERE? Call (407) 656-2121 or email AdvertiseNow@orangeobserver.com

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COMMUNITY EDITOR

BAPTIST

n Town Manager Steve Koontz updated the commission on the heritage and arts center construction and said decisions need to be made on details such as rocking chairs, garbage cans, benches, tables and bicycle racks.

LV14252

AMY QUESINBERRY

IN OTHER NEWS

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The final plat of the next phase signifies the first homes in the community to be built in Oakland.

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

Candidate files for School Board District 4 Dayna Gaut, a Horizon West resident, wants to take the pressure off students within Orange County Public Schools.

TIM FREED

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MANAGING EDITOR

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A Horizon West resident in Mabel Bridge hopes to be the next Orange County School Board member for District 4.

Dayna Gaut has officially thrown her hat in the ring and hopes to be elected by Orange County voters next year in the primary election.

The candidate has 10 years of experience teaching in OCPS between Citrus and West Oaks elementary schools. She spent the majority of her time at Citrus, where she taught English classes to students from other countries.

Before that, Gaut served as a paramedic for 15 years, including public affairs management work for Rural/ Metro Ambulance and a brief stint as a firefighter for the city of Maitland.

She earned her master’s degree in education from Florida Southern College and is currently working on her dissertation for her doctorate in education leadership.

Gaut said she’s running for the school board seat because she isn’t pleased with the direction OCPS is going.

“I know education; I’ve learned education — I don’t know everything and I’m still learning a lot, but I just think there’s a time when we need to stand up and do what’s right,” Gaut said. “People have been asking me over the years and I didn’t. Finally, I said, ‘I will stand up and serve.’”

Changing the school district’s hyper focus on testing and meeting standards is among Gaut’s top priorities if she’s elected.

“I think public education is really at a turning point right now,” she said.

“We’re over-testing and I think we’ve gone from no accountability at the schools over the decades to now the pendulum has swung too far to where it’s just hyper accountability. It’s all about the tests and we’re testing the kids too much. We’re making them anxious about testing and it’s not good for children and it’s not good for teachers.”

Gaut said she thinks tests are important and standards are important, but it’s time to calm things down because every child learns at a different pace, she said.

“It’s like popcorn — when you cook popcorn, you use the same pot, put the same oil in and use the same heat, but the popcorn kernels don’t always pop at the same time,” Gaut said. “You can’t get mad at one kernel or punish

Courtesy

Dayna Gaut has some changes planned if elected Orange County School Board member for District 4.

the person who is cooking the popcorn because that kernel didn’t pop in the first two minutes, it took four minutes.”

School overcrowding is another issue Gaut hopes to address. Orange County Public Schools does a fine job building new schools, but the process needs to be expedited further, she said.

“Where’s the holdup?” she said. “I look at it in a medical way. Here are your signs and symptoms. What could that be? Let’s rule out these things. It’s the same with education.

“Let’s find the part that’s broken and we can fix it,” she said. “… We’re dealing with children’s lives. It needs that level of passion and study and commitment and to do the right thing.”

Gaut mentioned that OCPS staff also needs to be held more accountable when it comes to research and findings they present to the school board.

“The school board adopts staff proposals all the time,” she said. “I know the school board is a part-time position — I would give it my whole heart, because it’s big enough that it needs to have someone where you do your own homework instead of just be a rubber stamp for staff.”

Gaut said her passion, experience in teaching, background as a first responder and history of public participation and community leadership all make her the best candidate to serve as the District 4 member for the Orange County School Board.

“I think I’m the best because all of these little parts of my life have brought me here and I think this is the logical next step — to get back into service,” Gaut said.

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

Commission approves final plat CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

built on the property. In 2012, Oakland Park was amended to allow for a total of 610 dwelling units in Winter Garden, including 91 townhomes plus additional single-family homes for the subject property where Phase 5 would take place.

Pash said the 104 lots requested by the applicant brings the total of platted lots to 499 in Winter Garden instead of the 610 lots allowed.

One more piece of land is left to be developed that could yield about 20 lots, Pash said.

“Overall when it’s completed, there will be significantly less density than was originally

approved for,” City Manager Mike Bollhoefer said.

JOHN REES GETS ANOTHER TERM

The Winter Garden City Commission declared the qualifying results for the 2020 general election, with Mayor John Rees being unopposed and District 1 City Commissioner Lisa Bennett being challenged by candidate Joseph Richardson.

Rees said he was pleased to have another term to serve the residents of Winter Garden.

“I grew up in this city, I love this city and just want to be a part of it,” Rees said. “I want to continue the process and be involved in it.

We’ve got a great staff and a great

commission — I’m blessed.”

The general election between Bennett and Richardson is set for March 17, 2020.

TERM LIMIT CHANGES TO APPEAR ON BALLOT

Winter Garden city commissioners voted on second reading to put several city charter changes on the ballot for voters in March 2020 — including a proposed change to the terms of elected officials.

If passed by the voters, the change would amend the terms of the mayor and city commissioners to four years instead of three.

That change would apply to any mayor or commissioner elected in 2023 and subsequent elections.

City Manager Mike Bollhoefer

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

IN OTHER NEWS n Mayor John Rees read a proclamation declaring Saturday, Nov. 30, as Small Business Saturday. n Commissioners gave site plan approval for a new office building at 14707 W. Colonial Drive, which will be the new headquarters of Riegl USA.

said the charter change was proposed to save money on elections and also to give elected officials more time to get acclimated to their role.

CITY APPROVES INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS

The intersection of East Fullers Cross Road and East Crown Point Road soon will be in for some improvements as Winter Garden

city commissioners voted to award a contract to Atlantic Civil Constructors Corporation for several changes.

Improvements like a new traffic signal and turn lanes will help address longstanding issues at the intersection, Bollhoefer said.

“People have been wanting it for years. … It’s a very important intersection,” he said.

“For the people coming across Fullers Cross entering East Crown Point, they’ll have a traffic light now and they’ll have both a right lane and a left lane so they’ll be able to get on and off East Crown Point safely,” he said.

The City Commission approved a cost of $1,303,485.32, including a 10% contingency, making the total project amount $1,433,833.85.

Construction should start in the next 30 to 60 days, Pash said.

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

Advertorial

Ghosts of Christmas to haunt Garden Theatre

Cook Like a Pro This Holiday Season Featuring BurgerFi® in Winter Garden No matter how you celebrate this holiday season, three things always come to mind: family, friends…and food. From cooking to consumption, there’s nothing better than bringing your loved ones together over a great meal, sharing cherished traditions and making new memories. This may be a special time of year for food, but one thing remains constant year-round – the excellence of cooking with natural gas.

Steven Miller Photography

Cast members for the Garden Theatre’s production of “A Christmas Carol — A Ghost Story of Christmas” are excited to hit the stage.

Nine out of ten chefs prefer cooking with natural gas, and for good reason.

Natural gas sets the table for easy and precise cooking and a better, tastier finished product. Lake Apopka Natural Gas District customer, Daryl Baer, a Winter Garden-local chef and business owner, recently shared some of his favorite holiday cooking memories, tips and tricks, as well as why natural gas is a key ingredient in his business’ recipe for success.

ERIC GUTIERREZ STAFF WRITER

With the holidays around the corner, the Garden Theatre will be featuring a Christmas classic with a twist for its upcoming production.

“A Christmas Carol — A Ghost Story of Christmas” will take the stage through Dec. 22, offering a production that pays tribute to the classic 1843 novel by Charles Dickens but also comes with a few surprises.

The production includes the classic characters of Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit, Ebenezer Scrooge and Jacob Marley, but alongside a new ensemble of ghosts. Audiences will enjoy the familiar themes of redemption, magic and hope as Scrooge learns the fault of his greedy ways.

Although the underlying themes of the Garden Theatre’s production of “A Christmas Carol — A Ghost Story of Christmas” rings true to Dickens’ classic tale, the play adds a twist to the tale through the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future.

“It focuses more on the ghost story element of it, which kind of brings it back to its roots,” said Stephen Lima, who plays Bob Cratchit in the play.

“If you read the original ‘Christmas Carol,’ it’s a little darker than what we’re accustomed to. … Some of the characters that have a smaller role in other productions are more predominant in this one, so it’s an interesting take on it.”

Although he’s seen “A Christmas Carol” numerous times, this is Lima’s first time being in a production of it in the nearly 30 years he’s been doing theater, which is one of the reasons he wanted to take on the role of Bob Cratchit.

“I chose to play it because the Cratchits are probably one of the most famous families in all of literature,” Lima said. “‘A Christmas Carol’ has probably been done thousands of times in different interpretations, and surprisingly, I’ve never done ‘A Christmas Carol’ before.”

Like Lima, the play will be Graham

BurgerFi Winter Garden, located at 360 W. Plant St., is a modern, eco-minded eatery serving up grass-fed beef burgers, hot dogs, craft beer and wine. Daryl Baer, the restaurant’s director of operations and franchise partner, is proud to deliver fresh, delicious offerings that lean more toward fine dining than fast casual when it comes to quality. “Our food is always fresh, never frozen. When you come to BurgerFi, you’re enjoying clean, farm-to-table food that is hard to find at a price point like ours,” Daryl said. His favorite menu item to prepare?

The restaurant’s infamous fries, which are hand-cut and made from scratch.

As Daryl noted, “You’ll never find us tearing open a frozen bag.”

Nestled in the heart of Winter Garden’s historic downtown, BurgerFi is always buzzing with guests and friendly employees – two groups Daryl holds close to the heart of his day-to-day operations. “I feel like I’m throwing a party every day… everyone is enjoying themselves and making the experience a truly great time,” he shared. “My amazing employees make it easy for me to create a memorable guest experience.”

Daryl has been creating memories in the restaurant industry for over 40 years, starting with his first position as a dishwasher for a RaceTrac in Collinsville, Illinois, but he was having fun with food before he even started working in the industry. “I think I invented Cookies and Cream ice cream in 1977. At the time, ice cream was so boring – vanilla, chocolate, strawberry … maybe Neapolitan if you were lucky,” he reminisced. “So, I thought, why not throw a few things together?”

And, as with so many passionate chefs, some of Daryl’s earliest food memories are centered on family and the holidays. “I grew up watching my grandmother and mother cook together, which really made our house a home,” he shared.

“Holidays were a real treat – we always knew we were in for a big family dinner whenever we were making a trip to grandmother’s house.”

Daryl also has a specifically fond memories of baking cookies – one of his favorite holiday treats. Beyond enjoying them as a tasty snack, he would often package up bundles of cookies for holiday-time gifts when he was younger and still working his way through his early years in the industry.

Now, as he whips up some of the freshest, cleanest burgers in town, he’s quick to make an interesting tie between the quality of his restaurant’s food and the quality of the fuel source he uses every day – natural gas. “You just can’t beat natural gas for cooking,” Daryl stated. “It’s clean, efficient and convenient.

It provides a chef with the tools they need to serve perfectly-cooked, delicious-tasting food. I can’t recommend it enough.”

He takes this recommendation personally, as a proud consumer of natural gas outside of the workplace: “We recently moved into a home where we could use natural gas and it’s a game-changer.” His advice to consumers considering making the switch? “Do it! It’s the best move you can make,” Daryl asserted.

“Not only is it key to making your kitchen – the place where so many families come together – the best it can be, but it’s also key in boosting your home’s resale value. Kitchens are the biggest focal point, and an industrial-style gas range, with a stove and hood, is a treasure to find.”

Natural gas customers already have the opportunity to “cook like a pro,” and, this holiday season, you can too. Interested in making the switch?

To learn more, visit www.langd.org, call the LANGD marketing team at (407) 656-2734, ext. 307 or email marketing@langd.org.

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IF YOU GO “A CHRISTMAS CAROL — A GHOST STORY OF CHRISTMAS” 160 W. Plant St., Winter Garden Phone: (407) 877-4736 (Dial Ext. 0 for the box office) Website: Gardentheatre.org Cost: $35-$37 (Discounts available for youth, seniors and groups of 10 or more, as well as active and retired military personnel) An ASL-interpreted performance will be held at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 5, and a sensory-friendly performance will be held at 2 p.m. on Dec. 7.

Aikley Barker’s first time in a production of “A Christmas Carol — A Ghost Story of Christmas” with his role of Timothy Cratchit — better known as Tiny Tim. Unlike Lima, the 10-yearold actor has only been doing theater for about five years.

“I chose Tiny Tim because I feel like he’s a good character because he’s always so grateful for what he has,” Barker said. “He’s from a poor family, but he doesn’t care. He’s still grateful for what he has.”

Olivia Demarco will be starring as Mrs. Cratchit in the play. She said one of the most enjoyable aspects of the play for her is the chemistry she has onstage with the other actors who play members of the Cratchit family — including Lima and Barker.

“We have to build these entire, three-dimensional beings in very small snippets,” Demarco said. “I think all of us have a very great (chemistry). … You have to jump in with both feet every time with these scenes because you don’t get a chance to build up to it.”

“Everyone from the beginning seemed to have really great chemistry,” Lima added. “We’re joking with each other and having fun with it.

Like Olivia said, our scenes are very short — just two of them — and we have to establish that family unit in so short of a time. It helps that everyone gets along and has great chemistry.”

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‘A Christmas Carol — A Ghost Story of Christmas’ opens Nov. 22 and runs to Dec. 22.

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Informal dining and patio dining for enjoyable entertainment. Family room is a favorite spot for family fun & informal entertaining. This home is a split floor plan and features 2 MASTER SUITES, the main master has walk in shower, jetted tub, his/her walk-in closets. Inside laundry complete w/ washer & dryer, 3 car garage.UPGRADES INCLUDE CUSTOM BUILT HOME, CUSTOM WINDOW COVERINGS, NEW A/C (18 SEER) HIGH EFFICIENT, PRIVATE BOAT DOCK W/ 2 LIFTS, WATER, ELECTRIC AND FISH CLEANING TABLE. SOLAR HEAT AND ELECTRIC HEATED SALT POOL. HUGE SCREENED LANAI AND OPEN PATIO. ASKING ONLY $799,900

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Jawair Culbreath, Moresa Culbreath and Tamika Matthews of nonprofit We Care Support Services were spotted at the event.

inter Garden-based nonprofit Do Good Farm welcomed guests for an evening of dining and wine pairings at its monthly Dinner Bell event Saturday, Nov. 16. Attendees were walked through a five-course meal using ingredients grown on the property through sustainable farming.

The event raised money for the nonprofit’s various projects to teach sustainable farming in Honduras and nations in Africa, as well as locally at Hope Charter School and Legacy High School.

X

General $8.50 Child (2-12) $6.50 Senior (60+) $6.50 Matinee (before 5pm) $6.50 3D is an additional $2.00 per ticket

Fri: 4:00P 7:40P Sat: 12:45P 4:00P 7:40P Sun: 12:45P 3:50P 7:00P Mon-Wed:12:45P 3:50P 7:00P Thurs: 3:50P 7:00P

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AL FRESCO AFFAIR

Left: Do Good Farm President Josh Taylor and his wife, Kelly Taylor, welcomed guests to the property to sample cuisine from the gardens.

W. HWY 50 MAGUIRE RD.

Thai Atlantic salmon with sautéed vegetables was the fourth course for guests.

“Homemade Sandwiches and Snacks Available”

Fri: 4:20P 7:00P 9:50P Sat: 1:20P 4:20P 7:00P 9:50P Sun: 1:20P 4:20P 7:20P Mon-Wed: 1:20P 4:20P 7:20P Thurs: 4:20P 7:20P

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

WEST ORANGE OBITUARIES

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ROBERT EARL HALLFIN DIED WEDNESDAY, NOV. 6, 2019.

Robert Earl Hallfin, 78, of Lake Wales, Florida, passed away Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. He was born March 13, 1941, in St. Paul, Minnesota, to the late Peter and Sally A. (Starr) Hallfin.

He has been a resident of the area since 2013 and was a resident of Winter Haven since 1977.

He was a retired traffic logistics manager. Robert was a veteran in the United States Army, serving from 1959-1960. He was a lifelong golfer, known for his expertise with a pool cue. His nickname was the “Banker.”

He was a longtime driver for Meals on Wheels, a greeter and served on many committees at Beymer United Methodist Church.

He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Nancy J. Hallfin; daughters, Ramey J. Brezak and husband

MILDRED ALIENE CADLE DIED NOV. 17, 2019.

Mildred Aliene Cadle, 96, of Ocoee, Florida, went home to be with the Lord on Sunday Nov. 17, 2019. Mrs. Cadle was born on June 24, 1923 in Phil Campbell, Alabama, to the late Arthur Milton Baker and Emma Line Yocum Baker.

Mrs. Cadle was a member of Temple Free Will Baptist Church in Winter Garden. She loved cooking, gardening, singing, her Faith, serving others and caring for her family. She will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved her.

Mrs. Cadle was preceded in death by her husband, Edward Cadle; her son, Gene Cadle; her daughter, Carolyn Hiers; eights siblings; and her great-granddaughter, Carolyn.

Mrs. Cadle is survived by her son, Teddy Cadle; daughter Pen-

LOUISE BARNES, 100, of Winter Garden, died Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019. Collison Carey Hand Funeral Home, Winter Garden.

ROSA MAE LAWWILL, of Ocoee, died Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019. Baldwin-Fairchild Funeral Home, Winter Garden.

ny Waters; nine grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.

A visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22, 2019 at Baldwin-Fairchild Funeral Home in Winter Garden.

A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019, at Temple Free Will Baptist Church, 1208 E. Story Road Winter Garden, Florida 34787.

Baldwin-Fairchild Funeral Home in Winter Garden is handling funeral arrangements.

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CLARA EVE MARTIN, 83, died Sunday, Oct. 17, 2019. Collison Carey Hand Funeral Home, Winter Garden.

DIEGO OSCAR NIEVES, 19, died Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019.

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MORGAN BENJAMIN “BEN” POOLE SR., 85, died Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019. Collison Carey Hand Funeral Home, Winter Garden.

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Evan of Windermere, Florida, Elizabeth A. Harrison and husband Randy of Winter Haven, Florida; sister, Leah Bergstein and husband Phillip of Tucson, Arizona; brother, Lawrence W. Hallfin and wife Elaine of Bonita Springs, Florida; and four grandchildren, Lilly Brezak, Allison Harrison, Jackson Robert Brezak and Paige Harrison.

Visitation was held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, 2019, at the Marion Nelson Funeral Home. Memorial service was at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019, at the Beymer United Methodist Church at 700 N. Lake Howard Drive, Winter Haven.

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OBSERVER

SCHOOL ZONE NOVEMBER 21, 2019

Ellie Kopelousos played Martha Arable.

Taylor Johanneman played the role of Sheep.

Lily Cabrera played Charlotte the spider.

‘With the right words, you can change the world’

The role of Wilbur the pig was taken on by Jordan Kalter.

A

beloved farmhouse fable recently hit the stage at Bridgewater Middle School. The school’s drama students presented their production of “Charlotte’s Web” from Nov. 14 to 16. The students took to the stage to tell the classic tale of a scholarly spider; some terrific, radiant pig; and their barnyard buddies.

— ERIC GUTIERREZ

The role of Avery Arable was played by Rebeca Castro Mendes.

Cast members rehearse a scene where Wilbur and his barnyard buddies act as a distraction while Charlotte wrote new words on her web.

Left: Carson Peters was cast for the role of Templeton the rat.

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

West Orange FFA Fall Festival Families can have some fall fun at the West Orange FFA Fall Festival from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, at West Orange High, 1625 Beulah Road, Winter Garden. The event will include face painting, hay rides, a petting zoo, games and food! One child gets free admission with an adult paying $5. Each additional child is $3.

Observer seeking book donations Observer Media Group’s Reading Reindeer literacy program is kicking off its 22nd year of collecting new books to be given to needy children at Christmastime.

New books for children from infancy through middle school are being accepted for this annual project. They are distributed to multiple organizations throughout West Orange County. Reading Reindeer was started in West Orange County in 1998. Community support has enabled Reading Reindeer to bring new books to close to 63,500 children.

Through cash donations, this program also provides a new copy of Dr. Seuss’ ABCs to the parents of all babies born at Health Central Hospital throughout the year — approximately 700 births annually. The community is invited to join the effort to improve literacy levels in West Orange County.

Checks payable to Reading Reindeer also can be mailed to the Observer Media Group office at 661 Garden Commerce Parkway, Suite 180, Winter Garden, Florida 34787.

New books can be dropped off at the following locations: Garden Theatre, Rotary Club of Winter Garden, Roper YMCA, West Orange Chamber of Commerce, Winter Garden Library, Foundation Academy campuses, Ocoee City Hall and Windermere Prep.

Email contact@orangeobserver.com.

INFLUENCER OF THE WEEK

LISA BRZAKALA OCOEE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Lisa Brzakala is a guidance counselor at Ocoee Elementary School and currently is juggling her work schedule with chemotherapy treatments. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in August and will go through five months of treatments and then a few surgeries. “I am a super positive person, though, so it will all be OK in the end,” she said.

What do you love most about your school?

One of my favorite things about Ocoee Elementary is the family environment. Our students are loved here.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

My favorite part of my job is getting to work with students daily and creating relationships with them and their families.

Why does this job appeal to you?

I love to help others and make a difference in their lives.

What motivates you and pushes you to do your best?

I am always so motivated by the resiliency of our students. I am also motivated when I see the students using their social and emotional learning in real world situations.

What’s the nicest thing a student or faculty member has done for you?

It is always so touching when I get notes from the students.

REPORT CARD ROLE: Guidance counselor SCHOOL: Ocoee Elementary School TIME AT THE SCHOOL: 10 years

What’s your favorite restaurant and favorite meal?

I could eat sushi every day, LOL.

Do you have any pets? What kind?

What are their names?

I have the most loveable border collie/Bernese mountain dog mix named Pepper at home. I also have two small guinea pigs in my classroom named Chloe and Oreo.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

I think the power of speed. I would love to be able to get to things faster at home and school. And the power to heal.

What do you like to do in your free time?

In my free time, I love to be with my family. With everyone going in different directions all of the time, I cherish whatever we get to do together.

What’s your favorite book and why?

I just love books. I love to be able to teach from children’s literature. You can always find a message in a book.

What are some of your can’t-miss TV shows?

I have watched “Grey’s Anatomy” since the beginning. My girls and I love to watch “Expedition Unknown” together.

If you could put any four musicians on an alternate Mount Rushmore, who would it be?

Jimmy Buffet, Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury, Phil Collins

Tell us about your family.

I have been married to my husband, Tom, for almost 19 years. There is not anything he would not do for us. I have two girls. Emelia is 15 and a student at West Orange High School. Gabriella is 10. She attends Ocoee Elementary School with me.

— AMY QUESINBERRY

NOMINATE YOUR INFLUENCER Do you have an “unsung hero” at your school? If so, please nominate him or her for our Influencer of the Week feature. Nominations can be sent via email to contact@orangeobserver.com.

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

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15

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

OBSERVER SCHOOL ZONE

Greatness achieved Alumna Hannah Wagner is the first FFA member from Ocoee High to receive an American FFA Degree, the highest honor in the organization.

DANIELLE HENDRIX ASSOCIATE EDITOR

In the National FFA Organization, there is a gold standard that only 1% of its members will achieve — and Ocoee High School alumna Hannah Wagner is part of that group.

FFA is a youth organization that prepares its members for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture.

The American FFA Degree is the highest degree achievable in the organization and it shows an FFA member’s dedication to his or her chapter and state FFA organization.

Additionally, it “demonstrates the effort FFA members apply toward their supervised agricultural experience and the outstanding leadership abilities and community involvement they exhibited through their FFA career,” according to the National FFA Organization’s website.

Wagner, who graduated from OHS in May, has been involved in FFA since she was in seventh grade at Ocoee Middle School.

She first joined the organization due to her love of animals, but once she got involved, she realized FFA was so much more.

“The main part of it really is the leadership side, and I got very into the public speaking,” Wagner said. “I started for the animals but I fell in love with the people and atmosphere. I ran with it from there and, God willing, have been very successful with it. FFA is about personal growth, premier leadership and career success. I would say those are three things I had tremendous improvement on from being in (FFA).”

Throughout her high-school FFA career, Wagner served in a variety of leadership roles.

She was president of OHS’ FFA chapter from her sophomore through senior year, and she was the first FFA student from Ocoee to serve as the Orange County FFA Federation president.

Wagner even went beyond that to become the first Ocoee FFA member to serve as vice president of the Florida FFA Association’s District IV. Now, she is the proud recipient of an American FFA Degree.

“There are are about 669,000 FFA members across the country and less than 1% will ever receive their American FFA Degree,” Wagner said.

This year, according to the National FFA Organization,

a record 4,353 FFA members received their American FFA Degree at the 2019 National FFA Convention & Expo. In addition to the degree certificate, each recipient received a gold American FFA Degree key.

To receive the degree, members have to go through an extensive application process in which they outline everything they’ve done in their FFA careers and meet a variety of criteria. That includes receiving a State FFA Degree, holding active membership for three years and demonstrating outstanding scholastic achievement.

Wagner found out over the summer that she would be receiving her American FFA Degree at the national convention in Indianapolis, which took place at the end of October.

Now, Wagner is finishing her associate’s degree at Valencia College and hopes to transfer to the University of Florida to get a degree in agricultural education and communication.

“It’s hard to put into words,” she said of how it felt to receive that degree. “I would say that it’s just a very honorable feeling and you feel numb almost, like, ‘Did this really happen?’ …After I got off stage and received it I went

FOLLOW US:

BRACING YOU FOR SUCCESS!

— Hannah Wagner Courtesy photo

outside and I told (FFA Adviser Amy Anderson) ‘I remember sitting in your class as a seventh grader and when you were teaching about the different degree levels in the FFA.’ … I thought, ‘That’s the best of the best, I’m never gonna get there.’

I am there and I did get it, and so

to be at that level and accomplish something like that, it’s just an overwhelming feeling.

“I would not have gotten to the place I am without people pushing me and having my tribe behind me helping me along,” she added.

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BRACING YOU

“I started for the animals but I fell in love with the people and atmosphere.

I ran with it from there and, God willing, have been very successful with it.”

FOR SUCCESS!

A N D A G R E AT S C H O O L Y E A R

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F O R F R E E C O N S U LT A T I O N

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A N D A G R E AT S C H O O L Y E A R

Observer School Zone_112119.indd 1

11/5/19 1:45 PM

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WEST ORANG E HISTO RY

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

THESE OLD TIMES

FROM THE WINTER GARDEN HERITAGE FOUNDATION

The Winter Garden Times Nov. 19, 1970 Forty-nine years ago, the Swiss Family Treehouse was starting to take shape in the Adventureland area at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. The tree, standing at 60 feet tall and 90 feet wide, was made to look real, but it was constructed of steel, concrete and stucco.

Guests could wander through the Robinson family’s duplicated living quarters.

WARDCO in Ocoee played an important role in the construction. The park opened a year later.

75 years ago

Word has been received from Mrs. Jess Cappleman Pounds that her husband, James Herbert Pounds, has been promoted to captain in the U.S. Army. He is with the Air Corps, stationed in New Guinea.

Mrs. A.C. Valdes, whose husband was in the service, moved to Winter Garden.

60 years ago

The operators of Trailer City were inviting the residents of Winter Garden and the surrounding area to join with them in the classes and Saturday night square, folk and round dances that will be held in the auditorium.

50 years ago

When local Rotarians have birthdays, many of them contribute a book to the new West Orange Library.

45 years ago

The Windermere Lakers Pop Warner team is one of the outstanding teams chosen to play in the annual Kumquat Bowl, held in the Tangerine Bowl.

Jim Buttram, Jack Jowett and Pat Moran coached the team to a successful season. On the team: Kirk Farr, Michael Harrell, Jay Lake, Randy Buttram, John Stevenson, David Van Dyke, Jay Dennison, Mike Dennison, Greg Smith, Todd Pacquette, Garrett Pacquette, Bryan Fischer,

THROWBACK THURSDAY

FROM THE ARCHIVES The two-story masonry house located on West Plant Street in Winter Garden has had numerous owners since its construction around 1925 by Jeter McMillan. Rotary President Clarence O. McRae purchased the home around 1940.

Clarence’s daughter, Mary Grace (1924-2016), and United States Marine Corps Sgt. Major Dolphus Clindon Reeves (1923-1997) are seen at the front of the house. She graduated from Lakeview High School with the Class of 1942 and married Amos Virgle Marchant of Ty Ty, Georgia. Reeves, the son of Winter Garden barber Mason Clindon Reeves, served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Interested in researching your genealogy? The Winter Garden Heritage Foundation preserves thousands of family files in its archive. Call (407) 656-3244 to make a research appointment.

The mission of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation is to preserve the heritage and architecture of Winter Garden while creating new cultural experiences. The Foundation also preserves the material culture of West Orange County, using it to educate the area’s youth on the community’s rich history.

Wayne Geraghty, Jamie Zweifel and Jack Zweifel.

40 years ago

The West Orange Debutante Ball is being sponsored by the

West Orange Junior Service League at the Bay Hill Country Club. Debutantes are Kristin Boardman, Leslie Dabbs, Deborah Davis, Susan Dorman, June Greer, Kimberly Guern-

sey, Tracy Hall, Beverly Hart, Melodye Hendrix, Janet Hickman, Rebecca Howard, Virginia Spigener, Deborah Strickland, Susan Wolfe and Billie Youngblood.

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Dr. Craig Curtis, MD CPI

Dr. Craig Curtis, MD CPI, is the Director of Alzheimer’s Disease research at the Florida Alzheimer’s Prevention Institute. Dr. Curtis has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association Neurology. He is also a veteran of the U.S. Navy.

NOVEMBER 21, 2019

SPORTS

HIGH

West Orange senior Amin Ferreira’s love for the game of soccer is a tradition in the family. Page 18.

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5

Windermere Prep is hosting a Special Olympics basketball clinic this Saturday, Nov. 23, in the gymnasium on campus. From 9 to 11 a.m., participants ages 8 and up will get to take in drills and learn the ins-and-outs of the game. To RSVP, contact lauriechmielewski@ sofl.org.

2

The Windermere High boys swim team had a top-10 showing during the Class 4A state finals at Sailfish Splashpark Aquatic Athletics Center in Stuart Friday, Nov. 15. The Wolverines’ ninth-place finish was thanks in part to a strong showing from Reef Ide, who finished second in the 100 butterfly (49.19) and second in the 100 backstroke (50.50). Ethan Sido would finish 15th in the 100 backstroke (54.25), while Tristan Ide finished sixth in the 100 breaststroke (57.77). Windermere also would finish sixth in the 200 medley relay (1:35.27) and ninth in the 400 free relay (3:10.16)

3

In West Orange boys soccer’s 1-0 win over Timber Creek Monday, Nov. 11, goalie Noah Schwarz picked up his first career varsity shutout as he recorded five saves to keep the Wolves off the board. The win moves the Warriors to 1-0 on the season.

4

The Windermere Go Pro Academy 11U Eagles baseball team has been on a tear the last few months, as the Eagles won the Perfect Game Tournament in Sanford — going 4-0 — over teams from Jacksonville and Tampa the weekend of September 20-22. The Eagles followed up that perfect showing with a second-place finish at the USSSA War on I-4 Tournament — which took place Saturday, Nov. 2, to Sunday, Nov. 3.

5

It was a big day for the Holy Family Catholic School’s boys JV soccer team and girls JV basketball team as they both won the Orlando Catholic School’s Diocese Cup in their respective sports Wednesday, Oct. 23. Both teams not only finished as champions, but also also went undefeated during their seasons, as well.

Troy Herring

AMERICA’S I

TROY HERRING

SPORTS EDITOR

BEST After spending most of his life in the United States, Windermere Prep senior studentathlete Jonah Best — and his family — became naturalized citizens this month.

f you met Jonah Best on the street, you wouldn’t think he was any different than your average American.

He drives a big truck, speaks like an American and has a deep love for the game of football — American football, as to not be confused.

Those simple facts — especially the way he speaks — are what throw people off when he tells people that he isn’t originally from the United States.

“That’s probably the question I get asked the most — why I don’t have an accent,” said Jonah Best, a Windermere resident who was born in Scotland. “But my parents do and my brother does.”

The hilarity of the situation isn’t lost on his mom — it’s something

she recognized long ago when they first moved to the United States.

“You would have never known from talking to him that he wasn’t American, would you?” said Sarah Best, Jonah Best’s mom. “That’s what I always thought was so funny, because out of all of us he sounded like an American within five minutes of getting here and loved all of the American stuff.”

Despite living here in the U.S. for around 10 years, Jonah Best and his family were simply permanent residents. He and his siblings were born just outside of Glasgow, Scotland, while Sarah Best is English and their dad, David Best, is Scottish.

But the Bests’ living status changed on Nov. 7 when they arrived at a naturalization ceremony, where Sarah and David SEE BEST PAGE 18

Foundation Academy adds new soccer team The middle school team — led by head coach Alfanso Garwicki — will bolster Foundation’s soccer program.

TROY HERRING SPORTS EDITOR

There’s a lot that goes into building a successful sports program, and that’s something that is well understood by the athletic department at Foundation Academy.

It’s part of the reason why this year saw the establishment of the middle school girls soccer team at the school, which will be led by head coach Alfanso Garwicki.

“This is my fifth year at the

school, and I’m so excited and happy that I’m going to stay here,” Garwicki said. “I’m hoping we can win everything this year, and the next year and the next year.

Alongside Garwicki, fewer people were more pleased with the news of the new program more than varsity girls coach James Grosshans — who took over last season.

For Grosshans, the program SEE FA PAGE 18

Troy Herring

Camryn Clements works through a drill during practice Monday, Nov. 19.

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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Amin Ferreira A senior on the West Orange boys soccer team, Amin Ferreira is a talented midfield player whose love for soccer goes back to his childhood growing up in Brazil. Ferreira models his game after two of his favorite players — Casemiro (of Real Madrid) and Arthur Melo (of Barcelona).

When did you first get into soccer?

I’ve been playing soccer for all of my life. My cousins and my dad all played pro, and I’m Brazilian too, so it’s like, ever since I was little it was like, “You’re going to play soccer.”

I’ve been playing for awhile.

What’s been your favorite part about playing soccer at West Orange?

It’s just going year to year, and seeing the evolution of the players — the little guys who used to be freshmen, who have become such great players now. Even me — I didn’t make the team as a freshman, and now I’m one of the key players on the team.

What is your favorite aspect of the game?

I think my favorite aspect of the game is when you’re in the finals or really tough moment, and you winning and the emotion you get when you score a goal in the last minute.

What’s the most challenging part of soccer for you?

Probably attacking — scoring goals, because I’m a defensive player, and when there are a lot of people I get kind of nervous but I’m trying to get over that fear.

What are some of the best words of advice you’ve been given about soccer?

Honestly, just never give up, even if you’re playing bad. I get really frustrated when I play bad, so my teammates are always telling me, “You’re good, keep it up, you’re going to be fine.” It’s good to hear.

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

THE BASICS

SCHOOL: West Orange High SPORT: Soccer POSITION: Defensive midfield CLASS: Senior AGE: 17

two goals in five minutes. And then we scored one goal in overtime — it was such a good moment.

Do you have a favorite player that you look up to?

In my position, my favorite player to watch is Casemiro — who plays for Real Madrid — and also Arthur (Melo), he plays for Barcelona. They’re really good players — I look up to them a lot and I try to play like them.

What happens after you graduate?

This year I’m going to a bunch of ID camps and my team is playing in a lot of tournaments and showcases where there are going to be a lot of colleges watching us. Hopefully I can get to school — that’s my dream. If that doesn’t happen then I’ll probably just go to college and study — I’m going to do sports medicine either way to be involved with sports.

If you could play — and excel — at any other position on the field, where would you want to play?

Probably an attacking position. Honestly, I feel like I could do good in an attacking position.

I used to play at striker, but my coach put me up there because I’m big and I can body kids.

Is there a highlight moment that stands out to you?

When we were playing Ocoee to make it into the semis of districts, we were down 1-0 with 10 minutes left and we scored

What’s your ideal meal after a game?

My dad makes some good steak.

Steak, rice and beans — I love that. Brazilian food in general is just too good.

— TROY HERRING

Athlete of the Week sponsored by:

Best becomes a citizen CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

Best took the Oath of Allegiance, while Jonah Best and his sister watched on with the rest of the crowd there.

Though they were not participating, Jonah Best and his sister — due to being minors — were automatically naturalized alongside their parents.

“It was really crazy — the word that I’d use to describe it best is ‘proud,’” Jonah Best said.

“I was proud that we were able to do this, and it was just a huge moment because we have lived here for so long.”

There were a lot of reasons why the decision to become naturalized was made, but one of the biggest, Sarah Best said, was because she knew how big it would be for her son.

“For me, it was very momentous because it means a lot for Jonah,” Sarah Best said. “He identifies as American — he wants to live here, he wants to participate in everything here and we wanted to make that as feasible as possible for him.”

The process to give Jonah Best the citizenship he had always wanted was relatively quick, which came as a total surprise, Sarah Best said.

It takes a good while to get all the paperwork and information in order to apply, and then there’s the wait that can take years and years. For David and Sarah Best,

it took less than a year.

The interviews and tests that they needed to take were done the Monday before the naturalization ceremony.

“It was kind of crazy, because we weren’t expecting to get it that fast, because it’s a super long process for a lot of people,” Jonah Best said. “We only applied early 2019, because it was kind of mostly for me — for college stuff and the possibility of going into the military.”

LIFE, LIBERTY AND SPORTS

Though he spent his early childhood close to Glasgow, Jonah Best never cared much for soccer.

In fact, it wasn’t until the Best family moved to Singapore — after living in the U.S for three years — when Jonah Best found the first sport he actively participated in: rugby.

“We went to an international school, so we had people from all over — I had friends in Singapore who were from the U.S. and the U.K.,” Jonah Best said. “A couple of my buddies and I, we figured one day we would go out and try out for the rugby team. We just went out there and had a lot of fun.”

Jonah Best would take his time in rugby to heart, and when he and his family moved back to the States just before he started eighth grade at Windermere Prep, he decided to give football a shot since it was similar to rugby.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

shows that Foundation is serious about building up the soccer culture at the school. There’s also the excitement of having a feeder program that can help develop and prepare players for the highschool level, Grosshans said.

“We’re growing as a school, and we’re jazzed about continuing to raise up the younger generation,” Grosshans said. “With the middle school stuff, especially being at a private school, it’s all together — so all of the girls from middle school and high school will be practicing on the same field and we’ll be kind of interchanging who is working with what coach off and on, just so that everyone is aware of who is able to do what.

“We’re really just building for that varsity program,” he said.

“It just allows for that smooth transition from one program to the other.”

It’s a welcomed sign of relief for the soccer program as a whole, especially given the challenges of being undermanned throughout

the 2018-19 season.

Going into that season, the varsity had 16 players at the most, and by the time the year ended — after a few injuries — Grosshans was down to just 10-and-a-half players.

“I had one girl who had just been cleared to be able to do sports again, but who still wasn’t able to fully run,” Grosshans said. “And I put her on the field for our district game and I was like, ‘Maddy, I just need you to stand’ … and she just stood in the middle of the field, just so I would have 11 people on my team so we could qualify and play in that game.”

This year the varsity team had more than 30 girls show up, while around 15 signed on to play for the middle school team.

Getting those kinds of numbers is exactly what Garwicki and Grosshans were hoping to see. A big part of the boom was from girls who had watched the U.S. Women’s National Team win the World Cup during this past summer.

And the inspiration to play

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the sport has shown up early for the middle school team, as Garwicki’s girls won their first-ever match by a score of 5-1 Friday, Nov. 8.

It was a solid outcome, but as Garwicki knows, working with a team of young players and trying to establish a program is difficult.

“The girls have a really good intensity for play — everything is really good — but the techniques are not the best, but that’s just normal,” Garwicki said. “It’s their first year and maybe some haven’t played soccer before.”

Over the course of the next few months, the girls will play six more games and will spend three days a week practicing out behind the gym on campus.

As the girls on his team continue to grow on the field, there’s one big thing that Garwicki hopes they walk away with before they make the transition to the next level.

“They need to understand the game,” Garwicki said. “That’s probably the most important thing in soccer, and dominate in all of the fundamentals.”

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To say things started off well for Jonah Best on the team is an understatement.

“I came to the summer workouts and practiced with the middle-school team, and that was the start of the whole thing,” Jonah Best said. “And that year we had a lot of fun, because we were really good as an eighth-grade team.

That kind of propelled me into high-school football.”

Since then, Jonah Best has found a place as a starter on the offensive and defensive lines, where his work ethic, performance and leadership earned him captain honors this past season.

Though his football career is now done, Jonah Best will be back on the field in the spring — this time for lacrosse and throwing shot put. After graduating, he plans on going to either Florida State University or University of Central Florida to study information technology or computer engineering.

While sports — especially football — have been a huge part of his life, nothing has been bigger than the opportunity to pursue his dreams in the country that he can now officially call home.

“I love this country,” Jonah Best said. “(It’s) just the symbolism of becoming a part of this country that I have lived in for so long, and that I care about so much.”

FA girls soccer looks to grow

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OrangeObserver.com

What’s your sign?

Student-athletes around the area signed with their respective colleges of choice.

TROY HERRING SPORTS EDITOR

It’s that time of the year again as student-athletes from around the Observer coverage area sign their National Letters of Intent with their colleges of choice.

Windermere Prep kicked of the week with an Early National Signing Day event Wednesday, Nov. 13, as the Lakers had four studentathletes — Arianna and Angeline Bergner, Megan Ideda and Hiroshi Tai — sign on the dotted line.

For many of them, Wednesday afternoon’s event was the ending of a process that provided more stress than not — at least that was the case for Ideda.

“I wasn’t expecting it right away, because it’s kind of a last-minute thing — a lot of golf girls signed earlier,” said Ideda, who will be playing golf at The Citadel. “I was a little worried getting down to the wire, because I committed three weeks ago. Just the waiting process is a little nerve wracking, but I’m glad I was able to sign today and just knowing where I’ll be the next four years has definitely made me a little proud.”

On the other end of that spectrum is Tai, who signed on to play golf at Georgia Tech during his junior year.

Tai, however, will be taking a little bit of a different route as he has to go into national service in his home country of Singapore after he graduates early in December, meaning he won’t step onto Georgia Tech’s campus until January 2022.

Despite the wait, Tai said he’s excited to take to the links for the Yellow Jackets in a few years.

“They have a really good golf program the last couple of years,” Tai said. “I’ve talked to all of the recruits that are coming in in 2020, and I know another that’s a freshman there now, so I just know all of the guys on the team really well and I’m comfortable around them.”

Rounding out the group were the Bergner sisters, who are being given the chance to play on the beach volleyball team at Florida State University.

“It’s super exciting to say that we are going to Florida State, because my older sister went there,” Angeline Bergner said.

“We loved the campus and everything,” Arianna Bergner said.

“And then we got to meet the team and the team was so much fun.”

Most of this week’s signing events took place Thursday, Nov. 14, and that includes West Orange High — which had 10 total signees across six different sports (baseball, beach volleyball, lacrosse, soccer, softball and volleyball).

After listening to their respective coaches speak to the crowd about each student-athlete, seniors like Maverick Ferguson, Riley Fromberg and Cristina Roque signed alongside their fellow classmates.

“I’m relieved,” said Ferguson, who will be playing baseball at Ashland University (Ohio). “It has been a long journey, and it was tough because it’s a long time without knowing what you’re doing next year.”

Despite the worry — which is now long gone — Ferguson can look forward to traveling back to his home state to pursue his baseball dreams.

“I’m originally from Cleveland, Ohio, so I have family all over there,” he said. “So I’m just happy I’m going home to play college baseball.”

While Ferguson goes home to Ohio, some of West Orange’s athletes will be heading to a place that’s completely new to them.

Thomas Roth will head up to South Carolina next fall to play lacrosse at Limestone College.

There, Roth will get to play with a team that plays for national championships just about every year — one of several reasons why Roth chose to become a Saint.

“Lacrosse is very big (there), and it’s one of the biggest D2 schools in the nation,” Roth said. “But I’m excited about the weather — being in the cold and have the season al change. And I’m excited about being on a higher level of lacrosse.”

Roth won’t be the only Warrior signing on to play for a national championship contender, as Cristina Roque signed to play on a Florida State women’s soccer team that just came off of a national title in 2018.

Roque will graduate from West Orange early and make it up to Tallahassee in January to join her new team, which is the most exciting aspect for her.

“I’m ready to meet the team and just spend time with them,” Roque said. “They’re all super nice.”

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SIGNEES AROUND THE AREA

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

WEST ORANGE

DR. PHILLIPS

Carlos Lopez, baseball — Indian River State College Kaitlyn Montague, soccer (women) — University of IllinoisChicago Marika Virthe, volleyball (women) — Northeastern University Victoria Zarazel, volleyball (women) — Daytona State College Jessica Corredor, wrestling (women) — Missouri Baptist University

OCOEE

Alston Andrews, basketball (men) — Northern Illinois University David Green, basketball (men) — Hofstra University

OLYMPIA

Chenoa Johnson, basketball (women) — University of Tampa Jonah Leach, golf (men) — University of Florida Trevor Hodges, lacrosse (men) — Ohio Wesleyan University Jadyn Pike, volleyball (women) — Eastern Florida State College

THE FIRST ACADEMY

Brett Kelly, baseball — UNCGreensboro Kamron Summers, basketball (men) — United States Naval Academy Ariel Yu, golf (women) — Vanderbilt University Sampson Zheng, golf (women) — Cal-Berkeley Ella Simpson, soccer (women) — Samford University Elli McKissock, volleyball (women) — University of Florida Joe DeLuzio, volleyball (men) — Pepperdine University

Sam Broderson, baseball — Wingate University Maverick Ferguson, baseball — Ashland University Anthony Garcia, baseball — St. Petersburg College Alyssa Keller, beach volleyball (women) — University of South Carolina Thomas Roth, lacrosse (men) — Limestone College Cristina Roque, soccer (women) — Florida State University Bryce Adkinson, softball — Murray State Riley Fromberg, softball — St. Petersburg College Sara Leach, softball — Eastern Florida State College Tara English, volleyball (women) — Florida State College

WINDERMERE

Carlos Anderson, baseball — West Virginia Wesleyan Jason Grant, baseball — West Virginia Wesleyan Carson Montgomery, baseball — Florida State University Tyler Ostendorf, baseball — West Virginia Wesleyan Onix Ortiz, cross country (men) — University of North Florida Faith Campopiano, softball — Webber International Gabby Defranco, softball — Piedmont College Christina Fleming, softball — Furman University Taylor Head, volleyball (women) — University of Arkansas

WINDERMERE PREP

Arianna Bergner, beach volleyball (women) — FSU Angeline Bergner, beach volleyball (women) — FSU Megan Ideda, golf (women) — The Citadel Hiroshi Tai, golf (women) — Georgia Tech

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

Dr. Phillips falters in seasonending, 20-7 loss to Osceola TROY HERRING SPORTS EDITOR

I

t’s never easy to see your season come to an end, especially when it’s partly due to selfinflicted errors.

That was the case during Dr. Phillips’ 20-7 loss to Osceola (Kissimmee) in the 8A regional semifinal Friday, Nov. 15.

Throughout the night’s game, the Panthers struggled with penalties while turning the ball over on multiple occasions — including a pick-six by Osceola’s Jerry Wilson that went for 95 yards.

“It was just self-inflected wounds,” said Panthers head coach Rodney Wells. “It’s the playoffs — we had way too many mistakes to beat a really good team in Osceola. We turned the ball over, had too many penalties and we hurt ourselves.”

Out of the gate, the Panthers (9-3) seemed to be in good shape, as seven minutes into the game running back Brandon Fields capped off a strong drive — helped by three Osceola (10-1) penalties — with a 10-yard touchdown run at the five-minute mark in the first quarter. Riley Stephens’ extra point would split the uprights, and the Panthers would take the early lead.

On their next drive, the Panthers turned the ball over on a bad handoff between quarterback Isaiah Givens and Fields.

From there, things seemed to quickly go downhill fast.

After driving downfield and converting on fourth-and-1 at the 3-yard line, Kowboys running back Dwayne McGee broke through the line for Osceola’s opening score with 9:05 left in the first half. The extra point tied the game at 7-7.

The Kowboys would strike again with 1:32 left in the half when Spencer Richards kicked the easy field goal to give the Kowboys the 10-7 lead. From there, the Kowboys never gave up their lead.

To start off the second half, the Panthers drove down the field with relative ease before Givens tossed a ball that ended up in the hands of Osceola’s Jerry Wilson, who proceeded to spring past the entire Dr. Phillips defense for an emphatic 95-yard pick-six. The extra point made it 17-7 with 8:45 left in the third.

The most frustrating part of the Panthers’ offensive struggles on Friday was that they were completely uncharacteristic for Wells’ team. Things that had usually worked during the season just seemed to fall flat.

“We had the pick-six, and then we had two times where we missed a guy wide open in the end zone … we have been hitting that all year,” Wells said.

“It’s just that type of night.”

OTHER WEEK 13 SCORES

n The First Academy 21, Holy Trinity Episcopal 14

Photos by Troy Herring

Nivon Holland took off during a play.

Senior Elijah Morris was overcome with emotion after his final game as a Panther.

Left: Brandon Fields was upended by multiple Osceola defenders.

The Panthers would get their last real shot for points about three-and-a-half minutes later, but Stephen’s 35-yard field goal flew wide right of the uprights.

The last score of the night would come on a 27-yard field goal by Richards to push the Kowboys’ lead to 20-7 with 8:33 left in the game — sealing up the victory for Osceola.

Despite the loss and the disappointment that comes with the manner in which they lost, the Panthers still have a lot to be proud of, Wells said.

“We had some great times,” Wells said. “These guys matured. Coming out the first few weeks we weren’t very good — we were not a good football team — and these guys did everything that we asked them to do to mature and get better and they did something that nobody thought they would do.”

head coach Brad Lord decided to use his timeouts to try and give his team one more shot at scoring before the end of the half. Those timeouts wound up backfiring, as the Eagles (8-4) drove down the field and scored on a pass from Cole Gonzales to Andrew Pickens with 12.5 seconds left in the half.

Foundation Academy went into halftime up 21-7.

“I made a mistake at halftime,” Lord said. “I shouldn’t have called those timeouts. We should’ve went into the half up 21-0. I got a little greedy, they scored and (it was a) new game.”

With momentum on its side, Oak Hall forced an interception to start the second half and drove down the field. Following an interception by the

Lions being called back because of pass interference, the Eagles scored once again on a pass from Gonzales to Pickens to cut Foundation Academy’s lead to 21-14 with 7:25 left in the third quarter.

The Lions would respond with a long drive of their own — moving the ball all the way inside the Eagles’ 5-yard line. Stutsman would make a rare mistake, however, as he fumbled the ball away, which Oak Hall recovered at its own 2-yard line.

By the end of the third quarter, Oak Hall had the ball in Lions’ territory. Then, on the first play of the fourth quarter, Foundation Academy forced a fumble and Henry Austad recovered.

After the Lions were forced to punt, Oak Hall drove again into

Foundation Academy territory, but just like on the previous drive, Foundation Academy’s defense managed to get a stop — forcing a turnover on downs.

With 3:47 left in the game, the Lions had a chance to put the game away with a field goal.

That wouldn’t come to fruition though, as the kick hit the left upright.

The Eagles would attempt to go down the field to tie the game, but Foundation Academy got one last stop, forcing another turnover on downs to seal the game.

In Oak Hall’s last two games, the Eagles scored 50 and 47 points, respectively. The Lions’ defense forced three turnovers on downs, had one fumble recovery and Dominic Zagame

FOUNDATION STAVES OFF OAK HALL IN 21-14 WIN

Behind an early start on offense and a stout defense, the Foundation Academy Lions were able to hang on late for a 21-14 win over the Oak Hall Eagles to advance to the regional finals Friday, Nov. 15.

Foundation Academy (9-2) seized control early, as it was able to capitalize on good field position in the first quarter to score touchdowns on its first two drives of the game to go up 14-0.

Late in the second quarter, the Lions extended their lead to 21 with a rushing touchdown from Danny Stutsman.

With the defense shutting down Oak Hall’s potent offense throughout the first half, Lions

Nate Marrero

Travis Hutchinson broke through the line on a run.

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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Celebrates Business

— NATE MARRERO

n THE FIRST ACADEMY (6-5) AT LAKELAND CHRISTIAN (9-1) The First Academy (6-5) limped through a 4-5 season, but since the start of the playoffs, the Royals have really found their groove.

After a 50-6 pounding of Trinity Prep in the first round, the Royals went to Melbourne as underdogs against Holy Trinity Episcopal in the regional semifinal and won 21-14. This week, the Royals will take on the top-seeded Vikings. in the regional final. The Vikings’ high-powered offense is led by running back Bo Copen, who has scored 15 times on the ground and has rushed for over 700 yards this season.

PEAK by ALFRED BYWATERS CROSSWORD PIKE’S Edited by David Steinberg

©2019 Universal Uclick

ACROSS

1 Settled tendency 6 “That was ___, this is now!”

10 Goals 14 Diamonds and rubies 18 Saudi neighbor 19 “Carpe diem,” updated 20 Baghdad’s country 21 Singer O’Day 23 Ben & Jerry?

26 Bedside light sources 27 Memo heading words 28 Required 29 Baby bird’s bill?

31 Little ___ (Vietnamese

enclave) 33 Honeypie 35 Metes out 36 Demeter, to Romans 38 Temporary shelters 40 Observe 41 Device for measuring onion strength?

45 Unnamed source’s dilemma?

50 Used to own 51 One may go “beep boop” 53 Insulting allegation 54 Neighborhood in London or New York 55 Fail to be

58 2001 corporate failure 60 Terse admission of falsehood 63 Oath 64 Jeans measure 66 Military leader’s winning or losing spells?

69 Many drs. are in it 70 Lamb’s dam 71 Cyber ops grp.

72 Quick recipe claim?

80 Frenzied 84 Unwell 85 “Actually, that is true about me!”

86 Fairy relatives

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W OCC Ambassadors celebrated the Ribbon Cutting of BIZCENTER USA with State of The Art Executive Suites, and Virtual Offices, located at 6000 Metrowest Blvd., Suite 200, in Orlando. To learn more, visit www.bizcenterusa.com. Photo courtesy of WOCC.

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West Orange Chamber of Commerce Edward Jones - Robert Smith’s Ribbon Cutting

WOCC Ambassadors celebrated the Ribbon Cutting of Edward Jones -

Robert Smith, Financial Advisor’s branch, located at 1530 Citrus Medical Ct Suite 103, in Ocoee. Whether planning for retirement, saving for college, or just trying to protect the financial future of the ones you care for the most, Robert Smith can develop specific strategies to help you achieve your goals. To learn more, visit http://edwardjones.com/robert-esmith. Photo courtesy of WOCC.

HORIZON WEST To learn more and to register participation visit wochamber.com/ ChamberGroups or call 407-656-1304

West Orange Chamber of Commerce Ruth Burton Hair Designer’s Ribbon Cutting

WOCC Ambassadors celebrated the Ribbon Cutting of Ruth Burton

Hair Designer’s new studio, located at 7586 West Sand Lake Road, Studio 125, in Orlando. To learn more, visit www.ruthburtonhairdesigner.com.

Photo courtesy of WOCC. For more information about joining the West Orange Chamber of Commerce, call 407-656-1304 or visit wochamber.com

42 Merit 43 Dinner announcer 44 Word on an Irish euro 46 Rainbow goddess 47 Gravlax alternative 48 “In that case, I have no objection” 49 Drags behind 52 Gifted person?

56 Approach 57 Motown’s Terrell 59 Post-makeover self 61 Carve into a desk, say 62 What paint does slowly 65 Minute ___ lemonade 67 Staggers 68 Apiece 72 Feudal domain 73 Like a shoppe 74 Arm bone 75 ___ bene DOWN 76 “It’s of no ___ me” 1 Arizona natives 77 Poisons 2 Washer maker 78 With, in France 3 You can’t pass them on 79 Shakespearean king with highways three daughters 4 Whole number 81 Looks surreptitiously 5 Bronze component 82 Notion 6 Aston Martin wheel 83 Fraction of a quarter 7 Washed (down) 87 Shut noisily 8 Say “nothin’ doin’,” say 90 Crafty trick 9 Like some diet foods 92 Likely to tip over 10 Alaska and American 94 It’s often made in a hurry 11 Rage 97 Act in the capacity of 12 Address for some drill 98 Render docile sergeants 99 Interminably 13 640 acres (Abbr.)

101 Trilby or fedora 14 Astronomer condemned 88 Tree service?

102 With determination by the Inquisition 89 “The Simpsons” charac105 Moves about a foot?

15 Harmful helpers ter Krabappel 107 Made bubbles, say 16 Old copy machine, briefly 91 Autocorrect might cor108 Unsettling 17 March parade VIP rect one 109 Like five-star hotels 22 Requests 93 Black Panther Bobby 111 Gaston’s sidekick in 24 Group of nine 95 Understanding “Beauty and the Beast” 25 Skin care brand 96 Source of frightening 112 Unescorted 30 Tweed tormentor broadcasts?

114 Ward (off) 32 Structural chart type, 100 Place to plop down 115 Heavy volumes informally after a long day?

117 Northern Scandinavian 34 Often-abbreviated list 103 Chamomile drink 118 Nonbinary pronoun ender 104 “Hop ___” (Dr. Seuss 120 Doing the job 37 Certain classic) 124 Period 39 Day of the Dead prop 106 Tests for future drs.

125 Took a chair 41 Laotian’s neighbor 107 “Don’t give in!”

110 Australian lass 113 Drink raiser’s words 116 Eden garment?

119 Swathe 121 Until 122 Muppet with a rubber duckie 123 First to arrive on the playing field?

126 Modern pagan religion 127 “Jeopardy!” creator Griffin 128 Braxton who sang “Let It Flow” 129 Pain relief brand 130 They may twinkle or light up 131 Noncommittal response 132 Bird feeder supply 133 Little kids

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had an interception. Michael LemieuxBott led the team with nine tackles and Edward Byrd had eight tackles.

“Our defense played real good tonight,” Lord said.

Offensively, Stutsman led the team with 179 all-purpose yards and one rushing touchdown and Travis Hutchinson also had a rushing touchdown. Austad completed eight of his 12 passes for 93 yards, with his one passing touchdown being completed to Braden Holcomb — he also threw an interception.

“We should’ve scored two or three more touchdowns and we didn’t do that,” Lord said. “We persevered. I have a great bunch of seniors, great leadership — we’re going to the regional championship again and we’re getting to go to Lakeland again.”

The Lions will seek revenge as they go on the road to face Victory Christian Academy for the fourth time in five years.

“I expect us to get real tough next week and go to Victory and have another thriller over there like we do every year,” Lord said.

ORANGE

West Orange Chamber of Commerce BIZCENTER USA’s Ribbon Cutting

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.

“K DHUG ZMCX YZWAKVB PIWOWPGXOU WVJ BXGGKVB YWKJ SMO KG, WVJ GIWG’U NIWG K NWVG GM JM GKZZ GIX JWA K JKX.” – OWKVV NKZUMV “T OBSK B IVPRANCR-XRRETSY, OBXTSY-NE-RBZCG, OBCCRKVBZZGTSY, SUS-LRCVZU-IPURORBZTSY DBS.”

– DTSAG XBCTSY

Puzzle Two Clue: Y equals G

Quarterback Henry Austad went through his pre-snap reads before the play.

THE WEST

Puzzle One Clue: D equals J

Nate Marrero

n FOUNDATION ACADEMY (9-2) AT VICTORY CHRISTIAN (9-1) Game time at 7 p.m., Southeastern University After holding off Oak Hall in a close game, Foundation Academy (9-2) will face off against a familiar foe as the Lions travel to Lakeland to take on Victory Christian (9-1) in the regional final. Over the last five years, the Lions have seen Victory Christian on four separate occasions, with the most recent being in a 36-7 loss in the regional final. The Storm are led on offense by junior running back Cornelius Shaw, who has torn up opposing defenses to the sound of 1,409-rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

West Orange Chamber of Commerce

WEEK PREVIEW

Games at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22, unless otherwise noted.

|

©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

11-21-19

getting paid for it, and that’s what I want to do till the day I die.”

– Rainn Wilson

CLASSIFIEDS

Puzzle Two Solution: “Previous Solution: “I want a schedulekeeping, waking-up-early, walletcarrying, non-Velcro-shoe-wearing man.”

– Mindy Kaling

This week’s Sudoku answers

Thursday, November 21, 2019

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.

Celebrity Cipher answers

Puzzle One Solution:

Garage/Moving/Estate Sales

MASSIVE GARAGE SALE - Winter Garden, 900 W. Plant St., 8 A.M. Saturday, Nov. 23. Items lining the driveway and inside two garages! Holiday, books all ages, craft and school supplies, children and adult clothing, kitchen, home decor, collectibles, sports, music and movies, baby and kids toys, linens and more. 11/21 aq

GET YOUR – MEDICAL MARIJUANA – CARD HERE

Merchandise Wanted

“Previous Solution: “I want a schedulekeeping, waking-up-early, walletThis week’s Sudoku answers carrying, non-Velcro-shoe-wearing man.”

– Mindy Kaling

Fast Easy Certification

13178 W. Colonial Dr. Winter Garden

©2019 NEA, Inc.

This week’s Sudoku answers This week’s Crossword answers

This week’s Sudoku answers

Call now for your FREE pre-evaluation by phone

SCRAP BATTERIES

321093

Orlando: 407-755-0012

NOW PURCHASING

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321091

Announcements

FREE MARIJUANA DELIVERY Delivered directly to your home or business

321089

We provide Medical Marijuana in a variety of forms such as tinctures, pills, pain patches, vapes, concentrates, buds, vape shatter pills, dry flower & much more!

You NOW get the dry flower to

SMOKE!

©2019 NEA, Inc.

©2019 NEA, Inc.

This week’s Crossword answers

GET RESULTS!

TO ADVERTISE IN OUR CLASSIFIEDS CALL 407-656-2121

©2019 NEA, Inc.

This week’s Crossword answers

PLACE YOUR AD TODAY

Or email us at

advertisenow@orangeobserver.com

407-656-2121

321090

This week’s Crossword answers

2019

HERE’S MY CARD - BUSINESS DIRECTORY AIR CONDITIONING

AUTO SERVICE

TFN

2019

LV11098

407-656-3495

“I just love playing characters and “I just love playing characters and getting paid for it, and that’s what I want getting paid for it, and that’s what I want toThis do till the day I die.” Cipher – Rainn Wilson to do till the day I die.” – Rainn Wilson week’s Celebrity answers Puzzle PuzzleTwo OneSolution: Solution: Puzzle Two Solution: “I just love playing characters and “Previous Solution: “I want a schedule“Previous Solution: “I want a schedulegetting paid for it, and that’s what I want keeping, waking-up-early, walletkeeping, waking-up-early, walletto do tillnon-Velcro-shoe-wearing the day I die.”

– Rainn Wilson carrying, non-Velcro-shoe-wearing carrying, – Mindy Kaling man.”

– Mindy Kaling man.”

Puzzle Two Solution:

Health & Medical

COMMUNITY YARD SALE! Orange Tree Mobile Home Park off Park Avenue in Winter Garden will be having a Community Yard Sale on Fri., Nov. 22nd and Sat., Nov. 23rd from 8 AM – 4 PM both days. NO EARLY SALES. 11/21 ot

LV16621

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers This week’s INFO & RATES: 407-656-2121 • EMAIL: classifieds@orangeobserver.com • ONLINE: www.orangeobserver.com HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 8:30am-4:30pm • DEADLINES: Classifieds - Monday at 10:OOAM • Service Directory - Friday at 10AM • PAYMENT: Cash, Check or Credit Card Puzzle One Solution:

AUTO SERVICE

2019

2019

-FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED –

317631

Stress-Free Financing Now Available on All Purchases $149 and Up

407.296.9622 407.877.6268

• Bridgestone • Michelin • Toyo • BFG Tires

www.gsairsystems.com email: gsairsystems@cfl.rr.com Licensed & Insured - State License #CAC1814407

We offer financing with approved credit

179.95 BMW 5 Series $199.95 $

321078

AUTO SERVICE

179.95 $199.95 $

Mercedes E-Class

ONLY

89.95

$

Includes up to Service includes: Front or Rear Pads, Parts and Labor.

7 quarts of Full Synthetic Oil. Tax and recycling fees are extra. Not valid with any other offers. Expires 11/30/19.

TFN

TRAYWICK'S GARAGE

TFN

1045 S. Vineland Rd. •Winter Garden • New and Used Tires • Alignment • Complete Auto Repair • A/C Serv. & More

321081

Call for a FREE estimate on Equipment Replacement.

Full Synthetic Oil Service 321077

BMW 3 Series Mercedes C-Class

407-656-1817

“Your Complete Service Center” 10 West Story Rd. Winter Garden, FL 34787 REG# MV-01095

TFN

Phone 407-656-6646

Richard Hudson • Reggie Hudson

407-656-2121

advertisenow@orangeobserver.com

321085

BRAKE PAD SALE

321076

• Quality • Service • Sales • Installation • Commercial • Residential

|

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

HERE’S MY CARD - BUSINESS DIRECTORY HOME SERVICES

ROOFING

TFN 321080

AUTO SERVICE

23

LV11098

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

“Contractor Rates on Materials”

881 S. 9th Street • Winter Garden, FL 34787

Beautify Your Home Inside and Out With Our Superior Home Improvement Services

WE BUY JUNK CARS WE BUY SCRAP METAL

SERVICES AVAILABLE:

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

Visit our website to complete an estimate request form and schedule a free estimate

AdamsHomeImprovement.com

407-656-4707

321084

Orlando, FL 239-910-4607 or 802-735-5997 adamshomeimprovements@yahoo.com

CATERING

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Reach Over 37,000 Readers Each Week!

EXTINGUISHER

SERVICE

Willie J. Fulmore Owner

Ocoee, FL

Danny Motes

We make Old Fashioned, Texas Style BBQ!

Cell 407-466-4738 Tel 407-654-2395 Fax 407-654-2986

321075

A portion of the profits help to fund Homeless Women and Children.

17436 7th Street • 407-469-0060 Montverde, FL 34756

TO ADVERTISE CALL TFN

321079

• Chicken • Ribs • Pork • Beef • Small & Large Orders • Catering

YOUR CARD HERE!

FIRE TECH

“A luxury everyone can afford!”

UPGRADES & REPAIRS VIRUS & SPYWARE WinterREMOVAL Garden’s Premier Roofing Company Since 1978 Serving All of West Orange County DATA & PASSWORD Fully Licensed and Insured Roof Repairs and Replacement RECOVERY 407-656-8920 WIRELESS & WIREDWestOrangeRoofing.com NETWORKING FREE ESTIMATES

ADAM’S HOME IMPROVEMENTS

www.budgetupullit.com

Willie’s Bar-B-Que

320054

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK • 8AM - 5PM

321086

Painting - interior and exterior Flooring - wood, laminate, tile Drywall Carpentry

www.Firetechextinguisher.com

Open Friday and Saturday • 11 am until 7 pm

407-656-2121

720 S. Dillard St. Winter Garden, FL 34787

Your ad here!

407-656-2121 FLOORING

AUTO SERVICE

K'S TRAYWAIC E G GAR •Winter Garden

$...

TFN

ET RP From CA talled

301021

AIR CONDITIONING TFN

y Full

1045 S. Vineland Rd. nment • New and Used Tires • Alig • Complete Auto Repair • A/C Serv. & More

407-656-1817

OPERATED –

268 407.296.9622 407.877.6

l: gsairsystems@cfl.rr.com www.gsairsystems.com emai e #CAC1814407

• Quality • Service • Sales • Installation • Commercial • Residential

Licens

Battery Testing and Replacement

on Call for a FREE estimate t.

Equipment Replacemen ed credit

We offer financing with approv

Transmission and Engine Repair

Scheduled Maintenance

Ray Cornell Jr. Doug Gallinger

301016

Licensed & Insured - State

Working Owners

www.r-dauto.com

Computerized Diagnostics

WATERPROOF

930 Carter Rd #202 Winter Garden, FL 34787 Telephone: (407) 614-3827 om rdtransautorepair@cfl.rr.c

FLOORING T E • WAT E R P R O O F CARPET • LAMINA

407-614-5027

Ocoee, FL 34761 11159 W Colonial Dr. • g.com IntegrityLaminateFloorin

Estimates

3.3" x 1" starting at $25.00 3.3" x 2" starting at $30.00 3.3" x 4" starting at $50.00

HOME SERVICES

S ORLANDO PREMIUM SHUTTER Custom measured, designed, manufactured and installed by shutter experts.

298995

WE BUY JUNK CARS WE BUY SCRAP METAL

CALL FOR YOUR FREE IN-HOME CONSULTATION TODAY!

Serving Orlando & Surrounding Areas

iumShutters.com

407-415-7185 • OrlandoPrem PAINTING

407-656-4707

ww w.b ud ge tup ull it.c om

ONLY

89.95

301027

See store for details

SA LE Full Synthetic BR AK E PA Dedes C-Class Oil Service BMW 3 Series Merc

302117

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

STRESS

$

MADE IN THE USA

- 5PM OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK • 8AM

FREE

179.95 Mercedes E-Class $199.95

4

$ 99/ sq. ft.

The best shutters!

The best prices!

With the best warranty!

Financing

$

/ sq . ft.

Tires and Alignments

Tune-Ups and General Repair

In House Towing Available

en, FL 34787 881 S. 9th Street • Winter Gard

179.95 BMW 5 Series $199.95

Three Business Card Sizes to choose from:

3 59

$

...

Fully Installed From...

AUTO SERVICE

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.

PEST CONTROL

Center” “Your Complete Service ter Garden, FL 34787 10 West Story Rd. Win MV-01095 Richard Hudson • Reggie

Hud

• Bridgestone • Michelin • Toyo • BFG

Willie’s Bar-B-Que

Tires

“A luxury everyone can afford!”

Beef • Chicken • Ribs • Pork • • Small & Large Orders • Catering

TFN

PET SERVICES

l Puppy Dreams Pet Hoe te

Willie J. Fulmore Owner

Style BBQ! We make Old Fashioned, Texas s Women and Children.

A portion of

302828

CATERING

the profits help to fund Homeles

407-469-0060 17436 7th Street •FL Montverde, 34756 7 pm day • 11 am until Open Friday and Satur

CONSTRUCTION

from hom Your pet’s home away ty a unique no-cage facili boarding daycare and overnight

(407) 654-8885

TFN

703 S. Vineland Rd. 7 Winter Garden, FL 3478

301030

TFN

301029

REG#

Phone 407-656-6646 son

301015

$

Full LAMIN y In stall ATE ed F rom

. ft.

9 / sq

19

Ins

301025

-FAMILY OWNED &

LV11098

ESS DIRECTORY

- BUSIN HERE’S MY CARD

301035

OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

301014

WEST ORANGE TIMES &

THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019

301017

22

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Color included on all ads!

Publishes every Thursday, and deadlines Friday the week prior.

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2019

OrangeObserver.com

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local newspaper.

the real

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Local residents tell us we are their primary source for local news.

That’s all we do - publish local news.

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