Welcome to Thursday Morning, Orlando!
This time of year is perfect walking tour weather, and I’ve got a great one for you in the news section below. Enjoy the weather AND weekend!
Now, in today’s issue:
- Won't You Be My Neighbor?
- Horizon West Fest
- Blair Crimmins & The Hookers
- + lots of weekend recs
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Let’s roll!
- Philip
P.S. Want some hawt community sourced foodie recommendations? Check out the Orlando Signal Restaurant Guide, right here.
P.P.S. Check out tons of open Orlando area jobs at the Orlando Signal Job Board, right here.
3 QUICK NEWS BITS ⏲️
Tails Are Wagging as Orange County Levels Up for Pets
Good news for the four-legged residents of Orange County: their official rulebook just got its biggest upgrade in over two decades.
Effective February 17th, the refreshed ordinance tightens pet sale requirements, extends shelter hold times for micro-chipped animals, and finally puts the county's beloved trap-neuter-return program on the books.
Pets reclaimed from Animal Services score a $15 microchip with lifetime national registration included.
The Pam Rock Act's tough dangerous dog standards are now local law too, and starting February 2027, a first impound comes with a mandatory spay/neuter for any pet picked up at large.
Bikes, Horses, and a $10 Million Path Around Lake Apopka
For years, riding between Orange and Lake counties meant white-knuckling it along a shoulder-less road with cars buzzing past close enough to feel the breeze. Not exactly a good time.
That changed last week when Orange County cracked open the Lake Apopka Connector Trail, a nearly three-quarter-mile, $10 million multi-use path that finally lets everyone breathe easy. The ribbon-cutting drew a massive crowd, and the announcement post racked up 50,000 views, proving people were very ready for this.
Cyclists, runners, and yes, even horses get to enjoy the 10-to-14-foot-wide paved trail, which connects the West Orange Trail to the Lake Apopka Loop Trail. A full 40-mile loop around Lake Apopka is now tantalizingly close to completion.
👉 Want to check out the Lake Apopka Connection Trail? Then click here!
(Dig deeper into the Lake Apopka Connector Trail with Jayna Manohalal, right here)
Won't You Be My Neighbor?
Every March, Rollins College in Winter Park becomes the most wholesome field trip in America.
Visitors arrive maps in hand, earphones ready, to walk the same paths as the man who made cardigans and sneakers cooler than any runway ever could.
The free, self-guided Mister Rogers Walking Tour covers five stops, running Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., celebrating what would have been Fred McFeely Rogers' 98th birthday.
The stops do not disappoint: a marble engraving Rogers carried in his wallet for life, a Walk of Fame stone squeezed between Beethoven and Edith Wharton, and a 7-foot, 3,000-pound bronze sculpture that absolutely demands a photo.
Inside Olin Library, his mother's hand-knitted sweater and those famous sneakers are waiting.
Neighbors, it's time to visit.
🔥 Here’s the self-guided tour walking map, and here’s the accompanying audio program.
WEEKEND SPOT HIGHLIGHT 🔦
Horizon West Fest
Source: Horizon West Happenings
📍Hamlin Town Center. 14422 Shoreside Way #130, Winter Garden, FL 34787. Map to this location.
🕐 Saturday, March 7th, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Once a year, Horizon West shows up for itself, and it's absolutely worth being part of.
Horizon West Fest returns this Saturday at Hamlin Town Center. Live music by Shamanic Rootz, a packed Kids Zone with bounce houses and a 60-foot obstacle course, local businesses, a 360 photo booth, yard games, and free Coneys from Skyline Chili while supplies last.
Bring the kids. Bring the dog. Just don't bring any excuses for missing it.
👉 Check It Out
TOP 3 FUN RECS FOR THE WEEKEND 🍊
Leu Gardens 65th Anniversary Celebration
Source: Harry P. Leu Gardens
📍Harry P. Leu Gardens. 1920 N Forest Ave Orlando, FL 32803. Map to this location.
🕐 Saturday, March 7th, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sixty-five years of blooming, and Leu Gardens is just hitting its stride.
To celebrate, the gates are swinging wide open with free admission for everyone as part of the Legacy In Bloom celebration.
And there's something new to explore: the freshly unveiled Edible Garden, where sustainable growing practices and the joy of homegrown food take root across the beloved 50-acre property.
Consider this the Gardens' best birthday party yet.
👉 Get more info, right here
Nona Fest 2026
Source: Lake Nona Regional Chamber of Commerce
📍USTA National Campus. 10000 USTA Blvd, Orlando, FL 32827. Map to this location.
🕐 Saturday, March 7th, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Every great community takes time each year to celebrate itself. For Lake Nona, that moment is the Nona Festival 2026.
Held at the USTA National Campus and completely free to attend, the day is packed with live performances, a kids' scavenger hunt, world-class sports activities, and a showcase of Lake Nona's thriving local business community.
Bring the family, call the neighbors, and plan to stay a while. This is one day you won't want to miss.
👉 Get the full details
Blair Crimmins & The Hookers
Source: Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
📍Judson’s Live. 445 South Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801. Map to this location.
🕐 Friday, March 6th, 7 p.m. & 9 p.m.
There's a moment at a Blair Crimmins & The Hookers show when something clicks.
The trumpet cuts through the room, the trombone answers back, and you realize you're hearing something ageless and alive.
Returning to Judson's Live, this Atlanta-bred outfit brings hot ragtime jazz with a touch of rock and roll that feels both rooted in the past and unmistakably now.
With acclaimed albums spanning original compositions, a children's record, and swinging covers from Louis Armstrong to David Bowie, expect nothing short of a good time.
👉 Check it out, right here
THIS WEEKENDS HAPPENINGS 🎭 🥁
Multi-Day
Lilly and the Pirates The Musical | Sat & Sun | Lake Formosa | More
The Secret River | Fri & Sat | Winter Park | More
Friday
Strung Out and Riverboat Gamblers, with support from Damnage, in Orlando | 6:30 p.m. | Winter Park | More
Katatonia | 7 p.m. | City District | More
Quiet Riot & Vixen | 8 p.m. | I-Drive | More
Brian Smalley | 8 p.m. | Winter Park | More
Sh-Booms EP Release Show | 8 p.m. | Mills 50 | More
Jay Jurden | 8:30 p.m. | City District | More
Lavern | 10 p.m. | City District | More
Saturday
🔥 A&H: The Art Party 2026 | 6 p.m. | Maitland | More
LUCKY GIRL Sculpt | 10 a.m. | Ivanhoe Village | More
Annual Winter Park St. Patrick’s Day Parade | 9 a.m. | Winter Park | More
Collective Corner in Albert Park | 11 a.m. | Albert Park | More
Orlando Valkyries vs Dallas Pulse | 7 p.m. | UCF | More
Letdown | 6 p.m. | City District | More
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony | 7 p.m. | City District | More
Hand-Drawn Jazz | 7:30 p.m. | Apopka | More
'80s Mixtape Mayhem | 8 p.m. | Winter Park | More
Conan Gray, Esha Tewari | 8 p.m. | City District | More
Jennifer Place Live Electronic Dance Music | 8 p.m. | Ivanhoe Village | More
Walker and Royce | 10 p.m. | City District | More
Sunday
The Bark Mart Orlando | 11 a.m. | College Park | More
TOF: Keri Lee Pierson and Jessica Ackerley – The Wood | 7:30 p.m. | Delaney Park | More
Orange County Regional History Center Free Access Day | 12 p.m. | City District | More
K-Pop Demon Hunters Dance Party and Sing-A-Long Experience! | 5:30 p.m. | City District | More
Cassadee Pope | 7 p.m. | Winter Park | More
Spring Concert with Dr. Ayako Yonetani | 8 p.m. | Winter Park | More
🎭 Have an event to share?Submit it here.
THANKS!
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We’ll see you on Monday.
My Best,
Philip - Publisher, Orlando Signal
