Welcome to Monday Morning in Orlando
Enjoying the unofficial start of summer today, with a quiet nod of gratitude for the ones who gave up all their tomorrows for our today. My plans for later today is helping a senior citizen hook up his Internet connection!
In today’s issue: 👇
- Bake Sales to Ballots
- Orlando History Needs Your Eye
- The Hummus Guy
- ….and much more
Did someone forward this email to you? Join over 20K insatiably curious Orlandoans, right here.
Let’s dive in!
- Philip
P.S. Want some hawt community sourced foodie recommendations? Check out the Orlando Signal Restaurant Guide, right here.
ORLANDO REWIND ⏪
Bake Sales, Ballots, and a Grand Piano
In 1896, a wealthy New Yorker named Clara J. Dommerich showed up to her Florida winter vacation, looked around at the freshly incorporated town of Lake Maitland, and apparently thought: this place needs a library.
So she raided her bookshelves, donated 360 volumes, and accidentally started something that's still going 130 years later.
Those books landed in a schoolteacher's living room. Then a storefront by the railroad depot. Then a proper building in 1907, raised on bake sales, donated architectural plans, and one very committed grand piano.
Librarian, Miss Stella Waterhouse ran the place for 29 years straight, including through the Depression, on a salary that dropped back to $25 a month. She kept showing up anyway.
The collection that started at 360 books has a whole century of stubbornness behind it and now tops 96,000 items. The building, though, was finally showing its age, so 62% of voters approved a $14 million bond for a brand new 23,000-square-foot home at Quinn Strong Park. Groundbreaking took place this past April!
Some institutions aren't a luxury. They're a necessity of life.
🔥 Want to dive deep into the Maitland Public Library’s history? Check out my expanded version, right here.
THE SQUEEZE 🍊
Orlando's History Needs Your Eye
Got a camera and a curiosity for the stories hiding in plain sight? Orlando's Historic Preservation Board is turning 50, and they want you to help them celebrate in style.
The 2027 Historic Preservation Calendar Contest is calling your name, themed "50 Years… Preserving Places That Tell Orlando's History."
We're talking 47 individual landmarks and more than 1,800 properties across six historic districts, that's a lot of great shots waiting to happen.
Buildings must predate 1975 and sit within Orlando's traditional boundaries. Get your best work in by July 6, 2026, at 5 p.m. Happy shooting!
Here’s more details on how to submit your shots.
Special Needs, Serious Planning
Last week we covered hurricane prep for seniors. This week, we're keeping the storm-ready momentum going for Orlandoans with special needs.
If someone in your household depends on a ventilator, dialysis, or round-the-clock care, a flashlight and a case of water simply won't cut it.
Orange County's People with Special Needs (PSN) Program exists exactly for that reason, connecting vulnerable residents with transportation, medical staffing, and powered shelter sites when no other evacuation option exists.
County officials want families to know that PSN shelters are a last resort, not a clinical care substitute, and caregivers must come along for the stay.
Don't wait for a storm to have a name. By then, the window's already closing.
Up, Up, and Away as Orange County Preps for the Air Taxi Age
Orange County is quietly building the runway, figuratively speaking, for electric air taxis that can shuttle four to six passengers up to 200 miles through Florida's skies. A feasibility study found 650 county parcels ready for vertiport development, with 4,000 more potentially qualifying.
Officials are determined to shape the rules before Silicon Valley shapes them first. The county hasn't spent a public dime beyond research, but county leadership insists the moment to act is right now.
Not everybody's thrilled, though. Critics worry that chasing futuristic flying taxis could drain funding from the buses and trains that everyday commuters actually depend on.
🔥 Check out this 3-minute clip showing air taxis in flight, right here.
(Learn a ton more about Orlando's electric air taxi plans with Sarah Winkelmann, right here)
PRESENTED BY: CFCARTS YOUTH
Once Upon a Mattress Brings a Beloved Musical to Life
There's a queen with a problem, a prince without a bride, and a swamp princess about to turn the whole kingdom upside down.
CFCArts Youth presents Once Upon a Mattress, a song-filled spin on The Princess and the Pea, at Trinity Preparatory School Auditorium.
One by one, princesses fail Queen Aggravain's impossible tests. Then comes Winnifred the Woebegone, straight from the swamp and entirely unbothered. Hilarious, romantic, and packed with memorable songs, this royal romp is not to be missed.
Performances run Friday, May 29th at 7:00 pm and Saturday, May 30th at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm.
Tickets are incredibly affordable for this fun show!
👉 Get more info and grab tix, right here.
💼 This Week’s Curated Jobs
Sourced from the Orlando Signal Job Board!
🏈 Marketing & Communications Intern
Florida Citrus Sports | Orlando (Seasonal)
Work bowl games and epic sports events all season long. Create content, manage media, run the 50/50 raffle, and get paid to be part of Orlando's biggest college football moments.
💰 $17.50/hour + OT | 👉 Learn More & Apply
🚨 Emergency Communications Specialist I/II/III
City of Orlando Police | Orlando
Be the calm voice in the chaos. Answer 911 calls, dispatch officers, and literally save lives from your headset while working for one of Florida's most dynamic cities.
💰 $20.28-$28.83/hour (based on level) | 👉 Learn More & Apply
💉 Center Supervisor
BioLife Plasma Services / Takeda | Orlando
Lead the team collecting life-saving plasma that becomes actual medicine. Manage donors, inventory, and operations while knowing your work literally saves lives daily.
💰 $22.80-$31.35/hour | 👉 Learn More & Apply
🩰 Technical Director
Orlando Ballet | Orlando
Build the magic behind every leap and pirouette. Design sets, rig lights, drive trucks, and make sure Orlando Ballet's performances look flawless from the front row.
💰 $70K-$72K/year | 👉 Learn More & Apply
Tap/click here for lots more opportunities. Over 100 added last week!
✈️ Orlando’s best flight deal - Island warmth and zero plans edition
Look, Key West in late June is warm, but you're from Orlando, so you get it. The cruise ship crowds thin out, locals reclaim the bars, and you're swimming in bathwater-warm ocean at sunset. Rent a scooter, eat conch fritters until you can't move, maybe see some art at a gallery run by someone who definitely has stories. It's slow, sweaty, and unapologetically itself. If you want to forget what day it is, this is your spot.
Orlando (Sanford-SFB) → Key West (EYW) for 138 bucks*, round-trip Friday through Sunday at the end of June. See the deal.
*Price shown above is accurate as of the time this newsletter was sent.
TASTY NEWS 🧑🍳
Orlando Area Eateries Coming & Going
1️⃣ OPENING SOON: PopUp Bagels - Tear, Dip, Repeat
PopUp Bagels is opening in Winter Park this Friday, near Fairbanks Avenue on S. Orlando Avenue. Known for hot, unsliced bagels meant to be torn and dipped, not sliced and stacked. Opening day brings a limited-time Chocolate Chip Banana Bread schmear. Show up hungry.
2️⃣ OPENING SOON: Millie’s Swedish Candy - Scandinavian Sweets Put Down Roots
From pop-up to permanent address, Millie's Swedish Candy (Insta) is opening its first brick-and-mortar in College Park on June 13th! The Orlando-born brand made its debut at Dora Mae Jewelry during Ivanhoe Village's Jingle Eve last November. We picked some up during this event, and Orlando Signal Jr. gave two thumbs up!
#ORLANDOSIGNAL 📸
Mother Nature
📷 via @orlandosignal |📍Planet Earth
Tag @orlandosignal to get your photo featured in the newsletter!
FOODIE FIND, FORK YEAH! 🤩
The Hummus Guy
📍711 N Orlando Ave space #1, Maitland, FL 32751. Map to this location.
Chef Guy and his wife Abbie grew up on Jerusalem's legendary street corners: falafel sizzling, pita warm, hummus flowing.
So they brought the whole party here (Insta). Every dish is scratch-made: bold shawarma, creamy hummus, vibrant salads, and their house-baked pita fresh every single day.
It's fast-food speed with zero fast-food shame.
Authentic Middle Eastern street food that's fresh, affordable, and let's be honest, absolutely addictive.
👉 Check out the menu, right here 👈
Source: The Hummus Guy
MORE PULP! 😎
Weekday things to check out
🎉 Presented by Once Upon A Room. This Sunday, trade the backyard sprinkler for something bigger at the CoCo Key Water Resort on I-Drive.
Splash for a Cause brings water slides, splash zones, and a full afternoon of fun to your family's calendar, and every bit of it supports a genuinely beautiful mission: creating magical hospital rooms for kids undergoing active medical treatment.
Because childhood shouldn't pause for a diagnosis.
Sunday, May 31st | 2–6 p.m.
Tap/Click here for more info & grab tix
♟️ Orlando Chess Community Meet-ups
📅 Weekly (Monday-Saturday)
📍 Various locations across Orlando
Active chess community meets almost daily at spots like Oviedo Mall, West Osceola Library, Leesburg Library, Tin & Taco SoDo, and many more, with all ages and skill levels welcome.
👉 Make Your Move
🎨 35+ Crafters Social
📅 Monday, May 25th | 6-8pm
📍 Zymarium Meadery
Speed friending and crafting night co-hosted with Girl You Need a Hobby featuring introductions, conversation starters, creative activities, and mead for purchase.
👉 Create & Connect
🎭 Forgotten Broadway
📅 Tuesday, May 26th | 7pm
📍 Judson's Live, Dr. Phillips Center
Orlando's top improvisers create legendary Broadway showtunes and storylines on the spot using audience suggestions; no two shows are the same.
👉 Unscripted Magic
📚 Book Swap, Sip, & Shop
📅 Wednesday, May 27th | 7-9pm
📍 The New Romantics, 3018 Corrine Dr
Yelp Elite event with book exchange, dirty sodas, sweet treats from Kelly's Ice Cream and Bang Bang Bakehouse, crafts, and 15% off; 21+ with RSVP.
👉 Swap & Savor
🎨 Being Outdoors
📅 Thursday, May 28th - Saturday, January 3rd
📍 Rollins Museum of Art, Winter Park
Exhibition celebrating America's 250th exploring connections between outdoor recreation and American identity from 19th to 21st centuries.
👉 Nature & Identity
🎤 Smile City Comedy Show
📅 Thursday, May 28th | 7:15-9:30pm
📍 Good Times Bar & Grill, Maitland
Top comedians from Kill Tony, BET, Florida's Funniest, TMZ, and more bring laugh-until-your-stomach-hurts comedy for $15.
👉 Comedy Night
🎬 Psycho with Live Orchestra
📅 Thursday, May 28th | 7:30pm
📍 The Plaza Live
Orlando Philharmonic performs Bernard Herrmann's acclaimed strings-only score live during Hitchcock's 1960 horror masterpiece.
👉 Iconic Terror
🏛️ Stories in Stone: Walking Tour of Maitland Art Center
📅 Thursday, May 28th | 10-11am
📍 Art & History Museums – Maitland
One-hour guided tour exploring J. André Smith's 1930s Mayan Revival campus with 2,500+ carvings, Christian symbolism, and East Asian motifs; includes gallery and museum access.
👉 Hidden Enclave
🎨 Watercolor Journal Workshop
📅 Thursday, May 28th | 6:30-9pm
📍 The Cottage at Lake Lily
Instructor Jami Akins guides all levels through watercolor journaling techniques
👉 Paint Your Story
🎭 Want to share an event? Use this link.
THANKS!
✅ Want to connect with 20K+ curious Orlandoans for your business?, start a conversation here.
🌟 Know a community superstar? Tell me about them, right here.
Thanks for reading! I’ll see you again on Thursday’s weekend fun issue.
My Best,
Philip - Publisher, Orlando Signal
