Welcome to Thursday Morning, Orlando!
Are we really back at ANOTHER Labor Day weekend? Was the last one 2 months ago? In any event, enjoy the long weekend! I have every plan to drop into your inbox bright and early Monday morning.
🎂 Happy birthday to lovely reader, Caroline Field.
Now onto today’s Orlando Signal (weekend fun) issue:
- Orlando Coffee Crawl
- Anna in the Tropics
- Metamorphosis Arts & Music Project
- + lots of weekend recs
Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Subscribe here.
Let’s roll!
- Philip
P.S. 🍲 Want some hawt community sourced foodie recommendations heading into Labor Day weekend? Check out the Orlando Signal Restaurant Guide, right here.
3 QUICK NEWS BITS ⏲️
A Timepiece Returns: Parramore's Beloved Clock Finds New Life
For over a decade, the towering four-faced clock in Parramore stood as more than a timekeeper, it became a silent guardian of memories and symbol of community pride. Originally gifted to the City of Orlando in 2009 for Parramore Park, the beloved landmark weathered years of faithful service until restoration became necessary.
After months of meticulous work and community collaboration, the clock has awakened with renewed purpose. City departments worked hand-in-hand with neighborhood voices to find its perfect new home at W. Church Street and Lee Avenue, just steps from its original location.
Here, this cherished timepiece resumes its role as Parramore's steadfast guardian, its four faces marking not just hours and minutes, but the enduring spirit of a community that treasures its heritage.
Source: City of Orlando
Winter Park’s Electric Gamble That Shocked Everyone
Twenty years ago, Winter Park decided to snatch its power grid away from Progress Energy, and everyone thought they'd lost their minds. In reality, they became the electrical superheroes of Florida!
The 2003 takeover was pure drama. Arbitration battles, legal fights, and a nail-biting referendum that crushed it with nearly 70% voter support.
Winter Park went all-in on underground power lines, burying 81% of their system at $5-9 million yearly.
While other cities go dark during hurricanes, Winter Park barely blinks. The cherry on top? Their electric bills are 32% cheaper than Duke Energy's while racking up state awards for safety and reliability.
Winner-winner, chicken dinner.
(Learn more about Winter Park’s power play with Ginger Gadsden, right here)
Orlando's Most Caffeinated Bargain Hunt
Hold onto your mugs, Orlando coffee lovers. I've struck caffeinated gold and dropping it into your laps, right now!
The Orlando Coffee Crawl is September's most delicious adventure: thirty days, ten amazing coffee shops, and fifty dollars to blow on your favorite brews for just twenty buckaroos, if you act fast.
From September 1st-30th, tons of locals are going on this epic coffee quest through Orlando's coolest corners.
Your magical digital pass gets you five dollars at each of ten handpicked shops, but tick tock, early bird pricing disappears September 1st!
Here's the beautiful part: grab your pass, hop between shops whenever you want within September, flash that "Redeem" button, and watch your savings stack up.
Flying solo or rallying the coffee crew? Totally your call, but you've got a whole month to caffeinate your way through Orlando's finest!
☕️ Check out the ten participating coffee spots, right here.
WEEKEND SPOT HIGHLIGHT 🔦
Anna in the Tropics
Source: Orlando Shakes
📍Orlando Shakes. 812 E Rollins St. Orlando, FL 32803. Map to this location.
🕐 Wednesday, August 27th through September 21st.
In Tampa's steamy Ybor City, 1929, Cuban cigar workers listen as lectors read great literature aloud.
When a charismatic new reader begins Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, passion erupts. The workers' lives mirror the tragic heroine's journey as forbidden desires awaken, marriages strain, and traditions crumble.
Nilo Cruz's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama ignites Orlando Shakes, proving literature's dangerous power to transform lives through whispered words and rolled tobacco leaves.
👉 Check It Out
TOP 3 FUN RECS FOR THE WEEKEND 🍊
Jackpot! Comedy
Source: Jackpot! Comedy
📍Timucua Arts Foundation. 2000 South Summerlin Avenue Orlando, FL 32806. Map to this location.
🕐 Saturday, August 30th, 8 p.m.
What started as a simple idea has evolved into Las Vegas's underground comedy phenomenon.
Jackpot! Comedy operates on simple principles: BYOB community spirit meets industry powerhouses from HBO, Comedy Central, Kill Tony, and Don't Tell Comedy.
First-come seating, donation-based wine, and unfiltered adult content create authentic connection over manufactured entertainment.
At Timucua, strangers become friends through shared bottles and belly laughs, where laughter becomes currency and community becomes the ultimate punchline.
👉 Get more info, right here
Metamorphosis Arts & Music Project
Source: Metamorphosis
📍Orlando Amphitheater at Central Florida Fairgrounds. 4603 W Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32808. Map to this location.
🕐 Friday, August 29th through Sunday, August 31st, 2025
Metamorphosis dissolves traditional boundaries, transforming attendees into living art over three days.
Participants journey through Genesis, Chrysalis, and Metamorphosis stages, experiencing electronic bass and house music alongside evolving live performances. Real-time muralists, projection mapping, and holograms blur performer-audience lines.
Daily workshops, from yoga to guided art sessions, unlock hidden creativity in unexpected ways.
This audacious experiment proves artistic potential isn't reserved for the chosen few, but a universal birthright awaiting discovery through immersive transformation.
👉 Get the full details
Labor Day Weekend @ Boxi Park
Source: Boxi Park Lake Nona
📍Boxi Park-Lake Nona Town Center. 6877 Tavistock Lakes Blvd, Orlando, FL 32827. Map to this location.
🕐 Thursday, August 28th through Monday, September 1st.
As August surrenders to September, Boxi Park transforms into a five-day celebration that refuses to end.
From Thursday's DJ Ernie kickoff to Monday's grand finale with The Rundown & Rexine, this Labor Day weekend weaves magic through live music, children's weaving workshops with Gldn Style, bounce houses, and face painters.
Saturday through Monday burst with Scotty Long & The Finch, Ravon Rhoden, and more. Sip exclusive Tropical Punch while summer's sweetest story unfolds.
👉 Check it out, right here
MORE WEEKEND HAPPENINGS 🎭 🥁
Multi-Day
The Changing Face of Orlando: A Sesquicentennial Celebration | Through Sunday | Downtown | More
Michael Andrew | Sat & Sun | Downtown | More
Friday - 29th
Endoxa Booking Presents: Truckfighters and Restless Spirit | 7 p.m. | Winter Park | More
Brown Bag Brass Band | 7 & 9 p.m. | Downtown | More
UCF Knights Volleyball vs. Chattanooga Mocs Women's Volleyball | 7 p.m. | UCF | More
AiR Origen: Clinic and Talk | 7:30 p.m. | Wadeview Park | More
Around The World In 90 Minutes - Orlando Pride v Gotham FC | 8 p.m. | Downtown | More
Jeff Rupert Quartet | 8 p.m. | Winter Park | More
Tele & the Ghost of our Lord Record Release Show | 8 p.m. | Mills 50 | More
Saturday - 30th
Adult Recess Back to School | 5 p.m. | Sanford | More
UCF Knights Volleyball vs. Norfolk State Spartans Volleyball | 5 p.m. | UCF | More
Kota the Friend | 7 p.m. | Downtown | More
Gruesome, Chaos Relic, and MRSA in Orlando | 7 p.m. | Winter Park | More
Attack on Titan: Beyond the Walls World Tour | 7:30 p.m. | Downtown | More
Sharks in the Water - The Big Za Bash | 8 p.m. | UCF | More
Chris Cortez, Steve Luciano | 8 p.m. | Winter Park | More
Sunday - 31st
UCF Knights Volleyball vs. UC Riverside Women's Volleyball | 1 p.m. | UCF | More
"Fifth Planet" by David Auburn | 2 & 7 p.m. | Edgewood | More
Resolve | 3 p.m. | Winter Park | More
John K | 6 p.m. | Downtown | More
Soul Cellar | 6 p.m. | Downtown | More
zl!ster with No Clue and Adolescence | 7 p.m. | Audubon Park | More
Orlando City B vs. Crown Legacy FC | 7 p.m. | Kissimmee | More
UCF Knights Mens Soccer vs. Unc Greensboro Spartans Mens Soccer | 7 p.m. | UCF | More
The Steel Crows, Persephone's Choice, Beau Anderson, and Lily Of the Valley | 7 p.m. | Mills 50 | More
Kem | 8 p.m. | I-Drive | More
🎭 Have an event to share?
Submit it here.
THANKS!
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🌟 Know a community superstar? Tell me about them, right here.
We’ll see you on Monday.
My Best,
Philip - Publisher, Orlando Signal
