Welcome to Thursday Morning, Orlando!
Well, that snuck up on me. Ladies n’ Gents, feast your eyes on Orlando Signal issue #200! You guys are “da bomb.” Keep your eyes peeled on Monday’s issue because I’ll do a fun and easy entry for a chance to win a tasty prize.
🎂 Happy early birthday to reader, Amy Legge (9/6). 🎉
Now onto today’s Orlando Signal (weekend fun) issue:
- Liquid Gold Rush
- Porch Sale
- Fix it! Don’t Pitch It
- + tons of weekend recs
Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Subscribe here.
Let’s roll!
- Philip
P.S. 🍲 Want some hawt community sourced foodie recommendations? Check out the Orlando Signal Restaurant Guide, right here.
3 QUICK NEWS BITS ⏲️
Seeds of Service: How Volunteers Cultivate Leu Gardens' Magic
Like volunteering?
Leu Gardens offers one of Orlando's coolest volunteer opportunities, where amazing people help transform a stunning 50-acre paradise into something truly special! Whether volunteers have a few hours monthly or can dive into bigger adventures, this is volunteering that actually feels like fun.
Volunteers can lead captivating Historic Leu House Museum tours, get their hands dirty with exciting horticulture projects, welcome delighted visitors, or orchestrate unforgettable special events. Perfect for anyone 16 and up, especially high schoolers hunting for meaningful service hours that don't feel like a chore!
Here's the best part: volunteers score incredible perks including exclusive training sessions, amazing field trips, hands-on workshops, and monthly potlucks with fascinating expert lectures.
Schools, scout groups, and companies love the group volunteering opportunities that build lasting friendships while making a real difference in this beloved community gem.
🌷Learn more about volunteering, right here!
Local Runner Turns E-bike Dodging Into Safety Crusade
A local woman's peaceful morning jogs through Orange County dodging helmetless teenagers zooming past on electric bikes while texting, treating sidewalks like personal race tracks. After countless near-misses, she'd had enough.
When a 14-year-old in Volusia County was struck by a car while riding an e-bike , her frustration shifted into full activist mode. With more than 20,000 Americans getting banged up on e-bikes annually, this wasn't just her problem anymore.
She launched a petition demanding Orange County mandate electric vehicle safety courses for students, now lobbying commissioners for an official ordinance.
Taking California's lead, her proposal requires both kids and parents to master safety laws. She wants proof-of-completion stickers on e-bikes, creating ripple effects of safety smarts throughout communities.
If approved, Orange County would join a growing movement of municipalities addressing the surge in e-bike accidents among youth riders nationwide.
(Learn more about this e-bike initiative with Stephanie Rodriguez, right here)
Liquid Gold Rush: How Greater Orlando Distilleries Are Schooling Kentucky
September's Bourbon Heritage Month brings perfect timing to celebrate Winter Park Distilling Company's dramatic comeback story.
When COVID-19 shuttered Winter Park Distilling Company's Orange Avenue hotspot in 2020, bourbon lovers mourned what seemed like another pandemic casualty. However, the crafty operation simply vanished into a gritty warehouse, secretly churning out liquid gold while plotting their comeback.
Their phoenix moment arrived through a partnership with The Imperial on Park Avenue, transforming the beer-and-wine joint into a cocktail paradise serving knockout $25 old-fashioneds.
The distillery's award-winning Bear Gully Reserve Bourbon has been stealing hearts since 2014, snagging trophies at San Francisco's World Spirits Competition.
Meanwhile, Forward/Slash Distillery is shaking things up with blended spirits sourced nationwide, proving bourbon's magic extends far beyond Kentucky's borders.
Orlando area whiskey makers are crafting symphonies of flavor that would make Kentucky jealous.
(Learn a lot more about Bourbon Heritage Month and these amazing distilleries in Greater Orlando with Amy Drew Thompson, right here)
WEEKEND SPOT HIGHLIGHT 🔦
Goblin Market
Source: @alilrudealilcute
📍Central Florida Fair. 4603 West Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32808. Map to this location.
🕐 Saturday, September 6th, 1-7 p.m.
Summer heat calls for the ultimate BEACH EPISODE!
Join Goblin Market, Orlando's first discount art mart for sizzling deals on B-grade art treasures!
Cool off with food trucks and live bands while trading books, clothes, and trinkets with fellow goblins.
Complete quests, collect stamps, join cosplay meetups, all in two air-conditioned buildings!
Grab your bucket hat because this beach episode has everything except actual sand!
👉 Check It Out
TOP 3 FUN RECS FOR THE WEEKEND 🍊
Baldwin Park Porch Sale
Source: Visit Baldwin Park
📍Baldwin Park. 1913 Meeting Pl, Orlando, FL 32814. Map to this location.
🕐 Saturday, September 6th, 8 a.m.
The Fall Porch Sale is back and more spectacular than ever!
This community-wide celebration lets sellers join “Flea Markets” set up at Enders Park, High Park, and at Corrine Commons in front of Grace Hopper Hall, or their front porches.
Hundreds of participants have curated unique collections, each offering treasures waiting for new homes.
As you hunt for hidden gems, let the rich aroma of freshly brewed Lobos Coffee Roasters guide you through this maze of possibilities and community connection.
👉 Get more info, right here
The Jungle Book
Source: Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
📍Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater. 445 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL 32801. Map to this location.
🕐 Thursday, September 4th through Saturday, September 6th. 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.
This magnificent return to The Jungle Book universe breathes new life into Rudyard Kipling's masterpiece as fierce Shere Khan the Tiger and dazzling Mora the Peacock take center stage in a captivating sequel exploring determination, forgiveness, and acceptance.
Visionary director Donald Spencer, creator of Down the Rabbit Hole, Dragons and Fairies, and Lost Boy in Town, transforms the intimate Alexis and Jim Pugh Theater into a living jungle where masterful masks, life-sized puppets, gravity-defying circus artistry, and vibrant Bollywood rhythms create pure theatrical magic.
👉 Get the full details
Fix it! Don’t Pitch It Repair Workshop
Source: City of Winter Park
📍Marks Street Senior Recreation Complex. 99 East Marks Street, Orlando, FL,32803. Map to this location.
🕐 Saturday, September 6th, from 9 a.m. to noon
Winter Park's Fix It! Don't Pitch It, a collaboration between the city, Winter Park Library, Orange County, and City of Orlando, transforms community repair into neighborhood magic.
Local businesses and "handy" volunteers offer free minor repairs for clothing, eyeglasses, bicycles, electronics, tools, and more. Items are handled first-come, first-served with a two-item limit per person.
While there's no guarantee your treasure can be fixed, this free workshop celebrates second chances, saves money, and strengthens community bonds.
Services vary by volunteer availability, but join this celebration of second chances!
👉 Check it out, right here
MORE WEEKEND HAPPENINGS 🎭 🥁
Multi-Day
Candlelight: A Tribute to Adele | Fri & Sun | Downtown | More
Cody Johnson: Leather Deluxe Tour | Fri & Sat | Downtown | More
Orlando Boat Show | Fri, Sat & Sun | I-Drive | More
Friday - 5th
Gateway Winter Park’s Pickleball Open Courts & Lessons | 9 a.m. | Winter Park | More
Leu Gardens Movie Night | 8 p.m. | Leu Gardens | More
Thousand Below – BURIED IN JADE TOUR | 6 p.m. | Downtown | More
Amy Jay with Gabe Hernandez | 7 p.m. | Audubon Park | More
Daniela Soledade | 7 & 9 p.m. | Downtown | More
Will's 30th Shriektacular | 8 p.m. | Mills 50 | More
Silent Disco Glow Party | 8 p.m. | Thornton Park | More
Michael Schenker | 8 p.m. | Milk District | More
Tiny Waves Presents: K-Pop Dance Night (Throwback Night!) | Winter Park | 9 p.m. | More
Freaky Fridays: Arrebato (Rapture) | 11:59 p.m. | Maitland | More
Lunch & Learn: Colonial Plaza and the Era of Malls | 12 p.m. | Downtown | More
Saturday - 6th
Digital Painting for Adults | 10 a.m. | Maitland | More
Winter Parktoberfest | 4 p.m. | Winter Park | More
K-Pop Fan Art Fairy Garden | 11 a.m. | College Park | More
15 Years of Burrow Press | 5 p.m. | Milk District | More
Emma's Revolution - We Are The Power | Winter Park | More
UCF Knights Football North Carolina A&T - Family Weekend | 7 p.m. | UCF | More
Quannnic | 7 p.m. | Winter Park | More
Our Last Night - The Final Tour | 7:15 p.m. | I-Drive | More
Pete Ayres Quartet | 7:30 p.m. | Wadeview Park | More
Choir! Choir! Choir! | 7:30 p.m. | Downtown | More
JK & The Contraband | 8 p.m. | Winter Park | More
Sunday - 7th
Fall Back Block Party | 1 p.m. | Winter Park | More
Barre and Brews Dance Workshop | 11 a.m. | Ivanhoe Village | More
Bookbinding: Japanese Stitching Workshop | 11 a.m. | Maitland | More
Uncomfortable Brunch: Vortex | 11 a.m. | Maitland | More
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story | 2 p.m. | Winter Park | More
Palm Beach Society Orchestra | 3 p.m. | Winter Park | More
Disney Descendants/Zombies: Worlds Collide Tour | 7 p.m. | Downtown | More
Palestine Benefit w/ Munge, Kyle and the 8 Minute Miles, Please Be Kind, Please Be Real, and Henry Cron | 7 p.m. | Winter Park | 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
