Welcome to Monday Morning in Orlando
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I sure did. Enjoy today’s newsletter!
In today’s issue: 👇
- Orlando's Longest Act
- Pink Wins
- Beth’s Burger Bar
- ….and much more
Did someone forward this email to you? If so, subscribe 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 ⏪
A Children's Theatre Became Orlando's Longest Act
Here's a party trick for your next Orlando gathering: name something in the city that's been around for 100 years.
Not Disney World, that opened in 1971. Not Universal. Not I-Drive.
Give up? It's a children's theatre.
Orlando Family Stage, a professional Theatre for Young Audiences tucked inside the Loch Haven Park arts district, traces its roots to February 3rd, 1926, when a scrappy group called the Orlando Little Theatre Players staged a handful of short plays at the Beacham Theater. Nobody in that audience suspected they were watching the birth of a century-long institution.
The company survived a World War II shutdown, rebuilt through the 1950s and 60s on volunteer energy, and in 1973 planted a permanent flag in Loch Haven Park.
By the late 1990s, a financial crisis forced an uncomfortable question: what are we actually good at? The answer was sitting in the front row, clutching a stuffed animal. It was always the kids.
In 2000, the company went all-in on professional theatre for young audiences. In 2023, after seven name changes, it became Orlando Family Stage.
On February 3rd, 2026, exactly one century after that first curtain call at the Beacham, it celebrated 100 years. In a city that reinvents itself every decade, that's nothing short of extraordinary.
👉 Learn a lot more about Orlando Family Stage, right here!
🔥 LAST CHANCE: This Thursday, February 26th: The night you finally say "I should've done this sooner."
The Orlando Signal Dinner Club lands in College Park this Thursday at 6:30 PM, and it's shaping up to be a great one.
Take a quick quiz and get paired with five people who match your energy. Discover a great College Park restaurant in the process. Mid-dinner, everyone gets texted the mystery after-spot where all tables meet up to keep things going.
👉 No forced networking. No awkward silences. Just good people, good food, and a great excuse to explore one of Orlando's coolest neighborhoods.
Orlando's full of amazing people. Five of them are waiting to meet you, right here.
🚨 Seat bookings end tomorrow (Tuesday) at 5:30 p.m.
THE SQUEEZE 🍊
Pink Wins: Florida’s Going Full Flamingo
Florida lawmakers have plenty to fight about. But in a 112-1 vote, they found something gloriously worth agreeing on: booting the northern mockingbird, state bird since 1927, for the far flashier American flamingo.
The Florida scrub-jay would snag the official state songbird title. The bill now heads to the Senate.
Even the bill's skeptics had to admit, the flamingo just feels like Florida.
And here's the thing: the bird actually belongs here.
Wild flamingos ruled the Everglades until plume hunters wiped them out in the early 1900s. Now they're quietly staging a comeback, and apparently, so is their political clout.
(Learn lots more about Florida going full flamingo with Zach Van Dyke, right here)
One Family, One Vision, Ten Years of Tacos
A decade ago, husband-and-wife team John and Juliana Calloway opened Black Rooster Taqueria in the Mills 50 District on a dream they'd been cooking up for years, a Farm to Taco concept built on real ingredients, sustainability, and a deep love for Mexican culture and history.
The space they built said it all: Day of the Dead décor, local artwork, refurbished furniture, and tables handcrafted by Chef John himself. Even the kids, Ryder and Lily June, helped pick art and shape recipes.
Juliana has since grown the brand into Inter&Co Stadium and Kia Center, but Mills 50 remains home, and the soul of this week's 10-year celebration.
Not bad for a family that just wanted to do tacos right.
Pssst. A little birdie tells me BRT has tasty specials throughout the week celebrating their 10 year anniversary.
The Doctor Will See You Now, At Church
Eatonville doesn’t have doctors' offices, or clinics, but sports a 20% uninsured rate. Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church has a solution for that.
Thanks to a grant from the Winter Park Health Foundation, the church teamed up with Grace Medical Home to bring free nutrition counseling, blood pressure checks, and vision tests straight to the pews.
Nobody gets turned away, and church leaders are especially eager to get more African American men through the door, a group that rarely seeks screenings.
Grace Medical Home returns the first Tuesday and Wednesday of May, August, and November.
(Learn lots more about closing the health care gap with Sarah Winkelmann, right here)
💼 This Week’s Curated Jobs
Sourced from the Orlando Signal Job Board!
🎯 Together with JobOwl. JobOwl tailors your resume to each job description so ATS systems actually let you through. More interviews, less rejection. Try JobOwl.
♻️ Sr. Customer Service Field Representative Orange County Government | Orlando
Be the boots-on-the-ground hero keeping Central Florida's neighborhoods clean, resolving recycling and waste complaints across 230,000+ homes for one of Florida's largest public employers.
💰 $21.51-$27.96/hour + great benefits | 👉 Learn More & Apply
🎓 Executive Director of Development UCF | Orlando
Help build the University of the Future by leading major gift fundraising for one of Florida's top research universities, transforming donor relationships into life-changing student opportunities.
💰 $116K-$145K/year | 👉 Learn More & Apply
🏥 Program Director, Medicaid Benefits (Remote - FL) Molina Healthcare | Remote
Own Florida's Medicaid benefits portfolio from top to bottom, leading cross-functional teams and shaping access strategies that directly impact member health outcomes.
💰 $80.4K-$156.8K/year | 👉 Learn More & Apply
🗂️ Administrative Office Coordinator Qwalifize LLC | Orlando (Onsite)
Keep a large, complex organization running like a well-oiled machine, juggling everything from executive correspondence to public meetings with Spanish skills as a bonus.
💰 $19.94-$25.66/hour | 👉 Learn More & Apply
🎬 Creative Account Manager (Social Media & Video Production) People Trendy | Orlando
Direct shoots, write viral scripts, and own client relationships at a fast-moving media agency, if you analyze TikToks for fun, you'll fit right in.
💰 $3,500-$4,000/month | 👉 Learn More & Apply
Tap/click here for lots more opportunities. Over 100 added last week!
✈️ Orlando’s best flight deal - Cheesesteaks and cobblestone edition
Late March Philadelphia is having a moment and most people still haven't noticed. Spring's just cracking open, the Italian Market is doing its thing, and you're walking the same streets where the country was literally born, except nobody's making a big deal about it, which is very Philly. The food scene is absurdly underrated, the art museum is world class, and a cheesesteak at 2am hits different when you're in the city that invented attitude. Come find out what all the fuss is about.
Orlando (MCO) → Philadelphia (PHL) for 136 bucks*, round-trip Friday through Sunday in late March. 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: Grain & Berry - Your Healthier Fast Casual Fix Arrives Soon
Something delicious is headed to Kissimmee, and no, it's not another burger joint. Grain & Berry (Insta), serving up handcrafted açaí bowls, smoothies, fresh juices, flatbreads, and chopped salads, is targeting an early March opening. Your new lunch spot is almost here.
2️⃣ OPENING SOON: Zamboni’s - Italian Comfort Food, Delivered Fresh
Some of the best recipes never make it to a restaurant, they live in a grandmother's kitchen. Zamboni's (Insta), a new delivery-only Italian concept opening in Orlando soon, is bringing that kind of cooking to your door. The menu features pasta, lasagna, paninis, and soups, delivered fresh, no dining room required.
#ORLANDOSIGNAL 📸
The storied Rosalind Club
📷 via @orlandosignal |📍Downtown
Tag @orlandosignal to get your photo featured in the newsletter!
FOODIE FIND, FORK YEAH! 🤩
Beth’s Burger Bar
📍5145 S Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32809. Map to this location.
At 16, Beth fell hard for burgers, and spent years leaving restaurants disappointed. Enough was enough.
So in 2012, she stopped complaining and started building. Beth's Burger Bar (Insta) landed with a fully customizable build-a-burger menu, signature creations like the Peanut Butter Burger and Jalapeño Cheese Crunch, with cold PBRs, craft beers, and Cookie Dough milkshakes handle the rest.
Proof once again that one girl can beat five guys. hehe
👉 Check out their menu, right here 👈
Source: Beth’s Burger Bar
MORE PULP! 😎
Weekday things to check out
🎨 20th Annual Wekiva Paint Out
📅 Monday-Saturday, February 23rd-28th
📍 Wekiva Island
World-class plein air artists paint riverside landscapes while visitors watch, tour galleries, and purchase artwork; proceeds benefit local conservation nonprofits.
👉 Art in the Wild
🎺 Stetson University Symphonic Band
📅 Tuesday, February 24th | 7:30pm
📍 Stetson University Lee Chapel, DeLand
Symphonic Band under the direction of Chandler L. Wilson performs an inspiring evening of exceptional artistry; $10 adults, $5 students.
👉 Band Concert
🍔 Tasty Takeover in The Milk District
📅 Tuesdays | 6:30-10pm
📍 The Milk District – 2424 E Robinson St
Orlando's premier weekly food truck block party featuring diverse culinary offerings behind the shops and bars.
👉 Dine Alfresco
🎭 Last Wednesday Laughs
📅 Wednesday, February 25th | 8-10pm
📍 Downtown Orlando
Monthly midweek comedy showcase packed with jokes, funny stories, and good vibes for 5 bucks.
👉 Laugh It Off
🐕 Singles Night at BarkHaven
📅 Wednesday, February 26th | 7-9pm
📍 BarkHaven
Post-Valentine's redemption arc with great drinks, mingling, and good energy; no dog required, first drink complimentary.
👉 Meet & Mingle
🎬 Orlando International Film Festival
📅 Thursday-Saturday, February 26th-28th
📍 UCF Nicholson School of Communication
Celebration of domestic and international films with engaging panels and exclusive networking opportunities.
👉 Cinematic Experience
🎭 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
