Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Lakeside Inn 4th of July Celebration.


All-day Saturday the Lakeside Inn presents "A Tribute to the Veteran's of WWII". WWII collections from
tents, vehicles, arms, photos, cinema reels of war events in the lobby, Gen. Patton impersonator (get your photo taken with the 'General') and a 21 gun salute. Presented by the World War II Historical Association of Florida, Inc.

T. Scott Walker and the steel drums will provide live entertaiment from 5-8:30, at 8:30 we will have Richard Ryan from WLBE radio perform the National Anthem and the American
Legion will bring in the Color Guard during the perfomance. Food, drinks and
fun for all at the Lakeside Inn during our Annual 4th of July Historic
Celebration!

Rhythm & Blues at Maggie's Attic for the 4th of July.




Join the festivities on the 4th of July at Maggie's Attic where they will feature 15 different brews and a great selection of wines to sample. Ft. Collins brewery (Colorado), Shipyard Summer Selections, Red Brick Brewery along with some other all time favorites will be among the brews available. Brats for $3 and Dogs for $2 with condiments galore and chips and sides available - great live entertainment from Port Barlowe, the Blues Man.

Stick around for the fireworks in Gilbert Park at Mount Dora's "Old Fashioned 4th of July" celebration or head on over to the Cellars at Tavares Station to see the "Color of Freedom" fireworks display in Wooton Park.

Wine club members get in free, non-members cost is only $15 and includes a Brat or Dog of your choice.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Yappy Hour in the news!


Two weeks ago I managed to connect with Daphne Sashin (@DSashin on Twitter) from the Orlando Sentinel on Twitter. She is a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel Animal Crazy section. Daphne saw my tweets promoting the upcoming June 19th Yappy Hour and made contact with me which led to her visit to Yappy Hour last night.

We are looking foward to her report about the event soon.

Brian & Rachelle

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Mount Dora appears in the Twitterverse!

Social media is all the rage these days and taking top headlines is the micro-blogging site known as Twitter. Twitter allows instant "real time" communication between individuals and businesses. In March of 2008 it was reported that there were 1 million + Twitter users and over 3 million Twitter messages per day. No one seems to know for sure but some reports estimate Twitter users to exceed 33 million and there is no sign of that slowing down anytime soon.

A few Mount Dora business owners have caught on to the social media phenomena and have jumped in full force. Pure Aveda Salonspa was one of the first to get on board with Twitter and currently has over 800 loyal followers. The advantage to their Twitter followers is special offerings and coupons not available to the general public. You may follow PureAveda Salonspa on twitter at this link: http://twitter.com/PureAveda.

WhatToDoInMountDora.com and the Mt Dora Sushi company recently joined the Twitterverse and are experiencing rapid growth in their numbers of followers on an hourly basis. Their combined competitive spirits have them in a tight race as they each close in on 3,000 followers. Slight edge to Mt Dora Sushi as of this afternoon. By the time this Blog is posted both will be well on the way to 4,000 followers and counting. Follow WhatToDoInMountDora.com on twitter at this link: http://twitter.com/MountDora. Follow Mt Dora Sushi Co. on twitter at this link: http://twitter.com/MtDoraSushi

The leader of the pack with over 3,000 followers and counting is Twitter veteran Rachelle Lucas. Rachelle is co-owner of the Tremain Street Cottages & WhatToDoInMountDora.com. She promotes herself and her various blogs (InnsideStory.com & InnTheKitchen.com)and videography expertise through her Twitter account. Rachelle has recently been working for the Travel Channel making travel videos of Florida destination cities, she will be notifying her followers through Twitter when Travel Channel plans to air the videos. You may follow Rachelle at this Twitter link: http://twitter.com/TravelBlggr.

Most recently joining the Twitterverse in Mount Dora are; Euro Donnelly Footwear at http://twitter.com/DonnellyShoes, the Mount Dora Ghost Walk at http://twitter.com/TorquemadaLives, the Mount Dora Center for the Arts at http://twitter.com/MountDoraArts.
We are certain these will not be the last Mount Dora businesses to embrace the rising tide of social media.

Since joining Twitter last month I have made invaluable contacts that otherwise may never have happened. For instance, the Orlando Sentinel.com Animal Crazy columnist is coming up next weekend to cover the Yappy Hour event for a story, the Orlando Sentinel Orlando Tourist Spots Examiner columnist is including a pet-friendly story about Mount Dora in an upcoming edition and Tampa Bay on air personality and author Jaden Hair is scheduled to visit Mount Dora in mid-July for a Tampa Tribune story and scouting for a possible TV Show for her daytime series in Tampa. All of this from the Twitterverse and absolutely free. It is the ultimate form of networking to be sure!

Welcome to Twitter Mount Dora,
Brian

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Classic Film Series at the W.T. Bland Public Library

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Stephanie Haimes

(352) 735-7180

FROM: W. T. Bland Public Library

DATE: June 9, 2009

      SUBJECT: Classic Film Series

MOUNT DORA: Looking for something free to do in a cool place this summer. Once again,

the W. T. Bland Public Library has a program for you.. Consider coming to our Classic Film

Series on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month at 7:00pm which will continue during the

summer months. . The film is free and so is the popcorn and lemonade. Of course, you can

always donate some spare change that will help to pay for supplies.

Due to licensing agreements, we cannot list the title of the movies but you can find out by:

  • Call the Library at (352) 735-7180 option 2 – Upcoming Events or option 5 – the Circulation Department
  • Come into the Library and get a handout with the dates and movie titles for 2009
  • Visit the City’s website – www.cityofmountdora.com – go to Library under the department listing, then click on the appropriate line.

So write these dates in your calendar for the Classic Film Series for this summer all at 7:00pm:

      • June – Wednesday 10 & 24
      • July – Wednesday 8 & 22
      • August – 12 and 26
The Classic Film Series will be held at the W. T. Bland Public Library located at 1995 N.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Adora Inn "New Deal" Sunday Soiree



The Adora Inn Sunday Soiree offers expert pairings of food & wine combined with an ambiance that can't be matched anyplace else! Come & dine and then enjoy a relaxing sleep over.

Click on the poster for details.

Monday, June 8, 2009

A Mount Dora community in the top 100 Best Place to Retire!


The Lakes of Mount Dora is named in the top 100 Best places to retire in the United States.

The Lakes of Mount Dora has been named one of America's 100 Best-Master-Planned Communities by Where to Retire magazine. (follow the link to get a free sample issue of the magazine) The magazine's editors evaluated several hundred communities across the country. The selection shows a continuing trend toward active retirement, and a growing trend toward green practices such as preserving green space and offering energy-saving features in homes. The July/Aug issue marks the sixth biennial honor roll of top master-planned communities.

Follow this link to the Daily Commercial to read more.


Thursday, June 4, 2009

Mount Dora Village Merchant's & Business Association, Inc. expands it's Getaway Sweepstakes through the summer.


A fabulous response to the Mount Dora Village Merchant's & Business Assn., Inc.Getaway Sweepstakes has prompted the organization to extend the offering through the summer. In a little over a week more than 200 people have registered for the sweepstakes on www.WhatToDoInMountDora.com.
The sweepstakes will consist of 4 drawings throughout the summer for a one night Mount Dora Getaway for 2. The drawings will take place on the last Wednesdays of June, July, August & September. The winners will be notified immediately via email and/or telephone.

The winners will receive $600 in value for winning. The $600 will be broken down into 4 categories, $150 for Dining, $150 for
Shopping (Antiques, Gifts, Apparel, etc.) $150 for Activities & $150 for Lodging. Click on the highlighted links for each category to see the participating Merchant members. Winners will be able to choose from any of the participating members to redeem their winnings.

Best of luck in the sweepstakes and we hope to see you in Mount Dora soon.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Hawke's Vineyard Winemaker's Dinner.







The Evening Brought to You by Pisces Rising and

The Wine Den of Mount Dora

Hawkes’ vineyard winemaker’s dinner

Sunday, June 14 at 6 pm

In Our Living Room

A Very Special Wine Dinner

Hosted by The Winemaker, Jacob Hawkes

He is Bringing His Expertise and 3 of His Top Wines For You to Enjoy

With Chef Rosselli’s Unique Cuisine

Hawkes’ vineyard is located in Alexander Valley, California

5 Delicious Courses / 5 Superior Wines

Seating is Limited, Please Make Your Reservations Early

352-385-2669

The Wines will Be Available For Purchase at The Wine Den and The Store Will Be Open After The Dinner

109 East 4th Avenue 352-735-5594

This Evening Brought to You by Pisces Rising and The Wine Den of Mount Dora

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Your Help needed for an adoption.

On Wednesday, June 3, 2009, there will be a fundraiser for a three year old child orphan with Down Syndrome currently living in Eastern Europe. A Lake County family is trying to adopt Adam since in Eastern Europe, if he is not adopted before he turns four, he will be permanently placed in a mental institution.

Chris Marlow, a teacher of Pre-K children with disabilities at UCP is hosting a fundraiser at The Wine Den at 109 East Fourth Avenue in Mount Dora from 6 - 9 PM on Wednesday night. There will be great food created by The Frosty Mug, live music provided by Jerry Williford of Maitland who is terrific ( I have a CD of his music in my car that is really fun!) and other local musicians. Please come and support this worthwhile cause.

For more information about orphans with Down Syndrome in Eastern Europe, see the website of Reece's Rainbow, the adoption agency for this child and others. For more information on Adam, his picture is listed in Armenia, and the family information is listed about the families needing support.


Monday, June 1, 2009

Mount Dora Village Merchant's & Business Association Dora Dollar program!




The first winner in the drawing for the $100.00 Mount Dora Village Merchant & Business Association "Dora Dollars" was Merchant Association member George Gregory from Memories & Marvels. I asked George what he did with the $100.00 over the weekend and he replied;

"We had a delicious dinner at the Beauclaire Dinning Room at the Lakeside Inn. With the remaining dollars we bought coupons at the Big Twist so that our nine grand kids can experience his delicious premium soft serve ice cream."
George

The "Dora Dollar" program was created by the Mount Dora Village Merchant's & Business Association to entice members and potential members of the association to attend the monthly meeting. It is also intended to create awareness of local shopping and dining opportunities amongst Merchant members.

The Dollars are won in a drawing of business cards from a bowl at the meeting. For your chance to win the $100.00 "Dora Dollars" plan on attending the next monthly meeting of the Mount Dora Village Merchant's & Business Association. The meetings are held on the last Wednesday of every month at the Donnelly House (Masonic Temple) at 5:30pm. Come at 5:00pm and enjoy refreshments from Merchant member restaurants while networking with members and guests.

See you at the meeting.

Brian