4th of July in Mount Dora: Small town all-American holiday with an old-fashioned flair.

Mount Dora, the quintessential small town on Lake Dora in the heart of Central Florida, gets it,s Norman Rockwell on with 4th of July. Everything you’ve ever dreamed of, every American movie could be set here as the town known for events, dining, and shopping turns on the red, white, and blue for the 4th.

Come one, come all and bring the family to celebrate.
The annual 4th of July Independence Day parade heads down Main Street USA at 10am – known locally as Donnelly Street – with all the kids, flags, little cars, clowns, and even animals you could imagine and love.

And of course, finish the 4th with the best fireworks in Lake County!  Head down to Lake Dora at dusk towards Gilbert Park by the Mount Dora Lighthouse to round out the celebration. Food, live music, and fireworks make this the Americana that is Mount Dora. Fireworks light the sky at about 9 p.m. For more information, call
352-267-2879. What better for a family and friends 4th
can you imagine?

If you’re from out of the area no worries as there are numerous B&B’s, cottages, and Inns around town to allow you to turn the 4th into a multi-day getaway. Boat tours, Segway way tours, the parks, golfing, shopping, antiques, and so much more await throughout the town and area turning this year’s 4th of July into a summer family getaway – or fun for just you and that special someone…
Mount Dora is the place to enjoy the 4th and all the red, white, and blue mean to America…

The streets of Mount Dora have been undergoing some serious refurbishing. A multi-phase summer project means new street-scaping, parking, and more to make Mount Dora beautiful. This charming town by the lake offers great dining, shopping, outdoor activities, and lodging, so enhancing her original beauty only adds to her small town charm.

There is new parking along 5th Avenue, the main edge to the historic downtown. Ready to open, that means more parking near all those things you love. Additional phases open over the coming weeks, so be prepared to enjoy the newly refurbished park, sidewalks, curbing, walkways, parking, and more. Mount Dora is working hard to make your visit special.
So plan a visit soon to enjoy the newly enhanced historic area, with the same great shopping, dining, activities, lodging, and more. Come to Mount Dora, someplace special.

Rori Paul
Media Psychology, PhD Student
Twitter/MediaPsychPhD
Facebook/Media Psych PhD

An Old-Fashioned 4th of July in Mount Dora, FL

June Happenings at the Historic Lakeside Inn

There is something going on every night of the week at the Lakeside Inn.  Check out the calendar and make plans to see some great entertainment, enjoy happy hour or just relax on the grand front porch and see a fabulous sunset over Lake Dora.

5th Annual Mount Dora Blues & Wine Festival

Get Tickets NOW!!!  www.MountDoraEvents.com

Finding Dora Drawdy Fundraiser - An Event for the Ladies

The Center for Multicultural Wellness and Prevention, Inc., will host a fund raiser – “Finding Dora Drawdy”- on Saturday April 27, 2013 at the LakesideInn, downtown Mount Dora. The Lakeside Inn will be the host site where the event starts and ends. The event will start at 10:00am sharp in the lobby of the Lakeside Inn, where $30 ticket holders will be able to pick up a map of the participating stores that will feature candidates for the “Finding Dora Drawdy” contest. There will be 20 participating stores in downtown Mount Dora that will feature their own rendition of Dora Drawdy to the public. Ticket holders ($30) will be able to use 15 coupons (which will be given to them upon signing in at the Lakeside Inn) to vote for their favorite Dora Drawdy candidate. Ticket holders will use the map, which will have the names and locations of all participating stores, to visit and vote for their favorite Dora Drawdy candidates. Ticket holders can use all 15 coupons at any one store or they can vote among different stores.

Additionally, all ticket holders ($30) are entitled to lunch at the Lakeside Inn. If you do not have a ticket holder, but would like to vote for your favorite Dora Drawdy candidate, you will be able to visit the participating stores, purchase a $1 coupon and place your vote in the box next to the stores’ Dora Drawdy candidate. Each participating store can increase their chance of winning the grand prize by encouraging visitors to purchase extra $1 voting coupons.  

There will also be vendors located in the lobby of the Lakeside Inn to showcase their products and/or services to everyone visiting the Lakeside Inn. Visitors and tickets holders will be able to visit these vendors to inquire about their products and/or services.

Schedule of Activities:

 

10:00 am – Review and voting for Dora Drawdy Candidates

12:00 pm -  Voting stops.  Open Vendor visits

12:30 pm – Luncheon at the Lakeside Inn

12:45 pm – Fashion Show featuring local Mount Dora boutiques

1:30 pm  –  Open Vendor visits

2:00 pm  -  Selection of First and Second place Dora Drawdy winners              

SUMMARY

·        Tickets are $30.00 including lunch at the Lakeside Inn ($15.00 LUNCH/$15.00 contribution to help women with mammogram screening for Breast Cancer)

·        Each $30 ticket comes with 15 voting coupons to nominate the winning “Dora Drawdy”

·        Additional voting coupons can be purchased at all participating “Tour of Shoppes” at $1.00 EACH

·        Each participating store will contribute $25 to be part of the fund raiser and be in the running of being the winner of the grand prize of $125, plus being named the best “Dora Drawdy” in Mount Dora.

·        Each participating store can sell additional $30 tickets with the incentive of earning 25 extra coupons that would go towards selecting their own Dora Drawdy.

·        Greeting cards by Amy Sellers featuring the portrait of Dora Drawdy will have a portion of the sales contribute to the fundraiser.

·        All 300 tickets will be available online through VisitMountDora(tm).  There will be a $1 per convenience fee per ticket at time of sale.  You may purchase tickets NOW at www.MountDoraEvents.com.

·        Lake County Gazette has promised to provide “in-kind” photographers for the event.  The “Finding Dora Drawdy” fundraiser will be featured in the April 2013 issue of the Lake County Gazette.

·        There will be 11 outside vendors (1 for CMWP) set up in the lobby of the Lakeside Inn

·        Fashion Show participants will feature the local downtown boutiques.

·        Dora Drawdy’s great, great, great granddaughter Eva, will be the focus at the fashion show and will crown the Dora Drawdy winner that day.

“DORA CANIDATE AT THE STORE LOCATION”

1.     EACH PARTICIPATING STORE OWNER WILL NOMINATE A CANIDATE WHO EMBODIES THE  “SPIRIT” OF DORA  DRAWDY

2.    “DORA” CANDIDATE WILL BE AT  THE STORE LOCATIONS FROM 10:00AM -12:00PM

3.    “DORA” CANDIDATE WILL BE DRESSED AS “PAST” OR “PRESENT” DORA DRAWDY

4.    “DORA” CANDIDATE WILL HAVE PART OF HISTORY OF DORA TO TELL

5.    “DORA” CANDIDATE WILL RECEIVE “VOTING TICKETS” AT STORE SITE

6.     FIRST PLACE AND RUNNER-UP WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT 2:00PM AT THE LAKESIDE INN

7.    “DORA” WINNER WILL RECEIVE CASH PRIZE/PAMPERING/PARADE PRESENCE

8.    “DORA” WINNER WILL BE “FACE OF 2013” ON NEXT YEARS PORTRAIT

$12 Premier Boat Tours Sunset Cruises Every Friday in March!

Premier Boat Tours (@ Lakeside Inn, Mount Dora)

Tel: 352-434-8040 (Reservations Required)

Special $12 (cash only) Sunset Boat Cruise every Friday in March - Bring a drink and enjoy the sunset from Lake Dora

 

 

Tea At The Inn - Olga the Maid, to Visit Lakeside Inn

Premier Boat Tours Christmas Cruise

Lakeside Inn Event Calendar - October

Lakeside Inn Events & Happenings for the month of October

Wings & Wildflowers - "Meet the Experts"

Grand Opening of the Mount Dora Village Market

Do not miss the grand opening of the Mount Dora Village Market this Sunday at 9am at it's new location in beautiful Elizabeth Evans Park at the end of S. Donnelly St. in Mount Dora on the lakefront.

www.MountDoraMarket.com

Celebrate the Season in Mount Dora

Mount Dora kicks-off the Season with Labor Day weekend festivities including fireworks!

Mount Dora Village Market

Mount Dora Village Market; Farmers Market brings tradition of such shopping to the lakefront

For many, turning a year old means another step forward on the path of life. In a child we see great leaps and bounds into personhood while businesses tend to look at the future as a real possibility. One-year milestones are as varied as the person or business, but always about a fresh new look on what lies ahead.

For Mount Dora, the Mount Dora Open Air Market has reached that one year milestone, ready to move ahead and taking its rightful place as a cornerstone offering on the town’s community front.

So along with that year milestone and cornerstone place on the Mount Dora horizon, the open air market is making a few exciting changes to move it into toddlerhood.

Mount Dora Village Market is the new name of this exciting and growing offering, and a new location along the actual lakefront in Elizabeth Evans Park promises a farmers market unlike any you’ve ever known.

Just another block down from its previous location at Lakeside Inn, the Village Market is at the end of Donnelly Street in the park, with tents set up giving off the feeling of a fair or Renaissance Faire.

With woods to one side, the circle end of the street to the other, a Lawn Bowling facility and the lakefront here, you’re in for a treat.

Shop under the cover of trees in the shade, stroll along the lake and look over at the Mount Dora Lighthouse, Florida’s only registered inland lighthouse, and enjoy your shopping in this unique setting.

Bring a picnic and listen to music played in the market, bring the dogs and treat them to something here such as biscuits or a new collar. Buy some produce and add it to our sandwiches.

The Mount Dora Village Market has grown from an idea to a parking lot happening to this growing, expanding, and important addition to town and the community. Originally launched by the Visit Mount Dora organization, which is a merchant’s and marketing organization, it is now a team partnership between Visit Mount Dora, the City of Mount Dora and the Chamber of Commerce.

Promising to grow continually in the coming months, the number of vendors is set to triple, with more produce, plants, crafts, and music in the works. I even spoke with the goat milk and cheese lady who promises to return this fall/late fall with more baby goats.

So bring the family, bring that special someone, make it a meeting place for friends, or just stop by and enjoy it on your own, but make the Mount Dora Village Market a must-do every Sunday.

*** Please note that due to weather and larger holidays the Village Market will not be open every weekend. Check their website for information.

This post was written by regular WhatToDoInMountDora.com contributor, Rori Paul. Rori is a travel writer and blogger. Follow her blog, Rori Travels Florida, for more on Florida Travel and Mount Dora. 

An Afternoon of Tasseography at the Inn

Experience Music Legend Leon Russell Live Tonight!

Headlining the 4th Annual Mount Dora Blues and Wine Festival, Music Legend Leon Russell will take the stage after 9:00pm tonight at Tavares Station Field on beautiful Lake Dora in downtown Tavares.  This is your chance to see the Hall of Fame musician who inspired the career of Elton John and has performed the world over with countless music icons!
Get general admission tickets NOW at www.MDBWF.com for only $25.00!!  VIP tickets are SOLD OUT!  Bring a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy a fabulous musical evening.  The show starts at 6:00pm with several local and regional acts.  See the entire lineup at www.MDBWF.com.