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VOLUME 87, NO. 3

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Children star in Charlie Brown show. PAGE 7. THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

FAMILY FOUND A DNA test connected Ocoee resident April Ciarlone with her father — now she’s also building a relationship with a younger brother and sister. PAGE 4.

Oakland appoints police chief

After-school acting

John Peek has assumed the role of the chief of the Oakland Police Department following Steve Thomas’ retirement Jan. 3. AMY QUESINBERRY COMMUNITY EDITOR

SEE CHIEF PAGE 6

YOUR TOWN CRUISE DOWN TO CAR SHOW WJBJ Cruisin’ with the Classics will be in downtown Winter Garden starting at 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, to host the first Winter Garden Cruz-In car show of the year. Co-hosted by the city of Winter Garden, the event features classic cars and show cars up and down Plant Street. Staging and early registration for show cars takes place in the parking lot at Plant and Dillard streets. PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID WINTER GARDEN, FL PERMIT NO. 81

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Orlando Premier Music Instruction fosters a love for the arts. STORY ON PAGE 13. Courtesy

Orlando Premier Music Instruction currently offers musical theater classes at SunRidge and Whispering Oak elementary schools, along with Horizon West Middle School.

Winter Garden commission considers hotels, gas station A developer is proposing two hotels, a gas station and commercial space on the northeast corner of Carter Road and West Colonial Drive. DANIELLE HENDRIX ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Hampton Inn and 7-Eleven are among new businesses that could be coming to the corner of Carter Road and West Colonial Drive in Winter Garden. Winter Garden commissioners

unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance during their Jan. 9 meeting that would rezone 8.25 acres of property at 12301 W. Colonial Drive — the northeast corner of West Colonial Drive and Carter Road. SEE HOTELS PAGE 4

SPORTS

There’s a new chief in town, and he’s a familiar face in Oakland. John Peek, previously the deputy chief of the Oakland Police Department, has been promoted to the top position. He accepted the role vacated by former Chief Steve Thomas, who retired Friday, Jan. 3.

Morgan Bridges and Olivia Ikeda are growing the game of basketball for girls. SEE PAGE 17.

YOUR CALENDAR

THURSDAY, JAN. 16

DNA AND GENEALOGY: AN INTRODUCTION 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, at the West Oaks Library, 1821 E. Silver Star Road, Ocoee. Learn the basics of genetic genealogy and how DNA testing can supplement your traditional genealogical research. (407) 835-7323. MOVE LIKE THE ANIMALS 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, at the Winter Garden Branch Library, 805 E. Plant St., Winter Garden. Can you hop like a frog? Waddle like a penguin? Run like a cheetah? See if you can move like the animals do. Recommended for toddlers and preschoolers. (407) 835-7323.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

FRIDAY, JAN. 17

SATURDAY, JAN. 18

CRUZ ’N CAR SHOW 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, along downtown Plant Street in Winter Garden. About 275 showquality classic cars of varying makes and models are parked, and WJBJ Cruisin’ with the Classics provides entertainment. Vehicle owners must register between 2 and 3 p.m. Free and open to the public. Go to cwgdn. com/323/Cruz-N-Car-Show.

MONDAY, JAN. 20

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING COMMUNITY CELEBRATION 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, beginning with a parade down Plant Street

FINANCING AVAILABLE

in downtown Winter Garden and ending at the downtown pavilion, 104 S. Lakeview Ave. The MLK celebration also will include live music throughout the day, Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech at noon, poetry readings, speakers and several films — “Freedom Riders” and “Green Book” at the Garden Theatre, 160 W. Plant St. Children’s activities and vendors will be available. (407) 656-4111.

GROCERY STORE TOUR 9 to 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 17, at a local grocery store to be announced. Do you know which foods are the healthiest choices? Do you know what to look for on a food label? Join an Orlando Health dietitian for a grocery store tour to learn how to navigate the aisles and make the healthiest choices for the family. Space is limited. RSVP required at (407) 407-3046.

GROCERY STORE TOUR 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, at a local grocery store to be announced. Do you know which foods are the healthiest choices? Do you know what to look for on a food label? Join an Orlando Health dietitian for a grocery store tour to learn how to navigate the aisles and make the healthiest choices for the family. Space is limited. RSVP required at (407) 407-3046. OCOEE MLK DAY PARADE AND CELEBRATION 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20, starting with a parade that begins at Citrus Elementary School, 87 N. Clarke Road and ends at the parking lot of the West Oaks

Mall. The celebration takes place in the food court at 11 a.m., with keynote speaker Dr. Paul Ortiz, director of the Samuel Proctor Oral History and professor of history at the University of Florida. To register for the parade, visit ocoee.org. For information, call (407) 905-3100.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 22

BULLDOG AFTER BUSINESS HOURS 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, at Crooked Can Brewing Company, 426 W. Plant St., Winter Garden. A chance for Bulldogs to connect with fellow University of Georgia alumni. Sponsored by the Orlando Chapter of the UGA Alumni Association. (407) 395-9520. HEALTHCARE QUESTIONS WEBINAR: WHAT SHOULD I BE EATING? Noon Wednesday, Jan. 22, online at ohlearn.adobeconnect.com/ eating. Participants must log in and click “Meeting” then “Audio Setup Wizard” then “Next.” For information, call (321) 841-7234 or email Jessica.Daly@OrlandoHealth.com

QUIT SMOKING NOW PROGRAM 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Jan. 22 through Feb. 12, at Orlando Health – Health Central Hospital, 10000 W. Colonial Drive, Ocoee. Tobacco Free Florida offers free tools and services to get participants started. Free nicotine replacement patches, gum and lozenges. Free community, worksite and clinic groups offered. Register at (877) 252-6094. RESEARCHING IN NEWFOUNDLAND 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, at the West Oaks Library, 1821 E. Silver Star Road, Ocoee. Explore the rich research resources and collections that are held in a variety of archives and repositories in Newfoundland, Canada. (407) 835-7323. YEAR OF THE RAT 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, at the Winter Garden Library, 805 E. Plant St. Ring in the Chinese New Year at the library. Enjoy stories, crafts and activities to kick off the Year of the Rat. Recommended for lower and upper elementary. (407) 835-7323.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

The longtime Windermere resident was handpicked by Walt to take several attractions to the New York World’s Fair, and he later helped bring the Disney magic to Florida. But there was more to him beyond Mickey Mouse.

Nothing mattered more to Bob Matheison than his family, including his 10 grandchildren.

Remembering Bob Matheison AMY QUESINBERRY COMMUNITY EDITOR

ob Matheison was fully present in everything he did, whether it was developing a new Disney theme park in Florida; announcing bowl games in Orlando or his children’s high school football games; raising cattle at his North Carolina ranch; or spending quality time with his wife, children and grandchildren. As friends and family shared stories of their relationships with Matheison — following his sudden death Jan. 5 at age 85 — their respect for him was consistent: he was honorable, straightforward, dedicated, a team player, the greatest man and always a gentleman. A DISNEY LEGEND

Bob Matheison was legendary with The Walt Disney World Company, long before he received the Disney Legends Award in 1996 — an honor given to employees who have made a significant impact. He left his own mark on the company during his 34 years of service, among them, helping develop Walt Disney World and creating its executive training program. Matheison started his career with The Walt Disney Company in 1960 when he was offered a position as sound coordinator at Disneyland in California. His job was to program everything that would be audible to guests. In 1965, Walt Disney personally chose Matheison to be part of the team that took It’s a Small World, Magic Skyway, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and the Carousel of Progress to the New York World’s Fair. There, he trained people how to give guest service “the Disney way,” according to Walt Disney’s wishes. It was this assignment that paved the way for Matheison’s relocation to Orlando for Disney’s next big venture, “The Florida Project.”

Bob Matheison, right, at the opening of New Orleans Square, in Disneyland Park, California, worked alongside Walt Disney.

After heading the research and development team in California for a new theme park in Orlando called Walt Disney World, Matheison and his family moved to Central Florida. During his 34 years with Disney, Matheison worked in many different departments and steadily rose through the company’s ranks. He received multiple promotions at Magic Kingdom and Epcot; in 1987, he was named executive vice president of parks for Walt Disney World. He left Disney in 1994. Guests walking along Main Street U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom also can see his name and the words “quality, integrity and dedication” stenciled on a window in an area that honors retired employees who made significant achievements during their careers. Bill “Sully” Sullivan first worked with Matheison in California during the early days of Disney. When Matheison was assigned to the World’s Fair, Sullivan was his assistant. “Bob was so honest and straightforward, and he never played favoritism,” Sullivan said. “He was just a good guy to work with, and you always knew where you stood with Bob. He was not bashful. He was always a gentleman.”

Matheison and Sullivan would continue their work relationship in Orlando at several of Disney’s theme parks. “(Bob) was there to make sure it all went right, and we trained all the people that Walt wanted trained, and we made sure that Walt’s wishes came true,” Sullivan said. “He was very close to Walt.” Both were honored with the Disney Legends Award for extraordinary contributions made to the company. The two retired on the same day in 1994. HIS GOLDEN PIPES

His booming voice would be one of the Portland, Oregon, native’s trademarks in life. After graduating from the University of Southern California in 1955 with a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications, Matheison worked as chief of the radio-television branch at the U.S. Army’s Fort Hood in Texas. His communications career included broadcasting news, sports and special events from a Dallas radio station. He served as the stadium announcer “voice” for several sports teams through the years. At Disneyland, Matheison helped produce live radio and television broadcasts.

Courtesy photos

Bob Matheison started a second career as a rancher and raised Scottish Highland cattle.

For years, Matheison was the stadium announcer at the Warrior home football games at West Orange High School, in Winter Garden. He also volunteered with Florida Citrus Sports for 30 years as the bowl game stadium announcer. Matheison served on the Florida Citrus Sports Board of Directors starting in 1983, and he became president of the organization in 1989. He also served on the Board of Trustees for the Florida Citrus Sports Foundation from 1989 until his death. Shannon Clark, chief customer officer for Florida Citrus Sports, started at the company in 1992 and became executive director of the foundation in 1997. She worked with Matheison in several capacities. “Thorough preparation was imperative in working for and with Mr. Matheison,” Clark said. “For years, he served as the emcee of our kickoff luncheons, and I remember him consistently pushing our team to get him scripts earlier and earlier each year, as he wanted to make sure he had time to review, perhaps even memorize. … He also valued a strong work ethic.” He retired his golden pipes in 2011. “Behind that huge voice was a huge heart,” Clark said. MATHEISON MOUNTAIN MANOR

The M3 Ranch, in North Carolina, gave Matheison a second opportunity to forge a successful career. After he retired, he and first wife Kathy had a mountain cabin built and he became a gentleman rancher, raising Scottish Highland cattle. Ronnie Lee, ranch manager and longtime friend, built the house, barn and other structures on the ranch and was Matheison’s righthand man, helping manage 100 head of cattle and 100 acres. “When I was building his house, he went to Scotland with his wife,” Lee said. “He saw Highland cattle and … he said, ‘OK, let’s throw some cattle out there.’ I said, ‘Bob, I don’t know the first thing about cattle.’ He said, ‘I don’t either.’” So, they learned together. The pair participated in cattle shows

in places such as Stone Mountain and Grandfather Mountain, in Georgia. “(We) used to load up for the weekend and go to the Highland Games,” Lee said. “He’d put his kilt on and go into the pen and start brushing them.” When a newborn calf needed to be bottle-fed, Lee kept it in his basement until it could return to the field. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for that man,” Lee said. “He was probably the greatest man I’ve ever known. … I didn’t grow up under the best of situations, and 30 years ago I met the man that I wanted to be. … I tried to model my life after him and treat people the way he treated people.” WINDERMERE LIFE

Windermere Realtor Judy Black met Matheison when she joined the Windermere Rotary Club in 1993. “Bob was a unique combination of strength and gentleness,” she said. “He cared deeply. He was (as) dedicated to his community as he was to his family and friends. He was unwavering in his high moral standards and business ethics. Bob’s boots will be hard to fill.” Black recalled Matheison’s willingness to pitch in and take care of any needs, including being on trash duty during Rotary charity events. “In his rancher attire of blue jeans, enormous belt buckle and baseball cap, he collected garbage bags, threw them over his shoulder onto his golf cart and over to the dumpster,” Black said. “He neither sought nor received recognition for his efforts. That isn’t what Bob was about. He was a team player and committed to the Rotary Club’s projects.” Their friendship grew stronger when Matheison married Black’s friend and fellow Realtor, Arra Mae. Family was everything to Matheison, and he loved spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren. All of them were together at M3 Ranch in December for what would be Matheison’s last Christmas. Matheison was preceded in death by his first wife and a daughter; he leaves behind a wife, three children and 10 grandchildren.

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

WEST ORANGE TIMES &

Observer

FAMILY MATTERS AMY QUESINBERRY COMMUNITY EDITOR

pril Ciarlone’s mother gave her a 23andMe DNA genetic testing kit last year, hoping it would lead Ciarlone to her birth father. The present turned into an even larger gift — a close relationship with her dad, 47 years after her birth. “When you grow up without a dad, just imagine … there’s no daddy-daughter dance, there’s no walking you down the aisle, there’s no dad protecting you,” Ciarlone said. “It’s just something that’s been a huge part of my life.” The Ocoee woman never knew her father, and James “Barry” Oldham never knew he had a daughter. But all that changed last April when she received her DNA test results and discovered a familial match. With trepidation, Ciarlone reached out — and learned the match was her paternal aunt. This led to the discovery that she has a big family, including her dad, a half-brother and -sister and a “bonus mom,” in Decatur, Alabama.

YOUNG LOVE

Ciarlone’s mother, now Donna Hirst, of Milton, was living in Alameda, California, when she met Oldham. She was a high school student; he was about five years older and stationed at the Naval Air Station Alameda. They met in the neighborhood, where she lived at home with her parents and he lived with a roommate in an apartment across the street. They struck up a conversation, which led to a friendship, which led to something more. When Hirst discovered she was pregnant with Oldham’s child, he already had been sent to Vietnam and she had no way of contacting him. Hirst was 19 when April was

Ordinance 20-04 serves to rezone the property from the existing Planned Commercial Development designation to a new PCD described as the Peoples Plaza PCD. Steve Pash, community development director for Winter Garden, said the proposed development would include demolishing all existing buildings on the site and redeveloping it with two hotels, a gas station and one or two commercial lots. Pash said that between both hotels there is a maximum of 220 total rooms allowed. City documents show the proposed development splitting the parcel into four lots, with the two hotels on the north side of the site and the gas station at the corner of West Colonial Drive and Carter Road. The southeast portion of the site is yet to be determined, but could include one drive-thru restaurant and a second commercial building for retail, a sit-down restaurant, professional or medical offices, or another commercial use. The proposed Hampton Inn

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“Road to Serfdom,” 1944 President and CEO / Matt Walsh, mwalsh@yourobserver.com Editor and Publisher / Michael Eng, meng@OrangeObserver.com

born in 1972. Oldham was fighting in a war and didn’t know he had a daughter — and he wouldn’t learn of her existence for more than four decades. Hirst moved on, met and married another man and gave birth to a son. Ciarlone grew up with her mother and brother, Rick Snurkowski. As an adult, though, she knew something was missing, and she wanted to know more about her father.

Managing Editor / Tim Freed, tfreed@OrangeObserver.com Design Editor / Jessica Eng, jeng@OrangeObserver.com Community Editor / Amy Quesinberry, amyq@OrangeObserver.com Sports Editor /Troy Herring, therring@OrangeObserver.com Associate Editor / Danielle Hendrix, dhendrix@OrangeObserver.com Staff Writer / Eric Gutierrez, egutierrez@OrangeObserver.com

IT’S A MATCH

Oldham had a 23andMe testing kit, but he had yet to submit his DNA. After his sister and Ciarlone were matched, he immediately sent it in — but had to anxiously wait more than a week for the results. “During that time, my emotions were everywhere,” he said. “My family was very supportive during that time. When the final results arrived, I opened it up to see a beautiful, brunette female that looked like my sisters! Beside it was the word ‘Daughter!’ My wife and I looked at each other because we had already decided that if this was true, it was God’s will.” While Oldham, now 70, is upset to have missed out on a good portion of her life, he said he understands the situation. Ciarlone said he was more upset that she didn’t have her dad in her life growing up. MORE TO LOVE

The “new” family has been meeting frequently and getting to know one another. She spent her first Thanksgiving with them in November. Ciarlone said she talks to her stepmother, Connie Oldham, several times a week and is grateful for her acceptance. More importantly, the family has formed a bond with Ciarlone’s daughter, Giannah, who is 12 and has autism.

Hotels on horizon CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

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would be located on the second lot at the northeast corner of the property. It would be a five-story building containing 102 rooms, with a pool on the north side of the building. The 7-Eleven would be located on the third lot at the southwest corner of the property and would have an attached car wash. Mayor John Rees said he hoped the plans would include a sitdown restaurant and added that there already are numerous gas stations in the area. “First of all, another gas station — there’s about eight of them up and down two miles,” Rees said. “I guess I was hoping for not a drive-thru restaurant but a sitdown restaurant, a little nicer restaurant. I saw that that was being proposed.” Winter Garden resident Sarah Wolfe objected to the gas station, echoing Rees’ statement of an abundance of gas stations. “We have a failed gas station on the corner, what used to be Dodge’s and now Mobil is failed, closed,” Wolfe said. “There’s another gas station that’s closed close to the nursing home on (State Road) 50, so another gas station — I highly

“When you grow up without a dad, just imagine … there’s no daddydaughter dance, there’s no walking you down the aisle, there’s no dad protecting you.” — April Ciarlone

Connie Oldham is a retired special-needs teacher who worked with children with autism for 40 years — another gift, Ciarlone said. “She’s so great with Giannah,” she said. “Jesus was watching.” Giannah is having fun getting to know her cousins and grandparents. Barry Oldham had not been in contact with Hirst since he left for Vietnam, but he had one simple message for his daughter’s mother: “I just want you to know you’ve raised a wonderful woman.” The more the father and daughter talk, the more they realize they have in common.

IN OTHER NEWS n Commissioners unanimously approved the first reading of ordinances 20-07 and 20-08, which involve rezoning and changing the future land-use designation of a 5.51-acre property at 541 Winter Garden Vineland Road. This would allow for the development of a couple of two-story medical office buildings and a church. n Commissioners approved the second reading of ordinances 20-05 and 20-06, which would rezone and change the future land-use designation of a 0.41-acre property at 646 E. Plant St. The applicant plans to demolish a portion of the existing warehouse, renovate it and add parking. n The final site plan was approved for the Alta Winter Garden apartment complex, located on North West Crown Point Road. Plans for the 14.87-acre property include five new, three-story multifamily buildings with linear garage buildings and 400 surface parking spaces.

“April and I both have a Type A personality, we’re neat and organized, love music and enjoy an occasional cocktail,” Barry Oldham said. “All three siblings are health conscious and work out on a regular basis like me. Each of them also likes to have the last word!” Ciarlone said she has noticed small similarities, too — besides the strong physical resemblance to her dad and younger siblings, Alicia Neely and Chase Oldham — such as their tendency to be bullheaded, the way she and her brother like their coffee and their affinity for pickles. When the family isn’t together, there are frequent texts, calls and FaceTime sessions. “April and I are very comfortable in our relationship,” Barry Oldham said. “I feel that we will continue to grow closer as time goes by. It’s like my family has come full circle. April and Giannah complete that circle.” For Ciarlone, her circle now is complete, too. “23andMe changed my life,” Ciarlone said. “My prayers of finding my father (have) come true. I get to say ‘Dad’ every day. ... This is my miracle.”

object. I don’t think it’s the type of entrance we want to Winter Garden coming down from the Turnpike.” City Manager Mike Bollhoefer said that when working with developers, the city always opts for the best use or plan and sometimes it requires trade-offs. He added that the developers are currently in discussion with a “high-end” restaurant for the site. “In this situation on this property, a developer — when they’re doing a project — they have to make their numbers work,” Bollhoefer said. “As you know, we were not looking for a gas station (and) we don’t ever go out looking for a gas station. We had several meetings, several debates, we even met with the executives of the 7-Eleven, but it was a package deal. “When you look at … overall what you have there now and what you’re getting there, it’s significantly improving what was there,” Bollhoefer said. “Sometimes in development you don’t get 100% of what you want, but you make those trade-offs because it’s still the best thing you can do for the city with the trade-offs.” The ordinance’s second reading and public hearing is scheduled for the Jan. 23 commission meeting, which takes place at 6:30 p.m. at Winter Garden City Hall.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

Ocoee seeks to acquire Hallowed Ground property

STAFF WRITER

After years of maintaining a property that was reportedly the site of an African-American cemetery, Ocoee leaders decided to move forward with acquiring it. Ocoee commissioners voted unanimously to obtain the 1-acre cemetery property, located at 441 Basking Ridge Court, through eminent domain. The process is expected to take six to nine months and is expected to cost between $15,000 and $20,000. The Orange County Property Appraiser lists the value of the property as $9,270. The property holds some historic significance to city residents. It was thought to be the site of an African-American cemetery; however, previous investigations from multiple organizations found that most likely wasn’t the case. Regardless, the property is still considered — and also known as — Hallowed Ground. City leaders are hoping to make some passive improvements on the property such as installing a bench or gazebo. “Former Mayor Lester Dabbs — who was instrumental in highlighting our cultural diversity within the city — had actually found a monument and collected a lot of history about that area being used as a cemetery,” Assistant City Manager Craig Shadrix said. ”The City Commission a few years ago had decided to start maintaining that area and look at, possibly, putting a gazebo and a monument there. It is right in the middle of a residential area. … It’s going to look cleaner. We’re going to make improvements.” Prior to coming to the decision to acquire the Hallowed Ground property, city staff spent months trying to locate and contact the owner or owners of record of the property to see if they would be willing to donate it to the city. In spite of those efforts, the city has not heard back from any owner or owners of record. “We started this process … five or six months ago — trying to reach the owners,” City Attorney Scott Cookson said. “The first addresses that we (contacted) that were listed on the property appraiser records, those came back as undeliverable. We then contacted the owners based on the address in the vesting deed for the property, and those did not come back undeliverable. We believe they were delivered, but we got no response from the owners.” “Part of the issue is there was a set of families that originally owned that land, and now it’s been so many generations that there could (be) 100 property owners — none of them really want anything to do with it,” Shadrix added. “It’s not like a traditional eminent

IN OTHER NEWS n City leaders held the first reading of an annexation and rezoning ordinance for Comfort Inn/Mainstay Suites. The two subject parcels are generally located north of State Road 50, south and east of Marshall Farms Road and west of Maguire Road. The applicant is requesting annexation into the city in order to receive a potable water connection. If annexed, the land will receive a zoning of C-2, which allows for hotels. The second reading of the ordinance is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 21. n Commissioners approved the second reading of an ordinance amending and restating the city of Ocoee Municipal General Employees’ Retirement Trust Fund. The ordinance deals with definition changes for compliance with the internal revenue code, clarifies certain language and restates all previous ordinance amendments of the plan into one document. n The commission approved the second reading of an ordinance amending the city of Ocoee Municipal Officers’ and Firefighters’ Retirement Trust Fund. The ordinance mainly deals with definition changes for compliance with the internal revenue code, as well as changes agreed upon by the city and respective bargaining units from the fire and police departments. n City leaders approved the development agreement for the Lake Lilly Center, which is formerly known as West End Professional Park.

domain where they may not be happy with it. It’s more of a matter of filing paperwork with the court to officially take ownership of it, but that will allow the commission to dedicate it as Hallowed Ground — as an African-American cemetery.” Cookson added that aside from the regular maintenance the city has been doing on the property, the city should own it before making improvements to it. “If we’re going to do additional improvements to it — put a gazebo on it or park bench or make it more of an active area — then I think it’s best that the city acquire it,” Cookson said. “I think it’s a bad idea to make significant improvements to someone else’s property.” Commissioner George Oliver agreed with Cookson’s thoughts. “We’ve maintained that property for a while, and I think that the city has done all of its due diligence to take us to this point,” Oliver said. “I would have to agree with the city attorney that it would be a benefit to the city just to own the property.”

“It’s more of a matter of filing paperwork with the court to officially take ownership of it, but that will allow the commission to dedicate it as Hallowed Ground — as an African-American cemetery.” — Assistant City Manager Craig Shadrix

First Baptist Church Pastor Tim Grosshans 125 E. Plant St, Winter Garden (407) 656-2352 Sundays: 8:30 a.m. Traditional 9:45 AM Bible Study 11:00 AM Contemporary Wednesdays: 6 p.m.- Awana 2nd Campus: Foundation Worship Foundation Academy High School 15304 Tilden Rd., Winter Garden (407) 730-1867 Sundays: 9:45 a.m. All Ages FoundationWorship.com

EPISCOPAL

Church of the Messiah 241 N. Main St., Winter Garden Services: 8, 9:30, & 11 a.m., 7 p.m. ChurchoftheMessiah.com

METHODIST

First United Methodist Church 125 N. Lakeview Ave., Winter Garden (407) 656-1135 Services: 9 and 11:15 a.m. fumcwg.org

CHURCH UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

Windermere Union Church Starke Lake Baptist Church 10710 Park Ridge-Gotha Rd., Pastor Jeff Pritchard Windermere PO Box 520 611 W Ave., (407) 876-2112 Ocoee STARKE LAKE BAPTIST ANGLICAN METHODIST Adult Worship: 9 a.m. (407) 656-2351 CHURCH FIRST UNITED METHODIST ANGLICAN COMMUNITY PO Box 520, 611 W Ave, Ocoee Sunday School: CHURCH 10 a.m. StarkeLakeBaptist.org FELLOWSHIP CHURCH Pastor Jeff Pritchard 125 N. Lakeview Ave Winter Garden WindermereUnion.org Rector The Rev. Canon Tim Trombitas (407) 656-2351 1146 East Plant St, Winter Garden SUNDAY SERVICE 10:00 AM Find us at: Theacf.net

www.starkelakebaptist.org

Service Times 9:00 AM and 11:15 AM Phone – 407-656-1135 Web: fumcwg.org

CHURCH OF GODCHURCH OF GOD NON-DENOMINATIONAL

NON-DEN

PURPOSE CH 13640 W. Colon Winter Garden 407-654-9661 • Fellowship 9:45

Ocoee Church of GodOCOEE CHURCH OF GOD UNITED CHURCH OF Church Orlando BAPTISTThomas Odom Pastor Thomas OdomPurpose Pastor CHRIST 13640 1105 N. Lakewood Avenue, Ocoee W Colonial Dr. Ste 110, BEULAH BAPTIST WINDERMERE UNION CHURCH 1105 N.Butner Lakewood Ave.,Ocoee 407-656-8011 Pastor Casey Winter Garden 10710 Park Ridge-Gotha Rd. (407) 671 Beulah656-8011 Rd, Winter Garden Windermere, FL 34786 (407) 654-9661 EPISCOPAL 407-656-3342 | BeulahBaptistWG.org 407-876-2112 Worship times: CHURCH OF THE MESSIAH SUNDAY BIBLE STUDY 9:30AM Sunday Service: 10:05 a.m. 9:00am Adult Sunday School 241 N. Main, Winter Garden SUNDAY SERVICE 11:00AM 10:00am Worship Sunday Brazilian Service: 7 p.m. Services: 8, 9:30, & 11am, 7pm WEDNESDAY SERVICE 6:00PM www.windermereunion.org Saturday Service: 6 p.m. www.churchofthemessiah.com FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH purposechurchorlando.org 125 E Plant St., Winter Garden 407-656-2352 SUNDAYS 8:30 am Traditional 9:45 am Bible Study 11:00 am Contemporary WEDNESDAYS - 6pm - Awana Pastor Tim Grosshans www.fbcwg.org 2nd Campus: FOUNDATION WORSHIP SUNDAYS 9:45 am - All Ages Foundation Academy High School 15304 Tilden Rd., Winter Garden www.FoundationWorship.com 407-730-1867

MIKE YOAKUM PASTOR

P: 407.656.1520 C: 407.758.3570 MYOAKUM407@AOL.COM

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BAPTIST

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City leaders voted to acquire the historic land through eminent domain.

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

Honoring the dreamer Winter Garden and Ocoee will honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at their annual events Jan. 20. TIM FREED MANAGING EDITOR

Winter Garden is ready to honor the memory and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — and it’s doing so with its largest celebration yet. The city’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration kicks off at 10 a.m. with a parade through downtown for the second straight year. But new this time around is a larger festival afterward, including a children’s area and more musical entertainment. The festival also will continue throughout the afternoon for the first time this year, said Laura Coar, Winter Garden parks and recreation director. “In the past it was a much shorter event; last year we did 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,” Coar said. “This year, because the popularity is gaining in it, we’ve actually expanded the event. … (The festival) actually runs from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. this year.” Also new this year is a partnership with the Garden Theatre to host two free movie screenings — “Freedom Riders” at 5:45 p.m. and “Green Book” at 8:15 p.m. “The mindset of wanting to expand it is we think it’s a valuable event — we think it’s very community based, and we think it can become one of our signature events, like Light Up Winter Gar-

den and our Halloween events and all of that,” Coar said. Residents can expect the event to grow even more next year, Coar said, adding that the Garden Theatre will be showing films throughout the day instead of just in the evening. It’s all meant to bring the community together and honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., Coar said. “It’s extremity important, because we’re a large, diverse community and we need to celebrate our large, diverse community,” she said. OCOEE CARRIES LEGACY

Dr. Paul Ortiz always has had a passion for sharing AfricanAmerican history — and next week he’ll speak on the legacy of one of history’s most influential figures from the civil rights movement. Ortiz will be the keynote speaker at Ocoee’s 14th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Parade and Celebration Monday, Jan. 20. After a 10 a.m. parade marches from Citrus Elementary School to the West Oaks Mall, members of the community will gather in the mall’s food court for a celebration where Ortiz will speak. A professor of history at the University of Florida, Ortiz also is the director of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program. He’s written multiple books delving into African-American history and the civil rights movement, including “Emancipation Betrayed: The Hidden History of Black Organizing and White Violence in Florida

OrangeObserver.com

IF YOU GO DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. COMMUNITY CELEBRATION WHEN: The parade starts at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20, followed by a festival immediately after that runs throughout the afternoon. After musical entertainment ends, movie screenings will take place at 5:45 p.m. for “Freedom Riders” and 8:15 p.m. for “Green Book.” WHERE: The parade will travel along Plant Street through downtown Winter Garden, with a festival starting afterward at the downtown pavilion. Movie screenings will take place at the Garden Theatre, 160 W. Plant St., Winter Garden. For more information, registration and a detailed schedule of entertainment at the festival, visit bit.ly/2TnPru6 or call (407) 656-4155. 14TH ANNUAL DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. UNITY PARADE AND CELEBRATION WHEN: The parade starts at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20, followed by a post-parade celebration at 11 a.m. WHERE: The parade begins at Citrus Elementary School, 87 N. Clarke Road, Ocoee, and ends at the West Oaks Mall, 9401 W Colonial Dr, Ocoee. The post-parade celebration will take place in the mall food court. For more information and to register, visit bit.ly/35SYs0P or call (407) 905-3100, Ext. 9-1530.

from Reconstruction to the Bloody Election of 1920,” which discusses the Ocoee Massacre.

Chief named CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Thomas served the town for nine years and retired after 40 years in law enforcement. Peek said he is ready to continue making a difference in the small West Orange town. “Because Oakland is small, we can actually see the difference we are making,” Chief Peek said. “As opposed to my previous experiences, here in Oakland, you are able to see the positive effects, and it is very self-satisfying.” Peek was hired in 2006 as a reserve officer and has steadily climbed through the Oakland department’s ranks. Raised in a military family, Peek set out on a similar path. He spent 20 years with the Apopka Police Department before being hired in 2006 as a reserve officer for the Oakland Police Department. He took a brief leave and served one 10-month tour of duty with the U.S. Army, with which he helped the Iraqi command staff set up its police departments. Peek returned in 2008 to Oakland and knows this is where he is meant to serve. “The environment is different,” he said. “The crime rate is low. The people are nice.” Peek has seen 14 years of change in the town and in the department. “I would say the highlight is seeing the police department change and grow,” he said. “The last few years, the town has been very generous with equipment purchases. We’re getting up-todate; I’m so grateful for that.”

In recent years, the police department has placed emphasis on professional development and community policing, as well. Peek said hiring and retention remain the biggest challenges for the department. The Oakland Police Department once was a “revolving door,” he said. “I would hire these people out of the academy, and they would stay 18 months or so,” Peek said. “It was costing the town $64,000 or $67,000 to hire and train.” After Peek changed the hiring process, he said, the turnover rate decreased. “What I started doing differently about three years ago, I prioritized with experienced officers,” he said. “These are guys who have worked the harshest police departments in the state.” Peek is eager to keep standards high and continue the programs started by Thomas, namely the senior citizen check program and the community policing concept. He hopes his officers will strive to form relationships with Oakland’s churches and learn of the community’s needs, too. “I am proud of the department we have now,” Peek said. “It’s the best group of men and women I’ve ever worked with. The community support is the best I’ve ever seen. “I just feel very fortunate to be where I’m at,” he said. “I’m just excited to continue the growth here.”

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

Happiness is ... singing together The Horizon West Theater Company’s New Horizon Players are set to perform ‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’ Jan. 16 to 18.

Because about 40 children auditioned for “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” the Horizon West Theater Company doublecast the show to showcase the local talent of the area.

ERIC GUTIERREZ STAFF WRITER

Courtesy photos

Lucas Blanco plays the role of Schroeder in Cast A of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”

IF YOU GO

“YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN” SHOWTIMES: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, and Friday, Jan. 17; and 2 and 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18 WHERE: Cypress Center for the Arts at Windermere Preparatory School; 6189 Winter Garden Vineland Road, Windermere TICKETS: $12 for children, $22 for adults; visit horizonwest theatercompany.com

Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang are set to hit the stage this week. The Horizon West Theater Company’s New Horizon Players will be presenting its inaugural youth production, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” from Jan. 16 to 18. The show will be held at the Cypress Center for the Arts at Windermere Preparatory School; 6189 Winter Garden Vineland Road, Windermere. “It’s a classic,” Director Melissa Kratish Depot said. “It’s something that both kids and adults can identify with, and we wanted to make sure that, as part of our season, we had an opportunity to showcase some of the talented kids in the area.” The upcoming musical follows different tales of Charlie Brown and Peanuts. Themes of friendship, happiness and enjoying life as a child are apparent throughout the show. The Horizon West Theater Company’s rendition of the musical will be based on the original 1967 edition. “The show is actually made up of individual vignettes,” Depot said. “It’s not just one story that leads all the way through, but it’s scenes that actually came from the comics. It’s broken up into little, miniature stories along the way.”

Dozens of local children auditioned for the Horizon West Theater company’s inaugural youth production, but the show itself only has a cast of six. To feature more of the young talent from Horizon West, the members of the theater company decided to double the cast size. The show’s cast members range from ages 8 to 14. “We had (more than) 40 really talented kids come out and audition, and the decision-making process was so tough that we decided to double-cast,” Depot said. Lucas Blanco, 14, a freshman at Windermere High School, will play Schroeder in Cast A of the

show. Aside from having a teacher in the fourth grade who was a big fan of Charlie Brown, Blanco hasn’t been exposed much to the popular cartoon and comic characters. He began watching some of the cartoons and even dabbled in a little method acting to help prepare himself for the role. “I go to sleep to Beethoven’s music now every day,” Blanco said of his preparation for the role. “On Thanksgiving, I watched the (Charlie Brown) Thanksgiving (episode). I watched the Christmas one halfway through, but I’ve got to finish it. “It’s a very fun (show),” Blanco said. “If you grew up with the Pea-

nuts, it’s cool to see our take on it, and it’s a fun time.” Depot said that because of the holidays, getting all the cast members together for rehearsals was a challenge. To address that, cast members were given “homework assignments” and were encouraged to rehearse and practice at home. Some of those assignments involved watching some of the Charlie Brown cartoons and different renditions of the musical on YouTube. “These kids blow me away every day,” Depot said. “Some of the talent that walked in — you just don’t expect it from kids. … They’re on a professional level.”

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

Party N Roll’s 38-foot Glamour Bus has nine stations for hair, nails and makeup services, in addition to a crafts area, photo booth and more.

Let the good times roll Party ‘N’ Roll is a Winter Garden-based mobile party service that brings the fun wherever it goes. ERIC GUTIERREZ STAFF WRITER

Courtesy photos

Mike Rodgers brings the party with him wherever he goes. Rodgers and his wife, Bridget, are the owners of Party N Roll, a Winter Garden-based family-owned mobile party business. Party N Roll is suited for birthday parties, school events, corporate events, fundraisers, church festivals and more. One of the ways Party N Roll brings the fun is in the form of a 38-foot motor coach Glamour Bus. The Glamour Bus can accommodate up to 20 children at a time and includes nine station areas offering hair, nails and makeup

services. The bus also has a massage chair, crafts area, glam dressup tree, video games, a dance area, a sing-along station, photo booth and more, and they even offer “Fairy Hair.” “We have all kinds of cool stuff for them to do on (the Glamour Bus),” Mike Rodgers said. “It’s popular for a lot of people to do spa-type parties. They do that by actually taking their kids to a spa location, or they have a couple of spa people come to their house. … So, I came up with a concept to drive (that experience) right to them and keep all the mess outside on the bus. “(But) we don’t do spa parties,” he said. “We do glamour parties

(because of) the aspect of all the other things — the photo booth, karaoke, Just Dance, Mario Kart, (other) video games, the massage chair. If they weren’t the one getting their hair and makeup done, they’re not just standing around waiting in line. They can play and interact.” In addition to the Glamour Bus, Party ‘N’ Roll also offers a Mobile Game Theater, which is equipped with seven big-screen TVs. It has all the latest consoles and games and includes a wide selection of multiplayer games. The Game Theater has TVs both inside and outside and can accommodate up to 32 players simultaneously. “Originally, I built the video game truck, which was six years ago,” Mike Rodgers said. “On the video game side, we have every system — Xbox One, PS4, (Nintendo) Switch — some of the old systems, 100 multiplayer games, and we even run a … cable into peoples’ houses to plug into a router if they want to play Fortnite … because that’s an online-only game. We have the whole inside of the truck networked, and then the kids can squad up right there side by side.” Whenever Party ‘N’ Roll comes around, parents and children get a chance to play. While the children are out having fun in either the Glamour Bus or the Mobile Game Theater, parents get a chance to socialize without having to worry about their children, Mike Rodgers said. “Basically, two parties break out,” he said. “I have the kids (on the bus) and they’re having a party and everything. And then inside the house, the parents are in peace and quiet and they’re having their own gathering simultaneously. They love it. (Parents) say to me, ‘So, can you stay another hour?”

WANT TO PARTY? PARTY N ROLL

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

Lago Vista home sells for $2,495,000 A home in the Lago

Vista community

topped all Winter Garden residential real-estate transactions from Jan. 3 to 10. The home at 13352 Lago Vista Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Jan. 9, for $2,495,000. Built in 1994, it has five bedrooms, four-andtwo-half baths and 7,512 square feet of living area. The price per square foot ket: 410.

HORIZON WEST

LAKESHORE PRESERVE

The townhouse at 8724 European Fan Palm Alley, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Jan. 8, for $420,000. Built in 2016, it has five bedrooms, four baths and 3,014 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $139.35. Days on market: 209.

Realtor.com

The home at 13352 Lago Vista Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Jan. 9, for $2,495,000. It sits on more than 5 acres on Johns Lake and features 1,200 feet of lake frontage.

SNAPSHOT

Total Sales: 27 High Sale Price: $2,495,000 Low Sale Price: $107,000 LATHAM PARK NORTH

The home at 14263 Alford Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Jan. 8, for $391,001. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 2,225 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is

$175.73. Days on market: 105. The home at 8918 Doddington Way, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Jan. 9, for $354,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 2,197 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $161.13. Days on market: 124. SIGNATURE LAKES

The home at 14918 Speer Lake Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Jan. 9, for $425,000. Built in 2014, it has five bedrooms,

three-and-one-half baths and 3,463 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $122.73. Days on market: two. SUMMERLAKE

The home at 15469 Porter Road, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Jan. 6, for $365,000. Built in 2015, it has five bedrooms, three baths and 2,460 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $148.37. Days on market: 47.

WATERLEIGH

The home at 16161 Azure Key St., Winter Garden, 34787, sold Jan. 10, for $380,000. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 2,477 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $153.41. Days on market: 18. WATERMARK

The home at 14733 Glade Hill Park Way, Winter GarSEE REAL ESTATE PAGE 11

Steppin Out! Join us for fabulously fun shopping! Featuring informal modeling & fashion show SHOP Enjoy retail therapy at its finest.

If you have a passion for fashion or just need the perfect accessory or gift, please join us for this fun fashion event. Fashions and accessories by Janet Carr of Accessories & More. All items will be available for purchase.

SIP Complimentary wine while enjoying delicious tidbits.

SUPPORT Great charities that give back to our community. WHEN: February 3, 2020 TIME: 4:00 - 7:00 Fashion Show at 5:30 WHERE: Tanner Hall (In Newton Park) 29 West Garden Ave. Winter Garden, FL 34787 PRICE: $15.00

Mail Checks To: Bloom & Grow 1000 W. Plant St. Winter Garden, FL 34787 Tickets available at the event

For Inquiries Call: 407.656.4796

Enjoy the sounds of a Live Jazz ensemble

Experience the stunning sunset along the shore of scenic Lake Apopka Fundraiser For: • Horticulture Scholarships • 1,000 Trees for 1,000 years • Monarch Butterfly Sculpture

bloomandgrowgardensociety.org

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REAL ESTATE

OrangeObserver.com

REAL ESTATE

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

den, 34787, sold Jan. 6, for $570,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, three-andone-half baths and 3,849 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $148.09. Days on market: 223. WEST LAKE HANCOCK ESTATES

The home at 7925 John Hancock Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Jan. 8, for $383,000. Built in 2016, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,270 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $168.72. Days on market: 14.

OCOEE

BORDEAUX

The condo at 1975 Erving Circle, No. 106, Ocoee, 34761, sold Jan. 3, for $107,000. Built in 2001, it has one bedroom, one bath and 702 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $152.42. Days on market: 37. MAGUIRES

The home at 117 E. Silver Star Road, Ocoee, 34761, sold Jan. 3, for $217,500. Built in 1930, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,205 square feet of living

area. The price per square foot is $180.50. Days on market: seven. PRESERVE AT CROWN POINT

The home at 2108 Donahue Drive, Ocoee, 34761, sold Jan. 10, for $280,000. Built in 2018, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,874 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $149.41. Days on market: eight. RESERVE AT MEADOW LAKE

The townhouse at 1297 Glenleigh Drive, Ocoee, 34761, sold Jan. 8, for $210,000. Built in 2011, it has three bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 1,751 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $119.93. Days on market: six. VILLAGES OF WESMERE

The home at 174 Spruce Pine Road, Ocoee, 34761, sold Jan. 10, for $285,000. Built in 2013, it has three bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 1,707 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $166.96. Days on market: three.

WENTWORTH

The townhouse at 1757 Fritwell Court, No. 80, Ocoee, 34761, sold Jan. 3, for $185,000. Built in 2004, it has two bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 1,251 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $147.88. Days on market: 32. WESTYN BAY

The home at 2807 Cardassi Drive, Ocoee, 34761, sold Jan. 10, for $440,000. Built in 2006, it has five bedrooms, four baths and 4,165 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $105.64. Days on market: 39. The home at 3038 Costa Club Drive, Ocoee, 34761, sold Jan. 3, for $391,400. Built in 2007, it has four bedrooms, threeand-one-half baths and 3,207 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $122.05. Days on market: 10. WINDSOR LANDING

The home at 418 Calliope St., Ocoee, 34761, sold Jan. 7, for $510,000. Built in 2003, it has five bedrooms, three baths and 3,581 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $142.42. Days on market: 26.

WINTER GARDEN CARRIAGE POINTE

The home at 2012 Bay Clover Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Jan. 7, for $417,500. Built in 2009, it has four bedrooms, four baths and 3,236 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $129.02. Days on market: seven. CYPRESS RESERVE

The home at 13990 Jomatt Loop, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Jan. 6, for $400,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,931 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $136.47. Days on market: 22. JOE LOUIS PARK

The home at 1630 E. Bay St., Winter Garden, 34787, sold Jan. 7, for $141,000. Built in 1988, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,232 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $114.45. Days on market: 87. JOHN LAKE POINTE

The home at 522 Egret Place Drive, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Jan. 6, for $400,000. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and

3,092 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $129.37. Days on market: 13. MCALLISTER LANDING

The home at 1704 Juniper Hammock St., Winter Garden, 34787, sold Jan. 8, for $669,241. Built in 2019, it has six bedrooms, four baths and 4,706 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $142.21. Days on market: zero. STONE CREEK

The home at 1732 Portcastle Circle, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Jan. 6, for $266,500. Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 1,857 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $143.51. Days on market: five. WINTER GARDEN MANOR

The home at 1250 Beulah Road, Winter Garden, 34787, sold Jan. 10, for $110,000. Built in 1925, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 1,049 square feet of living area. The price per square foot is $104.86. Days on market: eight.

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Keynote Speaker 14th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Remember! Remember! Remember! Remember! 14th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. Paul Ortiz 14th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 14th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 14th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Parade and Celebration Unity Parade and Celebration Unity Parade and Celebration Director, Samuel Proctor Unity Parade and Celebration Unity Parade and Celebration Oral History Monday, January 20, 2020 at 10 a.m. Monday, January 20, 2020 at Program 10 a.m. Monday, January 20, 2020 at 10 a.m. Join our celebration after the parade Monday, January 20, 2020 at Monday, January 20, 2020 at 10 10 a.m. a.m. Join our celebration after the parade Join our celebration after the parade Professor of History,

Celebration will be inside the Remember! Celebration will OaksCelebration Mall,will CelebrationWest will Celebration will be inside the be insidein thethe Food Court be inside the be inside the West Oaks Mall, West Oaks Mall, West Oaks 11 the a.m. WestCourt Oaks Mall, Mall, in the Food Court in Food in the 11 a.m. 11 ina.m. the Food Food Court Court 11 11 a.m. a.m.

at 11 a.m. at West Oaks Mall Join celebration after the Join our celebration after theparade parade 11 a.m. at West Oaks Mall at 11 a.m. atatour West Oaks Mall University of Florida at a.m. at West Mall at1111 a.m. WestOaks Oaks Mall Master of at Ceremony Allie Braswell, Braswell Management, LLC

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Master Ceremony Master ofofCeremony Allie Braswell, Braswell Management, LLC Keynote Speaker AllieBraswell, Braswell,Braswell Braswell Management, LLC Allie Management, LLC Dr. Paul Ortiz

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

WEST ORANGE OBITUARIES

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ROBERT K. “BOB” MATHEISON 1934-2020

Disney Legend, radio broadcaster, sports announcer, Highland Cattle rancher, family patriarch Bob Matheison died on Jan. 5, 2020. The cause was a sudden brain hemorrhage. Born Jan. 30, 1934, in Portland, Oregon, Bob graduated Hayward High School (1951) and University of Southern California (1955) with a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications. He married his sweetheart, Kathy Palmer Matheison, in 1956, then enlisted and served two years with the U.S. Army at Fort Hood, Texas, as the chief of the radio-television branch of the information office. Following that, he worked at radio station WFAA in Dallas, Texas, broadcasting news, sports and special events. DISNEY CAREER

In 1960, Bob received a call from an old college friend, Tommy Walker, then in charge of Disneyland Entertainment, who offered him a job at Disneyland as a sound coordinator. He was in the process of doing an interview with Sen. J. William Fulbright when the call came from Walker. Bob accepted the position responsible for programming anything audible to guests, ranging from recorded music to teaching Jungle Cruise guides how to speak into their microphones. Bob then became manager of Guest Relations and, later, helped produce live

radio and television broadcasts from Disneyland. In 1964, Walt Disney personally selected Bob to manage the four Disney attractions, including It’s a Small World, at the 1964/65 New York World’s Fair. In this new role, he had to work with New York personalities and train them to give guest service the Disney way. Having essentially led the Disney operation on the East Coast, Bob returned to California with key knowledge for Walt’s next big venture, “The Florida Project.” As head of the research and development team for Walt Disney World, he presented facts and recommendations to Walt about sizing, facilities, among other factors, and helped develop a 13-week executive training program for Walt Disney World. This was the forerunner of Disney’s current corporate training program.

In 1969, Bob was named director of operations at Disneyland and, a year later, he carried the title to Florida. There, he outlined an operating plan for the new theme park. He recalled the opening of Walt Disney World on Oct. 1, 1971: “We didn’t want to open to a big crowd, so we opened after school started. The day after Thanksgiving, however, we backed traffic up almost to Orlando.” He was promoted to Vice President of Operations in 1972 and was bumped up to Vice President of the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT in 1984. Three years later, Bob was promoted to Executive Vice President of Parks, Walt Disney World. Bob never considered his contributions to be “legendary,” but instead pointed to his fellow employees. “I got to work with people who believed in loyalty, camaraderie and sticking it out through good days and bad days,” he said. “No one person could do everything by himself or herself. It was a team effort.” Bob is celebrated with a window on Main Street, U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom that reads: Community Service Recruitment Center; Bob Matheison; Quality, Integrity & Dedication. Bob Matheison retired in February 1994, after 34 years with The Walt Disney Company. He was named a Disney Legend in 1996.

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SPORTS ANNOUNCING

Bob pursued his love of sports announcing throughout and after his 34 years with Disney. He was the stadium announcer “voice” of the California Angels, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the USC Trojans basketball team. He called the games for West Orange High School in the 1970s and ’80s and spent 30 years volunteering his time with Florida Citrus Sports. Its bowl games were blessed with his “golden pipes” handling the public address announcing duties. “Bob has not only served as the voice of Orlando’s bowl games, but as a Past President of Florida Citrus Sports and a community leader for the past 30 years,” said FCSports CEO Steve Hogan. “He’s been an important part of what makes hosting college football bowl games a special experience for all involved.” GENTLEMAN RANCHER

In retirement, Bob and Kathy split their time between Florida and western North Carolina, where he began a second career as a gentleman rancher raising Scottish Highland cattle. The M3 Ranch grew to 100 head of cattle on 100 acres in the Smoky Mountains. He enjoyed showing his prized cows at Scottish Highland festivals throughout the country and welcomed all visitors to his mountain paradise. Nothing mattered more to Bob than the love and wellbeing of his family. Kathy, his wife of 47 years, passed away in 2004, and his daughter Wendy May Andrew in 2016.

He was blessed to fall in love and marry a second time with Arra Mae Matheison, who shared a 50-year friendship with Bob and Kathy, as well as a lengthy Disney career. Bob and Arra Mae enjoyed 15 warm and wonderful years of travel, ranching and family growth. He is survived by Arra Mae; and his daughters, Cindy Matheison (Paul Schubert) and Molly Sidwell (Rob Sidwell); son, Rob Matheison (Sandy Matheison); son-in-law, Michael Andrew; 10 grandchildren, Jake, Nicholas, Bobby, Kirk, Xander, Reid, Palmer, Marissa, Graeme and Quinn; and Arra Mae’s children and grandchildren — who celebrated a warm and loving family Christmas with Bob at the M3 Ranch house one week before his passing. Arrangements: Private family burial service Sunday. Welcome friends and family to a Celebration of Life — TBA In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to: ECHONet.org (Wendy Andrew Memorial Fund), The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, National Wildlife Federation or Florida Audubon Society. The family has created an email address, memories@ matheison.com, and would like folks to send any stories and thoughts that can be included in his memorial service next month.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

ANITA HOLBROOKS SIMPSON DIED SATURDAY, DEC. 21, 2019.

Anita Holbrooks Simpson died Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019. Anita was a resident of Winter Garden and could be encountered daily as she walked her beloved Border Collie, “Scout,” through downtown Winter Garden and local dog parks. Her infectious, friendly spirit continues to affect those who know her. Anita is survived by three children, Emily Parr (Joshua) and Amy Simpson, of Orlando, and Scott Simpson, of Jacksonville; and one grandchild, Avery Parr. She is also survived by her mother, Shirley Jackson Holbrooks, of Winter Garden; sister, Laura Stinson, of West Palm Beach; brother, Roy Holbrooks, of Cleveland, Georgia; sister, Lisa Eldridge, of Winter Garden; and brother, Joseph Holbrooks, of Winsted, Connecticut. She is predeceased by her brother, Tommy Thomas, and her father, Bennie Holbrooks. A memorial service will take place in West Palm Beach March 21.

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

WEST ORANGE OBITUARIES

OBSERVER

SCHOOL ZONE JANUARY 16, 2020

MUSIC molds the mind

Courtesy photos

Rhythm Rage, a high-energy bucket-drumming class, is all the rage with students.

ORLANDO PREMIER MUSIC INSTRUCTION After-school music and arts programs currently are offered at Horizon West Middle School, as well as at Keene’s Crossing, Whispering Oak and SunRidge elementary schools. From the bucket-drumming Rhythm Rage class to musical theater, offerings and registration costs vary from school to school. For more information on Orlando Premier Music Instruction and its after-school classes, visit bit.ly/2Rh0YIX. Orlando Premier Music Instruction currently offers musical theater classes at SunRidge and Whispering Oak elementary schools, along with Horizon West Middle School.

Winter Garden resident Joanna Crews’ business, Orlando Premier Music Instruction, offers music and arts classes at local schools. DANIELLE HENDRIX ASSOCIATE EDITOR

or many students, music and performing arts are integral parts of their dayto-day studies and extracurricular activities. And for Winter Garden resident Joanna Crews, fostering and nurturing children’s passion for the arts is one of the most rewarding experiences. It’s why she founded Orlando Premier Music Instruction, her music instruction business. Crews brings music lessons to children right in their own homes, but she also branches out into offering after-school music and musical theater classes at Whispering Oak, SunRidge and Keene’s Crossing elementary schools, as well as at Horizon West Middle School. “I started the business and it was originally just an in-home music instruction, private one-on-one

business,” Crews said. “I started that 20 years ago, probably a little more than that. It just grew — I was going to people’s homes, so the convenience of having someone come to your house for music lessons was a new idea.” As Orlando Premier Music Instruction grew, Crews began getting overbooked. She hired a couple of close musician friends to help her with instruction. Then she ended up teaching music in the public school system while running her business on the side. While teaching in Celebration years ago, Crews noticed a lack of after-school programs. She saw that parents were picking their children up from school and taking them elsewhere for music lessons and came up with the idea of starting group music classes. “It took off,” she said. “It was huge, it really was. We had about 100 kids in that one-hour-a-week program after school. There were so many other schools in that area that didn’t have anything like that either, so my life got a little hectic.” Eventually, she switched over to running the business full time and expanded offerings to include performing arts. She contacts various schools to pitch Orlando Premier Music Instruction’s proposals and the types of classes it can offer,

from arts to singing to instrument lessons. After-school programs at the four local schools currently include musical theater and Rhythm Rage, a high-energy bucket drumming course. “It’s kind of changed every year,” Crews said in regard to class offerings. “What we propose to the principals is guitar, group piano, group violin classes and then art. We do painting and drawing classes, we can do stop-motion LEGO animation classes. We pitch everything to the principals and ask them, ‘What would you like to see brought here?’ We let them decide. They know their community dynamic. “We have a larger array of things we could present,” she said. “It just seems like right now principals are picking up Rhythm Rage and theater. The goal was really to just kind of spread our programs around and expose as many schools as we could.” Along with Rhythm Rage, musical theater is a popular Orlando Premier Music Instruction offering. Students work toward a final production in Broadway Juniorstyle shows. Those at Whispering Oak Elementary performed “Alice in Wonderland Jr.” last year and will perform “Willy Wonka Jr.” later this year.

“Any kind of education, especially in music, is so important for your brain, for test and studying skills,” Crews said. “It really is. There’s science and research that prove that learning an instrument completely uses every quadrant of your brain. If we can make it fun and engaging … they’ll be enjoying the class, (they’ll) look forward to coming to the class and they’ll get something out of it.” According to Orlando Premier Music Instruction’s website, learning to play an instrument can strengthen motor skills, build selfconfidence and broaden creativity. Statistics have also shown, Crews said, that music can strengthen problem-solving skills and better develop the areas of the brain used in math and science. The music programs offered through Orlando Premier Music Instruction are geared toward all learning needs and abilities. “All of these programs build selfconfidence, but there’s also a hidden gem there (in that) it helps with a lot of developmental milestones for kids that … extends it further beyond their regular tutoring in school,” Crews said. “I can’t imagine myself really doing anything else.”

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

West Orange joins Winter Reading Challenge

Through Jan. 31, West Orange High School will be one of many schools to participate in Beanstack’s Winter Reading Challenge, sponsored by Penguin Random House. The school is challenging its students to read during the month and keep track of their reading on the Beanstack site on LaunchPad. This is an optional program, but those who would like to participate can do so by selecting “Winter Reading 2020 Challenge” then “Return to this Program” then “Log Reading and Activities.”

Winter Pajama Jam at Tildenville Elementary

Tildenville Elementary School families are welcome to come to the school’s Winter Pajama Jam family party from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24, at the Tildenville Elementary cafeteria. The event will have fun for the whole family, including food, games, crafts, live DJ music, dancing, a human hamster wheel snow cone machine and a photo booth. Come dressed in your pajamas! Cost is $10 per person in advance or $15 at the door (children 4 and under are free). Pay online via SchoolPay at schoolpay.com/link/pajamajam or send check/ cash to school with your student.

Lakeview Middle supports Puerto Rico

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

Students in Lakeview Middle School’s Spanish Honor Society are collecting donations through Jan. 17 to help with the relief following the recent earthquake in south Puerto Rico. Items will be sent directly to the municipalities in the south and southwest areas of the island to then be delivered to the areas in need. For more information about how to help and a list of needed supplies, contact Lauranette Ramos at (407) 877-5010, Ext. 5122305.

INFLUENCER OF THE WEEK

ANGEL REYES

SUNRIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Angel L. Reyes has been the custodian crew leader at SunRidge Elementary School since it opened in 2012. He loves his position because he likes making sure the students are in a safe and clean environment at all times. He also serves as an elementary program counselor for SunRidge’s YMCA before- and after-school program.

Why did you want to work at a school? At the beginning, it was because of the hours and the benefits. But as the years have gone by, it has turned more into making sure students have a safe and clean environment at school. And working with the YMCA program allows me to show students to share and care for each other. What’s your favorite part of your job? I love that we all work together to do what’s best for our students. Everybody gives more than 100% to give the best education and knowledge to our students. Why does this job appeal to you? I see that we have a lot of students with special needs, and I like them to think I am a person they can trust. I have realized they need someone to feel comfortable with. What’s it like watching the students grow up at the school? It is amazing to see how fast they grow up. You see them develop into

REPORT CARD ROLE: Custodian crew leader SCHOOL: SunRidge Elementary School TIME AT THE SCHOOL: Seven years

young adults with minds of their own. What motivates you and pushes you to do your best? Being a part of the after-school program with the YMCA team has helped me get closer to the students. This has allowed me to see some of the students’ needs more closely. What’s the nicest thing a student or faculty member has done for you? When students give me letters thanking me and appreciating me for the job I do. It means a lot when you are appreciated. What’s your favorite restaurant and favorite meal? Longhorn and Wild West Shrimp and Salmon. Do you have any pets? What kind? What are their names? Yes, a cat named Indy.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Make everybody love and appreciate life more. What’s your favorite vacation spot and why? Any spot while cruising. When I am at sea, it makes me feel calmed and relaxed. What do you like to do in your free time? Work at home and spend time with my grandchildren at theme parks. What’s your favorite book and why? I don’t read books; I’m more of a news-reading guy.

What’s your favorite movie and why? “Star Wars,” because that was the first movie I saw when I was 7.

— AMY QUESINBERRY

NOMINATE YOUR INFLUENCER

Do you have an “unsung hero” at your school? If so, please nominate him or her for our Influencer of the Week feature. Nominations can be sent via email to contact@orangeobserver.com.

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

OBSERVER SCHOOL ZONE

Bringing hope to the Bahamas Families from The First Academy recently embarked on a mission trip to help the people of Freeport after Hurricane Dorian. TIM FREED MANAGING EDITOR

Homes damaged and left abandoned. Cars flipped over, laying in front yards. Businesses shut down. After four months, there’s still so much work to be done. That was the takeaway for families at The First Academy who traveled to the Bahamas over the Christmas break to aid those in need following the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. A group of roughly 30 students, parents and teachers traveled to Freeport to help the people of the Bahamas get back up on their feet. The trip to the islands came about when teacher Kara Pastis and The First Academy parents started talking about ways to help. “Obviously, watching all of the devastation on TV, we started talking about trying to come up with something,” parent Lisa Millar said. Pastis took it upon herself to

contact Rick Schuessler with Champs Missions — a nonprofit organization in the Bahamas focused on serving broken families and their children. Schuessler’s wife, Fran, also is a teacher at The First Academy. “Once the hurricane hit, I went right back to Rick and was like, ‘I know this is where we need to go,’” Pastis said. Rick Schuessler, who’s been doing mission work in the Bahamas for 30 years, was familiar with several organizations and people who needed help on the island. The group of families arrived Dec. 28 to help, with some staying as long as Jan. 2 to lend a hand. “It’s still so devastating to go there — there’s so much that’s still not working, not rebuilt,” Millar said. “Flying in you see blue tarps everywhere. There’s blue tarps on top of all the homes when you’re flying in.” Husbands and sons helped reroof a 4,500-square-foot facility that was being convert-

Courtesy photo

The women in the group gave buildings at the Grand Bahama Children’s Home a fresh coat of paint.

ed into a preschool. “They worked with a local pastor there — he and his wife were going to get the facility up and running as soon as they could,” Millar said. “They got a huge portion of the roof done,” she said. “Actually, the pastor said what the men did in two days would have taken three months without their help.” Meanwhile, the wives and daughters gave two of the four buildings at the Grand Bahama Children’s Home a fresh coat of paint. “I think it’s so meaningful for kids and families and adults to do things for others — it sort of changes the conversation and it gets kids thinking of what they

can do,” Pastis said. “All of our kids are wondering what they can do next.” It was an experience that students like Hadley Miller will remember for years to come. “I thought it was a really cool experience — it was really eyeopening seeing how people can be so joyful in where they live with having so little,” Miller said. “I thought it was really cool just being able to help the people there and seeing how thankful they were,” student Emma Pastis said. “It really just made me (feel) very fortunate for what I’m thankful enough to have here in Florida.” Millar, who traveled with her husband and three children, added that the trip was an amaz-

ing experience for the families that went. “It’s devastating to see it, but it was beautiful — it was an amazing, fulfilling trip,” Millar said. “When we came home, all five of us did not want to leave. We worked our tails off for two days straight. Our hearts were overflowing with emotion and gratitude toward Rick and Fran and Kara for including us in this beautiful experience. “At the end of the day, TFA and this group of families were all led by the Lord to do this,” she said. “That’s what we’re here for — to serve others.” The work done by the families ties directly in to what The First Academy tries to instill in its students, Millar said. “My husband and I have said since our children started at TFA — the most beautiful thing that we’ve watched, regardless of education and their participation in sports and all these wonderful things that every school offers, is to watch their character grow and their empathy for those around them,” Millar said. “TFA really does instill a sense of character.” Millar said that families from The First Academy hope to return to the Bahamas in May with supplies and donations for those in need. “They are so far from recovery — I think eight to 10 years from being anywhere close to where they were before,” Millar said. “There’s still a lot of work to be done over there.”

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OBSERVER SCHOOL ZONE

Alum creates new mural for WOHS baseball field Emma Lewandowski added some color to the walls of the field to give it a new look. ERIC GUTIERREZ STAFF WRITER

A fresh coat of paint has added some new life to the West Orange High baseball field. The once-blank walls of the baseball field have been adorned with a new mural to add a splash of color to the space. Orange lettering that spells out “West Orange Warriors” now fills some space on the walls of the field, and the Warriors insignia also has been added. The new touches of color were designed and painted by West Orange alumna Emma Lewandowski, with the help of a few volunteers. “Since I took over, I’ve been wanting to refurbish the baseball park,” head baseball coach Jay Welsh said. “The field was very bland … and I wanted to kind of upgrade it to make it look more like a minor league or a small college field. We’ve always had this big blue wall of nothingness behind home plate, and I always pictured having ‘West Orange Warriors’ on the back just to kind of bring it to life.” Welsh initially reached out to the school’s art department to see it any art students wanted

to paint the walls of the field. He then reached out to his own players to see if they knew someone who would take on the project. One of those players was Emma’s younger brother, Ethan, a senior on the varsity team. Ethan said the project would be something his sister would enjoy, and Welsh got in contact with her soon after. “I got into contact with her, and she was right on it from the get-go,” Welsh said. “I knew right then and there that this was the right person for the job. … She came in, and she had a vision for it.” Emma Lewandowski, who graduated from WOHS last year, is now a student at Florida Gulf Coast University majoring in marketing and management with a minor in art history. She painted the mural while home for winter break. The project took her about a week to complete. “They asked me if I would possibly be able to come and do some kind of mural on the walls to try and bring some life over there and make it look pretty,” she said. “I got in contact with the coach … and he had some ideas.

By Eric Gutierrez

Emma Lewandowski spent about a week during the holiday break painting the new mural at the West Orange High baseball field. She used a projector to trace the lettering onto the walls of the West Orange High baseball field before painting it.

He wanted to do block letters, so then I came up with some fonts for him and he went out and got the paint. ... We started off with a projector and projected all of the letters (on the wall) and then traced it on there at night. Then, we came back over it with paint.” Although she didn’t play any sports at West Orange, Emma

Courtesy

Lewandowski always was a big fan of the school’s baseball team. She even started the Diamond Girls Club, an organization that supports the school’s baseball team. “We (Diamond Girls Club) did the senior nights, (and) we created banners and posters for the high school baseball team,” she

said. “That really helped me stay in touch with the boys and support them in that way.” Emma Lewandowski considers the WOHS baseball field a piece of home. In addition to the times she spent at the field while at WOHS, she practically grew up on it. Her brother has been training and playing games at that field for years. “I always loved it — I had lots of friends (who) played baseball,” she said. “When I did the Diamond Girls (Club), a lot of my friends who were girls would come over and they got involved as well, so a little piece of me belongs there. I was really excited to get to clean it up a little bit.”

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Foundation Academy’s Aliyah Perry is tearing it up on the basketball court. Page 18.

GAME GROWERS

In Windermere Prep’s thrilling 73-68 win over neighboring Windermere High, sophomore shooting guard Jayden Williams exploded for 22 points — 15 of which came off of five three-pointers — during the Showdown in O-Town Saturday, Jan. 11. Teammate Fanbo Zeng added on 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals for the Lakers (12-2). The win moves the Lakers to 2-0 against the Wolverines since Windermere High’s inaugural 2017-18 season.

SPORTS EDITOR

When Ocoee’s boys soccer program takes to the field, things feel different. The players are confident but not arrogant, and the passes and style of play all feels natural — like the team has been playing together for 10 years. During the Knights’ game against Lake Minneola Friday, Jan. 10, the team’s cohesiveness was on full display. Ocoee sliced apart the Hawks’ defense — putting up five goals to Lake Minneola’s one. The win moved the Knights to 9-3-2 on a season that has been a renaissance of sorts for the program, and it’s all because of the players’ camaraderie and discipline, head coach Peter Moore said.

“We want to come so we can all work hard and get better together — not just skill-wise, but as a team and a whole. We want to show up to practice, put in everything and work as hard as we can.”

The Windermere Prep girls soccer team continued its dominant season Friday, Jan. 10, as the Lakers thrashed St. Edwards 8-1 to move to 8-1 on the season (now 10-1). The Lakers were led by freshman Brielyn Knowles’ hat trick and senior Megan Ikeda’s three assists.

— Senior defender Zachary Ballard

applied to Nike’s Game Growers program, but the girls hadn’t heard anything back in a while except for the fact that they were named semifinalists. The silence was broken, however, when the duo got free tickets to go see the Magic play, and that’s where they noticed something was up. All of a sudden they were surrounded by cameras and told the good news — they had won.

“They’re friends, they have a good time together, they joke around and they show respect,” Moore said. “I can make some changes, and the players just listen to what I’m saying. “We have a pretty simple rule that we shake hands whenever we see each other,” he said. “And these kids do it — you don’t even have to say a word. They come to my class or someone else’s class, and they’re shaking your hand as they’re coming through the door and showing respect. This is a special group.” Moore has seen some special teams — including one that made the state semis — since he joined in 2005, Ocoee High’s first year. During the early years of Moore’s tenure, he had guys who played at the high school and club levels. Then, years of losing seasons came along, before the program finally got things together last season. Despite ending last year with a loss at the hands of West Orange in the district semifinal, the Knights finished with a 9-5-3 record, the program’s first season above .500 since 2014-15. The immense change has been propelled by dedication as much as anything, senior defender Zachary Ballard said. “It’s just weeding out the bad players — the people who aren’t fully committed and (who) don’t

SEE GROWING PAGE 18

SEE KNIGHTS PAGE 18

In Foundation Academy girls soccer’s difficult 3-1 loss to Victory Christian Thursday, Jan. 9, seventh-grade goalie Avery Bangsund still showed her skills as she recorded a whopping 27 saves for the Lions. Thus far, through 11 games, Bangsund has picked up over 100 saves and has continued to be a go-to between the irons for head coach James Grosshans.

The Knights’ boys soccer team has seen a resurgence the last two years, thanks to players buying into the program. TROY HERRING

In Dr. Phillips girls basketball’s 5033 victory over Providence Friday, Jan. 10, Jordan Ward had a strong showing as she picked up the double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds on the night. The win pushed the Panthers to 7-11 on the season. The Panthers followed up the win with a loss against West Orange Monday, Jan. 13.

Despite CFCA basketball’s tough 81-77 loss at the hands of Wildwood Thursday, Jan. 9, senior wing Nicolas Silva continues to have a strong season as an Eagle, as he racked up 23 points in the loss. Meanwhile, teammate sophomore point guard Riley Kugel added on 21 points. Silva also scored 22 points for the Eagles in CFCA’s 86-62 win over Lakeland Christian Thursday, Jan. 9

Ocoee soccer finds its footing

Troy Herring

Morgan Bridges and Olivia Ikeda will represent the Orlando Magic during the Game Growers Training Camp.

Students Olivia Ikeda and Morgan Bridges were named Nike and Orlando Magic Game Growers after creating an app to draw young girls to basketball. TROY HERRING SPORTS EDITOR

hen Windermere Prep eighth grader Olivia Ikeda and Horizon West Middle eighth grader Morgan Bridges showed up to the Orlando Magic’s game against the Chicago Bulls Monday, Dec. 23, they didn’t have a clue what was in store for them. It had been a few weeks since they had

SPORTS SPOTLIGHT

WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

Growing the girls game

SPONSORED BY MARK’S FLOORS

Aliyah Perry

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

An eighth grader on the Foundation Academy girls basketball team, Aliyah Perry isn’t afraid of a challenge. Perry primarily plays at the four and is one of coach Deborah Pennick’s leading scorers and goto players.

When, and how, did you first get into basketball? I was in third grade when I first started and my best friend was a guy, so I wanted to hang out with him more and his sport was basketball. Then a coach saw me playing and he wanted me to play for his team. What has kept you motivated to stay in the sport for so long? I would say the competition — I am very competitive, and I love going against people. And if I see someone better than me, my goal is to be better than them. Have you always played at the power forward position? Last year was my first year actually — handling the ball. Before I was just a tiny little girl underneath the basket just getting rebounds. What has been your favorite thing about playing at Foundation? Oh, my teammates for sure … it’s like a family. It’s not “this person’s team” or “they’re better than me” — no, we’re all a team. If she scores, I score, and if she got that rebound, I got that rebound. What is the hardest part about playing at the powerforward position? I would say the hardest part is having the

THE BASICS

SCHOOL: Foundation Academy GRADE: Eighth AGE: 13 SPORT: Basketball POSITION: Forward/ guard (primarily plays power forward)

mindset to make that pass — if I see a teammate open but I don’t want to force the play, then I won’t pass it. At the same time, I want to do what my coach says and run the play. What is it like as an eighth grader to play against older girls as a member of the varsity team? I love it. Some games it’s easy, but then other games are tough — there’s always someone better than me on the court. I like competition, so I love playing against older people because it makes me better as a player, and it makes my team better. Did you have any goals in mind that you wanted to accomplish coming into this season? I want to get my confidence level up, because I felt like I wasn’t good enough to play against people who were older than me. But as soon as I got training and met Coach P., my confidence level was like, “I got this, I got this.” And that’s basically what you have to have — you have to have that mindset of when you go out there, you put it all out there on the court. Do you have a favorite team or player that you enjoy watching? Teams not really, but I was with Golden State — and I’m still with them because I don’t want to be a bandwagoner — and then my favorite player overall is Diana Taurasi. I love the way she plays and I’m still trying to get the off-the-dribble shot like her. And then I hear so many things about how she is a leader on and off the court and everywhere she goes. — TROY HERRING

Athlete of the Week sponsored by:

“When we signed up for this we thought there were going to be a ton of people, and we didn’t think it would be really easy,” said Olivia, 14. “We thought we could make the semifinals, but we didn’t think we could win. “Then we went to the game and we found out and I was just shocked — I didn’t think we had won,” she said. The new Nike’s Game Growers program is a collaboration with the NBA and WNBA to grow participation in basketball among young girls across the country. Between Friday, Oct. 18, and Friday, Nov. 15, eighth-grade girls submitted their ideas on how to grow basketball participation, and the WNBA and NBA teams would select their Game Growers teams (two girls per team) to join them in attending the Game Growers Training Camp at Nike’s World Headquarters in Oregon toward the end of this month. Once there, Olivia and Morgan will refine their ideas alongside the leagues and Nike — as well as GENYOUth. There’s an added bonus: selected teams will present their ideas at the WNBA Draft in New York City in April 2020. A FRESH IDEA

One day when Olivia and Morgan were hanging out, the two ran

across a post on Instagram about the Game Growers program. It was then and there they decided to give it a shot and told their parents after reading up on the program. After a quick brainstorming session, they landed on an idea of making an app — appropriately called MO Movement. The “MO” refers to the initials of their first names, but also stands for “Motivating Others,” Olivia said. “It’s basically a one-stop shop,” Olivia said. “Some of the features on this app would include open gym dates and times, some local camps, tryout information for AAU teams, game information and you can also develop your own avatar and unlock rewards to give you access to more features on the app.” The app — which the two hope will get up and running successfully with the help of Nike and the leagues — was the very first idea Morgan and Olivia came up with, and it makes sense to run with an app for a world of digitally astute pre-teens and teenagers, Morgan said. “We feel like that our generation is always on their phones lately,” said Morgan, 13. “We thought it would be a good idea, because most people (would rather) get apps than actually go to an open gym or go to some-

Knights rise up CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

want to show up and get better,” he said. “We want to come so we can all work hard and get better together — not just skill-wise, but as a team and a whole. We want to show up to practice, put in everything and work as hard as we can.” Coming into the 2019-20 season, the Knights only lost a couple of players while returning a majority of the team. This year, the Knights are loaded with seniors and juniors. With that kind of leadership in place, senior defender Parker Green knows this could be a big year. “I just feel like we had a little bit of the mentality that, ‘OK, we have a good side to kind of build around,’ then we chose the players we felt fit in best,” Green said. “Just being an older team, having those returners coming back, putting in that extra work helps us get to where we are now.”

Troy Herring

After a successful season last year, the Knights continue to make progress on the pitch.

The Knights are sitting as one of the best teams in the area, thanks to key players such as senior forwards Jean Forestal and Stenson Armand, who have led the Knights to nine wins so far this season — including big victories over Bishop Moore (153) and Montverde (8-1) — while picking up ties with West Orange and Dr. Phillips. With four games left before the district tournament, the Knights won’t have time to rest.

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thing. They can just go on the app on their phone and do it conveniently.” Another part of developing the app was to give back to the sport Morgan and Olivia have loved for years. Both girls play on the same AAU team — Hoop Dreams Elite — which is also how the two met one another and became best friends. Meanwhile, at their respective schools, Morgan was named captain of Horizon West Middle’s first basketball team while Olivia has made a name for herself on the varsity team at Windermere Prep. It’s their passion for basketball that has kept them busy with the game for the last few years. While both hope to eventually get to the next level, they also want to change the game for the better by helping other young players like themselves. “It will mean a lot, because we’ll be able to say we changed a lot of people’s lives,” Morgan said. “We don’t really care if it’s about the money or anything, we just want girls to feel OK. A lot of girls don’t have a lot of self-confidence — a lot of girls I know are really tall, but they think it’s not OK to be tall. I want girls to know that it’s OK to be tall. “We want this to reach nationwide,” she said. “We want every girl to see this.”

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For the team’s seven seniors, this is it — one last chance to make an impression and leave a legacy. “I know for Parker and (me) — we have played club soccer and rec soccer for a really long time, so it’s kind of our last year to play — we would really like to go out with a bang and hopefully be district champions or maybe more,” Ballard said. “(We) just want something good to look back at for our last year.”

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OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

Windermere Prep girls soccer dominates After winning the SSAC state title last year, the Lakers are making another strong run through the regular season. TROY HERRING SPORTS EDITOR

Every time the Windermere Prep girls soccer team takes to the field, it’s there to win in convincing fashion. The Lakers have had a knack for mercy ruling other teams for years now, and this year is no exception. But this year, the Lakers are dominating despite the fact that the team is young.

Photos by Troy Herring

Emma Conroy hauled in a pass.

Last season when Windermere Prep stormed its way to an SSAC state title, the Lakers had plenty of senior talent to help lead the way. Now those seven seniors — which included some of the team’s top talent — are gone, and it’s up to new players to continue the legacy that head coach Greg Stone has built. “We lost a lot of seniors last year that were starters, so we were hoping more people would come in, step up and do their job, and that’s what has happened,” junior center midfielder Isabel Teixeira said. “I think we may have four seniors and three or four juniors, so it’s really impressive how the younger players stepped up.” With a team that now has a few middle schoolers seeing some playing time, there were questions coming into the season, but there also was the chance to really surprise people, freshman center midfielder Brielyn Knowles said. “Since we’re such a young team I feel like teams don’t think we’re going to do as well because we have such young players, but I feel like we work so hard because we want to win,” Knowles said. “I feel like we all take it pretty seriously. … I think our drive to win (separates) us from other teams.” Despite early season jitters — which Knowles admitted came with losing players while also liv-

Mia Williams (No. 23) celebrated with Manuela Zarrate (No. 20) after scoring a goal against Crooms Academy.

ing up to high expectations — the Lakers have jumped out to a 10-1 record so far. The Lakers’ lone loss came against a talented Holy Trinity Episcopal team. For Stone, the approach to the season was different than last year, but it’s not his first rodeo when dealing with inexperience. “With the team being young, we are constantly talking about mentally preparing, focusing and a lot of things that young players — with a lack of leadership — might not exactly know how to do,” Stone said. “It’s teaching them the skills it takes to be a leader, to get mentally focused and ready to play.” Whatever Stone has said to his players, it’s working — the Lakers jumped right out of the gate with a seven-game winning streak to start the season. During that stretch, the Lakers’ defense —

which had been basically depleted — recorded six shutouts, while the offense outscored opponents 37-1. That’s all thanks to several players like Knowles and sophomore midfielder Courtney Mogauro — who led the team last year in scoring. The talent has been tremendous, but it’s also helped that this year’s team is made up of easily coachable girls, Stone said. “I think it starts with practice — giving 100% and playing hard and intense in practice,” Stone said. “Then it leads to how we are doing in games — if we are behind, how are we going to react? Are we going to come back and score, or are we going to fold and give up three more goals?” The importance of practice has spread throughout the team itself — just ask Teixeira, who is hop-

ing to play soccer at the next level. “Every time I go to practice, I learn more about myself and the team and soccer itself,” Teixeira said. “I’m looking to learn more and improve every day.” As it stands now, Windermere Prep has only a few games left in the regular season before the playoffs start up, where the Lakers will look to repeat as champions. But in order to do that, Stone knows that his Lakers will have to win as a cohesive squad. In other words, “teamwork makes the dream work,” as the saying goes. “We talk about that we are one — we are one unit playing together and if one person has a bad game, we have to pick that person up,” Stone said. “We go as our team goes. ‘Earn everything,’ to me, is the biggest thing right now and our motto of this year.”

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WEST ORANGE TIMES & OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

GAME FILM

Warriors, Wolverines falter at district duals I

Colin Mach tried to work his way out of a jam.

t was a tough night on the mat for the West Orange and Windermere High wrestling teams. Both fell in the opening round of Class 3A, District 3 duals held at Windermere Wednesday, Jan. 8. Evans and Wekiva were knocked out in the quarterfinals by Lake Brantley and Apopka, while the Warriors and Wolverines watched. In the semifinals, Apopka outlasted West Orange in a 42-33 win, while Lake Brantley came back from a 27-0 deficit to beat the Wolverines 41-39. Apopka topped Lake Brantley, claiming the district title.

Despite leading for most of the match, Windermere fell late in its match with Lake Brantley.

— TROY HERRING

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THESE OLD TIMES

FROM THE WINTER GARDEN HERITAGE FOUNDATION

Winter Garden began the new year with a new city clerk when Kathy Montoya joined the staff with 20 years of experience in city and county government. West Orange High School Principal Gary Preisser announced his retirement from Orange County Public Schools to become head football coach at Bishop Moore. West Orange Habitat For Humanity broke ground on a new home just north of Ocoee thanks to the generosity of the First Baptist Church of Windermere. The future homeowners, Chris and Jessica Gray and son Christopher, helped at the groundbreaking ceremony. State Farm Insurance agent Joe McClellan was honored with the National Sales Achievement Award. This award is given to only 10% to 15% of the nation’s insurance agents. This is McClellan’s fifth time receiving the award.

Dr. Henry Nehrling poses regally in this 1926 photograph taken at the International Botanical Congress in Ithaca, New York. Conferences such as these benefited from the field experience and experimentation done by famed horticulturalist Henry Nehrling and his contemporaries. The life and achievements of Henry Nehrling, a kingpin in the establishment of Florida’s foliage industry, are featured in “Dr. Henry Nehrling and His Gotha Legacy,” a new exhibit at the Winter Garden Heritage Museum (open from 1 to 5 p.m. daily). Call (407) 656-3244 for more information. To plan a visit to Palm Cottage Gardens, Nehrling’s Gotha estate, visit nehrlinggardens.org.

Editorial: Some Winter Garden city commissioners are worried because some of the good women are worried because some of the oak trees along Plant Street have been cut down — and maybe more to follow someday. I wouldn’t worry if I were you, men! That is a conflict that has been going on from time immemorial and will continue to go on as long as time lasts. This is as long as there are any beautiful trees and flowers that seem to the stern businessman to be blocking the road to progress.

50 years ago

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2020

20 years ago

FROM THE ARCHIVES

70 years ago

They soon will be pulling the plug in Lake Apopka. The lake level will be reduced four feet and the lake bottom allowed to dry out. The filling process, depending on rainfall and Gourd Neck Springs, will bring the level back to nearly normal by late fall 1971.

The mission of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation is to preserve the heritage and architecture of Winter Garden while creating new cultural experiences. The Foundation also preserves the material culture of West Orange County, using it to educate the area’s youth on the community’s rich history.

THROWBACK THURSDAY An article in the Jan. 22, 1970, issue of The Winter Garden Times said a variety of housing types and neighborhoods, along with full commercial, professional and community services, would be integrated into a “small-town” environment. “And this is just the start,” the article read. “In the years to come, the magnitude of Walt Disney World will unfold to dwarf any single project ever undertaken in Florida. West Orange County is about to become a world celebrity.”

ACROSS

29 Green salsa variety 30 One opposed to a 1 Creative writing deg. Columbia publication? 4 Ramen taste 34 Hematite, for one 9 Common January 35 Explorer called “the Red” forecast 36 Prefix with god 13 Pulling device with a rope 37 “___ my pleasure!” 18 Chi-Town airport code 38 Occupies, as a rocker 19 Trash can insert 41 Flaccid 20 Walk up a mountain, say 44 Old Apple messaging app 21 Aplenty 47 Pore over a Boston 22 Supporting a New York publication? publication? 51 Barbie’s partner 25 United flight? 52 Saldana of “Guardians of 26 Attention to ___ the Galaxy” 27 About, on a memo 55 Target of a skin care 28 Locks of hair

strip 56 Moved stealthily 58 Twitter handle component 60 ___ Crunch 62 Copacabana city, informally 65 Brit’s “Dear me!” 66 A drop can create one in a bucket 67 Like some eco-friendly boxes, or an alternate title for this puzzle? 71 MSNBC host Mitchell 72 Finish a walk? 73 What a gossip “spills”

“Ghost” role) 101 Start reading an Orange County publication? 106 Really want 108 Antiguan-American novelist Jamaica 109 Rant’s opposite 110 One sending a credit card 112 Yearly records 113 Chap who’s part of a London publication? 117 Ticks off 118 Soup or salad, often 119 Boring 120 Lithium-___ battery 121 Specks of land 122 Pleased 123 Low on patience 124 Grp. with full-body scanners

74 He’s engaged to J.Lo 75 “That’s untrue!” 76 Playground chute 78 H.S. stress sources 80 Put on 81 Animation frame 83 Redact parts of a Baltimore publication? 89 Wine region north of Bordeaux 91 Teri of “Tootsie” 92 Power in old Hollywood? 93 Genre from Jamaica 95 R&B singer Erykah 98 Rapper Azalea 100 ___ Mae (Whoopi’s

42 Org. for New York City FC 43 German shepherd, often 45 Caught wind of 46 Strong dislike 48 Wonder Woman, for one 49 Otherwise engaged 50 Pass, like a law 52 Nada 53 Looked at rudely 54 Part of DOE (Abbr.) 57 Selina ___ (Catwoman’s alter ego) 59 Fewer and farther between 60 Division of a long poem 61 Contribute 63 Holy terrors 64 Toothbrush brand 67 ___ of honor 68 Assigned stars to 69 Diabolical DOWN 1 Black Friday crowd, seem- 70 Montana-to-Minnesota direction ingly 77 Drop-off guess, briefly 2 Composer Chopin 79 J.D. holder 3 Abide by 82 Like brains or ears 4 Radii neighbors 84 “Pics ___ didn’t happen!” 5 Medium-length skirt 85 Craving 6 Feature of a buck 86 Very done with something 7 So-so 87 Fruit of the Loom brand 8 Wrath for kids 9 Like a new penny 88 Tidy 10 Biblical hunter 11 Michael of “Caddyshack” 89 Dad’s refuge, maybe 90 Expensive gift for a teen 12 Director Anderson 93 Backbones 13 Polishes, as a Porsche 14 Classic excuse for missing 94 Place to retrieve a retriever homework 96 Throw off track 15 Greets silently 97 South Sudan neighbor 16 Vinegar bottles 99 Deep sorrows 17 “Siddhartha” author 21 Richard of “Pretty Woman” 101 “African unicorn” 102 Dead men tell no ___ 23 “___ be an honor” 103 Tabby’s “Back off!” 24 Apple CEO Cook 104 Vine-covered 28 Like a book with many 105 Cory Booker, e.g. (Abbr.) pages 106 Former CBS spinoff set 29 Evian competitor 31 Blue or White African river in the Big Apple 107 Sharing possessive 32 Juul, e.g. 33 “You overshared,” in texts 111 Obscene writing 113 Food additive letters 35 ___’acte 114 Wile E. Coyote’s explosive 39 Evening meals 115 Tilling tool 40 Sturdy enclosure for an 116 Cellular messenger estate’s grounds

CELEBRITY CIPHER

By Luis Campos Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

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by Ross Turdeau; CROSSWORD NEWSY Edited by David Steinberg

Puzzle One Clue: Y equals W

Jan. 22, 1970 Nearly two years before Walt Disney World held its grand opening, the Disney Preview Center opened to the public, recording 12,000 visitors in its first three days of operation. The “modernistic building” contained a stand-up theater that showed an 11-minute film every 15 minutes throughout the day. Also on display were drawings and photographs of planned and actual construction on the site. A souvenir stand offered trinkets and Disney products.

SUDOKU

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01-16-20

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