W EST O RA N G E T I M E S &
Observer Winter Garden, Ocoee, Oakland
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
The city of Ocoee celebrates Cinco de Mayo with block party. PAGE 8A.
FREE • THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2026
VOLUME 93, NO. 19
Haute horse couture West Orange Junior Service League hosts Run for the Roses. PAGE 5A.
ALMA MATTERS
‘Yo, this is fire’
Oakland approves mixed industrial project Town commissioners approved a $34 million project design, the Turnpike Commerce Park. SEE PAGE 7A.
YOUR TOWN ROAD WORK CONTINUES IN WINDERMERE
Ocoee High School alumnus Caleb Gordon, a Christian rapper, will represent Ocoee and Christ while performing at Rolling Loud and during his tour, The Eden Experience. Courtesy photo
Caleb Gordon, an Ocoee High alumnus, will represent Ocoee and his Christian faith while performing at Rolling Loud Orlando Sunday, May 10, at Camping World Stadium. STORY ON PAGE 4A.
THE NITTY GRITTY Inspired by their new coach’s attitude, Ocoee High’s track athletes have broken eight school records. 9A.
OBSERVER | THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2026
BRAINFOOD
ANIMAL INSTINCTS
Animal Instincts I Michael Eng // Editor and Publisher
f Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we’re the super cool Chinese Zodiac, or shengxiao. odiac consists of a 12-year cycle. Each year is associated with a that exhibit distinct characteristics. people believe the year of a person’s birth is the primary factor that person’s personality traits, physical and mental attributes, uccess and happiness throughout his or her lifetime. your Animal Sign, find the year of your birth among the 12 signs.
UPCOMING EVENTS HOMESCHOOL JUNIOR:
ASIA Learn all about the Chinese ZodiacTOURING in this special edition of Brain Food. SEE PAGE 11A.
11:30 a.m. Thursday, May 7, at the Eatonville Branch. Learning comes alive! Explore the world through crafts, experiments, and hands-on activities. Recommended for ages 6-12.
TEA TIME
The town of Windermere is asking people to allow for extra drive time and to be patient as road work continues on several roads in downtown Windermere through Friday, May 8. On West Second Avenue, crews will continue repairing concrete and paver driveways and grading dirt behind the curb where needed. Crews also will be sodding, mulching or installing gravel. Cleanup at Palmer Park also will continue this week, and a crew might be doing limited work in Fernwood Park, such as grading a swale and planting the rain garden/pond. On Third Avenue, crews might be digging swales this week and grading the road. On Bessie Street, East Boulevard and Eighth and Ninth avenues, crews will be performing miscellaneous activities at various locations, which might include right-of-way grading and pouring concrete structures located on East Boulevard. On Butler Street and Seventh Avenue, a crew might be doing limited work along Butler and Forest streets as well as Seventh Avenue.
WINTER GARDEN OPENS POOLS FOR SUMMER
11A
Take a break from the heat in one of Winter Garden’s pools this summer. Farnsworth Pool and Bouler Pool opened Saturday, May 2, and will be open through Saturday, Aug. 15. Farnworth Pool is located at 1 Surprise Drive, Winter Garden, and offers a variety of aquatics programs including swim lessons and aquatic boot camp. The pool is open 2 to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 2 to 5 p.m. Fridays and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Bouler Pool is located at 362 11th St., Winter Garden. The pool is open 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. General admission is free.