SO U T H W E ST O RA N G E
Observer Windermere, Horizon West, Dr. Phillips
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
Winter Garden Squeeze’s season ends. PAGE 3B.
FREE • THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2024
VOLUME 9, NO. 43
CANDIDATE
Q&A
Meet the five candidates seeking your vote to become the next Orange County Supervisor of Elections. SEE Q&A ON PAGE 3A.
City plans Zanders Park renovations
The hills are alive …
The upgrades will include new fencing and playground equipment that will reorient the play area around the basketball courts. SEE PAGE 2A.
YOUR TOWN OBSERVER WINS JOURNALISM, AD AWARDS
Governess Maria played her guitar and sang ‘Do-Re-Mi’ with the von Trapp children.
The cast of ‘Sound of Music’ was selected to represent the diversity in the church membership and in the community. Lead Pastor Jenn Stiles Williams hopes everyone in the audience will see themselves on the stage. STORY ON PAGE 4A.
Photos by Amy Quesinberry
The nuns at the abbey sang about Maria in dress rehearsals at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church.
FIRST CLASS!
Town leaders tackle restrooms, annexation plans In two meetings, Windermere leaders considered multiple town issues. 6A.
The West Orange Times & Observer and Southwest Orange Observer won awards for journalism, design and advertising at the 2024 Florida Media Conference, held July 25-26 at the Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. In the Florida Advertising Media Executives’ 2024 Creative Excellence Awards, the Observers won two Gold awards, two Silver awards and two Bronze awards for advertising design. The Gold awards included best Multi-Media Campaign (Hamlin Craft Beer Festival) and Medical & Wellness advertising (Community Health Centers). In the Florida Press Association’s 2024 Better Weekly Newspaper Contest, the Observers won five first-place, five second-place and eight third-place awards for writing, photography and design. The first-place awards were: Front Page Makeup (staff); Faith and Family Reporting (Last of a generation by Amy Quesinberry); Photo Series in One Issue (Florida Bandmasters Association 2023 District 8 MPA by Michael Eng); Best Headline (Michael Eng); and Feature Photo (Light Up Windermere by Michael Eng).
BRAINFOOD earliest HISTORY OF THE The known backpack
The Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine’s first students arrived on campus during Welcome Week. SEE PAGE 7B.
BACKPACK
dates back to 3300 BC. 6B.