W EST O RA N G E T I M E S &
Observer Winter Garden, Ocoee, Oakland
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. VOLUME 91, NO. 6
Duke Energy announces plans to file for increased base rates. SEE PAGE 5A.
FREE • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024
Down and derby
Cub Scout Pack 978 hits top speed at Pinewood Derby. PAGE 7B.
A century of service
WGPD uploads crimefighting tool Winter Garden PD tip411 allows residents to submit anonymous information through three different options. SEE PAGE 2A.
YOUR TOWN LET THEM EAT CAKE!
Don your purple, green and gold to get in the mood for the city of Ocoee’s Mardi Gras Block Party. The party will be hopping from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9, along McKey Street in downtown Ocoee. Downtown businesses will be open during the festivities to serve attendees. Mardi Gras Kitchen food truck will offer Cajun cuisine, and Orlando Gentleman of Jazz Dixieland Band will play traditional New Orleans tunes at 7 p.m. There will be family-friendly entertainment, face painting, musical chairs at 6:15, treasure hunt at 6:30, bead toss game at 7:45 and a contest for best mask. For more, call the Ocoee Parks and Recreation Department at (407) 905-3180.
The earliest members of the Woman’s Club of Ocoee held a club tea and open house of their new facility in 1938: Lucy Eckles, Mrs. Thomas Camp, Grace Pounds, Ida West, Dorothy Minor, Elizabeth Shaffer, Bess Scott, Mrs. Allen, Lucy Hawthorne, Emma Pounds, Stella Flewelling, Edna Ingold, Washie Hudson and Annie Clark. Right: The exterior of the clubhouse as it appeared prior to 1944. At right, Mrs. T.D. Hudson and Mrs. B.D. Bennett hold conversation on the clubhouse patio.
For 100 years, members of the Woman’s Club of Ocoee have come together to improve their community and support many local endeavors. STORY ON PAGE 4A.
An exact science Tildenville Elementary School families spent an evening experimenting with the wonderful world of science. SEE PAGE 5B.
GLUTEN TAG! German bakery expands to new location Beneficial Breads found great success at its South Main Street storefront but outgrew it after being open just 14 months. SEE PAGE 6A.
WIN $2,500 FOR YOUR SCHOOL!