Street and parking lot closures begin for Leesburg Bikefest
Some streets and parking lots in downtown Leesburg will be closed beginning April 19 as crews begin settings up for the 27th Annual Leesburg Bikefest. The three-day festival will take place April 26-28 along Main and Market streets and others, with free bike shows and concerts and a variety of food and merchandise vendors.
Due to street closures, Leesburg City Hall, 501 W. Meadow St., and the Municipal Services Center, 204 N. Fifth St., will close April 26, while the customer service drive-through payment window at City Hall will close at 4:30 p.m. April 24.
The Leesburg Public Library, 100 E. Main St., will close at 5 p.m. April 25 and remain closed for the entire weekend. No library materials will be due during the closure period.
All city facilities re-open April 29.
For those who want to enjoy the event but do not want to drive, LakeXpress is again operating a special Bikefest shuttle with stops from the Villages to Mount Dora. A map of the shuttle route is available at RideExpress.com.
Details: LeesburgBikefest.com.
Explore nature during open house at Ellis Acres
Lake County’s Office of Parks and Trails will host an Open House at Ellis Acres Reserve, 25302 County Road 42, Paisley, beginning at 9 a.m. April 20.
The nature center will be open and a naturalist will be on site to answer questions. Admission is free and open to the public.
Details: Linda Richardson at 352-267-2235.
Annual butterfly release at Mount Dora Library
The W.T. Bland Public Library, 1995 N. Donnelly St., Mount Dora, will host its annual Butterfly Release beginning at 10:30 a.m. April 20 in its Nunan Butterfly Garden, followed by refreshments and children’s crafts inside the library.
Volunteers will lead tours of the garden and native plants that attract butterflies will be highlighted as well. The event is free and open to the public.
Details: 352-735-7180.
District Pitch mimics ‘Shark Tank’
Young entrepreneurs at East Ridge, Eustis, Mount Dora and Tavares high schools are preparing for the third annual District Pitch at 10 a.m. April 23 at the Clermont Arts and Recreation Center, 3700 S. U.S. Highway 27.
Similar to ABC’s hit series “Shark Tank,” five teams of students from the four schools and the wild card, chosen by those who attend, present their best product in a pitch to a panel of judges who will give first- and second-place awards.
A People’s Choice award will be determined by the audience. Potential investors will be present and could offer to fund one of the new ventures.
The Lake County Schools College and Career Readiness Department launched Entrepreneurship Academies at Eustis and Tavares high schools in the fall of 2020 and later added academies at East Ridge and Mount Dora high schools. Through the Entrepreneurship Academies, students learn skills and mindsets that will help them launch their careers. Some students start their own businesses while still in high school.
Teachers Nikki Sauerbrey of Tavares High School, Debbie Cyr of Eustis High School, Matt McDaniel of Mount Dora High School, and Simone Seaton of East Ridge High Schools, welcomes parents, students and business leaders in the community to attend the event and hear the student groups pitch their ideas.
The District Pitch is sponsored by Portillo’s, the Eustis Chamber of Commerce and the South Lake Chamber of Commerce. It is free and open to the public with limited seating. Doors open at 9:15 a.m.
Details: lake.k12.fl.us.
Support group for those with Parkinson’s disease
The monthly support group for people with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers will take place from 11 a.m. to noon April 24 at Lake Port Square, 821 Lake Port Blvd., Leesburg.
The main topic of the meeting will focus on “Gut-Brain Connection: How the Brain and the Gut Are in Regular Conversation.” The meeting is open to the public and is free.
Details: Rod at 540-597-7000.
Widowed support group meeting in Mount Dora
The widowed support group of First United Methodist Church of Mount Dora will meet at 9:30 a.m. April 25 in the church’s chapel, at 333 E. Fifth Ave. The group is open to men and women.
Details: 352-383-2005.
Lady Lake hosts Survivor: Mother/Son Edition
The Town of Lady Lake’s Parks and Recreation Department is putting a new and creative spin on the classic Mother/Son dance, with a rugged, outdoor game of Survivor: Mother/Son Edition from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 4 at Snooky Park, 120 W. Lady Lake Blvd.
During the event, moms (or other maternal figures) compete alongside their sons ages 6-17 for a chance to bring home prizes for their combined skills. Games include rubber-ax throwing, Velcro wall, giant lawn bowling, memory games and more.
There will be games for all ages as well as challenges broken down by age groups so the little ones can join in the fun. A picnic-style lunch of burgers and hot dogs will be served as well. Space is limited.
Tickets are $10 per person and must be purchased in advance at Lady Lake Town Hall, 409 Fennel Blvd., the Lady Lake Library, 225 W. Guava St., or by calling 352-205-2826.
Rookie wins Bassmaster Elite at Harris Chain of Lakes
Rookie John Garrett of Union City, Tenn., tallied a four-day total of 84 lbs., 5 ounces to claim his first Bassmaster victory at the Lowrance Bassmaster Elite at the Harris Chain of Lakes April 11-14 in Leesburg.
Garrett endured a final-round emotional roller coaster to take home the trophy and a $103,000 top prize.
After taking the lead with a Day 1 limit of 24-2 — the event’s heaviest bag — Garrett added limits of 19-13, 19-3 and 21-3 to edge second-place finisher rookie JT Thompkins of Myrtle Beach, S.C., by 10-9.
This is only the 14th time in elite series history a competitor has recorded a double-digit winning margin. The only angler to break 20 pounds twice, Garrett is the second rookie to win an elite event this season.
Garrett devoted the majority of his tournament to a 75-yard stretch of shellbar on Lake Carlton’s northwest side. Garrett caught his bass on a Strike King 5XD, a deep-diving crankbait, a Strike King 1.5 squarebill, a white hair jig and a Carolina-rigged Strike King Ocho.
Garrett finished second to Thompkins in the 2023 St. Croix Bassmaster Open’s Elite Qualifiers standings.
KJ Queen of Catawba, N.C., placed third with 72 pounds. His daily weights were 19-0, 15-7, 18-15 and 18-10.
Garrett won the $1,000 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award for Day 4 with his 7-4. He also won the $2,000 Rapala CrushCity Monster Bag Award, while Jacob Powroznik of North Prince George, Va., won the $2,000 Phoenix Boats Big Bass award for his 10-8.
Chris Zaldain of Fort Worth, Texas, won the $1,000 BassTrakk contingency award and Trey McKinney of Carbondale, Ill., won the $1,000 award for leading the Progressive Insurance Bassmaster Angler of the Year race with 293 points. Tyler Williams of Belgrade, Maine, is in second with 285, followed by Jordan Lee of Cullman, Ala., with 283, reigning Bassmaster Classic Champion Justin Hamner of Northport, Ala., with 269, and Thompkins with 267.
McKinney and Williams also lead the Dakota Lithium Bassmaster Rookie of the Year standings.
This event was hosted by the Greater Orlando Sports Commission.
Mount Dora High School’s FFA named one of Florida’s Finest
The Florida Future Farmers of America recently announced the selection of Florida’s Finest chapters, and Mount Dora High made the list based on the completion of the National Chapter Award program application.
The chapter, along with others throughout the state, will be recognized during the 96th Florida FFA State Convention & Expo June 10-14 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando.
The National Chapter Award Program is designed to recognize FFA chapters that actively implement the mission and strategies of the organization. These chapters improve chapter operations using a program of activities that emphasizes growing leaders, building communities and strengthening agriculture. Chapters are rewarded for providing educational experiences for the entire membership.
The annual state convention and expo is the highlight of Florida FFA’s year. Nearly 5,000 FFA members, advisors, administrators, alumni, parents and industry partners come together to celebrate the achievements won by the past and present generations of agriculturalists, while continuing to develop their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success.
The Florida FFA Association is a premier youth, leadership organization with over 50,000 middle and high school student members – as part of over 350 local FFA chapters across the state.
Mount Dora included in Florida Stories Walking Tours app
The Mount Dora Historical Society recently announced Mount Dora’s inclusion on the Florida Stories Walking Tours app.
Florida Stories transports the listener through the past and the present, step by step (or staying in place), and is packed with photos and audio that will open the user’s eyes to many of Florida’s cities and towns.
A program of Florida Humanities, Florida Stories is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.
To get the app, go to floridastories.app or download “Florida Stories” in your phone app store.
Details: mountdorahistoricalsociety.org.
Electronically certified documents now available in Lake County
The Lake County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller is now offering electronically certified (eCertified) copies of eligible documents recorded in the Official Records, such as deeds, mortgages, satisfactions, liens, marriage licenses, powers of attorney, notices of commencement, agreements, judgments and finance statements.
While non-certified court and official record documents are available for free on its website the new service will allow customer to get certified copies to prove their authenticity, in a more timely and easier manner.
To order an eCertified document, which must be already viewable on the website, go to LakeCountyClerk.org/eCertify-OR. The cost is $8 per document, which includes a $2 statutory fee, $6 service fee, plus $1 per page. There is also a 3.5 percent processing fee when paying by a credit card.
Once purchased, the documents are typically delivered by email within minutes. Each eCertified document uses advanced encryption features to produce a tamper-proof electronically certified document with a unique Clerk of Court digital signature.
Florida law restricts some documents from being viewable on the website, which makes them ineligible to be eCertified online.
Details: 352-253-2600.
Wreaths Across America mobile exhibit coming to Lady Lake
Wreaths Across America’s Mobile Education Exhibit, which unites local communities, veterans, active-duty military and their families through interactive displays, short films, and shared stories, is on its national tour and will make a stop from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 23 at Mission BBQ, 631 U.S. Highway 27, Lady Lake.
The exhibit serves as a mobile museum, educating visitors about the service and sacrifice of the nation’s heroes. Through a partnership with the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration, it also serves as an official Welcome Home location for the nation’s Vietnam veterans.
Representatives and volunteers from Wreaths Across America will be on hand to speak with the public about the exhibit. Admission is free and open to the public.
Details: wreathsacrossamerica.org/About/MobileEducationExhibit.
United Way seeks help during National Volunteer Week
United Way of Lake and Sumter Counties has four community projects lined up for National Volunteer Week April 21-27 and is seeking area residents as well as community organizations and local businesses to help them complete the task.
The four projects include a home build for Habitat for Humanity Lake-Sumter, a food distribution day at the Neighborhood Center of South Lake, helping at the Combat Veterans to Careers thrift store and another soon to be announced.
Habitat and the Neighborhood Center will be on April 23 and Combat Veterans to Careers and the fourth project will be April 25.
Local business owners and community leaders are encouraged to organize groups of volunteers to join the Volunteer Week effort.
Details and registration: uwls.org/volunteer or Juana at 352-787-7530.
Details about project team assignment, times and location will take place after registration is completed.
Learn to become a family historian at genealogical class
The Pastfinders of South Lake County Genealogical Society is offering a free Beginner/Intermediate Genealogy class from 1 to 3 p.m. May 1 at the Cooper Memorial Library, 2525 Oakley Seaver Drive, Clermont.
The classes will include information on how to navigate family history, use of research websites and software, vital records, census basics, avoiding errors, obituaries, government website sources and more.
Details and registration: pastfindersslc.org.
East Lake Mini Library holds annual poetry contest
In honor of April’s designation as National Poetry Month, the East Lake Mini Library is sponsoring its 22nd annual poetry contest and is accepting entries through April 30.
The contest has three age groups: Children up to 12 years old; teen, ages 13-17; and adult, ages 18-up.
To qualify, entries must include the title of the poem, be typed and fit on one letter-size page. Hard copies should have the name and age group on the back of the poem only. There is a limit of 10 poems per person.
Gift certificates to Book-A-Million will be awarded to the top three winners in each age group. Winners will be announced and posted online a few weeks after the contest closes. Entries can be submitted online, by email or in person.
Details and entry forms: mylakelibrary.org/poetry_contest.
Mount Dora church hosts watercolor exhibit
First Presbyterian Church of Mount Dora hosts an exhibit of paintings by watercolor artist Nancy Staffieri from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through May at the church’s multipurpose room, 222 W. Sixth Ave.
A former resident of eastern Pennsylvania, Staffieri renewed her interest in painting after moving to Mount Dora. She has taken lessons from area artists and utilized used books and photographs as inspiration.
Admission is free and open to the public.
Details: 352-383-4089.
Mixed tennis doubles in Mount Dora
Area tennis players are welcome to join in mixed doubles tennis from 8 to 10 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday through April at the Lincoln Avenue Community Park tennis courts, 1200 N. Unser St., Mount Dora. The cost is $5 per month.
Details: Dennis at 207-289-8841.
To submit events
To submit a community event for online publication, email information at least two weeks before the event to lake@orlandosentinel.com.
