What To Do In Mount Dora

Mount Dora Zombie Crawl?

2009-11-11T00:01:00.002-05:00

You heard right! Conservative Mount Dora actually hosted the walking dead at the 2009 Craft Fair for a little promo on behalf of the Mount Dora Ghost Walk.

Mike Burt (MikeB Makeup), pictured on left with the BIG linebacker zombie, from Halloween Horror Nights fame recently moved to Mount Dora and offered his face painting expertise to create some authentic zombies.

A BIG thanks to Mark Vaughn who captured the still images on camera for us.

Some were hesitant at first about having the "undead" in such close proximity to multiple thousands of visitors to the Craft Fair but in retrospect the concerns evaporated in the sounds of laughter as visitors delighted in the zombie procession as it made it's way through the streets of Mount Dora.

We captured the action behind the scenes and on the street in a couple of videos by Rachelle Lucas and Janet Craig. Check out Rachelle's video at www.InnTheKitchen.com. Janet's behind the scenes look can be found on her Mt Dora Sushi Blog.

See you at next year's zombie crawl.

Brian

18th Annual Christmas Walk in Mount Dora.

2009-11-09T20:39:00.013-05:00

For Immediate Release

Contact: Brian E. Young
Phone: (866) 683-6722
Email: VillageMerchants@gmail.com

YOUR INVITATION TO "AN OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS" CELEBRATION FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY!
Come one and all to the streets of historic Mount Dora on Friday, December 4th from 6pm to 9pm. ** Free admission!**

This 18th annual Christmas Walk is poised to be one of the finest ever. Against the backdrop of over 1 million lights your family can enjoy a festive celebration with professional entertainment on beautiful streets transformed into a Christmas Village. Mount Dora shops and restaurants will be open all evening to provide you with quality dining and shopping experiences.

There will be face painting, a juggler, bounce houses, Santa and Ms. Claus with a photographer on hand to capture the moment. There will be choirs from United in Praise and the United Methodist Church, First Baptist children's choir, an Acapella Group, a strolling violinist, keyboardist and Cockney Carollers for your listening enjoyment. Toy soldiers on stilts, snowflake girls, a magician, Dana Bright and Hitch N Time Carriage Tours will fill the streets to round out the evening.

There will also be food vendors on the streets with kettle corn, roasted nuts, hot pretzels, hot chocolate/coffee, soda/lemonade, hot dogs and hot cider. In addition to these options for food all of the restaurants in town will be open and ready to serve your dining needs.

Come on out and join us for the festivities on Friday evening December 4th from 6pm to 9pm.

***By City Ordinance PETS ARE NOT ALLOWED at this event!***
Please make arrangements for your furry friends before arriving. Thank you.

For more information contact the Downtown Village Merchants at 866-683-6722 or visit www.MtDora.org.

"Satisfy Your Cravings" at InnTheKitchen.com

2009-11-09T02:55:00.007-05:00

The popular food & travel blog InnTheKitchen.com maintained by Mount Dora resident Rachelle Lucas has gone through some major renovations lately. Check out the latest updates, videos and fabulous recipes from innkeepers around the country at www.InnTheKitchen.com.

Catch Rachelle on air next week on the syndicated TV program "Daytime." Rachelle returns to Daytime to make pumpkin bread from a recipe by a Mount Dora innkeeper. Daytime is only available in Lake County on Bright House Cable unfortunately.

Click here to see Rachelle on Daytime making sweet potato muffins.

You can follow Rachelle on Twitter along with her 20,000 other followers at www.Twitter.com/Travelblggr.

Stay tuned.

Brian

Orlando Convention & Visitors Bureau chooses Mount Dora for a destination in their 67 Days of Smiles promotion!

2009-11-08T10:00:00.008-05:00

The OCVB sponsored a contest over the summer featuring video submissions from contest entrants to win 67 days of amazing activities in Central Florida. The contest also featured $25K in cash to the winners in addition to the 2 months of daily fun! Kyle & Stacey from New York won the contest and thus came to Florida to indulge in Central Florida's finest attractions.

The OCVB contacted the Mount Dora Village Merchant's & Business Association through travel author & Mount Dora resident Gary Mckechnie. Gary is an entire BLOG all by himself and I will get to that later. Check Gary out at www.SeeTheUSA101.com.

Day 60 of Kyle & Stacey's Central Florida marathon was to include a stop in Mount Dora for the 25th annual Craft Fair and any other activities I could squeeze in for them. Visit their official Blogsite for the promotion at www.67DaysOfSmiles.com to see all of the Central Florida activities they experienced.

I contacted Segway Tours (Thank you Dave H.) and Lake County Waterways (Thank you Tim Coates) to arrange a tour. Check out Rachelle's video of these activities at her Blogsite www.InnTheKitchen.com. You may also read Kyle & Stacey's BLOG about their Mount Dora experience.

We were delighted to have the opportunity to be a Central Florida destination for the 67 Days of Smiles promo. BIG thanks to Denise Spiegel at the OCVB for contacting us.

Brian

A little branding with a photo?

2009-11-08T09:05:00.003-05:00

Occasionally an image just happens to capture the essence of what we try so hard to convey to potential visitors about our fabulous little town of Mount Dora. Jim Hobart (@MacBethPhoto on Twitter) took this photo nearly two years ago and though we knew it was the message everyone seemed to be asking for based on input, it took until now for everyone to see it!

Now this photo may be seen all over and including on the Mount Dora Village Merchant's & Business Association's newly renovated billboard on Hwy 441 outside of Renninger's Twin Markets. Other groups in town have also been using this photo in their ads and directories. Some with permission and some without but we figure if it leads to some "accidental" branding through imagery then why not let it happen?

We have hundreds of such images that we captured during a professional photo shoot we arranged a couple of years ago. These photos are available for use anytime and usually for just a photo credit or a small fee. Contact Jim Hobart at info@macbethphoto.com. To see more of Jim's work visit his website at http://macbethphoto.com/. For a gallery of available stock photos please visit: www.WhatToDoInMountDora.com.

Brian

2009 Mount Dora Craft Fair in review.

2009-11-05T09:03:00.008-05:00

Hard to believe the 2009 Craft Fair has come and gone! After the months of meetings and planning it is all relegated to memory now, with the exception of the seemingly endless wrap up meetings still ongoing. lol... To say it was successful would certainly be an understatement!

For my part I can truly say that I have never been prouder of being part of a group of dedicated individuals working together to pull of something as monumental as an event with a 25 year history hosting over 300,000 people. Not only were we handed the event without much warning but we decided to take it on and expand it well beyond it's original proportions.

With the help of Kevin Batliner from the Mount Dora Community Trust and Grimm DePanicis from the M ount Dora Center for the Arts we stretched the event to over 400 booths, added a concert in the park by the Florida Lakes Symphony Orchestra, added an unprecedented number of corporate sponsors and even manged to squeeze in a Zombie Crawl. Check out the fabulous Zombie Crawl videos by Janet Craig & Rachelle Lucas. I made their names clickable links to take you straight to the videos.

I have heard it said about town that we the paid the Center for the Arts 20% of the revenues to run the Craft Fair on our behalf. Funny how rumors gain momentum in our little town and perpetuate like a wild fire in Florida scrub brush! Fact of the matter is the Center for the Arts, after much arm twisting, begrudgingly accepted our measly $1500 donation to their fabulous cause! The real gain in all of this of course being the paving of the way of a new level of cooperation between prior-to-now competing organizations. Kevin and Grimm have both signed on for next years Craft Fair which will be even better with our new ideas and dedicated team. And you can bet that Merchant Association members will be side-by-side with Kevin and Grimm at the Center for the Arts sponsored Art Festival in February!

Ironically though the rumored 20% number certainly has a basis in reality as that is just about how much we increased the Craft Fair revenues over last year with our new ideas and efforts. Bringing on professional event coordinator Shirley Wold allowed us to find the inefficiencies quickly and opened our eyes to a whole new way of doing things. The association is on the verge of unveiling it's new automated system which will allow crafters to interface with us online and eliminate the endless paper trail we have to currently follow! Stay tuned...

I will be posting a series of blogs about the Craft Fair as we wrap it all up this week in our meetings.

Brian

USA 101 by Gary McKechnie

2009-10-19T11:42:00.003-04:00

One of Mount Dora's very own has recently returned from a trip around the US where he spent months cataloguing places, events and festivals around the country. Congrats to Gary McKechnie, co-owner of the Coconut Cottage Inn Bed & Breakfast in Mount Dora.

Gary's book, USA 101: A guide to America's Iconic Places, Events and Festivals, is newly published by National Geographic and available for $18.95. You can meet and listen to Gary talking about his experiences around the country tomorrow night (Tuesday, Oct. 20th) at 7pm in the W.T. Bland Public Library at 1995 N. Donnelly St. in Mount Dora. For more info. please call the library at 352-735-7180.

Christine Cole wrote a nice article in the Orlando Sentinel yesterday about Gary that you can read online at the Sentinel website.

Congratulations Gary and we will see you at the library tomorrow night!

Brian

Sweepstakes Winners & their Mount Dora experience.

2009-10-15T12:04:00.007-04:00

I had the opportunity the other day to interview the winners of the Mount Dora Play, Shop, Dine & Stay Summer Sweepstakes via email and wanted to share their comments and experience with everyone. The getaway sweepstakes is a promotion sponsored by the Mount Dora Village Merchant's & Business Association, Inc. in conjuction with WhatToDoInMountDora.com in an effort to create awareness of our fabulous town as a destination.

Frank & Arlene Miracola from Northport, FL were the July sweepstakes winners chosen randomly from nearly 2000 email entries at that time, there are almost twice that many entries as of today. Frank & Arlene won a lodging, dining, shopping & activity spree in Mount Dora worth $600. I will share her comments as she provided them.

A big thanks to all of the participating merchants who have made this program a big success for Mount Dora. Some of you are well thought of as you will see from Arlene's comments. Congrats on receiving such a glowing report.

Dear Brian,

We are more then happy to reply about our wonderful "weekend" in Mt. Dora as the Getaway winners. We got to Mt Dora on Saturday and were greeted by our gracious and very accommodating hosts John and Arthur proprietors of the beautifully appointed Adora Inn. To say it was a serene and calming home is an understatement.

We left our bags and proceeded to Pure Aveda. The staff immediately had us defrazzled with their attention to our needs. We each had 1 hour massages( h e a v e n) What a way to start our weekend. We definitely will be booking another round when we return in December.

We wandered around our fave shops for a while and went down to Goblin Market to inquire about their menu and late dinner reservations. The hostess Diane was just so happy to hear we were the weekend winners and made our dinner plans for us. The dinner was above and beyond what we expected and we now have a new cocktail suggested by Diane " Ruby Red Grapefruit Martini" yum yum yum!!!

We then strolled over to the Frog and Monkey to listen to a great band and had a couple of Blue Moon drafts. The evening ended with a walk in the full moonlight back to Adora. We had the Tree House room with roman bath. We both slept like very sated, pampered and spoiled babies. Breakfast was superbly prepared the next morning by our hosts who made us feel like family. John and Arthur are truly genuine and unpretentious.

Sunday was shopping day and I think we hit every place in town. Wine from Maggies Attic, Coffee, candles and caviar from Dianes Tasteful Indulgences, Jewelry and candles from Emz on 5th. Lots of trinkets and gifts from Whispering Winds. We revisited One Flight Up and the best Cuban we ever ate at Chew Chew express. Every one of these aforementioned places were just so nice and happy to hear we were the weekend winners.

Of course we always visit Timeless Keepsakes and the owner there is a very nice woman and didn't have a problem when we asked if she participated in Dora dollars. We can't say enough about what a glorious time we had. We sincerely thank everyone for all the attention and good will we felt.

We love Mt Dora and can't wait to return to our favorite escape. We would like to make one suggestion, It would be really helpful if the winners were given a list of merchants who accept Dora Dollars with the packet. A few times it was embarrassing for us as some shop keepers didn't know or had to ask someone and it was a bit tense in a few situations. Otherwise IT WAS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE!!!

Thank you again,
Fondly.
Arlene + Frank Miracola
North Port Florida

One of Mount Dora's own on national television.

2009-10-08T23:56:00.006-04:00

A little congratulations are in order for one of Mount Dora's own! Co-owner of the Tremain Street Cottages and Travel Channel videographer Rachelle Lucas has made her way to "Daytime" TV. You can see the segment here of Rachelle making sweet potato muffins on the syndicated TV program "Daytime" starring hosts David Nemeth and Cyndi Edwards. Rachelle has been invited back to share more recipes in the future.

Rachelle maintains a popular food & travel blog entitled "Inn The Kitchen" where she catalogues fabulous recipes from innkeepers around the country. Stay tuned as we travel the United States bringing you the best each innkeeper has to offer. Yes, Rachelle does drag me along on her journeys, do you think she carries her own camera equipment? lol...

Brian

A Taste of Chicago in Mount Dora.

2009-10-08T08:59:00.007-04:00

John Kennedy came to Mount Dora last winter with his wife Susan for a little visit and as so often happens they fell in love with our little town, bought a house, moved here and opened up two businesses. In fact, they took an empty eyesore of a corner on 3rd Ave & Donnelly St and revitalized it completely bringing color and life to a particularly uninspiring section of town!

John took his passion for food and business and turned it into "A Taste of Chicago" where you can experience the world famous "Chicago Dog" right here in Mount Dora. John tells me that every ounce of ingredients in his hot dogs comes from Chicago right down to the potato chips. 100% Vienna Beef will be found in these authentic Chicago Dogs.

John says the locals are very excited about the location and are very supportive. I can certainly say that in these particular economic times John has a price point that is attractive to almost anyone wanting to eat out on occasion. So much so that last Saturday John ran completely out of his newly popular Italian beef.

A Taste of Chicago will be open during season from 11am til later in the evening depending on traffic. With the fabulous weather around the corner guests can enjoy the outdoor seating area on the sidewalk or in the courtyard.

Downtown Mount Dora merchant's can enjoy an extra treat when they visit, 15% off all orders all of the time. If you are a City employee you will get 25% off!

Here is a sampling of what's on the menu:

Chicago Spicy Dog $3.59
American Cheese Dog $3.09
Swiss Cheese Dog $3.09
Baked Bean & Onion Dog $3.29

And on and on it goes....

Visit A Taste of Chicago on the corner of 3rd Ave and Donnelly St for your authentic Chicago Dog experience right here in Mount Dora.

Halloween Ghost Walk Tours!

2009-10-05T16:00:00.001-04:00

Mount Dora Ghost Walk sponsored by Mount Dora Historical Society

Dates: Oct 16^th & 17^th,28^th, 29^th 30^th 31st

7:30pm, 8:00pm, 8:30pm & 9:30pm

Price: $13.00 Under 12 is $10.00 advanced reservations required

Location: Tours originate at the Mount Dora History Museum 450

Royellou Lane and beginn with Borgias puppet show

Description: Lantern led tour of the shadowy alleys and streets of Old Mount Dora. History combined with legend and ghosts. Stories about the Old Train Depot, The Lakeside Inn, Goblin Market, Drawdy Lane, Historic Mount Dora Inn and the Haunted Jail Cell are just a few stops on your 1 hour, ½ mile journey begins with a 15 minute interior performance prior to tour. Call (352) 406-5672. or Email us at mountdoraghostwalk@yahoo.com

Reservations required and confirmed based on availability and in order received visit www.mountdoraghostwalk.com for more information

Guest Blog by Janet Craig, owner of Mt. Dora Sushi & Steak

2009-10-04T07:20:00.005-04:00

In addition to owning Mt. Dora Sushi & Steak Janet Craig is a board member of the Mount Dora Village Merchant's & Business Association, Inc. and serves as the association's marketing chairperson. Janet also maintains a blog on the Mt. Dora Sushi & Steak website and a super successful Twitter site with over 16,000 followers and counting!

It all started with a KISS at Mt Dora Sushi

“If you only do what you know you can do, you'll never do very much.” - Krause

It all started with this blog back in Mar 09 about how I reluctantly became an "actress" in a FOX TV commercial to promote our great little town- Mount Dora, Florida.
At the time I was on the ad committee of the MDVMBA (Mt Dora merch assn) but didn't want to be in the commercial. Mt Dora Sushi was only 1yr old and required my full time attention and besides, I'm not into the fame. It was here on the "set" I met Brian Young. I knew Brian and his girlfriend Rachelle owned the popular Tremain St Cottages and Brian created and runs www.WhatToDoInMountDora.com but we were not in the same social circles.
We immediately connected as he chatted up the importance of blogging, marketing and social media. These days I look forward to date night when Brian and Rachelle meet me and Eric at one of our other great little downtown Mount Dora restaurants
.

Brian and Rachelle have inspired us at Mt Dora Sushi to look outside of our marketing box and promote, promote, promote..and our friendship is blossoming into a huge media bouquet thats smelling pretty darn sweet.

The blog about the commercial shoot was the very first posted by Mt Dora Sushi. Rachelle has a great blog about being an innkeeper. Brian also has a blog about whats going on in Mount Dora.

In the past few months Brian and I organized a fantastic event to promote downtown Mount Dora..the Highwayman Artwalk. I learned the importance of a press release, posters and how much promoting an event needs to be successful. It generated huge sales for the merchants and a front page newspaper article mentioning our promotional efforts.

..Yay for Mount Dora! We all need the business right now in this snowbird economy driven town in the middle of July...and we actually had fun doing it.

After that we were urged to Twitter and today we have over 15,000 followers! Its actually a fun competition between Brian(@mountdora) Rachelle(@travelblggr) and Mt Dora Sushi (@mtdorasushi)...at least on my end. I love to have customers come in because they read Takashi and me tweeting facts or the days events. It's hugely satisfying.
I admit my blogging has suffered but am determined to get it all balanced...
From Twitter came an introduction to a Tampa food personality and author Jaden Hair(@steamykitchen) ...and here I am.
With sweating hands and high anxiety I am faced with an early morning drive to NBC in Tampa to shoot a cooking segment for television....all about making miso soup, lol. It will air on Sept 23 09. I found out its all scripted and I guess it isn't about the soup at all..I have 15 "free speak" seconds. That's 15 seconds to tell the world we are here.
Jaden has a great cookbook "Steamy Kitchen" and Rachelle is working on a recipe book featuring innkeepers...seriously thinking about creating a Mt Dora Sushi roll cookbook now...hmm..from little town sushi chef to being the #1 ranked sushi bar on Twitter , to TV, to author???
...........and it all started with a kiss.

See the Original Fox TV commercial w/Brian and Janet HERE

You can contact Brian to get promotional ideas OR you can find him in our beer garden or at the sushi bar most any night... and he always gets his wine for free.

Shop til you drop at the End of Summer Sidewalk Sale!

2009-09-21T12:28:00.004-04:00

Bidding adieu to the Summer and welcoming in our Fall and Winter Season is just one good reason for Mount Dora's Downtown shops and merchants to hold the End of Summer Sidewalk Sale!! Many merchants and store owners will be putting sale items on display outside their storefronts for visitors and potential buyers to better view the unique items available for purchase at special discounted prices! From Friday, starting at 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. that night, and Saturday from 10 until 8 and Sunday from noon until 5 p.m. Mount Dora's shops and sidewalks will be overflowing with an abundance of many wonderful and terrific savings for the shopper in all of us!! To add to the excitement of all of these fantastic shopping opportunities, many of our restaurants will be hosting live entertainment for your listening enjoyment and dining pleasure!

So make plans to come to Downtown Mount Dora and SHOP UNTIL YOU DROP on Friday, Saturday and Sunday September 25th, 26th and 27th!

For more information about the event, call 352-383-2165

This End of Summer Sidewalk Sale is sponsored by The Mount Dora Area Chamber of Commerce and the Mount Dora Village Merchants and Business Association.

Source: Mount Dora Village Merchants & Business Association

Piglet's Pantry receives "Outstanding Merchandising Award!"

2009-09-17T09:38:00.000-04:00

Congrats to our very own Piglet's Pantry and owner's Carla & Edson Pereira on their most recent accomplishment. Pet Products News International has awarded them the prestigious "Outstanding Merchandising Award." This award is one of eleven given annually as part of of the "Retailer of the Year Award Program" administered by Pet Products News International.

Social Media, are you missing the boat?

2009-09-16T09:25:00.002-04:00

The basic tenants of advertising, marketing and promotion are being redefined as we move into 2010 and beyond. According to advertising agencies around the country a presence on emerging social media platforms is a "top priority" for most businesses! See this fabulous article in Online Media Daily by Joe Mandese, Study Finds Social Nets 'Realistically' Near Top Of 2010 Media Buying Plans.

Funny thing is, I was told just over a year ago by someone considering himself an online expert in Mount Dora that this stuff was for 14 year old's and insomniacs! I just smiled and thought of IBM boardroom execs telling Bill Gates/Microsoft that his software was not important in comparison to the hardware! Nothing like a little closed mindedness to help your company completely "miss the boat!"

Nothing is certain in regards to Social Media except for the obvious fact that it has caught on like wildfire and many of the world's largest corporations are embracing it now and into the future. And you can bet on the continuing evolution of Social Media with changes happening almost daily. My hats off to the many Mount Dora residents and businesses that have gotten on board and taken up the challenge of Social Media.

I was recently interviewed for an article that has made it's way around the online world and kept me busy answering questions from folks who have read the article (Mount Dora man proves Twitter is powerfu l market ing tool by Rori Paul) and are now contacting me trying to figure this whole thing out. Rori Paul (@roritravel on Twitter), a freelance travel and travel marketi ng writer, found me on Twitter a few months back and began to follow me. I recall that when I first became aware of her I had less than 2,000 followers on my @MountDora Twitter account. As you can see I am now over 10,000 followers and growing steadily.

What does it all mean? For me the simple answer is "bookings" for Tremain Street Cottages and "lots of internet traffic" for WhatToDoInMountDora.com. And the cost of this style of marketing, a cup of coffee and few pennies a day of electricity and hi-speed wireless internet! But the intangible part of the equation, the stuff that money cannot buy, the connections, the public relations aspect, let me share that with you:

The Twitter connection made with on-air TV personality, Tampa Tribune columnist and top 50 food blogger (in the world), Jaden Hair, has proven to be an ongoing cornucopia of public relations with no end in sight! Jaden is a regular on the syndicated network TV program "Daytim e." On September 21st our very own Janet Craig from Mt Do ra Sus hi Co. (@M tDoraSushi on Twitter) will be on "Daytime" with Jaden exploring the intricacies of Miso soup, and on September 22nd our very own Rachelle Lucas (@Travelblggr on Twitter) will be on "Daytime" making muffins from the recipe of one of our Mount Dora BnB's. Janet and Rachelle will be promoting Mount Dora in a big way on national TV to over 106 stations. How do you put a price on that???

Jaden has posted two blogs (Steamy Kitchen is her blog site) about Mount Dora since visiting us twice now. Her blog receives 150,000 unique visitors per month which is no small number to be sure! She did a nice story on the Uni Shooter recipe from Mt Dora Sushi Co. and a great story on Jim Tuttle's sav ory souffle recipe. Jim's story and recipe also ended up in the Sunday edition Life section of the Tampa Tribune last weekend in addition to their online version one week prior to that. The Uni Shooter story has an eco-friendly side that will likely get it into the prestiguous "Florida Aquarium" magazine. As I write this even more fabulous opportunities with Jaden are emerging, stay tuned for exciting details.

Freelance writer and Twitter contact Rori Paul (@roritravel on Twitter) has written a number of Mount Dora related articles that I will list below:
1. Mount Dora man is role model for using Twitter marketing.
2. Mount Dora man proves Twitter is powerful marketing tool.
3. M ount Dora's Tremain Street Cottages: In the heart of things!

Mount Dora Examiner and Twitter contact Jeff Titelius (@JeffTitelius on Twitter) has written six Mount Dora articles which you may read on his Examiner page.

Orlando Sentinel "Animal Crazy" columnist and Twitter contact Daphne Sashin (@DSashin on Twitter) wrote about "Yappy Hour" in Mount Dora after accepting our invitation on Twitter to come up and check it all out.

And these are just a few of the examples I can point to regarding the ongoing promotion for Mount Dora resulting from Twitter contacts I have made in the past six months. It is difficult to put a dollar amount on all of the above and the continuing promotion we are receiving 24/7 resulting from all of this Social Media interaction. Especially since all of the above was unknown and unintended. Now that "what is possible" is a known quantity you can bet I will ride this promotional horse as far as it will go! Stay tuned for updates and more exciting opportunities on the horizon!

Ciao from Mount Dora,
Brian

Put on your shoes & relax at Donnelly Euro Footwear.

2009-09-15T00:01:00.000-04:00

September Super Savings for V.I.P.'s

We have to make room for thousands of new shoes coming in the store starting in October.

Greetings!

This is your chance to save REALLY BIG on the brands you love most. The BUY 3 GET 1 FREE special can be used on any Mephisto, Rieker, NAOT, Birkenstock, UGGS sandal, or Simple footwear.

There are even steeper discounts on discontinued styles and colors. 20% to 60% OFF. Even these sale shoes can be used in the BUY 3 GET 1 FREE event. Hurry in because they are going fast.

Sale ends when they are all gone!

Thanks and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Jim and Mary Ella Timberlake
Donnelly Euro Footwear

Gluten Free Pizza is Cooking in Mount Dora, FL

2009-09-14T08:37:00.004-04:00

PizzAmore, downtown Mount Dora, has introduced a gluten free pizza, in addition to its made to order, full pizza & pasta menu, with its recent relocation. PizzAmore is nestled in the heart of historic downtown. For more info, call

352.383.0092 or click www.YouLovePizza.com

* * * * * * *

PizzAmore has moved to its new location at 622 North Donnelly Road between 6th and 7th Avenues in the

heart of downtown Mount Dora. With the change of location, PizzAmore has also expanded its business

hours and is now open 7 days a week.

Celebrating its first year in business this past June, PizzAmore serves authentic, fresh made, hand tossed

pizzas, pastas, salads and sweets. PizzAmore also features Italian wines, along with domestic & imported

beers. “We’re so excited with our new location”, says Leigh Love, “we’ve been able to keep the casual,

warm and inviting feel to our place, plus improved our overall dining space and experience for our

customers.” Love co-owns the bistro together with Jesse Thomas, the chef who created PizzAmore’s

widely popular, hand-tossed dough, made fresh daily.

PizzAmore uses garden fresh veggie toppings, along with a wide selection of favorite pizza toppers, and

has now introduced a pizza crust just for gluten-free pizza lovers. “It took us quite a while to find just that

right recipe for our gluten-free crust; we held off until we were sure that we could create a crust that both

tastes and provides that same experience as its wheat counterpart” said Thomas. “There’s a growing

segment of our customer base that have a sensitivity to or an intolerance for wheat, yet still want their

pizza”, said Love, “so we’re excited to be able offer this option for our customers”.

Thomas says that PizzAmore will be hosting pizza & beer pairings and creating other special events at the

bistro, as they settle into their new location.

For more about PizzAmore, please call 352.383.0092 or click www.youlovepizza.com

###

Business: PizzAmore

Contact: Leigh Love

Email: leigh@youlovepizza.com

Phone 352.383.0092

Address 622 N. Donnelly Street

City/Town Mount Dora

State/Province Florida

Zip 32757

Country United States

Link to Press Release: Guten Free Pizza in Mount Dora

Green Certified Tremain Street Cottages in historic, downtown Mount Dora.

2009-09-07T21:38:00.013-04:00

Tremain Street Cottages rated "excellent" by 22 travelers

Trip Adv isor has given the Tremain Street Cottages a nice "seal of approval" recently by providing them a "badge of excellence" to be placed on their marketing materials and website. This badge links directly to the reviews for the Tremain Street Cottages which average 5 stars.

The cottages are conveniently located in the historic district within easy walking distance of every point of interest in town. The two ground floor cottages are pet & child friendly so bring the entire family along. If a quiet getaway is more your style then the upstairs cottages offer solitude and quaintness.

Consider Tremain Street Cottages for your next Mount Dora getaway!

24 reviews of Tremain Street Cottages in Mount Dora

Mount Dora Center for the Arts Presents: "A Textured Sense of Time" by Arthur Natale

2009-09-03T08:12:00.003-04:00

Our dear friend and artist neighbor Arthur Natale will be the featured artist in the gallery at the Center for the Arts this month and next.

Opens September 4th
Art Stroll Opening Reception October 9th, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Exhibit concludes October 30th

In New York City Arthur Natale’s developed his art and has exhibited in multiple group shows. Now living in Mount Dora his ultimate desire is to stimulate the imagination. His paintings explore the metaphysical. Liking the way poetry and music create a world full possibilities, he incorporates those feelings into his work. Each piece has its own logic which challenges the notion of "objective" experience. In this exhibit viewers will experience ambiguous space where abstract forms set up a unique dialogue. Arthur uses wax and oil layered and incised for a textured sense of time. These paintings take time to do and take time to see.

Click here for more information on Arthur Natale.

Mount Dora Center for the Arts Presents - Florida Highwaymen Artist R.L. Lewis

2009-09-03T07:46:00.003-04:00

SUMMARY: ORIGINAL HIGHWAYMEN PAINTING RAFFLE FUNDRAISER

Mt. Dora, FL---- Artisans on Fifth, the artists’ cooperative affiliated with the Mt. Dora Center for the Arts, is holding a fundraising raffle for an original highwaymen painting by R. L. Lewis, Jr. Tickets for the raffle, which are on sale now in the Artisans’ gallery shop, are priced at $1 each, or 6 for $5. The winning ticket will be drawn on the evening of October 9th, which is the date of the next Art Stroll in Mt. Dora.

“We are excited and pleased that Mr. Lewis has donated one of his paintings to support our efforts here at Artisans on Fifth,” said Joyce Brady, the co-op’s Committee Chairperson. She added, “Our retail gallery shop provides a unique environment and opportunity for emerging local artists to showcase and sell their work. It is entirely run by the participating artists, and part of the proceeds generated by the shop’s sales is returned to the Mt. Dora Center for the Arts to support the children’s programs.” The fundraiser will benefit the cooperative’s general operating fund and overall mission. Ticket sales are being held at the Artisans’ location at 134 East Fifth Avenue in downtown Mt. Dora, which is immediately adjacent to the Mt. Dora Center for the Arts’ main gallery space. The shop’s hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. The store may be reached by calling 352-383-0880, ext. 107.

Highwaymen Workshop

R.L. Lewis, one of the original Florida Highwaymen artists, will offer a workshop from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 12 at the Mount Dora Center for the Arts, 138 E. Fifth Ave.

The Highwaymen were self-taught artists who painted more than 150,000 Florida landscapes and peddled them all over the state in the late 1950s and '60s.

The purpose of the workshop is to preserve the historical legacy of the Highwaymen's painting style and tradition through art instruction. Participants will complete a painting during the workshop.

Space is limited. Cost is $175 for MDCA members and $200 for nonmembers.

To register, stop by the center or call 352-383-0880.

For further information,

Contact: Jackii Molsick

(352)459-3585

For further information on R.L. Lewis, Jr., please visit his website at: rllewisartist.com

For further information on Mt. Dora Center for the Arts, please visit: mountdoracenterforthearts.org

Craft Fair Volunteers needed!

2009-08-29T07:52:00.004-04:00

Volunteers Needed for 25th Annual Mount Dora Craft Fair!!!

October 24 – 25, 2009

Location: Downtown Streets of Mount Dora

This nationally ranked and juried event continues to attract over 250,000 visitors and 400 of the best crafters in the country.

In celebration of our “Silver Anniversary” the Florida Lakes Symphony Orchestra will perform a free outdoor concert in Donnelly Park on Saturday, Oct 24th at 1:00pm

Volunteers can pick their area of interest: set-up, check-in, booth relief, other fun and interesting duties!

To sign up please visit:

PizzAmore:

622 N. Donnelly St., Mount Dora

352-383-0092

Donnelly Euro Footwear:

402 N. Donnelly St., Mount Dora

352-385-0909

Again, thank you so much for your support!

Contact: Mount Dora Village Merchants’ & Business Association
Phone: 352-735-1191

http://mtdora.org/

MJ @1FlightUP in Mount Dora??

2009-08-28T21:33:00.003-04:00

One Flight Up in Downtown Mount Dora decided to throw a shindig for Michael Jackson's birthday tonight and tomorrow night. Lo' and behold, I walked in and thought MJ had shown up. Granted, a younger version to be sure but....???

Professional Food & Travel Blogger Jaden Hair visits Mount Dora.

2009-08-27T10:17:00.007-04:00

WhatToDoInMountDora.com & select members of the Mount Dora Village Merchant's & Business Association played host to Tampa Tribune columnist, popular online & TV personality Jaden Hair and family in mid-July. Jaden is better known in the online world as "Steamy Kitchen." Her food & travel blog is ranked amongst the top 50 in the world and her appearance on the TV show "Daytime" is syndicated on over 100 network channels around the country.

She discovered Mount Dora via Twitter after coming across my Twitter account, @MountDora, where I promote our quaint little destination 24/7 to the online world. Since then we have become fabulous friends and will be playing host to Jaden and family periodically as they come to Mount Dora to visit.

While in Mount Dora in July, Jaden had the opportunity to meet many Merchant Association member businesses and restaurants. Many of these businesses are featured in her blog post at www.SteamyKitchen.com where you can read the story of her visit to Mount Dora and see some amazing photos.

Mount Dora Historic Inn's Jim Tuttle has a soufle recipe that is featured in the blog and based on the number of comments left by readers it seems safe to say that "soufle's will be a cookin'" all over the globe shortly. Jim's recipe and Jaden's Mount Dora trip will be featured in her upcoming Tampa Tribune column, which I hope to post a link to soon.

A recipe for Uni Shooters from Mou nt Dora Sushi Company will be featured in an article about eco-friendly seafood in an upcoming Florida Aquarium magazine article. And in September, in collaboration with Jaden, our very own Rachelle Lucas will be live on "Daytime" making one of our very own Mount Dora innkeeper breakfast recipes on TV. Not bad considering I just met Jaden on Twitter only recently.

Looking forward to Jaden and family's next visit to Mount Dora.
Brian

Meet our new Mount Dora Examiner!

2009-08-25T11:42:00.006-04:00

Jeff Titelius

Mount Dora Examiner

Jeff Titelius is a freelance travel writer who enjoys writing about journeys to fascinating places in the US and Europe. Currently, he contributes features articles about his historic hometown of Mount Dora, Florida, as well as Walt Disney World on Examiner.com. He is also a blogger sharing his journeys to Italy and France on TheEuroTraveler.com. In his former life, he worked as an internet strategist for Disneyworld.com but travel won him over and now he concentrates his writing efforts on various travel or community based websites.

E-mail him at disneytravelerjeff@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @JeffTitelius.

Read Jeff's first Mount Dora Article here: Welcome to historic Mount Dora, the New England of the South.

Death for Dinner!

2009-08-19T07:58:00.001-04:00

August 29th, It's Death For Dinner.

Don't miss this very special event!
A combined progressive dinner and theater experience.

Cocktails: 6:30pm at O'Keefe's
Dinner: 7:15pm at Gracie's
Desert: Later at The Cellar
Murder: Anytime, Anywhere!

Your evening will include:
House or Caesar Salad,
Chicken Cordon Blue or 8oz Prim Rib,
Rice Pilaf and Vegetable Medley.
1 Bottle of wine per couple,
Complimentary Cocktail,
Cordials and Desert,
A Hilarious Good Time,
and . . . Murder.

All For The Ticket Price of $65 plus tax and gratuity.

Seating is limited - call early for your reservations and tickets.
(352)383-5451 or (352)343-0745
or e-mail us at Maggie's.