• Community & Events

  • Oct22

    No Comments

    Mount Dora Craft Fair

    Posted in: Community & Events

    Mount Dora Craft Fair PosterIt’s event season in Central Florida. Channel 9 is out and about at some of the local fairs and celebrations chatting with viewers and giving away some trips.

    Today’s stop was in Mount Dora – a neat little town northwest of Orlando. This is the 27th year of Mount Dora Craft Fair that attracts 325,000 people and 350 ‘crafters’ from around the country.

    The weather was perfect! Recent rain has rolled out of the area and the temperatures have dropped into the low 80s. It’s perfect fall weather in Florida.

    Today the streets were full of people checking out the booths. I got to hang out with some fellow Channel 9′ers like Martie Salt, Greg Warmoth and Vanessa Echols.

    The event was a success and we’ll be back in the spring for the next one!

  • Aug18

    No Comments

    Back to School Bash

    Posted in: Community & Events

    Back to School Bash, Orlando FloridaIt was great seeing thousands of kids get free backpacks and supplies at the Amway Center on Saturday for the 7th Annual Hope Now International Back-to-School Bash.

    WFTV and WRDQ were partners in hosting the event and we had a booth.  It was the first time I got to stand on the floor of the Amway Center. Now I know how Dwight Howard feels – somewhat. That place is awesome.

    It was a great event for kids and their families as they got TONS of free stuff – some of the free products and services offered for students were backpacks, school supplies, immunizations, and vision, hearing, and dental screenings.

    Event officials added an area for teachers this year, where they could enjoy a day of pampering and get free school supplies.

    Florida Governor Rick Scott at Back to School Bash in OrlandoGovernor Rick Scott paid a visit and received quite a warmer welcome than he did the day before when he visited a local Wal-Mart.

    All and all, it was a successful event and I was happy to see all the kids smiling with their big back-packs full of free goodies. It should make for a good school year.

  • Jul3

    No Comments

    Minnesota (Not So) Nice?

    Posted in: Community & Events, Life

    Minnesota: A State That Works

    AMERICAN SCENE: Minnesota: A State That Works | August 13, 1973

    I’ve always been very proud of my home state of Minnesota. I follow the news there just as much as I do the news here in Orlando. In fact, my home page on my internet browser is a Minnesota newspaper. I guess it’s because I view it as a pure and healthy place to raise a family devoid of pretension, pollution and shady leadership. It seems that’s the way it always used to be. I haven’t been there full-time in more than six years. When news headlines don’t contain the word ‘Minnesota’, things are normal, quiet and peaceful. No news is good news, they say.

    I became concerned when I saw the article Minnestoa Nice turns nasty on Politico.com’s website. Things seem to be changing a bit. The government shut down Friday. As I type this, it’s been shut down for 2 days,  20 hours and 24 minutes according to a counter on Startribune.com. Minnesota is just one of five states that has shut down in the last decade. Legislators can’t agree. I understand hard times come and go – but it’s a far cry from what things used to be. Hopefully ‘Minnesota Nice’ can be restored and allow Minnesota to hide from the headlines. Again, the way thing used to be.

    Once upon a time, Minnesota was featured in TIME magazine (beyond a short headline) for what else? Being a state ‘that works’.

Return to the Homepage