Once again Margaret and I enjoyed Halloween downtown, with so many people dressed up in costumes – and we did too! We chose a Downton Abbey theme, with Margaret getting lots of compliments 🙂
Pictures from sunset time (about 7pm); this time of year the “rainy season” in Florida is coming to an end, with less humid days and (slightly) cooler evenings. That means less clouds, so sunset was pretty quick with the sun simply disappearing and not giving much color to the sky. A few nice pictures anyway …
From this site via WFTV:
1. Settlers began arriving in the Winter Garden area in the 1850s. Attracted by the fertile muck land that bordered Lake Apopka, settlers engaged in citrus and vegetable farming, living in small settlements situated along the lake’s south shore.
2. By the end of the 19th century, Winter Garden’s business district had grown up alongside the two railroad lines that ran through the city.
3. Winter Garden was established in 1903 and incorporated as a city in 1908.
4. By 1920, there were more than 1,000 residents, and the city had quickly become the center of commerce and agriculture in West Orange County.
5. The Edgewater Hotel opened in 1927 as Lake Apopka’s emergence as “the large-mouth bass capital” attracted tourists.
6. Early residents either owned or worked in the groves, and as the citrus industry grew, the commercial district continued to expand.
7. By the turn of the century, a small commercial district had emerged along Plant Street and residential neighborhoods began to appear.
8. The historic fabric of Winter Garden remains largely intact. The historic buildings in Winter Garden date between 1915 and 1940.
Time for another car show, downtown Winter Garden … new this time I’m using my brand new iPhone 11 Pro Max; it gave me some great photos, though the new “ultra-wide” (0.5x”) lens is going to take a bit of getting used to – it’s great sometimes to take a really wide view from close to the action, but sometimes the result looks strange even though the phone is doing impressive work to eliminate distortion. Take a look at the station wagon, for where the wide view doesn’t quite work:
An interesting article, curiously published in Mount Dora Buzz!
It’s unlike any other city in Florida. Downtown Winter Garden has the authentic vibe of small-town America, yet has integrated trendy dining and shopping options with family-friendly local attractions like the West Orange Trail and its impressive farmers market.  Â
Winter Garden’s seemingly meteoric rise from blight to bustle has been anything but.  Its masterful transformation was two decades in the making and required a gutsy vision and dogged commitment that other cities would find difficult to broach, let alone maintain.  While other city governments floundered to find direction, Winter Garden officials stepped up with progressive planning, and its elected officials consistently supported the vision resulting in the vibrant Winter Garden of today.
Downtown Winter Garden has been preserved, in large part, due to its high architectural design standards and attention to details. In some cities, high standards result in project delays and frustrated developers. Not so in Winter Garden. Rather than simply deny a good project or place the burden solely on the developer, the City has provided designers to collaborate with developers in order to meet Winter Garden’s lofty requirements while preventing unnecessary delays. The result is a win-win for the City and the developer.
Head to Mount Dora Buzz for the full article.
Winter Garden does a different Independence Day parade to places we’ve lived before, with a “kids parade” in the morning featuring decorated kids bikes and golf carts. Much more low key, quicker and so more fun too (important when it’s close to 90f already at 10am!); here’s some pictures from this year:
Time for the Winter Garden car show again – not very busy this time (threat of rain put some cars off, maybe); but trying out my new camera which I think did a great job (check out the rainbow limo!):
