Welcome to Thursday Morning, Orlando!

I’m almost embarrassed to admit this, but I recently ate a COSTCO $1.50 hot dog for the first time. Without question, the biggest bang per buck on the planet!

Now onto today’s Orlando Signal (weekend fun) issue:

• Dubsdread 2.0

• Virginia Drive Live!

• Dogs in a Pile

• + lots of weekend recs

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Let’s roll!

- Philip

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Wax & Wonders: The Orlando Workshop Melting Employment Barriers

At Blossom Artisanal in Central Florida, a candle-making transformation is lighting up lives!

Daniel Canora—once the shy new kid—now confidently pours perfect wax measurements while cracking jokes with his colleagues.

❤️‍🔥 This lively workshop, a division of Quest Inc. (founded by Daniel's parents), is buzzing with six talented artisans who've flipped the script on that daunting 81% unemployment statistic facing people with developmental disabilities by providing training and purposeful work.

Beyond crafting heavenly scented soaps and candles, Daniel has mastered the ultimate independence move: solo commuting via Orlando's Lynx transport service.

👉 Shop their delightful creations online, where every purchase fuels more life-changing opportunities—proving that sometimes the brightest flames come from unexpected places!

(Learn more about Quest Inc’s program training people with development disabilities with Massiel Leyva, right here)

Dubsdread 2.0: Where Golf Gets Groovy in Orlando

Look out, golfers! Orlando is jazzing up Dubsdread Golf Course with a game-changing driving range opening summer 2025.

Mayor Buddy Dyer calls it the perfect blend of honoring tradition while swinging toward the future. The splashy new facility boasts 40 hitting bays—36 with cool tech gadgetry and four for purists—plus teaching areas equipped with fancy TrackMan technology.

GM Rodney Reifsnider wants everyone from first-timers to pros feeling welcome on the greens. Grab a snack, sip a cocktail, and shop for gear at the new clubhouse!

This team effort between the city, Turner Construction, and Troon aims to make golf more fun and accessible for all Orlando residents.

👉 Check out the neat renderings, right here.

More Than Just Books: The Caring Side of Orange County Libraries

In Orange County libraries, a friendly change has turned bookshelves into community lifelines through social work!

Since 2017, the library's social work team has created a welcoming support network, with caring professionals like Yvette Shelton-Edmonds leading the way, who found her heart belonged in helping neighbors overcome life's hurdles.

Beginning as a simple grant program, this has blossomed into a friendly hub addressing everything from job searches to housing needs.

By offering these services in familiar, comfortable spaces, the library team breaks down barriers that might otherwise keep folks from reaching out.

Proof that sometimes the most valuable library treasure isn't a book—it's the helping hand offered beside them!

(Learn a lot more about library social work with Kendal Asbury, right here)

🙋 Trivia Time

WEEKEND SPOT HIGHLIGHT 🔦

Earth Fest 2025

📍Lake Concord Park. 95 Lake Triplet Drive, Casselberry, FL 32707. Map to this location.

🕐 Saturday, April 26th, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

The county's premier eco-festival returns to Lake Concord Park for its 15th year!

Enjoy free tree giveaways, butterfly releases, and gardening workshops while exploring sustainability through four vibrant zones.

Browse 75+ green vendors, marvel at the Recycled Art Show sponsored by Casselberry Rotary Club, and watch artists transform trash to treasure.

This no cost community event celebrates Arbor Day and the Arbor Day Foundation's 350+ million trees planted worldwide!

[Check It Out]

TOP 3 FUN RECS FOR THE WEEKEND 🍊

Virginia Drive Live! 2025

📍Ivanhoe Village Main Street. 1010 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32854. Map to this location.

🕐 Saturday, April 26th, 5 - 9 p.m.

Where Orlando's creative pulse beats strongest, Virginia Drive Live! unites Ivanhoe Village and Mills50 in spectacular fashion.

This cherished street festival transforms Virginia Drive from Orange to Mills Ave. into a haven of art, retail, food, and music.

Snag your $5 wristband at Ten10 Brewing or The Yard at Ivanhoe for exclusive specials throughout the celebration. Every dollar supports the Main Street programs that keep these vibrant business districts thriving.

Come experience where two neighborhoods become one unforgettable community celebration!

[Get more info, right here]

Dogs in a Pile

📍The Social. 54 N. Orange Ave, Orlando, Florida 32801. Map to this location.

🕐 Saturday, April 26th, 6 p.m.

Emerging from Asbury Park's hallowed musical shores, Dogs in a Pile blends funk, jazz, rock, and psychedelia into kaleidoscopic soundscapes uniquely their own.

This extraordinary quintet—Jimmy Law, Joe Babick, Sam Lucid, Jeremy Kaplan, and Brian Murray—crafts sonic journeys that captivated the northeast, culminating in 2021's sold-out Stone Pony triumph.

Experience their spellbinding performance at legendary music venue, The Social, in the heart of Orlando—where musical storytelling and improvisation create unforgettable magic.

[Check it out, right here]

11th Mount Dora Blueberry Festival

📍Donnelly Park. 530 N Donnelly St, Mt Dora, FL 32757. Map to this location.

🕐 Saturday & Sunday, April 26th/27th, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Up for taking a small road-trip outside Orlando?

Donnelly Park transforms into a berry paradise at Mount Dora's blueberry celebration, gratis!

Lake County's finest farms—including Amber Brooke and Far Reach—showcase perfectly ripened indigo gems alongside innovative treats like blueberry BBQ and mochi.

Sip berry-infused libations, browse unique crafts, catch live music, or join the pie-eating contest! Support Umatilla High's culinary students by purchasing their homemade goodies.

Stress-free $10 parking at 900 N. Lincoln with complimentary shuttles benefits Kiwanis scholarships.

[Get the full details]

MORE WEEKEND HAPPENINGS 🎭 🥁

Multi-Day

Horticulture Specialty Flower Show | Fri 1 p.m. & Sat 10 a.m. | Winter Park | More

St. Johns River Festival of the Arts | Sat & Sun, 10 a.m. | Downtown Sanford | More

UCF Knights Baseball vs. West Virginia University Mountaineers Baseball | Fri, Sat, Sun | UCF | More

Luenell | Fri & Sat | I-Drive | More

Friday - 25th

Prohibition Party – presented by Guys With Ties Philantrhopy | 7 p.m. | Downtown | More

Friday Nights at the Morse: Beautiful Music Paint It Black Quartet | 5 p.m. | Winter Park | More

Opening Reception: Loss | 6:30 p.m. | Maitland | More

ZoSo: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience | 7 p.m. | Clermont | More

Napalm Death, Melvins | 7 p.m. | Downtown | More

Confession Kids and X Dirty Fingers and Sticky Steve | 7 p.m. | Audubon Park | More

Month of Jazz: Joel Klein Quartet | 7:30 p.m. | Wadeview Park | More

Saturday - 26th

🔥 Orlando Circus Showcase | 6 p.m. | Dr Phillips | More

Science & Wine | 7 p.m. | Downtown | More

Party for the Planet! | 9 a.m. | Sanford | More

Florida Puerto Rican Parade & Festival | 11 a.m. | Downtown | More

16th Annual Hannibal Square Heritage Center Folk & Urban Art Festival | 10 a.m. | Winter Park | More

Corks and Forks | 7 p.m. | Maitland | More

Ultimate Floyd Tribute at Aloma Cinema Grill | 7 p.m. | Winter Park | More

Paws for Peace Walk & Run 2025 | 7 a.m. | Baldwin Park | More

Digital Painting for Adults | 10 a.m. | Maitland | More

Sunday - 27th

Faire of the Dog: Spring Market | 12 p.m. | Mills 50 | More

Brechner Speaker Series: A Trip through Orlando’s Past in Pictures – 150 Years in the City of Dreams | 2 p.m. | Downtown | More

The Kerouac Project of Orlando Book Club: William S. Burroughs's Junky | 2 p.m. | College Park | More

Orlando Valkyries vs. Columbus Fury | 6 p.m. | UCF | More

Orlando City B vs. New York Red Bulls II | 7 p.m. | Kissimmee | More

Midnight Marauders Story Hour | 7 p.m. | Audubon Park | More

Classical Series: Hippocrene Saxophone Quartet | 7:30 p.m. | Wadeview Park | More

SPLIT CHAIN | 8 p.m. | Mills 50 | More

THANKS!

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We’ll see you on Monday.

My Best,
Philip - Publisher, Orlando Signal