Weekend Top 6 Picks for December 16th and 17th.

Posted on by Thor

Saturday December 16, 2017

5 PM to 9:30 PM –  Free.  Orlando Zine Fest 2017.  (Will’s Pub, 1042 N Mills Ave, Orlando, Florida 32803).  Orlando’s
local zinesters, artists, and writers–plus some folks from farther
afield–celebrate and support independent publishing and DIY/T with what they think may be the tenth consecutive annual Orlando Zine Fest outside of Will’s Pub/Lil Indie’s in the
ambitiously appellated Dirty Laundry Amphitheatre.

Accessible venue – swap and/or buy!

Bar at lil indies just inside where we’ll be hosting.

Record store pop-ups and screening movies again!

Coffee/tea by Danny
~food trucks – vegan options

REGISTER HERE:
https://goo.gl/CTHSZN
no registration fee.

All are welcome

growing list of participating zines:

Citrus Beat Press/ troykodycunio.com, Event Horizon/Orlando Area SF Society / oasfis.org, Gnome Comics / instagram.com/gnomedraws, Love Your Rebellion / Loveyourrebellion.org
Nickname / nicknamezine.com, Reflections on Gun Control
Street Type Zine / streettype.bigcartel.com/product/gdm, Florida is Loud will be ongoing throughout the weekend and Saturday night at Will’s.

5:30 PM to 7:30 PM –  $10.  Orlando Cringe IX – The Holiday Show! SAK Comedy Lab, (29 S Orange, Orlando, FL 32801.) For the last show of 2017, Cringe is teaming up with SAK Comedy Lab for a very special Cringemas Show! They are bringing back a very special reader from Cringe’s and SAK’s amazing team will be performing improvised scenes completely based on their journals. They also have other surprises, so naughty or nice, it’s going to be a great show!

2 PM to 11:30PM – Free.  Kaleidoscope Open House – Yoga, Music, Drawing, Painting Event. 

Kaleidoscope Venue For The Arts (1991 Corporate Square #1, Longwood, FL). 

Kaleidoscope will be having their first free ‘Open House’ in conjunction with the
Surrealistic Dreams art show on Saturday. The Open House begins at
2:00pm with Free Yoga at 2:00pm and at 6:00pm, Live Model Drawing with
Music begins at 7:30pm, the Art Show is from 7:30pm to 11:30pm and they
may be adding more things to see and do to this event as it draws
closer!

Sunday December 17, 2017

10 AM to 7 PM – Free.  Grandma Party Bazaar 2017! Stardust Video and Coffee (1842 Winter Park Rd, Orlando, FL 32803.) It’s the fifteenth Grandma Party Bazaar and you’re invited! Bring your
friends for the best Sunday of the year. Grandma Party
is you and me and all of us making it happen, so you’d better be there
because it just won’t be the same without you. As always, the party will be held in the parking lot of Stardust Video and Coffee starting at 10 a.m. and closing at Sundown. You can get a
taste of what good ol’ Gran has to offer this year by following her on
Facebook and Instagram (@Grandma_Party). Orlando has some seriously
creative artists and makers that were hard to choose from, but she has
picked some of the best of the best to share their craft with you. There will be a raffle,  interactive booths and DJ sets by Nigel John and
Oled Dad and live music from Von Nacht, Tiger Fawn, TV Dinner and MORE!
Of course, lots food and drinks too.

If you are new to the bazaar, be sure to bring your cash (most vendors
take cards too), and finish up your holiday shopping with one of a kind
treasures. While you’re at it, buy yourself a little something too!
Parking can be a challenge on this day, but it’s a good thing they are
located in the great neighborhood of Audubon Park where there are lots
of streets. Other options are carpooling, biking and Uber.

4 PM to 9 PM – Free. Winter Garden Christmas Golf Cart Parade. Bradford Park (220 West Division Street, Winter Garden, FL.)  Are
you ready for the 2017 WG Christmas Golf Cart Parade?! They will begin their 5th annual Golf Cart Parade by gathering at
Bradford Park early to socialize and compare decorations before heading
out to tour Downtown Winter Garden and ending near Walker Field near the
Plant Street Market. They will have prizes for the best decorated golf carts so take this
seriously. All money raised will be graciously donated to the
Edgewood Children’s Ranch as they have done in past. Golf Carts only and all traffic laws still apply.

7 PM to 9 PM – $10 donation Give ME Cheer. Marshall Ellis Theatre (1300 La Quinta Dr #3, Orlando, FL 32809.) Get
in the Christmas spirit and join Give ME Cheer, ME Dance’s first
charity ball benefiting local dance organizations, events and
scholarships. Enjoy performances, food, drink, meet-and-greets, a silent
auction and raffle.

Tenth Annual Grandma Party Bazaar

Posted on by Thor

On December 16th, I went to Stardust Video and Coffee (1842 E. Winter Park Road, Orlando) to sketch the tenth annual Grandma Party Bazaar. The Grandma Party is a fusion of arts, crafts, rummage sale and performance. Tents were set up everywhere in the Stardust parking lot. The Death by Pop-Up Shop was open, so I stopped in to look at the art. Several artist were at work inside the store. Christie Miga was talking to Skip who was pealing up a mask from his painting.

Doug Rhodehamel had built a bright green and blue “Free Hug” booth out of a large corrugated box.  I got my hug and then we talked art for a while before I scouted out a spot to sketch. Dough has had an amazing number of gallery showings in the last few years. He wants to try something bigger with his art. He is one of the contributing artists in the upcoming “Cardboard Festival” happening January 25-27 at Say It Loud (1121 North Mills Avenue). Work by Jessica Earley, Brendan O’Connor, Christie Miga, Adriaan Mol, and Nathan Selikoff will also be featured.

I never caught the name of the band I was sketching. As I worked, I heard the strange surreal sound of a Sci-Fi zither. A couple was lying in the grass and they were both covered with a wedding veil. The were both holding dolls and a woman waved a wand above them. A cardboard sign announced that this was a non-surgical vasectomy station. I wondered if I was seated too close. I might catch some stray radiation from the home brew procedure. Everyone was smiling, laughing and taking pictures, so the vasectomy seemed painless enough. If the procedure didn’t work, it might be hard to find these snake charmers nine months down the road.

Grandma Party

Posted on by Thor

This was the ninth Grandma Party held in the parking lot of Stardust Video & Coffee. As I drove past in search of side street parking I could see at a glance that the lot was filled will more tents than ever. As I approached on foot I saw that there were even tents set up in a retention ditch next to the lot. Down in the ditch I saw Patrick Greene wearing a T-shirt with a marijuana leaf boldly crossed out and circled in red. He was selling marijuana free brownies. He joked with me later that some folks were honestly upset by his marijuana free campaign. He responded to them “Chill out dude.” “You’d think they would be more laid back.” he told me.

I did a full tour of all the tents knowing I wanted to pick up a Christmas gift. Dewey Chaffee and Douglas McGeoch were selling handmade bird houses. Dewey and Douglas had left town to bring their unique edgy comedy to larger cities on the East coast so I was surprised and pleased to see them. I found a spot under a tree on a parking lot island and started to sketch. The billboards announced, “Committed” and “My Comfort & Joy” which seemed appropriate for this event which truly celebrated local artisans and talent. It is an event that honestly brings together a tight Knit community of people. Yet there was variety and diversity to the crowds who shopped.

Anna McCambridge-Thomas was shopping for necklaces made from bent spoons. Many were shaped into bells and she tested them to find the perfect ring. Maya Norris was equally enchanted by the sounds and she gazed up and batted a few to listen. Emily Rankin was watching Maya and she braced the display to be sure Maya didn’t play to hard. There was delight in Maya’s young eyes. Across from me was Leah Fairchild’s booth filled with glass Terrariums filled with moss and small woodland sprites. Next to her was Misty Forest which had some jewelry for sale. Doug Rhodehamel stopped in his tracks in front of me. He always jokes about where I should place him in my sketch. We both agreed that this was a perfect warm day for a Grandma party.

I learned about an art party that happens in Winter Park every month so that is on my sketch wish list for next year. While I sketched I got to meet so many people as they shopped. When the sketch was done, I walked up to Leah’s booth knowing I had to have a terrarium. I picked one that was in a flask shaped coffee pot. A bright blue creature was inside but I couldn’t make it out because of the condensation. With the lid on the terrarium is a closed environment. Leah explained that it rains just like the Earth environment. Life and a complete ecosystem on a small scale, the perfect gift. Of course Ourlando Calendars are a good gift too for the new year.