Annual Harvest Grape Stomp

Posted on by Thor

The harvest season has arrived and it’s time for grape stomping
competitions at Lakeridge Winery and Vineyards, (19239 US-27, Clermont, FL 34715). This event is perfect for a family outing. Listen to
continuous live music the entire weekend by superb local musicians.
Lakeridge wine, beer, soft drinks, and a variety of food is available for
purchase, along with complimentary winery tours and tasting.

The long line for stomping wound back and forth under the shade of the event tent. Anticipation built as we made our way to the front of the line. Grapes were loaded into each of the barrels and a spigot would empty the resulting juices into a plastic cup. Pam Schwartz is very competitive, but I have bigger feet. The stomping began with all the excitement of a Kentucky Derby horse race. Though stomping vigorously, I wasn’t getting much juice run off. Of the 8 or 9 competitors, Pam had the largest run off collected by far. The latter explained that the most important thing to do is to sweep away all the solid grape guts from the siphon inside the barrel. Every few stomps she would sweep the siphon clean allowing the juices to flow. My take was pitiful in comparison. The judge took a photo of us holding our juices in mugs. At home the next week I photo shopped a much bigger mug in my hand overflowing with juice. Pam wasn’t impressed with my handy work.

We took a wine tasting tour and relaxed for the afternoon listening to music on the main stage. The couple next to us gave travel advice. Food available was comparable to fairground vendors.

Catch this year’s stomp on:

August 15, 2018 10:00 am – 05:00 pm

August 16, 2018 11:00 am – 05:00 pm

Admission Fee:

Adult Admission –  $10

Children 12 and under – FREE

Grape Stomping all ages – Included with entry fee.

A portion of the proceeds go to support the Alzheimer’s Family Organization

Weekend Top 5 Picks for January 27th and 28th.

Posted on by Thor

Saturday January 27, 2018

8 AM to 1 PM. Parramore Farmers Market. Free. The east side of the Orlando City Stadium, across from City View. The Parramore Farmers Market will be open every Saturday from 8
a.m. to 1 p.m., on the east side of the Orlando City Stadium, across
from City View.Purchase quality, fresh and healthy food grown in your
own neighborhood by local farmers, including Fleet Farming, Growing
Orlando, and other community growers.

Noon to 4 PM Free. Winter Music Series. Lakeridge Winery and Vineyards 19239 US 27 North, Clermont, Florida 34715. Each Saturday afternoon during the month of January, Lakeridge Winery
holds its famous Music Series, featuring live music on the outdoor
stage, and inside at our Wine and Cheese Bar upstairs in the winery.
The musicians selected are all fantastic performers, hand-picked from
the wealth of talent located throughout Central Florida. Lakeridge wine,
beer, soft drinks and a variety of food is available for purchase,
along with complimentary Winery tours and tasting.

BAND SCHEDULE:

OUTDOOR STAGE

Jan 27, 2018 NOON – 4pm Mike Quick Band

WINE & CHEESE BAR

Jan 27, 2018 NOON – 4pm Jeff Whitfield

8 PM to 10 PM $8. No Borders Art Competition Presents Marvel vs DC. The Geek Easy 114 S Semoran Blvd, Ste 6, Winter Park, Florida 32792. No Borders Art Competition would like to bring you our first Marvel vs DC edition.

Watch as two universes collide!!

Two
competitions, one on our traditional 4ft x 4ft smooth white canvases
for 30 minutes. Four black markers with different tips and their choice
of one color marker.

For our first time ever…

Two
artists on one 8ft x 4ft canvas for 1 Hour. Same rules apply, four
black markers with different tips and their choice of one color marker.

Artists
will be judged with our 5 point system. Based on neatness, time
management, use of color, over all balance and how well they stick to
the the Marvel vs DC theme.
Artists representing Marvel are:

Grandmasta Gray

Alex Cuevas

Artists representing DC are:

Joel Gonzalez

Bernard Cruz

This will be an all-out battle and the beginning to something epic.

90s Hip Hop all night provided by our very own DJ Cubby (Chris Mendez)

Our judges for the night:

Earl Lugo

Josue Ortiz

TBA

Prizes sponsored by:

Apopka Downtown Barbers

Mogel Clothing

KULT Clothing John Leo

Dat Hoot Smoke Shop

Doors open at 8pm

Show starts at 9pm

Sunday January 28, 2018

Noon to 6 PM. Garden Bros Circus protest. Kissimmee Civic Center 201 E Dakin Ave, Kissimmee, Florida 34741. Join the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida as we protest
outside the Garden Bros Circus again in Kissimmee, your help is needed.
Always peaceful, always educational
Protest times: 12:00- 2:30- 6:00
*Signs provided*

This circus leases animals from other circus co.’s, which all have
a long list of Animal Welfare Act (AWA) violations see: https://secure.mediapeta.com/peta/PDF/GardenBrosCircusFactsheet.pdf
“The USDA has cited Piccadilly Circus exhibitors for forcefully
striking an elephant with a bull hook and for failing to provide adequate
veterinary care, to provide adequate and safe enclosures, to handle
animals in a way that does not cause unnecessary stress or trauma, to
provide wholesome and uncontaminated food, to provide shelter from the
elements, and to provide environmental enrichment.”
 

Noon to 1 PM. Donation based. Yoga. Lake Eola Park near the red gazebo. Bring your own mat.

4 PM to 6 PM Free. Orlando Out Tonight Theatre Meetup. Melrose Center, 101 E Central Blvd, Orlando, FL 32801. Anyone interested in learning about theatre, and anyone who already has
an extensive theatre background, will find this meetup to be a fun night
out. We’ll talk about introduction to theatre, acting for the stage,
set design and more. We’ll have sessions led by Melrose Center staff and
also bring in guests from the theatre community.

Lakeridge Winery Winter Music Series.

Posted on by Thor

It is a bit of a drive up to the Lakeridge Winery and Vineyards (19239 US 27 North, Clement, Florida 34715), but the Winter Music Series made for a relaxing afternoon of music and wine.  It was chilly the day Pam Schwartz and myself went so we made our way inside the winery first thing when we arrived.  There was a wine tour in about half an hour and there was music upstairs in the Wine and cheese bar.  Joe Hand was performing cover songs on an acoustic and then electric guitar. Between sets he walked between tables talking amicably with member of the audience.  

Each Saturday afternoon during the month of January, Lakeridge Winery holds its famous Music Series, featuring live music on the outdoor stage, and inside at our Wine and Cheese Bar upstairs. The musicians selected are all fantastic performers, hand-picked from the wealth of talent located throughout Central Florida. Lakeridge wine, beer, soft drinks and a variety of food is available for purchase, along with complimentary Winery tours and tasting. This is a free event for all ages.

We did the wine tasting next, trying 10 different varieties of wine.  My favorite was the Pink Crescendo which is a sparkling wine with a fruity aroma and long lasting aftertaste.  Most of the wines were on the sweeter side rather than dry which I like.  The wines are made from Muscadine grape varieties which are Noble (red) along with Welder and Carlos (bronze) that flourish in Florida because of their disease resistance and adaptability to our warm, humid climate. The rows of vines  grow right behind the winery on the rolling hills leading down to a lake.  The vines were largely bare because it is winter and they will be full of grapes and ready to harvest next August.  A huge harvester rolls over the rows of grapes scooping them up for harvest.  The grapes are then crushed strained and the juice is fermented.  A short 10 minute film outlined the science behind the fermenting process.  The “Tour” however just involved our standing on a walkway staring st stainless steel storage containers and then standing on an empty patio.

The winery uses corks which have the advantage of expanding as they soak up the wine. Each cork costs ten cents. Much of the wine industry is moving towards synthetic corks for cost reasons not because they are better for preserving the wine.  The wines from Lakeridge are meant to be consumed within a few years.  I have always wanted to consume a wine from the year of my birth, but that might just taste like a sour mess that needs to be poured down the drain.  In August there is an annual gape stomp competition which sounds like an event I have to sketch. 

BAND SCHEDULE:
OUTDOOR STAGE

Jan 13, 2018 NOON – 4pm The Nightly Grove Band 

Jan 20, 2018 NOON – 4pm Shawline 

Jan 27, 2018 NOON – 4pm Mike Quick Band 

WINE and CHEESE BAR 

Jan 13, 2018 NOON – 4pm Bobby Koelble

Jan 20, 2018 NOON – 4pm Bobby Blackmon

Jan 27, 2018 NOON – 4pm Jeff Whitfield