The Battle of Townsend’s Plantation Civil War Festival

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A re-enactment of Townsend’s Plantation Civil War Battle was waged at Renningers Mount Dora Flea Market and Antique Center (20651 US-441, Mount Dora, Florida 32757). The festival featured live Civil War Re-enactments, living history exhibits, folk
music, weaponry demonstrations, authentic camps and Sutlers, full scale
artillery, cavalry and soldiers in time-period uniforms and weaponry,
a Civil War era Dress Ball, and more. 

I stopped at the Medical Department wagon and tent to sketch the basket of severed limbs and the exhausted doctor who was happy to offer insights into the medical tools of the trade back in the 1860s. The rest of the morning as spent sketching civil war camps of both Union and Confederate soldiers. Those sketching opportunities were periodically interrupted by muster drills as the troops prepared for battle.


My 5th great grandfather Augustus Elias Julius Thorspecken was a doctor n the civil war era, so his dexterity with a saw blade must have been impressive.

Steampunk Industrail Show at Renningers

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I grew interested in the Steampunk Industrial Show at Renningers Mount Dora Flea Market and Antique Center (20651 US-441, Mount Dora, Florida 32757) when I found out that Phantasmagoria
would be appearing throughout the day. Phantasmagoria is a local theatrical troupe that presents unique and spectacular blend of storytelling, dance, large
scale puppetry and aerial work, fire performance, live music and stage
combat. Phantasmagoria has been wowing critics and audiences alike
since its premier. First created in 2010, each production
offers new stories taken from the diverse centuries old literature of
horror and the macabre.

When Pam Schwartz and I arrived at Renningers, we made our way immediately to the main stage which is decorated with a large electric guitar.  A musical act was on stage and Vera Vermillion held a Parasol Dueling contest. The contest was as comical as might be expected. Contestants would stand like ace sword fighter and their weapons were parasols. I sketched a lovely contestant in a black bowler, corset and umbrella. She ended up being the winning contestant.


After the dueling, a Steampunk DJ started to mix the tunes for the crowd. The sky was turning grey and I kind of wished we had brought a parasol from our car parked a distance away. As it started to sprinkle we dashed towards the car finding any possible cover along the way. when we got to the car the sky opened up and it poured. There must be a steampunk invention that can protect from the rain.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for April 20 and 21, 2019

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Saturday April 20, 2019

9am to 5pm Free. Earthfest 2019.  Renningers Mount Dora Flea Market and Antique Center 20651 US Highway 441, Mount Dora, Florida 32757. ART ARMY Mt. Dora. is hosting a Big Art festival to introduce the newest
addition to Rennigers Flea Market. Its very own Art Village; that
showcases more than a dozens of artist’s regularly. And what better way to do all that then by celebrating our blessed mother Earth. We will be giving tours of our very own earth made
dwellings on site. Meet the earth man himself Sean Micheal Flynn. 5
alive artists doing live art, Jim Preston, Bryan Abbey, Color Me Crazy –
Leona’s Art. Live music by Glofish Music, Southern Classic, Adam
Engelson and others. LIVE art performances throughout the day. 100
vendors, artists ,Performing Arts. Crafters, Body painting and healing
arts. Plus food vendors!!!

10am to 6pm Free.  Central Florida Earth Day 2019! Lake Eola Park, 512 E Washington St, Orlando, FL 32801. Central Florida Earth Day is back–bigger and better than ever! It will
be held on Saturday, April 20, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at
beautiful Lake Eola Park in Orlando. Please join us at the largest and
most prestigious Earth Day event in Central Florida.

The event
will include healthy living and eco-friendly exhibitors, speakers, and
presentations; non-profits; fun and games for kids; dog and cat
adoptions; restaurant booths; environmental and humane education; artist
and craft corners; and live music and entertainment. Central Florida
Earth Day will draw both committed environmentalists and those who want
to learn more about how to protect our health, the planet, and its
inhabitants. You can promote your business or group to thousands of
people who want to learn more about environmentalism and the varied
products and services that support an eco-friendly and a veg-friendly
way of life. All money raised will be used for local environmental
education and outreach.

For more information, visit www.CFEarthDay.org.
This website will be continually updated as additional sponsors,
vendors, restaurants, speakers, musicians, etc. are added. Please check
back often for all the exciting changes! If you are interested in being a
vendor, please go the Vendor Packet page. If you are interested in
being a volunteer, please go to the Volunteer page.

Please also join us for other Earth Week activities to be announced. See you at Central Florida Earth Day 2019!

4pm to 6pm Cos-Play Figure Drawing. Elite Animation Academy  8933 Conroy Windermere Rd, Orlando, FL 32835. Five minute poses with a few longer poses mixed in for loose gestural sketching. Thomas Thorspecken is the instructor.

Sunday April 21, 2019

1pm to 4pm Public Open House Chalk Walk Winter Park Paint Out Polasek. 633 Osceola Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789. Winter Park Paint out artists drop off their first painting in the gallery. The Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens will be hosting their eleventh annual Winter Park Paint Out from April 21 to 27, 2019.

The Winter Park Paint Out officially starts with this Easter Sunday open
house where festival artists will paint in the picturesque sculpture
gardens. Artist Cory Wright will lead registered teams in the Student
Chalk Walk competition by creating a chalk design on one of the garden’s
sidewalk squares and then giving participants two hours to create their
own designs. All K-12 students are invited to register in teams for the
competition by e-mailing rfrisby@polasek.org.
Complimentary art activities for all ages will be available in the
gardens throughout the afternoon as well as a free lakeside performance
by the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras. Visitors are encouraged to
bring blankets and chairs; limited seating will be provided.  The gallery and sculpture gardens will be free to the public during
the week-long event which will feature twenty-five professional plein air artists
will paint at the Polasek Museum and locations nearby with art lovers
invited to watch the artists at work, view their recently completed
paintings in the gallery and attend free painting demonstrations.

Artwork created during the Winter Park Paint Out will be available
for purchase with a portion of the proceeds going to support the museum.
All artwork may also be viewed online as it is created at winterparkpaintout.org.

5pm to 12am No Cover. “It Is Here”. ICEBAR Orlando, 8967 United States, 8967 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32819. Fans of the hit fantasy drama television series “Game of Thrones” are in
for an icy treat as world-famous Icebar Orlando announces its
month-long celebration “It Is Here” to commemorate the series finale.
From Saturday, April 13 until Saturday, May 18, guests of the coolest
bar in Orlando can take the throne within Fire Lounge with no cover
Sunday through Friday and enjoy the bar and dance floor, or cross over
the wall and join Night’s Watch inside of Icebar featuring
specially-themed Game of Thrones cocktails available on a secret menu.
Guests will receive a souvenir digital picture, take in live ice
carvings every Saturday starting at 7pm and entertainment by special
guest DJs. Icebar will also host Game of Thrones trivia Sunday through
Thursday from 5pm-9pm and Fridays and Saturdays from 5pm-7pm. Trivia
participants who get five or more answers correct will receive half-off a
drink and be entered to win a $1,000 VIP experience. No tickets are
required for “It Is Here”. The “Small Counsel VIP Package” with bottle
service, appetizers, desserts and faux fur coat upgrades is available
for $350 (five people).

8pm to 11pm $5 Donation.  Folk Night with The 502s, Beemo, Jordan Foley and the Wheelhouse. The Falcon Bar and Gallery 819 E Washington St, Orlando, Florida 32801.

The 502s

www.the502s.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH9P25k3yF8

The
502s are a raucous indie folk group formed by three cousins from
Central Florida. Since 2015 The 502s have taken their swaggering blend
of Americana across the coast including Okeechobee Music Festival and
Communion Records’ NYC showcase. Their album is a heartfelt invitation
to good old-fashioned fun, and their Facebook video for lead single
“What To Do” has garnered over 600,000 views on Facebook. Enjoy the
ride!

Beemo

https://www.mynameisbeemo.com/

Beemo
is an acoustic Americana band with mountain music roots from Orlando,
Fl. Their sound is a blend of indie-rock, Irish folk, bluegrass, and
elements of the singer/songwriter genre, drawing inspiration from REM,
Johnny Cash, Nickel Creek, and Ray LaMontagne. In 2018 Beemo released
their first full-length album Bustin’ Out, and were named Best Folk Band
by Orlando Weekly!

Jordan Foley and the Wheelhouse

jordanfoleymusic.com

“He’s
got a sound and voice that’s effectively situated between a little
twang and a lot of soul. He doesn’t try too hard because he doesn’t need
to. Confident in the pocket and the natural power of his expression,
Foley’s probably one of the more finished and articulated young examples
to emerge in the local Americana scene lately.” – Orlando Weekly

Weekend Top 6 Pick for February 3rd and 4th.

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Saturday February 3, 2018

6 AM to 1 PM. Free. Parramore Farmers Market. 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.

10 AM to 5 PM Saturday and Sunday – $6.00 adults and $4.00 children. The Battle of Townsend’s Plantation Civil War Festival.  Renninger’s Antique Center. 20651 U.S. 441, Mt. Dora, Fl. 32757.  Live Civil War Re-enactments, living history exhibits, folk
music, weaponry demonstrations, authentic camps and Sutlers, full scale
artillery, cavalry and soldiers in time-period uniforms and weaponry,
Civil War era Dress Ball, and more. Please see attached flyer for
times. CONTACT: Clay Townsend (407) 418-2075 or (407) 719-9866 ctownsend@forthepeople.com

To view forms and the photo gallery on-line, visit www.townsendfirm.com.

Battle of Townsend’s Plantation, Mount Dora, Florida

100 beautiful acres. All impressions, Great Cavalry Site!!! Dress
Ball with the 7 Pounds of Bacon Band, Ladies Tea, Sunday Church Service,
bounty for artillery.

This event is intended to be educational for children and adults
in the area of Civil War history and American’s heritage arts. Special
accommodations can be made for groups of students interested in
lectures and demonstrations. This is an outstanding opportunity for
photography and live film. Special arrangements will be made for set up
and hospitality.

 8 PM to 10 PM – Free. Shuffleboard. Orlando’s Beardall Courts 800 Delaney Ave Orlando FL.

1st Saturday of each month. Free fun! https://www.facebook.com/OrlandoShuffle?notif_t=fbpage_fan_invite

Sunday February 4, 2018 

10 Am to Noon – Free. Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation Class. University, 5200 Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32811. The Method of Heartfulness A simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources. 


4 PM to 6 PM – Free. Maitland Stage Band Concert. Rotary Plaza Outdoor stage. Art and History Museum 231 West Packwood Maitland FL. 


10 PM to Midnight – Free but get a coffee. Comedy Open Mic. Austin’s Coffee, 929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL. Free comedy show! Come out and laugh, or give it a try yourself.

Renninger’s has a stage for concerts.

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On February 20th I went to Renningers to tag along with my wife Terry, Elaine Pasekoff and Bob Newlin as they shopped for deals among the hundreds of outdoor vendors offering antiques and knick knacks. There was an entrance fee which garnered us each an arm band. Within a hundred yards of the entrance gate was this rustic log stage. The giant guitar had tubing which could give it a neon glow at night. There were no performers during the antique fair, instead there were folding tables covered with porcelain bowls cups and figurines. There was also an ice cream churn along with a yarn spool and large jug.

There was a fairly steady stream of people who walked up the steps to get on stage and then exit on the other side of the stage. I’m not certain if more people looked at the items compared to a table out among all the others.  When this sketch was done I texted to find out how to find our troops.

Renningers is always packed with visual surprises.

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I spent one day on the weekend exploring Renningers with the antiquing crew. In February vendors come from all around the country to set up booths on the grassy hillsides around Mount Dora. As everyone was exploring the indoor booths, I set off on my own to sketch a giant swordfish I had seen earlier in the day. The fish was the focal point for Florida Victorian Architectural Salvage and Antiques from Deland Florida. As I was sketching I noticed a woman with long flowing hair having her picture taken with the giant alligator. I tried to get her in the sketch but she moved on to quickly. Later as she was taking cell phone pictures of the World of Oddities Side show banners, I managed to catch her.

As she and her friend exited the booth they approached me curious about why I would sit in the middle of a huge Flea Market. Donna Lee Gauntlet introduced herself. It turned out that she is an artist herself and she was in Mount Dora on a “Girls Art Weekend”. Donna told me about how sketching every day in her art journal helped her get through a difficult time. In essence art saved her life. Both her parents were artists and she felt like she didn’t live up to their standards as a child first learning art. Later in her life however the habit of sketching every day took hold. Her art studio is called The Dizzy Dandelion Studio. She offers a program called “Just Drawing It Out” which teaches people to connect to their creativity using art journals. She offers prompts that ask the students to draw specific objects together in a scene. Donna is working on a book right now that uses her sketches and copy to share her joy at having discovered an artists lifestyle. Her sketches are vibrant, playful and often full of joy. Donna runs art therapy workshops with retirement home residents. She uses art and laughter as healing tools. That lead me to tell her about my sketching collaboration where I sketched elderly residents as an an author interviewed them.

Later that evening as the sun set, Elaine took us all to Heron Cay bed and breakfast. We weren’t staying here, but Elaine wanted to show us all the highwaymen paintings that were hanging in the old Victorian home. There were indeed paintings everywhere in the gorgeously ornate interior. Paintings lined the stairway, so I followed our crew upstairs. A bedroom door was open at the top of the stairs and I heard Terry inside saying “My husband is an artist too.” I had to poke my head in, and there was Donna lounging on a four poster bed with several of her girl friends sketching in their art journals. They asked to see my sketch from earlier in the day, and for once I wasn’t carrying my art bag. I ran down to the car to get it and then found the front door locked when I tried to get back in. Another guest on the porch eventually let me in. Back upstairs as they flipped through my sketchbook I thought about what a great sketch I could do in this ornate room. The wallpaper had blood red floral patterns and all the furniture was dark ornately carved wood. I wanted to linger (sketch) but downstairs Elaine told Terry that they would leave without me if I didn’t hurry up. Upstairs, we took a couple of photos and then I rushed off to get dinner in Downtown Mount Dora. The moon was so bright that night as it shimmered above Lake Dora.

The annual Renningers antiquing outing.

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Every year, Terry’s friends Elaine Pasekoff and Bob Newlen come to Central Florida for a Renningers Antiques shopping extravaganza. Elaine drove up from Miami and Bob flew in from Washington DC. Bob has a very responsible job at the Library of Congress, but when he gets to Florida he is all fun. When I got home from work, I found Bob asleep on the couch. He must have had an exhausting flight.

Terry was busy preparing dinner for our guests and Elaine kept her company as they caught up. There is always plenty of laughter when this crew gets together. After dinner, Bob went down to Sand Lake Road to stay in a brand new hotel that opened just last year. We dropped him off and peeked at his suite. He was living like a sultan rather than slumming it on our couch or guest bedroom.

Terry, Elaine and Bob drove up to Renningers in Mount Dora the next day. The intended to shop until they dropped all weekend. I had a class to teach, so I had a pass the first day. I drove up that night and we all sat on the porch of the Mount Dora Inn for a show and tell session. Everyone had a pile of loot and I got to play judge deciding what was the most unique, quirky and beautiful in the lot.I would make up a new category if an item called for it. I particularly liked a travel booklet for Cuba from the 1950s. That Elaine had picked up. There was an ad inside for Cuba’s only Jewish Deli.

Lakeside Inn

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Once a year, Elaine Pasekoff, Bob Newlin and Jill Ziegler make a pilgrimage to Central Florida to attend the Renningers Antique Market in Mount Dora. The last several years Terry has joined them in their all day shopping fest. She has started collecting antique women’s compants encrusted in jewels. Last year she also came home with a huge railroad crossing sign. Bob who comes from Washington D.C. collects antique silver. Elayne comes from Miami and usually walks away with some Teddy Roosevelt memorabilia. Jill, also from D.C., has joined in the last several outings collecting fine china. I didn’t spend the day shopping, but I agreed to meet the exhausted shoppers at the Lakeside Inn where they were staying the night so they could continue shopping at the Renningers flea market the next day.

I got to the Inn a little early and decided to sketch the building. A women stopped to admire the sketch. She told me that a friend of hers was an artist. Teachers bought the girls work. In time however, the art student sold her soul to the devil and became a graphic designer. The crew parallel parked across the street from me.  They unloaded their haul for the day and made their way to the hotel’s front porch for “Show and Tell.” There were several people smoking cigars, so we all moved to a smaller porch on one of the hotel’s smaller buildings.

Elaine advised me to come up with “Best Of” categories for the best buys of the day. Last year Elaine won my vote by getting four French diorama scenes that were multilayered, adding depth to the scenes.This year Terry won the Sci-Fi Award for her purchase of an unused Star Trek board game. Elaine won the Best Teddy Award for a bust of the president. The Steal of the Day Award went to Jill. Bob’s knockers won my pick for the Best Overall Award. The mini working door knockers were on a tie clip.

We all watched the sun set over Lake Dora and then went out to dinner. We all stayed at the Inn, which is the longest standing working Inn in Florida. The next day as the troops rallied to shop again, I drove back to Orlando.