Parkin’ Lot Pickin’ behind Twistee Treat.

Posted on by Thor

Each Friday for about the past 27 years,weather permitting Blue Grass musicians gather in the parking lot on the corner of Colonial Drive ad Maguire in Ocoee Florida for a Blue Grass jam. The parking lot lamp acts as a spotlight for this group of tailgate musicians. The one female musician grew up performing in this lot since her father started the tradition. This is a true old Florida past time. Banjos, fiddles, guitars, mandolins and upright basses all find their way to this gathering each week. Jack and Judy Lewis founded this jam session 22 years ago, making it Florida’s longest running Blue Grass jam.

When the sessions first started out, Jack Lewis says, Moonlite Express
acted as the core of the group, never missing a Friday night.The jam session has gained a reputation. It’s received so much attention that people
have traveled from different states, and even other countries, to pick
along with the Moonlite Express and the crew of regulars. Lewis doesn’t
operate a website, and the jam isn’t advertised, so people have to find
out about it through word of mouth. This group refuses to go electric, they play all
acoustic instruments. To amplify, they might play into a microphone.

The Blue Grass Jam is an inspiring sketch and great date night any time of the year. The most obvious landmark is the Twistee Treat on Maguire on the corner of Colonial Drive. Order some soft serve ice cream and then listen for the Blue Grass music. You will literally find the group on the far end of the parking lot. I got to share this session with Pam Schwartz and we met several musicians since they were interested in seeing what I was sketching.

Magnolia Park Bluegrass Festival

Posted on by Thor

Terry and I drove up to the Magnolia Park Bluegrass Festival right next to Lake Apopka (2929 S. Binion Road Apopka). This was the 13th Annual Music Festival sponsored by the Orange County Parks and Recreation. It cost just $3 to  get in the park. Huge old Live Oaks offered shade with the long branches draped with Spanish Moss. Terry and I brought our camping chairs and we found a spot and relaxed.

There was a tractor trailer container that was converted into a stage. Three sides of the container folded open using strong air pistons. Support struts anchored the setup leaving half the wheels off the ground. The stage was set up at the edge of a football field sized sink hole which was dry since it hadn’t rained in weeks.

The first act on the stage was The Ramblin’ Rose Band.  Formed in 1981, this is a family-based band spanning three generations from Bowling Green, Florida. I loved that Loretta Wilson, the mom, now in her 80’s kept right up with her daughters as she played Rhythm Guitar. Between sets, Renee Riddle on fiddle reminded the audience that there is free Bluegrass music every Friday Evening behind the Twistee Treat on Maguire Road in Ocoee. I sketched there once and now I want to go back for more Parkin’ Lot Pickin’.

Terry and I stayed all day. We ordered BBQ from a food truck and got some ice cream to cool down in the Florida heat.  In all, six bands played that day. There was Moonlite Express, Pine Creek, Porchdogs, Seminole Ridge and New River Bluegrass. [As the sun sank towards the horizon, The Ramblin’ Rose Band returned to the stage. I moved  closer towards the stage and did another sketch in a small sketchbook. It was a high energy day of pickin’ and strummin’.

Twistee Treat

Posted on by Thor

Twistee Treat at 1500 Maguire Road near Colonial does a hopping business every night I drive by. I got a Banana Sundae hear on the night I went to Parkin Lot Picking and it was delicious. The place reminds me of the Dairy Queen my little league baseball team used to go to when we won a game.
This evening I had gone out to Winter Garden to sketch a dress rehearsal for “Crimes of the Heart“. Unfortunately the doors to the theater were locked. I called the director and producer of the show with my cell phone, and with no response I left. It was on the drive home from the theater that I once again saw the Twistee Treat and I felt a nostalgic desire to sketch it. The flag is at half mast because of a shooting that occurred downtown the other day. A former employee of Reynolds Smith and Hills named Jason Rodiguez walked into the offices and he just started shooting people. Five people were injured and one died. It is hard to understand such extreme and pointless anger.
As I was sketching the director finally did call me back but I was now committed to this sketch. I had perched myself on a small parking lot island and twice large SUVs parked in a spot which blocked the billboard signage that I was using as light to see by. When one of them pulled away the driver leaned out the window and shouted at me “Weirdo!!” The folks out her on the west side sure know how to support the arts. I am proud to be a bit weird, and Orlando could use more eccentricity.

Parkin Lot Pickin

Posted on by Thor

Every Friday at sunset for the last 20 years pickups and trucks pull into the parking lot behind the Twistee Treat on Maguire Road near Colonial Avenue and they pull down their tailgates and bet out their instruments to play Bluegrass music. Other cars pull into the lot and soon there is a small crowd sitting in lawn chairs enjoying the free music. A man in an electric wheelchair makes his way around to every member of the audience offering free CD’s of the previous weeks performances.

Brad introduced me to this local tradition. Terry joined me for a while but she had to rush off to a girls night out at the Barn. I sat in the parking lot with Brad, Darlyn and a poet named Billy Collins and his fiance Suzannah Gilman. Billy was the Poet Laureate of the United States for two years. Billy and Suzannah were a fun couple to hang around with. After listening to the music for a couple of hours, we all went over to Twistee Treat and got some ice cream. That place was doing a brisk business and I splurged on an banana split that was to die for. After listening to the music for a little longer, we all then decided to head over to Winter Garden to a place called the Attic Door which had music and plenty of drinks. The lively discussion about art and literature went on for hours. If you want a taste of real old time Florida, I highly suggest going out to the Twistee Treat parking lot on a Friday night.