HRT for Women in Winter Garden, FL

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – I’m telling you, “Dreamgirls” is not going just yet.

Leaders at the Garden Theatre announced due to the big demand and consistently sold-out performances, there will be more shows this weekend.

The show was initially set to end on Aug. 6, but the Garden Theatre has added performances through Aug. 13, with the very last show on that Sunday at 2 p.m., according to a news release.

“Dreamgirls” follows three young Black singers — Effie, Lorell and Deena — as they go on a musical roller coaster through the world of show business during the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

The show features smash hits like “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” “Family” and “I Am Changing.”

“This success underscores the hunger for live theater in Winter Garden and beyond, reflecting our cast and crew’s hard work and talent,” Fernando Varela, founder of Victory Productions and executive producer of “Dreamgirls,” said in a statement.

Leaders said Cristina Rae is now sharing the role of Effie with Brianna Javis, so Javis can take a short break for vocal fatigue.

If Rae’s name sounds familar, that’s because she was was on the 15th season of “America’s Got Talent” in 2020 where she finished in third place for her outstanding voice. She later returned for “America’s Got Talent: All-Stars” earlier this year.

“As a vocalist myself, I understand the effort it takes to perform such a role night after night. It is why we’ve brought on Cristina Rae, a fellow AGT All-Star, to share this significant responsibility. This move ensures that both our gifted actors can continue to captivate our audiences without compromising their long-term health,” Varela said.

Stephanie Dorcely will continue to play Lorell and Jazzmin Carson remains starring as Deena.

Leaders said ticket sales for “Dreamgirls” is on pace to break records of any show at the theatre.

To purchase tickets, visit the Garden Theatre’s website.

After its run at Garden Theatre, you can buy tickets to see “Dreamgirls” at The Savannah Center in The Villages Aug. 17 and Aug. 18.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Public Schools, the eighth-largest district in the nation, is now operating 210 schools across the county, with a new building that just opened this school year.

Water Spring Middle School, previously housed in Horizon High School for the past two years, now has its own campus in Winter Garden.

What You Need To Know

Orange County Public Schools said it’s preparing for the growth in the county and will continue to open new schools as needed.

“We’re excited to really get these kids that are attending Water Spring Middle School into their final home — their own school,” said Rory Salimbene, chief facilities officer for OCPS.

Water Spring Middle School has the capacity for about 1,235 students, school officials said. The district has budgeted new schools to support student growth with portable classrooms until there are enough students to open a new campus, officials said.

“If we’re not ahead of the game, in terms of our plans, we would have severe overcrowding issues,” Salimbene said. “But we keep it to a level that we’re able to manage with portables so that we’re not spending money on space that we don’t need, and we’re just trying to get the timing right, so we can accommodate the growth as it occurs.”

Brian Koss, who has taught in Orange County for six years, is transitioning to the new middle school this year, teaching 7th grade civics. Being part of a new school feels historic, he said.

“It’s going to be the first group of kids that sit in those classrooms, the first teachers that teach in those classrooms, and we’re creating our own history in the process,” Koss said.

The district has a planning process it goes through every year that looks at enrollment trends and possible new school requirements to input into their budget.

The district also has a demographer to monitor where growth is happening in the county.

School officials say the district also plans to open a new high school, middle school and elementary school in August 2024.

In 2025, OCPS will open two more elementary schools.

While OCPS said the district is on the right track building new schools to accommodate student growth, having the staff to fit those needs has been a challenge.

OCPS has a 3% vacancy rate within the district.

Superintendent Maria Vazquez said that translates to just fewer than 50 classes in the entire district not having an assigned teacher. The district office has been deploying staff to fill those vacancies until it has all the teachers needed, she said.

The district also continues its process of doubling back routes, and buses will haveto make two trips to the same school to get students to and from school.

OCPS transportation services also still needs approximately 100 bus drivers to cover absences, long-term leave, workers’ compensation and vacancies.

WINTER GARDEN, Fla., May 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Crunch Franchisee, CR Fitness Holdings, a leading franchise of Crunch Fitness, today announced the upcoming Summer 2023 opening of Crunch Winter Garden, a $5 million, 30,000-square-foot fitness facility with state-of-the-art fitness equipment. Crunch Winter Garden is located in a newly renovated space at 14150 W Colonial Drive.

Fusing fitness with entertainment to make serious exercise fun, Crunch Winter Garden will offer top-quality strength training equipment, hundreds of pieces of premier cardio equipment, Group Fitness Studio, the HIITZone™, a Cycling Studio, Training Hub, Dry Saunas, HydroMassage® Tanning, spacious locker rooms and more.

CR Fitness Holdings LLC. is operated by Vince Julien, Geoff Dyer, Tony Scrimale and Jeff Dotson, who combined have more than 100 years of experience in the fitness industry. The CR Fitness team currently operates 48 locations in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. Crunch Winter Garden will be the sixth location to open in the Orlando metropolitan area. Two more locations are planned to open by 2024.

"We are looking forward to bringing the exciting and inclusive Crunch workout experience to the community surrounding our newest location in Winter Garden," says CR Fitness CEO Tony Scrimale. "With top-quality equipment, amazing classes and personal training, there is something for everyone at an unbeatable value."

Crunch is known for its innovative group fitness programming and offers a wide range of activities across gyms, including BodyWeb with TRX®, Zumba®, Cardio Tai Box, Yoga Body Sculpt, Fat Burning Pilates, and the HIITZone™, a proprietary high-intensity interval group training program. This is in addition to free weights, machines, cutting-edge equipment, and expert instructors and trainers.

Saturday June 3rd, prospective members can visit https://www.crunch.com/locations/winter-garden for a one day, online only sale to join at discounted rates for memberships beginning at $9.99 per month, with $0 enrollment fees and the ability to save $120 annually on membership options. The first 500 founding members will also receive a free t-shirt, discounts on both small group and personal training, and more.

CR Fitness is a leading franchisee of Crunch Fitness. The company is rapidly expanding its club footprint throughout Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas and is led by a veteran management team with over one hundred years of combined experience in the fitness industry. With a comprehensive fitness offering and affordable price point, Crunch Fitness offers unmatched value to its members regardless of fitness level and is well positioned to take advantage of consumers' increasing focus on health and wellness.

Crunch is a gym that believes in making serious exercise fun by fusing fitness and entertainment and pioneering a philosophy of 'No Judgments.' Crunch serves a fitness community for all kinds of people with all types of goals, exercising all different ways, working it out at the same place together. Today, we are renowned for creating one-of-a-kind group fitness classes and unique programming for our wildly diverse members. Headquartered in New York City, Crunch serves two million members with over 425 gyms worldwide in 37 states, the District of Columbia, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Portugal, Puerto Rico, and Spain. Crunch is rapidly expanding across the U.S. and around the globe.

SOURCE Crunch

Florida horse farm fighting new development

he owners of a horse riding and training facility in Winter Garden are concerned about proposed plans to build homes near their farm and are using their biggest assets to spread their message: "Say no to annexation."

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. - The owners of a horse riding and training facility in Winter Garden are concerned about proposed plans to build homes near their farm and are using their biggest assets to spread their message: "Say no to annexation."

The messages are draped across two of the horses at Crownpointe Equestrian off Tilden Road.

"It’s really hard. I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights about it," said owner Anne Bingler. The city of Winter Garden is looking to annex 30 acres east of the farm with eventual plans for a developer to build 24 single-family homes.

The Binglers are firmly against the idea, concerned about how the construction and noise may impact their horses and business.

She said homes have already been built on the other side of the farm and that noise from those properties had impeded their ability to train their elite horses. She's worried that additional noise will force her to shut down.

"We’re going to start winding down our operation," she said.

RELATED: Winter Garden horse farm owners say new city development forcing them out

Kelly Carson, planning director for Winter Garden, said the developer submitted plans to the city with the horse farm in mind. According to those plans, she said, there are three lots proposed along their property line.

That's one too many for Bingler.

"Somebody started to make a loud noise with a machine and the horse spooked and trampled her baby," she recalled and told FOX 35.

A spokesperson for the city said they have weighed the impacts of the development and feel the design will have minimal impact on Bingler's business. A final vote on the project is scheduled for June 8.

"I do think that everyone is trying to do the right thing but in doing the right thing I just think they need to take into account how it affects our livelihood and our business," said Bingler.

Bingler said she has considered moving her farm and business elsewhere, but the costs of buying land somewhere else are too costly.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Cinnamon, chimney smoke, pine trees, falling leaves and the cool crisp air.

All these scents may put you in the holiday spirit, but did you know the winter air has its own smell? Although winter isn’t officially here yet - it arrives on the 21st - we’ve had our fair share of a few blasts of colder air which has its own set of smells, much like the rain scent known as petrichor.

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Warm air and cold air both have molecules that move around in them that carry odor. It’s how we smell things good and bad, like flowers and garbage.

Warm air is not as dense as cold air, so those molecules have more room to move around and they move faster, making them more available for us to smell.

In the colder air, these odor molecules move slower and don’t have as much room to move, making smells less available.

Think about trash for a minute. It doesn’t smell good, right? In cold, air trash may not seem as overwhelmingly potent, but add a little heat to the trash and it can really clear a room!

Temperature plays a big part in what we smell. Adding heat allows solids or liquids to turn into a gas, creating more odor in the air. It’s like baking a cake. When you mix all the cold ingredients together, there’s a smell, but it’s not noticeable to everyone in the house. As the cake bakes in the hot oven, the sweet smell begins to spread as more odors vaporize in the air and everyone in the house can smell it.

Humidity also plays a factor. Higher humidity will trap scents in the air, causing them to stick around longer compared to less humid air.

So yes, you can smell the changing of the seasons. That crisp smell in the air when you step outside on a cool morning is just the lack of things available for us to smell so the air smells “cleaner” versus a warm and humid morning in spring when fragrant blooms are moving through the air.