Memorial Day closings in Lake
All offices of the Lake County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller will be closed May 27, in observance of Memorial Day.
The closure includes the Lake County Courthouse, 550 W. Main St., the Records Storage Facility, 313 S. Bloxham Ave., Clerk and County Finance, 315 W. Main St., all in Tavares, the South Lake Branch Office, 290 Citrus Tower Blvd., Suite 116, Clermont, and the North Lake Branch Office, 902 Avenida Central, The Villages.
Details: Lakecountyclerk.org.
— The Florida Department of Health in Lake County will also be closed May 27 in observance of the holiday, with regular office hours resuming May 28.
Details: Lake.FloridaHealth.gov.
— The city of Leesburg offices and its facilities will be closed May 27 in observance of Memorial Day. Regular operations resume May 28. In addition, the Leesburg Public Library will close May 27 and resume normal operations May 28.
Details: Leesburgflorida.gov.
Memorial Day concert at Tavares library
The October Mountain Washtub Band will perform a Memorial Day concert at 12:30 p.m. May 25 at the Tavares Public Library, 314 N. New Hampshire Ave.
The five-piece band includes mandolin, washtub brass, banjo, guitar/fiddle and the harmonica. The concert is free and open to the public.
Details: 352-742-6204.
Memorial Day service in Leesburg
The city of Leesburg is hosting a Memorial Day service in honor of the nation’s fallen service men and women from 10 a.m. to noon May 25 at Veterans Memorial Park, 600 W. Meadow St.
The service will include a Memorial Day tribute concert by The Licorice Sticks Orchestra and guest speakers, including a Gold Star family, and a complimentary breakfast from Chick-fil-A.
Details: 352-728-9885.
Take guided paddle tour on Blackwater Creek
A guided paddle tour of Lake County’s Black Water Creek, part of the Wekiva Wild and Scenic River system, will take place at 9 a.m. May 25 at the Lake Norris Conservation Area, 38343 Lake Norris Road, Eustis.
Ibis, wood stork, osprey, warblers and more may be spotted from vessels. The event is free and open to the public. Participants need to bring their own canoes and paddles and dress for weather conditions.
Details: Mary Kochat352-253-4950ormary.koch@lakecountyfl.gov.
Inaugural Mount Dora Corn Festival is May 24-25
The city of Mount Dora will host its inaugural Mount Dora Corn Festival from 6 to 9 p.m. May 24 and from 3 to 9 p.m. May 25 at Elizabeth Evans Park, 100 N. Donnelly St.
The event will feature Zellwood sweet corn, contests, crowning of the corn king and queen, specialty corn food vendors, live music and fireworks over Lake Dora at 9:15 p.m. May 25. Kids activities May 25 include hayrides, inflatable corn maze and a petting zoo. Adult events include cornhole and corn-eating contests.
The rock band, Nine Days, will perform May 24 and singers Shelby Darrall, Will Jones and Mark Wills will provide the entertainment May 25.
Tickets are $18 for ages 10 and over and $9 for kids ages 4 to 9. Kids ages 3-under are free. Parking is available downtown. A free shuttle service from First Baptist Church of Mount Dora, 1000 E. First Ave, will be provided May 25.
Details and tickets: MountDoraCornFest.com.
Plants and People Hike in Eustis
Lake County’s Parks and Trails Division will host a Plants and People Hike at 9 a.m. May 28 at Lake May Reserve, 36300 County Road 44A, Eustis. A staff naturalist will discuss native plant species’ importance as a resource for wildlife and people.
The hike is free and open to the public, participants should bring water and dress for weather conditions.
Details:Linda Richardsonat352-267-2235orlinda.richardson@lakecountyfl.gov.
Summer reading kickoff in Umatilla
The Umatilla Public Library will kickoff its annual summer reading program with a surprise party for kids when they sign up, at 9:30 a.m. May 29. This year’s theme is “Adventure Around Your Library.”
Participants will get a reading bag and reading log, which they fill out to win prizes over the summer. The program is designed for children through fifth grade. The library is at 412 Hatfield Drive.
Details:Amy Stultzat352-669-3284or emailastultz@umatillafl.org.
Photography editing series in Leesburg
Jim Warner, a graduate of the New York Institute of Photography and a teacher at the Villages Lifestyle Academy, will lead the first of four classes on photography editing from 3 to 4 p.m. May 29 at the Leesburg Public Library, 100 E. Main St.
The class will show participants how to organize a digital photo library using Lightroom Classic. Registration is required and class size is limited to 20 students. The class is free and open to the public, through the Friends of the Leesburg Library.
Details: 352-728-9790.
Join a history hike at Bourlay Park
The Lake County Water Authority will host a History Hike from 9 a.m. to noon June 1 at Bourlay Historic Nature Park, 950 N. Canal St., Leesburg. Staff will lead participants on a moderate hike through the park, with details about its habitat and the historical significance of the site.
Located on Lake Griffin, the 88-acre park was once a lakeside hub in the heyday of river steamboats, and the namesake of Leesburg, Evander Lee once lived on the property.
The land was donated to the Lake County Water Authority in 1999 by longtime resident Buddy Bourlay.
Details: Tracy Hausermanat352-298-0365or tracy.hauserman@lakecountyfl.gov.
Lady Lake hosts Bounce Town Bash
The Town of Lady Lake will have a Bounce Town Bash for kids, featuring more than 30 inflatables, both wet and dry, including a dedicated section for younger children, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 1 at the Rolling Acres Sports Complex, 260 Rolling Acres Road.
The event will also feature a DJ, food trucks and ice-cream vendors. Attendees must bring their own towels.
Tickets are $6 per child and can be purchased at Town Hall on Fennel Boulevard or at the Lady Lake Public Library on Guava Street.
Details: Events Coordinator Amy Alicea at events@ladylake.orgor 352-205-2826.
Ages 50-over men’s softball league seeks players
The Lakes League Men’s Softball League for ages 50 and over plays at 9 a.m. on Thursdays at Pear Park, 26701 U.S. Highway 27 in Leesburg.
Interested players should email tsperanza7@gmail.com.
Summer book club kickoff at Mount Dora church
First Presbyterian Church in Mount Dora will launch an informal summer book club to discuss the Celebration of Discipline, authored by teacher and former pastor Richard J. Foster, at 7 p.m. Tuesdays beginning June 4 at the church, 222 W. Sixth Ave.
The last meeting will take place Aug. 27.
Leesburg names Iozzi police chief
The city of Leesburg has named Capt. Joe Iozzi as its new police chief, replacing former chief and new deputy city manager Rob Hicks. Iozzi has served as Bureau Commander for Uniformed Services and Special Services and Investigations.
A member of the Leesburg Police Department since 1994, Iozzi has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice Administration from Columbia College and completed the FBI National Academy’s 281st session, the Southern Police Institute’s 127th Administrative Officers Course at the University of Louisville and the Florida Police Chiefs Association’s “Future Chiefs” seminar.
As a command officer since 2014, Iozzi provided direct supervision and management in personnel matters, department planning, training, policy creation, budgeting, and general department-related functions.
Details: leesburgflorida.gov.
Lady Lake police officer earns Service Above Self award
Lady LakepPolice officer Andru Eckerdt was recently honored with the Service Above Self award by the Leesburg Rotary Club during its 43rd annual Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Program.
Eckerdt was recognized for exceptional dedication, professionalism and productivity, making significant contributions to the safety and well-being of the Lady Lake community.
Last year, he handled over 1,000 calls for service, made 615 traffic stops and wrote 282 traffic citations and 487 warnings. In addition, he covered 65 crash investigations and made 88 arrests.
May is National Water Safety Month
May is National Water Safety Month, and the Florida Department of Health in Lake County (DOH-Lake) wants to remind the public how to safely enjoy Florida’s bodies of water and prevent drowning.
Children ages 1-4 are more likely to drown in a home swimming pool than children ages 5-19, who are more likely to drown in natural bodies of water.
The following water safety tips should be followed, especially during the summer months, when water activities are highest:
— Always keep your eyes on children in and around water, including pools and open bodies of water. Actively supervising and giving children undivided attention when they are in or around water can help prevent drownings.
— Never leave a child alone around water, and if a child is missing check other pools or surrounding bodies of water.
— Use barriers around water, including fences, self-closing/self-latching gates, and secure doors with alarms. Barriers help prevent young children from wandering into bodies of water, including lakes, pools, ponds, and more.
— Have a phone nearby in case you need to call 9-1-1 in an emergency.
— When swimming in lakes or the ocean and other open bodies of water, always swim with a buddy and only when safety flags and signs give the all-clear to do so. If you encounter animals that live near or in the water, stay away.
— Avoid algal blooms like red tide and blue-green algae, which cause skin irritation, burning eyes and throat and breathing irritations.
Details:DOH-Lakeat 352-253-6130.
Library sponsors First Line Literary Contest in May
The Eustis Memorial Library, 120 N. Center St., is sponsoring a First Line Literary Contest throughout May, during which adults are invited to compose an original opening line in an imaginary novel on any topic or genre and submit it by May 31.
Blind judging will be done by library staff during the first week of June. Winners will be announced June 12 and their first lines will be featured on Facebook.
The top three finishers receive Amazon gift cards for $50, $25 and $15, respectively.
Entry forms are available at any of the 16 public libraries in the county or through email by contacting the Eustis library at 352-357-5686.
Library system holds Food for Fines program
The Lake County Library System is sponsoring its annual Food for Fines program throughout May, during which patrons who have overdue fines can get them waived by donating food at any of its 16 branches during regular hours.
Donated items must be unopened, unexpired, and in their original package and can include dry food items, including spaghetti and cereal, canned goods, baby food and products, as well as pet food for dogs and cats.
Each item donated will equal$1 of forgiven overdue fees and there are no limits to the number of donations per person, though fines will not be forgiven for library items that are lost or damaged. The Umatilla Public Library will not accept pet food donations.
Those without fines are also encouraged to donate items as each item will be used anonymously to forgive another patron’s fines. All donations will be sent to local food banks and charities in Lake County.
Details: mylakelibrary.org.
Mount Dora church hosts watercolor exhibit
First Presbyterian Church of Mount Dora hosts an exhibit of paintings by watercolor artist Nancy Staffieri from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through May at the church’s multipurpose room, 222 W. Sixth Ave.
A former resident of eastern Pennsylvania, Staffieri renewed her interest in painting after moving to Mount Dora. She has taken lessons from area artists and utilized used books and photographs as inspiration.
Admission is free and open to the public.
Details: 352-383-4089.
To submit events
To submit a community event for online publication, email information at least two weeks before the event to lake@orlandosentinel.com.
