Lily’s Plastic Purse: Calling All Little Ones!

OMG…look how adorable!

Parents of young ones are more than familiar with the picture books of  Kevin Henkes, and now there’s a play that centers around three of his storylines: Chester’s Way, Julius, Baby of the World,and Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse.

For those NOT in the know, Lilly is a mouse who knows what she likes: “She likes that she is ‘Queen of the World,’ and she likes the way her red cowboy boots go clickety-click down the hallway. She especially LOVES her purple plastic purse.”

So, if anyone loves to laugh, they will love Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse!

Lilly’s Plastic Purse is opening on October 23rd at 2:00pm at Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF and will run through November 20. But, as a special bonus, those who attend the opening day show will receive a mini cupcake provided by Sweet! By Holly in Waterford Lakes, winner of Cupcake Wars on the Food Network.  Now, that’s a sweet touch!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Books with Benefits

If you love perusing books, like me, then you will probably agree that any bookstore is a wonderful place to spend a lazy afternoon. Enter Borders Book Store and I just might find myself in heaven… and now my shopping at Borders can help support a local arts organization: Mad Cow Theatre!

August 23 and 24, use the special code MDCW8234TH (or this printable voucher here) and a percentage of your sales will go to benefit Mad Cow Theatre.

Books with benefits…kind of cool, huh?

And, if you haven’t yet seen Mad Cow’s MacBeth, you better hurry because the show closes August 29 to make way for Company opening September 10.

Go see “The Turn of the Screw”… We DARE You!

BEWARE! Tomorrow is Friday the 13th…

And what better way to spend such an unlucky day  than buying tickets to see one of the most famous ghost stories, The Turn of the Screw, the legendary tale by Henry James and described by Stephen King as the “quintessential ghost story.”

Children from a foreign production of the "The Turn of the Screw"

To make Friday the 13th a little less unfortunate for you unlucky lucky people, the Orlando Shakespeare Theater is offering a special $13 off the ticket price. (Great deal! Visit www.orlandoshakes.org and use the code GHOST)

Orlando Shakes’ version will be performed October 15 – 24, but buy your tickets tomorrow, August 13, for the special $13 discounted price!

So, put a little luck in your Friday the 13… we dare you!

Harry Potter Comes to the UCF College of Medicine!

Well, not really Harry Potter, per se, but an exhibit tracing medical history starting with potions, herbs, and mythical monsters and going up to today’s modern science is on display at the UCF College of Medicine’s library now until August 21.

“There was a lot more to magic, Harry quickly finds out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words,” once explained J.K. Rowling, author of the international best-selling children’s book about the boy who discovers he can do magic.  Using Harry’s success, the National Library of Medicine created an entire exhibit centered around the medicine behind the books and it is now traveling around the county.

Here’s what the exhibit’s website says:

“Millions of readers have followed Harry to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he discovers his heritage, encounters new plants and animals, and perfects his magical abilities. Although a fantasy story, the magic in the Harry Potter books is partially based on Renaissance traditions that played an important role in the development of Western science, including alchemy, astrology, and natural philosophy. Incorporating the work of several 15th- and 16th-century thinkers, the seven-part series examines important ethical topics such as the desire for knowledge, the effects of prejudice, and the responsibility that comes with power. This exhibition, using materials from the National Library of Medicine, explores Harry Potter’s world and its roots in Renaissance magic, science, and medicine.”

Ever wonder about the medicinal value behind a unicorn’s horn? This exhibit will explain it to you…pretty cool, huh?

So, Mount Dora isn’t the highest place in Florida?

On Friday evening, the Top 5 headed to Mount Dora for a “Tweet Up.” For those of you unfamiliar with this term, a tweet up is a face to face meeting between Twitter users, and in this case, some major ones. The Twitter user @MountDora has over 11,000 followers and helped to place the City of Mount Dora on the virtual grid with his website What to Do in Mount Dora. As a frequent virtual visitor, I was thrilled to finally meet owner Brian Young in person. He also owns Tremain Street Cottages and so he commented on how using the social media sites like Twitter has helped bring a measurable number of new visitors each weekend to Mount Dora. Unfortunately, Brian’s better half, Rachelle Lucas (@travelblgger on Twitter – over 22,000 followers) was in Winter Park filming. I guess I’ll have to wait until my next visit to meet her! Her videos can be seen on her food blog Inn the Kitchen.

Victorian style often seen in Mount Dora

I also met Jim and Ana Tuttle (@MountDoraBnB on Twitter) who own the Mount Dora Historic Inn. It was wonderful how I was welcomed with a warm hug from Ana, as if we were old friends… instead of just old virtual friends!

Everyone in Mount Dora was this friendly, though. Welcoming us “tweeps” as we descended on Mt. Dora Sushi who graciously opened their doors (and beer garden) for us. (@MtDoraSushi on Twitter, with over 17,000 followers.) This restaurant is well worth the drive to Mount Dora, which was surprisingly easy thanks to the new 414 that has opened up.  It only took me 20 minutes door to door!

I also met some other locals, such as realtors Kim Johnson and Camille Ruiz, writers Lisa Rast and George Passwater, and Nanci and Traci.  I was fascinated how much they each love Mount Dora and the surrounding areas, and I must admit, there was something a bit intoxicating about the town’s charm and quaint downtown. Gorgeous Victorian style houses line the streets, and antique stores, boutiques, and inviting restaurants provide a very walkable city. (Or you can always take a Segway tour!)

I was also thrilled to meet some travel writers, whose blogs give info to complement my Central Florida Top 5 info. I met Rori Paul, who writes the travel blog Rori’s Travel Florida.  She’s a relative newcomer (but frequent past visitor) to Florida, and her zest for travel and all-things Central Florida were inspiring!  The two of us were also introduced to Gary McKechnie, dubbed the “Mark Twain of Motorcycling.” (And, yes, as an English teacher, we traded favorite Mark Twain stories!)

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my jaunt to Mount Dora. I am looking forward to going back for a weekend stay with my husband…now the only question is in which bed and breakfast do we stay!

Oh, and the answer to the title of this blog post? At 184 feet above sea level, Mount Dora is indeed a “mountain top” town, but, nope, it is not Florida’s highest. That distinction belongs to Britton Hill, at Lakewood Park, Walton County, 345 feet above sea level.

Swimming Anyone?

A huge literary event happened today in Orlando: Dara Torres talked about her new book Age is Just a Number.

My husband SwimmerJoe.com swam with Dara at the University of Florida, and so she has long been a household name in our house. We’ve actively followed her five Olympics and have cheered for her many successes. (And had a few laughs as Joe remembers the years spent as her Gator teammate!)

Dara had a great turn out today at the Orlando Public Library where she spoke for nearly 30 minutes, retelling anecdotes from her many years as a swimmer. And at the end, she graciously signed autographs and posed for pictures with the many fans who showed up.  She did take a short break to greet Joe with a hug and “What are you doing here?!” reaction…good times!

Enjoy this video from Dara’s talk:

Thanks, Orlando Public Library, for a great event!