Culture worthy of your calendar

If you wish to move from your regular “venue” of singing in the shower to understanding what it feels like to sing with a “really big” choir, the Bach Festival will host Summer Sing on Sunday, Aug. 7 at 3 p.m. Summer Sing was created to give community members a taste of the full-choir experience and is open to everyone who loves to sing, regardless of experience or skill level.

This year’s event includes selections from “Verdi’s Requiem” and “Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.” Participants may download music or purchase the music on the Summer Sing page of the Bach Festival Society’s website. There is no other charge to participate. The Bach Festival Society celebrates 77 years of creating music during its 2011–2012 season, making it one of the longest continuously operating Bach Festivals in the country. Summer Sing will take place in the Tiedtke Concert Hall on the Rollins College campus in Winter Park. Call 407-646-2182 or visit bachfestivalflorida.org

Cabaret time

Singing personalities Heather Alexander and Laura Hodos will return to the popular Winter Park Playhouse Spotlight Cabaret Series in a new act called “Together Again…At Last” on Aug. 10 and 11 at 7:30 p.m. It’s been more than three years since this incredible pair of “Queens of Cabaret” performed together, bringing their beautiful harmonies — and comedic offerings — back to The Playhouse. Audience favorites for years, Alexander and Hodos have performed in several shows together, including “SUDS,” “Celebrate Me Home,” “And The World Goes ’Round and I Got Rhythm.” “When these two women get together,” Playhouse Board President Judith Marlowe said, “you’re guaranteed an evening of beautiful music and big laughs!”

The Playhouse is located at 711 Orange Ave. in Winter Park. Call 407-645-0145 or visit winterparkplayhouse.org

Emerging Designer Contest

Some would say that Winter Park is fashionable enough, but the folks putting together Central Florida’s biggest annual fashion event are sending out a call for entries to design students and fashion aficionados to enter Harriett’s Park Avenue Fashion Week’s Emerging Designer Contest.

Contestants must submit three to five finished looks plus photos or sketches of additional designs to form a 10-look collection by Aug. 29. Five semi-finalists will be chosen by a panel including sponsor Harriett Lake and HPAFW Emerging Designer 2010 winner Maria Roman. Semi-finalists will then complete an additional look for a charity-related challenge. HPAFW is a seven-day (Oct. 9-15) celebration of the local fashion community held every fall. After a week full of events hosted by the boutiques of Park Avenue and Hannibal Square, the grand finale is the fashion show held in Winter Park’s West Meadow Park. On the night of the HPAFW fashion show (Oct. 15), the winner will be revealed with his or her own personal runway show.

To apply, visit ParkAvenueFashionWeek.com or call Erika Spence at 407-644-8281.

‘Up in the Trees’ experience

In a first-of-its-kind attraction in the United States (and only the second in the world), Florida EcoSafaris has created a combination bicycle/zip-line attraction that takes guests pedaling through the treetops of the 4,700-acre Forever Florida Wildlife Conservation Area in St. Cloud.

The adventure begins as each guest boards their own “Canopy Cycle” — a reclining bicycle suspended from a network of high-tension cables. Reaching heights of 25 feet, guests pedal their way through the treetops of some of the most beautiful ecosystems of Florida — preserved just as nature intended. The ride is a nature photographer’s dream. Along the way, guests pass over a pond that is home to George, a 13-foot alligator who has called Forever Florida home for more than 60 years.

Florida EcoSafaris is at 4755 N. Kenansville Road in St. Cloud. Call 407-957-9794 or visit floridaecosafaris.com

Josh Garrick is a writer, photographer, educator, and fine art curator. He is a member of the Curatorial Council for the Museum of Florida Art. Garrick can be reached at [email protected] or 407-522-3906.