Maitland City Talk

Boy Scouts community service

Maitland is all abuzz with activity now that fall is in the air. I met with a group of fourth grade Boy Scouts from Park Maitland School in order to satisfy one element of their Community Service Badges. They had well thought out questions and I was very impressed with their openness to consider what could be done to assist others less fortunate.

Maitland Art and History Association (MAHA) annual meeting

Next on my schedule was the Maitland Art and History Association (MAHA) annual meeting. This was a historic meeting as it was the first meeting of the combined groups. Both past chairpersons spoke, Victor Diaz, and Anita Blackwelder, with the Maitland Arts Center and the Historical Society, respectively. Then, Roger Pickar, the new chairman of the MAHA Board gave his inaugural speech. There is certainly excitement in the air in anticipation of all that can be accomplished with the new organization. I look forward to our future successes.

Appreciation luncheon

On Friday, the Maitland Chamber of Commerce, the Maitland Men’s Club, and Maitland Rotary joined together to provide a ‘thank you’ luncheon for all employees of the City of Maitland. Our employees always look forward to and enjoy the delicious meal that our city partners work so hard to put together. I am especially grateful, as this is one event the city can’t cut out of our budget—because it does not cost us a dime. Thank you to our Maitland partners for your commitment to our city.

Art and music under the stars

After an entire year of preparation, the 34th Annual Maitland Rotary Art Festival was finally here! The Rotary Club of Maitland, host of this event for the past 34 years, joined the Performing Arts of Maitland, City of Maitland Cultural Partners, and the city of Maitland and succeeded in presenting one of the most elegant and delightful festivals in the entire Southeast.

The Maitland Rotary Art Festival joins an elite group of festivals around the country by bringing works of art, the sound of music, lights, food, festivities, and fun together during evening hours that has resulted in the event being one of the most memorable ever.

And besides the memories, this festival was one of the most financially successful! Besides approximately $20,000 awarded to the winning artists, more money than ever will be donated to charities throughout the area! I talked to many artists who were very successful in selling their art, even one who nearly sold out of all he had brought to the festival!

As a community, we should all be thankful for the groups that put this great event together. The festival could never be what it is today without team Rotary, but it has benefitted from all that the Performing Arts of Maitland has provided in terms of musical accompaniments throughout the park. Many thanks go out also to the many sponsors, and also to the City of Maitland and our Cultural Partners, the Maitland Art and History Association, and the Maitland Library.

Upcoming events

You won’t want to miss the following upcoming events in our community:

Oct. 8 - Maitland Art and History Association “Groovy in the Grove Auction” will be at the Sheraton Orlando North at 6 p.m.

Oct. 9 - Movie in the Park, “The Karate Kid – 2010” will be at Quinn Strong Park at 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 15 - “The Taste of Maitland” at Lake Lily Park at 5:30 p.m.

See you at our next event!