Calendar

OCT. 2

The Art & History Museums – Maitland is launching its 2015-2106 season. The exhibition, “Celebrating the A&H’s Artist-in-Residence Program,” opens during Culture Pop! and showcases works by three artists: Milton Avery, Marydorsey Wanless and Elysia Mann, who once lived on the A&H campus. Culture Pop! connects guests with art and the artists. The event will take place on Oct. 2 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. In addition to being one of the first to see “Celebrating the A&H’s Artist-in-Residence Program,” guests can explore the new exhibit in the A&H’s Maitland Historical Museum, “Celebrating 50 Years: Maitland Civic Center.” Details are available at ArtAndHistory.org or 407-539-2181.

OCT. 3

The Parks & Recreation Department of the city of Winter Park and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission present their annual free Test the Waters Fishing Tournament from 7 to 11 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 3, at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, located at 1050 W. Morse Blvd. in Winter Park. Children of all ages are invited to participate in this fun-filled event. Bait, fishing poles and snacks will be provided for all participants. The city’s Parks & Recreation Department also guarantees that everyone will take home a fish! For more information, call 407-599-3334.

The Ancient Olive on Park Avenue is hosting a book signing next Saturday, Oct. 3, for three local cookbook celebrities. Proceeds will go to the 306 Foundation in Winter Park, who offers a culinary arts program for women seeking a new path. For more information, go to Toolbox4Life.org or contact is Tracy Kuch at The Ancient Olive at 321-972-1899 or [email protected]

OCT. 4

The Orlando Area Historical Rose Society invites the public to hear a talk, “Old Garden Roses” on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 2:30 p.m. The speakers are Phil and Ann Paul, American Rose Society certified Rosarians. The doors open at 2 p.m. in the Orchid Room at Harry P. Leu Gardens, located at 1920 N. Forest Ave. in Orlando. This is a free event. For more information, call 407-497-1639.

Bring your dogs, cats and other pets to St. Matthew’s Tavern on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 11 a.m. for a special St. Francis blessing of the animals. St. Matthew’s Tavern is located at 1300 N. Mills Ave. in Orlando. For more information, visit stdorothycatholiccommunity.com

Central Florida architects, engineers, contractors and designers have worked with about 3,000 canned goods for Canstruction, an annual international competition where teams design and build sculptures made entirely from cans. Each of 17 teams will pair up with a charity or nonprofit as part of this year’s new “Hunger Heroes” theme. A panel of community and design professionals will select the winning structures. At the close of the exhibit, all food products used in the designs will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida for distribution to pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, senior programs and low-income daycare centers. Building will take place on Oct. 4 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Orlando Fashion Square, located at 3201 E. Colonial Drive in Orlando, near the entrance of Panera and Sears. The exhibit will be on display until Oct. 11. For more information, visit Canstruction-Orlando.org.

OCT. 6

Florida Blue will be hosting the Veterans History Project at the Florida Blue Center in Winter Park Village, Oct. 6 to 8. The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans. These stories will be archived in the Library of Congress. The project collects first-hand accounts of U.S. veterans from the following wars: World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War and Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. Florida Blue, a proud supporter of our military men and women, invites veterans in the community to share their stories with interviewers on Oct. 6, 7 and 8. Interview sessions will be held in two-hour increments between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The deadline to register is Oct. 2. To sign up, go to scheduler.floridablue.com

OCT. 7

SunRailRiders is holding its first meetup on Oct. 7 from 5 to 9 p.m. at WineArt Wednesday in Lake Mary City Hall. The meetup event is being held to demonstrate support for the SunRail commuter train, to reiterate the call for expanding service to weekends and DeLand and to celebrate the commencement of work to expand service to Osceola County. Meetup participants can ride SunRail to the Lake Mary station where a free shuttle will take them to and from WineArt Wednesday. Those who attend the meetup can get SunRailRiders swag, make their mark on the SunRail graffiti wall, compete for a shopping spree and network with fellow riders. Juice Bike Share and the Orlando Conductor Crawl are also participating in the meetup. Find more information about the organization at SunRailRiders.com.

OCT. 8

Meet Malvin Williams-Tyson for the debut of her novel, “A White Man’s World,” on Oct. 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Writer’s Block Bookstore, located at 124 Welbourne Ave. in Winter Park. The book tells the story of a young black woman expected to accept horrific victimization as part of the existing culture, without anyone defending her. Tysons’ book draws on experiences from her mother and grandmother. For more information, contact Julie Nave at [email protected].

OCT. 10

The Winter Park Autumn Art Festival is the only juried fine art festival to feature Florida artists exclusively. The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce is proud to host the festival on the second weekend in October each year. The community-oriented sidewalk show presents quality visual art and live entertainment the whole family can enjoy. The festival is held in beautiful Central Park located along historic Park Avenue in downtown Winter Park on Saturday, Oct. 10, and Sunday, Oct. 11, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call 407-644-8281.

Two years ago Josh Garrick had the unprecedented honor of making history as the first non-Greek artist in the world to exhibit in the National Archaeological Museum of Greece. That exhibit has returned from a two-year tour of Europe to open the new HENAO Contemporary Center, located at 5601 Edgewater Drive in Orlando, on Oct. 10 and run through Jan. 4. “Timeless: Past Present Future,” the opening night will be a fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Florida, and the generous people who attend the opening night will be the first Americans to see the exhibit. Call 407-522-3906 or visit henaocenter.com

OCT. 11

Celebrate the opening of the historic Capen-Showalter House on Oct. 11 at the Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens in Winter Park. After almost two years of moving and restoring the house, it will be open for a new generation of guests. Admission will be free from 1 to 4 p.m. for the open house. Valet parking is offered for $5 per vehicle. Call 407-647-6294 or visit polasek.org

Park Avenue Fashion Week presented by Harriett Lake celebrates the local fashion and retail design community. A full week of events, from trunk shows to designer meet-and-greets pack a fashionable agenda from Sunday, Oct. 11, to Saturday, Oct. 17. The grand finale fashion show is held on Saturday evening in Central Park’s West Meadow at 7 p.m. For a full list of events and to buy tickets, visit parkavenuefashionweek.com

OCT. 17

The city of Winter Park will hold the Winter Park Benefit Shop’s 80th Anniversary Celebration on Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on the first floor of the Welcome Center, located at 151 W. Lyman Ave. The celebration begins with a ceremony led by city officials. Light refreshments, giveaways and surprises will be offered throughout the day. For more information, call 407-678-5871.

NOV. 14

The 42st annual Great Day in the Country Arts & Crafts Festival is produced by the GFWC Oviedo Woman's Club. The Festival, which is free to attendees, is on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Historic Lawton House and Lawton Elementary School in Oviedo, located at 200 W. Broadway St. This year over 400 arts and crafts vendors will be displaying and selling items that are perfect for gifts or your own home. Visit the food court and entertainment area behind the school where children can make their own snow cones in the kids’ area. There will be food vendors and the whole family can relax under the covered pavilion enjoying the music, which will range from jazz to rock and roll. Be sure to stop by the Country Store Cafe, where homemade baked goods are available to take home or enjoy on site by the slice. The club's famous Bean Soup will be available. This year they will offer ingredients in decorated mason jars that make perfect holiday presents. Great Day in the Country 2015 will mark the 21st year of the Student Art Fest, with work from art students in our local schools. The art will be on display and awards totaling $2,200 will be presented during the opening ceremonies at 10 a.m. Great Day in the Country is the GFWC Oviedo Woman's Club's major fundraiser. Over the past nine years, the club has awarded over $600,000 for scholarships, school grants, and charitable organizations. Last year, over 60,000 people attended the event. Parking at Oviedo High School is free and a shuttle bus will take people to and from the lot. For more information, visit greatdayoviedo.org