Oakland Briefs 07.10.14

+ Heritage Fest needs volunteers

Individuals and groups are needed to help with entertainment, a silent auction, educational activities and sponsorships for the 17th Annual Oakland Heritage Festival on Oct. 25 at Speer Park in Oakland. The festival will include live entertainment, food, cultural and educational presentations, kids’ activities, a hayride, boat rides on Lake Apopka and more. All proceeds will support the Oakland Nature Preserve.

Those who are interested in volunteering at the event can contact ONP Managing Director Barb Gugliotti at [email protected] or (407) 905-0054.

+ Sign up for youth basketball camp

The town of Oakland is offering a free A.C. Summer Youth Basketball Camp from 8 a.m. to noon July 26. It takes place at the park at 523 Hull Ave. and is for children 7-17 years of age.

Among the coaches will be former NBA Basketball players Pat Burke and Greg Kite, who will teach position basketball skills and life skills. The camp includes free food, music and activities.

The deadline to register is July 18. For more information or to RSVP, email [email protected] or call 407-656-1117, Ext. 14.

+ Put your name on park brick

Commemorative bricks are being sold and will be placed in a walkway at West Side Park in Oakland.

Bricks vary in size, color and cost and can be engraved with three to eight lines of writing, as well as clip art. The town is taking orders until September, at which time it will have the commemorative bricks etched and laid along the path. The overall sidewalk will require about 400 bricks.

For more information, call Town Hall at (407) 656-1117.

+ Rent Oakland meeting hall

Residents and organizations can rent the Oakland meeting hall on North Tubb Street. Rental includes use of the kitchen facilities and a seating capacity of 108.

To download a rental contract and price list, go to oaktownusa.com and click on “meeting hall facility.” For information, call Oakland Town Hall at (407) 656-1117.

+ Take a hike at ONP

Join Oakland Nature Preserve President Jim Peterson for a free, guided hike down the boardwalk to Lake Apopka at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 12.

Peterson is the Lake Apopka Field Station program supervisor for St. Johns River Water Management District. The hike starts from the ONP classroom, and visitors will see the wetlands and lake from a water manager’s perspective. The preserve is at 747 Machete Trail, Oakland. To learn more, call (407) 509-0054 or send an e-mail to [email protected].

+ Concert band program

The Youth Christian Musicians (YCM) Concert Band Program is available to students in fifth through 12th grades (particularly homeschooled and those in private school). Beginning band and concert band classes are offered and meet at Oakland Presbyterian Church.

The program offers free lessons in a Christian atmosphere on Mondays and Thursdays. For more details or to register for classes, contact Amy Duncan at [email protected].

+ File of Life holds medical history

The File of Life program is available in Oakland. The packets include an information card that gives emergency personnel an immediate medical history on the patient. Residents can pick up a packet at the Oakland Police Department, 540 E. Oakland Ave.

+ Mt. Zion offers computer access for state programs

Mount Zion AME Church in Oakland is serving as a computer access center for people seeking to qualify for the following state programs: temporary cash assistance, food stamps, Medicaid and refugee assistance. Applications can be submitted online at the church from 5-9 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Mount Zion is at 420 W. Oakland Ave. For more information, call (407) 877-0700.

+ Celebrate parks and recreation at ONP

The folks at Oakland Nature Preserve encourage everyone to visit the preserve and other local parks and recreation sites while celebrating July as National Park and Recreation Month. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Out is In.”

“National Park and Recreation Month is not just about getting outdoors and enjoying our nation’s vast and diverse outdoor recreation sites, but also about celebrating the remarkable men and women who work and volunteer at parks and recreation facilities, maintaining them for our enjoyment,” ONP officials said. “They enhance our experience with creative and informative programs, or organized activities.”