West Orange County in history

How many of these names, faces and places do you remember from years gone by in West Orange County?

By Amy Quesinberry
| 10:46 a.m. December 11, 2019

West Orange Times & Observer
Neighborhood

OLD TIMES

80 years ago

Colonial Corners flower shop has opened to the public. This new venture is under the ownership and management of Helen Dewey Vick of Oakland.

75 years ago

The acute shortage of favorite brands of cigarettes in Winter Garden is causing much talk by those addicted to the habit of enjoying their smokes.

40 years ago

Dock Reeves of Winter Garden received a pleasant surprise this Christmas. He won a freezer and a side of beef in a promotional drawing at Thriftway grocery store. Mayor Ralph Fulford drew the winning name.

Larry Walker asked the Winter Garden City Commission to approve his plans for a gazebo in A.B. Newton Park as his Eagle Scout project. The commission gave unanimous approval.

30 years ago

The action was fast at the basketball game at Ocoee Middle School to benefit the annual holiday toy program. The Ocoee faculty defeated a team representing the Ocoee police and fire departments. Leading the OMS team were Principal Bob Williams and West Orange High Principal Joe Worsham, both former basketball players and basketball coaches.

The Windermere Town Council held a public hearing to discuss possible sites for the public boat ramp to be moved to: Windermere Groves North, Glenmuir property on Lake Louise and northwest corner of Lake Butler.

20 years ago

Stone’s Plumbing, a perennial winner in the Ocoee and Winter Garden Christmas parades, did it again this year with an impressive float featuring a train carrying Santa.

10 years ago

Home at Last dedicated a mortgage-free house in Oakland to injured Army war veteran Marcus Griffin, his wife, Andrea, and their sons, Isaac and Joseph.

THROWBACK THURSDAY

The Winter Garden Times

Dec. 12, 1980

The AM/FM/stereo receiver was a popular Christmas gift in 1980. The Gran Prix version, at $99.99, included an 8-track cartridge player and record changer. This fantastic music machine received AM and FM broadcasts and had lighted slide-rule tuning, wide-range speakers, a dust cover and more.

Eckerd Drugs advertised this beauty in the Dec. 12, 1980, issue of The Winter Garden Times, hoping to pull in some holiday shoppers.

Today, this entire package fits neatly in a cell phone in the palm of your hand.

FROM THE WINTER GARDEN HERITAGE FOUNDATION ARCHIVES

A young man poses with “The Tire Lady,” the former Uniroyal Tire mascot that was moved to this West Colonial Drive location in 1990. She reigned for almost 22 years in front of John’s Tire and Car Care until owner John Aitken moved his shop further west on State Road 50 in December 1990. Manufactured in 1966, she stood 18 feet and weighed 600 pounds. When the photograph was taken, she stood in front of Jay’s Marine, a business on West State Road 50 where the Winter Garden Publix shopping center is now located.

author

Amy Quesinberry

Community Editor Amy Quesinberry was born at the old West Orange Memorial Hospital and raised in Winter Garden. Aside from earning her journalism degree from the University of Georgia, she hasn’t strayed too far from her hometown and her three-mile bubble. She grew up reading The Winter Garden Times and knew in the eighth grade she wanted to write for her community newspaper. She has been part of the writing and editing team since 1990.