- January 8, 2026
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Any chance Kristi Karst Gomen has, she’s perusing the archives of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation.
She’s reliving the history of her family — a fourth-generation West Orange County family — but also learning the histories and stories of countless who have lived in the area well before the vast sea of orange groves were turned into a railroad system and later the bustling city that continues to grow and yet keep its small-town charm.
When packinghouse families have brought in photos, she’s heard stories from former employees, who now are in their mid-80s, of how the citrus farmers and packing houses worked together and negotiated.
She’s learned more about the history of the Edgewater Hotel and how Winter Garden previously was known as the bass fishing capital from the 1930s to 1950s.
During a Winter Garden Heritage Foundation Lunch and Learn, Karst Gomen spoke to A.B. Newton’s granddaughter, Alice Kennedy, listening intently as Kennedy shared stories about the city’s first mayor.
At the foundation’s inaugural fundraiser Oranges and Ornaments: A Festival of Trees, Karst Gomen saw a plethora of people coming together to take in the history of West Orange while meeting their neighbors, sometimes for the first time.
“That is just a gift in itself — to hear their stories and their experiences and their feelings,” Karst Gomen said. “That’s a full-circle moment.”
Time and time again since Karst Gomen became executive director last March, she has seen her goal and mission for the nonprofit — preserve the history and legacy of West Orange County while ensuring the foundation is a place for everyone of all ages — come to fruition.
And she doesn’t plan to slow down in 2026.
When Karst Gomen started as executive director for the foundation, her priority was to educate people on the fact the foundation was a heritage and cultural center for all ages.
The foundation exists not only to capture and preserve moments in history but also to help the Winter Garden Heritage Museum host educational programs, serve as a place for school field trips and more. It’s a nonprofit that can develop strong partnerships with community organizations and businesses.
“I wanted to make sure they knew what we were all about and reach back out to those that were so supportive when we started this foundation over 30 years ago and bring it back to life, knowing it is something for all of West Orange County,” Karst Gomen said. “We’ve honed in on ways to make sure we are providing not only educational opportunities for our community, but (also) we are mixing history with some fun. … If we don’t connect the past with the present, our legacy (and) our founders, then we won’t have the opportunity to continue this message and educate for generations to come. We have to bridge that gap. We have to make history fun.”
Throughout the past year, Karst Gomen and her dedicated team at the foundation have been expanding programming and testing to see what the community likes and finds interesting.
Karst Gomen said they have been testing the Lunch and Learns, where the foundation provides lunch and has speakers come to talk about various topics. The Lunch and Learns have ranged from local businesses to legacy families telling their stories and more.
What amazes Karst Gomen after each Lunch and Learn was seeing community members staying after the events to share their own stories.
She also started Heritage Happy Hours. Every quarter when an exhibit is launched, the foundation hosts a happy hour that allows people to not only view the exhibit but mingle with others.
The foundation has brought in a former Major League Baseball player, a race car driver, a chief meteorologist and more to speak.
“It was bringing out people from all over that were new to the area and didn’t know we existed,” Karst Gomen said of the events.
The foundation topped 2025 off with its inaugural Oranges and Ornaments: A Festival of Trees. At the event, organizations and businesses decorated trees to display at the museum. Karst Gomen said the fundraiser was a “tremendous success,” with people already sharing how they plan to decorate their tree for the 2026 holiday season.
The hard work of expanding programming in 2025 has paid off, leading Karst Gomen coming into 2026 with a bright outlook for the foundation’s year ahead.
No matter the age, no matter the community, Karst Gomen is focused on ensuring the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation is bringing the community together.
“Whether it’s someone who has lived here 55 years or someone (who) has lived here six months, introducing them to each other, creating that ‘I’m your neighbor’ kind of feel, that’s the goal,” she said. “The goal will continue to be the common denominator of bridging our communities together, and people know if there’s something going on at the heritage foundation, they’re going to learn something, they’re going to meet someone, and they’re going to leave here with a smile.”
Being a fourth-generation family of West Orange County, Karst Gomen said the heritage foundation has been an opportunity for her to explore her own roots as well as a blessing to reconnect with her parents’ friends or people she grew up with but hadn’t spoken to in years.
“What I’ve learned is a lot of us stay, we don’t leave, because it is just such as wonderful community and place to live and grow up and raise your family,” she said.
Karst Gomen wants to share what makes West Orange County special with all the newcomers, especially with communities such as Horizon West and Hamlin growing by leaps and bounds.
The key to connecting the new residents to the history of their new home: varied programming such as the Lunch and Learns, Heritage Happy Hour and more.
“I’m trying to keep that small-town feel by educating them on how it used to be,” she said. “The mission is letting them know we are such a close-knit community, and we’re so happy that you’re here in our community. Let us show you and tell you what it was like. Ask questions, meet your neighbor, and let’s continue that wonderful, small-town feel. Even though we’re growing, you can still have that.”
The new year is about creating Winter Garden Heritage Foundation’s legacy events, Karst Gomen said.
“The key to our success right now is that we’re listening to what our community is saying,” she said. “We’re creating fun events. They’re learning something and leaving with a smile.”
After the success of Oranges and Ornaments: A Festival of Trees, Karst Gomen looks forward to hosting the second annual event. She said when the foundation first announced the event, she had several people approach her to say they once volunteered for Orlando Museum of Art’s similar event and were thrilled to have one in their city and wanted to help.
She said the foundation also wants to continue to grow its partnerships with large sponsors as well as raise the money needed to continue to maintain the artifacts in the foundation’s possession.
“Am I taking chances on things like that? Yes, but am I listening to what the community is saying? Yes,” she said. “I live in our community, and I’m out in our community, so I’m listening to and I’m seeing and I’m watching what people are doing. I’m also just kind of following my gut on some things.”
A first for the foundation will be its pickleball tournament, Paddles for the Past, Saturday, Feb. 28, in partnership with the Dr. Phillips YMCA and the Roper YMCA.
“Pickleball is something that is extremely popular right now, and we’re raising money through this tournament to help restore our past,” Karst Gomen said.
In keeping with its mission to have something for everyone, Karst Gomen said there will be competition levels for varying experiences — from beginner to the avid pickleball player.
She said dozens of teams will be able to participate.
Throughout the year, Karst Gomen wants to develop more collaborations with organizations and businesses, host more events, have people take advantage of Heller Hall inside the Winter Garden Heritage Museum, and find more ways to bring the community together at the museum.
By having more events in the museum, Karst Gomen said people will be able to go through the museum for free.
“I just want to create a true heritage hub,” she said. “I just want us to be known as a center for everyone.”
Working for the foundation is an opportunity for Karst Gomen learn more about her family.
She was born and raised in the area, giving her the prime opportunity to connect the past with the present. She attended Windermere Elementary School and said she hasn’t moved more than a 5-mile radius from where she grew up.
She and her husband of 33 years have raised three children, two of which still live in West Orange County.
Before becoming the executive director of the foundation, she owned a media and marketing company for 20 years. She didn’t foresee working for the foundation after she sold her company and began consulting for other various companies.
But as soon as she was approached by a foundation board member and met the executive committee, she said she knew the foundation and its mission is “genuinely of my heart” and all about her heritage, as well.
“I just felt that something clicked immediately, that this is what I needed and this is where I needed to be,” Karst Gomen said. “We had a job to do, and we needed to get everybody on board, as far as educating West Orange County about the greatness of these museums and archives and the legacy and of the farmers, the fisherman and the hotels and more.”
She said she is able to share her experiences growing up in the area to help connect people to the heritage of the area.
“This runs deep in my blood, in my heart, so to step into this role, to preserve this legacy, is something I was incredibly passionate about on a personal level,” she said.
