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Holiday Closures and Solid Waste Collection Services Schedule for Thanksgiving Day and Friday After Thanksgiving

• All City Government Offices will be closed on Thursday, November 27, and Friday, November 28.
• On Thursday, November 27, there will be NO Solid Waste Collection Services (trash, yard waste, bulk items). Services will resume on your next scheduled collection day.
• On Friday, November 28, there will be Regular Solid Waste Collection Services.

Wishing Everyone a Very Happy Thanksgiving!

Small Business Saturday Sidewalk Sale & LIVE MUSIC

November 29

Kick off holiday shopping while supporting locally owned shops at the Small Business Saturday Sidewalk Sale in historic downtown. Stroll the festive streets and peruse the outdoor racks of sale items and seasonal merchandise. Pop inside for additional discounts and promotions.

Live music will entertain passersby with outdoor performances at Centennial Plaza throughout the day. The electrifying duo Red Mint will perform 11:00 am - 2:30 pm, followed by the dynamic Joey & Danielle Duo from 3:30 to 7:00 pm.

The Small Business Saturday Sidewalk Sale will be held rain or shine. Sales, special offers, and operating hours vary per merchant. 

Remember to support the mom-and-pop businesses throughout Winter Garden because when you shop small, you help big with nearly 70 cents of every dollar you spend remaining in your community to make it stronger.

Small Business Saturday Sidewalk Sale
Saturday, November 29 | All Day
Historic Downtown

Annual Craft Affair

November 8

Visit the annual Craft Affair to shop for unique items such as jewelry, holiday décor, crafts, artwork, and more. It is a great opportunity to shop for holiday gifts! Hosted by the Parks & Recreation Department, all the items are handcrafted by your local age 50+ community.

Saturday, November 8
10:00 am – 2:00 pm | Free Admission
Jessie Brock Community Center, 310 N. Dillard Street

WGPAL Donut Dash 5K Run/Walk

November 8

Join us for good time at the annual WGPAL Donut Dash 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, November 8. Run or walk -- and eat donuts -- through the neighborhoods of historic Winter Garden! Prizes awarded for top runners plus a prize for best donut costume.

Participants receive a t-shirt, race medal, and free Krispy Kreme donuts. Proceeds support the Winter Garden Police Athletic League (WGPAL) Holiday Gifts for Kids program as well as other community programs for local underprivileged and at-risk kids. Questions, call 407.656.3636 ext. 5416.

Saturday November 8 | 8:00 (race start time) – 11:00 am 
(in person registration available at event)
Newton Park, 1 Surprise Drive
REGISTER HERE

Holiday Gifts for Kids Program Registration 

November 10- December 5

WGPAL annually conducts a Holiday Gifts for Kids program to provide presents to Winter Garden youth in need (newborn - 12 years old). 

REGISTRATION DATES: November 10 - December 5

To register, pick up and return an application at one of the following locations or hand it to a police officer on patrol. (You can also access the application here.)

Winter Garden Police Department – 251 W. Plant Street
City Hall – 300 W. Plant Street
Maxey Center – 830 Klondike Street
Mildred Dixon Activity Center – 303 S.W. Crown Pointe Road
Jessie Brock Community Center – 310 N. Dillard Street

When registering, ALL the following documents are required and must be verified:

• Birth certificate or court/custody paperwork (only parent or legal guardian can register a child)
• Current water or utility bill for the Winter Garden address they reside 
• Proof of government assistance (WIC, food stamps, etc.)
• Some type of identification (driver’s license, ID card, passport, etc.)
• Child must be age 12 or younger

Note: You are not registered for the program until you have been contacted by the Community Liaison Unit and given a HGFK ticket with a scheduled pickup date and time.

Questions, call 407.656.3636 ext. 5416.

HOW TO DONATE 
WGPAL fundraisers partially fund this program, but donations from our generous community are needed to bring smiles to all the local kids in need. 

Please donate NEW, UNWRAPPED gifts. Donations are tax deductible. 

Donation Ideas:
*Toys *Board Games *Sport Balls *Puzzles *Toy Cars & Trucks *Legos *Matchbox Cars *Dolls *Bicycles for All Ages *Arts & Crafts Sets *Jewelry Kits *Infant Toys *Action Figures *Gift Card *Check payable to WINTER GARDEN POLICE ATHLETIC LEAGUE, INC. 

DONATION DROP OFF:
November 1 - December 12
Winter Garden Police Department, 251 W. Plant Street

Upcoming School Holiday Camps

Reserve your child’s spot now for upcoming School Holiday Camps hosted by the qualified, well-trained Winter Garden Parks & Recreation staff. Activities include arts and crafts, games, sports, and more! 

Camp is open to all children in kindergarten through 8th grade. Campers must bring a packed lunch, snacks and a water bottle to camp every day. 

CAMP DATES:
Thanksgiving Break | November 24 - 26
Winter Break | December 22, 23, 24, 26, 29, 30, 31 and January 2, 5
Presidents' Day | February 16

7:00 am – 6:00 pm
Age | Kindergarten - 8th grade
$26 City Resident / $34 Nonresident, per day
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

FOG Alert for the Holidays:
Don’t let FOG (Fats, Oils, and Grease) Ruin Your Festivities
Get Your Free Pan/Plate Scraper

Many residents will spend extra time cooking up delicious meals and desserts for holiday gatherings. Be on alert for FOG (fats, oils, and grease) as these uninvited guests can ruin the merry season if not disposed of properly. 

Pouring FOG down the sink or toilet can lead to blockages and cause overflows and sewer backups, potentially causing damage, costly plumbing repairs and health hazards. When FOG gets into the sewer from household drains, it can block the flow of wastewater from your home to the City’s wastewater treatment plant. This wastewater can then overflow into your home, yard, street, neighborhood, and local waterways.

FOG ALERT TIPS:
Don’t use your sink or toilet as a trashcan!

• Turkey drippings are fat. One pan can completely clog your drain. Pour FOG into a can or jar, let it cool, and place the can/jar in your trashcan.
• Whipped cream and melted butter should be wiped out of bowls before rinsing.
• Use your garbage disposal sparingly or not at all. Remember, it can’t handle a large amount of food. The food that goes into the disposal often get trapped in the FOG that line your pipes. This can lead to not only foul odors coming from your drain but can also clog your plumbing.
• Rinsing oil from deep fryers and turkey fryers down the drain, toilet, or storm drain is a big NO! Reuse it or take it to the Orange County Landfill for proper disposal (407.836.6601). 
• Using soaps or detergents that claim to dissolve grease only pass it further down the sewage line where it clogs in a different area of pipe.
• This is also a good time to remind you not to flush wipes down the toilet. Wipes, even the flushable ones, don’t break down like toilet paper and get caught in FOG. This combination can damage wastewater pumps and treatment equipment.  
• Scrape or wipe FOG and food scraps from plates, trays, pots, pans utensils, grills, and surfaces and TRASH it! 

Orlando Urban Sketchers

Art Exhibit at City Hall

Curated by the Winter Garden Art Association, this unique exhibit showcases the work of the Orlando Urban Sketchers, a group of artists dedicated to capturing the world around them, one sketch at a time. Featuring scenes from everyday life in and around Central Florida, these works highlight the beauty of urban environments through ink, watercolor, and pencil. Stop by City Hall to experience this unique visual journal of our community.

Orlando Urban Sketchers
Exhibit Dates | November 3 – January 5
Art in Public Places Gallery at City Hall, 300 W. Plant Street
Monday – Friday, 7:30 AM – 5:30 PM | Free

Registration Applications Now Open for
HOLIDAY PARADES & RESIDENTIAL DECORATIONS CONTEST

De-Light-Ful Decorations Contest 2025
Registration Deadline: December 12

City of Winter Garden residents are invited to enter the annual De-Light-Ful Decorations Contest. Festive presentations of outdoor decorations could win up to $100 - plus bragging rights. Judging takes place on December 16 and December 17.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER CONTEST. Deadline to enter is Friday, December 12, 2025.
CONTEST DETAILS

Women's Basic Self Defense Class

November 6

The Winter Garden Police Department is hosting a free basic women’s self-defense class instructed by a police officer certified using S.A.F.E. self-defense techniques. 

Class Date: Saturday, November 6 | 9:30 - 11:00 am or 11:30 am - 1:00 pm (select one session)
Eligible Participants | Women only, ages 13 and up
Winter Garden Police Department Training Room, 251 W. Plant Street | Free

To register, contact Officer Gail Michaud at 407.656.3636 ext. 4405 or by email. Classes fill quickly so reserve your spot today.

Sign Up Now for Free Citizens CPR Class

November 15

Interested in learning how to take a hands-on approach toward saving lives? The City of Winter Garden Fire Rescue Department is offering a free, 90-minute Citizens CPR Class to the community. Class size is limited to 12 participants and fills quickly so secure your spot now.

The program will cover:

-    Hands Only Adult and Child CPR 
-    Proper AED use
-    Adult and Child Choking 

Upon completion, participants will earn a certificate acknowledging their successful demonstration and learned concepts detailed in the program. 

Saturday | November 15
9:30 – 11:00 am or 11:30 am – 1:00 pm (select one session)
Fire Department Headquarters Training Room, 1 East Cypress Street | Free

Turn Back the Clock, Turn Down the Sprinklers 

It's Time to Reset Your Irrigation System to Once a Week

When you set your clock back for Eastern Standard Time on November 2, it is also a good time to reset your irrigation system to run only one day a week until March to comply with the conservation ordinance for landscape irrigation.

Remember: water only when needed, not between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm, and irrigate no more than one hour per zone. Automatic lawn sprinkler systems must have a functioning rain sensor device. For more information, call Sustainability Division at 407.877.5193.

Water Lawns Once a Week During Eastern Standard Time 
(First Sunday in November until the second Sunday in March)

Free Smoke Alarms Program 
Reminder to Test Smoke Alarms When Resetting Clocks

The Winter Garden Fire Rescue Department offers a Smoke Alarm Program, a community outreach initiative to improve fire safety. A smoke alarm is provided at no cost, while supplies last, to residents meeting the following requirements. 

1. Reside within the City limits of Winter Garden.
2. Do not currently have a working smoke alarm in your home.
3. Agree to let the Winter Garden Fire Rescue Dept. personnel install the smoke alarm.
4. Agree to test and maintain the smoke alarm once it is installed.
5. Agree to follow, at all times, the smoke alarm instructions found in the owner's manual.

As a reminder be sure to test your home's smoke alarms when you reset your clocks for Eastern Standard Time on November 2. Push the button on your smoke alarms to make sure the units are functioning. Smoke alarms older than 10 years should be replaced.

If you need a smoke alarm, batteries, or would like your smoke alarm tested, complete a Smoke Alarm Request Form or contact the Office of the Fire Marshal at OFM@cwgdn.com or 407.877.5175.

Save The Date

FALL INTO FUN WITH PARKS & RECREATION!

Click here for a list of Parks & Recreation programs, classes, sports leagues, as well as additional details about offerings below. Questions, call 407.656.4155.

Recreation classes are held at Jessie Brock Community Center, 310 N. Dillard Street. Click here to register.

AMAZING ATHLETES MULTI-SPORT PROGRAM 
Amazing Athletes is a fun, active multi-sport class that empowers kids through the fundamentals of sports and physical fitness. Children will develop core skills in up to 10 different sports—including soccer, basketball, football, and volleyball—through age-appropriate lessons in a noncompetitive, educational environment. In addition to sports skills, our “Muscle Zoo” animal characters introduce kids to muscle groups and healthy foods, helping them understand how their bodies work and what fuels them to play their best. It's a great way for young athletes to explore new activities, build confidence, and discover what they love! This program is an indoor program but may move outdoors if weather permits. 

Session 2 | Thursdays, November 6 – December 18 (no programming November 27) 
Tots | 18 months  – 2.5 years old | 5:30 – 6:00pm 
Athletes | 3 – 5 years old | 6:10 – 6:50pm 
$96 Resident / $105 Nonresident, per 6-week session 

ADULT RUNNING, CONDITIONING, AND INJURY PREVENTION
Adults will have personalized training in a group environment to improve fitness, conditioning, and running. They will learn how to run more effectively, lose weight through running, and learn to prevent injuries. It will be a three-week conditioning course that builds skills each week to improve overall physical fitness. 

Tuesdays | November 4 – 18
5:45 – 6:35 pm 
Age | 19 years and older
$75 Resident / $90 Nonresident, per 3-week course 

KICKBALL – ADULT LEAGUE
Gather your friends and come out to play the game we all remember from grade school which has evolved into today's hottest get-together sport for adults. Anyone can play from the less experienced to the diehard. This is a great way to stay in shape, meet new people, and have fun! Come out and KICK IT with our Thursday night co-ed league.

Registration may close early due to limited availability in each league. Number of league games varies each season.

POLAR BEAR LEAGUE
Registration | November 12 – December 3
League begins Thursday, January 8

Games | 6:45 pm, 7:45 pm, & 8:45 pm
$325 per team for season
Braddock Park, 13460 Lake Butler Boulevard

VIDEO GAME CLUB 
Gamers will meet and practice each week to train for a team tournament that will be held on the last class of each session. Upon joining the club, children 6 - 14 years old will build friendships while also learning and developing leadership, sportsmanship, and teamwork when engaged in video game play. 

Session 2 
Mondays | Rocket League Team | 5:30 – 6:30 pm | November 3 – December 15 (no programming week of November 24) | 6-week session
Wednesdays | Fortnite Team | 5:30 – 6:30 pm | November 5 – December 17 (no programming week of November 24) | 6-week session

$132 Resident / $150 Nonresident, 6-week session
Optional Purchase :| Esports Team Jersey | $45 

YOUTH & ADULT TENNIS LESSONS 
Highly skilled instructor brings years of experience and knowledge to participants. Class space is limited, advance registration required. 

Session 2 | November 3 – December 19 (no programming week of November 24) 
Age | 5 years and older 
Time and fees vary, please check www.cwgdn.com for details. 
Chapin Station Park, 501 Crown Point Cross Road

HOMOSASSA SPRINGS STATE PARK – HOMOSASSA, FL 
When Homosassa Springs was a popular train stop in the early 1900s, passengers could picnic and take a dip in the spring while train cars were being loaded up with cedar, crabs, fish, and spring water. A unique underwater structure, the Underwater Observatory, allows visitors to "walk underwater" beneath the spring's surface to watch the various fish and manatees swim about. The park also features a variety of captive animals such as alligators, black bears, red wolf, Key deer, flamingos, and whooping cranes. You will take a boat along Pepper Creek, weather permitting, where the boat captain will identify native wildlife along the way. Cost includes transportation, admission, and boat ride. Dutch treat lunch.

Tuesday, November 18 | 7:30 am – 6:00 pm
$29 Resident / $33 Nonresident

EXHIBITION

Home for the Holidays (NEW)

Embrace the joy and nostalgia of the holiday season through art that evokes the warmth of home and cherished traditions.

Exhibit Dates | November 6 - January 3 | Free Admission
Opening Reception | Thursday, November 6 |  5:30 - 8:00 pm 
Public Invited

CALL TO ARTISTS 

wgart.org/artists/call-to-artists

Visit the “Call to Artists” website page regularly for themes of upcoming exhibitions and submit online the FIRST through the EIGHTH of the month prior to an exhibition.

WORKSHOPS & CLASSES

Details and registration: wgart.org/adults

Yin Yoga with Olga
Relax, restore, unwind in a peaceful candlelight setting. Candlelight Yin Yoga at Sobo Art Gallery combines the beauty of art with the healing power of yoga.

Mondays | 10:30 am
$15 cash / drop in

Technique Tuesdays @ Two
A different instructor and technique is featured every week. 
Pick up new tips and techniques while enjoying the Open Artist Studio Space.

Tuesdays | 2:00 - 4:00 pm
Open to all | Free to members & first-time visitors
Schedule and details, wgart.org/Tuesdays

Artist Night Open Studio 
Model is available to draw every session.

Mondays | 6:00 - 8:30 pm
$10 Member / $15 Nonmember

ART FOR KIDS

Details and registration: wgart.org/kids

Wednesday Kids Art Club
Explore the world of arts and crafts with a certified Art Educator!

Age | 2nd grade - Middle School 
4:00 - 5:00 pm
$15 each session, includes all materials

Annual Fire Hydrant Flow Testing

Now Through December 31

The Winter Garden Fire Rescue Department annual fire hydrant flow testing and water line flushing is underway and will continue through December 31 (commenced on September 28). This is an important annual preventative maintenance activity that serves several purposes. The process ensures that all the City’s fire hydrants are functioning properly and identifies any needed repairs. It also helps maintain the City’s water quality by flushing all the lines and removing sediments from the system.  

Residents may notice a brief reduction in water pressure and some discoloration of the water. Discolored water poses no threat to the public’s health. If you notice discolored water coming from your fixtures, please allow the water to flow for 5 – 10 minutes to clear.

Although residents may experience some temporary inconveniences, the flushing program is necessary to maintain a good water supply for firefighting. Thank you for your cooperation and patience.

If you experience continued loss of pressure or water discoloration, please contact the Public Services Department at 407.656.2256.

City Government Serving You

MAYOR
John Rees, District 5 - Citywide
407.656.7372
jrees@cwgdn.com

COMMISSIONERS
Lisa L. Bennett, District 1, Mayor Pro-Tem
407.877.5131
lisa.bennett@cwgdn.com

Iliana R. Jones, District 2
407.877.5132
iliana.jones@cwgdn.com

Chloe Johnson, District 3
407.877.5133
chloe.johnson@cwgdn.com

Colin Sharman, District 4
407.877.5134
csharman@cwgdn.com

CITY MANAGER
Jon C. Williams
407.656.4111 ext. 2267
jwilliams@cwgdn.com

For questions, please email:

SocialMediaInquiries@cwgdn.com

Visit us at our websites:

www.cwgdn.com
www.downtownwg.com

Official Social Media Platforms:

www.facebook.com/officialdowntownwintergarden
www.instagram.com/officialdowntownwintergarden