What Orlando is talking about
🏞 2022. That’s when Orlando’s new Packing District will open. The $700 million neighborhood project just outside of College Park will debut in the spring with a YMCA, a 66-acre park featuring trails, wetlands, and a pond, and apartments. (Orlando Sentinel)
👀 “Left for Dead” is the name of the group of police detectives looking to solve 45-year old cold cases of 35 murder victims in Central Florida, all of who were never identified. According to WESH, “Detectives from the Orlando Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff's Office met with Dr. Erin Kimmerle, a forensic anthropologist from the University of South Florida who started the Left for Dead initiative seven years ago. The team will combine the science of facial reconstruction, biological profiling, and chemical isotope testing with the expertise of cold case detectives.” Currently, the work is funded primarily by the Florida Sheriff's Association, seized drug money, and forfeiture funds. (WESH)
⚽️ Orlando City SC will face off against CF Montreal in its 2022 home opener. The match is set for Feb. 27 at Exploria Stadium and tickets start at $18 per game if you want to cheer the Lions onto victory this season. Check out the rest of the 2022 schedule at the link. 👉 (Orlando City SC)
📰 Florida is in the frontline of the culture wars yet again: Yesterday Gov. Ron DeSantis introduced the "Stop W.O.K.E. Act" during a press conference in Wildwood. As detailed by NBC 6 South Florida, “The legislation would codify the state's Department of Education prohibition on teaching critical race theory in K-12 schools and prohibit school districts, colleges and universities ‘from hiring woke CRT consultants.’” Critical race theory — condensed by Education Weekly as the idea that “race is a social construct, and that racism is not merely the product of individual bias or prejudice, but also something embedded in legal systems and policies,” — has become a frequent target of the governor and the Republican-controlled state legislature in recent years. (NBC 6 South Florida / WESH / News 13)
❄️Slide on into “winter” this weekend at Nona Adventure Park’s winter fest happening Saturday and Sunday. The Let It Snow: Winter Wonderland Festival is scheduled for 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. both days and will include a 10-foot snow slide, snow, an LED dance party, reindeer games, face painting, food trucks, and more. Tickets start at $15. (WKMG)
📖 Orlando Zine Fest returns this weekend. What’s that, you ask? It’s a daylong celebration when local creators peddle their self-published magazines, pamphlets, and the likes. You can check it out on Saturday outside of The Nook on Robinson from 6 to 10 p.m. (Orlando Weekly)
🛍 There will be a new spot to shop in the Milk District this weekend. Mofongo Kicks, a Puerto Rican streetwear brand, will pop up at The Spot on Saturday from 12 to 5 p.m. and will sell its cool apparel alongside MalditoGedo, artist PulpoSabroso, and graffiti/reggaeton merchandise from Peruvian artist, Smokey. (Bungalower)
🎄 The Winter Garden Christmas Golf Cart Parade is back on and set for this Sunday after an almost wreck last weekend caused it to cancel. You can catch it for yourself Sunday at 5:45 p.m. (WKMG)
🌱 Got a green thumb? Don’t, but love a good air plant and staying trendy? That’s me — I fall into the second category. Lucky for us, Orlando abounds with nurseries and greenhouses as proven by this map from local lifestyle and food blog Lemonhearted. 👉(Lemonhearted)
