Every year when the family makes the trek north to the annual Florida Folk Festival (see 6-13-23 post), I have tried to institute a practice of getting to know Florida on the long drive home. It’s so easy to get compartmentalized in South Florida and not learn more about the state we live it. It’s a six to seven hour drive. A sightseeing break along the way always appeals to me. We’ve stopped at St. Augustine, Christmas, and Mt. Dora. Other years, our detour has taken us in another direction, the Outlet Malls of Orlando. This year, Daughter voted on a return to Mt. Dora. And Mt. Dora it was.

I chose the second exit from the highway to reach Mt. Dora. It was difficult not to take the earlier Wildwood exit, where the Russell Stover chocolate outlet store is found! In past years we could not resist the temptation, it was like wandering through a supermarket of chocolate (someone has actually created a YouTube of the place). We brought home sweet delights to enjoy and share with others. Daughter, however, voted against the chocolaty detour.

Instead we headed directly, along twisted narrow country roadways to Mt. Dora, where compared to flat South Florida, there are actually hills. The mid-nineteenth century town grew alongside a lake, which we passed. The delightful town remains a stop for many tourists. These days we enjoy the historic town center, shops, restaurants. and overall atmosphere.

Once we parked and got set to find what we can find, the Indian restaurant, Shiva, caught my eye. Had the building it occupied once been a book store? What else could explain the sculptural restaurant’s façade? I could not find an answer.

It was easy to recognize the actual book store in town from the display above the store front. How nice to find a book store in a small town.

The Princess Theater, now empty, opened in the 1920s. There are many memories of movies shown there.

J.P. Donnelly was the first mayor of Mt. Dora. His ornate Queen Anne style home served as the home of the city’s masons.

What would a visit be without taking in a few of the local murals?

Mabel Norris Reese was a local journalist who stood up for the truth, writing about segregation and local corruption seventy years ago. In 2021, a sculpture was unveiled in Sunset Park to preserve the memory of her bravery (https://www.thehistorycenter.org/mabel-norris-reese/).

Before leaving, another reflection of the Folk Festival. The cover of this year’s program featured Ann Opgenworth’s amazing quilt, Water Birds. An artist and teacher, Opgenworth came to Florida in 1990. Her unique quilt art pieces together countless scraps of fabric creating intricate textile paintings.

Several other masterpieces made by her were displayed in the park center where festival participants checked in.