Twelve to 15 teams of local grillers will face off starting with the same ingredient, Boston butt pork, with the challenge of coming up with a unique and award-winning sauce, rub or secret recipe.  They’ll be competing for $1,100 in prize money, including a People’s Choice award.  Judges for the event include Chef Eric André of the Orlando Culinary Academy, Orlando Commissioner Patty Sheehan, Orange County Commissioner Mildred Fernandez and Nationally certified BBQ judge Ed Thomas, an architect from College Park.

A family-friendly festival atmosphere will include live, on-stage music (Dixieland and steel drum bands) and entertainment; games and activities for kids (bounce house, face painting, balloon artists, carnival games and lunch) all included in a $10 wristband; all-you-can-sample BBQ for a $10 adult wristband; food and beer concessions; special vendors; a 3-on-3 basketball tournament; and much more.

For additional event information, please visit http://www.downtownbbqcookoff.com/.

City Skip Day

Some co-workers and I headed down to Wall Street around lunchtime and things were already picking up. Upon entering, the promoters were handing out mugs to mark the occasion and a reason why you might want to skip work. Mine read, “My dog ate my car.” As an added bonus (one not affiliated with the event), a man in a pink dress wearing pink shoes and pink lipstick showed up and started dancing in the middle of Orange Ave. About 100 people stopped to watch and have a good laugh. Video was recorded. I’ll provide a link once it’s posted.

The free beer might not last all night, but I’m sure the party will.

Free Chips and a Fountain Drink with the purchase of any Pita or Salad!

Get One Pita FREE with the purchase of any two pitas.

I know what I’m having for lunch this Friday …

A few days later, I indirectly found @MADAboutWords when someone “retweeted” her post:

“Only two spots left for Saturday’s workshop with Kerouac House writer-in-residence Brian Turner. It’s gonna be great!”

I sent the included link to my wife and she immediately became interested in the writing workshops and events that Mary Ann de Stefano (the woman behind @MADAboutWords) was organizing.

So here we are today, sitting at a table in the Dandelion Communitea Cafe, writing about whatever. There are a couple dozen people here, some with laptops, others with little notebooks. A few are in conversation about non-writing topics. Others are just here for dinner.

My wife and I just finished “Eve’s Revenge”, a salad combining apples, walnuts, raisins, feta cheese and red onion on a bed of mixed greens with a well-named “Balsamic Razzmania” vinaigrette on the side. Served with chips and hummus, my wife and I shared it as a quick bite to eat while writing.

The sketch artist Thomas Thorspecken is here, too. Or at least I think that’s him. We’ll have to wait and see if this sketch makes it up on his blog, “Analog Artist Digital World”.

The room we’re in is decorated with bright colors. Yellow walls. A yellow and orange fabric hangs from the ceiling, with a disco-ball-like chandelier in the center. A few teas are available, including Tropical Ice Black and Buttercup something something on the back table.

Little pieces of art hang on the wall, all of them with an outdoorsy theme … birds, trees, rabbits and a fox eating a book. A sign is leaning up against the wall with the words “a tonic a day!” and lists some various “tonics”. One that catches my eye is “Liquid Yoga” … sounds like the perfect drink right before bed.

Well, time to go. Our first MAD About Words event is in the books.

My wife and I went to Leu Gardens Date Night on Friday evening and had a blast. The movie was “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, but the night was more about enjoying each other’s company and a simple dinner picnic in the amazing outdoor setting that is Leu Gardens.

We weren’t alone, however. I’d guess 600 or 700 people - grouped in varying numbers with picnic setups of all types - were camped out on the lawn by sunset. Even so, the atmosphere was very relaxed and offered a feeling of community that I find rare in our vacation destination of a city. The evening was so nice that we will be putting Date Night on our schedule permanently.

If you’ve never been to a Date Night, I highly recommend that you plan to attend soon. Date Nights occur on the first Friday of each month (weather permitting) and cost $7 per person ($2 per child), or free if you’re a Leu Gardens member.

Here are some things to bring:

• Blanket or low-sitting lawn chairs
• Picnic basket (anything you want, including alcohol)
• Camera (for photos of friends and the gardens)
• Bug spray or citronella candle
• Friends

NOTES: The photo above was taken about an hour and a half before the show. You’ll want to arrive at about 7pm in order to choose your spot. By the time the movie starts (8:30pm), there’s not much room to be had. Also, the bugs aren’t bad at all. We didn’t get a single bite and didn’t have either of the items listed above. Never hurts to prepare, though.

Standing outside the Orlando Public Library along Magnolia Avenue in downtown Orlando, you may not notice “Light Waves”. There’s a lot going on in this area and the entrance to the library is around the corner on Central. If you only took a moment to stop and look around …

What looks to be a colorful design element on the side of the building is really an interactive art display. Blue, yellow, green and red “waves” move up the building, while a series of squares with hand-prints move along the wall below. Those prints are almost begging to be pushed.

But there’s more to this urban music machine than meets the eye …

Looking to your left, along the base of the planter, the small plaque picture below presents a riddle:

Upon solving this puzzle a musical celebration begins. The people that were previously just standing around may start to look over and wonder about your magical gifts. It’s not quite like being Robert Langdon in “The DaVinci Code”, but it’s fun nonetheless.

Maybe in a couple of weeks I’ll post a video of . Until then, get out and explore!

Art information:”Light Waves - Urban Musical Instrument”

©2001, PhenomenArts, Inc.

Christopher Janney, Artistic Director

Over the past few months - in 90+ degree weather, no less - I’ve taken to being in the outdoors exploring the backwoods of Florida. I’m not doing this haphazardly, however, but instead on the trails of our State Parks and State Forests. These areas are quite possibly the most well-preserved and well-suited for hiking, and I find a great deal of enjoyment in the peaceful settings they offer.

As a goal, I’m attempting to get through the first level of the Division of Forestry’s “Trailwalker” program. To become a “Trailwalker”, one must complete 10 different hikes in at least 5 different state forests. It shouldn’t be a difficult goal to achieve, but it does require some planning. Only certain trails have been selected for the program, a list of which is available on the DOF website.

Many of these hikes are simple, a few miles or less. All of them are well marked and rarely require any real navigation skills. As long as you get the trail map and can figure out which way your starting out, you’ll easily be able to find your way back. When you’re out on the trail, look for posts, trees or other markers with colored blazes on them. One blaze means you’re on the trail, two blazes mean there’s a change of direction.

As of today, I’ve completed six hikes in four state forests: Kolokee at Little Big Econ State Forest; Lower Wekiva at Seminole State Forest; Buncombe Hill at Tiger Bay State Forest; Bluffton Interpretive at Lake George State Forest; Bay Loop and Old Cabin at Lake Wales Ridge State Forest.

Of the six, I’d easily go back to the Kolokee, Lower Wekiva and Bluffton Interpretive trails. The Lower Wekiva trail offered me my first view of a Florida black bear in the wild. While that may sound dangerous (I don’t think it does), there is no record of a black bear attack in the state, and I was well separated from the bear by 20 yards of brush and trees. I simply stood and watched as the bear made its way down to the small stream for a drink of water.

Unfortunately, no good photo evidence of this exists.

If this sounds interesting to you, check out a local state park or state forest. You’ll want to bring a small backpack (no fannypacks, please) with a simple first-aid kit, water and a couple of snacks. Just be sure to bring the trash out of the woods with you and to always stay on or near the trail.

Now that I’ve had some time away, I think I can take a more laid back approach to my writing. Worry less about getting the story out at the right moment, and focus on getting the details that make life in Orlando interesting. Not sure if that means I’ll have one story a day, or one story a week, but at least a few stories per month about what I’m doing (or friends, other bloggers, etc.) around town.

Anyway, just wanted to get back to this site and see what it can become. First story to come soon (but not too soon)!

Rock for Hunger, a local 501(c)3 nonprofit, continues to make a difference in the Central Florida community. From feeding 150+ individuals every week to helping with employment, housing and child education, to throwing concerts for awareness and hope, Rock For Hunger is going to end homelessness one person at a time through music and peace.

This Saturday, November 15th marks the 3rd annual Rock For Hunger Festival. This year’s festivities will take place at The Plaza Theatre in Downtown Orlando and feature over 20 local and indie bands sprinkled in-between chart topping hip-hopper Kardinal Offishall. Rock For Hunger Fest kicks off at 1pm with a street party and art festival and then moves inside for 10 hours of music, facts, raffles and more.

Tickets for the event are only $10 in advance and $20 at the door. What’s even better is that every $10 ticket sold will help feed 40 hungry people right here in Orlando. Whether you work or play downtown, you have no doubt seen the homeless situation throughout downtown, now is your chance to do something about it. Even if you cannot make the event, Rock For Hunger is accepting donations to continue the work they started 3 years ago on the University of Central Florida campus.

Get your tickets here, right now or at:
Ticketmaster
The Plaza Theatre Box Office
Park Ave CD’s
Park Ave UCF
And 10,000 Villages

This show serves as an awareness point for the Central Florida community. However, on November 16th, poverty and homelessness do not end. Rock For Hunger still needs volunteers and help with donations, cooking, job training and other aspects. We are always looking for new smiling faces that we can make into Rock Stars and make the people we serve feel like Rock Stars.

See you on the 15th and get ready to Rock For Hunger.

The Plaza Theatre
425 N Bumby Ave
Orlando, FL 32803
(407) 228-1220

For any questions regarding Rock For Hunger please contact Greg at greg.rollett@endagon.com or call 321.438.4442.

Guest author Greg Rollett, from Endagon Innovations, can be found on his blog at gregrollett.blogspot.com and can also be followed on Twitter

Dinosaurs will roar to life this week in Orlando as WALKING WITH DINOSAURS - The Live Experience takes the Amway Arena back to prehistoric times for a series of eight perfomances starting Wednesday. Audiences will enjoy life-size recreations of ten different species of dinosaurs, inclduing the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Plateosaurus, Stegosaurus and more.

The show depicts the dinosaurs’ evolution, complete with the climatic and tectonic changes that took place, which led to the demise of many species. The history of the world is played out with the splitting of the earth’s continents, and the transition from the arid desert of the Triassic period is given over to the lush green prairies and forces of the later Jurassic. Oceans form, volcanoes erupt, a forest catches fire — all leading to the impact of the massive comet, which struck the earth, and forced the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster or at the Amway Arena box office and range from $27.50 to $65.00.