The debates are over and the election is less than three weeks away. Have you made a decision on who should be our next President?

While Living Orlando will not make an official endorsement, many media outlets are very willing to give us their opinion. Rolling Stone used the title, “A New Hope”, in endorsing Barack Obama, although they stayed away from any Star Wars comparisons to the Illinois Senator. “Hope” was also the word used by Foster’s Daily Democrat to endorse John McCain, saying the republican candidate is “a true harbinger of change, a candidate of hope.”

But have you decided? Who will you vote for on November 4th? Who do you think will ultimately become the 44th President of the United States of America?

Popularity: 5% [?]

Today is “Blog Action Day”, a day for bloggers to come together and write about one issue. Last year, that issue was the environment. This year, the discussion turns to poverty.

According to the United States Department of Health & Human Services, a family of 4 that earns $21,200 or less is considered to live in poverty. Back in 2000, when that number was only $17,463, more than one out of ten Florida residents fell below the poverty line (11.7%). In one of Orlando’s poorest neighborhoods, the child poverty rate was determined to be 73% by the 2000 census.

The City of Orlando’s “Working Committee on Homelessness” published a report stating that “there were no less than 6,300 homeless individuals within our tri-county area (Orange, Osceola, & Seminole Counties), and that there may be an additional 7,300 persons currently ‘at-risk’ of homelessness or inadequately housed in our area.”

While those numbers are sobering news, there is a exciting way to make a difference right here in Orlando through Rock for Hunger.

Rock for Hunger exists to end the cycle of poverty and homelessness through education and uniting the community. Through education for children in low income neighborhoods we strive to end the cycle of generational poverty. By providing linkages to employment, housing, and other services in the community we are going to end homelessness one person at a time through music and peace.

To achieve these goals, Rock For Hunger will hold a concert on November 15th at The Plaza Theatre, with nearly 20 bands scheduled to perform on a set of three stages. Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased through Ticketmaster, at The Plaza Theatre, Ten Thousand Villages or Park Ave CD’s.

Complete information can be found on the Rock For Hunger official website, www.rockforhungerfest.org.

Popularity: 7% [?]

If you’re planning a visit to ICEBAR Orlando, be prepared, it may not be the “arctic adventure” you’re expecting. The $35 cover charge - should you choose to experience the “ice” portion of ICEBAR Orlando - affords you 45 minutes and a drink in what amounts to an over-sized walk-in freezer with stacks of ice blocks for walls. The hand-carved features add some character to the room, but only so much as to provide a place for a photograph with friends.

After reading the press release and seeing some pictures on the ICEBAR Orlando website, I was expecting much more when I attended the opening night press event. Their usage of the term “expedition” gave me the impression that there would be opportunities to “explore” once inside the ice bar. Instead, I found a space that’s no more than 10 steps from end-to-end. Compared to ICE! at Gaylord Palms, there’s nearly zero interactivity.

There may be a market for ICEBAR Orlando, especially as a special event location, but the price tag is way too high for what you get in return on most nights. In comparison, $35 could buy you dinner and a movie for two at the Enzian, a ticket to “The Glass Menagerie” at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater or a weekday ticket to Halloween Horror Nights^*.

If you’re interested in seeing ICEBAR Orlando for yourself, Orlando Attractions Magazine posted an excellent review that includes pictures and video that beautifully capture the interior of ICEBAR and some of its most “interesting” features.

You can also read more on the ICEBAR Orlando website, or in one of many articles available on the web, including one posted today on CNN.com.

^* Florida resident price

Popularity: 6% [?]

The Ocoee Founder’s Day Festival is the most well-rounded community-based event in Central Florida. With a variety of great activities and entertainment, the phrase “There’s something for everyone!” is not just a valid marketing pitch, but the actual truth. There’s a 5K run/walk, fishing tournament, classic car show/parade, carnival rides, beer garden, arts & crafts marketplace and fireworks display that will light up the night sky from the middle of Starke Lake.

Oh yeah, there’s two full evenings of great music lined up, too. Bands like .38 Special, Jim Van Fleet & The Reign, Earl Thomas Conley and Rodney Atkins will all take stage. More than 10 hours of free live music to enjoy as a family.

So here’s what you need to do.

The entertainment begins at 6pm on Friday evening, so load up your car that morning with folding chairs for the entire family, and plan on doing dinner at the festival. With over 20 vendors on site, you won’t need to worry about food selection. In addition to the music, kids can participate in various contests, play midway games and ride a few carnival rides.

Don’t wear yourselves out, though, Saturday is a much busier day.

If you act now, you can register for the Louis Fazio, Jr. 5K Walk and Run for only $19 (thru Oct. 17, race-day $25), which takes place at 7:30am on Saturday morning. Otherwise, the classic car show and free fishing tournament both begin at 10am, while the main-stage entertainment gets going just after 3pm. You could also do some shopping at the arts & crafts marketplace, or enter your dog into the “Howl-O-Ween” Doggie Contest. Just make sure to pick a spot to watch the concerts (and eventually the fireworks) by 5:30 or so, because the place is going to get packed.

At the end of the day, Founder’s Day in Ocoee is the type of event that local residents should support. It’s not overly extravagant, but it is true to the area and does an excellent job of bringing the local community together.

If you want all of the details, complete information is available online.

For those of you who aren’t residents of Winter Garden, Windermere or Ocoee, pack a small cooler and drive the extra few miles to downtown Winter Garden for a stop at Sweet Traditions. This French bakery is full of amazing baked goods and sweet treats that should not be missed.

Finally, if you can find a few spare minutes during all of the excitement, you might want to pay the small fee (adults $3; students $1) to walk through the Withers Maguire House & Museum. This building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is only open a few times per year.

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The 8th Annual Wiggle Waggle Walk was kicked off this morning by WFTV Channel 9 / TV 27 meteorologist Tom Terry at Heathrow’s Oval Park in Colonial Center.

I’d estimate that there were 200 or more dogs at the event, which featured costume contests, local vendors and an awards ceremony for individuals and “packs” who raised the most money for the SPCA of Central Florida.

Here are some additional photos …  send yours to Living Orlando!

Popularity: 4% [?]

Tuesday, October 14^th will be a busy day for one local Orlando leader and difference maker.

Lee Cockerell, former EVP at Walt Disney World, is releasing his 1^st book, Creating Magic, 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies From A Life At Disney, which describes how we all can become better leaders in our organizations, communities, and personal lives. In addition, Lee will present the keynote address at Create Chaos, a one-week, 10-show creative monstrosity that is hitting the Orlando World Center Marriott from October 13^th – 17^th.

As a pivotal leader at Disney for the past 10 years, Lee is now working to share his magic with others through speaking engagements, teachings and his book. Currently, he is offering up a free chapter from “Creating Magic” to everyone that signs up for his mailing list. He can also be found “Twittering” and blogging on LeeCockerell.com. To see Lee at Create Chaos, head on over to the event’s official website and grab a conference pass today!

The week long event features a creative job fair, the Annual Create Awards, Design Conferences, the Motion Graphics Festival and much more. Not to mention some great parties and local initiatives like BarCamp Chaos, an ad-hoc session that invites participants to control the programming by preparing a 20 minute talk on any creative topic and presenting it to other conference attendees. Create Chaos will also play host to doterati’s, “Juggling Creativity and Business,” where local business leaders Ted Murphy of IZEA, Sterling Raphael of NFi Studios, Scott Allen from MonkeyFoot.com and Chuck Southworth of the Southworth Group will all speak on starting creative businesses from the ground up. Both of these events are free to attend and will be great for knowledge and local networking!

Lee’s book is available for pre-order at all major book outlets and will be officially published on Tuesday, October 14^th.

It sure is an exciting day for Disney and this community and an exciting week for the creative community!

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

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