Day 361 – Beyond the Obvious in Sanford FL

Look for the little things in Sanford

Today I wanted to take a different look at Sanford. I have been focusing a lot on buildings and”the obvious” that is right in front of me. It is also quite fun though to look for details when walking around. Can you guess where any of these pictures were taken?

Sanford FL

Sanford FL

Sanford FL

Day 360 – Bettye D. Smith Cultural Arts Center Sanford FL

Sanford FL Cultural Arts Center

The Bettye D. Smith Cultural Arts Center is located on 5th Street in the historic district of Sanford. This building is available for lease 7 days a week for all kinds of events. With a capacity of about 115 people it makes a great spot for wedding receptions (especially attractive because of the adjacent Centennial Park with its large gazeb – makes the perfect outdoor wedding…), Baby Showers or Bridal Showers.

More information can be found here.

Day 346 – Sanford Veterans Memorial Park

Sanford Veterans Memorial Park

After having lunch in downtown Sanford on a beautiful Saturday I walked down to the Veterans Memorial Park. The flag hung on half mast that day because of Ted Kennedy’s death, I assume (so yes, I am once again behind on my posts…shame on me!).

Sanford Veterans Memorial Park Monument

This little park right by the Sanford Riverwalk is actually quite interesting and the city has provided a good amount of history to read off the signs around the park. If you walk the park you will also notice pavers in the concrete that name all the wars the US has been involved in over the past, including the most recent ones in the Middle East. Those and other interesting details make this park worth a visit.

One of my favorite things in this very well thought through park is the main monument in the middle of the park. The fact that it’s located right by Lake Monroe makes  it look even more impressive. I liked taking the picture from an angle because it makes the brass eagle on top look majestic and quite impressive.

On each side of the monument there are sayings of famous Americans engraved into the black marble. They read as follows:

“A nation united can never be conquered.” Thomas Jefferson

“Give me liberty or give me death.” Patrick Henry

“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” John F. Kennedy

“We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.” Abraham Lincoln

I personally love monuments because they say so much about the history of a country and culture. The symbolism is powerful and there is so much to read just from a single, at first simple looking monument. So I could dwell on here for another hour but I think it’s better you check it out yourself and let me know what you think ;o) Keep in mind, this is only a small monument so don’t compare it to anything you might have seen in Washington (where some of my favorite monuments are located).

Sanford Veterans Memorial Park

Day 345 – Gourmet 2 Go Sanford FL

Gourmet 2 Go in Sanford FL

If you are in need of a quick bite that actually tastes good, or like their slogan says “Fresh Food Fast” you should check out Sanford’s Gourmet 2 Go on First Street (the location used to be Rubyfruit Juice and Smoothies, see Day 61).

Try the Creamed Celery Soup (called a Sanford tradition due to Sanford’s history as “Celery City”) and one of the delicious paninis for lunch, stop by for an afternoon latte with a $1 dessert shot or meet up your friends and enjoy a glass of wine in the evening while overlooking life on First Street in downtown Sanford.

Prices are very reasonable and I like that you can chose from different serving sizes depending on your appetite.

Here is their complete info:

Gourmet 2 Go
101 W 1st St Ste A
Sanford, FL 32771
(407) 322-3779
Closed on Sundays

Day 342 – Wolfy’s Bar and Grill Sanford FL

Wolfy's Bar and Grill Sanford FL

Wolfy’s Bar and Grill has without a doubt one of the best locations in Sanford – right on Lake Monroe with fantastic lake views! This Key West style bar is a great place to meet up with friends for drinks. The atmosphere is very casual so you will certainly feel comfortable. Their motto “Food, Spirits and Sunsets” fittingly describes what awaits you here ;o)

We have had great times here, however I have to say I personally wasn’t to fond of their food but the location and view makes up for that. It may just be the type of food (lots of fried stuff and mainly bar food) so you might have a different experience and I encourage you to give it a try! Fridays and Saturdays there’s mostly live music and Wolfy’s has a daily Happy Hour from 11:30am to 7pm.

Since Wolfy’s is under new ownership their web site will get a different look soon but for now here’s a link to it along with their info:

Wolfys Bar and Grill
530 N Palmetto Ave
Sanford, FL 32771

Connecting Sanford’s Past and Future at the Student Museum on 08/24/09

Sanford Student Museum

Here is an announcement for a special event in Sanford that will take place at the Sanford Student Museum (I had previously written about it on Day 221. I received this information from a Sanford365 reader who wanted to make the public aware of the event so below is the event description, quoted:

Mark your calendar for 8/24/09 to be at the STUDENT MUSEUM, 301 W. Seventh Street for two significant events! At 9:00 am the bell in the tower of the 1902 school will ring (for the first time in decades!) to signify the opening of the 2009-2010 for the Seminole County Public Schools. Afterwards, a plaque will be unveiled at the site of the first school lunch room in Seminole County. Then, the museum will be open for tours! Light refreshments will feature the yummy hot rolls long associated with the school. For additional information contact Judy Wiant at the Student Museum 407.936.1679.

This sounds like a great opportunity to explore Sanford’s past! I will try to be there )

August 31st Update: Here are some beautiful pictures of the event that SCPS shared with me. Thank you so much!

Bell Tower - Sanford Student Museum

Lunchroom Plaque

Dr.Vogel at the event

Next Alive After Five Event in Sanford is August 13 – Tropical Nights

Tropical Nights Party in Sanford FL

Just a quick note to let everyone know that the next Alive After Five Street Party event will take place on Thursday, August 13th, as usual every second Thursday of the month, from 5pm to 8pm on First Street. But don’t worry, the party is typically doesn’t end there because many of the visitors hang out at the local bars and restaurants until later in the night.

For $7.00 you can purchase your “sample ticket” and try free food and drinks at the vendors’ and restaurants’ booths. The theme this month is “Tropical Nights”, perfect with the weather these days )

This event will as usual have fun live music, this month on stage, the Junkanoo Band. They will represent Bahamian culture and also show us a costume parade through the streets of Sanford.

Something else you might want to do is stop by the Sanford Herald (corner First and Palmetto) to have your picture taken – condition: you must wear a tropical shirt and stop by between 5pm and 6pm. If they choose to take your picture you might appear in the next weekend issue in a photo collage. Now I am not really sure what exactly would qualify as a tropical shirt, but I am assuming if you show up colorful or in flower prints it should be fine ;o)

There will also be a Tropical Nights contest that will reward the winner with a $100.00 prize. All you need to do is stop by the vendors on a map that will be given to you when you get your sample ticket (wristband). Te vendors have to sign off on your map and once completed you simply drop it off at the Welcome Center on First Street (First Street and Palmetto).

Sounds like a fun summer party in Sanford, I will be there taking lots of pictures!

Day 325 – A Saturday Morning in Sanford FL

Sanford Farmers Market

Sanford FL is a great place to enjoy a relaxed Saturday morning, away from all the hustle and bustle. Since I also wanted to check out the new covered shade I had written about during the week, I decided to visit the weekly Sanford Farmers Market on Magnolia Square and then walk a bit through downtown Sanford to see what was new in town.

It was quite hot but nevertheless there was a good amount of people out here enjoying Sanford, listening to live music at Magnolia Square and visiting the surrounding stores, cafes and restaurants. The shade on Magnolia Square by the way turned out great and I was happy to spend some minutes under it ;o) After buying some fruits we walked along First Street and just took some pictures (see below).

Maya's Book Store

Maya Books and Music is a wonderful place to browse and find some used books. It’s located right on Mangolia Square. I had previously written about this unique book store on Day 6 when it was still located next to the Willow Tree Cafe (German restaurant).

When we walked by the German restaurant (who wouldn’t know this one by now?) I saw the weekend issue of the Sanford Herald displayed in front of the restaurant and found out that the Willow Tree Cafe is competing to be named the top German restaurant in the US! As a big fan of the Willow Tree Cafe, they definitely have my vote. In case you want to cast your vote, visit GermanDeli.com where you can vote once a day until September 1st. Support “Gemuetlichkeit” – there is no better place to live this very “Gemuetlichkeit” than Sanford ;o)

Willow Tree soon #1 German Restaurant in the US? You decide!

I am always amazed by the detail in the beautiful “art wall” (that’s how I call it) on First Street so today I took some more pictures of it… You can really get inspired here and I think I must have spent 20 minutes just looking at it. Very inspiring!

First Street Art Wall

After this quick stop on First Street and Magnolia Square it’s always nice to walk a bit around the Riverwalk or sit on one of the swings overlooking Lake Monroe.

Click the link below to see some more pictures taken on a Saturday in Sanford FL

Day 324 – New Store Fawn and new Location of Cindys Dance Studio Sanford FL

New Store in Bishop Block Building

It’s always exciting to see new businesses and stores coming into Sanford. One of the newest stores will be Fawn in the Bishop Block Building. You can check out their web site here. This unique kids store is scheduled to open beginning of September 2009 and will offer high quality fashion for infants, toddlers, kids, moms and moms-to-be. There will also be “recycled clothing” for kids available. Great idea, with kids growing out of clothes within a season this is a great way to save money in today’s economy.

New Location of Cindys Dance Studio

Just as much as I like to see new businesses come in, I also like to see businesses growing and expanding.

Cindy’s Dance Studio will soon be located in the Imperial Opera House Building (originally opened in 1910 and constructed in Florentine Palazzo style). This building is located across from the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center.

Here is Cindy’s Dance Studio’s old/current address info:

Cindy’s Dance Studio
202 E 1st Street
Sanford, FL 32771-1350
(407) 324-3999

The new address will be 119 S. Magnolia Avenue, Sanford FL 32771.

Cindy’s Dance Studio offers all kind of dance classes, from ballet and tap to hip hop to jazz dance.

Cindy's Dance Studio New Location

Day 321 – New Covered Shade will keep Magnolia Square dry

Installation of Covered Shade on Magnolia Square Sanford FL

When walking through downtown Sanford this afternoon I noticed some action on Magnlia Square. Sure enough something is happening here: the installation of a covered shade! So of course I had to ask how long we will get to enjoy “shelter” of rain and sun on Mangolia Square. Apparently this shade is here to stay! I can see this working really well, especially during Farmers Market or simply when walking through Sanford on an extremely sunny day. It’s a great spot to sit down and rest for a bit, not sure how it will fit into the cityscape of Sanford but we will see very soon… The project was going to be completed that very same day – unless, of course, the rain would interfere…