Lake and Sumter Style Magazine

14/07/2025

The third annual Fiesta de las Americas, hosted by the Hispanics of Lake County Association (HOLCA) in partnership with Lake Square Mall, will bring a vibrant celebration of music, culture, and community to Leesburg on Saturday, July 19. The event is free and open to the public and will run from 4 to 8 p.m. at Lake Square Mall, 10401 U.S. Highway 441.

The festival will showcase a wide range of live performances, including DJ Sammy, DJ Mizz Remnant, Rika Rumba, Island Vibes, Grupo Corazon Mexico, Añoranza, Ricky Omar, Cailin Alainn, and Resgate Cultural Oxossi Capoeira.

“We are thrilled to bring the Fiesta de las Americas to Leesburg for the third year in a row,” Roland Nuñez, president of HOLCA, says. “This event is a testament to the vibrant spirit of Lake County, and we invite everyone to join us for an evening of joy, entertainment, and cultural discovery.”

Learn more in the link: https://lakeandsumterstyle.com/fiesta-de-las-americas-set-to-celebrate-cultural-diversity-at-lake-square-mall/

Lake Square Mall

14/07/2025

Well that didn’t last long.. Crave BBQ in Lady Lake has shut down. The owners say they didn’t see the establishment being successful... “While we wish the best to any franchisee that comes in after us, we don’t foresee this establishment being successful long-term. Franchisees are investing personally to pay for the franchise and set up the store. This is not a reflectio on anyone that may come in to run this store after ys, and if we have the opportunity to warn them of the risk they run with this franchisee, we absolutely will.” Said a note on the door put up by franchise owner Philip Jones.

Crave BBQ opened with high expectations being golf-car accessible and offering beer and axe-throwing.

Unfortunately with high upfront costs the owners saw no way forward.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below. 👇

14/07/2025

ALDI has officially announced July 31st for the Grand Opening of their Bushnell location. The first 100 customers through the doors on opening day will receive a “Golden Ticket” with up to $100 in ALDI gift cards. Those first 100 shoppers will also receive an exclusive eco-friendly ALDI goodie bag filled with products.

In addition, customers visiting between July 31st and August 3rd can scan in-store QR codes to enter for a chance to win a $500 ALDI gift card.

This new ALDI is replacing the former Winn-Dixie at 1122 North Main Street.

Discount grocer ALDI is set to open the doors of its newest Florida location in Bushnell on Wednesday, July 31, replacing the former Winn-Dixie at 1122 Nort ...

14/07/2025

A brand new Dunkin will be opening next to Ho***rs in The Villages. Located in Lake Deaton Plaza right off SR-44 it will become the fifth Dunkin location to open in The Villages. An opening date has not yet been announced but crews are finishing up the parking lot and interior of the building.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

14/07/2025

UPDATE - THIS SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT HAS EXPIRED.

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT - SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT NORTHERN AND CENTRAL LAKE COUNTY THROUGH 12AM. HAZARD - WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH. GUSTY WINDS COULD BLOW DOWN OR KNOCK AROUND UNSECURED OBJECTS.

Source - Weather Channel

13/07/2025

This is Tavares, Florida’s Kally Vathroder. Growing up she didn’t dream of earning a bachelor’s degree in holistic nutrition or baking alternative desserts for the public, but the 25-year-old is doing both after dealing with a life-threatening illness.

“My journey into paleo baking started during one of the hardest times of my life,” Kally says. “I was very sick with an autoimmune disease and didn’t know what to do or where to turn until my mom introduced me to Gretta Ellis, who guided me through the world of paleo and gut protocols.”

Gretta, of Ellis Integrative Family Practice in Tavares, taught Kally to eliminate certain foods and embrace paleo, a low-carb/high-protein diet of “whole” foods that are high in anti-inflammatory nutrients like omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants.

For those unfamiliar with the paleo diet, it is nutrition based on consuming foods that humans may have eaten during the Paleolithic Era, around 2.5 million years ago. It emphasizes the pre-agriculture hunter/gatherer foods like fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and high-quality proteins like meat and fish. Paleolithic humans would have eaten a variety of foods, including berries, roots, herbs, birds, bison, deer, fish, fruits, nuts and mammoths.

The paleo diet also eliminates processed foods and those packaged with modern preservatives, in addition to cereal grains, dairy and refined sugar – ingredients that are essential to creating baked goods and desserts that are off limits to many people with dietary restrictions.

Kally has made it her mission to find ways to offer healthy baked goods – including desserts —to everyone.

Kally now works for Gretta as a receptionist and created the Instagram page for Ellis Integrative. ()

Learn more here: https://lakeandsumterstyle.com/holistic-nutritionist-elevates-paleo-desserts-with-sweetness-baked-in/

13/07/2025

This is Beverly Steele. She grew up and lives in Royal which which is next to Wildwood. Royal is Florida’s Oldest African-American community and one of only two African-American communities in the nation that was formed at the end of the Civil War.

“My family, the Andersons, were one of the founding families. Today, I am inspired by the community’s elders and seniors as my mother, the late Evangelist Flossie Sesler and Mr. Maitland Keiler, 91, Royal’s most prominent community activist. They taught me to never put my hand out to receive unless there’s something in my hand to give,” says Beverly.

Read the full story here: https://lakeandsumterstyle.com/local-philanthropist-fights-to-protect-historic-african-american-community/

13/07/2025

This is Umatilla High School football coach Eric Samuels. Coach Samuels knows what it means to fight uphill battles.

As a senior at Umatilla High School (UHS), his football team didn’t win a single game. Not one.

A winless 0-10 season would crush most high school athletes’ dreams, especially after winning just 10 games total from freshman to junior year. But not Eric Samuels.

He put those difficult Friday nights behind him and played four seasons in the SEC at Vanderbilt, then professionally in the CFL with the Edmonton Eskimos.

Now, the UHS graduate is back where it all started only this time, he’s not wearing shoulder pads. He’s suited up in a whistle, a headset and a deep sense of purpose as head coach of the Bulldogs football program.

“Coming back here, it’s always been a dream of mine to help build something special where it all started for me,” says Samuels.

Despite the struggles of his high school team, Samuels’ talent and relentless work ethic caught the attention of Vanderbilt University.

“I wasn’t prepared for the SEC level of competition when I got there,” he admits. “But those challenges helped me grow.”

After his pro football career and nearly a decade as an assistant coach in Lake & Sumter County, three years ago, Samuels got the call that changed everything.

“Umatilla’s athletic director at the time, Pat Todd, reached out and said the head job at Umatilla was available,” Samuels recalls. “It was my dream to come back to my school and get the chance to lead. I had to take it.”

Since then, he’s been rebuilding brick by brick. Under his leadership, Umatilla transitioned to the Sunshine State Athletic Association (SSAA), giving the Bulldogs a chance to build confidence, grow and compete more evenly.

“We’re changing the culture, emphasizing hard work in practice, discipline and what it truly takes to win,” Samuels says. “We’ve had ups and downs, but the progress is there.”

Samuels is keenly aware of today’s shifting high school landscape, with transfers more common than ever. But he believes his story is proof that perseverance and talent still get noticed no matter where you play.

“You don’t have to be on a 10-win team to get seen. If you have the grades and the work ethic, college coaches will find you,” he says. “We only won 10 games total during my four years at Umatilla, but I still made it to the SEC and played against some of the all-time greats.”

Read the full story here: https://lakeandsumterstyle.com/built-by-struggle-eric-samuels-returns-to-rebuild-umatilla-highs-legacy-and-reignite-bulldog-pride/

13/07/2025

This is Carla Garcia and she owns VerdeVin, a tiny plant shop tucked just off Main Street in downtown Leesburg. When Carla Garcia was growing up in Puerto Rico, she would spend weekends with her family at El Yunque National Forest, the largest rainforest in the Caribbean.

“That was our playground on the weekends with my grandfather, and then we would go to the beach,” she says with a smile. “That’s why I call it Salty Plants.”

Specializing in tropical plants, VerdeVin is a lush little escape from a featureless workspace or the endless pavement of everyday life.

“If you come in looking for a tropical plant, something hearty and hard to kill, this is your place,” Carla says.

Guidance is all part of the service. After selling plants online, she wanted to bring her vision to life in a way that would bring people together. Since plants are so hands-on and visceral, it just made sense.

Read the full story here: https://lakeandsumterstyle.com/a-tropical-oasis-blooms-at-verdevin-in-downtown-leesburg/ #

13/07/2025

The Villages Costco is Massive! It’s getting closer to opening on August 6th! What are your thoughts?

13/07/2025

This is an Aerial View of Orange Groves situated on U.S. Highway 27. Clermont in 1960. The Orange Groves went through a few frosts in the 1980s that substantially hurt farmers.

Over the years, many farmers sold their land to developers and the once vibrant orange groves were replaced with cookie-cutter homes and commercial development.

Today Clermont is a sprawling metropolis suburb of Orlando that is attractive to families and growing everyday.

Do you miss the Orange Groves? M

Florida News Bureau