Back in my newspaper days at the Sanford Herald, I wrote a column titled, “Around the Clock.” It included tidbits of information that weren’t enough for a full story, and at times the column took city officials to task for boneheaded comments or actions (like the comments Commissioner Patty Mahany made last week by making accusations without having all the facts.)
The genesis of the column came from Larry Verschel, who was the editor of the Sanford Herald back in the 1960s. He created the Around the Clock column. Today everyone knows the Sanford clock is located in Magnolia Square, but back in Larry’s day, the clock was in the middle of intersection of Park Avenue and 1st Street (it also had a traffic light).
Roumillat & Anderson’s Drug Store, which had a lunch counter, was at the northeast corner of Park and 1st. Lawyers, politicians and businessmen would meet in the mornings for coffee at the drug store. So did Larry. He’d gather the tidbits of news he heard by hanging out “around the clock” and then type up a column for the afternoon paper, thus the name. The name also alludes to a reporter’s constant gathering of news, no matter the time.
So I’m bringing it back once again, this time in digital form. Cheers Larry!
Smiling Bison and The Tennessee Truffle team up
Sometimes it’s hard to chose where to eat in Sanford. New restaurants like The District, Jimoti’s and Ricky’s Chicken are raising the bar, while Christo’s, Breezeway, Colorado’s and Camp House continue to be old favorites delivering consistent quality.
Two local chefs soon will make that choice a tad easier – at least for a night. Chef Josh Oakley of the Smiling Bison, and Chef Nat Russell of The Tennessee Truffle plan to combine their talents for a special dinner.
I don’t have all the details yet, but Josh’s business partner Ron Thomas told me last week that the event will happen sometime in August.
I’ll let you know when I have more details. For now, my mouth is already salivating just thinking about the possibilities Josh and Nat might come up with.
Celery City Craft opens event space
Celery City Craft has been in their new space (with a fabulous outdoor area) for a few months now. There old spot, just two doors down, has been used for storage as Shane, Jeff and the crew have transitioned to the new, larger space.
Saturday night, the space was re-opened for a private party and dubbed “Club Celery” for the dance party that took place. The plan is to use the space for private events and open to the public on Friday and Saturday nights (unless there’s an event booked.
If you’ve missed playing shuffleboard, check out the newly re-opened space this Friday. For information about booking events, call 407-915-5541.
Mules at Willow Tree
I ran into Christina Hollerbach last week, and she lured me to the Willow Tree Cafe with the promise of a special drink the staff had concocted – The Munich Mule
It’s fig vodka imported from Germany, Fever Tree Ginger Beer and a squeeze of lime. It’s a very refreshing, summertime drink. Just watch out for the kick!
Sanford, Fla. 