Lake and Sumter Style Magazine

25/01/2025

The Wildwood Wildcats boys basketball team has orchestrated a terrific turnaround this season, flipping their record from a dismal 4-18 last year to an impressive 18-4 mark. Under the leadership of head coach Richard Jackson, the Wildcats have emerged as one of the top teams in FHSAA Class Rural. The resurgance has been fueled by young talent and strong team chemistry.

“The kids worked hard all summer and fall.” Coach Jackson said. “Last year was challenging for everyone involved but we challenged the kids to really live in the gym and work at their craft. They responded great to that. We got back to some of the basics and worked from there. The kids bought into the culture we as a staff were trying to build,” says Jackson.

https://lakeandsumterstyle.com/wildwood-boys-basketball-team-flips-script-with-stunning-turnaround-season/

Wildwood Middle High School Athletics

WILDWOOD, Fla. — The Wildwood Wildcats boys basketball team has orchestrated a terrific turnaround this season, flipping their record from a dismal 4-18 las ...

25/01/2025

The Villages competition cheer team has quickly made a name for themselves. Established only four years ago, the competition cheer team is under the leadership of coaches Amy Zimmerman and Stephanie Biegel. 📣🦬

“It has been an amazing experience to build this program from the ground up,” said Zimmerman. “We’ve worked hard to raise awareness about what competitive cheerleading truly entails, while fostering a supportive environment for our athletes.”

This season, the team reached a major milestone, competing in its first-ever Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) regional competition and earning a third-place finish in their division.

📸 Photo Credit - Debra Snyder

THE VILLAGES, Fla. — The Villages Charter High School Competition Cheer Team has quickly emerged as a rising program in Florida’s competitive cheerleading l ...

25/01/2025

This is Lake Minneola High school student Noelle Schnacky. She’s 18-years-old and is the Founder/ Executive Director of “Hope for Heart Kids” Florida, 501(c)(3) nonprofit. “I got into this because of a deeply personal experience. I started Hope for Heart Kids in honor of my cousin, Tyler Schnacky, who was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). He fought a brave battle with congenital heart disease (CHD) but sadly passed away at the age of 15. His journey inspired me to take action and support other children and families facing similar challenges. My cousin’s story made me realize how important it is to raise awareness, provide resources, and fund research for congenital heart defects. This led me to create Hope for Heart Kids as a way to make a difference. Through this organization, I’ve been able to channel my grief into advocacy and support for those impacted by CHD. One of the ways I’m doing this is by distributing the Hope for Heart Kids children’s book collection to spread hope and valuable information. I’m passionate about making sure that families and children affected by CHD receive the care, attention, and resources they need, not just in Florida, but across the country. I have been running “Hope for Heart Kids” since 2022.”

Learn more about her in the link: https://lakeandsumterstyle.com/40-under-40-noelle-schnacky-18/

Lake Minneola High

25/01/2025

Shoutout to Lady Lake Police Officer Joshua Higgins and Sgt. Heather Couch. They were awarded the Meritorious Service Award for actions that saved a life. The two de-escalated a situation involving a suicidal individual, convincing the caller to surrender a fully loaded handgun and preventing a tragedy.

Other members of the department were also honored. Read about that in the link.

LADY LAKE, Fla. — The Lady Lake Police Department celebrated several milestones during Monday night's Town Commission meeting, including annual recogni ...

24/01/2025

31 of 40 - Our next 40 Under 40 feature is on Zachary Varnadore who is 27-years-old and the VP of Operations at Trinity Co. “In 2023 I was tasked with starting the Hydrovac Division. I took the opportunity with great pride and personally worked in the field with my crew for a year. We started with one vac truck and by the end of the year we grew to eight vac trucks, and we are currently continuing to grow. It was a great accomplishment for the company and was a great test to see my full potential.”

Read more about Zachary in the link: https://lakeandsumterstyle.com/40-under-40-zachary-varnadore-27/

24/01/2025

Congratulations to First Academy-Leesburg wrestler Ciaran Braton who made history and became the schools first athlete to win an individual tournament championship! 🥇👏🤼‍♂️

Braton competed in the 165-pound weight class at the Viper Classic held at Space Coast High School. Braton finished the tournament with a flawless 8-0 record.

Other notables include Freshman Cesar Quinones (215 lbs) who fought his way to a strong 6th-place finish, while sophomore Chase Simmons (150 lbs) earned 10th place. Both wrestlers secured their first career victories in their debut season.

https://lakeandsumterstyle.com/ciaran-braton-makes-history-for-first-academy-leesburg-wrestling/

First Academy-Leesburg

LEESBURG, FL – The First Academy-Leesburg Eagles wrestling team achieved a milestone this past weekend, as sophomore Ciaran Braton dominated the competition ...

24/01/2025

Signage is officially up on the new Waffle House in Lady Lake. 🧇☕️👀 The new Waffle House location is located in front of BJs and will be golf car accessible for residents of The Villages. Are you excited for Waffle House? Let us know in the comments below. 👇

Read about it here: https://lakeandsumterstyle.com/waffle-house-coming-to-lady-lake-will-be-golf-cart-accessible/

24/01/2025

Our next 40 Under 40 feature is on Jen Abston. She’s a 39-year-old Artist and Entrepreneur. She’s the owner of Fab Faces Entertainment. “In 2012, I moved to Clermont from South Florida. As a preschool teacher and solo mom of two amazing children, I started face painting at my church and children’s school as a way to supplement my income. With my background in early childhood education and love for the arts, I found my passion in face painting. This inspired me to launch Fab Faces Entertainment so we could serve people on an ever-larger scale!”

Learn more about her in the link: https://lakeandsumterstyle.com/40-under-40-jen-abston-39/

24/01/2025

Big shoutout to the Tavares High School student body who showed amazing unity today. 🥹💪They took time out of their day to pack the gym and root on the Tavares Unified Special Olympics basketball team who won 46-37 against the Mount Dora today. 👏💪Students made signs rooting the players on and it was an incredible show of positivity among the students. 💪🏀

Today represents the best of what Lake County has to offer. Moments like these are very special. Thank you to everyone for making this an awesome event!

Tavares High Best Buddies & Unified Special Olympics
Tavares Athletics

24/01/2025

Inspiring 🥹 Congratulations to Keiko for beating cancer! 🙏💪 “My last radiation was a success and 30 times radiation completed!!!!🥹😭🙌​ I rang the final bell!!!!🔔✨🥺😭✌️​ It was an amazing radiation team!!!!​
They are all nice, kind, sweet, great care.​“ says Keiko.
​
“I'm so so soooo happy to have this day!!!!​ Thank you for supporting and cheering me a lot.​ I can't thank you enough...”🥺🫶​ Love you everyone!!!!💞​
​
Stay strong and never give up!!💪" - Keiko

We pray Keiko stays cancer free. 🙏 What an inspiration!

📸 Photo Credit - American Cancer Society.

24/01/2025

Leesburg High School boys soccer team is eying a district championship for the second time in three years. 🐝⚽️ Leesburg is led by first year head coach Stetson Pasternak who’s taken to a 12-2-1 record. The Jackets are ranked #1 as they head into the district tournament.

“To see the team have this much success means so much to me,” Pasternak said. “It shows how the hard work the players put in during the offseason is now helping them succeed during the season. I give glory to God for all that we have accomplished. He has given me a heart to build up the younger generation, and soccer has helped me do so. I couldn’t do any of this without Him!”

https://lakeandsumterstyle.com/leesburg-high-school-boys-soccer-team-eye-district-championship/

Leesburg High School
Leesburg Yellow Jacket Athletics
Spencer Hey

LEESBURG, Fla. — The Leesburg High School boys soccer team has taken the district by storm, sitting atop the rankings as the #1 seed with a perfect 3-0 dist ...

24/01/2025

This weekend Hell’s Kitchen Star and Eustis native Brittany Fanning is bringing a can’t miss experience to Iron Works Steaks and Fine Cocktails in Tavares. 🔥🥩🍸 Brittany will be bringing her incredible “Southern Roots” menu Friday through Sunday. Reservations are highly recommended as seats are filling up fast.

Don’t miss this opportunity to taste the food of one of Florida’s top executive chefs!

Call or text 352-321-9340 to book your table now.

TAVARES, Fla. — Foodies and fans of culinary drama, get ready to turn up the heat in Tavares this weekend! Ironworks Steaks and Fine Cocktails will host a s ...

24/01/2025

👏 Please join us in congratulating the Eustis High School girls weightlifting team who won the Class 2A district championship in both Traditional and Olympic weightlifting! 🔥🥇🏆 This is a big accomplishment for these girls! Way to go!!

Eustis High
Eustis High School Athletics

24/01/2025

Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter joins Habitat organizations around the world in erecting a memorial framed wall to pay tribute to the late President Jimmy Carter and acknowledge how his efforts opened doors to brighter futures for thousands of Habitat homeowners over nearly four decades.

Habitat Lake-Sumter’s memorial framed wall will be at 710 S. Bay St. Eustis, Florida on January 30th, at 10am. The media and the general public are invited to pay tribute by signing the memorial with their names and personal messages.

Habitat’s memorial event will be held around the globe; public invited to view and sign memorial walls Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter joins Habitat org ...

24/01/2025

Lake County K9 prevents potential tragedy in this week's Hometown Headlines.
Other stories this week:
Lake County Schools announces Teach of the Year finalist.
Lake County Schools graduation rate increases
Leesburg native runs 100-mile ultramarathon
City of Groveland host ribbon cutting for Elese Tomlin Empowerment Center
Style Magazine introduces teen CrossFit phenom.

Thank you to Jenkins Nissan and Red Apples Media for providing ongoing production support for the program.

23/01/2025

The City of Tavares is throwing a street party, and everyone’s invited! Join us for the 4th Annual RHYTHM ON RUBY Street Party on Saturday, January 25, from 4:00 pm – 10:00 pm in downtown Tavares on Ruby Street and at Wooton Park.

2 STAGES OF LIVE MUSIC presenting:

BLANDINI featuring guys from Vince Neil, Slaughter, 38 Special. SWITCH Back to the 80’s and
THE SHAELYN BAND

There will be Food Trucks setup, street performers, roaming artists and more! Click the link for more info! We hope to see you there!!

The City of Tavares is throwing a street party, and everyone's invited! Join us for our 4th Annual RHYTHM ON RUBY Street Party on Saturday, January 25, ...

23/01/2025

The 2025 Lake County All-Area High School Wrestling Team has been announced! 🤼‍♂️🔥💪 We have some amazing wrestlers that have really excelled this year! Congratulations to all the athletes! See who made the list below 👇

106 Pounds – Damian Quinonez – Mount Dora High

113 Pounds – Brayden Brown – Mount Dora High

120 Pounds – Logan Kelly – Tavares High

126 Pounds – Gabriel Gandolla – Tavares High

132 Pounds – Kollen Staab – Mount Dora High

138 Pounds – Ben Abeele – Tavares High

144 Pounds – Emmanuel Jones-Baez – South Lake High

150 Pounds – Khairi Coleman – Tavares High

157 Pounds – Connor Berry – Mount Dora High

165 Pounds – Colton Fickett – Mount Dora High

175 Pounds – Artavius Riley – Tavares High

190 Pounds – Jeremy Batista – Tavares High

215 Pounds – Jelani Bentley – Tavares High

285 Pounds – Jesus Oquendo – Tavares High

https://lakeandsumterstyle.com/2025-lake-county-florida-all-area-wrestling-team-announced/

Mount Dora Wrestling
Tavares Athletics
Tavares High School
South Lake High School Athletics

The 2025 Lake County All-Area Wrestling team has been announced. There is so much talent out there this season and we have seen one of the best years of wre ...

23/01/2025

🍭 Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop is set to open its doors soon at 300 W Main Street in Downtown Leesburg, in the former location of God Cafe. 🍭🍬 The candy shop will bring an extensive selection of nostalgic and hard-to-find candies, international treats, and over 250 varieties of glass bottled craft soda.

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

For more info click the link: https://lakeandsumterstyle.com/grandpa-joes-candy-shop-coming-soon-to-downtown-leesburg/

https://lakeandsumterstyle.com/grandpa-joes-candy-shop-coming-soon-to-downtown-leesburg/