News from the District
Every month the District and its member merchants host parties, concerts, happy hours, live performances and more. Check back here for updated information or simply like us on Facebook to stay on top of everything happening in the historic heart of downtown Orlando.
RECENT NEWS
The Art of Basketball exhibit on Church Street
MAY 17, 2012 • This weekend check out The Art of Basketball, an NBA-themed exhibit on display in the Church Street Exchange building. Pro artists will work their own magic on real basketball backboards and sections of the court. New York street artist Billi Kid curates.
Amway Center to get The Club at NBA City
MAY 2, 2012 • This week, the Orlando City Council is expected to approve The Club at NBA City, a restaurant and bar located in the marquee corner of the new Amway Center. The restaurant will cover more than 4,000 square feet of ground-floor space on the northwest corner of the building near the corner of Church Street and Division Avenue. The Club is expected to open in October.
West Church Street to get a facelift
JANUARY 23, 2012 • Orlando officials approved a plan to give West Church Street a facelift between the Amway Center and the Citrus Bowl. The city received $17 million in federal funding for the project in 2006, but so far, only the stretch of West Church Street in front of the Amway Center has been built. The City Council approved agreements Monday to extend the improvements the remaining 1.25 miles.
Church Street's train is on the move
DECEMBER 18, 2011 • The historic train at Church Street Station will be on the move for the first time in many years. This January, crews are moving the antique into its new home - the Florida Railroad Museum, near Tampa. "We are really grateful to Orlando for picking us," said Jim Herron of the Florida Railroad Museum. The train will be moved one car at a time, which will take about two weeks. The city of Orlando is moving the train to make way for a SunRail station downtown.
Legoland's Ford Explorer visits Church Street
OCTOBER 03, 2011 • The Ford Explorer made of 382,000 Lego bricks made stops in Orlando en route to its new home at Legoland Florida, where it will be installed Tuesday. The Winter Haven theme park opens to the public on Oct. 15.
It will rest outside Legoland’s Ford Driving School, where children will learn to drive vehicles — at a maximum speed of 3 mph. The replica, which weighs more than 2,600 pounds (about half that of a real Explorer), was assembled by 22 people in Connecticut, unveiled at a Ford Assembly Plant in Chicago and traveled to Rockefeller Center in New York before coming to Florida. It was pulled on a trailer with large windows by a genuine Ford Explorer.
“People have just gone nuts when people see our driver on the road,” said Jill Swidler, Legoland Florida marketing manager.
Lego designers and engineers met with Ford designers in Detroit to plan the project. Observers revel in the details of the Lego version, which sports the Ford logo, dual exhaust, a button to pop the hatch, a spare tire beneath, gas tank lid, grill, side mirrors and license plates that read LEGOLAND. But the doors don’t open, and it doesn’t run.
“It has an engine, but you can’t stick a key in it,” Swidler said.
– Courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel
The Wine & Art Festival on Church Street
SEPTEMBER 24, 2011 • Artists, vineyards and gourmet delights from around the region converged on Church Street for the first annual Wine & Art Festival on Saturday, September 24. Hundreds of downtown art, food and wine lovers came out to sample the best in local, regional and international vintages while perusing the artmwork of more than a dozen area painters, sculptuors, mixed media artists and more.
The Wine & Art Festival was sponsored by WMMO and the District.
DISTRICT CALENDAR
The Church Street Car Show revs it up
The CSCS is taking the summer off and will return in September.
The Church Street Car Show brings the best in classics to customs the Church Street District the first Saturday of every month. Food and drink specials from District members, special car-themed vendors, more than $1,000 in prizes and much more make this a fantastic event for the entire family.
Car enthusiasts are invited to enter every month, and cars can be signed up even on the day of the event. The fee is a nominal $6 per vehicle.
Download the car show application in PDF format