📖 Add this to your list of reasons to love the library

Plus, how to get free trees for your lawn, a new round of I Spy for our members, and "60 Minutes"' hot take on Florida.

By Katie Johnston

Hey y’all, happy Tuesday. 

And happy National Library Workers Day to our invaluable keepers of words and knowledge out there. We’re in the middle of National Library Week in Orlando and if you thought the library was only good for checking out books that you could order off Amazon anyway (don’t do that), well, you’ve got another thing (more like 101 things) coming. 

Early on in the pandemic, we rounded up 101 things we love about the library and it’s a good start to making the most of this important cornerstone of our community, whether you’re looking to learn a new language, join a writing club, or tune in to storytime. 

As Albert Einstein once said, “The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.” This was pre-internet so knowing its web address works too. 😉

Keep reading for news about how to score free trees for your lawn, what's going on with Tampa's waterways, where to find EV charging stations around town, and how to get a vaccine. And if you read all the way to the end, you’ll see why some Floridians aren’t in favor of “60 Minutes” latest hot take and why others agree with it.

What Orlando is talking about 

👀 Tampa may be some ways away from the City Beautiful, but the quality of our state’s waters ought to concern all Floridians. You may have heard over the weekend about a leak at Piney Point, an out-of-commission phosphate mine in Manatee County. Officials are concerned that the breach could cause millions of gallons of contaminated wastewater to flood into nearby homes, prompting Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency for Manatee, Hillsborough, and Pinellas counties. More than 300 nearby homes and businesses have been evacuated.

In order to stave off a complete breach and uncontrolled flooding, the Army Corps of Engineers is assisting state and local crews with pumping millions of gallons of wastewater into Tampa Bay. Needless to say, this is also not ideal, since the influx of nutrients could cause algae blooms and harm the water’s wildlife. Tampa Bay Waterkeeper is keeping close eyes on the situation, and given Orlando's proximity to the threatened bodies of water, so should we.

In other news...

🌳 The city of Orlando kicked off Earth Month yesterday by giving away free trees. You can order two for your own yard by going to arborday.org/cityoforlando. Choose from a white Crape Myrtle, Sweetbay Magnolia, Tulip Poplar, or a Dahoon Holly. The city will deliver the trees to your front door! (City of Orlando) 

🚫 A committee of the Florida Senate is meeting today to talk about a proposal that would fine social media companies for banning political candidates from their platforms. The proposed fines range from $10,000 a day to $100,000 a day. An accompanying bill has already been moving through the House. (Orlando Weekly) 

⚽️ Lake Nona is getting a semi-pro soccer team. Nona FC will debut in the summer of 2022 and the Nona Soccer Academy is hopeful to feed its players to the MLS. (Bungalower) 

⚜️ Universal has extended Mardi Gras again, this time through May 2. The annual foodie and cultural festival was originally set to end on March 28 but due to popular demand, has been extended twice. (WKMG) 

In COVID-19 news… 

💉 The Salvation Army is giving out Johnson & Johnson vaccines today to adults 18 and up. Start time is at 10 a.m. and they’ll go until they run out. (FOX35) 

💉 Publix reopened its vaccine portal yesterday and was booked solid by 10 a.m. The grocery store chain plans to open its portal again on Wednesday and plans to offer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. (FOX35) 

💉 The University of Central Florida is offering vaccines to students tomorrow through Friday. The school has about 6,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to distribute. (WKMG) 

💉 The Orlando VA has expanded eligibility for its vaccines to all veterans and spouses. (Orlando Sentinel) 

⏯ Wanna play a game?

Things to do

Submit your events to our calendar.

Today

🎶 Take your lunch break outdoors and enjoy some live music from UCF students and faculty (Downtown)

Tomorrow

🍺 There's a new beer in town promoting Mills 50 and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer will be on hand to unveil it (Mills 50 District)

🍺 Celebrate #407Day with the new City Beautiful IPA from Orange Blossom Brewing Co. and grab a pint glass to match (City of Orlando )

🍻 Celebrate 15 years of brewing organic beer in Central Florida with food, fun, and new beer releases (SoDo)

❓ Test your Star Wars knowledge with trivia and brews at Motorworks Brewing (Downtown)

Thursday

🛍 Support local while gettin' your eatin', drinkin', and dancin' on at the outdoor Spring Fling Party (Sanford)

🍷 Taste rounds of rosé at Luisa's Cellars wine pairing event (Sanford)

🍿 Watch the 1971 cult classic "Duel" on the big screen outdoors in Central Park (Winter Park)

🎶 Venture out for a night of 50s and 60s rockabilly music under the stars at The Plaza Live (Milk District)

💉 Share your ideas about education and vaccines in this open civil discourse forum at the Winter Park Library (Winter Park)

Friday

🎬 Pony up for a night of "Sister Act 1" outdoors on the big screen and some good eats from Jimmy Hulas (Mills 50)

💐 Calling all green thumbs, see how your orchids stack up at the International Spring Orchid Festival happening at Krull-Smith Landscapes through Sunday (Apopka)

🎶 Stay in and stream the jazzy ensemble, Russ Spiegel Organ Group, to your living room, courtesy of our friends at Timucua Arts Foundation (Online)

Saturday

🎟 Have a ball at the Ballet Ball set in 19th Century Paris (Loch Haven Park)

🎉 Embrace spring with a fling and an outdoor hang (Thornton Park)

🛍 Make your way to Will's Pub to shop local vendors and enjoy good vintage, good eats, good drinks, and more (Mills 50)

🎉 Grab the kiddos and head to the science center for Superhero weekend, a celebration of local heroes and superheroes alike through Sunday (Loch Haven Park)

☮️ Downward dog with cute felines in this bi-weekly yoga class (Clermont)

🍿 Watch "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in the dark in a park (Maitland)

🎶 Take a drive to Central Florida Fairgrounds for an outdoor festival of beers, BBQ, and live music (West Colonial)

🍿 Tune in to the Florida Film Festival's debut of "Street Gang: How We Got to Seasame Street" (Online/Maitland)

One more thing

Did you watch “60 Minutes” on Sunday? Apparently, reporter Sharyn Alfonsi compared Florida’s early vaccine rollout plan to “The Hunger Games”, a young adult series of novels and films depicting a society organized around the sadistic whims of the wealthy

Alfonsi pointed out that Florida originally set up mobile vaccination sites in the most affluent parts of the state like Palm Beach. The social media response has been predictably polarizing, either supporting “The Hunger Games” comparison or calling it outright malarkey. You can read a rundown from the Orlando Sentinel here. 

Be nice out there, y’all. I’ll see you again tomorrow! 

– ✌️ Katie at Pulptown

P.S. Did you tune in to this week’s episode of 15 Minutes in Pulptown? We talked about COVID-19 vaccines, who’s hiring, EDC, 407 Day, and who to follow on the internet. Check it out here. 

🎉 Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. 

🎙Tune in to our podcast. 

📩 Tell a friend to subscribe.

📎 Advertise with us.