THURSDAY

• FLORIDA LAKES SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: From 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Epiphany Celebration Anglican Church 1724 South Bay St. in Eustis. Famous film music. $42 in advance $45 at door and $15 for students. Call Audrey Sanders at 352-589-1500 or go to floridalakessymphonyorchestra.com.
• DOCUMENTARY SCREENING: At 6:30 p.m. at W.T. Bland library, 1995 N. Donnelly St. in Mount Dora. Mount Dora Historical Society invites the public to preview “On the Shores of Lake Dora.” Followed by annual meeting. Go to mountdorahistoricalsociety.org.
• MOVIE KNIGHT 5TH ANNUAL COMMUNITY FILM FESTIVAL: At 6 p.m. at Epic Theatres of Clermont, 2405 S. Highway 27. Tickets are $5 and sold online only at eastridgetv.ticketleap.com.

THURSDAY, MARCH 30 TO SUNDAY, APRIL 2

• OKLAHOMA: At 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, 8 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at IceHouse Theatre, 1100 N. Unser St. in Mount Dora. Tickets are $22 for adults, $15 for students 18 and up with ID and $10 for ages 5-17. Call 352-383-4616 or go to icehousetheatre.com.

FRIDAY, MARCH 31

• BLUE GALA ANNUAL FUNDRAISER: At 5:30 p.m. at Lake Receptions, 4425 N. Highway 19A in Mount Dora. Hosted by Lake County Democratic Party. With cocktails, dinner, dancing and silent auction. Call Pat Spear for ticket information at 312-618-0317.

FRIDAY, MARCH 31 AND SATURDAY, APRIL 1

• SPRING FLEA MARKET: From 12 to 3 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday at Scottish Highlands Clubhouse, County Road 473 in Leesburg. With coffee, donuts and light lunch on Saturday.

FRIDAY, MARCH 31 TO SUNDAY, APRIL 2

• A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM: At 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday at Melon Patch Theatre, 311 N. 13th St. in Leesburg. Tickets are $18 for adults and $9 for students. Call 352-787-3013.

SATURDAY, APRIL 1

• AMAZING RACE FOR CHARITY: At 9 a.m. in Downtown Eustis. Based on TV series The Amazing Race. Details are kept secret until the night before the race. Go to amazingraceforcharity.com to register.
• RED SKELTON TRIBUTE: From 7 to 9 p.m. at Mount Dora Community Building Theater, 520 N. Baker St. Family friendly comedy show with Brian Hoffman as Red Skelton. Go to mountdoralive.com for tickets and information.
• FRUITLAND PARK DAY: From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Fruitland Park City Hall, 506 W. Berckman St. Free event with food, bounce houses, parade and DJ. Call 352-360-6734 or email ccopen@fruitlandpark.org.

In 2016, the readers of the Orlando Business Journal voted Clermont the "Best Local City To Live In"! It doesn't surprise us to hear that news though, as Florida Plus Realty & Central Florida 55 Plus are lucky enough to call Clermont our home. This city is filled with places to go and things to do. One of our favorite things about our hometown is the beautiful Lake Minneola. It features canoe & kayak rentals, walking & biking trails, restaurants and very soon our very own Clermont Cabanas!

Clermont is also home to some of the best active adult communities Central Florida has to offer, like Trilogy Orlando and Heritage Hills.

Trilogy has over 20 clubs and endless amenities including an 800+ seat event center that holds major concerts, theatrical productions, health expos, weddings, meetings, conferences, sports events, holiday parties and galas. They were the hosts of the 2016 Active Living Expo last October.

Heritage Hills is a scenic, relaxing community with its own 5-mile hiking and biking trail. It's also got its own fenced in dog park (and no pet restrictions!) for you animal lovers. This community even has a private onsite vineyard and wine club! What a fabulous way to spend retirement.

To see more on these and many more active adult communities throughout Central Florida, Click Here! 

"5 out of 5 Stars - Local knowledge / Process Expertise / Responsiveness / Negotiation Skills. Bought a Single Family home in 2015 for approximately $525K in Groveland, FL. Diana Stone is very knowledgeable, congenial and totally honest with long experience in both the area and varied housing options....Enjoyed meeting Diana and working with her....she found the perfect lot and home for us and carefully followed us through the entire process, making certain we were satisfied with every stage of the buying experience."

-Perry Stafford

"Diana is a true professional with the highest of standards. She sold our home in less than a month! She is a very warm caring person that will be honest Diana is a true professional with the highest of standards. She sold our home in less than a month! She is a very warm caring person that will be honest with you at all times. She returns your calls quickly and gets results! We will always use Diana for any real estate transactions that we need."

-Edward Freeman And Linda Freeman

"Diana Stone. What can I say? She was fantastic. Very professional in her job. I just sold my home faster than I expected, and had to find a home in the area I wanted fast. Before I knew it she called and set up an appointment to see about 8 homes. And I found one and bought it. Even though I wasn't in the area all the time she kept in touch with me all the way. She was like my friend. Thanks Diana!"

-Norman Kushel

Mote Morris, located at 1195 W. Magnolia St., gets about 3,000 visitors a year. The Chamber reached an agreement with the Leesburg Heritage Society to stage the house for self-guided tours and open as a welcome center.

Chamber Executive Director Sandi Moore said the move gives the Chamber greater visibility than it had in its former location at 6th and Main Street. The price is right, too: The Chamber's monthly rent will drop from $1,000 to $250.

"We are excited about the space we've had on Main Street, but it was not as visible as we would have liked," said Moore. "The Mote Morris House is much more visible. It's a destination and I think it will make the Chamber much easier to find."

The Mote-Morris House was built in 1892 for eight-term Leesburg Mayor, Edward H. Mote and his wife, Lucretia, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In 1918, the home was sold to John S. and May James Morris and a member of the Morris family would live in the house for the next 70 years.

The late Victorian home features a combination of styles, including its four-story turret, and two-story bay on the east side of the house. It is one of only a few original residences remaining. The house was built shortly after the town was platted and has had only minor changes in its 125-year history.

Leesburg Visitor and Welcome Center will host self-guided tours Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Large groups are welcome with reservation. To reserve your tour today, please call

352-787-2131.

The Chamber will show off its new home during the monthly Business After Hours at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

LEESBURG — When Dale Johnson, of Eustis, was a little boy, he loved watching the airplanes go by, dreaming of one day being able to fly one. Now 85 years of age and after a lifetime of pursing his dreams, he was awarded the Wright Brothers Master Pilot award, the highest honor from the Federal Aviation Administration, during a ceremony at the Leesburg Airport on Monday, acknowledging his more than 50 years of experience and excellence.

“I think it’s a recognition of love for aviation,” Johnson said. “I’m honored to have the award and so happy to have everyone here that has been a part of my journey.”

More than 100 friends and family members gathered for the presentation, given by Orlando FAA Safety Team Ops Program Manager Bob Jex, who said this was the largest gathering he’d ever seen in honoring one person.

Johnson grew up in Pennsylvania and took his first airplane ride at age 10. After moving to Eustis with is family in 1946, he finished school and joined the Florida National Guard and served as a communications specialist, and took his first solo flight in 1957 at the Florida State University Flying Club.

He became a high school teacher of biology, math and physics for 20 years but decided he wanted to pursue his love of aviation. He married his wife, Eileen, in 1968, and took some of his retirement money out to buy his first plane, a Cessna 150, which led to the start of Sun Air Aviation in Leesburg in 1973.

While training at his own school, Johnson became a certified instructor and has trained more than 1,000 students who have gone on to pursue their own aviation careers at major airlines, military aviation, charter and private businesses.

Johnson continues to keep his certificate current and has logged more than 20,000 hours of flying time, with 15,000 of them from dual instruction.

“They couldn’t have picked a better person to honor,” former student Ed Daughtery said. “I took flying lessons from him and eventually worked for him. He’s a great person and friend, and he deserves this recognition.”

Johnson was awarded a certified plaque and lapel pin for his lifetime achievement award. His wife also received a lapel pin for her support during his aviation career. Johnson will also be published into the FAA Roll of Honor of Master Pilots, which currently has 3,961 names since its beginning in 2003.

“I think everyone has something they look at that they think they can never achieve,” Johnson said. “I never thought I could fly on my own but I decided one day that I wanted to do that and I kept pursuing it more and more until it became my whole life’s work. If you have a dream, go for it.”

By Cindy Dian / Correspondent

With the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament getting underway this week, Lake County will be represented by a number of student athletes who were local standouts in high school.

Here are four:

Kasey Hill, Florida

Kasey Hill is looking to close out his college basketball career with a long run in the NCAA Tournament.

A standout at Mount Dora Christian Academy — then known as Mount Dora Bible — and Montverde Academy, Hill has produced a solid senior season as a point guard at the University of Florida.

Hill is averaging 9.8 points and 4.6 assists per game for the Gators. His season high in scoring was 21 points, which he achieved twice — on Dec. 11, 2016, against Florida State and again on Feb. 4 against Kentucky.

Hill helped Florida to a 24-8 record this season and No. 4 seed in the East Region of the upcoming NCAA tournament. The Gators are set to play 13th seeded East Tennessee State on Thursday in a first-round game at the Amway Center in Orlando.

Statistically, Hill has been at his best this season. His season scoring average is a career high and he is three assists shy of tying his career best of 149 — a mark he established as a sophomore.

He’s also become a leader on the floor and someone his younger teammates look to for leadership at crunch time.

At Montverde Academy, Hill was credited with an assist on the Eagles’ game-winning basket in the 2013 national championship game. He also was named a McDonald’s All-American and played for the East team.

He scored 12 points and had seven assists and five rebounds in the 2013 Jordan Brand Classic while playing for the West team.

Christ Koumadje, Florida State

Christ Koumadje knows what it takes to win national championships.

As a student athlete at Montverde Academy, Koumadje contributed to a pair of national titles, in 2014 and 2015. He’s hoping to use those experiences to help Florida State overcome the odds and win the first national championship in basketball in school history.

Koumadje, a 7-foot-4 center, turned in a soilid sophomore season with the Seminoles in 2016-17, helping the program to a 25-8 record, including an 18-0 mark at home. Playing mostly a backup role, Koumadje averaged 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds in 10 minutes per game.

He shot 65 percent from the field and had 1.1 blocks per game. Koumadje had a career high of 14 points on Nov. 18 against Winthrop and tied his career best with five rebounds against Detroit-Mercy two days later.

In Florida State’s 74-68 win against Virginia Tech on Thursday in the ACC tournament quarterfinals at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Koumadje scored five points, grabbed one rebound and blocked two shots. On Friday, against Notre Dame in the tournament semifinals, Koumadje scored one point and pulled down two rebounds in the 77-73 loss.

Koumadje’s next game will be Thursday in a first-round game at the Amway Center in Orlando against Florida Gulf Coast University. The Seminoles enter the tournament as West Region’s third seed, while Florida Gulf Coast is seeded 14th.

Justin Bibbs, Virginia Tech

Like Koumadje, who was his teammate for a season at Montverde Academy, Justin Bibbs knows how to win.

And he’s hoping to do the same at the next level.

Bibbs, a junior guard at Virginia Tech, has helped to lead the Hokies to a 22-10 record this season. He averaged 9.2 points per game in 32 starts, shooting 41 percent from the field and 43 percent from the three-point line.

This season, Bibbs scored a season-high 18 points on three occasions. Against Wake Forest on Wednesday in ACC Tournament opening-round game, Bibbs scored 15 points — third-best on the team. A day later, against Florida State, he scored seven points in the Hokies’ 74-68 loss.

At Montverde Academy, Bibbs won two national titles and helped the Eagles to a 28-0 record as a senior. He was considered to be one of the nation’s top shooting guards by multiple recruiting services.

Bibbs’ uncle is Michael Haynes, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Bibbs helped the Hokies to a No. 9 seed in the East Region of the upcoming NCAA tournament. Virginia Tech will play eighth-seeded Wisconsin on Thursday in an East Region first-round game.

It will be Virginia Tech’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2007.

Jordan Caroline, Nevada

Jordan Caroline’s first season at Nevada was an unequivocable success.

The son of longtime NFL defensive end Simeon Rice, Caroline helped the Wolf Pack to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade after the team won the Mountain West regular season and conference championships.

With the Wolf Pack, Caroline averaged 14.8 points per game as a sophomore transfer. He shot 47 percent from the field and pulled down 9.2 rebounds per game as a 6-foot-7 swingman.

He joined Nevada after transferring from Southern Illinois, where he was named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman team.

Caroline’s grandfather is the late J.C. Caroline, a defensive back with the Chicago Bears and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He won national titles at Montverde Academy in 2013 and 2014 and averaged 12 points and eight rebounds per game.

Nevada, 12th seed in the Midwest Region, will play Iowa State on Thursday in a first-round game in Milwaukee.

Frank Jolley @DC_Sports

Myth No. 1: The lender owns the home

You will retain the title and ownership during the life of the loan, and you can sell your home at any time. The loan will not become due as long as you continue to meet loan obligations such as living in the home, maintaining the home according to Federal Housing Administration (FHA) requirements, and paying property taxes and homeowner's insurance.

Myth No. 2: The home must be free and clear of any existing mortgages

Actually, many borrowers use the reverse mortgage loan to pay off an existing mortgage and eliminate monthly mortgage payments.

Myth No. 3: Once loan proceeds are received, you pay taxes on them

Reverse mortgage loan proceeds are tax-free, as it is not considered income. However, it is recommended that you consult your financial adviser and appropriate government agencies for any effect on taxes or government benefits.

Myth No. 4: The borrower is restricted on how to use the loan proceeds

Once any existing mortgage or lien has been paid off, the net loan proceeds from your Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) loan can be used for any reason.

Many borrowers use it to supplement their retirement income, defer receiving Social Security benefits, pay off debt, pay for medical expenses, remodel their home, or help their adult children. You worked hard for this asset and prudence along with budgeting should be the proper approach to enjoying proceeds received from your HECM loan.

Myth No. 5: Only poor people need reverse mortgages

The perception of the reverse mortgage as an assist for the "poor" borrower is changing. Many affluent senior borrowers with multimillion dollar homes and healthy retirement assets are using reverse mortgage loans as part of their financial and estate planning, and are working closely in conjunction with financial professionals and estate attorneys to enhance the overall quality and enjoyment of life.

Myth No. 6: My children will be responsible to pay off the loan

Reverse mortgages are a non-recourse loan. If your heirs wish to keep the home and the loan balance is more than the home value, they would only have to pay 95 percent of the appraised value to keep the home.

Donna M. Linton is a professional reverse mortgage adviser with six years' experience. She currently works at Sterling Mortgage Services, 100 Albany Ave., Stuart.

© 2017 Journal Media Group, Donna Linton, YourNews contributor