At long last, one of the bumpiest stretches of highway this side of
Central Florida is getting a makeover.
Anyone traveling in south Lake
County is well-aware of the atrocious condition of U.S. Highway 27's outside
northbound lane, which forces blood from drivers' knuckles as they try to keep
from bouncing off the road.
Last week, crews started resurfacing that
lane, closing it at night to traffic, which shouldn't matter because few people
dared to use it.
During the next couple of months, both northbound lanes
will be resurfaced between U.S. 192 and State Road 50, project engineer Tony
Walters said. U.S. 27 in south Lake will be going to six lanes someday, but that
project is still in the design phase.
Boo's Web shelves runneth
over
You wouldn't think you could fit the phrase "I Got Bamboozled at
the Big Bamboo" on a thong, but you'd be wrong.
Not only has the Big
Bamboo Lounge on U.S. Highway 192 in Kissimmee -- a favorite haunt for many Four
Corners residents -- held on despite the wishes spelled out in the last will and
testament of its founder, but it has expanded into merchandising as
well.
According to founder Bruce Muir's will, the Boo was supposed to be
closed and sold four years after his death Feb. 25, 1999, but in legal limbo,
the gem continues to serve and welcome daily from its discreet post between U.S.
192 and State Road 535.
In addition to the "Boo Thong," the quirky bar
that doubles as a clubhouse for Disney cast members offers Big Bamboo tote bags,
wall calendars, aprons, clocks, mugs and mouse pads through its online
store.
Proceeds pay for the Web space, Webmaster John Kerr said. The top
seller so far has been the gray T-shirt with a photo of Big Bamboo founder Bruce
Muir as a young World War II naval aviator over the heart and a picture of the
landmark flight tower and MASH ambulance that signal the Boo's location on the
back.
Kerr points out that the online store is the only time the Boo
accepts anything but cash, so take a look at bigbamboolounge.com.
Polk
comes to Poinciana
Polk County Commissioner Charles Richardson
appeared to win over some Poinciana residents recently when he showed up as the
featured speaker at the homeowners association's monthly meeting.
But I
got the sense that it was not so much Richardson's presence as the couple dozen
county officials traveling in his posse that impressed residents from the
sprawling community that straddles the Polk-Osceola county line. Richardson had
County Manager Mike Herr introduce the staffers he thought could help and
stepped back.
After a rainy summer, drainage complaints from a couple of
residents dominated conversation along with discussion of a new fire station
jointly funded by Polk and Osceola for Solivita. But officials hung around after
the meeting to talk one-on-one.
Poinciana residents probably still think
they get more attention from Osceola County government than from the folks in
Bartow, 45 miles away, but the gracious applause suggested the visit went a long
way.
Christopher Sherman can be reached at
csherman@orlandosentinel.com or 863-422-3395.
