Latest news with #CommUNITYRainbowRun
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Orlando weekend events: Leu Gardens movie night, CommUNITY Rainbow Run, orchid sale
As Florida's sweltering summer season kicks into full swing, many of the Orlando area's popular outdoor events have already passed for this calendar year or will wait to return until cooler temperatures arrive. However, there are still a number of locally-focused happenings for the community to enjoy the first weekend of June. Central Florida's calendar for the weekend of June 6-8 includes the 9th annual CommUNITY Rainbow Run, a movie night at Leu Gardens featuring 'Toy Story,' a lake cleanup with Central Florida Recon, an orchid sale and a vintage market. Orlando-area art enthusiasts can enjoy the FAVO Art Stroll at Faith Arts Village Orlando and the opening of the 44th Annual Juried Student Exhibition at Crealdé School of Art. Here are ways to enjoy this sunny early summer weekend in Central Florida. This annual running tradition commemorates the strength of the Orlando community in the aftermath of the Pulse tragedy. Runners, joggers and walkers navigate a 4.9K route that goes from Orlando City Hall to Pulse and back in honor of the lives lost on June 12, 2016. The race aims to serve as a testament to Orlando's resilience and love. Proceeds from the event will go toward the Orlando United Pulse Memorial, a project of the nonprofit organization Strengthen Orlando. If you go: The 9th annual CommUNITY Rainbow Run begins at 7:30 a.m. June 7 at 400 S. Orange Ave. in Orlando. Registration costs $49 in advance. More information: 'Toy Story' is the cinematic selection for the June movie night at Leu Gardens. Enjoy the film outdoors in a beautiful garden setting during this all-ages event. The gardens open at 7 p.m. and the movie begins around 8:30 p.m. this Friday. Guests can pack dinner and seats, but pets and tents are not allowed. If you go: Leu Gardens' June Movie Night opens at 7 p.m. June 7 at 1920 N. Forest Ave. in Orlando. Tickets cost $8 per adult and $6 per child (ages 4-17) plus fees. Tickets are not available at the door and seating is first-come, first-served. More information: The Central Florida Orchid Society hosts its 67th annual orchid show and sale this weekend with thousands of plants for sale. Vendors bring offerings for beginners and collectors alike. Visitors can also find door prizes, raffles, expert speakers and demonstrations, American Orchid Society judging and displays over the course of three days at the Florida National Armory in Orlando. If you go: The Central Florida Orchid Society's 67th annual orchid sale and show is from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. June 6-7 and from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. June 8 at 2809 S. Ferncreek Ave. in Orlando. Tickets are $5 per day or $10 for the weekend. Children age 13 and younger enter for free. More information: FAVO (Faith Arts Village Orlando) hosts its FAVO Art Stroll Friday and Saturday evening featuring vendors, studio artists and light refreshments. Visitors can also see the opening reception of 'SYNERGY,' a themed art exhibition with art from Marsha De Broske and Diane Martens that celebrates the spirit of the Everglades in gallery 149. Explore the event from 5-9 p.m. June 6-7 at 221 E Colonial Drive in Orlando. More information: Crealdé School of Art's 44th Annual Juried Student Exhibition showcases some of the best student work in painting, drawing, photography, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry and fiber arts. The exhibition opens with a reception from 7:30-9:30 p.m. June 6 at 600 St. Andrews Blvd. in Winter Park. More information: Central Florida Recon hosts a cleanup at Lake Formosa this weekend in partnership with the Lake Formosa Neighborhood Association. Pitch in on the water with a kayak or by walking the shoreline to pick up trash this Saturday morning. Volunteers should bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen but other equipment will be provided. The cleanup is from 9 a.m.-11 p.m. June 7 at 1801 Alden Road in Orlando. More information: The Florida Vintage Market lands at Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company on Sunday offering curated clothing items from the 2000s. The all-ages event is family-friendly and pet-friendly. Attend the free event from noon-5 p.m. June 8 at 1300 Alden Road in Orlando. More information: Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@ Stay up to date with our latest travel, arts and events coverage by subscribing to our newsletters at
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Just stop it': Pulse survivor calls for a boycott of the CommUNITY Rainbow Run
A Pulse survivor is calling on the City of Orlando to put a stop to the CommUNITY Rainbow Run. The event, created a year after the Pulse massacre, was intended to raise funds for the Pulse memorial, but the survivor says the event's intention has changed. 'I'm tired of this. I want them to do their job, and make everybody happy,' said Jorshua N. Hernández-Carrión, who was shot at Pulse in 2016. For almost 10 years, Hernández-Carrión says he's been trying to push for the Pulse Memorial to be built, with no success. 'We wanted the memorial, that's it. Because the city didn't help the survivors, only in 2016,' he said during a Zoom interview because he's now living in Puerto Rico. One year after the massacre, community activists created the CommUNITY Rainbow Run to raise funds for the memorial. However, the foundation has now been dissolved, and the memorial project was taken over by the city. A plan is still in the works, complete with renderings of the memorial that had been approved back in March, although Carrion says survivors and families were left behind. 'A lot of people still need surgery; they need to go to psychiatry, and we have no money,' he said. The survivor has now started a petition to stop the run, claiming the city is turning a tragedy into a celebration and making money on top of it. 'We sent emails to the city, we sent emails to [Mayor] Buddy Dyer, we got no answers,' he said. 'We are families, we are survivors, we have to get a response. If we say we don't want it, we don't want it. They have to stop it.' Family members of victims echoed the same feeling. Belinnete Ocasio lost her brother during the shooting and claims no one from the city or from the former One Pulse Foundation ever reached out to her or her family. 'I try not to stay on top too much because, honestly, it still hurts just thinking about it,' said Ocasio. 'From what I know, that's what it comes down to money. Every event, everything that's regarding pulse, it's always a profit, about money.' The City of Orlando sent the following statement to Channel 9: The CommUNITY Rainbow Run was started by UCF graduate students in 2017 at the one-year mark of the Pulse tragedy. Their vision was to help the community with the healing process, recognizing that running, walking, and spending time with others in a supportive environment can have a positive impact and continue to bring people together. When the City of Orlando purchased the Pulse site in late 2023 and embarked on plans for a permanent memorial, the city heard from victims' families and survivors that the race was meaningful to them and hoped that the city would continue with the event. With this in mind, the city took over the 8th annual event in 2024 and will host the 9th annual event on Saturday, June 7. Channel 9 also reached out to Orlando Health – the run's main sponsor – but has not heard back. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
