If bowling is up your alley, now is a great time to check out Splitsville Luxury Lanes at Downtown Disney. The new complex (in the former Virgin Megastore location) combines billiards, bowling, live entertainment, bars and dining. The upscale, retro-style bowling venue is the largest in the bowling brand’s fleet and joins other fun, family-friendly entertainment options in Downtown Disney West Side.

“Splitsville is a perfect fit for Downtown Disney,” said Keith Bradford, vice president of Downtown Disney. “From a new twist on a beloved sport to an impressive menu you’ve never expect to find in a bowling facility, Splitsville offers a great experience that complements our other unique offerings at Downtown Disney. I’m sure it will quickly become a guest favorite.”

The Splitsville concept is anchored by bowling – the largest participation sport in America. The décor is a blend of hip and nostalgic elements with the bowling lanes separated into clusters that create unexpected sight lines for guests. There are also lane concierges available nightly to help maximize the bowling experience for guests.

The Splitsville menu is different than your typical bowling alley fare. Guided by award-winning chef Tim Cushman, the menu features a variety of higher-end offerings such as grilled Mahi Mahi with “Voodoo” shrimp, filet sliders and grilled chicken parmesan, plus a kids menu, in addition to traditional bowling alley food items. There are two sushi bars where guests can get fresh-rolled sushi.

“We’ve created a collection of menu items that are perfect for sharing,” said Guy Revelle, co-founder of Splitsville. “Whether it is sushi, sliders or pizza, customers can order combinations of food and then taste a little bit of everything. It creates a very interactive and social experience where the Splitsville concept helps ‘break the ice’ and allow guests of all ages to relax and enjoy their time at our luxury lanes!”

Check out these fun facts about the new Splitsville location:

• Number of lanes: 30.
• Lane configuration: 20 lanes second-level, 10 ground-level. First two-level Splitsville of its kind.
• Number of bars: Five, featuring the famous Splitsville frozen schooner of beer, specialty cocktails and a wide selection of frozen specialty drinks.
• Featured menu items: Hand-cut steaks, mahi mahi with Voodoo shrimp, fresh-rolled sushi, filet sliders, hand-tossed pizza and classic hamburgers made with Splitsville’s special blend of certified angus brisket, short rib and ground chuck.
• Number of sushi bars: Two – one on each level where customers can watch chefs roll their hand-made creations and belly-up for a Volcano Roll, Super Tuna or any of the fresh selections.
• Other unique features: Lane concierge responsible for delivering shoes and bowling balls to your lanes prior to your arrival; outdoor patio dining on both floors; billiards tables; live music seven nights a week; more than 60 flat screen TVs.

Splitsville is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays after 10:30 p.m., the second floor will only be open to those 21 years old and older. Initial pricing for one and a half hours of bowling is $20 per person from 5 to 10 p.m. and $15 per person all other times. Splitsville won’t offer bowling or dining reservations until a later date.

10th Annual Dark Sky Festival Returns to Harmony on Saturday, February 2nd …

The general public is invited to attend the 10th Annual Dark Sky Festival at Harmony, an evening of celebration and education with a primary focus on the benefits of a night sky free from the effects of excessive artificial lighting. The purpose of the event is to expose people of all ages to the marvels of astronomy and the importance of protecting dark skies — not just for astronomy purposes, but also for the values that darkness provides to area wildlife.  Now in it’s tenth year, this family-friendly festival is FREE and open to all.  Festivities begin at 5 p.m. and continue until 10 p.m.

“It has been a wonderful experience watching our festival grow year after year, ” said Greg Golgowski, Harmony’s full-time Conservation Director. “Our hope is to increase awareness of the affects of light pollution and offer simple solutions in a fun atmosphere.”

The event is held outdoors in low light conditions on the streets, sidewalks and park located in Harmony Town Square.  Amateur astronomers from around the state set up their telescopes and invite guests to view the skies.  The astronomers welcome any questions and are always more than willing to share their knowledge of the night skies.

The 2013 event will feature:

• Speakers from NASA, Seminole State College Planetarium, International Dark Sky Association, and more
• Two mobile planetariums with on-going presentations
• Over 50 telescopes for public viewing of a wide variety of planets and galaxies
• A variety of kids activities including Mad Science, demos from a variety of high school robotics clubs, Kids Zone, and more

In addition, there will be lots of music and food, numerous specialty booths, and presentations from scientists and other experts. Attendees may even bump into a character or two from Star Wars.

To find out more about the festival, visit www.DarkSkyFestival.com or call 407-891-8358.

ABOUT THE TOWN OF HARMONY, FLORIDA:  Harmony is Central Florida’s largest certified green community and is designed to provide an old-fashioned hometown lifestyle, while preserving its natural setting. Harmony sits amid 11,000 acres and is naturally inhabited by a wide array of wildlife, two natural 500-acre lakes, miles of trails and walkable schools (K-12). 70% of Harmony will remain as open space. Harmony Sales and Information Gallery is open seven days a week and tours are available daily. For more information, visit http://www.harmonyfl.com/.

Happy New Year!  

It’s always exciting to kick start the new year, but it also can feel completely overwhelming.

Here are some tips to help you make the most of 2013 … these are some tools that help us stay focused

• Create a master “to do” list, for both your office and home. Tasks that don’t get crossed off today’s list simply go onto tomorrow’s list.

• Use a timer for unpleasant or dreaded tasks. Knowing you’ll only have to do them for a limited time, say, 20 minutes, is motivating – and you can celebrate when the timer goes off.

• Fill a “job jar” with tasks that MUST be done. You can decline to do one or two of the tasks you remove, but of three picks you must do one. Use a timer here, too, if necessary.

• Have a “slush box” for papers that don’t demand immediate attention, but that you can’t really throw out. In a quiet time, sort and prioritize the contents.

• Similarly, create a “read box” for the journals, magazines, newsletters and papers that, increasingly unread, can make you feel buried. Sort them at your leisure, and put some in a folder (for especially tedious meetings), and some in your car (for doctor-office waits, DMV lines, etc.).

• To make e-mails more useful and productive, let people know what you want them to do. Put the priority and deadline in the subject line whenever possible, and focus on the needed actions. Use a bulleted list instead of dense text, if possible. Categorize your mail, and store in folders, keeping all your e-mails on one screen (without scrolling down).

• To minimize interruptions, learn how to say “no.” If it’s part of the job, it’s not an interruption. But, “to be a doer, you can’t do everything.” There is a “smooth” approach to saying no. Let the interrupter know that you understand his or her urgency, explain your situation or deadline, and describe what you can do once you’re able.

 Remember it’s about progress not perfection! 

DREAM, BELIEVE, ACHIEVE, SUCCEED!

It’s January, a brand new year … and the 11th anniversary for Doverwood Public Relations, which eventually was renamed Doverwood Communications when we expanded our services to include full-service marketing … This also means EVERYONE has a whole year of new “events” to celebrate (aka, anniversaries that honor milestones).

Today, one of our clients asked us specifically about anniversary ideas.  Everybody knows that the Silver anniversary is the 25th and the gold anniversary the 50th. But what about all the ones in between?

We shared this list with them … you for a limited time, you may apply these traditional and/or modern “gifts” to all sorts of annual events/anniversaries/celebrations. 

Here’s message we received from Marc Middleton, CEO/Founder of the GROWING BOLDER COMMUNITY:   “We’re welcoming the New Year in style — with a new issue of Growing Bolder Magazine that includes a little feature about Doverwood Communications’ CEO/President (and Yellow Rick Road Productions’ Executive Producer/Producer/Marketer) Melanie Lentz-Janney!”

The FREE magazine will be available at Central Florida Walgreens the beginning of January, but the electronic version is available now.

Here’s a link to the issue:  http://magazine.growingbolder.com/growing-bolder-magazine-january-2013/

We are so grateful to Marc, Bill Schaffer and the Team at Growing Bolder for jumping on the Yellow Rick Road from the start of our journey: http://growingbolder.com/media/entertainment/music/rick-springfield-revealed-759643.html

About Marc Middleton, Founder and CEO:
One of the leading voices in the active lifestyle  movement, Marc is a veteran news and sports anchor and multiple Emmy Award-winning reporter. Marc began talking about building an Active Lifestyle multiplatform network in 1999. He left TV news in 2006 to start the Bolder Media Group and Bolder Broadcasting, Inc. Marc is the co-host of The Growing Bolder TV and Radio Shows and provides the day-to-day vision and leadership as we build our active lifestyle network.

About Bill Shafer, Executive Vice President:
As an Emmy-nominated anchor, producer, lifestyle reporter and writer, Bill has inspired and entertained millions by proving that ordinary people have extraordinary stories. His aim-for-the-heart style was instrumental in his station winning the duPont Award for Excellence in Journalism. At Bolder, Bill is co-host of The Growing Bolder TV and Radio Shows, our chief storyteller, and actively involved in every aspect of our daily business.