Things To Do In SW Florida

By ADRIANA MORGA, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — As the end of 2025 approaches, a viral TikTok trend is helping people achieve their wellness goals: “The Great Lock In” encourages participants to finish the year strong by fully focusing on their life goals from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31.

Many people focus on exercise or eating healthier. But the trend can also help you achieve your financial goals.

There are no set rules for “The Great Lock In.” The phrase “lock in” is popular on social media and it means to focus intensely on a task.

“Something I like about this particular trend is that it’s like New Year’s resolutions’ little sister,” said Lindsay Bryan-Podvin, financial therapist and founder of Mind Money Balance, a financial wellness podcast and blog.

For Julissa Mercedes, 28, one of her lock in goals is to build an $2,500 emergency savings fund.

“Having some liquid cash will make me feel a little bit safer,” said Mercedes, a San Diego resident who works in finance. Aside from building an emergency fund, Mercedes has three other goals: making a new friend, creating a morning routine, and picking up a new hobby. read more

Kissimmee could be facing a slider showdown with a new brand eyeing the W192 corridor for its first Central Florida franchise.

Representatives for Smalls Sliders held a pre-application meeting on Tuesday with Osceola County’s Development Review Committee to discuss plans to open a slider location at Lake Wilson Village. The new Smalls Sliders would be just down the street from Kissimmee’s first White Castle restaurant, scheduled to open early next year at Old Town.

Smalls Sliders is one of the fastest-growing brands in the restaurant industry, specializing exclusively in fresh, cooked-to-order cheeseburger sliders, waffle fries and milkshakes. Equipped with a streamlined drive-thru, walk-up window and unique modular buildout, the Atlanta-based brand is headed towards nationwide growth with locations opening across the Southeast, Southwest, Midwest, and West Coast.

Smalls Sliders is the brainchild of restaurateur Brandon Landry, is led by industry veteran Maria Rivera, and is backed by 10 Point Capital and former NFL star Drew Brees as investors. In Florida, the company has opened franchise stores in Ocala, Pensacola and Clearwater. The Kissimmee location would be the company’s first in Central Florida. read more

Caroline Schumacher became president and CEO of Give Kids the World Inc. in June. But she’s both the newbie and the veteran at the Kissimmee-based nonprofit.

Her experience began with a volunteer shift while participating in the Disney College Program. After graduation in Ohio, she returned to Florida, eventually answering a newspaper ad that led her to a position that coordinated the volunteers for Give Kids the World.

After nearly 20 years, Schumacher became president and CEO of Orlando-based Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. Six years later she returned to lead Give Kids the World, the 89-acre resort that hosts children with critical illnesses and their families free of charge. The nonprofit turns 40 next year.

Hotel owner and philanthropist Henri Landwirth helped found both Give Kids the World and the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. He died in 2018. Schumacher is the successor to Pamela Landwirth, former wife of Henri Landwirth, who left the organization in January after three decades. read more

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO

NEW YORK (AP) — With Halloween on the horizon, Chicago Costume is stuffed. Packaged costumes, including superheros and Japanese animation characters in both kid and adult sizes, dangle near colorful wigs and bottles of fake blood. Downstairs, vintage clothes from the 1970s beg for one more boogie night.

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The frightening possibilities mask the work that’s gone on behind the scenes to stock the family-owned shop and its sister store for the spooky season. Owner Courtland Hickey said he ordered 40% fewer costumes this year because of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on products from China. read more

Banana Ball is coming to Disney World.

Translation: An entertainment-driven version of baseball, popularized by the Savannah Bananas, will have a two-night stand at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in May.

The games will not feature the original Bananas crew, instead pitting the Party Animals and the Loco Beach Coconuts — all teams within the Banana Ball Championship League. (Other clubs include Firefighters, Texas Tailgaters and the Indianapolis Clowns.)

Tickets will be sold via a lottery accessed at bananaball.com. Sign-ups must be completed by Nov. 1. Tickets start at $35. The Stadium at Wide World seats about 9,500 spectators, whereas the record attendance for the Bananas is 81,000 people at Memorial Stadium at Clemson University for an April matchup.

Banana Ball games mix in nontraditional rules and madcap entertainment moments. For instance, foul balls caught by fans count as outs, bunts (and mound visits) are banned, there is a two-hour time limit on games and there’s a complicated “showdown tiebreaker” in lieu of extra innings. Some competitions have been broadcast on YouTube and Disney-owned ESPN. read more