CitySurfing Orlando

Visit Orlando CEO Gary Sain passed away on Friday night after giving a speech at a fundraiser. He was 61 years old.

You may not be familiar with his name, but Swain headed up the Orlando tourism board and was the man behind the popular “Orlando Makes Me Smile” campaign.

According to officials, Sain was one of the driving forces behind making Orlando the No. 1 family destination in the world since he took over the Orlando Tourism Bureau in 2007, renaming it Visit Orlando to help attract even more tourists.

Our condolences go out to the Sain family.

Some parts of the Fantasyland expansion at the Magic Kingdom have already had soft openings for the guests. However there are still a lot of additions and renovations that are still being worked on.

Last week, Disney parks released a projected timeline for a few more of the Fantasyland area rides and attractions.

The next area to open will be the remainder of Storybook Circus. This will include the second half of the Dumbo the Flying Elephant attraction and the Casey Jr. Splash ‘n’ Soak Station. This should be open by July 2012.

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When I was growing up in Wisconsin, there was an annual festival that included hot air balloons blanketing the sky over the course of a weekend. Albequerque, New Mexico, also has their own balloon fest, as do several other cities.

Well, this year we’ll be able to add Kissimmee to that list as they are starting an event they are calling the Festival of Festivals.

They have picked the weekend of Septeber 21-23, 2012, to hold the festival. This three-day event will be highlighted by foot races, hot air balloons, music, arts, food and more. The event will take place at Formosa Gardens, which is located west of I-4, between Walt Disney World and the intersection of U.S. 192 and U.S. 27.

The event will kick off that Friday with evening 5k and 10k runs.

Saturday, in the early a.m., the hot air balloons will take to the sky, and there will be spots available to ride in one, with advance purchase. There will also be tethered and untethered rides available for purchase all weekend.

On the main festival grounds, an array of activities will be held each day, including concerts, contests, games and arts and crafts vendors. There will also be food and drink available for purchase.

The event is being sponsored by a number of Osceola County-based businesses and organizations, including the Kissimmee Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce, Formosa Gardens Village and Orlando Balloon Rides.

For more information about the Festival of Festivals, visit kissimmeefestival.com.

The Disney Parks blog revealed that plans are in the works to bring popular cofee joint Starbucks to the four Disney parks in Florida, as well as the two California parks.

The first one will open in June at Disney’s California Adventure. The blog states that each location – one for each park – will be themed to fit in with its surroundings.

Each café will serve Starbucks items, including coffee and espresso beverages, Frappuccino® blended beverages, and signature breakfast sandwiches and pastries.

No word on when the first one will open at the Florida parks, but here’s hoping they utilize the FastPass system or you may be waiting in long lines if the number of blog comments are anything to judge the news by.

In his capacity as spokesperson for Macy’s, TV host Clinton Kelly will be appearing this weekend at the Mall at Millenia location of the store.

Kelly will be showcasing the standout styles of the season for women of all shapes and sizes. Make any Women’s clothing or Estee Lauder purchase of $100 or more and you’ll receive a copy of Clinton’s book, Oh No She Didn’t…, which he’ll autograph for you after the show

The event starts Saturday, May 5th, at 2pm, at the Macy’s at the Mall at Millenia. To reserve your seat RSVP to 800-786-2665 or macys.com/events.

Kelly rose to fame on the TV show “What Not to Wear” and currently is one of the five hosts of ABC Network’s afternoon food show, “The Chew.”