For many in Central Florida, the blues have returned.

According to today's Orlando Sentinel, the historic Cypress Gardens theme park will temporarily close on Nov. 17 and reopen in March as a smaller, more focused park. 

This, of course, means that the park's popular "Old-Fashioned Christmas" celebration, which once boasted the world's largest Christmas tree (a whopping 116-feet tall!), will remain dark this season. 

Here's hoping that Florida's oldest theme park can use the hiatus to get their finances in order, and emerge in the spring as a more profitable endeavor.

We'll be first in line next Christmas!

Why?  Well, it's a fundraiser for Special Olympics Florida.

The press release further explains:  "The short answer is simple… 'just because'," said [Gaylord Palms] resort General Manager Kemp Gallineau. "Because it's fun and memorable — something to laugh about, brag about and blog about.  And not everybody can go to Pamplona to run with the bulls."

For those who have not heard of the ICE! attraction, it is a 9-degree walk-through winter wonderland hand carved from two million pounds of ice.  It's one of those you've-got-to-see-it-to-believe-it attractions.  This year, you can experience ICE! AND bring home wacky photos.   How can you pass that up?

The Orlando Polar Bear Club debut, which should make for good television news coverage, will be held at 8:30am on Nov. 28 at the Gaylord Palms ICE! attraction.  Tickets are available online.

For further updates about Orlando Christmas events, including ICE! at Gaylord Palms, visit www.christmasinorlando.com

Mannheim Steamroller is known for their unique instrumental tracks that founder Chip Davis calls  "18th Century classical rock."  

The group, which enjoys enormous popularity during the Christmas season, collaborated on the music for last year's original stage show "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" which will once again be performed at Seuss Landing inside Islands of Adventure theme park.

The Universal Studios concerts, held at 6pm and 8pm on Dec. 6,  will include music from the IOA "Grinch" show, old favorites, and selections from the new Steamroller CD Christmasville.  It is the only scheduled holiday-season appearances by Steamroller founder Chip Davis.

According to the Sentinel report, the concerts will be included in regular theme-park admission.   

For further updates about Orlando Christmas events, including ICE! at Gaylord Palms, visit www.christmasinorlando.com

 
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (Oct. 28) — Central Florida residents woke up this morning to a  burst of cold air that is being blamed on, of all things, an Osceola county resort. According to news wire reports, the cause of this morning's cool weather has been traced to Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center, where a new holiday attraction is currently under construction.

 
The attraction, which is called ICE!, is currently being carved from 2 million pounds of ice by a group of 40 artisans from China. The temperature began falling when the elaborate refrigeration system used to cool the 18,000-square-foot attraction to 9 degrees began to malfunction.

 
"Essentially, they've created a 9-degree winter-like environment in the middle of sunny  Florida," said an Osceola county official who asked not to be identified. "What they didn't count on was the accidental cooling of the entire region to 40-some  degrees."

 
The attraction, which is nearly complete, will debut Nov. 17. The attraction will be open to the public through Jan. 4.

 
In its sixth season, ICE! will reflect the theme "Santa's Arctic Blast," featuring several scenes that star "Jolly Cold Saint Nicholas" himself. One such scene is a colossal Santa Claus photo opportunity, carved in an oversized scale.  Visitors who sit on his knee will be dwarfed in the photo.  Other scenese include Candy Land, a magical destination reminiscent of America’s favorite children’s board game.  The ICE! castle and slides have been re-designed to celebrate Santa's Christmas Eve flight… reindeer and all. 

According to Gaylord Palms spokesman Keith Salwoski, the situation is under control.

 
"Our attraction is still 9 degrees, and by afternoon, Orlando temperatures will be back near 70 degrees," he said. "So, in the mean time, we welcome local residents to, um, chill out!"

# # #

For further updates on Orlando Christmas, ICE! at Gaylord Palms, or Christmas at Orlando theme parks, visit ChristmasInOrlando.com

You'll find Polar Bear Clubs in cities all over the frozen North.  Members of these organizations gather every year to "take the plunge" into frozen waters… just for the thrill (and chill!) of it.  I guess it's one of those experiences that can't be explained.  If you're meant to participate… you just kinda know!

Some of the clubs — like the Coney Island Polar Bear Club — have been hosting cold-water swims for more than one hundred years!

We've just learned that Orlando will be the newest city to have its own branch of the famed Polar Bear Club.  Yes, as in Sunny Orlando.

The details are still a secret, but organizers have released a date for their official debut – Friday, Nov. 28.  Watch this blog for further updates.

If you are not familar with Polar Bear Clubs, check out this video:

While we don't know where Orlando's polar plunge will be held, we can assume it won't be at the following Orlando landmarks:

5.  Kissimmee's Lake Tohopekaliga

4.  Disney's Blizzard Beach

3.  SeaWorld's Shamu Stadium

2.  South Beach Pool at Gaylord Palms Resort

1.  Gatorland

Stay tuned…

Web Cam One: Winter Wonderland ICE Bridge

Winter Wonderland is currently under construction inside the ICE! attraction at Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando. This romantic scene will feature a romantic winterscape, including a large bridge made completely from ice. When complete, ICE! visitors will be able to walk across the bridge, and take advantage of several photo opportunities, before moving on to the Hall of Ornaments, a colorful new ICE! scene.

Artisans from China are currently at work inside the 9-degree attraction.   When the attraction opens, this scene will be home to the ICE! Proposals program, a unique place to propose marriage in Orlando.

To see the progress, click on the web cam link at ChristmasinOrlando.com, found on the right-hand column of the page.

Web Cam Two: Santa's Magic Flight

Santa's Magic Flight is also under construction inside the ICE! attraction. This newly-engineered scene is created from nearly 1 million pounds of ice, and features ice slides for children and adults.

When it opens on Nov. 17, the web cam will catch visitors to the attraction as they slide down the scene's four slides.

To see the progress, click on the web cam link at ChristmasinOrlando.com, found on the right-hand column of the page. 

The folks at Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee are sponsoring a hilarious contest for YouTube junkies called "The Boss Said Get Us on YouTube" Competition.

In short, they are offering a $99 "prize" to finance a fun YouTube video filmed inside the resort's 9-degree holiday ICE! attraction.  [Our tip:  You'll need mittens.  However, you may want to cut off the fingertips to give you better control of the camera's buttons!]

Pull out the video camera, and check out the details here.

THEME PARK PASSHOLDERS ARE OFFERED
FREE CHILD ADMISSION TO
ICE! AT GAYLORD PALMS
 

Twitter is a popular online service that allows users to share bite-sized messages (or “tweets”) of up to 140 characters long.

To follow Gaylord Palms on Twitter, visit www.twitter.com/gaylordpalms

Suit up!  It was just announced that Neil Patrick Harris, the Emmy Award-nominated star of the hit television series “How I Met Your Mother” and former star of the hit series “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” will return to Epcot as guest narrator for the Candlelight Processional Dec. 1-3, 2008.

Presented in the World Showcase America Gardens Theatre at 5, 6:45 & 8:15 p.m., the event is one of the most beloved holiday traditions at Walt Disney World, featuring a joyous retelling of the Christmas story by a celebrity narrator — accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra and a glorious mass choir.

For more information about the program, including a complete celebrity line-up, visit the Epcot 2008 Candlelight Processional page of ChristmasInOrlando.com.