2026
CONTACT:
Lisa McDonald, Communications Manager
City of Oviedo
407-971-5509
lmcdonald@CityofOviedo.net
Three-Part Celebration Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Oviedo
Oviedo, Fla. – The City of Oviedo, along with Oviedo Citizens in Action (OCIA), is proud to present a series of celebrations in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the weekend of January 17–19, 2026. The 2026 theme for the MLK celebrations is “Courage to Lead: Inspiring a New Generation.”
There are three planned events celebrating the legacy of Dr. King that the entire community can enjoy. All events are free and open to the public.
The schedule of events is as follows:
- Saturday, January 17 – 9 a.m.
Community Prayer Breakfast with awards honoring the 2025 recipients of the MLK “I Have a Dream” Award. The event will be held at the Oviedo Cultural Center, 357 Center Lake Lane.
- Monday, January 19 – 10 a.m.
Celebratory parade commencing at Round Lake Park on CR 419 and concluding at Center Lake Park, 299 Center Lake Lane. The Parade will start at Round Lake Park, head west on CR 419 (Broadway), turning onto Oviedo Blvd and heading south to Center Lake Lane. The Honorary Grand Marshal for the parade is Ada Griffin, a 100-year-old resident of Oviedo.
- Monday, January 19 – 11 a.m.
Fun Day at the Park, immediately following the parade. The event will feature vendors, police caricature drawings, food, bounce houses, and entertainment. Fun Day will be held at Center Lake Park, 299 Center Lake Lane.
Media are welcome to attend any of the events listed above. For more information, please visit OCIANOW.org or email mlkfunday@ocianow.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 12, 2026
CONTACT:
Lisa McDonald
City of Oviedo Communications Manager
407-971-5509 Office
689-710-4568 Cell
Oviedo Resident Donates Home for Firefighter Training
Oviedo, Fla. - The Oviedo Fire Department conducted training at a home slated for demolition that was generously donated by a resident.
The home of Stephen Schenck is a two-story home located on East Magnolia Street. Schenck allowed firefighters from all shifts to train in several scenarios inside and outside of the home from January 2-11. The location added to the training due to the limited access that was available, creating new challenges for the firefighters to overcome.
Firefighters participated in several training exercises in morning and afternoon rotations. The exercises include rapid intervention, search and rescue, bailout, hose line deployment, fire suppression techniques, forcible entry, vertical and horizontal ventilation, on top of valuable team building. By rotating all shifts through the training, every member of the department had the chance to refine their skills in what could happen in a residential area.
“My wife and I donated the use of the home after seeing Oviedo Firefighters do training in the hotel in 2025,” said Stephen Schenck. “We figured it was a good way to allow a different and more lengthy type of training to the firefighters. We have seen how hard our emergency service personnel train and prepare and were happy to be able to help.”
Mr. Schenck went on to add “I went by to see how things were going and spent an hour watching the training and learned a lot about how the small things make a difference. Having those who have experience give you the little, nuanced things that, in the case of firefighting could save lives and property is a great asset that was shared.”
With the home unoccupied, firefighters safely executed a range of high-stakes drills designed to prepare them for real emergencies.
"We cannot thank Mr. Schenck enough for the use of his home," said Fire Chief Michael Woodward. "This was a great way for our newest firefighters to get real-world training alongside our seasoned firefighters."
The generous donation demonstrated how community support plays a vital role in strengthening emergency response and keeping Oviedo residents safe.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 14, 2026
CONTACT:
Lisa McDonald, Communications Manager
City of Oviedo
407-971-5509
lmcdonald@CityofOviedo.net
City Offices Closed to observe Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Oviedo, Fla. – City of Oviedo government offices will be closed on Monday, January 19, 2026, to observe Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Offices will re-open on Tuesday, January 20 at 8 a.m.
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