Hey St. Cloud -

Mother's Day is 10 days away and this Saturday is your warmup. A 5K for women's health, Paw Patrol at Home Depot, and some genuinely big news for St. Cloud families. Here's your week.

I Am Enough 5K & Fun Run | St. Cloud Lakefront Park | Check-in 5:30am, Race 7am

An early morning 5K and fun run for women's health presented by Keylife Cares. Medals, games, live music, giveaways, and shopping after the race. Sponsored by Orlando Health and Toho Water Authority. Whether you're running or walking it's worth being up early for.

Info and registration at keylifecares.org

Building Safety Month Family Event | St. Cloud Home Depot, 4560 13th St | 9am–noon

Free and open to the public. Kids can build a keepsake box at the Home Depot Kids Workshop, perfect timing for an early Mother's Day gift. St. Cloud Fire Rescue brings a real fire engine and kids get to spray a real fire hose. Sparky the Fire Dog, Sami the Sandhill Crane, and Paw Patrol are all on site. No cost but pre-registration is strongly encouraged so supplies don't run out.

Register at stcloudfl.gov/BuildingSafetyMonth

Sat May 9 · Moms, Mocktails & Mimosas | Historic Downtown St. Cloud | 10am–2pm

Downtown St. Cloud businesses are dedicating the Saturday before Mother's Day to Mom. Sip, shop, and stroll through the district with mocktails and mimosas at participating shops. Free to attend. Watch downtown businesses for details.

Mother's Day Brunch Cruise | Old Florida Riverboat Company, St. Cloud Marina | Noon–2pm

Take Mom out on East Lake Toho for Mother's Day. Brunch aboard The Lillie with seasonal favorites, chocolates, fresh flowers, and live music. $80 per person, bottomless mimosas available for $14.99. Their Easter brunch sold out before the deadline. Don't wait on this one. Reservations must be in by May 3.

Book at oldfloridariverboatcompany.com

Good news on Hopkins Park. The city has pushed back the $10 million renovation until after summer, meaning the free federally-funded summer camp is still on for 2026. The camp runs June 1 through August 7 at the St. Cloud Civic Center, 3001 17th Street, for kids ages 5–12. Current families are being contacted first to re-enroll. On May 5 remaining spots open to eligible St. Cloud residents. You'll need proof of residency and income documentation. Full details at stcloudfl.gov/summercamp

A major road project is moving forward that will affect daily life for a lot of St. Cloud residents. Osceola County is studying a 4.4-mile widening of Canoe Creek Road from the future Southport Connector to Deer Run Road, expanding it to a four-lane divided roadway with bike and pedestrian access. Public meetings were held this week. The study is still in early stages but Canoe Creek Road serves the entire east side of St. Cloud and this expansion will shape commutes and development for years to come.

A proper sendoff for the Bulldogs. St. Cloud High School's baseball team ended their season on April 25 with a tough 6-5 playoff loss to rival Harmony, but what a year. They finished 18-6 overall after going on a 13-game winning streak to open the season. The most wins the program has seen in over a decade. Well done, Bulldogs.

Mark your calendars. The Citywide Garage Sale is May 15–17. If you live inside St. Cloud city limits you can hold a garage sale those three days without the permit normally required. Anytime from 7am May 15 through 6pm May 17. Start pulling stuff out of the garage now.

If you're still looking for a Mother's Day gift that isn't a candle from a big box store, here's your answer. 3 Beez Honey Farm is a veteran-owned, fourth-generation beekeeping family right here in St. Cloud, with roots going back to the 1920s. Owner Robert Crisp moves his hives around Osceola County following what's in bloom, blueberry to orange blossom to saw palmetto, and every jar is raw, unfiltered, and local. Multiple honey varieties, handmade soaps, candles, and gift sets all in-house. Their storefront is right on New York Ave in Historic Downtown.

1114 New York Ave. 3beezhoneyfarm.com

P.S. The blueberry honey sells out fast. Just saying.

Got a business to nominate? Reply and tell us who and why.

On August 1, 1909, St. Cloud had three tents, two houses, and twenty people. Thirteen months later it had a post office, four hotels, three bakeries, six churches, a light plant, telephones, a population of 2,000, and no saloons. The veterans who built this city did it almost entirely on their own, on empty swampland, in their 60s and 70s, in Florida heat. The city was formally chartered in 1911. One of the fastest community buildouts in Florida history, and most people who live here have never heard that story.

Sources: Woman's Club of St. Cloud (womansclubofstcloudfl.com), Osceola History (osceolahistory.org)

Your roof takes a beating in a Florida summer. CTR Roofing has been serving St. Cloud homeowners with inspections, repairs, and full replacements and they make the process easy from first call to final nail.

“Every Roof Is Our Reputation”

Get a free inspection today at stcloudrooferctr.com

We're looking for a few St. Cloud businesses to come on as founding partners. Want your business in front of St. Cloud homeowners every Thursday? Apply here today to get your business in front of locals!

If you missed Issue 7, here's what you need to know. A new retail plaza is coming to Canoe Creek Road and Nolte with Wawa, McDonald's, Chipotle, and Dutch Bros all confirmed as tenants, Texas Roadhouse is open on Partin Settlement Road, and the Hamilton Disston sugar plantation story explained why St. Cloud exists at all. Catch the full issue at thecloudlocal.com

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Every Memorial Day, St. Cloud holds a ceremony at Mount Peace Cemetery honoring the 427 Union veterans buried there. One of the largest concentrations of Union soldiers buried outside a battlefield in the entire country, right here in your city. Worth showing up for. More details in next week's issue.

Want to help at city events or parks? St. Cloud has an ongoing volunteer program with opportunities across departments - one simple online form gets you started.

Know a person or business doing something good in St. Cloud? Hit reply with “SPOTLIGHT” and a sentence about them; we pull future features straight from reader suggestions.

Keep showing up for St. Cloud, keep cheering on local people and businesses, and enjoy your weekend.

Your Cloud Local Team

P.S.

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