About Us
The First Five Years:
A Brief History of
The Triangle Connection
Beautiful lakes, rolling hills, and a concentration of quality dining, art, theatrical, and shopping opportunities have long attracted gay people to the area of northern
Now five years old, The Triangle Connection, Inc. (originally known as "The Triangle Group"), is a non-profit corporation coordinated by volunteers. Its premiere monthly meet-and-greet was held in November, 2006 at what was then The Gables restaurant, and our network of participants has been growing ever since, with a current e-mailing list of about 300 people.
Typically, from 50 to 80 of us – singles and couples, men and women of all ages – gather for our monthly meet-and-greet evenings at a wide variety of area restaurants. Smaller groups explore other restaurants as part of informal dining and breakfast clubs. Triangle Connection participants have enriched all our lives by organizing trips to numerous theatrical productions, hosting wonderful holiday parties, and establishing interest groups for, among others, motorcyclists, horseback enthusiasts, and kayakers.
Under The Triangle Connection's umbrella, volunteers have also taken the lead in various civic and civil-rights campaigns. Moneys have been raised to support the Mount Dora Dog Park and programs for GLBTQ young people. Thousands of pounds of food have been collected and delivered to Mount Dora-based Lake Cares Food Pantry, which provides groceries to hundreds of financially struggling households throughout
In October of 2011, the organization presented the critically acclaimed world premiere performances of the AIDS-themed theatrical stories “From a Burning House: The AIDS Project Los Angeles Writers Workshop Collection” at The Bay Street Players Historic State Theatre in Eustis. More than $2,000 was raised to support Central Florida’s AIDS-services organization, the
The Triangle Connection has an affiliated youth-service organization, The Triangle Youth Alliance, which works with other
Aside from the meet-and-greet events, most of these activities are arranged by our participating members. The Triangle Connection serves as an information conduit, and all of our participants are encouraged to create and organize an event or program that may interest various members of our community.
Before The Connection
The Triangle Connection is not the first GLBT organization to form in the
Based on the experience of Friends, the founders of The Triangle Connection decided to limit the scope of their offerings, focusing primarily on the monthly meet-and-greets while encouraging participants to launch and promote their own projects, as well as additional social activities – which now include Friday evening happy hours at local restaurants, usually on the deck of Pisces Rising in Mount Dora.
Scot Cornwall, who helped found a similar social organization in his old
Other organizers and early supporters of The Triangle Connection include Bill Sievert and John Theis (who have been together nearly four decades); spouses Sally and June Sellers; Joan Kennedy; Bob Dumais and Jamie Simpson; and Bruce Freeman and Dale Gruber.
Although The Triangle Connection focuses on people who live in or near the three cities of the Golden Triangle, participants also include folks who live in nearby communities, including Leesburg, The Villages, and
Today, scores of lesbians, gay men, and transgender people are vitally involved in making this organization meaningful and fun for our entire community!
Below, Triangle Connection members speak up for LGBT rights at The Rally in Tally, Tallahassee, FL
Are you moving to our area? If so, please drop us a line. We'll be happy to provide you information and introduce you to lots of great people.
Info@thetriangleconnection.com
Our Next
Meet-and-Greets
(All meet-and-greets begin about 5:30 p.m., though you are welcome to arrive at your convenience; come for happy hour and/or dinner.)
Monday, February 13, Casa Mia, 505 West Main Street, Tavares. We will plan to meet about 5:30, as usual. We will meet by the bar & dine wherever! Their website is below.
Announcing OPERA WEENIES:
Put an extra hankie in your pocket and join your friends for one of your favorite operas! Opera Weenies is a new group (affiliated with The Triangle Connection) that will gather every other month or so to share the joys and woes of being hooked on this most incredible art form. Through the magic of Blu-Ray and other technological miracles we can enjoy these amazing works with our friends, so let’s do it together.
Our first offering:
Saturday March 3 at 3 p.m.
“Madame Butterfly” by Puccini
This is the Anthony Minghella production for The Metropolitan Opera, a part of its Live in High Definition series. The music is marvelous and the production is simply breathtaking. The production is about 2 and ½ hours long, but we will have at least one intermission with “starvation-stavers” available.
Bill and Scot (or is it Scot and Bill) are hosting this event at their home. Seating space is very limited, so reservations are a must! But repeat performances can be arranged. If you’d like to attend the March 3 screening, please email your request to operaweenies@thetriangleconnection.com. If you cannot make that date but would like to attend an overflow performance another day, please let us know the dates and times you would be available.Also, feel free to tell us: “Not this time, but I am an Opera Weenie and I don’t care who knows it.” We would like to hear your input about operas we should screen, schedule requests, etc. We will keep you informed. Can’t wait to hear from all of you fellow (and sister) Weenies!
Smaller Dining Group:
This group meets approximately once a month, visiting smaller restaurants that could not accommodate our larger events. The group is open to visiting restaurants outside the Golden Triangle area and to restaurants featuring various ethnic cuisines. Feel free to suggest a venue, or drop an email to dining@thetriangleconnection.com to be added to the small-group dining list.
Breakfast Club:
Breakfast groups meet Monday and Thursday mornings at Betty's Greenhouse Grill,
www.cflsfband.org
G.I.F.T. (Gender Identity in Florida Today) is a peer-to-peer transgender support group in Lake County; meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m.; for location call: 352-360-5460, email rlk352@gmail.com, or visit: http://glbcc.org/groups.php.
A Central Florida LGBT Golf League is forming. Here is an opportunity to meet other family golfer and make new friends. All levels of players welcome. The organizers would like to start out with a once a month golf outing; if the interest is there to play more often it will be arranged. The days will alternate between Saturdays and Sundays. If you are interested call Maryann at 352-516-8941 or e-mail golfer1179@yahoo.com.
Rainbow Family Villages, GLBT social events in The Villages, contact: www.rainbowfamilyvillagesfl.com.
Horseback Riding: Anyone for horseback riding?
Rainbow Paddlers,
www.orlandogaychorus.org for a schedule. Or contact Bob Smith-Trent at racrjs@aol.com to get involved.
Over the River: Volusia & Seminole counties' gay, lesbian, transgender, & straight supportive social group; meets twice a month. One event is on the 4th Sunday of every month and is usually held at La Hacienda Mexical Grill,
Motorcycle/Scooter Interest Group: If you are interested in joining a motorcycle/scooter interest group, please contact Bob Dumais or Jamie Simpson at 508-958-0496 or ssalg4@aol.com. There are plenty of great places to ride along the back roads of
Women's Golf League & Just Plain Golf: If you are interested in playing golf and would like to join a women's golf league at the Country Club of Mount Dora, call Heather Earnest at 325-735-7183 or email earnesth@ci.mount-dora.fl.us.
Any men or women who would like to golf at any time, contact Glenna at 352-383-9189 or glennaburch@mac.com
SEW-MINI Things hosts monthly Triangle Rainbow Sewing/Quilting evenings as a monthly social event. Feel free to BYOB and a pot luck snack to share. Can't sew? That's ok. We can help you out. You don't sew but want to come with your partner and be social? Come even if you can't or don't sew; you're still invited to participate. More info: Stuart & Timm, 352-483-0082; toll Free 888-238-6903. www.sewminithings.com.
Are you interested in hosting or organizing an event?
Contact us with the details and we'll spread the word! We’ve had a group that met occasionally to play euchre at a member's home. Perhaps you'd like to team up with other bird enthusiasts for occasional forays into the great birding trails in our area. How about organizing a couple carloads to go see a show in
While the organization's distribution list is confidential, we'd be happy to distribute your plans and have interested members contact you. Email: events@thetriangleconnection.com.
