People

By John DiDonna Photo by JP Photography I f one takes a stroll down Oak Avenue in Sanford, they will notice a stunning home on the corner of 5th street. Dating back to 1894, it serves as one of the historic district’s only bed and breakfasts, The Higgins House. In the last few years, the home was purchased by Lisa ...

COVER STORY SANFORD A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH NO LONGER By Nikki Namdar Inside The Old Jailhouse restaurant, Jeff Triplett sips a drink while giving dental flossing advice to his youngest son on the phone. Brick walls, barred windows, and shiny chandeliers embellish this old-time slammer while classic rock plays. From the outside, he looks like a normal guy, but ...

Photo by Kelly Clore with kabiki photography There’s a great force in Sanford. With cat-eye shaped glasses and a kitty purse, she walks the First Street blocks displaying great pride, experience, and empowerment. She is Christina Hollerbach-Simmons — the heiress to Hollerbach’s Willow Tree, our city’s beloved German restaurant. In addition to running one of the city’s most popular restaurants, ...

BY NANCY BUCK My husband and I moved from neighboring Winter Springs, empty nesters looking for a close-knit community to fill the empty space left behind when our kids flew the coop. We chose Sanford because it had that feeling we were longing for, and we were not disappointed. We bought on 16th but lived for a short stint on ...

By John DiDonna If one had driven through Sanford earlier this year, they might have had to blink twice to wonder, “Did I just see a fairy with wings?” There’s no need to puzzle over that because, during a 10-day span, Barry Kirsch and his cast and crew at Iron Robot Films were busy filming his digital short, “The Forever ...