From the strumming of acoustic guitars to the giggle of children’s
voices, the sound of Floral City Heritage Days 2005 will soon fill
the air.
This annual historical and educational event showcases historic architecture
with a Blue Banner Tour of Historic Homes, features early Florida folk
ways with costumed demonstrators and presents
outstanding Florida acoustic musicians. It is scheduled for Friday,
Dec, 2, from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m.
As the sun sets Friday, the fi rst day of the event begins when 1,000
Luminarias are lit and set under the majestic century-old oaks and
the Orange Avenue/County Road 48 is closed to vehicles, allowing
visitors to stroll under the oak-canopy, lined with candles, twinklelights,
giant Christmas cards and carolers.
Meanwhile, kettles of deep fat boil for the
Floral City Lions Foundation’s famous Old
Fashion Fish Fry held
in the historic limerock
Community Building. It is an “All You Can Eat”
affair with
a $7 cover charge.
Next door in the Old Fire Station, a peek at the
future Heritage Hall and it’s historical museum
will be set up
and open for the public, free of
charge, for both Friday night and
for the Folk
Day on Saturday.
Early on Saturday, open-pit fi res will be lit in preparation for the
day’s
activities. Two dozen or more demonstrators in the arts, trades and
daily living skills of 19th Century central Florida will be scattered
in the large Church of Christ lot on Orange Avenue at the center of
the National Floral City Historic District.
The time period of this Central Florida Folk Day encompasses the late1800s
to the early 1900’s as will be evident from the
springpole wood lathe to the Model “A” automobiles. Many
other demonstrators, exhibitors and activities fall in-between: coopers,
spinner, wooden chair maker, basket weavers, flint napper, woodworker/toy
maker, candle and soap makers, chair caner, and a Florida “Cracker” cow
camp complete with “Cracker” horse.
As they tighten the canvas on their tents, the sound of guitars, banjos
and fiddles from two music stages mingle in the air with the smoke
of the camp fires and the smell of a pig roasting on the spit.
These music groups are frequent performers at the annual Will McLean
Festival, the Florida Folk Festival and the Gamble Rogers Festival.
Along the Avenue and beyond the lace curtains that grace the ancient
glass windows of the late 1800 homes, ladies in long dresses and fancy
hats and men in white shirts and gaulluses (as suspenders
were called back then) anticipate the arrival of visitors. Doors of
these historic homes will be flung open during the Annual Blue Banner
Tour of Historic Homes. For a $10 Tour ticket, more than a half dozen
historic homes will be open and their history and restoration shared.
Other historic buildings will also be open to the public.
Uptown, a full stage of musicians will perform for the cyclists who
have ridden the Withlacoochee Trail State Park for the “Bike
Ride To The Past” and drivers of model “A’s” will
listen to the 1919
Gulbransen player piano before visiting the “Fudge, Facts and
Fiction” tent to purchase a gently
pre-owned book.
Children can be found at the at their special activity corner participating
in a number of old fashion games, face painting, storytelling, the
Farm Animal Petting Park and viewing the wildlife rehabilitation
display.
Not the least of Heritage Days is the country cookin’. Many visitors
come just for the food: TOOFAR will have its annual Roasted Pig-on-the-Spit
dinners which always includes a heapin’ scoop of Hoppin’ Johns.
Mt. Carmel Methodist Church will be serving up their popular BBQ Chicken
or Rib dinners and sandwiches, topping it off with sweet potato pies.
Others will serve sausage and biscuits,
buttered corn on the cob, hot dogs, hamburgers, hand dipped ice cream
cones and Pot of Gold Kettle Korn under canvas tent will offer kettle
corn, funnel cakes and bottled rootbeer.
