News Features

Area Gears Up For Big Holiday - Local History In The Spotlight

    America’s Independence will be celebrated this Saturday, July 4. A host of special events and activities have been organized to mark the occasion, which this year carries special significance as being the 250th year since the original Declaration of Independence sparked the creation of the United States.
   Here’s a breakdown of the activity schedule:
   - Friday, July 3: City of Eustis Hometown Celebration. From 4-10 p.m., downtown Eustis will be abuzz with a host of special activities to help maximize the holiday fun. At 4 p.m., the event will open with food and craft vendors, a family fun zone, and live music from the 789s at the historic bandshell. At 5 p.m. the Tampa Bay Water Ski Show Team will perform on Lake Eustis next to Ferran Park. At 6 p.m. the 789s return, and a 8 p.m. more live entertainment will take to the bandshell stage when country music star Michael Ray performs. At 9 p.m., Christina Vukel will perform the National Anthem, followed by a large fireworks display.
   - Friday, July 3: City of Mount Dora Freedom on the Waterfront. Running from 4-10 p.m. at the Elizabeth Evans Park, event will include live music, food vendors, family fun zone a fireworks and drone show, as well as a live concert featuring the band Tonic beginning at 7:50 p.m. The fireworks and drone show will begin at 9 p.m., following announcements, the National Anthem and an honor guard.
   - Friday, July 3: VFW Post 9986 in Astor. Beginning at 7 p.m. the post will be open to the public for food and drink specials, and a contest for the best dressed patriot. There will be a corn hole tournament, and live music from Circle of Friends. At 9 p.m., there will be fireworks. The post is located off SR 40 in Astor.
   Friday, July 3: Firecracker Festival DeLand. From 6-9 p.m. at Earl Brown Park, the public is invited for a pie eating contest, food trucks, a flyover, patriotic ceremonies, skydivers, and fireworks at dusk.
   - Saturday, July 4: Patriotic Boat Parade on the St. Johns River in Astor. Free to enter, with lineup beginning at sunset at Camp South moon on the river, with the parade running south through ‘downtown’ Astor to the Shell Island area. No registration fee, and all are welcome to decorate their boat in patriotic lights and colors.
   - Saturday, July 4: Shockley Heights Club Annual BBQ. Running from 11 am. to 3 p.m., the public is invited to bring a lawn chair and side dish and enjoy the fun inside the Shockley Heights community. Free BBQ sandwiches provided. Event will include a Chinese Auction, 5050 drawing, Yeti cooler raffle, and drinks. Cash only, family-friendly event. Shockley Heights is located on CR 445 in the Altoona area, near Alexander Springs.
   - Saturday, July 4: Family Fun Celebration in Pierson. From 4-9 p.m. at Chipper Jones Park event will include inflatables, water slides, children’s activities, and a fireworks show at 9 p.m. Food and drinks available.
   - Saturday, July 4: Tavares July 4 celebration. Beginning at 5 p.m. with a street parade downtown, followed by a family-friendly event in downtown that will include games, food, and live entertainment. Fireworks will begin at 9 p.m.

    With all of America focused on celebrating our nation’s 250th Birthday, we are excited to say our area has so much history to celebrate, as well! Knowing your community’s history helps you experience a sense of great pride in knowing all the people who sacrificed to make it a great place to call home.
   We were delighted to take a long drive on Friday around our area from Pierson, to Emporia, to Astor, to Paisley, to Pittman, to Altoona, to Umatilla, to Eustis and to all points in between. We felt honored and humbled to see the history of our area’s founding and to be able to share that car ride with a couple of our sons.
   Many folks know that the railroads opened up our area to advanced settlement in the 1850s, but there were a lot of folks here prior to the railroads. Those folks got here the hard way by buckboard, horseback, boat, and even by foot. The wilderness of North Lake was brimming with game, hazards, and opportunity for those who were willing to scratch out an existence.
   Two of the oldest cities in our state are St. Augustine, settled by the Spanish in 1565, and the New Smyrna Colony settled first in 1768 by Minorcan, Greece and Italian indentured immigrants from Europe.
   Lake County was settled around the 1800s with more settlers coming in 1840 after the conclusion of the Seminole Wars. Those early folks were hard-working farmers, explorers, cowboys, and frontiersmen and women. The story they tell today is marked by their churches, schools, ranches, homesteads, and graves.
   We thoroughly enjoyed our journey around Lake County this week, taking a close look at our local history and celebrating all those who came before us and made this place what it is today. We celebrate their efforts and their history with the pictures on these pages! God Bless America and God Bless the preservation of our local history!