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Getaway: hot ticket
By Times staff
© St. Petersburg Times
published August 29, 2002
Travel back in time
For the second year, the annual Pioneer Days celebration at the Florida Pioneer Museum near Dade City will stretch over all three days of the holiday weekend. Organizers expanded the celebration beyond the original one-day festival last year and drew a crowd of 6,000 to 8,000.
"It's an end-of-summer ritual," Dade City Mayor Scott Black said as he greeted those arriving at last year's event. "People bring their children to show them how things used to be. We get a lot of folks here from out of town. It's good for Dade City. We like to have company."
The festival showcases life in the 19th and early 20th century with pioneer exhibits, Civil War encampments and arts and crafts sales all three days. Saturday's highlights include a pancake breakfast, Wild West show, square dancers and storytellers. A Civil War-era wedding will be staged at 2:45 p.m.
Sunday includes a Civil War battle re-enactment at 1 p.m. and an all-day gospel sing.
On Monday, the re-enactors fire up the cannons again at 1 p.m., but there also will be music, craft demonstrations, antique cars and tractors and wagon and pony rides.
The festival is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday through Monday. The Pioneer Florida Museum is 1 mile north of Dade City off U.S. 301 N. Admission is $6 adults, $2 kids 12 and younger. For more information, call (352) 567-0262 or check www.pioneerfloridamuseum.org.
Leapin' lizards, it's a Gecko Fest
Artsy Gulfport revives its whimsical salute to the lowly lizard with the second annual Gecko Fest.
The festival includes family activities and a parade with a gecko theme. That means drums, rattles, colorful hats and costumes to celebrate the many colors of geckos. Don't have a hat? You can make one at a crafts table or you can bring a chair and admire the creativity of others.
The free event also includes street performers and fireworks. It starts at 6 p.m. Saturday and lasts until 10 p.m. on the Shore and Beach boulevards area of downtown, near the waterfront. The parade is at 7 p.m. Fireworks are at 9:15 p.m.
For more information, call (727) 893-1070.
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