Zephyrhills ready for 95th Founder's Day
The event is designed not only to entertain and bring residents together, but to draw attention to what the downtown district has to offer.
By MOLLY MOORHEAD
Published March 11, 2005
ZEPHYRHILLS - The city celebrates its heritage Saturday with the 95th annual Founder's Day event downtown.
This year's theme is 'Readin', Writin' & 'Rithmetic, 1910-1940," and the day's events will highlight Zephyrhills' small-town roots.
It's a great family day," said Main Street Zephyrhills Inc. director Sue Harvey.
The day gets going at 9 a.m., with a parade beginning at 10. The route begins at 17th Street and heads west on Fifth Avenue. It turns north on Seventh Street and ends at 10th Avenue.
Parade attractions will include marching bands, floats, horses, fire trucks, police cars, local dignitaries and more.
Admission to the festival is free.
Numerous activities will be provided for children: hay rides, pony rides, rock-climbing wall, petting zoo, chalk art and rides, to name a few.
There will be entertainment throughout the day beginning at 1 p.m. Look for musicians across the spectrum, dancers and fiddlers.
Food vendors will be on hand, as well as service clubs selling food as fundraisers.
Weather forecasts call for a clear day and comfortable temperatures.
"I hope everyone will have a wonderful time," Harvey said. "It's a great way of bringing the community together. Every year there's a fantastic turnout."
The Main Street organization hopes to attract attention to the city's downtown district and its merchants. As development booms on the north edge, the city is showcasing its refurbished downtown core.
"It's to promote awareness of what's on Main Street and to encourage people to come to Main Street," Harvey said.
Festival revelers who hop on pony rides or take a crack at the craft booth will be participating in an event recognized by the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
To celebrate the new millennium and the library's bicentennial, the library established its Local Legacies Project to document cultural heritage in local communities.
Zephyrhills' Founder's Day is part of it.
"It's a slice of America ranging from documents of a gay event in Colorado to a boat builder in New Jersey to an art festival in Florida," said Peter Bartis, senior program officer at the Library of Congress. The Local Legacies Project is not ongoing, however memorabilia from Founder's Day, such as photographs, old newspaper clippings and other documents, is now part of the permanent collection at the library.