Susan, Karen, Marcia and Chrissy set up registration for the Antique Boat and Car Show.

Truth is, our initial committee was much larger (twice the current size) but some folks were just there to get their event off the ground and have returned to their own busy schedules.

Karen and Mike man our booth at the Fine Arts Festival. 

But some of volunteers continue to show up at every event, providing moral support and logistical assistance to the organizers.  Some might say they’re crazy for spending so much time and expending so much energy to celebrate their city, but we can only say one thing:

 The dance floor, lights and soundsystem, provided by Hutsenpiller Productions, harkened back to the days when the Tourist Club in Ferran Park hosted dances in the early days of the city.

 Events started with a 30-minute dance lesson and continued with live music from several entertainers.

A bit of history about “Dancing in the Park”:

The historical eastside of Lake Eustis was the entertainment site for many early tourists and settlers.  The Pier, also known as the Boater’s Club, frequently held dances out over the lake.  As sand was pumped in to form Ferran Park, the Boater’s Club was moved inland to the south end of the newly formed park.  It became known as the Tourist Club, which brought in thousands of tourists each season to the Eustis area.  During the summer months in the 50’s, Eustis teenagers enjoyed Saturday dances and the cool lake breezes that flowed through the many tall old windows that bordered on each side of the building. 

The event was a wonderful success, so look for future Dancing in the Park dates as the summer unwinds!

Volunteers from the 125th Birthday Committee and guests gathered at Greenwood Cemetery in Eustis for a walking tour of the graves of the founding citizens of Eustis.

Volunteers dressed in costumes borrowed from the Historic Bay Street Players, our local theatre. 

William, Tracy, Liz, George, Karen, Sharron, BettyAnn, Susan, Marcia, Tim

We visited the Ferrans, the Smiths, the Morins, the Cliffords, the Igous and many more.  Each tour, which lasted approximately 1 hour, was attended by 15 guests.

Another tour is scheduled for Saturday, April 26th at 4:30 pm.  To reserve a place on the tour, call Tim Totten at 321-287-0628.

And while Saturday started out windy, misty and cold, Mother Nature smiled down with a little sunshine later in the day and the crowds swelled.

Along with music in the gazebo, there was a 50/50 cash prize drawing, awards for the artists and food vendors selling everything from Philly cheesesteaks to fresh clam chowder!

We’ve thanked all the committee members who assisted with the Antique Boat and Car Show and we’ve acknowledged the excited crowds that arrived to check out the festivities, but we’ve saved the best group for last:  the boat and car owners!

It’s kinda hard to run a boat and car show without boats and cars.  So a BIG, HUGE THANKS to all the folks who turned out in the cold, foggy mist to set up Jersey Skiffs, antique canoes, Model T’s and Woody wagons.  The work you put into your boats and cars is only outshined by your kindness and generosity.

The Eustis Fire Department cooks some of the greatest hamburgers on planet Earth!  For the morning of the antique boat and car show, they sold coffee and cocoa.  Around 1:30 pm, they sold out of hamburgers and hotdogs.  Of course, sodas, water and coffee flowed until the last guest was served.

Even better, the Fire Department, which uses fundraisers to support fire-related charities, will be cooking their famous 1/2-pound burgers for GeorgeFest and during the 1st Annual Eustis Fire Muster in the Park.

Marcia and Susan are both city employees who have volunteered their time to help with the 125th celebrations.

We were in the park before 7:00 am and had the registration booth ready to go before the first boat arrived.

Crissy (blue sweater), Rex and Michael try to make sense of the tent.

Fire Captain Rex Winn latches the tent to the frame.

Eustis Main Street’s Wayne Carter sees to the details.

One of our committee members is Sam Chapin of the Lake Eustis Sailing Club.  The club offers some great courses that are taught right on our beautiful, 7000+ acre lake.

Over twenty antique boats and cars lined up in Ferran Park for the first Annual Antique Boat and Car Show in Eustis, Florida.

Members of the 125th Celebration Committee gathered before 7:00 am (that’s awful early!) but were greeted by Karen LeHeup-Smith and her delicious wakeup call.

Karen’s Wake-up Call!

Soon, we were directing cars and backing boats into the tree-shaded park in Downtown Eustis.  Some boats, like Betty Lou (above) were sleek and elegant, while others showed off a faster streak (below).

One of several Jersey Skiffs

And considering the forecasted rain and cold weather, the crowd was actually quite large.  The Fire Department sold out of hamburgers and hot dogs and folks were still coming to the park at 3- and 4-o’clock to see the antique vehicles.

Boat Safety Educators from the Harris Chain Squadron

Special thanks goes to Marcia Arnold for her tireless organization of this event.  Marcia’s leadership really made the day a success.  And thanks to all the folks who helped Marcia!

A Bright and Cheery Marcia at 7:30 am 

This is one view of the huge crowd (1200+ guests) that showed up for our 125th Anniversary kick-off!

Rex and Kim Winn watch as Sharron Semento and Karen LeHeup-Smith move a table. 

It took a lot of folks to get ready for our first event.  And while it looks like Rex and Kim are just watching, they’re actually resting here after setting up several hundred chairs.

Committee members Liz Morton (left) and Susan Trewyn sport wide smiles after a long but satisfying day in the park. 

Liz and Susan manned the welcome tent.  They sold buttons, helped guests sign the register and passed out programs.

Without the help of volunteers like Liz and Susan, we’d never get these events off the ground.

Thanks bunches for your help!

Bea Paulhammus (she owns the produce stand on the corner of Atwater and Bay) volunteered her skills to make the delicious cake that we enjoyed at our 125th birthday celebration.  She even designed the top of the cake to match our logo!

Michael Holland, pictured here with Bea, paid for the ingredients.

What a nice donation by each of them!

Our logo was created by Kace Montgomery of Baker-Wettstein Marketing and Public Relations, a local firm.

The bird at the center is a crane and mirrors a stainless steel statue that was recently erected in Ferran Park.

The statue sits in the middle of a fountain that commemorates the refurbishment of Ferran Park.  The lake beyond is Lake Eustis, where beautiful sunsets (like the one in the logo) can be seen on a daily basis. 

 We’re using the logo on all our advertising for the 125th anniversary events and we’ll be selling the logo on coffee mugs and buttons at most events.

Yes, we’ve rounded up the greatest group of dedicated committee members, but the plans we’ve concocted for the 125th anniversary celebrations would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors.

This picture shows the first few sponsors, along with the early crowd that gathered at the bandshell on January 1st to listen to a concert by the Florida Lakes Symphony.

We gobbled up a huge cake, made by Bea Paulhammus (who donated her time and skills) and Michael Holland (who donated the ingredients).

In the picture above, Commissioner Evelyn Smith cuts the cake while committee member Marcia Arnold keeps the plates moving.

Marcia is hosting the next event, our Antique Boat and Car Show.  It’ll be held Saturday, January 19th in Ferran Park.

Eustis was founded on January 1, 1883, which means we’re in our 125th year right now!  We kicked off the celebration with a fabulous symphony in Ferran Park.  The 57-member orchestra played in the Alice McClelland Memorial Bandshell (one of 2 originals in the state!) to over 1200 guests.

Later, we had a champagne toast and gorged ourselves on birthday cake while the Mayor read a proclamation declaring all of 2008 a time to celebrate our Quasquicentennial anniversary (that means 125 years).

We’ll be highlighting a number of the important folks bringing you these events and offering pictures and video from each.

So stay tuned, because 2008 is going to be a very full and fun year!