Pioneer Park Days
http://www.hardeecounty.net/Pioneer/index.cfm
http://www.floridaflywheelers.org/
Admission to Pioneer Park Days: $2.00 per adult per day or $5.00 for a weekly pass.
Pioneer Park is owned and operated by Hardee, County, Florida. It is a cool park which has good camping facilities, an animal refuge, lots of stage entertainment and some historical “Cracker” crafts (blacksmithing) and buildings, including the Cracker Trail Post Office and Cracker Museum. Once a year (this was their 42rd year), they host an event called Pioneer Park Days the first week in March starting on Wednesday and continuing through Sunday. Sometimes, it starts in the last day or two of February, depending how the calendar allows it to fall.
The park was once a beautiful Florida long-needle pine woodsy area. Hurricane Charley in 2004 changed its landscape dramatically. When we went back in 2005 to do our Pioneer Days, we found ALL those beautiful trees gone. The County has planted new trees (not the pine trees). They are starting to grow, but are still rather small. The Peace River covers the east and part of its north boundaries of the park, where one can see wild ‘gators sunning themselves on occasion.
This is the only event in which we have participated for our entire fifteen years of business. It was one of three events “given” to us from the family from whom we purchased our equipment. They had been on site for somewhere between two and five years before us.
We are always set up in the same area…next to the Sweet Bay (formerly Kash ‘N’ Karry) truck. For many years, we were east of the truck, but the park put in a new septic system in “our spot.” They moved us to the west side, but we are still next to our faithful truck. Paul, the local manager of the grocery, and his crew are primarily there as a public service. Most of the food on site is provided by local not-for-profit churches and organizations (boiled peanuts, pork rinds, homemade ice cream and kettle korn are the exceptions as we are “specialized”). Paul’s truck is refrigerated. He keeps ice and a large supply of soda along with some of the items that are most used by the vendors. Several times a day, he makes the rounds to the various food vendors to find out what they may need. He, then, calls orders into his store. Within a short time period, it arrives at the truck and is delivered to the vendors. I cannot tell this audience how many times he has rescued us from a dwindling supply of sugar or salt.
The weather is totally unpredictable. This year was cold, cold, cold from Tuesday (which is the day we arrive to set up our equipment) through Friday. Saturday and Sunday turned our beautiful. Some years, we have wanted to melt from the heat. So, one never knows. Rain, wind (we totaled a tent one year)…with the exception of snow, extreme weather is the norm. We are blessed when the weather turns out in our favor—rarely, I might add.
It is an olio event, including a bit of this and that…tractor and antique one lung engine show, flea market, antique/classic car show, stage entertainment, Florida Frontiermen encampment, Sons of Confederate Veterans, a few scattered Civil War re.enactors, Cracker buildings and skills.
The animal refuge: Guests Move about freely on the elevated boardwalk to see Florida wild animals in a natural habitat. Admission in addition to entrance to Pioneer Park Days. This refuge is next to the road by the river…bears, raccoons, Florida panther, and other local species. Like most Florida animal refuges, these animals are here because they had been injured and could not be returned to the wild after as much rehabilitation as possible had been exercised.
The Florida Frontiersmen started coming about three seasons ago. Before that, it seemed, very few people dressed as “pioneers.” Of course, Miss Molly’s always does. One year, a very disappointed lad came to us and said, “I thought this was pioneer days. You are the only ones dressed like pioneers.” With the arrival of the historical frontiersmen and War Between the States Re.enactors spectators can now see many of us dressed like pioneers of many time periods.
Tractors: Cases, Olivers, Fords, John Deere in their various colors and sizes are displayed throughout the park. I learned to drive on an early ‘50’s Ford tractor, so I especially like the small Ford tractors. They are very special to me. The tractors range in size from lawn mowing size to those with huge air conditioned cabins for heavy duty farming. At 2:00 every afternoon, they parade through the park. Some of the older ones have been restored to the eenth degree; some remain in their tired, well-worked state. This year we had a special treat. On one tractor, a man carried his very hoarse beagle. He’d bark ten or twenty times, stop for a few seconds and start over again. Girls, boys, men, women…drivers--dogs, kids, spouses...passengers. Flags flying. The sounds of the tractor engine are a chorus onto themselves.
One lung engines: These, as well, have a musical melody of their own. It cannot be described. Most of the motors sound as though they are going to stall, just as it huffs back into the sound of a working engine. Made by a huge array of manufacturers, they were used for an equally huge number of life's functions. The motors come in various sizes. In days gone by, these motors were used for all kinds of things…sawing wood, early mechanical laundry (the old Maytag motors ran early washing machines), corn husking and shelling, dividing wheat from chaff, railroad trains and apparatus. The list is extensive. Many of the owners of these engines like to display them by having them being used for a practical purpose. Many other owners just like to show the engines. (We have three which have never been shown…a shame).
One thing that always fascinated me at this event is the imaginations of so many people in designing and building various moods of transportation. One could never foresee wheels, engines, seat, steering components, etc. could possibly be put together in such unusual ways. It is fun to watch, a homemade vehicle with a cart attached with seating for family and pets.
Many of those who display engines often collect other old timey items…pig oilers, old farm, construction or household tools and other things that helped to make life simpler.
When we first started attending this event, most of the flea market was a combination of collectibles and antiques. It has now moved somewhat away from these items (although there are still lots of good bargains in these areas...but one always needs to watch for reproductions). Now like many flea markets, lots of new stuff has appeared—everything from sunglasses to shampoos, pet items to tools. They are, however, almost always several fruit and vegetable vendors (although with so much weather this winter, they were in short supply this season).
Ruthie used to have a great collectibles booth. She retired a couple of years ago. We loved Ruth. Our spot is in a weird place and, thus, does not meet the norm for a flea market space. It is long with no chance of selling off the back end. We can park all of our equipment there, along with several other vehicles. The normal vendor parking is a very long distance away. Ruth’s mother helped Ruth in her stall, but could not walk long distances. So, we traded part of our spot to Ruth for old hankies and other collectibles. It was a good deal for both of us. This year a gourmet food person and some flute playing, CD selling group were in her spot. We miss you, Ruth.
We seldom get to the music entertainment, as we are usually either too tired or too cold to go. But, in the years we have attended we always enjoyed outselves...down-home, friendly groups with pretty decent talent.
We always do well at this event. On Friday, one of the women from the Florida Frontiersmen stopped by and helped us. We also had a gentleman help Steve stir the corn while it was readying itself to start popping. Saturday, the woman came back. Dave could not make it, but a friend of the Sweet Bay folks (they not provided me with food, it seems, but with good help, as well) stepped in to help. Thank you Bubbles, Dave and Jim. We could not have done it without you.
The cars are generally only there on Saturday and maybe part of Sunday. Always, a great bunch of vehicles to see.
With the addition of the historic men and women a couple of years ago, a whole new dimension was added. This year we even heard the cannon pop occasionally on Saturday and Sunday. They have montage of displays of crafts, reproduction items and skills. Always fun to see. Always educational to hear what they might have to tell one in an historical context. They are camped near the buildings that make up the “Cracker” area.
Some people equate the word “Cracker” as a derogatory term. But, most people who have descended from the Florida Cracker population are as proud of their heritage as those of us who are long-time Yankees (from the mid 1600’s) and are proud of our heritage. There are several sagas as to how the term came to be. The one that seems to be most used concerns cattle. The early Florida cattle, bred to withstand the Florida extremes…weather, bugs…were long-horned free-range critters. When it came time to get them ready for market and round them up, the cattle drivers would crack their whips over the heads of the beef to move them in the direction in which they wanted them to travel. So, the cattle drivers were [whip]crackers. To me, an honest job should not cause its title to be disparaging.
By Sunday night, we had little to pack as the corn was all popped and sold. We arrive home late, tired and very satified.
No comments:
Post a Comment