Feature Story and Photos by Larry H. Oskin
Groveland celebrated 99 historic years of success with a big Founders Day event. This ‘City with Natural Charm’ two-day event was held at the Puryear Building and all-around Lake David at the Groveland Festival Park. The celebration included plenty of live entertainment, food trucks, face painting, a kid’s zone and craft vendors.
Event organizer Mike Walker is the Groveland Director of Parks and Recreation. Walker shares, “About 3,000 people attended our Founder’s Day celebration, with over 40 vendors. They had plenty of waterfront and lake activities including a barefoot skiing competition and a remote-control speed boat race. Andy Hansen did a great job organizing all of our water sports events on Lake David.”
Walker adds, “We were fortunate to have Community Redevelopment Agency funding. We really need to credit the important teamwork and positive endless support from our Mayor Evelyn Wilson, our City Manager Mike Hein, our City Council, Recreational Advisory Committee and our Centennial Committee. Our committees ensured the park was ready with new sidewalks, plants, shrubs, flags, signs, and plenty of safety measures.
Celebrating Groveland History: Preserving the past for the future, the Groveland History Museum was open for tours to visit their numerous exhibits. To learn about Groveland’s rich history and to revisit old memories, this is a must. You will learn about Groveland’s diverse origins in the turpentine, lumber, citrus, and perfume industries. Under the direction of Mary Helen Meyers, this small, yet important museum proudly showcases the founders, the heroes, sporting legends, Civil War, World War II, and every time period through today. The Groveland Historical Museum is operated by the Groveland Historical Society. It is connected to the Puryear Building located at 243 South Lake Avenue. This museum is free and open to the public. For more information, call: 352-429-0771, 352-429-2945 and visit: www.GrovelandHistory.org.
Live Entertainment: The South Lake High School Screaming Eagles Band performed. On Friday, they had a huge Farmer’s Market. The Groveland Band Shell offered endless entertainment on Saturday from the Patrick Gibson, Yesterdayze, Johnny Rodgers, Maiden Cane, Soul to Earth, Latin Wave and a Frankie Valli Tribute by the Let’s Hang On band.
Kid’s Zone: Be Free Lake was a co-sponsor of the Founder’s Day Kid’s Zone. They had a tent set up at the entrance of the Kid’s Zone working to collaborate with the Groveland community focus on youth alcohol and substance abuse as well as violence prevention. They work to help maximize local area resources by providing opportunities for health and wellness in order for children and families to be self-sufficient, productive contributors in Lake County. This area had climb wall, a bounce house and plenty of special fun activities for young children and teens. It was held adjacent to their community skate park and where their new Splash Park is now being built. For more information, visit: www.befreelake.org.
Kroger’s Delivery was the primary sponsor of Groveland Founder’s Day, handing out bountiful bags of free groceries to every attendee while promoting their new local area delivery services. Kroger plans to offer free, safe and no-contact deliveries on orders placed during their trial period. You can opt-in at Kroger.com/floridafriends: www.kroger.com/i/ways-to-shop/delivery
Groveland Mayor Evelyn Wilson noted, “Here in Groveland, we are a team. Mike Walker and the city management team did an awesome job. We are all really very proud of how really terrific the entire Founder’s Day Weekend went for us. Besides current and new residents, many old-timers and city elders were kind enough to stop by to complement the event, noting that their parents would have been very pleased and proud to take part in such a successful and historic event.”
City of Groveland Events: The City of Groveland Parks and Recreation Department’s event goals are to give the community free fun events to attend. These events are designed to strengthen the community spirit as well as to promote local businesses and organizations. The long-term goal is to create events that will create traditions in this charming city for years to come. They provide recurring seasonal events such as Second Friday Farmers Market and Wacky Water Wednesdays during the summer months. They also plan to do this by providing specialty monthly events such as the upcoming 4th of July Celebration and end-of-year Christmas Parade.
Groveland — A City with Natural Charm! Wilson proudly shares, “As Florida’s second-fastest-growing city, we are becoming a big mark on the Florida map and we are rapidly growing. For more information, visit Groveland City Hall at 156 South Lake Avenue, Groveland. Phone: 352-429-2141, Visit Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CityofGroveland/ and the Groveland City website at https://www.groveland-fl.gov/
