A Lake gem comes out of hiding: Groveland brings breezy fun and food to 102nd Founders Day
Groveland offers a lovely backdrop for outdoor events at Lake David Park, and showed off its on-brand "natural charm" and cultural variety at Groveland's 102nd Anniversary Founders Day Celebration.
Food trucks, vendors and entertainers gathered along the breezy banks of Lake David under idyllic oak canopies. The southwest Lake County event was just right for a relaxing spring Saturday afternoon.
Billy Buchanan and his Rock 'n' Soul Revue energized the festivities with Motown hits like "Get Ready" and standards like "At Last" as kids tried to catch bubbles from a friendly and colorful stilt walker.
The Crenshaw Band, Central Florida Dreamplex Stars cheerleaders, Randall Crawford and the Zac Brown Tribute Band also performed.
More than 60 local businesses and artisans set up vendor booths along Lake avenue, and a wide array of food trucks hawking everything from fresh-made pasta dishes to empanadas and barbecue fed hungry revelers.
The Daily Commercial popped in on a new, imaginative driftwood artisan duo, Chase Branom and Devon VanNess of Caught you at First Drift, who brought with them the cutest mascot — a 2-month-old goat named Dodge.
Mayor Evelyn Wilson was on hand, greeting revelers and said she was happy about the turnout and variety of things to do at the Founders Day celebration. "The weather couldn't have been better," she effused.
During the early afternoon, Feet on Fire Barefoot hosted a classic barefoot lap endurance contest, a test to see who can barefoot the longest around Lake David. The twist: after the second full lap, the boat decreased speed by 2 mph and continued to decrease speed by 2 mph on every lap until the skier falls. (Barefoot water skiing, if you didn't know, goes back to 1949, when the first tournament took to the water at Cypress Gardens, now the site of Legoland.)
"Best barefoot start" went to Jake Snider, who maneuvered a reverse two-ski-deepwater start from the backwards position, spun his skis around 180 degrees as the boat sped up to 42 mph and then executed a "flawless, signature two-ski jump." Visit facebook.com/FeetonFire.Barefoot for a full list of winners of this year's "Groveland Wakeskate and Scrimmage" awards.
The city of Groveland goes back to 1895, when brothers C. C. and B. M. Taylor settled with African American workers to harvest the area’s turpentine resources. The Taylor brothers built a turpentine still just north of Lake David, and that area became known as Taylorville, until it was renamed Groveland after a city council meeting in 1922.
At the Historical Society and Museum, adjacent to the festivities, lectures were given on the founding of the city, the ghost town of Villa City and the area's Timucuan predecessors. The museum will host a 1950s-style sock hop on April 20.
Groveland's Founders Day ended with a bang (several bangs, actually) as fireworks lit up the sky over Lake David.
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"We were thrilled to celebrate 102 years of Groveland with all of our residents and visitors!" said Jennifer Clutts, communications Director for the city of Groveland.
"Lake David had perfect conditions for the Great Groveland Barefoot Laps Challenge for all that dared to try barefoot skiing, and the Groveland Historical Society and Museum gave presentations about our history. Our charming vendors served outstanding food and drinks while also offering shopping from small businesses. The entertainment brought life to the party all day in our bandshell, and attendees enjoyed spectacular fireworks to end the night. We hope to welcome everyone back out to our future events and Second Friday Block Parties at Lake David Park."
The town's next event will be its Second Friday Farmers Market from 5 to 9 p.m. on April 12. Follow facebook.com/CityofGroveland for updates.
This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Food, watersports, music and fireworks at Groveland's Founders Day
