FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 4, 2013
FLORIDA’S STATE PARKS COMMEMORATE VIVA FLORIDA 500
~Visit FloridaStateParks.org for history highlights,
event information~
TALLAHASSEE – The Florida
Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Park Service is proud to join with the Florida
Department of State in commemorating 500 years of Florida history throughout
2013. Viva Florida 500 commemorates
Florida's rich heritage and diverse cultural history through 2013, a
significant milestone unlike any other in the history of the United States. Visitors
are invited to remember Florida's rich history with first-hand experiences of
the eras and events in state parks that helped make the state into what it is
today: a community of many diverse cultures.
“Many of Florida’s state parks hold a piece of our
state’s unique history and park staff work daily to tell the story of past
cultures and events that shaped Florida,” said Donald Forgione, DEP’s Florida
Park Service Director. “Through preservation and interpretation, Florida State
Parks will continue to share the special history of Florida with this and
future generations.”
Every week in 2013, the Florida Park Service will
highlight a significant event or milestone that happened in a state park or
associated with a state park on a new web page called, “Viva
Florida 500 – History Notes.” At this web page, visitors can learn about
Florida’s heritage through state parks and then experience it in real life by
visiting that particular state park. From battle
reenactments to geo-caching to homesteads
of literary
greats and inventors,
Florida’s state parks offer a one-of-a-kind look into history.
“We are very proud to be partnering with the Florida Park
Service to showcase Florida’s state parks and their influence on our state’s
culture,” said Secretary of State Ken Detzner. “Viva Florida 500 is a year-long
commemorative event that offers opportunities to promote Florida’s history,
such the history of our state parks, in an educational and entertaining way
that Floridians and visitors will enjoy.”
During 2013, the Florida Park Service will host many
events that will join in the commemoration of Viva Florida 500. Visitors are encouraged
to check out the events
page on FloridaStateParks.org for all the events in state parks.
On
Jan. 5 and 6, experience history at the 33rd reenactment of Dade's Battle at
Dade Battlefield Historic State
Park in Bushnell.
Commemorating the 177th anniversary of the battle that started the
Second Seminole War, step back in time with period soldier costumes, Seminole
and Civilian camps, a Sutler Trade Fair, historic arts and crafts
demonstrations, full scale cannon firing, tree cutting and barricade building,
musket shooting, tomahawk throwing and primitive archery. On Dec. 28, 1835,
Indian warriors ambushed 108 U.S. soldiers at this site, and only three
soldiers survived. The 80-acre park protects not only a historic battlefield,
but also the natural communities as they existed during the war. Learn more at Viva Florida 500 – History Notes. The event will take place
Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 5 and 6 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the Battle
Reenactment beginning at 2 p.m. each day. Fees are $5 per person, children
under 6 free, parking $2 per vehicle.
On
Jan. 19, learn about geo-caching at Cacheapalooza 7 (CP7), hosted by Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound. CP7 is a
fun-filled weekend of geo-caching in the beautiful and mysterious Jonathan
Dickinson State Park. Geo-caching is an outdoor recreational activity in which
the participants use a GPS to hide and seek "geo-caches" or
"caches," which are small
waterproof containers containing a logbook where the geo-cacher enters the date
they found it and signs it with their established code name. Geo-caching is a
great way to learn about the history and environment of a particular area. The
event will feature 200 new, plus many existing, log-able geo-caches hidden in
this diverse, 11,500-acre park. There will be traditional caches of various difficulty
and terrain ratings and other types of cache hides. In honor of Viva Florida, park staff have developed a geocache puzzle that leads visitors on a hunt for clues
relating to the park’s natural and cultural history. The puzzle ends
at the education center where participants receive a unique Friends of Jonathan
Dickinson State Park
cache coin. For additional information,
please visit: http://www.cacheapalooza.org. Along with the caching, there
are many other fun activities and presentations for visitors to enjoy. The
event will take place Jan.19 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. beginning at the Kitching Creek
Pavilion.
Learn
more at the Florida State Parks Viva Florida 500 webpage.
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