Parks Connect People

My commitment for 2015 includes learning more about my own neighborhood, my own state and even my own country. There is so much to see and appreciate in my own "backyard". 

So, when Rick and I were invited to attend the grand opening ceremony of a new park in our neighborhood, we accepted. The Lewis Landing Park in the community of Tarpon River is a short walk from our home. So we set out on foot on Saturday morning (January 24th) with uncertain weather predictions for rain and wind coming our way. When we got to the park, many people had already arrived for the 9 a.m. event. The park is beautiful and is situated right along the Tarpon River/New River. It has a large pavilion, a floating dock for boat launching and fishing, 175 feet of riverfront view with benches along the water and places to picnic. 

  

  

  

The walkway that wound through the park felt like it was made of recycled tire pieces because it had a bouncy, springy feel under my feet.

Under the pavilion, refreshments such as large croissants, muffins and pastries along with hot tea and coffee were generously provided. 

A table and easel were set up creating awareness on community recycling. On display were various every day objects made from recycled materials. Interesting how functional recycled products can be such as pens and pencils made of paper money, key chains made from computer motherboards and mouse pads made from rubber tires.

The event began with speaker Steve Buckingham, President of the Board of the Tarpon River Community greeting over one hundred people who were in attendance. Mr. Buckingham then introduced all of the other Tarpon River board members.

  

The podium was turned over to local author and historian Mae Silver who was dressed in period costume (circa 1740-1830) as "Mrs. Frankee Lewis", a true life early settler from the Lewis family whom the park was named after.

The real Frankee Lewis and her family made their home on the south bank of the New River, an area which is now known as Tarpon River, and were the first permanent settlers of European descent in what is now Broward County. Frankee, her husband Surles and their three sons fled Britain and went to the Bahamas after the British Revolutionary War of 1783 then moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1792. Frankee lost her husband and a son when they drowned during a storm in 1819. As a single mother, she managed the Lewis farm on the river and raised animals, limes, oranges, sugar apples, coconuts and guavas. The Lewis farmstead was believed to be in the area of where the park is now. 

  

The park is even more historically important for one other reason. It is one of the largest prehistoric sites on the river. The Tequesta Indians, who predate the Seminole Indians, were believed to be in this area before 1000 A.D. Artifacts such as pieces of pottery, animal bones plus a lot of marine shell fragments were found. It turned out that the park has been designated an area of local significance due to these findings. 

Fort Lauderdale Mayor John "Jack" Seiler gave the audience an interesting fact about the Lewis Landing Park. The land for the park was purchased in 2008 by the county for $2.8 million; however, this same land was initially sold in 1830 for 63 cents an acre by Frankee Lewis.

Something I found very educational was the topic of the coontie plant that came up in conversation. This was an important food source for early settlers in the area. The coontie plant is a living fossil, as old as dinosaurs and a Florida native. It is a slow grower and requires little maintenance. A rare butterfly called the Atala is attracted to the coontie plant, laying its eggs underneath the leaves. This black, turquoise and red butterfly is simply gorgeous.

The underground bulb of the plant was the source of the starch. However, this bulb was toxic and required soaking and washing to remove the toxic chemical called cycasin. Once the toxin was removed, the starchy residue remaining was turned into a flour-like substance for making bread.

The plant itself looks like a cross between a palm and a fern and has thick, rough, prickly-edged leaves. I never knew anything about this plant until now but have seen it plenty of times around my neighborhood. Nor did I know just how important it was to the every day life of early Floridians.

Vice Mayor/District IV Commissioner Romney Rogers spoke about growing up in the area.

The current site of this park sat mostly vacant before historian and activist Joe Bellavance proposed to the Land Preservation Board that it should be used as a park. Thus the story goes that through Joe's determination and commitment, the park became a reality after eight years. Joe was recognized and presented an award by the Mayor, Vice Mayor and President of the Board of Tarpon River for his dedication to his community and his passion for preservation. Joe is a retired Broward Sheriff Officer and an almost thirty year resident of Tarpon River. 

World renowned master sculpture and fine artist Nilda Comas introduced herself to the audience. She created the bronze Tequesta indian sculpture aptly named "The Tequesta" that was to be unveiled in the ceremony. Nilda told us how it took five years to plan for such a piece then two years to make it happen. For more information about Nilda and her works of magic, visit her website by clicking on this link: Nilda Comas

Everyone then walked through the park to the plaque of dedication to the Lewis family and the new signage for the park. 

  

Finally, "The Tequesta" was unveiled with its artist Nilda Comas doing the honors.

  

  

Bronze reliefs of the indians while cooking and canoeing are displayed below the sculpture and...

  

(bottom left) interesting information about the Tequestas and (bottom right) a list of names of those who made this park a success story. 

  

Joe and Nilda sharing a photo moment.

Mae and Joe were all smiles.

Highlights of the park.

  

  

  

  
So glad to have experienced this great morning of learning and sharing.

If you enjoyed this post about Tarpon River, check out these other posts on my blog about the beauty of my wonderful neighborhood: "Take A Walk With Me" and "Snow White On The Fourth Of July" ...and enjoy.