Happy 125th Birthday Punta Gorda -- Celebrations and More

It was an age of buccaneers (those men who in the 19th century were searching through remoter places of  the world to find their fortunes, building large industries and railroads along the way).  Florida was one of those places where opportunities could be found.... Hamilton Disston, an industrial from Philadelphia,  had drained large parts of the state's interior for development of agriculture primarily sugar and citrus, Henry Plant was building railroads on the west coast of Florida, Henry Flagler on the East.   South of Tampa where Plant had built a large, ornate hotel at the terminus of his railroad lay a flat point surrounded by mangroves which jutted into a broad harbor.  Here a buccaneer (actually a lawyer) from Kentucky named Issac Trabue initiated the platting of a town and convinced the Florida Southern Railroad to build a grand hotel and railroad depot there.   There on December 4, 125 years ago at the Hector House Trabue's town was rechristened (from Trabue) to Punta Gorda at the Hector House which was located where Hector Plaza is now across from the old Courthouse (the official incorporation date is listed as December 7, 1887 exactly 125 years ago.  

Tonight's celebration of the birth of Punta Gorda will start after a Pearl Harbor Memorial Ceremony which will include a flyover town by the Warbirds at around 5 with bagpipers.  Here is an approximate schedule for the combined Tree Lighting and Anniversary Celebration that will follow:

5:30  Sallie Jones Elementary dancers

5:45  East Elementary Choir

6:05  Charlotte High School's Charisma

6:35  Punta Gorda Cup Tennis Trophy Presentation

6:45   Charlotte Chorale

7:10    St. Mary's Choir

7:35  Lighting of the Tree (Approximate) with Mayor Bill Albers, Rev. Bill Klossner and Members of City Council.  To be followed by parade arriving in town, cake cutting, and choir performances by St. Mary's and First United Methodist  Church

Tomorrow night there will be dancing in the streets as Punta Gorda's  125th Celebration  continues with "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree", starting at 3 p.m., with music from the Gold Tones (3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Jim Morris (5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.) and the BoogieMen (7 p.m. to 9 p.m.). This event will take place on the City Market Place at the corner of Marion and Taylor.