Long before water made Zephyrhills a nationally known brand, wind was the force that put the city on the map. And over a century later, the same gentle winds that gave the city its name helped draw crowds to Zephyrhills’ downtown for an activity-packed 113th Founders Day Festival.
More than 50 vendors’ tents and food trucks stretched for several blocks along Fifth Avenue on March 9, and attendees celebrated the city’s 1910 birth with a 40-unit parade and an old-fashioned pie-eating contest, among many other activities.
Zephyrhills native Judy Holt, 73, said the parade is a Founders Day mainstay, and watching it brought tears to her eyes.
“I try to be here every year,” she said. “Watching the parade brings back a lot of good memories.”
Cecilia Poupore, a Zephyrhills winter resident since 2001, staked out her seat along the parade route early. She said she tries not to miss the annual event, and she was especially pleased with the 2024 version.
“I like the parade, I like the vendors and I love the weather,” she said.
Organized by Main Street Zephyrhills, the festival kicked off at the city’s historic train depot with a 5K run, sponsored by East Pasco YMCA. It included children’s activities at the Zephyrhills Public Library, a downtown art show sponsored by the Zephyrhills Art Club, an open house and food concession at the historic Woman’s Club building, and other fundraisers staged by local civic groups.
“The main focus is to bring more foot traffic to downtown,” said Antwon Gildon, Main Street director and festival coordinator.
“As the largest city in Pasco County by population, it’s hard to say we’re undiscovered or unknown,” he said, adding that the city wants to make sure its commercial core benefits from the explosive housing growth in and around Zephyrhills in recent years.
“Our goal is to get people to see businesses they might not be familiar with.”
Reveling in Zephyrhills’ RV history
The theme for this year’s festival was “Return of the Tin Can Tourist,” a nod to the city’s heyday as a top stop for retirees seeking a place to park their campers in the 1950s and ‘60s.
Dozens of vintage campers and travel trailers were on display at Zephyr Park on the outskirts of downtown. The exhibit — known as a “rally” among vintage camper and travel trailer collectors — was the first of its kind in Florida to be sponsored by Vintage Camper Trailers magazine of Sacramento, California.
Caroline Lacitinola, who owns the publication with her husband Paul, said their company has organized rallies on the West Coast for years. When Main Street Zephyrhills invited them to come to Florida, it was good timing because the couples’ kids had left for college and the older Lacitinolas had the time and resources to make the cross-country trip.
“It’s super fun when you get a group of people together who love vintage trailers,” she added. “They have the same passion.”
The oldest camper on display at Zephyr Park was a 1957 Corvette model that was restored by Kevin and Janet Stone of Sarasota. Kevin said the couple acquired the relic when his daughter and son-in-law were buying a house, and their lender wouldn’t close on the sale until the dilapidated trailer was hauled off the property.
He and his wife spent two years during the COVID-19 pandemic restoring their prize. The exterior still sports its original jalousie and awning windows and metal siding, although the siding has been repainted. He said the couple had to gut the interior but chose the new wood wall and door paneling because of its authentic appearance.
A few campsites away from the Corvette camper was a 1961 Shasta travel trailer owned by Tim and Margie Suddard of Ormond Beach. Tim said the couple acquired it 10 years ago and spent four years restoring it.
He said they tried to stay true to the trailer’s original design but made some changes to accommodate their modern lifestyle. For example, he replaced the original interior gas lamp and a hand-primed water pressure pump with electricity-powered versions.
Back at the downtown festival, some store owners offered camper-themed goods, and many festival activities also followed the theme.
At the city library, Amelia Carden, 2, was among children who used icing and candy to decorate camper-shaped cookies. Her mother, Alexandra Carden, said she discovered the kids’ event listed on Facebook. While visiting the library, she and her husband Will noticed the downtown festival activities and planned to check them out. The family lives in Zephyrhills but had not attended the festival before.
Christine Mitchell, who owns the Vintage Chix furniture and collectibles boutique with her husband Pete, said she ordered some camper-themed knickknacks and yard flags to sell during the festival. Her family has traveled in campers and participated in rallies and she was happy that Main Street Zephyrhills adopted the “Tin Can Tourist” theme for Founders Day.
She said sales were brisk and she was pleased with the turnout for the event.
“This brings people in,” Mitchell said.
Gildon said the Zephyrhills Founders Day Festival doesn’t commemorate a particular founder. But he and others at the festival acknowledged that Capt. Howard Jeffries, a Union Army veteran of the Civil War era, is widely credited with revitalizing the town in 1910 by establishing a retirement community for veterans known as Zephyrhills Colony Company.
According to the Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce, the community was originally settled in 1882 under the name of Abbott.
The historic Jeffries house in downtown Zephyrhills was restored a few years ago and now houses Tina & Joe’s Café, which partnered with the Zephyrhills Rotary Club to offer a pancake breakfast to festival visitors.
Published March 20, 2024
