For Hometown News
PORT ST. LUCIE --
Those who would like an opportunity to travel through time to Florida in the late 1800s can so do at Pioneer Day on Jan. 26 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Savannas Preserve State Park, located at 2541 Walton Road, Port St. Lucie.
Celebrating the history of the area, participants can watch re-enactments, visit with historians, hear live folk music, play old-fashioned games, listen to storytellers, churn butter, take a hayride, watch candle makers, learn to lasso and more.
Pioneer Day celebrates the days of the pineapple plantation and draws inspiration from the book "Memories of Eden," a collection of letters written by Lucie Richards.
In 1879, Capt. Thomas Richards planted the area's first pineapples on land that bordered what are now the Savannas. Grown from cuttings he transported from Key West, the plants thrived in the sandy, well-drained soils.
Capt. Richards went on to create the Eden Inn along with his pineapple plantation, paving the way for Jensen Beach to become the pineapple capital of the world, as dozens of plantations appeared along the Atlantic Ridge.
In the early 1880s, Ms. Richards met her father in this remote area of southern Florida. Though the work was difficult and comforts often scarce, she always endeavored to keep her outlook bright.
Several times a year, she invited her neighbors for a get-together with good food, singing, dancing and more.
Pioneer Day is now in its fifth year of celebration and has grown in popularity among locals of all ages.
Admission is $2 per person or $10 per family.
For more information, call (772) 398-2779.