As the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, we take a look back at how Orlando and Central Florida celebrated America’s last milestone anniversary — the Bicentennial in 1976.
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Here’s Sentinel Star reporter Melanie Bowman’s story about the July 4 festivities across the region. The headline was. “Central Florida Rings, Beeps, Sings Freedom.”
Freedom rang at 2 p.m. It carilloned, it beeped, it honked, it chimed and clanged.
At the nationally appointed hour in Orlando’s Eola Park, children waved small brass bells and adults swung large bells. A half dozen young boys tugged the rope of a replica Liberty Bell, crashing the clapper repeatedly against the bell’s side bringing deep bongs.
In between Liberty Bell peals, the delicate notes of the First Baptist Church of Orlando’s carillon drifted in playing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Walking through the park without a bell, one woman joined in the two-minute spree by clanking a spoon against the metal clasps on her purse. Passing motorists on Rosalind Avenue beeped their horns to complete the tumult for independence.
It was the nation’s 200th birthday, a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Earlier, 207 persons had gathered in Apopka’s city park under the shade of a dozen trees to be part of a community religious service. Insects and birds in the sun: splashed trees added their natural harmony to the congregation’s singing of “America the Beautiful” and hymns.
Many in the crowd wore colonial and casual outfits.
The Rev. Randall Parsons, in a long black coat, played “America” on his shining saw for the young children.
Softly so as not to drown out the quavering notes, the congregation put words to the melody. Later, the pastor prayed:
“Bless this nation, our President, the men in office, our city and the people who rule over us everywhere.”
An hour later in Winter Garden, the rat-a-tat-tat. of a drum roll echoed from city auditorium windows and over a newly mown lawn towards Lake Apopka’s shoreline several hundred yards away.
American flags lined the walkway and, inside the auditorium, about 100 persons took part in a patriotic service.
At the edges of the group, Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legionnaires presented the colors.
But morning solitude and reverence lasted only as long as it took people to gather their funstuffs and head for wherever the action was to be.
At Ocoee’s Starke Lake, motorboats and sailboats dotted the waters by 1 p.m. Children took turns shoving each other into the drink while others raced to gobble up quickly melting frozen desserts.
In Sanford, the site of Seminole County’s official bicentennial celebration, city and county dignitaries joined bicentennial committee representatives in-opening-ceremony dedications.
Bright awnings shielded about 30 booths at Fort Mellon Park, as thousands flooded the lakeside, flag-splashed Sanford celebration.
Bill MacLauchlin surprised the bicentennial beard contest judges with a blue and white beard topped by a red moustache.
Oviedo residents turned out by the hundreds for the sunny afternoon of crowd-pleasing contests and down-home edibles at tiny booths lining a grassy lot next to the Meat World parking lot.
Youngsters romped through the crowd, happily indulging in eggthrowing or dunking-machine antics or trying to climb to the pinnacle of a greased pole, where a $20 bill waited.
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And then there were watermelon-eating and seed-spitting contests and old fashioned sack races.
A planned greased-pig chase was canceled, much to the chagrin of enthusiastic celebrators, when Porky basked in the sunlight a mite too long and the grease wouldn’t stick.
Block parties were common, although some families, like those in Orlando’s Eola Park, brought picnic goodies out of the house. One such group in the spirit of things dined in red, white and blue party hats from the kids to grandpa.
Bow ties, T-shirts, dresses, pant suits, baby strollers and flower beds also sported the patriotic colors.
Crowds trickling into the park for the afternoon’s entertainment from the bandshell quickly grabbed up what shade was available, leaving warm grass or sun-baked benches for those in search of a cool spot.
It was time not only to remember the past but to save something for the future especially on film.
Five-year-old Tina Carter waited patiently with her mother Diana in a long line to carefully print her first name on a timecapsule scroll to be exhumed in 2076.
Her father, Scott, crouched with the family camera as Tina took the feathered pen in her hand and labored over the paper.
At Daytona International Speedway more than 70,000 persons whooped, hollered and slugged down beer watching Cale Yarborough win the Firecracker 400 automobile race.
After the checkered flag, two fans took to the giant track themselves. A camper made it through the first and second turns before it was stopped.
A sports car then swooped around the track, gained hot pursuit from a police car, but slipped away through the front straightaway gate.
A spokesman at the Bicentennial Year Silver Spurs rode in Kissimmee, the city’s 58th annual rodeo, Sunday said between 8,000 and 9,000 persons were on hand for the final day of the rodeo.
Top-name cowboys competed in the three days of bronc riding, bull dogging, bull riding and calf riding.
Observers in the Agriculture Center adjoining rodeo grounds said large crowds were also visiting the Bicentennial Festival, featuring demonstrations of traditional crafts.
The Eola celebration was capped by a reenactment of the signing of the Declaration of In dependence. Then as skies darkened, fireworks began lighting the skies everywhere. Each city and many organizations had their own displays of rockets and aerial bombs, the largest one in this area being at Walt Disney World.
For those wanting a better view of the night shows, and who didn’t mind paying $50 for the trip, there were helicopter rides over the city.
Saturday night Chuck Arron had eight takers on the rides that covered the Disney show and on Sunday there were four passengers.
A few events continue today including a parade in Longwood and the Disney fireworks.
More stories and features from the Orlando Sentinel’s 150 years of covering Central Florida can be found at OrlandoSentinel.com/150. Sign up for our free history newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/newsletters. Buy a copy of the Orlando Sentinel’s 150th anniversary book with 150 front pages from our 150 years. Get it OrlandoSentinel.com/150yearsbook and see more anniversary merchandise at OrlandoSentinel.com/150yearsmerch
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