Braden Castle Park Newsletter

Transcription

1 B r a d e n C a s t l e P a r k N o v e m b e r Braden Castle Park Newsletter The opinions presented and accuracy of information included in articles throughout our Newsletter are expressly those of the individual authors. Music on the Water Braden Castle is planning a new event Music on the Water coming in March or February of Music on the Water will be held on the Lagoon utilizing our Gazebo. Residents will be able to set up chairs around the Lagoon and enjoy instrumental and vocal music presentations from residents as well as recorded music. Seasonal residents should bring their instrument, music, and or costume and plan to perform for Music on the Water. Or if you have a special music CD you d like to share, be sure to bring it with you. We ll also need a portable speaker and amplifier system. If you hear of one that we could borrow, that would be a boost to our event. Please contact Pat Grau with questions or suggestions. Thank you, Nita Gall for this amazing Braden Castle Long Pier photo. Congratulations 2015 Pride of the Park Award Winners 7 Orchid Mark & Susan Foos 6 Parkview Gail Kunrow 48 Braden Castle Steve & Nanceen Briggs 53 Braden Castle Robert & Pat Coriea 66 Braden Castle Rebecca Witta 18 Gardenia Robert & Vi Lautenschleger Thanksgiving dinner to be held in the Big Hall on November 26 at Noon Everyone is invited and guests are especially welcome. We usually accommodate over one hundred residents and guests at this first big Fall community gathering for Braden Castle Park. The feast will be delicious, the socializing noteworthy and our thankfulness overwhelming. Come and enjoy. Signup sheet and $2 per person entrance tickets will be in the Office after November 1. The money will go toward the purchase of the turkeys. In addition, please bring a dish to pass, your table service and your beverage. Four volunteer turkey bakers are needed, as well as stuffing makers. Side dishes and desserts are requested as dishes to pass in order to make a true Thanksgiving Feast.

2 B r a d e n C a s t l e P a r k P a g e 2 A p p r e c i a t i n g O u r R o o t s B y G l e n n a M c C l u r e S h a n a h a n In the early 1920s, while the cold northern winds blew snow across the countryside, a group of friends from several states came south for the winter months. After a more than two week adventurous automobile trek they reached Tampa where they set up their campsites in a public park. However, local Tampa residents were not very welcoming to their temporary visitors, nicknamed "The Tin Can Tourists," and all too soon kicked them out of the park and the city. One smaller group branched off and banded together determined to locate a place where they could buy land for their campground, something the original group had been prohibited from doing. They came to Bradenton and camped near the present day baseball training facility while they continued their search. In March 1924, during their exploration of the area, they happened upon a parcel of land for sale that included the old Braden Castle. A vintage photo from that time shows this group of people perched on large slabs of tabby on the castle grounds. They appear quite formal with the women wearing snazzy hats and the men in suits and vests. While here, they investigated the old water well located just across the road from the castle. When they opened it the water gushed out toward the castle. At that moment, we are told they decided to buy the 34 or so acres in the parcel. The price was $16,000. Nine men pooled their money for the $700 cash down payment, followed by a mortgage covering the remainder. On April 4, 1924 they were incorporated under Florida laws as the "Camping Tourists of America." The Board of Directors was elected with Wm. J. Houck as president, and Russell Vaughn as secretary. At the time, the land was so overgrown in every direction and they could not even see the river from the castle. Despite this, they set in motion a plan to create a community consisting of small home sites. Their vision even went so far as to feature a beautiful green space designated as the "Plaza" between the castle and the Manatee River. And so it came to be. Now, 90 years later, the residents of Braden Castle Park reap the benefit of what our founders created. Our quaint collection of little homes is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This designation reflects our community s role as an important and historic part of Florida heritage.

3 This is a test of your lateral thinking ability. It isn t a trick question. B r a d e n C a s t l e P a r k N e w s l e t t e r P a g e 3 Wednesday November 11th, 2015 Veterans Day December Travel Opportunity Christmas Canal Lights aboard the KING FISHER FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2015 Depart for Punta Gorda approx. 2:30pm Our bus trip to Punta Gorda includes time to browse the unique shops at Fisherman s Village and enjoy the festive season. Dinner is included at the CAPTAIN S TABLE RESTAURANT Entrée choices: Beef Steak, Chicken Pesto or Stuffed Grouper with Potato or Rice, Vegetable, Rolls & Butter, Coffee, Tea and Dessert. After dinner... We will Cruise along the canals of Punta Gorda aboard the King Fisher. Get into the holiday spirit as you enjoy the beautiful holiday decorations in the yards, seawall s, boats and docks along the way. This holiday cruise has been a King Fisher tradition for over 30+ years! You will be among many boats of all sizes cruising the canals to enjoy the display of the local Christmas spirit! Castle Club News: CHRISTMAS BAZAAR/BAKE SALE Friday, DECEMBER 4th 10 a.m. to Noon in Leisure Hall. EVERYONE IS INVITED Shop for Gifts, Decorations and Food! Donations are needed. Do you have a Christmas craft you ve made, a special baked good or two, or any Christmas themed articles or decorations, new or gently used, which you might like to donate? Bring them to Leisure Hall on Thursday, December 3rd, between 1 & 3 p.m. LADIES---SAVE THE DATE! DECEMBER 16th That's the date for our Christmas Party! Watch for details in the December newsletter. Please check the board by the office for the date of the November Red Hat get together. The Christmas party will be December 10th at AnnaMaria Oyster Bar details will be included in the December newsletter. Queen Ann Zelen Answer on Page 5 Flyers and a signup list are posted outside the office. Full Payment Due: December 1, 2015 Checks payable to GEM TRAVEL. $89.00 Per Person Includes: Round-trip Motorcoach Transportation Dinner at the Captain s Table Restaurant King Fisher Christmas Lights Cruise Taxes, Gratuities and Driver s Tip

4 B r a d e n C a s t l e P a r k Braden Castle s N e w s l e t t e r P a g e Braden Castle s GOT TALENT was performed on Saturday March 6th to a crowd of 200. Host, Jim Myers opened the show with an introduction of the insanely popular radio personality, ASK ALICE played by Pat Grau. After bickering with Jim, ALICE shared info on a variety of Braden Castle residents to fill the change time between the evenings talented acts. (Thank you Joanne Burkek for these pictures.) Easter Dinner at Braden Castle 55 residents and guests shared a carry-in meal at the Leisure Hall on Easter Sunday April 5th. As more snowbirds prepared to head north, the opportunity to get together was even more special. (Thank you to Pat Gross for the pictures.) 4

5 B r a d e n C a s t l e P a r k N o v e m b e r WE RE ON THE WEB Due Date for December Newsletter Submissions is: November 24th Braden Castle Book Club 2 nd Mondays of the Month, 10 am LH All men & women are invited to participate in our Book Club. You re welcome to join us any month to share about our book selection. See leaders Sue Jones or Pat Grau for a list. Our first book this season will be The Christmas Box Miracle by Richard Paul Evans to be discussed 12/14 at 10 am in the LH. S h u f f l e C l u b BC residents are invited to become members of Shuffle Club. Games will begin soon at 1:30 daily; 2:00 pm on Sundays. The monthly Shuffle Club Luncheon will be held at 12:00 noon on Thursday, November 12th in the BH. Food to be provided no carry in. Watch the Board by the Office for events and times that weren t available in time to be included in this newsletter. Answer to Lateral Thinking Test: The last person took the basket with the egg in it. B r a d e n C a s t l e P a r k Office: 1 Office Drive, Bradenton, FL Phone: Fax: bradencastle@verizon.net Office Hours: M-F, 8-11 am Craig V. Marquart, Manager Braden Castle Association, Inc. BRADENCASTLEPARK.COM Board Meeting in the LH with 2016 Budget Discussion Tuesday November 10th at 10 am Braden Castle Recycles Please use the Bins located behind the garage placing only recyclable items in the appropriate containers. Information is available in the office on proper recycling for electronics and household chemicals. Choir Terry Collins will be travelling to the Macy s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City. He s assisting a High School Band and loving every minute. Terry will begin choir practices after he arrives at BC sometime in December-- UNLESS someone else is willing to take the lead and get things going sooner. News from the office: GO Green To help save paper AND receive your Newsletter even if you aren t here in the park put your address in the can in the office to receive your newsletter electronically. Your address will ONLY be used to deliver your Newsletter. Thanks, Pat Grau Like many community associations, Braden Castle has an Architectural Review Committee. Home owners are required to submit an application on any plans to alter the outside of their property. The review committee members assure you they want the paper work to be as simple as possible, but thorough enough that there is no misunderstanding. Our Documents provide some guidelines as to what may or what may not be done. The guidelines take some of the guesswork out of your application and their decision making. In fact, they not only provide criteria for the current committee to make appropriate decisions, but for successive committee members to make decisions in the future. When submitting an application be sure to include a drawing of what it is you want to do, along with measurements and color schemes. Thanks, Craig

6 November 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Board Meeting LH 10 am Shuffle Club BH noon Thanksgiving Dinner, BH noon Coffee & Donuts 8:30 am LH 27 28