Is Shuffleboard Worth Preserving?

In my own personal quest for the Fountain of Youth, I purchased a vintage magazine ad on eBay recently showing Ponce de Leon being pursued by an overzealous insurance salesman. The briefcase-toting MONY executive attempts to sell a retirement plan to the Spanish explorer by pitching the quintessential Florida senior lifestyle: "Think of those carefree, sun-filled hours in Miami Beach or St. Petersburg ... Bocci, shuffleboard, canasta." Juan Ponce, running away from the salesman yells back "Who needs to prepare for retirement when he can expect eternal youth? Shuffleboard, indeed! Not for Ponce de Leon! I'm taking up football!"

This ad sums up the perception and reality of shuffleboard in Florida: it's a game played by retirees with nothing better to do than push a plastic disk back and forth on a cement court. Throughout the 20th century as more senior citizens retired to the sunshine state for a lifestyle of leisure, one of the primary amenities communities offered them was shuffleboard. And for the senior population of Florida, the game is still very much alive. Also this week, I got my hands on a copy of the Florida Shuffleboard Association's guidebook, and the organization, in its 84th year, seems to be going strong.

Yet all over Florida I see neglected shuffleboard courts covered with leaves and weeds, never being utilized. In Orlando there are beautiful courts at the Marks Street Senior Center that I've never seen used. My assumption is that snowbirds and retirees remain committed to the game, the overall numbers are diminishing as younger generations find other leisure activities more appealing. Two good examples are the KAST club, who's number fell so low that the City of Kissimmee had no problem demolishing their courts to build a picnic pavilion, and the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club, at one time the world's largest, whose numbers dwindled below a hundred until its recent renaissance.

Neglected courts in a city park in Green Cove Springs, Florida

Neglected courts at a city park in DeLand, Florida

Neglected courts at a city park in Keystone Heights, Florida

A similar situation is playing out in Lake Worth Florida. After offering municipal courts to shufflers for 80 years, the city closed it courts last year and the 100 member strong Lake Worth Shuffleboard Club was forced to play at Boynton Beach. Despite hosting four tournaments a year, the number of shufflers had gotten so low, that city is considering demolishing the courts to create green space, according to an article published last year in the Sun Sentinel. According to one source, the Lake Worth club was so irritated at their treatment from the city, they wouldn't consider returning even if the 28 courts were preserved.

The large complex in Lake Worth has a community center
that was most recently used as a day labor center

So should the courts be saved? Lake Worth resident Wes Blackman sums up the argument for preserving the courts this way: "We were a middle class tourist destination of the 20th Century - and in Florida, that meant you had shuffleboard courts. I think it is important to hang on to important elements of that history."

Historic images of shuffleboard in Lake Worth

I think the larger question is, if the city allows the courts to survive, can shuffleboard be made relevant to a younger group of players? The St. Pete Shuffleboard club has shown it can be done, but it take s a big commitment of energy by creative individuals. My hope is that this younger Floridians rediscover this incredibly fun game, and this colorful part of Florida's past shuffles on into the future.

If you are interested in having your voice heard in the discussion of Lake Worth's shuffleboard courts fate, you can send a letter to:

Lake Worth City Hall
7 North Dixie Hwy.
Lake Worth, Florida 33460
Reference: Shuffleboard Court Building or Save the Shuffleboard Courts or January 25th Charette

Or email: Mayor Pam Triolo ptriolo@lakeworth.org
Vice-Mayor Scott Maxwell smaxwell@lakeworth.org
Commissioner Christopher McVoy cmcvoy@lakeworth.org
Commissioner Andy Amoroso aamoroso@lakeworth.org
Commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill smulvehill@lakeworth.org

Or you can attend the Lake Worth Shuffleboard Building Community Meeting on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 6:00 PM

Shuffleboard at its peak of popularity in St. Pete

A recent St. Pete Shuffle on a Friday Night in November

Join the Save Our Shuffleboard page on Facebook

Intentions for 2012

My first priority for 2012 is to get caught up with my travels at the end of 2011. I explored a wonderful shrine near Lake Wales in the middle of an orange grove, ate at one of Florida's most famous restaurants and visited some of the state's oldest homes. Look for posts on St. Anne's Shrine, Chalet Suzanne, Villa Zorayda and the Dow Museum in the near future.

Most of my posts focus on places in Central and North Central Florida. I hope to be able to add some blogs from other areas of the state next year, specifically South Florida and the panhandle. While I made a foray into Ft. Lauderdale and Palm Beach last year, I never made to "Florida's Great Northwest" and both parts of our state are rich with material for Visual Ephemera.

As I mentioned in my last post, there has been some buzz created by the "Save Our Shuffleboard" Facebook group I started to document (and somehow preserve) Florida's disappearing shuffleboard courts. I'm hoping to generate some attention for the game and its potential to attract new shufflers in 2012. Otherwise this fun pasttime that was an integral part of Florida's leisure heritage will eventually disappear. They seem to be on to something in St. Pete, I'm just not sure how to make that happen in other parts of the state.

Also mentioned in my last post was my renewed fascination with Florida's springs and the state's threatened waterways. I recently saw more dried up lakes in North Florida and it saddens me deeply to see our natural resources disappear and livelyhoods dependent on that water disappear. I hope to get into more of our springs to see what kind of shape they are in, document threatened lakes and spend more time overall on the water.

Little Lake Johnson in Gold Head Branch State Park

The final sunset of 2011 from my kayak on Lake Hourglass

My project related to Ponce de Leon and the Fountain of Youth will continue and come into fruition this year. I'm very excited about this and look forward to sharing more as things get firmed up.

This funny bearded guy has been showing up on my travels lately

And finally just a few self observations. I'm aware as my interests have evolved, so has this blog. I've realized I don't like writing about history as much as I do researching it and taking photographs of historical places. As a result Visual Ephemera has become more of a photo blog. It is my hope that a picture is worth a thousand words and that in today's society that is enough to encourage my viewers to see these places themselves. I also realize that I've begun to focus more on historic architecture and less on the quirky, campy stuff in Florida. That too reflects my growth and the fact that much of the great mid-century Florida kitsch is vanishing from our landscape, while the older 19th and early 20th century history is better preserved and more easily accessible. And I have grown in my appreciation of it.

I've also realized that it is the relationships, both in person and via the Internet, that keep me motivated and focused and I want to make a renewed commitment to meeting more of the interesting people who care about our state. if you are a regular viewer of this blog, thank you, and I hope this in some way changes your perspective on the way you see Florida. There's still a lot of great stuff out there, and I am committed to trying to shine a light on it.

I still love the kitsch

But I find great beauty and energy in older, more subtle spaces as well

2011: The Review

In comparing my intentions for 2011 with the reality of the past year, I feel satisfied with how much I accomplished. I wrote posts for most of the excursions I took at the end of 2010, with the exception of the Nehrling House and Vilano Beach, which may be 2012 posts.

I made great progress on my Ponce de Leon project, although I rarely blogged about it. Much of my in-state travel was inspired by quest for the Fountain of Youth. Look for more on that subject next year. While I didn't get to Tallahassee or the panhandle, I did make it to Flagler College and Ponce Inlet.

My trip to SW Florida for a February wedding was fruitful and I got to see Everglades Wonder Garden, Warm Mineral Springs and the Koreshan Unity State Park. I attended Hukilau in June, re-connecting with my friends Jeff and Kelly from Vintage Roadside and met the legendary underwater performer Medusirena Marina. On the way back we stopped at Henry Flagler's opulent Palm Beach home Whitehall.

A visit to Everglades Wonder Gardens allowed me to indulge
in my obsession with taxidermy

Jeff from Vintage Roadside

It's not every day you get your photo taken with a real live mermaid

In addition to blogs spawned from my 2011 goals, I also:

• Found a connection to Florida's past at the Animal Kingdom bird show
• Explored downtown Ocala
• Stopped at the Desert Inn in Yeehaw Junction
• Discovered more of Waldo Sexton's work in Vero Beach
• Visited Gamble Place in Port Orange
• Re-visited some old faves in Daytona, Kissimmee and Treasure Island
• Checked out more houses built by artist Sam Stoltz
• Documented some of Florida's threatened springs
• Met the legendary Willa McGuire Cook and toured the Orange City Historic District
• Inventoried Cracker architecture in Orange and Osceola County museums
• Attended my first archaeological dig
• Met Liz Dane Cook, who performed at De Leon Springs with her elephant, Queenie
• Dined at the legendary Yearling Restaurant in Gainesville
• Talked with some of my favorite Florida authors like Lu Vickers and Bill Belleville
• Documented my friend Dawn Schreiner's fabulous show in Maitland
  

Overall it was a year of connection for me. I started an Old Florida group on Facebook, and have developed a following over 600 devoted to remembering and preserving the sunshine state's past. Through social networking I've met several like-minded folks with similar interests and enjoyed a sense of camaraderie in my mission. My Ponce de Leon project has led me to my own exploration of Florida's springs and the issues of water in our state and I feel drawn to documenting and creating more awareness of that critical issue. I believe this state is at a critical crossroads and the decisions we make now will determine whether Florida will be a state worth living in.

Some updates about past posts:

• I connected with one of the new owners of the Pine Green Sam Stoltz house and he is writing his own blog about living there.
• Dr. Bob Knight and staff of the H.T. Odum Florida Springs Institute will be making a presentation to the members of the Elks Club at Glen Springs regarding refurbishing the spring
• I created an Old Florida slide show for use during the Osceola Pioneer Village's Pioneer Day
• A preservation-oriented mayor was elected in Orange City, perhaps paving the way for the preservation of that city's historic district
• Jeff, Kelly and Marina who gave the excellent presentation at Hukilau on Aquarama, are giving an expanded presentation on mid-century mermaids across the US at Modernism Week in Palm Springs this year. Best of luck guys!
• Everglades Wonder Gardens appears to be off the market, pending the health of its owner
• Legoland opened on the site of the granddaddy of all Florida attractions, Cypress Gardens, and has been drawing huge crowds
• I was contacted by a journalist from the Wall Street Journal pitching a story about shuffleboard in Florida (I'll keep you posted on future developments)
• A new book has been published about the artist Joy Postle
  

I feel like my blog helped connect people and places in 2011 – for some it was an opportunity to remember places lost, for others it was learning about new places to explore. It feels great when someone visits a place I blog about. If we don't visit these places from Florida's past, they won't continue to exist. My mission remains the same, and this year I felt like maybe I might be making a wee bit of an impact. Tune in tomorrow to see my intentions for 2012.

The legendary Willa Cook at Cypress Gardens (image from Lu Vickers)

I found out after swimming in Wekiva Springs, that an immediate shower is encouraged
after exposure to the water, due to the poor water quality

I experienced a youthful euphoria swimming at Warm Mineral Springs

One of my favorite images of the year from Rock Springs

I was able to photograph several of Sam Stoltz's homes this year

Watch out Marina!

I found a new appreciation for Florida's Cracker architecture this year

Blues musician Willie Green performed feet away from our table
at the Yearling Restaurant in Cross Creek

An old favorite in great shape

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Glen Springs
and all of Florida for that matter...

Polk County Citrus Monument on the Old Tampa Highway

According to us-highways.com, this stretch of road between Osceola and Polk Counties was once "part of the Lee-Jackson Highway, Dixie Highway, and Central Florida Highway (Old Florida Route 2) and later US 92 and US 17 northeast of Loughman, Florida. The mostly brick road, now labeled the Old Tampa Highway, stretches from CR 532 to US 17-92, just a few miles south of I-4. At the start there is a "no dumping" sign, and just beyond that someone had dumped a load of trash. Otherwise this short stretch of road offers scenic glimpse of a old rural Florida highway.


About midway down the road's length is a large concrete marker, marking the county line between Polk and Osceola Counties. "Imperial" Polk County erected 3 of these markers in 1930, the other two are on US 92 between Lakeland and Plant City and on US 98 northwest of Lakeland. In 1997 the Polk County Tax Collector incorporated the marker into its official seal. Ironically the seal has portrays a"Western sun shines the light of knowledge onto the perfect side of the highway monument", "to demonstrate the Tax Collector's relationship and commitment to education." However, on the side of the marker that faces the road, "Citrus" is misspelled "Citurs." The original purpose of these markers, according to the County Tax Collector's website was to "welcome visitors into Polk County and promote tourism and citrus."


Any frequent reader of this blog, knows that I tend to make numerous typos, (thank God for spell check.) I'm just glad my typos are not set in stone!

Christmas, Florida

Ever since I moved to Central Florida over twenty years ago, I've wanted to mail my Christmas cards from the tiny post office in the East Orange County town of Christmas. Christmas got it's name from Fort Christmas, a Seminole War outpost that was built on December 25, 1837. The original fort is long gone but there is a re-creation of it in a great county park that was built during the US Bicentennial in 1976.

As you arrive into the rural Yuletide town, its hard to miss a holiday display on the corner of Highway 50 and Fort Christmas Road. There is a large permanent Christmas tree, a concrete Santa and sled, a manger, a shrine and other assorted Christmas memorabilia. Apparently there was a small museum at one time but the building looks like it has been closed for a while and the floorboards on the wood porch are starting to rot. But the collection of Christmas paraphernalia around the property is pure holiday kitsch and makes for a great photography stop.



The Ft. Christmas Historical Museum is a located on a good sized county park, and on this day it was very well used. There is a collection of Cracker Florida houses and buildings relocated from their original locations in Central Florida, in addition to the replica of the fort. All the houses are completely furnished in period furnishings, and it is a fascinating look back into the days when living in Florida was attempted only by the hardiest of folks.

There is a simplicity and efficiency of these Cracker houses that I find very appealing. The ingenuity used in their creation and the use of natural materials give the buildings a soul that is often lacking in many modern homes. I admire the connection the homes have to their environment and the Florida landscape. As Mrs. Ephemera and I consider renovating our home, I'd love to borrow some of that spirit as we proceed. Only with air-conditioning and indoor plumbing!