Camp Florida Blog

The day’s festivities started with music by Camp Florida’s own Jammers and Singers. Several pet songs were included in the repertoire.

Parade Coordinator, Ellen Budish, welcomed the crowd (and it was quite a large crowd for such a windy day!), and turned the day’s narration over to Dave Hough, Master of Ceremonies.

Before the parade started, the United States and Canadian flags were presented, and both national anthems were sung by those in attendance.

The spectators lined both sides of Windward Dr.

As Dave read about each pet, they were walked past the crowd as they clapped, ooh-ed and aah-ed, and petted the occasional pet that strayed their way.

The event ended with lots of people eating up the delicious food prepared by Executive Chef Paul Budish and his crew, and the drawing of the 50/50 tickets.

It was a fun day, even with the fierce winds that threatened to cancel the parade. We were all glad that the volunteers stuck it out and managed everything perfectly!

Our CF Annual Pet Parade was held in C-Circle on Sunday, February 12. Although the wind was fierce, the many volunteers were determined to make this an absolutely wonderful event. They succeeded! Below are the pet “portraits” taken before the parade. Still to follow will be photos of the Camp Florida Jammers and Singers, as well as the actual parade.

Please enjoy these photos while you wait for the rest to be edited and uploaded!

Recently, there has been concern expressed by many property owners regarding the removal of trees and similar activity on the property adjacent to Camp Florida. The Highlands County Natural Resources Manager has provided us with information about this ongoing preservation project. Below is a brief overview of their efforts, as well as a link to a more detailed document that explains Highlands County’s dedication to the protection of the delicate ecosystem on that property. That document includes a phone number in case you would like more information about the Grassy Lake Scrub Preserve.

Click here to download the detailed document provided by the Highlands County Natural Resources Manager.