Get ready to celebrate!

A year-long 100th birthday party for the magnificent downtown waterfront parks, the defining feature of beautiful St. Petersburg, Florida is underway as part of the Downtown Saint Petersburg Waterfront Parks Centennial!
Events planned for the Centennial will have something for everyone-from youngsters to the young-at-heart, from history buff to photography buff, from movie fan to sports fan.   Free activities in all of the downtown waterfront parks, with eight stages featuring music for every taste.  An events schedule is featured online at www.stpeteparks100.org.

The Centennial Celebration honors the decisions of early civic and business leaders, acknowledges those who have fostered expansion of the waterfront parks, and looks at ways to preserve and enhance the parkland and open marine vistas for the next century.

Let’s party . . . in Paradise Found!

For more information about Party in the Parks, including where to park and get the shuttle, the entertainment schedule and the full list of participants, check out the below link or visit www.stpeteparks100.org.

Volunteers are needed to help with Party in the Parks on November 6.  Volunteers will be expected to work at least a three-hour shift and attend a short training session.  Volunteers will receive a free t-shirt.  If you can help, go to the “volunteer application form” link on the above website for more information.

HISTORY

In early 2009, St. Petersburg Preservation president, Will Michaels, convened a community meeting to gauge the interest in organizing a celebration to commemorate the centennial of the creation and dedication of waterfront park in downtown St. Petersburg. Encouraged by the enthusiasm of the meeting participants, a steering committee was formed and soon ideas for events were being brought forward and discussed. Additional volunteers stepped forward, fundraising started and artist Carrie Jadus stepped up to create a beautiful centennial commemorative poster. Soon, a centennial celebration with multiple events to be held over the course of 2010 was in the works! In October 2009, City Council declared 2010 to be the waterfront parks centennial year, the centennial poster was unveiled and a kick-off reception was held at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, itself celebrating its centennial. The centennial celebration is for all to enjoy, visitors and residents alike, and to acknowledge the incredible foresight of William Straub, Perry Snell and the other city leaders who had the vision and commitment 100 years ago to turn the waterfront of a small but growing town into a beautiful green necklace open to all to use. Today, that vision remains and makes St. Petersburg special! Celebrate this city’s glorious waterfront!

MISSION STATEMENT

The Waterfront Centennial Committee has been formed to commemorate and to celebrate the decisions of our early civic and business leaders, which for a century have guided the expansion of the original downtown waterfront park to a green sweep of parkland, from North Shore to Albert Whitted. This unique string of waterfront parks defines the character of St. Petersburg, regularly serving as the scenic focus of city celebrations and events.

The mission of the Waterfront Centennial Committee is:

To commemorate the beginnings of our system of downtown waterfront parks through sponsorship and support of appropriate events in 2009 and 2010

To honor those city leaders, both in government and private enterprise, who had the foresight to assemble the land for our first waterfront park and to establish a strong priority for using our downtown waterfront land for public purposes

To promote awareness of the history of our waterfront parks, and to recognize on this Centennial the centrality of the waterfront parks in forming the character and charm of downtown St. Petersburg, and of the entire city

To envision ways to preserve and enhance our downtown waterfront parks and open marine vistas for the next century.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Carrie M. Jadus was born in Tampa, Florida in 1976 and grew up in the burgeoning city of Saint Petersburg. Hailing from many generations of artists, it was no surprise that Carrie had inherited the artist mind. Her family always encouraged her artistic ability and creativity and Carrie knew her destiny was to be an artist. In her teenage years, her parents encouraged her to attend Pinellas County Center for the Arts (PCCA) at Gibbs High School where her skills where honed and she was trained to work with a large variety of mediums. While attending Gibbs, she won several awards and her art was exhibited in several prominent bay area museums.

After graduating from high school, Carrie traveled within the United States and to Europe, seeking adventure at each opportunity. It was in Europe that she developed a deep admiration for the impressionist and how they were able to capture the moment “like a glimpse of a dream.” She eventually returned to her home city of St. Petersburg, where she fell in love and married. Though Carrie continued to work on illustrations, portraiture and remained involved in the art community, she chose a different path for a time and attended a Tampa university, where she earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering. With a blossoming career as a young engineer, all seemed to be going as planned. However over the years, there was a growing sense that her life was moving in the wrong direction. As time ticked on, Carrie had a vivid realization that, if she stayed on the edge of the artist’s world and denied her true talent, her life would be one full of regrets. Equipped with an artist’s heart and the discipline of an engineer, she began to pursue her art full time. Today Carrie is working as a Tampa Bay Area Artist and her art is shown in galleries and belongs to private collections all over the world.  To see some of her work or to contact Carrie, go to www.carriejadus.com.

CREDITS: www.stpeteparks100.org.  Waterfront Parks Centennial Celebration.