The motley crew (Englewood Pioneer Day Committee) is a diverse group of locals who volunteered 3 years ago with one goal in mind; keep the Parade going.

Lemon Bay High School Band at the

Pioneer Days Parade 2011

With the help of practically everyone in the community; individuals, organizations and businesses, Parade participants and vendors, we all succeeded. Over the past few years, the crew has operated with the general opinion that Pioneer Days belongs to everyone in the community and our role is to open opportunities for every person, organization or business in the community to take part.

All proceeds raised go back into Pioneer Days with any profits going to improve the event, such as renting shade tents, sponsoring or co sponsoring kids booths or even lowering fees. Everyone who buys a $10 t-shirt, a $35 Parade or vendor fee, or a $100 sponsorship of a trophy is paying the expenses. Combine this with the generosity and support we encounter at every turn and you have a community supported community event.

This year more organizations stepped up to offer events and help out. The Englewood Jaycees once again held the Little Miss/Mr. Englewood pageant, The Friends for the Advancement of Music Education (F.A.M.E.) helped out the Lemon Bay High School Theatre Dept. to offer Englewood Idol. F.A.M.E. also took the reins of the “Mayor for a Day”, election/fundraiser. The Lemon Bay Womens’ Club hosted the “Diaper Derby”. Mary and Todd Tracy offered a Tour of Artist Acres, the artist colony of Lois Bartlet Tracy. Todd’s bother Bart Tracy took the lead on the world famous Cardboard Boat Race. The Lemon Bay Crew Club and the Englewood Sailing Association participated to round out the days offerings. Cathy and Roger Redman organized the 2nd annual Michael O’Donnell Memorial Kids Fish a Thon. The Sunrise Rotary staged the parade for the umpteenth time at St Raphael’s (thanks Steve Varga) and had already chipped in with Taylor Meals of the Corner Market and a load of other people to provide t-shirts, bait, poles and everything else the kids at the Fish a Thon could need.

Then I skipped a meeting and, the motley crew resurrected a Pioneer Days tradition, the “Shipwreck Dance”. The Englewood Shell Club is hosting the Watermelon Eating Contest with J & L’s Produces help Watermelon eating contest and a New Wave Salon is doing the Beard Contest. Florida Community Bank is our “Contest Crew.The SunTrust volunteers are helping tidy up after Parade day is done. Too often we forget to thank our festival entertainers who are all donating their time and talent. Max McCann, K.C. Phelps, Beans and Seeds, MoJo 4 with JRoc, The Chris Walker Band, Dawn Coyote, Kei Bland and Friends and Kenny Rose. If you see them playing out somewhere, go and see them!

And thanks to Jack Gray for tables, chairs, tent and managing the Pioneer Stage. Thanks to the Herald Tribune for helping us spread the word. Thanks to the Englewood Sun for the stories that go to the heart of this event. Also a big thanks to the Englewood Review, the Boca Beacon and the Parrot. Thank you WENG for streaming us to the world, Waste Management for helping us with our trash, MarineMax for hauling the Pageant winners and a cool prize. Thanks to Thoroughbred Golf Carts for our shuttles and USA Fence for barricading the parade in and the cars out. Thank you Michael Looney Electric, OfficeMax Englewood and Lowes Venice. And thanks to the Englewood Area Board of Realtors for sponsoring trophies and awards. Good job Realtors!

This year we started some new traditions that turned out great. If you haven’t looked at our site www.englewoodpioneerdays.com, thanks to Bobbie Marquis by the way, you haven’t seen the entries to the Photo contest. Take a look, you will be impressed. Thanks also to Robert Shainling, Bobbie Marquis, Cathy Redman and Jean Airey for letting us post their photos on the site.

This year we went to the community for nominations for the parade judges and the Grand Marshall. We received more than 20 nominations and named Gene Lewis the 2011 Pioneer Days Parade Grand Marshall.

The 2011 Judges are Mike Billington, Ted Steele, Elaine Freeman, Capt. Richard Carpenter and Bobby Jones. Thanks to you all, that’s a tough job. (the trailer the judges are viewing from is on loan from Millikan Distribution)

Truly Nolan made sure we were free of ants with attitudes and Reids Trees trimmed up Pioneer Park. Speaking of parks, thanks to Carol and Allen Garrett for the use of the beautiful parcel, we call…Garrett Park. Thanks to Sarasota County for having “Pioneer Park” and thanks as well to the CRA’s Debbie Marks. A true get it done person.

Most of all I have to thank the crew, the Englewood Pioneer Days Committee. It’s not a members only club, we meet all year, the first 6 months chat, the last 6 months go crazy. Volunteers are more than welcome to attend and work their way into the thick of it. Our newest crew members Laura and Warren Fishpaw showed up at one too many meetings, now they’re knee deep. But I digress. Thanks Jean Airey, thanks Bart Tracy, thanks, Wendy Ullery, thanks Jennifer Perry, thanks Tammy Birdsong, thanks Cathy Redman, thanks Chris Phelps, (my personal favorite) thanks Elaine Sweitzer, thanks Toni Hopper, Thanks Bobbie Marquis and to the guys, thanks Bruce Sweitzer, James Ullery and Roger Redman. Thanks Bret Clark, again. A big volunteer hug to Dena Browning, D. Wilkinson, Ann Blaha, Edie Romano, George Burn and Dotty and Wally Rossow.

Pioneer Days is a unique community event, organized entirely by volunteers of the community with all proceeds raised going back into Pioneer Days. and the crew by being so close to it financially sustainable  the crew decided on the strategy of spreading the costs around the community as widely as possible, not overly burdening any individual businesses or organizations and making it inexpensive enough for anyone and everyone to participate.  We invite organizations to participate in the Pioneer Days celebration by hosting and adopting events leading up to and on Parade Day.

Erick Phelps

Mary Tracy shown here at Artists Acres with one of her favorite Lois Bartlett Tracy painting.

A true art pioneer, Tracy’s introspective art won gold at the 1936 Worlds Fair, garnered countless other awards and resides throughout the world in museums, private collections, libraries, colleges, and at her gallery.

See original pieces, spanning the years and styles of her career and walk along the shaded jungle paths, of her home, studio, cottages and gardens. Lois died in 2008 at 106 years old and continued her work while blind.

“I see better now that I am blind.” Lois Bartlett Tracy.

The tour will be held Sunday September 4th 12:30-2:00pm at 580 Artists Avenue, Englewood.  For more information contact Mary or Todd Tracy at 941-474-0659.