To be successful, any civic project requires the involvement of our city leaders and employees but the project also must be embraced by the residents. Stuart’s centennial birthday celebration was such a civic endeavor. We are proud of our rich heritage and proud that we came together as a community to honor this important year.
There were many historical lectures and shows given by the Stuart Heritage Museum and the Stuart Women’s Club. A sold out show at our historic Lyric Theater, the “Century In Review,” was orchestrated by those two organizations and proved to be an overwhelming success. The best part was that the well over two hundred cast members were local resident who gave of their time, treasure and talent.
The City of Stuart itself put on three main events during “Centennial Week.” The city commission appointed a task force to plan the week. As the Task Force Chair, I worked closely with a remarkable city staff to plan events that would allow the greatest number of people to participate and attend.
Our Task Force decided that the first event would be a formal gala. Up until this point, the centennial had been focused on the past. The gala would focus on the present. It was priced to allow the largest number of people to attend. As our kickoff to the “Centennial Week,” it was a huge success with over 200 people attending.
May 7th was the actual centennial birthday of Stuart. Beginning at 8:30 a.m., we had a ceremony at City Hall raising our Centennial Flag. We then proceeded to our outdoor stage in downtown overlooking the Saint Lucie River where a program featured the pre-school children of Gertrude Walden Day Care serenading the crowd. Our speakers included dignitaries … the Bahamian Consul-General, where we will soon have a sister city, and our state legislator, Gayle Harrell. Our mayor, Troy McDonald, and two other citizens, Joan Jefferson and Jean Law Scot spoke on our past, present and future. We also had a time capsule filled by Stuart school children and also artifacts from other citizens.
The final Centennial Task Force event was this past Saturday, May 10th. It began with a pancake breakfast for all by our local Kiwanis Club in Kiwanis Park. We then had a parade that included our city commissioners, task force members, city employees, county and state officials, local stakeholders and residents. But the real stars were the hundred cars representing almost every year from 1913 to the present. After the parade, the City hosted a free festival in our Memorial Park with events, music, food, games and fireworks. One of the musical personalities was an ex-Stuart resident who returned from Nashville (at his own expense) to be here and perform.
Many businesses and individuals became sponsors donating not only their money but their time to make Stuart’s Centennial a grand event. Our entire city pulled together to celebrate an important birthday. This should be what communities do and are about…a spirit of togetherness pervaded our city this year. Residents, present and past, came together for our birthday.