FLORIDA CHRISTMAS 2012

The Stephen Foster Museum framed with a Live Oak

Our Michigan neighbors, Dale and Nancy Cobb, invited us to come down for the Festival of Lights at Stephen Foster State Park in northern Florida. The park is situated on the banks of the legendary Suwanee River and honors the memory of American composer, Stephen Foster, who wrote "Old Folks at Home," the song that made the river famous. The beautiful museum pictured here is a memorial to Foster and features facts from his life and dioramas of his well-known compositions.
I missed being home at Christmas and this place at least got me into the holiday spirit.  Our campground was filled with recreational vehicles decorated for Christmas, and for the month of December, as darkness descends, the park comes alive with about 5,000 lights decorating the grounds, and Christmas carols ring throughout the day from the bells of the 200 foot tall, 97-tubular-bell Carillon Tower. Even the majestic oak trees are wrapped in lights. It also “snows” in a Winter Wonderland display near the tower.

The Carillon Tower

At the S'More tent before the crowd arrives

The Cobbs have volunteered for several winters during this festival and asked if we'd be willing to help out three evenings with the visitors who would arrive to view the lights and enjoy the festivities. I helped out at Cousin Thelma Boltin's Gift Shop at the park's small village of craft cottages and Dick worked at the S'more tent and was the "Fourth Assistant Stick Washer". He washed marshmallow sticks where people lined up for free marshmallows for their S'mores. The night temps were down around freezing and he said his wash water felt about the same. We were told over 3,000 people attend each night and he said he was sure every one of them roasted a marshmallow or two. He's still not sure he likes this volunteering at parks. Unless he can be a Burmese Python hunter in the Everglades.

Dale and Nancy Cobb and Skipper in the Museum

On Christmas Eve, we were invited to join the Cobbs at a gathering of friends in the historic town of White Springs. We felt so welcome and enjoyed celebrating the holiday at this cozy home with great people and lots of good food. Then we were invited to join a group of the park's volunteers for Christmas dinner at a Chinese Restaurant in Valdosta, Georgia. So if I must be away from home at Christmas, then it sure would be great to return to this park, but I promised Dick only I would volunteer but he could just go hiking and be a wildlife photographer.