For those of you that are staying at our Panama City Beach Condo at Celadon Beach Resort I will keep our event calendar updated as I run across Centennial events. If you are interested in other Panama City Beach events click on our web site below and look at the event calendar tab. There will be lots of fun things to do in Panama City Beach in 2009. On to the Centennial Kickoff…
R.L. McKenzie moved to Panama City area from Georgia along with his brother Oscar in the early 1900s. Panama City was incorporated in 1909, and Robert was elected the city's first mayor that year. Gigi McKenzie, Oscar's granddaughter, was among the small group of revelers at Panama City Hall on Friday for Mayor Scott Clemons' proclamation, kicking off Panama City's centennial year of 2009.
The event was the first of many scheduled in 2009 to celebrate the city's 100th anniversary. "It's exciting that these people - my grandfather, his brother - came down here from Georgia around the turn of the century, and now we're just realizing their dreams," said McKenzie. Mayor Clemons read a short proclamation, which he closed by saying, "We should honor the past, celebrate the present, and continue to imagine the future."
Then three little girls dressed in early-1900s garb - white, flowery dresses with their hair tied with powder blue, pink, and purple bows - tried to ring the bell, officially kicking off the centennial.
The girls couldn't make it ring, prompting Clemons to help them toll the old fire bell, which was first purchased in 1912 and hung in McKenzie Park. After Clemons rang it once, the girls were able to ring the bell a second time, bringing a round of applause from the crowd.
For more information on centennial events, including the Centennial Gala, set for Feb. 14 at the Marina Civic Center, go to panamacity2009.com.
Reserve The Best Panama City Beach Condos for Your Beach Vacation
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
