Evening star., 1948-12-12


filled with festivals and sporting
events, added attractions in an array
of r1atural. beauty spots.
Crowds at Circus Quarters.
Florida's commercial attractions
embrace many interests-scenlc.
educational and historical.
Some are like the circus big top
In fact, starting off the list of crowd
gatherers is the Ringing Brothers
winter circus quarters at Sarasota,
The area is open to the public for
behind -the-stage views of circus
stunts in rehearsal.
Florida festivals have achieved
fame for the spectacular and the
unusual. In many, Old World rituals
are preserved. History is recalled in
costumed festivals and for every
crop harvested in the winter salad
bowl, a queen is crowned.
There is Miamis great show, the
Orange Bowl Festival, running full
week of parades, Aquatic shows and
regattas, December 26-January l..
Festivities accompany Florida's
Orange Bowl football game in
Miami. Almost simultaneously. Fort
Lauderdale, famous for its New River
waterways. holds its annual Venetian
Festival. December 30-January l.
Box Tower "Sings."
Beginning this month and con-
tinuing through April. Box Tower,
the marble singing" memorial to
Edward Box centering bird and
tropical garden sanctuary near Lake
Wales, offers carlton recitals each
Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and
Saturday.
Epiphany or Greek Cross Day falls
on January and will be celebrated
by orthodox Greeks in Tarpon
Springs, an Old World fishing COM
munity midway down Florida's Gulf
Coast.
The Florida Gulf Coast, once
plagued by pirates, now has adopted
a desperate as a patron rogue-one
Jose Gaspar. Each February, Tampa
turns pseudo-pirate in week-long
mardi gras type festival, Gasparilla.
The Florida State Fair, February l.
-, is held simultaneously with the
Tampa festival, which is climaxed
by last night pageant and corona
tion ball.
Gasparilla precedes a series of
Gulf Coast events. Fort Myers,
winter home of the late Thomas A.
Edison, holds its annual Edison
Pageant of Light in combination
with the Gladioh Festival, February
11-2o. The Florida Citrus Exposi-
ton will be held in Winter Haven,
February 1919, followed by the
Central Florida Exposition in Or
lando, February 21-26; an Azalea
Festival in Palatka, February q,
and the Sara de Soto Pageant in
Sarasota.
A religious pilgrimage proceeds to
the Shrine of st. Anne Des Laos at
Lake Wales, February II. This pill
grimage is similar to that of Our
Lady of Lourdes in France. In West
Palm Beach festival celebrates
the miracle of St. Anne February
6-10.,
Festival of States.
Spectacular events high light St.
Petersburg's annual Festival of
States, April TIA.
Florida's winters are filled with
sports-for spectator or participant,
amateur or professional. Regattas
and races crowd the schedule. Feb
ruary and March bring three major
ocean races to sports page headlines.
The Upton Cup and the Miami
Nassau races include some of the
nations sleekest sailing yachts and
form a panorama of white sails
against the green tropical water.
On the Gulf coast, the St. Peters,
burg Havana race takes off in
March with sleek sails unfurled to
the breeze.
Golf tournaments of international
and regional fame are held in
Florida. In the world of tennis, ex-
hibitiol and championship sets will
be played in all major Florida cities
Swimming brings some of the
nations best water stylists to the
Womens National Aquatic Forum in
Hollywood and to the Fort Lauder
dale Forum in December. Aquakids,
swimming stars ranging in age from
3 to % years, perform in public
shows almost weekly in st. Peters,
burg.