Our Centennial celebration unveiled some truly delightful moments for us all. Was it the undraping of our new Glenn Curtiss and June Bug Legacy Monument, so artfully crafted by Natalie Plasencia Calvo and her architect family? Was it the consummate oratory by Mayor Fajet weaving our history into a spell binding remarkable tale from the podium, or was it the awe and amazement on the faces of everyone who swarmed over the just completed monument discovering its historic educational component as Glenn himself, his gaze fixed on our town clock at the head of Westward Drive, loomed over the participants?
I think I have identified such a moment.
8 or 10 months ago Charlie Leonard, of Leonard Realty Group, a proud community booster and the head of the centennial committee Cherie Feijoo, along with her husband Tony of New Health Partners, pooled a thousand of their own dollars to be awarded to a Glenn Curtiss Look-A-Like to culminate this past Saturday after the unveiling of the monument.
When the time came to judge, along Westward drive rolls a bicycle/bi-plane with double wings and a long tail on wheels and pedaled by ‘Glenn’ How he ever got this out of a garage was baffling. This guy was into it!
From behind the stage rolled another bicycle festooned with wings and flaps pedaled by another crafty Glenn. All together there were 5 contestants including a three-year-old with a mustache penciled in. The kid was cute as a button.
We brought them all on stage.
And now, the contest!
On stage, as I held my hand over the heads of each of the Glenn Curtiss look-a-likes, for a sense of audience acceptance to see who the winner might be, I was flummoxed! I could not tell any difference in crowd reaction regarding a winner, but I do remember the crowd reaction when one of our contestants stepped on stage with his son of three years also dressed like Glenn. It was a level of ‘cute’ that we all cherished.
As I knelt to get down to the child’s level, I asked him his name. With a soft voice audible to all through that live microphone he said “Glenn Curtiss”. I was thrilled, and everyone who heard him was instantly a fan of this captivating youngster.
The audience vote was thisclose. Charlie and Cherie huddled and Charlie said, “I’d like to award the thousand-dollar prize to the 3-year-old to help with his college costs. Crowd goes crazy! Just what you could expect here in our town; a beautiful public moment which held us together in community solidarity. Cherie and Charlie then had a quick talk, and Cherie says “We’d like to award a thousand dollars to each contestant!” from New Health Partners. WOW! Another step up for community pride!
When we all come together as a community, it builds friendship and happiness. After the blush of newness in our new gathering place, we’ll see classes of school kids learning our history as they absorb the information and learn where our roots began, and how Glenn Curtiss is appreciated by so many aviation enthusiasts, land developers and speeders the world over.
The next phase of our centennial celebration takes place at the Pelican Playhouse Rebeca Sosa Theater with shows on September 4th 5th 6th 11th 12th 13th. Written by Ralph Wakefield, our own Emmy Award winning writer. The updated show is called ‘The Clothesline’ and will give you history, song, laughs and more! Support our theater and purchase your tickets!
Miami Springs Community Center 1401 Westward Drive, Miami Springs, FL 33166
