While the annual Oldsmar Days parade did get rained out, the rest of the City of Oldsmar’s centennial celebration weekend was full of bright sunshine and starry nights.
Perhaps the cries of “rain, rain, go away, come back another day” worked.
Either that or it was just the typical, fickle Florida spring weather.
After a crystal-clear kick off to the City of Oldsmar’s centennial celebration weekend on Friday night, a slow-moving storm forced the cancellation of the annual Oldsmar Days parade on Saturday before the beautiful weather returned for the event’s final day on Sunday, leading event organizers to declare the weekend an overall success.
“We basically have two measures of success – how many kids are at the carnival and is the audience engaged in the music,” Jerry Peruzzi, the Upper Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce President and CEO said via email.
“By both measures this was one the best Oldsmar Days ever.”
Indeed, while canceling the parade, an annual favorite that this year was to feature classic Oldsmobiles from all over the world, had to be considered a disappointment for all those involved, the unfortunate disruption was a mere blip in the city’s centennial celebration weekend, according to city officials.
“It’s unfortunate about the parade, but at the end of the day it’s about people’s safety,” Mayor Doug Bevis said of his difficult decision to cancel the parade mere minutes before its scheduled 11:00 a.m. start due to lighting in the area.
“And when you look at the entirety of the weekend, to just have a two-hour parade postponed, we’ll take it.”
And although the parade did not take place during its traditional spot on the calendar, Council member and Oldsmar100 committee chair Dan Saracki said he is working with Chamber of Commerce officials to reschedule the event.
“I talked to the chamber, and we are probably going to do the parade on Saturday, September 3rd, at 11:00 a.m.,” Saracki told Oldsmar Connect.
“Oldsmar Days is a chamber event and Celebrate Oldsmar! is a city event, but we are working out the logistics of holding the parade in September as well as adding fireworks on that Friday night.”
Saracki added that while the cancellation of the parade was disappointing, the entire weekend, including the Centennial Dinner Dance at Nielsen on Thursday, was a hit.
“I was really happy with the turnout at the dinner dance,” Saracki said of the semi-formal event, which was attended by members of R.E. Olds’ family as well as local and state officials.
“The weekend was all about honoring Mr. Olds, who had a dream to build a city and bring people together, and I think we did that this weekend.”
Jeri Antozzi, Chairman of the Centennial Dinner Dance and a member of the Oldsmar People’s Centennial Task Force Committee, echoed Saracki’s sentiments.
“What a wonderful evening for members of our community to get together to celebrate the City of Oldsmar’s 100th birthday!” Antozzi said via email.
“R.E. Olds’ dream for a wonderful city called Oldsmar has come true! Oldsmar is a great place to live, work, and play!”
Indeed, members of the Olds family who traveled to town for the special weekend said they were overwhelmingly pleased with the city’s efforts to celebrate its history.
“This is wonderful, such a special city and a terrific event,” Debbie Stephens, one of Ransom E. Olds’ great-granddaughters, said during the Centennial Classic Car Show on Friday evening. “It’s something we were all excited about, and it hasn’t disappointed.”
“To think that 100 years ago, (Ransom) was walking these streets and envisioning a city here, it’s a pretty remarkable feeling,” her husband, Peter, added.
Speaking to the Stephens’ for a few minutes, it quickly became apparent that the weekend wasn’t just about parades and dances, cars and concerts, but about preserving the memory of an American icon.
“We are the next generation,” Debbie Stephens said. “All of the relatives of the generation before us have passed away.”
“We have to continue to talk about the history of R.E. Olds so it’s not lost,” Peter added.
Here’s a look at some of the sights from Oldsmar’s Centennial weekend celebration:
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