CRESTVIEW — Mayor David Cadle shared the Hub City’s history and offered a glimpse of what’s to come during Crestview’s centennial celebration today on the Okaloosa Courthouse lawn.
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“Imagine, if you will, just 100 years (ago), when a small village began to grow up around arrival of the railroad,” Cadle said. “The people who settled here were industrious and hard-working folks, and soon they were building homes and churches. And on Main Street a hotel sprang up, and a bank, and along with them were several drinking establishments, where the purported favorite beverage was whiskey. Those establishments had many patrons, and even their second floors of their buildings were quite busy.
“As time went by, the dirt roads slowly were being replaced by pavement, and the city continued to grow.”
Fast forward several decades, and the 7th Special Forces (Airborne)’s move to Northwest Florida brought an influx of new residents, making the Hub City the largest city in the county, and “the undisputed county seat of Okaloosa County,” he said.
“As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of this great city, I can assure you that the future of Crestview is very bright,” Cadle said.
Approximately 200 people listened to Burnett and other speakers, including Mayor David Cadle, Main Street Crestview Association representative Pat Hollarn, Sen. Don Gaetz, County Commissioners Wayne Harris, Nathan Boyles and Carolyn Ketchel, Judge Michael Flowers and historical re-enactor James Moore, among others.
Among those attending the celebration included Circuit Judge Terry Ketchel, Sen. Greg Evers, County Commissioner Trey Goodwin, Crestview’s city councilmen and numerous city and county employees, and local law enforcement.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CRESTVIEW CENTENNIAL: 'The future is very bright,' mayor says