CRESTVIEW — Crestview Centennial Committee members are organizing February’s events to celebrate the Hub City's 100th anniversary.
Next month starts with “Valentine’s and All That Jazz," the Crestview High School jazz band's Feb. 12 concert catered by CHS's culinary arts program.
The following night, residents can wear period dancing clothes — flappers’ skirts, zoot suits, poodle skirts or leisure suits — for “Dancing Through the Decades,” with live music by Jones and Company and catering by Mary Richard’s A Grand Elegance.
Both events follow “Becoming the County Seat,” a Jan. 22 and 23 program that attracted a standing-room-only crowd.
An estimated 200 people enjoyed two one-man shows, browsed informational tables hosted by organizations including the Baker Block Museum, Carver-Hill Memorial and Historical Society, Main Street Crestview Association and Friends of the Arts, and ate refreshments provided by the GFWC Woman’s Club of Crestview.
Jim Moore, who portrayed William Mapoles — a state representative who pushed through legislation establishing Okaloosa and became a driving force behind Crestview’s selection as county seat — explained the main reason for the county's founding was to bring judicial services closer to the people who needed them.
World War I re-enactor Schneider, dressed in a U.S. Marine Corps combat uniform, exhibited military memorabilia from the conflict as the Crestview Chorders string band played music of the 1910s.
“It was wonderful,” resident Deborah Maloney Cain said.
“It was very interesting,” resident Lincoln Sayger said. “There was a lot in (Moore’s) presentation I didn’t know, and I’ve lived here all my life.”
Before and after the stage presentations, local history buffs examined displays and learned about the photos and artifacts.
Schneider put fellow Civil War re-enactor Rollin Cluff, 16, through a drill with a pre-WWI rifle typical of those that doughboys carried into battle. “It was a different experience,” Rollin said. “Mr. Schneider showed me about the cartouches, the manufacturers’ insignia. Some of the weapons our soldiers used were 14 years old during the war.”
Members of what Baker Block Museum Director Ann Spann called “the pioneer families” attended the event, including two of William Mapoles' grandsons.
“It was real nice. It was just great,” Spann said of the centennial’s opener. “I was amazed by the turnout.”
WHAT’S NEXT
Two Crestview Centennial events are scheduled for February.
What: Valentine’s and All That Jazz concert, sponsored by the Friends of the Arts
When: 7 p.m. Feb. 12
Where: Warriors Hall, Whitehurst Municipal Building, Stillwell Boulevard at Industrial Drive
Notes: Crestview High School jazz band concert with catering by the CHS culinary arts department. Tickets, $10, are available at the door, UpBeat Music and the Crestview Public Library. Proceeds benefit the band’s uniform fund. Information: Rae Schwartz, 585-5672, bakerny@yahoo.com.
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What: Dancing Through the Decades dance
When: 7 p.m. Feb. 13
Where: Fred Astaire Dance Studio’s Elegant Vue Event Center, 544 Main St., Crestview
Notes: Music by Jones and Company, catering by Mary Richard’s A Grand Elegance. Tickets $30 per person; two for $50. Tickets at city hall or at the door, or call 582-6353. Sponsored by the Main Street Crestview Association. Information: Patti Gonzo, manager@mainstreetcrestview.org.
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5 REASONS TO FORM A COUNTY
Historian and historic impersonator Jim Moore said State Rep. William Mapoles established Okaloosa County to bring judicial services closer to the people who needed them at a time when mail service and banking were not widely used. Taxpayers needed to:
1. Pay property taxes to keep their homes
2. Pay poll taxes to be able to vote
3. Pay road taxes, or work 8 days on a road crew
4. Register brands for livestock or timber
5. Serve jury duty as required by law.
Source: “Becoming the County Seat” presentation by historian Jim Moore
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GETTING TO THE COURTHOUSE
For most 19th and early 20th-century residents of eastern Santa Rosa or western Walton Counties, getting to the county courthouse to conduct business was often a multi-day excursion.
While residents in what is today North Okaloosa County could reach the county seat in DeFuniak Springs by train, residents in the county’s sparsely populated south end had to wait for the weekly packet steamer to arrive at Boggy Bayou, now known as Niceville, then travel to Freeport. There a wagon or horse could be hired for the 16-mile trip to DeFuniak Springs.
Creation of Okaloosa County in 1915 and selection of Crestview as its seat in 1916 expedited access to judicial services.
Source: “Becoming the County Seat” presentation by historian Jim Moore
MORE CENTENNIAL EVENTS AND DETAILS
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview centennial opener explains city's history, packs Warriors Hall (PHOTOS, VIDEO)