The Fourth of July weekend in Jackson County brought many visitors to Blue Springs, Spring Creek, Florida Caverns State Park, Lake Seminole and other recreational sites in the county.
Jackson County Sheriff Lou Roberts got things started with a water safety day at Lake Seminole in Sneads Friday. Children and their parents stopped by Sneads Park to snag free frisbees, crayons, coloring books, and other items supplied by the sheriff and the event partners.
One youngster played a game of frisbee with Roberts, then wandered on down to the Sneads Volunteer Fire Department’s bright red fire truck, where he climbed up in the driver’s seat for a closer look. Volunteers helped him sound the fire alarm, which brought other children running for a chance to sit behind the wheel.
Also on Friday, Golson Elementary School children presented a patriotic program of songs on the steps of the Jackson County Courthouse in Marianna.
Tubers kept a steady flow of foot traffic down the boardwalk at Spring Creek as they came to play in the Chipola River. Canoe and kayaks weren’t far behind.
Tri-athletes spent the early morning hours of Monday biking, running, and swimming to take bragging rights and prizes at Blue Springs Recreation Area. The quarter-mile swim, 5K run, and 10-mile bike race drew 238 adult competitors – 50 more than last year – and a multitude of children participated in the matching kids’ events. This was the 26th anniversary of the event.
After the triathlon, Blue Springs’ gates opened to the general public to take frosty dips in the water and grill food on the shore. Jackson County Recreation Director Chuck Hatcher said about 1,500 people turned out Sunday, and that the Monday crowd was shaping up to be similar. Friday and Saturday drew about 800 people each, he said.
The holiday weekend helped the park’s attendance run at an average of about 20 percent higher than last year. Last season, Hatcher recorded 38,508 visits; the park is on track to have notched between 42,000 and 45,000 visits by season’s end if the present trend continues, he said.
And on Monday evening, the city of Marianna staged a fireworks display visible from the new Madison Street Park downtown.
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