At the February 20th Homestead City Council Meeting, Councilwoman Patricia Fairclough-McCormick presented members of the Centennial Steering Committee with certificates of recognition for their dedication to organizing all the events that commemorated the City of Homestead’s historic centennial.
“The City of Homestead is so proud of the hard work and long hours that you put in to the planning of our historical centennial celebrations, and as a small token of our appreciation I would like to present each of you with a certificate to honor your dedication,” said Councilwoman Fairclough-McCormick, Council Liaison to the Centennial Steering Committee. “I’m sure everyone in this city will collectively join me in saying: job well done, from the kick-off event to the culminating event!”
The Centennial Steering Committee members recognized during the special presentation of the February City Council meeting were Chairwoman Yvonne C. Knowles, Vice-Chair Timothy L. Craig, and Centennial Steering Committee members Kametra Driver, Maycol Enriquez, Steven Losner, Kevin Myles and Ruth Campbell, who worked tirelessly on behalf of the Mayor and Council to organize all the events that commemorated the City of Homestead’s incorporation in 1913.
“I would like to also thank all the wonderful volunteers, and the tremendous support we had from Mayor and Council, and city staff,” said Centennial Steering Committee Chairwoman Knowles. “The City of Homestead truly came together and helped make this centennial celebration a memorable one for the ages.”
The Centennial Steering Committee is a group of volunteers that was appointed by the Homestead City Council to organize the Homestead Centennial Celebration. The group planned many events to commemorate the historic centennial of the second oldest city in Miami-Dade County. The celebration started six months prior to the City’s 100th birthday with a Kick-Off event in the Historic Downtown Homestead that included live music, food trucks and historic re-enactments. The Committee also organized a Pioneer Cocktail Reception in which Homestead Pioneer families gathered to celebrate Homestead history. The Centennial Children’s Day event was also a successful event that attracted hundreds of children and their families, who enjoyed free food, bounce houses, video games, and a live show by Radio Disney with interactive games and contests. An exhibit of over a hundred entries in art, photography and essay categories from the Centennial Student Contest were on display and the winners of each category were announced and received prizes.
The Centennial celebration continued at various traditional Homestead events such as the South Dade Senior High vs Homestead Senior High football match, the Homestead Rodeo, Homestead-Miami Speedway Nascar Weekend, Homestead Rock and Rib Festival, the Martin Luther King Breakfast and Parade and the Veteran’s Day Parade in which the Centennial displayed a beautiful float made to look like the historic Homestead Flagler Railroad Station.
The peak of the Homestead Centennial Celebration took place this past Saturday, February 2nd with a full-day free concert and festival at Harris Field. People came from all over South Florida to celebrate the 100th birthday of the City of Homestead. The successful event attracted over 5,000 people; throughout the day crowds could be seen all over Harris Field enjoying the free concert, children’s rides, vendors exhibits, food trucks, and the historical show “The Homestead Story.” The City of Homestead City Council and Centennial Steering Committee invited everyone to enjoy free birthday cake after a grand firework display lit up the Homestead sky when people finished singing Happy Birthday to Homestead!
The Homestead Centennial Steering Committee was also recently honored by the Miami-Dade County Board of Commissioners and the Miami-Dade County School Board for their dedication to organize a great number of events for the Homestead community to celebrate its 100th birthday. The Committee will continue to work throughout the Centennial year with other projects and events that celebrate Homestead’s history.
