St. Petersburg's Waterfront Centennial Celebration is about to begin! Get ready to celebrate….

On Christmas Eve 1909, St. Petersburg Times editor William Straub announced what he described as the best Christmas present St. Petersburg had ever received -- the city’s purchase of land for Waterfront Park, property that would be dedicated in December 1910.  Now, 100 years later, we are ready to celebrate St. Pete’s beautiful waterfront parks, one of our city’s greatest assets and gifts!

This Thursday, October 15 will be an exciting day for the Centennial Celebration as City Council proclaims 2010 to be the Waterfront Parks Centennial year.  The Council proclamation will be followed by the unveiling of the Centennial Celebration poster, based on the original and beautiful painting “Afternoon at Straub Park” by acclaimed local artist Carrie Jadus (the Centennial poster will be available for sale later this year).  Finally, the Waterfront Parks Centennial Celebration’s honorary chair will be announced!  

The Waterfront Parks Centennial Celebration will be a year long series of events bringing our city together to celebrate Straub’s vision of open water vistas and public park. Events planned will have something for everyone--from youngsters to the young-at-heart, history buff to photography enthusiast, from movie buff to sports fan.  The events begin with “Discover History in the Parks,” a history treasure hunt that will be one of the family fun events on New Year’s eve in downtown St. Petersburg as part of First Night.

The Centennial Celebration website is up and running!  Go to www.stpeteparks100.org to see a list of Centennial Celebration events, to read about the parks’ history and to see a sneak preview of the poster artwork featured on the homepage. Sign up for updates so you won’t miss any Celebration events. 

The Waterfront Parks Centennial Celebration is being organized under the auspices of Saint Petersburg Preservation, a nonprofit volunteer organization, and co-sponsored by the City of St. Petersburg.  Funding for The Waterfront Parks Centennial Celebration comes through support of individuals and businesses. You can donate on the website or by sending your tax deductible contribution to SPP Centennial Celebration Fund, 200 2nd Avenue South, #100, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.