We were in Lake Placid, Florida to see the murals in December of 2012, and have wanted to return there to see the rest of the murals and relieve Kitty of her craving for another bodacious banana split. If you haven't read my blog about these murals, please click on the 2012 folder in the left column and go to December 4, 2012 folder for "The Murals of Lake Placid.
After driving for about an hour, we arrived at Lake Placid around half past one, and quickly found a parking spot. The four of us riding in the back seat were able to slither out and could actually walk just fine after rubbing the cramps out of our legs!
We checked out a few of the murals as we walked a couple of blocks to the restaurant that features the bodacious banana split. But, our minds could not focus on the murals because our stomachs were yelling for banana splits! We had been starving ourselves all day anticipating a bodacious banana split. Each banana split has enough ice cream to fill up four normal people. Since none of us are normal, we planned to order several of these monsters and we all started walking faster and faster as we got closer and closer to the restaurant. By now, our tongues were dragging and I actually tripped over someone's tongue! I have no idea who's tongue it was, and for all I know, it could have been mine! Some folks might say that's because I have my foot in my mouth again! Ha!
We slipped, tripped, and slithered up to the restaurant only to find that it had closed 30 minutes ago! Our collective "OH NO" could be heard all the way to the coast! After shedding a few tears and a few "Oh Gosh Darns", we were able to find another restaurant and had a nice lunch and a few banana splits. They weren't as good as the bodacious banana splits, but it satisfied the craving, at least for now.
Now, on to the murals. The murals you will see here all reflect the culture of this area in Florida. There are 43 murals painted on many of the buildings around downtown Lake Placid. Many of the murals have hidden objects in them and it's really fun trying to find them. You can pick up a visitors guide and see a brief movie about the murals in the Lake Placid Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center. This blog features ten murals not shown previously in my blog from last December.
Title: Hometown News - Lake Placid Journal 1960
Artist: Monica Turner
This is Linotype printing press designed to print two pages at a time.
Title: Istokpoga
Artist: Keith Goodson
Istokpoga means "many men died here". It features two Seminole Indians hunting the gigantic alligator. The Indians are each in a different century dress, but this picture is not long enough to show them.
Title: Jewels of highland County
Artist: Keith Goodson
This mural features Lake Istokpoga which is the largest of the 27 lakes in this area. It is a premier fishing lake over 27,600 acres.
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| Kitty is on the left and Susan is on the right. |
Title: Lake Istokpoga Village
Artist: Guy LaBree
This mural features a Seminole Indian lady grinding corn with a mortar and pestle to make grits. Her dress is authentic. The huts were their only shelter used for sleeping and communal cooking.
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| L to R: Susan, Birdman Barry, and Kitty |
Title: Our Citrus Heritage
Artist: Keith Goodson
The early Spanish explorers brought citrus to Florida half a millennium ago.
This is not a mural. It is Pat sitting with a clown. Oh, ya, the clown is on the right!
Title: Rare Resident Florida Panther
Artist: Terry Smith
There are only about 50 panthers alive in the wilds of Florida today.
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| L to R: Pat & Kitty |
Title: Richard Archbold & Archbold Biological Station
Artist: Keith Goodson
Richard Archbold founded the Archbold Biological Station in 1941 and was a founding member of Glades Electric Cooperative.
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| Birdman Barry on the left |
Title: Sandhill Cranes - Dawn Patrol
Artist: Thomas Brooks
Sandhill Cranes live in this area year around and are noted for their red cap of feathers.
Title: Toby's Clown School
Artist: John Gutcher
This mural features three clowns that live in Lake Placid and are graduates of Toby's Clown school. The clowns shown are the Auguste (German), White Face (English), and Hobo (American). Do you think there's lots of clowning around in Lake Placid?
Title: Train Depot
Artist: Dan & Peter Sawatzky
This depot was built in 1926 by the Atlantic Coast railroad and is on the National Historic registry.
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| Eagle Eye Ted is looking for one of the hidden objects. |
Well, we didn't get a bodacious banana split, but we did have a really great time with plenty of laughs, good food, and lots of fun with friends. You can't beat that combination!!
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