Invitation to a Century celebration...

(Warning: Lots of links in this one, so don’t get lost chasing rabbits.)

I’ve been invited to “help bring Old 100 home” to Century by participating in a fund-raising event at the J.H. Jones Historic Park on Jefferson Avenue in the Historic District on Oct. 8, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

(“Old 100” is a 1919 Baldwin 2-6-2 Steam Engine locomotive that once ran the railroads for the Alger-Sullivan lumber lines in Century.)

The flier for the event (sent to me by my dad) declares that Model A Fords will be displayed and that Dixieland jazz, bluegrass and local children’s dance groups will perform. The Model A owners will be dressed in period costumes. “They take pride in showing their magnificent old cars. Hear them crank up and ‘Cadillac.’”

Expect barbecue plates, cold drinks and good clean fun. Bring lawn chairs, “and come live the good life by planning an early fall day in paradise.”

Okay, so the hyperbole is piling on. If you don’t think so, then prepare to roll up the ol’ pants legs with the next bit from the flier:

“Ray Fortner, author and famous storyteller, will be there with his “hot off the press” new novel The Shiny Badge.
“Tony Simmons, assistant managing editor of the Panama City News Herald and Century native, will also be signing his book, Dazed and Raving in the Undercurrents. Come meet two living legends.”

(The bold part is theirs, from the flier, not mine.) The flier continues:

“Visit the Railcar Museum and see the scale model of how sawmill families lived. Visit the Old Post Office and tour the Alger-Sullivan Museum. There you will see a scale model of the Alger-Sullivan Mill at its peak of production, a display of medical instruments, and many more artifacts. You can buy books about the old mill and see photos of how the people lived in Century at the begin-ning of the 20th.”

For more information: call (850) 256-2029, 256-3983, or 256-2661; write the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society, P.O. Box 1002 Century, FL 32535; or visit 7510 Jefferson Ave. in the Historic District.

SOME NOTES: (1) I was there on the day they brought the half-rotted rail car to the land and set it via crane on the rails; lots of renovation work went into making it a museum. I'll scan and post old pictures soon to show you what it looked like way back in 1991 or 92. (2) Century post-Dennis photos are yet to come. Be patient, if you even remembered that I mentioned it last time. (3) There's a new book on the horizon and its name is Century. Welcome it when it dawns.