EATONVILLE, Fla. – The town of Eatonville commemorated its 137th Founder’s Day with a breakfast and celebration event.
News 6 stopped by the community breakfast on Saturday, where 5th-generation Eatonville resident Ruthie Critton was the keynote speaker.
“137 years is a really long time. It shows endurance through opposition and adversity and it just shows determination, resilience and strong will,” Critton said. “I’m glad to be a part of that.”
According to the town’s website, Eatonville was founded on Aug. 15, 1887, when 27 electors voted in the town’s mayor, its aldermen and other town officers. This made Eatonville the first town to be organized, governed and incorporated by African-American citizens.
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Critton is now raising her kids as 6th-generation residents.
“To be able to come back home and then raise the next generation and have my children get to experience some of the same amazing things that I was able to experience as a child is overwhelmingly awesome,” Critton said.
Bruce and Shana Mount also have deep ties to Eatonville as their father, Bruce Mount, was the town’s former mayor. They were also at Saturday’s breakfast to kick off the 137th Founder’s Day celebrations.
They hope the younger generations who participate in the festivities see the values instilled by the town’s founders 137 years ago.
“Although everything’s not perfect, it’s ours,” Mount said. “It’s our town and it’s up to us of the next generation to stay true to those values, but also use things like modern technology, use those thought leaders to take action leading to the next level.”
Eatonville’s mayor, Angie Gardner, said not only is the town celebrating Founder’s Day, but residents are also celebrating the new early voting site that opened up this year.
“The two of those together and celebrating to remember and commemorate what they’ve done and what we’ve been able to accomplish and be sustainable over the years,” Gardner said. “That’s pretty big”
While the Founder’s Day breakfast has ended, there is still a celebration taking place from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Hungerford Field.
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