Windermere to host Centennial Country Fair

Walking around the Pines at Windermere Saturday, April 5, people will be transported to a time of childhood fun at a classic country fair. 

The smell of popcorn lingering in the air. The sound of people laughing as they can see the world below them from the ferris wheel. Lights from carnival rides will brighten the day. 

But most of all, the Windermere Centennial Country Fair will remind people of the small-town’s 100-year history while celebrating its bright future. 

“The town’s history and future are built on families, so we wanted something that was core to its beginning,” said CT Allen, a Windermere resident involved in planning the Windermere Centennial Country Fair. “Family oriented and nostalgic at the same time. It wasn’t a long journey creatively to get to a Good Ole Country Fair, where families come together for fellowship, music, food, rides and, of course, the smells (of) popcorn, cotton candy, funnel cakes. Well, not sure if they had funnel cake in 1925, but who doesn’t love the smell of a funnel cake?”

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

Although Cal Palmer, J. Howard Johnson and Howard Lyon incorporated Windermere, Florida, in 1925, the town’s history dates further back. 

The Timucua Indians called the area known as Windermere home until Spanish settlers moved into the area in the 1500s. 

The United States purchased the eastern half of Florida in 1821 from Spain. By 1845, the U.S. made Florida the 27th state. 

With the U.S. Government offering incentives — such as giving away 160 acres to any person willing to cultivate five acres — to bring more people to the area, settlers started making Windermere their home. 

Englishman Dr. Stanley Scott, whose father purchased 160 acres in Windermere in 1885, built his home on the shore of Lake Butler. He called the home Windermere, many believe, in honor of the famous Lake Windermere in England. 

Not long after, the railroad came through, linking Windermere to Kissimmee by 1889. 

But it wasn’t until Palmer and Johnson came along in 1910 and bought the approximately 2,000 acres for $10,000 S.S. Griffin and his wife accumulated through a tax certificate program. 

Palmer and Johnson created the Windermere Improvement Company, playing a crucial role in the town’s development. 

The small town’s population began to rise as more people arrived. By 1960, the population had increased to 596 residents from the 153 residents in 1930. 

After moving his sawmill from Ohio to Windermere in 1911, Palmer built a sales office for Windermere Improvement Company, now known as the Cal Palmer Building located on the corner of West Fifth Avenue and Main Street. The Cal Palmer Building became Windermere’s first post office as he had been appointed postmaster. It also was the ad hoc seat for government from Windermere’s incorporation until Windermere Town Council moved into the Town Hall in 1945. The Cal Palmer Building was placed on the local historic register in 1992 followed by the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. 

In the early 1970s, Windermere saw another influx in population as California executives with Walt Disney World moved to Windermere. By the early 1980s, Windermere had a population of more than 1,200 residents. Now it has more than 3,500. 

HONOR TO CELEBRATE

Residents have been hard at work finding ways to celebrate the town’s centennial since last May. 

The Steering Committee has been creating events for a year-long celebration, including the Windermere Centennial Country Fair. 

Allen said it’s an honor to be a part of the Steering Committee. 

“We love this town and all the folks who make it so special,” she said. “The individuals that stepped up have been a sheer joy to work with. We all have our special skills and knowledge, and everyone just connected from the very first meeting last May. I don’t consider us a committee anymore. We are all friends meeting every week.”

The committee has worked to ensure the fair has something for everyone. There will be carnival rides, a large ferris wheel, a giant swing, a 100-foot slide, a celebrity dunk tank, 14 carnival booths with prizes to be won and more. 

Allen said a country fair is a piece of nostalgia for many, including her. She remembered the lights of the rides and the sounds all around her as she attended fairs with her family growing up, as well as the sticky fingers from the cotton candy. 

With the centennial celebration, Allen said there has been an overwhelming response from the community to make the fair a success. 

Although there have been many residents stepping in to volunteer, Allen said more always are appreciated, especially if they are high school students looking for community service hours. 

Live music will be played throughout the fair, which is from noon to 7 p.m.

The Windermere Elementary School chorus will open the the fair at noon with Mayor Jim O’Brien. 

From there, John Ashley & The Swamp Bandits, Handpicked and The Down Brothers will take the stage until the last act of the night, Sawyer Brown, performs. 

Sawyer Brown will headline the show, coming on stage between 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. and closing out the fair at 7 p.m.

With Mark Miller, the lead vocalist of Sawyer Brown, being a part-time resident of Windermere, the Steering Committee jumped at the opportunity to have the band perform at the fair. 

SOUNDS OF HOME

Miller was born in Ohio but moved to Apopka when he was in eighth grade. That’s when he met bandmate Apopka’s Gregg “Hobie” Hubbard, who was born and raised in Apopka. The two best friends went on to create Sawyer Brown. 

While some bands might have put immense thought into what to title their musical group that could launch them into musical stardom, Miller and Hubbard’s approach was more simple. 

The two had moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and stumbled upon Sawyer Brown Road. 

“We wanted almost like a fictitious name,” Miller said. “So there was Sawyer Brown Road in Nashville. We literally just took the name from the road. We literally just drove by it and said, ‘That would be a good band name.’”

Little did they know the Sawyer Brown band would see 40 years of success, starting with winning the inaugural season of “Star Search” in 1984. Winning the TV music competition jump started their careers. 

“We’ve been blessed enough to have 40 years worth of hits,” Miller said. “If you’re a Sawyer Brown fan, you’re going to know every word to every song we’re going to play. We really enjoy doing that and seeing the reaction, and for the most part, we always say they sing the songs louder than we do. We really want to honor fans with just really pounding them with hits.”

Now Miller spends half his time living in Nashville, but the other half of the year, he calls Windermere his home, making the Windermere Centennial Country Fair a hometown concert. 

“It’ll be the closest place that after the show, I can go back to the house,” Miller said with a laugh. “That’ll be pretty fun. It’s not a huge commute.”

He discovered the small-town charm of Windermere when he was working for Disney and drove through Windermere. He said like many other residents, he moved to Windermere for its lakes. A fan of wakesurfing, wakeboarding and waterskiing, he said living on the Butler Chain of Lakes is a dream come true for him. 

But as an introvert, Miller said performing in front of his friends and neighbors will be “a little bit exposing.” 

“I see our names on all signs and I’m going, ‘Oh, what have I done here?” Miller said, chuckling. “I really am excited (to play at the fair). I know all the neighbors are excited.”

The band’s country rock style will be fitting to end the country fair. The band’s loud and fast style of play will make sure Windermere is rocking, Miller said. 

“It’s humbling that you feel so blessed that the songs you sat at your kitchen table and wrote, people all over America are singing,” he said. “We always say we don’t have love songs, we have life songs and we see people enjoying that. … Playing at this country fair means as much to us as it would playing at Madison Square Garden.”

Part of the band’s success is the members’ friendships. Miller said it’s cool to have a longtime friend like Hubbard along for the ride, being in a band together, traveling and touring. 

In the band’s 40 years, they’ve performed more than 6,000 concerts and released 24 albums. 

“To continue to do this is really a blessing,” he said. “It’s something we don’t take for granted, and it’s pretty humbling.”

Each member of the band brings a set of talents that amplifies the band’s performances and music.

Hubbard grew up playing piano and singing in church and began writing songs when he was in college. He’s co-written several of Sawyer Brown’s hits and songs on the band’s Christmas albums. 

Joe Smyth, who plays drums and percussion, is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and earned a master’s degree in music from the University of Miami. He has played with the Nashville Symphony and is a respected percussion instructor. 

Lead guitarist Shayne Hill, the youngest in the band, joined in 2004 after one rehearsal with the band. His family had a band growing up, and they toured across the western United States. He’s toured with Chely Wright, Avalon and LeAnn Rimes, among others. 

“When we’re on stage, it’s a whole different mindset,” Hill said. “You are a band, but you have one sound and that’s everybody working together to create this sound that the fans have heard on the radio. We want our songs to sound exactly like they do on the radio. I think that’s the thing we are most prideful in.”

One of Miller’s personal favorites from the band’s repertoire is “The Walk,” a ballad that became a hit in a time when no one knew the band for ballads. He said it changed the way the band was perceived in the industry. 

His other favorite is “Some Girls Do,” a song that has defined the band, Miller said. 

Both songs will be performed at the country fair.