Celebrate Pensacola

From Pensapedia

Celebrate Pensacola
Established	November 17, 2006[1]
Executive co-chairs	Coy Irvin, Jr. Maria Davis
Website	CelebratePensacola.com

Celebrate Pensacola, Inc. is a non-profit organization that is organizing a festival commemorating the 450th anniversary of Don Tristan de Luna's 1559 expedition that established Pensacola as the first European settlement in the United States. The celebration will run for a total of for 450 days, from May 23, 2008 to August 15, 2009. Among other events, the organizers have stated the possibility of a visit by the Spanish Royal Family.

The organization will come together again in 2014 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Naval aviation in Pensacola.

Contents 1 Events 2 Plaza de Luna statue 3 Leadership 3.1 Executive committee 3.2 Education Committee 3.3 Fundraising Committee 3.4 Heritage Committee 3.5 Marketing Committee 3.6 Military Committee 3.7 New Events Committee 3.8 Religious History Committee 3.9 Special Projects Committee 3.10 VIP Committee 4 See also 5 External links 6 References

[edit] Events

• May 23, 2008: Kick-off party
• July 10, 2008: Evenings in Olde Seville concert with Spanish orchestra
• March 20, 2009: A Night of One Voice
• April 4, 2009: Spanish Wine Festival
• July 10, 2009: Spanish Band
• TBA: Visit of tall ship Juan Sebastian de Elcano
• TBA: Heritage Festival
• TBA: Lecture series and archaeological digs
• TBA: Historical reenactments and plays
• TBA: Proposed visit by Spanish royalty
• August 15, 2009: De Luna Landing Celebration

[edit] Plaza de Luna statue

Among the initiatives planned by Celebrate Pensacola was a proposed statue of Tristan de Luna to be erected in the City's recently finished Plaza de Luna park at the southern terminus of Palafox Street. The statue would feature a 9-foot sculpture of de Luna atop a 44-foot pedestal. (The idea had first been proposed by the Fiesta of Five Flags organization in 2002.^[2]) Event planners initially hoped the City of Pensacola would contribute $150,000 of the $700,000 cost, but the City Council demurred by a 5-4 vote, citing budget restraints.^[3]

[edit] Leadership

[edit] Executive committee

[edit] Education Committee

[edit] Fundraising Committee

[edit] Heritage Committee

[edit] Marketing Committee

[edit] Military Committee

[edit] New Events Committee

[edit] Religious History Committee

[edit] Special Projects Committee

[edit] VIP Committee

[edit] See also

• Quadricentennial Celebration, 1959
• Fiesta of Five Flags

[edit] External links

• CelebratePensacola.com

[edit] References