Making the Most of Opportunities

Collaborate: The Hurston Festival evolved from years of hard work by P.E.C. and its dedicated volunteers, but without the financial and in-kind contributions of the local education and faith communities, local and county government, and private foundations, the planning would have come to very little.

Find the Fit between the Community and Tourism: Eatonville is a very small town with a dearth of infrastructure to house and feed up to 100,000 people over a four-day period. But planners took advantage of the town’s proximity to the world’s largest tourist destination and used Central Florida’s vast cache of hospitality facilities, which typically house visitors to Walt Disney World and other area attractions, to serve the Eatonville festival attendees comfortably.

Make Sites Come Alive: Each year, festival activities include multitudes of dance, music, dramatic, and creative arts displays and shows to draw attendees into the spirit of the program. Children are always included with programming in puppetry, dance, and storytelling.

Focus on Quality and Authenticity: P.E.C. has set a standard of excellence for itself and its participants every step of the way. Only the most authentic and highest quality are accepted in everything from presentation of product and intellectual content to aesthetic appeal and accountability.

Preserve and Protect Resources: Zora Neale Hurston and P.E.C. have in common the desire to preserve and perpetuate authentic traditions about rural southern black culture. The folkways and lore that Hurston gathered and wrote about are celebrated and continued through the festival that bears her name.

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