Homegrown Festival Stops Highway Construction: Eatonville, Florida’s Zora Neale Hurston Festival

The Setting

Eatonville, Florida is a small town known as “the oldest incorporated municipality in the United States founded by people of African descent.” In 1987, the community learned of plans to turn its main road, the two-lane Kennedy Boulevard, into a five-lane thoroughfare which would destroy the historic character of the community. Residents rallied to stop the plan and found the solution in the legacy of their most famous resident, noted author and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston. But how could they capitalize on this legacy?

What Happened Next

Concerned citizens formed The Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community and started work. Among their efforts:

• Decided to produce a festival to honor Hurston, her works, ideals and ethics
• Agreed to include a strong humanities component
• Attracted well known speakers and authors to the event
• Recruited sponsors to help with everything from marketing to operations

Results

• Kennedy Boulevard was not widened and the community retains it small-town ambiance.
• The annual Hurston Festival draws visitors from around the country. Many return each year for the festival.
• More than 800 volunteers assist with planning the event.
• Estimates show that the January festival brings $3 million into the county.

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