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Springtime Tallahassee is an annual event held on either the last Saturday in March or the first Saturday in April in Tallahassee, Florida, United States celebrating Tallahassee's history and culture.
Springtime Tallahassee began in 1967 as a concept to keep Tallahassee as the state capital. At the time, Florida had its first Legislature based on reapportionment in which Florida legislators from southern and central Florida were insisting that the capitol be in a more centralized location.
Tallahassee's civic and business leaders mapped a strategy and proposed it to their legislative delegation asking for help. As the legislative session advanced, unkind comments about Tallahassee were made by legislators. This prompted the Junior League of Tallahassee with the Junior League taking the southern and central legislators' wives on a bus tour of old homes in Tallahassee and nearby Monticello. This drew an enthusiastic response. The Rotary Club produced a Chamber of Commerce bulletin called You can see everything in Tallahassee in one hour! and published a historical tourist volume called Tallahassee In View which included excerpts from the long history of Florida's capital city and the surrounding area.
By the Autumn of 1967, there were 20 various groups planning the First Annual Tallahassee Spring Festival. The first festival featured the Apalachee Jubilee with a parade and pageant commemorating the selection of Tallahassee as the capital of territorial Florida.
In 1969 A.F. "Pete" Rich lead a men's group to organize and give direction and financial support to the idea of a festival and his wife, Mrs. Jean Rich, served as General Chairman of the festival. A chartered organization called SpringTime Tallahassee, Inc. dedicated itself to advertise and promote the history and beauty of Tallahassee and its people to all Floridians and welcome them.
By 1970, Springtime Tallahassee membership was increased to 200. By 1971, Springtime Tallahassee changed the format and divided the organization into five krewes which would depict Tallahassee history by historical periods.
The Jubilee in the Park celebration was not held in 2018, due to the organization's lightning policy, anticipated lightning, and a lack of necessary shelters should it be required.
In 2020, Springtime Tallahassee was not held in its entirety due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2021 saw the event pushed to May 15th, the latest date in the event's history.
The Grand Parade was not held in 2022, due to the organization's weather policy, anticipated rain forecasts, and a lack of necessary shelters should it be required.
Spanish, American Territorial, Antebellum-Statehood, War and Reconstruction, and 20th Century. This enabled each period to have a float as well as another entry of their choice into the parade to represent their era of history.
The Spanish Krewe is currently the largest krewe and represents Spanish Florida from 1528 to 1821 and Hernando de Soto's explorations in Florida in 1539. The Spanish Krewe is engaged in numerous philanthropic activities throughout the year. Spanish Krewe participates heavily in each of the five major parties of Springtime Tallahassee, plus Float Day.
The American Territorial Krewe represents Florida when it became a United States territory. On March 4, 1824 Governor William P. Duval named Tallahassee the official state capital. Later that year the town was officially named Tallahassee. Tallahassee was incorporated in 1825.
The Antebellum Krewe represents the period from 1825 to 1860 when northern planters moved south to the fertile lands of Leon County. Tallahassee enjoyed social and political development during this period. The nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, Prince Achille Murat and his wife Catherine Willis Gray, the grandniece of George Washington settled at Bellevue, and became prominent citizens of this community. Florida became the 27th state in 1845 with a population of 66,500. The krewe collects canned and dry goods and gently used coats and blankets for donation to a local charity. The krewe's basic theme is southern charm and hospitality.
The War and Reconstruction Krewe represents the period of 1861-1900 and the American Civil War. Tallahassee was the only southern capital east of the Mississippi River not captured by the Union troops. War & Reconstruction Krewe members wear period clothing with women in dresses from the 1865-1900 time period. This included bustled dresses and hoop skirts. Men are also suitably dressed for our period. Our costume consultant will help any Krewe member find the perfect outfit. Our time period includes the Civil War and the reconstruction period.
The 20th Century Krewe represents Tallahassee as it grew from a sleepy Southern town to become the thriving capital city of the fourth-largest state in the U.S. Florida state government has been the primary industry. Agriculture, timber and cattle have also played roles in the development of the city's economy. The population of Tallahassee was only 3,000 at the beginning of the century, and now has a population of about 190,000.
A service organization, the Springtime Belles and Gents are composed of high school-age young women and men who are children as well as grandchildren of Springtime members. The young people undergo a training period that encompasses the study of the history of Tallahassee and Florida, as well as instruction in poise, good grooming, and etiquette. They participate in civic, social and government activities. Mr. and Miss Springtime are selected on acquiring community service points, knowledge of Tallahassee and Florida history, interviews by community judges and a vote of their peers. They receive a $500 scholarship from Springtime and are announced at the annual Coronation Ball, and reign during the Springtime Festivities. They, along with senior members, are formally presented to Springtime Tallahassee membership at the Springtime Grand Ball.
Though not truly a krewe, it is a separate unit within Springtime Tallahassee like a sixth krewe. Two members of Springtime are chosen to portray the Governor and his wife the First Lady. The Governor and First Lady serve together with the President and the General Chairman, as representatives of the organization. The Governor's Staff is composed of members of the five Krewes, having been selected by each Krewe for a five-year term.
Springtime is a civic organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Tallahassee history and is headed by the Springtime Board of Directors who meet and operate in downtown Tallahassee.
Tallahassee is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population was 196,169, making it the eighth-largest city in the state of Florida. The population of the Tallahassee metropolitan area was 385,145 as of 2018. Tallahassee is the largest city in the Florida Big Bend and Florida Panhandle region, and the main center for trade and agriculture in the Florida Big Bend and Southwest Georgia regions.
Leon County is a county in the Panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. It was named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. As of the 2020 census, the population was 292,198.
A krewe is a social organization that stages parades and/or balls for the Carnival season. The term is best known for its association with Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, but is also used in other Carnival celebrations throughout South Louisiana and along the Gulf of Mexico, such as the Gasparilla Pirate Festival in Tampa, Florida, Springtime Tallahassee, and Krewe of Amalee in DeLand, Fl with the Mardi Gras on Mainstreet Parade as well as in La Crosse, Wisconsin and at the Saint Paul Winter Carnival.
The Mistick Krewe of Comus, founded in 1856, is a New Orleans, Louisiana, Carnival Krewe. It is the oldest continuous organization of New Orleans Mardi Gras festivities.
Rex is a New Orleans Carnival Krewe which stages one of the city's most celebrated parades on Mardi Gras Day. Rex is Latin for "King", and Rex reigns as "The King of Carnival".
The holiday of Mardi Gras is celebrated in southern Louisiana, including the city of New Orleans. Celebrations are concentrated for about two weeks before and through Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday, but the season actually begins on King’s Day, January 6th, and extends until midnight before Ash Wednesday. Club, or Krewe, balls start soon after, though most are extremely private, with their Kings and Queens coming from wealthy old families and their courts consisting of the season’s debutantes. Most of the high society Krewes do not stage parades. As Fat Tuesday gets nearer, the parades start in earnest. Usually there is one major parade each day ; many days have several large parades. The largest and most elaborate parades take place the last five days of the Mardi Gras season. In the final week, many events occur throughout New Orleans and surrounding communities, including parades and balls.
The Gasparilla Pirate Festival is a large parade and a host of related community events held in Tampa, Florida almost every year since 1904. The centerpiece of the festivities is the Parade of Pirates, which is a friendly invasion by the mythical pirate José Gaspar, who is a popular figure in Florida folklore despite the fact that he did not exist.
Carnival Memphis, is a series of parties and festivals staged annually since 1931 in Memphis, Tennessee by the centralized Carnival Memphis Association and its member krewes during the month of June. Carnival salutes various aspects of Memphis and its industries, and is reigned over by current year's secretly selected King, Queen, and Royal Court of Carnival.
Krewe of Tucks is a New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe.
The Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club is a fraternal organization in New Orleans, Louisiana which puts on the Zulu parade each year on Mardi Gras Day. Zulu is New Orleans' largest predominantly African American carnival organization known for its blackfaced krewe members wearing grass skirts and its unique throw of hand-painted coconuts. The club is a regular feature of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Spanish Town is a historic district anchored by Spanish Town Road in Baton Rouge, the capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is well known for its annual Mardi Gras parade, which is the largest in Baton Rouge.
The history of Tallahassee, Florida, much like the history of Leon County, dates back to the settlement of the Americas. Beginning in the 16th century, the region was colonized by Europeans, becoming part of Spanish Florida. In 1819, the Adams–Onís Treaty ceded Spanish Florida, including modern-day Tallahassee, to the United States. Tallahassee became a city and the state capital of Florida in 1821; the American takeover led to the settlements' rapid expansion as growing numbers of cotton plantations began to spring up nearby, increasing Tallahassees' population significantly.
Mardi Gras is the annual Carnival celebration in Mobile, Alabama. It is the oldest official Carnival celebration in the United States, started by Frenchman Nicholas Langlois in 1703 when Mobile was the capital of Louisiana. Although today New Orleans and South Louisiana celebrations are much more widely known for all the current traditions such as masked balls, parades, floats and throws were first created there. From Mobile being the first capital of French Louisiana (1702), the festival began as a French Catholic tradition. Mardi Gras has now evolved into a mainstream multi-week celebration across the spectrum of cultures, becoming school holidays for the final Monday and Tuesday, regardless of religious affiliation.
Le Krewe d'Etat is a satirical New Orleans Carnival Krewe.
A mystic society is a Mardi Gras social organization in Mobile, Alabama, that presents parades and/or balls for the enjoyment of its members, guests, and the public. The New Orleans Krewe is patterned after Mobile's Mystics. The societies have been based in class, economic and racial groups. Mobile's parading mystic societies build colorful Carnival floats and create costumes around each year's themes.
Mardi Gras in the United States is not observed nationally across the country, largely due to the country's Protestant and Anglo-Saxon roots. Mardi Gras and Carnival are mostly Catholic holidays, while the United States has a Protestant-majority population. However, a number of cities and regions in the U.S. have notable Mardi Gras or Carnival celebrations. Most of these places trace their Mardi Gras celebrations to French, Spanish, and other Catholic colonial influences on the settlements over their history. The earliest Carnival celebration in North America occurred at a place on the west bank of the Mississippi River about 60 miles (97 km) downriver from where New Orleans is today; this Mardi Gras on March 3, 1699, and in honor of this holiday, Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville, a 38-year-old French Canadian, named the spot Point du Mardi Gras near Fort Jackson. The earliest organized Carnival celebrations occurred in Mobile, then the capitol of French Louisiana known as Fort Louis de la Mobile, where in 1704 the first known Carnival secret society. In 1856, six Mobile natives established the first secret society, or krewe, in New Orleans, the Mistick Krewe of Comus. Former French and Spanish colonies such as Pensacola, Biloxi, and settlements along the Gulf Coast all followed suit in incorporating Carnival into their annual celebrations, which today have developed either separate traditions or variations of them from one another. In addition, modern activities generally vary from city to city across the U.S.
The Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus is a science fiction–themed Mardi Gras krewe, religious and parade organization, that also features fantasy and horror groups, among other fandoms. Based in New Orleans, Louisiana, as of the 2019 parade, the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus has over 2500 dues-paying members who call themselves "ChewbacchanALIENs" or "Chewbs."
Ellen Call Long (1825-1905) was the daughter of Florida territorial governor Richard Keith Call and a member of the influential Call-Walker political family of Florida. She acquired The Grove from her father in 1851 and held it until 1903. She received distinction after the Civil War for her efforts in historic preservation, history, memorialization, forestry, silkworm cultivation, and the promotion of Florida. She was the author of Florida Breezes, a semi-fictional account of antebellum life primarily set in Middle Florida which is widely regarded as one of the best primary source accounts of the planter class lifestyle in Florida. She was the founder of the Florida chapters of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association and the Ladies Hermitage Association. She was also named a Florida delegate to several important expositions, including the Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia (1876), the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago (1893), and the Exposition Universelle in Paris, France (1889). She was the founder of the Ladies Memorial Association of Tallahassee, a group that is now known as the Anna Jackson Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Her published report made before the American Forestry Congress in 1888 titled “Notes of Some of the Forest Features of Florida”, is considered a seminal work in the field of fire ecology. She was also a tireless promoter of silk culture in Florida, representing the Ladies Silk Culture Association of Philadelphia and emerging as a local expert in cultivation.
The Krewe of Cleopatra is a New Orleans Mardi Gras Super Krewes and social organization.
Knights of Babylon is a New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe that was founded in 1939.