Coquina Daily

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

New Anthem for Florida

Old Folks at Home, also known by the words of its first line, (Way Down Upon the) Swanee River, has been the official Florida state song since 1935. This song is seen by some as showing racism about black Americans for its imitation of Black English Vernacular (the song is sung from the perspective of a black man), with its original lyrics referring to "darkies" and "a-longin' for the old plantation." In 1997, former state representative Willy Logan presented an unsuccessful motion to have the song replaced. At many public performances, words like "lordy," "mama," "darling," "brothers" or "dear ones" are often used in place of "darkies."

As the official state song of Florida, it had become a tradition for the tune to be performed as part of the inauguration ceremony for incoming Florida governors. However, Charlie Crist decided not to include it in his 2007 inauguration ceremonies.

In May 2007, the Florida Music Educators' Association began working in partnership with Senator Tony Hill and Representative Ed Homan to head up the initiative in which all of Florida's citizens were invited to submit their entries for a new state song. On January 11, 2008, the song Florida (Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky) was selected as the winner. A motion was brought up before the state legislature to have this song as a possible replacement for Old Folks at Home. At the last minute, Florida's legislators decided, grudgingly, for tradition's sake, to keep a rewritten, no "darkies" version of Old Folks at Home as the official Florida song. Jan Hinton's creation was declared the official Florida anthem.   link1   link2

Florida (Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky)
By Jan Hinton

Florida, where the sawgrass meets the sky,
Florida, where our hearts will ever lie,
Sitting proud in the ocean like a sentinel true,
Always shielding your own yet giving welcome.
Florida, land of flowers, land of light,
Florida, where our dreams can all take flight,
Whether youth's vibrant morning or the twilight of years,
There are treasures for all who venture here — in Florida.
Mocking birds cry and 'gators lie out in the sun
Bridges span southward to the Keys
and rockets skyward run,
The orange blossoms' sweet perfume
and fireworks fill the air,
and cultures rich, our native people share.
Florida, where the sawgrass meets the sky,
Florida, where our hearts will ever lie,
Sitting proud in the ocean like a sentinel true,
Always shielding your own yet giving welcome.
Florida, land of flowers, land of light,
Florida, where our dreams can all take flight,
Whether youth's vibrant morning or the twilight of years,
There are treasures for all who venture here in Florida, Florida.

submitted by Joan

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Just for fun

by dizznbonn  


by annia316

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I will survive

This must be a stressful time for turkeys.

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What a dad!

A new bag each day for his kids. He makes them during his lunch break. He has photos on his website going back to September 7.  link

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Today's Activities at Coquina Crossing

7:45 & 8:45 Aqua Aerobics
8:00 Tennis
9:30 Men's Bible Study
10:00 Box Making
10:00 Wine Bottle Painting
10:00 Speaker Taxes
1:00 Quilters/Rummy/Mah-jongg
2:00 Band Practice
4:00 Ballet/Jazz/Tap Dance
6:30 Ceramics
7:00 Billiards/Needlework/Square Dancing

Tomorrow's Activities at Coquina Crossing

7:45 & 8:45 Aqua Aerobics
9:00 Pickle Ball
10:00 Humana Speaker
10:00 Creative Movements Dance Class
1:00 Bridge
1:00 Ladies' Club
2:00 Combo Band Practice
4:00 Pickle Ball
7:00 Euchre/Darts/Mah-jongg

See the complete Coquina Crossing activities calendar

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Click once a day to help feed rescue animals.

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What is this?

There were twenty two votes. Twenty one readers thought it was ginger; one thought it was sand and mud. That's a lot of ginger - must be worth a fortune.

Click the button to cast your vote (it's free - don't be scared). You may vote more than once.


by booleansplit

The object above is:

Look for the answer here tomorrow.

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Sunset

After Sunset In Sanibel by Bob Jagendorf