Things you may not know about Florida!
Florida Spirit is in the heart of Disney World always providing information of what is “happening” in and around the land of the mouse. Recently I happened to pick up a brochure at our local Walgreens which had some very interresting facts on Florida I thought would also interest you!
Getting married?
Couples can get married without leaving their vehicles in Zephyrhills (pop. 10,833), where Sharon Burnett, a minister and notary public, operates a drive-through wedding service. A couple with a marriage license, an adult witness and $20 can marry without turning off the car.
Have an old car?
Rachel Veitch, 90, of Orlando, bought her 1964 Mercury Comet Caliente new and continues to drive it nearly 600,000 miles later. Veitch takes meticulous car of her car, nicknamed “Chariot,” which has outlasted three marriages and gone through eight mufflers, three sets of shocks and at least 17 batteries. Veitch bought her battery with a lifetime guarantee, so she paid only for one. Smart lady!!
Do you like your job?
In the Apalachicola National Forest, some people make a living with a peculiar practice known as worm grunting. Grunters drive wooden stakes into the ground and rub the tops of the stakes with a metal stick. The resulting vibrations cause earthworms to surface so they can be collected for fish bait.
Do you like Cats?
Approx. 500 Cats live in style at Caboodle Ranch, a 30 acre cat sanctuary created by Craig Grant in Madison County (Pop. 18, 733). The property resembles a mini-city for the kitties with a city hall, police department, chapel, elementary school, Wal-Mart and Cat Nap Inn with lakefront cabins. Meow!
Do you eat seafood?
The first Red Lobster restaurant opened in 1968 in Lakeland (pop. 78,452). The restaurant chain, headquartered in Orlando, is credited with popularizing popcorn shrimp and introducing snow crab and calamari to landlocked Middle America.
Do you Yo-Yo?
The World’s largest yo-yo collection, which numbers 4,251, is owned by Dr. John “Lucky” Meisenheimer, an Orlando dermatologist. He is the author of Lucky’s Collectors Guide to 20th Century Yo-Yos.
