Bringing the community together
All Aboard festival packs square
Suwannee Pine View Kindergarten student Tommy Pierce, of Live Oak, wearing his train bandana and coloring at the library activities booth during the All Aboard Festival. -SVT Photos by Tami Stevenson
The car show had visitors all day during the All Aboard Festival. -SVT Photo
By Tami Stevenson
Marking the success of any community event - overflowing parking areas! That was the case with the All Aboard Festival, presented by Suwannee Festivals and held February 3, at Heritage Square. Heritage Square is located within the Suwannee County Museum grounds, the Train Depot, the chamber and the fire station in downtown Live Oak. All held open house tours which were available throughout the day. They used John H. Hale Community Park for the parking overflow, which also managed to stay pretty full through the day.
Event organizer and Artist Guild President Anda Chance said, “We are overwhelmed at the response from the community here. It’s amazing how many people have come out, and how exciting it is to see all the vendors, all of the food trucks and our neighbors come out.”
Live entertainment continued throughout the day on the museum stage while visitors enjoyed the many activities, including a car show. The museum offered guided tours with board members Pat Hines and Jennings Bunn II. Historical presentations were held at the train depot with local historian Eric Musgrove, Dr. Joe Knetsch and Lynne Hutchins. The Experimental Aircraft Association offered kiddie airplane rides throughout the day while the Suwannee River Regional Library had ongoing activities for kids.
Third grader Bentley Foster, of Live Oak, learned about electricity from Jimmy Alexander, a lineman for SVEC giving demonstrations and sharing information about the job of a lineman. His mother, Hailey Hollingsworth said they were enjoying the festival and will absolutely come back next year.
“We really like the historic aspect and everybody getting together as a community is so nice,” she added.
Authors Lana McAra and Lynne Hutchins had books on display. McAra is a best selling author, having over a million books sold throughout her 30 year career, many under the name Rosey Dow. Visit LanaMcAra.com to learn more. Hutchins is an historical fiction writer. Visit plynnehutchins.com for more information about her books. They are part of a writers group called Writers Ink at Live Oak. Meetings are held the first Friday of each month at 10 a.m. at the Live Oak Library.
A vendor booth filled with exotic and rare plants by A Tiny Jungle was an interesting venture. Owners Jessica Ward and Wesley Ward, of Live Oak, said they had already sold out of many of the exotic plants by noon.
“…and the carnivorous plants go fast,” Jessica Ward said. Visit them online at atinyjungle.com.
This is the second festival in the series. The third and final festival, the Wildflower Festival, will be held on April 27, 2024 at Heritage Park and Gardens. Vendor applications are available by emailing
Suwannee Festivals is a collaboration of the Suwannee River Regional Library, UF/IFAS Suwannee County Extension, and the Live Oak Artists Guild. They are sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.
L-R: Tyler Foster, Hailey Hollingsworth and third grader Bentley Foster, of Live Oak, listening to SVEC Lineman Jimmy Alexander explain how they strap in to go up in a bucket to work on electric poles.
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The Experimental Aircraft Association stayed busy with airplane rides throughout the day during the All Aboard Festival. -SVT Photos by Tami Stevenson
Right - Lori Brosseau, story time person on the youth desk at Suwannee River Regional Library in Live Oak with Amber Waters, library technical services manager. -SVT Photo
Vendors from A Tiny Jungle. L-R: Owners Jessica Ward and Wesley Ward of Live Oak selling exotic plants. -SVT Photo
Crowds remained steady throughout the day at the All Aboard Festival. -SVT Photo
L-R: Vicky English and Live Oak Artist’s Guild President Anda Chance. The organization has been in existence for 45 years. They meet the first Tuesday of each month at the Live Oak Library at 6 p.m.
-SVT Photo
Joe Flanagan and Susan Bell from Heritage Park & Gardens.
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Author P. Lynne Hutchins, writer of historical fiction.
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Author, speaker and teacher Lana MacAra. -SVT Photo
Bob Ellis, of White Springs, played the flute and Jan Krautheim played the Mountain Dulcimer. -SVT Photo
