Mr. Smith goes to Apopka
(This story takes place sometime in the near
future)
Little Billie
Smith is sitting in the backseat behind his Dad (Buddy Smith) at the rather
long red light at the corner of Park and Main Street in Apopka. He’s a little confused because they’ve
changed stuff in this area and it looks a lot different than the last time they
drove through.
The family
was on their way from their home on the edge of Altamonte Springs to Mount Dora
for an evening of window shopping, walking around, and dinner out. Dad had set aside a little money for the
evening and he figured he could afford dinner out if they didn’t drink alcohol.
Little
Billie suddenly sees something down Park Avenue out the back window. A Frontier Fort is sticking up just above the
large Oak Trees about four blocks away on the other side of the Frontier Bus
Stop. There is also the biggest wooden
castle playground right in front of it next to the Bus Stop. He pokes his Dad’s shoulder. “Dad, look.
They built a Fort in Apopka.”
The Dad
turns his head and sees the old wooden Fort.
“Wow! They sure have changed this
place. It looks a lot different than it
used to. Honey, can we go check out the
Fort? It’s Free I think.”
Mrs. Smith
has seen the Fort too. Her daughter Casey
has been struggling in school (particularly in American History) and this would
be a great way to give her a History lesson that seemed like fun to her. Knowing that the father and son both are
excited to go, she turns to the daughter and says, “Casey, do you want to check
out this Old Wooden Fort before we go on to Mount Dora?”
Casey has
seen the Fort, and it’s pretty cool, but clearly a guy thing. But, she has also seen the massive wooden
castle shaped play area behind the Frontier looking Bus Stop.
She figures
that she has the leverage to make them go there afterwards, and she makes a
secret pinky promise with her brother that they are going to convince Mom and
Dad to go to the playground after the Fort because Billie thought the wooden
playground was pretty cool. It certainly
was the biggest one he’d ever seen.
So, Mr.
Smith turns left at the light instead of going straight, and they look for a
place to park and check out the Fort. He
makes a mental note that the area surrounding the Fort looks like a little
Frontier Village, and he thinks he may be able to convince his wife to walk
around a little bit after they check out the Fort.
As he pulls
around to the paid parking garage, he sees a little frontier ice cream parlor
across from the Frontier Bus Stop, and he makes a mental note that he could
always take the kids there for an ice cream to hold them over until they get to
dinner in Mount Dora.
They find
out that it’s a $1.25 to park in the four story parking structure, but they’re
anxious to see the Fort, so Dad quickly shells it out and they park.
The Fort was
amazing. They had built a true to life ,
authentic 1700’s Frontier Fort and put volunteer docents in as characters in
the authentic buildings, teaching people
what Blacksmithing, or Candle Making, or Laundry was like back in the 1700”s
inside a temporary wooden Fort with a million Indians outside trying to kill
you.
The docent characters
in the Fort explained how they found old Rail Road Ties to build the Fort along
the old Rail Road tracks. They just
sharpened them like huge pencils and stuck them in a berm around the
property. Ingenious!
They also
did a futuristic twist to it by hiding Tiny Homes in the trees, under the
ground and in the bushes. You couldn’t
even tell that they had 100 homes hidden in there. Buddy actually found out that he could put
his family in a Tree House Tiny Home for $100, 000. He’d have to think about that.
After
touring the Fort for an hour or so, they headed to the wooden playground to let
the kids run around a bit. Mrs. Smith
says, “Boy, this sure was a lucky find.
The kids are having a great time!”
Mr. Smith nudges her arm and points to the Ice Cream Shop. “Great idea!
That will hold them over until we get to Mount Dora. I like how you think!”
After about
an hour on the playground the kids have to be coaxed to leave and Mom finally
blurts out that they can get an Ice Cream across the street. So, they go have Ice Cream.
Dad gets the
ice cream while Mom and the kids look at the statues of Zanders and Michael
Gladden. Since it’s such a beautiful day they opt to sit outside in the
shade.
Now, while
they are sitting outside the Frontier Village General Store at the picnic
tables next to the Frontier Ice Creamery, they notice that there are some
curious looking statues up by the Train Tracks.
There are more pencil sharpened rail road ties lining the buildings on
the other side of the tracks and beyond them that said “Welcome to Old Town
Apopka” with an arrow pointing left.
It looks odd
and interesting up there so, the family agrees that they will go check out the
statues by the Train Tracks after they finish their Ice Cream Cones.
The metal
statues at the Train Tracks are very strange.
There is a sheriff’s car over the tracks sideways, with the Sheriff
honing his horn. A little black boy with
a panicked look on his face was running south towards the tracks on the North
Side, and a guilty looking white man was hurrying north towards the
tracks. The historical plaque explained
that Apopka had a segregation law until 1969 that prohibited Whites from living
South of the tracks, and Blacks living North of the tracks. The Sheriff is honking his horn because it’s
dusk and therefore almost time for bed, and you better get back where belonged
or you were going to be in trouble with the Sheriff. That was an interesting tidbit about Apopka
History. They didn’t know that before.
As they are
reading the plaques Dad’s stomach starts to grumble and he realizes that all
this extra walking has left all of them famished and it’s still quite a drive
to Mount Dora. Plus, their car is way
back there, several blocks away now.
Just beyond the Melodrama Theater and the Apopka Community Center Dad’s
sees that there are two restaurants on the corner. Argos, a local Greek place, and something
called The Spaghetti Factory.
The whole
family sees where Dad is looking and practically drooling so they all decide to
go to Argos for some Greek food. The
whole family LOVES Greek food and actually either place would have been
great. Maybe next time they come to the
Fort they can eat at the Spaghetti place.
On the way past the Melodrama they pick up a brochure to read, and again
at the Apopka Community Theater. They
opt to sit by the window at Argos, although the patio dining looks nice too.
While they
are sitting there by the window eating their Gyros and Cucumber Salad, dusk
falls on Old Town across the street. The
City of Apopka had brought old wooden buildings from the turn of the century
and added gas lamps with actual flames coming out of them. Dad had to admit it was pretty cool. It made you feel like you were transported
back in time. Then the magical carriage
ride came by, clip clopping down the bricked streets of Old Town Apopka.
They rode
the Magical Carriage Ride after dinner.
It let them out at the back of a souvenir shop that said, “I Love
Apopka.” On the way through Dad went hog
wild because they were having such a magical evening and bought a Darter Key
Chain, a Darter Hat, and a Darter license plate. Not to be outdone Mrs. Smith bought a Mustang
license plate, a mustang key chain, and a mustang coffee mug. Both kids got a token gift. The whole family took an old timey tin
photograph and Dad shelled more money to preserve the memory of a perfect
evening.
Outside the
I Love Apopka T-Shirt shop they hopped on the Old Town Trolley Bus (thankfully
free), and boy were they relieved when they realized that they didn’t have to
walk all the way back to the parking garage for their car, and Dad didn’t have
to shell out any more money because he really over-spent this time and admitted
it out loud.
However, the
Smith family had a great time together and they all know they are coming back
again. On the way home they discuss how
the Community Center in the Old Fort would be perfect for Mr. Smith’s Sisters
upcoming wedding. Her fiancé is a big
History Buff, and that would be a fantastic place for them to get married.
They both
agreed that they should take his sister back the very next day. They could show her the Fort, eat at the
Spaghetti Factory, and go to the Melodrama Theater for a show. Boy, are they
glad Billie spotted Fort Apopka sticking out of the trees.
And of
course they will tell each of their 250 or so friends what a great time they
had in the New Apopka.
Questions to Consider:
1. How did we get Mr. Smith to get out
of his car?
2. Why was he willing to pay a nominal
fee for parking?
3. How many times did Mr. and Mrs. Smith
drive, walk, or ride exactly where we wanted them to?
4. How did we accomplish that?
5. Why didn’t they notice that we were
directing them on where to go?
6. How many extra times did we get Dad
to reach into his wallet after the $1.25 parking garage fee?
7. At what point of the story did we
take Dad’s eating out budget from Mount Dora?
8. At what point in the evening did Dad
start overspending?
9. What all did Dad get for free that
kept him happy while he was overspending?
10.
Why are they coming back if they think they
spent too much?
11.
How much do you suppose the four adults will
spend tomorrow night in Apopka?
12.
How much revenue will the wedding bring?
13.
How many more families will see the new area
when they attend the wedding?
14.
How many of their 250 friends they will tell
about it if they have a really good time?
15.
What’s the purpose of the free trolley ride
at the end of the story?
16.
Don’t you see how easy it would be to do this
exact thing 4 blocks south of City Hall?