Old Florida Festival Naples shows off state's history back to Calusas

From squeezing juice out of sugar cane to watching a blacksmith create objects out of iron and steel — families and history buffs got a chance to immerse themselves in history Saturday during the 28th annual Old Florida Festival in Naples.

Reenactors demonstrate the use of old bayonet rifles used by U.S. soldiers at the Old Florida Festival in Naples on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017.

The weekend-long event, which will continue Sunday, celebrates the last 10,000 years of Florida's history and is hosted by the Collier County Museum in East Naples.

Spectators watched in awe as Seminole War re-enactors, dressed in traditional mid-1800s clothing, demonstrated the use of old muskets.

Children ran around in a circle, pushing a manual sugar cane grinder used in Florida during the 1800s to make molasses. 

From left to right, Samantha Dittmann as a Spanish conquistador, Ralph Smith as a Seminole war chief and Hunter Lehr as a U.S. bomber pilot from World War II were just a few of the many historical reenactors at the Old Florida Festival in Naples on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017.

World War II enthusiasts walked around a military campsite fit with a tank and weapons that showed how Florida influenced the war.

More than 80 re-enactors from across Florida brought history to life.

They included Jim Clark, a Naples resident who has breathed life into re-enactments of the Civil War, World War II and other wars for more than 30 years.

During a firing demonstration, he and his group demonstrated the use of old muskets, re-enacting the roles of U.S. infantry soldiers in the third Seminole War from 1855 to 1858.

Twin sisters Abbie and Emma Renking interacted with a horse at the Old Florida Festival in Naples on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017.

He wore a traditional blue uniform. 

"Some people don't think there's a lot of history in Florida, but we have a rich history," Clark said.

And that history includes sugar cane.

Trudy Williams, of the Reflections of Manatee museum in Bradenton, offered visitors molasses cookies and syrup. Guests got a firsthand look at how they once were made, as re-enactors used a replica of an 1800s sugar cane grinder.

"It would normally take 32 hours for two men to create about 4 and a half gallons of syrup or a little less than 2 gallons of molasses during that time period," Williams said.

Florida also played a crucial role in World War II, according to John Thomas, of the First Infantry Reenactment Group, which depicts the lifestyle, equipment and uniforms of a  Army soldiers in WWII. 

The group set up a campsite with weapons and tools used by soldiers. There even was a tank.

"There were quite a few airfields in Florida. They trained pilots and aircraft gunners and navigators," Thomas said.

Re-enactments also included portrayals of the Calusa and Seminole Indians, and Spanish conquistadors, as well as scenes from the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and Florida in pioneer days. 

Guests marveled at a Florida cracker horse, a breed brought to Florida by Spanish settlers. 

Aarez Projonoto, 10, and his brother Zaidan, 6, took turns wearing a steel helmet used by explorers. 

"It wasn’t too heavy," said Aarez, who wore a cowboy hat and boots. 

Sadie Projonoto recorded the moments, using her cellphone to snap photos her sons.

"At their age, reading the book doesn’t give them the full picture of history," Projonoto said. "But this event does with all the demonstrations, which is why we come here most years."

Sunday festival

What: 28th annual Old Florida Festival in Naples

When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday

Where: Collier County Museum at the Collier Government Center, 3331 U.S. 41 E.

Info: www.colliermuseums.com/calendar-event/old-florida-festival

Admission: $10 for adults; $5 for children ages 5-12; free for children 4 and younger