Safety Harbor Reunion Unites Generations of Harborites

A large contingent of Harborites past and present packed Philippe Park on Saturday afternoon, as roughly 200 people turned out for the 3rd annual Safety Harbor Reunion.

The oldest was 89. The youngest just over 3 years old. The furthest one came all the way from Texas. Many didn’t have to travel at all.

But no matter the differences in age or distance traveled, most everyone who gathered at the park’s Shelter #6 had one thing in common: they all lived right here, in Safety Harbor, at one point in their lives.

“I moved here in 1942 and I left after I joined the Marine Corps, but I enjoy coming back to Safety Harbor whenever I can,” Lester “Webb” Carroll, who drove his motorcycle from San Antonio to be at the event, said.

“I came back to see old friends, because there’s not many of them left!” the 75-year-old added.

The theme of reuniting with old friends was a common one at the reunion, which in its third year has exceeded the expectations of organizers.

“We couldn’t be happier with the turnout this year,” reunion spokesperson Valerie Petree Nolte told Safety Harbor Connect.

“Every year it seems to get bigger and bigger.”

After spending a few hours talking to many attendees on Saturday, it was clear why the reunion has been such a success: everyone who has ever lived in Safety Harbor feels a special connection to the town, and in turn, with each other.

“I grew up in Safety Harbor, went to Safety Harbor Middle School,” Melvin Fort said. “This is like my family here.”

“I was very close to Clyde,” Frank Petree, one of the city’s first mail carriers who also spent time in the Yankees organization, said. “So that’s why I came here today, to see him.”

The ‘Clyde’ who Petree was referring to is Clyde Rigsby.

Many attendees were quick to mention him in one context or another during the day, and for good reason – the Rigsby name has been intertwined with the history of City of Safety Harbor for the better part of  the last century.

For his part, the 89-year-old, who still lives in the same house he was born in downtown, was just as happy to see his old friends as they were to see him.

“I enjoy seeing the people I grew up with, but most of them are all dead now,” Rigsby, who is hard of hearing but still very sharp, said.

“It’s sad to have lost so many friends – I’m one of the last ones left,” he added. “That’s why I’m glad they had this, so I can see everyone who’s still around again.”

While the kids played baseball, cornhole and horseshoes, the adults piled plates full of chicken and pork and plenty of side dishes and reminisced about all the good memories they have of Safety Harbor.

After organizers announced the winners of prizes that were donated by local businesses, Nolte admitted they were already planning next years reunion.

“We’ve already reserved Shelter #2 for next year’s event – that’s the biggest shelter in the park,” she said. “We plan on next year’s reunion to be the biggest one yet.”

“We will continue to use the I Grew Up in Safety Harbor, FL! Facebook page to promote it, but we could use more volunteers on the planning committee so we can get more merchants and city officials involved,” she added.

As the afternoon wound down and everyone started heading back to their current places of residence, the goodbyes were followed by calls of “see you next year.”

During the farewells, Melvin Ford perfectly underlined the purpose of the event.

“We all stuck it out here and showed great love and compassion for each other,” he explained. “So this is a great way for us to come together and show that love and compassion again.”

 Here are some fun facts from the 2014 Safety Harbor Reunion, as well as some photos from the event:

• Oldest: Betty Thomas (89)
• Youngest: Caitlin Vogel (Born 11/30/2010)
• Resident living in Safety Harbor the longest: Clyde Rigsbee (89 years – born here in 1925 and has lived here all his life)
• Traveled the farthest to get here: Lester Carroll (drove his Honda Goldwing about 1,150 miles from San Antonio Texas)