Exclusive Lee County club has one membership requirement. Last time I wrote about the Lee County Pioneer Club’s annual gathering, I was looking at almost two decades before I’d be able to claim a seat at the table. Every year, when Tropicalia gets the press release about the group’s special picnic, I do a little calculating: How many years have I lived here now? How many more until I reach the half-century mark? Once I reach the five-decade mark in another 15 years, I’ll be eligible to join this elite group, which celebrates its 73rd birthday this year at its April 30 party.
This one will be special, says Theresa Clements, because the pandemic canceled the last two. The Lee County Pioneers Club has a non-negotiable 50-year residency requirement. Once you meet that, you can go to their annual shindig at the Lee Civic Center.
I’m here to tell you, it’s quite a party.
But wait - how do I know? A little bit of journalist’s privilege, plus the extraordinary good fortune of being the late Mr. David Bull’s neighbor. So when that Alva legend invited me to come get a look at the event as his guest, I knew better than to turn him down. The club was founded in 1949 by R.A. Henderson, a director of the Lee County Bank. It has always honored the graduating class of 50 years ago from area schools. Though I was a little concerned about being the only one without the earned right to be there, I needn’t have been; I was warmly welcomed (quite literally - the picnic pavilion has no air conditioning, but then again, club members know how to deal with a little heat). Reflecting on the event later, I realized that it was more than Southern hospitality that made the event feel like a family reunion. The more I looked around, the more I realized decades in a place can root you pretty firmly.
It started with Mr. Bull, sure, whose grandson, Andrew, is one of my big boy D.P.’s closest friends, but it went on from there. So many familiar faces — people about whom I’ve written, who’ve cared for my kids at summer camp, sold me horse feed, cooked me swamp cabbage or, like the late Charlie Powell, with whom I sat to eat lunch, served as indispensable guides to Southwest Florida history. Each year, high school classes from Alva (back when Alva had a high school), Bishop Verot, Cypress Lake, Dunbar, Fort Myers and North Fort Myers high schools will be recognized at the picnic as they celebrate the 50-year mark.
Also recognized will be the eldest pioneer man and woman born in Lee County; the couple married the longest (both spouses need to be in attendance); the pioneer who traveled the longest distance to the picnic; and the eldest person in attendance. Traditionally held the last Saturday in April, this year’s annual picnic is Saturday, April 30, at the Lee Civic Center’s Tinsley Pavilion off Bayshore Road in North Fort Myers. Registration and visiting begin at 10 a.m., lunch will be served at noon followed by presentations and a raffle at 1 p.m. Approximately 1,200 invitations are mailed out for the picnic, Theresa wrote, of which two-thirds are sent to local residents and the remainder to those people who live out of the area.
Usually, between 600 and 700 show up. Lunch is $10 (a price that hasn’t gone up in years) and guests can choose barbecue chicken or pork, baked beans, coleslaw, rolls, chocolate chip cookies and iced tea or lemonade.
As long as you were a resident of Lee County before 1972, you’re welcome to attend – there are no dues.
To register, please email pioneerleecounty@ gmail.com to receive information or you may register the day of the picnic. And, Theresa said, there’s a bonus gift: “Through the generosity of the Edison and Ford Winter Estates, free admission on that weekend is given to the members of the Pioneer Club by presenting their membership card to the Edison and Ford Winter Estates (General Admission) on Thurs., 4/28/22, Fri. 4/29/22 and Sat. 4/30/22. An invitation has also been extended to the members of the Pioneer Club to visit The IMAG History & Science Center (General Admission) on Thurs. 4/28/22, Fri. 4/29/22, Sat. 4/30/22.” CLUB from page TE02 to TE05 Copyright 2022, The News-Press. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights, updated March 13, 2007. Powered by TECNAVIA Copyright 2022, The News-Press. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Rights, updated March 13, 2007. Hank Hendry speaks at the 66th annual Pioneer Picnic. AMY BENNETT WILLIAMS/THE NEWS-PRESS Field Notes Amy Williams Fort Myers News-Press USA TODAY NETWORK – FL