PIONEER PARK DAYS AT ZOLFO SPRINGS, FLORIDA

By Gerry Lestz
Published on September 1, 1979
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Earl Sparks exhibit.
Earl Sparks exhibit.
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An Ideal 3 HP made for Standard Scale & Supply; owned by B. Z. Cashman, president of Florida Flywheelers.
An Ideal 3 HP made for Standard Scale & Supply; owned by B. Z. Cashman, president of Florida Flywheelers.
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Mrs. Schaefer & Helen. Photographs courtesy of James O. Ament.
Mrs. Schaefer & Helen. Photographs courtesy of James O. Ament.
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Sparks' 'Little Jewel'-that's what he calls it. It is a model made in 1935; 1 casting.
Sparks' 'Little Jewel'-that's what he calls it. It is a model made in 1935; 1 casting.

Before a year passes, we wish to include the report of Helen
Ament, our office manager, to the Pioneer Park Days celebration
last March at Zolfo Springs, Florida.

Helen and her husband, Jim, brought supplies to our
representative, Mrs. Elmer Schaeffer, and also visited with the
Florida Flywheelers and the sponsor, First National Bank of
Wachula, Florida.

Jim Gabbard of the bank pleasantly reprimanded Helen for
dropping the name of the sponsor in the ad in the January-February
1979 GEM, but then forgave her and introduced the Aments to Tom
Underwood, bank president.

The day before the meet, the park was sparsely occupied, but on
opening day there were rows and rows of engines, hitting and
missing, putting relentlessly, running smoothly and deliberately.
B. Z. Cashman, of Lakeland, president of the Florida Flywheelers,
gave his welcome.

An interesting display was that of Frank Christison, the
anvilman, who was there with his family from West Palm Beach. He
was showing anvils, of course, and also his two Starr engines with
serial numbers only 12 digits apart. Gerald Jones, Watseka,
Illinois, came up to chat.

‘One exhibit that kept catching our eye,’ Helen reports,
‘was a trailer with several beautifully restored and colorful
engines. Seeing a rare opportunity-no other viewers nearby-we
approached the display and asked to take pictures. We were told
‘Why not?’ since they had been photographed from one coast
to the other. The owner was Earl Sparks of St. Petersburg, on hand
with eight engines on the trailer plus a single stunning display of
a casting model. The restored engines were a 1911 Airmotor, 1906
Olds, W.I. Briggs & Stratton, 1923 Maytag single cylinder,
Waterloo, 1928 two cylinder Maytag, Briggs & Stratton FH model,
and a 1928 Delco light plant, 6V 150W with electric start.

Add steam engines, antique automobiles, a flea market and happy
exhibitors and visitors, and you get the total picture of Pioneer
Park Days.

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