Recollections about Virginia Key Beach at the Culmer Community Center
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Material Information

Title:
Recollections about Virginia Key Beach at the Culmer Community Center
Series Title:
Virginia Key Beach Park Trust Oral Histories
Publication Date:
Language:
English
Physical Description:
0:41:58

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Virginia Key Beach Park (Miami, Fla.)
Oral history
Family recreation
Genre:
Video recordings
Spatial Coverage:
Florida -- Miami -- Virginia Key Beach Park
Coordinates:
25.735959 x -80.155953

Notes

General Note:
The video opens up with Marcy Anderson and Dr. Anthony Dixon, two representatives from the Virginia Beach Park Trust, asking a group of people if they are familiar with the "present situation" of Virginia Key beach or if anyone has visited the beach in the past. Dr. Dixon and Anderson’s goal is to talk to the people about the park's history, why it closed, and the fact that it re-opened a "few" months ago. Anderson also wants to ask the people about their stories of the beach, which the Virginia Beach Park Trust wants to archive in the museum that the Trust plans to build at the beach in the next four years. Next, Dr. Dixon speaks to the crowd about the recent history of Virginia Key Beach. He describes the efforts of land developers during the 1990s to build condominiums on Virginia Key and that a group of citizens fought against the planned developments by showing the significance that Virginia Key beach held for the city's African American community. Dr. Dixon notes that the group raised enough awareness in Miami to successfully petition against the planned development of Virginia Key. Dr. Dixon then describes the group’s efforts to determine the historical value of Virginia Key beach and the structures located on the barrier island. In 1999, the groups created the Trust to bring the park “back to the community of Miami." Dr. Dixon describes to the gathered group the efforts to restore both Virginia Key beach's ecosystem and the historical structures found on the beach. Following the brief history lesson, Dr. Dixon tells the crowd that the goal for "today" is to ask the people about their memories of Virginia Key beach. The Trust also asks the group to help identify some of the people in the photos that they brought to the community center. Next, the video shifts to a question and answer session with the group of people. One person recalls that they used to visit the beach for church picnics and to take the children to the beach. Another person remembers the sunrise church services at the beach and the community's effort to help people travel to Virginia Key beach. One person revealed that you had to pay five cents to ride the mini train at Virginia Key beach while others recalled dancing at the dance circle on the beach. Anderson then asks the group to share at the next gathering any photographs that they may have from the times when they visited the beach. Anderson reveals that some of the structures have been removed from the park like the cabanas, the cabins, the boat dock, and the outdoor showers. Anderson then asks the people if they remember if any celebrities visited the beach. Nobody at the community center recalls any celebrities visiting the beach. The video ends with each person telling the interviewers their names.

Record Information

Source Institution:
Virginia Key Beach Park Trust
Holding Location:
Florida International University
Rights Management:
No copyright - United States
Resource Identifier:
FIVK045604

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Aggregations:
Virginia Key Beach Park Trust