Holiday Park — Attraction in Fort Lauderdale

Every time I visit Holiday Park, I am filled with a mixture of pleasant, outdoorsy happiness... and some confusion, amusement and fear. Usually in that order.

I guess any large city park in America is going to have a wide spectrum of visitor type. There's the kids on the playground and their gabbing coffee clutching mom's, dads playing a little bball with their sons who can barely get their arms around the ball. There's the dog park parents who are their own kind of special. The soccor game or baseball game has their players and attendees.

Beyond that, things start to get a little weird. Starting with the folks who sit in their cars parked backwards, most are way low in the driver's seat, then there are those doing some sort of hygiene routine out of their trunk, and others are passed out cold usually with a t-shirt hanging in the window to help block the sun. I guess I can't really judge, I too have sat in my car crocheting... mainly because I'm too afraid to let my car out of my sight.

Then there's the crowd of bathroom spectators... But not what you think. There's a group of folks that park their beach chairs under the overhang of the bathroom building. They seem to be watching an invisible sporting event... But the field they face is just an empty green space. Maybe it's lazy yoga.

But my favorite attraction at Holiday Park is the Preacher. This colorful character always wears a t-shirt spouting one of those phrases like "Keep Calm and Keep off the Grass" or whatever it says. Hes usually doing some sort of workout on the public exercise machines. But the REAL workout is the one hes giving his vocal chords. It's never quite clear what his message is... Actually I can't understand most of his oration, aside from the occasional F word or such. But I'm taken with the veracity and passion with which he delivers his unending sermon. It's not clear whether he's fueled by something he imbibed or if he's practicing for Toastmasters. But in any event, he makes my time here truly interesting.

Aside --- a 15 pound iguana just fell out of the tree next to me. On all fours. But he seems unphased... So I'll end this post on that note. Thanks for...

Located about halfway between I 95 and Sunrise Blvd Holiday Park is a Ft Lauderdale institution. It houses the War Memorial Auditorium opened in 1950 that hosts conventions and shows through out the year. Other amenities at the park include basketball courts, volleyball, an activity center, playgrounds, and a walking trail. The few times in the past that I have been here I have noticed a lot of homeless people. They have not approached me but I feel sad when I see them.

Friday night I found myself at the park to celebrate a friend's birthday. Her husband arranged a surprise party for her at the free Starlight Musical Concert that that is presented by the city every Friday night in summer from 7 until 10 pm on the football field. I didn't even know about this event and I was pleasantly surprised by how nice it was. Families come with chairs, tents, and coolers loaded with food. Different vendors have tents set up so you can purchase food if you didn't bring your own. There is a bathroom at the entrance of the field. My friend's husband set up his own tent and food for the party and the tent really came in handy because it was pouring rain. The city actually had to stop the concert half way through because of lightening. Friday night's band was Jaded, a tribute to Aerosmith. Next week they are having a country performer. In addition to the band the city holds a raffle great prizes worth hundreds of dollars like overnight hotel stays. My friend told me that $5 got you six raffle tickets. I would definitely try my luck next time. The city also asks you to bring a can of pet or people food to donate to their food pantry. This week Abandoned Pet Rescue who are a really fantastic organization was at the park receiving donations. A free night out with entertainment and a chance to help others, I love it! Now that I know about this great event I will definitely pay another visit this summer, hopefully with...

We like the park for events and sports activities but I wish the playground was kept up more. This playground is used a lot in the community so they need Fort Lauderdale to take care of it. I know a lot of families use the pavilion for parties but that is where the homeless try to sleep on the benches. If it could be painted and cleaned the whole park would look much better. Also while I was visiting with my son we watched a preteen boy climb to the top of the antique train there. It has signs Not to climb on it but kids will try to push boundaries and I was nervous he could seriously hurt himself jumping off. For the safety of the children a maintenance person should make barriers so they can not climb up I am glad this park is used for so many fun activities and families seem to enjoy it. The parks and recreation workers are in a good mood and wave while landscaping the lawn and fields. A few changes and this park with be conserved for the...