Every community has a unique something that
sets it apart from all other places—that hook
that can draw visitors in like no gimmick
ever could. Sometimes it’s so obvious, it’s
a wonder no one thought of promoting it
sooner. Eatonville, the home of noted author and
folklorist Zora Neale Hurston, faced near ruin
before it recognized the value of honoring its
native daughter with a festival now recognized
around the world.
This genuine grass-roots story starts
on Kennedy Boulevard in the hamlet of Eatonville, Florida. A
low-income, barely acknowledged, distant cousin of Orlando on
the outskirts of the mega-tourism theme park giants Walt Disney
World and Universal Studios, Eatonville’s only real significance
to the outside world was its designation
as “the oldest, incorporated municipality in the United
States founded by people of African descent.”
Despite
that moniker, the town was getting no respect. It was just
a small place of no real importance to outsiders. In fact,
mere days after it celebrated the centennial of its incorporation
in 1987, Eatonville received the jarring news that the county
was planning on turning two-lane Kennedy Boulevard, the spine
of the community, into
a five-lane thoroughfare, thus demolishing the small-town character
of this historic community.
Around the town, people sat up and asked how they could stop
this public action. They didn’t want hundreds of cars zooming
through the middle of their town. Appealing to the Board of County
Commissioners wasn’t likely to forestall this dreaded action,
but creating a marketing tool that would bring high visibility
to historic Eatonville just might be the answer they were searching
for.
Although the town held the distinction of being the first incorporated
single-race community of the post-Civil War era, town activists
knew this alone was not going to impress the county board. And
that’s when they tripped over the obvious: Zora Neale Hurston,
early 20th-century writer, folklorist, and anthropologist. This
charismatic woman, the major female figure of the Harlem Renaissance,
had called Eatonville home for much of her life. Although accomplished
and renowned in her time, Hurston was also considered radical
and too free-thinking by some, an independent woman gone too
far and ultimately her works went out of print for decades. But
in the 1970s, Zora Neale Hurston’s writings and teachings
had undergone a revival thanks to the efforts of Pulitzer Prize-winning
author Alice Walker. So, here was the basis for Eatonville’s
revitalization as a center of black heritage.
The challenge was to find a way to inform the public in Orange
County and all of Central Florida that within its midst sat a
community with national historic significance; that instead of
legislating detrimental development, the local government, together
with the private sector, should explore ways to use Eatonville’s
heritage and cultural resources for economic revitalization.
“We have watched with admiration
as Mrs. Nathiri and her dedicated colleagues
have built that first small local festival into an internationally
recognized celebration of ...the arts and humanities. And
we have frequently partnered with the association by awarding
grants to bring renowned international scholars of African
American history, literature, and culture to Eatonville.” — Francine Curro Cary, executive director, Florida Humanities Council
Every community has a unique something that
sets it apart from all other places—that hook
that can draw visitors in like no gimmick
ever could. Sometimes it’s so obvious, it’s
a wonder no one thought of promoting it
sooner. Eatonville, the home of noted author and
folklorist Zora Neale Hurston, faced near ruin
before it recognized the value of honoring its
native daughter with a festival now recognized
around the world.
Despite
that moniker, the town was getting no respect. It was just
a small place of no real importance to outsiders. In fact,
mere days after it celebrated the centennial of its incorporation
in 1987, Eatonville received the jarring news that the county
was planning on turning two-lane Kennedy Boulevard, the spine
of the community, into
a five-lane thoroughfare, thus demolishing the small-town character
of this historic community. 
Although the town held the distinction of being the first incorporated
single-race community of the post-Civil War era, town activists
knew this alone was not going to impress the county board. And
that’s when they tripped over the obvious: Zora Neale Hurston,
early 20th-century writer, folklorist, and anthropologist. This
charismatic woman, the major female figure of the Harlem Renaissance,
had called Eatonville home for much of her life. Although accomplished
and renowned in her time, Hurston was also considered radical
and too free-thinking by some, an independent woman gone too
far and ultimately her works went out of print for decades. But
in the 1970s, Zora Neale Hurston’s writings and teachings
had undergone a revival thanks to the efforts of Pulitzer Prize-winning
author Alice Walker. So, here was the basis for Eatonville’s
revitalization as a center of black heritage. 
