Dear Dad,
You would get a kick out of downtown Ocala these days. Your beloved “Courthouse Square” has become a thriving hub of activity. I mean, this place is alive! Just yesterday, I drove around the square for 15 minutes in search of place to park because the parking garage was full.
Yes, a parking garage. We have one now. Condominiums and lofts, too! Who’d of thunk?
Well, you did, actually. You often told me how downtown was our county’s best kept secret. As a builder in charge of a few construction projects just off the square, you had a vision for a multi-use community plan although you didn’t call it that. Such labels would have seemed too “high falootin” for your sensibilities. But, oh how things have come together, Dad.
You’d be pleased to know your youngest daughter has your downtown-love DNA. So do a lot of others. Our city leaders and volunteers have fostered an environment of growth and creativity on every block. Remember the Woolworth building, Riley’s Grocery Store and the Dixie Theatre? They’ve been transformed into diverse businesses. Just try to get a table on a Saturday night at any restaurant without waiting.
And the Marion Theatre shows first-run films and serves the best popcorn and wine. No more prohibition here!
It’s a no brainer when Mike and I have a free night. We head downtown, enjoy our choice of a fine meal on any corner, catch a movie at the Marion Theatre, then walk around and see the downtown sites. Often, a free concert is taking place on the square or at City Hall’s Citizens’ Circle. And the old City Auditorium at Tuscawilla Park is now the Reilly Arts Center, a first-class performing arts center that hosts our own orchestra.
Yep, we have an orchestra, Dad. And it’s surrounded by art, science and inspiration.
Are you ready for this? We have a local farmer’s market next to City Hall with food trucks, a modern version of the ice cream truck that would come by our house when school let out, only these trucks sell burritos and café con leche.
Dad, I miss you every day, but especially so when I find myself anywhere close to Main and Magnolia. I go to your downtown homage, your book “The Courthouse Square” and open a cornered page that reminds me why I love this place so much. You wrote:
“Prosperity was just around the corner. What corner? The heart and soul of man would not be defeated. Walking the Square on a Saturday afternoon were people who were not well off, but held onto an indestructible belief that things had to get better. The enigma of it all. That when life was hard and harsh, there was still tenderness and compassion. Through it all there was a time of innocence, fellowship, conviction and optimism. And we felt it on the Square.”
I’d like to think such fellowship is alive and well on your beloved Square. We still feel it.
In fact, some of Ocala’s best marketing minds developed a “Feel Downtown Ocala” branding initiative, touting all our city has to offer. Walking on the Square this past Saturday were people who came to be a part of something special, be it a shared meal, concert, or sense of community. I was there, too.
And so were you, Dad.
All my love,
Your Downtown-Loving Daughter
