Our 2024 Educational Conference took place in Deland Florida and was graciously hosted by one of our newest Trustees, Andy Bowen, and his partner Jody Williams.
We arrived on Thursday June 6 and registered at the Comfort Inn. Most of us then headed out to dinner at Parva Columbian Restaurant.
Friday we were on our own. Andy had provided us with information on various local attractions to choose from. In the morning, most of us went to DeLeon Springs State Park, where we took an hour-long trip down the St. John’s River in a pontoon boat. We then either swam in the swimming area, or wandered through parts of the lovely park. The majority of the group then met at Sonny’s BBQ for lunch.
In the afternoon, most of us went our separate ways – to Blue Spring State Park, or to explore downtown Deland and the lovely campus of Stetson University, or to the Marine Discovery Center in New Smyrna Beach, among other places. There are a lot of attractions in the Deland area!
In the evening, we all met at St. John’s River Grille for a fun dinner near the river. When we returned to the hotel, we held our Executive Board meeting, which ran late into the night. (Mostly because we enjoyed our dinner for quite a while, and were slow to leave!)
On Saturday, Andy had planned a full day of activities for us. Our first stop was at the Oakdale Cemetery to visit the grave of our new cousin Mary Louise Foote Bond. From there, we moved on to the West Volusia Historical Society, where docents gave us a tour of the recently restored and just reopened Deland House Museum. Built in 1886 by Henry Deland, this home passed through many hands before being donated to the City of Deland in 1988. It now houses everyday objects true to the period.
We then had lunch at Chicos, a Cuban restaurant in downtown Deland. Our afternoon stop was at DeBary Hall, where we watched an educational movie, rocking in our chairs as it emulated our trip down the St. John’s River from Jacksonville to Deland. We went on a lovely tour of the DeBary home, a 8000 square foot home built in 1871 by Frederick DeBary, which was his “hunting Lodge“. DeBary tried growing oranges there, with limited results, but the home welcomed many famous visitors.
On Saturday evening we all met at John Knox Village for our delicious banquet, and were entertained and educated by four re-enactors. Our General Board Meeting followed the reenactment. We welcomed four additional Foote family individuals at dinner and encouraged them to join the Association. We ended with our traditional singing of ‘Ties that Bond’ and a group photo.