Backup Documents 03/26/2019 Item # 4B 46
PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, Collier County's early development in the 1930s and 1940s was
highlighted by the emergence of strange looking vehicles featuring huge
balloon tires, gun racks and usually sporting an unusual name like "Dirt
bobber" or "Tumblebug" (which is now a feature in the Collier County
Museum); and,
WHEREAS, Swamp Buggies, as the vehicles became to be known as, were used for
everything from Sunday afternoon outings to hunting expeditions into the
Everglades; and,
WHEREAS, early Collier County settlers recall the beginnings of Swamp Buggy Racing
as a gathering of hunters as just prior to the opening of hunting season
all the "Crackers" would spend a week or so preparing their buggies for
the first legal day of hunting; and,
WHEREAS, the competitive nature of the Collier pioneers soon began to expand, and
in November 1949 the first official Swamp Buggy Day Parade and Race
was organized by a group of civic and community leaders and "Swamp
Buggy Days" were born; and,
WHEREAS, "The World Famous Swamp Buggy Races" presented by Swamp Buggy,
Inc., a Florida Non-Profit Corporation, continues to this day to be Collier
County's unique sport and attracts visitors from around the world.
NOW THEREFORE, the Board of County Commissioners of Collier County, Florida,
celebrates the Swamp Buggy Races' 70th Anniversary and the historical,
cultural and economic contributions it brings to our community.
DONE AND ORDERED THIS 26th Day of March 2019.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSION :S
COLLI , LORIDA Appp
Xi%
LIAM L. C I ANIEL, J' , CHAIRMAN
_ /.