Adventureland at Magic Kingdom, 1974
Lake Buena Vista (Fla.)
Theme parks
Nancy Lynn Cepero (b. 1954), on the right, at Adventureland at Magic Kingdom in 1974. Magic Kingdom, located at 1180 Seven Seas Drive, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Construction for the resort began in 1967, after the death of Walt Disney (1901-1966). Magic Kingdom was the first park of the Walt Disney Resort to open on October 1, 1971. The park included 33 attractions in six themed areas: Main Street U.S.A., Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and Liberty Square. Adventureland features themes of jungles in Africa, Asia, and South America.
Cepero, Ray
Original color photograph by Ray Cepero, 1974: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
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Adventureland, Magic Kingdom, Orlando, Florida
Brevard Zoo, 2000
Melbourne (Fla.)
Zoos--Florida
The Brevard Zoo, located at 8225 North Wickham Road in Melbourne, Florida, in 2000. Pictured in the photograph are, from left to right: an unidentified child, Alicia Lynn Cepero; Robert "Bobby" James Lenahan, Jr.; Laura Lynn Cepero; and Lynn Lenahan (née Sabatino). Construction for the zoo was spearheaded by the East Coast Zoological Society of Florida, Inc. (ECZS) and began in 1992. The zoo opened on March 26, 1994.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
Original color photograph by Nancy Lynn Cepero, 2000: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
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Brevard Zoo, Melbourne, Florida
Cocoa Beach, 1991
Cocoa Beach (Fla.)
Beaches--Florida
Cocoa Beach, Florida, in September of 1991. The first non-Amerindian settlement of the area, known as Oceanus, was a group of emancipated slaves following the end of the American Civil War. A group of citizens of neighboring Cocoa purchased the property in 1888, but left it undeveloped for several decades. In 1923, one of the groups members, Gus C. Edwards, purchased the land from his fellow co-owners. Cocoa Beach was incorporated as town on June 5, 1925. Edwards was elected the first mayor.<br /><br />The Florida Department of Transportation constructed State Road 140 (present-day State Road A1A) in 1935, allowing for increased development. In 1944, a Florida Legislature bill that would have dissolved the city government was defeated. The town was incorporated as a city on June 29, 1957. With the construction of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s John F. Kennedy Space Center (KCS), the city of Cocoa Beach experienced major growth in population and economic development. However, the city experienced layoffs and economic decline during the period between the conclusion of the Apollo Program and the introduction of the Space Shuttle Program.
Original color photographs, September 1991: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
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Daytona Beach Bandshell, 1995
Daytona Beach (Fla.)
Beaches--Florida
The Daytona Beach Bandshell in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1995. Located at 70 Boardwalk in Daytona Beach, Florida, this amphitheater was constructed between 1936 1937. The Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) began constructed in September of 1936 and the first program was presented on July 4, 1937. The bandshell was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic places on March 5, 1999.
Original color photograph, 1995: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
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Daytona International Speedway, 1995
Daytona Beach (Fla.)
The Daytona International Speedway, located at 1801 West International Speedway Boulevard in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1995. Home of 500-mile-long National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) Spring Cup Series motor race, this race track was opened in 1959. Automobile and motorcycle races began in 1902, due to the smooth, compacted sand that covered the beach. Daytona Beach became the site of various land speed record attempts in the first half of the 20th century.<br /><br />On March 8, 1936, the first stock car race was held on the Daytona Beach Road Course, which is located in present-day Ponce Inlet. Bill France, Sr. (1909-1992), the founder of NASCAR, began planning the track's construction in 1953 to replace the beach course. The track was engineered by Charles Moneypenney and construction was completed in 1958. The track has been renovated in 1978, 2004, and 2010. New renovations for Project Daytona Rising is scheduled for completion in January of 2016. The track also hosts events for the Auto Racing Club of America (ARCA), the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), Tudor United Sport scar Championship (USCC), the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), and Motocross.
Original color photograph, 1995: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
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Doobie Brothers and Santana Tribute Concert at the Daytona Beach Bandshell, 2014
Daytona Beach (Fla.)
Beaches--Florida
Music--Florida
A Doobie Brothers and Santana Tribute Concert at the Daytona Beach Bandshell on August 16, August 16, 2014. Two restaurants, My Pi Pizza! and Sloppy Joe's, and a movie theater, Paragon Theaters, can also be seen in the images.<br /><br />Located at 70 Boardwalk in Daytona Beach, Florida, this amphitheater was constructed between 1936 1937. The Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) began constructed in September of 1936 and the first program was presented on July 4, 1937. The bandshell was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic places on March 5, 1999.
Cepero, Ray
Original color digital images by Ray Cepero, August 16, 2014: Private Collection of Ray Cepero.
Cepero, Ray
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Gazebo at Cypress Gardens, 1989
Winter Haven (Fla.)
Theme parks
Nancy Lynn Cepero (b. 1954) and two of her children, Dennis Cepero (b. 1986) and Laura Lynn Cepero (b. 1987), at a gazebo at Cypress Gardens in June of 1989. Billed as Florida's first commercial tourist theme park, Cypress Gardens opened on January 2, 1936, as a botanical garden planted by Dick Pope, Sr. (1900-1988) and his wife, Julie Pope. Over the years, it became one of the biggest attractions in Florida, known for its water ski shows, lush gardens, and Southern Belles. It also became known as the "Water Ski Capital of the World," because many of the sport's landmark firsts and the over 50 world records broken there. Numerous motion pictures were filmed at the Cypress Gardens, including portions of <em>This is Cinerama</em>, the first feature filmed in the wide-screen format, as well as a string of Esther Williams films and television specials in the 1950s and 1960s.<br /><br />In the 1950s, young women dressed in the crinolines reminiscent of the Antebellum South. During the American Civil War Centennial, young men dressed in Confederate uniforms would be photographed with the Southern Belles. With the addition of a custom photography boat named <em>Miss Cover Girl</em> in the early 1960s, the park became a popular site for the filming of television commercials. However, Cypress Gardens closed in 2009 and Legoland occupies the former lot at 1 Legoland Way in Winter Haven, Florida.
Original color photographs, June 1989: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
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Cypress Gardens, Winter Haven, Florida
Heathrow, 1993
Heathrow (Fla.)
Heathrow is an unincorporated community just west of Lake Mary, Florida. Heathrow was founded by Jeno F. Paulucci (1918-2011) in 1985. As a food business entrepreneur, Paulucci used the area to grow celery for Chun King, which was his line of Chinese-style food.
Original color postcard: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
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Heathrow, Florida
Hudson Beach, 1991
Hudson (Fla.)
Beaches--Florida
Hudson Beach, Florida, in May of 1991. Hudson Beach is located west of U.S. Route 19 and north of Port Richey in Pasco County. Before Hudson Beach was developed as a public beach in 1960, there was a small island located near present-day Harbor Drive that was used for swimming and picnicking. Original plans to develop the beach were led by Bud Clark, joined by Tom Sawyer and the Hudson Community Club. Despite slow progress, the State of Florida announced plans to develop a state park on the site, along with U.S.-19. The project was completed in 1960.
Original color photographs, May 1991: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
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Hudson Beach, Florida
Interior of Church Street Station, 1989
Orlando (Fla.)
Railroads--Florida
Gertrude Welsh and Lynn Lenahan at Church Street Station, located at 76-135 West Church Street in Downtown Orlando, Florida, in January of 1989. The original site was occupied by a railroad depot built around 1883 for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL). The depot was designed by T. B. Cotter in the Queen Anne/Eclectic Victorian style and constructed by Henry B. Plant (1819-1899). The building was demolished around 1890 and the current Church Street Station Depot was constructed by the South Florida Railroad on the same lot. The site also served the Tavares, Orlando and Atlantic Railroad, and the Orlando and Winter Park Railway. In 1926, the Orlando Health/Amtrak station took over passenger operations, but Church Street Station continued to serve as a ticket outlet and freight station until 1972.<br /><br />In 1973, a Dixieland-theme entertainment complex was established between the railroad tracks and Garland Avenue in seven vacant buildings for $22 million. The depot itself houses retail shops. The depot was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and named an Orlando Historic Landmark in 1978. In 1988, the complex was expanded to include the Church Street Exchange and the Church Street Market. The development was led by Bob Snow and Steve Fuller and sold in 1989 for $61 million. The complex peaked in the 1980s, drawing approximately 1.7 million visitors a year. Due to failure to compete with major theme parks, visitor attendance dwindled and the complex was sold in 2001, only to close shortly after.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
Original color photograph by Nancy Lynn Cepero by Nancy Lynn Cepero, 1989: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
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Church Street Station, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Mystery Fun House, 2001
Orlando (Fla.)
Laura Lynn Cepero (b. 1987), Alicia Lynn Cepero (b. 1975), and Samantha Ariel Pryor (b. 1990) in Mystery Fun House, an Orlando attraction, in 2001. The attraction was founded by David A. Siegel on March 28, 1976, and was located at 5767 Major Boulevard. The fun house was closed in 2001.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
Original color photograph by Nancy Lynn Cepero, 2001: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
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Mystery Fun House, Orlando, Florida
Rainbow Elementary School's Chorus at Downtown Disney, 1998
Orlando (Fla.)
Lake Buena Vista (Fla.)
Education--Florida
Schools
Music--Florida
The chorus of Rainbow Elementary School, a school in Winter Springs, at Downtown Disney, an entertainment complex located at 1780 East Buena Vista Drive in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, in 1998. Originally called the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village, the complex opened on March 22, 1975. In 1977, the complex was renamed Walt Disney World Village. Pleasure Island was added to the village on May 1, 1989, ad the complex was renamed the Disney Village Marketplace later that year. In 1995, Walt Disney World began to enhance and expand the complex, while also combing the Disney Village Marketplace and Pleasure Island into one district called Downtown Disney, which was introduced on September 7, 1998. On March 14, 2013, Disney announced that Downtown Disney would be revitalized as Disney Springs.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
Original color photograph by Nancy Lynn Cepero, 1998: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
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Downtown Disney, Orlando, Florida
Rock Springs Run State Reserve, 1996
Springs--Florida
Parks--Florida
Three members of the Cepero family at Rock Springs Run State Reserve near Sorrento, Florida, in 1996. Photographed from left to right are Dennis Cepero (b. 1985), Laura Lynn Cepero (b. 1987), and Alicia Lynn Cepero (b. 1975). Rock Springs Run State Reserve is a state park that includes Indian mounds, pine flatwoods, swamps, and artesian springs. The site also includes Seminole Creek, Wekiwa Springs Run, Rock Springs Run, and Wekiwa River.
Original color photograph, 1996: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
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Rock Springs Run State Reserve, Lake County, Florida
Rosie O'Grady's Good Time Emporium, 1992
Orlando (Fla.)
Restaurants--Florida
Rosie O'Grady's Good Time Emporium in 1992. The siblings pictured in the photograph are, from left to right: David Cepero (b. 1978), Dennis Cepero (b. 1986), Laura Lynn Cepero (b. 1987), and Alicia Lynn Cepero (b. 1975). Gertrude Welsh, the great-aunt of the children, is standing in the back.<br /><br />Rosie O'Grady's was a restaurant that was once part of the Church Street Station entertainment complex in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The original site was occupied by a railroad depot built around 1883 for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL). The depot was designed by T. B. Cotter in the Queen Anne/Eclectic Victorian style and constructed by Henry B. Plant (1819-1899). The building was demolished around 1890 and the current Church Street Station Depot was constructed by the South Florida Railroad on the same lot. The site also served the Tavares, Orlando and Atlantic Railroad, and the Orlando and Winter Park Railway. In 1926, the Orlando Health/Amtrak station took over passenger operations, but Church Street Station continued to serve as a ticket outlet and freight station until 1972.<br /><br />In 1973, a Dixieland-theme entertainment complex was established between the railroad tracks and Garland Avenue in seven vacant buildings for $22 million. The depot itself houses retail shops. The depot was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and named an Orlando Historic Landmark in 1978. In 1988, the complex was expanded to include the Church Street Exchange and the Church Street Market. The development was led by Bob Snow and Steve Fuller and sold in 1989 for $61 million. The complex peaked in the 1980s, drawing approximately 1.7 million visitors a year. Due to failure to compete with major theme parks, visitor attendance dwindled and the complex was sold in 2001, only to close shortly after.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
Original color photograph by Nancy Lynn Cepero, 1992: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
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Rosie O'Grady's Good Time Emporium, Downtown Orlando, Florida
Silver Springs State Park, 1999
Silver Springs (Fla.)
Springs--Florida
Parks--Florida
Ray (née Raúl) Cepero (b. 1947) and his wife, Nancy Lynn Cepero (b. 1954), at the Silver Springs State Park, formerly located at 1425 Northeast 58th Avenue in Silver Springs, Florida, in 1999. Silver Springs was originally settled by the Timucuans in the early 1500s. Although they were able to reclaim their territory after Spanish invasion, the Timucuans were ultimately succeeded by other tribes, such as the Seminoles. In the 1850s, Silver Springs began to attract tourists for steamboat rides. The park's popularity skyrocketed when the glass-bottom boat was invented in 1878.
Original color photograph, 1999: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
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Silver Springs State Park, Silver Springs, Florida
Special Olympics Track Practice at Lake Mary High School, 1997
Lake Mary (Fla.)
Schools
Special Olympics
Track and field--United States
People with disabilities--United States
A Special Olympics track practice at Lake Mary High School, located at 655 Longwood Lake Mary Road in Lake Mary, Florida, on April 12, 1997. Lake Mary High first opened in 1981. From 2002 to 2006, the school has underwent a $20 million construction and remodeling project.<br /><br />Special Olympics was founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver (1921-2009), the sister of President John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), in 1968. The project began as a day camp for children with intellectual disabilities in June of 1962. The first International Special Olympics Summer Games were held in 1968 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.
Original color photograph, 1997: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
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Lake Mary High School, Lake Mary, Florida
Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom, 1974
Lake Buena Vista (Fla.)
Theme parks
Nancy Lynn Cepero (b. 1954) walking across the bridge at Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom in 1974.Magic Kingdom, located at 1180 Seven Seas Drive, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Construction for the resort began in 1967, after the death of Walt Disney (1901-1966). Magic Kingdom was the first park of the Walt Disney Resort to open on October 1, 1971. The park included 33 attractions in six themed areas: Main Street U.S.A., Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and Liberty Square. Tom Sawyer Island is an island in Frontierland that opened on May 20, 1973. It features references to Mark Twain's (1835-1910) novel <em>The Adventures of Tom Sawyer</em>.
Cepero, Ray
Original color photograph by Ray Cepero, 1974: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
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Tom Sawyer Island, Magic Kingdom, Orlando, Florida
Water Mania, 1989
Kissimmee (Fla.)
Theme parks
Alicia Lynn Cepero (b. 1975) on a water slide at Water Mania, a presently abandoned water park located at 4449 West U.S. Route 192 in Kissimmee, Florida. The 36-acre park was originally owned by brothers Gary Larson and Randy Larson and opened in 1986. In 2005, the park, along with Larson's Lodge and Country Hearth Hotel were sold. Water Mania closed on September 5, 2005.
Original color photographs, September 1989: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
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Water Mania, Kissimmee, Florida
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, 1991
Weeki Wachee (Fla.)
Spring Hill (Fla.)
Springs--Florida
Parks--Florida
Members of the Cepero family at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park in 1991. Photographed from left to right are Dennis Cepero (b. 1986), Ray (née Raúl) Cepero (b. 1947), David Cepero (b. 1978), Laura Lynn Cepero (b. 1987), and Alicia Lynn Cepero (b. 1975).<br /><br />Weeki Wachee, located at 6131 Commercial Way in Spring Hill, Florida, is best known for its famous tourist attraction, Weeki Wachee Springs. Weeki Wachee Springs features performances by underwater mermaids, a glass-bottom boat ride, and other natural attractions. The springs are named after the Seminole words for "little spring" or "winding river." In 1946, former U.S. Navy member Newt Perry (1908-1987) began to develop a tourist attraction at Weeki Wachee. By the 1950s, Weeki Wachee was one of the top tourist stops in the United States. The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) purchased the site in 1959 and continued to expand. In 2008, Weeki Wachee was taken over by the state of Florida as a state park.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
Original color photograph by Nancy Lynn Cepero, 1991: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.
Cepero, Nancy Lynn
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Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, Spring Hill, Florida