Old Timers Luncheon by Punta Gorda Days Inc

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Old Timers Luncheon

Punta Gorda Days Inc, the non profit group that stages the Punta Gorda Block Party and the Old Timer's Luncheon. Old Timer's Luncheon, a time for story-telling and truth-stretching. ​Advance tickets sales only. Hurricane Charley's 10:30 lunch at 12. Internationally known artist: Neil Gatewood will be in attendance. ​For Information call (941) 629-6624, (941) 629-8814 or (941) 639-3214

It’s not easy for a small town like Punta Gorda to maintain a sense of identity after an influx of nearly 15,000 residents from other states and foreign countries. Over the years, one event – the Old Timers luncheon – has proved to be perfect therapy for local natives and long-time residents determined to remember the past and preserve that special small-town feeling.

The luncheon got its start during Punta Gorda’s 1987 centennial celebration, during which the committee organizing the year-long festivities on behalf of the city decided to put a special luncheon together. Despite the luncheon’s popularity, it went into hibernation until 1999 when the committee reformed and started it anew on the same day as the Punta Gorda Block Party, thanks to a generous annual donation from Kays-Ponger & Uselton Funeral Home. This year, the luncheon will be April 28, Block Party day, at Hurricane Charley’s in the Punta Gorda Waterfront Hotel. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. for greeting old friends; an auction of historical items and art, including a painting of the old fish dock (where Fishermen’s Village is located) by famed artist Neil Gatewood, will follow the noon meal. A limited supply of $20 tickets can be purchased by calling Gussie Baker at 941-639-3214 or Martha McKenzie at 941-628-9259. Free parking is available at the hotel and the nearby city parking lot.Don’t waste time trying to figure out if you qualify as an old Timer. Baker said, “It was 30 years, now everybody says 25, and we (the Old Timers committee) say 20. Being an old timer is a state of mind; anyone born here is automatically an old timer.”

The first Punta Gorda Block Party featured Minnie Pearl as the headlining act. Gussie Baker, still involved in the Party & the Older Timer's Luncheon, was one of the original organizers. It was first organized to celebrate the centennial of Punta Gorda. After its resounding success, city officials asked the volunteer organizers to continue the event on an annual basis. The makeup of that group of community-minded group of citizens has changed over the years, but the same small committee of volunteers devotes countless hours of time to organize the event.The Block Party has always been held downtown to highlight the rejuvenation of downtown Punta Gorda that began in the late 1980s. That rejuvenation may have slowed by Hurricane Charley, but attendees will see a new vitality, as well as beautiful new buildings like the Sunloft Center and the Event Center. As always, the Block Party will have an endless variety of food and drink at reasonable prices for attendees to indulge in. After the Old Timers Luncheon walk across the street to downtown to indulge in the Punta Gorda Block Party festivities. The Block Party will be in the area north of Olympia between U.S. 41 north and U.S. 41 south. Go to www.puntagordablockparty.info for the latest information.