Who is that masked woman? It’s Valerie McCutcan, along with her friend Yolanda Jones, of course. Yolanda lives in Starke but said all of her family was living in Raiford, so she decided to come to the party.
Special to the Times
It seems that 2021 is a year for celebrating anniversaries in Union County and the state of Florida and Raiford refused to be left out of all the fun. Saturday, October 16, 2021 was a day when Raiford residents came out to celebrate their history and their community on the 50th anniversary of the reincorporation of the town in 1971.
About 400 people from Raiford and the surrounding area gathered behind the community center to share in fun, food and family. Everything was free – hot dogs, cotton candy, drinks and, later, a fully dressed chicken and rice dinner, provided by Union County Sheriff Brad Whitehead. All of the usual vendors were on hand, but instead of selling their wares a usual they all offered free samples and provided games and activities for the kids.
The event was organized by the city of Raiford and financed through a combination of donations and city funds. The event was offered as a celebration of the life and contributions to the community by the late Geraldine Griffis, one of the town’s most prominent and popular residents. In the covered area behind the pavilion there was a table dedicated to her life and her contributions to Raiford, including a collection of photo albums containing photos of past Raiford Day event.
The event was started by the grandfather of County Commissioner Channing Dobbs, Michael “Bud” Dobbs, along with Joyce Norman and Catherine Alvarez in the early 1990’s.
“Raiford Day was a huge success this year,” said Channing. “The mayor and all of the council members worked day and night, along with a number of volunteers from the community. There are always may volunteers to help with this event. Everyone looks forward to it every year.”
Four of the 12 UCHS JROTC cadets who came out for the day and handled the tough jobs. These four handled parking behind the community center for the event. Pictured are: Gavin Barfield, Violet Romero, Christopher Alvarez and Logan Nixon.Candice Rossman and Steve Rugg were on and to give out free candy and tell attendees about the oportunities available in working for FDC.The lunch crowd was just starting to gather around noon. Everyone seemed to want a place in the shade to enjoy the free hot dogs and other free food.County Commissioner Channing Dobbs with Jamie Howard, wife Kayla, daughter Madeline, and Alee Nipper gave out free boiled peanuts at the Raiford event.Donna Harris with friends Hannah Warren and Brianna Jordan managed the Lavender House tent, giving away free lavender lemonade and other goodies to festival goers.Cody Wall, Holly Tucker and Mark Hamlin, with Florida Forestry Service, handed out free gooding including several items featuring Smokey the Bear to everyone walking by.Everyone was waiting for the train…a good way to take a tour of the festival to decide where to go next.The day was a beautiful Florida fall day…but enough sun is enough sometimes, so this famly decided to find a little shade for a while. Pictured are: Bella Blackford, Sherry Miller, Rylynn Blackford, Tammy Abinger, Gabralle Cowger and Carter Blackford.Mom Miranda Griffis and daughter Payton were enjoyig the day together, but only Payton decided to get her face painted. Miranda is the daughter of Raiford Mayor Lamar Griffis and Payton is his grand daughter.Lisa Parrish and Master Sargeant Todd Hanlon, with the Union County Sheriff’s Office, were on hand with all sorts of goodies free for the asking, including lollipops, pens, pencils and throwing rings.Tasha Sharp called the numbers for the Bingo game held inside the Raiford Community Center.
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