The small-town charm of Dade City is at its rosiest around the holidays.
Where Highway 301 passes through the brief downtown, lampposts hold giant candy canes and bells. The shops, most notably the antique stores, are decked with garland and strings of lights. Locals given to greeting people with a nod are a bit more cheery.
Part of Dade City's appeal is its simplicity. It's got a classic layout. Trucks speed past downtown on a bypass that runs parallel to a stretch of CSX railroad, passing the Pasco County Courthouse and, opposite, the rundown shotgun homes that represent the wrong side of the tracks. The CSX cars freight citrus to the Lykes processing plant north of town to be concentrated into frozen juice. The migrant farm workers who pick the citrus stay in scattered housing arranged by the heads of labor crews. A Wal-Mart distribution center near Brooksville employs folks from all walks. A more socially conscious Norman Rockwell would find plenty of ripe scenes here.
Debuting this year among the city's holiday events is a Mexican Christmas and Lowrider Car Show. It's both significant recognition of the area's Latino population and an utter novelty for a rural community where four-wheel drive may be the most valued automotive feature.
The car show takes place from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, in downtown Dade City, in front of the historic old courthouse. In addition to a curbside display of custom lowriders, the event features live entertainment, folkloric dances, traditional Mexican food for sale, free games and posadas.
Posadas are dolls representing baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary. In a traditional Mexican festival called Las Posadas (Spanish for "The Inn"), a procession carries these dolls through the streets, singing carols called alguinaldos as they re-enact Joseph and Mary's search for room at the inn.
Toy donations are being accepted at the event to be distributed locally to needy children on Christmas Eve by a caravan of lowriders.
For directions or more info about the Mexican Christmas and Lowrider Car Show, call 352-521-0419.
Dade City's most established holiday event, Church Street Christmas, takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 21-23, drawing thousands to Church Avenue, a registered historic district since 1983.
A seven-block area of the brick road is blocked off and lit by luminaries to accommodate folks strolling past the elegantly decorated Florida homes, enjoying cantatas at the many churches and reading giant Christmas cards displayed along the sidewalks.
For directions or more info on Church Street Christmas, call 352-567-3265.
This article appears in Dec 18-24, 2003.