Tea Parties Draw Ave Maria Residents
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Published on Thursday, 16 April 2009 00:25
Jim and Christine Kelly of Emerson Park felt strongly enough about the tax day tea parties that they took the whole family into Naples to attend the one at noon at Pine Ridge Rd. and US 41. About 2,000 people attended that tea party, according to the Naples Daily News, and the crowd included a number of Del Webb residents as well.
"The greatest fact for me in reference to the tea parties is this," Mr. Kelly said, "they are truly grassroots in nature. The citizens set these up. No one national organization did this. It was inspired by one commentator's frustration with the lunacy of this federal scheme of taking money from our children and grandchildren to pay of the selfishness of our current politicians."
Mr. Kelly reported that the crowd at the tea party was happy and polite, "yet sincerely concerned about te direction our country is taking."
The Ave Herald was at the tea party at Centennial Park in Ft. Myers sponsored by local talk radio host Mandy Connell. That gathering drew a crowd estimated at several thousand people as well. Pictures from that event are below.
A formation of volunteer pilots, all veterans, opened the Ft. Myers tea party with a flyover (upper right in picture) while the crowd sang the national anthem.
The "town crier," who rode up on horseback, addressed the gathering while Mandy Connell (right, in red) watched.
At right and below, an assortment of signs.
