We invite you to become a part of this important project that will preserve over 3,000 acres of beautiful land, protect the local water basin, connect with other green areas to become part of a protected wildlife corridor, and provide the community with opportunities for environmental education, recreation, and community events. We need your participation to help make this a reality! Please “Like” our Facebook Page for updates on the park and FLOC.
Upcoming Events:
Stay up to date with our calendar!
Nature Day- April 15th, 10am-3pm
Previous News/Events:
Florida Earth Skills Gathering: Living Skills for People and Planet – February 7-11, 2018
Dive deep into the simple life and learn survival and nature skills. The usual amazing array of people, classes, cooking, and earth skills will be on hand. We are proud to be the permanent home for this event! Check out floridaearthskills.org for more information and to register for the event or visit them on Facebook.
Tin Can Tourists – January 19-21, 2018
This is the oldest and largest all make and model vintage trailer, camper, RV club exhibit and celebration in the U.S. Check out all their cool pictures on tincantourists.com. Food trucks will be on hand. Entry gate fee, which all goes back to Little Orange Creek Nature Park!
Park and Preserve Opening! Saturday, January 21, 2017
10:00 a.m. – Ribbon Cutting and Remarks from City & County Officials
11:00 a.m. – Guided hikes/hay rides on Little Orange Creek Preserve
Noon-3:00 p.m. – Lunch and Live Music
FLOC Annual Public Meeting – Thursday, June 23rd, 6:30 – 8:00 PM, 2017
We will celebrate all of our successes through the past year and report on our plans for the future. We’ll have sandwiches and hors d’ouevres on hand, along with a cold beer to make the meeting go down smoothly, so come on out to Hawthorne City Hall. Come early to mingle and eat from 6:00 – 6:30!! For more information, contact Randi Cameon, FLOC President, at 352-359-2603.
Fourth Annual William Bartram Heritage Day – Saturday, March 5, 2016
Join us for a fund day for the whole family! Live music, native plant sales, storytelling, booths of handmade crafts, local artists, Earthskills demonstrators and southern style food will give visitors a glimpse of what life was like in William Bartram’s time. The event will feature “William Bartram” in costume and first person giving a fascinating talk for both adults and children about his work as a Naturalist during his visit to our area of Florida in 1774. We encourage visitors to ‘dress the part’ to help create an “Old Florida” atmosphere. For further information call Janis Brown-Stallings at 352-494-3790.
Florida Earthskills Gathering: Living Skills for People and Planet – February 17-21, 2016
The Florida Earthskills Gathering is a unique blend of enthusiasts who bring abundant skills and a great spirit of co-creation to this homespun gathering. By gathering here, we acknowledge that the time is ripe for modern, “civilized” humans to become more ecologically aware, to reclaim the true meaning of sustainability, and to help grow a culture of thriving which can only be achieved by living in symbiosis with each other and with our beloved Earth.
With more than 70 instructors sharing skills for adults and kids, plus morning and evening programming, there’s something for everyone to enjoy!
Visit http://www.floridaearthskills.org for more information and to register. Online Prices for Main Event are available from January 12- February 14. At the Gate Prices for Main Event are available starting at 2 pm on Feb. 16th. Event is sponsored by the Putnam Land Conservancy.
Plein Air Artists of Little Orange Creek Nature Park – Art Exhibit at Hawthorne Historical Society
Artists exhibit their work from the William Bartram Heritage Days Plein-Air event on Feburary 22nd at Little Orange Creek Nature Park. Opening reception March 14, 12 – 4 pm. Show dates March 8 – April 26.
Address: 7225 Southeast 221st Street, Hawthorne FL.
Great News! The Elizabeth Ordway Dunn Foundation grant awarded FLOC’s full request of $28,000!
As a result of the grant, we now have full funding for the engineered master plan. Soon, we will install an outdoor nature pavilion and ADA compliant bathroom facility. At that point, we will be able to open the park. Within the next year, we will renovate the house to make it ADA compliant as well. Thank you to Randi Cameon for all her hard work in securing these much needed funds for the park! For more information about the details of the funding for the park, click here.
2nd Annual Hawthorne Heritage Day – January 19th, 2013
FLOC and the City of Hawthorne tabled at the 2nd Annual Hawthorne Heritage Day, January 19th. The event was hosted by the Hawthorne Area Historical Sociey at the Historical and Curtual Center, many different groups participating. Historical Society Members dressed in period clothing to enhance the theme of ‘heritage’ for the day. Children were entertained with old fashioned activities from Crones’ Cradle such as building bird houses, making candles, playing checkers, washing clothes on washboards and digging for potatoes. Antique cars were on display from the Hawthorne “Coming Home” Car Club. The savory BBQ chicken cooked by Pop Herring and company and served by Linda Hill and Ina Kay Morgan was a big hit with the crowd…not to mention the delicious baked beans prepared by Billy and Barbara Carlton. The Hawthorne Branch Library also had a table, and Candy David from the library was a storyteller enjoyed by all. Hawthorne’s Martial Arts School gave an impressive demonstration, and Touch of Class provided karaoke music. The Historical Society also held a raffle with great local prizes and brought in Sharon Ferrero from the Old House Network in Kalamazoo, Michigan for an informative talk on restoring old windows and maintaining the historical heritage of buildings. Overall the event was a great success with over 400 people in attendance. We were grateful for this opportunity to interact with the Hawthorne community, and we hope to see many of you at the event next year!