FCTA Has a New Blog!

The Florida Cracker Trail Association is pleased to announce its new blog site. This free feature has been added to better enable us to communicate with each other. This site can be viewed by anyone from our website link, but can only be added to by current FCTA members. If you are a current FCTA member and have email, I will be sending you an email invitation to join. You must accept the invitation by following the link included in the invitation and filling out the form. From there you will be able to access the blog site and make your own postings. You may add photos, web links or other attachments. You may post items for sale, articles or news tidbits you wish to share or thoughts on Cracker Trail you have in general. If wish to join the blog list and do not have email, please set up a free account at Yahoo, Hotmail (MSN) or any of the other free email services provided through the Internet. You must have an email address to become a blog member. These free addresses can be set up from any computer with Internet access, just as our site and the blog feature can be viewed from any connected computer. Send me an email at dreed@mailmt.com and I will send you an invitation to join. The only rule is to keep it clean and remember that what you post will be viewed by people of all ages. Any abusers will be blocked from future postings and the offending posting deleted.

Please enjoy this new feature!!

FCTA Establishes Annual Collegiate Scholarship Award

FCTA will sponsor an annual scholarship commencing in the fall of 2007. Application for the 2007 year is open to any current FCTA member ages 17 to 24 years old who is a resident of the state of Florida showing evidence of acceptance or enrolment at any accredited collegiate institution for the purpose of pursuing a prescribed college degree of any level in any agricultural discipline.  The number of annual awards will be two, each in the amount of $500.00.

Candidates will present the required documents for review by the July 27, 2007, to be received either by hand at the KICCO campsite behind River Ranch in Polk County or received by mail by July 26, 2007 at FCTA, 1767 Lakewood Ranch Blvd. #187, Bradenton, FL 34211. FCTA will not be responsible for late entries.  For the year 2007, the call for candidates as well as the due date will be announced in a newsletter to the general membership. The newsletter shall be issued no later than the second week of June, 2007. 

Candidates will compete by writing an essay of 500 to 1,000 words whose subject explores some area of Florida Cracker History. In addition to the essay, there must be an addendum of 250 words or less describing the student’s educational goals and reasoning used in making their decisions.

Commencing with the year 2007, a minimum of eight board members will review the submissions and make the selection of recipients.  A majority vote will suffice for selection. The decision of the board members present for the review and selection will be final in all selections. The selection and award will be made on July 28 and 29, 2007 respectively at the campsite and meeting at KICCO.

Rules for 2008 and subsequent years will be posted following awards for 2007.

New Mission Statement

To stay up with changing times and the evolution of the Florida Cracker trail Association, our mission statement was recently revised by the Board of Dirctors to the following:

Dedicated to “Keeping History Alive”, by educating through demonstration, the Old Florida Cracker Pioneer ways of agriculture, animal husbandry, respect for the land as well as the hardships and joys of life on the original frontier. To better educate the importance of the role of the State of Florida in the introduction of horses and cattle by the Spanish Explorers into the New World and the birth and continuance of the cattle and horse industries by its future settlers and their descendants and to support related causes.  

FCTA has new blog site connected to website

In an effort to keep our members connected, and in joining the 21 century in our communications forms, we have created a blg site that can be accessed through our site…….

Carlton Ward Web Site Now Available

Carlton Ward, a photographer, environmental preservationist and multi-generational Floridian is working toward environmental conservationist and photojournalistic record and has established a website and art show. Please visit him at www.carltonward.com to learn more. Follow the links to Vanishing Heritage.