By Rich Pollack
With the town’s 75th anniversary coming soon, Highland Beach residents and community leaders are putting together plans for a celebration that will kick off in December with a geared-up Mingle & Jingle event and span several months into the new year.
It was in December 1949, back when Harry Truman was in the White House and the baby boom was in full swing, that a handful of residents got together to incorporate the small beachfront community with a lengthy history that included a Native American community and Japanese-American colonies.
As it celebrates the major milestone in its evolution, the town will be remembering the past but also looking forward.
“The 75th anniversary is an opportunity to pay homage to the past, the present and the future,” said Jason Chudnofsky, president of the Highland Beach Police and Fire Foundation, a volunteer organization that will be producing anniversary events. “We’ll be paying respect to the people who made this community what it is today, and we’ll give credit to the people in place who are taking it to the next level.”
Throughout it all, Chudnofsky said, the celebration will focus on community and on bringing residents together in recognition of all that makes Highland Beach “3½ miles of paradise.”
“Togetherness is one of our themes,” he said.
That will be evident during the Mingle & Jingle, an annual event that will be bigger than ever before.
Set for 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 5, the event will be held in the St. Lucy Catholic Church parking lot. It will feature food and entertainment, a community vendor fair, and an opportunity for residents to meet one-on-one with town leaders and with members of the town’s new fire department, as well as with some of the town’s Police Department team.
The event will have music, free food from food trucks, a laser show, a caricature artist and a balloon artist, as well as hat and shirt giveaways courtesy of the foundation.
With about 1,500 people expected, the town will be increasing transportation, providing more trollies to bring residents to and from the event. The celebration will also highlight the confluence this year of the first night of Hanukkah on Christmas Day.
Chudnofsky said that giving back is also a key theme of this year’s event. With that in mind, there will be a toy drive in which residents can drop off toys at the fire station.
As part of a months-long 75th anniversary celebration, the Highland Beach Library will be offering an exhibit centered on the town’s history, with displays of old photos and newspaper clips.
The library is still looking for Highland Beach memorabilia to include in the exhibit, which will be up during December.
Library Director Lois Albertson said the library team is looking to include interactive opportunities from which residents can learn more about the town history. It is also looking at hosting concerts and a lecture series celebrating that history.
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