I still vividly remember the first time I visited Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park.
It was 2010, and we had moved to the Key just three years prior. I must’ve been around 6 years old. At this point, I only knew what “El Faro” was, with no idea that the place I liked to go to eat mozzarella sticks by the water was actually a location of natural grandiosity.
As I got older, and more in touch with nature, I began to understand the value of the ample, yet still highly-protected, land. I learned about the history of the park, the way it recovered from intense storms time and time again.
And I learned about the people who make this a possibility, the volunteers, both residents and commuters (who sometimes become adoptive Key Rats, in my opinion), who ensure the state park stays in such pristine condition.
As has happened to me many other times on this island, shortly after I took interest in the topic I found out there’s already a group of community members tackling the issue. Interested in composting? A Waste Culture has got you covered. Beach-cleanups? Grab a Fill-A-Bag bucket on your way onto the shore.
Now, being able to witness the tireless work that volunteers around the island engage in so that we can all keep living so closely together, it makes community events like the Full Moon Party that much more special to attend.
Seeing the community members who keep our island so vibrant, tight-knit, and active come together is an always special sight to see. And what makes it even more beautiful to witness is the pure interconnectedness of these community groups.
The night of the Full Moon Party, I saw everyone from council members (past and current) to my past teachers to members of community groups of all kinds come together for a night of laughing, dancing and community loving.
This is what I see at our piano festival concerts, at benefit events, fundraisers–and this is what makes this island so special. You see the same faces time and time again, showing up for one another.
You feel in community, whether that be under hot July sun for the 4th of July parade, in a packed Crossbridge Church for a piano festival concert, or on a breezy Saturday night at Bill Baggs, under the full moon and stars.