Celebrate Independence and History in Charlotte County

An Independence Day to Celebrate

By Angie Matthiessen

My husband, Britt, and I landed in Punta Gorda about 20 years ago during a 4th of July weekend.  I’ll never forget the festivities that were offered around Charlotte County and still are today. Music, food, stars, stripes and fireworks!  A few years later, we accidentally ended up on the top of a garage crashing a private party with the best light show ever! Do you remember that year when the lightshow went awry and we were treated to 30 minutes of fireworks in just a few minutes?

Around every corner there is something for just about everybody. It’s always great to get out and about during the celebration of Independence Day. I mean it certainly is a time to celebrate, a time that commemorates the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

This year the Charlotte County Government and County Commissioners are celebrating the centennial and the creation of our county. It began over 100 years ago when Charlotte County broke away from Desoto County and was established April 23, 1921. While this may seem like a simple gesture, it wasn’t. In fact, it took several years for Charlotte County to declare its independence. This year the Charlotte County Centennial is being commemorated with a series of events throughout 2021. One of the events was the well-attended and lovely Centennial Gala. We were fortunate to participate back in April for the 100 year anniversary, being treated to a superb dinner, live music, a lot of history and a fun slideshow.

This caused me to wonder what things were happening here in Charlotte County 100 years ago. To my surprise, I discovered that on July 4, 1921, local history shows that a crowd gathered around the band stand in Gilchrist Park in Punta Gorda for the dedication ceremony and free fish fry celebrating the first bridge across Charlotte Harbor. I can see it now similar to today, friends visiting with friends, good food, and perhaps live music. How exciting that must have been for this bridge to finally open up to traffic on Independence Day.

Since we’re reminiscing, did you know that United Way of Charlotte County has been serving its community for over 55 years? Why do we need United Way in Charlotte County? Let’s start at the beginning. United Way Worldwide’s vision is that every community is strong and thriving, with jobs that pay a livable wage, good schools and healthy families. Around the world, local UW’s engage people and organizations in innovative solutions that are transforming that vision into reality one community at a time. 

Our work and our investments stay right here, supporting thousands of local people every year. Our mission is to mobilize the power of our community to break the cycle of poverty. UWCC is providing a way for those who are struggling to declare their independence and have victory over poverty.

For more information about Charlotte County’s Centennial, go to www.charlottecounty100.com. For more information about United Way of Charlotte County’s mission: Mobilizing the power of our community to break the cycle of poverty, please contact Angie Matthiessen, the Executive Director of United Way of Charlotte County. She can be reached at director@unitedwayccfl.org or at 941-627-3539.