But Janine B. Nickerson, Vice President of The Community Roundtable, doesn’t take the freedoms we enjoy on a daily basis for granted like many others. In fact, she’s hard at work from October to July, making sure locals have the opportunity to reflect on our nation’s past and thank those who have been instrumental in securing our country’s independence. Since 2000, Janine has been a key component in organizing the annual Community Roundtable Fourth of July Parade. FOCUS Magazine had the pleasure of sitting down with Janine to learn more about what goes into the planning of the parade and how the Roundtable is important to the Brandon community. FOCUS Magazine: First, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became a part of the Brandon community. Janine Nickerson: I was born in Pennsylvania, grew up in Tampa, graduated from H.B. Plant High School, and we’ve been out here in the Brandon area since 1976. When we first came out here, K-Mart didn’t have a fence around the garden center because nobody stole anything. Lakewood ended right at Route 60. The first stoplight you came to coming from Tampa was right where Burlington Coat Factory is currently. Brandon was rural. There were a lot of cows, rattlesnakes, orange groves, and strawberries. Moving here from South Tampa was an interesting transition. FOCUS: How did you first get involved with the Community Roundtable? JN: Maureen Krzanowski tapped me to help judge the Fourth of July Parade in 1999. She thought that would be great because I was part of the media [retired owner of The BrandonValrico Journal], and she wanted to make sure the Roundtable was getting media coverage. After the parade was over she said “You should join the Roundtable.” So I got shanghaied into being a member, and very proudly so. Maureen was a great inspiration, the heart and soul of the Roundtable and served as our president for some time. Unfortunately, she passed away about eight years ago, and, of course, that put us in a tailspin. She was the driving force behind the organization.
Marie Cain, Brandon Fourth of July Parade Chair, is a vital part of the annual celebration’s success. Marie coordinates all participants, vendors, Hillsborough County Deputies, and volunteers. Photo by Stephen B. Nickerson
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FOCUS: Can you provide me with a little history on the Community Roundtable? JN: The Roundtable started in 1957 when there were, as I said, cows, rattlesnakes, orange groves, and strawberries, and that’s what the community was. So as people started moving here, they said, “We have families and there’s nothing for these kids to do!” So the Roundtable was instrumental in establishing the Little Leagues in the area. We supported bringing a hospital and library to Brandon because we wanted it to be a good community. In the mid 70s, we donated about $6,000, which came from Honorary Mayor’s Races, to establish Center Place. We wanted Center Place to be Brandon’s cultural and arts center, which is why you’ll always find this relationship between the two organizations. FOCUS: How is the Community Roundtable involved in the Fourth of July festivities? JN: Our committee, chaired by Marie Cain, has been meeting every two weeks since October. We’re calling it Parade University. There are many details that go into it and a lot of people don’t realize how involved it is. For instance, there are certain rules and regulations now for floats. You can no longer throw anything from a moving vehicle. Items must be handed out at curbside. The Sheriff ’s Office is involved because they consider this a Homeland Security issue, so we have about 80 deputies who monitor the crowds. Also, they prefer we put bicycle barricades along both sides of the road all the way down the two-mile parade route, but that would cost us $34,000. We don’t have $34,000, and as a charity, I hope we never have $34,000 we could throw at something like that. But the concern of the Sheriff ’s Office is correct—it’s an issue that we want to make sure the crowds are safe. So what we’ve agreed to is if you have a float, not only can you not throw things, but we now require four safety officers from that entry to each wear a green safety vest and whistle. FOCUS: How long has the Community Roundtable been organizing the parade? JN: We’ve been presenting the parade for over 50 years. Nobody knows exactly how many because there’s no real documentation, but the Roundtable is the only organization that has presented the parade. The parade route has changed over the years. For years, it used to run down Route 60. But again, back in the day we didn’t have the traffic issues we face now. I
Brandon’s Fourth of July parade is the largest in the State of Florida with between 30,000 and 50,000 spectators in attendance. Photo by Stephen B. Nickerson