EPIPHANY – 105th Dive for the Holy Cross – 2010 Tarpon Springs
The warm-up show…. a manatee! (Below):
The crowd of 12,000 and the 12 boats the boys will soon occupy. (Below):
The boats at the ready.
An interested spectator. (Below):
One of two scuba divers for helping the kids as needed. (Below):
Kids playing in the water while waiting. (Below):
The procession after the mile long parade. (Below):
The boys who will be diving. (Below):
The beginning of the ceremony, the girl in front is holding a white dove – beside her is a boy with the Epiphany trophy. (Below):
The 78 boys being blessed as a symbol of Christ’s blessing by John and Christ’s baptism. (Below):
Time to swim to the boats! Louis Pappas (who retrieved the cross) is on the right. (Below):
Continuing the ceremony: (Below):
One boy not doing well (third from left). (Below):
Medics to the rescue. (Below):
Girl in white (now on right) prepares to release the single white dove. (Below):
Dove is away! The dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit flying over Spring Bayou. (Below):
Archbishop Demetrios tosses the cross (it can be seen at the base of the light over the Archbishops head (in front of his gold mitre)!) (Fr. Vasileios is in white to his right, His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios is to his left (black headdress) ) (Below):
The cross just below the railing.
Boys on the move!
17 year old Louis Pappas (football quarterback) came up with the cross! (Below):
Louis is great grandson of Louis M. Pappas who had the restaurant downtown and grandson of Jack Louis Pappas who’s son Mike built the new restaurant on Alt 19. Jack Louis Pappas was there and was overwhelmed when his grandson retrieved the cross on his 81st birthday.
105 white doves were released commemorating the 105th anniversary. (below):
Louis climbing out of the water with the cross in his right hand:
Children who were part of the pageant:
Reading a tract in the form of a cartoon story:
The photograph below shows (between the chair and the wheelchair) the square patch I had applied when we repaired the sidewalks in 1981.
In 1981 the newspaper carried an article which stated that the 1982 Epiphany was cancelled due to the City not having the $4 million needed to repair the severely deformed sidewalks. I was the new City Engineer and decided to look for myself. I contacted a contractor and we agreed on a price of $20,000 for him to “float” the slabs back into place by pumping concrete under the slabs. The city council approved the plan, scoffing that we could not do much with such a pittance, and besides would most likely damage the seawall in the process. But they did approve it, and in 1982 they did have the Epiphany celebration, the sidewalk repair was a success! And now 29 years later, guess what, my repair has held, and they have had the Epiphany celebration now for 105 years without a break!!
A seagull and the Greek flag.
