By Danny Federico Riverbend News
On Wednesday, Nov. 11, the Stephen Foster Citizens Support Organization (CSO) received a $20,000 donation from Nutrien, an organization which has been partnered with the CSO for over 20 years, for their ongoing Museum and Tower Restoration Fund.
The Stephen Foster CSO is a non-profit organization dedicated to working with the Florida Park Service to enhance, protect and promote the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park, as well as Big Shoals State Park, both of which are located in White Springs. The CSO's goal is to support the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park's mission of preserving Florida's folk history. They also assist with the preservation of nature, history and culture of Stephen Foster and Big Shoals State Parks by preserving their combined 2,500 acres of land along the Suwannee River. The CSO strives to accomplish this through fund raising and educational programs and events developed in cooperation with the Park Manager. They also work with local related organizations through communications and volunteering.
Nutrien, an agricultural service, provides 25 million tonnes of potash, nitrogen and phosphate products to agricultural, industrial and feed customers world-wide. They are the world's largest provider of crop inputs, services and solutions, playing a critical role in feeding the future by helping farmers increase food production in a sustainable manner. Nutrien has locations in Asia, Australia, Europe, South America and all across North America, with their closest location being a phosphate operation in White Springs.
Nutrien's $20,000 donation will be going toward repairs for the Carillon Tower bells, located within the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park. The 200-foot-high tower, built in 1957, houses 97 bells, ranging from C to G, chromatic and high G, which play melodies written by Stephen Foster. According to the park's brochure on the Carillon Tower, "The largest, low C bells weigh 426 pounds each and are 12.5 feet long," while the high G bells, the smallest, "weigh 69 pounds each and are 3.5 feet long." The 97-bell, one of the largest musical instruments produced in the Western Hemisphere and the world's largest tubular carillon in number of bells, was installed during the summer of 1958, but was silenced during the early 1980's because of the high maintenance costs of the aging system.
Restoration efforts for the Carillon bells began in 1991 and, in 1992, enough funds were raised to restore one set of 32 bells. Restoration of the 32 bells was completed in April of 1993. In the summer of 2017, the Carillon Tower sustained electrical damage in a storm, forcing the bells back into silence. On Feb. 27, 2018, the Stephen Foster CSO set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for the tower's repair and restoration, which began in the summer of 2018. Now, with the ultimate goal of $250,000 for the continued restoration efforts, the fundraiser has reached $83,547 with the help of Nutrien's donation.
"Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park and the Stephen Foster Citizens Support Organization are extremely grateful for Nutrien's unfaltering support," said Andrea Thomas, Park Services Specialist. "The recent donation to our Museum and Tower Restoration Fund greatly assists us in our fundraising efforts to repair and restore our Carillon bells. With continued fundraising efforts and continued community support we will hear the world's largest set of Deagan Tubular Bells ring clear again."
Please visit stephenfostercso.org/Carillon for more interesting facts about the Carillon Tower. Or, to donate to the restoration and repair fund, go to gofundme.com/f/sfcso. For more information about the Stephen Foster CSO and how to get involved, please visit stephenfostercso.org. For more information on Nutrien, please visit nutrien.com/what-we-do.