Savannah Branon (Swimming & Diving, Boston College) grew up in Jacksonville. HelloNation asks student athletes one question about the place that raised them and records the answer on camera. This is Savannah Branon’s, in full.
The question
Tell a story about a moment when your hometown came together or achieved something that made you proud.
The answer, as recorded
Transcript. What follows is a transcript of the video above, in Savannah Branon’s own words. It has not been rewritten, and no part of it was drafted for them.
In a weird way, one of my most fond memories of watching Jacksonville come together was when we lost Adventure Landing. For many of us that grew up in Jacksonville, Adventure Landing was our childhood. It was a water park, mini golf course, arcade, go-kart ring, amusement park, and gator exhibit all in one. It's where I found my love of fast water slides and even faster roller coasters. Sadly, over the summer, it was completely torn down to make room for more condos for the incoming wave of families moving to Florida. But what's more prominent in the Jacksonville community than Adventure Landing's departure is the community online. People from every corner of Jacksonville, from Southside to Duval County, were all enraged about such an important landmark being taken down. People were unified by both the anger of another prominent Jacksonville landmark being torn down again and again to make way for housing for people that may not live in Florida year-round, but also the nostalgia of people reminiscing over how amazing our summers were at Adventure Landing when we were kids. It was as if, for a second, Jacksonville stopped to remember how great Adventure Landing was and how it had all made us feel as children. Seeing thousands of people come together online to honor Adventure Landing's memory reminded me of how strong our community really is. That even when something great disappears, the memories built over time keep us all connected. It makes me proud to be a Jacksonian because it proves that we value our experiences together and the memories that shape us as a community.
Recorded by HelloNation as part of its athlete voices program and published by Hello Newswire, HelloNation’s good news newswire. The words are the speaker’s own.
Reported by Hello Newswire.