I'm really kinda lame in my explanation of the Swamp Buggy Buck if you can do better please have at it in the comments section below. As far as I know merchants printed & sold them to raise money for what I don't know. I'm at a loss other than knowing they existed I was too young to grow a beard & wouldn't have parted with my allowance for one. No way anyone would get my dollar for mowing our yard & trimming that damn Brazilian pepper hedge. Besides that sap from that hedge usually stuck to my money & anything else I owned. People would ask whats that stuff on your hands & I would tell them I got a little happy with that Testor's Model Glue putting together a Mustang model. Then came the reply that I was probably sniffing more than I was gluing...
Bucks courtesy Gerry Johnson aka Scorpio By The Pier
See Gerry's comments for the history of the Swamp Buggy Buck!
1. The photos of the Bucks are from Lisa Fleming. In her column in the NDN on 10/21/02 Lisa explained:
ReplyDeleteQ&A In the Know: The origin of Swamp Buggy Bucks--Q. What can you tell me about Swamp Buggy Bucks? What year did they begin and what were they for?-- Lynn Bailey, Naples
A. On Oct. 23, 1953, the then Collier County News reported that local merchants would offer special bargains to aid the promotional activities during the swamp buggy races.
Stores participating in the promotion gave a Swamp Buggy Buck for every dollar spent during the three days of races. The bucks not only served as souvenirs of the annual event, but also were used to vote for the swamp buggy
queen. Jars were placed at various merchants with pictures of the candidates on them to cast your vote. The bucks also allowed the holder to be eligible for prizes given away the day of the races. Tom Morgan, assistant editor at the
time, designed the original swamp buggy buck.
2. Also, Lila Zuck has just published(Oct. 2009)a new book, Naples' Oldest Tradition: Swamp Buggy Days. It has many, many photos & details about Swamp Buggy Days & is available at www.collierhistorical.org
Gerry Johnson