Volunteers dress in period costumes while conducting tours, delivering talks and adding ambience on Pioneer Day.

Central Florida residents can take a step back in time on Saturday, Feb. 9, when St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on Merritt Island hosts its eight annual Pioneer Day.

This year’s annual event, which is a partnership between Sams House at Pine Island on Merritt Island and St. Luke’s, will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“This has been an annual event since 2012,” said Pioneer Day director Joyce Young. “We have a wide array of events at both sites. There is something for everyone. We consider Pioneer Day to be a day of community outreach, both with the Sams House and people in the community.”

​Events will take place at both the Sams House/Pine Island Conservation Area and St. Luke’s. The planned activities at these two historic sites will take guests back in time through art, music, food, presentations, archaeology, and nature.

This family-friendly day includes activities from past festivals as well as new attractions. Parking is available at both locations for a suggested donation of $1, with free shuttle service between the two venues.

The event has historical roots dating nearly 150 years. Each year, Pioneer Day takes place near the birthday of John Sams, a citrus grower and the first superintendent of Brevard County Schools.

Sams also built the oldest-standing home in Brevard (circa 1875). The Sams Cabin is now a museum within the 1,000-acre Pine Island Conservation Area, which is owned and operated by the Brevard County Environmentally Endangered Lands Program. Sams also helped to build St. Luke’s Chapel in 1888 and is buried in the church cemetery.

​One highlight of Pioneer Day each year is the tour of the historic St. Luke’s Chapel, which is on church grounds. “The chapel is a splendid example of Carpenter Gothic Architecture,” Young said. “Carpenter Gothic is a distinctly American interpretation of Gothic architecture. During the tour, participants will hear about the style and how the chapel reflects the style.”

​The historic chapel was built in 1888 with the help of the Sams, LaRoche, and Porcher families. Many early pioneers, including John Sams, are buried in the church’s cemetery.

​Students in the B.L.A.S.T. (Behavioral, Learning and Social Training) program, which is the school board program for those students with social cognitive issues from graduating high school to age 22, will be selling hand-made items at the event. It teaches the students life and employment skills. “We are excited to have the young people from the B.L.A.S.T. program. This event is the first time that some of them have ever been to a sale, and to sell things that they’ve made is so wonderful!” Young said.

St. Luke’s also will be selling a collection of biographies at the event. “We have collected more than 25 stories of notable people who are buried in the cemetery since the 1880s. The book is $10,” Young said.

​Also, of note will be a presentation on the heyday of the citrus industry, “Rebuilt and Remade: Florida citrus in the early 20th century”. The audience will learn more about the heyday of the citrus groves in Florida, from its mechanization to the rise and fall of the cooperatives and the influence of African-Americans in Florida citrus. The presentation is at 2 p.m.

That presentation follows another on the “St. Luke’s Chapel: A Gem of Carpenter Gothic Architecture (in the 1888 chapel)” at 11 a.m.

​Additionally, volunteers will be giving guided cemetery tours, each with a unique theme. At 10:15 a.m., a tour on an archeologist’s perspective with Molly Thomas will be held at 10:15 a.m. A tour on Founding Families follows at 11:30 a.m., followed by a Through the Ages tour at 2:30 p.m.

In addition to the tours will be a “Cemetery Stroll” from 12:30 to 2 p.m. when volunteers dressed in period attire talk about life in their day. Some of the volunteers are Sams family descendants.

​Other events scheduled are: Know Your Treasures, Your Treasure Explained, and Pioneer Music. For the Know Your Treasures event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., attendees can bring an item or picture and have an expert explain the treasure.

Pioneer music will be played in the chapel beginning at noon. A wide array of soups will be on sale for $5 a bowl at noon.

At Sams House/Pine Island, organizers will present Florida living history demonstrations, guided trail hikes and offer live music courtesy of the Celery City String Band, Chris Kahl, Pine Trio & Boylston Fish.

There will be a tour of the historic chapel and St. Luke’s Cemetery during the eighth Pioneer Day on Saturday, Feb. 9.

Exhibitors showcasing history, nature, wildlife, anthropology, and archaeology also will be on hand. A Crafts Fair & Farmer’s Market, and children’s games and crafts will be offered as well.

Additionally, there will be 1888 Sams House tour, and a pioneer parade at 11 a.m. Food trucks will be on premises.

Proceeds from the church’s portion of Pioneer Day will go to the overall support of St. Luke’s. “We always remember the Lord with a tithe of profits going to Father Stephen Dass’s Sao Paulo Mercy Ministry in Brazil,” Young said.

St. Luke’s is located at 5555 N. Tropical Trail on Merritt Island. The Sams House at Pine Island is located at 6195 N. Tropical Trail. For more information, please call 321-452-5260 or 321-449-4720 or visit www.stlukesmi.org, www.mipioneerday.com or http://www.facebook.com/pioneerdaymerrittisland

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ST. LUKE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, MERRITT ISLAND