Al Smith : Bringing People Together Downtown through Passion and Creativity
by Patrick Evans-Hylton
Once a plantation of orange groves and sugar cane , and the
land of Native Americans before that , the bucolic stretch of land along the Halifax River drew the attention of Mathias
Day Jr . in 1871 .
He saw promise there , and built a hotel on what was once the Orange Grove Plantation , in an area now known as the Daytona Beach Historical District . Others came , and the core of what is now downtown Daytona Beach , a city named in Day ’ s honor , grew from an epicenter around the corner of Orange Avenue and Beach Street .
At its center is Riverfront Park , the crown jewel of the community . It ’ s the community that Al Smith , 63 , has embraced since his youth .
“ My memories of downtown were of it being the heartbeat of the community . I remember the hustle and bustle of the downtown , especially during the Christmas season and going to see Santa and his village in the park ,” said Smith .
“ I fell in love with the area for sure ,” said Smith , owner of Al Smith Productions , which runs events in the area throughout the year . “ It ’ s a beautiful area . It ’ s a place for us all .”
Downtown Daytona Beach is now under a major revival , which Smith is a part of , but his ., and his family ’ s interest goes back decades .
“ We always saw the potential in this area ,” he said . “ The architecture of the buildings , the history of the space , the beauty , all of it sitting right on the river . And it wasn ’ t transient , it wasn ’ t touristy . It was community .”
Smith ’ s father , who was a physician , had always admired Angell and Phelps Chocolate Factory which was located downtown . In 1983 he took a leap of faith , purchasing the factory , which had been established in 1925 .
“ Buying Angell and Phelps came with a great deal of pride and responsibility ,” said Smith . “ It was my father ’ s dream to own it and the rest of the family ’ s job to figure out how to run it .
While Smith ’ s brother , Chuck , runs Angell and Phelps to this day , Smith took a different approach to remaining connected to his beloved downtown .
About a decade ago he began organizing special events , becoming a cheerleader of sorts as he took on marketing what was then a fledgling area .
“ I believe the best way to market downtown is to give people reasons to come downtown ,” he said . “ Let ’ s get them down here and show off the area and what all is here . Give them an experience .”
Smith ’ s events have included New Year ’ s Eve on Main Street , a massive block party with a ball drop , fireworks , and six stages of music that attracts more than 20,000 folks and Red , White & Brew , an Independence Day event with music , food trucks and more . Another popular event is the Island Rum Festival held on Labor
Day weekend with a pirate parade , pirate village , live music , and pub crawl .
AI Smith
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