Lowry Park and Fairyland have long been a popular topic of discussion at the Tampa Natives page on Facebook.  In late January of 2017, the page had just over 10,000 fans, many of whom have fond memories of the original Fairyland, built in 1957 under the direction of Mayor Nick Nuccio.

If you're not familiar with Lowry Park and Fairyland, in order to understand "Why all the fuss" you are urged to first
see a history  of Lowry Park and Fairyland with photos, here at TampaPix
 

By the mid 1980s the zoo was in dire condition.  Thousands of people filed past the small cages, often too close for the animals’ safety. News clips from over the decades tell of razor blades being tossed into dilapidated cages, and arrows shot into the compounds. Sea lions collapsed from copper poisoning after eating pennies that had been tossed into their tank. A tiger died after someone gave it amphetamines and barbiturates. After several years of fundraising and the help and support of Mayor Bob Martinez and the city of Tampa, the zoo went private in 1986 and so the original Lowry Park Zoo with Fairyland closed with a ceremony on Monday, September 7, 1987 for its $20 million reconstruction.

The rejuvenated first phase of the revamped zoo opened on March 5, 1988 with a Free-Flight Aviary, Asian Domain, Primate World and a Children's Village/Petting Zoo. The old Fairyland was spruced up, along with the original rainbow bridge entrance (without the large pool), returning as the Fairyland walk at the "Fun Forest" entrance, with many of the original storybook character statues having been repaired and repainted.

More than 614,000 people visited the Zoo during its first 12 months. 

Fast Forward to the 2010s

Not much thought was given to what happened to the Fairyland storybook figures until recent years.  At the Tampa Natives Facebook page, Tampans who had moved away many years earlier would sometimes post asking if Fairyland was still around, some asked "what happened to it?" Some commented they hoped it would be rebuilt.  The topic never failed to inspire many comments from fans who remembered the pre-1980s Fairyland. 

Tampa Natives Show host and Tampa Natives Facebook page admin Mario Nuñez had fond memories of Lowry Park and Fairyland, having spent his childhood growing up in the 1960s.  He found out about the location of the storybook character figures quite serendipitously in January of 2012.

I actually found out about the location of the figures from the City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Department while researching for my great grandmother's final resting place in Colon-Marti cemetery. While at the CTPRD office, it was a stroke of good fortune that I saw a large poster-size photograph of Rapunzel's Castle at Fairyland hanging on the wall of Katherine Walker-Hebert's office.  I expressed to Katherine, the department's South Team Supervisor II,  how much Fairyland meant to generations of Tampa native youth.

She closed the door to the office and whispered, "The city still has them."


 Tampa Natives Show host Mario Nuñez with the photo of Rapunzel's Castle and Goosey Gander,
at the City of Tampa Parks & Recreation Dept.
The Tampa native, the poster, and the place where it all started--serendipitously!
Photo by City of Tampa Recreation Dept. employee, April 2017

Same poster still in the Parks Dept.

The original press photo this poster was made from

Feb. 1, 1958 - The iconic Fairyland photo scanned from the original 8 x 10 Tampa News Bureau photo.	Feb. 1, 1958 - Left side detail of the iconic Fairyland photo scanned from the original 8 x 10 Tampa News Bureau photo
Feb. 1, 1958 - Fairy detail of the iconic Fairyland photo scanned from the original 8 x 10 Tampa News Bureau photo
Feb. 1, 1958 - Willie the Whale detail of the iconic Fairyland photo scanned from the original 8 x 10 Tampa News Bureau photo	Feb. 1, 1958 - Goosey Gander detail of the iconic Fairyland photo scanned from the original 8 x 10 Tampa News Bureau photo

Feb. 2012- Mario and his wife Sally went to see the figures.                         The following photos were taken by Sally.
This  video was taken on Mario's "Flip Cam."                                                     Photo by Sally Nuñez Photo by Sally Nuñez Photo by Sally Nuñez Mario realized what a travesty it was for them to be discarded like this, unprotected, neglected and left to deteriorate. He knew thousands of Tampa Natives fans would feel the same way.               Photos by Sally Nuñez            Photos by Sally Nuñez              Photos by Sally Nuñez During a conversation Mario had with friend Richard Gonzmart in early 2013, Mario mentioned having found  the Fairyland figures.  At that time, Richard was in the midst of construction of his Ulele Restaurant, but he  mentioned the idea of the figures being placed on the restaurant's property near the Riverwalk, if they could be obtained from the city.  Richard is president of the Columbia Restaurant Group which owns such popular and successful restaurants as Ulele, Goody Goody, and of course, the "Gem of Spanish Restaurants," the Columbia on 7th Ave. in Ybor City (which has been owned and operated by his family since opening there as a cafe in 1905.) Richard became extremely busy with Ulele Restaurant, then resurrecting the iconic Tampa Goody Goody restaurant and its construction in Hyde Park, and with airport board meetings.   Photos by Sally Nuñez Photos by Sally Nuñez                         Photos by Sally Nuñez   Photos by Sally Nuñez

2015-Feb. 13 - Mario uploaded his video of the Fairyland figures to his personal Facebook page.      There, it started a beehive of activity with conversation and reminiscing. Later that same evening, Dan of TampaPix.com asked Mario if his video was on the Tampa Natives Show YouTube channel so he could embed it here at TampaPix, but got sidetracked with trying to obtain Sally's over 100 pictures from Mario.  Dan is also co-admin of Tampa Natives on Facebook with Mario and his wife Sally, and page founder/admin Steve Cannella,  The photos were too large and too many to email to Dan, and they discussed uploading them to Dropbox.  But they were on Sally's phone and she didn't have Dropbox.  2015-Feb. 15 - Mario sent Dan a link to the photos using a transfer service "WeTransfer" to his AOL email but the link wouldn't work properly in AOL's browser, and the URL wasn't shown. 2015-Feb. 17 - Unable to download Sally's photos and Mario's video, he used Facebook's embedding feature to embed Mario's video here on the TampaPix Lowry Park history page.  Dan also posted a link on Tampa Natives to Mario's video.   Three months later they picked up on this topic again: 2015-Jun. 3 - By way of message, Mario asked Dan if the Fairyland figures video was still on our Tampa Natives page.  Mario: Can you repost it for us?  The city may be willing to give us a space to work on refurbishing them.  Dan:  I never had the actual video, I think I just shared a link to it from YouTube.  I'm searching my files now. Mario: Ok, If I need to repost the video so we can share it again, let me know. Dan:  Ok, I don't have it.  What I did was share a link to Tampa Natives from your video that you had on your personal page.  It would be good to have it in the Tampa Natives video collection.  Make sure  you  post it as "Tampa Natives" for better exposure. Mario: Dan, see if you can find the video and share it. Mario also tagged Dan in this public post:       2015-Jun. 4 Dan:  Ok, I found it, it's on your personal page.  I shared it again to the Tampa Natives timeline.  You can edit my post if you switch to posting as Tampa Natives.  I just put "Update coming soon..." But Dan still couldn't download the actual video, and so the link to Mario's video worked its way down the timeline as other postings were made in the ensuing months.   Days turned into weeks and months, with both assuming the video had been uploaded, so not much momentum was generated to start an organized, united effort to put together a plan.  There was plenty of Facebook "talk" but no real action.  The figures remained the proverbial "pie in the sky."      2016-Jun. 9 - It was a YEAR later that Dan & Mario picked up again on the Fairyland topic:

Through his media contacts and the Tampa Natives Show, Mario was able to get the story out of the junkyard and into the hearts of thousands of viewers. Lloyd Sowers of Fox 13 News in Tampa was tagged on Mario's video, and it got Lloyd's attention. Lloyd and Mario got together and planned for a feature on Fox 13.  2016-June. 23 - Mario commented on his own video, tagging Lloyd Sowers with "Lloyd Sowers, are we ready? Let's do this! It's a perfect time for it."

2016, July 12 -  Tampa Natives (Dan) uploaded Mario's video "Fairyland Storybook Character Figures." Dan was finally able to download Mario's video and add it to Tampa Natives so it would be listed among the rest of the page's videos, and thus have more visibility and easier access by fans. Within a few days, the video at Tampa Natives had over 5,000 views, with 9,400 views by Feb. 2017.

2016, July 13 - Mario commented on his video at Tampa Natives: Lloyd Sowers, people would be excited to know about your upcoming piece on these iconic figures. Please share that information with us.

2016, July 13 - Lloyd Sowers responded to Mario's comment at Tampa Natives:  Very interesting story. We shot video of the characters which are now outside a city garage near MacDill AFB. The city person in charge is suggesting they may be sent to a non-profit children's theatre in the Plant City area. No final decision had been made. We're still working on our story scheduled to air July 28 in the 10pm hour. People new to Tampa will get a little history lesson!

More of Sally's photos from their first visit to the city lot. Photo by Sally Nuñez      Now it was time Cinderella was to be tapped by the magic wand.  At once, her dingy rags became a crown of gold, set with jewels, and her feet were shod with sparkling glass slippers.  Cinderella got into her golden coach, ready to go. But her godmother commanded her not to stay one moment past midnite... Cinderella in Coach   Photos by Sally Nuñez                                 Photos by Sally Nuñez Photos by Sally Nuñez   Photos by Sally Nuñez   Photos by Sally Nuñez Photos by Sally Nuñez    Photos by Sally Nuñez Photos by Sally Nuñez

Photos by Sally Nuñez
Photos by Sally Nuñez Photos by Sally Nuñez

Photos by Sally Nuñez

Photos by Sally Nuñez Photos by Sally Nuñez

Photos by Sally Nuñez

Photos by Sally Nuñez

 

We are grateful beyond measure for Mario and Sally's efforts on this day for bringing our beloved Fairyland storybook character figures back into the limelight after years of neglect.	Place your cursor on the photo to see another one of Sally and the pumpkin.
END OF FEB. 2012 PHOTOS

 

 

THE FIRST FOX 13 NEWS STORY

2016-July 28 Remember Fairyland? The decades-old characters have reappeared
-Lloyd Sowers reporting, Fox 13

Fox 13 News - Mark Wilson, Kelly Ring, Lloyd Sowers, Mario Nuñez, Robin Nigh - City Art Mgr.

Screen shots from the video

If you were a kid in Tampa 30 or 40 years ago, you remember Fairyland. It was full of life-sized storybook characters. For many kids, it was the main attraction at Lowry Park.
 

"We had Fairyland and it was available to us and free," says Tampa native Mario Nunez. "It was a magical place for us."
 

But, time passed and Fairyland lost its luster. The characters were taken down years ago, but now they've reappeared. They're outside a city garage near MacDill AFB. They were squirreled away by city workers years ago.

"They couldn't let them go. They were too special," says Robin Nigh, the city's art manager. "We've got Peter Pan**, The Three Little Pigs, Little Miss Muffet. And, we've got the tuffet somewhere," she laughed. Nigh is searching for someone who might restore and display the figures.  "I'd like to see these figures refurbished back to their original state and maybe left somewhere in the city limits."
 

Wherever they go, their surprising return will remind us of a simpler time when kids in Tampa found magic in Fairyland.

**There was no Peter Pan.

(From Fox 13 news)

2016-11-16 Figurines from former Fairyland in Tampa may return to public
- by Paul Guzzo, Tampa Bay Times

The Three Little Pigs’ brick house from Fairyland is long gone. The other two structures survived. Times (1958)

TAMPA — These fairy tale princesses have seen better days. Stored behind a city warehouse near MacDill Air Force Base, Snow White's face is melting. Sleeping Beauty's has caved in. These life-sized figures made of fiberglass and concrete now seem more suitable for a horror movie than a tourist attraction. But Mario Nunez excitedly dances from one to the next, envisioning the statues as they looked when he was a kid, not as they do decades after being discarded. "They're beautiful. Imagine her eyes a pristine blue," Nunez, 58, said of Snow White. "They just jumped out at you."

     The statues were once part of Fairyland, a 15-acre North Tampa park with a winding walking path that took visitors on a journey through storybooks. The characters that children met at the park, which shared space with Lowry Park Zoo, included Peter Pan, Three Men in a Tub and Peter Rabbit. Fairyland was razed in the late 1980s** and the figures have since sat in or outside a warehouse, crumbling from age and the elements.

     Now the city plans on auctioning them off in mid January. Nunez is not happy about it. He thinks the characters should be refurbished and placed somewhere to once again be enjoyed by children. There is no guarantee the winning bidder will share his vision. So he wants the city to give the statues to him to ensure a happy ever-after. "This is part of our history," he said. "It should not be for sale." He wants the statues in a public park or perhaps in different locations throughout the city. "It could be a scavenger hunt," said Nunez, 58. "Find the characters."

     This is not his only effort to salvage a piece of the city's history. Nunez also is on the hunt for the large, hand-painted illustration of Al Lopez that once adorned the West Tampa stadium named in honor of the baseball Hall of Famer. When the stadium was torn down in 1989, the sign had already been removed. Nunez has reached out to viewers of The Tampa Natives Show, which he hosts on a local cable network, to help find the illustration. He also asked them to help him acquire the Fairyland figures.

The response has been tremendous, Nunez said. "Everybody is in place and ready to go."

     His team includes Brenda Piniella Rouse, a resource development director for the Rotary's Camp Florida, which helps people with special needs. She is helping Nunez start and then manage a non-profit to finance the restoration and storage of the characters until a permanent home can be found. "Why would they be auctioned?" Piniella Rouse said. "What are they worth? How much will the city get? They are like that ratty teddy bear that is missing an eye and has a torn paw that no one wants unless it is their own. The only value they have is sentimental. So give them the right home.

     Also helping is Linda Hope, 73, a local historian and owner of the weekly Penny Saver newspaper. She will seek needed funds and local artists willing to help. "I used to take my kids to Fairyland," she said. "They had a rainbow bridge you walked over to get to a playground. Kids felt like they were walking into another world."

     City Council member Yvonne Capin wants to give the group a chance. Cancel the auction, she says, and hand over the fairy tale characters. "Why not?" she asks. "I've seen the city give away a lot more." As a child, Capin used to go to Fairyland Park. Years later, as a mother, she took her daughter there. "A lot of people may think it was cheesy," Capin said. "To us, it was magical." Fairyland was built in the 1950s as a free complement to Lowry Park Zoo.
 

    "This was our Disney World," Nunez said. "This was our place.  I thought the characters were gone," Nunez said. When he looks now at the storybook characters tossed haphazardly behind the warehouse, he can't help but chuckle. Only two of the homes built by the Three Little Pigs have survived the elements. Ironically, it's the brick one that is long gone. And in the far corner lies Humpty Dumpty, flat on his back. "He fell off that wall," said Nunez said. "But we're going to put him back together again."

Paul Guzzo at pguzzo@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3394. Follow @PGuzzoTimes.
 

2016-Nov. 17 -  Tampa Natives (Mario) posted a link to Paul Guzzo's article, writing, "Please Read, Comment & SHARE! Let's get 1000 SHARES.... Please help!"

Many other fans of Tampa Natives used various means to contact the city to voice their concerns. Some used the city's website, through its "Contact Us" page.

 Cheryl DeLong:
As you all are aware there is a group of Tampa natives who would like the opportunity to refurbish them and place them on public display. Since it isn't feasible to put them back at Lowry Park why not place them at the new proposed park at the Water Tower. It is my understanding that a botanical garden is planned there so why not place them in that garden along with benches and swings and little free libraries dotting the path where future leaders, dreamers and peacemakers can dream a little dream of their own inspired by fairy tales and other inspirational people. Please consider my proposal as I think it could work for all of us. Thank you Cheryl DeLong

  Ben Crumpton:
I am deeply disappointed in your recent decision to auction off the historic Fairyland figures from the old Lowry Park. These are historical treasures, and nearly anyone who grew up in Tampa during the 60s-90s holds fond memories of these figures. I can't tell you how many times I visited Lowry Park as a child, and spent hour upon hour enjoying the storybook figures there. These relics of Tampa's past should be PRESERVED and put back on display for THE PUBLIC to enjoy and admire, for generations to come, not to be auctioned off for a few measly bucks (that would barely amount to even a single drop in the bucket of the budget of a city like Tampa) so that some wealthy individual can keep them selfishly all to themselves. THEY BELONG TO THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY OF TAMPA! There is a ready group of volunteers willing to put in whatever work and TLC are required to bring these figures back to life. Don't leave a legacy for yourself of having sold out the historical treasures of your city! You could engender so much good will for yourself if you would reverse your course and give these treasures back to the PEOPLE of Tampa, where they rightfully belong. Please reconsider.

This is the response Ben received:

Good Morning Mr. Crompton,
Please see attached information related to your earlier customer service post to the City today. Sincerely, Gregory K. Spearman, CPPO, FCCM
Purchasing Director City of Tampa
306 E. Jackson Street Tampa, FL 33602
P: 813-274-8855 F: 813-274-8355 Gregory.Spearman@Tampagov.net

It included a JPG image of the auction brochure plus the following Word file:

9.0 SALE OF CITY PROPERTY
9.1 POLICY STATEMENT
The Purchasing Department is responsible for the disposal of surplus or obsolete tangible City property. Interdepartmental transfers of equipment and removal of property from the inventory due to loss or theft are processed by the Accounting Division of the Department of Revenue and Finance. The Purchasing Department will attempt to secure the highest prices possible for surplus property and scrap materials most frequently through bidding or auction. Under certain conditions, the most practical and cost beneficial method for disposal of assets may be as a trade-in on replacement items. Such application is the joint responsibility of the requesting department and the Purchasing Department. Prior to the sale or trade of an asset, a Request for Disposition of City Property form (FIN 12) must be processed by the Department of Revenue and Finance. Sales tax must be collected from the buyer of the property except where such sale is specifically exempt from sales taxes under Florida law. In the event of a tax exemption, a copy of a valid tax exemption certificate or other applicable tax exemption documentation must be retained in the Bid file. Contact the Purchasing Department for additional information. Contact the Accounting Division of the Department of Revenue and Finance for procedures and forms.

 Barb Gibson Mallalieu:
Mayor Bob Buckhorn.
Fairyland was Mayor Nuccio's and the City's (Tampa) GIFT to the children of Tampa. Therefore, it is NOT the City of Tampa's property to auction off. Please stop this auction! This was my Disney growing up. It is and always will be a part of mine and thousands of others, childhoods. We are in tears over your decision to sell our property. Please show us how much you actually care for us as YOUR PEOPLE, by returning all Fairyland figures to THE PEOPLE. It was OUR gift. Not yours.

Response:

Good Morning Ms. Mallalieu.
The City is simply following its policy for the disposal of surplus property which is attached. If the City sets a precedent of donating property, we would receive multiple requests to make donations for all sorts of things and that would not be in the best interest of the public or the City. We would encounter all sorts of issues such as who to make donations to which would then raise the question of fairness. An auction is fair and reasonable and is open to everyone who has an interest in acquiring surplus City property, even to individuals or groups who may be interested in acquiring and restoring the Fairyland Figurines.
Sincerely,
Gregory K. Spearman, CPPO, FCCM - Purchasing Director

(Notice in Paul Guzzo's article, City Council member Capin said, "Cancel the auction and hand over the fairy tale characters. Why not? I've seen the city give away a lot more.")

Saving Fairyland  -  Page 1   Page 2   Page 3   Page 4   Page 5   Page 6   Page 7

Lowry Park/Fairyland History    Herman - King of the Zoo     Safety Village      Fantasia Golf