ABOUT THE FRED DRAKE PARK AT LAKE ELLAFred O. Drake Jr. Park (also known as or part of Lake Ella Park) is a City of Tallahassee public park at Lake Ella. Most of the shoreline of Lake Ella including a much-strolled-upon public sidewalk around the lake, is included in these parks. The north shore of the Lake is the property of Sauls-Bridges Post 13 of the American Legion, and the Vietnam Veterans of America Big Bend Chapter 96's HOOTCH building is located there. The American Legion Sauls-Bridges Post 13 has graciously allowed public use of its parking lots and lake shore for many years as part of the park. If you think that is complicated... TEN (10) City of Tallahassee Departments are involved in operating various aspects of Lake Ella, and one of its immediate neighbors is the HQ building for the Tallahassee Police Department.
Lake Ella is physically constrained in terms of nearby parking facilities and possibly in the number of people who can access it easily at one time. For those reasons we have tried to organize and schedule events in a way to manage congestion as much as possible. We chose this location not just because it is near the VVA Chapter 96 meeting hall, the Hootch, but because it is near the heart of and is a warmly regarded place in Tallahassee; and because it has something not particularly common in Tallahassee... just enough of a nearly level area to assemble the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall.
The park facilities including a public restroom across the street from the peninsula into the lake where the Traveling Wall is to be sited are handicapped-accessible, although the ramp up the hill to the restroom facility may be a bit "adventurous" to some.
If you are planning to arrive from out of town and are not familiar with Tallahassee, here is a link to a MapQuest map showing the Lake Ella area and major highways into Tallahassee:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW MAP (this is an outside link to mapquest.com - the map is fully interactive)
(Some motel information is also included - click here - for those who have need of travel accommodations.)
Please note that Lake Ella Drive south of the lake is ONE WAY and can only be entered from North Monroe Street (U.S. 27 N). There is limited parking on Lake Ella Drive, and the ONLY public parking lots for Fred Drake Park are located on both sides as soon as you turn onto Lake Ella Drive. If you pass these, and want to go back... basically you cannot, except by circling the block. (Turn right onto Officer Ponce Way and keep turning right till you get back to Lake Ella Drive.) Be prepared with the idea that you may have to park several blocks away and walk... but PLEASE DO NOT block people's driveways, or park in the parking lots of the commercial establishments along Monroe Street, etc. If you park across (west of) North Monroe Street (U.S. 27 N), please cross Monroe only at a traffic light. There will be TWO college football games in Tallahassee over the weekend and traffic on North Monroe Street can be expected to be heavy!
The photo shows the peninsula into Lake Ella at Fred Drake Park. The right wing of the Traveling Wall will run a few feet to the west (to the left in the photo) of the pictured sidewalk, and the entire Wall will face roughly east.
VVA Chapter 96 obtained a Park Permit from the Tallahassee Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Affairs in January of 2008, and we thank Dan Farrar and Shannon Nazzal for their cooperation. We also look forward to cooperation with a number of departments of the City of Tallahassee and specifically thank local law enforcement agencies including the Tallahassee Police Department and Leon County Sheriff, Larry Campbell.
The photo seen at the top of each page of this web site was made in January of 2008 (note the Winter-time bare limbs of the weeping willow at the left of the photo). In September of 2008 a low landscaping wall was added around the perimeter of the peninsula. The Traveling Wall will actually extend across (over the top of) that landscaping wall on the east side of the peninsula but a temporary earthen ramp will facilitate access including handicapped access over the landscaping wall. A photograph taken in mid-October that shows approximately where the Traveling Wall will cross over the new landscaping wall, appears to the right.
NOTE: Park Permits are required for special events in parks of the City of Tallahassee. Contact Shannon Q. Nazzal: shannon.nazzal@talgov.com or (850) 891-3887.
It would be wise to check this page for timely updates. Be sure to hit the RELOAD or REFRESH button on your web browser.
VVA Big Bend Chapter 96
241 Lake Ella Drive
Tallahassee, FL 32303-5572
RETURN TO: Traveling Wall in Tallahassee Main Page
This page was created on 21 June 2008
and was most recently edited on 24 October 2008.