Highlander Hut, I miss you. . . . . NOT!

Almost anyone who grew up in Clermont has Highlander Hut memories. For those of you not familiar with Clermont, the Highlander Hut was a multi-use facility named after our high school mascot at the time, the Clermont Highlanders.

I know I'm going to date myself here, but I have lots of fond memories of the Highlander Hut.  As a kid I attended many a boy scout and cub scout meeting in the hut.  Back then the train still passed through town so we would put nails and coins on the tracks when we arrived for our scout meetings.  The train would pass during the meeting and afterwards we would rush out to gather up our flattened souvenirs.  The hut was also the home of many of our high school dances. When I started producing triathlons back in Clermont in the early 80's, the hut served as our race registration headquarters.

A year ago spring the Highlander Hut became history when it was demolished to make room for its replacement.  This project was long overdo and at least five years behind schedule.  It always amazed may that although Clermont's population had grown by leaps and bounds, we still had the same amount of community meeting space that we had over 35 years ago.
The wait was worth it as the new building opened in time for our Great Clermont Triathlon season opener in March.  The main building has more usable space than the old hut and as an added bonus includes a large open-air pavilion.

This new facility is a great asset to our community and certainly enhances all Waterfront Park events, including our triathlons.  Waterfront Park looks like a brand new park with the addition of these buildings.  I'm especially excited about the opportunities the new pavilion offers as we plan for this fall's Great Floridian.

Now that the public swimming beach is back open (seasonally), Clermont Waterfront Park is truly the community showplace it was meant to be.