WELLINGTON, Fla. — It's Jan. 1, 2021, and the celebrations continue. This time people are marking a milestone in Wellington, the village's 25th anniversary.
Mike Smith and his wife Joyce have lived in the area for 30 years.
"We moved here and there were probably 15 or 16,000 people, I think, living in Wellington and I think Southern Boulevard was a two-lane road," Mike Smith said.
Joyce has seen a lot of change in the past three decades but said the growth has been strategic.
"I think the planned growth has been wonderful, the parks, the recreation for all ages," she said.
To keep the silver anniversary as safe as possible, village leaders added COVID-19 protocols ahead of the fireworks launch from Wellington Green Park.
"With COVID-19 we had to do this similar to the way we did July Fourth, which is having it being a social distance fireworks celebration," Deputy Village Manager Jim Barnes said.
He said they asked folks to remain close to their cars, wear a mask, follow social distancing and no tailgating.
Mickey Bitter had no problems with the rules.
"A lot of places just go through the anniversary and don't do anything about it," he said. "It's awesome that they're doing something about it, and people are coming out and having a good time."
