Arcadia

Arcadia is a small town roughly northeast of Port Charlotte. Its main business is agriculture (a lot of cattle and citrus), and they've got a rodeo every year (known locally as "The Granddaddy of 'em all"). While people more used to big cities would call Arcadia "quaint" (or something rude), I've always liked it. It's got a nice downtown, and when I was growing up (next door in Port Charlotte), they had a great drive-in. Whenever we went to Walt Disney World (and as Florida kids, we did frequently), we drove up US 17 through Arcadia (at least until I-75 extended to I-4). I'll always remember those trips: driving through Arcadia just around sunrise, hoping that we wouldn't get stuck behind a tractor on the way to a far-flung part of the farm. I'll always remember those drives fondly, and even though I haven't been to Arcadia in a few years, I'm still fond of it.
On August 13th, Hurricane Charley swooped in and ruined parts of South Florida. As [bad] luck would have it, Arcadia got hit. Charley will probably inhabit many an Arcadian's nightmares for some time to come. What you're seeing above (courtesy of the Sun-Herald) is the Turner Agri-Civic Center in Arcadia. The scary part here is that the Turner Center was the hurricane shelter for Arcadia. Over 1,200 people were inside when Charley ripped it open like a sardine can, forcing them to flee to DeSoto High School (across the street). By some miracle, there were no deaths or major injuries.
Oh, and in case you read yesterday's post on mascots and are curious, DeSoto High's mascot is the Wildcat. And yes, they usually mopped up the football field with the Port Charlotte Pirates.