Florida Today Newspaper Article:


"Annie," the green concrete and steel dragon, stood at the confluence of the Indian and Banana rivers for more than 30 years before collapsing in August 2002. Diane Carr and her daughter, Kira Earley, were so touched by the collapse of Annie, they co-authored a book about the landmark. Photo by Michael R. Brown, FLORIDA TODAY, dragon photo FLORIDA TODAY.


 Merritt Island dragon
resurrected in fairy tale
Mother-daughter authors say beloved fallen landmark deserved a better ending
By Billy Cox - FLORIDA TODAY

Long before the concrete dragon on south Merritt Island known as Annie collapsed, her impact on the local neighborhood was self-evident. Not only was she a magnet for boating parties, she surfaced on nautical charts as Dragon Point, and her chalk-green, 65-foot hulk was an attention-grabber for motorists on nearby Eau Gallie Causeway.

During her losing battle with erosion in the 1990s, an unofficial fan club sprung up with designs on restoring her foundation, some 20 tons of steel and concrete draped atop a tenuous sliver of coquina rock since 1971. But group efforts failed, and in August 2002, Merritt Island's southernmost landmark crumbled overnight. Today, amid the rubble, only Annie's four concrete dragon hatchlings -- Joy, Sunshine, Charity and Freedom -- remain intact.

Among the many who were upset by Annie's demise was Diane Carr, a Merritt Island licensed massage therapist. Almost immediately, Carr sat down at her computer and began writing a storyline based on Annie, which was the handiwork of the late sculptor Lewis VanDercar. As Carr took a break, her daughter Kira Earley, then 12, gave the story an unsolicited look, then wrote an ending and an epilogue.

"I saw it when it crumbled, and I thought it looked really sad, because it was in pieces," Earley says. "I'd just like (the book) to remind people of Annie."

Today, that self-published and gorgeously illustrated collaboration is finding its way into selected schools and libraries as a children's book called "River Dragon: A Real Florida Fairy Tale." But the book is only one component of a bigger package. A companion workbook offers a play script, a vocabulary section emphasizing endangered species mentioned in the narrative, a coloring book and sheet music for a song called "Dragon Island," written by local duo Robin & Eddy, which is included on a CD.   (CLICK HERE TO FINISH ARTICLE)

Click above to Read the first chapter of River Dragon....

 		 

 

 

  
   
 
 
   
       
 
 
 
 

 

 

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The River Dragon Written by Diane Carr & Kira Early  Contact Diane at: dianelmt@bellsouth.net

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