This Sunday marks the Easter Holiday and here in Southwest Florida residents are gearing up for a long-held tradition in Fort Myers that today attracts tens of thousands of people:  The Dunbar Easter Parade.  This week’s encore essay from News-Press storyteller Amy Bennett Williams pays homage to the legendary local woman who founded the parade74 years ago.

Evelyn Sams Canady was an educator as well as an important civic and religious leader in the region.  She also helped found Dunbar High School and the Dr. Ella Piper Center. Her bio paints a picture of a passionate educator whose lessons extended well beyond the classroom.