It's hard to imagine it now, but sleepy little Floral City was once a boomtown with twice the population of Miami. Traveling through the well-known canopy of oaks over Orange Avenue is more likely to evoke thoughts of the graceful Southern living so often portrayed in movies than images of a brawling frontier town. On Saturday, the Floral City Heritage Council will invite the public to step back in time to the small town's glory days during the Folklife Living History Day. Carolers will begin the festivities and welcome in the holidays with "Candles and Carols" from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday. They will be stationed at regular intervals along Orange Avenue (County Road 48). More than 1,000 candle-lit luminarias will light the way under the century-old oak trees. Many of the events scheduled for the Folklife Living History Day on Saturday will provide a glimpse of the time when farriers shod horses, soap was made by hand, and horse-drawn carriages were the fanciest mode of transportation available. Visitors are invited to join the fun by wearing period clothing from the 1880s to the 1920s. Renowned Florida historian Hampton Dunn will tell tales of old-time Florida, and many area residents will join him at the elementary school on E Marvin Street with their own reminiscences. Other events will include a soapbox derby on S Aroostook Way at 3 p.m., horse-drawn hayrides, carriage rides and a re-creation of a phosphate miners camp. Highlighting the day will be the re-enactment of a Victorian wedding at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the newly renovated 1884 United Methodist Church. The music and songs at the wedding will all be in keeping with the period being dramatized. Tom Ritchie of Floral City will portray the minister at the wedding. The bride will be played by Sonya Webber, also of Floral City. Interestingly enough, Webber will have two different grooms, whose names nobody seems to know. The events aim at recalling those turn-of-the-century days when Floral City was booming. The rock-hard deposits of phosphate, discovered in the area just before the "Big Freeze" of 1894-95 devastated the citrus-based economy, led to the growth of the phosphate mining industry at the beginning of the century. At least seven phosphate companies drew laborers from as far away as Georgia and South Carolina. The population soared to more than 10,000, 96 percent of them black laborers and their families. There were five general merchandise stores, a sawmill, school, hotel, several turpentine camps, town doctor and even a milliner. Connie Denney, president of the Floral City Merchants Association, expects a large crowd to learn about local history. "Some people who have run similar events expect 2-3,000 people," Denney said. "I think we're going to have quite a large crowd, maybe 4,000 to 6,000 people." Visitors will have an opportunity to tour a number of the homes in the historic district. Denney recommends visiting two homes exemplifying the character of the period: the Irwin Tooke house at 8532 E Orange Ave. and the D.A. Tooke house at 8560 E Orange Ave. Members of Altrusa will be on hand to take old-time photos on the Withlacoochee Trail, just south of Orange Avenue. Period clothing and a buckboard add a rustic touch to the scene. Southern cooking comes into play with swamp cabbage, sweet potato pie, blackeyed peas and barbecued chicken and ribs. For dessert, try sucking on an orange through a peppermint stick, or eating a handful of Cracker Jack, which celebrates it 100th anniversary this year. If your tastes are more bizarre, enjoy a pickle-on-a-stick. Giant Christmas cards will be erected along Orange Avenue and displayed throughout the holiday season. Large maps with the locations of the events will be located at both ends of town. Free parking is available at Ferris Groves on U.S. 41. Take time to see the exhibit of antique farm machinery there, before using the new Withlacoochee Trail to walk over to the activities in the Historic District. Other parking will be available off E Magnolia and S Baker avenues. While most exhibits are free, there will be a charge for some events.