Drew Park — Tampa Bay Neighborhood Songs

Every Tampa neighborhood has a story, but Drew Park's story is written across runways, classrooms, ballfields, businesses, and generations of people who helped move this city forward.

This Fourth of July, we are celebrating Drew Park with a neighborhood anthem called "Where Heroes Train and Students Grow." It is a tribute to the service members who trained at Drew Field, the families and workers who built a community around it, and the students today who are creating Tampa's next chapter.

From Open Land to Tampa's First Airport

Before it was known as Drew Park, this area was called Drew Field, named for cattleman, developer, and aviation supporter John Higley Drew. In 1928, Tampa opened its first municipal airport here on a grass airfield. What began as open land and early aviation dreams became an important part of Tampa's growth. By 1934, the city had purchased the property and added runways, hangars, lighting, and other improvements with support from federal public-works programs. Drew Field was more than an airport. It represented a city looking forward.

A Place Where Heroes Prepared

When World War II began, Drew Field took on an even bigger role. The federal government leased the property and transformed it into a major Army Air Corps base. The installation expanded across a large portion of what is now Drew Park, stretching from the Hillsborough Avenue area toward Columbus Drive and Dale Mabry Highway.

During the war, Drew Field became home to military training, air operations, barracks, hospitals, theaters, libraries, recreation halls, classrooms, and even a prisoner-of-war camp. More than 100,000 soldiers were stationed or trained there between 1940 and 1945. Combat crews prepared for service. Planes filled the sky. Families and workers supported the base from the ground. The weekly newspaper, Drew Field Echoes, helped keep the military community connected during a time when communication and morale mattered deeply.

That history is why the song's hook says: "Drew Park, where our heroes train, where our students grow through the sun and rain." The heroes came first, carrying the responsibility of defending their country. Their courage left a foundation that is still felt in the neighborhood today.

Dale Mabry: A Road Built for Connection

In 1943, Dale Mabry Highway was constructed to connect Drew Field with MacDill Field to the south. Today, Dale Mabry is one of Tampa's most traveled roads, but its role in Drew Park's history runs much deeper than traffic. It was built to move people, equipment, and military resources during wartime. It connected two major aviation and military centers that helped shape Tampa's identity. Every time we travel down Dale Mabry, pass Tampa Bay Boulevard, or head toward Hillsborough Avenue, we are moving through a piece of that history.

From Drew Field to Tampa International Airport

After World War II ended, Drew Field was deactivated as an Army Air Corps base. Parts of the land returned to civilian use, and the airport resumed commercial operations. National Airlines and Eastern Airlines began serving the area in the mid-1940s. In 1952, the municipal airport was renamed Tampa International Airport.

The old Drew Field legacy still rises into the sky every day. Every departure from Tampa International is connected to the early airfield, military training grounds, and aviation vision that began right here.

Where Students Grow

Drew Park is not only a neighborhood with military and aviation history. It is also a place of opportunity. Today, the area is home to the main campus of Hillsborough Community College, where students come to earn degrees, learn trades, build careers, and create new futures for themselves and their families. The same land where service members trained now helps students prepare for their own missions.

Along streets like W South Avenue, W Osborne Avenue, W Alva Street, W Crest Avenue, N Huber Avenue, N Hale Avenue, N Grady Avenue, and W Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the neighborhood carries both its past and its future. Drew Park is a place where history does not stay in a museum. It lives in the streets, in the classrooms, in the small businesses, in the workers opening up each morning, and in the students walking toward what comes next.

Baseball, Big Events, and Tampa Pride

Drew Park is also home to George M. Steinbrenner Field, where generations of fans have gathered to watch baseball and make memories under the Florida sun. Nearby, Raymond James Stadium brings Tampa together for major games, concerts, and community celebrations. The area's energy is hard to miss: baseball cheers, football crowds, restaurant tables filling up, dealerships along Dale Mabry, local shops, light-industrial businesses, and people working hard every day.

Drew Park has always been a place in motion. Planes once took off from its fields. Soldiers trained for service. Students now prepare for careers. Fans gather for games. Businesses keep the neighborhood moving.

Celebrating Drew Park This Fourth of July

This Fourth of July, the fireworks mean something extra in Drew Park. They honor the military men and women who trained at Drew Field. They honor the workers who built Tampa's future. They honor the students at HCC who are working toward their goals. They honor the families who call this community home.

Drew Park is proof that a neighborhood can carry history while still building tomorrow. So when the sky lights up red, white, and blue, remember the words: Drew Park, where our heroes train. Where our students grow. From the runway lights to the fireworks high, we lift our voices on the Fourth of July.

Happy Fourth of July, Drew Park. Your history matters. Your people matter. And your future is still taking flight. 🇺🇸

Lyrics — Where Heroes Train, Students Grow

[Intro – Spoken] Drew Park, Tampa stand up! From the runway to the classroom, From the ballfield to the boulevard— Tonight we honor the ones who served, The families who built it, And the students carrying it forward. Red, white, blue—let's go! [Verse 1] Back in nineteen twenty-eight, beneath that Florida sky, John H. Drew saw open land and watched the dream take flight. A hundred acres of grass and hope, a runway in the sun, Tampa's first municipal airport where a new day had begun. Planes would rise above the palms, engines singing loud, Neighbors looking to the sky, feeling Tampa proud. Then the world called for brave hearts when the war clouds filled the air, And Drew Field became a place where heroes would prepare. From Tampa Bay Boulevard to Dale Mabry's line, Every road was carrying courage in a wartime time. Barracks, hospitals, classrooms, soldiers side by side, A city inside a city built on service and pride. [Pre-Chorus] They trained beneath the sunshine, They stood through storm and rain, Every generation after them Still carries on their flame. [Chorus] Drew Park, where our heroes train, Where our students grow through the sun and rain. From the runway lights to the fireworks high, We lift our voices on the Fourth of July. Drew Park, let the freedom bells ring, From Dale Mabry down to the ballpark swing. Hands to the sky, let the whole town know— This is where heroes train and our students grow! [Verse 2] Nineteen forty-three, Dale Mabry made the way, Linking Drew Field to MacDill, moving night and day. Convoys rolling southbound, wings cutting through the blue, Tampa built a lifeline for the people passing through. More than one hundred thousand soldiers came to serve, Learning, leading, giving all with strength and nerve. The Third Fighter Command stood tall with purpose in its name, And every crew that trained there helped defend the American flame. They printed Drew Field Echoes so the base could stay connected, Stories of the people who deserved to be respected. Theaters, libraries, recreation halls at night, A whole community moving forward toward the light. [Chorus] Drew Park, where our heroes train, Where our students grow through the sun and rain. From the runway lights to the fireworks high, We lift our voices on the Fourth of July. Drew Park, let the freedom bells ring, From Dale Mabry down to the ballpark swing. Hands to the sky, let the whole town know— This is where heroes train and our students grow! [Verse 3] Now the old field's legacy is still alive today, Tampa International carries dreams across the bay. The planes still rise where history first took wing, Every takeoff tells the story of what courage can bring. At Hillsborough Community College, futures fill the halls, Books open wide while ambition answers calls. From W South Avenue down Osborne Avenue too, Young minds build tomorrow in everything they do. N Huber Avenue, N Hale standing proud, N Grady Avenue hearing cheers from the crowd. W Alva Street, W Crest, W Martin Luther King, Every block has a story and a reason that we sing. [Bridge – Crowd Call-and-Response] When I say "Drew," you say "Park!" Drew! — Park! Drew! — Park! When I say "Heroes," you say "Rise!" Heroes! — Rise! Heroes! — Rise! When I say "Students," you say "Grow!" Students! — Grow! Students! — Grow! From the old Drew Field runway— To the place we call home! [Verse 4] At Steinbrenner Field, hear the crack of the bat, Legends in the making, now imagine that. Families gather close with the summer in the air, Baseball, memories, hometown pride everywhere. Raymond James Stadium lights up the Tampa night, Big dreams, big cheers, red, white and bright. Along Hillsborough Avenue, the shops stay alive, Restaurants, local workers, keeping Drew Park in drive. Auto lots along Dale Mabry, engines shining clean, Small businesses, classrooms, every in-between. From the trade shops to the storefronts, from the homes to the planes, Drew Park keeps moving with its history in its veins. [Final Chorus] Drew Park, where our heroes train, Where our students grow through the sun and rain. From the runway lights to the fireworks high, We lift our voices on the Fourth of July. Drew Park, let the freedom bells ring, From Dale Mabry down to the ballpark swing. Hands to the sky, let the whole town know— This is where heroes train and our students grow! [Outro] From Drew Field to Drew Park, From history to tomorrow. For the soldiers, the families, the workers, the students— We honor you tonight. Drew Park… Red, white, blue… Where heroes train— And our students grow.