Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park treehouse

The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park has made national television with the filming of The DIY Network TV show, “The Treehouse Guys.” If you are a fan of “The Treehouse Guys” and/or a fan of the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park (SOSMP) in Live Oak, please come join us for the debut of the episode featuring the brand new spectacular treehouse at the SOSMP. Admission is free.

Famed treehouse designer/builder Michael Garnier, who designed the new treehouse and oversaw its construction along with the Treehouse Guys, will be a special guest at the SOSMP for this very special event. He is flying in from his home in Oregon to watch the show and greet visitors, so come see the show and meet Michael Garnier.

This special event begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, in the Music Hall with Ted “Teddy MacElvis” McMullen’s regular karaoke program. The big screen showing of The DIY Network TV program begins at 9 p.m. Admission is free.

Doors open to the Music Hall at 5 p.m. where dinner will be available at regular price until 9 p.m. The public is invited and welcome to come and enjoy seeing the building process and the finished treehouse on screen. Private guided tours of the new treehouse next to the Suwannee River have been underway since completion of this one-of-a-kind treehouse by the Treehouse Guys in early summer. Treehouse tours will be available by reservation from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18. The tour is $8 per adult and $4 per child 12 and under. Reservations may be made by calling the SOSMP office at 386-364-1683.

This treehouse was a project much loved by SOSMP co-founder Jean Cornett. “Miss Jean,” as she was fondly called by friends, SOSMP employees and volunteers, located her special tree years ago alongside the Suwannee River where she felt it would be perfect for her dream treehouse. She began to work toward getting the project underway years ago. The dream came true this year when Miss Jean had the opportunity to see the first floor of the treehouse being constructed just days before her untimely death.

Now, as the finished product is unveiled nation-wide on The DIY Network, Miss Jean’s family will gather around TV sets across the country to watch the construction process and celebrate Miss Jean’s dream come true. Many family members will gather in Kentucky while others will gather at the SOSMP.

Michael Garnier, designer of Miss Jean’s dream treehouse, is one of the original Treehouse Guys. He is the owner/builder/operator of Out’N’About Treehouse Treesort in Cave Junction, Ore. He invented the famous Garnier Limb (GL) and the original Treehouse Attachment Bolt (TAB) which safely holds treehouses together. Michael has also been featured as one of the Treehouse Masters and is an original Tree Musketeer. Michael started the World Treehouse Conference in 1998 with Pete Nelson. He and his treehouses have been featured on numerous media outlets including all major news shows such as Good Morning America, Comedy Central, HGTV, the Discovery Channel, New York Times, People Magazine and the Smithsonian Magazine.

Michael started building treehouses professionally in 1990 and continues his craft today. He also built the first treehouse at the SOSMP through 1997-1998 next to the Jam field in about three months. In a phone interview with Michael, he said he got the first ever treehouse building permit, and it took him eight years to get it.

“I came to Suwannee County in 1997, applied for a permit and got it within eight weeks,” he said. “It was unusual to get a treehouse permit anywhere at that time, and Suwannee County was very accommodating.”

And, Michael said, he came back this year for the new treehouse construction and got a second treehouse building permit in the same county, something highly unusual. To check out Michael Garnier and see some of the treehouses he’s built, go to http://treehouses.com/joomla/index.php/treesort or michaelgarnier.com.

“The Treehouse Guys” episode featuring the SOSMP Treehouse will air at 9 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18. If you can’t make it to the SOSMP to watch the show with family and friends, The DIY Network can be found on Dish Cable Channel 111, on Direct TV Cable Channel 230 and on Comcast/Xfinity Cable Channel 121.

If you would like to rent one of our beautiful cabins, a spot to park your RV/camper or primitive or just need additional info, please call the SOSMP at 386-365-1683, email spirit@musicliveshere.com or go to www.musicliveshere.com. The SOSMP is located 4.5 miles south of Interstate 75 and 4.5 miles north of Interstate 10 at the beautiful Suwannee River off US 129 at 3076 95th Drive. Don’t miss the celebration!