The Historical Society loves how everything in the county is intertwined. Some of our volunteers are volunteers elsewhere. Perhaps members of the Wood family, who lived in the Bidwell-Wood House from 1896 until the 1960’s, visited the Keiths or the Prodies at the Keith Mansion. So we are proud to help our current-day peers preserve and protect history, and of course, we love food, art and jazz as well as history! So join us at an event on the Trail, just a few miles south of our Pioneer Park location:
The plein air painters often visit our historic buildings at the Historical Society of Sarasota County.
On Wednesday February 25 the Phillippi Farmhouse Market, a venture of the Friends of Sarasota County Parks, welcomes the Light Chasers (Sarasota’s Plein Air Painters) to a Quick Draw Painting Contest. At 10 a.m. the air horn signals the start of the painting in the market and all over the park. The painters have just two hours to create an original painting: will they paint the Farmhouse> The Mansion? The colorful kayaks bobbing in Phillippi Creek? You’re welcome to wander the grounds and peer over the artists’ shoulders as they strive to envision an award-winning artwork of this bit of Sarasota history!
Bill Farnsworth, Master Artist from Venice, will judge the paintings and award prizes. You can buy the paintings right off the easel right then or attend one of the art shows and sales at the Edson Keith Mansion on Friday, Feb 27 – 6 – 8 p.m. (Gala Opening Night – $25.00/ticket) or come Sat Feb 28, 5 – 8 p.m. FREE, or Sunday, March 1 – noon – 5 p.m. FREE.
Along with Sunday’s art show and sale will be Jazz in the Park, a free jazz concert from noon – 5 p.m. at the Gazebo, sponsored by the Jazz Club and the kickoff to Jazz Week in Sarasota.The Quick Draw Contest and art shows and sales in the Edson Keith Mansion will raise funds for the restoration of the Keith Farmhouse in the Park. This was the original building erected on the estate in 1916 – 99 years ago.
The Historical Society of Sarasota County 
Just to make a couple of corrections here….The Jazz in the Park will be from 1:00 – 4:00 pm at the Gazebo at Phillippi Estate Park, featuring International Jazz violinist Doug Cameron and the Mike Moran Trio. Also featured are two outstanding high school Jazz Groups: Riverview H.S. Jazz Band and Pine View H.S. Jazz Quartet. Mike and his wife, Kitt Moran will also be playing at the Master Artists Art Gala on Friday evening, the 27th, in the Edson Keith Mansion in the Park. It’s located at 5500 S. Trail here in Sarasota ! See you there, for some of the best “American Impressionists” painting today !