Join us at our Ring the Bell party!
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Join us at our Ring the Bell party!

Will you be participating in #GivingChallenge16? We sure hope so…

“We”, in this case, being not just your Board at the Historical Society, but the great folks over at GuitarSarasota.org as well.

Not only will GS be giving free mini-concerts/lectures in the Crocker Memorial Church this coming season but we are partnering for the Community Foundation’s popular 2016 Giving Challenge on September 20-21 from noon to noon.
“Our organizations’ partnership is the perfect example of non-profit collaboration and includes a multifaceted new non-profit partnership,” says Thomas Koch of GS. “And, joining forces for the 2016 Giving Challenge gives both organizations the exciting opportunity to engage our boards and cross-promote to both organizations’ supporters,” he says.
Linda Garcia, Site Manager of HSoSC, is equally pleased by the new partnership. “We have a creative campaign planned that was born out of a good old fashioned brainstorming session between both organizations. I love it when collaboration results in creativity,” she says.

One of the creative ideas when we brainstormed was that sometimes, people want to donate, but the online, credit-card-only structure of Giving Challenge is, well, a bit challenging. The solution to that obstacle? Throw a party and have ambassadors available to make supporters’ donations for them!

So! We’re throwing a “Ring The Bell Party” on September 20, 2016 from 4-7pm.

Everyone who donates gets to ring the bell, our newest addition to our campus… and we’ll even, if you like, take a photo of you doing so!

Join HSoSC & Guitarsarasota to celebrate #GivingChallenge16

The bell, normally off-limits to freelance ringing, will ring out your support of either or both nonprofits.

There will be ambassadors from both organizations to assist attendees in donating online, in “real-time”, to the 2016 Giving Challenge. Remember that your donation will be matched or even tripled by The Patterson Foundation so your generosity will be truly effective for both groups.

So much going on Tuesday, September 20 from 4-7pm

  • Crocker Memorial Church and the Bidwell-Wood House, 1260 12th Street in Sarasota’s Pioneer Park
  • Tour the Crocker Memorial Church (1901) and the Bidwell-Wood House (1882) as well as our ever-growing gardens in Pioneer Park
  • enjoy live classical guitar music by Thomas Koch
  • dance to live music by Sal Garcia, founder of OMNI
  • ambassadors available to assist you in donating online, real-time, to the #Giving Challenge16
  • watch as our historic demonstrators weave fabric and create boondoggles
  • complimentary refreshments
  • donations generously matched by The Patterson Foundation, 1:1 or even 2:1, making your contribution doubly or triply more valuable!
  • historical cast-iron church steeple bell on display
  • photo station for your social media fun!
  • donors are invited to #BeTheOne and Ring The Bell to celebrate their participation in supporting these two non-profit organizations

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Spiffing up for Season at the Historical Society

In the lull between our Annual Meeting in May and the beginning of Conversations at the Crocker in October, you might think the Bidwell-Wood House and the Crocker Memorial Church slumber in the heat. Not so! We’ve been organizing three wonderful events, two of which are BRAND NEW, and one a returning favorite.

Well sure, it’s hot, but that doesn’t stop volunteer gardens overseer, Sue Padden, and site manager Linda Garcia, from plotting the… well, the plot: our native plantings, herb garden, and flower pots and boxes.

1605 sue padden and linda
A sure way to beat the heat of the summer is to play in the sprinkler… err, wield the pressure hose and clean off the access ramp to our campus.
cleaning the railings 7-2016
Thanks to our volunteers and a gift from the parents of a Crocker bride, our plantings look better every season, don’t they?
hsosc garden-bromeliadsAnd the House has a new coat of paint, the decks a protective sealant. And wait until you try out the new park benches in our front yard!park benchIf you’ve entered the Crocker from our ramp, you know how user-UNfriendly that step right there was… well, we’ve had a “stage-ectomy” as Linda calls it: it’s no longer a feat to maneuver in, as these folks had to do at our Annual meeting!
stageWe thank our members, Conversations attendees, and donors for the funds that let us keep improving these historic buildings for contemporary use…

and we look forward to seeing your name on the list of #GivingChallenge16 donors on Sept. 20 and 21, so we can continue to make the Historical Society a true gem in Pioneer Park! Here’s info on how your contribution will be doubled or even TRIPLED!

Help the Historical Society of Sarasota County Preserve History

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#BeTheOne: You can preserve history!

Help the Historical Society of Sarasota County Preserve History

Lost: The Bispham-Wilson Home stood until recently near the corner of Tamiami Trail and Proctor Road. The Bispham Dairy served the Sarasota area for 65 years. Razed 2014-2015. More.

Lost: El Vernona Hotel> John Ringling Hotel> John Ringling Towers. Built in the 1920s as the El Vernona Hotel by Owens Burns, and named after his wife, Vernona, the hotel was the center of glamour and activity in Sarasota. Razed 1998. More.

Saved: The Bidwell-Wood House was built in 1882. It is now revitalized as the centerpiece of the Historical Society of Sarasota County, located in its new home in Pioneer Park at 1260 12th Street, Sarasota. 

Saved: Crocker Memorial Church, whose predecessor was built in 1901 as a place of worship and gathering spot, continues into the 21st century repurposed as a community amenity next to the Bidwell-Wood House in Pioneer Park.

You too can #BeTheOne to help preserve our county history, by participating in the upcoming Giving Challenge 2016.

If you miss the Giving Challenge, we always welcome your membership and participation in the Society.

Photo credits: Bispham-Wilson Historic District, By Ebyabe – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11911031
El Vernona Hotel> John Ringling Hotel> John Ringling Towers, as seen on SarasotaHistoryAlive.com
Bidwell-Wood House, Greg Wilson Photography
Crocker Memorial Church, Historical Society Archive

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The heavens are smiling on our new season!

Historical Society of Sarasota County's Events Committee 2016

L to R: Deborah Bowers, Kate Holmes, Linda Garcia, Brenda Lee Hickman, Marsha Fottler, Lynn Harding, Diane Esthus, Meade Ferguson, Marie Rowe. Behind the camera: Terrance Leaser

The heavens were shining upon the Historical Society of Sarasota County’s Pioneer Park campus when our Events Committee met to plan an active, engaging 2016-2017 season for our members and guests. We can’t WAIT to show off our newly-freshened Bidwell-Wood House (1882) and Crocker Memorial Church (1901) to everyone!

In addition to our monthly Conversations at the Crocker events (which are often SRO!) on the 2nd Tuesday of each month, our Welcome Back Reception for members in October, our Members’ Holiday Gala in December and of course, the never-to-be-missed Annual Meeting & Potluck in May, we have to present to the community:

  • Our Trolley Tours of Historic Downtown Sarasota (Sept 17 and March 11 are already sold out, so get your reservations in!);
  • Our traditional Historic Sarasota Bay Cruise on the LeBarge, narrated by the talented John McCarthy (Reservations coming in fast, and space is getting limited, so claim your seat now!);
  • A Private Tour of Ca’ d’ Zan hosted by Keeper of the House Ron McCarty, with lunch (Members only event, reservations now being accepted for this intimate event);
  • And Artists in the Park on Sunday in collaboration with Light Chasers Plein Air Artists (keep an eye on our Calendar for more info as this develops!)

Also, we’re having three opportunities for you to participate, donate, and re-house some wonderful possessions. We’d love for you to donate, shop, and spread the word to the community in general about:

  • The Pop-Up History Book Swap: Available at every Conversation at the Crocker, and probably a few other places as well
  • Our popular and anticipated Bi-Annual Designer Tag Sale on Saturday November 12
  • and our newest partnership, Sparkling Saturday, a gently-used, heirloom and estate costume jewelry sale with Jewelry to the Rescue on Saturday November 26.

As you can imagine, there are volunteer tasks and jobs aplenty! Call our Site Manager, Linda Garcia, at 941-364-9076, or email her at hsosc1@gmail.com, and she’ll help you match up your interests and availabilities with some fun way to help HSoSC keep on shining!

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Exciting New Events This Fall

We’re excited about 3 events this fall (well, we’re excited about them ALL, but especially these):

Our new pop-up History Book Swap* will be an added attraction at our Conversations at the Crocker meetings (we all love to expand our knowledge of history!)
And thanks to our never-say-die volunteers, the Designer Tag Sale* returns on Saturday Nov. 12: all sorts of wonderful home and garden embellishments, just in time to refresh your home for the holidays.
Plus, on Thanksgiving weekend, a great shopping opportunity: Sparkling Saturday*, featuring gently-used, unique, and estate costume jewelry for your browsing and gifting pleasure. Starting at $3, these treasures will be here for just one day, Saturday November 26. So gather your Thanksgiving visitors, and come on down!

Now, I’m sure you know that pretty darn soon we’ll be asking you to participate in #GivingChallenge16 where your online monetary donation to us will be doubled or even tripled (trebled? I think that’s the historic word!) during the 24-hour window Sept 20-21.

But right now, these hot August days are a good time to stay indoors, de-clutter, and donate your underloved but wonderful stuff to help our volunteers raise funds!

Here’s what we can turn into income for ongoing expenses: (And remember, you can ask Linda for a tax receipt if you need one.)

1- Have spare or duplicate books and booklets on Sarasota County, regional, or state history? Donate for our NEW pop-up book shop, debuting at Conversations this fall. Drop them off anytime.
2- The Designer Tag Sale comes back Saturday November 12! Home decor items would be wonderful. If you’d give it as a gift, we’d love to have it! Since these donations take up space we don’t have, if you could put them aside to bring in in late October/ early November, that would help so much!
3- Go through your jewelry! We’re having the jewelry sale to end all jewelry sales, Sparkling Saturday, on Saturday November 26 (that’s Thanksgiving Saturday.) Drop off anytime. Guy jewelry too. Yes, even broken jewelry will be helpful.  Note: Your donation of costume jewelry gets you a FREE PASS to the sale (a $5 value!) Get a friend to fill a baggie or two with her unworn sparklies, and get free passes for BOTH of you!

Inviting friends, neighbors, coworkers and fellow residents to our events and sales is a gift you can give the Historical Society for free, without even de-cluttering! Imagine if we could introduce the Historical Society to two or three times the audience we now have!

*All three events need volunteer help before and during. Give Linda a call or an email about your availability and what you’d have fun doing. 941-364-9076 or hsosc1@gmail.com

 

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Summer Heats Up and Members Step Up!

Summer Heats Up & our Members Step Up!!!

Many thanks to our members who have stepped up this summer to help the Historical Society of Sarasota County.

The Historical Society's Landscape Chair, Sue PaddenSue Padden has volunteered to head up the landscaping committee and has planted our herb garden – she comes often to check on “her garden”. She has also elected to do a monthly donation to HSOSC with our pay pal monthly donation key on our website. Please join her in this by checking the button on the website. This is a tremendous help with the funding for the maintenance and upkeep for the two historic gems in Pioneer Park – the Bidwell-Wood House (1882) and the Crocker Memorial Church (1901).

 Paul Morrisroe volunteered his time and labor to repair the irrigation systems sprinkler heads and connections. This is a great help for the maintenance of the yards.

 Jon Moore and Linda Garcia accepting an antique steeple bell from Jack Helm of Helm VaultJon Moore located an antique church bell at the Helm Vault company and coaxed them into making a donation to HSOSC.

We thank him and Jack Helm and are looking forward to our “Ring the Bell” party in September (details coming: stay tuned!).

Gloria Nepstead has stepped up to replace Margret Bering as our volunteer plant lady taking care of the flower boxes on the front porch of both the church and the house.

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HSoSC in Harmony with GuitarSarasota

We are very excited to have our historic Crocker Memorial Church selected as the venue for six classical guitar mini-concerts/ lectures by GuitarSarasota.org.

Founder of Guitar Sarasota, Thomas Koch

Founder of Guitar Sarasota, Thomas Koch

At 7:30pm on the second Monday of the month in our Crocker Memorial Church, November through April, professional musicians from Sarasota/Bradenton, Miami, Tallahassee, and beyond, will perform, educate, and promote the appreciation and cultural significance of the classical guitar as a solo and chamber music instrument.

GuitarSarasota’s performances at Crocker Memorial Church are open to the public and free of charge. Seating is open so come early!

This series, with its goal to perform and to engage the audience in an enlightening conversation with the artists, is a perfect fit with our Conversations at the Crocker, which is on the second Tuesday of the month. For the schedule of Conversations at the Crocker, see our Events Page.

Guitar Sarasota also hosts the 2016-2017 International Classical Guitar Season with four events. Tickets may be purchased for these starting on November 5.  Read more.

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Pinning your way through Sarasota County History

1908 bathing beauties and Pinterest

Click to visit our very own Pinterest at the Historical Society of Sarasota County

Are you a Pinner? No, we’re not asking if you wear pinafores… but if you’ve explored Pinterest! For the visually-oriented, the researcher, or even just the curious, it’s a veritable treasure trove of images and links.

I am all of the above, so here’s a few Pinterest Boards I enjoy and follow:

First up, of course, our HSoSC Pinterest page.

Some photos I have not seen before and which set me researching, here. His photos, alas, are not always credited or commentated. This fellow also pins other interesting things, like vintage automobiles!

Ever wonder what Fruitville Road used to look like? This Pin Board shows you!

A local Realtor has her own curated Sarasota History Pin Board. Her other boards, covering the area, are interesting as well.

New to Pinterest? Learn how to use it with this complete and free tutorial. If you want to browse Pinterest on your phone, here’s info on the app you’ll use.

Image originally found at http://www.vintag.es/

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Every church deserves a bell…

Jon Moore and Linda Garcia accepting an antique steeple bell from Jack Helm of Helm Vault

Jon Moore and Linda Garcia accepting an antique steeple bell from Jack Helm of Helm Vault.

Jack Helm, owner of Helm Vault Service in Bradenton has presented the Historical Society with a restored 14” antique steeple bell for use when the Crocker Memorial Church is active with community events.  The building, built in 1901, has been in continuous use ever since and is the meeting space for the Historical Society as well as other civic and social groups.

Additionally, the church is a site for small weddings which makes this donation of a bell so lovely. Helm Vault Service also supports the Historical Society with the personalized engraving of the bricks saved from the Airline Seaboard Railway Depot which are purchased by Society supporters with a donation, and laid in front of the Bidwell-Wood House (1882) each November.

Directors and supporters of the Historical Society of Sarasota County accept the gracious donation of a church bell from Jack Helm.

Members of the Historical Society Board of Directors gathered to accept the wonderful donation. They’re excited to ring the bell at the Crocker Memorial Church for events and meetings such as Conversations at The Crocker in the future.

We’ve set the 2016-2017 Calendar of Events for next season and are ready to accept reservations for the narrated Historical Trolley Tours and the Historical LeBarge Cruise for the first Sunday in November and again in March 2017. Don’t get shut out of these wildly-popular historic events. Call our Site Manager, Linda Garcia, Tues-Fri from 10am to 2pm to grab your reservations! 941-364-9076. Or email her 24/7 at hsosc1@gmail.com.

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Thank you, Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation!

The Historical Society of Sarasota Cpunty's campus in Pioneer Park, captured by Greg WilsonA $5,000 grant has been received to help fund improvements to the interior of the historic Crocker Memorial Church (1901). The grant comes from the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation.

“This grant will help bring Crocker Church back to what it looked like in 1901 when Peter Crocker built it as a community gathering place and for worship,” said Howard Rosenthal, President of the Historical Society.

“Preservation architects Greg Hall and Linda Stevenson did an analysis of the Crocker interior and suggested ways that we could improve and stabilize the building. We are following those recommendations with the Alliance grant.

“One of the best things about this grant is that it demonstrates how the Alliance fulfills its mission to preserve historic structures in Sarasota County and it certainly furthers our mission as we curate the Crocker Memorial Church building and the Bidwell-Wood House (1882) for educational outreach and as gathering places for community events that celebrate history.”

Events are held in both buildings on the Historical Society’s campus in Pioneer Park. Civic meetings, book clubs, theatrical performances, monthly history-oriented programs organized by HSOSC, art shows and much more keep our locale active and engaging. Both buildings were moved from other locations to Pioneer Park by the City of Sarasota in 2006 and placed under the protection of the Historical Society of Sarasota County, a 450-member organization.

Over the past few years the Crocker Memorial Church has become a destination for small country weddings with the reception on the front and back porches of the Bidwell-Wood House. With the structural improvements made possible by the Alliance grant of $5,000, the Crocker Church building (which was decommissioned as a church in 2006) will become even more accessible to the community.

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Preserving the Past with Paint

There are two (possibly more, even) ways to preserve history with paint, and this month, we present these to you:

A. Preserve the Past with Paint, Method One:

Painting the Bidwell-Wood House, Historical Society of Sarasota CountyThe first method of preserving history with paint involves hydraulic lifts and ladders and professional house painters. Thanks to YOUR support, the Bidwell-Wood House, the oldest residence in Sarasota County, is getting its “spa treatment” to keep it going strong in its third century. This would not have been possible without your participation and donations, and the House and the Society thank you! Stop by soon and see how “young” we look with the repairs and paint job!

B: Preserve the Past with Paint, Method

Two:

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Saluting our Award Winners!

The highlight of the Annual Meeting (well, besides Linda’s Spanish Rice, which we wait for all year) is the announcement of the recipients of our two honors, the Hero of History and the Distinguished Service awards. The announcement this year was made by Marsha Fottler, Vice-President of the Board of Directors, standing in for Howard Rosenthal, President, who was unable to attend.

The winners for 2016 are, for the Hero of History, Suzette Jennings Blue, and for the Distinguished Service Award, Norma Kwenski. Their accomplishments are set forth below; click their names to enjoy.

Historical Society of Sarasota County's 2016 award recipients: Sue Blue (standing) and Norma Kwenski (seated.)

Historical Society of Sarasota County’s 2016 award recipients: Sue Blue (standing) and Norma Kwenski (seated) in the parlor of the Bidwell-Wood House, the oldest residence in Sarasota County. Photograph courtesy of  Virginia Hoffman.

Hero of History 2016

Suzette Jennings Blue

Most of us associate Sue Blue with the Saturday morning historic trolley tours that she graced us with from about 2004 until recently. Her volunteer passion provided folks with history education and the Society with much needed funds. But, Sue’s devotion to history and education as an author, researcher, and actress goes back a lot farther than that. In many ways Sue holds the institutional memory for this historical society and it’s her we often turn to when we need clarification on some aspect of these two buildings or events that are important to the evolution of this organization.

Sue attended Southside Elementary and is a graduate of Sarasota High School, class of 1946. Her  name is actually Suzette and it’s what her classmate Pete Esthus always called her. While a senior Suzette portrayed the role of Sara de Soto in The Legend of Sara de Soto at the Municipal Auditorium. After college and a career as an actress and theater teacher, Sue returned to her hometown, Sarasota, in 1994.

She restored the childhood home built by her grandfather, Aaron E. Scarborough, in 1925. Sue became a member of the historical society in 1996 and a year later was on the board serving as program chairman. She later served as served as Vice-President of the Board. Today she is a member of the Advisory Board and was a subject for an Ordinary Historian video interview. We have copies here if you want to view it and you should because she’s had quite a life.

During her years on the this board, Sue worked on preservation projects such as the Lido Pool, Sarasota High School, the Van Wezel home, the Municipal Auditorium, the Bidwell-Wood  House and Crocker Church. She wrote our brochures and was editor of our monthly newsletter. And she authored a series of 20 articles on Sarasota history that appeared in Scene magazine. Additionally, Sue wrote and directed a staged reading of “Mr. Bidwell.”  Sue served on Sarasota County Historical Commission from 2008 – 2012.

Sue still lives in her childhood home built by her grandfather.  Her work on behalf of the Historical Society would be enough to quality her as a Hero of History, but her preservation activism in the wider community has been so outstanding for so many years, that it is time indeed for us to declare with great pride and admiration that Suzette Jennings Blue is the 2016 recipient of the Hero of History award.

Distinguished Service Award 2016

Norma Kwenski

Norma Kwenski is the volunteer that every organization wants to call their own. She’s the one who arrives early, stays late and will do anything that needs attention from weeding the garden, to taking ticket money at Conversations, ironing tablecloths, washing dishes, to hostessing at the Holiday Party and bringing homemade deserts with her. Norma is always so “on the job”  that if I arrive at Pioneer Park for an event and don’t see Norma, I assume I’ve made a mistake and come on the wrong day.

Norma and Brad Kwenski moved to Sarasota from Illinois in 1969 when their children were young. Kay was 9 and sons Brent was 7 and Kendell just 5. They moved into a 1927 Mediterranean Revival home in beautiful Sapphire Shores that had no air conditioning or heat, but plenty of vintage charm. Brad got involved with the Ringling Museum, volunteering for the Medieval Fair. And he worked with Veronica Morgan when these two buildings were in the Rosemary District. They lived in their Sapphire Shores dream neighborhood until Brad became ill and encouraged Norma to make the move to a no-maintenance condominium in Longwood Run. Brad passed away in 2007.

Norma says Jane Kirschner, who had already pulled son Brent into her community service orb, was responsible for Norma becoming a member of the Historical Society. Later Jane made sure Norma got actively involved.

“I never thought I had any special talent,” says Norma, “I just thought I’d be quiet and help where help was needed.” And that’s what she did. But, volunteering so widely and so often, has given Norma a unique perspective on our organization.  She always shrewdly observes and reports on the successes of an event and tactfully points out where we could improve things. For instance, when she was collecting money on the Crocker porch for Conversations at the Crocker a couple years ago, Norma noticed that the lack of handrails was inconvenient and downright dangerous for many people coming up and down the steps. So, she talked it over with her children and the Historical Society board and the Kwenski Krew decided to donate money in Brad Kwenski’s name for handrails. People coming to the Crocker Church bless her every day for being so vigilant and so generous.
This morning we members of the Historical Society are so happy to let Norma know that she is appreciated, not just today but every day of the year. Norma Kwenski is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award for 2016.
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Fun, awards, food and… birds?

A little birdie told us

What did the little birdie say to the other little birdie? Come to the Annual Meeting on May 14 2016 to find out!

For the Society’s Annual Meeting on Saturday, May 14, there will be fun, festivities, awards and great food… what else could we want on a beautiful May Saturday? A beautiful, freshly-groomed garden? Check! Voting for the Board of Directors? Check! Delicious pot luck goodies from talented cooks? Of course!

Who will be this year’s award winners? Come and see… and applaud their service to Sarasota County history. (Here’s last year’s winners.)

Will your smiling face be in this year’s video review of all we did? Come see! Member Peter Piazza puts together a great show for us!

Want to hear what we have planned for 2016-2017? Maybe even take part in the planning and execution? Come volunteer?

Want to brag on your cooking skills? Bring a dish to share and get ready to taste an incredible variety of yummy stuff.

And want to see what A Little Birdie Told Us: The Tree is all about? I think you’re gonna like it. Come discover what we’re talking about on Saturday May 14, 11 am.

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Mucking about in Pioneer Park

Sue Padden, the new chair of the Historical Society’s landscape committee, organized a garden beautification day on Saturday, April 30. About a dozen volunteers answered her call to weed, prune, rake, plant and spread mulch. Sue is particularly interested in restoring the herb garden.

The Historical Society's Landscape Chair, Sue Padden

If there’s a call for volunteers, you can be sure Norma Kwenski will show up. She’s here weeding the brick memorial pavilion in front of the Bidwell-Wood House. She wants it to look perfect for the annual meeting and potluck luncheon, as well as the brick ceremony where people who have purchased bricks in a loved one’s name will see the bricks installed on May 14.

norma kwenski

Bob Fottler came dressed for the tasks at hand. He brought several bags of mulch and spread them in the garden in front of the Bidwell-Wood House. The garden can always use mulch and donations are appreciated.

bob fottler

Sara King cleaned out the bromeliad beds on the west side of the Crocker Church and planted new specimens. Lots of weeding and pruning too.

sue king

Bill Whetzel, who has maintained the Crocker Cemetery on Bee Ridge Road for 25 years, was on hand for the HSOSC garden beautification day on Saturday, April 30. This man knows a lot about yard maintenance and garden care.

bill whetzel

Gwen Whetzel did it all – weeding, pruning, raking, weed pulling. She was an inspiration to everyone.

gwen whetzel

Board member Meade Ferguson has participated in these garden clean up days before, so she knew enough to wear heavy gloves and long pants.

meade ferguson

All our members thank these hearty volunteers, and look forward to the Annual Meeting coming up on Saturday May 14 at 11am, with Pot Luck Picnic immediately following.

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Secrets of an American Palace: April’s Conversation at the Crocker

Ron McCarty, Keeper and Curator of Ca’ d’Zan, Leads a Conversation and Shows Rare Photos of the Famous Mansion he calls “Mable’s House.”

No one is more aware of the importance of a great house museum to a specific community and to the wider world than Ron McCarty, the Keeper and Curator of Ca’ d’Zan, the fabulous American palace John and Mable Ringling built on Sarasota’s bayfront in the late 1920s. McCarty has been employed by the Ringling Museum longer than anyone in the history of the museum and will share Continue reading →