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Are you a Purple People?

This quiz is from an older blog post, but it’s time to learn more about, pay more attention to, care more for our remaining historic buildings; we’re sure you agree.

In 1970, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall opened.

Designed by the late Frank Lloyd Wright’s firm, Taliesin Associates Architects, the building was called by its critics the “purple cow” or “purple people seater.”

How much do YOU know about the Van Wezel? Let’s see if you know the answers in our little quiz:

The Van Wezel was painted purple because

  1. Purple was a good foil to the turquoise waters of Sarasota Bay.
  2. Mr. Wright’s widow suggested it.
  3. Purple is the color of royalty, and Sarasota looked forward to the “royalty of performers” appearing in the theater.
  4. The paint was donated by a local paint dealer, and that’s the color he chose.

Why did the One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater come to Earth?

  1. His spaceship crashed in the Grand Canyon.
  2. He wanted to get a job in a rock-&-roll band.
  3. He craved a Starbuck’s every day.
  4. He liked short shorts.

The first Broadway show in the Van Wezel was

  1. Cactus Flower
  2. Fiddler on the Roof
  3. Guys and Dolls
  4. The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd

Who were Lewis and Eugenia Van Wezel?

  1. They built the first year-round residence on Lido Key.
  2. Lewis was a diamond buyer for Tiffany’s.
  3. Eugenia’s brother-in-law was Gustaf Nobel.
  4. They built a downtown building known as the Eugenic.

Answers: In each case, the correct answer is #2, except for the last. All the choices are correct about the Van Wezels! You will be awarded extra points if you pronounce Van Wezel as “Van Way-zel”, not “Van Weasel.”

Did you know? Tours of the Van Wezel backstage areas and the Fine Arts Society art collection are offered to the public once a month. More info.

And if you can’t remember all the lyrics of One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater, here it is on YouTube. Tequila.

Learn more: https://keepthevanwezel.com/

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National Lemon Day

Either it’s August 20 or August 29, but either way… what would we do without lemons. Here’s some historical facts about lemons, with a twist. (Get it? Got it. Good.)

*The origin of the lemon is unknown, though lemons are thought to have first grown in India, northern Myanmar, or China. A genomic study of the lemon indicated it was a hybrid between bitter orange (sour orange) and citron.

*The tradition of urinating

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Tootlin’ Round the County

Have you done any of the auto tours yet? They’ve been updated by hard-working volunteers from the Friends of the History Center who love Sarasota County History. There’s 9 of them and they are well-researched and planned. If you haven’t downloaded the app or climbed into your a/c’d vehicle to see the sights… this weekend would be a great time to do so! https://friendssarasotahistorycenter.org/autotours/

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Dim the screens, kids. We’re out for fun!

School’s out. Whether you have kids home on vacation or visiting kids in your household, you’re gonna have to counter the “I’m bored” with something to do.

“Between hours sitting in school (with recess abridged or abandoned), time spent inside playing video games, and parents preventing kids from playing in messy nature, kids today hardly ever get to spin, flip, roll, climb, hang, race, or shimmy. It’s something that deeply worries pediatric occupational therapist Angela Hanscom—who traces these restrictions to everything from kids’ growing inability to tolerate wind in their face to the

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Celebrity Endorsements… through the years!

Would you use a phone card if Dean Martin asked you to? Buy Bogie’s favorite thank-you gift, a Whitman’s Sampler? Celebrity endorsements must work, and of course, the added income to a writer’s, an actor’s, a singer’s income was always welcome, we’re sure.

One does wonder, however, how Abe profited from this 1888 endorsement.

Enjoy this collection of advertisements we’ve found (You can click on each for a larger image so you can read the copy):

Of course, Abe wasn’t the only president to suggest that tobacco would be a welcome holiday gift:

Notice something? They’re all men? Well, women can endorse products as well. Here’s Lucy suggesting a paint brand:

… and best of all, Doris Day on an asphalt roller. Makes me wanna go buy one today, doesn’t it you?

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Mother’s Day and carnations

“Traditionally, the colors of the flower carry different meanings on Mother’s Day: white carnations honor the mother whose mother has died, while pink ones celebrate a mother whose mother is living.

Do you remember when boxes of Mother’s Day chocolates came in white carnation and pink carnation alternatives?

” Moms and grandmothers alike can thank Philadelphia activist Anna Jarvis for the carnation tradition — and even the holiday itself. On May 10, 1908, Jarvis sent hundreds of white carnations, her late mother’s favorite flower, to her hometown church in West Virginia for a celebration honoring all mothers. That same day, she hosted a similar event in Philadelphia.

“Over the next few years, as the number of Mother’s Day celebrations across the county increased, so did the popularity of the white carnation, which came to symbolize a mother’s love. Thanks to Jarvis’ campaigning, Mother’s Day became a national holiday in 1914 under President Woodrow Wilson.” {source}

More women associated with Mother’s Day, “Mothering Sunday”, Mothers’ Day Work Clubs, Mothers’ Friendship Day, and even a fellow dubbed “the father of Mothers’ Day,” here.

Great piece of trivia: And yes, it’s Mother’s Day (singular), not Mothers’ Day (plural) because Anna Jarvis envisioned her holiday as a personal, child to mother celebration, and she abhorred the commercialization of the day, even getting arrested while protesting. {source}

Oops! You forgot to get YOUR mother something truly meaningful to honor her? Well, then, we have a solution. How about a nice solid brick? (Sorry, Anna.)

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Annual Meeting and Elections

Held on April 1, 2023, the Annual Meeting of the Historical Society of Sarasota welcomed members and directors at the Crocker Memorial Church.

Greg Dickinson was elected President.

Greg Dickinson

Distinguished Service Awards: Presented by Marsha Fottler, outgoing President, the active and enthusiastic recipients were

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A most flavorful garden occupant

April 16 is National Orchid Day. One of my favorite trivia questions is: “What part of an orchid do we commonly, maybe even daily, eat?” Answer?

VANILLA! And what’s more… we can grow vanilla on our lanais, in our front yard tree… and then we can not just eat local, but Flavor Local!

Here’s how.

Flowers of V. planifolia (top left), V. pompona (top center), V. phaeantha (top right), V. mexicana (bottom left), V. dilloniana (bottom center), and V. barbellata (bottom right) growing in southern Florida. Credit: Alan Chambers, UF/IFAS
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Sarasota News, 100 years ago

1923’s Sarasota. Wouldn’t you have loved to buy a lot or two?

How’s your year going so far? 2023 shaping up as interesting, is it? Here’s what you would have been thinking about 100 years ago in Sarasota.

Top Headlines for 1923

Mira Mar Apartments and Hotel

“I am not especially anxious to build a hotel in Sarasota”

Is it just me, or was this the start of something that looks a lot like what’s going on in 2023? Mr McAnsh stated

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A Day at Sea

Well, yes, red tide did cause a few coughs, but the continental breakfast buffet on our March 2023 Historic Sarasota Bay Cruise provided some soothing refreshments. Volunteers Sue Padden and Norma Kwenski made a lovely buffet table, and the Gentleman With The Legs added a little cheesecake to the menu.

On land, before boarding, board member Deb Walk (right) and City Commissioner Debbie Trice compare notes about being named after Debbie Reynolds (Joke. Maybe they were named after beloved aunts. I wasn’t eavesdropping.) We’ll be hoping Ms. Trice will become an active member!

Meanwhile, waiting for the “all aboard” call, Katie employed her VIP gift, a brilliant umbrella, to protect her not only from the sun, but also from the flock of parrots who were noisily entertaining our guests.

Deborah Walk and Jon Stone, board members of the Historical Society, are all smiles seeing the anticipation of participants in our Historic Sarasota Bay Cruise… our 39th, I believe.

And finally, what would our Cruise posting be without our beloved site manager/ board member wrangler/ yard raker Linda Garcia. She is showing off our logo on this cruise’s VIP gift.

Linda’s who you need to contact to get on the November cruise invite list. Check our sidebar here on HSoSC.com for contact info!

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Carl Abbott: HSoSC Hero of History 2023

Trying to sum up Carl Abbott, the Historical Society of Sarasta County’s 2023 Hero of History, is like trying to freeze, in one moment, the earth and sea, sky and clouds. We cannot possibly say anything about the man and his work that has not

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Make Sarasota County Smell Sweet Again

It’s official: citrus is back for the home landscape!

As Florida Master Gardeners writes: Since the introduction of citrus greening to Florida in 2005, homeowners have been discouraged from growing citrus at home. However, UF/IFAS is now recommending the planting of citrus trees again and has provided a new line of support for those who are interested.

UF/IFAS is piloting an initiative called “Citrus in the Home Landscape” this spring, and it includes a new website and an email address dedicated solely for scientists to answer your citrus care questions.

Read the full article on the initiative on UF/IFAS News: https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/…/uf-ifas-launches-new…/

Many thanks to Deb Benedict of Benhaven Haven for alerting us to this wonderful development!