The Board of Directors has announced our new Calendar for the upcoming 2022-2023 year at HSoSC. While there are still some events awaiting confirmation, you can plan on these events. See you there!
What’s coming at the Historical Society
Coming Soon
March is for Lovers!
March is definitely for lovers. Lovers of local history that is. After so long apart, we’re thrilled to welcome you back on campus in Pioneer Park.
Yes, the Historical Society is holding events in March. And not only are you welcome, you’re encouraged to attend! Come as you are. The only event requiring pre-registration is the Historical Bay Cruise, so check with Linda Garcia, our Site Manager, to see if space is still available on Le Barge. Other events, walk-ins welcome; admission fees (if any) noted, and of course, you are welcome to come masked.
Wednesday March 2, 2022: History Is Fun. In the Crocker Memorial Church at 2 p.m. Free for members, $10 for those who haven’t gotten around to becoming members yet. It’s the last of this season’s presentations, and we’re welcoming the Sarasota County Historical Resources folks. They’re the people who guard and catalog our county’s past, from mastodon bones to Bertha Palmer’s rowing machine. Come learn, come ask, come get acquainted with Historical Resources.
Sunday March 6, 2022: Historical Sarasota Bay Cruise. Our favorite narrator, John McCarthy, takes the mic on Le Barge as you glade on Sarasota Bay. Watch history unfold before your eyes. Sip a beverage, nibble on snacks and enjoy the open air and gentle breezes. The boat leaves from Marina Jack at 11 a.m. (loading at 10:30!) and returns around 1 p.m. This is the boat ride you will always remember. There are still some tickets left at the time of writing. $75 per person. Call HSoSC Site Manager, Linda Garcia, at 941-364-9076 for availability.
Tuesday March 8, 2022: Conversations at The Crocker. 7 p.m in the Crocker Memorial Church. The Crocker Church, Lost And Found Years. A fresh look at the revised history of the Crocker Memorial Church. Read more. Presenters are Deborah Walk, Jon Stone and Betsy Lingenheld, board members at HSoSC. Docent tours of the Bidwell-Wood House are available at 6 p.mbefore the show. Free to members; $10 at the door for guests.
Sunday March 20, 2022: Sunday Afternoon Social: 2 p.m. in the Crocker Memorial Church. The Last Lustron. Tom McArdle is a board member at the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation and owner of the last Lustron, a piece of post WWII Americana, in Sarasota. Read about these unusual homes here. Refreshments included in this relaxed, cafe-style event. $5 for members and $10 for guests at the door.
May we offer an alternative?
Being super-cautious, the Board has canceled February ‘s Conversation at The Crocker as well as February’s Sunday Afternoon Social.
We are still holding Sparkly Saturday on Sat. Feb. 12, which is both indoors in well-ventilated space and outdoors on our Porch,
and our traditional Historical Sarasota Bay Cruise on March 6 (spots filling up since we’re limiting numbers; get your reservations in NOW by calling Linda M-F 10 to 2 at 941-364-9076 or emailing hsosc1@gmail.com)…
We’re happy to announce a peer event: Afternoons at the Mansion is a GO.
The Keith Mansion in Phillippi Estate Park at 5500 S. Tamiami Trail, was built by a Chicago couple in 1916. The Mansion itself is amazing, and in the classic living room they are presenting Lost Towns of Sarasota County with Kate Holmes, an HSoSC past Board member. This is not an HSoSC event, but it is sponsored by our peers and supporters, a not-for-profit formed to raise money to help fund a future local history venue in the neighboring the Edson Keith Farmhouse (1915).
Again, limited numbers admitted to the Mansion so reserve NOW. Call 941-861-7275 to reserve your seat.
The Historical Society’s current Calendar of Events can always be seen on our Events Page here.
Our 2020 AND 2021 Hero of History
The longest-reigning, as-yet-uncrowned Hero of History at the Historical Society of Sarasota County has been Jon Thaxton. We look forward to finally being able to gather together at Michael’s On East on November 18 to acknowledge Jon’s vast contributions to our regional history. Please join us at this, our traditional luncheon.
Jon Thaxton is the designated Hero of History for 2020. An official celebration of his achievements and the presentation of his award should have happened in March 2020 at a grand luncheon with speakers attesting to the many accomplishments of this activist in the cause of preservation and conservation, especially of Florida’s natural spaces. But the HSoSC Hero of History recipients are not only recipients for one year. They are heroes for all time. So, we look forward to celebrating Jon Thaxton’s life in government, the non-profit sector and his private life through affiliation with history, preservation and conservation organizations on Thursday, November 18, 2021.
A worldwide pandemic has delayed our public recognition of Jon Thaxton’s work in Sarasota County, but not diminished his contribution one bit.
Reservation information below.
Contact Linda Garcia, Site Manager, at 941-364-9076, or email her at hsosc1@gmail.com for more information and sponsor opportunities.
All previous reservations and payments still apply, and it will be doubly exciting to finally be able to cheer all our Heroes of History on! All Covid19 precautions will be strictly adhered to on November 18 2021. Would love to attend but the date doesn’t work? Chat with Linda… she has ways you can participate even without being there!
Yes, it’s fall in Sarasota.
For a climate not known for its subtly, our semi-tropical Sarasota lets autumn sneak up on us. Maybe youve noticed those beach sunsets come earlier and earlier? It’s already before 8. By Halloween, the sun will be setting at 6:45 p.m, and by Thanksgiving? It’ll be dark by 5:30 or so.
And how about your pool temperature? It’s going down even though
We have a wall!
The west wall of the church, with its custom-milled siding, is up! See that one white board?
It’s the only one that didn’t need replacing!
Since the above photo was taken, the wall’s been painted. Here’s an inside view. The window re-installation is next.
And here’s a poignant photo: our Conversations at the Crocker chairs, just waiting for our reopening. We’ll let you know soon as we can, so stay tuned.
To get an email when we post here on the blog, sign up over in the right margin (or below, if you’re on your phone right now).
To get our broadcast email news and announcements, click here.
If you’ve always said you’d become a member to keep Sarasota County history alive, click here.
And of course, you can follow us on Facebook if you click here.
The Historical Society of Sarasota County 