JOHN TUFF & FRIENDS CONCERT

John’s wife Patty joins him in song.
A benefit concert for the Lemon Bay Historical Society will be held on Thursday, June 30th at 7 PM at the church, 510 Indiana Ave., Englewood.  
John Tuff is known around this area for his love of Classic Country Music, Gospel and music that is rooted in a love for the American Story.  John says, “My musician friends vary depending on time of year and availability but whoever plays with us will have a love for this community and a desire to do a great job.  We look forward to seeing you there.”
Join John singing along to the hits from radio days (Johnny, Waylan and Willie), gospel revivals and American ballads. This is a non-ticketed event but there will be an opportunity to make a donation to the Lemon Bay Historical Society for upkeep of the historic Green Street Church.

American Rescue Plan Grant

Funding has been provided to the Lemon Bay Historical Society by Florida Humanities through the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) of 2021. NEH is committed to Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan.

Due to the pandemic, the Lemon Bay Historical Society had to cancel its traditional monthly community programs. Fundraising events were also canceled. The Society is responsible for maintaining the historic Green Street Church building and its property.

To help fund general operating expenses, the Historical Society has received a $2,500 “American Rescue Plan” grant from Florida Humanities. These expenses include lawn mowing, water, electricity, landscaping maintenance, insurance, taxes, building upkeep, etc.

OUR MISSION
In 1985, the Lemon Bay Historical Society was officially incorporated as a non-profit organization whose mission was “for the specific purposes of perpetuating the legacy of the past and honoring the pioneer settlers of the Lemon Bay area.”  To carry out this mission the Society:

  • Presents programs on history, archaeology, music, wildlife and historical preservation
  • Schedules talks about and reenactments of persons of local historical interest
  • Invites local authors who write about historical events to discuss their works
  • Publishes and sells books on local history, Englewood pioneers and local lore
  • Maintains the Historic Green Street Church building for community use

WHAT IS THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN?

This year Florida Humanities awarded 129 organizations a total of $1.88 million in “American Rescue Plan” (ARP) funding, helping to retain more than 400 humanities jobs, support rent and utility costs, implement technology needs and more for small to midsize organizations.

When the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act was passed by Congress on March 11, 2021, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) received $135 million to assist humanities organizations across the country affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The state humanities councils, including Florida Humanities, each received a portion of the NEH award to provide short term general operating support in their respective states to museums, archives, historic sites, and other humanities-focused nonprofits.

WHAT IS THE NEH?
On September 29, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act into law. This law created the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The purpose of the NEH is to advance the humanities and its respective disciplines into the public square.
The NEH soon realized the immense challenge of its mission. To respond more effectively to local needs, the NEH decided to establish a humanities council in every state, plus six U.S. territories. Florida Humanities was established in 1973.

WHAT DOES FLORIDA HUMANITIES DO?
Florida Humanities works with local humanities organizations to accomplish its mission. This includes libraries, museums, and historical societies, among others. Like the Lemon Bay Historical Society, many of these organizations are committed to their communities and rely on volunteers and limited funding to sustain their operations.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed by the Lemon Bay Historical Society, do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

MEMBERSHIP
The Lemon Bay Historical Society welcomes new members. You do not need to be a historian to join, just someone interested in preserving the history of Englewood. For information visit: https://lemonbayhistory.com/about-us/

Event Schedule for 2022

Our next event at the historic Green Street Church,
510 S. Indiana Avenue, Englewood:
7pm, April 26:
Rhoda Clovis “Cyprus Gardens”

From the 1953 movie “Easy To Love” with Esther Williams, Rhoda Clovis is on the right.

Englewood’s own Rhoda Clovis will talk about her career as a model and water skier at Cypress Gardens during its heyday in the 1950s.
Rhoda has been a resident of Englewood for 54 years. She owned Rhoda’s Swimwear for 30 years.

We asked her how she became an Aquamaid:
”When I was 16, I was invited to spend a week at Beautiful Cypress Gardens to see if I was photogenic and had any Water skiing abilities (I had learned to ski on Lake Dora in Mt. Dora, Fl. Where I attended school.) I was asked to come back and work there after high school, but went on to the University of Florida. I eventually agreed to accept the position of water skier and model at Cypress Gardens.

“I married their head photographer, Trammell Pickett and moved to Sarasota and then Englewood.

“I have two wonderful sons who never left Englewood (Tram Pickett (co-owner of Berlin Sign Co) and Travis Pickett (Owner of Native Charters in Englewood). I have 4 grandchildren and 3 great grands.”
Rhoda appeared along with Esther Williams in the 1953 film “Easy To Love.”

Join us Tuesday, April 26 at 7pm at the Historic Green Street Church, 510 Indiana Ave., Englewood.

All are invited.
Admission is FREE but your tax-deductible contributions are always greatly appreciated.
Thank you!

About Cypress Gardens:

Cypress Gardens “Belles” Walking on Water
(Click for Larger View)

When Dick Pope Sr. opened his Cypress Gardens in 1936, the park in Winter Haven became Florida’s first large-scale tourist attraction. Pope turned marshland into a garden showplace for 8,000 varieties of plants and trees. By 1943, Cypress Gardens became known as the water ski capital of the world, attracting Hollywood stars and providing the setting for many movies. Cypress Gardens closed in 2009, becoming Legoland Florida Resort. Cypress Gardens remains as part of the attraction.

Charlotte County Centennial 2021

The Lemon Bay Historical Society invites the public to the Historic Green Street Church Museum Tuesday, November 16 at 7pm for a special presentation on Charlotte County’s 100th Anniversary.

Our speaker will be Dr. Jennifer Zoebelein, the  historian for Charlotte County. Her presentation will celebrate Charlotte County’s centennial by examining its history before and after its creation in 1921, highlighting those individuals, places and events that have contributed to the county’s development over the last 100 years.

 

A native of Long Island, Dr. Zoebelein received her Ph.D. in History from Kansas State University in 2018 and joined the staff of Charlotte County Libraries and History in November 2019 after working as the Special Projects Historian at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City.

Passionate about history since high school, Jennifer has worked for the New-York Historical Society and the National Park Service.

For more information on Charlotte County’s Centennial, visit: charlottecounty100.com

Save the date: Tuesday, November 16 at 7pm at the Historic Green Street Church Museum, 510 Indiana Ave., Englewood.

Admission is free but donations for the upkeep of the iconic building will be greatly appreciated.  CDC guidelines will be followed.

4 War Vet, Ft. Ogden and More

The Lemon Bay Historical Society has again opened the Historic Green Street Church to the public for monthly community events.

Thomas Kreidler

Our next event will be on Tuesday, October 26 at 7pm. Thomas Kreidler, historian and Civil War re-enactor will do a presentation on Francis Calvin Morgan Boggess, a pioneer settler of Fort Ogden, a soldier, schoolteacher, cattleman and civic leader.
Our speaker, Thomas Kreidler, is a former Army officer, Vietnam veteran and retired professor. His hobby is cleaning veterans’ headstones and has spent many days at Indian Creek Cemetery in Punta Gorda, which has more than 100 veterans’ graves.
“It’s time alone to think about their stories,” he says. “I introduce myself and tell them I’m there to give them a haircut and spruce them up a bit.”
He’s even cleaned the graves of prominent men like Albert Gilchrist and Joel Bean.

Learn about Calvin Boggess and more Tuesday, October 26 at 7pm at the Historic Green Street Church Museum, 510 Indiana Ave., Englewood.

Admission is free but donations for the upkeep of the iconic building will be greatly appreciated.  CDC guidelines will be followed.

 

Surviving Sarasota

September 28, 2021  7:00 pm

Author and Poet Clarissa Thomasson will be speaking at the Green Street Church in Englewood as the Lemon Bay Historical Society again opens this historic building to the public. Due to the COVID Delta variant masks will be required. 

Thomasson will showcase her book Surviving Sarasota which highlights the lives of Sarasota County’s first American settlers from 1851 – 1865 as they endure the Third Seminole War, the American Civil War, and its aftermath. She has also written a poem for Sarasota County’s Centennial which can be viewed HERE.

Her first two novels, Defending Hillsborough and Reconstructing Hillsborough were chosen by the North Carolina Association of Public School Librarians for use in the high school study of the Civil War. Lorinda’s Legacy was “pick of the month” at Greensboro, NC Barnes and Noble.

In 2000, Thomasson returned to Florida and now resides in Venice, FL. where she has written five children’s books in her Little Green Monkey series, four novels: Florida Shadows, Florida Secrets, Florida Sunset and Surviving Sarasota set in Southwest Florida, a World War II novel—Over the Bridge—and Venice Dreamers, which highlights Venice’s original settlers.

Thomasson’s stage plays, Over the Bridge and Florida Shadows, each won first place in the Clarence “Bud” Jones Playwriting Competition at the Firehouse Theatre in LaBelle, FL, in 2014 and 2015.

Thomasson is also a freelance writer–having written for GRAND magazine, Yesterday in Florida—where she won a 2005 Florida Trust for Historic Preservation Award for her contributions to Florida history—and Eastside Venice Neighbors—where she wrote monthly articles on Florida history. She is also a contributor for the Venice Gondolier.

The Lemon Bay Historical Society is pleased to be resuming its monthly community programs and has additional speakers lined up for October and November plus the traditional Holiday Sing-Along in December. Don’t forget your mask.

MOTHER’S DAY SING-A-LONG!

A benefit for the Lemon Bay Historical Society and the upkeep of the Historic Green Street Church Museum in Englewood will be held on Mother’s Day, May 9, 6 PM, at the Englewood Methodist Church Sanctuary, 700 E. Dearborn, Englewood.
Pastor Don and Mary will lead the Sing-A-Long. Face masks and social distancing will be required.
Pastor Don Burlock is an accomplished musician, playing organ, piano, accordion and alto horn. Don is married to Mary Lynn from Baltimore, Maryland. They have three children.
Englewood United Methodist is a “servant church” that makes its campus facilities available for a broad range of community activities as well as open to all for its numerous ministries. It has been a focal point for Englewood and the surrounding area for over 100 years. The large Sanctuary serves as a well-equipped venue for such quality productions as those of the annual EUMC Music Ministry Concert Series and Englewood Performing Arts Series (EPAS).
The Englewood Methodist congregation’s first church was on Green Street. Built in 1928, this building, recognized by the Sarasota County Register of Historic Places, was moved and saved by the Lemon Bay Historical Society. The Green Street Church Museum is now located next to the historic Lemon Bay Cemetery on Indiana Ave., Englewood. Admission to the Sing-A-Long is FREE but donations are welcome.
Note that the Sing-A-Long will be held at the Methodist Church located at 700 E. Dearborn Street (not at the Green Street Church).

Historical Society Receives Grant

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the Lemon Bay Historical Society has had to cancel its traditional monthly community programs. Fundraising events were also canceled. The Society is responsible for maintaining the historic Green Street Church building and its property.

To help fund general operating expenses, the Historical Society has received a $5000 CARES grant from Florida Humanities. These expenses include lawn mowing, water, electricity, landscaping maintenance, insurance, taxes, building upkeep, etc.

MISSION
In 1985, the Lemon Bay Historical Society was officially incorporated as a non-profit organization whose mission was “for the specific purposes of perpetuating the legacy of the past and honoring the pioneer settlers of the Lemon Bay area.”
To carry out this mission the Society:

  • Presents programs on history, archaeology, music, wildlife, preservation of area historic buildings and opportunities to visit them, persons of historical interest and authors who write about historical events.
  • Publishes and sells books on local history, Englewood pioneers and local lore
  • Maintains the Historic Green Street Church building for community use.

THE CARES ACT
With the passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act on March 27, 2020 the NEH received $75 million to distribute to cultural institutions affected by the coronavirus, COVID-19

WHAT IS THE NEH?
On September 29, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act into law. This law created the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The purpose of the NEH is to advance the humanities and its respective disciplines into the public square.
The NEH soon realized the immense challenge of its mission. To respond more effectively to local needs, the NEH decided to establish a humanities council in every state, plus six U.S. territories. Florida Humanities was established in 1973.

WHAT DOES FLORIDA HUMANITIES DO?
Florida Humanities works with local humanities organizations to accomplish its mission. This includes libraries, museums, and historical societies, among others. Like the Lemon Bay Historical Society, many of these organizations are committed to their communities and rely on volunteers and limited funding to sustain their operations.

MEMBERSHIP
The Lemon Bay Historical Society welcomes new members. You do not need to be a historian to join, just someone interested in preserving the history of Englewood. For information visit: https://lemonbayhistory.com/about-us/