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       Breaking News: Annual Banquet set for February 6th

ALL ABOARD!

Through this website of the Historical Society of Avon Park, its Depot Museum and its railroad dining car, we hope you get to know us: who we are and, more importantly, what we do.

Our main mission is to collect, preserve and display the history of Avon Park and the surrounding area within the walls of our museum, once a railroad depot for the Seaboard Airline Railroad.

We tell the stories of Avon Park in a variety of ways. We boast a traditional museum rich in local history. In addition, we host a variety of programs for the community where our members share their memories of growing up in Avon Park (for example, their school days, their World War II days). We have a recently produced video that portrays the first nine years of Avon Park (and how it almost came to a sudden halt). We also hold an annual Pioneer Homecoming Picnic, complete with the naming of the Pioneers of the Year. And we also offer an annual banquet, featuring election of board members.

We have a growing collection of booklets that capture some of our history, including one on growing up in the Crate Mill Quarters of Avon Park -- even one containing the words and music of a song reflecting the history of our community. Upcoming is a booklet on a once local resident who was poet laureate of the U.S.; another, a manuscript penned by the founder of Avon Park; and yet another on the role that baseball has played in the history of the community. These booklets and other items are on sale in our museum gift shop.

Current plans are underway to erect a replica of a “hobo jungle” in time for next year’s Avon Park Mall Festival (these jungles were the living quarters of hoboes searching for work during the Great Depression).

Also underway is a project to collect and present the stories of the Black community of Avon Park, a project in partnership with South Florida Community College.

We also provide a unique dining experience in our railroad dining car. Groups from 15 to 40 can arrange for lunch or special occasions. Call us for more details.

If you would like to join us on any of these efforts, call 863-453-3525.

                                               NEW EVENTS SCHEDULE! 

     There's new fun, informative events scheduled at the museum! Click here for more information. 

                Annual Banquet set for February 6th 

Dr. Donald Geldart to speak

 Along with a variety of food (like roast sirloin of beef, vegetarian casserole, salads, vegetables and desserts), the 2010 banquet of the Historical Society of Avon Park, set for Sat., Feb. 6, at the Jacaranda Hotel, promises a variety of glimpses into the past.

Long-time local physician Dr. Donald Geldart will offer one such view. As the program speaker, he’ll be recalling how the practice of health care in Avon Park has changed over the decades. His talk will also include some of the early history of Walker Memorial Hospital. And thanks to Florida Hospital Heartland, photos of former Avon Park physicians and other medical memorabilia will be on display in the lobby.

Another view of the past will be the recognition of several local residents who have made contributions to the Avon Park community.

The agenda also includes a review of 2009, introduction of board members of the year and of past and current Pioneers of the Year, and election of new board members.

Tickets for the event, which is open to the public, are $25 per person and are available at the Jacaranda Hotel, Avon Park Chamber of Commerce and the Depot Museum. Deadline for purchasing tickets is Mon., Feb. 1

A social gathering is set for 6:00 p.m., with dinner at 6:30.

For more information, call banquet chairperson Nancy Weber at 453-3582.                                      

 
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