Contents
- A Message from our President
- 2024 VAHS Calendar of Events
- Venice Centennial Celebration
- The Historic Venice Train Depot
- The Circus Car Museum
- VAHS Volunteer Docents
- VAHS Salutes
- 2024 Annual Meeting
- 2024 Giving Challenge - Be The One
- Collection Acquisitions
- VAHS's New Mascot
- Betty Intagliata Lecture Series
- VAHS Speakers Bureau
- Around Town
- Venice History: Did You Know?
- Welcome to Our Newest Members
- In Memoriam
- Welcome to Our Newest Nonprofits
- Support VAHS Business Members
- Membership / Volunteer Application
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A Message from our PresidentSpring 2024 |
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What a Spring! I can’t recall a longer stretch of fine weather! As I write this, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and I am reflecting on another great season for the Venice Area Historical Society.
First, I am so pleased we have been able to relaunch our newsletter. I want to thank new member, Bill Haberthur, for stepping up and taking the reins so that we can all be better connected to one another and the work of the Society. Bill has a lot of great ideas for improving our newsletter and communications overall, so stay tuned for more ways to stay informed and involved.
At our Annual Meeting in March, our members voted overwhelmingly to change the Society from a membership organization to an outward-looking community service organization. With our new bylaws, the Board of Directors is now charged with the full responsibility to manage the affairs of the organization. Your Board takes this responsibility seriously and vows to work hard to meet the needs of the community and the desires of our members. The Board appreciates the confidence you have shown and is committed to maintaining that confidence by always staying connected to our members as we go forth. Please email me at president@veniceareahistoricalsociety.org if you have any questions or ideas for VAHS.
VAHS had another successful fundraiser in the annual Giving Challenge with 73 people contributing to our ongoing financial strength! We are truly grateful for all the support!
As we look forward, we are working on plans for the following:
- Venice Centennial Celebration - preparing for and participating in the 18-month celebration of Venice's founding. If you have any ideas about the Venice Centennial Celebration, please email me at centennial@veniceareahistoricalsociety.org;
- Fall/Winter programs such as The Betty Intagliata Lecture Series and the Speakers Bureau;
- More exclusive membership events, such as the recent reception at the USAAF Student Officers' Club, the last surviving intact structure in situ from WWII;
- New member recruitment and orientation;
- Docent training at the Historic Venice Train Depot and the Circus Car;
- Historic Preservation Projects:
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- advocating for the restoration of the "Pavilion" - the hyperbolic paraboloid canopy at Venice Beach;
- joining in the efforts to save the historic and architecturally significant buildings at Warm Mineral Springs in North Port; and
- Other exciting events.
We are excited by so many opportunities to advance our mission of celebrating and preserving history in Venice, and we hope you are too! As always, we could not do it without our members, and so we thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Frank Wright
President |
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2024 VAHS Calendar of Events
Upcoming events; future lectures; and tour dates for the Historic Venice Train Depot and the Circus Car are listed on our website. |
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Venice Centennial Celebration
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♥ CELEBRATE WITH VAHS ♥
The Venice Area Historical Society is excited to partner with the City of Venice and other community organizations to help plan Venice's upcoming centennial. The celebrations will kick off in late 2025 and go through May of 2027. Our goal is to ensure Venice's fascinating history and the men, women, and organizations which have played a key role in Venice's progress are celebrated by our community's residents and visitors. As our plans are formalized, we will share more details for specific programs and events. We always welcome input, so if you have a great idea for the Centennial Celebration you want considered, please email us at:
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The Historic Venice Train Depot
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In the first quarter of 2024 VAHS welcomed over 1,800 "passengers" to the Historic Venice Train Depot, helping us to ‘Celebrate History’ through the eyes of this 1927 depot. During its operation, the depot and the rail lines it served welcomed the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE), The Kentucky Military Institute (KMI), the US Army and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus along with visitors, development and commerce.
In the coming months, this section will highlight key events in the depot's history. Stay tuned for more fun facts on how Venice came to be The City on the Gulf. |
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Gunther Gebel-Williams' children, Tina and Mark, visit the Circus Car Museum |
For the January to March period, the Circus Car Museum was once again our most popular venue with over 3,100 visitors. In addition to area visitors and bike riders along the Legacy Trail, we are often joined by former Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus performers.
In February, VAHS hosted a group from The Circus Ring of Fame during its annual Induction Week. Mark and Tina Gebel-Williams, the children of Gunter and Sigrid Gebel-Williams, joined the group. The siblings shared what it was like to live and travel on the circus train.
Mark and Tina reminisced about how wonderful it was living close to family. Mark remarked that education was very important to his father, who insisted tutors be hired to educate all the children who travelled with the circus. Initially, the family shared one rail car. When Mark and Tina each started their own families, two more rail cars were added in succession so they were able to move freely among the three rail cars. They attribute this lifestyle to the reason that today they live in three houses together on a cul-de-sac in Venice. |
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VAHS docents Mike and Richard flanking Chucko the Clown |
Our volunteer docents guide visitors through both the train depot and the circus car. In the first quarter of 2024, the docents covered nearly 150 hours of volunteer service during our regular public hours.
Did you know that we can arrange private tours for groups of 10 or more during hours when we are not open to the public? This past quarter we hosted groups from Home Owner Associations, Car Clubs, History Hops and a variety of non-profit groups serving the community. We recently welcomed Clowning Around with Chucko the Clown in association with Suncoast Remake Learning Days. Our docents Mike and Richard also got in on the fun.
Hop on board and join the fun by becoming a docent! If you can volunteer at least six hours per month and enjoy meeting folks from around the country and the world, we welcome you to contact us about our docent opportunities. Docent attire and training are provided.
For more information or to arrange your tour, click on the button.
Our volunteer docents guide visitors through both the Train Depot and the Circus Car. In the first quarter of 2024, the docents covered nearly 150 hours of volunteer service during our regular public hours.
Did you know that we can arrange private tours for groups of 10 or more during hours when we are not open to the public? This past quarter we hosted groups from Home Owner Associations, Car Clubs, History Hops and a variety of non-profit groups serving the community. We recently welcomed Clowning Around with Chucko the Clown in association with Suncoast Remake Learning Days. Our docents Mike and Richard also got into the fun.
For more information or to arrange your tour, click on the button.
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VAHS salutes longtime Venice philanthropist Dr. William “Bill” Jervey upon his receiving the City of Venice’s Pillar of the Community Award. In addition to his many contributions to city landmarks and cultural offerings, he has funded the Betty Intagliata Lecture Series at VAHS for many years. Bill has been an active member of VAHS, serving on various committees and on the Board of Directors. One of his favorite early experiences as a member was serving as a docent at the Historic Venice Train Depot.
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VAHS President Frank Wright addressing the crowded ballroom.
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VAHS's Annual Meeting was held on March 14th with a luncheon at the Plantation Golf & Country Club. This event was an excellent opportunity to bring together members and potential new members in friendship and to learn about VAHS’s projects and successes. Thank you to all of our members, donors, and supporters for another strong year! |
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2024 Giving Challenge - Be The One
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Everything VAHS does is only possible with the support of our donors and our volunteers. Last year, we introduced the restored Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus train car at the Historic Venice Train Depot. VAHS was awarded community recognition on the local, county, and state levels for our efforts. These acclaims have increased visitor attendance immensely and positioned VAHS as a critical partner for the City of Venice as we approach the upcoming Venice Centennial Celebrations.
For 24 hours from noon April 9th until noon April 10th, the public donated to its favorite charities. Our pledges from 73 donors and a match from the Patterson Foundation resulted in $11,460 to VAHS. Thank you to all of our donors who continue to support all of our efforts!
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Collection Acquisitions
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Kentucky Military Institute Memorabilia
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Thank you to KMI Graduate Jim Flora for donating many "surplus" items he had from other cadets to VAHS's KMI Collection. Jim runs the website for KMI Alumni. We enlisted his help to round out our collection for an upcoming special exhibit VAHS is having in June, July, and August. Stay tuned for upcoming details. |
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Kentucky Military Institute Cadet Uniform
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Meet our latest roving mascot! Over the next few months, you will see Captain Adjutant Mike the Mannequin in various places in Venice. He made his first appearance at Larry Hume's presentation in April. We are currently developing a roving exhibit to encompass VAHS's four key components: the history of Venice; the history of the train depot; the history of the circus; and the history of the Kentucky Military Institute. Stay tuned to see where Captain Adjutant Mike the Mannequin is next! |
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Betty Intagliata Lecture Series
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President Frank Wright, Lecture Series Sponsor Betty Intagliata, and Presenter Larry Humes with a KMI Cadet from VAHS's collection.
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"Kentucky Military Institute in Venice" was presented by Larry Humes, a 1965 KMI graduate, on April 16th. The packed crowd attended this educational and anecdotal presentation at UUCOV. As Larry stated, KMI's presence in Venice tremendously helped to boost the local economy. Today, KMI's prior presence is part of the fabric of Venice's history. Larry's presentation is on the VAHS YouTube Channel. The next series of lectures will begin in the Fall of 2024. |
Over the years, The Betty Intagliata Lecture Series has been filmed and is available for viewing on VAHS's YouTube channel. Please click on the button and watch history begin to unfold!
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The VAHS Speakers Bureau ended for the season on March 22nd with a presentation on Mable Ringling by our illustrious Sue Chapman.
During the season, VAHS provided seventeen programs to a variety of audiences, totaling over 1,000 attendees. VAHS is currently planning for next season's speakers.
Our sincere appreciation goes to our member speakers who have given their time and energies to prepare and deliver informative and appealing programs which enable our residents and visitors to gain a deeper awareness of Venice's interesting history.
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Around Town
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VAHS at the Venice Farmers’ Market |
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Jason Gallourakis, Carol Bailey Werth, Brenda Holland, Irvin Lewin, and Tom Doherty at VAHS's booth.
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VAHS appeared at the Venice Farmers’ Market on March 16th. A team of volunteers, including Carol Bailey Werth, Tom Bowers, Rick Coxson, Joel Dell, Tom Doherty, Mike Donnellan, Jason Gallourakis, Bill Haberthur, Brenda Holland, Jenny Huessner, Fran Hughes, Becky Lenko, Irvin Lewin, Ann Martinuzzi, and Frank Wright staffed our tent, shared upcoming event brochures, train depot and circus car literature, membership information and handed out more than 250 “I LOVE VENICE” stickers to market patrons.
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Venice History: Did You Know? |
Venice Army Air Base Student Officers' Club |
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The former Student Officers' Club for the Venice Army Air Base. Today, it is the Clubhouse for the Venice Municipal Mobile Home Park.
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Did you know the last remaining structure from World War II in Venice is the former Venice Army Air Base Student Officers' Club. Constructed in 1942 and serving as a Student Officers' Club for the young men training here to be fighter pilots. The base closed in October of 1945.
On April 21st, VAHS held a reception at the building. Frank Wright, VAHS President, introduced the two speakers: Don Tobias, our host and a part-time resident of the Venice Municipal Mobile Home Park where the former Club still stands in its original location; and Clarke Pressly, VAHS member and historian. The building is open to the public and its walls are adorned with display panels and photographs of the building's history. |
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Welcome to Our Newest Members
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JOSEPH ‘’JOE’ DUNDON: A seasonal resident of Venice, Joe and his wife Viki divided their time enjoying friends and activities in both states. Joe loved being a docent at the caboose on the Historic Train Depot Campus, and looked forward to greeting new visitors each season. While in residence here, they attended all functions and were generous with their volunteer time and support.
PATRICIA ‘PAT’ EMERSON: A gifted artist who lived in a number of states before making Venice her permanent home, Pat recently held showings at the Venice Museum and the Venice Art Center to showcase her watercolors of historic Venice homes. She enjoyed interacting with people, many of whom recognized either their own home or another Venice landmark. This led to discussions about saving so many of these buildings.
MARY GOLDSCHMIDT: Mary was a longtime supporter of VAHS programs and fundraising events. Always ready with a kind expression of appreciation for all of the volunteer work, she was a ‘cheerleader’ for the Society’s outreach to the community.
VICKY MAY: Vicky recently passed away and friends fondly remember her years of being a dedicated docent at the Historic Venice Train Depot. She and her husband loved to travel and used their retirement years for further education and enjoyment with their children and families. They always gave ‘something back’ to their communities.
RUTH PETO WIECLAW: A longtime member who stayed in touch with her many friends in the Society and the greater Venice cultural community, recently passed away at age 101 at the home of her son in Lutz, Florida. A celebration of her life will be held at Grace United Methodist Church on May 18th.
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Welcome to Our Newest Nonprofits
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Support VAHS Business Members |
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Click here for a printable version of this application. |
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