The Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation, in partnership with The Society of Presidential Descendants, is pleased to announce a series of special events to be held in celebration of Presidents’ Day Weekend, Thursday, February 15, through Monday, February 19, 2024, on the elegant tropical grounds of the Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West, Florida, where 33rd U.S. President Truman spent 11 working vacations from 1945-53.
Kicking off events on Thursday, February 15, from 5:30-7:30pm, is a special “Happy Hour at Harry’s Cocktail and Trivia” evening at which politicophiles can enjoy cocktails from “Harry’s Bar” while competing for prizes and glory in a presidential trivia battle of the brains. Centerpiece of the multi-day event is a Saturday, February 17, forum discussion on the topic of "Political Maneuvering: The Powerful Influence of the Presidency” to be held among a gathering of distinguished presidential descendants before a live audience. Moderated by Dr. Kurt Graham, Director of Independence, Missouri’s federally operated Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, this year’s scheduled forum participants are: James Carter, grandson of 39th U.S. President Jimmy Carter; Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of 33rd U.S. President Harry S. Truman; Ulysses Grant Dietz, great-grandson of 18th U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant; Mary Jean Eisenhower, granddaughter of 34th U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower; Massee McKinley, great-great grandson of 22nd and 24th U.S. President Grover Cleveland; and Patricia Taft, great-granddaughter of 27TH U.S. President William H. Taft. Returning by popular demand for the 2024 Presidential Families Weekend are two live performances of “Give ‘Em Hell, Harry!”, the long running, highly acclaimed stage production written by Samuel Gallu that spotlights the life and presidency of Harry S. Truman. Clifton Truman Daniel has starred in the role of his grandfather since 2017, and is the first direct descendant to portray a presidential ancestor in a stage production of this kind. A fast paced, faithful to history, and often humorous one-man-show, “Give ‘Em Hell, Harry!” will be performed Sunday evening, February 18, and as the long weekend’s finale event on Monday evening, February 19, with each beginning at 4:30pm. Staged outdoors on the grounds of the Harry S. Truman Little White House, tickets for previous year’s performances have quickly sold out. On Sunday the 18th, from 10:00am until noon, the Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation will welcome renowned master artist Tom Corbin, creator of the monumental Harry S Truman bronze sculpture on display in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington D.C. Part of the Foundation’s TRU-ly Amazing Art series, in his presentation, Corbin will share insights on his tools and processes and where he finds his inspiration. Presidents’ Day, Monday, February 19, the Little White House grounds will provide the setting for a family-friendly “Presidents’ Day Cookout,” with hamburgers, veggie burgers, and hotdogs available for purchase. A cash bar will also be available, and attendees are welcome to bring a picnic blanket for the 11:30am to 1:30pm event that will also include music and lawn games. Other “Presidential Families Weekend” offerings are to include guided tours of the Historic Little White House and self-guided botanical lawn tours. The annual “Presidential Families Weekend” held at the Harry S. Truman Little White House in Key West is the largest Presidents Day Weekend gathering of presidential descendants in the country. Traditionally hosted by The Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation, in 2022 the Foundation partnered for the first time with the Society of Presidential Descendants, a membership organization for individuals with direct lineage to one or more of the forty-six United States Presidents. In the spirit of fostering youth political awareness and participation, the Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation and The Society of Presidential Descendants have announced an essay contest for Monroe County High School Students, with submissions to reflect this year’s “Political Maneuvering: The Powerful Influence of the Presidency” theme. In addition to cash prizes, First, Second and Third place winners will receive tickets to attend the Saturday, February 17 forum, where attending presidential descendants will introduce the winning students to the audience following the discussion. Interested students have until January 15 to submit their compositions. The “Presidential Families Weekend” and the Tom Corbin “TRU-ly Amazing Art” event are presented with the support of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council. For tickets and information visit www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.org/foundation/events/. For student essay guidelines and information, contact Foundation Deputy Director Michael Ables at [email protected].
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The History of Diving Museum, in collaboration with the Art Guild of the Purple Isles and Monroe County School District, hosts a new limited-time Featured Exhibit Dive Into Art: Coral Creations. This year’s theme is inspired by the Jerry Garcia Foundation and will be open through April 17th.
For the sixth annual Dive Into Art installation, students from Key Largo to Key West are participating, along with skilled members of the Art Guild. All are united with a theme of inspiring coral conservation. Educational interpretive from local coral restoration practitioners will inform visitors about the reefs of the Florida Keys, programs to rebuild and protect them, and ways everyone can help and participate. Jerry Garcia was the iconic lead guitarist of the band Grateful Dead; however, his creative talents began long before that. He was an artist from childhood who was painting in oils by the age of seventeen and thought of himself as “an artist who played music.” He also stated, “A line on paper is like a note in the air, and once a mark is made, it can no more be erased than a note, once sounded, can be taken back.” Jerry also had a love of the ocean. In the late 1980s, Jerry became a certified diver and logged over 300 dives with Jack’s Diving Locker in Hawaii. He was so impressed with the Kona diving that he testified at the 1986 Hawaii state hearing in support of a mooring buoy project to protect the reef system. Hawaii approved the project, and to this day Jack’s Diving Locker monitors over 90 buoys along the Kona coast. Pulling these two passions together, the Jerry Garcia Foundation has graciously helped support Dive Into Art through donations of limited edition museum quality giclee prints of Jerry’s art. Each piece is signed by his wife and daughter, Manasha and Keelin, and available for purchase at the History of Diving Museum. All proceeds support the featured exhibit and educational outreach. Dive Into Art: Coral Creations will launch on Wednesday, January 17th with a preview reception starting at 5:30pm, followed by the 7:00pm Immerse Yourself presentation Empowering Divers and Snorkelers to Support Coral Restoration with Madeline Cholnoky and JD Reinbott, NOAA Mission Iconic Reefs Stewardship Manager and Coordinator. If you are interested in attending the preview or Immerse Yourself lecture in-person, reserve your space today by calling the Museum at (305) 664-9737 or emailing the Community Outreach team at [email protected]. For those unable to attend the Immerse Yourself in-person, visit our website for a virtual Zoom link at DivingMuseum.org. This session will also be recorded and posted to the HDM YouTube channel. The History of Diving Museum would like to thank the Art Guild of the Purple Isles artists and volunteers for dedicating over 300 hours to develop the project and assist teachers in addition to helping HDM with installation of the exhibit. Dive Into Art: Coral Creations was made possible and sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts, Monroe County Tourist Development Council, Florida Keys Council of the Arts, Jerry Garcia Foundation, Ocean Reef Conservation Association, Wildlife & Land Preservation, and generous donors on Giving Tuesday. The History of Diving Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in Islamorada (MM83). Divers and non-divers alike are amazed by over 4,000 years of “the quest to explore under the sea.” The Museum is open daily from 10AM-5PM and hosts over 14 core exhibits plus two limited-time Featured Exhibits, as well as a Museum Store with unique gifts. Check out DivingMuseum.org for more details, to become a member or shop online. KEY WEST, FL, January 5, 2024— The College of the Florida Keys will open its 2024 VIP Series with “Memoirs of the Holocaust” on Thursday, January 18 at 7 p.m. in the Tennessee Williams Theatre on the Key West Campus. The presentation will be led by descendants of Holocaust survivors, Lucy Barker and her daughter Diana Tapper. In its tenth season, the College’s VIP Series invites the community to learn from the Views, Ideas, and Perspectives of speakers of local, regional, and national prominence. The 2024 season includes presentations that focus on timely topics relevant to Keys’ audiences.
Barker and Tapper will discuss the survival of Barker’s father, Jack Kowal, through eight concentration camps, a story that was documented by Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation. Barker and Tapper’s presentation includes elements of the documentary as well as their experiences traveling to Poland and Germany to retrace Kowal’s journey. Barker, a 19-year resident of Key West, was born in Zeiltzheim, Germany, in a Displaced Persons’ Camp and emigrated to the United States in 1949 with her parents. Barker grew up in Boston and spent most of her life in that area before retiring to Key West. Inspired by her father’s passion to educate people about the atrocities of the Holocaust, she has given numerous presentations that bring history to life using her father’s stories, photos, and artifacts. Diana Tapper, a retired insurance professional, currently holds leadership roles on several not-for-profit boards. She is the board chair of The TAMID Group, a nonprofit with 57 college campus chapters and an alumni network focused on connecting the next generation of business leaders to Israel. Additionally, she serves as the Secretary on the Executive Board of the Access Psychology Foundation, which aims to improve access to mental health resources for underserved and racially diverse populations. CFK’s 2024 VIP Series is sponsored by First Horizon Bank. Tickets for each event are $5 at the door. Admission is free for students at CFK and Monroe County schools. For more information, call CFK at 305-296-9081 or visit the College’s website at CFK.edu/VIP. ![]() 2023 was a year of celebration as Monroe County entered its 200th anniversary, and today, our commissioners and staff continue to enhance the quality of the lives of our citizens, business owners, and visitors. I am proud of our commissioners and employees’ remarkable accomplishments in 2023. Department highlights from this past year include:
2024 will be a year for community-wide courageous communication as we navigate through many critical challenges that will shape the future of the Florida Keys, from our Rate of Growth Ordinance and hurricane evacuation modeling to transportation issues and more. For the past 15.5 years as Monroe County Administrator, the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners has been committed to creating a better life, every day, for everyone in the Florida Keys. We will continue to have open discussions and workshops about our future, and we will strive to make our island home a safe and enjoyable place to live, work, and play. Cheers in Paradise Roman Gastesi Monroe County Administrator KEY LARGO, FL - The Annual Orange Bowl Winter Training and Orange Bowl Swim Classic took place today at Jacobs Aquatic Center in Key Largo -- a prime spot for the event at a Monroe County park. The Orange Bowl Swim Classic is an official Orange Bowl event, held annually on January 3rd, and is an integral part of the month-long Orange Bowl festivities, highlighted by the nationally televised Orange Bowl Football Classic.
Jacobs Aquatic Center features a 25-meter, 8-lane pool with 9-foot lanes, non-turbulent lane lines, and a dive well. Completed in June 2002, Jacobs Aquatic Center has earned a reputation as a first-class facility. To learn more about the Jacobs Aquatic Center, visit http://jacobsaquaticcenter.org/. In a dazzling display of talent and storytelling, Williams Hall proudly presents Bombshells by acclaimed playwright Joanna Murray Smith. As the first-ever theatrical production to grace the stage at Williams Hall, this momentous occasion promises an evening of entertainment, laughter, and thought-provoking storytelling.
Starring Key West favorite, Erin McKenna, Bombshells is a one-woman show that introduces audiences to five distinct female characters, each brought to life through the exceptional talent of McKenna, who skillfully embodies each character with nuance and authenticity. Directed by Jeremy Zoma, and written with Joanna Murray Smith’s signature wit and insight, the play explores the diverse facets of modern womanhood, offering a compelling journey that is both humorous and poignant. Williams Hall is thrilled to bring Bombshells to their stage for an unforgettable evening of theater and celebration of the strength, resilience, and humor that define the modern woman. Bombshells opens Thursday, January 25, 2024 and runs for two consecutive weekends, with performances on Thursday, Friday & Saturday nights (January 25th – 27th and February 1st – 3rd). The performances on January 25, 26, 27, February 1 & 3 will begin at 8:00PM (doors open at 7:30PM). The Friday, February 2nd performance will begin at 6:30PM (doors open at 6:00PM), as there will be a special three-course dinner following the performance by Chef Martha Hubbard upstairs at Unity Table, where you can meet the actor! Tickets are available for purchase on www.keystix.com and are $40.00 for general admission. For more information on Williams Hall and to purchase tickets for the dinner following the Friday, February 2nd show, please visit williamshall.org. BOMBSHELLS by Joanna Murray-Smith - Copyright by Joanna Murray-Smith, copyright agent: Catherine King of 42M&P Ltd. Palladium House, 1-4 Argyll Street, London, W1F 7TA. Poets and Writers Invited to Participate in Tennessee Williams Poetry and Short Story Contests1/3/2024 January 2, 2024 – (KEY WEST, FL). As the Tennessee Williams Key West Festival nears, Key West Art & Historical Society invites poets and writers to submit original works for its 2024 Poetry and Short Story writing contests – components of the annual celebration held each March in honor of the Pulitzer Prize-winning literary icon that moved to Key West in 1949 and remained a resident for 34 years.
While there is no specific theme for the 2024 writing competitions, submissions must in some way reference Tennessee Williams. Authors may choose to write a story referencing Williams, his family, one of his characters, or one of the actors/actresses who played a role in his plays or films. Cost is $10 per submission and is limited to one poem and/or one short story per person. The first-place winner in each contest will be awarded $300 while the second-place winner will receive $150. Submissions will be accepted through March 10, 2024. For full contest information, guidelines, and a submission link visit www.twfest.org/contests. The Tennessee Williams Museum at 513 Truman Avenue is open every day for self-guided tours 10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. For more information, contact Key West Art & Historical Society at 305-295-6616 or visit www.kwahs.org. Your Museums. Your Community. It takes an Island. Politicophiles will get to put their savvy on display at a special Presidents’ Weekend “Harry’s Cocktail and Trivia” event, set for Thursday, February 15, 2024, from 5:30-7:30pm at the Harry S. Truman Little White House, 111 Front Street, Key West, FL. Attendees can enjoy cocktails from “Harry’s Bar” – including Harry’s signature cocktail, beer, wine, or non-alcoholic beverages along with light hors d’oeuvres while competing in a presidential trivia battle of the brains for a chance to score prizes and glory.
The “Harry’s Cocktail and Trivia” evening kicks off the 2024 “Presidential Families Weekend,” an annual multi-day event presented by the Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation in partnership with The Society of Presidential Descendants whose centerpiece is a live, moderated discussion among distinguished descendants of past United States presidents. Presented with the support of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council, all events take place at the Harry S. Truman Little White House. Proceeds from “Harry’s Cocktail and Trivia” evening benefit the Key West Harry S. Truman Foundation. For tickets and information on the weekend’s events visit www.trumanlittlewhitehouse.org/foundation/events/. |
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