Spring Newsletter 2017

“Happiness is Fish and Good Friends”

Spring ushers in longer days, cool breezes, and picnics in the park. And in Clearwater, it’s time for the Spring Fish Fry! Come meet up with old friends and make some new friends.

Saturday, May 6, 2017
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Ross Norton Recreation Center
1426 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue

Adults: $12 Children (12 and Under): $6

Click here to purchase your tickets securely on-line through PayPal, or buy them at the door the day of the fry.

Read All About It

Author Clifford McKay will be at the Fish Fry to sell and sign his self-published book, “Growing Up Wet.” The book is about growing up in the Clearwater Beach area in the 1940s and early 1950s. Each book is $15. Receive a FREE Clearwater Historical Society bookmark with every book purchase!

The Society Shoppe

Show your pride for the Clearwater Historical Society with new items imprinted with our logo. At the Fish Fry we will debut new t-shirts, bookmarks and tote bags. Please bring cash or check and shop to show your support!

Membership Corner

Board member Allison Dolan has graciously agreed to take on the role of Membership Chairperson. She and her team have begun the exhaustive task of reaching out to every current member of the Society. If you haven’t heard from one of them, please give Allison a call at (727) 399-9314 to update your information and provide an e-mail address.

Free Plumb House Museum Tours

The Society offers free guided and self-guided tours of the historic Plumb House Museum from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of every month, and from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. every Saturday through May 6, 2017. The museum is located at 1380 South Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Clearwater.

Swing Into Spring

The Clearwater Bombers’ Legacy Project is hosting its Spring Golf Tournament on Saturday, April 22, 2017, at the Clearwater Country Club, 525 North Betty Lane. Registration is at 11 a.m.; the Putting Contest is at 12 p.m. and Tee Off is at 1 p.m.

Individual Player cost is $80 and includes golf, golf cart and buffet.

Find more info at www.clearwaterbombersinc.com or by calling Jim Videtich at 727-442-6981.

Donations

Thank You to everyone who has faithfully supported the Clearwater Historical Society over the years through annual dues, volunteer time, and donations of artifacts. It is because of your generosity that the Society has been able to maintain the Plumb House and move forward with the South Ward project. If you still need to pay your dues for this year, wish to make a financial donation or want to include the Clearwater Historical Society in your will, please contact Buddy Gross at (727) 600-8204. Please know that your contribution will leave a lasting legacy for future generations!

The Society is grateful for the following generous donations:

Sam and Therese Plumb have donated time, materials and finances for repairs at the Plumb House.
Debbie King of Trickels Jewelry donated 10 tall display cabinets, two counter display units, and a jeweler’s bench from the family store downtown.
Drina and Ron Meyer donated funds toward moving the cabinets from Trickels to South Ward property.
Scott Belcher and the Belcher family donated furniture for the Plumb House from the Estate of Eileen Belcher.
Jeanne Holmquist and the Basore family donated several boxes of memorabilia and Clearwater material collected by their mother.

On the Lend

The Clearwater Historical Society is honored to be part of the Henry Plant Museum’s new exhibit, “Menus: The Epicurean Experience.” The exhibit explores Victorian fine dining and its elaborate accouterments including original menus from the Tampa Bay Hotel, beautiful china, crystal, and silver. The Society was asked to lend the museum a cruet set originally belonging to the Belleview Biltmore Hotel that was given to the Society as part of the donation from the Turner Estate.

Belleview Biltmore Cruet Set

The exhibit runs through December 23, 2017.

South Ward – Moving Forward

Our vision is becoming a reality. On Monday, March 27th, the Society began the long awaited first steps to converting the campus of South Ward Elementary School into a historic museum and cultural center by tenting the entire facility for termite elimination and prevention. Termite and pest control, provided by Pestguard Termite, is the first step in the massive restorative undertaking that involves the campus’s 20,000 square feet of structures. Once open, the Clearwater Historical Society museum will house the many artifacts that have been collected and donated over the years that are currently stored at the Plumb House Museum, volunteer’s homes, and The First United Methodist Church. The facility will also be used for the Society’s biannual fish frys, social events, and as a meeting space.