MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM: Past Programs on YouTube
Our monthly culture/history presentations are being uploaded to our Youtube portal. Visit regularly to view as programs become available.
MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM June 15, 2022: Featuring Deb Carson with BECOMING FLO: A HUMAN STORY OF FLORIDA HISTORY, IDENTITY AND DISCOVERY --
We celebrated PRIDE at Palm Harbor Museum's first-ever hybrid in-museum-and-Zoom program as local author Deb Carson presented her multimedia talk based on her book, Becoming Flo— the inspiring real-life story of her beloved uncle, born Abraham Isadore Meyrowitz into a Baltimore orthodox Jewish family of Eastern European immigrants. A shy, artistic, confused child, Abraham became Albert White when he ran away from home at 16 to escape his abusive father, joined a traveling circus, and overcame anti-Semitism and violence to become one of Ringling's most famous clowns. Rising in his craft for the next 3 decades, Albert found HERself—Flo. Within the circus community, Carson’s uncle was at last able to live life on her own terms. Please note: This full program is not available for public viewing at this time pursuant to the protection of copyrighted intellectual property and because Deb Carson is presenting it actively in local programs. We will let you know when we are able to offer it for public viewing in full. An abbreviated edit is available on our YouTube site. Thank you for understanding. Deb Carson's book may be purchased through Palm Harbor Museum or directly from Deb at debcarsonwrites@gmail.com or Facebook. Mention you saw her program through Palm Harbor Museum and she will donate $5 of each book sale to our museum. VIEW THE ABBREVIATED EVENT HERE
MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM May 18, 2022: Featuring Ed Marks with A Palm Harbor Profile in Courage: Frank Weaner and the Community Stand Up To The Klan: Palm Harbor Museum honored Jewish American Heritage Month, May 2022, with Ed Marks, President of Palm Harbor's Temple Ahavat Shalom, who presented a profile in courage of local resident and benefactor Frank Weaner—businessman and co-founder of the Greater Palm Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce and member of the then newly-founded Temple Ahavat Shalom in the late 70s. Following David Duke's announced intentions to relocate KKK state headquarters to Palm Harbor in 1978—and the Klan's use of local property for public rallies that included cross burnings—the Palm Harbor community (spearheaded by Weaner) unified, renounced bigotry, and confronted Duke to oppose his presence. Land being used by the KKK was sold by its proprietor to Charles Rutenberg, a leader and philanthropist of Tampa Bay's Jewish community. It's a riveting and astonishing little-known story and a deeply deserved tribute to one man's open-hearted influence on the Tampa Bay area and the state of Florida. Read The Jewish Press of Tampa Bay feature on this program here and here. VIEW PROGRAM HERE
MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM April 20, 2022: Featuring Hermann Trappman with FLORIDA WILDLIFE During the Glacial Max: During Earth Month 2022, Florida digital artist, painter, sculptor, historian, and environmental educator Hermann Trappman invites us to explore our environmental past with a stunning visual program/discussion of "Florida's Incredible Wildlife During the Glacial Max." Literally everywhere we stand is a witness to history. Discover the story of the Wisconsin Glaciation, its effect on our state, and—through Hermann's images—visualize profound changes to our landscape over a vast time span. Devoting his life to telling the story of Florida's natural and cultural history for nearly three decades, Trappman explores the ways in which ancient Florida's first people related to their world. Through his extensive research, he might take up to 500 hours to complete an individual painting. Trappman is a Florida treasure—discover more of his artwork and stories at www.firstfloridafrontiers.org. VIEW PROGRAM HERE
MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM August 18, 2021: Featuring John Pether with SEVEN MILLENIA OF BOAT BUILDING on Florida's West Coast: Avid boater, racer, and researcher John Pether, who began sailing at the age of 10 in his native New Zealand and enjoyed a champion racing and sailing career, discovered this fact through his research in writing The History of the Sarasota Sailing Squadron. Pether’s love of boating led him to realize there were no significant maritime museums in Florida covering the history of boat building on Florida’s West Coast, nor had there been a major attempt to find, document, preserve, and display this rich tapestry of boat-building history. As a result, Pether and a group of renowned boating enthusiasts began to plan for a significant 40,000 sq. foot maritime museum, registering The Gulf Coast Maritime Museum as a Florida 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation in January 2020. VIEW PROGRAM HERE
MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM July 21, 2021: Featuring Roger Block with THE TOCOBAGA: The Lost Tribe of Tampa Bay: Some 100 years after the arrival of the Spanish in Florida in 1528, the Tocobaga Indians of Tampa Bay became extinct. This proud and peaceful tribe that were part of the Mississippian Indian culture of mound builders were hunter gatherers with a strong spiritual tradition of village spiritual leaders, healers, and shamans. Dr. Roger Block, an expert in Native American history and a member of the Seminole Historical Society, describes what archaeology and Spanish chronicles reveal about the Tocobaga Indians culture and life-ways. VIEW PROGRAM HERE
MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM May 5, 2021 Featuring Linda Berghoff with PIONEER WOMEN ARTISTS in Tampa Bay: Mixed Media Artist and Fine Arts Instructor for St. Petersburg College, Linda Berghoff discusses women artists in the Tampa Bay region and the work of her mother, Lois Berghoff, with Dorothy Cowden—pioneering artists, entrepreneurs, and gallery owners who served university students and artists in our region. Linda also analyzes two works of world-renowned painter Miriam Schapiro and shares memories of when Schapiro was a visiting artist with the Berghoff-Cowden Editions collaborative print workshop in Tampa. It is a story of the power of community to innovate, inspire, and create. VIEW PROGRAM HERE
MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM April 21, 2021 Featuring Ed Marks & Rabbi Matt Berger with THE JEWS OF NORTH PINELLAS: Life By The Beach. In 1976, Palm Harbor, was sparsely developed land largely consisting of orange groves connected to the Tampa Bay area by a narrow two-lane road when Temple Ahavat Shalom was founded by 18 families — just as an explosion of growth throughout West Central Florida in the 80s turned Palm Harbor into a flourishing suburb of our region. As Pinellas County grew, so did the Jewish community and the temple—now a vibrant center of Reform Jewish life, a beautiful synagogue and congregation of 450 families. In the 45 years since Temple Ahavat Shalom's founding, it has been served by only 3 rabbis: Jan Bresky (z"l) 1978 -1987, Rabbi Gary Klein from 1987 and who accepted life tenure, and Rabbi Matt Berger, who joined the congregation during the pandemic July 2020, taking reins as Senior Rabbi as Rabbi Klein transitioned to Rabbi Emeritus. Temple President Ed Marks and Rabbi Berger share discussion and photographs of the temple's history and construction, along with an overview of Judaism and temple life, both within the congregation, within Palm Harbor, and within the larger region. VIEW PROGRAM HERE
MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM November 18, 2021 Featuring CELEBRATING OUR VIETNAM VETERANS: A distinguished and varied panel of veterans (Gene Jones, USAF and President of Florida Veterans for Common Sense • Dave Siegwald, USMC • Dan Gallaghan, USMC & USA • Michael T. Burns, USAF) describes poignant experiences of the Vietnam War—some of which they have never shared. Their personal memories and feelings of the Siege of Huế during the Tet Offensive, the My Lai tragedy, being shot down, surviving as a POW, and becoming a recipient of the Silver Star Medal will touch and enlighten you deeply. VIEW PROGRAM HERE
MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM June 15, 2022: Featuring Deb Carson with BECOMING FLO: A HUMAN STORY OF FLORIDA HISTORY, IDENTITY AND DISCOVERY --
We celebrated PRIDE at Palm Harbor Museum's first-ever hybrid in-museum-and-Zoom program as local author Deb Carson presented her multimedia talk based on her book, Becoming Flo— the inspiring real-life story of her beloved uncle, born Abraham Isadore Meyrowitz into a Baltimore orthodox Jewish family of Eastern European immigrants. A shy, artistic, confused child, Abraham became Albert White when he ran away from home at 16 to escape his abusive father, joined a traveling circus, and overcame anti-Semitism and violence to become one of Ringling's most famous clowns. Rising in his craft for the next 3 decades, Albert found HERself—Flo. Within the circus community, Carson’s uncle was at last able to live life on her own terms. Please note: This full program is not available for public viewing at this time pursuant to the protection of copyrighted intellectual property and because Deb Carson is presenting it actively in local programs. We will let you know when we are able to offer it for public viewing in full. An abbreviated edit is available on our YouTube site. Thank you for understanding. Deb Carson's book may be purchased through Palm Harbor Museum or directly from Deb at debcarsonwrites@gmail.com or Facebook. Mention you saw her program through Palm Harbor Museum and she will donate $5 of each book sale to our museum. VIEW THE ABBREVIATED EVENT HERE
MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM May 18, 2022: Featuring Ed Marks with A Palm Harbor Profile in Courage: Frank Weaner and the Community Stand Up To The Klan: Palm Harbor Museum honored Jewish American Heritage Month, May 2022, with Ed Marks, President of Palm Harbor's Temple Ahavat Shalom, who presented a profile in courage of local resident and benefactor Frank Weaner—businessman and co-founder of the Greater Palm Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce and member of the then newly-founded Temple Ahavat Shalom in the late 70s. Following David Duke's announced intentions to relocate KKK state headquarters to Palm Harbor in 1978—and the Klan's use of local property for public rallies that included cross burnings—the Palm Harbor community (spearheaded by Weaner) unified, renounced bigotry, and confronted Duke to oppose his presence. Land being used by the KKK was sold by its proprietor to Charles Rutenberg, a leader and philanthropist of Tampa Bay's Jewish community. It's a riveting and astonishing little-known story and a deeply deserved tribute to one man's open-hearted influence on the Tampa Bay area and the state of Florida. Read The Jewish Press of Tampa Bay feature on this program here and here. VIEW PROGRAM HERE
MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM April 20, 2022: Featuring Hermann Trappman with FLORIDA WILDLIFE During the Glacial Max: During Earth Month 2022, Florida digital artist, painter, sculptor, historian, and environmental educator Hermann Trappman invites us to explore our environmental past with a stunning visual program/discussion of "Florida's Incredible Wildlife During the Glacial Max." Literally everywhere we stand is a witness to history. Discover the story of the Wisconsin Glaciation, its effect on our state, and—through Hermann's images—visualize profound changes to our landscape over a vast time span. Devoting his life to telling the story of Florida's natural and cultural history for nearly three decades, Trappman explores the ways in which ancient Florida's first people related to their world. Through his extensive research, he might take up to 500 hours to complete an individual painting. Trappman is a Florida treasure—discover more of his artwork and stories at www.firstfloridafrontiers.org. VIEW PROGRAM HERE
MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM August 18, 2021: Featuring John Pether with SEVEN MILLENIA OF BOAT BUILDING on Florida's West Coast: Avid boater, racer, and researcher John Pether, who began sailing at the age of 10 in his native New Zealand and enjoyed a champion racing and sailing career, discovered this fact through his research in writing The History of the Sarasota Sailing Squadron. Pether’s love of boating led him to realize there were no significant maritime museums in Florida covering the history of boat building on Florida’s West Coast, nor had there been a major attempt to find, document, preserve, and display this rich tapestry of boat-building history. As a result, Pether and a group of renowned boating enthusiasts began to plan for a significant 40,000 sq. foot maritime museum, registering The Gulf Coast Maritime Museum as a Florida 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation in January 2020. VIEW PROGRAM HERE
MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM July 21, 2021: Featuring Roger Block with THE TOCOBAGA: The Lost Tribe of Tampa Bay: Some 100 years after the arrival of the Spanish in Florida in 1528, the Tocobaga Indians of Tampa Bay became extinct. This proud and peaceful tribe that were part of the Mississippian Indian culture of mound builders were hunter gatherers with a strong spiritual tradition of village spiritual leaders, healers, and shamans. Dr. Roger Block, an expert in Native American history and a member of the Seminole Historical Society, describes what archaeology and Spanish chronicles reveal about the Tocobaga Indians culture and life-ways. VIEW PROGRAM HERE
MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM May 5, 2021 Featuring Linda Berghoff with PIONEER WOMEN ARTISTS in Tampa Bay: Mixed Media Artist and Fine Arts Instructor for St. Petersburg College, Linda Berghoff discusses women artists in the Tampa Bay region and the work of her mother, Lois Berghoff, with Dorothy Cowden—pioneering artists, entrepreneurs, and gallery owners who served university students and artists in our region. Linda also analyzes two works of world-renowned painter Miriam Schapiro and shares memories of when Schapiro was a visiting artist with the Berghoff-Cowden Editions collaborative print workshop in Tampa. It is a story of the power of community to innovate, inspire, and create. VIEW PROGRAM HERE
MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM April 21, 2021 Featuring Ed Marks & Rabbi Matt Berger with THE JEWS OF NORTH PINELLAS: Life By The Beach. In 1976, Palm Harbor, was sparsely developed land largely consisting of orange groves connected to the Tampa Bay area by a narrow two-lane road when Temple Ahavat Shalom was founded by 18 families — just as an explosion of growth throughout West Central Florida in the 80s turned Palm Harbor into a flourishing suburb of our region. As Pinellas County grew, so did the Jewish community and the temple—now a vibrant center of Reform Jewish life, a beautiful synagogue and congregation of 450 families. In the 45 years since Temple Ahavat Shalom's founding, it has been served by only 3 rabbis: Jan Bresky (z"l) 1978 -1987, Rabbi Gary Klein from 1987 and who accepted life tenure, and Rabbi Matt Berger, who joined the congregation during the pandemic July 2020, taking reins as Senior Rabbi as Rabbi Klein transitioned to Rabbi Emeritus. Temple President Ed Marks and Rabbi Berger share discussion and photographs of the temple's history and construction, along with an overview of Judaism and temple life, both within the congregation, within Palm Harbor, and within the larger region. VIEW PROGRAM HERE
MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM November 18, 2021 Featuring CELEBRATING OUR VIETNAM VETERANS: A distinguished and varied panel of veterans (Gene Jones, USAF and President of Florida Veterans for Common Sense • Dave Siegwald, USMC • Dan Gallaghan, USMC & USA • Michael T. Burns, USAF) describes poignant experiences of the Vietnam War—some of which they have never shared. Their personal memories and feelings of the Siege of Huế during the Tet Offensive, the My Lai tragedy, being shot down, surviving as a POW, and becoming a recipient of the Silver Star Medal will touch and enlighten you deeply. VIEW PROGRAM HERE
