Freedom Summer - 50th Anniversary

I didn't venture far from home earlier this month but the people who told their stories at an event I attended certainly did. I was at the Wisconsin Historical Society for a special program celebrating the brave students who collected civil rights manuscripts in the South during the 1960s.

The Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS) owns one of the nation's richest archives documenting events of the civil rights struggle 50 years ago. The collection contains more than 1,000 boxes of unpublished letters, diaries, meeting minutes and memos, phone logs, photographs, audio tapes, and other documents obtained at the grassroots level. Much of the collection - 30,000 items - has been digitized and is now available at the click of a mouse. When the question is asked, "Why Wisconsin rather than Washington, D.C?" the answer is a handful of UW-Madison graduate students who braved the tumult and dangers of the times to collect this evidence of the civil rights movement.

"History is not long ago and far away," Michael Edmonds,
Deputy Director of the WHS Library-Archives, stated in
his introduction of the students who gathered in Madison
to share their stories.

In December of 1964, three of the members of the panel who spoke approached then WHS Director Les Fishel with a proposal to collect material of the civil rights movement that wasn't easily collectible - stories and papers of ordinary people. These students knew the people involved in the struggle because they had worked in the South to organize residents for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and register voters. Some were members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Freedom Summer panel members
Front row: Mimi Feingold Reel, Vicki Gabriner, Alicia Kaplow
Back row: Bob Gabriner, Leah Johnson Wise, Gwen Gollon

Back in the 1960s these students were being taught by such UW-Madison legendary professors as Harvey Goldberg and George Mosse. They believed that history was being made from the bottom up. Studying social action movements was a new approach to studying history at that time. These students helped regular people appreciate and respect their own work. 

Because I had worked for the Wisconsin Historical Society's Foundation in the past, I was familiar with the letter written on toilet paper from a southern jail. A facsimile of it was displayed in the Director's Office. But now I heard the rest of the story from the author, Mimi Feingold, herself. She managed to wrangle a pencil from the jail's trustee and wrote the letter to her CORE friend on the only paper available to her - toilet paper. Getting the letter out of jail was another matter. Mimi shared how her mother, who was not a good seamstress, had hemmed the skirt she was wearing - with long stitches. Mimi was able to roll up the letter and hide it in the hem of her dress once she was released.

Staff at WHS have also created a special exhibit, "Risking Everything," for students that is displayed on the first floor of the Society's headquarters at 816 State Street.

The WHS Press has released Risking Everything: A Freedom Summer Reader, edited by Michael Edmonds. Firsthand accounts of the struggle for civil rights is provided in this book as well as a broader understanding of the movement. Another fine example of the work done by the Wisconsin Historical Society, one of the great treasures of my state.

Sibilicious - Night with the Family

Rick pronounced that a week ago our Saturday evening was "sibilicious," meaning a delicious time with siblings. Always good food when the family gets together and this particular evening was no exception. This time, Rick's brothers and sisters recreated some of the dishes they ate as kids - chipped beef on toast, carrot and celery sticks, orange jello with mandarin oranges, and Heath bar torte for dessert. The twist on the chipped beef was that Rick's brother made it with corned beef and his sister served it on Texas toast. Yummy. And so much better than the bland dish my mother used to make when we were kids.

Sister Sandy, Rick, and Sister Lynn. All siblings live within
10-20 miles of each other.

Brother Randy and Sister Lori. Lori and her husband were
our gracious hosts for the evening.

Of course it wouldn't be a "sib" night without some sort of game. We played a couple of rounds of "Tenzi" and then switched to "Catch Phrase" where Password meets Hot Potato.  It was girls against the boys. Final score - a tie. The guys came from behind but the best they could do was tie with the gals. We could have played another round, but it was getting past bedtime for some in the crowd!

I've always appreciated how Rick's family welcomes the "in-laws" (and in-law equivalents) to the family. Sib Night was no exception. 

The next Sib Night....soon, I hope!

Reminders of Spring

Before we head north after a glorious month in Florida, I wanted to share some pictures that represent the hope of warmer weather we will be experiencing in the frozen tundra sooner rather than later!

We went to the beach our last two days. However, it wasn't the typical crowded beach on the Gulf coast. We found a quiet spot at the Lemon Bay Park and Environmental Center. This nature-based park has nearly two miles of shoreline on the beautiful Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve and some lovely walking trails.

Our beach didn't have a lot of sand, but just enough room for us to set up our camp chairs and dangle our feet in the water.

Lots of pines and palms...

Earlier we found the Oak Farms Nursery in Englewood. Plants were displayed among the trees so looking at all those blooms and greenery felt like a walk in the park. (There's Rick in the safari hat checking out the flora.)

We had an enjoyable picnic at Indian Mound Park also in Englewood. Again, another quiet park on Lemon Bay where we could look out on the water and dream of warmer days to come. It was an overcast day (eventually we had rain that evening), but we appreciated looking at green trees rather than white snow!

I'll close with this final image. Someone has a sense of humor -- and probably comes to Florida from parts north for respite from winter...

Wheels and Deals

We ventured north about 100 miles the end of last week for car and vintage camping trailer shows.

On Friday it was the Zephyrhills Winter Auto Fest, a car auction and swap meet. This event is the first shopping and buying opportunity for collector and classic auto enthusiasts according to the promoter. Unfortunately, it wasn't like the Iola Old Car Show - no "folk art," i.e., no restored cars exhibited by people telling their stories. All the cars were there for only one purpose - to be sold. I watched and listened while a couple dozen cars were auctioned off. Lots of lookers, a few bidders, and even fewer successful bidders. Maybe one in ten cars offered met the reserve set by the seller so very few new owners drove off with the cars of their choice. Apparently this auction wasn't even that exciting. A man sitting next to me fell asleep in the midst of the auctioneer's spiel!

I wandered through the cars that were put up for sale and found a few interesting ones like this Studebaker with its jet-like front end.

I'm always pleased with myself when I recognize a 60s Chevy truck. This white flatbed is a 1964 model. Its front looks just like Rick's panel truck.

And this black one is a Suburban. Again, a front end that I recognize easily.

These 1957 Chevy "twins" are what Rick calls "belly button" cars - everyone has one!

I'm not a fan of the swap meet section of a car show. It's the junk yard as far as I see it so I didn't spend time looking at rusty bumpers, old license plates, or 14 styles of tail lights. I did score a new Florida map, that we needed, from the Triple A guy.

This method of ice cream making as well as the history of the engine that powered the process caught my eye at one of many food stands.

On Saturday we checked out vintage camping trailers at the Tin Can Tourist Winter Rally outside of Brooksville. Lots to see and many people to talk with. 

This Arrow trailer belongs to a "glamper," someone who is into glamour camping. The trailer is highly decorated, usually by a woman. This owner of this Arrow kept telling Rick and me that she wanted our flamingo patterned Hawaiian shirts (image of the pattern follows).

And now for the inside...

Can you see why our shirts fit right in with her colors?

Rick's favorite trailer was this Airfloat that had been restored by Tim Heintz from Panama City, FL. Tim and Rick had been corresponding via Facebook so Rick was excited to finally meet Tim. It's quite unusual to find a 30-something so passionate about vintage trailers, usually the pervue of the baby boomers and older set.

Another camper at the rally thought this trailer could be done as a Beatle-themed "yellow submarine." The general shape of the trailer and the porthole at the back is reminiscent of a submarine. And if it were painted yellow.....

This Spartan belongs to the guy who organizes many of the Tin Can Tourist rallies. It's a real beauty.

Here's a Casita from a couple lost in the 60s.

And an Argosy - longer than Rick's trailer but still in the Airstream family - just painted, that's all. Oh, and the big panoramic window in front (not usually found on older Airstream models).

The most unusual trailer at the rally was this Pontiac. It's HUGE and the owner pulls it with an older Buick Park Avenue sedan!

Check out the dining room. One of Rick's smaller trailers could fit in the living room!

One more vintage trailer as I close my post. This Argosy was at the Travelers Rest RV Resort, a place we checked out on Friday afternoon. The owners, a couple from Nashville, were inspired to paint their trailer with this design to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Wally Byam's (founder of Airstream) caravan in Africa.

The Flora Of Florida with a Little History

Earlier this week we visited friends Mona and Jerry, originally from Pewaukee, who are now Florida residents for six months of the year. They have a beautiful home near Koreshan State Historic Site and treated us to a tour of this interesting place in Estero.

Cyrus Teed, head of the Koreshan Unity Settlement, started a utopian community movement in New York. He eventually moved to Florida (it was still a frontier in the mid-1890s) to avoid hostility because of his group's religious, scientific, and cultural beliefs. Teed took the name of "Koresh," a very loose translation of Cyrus. The word means shepherd or leader in Hebrew. (Maybe you recall another Koresh who called himself a shepherd - David. His compound in Waco, Texas was wiped out by the FBI back in the 1990s.) The Koreshans in Florida were a more peaceful people and believed in equal rights for women long before women won the right to vote in our country.

However, their science was a bit strange. Teed believed that the entire universe existed within a giant, hollow sphere. One saw the sun, moon, and stars by looking inward rather than outward.

The Koreshan community did reach out to the people living in Estero. The Koreshans put on plays and musicals and created elaborate Victorian gardens. Back in the day, the locals paddled down the Estero River and took in the Koreshan culture from their boats.

Unfortunately, when a community believes in being celibate, the only way to add members is by recruitment. Therefore, its future is somewhat doomed. And so it was with the Koreshans. By 1961 only four women remained and, wisely, they deeded their land to the state of Florida as a park and memorial. The Koreshan Unity Settlement is now on the National Register of Historic Places with 11 restored buildings.

Okay, that's it for the history lesson. Now on to the flora that is in the park....

This tall skinny tree is a Washingtonian palm or hurricane palm. It bends in the winds that oftentimes lash the Gulf coast of Florida.

The tree starts out life wearing what looks like a tutu. Not sure how long it takes for the palm to reach stratospheric heights.

Bromeliads are plants that attach themselves to other plants such as palm trees. At first glance it looks like this tree has a full crown of leaves. A second look reveals hundreds of individual bromeliads.

The blossoms on this silk cotton tree were a welcome sight in the middle of winter.

Another interesting tree was the sausage tree. Notice the brown "sausage" hanging about one third of the way down a little to the left of center.

While our tour was about the history and the trees in the park, we did see this gopher tortoise that came out of its burrow just for our little tour group!

The Florida state parks' tag line is "Real fun in.....the Real Florida." From what we've seen so far, the phrase is right on the money.

More Florida Nature

More nature in Florida...and maybe a decision on what to do next February. We were at Oscar Scherer State Park, Osprey, and toured the campground. The sites reminded me of Peninsula State Park, only the trees between the sites were palms rather than pines. Osprey Lake is at the far end of the park. 

But swim at your own risk....alligators in the area.

The volunteer force at the park paid for WiFi (always a requirement for Rick) and they host a variety of daily activities just like at the private RV resorts we've seen in the area. Apparently Florida is known for its state parks.

We also checked out Myakka State Park, Sarasota, but were not as impressed with the campsites in that park. However, the Myakka River is beautiful. Last year we went on a boat tour to see the many alligators and birds that make the park their home.

Later in the week, we were at Linger Lodge. Bradenton. Our Englewood friend, Randall, recommended the campground at the Lodge. Turns out we were at the Lodge two years ago but didn't pay that much attention to the campground. "Rustic" would be the best description. Maybe a place for a couple of nights but no more. For a private campground, at least the price is right.

Many camp sites are on the Braden River. The restaurant at the Lodge overlooks the river. (This picture  was taken through the screened in porch.)

The Linger Lodge restaurant is definitely bizarre. Lots of dead animals mounted on the walls. This little fox greets guests as they enter.

As for the decision for next year, Rick is thinking about bringing his Argosy (basically a painted Airstream) trailer to Florida. Florida uses Reserve America just like the state parks in Wisconsin so we would have to be Johnny-on-the-spot to get our reservations in eleven months in advance.

Music Abounds

Saturday night we attended a play presented by The Suncoast Players, a group that performs original plays and music. The play,The Case of the Golden Girl, was a benefit for the Lemon Bay Historical Society and part of the Lemon Bay Fest this past week.

Fictional Englewood FL detective, Billery Dean, has a sister, Hillary, who ends up in Las Vegas and is hired as a security guard at the Golden Girl Casino in 1958. Two chorus girls from the casino are murdered. In between lounge acts (including a "George Burns/Gracie Allen" bit and a You Bet Your Life show episode with "Groucho Marx"), Hillary figures out who the perpetrator is. 

Not only could the cast members sing, but several of them wrote the original music that was performed. The play was funny and even included audience participation. The audience members who ended up on stage had no inhibitions and got into their roles with lots of enthusiasm.

The Suncoast Players is a division of the Suncoast Writers Guild which was organized in 1990. I'm not sure how many writers belong to the Guild, but it looks like a very active group of authors, playwrights, poets, and song writers. In general, this area of Florida seems to have a thriving creative culture. 

And a live music scene. On Sunday afternoon we went to Laishley Park in Punta Gorda for a concert with the Country Express Band sponsored by the local Kiwanis Club. Fortunately, we had camp chairs with us and found a shady spot to sit and enjoy the music. We also met a couple from Indiana and had a nice visit with them. 

I learned from Sandy (the woman from Indiana) that one can substitute the words for Amazing Grace to the melody of The House of the Rising Son. Who knew? And when the band played her House request, I substituted the words. Sure enough, it worked!

A lot of live music venues here and we hope to hear a few more local bands at neat outdoor venues in the next three weeks.