NEWS RELEASE

Acknowledging community interest in the continuation of its annual Florida Humanities Series, the Emerson Center will present a new group of speakers for 2014-2015, in partnership with the Florida Humanities Council.

Acclaimed speakers and performers in six programs will be presented between October 2014 and April 2015, with lectures and performances relating to Florida history and issues.  Admission to each is complimentary. All performances will begin at 7 p.m. on the respective Thursday evenings.  The series is sponsored in part by Marine Bank & Trust.

October is National Humanities Month and the premier speaker of the series will be Storyteller Caren S. Neile, Ph.D., on Thursday, October 23, 2014, at 7 p.m. Based on her extensive work with veterans of the wars in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf, Dr. Neile will tell stories of Florida veterans, “Our Veterans: Our Selves.”

The Avenue D Choir will offer “A Joyful Holiday Concert” with songs of the season Thursday, December 11, 2014, at 7 p.m. The excitement, discipline and joy of making music brought success and applause for a group of young St. Lucie County boys and girls who will travel to Vero Beach to bring us entertaining holiday music. Holiday refreshments will follow.

Archaeologist C. Andrew Hemmings, Ph.D., joins us at the podium on Thursday, January 29, 2015, at 7 p.m. Dr. Hemmings, who has been supervising the dig near the airport for the Old Vero Ice Age Sites Committee, will discuss the “Old Vero Ice Age Site and the Pleistocene peoples who lived there 15,000 Years Ago.”.

Vero Beach resident Sean Sexton will take to the podium on Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 7 p.m. Sean Sexton, whose family has been raising cattle in this area for almost 100 years, will consider the past, present and future of Florida cattle ranching with his speech about “Florida Cattle Culture.”

Roger Smith, Ph.D., will introduce us to “Spies, Schemes, and the Sons of Liberty:  The Shadier Side of East and West Florida During the American Revolution” on Thursday, March 19, 2015 at 7 p.m.

Concluding the series on Thursday, April 16, 2015 at 7 p.m. is Rosalyn Howard, Ph.D. Dr. Howard, cultural anthropologist, will examine the African influence on Florida’s iconic tribe, as well as the related Caribbean diaspora, with “The African Presence in Spanish Florida: Black Seminoles.”

Funding for these programs is provided through a grant from the Florida Humanities Council with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The capacity of the Emerson Center is more than 800; free admission will be offered on a first-come-first-served basis for all speakers.  The Emerson Center is handicap accessible and is conveniently located at 1590 27th Avenue, on the SE corner of 16th Street and 27th Avenue in Vero Beach. For more information, contact 772-778-5249.

The Emerson Center’s FREE Florida Humanities Series Begins on October 23

The free Emerson Center’s Florida Humanities Series, in partnership with the Florida Humanities Council and sponsored in part by Marine Bank & Trust, will begin on Thursday, October 23, at 7 p.m.

The premier speaker is Caren Neile, Ph.D.  She will present “Our Veterans; Our Selves.”  Based on her extensive work with veterans of the wars in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf, Caren Neile shares a deeply moving story of transformation, love and loss that may change your mind and your life.  Dr. Neile is former chair of the National Storytelling Network, founder of the Palm Beach County Storytelling Guild, and co-founding editor of the academic journal Storytelling, Self, Society.

The Florida Humanities Series is presented by The Emerson Center at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Vero Beach. Six acclaimed speakers and performers will be presented at the Center through April 2015, with all presentations relating to Florida history and culture. Admission to each is complimentary and all performances will begin at 7 p.m.

Future speakers and their topics include “A Joyful Holiday Concert with the Avenue D Choir” December 11; “Old Vero Ace Age Site and the Pleistocene People who Lived There 15,000 Years Ago” January 29; “Florida Cattle Culture”February 19; “Spies, Schemes, and the Sons of Liberty:  The Shadier Side of East and West Florida During the American Revolution”March 19 and “The African Presence in Spanish Florida: Black Seminoles”April 16.

Funding for these programs is provided through a grant from the Florida Humanities Council with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The capacity of the Emerson Center is more than 800; free admission will be offered on a first-come first-served basis.  The Emerson Center is handicap accessible and is conveniently located at 1590 27th Avenue, on the SE corner of 16th Street and 27th Avenue in Vero Beach. For more information, contact 772-778-5249.