Great things are happening at the Museum of the Islands
The Museum of the Islands is going “great guns” and getting our beautiful museum “up to speed.” First of all, they will be installing new high impact glass doors, which will open it up, bring in the beautiful sunlight and enhance the amazing artifacts that the museum contains.
On Dec. 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., we will have our annual MOTI Christmas Open House. We will have special demonstrations by local artist Mel Meo and the Pine Island Garden Club. Island Frank will be playing his special island music and Mary Kaye Stevens will be there to autograph and answer your questions about her new book “Images of America, Pine Island.” Plenty of local craft, artwork, plants and home baked desserts will be available. This will be a fun day, so make sure you circle Dec. 6 on your calendar.
Another date you will not want to miss is Dec. 8. This is MOTI’s first general membership meeting of the season. Award-winning author Bob Macomber will be the speaker. The topic of this evening talk will be; “1865, The Wild End of the Civil War in Southwest Florida.” Join us for a fascinating discussion of the tumultuous end of the Civil War in Southwest Florida. You’ll hear of the Battle of Fort Myers, the great escape of the Confederate secretary of state and the first attempt to find and help freed slaves, all of which happened right here on our coast. The meeting will take place at the First Baptist Church of Pine Island located at 5363 Avenue D in Bokeelia.
Last and most important, we are going to need more volunteers. If these volunteers are not found soon, the hours of the museum is open will have to be cut. What a shame this would be because this is truly one of the high points for many of the visitors to the islands. Not only can they learn about our history, but also can view many of these one of a kind artifacts. If you are interested and can give just a small part of your day once a week, please give a call to either Naomi at 283-4298 or Sharon at 283-9155. It is a way to meet people and enjoy telling and sharing your experiences with them about your island.
Again, try to come to visit the museum and be a volunteer. You will not be sorry. The winter hours at the museum are Tuesday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sunday, from 1 to 4 p.m.
For further information, go to the MOTI Web site at museumoftheislands.com or call 283-1525.
The Museum of the Islands is located at 5728 Sesame Drive (the corner of Sesame and Russell), go one block north of the four-way stop on Stringfellow Road and take a left on Sesame Drive.