America's REAL First Thanksgiving (Florida Style)

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches school children everywhere are dusting off their Pilgrim costumes and asking their parents for contributions of turkey, dressing, and cranberry sauce for classroom recreations of the famous Plymouth meal. But Florida schoolchildren in particular should really be researching the attire of Spanish soldiers and Timucuan Indians and asking grandma to help them find garbanzo beans and chorizo sausage for their communal school meal.

That’s because, as historian Michael Gannon tells us, the REAL first Thanksgiving took place in St. Augustine, Florida in 1565, some 56 years before the legendary meal in Massachusetts. The meal, shared by Spanish soldiers and natives of the Seloy tribe, was a celebration of the safe arrival of the Spanish expedition of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. Dr. Gannon’s claims have earned him the moniker “The Grinch Who Stole Thanksgiving” in New England circles. Read the full story of the real first Thanksgiving in this article from FHC’s Forum magazine from the fall of 2006.

Then check out some of the other resources FHC has created for teachers and the general public, including a downloadable poster that shows a comparative timeline of the British and Spanish Colonial experiences in the New World (available in both English and Spanish), coloring book drawings of the First Thanksgiving meal in St. Augustine , resources from FHC’s “Spanish Colonial St. Augustine” teacher resource website, and a radio program (listen/download) on colonial St. Augustine history, And learn about Robyn Gioia, the Florida teacher that published a children’s book, America's REAL First Thanksgiving (search by book title,) after attending FHC’s Colonial St. Augustine summer seminar for teachers. Then look into your own opportunities to attend FHC’s popular St. Augustine seminar in the summer of 2010.

FLORIDA LIFETIME LITERARY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

In 2010, Gov. Charlie Crist will honor a Florida author with the state’s first Lifetime Literary Achievement award. To be annually bestowed, the award already is sparking talk around our state. Like to join the chat? Tell us whom you would choose and why. It’s just for fun and won’t count as a formal nomination. To see the formal guidelines and an official nominating form visit the Florida Humanities Council official website at www.flahum.org.

Writers and the Florida mystique

What is it about Florida that excites the authors who live here? Some of this year’s Florida Book Awards winners discuss in FORUM EXTRA! the mystique that animates their work. You also can hear radio interviews with several writers, plus read about and view photos of the 26-inch-tall dancer called Chiquita who enthralled America in the late 19th century. Espiridiona Cenda was the subject of Antonio Orlando Rodriguez’s fictional biography, which won a Florida Book Awards gold medal. To access these engaging features, click here.

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Florida Book Awards

The Florida Library Association on May 8 recognized Florida Book Award winners for 2008 at a banquet in Orlando. Authors and their books will be featured in the upcoming issue of FORUM magazine, due out in mid-June. Coordinated by Florida State University’s program in American and Florida Studies, the Florida Book Awards are sponsored in part by the Florida Humanities Council. To see a list of winners and titles, click here.

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Tales of Scalawags, Heroes, and History

Did you hear the story about the 1920s-era St. Petersburg mayor who promoted his sunny city as a tourist destination by parading bathing beauties down a New York City street in the dead of winter? Or the one about the rogue who controlled gambling—and elections—in Tampa during the first half of the 20th century?

Those were a couple of the tales told by Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker in their lighthearted history face-off, “A Tale of Two Cities,” in the ornate Centro Astoriano theater in historic Ybor City. This event, held Wednesday, May 6, was sponsored by the Florida Humanities Council, the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, the University of South Florida Libraries, and the Tampa Bay History Center.

If you missed this fun, interesting evening, you can listen to the whole event HERE.

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