ON THE SCENE
Treasure Coast History Festival
106
Jan. 11 and 13
Emerson Center, Vero Beach
Downtown Fort Pierce
Photos by Anthony Inswasty
and Christina Tascon
Hundreds of people packed the Emerson Center in Vero
Beach for Waldo Sexton and the Sexton Family Today, a forum
hosted by Indian River Magazine and Publisher Gregory
Enns as part of the Treasure Coast History Festival. The
two-day festival continued in downtown Fort Pierce, with
historical reenactments, an old-Florida fish fry hosted by the
Summerlins, an Authors Alley history book fair and historical
sessions at the Sunrise Theatre Black Box on the history of
Adams Ranch and the origins of Fort Pierce. A performance
of excerpts of American Jazz, a musical based on letters
recently discovered between Zora Neale Hurston and Waldo
Sexton, was presented by students of Indian River Charter
High School. The festival was sponsored by CenterState
Bank, Southern Eagle Distributing, East Coast Lumber &
Supply Co., Main Street Fort Pierce, the Emerson Center and
the Sunrise Theatre.
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1. It was standing room only during a presentation on Waldo
Sexton at the Emerson Center in Vero Beach.
2. Peggy Summerlin Allen, center and Terri Summerlin Taylor
serve festival-goers at the Summerlin Family Fish Fry.
3. Brothers Mike and Robbie Adams discuss the history of
Adams Ranch during a session at the Sunrise Theatre Black Box.
4. Indian River Magazine Publisher Gregory Enns moderated
history sessions held Jan. 11 at the Emerson Center and Jan. 13
at the Sunrise Theatre Black Box.
5. Mark Sexton, Hildie Sexton, Jens Tripson, Bonnie Schwey
and Sean Sexton enter the Emerson Center stage.
6. Panel members discuss the origins of Fort Pierce.
7. Indian River Charter students Maya Snead, far left, and
Chris Hargroves, far right, performed excerpts from American
Jazz, a musical based on recently discovered letters between
Zora Neale Hurston and Waldo Sexton. With them are Hassie
Russ, middle left, a student of Hurston, and Chris Sexton, who
discovered the letters.
8. Reenactors from the Second Seminole War march down
Second Street in Fort Pierce.
JIM WILSON