VERO BEACH — The Emerson Center Florida Humanities Series, in partnership with the Florida Humanities Council and sponsored in part by Marine Bank & Trust, continues on Thursday, Feb. 21, with Dana Ste. Clair presenting Cracker! The Cracker Culture in Florida History.
Dana Ste.Claire was born and raised in central Florida, and spent every summer of his childhood deep in the Ocala National Forest near Scrambletown.
His early immersion in the Cracker way of life led to his interest in Crackers as a culture. He was the first historian to view Crackers this way.
Ste.Claire is a former feature columnist with the Orlando Sentinel, a PBS television host (Florida Crackerbarrel,) and has authored three books, including the award-winning Cracker: The Cracker Culture in Florida History and Borders of Paradise.
He has been featured on The History Channel, and his work has been the subject of numerous articles in magazines and newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal.
He is currently the director of the Department of Heritage Tourism and Historic Preservation and the executive director of the St. Augustine 500th Commemoration Commission for the City of St. Augustine, FL.
The Florida Humanities Series is presented by The Emerson Center at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Vero Beach. Three acclaimed speakers and performers will be presented free at the center now through April, with all presentations relating to Florida history and issues.
Admission to each is complimentary.
All performances will begin at 7 p.m.
Other performances in the Humanities Series will include:
March 21, Steve Smith – Laughing Matters! An Energetic & Enthusiastic Look into the Art of Clowning
Apr. 11 – Jon McBride, The Florida Space Program: Its Past, Present and Future.
Funding for these programs was provided through a grant from the Florida Humanities Council with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in these programs do not necessarily represent those of the Florida Humanities Council or 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 handicapped-accessible and is conveniently located at 1590 27th Ave., on the SE corner of 16th St. and 27th Ave. in Vero Beach.
For more information, please contact (772) 778-5249.
