Vero Beach, FL…. The Historical Society of Indian River County announces The History of the Sebastian Inlet as the featured video for their May 14th Movie Night. The event will take place from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM at the Vero Beach Women’s Club located at 1535 21st Street in downtown Vero Beach.
The video features seldom seen photos and several interviews providing a wonderful backdrop for one of Indian River County’s earliest assets.
In addition to the video, Ed Garland a journalist and public outreach specialist, will highlight the interesting history of the inlet. Garland was a newspaper reporter in Maine and New Hampshire in the 1980s. He moved to Florida in 1994 to join Florida Today as Palm Bay bureau chief and columnist. In 2000, he joined St. Johns River Water Management District serving as communications coordinator and sharing the agency’s message through presentations, media events, and interviews, as well as writing thousands of magazine articles and news releases. Garland joined the Sebastian Inlet District in August 2021 to heighten public awareness about the agency’s storied history and unwavering mission to maintain the vital link between the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the waters of the Indian River Lagoon.
Garland will be joined by Beth Mitchell who was first elected to the Inlet District Commission in 2004 and is now serving in her fifth term. She has served as Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer during her 20-year tenure. Beth has been active with coastal issues for more than thirty years and has lived on the east coast of Florida for over forty-five years. After eighteen years of service, she retired as the President of the Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce. Before that, Beth was the VP of Operations for American Coastal Engineering and dedicated her efforts to alternative technology for erosion control on the beaches with submerged breakwater technology.
The History of the Sebastian Inlet video is one of over a dozen historical videos produced by the Historical Society using the talents of local videographer Nick Verola, Verola Studios. Funding for all Historical Society videos is made possible through an Indian River County tourist development grant.
For forty-one years, the Indian River County Historical Society has contributed to preserving the historical and environmental resources of Indian River County, the Indian River Lagoon area, and the State of Florida. The Historical Society office is located in the 1903 Vero Beach Railroad Station on 14th Avenue in historic downtown Vero Beach. In addition to the railroad station property, the organization owns, operates, and maintains the 1918 Hallstrom House on Old Dixie Highway. Both of these properties are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Among the many accomplishments of the Historical Society are saving Jungle Trail, a historic 7.5-mile greenway along the Indian River Lagoon; implementing the countywide historic marker program; and successfully securing registration of local historic properties on the National Registry of Historic Places.
For more information on other special events, becoming a member or volunteering with the Historical Society, go to https://www.irchistorical.org.