Florida Memorabilia, Tropical Touches & Highwaymen Artists at the Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg
Florida Memorabilia, Tropical Touches & Highwaymen Artists
at the Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg
Sunday, January 29, 2012
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Hula Hula Productions is proud to announce that St. Petersburg College’s historic Palladium Theatre, in downtown St. Petersburg, will be the new location for the “Floridiana Festival & Highwaymen Artist Show,” being held on Sunday, January 29th from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
The Floridiana Festival & Highwaymen Artist Show will celebrate 10 years in 2012, and while the focus of the January 29th “winter show” remains on early Florida tourist memorabilia, attendees will notice a return to the eclectic offerings of earlier Floridiana Festivals, as well as the incorporation of some Hawaiiana. “All of our Exhibitors focus on vintage Florida, which also can easily blend into old Hawaiiana,” says Annette Vedsegaard-Ross, owner of Hula Hula Productions. “My husband and I lived in Hawaii before moving to Florida, and so this show is sort a hybrid of everything we appreciate about these cultures. In addition to all the roadside attraction souvenir kitsch, the merchandise for sale is typical of what could be found in an old Florida house and things that would be common in a tropical setting. Many aren’t even made anymore, and some are particularly unique, such as items made from Cypress Knee woods or actual alligator heads. It’s not necessarily politically correct, but it’s different!”
Many of the U.S.’s premier collectors of Floridiana will be exhibiting on January 29th, and attendees will find everything for sale from fun Florida travel ephemera and tacky tourist treasures like alligator handbags and flamingo figurines, to sought-after collectibles such as hand-painted jewelry with miniature Florida scenes, vintage Florida photographic art, and citrus and cigar box labels. Discover small furnishings and lighting made of Cypress knee woods, vintage wall mirrors with flamingo images, ceramic statues of tropical birds, and old Florida art. Decorators will especially enjoy the tropical backcloths (including fabulous pillows). One of the largest collections of vintage Florida license plates will be available for sale as well. It’s an interest for the hey-day of Florida, and the iconic images of the past, that bring people to the Floridiana Festival. “I see people coming to the show for a sense of nostalgia, sometimes hoping to find a souvenir from some Florida tourist attraction that their family may have visited in the 1950s or 60s, or even earlier,” says Annette. “Plus, our exhibitors are some of the most knowledgeable in this field, and are always happy to discuss the old Florida memories that go hand-in-hand with the memorabilia!”
Several Florida authors will be participating on January 29th. Larry Roberts, author of “Florida’s Golden Age of Souvenirs: 1890 to 1930” and considered by many to be the “guru” of collecting old Florida memorabilia will be exhibiting and selling, as well as Ken Breslauer, author of “Roadside Paradise — the Golden Age of Florida’s Tourist Attractions 1929-71” and Wayne Ayers, author of numerous Florida history books, including “Tampa Bay’s Gulf Beaches: Fabulous 1950′s and 1960′s” and “St. Petersburg: The Sunshine City.”
The Florida Highwaymen are an important part of Florida’s cultural legacy, and the January 29th show is a wonderful opportunity to meet and mingle with these artists, who will be selling their beautiful Florida sea and landscape paintings. “I’m always happy that we can bring so many of the Highwaymen artists to this side of the state. When you consider that most of the artists are in their 70s and many still live in Ft. Pierce or the surrounding east coast towns, it’s not that often that an event brings them over here to the west coast,” says Annette. As of press time, artists James Gibson, Issac Knight, R.L. Lewis, Roy McLendon Sr. and Carnell Smith are some of the artists who have signed up for the January 29th show. And Florida Highwaymen art isn’t the only art that will be available, as some exhibitors will have vintage Florida paintings by lesser known artists for sale as well. Complimentary valuations of vintage Florida paintings – including that of the Highwaymen – will be available at the show by Robert LeBlanc of highwaymen-buy-sell-trade, an appraiser and expert in the field. If you’re not sure what your old Florida art is worth, or who the artist may be, you’re invited to bring it to the show for a free valuation as to age, artist and value.
Other special features include lectures and slide presentations. Dr. Gary Moss will discuss “The Culture of Aloha Shirts.” His collection of vintage Aloha shirts is featured in the Schiffer book “Hawaiian Shirts: Dress Right for Paradise,” and has also been exhibited at the American Textile History Museum. This interesting lecture will cover the history of Aloha shirts, what makes them collectible, and how to recognize if your shirt is valuable. Wear or carry your vintage Aloha shirts to receive a free appraisal of age and value. Several exhibitors will have vintage Aloha shirts, including “The Aloha Shirt” folks, who will have hundreds of shirts for sale at the show.
Attendees can also enjoy the lecture “Taking a Textile Trip Back in Time…to the Era of Barkcloth” by Brian Walsh, aka the “King of Barkcloth.” Brian is a textile archeologist of sorts, having spent over two decades searching for the very best of barkcloth designs. Covered in Brian’s talk will be a discussion of an era gone and the impact barkcloth had on the designs of the time, how to differentiate new from old barkcloths and what are the most collectible patterns and colorways, plus tips on collecting and caring for vintage fabrics.
Hula Hula invites you to come celebrate Florida’s cultural and historical legacy at the Florida Memorabilia & Highwaymen Show, Sunday, January 29, 2012, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Palladium Theater. The Theater is located at 253 Fifth Avenue North in downtown St. Petersburg. Show admission is $6.00; children under three years are $3.00. Lectures, slide presentations and art valuations are included in the price of show admission. For further information, call Hula Hula at (727) 421-0441 or visit www.hulahula.biz.
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Hula Hula Productions has produced antiques and collectibles events in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area since 2002, including the Retro-Rama Antiques & Collectibles Show, Baby Boomer Antiques & Collectibles Show, Ybor Extraordinaire Antiques Show, the Antiques in the Park series, and the Floridiana Festival & Highwaymen Artist show. The Floridiana Festival has been held at various historical locations in the Tampa Bay area, including the St. Petersburg Coliseum and the Belleview Biltmore Hotel.
All exhibitors, Highwaymen artists and authors participating in the January 29, 2012 Floridiana Festival & Highwaymen Artist Show are available for interviews and photographs. For further information, please contact:
Annette Vedsegaard-Ross
Hula Hula Productions, LLC
P.O. Box 530082
St. Petersburg, FLA 33747
727-421-0441
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