Saturday February 8, 2014 8am to 4pm rain or shine. 15th Annual Everglades Day Festival Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, free (except for food) family fun and educational outdoor festival! Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge 10216 Lee Road, Boynton Beach US 441/State Road 7 – 2 miles south of Boynton Beach Blvd. Parking at Monte’s Packaging 1/2 mile south of Refuge entrance. Free shuttle to/around the Refuge.

MUSEUMS COME TO YOU AT EVERGLADES DAY in the THEATER:

12 NOON Catherine Smith, Belle Glade Museum***** 1pm Butch Wilson Clewiston Museum

12 Noon Catherine Smith, Belle Glade Museum presents “Florida’s Giant Venice”

The accounts of early settlers to South Florida depict the region as a harsh, uninhabitable swampland. As a result, many assume that few people could live in the area prior to drainage – yet nothing is further from the truth. Craftsmanship, extensive trade, and some of the largest earthen monuments in the world reveal a large prehistoric population with a complex culture — yes, here in Palm Beach County. Florida’s Giant Venice illustrates the way in which water seeped into every aspect of early South Floridian lives including diet, artistry, architecture, transportation, and more. These people did not just adapt to their environment, they mastered it – taking full advantage of the rich resources wetlands provide. Come learn about this impressive culture which utilized a vast network of waterways significantly larger than that of Venice, Italy. If your interest is piqued, further explore various aspects of this same culture in the “We Were Here” exhibit currently on display in the Visitor Center Theater.

Catherine Smith is the interim curator for the Lawrence E. Will Museum: A Museum of the Glades, a museum focused on the preservation and presentation of the long history and culture of the Everglades. As an intern for Palm Beach County, a field/lab tech for the Archaeological and Historical Conservancy, intern for Florida Public Archaeology Network, and now curator of the Lawrence E. Will Museum, she has worked on sites and collections from all over South Florida. As a graduate student at Florida Atlantic University specializing in bioarchaeology, she conducts research on the Belle Glade Prehistoric People of central and south Florida by investigating South Florida skeletal collections including those housed at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History. This research, including future dissertation research incorporating ancient DNA findings, promises to reveal more chapters in the life-story of those enigmatic people of which so little is known.

1pm: Butch Wilson, Clewiston Museum, will present: “Lake Okeechobee: Past & Present”

Butch Wilson will present a historical review of Lake Okeechobee that includes: (1) the lake’s geology and the prehistoric animals that once lived there, (2) early inhabitants – The Mayaimis Indians, (3) Seminole Wars, (4) drainage and development, and (5) hurricanes of 1926 &1928, which includes the construction of the Herbert Hoover Dike. Fossil artifacts and Indian artifacts will be displayed during the program.

Butch Wilson is a sixth generation Floridian who grew up on Lake Okeechobee. As a young boy, Butch enjoyed listening to stories of Old Florida, told to him by his great grandmother and other Glades pioneers. This early heritage fascinated Butch and gave him an early appreciation for Glades History that would forever influence his life. He retired from United States Sugar Corporation after 32 years and is currently employed as the Director of the Clewiston Museum. Butch presents programs on Florida History (with emphasis on the Glades) to schools, colleges and other organizations. He also conducts Eco-Tours and Historical Tours in Hendry County. His tall tales regarding the Glades are both educational and entertaining.

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For more information, contact the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge at 561-734-8303

In partnership with the Audubon Society of the Everglades, Friends of the Loxahatchee NWR, U.S. Fish& Wildlife Service, Palm Beach County Cultural Council, PBC Commission