Dear Friends,

The Mandarin Art Festival is back after a two-year absence! We are excited, as we sure missed it. It is been held annually by the Mandarin Community Club since a group of Mandarin artists and art supporters got together in 1968 and decided to have a festival to showcase the work of local artists. Some of the folks who started the festival included Memphis Wood, Charlie Brown, Vina Schemer, Rosemary McCorkle and Ed Westberry. How exciting it must have been back then to do something so new and exciting in Mandarin!

And now, we will once again be able to enjoy the wonderful art, food and merriment on Easter weekend. Plan to come - you will have a great time, see lots of friends and maybe take home some awesome art!

Get all the details: hours, parking, artists, food etc. etc. right here on MCC's special Art Festival website: http://www.mandarinartfestival.org/about--visitor-info.html

Mandarin Museum volunteers will be in the 1911 Store and Post Office, so please stop in for a visit. And, our Board President, Patrick Plumlee, will be playing his banjo and arranging the local musical talent at the tent on the east side of the club building, so stop and see him too.

Seen here is the poster done for the 21st year of the festival - by the late Mandarin artist Lucinda Halsema.

We continue to introduce you to members of the Board of Directors. We are so fortunate to have such high-caliber members leading this organization.

Hope Ferrigno - Hope was a volunteer in the museum long before becoming a board member. She is seen her portraying Mrs. Edith Mary Jones at the farmhouse. Hope is active on the Winter Celebration Committee, as a docent, and the Third Thursday Lectures. She is retired from Stein Mart and we are blessed to have her helping us at MMHS.

Susan Ford was one of the founding members of MMHS. She has been an amazing researcher, historian and generous donor all these years. She and her husband Todd were critical lead volunteers when the Store and PO was renovated and she is currently writing the Arcadia book "Images of America: Mandarin." She always has a new project up her sleeve!

Anne Morrow hails from a longtime family of Mandarin residents - the Jacks, Monsons, Kennedys and Morrows. Her mother, Jean Morrow, was considered Mandarin's primary historian at one time. She is a bookkeeper by profession and has been Treasurer for many, many years. She also serves as a docent, does school tours and helps out anywhere where needed.

Mike Myers got involved with MMHS in 2015 when we brought the schoolhouse to the park. His wife Dana spoke at the Grand Opening of that building and Mike became more and more involved. They were instrumental in getting the Walter Anderson Memorial Park renamed for the man who donated the land for the park originally. He has been very helpful with the development of the new exhibit that will be present when we reopen the museum - "The Untold Stories of Black Mandarin."

An amazing gift to the Walter Jones Historical Park was made on March 22 when 30 wonderful Publix employees showed up for a morning of service. These folks tackled vines that had completely covered the front fence and had swallowed up the big azaleas. They also raked leaves and did a major cleanup of overgrown plants and weeds at the schoolhouse and mulched the citrus trees with oak leaves to slow citrus greening.

It was just amazing to watch them tackle this area in front of the museum and accomplish so much. We are indeed grateful to them for choosing the park and for their enthusiastic participation!

Mandarin's City Council Member, Michael Boylan, will be holding a Town Hall meeting on April 13 from 6:30-8 PM at the Mandarin Senior Center, 3848 Hartley Road.

These meetings are always interesting and lively and give you a chance to hear about what is going on in the area and in City Hall that might impact Mandarin. It is a wonderful way to educate yourself and have an opportunity to ask questions and make your voice heard about things that are important to you.

This photo was taken before Councilman Boylan was a member of the City Council. He was a longtime friend of Sister Thomas Joseph and is shown here escorting her at the Grand Opening of the St. Joseph's Mission Schoolhouse for African-American Children .

In April, the historic buildings in Walter Jones Park are scheduled to be open on the first and third Saturdays. The 1875 Webb/Jones farmhouse, 1876 Barn, 1898 St. Joseph's Mission Schoolhouse for African-American Children and Losco Winery log cabin will be open from 10 am – 2 pm on April 2 and April 16 in Walter Jones Historical Park.

The "Under the Oaks" music jam will happen on Sunday, April 3, from 2-4 unless it is too cold or raining. All are welcome. If you play an acoustic instrument, bring it and join in the song circle and jam. If you don't, bring a lawn chair and be a "listener," just sitting out under the oaks enjoying the music. The schoolhouse will be also open during this event.

The Mandarin Museum will still remain closed for renovation, but the Gift Shop items will be available on the front porch when the park buildings are open as listed above.