Sarasota County starts to mark its first 100 years

By Morgan Simpson Staff Writer

SARASOTA — Sarasota County kicked off its Centennial Celebrations at the historic courthouse in Sarasota on Tuesday.

This event started the 100 days of celebrating and the countdown to the county’s 100th anniversary on July 1.

Speakers at the event spoke of the county’s history, the historical courthouse and the upcoming events to look forward to as the celebration continues.

Alan Maio, the Sarasota County Commission chairman, opened the event with remarks about Sarasota County’s rich past.

He stated the county owes so much to important figures like John and Mable Ringling, Marie Selby, Bertha Palmer, and countless others.

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How to Use the Auto Tour App

Set up your phone to play via your car speaker. If you are not sure how to do this here is a How-To video.
It is often best to download the tour at a location where there is good mobile or Wi Fi coverage. During the tour the app will play from your phone so good mobile internet is not needed.
Our audio narration will play automatically at each stop as well as direct you from stop to stop. To do this, the app uses GPS and for it to work correctly check the following items before you start a tour:

ON ANDROID PHONES:

(SCROLL DOWN FOR how to use on iPHONES and iPADS)
Check that your device has Location services activated and Notifications are enabled for this app.
To do this tap the cog icon (gear) on the main screen:

 

This will take you to Settings:

 

  • Ensure Location settings is checked
  • Ensure Play stop audio is checked
  • Click Check for updates to get the latest version of the tour
Tour selection
Return to the main screen and select the tour you would like to do.
If there is a red dot with the number 1 at the upper right, an update is available.  Click the dots:

 

Select Update Tour:

An Orange Bar will show update progress. When done it will turn green.

Once the tour has downloaded, select Start Tour:

The screen will show the 1st stop. If you are at the starting location, audio should begin. If it doesn’t, tap the triangle play icon.
Clicking the 3 lines at the top left will bring up a menu of all the STOPS and Direction Points. The actual STOPS are in all CAPS.  Click a STOP to see photos and videos, read the text of the narration and replay the audio.

IF YOU GET LOST, tap the map icon at the top. You will see a map of the STOP you have selected. Tap the 3 dots at the top right and select  Get Directions.
This will bring up your navigation app (Google Maps, Waze, etc) and give you directions to the STOP selected.
If you are curious about the paper airplane icon, clicking it will show you where you are. Clicking it again will give you a compass!

ON iPHONES and iPADS:

Click the Gear icon at the lower right:

This will take you to the Settings page.
Click: Check for updated content
Select:  Notify me of nearby locations
Always allow Okay

(Location Services must be set to Always for your travel directions to work.)
If you are unable to make these selections read Apple help HERE
Next, Tap the Tours icon on the lower left to go back to main screen.
Select the tour you want to do.  If there is an Orange Download bar, click it.
When it turns Green, click Start Tour:

The screen will show the 1st stop. If you are at the starting location, audio should begin. If it doesn’t, tap the triangle play icon.

 

If  the tour isn’t starting, click the beacon icon at the top right and ensure Show location alerts and Autoplay audio options are selected.

Navigation
Clicking the 3 lines at the top left will bring up a menu of all the STOPS and Direction Points. The actual STOPS are in all CAPS.  Click a STOP to see photos and videos, read the text of the narration and replay the audio.
An interactive map of the tour can be found by selecting the folded map symbol at the top right of the screen. Select Online Maps
If there is mobile phone coverage in the area your current location should be highlighted by a dot. Clicking on a numbered stop pin will take you to that page in the app.

 

 

ON ALL PHONES and IPADS:

Navigating between pages can be done by tapping Previous or Next at the bottom of the page or by swiping the page left or right. More Information or additional sections may be found by scrolling down.
Photos
Swiping across images may reveal additional images. Tapping on an image will enlarge the view and show the image caption, rotating your device will change the format. Image credits can be found by tapping the information icon.
Audio
To listen to audio (if it does not trigger automatically via GPS) tap the triangular play button below the images on the app page.
Video
To watch videos tap the triangular play button within the image.

How To Use This App

1. Set up your phone to play via your car speaker. If you are not sure how to do this here is a How To video.

2. Tap the Settings gear at the lower right

3. You should now see this screen:

4. IMPORTANT:

a) Make sure “Location events” slider is on (to the right)

b) Tap the green button to “Check for updated content” (this will require an Internet connection)

5. After updates (if any) are loaded you will be returned to the main screen where you can select the tour you want to do.

6. If you see an orange button tap it to “Download Tour.” When it is downloaded you will see a Green button to “Start Tour.”

**Make sure you are at the Starting Location before tapping “Start Tour.” Your Starting Location will be listed on the opening screen “About this Tour.”

Once a tour is downloaded onto your phone you will no longer need an Internet connection (unless you want to use online maps).

Tap the “Listen to the Audio” button to start your tour narration.

Audio narration will play automatically at each stop as well as giving you travel directions from stop to stop.

LIST OF STOPS:
If you want to see a list of all the stops and driving directions tap the 3 lines at the upper right:

MAP:
If you want to view a map of all stops (including the points along the way where driving directions will play) tap the Map icon at the bottom of the screen:

The arrows on the Map screen toggle from one point to the next. If you tap a number in a circle you will be able to view that point at the bottom of the map screen. (Points are stops and the driving directions between them.)

Tapping the square icon will show you all the tour points on the map; the paper airplane icon will show you where you are located. It’s hard to see but tapping the brown gear at the lower right will enable you to turn on Online Maps which will show more detail.  Hit the X to close the Map screen.

NAVIGATION:
Navigating between pages can be done by tapping Previous or Next at the bottom of the page or by swiping the page left or right.

PHOTOS:
Swiping across images may reveal additional images. Tapping on an image will enlarge the view and show the image caption.

AUDIO:
To listen to audio (if it doesn’t trigger automatically via GPS) tap the triangular play button below the images on the app page. You will then at the bottom of your screen have the option of rewinding 15 seconds or fast-forwarding 30 seconds.

VIDEO:
To watch videos tap the triangular play button within the image.

 

Centennial Tiger Bay Panel

SARASOTA COUNTY CENTENNIAL
The 100th Anniversary

Click Here to view the Zoom video.

(Please note there were technical issues with Jeff LaHurd’s video.)

Featuring:

Kathryn Chesley as Bertha Palmer

KATHRYN CHESLEY
An actress and historian, she currently portrays 8 historical women, many of whom have connections to Florida. She also works as a tour guide for our Partner Discover Sarasota Tours. She is a member of the Sarasota County Centennial Committee. In this video Kathryn plays the part of Sarasota’s media & women’s rights pioneer Rose Wilson.

 

 

 

JEFF LAHURD
Local author/historian Jeff LaHurd has lived in Sarasota since 1950 and has written 17 books about the history of the community plus numerous artivles which have appeared in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Style Magazine, SARASOTA Magazine, SRQ, and the Downtowner. (Please note there were technical issues with Jeff’s Zoom video.)

 

 

 

JOHN MCCARTHY
Local historian and Vice President of the Historic Spanish Point campus, Marie Selby Gardens. John is a member of the Sarasota County Centennial Committee.

 

 

 

MODERATOR
Dan Bailey, attorney with Centennial Sponsor Williams Parker and member of the Tiger Bay Program Committee.

We thank the Tiger Bay Club for hosting this important panel.

Creating Sarasota County

Creating Sarasota County

The creation of Sarasota County in 1921 inspired intrigue and drama, pitting local economic rivals against one another.

The civic leaders of the Sarasota district fought what they saw as an incompetent and biased Manatee County Commission for seven years to build the roads needed to support their ambitions for growth and prosperity before finally winning out. They encountered other challenges, including the great Florida land boom of the 1920s, the construction of the Tamiami Trail and even an unsolved murder, but Sarasotans persevered to realize their dreams and fulfill their economic ambitions. Dr. Frank Cassell recounts this dramatic history and the tales of the men and women who led the county independence movement.

 

Monty’s Stories

Monty’s Stories: Growing Up in a Small Florida Town.  Monty Birdsey of Englewood wrote numerous short stories of life in this small Sarasota County community in the 1960s. Sadly, he passed before he could put his stories in a book. Don Bayley from the Englewood Museum compiled and edited all the stories and published the book.

Listen: Editor Don Bayley is interviewed on WENG Radio:

For more information about the book, CLICK HERE

St. Martha Mission Church

St. Martha Mission Church

LOCATION: 200 N Orange Ave. Sarasota
MAP COORDS: 27.33875999 -82.53755499

MARKER MINUTE:
https://youtu.be/PhtwsaaU4q4

LINKS:
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=97105

https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/wm9XVJ_St_Martha_Mission_Church

http://www.sarasotahistoryalive.com/history/markers/st.-martha-s-mission-church/

https://www.stmartha.org/our-history/

 

Side 1 (click for larger view)
St. Martha Mission Church Marker-Side 2 (Click for larger view)