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We were honored to have Officiallykacy as a member of the iconic Joey's Custard staff team for a day! So Cool! Check out her video
https://youtu.be/P4iHXUus_Pg
She did great… except for the eating on the job, but who can blame her… 🤷♂️ 🍦 😋
Sanibel & Captiva Island
Sanibel Captiva
VISIT FLORIDA
Southernlivingmag
Ft.Myers magazine
There are still spots open in the Silk Scarf Painting Class with Marie Dyer at Edison and Ford Winter Estates on April 2 at 9 a.m.! Bring a friend with you and make a 14" x 72" silk scarf that can be worn or hung as a piece of artwork. All materials are included in the fee. To ensure adequate supplies are available, please register online at edisonford.org at least 24 hours in advance. E-tickets can be redeemed at the ticket counter for a wristband.
The class will take place outdoors in the river pavilion.
Edison Ford members: $90; non-members: $100
Thank you to the thousands of attendees who made the 23rd annual Southwest Florida Reading Festival such an amazing day!
We couldn't have had this event without the talent of our authors and illustrators Alafair Burke, Tom Cooper, Adrianna Cuevas, M.E. Hilliard, Isabel Ibanez, Joe Ide, J.A. Jance, Sophie Jordan, Stacy McAnulty, Laura Taylor Namey, Baptiste Paul, Miranda Paul, Nathaniel Philbrick, Craig Pittman, Kate Quinn, Shauna Robinson, Brad Taylor, Jenna Evans Welch, Alex Willan and Adrienne Young
A big thank you goes out to our generous sponsors for their help and support, Books-A-Million, Friends of the Bonita Springs FL Library, Suncoast Credit Union, School District of Lee County, Bank of America, Florida Virtual School - FLVS, Friends of the Cape Coral Library, Jason's Deli, Captiva Memorial Library Board, LCEC, Lyngsoe Systems Library, OverDrive, Rasmussen University, CareerSource Southwest Florida, Friends of the Pine Island Public Library, McCallion & McCallion Realty, The Literary Society, The News-Press (Fort Myers and Cape Coral), WINK News, WGCU Public Media, Internet Essentials, Times of the Islands magazine, Cape Coral Living Magazine, Bonita and Estero Magazine, Gulf and Main Magazine, RSW Living Magazine, Univision SWFL, Maxima 97.3 y 95.7, Ft.Myers magazine, Happenings Magazine - SW Florida and Lee County Family News!
Photo Credit: Michael Shapiro, Don Kerr, Lee County Library System
Thank you to ALL of our media sponsors - The News-Press (Fort Myers and Cape Coral), WINK News, WGCU Public Media, Internet Essentials from Comcast, Times of the Islands Magazine, Cape Coral Living Magazine, Bonita and Estero Magazine, Gulf and Main Magazine, RSW Living Magazine, Univision SWFL, Maxima 97.3 y 95.7, Ft.Myers magazine, Lee County Family News and Happenings Magazine - SW Florida!
We appreciate your support in serving our community and making this year’s Southwest Florida Reading Festival absolutely amazing! 🤩
The Edison and Ford Winter Estates popular floral arrangement garden class is back! Participants can attend the session on February 22 at 1:30 p.m. or February 26 at 10 a.m. We will start this program with a 40-minute classroom presentation on plant conditioning and how to make a professional arrangement using the plants and foliage in your backyard. Then, we will gather at the Banyan Café, where all materials will be available for students to create something special that they can take home. Choose from an amazing selection of plants from our 20-acre botanical garden, along with other items to tie it all together. Edison and Ford horticulturists and award-winning floral designers will be on hand to answer any questions and help guests design their pieces.
The class is limited to 25 participants. Advance registrations is required. Register online at edisonford.org.
Edison Ford members: $50; non-members: $75
If you are looking for something to do with your sweetie this Valentine's Day, Edison and Ford Winter Estates is offering a special couples' Cocktail Chemistry Class on February 14 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.! The class will be taught by rum experts from Wicked Dolphin Rum Distillery. The class will be held in the River Pavilion, along the Caloosahatchee River. Guests are invited to take a romantic stroll along the river, while listening to music by David Rojas.
The cocktails will include locally produced Wicked Dolphin Rum and botanicals sourced from the Edison Ford gardens. Each couple will receive welcome cocktails, appetizers from Personal Touch Catering, a box of Norman Love chocolates and two cocktails will be made in the class. Classes will be held at 5:30 and 6:15 p.m.
Advance registration required by February 7; register online at edisonford.org.
Cost: $180 per couple (non-members); $160 per couple (Edison Ford members)
There are still several spots open in the Edison and Ford Winter Estates Animation Station School Break Camp on January 11 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.! School Break Camps are designed for students in grades 1-6 when school is out. Campers explore Edison's "living laboratory" while our educators, called "Wild Wizards," teach topics in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math), history and the natural world. Students will direct their own animated masterpieces during this popular day camp. Register online at edisonford.org.
Edison Ford members: $45; non-members: $50
Edison and Ford Winter Estates is resuming its popular Hypertufa Pottery Class on October 30 and November 6 at 9 a.m.!
This is a two-part class, so participants should attend both sessions. Hypertufa is a lightweight mixture of Portland Cement, sphagnum peat moss and perlite that can be molded into a variety of shapes and pottery sizes.
In part one of the class, participants will create a mold using recycled plastic garden containers and then pour a Hypertufa mixture into the mold for a unique wall pot. Wall pots require less space in the garden and may also be attached directly to a wall. In part two, participants will de-mold the pot and apply a surface treatment to complete the project.
Retired art instructor and Edison Ford volunteer, Jim Hopton, will teach the class. Participants should bring a pair of rubber or latex kitchen gloves. All other supplies will be provided. Masks are recommended, but not required. The class size is limited to 10 participants.
Register online at edisonford.org.
Come to the first concert of the season at Edison and Ford Winter Estates with the Appalachian Road Show on October 29 at 6 p.m.! The acoustic ensemble performs bluegrass and folk music, as well as original songs. The group tells the stories from the mountains and valleys of North Carolina and Virginia and the coal Mines of West Virginia and Kentucky. The event will take place on the Ford lawn, along the Caloosahatchee River. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and the concert starts at 6 p.m.
Food and beverage vendors will have refreshments available for purchase. No coolers permitted. Free parking is available in the main Edison Ford parking lot at 2350 McGregor Blvd.
Tickets may be purchased online at edisonford.org or at the ticket counter. Individual tickets purchased in advanced are $30 for Edison Ford members or $35 for non-members; tickets at the door will be $40. Individual ticket holders should bring a lawn chair. A new VIP seating area will be open and may be reserved by the table for $225. Each table holds up to 5 people; table ticket price includes the use of a table and chairs
Celebrate National Honey Bee Day with a plant sale, hands-on honey bee presentations, and honey extraction demonstrations at Edison and Ford Winter Estates! This event will take place on August 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. We will have a few vendors selling plants, live music performed by David Rojas and refreshments from Daddy Dees Ice Cream Parlor, Foodology, and Vibes and Spices. The sale will take place outdoors in the Garden Shoppe and surrounding areas. Plus, learn about Florida native wildflowers and how to attract honeybees, native bees and other pollinator plants to your garden. The Beekeepers Association of Southwest Florida and Florida Native Plant Association will have information tables, so bring your questions about bees and native plants. This is a free event (does not include tours or museum and lab admission).
Edison and Ford Winter Estates still has openings in its Art Smarts Summer Camp session for students in grades 4-6, taking place from August 2-6. Camps run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
In this session, campers fuse their imagination with science and design as they expand their tool belt of creative expression. They will participate in some unique and creative experiments that help stretch critical thinking skills and inspire students to think outside of the box.
Camps are led by Edison Ford instructors, called "Wild Wizards" who teach topics in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math), history and the natural world.
Please register and view the safety and health protocols on our website at edisonford.org.
On June 19, starting at 9 a.m., Edison and Ford Winter Estates will hold a special plant sale, open to the public! If you are looking for a unique flowering tree, herbs, butterfly plants, or even Florida natives, don't miss this event! The sale will take place outdoors, in the Garden Shoppe and surrounding areas. Additional plant vendors will be on site, including Betty Ann's Bromeliads, Calusa Palms and Tropicals, Deep South Natives, Miami Mike's Bromeliads, Palm Tree Gardens, and SunLand Orchids. Admission to the plant sale is free (does not include tours or admission to the museum, lab or riverside of the property).
Our Garden Shoppe offers a unique place for gardeners to shop for quality plants. A large selection of flowering and fruit trees, butterfly plants, herbs, succulents, orchids, rare exotics and Florida natives are available. A limited number of garden carts are available, so guests are encouraged to bring their own. Edison Ford members receive a 10% discount on Garden Shoppe purchases (guests can join that day and get the discount). Refreshments will also be available for purchase. Masks are recommended when visitors are not able to social distance.