Local History and Lemonade

Nalalie Watts Brown will offer remembrances of her father, DeLand's renowned jazzman Noble "Thin Man" Watts; and WVHS president Deborah McShane will discuss the Society's work in preserving local history. Music, poetry, and historic re-enactments are also planned. 

Sean King, president of the West Volusia Branch of the NAACP, will speak on the history of the local and national NAACP chapters, as well as the impact of small business on the community during the West Volusia Historical Society's free public event, Local History and Lemonade, on Saturday, Feb. 19. The event will be at the Burgess Pavilion in Bill Dreggors Park, 230 N. Stone St., DeLand. The outdoor program will begin at 10 am on the Pavilion's east side. Seating will be available and masks are suggested. In case of rain, the event will move into the park's nearby Lemon Room.

Presented by

West Volusia Historical Society

Alpha Kappa Alpha women's leadership sorority

After the program, from 11 am to noon, cookies and lemonade will be served outdoors, as Jeff Shepherd entertains the crowd with his saxophone. WVHS Burgess docent Suze Peace will direct children's "Make and Take" crafts on the lawn in front of Burgess and two of the Burgess history galleries will open for small group tours: The West Volusia Black Medical Gallery, which recognizes the work of early black midwives, doctors, and dentists; and the West Volusia Black Heritage Gallery, which highlights various aspects of black life in the early days. Masks will be required indoors, because space is limited. The Hawtense Conrad Children's Gallery will be closed. The Burgess Pavilion, site of the first hospital to serve West Volusia's black citizens (from 1930-1948), is part of the DeLand Memorial Hospital and Veterans Museum Complex.

Preceding King on the varied program will be Dorothy Gibson of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (which helped WVHS expand the Pavilion's Black Heritage and Black Medical galleries in 2018), who will discuss AKA's history and connection with WVHS; and Alzada Fowler, who will explain the work and history of the Electralytes, a community service organization known for its scholarship gifts.