Public Invited to Thomas Edison's Birthday Celebration at Edison and Ford Winter Estates
On February 11 at 10 a.m., the public is invited to celebrate Thomas Edison's 178th birthday at Edison and Ford Winter Estates. The annual tradition continues with students from the Edison Park Creative and Expressive Arts School singing, dancing and playing stringed instruments. Cake will be served for visitors attending the party, which is sponsored in part by the Edison Pageant of Light, the organization founded in 1938 to memorialize Thomas Edison and honor his achievements and contributions to Fort Myers.
Guests are invited to gather at the Banyan Café area (behind the Banyan tree), where Mike Flanders, the Edison and Ford Winter Estates President and CEO will give a brief welcome. Students will play stringed instruments and sing "Happy Birthday" to history character, Mr. Edison, and then birthday cake will be served. Following the children's performance, curatorial staff member, Chet Wallace, will play the Calliaphone (organ) on the antique Calliope.
Historically, local school children performed for Edison on his birthday. Today, teachers and students from the Edison Park Creative and Expressive Arts School carry on the tradition with a dance program that features music and dance of the Edison Era as well as contemporary favorites. The birthday party is an opportunity for the school children to demonstrate their talents.
The party is a free public event with limited seating (does not include tours or admission to the museum, laboratory or riverside of the property). For more information, visit www.edisonford.org.
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About Edison and Ford Winter Estates
Edison and Ford Winter Estates is the internationally known winter home site of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. More than 220,000 visitors walk through the location each year from all around the globe. The organization has received many awards, including the National Stewardship Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Garden Clubs’ Historic Preservation Award. The property is an official project of “Save America’s Treasures," a Florida Historic Landmark and a National Register Historic Site. The Edison Botanic Laboratory is a National Historic Chemical Landmark. The site is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and until 9 p.m. during the month of December for Holiday Nights.
Media Contact:
Lisa Wilson, APR, Marketing & Public Relations Director
239-334-7419
LWilson@EdisonFord.org