Creating A Hypertufa Mounting Board For Orchids And Other Air Plants – A Two-Part Series
Date: November 2 and 9, 2019 at 9:00 a.m.
Price: Members $50, non-members $75 (all material costs are included)
Location: Meet at the Edison Ford Information Booth
Class size: Limited to 10 participants. Both parts must be attended, see website for further details.
Silk Scarf Painting with Marie Dyer
A variety of techniques will inspire painters of all levels to create their own one-of-a kind scarf. The scarves can be worn or displayed as art! Participants may book a single date or return for multiple sessions.
Price: Members $105, non-members $95
Location: Edison Ford River Pavilion
Dates: November 16, November 30, December 14, December 28, 2019; January 11, January 25, February 15, February 29, March 21, March 28, 2020, 9:30a.m. – 2:30p.m.
Class size: Limited
Register here (coming soon) or contact lcriswell@edisonfordwinterestates.org for more information.
Ask the Curator Series
Ask the Curator is a weekly presentation, covering topics from Mina Edison to Ford cars. Upcoming programs include:
Ask the Curator Wednesdays – 11:30 a.m.
August 14: Tell me more about Ford’s “Chuckwagon.” James Moss, Automotive Curator, provides detailed information on one of the most interesting vehicles in the museum.
August 21: “Bee there or Bee Square!” Horticulture Director, Debbie Hughes, shares her knowledge of honey bees and other key pollinators at Edison Ford. (August 17 is National Honey Bee Day)
August 28: Tell me more about Edison’s car. Join Automotive Curator, James Moss, for a discussion on one of the most popular vehicles in our collection. James will also demonstrate how to start the car.
Sept. 4th: Electrifying Endeavor, Shocking Results! Please join Chief Curator, Brent Newman, as he commemorates the 
opening of Edison’s Pearl Street Station.
Sept. 11th: Edison’s Electric Idea: Today’s vehicles, yesterday’s concept. Join Automotive Curator, James Moss, as he highlights Edison’s work on the world’s earliest electric vehicles. (Presentation will be based around the collections electric tractor)
Sept. 18th: The Fordson Tractor, Agriculture’s Model T. Come join Collections Registrar, Matt Andres, as he examines Ford’s agricultural vision.
Sept. 25th: Edison the Scientist! Eric Kahler, Lead Site Historian, shares his knowledge about Edison and his accomplishments within the field of science.
Cost: Edison Ford members: free; non-members: included with admission.
Phonograph Presentation
August 23rd, 11 AM
Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind experience! Children and anyone with a curiosity about how sound is transmitted will enjoy this unique presentation. Visiting Italian phonograph expert and author, John Kurdyla, will conduct a presentation on phonograph technology created by Thomas Edison and his staff in the 19th century. The presentation is included with admission.
Kurdyla has one of the largest private collections of phonographs, gramophones, and Edison memorabilia and is considered an expert on Edison recorded sound. In addition to his phonograph expertise, Kurdyla authored the book “When Music Was Magic,” available in the museum store.
Volunteer Meeting and Lecture Series
August 13, 10 a.m., South Florida Water Management Lecture Hall, 2301 McGregor Blvd.
Our August 13 volunteer meeting will feature a presentation by ABC-7 meteorologist Mackenzie Bart. She will be speaking about the upcoming hurricane season as well as touching on Hurricane Michael and Irma.
Mackenzie Bart, a native of the Allegheny Mountains region, has several experiences in her lifetime that led her to a career in weather. She grew up just down the road from the famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, in a family of weather-enthusiasts. Later, she witnessed the destruction from the EF5 Tornado in Joplin, Missouri. At that moment, she knew that she was guided to be the voice of safety for others. This fueled her interest and career path in the field of weather.
Volunteer meetings are free and open to the public. Contact Bobby Feldman or Holly Shaffer, Program Managers at 239-335-3694 for information.
Orchid Sale & Symposium
October 12-13, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The winter home site of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford was also home to numerous orchids that hung from the fruit-bearing Mango trees. Henry
Nehrling and John Kunkel Small visited the Edisons and gave them gifts of orchids. Nehrling himself spoke to the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs in 1929, and stated, “I am to report the epiphytic plants (orchids, bromeliads and ferns) were growing with exceptional vigor throughout the property.”
Orchids were Mina Edison’s favorite flowers and she attached them to trees on her Fort Myers property, just as they grew wild in the Everglades. Today, we continue to attach orchids to trees, where they get just the right amount of light and rain water. Throughout the site, there is usually an orchid blooming every day, all year long.
Collecting and growing orchids is a wonderful hobby that gives pleasure to snowbirds, long-time residents and those new to the area. We are partnering with the Southwest Florida Orchid Society to hold our first Orchid Sale and Symposium. Vendors will be on site, selling orchids and there will be educational opportunities throughout the day. Additional information will be available soon.
Yomassage™ – NEW
Saturday, July 20, 11 a.m., Free Demonstration
Saturday, July 27, 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Classes held in South Florida Water Management Lecture Hall
Yomassage™ is a fusion of relaxing and supported restorative yoga positions with hands on massage therapy. Students hold each position for around 8-10 minutes while a massage therapist performs manual massage techniques. The classes are limited to 5 participants per class and lasts for approximately 90 minutes.
Benefits of Yomassage™ include improved joint range of motion, increased extensibility of muscle tendons and periarticular connective tissue, improved neuromuscular balance between muscle groups, reduced compression on joint surfaces, and reduced injuries.
Yomassage™ classes are led by Dolores J. Gozzi, a Licensed Massage/Alternative Therapist (MA37360), who has completed a 16-hour Yomassage™ certification. Click here for more information on Dolores and Yomassage™.
Cost: Edison Ford members: $55; non-members: $65 per class, tickets can be purchased at the museum store ticket counter or online. Advance reservations are encouraged as space is limited. Admission to the site is not included.
Yomassage™ – Free Demonstration
Saturday, July 20, 11 a.m., Free Demonstration
Saturday, July 27, 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Classes held in South Florida Water Management Lecture Hall
Yomassage™ is a fusion of relaxing and supported restorative yoga positions with hands on massage therapy. Students hold each position for around 8-10 minutes while a massage therapist performs manual massage techniques. The classes are limited to 5 participants per class and lasts for approximately 90 minutes.
Benefits of Yomassage™ include improved joint range of motion, increased extensibility of muscle tendons and periarticular connective tissue, improved neuromuscular balance between muscle groups, reduced compression on joint surfaces, and reduced injuries.
Yomassage™ classes are led by Dolores J. Gozzi, a Licensed Massage/Alternative Therapist (MA37360), who has completed a 16-hour Yomassage™ certification. Click here for more information on Dolores and Yomassage™.
Cost: Edison Ford members: $55; non-members: $65 per class, tickets can be purchased at the museum store ticket counter or online. Advance reservations are encouraged as space is limited. Admission to the site is not included.
Full Moon Meditation – Alchemy of the Senses – A Self-Guided Sensory Meditation
Class will be held in the South Florida Water Management lecture hall
Relax, breathe, release and enjoy this personal journey through sound vibration with singing bowls and drums. 
Modern medicine can now measure and confirm the practice of sound as a means to promote healing. Reduce your stress and experience a deep sense of peace.
The class is taught by Dolores J. Gozzi, a Licensed Massage/Alternative Therapist (MA37360). Bring something to lay on like a yoga mat or towel, water, and a small pillow. If you would like more information on Dolores and Vibration Meditation, you can visit her website.
Cost: Edison Ford Members: $20; non-members: $25, tickets can be purchased at the membership desk, the ticket counter or on our website.
