239-472-4648
NOTICE OF CANCELLATION: The April 7 Twilight Talk is CANCELED. People may request a refund, or consider their $10 ticket price as a tax-deductible contribution to the village. Questions please call 239-472-4648 or email info@sanibelmuseum.org.
March 13, 2020 – The Sanibel Historical Village will present its final Twilight Talk of the season on April 7 at 7 p.m. at The Community House. The topic is “Fish (and Fishy) Stories of Sanibel.” Speakers will be Jim Pickens, Ray Rhodes, and Ty Symroski.
“Our speakers will be remembering what they’re calling ‘somewhat true’ stories of Sanibel that many would like to forget,” said executive director Emilie Alfino. “The speakers tell me that names may be changed to protect the alleged suspects and characters.”
Symroski, whose family started coming to Sanibel over 100 years ago and has three buildings in the Historical Village, along with Pickens and Rhodes, has many fun, funny, serious, and dubious stories to tell about people from “back in the day.”
“Jim, Ray, and Ty are well acquainted with fish stories on Sanibel and certainly with some of the most fishy reputations,” Alfino said.
Pickens first moved full-time to Sanibel in 1952. He worked as a mail carrier on the island when there were only 81 mailboxes and was the crime scene photographer for the Sanibel Police.
Rhodes moved to Sanibel in 1951 and grew up on the island while his father was the butcher at Bailey’s General Store. Ray graduated from Cypress Lake High School and was the first police officer for the city of Sanibel.
Symroski has been on and off Sanibel for his entire life and his family built their first homes on Sanibel in the 1920s. Ty caught his first fish on Sanibel in 1957, off the family dock on San Carlos Bay.
Tickets are on sale now at the Historical Village or by calling Emilie at (239) 472-4648, or Jan at (239) 472-1856.
The Sanibel Historical Village is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Full guided tours take place at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at no additional charge, depending on docent availability. The Sanibel Historical Village is located at 950 Dunlop Road (next to BIG ARTS) and there is handicap access to all buildings. Admission is $10 for adults (18 and over). Members and children are free. For more information or to make a donation, visit www.sanibelmuseum.org or call (239) 472-4648.