239-472-4648
Ty Symroski recently spoke to a group of Historical Village volunteers at a Volunteer Update, one of the village’s monthly events for volunteers. Symroski is the grandson of Daisy and Ross Mayer and the son of Grace Mayer Symroski (the Mayers’ second of five children) and Leonard Symroski. He told the group some stories of his early Sanibel memories.
Symroski related a story about the Christmas when he received a coveted Mitchell 300 fishing reel. He was out on his grandmother’s dock at Shore Haven, a Sears kit home that is now in the Historical Village. He was casting for hours without even a nibble. Along comes his Uncle Buck (Bob Dormer). After Ty explained his frustration, Uncle Buck said he would give him some tips. Uncle Buck threw one cast, immediately caught a large redfish, reeled it in, took the fish off the hook, handed the rod back to Ty and said, “That’s how you do it.” He took the fish and left, leaving Ty to continue casting, without success, for another couple of hours.
At the next Volunteer Update on February 12, village volunteers will hear from Jim Pickens, one of Sanibel’s best-known storytellers.
The Sanibel Historical Museum and Village is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It is located at 950 Dunlop Road (next to BIG ARTS). Admission is $10 for adults over 18; those under 18 and members are free. Docent-guided tours are available at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at no extra charge, based upon docent availability. There is handicap access at the village. For information, call 472-4648 during business hours or visit www.sanibelmuseum.org.