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Fans of Folklore, History, and Southern Storytelling will Delight at Florida Lore at the Vero Beach Museum of Art

From the Ashley Gang to the Devil’s Millhopper and the Ghost of Bellamy Bridge, Florida's folk culture is brimming with fascinating characters and situations that are almost too amazing to be true. Join Master Storyteller, Author, and Professor Dr. Caren Neile at the Vero Beach Museum of Art on Saturday, July 26, 2025, at 3 p.m., as she brings these legends to life in a lecture based on her book Florida Lore: The Barefoot Mailman, Cowboy Bone Mizell, the Tallahassee Witch, and Other Tales. The lecture is free with Museum admission.

Caren S. Neile, Ph.D., M.F.A., taught storytelling studies for the School of Communication & Multimedia Studies at Florida Atlantic University for over two decades. A performance storyteller, she has worked in seven countries, including as a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Austria and Israel, and as a visiting professor in Poland. She co-produces and co-hosts The Public Storyteller segment on South Florida public radio WLRN, as well as numerous local storytelling events.

Florida Lore complements the VBMA summer exhibition A Tangled Plot: Artworks by Annie Blazejack and Geddes Levenson, which features works with deep connections to the Florida landscape that unfold like folklore, leaving a lasting impression and inviting viewers to reflect on their relationships with the natural world. Guests are encouraged to arrive at the Museum early to view the exhibition prior to the lecture.

Funding for this Florida Talks program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

To register, visit vbmuseum.org.