This weekend we will be spending in downtown Lake City Florida with hundreds of other craft vendors hoping to sell our wares to all the visiting participants in the Olustee Battle. Even though the battle happened long before the Blanche Hotel was built and closed to guests before the reenactment and downtown festival even began (1978) it will probably play a vital role in future events once all the renovations are complete. It may not hold many guests either but it can host one heck of a ball with everyone dressed in period costumes on Saturday night. I would love to attend something like that but I’m don’t want to wear one of the bone corsets though that is just too much.
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We will be at booth 402 right near the corner of Marion and Orange streets across from the park. Not only will we be selling our very own handcrafted bead and wire jewelry and accessories, our hand crocheted items of all kinds we will be handing out business cards for the book and website and a sign-up sheet for a preview of the upcoming book I am writing about the history of the Blanche Hotel and its people. The research is really lengthy and I haven’t had a chance to really interview more people about theirs and/or their families’ experiences at the hotel over the years. I really hope that everyone who is interested in the story will drop by our booth, put down your email address and I will email each of you a PDF copy of the first couple of chapters. Next year, of course, we will be here and selling copies of the book as well as giving out business cards so that you can purchase eBook copies if you like. Anyone wishing to share their stories with us are always free to use our CONTACT us form to let us know so that we can add your stories to the “Tales of the Blanche” story page.
I really don’t know if I will have enough of the research done to complete the book by May of this year but I will be working on it steadily till then. Of course, the way things are looking they may not be finished with the renovations by then either. We hope they make it on time, on-budget (Not really likely), and done well so that the building will last another 100 years. I know that the marketing personnel are creating lovely professional videos of people who worked at the hotel and I say good for you and keep up the good work. That doesn’t mean that everyone cannot join in on the fun. We will be able to video anyone who is willing to tell their stories of the Blanche too and upload it here on the website. So just get in touch
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For those who have pictures to share, documents to scan, and stories they wish to write up and give to us to include we hope you will drop on by the booth this coming weekend and let us know. We can schedule a time to get together or just bring your items and we will make copies and send you back your originals. This book is really for everyone who has lived or is currently living in Columbia County and enjoy reading about the history of the place they love. There are just not enough books out there that tell these great stories and we want you to participate in the process too! See you this weekend.
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