The West Klosterman Preservation Group recently signed an agreement with the Pinellas County School Board to purchase the 14-acre West Klosterman Preserve for $3,000,000. They have until July 2022 to raise the funds in order to protect this rare parcel of undisturbed land in Pinellas County. Tim spoke with Tex Carter and Kay Carter from the West Klosterman Preservation Group about their effort to purchase and preserve this pristine piece of Pinellas County. #SaveTheWKP

If you want to support the group or find out more you can visit

https://wkpreserve.com/

or go to their Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/SaveTheWestKlostermanPreserve/

or make a donation through the Pinellas Community Foundation:

https://pinellascf.org/giving/wkpreserve-fund/

In this episode Pete talks about Betty Mae Jumper and the making of the second edition of Legends of the Seminoles:

"Late at night around the campfires, Seminole children safely tucked into mosquito nets used to listen to the elders retelling the old stories and legends. The priceless tales of mischievous Rabbit, the Corn Lady, the Deer Girl, and the creatures of the Everglades are all written down and collected here for readers of all ages. This is a portrait of the beliefs and lifeways of the Seminoles of Florida as well as a delightful read for anyone interested in the first peoples of Florida."

The book, published by Rowman & Littlefield, features fascinating legends from the Seminole Tribe, as well as an introduction by Pete, a foreword by James Billie, and beautiful illustrations by the legendary Florida painter Guy LaBree.

Legends of the Seminoles is available directly from Pineapple Press here: https://bit.ly/39utGjt

Barnes & Noble here: https://bit.ly/3cIplet

Amazon here: https://amzn.to/31FIVSq

It is my pleasure to welcome one of the nation’s top folklorists and  folklore administrators Peggy Bulger to the  Florida Folk Show Podcast.  Peggy’s career began in Florida when she was named Florida’s State Folk  Arts Coordinator in 1975, a year later she became the administrator of  the Florida Folklife Program for 13 years. Bulger left in 1989 to work  10 years as the Folk Arts Director and Senior Program Officer for the  Southern Arts Federation in Atlanta. In 1999, she was named director of  Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center – only the second person  to hold that post since the Center’s creation in 1976 (Florida  folklorist Alan Jabbour was the founding director). Bulger retired from  her position as Director of the American Folklife Center (AFC) at the  Library of Congress on December 31, 2011.   I met Peggy when she first came to Florida and traveled with her to  visit a few folklore legends. As she put together the state’s first  Folklore directory and have followed her career ever since. In fact, she  was the one who first told me about Mary Smith McClain – the legendary  Diamond Teeth Mary.  Since Mary was in Bradenton and I was in St. Pete,  Peggy asked me if I would give Mary a ride to White Springs to perform  in the Florida Folk Festival.

Welcome to the Florida Folk Show Podcast. This conversation between  myself and composer extraordinaire, David Amram, who lives in upstate  New York, touches on all aspects of his life and almost a century worth  of American music, literature, arts and culture. He shares memories of  his time with everyone from Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and  Thelonious Monk to Langston Hughes and Jack Kerouac; from Ramblin’ Jack  Elliott to Willie Nelson. I could have done a whole year of shows with  this Renaissance man.  He served as an advisor to the Friends of Jack Kerouac’s House in St.  Petersburg and I called him up to give him the bad news about the  Kerouac house, namely the owner had sold it to a flipper. That’s when we  cooked up the idea for a zoom interview.  Approaching his 90th birthday in November, you’ll see he is full of  life, animated, sharp and has more stories than even Ramblin Jack! Let  us know how you like these episodes. Please subscribe to our YouTube  channel and leave us a message at [email protected]

Welcome to The Florida Folk Show podcast. In this episode, through the  words and recollections of Arcadia realtor and land manager Gordon “Mac”  Martin, we celebrate the life and times of a man known far and wide as  The Citrus King. We are talking about none other than the legendary Ben  Hill Griffin III of Frostproof, who died July 25, 2020 at the age of 78.  Early in his own career, Mac worked very closely with The Citrus King,  and shares with us some precious memories of one of Florida’s greatest  citizens. In addition to his own career in Florida land, Mac is also one  of Florida Folk Music’s best singer-songwriters. He has promised to  write a song about Ben Hill Griffin III and when it is ready, we’ll add  it to this podcast.

This episode features interviews, live performances and other highlights  from the first annual Fire on the Swamp music festival which was held at  the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation on Dec. 4-5, 1993. Pete  Gallagher and Elan Chalford organized the festival along with Chief Jim  Billie and the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The festival featured American  fiddle legend Chubby Wise and the traditional Irish fiddler James  Kelly. There were three fiddle contests held that weekend with over  $5,000 in prizes. We hope you enjoy this look back at a piece of Florida  Folk history!

Whitey Markle was a proud and defiant defender of Florida’s environment,  animals, lands and especially water. Like the late songwriting legend  Bobby Hicks, the famous Game Commission biologist songwriter Dale Crider  and the 400-song Patriarch of Florida Folk Music, Frank Thomas, Whitey  was unforgiving to those who dared despoil Florida, throw a cigarette  out a car window, leave litter on a beach, dig holes to drain wetlands,  clear cut miles of forest and throw up trailer parks in natural  prairies. I can see him right now, face red as fire, his vitriol boiling  over with anger towards cowardly politicians and Councilman and the  faceless corporations that dare to cross his path. Yet he had a soft  touch that could silence an angry room with songs that made you feel the  old Ocklawaha flow through your veins as the room grows quiet and shy  like the squirrel who perches like a statue until we all safely walk by.  Whitey, I knew and respected you every day since we first met at the  1971 Florida Folk Festival and we offer this podcast in your honor, to  the bears and panthers and gators and mullet and those vanishing parts  of Florida we can still see and feel, which you helped preserve. We  present your first appearance at the Florida Folk Festival, including  Cousin Thelma’s introduction, as well as your last FFF appearance. And  we have your appearances at many environmental meetings, standing like a  vicious bantam rooster before governments, the bad guys, the people who  want to do things like they did up north where they had to leave  because it was so bad. Remember, Whitey and rest in peace knowing you  have trained and educated an Army of protectors, a veritable militia who  will use their binoculars and notepads and phone cameras to keep watch  over Florida and bring to justice the bastards whom I hope your memory  will haunt the rest of their days. Richard “Whitey” Markle, a man like  no other in Florida history. Courageous, bold, stubborn yet sweet in his  own Florida cracker way.

Pete interviewed Steve Arvey back on April 2nd, 2019. Steve was playing that  night at the Old Key West Bar & Grill. This video features that  interview as well as a few of the songs that Steve played that night.  Enjoy the International cigar box guitarist and world travelin' singer  songwriter, the West Coast of Florida legend and King of the Folk  Vampires for the Florida region, the legendary Steve Arvey!

On September 12, 2019 Pete interviewed Chief Jim Billie on his front  porch. Chief Jim Billie talks about his childhood growing up on the  Dania Chimp Farm, his time deployed in Vietnam, his experience as  Chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, leadership, preserving  Seminole culture and much more.

After the Florida Folk Night @ Old Key West, Pete sits down with Raiford  Starke for an intimate interview in Pete's living room. They discuss  Raiford's life, family and career. Raiford talks about growing up  outside of D.C., how he first got into music, his time spent playing  with Chief Jim Billie, spring break in the Florida Keys playing with Big  Dick and the Extenders and much more.