Creative Sanford, Inc. is a non-profit organization created to manage Celery Soup community theater productions. The original idea for the Celery Soup project came from Jeanine Taylor, the owner of a folk-art gallery on First Street in Sanford, Florida. Their first production was Touch and Go, which took several years of planning. The play focused on how the people of Sanford overcame obstacles throughout their history. Some of these stories include the fall of Sanford's celery industry, the Freeze of 1894-1895, and the closing of Naval Air Station (NAS) Sanford in the 1960s. Richard Geer and Jules Corriere, partners from Community Performance International, were in charge of assessing oral histories, converting them into scenes for the play, and writing original songs. Director Geer also used an all-volunteer cast from the local community, many of which were not experienced actors.

During the process of producing the show, Creative Sanford decided to rehabilitate an historic building, the Princess Theater, which was located on 115 West First Street and owned by Stephen Tibstra. The Creative Sanford offices are housed in the Historic Sanford Welcome Center, located at 203 East First Street. As of December 2013, the Executive Board for Creative Sanford included President Brian Casey, Vice President Trish Thompson, Treasurer Linda Hollerbach, Secretary Dr. Annye Refoe, and Founder Jeanine Taylor. The Board of Directors consisted of Cheryl Deming, Juanita Roland, Wendy Wheaton, and Dr. Connie Lester, a professor of history at the University of Central Florida. Honorary Board Members included: Glenda Hood, former Florida Secretary of State and Mayor of Orlando; Valada Flewellyn, a local poet, author, and historian; and Jackie Jones, a local entertainer and arts advocate.

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Creative Sanford, Inc. Offices in Sanford.]]> th, 2013, Trish Thompson, current vice president and former president of Creative Sanford, Inc., discusses the inspiration for, creation of, and the development and evolution of Creative Sanford. Thompson also discusses some of the financial and other challenges that Creative Sanford has faced. Creative Sanford is a community organization that collects group oral histories from Sanford residents and uses portions of these interviews to write, produce, and perform plays for the community.]]> 00:12 Thompson's biographical information
00:41 Celery Soup and Creative Sanford, Inc.
01:46 Mission of Creative Sanford and Celery Soup
02:28 How Celery Soup was founded
03:50 How Celery Soup adapted the Swamp Gravy model
06:29 How has Creative Sanford and Celery Soup evolved
11:36 Conducting oral history interviews
13:01 Gaining acceptance from the African-American community
16:26 Themes of oral history interviews
17:45 How to adapt oral histories into plays
20:07 Working with professional playwrights and directors
23:41 Using volunteers and employees from the community
24:45 Role of the Executive Board
26:43 Success in achieving goals
30:09 Importance of community involvement in plays
34:48 Biggest surprises
36:01 Fundraisers and the Celery Ball
37:36 Production costs and ticket sales
39:33 Preserving the legacy of Creative Sanford and Celery Soup
41:26 Maintaining community engagement
43:40 Advice for communities creating similar projects
45:29 Closing remarks]]>
Creative Sanford, Inc. Offices, Sanford Welcome Center. October 11, 2013. Audio/video record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.]]> RICHES of Central Florida]]> Creative Sanford, Inc. Offices, Sanford Welcome Center. October 11, 2013. Audio/video record available. RICHES of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.]]> Celery Soup: Florida’s Folk Life Play Collection, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Adobe Flash Player.]]> Java.]]> Adobe Acrobat Reader]]> RICHES of Central Florida.]]> RICHES of Central Florida]]>

Sanford High School was originally established at 301 West Seventh Street in 1902. The building was designed by W. G. Talley in the Romanesque revival style. Due to an increasing student population, a new school building was constructed on Sanford Avenue in 1911. The original building on Seventh Street served as Westside Grammar Elementary School, which was later renamed Sanford Grammar School. In 1984, the building was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places and converted into the Student Museum. The building reopened as the University of Central Florida's Public History Center in 2012. In 1927, a high school campus was designed by Elton J. Moughton in the Mediterranean revival style and constructed at 1700 French Avenue. The school reopened on January 10 and was renamed Seminole High School. In 1960, the high school moved to a new campus at 2701 Ridgewood Avenue and the former building on French Avenue was converted to Sanford Junior High School, which was later renamed Sanford Middle School. The old building was demolished in the summer of 1991 and replaced by a $5.77 million school complex. As of 2013, Seminole High School offers various Advanced Placement courses, the Academy for Health Careers, and the International Baccalaureate Programme for students.]]>
UCF Public History Center in Sanford, Florida.]]> 0:00:31 Reasons for attending the History Harvest
0:01:00 Items contributed for scanning
0:04:00 Experiences at Sanford High School and Sanford Grammar School
0:07:04 Sanford grammar schools
0:09:14 Closing remarks]]>
UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.]]> UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.]]> UCF Public History Center, Sanford, Florida.]]> Seminole County Public Schools Collection, Student Museum and UCF Public History Center Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Sanford High School Report Card for Versa Woodcock, Fall 1907." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1508.]]> Sanford High School Report Card for Versa Woodcock, Spring 1908." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1545.]]> Sanford High School Report Card for Versa Woodcock, Fall 1908." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1543.]]> Sanford High School Report Card for Versa Woodcock, Spring 1909." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1546.]]> Sanford High School Report Card for Versa Woodcock, Spring 1910." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1547.]]> Sanford High School Report Card for Versa Woodcock, Fall 1910." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1544.]]> Westside Grammar Elementary School Report Card for Madge Woodcock, Fall 1913." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1552.]]> Versa Woodcock." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1531.]]> Versa Woodcock with Umbrella." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1530.]]> Westside Grammar Elementary School Report Card for Colla Woodcock, 1914-1915." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1549.]]> Seminole High School Report Card for Stinson Kinlaw, 1929-1930." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1528.]]> Sanford Grammar School Report Card for Geraldine Rigney-Kinlaw, 1933-1934." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1542.]]> Madge Geraldine Rigney-Kinlaw at Seminole High School." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1541.]]> Colla Woodcock." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1540.]]> Westside Grammar Elementary School First Grade Class, 1960-1961." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1512.]]> Westside Grammar Elementary School Report Card for Christine Kinlaw, 1960-1961." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1536.]]> Westside Grammar Elementary School Notice of Pupil Assignment for Christine Kinlaw, 1961-1962." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1533.]]> Westside Grammar Elementary School Second Grade Class, 1961-1962." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1513.]]> Westside Grammar Elementary School Report Card for Christine Kinlaw, 1961-1962." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1537.]]> Westside Grammar Elementary School Notice of Pupil Assignment for Christine Kinlaw, 1962-1963." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1534.]]> Westside Grammar Elementary School Third Grade Class, 1962-1963." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1515.]]> Westside Grammar Elementary School Report Card for Christine Kinlaw, 1962-1963." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1538.]]> Westside Grammar Elementary School May Day Program." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1532.]]> Westside Grammar Elementary School Notice of Pupil Assignment for Christine Kinlaw, 1963-1964." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1535.]]> Westside Grammar Elementary School Report Card for Christine Kinlaw, 1963-1964." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1516.]]> Christine Kinlaw on Westside Grammar Elementary School Christmas Parade Float." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1539.]]> Westside Grammar Elementary School Fifth and Sixth Grade Class, 1964-1965." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1511.]]> Sanford Grammar School Report Card for Christine Kinlaw, 1964-1965." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1550.]]> Westside Grammar Elementary School Sixth Grade Class, 1965-1966." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1514.]]> Westside Grammar Elementary School Report Card for Christine Kinlaw, 1965-1966." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka2/items/show/1551.]]> UCF Public History Center.]]> UCF Public History Center and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]>