Recently the Okeechobee Fine Arts Club had a special occasion in which we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the club..
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![OKEECHOBEE -- New members of the Okeechobee Fine Arts Club are (left to right, back row) Susan Williams, Linda Marscocci, Pam Duenas, Becky Wickard, Susanne Clemons, Marie Culbreth, Bonnie Pelaez, Katrina Elsken, Alisha Pearce, Dixie Ball, (front row) Grace Larson, Sloane Hester and Toni Wiersma. Not pictured are Opal Wolff, Sandra Pearce and Sharon Jones., [Courtesy photo]](/uploads/original/20251117-163909-68e-fine arts new members.jpg)
Recently the Okeechobee Fine Arts Club had a special occasion in which we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the club, by holding a tea in the Historic Bank of Okeechobee building. Hosted by Mary Beth Cooper and Magi Cable, over 60 people attended the celebration. We are also very appreciative to Gil and Marie Culbreth for allowing us to use their venue for this event.
During the program, the history that was compiled by Bill and Merle Hendry was shared. Some of that history is as follows.
South Florida was undergoing rapid growth during the “Land Boom” of the mid 20’s and the City of Okeechobee was sharing in this growth. Many clubs and organizations were established in Okeechobee during this time including the “Fine Arts Club of Okeechobee” first met in September of 1925. A group of 13 women organized a social club with no specific purpose other than to learn about and enjoy art, literature, music, and current events.
It may be observed that many of these women represented some of the most responsible leaders of the community at that time, and at least six of the members were teachers.
The constitution of the club originally limited membership to 20 in order that members could meet in the home of the hostess. That changed in later times. The meetings were quite formal, requiring hats and gloves. Some of the activities sponsored by the club included Christmas lighting contests, assisting in the establishment of a public library, an annual flower show, park beautification, and awards for freehand paintings and drawings by school children.
Today, we still meet to socialize and promote the arts, 100 years later. Currently our members represent a wide segment of our community and we enjoy socializing monthly, though without hats and gloves!
It is an honor to be a part of a historic club that was described in the first paragraph as “with no specific purpose other than to learn about and enjoy art, literature, music, and current events.”
In our busy lives, it is refreshing to have a club that takes time to appreciate the “finer things of life”.
