Entertainment of the Flagler era

Tuesday evening, April 16, Historic City News readers are invited to attend a free presentation at 7:00 p.m. in the Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College located at 14 Granada Street in St Augustine; “Costume Balls and Cake Walk Contests”.

Being a guest of Henry Flagler’s Hotel Ponce de Leon at the turn of the century certainly had its perks. In addition to the hotel’s stunning architecture and luxury, Flagler made sure that those who stayed in his hotel were treated to the finest entertainment the town could offer.

Jerry Dickey, director of the School of Theatre and Dance at the University of Florida, takes a look at the many distractions the hotel provided from elegantly costumed balls and cakewalks to elocutionists, living and mental telepathists.

Dickey’s lecture will pay special emphasis on how these entertainments reflected the cultural values and aspirations of their participants and observers.

Jerry Dickey was appointed Director of the University of Florida School of Theatre and Dance in July 2012. Dickey has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from the University of Florida, a Master of Arts in Theatre from the University of Louisville and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Theatre History from Indiana University.

The event is part of “Celebrating the Legacy: 125 Years of the Hotel Ponce de Leon.” The yearlong celebration will honor the legacy of Flagler’s entrepreneurship and community building. The founding partner with John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil, he launched a resort empire along Florida’s east coast.