Meet Author John Bailey at History Fort Lauderdale’s “Florida Scribes & Stories”

History Fort Lauderdale, proud steward of our community’s past by making our heritage accessible and engaging to residents and visitors, will present a free book signing and meet & greet with John Bailey, author of “A New River Runs Through It,” on Saturday, March 18, from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. His appearance is part of History Fort Lauderdale’s “Florida Scribes & Stories,” a meet the author monthly series that offers literary and history enthusiasts a chance to speak with local authors, purchase their latest releases and have them signed.

“A New River Runs Through It” is an exciting, comprehensive story of a river and the city that grew up along its banks. Beginning with the legend of how the river acquired its name, this narrative brings to life the story of the rugged men and women who settled along it and built the city of Fort Lauderdale into a world class international business and financial center. It ends with the latest events: the recent expansion of rail commuter service, the city’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic, and a look forward to our future. The book is available on Amazon.com and at History Fort Lauderdale’s Museum Shop.

In 1946, at the age of nine, John Bailey arrived at the New River with his parents. He attended several of the area’s different schools – West Side, Davie, Naval Air, Central, and Fort Lauderdale High School. Through his various local teachers, Bailey developed an abiding interest in his home town. Many of his personal experiences of growing-up and living along the River are sprinkled throughout this book.  His previous best selling history books include “Sentinel of the Jersey Cape,” “The Story of the Cape May Lighthouse; Cape Island,” “The Jewel of the Jersey Shore” and “Juet’s Journal, Henry Hudson’s Explorations on the Half Moon.”

Guests may RSVP at bit.ly/HFLFloridaScribesBailey2023.

History Fort Lauderdale is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., with docent guided tours, daily, at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Group walking tours are available upon special request. Admission is $15 for adults; $12 for seniors and $7 for students (through age 22 with a valid student ID). Admission is free for members, military and children ages six and under. Tickets are available online at HistoryFortLauderdaleTickets.

History Fort Lauderdale is proud to host a variety of engaging multicultural experiences, year-round. Permanent exhibits include “From Dugouts to Dream Yachts,” a visual narrative weaving the story of the ever-changing use of Fort Lauderdale’s waterways by following the strokes of the first people to today’s sightseers, “The Bryans of Fort Lauderdale” which allows visitors to experience the story of the City of Fort Lauderdale as told through the pioneer family that shaped its development from an agricultural outpost in 1896 to a bustling city in the 1920s to its current status as a leading Metropolis, “Juliette Lange: A Portrait of a Mezzo Soprano,” a fashion and lifestyle glimpse of the socially prominent Fort Lauderdale resident with a lauded career as a star vocalist of musical comedy, plus “Archaeology of the New River” and a multitude of stories and photos sharing the history of other founding families of Fort Lauderdale. The nonprofit museum also hosts an artists’ collective collaborative space.

For more information about History Fort Lauderdale, please call (954) 463-4431 or visit historyfortlauderdale.org. Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/ftlhistory, on Instagram @ftlhistory and on Twitter @FTLHistory. Subscribe to us on YouTube at youtube.com/user/FTLhistory.