Collier County Museums

Save the Date! 🥭
We are proud to partner with UF/IFAS Extension to bring expert-led educational talks and demonstrations to this year's Summer Mango festival. Whether you are a seasoned grower or just getting started, you'll have the opportunity to learn directly from local horticulture experts about growing, caring for, and propagating mango trees.

This is a family friendly FREE event so remember to head on over to Immokalee Pioneer Museum on Saturday June 27, 2026, for Summer Mango Fest!

When: Saturday June 27, 2026
Time: 10am - 1pm
Where: Immokalee Pioneer Musem at Roberts Ranch
1215 Roberts Avenue West, Immokalee, FL 34142

Collier County Museums have been nominated for the 2026 Community Choice Award hosted by Naples Daily News. This award celebrates the organizations and businesses that make the Naples community so special.

With five unique historical museums across Collier County, we are honored to stand alongside the outstanding community organizations nominated this year.

To Vote:
✅ Click link: https://naplesnews.gannettcontests.com/2026-Naples-Communitys-Choice-Awards/gallery/?group=548981
✅Navigate down to the Museum Category.
✅ Find Collier County Museums and click "VOTE."
✅ You can vote daily until June 24, 2026.

Every vote truly makes a difference, so please consider voting and sharing this link with friends, family, and colleagues who love history!

For the month of June, we would like to highlight Karen Brieger. She has been one of our longest serving volunteers. Karen has been a volunteer for 15 years and has completed over 3000 hours with the Collier County Museums. She has also completed additional volunteer hours with @.

Karen signed up to volunteer before the Marco Island Historical Museum even opened its doors. When she began in 2011, she welcomed guests to a single room of artifacts, yet her dedication and passion quickly grew far beyond that space.

Over the years, Karen has embraced multiple volunteer roles, sharing Marco Island’s rich history with children, adults, and large groups alike. Her tours are detailed, engaging, and often leave visitors eager to learn even more.
Karen has trained countless new volunteers and has generously shared her knowledge with staff as well. Whenever someone needs a volunteer to shadow, Karen is our first call.

“I have enjoyed working with Karen since I started six years ago. Her knowledge of the museum and the history was instrumental to me getting up to speed as a manager.” shares Marco Island Historical Museum Manager, Rebecca Mazeroski.

She is truly a cornerstone of the Marco Island Historical Museum, and we are incredibly fortunate to have her as part of our volunteer family.

If you want to join our wonderful volunteer team, please contact Karen Connetta, Volunteer Coordinator at 239-252-8722 or [email protected].

Today we celebrate one of summer's superstars... MANGOS!!!🥭

For , we are diving into a fun and delicious way that we can enjoy this tropical fruit. Let's make homemade mango fruit leather!

Mango Fruit Leather Recipe:
- Select two ripe mangos.
- Peel and cut the mangos into chunks.
- Place the chunks in a blender and purée until completely smooth.
- Line a cookie sheet with oiled parchment paper.
- Pour the mango purée onto the sheet and spread it evenly.
- Bake at 175°F for 3–4 hours, or until the fruit leather is set and no longer sticky.
- After cooled, cut into strips or use fun cookie cutters to make playful shapes.

To learn more about mangos and taste some delicious recipes, head on over to Immokalee Pioneer Museum at Roberts Ranch on Saturday, June 27th for Summer Mango Fest!

When: June 27, 2026
Time: 10:00am - 1:00pm
Where: Immokalee Pioneer Museum
1215 Roberts Avenue West, Immokalee, FL 34142

Keep them coming! We’re approaching the final week for art submissions.

If you have any questions, please call 239-252-8287 or visit https://www.colliermuseums.com/Events-directory/51-Drawn-Together

Summer is officially here, which means Schools Out! Museums Are In!

Collier County Museums has a brand‑new immersive experience waiting for kids this season. Join Barry and Tommie on a quest through Collier County’s rich history with our passport adventure program.

Designed to support K–12 learning, this experience helps kids explore our five museums and program partners all summer long. Complete fun adventures, earn badges, and once you collect all four badges, you will become an official Junior Historian with chances to win cool prizes!

Unlock the magic of the quest this summer at Collier County Museums. Adventure awaits! For more information visit https://www.colliermuseums.com/Education/Summer-Program

On this day in 1952, Immokalee High School graduated its first seniors. Arlene Hancock and Hazel Dupree. As we conclude the school year and the graduating class enters their final summer before college, we celebrate the accomplishments of seniors everywhere. Congratulations!

Pictured here are Jerome Howard, 17 years, Huey L. Howard and Huey L. Howard, Jr. at Immokalee High School graduation, 1999.

Jerome Howard was part of the first generation able to graduate from an integrated high school. The Howard's are a pioneering cattle ranching family in Immokalee, with multiple generations dedicated to running the family ranch. Both Howard parents served the Immokalee community for many years, providing jobs and guiding local youth toward a brighter future.

Huey Howard Sr. (Huey L. Howard's father) first arrived in Immokalee from Mississippi in 1953. Despite the significant challenges of the Jim Crow era, he broke barriers and built a strong, thriving cattle operation that continues to shape the community today.

for our third annual Ice Cream Social Star-Spangled Style at Collier Museum at Government Center.

Treat your sweet tooth to a patriotic sundae and stack on a tower of tasty toppings that include red, white, and blue sprinkles, gummy bears, crushed Oreos, yummy flavored syrups, pretzels, and delicious whipped cream.

Family Fun Activities:
🍦Games: Co****le, Connect 4, Ring Toss and more
🍧Craft Tables
🍉Watermelon Eating Contest with fun prizes
This competition is open to kids 10 and older with two age groups, 10-14 and 15+. A small donation to Friends of the Collier County Museum is appreciated.
* Waiver is required to participate *

Where: Collier Museum at Government Center
3331 Tamiami Trail East, Naples, FL 34112
When: June 20, 2026
Time: 11am - 2pm (Contest starts at 12:30pm)

Image: Watermelon eating contest in Everglades City on July 4, 1922.

The Everglades has historically been home to a wide variety of illegal trades, but few captured the imagination quite like moonshining and rum-running during Prohibition (1920–1933). The maze of mangrove islands and shell mounds that make up the Ten Thousand Islands provided ideal cover for clandestine activities.

The prevalence of moonshine in the region is reflected in the words of longtime Chokoloskee resident Charles G. McKinney, who wrote in the American Eagle on July 25, 1925: “We had plenty of low bush lightning this week and we are in position to have it for a good long time if nothing happens to it... The good book tells us to thank the Lord for everything, so we are thanking the Good Lord that we are so well fixed as we are and hope to hold our own.” His humorous commentary offers a glimpse into how commonplace homemade liquor had become in the frontier communities of the Everglades.

One of the lawmen tasked with combating these activities was Sheriff Lewis Thorpe. A former employee of Barron Collier at Deep Lake and on the Tamiami Trail, Thorpe became Collier County’s second sheriff in 1928. Known for his toughness, skill with a bullwhip, and determination to enforce the law, he made 80 arrests during his first year in office.

Now on display in our Illegal Trades exhibit is Sheriff Thorpe’s personal 1926 C**t Army Special revolver, recently placed on loan from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office through the generosity of Dane and Miles “Rocky” Scofield. The revolver serves as a tangible connection to the era when Thorpe and other lawmen confronted moonshiners and rumrunners operating throughout Florida’s last frontier.

To learn more visit Museum of the Everglades located at 105 West Broadway, Everglades City, and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9am - 4pm
Admission is always free.

Image credit: 97.10.6 B&W. Sheriff Lewis J. Thorp pictured on right in front of the Everglades City jail with evidence from a raid on a moonshine still.

Save the Date: Third Thursday Lecture Series at Museum of the Everglades
Faith on the Frontier: a Brief History of Churches in the Everglades Area

Museum Assistant Mathew Anderson, who also serves as a Deacon at the First Baptist Church of Everglades City, will explore the origins of the area’s many congregations and the places they meet to pray – dating back to the turn of the last century. For many early settlers in the region where Collier County began, their faith was the foundation of pioneer life and erecting a rustic chapel often took precedence over opening a school.

Despite its small size, the community has long been a veritable melting pot of many faiths and Mr. Anderson will share stories of how even the museum itself once hosted Catholic masses and how county founder Barron Gift Collier ensured that people of all denominations would always be welcome to worship in Everglades City.

When: June 18, 2026
Time: 2:00 – 3:00 PM
Where: Museum of the Everglades
105 West Broadway Avenue, Everglades City, FL 34139