{"id":8461,"date":"2021-11-04T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/?p=8461"},"modified":"2021-11-05T18:02:53","modified_gmt":"2021-11-05T22:02:53","slug":"havana-florida-the-little-town-that-could","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/2021-11-04\/havana-florida-the-little-town-that-could\/","title":{"rendered":"Lifting Up Havana, Florida With Art"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class='pbs-viral-player-wrapper' style='position: relative; padding-top: calc(56.25% + 1px);'><iframe src='\/\/player.pbs.org\/partnerplayer\/GmsG42ihNEvXhZ0F2JPqzw==\/?topbar=false&amp;end=0&amp;endscreen=true&amp;start=0&amp;autoplay=false' allowfullscreen scrolling='no' style='position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;'><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/pr04086-1.jpg\" alt=\"An old photo of group of workers in a shade tobacco field\" class=\"wp-image-8479\" width=\"169\" height=\"172\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/pr04086-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/pr04086-1-296x300.jpg 296w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/pr04086-1-356x364.jpg 356w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/pr04086-1-414x420.jpg 414w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px\" \/><figcaption><strong><em>Shade tobacco workers in Havana, Florida 1959<\/em>. <\/strong> <br>Florida Memory Project<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color\" style=\"color:#999999\">Originally published: March 18, 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Globalization, economic downturns, online shopping, pandemics\u2026for small-town America, the hits just keep coming.&nbsp;Havana, Florida is one of those small towns toughing it out and refusing to give up.&nbsp;Through the 1950s and \u201960s, Havana was rolling in shade tobacco dough.&nbsp;Then the \u201970s came along and snuffed out the flame.&nbsp;In the 1990s antiques were all the rage and Havana was the place to shop\u2026then the market grew up and decided they didn\u2019t want the old folks\u2019 furniture.&nbsp;Yes, two recessions since the turn of the century, an aging antique market, a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/COVID-19_pandemic\">COVID-19 pandemic<\/a> and online shopping boom have taken their toll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-left has-white-color has-vivid-green-cyan-background-color has-text-color has-background wp-block-heading\"><strong>But have you been out to Havana lately?<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/LR-AHAHavanaPic-1024x576.png\" alt=\"A current aerial view of downtown Havana\" class=\"wp-image-8477\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/LR-AHAHavanaPic-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/LR-AHAHavanaPic-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/LR-AHAHavanaPic-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/LR-AHAHavanaPic-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/LR-AHAHavanaPic-696x392.png 696w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/LR-AHAHavanaPic-1068x601.png 1068w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/LR-AHAHavanaPic-747x420.png 747w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/LR-AHAHavanaPic.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><strong>Aerial view of Downtown Havana in March 2021<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, the little town looks great!&nbsp;I\u2019m guessing that the proximity to Florida\u2019s capital city has helped the little hamlet, but local sellers could still use more buyers, a lot more. Local business owner and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.havanamainstreet.com\/\">Havana Main Street<\/a> President Terri Paul says, \u201cWhen you come to a town like this, not only are you going to want something different, but what we\u2019re trying to sell you is an actual event or an experience.&nbsp;You come out, you spend a day, you wander through the shops, you eat at our restaurants, you have a drink at the wine bar.&nbsp;And all of that just gives you more than just, let me go online and figure out what it is that I want.\u201d&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-white-color has-vivid-green-cyan-background-color has-text-color has-background wp-block-heading\"><strong>AHA: Artist Helping Artists<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At the meetings of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.havanamainstreet.com\/\">Havana Main Street<\/a> ideas have been kicking around, and with the addition of Ann Kozeliski as executive director, one of those ideas is now incubating. It\u2019s called Artists Helping Artists, AHA for short, and they\u2019ve been testing the viability of the idea with pop-up gallery showings featuring groups of artists.&nbsp;Kozeliski explains, \u201cWe\u2019re actually working right now on a budget and bylaws and things like that for the formation of a co-op.&nbsp;And we didn\u2019t want to just jump into that, we wanted to see if the market would bear the presence of this.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-white-color has-vivid-green-cyan-background-color has-text-color has-background wp-block-heading\"><strong>&#8230;a community of artists.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/FS7_A2250.MXF_.23_23_00_13.Still001-1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"A man and a woman talking\" class=\"wp-image-8493\" width=\"352\" height=\"196\"\/><figcaption><strong>Ann Kozeliski talks with woodworker <br>Mershell Sherman while setting up for <br>a pop-up art showing.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/FS7_A2258.MXF_.23_34_07_03.Still001-1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"3 handwoven baskets on display\" class=\"wp-image-8497\" width=\"352\" height=\"197\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/FS7_A2258.MXF_.23_34_07_03.Still001-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/FS7_A2258.MXF_.23_34_07_03.Still001-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/FS7_A2258.MXF_.23_34_07_03.Still001-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/FS7_A2258.MXF_.23_34_07_03.Still001-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/FS7_A2258.MXF_.23_34_07_03.Still001-1-696x392.jpg 696w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/FS7_A2258.MXF_.23_34_07_03.Still001-1-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/FS7_A2258.MXF_.23_34_07_03.Still001-1-747x420.jpg 747w, https:\/\/wfsu.org\/local-routes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/FS7_A2258.MXF_.23_34_07_03.Still001-1.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 352px) 100vw, 352px\" \/><figcaption><strong>Handwoven baskets on display made of sweetgrass and longleaf pineneedle.  Artist Linda Rabon <\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Their plan isn\u2019t to only add a gallery or have a festival.&nbsp;The idea is to make the town a base for a community of artists.&nbsp;The artists become the attraction, so to speak.&nbsp;Think of it as a group of different artists, doing a bunch of different artist things, that make themselves and their work available to people, on a regular basis. Add that variety of art to the existing restaurants and shops and wine bars, and BOOM\u2026you have commerce.&nbsp;And it will all be in one walkable little town. Instead of a flood of mattress stores, they want a beehive of art activity.&nbsp;If they make this thing work, I just might move to Havana.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Originally published: March 18, 2021 Globalization, economic downturns, online shopping, pandemics\u2026for small-town America, the hits just keep coming.&nbsp;Havana, Florida is one of those small towns toughing it out and refusing to give up.&nbsp;Through the 1950s and \u201960s, Havana was rolling in shade tobacco dough.&nbsp;Then the \u201970s came along and snuffed out the flame.&nbsp;In the 1990s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":8620,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":"","wds_primary_category":0},"categories":[136],"tags":[706,918,2],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Lifting Up Havana, Florida With Art - 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He spent 25 years in commercial television as an art director, commercial director, promotion manager, station manager and creative services director before coming to WFSU in 2008. Mike likes to find the \u201cunusual\u201d or \u201cout of the ordinary\u201d stories in our Local Routes. He says the best part of his job is getting to know people he would otherwise probably not get a chance to meet. 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