September 17, 2019
For Immediate Release
Change of Venue for September 26 Key West Art & Historical Society Presentation by hurricane expert Willie Drye
Due to a rapidly sold-out event, the Thursday, September 26, Key West Art & Historical Society Distinguished Speaker Series presentation by hurricane expert Willie Drye, author of “Storm of the Century: The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935,” has been moved from the Custom House Museum to the ballroom at the Margaritaville Key West Resort, 245 Front Street. Margaritaville Key West Resort will validate parking for attendees.
During his 6:00-7:00pm presentation, Drye will discuss how he originally came to write about the 1935 hurricane, the people he met in the course of his research, and the hurricane itself. He will also present his newly released “Storm of the Century: The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 – Revised Edition,” updated with additional details about the hurricane of 1935, along with a new chapter devoted entirely to 2017’s Hurricane Irma.
Drye has been a reporter and editor for more than 35 years, and written extensively about hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis and other topics for National Geographic since 2003. The original “Storm of the Century: The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935” published in 2002 and now out of print, is regarded by many as the definitive account of the devastating category 5 storm that made landfall Monday, September 2, 1935, destroying Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad and killing more than 400 people in the Florida Keys.
Sponsored by the Helmerich Trust, Margaritaville Key West Resort & Marina, Marriott Beachside Resort, and the State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, early ticket purchase is recommended. Distinguished Speaker Series presentation tickets are $5 for KWAHS members, $10 for non-members, and are available at kwahs.org, click ‘tickets.’ For more information contact Kassandra Collett at 305-295-6616 ext 114 or email at kcollett@kwahs.org. Your Museums. Your Community. It takes an Island.
Photo caption:
Key West Art & Historical Society welcomes hurricane expert and award-winning author Willie Drye as Distinguished Speaker Series guest on Thursday, September 26, at Margaritaville Key West Resort. (Contributed photo)