Jeff LaHurd Libri

Ken Thompson served as Sarasota's city manager from 1950 to 1988, making him the longest-serving manager in United States history. During these years, Sarasota experienced a population explosion and an unprecedented modernization of city services. The city moved from a sleepy little town to an independent city with an identifiable economy. This period of growth gave residents a vastly improved bayfront that included Island Park and the Marina Jack development and saw the creation of the current city hall and the Van Wetzel Theater. In thirty-eight years, Sarasota moved from the Circus City to the multifaceted city it is today. Follow well-known Sarasota historian Jeff LaHurd as he recounts the sometimes controversial era of Sarasota's greatest growth.

Sarasota, Florida, a one-horse farming town turned thriving winter residence of the Ringling Bros. Circus and flocks of snowbirds, has experienced more than its share of quirky characters and peculiar events. Learn about the illustrious John Ringling, from the details of his daily breakfast to the fifty-five year saga that determined his final resting place. Find out the real identity of A NO. 1, the King of Hobos, who spent a night in Sarasota's finest hotel. Witness the most memorable wedding in Sarasota- between two gorillas. Join longtime resident and historian Jeff LaHurd as he chronicles the fascinating, forgotten stories that made Sarasota the exceptional city it is today.

From local writer and historian Jeff LaHurd comes Quintessential Stories and Pictures from the 1920s and the 1950s celebrating the history, people and places of Sarasota, Florida. Written in a light and entertaining style and using extraordinary historical images, LaHurd conveys a nostalgia for Sarasota's heyday in the early 20th century.This collection of columns takes a light and entertaining look back at colorful past. Using many unique and archival images, LaHurd reminisces on the events and attractions of Sarasota's past, including the Ringling Brothers' Circus Winter Quarters, the Prohibition Era, the local radio shows and the favorite restaurant hangout, the Smack.

About halfway down the gulf coast of the Florida peninsula, along the old Tamiami Trail, lies the beautiful city of Sarasota. With crystal blue waters, fabulous beaches and the warmth of its citizens and sun, Sarasota has always been a popular destination for an array of colorful characters. As with many cities along the Florida's gulf coast, Sarasota has experienced growth and change that has left few reminders of the once easy-going lifestyle that made Sarasota such a special place. Although the Sarasota of the early twentieth century, through the mid-1950s, was small in size, it was community large in spirit and had an identity that was shared and enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. Gulf Coast Remembering Sarasota's Past is a warm and vibrant stroll through the often forgotten and innocent days when Sarasota was home to the Ringling Circus, splendid hotels and baseball spring training. Longtime resident, historian and columnist Jeff LaHurd revisits the "good old days" of Sarasota's past, and brings to life a time that is now only a nostalgic memory.

The gulf coast of Florida has long attracted people for its welcoming climate, abundant beauty and casual lifestyle. Although some of this beauty and lifestyle has been lost to the advances of progress, a never-ending stream of tourists and families continues to venture south every year for their own piece of the good life in the sun. Sarasota, Florida, is one city that has always possessed all of the elements--beaches, sport, sun and fun--that draw so many to the Sunshine State every year. As with other popular tourist destinations, there are the year-round inhabitants who, while always ready to share the beauty of their surroundings with visitors, remember their hometown with a much simpler and relaxed fondness. Sarasota in Vintage Images by longtime resident, historian and columnist Jeff LaHurd is a visual stroll through the Sarasota of yesteryear. With a feel for the nostalgic, Jeff offers readers a pictorial glimpse of Sarasota from the roaring 1920s through the transforming 1960s.