|
Mandarin Museum News
April 2026
Embrace the Mandarin Experience
| | |
Dear Friends,
Part of the Mandarin Experience that I'm sure many of you are familiar with is taking as many backroads as possible to avoid San Jose Blvd. Our neighborhood roads are sometimes teeming with cars whose drivers all have the same idea.
This weekend, the neighborhood streets will be even busier along the Mandarin Road corridor as Mandarin Museum's First Saturday @ the Museum and Music Under the Oaks festivities combine with Mandarin Community Club's annual Mandarin Art Festival to create a weekend filled with arts, culture, and community!
Families and residents will abound on foot, by bicycle, via golf cart, and more. It will be a joyous weekend! If you plan to be in the area, please drive safely, remain alert, and avoid distracted driving. We want it to remain a joyous weekend for everyone.
Beyond the weekend, we're excited to host the opening reception for our newest exhibit, According to Gamble: A Cartoonist's Take on American Public Life, on April 16th. Renowned political cartoonist and longtime Mandarin resident, Ed Gamble, will join us for what is sure to be a wonderful evening.
The following Saturday, we'll celebrate our annual Miss Aggie Day down at the Historic Mandarin Store & Post Office. Miss Aggie was an independent, strong-willed, confident woman who possessed a deep sense of community and a charitable heart. Serving as Mandarin’s Postmistress from 1928 to 1963, Miss Aggie was succeeded by Janet C. Blackmer. It is our pleasure to honor Mrs. Blackmer posthumously with the Miss Aggie Award for her contributions to the community.
All event details can be found in this newsletter. And as always, I'll see you at the Museum!
| | |
Brittany Cohill
Executive Director
| |
Current Art Exhibition
When the Kiln is Opened: The Art of Charlie Moses Brown
Show ends Sunday, April 5!
| | |
Special thanks to exhibit curators:
Dr. Elizabeth Heuer, Associate Professor of Art History, University of North Florida
Nofa Dixon, Assistant Professor Emerita of Art & Design, University of North Florida
Vina Schemer, Regional Director, American Crafts Council Southeast Region, 1979-2009
| |
First Saturday @ the Museum
Saturday, April 4
10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Join Mandarin Museum the first Saturday of every month from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm when all historic buildings throughout Walter Jones Historical Park are open to the public.
The young and young at heart can pick up a free scavenger hunt at Museum Guest Services to complete as you visit the museum's exhibits and stroll along the park's paved pathways.
Learn more about the area's 19th-century past as museum volunteers greet you at the 1898 St. Joseph's Mission Schoolhouse for African American Children, the 1892 Losco Winery, the 1876 Barn, and the 1875 Webb-Jones Farmhouse.
The historic Mandarin Store & Post Office, located just down the road at 12471 Mandarin Rd., will also be open to visitors.
Admission is free.
| | |
Mandarin Frog Painting FULL! Now booking for June 6th.
Saturday, April 4
10:00 am
Museum Front Lawn
Purchase, paint, and take home your very own Mandarin Frog (or sea turtle). The cost is $22 + tax per person and all supplies are provided. To register, please email info@mandarinmuseum.org. Payment is collected upon arrival, cash or card. Limited walk-up spots will be available.
|
Meet the Maple Leaf Divers
Saturday, April 4
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Maple Leaf Shipwreck Gallery
Meet the men who dove the Maple Leaf Shipwreck! On April 1, 1864, the Union steamboat Maple Leaf was sunk by Confederates in the St. Johns River just off Mandarin Point. In the 1980s, Dr. Keith Holland and his team of divers located and excavated the site. Now designated a National Historic Landmark, the nearly 3,000 artifacts they recovered have been entrusted to the State of Florida for preservation. Mandarin Museum displays many of these artifacts through a longterm partnership with the State Archives of Florida.
Dr. Holland and the Maple Leaf Divers will be in the gallery from 10:00 am to noon on Saturday, April 4th to meet with visitors. This is an informal, conversational-style event. Drop in to hear their story of discovery, recovery, and preservation.
| | |
Planning to visit our friends down at the Mandarin Community Club this weekend for Mandarin Art Festival 2026?
You can catch The Orange Pickers live at the food court on Saturday, April 4th from noon to 2:00 pm! Featuring:
Lead Guitar - Eric Arndt
Acoustic Bass Guitar - Greg Holycross
Rhythm Guitar - Katie Cunningham & Kurt Hall
Mandolin - Brittany Cohill
Percussion - Dale Rohlfing
The Historic Mandarin Store & Post Office will also be open during Art Fest hours. Inside, you'll find Mandarin Frogs, Julie Fetzer Art, Ray Melvin Woodware, and books from the Mandarin Museum shop available for purchase.
For ALL information about Mandarin Art Festival, visit www.mandarinartfestival.org
| |
Music Under the Oaks
Sunday, April 5
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Mandarin Museum Front Lawn
Hosted in partnership with North Florida Folk Network, you're invited to enjoy a lazy afternoon under the shade of Mandarin’s historic oak canopy. If you play an acoustic instrument and enjoy singing or playing with others, you are invited to join the song circle. This is an open jam for participants at any experience level. Song circle set-up begins around 1:30 pm. Chairs for musicians are available inside the Museum.
Listeners are welcomed and encouraged! Bring your chairs or blanket and set up just outside the song circle. You’re in for a real treat!
Mandarin Museum and the 1898 St. Joseph’s Schoolhouse for African American Children will be open to visitors during the event.
| |
Exhibit Opening Reception
According to Gamble: A Cartoonist's Take on American Public Life
Thursday, April 16
6:00 to 8:00 pm
Mandarin Museum
Armed with ideas and a No. 2 pencil, Ed Gamble offered sharp commentary on local, national, and international events for Florida Times-Union readers for three decades. Hired in 1980 as the paper's first in-house editorial cartoonist, he made his home in Mandarin that same year. Gamble produced thousands upon thousands of cartoons over the course of his career and enjoyed national syndication. His work has earned wide acclaim and can be found in the permanent collections of five U.S. Presidential museums, the University of Tennessee, the University of North Florida, and Mandarin Museum. According to Gamble: A Cartoonist's Take on American Public Life invites visitors to consider how one artist’s voice helped shape public discourse surrounding the issues that defined his time.
Ed Gamble will be our honored guest at the reception and will deliver remarks regarding his notable career.
The gallery opens and refreshments begin at 6:00 pm; remarks will begin at 6:45 pm.
| | Thank you to our friends at Endless Summer Roofing, Co. for sponsoring our Spring 2026 Third Thursday Programs! | | |
Saturday, April 18
11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Historic Mandarin Store & Post Office
12471 Mandarin Rd.
“Miss Aggie” Day is celebrated and an award is given annually to a resident who has contributed to the Mandarin community in the areas of business, civic, educational, or charitable accomplishment.
Join us on April 18th as we celebrate and honor the memory of our 2026 recipient, Janet C. Blackmer.
Attendees will enjoy ice cold RC Cola and Moon Pies (once staples at Miss Aggie’s store) and live music. Remarks will begin at 11:45.
| | |
Janet Blackmer served as acting post mistress in Mandarin immediately following Miss Aggie’s retirement. Appointed and approved by the Post Office Department in September 1963, Janet earned $5,365 annually. She had served as a mail clerk in Altamonte Springs during the 1950s before moving to Mandarin with her husband, Gordon, in 1959.
By the time Janet was appointed, she was overseeing operations at Mandarin Post Office’s new home on State Road 13. In August 1965, Janet handed the keys over to Gerald Ward, who served as post master until April 1968.
Originally from Easton, Pennsylvania, Janet grew up in Maiden, Massachusetts. She and Gordon had four children. Throughout the 1980s, Janet was an active member of the Baptist Auxiliary and volunteered much of her time in the Baptist Downtown gift shop.
| | Thanks to the kindness and generosity of Susan and William Paraska, we were able to add a new park bench alongside the 1898 St. Joseph's Mission Schoolhouse for African American Children, the Florida-Friendly Landscape Garden, and "Harriet Beecher Stowe in Mandarin." Its installation honors the memory of Susan's parents, Carmen and Rex Rowe, who were devoted Mandarin Museum members with a fondness for the Schoolhouse and a love for gardening native plants. | |
Be a supporter of arts & culture in our community through the purchase of an annual membership! Every contribution made through the purchase of an annual membership enables us to fulfill our mission!
| | Mandarin Museum members at the Family Level and above automatically enjoy the benefits of NARM (North American Reciprocal Museum Association)! By supporting your favorite museum, you receive reciprocal member benefits at almost 1,500 museums, botanical gardens, aquariums, and more across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and The Cayman Islands. Simply show your Mandarin Museum membership card at participating locations! | | |
Read 2026 issues of the Mandarin Newsline online now!
This free newspaper allows Mandarin Museum to share history, events, and programs with the public. The newspaper remains free to readers due to the robust local advertising. Please visit, shop, and eat at those businesses who support the community in this way.
| | Until next time, make a point to enjoy a carefree day in the beautiful spring weather! | | More ways to stay up-to-date! | | | |
Thank you to all our community partners!
A thriving creative economy enhances the quality of life for us all. Supported in part by the Merit-Based Cultural Service Grant Program, administered by the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville with funding from the City of Jacksonville and our elected officials, we extend our gratitude to all partners who make this possible.
| | |
OUR MISSION: Mandarin Museum & Historical Society shares the stories of Mandarin's history, culture, and natural resources by providing engaging programs that educate, entertain, and inspire.
VISIT. JOIN. VOLUNTEER.
Mandarin Museum & Historical Society
904-268-0784
info@mandarinmuseum.org
| | | | |
