ENGLEWOOD, Fla. — Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Vice President for Regional History John McCarthy will return to the Manasota Beach Club to open the club’s Two Thousand Twenty-Six Monday Lecture Series with a presentation focused on the distinctive coastal history of Englewood and Manasota Key.
McCarthy’s talk will feature lesser-known stories drawn from the area’s natural and cultural past, along with updates on current activities, programs and exhibitions at Selby Gardens’ Sarasota and Historic Spanish Point campuses. His presentations are known for blending regional history with environmental context, reflecting Selby Gardens’ mission to explore the relationship between people and plants in coastal Florida.
Now in its thirty-seventh year, the Manasota Beach Club Monday Lecture Series brings together speakers from across the Gulf Coast and beyond to discuss ecology, environmental science, archaeology and Florida history. Weekly topics have ranged from hurricane recovery and coastal sustainability to early folk music traditions and new scientific research.
The series is hosted on the historic fifteen-acre Manasota Beach Club property, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Organizers describe the sessions as “lecture and learn” opportunities that continue the club’s long-standing emphasis on community education and stewardship.
Lectures are held Mondays from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., with light refreshments provided. The series is open to the public. Reservations and additional details are available atwww.manasotabeachclub.com/2026-mbc-lecture-series
