The Friends of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Farm

04/09/2026

(Late registration is being accepted) The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society is very excited to see you next week at the 37th Annual Conference of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society. Back by popular demand, Florence Turcotte and Dr. Kenneth Kidd will be hosting a book discussion during lunch on Friday, April 17. We have chosen "The Secret River" by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings as this year's book. We encourage participants to review the book prior to the conference for that discussion.
There is still time to register for this year's conference in historic downtown DeLand, Florida. To see the full schedule and to register today visiting our website: https://rawlingssociety.org/upcoming-conferences/

04/04/2026

Zach Zacharias will be one of the speakers on Friday, April 18th at the upcoming Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society Conference in Deland.

Zach is a Native Floridian born and raised in Miami, Florida. He holds degrees from Florida State University with a degree in communications, University of Central Florida with a degree in American history, and Nova Southeastern University with a master’s in education. Zach has worked for 33 years at the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach and until recently oversaw the educational programming at the museum and has worked with exhibits such as, Picasso Ceramics, Salvadori Dali, Dale Chihuly, Glories of Ancient Egypt, Great Asian Dinosaurs, and many more!

Zach Specializes in Florida History, Florida natural history and Florida historical landscapes. He has self-published on a book on Florida forts titled “Florida Forts on the Edge of Empire” and Big Zach’s Ultimate Guide to Northeast Florida, Zach is a cast member and co-producer of a local PBS Show with 24 episodes called The Fossil Hunters about fossiling in Florida.

Join us in historic downtown DeLand on April 17–18, 2026, for a weekend devoted to the life, work, and enduring influence of the Pulitzer Prize–winning author. See the full conference program and register at: https://rawlingssociety.org/upcoming-conferences/

04/01/2026

Come for both days or just one! Great speakers, Music and a scenic boat ride. If you love MKR join the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society and The Friends of The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Farm. We hope to see you at the conference which is Friday April 17 - 18 at Northwest Square, 238 N Clara Ave, Deland, FL. Register online at https://rawlingssociety.org/upcoming-conferences/

03/28/2026

Exciting news to share: Today at the annual Florida Park Service District 2 Volunteer Award Ceremony at Oleno State Park we were thrilled to learn that The Friends of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Farm received the CSO of the Year Award. Friends President Scott Spaulding says, “This recognition is a testament to our collective efforts in historic preservation and interpretation.” Thank you Assistant Park Manager Daniel Cook for the nomination.

03/25/2026

Register now for the upcoming Rawlings Society Conference: Friday April 17 - 18 at Northwest Square, 238 N Clara Ave, Deland, FL. Register online at https://rawlingssociety.org/upcoming-conferences/

03/24/2026

Join us for a Celebration of Literature and Music with Paul Garfinkel and Leslie Poole at the 37th Annual Conference of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society! A reprisal of their performance at the 2016 Word of the South festival in Tallahassee, Florida.

Paul Garfinkel has been a Florida based singer-songwriter for more than 40 years, taking much of his lyrical and melodic inspiration from the people, places, and history of the Sunshine State. Living in Jacksonville for 30 of those years he performed as a solo and duo act, releasing his
first CD, “Good Enough For Me” in 1996. Paul has won six songwriting awards from the Will McLean Foundation, including the Best New Florida Song for his song “The Creek”. Paul and his wife Kay, who plays flute, djembe, and sings beautifully perform as a duo in and around DeLand, their home for the
last nine years.

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society trustee Leslie Kemp Poole is an award-winning writer and historian. A fourth-generation Floridian, Poole has long been interested in the role of women in the state's environmental movement and how they were saving the state's important natural resources long before they were able to vote. Poole is Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. She received her PhD in History from the University of Florida.

Happening April 17–18, 2026 in historic downtown DeLand, the 27th Annual Conference of the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society is a weekend devoted to the life, work, and enduring influence of the Pulitzer Prize–winning author. Visit our website to register today: https://rawlingssociety.org/upcoming-conferences/

03/23/2026

Great conference! This year will be my 4th one! Come for both days or one day. Great speakers, a boat ride, music and more. Here are two of the speakers for the conference. https://rawlingssociety.org/upcoming-conferences/

03/18/2026

As promised here are a couple of excerpts from the Celebration of Life for Oscar winner Claude Jarman on February 5, 2026 in San Francisco, CA. The excerpts include Friends of the MKR Farm VP Donna Green-Townsend’s remarks about Claude and a short film highlighting moments from his life, including his role as Jody Baxter in the 1946 MGM film The Yearling.

Excerpts from Donna Green-Townsend’s remarks at the Celebration of Life for Claude Jarman, held on February 5, 2026, in San Francisco, CA. The video also inc...

03/15/2026

Thank you to everyone that came out for the writer's talk yesterday! Special thanks to Ronnie Lovler and Dixie Nielsen for sharing their book "Cultural Sites of North Florida" with us!

03/14/2026

Just a reminder, the writer's talk is tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. at the state park. We hope to see you there!

"Cultural Sites of North Florida: A Backroads Guide to Small Museums and Other Local Treasures" is the topic of the next Writer's Talk on Saturday, March 14th at 1:30pm at the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park:

Ronnie Lovler and Dixie Neilson will share from their new guidebook which highlights 43 little-known cultural destinations in North Florida that reflect the stories and communities of the region, including the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders & Owners Association in Ocala, Morningside Nature Center in Gainesville, Camp Blanding Museum and Memorial Park in Starke, the springs of Gilchrist County, and the Florida Agricultural Legacy Learning Center near St. Augustine.

Ronnie Lovler and Dixie Neilson inspire readers to explore meandering backroads to discover forgotten history and learn what makes this area of the state unique.

Ronnie Lovler is a journalist who has written for CNN and the Gainesville Sun and is an adjunct professor at UF’s College of Journalism and Communications. Dixie Neilson is former director of the Matheson History Museum and was previously collections manager at UF’s Harn Museum of Art.

Meet and greet the authors at 1:30pm with a book talk at 2:00pm. The event is free with standard park admission. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park. 18700 County Road 325 at Cross Creek, Florida 32640. Call 352-466-3672 for more information.