Historical society is ‘a lot of fun’

For nearly 50 years, the Boynton Beach Historical Society has worked to honor the city’s past by informing residents and reminding them of how the city and surrounding area has grown.

The society has announced its list of programs for 2017:

■ Jan. 16: Wes Blackman, “The Cottages of Lake Worth: Living Large in Small Spaces” at the Boynton Beach Woman’s Club, 1010 S. Federal Highway.

■ Feb. 20: Eliot Kleinberg, historian, Palm Beach Post reporter and author, at the Boynton Beach Woman’s Club, 1010 S. Federal Highway.

■ March 20: Steven Grant, mayor of Boynton Beach, at the Boynton Beach City Library, 208 Seacrest Blvd.

■ April 17: Dr. Evan Bennett, FAU history professor, Alexandra Seltzer at the Boynton Beach City Library, 208 Seacrest Blvd.

All meetings are free and open to the public. They start with a “meet and greet” at 6:30 p.m. and the program presentation is from 7-8 p.m. The programs are most often held at the library, and the backup is the Woman’s Club, said Anne Rimler, the first vice president responsible for programs.

The programs are based off of the society members’ suggestions, Rimler said. She said members often have heard of the speakers and thought they’d be interesting.

While many topics are about Boynton, not all are.

“We try to keep topics to the local area but not necessarily Boynton. But primarily education and appreciation of all the wonderful stuff that’s been going on or that will be going on in the area,” Rimler said.

“It’s really a wonderful, wonderful city. Lots of stuff happening here,” she added.

The January program is about Lake Worth and its cottages. Rimler took a tour of the cottages and then reached out to see if someone could speak about it for the society.

“Ideally, we’re hoping that we’ve picked a topic which will get people in the door and then get them interested in us,” Rimler said.

The society, which has between 250 and 350 members, also produces a newsletter nine times per year. The society was incorporated in November of 1968; it will celebrate 50 years in 2018. The members plan to host a celebration to mark the five decades.

“It’s a really terrific group,” Rimler said. “It’s just a lot of fun. A lot of stuff to discover.”