The Florida Highwaymen Extravaganza returns to the City of Davenport’s Tom Fellows Community Center on Friday and Saturday, March 3-4, 2023. Enjoy the free art show on Friday and Saturday from 9am-4pm.
A ticketed dinner and live auction, with the artists, takes place on Friday evening, March 3 for $50. Social time begins at 6:30pm with dinner at 7pm. The live auction begins at 8:30pm.
To enjoy the Friday night dinner and live auction with the artists, please contact Josh Hicks at 863-588-1130, extension 149. Seating is limited.
New this year is a scholarship opportunity for area high school students. Proceeds from the event will be used to fund a scholarship for seniors who are majoring in an art-related profession.
The annual event began thanks to a chance encounter between Harriet Rust and her late husband and former Davenport mayor Peter Rust, and an original Florida Highwaymen artist.
“Pete and I met Mr. R.L. Lewis at a Florida League of Cities yearly event in Tampa,” Rust said. “I asked him if he would consider a show in Davenport, and he said he sure would. So, Pete and I got together with him and his son and started working on it for the following March (2011). So that was the beginning.”
Rust is proud that the event found a home in Davenport and has continued to thrive as an annual art showcase.
“It is a quality event,” said Rust. “The Highwaymen are recognized throughout the United States and have art in the Smithsonian and also in the Florida House in DC. They are also in the Hall of Fame in the State Capitol.”
The Highwaymen have been able to uniquely capture the natural Florida landscape throughout decades of growth and expansion. For many, a glance at an original Highwaymen painting allows a look back in time to the natural Florida beauty of yesteryear.
“The Highwaymen have painted the landscapes of old Florida and, thus, we can see what we are destroying every day,” Rust said. “The still quiet of Florida has disappeared and our children and grandchildren will never experience the serenity of our great outdoors.”
Just as the passing years claim much of our natural Florida landscape, so too does time take its toll on the original Florida Highwaymen artists.
“I think there’s only five left,” said Davenport Parks and Recreation Director Dan McClain. “I hope that people continue to want to come out and see the paintings. I believe that people are trying to make sure they don’t miss an opportunity to see these storied artists before it’s too late.”
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