Images from the Sponge Industry Folk Arts Festival

Musicians

Arts, Greek

Greek Americans

Folk festivals

Special events

Demonstrations

Musical instruments

Hides and skins

Bouzouki

Helmets

Craft

Sponge divers

61 color slides. Images of musicans (many are dark), sponge diving helmet makers Toth and Lerios, crafts, and various speakers. The festival was held June 24-25, 1989 to celebrate Tarpon Springs heritage of sponge diving, a practice that dated back to the 1890s. By 1905, when 500 Greek immigrants answered an ad to be sponge divers, the town acquired a distinctive Greek flavor, as the Greek Americans thrived in the sponge industry. At one point, Florida provided 95% of the nation's sponges. Although today over fishing and synthetic materials have undercut the sponge diving industry, the tradition lives on in Greek families, and through tourism.

State Archives of Florida, Series S1672

1989-06-24

Florida Folklife Program

slides (photographs)

Still Image

S1672

1

6

Sponge Industry Folk Arts Festival

Reddy, David

Michael, Nancy

Tsimouris, Nikitas, 1924-2001

Phil Demas and His Band

Kindinis, George

Toth, Nick

Lerios, Anthony, 1892-1992

Monihan, Kathy

Greek American

2400

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