Venice's 50th Holiday Parade Has a 100-Year-Old Grand Marshal
On September 9, 1926, a new fire engine was delivered to Moore Haven, a small town on the shore of Lake Okeechobee. Nine days later the Great Miami Hurricane broke the mud dike around the lake. Moore Haven flooded under about 15 feet of water, and the new engine went under with it. The town was struggling to recover and sold the truck to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. On November 4, 1926, the Brotherhood brought the engine to Venice.
That truck is Old Betsy. On Saturday, Nov. 28, she leads the City of Venice's 50th Holiday Parade as grand marshal. November 2026 marks 100 years since she arrived in town, and the city has built the month around that anniversary. Parade night closes it out.
Venice's fire department history lists Old Betsy as a 1926 American LaFrance with a pump rated at 750 gallons per minute and a 40-gallon tank. The city's own page calls her a Type 75 Triple Combination Pumper. She was the town's first fire truck and its only one until 1949. When the Army decommissioned the Venice Army Air Base it gave the city two more trucks.
Her career didn't end when the newer trucks came. According to the City's parade page, she left active service in 1959 and moved to the reserve fleet. From there she still turned out for two calls the city singles out. The first was the 1968 Christmas Eve fire at the Kash N' Karry across from the Venice Theatre. The second came in 1973, when both city engines were in for service at the same time. The city's separate Old Betsy page says she retired from firefighting in the late 1960s and then started a second career as the city's ambassador. She won prizes at fire truck competitions and rode in parades in Fort Myers, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Bradenton.
The holiday parade started in 1976, and she was part of it early. The city says she first carried Santa Claus and a few children who came down to the avenue. As the parade grew, she carried dignitaries and city council members. Several former fire chiefs kept her running over the years, along with Glenn Stephens, Gaylord George and Earl Midlam. In 2012 she went to Daytona Beach for a full rebuild by a company called PRIDE. Today her caretakers are Earl Midlam, a former city councilman and vice mayor, and his wife Karen. They'll ride with her on parade night, along with the volunteers who have looked after her over the decades.
The 100th anniversary of her arrival is Wednesday, Nov. 4. Three days later, on Saturday, Nov. 7, the City of Venice and Venice Heritage, Inc. host the Old Betsy Birthday Bash from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event celebrates 100 years of both the fire truck and the Venice fire department. The city's Centennial Celebration page has the listing. Check it for the location closer to the date.
You can visit her on a weeknight, too. The Old Betsy Museum building is closed to the public, but the truck is on view 24 hours a day. For the bigger picture, the Venice Museum & Archives at 351 Nassau St S is running its Venice Turns 100! exhibit. Admission is free, and the museum is open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit Venice adds that the museum also opens on the first and third Saturdays from October through April.
The weekend before her anniversary is a busy one downtown. The 38th Annual Downtown Venice Art Festival runs Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Oct. 31 the Halloween Strut sends trick-or-treaters along Tampa, Venice and Miami avenues. W. Venice Avenue's 100 through 300 blocks are closed to cars for the festival. The City calendar lists the Strut from 4 to 6 p.m., while the Visit Venice annual calendar shows an earlier 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. window. Families planning around it should check the City listing that morning.
The parade's theme this year is "Golden Traditions," and the City's announcement explains why:
This year's Holiday Parade is extra special as we celebrate three incredible milestones; the 50th anniversary of the City of Venice Holiday Parade, the City's 100th birthday, and America's 250th birthday.
Old Betsy arrived in the city's first year and rode in its first parades, which ties her to two of those three milestones. The parade is also deliberately small. Entries are capped at 50 units, a number that echoes the anniversary, and the cap is there to keep the event safe and enjoyable. A unit can include up to 10 vehicles, 10 bicycles, 10 golf carts and 30 walkers. Applications opened July 8 and the parade reached its limit on Oct. 5. The waitlist stayed open until Oct. 16, and applicants are being notified the week of Oct. 26.
Every unit is volunteer-built, and judges from Venice Area Toastmasters Club 5486 pick six winners from the field. Candy and trinkets can't be thrown from floats. Participants may walk them over and hand them to spectators instead. The City is still looking for sponsors, ushers and volunteers, and the parade page explains how to help.
The parade starts at W. Venice Avenue and Avenue des Parques, beside City Hall and Hecksher Park. It heads east on the north side of W. Venice, turns south on Nokomis Avenue, then west on Turin Street. It ends at Riviera Street, near W. Blalock Park and the Venice Community Center.
The City allows viewing from:
The eastbound lane of W. Venice between Harbor Drive and Nokomis Avenue is closed to spectators. It serves as the emergency access route and supports public safety drone operations. The main stage is at Harbor Drive and W. Venice. The second stage is at Nokomis Avenue and W. Venice, and each has an MC announcing every unit as it passes.
Saturday, Nov. 28 runs like this:
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 2 p.m. | Roads along the route close to all traffic |
| 3 p.m. | Downtown activities begin |
| 5:45 p.m. | The Elf Dash, a 0.9-mile fun run, starts down the route |
| About 6 p.m. | The Venice Area Chamber of Commerce livestream goes live |
| 6:30 p.m. | The parade steps off |
The Elf Dash is in its third year. Registration costs $25, spots are limited, and the City lists the deadline as 6 p.m. on Nov. 27. Every elf has to cross the finish line within 20 minutes. The 2 p.m. closures cover W. Venice Avenue from U.S. 41 to Park Boulevard. They also block the crossings at Miami Avenue, Pensacola Road, Milan Avenue and Turin Street where each meets Nokomis Avenue, and the W. Venice crossings at Harbor Drive, Nassau Street, Avenue des Parques and Park Boulevard. The City suggests detouring by Tampa Avenue or San Marco Drive. The Circus Bridge stays open, so you can still get on and off the island.
The night before the parade, the Mayor's Hometown Christmas and tree lighting runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at Centennial Park. Parade day is also Small Business Saturday downtown. If you arrive before the 2 p.m. closures, there are some new stops to try. Wild Card Boutique opened at 111 Tampa Ave. W. on Oct. 10. Earth Treasures and the Venice Fossil Museum have moved to 235 Miami Avenue W. WWSB reported that Naturalistic Body Care is new to the corner of Miami and Nassau.
The rest of December on the island:
The centennial keeps going after the holidays. The Venice Area Historical Society celebrates the Venice Train Depot's 100th on March 27, 2027, and the City's closing event, with cake and live music, is set for May 6, 2027. Old Betsy's part of it peaks this November. She has a birthday party on the 7th and the front of the parade on the 28th, on the same streets she was brought here to protect in 1926.
Kelly Pankiw has watched this town's traditions from the curb since moving to Venice in 2018, and the 50th parade is one she's especially looking forward to. If a season of downtown evenings like these has you thinking about a home closer to the route, Kelly Pankiw would be glad to show you what's near the Venice Island blocks the parade passes. Let's Connect.
With over 20 years of marketing and sales expertise, Kelly Pankiw delivers a refined real estate experience built on integrity, market knowledge, and exceptional client care. From first-time buyers to luxury home sellers, she combines local insight with global marketing power to help clients achieve their real estate goals with confidence.
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