History is coming to life this Saturday in honor of Black History Month.
The first “Cotton to the Cade” walking tour will celebrate the achievements of five black inventors and innovators through the Power District area downtown.
The tour begins at 1 p.m., and walkers can start from either the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center at 837 SE Seventh Ave. or The Cade Museum at 904 S. Main St.
“We want to celebrate these individuals and their accomplishments,” wrote Leslie Ladendorf, the director of development at the Cade Museum, in an email.
The tour has four main stops: The Cotton Club Museum, the Depot Building, Prioria Robotics and the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention. At each of these spots, families and Gainesville residents will learn about inventors and innovators and interact with live actors.
“We hope to highlight great African-American innovators, get kids excited about science and the interesting opportunities that are out there,” Ladendorf said.
Vivian Filer, the chairwoman of the Cotton Club board of directors, said she hopes this will create a real interest in history, education and science.
“We have to make sure we archive what we can and tell what we can to the younger people so that we have preserved what’s not written down,” Filer said.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 2/20/2015 under the headline “New walking tour explores black history"]
