FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Kathy Oathout
727.341.7904

CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS WITH
THE BEATLES

AT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM

Tributes to John Lennon, Guitarists, Beatles Expert All Make Holidays Special at FIM

St. Petersburg, FL (November 29, 2005) Florida International Museum (FIM) celebrates the holiday season with a lineup of events to highlight the popular exhibit The Beatles! Backstage and Behind the Scenes. “We have a series of events that will make your Beatles experience very special,” said FIM executive director Kathy Oathout. “With musical presentations to a Beatles Chat program and special ticket pricing for Florida residents, we invite everyone to join in celebrating the holidays with the Fab Four.”

Florida residents are eligible to buy one/get one free ticket Tuesday through Friday (FIM is closed on Monday) and children are admitted free each Saturday and Sunday until the exhibit closes on January 7, 2006.

To celebrate John Lennon's life and in commemoration of his death 25 years ago when he was shot and killed by a deranged fan on December 8, 1980, FIM will present a Tribute to John Lennon at 2 pm on December 4 & 11, with guitarist and singer TOMI, and on December 18 with guitarist Joe Braccio. We welcome your remembrances and comments in our condolence book.

Join Beatles' specialist Steve Jewel for his popular Beatles Chat program, filled with insider information, from 12 noon until 1:00 p.m. December 10 & 31, and January 7, 2006; and from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. on Friday, December 16.

Zane Lalani, author of A Teenagers Guide To The Beatles , will host a discussion about the Beatles followed by a book signing at the Florida International Museum on Saturday, December 17, 2005, from Noon to 1:00 pm. Mr. Lalani will discuss a variety of topics including the difficulties of being a young Beatles fan. A Teenagers Guide to the Beatles probes many of the controversies, myths, and mysteries surrounding one of the most popular and influential music groups in history, and highlights the hot issues of particular interest to pre-teen and teenage readers.

The Beatles exhibit consists of an outstanding series of 84 historic black and white photographs from the unpublished archives of CBS and LIFE photographer Bill Eppridge, shown with a wide range of memorabilia from the extensive private collection of Bill Haack, which includes exact replicas of the Beatle's famed instruments as used on the Ed Sullivan Show.  

The Beatles! Backstage and Behind the Scenes photography is organized, circulated and presented by Vickie A. Rehberg, president of ArtVision Exhibitions, LLC, a full-service exhibition and marketing company, providing photographic exhibitions to fine art museums and distinguished venues worldwide. For more details, visit www.artvisionexhibitions.com .

Florida International Museum now has a new location at 244 Second Avenue North, and is open Tuesday – Saturday 10 am – 5 pm; Sunday 12 noon – 5 pm; last admission one hour before closing. The museum is closed Mondays. General Admission: Adults $10, Seniors/Military $8, Students 7-18 yrs of age $7, Toddlers 6 and under – free. Group rates are available.

Special Holiday Special Admission - Florida residents are eligible to buy one/get one free ticket Tuesday through Friday (FIM is closed on Monday) and children are admitted free each Saturday and Sunday until the exhibit closes on January 7, 2006.

For more information contact Eileen Conte, at 727.341.7901. To learn more about Florida International Museum visit www.floridamuseum.org .

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The Florida International Museum is a non-profit educational institution supported, in part, by the Florida Arts Council, State of Florida, Division of Cultural Affairs, St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Pinellas County and the City of St. Petersburg. Other major sponsors include the Institute of Museum & Library Services, Progress Energy, Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, Starbucks, and the St. Petersburg Times.