Venice's First Holiday Parade Put Santa on Old Betsy. The 50th Puts Her Out Front.

On September 18, 1926, the Great Miami Hurricane broke the mud dike around Lake Okeechobee, and Moore Haven ended up under about 15 feet of water. A brand-new fire engine went under with it. Moore Haven had taken delivery of the truck only nine days earlier, on September 9.

Moore Haven was struggling to survive after the flood and needed money, so it sold the engine to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. The BLE brought it to Venice on November 4, 1926. That makes this coming Wednesday, November 4, exactly 100 years since Old Betsy rolled into town. On November 28 she'll be Grand Marshal of the 50th City of Venice Holiday Parade, the same parade she helped start by carrying Santa down the avenue in 1976. Venice's Centennial is full of anniversaries this November, and nearly all of them run through one 1926 American LaFrance pumper parked on Nassau Street.

A flood-salvaged engine for a four-month-old town

Florida lawmakers approved Venice's town charter on November 21, 1925, and it took effect July 1, 1926. So when Old Betsy arrived that November, the Town of Venice was about four months old. The name "City of Venice" came later, on May 9, 1927. That means the truck has been here longer than the city has carried its current name.

The City lists her as a Type 75 Triple Combination Pumper. For more than two decades she was all the town had. Old Betsy was Venice'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.

The reserve years nobody puts on a postcard

According to the City's 2026 Holiday Parade page, she served the Venice Fire Department until 1959. After that she moved to the reserve fleet and kept fighting fires. Two calls stand out:

1. Christmas Eve, 1968. She helped fight the fire at the Kash N' Karry across from the Venice Theatre.
2. 1973. Both of the city's regular engines were in for service at the same time, so the 47-year-old reserve truck went back on duty.

The City's Old Betsy Museum page dates her retirement from firefighting to the late 1960s, a few years earlier than the parade page's 1973 call. Either way, her second career was as an ambassador for Venice. She went to fire truck competitions and won a few.

How a fire engine became the parade

The Venice holiday parade began in 1976. In the early years Old Betsy carried Santa Claus and a few children who came down to the avenue. As the parade grew, she switched to carrying dignitaries and council members. Over the years she has also led the Venice Lions Club Halloween Parade and joined the annual Parade of Champions for Venice High School sports winners. She has appeared in parades in Fort Myers, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Bradenton too.

She stays roadworthy because people take care of her. Former fire chiefs, Glenn Stephens, Gaylord George and Earl Midlam have all worked on her. In 2012 she went to a company called PRIDE in Daytona Beach for a full rebuild. Earl Midlam is a former City Councilman and Vice Mayor. He and his wife Karen look after her today and keep her parts working and her wheels shining. On November 28 they'll ride with her, along with the volunteers and caretakers who have looked after her over the years, as the parade's Grand Marshal.

She lives at the Old Betsy Museum, 343 Nassau St. S. The building is closed to the public, but you can see the truck at any hour. WWSB covered the museum's opening in June 2025.

Old Betsy's November, in order

Here's the stretch of the Centennial calendar between now and the parade. Most of it happens within a few blocks of her garage.

1. Now: the Centennial book. "Venice Centennial: 100 Years of the City on the Gulf" went on sale Tuesday, Oct. 27. It's a 161-page coffee table book that costs $20 plus tax at the Cashier's Office at City Hall, 401 W. Venice Ave., and at the Venice History Museum, 351 Nassau St. S. Payment is card or mobile wallet only, with no cash or checks.
2. Saturday, Oct. 31: Downtown Halloween Strut. Venice MainStreet runs it in partnership with the Venice Lions Club. The event listing has costume lineup at 3:45 p.m. at Nokomis Avenue and West Venice Avenue, the parade at 4 p.m., and trick-or-treating on Miami, Nokomis, Tampa and Venice avenues. The annual calendar lists 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. instead, so check with Venice MainStreet or call (941) 484-6722 before you head out. The book is also sold that morning at the Venice Florida Farmers Market at City Hall, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
3. Wednesday, Nov. 4: the actual 100th. This is the anniversary of her arrival from Moore Haven, and no event is attached to it. The truck is on view on Nassau Street all day.
4. Saturday, Nov. 7: Old Betsy Birthday Bash. It runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Old Betsy Museum, 343 Nassau Street South. Venice Heritage Inc. is hosting the free event, with music, food trucks, kids activities, antique fire equipment and a birthday cake. The City's Centennial page describes it as a celebration of 100 years of both the truck and the Venice fire department. Book sales run during the Bash.
5. Saturdays, Nov. 14 and 21. More book pop-ups at the farmers market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
6. Saturday, Nov. 28: the 50th Holiday Parade. The theme is "Golden Traditions!" and the City is marking three milestones with it: the parade's 50th year, Venice's 100th and America's 250th.

Parade night, practically speaking

The parade is always the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and this year's lineup is capped at 50 units. It steps off at 6:30 p.m. from W. Venice Avenue and Avenue des Parques by City Hall and Hecksher Park. From there it heads east, turns right onto Nokomis Avenue, goes south to Turin Street, and ends near Riviera Street by West Blalock Park and the Venice Community Center.

Here's how the afternoon builds:

• 2 p.m. Road closures begin, including W. Venice Avenue from U.S. 41 to Park Boulevard.
• About 2 to 6 p.m. Centennial book sales in Centennial Park.
• 3 p.m. Downtown activities start.
• 5:45 p.m. The Elf Dash.
• Around 6 p.m. The City's live stream begins, for anyone watching from home.

These are the City's approved viewing areas:

• Both sides of Nokomis Avenue from W. Venice Avenue to Turin Street
• The westbound lane of W. Venice Avenue from Nokomis Avenue to Harbor Drive
• The eastbound lane of W. Venice Avenue from Harbor Drive to Avenue des Parques
• Both sides of Turin Street from Nokomis Avenue to Riviera Street

You can't watch from the eastbound lane of W. Venice Avenue between Harbor Drive and Nokomis Avenue. That stretch is kept clear for emergency access and public safety drone operations. Announcers will call out parade units from two stages, one at Harbor Drive and W. Venice Avenue and one at Nokomis Avenue and W. Venice Avenue. As of this writing, the City's Holiday Parade page still says to check back for block party details, so look again the week of Thanksgiving.

Why the party keeps going after the parade

Venice's 2026 Centennial doesn't end with 2026. The City counts the celebration from Nov. 29, 2025 through May 2027, with July 1, 2026 as the official Centennial date. That 18-month window covers both of Venice's founding dates, the town charter in 1926 and the city name in 1927. Last year's holiday parade opened the Centennial, and the remaining events are spread across the spring:

• March 25, 2027: "The Next 100 Years of John Nolen's Plan of Venice," a roundtable at the Venice Community Center
• March 27, 2027: The Venice Area Historical Society's Train Depot Centennial, with train- and circus-themed activities
• May 6, 2027: The closing event, with cake and live music

To see where Old Betsy fits in the longer story, walk next door to the Venice History Museum in the historic Triangle Inn. Its "Venice Turns 100!" exhibit uses historic photographs, artifacts, oral histories and archival materials to trace the city back to 1926. Admission is free. Hours are Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., plus the first and third Saturdays from October through April, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The City's Centennial page lists two different end dates for the exhibit, August 2026 and August 2027, so call ahead if you're planning a visit around it.

The Centennial book is the other take-home. Historical Resources Manager Harry Klinkhamer wrote and organized it with Public Information Officer Lorraine Anderson. In the City's announcement, he said:

"This book brings together the past, present, and future of Venice. Packed full of beautiful imagery and a thorough timeline, this is a must-have for anyone who loves our City."

The book includes letters from Mayor Nick Pachota and City Manager James Clinch, plus the lyrics to the official Centennial song, "Venice, Forever Home."

After more than 25 years in Venice, I still love that a 100-year-old fire engine gets top billing on parade night. If you have a story about her, or you just want to talk about life on the island, I'd love to hear it. Stop me at the Birthday Bash on Nov. 7 or reach out here. Julie Willett and the team at NextHome Beach to Bay will be on Nokomis Avenue on parade night, cheering for the Grand Marshal.