The South Florida Fair and the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach are forming a partnership that allows the fourth-grade Little Red Schoolhouse Living History Program to continue without interruption.
The Little Red Schoolhouse is undergoing a temporary closure due to the ongoing Phipps Ocean Park restoration project and related construction, and this partnership allows the foundation’s Living History Program to kick off in October, as originally planned, for the 2025-26 school year. The foundation will be conducting resiliency and restoration improvements to the schoolhouse as part of the park restoration.
Yesteryear Village at the South Florida Fairgrounds is a unique living history park that showcases Florida life prior to 1940. Its schoolhouse will serve as the temporary home for the immersive, curriculum-aligned Preservation Foundation program.
Students from across Palm Beach County will still experience a full day of engaging, hands-on history education — complete with period dress and lessons that bring the past to life.
“This partnership is the perfect collaboration, as we have a shared interest in serving and educating local students about our area’s history,” said Matt Wallsmith, president and CEO of the South Florida Fair & Palm Beach County Expositions Inc. “This will add to the programming that we already do with the schools, which includes annual tours.”
“This partnership is truly a win-win,” added Danielle Del Sol, president and CEO of the Preservation Foundation. “Our program continues to serve the students and schools of Palm Beach County, and at the same time, we’re helping to activate one of the county’s most important historic resources.”
Learn more about Yesteryear Village at www.southfloridafair.com/p/yesteryear and the Preservation Foundation’s Living History program at www.palmbeachpreservation.org/education/little-red-schoolhouse.
