On November 4, 1926, a fire engine came to Venice that had been built for a different town. It was a Type 75 Triple Combination Pumper. Two months earlier it had been delivered to Moore Haven, on the shore of Lake Okeechobee. Nine days after it arrived there, the Great Miami Hurricane broke the town's mud dike and left about 15 feet of water in the streets, with the new engine sitting in it.

Moore Haven sold the truck. The buyer was the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, and it moved the engine here. The Brotherhood had bought the Venice property in October 1925 and set up the BLE Realty Company to carry out its city plan. The City of Venice calls that engine Old Betsy. She was the town's first fire truck and its only one until 1949.

Old Betsy's 100th year in Venice gets two dates this November. She has a free birthday party on November 7, and on November 28 she rides as Grand Marshal of the 50th City of Venice Holiday Parade. The parade started in 1976 with Old Betsy carrying Santa down the avenue, so this year's Grand Marshal has been part of it from the first year.

Secondhand, Then Indispensable

The City of Venice's own account of Old Betsy is a short read, and it covers most of the town's first century. The City's fire department history lists her as a 1926 American LaFrance and the department's first piece of equipment.

1. September 9, 1926. Delivered new to Moore Haven.
2. September 18, 1926. The Great Miami Hurricane floods Moore Haven, and the engine with it.
3. November 4, 1926. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers moves her to Venice.
4. 1949. She stops being the town's only fire truck after the Army closes the Venice Army Air Base and gives the city two trucks.
5. Late 1960s. She retires from firefighting and starts a second career as the City's ambassador.
6. 1976. The Venice holiday parade begins, with Old Betsy carrying Santa Claus and a few children.
7. 2012. She is sent to a company called PRIDE in Daytona Beach for a full restoration.

In her second career she has entered fire truck competitions and won a few. She led the Venice Lions Club Halloween Parade for years and has appeared in parades in Fort Myers, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Bradenton. More recently she has been part of the annual Parade of Champions, which honors Venice High School sports winners. Over the decades, several former fire chiefs plus Glenn Stephens, Gaylord George and Earl Midlam have done work to keep her running. The City names Earl Midlam, a former City Councilman and Vice Mayor, and his wife Karen as her current caretakers.

November 7, at 343 Nassau Street South

The 100th anniversary of her arrival falls on Wednesday, November 4. The party is the following Saturday. Venice Heritage Inc. is hosting the Old Betsy Birthday Bash from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on November 7 at the Old Betsy Museum, 343 Nassau Street South. Venice Heritage lists music, food trucks, kids' activities, antique fire equipment and a birthday cake. Admission is free. The City's centennial page calls it a joint celebration by the City of Venice and Venice Heritage, marking 100 years of both the fire truck and the Venice fire department. The City's event calendar lists three locations for the day: West Blalock Park, the Venice Museum and the Old Betsy Museum.

You can see Old Betsy any day of the year. The museum is a display building you can look into from outside at any hour, 24/7, but the public can't go inside.

Next door, at 351 Nassau Street South, is the Venice Museum & Archives, in the historic Triangle Inn, built in 1927. Its centennial exhibit, Venice Turns 100!, is open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. From October through April the museum also opens on the first and third Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. November 7 is the first Saturday of the month, so the museum's regular Saturday hours fall during the party.

From Santa's Ride to Grand Marshal

The 2026 parade theme is "Golden Traditions!" The City describes the year as three milestones at once: the parade's 50th anniversary, the City's 100th birthday and America's 250th.

The parade also started the centennial. Venice's 18 months of centennial events opened with the Holiday Parade Kick-Off on November 29, 2025. This year Old Betsy will lead it as Grand Marshal, joined by the Midlams and the volunteers who have cared for her over the years.

The parade is Saturday, November 28, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, as it always is. It steps off at 6:30 p.m., and activities start downtown as early as 3 p.m. The Elf Dash starts at 5:45 p.m. It is a 0.9-mile run with a $25 registration fee. The City hasn't posted the block party and family activities yet, and its parade page is where they will appear.

The route

The parade starts at West Venice Avenue and Avenue des Parques, by City Hall and Heckscher Park. It heads east on West Venice Avenue, turns south on Nokomis Avenue, then west on Turin Street. It ends near Riviera Street by West Blalock Park and the Venice Community Center south lot. West Blalock Park is also one of the three locations listed for the November 7 birthday party, so Old Betsy's two days this month end at the same park.

Where the City suggests watching

• Both sides of Nokomis Avenue between West Venice Avenue and Turin Street
• The westbound side of West Venice Avenue from Nokomis Avenue to Harbor Drive
• The eastbound side of West Venice Avenue from Harbor Drive to Avenue des Parques
• Both sides of Turin Street from Nokomis Avenue to Riviera Street

Don't watch from the eastbound lane of West Venice Avenue between Harbor Drive and Nokomis Avenue. The City keeps that lane clear for emergency access and public-safety drones.

Closures and parking

Road closures start at 2 p.m.:

• West Venice Avenue: both directions, from U.S. 41 to Park Boulevard.
• At Nokomis Avenue: Miami, Pensacola, Milan and Turin streets, plus Turin Street around West Blalock Park.
• At West Venice Avenue: Harbor Drive, Nassau Street, Avenue des Parques and Park Boulevard.

Park Boulevard, Armada Road South, Grenada Avenue and parts of West Venice Avenue are staging streets and may be limited to local traffic or parade participants. The island stays open by way of the Circus Bridge. The City expects parking to fill quickly. Public lots include Venice High School, Centennial Park and Graser Park, and there is no public parking at City Hall.

The Weeks Before, on the Same Avenue

Old Betsy's parade route mostly follows West Venice Avenue, and that street is busy for the next five weeks too.

The new Witches Walk runs Friday, October 23, from 5 to 8 p.m. It is a 21-and-over Halloween stroll through Historic Downtown Venice. A $10 wristband gets you 1-ounce seasonal beer and cider samples at participating businesses, plus a scavenger hunt. Online presales ended October 19 at 4 p.m., and wristbands are sold and picked up that evening at the Centennial Park Information Kiosk from 4 to 7:30 p.m., and you'll need a valid ID. Daiquiri Deck holds a costume contest at 7 p.m. The next morning, October 24, is the City's 13th Make a Difference Day, with volunteer work from 8 to 11 a.m. at more than 25 City parks, beaches and public spaces.

On October 31 and November 1, the 38th Downtown Venice Art Festival fills the 200 and 300 blocks of West Venice Avenue. The Halloween Strut runs from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on October 31, and the 100 through 300 blocks are closed to cars during it.

Two newer shops are a block or two off the avenue:

• Wild Card Boutique held its grand opening on October 10 at 111 Tampa Avenue West.
• Earth Treasures & Venice Fossil Museum has moved to 235 Miami Avenue West. It sells fossils, jewelry and beachcombing tools and has museum displays.

On Thursday, November 12, the City's monthly bike rides come back. They are about seven miles, start at City Hall, 401 West Venice Avenue, and follow the trail at Venetian Waterway Park. The night before the parade, November 27, the Mayor's Hometown Christmas runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at Centennial Park, 200 West Venice Avenue, with the tree lighting, local choirs and Santa.

The Centennial After the Parade

The centennial runs through May 2027, so November isn't the end of it. The Venice Area Historical Society's Venice Centennial Lecture Series is held monthly from December through March at the William H. Jervey, Jr. Venice Library, 300 Nokomis Avenue South. Venice Heritage also hosts History @ Venice Library on the second Friday of each month through May. On March 25, 2027, the Venice Community Center hosts The Next 100 Years of John Nolen's Plan of Venice. The Venice Train Depot, at 303 East Venice Avenue, holds its own centennial on March 27, and the City's closing event is May 6, 2027. For more on Venice's warm-weather calendar, see our post on summer in Venice.

If Old Betsy's century has you curious about Venice's older homes and the streets around Nassau and Venice Avenue, Suncoast Luxury Team would be glad to show you around in person. You can schedule a private tour, or if you already own here, request a valuation and learn what your place on the parade route is worth today.