
Two Waldo museums will highlight local links to Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, and his connections to North Central Florida with displays on Saturday, Aug. 3.
The Waldo Area Historical Museum (14450 NE 148th Ave. at City Square) and Waldo Historical Railroad Museum (14660 5 Blvd. at Veterans Memorial Park) will unveil new displays.
At 2:30 p.m., the “Ian Fleming: Railfan” display will open at the Waldo Historical Railroad Museum, and at 3 p.m., the “James Bond On The Tracks” will be unveiled at the Waldo Area Historical Museum.
“Florida Bond fans are thrilled to learn that Mr. Big, the villain of ‘Live and Let Die,’ had his henchmen coordinate an attack on James Bond between Waldo and Ocala,” said Matt Sherman, author of James Bond’s Cuisine and Playing Games With James Bond, recognized by multiple media outlets as one of the world’s top Bondologists in a press release. “I’m glad the public will soon be able to explore the trains of James Bond from 30 of the Bond books and films through the Waldo Area Historical Society Museums.”
According to the release, “Fleming (1908-1964) was not only the creator of James Bond but also an accomplished spymaster, journalist, publisher, collector, and gamesman. As one of the 20th century’s top novelists, Fleming sold millions of books in multiple languages, drawing on his firsthand experiences as the second-in-command for Britain’s Naval Intelligence Division during World War II. Fleming’s love of racing nearly cost him his life when, as a student in Kitzbühel, Austria, his car was struck by a train. This terrifying yet thrilling experience inspired the frequent appearance of trains and monorails in his books and the Bond films. His travels on the Seaboard Silver Star through North Central Florida also provided material for his novel ‘Live and Let Die,’ featuring action aboard passenger trains between Jacksonville and St. Petersburg.”
Visitors will be able to share their fan experiences, ask questions and take photos. Sherman will discuss the Florida connections to the James Bond series and will also present unique props from the Bond films.
We will also display a car in front Waldo city square. It is a Sunbeam Alpine, like the one in the film “Dr No”. In that film, 007 (played by Sean Connery) escapes the bad guys on a mountain road in Jamaica by driving the little car under an earth mover (the bad guys in their sedan don:t make it…).