Welcome to the home of
The Caledonian Club of Florida West
Brief Club History
The Club was founded in 1986 in Sarasota, Florida as an ethnic group for anyone interested in Scottish culture and history. The Club has also created the Caledonian Club Foundation to support cultural and educational institutions and programs, including historic preservation and restoration.
The Club has approximately180 members in the Sarasota, Venice and Bradenton, Florida area. Members also live as far away as North Carolina, Australia, Canada, and Scotland. Many of its members are active on boards and committees of organizations in the communities in which they live.
The Club travels together, having journeyed to both Scotland and Nova Scotia. While in Scotland, members attended the renowned "Tattoo" at Edinburgh Castle, the famed battlefields at Sterling, Bannockburn and Culloden, as well as the homes of revered authors Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott.
The Club is the proud sponsor of Sarasota's fifth sister city, Dunfermline, Scotland. Dunfermline and. Fife County are similar in size to Sarasota County. They are known for an outstanding artistic community, the "Silicon Glen" of Scotland and is the ancient capital of Scotland.
Because Sarasota was first settled by Scots, the community looks to the Caledonian Club when conducting Scottish events. The club was instrumental in bringing to Sarasota Opera House from Dunfermline, Scotland, which is now the main stage of the Aslo State Theater; created and maintains the Scottish Display at Sarasota International Airport; assisted with the renovation of Sarasota's own Opera House, which was designed and built by noted Scot, A.B. Edwards, in 1925 and created the Caledonian Club Endowed Scottish Collection at Sarasota Selby Library. In participating with the community in these projects, Club members have generously given over $100,000 through the Clubs Foundation.
Th Club initiated the cooperation of the four Scottish groups in the greater Sarasota area to put on the first Tartan Day celebration in 1998, which is now held each April 6th throughout the United States.