STUART, FL -- T
he new exhibit at the Elliott Museum is entitled "Imagination Can". There are more than 130 collected and signed books from local VIP's to people known around the world. Who knew Jimmy Buffett and Sean Connery loved "Treasure Island"? Oprah Winfrey read "Strawberry Girl."Now any one of these rare treasures can be yours. Karla Preissman spent the last 18 months gathering this stuff for a celebrity book auction. She volunteers at the Hibiscus Children's Center in Jensen Beach, a safe haven for abused and neglected children. Preissman was looking for a way to raise money for the center's library.
"I have to find way to get kids to read so if I could tell them what tiger woods liked to read, they'd read that book," thought Preissman.
Tiger Woods signed his dad's book. It's on display next to Jack Nicklaus's autograph on the "Little Engine That Could". The first book Preissman got back was from former governor Jeb Bush and his mother, former first lady Barbara Bush, who signed "Babar".
With all this star power, it's hard to believe one could stand out. But the signature on a White House pop-up book is really President Barack Obama's.
The exhibit opens at the Elliott on Friday. If you want to bid on any of the fascinating books, you can do starting on November 15th. A big live auction takes place November 20th at the Lyric Theatre with special guest author Carl Hiassen.
On the web: Little Auction That Could
