Tim Hollis – författare

Discover the mermaids, alligators, underwater mountains, and glass-bottom and submarine boats of one of Florida’s most fascinating natural wonders! In this visual tour of the state’s five largest springs, collector-extraordinaire Tim Hollis brings together postcards, advertisements, brochures, roadside signs, flyers, and souvenirs from the early days of these popular roadside attractions.Since tourists first started visiting the Sunshine State, they were drawn to these liquid gems— Silver Springs, Wakulla Springs, Rainbow Springs, Weeki Wachee Spring, and Homosassa Springs. Commercially owned, the springs toed the line between mini theme park and natural attraction; today they are protected as state parks and continue to lure tourists and nature lovers alike. Remembering Florida Springs explores the curious intersection of tourist mecca and wildlife wonderland. Sit back and take a tour of these unique and beloved features of the state’s natural landscape through eye-catching photographs and memorabilia. You may just want to change your next vacation plans and hop in your car to see Florida’s natural springs.

Remember when the ball soared off onto another hole, or smacked the arm of the windmill, or when you got that tricky hole-in-one? Was it Pirate’s Cove? Hillbilly Golf? Goofy Golf? For many families, memorable moments have been made at the wacky and wonderful miniature golf courses found at vacation spots throughout America.The Minibook of Minigolf is a visual tour of miniature golf in the southeast, where it has always been most popular - starting with Tom Thumb Golf on Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, Tennessee, birthplace of the game in 1925. Vintage photos and current-day snapshots feature the dinosaurs, kangaroos, octopuses, ghosts, mermaids, dragons, and other outlandish monsters that bear witness to the game while rocket ships, chapels, teepees, lighthouses, and castles adorn the field. Some courses wind around rocks and trees in the woods. Others are beachside, roadside, or even rooftop. But they are all painted in zany hues and cleverly devised by miniature golf designers. Sit back and enjoy this trip through southern states and classic minigolf memories, but watch out - you might just be inspired to swap afternoonplans, find the nearest course, and play!

Whatever happened to Bozo the Clown, to Aunt Norma, to Solomon C. Whiskers, those television celebrities who hammed it up between cartoons and contests during local kids' shows? In Hi There, Boys and Girls! America's Local Children's TV Programs, Tim Hollis tracks down the story of every known local children's TV show from markets across the United States. There have been many books about children's television on the networks, and such shows as Captain Kangaroo, Howdy Doody, and Sesame Street are legends in broadcasting. However, the local branch of children's programming has received much less attention. For every performer on the scale of a Captain Kangaroo or a Buffalo Bob, there were five or six local personalities who were just as beloved by their viewers--and sometimes even more so--since these local stars could be counted on for appearances at stores, children's hospitals, and shopping centers, where kids could meet them face-to-face. Anyone over the age of thirty who grew up with a TV set will remember at least one or two of these productions. Whether it was hosted by a cowboy character, a clown such as the one on the many-franchised Bozo shows, a policeman, a sea captain who showed Popeye cartoons, or one of the gentle and lovely ladies who presided over Romper Room, these hometown stars were some of the Baby Boomers' first friends. Although children loved them, these hard-working performers garnered less respect from the rest of the TV industry. Hi There, Boys and Girls! includes a capsule history of this programming from the earliest days of radio to the early 1970s, when a combination of social changes and broadcast regulations sent most of the hosts into retirement. Walt Disney once observed that while there is very little adult in a child, there is a lot of child in every adult. This book will bring back a flood of long-submerged memories for anyone who was a child during this golden era. Tim Hollis lives in Birmingham, Alabama. His previous books include Dixie Before Disney: 100 Years of Roadside Fun (University Press of Mississippi) and Cousin Cliff: 40 Magical Years in Television.

Since World War II, tourists have flocked to Florida's northwest Gulf Coast and sun and fun spots at Panama City Beach, Fort Walton Beach, and Pensacola Beach. Every year those visitors number in the millions. For those who long to recall how the vacationland appeared thirty, forty, or even fifty years ago, Tim Hollis has written Florida's Miracle Strip: From Redneck Riviera to Emerald Coast. In a style that informs and entertains, Hollis describes the rise of early developments, such as Long Beach Resort, and major tourist attractions, such as the Gulfarium and the Miracle Strip Amusement Park. With heartfelt nostalgia and a dose of tongue-in-cheek, he reminisces on the motels and tourist cottages; the restaurants, such as Captain Anderson's and Staff's; the elaborate miniature golf courses, such as Goofy Golf and its many imitators. He takes a special delight in recovering the memories of those quirky businesses that now exist only in faded photographs and aging postcards, such wacky tourist traps as Castle Dracula, Petticoat Junction, Tombstone Territory, and the Snake-A-Torium. In the book, Hollis examines how this area became known as the ""Miracle Strip,"" and how the local chambers of commerce got so tired of that image that the name gradually fell into disuse. The book is illustrated with a profusion of vintage photos and advertisements, most of which have not been seen in print since their original appearances. For the nostalgia lover, the snowbird, the tourist seeking yesteryear, Florida's Miracle Strip: From Redneck Riviera to Emerald Coast will be a welcome traveling companion. Tim Hollis is the author of Hi There, Boys and Girls! America's Local Children's TV Programs and Dixie Before Disney: 100 Years of Roadside Fun, both from University Press of Mississippi.