The Waterlily Festival will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 13, at McKee Botanical Garden, featuring photo contests, plein air artists, repotting demonstrations and specialty vendors celebrating more than 100 varieties of waterlilies. The garden’s collection includes 51 recognized in the “Certified Collection of Excellence.” Tickets are $25 general, $15 seniors and children under 2, with free admission for military and first responders. Discounts are available for garden members. The McKee Botanical Garden is at 350 U.S. 1, Vero Beach. Call 772-794-0601 or visit McKeeGarden.org.
The lecture “Picturing Paradise: From John James Audubon to the Florida Highwaymen” will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 13, at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, led by historian Keri Watson as part of the Florida Humanities series. Watson will discuss how Florida’s landscape inspired artists including Audubon, Winslow Homer and others, and examine cultural context. The program is free and open to the public. Watson is a professor of art history as well as the assistant director of the School of Visual Arts and Design at the University of Central Florida. She is the author of Florida’s New Deal Parks and Post Office Murals; This is America: Re-Viewing the Art of the United States; and co-editor of the Routledge Companion to Art and Disability. Seating is first come, first served. The Vero Beach Museum of Art is at 3001 Riverside Dr. Call 772-231-0707 or visit VBMuseum.org.
An author event featuring Natasha Lester will be held at 5 p.m. Monday, June 15, at Vero Beach Book Center, where she will discuss her new novel “The Chateau on Sunset,” released June 2. The free event is open to the public and will include discussion of the book’s background and themes, with copies available for purchase and signing. Another author event featuring Kevin Powers will take place at 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 17, when he will present his new novel “Children of the Wild,” released June 9. The free program will include a discussion of the work and its creative process, followed by a question-and-answer session and book signing. Seating is limited and early arrival is recommended for those interested in attending. Vero Beach Book Center is at 392 21st St. Call 772-569-2050 or visit VeroBeachBookCenter.com…