CLEARWATER, Fla., June 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On June 9^th the Church of Scientology hosted a group of retired women for a tour and high-tea at the Historic Fort Harrison, providing a unique look at the building’s history and its community involvement and outreach now. This mirrors a growing trend activities keeping mature minds active – thus increasing quality of life.

The guests of the June 9th Fort Harrison Historic tour and High-Tea visiting the foyer of the grand auditorium which holds some of the historic photos of the building in its early days.

The tour was organized by a local resident who invited her friends to join her for the learning experience.

The group of ladies (10 in total) arrived at the Fort Harrison wearing beautiful hats, ready to explore and learn about the historic points of the Fort Harrison and get their questions answered about the facility, the Church of Scientology’s international spiritual retreat since 1975.

The group hailed from points including England and Gulf Port, St. Pete, Clearwater and Dunedin. One special guest, Beverly, 91 years of age, was part of the group. She arrived a little late after completing her 5 mile daily walk. “Sorry ladies. I’ve got do my exercise it keeps me young.” She uses no canes, no walkers and needed no assistance getting around or going up stairs.

While exercising helps keeps one physically well, according to a Harvard University study, a higher level of education is associated with better mental functioning in old age. Experts think that advanced education may help keep memory strong by getting a person into the habit of being mentally active.

On their tour, the guests learned that the Fort Harrison was Clearwater’s first “Sky scraper” - defined at the time as any structure above the 10^th Floor. They visited its 11^th floor palatial Penthouse, the Crystal Ballroom with its chandelier of 11,000 pieces of Bohemian Crystal and learned of the facility’s role as training barracks for American troops during World War II.

The tour ended at the Fort Harrison’s Tea Lounge. They were provided with a spread of exotic teas, scones, clotted cream and finger sandwiches. The ladies also took pictures as mementos.  

Dorothy, the group organizer, said, “We were all so impressed! We got a lot of good information. It was beautiful. We didn’t realize how much the Church puts back into the community! It’s really quite amazing.”

“These tours give people beautiful memories, a taste of their local history and insight into what the beautiful spaces are used for today,” said Ms. Skjelset, the hostess of the tour.  

The next Historic Fort Harrison Tour will be on the 7^th of July. To be included in the event, or for more information about community events held at the Fort Harrison, please contact Amber Skjelset, Manager of the Scientology Information Center at (727) 467-6966 or email amber@cos.flag.org.

THE FORT HARRISON:

The Fort Harrison serves at the international religious retreat for the Church of Scientology. With more than 11,000 Scientology Churches, Missions and groups spanning six continents, Scientologists come to Clearwater for religious training and ministerial services. The Fort Harrison is made available to community groups and charities for their special events and fundraisers. Scientology is an applied religious philosophy based on the work of L. Ron Hubbard.

For more information on Scientology, visit www.scientology.org or the Scientology Network on DirecTV channel 320, or streaming at www.scientology.tv or apps at appleTV, fireTV and ROKU.

Amber Skjelset
(727) 467-6966

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d01b10a2-6431-46f1-8952-3c010184dca7