Jacksonvilles Beaches Info Blog

We are all wanting to get ready for Spring. And in the Beaches Area that is no exception. The City of Jacksonville Beaches has posted their Schedule of Events for 2010. You can view them at their website: http://www.jacksonvillebeach.org/DocumentView.aspx?DID=422 This is a Printable Document for you to use to mark your family calendar with the up and coming events that you can participate and enjoy. Two notable events coming up for the Month of February include The Winter Beach Run on Valentine’s Day and the other is the Breast Cancer Run with Donna on February 21st. The Donna Run is a major event to benefit Breast Cancer Research. The run has it’s own website at: http://www.breastcancermarathon.com/ and is open to all comers. We have no idea what the weather is actually going to be like so be prepared for anything if you participate, watch and cheer or volunteer. If you are in the area you might want to avoid San Pablo Road between Beach Boulevard and JTB as well as 1st Street at the Beaches on that Day. The race will start and end at Mayo Clinic. There will be thousands of people there and is an area to be avoided unless you are participating in the event.

There are a lot of websites out there with information about being prepared for a natural disaster. The trick is to find good information from good resources. You should never have to pay for information about keeping you and your family safe. The City of Jacksonville has a Code Red Service that you can sign up for to get a phone call if a natural or even an unnatural events is about to happen in your neighborhood. We recommend this service, especially for the Beaches Residence, as the beaches is usually the first area that will get bad weather. This service also reports on other things as well including the following: evacuation notices, bio-terrorism alerts, boil water notices, and missing child reports. You can find out more information about Emergency Preparedness at the City of Jacksonville’s Fire and Rescue webpage: http://www.coj.net/Departments/Fire+and+Rescue/Emergency+Preparedness/default.htm

The City of Jacksonville Beach has the Firstcall Network for it’s citizens at: http://www.alertregistration.com/
It is another FREE service offered to Jacksonville Beaches Area residents to be informed by a phone call of immediate weather problems that will affect the residents. Of course, they also have a Hurricane Preparedness webpage as well at: http://www.jacksonvillebeach.org Check them out!

The City of Atlantic Beach Has the same information in it’s website as well. http://www.ci.atlantic-beach.fl.us/index.aspx?NID=154 They participate with the FirstCall network as well. They have other information about Flood zones, Hurricane Preparedness and much more for it’s residents. You decide which one you want to put in your bookmarks or favorites.

Basically, for residents in the Beaches are the best thing to do is prepare a Disaster Kit and have it ready for when you will need to evacuate. Being next to the ocean almost always means you and your family will need to leave for a period of time. To be on the safe side you should organize yourself and keep your family informed of your plan.

Happy New Year to all those in the Jacksonville Beaches area. If you haven’t visited our website in the last 10 days or so you missed the sight being down. We had a little financial snafu. Hopefully, that will not happen again.

We have finally updated the Retirement Community Page so check it out at: http://jacksonvillesbeaches.info/wordpress/beaches-services/jacksonville-beaches-retirement-communities/

If you are out and about tonight, PLEASE, PLEASE, keep safe, drink responsibly and arrive home safely. There are lots of things to do this weekend and you wouldn’t want to miss it. From the parade downtown today, to the bowl game there is lots to do. Yea, we are ringing out the old year and hoping that the new year will be much better!

Welcome all new members of the Jacksonville’s Beaches Area Info blog. Well, the decorations are hung up in the poles next to the road and all the neighbors have been putting up their decorations in their yards. The tinkling lights are very pretty at night but our weather has not been very cooperative lately with all the rain and fog. We only have two main holidays left and then we should be getting back to something “like” normal again. The crazy season is here and everyone is running buying stuff and making plans to visit relatives or having relatives visit them. The main thing that you really should be worrying about is to keep safe and try to reduce your stress levels.

There are some excellent articles available on the web about reducing stress that you might want to take a few minutes out of your business schedule and read. One I was reading was from the Readers Digest entitled: 79 Instant Stress Busters. Some of these include chasing your dog around the backyard; hold a sleeping baby; take a walk in the park; pop some bubble-wrap; chew some cinnamon gum; and much more. Take a look and try to relax, get plenty of sleep and drunk plenty of water. Simple solutions that may help you this “silly” season.

Jacksonville Beaches Area has some terrific parks. We have a listing of them here at: http://jacksonvillesbeaches.info/wordpress/beaches-services/jacksonville-beaches-area-parks/
These parks are FREE and open to everyone and open from dawn to dark. Please exercise respect for the park and put your trash in the bins, if you take your pet do the pooper-scooper thing, and finally respect others right to be there.

Another thing that always makes a difference this season is to volunteer for an organization you believe in. There are lots of people out there who need help and this holiday season is about GIVING. Not just about giving presents but giving of ourselves. Our family is not going to be getting many presents this year because times are hard and we need to focus on others rather than ourselves. If you want to make a difference and teach your children a lesson about really giving then go to: http://www.volunteerjacksonville.org/index.htm

Jacksonville Beaches Area has lots to do in October this year. Here are a few things that I have gathered from the www.experiencejax.com and www.jacksonvillebeach.org The Experiencejax website has events listed for all sides of town and allows you to specify a particular part of town as well as just FREE events. It is a good website to add to your bookmarks or favorites list. If you or your organization has an event that is coming up then email us and we will be happy to post it here at: jolene.macfadden@jacksonvillesbeaches.info. The ExperienceJax.com also allows you to add events as well.

Here are some of the events that I have found for October 2009:
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Title: Sawgrass Village Fall Art Festival 2009
Date: October 17, 2009
Time: All day
Location: Sawgrass Village Shopping Center
1300 Sawgrass Village Dr. Jacksonville, FL 32082
Cost: Free
Description: The Sawgrass Village Art Festival is one of the South’s premier juried art competitions, attracting fine artists locally, regionally and nationally and thousands of visitors. The festival will include first-class watercolors, oils, acrylics, pastels, drawings, clay, photography, wood, fiber, glass, graphics, metal, paper and mixed media fine arts, great food, fun and children’s activities.

BRING THE WHOLE FAMILY TO ENJOY
Fine Arts & Jewelry Artists Demo’s throughout weekend, Kids Korner- child crafts and face painting

What Time: Sat-Sun 10am-5pm,
Admission: FREE
Website: www.venuesplanning.com

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October 10, 2009
MAKING STRIDES AGAINST – BREAST CANCER WALK
Saturday 8 AM to 12 Noon
5 K beach walk, run or bike to celebrate life and breast cancer survivorship. Funds benefit the American Cancer Society’s programs of education, patient services, advocacy and research.
Location: Sea Walk Pavilion & Beach
For more info: 249-0022
www.cancer.org/stridesonline

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October 24, 2009
GNARLY CHARLEY SURF SERIES
Saturday, 9 AM – 5 PM
Location: Beach – South of fishing pier
904-247-6763
www.gnarlycharleysurfseries.com

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October 24, 2009
OUT OF THE DARKNESS COMMUNITY WALK
Saturday 8 AM – 11 AM
Non-competitive 5K Walk to raise awareness and funds about suicide prevention
Location: Sea Walk Pavilion
(904) 891-4351
For more info: www.outofthedarkness.org

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Title: Hallo-WEE Party at Adventure Landing
Date: October 31, 2009
Time: 10:00am – 2:00pm
Location: Adventure Landing
1944 Beach Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32250
Cost: Free
Description: Join us on October 31st from 10am-2pm for A Not-So-Scary Celebration For Kids!

Everyone is invited to take advantage of our FREE festival of crafts, games, a bounce house, face painting, candy, dance performances and more! There will also be a costume contest at noon with great prizes being awarded for Scariest, Cutest and Most Original categories!

For children 12 & under, you can also puchase the Triple Threat Combo Special, which includes a Wacky Worm Rollercoaster ride, a ride of the Frog Hopper ride and a Mini Golf Game for only $5 per person

This event is a safe alternative to trick-or-treating!
Website www.adventurelanding.com/jaxbeach/events.html

CHEERS!
jolenemacinjax
admin

For those who have children or would like to volunteer to help children you should look into the Boy and Girl Scouts of America organization. This is a great way for your children to learn about our environment, volunteerism and to have fun while doing. The Boys and Girls Councils of North Florida have lots of information on how to join and look forward to having your child become a boy or girl scout. The adults can also volunteer to help teach their children new skills that will serve them well as adults. For those who don’t have children or their children are grown it is a great opportunity to share you life learning skills with those who need it the most. Each fall the Boys and Girls Scouts starts their drive for new recruits. It is not too late just call your local council and they will be happy to help. There is a small yearly fee for each child and there will be uniform costs but each troop has various rules and some can help with some of the costs. So CALL TODAY!

PS WE HAVE ADDED THE JACKSONVILLE BEACHES AREA LIBRARIES TO THE GOVERNMENT PAGE

FOR those who are already in a beaches area troop and would like to add their link to this blog could send me an email at: jolene.macfadden@jacksonvillesbeaches.info or you can become a subscriber and post a comment at the bottom.

Here is some general information about each group and their contact information:

National Website:

http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_central/ For Girl Scouts

http://scouting.org/for Boy Scouts

LOCAL INFORMATION:

Boy Scouts of America
North Florida Council
521 Edgewood Ave S
Jacksonville, FL 32205
904.388.0591
800.232.0845 Toll Free
904.387.4148 Fax
jana.metzger@scouting.org
http://www.nfcscouting.org

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, Inc.
Jacksonville Service Center
1000 Shearer Street
Jacksonville, FL 32205-6055
(904) 388-4653
(800) 347-2688 – Local Toll Free Phone
Fax: (904) 384-1542
Email: info@girlscouts-gateway.org
Web Site: http://www.girlscouts-gateway.org
http://www.facebook.com/gsgcfl ON FACEBOOK

Youth Programs

BOYS
Tiger Cubs is a year-round family- and home-centered program that encourages the ethical decision-making skills for first-grade (or 7-year-old) boys. These boys participate in the program with their adult partners. The program emphasizes shared leadership, learning about the community, and family understanding.

Cub Scouts is a year-round family- and home-centered program that develops ethical decision-making skills for boys in the second through fifth grade (or who are 8, 9, and 10 years old). Activities emphasize character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness.

Boy Scouts is a year-round program that develops ethical decision-making skills for young men ages 11 to 18. Activities emphasize responsible citizenship, character development, and self-reliance through participation in a wide range of outdoor activities.

GIRLS
* Girl Scout Daisy, grades K-1
Girl Scout Daisies meet in groups of five to 10 with two or more adult leaders in a nurturing, inclusive environment. They go on trips, learn about nature and science, and explore the arts and their communities. Girl Scout Daisies can also earn Learning Petals and receive participation patches.

* Girl Scout Brownie, grades 2-3
Girl Scouts Brownies work together in groups, earn Girl Scout Brownie Try-Its, and explore their community. Friendship, fun, and age-appropriate activities begin at the Girl Scout Brownie meeting and move out to the community and wider world.

* Girl Scout Junior, grades 4-5
Girl Scout Juniors earn badges and discover what girl power is all about through new activities and by learning to take charge of their own plans. They gain self-confidence as they explore the world in partnership with their troop/group leaders.

* Girl Scout Cadette, grades 6-8; * Girl Scout Senior, grades 9-10; * Girl Scout Ambassador, grades 11-12

Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors participate in Girl Scouting in many ways. Under the guidance of a trained adult advisor, girls mix and match activities and resources to suit their needs while giving back to their communities. They connect with each other and build self-esteem and confidence in their skills as they work on a range of projects and gain life experiences.

FOR YOUNG ADULTS

Venturing is a year round program for young adults, men and women, between the ages of 14 (having completed the eighth grade) and 20. Its purpose is to provide positive experiences to help youth mature and to prepare them to become responsible adults.

Learning For Life Consists of Three Different Programs. For more information on any of the Learning For Life Programs, contact Ben Butler at 904.388.0591, or benjamin.butler@scouting.org.

Exploring is a worksite-based program for young men and women who are 14 through 20 years old. Exploring units have a focus on a career field, such as law enforcement, fire/rescue, health, law, aviation, engineering, or the like, and are sponsored by a government or business entity.

Character Education is a series of school-based programs designed to support schools and educational organizations in helping youth with character education, life skills, building self-esteem, and developing ethical decision-making skills.

Classroom Scouting is a school based program conducted in partnership with the Girl Scouts. The program is for children with physical, emotional and mental exceptionalities.

JOIN TODAY!
admin

Hello fellow Jacksonville residents and any visitors! I just took a look at the Jacksonville Beach Government website and it seems there are some really interesting things happening over the next couple of months. (Unless there is a Hurricane, of course!) You should bookmark the page http://www.jacksonvillebeach.org
And then click on the Calendar of Events. There is going to be some surf contests this month, a buddy walk and volley ball contests. September is probably the best month to go to our beaches as it is not too hot nor too cold and barring any tropical storms or hurricanes in the Atlantic the beach is pretty nice.

****CAUTION**** Please make sure you don’t swim or surf alone as the rip currents are always bad to the unwary. With our whole family being born and raised in this area for about 3 to 5 generations we don’t allow our children to go past the knees in the waves. The older ones still have to stay at their waist. So, please use common sense and always use the buddy system when swimming.

My youngest son and my nephew are picking up surfing this year so they will probably want to go see the surfing contests as well as watch the girls. We have quite a few skimboarders on the beach so beware of them as they try to slide across the water. For the young ones it is a good idea to go to the beach when the tide is midway to low as there are little pools of water for them to play in as the tide is going out. Make sure to bring water to drink and be sure to PICK UP YOUR TRASH! We do have nice beach areas from Hanna Park to the Crossroads down below Ponte Vedra Beach. Our sands are white and the surf is pretty nice.

GREEN FARMERS MARKET: http://beacheslocalfoodnetwork.web.officelive.com/greenmarket.aspx
IF you want to check out a “GREEN” Farmers Market there is one Every Saturday from 2:00pm to 5:00pm in Jarboe Park. Click on the link above for more information.

Every couple of weeks or so our family likes to venture out and cruise around the town to see what has changed and what is the same. Personally, I like to go to the beaches area and spend a few hours at one of the parks or ride the ferry from Mayport to the Northside or vice versa. The ferry at Mayport has been in operation for a lot of years and is a great way to go from one side of to the other. On the Mayport side is the little town of Mayport that use to be a town all its own but has been incorporated into the Jacksonville city limits. Most of the homes there are owned by families who have lived in that area for generations. That is where the shrimp and fishing boats dock. There is a restaurant, a little convenience store, a seafood store and even a haunted house. Now-a-days there is a gambling cruise line docked there as well as a Coast Guard Station. Mayport Naval Station takes up most of the penisula. There is a boat yard that sells and stores boats as well. The little school is now a Marine Science Center and is visited by every 5th grader in the county each year. The school has regular students as well but they are sent there when they don’t fit in any of the other schools.

You and your vehicle can ride the ferry every day for $5 a car or truck with pedestrians and bicyclist paying a little less. The trip across the St. Johns only takes a few minutes but it is a thrill to get out of your car and stand by the railing and watch as the boat cruises across the waves. And whether you start the trip on the Northside on Hecksher Drive or the Mayport it is worth the fee.

The small village of Mayport in 1852 and hasn’t really changed all that much. However, from the last time we went there most of the little buildings along the river have been torn down. That usually means that someone will be building new stuff there soon. There is a nice little park located across from the ferry entrance for kids to play in and there is another one located to the north of the ferry entrance for boaters to launch their boats. If you get a chance to go there don’t forget to stop into the seafood shop and get some shrimp!

Here are some pictures we took in Mayport. Hope you enjoy them.
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For those who don’t actually live in the Jacksonville area, yet, you probably don’t know this but Ponte Vedra is really considered part of the Jacksonville, Florida area.  Even though, technically, it is located in St. Johns County instead of Duval County, many of our residents think of this area as the ritzy side of the Jacksonville Beaches Area.  Yes, that is where the Tournament of Players Golf thing is held every year in May at the Sawgrass Country Club Resort.  There are lots of homes, condos and some apartments in the area that are quite expensive.  The area has only grown this big in the last 15 years.  Prior to that it was a very small outback area with only a few houses and a store or two.

I remember the two lane road leading to the area that is part of Hwy 210 with a few ranches and lots of woods and swampy areas.  The fishing was good along the Intercoastal and the mosquitoes were so big they would carry a small child away.  One of my favorite places was the “Crossroads” area where A1A and Mickler Road met.  You could go onto the beach and enough a day swimming, fishing and surfing without the crowd.  Palm Valley Road was great to cruise down and look at the different kinds of houses that were nestled in the woods.  The best part was the little store/diner over the low metal draw bridge that crossed the intercoastal and onto Palm Valley Road.  Now there is a huge overpass and the road is called Nocatee.  Boats would pull up to the little store for gas, ice and drinks.  The restaurant served some great food and most of it came from the local fishermen.

We visited this area this month to find that the little restaurant is still there, you can put your boat in, or sit on the bank and fish.  Be careful though because the current under the bridge is quite swift.  The overpass does provide some much needed shade.  It was too early to check out the restaurant and I didn’t see a sign saying that the store part was even still there.  Anyone who lives in the area and would like to clue our readers in feel free to comment here (after you subscribe) or put a post in the guestbook area.

Below are some of the pictures we took.  Hope you enjoy them1

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For anyone who was at the beaches this weekend there was lots to see and there will be lots more to see and do over the coming months. My family and I were there on Sunday to enjoy the sun and of course the annual parade. We try to go every year but only make it every few years or so. We love going to parades and want to share that we our children. There are not that many parades schedule any more and the beaches is one that you can be at the beach, feel the ocean breeze, watch all the beach people, and then enjoy the parade itself. Below you will find pictures of the parade from beginning to the end.

It was fun and loud and my grand dauther’s first time. There were clowns goofing off, pretty princesses waving from convertibles, military men and women marching, fire engines blaring, pirates cavorting, cannons booming, dancers dancing and one high school band marching. Apparently, this year’s theme was loosely based on the “Blues Brothers”. It was kind of ketchey but cute none the less. The biggest drawback as with any of the parades I have been able to see lately is there were not enough bands. I think the thing that makes a good parade is the marching bands from our local schools. I think that they should all participate in as many parades as possible to show off their stuff. It would be great if they were spaced out like three floats and then a band, three floats or organizations and a band etc.

And what can you say about the Shriners. They are loud and outrageous and always good in a parade. This year they were a little bit laid back. Maybe it’s just me but they didn’t have as many Shriners there as they usual have in parades and they are getting a little bit on the old side. Are there any new Shriners coming up in the ranks? Did the Jacksonville Beach Opening Parade not merit they usual contigent of Shriners in our area? And sadly, the ones that were there, the equipment looked to be getting a little ragged. This organization has been doing good in our area for all the years I can remember. They volunteer for a lot of things and I don’t know what all they do besides the Shriner’s Hospital for Children any more.

Take advantage of our natural resource this year. We may not be able to afford to go on big vacations this year but a quick weekend get-away to our local beaches may be a way to go. All you need is a little picnic, some sunscreen and a towel and you are all set. There are public access parking next to the beach up and down the First Coast. You can even catch the bus to the beach by taking the Atlantic Blvd or Beach Blvd Bus for $1.00 per person each way. If you have a couple of bucks for gas and the entrance fee you can go to one of the beach parks. Take some time and spend a few hours this weekend with your family.

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