Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

YMCA Flowertown Festival in Summerville, SC – 2010

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A fun thing to do in spring is to visit the small town of Summerville, South Carolina, to enjoy blooming azaleas and southern hospitality during the popular Flowertown Festival. The 38th Annual flowertown Festival takes place on March 26 – 28. Every year Summerville celebrates the passing of winter with over 250,000 of its closest friends.

Flowertown Festival Summerville South CarolinaLots and lots of Art!
The popular Summerville Family YMCA Flowertown Festival has been a South Carolina tradition since 1971. More than 200 artisans from across the country come to the Festival to show their skills and sell their art. You’ll find a wide variety of arts and crafts from painting, pottery, glassworking, woodworking, needlework and much, much more!

Taste of the Town
But the three-day event is not only about art. You can also enjoy delicious foods from local restaurants at the Taste of the Town,there is also fun activities and rides for children at the Children’s Jubilee. Now if that isn’t enough to convince you there is also free admission and parking. This festival has consistently ranked one of the Top 20 events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society.

The festival is open on Friday and Saturday from 9-5 and on Sunday from 9-4 for more information visit the Flowertown Festival website


2010 Railroad Days Festival in Callahan, Florida

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The two day signature fund raising celebration, 2010 Railroad Days Festival, will be held on Friday and Saturday, March 26th and 27th in and around the historic Victorian Style Callahan train station. The West Nassau Historical Society will debut their new museum lighting system and freshly renovated caboose as part of the various events at this year’s 2010 Railroad Days Festival.

Friday Events
On Friday, March 26, 2010, there will be various food and craft vendors on the grounds starting at 12 noon. Mrs. Kate, a local popular folk singer will perform at 4:30 PM Friday, highlighting an afternoon and evening lineup of live entertainment from the front platform. You can also tour the bright red caboose and see the depot’s new lighting system. The Historical Society’s members have been tirelessly reconstructing the former ACL caboose which in 1967 was converted from a 1940s steel box car. The West Nassau Museum of History’s new lighting system inside the depot was made possible by donations from CSX and Rayonier.

Saturday Events
On Saturday, March 27, 2010, the craft and food vendors will reopen at 10 AM. The Shriners will lead a procession of fire trucks, antiques cars and floats in the annual Railroad Days Parade starting at 11:00 AM. A classic car show hosted by Cochrane’s Collision Center will follow the parade. The town of Callahan will host a kids’ play area on the depot grounds and model and scale trains, steam driven engines, Operation Lifesaver and photo contest entries highlight the exhibits. A welcoming and sponsor appreciation ceremony starts on Saturday at 1 PM followed by live entertainment from 3 PM until 8 PM.

For additional information on the 2010 Railroad Days Festival or on becoming a volunteer, sponsor, or donor on please call John Hendricks with the West Nassau Historical Society at 904-879-3406.

The West Nassau Historical Society is a non-profit, tax exempt organization dedicated to the preservation of Western Nassau County’s rich history and to the maintenance and upkeep of the historic Callahan Depot.

The Great Atlantic Music & Seafood Festival, Jax Beach, Florida – 2010

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The Great Atlantic Music & Seafood Festival takes place on Saturday, March 20, 2010.  The motto – or the slogan –  for the  “Celebrating the Salt Life in all of us”, and that seems fitting. After all, what would life on the coast be without great music festivals and seafood festivals, and to combine the two into one event is just pure genius.  The Great Atlantic Music & Seafood Festival takes place at Jacksonville Beach, Florida, on Saturday March 20, 2010.

The event location is SeaWalk Pavilion right on Jacksonville Beach, which is a perfect location for this type of festival. The event begins at 11:00 a.m. and continues all day until 10: 00 p.m at night. Let’s hope for nice warm weather this weekend!

Another great plus that I need to mention is that this is a free festival. That’s right, there is no fee for admission. Just come to as you are to Seawalk Pavilion and hang out for 10 hours of non-stop live music by national recording artists and regional touring bands.  The performances vary from performing rock, blues, Americana, and newgrass sounds.

In addition to the non-stop music, the festival food court serves up a smorgasbord of fresh Florida Seafood anyway you like it – blackened, grilled, steamed… pick your favorite.  For those who are not fond of seafood (believe it or not, there are people like that), there’s other foods as well. And there are  ice cold beverages to quench that salty thirst.

When you get tired of the music or need a break, head over to The Festival Market. Here you’ll find unique and interesting original arts, crafts and more. There’s also lot of fun, friendly, family rides, games and activities for the kids. So bring the whole family!

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
12:30 p.m. Saltwater Grass
2:00 p.m. Chroma
3:30 p.m. Yankee Slickers
5:00 p.m. The Sarah Mac Band
6:15 p.m. kLob
7:30 p.m. Anders Osborne

For more information about the festival, visit City of Jacksonville Beach website.

St Augustine Lighthouse Festival 2010

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You'll have the best view on the coast from the lighthouse!

St Augustine has one of most beautiful lighthouses on the coast. It’s black and red silhouette is a known landmark. If you haven’t had an opportunity to visit, once of the best times is of course during the annual Lighthouse Festival.

This year it’s the 8th Annual Festival, the event takes place on Saturday, March 20, 2010. St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum offers free admission to the tower, the museum and the grounds during the festival.

This is a great event for both children and adults. There is always special games and crafts for children, great food, pony rides, and archaeological activities. Children can even buy, build and sail their own model boat in the pond, which is always a popular activity.

The Michelob Ultra Twilight 5K Run starts at 4:30 p.m. on the road in front of the Keeper’s House.

About 8,000+ visitors show up for the festival throughout the day, so plan to come early and stay for a while. Free parking will be available at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre (which is probably your best bet for parking) and there is a shuttle that will take you from there to the festival. Paid event parking will also be available at the Lighthouse & Museum.

For more information call (904) 829-0745 or visit www.staugustinelighthouse.com
St Augustine Lighthouse Festival

Savannah Music Festival Opens

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Immediately following of the country’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, the 2010 Savannah Music Festival opens on Thursday, March 18,2010, with a performance with Chinese pianist Lang Lang and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, along with Mike Marshall’s Big Trio premiering the newly-commissioned “Suite Savannah” on a co-bill with new favorites of western swing, The Belleville Outfit.

Bassekou Kouyate
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba

Unique co-bills and original productions are staged in intimate venues throughout Savannah, Georgia, during the festival which continues through April 3rd. This is one of Savannah’s most popular festivals.

Some of the highlights in this year’s festival is violinist Daniel Hope’s Sensations chamber music series (this year featuring newcomers Mark O’Connor, Jeffrey Kahane, Gabriela Montero and Gautier Capuçon), the Savannah Jazz Party series with Wycliffe Gordon, Marcus Roberts, Henry Butler, Gerald Clayton, Dick Hyman and others, Bill Frisell’s Trio playing two nights alongside Malian powerhouse Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba, the Del McCoury Band, Nicole Cabell, Wilco, Kristina Train, Yefim Bronfman, She & Him (featuring M. Ward & Zooey Deschanel), Ruthie Foster, Renaud Garcia-Fons, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, and the debut of the all-new Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band with The Wood Brothers opening.

Below is a video of an “unplugged” performance with Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba on a roof top in Timbuktu

For a complete schedule or to order tickets visit www.savannahmusicfestival.org or call 912-525-5050.

Also, visit the latest episode of Tripping with Joe to find out what Joe has to say about the event.