Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

Drake’s Raid in St. Augustine

by

English raiders attack St. Augustine, Florida.
On Saturday, June 6, English pirates lead by Sir Francis Drake will once again decende on St. Augustine in an authentic re-creation of Drake’s Raid of 1586.
On June 7, 1586, Drake’s 23 ships and 2,000 Englishmen attacked the city with cannons from Anastasia Island. The next day, they stormed through the streets and burned St. Augustine to the ground.

Drake's Raid in St Augustine FloridaCamp Life at the Fountain of Youth
The re-enactment is one of these great events when history comes alive. On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., visit the 16th century encampment at the Fountain of Youth Park, 11 Magnolia Avenue.
Here you have the opportunity to watch military drills and the re-enactors will also have demonstrations of camp life.

Street Fights in the Old City
In the evening at 7 p.m., the running battle will begin at the Santa Domingo redoubt on Orange Street. The battle will continue to the City Gate and then head south on St. George Street to the Plaza de la Constitucion. Spanish soldiers and St. Augustine townspeople will attempt to stop the English assault. This is a free event, so there is no admission to visit the encampment or watch the authentic re-creation of the sack of St. Augustine.

The event is funded in part by a grant from the St. Johns County Tourist Development Council. For more information on the re-enactment of Drake’s Raid, call 904.829.3168.

Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival 2009

by

Celebrate Gullah Geechee heritage and culture at the Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival.
This is the largest showcase of sweetgrass baskets in the Lowcountry. Local basket makers will show their skillful creation alongside unique handmade quilts, paintings and crafts.
But this festival offers a lot more than arts and crafts. You can also enjoy a variety of Gullah Geechee performances such as gospel groups, storytelling, folklore, music and dance by local entertainers.
This festival has a lot of fun activities for kids as well with jump castles, water slides, face painting, and a variety of children’s arts and craft. Don’t worry about going hungry. There will be plenty of delicious Lowcountry foods and specialties provided by local restaurants and food vendors.

Two local documentaries; Bin Yah, There’s no Place Like Home and Grass Roots: The Enduring Arts of the Lowcountry, will be shown at intervals throughout the festival.

The Fifth Annual Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival will take place at Laing Middle School at 2213 Highway 17 on Friday June 5th from 3 to 8 PM and Saturday June 6th from 12 to 8 PM.
The annual Sweetgrass Festival is sponsored by the Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival Association, The Town of Mt. Pleasant, City of Charleston Piccolo Spoleto, Wando Community Education Program, The International African American Museum and The Charles Pinckney Historic Site, NPS.
For more details click here – Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival 2009

Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival South Carolina

Home Team BBQ on Sullivan’s Island

by

Home Team BBQ opened a new location on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolinad with a Pre-Opening Celebration.

There was food, and music, and lots of fun.
Home Team BBQ
Friends and family enjoyed a sampling of the expanded menu, complimentary cocktails and music by Blue Plantation.

Free Concert in the Squares – Savannah, Georgia

by

This year we celebrate the Johnny Mercer centennial. Johnny Mercer was born in Savannah in 1909. He wrote lyrics to 1,700 songs – out of those 100 or so were hits and four nominated for awards. His most famous are probably “Moon River” and “Days of Wine and Roses”. He was a co founder of Capital records just to mention a few of his achievements.

Mercer in the Squares is a free concert at lunch-time in the squares of Savannah lasting until the end of July. Bring your sandwich or picnic lunch and enjoy a musical adventure with R&B, jazz, Wednesdays and Fridays 11:30 and 1:30 in Johnson and Wright squares.

The free concerts are presented by New Arts Ensemble and the City of Savannah in conjunction Enjoy Mercer favorites in a summer-long tribute to Savannah’s acclaimed songsmith.

June 3: Johnson Square
June 5: Johnson Square
June 10: Wright Square
June 12: Wright Square
June 17: Johnson Square
June 19: Johnson Square
June 24: Wright Square
June 26: Wright Square
July 8: Johnson Square
July 10: Johnson Square
July 15: Wright Square
July 17: Wright Square
July 22: Johnson Square
July 24: Johnson Square
July 29: Wright Square
July 31: Wright Square

City of Savannah’s Department of Cultural Affairs 912-651-6417
www.johnnymercercentennial.com

Music Notes

U.S. Air Force Heritage Aire Celtic Ensemble in Downtown Summerville

by

Friday June 12th at 6 p.m. there is a free concert in Town Square featuring The U.S. Air Force Heritage Aire Celtic Ensemble. The Celtic Ensemble will delight crowds with a blend of contemporary music and traditional Celtic music. Performing on traditional instruments such as the Irish flute, tin whistles, button accordion and bodhran, the Celtic Ensemble is famous for their stunning musical talents.
The group recently deployed to the CENTAF area of responsibility and performed 60 concerts in 55 days around Southwest Asia and the Horn of Africa. As members of the CENTAF Band, the group raised the spirits of Joint Force members and coalition partners serving in the Global War on Terrorism. They also supported humanitarian efforts, bridging cultural divides and easing tensions with foreign nations through music.

This is the third year Summerville has hosted the U.S. Air Force musicians and Summerville D.R.E.A.M. plans to make it a permanent annual event.

Bring a blanket or chairs and enjoy music amidst the ambiance of Historic Downtown Summerville.

For more information or Directions call Summerville D.R.E.A.M. at 843-821-7260.

Celtic music Summerville