Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

Blessing of the Fleet 2009- Darien, Georgia

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This popular event is the biggest event in McIntosh county. Every spring the Blessing of the Fleet celebrates the opening of the shrimping season. On Friday March 27 and Saturday March 28, 2009 the small town of Darien creates a party on the riverfront with food and live entertainment. The actual blessing takes place on Sunday March 29th, 2009. Decorated shrimp boats will pass under the bridge to recieve their blessing. For times and details for the event The Blessing of the Fleet Darien, click here.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit Darien before, this is a great time to do so. Plenty of vendors participate. There’s all kinds of food, from fresh Georgia shrimp to cotton candy, lots of activities for the kids and live music.

Visit the website for a detailed schedule at www.blessingofthefleet.com

Monster Jam in Jacksonville, Florida

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The world’s largest specialized motor sports event comes to the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium on Saturday, February 28th, 2009 when it’s again time for Monster Jam®. Tickets are still available, but the organizers are anticipating tickets to sell out with over 70,000 fans attending the event. Fans are encouraged to buy tickets early. Remaining tickets will also be available at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium on Saturday for those wanting to wait.

Schedule for Saturday, February 28, 2008

9:00 a.m. Stadium Box Office Opens
12:00 pm Stadium Parking Lots Open $20.00
1:00 pm – 7:00pm Monster Truck Ride (Lot J) $5.00
(Free ride pass available Advance Auto Parts while supplies last)
2:00 pm – 5:00pm Pit Party (Lot D) $ 10.00
(Free pit party passes available at Southern Ford Dealers while supplies last.)
4:00 p.m. JTA Shuttle Bus Service begins $ 5.00 per person / round trip
5:30 p.m. Stadium Gates Open
5:45 – 6:45 p.m. Pre-show racing and entertainment
6:45 p.m. Opening Ceremonies begin
7:30 p.m. Monster Jam Racing begins

There will be Shuttle Bus Service from the Court House Garage to the Stadium. Parking for the bus shuttle service is located at the corner of North Broad Street and West Monroe Street. The shuttle will begin at 4:00pm and continue until one hour after the conclusion of the event. The shuttle service will be $5.00 per person / round trip.

SCAD presents “To Never Sleep Again…,”by artist Cat Chow

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SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Savannah College of Art and Design presents “To Never Sleep Again…,” an exhibition by New York-based artist Cat Chow, Feb. 24-March 27, at Pei Ling Chan Gallery, 322 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The exhibition will culminate in a performance presented in conjunction with the SCAD-Savannah Gallery Hop March 27, 6:30 p.m. at the gallery, with a reception from 6-8 p.m. The exhibition, performance and reception are free and open to the public.

Cat Chow is an artist, designer, educator and performer. She creates conceptual works, often transforming the mundane into poetic contemplations of materiality. Elegantly simple in form, yet complex in construction, her labor-intensive work, which began as a series of garments, is fascinating for its intricacy and use of common materials in unexpected ways.

“To Never Sleep Again…” features work from Chow’s diverse creative practices that span sculpture, craft and design. The exhibition focuses on Chow’s innovative use of materials and highlights her intricate, repetitious and often meditative artistic process of converting common items such as keys and fasteners into compelling conceptual works of art. The title of the show suggests the seemingly endless acts of labor that have become a signature of Chow’s meticulous handwork.

Chow’s performance on March 27 has been created specifically for “To Never Sleep Again…” The performance will blur the boundaries between music, performance, architecture, fashion and dance, and will showcase Chow’s diverse background as a performer, costume designer, musician and dancer. The performance will last approximately 20-30 minutes.

For more information, e-mail exhibitions@scad.edu or visit www.scadexhibitions.com.

The Amelia Island Pirate Run

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The morning was cold, very cold, but as soon as the sun came up, the weather was perfect for running. The Pirate Run 5K and 10K takes place in Fernandina every year and is organized by the Amelia Island Runners.

This year the new race headquarters was located at St. Peter’s Church. This is a very well organized event. There are pirates in customes cheering the runners at almost every street corner. The beautiful course goes through town out on the Greenway at Egans Creek.

This year I ran with my sister, Camilla, who is visiting from Sweden. This was her first 5K ever. First-timers received a special medal and she was lucky enough to win a basket of coffee.

After the race, there was a post-race pancake breakfast. The atmosphere at this event is very friendly, and if you’re looking for a fun and unusual race on the coast for next year, this is one experience you don’t want to miss.

Florida Winery Wins Again

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ST. AUGUSTINE, FL – The San Sebastian Winery of St. Augustine, FL and Lakeridge Winery of Clermont, FL have done it again! Winning a total of fifteen awards at the 21st Annual International Wine and Juice Competition held at the Florida State Fair; both wineries continue to demonstrate the success they have enjoyed since their first entry at the Florida State Fair back in 1988.

Taking home the gold were two of San Sebastian’s top selling wines, Port, their top selling dessert wine and Vintners White their second top selling table wine. Coming in a close second and winning the silver were San Sebastian’s Vintners Red, Blanc De Fleur, and Cream Sherry and Lakeridge’s Southern White and Blanc Du Bois. Achieving the bronze are San Sebastian’s Stover Reserve, Blanc Du Bois, and Castillo Red and Lakeridge’s Crescendo Special Reserve, Blanc Du Bois, Chablis, Stover Reserve, and Cuvee Blanc.

Both San Sebastian Winery and Lakeridge Winery offer complimentary tours and wine tastings seven days a week. Their wines are also available for purchase at participating Publix, Target, Sam’s Club, Whole Foods, Sweet Bay, World Market, Fresh Market, Wine Warehouse, Total Wine and More, Winn-Dixie, and Albertsons stores throughout Florida. San Sebastian and Lakeridge wines have always been produced by “green” standards, and dedicated to remain stewards of our environment. For more information please visit www.lakeridgewiney.com or www.sansebastianwinery.com

157 King Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084
(904) 826-1594
www.sansebastianwinery.com