Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

Go Red For Women Luncheon and Educational Forum – Jacksonville, Fl

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Speak Up To Save Lives!

First Coast – Celebrate the fabulous females of the First Coast and the hearts of women everywhere this Mother’s Day season. Join WJXT Channel 4’s Melanie Lawson and WOKV News Talk Radio’s Roxy Tyler for the Fifth Annual Go Red For Women Luncheon and Educational Forum Friday, May 14th at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. Registration begins at 10 a.m. Call 904-256-5642 to reserve your ticket today. Available seating is limited.

Of course, a heart healthy lunch will be served at 12 p.m. with life changing messaging from passion speaker Mrs. Joyce Beatty and keynote speaker Dr. Annabelle Santos Volgman, mentioned as Oprah Winfry’s cardiologist in O Magazine.

Go Red For Women Chair Susan Mack of Main Street America and the 2010 Signature Sponsor St. Vincent’s Healthcare are proud to present an enlightening forum designed for busy women.

Take advantage of complimentary blood pressure screenings provided by Solantic Baptist Urgent Care and Baptist Health and experience a fabulous expo with life saving educational sessions.

Education is key to making beneficial choices. The 2010 topics include:

*Women and Heart Disease, What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You presented by St. Vincent’s Healthcare

*Get to Know Your Winn-Dixie Pharmacist

*Gold Medal Fitness For Women On The Go Featuring Gold Medalist Shannon Miller provided by Baptist Health

Understand your health inside and out with picture and a promise from St. Vincent’s Healthcare. See your heart immediately with a sonogram and take your Red Dress picture home as a reminder to love your heart every day. Professional images provided by Melissa Posey Photography.

Deutsche Bank will also present a $1,000 scholarship to the 2010 Show Us Your Heart Art Contest featuring middle and high school students.

The color red and the red dress have become linked with the ability all women have to improve their heart health and live stronger, longer lives. Choose to go red in your own fashion, by spreading the Go Red for Women message. Speak up to save lives.

In America, 43 million women are living with cardiovascular disease. Every woman’s heart is a treasure worth protecting. Join the American Heart Association, change lives and Go Red for Women in 2010.

Alhambra’s Celebrity Week to Raise Money for Local Charities – Jacksonville, Fl

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Media and Local Celebrities to Make Cameo Appearances in Alhambra’s “The Foreigner”

— Alhambra’s Celebrity Week to Raise Money for Local Charities —

Audiences coming the see “The Foreigner” at the new Alhambra Theatre & Dining will get a bonus the week of May 10. New owner Craig Smith announced today the Alhambra’s first-ever Celebrity Week, during which each of that week’s seven shows will feature a cameo appearance by some of Jacksonville’s local media personalities and celebrities.

The big winner, however, will be local charities that each celebrity will represent. The Alhambra is donating a portion of tickets sales from each show to the charity of that celebrity’s choice. Additionally, to make it a friendly competition, the celebrity with the biggest draw – the one who essentially has the most tickets sold for their show — will receive a bonus donation to his or her charity.

Said Florida Times Union entertainment columnist and author of the tracy.com blog, “I get to check ‘perform on the Alhambra stage’ off my bucket list. I cannot wait.” On a more serious note, she added, “There are so many charities for which I have a strong affection, and I chose “Kids at Heart,” the new young professionals group for daniel Kids. I love daniel and I thought this would be a great way to enlighten Jacksonville about this new fundraising troop.”

“I love live theatre and I’m flattered to be asked to participate in an Alhambra production,” stated Melissa Ross, host of WJCT’s “Jacksonville Connects.” She added, “The Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Florida serves 13 counties and literally hundreds of agencies across this part of the state that help feed people in need.”

Schedule for the Stars

On their respective nights, each of the guest stars will appear in the same scene early in the second act of the show. The scene is actually not in the original script and is being “written in” by Alhambra Executive Producer Tod Booth, Sr. “The guest stars are going to have a ball doing it, and the cast is excited,” said Booth.

Currently lined up to perform at the Alhambra, and the charities for which they are raising money include:

Tuesday, May 11 Phil Amato, WTLV-TV JaxReStore, Habitat for Humanity

Wednesday, May 12 Melissa Ross, WJCT The Second Harvest Food Bank

Thursday, May 13 Tracy Collins, Times Union Kids at Heart, daniel

Friday, May 14 Arthur Crofton, WEJZ Salvation Army

Saturday, May 15 (e) Surprise guest

Sunday, May 16 (m) Richard Nunn, WJXT-TV American Diabetes Association

Sunday, May 16 Matt Saffer, WAWS-TV Child Cancer Fund

“I am an actor at heart. Growing up in New Jersey, I performed in countless shows throughout my life. In college, I attended one of the top musical theater programs in the nation and performed throughout New York City. Being able to step back onto the stage for a wonderful cause is something I can’t say no to. I’m honored the folks at the Alhambra asked me to do this,” said WAWS FOX30 reporter Matt Saffer.

The Foreigner Synopsis

Imagine yourself so pathologically shy that you move from your native country to the “middle of nowhere” and, to remove yourself from the world, you go so far as to pretend you’re from an exotic country and you don’t speak English. Because people think you can’t understand, you suddenly become the repository for all the town’s scandalous secrets. So goes the tale of Englishman Charlie Baker who finds himself plunked in rural South Georgia by a friend.

Winner of two Obie Awards and two Outer Circle Critic Awards as “Best New American Play” and “Best Off-Broadway Production,” The Foreigner is an inspired comic romp that demonstrates what can happen when a group of devious characters erroneously confess their sins to the wrong guy. Written by Larry Shue, the play ran for nearly 700 performances at New York City’s Astor Place Theatre to rave reviews. The New York Post describes The Foreigner as “a devilishly clever idea.” The Village Voice declared The Foreigner, “a constant invitation to relax and laugh at the foolishness of life.”

The Foreigner opens April 30 and will run through June 13, 2010. Show times are 8:00 PM for evening shows Tuesday through Sunday. Doors open at 6:00, buffet starts at approximately 6:45. Matinees on Saturday are at 1:15. Doors open at 11 and the buffet starts at 11:15. Sunday matinee is at 2:00. Doors open at noon and the buffet starts at 12:15. Group sales are available. Tickets start at $42 and include dinner and the show. Tickets for the Gala are available by becoming a Season Ticket or Triple Play Partner. Call the box office or visit www.alhambrajax.com for details.

The new Alhambra Theatre & Dining

The Alhambra Theatre is the nation’s oldest continually operating professional dinner theatre. Opened in 1967, The Alhambra has hosted legends such as Tony Curtis, Claude Aiken, Sid Cesar and Cesar Romero, and she was the place of Betty Grable’s final acting role. The Alhambra is also home to former Miss America, Orange Park native Leanza Cornett who started at the Alhambra when she was 15. In November 2009, the Alhambra was purchased by Theatre Partners, LLC, headed by Jacksonville entrepreneur and Alhambra patron, Craig Smith as way to give back to Jacksonville and preserve what he believes is one of its cultural jewels.

Myrtle Beach Family Fitness Festival 2010

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Myrtle Beach fitness festival and fun runThis is the first year for Myrtle Beach Family Fitness Festival & Fun Run. The event is scheduled for April 30-May 2, 2010 in Myrtle Beach, SC. The focus point for the festival is The Market Common and the area will feature fitness activities, vendors, live entertainment featuring national recording artists playing children’s music and much more.

Some of the events include a Diaper Derby, Chalk Art Walk Competition, 5K and 1 Mile Fun Runs. All the events benefit the Childrens’ Museum of South Carolina.

Buy a wristband and save. The wristband is $5 and gives you free access to the inflatables at Market Commons all day – it also gives you free entry to the Children’s Museum of South Carolina and other rebates. Click here to buy your wristbands now.

Tybee Wine Festival 2010 – Tybee Island, Georgia

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Now you can support Tybee Post Theater by coming to the 2010 Tybee Wine Festival. The 2009 Wine Festival was very successful and earned over $10,000 for the restoration.The event is scheduled for April 17, 2010, from 3 pm – 7 pm on the grounds of the Tybee Lighthouse and it’s a great opportunity to do good and have fun at the same time.

The wine festival will feature over 100 international wines plus delicious  tapas from some of Tybee Islands best restaurants.  But for those of who don’t appreciate good wine, the organizers have arranged something special for this year. This year the festival will also  offer a selection of craft beers, so you have no excuse for staying home. There will even be  a raffle, silent auction and live music by some of the island’s finest musicians.

Attendees receive a free gift package which includes a souvenir wine glass and wine tote. Participating restaurants are Hunter House, Papa’s Bar-B-Que & Seafood, The Breakfast Club, Fannies on the Beach, Marline Monroe’s, Doc’s Bar, Huca Poos, Sundae Cafe and Sting Rays.

All festival net proceeds go to the restoration of the Tybee Post Theater.

Tickets are  available online at  tybeewinefestival.com.

Skidaway Island Antiques Show and Sale – Savannah, GA

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The Skidaway Island Antiques Show and Sale has raised $572,000 for Savannah’s neediest children over the past 11 years. More than 1500 people attend the show each year. Two things makes The Skidaway Island Antique Show and Sales so popular, first and foremost the amazing antiques, secondly,  the delicious lunches prepared by the parishioners of St. Peter’s Church.

This year’s show will begin with a preview gala the evening of Thursday, March 4, and runs daily from Friday, March 5, through Sunday, March 7.

Preview Gala and Champagne Receiption

Already on the evening on March 4, 2010, it’s time for kick off. The event begins with the preview gala, An Evening in the Garden, at 7 p.m. Here  collectors have an  opportunity to secure the antiques of their choice in the dealer gallery.  Meanwhile the elegant black-tie (optional) soiree will be going on in the adjoining tent. One of the highlights of the evening is the performance of the Mary Davis & Company band. Also hors d’oeuvres will be provided by noted caterer Anna Hood and the women of St. Peter’s Church.  Dinner stations will feature a variety of cuisines from noted Savannah-based chefs.  Call 912-598-9521 for invitation information.

The daily show dates are Friday and Saturday, March 5 & 6, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday, March 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 3 West Ridge Road, Savannah, located on Skidaway Island, 20 minutes southeast of the city.

Tickets to the show are $8 and are valid for all three days. Tickets may be purchased on site during the event.

Gourmet lunches and desserts, prepared from recipes in St. Peter’s cookbook, Manna from Savannah, are offered daily from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in a flower-filled tent adjacent to the dealer showcases.

For more information, visit St Peter’s Episcopal Church website by clicking here.