Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

Jazz Fest at St Augustine Beach

by

This year St Augustine Beach turns fifty and puts on a great party with lots of different events. the Jazz Fest is part of the birthday celebration.

You can enjoy live jazz music on Saturday Sept 26th and Sunday Sept 27th. Local and regional musicians will perform at the Pavilion at the Beach. There will be lots of food, music and most of all fun for the whole family and remember, this is a free concert, so you have no excuses for missing out.

The event takes place At St. Augustine Beach Pier Park, A1A Beach Boulevard, on Saturday from 1 pm to 9 pm, and on Sunday from 2 pm to 6 pm St. Augustine Beach, FL

For more information call 904-501-1253 or visit www.50thbeachbirthday.com
jazz

Jazz Fest at St. Augustine Beach, Florida

by

Why not take a trip to the beach for the weekend?
In the summer we are used to enjoying free concerts at the Plaza in St. Augustine, or Music By the Sea. But on Saturday September 26th, and Sunday, September 27th, you can visit the beach to enjoy live jazz music. This year St. Augustine Beach is celebrating it’s birthday with many different events, and this is one of them.

There will be lots of food, music and most of all fun for the whole family. Local and regional jazz musicians will perform at the Pavilion. This is a free concert.

Saturday from 1 pm to 9 pm, Sunday from 2 pm to 6 pm. At St. Augustine Beach Pier Park, A1A Beach Boulevard, St. Augustine Beach, FL

For more information call 904-501-1253 or visit www.50thbeachbirthday.com

jazz-tabbed

2nd Annual Florida Heritage Book Festival Will Celebrate Florida’s Literary Heritage

by

Florida’s rich and colorful literary heritage will be celebrated September 11-12 when the Florida Heritage Book Festival returns to St. Augustine. Featuring presentations by outstanding Florida authors, writing workshops and a keynote presentation by U.S. Senator Mel Martinez, the festival is sure to delight book lovers and inspire aspiring authors.

The Florida Heritage Book Festival kicks off on Friday, September 11, with a full day of writers workshops held in the Flagler Ballroom of St. Augustine’s Casa Monica Hotel. Presented by best-selling authors and publishing professionals, the workshops cover a wide range of topics related to the craft of writing and how to get published. Registration for the workshops is $60. In addition, festival writers will be making presentation throughout the day at all of St. Johns County’s public schools.

Throughout Saturday, September 12, the festival will feature presentations by more than 20 outstanding authors – including Stetson Kennedy and Dr. Michael Gannon. Topics will cover all facets of writing, as well as how to get published. Admission to these presentations, which take place on the campus of Flagler College, is free of charge. The keynote luncheon speaker will be U.S. Senator Mel Martinez who will speak about his assimilation into American society and living the American dream. Reservations for the 11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. luncheon are $45 each.

All proceeds from the Florida Heritage Book Festival benefit the St. Johns County Friends of the Library organizations and the Newspaper in Education program sponsored by The St. Augustine Record. The Florida Heritage Book Festival is supported in part by a grant from the St. Johns County Tourist Development Council.

Full details on the 2009 Florida Heritage Book Festival, including reservations and ticket purchases, may be found at the festival’s official website www.fhbookfest.com .
st-augustine-skyline

St Augustine Cycling Festival 2009

by

St. Augustine Cycling Festival 2009
If you love to watch Tour de France and bicycle racing on TV, this is your chance to experience the same excitement live. If  you’re a devoted cyclist you definitely don’t want to miss this event. Come to St. Augustine to watch – or maybe even to ride – in a real bicycle race.

The festival is a two-day event on Saturday and Sunday, September 12th and 13th, 2009.

Bicycle Expo
The expo takes place at St. Augustine Amphitheatre, Saturday noon to 7pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm.
Here you can test ride bicycles from a number of manufacturers and shop for bikes, cycling apparel, accessories and training services.
Food and beverages will be available. Hang around for a free Endless Summer at the Amphitheatre at 7 p.m. in the evening.

The Criterium
Saturday, June 12 from 11 a.m. until 6:30 PM.
The Criterium, aka “Crit”, race will take place on a brand new challenging 0.6 mile course around the St. John’s County Office Complex.

This is an exciting bike race for spectators! Watch the most intense of bike races with competitors riding at 25mph plus and skillfully turning corners. The Criterium race is held on a short course.

Time Trial
Sunday, September 13. Registration beings at 6:30 am with racing beginning at 7:30.am.
The Individual Time Trial, aka “ITT”, race will take place on a brand new course at Bartram High School in St. Johns, FL.

The Individual Time Trial is a road race in which cyclists race “alone” against the clock, drafting is not allowed. Starting times are at equal intervals, usually 30 seconds to 1 minute apart.

Road Race
Sunday, June 13 beginning at Noon.
The Road race will take place on a brand new course in St. Johns, FL and the start/finish line is at Bartram Trail High School.

To get more information or to register for the racing events, visit www.floridacycling.com.

20th Annual Endless Summer Watermelon Ride
On Sunday, Sept. 13th, the 20th Annual Endless Summer Watermelon Ride takes place. This is a classic one-day cycling event perfect for experienced road riders, touring, intermediate and beginner cyclists alike.
Ride distances are 35, 56, 68 and 104 miles and primarily traverse lightly traveled country roads.

The ride is presented by the North Florida Bicycle club and is fully supported with well-stocked rest stops, SAG vehicles, bike shop mechanics and motorcycle escorts.

Click to visit the website

Bicycle Race

The Biology of Aging – St Augustine

by

As part of its Evenings at Whitney lecture series, the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience will present “Can we slow aging?” on September 10 with Christiaan Leeuwenburgh, Ph.D. Leeuwenburgh’s research focuses on age-related frailty and muscle loss. Frailty is a serious condition in the elderly and is characterized by impaired endurance and balance, vulnerability to injury, high risk of morbidity, disability and mortality. Age-related muscle atrophy can have a significant effect on individual health and quality of life and is strongly associated with frailty and mortality.

Leeuwenburgh became an Assistant Professor in 1998 at the University of Florida and the Director of the Biochemistry of Aging Laboratory. He is currently a Professor with the Department of Aging and Geriatric Research, College of Medicine and Institute on Aging at the University of Florida and is the Chief of the Division of Biology of Aging.

The Evenings at Whitney lectures usually occur on the first or second Thursday of each month depending on the speaker and are always held at 7:00 p.m. in the Whitney Lab’s Center for Marine Studies. Monthly presentations include current science topics, plus subjects from on-going research programs at the Whitney Lab. Speakers are recognized experts in their fields who welcome questions and discussion. All lectures are free and open to the public. There is no charge for parking and reservations are not necessary. Please visit www.whitney.ufl.edu for lecture schedules or contact the Whitney Lab at (904) 461-4000.