Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

French Flair in Fernandina РFlorida P̩tanque America Open

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Amelia Island is the only community in the United States to have experienced life under eight different flags, and the first flag was the French. This month Fernandina turns French again when 2009 Pétanque America Open comes to town.

Close to 200 players will be playing pétanque, (pron. „pay-tonk’) the French cousin of horseshoes and “bocce” ball on On November 14 – 15, 2009. Downtown Fernandina Beach will look and sound like the Promenade des Anglais in Nice or the Croisette in Cannes.

Teams are flying in from 20 states, Canada and Europe, to compete in the 2009 Pétanque America Open, only the second-ever open international pétanque tournament in the USA.

Preliminary rounds start on Saturday morning, below the Fernandina Marina along the downtown waterfront, with finals scheduled for Sunday afternoon. Competition for the $5,000 purse will be stiff
and guarantee spectacular performances by players of all ages, including famous chefs who embraced the game many years ago as a welcome distraction from their busy schedules.

And members of the USA, Canadian, and Belgian national teams, like Claudy Weibel, World Champion in 2000 and European Champion in 2009.

The public is welcome to watch and try out the game around the tournament area. Equipment will be made available – free of charge – by Petanque America.

Celebrity TV chef Jacques Pépin will be available for book signing on Sunday, Nov 15 from 1 to 3 pm.

To complement the Riviera experience, the Palace Saloon has stocked up on Ricard pastis, the anise flavored drink so typical of the South of France. One can even play petanque in the Palace‟s backyard,
which boasts a genuine play ground, a.k.a. a „boulodrome’.

“People who know the game are thrilled to see it played so close to home. Those who just discovered it, love its simplicity and are wondering why it took so long to reach NE Florida.” said
Philippe Boets, president & founder of Pétanque America, who also organized the first International Open in Miami Beach in 2005.
Click here for 2009 Pétanque America Open calendar listing and information.

petanque

Georgia Florida Football 2009 – Jacksonville, Fl

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Florida vs. Georgia Football Classic on October 28-31, 2009

This is a BIG event in Jacksonville every year. It’s a great time for Gators, Bulldogs and all other football fans to come and visit. This Jacksonville celebration attracts more than 100,000 fans from near and far. There’s a variety of fun activities surrounding the game including the Championship Dreams Festival, RV City, Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and much more.

football-ref-smallHall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Friday, October 30, Noon
Ceremony begins at 12:30 p.m. Championship Dreams Tent, Pepsi Plaza (outside the south end zone)
For More Information (904) 630-3600

Championship Dreams Festival
Saturday, October 31
10 a.m. – end of game
Outside Jacksonville Municipal Stadium’s South End Zone and Adams Street

Lots of fun for the whole family outside the stadium. Start out by showing your team spirit and get your face painted and add a couple of cool-looking temporary tattoos. Now you’re ready for the big day. There’s lots of fun stuff to do, and play,  at the Championship Dreams festival.  For example, the interactive game Armchair Quarterback. My kids would definitely sign me up for that one. You can also take a game day photo, or vote for the best moments of 2009 at the “Best of 2009” tour. For the more athletic and energetic among us, how about testing your football toss speed? And if you’re not a good football player yourself, maybe you should choose to shoot hoops or bungee run down Adams Street.(click here to visit the event site)

No Tickets, No Problem!

small-footballMany of us do not have tickets to the game, so what can you do? Head to the Landing. On Thursday October 29th, you can win tickets to the game if you’re an expert at eating hotdogs. Otherwise, the game is shown live on the jumbotron at 3.30 pm on GameDay October 31.

The Jacksonville Landing

Thursday, October 29
5 p.m. – 2 a.m., Live entertainment. Orange Tree Hotdog Eating Contest, 7 p.m.Winners get a pair of tickets to the big game.

Friday, October 30
Noon – 2 a.m., Live entertainment. Luke Bryan in conert at Maverick’s Concert Hall, 7 p.m.

Saturday, October 31
11 a.m. – 2 a.m. Live entertainment. Game broadcast live on the Courtyard Jumbotron, 3:30 p.m.
For more information, call (904) 353-1188 or visit www.JacksonvilleLanding.com

georgiavsfloridagame

St Augustine Cycling Festival 2009

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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

Go Jacksonville Axemen Go!

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The Barons Brewing Jacksonville Axemen have advanced to the American National Rugby League Grand Final after beating Boston 46 to 20 in one of the toughest and more exciting games of the year

The Axemen opened the scoring with two tries but Boston would not let the game slip away during the first half. With big hits coming with frequency from both teams and some quality offense and ball movement, both teams looked like even money at the halftime break with the score Axemen over the visitors 18 to 10.

It took some “motivational” words from the Axemen coaching staff to remind the guys just how important this game was and they now only had 40 minutes to finish the job.

The Axemen had suffered by having 3 weeks off the playing field due to end of season and first round playoff byes and it showed during the early part of the game. The second half was a more determined performance as the team found more ball control and where better in defense. They slowly worked away at the game plan to end the game up 46 to 20 and will now spend a week preparing for the Grand Final in New York City on August 29nd.

Go Jax Axemen – and good luck!

Jacksonville Axemen

Go Jacksonville Axemen!

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The Jacksonville Axemen have had an undefeated season and they are now only ONE GAME AWAY from going to the National Championship in New York City on the 29th of this month.
But for that to happen, they need to defeat Boston on Saturday Aug 22nd at UNF’s Hodges
Stadium. The Axemen are hoping for a record crowd since this is their first ever 2nd round
home playoff and the first chance at the National Championship. So please, come out and support the team! The game time has been moved to 4pm (over by 5.30pm) to accommodate those
fans who plan to make the Jags Pre Season game as well.

Go Axemen!

Jacksonville Axemen