Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

3rd Annual Holiday Home Tour in Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, FL

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Amelia Island Museum3rd Annual Holiday Home Tour in Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, FL takes place on December 4th and 5th, 2009.
The Amelia Island Museum of History showcases the 3rd annual Holiday Home Tour in historic Fernandina Beach this weekend. Five unique homes, never before open to the public, has been chosen for the tour.

The Holiday Home Tour will take place on December 4th and 5th, 2009, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tour tickets are $25 in advance and $30 on the day of the tour.

You can also enjoy a Victorian-style tea at the historical Bailey House after the tour. Tickets are $15.

For more tickets and more information visit www.ameliamuseum.org or call (904) 261-7378 ext. 100.


For more information, visit our events calendar listing for the Holiday Tour of Homes in Fernandina

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

Amelia Island Jazz Festival 2009

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Les DeMerle Amelia Island Jazz Festival is scheduled from October 2 – 11, 2009 in Fernandina Beach, Florida. This is one of the most popular festivals in Fernandina Beach, and this year’s festival promises to be one of the best ever.

The festival kicks off early this year with a free concert outdoors. Les deMerle All-Star Band will perform at the Sound of Centre already on Friday October 2nd. This is the last and final Sound on Centre for the season, so let’s hope for beautiful weather.

Then on Saturday, October 3rd, “Street.Runnin’ Wild,” with Amelia Island Jazz Festival Scholarship winner Jawren Walton performs at the Palace Saloon.

The second free concert will feature the U.S. Navy Big Band Southeast at Amelia Park on Sunday, October 4.

Grammy Award-winning saxophonist, David Sanborn is scheduled to appear as the headliner in the festival. Sanborn will perform October 9th and 10th with Les DeMerle’s All-Star band and vocalist Bonnie Eisele. This concert takes place at the brand new 1,000-seat auditorium at First Baptist Church on Eighth Street.

One of last year’s most popular evenings, Latin Night with Impacto Latino, will return on Thursday, October 8, and then on Sunday, October 11, there is a New Orleans Jazz Brunch at the Beech Street Grill.

For ticket information and the complete schedule, visit the website.

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Here is a video from last year’s festival:

Les deMerle Amelia Island Jazz

Dance the Night Away in Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island

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It’s the week of firsts and that means time to head to downtown Fernandina Beach for Sounds on Centre. Fernandina is always a pleasure to visit, and even more so when there’s a free concert outdoors.

Sounds on Centre is held the first Friday of every month through October in the historic downtown on Centre Street (between 2nd and Front) from 6 to 8 p.m.

Bring a chair and your dancing shoes to enjoy the free concert. For more information, visit www.downtownfernandina.com

soundsoncentre

Independence Day in Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, Florida

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Stars & Stripes Freedom Festival – Fernandina, Amelia Island, FL

What better way to celebrate America’s independence than the Stars and Stripes Festival in Fernandina, Florida? The festival takes place in Amelia Island’s Central Park and begins with a patriotic parade down Centre Street at 7:00 p.m. in the historic district; followed by a barrage of fireworks to conclude the festivities.

This annual observance of America’s liberation takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.. Bring the whole family to the park for lots of activities and fun. First and foremost, there’s the Touch-A-Truck Public Safety display. Here you, or your little ones, can get hands on, up close and personal look at a number of fascinating vehicles. There will be fire trucks, police cars, garbage trucks, excavators – even an 18 wheel log truck and helicopter is scheduled. The vehicles on display come from the City of Fernandina Beach Police, Fire/Rescue and Streets Departments, Nassau County Sheriff’s Office and Fire/Rescue, Florida Highway Patrol, Coast Guard, and more.
This event is a sure hit with the younger ones.

Other activities include a Parent-Child Look-A-Like Contest. Sign up starting at 10 a.m., the contest itself at 1:00 p.m. I thought about asking one of my teenagers to participate with me, but I’m sure the answer would be a “No Way”. So instead I had my hopes up for the All American Apple Pie Contest. It turns out that you have to bake pies, so I quickly crossed that off my list. Then there’s of course the usual stuff with Fun for the Kids playground, food, arts and crafts vendors.

Also the band FACE FOR RADIO, will perform on the Pirate Ship Stage during the festival.

Festival goers are invited to wear red, white and blue for the Stars & Stripes Freedom Festival Parade starting at 7 p.m. After the parade, everyone will gather in front of the Depot to enjoy music in the spirit of Independence Day by the community choir, the Sine Nomine Singers and the New Horizons Band of the Amelia Arts Academy.

After dark, it’s time to find a spot to watch the fireworks. The fireworks exhibition can be viewed to the south of the Fernandina Harbor Marina at approximately 9:30 p.m. A perfect close to a perfect day.

More information, concert agenda, and applications for the contests can be found at www.shinybadgesball.com.

hand-fireworks
Click here to visit our events calendar for Stars & Stripes Freedom Festival in Fernandina, Amelia Island, Florida