Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

Art & WineFest in Jacksonville,Florida, August 2010

by

At the Art & Wine Festival in Jacksonville you get to sample wines from around the globe, and taste food from the area’s finest restaurants as well as explore amazing desserts while you mingle. You also get to look at the works from of over twenty five of the area’s most exciting artists.

In addition, there are silent auctions for wonderful surprises in art, travel, entertainment and lots more.

Proceeds from the Art & Winefest will benefit Wolfson Children’s Hospital. The Art & Winefest, is presented by The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 177.
Tickets:$35 (plus a Service Charge of $1.50)
Thursday, August 12 from 6pm-9pm at Hyatt Regency Riverfront

Click here to buy your tickets now

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

by

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

by

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.

2nd Annual Yappy Hour Blue Jeans Ball and Silent Auction

by

Dress up in your blue jeans, bring all your friends and head to Tybee Island for a fun evening, it’s all for a good cause. Cash bar, silent auction, entertainment and much more. This event is a fundraiser for Coastal Pet Rescue taking place on Saturday November 14, 2009, from 6 pm – 10 pm at Tybee Island American Legion Post 154.

The emcee for the evening will be WJCL anchor Casey Jones
Entertainment provided by Ray Williams of Sounds Great! Entertainment
Some of the fabulous silent auction items:

* 4 Park Hopper Passes to the Walt Disney World Resort
* Rise and Shine gift basket from Loveless Cafe, Nashville
* Coastal Fitness and Wellness, LLC massage Gift Certificate
* Mary Kay gift basket
* Tickets to STOMP at the Johnny Mercer Theater courtesy of TheCoastalEmpire.com
* Paula Deen Holidays book and magazines basket

Gifts for your pets:

* Photos by Becky Gift Certificate
* Gift basket and certificate from Pawparazzi

Artwork from local artists:

* Debbie Brady Robinson
* Savannah Art Works

Gift certificates for local inns:

* Foley Inn
* DeSoto Beach Inn
* River Street Inn

Gift certificates to local restaurants:

* The Crab Shack
* Charly’s

Gift certificates for recreation:

* Capt. Mike’s Dolphin Adventure Tours
* Savannah Canoe and Kayak
* North Island Kayak
* Savannah Dan Walking Tours Private Tour
* Savannah Movie Tours
* Two free rounds of golf at the Wilmington Island Club
* Box seats to the 2010 Savannah Sand Gnats baseball season

Gift certificates for your business:

* Call to Order Organizing
* Signs by Design

Dog Face

Two-day Event Rally, Roast and Ride to Raise Awareness of Breast Cancer on March 27-28, 2009

by

Charleston Breast Center and Rehava Partner Up to Raise Awareness of Breast Cancer
Two-day Event Rally, Roast and Ride Will Take Place on March 27-28, 2009

CHARLESTON, SC (January 31, 2009) – This Spring, show your support for breast cancer patients by joining rēhava ~ Real Estate Store and the 2009 Green Idea Home for a two-day event titled Rally, Roast and Ride, benefiting the Charleston Breast Center. The event kicks off with a Rally, Roast and Ride Oyster Roast on Friday, March 27, from 7:00-10:00 p.m. at Gold Bug Island located in Mount Pleasant, and will continue on Saturday, March 28 at 1:00 p.m. with Rally and Ride for Breast Cancer event.

The oyster roast is open to the public and tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the rēhava store, or at www.rehava.com/tickets or by calling 843-747-4762. Your ticket purchase entitles you to enjoy oysters, roasted pork and corn, cob Cajun-style and fresh salads prepared by the Chefs Brigade, beer and wine as well as a silent auction promoting Health and Wellness. Live music is provided by The Bushels.

The rēhava ~ Real Estate Store and American Biker invite local bikers to participate in the ride on Saturday, March 28, 2009. The ride starts at 1pm from the new location of American Biker on College Park Road, off I-26, Exit 203. Tickets for the ride are $25, those riders that will purchase tickets for the oyster roast will be automatically entered in the ride. American Biker will be at the oyster roast showcasing a variety of motorcycles and signing up for the Saturday rally and ride. For more information about the ride, call 843-747-4762.

Both events are planned for those who want to make a personal difference in the fight against breast cancer and raise funds for a non-profit organization that is devoted to saving lives of women in the Lowcountry.

According to statistics, every three minutes a woman in the United States is diagnosed with breast cancer. In the Charleston Tri-county area, approximately 367 women are diagnosed each year. The annual cost of breast cancer care is around $11,440 for an average patient, which puts a tremendous financial stress on patients and their families. The Charleston Breast Center offers financial support to local women going through breast cancer treatment in South Carolina, allowing them to focus solely on recovery. For more information, please visit www.charlestonbreastcenter.com or call (843) 556-0116.