Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

Scuba Santa at South Carolina Aquarium – Charleston

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A very welcome guest from the North Pole will make special appearances in the Great Ocean Tank at select Aquarium dive shows each day from December 1 through December 20. Don’t miss this opportunity to see Santa swim with the fish! For more information call (843) 577-FISH (3474) or visit scaquarium.org.
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Monday, December 1 – Saturday, December 20, 2008
Daily at 3:00 p.m.
South Carolina Aquarium

British Nightwatch and Grande Illumination – St. Augustine, FL

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Commemorate the Treaty of Paris and the impact on 18th century British St. Augustine. Witness the reading of the Treaty of Paris and the reaction of the townsfolk and military during the British Night Watch opening ceremony that takes place at 4 p.m. on Friday at the Plaza de la Constitucion. On Saturday from 9 a.m. until dusk, the British encampment in the City of St. Augustine’s Spanish Quarter Museum on St. George Street will be open free to the public. British troops will demonstrate a wide range of authentically detailed military skills including mass troop movements, bayonet drills, Musket Firings, Changing of the Flag Ceremony and Fife & Drum Music. Then on Saturday at 8 p.m., Regimental British troops, Fife and Drum Corps, Militia, Native American allies and Distaff will parade by torchlight through the historic district to secure the City Gates. The Night Watch Parade begins at Government House at the Plaza de la Constitucion where all will hear the Governor’s holiday proclamation. Join in the largest fully interactive parade that make everyone a part of history – light a candle and follow in the boisterous parade through the town! Musket fire and general revelry by everyone gathered at this historic location add to the holiday spirit.

Call 904.819.5318 or visit our website at http://britishnightwatch.org

A Holiday Dickens Feast at Jekyll Island Club Hotel

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A Dickens Feast – December 13, 2008
Right out of the annals of Victorian literature and into the Grand Dining Room of the Jekyll Island Club Hotel comes Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol December 13th. This musical dinner theatre version is “the best of times.” A gourmet dinner Dickens himself would have approved, the musical performance by a lively acting company from Atlanta, and the Grand Dining Room itself join forces for an evening of delightful merrymaking.

Decorated in all its Christmas finery with the fragrance of live greenery in the air, the Hotel is never lovelier than during the holiday season. With its Victorian ambience, the dining room seems the perfect place for a tribute to Charles Dickens.

Guests gather in the Boar’s Head Lobby between 7:00 and 7:15 p.m. to meet each other and, just before seating at 7:30, drink a toast to “Christmas Present.” It’s a time of anticipation of the musical dinner theatre experience that lies ahead. Scrooge and Bob Cratchit, Fezziwig, Fan and other characters from the production may also pay a visit, sing some spirited carols, and “set the stage” with lively commentary.

Once everyone is seated, the feast begins with an appetizer of Smoked Quail Stuffed with Apricots and Roasted Chestnuts and then Shellfish Consommé with Poached Shrimp. The next course is Bibb and Red Oak Leaf Lettuce with Herb Brie Lemon-Parsley Creamy Vinaigrette. The evening’s entrée is Horseradish Crusted Petite Filet Mignon with Dijon Crème Glace, Young Vegetables and Herb Roasted Potatoes. The perfect ending to the feast is Caramel-Orange Rice Pudding with Chocolate and Spice Petite Cakes. A vegetarian menu preference may be requested at the time the Dickens Feast reservation is made.

Between the courses the story unfolds. The troupe of actors, which has performed here in the past several times to sell-out audiences, engages the audience in the performance. Early in the evening they surreptitiously assign “parts” to guests who’ve agreed to it ahead of time. The entire dining room is their “stage.” It’s an evening of delight in one of the most treasured yuletide stories in the English language.

Business attire or evening wear is appropriate. The cost of the event is $100.00 inclusive. For reservations, please call the Hotel at 912-635-2600. For more information visit this website: www.jekyllclub.com.

The Jekyll Island Club Hotel is located at 371 Riverview Drive, Jekyll Island, GA 31527.