Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

Jacksonville Light Parade 2009

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The St. Johns River sparkles in holiday cheer during the Jacksonville Light Parade on November 28.  Sailboats and other boats festively decorated for the holidays will parade down the river in the heart of Downtown.  Boaters will light up the sails and dress up as Santas and wave to the crowds along the riverbanks.  Don’t miss this spectacular holiday event which is followed by a fireworks show  with Jacksonville’s signature “waterfall” fireworks cascading from two Downtown bridges.

jaxlightparade2009 Jacksonville Light Parade
Saturday, November 28
7 p.m.
Downtown Riverfront


The parade can be seen from both the northbank and southbank of the downtown riverfront. Families are encouraged to bring their chairs, blankets and picnics to the riverfront for this magical evening!
Click here for a printable map

Annoucements of parading boats, themes and holiday messages will be broadcast along the northbank and southbank of the riverfront.

For more details visit www.coj.net

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Santas of the Old World – Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl

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A most unique holiday exhibition will take place at the Cultural Center from December 2nd through December 9th, 2009, when Dannehl M. Twomey’s wonderfully creative “Santas of the Old World: Toys, Legends & Traditions” will be display. Dannehl creates Santas that appear to have been made in the 1800’s and sculpts each head individually and adds antique textiles and toys to create a unique Santa that reflects that time period.

Featured in Southern Living, Dannehl’s Santa figures are created to look as though they were created by your great-great-grandmother and handed down through the family for generations.

This exhibit will appeal to children and adults of all ages. The Cultural Center is open Monday through Friday, 9am – 5pm; Saturday 10am – 4pm.

For more information please call The Cultural Center at Ponte Vedra Beach at (904) 280-0614 or visit www.ccpvb.org

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Thanksgiving Weekend in Savannah

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The weekend following Thanksgiving, celebrates the holiday season with Savannah Holly Days on Friday, November 27 and Saturday, November 28.

On Friday, November 27 from 6-9 p.m., there will be skating under the stars, a delicious wine tasting, an outdoor holiday movie, a festive marketplace and shopping on Broughton Street.

On Saturday, November 28, start the holidays off right with cookies and milk with Santa Claus in Santa’s Workshop from 9:15-10 a.m. From 10 a.m.- 6 p.m., the Savannah Holly Days will have a snow area for playing in Reynolds Square, a skating rink on Broughton Street, shopping in a festive marketplace with great downtown shops and local artisans.

There will also be holiday movies at The Lucas Theatre as well as live entertainment including music and dance performances. Santa will be on hand for photographs and memories along with a variety of children’s activities. From 6-9 p.m., there will be a holiday movie shown on the side of Il Pasticcio.

Savannah Lighted Boat Parade takes place on the river and is well worth a visit. Lots of holiday decorated boats will pass by. There is also the Tree Lighting Ceremony on this Saturday, so it’s a busy day.

For a full list of Savannah Holly Days event information as well as information on special holiday offers from Savannah accommodations, restaurants and attractions, please visit www.SavannahHollyDays.com. For more information, please contact Laura Simpson at 912.644.6452
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Winter Wonderland 2009 – St Augustine, Florida

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This holiday season head over to the St. Augustine Amphitheatre to enjoy a Winter Wonderland! Admission to Winter Wonderland is free and the event is open Monday through Friday from 6 to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

This is the third year for the popular Winter Wonderland festival at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre starting November 20th and running through January 3rd. More than 80,000 people have spent the holiday season with Winter Wonderland and made it part of their holiday tradition.

New additions to this year’s festival include the Blizzard Bounce House & the Elf Express Train as well as a New Theatre original production of “A Time for Everything”, thousands of additional lights, more decorations, more holiday scenes painted by local artists, and the most holiday cheer in Florida!

Other Winter Wonderland favorites include St. Augustine’s ONLY Ice Skating Rink with Nightly Snow Fall! America’s ONLY Refrigerated Ice Slide, Sleigh Rides, Elf Village, Reindeer Games, Elf Village, Lighted Nature Trails, Candy Cane Forest, S’Mores Pit, and of course the man himself Santa Clause!

Website : www.winterwonderlandflorida.com
The St. Augustine Amphitheatre is located at 1340 A1A South in St. Augustine. For more information, call 904.471.1965
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St Johns Town Center Tree Lighting with American Idol

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American Idol winner Taylor Hicks is scheduled to headline the third annual holiday event at St. Johns Town Center on November 21, 2009.

This event is  filled with holiday festivities including live entertainment, kids activities and even fireworks. Beginning at noon, you can enjoy a street festival featuring arts and crafts, food vendors, entertainment, giveaways, carnival games, balloon artists, face painting and characters from the popular online community Tootsville. There will also be very merry activities like bounce houses, a magician and jugglers.

The Tree Lighting ceremony begins at 6 p.m. with special performances from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, Jacksonville Mass Choir and Charlie Walker. At 8 p.m., the fifth-season winner of American Idol Taylor Hicks will perform his soulful hit songs as well as seasonal favorites to get everyone into the holiday spirit. This season’s concert takes place in a new location in front of the Great Tree in Park Green near Maggiano’s.

Immediately following the performance, Taylor Hicks will join Santa to lead the audience in an exciting countdown to light the dazzling 30-foot tree and a spectacular fireworks finale!

“We’ve had such a great response from the community the past two years, and 2009 is even bigger and better with extended festivities,” said Kristin Balvin, director of mall marketing and business development for St. Johns Town Center. “We are thrilled to bring back the tree lighting again this year and look forward to sharing this holiday tradition with Jacksonville families.”

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