Coastal Companion

Your ultimate guide to the coast

Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival 2010 – Fernandina, Fl

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Fernandina has one of the best and biggest shrimp festivals on the coast. This year it’s the 47th Anniversary for the popular Isle of Eight Shrimp Festival. This year the festival is scheduled for April 30 – May 2, 2010.  Fernandina Shrimp Festival is traditionally held the first weekend in May in the Historic downtown Centre Street business district in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida.

Pirate Parade and Invasion
The party kicks off already on Thursday with an exciting Pirate Parade at 6 p.m. You’ll get to see all kinds of creations in this unique parade – from pirate ships to gigantic shrimp. The theme for this year’s parade is “Name that tune”, and I can’t wait to see what’s going to be performed. Coastal Companion is planning to film the parade this year, so if you happen to see me, make sure to say hello.

Then on Friday it’s time for the opening of the festival and the actual invasion of the pirates Friday night.

Amelia Island River Cruises Ferry Boat

There’s also a bunch of contests;  Best Decorated Boat, Best Decorated Pirate, Miss Shrimp Festival pageant, and my personal favorite, the only one I could possibly participate in and win  – the ice cream eating contest.

Plan for lots of people, lots of fun and plan for walking a lot. The Amelia Island River Cruises will run a special ferry boat from St Marys, Georgia over to the festival, so check with them for the schedule. If the weather is nice, it’s a beautiful trip past Cumberland Island and Fort Clinch – and you won’t have to fight traffic that way. (www.ameliaislandrivercruises.com)

For the complete program, visit the website at www.shrimpfestival.com

Isle of Eight Shrimp Festival, Fernandina, Amelia Island, Florida

Restaurant Week returns to Amelia Island, Florida

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With an irresistible mix of eclectic dining experiences, Northeast Florida’s Amelia Island is pleased to announce its second annual Restaurant Week. The new program which runs January 24 through 31, 2010, will offer area residents and visitors a fixed menu, including three courses and a beverage, for only $19 or $29. Additionally, diners may enter to win a “Year of Dining,” with 12, $50 gift certificates to be used once a month for an entire year.

“We had such an overwhelming, positive response from the 2009 Restaurant Week,” said Gil Langley, President & CEO of the Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau. “This year, we have several additional participating restaurants, allowing guests the opportunity to experience even more of Amelia Island’s incredible dining options.”

For more details about restaurant week in Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island, please visit www.ameliaisland.com/yummy.

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

Is Fernadina Farmers Market the third in the US?

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Forget voting for your favorite “American Idol”, or Americas most popular dancer in “So You Think You Can Dance”, now there’s a more important question on the world wide web — where is the most popular Farmers Market in the country?

This popularity contest is sponsored by Care2.com and Local Harvest. Over the weekend, Fernandina Farmers Market climbed the list and is now Number Three with 3,744 votes, which even made the local news in Knoxville TN, run out and do a special report from Market Square, Knoxville, their favorite local farmers market, currently in fourth place with 3,070 votes.
(Here is the link to the complete Tennessee story)

Are we going to let Tennessee win?Let get our people in and vote.

Go Fernandina!
Make sure to visit this website right now and place your vote
and help them win $5,000.

Also, Riverside Arts Market from Jacksonville is in spot 33.
You can also add your favorite market to the contest. There are lots of markets in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina who are not yet on the list.

Vegetables