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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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
winter-wonderland

Right Whale Festival – Jacksonville, Florida

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With as few as 350 remaining, North Atlantic right whales are in jeopardy and are often threatened by human activities.  The mission of the Right Whale Festival is to celebrate right whales and the beginning of their calving season. The goal is to engage the community and heighten public awareness of both right whales and the importance of the area as the whales make their seasonal return to the waters off FL/GA coast — the only known North Atlantic right whale calving grounds. This one-day family-oriented festival will feature children’s activities, music, beach cleanup, and other activities geared towards informing and inspiring the community about right whales, their habitat, and conservation needs.

http://www.rightwhalefestival.org/

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2nd Annual Yappy Hour Blue Jeans Ball and Silent Auction

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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

Telfair Art Fair 2009 – Savannah, GA

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The Telfair Art Fair is one of Savannah’s most popular fall events. Held under a large, lighted tent adjacent to historic Telfair Square, this annual event showcases a variety of original art for sale, with something to suit every budget and taste. The 15th Annual Telfair Art Fair from November 14-15, 2009, on Savannah’s historic Telfair Square.

The Telfair Art Fair is a juried art show and sale that showcases spectacular original artwork by painters, sculptors, photographers, potters, jewelers, and more – and it’s one of the museums largest fundraisers of the year.

An Arty Party

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The weekend kicks-off on the evening of Friday, November 13 with a member preview event, the “Arty Party,” a chic cocktail reception where you can preview artwork and meet artists.

This year’s much-anticipated event features the work of more than seventy artists from the Savannah area and across the nation. The Jepson Center’s Eckburg Atrium will be devoted to Open Art, a new category that highlights the work of talented emerging and student artists.

Awards and Jazz

jazznart-blockAt noon on Saturday, $10,000 in prizes will be awarded in a brief ceremony inside the Art Fair tent. A short awards ceremony recognizing outstanding artists will be held at noon, with Susan Krane—Oshman Executive Director at the San Jose Museum of Art—presiding as the 2009 Art Fair judge. Also, back by popular demand, the Savannah Country Day Jazz Band and the Savannah Arts Academy Skyelite Jazz Band will perform live jazz music in the square throughout the afternoon.

Reinvent, Recreate, Reuse for Kids
This year, the Children’s Art Fair in the Square—themed Reinvent! Recreate! Reuse!—will feature a variety of art stations with creative activities for kids incorporating natural, found, or recycled items. Activities include ornament-making with shells and recycled jar lids; building pinecone bird feeders; pet rock and leaf rubbing projects; creating crazy hair grass heads; and jewelry-making with shells and beads. Additional features include an appearance by Silly Dilly the Clown and a moon bouncer, as well as snack and drink booths.

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5th Annual Telfair Art Fair and Open Art
Telfair Academy, 121 Barnard St, Savannah GA 31401
Saturday, 14 November, 2009
10:00 AM – 05:00 PM
For more information visit www.telfair.org