Wine in the Streets... Tonight!

Don't miss out on the 7th Annual Riverside Wine Fest!

Tonight, join your fellow wine aficionados in the streets of 5 Points from 6-9 p.m. and taste over 300 different wines. The festival also features food vendors, live entertainment and shopping (especially the unique boutiques and shops along the Park Street Strip).

A $30 donation is your ticket to participation and gets you an engraved wine stem and a $5 coupon that you can spend at participating shops in 5 Points.

Tickets can be purchased at Riverside Liquors or online here.

Proceeds of the event will benefit Big Brothers & Big Sisters and Riverside Avondale Preservation (RAP).

Be sure to tell me which wines you find especially delicious! I may have to try it myself.

Under The Bridge

There’s always something entertaining going on under the bridge. If you’re looking for something to do this Saturday during the day, you should check out the Riverside Arts Market.

This week come out to the Riverside area of Jacksonville and join in on the fun happening under the Fuller Warren Bridge.

Every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the parking lot under the bridge transforms into a “weekly arts and crafts market.” Head out for entertainment involving anything from the arts and food to organic produce and belly dancers.

This Saturdays weather is expected to be fabulous, so come out and enjoy the arts along with free live entertainment by La Villa Chamber Orchestra, and musical artists Matt Collins, Kelty Shellhorn and Porchlights.

Street performers this week include comedy magician – Mark Alan; Rhythm and Jazz musician – Doc Handy; The One-Man Band – Cameron Taghlabi; The Memory Man – Matthew Barrett; Tarot Reading with Dawn Hudson; Belly dancer – Tanya Galligher; Palm Readings by Kiti Komatsu and more. Be sure to check out the complete schedule to everything that's happening.

Let me know what artists you fall in love with this week!

Let there be Lights!

This Saturday is the kick off night for the annual Nights of Lights in St. Augustine. On November 21st join the Mayor of St. Augustine, Joe Boles, as he “flips the switch” in the Plaza de la Constitucion to light up the magnificent display in the heart of the historic district.

The event activities begin at 4:00 p.m. with a holiday performance by Showtime USA. At 5:30 p.m. the All Star Orchestra will serenade you from the Plaza’s Gazebo. And at 6:30 p.m. all attendees will begin the countdown to the lighting!

And if you want to get the festivities going early, you can be part of the Holiday Lighting Gala with the mayor. Sip cocktails and have hors d’oeuvres at the Government House at 5:30 p.m. Then at 6:30 p.m., head over with the mayor to “flip the switch.”

After the lighting, the Mayor and Gala participants will proceed to the courtyard of the Lightner Museum (led by a 1740 Color Guard) for a dinner catered by Casa Monica Hotel. There will be music, dancing and a silent auction. Be sure not to miss out!

Tickets for the special gala are $150 per person (parking provided). All proceeds benefit the St. Francis House Building Fund.

If you don’t want to be part of the Gala, you can still join in on the countdown for free… but be sure to arrive early to get a good parking spot. Sure to be a challenge that night.

Also, if you end up taking any pictures, be sure to post or link them here so everyone can see the beautiful lights!

Happy Veteran's Day!

In case you missed it, here's a little snip-it from the Veteran's Day parade downtown...

New Promo for the Conmoto Art & Music Festival!

Check out this new promo for the Conmoto Art & Music Festival!

Sure to be an awesome two days of local music in great Jax venues! Don't miss it, November 20 &21!

"Get Shaken and Stirred"

See the two-page spread in this weeks Folio? They tell you “Get Shaken & Stirred” and I recommend we all do!

This Friday, November 13th from 7 to 10 p.m. is Folio Weekly’s 6th Annual Martini Fest at the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium Touchdown Club West!

This event promises to be “an ultra-hip sampling of over 50 of the latest in luscious, liquid libations!” Who could say no to that? Also a great place to meet new people and network! What brings people together better than a cocktail? A cocktail party!

General admission to the event is $25 in advance or $30 at the door. So you better get your tickets early! And if you want to get the party started an hour early, you can purchase a VIP Admission for $30 in advance or $35 at the door and get in an hour early.

Tickets can be purchased at the St. Johns Town Center, Alpha Beauty Clinic and the Folio Weekly on the Southside, Open Road Bicycles in Miramar or Avondale and at Monkey’s Uncle in Jax Beach.

It’s all in the Details – Check out the latest exhibit at The Cummer

On Friday, October 16, The Cummer opened its latest travelling exhibition. The exhibition, entitled “Discoveries in Detail: Jacques Le Moyne and Theodor de Bry,” consists of four different unique and engaging components and is on view through January 10, 2010.

The Botanical Watercolors by Jacques Le Moyne are exquisite. The gallery contains sixty-one botanical paintings all in watercolor and gouache. These works were par tof a series of eighty plates removed from a manuscript of Le Moyne.

The Artist Response: Botanicals contains work of local Jacksonville artists, Linda Broadfoot, Emily Arthur Douglass and Susan Ober. They chose to reinterpret the botanical art of Le Moyne’s watercolors in photography, printmaking and drawing. And, I’ve got to say, Susan Ober’s paintings are amazing! Such vivid colors! Her paintings stood out, and I loved it!

Don’t miss Voyages to the New World on your next trip to The Cummer either. This contains forty-two images, engraved by Flemish publisher Theodor de Bry in the 17th century and tells the story of the French settlement at Fort Caroline. And check out the old maps drawn by Theodor de Bry too!

For this exhibition, The Cummer partnered with Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville. DA students used their newly xeriscaped garden to create drawings inspired by the works of Le Moyne. That school has some talented students!

Get out. Be part of the Scene in Jax.

Who doesn't want to be seen? Making a scene downtown and in the Jacksonville area is what this blog is all about.

There are so many unique opportunities afforded by Jville, and a lot of these opportunities float under the radar. Whether going through the Folio or hitting up the metro section of the Florida Times Union, you're obviously looking for something to do in this town.

That's where I come in. It's my goal to sift through the clutter and find that one nugget of culture and entertainment that is sure to be the hot spot to be seen.

Whether it's 5 Points, Riverside, San Marco, Downtown, Southside or the Beaches, I'll provide you with the very best of arts and entertainment events and venues all along the First Coast.

Get out. Be part of the Scene in Jax.