Florida
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This Weekend in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & the Beaches – October 19 – 21
Oct 20th
John Hiatt and The Combo Concert
John Hiatt and The Combo perform at 8 p.m. at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall 1050 A1A N in Ponte Vedra beach. Tickets are $39.50 and $49.50. www.PvConcerthall.com
Bats in the Park After Dark
Faver-Dykes State Park is celebrating Halloween with a special educational bat program that will teach participants how to identify the different bat species within the park and explain their habitat, eating habits, and life cycle. The program takes place from 6 to 7 p.m. at Faver-Dykes State Park, 1000 Faver-Dykes Road. Admission is $5 per vehicle. Trick or treat candy will be provided. www.FloridaStateParks.org
Friday and Saturday: October 19 & 20
Florida’s Haunted Trails
Activities include a family-friendly haunted house, storytelling, magic shows, a haunted farm, wagon rides, carnival games and a headless horseman. It all takes place from 6 to 10 p.m. Admission is $8, children under 5 are free. Florida Agricultural Museum is located at the corner of Old Kings Road and US 1 in Palm Coast. 386.446.7630. www.MyAgMuseum.com
Old Town Trolleys: Nightmare In The Museum
Take a riding ghost tour through the darkened streets of Old St. Augustine, including a stop at Potter’s House of Wax which has been darkly rumored as a portal between the living and the dead. Tours start 8 p.m. from the Old Town Trolley Welcome Center, 27 San Marco Ave., St. Augustine. Tickets are $20. 904-829-3800 www.trustedtours.com.
A Ghostly Experience Halloween 2012
A Ghostly Experience tour guides lead a walking tour through the haunted streets of the Nation’s Oldest City, for encounters with crazed, feisty, and swash-buckling spirits that linger around to tell their tales of their mysterious, warranted, and fitting deaths. Tickets are $15 per person. The tours depart every 30 minutes starting at 8 p.m. from 2 St. George Street, St. Augustine. Reservations are required, and space is limited. 904- 829-1122 www.GhostToursofStAugustine.com
Zombieville
This is an interactive paintball experience of horrific proprotions! Load up and take aim at the undead, enjoy tales told in the hut of the ancient Zombie, King Motumbo and take a ride on the Zombie Express. Tickets are on sale at Ripley’s or at the door. Zombieville can be found at 254 San Marco Ave, at the old Sugar Mill. Doors open at 7:30 every Friday and Saturday night through October. Prices are $10 at the door, or $15 for the Zombie Express leaving from the original Ripley’s.Believe It or Not Museum at 19 San Marco Avenue. You can also purchase Zombieville tickets for only $5 with the purchase of a Ghost Train Adventure ticket. For more information, call 904.377.2607.
Ghost Hunt
Get trained to be a ghost hunter by professional investigators! Spend three hours using paranormal-detecting equipment inside the Old Jail and learn about the amazing amount of paranormal activity that has been observed in the building. The tour is from 10:45 p.m. until 2 a.m. Admission is $80 per person; $35 for children under 12 (children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult). For reservations (required), call 904.829.3800.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday: October 19, 20 & 21
Southern Tandem Rally 2012
Tandem bicycle teams come to World Golf Village from all over the South for three fun-filled riding days of various distances throughout the St. John’s River basin area.www.southerntandemrally.com
Premium Outlets Pink Event
Throughout October, St. Augustine Premium Outlet shoppers who stop by the Information Center and donate $10 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure will receive a special savings card filled with “25% off one single item” redeemable at Brooks Brothers, Calvin Klein, J.Crew, Polo, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and many more. www.premiumoutlets.com
Ripple Effect Eco Kayak Tours
Relax, unwind and experience nature at its finest on one of Ripple Effect Eco Tours’ outings. Saturday at 9 a.m., paddle through an enchanted forest on the meandering waters of Faver-Dykes State Park and Pellicer Creek. Morning and sunset tours are also available all weekend at Marineland and the GTM Reserve. Tours include the finest kayaking gear, guide and instruction – perfect for beginners. Tours are $55 for adults and $45 for age 15 and under. For details and reservations, go to www.rippleeffectecotours.com or call 904.347.1565
Sea Monsters!
Venom! Ultra Vision! Glow in the Dark! These are some of the fascinating “monster” characteristics of some sea animals. Daily in October, the Sea Monsters Traveling Exhibit engages visitors in these mysterious and intriguing attributes, and explains how they are adaptations to extreme underwater environments. Learn about animals that use these special survival strategies. Included in General Admission Price, $9.75 Adult General Admission, $7.75 Child General Admission
www.staugustinelighthouse.org
St. Augustine Lighthouse Dark of the Moon Tours
Go on the only tour that takes participants to the top of the tower of the St. Augustine Lighthouse and into the eerie Keeper’s House. Find out why the Syfy Network’s Ghost Hunters program called the Lighthouse the “Mona Lisa of paranormal sites.” Tours begin at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $25 for adults ($35 on Halloween) and $20 for children ages 7-11($30 on Halloween). Reservations are required. (Private 90-minute, 3-hour and 5-hour tours are also available.) Call 904.829.0745
Halloween Corn Maze
Get hopelessly lost in a nine-acre maze! Fun for the entire family! This third annual maze is at the Sykes and Cooper Farms off SR 207 in Elkton, Florida (about five miles east of I-95 Exit 311). Plus, don’t miss Jack the braying donkey, the awesome pumpkin slingshot and the cow train! Tickets (cash only) are $8 per person (children under 2 are free). The maze is open on Fridays 5-10 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m. For more information, go to www.sycofarms.com or call 904.692.1084.
Saturday: October 20
Cracker Day
Florida’s Country Cracker Heritage is celebrated with bluegrass banjos, horsemanship demonstrations and barbecue. Horseback games and barrel racing, livestock show, cracker whipping demonstrations, and exhibits of Florida Cracker equipment. Events from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Barbecue is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.) at the St. Johns County Fairgrounds located at 5840 SR 207 in Elkton. Adult admission is s $10, children (under 12) admission is $4 each day. Price includes parking and barbecue dinner (Race participation fees not included). 904.824.9720.
Guana 5K And 12K Run
5K and 12 K runs on the Guana Preserve trails. The 5K starts at 8 a.m. and the 12K starts at 1 p.m. Participation in each run is limited to 200. Each run starts from the GTM Research Reserve Trailhead Pavilion, 505 Guana River Rd., Ponte Vedra Beach.www.jtcrunning.com
Salt Run Challenge
The first-ever Salt Run Challenge will take place at Anastasia State Park, 1340A A1A South, St. Augustine from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Two kayak and stand up paddleboard races will be held along the marked corridor of Salt Run. Preregistration is $15.00 and $20.00 after October 13, 2012. There will be an oyster roast and drinks for purchase. Live music will be provided under the pavilion. 904 461-2033
Estuary Kayaking at its Best!
Learn about fascinating animals and how they live together in one of the most productive habitats on earth. See the historic Castillo fort from a unique angle while getting a little exercise. The 10 a.m. tour is perfect for beginners or experienced paddlers. $35 per paddler. Call St. Augustine Eco Tours at 904-377-7245 to reserve your spot! www.staugustineecotours.com
Bicentennial Commemoration Of The Spanish Constitution of 1812
Celebrate the 200th anniversary of the naming of St. Augustine’s Plaza de la Constitucion with a full day of educational and inspiring activities. Hosted by the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine along with the Puerto Rican Bar Association, the festivities will begin with a moot court competition. Legal scholars will debate the constitutionality of the Puerto Rican Territory within the context of the United States. The competition will be held in the Alcazar Room in the Lightner Museum located at 75 King St. from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. At 2 p.m., an Ecumenical Prayer Service will take place at the Cathedral Basilica located at 38 Cathedral Place. The Most Reverend Felipe J. Estevez, Bishop of St. Augustine, will preside as leaders of various faith traditions throughout the area ask for blessings on all nations and peoples of the world. City of St. Augustine Vice-Mayor Leanna Freeman will speak at the event along with the Consul General Garrigues and clergy from numerous area churches. The Chancel Choir of the Cathedral, under the direction of Dr. Bernard Sans, will provide music, including a metrical version of the Te Deum in English. All events are free and open to the public.
https://sites.google.com/site/staugustine450/News/celebrating-200-years
Halla Galla
A Victorian-inspired black-tie soiree filled with frights and delights at this charitable event for the Women’s Junior Service League. The evening’s event includes dinner, live entertainment, charitable gambling, and a live & silent auction. It all takes place from 6:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at Lightner Museum, 75 King Street, Tickets are $125 per person. www.HallaGalla.com
Sam Cooke Tribute Benefit Concert
Experience an impressive salute to the late and great Sam Cooke performed by Patric Robinson – and help support the St. Paul School of Excellence. This charter school is a self managed, tuition-free public school for grades K-5 that is authorized and monitored by the St. Johns County School District. Organized by the Limelight Theatre, the concert begins at 7 p.m, at the Galimore Center, 399 Riberia Street in St. Augustine. Tickets are available for $15 each through Limelight www.limelight-theatre.org at the door.
Saturday and Sunday: October 20 & 21
Reptile Awareness Weekend
You’ve probably seen lots of American alligators – but what about the world’s only other kind of ‘gator? That’s right – it’s the Chinese alligator! This weekend, learn about the worldwide effort the save the critically endangered Chinese alligator – and get your photo taken with one of these rare reptiles. Plus, there will be an opportunity to feed rats to alligators! It all happens at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park. 904-824-3337 or www.AlligatorFarm.com
Local Resident Specials
NOTE: St. Johns County residents with a valid ID are always admitted free of charge to the Oldest House, the Lightner Museum, the Fountain of Youth (special events excluded), the Ximenez-Fatio House, the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse, Spanish Military Hospital Museum, and the Historic Tours of Flagler College. The daily tours and wine tastings at the San Sebastian Winery are free to everyone. Also, admission is free to everyone at the Authentic Old Drug Store, Fort Matanzas National Monument, St. Photios Chapel, the Pena-Peck House, the Father Miguel O’Reilly Museum and the Mission Nombre de Dios Museum (donations are welcomed).
NEW: St. Johns County residents who purchase full-price admisssion to the St. Augustine Lighthouse ($9.50 adults; $7.50 seniors and children 12 and under; free for children under 44 inches in height) can now receive a pass good for free admission for an entire year! The Lighthouse is now open until 6 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Also, on the first Monday of each month, St. Johns County residents are admitted free to the Dow Museum of Historic Houses, 246 St. George Street, St. Augustine.
NEW: St. Johns County residents with a valid ID now receive FREE admission to the Oldest House in St. Augustine.
Source: Visitors and Convention Bureau
City receives recognition for innovative wastewater treatment process
Oct 16th
The process, involving the use of peracetic acid rather than chlorine to disinfect wastewater effluent, has been used in agricultural premises, food establishments and medical facilities since its approval by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1985, and yet only in some European countries is it widely used to treat wastewater. That is until the City of St. Augustine was initially permitted to launch a pilot program and then allowed to implement full scale use of the alternative method.
The primary benefit of using peracetic acid is its environmental benefits to aquatic life as it does not generate chlorinated disinfection byproducts. In short, the treated wastewater entering the waterways has a far less impact on the environment than wastewater treated with chlorine.
This innovative process has not gone unnoticed, but rather has garnered a lot of interest from the wastewater industry as evidenced by the invitations extended to city staff to share details of the program with their peers. Those invitations included two leading professional associations, the Florida Industrial Pretreatment Association and Water Environment Federation.
Martha Graham, Public Works Director, and George Lomax, Treatment Plants Manager, presented a paper on the comparison of peracetic acid with chlorine for the disinfection of wastewater effluent at the Water Environment Federation Technical Conference held in New Orleans earlier this month, an annual conference attended by over 17,000 water professionals from around the world. Then, just last week, Glabra Skipp, Environmental Compliance Inspector, presented the same paper at the Florida Industrial Pretreatment Association Conference, a statewide professional association of which Skipp is the northern regional coordinator.
For more information, contact the Public Works Department at 904.825.1040.
Source: City of St. Augustine
Flagler College theater department presents ‘Six Degrees of Separation’
Oct 15th
The story centers on Ouisa Kittredge, a Fifth Avenue socialite and Flan, her purveyor of high-art husband. Their privileged world makes them easy prey for a con artist who mysteriously shows up at their front door-injured and bleeding-claiming to be Sidney Poitier’s son and a close college friend of their Ivy League children.
The Flagler production stars Caulene Hudson as Ouisa, Micah Laird as Flan and Nick Khan as Paul, the con-artist who charms his way into many upper-crust homes along the Upper East Side with his wit and insider knowledge.
“I think it’s a script that will leave the viewer thinking,” said director Britton Corry, of the play that premiered in 1990. “In this country, most of us are not what we might wish other to think we are, but even though we may see ourselves as being worlds apart from many people, there are only six degrees of separation.”
Show times for “Six Degrees of Separation” will be at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 19-20 and 26-27 with 2 p.m. matinees Oct. 21 and 28. Tickets are $15 and are available from noon-5 p.m. at the auditorium box office or one hour prior to curtain.
Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College is at 14 Granada St. in St. Augustine. For more info, call (904) 826-8600.
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Flagler College is an independent, four-year, comprehensive baccalaureate college located in St. Augustine, Fla. The college offers 24 majors, 29 minors and two pre-professional programs, the largest majors being business, education and communication. Small by intent, Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,500 students, as well as a satellite campus at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla. U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review regularly feature Flagler as a college that offers quality education at a relatively low cost; tuition is $23,690, including room and board. A relatively young institution (founded in 1968), Flagler College is also noted for the historic beauty of its campus. The main building is Ponce de Leon Hall, built in 1887 as a luxury resort by Henry Flagler, who co-founded the Standard Oil Company with John D. Rockefeller. For more on Flagler College, visit www.flagler.edu
Source: Flagler College