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Halloween adventures await in old St. Augustine
Oct 14th
When it comes to selecting the perfect place for ghostly fun, it’s difficult to find a more haunted location than the Nation’s oldest city, St. Augustine, Florida. With nearly 450 years of history, ancient narrow streets, two cemeteries with graves dating back hundreds of years, a brooding Spanish fortress and endless stories of roaming spirits and things that go bump in the night, it’s the place to be for all things other-worldly. Despite daylight’s warm Florida sun and beautiful Atlantic beaches, every night of the year features ghost tours and spooky encounters. But when Halloween approaches, that’s when the spirits really get busy.
Here are some St. Augustine Halloween adventures awaiting intrepid souls and fun-seeking spirits:
October 1- 31
ST. AUGUSTINE CITY WALKS HALLOWEEN ORIGINS TOURS
Explore the stories of how many of our present day Halloween customs began… Bonfires, Jack-O-Lanterns, Costumes & Masks, Trick-or-Treating, and more! During the entire month of October, ALL of the St. Augustine City Walks’ regularly scheduled evening tours will feature enchanting stories on the history, myths and legends of the Original Halloween, also known as Samhain- The Celtic New Year. Join one of their famous Historic Pub Crawls, Creepy Crawls, or History, Mystery & Murder tours for this special Halloween event! All tours depart downtown regularly, seven days a week. Special discounts available for online booking with all tours. For more information and to reserve your space visit www.StAugustineCityWalks.com or call 904.540.3476.
October 1-31
ZOMBIEVILLE
This is an interactive paintball experience of horrific proportions! 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.
October 1-31
GHOST TRAIN ADVENTURE
Board Ripley’s black-as-midnight Ghost Train and travel through old St. Augustine in search of the paranormal. Armed with an electromagnetic detection device, passengers may detect the presence of supernatural beings at the Castillo de San Marcos, Huguenot Cemetery and Ripley’s very-own Castle Warden. Tickets: $26 adults: $13 children. 904.377.2607.
October 1 – 31
GHOSTS AND GRAVESTONES FRIGHTSEEING ADVENTURES
Explore the darker side of the Nation’s Oldest City with ghost guides and re-live historic haunted tales and legends found at every turn. The tour includes a visit to the Lighthouse Park, where the ghosts of three little girls are said to still haunt the place of their tragic drowning, and a ghost-hunting excursion to the Old Jail, famous for the paranormal activity found there. Voted St. Augustine’s Best Ghost Tour three years in a row! Ghosts & Gravestones tours leave nightly from the Old Town Trolley Welcome Center at 27 San Marco Ave., starting at 8:00 p.m. Reservations are required. Tickets are $26 for adults and $14 for children ages 6 – 12 (5 and under are free). Please call (904) 829-3800 for reservations..
October 1-31 (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only)
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
October 1-31
A VICTORIAN HALLOWEEN
Experience a Halloween from days-gone-by at the historic Villa Zorayda Museum. Built in 1883, this unique poured-concrete structure is a scaled replica of a portion of Spain’s famous Alhambra. Throughout the month, the museum will feature Halloween decorations from the late 1880’s and the early 1900’s. Visitors may even see the ghost of Franklin Smith, architect and builder of the house, as he writes a letter to his beloved wife, Laura. The fascinating history of the building comes alive through a state-of-the-art guided audio tour. Located at 83 King Street in historic St. Augustine, admission to the Villa Zorayda is $10 for adults; $4 for children ages 8-12; under 7 free. For more information, go to www.villazorayda.com or call 904.829.9887
October 1 – 31
HAUNTED HEARSE RIDES
Experience a genuine St. Augustine ghost tour – from the eternal comfort of a haunted hearse! Choose from a guided tour down the Ancient City’s oldest streets; hear intoxicating tales while enjoying rich ales on a pub tour or go on a more than four-hour total immersion trip into the paranormal world. Tickets range from $16 to $66 depending on the chosen adventure. For more information, call 904.824-8840, or visit http://www.ghostaugustine.com
October 1-31 (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only)
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.
October 1-31 (Friday and Saturday nights only)
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.
October 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 31
HALLOWEEN EXPRESS: NIGHTMARE IN THE MUSEUM
Old Town Trolley Tours of St. Augustine has another new adventure, custom-made for Halloween. Prepare yourself for an evening of fun, scares, and ghost stories as you are guided through the streets of America’s Oldest City aboard our Halloween Express. Visit the town’s most haunted museum, Potter’s Haunted House of Wax, for an up-close and personal encounter with the souls of the dead, living within. Tickets are $20 per person and include entry to Potter’s Haunted House of Wax. Children under 5 not permitted – this is a frightening experience. Tours begin at 8 p.m. from the Old Town Trolley Welcome Center at 27 San Marco Avenue. Reservations required. 904.829.3800 or 904.826.3663
October 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 & 27
A GHOSTLY EXPERIENCE HALLOWEEN 2012
Just for Halloween, Ghost Tours of St. Augustine has placed a supernatural twist on their infamous “A Ghostly Experience Walking Tour”! Led by a licenses tour guide, participants will meander the haunted streets of the Nation’s oldest city and encounter crazed, feisty and swash-buckling spirits anxious to share the tale of their mysterious, warranted and fitting deaths. The tours last approximately one hour and depart every 30 minutes beginning at 8 p.m. from 2 St. George Street. Tickets are $15 per person (ages 6 and under free) and reservations are required. Call 904.829.1122.
October 14
SUNDAY SUPPER WITH THE SPIRITS
Have a an authentic Gilded Age dinner at the 173-year old Dow House and return to the year 1906 to meet the spirits of two of St. Augustine’s daring daughters – Dr. Luella Day McConnell, better known as Diamond Lil, and Ida Alice Flagler, the second wife of millionaire developer Henry Flagler. The evening includes a lantern-lit, guided tour of the nine historic homes on the property and an elegant, plated supper served by candlelight on linen-covered tables. The authentic menu includes sliced beef tenderloin with steamed prawns, horseradish sauce, potatoes maison, steamed carrots, Nantucket salad and Key Lime cake. Red and white wines served throughout the evening. Tickets are $59 per person or $100 per couple and includes a copy of “Daring Daughters” written by local author Karen Harvey. Reservations required. Call 904.823.9722 or 904.501.1253.
October 19, 20, 26 and 27
FLORIDA’S HAUNTED TRAILS
Experience a hauntingly fun evening with the entire family at the Florida Agricultural Museum in Palm Coast. Activities include a wagon ride through spooky woods, haunted houses, storytelling, magic shows, carnival games, headless horsemen, face painting, the singing pumpkin and the scariest stuff imaginable! It all takes place from 6 to 10 p.m. Admission is 10, toddlers under 30 inches in height are admitted at no charge. Florida Agricultural Museum is located 17 miles south of St. Augustine off U.S. 1 at 7900 Old Kings Road North, Palm Coast. For more information, call 386.446.7630 or visit www.MyAgMuseum.com.
October 26 & 27
CHILDREN’S HALLOWEEN WITH MOTHER GOOSEBUMPS
For the very young and the young at heart, join Puppeteer Mother Goosebumps and Lucy Goosey for a “Children’s Halloween with Mother Goosebumps” walking ghost tour. Little ones should come in costume to enjoy a milder version of the award-winning walking ghost tour! Goodies Bags will be provided for each paying child! The 30-minute walking tours start at 5, 6 & 7 p.m. from 2 St. George Street in St. Augustine. Tickets are $5 per person. This tour is rated G and children must be accompanied by an adult. Reservations required. 904-829-1122
October 26 & 27
CREATURES OF THE NIGHT AT THE ALLIGATOR FARM
Dress in your favorite costume and head to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park for a fun and safe way for the entire family to enjoy Halloween — perfect for children ages 2-11! Young ghosts and goblins can wander the wild walkway and encounter costumed animal keepers with creepy creatures and candy! It all takes place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The night concludes with a special Alligator Feeding Show and a raffle drawing at 7:15 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for children. For more information, call 904.824.3337 or visit www.alligatorfarm.com.
October 26, 27, 28 & 31
ANCIENT CITY TOURS: HALLOWEEN 2012
Ever wonder where Halloween traditions came from or how the legend of St. Augsutine’s Love Tree began? These and many other questions about Halloween haunts will be answered on these special Ancient City Tours. Departing every 30 minutes beginning at 7 p.m. these tours get off to an auspicious start from the Ancient City office at 6 Cordova Street – next door to the infamous Tolomato Cemetery. Tickets are $15 each (under 6 free) and reservations are required. Call 904.827.0807 www.staugustineghosttours.com
October 27
SPOOKTACULAR SHOPPING
Uptown Saturday Night takes on a festive, Halloween theme when the galleries, antique stores and unique shops along St. Augustine’s San Marco Avenue stay open until 9 p.m. Meet-the-artists, book signings, live music and more create a lively, Halloween atmosphere for bargain hunters. Plus, there’s free parking at the Mission Nombre de Dios. For more information, call 904.823.9263.
October 28
COSTUME PARADE AND TRICK OR TREATING
Join Ancient City Tours for their annual Halloween costume parade/contest and trick or treating for the children. The parade will begin at 2 p.m. at the Clock Tower at the St. Augustine Visitor Information Center, 1 Castillo Drive, and end in the downtown Plaza for the costume judging. (Registration will begin at 1:30 p.m.). Then safe trick or treating will take place along the historic streets of the downtown area from 3:30 – 5 p.m. It’s all FREE! For more information, call 904.827.0807
October 31 only
TRICK OR TREAT GHOST TRAIN
Family fun aboard Ripley’s Ghost Train featuring ghost stories, spooky songs and a stop at the Sugar Mill for trick or treating with Zombies before returning to Ripley’s bounce house and balloon animals! The tour is from 6 to 7 p.m. Tickets are $7 for adults and $4 for children ages 4-11 (costumed children ride for free!) For information and reservations, call 904.824.1606 or visit www.ghosttrainadventure.com
October 31 only
MIDNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
End Halloween at midnight and catch the returning spirits until 4 a.m. at Ripley’s historic Castle Warden. This exclusive investigation is limited to 30 people, all of whom will receive free use of EMF meters and digital voice recorders. The castle is one of the nation’s most well-known haunted structures and has been visited three times by The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) featuring the celebrated Ghost Hunters. Participants will be briefed on each room’s paranormal significance and be given free time to roam through the castle. They will also see an exclusive screening of the pilot episode of Anomaly, the new 3-D paranormal series, filmed at Castle Warden. Tickets are $75 per person. For reservations, call 904.824.1606 or www.ghosttrainadventure.com
Located midway between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, Florida’s Historic Coast features historic St. Augustine, the outstanding golf and seaside elegance of Ponte Vedra, 42 miles of pristine Atlantic beaches – the same beaches that greeted Ponce de Leon on his historic 1513 discovery of the land he named La Florida – an area whose boundaries included what would later become the eastern United States. For more information on events, activities, holiday getaways and vacation opportunities in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches, go to the Visitors and Convention Bureau website at www.FloridasHistoricCoast.com, become a fan on FACEBOOK, or call 1.800.653.2489
Source: Visitors and Convention Bureau
St. Augustine News and Notes for October 12, 2012
Oct 14th
This year’s theme, “Have 2 Ways Out,” gets extra emphasis from fire department this month
For the last 90 years, the week in which October 9 falls has been designated as Fire Prevention Week, but for the St. Augustine Fire Department, what is nationally a week is locally a month. Taking advantage of the nation-wide emphasis on fire prevention in October each year, the St. Augustine Fire Department uses the themed month to educate the public on fire safety.
Much of that education takes place in the community’s elementary schools, pre-schools and daycare centers where fire personnel are greeted by an audience ready to listen and willing to learn. According to John Rayno, St. Augustine’s Fire Marshal and Assistant Fire Chief, having firefighters visit schools is a very effective way to get information into the home.
This year’s Fire Prevention Week’s theme is “Have 2 Ways Out,” focusing on the need for escape plans to incorporate two exits for each room. Taking stock of available exits is essential to every escape plan, whether for home or business, and those plans need to be well known and practiced.
While the month of October has an emphasis on prevention education, fire department personnel are ready to bring tailor made programming to civic associations, businesses, living facilities, churches and anywhere else a group wants to know more about fire prevention.
For more information about Fire Prevention Week and the work of the St. Augustine Fire Department,
click here.
This week on The Break Room: Fire Prevention Week
Assistant Fire Chief and City Fire Marshal John Rayno stops by The Break Room this week to discuss this month’s educational efforts as part of Fire Prevention Week and, shares with program host, Paul K. Williamson, some specific fire safety guidelines.
Each week the friendly and informative style of The Break Room offers the community an opportunity to know a little more about how their city works by getting to know those who do the work every day. The Break Room airs Wednesdays at 5:30pm and Saturdays at 8:00am, and each program is archived at www.breakroom.info as podcasts available for download anytime. To listen to this week’s program immediately, click here.
Avenida Menendez crosswalk installation necessitates lane closure
Traffic reduced to one lane in each direction during installation work
The installation of crosswalks at two locations on Avenida Menendez will necessitate the reduction of traffic to two lanes, one for northbound traffic and one for southbound, in two locations on two different occasions in coming weeks. The crosswalks at Fort Alley and Cuna Street, currently delineated with stamped asphalt to simulate brick, will be replaced with historic, authentic brick.
To accommodate the extensive work, Avenida Menendez will be reduced to two lane, two way traffic for a period of four days lasting from mid-day Sunday through Wednesday evening. At no time will Avenida Menendez be closed, but traffic will be slowed through the area during the work.
The work is scheduled for:
— Fort Alley crosswalk installation: mid-day Sunday, October 21 through the evening of Wednesday, October 24.
— Cuna Street crosswalk installation: mid-day Sunday, October 28 through the evening of Wednesday, October 31.
The crosswalk installation is the final element of an extensive project that began in early February of this year and includes extensive pedestrian improvements along south Castillo Drive that have included the installation of new street lights, widening of sidewalks, and improved signalization for both pedestrians and vehicles.
Funding for the project was secured by Congressman John Mica who, during a visit to St. Augustine, noticed the challenges pedestrians had in the congested area lying between popular St. George Street and the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. He then set about seeking an appropriation to fund the changes needed to alleviate those challenges.
To read a story on the city’s Web site regarding the project, click here.
For more information, contact the Planning and Building Department at 904.825.1065.
City plants 23 trees in just two days
Live oaks, red cedars and magnolias replace trees removed following tree assessment program
If it is true that any day is made better by the planting of a tree then last week the City of St. Augustine gave the community some great days by planting over 20 new trees in just a two-day period.
Most of the plantings are replacement trees for those that had to be removed following receipt of the results of a tree assessment that identified 15 trees in the city right-of-way that were deemed to be so far decayed as to be unsafe, commonly referred to as hazard trees.
The new trees included Live Oaks that were planted along the most northern section of San Marco Ave. and at Vickers Field, Magnolias planted on Riberia St. next to Francis Field, and Red Cedars along Flagler Blvd. and at the Visitors Information Center.
To learn more, click here.
Thirty-six days until Light-Up! Night
Nights of Lights’ 19th season begins on November 17
Have you seen your neighbors checking their holiday lights? Seem a little early? Not really when you consider that the 19th season of Nights of Lights is only a few weeks away.
Recognized as one of the Southeast’s major seasonal events, Nights of Lights has brought holiday excitement to the Nation’s Oldest City annually since 1994. The 10-week long event begins each year with a simple flip of a switch on the Saturday before Thanksgiving known as Light-Up! Night. To read about last year’s opening night, click here.
Don’t be “left in the dark” when the Nation’s Oldest City is transformed into an enchanted city of light.
For guidelines to participate in the Nights of Lights by adding displays to property in the city’s historic districts, click here.
For visitor information including dining, shopping, lodging, attractions, and tours, during the ten weeks of Nights of Lights, contact St. Augustine/Ponte Vedra on Florida’s Historic Coast by calling 800.653.2489 or visiting www.nightsoflights.com.
4 Ways 2 Stay in the City-Info-Loop
The city’s Public Affairs Department strives to keep the city’s constituents informed by making information
readily available and does so in a number of formats. In fact there are four ways to stay in the information loop. To learn what they are read this new story on the city’s web site by clicking here.
Opportunity to serve: Code Enforcement, Adjustments & Appeals Board
The City Commission is accepting applications to fill vacancies on the Code Enforcement, Adjustments & Appeals Board. Interested individuals who reside within the city limits of the City of St. Augustine are invited to submit applications for this volunteer board. Applications are requested by Friday, November 30 with appointments tentatively scheduled for the City Commission meeting of Monday, December 10. For information concerning qualifications and applications please contact the City Clerk’s office at 825-1007. The application form is available on the city’s web site by clicking here.
Agendas
The Code Enforcement, Appeals and Adjustment Board meets on October 9. The agenda is available here.
The Historic Architectural Review Board’s October meeting date has been rescheduled from October 18 until October 30. The agenda is available here.
All agenda, minutes and GTV info
Agendas and minutes for all city meetings can be found at www.staugustinegovernment.com with a schedule of upcoming meetings listed under City Calendar. City Commission meetings are broadcast live via GTV (Comcast Channel 3 in St. Augustine) each second and fourth Monday at 5:00pm. Commission meetings are also recorded and rebroadcast as are Planning and Zoning Board and Historic Architectural Review Board meetings. For a current schedule of all programming on GTV, click here.
Source: City of St. Augustine
Juvenile Arrest
Oct 14th
On 10/06/2012 at 9pm a 14 year old was on St. George Street with his friend when another group of juveniles approached them. A 17 year old in the second group took a cap from the 14 year and ran down St. George St. away from the victim.
A short time later the 14 year old and his friend saw the group of other juveniles that took his cap. He approached them and asked for his cap back, even offering to buy it back.
The 17 year old counted to three and struck the 14 year old on the jaw, causing him to lose consciousness. Officer Bryan Johnson arrived on scene and started to render aid to the 14 year old and attempted to locate anyone in the crowd that may have observed the incident.
The 14 year old was taken to the hospital and was found to have a broken jaw that required reconstructive surgery.
The following Monday Detective Corporeal Charles Simpson continued the investigation and started interviewing witnesses. The witnesses were able to point Cpl. Simpson to a possible suspect. After initially denying involvement, the suspect came to the police department with his parents and admitted striking the victim, but not taking his cap.
Cpl. Simpson contacted the on-call Department of Juvenile Justice Officer, and then transported the 17 year old to the St. Johns County Jail for processing. The 17 year was later released to his parents.
Source: St. Augustine Police Department