Posts tagged entertainment
Gamble Rogers Folk Fest is back in the St. Augustine Amphitheatre
May 5th
This year’s festival is the 17th and the theme is “Return to Oklawaha County,” appropriately titled, according to Festival President Paul Linser’s recent edition of Gamble Gazette. Oklawaha County is a fictional Florida place that Rogers would take his audiences to wherever he performed.
Rogers lived in the Lighthouse Park on Anastasia Island and had staged a Storytelling Festival at the amphitheatre which highlighted, among other performers, winners from a public schools contest he organized to encourage appreciation of the art of storytelling.
He won national acclaim for his own stories and songs and singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett acknowledged Rogers as a mentor.
But Rogers untimely but heroic death in 1991 left his adopted community in shock. He died at a Flagler County Park while trying to rescue a man drowning in the rough October surf. Both men died in the rescue attempt. The St. Johns County School Board named a middle school for Rogers and Flagler County named its oceanside park in his memory.
His friends and fans created the Gamble Rogers Folk Festival in tribute and it showcases performers from all over the county. We’re glad the festival has become a tradition here and we’re glad its back “home.” The camaraderie in Rogers’ backyard can’t be beat.
Four stages and venues will be going non-stop today from noon until 6 p.m. And then, the Main Stage continues on with the headliners starting at 7 p.m., Aaron O’Rourke Trio, followed by the well-known regional group, the Gatorbone Band, and then The Waymores, whom Linser refers to as one of Nashville’s top threesomes of singer-songwriters.
The festival’s proceeds benefit youth music programs. Tickets for today’s festival are $35 per person and children under 12 get in free when accompanied by an adult on a paid ticket.
The Amphitheatre is always a busy place with or without another event on Saturdays with the Farmer’s Market open for business until around 12:30 p.m. We suggest you come early and take in the market before following the sounds of music.
LEGO Kids Fest
Apr 28th
LEGO KidsFest brings all of the creative hands-on, minds-on fun of LEGO building and experiences together in one activity- and entertainment-packed family event for children of all ages and builders of all skills and interests. In this special event we bring you to the festival, watch kids hard at work building tons of LEGO constructions and a personal interview with Chis one of the LEGO Master builders who tells us about the things kids can participate in and lots of cool LEGO models to check out.
Find out more about the event at http://www.legokidsfest.com/
State Grants Recognize Henry Flagler’s Legacy — Will Help Complete Restoration of Ponce De Leon Hall’s Solarium
Apr 24th
These funds will be used as part of the $2 million project, A Crowning Achievement: The Campaign for Restoration of the Solarium.
“Flagler College is grateful for the recognition and is pleased to be the recipient of these funds, which will assist in completing the restoration of the building for the 125th Anniversary celebration of the opening of the former resort hotel in 1888,” said Flagler President Dr. William T. Abare, Jr. “The celebration and dedication of the Solarium are scheduled to take place in 2013.”
The renovation of the Solarium and the fourth floor of Ponce de Leon Hall will complete the building’s full return to active use.
Historically, the Solarium served as an area where guests could gather for conversation, enjoy entertainment, or watch activities taking place in town or along the bay front. Rehabilitation of this room and the fourth floor will permit similar activities, as well as provide for an exceptional event venue. The Solarium remains as the last significant space to be restored in the former Hotel Ponce de Leon, and the room is quite different than any other.
The fundraising campaign began in 2009, and since that time the college has secured more than $1.5 million from private sources for the project. In honor of their lead gift, the Solarium will be renamed to recognize historic preservation supporters and philanthropists Allen and Delores Lastinger. Mrs. Lastinger is a member of the college’s Board of Trustees.
The Solarium project was selected from a recommended list of ranked Special Category projects in the Department of State budget. In addition, Flagler received first place rankings for a $50,000 small matching grant for the Solarium and a $25,000 exhibition grant as part of the 125th Anniversary program. Restoration work is expected to begin this summer with an anticipated completion date in January or February of 2013.
For more information contact: Brian Thompson, 904-819-6249, bthompson@flagler.edu