This weekend in St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, and the beaches, November 17 – 19
Nov 18th
Friday: November 16
Acoustic Alchemy to Perform at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
Contemporary instrumental and smooth jazz band Acoustic Alchemy
will perform at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall at 8 p.m. Ticket are $28 and $30. Ponte Vedra Concert Hall is located at 1050 A1A North in Ponte Vedra Beach. www.PVConcertHall.com.
Saturday: November 17
Sea Your History
St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum, 81 Lighthouse Avenue, will host Sea Your History Weekend which will provide unique behind-the-scenes archaeology and conservation experiences, a VIP sunrise tour, a cultural boatbuilding demonstration and an opportunity to meet and learn from a Smithsonian scholar. Tickets and packages are available on line. StAugustineLigthhouse.org
A1A 72-Mile Super Scenic Garage Sale
Celebrate the A1A Scenic & Historic Coastal Byway with a fabulous scenic shopping spree. Join the 72-Mile Super Scenic Garage Sale at multiple entrance areas – from the north, from the south, or from the west. Ten major communities will be participating with hundreds of shoppers, sellers and business supporters from Ponte Vedra Beach southward to Flagler Beach. More sites and maps can be viewed at www.scenica1a.org. For more information call Sallie O’Hara at 904-540-0402.
School of the 16th Century
Learn about surviving in 1565 St. Augustine, Florida. November 17th, 10-4p.m. $30 per person includes lunch. History, clothing, weapons, food and more! Comfortable dress. Reservations required at FOYexplorer@gmail.com. Viva!
NIGHTS OF LIGHTS LIGHT-UP NIGHT
The switch will be flipped to light up the Nation’s Oldest City for this year’s annual Nights of Lights. At 6:30 p.m., all attending will be asked to participate in the countdown to the lighting. This free event takes place downtown in the Plaza de La Constitución. For more information, visit www.NightsofLights.com.
MAYOR’S HOLIDAY LIGHTING GALA
Be a part of St. Augustine Mayor’s Holiday Lighting Gala. The fun begins with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at the Government House at 5:30 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., from the King’s Balcony, the Mayor will welcome the crowds in the Plaza de la Constitucion, for the Nights of Lights Lighting Ceremony. Following the Lighting Ceremony, Gala participants will be led by a 1740 Color Guard to the Courtyard of the historic Lightner Museum, located at 78 King Street, dinner, dancing and a silent auction follow. Tickets are $150.00 per person. All proceeds benefit the Home Again St. Johns. For additional information or to purchase tickets, call 904-825-1004.
Saturday and Sunday: November 17 and 18
St. Augustine Half Marathon
Put on your running shoes and participate in a foot-race that suits your running level. On Saturday there will be a 10K run at 7 a.m.; a Family 5K Run at 7:15 a.m.; and the St. Augustine’s Kids Race at 9:30 a.m. Then on Sunday at 6:15 a.m., the St. Augustine Half Marathon begins. More information and registration details are available at www.StAugustineMarathon.com or call 305.716.1111.
Sunday: November 18
First Coast Opera Performs La Passione
First Coast Opera will perform La Passione (scenes from Italian Opera) at Trinity Hall at Trinity Episcopal Parish, 215 St. George St., St. Augustine. The performance begins at 4 p.m. Advance tickets $20, $25 at door. Students with ID $10. 904-417-5555 www.FirstCoastOpera.com
A Classical and Brazilian Guitar Concert Hosted at the Whitney Laboratory
The University of Florida College of Fine Arts presents a Brazilian Guitar concert featuring Ulisses Rocha, known for his acoustic, freestyle and jazz guitar playing. The program takes place at 4 p.m. in the Whitney Laboratory Auditorium, located at 9505 Oceanshore Boulevard, St. Augustine, FL 32084. Tickets are $10 per person. www.whitney.ufl.edu 904 461-4003
CLICK HERE FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF EVENTS.
NOTE: Do you have a 2013 event that will bring visitors to Florida’s Historic Coast?
email details to: fhceventlist@gmail.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 admission to the St. Augustine Lighthouse ($9.75 adults; $7.75 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
Florida hosts last NASCAR race of the year in Homestead today at 3:00pm
Nov 18th
Daytona Beach just up the coast from St Augustine also hosts the first race of the year in February. We on the Palm Coast are so fortuneate to have this wonderful american sport centered here.
Brad Keslowski favored to Win Nascar Championship
Below is today’s story by SBNation.com reprinted here.
NASCAR at Homestead: Start time, lineup, TV/radio schedule, live streaming info and more
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By Jeff Gluck on Nov 18, 8:22a
It’s NASCAR race day at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and we’ve got the actual race start time, the starting lineup and some other facts about today’s Ford EcoBoost 400 for you below.
What time does the race start today? Today’s NASCAR season finale has a late afternoon start time in order to finish close to primetime on the East Coast. Captain Jonathan Hillstrand from the hit show Deadliest Catch will give the command to fire engines at 3:11 p.m. Eastern time, followed by the green flag at 3:18 p.m.
Race name/distance: Today’s race is the Ford EcoBoost 400, which is 267 laps and 400 miles to close out the NASCAR season. Ford is the sponsor of “Ford Championship Weekend” at Homestead, which is the conclusion of all three national series in NASCAR.
TV, radio and live streaming: Today’s race can be seen on ESPN. There IS live streaming of the race today, which can be found at NASCAR.com’s “RaceBuddy” site and on the “Watch ESPN” app. If you’ll be away from your computer and TV, check the Motor Racing Network’s web site for a list of affiliate radio stations in your area.
*** NOTE: If you’re out and about today and can’t watch the race, make sure to follow me (@jeff_gluck) on Twitter. I’ll be tweeting updates about the event. ***
National anthem: Chris Mann, who appeared on The Voice, will sing the national anthem at Homestead. The track is apparently high on reality show singers – American Idol’s Pia Toscano sang the anthem here last year.
Tickets: Homestead has not been announced as a sellout, so there should be tickets available if you’re thinking of making a last-minute trip to see who wins the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship today.
Weather: The unofficial NASCAR weatherman, Brian Neudorff, says today’s weather in South Florida will be very pleasant and sunny with temperatures in the low 80s.
Last time: One year ago, in one of the greatest NASCAR championship races ever, Tony Stewart won the race and tied with Carl Edwards, winning the season championship on a tiebreaker. This season, Brad Keselowski has a 20-point lead over five-time champion Jimmie Johnson heading into the finale.
Here’s the starting lineup for today’s NASCAR race at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
Joey Logano
Marcos Ambrose
Brad Keselowski
Carl Edwards
Aric Almirola
Clint Bowyer
Martin Truex Jr.
Kyle Busch
Mark Martin
Jimmie Johnson
Matt Kenseth
Kasey Kahne
Greg Biffle
Jamie McMurray
Jeff Gordon
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Sam Hornish Jr.
Paul Menard
Ryan Newman
Travor Bayne
Juan Pablo Montoya
David Stremme
Kevin Harvick
Regan Smith
Michael McDowell
Kurt Busch
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Casey Mears
Mike Bliss
Landon Cassill
Dave Blaney
Bobby Labonte
Jeff Burton
David Ragan
Tony Stewart
Josh Wise
David Reutimann
Travis Kvapil
JJ Yeley
David Gilliland
Denny Hamlin
Ken Schrader
Scott Riggs
“Skyfall” Explains “Last Rat Standing”
Nov 17th
“Last Rat Standing”
“Hotshots” looks at a movie!
Skyfall is the 23rd “official” James Bond movie, which began 50 years ago with the 1962 Dr. No, and the third one starring Daniel Craig as British spy, Agent 007.
And of all the Bond films over the years, official and unofficial, both serious and spoof, this is definitely the most recent one.
Oh, all the traditional, key elements are there: Bond looks good, damn good, when he is dressed to kill; there is a memorable villain, played by Javier Bardem, but he has a back story that we have already seen before in the 1995 GoldenEye; there is another in a long line of so-called “Bond girls,” but her name isn’t as striking as previous ones; there are chases aplenty; there are gadgets for Bond, but some of them we have literally seen before; and finally there are familiar names, but they are played by new characters.
In other words, call me jaded or call me old, but I have pretty much seen it all before.
Except for the opening sequence, which features a motorcycle chase across the rooftops of buildings in Istanbul, a fight between Bond and another man atop a moving train, and then while Bond’s backup agent can shoot to save him, but doesn’t have a clear shot, the agent is ordered by M back in London, “Take the bloody shot!”
Unfortunately, the agent misses the villain, hits Bond, and Bond falls off the train into a river, over some falls, and he is missing from the story long enough for M, again played by Judi Dench, to write his obituary and have his government-paid apartment cleaned out of all Bond’s possessions.
But not to worry. Bond comes back, perhaps reluctantly, when things go bad in London for M, MI6, and the entire secret agency.
However, Bond has to prove that he is still able and fit for his license to kill, and he is back on the job.
He goes to Shanghai, he goes to Macao, and he encounters Silva, who has a personal grudge against M from days long past.
The story ends in Scotland, the meaning of the film’s title is revealed, and the movie ends with a comment about “last rat standing.”
Skyfall also ends with a promise that James Bond will return, but I say give it a rest.
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”
