Gamble Rogers Folk Fest is back in the St. Augustine Amphitheatre
May 5th
When it comes to a full day and night of musical entertainment, there’s nothing finer than today’s Gamble Rogers Folk Festival. Especially, when it’s back home in the St. Augustine Amphitheatre.
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.
“The Five-Year Engagement” More Like the Five-Year Movie
May 5th
“More Like the Five-Year Movie”
“Hotshots” looks at a movie!
The Five-Year Engagement was made by the same people who made the 2008 Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and so it must be good, right?
Well, yes and no. Yes, it is good in some places, and no, it is not good in other places, mainly the scenes that go on for too long and the scenes that should have been cut in the first place.
Jason Segal and Emily Blunt star as Tom and Violet. They met a year ago at a New Year’s Eve party, which we keep seeing in flashbacks at various times throughout the movie.
They get engaged, and during a meeting with Tom’s relatives to plan the engagement party, one of the men comments that the men will all be wearing yarmulkes, of course. Violet says to Tom that he doesn’t have a yarmulke, and he replies that he does and, “It’s in my Jewish drawer.”
The story begins in San Francisco, and you can guess from the title that the engagement isn’t going to go smoothly, right?
Correct. Violet is working on her doctorate in psychology, and she gets accepted to a position at the University of Michigan, which will take two years to complete.
However, because Tom is a chef in a restaurant, he says that he can always find a job anywhere, and so they decide that Tom will move to Michigan with Violet, and they will postpone the wedding for two years.
I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, couldn’t they get married in San Francisco before moving to Michigan, or couldn’t they even get married in Michigan?
But if they did that, then the filmmakers would have to change the title of the movie, wouldn’t they?
Well, you can guess from the title that the two-year plan isn’t going to go smoothly, either, right? Violet’s work at the University of Michigan gets extended, and I don’t want to spoil anything, but at one point the situation gets so bad that it looks like there won’t be any wedding at all.
Now, you know how the DVD version of some movies contains deleted scenes? Maybe the DVD of this movie will thankfully be missing some scenes that should have been cut.
The Five-Year Engagement lives up to its reputation of being a comedy, but it is more like the five-year movie.
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”
Best 5 Fishing Piers in the St. Augustine, Florida, Area
May 1st
Summer is a superlative time to go fishing in and around St. Augustine, Florida. The region is home to a plethora of fishing boats that can be chartered for the day. If you prefer to fish from a pier,
as I often do, there are an ample number of those available as well. Here’s a brief rundown on a few of them:
as I often do, there are an ample number of those available as well. Here’s a brief rundown on a few of them:
Ocean Pier in St. Johns County
The St. Johns County Ocean Pier is located off A1A in St. Augustine Beach. It is such a great fishing spot, that I don’t mind forking over the $1.50 daily pass fee. You can grab extra bait and tackle onsite as well as sundries. Parking is free and public restrooms are available onsite. It usually opens daily from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. Sometimes the stairs leading to the pier gets closed due to beach erosion, so you may want to verify that it is open before you head out.
Vilano Fishing Pier
The Vilano Fishing Pier is located on Vilano Road in St. Augustine. One of the best things about the pier is that there is no admission fee. It also tends to open daily. The fishing pier is over 600 feet long and public restrooms are onsite.
Vaill Point Park Fishing Pier
Vaill Point Park is located on Vaill Point Road in St. Augustine. It provides access to both the Intracoastal Waterway and Moultrie Creek. In addition to the fishing pier, the park affords anglers the shade of a covered pavilion as well as public restrooms and barbecue grills.
St. Augustine Lighthouse Park Fishing Pier
The St. Augustine Lighthouse Park is located on Ocean Vista Avenue in St. Augustine. It is over 100 feet long, affords access to Salt Run and features a boat ramp that is a popular launch site for kayakers. Anglers interested in checking out the tidal information for the area around the fishing pier should look for Station 8720576 on the NOAA website. The pier typically opens daily.
Shands Fishing Pier
The Shands Fishing Pier is located off State Road 13 in St. Augustine. It is over 1,000 feet long, free to access and is well maintained. The pier is just north of the Shands Bridge and the fishing action near the pilings at tide change is hard to beat. There are ample benches to park your keester. Anglers looking to check the water quality around the pier will find a host of data available through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s website. The pier generally opens each day.
Killeen Gonzalez enjoys summer sports and recreation with her family. She has also traveled extensively.
