The Broward Family is one of the largest, oldest and most famous families in Florida.  This book by Robert C. Broward  chronicles the family from its arrival in 1764 to present day Jacksonville. The family came to treasure Florida and was full of strong and colorful characters: from politicians to gun runners, poets and more.  One grandson even flipped over Frank Lloyd Wrights’s bulldozer!  This book is a must have for all Jacksonville residents!

The Gift of Public Service as told to John L. Young

Frederick H. Schultz is someone that we should all appreciate.  A man who used his wealth and intellect to make a difference in the world.  He brought about more changes in Florida’s government and education system than perhaps any other person in history.  His leadership in his hometown of Jacksonville produced a legacy that we see today in the city’s approach to civil rights, civic activism, education, philanthropy , business and the arts.  Educate yourself today!

Available at: San Marco Bookstore

Interactive displays and activities will be set up throughout the museum and in Friendship Fountain Park to teach visitors about one of our most precious resources – water.  Highlights of the day include boat tours, a musical performance by Cathedral Arts Project, and an animal program by the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. Guests will learn about the negative effects water pollution has on people, plants and animals.  They will also learn ways to conserve and protect this natural resource, including our own St. Johns River.  Activities will take place from noon to 4 p.m.  The museum, however, will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Museum of Science & History is located at 1025 Museum Circle near Friendship Fountain Park.  MOSH, first chartered in 1941, inspires the joy of lifelong learning by bringing to life the sciences and regional history.  Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Thursday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday.  Museum admission is $10 for adults and $8 for active and retired military, seniors and children 3-12.  There is no admission fee for children 2 and under or museum members.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.

Every quilt has 30 blocks, each containing the name of a fallen service member from Florida who lost their life while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.  Of the 270 fallen Florida service men and women featured on the quilts, 23 are local veterans, including 16 from Jacksonville, three from Orange Park, two from St. Augustine and two from Middleburg. Their positions range from Marine Colonel to Navy Petty Officer.

The Florida Fallen Heroes Quilt Project was created by Linda Fliss of Titusville, Florida in 2005 to create a mobile memorial. After visiting numerous cities throughout the state, the entire collection will be donated to MOSH after the exhibit closes on July 22, 2012. Two additional quilts, still in creation, are among the collection that will become part of MOSH’s permanent collection.

The Museum of Science & History (MOSH) is located at 1025 Museum Circle near Friendship Fountain Park. MOSH, first chartered in 1941, inspires the joy of lifelong learning by bringing to life the sciences and regional history. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Thursday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday.  Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for active and retired military, seniors and children ages 3 through 12.  There is no admission fee for children 2 and under or museum members. Admission is $5 on Fridays.

Hosted by Council Member Lori N. Boyer

Thursday, February 2, 2012

6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

DuPont Middle School Auditorium

2717 DuPont Avenue, 32217

Topics on the Agenda will include:

*  River Access Initiatives in Local Parks

*  Animal Care & Protective Services – What does the City do? Not do?

*  Who is the contact for City maintenance issues?

*  Update on recent City Council Actions

*  Questions & Answers

For questions regarding this meeting please call 630-1382.

Our efforts to save some additional existing oak trees may be too costly in terms of both dollars and time. The contractor proposed a 25 day extension and substantial cost associated with the effort. I cannot in good conscience support any change that could delay the project that much and potentially impact the holiday season next year. However, the Mayor’s office has requested that the City’s project manager and the City’s Arborist meet this week with the contractor to see if perhaps additional elements of the enhanced tree protection plan can be incorporated without the significant time delay. In any case, we will be relocating the cathedral oak planted on Landon Avenue several years ago in mitigation for the old oak taken down in Landon Park. It will be moved into the park between the playground and San Marco Boulevard.

One very good piece of news is that the actual price of the project is substantially below the $12 million that was authorized and budgeted. Absent major change orders and unforeseen circumstances, I anticipate that the actual project cost will be closer to $7 million. I have obtained detailed information from the City Council Auditor on the various contracts and amounts paid out to date, and will be following the process closely. That $5 million dollar savings certainly comes at the right time for our City.

By the way, for those who are concerned about the raised manholes in the section from Gary to Riviera, another paving layer will be applied in the future. There has been some discussion about the pros and cons of applying the final layer on that section now or upon completion of the project in order to have a uniform color final coat for the entire project. No final decision has been reached.

City Council Member Lori Boyer

(source: LoriBoyer.org)

Once upon a time, the league was known as H.A.B. – Hendricks Avenue Baptist, after the church which owns the grounds.  When I coached there from 1993 till 2003, it was a humble venuee.  Generally, our teams were made up of wholesome kids from nice homes, with a few good ballplayers sprinkled amongst each division of six or eight teams, but our all-star teams could never really compete with those from the bigger programs around town.  The majority of our players were very pleasant boys and girls who tried very hard in just about everything they did, but there were no future pros among them.  We liked to call them “scrappy.”

My friend George and I coached together for all of those seasons, and our sons grew up together on those fields.  I was a good deal thinner then, and was a devil with a fungo bat, and George taught sportsmanship with great skill:  “No, Doug, I do not want you to throw at the heads of the other team’s hitters.  This is only little league after all.  And no, Tommy, you may not moon the opposing team’s fans from right field.  Why not?  Because no one wants to see that, that’s why not.”  In general, I think we had a positive influence.
There was this one kid, however:  Shane.  Shane took a particular approach to the craft of baseball, in that he chose the path of independence in all situations.  Signals when he came up to bat?  Pointless.  Attempting to position him when he was in the outfield?  You might as well be shouting into a gale.  Shane had his own way of playing the game.  He even eschewed our collection of high-tech aluminum bats in favor of an ancient wood fungo bat given him by his grandfather, which was as long as Shane was tall.  I felt certain that if he ever did accidentally make contact with the ball on one of his from-the-heels swings, that bat would splinter into a thousand pieces and probably maim some bystander.

George and I always liked to ensure that every kid got a game ball at some point during the season for doing something well – getting a key hit, making a good play in the field – but sometimes it was a bit of a stretch (“And today’s game ball goes to Joey, who did a great job running the bases today.”)  Still, it was worth it to see the face of some kid, who might never have received any sort of special recognition before, light up with pride.

Well, we struggled for weeks to come up with a reason to award a game ball to Shane.  One Saturday we nearly gave it to him for vaulting gazelle-like over the waist-high left field fence after a home run ball which the opponent’s clean-up hitter had just emphatically swatted for a grand slam.  The irony in this was that ordinarily we couldn’t even get him to jog out to his position.  Still, it was an extraordinary effort, if unnecessary.  But we held off, hoping we would be able to reward Shane for some feat which did not involve the other team scoring on us.

Finally, it came down to the last game of the season, and Shane had still not received a game ball.  George and I paced the dugout anxiously when our team was in the field.  Then, in the third inning, Shane was hit by a pitch in the left arm.  When the side was retired, George grinned and slapped me on the back.  “There it is, Coach!” he said gleefully.  “Seems that Shane has ”taken one for the team” and earned his game ball.”
“Do you really think we should give him the ball for getting hit by a pitch?”  I asked.  “I mean, he didn’t even try to get out of the way.  Frankly, I don’t think he even knew he’d been hit until the umpire told him.”

George frowned.  “Hmm.  Maybe you’re right.  But we’re down to the wire here.  We’ve got to give it to him.  Don’t we?”
I shrugged.

Fortunately, we were relieved of our terrible burden in the game’s last inning, when Shane came to bat again.  In fact, it was the very last at-bat of the entire season, and he was the very last batter.  The contest was tied, 4-4, and Shane coolly tapped the clay from his shoes with his antique thunder-stick.  He stepped into the box, apparently undaunted by having been plugged his last time up, or else simply lacking any recollection of it.  Then, on the first pitch, a fastball right down the middle, he reared back and swung as if the fate of the free world depended on it.  Miraculously, wood met horsehide with a solid smack, and the ball rose, sailing up, up, over the center field fence and far beyond it, landing in the sparse grass and trickling toward the mucky woods behind the gas station which fronted Hendricks Avenue.  It was his only hit all season – a walk-off home run to win our last game.

I looked over at George.  He was gazing off into the distance where the ball gone, like a man trying to resolve one of the universe’s great riddles.  Then he looked over at me, mouth open as if to speak, but no sound emanated.
“Pretty good,” I said.
“Nice swing,” George said.

Afterward, Shane accepted his game ball humbly, wordlessly, but with an air of propriety, as if all of this had been ordained somehow, by divine intervention.  And perhaps it had.
Who were we to say?

-Jeff Trippe

The project was a true collaboration with many partners. Coca-Cola provided funding for the construction and plant material through a $10,000.00 grant to the St. Johns Riverkeeper. Doug Skiles, President of San Marco Preservation and owner of EnVision Design provided in-kind assistance with engineering design along with Kevin Songer of Metroverde. Bob Chabot, President of Greenscape and horticulturist for the Jacksonville Zoo provided professional assistance on plant selection and design. Volunteers from Coca-Cola provided the manpower for planting, and the Riverkeeper guided the entire process.  (read more at LoriBoyer.org & see video below…)

-Dance Trance Fitness – A great way to get the best gift ever without standing in line is a Dance Trance Gift card.  Purchase in any amount and give a healthy new start for 2012!!
Just go to: http://www.dancetrancefitness.com/dancetrancejax

-San Marco Bookstore – The latest printing of  “The Southbank Sojourn” is available just in time for Christmas!  You’ll also find that they have an extensive collection of Jacksonville History, Leather Bound Classics, Cookbooks, Travel Guides, and much more.  Special Holiday hours include Friday the 23rd til 6pm and Saturday, Christmas Eve, from 10am until 2pm.

-Therapie has brands like Ella Moss, Splendid, French Connection, Hanky Panky, Sanctuary and innovative designers you can’t find just anywhere… Great choices that will leave you looking great for the Holidays and wanting more.

At My Best Friends Closet…  They have UMBRELLAS… $24.95 They open AND close with a push of a button, and pretty!

Don’t forget to visit The Wardroom, Write Touch, Rev, 1st Place Sports, Peterbrooke Chocolatier, and Olive for even more great holiday gift ideas!

Merry Christmas! and Happy Holidays to all!