What:

When: Saturday, May 26

10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where: MOSH

1025Museum Circle

Details: Join MOSH as we celebrate the grand opening of A T. rex Named Sue, featuring the most ferocious dinosaur that ever lived!  Check out the exhibit and enjoy special kid-friendly activities that will engage dinosaur fans of all ages.  All activities are free with museum admission. For more information, visit http://themosh.org/sue.html.

The Museum of Science & History (MOSH) is located at 1025 Museum Circle near Friendship 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 12 to 5 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.

The following students represented Hendricks Avenue Elementary.   Chace C (1st grade), Sam D (2nd grade), Isaac P (3rd grade), Andrew L (4th grade), and Meredith A(5th grade).  Each school holds their own local competition to elect a student to represent their grade level, and 25 schools are represented at the district competition.  Congratulations to Chace C for placing 1st place for 1st grade!

Location:  Fletcher Park

Time:  6 pm – 9 pm

Here is a Tentative Schedule;

Friday, April 27th
A variety of Commemorative Activities will take place in Fernandina Beach from the 27th of April through the end of May. Please call 904-277-7325 x259 or visit www.fbfl.us/historic district and select “1562-2012: 450th French Anniversary” for more details.

Saturday, April 28th
Historic Mayport Village Festival
9:00 a.m. Blessing of the fleet Morningstar Marine
9:30 a.m. Reenactment of the Ribault Landing public boat ramp
10:00 a.m. Speakers and awards Duval County Marine Science Center
12:00 p.m. Fish fry and Bands
4:00 p.m. St. Augustine Art Association Nature & Wildlife Art Exhibition French-inspired opening reception. For more information go to www.staaa.org or call 904-824-2310. Ticketed event, RSVP’s required.

Monday, April 30th
8:00 a.m. Visiting French Navy Tall Ships transiting up the St. Johns River to Downtown Jacksonville From Mayport. Boats of all sizes and those along the River encouraged to join in the “Welcome on the Water” and usher them in!
12:00 p.m. Welcome of French Naval Tall Ships (approx.) Downtown & related activities. Ribault Middle School marching band and Ribault High School colour guard will perform.
2:00 p.m. VIVA Florida 500 Partners Meeting, Times-Union Performing Arts Center, Davis Gallery. RSVP to Florida500info@dos.myflorida.com
5:00 p.m. French government to award “Legion d’Honneur” to two WWII veterans aboard the tall ships. Downtown. Invitation only.
7:00 p.m. Alliance Francaise Presentation (In French), Jacksonville Historical Society. For details visit www.afjacksonville.org.

Tuesday, May 1st
8:00 a.m. Beaches Museum and History Park Jean Ribault and the French in 16th Century Florida: Rare Engravings and Historic Maps from the Michael W. and Dr. Linda Fisher Collection. Opening breakfast by invitation, collection available to the public during museum hours. For more information visit www.beachesmuseum.org.
10:00 a.m. National Park Service Re-dedication of Ribault Column at Fort Caroline.
11:30 a.m. Visit to Historic Mayport Village.
12:00 p.m. “Ring for Ribault! ” Join in the 450th commemoration of the landing of Jean Ribault at the tip of the St. Johns River. All boats are asked to sound their horns for 45-seconds, and all able houses of worship to ring their bells for 41/2 minutes.
12:30 p.m. Jacksonville Sister Cities “French Perspective” Luncheon at the Ribault Club, Fort George Island. Sold out.
2:30 p.m. Commemorative Tree Planting with Greenscape at Huguenot Memorial Park. For details visit www.greenscapeofjacksonville.com.
5:00 p.m. Unveiling of restored Lee Adams’ mural “Ribault’s Landing” on the 4th floor of the Main Library in Downtown Jacksonville.
6:15 p.m. Private reception for French Sailors at the Jacksonville Maritime Heritage Center, Jacksonville Landing. For more information, call 904-355-1101.
6:30 p.m. Jacksonville Historical Society – Readings from Ribault’s Journal. For details call 904-665-0064 or visit www.jaxhistory.com.
7:00 p.m. Commemorate 450 Café Night at the Cummer! Enjoy French food and French Art. For details visit www.cummer.org.

Wednesday, May 2nd
9:00 a.m. Bon Voyage ceremony for the French Navy Tall (approx.) Ships near the Jacksonville Landing. Wish them well as they head to Savannah.
5:00 p.m. Art Walk. Public encouraged to visit painting in the library. Restaurant and event specials.

Thursday, May 3rd
World of Nations Opens at Metropolitan Park. As you travel through the World of Nations Celebration, experience the cuisine, artistry and customs from lands near and far. Admission is $5 (one day ticket), $8 (two day ticket) or $10 (three day ticket). Children ages 3 and under are free. Grab your passport and join us for a great trip! Daily programs Friday-Sunday.
6:00 p.m. Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission Awards – Lee Adams’ mural restoration being honored. Main auditorium of the downtown Jacksonville Public Library.
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Friday, May 4th – Sunday May 6th
Celebrate the 20th annual World of Nations Celebration presented by OneMain Financial with fireworks! The excitement of the International Party will be capped off with an amazing fire works display Friday over Met Park at 8:45 p.m..
Fort Caroline Living History Weekend! See what life was like in 1562. For more information call 904-641-7155
The Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival Runs all weekend in Fernandina Beach. For more information, visit www.shrimpfestival.com.

FREE with museum admission

When: Saturday, April 28
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where: MOSH
1025 Museum Circle

Join MOSH and the Bryan-Gooding Planetarium for family-friendly activities in celebration of International Astronomy Day on April 28th.  Special guest Russell Romanella, Director of Safety and Mission Assurance for NASA’s Kennedy Space Center will give a presentation in the planetarium at 1 p.m. entitled “NASA – Exploration at a Crossroad,” which explores the current human and robotic exploration missions within NASA.

The day’s programming will also include viewings of the documentary, The City Dark, which outlines and discusses the history and consequences of light pollution. The City Dark will play throughout the day in the Wells Fargo Conference Room.

Other quests and activities include telescope solar viewing on the rooftop, the FSCJ Astronomy Club and the International Dark Sky Association who will be on hand to talk to visitors about changing lighting to reduce costs and light pollution.

The Museum of Science & History (MOSH) is located at 1025 Museum Circle near Friendship 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 12 to 5 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.

L to R: Mikayla Walburn, Regan Foote, Louria Neel, Courtney Bogani, Jennifer DiLoreto, Teresa DiLoreto, Stephanie Thompson, Laura Thompson

The Girls of Cadette Troop 531 are working on a Girl Scout Leadership award. After having earned their Bronze Award, the troop (Courtney Bogani, Jennifer DiLoreto, Regan Foote, Stephanie Thompson, and Mikayla Walburn) has been spending the past two years working on the next award, The Silver Award. The Silver Award is one of the three major leadership awards that the Girl Scouts
offer and it is the highest award a Girl Scout Cadette can earn. Once this is earned, they will move on to earn their Gold Award – which is the highest level of distinction that Girl Scouts can earn.

In order to earn their Silver Award, the girls, either individually, or as a small group, are required to plan and execute a sustainable service project. The Girls of Troop 531 are working on a Rolling Artwork Library Cart for Wolfson Children’s Hospital. Their research supports that art is a factor in the healing process and they have been working with Wolfson on the logistics to initiate the Rolling Artwork Library Cart and how it can be sustained going forward. The objective is to initiate a rolling cart from which children may choose a piece of artwork to hang in their rooms as they are admitted to Wolfson Children’s Hospital.

The troop has been visiting art galleries in the Riverside and San Marco area to educate the local art community of this project to enlist donations for the Rolling Artwork Library Cart.

The troop began collecting art in April and will be delivering the Rolling Artwork Library Cart to Wolfson Children’s Hospital in May. The Auxiliary at Wolfson will be carrying the project forward and continue to place any donated works of art for this cause on the cart for the enjoyment of the children at Wolfson Children’s Hospital. The auxiliary has generously offered to take this project forward.

If you are interested in donating a piece of art for the Rolling Artwork Library Cart, please send an email to wchauxiliary@bmcjax.com . This is an ongoing project that we hope will continue to grow.

[BIRMINGHAM, Ala.]

Under the revised program, homeowners with loans owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac – including those whose property values have declined and have been unable to refinance – may qualify based on when they purchased their home and other criteria. HARP features:

• Loans designed to help homeowners who may not be candidates for conventional refinances or who owe more than their home is worth take advantage of historically low interest rates and other refinancing benefits.
• Opportunities to refinance with a current loan servicer and now, other participating lenders, such as Regions.
• Elimination of certain risk-based fees for borrowers who refinance into shorter-term mortgages and lowering fees for others.
• Simplification of various paperwork involved in processing the loan.

“With rates at all-time lows and programs like HARP in place to help borrowers, homeowners should explore whether refinancing makes sense for them,” said Logan Pichel, head of Regions Mortgage. “With HARP specifically, we believe that there are literally thousands of people who could achieve a better financial footing by taking advantage of this program.”

Anticipating interest in HARP, Regions has increased staffing to handle additional application volume. The company anticipates closing $1 billion in HARP refinances, alone, in 2012.

Regions has been an industry-leader in helping customers facing hardships due to economic or natural disasters. Since late 2007, Regions has helped more than 42,000 of its customers stay in their homes through its in-house Customer Assistance Program, providing deferrals, loan modifications and other help to customers in need. Regions has also assisted borrowers through both of the original arms of the Making Home Affordable Program: HARP and the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).

Homeowners who want to determine if their mortgage is owned by either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, and then may be eligible for HARP should consult www.freddiemac.com/mymortgage or www.fanniemae.com/loanlookup.

Interested homeowners can also contact 1-888-FOR-REFI [367-7334] or   http://www.regions.com/harp for more information on the HARP program or 1-800-748-9498 for the Regions Customer Assistance Program.

About Regions Financial Corporation

Regions Financial Corporation, with $127 billion in assets, is a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation’s largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, trust, mortgage and insurance products and services. Regions serves customers in 16 states across the South, Midwest and Texas, and through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates approximately 1,700 banking offices and more than 2,000 ATMs. Its investment and securities brokerage trust and asset management division, Morgan Keegan & Company Inc., provides services from over 90 offices. Additional information about Regions and its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions.com.

EPOC, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, is when your body goes into fat-burning mode immediately after an intense workout session.  The rise in metabolism can last long after the workout has been completed, and the effects can be very dramatic. It is only achieved through means of high intensity, and that is exactly what you will get during your half-hour Lunch Crunch.

Lunchtime can be a roadblock on the road to the body you want to attain. That “2:30 feeling” that the commercials talk about is a real thing that is caused by the combination of being sedentary much of the day with a high calorie lunch.  Lethargy throughout the morning creeps into the afternoon and by the time you are done working you are too worn down and tired to do anything productive.  This is an avoidable situation.  By throwing a burst of exercise into the middle of the day, you will have more energy to do all of the things that you want, and get the body to do them.

A half-hour at lunchtime is not wasted time.  Most people spend their lunch breaks eating high calorie foods and doing little to no activity.  Forget the excuses and join Definition Fitness for a half-hour that will propel you through your day. While you’re there, talk to one of their qualified trainers on how to make better use of the foods you are eating throughout the day and after your workouts.  Refining your lifestyle begins with as little as a half-hour on your lunch break, but where it leads is entirely up to you.  Visit their website at www.definitionfitness.com

For the past three years, members of the Southside Baptist Church in San Marco have worked in partnership with Julia Landon College Preparatory and Leadership Development School. The bridge between this faith based partner and school has been built on a combination of teacher and staff support and mentoring.  These volunteers go above and beyond to inspire their student mentees and to enrich the school environment.

In late February, a representative from the church met with Assistant Principal Sara Bravo. They wanted to do more. In addition to the teacher appreciation events and the extensive and powerful student mentoring, these folks were ready to get hands on and they weren’t leaving without an assignment.

A small classroom on the first floor is used regularly for parent conferences. Typical middle school classrooms are lively places, covered with student work, posters of Einstein, five colors of dry erase marker on the board and other evidences of youth and learning. A classroom without a class, however, is a sterile space. White walls, plain furniture, hard chairs … a space that did not hinder a conference, but certainly did nothing to enhance.  Ms. Bravo suggested the generous mentor and his “team” could add a bit of life to the room and make it a more appealing space for parents and teachers to gather.

The following Saturday a group of twenty Southside Baptist Church members descended upon Julia Landon and spent the morning showing a remarkable talent for interior decorating. The blank canvas of empty classroom was transformed into a warm, inviting  and positive space. A theme of antiqued bronze lettering runs through the new side table, framed artwork and metal-worked lettering matching the new cushy sofa, chair and ottoman set.

Additionally, for the sheer joy of good work, they brought their garden tools and did some serious landscaping.  Around the new school sign at the front entrance were planted Wild Indian Hawthorne, Aztec Grass and “Double Knockout” Roses. In addition, the volunteers raked and cleaned the central courtyard and the front and side lawns.

Visitors are now greeted with lovely plantings as they approach the front doors.  The center courtyard, now clear of leaves and debris, is a magnetizing space for teachers to take their classes for an outdoor reading or an examination of emerging spring foliage.  The conference room is now a warm and inviting place to hold meetings complete with a comfortable furniture, tasteful artwork, soothing lighting and a wall quote that captures the essence of the bridge between church and school:  “It takes a village to educate a child”.