We will hike and explore the trails at the John P. Hall Sr. Nature Preserve which is part of the Bayard conservation area on the St. Johns River. You might want to wear comfortable shoes and bring sunscreen, snacks, bug spray and plenty of water. We will meet at the McDonald's on US 17 across from the Dog Track in Orange Park. Leader: Diane J. 821-6707. http://www.sjrwmd.com/recreationguide/bayard

Carpool Meeting Place: Hardees Restaurant on Lane Avenue near I- 10. The Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail stretches 16 miles from the city of Gainesville through the Paynes Prairie Preserve and the Lochloosa Wildlife Management Area. This is a paved bike trail with hills and curves. We will begin our ride at the Hawthorne trail head off of US 301. We will leave the Hardees on Lane Ave at 8:30 AM for the trip to the trail head. It is approximately a 1.5 hour drive. Bring sunscreen, water and snacks for the ride. We will stop for lunch after the ride. Leaders: Judy M. 398-2750 and Paula S. 886-0404

EcoQuest is a kayak adventure where you choose how much you want to participate, up to five locations. Each location will have five cache sites along specified routes. You must pre-register by selecting and purchasing the locations you wish to paddle. You will be provided with a map with geocache locations circled and GPS coordinates for each. You may use either your GPS for the geocaching sites or Google Earth’s mapping system. Geocache locations have “Treasure Boxes” where you must insert your numbered tickets. We will send you a perforated card with your entry number on it and enough tickets to enter in each of the caches you have chosen. At the end of the week, tickets will be counted for each location and winner will be determined during Saturday’s Fun Fest.

See: http://ecoquestadventure.com/

This is a scenic paddle down one of the most beautiful rivers in the Southeast. We will meet at 8:30 am at McDonald's on Hwy 17 near 295 and caravan/carpool to High Springs to begin our adventure. We can launch from the Canoe Outpost outfitters (on Hwy 27) and paddle to Rum Island where the outfitter provides a shuttle for boats and paddlers back to the parking lot. The shuttle for personal boats is approximately $20 per boat. It may be less depending on how many boats we have. Rentals are available at the outfitters at $35 for kayaks and $40 for canoes and tandem kayaks. Please let me know how many we will need to rent so that I can make arrangements. Everyone will need to bring snacks, water, lunch, sunscreen, and bug repellent. This is an easy paddle accessible to beginners (all downstream). Please join us for a wonderful time! Leader: Erica Shaffor 200-0168

* Morihiko Nakahara, conductor

Annual Concert hosted by ARIAS (Amelia Residents In Action for the Symphony)

Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend with a spirited concert by the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. Selections include music by John Williams, Gershwin and Copland, An Armed Forces Salute and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.

Time: 8pm
Location: First Baptist Church, Fernandina Beach (1600 South 8th Street)
Tickets: $15 each; $10 for groups of 20 or more.
Information: Contact Bill Gingrich at 277-7094.