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.

The is now in its 21st year and is the largest event of its kind in Clay County, located on the on the beautifully landscaped area in front of Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts and St. Johns River Community College. It is the most attended Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra performance outside of Jacoby Symphony Hall.

However, the Concert On The Green is much more than just an annual concert. It is host to the Young Artist Scholarship Competitions, supporting the artistic abilities of Clay County students. Proceeds from the Concert On The Green will benefit Clay County Schools Music and Art programs and Rotary charities.

Log on to the Concert on the Green website for tickets and information.

Gates open at 5 pm
Music at 6:30 pm

* Morihiko Nakahara, conductor

Kick off Memorial Day Weekend with the annual BRASS Community Concert on the lawn of the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse. Bring friends and neighbors, lawn chairs, and picnic to celebrate with a patriotic Jacksonville Symphony concert featuring a full color guard and a tribute to our U.S. Armed Forces. The grounds open at 5:00 p.m. Music starts at 6:30 p.m. with the Sons of the Beaches Barbershop Choir, followed by the Jacksonville Symphony.

Admission is FREE.
Location: TPC Sawgrass – Clubhouse grounds
Sponsored by Beaches Residents Actively Supporting the Symphony (BRASS)

The contributions of BRASS members and friends make it possible to bring this free event to the community. For information, email BRASS@jaxsymphony.org.

The 2010 Art in the Heart of Downtown art show and sale will feature the work of talented artists and master craftspeople from around the country.

Festival patrons will enjoy both the sounds of first-rate jazz performers and browse through the work of talented artists from around the nation- all in a vibrant street festival setting.

Mediums include: Clay, Digital, Drawing, Fiber, Furniture, Glass, Jewelry, Mixed Media, Painting, Sculpture and Wood

For more information, call (904) 630-3690 or email events@coj.net.

Reception for the Lufrano Intercultural Gallery's newest exhibit: Liquid Peace; Exploring the Natural Wetlands of the St John's River, at 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 25, in the Student Union, Building 58E, Room 2401. The exhibit will feature paintings by UNF Art& Design faculty member Jim Draper.

Let’s have a weekday hike at UNF. There are some great trails and a chance to spot an owl or a gopher tortoise. We’ll hike for about 5 miles on shaded trails.

Bring water, insect repellant, and suntan lotion. Parking is $3.00, so let’s meet in the Publix parking lot at St. Johns Town Center about 9:45 a.m. and consolidate cars.

If you are driving directly to the trailhead, enter UNF from the 9A/St. Johns Bluff Rd entrance and go about 1/2mile. The trailhead parking is on the right where you purchase parking passes. No pets.

Outing Leader: Bill Armstrong, email armsfam@yahoo.com.

Take ride of your life in Jacksonville′s 6th Tour, presented by the St. Augustine Independent Restaurant Association (SAiRA) to stop diabetes!

4 different route options highlight incredible scenery; the best Northeast Florida has to offer! Whether you like to ride Spanish moss-lined streets, farm country (watch for potatoes in the road!), or see waves break on the Atlantic coast, we have it all - we′ll even throw in some intense bridge climbs for a great workout!

For registration, volunteer or sponsor information, please contact Kimberly A. Lewis, Tour Director at klewis@diabetes.org, 888-DIABETES x3061 or 904-730-7200 x3061 or visit http://main.diabetes.org/jaxtour. Jacksonville′s Tour de Cure is known for safety and high-service!

New in 2010 - Shuttle service for 1-day riders back to the start line from St. Augustine Beach! Three departures on Saturday, May 22, on the hour at 2:30-3:30-4:30pm. Take advantage of luggage valet service to your hotel while you ride, guarded parking at all venues, guarded bike storage Sat. night, plentiful SAG vehicles, Safety Escort Riders of Florida (SERF) motorcycle patrols, and lavishly-stocked rest stops every 10-12 miles along EVERY route (halfway for the Fun Ride).

Tour de Cure′s Taste of St. Augustine - Saturday night′s celebration features a dinner smorgasbord courtesy of SAiRA, and San Sebastian Winery will be on hand to pour complementary local vintages! This is not your average ride dinner with cold, sticky pasta! Tour’s special evening treats participants to a spectacular ocean view, laid back atmosphere designed for fun and great fellowship, and features a short recognition program and then live entertainment for those who aren′t too saddle-sore to dance!

http://main.diabetes.org/jaxtour

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park
100 Savannah Blvd , U.S. 441,
10 miles south of Gainesville
Micanopy, FL 32667
352-466-3397.

The drive from Jacksonville is about 1.5 hours.

Hike the trails of the prairie in search of wildlife.

Meet at Visitors Center in the State Park.

Graham's Cell Numbers
904-497-9878
904-472-1389

Email - floridascot@comcast.net


Book your campsite through
https://www.reserveamerica.com

We’ll walk for about five or six leisurely miles on scenic trails with expansive views of marshes, forests, Capo Creek, and the Tolomato River.

Please meet at 9:00 a.m. at the trail head for the Guana trails which isa bout 200 yards beyond the dam. T

he entrance to Guana (Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Reserve) and the dam is on the west side of AIA approximately 17 miles south of Butler Boulevard. The entrance is just north of the Gate service station on AIA. There is a $3 entrance fee to Guana if you don’t have a pass.

There is no need to make reservations. Please bring lunch if you can stay for lunch and bring water, suntan lotion and insect repellent. Children are welcome. No pets please.

Outing Leader: BrianParadise, email bgparadise@comcast.net.

8am for carpooling. We should be on the water by 10:30. This will be a DAY TRIP on the beautiful Silver River. See monkeys, gators and maybe some otters too if we're lucky. We will paddle upriver to Silver Springs We can't get out in that area, but it's fun to paddle there and see the springs and the people and listen to the music. Then it will be an easy paddle back to the put-in. Plan on being gone all day. Bring plenty of water, snacks and your lunch and we'll eat lunch on the riverbank. 8:00 AM is the time we'll leave McDonald's on US 17 across from dog track. We will put in at Ray's Wayside Park the entrance fee is $5. DIRECTIONS TO WAYSIDE PARK - US 17 to FL 19 in Palatka, FL 19 to County Road 314 Just past Salt Springs, CR 314 to US 40. Turn right on 40 – go across the bridge and turn left into Wayside Park.
Leader: Earline V 614.8629 e.veltman@comcast.net

Cirque nouveau-style acrobats and artists return to the JSO stage to meet the full power of symphonic sound. Marvel at this cast of the world's best aerial flyers, acrobats, contortionists, and much more. Last year's amazing performances were sold out.

* Fabio Mechetti, conductor
* Alexei Romanenko, cello

The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra salutes its generous donors and patrons with an annual appreciation concert featuring highlights from the past season. Selections include Mozart's Overture to Cosi fan tutte, and excerpts from Beethoven's Eroica Symphony and Shumann's Cello Concerto featuring Principal Cellist Alexei Romanenko.

For JSO donor and membership information, call (904) 354-1473. Become a Symphony Donor and receive a thank-you invitation to this special concert.

Program to be announced

Free event, no ticket required

Performed at: Central Park, Fernandina Beach maps.google.com

Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival www.aicmf.com

Showcasing young artists and faculty from the McDuffie Center for Strings (www2.mercer.edu/mcduffie)

Free event, no ticket required


Performed at: The Historic Nassau County Courthouse • www.jud10.org/Courthouses/Nassau/

416 Centre Street, Fernandina Beach, FL
• Phone 904-491-6430

Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival www.aicmf.com

Robert Spano, piano
Jessica Rivera, soprano
Works by Schumann, Debussy and Schubert’s "Trout Quintet"


Tickets: $25 -- Call for Tickets 904-261-1779 or email office@aicmf.com


Performed at: Prince of Peace Lutheran Church • www.poplcamelia.org


2600 Atlantic Avenue, Fernandina Beach, FL • Phone 904-261-6306

Michael Franti is an American poet, musician, and composer of African, Native American, Irish, French, and German descent. His music blends hip hop with a variety of other styles including funk, reggae, jazz, folk, and rock.

Purchase tickets online at http://www.freebirdlive.musictoday.com/

The band is known for their lush, multi-layered, psychedelic arrangements, spacey lyrics and bizarre song and album titles. They are also acclaimed for their elaborate live shows, which feature costumes, balloons, puppets, video projections, complex stage light configurations, giant hands, large amounts of confetti, and frontman Wayne Coyne's signature man-sized plastic bubble, in which he traverses the audience. In 2002, Q magazine named The Flaming Lips one of the "50 Bands to See Before You Die".

Friday, May 14, 2010
Starts 7:30 pm

Tickets: $38.50, $34.50 & $29.50

Buy tickets online at Ticket Master.

Come down Friday afternoon, set up camp and hang out, bike or hike. The park is about two hours from Jacksonville near Sanford, Fl. Saturday those that want to paddle, we will do the canoe/kayak run from King's landing to the state park which is a 5 hour paddle downstream. Canoe and kayak rentals are available at the concessions or through the outfitter. Friday afternoon, depending on when you get there or Sunday morning there is a 9 miles bike trail or 13.5 miles of hiking trails (you don't have to do it all). There is also snorkeling and swimming in the spring if you want get in the cold water. Plenty of fun things to do. Campsites are $12.00 for half a site/one tent per night, $24.00 for the weekend.
http://www.floridastateparks.org/wekiwasprings/default.cfm
Leader: Diane J. 821-6707.

Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival www.aicmf.com
Mozart and selected works for solo piano
Tickets: $60 -- Call for Tickets 904-261-1779 or email office@aicmf.com
Performed at: Amelia Plantation Chapel • www.ameliachapel.com
36 Bowman Road, Amelia Island, FL • Phone 904-277-4414

A special Art Matters lecture by Dr. Debra Murphy about a featured artist in the Tradition Redefined exhibit.

Free and open to the public.

MOCA Jacksonville
333 North Laura Street
Jacksonville, FL 32202
(904) 366-6911

Fabio Mechetti, conductor • Kayo Ishimaru, harp

COLINA: Los Caprichos • GINASTERA: Harp Concerto • MUSSORGSKY/RAVEL: Pictures at an Exhibition


Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra • www.jaxsymphony.org • Jacoby Hall • 904-354-5547

Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival www.aicmf.com
Robert McDuffie, violin
Works by Vivaldi and Piazolla
Tickets: $40 -- Call for Tickets 904-261-1779 or email office@aicmf.com
Performed at: Amelia Community Theater • www.ameliacommunitytheatre.org
209 Cedar Street, Fernandina Beach, FL • Phone 904-261-6749

Mother’s Day Concert
Sunday: 5:30 – 9 P.M.

Featuring the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
7:30 p.m. Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra

A Little Night Music
5:45 p.m. Jacksonville Mass Choir

A Tribute to Michael Jackson

Location: Sea Walk Pavilion

His reign as King of the Blues has been as long as that of any monarch on earth. Yet B.B. King continues to wear his crown well. At age 84, he is still light on his feet, singing and playing the blues with relentless passion. Time has no apparent effect on B.B., other than to make him more popular, more cherished, more relevant than ever. Don't look for him in some kind of semi-retirement; look for him out on the road, playing for people, popping up in a myriad of T.V. commercials, or laying down tracks for his next album. B.B. King is as alive as the music he plays, and a grateful world can't get enough of him.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Event Time: 8 PM
Ticket Price: $53.50, $43.50, $33.50
On sale January 15 at 10 AM
Contact Florida Theatre for tickets, (904) 355-2787.

We're going to start at the Mission at the corner of Ocean & San Marco Ave, proceed down one of St. Augustine's most beautiful streets - Magnolia, then on to May St. to Vilano Bridge, once over the bridge we'll head north a tad, then cross over A1A to the beach at Surfside Park, head south on the beach, exit & begin our journey back taking the scenic boardwalk under the Vilano Bridge then up & over it again.

Other than Magnolia St. this is an all open hike, so make sure you're well protected = hats, sunscreen, & plenty of water.

What you're likely to see....lots of different birds, estuaries, bunnies, dolphins, beautiful sights! Looking over St. Augustine from the top of the bridge is fantastic.

This is approximately 6-7 miles, once back at the Mission - the grounds are beautiful to walk around, take photos & visit the little chapel, I believe it's free - but I will confirm that. Parking is free.

We’ll visit this special area to observe birds with Leslie Royce, the Conservation Director of Duval Audubon, who has established the Shore Bird Survey for the Park.

We will meet at 8:00 a.m. at the parking lot straight ahead as you go in the entrance before you turn for the pay station. Then we’ll carpool into the park to save on the number of cars.

The outing will be over by 11 a.m. Please bring sunscreen, binoculars, water and lunch if you can stay for lunch. It costs $1.00 per person to enter the Park, but entrance fees will depend on the number of people in cars.

Outing Leader: Janet Larson, email JCLarson168@msn.com

Featuring THE MACHINE • Christopher Confessore, conductor

PURE FLOYD: Welcome to "The Machine" – a band whose sole focus is to make every show an authentic Floydian experience, with dramatic lighting, video and theatrics. Joined by the Jacksonville Symphony, the sonic depth of Pink Floyd will be enhanced and expanded like never before.

Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra • www.jaxsymphony.org • Jacoby Hall • 904-354-554

This new 19-acre park located in Nassau County opened in 2009 has a boat ramp, boardwalk, fishing pier, floating dock, nature walk, and picnic shelters. Earline will lead a paddle to investigate the channels & oyster beds on the Nassau River in the morning while the non-paddlers investigate the nature walk & fishing pier. Bring your rod if you want to try your luck fishing! We'll regroup for lunch at one of the picnic shelters. Bring your lunch, plenty of sun screen, water. Directions: Take I-95 north to Exit #373, SR-200/SR A1A to Callahan Fernandina. Take FL 200 toward Yulee, turn right on Old Nassauville Road/CR 107, then turn left on Goffinsville Rd. (From Nassauville Rd/ CR 107 it's approx. 3.6 miles to 95001 Goffinsville Road)

Leaders: Earline 614-8629 e.veltman(at)comcast.net, Sandy 995-4550, Jeff 386-462-4918.