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Tag: St. Augustine

  • Florida’s Historic Coast Recognizes Black History Month This February

    Florida’s Historic Coast Recognizes Black History Month This February


    Celebrate black history through music, art, culture, and more throughout St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra and the Beaches


    SAINT AUGUSTINE, Fla., February 1, 2024 (Newswire.com)
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    Florida’s Historic Coast is well-known for its rich Spanish and British history, but it’s becoming even more recognized for its significant place in African American history. It spans centuries, from the arrival of black Spanish soldiers in the 16th century and the country’s original Underground Railroad in the 1700s to the historic protests and sit-ins by Black activists, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1960s, paving the way for the Civil Rights Act. 

    Florida’s Historic Coast recognizes Black History Month with a host of events, programs and historic spaces.

    Celebrate Black art at various galleries in St. Augustine. The Ovico Gallery is showcasing contemporary African Art, and photographer Lenny Foster tells the story of historical black figures at his One Forty Four Gallery. 

    Fort Mose Historic State Park, the first free Black settlement in the United States, recognizes the brave souls who made the perilous journey to Spanish La Floride with Flight to Freedom February 1-3. “I Lived Here, As Well – Together,” at the Ximenez-Fatio House is a first-person perspective of an enslaved man and woman, from enslavement to freedom.  

    The Lincolnville neighborhood is the epicenter of Black history in St. Augustine. Visitors can visit the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center or walk the ACCORD Freedom Trail Project, featuring 31 historic sites from the St. Augustine Civil Rights Movement. 

    Historic Tours of America has expanded its Old Town Trolley Tours to include a new stop to serve the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center. 

    Black musicians are taking center stage in the month of February. Café Eleven welcomes blues guitarist and songwriter Selwyn Birchwood on Feb. 2 and John Primer, former lead guitarist for Muddy Waters, on Feb. 25. And The Fort Mose Jazz and Blues Series returns February 8-17, with featured performers Common, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Keb’ Mo’ and more. 

    The extensive culinary landscape of Florida’s Historic Coast includes several Black chefs making their mark on the food scene. Executive Chef Denzel Aponte at The Reef Restaurant; Executive Chef Lashunta Harris at Prohibition Kitchen, and Chef Tyrone Bennett, known for his philanthropy with his food truck, Heart and Soul Food Eatery, are some of the area’s most respected culinarians.  

    Florida’s Historic Coast recognizes and celebrates our black heritage. Narrated tours, museums, historic sites, and more provide opportunities to immerse in the black experience in the Oldest City throughout the year. Watch for the launch of the new Black History Tour App coming soon. 

    Located midway between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, Florida’s Historic Coast includes historic St. Augustine, the outstanding golf and seaside elegance of Ponte Vedra, the rural beauty of Hastings, and 42 miles of pristine Atlantic beaches. @FloridasHistoricCoast 

    Source: St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau



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  • Beer belly wrestling, ‘evading arrest’ obstacle course on tap for inaugural Florida Man Games

    Beer belly wrestling, ‘evading arrest’ obstacle course on tap for inaugural Florida Man Games

    ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) — It ain’t the Olympics, but a group of Floridians plans to host competitions themed according to the collective antics of the beer-loving, gator-possessing, rap-sheet-heavy, mullet-wearing social media phenomenon known as “Florida Man.”

    Organizers of the “Florida Man Games” describe the competition as “the most insane athletic showdown on Earth.” The games will poke fun at Florida’s reputation for producing strange news stories involving guns, drugs, booze and reptiles — or some combination of the four.

    Among the contests planned for next February in St. Augustine, Florida, according to organizers, are the Evading Arrest Obstacle Course, in which contestants jump over fences and through yards while being chased by real police officers; the Category 5 Cash Grab in which participants try to grab as much money in a wind-blowing booth; and the self-explanatory beer-belly wrestling.

    “This isn’t just a competition; it’s a one-of-a-kind Floridian spectacle!” organizers said on the games’ website.

    The “Florida Man” concept crept into the nation’s consciousness a decade ago with the @_FloridaMan Twitter account. The account, with the tagline “Real-life stories of the world’s worst superhero,” has been home to headlines such as “Florida Man Fire Bombs Garage That Impounded His Car, Hits His Own Vehicle” and “Florida Man Tried to Pay for McDonald’s With Weed.”

    General admission tickets to the event are going for $45. Two former stars of the 1990s television show “American Gladiators” have agreed to serve as referees.

    A St. Augustine native is behind the games: Pete Melfi, owner of The 904 Now, a media outlet covering St. Johns County.

    “We thought, ‘How can we really play on these Florida Man headlines that we hear so much about?’ Someone gave me the idea to make it into an athletic competition,” Melfi told the Orlando Sentinel. “It’s going to be a wild day of mud games and Florida-style obstacle courses. It’s going to really be an opportunity to live that Florida Man life for a day.”

    Associated Press

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  • Live Updates: Florida officials fear death toll will rise

    Live Updates: Florida officials fear death toll will rise

    The Latest on Hurricane Ian:

    Officials in Florida fear the death toll from Hurricane Ian could rise substantially, given the wide swath of the state swamped by the storm.

    After making landfall with some of the highest windspeeds for a hurricane over U.S. territory, the storm flooded areas on both of Florida’s coasts, tore homes from their slabs, demolished beachfront businesses and left more than 2 million people without power. At least nine people have been confirmed dead in the U.S.

    Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said responders have focused so far on “hasty” searches, aimed at emergency rescues and initial assessments, which will be followed by two additional waves of searches.

    He said Friday that the initial responders might detect deaths without confirming them.

    ———

    KEY DEVELOPMENTS:

    — Hurricane Ian heads for Carolinas after pounding Florida

    — In Ian’s wake, worried families crowdsource rescue efforts

    — Woman braves Hurricane Ian flood to check on stranger’s mom

    — After Ian, the effects in southwest Florida are everywhere

    — At a Florida trailer park, survivors speak of Ian’s wrath

    — Find more AP coverage here: https://apnews.com/hub/hurricanes

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    OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:

    CHARLESTON S.C. — Charleston County emergency services were suspended Friday as officials prepared for Hurricane Ian to make landfall on South Carolina’s coast.

    In a tweet, officials said they were pausing response efforts “due to current wind conditions” and would resume service “as soon as it is safe to do so.”

    Charleston police were also restricting access to the city’s Battery area, a spot at the tip of the peninsula that is home to many multi million-dollar, historic homes.

    ———

    TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Lightning and team owner Jeff Vinik are donating $2 million toward Hurricane Ian relief efforts.

    The NHL team announced Friday that $1 million each will be donated by the Tampa Bay Lightning Foundation and the Vinik Family Foundation.

    “This is a tragic situation for many families and communities across the state of Florida, but especially so in the southwest region of the state,” Vinik said in a statement released by the team. “In times like these the most important thing we can do is support one another, and we hope this donation will help families recover and rebuild in the months to come.”

    Ian made landfall Wednesday on Florida’s Gulf Coast, south of the Tampa Bay area. The Lightning postponed two home preseason games and moved the club’s training camp to Nashville, Tennessee during the storm.

    ———

    CHARLESTON S.C. — Many areas on Charleston’s downtown peninsula were underwater midday Friday and officials reported widespread power outages across the historic city as Hurricane Ian approached.

    Officials said power had been knocked out across the city as high winds and sheets of rain whipped trees and power lines pending Ian’s expected landfall just up the South Carolina coast.

    The storm’s expected landfall coincided with high tide, a circumstance that was forecast to lead to widespread roadway blockages.

    City officials were out early Friday, clearing storm drains and pumping water away from the historic Battery area along the city’s southern tip, into Charleston Harbor.

    ———

    FORT MYERS, Fla. — Thousands of residents of long-term care facilities in Florida remained displaced by Hurricane Ian.

    Kristen Knapp of the Florida Health Care Association says about 47 nursing homes and 115 assisted living facilities have been evacuated as of Friday, with around 8,000 residents among them.

    While structural damage and flooding were reported at facilities across the storm’s path, Knapp said there have been no reports yet of serious injuries or deaths among those homes’ residents.

    Steve Bahmer of Leading Age Florida, which represents non-profit long-term care facilities, offered a similar assessment, with reports of minor damage, broken windows, downed trees and flooding. He said one facility was hit by a tornado but residents have been able to remain there.

    At least seven people were confirmed dead in Florida — a number that’s likely to increase as officials confirm more deaths and continue searching for people.

    ———

    CHARLESTON, S.C. — The main airport in Charleston, South Carolina, has closed ahead of the expected arrival of Hurricane Ian.

    Officials with the Charleston International Airport said Friday they had shuttered the airport, where airlines had already canceled dozens of fights, and winds reached 40 mph.

    The airport will remained closed until 6 a.m. Saturday.

    South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster planned a briefing at 12:30 p.m. Friday. Under a federal disaster declaration approved by President Joe Biden, federal emergency aid has been made available to supplement South Carolina’s state, tribal and local response efforts pertaining to the storm, which was expected to make landfall in the state later Friday.

    ———

    CHARLESTON, S.C. — Strong winds were blowing early Friday morning in Charleston, South Carolina, with powerful gusts bending tree branches and sending sprays of the steadily falling rain sideways as Hurricane Ian approached.

    Streets were largely empty, an ordinarily packed morning commute silenced by the advancing storm. Flash flood warnings were posted, with up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain forecast for the Charleston area, and high tide expected just before noon, a circumstance that often floods the downtown peninsula on its own with even moderate rainfall.

    ———

    ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — The Florida Highway Patrol says a 37-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman died Thursday afternoon when their car hydroplaned and overturned in a water-filled ditch in north Florida amid Hurricane Ian’s impact on the state.

    An incident report says the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle, which went onto the grassy shoulder before submerging in a water-filled ditch along Cracker Swamp Road in Putnam County, which is southwest of St. Augustine. The area was inundated with rain as Hurricane Ian passed through the state Thursday.

    At least six people were confirmed dead in Florida.

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  • Elle Klass, Releases “The Vampires Next Door; Set in Historic St. Augustine Florida

    Elle Klass, Releases “The Vampires Next Door; Set in Historic St. Augustine Florida

    Elle Klass lives local to St. Augustine. The city is not only her favorite U.S. city but a playground for the paranormal; loaded with ghost stories and now Bloodseekers. She uses actual locations and includes pictures.

    Press Release
    –

    Mar 4, 2016


    Orange Park, Florida, March 4, 2016 (Newswire.com)
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    Introverted bookworm Alison was forced to move to St. Augustine, Florida when her parents divorced. Leaving her comfortable life, she struggles to find a new one. In the blistering Florida heat, she stays indoors reading and spying on Rodham – the hot guy across the hall.

    Everything changes when loud, mysterious neighbors move in next door to Alison. Mutual interest and a glowing amulet bring Rodham and Alison together. In a blink she’s fighting supernatural creatures, doing whatever it takes to stay alive, and becoming part of something much bigger than she could have dreamed.

    “A variety of surprises and plot twists quickly ensue, presented in Elle Klass’ outstanding, character-driven style with which she’s developed a unique vampire culture known as Bloodseekers with whom an eternal war wages with their mortal enemy, the Slayers.”

    Marcha Fox , Author of The Star Trails Tetralogy

    Elle Klass is the author of mystery, suspense, and contemporary fiction. Her works include As Snow Falls, Eye of the Storm Eilida’s Tragedy, and the Baby Girl series. Her work Eye of the Storm Eilida’s Tragedy is a Reader’s Favorite Fiction-Paranormal Finalist in the 2015 Reader’s Favorite Awards. Baby Girl Box Set received Official Honors in Young Adult through New Apple Indie Ebook Awards. She is a night-owl where her imagination feeds off shadows, and creaks in the attic. Visit her website at https://elleklass.weebly.com.

    Book info 

    ISBN– 978-1-944786-99-1                                                                                            

    6 X9                                                                                                                                212 pages

    Ebook ISBN – 2940152748680

    ASIN – B01BWFEU48

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