Folio Weekly 03/04/15

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CONTENTS //

MARCH 4-10, 2015 • VOLUME 28 • NUMBER 49

MAIL Who’s the Zealot?

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35 EDITOR’S NOTE 5 FIGHTIN’ WORDS 7 NEWS 8 INTO THE OUTDOORS 12

OUR PICKS MOVIES MAGIC LANTERNS ARTS

PUBLISHER • Sam Taylor

DESIGN

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EDITORIAL

EDITOR • Jeffrey C. Billman jbillman@folioweekly.com / ext. 115 SENIOR EDITOR • Marlene Dryden mdryden@folioweekly.com / ext. 131 A&E EDITOR • Daniel A. Brown dbrown@folioweekly.com / ext. 128 WRITERS-AT-LARGE Susan Cooper Eastman sceastman@folioweekly.com Derek Kinner dkinner@folioweekly.com CARTOONIST • Tom Tomorrow CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rob Brezsny, John E. Citrone, Julie Delegal, AG Gancarski, Dan Hudak, Shelton Hull, MaryAnn Johanson, Pat McLeod, Nick McGregor, Cameron Meier, Jeff Meyers, Kara Pound, Scott Renshaw, Matthew B. Shaw, Chuck Shepherd VIDEOGRAPHERS • Doug Lewis, Ron Perry INTERN • Jessica Gilpin

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ART DIRECTOR • Chaz Bäck cback@folioweekly.com / ext. 116 SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER • Dana Fasano dfasano@folioweekly.com / ext. 117 PHOTO EDITOR/GRAPHIC DESIGNER • Dennis Ho dho@folioweekly.com / ext. 122 DESIGN INTERN • Samantha Sotter design@folioweekly.com / ext. 117

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Right-wing religious zealot [The Flog, “Meet the Jax Port Task Force’s New $60K Consultant,” Jeffrey C. Billman, Feb. 11]? That’s pretty strong; so do you think you are a liberal secular zealot? And because of his religious beliefs, he doesn’t have the ability to have the mental fortitude to perform the job he is asked to perform? Another thing I don’t understand is why secularists hate Christians so much and go out of their way to try and degrade them. I thought the left was tolerant? Guess not.

Jason Wedenfeller, via Facebook

Don’t Extend Vitti’s Contract

There has been an impressive show of support for Superintendent Nikolai Vitti in the TimesUnion recently; unfortunately, none of it has come from teachers and parents, which should make us all wonder what they know that the business community doesn’t.

Vitti may be good at a lot of things, but without a doubt the thing he is best at is making excuses.

Last year, he said changes to Florida’s tests would see our school grades plummet, and he was right. The T-U reported that last year, Duval had 46 D and F schools, nearly 31 percent of its schools, up from 22 percent the year before. That was an unprecedented and brutal drop.

This year, he says, we haven’t seen anything yet, because our switch to the Common Core tests could double the number of F and D schools.

He is both right and it doesn’t matter. Teaching has become a results-orientated business and thus far, with the most important metric, student performance, the superintendent has been a failure, and he even predicts things are about to get worse.

Earlier this year, he said in the T-U that he wanted to reach the Super Bowl, but we haven’t made the playoffs yet.

Speaking of football, I like Gus Bradley, and there are a lot of similarities between him and Vitti.

They are both young, passionate and hardworking.

Unfortunately, their records are similar, too. Does anybody really think Shad Khan is going to keep Bradley around if we go 5-11 or worse this year?

Khan is also not proposing that the Jags extend Bradley’s contract the way the school board is proposing to extend Vitti’s for three more years.

What is wrong with waiting until we make the playoffs to extend Vitti’s contract?

If the school board decides to hold him harmless, then shouldn’t they do the same with the district’s teachers and students? If the board is going to say his poor performance is due to bad timing and a switch in tests, then how can they in good conscience let go teachers who are struggling — or for that matter, fail third-graders, or prevent students who don’t score high enough on this year’s test from graduating?

Unlike the business community that fawns over him, I am a teacher, and I interact frequently with other teachers and with parents. They think he has done some nice things, other things that leave us confused, and also made some decisions, usually with administrative personnel, that have been disasters. Morale is poor for teachers, and communication between them and the district is abysmal.

I am not saying it’s time to cut ties with the superintendent. I’m asking, what’s the rush? Why don’t we wait until the summer or next school year to see what the damage actually is and if the Quality Education for All initiatives, for which the superintendent is directly responsible, are working?

Aren’t we tired of excuses? I feel like, with Vitti and this board, that’s all we’re getting. I would like some results.

Chris Guerrieri, schoolteacher To respond to something in Folio Weekly, please email us, with your address and phone number for verification, at mail@folioweekly.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE

FINE, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE SHIPYARDS

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wo weeks ago, as I’m sure you’ve heard, Shad Khan unveiled his plans for The Shipyards in a slick-as-shit video that probably cost more to put together than I’ll make this year. On Feb. 23, his company sent the city of Jacksonville a Term Sheet listing the barest of outlines of what he wants to do; the next day, the company went before the Downtown Investment Authority, the agency that will have to sign off. In neither instance did we learn very much that is useful.

Oh, sure, we know the contours of Khan’s offer: The city would give Khan the land for free and pay to make it environmentally habitable, as much as $35 million (though likely less). Khan would in turn build 1 million square feet of office space, 100,000 square feet of commercial space, 662 residential units, 350 hotel rooms and 525 marina slips, and construct an openair amphitheater, a football-themed park and mooring space for the USS Adams. After Khan recoups his investment, the city would then get a 20 percent cut of future land sales.

But what we don’t know is how much all of this will cost. We don’t have a price tag on remediating the land. We don’t have a price tag on Khan’s construction plans, or how much the city stands to gain on the back end. We don’t have a price tag on all of the other things Iguana Investments (Khan’s new creation just for this project) wants the city to do: improving Bay Street and the Hogans Creek greenway, completing a river-adjacent walkway from Metropolitan Park into Downtown, maintaining public spaces and restoring bulkheads. And we don’t have a price tag on the tax incremental financing Iguana wants reserved for The Shipyards.

With so much uncertainty — the DIA holds another hearing this week, so we’ll hopefully get answers sooner than later — it’s hard to opine in any meaningful way about it. But what the hell, I’ll give it a go anyway.

On its face, I don’t see any obvious red flags, at least not yet. Or, to put it another way: I’ve seen worse. The city’s going to have to pay to clean up The Shipyards if it ever wants to unload it — to Khan or anyone else — or even to turn it into a greenspace. (It’s not like developers have been beating down the city’s door to buy the property outright.) The city needs bodies Downtown, and Khan uniquely has the financial wherewithal to see this thing through. So on that score, this seems like a deal worth pursuing.

As with anything, however, the devil is in the details, and we don’t have enough details right now to know what the devil looks like.

The Canceled Contract

Last Thursday, Dr. Dr. Herbert M. Barber — the economics consultant hired by Jacksonville’s Office of Economic Development to review the costs and benefits of dredging the port, whose racist, radical polemic of a 2012 book, Fall of a Nation, drew Mayor Brown’s condemnation [Cover Story, “Meet Jacksonville’s New $60K Port Consultant, Feb. 18] — finally turned in his draft report, which had actually been due 13 days earlier, on Feb. 13 (he could be a Folio Weekly writer!). In keeping with Barber’s anachronistic sensibilities, he delivered only a hard copy and not a digital one.

The city, as I first reported on The Flog, responded with a terse letter notifying Barber that his services would no longer be needed.

The city was terminating the contract, effective immediately.

And that’s a fine, albeit symbolic, gesture. The

city, after all, is still going to pay him at least most of his $60,000 fee, as he was nearing completion of his work by the time I alerted the city to his book. Mostly, I would bet, the city wanted to avoid the media circus of Barber coming to town to present his findings to the Port Task Force on March 11. Again, it’s probably the smart thing to do, though I wish someone would’ve Googled the man before signing on the dotted line.

It’s not clear whether the task force will afford any credibility to Barber’s report, given his views on racial integration, environmentalists and the “ugly’ poor — in a surprise to precisely no one who’s been paying attention, Barber thinks deepening the port will be the Greatest. Thing.

Ever — or whether this was all an expensive wasted exercise.

The morning after I broke the news that the city had canceled the contract, Barber’s Xicon Economics emailed over a statement, and wouldn’t you know it, Dr. Barber is the real victim here: “Clearly the ‘termination’ resulted from religious (Biblical) statements Dr. Barber made in his 2012 book, Fall of a Nation, a book that paralleled the demise of the US to the demise of the Israelites … . Immediately prior to termination, only a single (1) copy of Dr. Barber’s book had been sold across the entire world over the course of the contract Xicon Economics had with the City. … Obviously, it can be readily concluded that ill-advised decisions were rendered by Mayor Brown, City Council, Office of Economic Development, reporters, bloggers, and others without having ever read works published by Dr. Barber, outside of a few statements posted without context by persons bent on destroying Christianity.”

Actually — while I wouldn’t want to get between a martyr and his cross — it wasn’t the religious statements that got Barber in trouble, but rather the racist ones about integration and intermarriage, the bit about President Obama being “more anti-American than any ten thousand terrorists,” the riff on the “ugly,” “entitled” poor, and the aspersions cast upon environmentalists and “do-gooders.”

Barber, of course, takes the city’s condemnation as vindication: “With no doubt, this unwarranted termination violated Dr. Barber’s freedom of speech, not to mention his freedom to express his religious beliefs… [sic] and other civil liberties. Sadly, the termination only offered credence to the central thesis of Dr. Barber’s book.”

I didn’t realize there was a constitutional right to municipal contracts. But what do I know? I’m just here trying to destroy Christianity.

Fun coda: I inadvertently replied to Xicon’s email — I was trying to reply to someone who had forwarded it to me — with a snarky line about Barber needing to climb down off his cross.

Xicon issued a one-word reply: “Whatever.”

Then, a minute later, another response: “Hey dummy. You did not make it possible for people to actually read the ‘press release’ [referring to my blog post, and for the record, the PDF image and link both appeared on my browser]. You can’t read that image you put up. Contrary to what you may think, I enjoy your comments. I guess they are too much like mine, albeit on the other side of the fence. Have a nice weekend.”

I’m not sure how to take that.

Jeffrey C. Billman twitter/jeffreybillman jbillman@folioweekly.com MARCH 4-10, 2015 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 5

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FIGHTIN’ WORDS

THE GENERATIONAL STRUGGLE How to lose the war against the Islamic State

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he big news last week — in terms of the intersection of local law enforcement and national security — was the arrest of Abror Habibov, a Uzbekistan native who until last week operated kitchenware and cell-phone repair kiosks at the Orange Park Mall and other facilities throughout the country.

He was arrested for financially backing two Islamic State recruits who were slated to go half a world away to join the militant group. One of them got arrested at JFK airport; he was headed to Istanbul. The other was arrested in Brooklyn; his plan was to go to Istanbul next month.

Law enforcement was tipped off by posts the two recruits made on social media. Things like, “Greetings. We wanted to pledge our allegiance and commit ourselves while not present there, I am in USA now but we don’t have any arms. But is it possible to commit ourselves as dedicated martyrs anyway while here. What I’m saying is to shoot Obama and thn [sic] get shot ourselves. Will it do? That will strike fear in the hearts of Infidels.”

As readers know, I have covered related phenomena before, including the “Lonely Jihad” of Shelton Bell [Fightin’ Words, April 2], a graduate of Englewood High School, an unfocused kid who, looking for something to cling to as an anchor for his developing identity, latched on to the toxic ideology of the self-proclaimed Islamic State.

It seemed anomalous a year ago. It seems less so now.

For years, federal officials have warned of “sleeper cells” in this country and throughout the Western world, of would-be terrorists who, given a trigger, would erupt in violence.

One thing everyone got wrong, though, is what the trigger would be. Yes, it’s what was broadly called “Islamofascism” a decade ago by the Bush/Cheney team. But where everyone got it wrong was in understanding how the more recent ISIS impulse would metastasize in the digital age.

Ten years ago, we were all on MySpace. Today, smartphones give constant contact with social networks: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.

Additionally, the smartphone age has given a social outlet to people who might not

otherwise have one in their communities.

Extremist impulses and apocalyptic, selfdestructive worldviews find their outlets through instant communication with the world’s more radical and destabilizing elements. Couple that with the youth unemployment crisis throughout the European Union and among many young people in this country, and you have an Olympic-sized pool of ready recruits, with new grievances being spawned constantly.

There have always been radical elements seeking to foment revolution. Anarchists a century ago, militants a half-century ago during the Vietnam era, militia and David Koresh-types in the 1990s, the ISIS dupes today. All of them believe they have no stake in the current order. To prove that point, they’re willing to commit to martyrdom for the cause.

They feel powerless anyway, so why not?

In Jacksonville, as in many cities, we face a problem understanding what drives radicalism. There is a large swath of Northeast Florida’s political culture that unconscionably and unbelievably conflates ecumenical voices of moderation like Parvez Ahmed with these new-school radicals, these ideological dupes who do not represent true Islam. Because a certain political set feels the need to demonize a faith, we are further distanced from a nuanced discussion of what really drives Islamic State recruiting. And thus we are powerless to remedy the contributing factors.

The one thing that policymakers should have learned over the last couple of decades, through the rise of Al-Qaeda and ISIS alike, is that both these movements have selfperpetuating energies. Even the most robust military engagement is successful for only a limited time. The ideology itself, the fervid, quasi-theocratic nihilism, cannot be quashed with drone strikes and maximum-security prisons and all the rest of the “solutions.”

That is the existential challenge the AngloAmerican world order has faced for decades, and there is no respite in sight.

AG Gancarski twitter/aggancarski mail@folioweekly.com

Abror Habibov MARCH 4-10, 2015 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 7

NEWS

THE PROXY WAR

A judge has dismissed the complaint St. Johns County Deputy Jeremy Banks has filed against the FDLE agent who investigated him for his girlfriend’s death — for now.

HAPPY COUPLE? Michelle O’Connell and St. Johns County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremy Banks.

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he lawsuit is, at its most basic level, cop versus cop — a St. Johns County deputy who believes a Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent went too far while investigating him. But in another sense, it’s a proxy battle between the St. Johns County Sheriff ’s Office and the FDLE, and between those who believe Jeremy Banks murdered his girlfriend, 24-year-old Michelle O’Connell, back in 2010, and those who believe that she killed herself [Cover Story, “Murder, He Wrote,” Susan Cooper Eastman, Nov. 19].

At this very moment, the FDLE is winning — or, at least, it won the most recent round.

On Feb. 13, U.S. District Court Judge Brian Davis dismissed the complaint Banks had filed against the FDLE and its agent Rusty Ray Rodgers. The dismissal was mostly technical — there were legal problems with the way the complaint was presented, rather than a substantive flaw in the underlying argument — so Davis dismissed it “without prejudice,” which means Banks is allowed to refile by March 5.

But Davis’ dismissal hints at how complex and unusual this lawsuit, filed last year, actually is: a cop suing another cop for doing his job too aggressively.

The incident that led to this lawsuit has been well-documented, especially in a 2013 New York Times/Frontline investigation, and is still today the subject of much controversy in St. Johns County. O’Connell died of a gunshot wound that the SJCSO ruled a suicide almost immediately, following what Sheriff David Shoar has admitted was a flawed investigation. But members of O’Connell’s family didn’t buy the official story. They didn’t believe that O’Connell, who

had just accepted a new full-time job and was about to leave Banks, would abandon her 4-year-old child. After months of pressure, Shoar asked the FDLE to investigate, likely with the expectation that the FDLE would back up his department and settle this once and for all. But that’s not what happened.

Enter Agent Rodgers, who didn’t buy the official story, either. According to Banks’ complaint: “From the outset of his investigation, Agent Rodgers operated under his predetermined theory and conclusion Jeremy Banks was criminally culpable in the death of Michelle O’Connell.”

O’Connell, after all, was shot by Banks’ own service revolver.

Indeed, an expert told the FDLE in a report, “The totality of the circumstances are NOT CONSISTENT WITH SUICIDE. However, they are consistent with homicide.”

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When Rodgers went in to investigate, he went for the jugular, there’s no doubt about that. He scrutinized the evidence and concluded there was no way O’Connell had killed herself, according to Banks’ lawsuit.

Rodgers felt there was too much evidence to indicate differently.

O’Connell, after all, was shot by Banks’ own service revolver. Indeed, an expert told the FDLE in a report, “The totality of the circumstances are not consistent with suicide.

However, they are consistent with homicide.”

Moreover, Banks had been drinking the night his girlfriend died — though his fellow cops

NEWS never tested his blood alcohol level — and O’Connell had told relatives that she was leaving him.

More important, Rodgers’ investigation turned up two neighbors who said they heard O’Connell screaming for help the night she died. That prodded the medical examiner to change the cause of death to homicide.

Then all hell broke loose.

Shoar released a 153-page review of his department’s investigation into O’Connell’s death. That review all but indicted Rodgers and his supervisor, Dominick Pape, for “unethical behavior” that “stigmatized” Banks.

The Times story that was released in 2013, which argued “that the investigation was mishandled from the start, not just by the sheriff and his officers, but also by medical examiners who espoused scientifically suspect theories that went unchallenged by prosecutors,” only added fuel to the fire. And after Rodgers was unable to convince a special prosecutor to charge Banks with O’Connell’s death, Banks filed suit.

Even more than four years after O’Connell died, the case is still considered active. Late last year, after a new witness came forward and said he saw Banks acting suspiciously, Gov. Rick Scott ordered the case reopened and referred it to another special prosecutor.

And Banks’ lawsuit is ongoing as well.

Judge Davis didn’t rule specifically on the merits of his complaint — which Davis wrote was “predominated by conclusory and argumentative allegations” and of a “shotgun nature,” meaning that it contained “irrelevant factual allegations and legal conclusions” — but he did criticize the way the complaint was structured: “Plaintiff alleges that Rogers [sic] falsified the kinds of facts which, in the Court’s experience, are important to findings of probable cause in homicide investigations …. Without context, however, these facts are naked assertions which fail to assist an understanding of how probable cause is allegedly absent. The balance of facts scattered through the Complaint do nothing to remedy this deficiency.”

This early in the case, Davis wrote, Banks isn’t required to prove his allegations, but he does need to provide a “short plain statement sufficient to put Defendant on notice of facts or inferences from them which make the absence of probable cause plausible. The allegations of Plaintiff ’s Amended Complaint simply fail to accomplish that requirement.”

Because Banks’ lawsuit stems from the idea that Rodgers acted without probable cause, Davis continued, without that basis established Davis couldn’t consider the rest of Banks’ allegations. Nor could he address Rodgers’ claim of immunity, which usually applies to police officers doing their investigatory work.

So he ordered Banks to refile his complaint

by March 5. As of Monday, March 2, he had not yet done so, according to court records.

Banks’ lead attorney, Robert “Mac” McLeod, did not return phone calls for this story. Last year, he told Folio Weekly in an email that the allegations against his client were “baseless and fictional.” “Mr. Banks is so obviously innocent of any wrongdoing whatsoever in the tragic suicide of Ms. O’Connell, that 3 medical examiners and 2 state attorneys have concluded no evidence implicates him.”

Derek Kinner dkinner@folioweekly.com

MARCH 4-10, 2015 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 9

NEWS

TEST TWEAKERS

As the Legislature convenes, here’s what’s happening on the education front

F

or several years, Florida parents and teachers have bristled at the centerpiece of the state’s so-called education reforms.

“Teacher accountability” is the political term for it, but what it boils down to is high-stakes testing, and lots of it.

The anxiety level has kicked up another notch this year, as Florida schools are making the transition from the long-used FCAT to the new, more difficult, Common Core-based Florida Standards Assessments. Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti has warned that the number of district schools with D or F grades could double.

With the Legislature about to begin its 2015 session, is Tallahassee finally listening? Three different proposed bills, an executive action and a Department of Education “investigation” suggest that lawmakers are. Sort of.

This will be the year Florida’s public schools’ test-based accountability system gets tweaked.

But will the changes be enough to satisfy stressed-out students, teachers and parents?

THROWING US A BONE

EVEN FORMER GOVERNOR JEB BUSH’S CHIEF education policy point-person, Patricia Levesque, now says that test scores should make up less than 50 percent of a teacher’s evaluation. That would require quite a turnaround for Republican lawmakers who, with strong pushes from Bush’s Foundation for Florida’s Future (FFF), fought to implement the link between student test scores and teacher evaluations over vehement teacher and parent objections. Florida law now mandates that 50 percent of teachers’ evaluations be based on their students’ test scores.

This session, Sen. John Legg, R-Pasco County, has introduced SB 616, which would scale that percentage back to 40. He also wants to reduce the number of end-of-course exams students take.

Duval County School Board member and former chairwoman Becki Couch applauds Legg for going in the right direction. But rather than simply lower the percentage, Couch, a teacher herself, wants lawmakers to make more meaningful changes to the teacher-evaluations statutes.

“I’d like to see Sen. Legg engage in a conversation with teachers about what performance looks like,” she says.

Parent advocates reacted more bluntly: “Sen. Legg’s bill does nothing for children,” says Kathleen Oropeza, co-founder of the advocacy organization Fund Education Now. “If Sen. Legg is sincere, he needs to pay close attention to what his colleagues are telling him.

He needs to not hurt children in this process.”

Oropeza references a bill by Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, which would hold students harmless from the results of the new FSA until the Department of Education collects enough data to make sure the test is reliable and valid, and determine where to set cut-off scores, or floor levels for student promotion and graduation.

FCAT scores were previously used to evaluate students’ progress and in schoolgrading formulas. Then the Legislature decided to directly connect that test to teacher evaluations, too.

The controversial SB 6 was introduced, passed and vetoed by then-governor Charlie Crist in 2010. But former state senator John 10 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | MARCH 4-10, 2015

Thrasher didn’t give up; he successfully rammed it through the Legislature again in 2011, and this time he got Gov. Rick Scott’s signature.

Make no mistake: Despite the nods to reform, Jeb Bush’s zeal for high-stakes testing is still the Republicans’ default setting.

“We’re seeing a real doubling down on Jeb’s policy to protect his legacy as he runs for president,” says parent advocate Colleen Wood, a board member for The Network for Public Education and founder of the St. Johns County-based advocacy organization 50th No More.

With Bush’s 2016 presidential bid imminent, Wood predicts no major changes to the testing regiment in the coming legislative session. The minor tweaks offered

by Legg amount to a “pat on the head.

They’re throwing us a bone in hopes that parents will quiet down. But this contingent of parents didn’t start yesterday, and it’s not going away tomorrow.”

Though Bush left the governor’s mansion in 2007, his state-level education policy foundation, FFF, led by Levesque, has been front and center in education legislation ever since. And so it is somewhat surprising that Levesque has come out in support of lowering the test’s stakes.

(A former lobbyist, Levesque has been criticized for pushing legislation that may have benefitted her former corporate clients, which include education giants K12, Pearson and Amplify. In 2013, she withdrew her firm’s lobbying registration while under fire from In the Public Interest, a left-leaning government watchdog group, which questioned the blurry lines between FFF and Bush’s other, national non-profit, the Foundation for Excellence in Education. Both the FFF and the FEE shared the same P.O. box with Levesque’s firm.)

It’s hard to know whether the Bush camp has been reading research, which doesn’t support the high-stakes link to teacher evaluations, or the political tea leaves — a state full of test-weary parents.

PUSHBACK

REP. DEBBIE MAYFIELD, R-VERO BEACH, has been listening to parents’ complaints.

Mayfield, like many parents and educators, is so frustrated with the entire system that she wants to give districts the ability to opt out of standards-based tests altogether.

Judging from an action alert obtained from an email network of the Tea Party, which strongly opposes all things Common Core (a fact that could prove troubling for Bush’s White House aspirations), Mayfield’s bill could gain traction: “Common Core has created a culture of extreme testing and oppressive federal intervention on students, teachers and school administrators.”

Oropeza says that the opt-out movement is a signal from parents that Florida’s accountability system is making their children miserable. Those tests determine whether a teacher gets a good evaluation, the grades of the entire school, and whether the child will be promoted.

“Everything is bearing down on children,” she says. “Where’s the breaking point?”

Mayfield’s proposal may offer a clue. HB 877 would permit districts to administer what are called norm-referenced tests (NRT) in lieu of implementing the FSA. NRTs,

NEWS

Clockwise from top left: Mayfield, Couch, Legg, Oropeza and Montford. which are used by many private schools, put children’s evaluations on a bell curve, but don’t give much information about what a child needs to learn in order to advance.

“We’ve already had poor families opting out of high-stakes tests,” Wood says. “They’re opting out of public school. It’s called vouchers.”

In other words, when the testing pressure becomes too much to handle, parents send their kids to voucher schools, which don’t administer the standards-based tests. That choice was made much easier by last year’s expansion of the Tax Credit Scholarship Program to middle-class families. Previously, the state’s voucher program was available only to low-income students.

WHY STANDARDS-BASED EDUCATION?

THE MOVE FROM NRTs TO STANDARDS-BASED learning in public schools has its roots in an honorable mission: Instead of placing students on a bell curve, reformers decided to deconstruct the curriculum into standards and objectives to make learning accessible to all students. Standards-based approaches permit educators to identify and fill in skill deficits to move students forward.

Indeed, while Mayfield has proved to be less tone-deaf to parent and educator concerns than many lawmakers, her proposal to do away with standards-based tests altogether amounts to throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

“If standards-based tests were used as they were intended, they’d be better [than NRTs],” Couch says. “But they’ve turned into a punitive tool.” Instead of being used to diagnose student skill deficits, she adds, those tests have become the “ugly monster that’s taken over the joy in the classroom.”

Meanwhile, Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Destin, echoes Couch’s sentiments, at least to some degree: He told Scott Maxwell of the Orlando Sentinel that standards-based education is not the problem, and blamed Gov. Scott’s Department of Education for taking testing too far.

Gov. Scott, in turn, has responded by suspending the 11th-grade language-arts test.

Since students must pass a similar 10th-grade

test in order to graduate, advocates have asked, “Why make them take both?”

At least one lawmaker thinks the students shouldn’t have to. Montford, who also heads the state superintendents’ association, has introduced SB 774 to permanently end the duplicative practice.

The irony, Couch notes, is that while removing the 11th-grade test takes graduation pressure off students, it won’t actually reduce the overall number of tests students must take. In order to satisfy the teacher-evaluations requirements of SB 736, students will have to take another test, likely an end-of-course exam.

Florida DOE Commissioner Pam Stewart also recommended eliminating the 11thgrade exam and reducing testing in general, in the department’s review of the state’s accountability system, published Feb. 18.

HOLD HARMLESS

IN ADDITION TO ELIMINATING THE 11TH-GRADE test, Montford’s bill would also suspend the punitive use of the new FSA for three years.

That suspension means the test data would be used to develop benchmarks and cut-off scores, but it wouldn’t be used to determine student promotions, teacher evaluations or school grades. It’s a move supported by the Florida Superintendents Association, the Florida School Boards Association and the Florida Education Association, the state’s teachers union.

Making retention decisions and creating school grades based on a brand-new test is unacceptable to 50th No More’s Wood. “It’s a game our state has set up, and the game is rigged,” she says. “Our kids are set up to fail. When you give a test that 70 percent of students failed in Utah, you’re setting up our kids to fail.” (The FSA has been field-tested in Utah, but not yet in Florida.)

Oropeza agrees. “Entire lives have to revolve around this flawed tool.”

Julie Delegal mail@folioweekly.com

An earlier version of this story previously appeared on the website Context Florida.

MARCH 4-10, 2015 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 11

ORGANIZED RUNS & MARATHONS

(See more events in our Arts section/Events, starting on page xx.)

KILWINS ICE CREAM RUN 2015 clarkeschools.org Third annual one-mile fun run/walk ($15) and a 5K race ($25) start 7:30 a.m. March 7 at St. Johns Town Center, to benefit Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech Jacksonville. An ice cream celebration follows the race. The grand prize is a year of free Kilwins ice cream.

BEACHES FAMILY WALK & FUN FEST sulbachercenter.org Fourth annual fest starts 9 a.m. March 7 at SeaWalk Pavilion, First Street and First Avenue North, Jax Beach. Registration is $20 for individual walkers, $45 for a group/family of four.

Activities include bounce houses, face painting, food and live music. Proceeds benefit Sulzbacher Beaches Clinic programs, 224-3550.

LIGHTHOUSE 5K RUN/WALK & FUN RUN lighthouse5krun. com 23rd annual run is 4:30 p.m. March 7 at St. Augustine Lighthouse, 81 Lighthouse Ave. Fun run 5:30 p.m. The course includes 3.1 miles through Lighthouse Park and Davis Shores.

Registration is $32 for the 5K, $7 for fun run.

MUTT MARCH PET WALK & FESTIVAL jaxhumane.org Annual Jacksonville Humane Society fundraiser is 10 a.m. March 7 at Jacksonville Landing, 2 Independent Dr., Downtown. Kids’ zone, live music, a silent auction, pet adoptions, pet-centric merch and human food and drink. Registration fees vary.

KD SHAMROCK 5K 1stplacesports.com 5K and 1-mile fun run ($27 advance, $30 after March 7), start 9 a.m. (packet pickup 7:30 a.m.) March 8 at University of North Florida, 1 UNF Dr., Southside. Kappa Delta’s Shamrock philanthropy is Prevent Child Abuse America, founded by a Kappa Delta. 80 percent of funds raised stays in the community, donated to local child-abuse prevention agency Monique Burr Foundation. The remaining 20 percent is donated to PCAA’s national office for its national programs.

GATE RIVER RUN 731-1900, gate-riverrun.com 38th annual run – the largest in the U.S. – is March 14, starting around 8:15 a.m. on Gator Bowl Boulevard, finishing by Jacksonville Fairgrounds, with $82,000 in prize money going to the winners from among about 24,000 runners. There’s a 5K, a Challenge Run and a Jr. River Run, too.

CHICK-FIL-A 10K, 5K & 1 MILE cfaraceseries.com The runs start 6 p.m. for 1-mile ($15), 6:35 p.m. for 10K ($30) and 6:45 p.m. for the 5K ($25) March 20 at Wolf Park, 2020 S. Fletcher Ave., Fernandina Beach; proceeds benefit Fernandina Christian Academy programs.

RUN FOR SHELTER 5K trinityrescue.org This benefit for the Women & Children’s Shelter, 622 W. Union St., Downtown, starts 9 a.m. March 21 at 800 Hammond Blvd., advance registration $30, $35 day of; post-race celebration has bagels, bananas, awards and music.

SUNNY RUNNER RACE SERIES jacksonvillerunningcompany. com Jacksonville Running Company hosts the series, starting with the Shamrock 5K & Kids Fun Run on March 21, Independence Day 4-Miler & Kids Fun Run on July 4 and the Halloween Howler 5K on Oct. 24. Events open to various age groups; check website for details.

ST. PADDY’S RUN 1stplacesports.com A 10K and 5K ($25 advance, $30 March 15-21, $35 day of) start 8 a.m. March 22 at Evergreen Cemetery, 4535 Main St., Northside.

CHICK-FIL-A 5K 1stplacesports.com Get-Fit Challenge starts 8 a.m. for 5K ($25 advance), 9 a.m. for 1-mile ($15), March 28 at Chick-Fil-A, 14020 Lunar Dr., Northside. Proceeds benefit Seacoast Christian Academy Athletic Department.

COLOR ME FED 5K RUN hungerfight.org The benefit for Hunger Fight programs is 9 a.m.-5 p.m. March 28 at 211 Riverside Ave., Jacksonville. Registration is $20 under age 12, $40 for age 13 and older.

HIGH FIVES FOR HOPE 5K highfivesforhope.org Fifth annual 5K starts 8:30 a.m. March 28 at 1 Ahern St., Atlantic Beach, continues on the beach. Registration donation is $25. Awards 9:30 a.m. at Ragtime Tavern. Proceeds donated to Camp Boggy Creek, a year-round camp for seriously ill children in Eustis.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS WALK hubbardhouse. org Sixth annual Hubbard House Walk is 8 a.m. March 28 at Jacksonville Landing, Downtown, with music, games, family activities. The walk is free to participate. Fundraising encouraged but not required.

RUN 13.1 & 5K 1stplacesports.com Inaugural event is 7 a.m. March 29 at Jacksonville Landing. A post-race party has awards, beer, food and live music. Entry fees vary; see website for details.

HUMAN RACE 5K WALK & RUN handsonjacksonville.org HandsOn Jax’s race includes a 1-mile fun run ($24 registration) and 5K ($40 advance, $50 day of), 8 a.m. April 4 at St. Johns Town Center. Open to all; proceeds benefit HandsOn Jax’s nonprofit partner agencies.

RUNNING THE BLUES 5K RUN & 2.5K WALK performance multisports.com Start 2 p.m. April 18 on the beach in front of Red Cross Lifesaving Station, foot of Beach Boulevard.

Registration fees vary; check the website.

BETTY GRIFFIN HOUSE 5K RUN & WALKATHON runsignup. com Benefit for programs for domestic and sexual abuse victims in St. Johns County starts 8 a.m. April 18 at the Pier, 350 A1A Beach Blvd., bettygriffinhouse5k.org.

12 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | MARCH 4-10, 2015

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THE FLAVOR RUN 5K flavorrun.com, nocatee.com Runners are coated in colors of fruit-flavored powder at each mile starting 9:30 a.m. April 25 in Nocatee. Proceeds benefit Easy Peasy Kids Fitness Foundation.

SHANNON MILLER LIFESTYLE 5K & FUN RUN shannonmiller lifestyle.com Kids start 8 a.m., the 5K Run/Walk 8:30 a.m.

May 9 at Jacksonville Landing. A community health fair with free screenings is featured. Proceeds benefit the Shannon Miller Foundation programs to fight childhood obesity.

BFAS SPRINT SERIES TRIATHLON 270-1771, bfasracing.org Beaches Fine Arts Series fundraisers, in the 29th year, featuring a .25-mile swim, 16.8-mile bike ride and a 3.4-mile run, 7 a.m. on May 16, June 13 and July 11 at Naval Station Mayport.

ORGANIZED BIKE RIDES & CLUBS/PATHS

KATIE RIDE FOR LIFE 491-0811, katierideforlife.org 11th annual event, to raise funds and awareness of organ and tissue donation, kicks off 8 a.m. April 18 with individual and team cyclists riding 100, 62, 36 or 18 miles; plus an off-road and Family Fun Ride and 5K and 10K walks, starting at Atlantic Recreation Center, 2500 Atlantic Ave., Fernandina Beach.

Registration fees vary per event.

MOUNT ACOSTA CLASSIC Three-hour timed event, for runners and bicyclists, over Acosta Bridge, 3-6 p.m. March 29; 352-281-9025.

TOUR DE FORTS 861-7373, nfbc.us North Florida Bicycle Club’s 24th annual tour is held April 27 starting 7:30 a.m. at Bartram Trail High School, 7399 Longleaf Pine Parkway, St. Johns, with distances of 25, 38, 62 and 100 miles along the St. Johns River and Atlantic Ocean. Registration is $40 for members, $55 nonmembers; go to nfbc.us by April 15. Day-of registration is $65.

RIDE OF SILENCE Cyclists ride in silent procession to honor cyclists killed or injured while on public roadways, 7 p.m. May 20 at LakeShore Bicycles, 2108 Blanding Blvd., Jacksonville, to Hemming Plaza and back to LakeShore. Lights required.

CECIL RECREATIONAL TRAIL 13611 Normandy Blvd., 630-2489, jaxparks.org The 2.5-mile paved trail winds through Cecil Conservation Corridor – ideal for jogging, hiking, biking and wildlife viewing.

FBA: FIRST COAST CLUB 291-8664, floridabicycle.org/ chapter/firstcoast Florida Bicycle Association’s local chapter’s mission is to inspire and support people and communities to enjoy greater freedom and well-being through bicycling.

NORTH FLORIDA BICYCLE CLUB nfbc.us, ridedirector@ nfbc.us Rides of various levels and distances, from starting points throughout Northeast Florida. Cycling classes, clinics and training sessions also offered.

VELO BICYCLE CLUB velobrew.com Open to enthusiasts of all levels and skills to help train for races and bike-riding. For details, go to website.

CYCLING GEAR

LAKESHORE BICYCLES & FITNESS 2108 Blanding Blvd., Jacksonville, 388-0612, lakeshorebicycles.com Full-service retail store, family-owned-and-operated since 1961 by folks who know bikes, offers road, mountain, recumbent and kids’

bikes, helmets and accessories. Indoor trainers and bike repair, too. Weekly ride groups and classes for all levels, including a Sat. morning ride, 5-9 miles for beginners, 30-45 miles for more advanced bikers.

OPEN ROAD BICYCLES 4460 Hendricks Ave., San Marco, 636-7772, openroadbicycles.com Full-service shop, with six Northeast Florida locations, offers a large selection of bicycles as well as full repair service and rentals.

PERFORMANCE BICYCLE 4421 Southside Blvd., 899-1056, performancebike.com Bikes, accessories, clothing, nutrition and repairs – the one-stop-shop bicycle mega store has it. Group rides for beginners and intermediates are held Sat. mornings.

TRAIL THRILLS meetup.com/trail-thrills Mountain biking, trail jogging, overnight camping, trailblazing and beach time for meditation are featured. Intermediate to advanced level rides weekend mornings, followed by beginner level guided trail tours.

ZENCOG BICYCLE COMPANY 883 Stockton St., Riverside, 619-0496, zencog.com The shop sells new and used steel bikes, frames and components. Rentals and bike repair services, too. Buy local.

OUTDOOR FESTIVALS

ST. AUGUSTINE LIONS SEAFOOD FESTIVAL 3-9 p.m. March 6, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. March 7, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. March 8, Francis Field, 25 W. Castillo Dr., 829-1753, lionsfestival.com The 34th annual festival has seafood, an arts & crafts fair, kids’ zone and pirate village, and live music

by Christian Lopez Band, Jake Cox, Sam Pacetti, Collapsible B, Billy Doyle Quartet, Katherine Archer, Lonesome Bert and Florida State Bluegrass Band. Admission is $3 for adults; free for ages 12 and younger. Proceeds benefit local charities.

CELTIC MUSIC & HERITAGE FESTIVAL March 13, 14 & 15, Francis Field, St. Augustine, 535-6853, celticstaugustine. com St. Patrick’s Parade and live music by Rathkeltair, Albannach, Dublin City Ramblers, Searson, Whisky of the Damned, Poor Angus and Makem & Spain. Highland games are the weight throw, Scottish hammer throw, stone put and caber toss. Festival admission is $10.

LIVING HISTORY EVENT A Civil War reenactment is held 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 14 and 15 at Camp Milton Historic Preserve, 1225 Halsema Rd. N., Jacksonville, 630-2489, jaxparks.com.

BELK MUSIC FEST Live music: Corbitt Brothers, Jackie Venson, Down Home Band, January May, Brady Clampitt, JacksonVegas and Austin Park, noon-9 p.m. March 14, SeaWalk Pavilion, First Street and First Avenue North, Jax Beach, belkfest.com.

PHINS GUMBO COOK-OFF The 10th annual Cook-Off & Festival is noon-4 p.m. March 14 at Jacksonville Landing, with live music by the George Aspinall Band and unlimited gumbo servings for $10; free admission; proceeds benefit Mandarin Food Bank, 353-1188, phinsjax.org.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY STREET PARTY It’s beer, food and liquor and general Irish-tinged mayhem over several blocks in 5 Points, on the street and inside Mossfire Grill, O’Brothers, rain dogs, Hawkers and Larry’s Giant Subs, starting 5 p.m. March 17. The live music starts 6 p.m.

SLIDE INTO SPRING CRAFT BEER & MUSIC FESTIVAL Noon-9 p.m. March 27, 28 & 29, Main Beach Park, Fernandina Beach, 310-3361, goincoastalmusic.com Craft beer tasting noon-4 p.m. in Bar Zin Beer Garden, 2-ounce samples from area breweries. Matisyahu, Herd of Watts, The Wailers, Turkuaz,

SINK OR SWIM: Atlantic Pro Divers in Jacksonville Beach offers a complete array of aquatic equipment as well as diving trips and tours.

MARCH 4-10, 2015 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 13

don’t try this at home AL LOOK OOK A AT TT THE HE C CRAZY-DANGEROUS RAZY-D DANGEROUS PROFESSIONAL WORLD OF PLAYING WITH FIRE

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BY KARA POUND

Photo by Dennis Ho

14 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | MARCH 4-10, 2015

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN SANG ABOUT IT IN 1977.

The Doors recorded a track about it in 1966.

And even that pork-pie-hat-sporting pop singer Gavin DeGraw hollered about it in 2014. We’re talking about fire, people, redhot, burn-inducing, smoke-producing fire.

And while most people (save a firefighter) wouldn’t consciously choose to work with something as dangerous as fire, there are a few interesting characters throughout Northeast Florida doing just that. Weather permitting, of course.

Fire-entertainers make a living — or at least some extra spending money — by juggling it, breathing it, even eating it.

But like most anything staged against the backdrop of a finicky Northeast Florida landscape, entertaining outdoors has its own set of obstacles.

Meet Andrew Ratliff, who goes by the stage name Mister Mayhem. A Jacksonville native, Mayhem has been playing with fire for just over three years. He got started with the rather sketchy hobby after a lifelong interest in magic and juggling.

“The more I got back into magic, I came across an entertainer, Brian Brushwood, who uses both magic and fire as part of his performance,” Mayhem says. “I thought, ‘If he can do it, why can’t I do it, too?’ I started off by doing a lot of research on fire-eating and eventually taught myself how to safely execute this skill.”

Mayhem, 28, put in the time. He researched things like which fuels are safe to put in your mouth and on your skin,

how to transport the fuel from home to gigs, how the wind affects a flame, which tricks require a spotter in case something goes horribly wrong.

“I perform fire-breathing, which is the act of creating a plume of fire by breathing a stream of fuel over an open flame,” he says. “Fire-eating, on the other hand, is the act of putting a flaming object into the mouth and extinguishing it. There are several flourishes that go along with fireeating, such as transferring the lit flame from one torch to another using bare hands and even the tongue — both of which I do.”

Mayhem has performed all over the area, including at Riverside Arts Market and several private parties and business functions. His path to stardom has taken quite some time.

“Fire can be fickle and because of its nature, trial-and-error becomes the method of choice to solve problems,” he says. “Training involves a lot of time and dedication.”

A trained paramedic and firefighter (he also works in a dental office), Mayhem says a working knowledge of how fire reacts and interacts has helped him hone his craft.

“Fire-entertaining outdoors is tricky at best,” he says. “There are a lot more variables involved with entertaining outside.”

Tiffany Grunzel, a fire-entertainer who performs under the handle PennyWise, agrees. “Most of our shows are outdoors, which is one of the top factors in why a healthy respect for fire is needed,” she says.

“Jacksonville always seems to have a nice breeze — especially at night. Wind and fire always keep me on my toes because I have to be aware of the direction and strength of the wind. The direction of the wind can quickly change and end up putting the fire right where I don’t want it.”

The 30-year-old Augusta, Georgia, native has been spinning fire since age 17.

“My first introduction to fire as an art was at a local rave,” PennyWise remembers.

“There was a man spinning fire on a pedestal in the middle of the room. I met him a month later at the coffee shop I worked for, and I told him I was interested because I could spin glow sticks. He laughed and gave me his address.”

As soon as a pair of burning fire poi (tethered weights) was thrust in her hands, PennyWise was hooked. In the five years that she’s lived in Jacksonville, she’s been hired by the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, and the Jacksonville Historical Society, among others.

“This is a very dangerous activity,” she says. “I get burned every time I do a show.

I get asked a lot, ‘Why on earth do you do it?’ and ‘Aren’t you scared?’ It’s actually relaxing. When you are surrounded by fire, you can’t think of anything else. All your problems mean nothing when you have a flaming ball coming toward your face at 30 to 40 miles per hour.” mail@folioweekly.com

MARCH 4-10, 2015 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 15

50 marathons in 50 states LOCAL MARATHONER AND DISTANCE BICYCLER BRUCE REID TALKS ABOUT HIS CAREER

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BY DENNIS HO

Photo by Dennis Ho

BRUCE REID HAS NEVER BEEN ONE TO sit still. Even as he was approaching retirement, the Ponte Vedra resident was in the midst of a personal challenge few dare to dream of: running 50 marathons in 50 states. That alone would be quite remarkable, but that’s not where Reid’s story ends. Once he’d accomplished that, he had to do it again, only this time cycling 150-mile races in all 50 states instead of running.

Reid no longer runs, but he makes the most of his retirement by cycling for charity, most notably for the Katie Caples Foundation and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Folio Weekly sat down with the retired telecoms man to talk about his achievements and his feelings about his favorite places, hardest races and carbo-loading.

• • •

16 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | MARCH 4-10, 2015

Folio Weekly: Which was your favorite state for either cycling or running?

Bruce Reid: I’ve always thought that Hawaii was paradise. But it was challenging on the run. I ran on Maui, and the bike ride was on the big island — that was on the Ironman course — it was hot that day and it was windy and it was not as flat as you might expect.

Are you a runner or a cyclist first?

Even though the marathons were done first, I consider myself more of a cyclist. Not competitive, just recreational. I would rather ride 100 to 150 miles on a bike than run 26 miles. The body feels a lot better after a long bike ride than it does after a run.

Which did you pick up first?

Running. I ran in school and did team sports. In my generation, running was a punishment. If you missed a block or tackle in football practice or made an error in baseball you had to run sprints or laps on the track. I did not like getting punished.

When did running stop becoming punishment?

Knowing that you were doing your body good. That there were health benefits, as long as you were training properly, got rest and — I don’t particularly like this cliché — listening to your body.

How’d you get started running 50 marathons in 50 states?

My daughter was a very good long-distance runner in college and high school, she’s the runner of the family. We decided we’d do one marathon, we decided to make it a destination marathon, in San Diego. After

that, I thought my time could be a little better, so we did one in Chicago. Then I was like, “I could do a little better,” so we did the Disney marathon, and it just took off from there.

How long did it take you to do 50 marathons?

We did that in a seven-and-a-half-year period. Seven or eight marathons a year. If [my wife] had her way we’d have finished in two years.

How’d you feel after your first marathon?

We did the first marathon strictly by the book. The training regiment, the diet, we followed both through what we read and what we were instructed to do by a mentor.

We ate properly, we slept properly, did everything according to how we’re supposed to do it. How did I feel? It probably took me a week to recover before I could negotiate stairs and curbs. Fast-forward about three or four years and we were doing one a month, and we used the marathons as part of our training.

What kinds of times were you running them in?

I averaged maybe 4:10 or 4:15 per marathon, then slowed down to 4:30 or 4:40. By the

INTO THE time we completed the challenge we were down to about five hours per marathon.

Back-of-the-pack runners. An elite runner may look down their nose at someone like us who stops at water stations and drink.

At what point did this become a 50 state challenge?

Probably after the fourth or fifth marathon.

When did your race time stop mattering?

[Laughs.] I’m not sure it ever did. You’re still cognizant of what your time is no matter where on the course you are.

What was the hardest marathon?

Probably for me, Grandfather Mountain in Boone, North Carolina. Twenty-one of the 26 miles were uphill, and I struggled. There was another one that was equally as difficult, it was our New Mexico run, it was on White Sands Missile Range, and it was called the Baton Death March Memorial Marathon.

It simulated the conditions prisoners went through during World War II in the Philippines. Very motivating because there were survivors of that death march who were there who had experienced the real deal. Three-quarters of the runners were military personnel.

At what point did cycling take over running?

I decided I’d give a triathalon a shot. A sprint triathlon that’s a shorter distance. I did not own a bike, so [my wife] surprised me and bought a road bike for me. It had little tiny wheels, little tiny tires, a seat that wasn’t much thicker, and my first thought was, “I’m glad I only have to ride this for 12 miles.” It just became enjoyable. I could still train [with my wife], and we became involved with some group rides and it kind of grew from there.

So you’ve also done 50 Bike MS rides in 50 states.

The first long-distance ride we did was 150 miles over two days, from Jacksonville to Daytona and back. It’s called Bike MS, for multiple sclerosis. About 75 miles to Daytona Beach, stay in a hotel and then ride back.

Why Bike MS? The cycling I do now is all for charity. There’s a cause related to what I’m doing; it’s not a selfish thing where we just want to see if we could run 26 miles. To us that’s a very nice accomplishment, but we didn’t help anybody by doing what we did. When I went back to my office that Monday following that first 150 miles, two women came up to me and thanked me for riding for them, and at first I wasn’t quite

sure what they meant until I realized these two ladies had been diagnosed with MS. They were appreciative for what I had done for them, so I became very involved with the local chapter here.

How did this become a 50-state challenge for you?

When I found out [I was capable of] riding 150 miles and then found out there were 49 other states that had Bike MS rides, that became the next challenge. My dad was career military, so is my wife’s. Transferring to different states and cities when we were both young, and that’s stuck with me, good or bad. I like seeing the country.

Did you approach it differently than the marathon challenge?

Those 50 marathons, we flew to all those locations. For the biking, I drove to 47 of the 50 states. That SUV in my garage has taken me to all but Hawaii, Alaska and Oregon, 250,000 miles on that car. When you fly you don’t really see the country, and while you run you only see 26 miles of asphalt. This was our chance to see the countryside.

I understand you’re also involved with the Katie Caples Foundation.

My job involved community relations, so I was on the receiving end of a lot of donation and volunteer requests, and David Caples approached me about getting my company involved. It probably took less than 10 minutes to sell me on the idea of donating my organs.

It seemed like the right thing to do. Why wouldn’t someone be an organ donor?

How much cycling have you done on their behalf?

This April will be their 11th annual Katie Ride. I’ve been involved with nine of them.

Which state had the hardest ride?

A hundred and fifty miles is hard no matter where it is, especially north of Florida. It’s amazing how flat Florida is when you’re on a bicycle. Once you cross the state line northbound, just about every state had hills. You would expect Colorado to be very challenging [because of] the altitude, but the terrain was not necessarily that challenging.

Wyoming was very challenging. Alaska, in late May, was 37 degrees, raining, and there was one stretch of 12 to 14 miles of steady climb. Oregon was tough.

Outside of college, when were you in the best shape of your life?

Probably the marathon running. When I look at pictures my first thought is, “Wow, I didn’t weigh as much as I thought I did!”

The funny thing about the marathons is, running 50 marathons over seven-and-a-half years, I gained 18 pounds. You’d think that was impossible, but I decided to take carbo loading to the max. dho@folioweekly.com

Photo courtesy Katie Caples Foundation

What was your best time?

I thought I could always improve my time, but that never happened. I had a best of 4:07. I was naive enough to think the more marathons you ran, the faster you’d run, but it doesn’t work out that way. I’m a little disappointed I never broke four hours, and I never will because I’ll never be in that running shape again.

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RIDE, KATIE RIDE: The 11th Annual Katie Ride, Katie Walk and Fun Run on April 18 in Amelia Island helps raise funds and awareness for organ donations through the Katie Caples Foundation.

Supervillains, Trae Pierce & T-Stone Band, The Fritz, Corbitt Brothers, Chillakaya, Post Pluto play. Kids’ zone, art walk, craft bazaar, food trucks and home brew contest. Ticket prices vary.

Proceeds benefit Nassau County Humane Society.

PIRATE GATHERING Nov. 6, 7 & 8, Francis Field, St. Augustine, pirategathering.com The eighth annual gathering features re-enactors, weapons demonstrations, parades, land battles, Thieves Market, a pub crawl and storytellers. Aaargh!

OLD TOWN ART SHOW Local and national artists display their works 10 a.m.-5 p.m. March 28 and 29 at 25 W. Castillo Dr., St. Augustine, 794-0084, oldtownartshow.com.

FERNANDINA BEACH SHRIMP FESTIVAL May 1, 2 & 3, shrimpfestival.com 51st annual Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival in Fernandina Beach has a pirate parade, fireworks, arts and crafts, kids’ zone, live music, a 5K run/walk and shrimp.

SPRINGING THE BLUES 5-10 p.m. April 17, noon-10 p.m.

April 18, noon-8 p.m. April 19, SeaWalk Pavilion, First Street & First Avenue North, Jax Beach, springingtheblues.com 25th annual free outdoor fest features jazz, blues and rock and regional up-and-comers: Backtrack Blues Band, Baystreet, Betty Fox Band, Brady Clampitt, Cedric Burnside, Chubby Carrier, Eddie Shaw, Homemade Jamz Band, Jim McKaba, John Nemeth, Kara Grainger, Lightnin’ Malcolm, Linda Grenville, Mama Blue, Parker Urban Band, Samantha Fish, Selwyn Birchwood, Sharrie Williams, The Lee Boys, Tinsley Ellis, Uncle Johnny’s Blues, Woody & the Peckers. Surfing the Blues surf contest is 9 a.m.

April 18, south of the pier; floridasurfing.org.

RHYTHM & RIBS FESTIVAL 4-10 p.m. April 10, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. April 11, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. April 12, Francis Field, St. Augustine, rhythmandribs.net The 20th annual festival has award-winning barbecue, arts and crafts, kids’ games, rides and activities and live music by Steppin Stones, Rusted Root, Go Get Gone, Eager Beaver, Amy Alysia & the Soul Operation, Ivey West Band, Sister Hazel, The Rivernecks, The Committee, X-Hale, Billy Buchanan & Free Avenue. Admission is $5 daily; kids younger than 13 free. Proceeds benefit local charities.

OYSTER JAM MUSIC FESTIVAL 10 a.m.-8 p.m. April 11, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. April 12, Metro Park, 1410 Gator Bowl Blvd., Downtown, theoysterjammusicfestival.com The oyster roast features a shuckin’ contest, an oyster cook-off, local bands, local craft beers and arts and crafts. Entry is $10 for adults; ages 16 and younger admitted free with an adult.

RAILROAD DAYS FESTIVAL The West Nassau Historical Society holds the 10th annual festival, with parades, entertainment, antique cars, arts and crafts, kids’ activities and Musslewhite Turpentine Commissary artifact exhibit; 9 a.m.-8 p.m. April 18 at Callahan Depot, 45383 Dixie Ave., 879-3406, wnhsfl.org. For details, check the website.

FLORIDA’S BIRDING & PHOTO FEST April 22-26, GTM Research Reserve, St. Augustine Alligator Farm, Castillo de San Marcos, Whitney Lab Center, Marineland, floridabirdingandphotofest.com 13th annual fest has more than 110 local birding and outdoor photography sites, nature tours, seminars, excursions and in-field photography workshops.

MUSIC BY THE SEA CONCERT SERIES 7-9 p.m. Wed., MaySept., St. Johns County Pier & Pavilion, 350 A1A Beach Blvd., St. Augustine Beach, thecivicassociation.org Live music includes The Falling Bones, Rob Peck & Friends, Funk Shui and more. Local eateries hawk dinner for $10 or less.

CONCERTS IN THE PLAZA 7-9 p.m. Thur., Cathedral Place & King Street, St. Augustine, staugustinegovernment.com Free concerts in Plaza de la Constitución’s Gazebo, west of Bridge of Lions. Bring chairs, picnics. Alcohol is prohibited.

FUN ON THE FARM 7900 Old Kings Rd., Palm Coast, 386-446-7630, myagmuseum.com Florida Agricultural Museum offers a family experience 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, all summer long; $9 for adults, $7 for children.

DANCIN’ IN THE STREET 11 a.m.-9 p.m. May 16, Beaches Town Center, 246-9133 29th annual family festival features local bands, an art show, food, a kids’ zone, a climbing wall and free health screenings.

WILD AMELIA NATURE FESTIVAL May 15-17, Fernandina Beach, Ft. Clinch, Amelia Island, Ft. George, 251-0016, wildamelia.com 10th annual festival has guided ecotours, an EcoExpo with green and nature-based vendors, sea turtle release, kids’ activities, paddleboard tours, nature hikes, a silent auction, photo classes, a sunset shoot and dinner and a zoo tour.

Fees vary per event.

WORLD OF NATIONS CELEBRATION April 30-May 3, Metro Park, 630-3690, makeascenedowntown.com Multiethnic cuisine and international entertainment are featured as part of the 22nd annual event. Admission is $5 for one day, $8 for two.

MUG RACE rudderclub.com 62nd annual river race is held May 1-3 on the St. Johns River. Sailboats only.

BUTTERFLY FESTIVAL 10 a.m.-4 p.m. April 25, Tree Hill Nature Center, 7152 Lone Star Rd., Arlington, 724-4646, treehill.org The annual festival has a walk-through butterfly exhibit, a butterfly release, live music, arts and crafts, kids’ activities and animal encounters. Admission is $4 for adults, $3 seniors and military; $2 ages 3-17; free for kids younger than 3.

JACKSONVILLE JAZZ FESTIVAL May 21-24, Downtown venues, 630-3690, makeascenedowntown.com Concerts, talent showcases, piano competitions, late-night jamming, by local faves Snarky Puppy, Soul Rebels, Tito Puente Jr. Orchestra, Felix Peikli & the Royal Flush Quintet, Roman Street, Elisha Parris and Mama Blue. Many are free; some require tickets.

PALATKA BLUE CRAB FESTIVAL May 22-25, Downtown Palatka, 386-325-4406, bluecrabfestival.com Annual festival is held along the riverfront and St. Johns Avenue. Live music, a seafood cook-off, a beauty pageant, a Memorial Day Parade 10 a.m. on Monday; arts and crafts are featured. And … um … boatloads of those delectable darlings of the briny deep, the elegant blue crab.

ORGANIZED TEAM SPORTS

FIRST COAST VOLLEYBALL ASSOCIATION, fcva1.com Games are on the sand at Jax Beach and St. Augustine Beach, kicking off with a two-day run in St. Augustine March 21 and 22, wrapping up with another two-day Oct. 10 and 11.

Membership’s free; scheduled games are on courts just south of Jax Beach Pier from Third Avenue North to Beach Boulevard, and courts near the St. Augustine pier, by the pavilion.

JACKSONVILLE AXEMEN 514-8503, jaxaxe.com The city’s semi-pro rugby league team plays at Hodges Stadium, University of North Florida, 1 UNF Dr., Southside, $8; free for kids younger than 12.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS EverBank Field, Downtown Jacksonville, 633-6100, jaguars.com The local NFL

MARCH 4-10, 2015 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 17

the world from 13,000 feet OR, WHY YOU SHOULD JUMP OUT A A PERFECTLY GOOD AIRPLANE

INTO IN TO T E TH

UTDO OORS

BY KARA POUND

Photo courtesy Skydive Amelia

18 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | MARCH 4-10, 2015

AROUND 1495, LEONARDO DA VINCI designed a prototypical pyramid-shaped, wooden-framed parachute, which is probably not a thing you’d actually want to use. During World War I, the Allies introduced parachutes as rescue devices for observation balloon pilots. In WWII, Allied soldiers parachuted into battle, turning the tide against the Axis powers.

And in the mid-1950s, the term “skydiver” was coined.

Today, some 3.2 million people jump out of perfectly good airplanes every year, according to the U.S. Parachute Association.

And only 24 of them die doing so, which means your odds of survival are fairly good.

“Skydiving is a great human experience,” says Randall Fortner, owner of Skydive Amelia Island in Fernandina Beach.

“Technology today makes it safer and easier than ever for almost anyone to do a tandem skydive.”

Born in St. Louis and raised in Colorado, Fortner has been skydiving since 1989 and, over the last quarter-century, has logged some 7,500 jumps.

“I got a call late on a Friday night from a friend of a friend looking for someone to skydive with him the following morning,” Fortner recalls of his first jump. “I had never considered it before then, because I really didn’t know regular people were skydiving. I thought it was just a military thing.”

The next morning, Fortner met his friend at a little airport in Cañon City for training (basically, jumping off a chair 100 times), and then waited all day for the weather to clear up.

“We did our first jump and I was hooked,” he says. “My friend never jumped again.”

A decade later, in 1999, Fortner opened his first skydiving school. He currently operates two facilities, the one on Amelia Island, which he opened five years ago, and one in Phoenix. He’ll also be opening a school in Austin, Texas, later this year.

“My sons and daughter are also professional skydivers now,” Fortner says. “So it’s a family thing. Skydiving is not a way to get rich, for sure, but we have been fortunate enough to be able to keep working and jumping for 25 years.”

In that time, Fortner’s had to use his emergency parachute — the secondary chute skydivers have on them in case the first one doesn’t properly deploy — eight times. (“Obviously, they all ended OK.”) But it’s the actions — and reactions — of his clients and students, he says, that really spice up the gig.

“I would say everyone is freaking out to some degree,” he says. “It’s just not natural to jump from high places. It goes against our most basic human survival instincts.

The best advice is, do it twice. The first one is great, but the second one is much, much better. Far less nervous, far more excited.”

Another local man with a thirst for

feeling the air on his skin as he hurtles rapidly to the ground is Art Shaffer.

At age 53, this Gainesville native has logged in more than 14,000 jumps over the last three decades — making him one of (if not the) most seasoned skydivers in the area.

Shaffer owns and operates Skydive Palatka and says that about half of his customers are from Northeast Florida.

“Over the years, I have been involved in many test and stunt jumps,” says Shaffer. “But the most exciting thing I’ve done was jumping into a Jaguars’ game as Jaxson de Ville.”

A multifaceted jumper, Shaffer also works for several military contractors doing both test jumps and training. And he’s gotten his feet wet in wingsuiting, skyboarding and BASE jumping, too. But it’s his role as mentor and instructor that Shaffer says keeps him in the business — helping noobs take the plunge.

“Very few people actually freak out,” he says. “As you ride up in the plane with the other jumpers, most people get caught up in the excitement. It then becomes much easier to move to the door and jump.

But every so often, less than once a year, we will have someone who rides back down in the plane.”

And if you’re thinking about taking the quite-literal plunge, Shaffer advises, “Jumping may not change your life, but it will give you a different perspective of life.” mail@folioweekly.com

INTO THE franchise team’s 2015 preseason – its 21st starts in August; regular season home games are played at EverBank Field.

UTDOORS Jacksonville Landing, 2 Independent Dr., Downtown, 353-1188.

–

JACKSONVILLE SHARKS 630-3900, jaxsharks.com Hometown arena footballers take on the New Orleans Voodoo, 8 p.m. March 28 at Veterans Memorial Arena, 300 Randolph Blvd., Downtown; regular season single tickets start at $10.

JACKSONVILLE SUNS Bragan Field, Baseball Grounds, 301 Randolph Blvd., Downtown; 358-2846, jaxsuns.com Double-A Southern League baseball team is up against the Jackson Generals at 7:05 p.m. April 9. The season runs through Sept. 7 – unless our boys are in the playoffs. Tickets range from $7.50-$22.50.

JACKSONVILLE UNITED FC PRO SOCCER jacksonvilleunited. com Local National Premier Soccer League team held tryouts in January. Check website for events.

ORGANIZATIONS/CLUBS

AMELIA ISLAND SEA TURTLE WATCH 583-1913, ameliaislandseaturtlewatch.com This group is focused on the conservation of nesting sea turtle population.

FIRST COAST SURFRIDER FOUNDATION surfriderfirstcoast. org The nonprofit organization focuses on protecting the world’s oceans and beaches. Locally, Surfrider sponsors fundraisers, beach cleanups and surfing contests.

GREENSCAPE OF JACKSONVILLE 1468 Hendricks Ave., 398-5757, greenscapeofjacksonville.com The treeplanting nonprofit group focuses on improving and preserving Jacksonville’s tree canopy.

NORTHEAST FLORIDA SIERRA CLUB sierraclub.org/florida/ northeast-florida National organization is dedicated to exploring and protecting the planet.

ST. JOHNS RIVERKEEPER 2800 University Blvd. N., Arlington, 256-7691, stjohnsriverkeeper.org The nonprofit organization is a full-time advocate and watchdog for the St. Johns River, its watershed and the public to whom it belongs.

A town hall meeting about the proposed dredging of the river is held 6-9 p.m. March 9 at UNF’s University Center, Southside.

TREE HILL NATURE CENTER 7152 Lone Star Rd., 724-4646, treehill.org 50-acre nature preserve, natural history museum, animal exhibits and butterfly house features tours, educational programs, encounters and the annual butterfly festival, held 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on April 25.

OUTDOOR EVENTS

RIVERSIDE ARTS MARKET 715 Riverside Ave., 389-2449, riversideartsmarket.com RAM kicks off its seventh season on March 7 with The 77D’S, Crescendo Amelia Big Band and This Side of 49, and local and regional art, and a farmers market, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. every Saturday through Dec. 19 under the Fuller Warren Bridge; admission is free.

FORTRESS OF FREEDOM: THE FOUNDING OF MOSE Florida Living History offers a reenactment of the founding of this historic settlement 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 21 at Ft. Mose Historic State Park, 15 Ft. Mose Trail, off U.S. 1, St. Augustine, 823-2232.

Archival documents are displayed.

JAXSON’S NIGHT MARKET Street food vendors, craft beer, local farmers, artisans and craftsmen, 5:30-9 p.m. every third Thur. at Hemming Park, Downtown, facebook.com/ JaxsonsNightMarket. Brew-B-Cue, with barbecue (duh) and cold beer, is noon-4 p.m. March 15.

TALBOT ISLANDS ACTIVITIES A park ranger leads a nature hike at 2 p.m. March 7 and 21 at Ribault Club, Fort George Island Cultural State Park, 11241 Ft. George Rd., free, 2512320. Nature photography is featured 10 a.m. March 14. Pirates of the First Coast are discussed 2 p.m. March 14. Animal signs are featured 2 p.m. March 28. The rangers at Big and Little Talbot Islands know all about the islands and will impart outdoorsy knowledge year round. Go to floridastateparks.org/ littletalbotisland for details.

FORT CLINCH STATE PARK 2601 Atlantic Ave., Fernandina Beach, 277-7274, floridastateparks.org Union Garrison event 9 a.m.-5 p.m. March 7. Re-creators demonstrate fort life of 1864. Soldiers in costumes perform in firing demonstrations, marching drills, cooking and daily activities. Sutlers display their wares, fife players and drummer boys bring the Civil War era to life. Fees are $6 per vehicle park entrance; $2 per person Fort admission. A Confederate Garrison event is held March 21 and 22, with pretty much the same activities, just with a charming Southern accent instead of that Yankee one.

NORTH BEACHES ART WALK Atlantic and Neptune beaches galleries open 5-9 p.m. every third Thur. from Sailfish Drive to Neptune Beach and Town Center, 753-9594, nbaw.org.

DOWNTOWN FRIDAY MARKET Arts and crafts and local produce are offered 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every Fri. at The

RIVERSIDE ARTS MARKET Bike Day is held May 2. Local and regional art, local music, food artists and a farmers market are featured 10 a.m.-4 p.m. every Sat. under the Fuller Warren Bridge, 715 Riverside Ave., free admission, 389-2449, riversideartsmarket.com.

ARTRAGEOUS ART WALK Downtown Fernandina galleries are open for self-guided tours, 5:30-8:30 p.m. every second Sat., 277-0717, ameliaisland.com.

UPTOWN SATURDAY NIGHT Self-guided tour features galleries, antique stores and shops open from 5-9 p.m. every last Sat. in St. Augustine’s San Marco District, 824-3152.

FIRST WEDNESDAY ART WALK 5-9 p.m. every first Wed., features more than 13 live music venues, more than 13 hotspots open after 9 p.m. and 50 total participating venues, spanning 15 blocks in Downtown Jacksonville. iloveartwalk.com.

FIRST FRIDAY ART WALK The tour of Art Galleries of St. Augustine is held every first Fri., with more than 15 galleries participating, 829-0065.

JAX BEACH ART WALK More than 30 local artists display works, 5-9 p.m. every second Tue., along First between Beach Boulevard and Fifth Avenue North, Jax Beach, betterjaxbeach. com/jax-beach-art-walk.html.

GUIDED SEGWAY TOURS 11255 Fort George Rd., Northside, 251-9477, ecomotiontours.com In partnership with the Florida State Park Service, EcoMotion Tours has tours of Little Talbot Island State Park, Ft. Clinch, Ft. George Island Cultural State Park and Kingsley Plantation; $65-$95.

CAMPGROUNDS/PARKS/ PRESERVES/ZOOS CLAY COUNTY

BLACK CREEK PARK & TRAIL 15-acre site is the staging area for the 8-mile bicycle/pedestrian trail that runs along U.S. 17.

BAYARD POINT CONSERVATION AREA 386-329-4404, sjrwmd.com Off S.R. 16 on the St. Johns, the resource-based park has 9,615 acres for hiking, fishing and horseback riding.

BLACK CREEK RAVINES 5645 Green Rd., Middleburg, 386-329-4404, sjrwmd.com The 973-acre, resource-based park on Black Creek’s south bank has horseback riding, hiking, fishing and canoeing.

DOCTORS LAKE PARK White Owl Lane & Lakeshore Drive North, Fleming Island Picnic area with covered pavilion, 320foot fishing pier. The 1-acre park provides access to Doctors Lake for fishing, small boats and canoes.

EAGLE HARBOR SOCCER COMPLEX 4387 Lakeshore Dr., Fleming Island, 278-1182, claycountygov.com The 28-plusacre park has 12 soccer fields, a pavilion with a picnic area and a playground.

FOXMEADOW RECREATIONAL 1155 Foxmeadow Trail Off Old Jennings Road. 19-plus-acres, basketball court, ball field, tennis courts, horse-riding trails.

ROESS GOLD HEAD BRANCH STATE PARK 6239 S.R. 21, Keystone Heights, 352-473-4701 A 2,000-plus-acre park for camping, picnicking, swimming, fishing, hiking and canoeing.

HUNTER-DOUGLAS PARK 4427 Longmire Rd., Middleburg The 10-acre park has a pavilion with picnic areas, a softball field, basketball court, tennis court, playground.

JENNINGS STATE FOREST 1337 Longhorn Rd., 291-5530, floridaconservation.org Jennings has 23,995 acres for swimming, hiking, bicycling, canoeing and horseback riding.

Closed to recreational activities during hunting season.

MAIN STREET PARK 3788 Main St. Boat Ramp, Middleburg Five-acre park has a boardwalk, fishing piers, pavilions and a playground, on the North Fork of Black Creek.

O.P. SKATE PARK 1006 Fromhart St., Orange Park, 6256260 A free skate park for all ages, abilities. Helmet, notarized waiver required. Open daily. Skateboards and in-line skates permitted.

SUMMER MEANS FESTIVALS: The first Wednesday of every month brings Jacksonville’s Downtown Artwalk (at top) to life; RAM resumes full-scale operations on March 7 under the canopy of Riverside’s old Fuller Warren Bridge. equipment and restrooms.

picnic shelters, nature trails, wildlife observation.

WILLOWBRANCH PARK Park Street by Willowbranch Library Playground equipment, a walking trail, a pine and oak canopy, and an open, all-purpose field.

HUGUENOT TENNIS FACILITY & PARK 218 16th Ave. S., Jax Beach Three-acre stocked lake with fishing pier and boardwalk, basketball courts, tennis facility and playground.

BULL MEMORIAL PARK 716 Ocean Blvd., Atlantic Beach Across from Adele Grage Cultural Center. Tennis court, playground, picnic area, amphitheater and restrooms.

JACK RUSSELL PARK 800 Seminole Rd., Atlantic Beach Picnic pavilion, baseball and soccer fields, tennis, racquetball, basketball and volleyball courts, playground.

ED AUSTIN REGIONAL PARK 11751 McCormick Rd. 140 acres, basketball courts, baseball, softball and soccer fields, hiking, an 18-hole flying-disc golf course.

D.W. PACK PARK 4871 Ocean St., Mayport Village The spot honors the late David Wayne Pack, a Mayport community advocate. Lighted basketball court, grills, picnic pavilion, playground equipment.

JARBOE PARK Third Street & Florida Boulevard, Neptune Beach Tennis courts, baseball field, volleyball court, jogging trail, playground equipment and picnic areas.

LONNIE WURN BOAT RAMP 4131 Ferber Rd. Boating docks and a launching ramp, fishing areas, picnic shelters, playground

DUTTON ISLAND PARK & PRESERVE 2001 Dutton Dr., Atlantic Beach Canoe and kayak launches, fishing areas,

RONNIE VAN ZANT PARK & PLAYGROUND C.R. 739B, 2760 Sandridge Rd., Lake Asbury, 269-6378 The 85-acre park has an equipped playground, softball and soccer fields, tennis courts, a fishing pond with four fishing piers and nature trails.

DUVAL COUNTY

ARLINGTON LIONS CLUB PARK 4322 R. Gatlin Rd. 31-acre park has a boat ramp, dock, fishing, nature trails, boardwalk, playground, grills, restrooms.

KATHRYN ABBEY HANNA PARK 500 Wonderwood Rd., Atlantic Beach, 249-4700 480-plus-acre oceanfront park (off Mayport Road) has a 1.5-mile beach and woods, 15-plus miles

MARCH 4-10, 2015 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 19

Winner Best BBQ Jax Truckies!

a day at the beach THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JACKSONVILLE PRO SURFER/ TRICKED-OUT ADVENTURE-VAN OWNER JUSTIN QUINTAL

Visit monroessmokehousebbq.com

IN NT TO O TH THE HE

UTDOOR RS

BY MATTHEW B. SHAW

2 LOCATIONS SERVING YOU

Photo by Gunner Hughes

10771 Beach Blvd.

(904) 996-7900 4838 Highway Ave. (904) 389-5551

20 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | MARCH 4-10, 2015

LAST AUGUST, DURING THE U.S. OPEN OF surfing in Huntington Beach, California (one of two Cali cities laying claim to the title of Surf City, U.S.A.), as Oceanside’s Ryan Burch (Instagram-famous as bobbersandsinkers) and Malibu’s notorious first-peak-hog Chad “Nightsnake” Marshall struggled to connect the outside and inside sections of the mediocre afternoon surf, Jacksonville’s Justin Quintal confidently glided across the best waves of the day on his way to a first-place finish in 2014’s Duct Tape Invitational.

Quintal and his brethren share a counterculture vision that some say stands juxtaposed to what surfing has become: a bunch of multimillion-dollar corporations inflating profits on the backs of Thai sweatshop labor, hawking the “surf lifestyle” through shitty T-shirts sold to tweeners and mid-life-crisis cool dads who love to tell people they surf. The revolution has a sponsor — the Joel Tudor Duct Tape Invitational is brought to you by Vans, so go figure.

Here at home, Quintal is easy to spot. He drives around the beaches in his absurdly tricked-out adventure van, with several of his single-fin options (and fishing poles) strapped to the roof. In the water, among the crowds kicking and thrashing their potatochip-thin thrusters into Northeast Florida’s fickle, tiny peaks, he walks effortlessly from tail to nose and back again on heavy longboards — again, hard to miss. Quintal is 25. He’s got a ton of sponsors, and among his age group, he is arguably the most recognized professional surfer from Florida.

As he travels the globe — and hits the prime years of his surf career — the sight of said absurd surf-utility vehicle is becoming less and less frequent around these parts.

In a stroke of luck, Folio Weekly was able to catch up with him as he took a break from paddling into the heaving, scary, 15-foot seas of Waimea Bay, Hawaii.

• • • Folio Weekly: What are you up to, dude?

Justin Quintal: I’m in Hawaii for three-anda-half weeks and basically I’m just here to surf, try and get some good video clips, and work with a few photographers. I’m going to be trying to surf all conditions, from the flat days on my longboard to some of the bigger days at Waimea. I brought a 10-foot-four gun [a big-wave board] with me. I’ll try and get some barrels at Pipe, too.

Is it an annual thing for you now where you feel like you have to go out to Hawaii in order to be seen?

Yeah, sort of. I came out here last year and got a couple [waves] at Pipe and Off-theWall. It’s just when the waves get big here, it’s just so much different than everywhere else.

You know, it’s crowded and sometimes the crowds can be aggro, but there is also a lot of positivity out here. A lot of revolutionary surfing has gone down out here. It’s still the proving grounds.

When you’re in Hawaii, is there pressure to charge big waves? Or is that just fun for you?

Not necessarily pressure. As a surfer, you always just want to get the best barrel of your life, biggest wave of your life, or do the longest noseride, biggest air, best turn. I just want to see how far I can take it.

As you’ve been traveling and charging bigger surf, have you run into any sketchy or dangerous situations?

Last year, I took off way deep at Pipe on a seven-to-eight-foot Hawaiian — [Hawaiians cut wave sizes in half when they measure] — so, 16-foot wave. Someone cut me off, so I had to straighten out and my nose poked in the flats. I just started skidding on my back and I could look up and see the whole wave fold over me. It felt super-violent. Like being in a car wreck. [Laughs.]

You’re a pro surfer, but you’re not on the World Surf League pro tour, and you’re not competing too often. What’s a misconception you think people might have about the life of a pro surfer?

I can’t speak for everybody, but when I’m out in our community, I think people assume that I’m, like, raking in the dough.

Or I’m just chilling all the time. Almost like [surfing] is not really a job or something. I could see where that would be the case, when people see me getting a coffee and checking the waves first thing in the morning. But I’m checking to see where it’s going to be best

that day, and I’m gonna get a photographer or get someone involved where I can get some kind of content to market for the companies I surf for. The way the surf industry is now, if you are a professional surfer, you’re a marketing guy for those companies.

It’s almost like, especially if you’re a longboarder, you have to have your own cult of personality to be successful. Is your biggest challenge to get folks to know who you are and to like your surfing?

Yeah, kind of. Especially being from Florida, we’re not in the heart of the surf industry and there’s no brand headquarters here.

Basically, you have to find ways to make yourself stay relevant. It’s hard. Especially with the kind of surfing I’m into. Just like the Duct Tape at the U.S. Open. I’m standing next to the guy who won 100 grand [Felipe Toledo, winner of the Men’s Prime event] and I’m a longboarder so I won 4 grand. He’s gonna go buy his chick another diamond ring and ball out tonight. I’m gonna fill my tank up and drive back to Florida.

Compared to California, there’s not much of an experimental surfing vibe here. How did you get into riding longboards, single fins and other experimental surf craft?

I moved from Canaveral to Hilton Head, South Carolina, when I was 7. We lived there for, like, six years. There was only one surf shop on the island, Sunny Days Surf Shop, and this guy John Folly owned it and shaped boards out of there. He was really into longboarding and he shaped eggs, little retro fishes, single fins. I wanted to be a little grom shortboarder, but the waves were really small there. I’d surf with [John] and my dad.

John was, like, “I don’t know why he’s out there messin’ around on that shortboard when it’s knee-high!” So Johnny shaped me a mini-longboard and from that point on, I’d longboard when it was small.

Though there’s a really vibrant surf culture locally, we’re always importing trends from California and Australia. Why do you think

Florida, in general, doesn’t export much surf culture?

I definitely want to change that because I think we have a lot to offer. I think the Southeast is a pretty unique region, kind of a raw region. We have waves as good as anywhere, just not as consistent, maybe.

North Florida, especially Indiatlantic and Melbourne get bigger, but Jacksonville [beaches] gets more perfect. We have these setups where we have perfect sandbars.

You can surf some of the best longboard waves ever, or you can go get barreled. That produces a lot of talent. Maybe no one’s doing their own thing enough to really get us noticed, I guess. I want to change that. There is a budding scene, I think. I’m getting some equipment and materials together, because I want to make some rad shit myself. I’m going to take my experience and try some experimental fin design and apply that to some board design. I want to do it in a way that highlights the culture of the South. So, we’ll see how it turns out.

You’ve traveled to all these places, surfed all these waves. What keeps you coming back to Northeast Florida?

It’s hard. Part of me feels like I should be moving somewhere where I can be surfing consistently perfect waves all the time, but also if you move somewhere like Southern California, cost of living is so high, I might not be able to travel as much and chase waves. It’s easy to be in Southern California and be in this little bubble and feel like the world revolves around you. But a lot of those people don’t really know what’s going on because they aren’t getting a chance to travel. Living in Florida, to me, is this little slice of heaven. I have my own spots. I don’t feel bothered. I can drive on the beach, surf by myself, go fishing, have a blast, see the people that I grew up with that I love and care about. And sometimes it’s good to get away from surfing, step back for a bit. I can get enough surf here to keep me going and keep me hungry. mail@folioweekly.com

MARCH 4-10, 2015 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 21

INTO THE

UTDOORS

of walking and biking trails, campsites with electric hookups, 63 acres of freshwater stocked lakes and a kids water park.

PAWS DOG PARK Penman Road South, across from Wingate Park Off-leash park is for dogs and their owners.

TIDEVIEW PRESERVE One Begonia St., Atlantic Beach Eight acres of parkland, with an Intracoastal Waterway view, hiking trails, boardwalks, canoe launch, fishing area and restrooms.

WINGATE PARK South Penman Road, Jax Beach 16 acres with a softball field, football field, T-ball fields, baseball fields and a picnic area.

FLOSSIE BRUNSON EASTSIDE PARK 1050 Franklin St. Seven-plus acres; lighted baseball fields and basketball courts, tennis courts, picnic shelters, playground, restrooms.

EMMETT REED PARK 1093 W. Sixth St. Baseball fields, basketball and tennis courts, swimming pools, picnic tables, playground, restrooms.

PANAMA PARK 6912 Buffalo Ave. Lighted baseball/softball fields, basketball/tennis courts, picnic area, restrooms.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY PARK 1133 Ionia St. Softball fields, lighted basketball and tennis court, swimming, playground, grills and picnic tables.

CASTAWAY ISLAND PRESERVE 2921 San Pablo Rd. S. 235 acres encompass a canoe/kayak launch site, paved trails, wildlife observation post, grills, tables and security lighting.

Which is odd because it closes at dusk.

ALBERTS FIELD 12073 Brady Rd. Lighted softball and baseball fields, lighted tennis courts, T-ball fields, picnic shelters, grills and playground.

JULINGTON DURBIN PRESERVE 13130 Bartram Park Blvd., 630-2489 The scenic retreat between Julington Creek and Durbin Creek, south of Old St. Augustine Road, offers 12-plus miles of multiuse trails and wildlife viewing opportunities.

MANDARIN PARK 14780 Mandarin Rd. Tennis courts, hiking trails, fishing area, boat ramps, shelters, playground, picnic shelters, shuffleboard.

WALTER JONES HISTORICAL PARK 11964 Mandarin Rd. Picnic shelters, hiking trails, wildlife observation, grills and restrooms are featured.

BARNEY BROWNING PARK 6014 Norwood Ave. Lighted basketball court, lighted softball diamond, grills, tables and playground equipment.

CEMETERY PARK 4000 Liberty St. N. Between Springfield and Panama Park, this spot was deeded from Evergreen Cemetery to the city in 1921. It’s a quiet place amid the business bustle of Main Street.

CHARLES BOOBIE CLARK PARK 8793 Sibbald Rd. Basketball and tennis courts, lighted baseball and football fields, swimming pool and playground.

CLANZEL T. BROWN PARK 4575 Moncrief Rd. Softball field, lighted basketball and tennis courts, public pool, playground and restrooms.

DINSMORE PLAYGROUND 10632 Old Kings Rd. Between Old Kings Road and Iowa Avenue, this park has 2-plus acres with a lighted basketball court, grills, a soccer area and a lighted tennis hard court.

J. GARDNER NIP SAMS MEMORIAL PARK 6602 Richardson Rd. 14 acres. Lighted baseball and softball field, a lighted tennis hard court, picnic shelters, a prototype restroom with unisex ADA toilets and a paved pathway.

GEORGE CRADY BRIDGE FISHING PIER STATE PARK 12157 Heckscher Dr., 251-2320 The mile-long, pedestrian-only fishing bridge, open 24/7, spans Nassau Sound. Primary access is on the north end through Amelia Island State Park.

HUGUENOT MEMORIAL PARK 10980 Heckscher Dr., 251-3335 Nearly 295 acres of oceanfront park for surfing, sailboarding, swimming, fishing, picnicking, volleyball, wildlife observation, playgrounds, tent and RV camping.

JOHNNIE W. WALKER PARK 2500 W. 20th St. Baseball fields, basketball and tennis courts, swimming and water features, and restrooms.

LITTLE TALBOT ISLAND STATE PARK 12157 Heckscher Dr. The beachfront park has surfing, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, camping, picnicking, hiking and fishing.

SEATON CREEK PRESERVE 2145 Arnold Rd., 630-2489 The city of Jacksonville’s newest park offers 800-plus acres of forested land with more than 8 miles of multiuse natural trails.

BOONE PARK 3700 Park St. Lighted tennis courts – including 14 clay – a walking trail, picnic shelters, playground equipment and grills.

22 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | MARCH 4-10, 2015

CRISWELL PARK 5372 Park St. Lighted baseball, softball, T-ball and youth ball fields, basketball courts, picnic tables, playground.

STOCKTON ELEMENTARY PARK 4827 Carlisle Rd. Lighted tennis and basketball courts, a softball field, soccer field, trails, picnic area and playground.

MURRAY HILL PLAYGROUND 4208 Kingsbury St. Lighted baseball fields and basketball courts, playground, water features, trails, picnic tables and restrooms.

BEAUCLERC ELEMENTARY PARK 4555 Craven Rd. Lighted baseball, T-ball and youth ball fields, basketball courts, playground and restrooms.

HISTORIC KINGS ROAD PARK 1972 Kings Ave. At the intersection of historic Kings Road (now Kings Avenue) and Atlantic Boulevard, the wedge-shaped park was in the 1918 plat of Fletcher Park, first called Fulton Park, after Robert Fulton, who invented the steamship.

BEACH & PEACH URBAN PARK 10013 Anders Blvd. Nearly 69 acres of undeveloped land, with a pond for fishing and 1.25 miles of trails.

SEASONED PROFESSIONALS: Black Creek Outfitters off Gate Parkway near the Town Center carries the best in outdoor gear for all activities, including hiking, camping, kayaking and paddleboarding.

Shoppers can test their purchases on the store’s outdoor lake.

829-8807 Trails, tennis and racquetball courts, volleyball court, skate park, dog park, lighted baseball and softball fields.

CUBA HUNTER PARK 3620 Bedford Rd. Skate park, football fields, hiking trails.

FT. CAROLINE NATIONAL MEMORIAL 12713 Ft. Caroline Rd., Arlington, 641-7155, nps.gov/foca Site of America’s first Protestant colony. Exhibits, artifacts and a replica of the original fort. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.

ARGYLE FOREST PARK 8533 Acanthus Dr. A lighted baseball field, two softball fields and four tennis courts, grills, playground and restrooms.

FT. CLINCH STATE PARK 2601 Atlantic Ave., Fernandina Beach, 277-7274, floridastateparks.org Restored Civil War fort, rangers in period dress and a visitors’ center.

CRYSTAL SPRINGS ROAD PARK 9800 Crystal Springs Rd. 37-acre park has baseball fields, tennis/handball courts, soccer fields, playground, exercise area.

JACKSONVILLE ARBORETUM & GARDENS 1445 Millcoe Rd., Arlington, jacksonvillearboretum.org Off Monument Road.

120 acres of plant life, educational programs and natural history lessons. 8 a.m.-7 p.m. daily.

TILLIE K. FOWLER REGIONAL PARK 7000 Roosevelt Blvd., 573-2498 509-acre park, nature/hiking trails, off-road biking, wildlife watchtower, outdoor classroom, nature center, nature resource library, archery range.

NASSAU COUNTY

AMELIA ISLAND STATE PARK 12157 Heckscher Dr., 251-2320 200+ acres of undeveloped sea island with beaches, salt marshes and coastal maritime forests. Fish, hike, sunbathe, birdwatch and horseback ride.

CENTRAL PARK 2500 Atlantic Ave., Fernandina Beach Tennis court, restroom, playground, basketball court and the Buccaneer field baseball/softball complex.

EGANS CREEK PARK Amelia Island, near Atlantic Avenue Recreational Center Playground, hiking and biking trails, baseball diamond.

FERNANDINA BEACH SKATE PARK 25 Tarpon St. Ramps and obstacles for skateboarders, inline skaters and bicyclists. 3-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. Go to fbfl.us or Atlantic Recreation Center, 2500 Atlantic Ave., Fernandina Beach, for required health waiver.

FORT CLINCH STATE PARK North end of Amelia Island, 2601 Atlantic Ave., Fernandina Beach, 277-7274 Site of a restored Civil War fort. Beaches, bathhouses, guided nature walks, campsites, mountain bike trails, ocean fishing pier, picnic areas, restrooms.

MAIN BEACH PARK Atlantic and South Fletcher Two sand volleyball courts, cabana, changing rooms, picnic tables, gazebos, playground and skate park.

PECK RECREATION CENTER & PARK Elm Street, Fernandina Beach, 277-7350 105-year-old schoolhouse has outdoor field, volleyball basketball courts.

YULEE SPORTS COMPLEX 686 Goodbread Dr., Callahan, 225-9611 Playground, baseball, softball/football fields, tennis courts, shelter, gym.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY

JACKSONVILLE ZOO & GARDENS 370 Zoo Pkwy., 757-4463, jacksonvillezoo.org More than 2,000 rare and exotic animals, a botanical garden, a kids’ Play Park with a carousel, giraffe overlook, a splash park (open May-October) and Stingray Bay. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily; 6 p.m. summer weekends.

ST. AUGUSTINE ALLIGATOR FARM & ZOOLOGICAL PARK 999 Anastasia Blvd., 824-3337, alligatorfarm.com Historic wooded zoo has komodo dragons, birds, crocodiles and alligator pits. Crocodile Crossing is an aerial challenge course, with ropes and ziplines over animal exhibits. Kids’ zone, a fossil exhibit and daily gator feedings. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, till 6 p.m. in the summer.

TIMUCUAN NATIONAL PRESERVE 12713 Ft. Caroline Rd., Arlington, 641-7155, nps.gov/timu The 46,000-acre ecological and historic preserve includes Fort Caroline, Cedar Point and Kingsley Plantation. Nature trails, a boat dock, picnic areas, local history exhibits.

FISHING GEAR, CHARTERS & TOURNEYS

GREATER JACKSONVILLE KINGFISH TOURNAMENT 2513011, kingfishtournament.com The 35th annual tournament is the largest one in the U.S., at Jim King Park & Boat Ramp along Sisters Creek, 8203 Heckscher Dr., Jacksonville, July 1318. Junior angler tournament, junior dock tournament, Redneck VIP tournament, Liars’ Tent, boat shows, food, live music, fireworks and awards. Proceeds benefit Jacksonville Marine Charities’ programs.

SALTWATER FLYTERS 1701 Lakeside Ave., Ste. 6, St. Augustine, 342-8105, 535-6929, saltwaterflyters.com Fullservice outfitter for flyfishing gear and advice – every other Wed., share flytying patterns and flies. Free casting lessons available. Retail store carries Abel, Nautilus, Hardy, Patagonia and Scientific Anglers.

WATER SPORTS

ALPINE GROVES 2060 S.R. 13, St. Johns Canopy oaks, wildlife and birds are in the 54.5-acre park, home to a historic farmhouse. Hiking trails, a river boardwalk, fishing and visitors’ center are onsite.

ATLANTIC PRO DIVERS 314 14th Ave. N., Jax Beach, 270-1747, divejax.com The local dive shop, offers scuba instruction, all the gear you need, and a boat to get out where the diving is best.

ANASTASIA STATE PARK St. Augustine Beach, 1340 A1A S., 461-2033, floridastateparks.org/anastasia A bird sanctuary and natural preserve with coastal camping, swimming, surfing, hiking, biking, sailboarding, canoeing, fishing and boating.

ED GAW OPEN WATER CHALLENGE A 5K or 1-mile swim held May 23 at Main Beach, 2801 Atlantic Ave., Fernandina Beach, $40 entry fee, active.com.

FAVER-DYKES STATE PARK 100 Faver-Dykes Rd., 794-0997 Aquatic preserve has a state canoe trail. More than 1,000 acres along Pellicer Creek for camping, fishing, birding, hiking and nature walks; daily 8 a.m.-sunset.

GUANA TOLOMATO MATANZAS NATIONAL ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVE 505 Guana River Rd., South Ponte Vedra, 823-4500, gtmnerr.org 73,352 acres of freshwater and saltwater fishing, boating, swimming, surfing, birding, hiking and mountain biking. Guided walks, family seine netting.

TREATY PARK 1595 Wildwood Dr., St. Augustine,

CRYSTAL COVE RESORT 133 Crystal Cove Dr., Palatka, 386-325-1055, cc-resort.com On the St. Johns River, offers guest rooms, outdoor dining and venue space, pontoon rentals and direct water access.

DIVERS SUPPLY 2225 St. Johns Bluff Rd. S., Southside, 646-3828, divers-supply.com SCUBA certifications, dive trips and the gear needed to go are offered. From kids swim schools to professional training, the staff knows what they’re talking about.

ECO-SHRIMPING TOURS Amelia River Cruises offers tours

10 a.m. every Mon.-Sat. starting June 4. Drag an authentic Otter Trawl shrimp net, see the live catch and learn from marine biologists about local wildlife and eco-systems. Book a two-hour tour at ameliarivercruises.com or call 261-9972.

SEA HUNT SCUBA 309 S.R. 16, St. Augustine, 824-0831, seahuntscuba.com Learn to dive from pros who’ve travelled around the globe. The shop has all the equipment you need.

PADDLE/SAIL/ MOTOR BOATING

ALL WET SPORTS 8550 Beach Blvd., Southside, 646-9887, allwetsports.net The retail store has paddleboard sales and lessons, kayak sales and rentals, plus wakeboards, skis, kneeboards and wakesurfers sales. Windsurfing and kiteboarding gear, too.

AMELIA RIVER CRUISES & CHARTERS 1 N. Front St., Fernandina Beach, 261-9972, ameliarivercruises. com Informative narrated sightseeing cruises from the historic waterfront; see wild horses along saltmarshes, plus wilderness beaches and historic riverbanks. Cruises are Cumberland Island, Beach Creek, Adult Twilight BYOB and Family Friendly Sunset.

BEACH MARINE 2315 Beach Blvd., Ste. 301, Jax Beach, 249-8200, jaxbeachmarine.com Full-service marina, in business for 50-plus years, has wet slips, dry boat/trailer storage, fuel, new and used boats and a marine service department. Family-owned-and-operated, with docks on the Intracoastal Waterway.

FLYING FISH JET 1 S. Front St., Fernandina Beach, 583-3420, flyingfishfun.com Flying Fish Adventures hosts daily one-hour guided tours twice a day on jet skis, $120 per ski, $15 extra for passengers.

FIRST COAST OUTFITTERS 2305 Beach Blvd., Ste. 110, Jax Beach, 502-7733, 595-5976, firstcoastoutfitters.com The retail store has gear for kayaking, SUP and fishing. Threehour guided kayak tours are offered, days vary. Kayak tours of many natural spots in the area are also available.

KAYAK LAUNCHES Cumberland Island, from St. Marys Inlet Fort George Inlet, behind Alimacani fish camp or Huguenot Park, Simpson’s Creek, Ft. George Inlet, to Nassau Sound, Huguenot Park, almost anywhere along the beachfront Julington or Durbin creeks, from Mandarin Park, Doctors Inlet/Lake, from Whitey’s, paddling Fish Eating Creek north or from a marina along U.S. 17, Black Creek, from Jennings Forest or Baldwin city dock, GTMNE Research Reserve, from boat ramp or the dam, Pellicer Creek near Marineland, from Faver-Dykes Park BLACK CREEK GUIDES 10051 Skinner Lake Dr., Southside, 645-7003, blackcreekguides.com Black Creek Guides offers kayak and SUP lessons and certifications, guided trips and all the equipment needed for a complete adventure. SUP instructor sessions available.

BLACK CREEK OUTFITTERS 10051 Skinner Lake Dr., Southside, 645-7003, blackcreekoutfitters.com, supjax. com Area’s outdoor store since 1983 has products and apparel for yoga, hiking, kayaking, standup paddleboarding, more. Call for times, dates, fees. Classes mostly for beginners; must be able to swim. First-timers SUP group meets every Sunday.

EXPLORE BLUE WATER 912-655-6755, explorebluewater. com Standup paddleboard company offers SUP instruction, SUP yoga, ecotours, day trips and overnight SUP excursions.

World Paddle Association and Paddlefit certified.

FIRST COAST SUP 201 S. Matanzas Blvd., St. Augustine, 347-6872, firstcoastsup.com Professional instruction and guided tours for all skill levels on stand-up paddleboards, including SUP yoga, in and around the waters of St. Augustine.

KAYAK AMELIA 13030 Heckscher Dr., 251-0016, kayakamelia.com Guided kayak and Segway ecotours, firefly paddles, full moon paddles, bike tours and yoga kayak, with expert instruction and supervision. Stand-up paddleboard lessons, kayak/bike/SUP rentals and SUP yoga. No experience needed, all tours start with short paddle instruction on land.

Kids summer ecocamp is also offered.

RIPPLE EFFECT ECOTOURS St. Augustine, 347-1565, rippleeffectecotours.com Full moon kayak Marineland tour and comprehensive ecological and cultural kayak tours are offered. Reservations required.

SUPJAX.COM 10051 Skinner Lake Dr., 407-383-8761, supjax.com The area’s largest standup paddleboard community/club has more than 1,000 members focusing on sharing the stoke for the water and properly educating others about the fast-growing watersport.

SURFING/WINDSURFING CLASSES/RENTAL/CONTESTS

MATT RASTA GRAY MEMORIAL floridasurfing.org Eighth annual contest is held April 11 and 12 on the beach at 19th Street, Atlantic Beach.

WAVEMASTERS 8 a.m. May 2 & 3, south of Jax Beach Pier, Fifth Street North, wavemasters.org 32nd annual WaveMasters Pro/Am attracts 300-plus of Florida’s top pro and amateur surfers, as well as many semi-retired local competitors, all vying for top honors. The entry fee is $30 per division.

SUPER GROM Jax Beach Pier’s north side, Fifth Street North, Jax Beach, floridasurfing.org No. 1 is held 9 a.m.

May 30; No. 2 on June 27 and No. 3 on July 25.

REI 4862 Big Island Dr., 996-1613, rei.com Retail store has gear for hiking, climbing, cycling, camping, paddle sports, snow sports, fitness and running. Beginning to advanced level classes and outings for kayaking, rock climbing, backpacking and wilderness medicine. Clothing, accessories and shoes, too.

SURF STATION 1020 Anastasia Blvd., St. Augustine, 471-9463, surf-station.com Retail shop offers board rentals, lessons, clothing and accessories and kids’ surf camps, as well as more than 1,000 new boards and 300-plus used boards.

PUBLIC GOLF COURSES/ GEAR/LESSONS/TOURS

ADVENTURE LANDING 1944 Beach Blvd., Jax Beach, 246-4386, adventurelanding.com 4825 Blanding Blvd., Westside, 771-2803 2780 S.R. 16, St. Augustine, 827-9400 Go-karts, arcades, miniature golf and batting cages. The Beaches location has a full waterpark and game rooms.

BLUE CYPRESS PARK GOLF COURSE 4012 University Blvd. N., Ste. 5, Arlington, 762-1971, bluecypressgolf. com Scenic nine-hole golf course on the river also offers a fully stocked pro shop, cart rental and lessons, as well as a bar and grill.

JAX BEACH GOLF COURSE 605 Penman Rd. S., Jax Beach, 247-6184, jaxbchgolf.com Municipally owned and operated, the local course has an 18-hole layout. There are several groups that play weekly; the Golden Putters play about three times a week.

ROYAL ST. AUGUSTINE GOLF CLUB 301 Royal St. Augustine Parkway, 824-4653, royalstaugustinegolf.com The beautiful course is a

challenging 6,529-yard, 18-hole public layout offers four tee positions. A clubhouse offers a casual menu and a full bar, with daily happy hour specials.

TIM TEBOW FOUNDATION CELEBRITY GOLF CLASSIC 10 a.m. March 14, TPC Sawgrass, 110 Championship Way, Ponte Vedra, timtebowfoundation.org The fifth annual classic features Tim and his buddies raising funds for his foundation.

WORLD GOLF HALL OF FAME World Golf Village, 1 World Golf Place, St. Augustine, 9404123, wgv.com Six hundred years of golf history in interactive displays, memorabilia and artifacts. The village also houses a fullscreen IMAX Theater.

THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP Sawgrass Country Club, 10034 Golf Club Dr., Ponte Vedra, 273-3700, sawgrasscountryclub.com Top golfers vie for the title at the 31st annual PGA Tour’s golf tournament at Sawgrass, held May 5-10.

PGA WEB.COM TOUR The sixth tournament is played at TPC Sawgrass Oct. 1-4 on Dye’s Valley Course, PGA Tour Headquarters, Ponte Vedra Beach. The championship, with a $1 million purse, is the pathway to the PGA Tour.

EXTREME/ULTIMATE SPORTS, SKATE PARKS & GEAR

BMX RACING 1946 Ray Greene Dr., Jacksonville, 386-1750, jacksonvillebmx.com All ages can ride; classes start for kids ages 5 and younger. Practices held every Tuesday; races held every Friday.

KONA 8739 Kona Ave., Arlington, 725-8770, konaskatepark.com This is the mac daddy of skate parks, founded in 1977 – that’s a lot of ollies. The longest-surviving private skatepark in the world has, to quote someone on Yelp, “mellow bowls, mini-ramp with a spine, street section, pool, monster vert ramp, a kidney pool and my fav, the two snake runs.” Just 10 bucks to get in; open 1-9 p.m. Mon.-Thur., 1-10 p.m. Fri., 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sat. and noon-8 p.m. Sun. And on school holidays it’s 10 a.m.-9 p.m. The annual Bowlriders Cup is held every March. Helmets are required. Tony Hawk, Mat Hoffman and Dalton Dern are among celeb skaters who’ve ripped here.

OCEANSIDE ROTARY SKATE PARK 800 Seminole Rd., Jack Russell Park, Atlantic Beach, coab.us The free park has a 12-foot vert half-bowl cutting down to a 6-foot wall on one side with a 6-3-foot on the other and a hump joining them.

It has an additional 12-foot wall with a hubba hole and a snake run. Helmets are required. The Skate Park hosts a late night skate under lights in winter and an annual skateboard competition in May. THE SB SKATE CO. 1728 Third St. N., Jax Beach, 241-4433, sbskateco.com These locals know what local skaters need: great skate gear. This South Jax Beach store has been in biz for a long time, and has evolved with the sport.

SKATE SHOP ST. NICHOLAS 3120 Beach Blvd., St. Nicholas, 398-0870 The new shop carries “everything skateboard,” according to its Facebook page. Elephant, Thrasher and Welcome brands are featured.

ROUND AND ROUND: Garf Cooper at ZenCog in Riverside will fix your bike or sell you a great new one that’s just right for your lifestyle and physical needs.

MARCH 4-10, 2015 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 23

Our Picks FESTIVAL SEASON

Reasons to leave the house this week

ART

CEAM ART & DESIGN FACULTY EXHIBIT

RAM ON IT

RIVERSIDE ARTS MARKET

Winter has left its icy mark and frosty wound on Northeast Florida, and only time will tell if we shall ever recover from those soul-piercing, frigid seven-and-three-quarter days.

Celebrate the dawning of springtime with the reopening of Riverside Arts Market, featuring its array of local and regional art, food offerings, a farmers market and local music – this week features The 77Ds at 10:45 a.m., Crescendo Amelia Big Band at 1:15 p.m., and Side of 49 at 2:45 p.m.

10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 7 and every Sat. under the Fuller Warren Bridge, 715 Riverside Ave., free admission, riversideartsmarket.com.

Flagler College’s art students certainly bust their asses in honing their blossoming creative disciplines, but credit must certainly go to the school’s notable faculty toiling there. The Department of Art & Design Faculty Exhibition features works by Flagler art and design instructors including Don Martin (pictured, Grasses (detail), block print, part of a triptych), Leslie Robison, Sara Pedigo, Laura Mongiovi, Diana Lodi, Chris Smith, Luciana Gassett, Patrick Moser and Natalie Stephenson.

Opening reception is held 5-9 p.m. March 6 at the school’s Crisp-Ellert Art Museum, 48 Sevilla St., St. Augustine, flagler.edu/crispellert. The exhibit displays through April 17.

THE IMITATION GAME

NIGHT FEVER (THE BEE GEES TRIBUTE)

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the phenomenon known as the tribute act takes sincerity to a level just this side of swearing on a 10-foot stack of Bibles during a blood sacrifice. The Canadian group Night Fever, renowned for their skills at emulating The Brothers Gibb, offers their spin on Australian pop kings The Bee Gees, performing hits like “I Started a Joke,” “More Than a Woman” and “Tragedy.”

7:30 p.m. March 7 at the Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts, 283 College Dr., Orange Park, $15-$46, thcenter.org.

GREEN GENES

NORTHEAST FLORIDA VEG FEST

If you’re having a “tempeh” tantrum due to your stoned roommate’s insistence on following you around the house while eating “Smoked Pork Tickles,” head on out to the fifth annual Northeast Florida Veg Fest. Presented by The Girls Gone Green, the gathering features live music by Jahmen, Poor Richards and Master Radical, as well as speakers, cooking demonstrations, a beer garden, kids’ zone, pieeating contest, freebies, raffles and scavenger hunt, all intended to enlighten businesses and restaurants about sustainable and humane practices. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. March 7 at Riverside Park, 753 Park St., Riverside, free event; VIP tickets $40, nfvegfest.org.

SAD BUT TRUE MOPE GROOVES

Do you have an excess of healthy feelings in your life? Then hie yourself to the Mope Grooves concert! This boss band from Portland, Oregon, might release lo-fi music, but the garage pop of songs like “Eat Lunch (On the Bus)” begs comparisons to fellow-highlyagitated-yet-melodic songsmiths like Jonathan Richman, Jad Fair and a pre-mullet Lou Reed. 9 p.m. March 5 at Shantytown Pub, 22 W. Sixth St., Springfield, 798-8222, $5.

MARITIME MEALTIME ST. AUGUSTINE LIONS SEAFOOD FESTIVAL

“Call me Chef Ishmael!” The 34th annual St. Augustine Lions Seafood Festival features a huge selection of seafood and landlubber eats, live music ranging from rock to bluegrass, arts and crafts vendors, a kids’ zone, pirate village, raffles and amusement rides. Proceeds benefit the Lions Foundation’s charitable programs. 3-9 p.m. March 6, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. March 7 and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. March 8 at Francis Field, 25 W. Castillo Drive, St. Augustine, lionsfestival.com.

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MARCH 4-10, 2015 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 25

A&E // FILM

THE LOVE BLOAT

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel revisits an amiably bland anthology formula

J

oin me, if you will, on a journey back to the There’s particular enjoyment in watching America of the late 1970s. Jimmy Carter was Smith play off Dench, just as there is always president, lapels were wide, and folks not enjoyment in watching Nighy play off anybody, fevering on Saturday nights were happily or even just watching him stammer his way embracing the crew of the Pacific Princess on through Douglas’ job as a tour guide getting The Love Boat. For those too young to recall, fed his script through an earpiece. These Best the anthology TV series told individual stories Exotic movies are a kind of comfort food to a — usually three per episode, starring has-beens particular type of palate, acknowledging that and almost-ares — of romantic misadventures people past the age of 60 are still alive and that were sometimes melancholy, sometimes viable, looking for human connection and a slapsticky, and always resolved by the time sense of purpose. This is no small matter. the cruise made its round-trip voyage from The movies themselves, though … oy.

Southern California to Mexico.

It might help considerably if less time were spent on the profoundly irritating Sonny, That nostalgic detour was brought to you whose tangled aphorisms, ingratiating overby The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel — or, attentiveness and irrational jealousy make it at least, by the recollections it inspired. This hard to comprehend how anyone wants to be new installment in the tales of the Jaipur, India, anywhere near him, let alone marry him. But hotel catering to British seniors, it’s increasingly even when the focus is squarely on the seniors, difficult to understand why it’s again on the big director John Madden and screenwriter Ol screen, and not yet found its natural presentParker — both returning from the original — day home as a weekly sitcom on CBS. can’t manage anything but the most superficial Four years have passed since the release arcs as they juggle a dozen of the original Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, but only a few THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC or so characters. And that’s how Second Best begins to months have elapsed within MARIGOLD HOTEL feel like a feature-film rethe timing of the movie. **@@ creation of The Love Boat’s Hotel manager Sonny Kapoor Rated PG formula. There’s the story with (Dev Patel) is contemplating the broad physical comedy, expansion of his business prior as Norman becomes convinced that he has to his marriage to Sunaina (Tena Desae), and accidentally, drunkenly put out a “hit” on travels to America with Muriel (Maggie Smith) Carol. There’s the serious one, as divorcé Guy to seek financing. Meanwhile, back at the begins romancing Sonny’s widowed mother original Best Exotic, the now-resident regulars (Lillete Dubey). And there’s the whimsical one face various relationship dilemmas. that gets complicated, when Douglas’ estranged Flirtatious Madge (Celia Imrie) is having a wife, Jean (Penelope Wilton), arrives at an difficult time choosing between two potential inopportune moment. suitors. Recently separated Douglas (Bill Nighy) is getting resistance to his tentative Of course there’s an audience for gently advances toward Evelyn (Judi Dench). Norman superficial trifles like this, just as there have (Ronald Pickup) struggles with his wandering always been audiences for gently superficial eye in his new relationship with Carol (Diana trifles, and long before The Love Boat ever Hardcastle). And Sonny is convinced that new sailed. But omnibus narratives almost always guest Guy (Richard Gere) is an undercover suffer from the inherent structural problem that employee of his potential investor, visiting to one plot will be the one you care most about, check the place out. yet there’s also usually one that makes you grit Actors of Social Security-eligible age — and your teeth until it’s over. Mostly, The Second particularly women actors of that age — are Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is one of those so rarely the focus of film plots that there is, movies that just moseys along for two overstuffed hours, hoping you think its characters’ admittedly, something faintly disloyal about rote fumblings are endearing. It’s love, but it’s dismissing them. Maggie Smith is a treasure neither exciting nor new. Or even second-best. to be cherished as long as we have the pleasure of her company, her every incredulous eye-roll Scott Renshaw and tart-tongued rejoinder a thing of beauty. mail@folioweekly.com 26 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | MARCH 4-10, 2015

A&E // FILM LISTINGS FILM RATINGS

KIM GORDON RUTH GORDON ROBERT GORDON JIM GORDON

**** ***@ **@@ *@@@

SCREENINGS AROUND TOWN SUN-RAY CINEMA Kingsman: The Secret Service, Mr. Turner, Birdman and Song of the Sea screen at Sun-Ray Cinema, 1028 Park St., 5 Points, 359-0049, sunraycinema.com. Chappie and The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel start March 6. Check website for details.

LATITUDE 360 MOVIES The Hunger Games, Big Hero 6 and Unbroken screen at Latitude 360’s CineGrille Theater, 10370 Philips Hwy., Southside, 365-5555, latitude360.com/jacksonville-fl.

THE CORAZON CINEMA & CAFÉ The Judge and St. Vincent screen through March 12 at Corazon Cinema, 36 Granada St., St. Augustine, 679-5736, corazoncinemaandcafe.com. Foxcatcher and Whiplash start March 13.

WGHF IMAX THEATER Jupiter Ascending, Game of Thrones, Hidden Universe, Deep Sea Challenge and Humpback Whales screen at World Golf Village Hall of Fame IMAX Theater, 1 World Golf Place, St. Augustine, 940-4133, worldgolfimax.com.

NOW SHOWING

BLACKHAT *@@@ Rated R Overwritten and underwhelming, Michael Mann’s Blackhat should’ve been a taut cyber thriller of espionage and intrigue. It’s not. It’s a cyber bore full of nonsense, held together with a plot that’s denser than it needs to be.

Costars Viola Davis, Chris Hemsworth, Leehom Wang and Wei Tang. — Dan Hudak BLACK OR WHITE *G@@ Rated PG-13 Elliott Anderson (Kevin Costner), a successful attorney who’s been raising his 7-year-old granddaughter, Eloise (Jillian Estell) with his wife, Carol (Jennifer Ehle), since their daughter died during childbirth. As the film opens, Carol has died in a car accident; Elliott’s grief-stricken and drinking.

He gets an offer to help take care of the child from Rowena (Octavia Spencer), Eloise’s other grandmother, but Elliott has a grudge against her son, Eloise’s absentee, drugaddict dad, Reggie (André Holland). — Scott Renshaw BLACK SEA ***@ Rated R Robinson (Jude Law) gets fired from his job as a submarine captain for a salvage company. He’s a never-say-die kinda guy, so he gathers 12 seafarers to search for two tons of gold allegedly left by Nazis in the Black Sea. Director Kevin Macdonald fashions the sub into a character and a metaphor. The deeper it sinks, the more despair seeps into its crew – morale and desperation grow as they reach the deep.

This is a subtle touch, but skilled filmmaker Macdonald pulls it off. — D.H. CAKE Rated R Jennifer Aniston is getting a lot of buzz for her portrayal of Claire, a woman with debilitating chronic pain who becomes overly obsessed by another woman from her support group who killed herself. Costars Anna Kendrick, Mamie Gummer, Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy.

CHAPPIE Rated R In which Neill Blomkamp, director of District 9 and Elysium, dishes out more of the socially relevant sci-fi. (Hey, remember when that phrase would have been redundant?)

This time, the king of futuristic metaphors presents us with the case of Chappie, “the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself.” I think we all know who that’s supposed to represent: Rand Paul! Will Chappie help humanity save itself from robots whose intentions are far less noble? Or will his stance on medical marijuana doom him in the early animatron primaries? You’ll be glued to the edge of your seat, even if Chris Matthews is already sitting in it! — S.S. THE DUFF Rated PG-13 A sequel to The Simpsons? Don’t we all wish. This teen melodrama isn’t a paean to Springfield’s favorite beer, but the story of a girl who learns she’s considered a DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) within her social circle. The narrative of identities remade and bitch-queens dethroned is bound to captivate, especially if you’re too young to have

seen Mean Girls, let alone She’s All That. One lucky preview attendee called the movie “a party.” Then again, Duff Man says a lot of things. Costars Bella Thorne, Mae Whitman, Robbie Amell and Allison Janney. — S.S. FIFTY SHADES OF GREY Rated R The movie version of a book that made foosball moms feel dirrrrrty! It has all the prerequisites to be as much of a howl-fest as its source material: The director hasn’t had a feature since her first one five years ago. The male lead is best known for TV’s Once Upon a Time. The female lead is the offsping of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson. So it’s destined for a swift descent into ignominious obscurity, right? Hate to burst your bubble, sweetheart, but it’s Fandango’s top R-rated advance seller of all time. Ain’t it always, always the way? — S.S. FOCUS *@@@ Rated R Will Smith brings his trademark rascally hip charm to Nicky, a con artist. Jess (Margot Robbie) is an aspiring grifter Nicky takes under his wing. The story lacks so much actual focus leading up to the finale that when the twist comes, we don’t care. — D.H. HOT TUB TIME MACHINE 2 Rated R One of my favorite moments in the stupid flap over the Ghostbusters reboot was from of a troglodyte poster Ain’t It Cool News, who complained the studio hadn’t just reimagined the new ecto-team as all-female, but had felt compelled to make one of them black as well. Instead of bitching about Leslie Jones, let’s consider how close we might have come to seeing this generation’s Winston Zeddemore played by Craig Robinson, with Seth Rogen, James Franco and Jonah Hill as his pals. Robinson is back, once again proving he can keep beating the same character into the ground with the best of ’em. Rob Corddry, Clark Duke and Adam Scott also return – but there’s no sign of John Cusack, ostensible star of the 2010 original. Make of that what you will. (I’m making a hat.) — S.S. JUPITER ASCENDING **@@ Rated PG-13 This bloated sci-fi cheese, an intergalactic and extravagantly over-the-top saga that simultaneously wows and confounds, was written and directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski.

Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) is a woman destined for great things and true love but, as the movie opens, she’s cleaning toilets. Her life is saved by good guy half-man/half-wolf Caine (Channing Tatum). He’s unfairly ambushed by three space goons and heroically/inexplicably fights his way through the attack. Interplanetary siblings Balem (Eddie Redmayne), Titus (Douglas Booth) and Kalique (Tuppence Middleton) control planets throughout the solar system.

Earth belongs to Balem, though Titus covets it. Knowing the rightful heir to Earth is Jupiter (the person, not the planet), Titus sends Caine to protect her from Balem’s henchmen, but they’re captured. Complications ensue.

KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE *@@@ Rated R Harry (Colin Firth), codename Galahad, recruits Eggsy (Taron Egerton), a kid from the wrong side of the London tracks, to be a member of the Kingsmen, elite society of gentleman spies and international men of mystery who answer to no government, only to the highest causes of justice, global peace and elegance, in bespoke attire. They all have Knights of the Round Table spy names: Michael Caine, their leader, is called Arthur; Jack Davenport is codenamed Lancelot; even their Q, played by Mark Strong, is Merlin.

Samuel L. Jackson is Valentine, a villainous yet squeamish tech mogul who’s out to do something bad to the world and must be stopped. — MaryAnn Johanson McFARLAND USA *G@@ Rated PG Reviewed in this issue.

OLD FASHIONED Rated PG-13 Hey, here’s an alternative to Fifty Shades for your dollar! It’s an old-fashioned (what are the odds?) love story in which a young woman falls for an antique shop owner who’s a “reformed frat boy” – my favorite character description ever. This level-headed, unexploitative, anti-sensationalist Christian picture is a flick in which the chief narrative complication is its hero’s wholesome determination to keep coitus within the bounds of holy matrimony. Wow. — S.S. PROJECT ALMANAC Rated PG-13 Friends develop a makeshift time machine.

RED ARMY Rated PG If you like your true-sports pictures to have a sharper edge, there’s always this documentary about the rise to dominance of the Russian ice-hockey team during the

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A&E// FILM LISTINGS Cold War. Political analogies are explored, cruel coaching practices are denounced, and co-producer Werner Herzog gets to stand on semi-familiar ground by presenting the tale of a metaphorical bear who’ll rip your head off. (See what I did there?) Scott Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter called the flick “one of the best documentaries that I ever seen.”

Two days later, he was disappeared! — S.S. THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL **@@ Rated PG Reviewed in this issue.

SEVENTH SON Rated PG-13 America finally admits en masse that Jeff Bridges has become an awful actor. Oh, I know you have his face on a T-shirt – along with a slogan claiming that he “abides.”

But be honest: When was the last time you found him remotely believable as any character whatsoever – even “Jeff Bridges”? In this one, the scion of the Sea Hunt empire plays an ancient knight searching for an apprentice; apparently, he’s affecting a vocal delivery that’s equal parts Anglo pretension and talking with your mouth full. Porridge time at Hogwarts? Universal should be so lucky. What we’ve got here looks a lot less like Harry Potter and a lot more like Highlander. The second one. — S.S. STILL ALICE ***G Rated PG-13 Open your heart to this sad, beautiful film starring Julianne Moore as Alice, a linguistics teacher at Columbia University, who’s just turned 50. She’s getting forgetful. The diagnosis: Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The reaction: complete shock and terror – it’s rare for someone her age to be afflicted with the debilitating disease. Moore, who’s absolutely phenomenal, goes from energetic and vibrant to flustered and defeated. It’s a heartbreaking transition,

KNOWING THE ROPES IN “AMARILLO BY MORNING,” George Strait croons the credo of the rodeo rider: “I ain’t got a dime, but what I got is mine / I ain’t rich but, Lord, I’m free.” The rodeo rider as hero, however, belongs as much to the movies as to country music. I was reminded of that fact recently while watching The Lusty Men, which just broke for the first time on DVD. Though French critics loved the film, calling it one of the best of 1952, The Lusty Men didn’t fare well over here (despite its misleading title), mishandled by scatterbrained producer Howard Hughes and mostly ignored after its delayed initial release – especially surprising given the star appeal of Robert Mitchum and Susan Hayward and direction by Nicholas Ray (Rebel without a Cause and Johnny Guitar).

The luxury of nostalgia, however, enables us to better perceive the real achievement of The Lusty Men. A small-scale drama of rodeo life, everything about the film is underplayed, making it all the more realistic and effective. Mitchum plays Jeff, a retired rodeo rider who, in the first scene, revisits his crumbling childhood home, forced to crawl under the house to retrieve a key hidden along with some childhood relics.

His glory days behind him, his past a fading memory, Jeff is taken in by Wes (Arthur Kennedy) and Louise (Susan Hayward), who work for a local rancher, trying to save enough money to buy Jeff’s old home. In short order, however, Wes succumbs to the quick bucks and excitement of the rodeo circuit, becoming a star under Jeff’s tutelage even as his marriage begins to fall apart.

A superb character drama, highlighted by terrific performances from the three leads as well as a number of colorful supporting roles, The Lusty Men emphasizes the dangers and destructive nature of the rodeo life, in and out of the arena. Ray’s direction is never heavy-

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progressing quickly for Alice and her family. Co-writers and directors Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland give ample time to the substantial effect her condition has on her family. This movie punches you in the gut with inevitabilities and life’s unfairness, leaving us with tears in our eyes and the hope that it doesn’t happen to us. — D.H. TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT Rated PG-13 A young woman in Belgium is in a hostile work environment: Her co-associates get a big pay boost if she gets canned.

She’s got one weekend to change their minds. Right. Stars Marion Cotillard.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS Rated R Who says corporations aren’t people? They’re the star of every movie Vince Vaughn makes. This one is more comedy for the “job creators,” with the principals of an American concern encountering all manner of setbacks while on a professional trip to Europe. That’s keeping your finger on the pulse, Vince: You always wanna make sure your mainstream entertainment is pitched to the makers, not the takers. ’Cause God knows those fast-food workers can never find time to go to the movies in between minimum-wage protests. — S.S. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS Not Rated Wouldn’t it be great if somebody made a movie that was a spoof of the whole latter-day vampire craze? OK, they technically did already. Five times. Called it Twilight. But wouldn’t it be great if we got a parody of the parody? Thank New Zealand, exporter of What We Do in the Shadows – a mockumentary that’s a kind of This is Spinal Tap for the sparkly set. Learn the ins and outs of the undead lifestyle – or should that be deathstyle? – in a send-up that was toothsome enough to snag the audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival. And really, who knows living death better than the Canadians? — S.S.

MAGIC LANTERNS

handed, the characters never stereotypical. And Mitchum, whom Roger Ebert called one of the best actors ever, is quite good.

The Lusty Men concludes with traditional domestic values triumphing over those of the romantic, outdated loner. Almost 20 years later, however, Steve McQueen and director Sam Peckinpah opt for the other side of the coin in Junior Bonner (1971), which, like the earlier film, did not fare well on its initial release.

Already dubbed “Bloody Sam” for The Wild Bunch and Straw Dogs, Peckinpah was looking for a project outside the blood ’n’ guts action genre in which he’d been pigeonholed.

McQueen, always anxious for a change of pace, signed on for this charming, sometimes comic look at a father-and-son rodeo duo (Robert Preston and McQueen) each of whom refuses to settle down. Unlike the occasional studio scenes in The Lusty Men, Junior Bonner was filmed exclusively on location, most of it in Prescott, Arizona, at a rodeo championship.

Utilizing his usual bag of visual tricks (flashbacks, multi-screen shots), Peckinpah produced an elegiac valentine to the values of the Old West, the flip side to the violence of The Wild Bunch. McQueen is a modern-day version of Mitchum, cool and laid-back, and Robert Preston as a smooth con man is just as winning in this version of The Music Man on horseback.

Though Junior Bonner failed at the box office, it’s aged quite well. Still, McQueen hired Peckinpah for his next feature, The Getaway, which proved to be the most financially successful film of both their careers.

Pat McLeod mail@folioweekly.com

A&E //ARTS

HURRY! SHOW ENDS MARCH 22

SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

TONY AWARD WINNER!

A local visual artist unveils his latest assemblages and sculptures

J

eremiah Douglas is a modern-day hunter/ gatherer. Admittedly, the 33-year-old visual artist and resident of Ddowntown Jacksonville isn’t exactly scavenging the urban core for his very survival, but the creation of his sculptures and assemblages is contingent on utilizing found objects. Discarded electronics, rust-mottled appliances, fragments of various metals and corroded musical instruments are all assembled and rearranged in Douglas’ warehouse studio.

The result is a kind of amalgamation of these familiar objects, now manipulated into new, original forms.

Yet Douglas distances himself from contemporary art catchphrases like “repurposing” or “reclaimed.”

“I don’t mind these words too much, but I think we have to be careful for things to not be lost in translation,” Douglas says. “I love the fact that these items are something you either see every day or are scarred, broken, rejected and one-ofa-kind. You can’t go into an art store and buy it off the shelf — therefore they’re the perfect art supplies for me.”

The upcoming exhibit Rustic Atmosphere at FSCJ’s Kent Campus Gallery features works by Douglas and photographer Scott Blake, who creates large-scale, color landscape images. This show is a continuation of the curatorial visions of artist-instructors Mark Creegan and Dustin Harewood, who in the last three years have featured inventive works by local artists, including Laura Mongiovi, Troy Eittrem and Hiromi Mizugai Moneyhun. “I am really drawn to the way Jeremiah makes these quirky juxtapositions in his sculptures,” says Creegan.

“I think he works in this time-honored assemblage mode but injects it with great wit and intensity.”

That same intensity is expressed in Douglas’ work ethic — a single work can take anywhere from 45 minutes to four years to complete.

“Typically, a piece can take from four to 12 hours to finish,” says Douglas. “It’s a labor of love. And rather than clock my hours, I’m just trying to make sense of it all.”

The outcome of his recent activities is featured at the Kent Gallery show, where he will unveil his latest assemblage, found object and sculpture works as both stand-alone pieces and wall-mounted items.

Douglas’ decision to choose certain materials over others is based more on discernment than random selection. “I started out with wood, then metal. These

RUSTIC ATMOSPHERE: WORKS BY JEREMIAH DOUGLAS AND SCOTT BLAKE An opening reception is 6-8 p.m.

March 10 at FSCJ’s Kent Campus Gallery, E-112A, 3939 Roosevelt Blvd., Westside, 381-3674, fscj. edu/campus-life/art-galleries. The exhibit runs through March.

days, I added plastic and wire to the mix; because why not? It’s there, it’s not in use and anything goes,” Douglas explains. “I save it from hitting the landfills.”

The piece Gas Powered Trombone is indicative of Douglas’ attempts to resurrect refuse and give it an alternative life as art.

Vacuum hoses, a wooden rod, a faucet handle, a gold-colored wheel and a motorlike object are grafted onto a tarnished trombone. A tendril of wiring shoots outward from the side; the cumulative effect is one of harmony and dissonance, as the arranged materials seem to struggle with their original characteristics to form this puzzling invention.

“I’ve always been fascinated with objects, and I like to give them a second chance on life,” says Douglas.

Musical instruments are a recurring motif in Douglas’ work.

“I love music and, just like other objects I use, I find these unplayable things discarded and I like to enhance or transform them into something else,” he says. “I don’t feel bad about it since they’re wrecked — and it all goes back to a celebration of music.”

As Douglas carefully chooses his materials and spends time merging them together, his work seems based on a kind of

editing, even if that might be an unconscious part of his process. However, he admits that he isn’t creating any type of deliberate narrative, although the absence of any storyline might result in a greater effect on the audience.

“I love impact and to shock the viewer; or like to think I’m breaking some barriers, allowing them to open up their minds, or perhaps get them thinking of carbon footprint or WWIII — all terrible issues shadowing us every day. Sometimes less is more, though. It’s all just poetry.”

Daniel A. Brown dbrown@folioweekly.com

STARRING LISA WHELCHEL From “The Facts Of Life”

Co-Starring Her Daughter, Clancy Cauble

COMING SOON

Friends: DOLLY PARTON & KENNY ROGERS TRIBUTE March 25–29

2015 Season Schedule

ON GOLDEN POND

H STARRING MIKE FARRELL H FROM THE HIT SHOW M*A*S*H April 1 - May 3

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE May 13 - June 14

SEUSSICAL: THE MUSICAL June 24 –August 2

HARVEY

H

STARRING CHARLES SHAUGHNESSY H FROM TV’S THE NANNY August 12 – September 6

9 TO 5: THE MUSICAL September 16 – October 18

ANYTHING GOES

October 21 – November 22

904-641-1212 | alhambrajax.com MARCH 4-10, 2015 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 29

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“Now I Wanna Be Your Dog …

Festival.” The pet-friendly event MUTT MARCH features a pet walk, pet-geared merch, live music, silent auction and family fun zone starting at 9 a.m. March 7 at The Jacksonville Landing.

PERFORMANCE

“NIGHT FEVER” – THE BEE GEES TRIBUTE The Canadian group, staging the largest Bee Gees tribute in the world, perform favorites by The Brothers Gibb including “To Love Somebody,” “Jive Talkin’” and “More Than A Woman,” at 7:30 p.m. March 7 at Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts, 283 College Drive, Orange Park, 276-6750, $15-$46, thcenter.org MARCH DANCE FESTIVAL Fuego Flamenco, the Florida Ballet and Unforced Rhythms Dance Company perform fl amenco and contemporary dance at 5 p.m. March 8 at Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, 1100 Stockton St., Riverside, 388-4130.

THE MIRACLE WORKER William Gibson’s much-loved drama, about the relationship of Helen Keller and her teacher, Annie Sullivan, is staged at 8 p.m. March 6 and 7 and 2 p.m. March 8 at Theatre Jacksonville, 2032 San Marco Blvd., 396-4425, $25; $20 seniors and military; $15 for students; through March 21, theatrejax.com.

I’LL GIVE YOU A DAY Irish storyteller Derek Coghlan presents his one-man show at 8 p.m. March 6 and 7 at Players By the Sea, 106 Sixth St. N., Jax Beach, 249-0289, $15, playersbythesea.org.

THE BOYS NEXT DOOR The comedy, about four men with various mental disabilities living in a group home, is staged at 7:30 p.m. March 5, 6 and 7 and 2 p.m. March 8 at Limelight Theatre, 11 Old Mission Ave., St. Augustine, 825-1164, $15 for March 5 performance; all others $25; $23 seniors; $20 students; through March 29, limelight-theatre.org.

LES MISERABLES The musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s epic story of 19thcentury France is staged at 7:30 p.m. March 5, 6 and 7 and 2:30 p.m. March 8 at Amelia Musical Playhouse, 1955 Island Walkway, Fernandina Beach, 277-3455, $20; $15 students; through March 14, ameliamusicalplayhouse.com.

BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE Lisa Whelchel (The Facts of Life) stars in the Tony-winning comedy about a woman who befriends a blind neighbor.

Executive Chef DeJuan Roy’s themed menu is featured; through March 22, at Alhambra Theatre & Dining, 12000 Beach Blvd., Southside, 641-1212, alhambrajax.com.

WEAVING THE STORIES OF WOMEN’S LITERATURE The Readers Theater presents dramatic readings of works

by Sue Miller, Maya Angelou, Julia Alvarez, Judy Yung, Ava

A&E // ARTS & EVENTS

DuVernay, Otsuka, Harper Lee, Carmen and Agra Deedy at 2 p.m. March 7 at Mandarin Branch Library, 3330 Kori Rd., 262-5201, jaxlibrary.org.

CLASSICAL, CHOIR & JAZZ

JAX SYMPHONY AT THE LIBRARY JSO members perform at 6 p.m. March 4 at Main Library’s The Lounge at 303, 303 N. Laura St., Downtown, 630-2353, jaxsymphony.org.

HIGH SCHOOL CHORAL INVITATIONAL The JU Choirs host choruses from Bishop Kenny High School and the Bolles School at 7:30 p.m. March 5 at Jacksonville University’s Terry Concert Hall, 2800 University Blvd. N., Arlington, 256-7386, arts.ju.edu.

STUDENT NEW MUSIC RECITAL Innovative student compositions featuring varied instrumentations are featured at 7:30 p.m. March 6 at Jacksonville University’s Terry Concert Hall, 256-7386, arts.ju.edu.

AN EVENING OF SONGS AND STORIES WITH PAUL WILLIAMS The singer-songwriter who’s won all kinds of awards – Oscar, Grammy, Golden Globe – performs with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and tells stories at 8 p.m. March 6 at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts’ Moran Theater, 300 Water St., Downtown, 354-3578, $45.50-$61.50, jaxsymphony.org.

THE GREAT GUITAR GATHERING Acoustic guitar greats Martin Taylor and Richard Smith perform at 7:30 p.m. March 7 at The Florida Theatre, 128 E. Forsyth St., Downtown, $25, floridatheatre.com.

MAJOR-MINOR CONCERT The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Youth Orchestra Philharmonic and Repertory Orchestra perform side by side at 8 p.m. March 7 at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts’ Jacoby Symphony Hall, 354-3578, $9; $4 children, jaxsymphony.org.

INTERMEZZO CONCERT Violinist Marguerite Richardson and pianist Scott Watkins perform at 3 p.m. March 8 at Main Library’s Hicks Auditorium, 630-2353, jplmusic.blogspot.com.

FLORIDA CHAMBER MUSIC PROJECT This chamber ensemble performs works by Haydn and Ravel at 3 p.m. March 8 at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, 1050 A1A N., 209-0399, $29.55, pvconcerthall.com.

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A&E // ARTS & EVENTS

Works by multimedia artist REBECCA CAMPBELL are on display at Bold Bean Coffee Roasters in Riverside through March 29.

JSO STRING & WIND ENS ENSEMB ENSEMBLES EMBLES A string quartet and woodwind quintet, featuring members of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, perform pop and light classical pieces at 4 p.m. March 8 at Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts, 276-6750, $25, thcenter.org FACULTY NEW MUSIC RECITAL Compositions by JU faculty, including Jianjun He, Tony Steve, Dennis Vincent and Thomas Harrison, are featured at 7:30 p.m. March 10 at Jacksonville University’s Terry Concert Hall, 256-7386, arts.ju.edu.

THE DANIEL BENNETT GROUP The jazz saxophone and guitar duo perform at 12:30 p.m.

March 11 at Main Library’s The Lounge at 303, 630-2353, jaxsymphony.org.

JAZZ IN PONTE VEDRA Gary Starling Group (Carol Sheehan, Billy Thornton, Peter Miles), 7:30-10:30 p.m. every Thur., Table 1, 330 A1A N., 280-5515.

JAZZ IN RIVERSIDE Trumpeter Ray Callendar, guitarist Taylor Roberts, 9:30 p.m. every Thur., Kickbacks Gastropub, 910 King St., 388-9551.

JAZZ IN MANDARIN Boril Ivanov Trio, 7 p.m. every Thur.; pianist David Gum, 7 p.m. every Fri., Tree Steakhouse, 11362 San Jose Blvd., 262-0006.

JAZZ IN ATLANTIC BEACH Guitarist Taylor Roberts, 7-10 p.m. every Wed., Thurs., Ocean 60, 60 Ocean Blvd., Atlantic Beach, 247-0060, ocean60.com.

JAZZ IN AVONDALE The Von Barlow Trio & Third Bass, 9 p.m. every Sun., Casbah Café, 3628 St. Johns Ave., 981-9966.

JAZZ IN ST. AUGUSTINE Performed nightly, Rhett’s Piano Bar & Brasserie, 66 Hypolita, 825-0502.

COMEDY

MARC PRICE Price, who played Alex P. Keaton’s buddy Skippy on Family Ties, performs at 8:04 and 10:10 p.m. March 6 and 7 at Comedy Club of Jacksonville, 11000 Beach Blvd., $9-$16, 646-4277, jacksonvillecomedy.com.

DOMINIQUE Dominique, who’s appeared on HBO’s Russell Simmons’s Def Comedy Jam, Byron Allen’s Comics Unleashed and Tom Joyner’s Sky Show appears at 8 p.m. March 5 and 8 and 10 p.m. March 6 and 7 at the Comedy Zone, 3130 Hartley Rd., Mandarin, $20-$23, 292-4242, comedyzone.com.

ROB HOLLOWAY Holloway, from MAD TV, appears at 7:30 and 10 p.m. March 6 and 7 and 10 p.m. March 6 at Latitude 360, 10370 Philips Hwy., Southside, 365-5555, latitude360.com.

CALLS & WORKSHOPS

ST. AUGUSTINE CALL FOR ARTISTS The sixth annual Nature & Wildlife Exhibit and 50th annual St. Augustine Art & Craft Festival seek works by visual artists working in all media. Deadline is June 1. For more

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info and application, go to staugustineartfestival.com/ naturewildlifeexpo.html.

MEMOIR WRITING WORKSHOP Kenneth Overman holds a memoir-writing workshop 10 a.m.-noon March 9 at The Players Community Senior Center, 175 Landrum Lane, Ponte Vedra, 280-3233, $20.

CALL FOR ARTISTS The Art Center seeks artists for its upcoming exhibit, Under the Sea and Beneath the River. Deadline is March 17; for more information, go to tacjacksonville,org.

ABET ACTING WORKSHOP Atlantic Beach Experimental Theatre offers Dave Alan Thomas’ workshop, “An Actor Begins: Duet Scenes,” March 8 at Adele Grage Cultural Center, 249-7177, $70-$80, register at abettheatre.com.

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION GRANTS The Community Foundation of Northeast Florida accepts submissions for Art Ventures and Dr. JoAnn Crisp-Ellert Fund (both deadlines May 15); jaxcf.org.

JAX JAZZ FEST SEEKS ARTISTS Jacksonville Jazz Festival calls for artists to submit samples of work and a statement for consideration for its 2015 poster; jaxjazzfest.com.

CANDY-MAKING WORKSHOPS Sweet Pete’s offers weekly and monthly candy-making classes for all ages at 400 N. Hogan St., Downtown, 376-7161, sweetpetescandy.com.

ART WALKS & MARKETS

FIRST WEDNESDAY ART WALK The downtown art walk, held 5-9 p.m. March 4 and every first Wed. – this month’s theme is Shamrockin’ Downtown – features more than 19 live music venues, more than 16 hotspots open after 9 p.m. and 53 total participating venues, spanning 15 blocks in Downtown Jacksonville. iloveartwalk.com.

COMMUNITY FARMERS & ARTS MARKET Baked goods, preserves, honey, crafts, art, hand-crafted jewelry are offered 4-7 p.m. every Wed., 4300 St. Johns Ave., Riverside, 607-9935.

DOWNTOWN FRIDAY MARKET Arts and crafts and local produce are offered from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every Friday at The Jacksonville Landing, 2 Independent Dr., Downtown, 353-1188.

RIVERSIDE ARTS MARKET Local and regional art, local music – this week features The 77D’s at 10:45 a.m., Crescendo Amelia Big Band 1:15 p.m. and Side of 49 2:45 p.m. – food artists and a farmers market are featured 10 a.m.-4 p.m. every Sat. under the Fuller Warren Bridge, 715 Riverside Ave., free admission, 389-2449, riversideartsmarket.com.

MUSEUMS

AMELIA ISLAND MUSEUM OF HISTORY 233 S. Third St., Fernandina Beach, 261-7378, ameliamuseum.org. Portraits of American Beach is currently on display. It Came from the Attic: Collections celebrates the

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A&E // ARTS & EVENTS art of collecting.

AMERICAN BEACH MUSEUM American Beach Community Center, 1600 Julia St., Fernandina, 277-7960, nassaucountyfl.com/facilities. The Sands of Time: An American Beach Story, celebrating the life and activism of local legend MaVynee Betsch, “The Beach Lady” is on display.

CUMMER MUSEUM OF ART & GARDENS 829 Riverside Ave., 356-6857, cummer.org. Reflections: Artful Perspectives on the St. Johns River, through Oct. 18.

Rothko to Richter: Mark-Making in Abstract Painting from the Collection of Preston H. Haskell, through April 22. All Together: The Sculpture of Chaim Gross, through Oct. 4.

British Watercolors through Nov. 29.

LIGHTNER MUSEUM 75 King St., St. Augustine, 824-2874, lightnermuseum.org.

Curator-led monthly tours, featuring “A Seat at the Table: the Importance of the Table in the 19th Century Home,” are held at 10 a.m. every first Wed. MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART JACKSONVILLE 333 N. Laura St., Downtown, 366-6911, mocajacksonville. com. WHITE, featuring 11 20th-century and contemporary artists working with the color white, through April 26. John Hee Taek Chae, featured artist in the sixth annual Barbara Ritzman Devereux Visiting Artist Workshop, displays in MOCA’s UNF Gallery through April 26.

MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY 1025 Museum Circle, Southbank, 396-6674, themosh.org.

Odyssey’s SHIPWRECK! Pirates & Treasure, through March.

Skies Over Jacksonville, a live star show, screens 2 p.m. daily in the Planetarium. For Cosmic Concerts, check the planetarium website.

ST. JOHN’S CATHEDRAL 256 E. Church St., Downtown, 356-5507, jaxcathedral.org.

Fabricio Farias’ Grace is on display.

GALLERIES

44 MONROE ART STUDIO AND GALLERY 44 Monroe St., Downtown, 881-0209. The opening reception for an exhibit featuring works by Tommy Gunz and OneFlew is held from 5-9 p.m. March 4.

ALEXANDER BREST GALLERY Jacksonville University, 2800 N. University Blvd., Arlington, 256-7371. Omphalos, works by multimedia artist Lauren Frances Evans and photographer Jensen Hande, through March 18. FIEA Game Art, works based on interactive game design, through March 18.

ANASTASIA BOOKS 81C King St., St. Augustine, 824-8460. Kenneth Barrett’s Time Frames is on display.

THE ART CENTER II 229 N. Hogan St., Downtown, 355-1757. Shadows and Light, through March 9. Lauren Humphrey is the featured artist.

BOLD BEAN COFFEE ROASTERS 869 Stockton St., Ste. 1, Riverside, 855-1181. Sculptures and prints by Rebecca Campbell, through March 29.

CRISP-ELLERT ART MUSEUM Flagler College, 48 Sevilla St., St. Augustine, 826-8530, flagler.edu/crispellert. An opening reception for Department of Art and Design Faculty Exhibition is held 5-9 p.m. March 6. The exhibit runs through April 17.

FIRST STREET GALLERY 216-B First St., Neptune Beach, 241-6928. The Mermaid Show is on display through April 1.

FSCJ KENT CAMPUS 3939 Roosevelt Blvd., Jacksonville, 646-2300. The opening reception for Rustic Atmosphere, featuring works by photographer Scott Blake and sculptor Jeremiah Douglas, is held 6-8 p.m. March 10. The exhibit runs through March.

MARKLAND PLACE 102 King St., St. Augustine, 304-4208. Laura Mongiovi presents Food Love, an experiential event involving the audience being hand-fed food while listening to personal stories, at 7 p.m. March 6.

RITZ THEATRE & MUSEUM 829 N. Davis St., 632-5555, ritzjacksonville.com.

Through Our Eyes 2015: Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey (An Artistic Revolution), works of 20 local AfricanAmerican artists, is on display through July 28.

SOUTH GALLERY FSCJ’s South Campus, 11901 Beach Blvd., 646-2023. Duval Senior High Exhibition & Northeast Florida Art Education Association Exhibit is on display through March 11.

SOUTHLIGHT GALLERY 201 N. Hogan St., Ste. 100, Downtown, 438-4358, southlightgallery.com. First Wednesday Art Walk is 5-9 p.m.

March 4, featuring saxophonist Jarell Harris and guest artists Matthew Winghart and Shayna Raymond from Gallery 725 exhibiting their work. Kathy Stark’s The Wilderness of North Florida’s Parks, The One Show, artists from Gallery 725 and UNF ArtSpace Dark Matters, featuring interpretations by UNF photo club members, display through March.

ST. AUGUSTINE ART ASSOCIATION 22 Marine St., 824-2310, staaa.org. A benefit sale of Julian Courtenay Hunt’s works is offered through March, to benefit Alzheimer’s Association and TOUCH St. Augustine Art Garden.

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL CATHEDRAL 256 E. Church St., Downtown, 356-5507. The Cathedral Arts Project’s Visual Arts Showcase is featured 1:30-3 p.m.

March 8.

34 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | MARCH 4-10, 2015

EVENTS

(See more events in our Outdoor section, starting on page 12.)

GREAT CHEFS OF JACKSONVILLE The fifth annual culinary competition is held 6 p.m. March 5 at TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse, 110 Championship Way, Ponte Vedra Beach. Tickets are $175; proceeds benefit Feeding Northeast Florida, eventbrite.com/e/great-chefs-ofjacksonville-v-tickets-15089343633.

NORTHEAST FLORIDA VEG FEST The fifth annual vegetarian and vegan-friendly Northeast Florida Veg Fest features live music, speakers, cooking demonstrations, beer garden, kids’ zone, pie-eating contest, exceptional freebies, raffles and scavenger hunt, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. March 7 at Riverside Park, 753 Park St., Riverside, VIP tickets $40, nfvegfest.org.

MUTT MARCH The pet-friendly festival features a pet walk, pet-geared merch, live music, silent auction and family fun zone starting at 9 a.m. March 7 at The Jacksonville Landing, 2 Independent Dr., Downtown; to register, call 493-4566 or go to jaxhumane.org/muttmarch.

ST. AUGUSTINE LIONS SEAFOOD FESTIVAL This family-geared event, featuring food, arts and crafts, a kids’ zone and pirate village, and live music by Christian Lopez Band, Jake Cox, Sam Pacetti, Collapsible B, Billy Doyle Quartet, Katherine Archer, Lonesome Bert and Florida State Bluegrass Band, is held 3-9 p.m. March 6, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. March 7 and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. March 8 at Francis Field, 25 W. Castillo Dr., St. Augustine, $3 admission, kids under 12 free, lionsfestival.com.

FIRST COAST NO MORE HOMELESS PETS BENEFIT Americana duo The Crazy Daysies host the FCNMHP benefitevent “Spring Some Luck for Paws & Claws,” featuring live music, a supply drive, raffles, VIP treat buffet for attending animals and a St. Patrick’s Day-themed animal costume contest at 4 p.m. March 7 at Wipeouts Grill, 1585 Atlantic Blvd., Neptune Beach, 247-4508.

TOWN HALL FORUM ON DEEPENING ST. JOHNS An open forum “The Dredging of the St. Johns River: A Town Hall Meeting on the Proposal to Deepen the River” features members of UNF’s Transportation & Logistics program, JaxPort, the Mayor’s Port Task Force, Jax Chamber, Army Corps of Engineers and The Sierra Club, answering the public’s questions and concerns from 6-9 p.m. March 9 at University of North Florida’s Herbert University Center, Bldg.

43, 12000 Alumni Dr., Southside, 620-4222.

ARMADA FC FOOTBALL MATCH The Jacksonville Armada FC take on the Charleston Battery at 4 p.m. March 8 at Community First Park, Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, 301 A. Philip Randolph Blvd., Downtown, $14-$60, 516-3800, armadafc.com.

“60 MINUTES” PRODUCER LECTURES 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman discusses investigative journalism at 7:30 p.m. March 8 at Flagler College’s Lewis Auditorium, 14 Granada St., St. Augustine, 826-8582.

FREE LAWYER WORKSHOP Qualified attorneys offer general advice on “How to Bring/ Defend a Case in Small Claims Court and other Consumer Rights” at 11 a.m. March 5 at Beaches Branch Library, 600 Third St., Neptune Beach, 630-4655.

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH AT UNF Judy Sheklin, president of Jacksonville Area National Organization of Women, presents and facilitates the discussion “Redefining the F-Word,” addressing the definition of feminism in the 21st century, at 7 p.m. March 5 at University of North Florida’s Bldg. 58W, Room 2704.

“An Evening with Judge Hatchett” features the Hon. Glenda Hatchett offering advice for the next generation of women leaders, at noon March 11 at UNF’s Student Union Ballroom, Rm. 3703, 1 UNF Dr., Southside, 620-1000, unf.edu.

ST. JOHNS RIVER KAYAK TRIP The St. Johns County Recreation & Parks Department presents guided kayak tours of the St. Johns River at 10 a.m. March 5 and 7 at Alpine Groves Park, 2060 S.R. 13, Switzerland; $30 for participants with their own kayak; $20 for St. Johns County residents, $40 to reserve a kayak.

Seats limited. 209-0348.

LIBRARY BOOK SALES Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library hold a Warehouse Book Sale from 4-8 p.m. March 6 (for members; memberships can be purchased at the door), 9 a.m.-6 p.m. March 7 and noon-5 p.m. March 8 at University Park Branch Library, 3435 University Blvd. N., Arlington, fjpl.org.

Friends of the Anastasia Island Branch Library hold a book sale from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. March 5, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. March 6 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. March 7 at 124 Sea Grove Main St., St. Augustine Beach. Children’s non-fiction books are available 10 a.m.-5 p.m. March 7 at Ponte Vedra Library, 101 Library Blvd., 827-6950, sjcpls.org.

CHILDREN’S MUSIC PROGRAM Musician Al Poindexter is featured in a kid-geared concert of Florida folklore at 10:30 a.m. March 5 at University Park Branch Library, 3435 University Blvd. N., Arlington, 630-1265.

FORTUNE MAGAZINE EDITOR LECTURE Allan Sloan, Fortune Magazine senior editor-at-large, discusses “Don’t Be Snowed by Big Numbers and Fine Print,” 7 p.m. March 10 at Flagler College’s Lewis Auditorium, 14 Granada St., St. Augustine, 826-8572, flagler.edu/forum.

AMELIA RIVER CRUISES Tours of Cumberland Island and Beach Creek, Mon.-Sat. from Amelia River Cruises, 1 N. Front St., Fernandina Beach, 261-9972; ameliarivercruises.com.

A&E // MUSIC

SIX STRINGS THAT DREW BLOOD Guitarist Ava Mendoza aims her cutting improv chops at her latest musical combo

M

ake no mistake: Guitarist Ava Mendoza is undoubtedly a shredder. But if she’s prone to any melodic gymnastics at all, the Brooklyn-based musician focuses her undeniable virtuosity on the sheer deconstruction of her Fender Jaguar. While Mendoza is standing in the eye of the sonic hurricane she summons during live performances, sharp staccato runs and slippery legato grooves evolve into bolts of distortion and droning electronic lurch, only to fold back into arpeggios. When Mendoza and her band Unnatural Ways, with a current lineup of bassist Tim Dahl and drummer Max Jaffe, bring their singular blend of improvisation and penned tunes to rain dogs. next Monday night, we’ll have the chance to experience some radical, collective playing firsthand. “This band always requires players who can nail difficult songs, who are good improvisers, and who have a deeply ingrained desire to give their all at every show,” says Mendoza. “Tim and Max are both awesome musicians and performers, and I’d as soon play with them as anyone I know of.”

That criterion that Mendoza seeks in her collaborators surely applies to her own skills and disciplines. Mendoza grew up in Orange County, California, and was trained in very traditional classical music. In high school, she focused on deciphering traditional straightahead jazz. “But I was also well aware already that most of the music and art of any kind I could relate to were made by people who existed outside the mainstream,” says the 31-year-old.

She acknowledges that part and parcel to her open mind and receptivity toward all aspects of music and life were her parents, both the “black sheep” of their respective families, and the company of fellow teenaged “nut job” peers.

“I grew up reading lefty political theory and listening to Charles Ives, the Germs and Outkast with equal pleasure,” she says. “At some point, I felt like, in order to be a sincere musician, I had to make music that was more personalized, more authentic to who I actually was.”

Mendoza’s innate ability to play purely improvised music, composing spontaneously on-the-spot, has led to her being embraced by the improv-experimental community. In the past

decade-plus, as a solo artist she has collaborated remains static as Jaffe’s drumming becomes with the likes of Fred Frith, Butch Morris, Henry increasingly aggressive. By song’s end, a vibratoladen organ sound emerges, as the whole band Kaiser, Mike Watt, Carla Bozulich, William then dissolves the song into an electronic drone.

Winant, Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Nels Cline, been featured on more than 20 releases, and Even though the music of Unnatural Ways praised by media outlets like The Village Voice, is unpredictable, there is an overall quality that All About Jazz and Guitar World. Last year, makes the band members sound comfortable Unnatural Ways performed at both Canada’s with one another, not only predicting the music Victoriaville International Music Festival and the being made at the moment, but encouraging each legendary Moers Festival in Germany. other to push even further into the unfamiliar.

The “chance” aspect of improvised music “Personally, I am veering more and more allows players to create not only momentary toward the same band-lineup methodology. compositions that rise and fall throughout the First of all, because I like writing songs, and performance, but to generate musical dialects, I want to have a band that plays them well; where tonalities and even silence can replace but also I just like broken-in lineups more as more readily identifiable melodies, chords and an audience member — for improv or rock rhythms. With Unnatural Ways, Mendoza moves bands,” says Mendoza. “I like seeing people who more into an area that fuses freeform playing understand each other’s playing play together. I with composed songs, many featuring her strong like hearing bands with a sound.” vocals atop the music. “I’m not a purist about Unnatural Ways has a new self-titled release improvisation, by which I mean that I’m not a on New Atlantis records and, later this year, British, Dutch or German man in the early-toJohn Zorn’s Tzadik Records will issue another mid-1970s. Improvising album. Their Jacksonville isn’t a religion for me. It is gig is the third show in a just one way of getting to two-month tour that takes AVA MENDOZA’S cool music,” says Mendoza. them to spots up the UNNATURAL WAYS “I don’t care if the improv is Eastern Seaboard, then 9 p.m. March 9 at rain dogs., completely ‘new’ with each on to Scandinavia and 1045 Park St., Riverside, $5 performance. I am fine with Western Europe. people bringing in the same Due to the intensity motifs night after night and developing them.” of the band’s sound and their devotion to highUnnatural Ways’ music seems a culmination energy music, it’s doubtful that Mendoza and of the groundwork she’s laid over the years, company will be tearing up the charts, which is codifying both her influences and track record surely fine with the guitarist, who’s undoubtedly as a now-seasoned veteran of the improv content to be a part of a musical realm where music scene. And her current lineup is equally imagination, skill, cooperation and vision are equipped to meet Mendoza eye-to-eye. Bassist more valued than a predictable melodic hook or Dahl has played with Child Abuse and No Wave deftly packaged surface appeal. When it comes high priestess Lydia Lunch, while drummer to open-ended music, Mendoza hasn’t cooled Jaffe has provided the rhythmic backbone for her jets, but rather redirected her flight path.

Brooklyn’s experimental supergroup Normal “At this point, I’m not that into improvising Love and the band Killer BOB. with everybody. A lot of that is because I just don’t think I’m the kind of player that plays their Their tune “Shapeshifter” kicks in with a best when they do a duo with someone for the doomy My War-era Black Flag vibe, as the first time. Peter Kowald is maybe that kind of trio gradually locks in on a churning groove.

Around the two-minute mark, Mendoza opens player, or Derek Bailey. I am like a rosebud or a up her playing with a scratchy funk riff that faulty download, and I open slowly.” erupts into some Sonny Sharrock-style riffing.

Daniel A. Brown Throughout the performance, Dahl’s bass riff dbrown@folioweekly.com MARCH 4-10, 2015 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 35

A&E // MUSIC

SPEED TRIALS

New York’s Little Racer are fast becoming the darlings of the indie rock scene

T

36 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | MARCH 4-10, 2015

Michael says the band has been using a slowhere’s this joke that goes, “Why does the and-steady approach to growing their fan base. hipster listen to only dead musicians?” The punch line? “He knows they’ll always be “The plan is to start working on a fullunderground.” Badumpadudum. length as soon as this EP comes out in a few If you’re a hipster in search of a band that’s months,” he says, referring to a brand-new, yetsuper-catchy, with totally danceable tunes to-be-named record that will drop in March and still fairly unknown, you’ve picked up the or April. “The idea is to just get the band to a magazine for you. Or, this story will give them level where when we do release a full-length too much exposure and you gotta keep looking LP, there’s interest in it, because I think the for that cool-because-it’s-obscure band. worst thing you can do is give people a bunch of material to sift through when they don’t Anyway, meet Little Racer. Specifically, even know the band yet. When they don’t even check out their YouTube videos of the songs know if they like you.”

“Dancing” and “Vanessa.” The guys have In support of Modern Accent and to been compared to a slew of notable groups, preview the new tunes, Little Racer gets local including The Cure, New Order, Joy Division on Friday, March 6 at Downtown’s Underbelly, and The Pixies — even Vampire Weekend along with Jacksonville alt-rock outfit and Surfer Blood. One thing’s sure: Their Sunspots, and The Aids. nostalgic, dreamy sound is a sonic blend of “What’s cool about what we do is that we pure enjoyment. pretty much self-record and we do all of the A four-piece from New York City, Little studio stuff ourselves. When we put something Racer gained attention shortly after forming out, it’s very much what we wanted,” Michael in 2011 when BBC Radio got ahold of their says. “I think we made an effort to fill the first digital single, “Split for the Coast,” and sound out a little bit more. began spinning the track I think it retains a lot of on air.

LITTLE RACER, that guitar interplay that I Next, London-based SUNSPOTS, THE AIDS think we did really well on indie label Young and Lost 8 p.m. March 6 at Underbelly, Modern Accent.”

Club issued it with another 113 E. Bay St., Downtown, $5 The new EP was tune called “The Town” as a recorded at The Cutting 7-inch single, and NME and Room Studios in Manhattan and is expected to Nylon magazines came calling. This prompted feature four songs. a UK tour for the foursome in early 2012; they spent the rest of the year gigging regularly in “We went in there for a day and just cut New York. the basic tracks. We laid bass and drums and “The band was together as a three-piece went back with the ideas that we had for the for a little while when they first kind of got guitar lines and everything else that we wanted put on the spot with the singles they released to do, like vocal melodies and lyrics,” Michael in the UK,” says Wade Michael, Little Racer’s says. “It took a little more time to refine all guitarist. “I got brought in and we all started that stuff.” writing an EP that ended up being Modern With a 7-inch and two EPs under their Accent. We put that out last year.” white belts, Little Racer is ready to start making If their previously released 7-inch was an indelible mark on fans and soon-to-be-fans.

Little Racer’s intro to hipsters across the pond, That’s the plan, anyway.

Modern Accent was the Debutante Ball for the “EPs are quicker to turn around, obviously, bearded and high-waisted-jeans-wearing music because they have fewer songs and it takes a lovers Stateside. little bit less work to package them and get “Modern Accent was kind of defining what them out,” says Michael. “Some bands just we wanted to do as a band,” says Michael. “It record and throw it out there as soon as they defined the sounds that we wanted to go for. It have those first 12 songs together. But we’re trying to be very smart about it. We’re trying was a really collaborative, creative process, in to put a little bit out at a time, so that we can that we all had a hand in writing songs and we develop and build this band.” all had our fingerprint on the final product.”

Joined by Elliot Michaud (vocals/guitar), Kara Pound bassist Ish Nazmi and Dave Tedeschi on drums, mail@folioweekly.com

Our favorite band that delivers a killer show while tossing fried chicken and banana pudding into the audience, roots-rock heroes SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS perform with THE WOOLLY BUSHMEN and RIVERNECKS March 8 at Colonial Quarter.

LIVE + LOCAL MUSIC CONCERTS THIS WEEK

WHETHERMAN, YANKEE SLICKERS, LES RAQUET, APPALACHIAN DEATH TRAP, SICK TALK, DIALECTABLE BEATS V. INFADER 5 p.m. March 4 at 1904 Music Hall, 19 Ocean St., Downtown.

SPADE McQUADE 6 p.m. March 4 at Fionn MacCool’s Irish Pub, Jacksonville Landing, Ste. 176, Downtown, 374-1247.

DENNY BLUE 6 p.m. March 4 and 11 at Paula’s Beachside Grill, 6896 A1A S., Crescent Beach, 471-3463.

PAT ROSE 7 p.m. March 4 at Ragtime Tavern, 207 Atlantic Blvd., Atlantic Beach. 241-7877.

EMILY KOPP, LAURA JANE VINCENT, PHIL BARNES 8 p.m.

March 4 at Jack Rabbits, 1528 Hendricks Ave., San Marco, 398-7496, $8.

CRAIG MORGAN 6 p.m. March 5 at Mavericks at The Landing, 2 Independent Drive, Downtown, 356-1110, $18-$28.

JASON IVEY 6 p.m. March 5 at Pusser’s Bar & Grille, 816 A1A N., Ponte Vedra Beach, 280-7766.

THOMAS WYNN & the BELIEVERS, FIREWATER TENT REVIVAL, DR. SIRBROTHER 7 p.m. March 5, 1904 Music Hall, $10.

ROUGH MIX 7 p.m. March 5, Ragtime Tavern.

JOE NICHOLS, JACKIE LEE 7:30 p.m. March 5 at Morocco Shrine Auditorium, 3800 St. Johns Bluff Rd. S., Southside, 642-5200.

BE EASY 7:30 p.m. March 5 at Latitude 360, 10370 Philips Hwy., Southside, 365-5555.

NOT A PLANET 8 p.m. March 5 at Burro Bar, 100 E. Adams St., Downtown, 677-2977.

STRINGFEVER 8 p.m. March 5 at Café Eleven, 501 A1A Beach Blvd., St. Augustine Beach, 460-9311, $22.

LORETTA LYNN 8 p.m. March 5 at The Florida Theatre, 128 E. Forsyth St., Downtown, 355-2787, $40-$65.

MOPE GROOVES 9 p.m. March 5 at Shantytown Pub, 22 W. Sixth St., Springfield, 798-8222, $5.

Aura Music & Arts Festival: MOE, DISCO BISCUITS, PAPADOSIO, The MAIN SQUEEZE, PIGEONS PLAYING PING PONG, McLOVINS, GHOST OWL March 6-8, Suwannee Music Park, 3076 95th Dr., Live Oak, musicliveshere.com.

THE ELLAMENO BEAT, JAHMEN 8 p.m. March 6, 1904 Music Hall, $7 advance; $9 day of.

DARREL RAE 8 p.m. March 6 at Latitude 360, 10370 Philips Hwy., Southside, 365-5555.

JEREMIAH DALY, WEEKEND ATLAS, DOG APOLLO, KRISTOPHER JAMES 8 p.m. March 6, Jack Rabbits, $5.

LITTLE RACER, SUNSPOTS, THE AIDS 8 p.m. March 6 at Underbelly, 113 E. Bay St., Downtown, 699-8186, $5.

KING EDDIE & PILI PILI 8 p.m. March 6, Pusser’s Bar & Grille.

IVEY LEAGUE 10 p.m. March 6 & 7 at The Roadhouse, 231 Blanding Blvd., Orange Park, 264-0611.

BAY STREET 10 p.m. March 6 & 7, Ragtime Tavern.

STRANGER 10 p.m. March 6 & 7 at Lynch’s Irish Pub, 541 First St. N., Jax Beach, 249-5181.

Riverside Arts Market: THE 77D’S, CRESCENDO AMELIA BIG BAND, SIDE OF 49 10:45 a.m. March 7 under Fuller Warren Bridge, 715 Riverside Ave., 389-2449, riversideartsmarket.com.

First Coast No More Homeless Pets benefit: THE CRAZY DAYSIES 4 p.m. March 7 at Wipeouts Grill, 1585 Atlantic Blvd., Neptune Beach, 247-4508.

DENNY BLUE 5 p.m. March 7 at Milltop Tavern, 19 St. George

St., St. Augustine, 829-2329.

MARK O’QUINN 7 p.m. March 7, Pusser’s Bar & Grille.

JEREMY ROGERS CD & Cassette Release Show 7 p.m. March 7 at DOS Coffee & Wine, 300 San Marco Ave., St. Augustine, 342-2421.

THE TANNAHILL WEAVERS 7:30 p.m. March 7 at Mudville Music Room, 3104 Atlantic Blvd., San Marco, 352-7008, $25.

SISTER KILL CYCLE, CARNIVOROUS CARNIVAL 8 p.m. March 7, Jack Rabbits, $8.

MEDAL MILITIA, MADHAUS 8 p.m. March 7 at Freebird Live, 200 N. First St., Jax Beach, 246-2473, $10.

IMMERSION, DAMNAGED, DOUBLE TAP 8 p.m. March 7, 1904 Music Hall, $7.

GENERATIONALS, ROSE QUARTZ 8 p.m. March 7, Underbelly, $10.

LARRY MANGUM 2 p.m. March 8 at Beluthahatchee Park, 1523 S.R. 13, Fruit Cove, 610-4507, suggested donation $10; reservations required.

KALIN & MYLES, GOLDEN ANJALI 5 p.m. March 8, Jack Rabbits, $15.

SONGWRITER’S NIGHT 6 p.m. March 8 at Adele Grage Cultural Center, 716 Ocean Blvd., Atlantic Beach, 610-7461.

DAN & SHAY, CANAAN SMITH 7 p.m. March 8, Freebird Live, $20.

THE SPLINTERS 7 p.m. March 8, Ragtime Tavern.

SOUTHERN CULTURE on the SKIDS, The WOOLLY BUSHMEN, RIVERNECKS 7 p.m. March 8 at Colonial Quarter, 33 St. George St., St. Augustine, 342-2857, $20.

AVA MENDOZA’S UNNATURAL WAYS 9 p.m. March 9 at rain dogs, 1045 Park St., Riverside, 379-4969.

BOY HARSHER, CRAZY BAG LADY, BURNT HAIR, SEVERED + SAID 8 p.m. March 8, 1904 Music Hall, $5.

KNOW LYFE, LIFEFORCE, VIKTR, DAMN THY NAME 7 p.m.

March 9, Jack Rabbits, $5.

ROB ROY, BRAIDED SUN 8 p.m. March 9, 1904 Music Hall, $7 advance; $9 day of.

WIL MARING, ROBERT BOWLIN 7:30 p.m. March 10, Mudville Music Room, $10.

THREE DOG NIGHT 8 p.m. March 10, The Florida Theatre, $35-$69.50.

REV. PEYTON’S BIG DAMN BAND, BRYCE ALASTAIR BAND 8 p.m.

March 10, Jack Rabbits, $15.

PRETTIOTS 8 p.m. March 10, Underbelly.

THE SAVANTS of SOUL 10 p.m. March 10 at Blue Water Island Grill, 205 N. First St., Jax Beach, 249-0083.

GIN BLOSSOMS 6 p.m. March 11, Mavericks, $20-$30.

RENEE is a ZOMBIE, FLOSSIE & the FOX 8 p.m. March 11, Burro Bar. BADFISH, TROPIDELIC 8 p.m. March 11, Freebird Live, $15.

PARTICLE, S.P.O.R.E., GREENHOUSE LOUNGE 8 p.m. March 11, 1904 Music Hall, $15.

UPCOMING CONCERTS

NEIL DIXON March 11, Ragtime Tavern JOURNEY, STEVE MILLER BAND, TOWER OF POWER March 12, Veterans Memorial Arena ASG, PARADIGM, BROWN PALACE, WITHOUT RESTRAINT, 80GRIT March 12, Shanghai Nobby’s FULLSET March 12, Mudville Music Room AARON KOERNER March 12, Pusser’s Bar & Grille “3” March 12, Ragtime Tavern

ERIC LINDELL March 12, Mojo Kitchen RAVE TO SAVE March 12, Freebird Live LA LUZ, THE SHIVAS, WET NURSE March 13, Colonial Quarter ORI NAFTALY March 13, Mojo Kitchen DOPELIMATIC March 13, Pusser’s Bar & Grille JORDYN STODDARD, CHARLIE WALKER March 13, Freebird Live DENNY BLUE March 13, Milltop Tavern OZONE BABY March 13 & 14, The Roadhouse PAUL LUNDGREN March 13 & 14, Ragtime Tavern Celtic Music & Heritage Festival: ALBANNACH, DUBLIN CITY RAMBLERS, RATHKELTAIR, SEARSON, WHISKEY of the DAMNED, POOR ANGUS, MAKEM & SPAIN, IRISH ECHOES March 13-15, Francis Field, St. Augustine YAMADEO March 13 & 14, Lynch’s Irish Pub Swingtime: The JIVE ACES, The TINSELTOWN JITTERBUGS March 13, Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts ELVIS COSTELLO March 14, The Florida Theatre GARRET SPEER March 14, Pusser’s Bar & Grille DENNY BLUE March 14, Cruiser’s Grill ELTON JOHN March 14, Veterans Memorial Arena COREY SMITH March 14, Mavericks ANITRA JAY, SIDETRACK BAND & RACHEL KAMPS, TOM BENNETT BAND March 14, Riverside Arts Market DEON COLE March 14, Ritz Theatre DROWNING POOL, ADRENALINE MOB, FULL DEVIL JACKET, MANNA ZEN, STONE BONE, FALLEN EMPIRE, DEAR ABBEY March 14, Beach Blvd Concert Hall PATO BANTON, The NOW GENERATION March 14, Freebird Live JOHN MELLENCAMP March 15, Times-Union Center Natural Life Music Fest: The HOWLIN’ BROTHERS, MANDOLIN ORANGE, TALL TALL TREES, JUDAH & the LION, HORSE FEATHERS, THE RUBIES, THE JOHN CARVER BAND, THE WILLOWWACKS March 15, Metropolitan Park MASON JENNINGS March 15, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall TIJUANA HERCULES, LAUREL LEE & the ESCAPEES, JACKIE STRANGER March 15, Shanghai Nobby’s HOFFMAN VOODOO March 15, Ragtime Tavern DUBLIN CITY RAMBLERS March 16, Culhane’s Irish Pub BALANCE & COMPOSURE, CIRCA SURVIVE March 17, Underbelly Riverside St. Patrick’s Day Party: LOVE MONKEY March 17, Margaret St., 5 Points BILLY BOWERS March 18, Ragtime Tavern Suwannee Spring Fest: WOOD BROTHERS, SHOVELS and ROPE, INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS, KELLER WILLIAMS & TRAVELIN’ McCOURYS, BLIND BOYS of ALABAMA, The LARRY KEEL EXPERIENCE, DONNA the BUFFALO, JOE CRAVEN, JIM LAUDERDALE March 19, Spirit of the Suwannee JEREMY ROGERS March 19, Mellow Mushroom St. Augustine SUICIDE SILENCE, EMMURE, WITHIN the RUINS, FIT for an AUTOPSY March 19, Freebird Live The DRUIDS March 19, Ragtime Tavern BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO March 19, Colonial Quarter DRYMILL ROAD March 19, Underbelly CYRUS CHESTNUT March 20, Ritz Theatre RUNAWAY GIN (Phish Tribute) March 20, Freebird Live BILLY BUCHANAN March 20, Pusser’s Bar & Grille ROGER THAT March 20 & 21, Roadhouse BOOGIE FREAKS March 20 & 21, Ragtime Tavern THE B-52s March 21, The Florida Theatre

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LIVE + LOCAL MUSIC EASTON CORBIN March 21, Mavericks JEREMY ROGERS March 21, DOS Coffee & Wine MAVIS STAPLES March 21, Ritz Theatre ASG, DARKHORSE SALOON March 21, Freebird Live JACKIE EVANCHO March 22, The Florida Theatre AGNOSTIC FRONT, COLDSIDE March 22, Burro Bar NEIL DIXON March 22, Ragtime Tavern BLEACHERS March 22, Freebird Live FRNKIERO & the CELLABRATION, HOMELESS GOSPEL CHOIR, MODERN CHEMISTRY March 24, Jack Rabbits GET the LED OUT March 24, The Florida Theatre ITZHAK PERLMAN March 24, T-U Center ATMOSPHERE, PROF March 24, Freebird Live SARAH McLACHLAN March 25, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall SMALL FISH March 25, Ragtime Tavern CRUSHED OUT, WOOLLY BUSHMEN March 25, Underbelly NICKELBACK March 25, Veterans Memorial Arena The ORIGINAL WAILERS March 25, Café Eleven G. LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE, MATT COSTA March 25, Freebird TOM PAPA March 26, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall ERIC CHURCH March 26, Veterans Memorial Arena AGAINST GRACE, RAISING CADENCE March 26 Underbelly MANATEES, The MOLD, NUTRITIONAL BEAST March 26, rain dogs THIRD DAY, BRANDON HEATH March 26, St. Aug Amphitheatre The AUSTRALIAN BEE GEES March 26, The Florida Theatre NEIL DIXON March 26, Ragtime Tavern TWIN SHADOW March 26, Freebird Live SPRAY PAINT, SALYUT 2 March 27, rain dogs DENNY BLUE March 27, Milltop Tavern WILLIE SUGARCAPPS, SETH WALKER March 27, Colonial Quarter CHROME HEART March 27 & 28, Roadhouse THE TONY G-5, TIM DAVIS March 27, The Florida Theatre FORTUNATE YOUTH, SENSAMOTION March 27, Freebird Live Slide into Spring Music & Craft Beer Fest: The WAILERS, TRAE PIERCE & T-STONE BAND, MATISYAHU, RAILROAD EARTH, TURKUAZ, SUPERVILLAINS, The FRITZ, SPIRITUAL REZ, CORBITT BROTHERS March 28 & 29, Main Beach, Fernandina ONE-EYED DOLL, MANNA ZEN, ERODE, TPM, SUNZ OF SAM March 28, 1904 Music Hall ENTER SHIKARI March 28, Underbelly BILL ORCUTT March 29, Sun-Ray Cinema SMITH & BANKS March 29, Ragtime Tavern BRONX WANDERERS March 29, The Florida Theatre BLUES TRAVELER March 29, St. Augustine Amphitheatre COBALT CRANES, NERVOUS TICKS March 29, rain dogs GUNS OUT AT SUNDOWN March 30, Jack Rabbits GARY STARLING JAZZ ORGANIZATION April 1, Mudville Music LYNYRD SKYNYRD April 2 & 3, The Florida Theatre 1964: Tribute to The Beatles April 3, St. Augustine Amphitheatre BASEBALL PROJECT, CHUCK PROPHET April 3, Colonial Quarter LOVE MONKEY April 3 & 4, Roadhouse

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Traditional Scottish music greats THE TANNAHILL WEAVERS perform March 7 at Mudville Music Room.

SouthEast Beast Fest: NEW FOUND GLORY, CAPSIZE, COUNTERPARTS, H20, CITIZEN, DEFEATER, TURNSTILE, THIS WILD LIFE, CRIME in STEREO, FIREWORKS, GIDEON, A LOSS for WORDS, The ORPHAN, The POET, ARTIFEX PEREO, BAD LUCK, BOYS NO GOOD, VILLAINS, XERXES, LIFE of AGONY, BIOHAZARD, WISDOM in CHAINS, EARTH CRISIS, The BANNER, ROTTING OUT, TRUE LOVE April 4 & 5, Aqua Nightclub PIECES of DREAM April 4, Ritz Theatre JEREMY ROGERS April 4, Mellow Mushroom St. Augustine ALLELE, FALL to JUNE, PRIDELESS, SECONDS AWAY, CHAYO NASH, SIMPLE NATURAL April 4, 1904 Music Hall DELLA MAE April 4, Colonial Quarter CORBITT BROTHERS, COME BACK ALICE April 4, Freebird Live POTTED POTTER (Harry Potter Fest) April 7-12, T-U Center The STEEP CANYON RANGERS April 8, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall One Spark After Dark: CANARY in the COALMINE, THIS FRONTIER NEEDS HEROES, HA HA TONKA, DJ LIL’ BOY, ON GUARD, EMPIRE THEORY, SUNBEARS!, WILDER SONS, DOMINO EFFECT, SOMEBODY ELSE, GOLD LIGHT, SLEEPWALKERS, KOPECKY FAMILY BAND April 8-10, Jax Chamber Parking Lot JANIS IAN, TOM PAXTON April 9, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall Stringbreak Music Fest: STEEP CANYON RANGERS, WILLIE SUGARCAPPS, THE RAGBIRDS, HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL, GATORBONE, BRIAN SUTHERLAND BAND, 8 BALL AITKEN, GRANT PEEPLES, GRANDPA’S COUGH MEDICINE, THE LAGERHEADS April 9-12, Sertoma Youth Ranch, Brooksville THE MAVERICKS April 10, The Florida Theatre Rhythm & Ribs Festival: STEPPIN STONES, RUSTED ROOT, GO GET GONE, EAGER BEAVER, AMY ALYSIA & THE SOUL OPERATION, IVEY WEST BAND, SISTER HAZEL, THE RIVERNECKS, THE COMMITTEE, X-HALE, BILLY BUCHANAN & FREE AVENUE April 10-12, Francis Field, St. Augustine THE ORCHESTRA April 11, The Florida Theatre Oyster Jam Music Fest: J COLLINS, BE EASY, S.P.O.R.E., SPLIT TONE, CLOUD 9 April 11 & 12, Metropolitan Park KID INK, JEREMIAH, DEJ LOAF April 11, T-U Center DIARRHEA PLANET, LEFT AND RIGHT April 13, rain dogs Wanee Music Fest: WIDESPREAD PANIC, GREGG ALLMAN, GOV’T MULE, EARTH, WIND & FIRE, CHEAP TRICK, JAIMOE’S JASSSZ BAND, BUTCH TRUCKS & FRIENDS, THE WORD (ROBERT RANDOLPH, JOHN MEDESKI, LUTHER DICKINSON, CODY DICKINSON, CHRIS CHEW), HOT TUNA ELECTRIC, JJ GREY & MOFRO, OTEIL & FRIENDS, GALACTIC, ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA, LEFTOVER SALMON, YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND, IVAN NEVILLE’S DUMPSTAPHUNK, RICH ROBINSON & DOYLE BRAMHALL II, RAW OYSTER CULT, DRAGON SMOKE, THE REVIVALISTS, HOME AT LAST, BOBBY LEE ROGERS, PINK TALKING FISH, ERIC LINDELL & COMPANY, ROYAL SOUTHERN BROTHERHOOD, NATURAL CHILD, JACOB JEFFRIES BAND, JUKE April 16-18, Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park JEREMY ROGERS April 17, Mellow Mushroom St. Augustine CELTIC WOMAN April 17, T-U Center

FLYLEAF, FIT FOR RIVALS April 17, Freebird Live FRATELLO April 17 & 18, Roadhouse HERITAGE BLUES ORCHESTRA April 17, Ritz Theatre Springing the Blues: CHUBBY CARRIER & the BAYOU SWAMP BAND, SELWYN BIRCHWOOD, EDDIE SHAW & the WOLF GANG, TINSLEY ELLIS, JOHN NEMETH, SAMANTHA FISH, SHARRIE WILLIAMS, THE LEE BOYS, CEDRIC BURNSIDE, LIGHTNIN’ MALCOLM, KARA GRAINGER, BETTY FOX BAND, BACKTRACK BLUES BAND, HOMEMADE JAMZ BAND, BRADY CLAMPITT, LINDA GRENVILLE, JIM McKABA & AFTER HOURS BAND, PARKERURBAN BAND, WOODY & the PECKERS, BAY STREET, UNCLE JONNY’S BLUES MACHINE April 17-19, SeaWalk Pavilion THE LACS April 18, Mavericks CHAQUIS MALIQ, LEE HUNTER, JOEY KERR, MARY-LOU, SCOTT JONES DANCERS April 18, Riverside Arts Market BOB DYLAN April 18, St. Augustine Amphitheatre THE WHO, JOAN JETT & The BLACKHEARTS April 19, Veterans Memorial Arena CAGE THE ELEPHANT April 19, Mavericks DICK DALE April 21, Jack Rabbits STOKESWOOD, GHOST OWL April 22, Freebird Live ALAN JACKSON, JON PARDI, BRANDY CLARK April 24, St. Augustine Amphitheatre BHAGAVAN DAS April 24-26, Karpeles Museum HOME FREE A Capella Group April 24, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall RAIN April 24, The Florida Theatre CHERUB April 24, Freebird Live TYLER THE CREATOR April 24, Mavericks COMFORT ZONE April 24 & 25, Roadhouse JEFFERSON STARSHIP April 25, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall LaVilla Jazz Band & Chamber Orchestra, MIKE SHACKELFORD, STEVE SHANHOLTZER April 25, Riverside Arts Market Welcome to Rockville: SLIPKNOT, KORN, GODSMACK, SLAYER, MARILYN MANSON, MINISTRY, SLASH, MYLES KENNEDY & the CONSPIRATORS, PAPA ROACH, BREAKING BENJAMIN, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES April 25 & 26, Metro Park The MOWGLIS, FENCES, HIPPO CAMPUS April 26, Jack Rabbits RONNIE MILSAP April 26, The Florida Theatre The ROBERT CRAY BAND, SHEMEKIA COPELAND April 27, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall CHRIS BOTTI April 30, The Florida Theatre MARCHFOURTH April 30, Freebird Live TIGERS JAW, LEMURIA, SOMOS April 30, Underbelly WILCO May 1, St. Augustine Amphitheatre IRATION May 2, Mavericks JOHN MULANEY May 3, The Florida Theatre HOZIER May 5, The Florida Theatre NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL May 7, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall BRAND NEW, MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA, KEVIN DEVINE May 7, St. Augustine Amphitheatre GHOST OF THE BLUES May 8, The Florida Theatre ZZ TOP, JEFF BECK May 9, St. Augustine Amphitheatre JENNY LEWIS May 9, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall LISA LOEB, FLAGSHIP ROMANCE May 10, P.V. Concert Hall JASON ISBELL, CRAIG FINN May 12, The Florida Theatre STRUNG OUT May 13, Freebird Live JOHN MAYALL May 13, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall J. RODDY WALSTON & the BUSINESS May 14, Jack Rabbits THE MAINE May 14, Freebird Live RODNEY CARRINGTON May 14, T-U Center PIERCE PETTIS May 14, Café Eleven NEEDTOBREATHE, BEN RECTOR, COLONY HOUSE, DREW HOLCOMB & the NEIGHBORS May 14, St. Aug. Amphitheatre ED KOWALCZYK May 15, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW, DEVIL MAKES THREE May 16, St. Augustine Amphitheatre DANCIN’ IN THE STREET May 16, Beaches Town Center IGGY AZALEA May 18, Veterans Memorial Arena Jax Jazz Fest: SNARKY PUPPY, SOUL REBELS, TITO PUENTE JR. ORCHESTRA, FELIX PEIKLI & the ROYAL FLUSH QUINTET, ROMAN STREET, ELISHA PARRIS, MAMA BLUE May 21-24, Downtown TODD RUNDGREN May 22, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall Palatka Blue Crab Fest: JEFF COFFEY, AMY DALLEY, HIGHWAY TO HELL (AC/DC Tribute) May 22-25, Downtown Palatka BOSTON May 24, St. Augustine Amphitheatre PSYCHEDELIC FURS May 31, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall THE GIPSY KINGS June 11, The Florida Theatre BOOGIE FREAKS June 12 & 13, Roadhouse

Florida Country Superfest: ZAC BROWN BAND, KEITH URBAN, BRANTLEY GILBERT, COLE SWINDELL, TYLER FARR, DAVID NAIL, COLT FORD, DANIELLE BRADBERY, SWON BROTHERS June 13 & 14, EverBank Field CHARLI XCX June 15, Freebird Live LOVE MONKEY June 19 & 20, Roadhouse NATURAL INSTINCTS June 26 & 27, Roadhouse FOR KING & COUNTRY June 27, Christ Church Southside CHILLY RHINO July 3 & 4, Roadhouse Warped Tour: ALIVE LIKE ME, AS IT IS, BABY BABY, ARGENT, BEAUTIFUL BODIES, BEING AS AN OCEAN, BLACK BOOTS, BLACK VEIL BRIDES, BLESSTHEFALL, BORN CAGES, KOO KOO KANGA ROO, BOYMEETSWORLD, CANDY HEARTS, ESCAPE THE FATE, FAMILY FORCE 5, FIT FOR A KING, HANDGUNS, HANDS LIKE HOUSES, I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN, KOSHA DILLZ, LE CASTLE VANIA, LEE COREY OSWALD, M4SONIC, MATCHBOOK ROMANCE, NECK DEEP, NIGHT NIGHT RIOTS, PALISADES, SPLITBREED, THE RELAPSE SYMPHONY, TRANSIT, THE WONDER YEARS, TROPHY EYES, WHILE SHE SLEEPS, YOUTH IN REVOLT July 6, Morocco Shrine Auditorium BARENAKED LADIES, VIOLENT FEMMES, COLIN HAY July 11, St. Augustine Amphitheatre CHROME HEART July 17 & 18, Roadhouse “WEIRD AL” YANKOVIC Aug. 16, The Florida Theatre GREAT SOUTHERN TAILGATE COOKOFF Aug. 21 & 22, Fernandina AMELIA ISLAND JAZZ FESTIVAL Oct. 8-15, Fernandina Beach MARK KNOPFLER Oct. 27, St. Augustine Amphitheatre

LIVE MUSIC CLUBS AMELIA ISLAND, FERNANDINA BEACH

DAVID’S RESTAURANT & LOUNGE, 802 Ash St., 310-6049 John Springer every Tue.-Wed. Aaron Bing 6 p.m. Fri. & Sat. GREEN TURTLE TAVERN, 14 S. Third St., 321-2324 Buck Smith every Thur. Yancy Clegg Sun. Vinyl Record Nite every Tue. PALACE SALOON, 117 Centre. St., 491-3332 Wes Cobb every Wed. Schnockered every Sun. Buck Smith every Tue. SLIDERS, 1998 S. Fletcher Ave., 277-6652 Brett Foster March 9

AVONDALE, ORTEGA

CASBAH CAFÉ, 3628 St. Johns Ave., 981-9966 Goliath Flores 9 p.m. every Wed. Live jazz every Sun. Live music every Mon. ECLIPSE, 4219 St. Johns Ave. KJ Free 9 p.m. Tue. & Thur.

Indie dance at 9 p.m. Wed. ’80s & ’90s dance at 9 p.m. Fri. MELLOW MUSHROOM, 3611 St. Johns, 388-0200 Jameyal March 5. Paul Miller Duo March 6. Jonnie Morgan Band March 7

THE BEACHES

(All venues in Jax Beach unless otherwise noted)

BLUE WATER ISLAND GRILL, 205 First St. N., 249-0083 Scholars Word March 6. The Savants of Soul March 10 BRASS ANCHOR PUB, 2292 Mayport Rd., Ste. 35, Atlantic Beach, 249-0301 Joe Oliff 8 p.m. March 4 CASA MARINA HOTEL, 691 First St. N., 270-0025 Ryan Crary 7 p.m. March 5. Charlie Walker 3 p.m. March 8 CULHANE’S, 967 Atlantic Blvd., A.B., 249-9595 DJ Hal Sat. FLYING IGUANA, 207 Atlantic Blvd., Neptune Beach, 853-5680 Kim Reteguiz & Black Cat Bones 10 p.m. March 6 & 7 FREEBIRD LIVE, 200 N. First St., 246-2473 Faze Wave, Finbar, Fifield March 6. Medal Militia, Madhaus 8 p.m. March 7. Dan & Shay, Canaan Smith 7 p.m. March 8. Badfish, Tropidelic March 11 HARMONIOUS MONKS, 320 First St. N., 372-0815 Live music 9 p.m. every Fri. & Sat. Dan Evans, Spade McQuade 6 p.m. every Sun. Back From the Brink 9 p.m. every Mon. LILLIE’S COFFEE BAR, 200 First St., N.B., 249-2922 This Side of 49 March 6. Live music every Fri. & Sat. LYNCH’S IRISH PUB, 514 N. First St., 249-5181 Stranger 10 p.m. March 6 & 7. Yamadeo March 13 & 14. Live music nightly MELLOW MUSHROOM, 1018 N. Third St., 246-1500 Dan Hunting March 4. S.P.O.R.E. March 5. Jameyal March 6 MEZZA RESTAURANT & BAR, 110 First St., N.B., 249-5573 Neil Dixon 6 p.m. every Tue. Gypsies Ginger 6 p.m. every Wed. Mike Shackelford & Steve Shanholtzer 6 p.m. Thur.

MOJO KITCHEN, 1500 Beach Blvd., 247-6636 Eric Lindell 10 p.m. March 12. Ori Naftaly 10 p.m. March 13 NORTH BEACH BISTRO, 725 Atlantic Blvd., A.B., 372-4105 Job Meiller March 5. Elizabeth Rogers March 6 RAGTIME TAVERN, 207 Atlantic Blvd., A.B., 241-7877 Pat Rose 7 p.m. March 4. Rough Mix March 5. Bay Street 10 p.m.

March 6 & 7. The Splinters March 8. Neil Dixon March 11 WIPEOUTS GRILL, 1585 Atlantic Blvd., N.B., 247-4508 The Crazy Dayseys 4 p.m. March 7

LIVE + LOCAL MUSIC Country legend LORETTA LYNN performs March 5 at The Florida Theatre.

Joshua Academy of the Arts 5-9 p.m. March 4. El Conjunto Tropical 8 p.m. March 6. Radio 80 8 p.m. March 7. 418 Band 4 p.m. March 8. Ivey West Band 6 p.m. March 12 MARK’S DOWNTOWN, 315 E. Bay, 355-5099 DJ Roy Luis every Wed. DJ Vinn every Thur. DJ 007 Fri. Bay Street Sat. MAVERICKS, Jax Landing, 356-1110 Craig Morgan 6 p.m. March 5. Gin Blossoms 6 p.m. March 11. Joe Buck, DJ Justin Thur.-Sat. UNDERBELLY, 113 E. Bay St., 699-8186 Speaking Cursive March 4. Little Racer, Sunspots, The Aids March 6. Generationals, Rose Quartz March 7. Prettiots March 10

FLEMING ISLAND

WHITEY’S FISH CAMP, 2032 C.R. 220, 269-4198 Live music Fri. & Sat. DJ Throwback 8 p.m. every Thur. Deck music 5 p.m. every Fri. & Sat., 4:30 p.m. every Sun.

INTRACOASTAL WEST

CLIFF’S BAR & GRILL, 3033 Monument Rd., 645-5162 Bandontherun March 4. DJ Big Rob Thur., Sun. & Tue. JERRY’S SPORTS GRILLE, 13170 Atlantic Blvd., 220-6766 Lucky Stiff 8:30 p.m. March 6. Midlife Crisis March 7 YOUR PLACE, 13245 Atlantic, 221-9994 RadioLove March 5

MANDARIN, JULINGTON

DAVE’S MUSIC BAR & GRILL, 9965 San Jose Blvd., Ste. 48, 575-4935 The Board Brothers 6 p.m. March 6

HARMONIOUS MONKS, 10550 Old St. Augustine Rd., 880-3040 Open mic: Synergy 8 p.m. every Wed. World’s Most Talented Waitstaff 9 p.m. every Fri.

ORANGE PARK, MIDDLEBURG

CLUB RETRO, SILVERADO, 1241 Blanding Blvd., 579-4731 ’70s & ’80s dance 8 p.m. every Fri. & Sat. DJ Capone every Wed. THE HILLTOP, 2030 Wells, 272-5959 John Michael Wed.-Sat. THE ROADHOUSE, 231 Blanding Blvd., 264-0611 Ivey League 10 p.m. March 6 & 7. Ozone Baby March 13 & 14. Boogie Freaks 10 p.m. every Wed. DJ Big Mike 10 p.m. every Thur.

PONTE VEDRA

PUSSER’S GRILLE, 816 A1A, 280-7766 Samuel Sanders March 4 & 11. Jason Ivey 6 p.m. March 5. King Eddie & Pili Pili March 6. Mark O’Quinn March 7. Aaron Koerner March 12

RIVERSIDE, WESTSIDE

ACROSS THE STREET, 948 Edgewood Ave. S., 683-4182 Bill Ricci March 6. Running Rampant, Primitive Hard Drive March 7.

Backwater Bible Salesman March 9 MURRAY HILL THEATRE, 932 Edgewood Ave. S., 388-7807 Ember Anthem, Kassidy Lankford, Ashton Taylor 8 p.m. March 7. Social Club, Worth Road March 13 rain dogs, 1045 Park St., 379-4969 Ava Mendoza’s Unnatural

DOWNTOWN

1904 MUSIC HALL, 19 Ocean St. N. Whetherman, Yankee Slickers, Les Raquet, Appalachian Death Trap, Sick Talk, Dialectable Beats V. Infader 5 p.m. March 4. Thomas Wynn & the Believers, Firewater Tent Revival, Dr. Sirbrother 7 p.m.

March 5. The Ellameno Beat, Jahmen March 6. Immersion, Damnaged, Double Tap March 7. Boy Harsher, Crazy Bag Lady, Burnt Hair, Severed + Said March 8. Rob Roy, Braided Sun March 9. Particle, S.P.O.R.E., Greenhouse Lounge March 11 BURRO BAR, 100 E. Adams St. Not a Planet 8 p.m. March 5.

Renee is a Zombie, Flossie & the Fox March 11 DOS GATOS, 123 E. Forsyth St., 354-0666 BlackJack every Wed. DJ Brandon every Thur. Dance music every Fri. DJ NickFresh Sat. DJ Randall 9 p.m. Mon. DJ Hollywood every Tue. FIONN MacCOOL’S, Jax Landing, Ste. 176, 374-1247 Spade McQuade 6-9 p.m. March 4 & 11, 8 p.m. March 6. Paddy Wagon 8 p.m. March 7. Live music Fri. & Sat. JACKSONVILLE LANDING, 2 Independent Dr., 353-1188

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LIVE + LOCAL MUSIC Ways 9 p.m. March 9 RIVERSIDE ARTS MARKET, 715 Riverside Ave., 389-2449 The 77D’S, Crescendo Amelia Big Band, This Side of 49 March 7

ST. AUGUSTINE

CAFE ELEVEN, 501 A1A Beach Blvd., St. Augustine Beach, 460-9311 Stringfever 8 p.m. March 5 CELLAR UPSTAIRS, 157 King St., 826-1594 The Committee March 6 & 7. Vinny Jacobs 2 p.m. March 8 DOS COFFEE & WINE, 300 San Marco Ave., 342-2421 Jeremy Rogers CD release March 7 MILL TOP TAVERN, 19-1/2 St. George, 829-2329 Back from the Brink March 6 & 7. Denny Blue 5 p.m. March 7. Colton McKenna 1 p.m. March 8 PAULA’S BEACHSIDE GRILL, 6896 A1A S., Crescent Beach, 471-3463 Denny Blue open mic jam 6-9 p.m. March 4 & 11 TRADEWINDS, 124 Charlotte St., 829-9336 Blistur March 6 & 7

SAN MARCO, SOUTHBANK

INDOCHINE, 1974 San Marco Blvd., 503-7013 Dance Radio Underground, Sugar & Cream, Black Hoodie, Bass Therapy Sessions, Allan GIz-Roc Oteyza, TrapNasty, Cry Havoc, Sat. JACK RABBITS, 1528 Hendricks Ave., 398-7496 Emily Kopp, Laura Jane Vincent, Phil Barnes March 4. Jeremiah Daly, Weekend Atlas, Dog Apollo, Kristopher James 8 p.m. March 6.

Sister Kill Cycle, Carnivorous Carnival 8 p.m. March 7. Kalin & Myles, Golden Anjali March 8. Know Lyfe, Viktr, Damn Thy Name March 9. Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Bryce Alastair March 11 MUDVILLE MUSIC ROOM, 3104 Atlantic Blvd., 352-7008 Ray Bonneville March 5. Mike Shackelford, Ronnie Gainey March 6.

Tannahill Weavers March 7. Wil Maring, Robert Bowlin March 10

SOUTHSIDE, BAYMEADOWS

CORNER BISTRO, 9823 Tapestry Park Cir., 619-1931 Matt Hall every Wed.-Sat. Steve Wheeler every Fri. LATITUDE 360, 10370 Philips Hwy., 365-5555 VJ Fellin March 4 & 5. Be Easy March 5. Who Rescued Who, DJ Shotgun March 6.

Samuel Sanders, Split Tone March 7. Stank Sauce March 8 MELLOW MUSHROOM, 9734 Deer Lake Ct., Ste. 1, 997-1955 Whetherman March 5. Sean Fisher March 6. Robbie Lit March 7 WILD WING CAFÉ, 4555 Southside Blvd., 998-9464 Chris Brinkley March 4. Open mic March 5. Rusted Diamond March 7 WORLD OF BEER, 9700 Deer Lake Ct., Ste. 1, 551-5929 DiCarlo Thompson March 5. Live music Fri. & Sat.

SPRINGFIELD, NORTHSIDE

SHANTYTOWN PUB, 22 W. Sixth St., 798-8222 Mope Grooves March 5. Sean K. Preston, Mudtown March 9

THE KNIFE

RHYME ZONES JACKSONVILLE HIP-HOP HAS ALWAYS BEEN a fickle beast. Some great stuff has been released over the past 20 years that I have been in town. And there has been some real crap, too. It’s easy enough for me to criticize, as I have never been a true fan of hip-hop (as discussed in a recent column), but when it’s good, it’s undeniably good. I became most familiar with the local hip-hop scene through the Hip-Hop Hell and The Elevated Hip-Hop Experience events held many years ago at local original-music venues. (I even hosted one of those events, dressed in an oversized rabbit costume. Almost got my ass kicked that night, but that’s another story.)

One of the names that has been at the core of the 904 hip-hop scene – at least in my memory – is Mr. Al Pete. DJ, producer, collaborator and promoter, Mr. Pete has always been visible as a friend of local hip-hop artists and a creator of original music. He’s a die-hard Jacksonvillian, always paying tribute to family and friends in his raps, and referencing J-ville landmarks in his rhymes as well. His latest release, Notsucal: G3.5, is a collection of five original raps (and a short intro) doing much the same. So I thought it would be fitting to give you five reasons to listen to it.

3. BUSTING UP THE PHRASING. About a minute into “Independence Day,” Pete breaks up his phrasing to emphasize his rhyme. “I’m extraordinar-Y, them thoughts are sounding so scar-Y, ’cause you all so used to all that contrar-Y” and so on. To me, a drummer, hip-hop is always most interesting when the phrasing is percussive and inventive.

Content is important, but I am most intrigued by the way rappers phrase their rhymes, and Pete has a natural flow, even when he’s slicing and dicing his lines.

THE KNIFE

1. DOWNTEMPO GROOVES. What I really love about Al Pete’s grooves is their mellowness. My favorite hip-hop group of all time (if a non-hip-hop fan can have a favorite) is Digable Planets. Their use of downtempo jazz and funk samples was brilliant, especially in an age of increasing volume, basstrap rumblings and excessive vulgarities. Pete takes a similar approach, eschewing gangsta rap clichés for a much more listenable style. To be clear, he drops plenty of F-bombs, and can be vulgar when the time is right, but his raps pivot on the groove.

2. SOME CLEVER (IF QUESTIONABLE) WORDPLAY. Not sure what “Let my nuts hang and do some back flips” means, but Pete says it with confidence in “Intro” on G3.5. Other lyrical stand-outs: “Detail cleaning of my body/ Exfoliate so I can be a sure shotty” (that’s sort of weird, right?), “Keep them bodies rockin’ like they’s trying to stay warm, like couples watching them porns” (relationship advice?), “Righteous, I might just, open up my curtains let the light touch my eye buds” (not sure what eye buds are, but I like the way this one flows).

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4. THE CRAZY BEAT MIXING OF “NO UNDERSTANDING.” I had a difficult time listening to the actual rapping in the track “No Understanding,” as the jam beneath it shifts and moves in such odd ways. Jumping from straight groove to choppy shuffle and back again, and turning on a programmed beat over those samples, this tune is the most rhythmically engrossing on the record. Throw in a wobbly organ sample and some pitch-shifted vocals, and you’ve got one mysterious piece of music.

5. HE MIGHT BE OBSESSED. Pete never stops working. Whether putting together remixes, promoting the scene, creating original rhymes or documenting his own growth through videos on his own website (mralpete.com), the man is tireless.

He created GrownFolk Entertainment in the mid-2000s, a collective to promote hip-hop artists as well as his ventures in fashion and film. Though he can be given to typical hip-hop hyperbole (“Nothing will slow down this artist from rising to the top”), his sincerity and humility precede him. He doesn’t stop creating. That, right there, is worth the price of admission.

John E. Citrone theknife@folioweekly.com

Andrew Teuschel and Taylor Sodek of Red Elephant Pizza and Grill Restaurant in Mandarin serve burgers, specialty pizzas, beer and wine.

DINING DIRECTORY Photo: Dennis Ho

AMELIA ISLAND, FERNANDINA BEACH, YULEE

29 SOUTH EATS, 29 S. Third St., 277-7919, 29south restaurant.com. F In historic downtown, Chef Scotty Schwartz serves traditional regional cuisine with a modern twist. $$ L Tue.-Sat.; D Mon.-Sat.; R Sun. BARBERITOS, 1519 Sadler Rd., 277-2505. 463867 S.R. 200, Ste. 5, Yulee, 321-2240, barberitos.com. Southwestern fare; burritos, tacos, quesadillas, salsa. $$ BW K TO L D Daily BRETT’S WATERWAY CAFÉ, 1 S. Front St., 261-2660. F Southern hospitality, upscale waterfront spot; daily specials, fresh local seafood, aged beef. $$$ FB K L D Daily CAFÉ KARIBO, 27 N. Third St., 277-5269, cafekaribo.com.

F Family-owned spot in a historic building. Veggie burgers, seafood, made-from-scratch desserts. Dine in or on oak-shaded patio. Karibrew Pub next door. $$ FB K TO R, Sun.; L D Daily CHEZ LEZAN BAKERY CO., 1014 Atlantic Ave., 491-4663, chezlezanbakery.com. Fresh European-style breads, pastries: croissants, muffins, cakes, pies. $ TO B R L Daily CIAO ITALIAN BISTRO, 302 Centre St., 206-4311, ciaobistroluca.com. Owners Luka and Kim Misciasci offer fine dining: veal piccata, rigatoni Bolognese, antipasto. Specialties: chicken Ciao, homemade meat lasagna. $ L Fri., Sat.; D Nightly DAVID’S Restaurant & Lounge, 802 Ash St., 310-6049, ameliaislanddavids.com. Historic district fine dining.

Fresh seafood, prime aged meats, rack of lamb. $$$$ FB D Wed.-Mon. DICK’S WINGS & GRILL, 474313 E. S.R. 200, 491-3469.

450077 S.R. 200, Callahan, 879-0993. BOJ winner. SEE PONTE VEDRA.

ELIZABETH POINTE LODGE, 98 S. Fletcher Ave., 277-4851, elizabethpointelodge.com. BOJ winner. Award-winning B&B. Seaside dining, inside or out. Hot buffet breakfast daily.

Homestyle soups, sandwiches, desserts. $$$ BW B L D Daily JACK & DIANE’S, 708 Centre St., 321-1444, jackanddianescafe.com. F In renovated 1887 shotgun house. Jambalaya, French toast, mac-n-cheese, vegan/ vegetarian items. Dine in or on porch. $$ FB K B L D Daily LULU’S at Thompson House, 11 S. 7th St., 432-8394, lulus amelia.com. F Po’boys, salads, local seafood, local shrimp. Reservations. $$$ BW K TO R Sun.; L D Tue.-Sat. MARCHÉ BURETTE, 6800 First Coast Hwy., 491-4834, omnihotels.com. Old-fashioned gourmet food market and deli, in the Spa & Shops, Omni Amelia Island Plantation. Continental breakfast; lunch features flatbreads. $$$ BW K TO L D Daily MOON RIVER PIZZA, 925 S. 14th St., 321-3400, moonriver pizza.net. F BOJ winner. Northern-style pizzas, 20+ toppings, by the pie or the slice. $ BW TO L D Mon.-Sat. THE MUSTARD SEED CAFE, 833 TJ Courson Rd., 277-3141, nassaushealthfoods.net. Casual organic eatery, juice bar, in Nassau Health Foods. All-natural organic items, smoothies, juice, herbal tea. $$ TO B L Mon.-Sat. THE PECAN ROLL BAKERY, 122 S. Eighth St., 491-9815, thepecanrollbakery.com. The bakery, near historic district, offers sweet and savory pastries, cookies, cakes, bagels and breads, all made from scratch. $ K TO B L Wed.-Sun. PLAE, 80 Amelia Village Cir., 277-2132, plaefl.net. Bite Club. Bistro-style venue serves whole fried fish, duck breast. Outside. $$$ FB L Tue.-Sat.; D Nightly THE SALTY PELICAN Bar & Grill, 12 N. Front St., 277-3811, thesaltypelicanamelia.com. F BOJ winner. 2nd-story outdoor bar. Owners T.J. and Al offer local seafood, Mayport shrimp, fish tacos, po’boys, cheese oysters. $$ FB K L D Daily SLIDERS SEASIDE GRILL, 1998 S. Fletcher Ave., 2776652, slidersseaside.com. F Oceanfront; handmade crab cakes, fresh seafood, fried pickles. Outdoor dining, open-air 2nd floor, balcony. $$ FB K L D Daily

TASTY’S Fresh Burgers & Fries, 710 Centre St., 321-0409, tastysamelia.com. Historic district. Freshest meats, hand-cut fries, homemade sauces, hand-spun shakes. $ BW K L D Daily T-RAY’S BURGER STATION, 202 S. 8th St., 261-6310. F BOJ. In an old gas station; blue plate specials, burgers, biscuits & gravy, shrimp. $ BW TO B L Mon.-Sat. THE VERANDAH, 6800 First Coast Hwy., 321-5050, omni hotels.com. Extensive menu of fresh local seafood and steaks; signature entrée is Fernandina shrimp. Many herbs and spices are from onsite garden. $$$ FB K D Nightly

ARLINGTON, REGENCY

DICK’S WINGS & GRILL, 9119 Merrill Rd., 745-9300. BOJ winner. SEE PONTE VEDRA. LA NOPALERA, 8818 Atlantic, 720-0106. BOJ winner.

SEE MANDARIN.

LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 1301 Monument, 724-5802. F SEE ORANGE PARK.

THE SHEIK DELI, 9720 Atlantic Blvd., 721-2660. Familyowned-and-operated for 40+ years, with a full breakfast (pitas to country plates) and a lunch menu. $ TO B L D Mon.-Sat.

AVONDALE, ORTEGA

BAGEL LOVE, 4114 Herschel St., Ste. 121, 634-7253, bagel lovejax.com. BOJ winner. Locally-owned-and-operated.

Northern style bagels, sandwiches, wraps, bakery. Freshsqueezed orange juice, lemonade; coffee, tea. $ K TO B L Daily THE CASBAH CAFÉ, 3628 St. Johns Ave., 981-9966, thecas bahcafe.com. F BOJ winner. Middle Eastern/Mediterranean fare. Patio, hookah lounge, bellydancers. $$ BW L D Daily CLAUDE’S CHOCOLATE, 3543 St. Johns Ave., 829-5790.

F In Green Man Gourmet. SEE PONTE VEDRA. $$ TO FLORIDA CREAMERY, 3566 St. Johns Ave., 619-5386.

Premium ice cream, waffle cones, milkshakes, sundaes and Nathan’s grilled hot dogs, served in a Florida-centric décor.

Low-fat and sugar-free choices. $ K TO L D Daily THE FOX Restaurant, 3580 St. Johns Ave., 387-2669. F Owners Ian & Mary Chase offer fresh diner fare: burgers, meatloaf, fried green tomatoes, desserts. Breakfast all day.

Local landmark for 50+ years. $$ BW K L D Daily HARPOON LOUIE’S, 4070 Herschel St., Ste. 8, 389-5631, harpoonlouies.net. F Locally owned and operated for 20+ years, the American pub serves 1/2-pound burgers, fish sandwiches, pasta. Local beers. $$ FB K TO L D Daily LA NOPALERA, 4530 St. Johns, 388-8828. F SEE MANDARIN. MELLOW MUSHROOM, 3611 St. Johns Ave., 388-0200. F Bite Club. BOJ winner. SEE BEACHES. MOJO NO. 4 Urban BBQ & Whiskey Bar, 3572 St. Johns Ave., 381-6670. F BOJ winner. SEE BEACHES. PINEGROVE Market & Deli, 1511 Pine Grove Ave., 389-8655, pinegrovemarket.com. F BOJ winner. 40+ years. Burgers, Cuban sandwiches, subs, wraps. Onsite butcher cuts USDA choice prime aged beef. Craft beers. $ BW TO B L D Mon.-Sat. PULP, 3645 St. Johns Ave., pulpaddiction.com. SEE SAN MARCO. RESTAURANT ORSAY, 3630 Park St., 381-0909, restaurant orsay.com. BOJ winner. French/Southern bistro; emphasis on locally grown organic ingredients. Steak frites, mussels, pork chops. Snail of Approval. $$$ FB K R, Sun.; D Nightly

To get listed, call your account manager or Sam Taylor at 904.260.9770 ext. 111 or staylor@folioweekly.com.

DINING DIRECTORY KEY

Average Entrée Cost $ = Less than $8 $$ = $8-$14 $$$ = $15-$22 $$$$ = $23 & up BW = Beer/Wine FB = Full Bar K = Kids’ Menu TO = Take Out B = Breakfast R = Brunch L = Lunch D = Dinner Bite Club = Hosted free FW Bite Club tasting.

To join, go to fwbiteclub.com.

2014 Best of Jax winner F = FW distribution spot

SIMPLY SARA’S, 2902 Corinthian Ave., 387-1000, simply saras.net. F Down-home fare, from scratch: eggplant fries, pimento cheese, baked chicken, fruit cobblers, chicken & dumplings, desserts. BYOB. $$ K TO L D Mon.-Sat., B Sat.

BAYMEADOWS

AKEL’S DELICATESSEN, 7825 Baymeadows Way, 733-4040.

F SEE DOWNTOWN. AL’S PIZZA, 8060 Philips Hwy., Ste. 105, 731-4300. F SEE BEACHES.

BROADWAY Ristorante & Pizzeria, 10920 Baymeadows Rd. E., 519-8000, broadwayfl.com. F Family-owned-andoperated. Calzones, wings, brick-oven-baked pizza, subs. $$ BW K TO L D Daily INDIA’S Restaurant, 9802 Baymeadows Rd., Ste. 8, 620-0777, indiajax.com. F BOJ winner. Authentic Indian cuisine, lunch buffet. Curries, vegetable dishes, lamb, chicken, shrimp, fish tandoori. $$ BW L Mon.-Sat.; D Nightly LA NOPALERA, 8206 Philips Hwy., 732-9433. F BOJ winner. SEE MANDARIN. LARRY’S SUBS, 3928 Baymeadows Rd., 737-7740. 8616 Baymeadows Rd., 739-2498. F SEE ORANGE PARK. NATIVE SUN Natural Foods Market & Deli, 11030 Baymeadows Rd., 260-2791. SEE MANDARIN. SNEAKERS Sports Grille, 8133 Point Meadows Dr., 519-0509. BOJ winner. SEE BEACHES. TEQUILAS Mexican Restaurant, 10915 Baymeadows, Ste. 101, 363-1365. Salsa, guacamole, chips, beans, rice and meat dishes made fresh daily. $$ FB L D Mon.-Sat. ZESTY INDIA, 8358 Point Meadows Dr., 329-3676, zesty india.com. Asian/European; tandoori lamb chops, rosemary tikka. Vegetarian cooked separately. $ BW TO L D Tue.-Sun.

BEACHES

(Locations are in Jax Beach unless otherwise noted.)

AL’S PIZZA, 303 Atlantic Blvd., Atlantic Beach, 249-0002, alspizza.com. F New York-style, gourmet pizzas, baked dishes. All-day happy hour Mon.-Thur. $ FB K TO L D Daily ANGIE’S SUBS, 1436 Beach Blvd., 246-2519. ANGIE’S GROM, 204 Third Ave. S., 246-7823. BOJ winner. Subs made with fresh ingredients for more than 25 years. One word: Peruvian. Huge salads, blue-ribbon iced tea. $ BW TO L D Daily BOLD BEAN Coffee Roasters, 2400 S. Third St., Ste. 201.

BOJ winner. SEE RIVERSIDE. BUDDHA THAI BISTRO, 301 10th Ave. N., 712-4444, buddhathaibistro.com. The proprietors are from Thailand; every dish is made with fresh ingredients. $$ FB TO L D Daily BURRITO GALLERY Express, 1333 Third St. N., 242-8226.

BOJ winner. SEE DOWNTOWN. CANTINA MAYA Sports Bar & Grille, 1021 Atlantic Blvd., A.B., 247-3227. Popular spot serves margaritas, Latin food, burgers. Sports on TVs. $$ FB K L D Tue.-Sun. CASA MARIA, 2429 S. Third St., 372-9000, casamariajax. com. F Family-owned-and-operated place offers authentic Mexican fare: fajitas and seafood dishes, hot sauces made in-house. The specialty is tacos de asada. $ FB K L D Daily CULHANE’S Irish Pub, 967 Atlantic Blvd., A.B., 249-9595, culhanesirishpub.com. Bite Club. Upscale pub/restaurant owned and run by sisters from County Limerick. Shepherd’s pie, corned beef; gastropub fare. $$ FB K R Sat. & Sun.; L Fri.-Sun.; D Tue.-Sun. ESPETO BRAZILIAN STEAKHOUSE, 1396 Beach Blvd., 388-4884, espetosteakhouse.com. Just relocated, serving beef, pork, lamb, chicken and sausage, and a full menu and bar fare, craft cocktails, Brazilian beers. $$ FB D Daily EUROPEAN STREET, 992 Beach Blvd., 249-3001. BOJ winner. SEE RIVERSIDE.

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DINING DIRECTORY FLYING IGUANA Taqueria & Tequila Bar, 207 Atlantic Blvd., Neptune Beach, 853-5680 F Latin American, Southwest tacos, seafood, carnitas, Cubana sandwiches.

100+ tequilas. $ FB L D Daily HARMONIOUS MONKS, 320 First St. N., 372-0815, harmoniousmonks.net. F SEE MANDARIN. LA NOPALERA, 1222 Third St. S., 372-4495. F BOJ winner. SEE MANDARIN. LARRY’S SUBS, 657 Third St. N., 247-9620. F SEE O.PARK. LILLIE’S COFFEE BAR, 200 First St., N.B., 249-2922, lilliescoffeebar.com. F Locally roasted coffee, eggs, bagels, flatbreads, sandwiches, desserts. Dine indoors or out, patio and courtyard. $$ BW TO B L D Daily MELLOW MUSHROOM Pizza Bakers, 1018 Third St. N., Ste. 2, 241-5600, mellowmushroom.com. F Bite Club.

BOJ winner. Hoagies, gourmet pizzas: Mighty Meaty, vegetarian, Kosmic Karma. 35 tap beers. Nonstop happy hour. $ FB K TO L D Daily METRO DINER, 1534 Third St. N., 853-6817. BOJ winner.

SEE SAN MARCO.

MEZZA Restaurant & Bar, 110 First St., N.B., 249-5573, mezzarestaurantandbar.com. F Near-the-ocean eatery, 20+ years. Casual bistro fare: gourmet wood-fired pizzas, nightly specials. Dine inside or on the patio. Valet parking. $$$ FB K D Mon.-Sat. MOJO KITCHEN BBQ Pit, 1500 Beach Blvd., 247-6636, mojobbq.com. F BOJ winner. Pulled pork, Carolina-style barbecue, Delta fried catfish, sides. $$ FB K TO L D Daily M SHACK, 299 Atlantic Blvd., A.B., 241-2599, mshack burgers.com. F BOJ winner. David and Matthew Medure flip burgers, hot dogs, fries, shakes. $$ BW L D Daily NORTH BEACH BISTRO, 725 Atlantic, Ste. 6, A.B., 372-4105, nbbistro.com. Bite Club. Chef-driven kitchen; hand-cut steaks, fresh local seafood, tapas menu. HH. $$$ FB K R Sun.; L D Daily OCEAN 60, Wine Bar, Martini Room, 60 Ocean Blvd., A.B., 247-0060, ocean60.com. BOJ winner. Continental cuisine, fresh seafood, dinner specials and a seasonal menu in a formal dining room or casual Martini Room. $$$ FB D Mon.-Sat. POE’S TAVERN, 363 Atlantic Blvd., A.B., 241-7637.

American gastropub, 50+ beers, gourmet hamburgers, ground in-house, cooked to order; hand-cut French fries, fish tacos, Edgar’s Drunken Chili, daily fish sandwich special. $$ FB K L D Daily RAGTIME TAVERN & Seafood Grill, 207 Atlantic Blvd., A.B., 241-7877, ragtimetavern.com. F For 30+ years, the iconic seafood place has scored many awards in our BOJ readers poll. Blackened snapper, sesame tuna, Ragtime shrimp. Daily happy hour. $$ FB L D Daily SALT LIFE Food Shack, 1018 Third St. N., 372-4456, saltlife foodshack.com. BOJ winner. Specialty items: signature tuna poke bowl, fresh rolled sushi, Ensenada tacos, local fried shrimp, in a modern open-air space. $$ FB K TO L D Daily SLIDERS Seafood Grille & Oyster Bar, 218 First St., N.B., 246-0881, slidersseafoodgrille.com. Beach-casual.

Faves: Fresh fish tacos, gumbo. Key lime pie, ice cream sandwiches. $$ FB K L Sat. & Sun.; D Nightly SNEAKERS SPORTS GRILLE, 111 Beach Blvd., 482-1000, sneakerssportsgrille.com. BOJ winner. More than 20 beers on tap, TV screens, cheerleaders serving the food.

Happy hour Mon.-Fri. $ FB K L D Daily TACOLU BAJA MEXICANA, 1712 Beach Blvd., 249-8226, tacolu.com. BOJ winner. Fresh, Baja-style fare with a focus on fish tacos, tequila (more than 135 kinds) and mezcal. Bangin’ shrimp, carne asada, carnitas, daily fresh fish selections. Made-fresh-daily guacamole. $$ FB K R Sat. & Sun.; L D Tue.-Fri.

DOWNTOWN

AKEL’S DELICATESSEN, 21 W. Church St., 665-7324, akelsdeli.com. F New York-style deli offers freshly made subs (3 Wise Guys, Champ), burgers, gyros, breakfast bowls, ranchero wrap, vegetarian dishes. $ K TO B L Mon.-Fri. BURRITO Gallery & Bar, 21 E. Adams, 598-2922, burrito gallery.com. BOJ. Southwestern burritos, ginger teriyaki tofu, beef barbacoa, wraps, tacos. $ BW TO L D Mon.-Sat. CASA DORA, 108 E. Forsyth St., 356-8282. F Chef Sam Hamidi has been serving genuine Italian fare for 35+ years: veal, seafood, gourmet pizza. The homemade salad dressing is a specialty. $ BW K L Mon.-Fri.; D Mon.-Sat. CASA MARIA, 12961 N. Main St., Ste. 104, 757-6411. F SEE BEACHES.

CHOMP CHOMP, 106 E. Adams St., 762-4667. F Chefinspired street food: panko-crusted chicken, burgers, chinois tacos, bahn mi and barbecue. $ L Tue.-Sat.; D Thur.-Sat. FIONN MacCOOL’s Irish Pub & Restaurant, The Landing, Ste. 176, 374-1547, fionnmacs.com. Casual dining with an uptown Irish atmosphere, serving fish and chips, Guinness lamb stew and black-and-tan brownies. $$ FB K L D Daily OLIO MARKET, 301 E. Bay St., 356-7100, oliomarket.com.

From-scratch soups, sandwiches. Home to duck grilled cheese, seen on Best Sandwich in America. $$ BW TO B R L Mon.-Fri.

FLEMING ISLAND

GRASSROOTS Natural Market, 1915 East-West Pkwy., 541-0009. F BOJ winner. SEE RIVERSIDE. LA NOPALERA, 1571 C.R. 220, 215-2223. F BOJ winner.

SEE MANDARIN.

MELLOW MUSHROOM, 1800 Town Center Blvd., 541-1999. F Bite Club. BOJ winner. SEE BEACHES. MOJO SMOKEHOUSE, 1810 Town Center Blvd., Ste. 8, 264-0636. F BOJ winner. SEE BEACHES. WHITEY’S FISH CAMP, 2032 C.R. 220, 269-4198, whiteys

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fishcamp.com. F Real fish camp. Gator tail, freshwater catfish, daily specials, on Swimming Pen Creek. Tiki bar.

Come by boat, bike or car. $ FB K TO L Tue.-Sun.; D Nightly YOUR PIE, 1545 C.R. 220, Ste. 125, 379-9771, yourpie. com. Owner Mike Sims’ concept: Choose from 3 doughs, 9 sauces, 7 cheeses, 40+ toppings. 5 minutes in a brick oven and ta-da: It’s your pie. Subs, sandwiches, gelato. $$ BW K TO L D Daily

INTRACOASTAL WEST

AL’S PIZZA, 14286 Beach Blvd., Ste. 31, 223-0991. F SEE BEACHES.

DICK’S WINGS & GRILL, 14286 Beach Blvd., 223-0115. F BOJ winner. SEE PONTE VEDRA. LA NOPALERA MEXICAN RESTAURANT, 14333 Beach Blvd., Ste. 39, 992-1666. F BOJ winner. Tamales, fajitas, pork tacos. Some La Nops have a full bar. $$ FB K TO L D Daily LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 10750 Atlantic Blvd., Ste. 14, 642-6980. F SEE ORANGE PARK. TIME OUT SPORTS GRILL, 13799 Beach Blvd., Ste. 5,

ORANGE PARK

ARON’S PIZZA, 650 Park Ave., 269-1007, aronspizza. com. F Family-owned restaurant has eggplant dishes, manicotti, New York-style pizzas. $$ BW K TO L D Daily DICK’S WINGS & GRILL, 1540 Wells Rd., 269-2122. BOJ winner. SEE PONTE VEDRA. THE HILLTOP, 2030 Wells Rd., 272-5959, hilltop-club.com.

Southern-style fine dining. New Orleans shrimp, certified Black Angus prime rib, she-crab soup, desserts. $$$ FB D Tue.-Sat. LA NOPALERA, 9734 Crosshill Blvd., 908-4250. 2024 Kingsley Ave., 276-2776. F BOJ winner. SEE MANDARIN. LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 1330 Blanding Blvd., 276-7370. 1545 C.R. 220, 278-2827. 700 Blanding Blvd., Ste. 15, 272-3553.

1401 S. Orange Ave., Green Cove, 284-7789, larryssubs. com. F For 30+ years, they pile ’em high and serve ’em fast.

Hot/cold subs, soups, salads. $ K TO B L D Daily POMPEII COAL-FIRED PIZZA, 2134 Park Ave., 264-6116.

Family-owned-and-operated, offering pizzas and wings made in coal-fired ovens. Espresso, cappuccino. $ BW TO L D Daily

GRILL ME!

OUR WEEKLY Q&A WITH PEOPLE IN THE FOOD BIZ

NAME: Gazmir Broci RESTAURANT: Al’s Pizza, 635 A1A N.,Ponte Vedra Beach BIRTHPLACE: Albania

YEARS IN THE BIZ: 9

FAVORITE RESTAURANT: Flying Iguana Taqueria & Tequila Bar, Neptune Beach BEST CUISINE STYLE: Italian GO-TO INGREDIENTS: Garlic and fresh basil IDEAL MEAL: Chicken parmesan and a cold Blue Moon WILL NOT CROSS MY LIPS: Escargot INSIDER’S SECRET: Best flatbreads in town.

CELEBRITY SIGHTING: Blake Bortles CULINARY TREAT: Flying Iguana’s flan

223-6999, timeoutsportsgrill.com. F Locally-owned-andoperated. Hand-tossed pizzas, wings, wraps. Daily drink specials, HDTVs, pool tables. Late-nite menu. $$ FB L Tue.-Sun.; D Nightly

JULINGTON CREEK

DICK’S WINGS & GRILL, 525 S.R. 16, Ste. 101, 825-4540.

BOJ winner. SEE PONTE VEDRA. METRO DINER, 12807 San Jose Blvd., 638-6185. F BOJ winner. SEE SAN MARCO.

MANDARIN

AKEL’S DELICATESSEN, 12926 Gran Bay Pkwy. W., 880-2008. F SEE DOWNTOWN. AL’S PIZZA, 11190 San Jose Blvd., 260-4115. F SEE BEACHES. ATHENS CAFÉ, 6271 St. Augustine Rd., Ste. 7, 733-1199.

F Dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), baby shoes (stuffed eggplant). Greek beers. $$ BW L Mon.-Fri.; D Mon.-Sat. BROOKLYN PIZZA, 11406 San Jose Blvd., Ste. 3, 288-9211.

13820 St. Augustine Rd., 880-0020. Brooklyn Special.

Calzones, white pizza, homestyle lasagna. $$ BW TO L D Daily THE COFFEE BARD, 9735 Old St. Augustine Rd., Ste. 13, 260-0810, thecoffeebard.com. New world coffeehouse has coffees, breakfast, drinks. $$ TO B L D Tue.-Sun. DICK’S WINGS, 10391 Old St. Augustine, 880-7087. F BOJ winner. SEE PONTE VEDRA. GIGI’S RESTAURANT, 3130 Hartley Rd., 694-4300, jaxramada.com. In Ramada. Prime rib, crab leg buffet Fri. & Sat., blue-jean brunch Sun., daily breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets. $$$ FB B R L D Daily GILMON’S BAKERY, 11362 San Jose Blvd., Ste. 13, 288-8128, gilmonsbakery.com. Custom cakes, cupcakes, gingerbread men, pies, cookies, coffee, tea. $$ B L Tue.-Sat. HARMONIOUS MONKS, 10550 Old St. Augustine Rd., Ste. 30, 880-3040, harmoniousmonks.net. F American steakhouse: Angus steaks, burgers, ribs, wraps. $$ FB K L D Mon.-Sat. KAZU Japanese Restaurant, 9965 San Jose Blvd., Ste. 35, 683-9903, kazujapaneserestaurant.com. BOJ winner. Wide variety of soups, dumplings, appetizers, salads, bento boxes, sushi, entrées, maki handrolls, sashimi. $$ BW TO L D Daily LA NOPALERA, 11700 San Jose Blvd., 288-0175. F BOJ winner. Tamales, fajitas, pork tacos. $$ FB K TO L D Daily LARRY’S SUBS, 11365 San Jose Blvd., Ste. 3, 674-2945.

F SEE ORANGE PARK. NATIVE SUN Natural Foods Market & Deli, 10000 San Jose Blvd., 260-6950, nativesunjax.com. Organic soups, sandwiches, wraps, baked goods, prepared foods. Juice, smoothie and coffee bar. All-natural, organic beers, wines.

Indoor, outdoor dining. $ BW TO K B L D Daily THE RED ELEPHANT PIZZA & GRILL, 10131 San Jose Blvd., Ste. 12, 683-3773, redelephantpizza.com. F Family-friendly eatery; steaks, seafood, chicken grill specials. Five toppings.

Sandwiches, pizza. Gluten-free friendly. $ FB K L D Daily STEAMIN, 9703 San Jose Blvd., 493-2020, eatsteamin. com. Classic diner serves steam burgers, fat dogs and chili, 50+ craft beers. $ FB TO B Sat.-Sun.; L D Daily

THE ROADHOUSE, 231 Blanding Blvd., 264-0611, roadhouseonline.net. F For 35-plus years, Roadhouse has been offering wings, sandwiches, burgers, quesadillas; 75+ imported beers. A large craft beer selection is now seved, too. $ FB L D Daily THE SHEIK, 1994 Kingsley Ave., 276-2677. SEE ARLINGTON.

PONTE VEDRA, NW ST. JOHNS

AL’S PIZZA, 635 A1A N., 543-1494. F SEE BEACHES. CLAUDE’S CHOCOLATE, 145 Hilden Rd., Ste. 122, 829-5790, claudeschocolate.com. Hand-crafted premium Belgian chocolate, fruits, nuts, spices. Cookies, popsicles. $$ TO DICK’S WINGS & GRILL, 100 Marketside Ave., 829-8134, dickswingsandgrill.com. F BOJ winner. NASCARthemed; 365 kinds of wings, 1/2-lb. burgers, ribs. $ FB K TO L D Daily LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 830 A1A N., 273-3993. F SEE O.P. PUSSER’S BAR & GRILLE, 816 A1A N., Ste. 100, 280-7766, pussersusa.com. BOJ winner. Bite Club. Innovative Caribbean cuisine features regional faves: Jamaican grilled pork ribs, Trinidad smoked duck, lobster macaroni & cheese dinner. Tropical drinks. $$ FB K TO L D Daily RESTAURANT MEDURE, 818 A1A N., 543-3797, restaurant medure.us. Chef David Medure offers global flavors. Small plates, creative drinks, happy hour. $$$ FB D Mon.-Sat.

RIVERSIDE, 5 POINTS, WESTSIDE

13 GYPSIES, 887 Stockton St., 389-0330, 13gypsies. com. BOJ winner. Intimate bistro serves authentic Mediterranean peasant cuisine updated for American tastes, specializing in tapas, blackened octopus, risotto of the day, coconut mango curry chicken. $$ BW L D Tue.-Sat. AKEL’S DELI, 245 Riverside Ave., 791-3336. F SEE DOWNTOWN.

AL’S PIZZA, 1620 Margaret St., Ste. 201, 388-8384. F SEE BEACHES.

BLACK SHEEP RESTAURANT, 1534 Oak St., 355-3793, blacksheep5points.com. New American with a Southern twist; locally sourced ingredients. Rooftop bar. $$$ FB R Sat. & Sun.; L D Daily BOLD BEAN COFFEE ROASTERS, 869 Stockton St., Stes.

1 & 2, 855-1181. BOJ winner. F Small-batch, artisanal coffee roasting. Organic, fair trade. $ BW TO B L Daily BREW FIVE POINTS, 1024 Park St., 714-3402, brewfive points.com. Local craft beer, espresso, coffee and wine bar.

Rotating drafts, 75+ canned craft beers; sodas, tea. Rotating seasonal menu of waffles, pastries, toasts, desserts to pair with specialty coffees, craft beers. $$ BW K B L Daily CORNER TACO, 818 Post St., 240-0412. Made-fromscratch “Mexclectic street food,” tacos, nachos, gluten-free and vegetarian options. $ BW L D Daily.

DICK’S WINGS & GRILL, 5972 San Juan Ave., 693-9258.

BOJ winner. SEE PONTE VEDRA. EDGEWOOD BAKERY, 1012 S. Edgewood Ave., 389-8054, edgewoodbakery.com. BOJ winner. 66+ years, full-service bakery. Fresh breakfast, pastries, petit fours, pies, cakes.

Espresso, sandwiches, smoothies. $$ K TO B L Tue.-Sat.

DINING DIRECTORY

EUROPEAN STREET CAFÉ, 2753 Park St., 384-9999, europeanstreet.com. BOJ winner. 130+ imported beers, 20 on tap. NYC-style classic Reuben, sandwiches. Outside seating at some EStreets. $ BW K L D Daily GRASSROOTS NATURAL MARKET, 2007 Park St., 384-4474, thegrassrootsmarket.com. BOJ winner. F Juice bar; certified organic fruits, vegetables. 500+ craft/import beers, 250 wines, organic produce, humanely raised meats, deli, raw items, vegan, vitamins, herbs. $ BW TO B L D Daily HAWKERS ASIAN STREET FARE, 1001 Park St., 508-0342, hawkerstreetfare.com. BOJ winner. Authentic dishes from mobile stalls. $ BW TO L D Daily JOHNNY’S DELI & GRILLE, 474 Riverside Ave., 356-8055.

This casual spot offers sandwiches, classic salads, homefries.

One word: Reuben. $ TO B L Daily KNEAD BAKESHOP, 1173 Edgewood Ave. S. Locally-owned, family-run bake shop; made-from-scratch pastries, artisan breads, pies, specialty sandwiches, soups. $ TO B L Tue.-Sun. LARRY’S SUBS, 1509 Margaret, 674-2794. 7895 Normandy, 781-7600. 8102 Blanding, 779-1933. F SEE ORANGE PARK. METRO DINER, 4495 Roosevelt Blvd., Ortega, 999-4600.

F BOJ winner. SEE SAN MARCO. MONROE’S Smokehouse BAR-B-Q, 4838 Highway Ave., 389-5551, monroessmokehousebbq.com. Wings, pulled pork, brisket, turkey, ribs. Homestyle sides: beans, baked

beans, mac-n-cheese, collards. $$ K TO L Mon.-Sat.; D Fri. MOON RIVER PIZZA, 1176 Edgewood Ave. S., 389-4442.

F BOJ winner. SEE AMELIA ISLAND. MOSSFIRE GRILL, 1537 Margaret St., 355-4434, mossfire. com. F Southwestern fish tacos, enchiladas. Happy hour Mon.-Sat. upstairs lounge, all day Sun. $$ FB K L D Daily O’BROTHERS IRISH PUB, 1521 Margaret St., 854-9300, obrothersirishpub.com. F Traditional shepherd’s pie with Stilton crust, Guinness mac-n-cheese, fish-n-chips. Patio dining. $$ FB K TO L D Daily THE SHEIK, 7361 103rd St., 778-4805. 5172 Normandy Blvd., 786-7641. SEE ARLINGTON. SOUTHERN ROOTS FILLING STATION, 1275 King St., 513-4726, southernrootsjax.com. Healthy, light vegan fare made fresh daily with local, organic ingredients.

Specials, served on bread, local greens or rice, change daily. Sandwiches, coffees, teas. $ Tue.-Sun. SUN-RAY CINEMA, 1028 Park St., 359-0049. F Beer (Bold City, Intuition), wine, pizza, hot dogs, hummus, sandwiches, popcorn, nachos, brownies. $$ BW Daily SUSHI CAFÉ, 2025 Riverside Ave., Ste. 204, 384-2888, sushicafejacksonville.com. Sushi variety: Monster Roll, Jimmy Smith Roll; faves Rock-n-Roll, Dynamite Roll.

Hibachi, tempura, katsu, teriyaki. Indoor or patio. $$ BW L D Daily

Photo by Caron Streibich

BITE-SIZED

BITE SIZED

MEET YOUR FAKE MEAT

Satisfy carnivorous desires without the guilt at Garden Truck (which is not a food truck) roasted sweet red peppers and avocado in a NO, IT’S NOT A FOOD TRUCK. Yes, Garden light Dijon mustard dressing. Pro tip: Ask Truck is vegan (happy No Meat March!), for the housemade croutons on top. They’re on the Northside (only 15 minutes from magically crunchy and seasoned.

Downtown), and worth the trek when you’re looking for something healthful, My two to-go sandwiches (all sandwiches local and fresh. are $6.95 and include one side) are smoked tempeh (a high-protein meat substitute made Order and pay at the counter, then from fermented soy beans), lettuce, tomato seat (and treat) yourself. The space, in a and veganaise (an eggless mayo spread) and small strip mall in the middle of seemingly smoky sea salt, and the roasted vegetable and nowhere somewhere off the East Beltway, is artichoke panini with spicy aioli and roasted extra-inviting: strings of globe lights shine garlic spread. The bread is freshly baked, and on the brightly painted walls, vibrant freshI picked multigrain for both sandwiches. cut flowers adorn the wooden tables and an oversized chalkboard tells And don’t knock the you what’s available. “sausage and peppers” GARDEN TRUCK sandwich until you To quench your thirst, 2467 Faye Ave., Ste. 9, try it. It’s created with choose from a dozen Northside, 518-3418, caramelized onions, green smoothies ($6.95) and juices gardentruckeatery.com and red peppers, and a ($5.95) to try. I found My spicy mustard sauce on Daily Fruit juice, a coralwarm ciabatta bread — you’ll hardly notice colored concoction with apple, pineapple, that the fennel-spiced “sausage” is meatless. kiwi, orange and strawberry — delightfully refreshing. Coffee and tea are also available.

Trust me.

The majority of items on the menu Side-item selections are red bliss potato are sandwiches, paninis and salads, and salad, lentil and herb salad, small mixed green there are daily soups and specials. Recent salad and a rotating special (the day I went, it favorites include rigatoni with “sausage,” was Brussels spouts, which I enjoyed.) red peppers and mushrooms in a light Open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. white wine sauce, roasted squash curry and on Saturdays from 7 to 3, Garden Truck bisque, coconut milk crème brûlée and a is closed on Sundays. “crab” cake panini.

Caron Streibich I started with the Caesar ($5.95) — facebook.com/folioweeklybitesized hearts of romaine, chopped artichoke hearts, biteclub@folioweekly.com MARCH 4-10, 2015 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 43

DINING DIRECTORY ST. AUGUSTINE, ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH

AL’S PIZZA, 1 St. George St., 824-4383. F SEE BEACHES. AVILES, 32 Avenida Menendez, 829-2277 F In the Hilton Inn Bayfront. With a progressive European menu; madeto-order pasta night, wine dinners, chophouse nights, breakfast buffet. Sun. champagne brunch bottomless mimosas. $$$ FB K B L D Daily CARMELO’S Marketplace & Pizzeria, 146 King St., 494-6658, carmelosmarketplace.com. F NY-style gourmet brick-oven-baked pizza, fresh rolls, Boar’s Head meats, cheeses. Outdoor dining, Wi-Fi. $$ BW TO L D Daily CLAUDE’S CHOCOLATE, 6 Granada St., 829-5790. In The Market. Wine and chocolate pairings, soft-serve ice cream, coffee bar, fresh fruit ice pops, cookies. $$ TO THE FLORIDIAN, 39 Cordova St., 829-0655, thefloridian staug.com. Updated Southern fare; fresh ingredients.

Vegetarian, gluten-free. Fried green tomato bruschetta, grits with shrimp, fish or tofu. $$$ BW K TO L D Wed.-Mon. GYPSY CAB COMPANY, 828 Anastasia Blvd., 824-8244, gypsycab.com. F A local mainstay for 25+ years. The menu changes twice daily. Signature dish is Gypsy chicken.

Also serving seafood, tofu, duck, veal. Sun. brunch. $$ FB R Sun.; L D Daily THE ICE PLANT BAR, 110 Riberia St., 829-6553, iceplant bar.com. Farm-to-table, locally sourced fare, hand-crafted drinks, house-made bitters, syrups. $$$ FB TO D Nightly MELLOW MUSHROOM, 410 Anastasia Blvd., 826-4040.

F Bite Club. BOJ winner. SEE BEACHES. MOJO OLD CITY BBQ, 5 Cordova, 342-5264. F BOJ winner. SEE BEACHES. PACIFIC ASIAN BISTRO, 159 Palencia Village Dr., Ste. 111, 808-1818, pacificasianbistro.com. F Chef Mas Lui creates 30+ sushi rolls; fresh sea scallops, Hawaiian-style poke tuna salad. Sake. $$-$$$ BW L D Daily SALT LIFE FOOD SHACK, 321 A1A Beach Blvd., St. Augustine Beach, 217-3256, saltlifefoodshack.com.

BOJ winner. SEE BEACHES. TEMPO, 16 Cathedral Place, 547-0240. The Latin American fusion wine bar and restaurant offers traditional American fare with a Latin flair; sandwiches, too. $$ BW L D Tue.-Sun.

ST. JOHNS TOWN CENTER

BENTO CAFE Asian Kitchen & Sushi, 4860 Big Island Dr., Ste. 1, 564-9494, bentocafesushi.com. Pan-Asian, wok stir-fry, fire-grilled, sushi bar. $$ K FB TO L D Daily MOXIE KITCHEN+COCKTAILS, 4972 Big Island Dr., 9989744, moxiefl.com. BOJ winner. Chef Tom Gray creates contemporary American cuisine – seafood, steaks, pork, burgers – with locally sourced ingredients when possible. $$$ FB K L Mon.-Fri.; D Nightly M SHACK, 10281 Midtown Pkwy., 642-5000, mshack burgers.com. F BOJ winner. SEE BEACHES. OVINTE, 10208 Buckhead Branch Dr., 900-7730, ovinte.com. European-style dining influenced by Italy, Spain and the Mediterranean. Small plates, entrée-sized portions, selections from the cheese a charcuterie menu. $$$ BW TO R D Daily

SAN MARCO, SOUTHBANK

ALLURE THAI & SUSHI, 1004 Hendricks Ave., 674-0190, basilthaijax.com. F Authentic dishes: Pad Thai, curries, sashimi, fresh sushi, daily specials. $$ FB L D Mon.-Sat. BISTRO AIX, 1440 San Marco Blvd., 398-1949, bistrox. com. Mediterranean and French inspired cuisine includes steak frites, oak-fired pizza and a new raw bar with seasonal selections. $$$ FB TO L D Daily DICK’S WINGS, 1610 University Blvd. W., 448-2110. BOJ winner. SEE PONTE VEDRA. FUSION SUSHI, 1550 University Blvd. W., 636-8688, fusionsushijax.com. F Upscale sushi spot serves a variety of fresh sushi, sashimi, hibachi, teriyaki, kiatsu. $$ K L D Daily THE GROTTO Wine & Tapas Bar, 2012 San Marco Blvd., 398-0726. F Artisanal cheese plates, empanadas, bruschetta, cheesecake. 60+ wines by the glass. $$$ BW Tue.-Sun. HAMBURGER MARY’S Bar & Grille, 3333 Beach Blvd., Ste. 1, 551-2048, hamburgermarys.com. Wings, sammies, nachos, entrées, specialty drinks, burgers. $$ K TO FB L D Daily LA NOPALERA, 1631 Hendricks, 399-1768. F BOJ winner. SEE MANDARIN. MEZZE BAR & GRILL, 2016 Hendricks Ave., 683-0693, mezzejax.com. Classic cocktails, fresh basil martinis, 35 draft beers, local/craft brews, Mediterranean cuisine.

Hookah patio. Happy hour. $$ FB D Daily MATTHEW’S, 2107 Hendricks Ave., 396-9922, matthews restaurant.com. Chef Matthew Medure’s flagship. Fine dining, artfully presented cuisine, small plates, martini/ wine lists. Happy hour Mon.-Fri. Reservations. $$$$ FB D Mon.-Sat. METRO DINER, 3302 Hendricks Ave., 398-3701, metrodiner.com. F BOJ winner. Original upscale diner.

Meatloaf, chicken pot pie, soups. $$ B R L Daily MOJO BAR-B-QUE, 1607 University Blvd. W., 732-7200.

F BOJ winner. SEE BEACHES. PIZZA PALACE, 1959 San Marco, 399-8815, pizzapalacejax.com. F Family-owned; homestyle faves: spinach pizza, chicken spinach calzones, lasagna. Outside dining. $$ BW K TO L D Daily

44 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | MARCH 4-10, 2015

PULP, 1962 San Marco Blvd., 396-9222, pulpaddiction. com. The juice bar offers fresh juices, frozen yogurt, teas, coffees, 30 kinds of smoothies. $ TO B L D Daily TAVERNA, 1986 San Marco, 398-3005, tavernasan marco.com. Chef Sam Efron’s authentic Italian; local produce, meats. Craft beers, handcrafted cocktails. $$$ FB K TO R L D Daily

SOUTHSIDE, TINSELTOWN

360° GRILLE, Latitude 360, 10370 Philips Hwy., 365-5555, latitude360.com. F Popular place serves seafood, steaks, burgers, chicken, sandwiches, pizza.

Patio, movie theater. $$ FB TO L D Daily AKEL’S, 7077 Bonneval Rd., 332-8700. F SEE DOWNTOWN. ALHAMBRA THEATRE & Dining, 12000 Beach Blvd., 641-1212, alhambrajax.com. USA’s longest-running dinner theater; Chef DeJuan Roy’s themed menus.

Reservations. $$ FB D Tue.-Sun. BARBERITOS, 4320 Deerwood Lake Pkwy., Ste. 106, 807-9060. SEE AMELIA ISLAND. BENTO CAFE Asian Kitchen & Sushi, 9734 Deer Lake Ct., Ste. 11, 503-3238. SEE ST. JOHNS TOWN CENTER. CASA MARIA, 14965 Old St. Augustine, 619-8186. SEE BEACHES

DANCIN DRAGON, 9041 Southside Blvd., Ste. 138D, 363-9888. BOGO lunches and an Asian fusion menu. $$ FB K L D Daily DICK’S WINGS, 10750 Atlantic Blvd., 619-0954. BOJ winner. SEE PONTE VEDRA. THE DIM SUM ROOM, 9041 Southside, Ste. 138D, 363-9888, thedimsumroom.com. Shrimp dumplings, beef tripe, sesame ball. Traditional Hong Kong noodles, barbecue. $ FB K L D Daily EUROPEAN STREET, 5500 Beach Blvd., 398-1717. BOJ winner. SEE RIVERSIDE. HZ CAFE, 6426 Bowden Rd., Ste. 206, 527-1078.

Healthy concept cafe: juices, smoothies, traditional vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free meals and desserts. $ K TO B L Mon.-Fri. LARRY’S SUBS, 3611 St. Johns Bluff S., 641-6499. 4479 Deerwood Lake Pkwy., 425-4060. F SEE ORANGE PARK. MELLOW MUSHROOM, 9734 Deer Lake Ct., 997-1955. F Bite Club. BOJ winner. SEE BEACHES. MONROE’S Smokehouse BAR B-Q, 10771 Beach Blvd., 996-7900, monroessmokehousebbq.com. SEE RIVERSIDE. PAPI CHULO’S, 9726 Touchton Rd., Ste. 105, 329-1763, ilovepapichulos.com. Tinseltown restaurant offers fresh, authentic Mexican street food, top-shelf tequilas, specialty drinks. Kids eat free. $$ K FB L D Daily THE PIG BAR-B-Q, 11925 Beach Blvd., Ste. 5, 6190321, thepigbarbq.com. The fourth-generation barbecue institution has been family-owned for 60+ years. The signature item is mustard-based “pig sauce.” $ BW K TO B, L D Daily SEVEN BRIDGES Grille & Brewery, 9735 Gate Pkwy., 997-1999, 7bridgesgrille.com. F Local seafood, steaks, pizzas. Brewer Aaron Nesbit handcrafts ales, lagers. $$ FB K TO L D Daily TAVERNA YAMAS, 9753 Deer Lake Ct., 854-0426, tavernayamas.com. F Bite Club. Char-broiled kabobs, seafood, wines, desserts. Belly dancing. $$ FB K L D Daily TOMMY’S Brick Oven Pizza, 4160 Southside, Ste. 2, 565-1999, tbopizza.com. New York-style thin crust, brickoven-baked pizzas (gluten-free), calzones, sandwiches.

Boylan’s soda. Curbside pick-up. $$ BW TO L D Mon.-Sat. THE VISCONDE’S Argentinian Grill, 11925 Beach Blvd., Ste. 201, 379-3925. The area’s only Argentinian place. Traditional steaks, varieties of sausages, pasta, sandwiches, empañadas, wines. $$$ BW TO L D Tue.-Sun. WORLD OF BEER, 9700 Deer Lake Court, Ste. 1, 5515929, worldofbeer.com. F Burgers, sliders,flatbreads, German pretzels, hummus, pickle chips. Craft German, Cali, Florida, Irish drafts. Wines. $$ BW L D Daily

SPRINGFIELD, NORTHSIDE

HOLA MEXICAN RESTAURANT, 1001 N. Main St., 356-3100, holamexicanrestaurant.com. F Fajitas, burritos, enchiladas, daily specials. Happy hour; sangria. $ BW K TO L D Mon.-Sat. LARRY’S SUBS, 12001 Lem Turner Rd., 764-9999. SEE ORANGE PARK.

SAVANNAH BISTRO, 14670 Duval Rd., 741-4404. F Low Country Southern fare, taste of Mediterranean and French.

Crowne Plaza Airport. Crab cakes, NY strip, she crab soup, mahi mahi. $$$ FB K B L D Daily THE SHEIK, 2708 N. Main St., 353-8181. SEE ARLINGTON. UPTOWN MARKET, 1303 Main St. N., 355-0734, uptown marketjax.com. Bite Club. Fresh quality fare; farm-totable selections, daily specials. $$ BW TO B L Daily

To get your restaurant listed in our Dining Directory, call your account manager or Sam Taylor at 904.260.9770 ext. 111 or staylor@folioweekly.com.

DINING DIRECTORY KEY Average Entrée Cost $ = Less than $8 $$ = $8-$14 $$$ = $15-$22 $$$$ = $23 & up BW=Beer/Wine FB=Full Bar K=Kids’ Menu TO=Take Out B=Breakfast R=Brunch L=Lunch D=Dinner Bite Club = Hosted free FW Bite Club tasting.

To join, go to fwbiteclub.com.

2014 Best of Jax winner F = FW distribution spot

NEWS OF THE WEIRD NEWEST RIGHT In February, the Utah Court of Appeals ruled Barbara Bagley has a legal right to sue herself for her negligent driving that caused her husband’s death. Typically, in U.S. courts, a party cannot profit from its own negligence, but Bagley is the official “representative” administering her husband’s estate and has a duty to claim debts owed to him. Those debts would include “wrongful death” damages from a careless driver (actually, the careless driver’s insurance company), even if she was the careless driver. Of course, if her lawsuit is successful, the monetary award will become part of the husband’s estate, a portion of which will likely go to her.

HISTORICAL WEIRD For a brief period in 1951-’52, an educational kit, Gilbert Atomic Energy Lab, was sold in the U.S. even though it included testable samples of four types of uranium ore and three radiation sources (alpha, beta, gamma). A kit has been on display recently at Ulster Museum in Belfast, Northern Ireland, but the radioactive materials had to be removed before the kit shipped to Belfast. The kit didn’t sell; kids apparently preferred the company’s erector sets.

CAN’T POSSIBLY BE TRUE In February, the Kansas Humanities Council, providing background to a current traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibit, posted a description of a 1925 baseball game in Wichita in which the professional, all-black Wichita Monrovians took on members of the local Ku Klux Klan. Historians guessed the KKK risked the embarrassment of defeat only because it needed the exposure to overcome declining enrollments. The Monrovians (1924 champions of the Colored Western League) won 10-8. The Klan shut down in Kansas two years later.

INTELLIGENT DESIGN A 37-year-old Lancashire, England, businessman (identified in later news reports as Duane Walters), fearing surgery for suspected bladder cancer, was found to be cancer-free, but on the other hand, he was found to have a uterus, ovaries and cervix — even though he has fully functioning exterior male genitalia. He was

referred to Manchester University Hospital for a hysterectomy (to prevent a chance of pregnancy) — and was counseled that he may eventually become menopausal. His condition, “persistent Mullerian duct syndrome,” is rare enough when diagnosed at birth but, according to experts cited by the Daily Telegraph, unheard-of at age 37.

Walters said he will continue living as a man.

POINT TAKEN At a February meeting of the U.N. Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, regarding if meetings should be open to the general public, the Belarus representative expressed alarm because of potential problems for security staff.

“What if,” he asked (according to a Reuters report), “there were topless ladies screaming from the public gallery throwing bottles of mayonnaise?” According to the official summary, the Mexican delegate apparently pointed out that some U.N. meetings were already open to the public, but as yet there had been no mayonnaise-droppings.

CSI NETHERLANDS Police in the Dutch town of Haarlem, near Amsterdam, raided an urban marijuana farm after a recent snowfall. In photos of the neighborhood, all yards and roofs of houses are blanketed in white — except for a certain portion of the roof of one home, on which the snow had completely melted. Police, deducing that the attic was likely an illegal marijuana greenhouse, made arrests.

NEWS YOU CAN USE If you’re in pain, shouting “Owww!” has measurable therapeutic value. Writing recently in the Journal of Pain, researchers from the National University of Singapore hypothesize that the muscle movements in vocalizing somehow divert or confuse pain signals, which otherwise would go unimpeded to the brain. Of subjects who plunged their hands into extremely cold water, those who were allowed to vocalize kept their hands immersed for up to three minutes longer than those who were silent. The “oww” sound, similar in many languages, is apparently instinctive from birth.

Chuck Shepherd weirdnews@earthlink.net

ASTROLOGY

MISTER MXYZPTLK, ANAÏS NIN & DYLAN GOES ELECTRIC ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the old Superman comics, Mister Mxyzptlk was a fiendish imp who lived in the fifth dimension.

He often sneaked over in our world to bedevil the Man of Steel with pranks. One sure way to instantly banish him back to his realm for a long time: Superman could fool him into saying his own name backwards. You may think it’d be hard to trick a magic rascal into saying “Kltpzyxm” when he knew the consequences, but Superman could. You have a similar power to get rid of a bugaboo that’s been bothering you. Don’t underestimate your ability to outsmart the pest.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In 1637, mathematician Pierre de Fermat declared he’d solved the “Last Theorem,” a particularly knotty mathematical problem. Unfortunately, he never actually provided the proof. The mystery remained. Other math experts toiled for centuries looking for the answer. It wasn’t until 1994, more than 350 years later, that anyone succeeded. You are on the verge of discovering a possible solution to one of your long-running riddles. It may take a few more weeks, but you’re almost there. Can you sense the twinkle in your third eye? Keep the faith.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Your upcoming efforts might not be flawless, but I suspect you triumph anyway. You may not even be completely sure what you want, but you’ll get a reward you didn’t know you were looking for. Cagey innocence and high expectations are secret weapons. Dumb luck and crazy coincidences are your X-factors. Your main task: As unreasonable blessings flow your way, don’t disrupt or obstruct them.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): As soon as a baby loggerhead turtle leaves its nest on a Florida beach, it heads for the ocean. It’s only two inches long. Though it can swim just one mile every two hours, it begins an 8,000-mile journey that takes 10 years. It travels east to Africa, then turns around and circles back to where it originated. Along the way, it grows big and strong as it eats a wide variety of food, from corals to sea cucumbers to squid. Succeeding at such an epic journey requires a stellar sense of direction and a prodigious will to thrive. The loggerhead turtle is your power animal for the weeks ahead.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In 1961, 19-year-old Bob Dylan began solo performances of folk songs at New York clubs. He sang and played an acoustic guitar and harmonica. By 1963, his career had skyrocketed. Critics called him a creative genius.

Pop stars recorded songs he wrote, making him rich. But he still kept his instrumentation simple, relying entirely on his acoustic guitar and harmonica. That changed in 1965, when he made the leap to rock and roll. For the first time, his music featured a full drum set and electric guitar, bass and keyboards. Some fans were offended.

How dare he renounce his folk roots? It may be time to consider a comparable transition. Are you willing to risk disorienting or disturbing those who’d prefer you stay as you are?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Whoever travels without a guide needs 200 years for a two-day journey.” That’s an old Sufi saying sometimes attributed to the poet Rumi. I don’t think it’s accurate in all cases. Sometimes we’re drawn to wander frontiers few have visited and none have mastered. There are no guides! Other times, we can’t get the fullness of our learning experience unless we’re free to stumble and bumble. A knowledgeable helper would interfere with that odd magic. Right now, the Sufi saying holds true for you. Where you’re headed, you benefit from an advisor, teacher or role model.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): There’s a meme rolling around Tumblr and Facebook: “Everyone wants a magical solution for their problems, but they refuse to believe in magic.” Judging from astrological omens, this Internet folk wisdom applies to your current situation. You have two choices. If you intend to keep fantasizing about finding a magical solution, you’ll have to work harder to believe in magic.

If you can’t finagle your brain into actually believing in magic, stop fantasizing about a magical solution. Which will it be?

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I’ve taken a passage from a letter Henry Miller wrote to Anaïs Nin, chopped it up, rearranged it and added to it to create an oracle perfect for you. Ready?

“This is the wild dream: you with your chameleon’s soul being anchored always in no matter what storm, sensing you are at home wherever you are. You asserting yourself, getting the rich varied life you desire; and the more you assert yourself, the more you love going deeper, thicker, fuller. Resurrection after resurrection: that’s your gift, your promise. The insatiable delight of constant change.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): One of your important assignments next week is to get high without the use of drugs and alcohol. In my oracular opinion, you simply must escape the numbing trance of daily rhythm. Experiencing altered states of awareness will provide crucial benefits. At the same time, you can’t afford to risk hurting yourself, and it’s essential to avoid stupidly excessive behavior that has negative repercussions. What do you think? Do you have any methods to get altered that will also keep you sane and healthy?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Singer Gloria Gaynor recorded her signature song “I Will Survive” in 1978. It sold more than two million copies and became an iconic disco anthem. And yet it was originally the B-side of “Substitute,” a song Gaynor’s record company released as her main offering.

Luckily, radio DJs ignored “Substitute” and played the hell out of “I Will Survive,” making it a global hit. I foresee a possibility of a similar development for you.

What you now consider to be secondary should perhaps be primary. A gift, creation or skill you think is less important may turn out to be preeminent.

FOLIO WEEKLY PUZZLER by MERL REAGLE. Presented by

SAN MARCO 2044 SAN MARCO BLVD. 398-9741

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ACROSS With “with,” pronto Get bored Long. crosser Abbr. in TV listings Piques They’re removed from ranges Mason portrayer Dog, Part 2 or 3 Request for more Novocain?

West Plains Indian abode Like calm, sometimes Diamond stat Set of beliefs Result of too many orders in garment district?

Raipur raiment Varnish resin With “blast,” an embryonic phase “Am I a dog ___ god?” (from The Man Who Would Be King) Racket Thumbelina?

What hockey would be like without speed and action?

Soviet map abbr.

Box for fun Love a lot Contradict First black woman in space, ___ Jemison ___-appropriate Judy’s girl Different What crossing the Delaware in 1776 must have been?

Stomp on the gas Goes underground What fishing students may take?

“I’ve really got to get ___ together” Two-way radio word Dogpatch adjective A Gershwin 1

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LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE: Letters in circled squares rearrange to spell KEATON and MOORE (Michael and Julianne), my Oscar picks for Best Actor and Actress. (Close, but no cigar.)

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68

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In the fairy tale The Ugly Duckling, the young hero suffers from a peculiar case of mistaken identity. He believes he’s a duck. All his problems stem from this erroneous idea. By duck standards, he’s a homely mess.

He gets taunted and abused by others, goes into exile, and endures terrible loneliness. In the end, though, his anguish dissolves when he finally realizes he is in fact a swan. United with his true nature, he no longer compares himself to an inappropriate ideal. Fellow swans welcome him into their community, and he flies away with them.

Anything in this story that resonates? It’s high time to free yourself from false notions about who you really are.

Rob Brezsny freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com

330 A1A NORTH 280-1202

You Can Say That Again

29

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I’m tempted to furrow my brow and raise my voice as I tell you to please go and do the dicey task you’ve been postponing. But that would just be a way to vent my frustration, and may not be helpful or constructive.

Here’s my wiser advice: To prepare for that dicey task, lock yourself in your sanctuary until you figure out what you first need to change about you before you can accomplish the dicey task. Once you make the inner shift, doing the deed will be fairly easy.

PONTE VEDRA

THE SHOPPES OF PONTE VEDRA

109

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MARCH 4-10, 2015 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 45

HELP WANTED

HELLO, YOUNG LOVERS (aka ISU writers)!

The limit for ISU notices is 40 words ONLY. No messages with more than 40 words will be accepted.

Please keep your message short & sweet. Thanks!

FREEBIRD EXPENDABLES SHOW On 2/25. We talked at the very end by merchant stand. Had a short conversation; you mentioned you’re finishing up a teaching degree. You: Very cute brunette, awesome smile.

Would like a chance to see you again! When: Feb. 25. Where: Freebird Live. #1508-0304 GIRL WITH THE SCAR On her face, eye to forehead. ISU at gay bar, long ago; wanted to know you. My heart skipped a beat. You were and still are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen; always cross my mind. When: April 2014. Where: The bar. #1507-0304 NICE TO MEET YOU You: Tall, handsome, broken wrist. Me: Cute, athletic, long sandy hair. Helped me sign out paddleboard; said it was nice to meet. Maybe you caught my name; don’t know yours. Meet 11 a.m. Feb. 13 at the lake. When: Jan. 31. Where: UNF Lake Oneida. #1506-0211 ASIAN GODDESS SNAP FITNESS Me: Purposefully stretching longer, in safe creeping distance.

You: Gleaming from sweat, holding handstand a respectable amount of time! Took off shoes, socks; caught me watching.

Kept gaze. You smiled, continued poses. Left before drool commenced. When: Jan. 20. Where: Snap Fitness. #1505-0204 HOTTIE IN A HAMMOCK You: Tall, leggy, brunette, great skin, rocking in hammock by her pool. Me: Scotch-loving bald guy who still loves a Fierce Polish Viking. Hoping you’ll rock me tonight like your body rocks in that hammock. When: Jan. 28.

Where: Beside the pool. #1504-0128 HOT COFFEE MAN You: tall, dark hair, carrying Starbucks. Me: tall, yellow shirt. ISU at Starbucks 20 minutes earlier; again in parking garage stairwell. You held door open for me, I smiled, thanked you. Did you remember me? Let’s get coffee. When: Jan. 22. Baptist Medical Ctr. Garage. #1503-0128

HOPE WOMAN I SAW READS THIS... You: long, black, curly hair, glasses, tan complexion, beautiful smile!; headed to NY. Me: Non-descript white guy. Not sure you saw me; thought we locked eyes. Couldn’t keep my eyes off you! Remember?

When: Dec. 4. Where: Jax International Airport. #1433-1224 DEM PINSTRIPES THO ... Light glittered off your beautiful bald head. Gave me that look, poured drink. Hands touched as you gave me the glass. Instantly knew you’re my only bartender.

Liked big orange you gave me. Personal bartender? When: Dec. 13. Where: Time Out Sportsbar & Grill. #1432-1217 V. AND T. AT TOWN CENTER ISU at Aeropostale and American Eagle where we introduced one another. I didn’t want to ask you for your number in front of my daughter. I’d love to see you again, T. When: Dec. 10. Where: Town Center. #1431-1217 SAMSUNG MAN AT BJ’s We both purchased Samsung Chrome on Sunday. You said I’d like keyboard. I said: hope I can get used to it; wanted to ask are you married? Me: Tall, light-skinned. You: Brown, handsome. If unattached, look me up. When: Dec. 7. Where: BJ’s Atlantic Blvd. #1430-1217 MISSING TOOTH GIRL You: Attractive girl, purple dress, missing a front teeth. Me: Handsome devil, orange tank top. I commented I liked your gap before I realized it was a missing tooth. Let’s hop back, get a fountain drink together? When: Dec. 4. Where: Kangaroo San Pablo. #1429-1210 LIBRARY LOOKER There was nothing spooky about you staring at me, the redhead, on Halloween from Deerwood library check-out line. Tall guy in jeans, what would’ve happened had I held your lengthy stare? Let me know. When: 11:30 a.m. Oct. 31. Where: Southeast Regional Library. #1428-1203 CAN’T GET U OUTTA MY MIND ISU at hospital visit; made my heart pump fast. You: prettiest nurse in white and blue; finest shape, lips, hips, face. If you were mine, I’d hold you in my arms, treat you like a queen. When: Nov. 26. Where: St. Vincent’s Hosp. #1427-1203

PREGNANT? THINKING OF ADOPTION? Talk with caring agency specializing in matching Birthmothers with Families Nationwide. LIVING EXPENSES PAID. Call 24/7 Abby’s One True Gift Adoptions. 866-413-6293. (RTK)

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BAYMEADOWS BUSINESS You: Bald white guy, sharp dresser, older white Saturn. Me: Slim white guy. Had my eye on you; said hi when you wished me Happy Holidays on Christmas Eve. Let’s have lunch sometime! When: Dec. 24. Where: Baymeadows management company. #1502-0114

LOML – SKY OCEAN GALAXY Handsome professional, great shoulders and electrifying smile wearing a tie. All others hands-off! When: Nov. 23. Where: Southside. #1426-1203

FILL HER UP You: Tall, handsome, blue shirt that said “Refill.”

Me: Sexy, in orange dress. Looking for headphones; made small talk. Wanted to request your number, but you looked exhausted from work. Let’s make beautiful music, Mr. Refill.

When: Dec. 30. Where: Best Buy. #1501-0107

HANDSOME DOG LOVER AT INTUITION You: Handsome man, orange shirt, lots of friends. Me: Short, green-eyed brunette, blue shirt. You asked about my dog, white German shepherd, seemed to like you. Single? Meet at Intuition 11/28, same time? When: Nov. 21. Where: Intuition Ale Works. #1425-1126

LOVER FOUND AT WALMART REGISTER? Sunday, 0:45 a.m., S’s register. You: Tan jacket, eyeglasses, nice-looking man, very friendly, holiday spirit. Me: Blue jeans, jeans jacket, right behind you. Should’ve carried conversation further. Looked for you later. When: Dec. 21. Where: Normandy Walmart. #1500-0107

YOU DIDN’T LEAVE! We stared across bar, like we knew it was beginning of deepest connection, friendship, and love we’d ever know. Haven’t left... Slainte! kanpai! Drink your Dirty Girl Scout. Here’s to finding each other again. Really like you!

When: April 2011. Where: Bomba’s. #1424-1126

REAL ESTATE 20 Acres $0 Down, $128/mo. Owner Financing. Money Back Guarantee. Near El Paso, TX. Beautiful Mountain Views. Free Color Brochure 800-939-2654 (AAN CAN) (3-4-15)

8-8-14; MEANING OF TIME? Easy answer. Time means nothing, absolutely nothing outside context of you. Hours seem like hours, days like days. Dice don’t match. Cards on my heart’s table come up different. Don’t fret; the UNIverse loves us; it’s MASTER of time. When: Aug. 8. Where: Pagan Idol. #1436-1224

CUTIE ON A SUZUKI You: Stylish, curly-haired cutie on Suzuki cafe racer. Me: Raven-haired lass, gray VW Jetta. Sipped coffee at light, turning on Riverside. Looked left, noticed Suzuki. Liked your shoes, style, dirty-blonde locks under helmet. Meet for drink? When: Nov. 12. Where: Riverside Ave. #1423-1119

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TELL[ER] ME ABOUT YOU You: Nice, redheaded, long braid bank teller, remembered my papa’s last name. Me: Young, blonde-bearded, with white-bearded retired police officer. Let’s have coffee sometime; officially meet! When: Dec. 19 FOP Christmas Party. Where: FOP Lodge #530. #1435-1224 LOVED THE SHOW... You: Brunette, glasses, stunningly beautiful; upstairs with some guys. Loved watching you put on lipstick; you looked at me, eyes communicated deep hunger.

My girlfriend told you I thought you were beautiful. I’d love to talk. Me: Long-sleeved green shirt. You know. When: Dec. 13.

Where: OP Kennel Clubhouse. #1434-1224

46 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | MARCH 4-10, 2015

BEARDED HOTTIE, SILVER FORD You: Behind me on 95N from Baymeadows to I-10 interchange on 11/4 at 3 p.m.; Nassau tag, dark beard, ball cap, amazing smile. Me: Brown SUV. Can’t get you out of my mind. Can we meet? When: Nov. 4, 3 p.m.

Where: Baymeadows & I-95. #1422-1112 I SAW U Connection Made!

PULLING FOR ORIOLES You: Cranberry shirt, said to me, “I was pulling for them” referring to my Orioles T-shirt. Me: Orioles T-shirt, I said “Yeah” and kept walking. Wish I would have started a conversation. Let’s talk! When: Oct. 26. Where: Publix on Hodges. #1421-1105

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NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned, desiring to engage in business under the ficticious name of Beautiful Earth at 2533 Chesterbrook Ct. in the County of Duval in the City of Jacksonville, Florida 32224 intends to register the said name with the Division of Corporations of the Florida Department of State, Tallahasee, Florida. Dated at Jacksonville, Florida, this 4th day of March 2015. Owner: Rohini Espinosa.

TAPPING OUT

F

olio Weekly has, over the years, been a consistent supporter of the idea of draining the Rodman Reservoir and reestablishing the original flow of the Ocklawaha River.

Now it appears the goal is one step closer to achievement. The question is, is it the right thing to do, or could draining the reservoir be an environmental blunder of epic proportions?

Permit me to explain.

Environmentalists have been trying to get the dam torn down and the reservoir drained for more than 44 years now. The goal is closer to achievement today because St. Johns Riverkeeper and JaxPort have reached an agreement to spend approximately $40 million of taxpayer funds to knock down the dam, drain the reservoir, and reestablish the flow of the original river. The city of Jacksonville and the Chamber of Commerce are supportive of the plan. Why? Because with this “feather in the cap” of the Riverkeeper, opposition to the dredging of the St. Johns River to 47 feet will disappear, and the harbor-deepening project will proceed. That is how politics works.

Before Folio Weekly jumps on the Drain the Rodman bandwagon, it should get answers to some important questions. First: If draining the Rodman Reservoir will add 300 million gallons of water a day to the St. Johns River as the Riverkeeper says, where will that water come from? Secondly, will draining the Rodman Reservoir draw water from Florida’s aquifer?

Before I explain any further, I should say that I have no emotional attachment to Rodman Reservoir. I’ve never fished on it, boated on it, or used it as a recreational area.

I like the outdoors, I drink lots of clean water, breathe lots of clean air, believe in climate change, oppose the instant replay in baseball, and support dredging of the St. Johns to make way for larger ships. Before looking for an ulterior motive, I ask you to look unemotionally and logically at the question I’ve posed: Will draining the Rodman Reservoir damage Florida’s aquifer?

BACKPAGE EDITORIAL

Could draining the Rodman Reservoir be an environmental blunder of epic proportions?

Water is neither created nor destroyed, and in Florida, the flow of a river is determined by two things: the amount of rainfall and the amount of water contributed by freshwater springs. The Rodman Reservoir is about 18 miles long, covers an area of about 15 square miles and, currently, contributes about 650 to 700 million gallons of water to the St. Johns River each day. If draining the reservoir is going to increase that flow by 50 percent, by an additional 300 million gallons a day, unless the Riverkeeper has a way to increase Florida’s annual rainfall, most of that additional water will come from the Floridan aquifer.

Some of those 300 million gallons will be the result of less evaporation. Because the Rodman Reservoir is slow-moving, it has a lot of evaporation, at a rate of about 30 million gallons a day. If we assume, for the purpose of argument, that if restored, the Ocklawaha River will have no evaporation, draining the Reservoir will save 30 million gallons of water each day. However, that still leaves an additional 270 million gallons a day unaccounted for.

The Rodman Reservoir covers approximately 20 submerged freshwater artesian springs that are fed by Florida’s aquifer. Those springs go by quaint names like him Fish Hook Spring, Blue Spring, Bright Angel Spring and Tobacco Pouch Landing.

However, the fact is that Florida relies upon these springs for its freshwater supply. The water pressure from Rodman Reservoir acts as a sort of a “cap” on approximately 20 springs.

If you remove that cap, those springs will flow more freely, putting more freshwater into the St. Johns River and thereby dumping that water into the Atlantic Ocean. Is dumping freshwater into the Atlantic Ocean really a good solution to increasing salinity?

Some of the largest springs in the world are located in Central Florida, but they’re already drying up. Many Central Florida springs are down 30 to 40 percent over the last 80 years.

Some of them, like Poe Springs in Alachua

County and White Springs in Liberty County, have stopped flowing altogether. Florida’s aquifers are already dropping at the rate of approximately 2 inches each year in North Florida. The output of Silver Springs has dropped from 500 million gallons a day to about 300 million in the last 50 years.

Let’s consider another problem. If global climate change is real (and I believe it is), then the No. 1 thing Floridians have to fear is not fear itself, but rising seawater levels. According to one tide gauge in Miami, the sea level there has risen 1.27 inches each year over the last five years. According to other measurements, sea levels in the Northeast jumped five inches from 2009 to 2010 due in part to a decrease in the flow of the Jet Stream. Rather than focusing on the raw numbers, we should prepare for the fact that the Atlantic Ocean around Florida will rise, more saltwater will flow into our rivers, including the St. Johns River, and that this increasing head pressure from the Atlantic Ocean will cause saltwater intrusion into the Floridan aquifer. Saltwater intrusion will make Florida’s drinking water brackish and eventually unfit to drink.

If global climate change is coming, is it smart to withdraw an additional 270 million gallons of freshwater from the Floridan aquifer and dump it into the Atlantic Ocean every day? Jacksonville uses a mere 150 million gallons of freshwater a day. Wasting almost twice that amount every day to reduce the salinity of the St. Johns River may be the environmental blunder of the century.

Let’s get these questions answered before we drain the Rodman Reservoir, knock down the Rodman dam, and cause our state a perpetual drought in fresh potable drinking water.

Rod Sullivan mail@folioweekly.com

The author is a professor of law at Florida Coastal School of Law. For the record, this magazine has not taken a position on the recent proposal to drain the Rodman Reservoir.

Folio Weekly welcomes Backpage Editorial submissions. Essays should be no more than 1,200 words and on a topic of local interest or concern. Email your Backpage to mail@folioweekly. com. Opinions expressed on the Backpage are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors or management of Folio Weekly.

MARCH 4-10, 2015 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 47