Help for Ukraine, virtual authors, an upcoming flower show: What to do around the Beaches
Ukraine supply drive
The City of Atlantic Beach is hosting a supply drive this weekend to collect household items to assist Ukrainian refugees who will resettle in the Jacksonville area.
On Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., a collection truck will be located in the parking lot at Jack Russell Park, between city hall and the tennis courts. Among the items needed are new or gently used bathroom and kitchen supplies, small appliances, sheets and towels, baby supplies and car seats, cleaning supplies and other supplies that anyone might need to set up an apartment starting from scratch.
For a complete supply list and more information, visit coab.us/ukraine.
Kids grief camp this weekend
Camp Healing Powers, a therapeutic camp by Community Hospice & Palliative Care to help children dealing with the grief and loss of a loved one, is scheduled for Saturday, April 23 at Marywood Retreat and Conference Center in northern St. Johns County.
The camp helps children identify and express their feelings while learning skills to help them navigate their grief journey in a safe, supportive, and fun environment. The goals for the day are to increase camper comfort in talking about their feelings, educate on common reactions to loss, teach about healthy coping skills and ways to stay connected with loved ones and have fun. Camp activities are planned and led by mental health professionals who specialize in grief and bereavement.
This is the first camp to take place since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
For eligibility to attend camp, children should be between ages 7 and 17 and the death was at least three months before the camp date but no longer than two years. The Marywood Retreat and Conference Center is located at 235 Marywood Drive in St. Johns. Space is limited. Call (904) 407-7001 for information or to schedule an appointment for a pre-camp assessment.
Virtual author event Saturday
Children’s authors Rachel Isadora and Robie Rogge present their new picture book, “After the BUZZ Comes the BEE” via The BookMark’s virtual story time author event on Saturday, April 23 at 9 a.m.
This charming gift book features four-inch, heavy cardstock flaps that reveal boldly colored animals. A group of adorable and diverse kids follow the “hoot-hoot” through the woods to find an owl under a bright moon. Hearing “oink-oink,” a little boy finds a messy piglet hiding behind a veggie trough. A pair of friends find a panda climbing a vibrant bamboo grove, saying “ar-ar-ar.”
An interactive guessing game in a large format picture book with 10 fun flaps, toddlers will delight in the funny sounds and finding animals, familiar and unusual, while learning pre-reading skills at the same time.
Reserve a spot for this event on Crowdcast at https://bit.ly/3JutIXF. For more information, visit BookmarkBeach.com, email bkmark@bellsouth.net or call (904) 241-9026.
Library book sale ends tomorrow
The Big Spring Book Sale at the Beaches Branch Library closes out on Saturday with the ever-popular Bag Day. Shop for great deals on a wide selection of thousands of gently used books, CDs and DVDs, most priced at $2 or less. The sale takes place inside the Beaches Branch Library located at 600 Third St., Neptune Beach.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Beaches Branch Library (FOBBL), the sale is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Shoppers may buy a bag for $10 and fill it with anything at the sale (except Better Books).
Customers may pay by cash, check or credit card. Proceeds from the book sale will benefit FOBBL’s efforts to support the Beaches community through promoting and developing programs that enhance the library’s services, resources and facilities.
For more information, check out the Friends group on Facebook @FOBBL or call the library at (904) 255-2665.
Ukraine benefit concert Sunday
Talented young Russian pianist Ilya Yakushev performs on Sunday, April 24 at 4 p.m. at St. Paul’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, hosted by Beaches Fine Arts Series. The concert is free, but donations will be accepted to benefit Ukrainian refugees through the United Nations World Food Programme.
BFAS has stated that it “stands with members of the artistic community around the world who seek peace, friendship and cultural understanding, including Russian artists,” such as Yakushev, and is hosting the benefit at the request of the award-winning pianist.
Yakushev has performed in various prestigious venues worldwide, including Great Philharmonic Hall (St. Petersburg), Victoria Hall (Singapore), Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (New York), Davies Symphony Hall (San Francisco), and Sejong Performing Arts Center (Seoul, Korea). His performances with orchestra include those with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, BBC Concert Orchestra, Boston Pops, Rochester Philharmonic, Utah Symphony, and many others.
Anyone who cannot attend the concert but would like to send a donation through BFAS to the World Food Programme to benefit Ukrainian refugees may do so via PayPal at https://bit.ly/37h30ET. Checks may also be mailed to BFAS with “Ukraine” in the memo area.
The church is located at 465 11th Ave. N. in Jacksonville Beach. Doors open at 3:15 p.m. and the concert begins at 4 p.m. Seating is first come, first served and a reception follows the performance, featuring the art of Keith Doles. For more details, go to BeachesFineArts.org.
Acoustic music in the park tomorrow
Head out to Bull Park with your lawn chair and some snacks to enjoy acoustic music from local artists on April 24.
Hosted by Roy Peak, the free event takes place from 4 to 6 p.m. Email atlanticbeachmusic@gmail.com or recreation@coab.us, or call (904) 247-5828 for information.
Flower show next weekend
Celebrate spring at the Ribault Garden Club Flower Show, Friday and Saturday, April 29-30. With displays of unique floral creations, horticulture, botanical arts and educational exhibits, the show is open to the public and there is no charge for admission.
Club members have been potting and propagating a variety of native plants over the last two years, and attendees will have an opportunity to purchase these beautiful arrangements.
This is a National Garden Club Standard flower show and designs are submitted by members of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs. Ribault Garden Club members reside throughout the Beaches area, Nocatee and west of the Intracoastal Waterway.
Hours are Friday, April 29, from 3 to 6 p.m. and Saturday, April 30, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The club is located at 705 Second Ave. N. in Jacksonville Beach. Call (904) 246-4641 for more information.
Lecture: Prehistoric obsidian
The Archaeological Institute of America — Jacksonville Society meets at noon on Saturday, April 30 in Building 51 at UNF to hear a lecture by Professor Robert H. Tykot, University of South Florida. His lecture, “Obsidian Use and Maritime Transport in the Prehistoric Mediterranean,” discusses how obsidian was widely used for stone tools and traded distances up to 1000 km during the Neolithic period, 6000-3000 BCE.
Formed from volcanic activity, it exists only on a handful of Italian islands: Lipari, Palmarola, Pantelleria and Sardinia. Its presence elsewhere infers maritime travel to mainland Italy, southern France, Croatia, Albania, Tunisia, Spain and other locations around the globe. Nondestructive chemical analysis of obsidian artifacts has been conducted on more than 10,000 artifacts to identify their specific sources.
Free and open to the public, the lecture will be followed by complimentary refreshments in the Physical Anthropology Lab. On Saturday, parking is free, with staff, faculty and vendor spaces available to everyone.
For more information, contact Melva Price at (904) 241-9411 or aiajaxsoc@gmail.com.
Fletcher reunion next weekend
Beaches Museum hosts the Fletcher All-Class Block Party on Saturday, April 30 from 6 to 10 p.m. A gathering for Fletcher graduates, faculty and supporters from across the decades, the party is an opportunity to reminisce and celebrate the Beaches’ only high school, Duncan U. Fletcher High School.
Highlights will feature local music, dancing, food trucks, the gathering of classmates and much more. This year’s theme is “85 Years of Defending the Island.” As the only high school on the barrier island, Fletcher Senators have always taken proud ownership of this coastal community and its unique quality of life.
The reunion coincides with the opening of “Pride of the Beaches,” an exhibit that captures the pictures, stories and nostalgia of each generation of Senators that have walked those purple-lined hallways. In addition, a special Boardwalk Talk, "Channeling Anna Fletcher" by Tim Gilmore, presents the fascinating life of Anna Fletcher, wife of the school’s namesake.
While her husband, Duncan, devoted his life to the body politic, Anna dedicated hers to the spirit world. She hosted séances, opened the Fletcher home to spirit mediums, wrote books about spirit trumpets and ectoplasm, and argued the cause of Spiritualism against Harry Houdini before Congress. Gilmore’s presentation is the story of one woman who struggled to find a voice, wield strength and exercise purpose through the restrictions of her time.
Funds raised support the work of the Beaches Museum. For more information on tickets and sponsorship, visit BeachesMuseum.org or call (904) 241-5657.
Submit events to shorelines@jacksonville.com.