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THIS WEEK // 12.6-12.12.17 // VOL. 30 ISSUE 36 COVER STORY
WILL FLORIDA [13] BECOME THE LAND OF
SECOND CHANCES? Parallel efforts underway to RESTORE CIVIL RIGHTS to ex-offenders story by JULIE DELEGAL
FEATURED ARTICLES FEATURED
WINTER IS COMING
BY A.G. GANCARSKI How Tallahassee’s Game of Thrones could play in the 904
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THE STAR & THE FURY
[24]
BY PAT McLEOD Two ’50S WESTERNS still work today
CONSOLIDATION OF CITY SERVICES
[47]
BY KIM SPARROW Should JAX BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT consolidate with the city?
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FROM THE EDITOR The right is trying to take over the media … AND THEY’RE WINNING
Overflow
CLICKBAIT &
LIES THE FAR RIGHT IS TRYING TO CONTROL THE NEWS. Recent developments signal that they’ve moved on from creating their own brands à la Fox News, Breitbart, The Daily Wire, The Federalist, etc., to colonizing existing brands. This fall, a secretive investment group bought L.A. Weekly, a fellow Association of Alternative Newsmedia paper, then proceeded to dump nearly its entire editorial staff, including a former Folio Weekly staff writer. Theories flew around the industry, culminating with the Society of Professional Journalists publicly slamming the investors on Nov. 30, writing, “It is an absolute outrage that the public doesn’t know who owns L.A. Weekly.” Then and only then did they reveal the seven investors’ names. OC Weekly reports that five are Republican donors; two are likely Trumpsters. The firings tell us that they didn’t buy L.A. Weekly because they love the work that earned 20 L.A. Press Club Awards nominations this fall (they won two); nor are they passionate about print, or believe in altweeklies. Nay, they bought it because, in the words of incoming head honcho and co-investor Brian Calle, they “want to once again see an incredibly relevant, thriving L.A. Weekly with edge and grit that becomes the cultural center of the city.” Which sounds kinda nice, actually. Calle went on to trash the paper that was the first to win a Pulitzer Prize for restaurant criticism, until last week had Henry Rollins as a columnist (he bid them adieu after the ownership was announced), and has won more AAN awards than any other outlet. Any publication can bear criticisms, but one would think firing nearly everyone was insult enough. One would also think it foolish to buy a 40-year-old company, then throw out all its assets for, in the media, the assets are the talent. Nevertheless, he’s entitled to his opinion. So why the Chicken Little act? Simple. If past performance predicts future, then the editorial direction of L.A. Weekly is going to veer hard, hard right under the self-described “freemarket enthusiast” who has zero experience in hard news and once co-bylined a column that began with, “… Putin really had no choice except to act on annexing Crimea.” Calle is also a former vice president of The Claremont Institute, which annually selects up-and-comers to teach them how to become “the thought leaders of modern conservatism.” “Every day, they are on the frontlines in the battle with progressives,” its website says, “delivering strong, persuasive arguments for the conservative agenda.” Previous fellows include current White House staffers, the editor-in-chief of The Daily Wire, the editor of The Federalist, Ted Cruz’s
former chief of staff, and now the dude in charge of a beloved, respected altweekly—and a FW sister paper. (Per bylaws, all new owners’ AAN membership is evaluated 9 to 12 months after the purchase.) So that just happened. Mulling over this reminded me of a call I got last winter from a local candidate, claiming an online outlet had libeled them and worried we were about to do the same story. That was not the case; I decided against pursuing it because the source had drastically changed their tale and video evidence didn’t back them up. (Calle, take note. This is what we call ‘vetting’.) But the call made me curious. Turned out the website is a conservative aggregator that lumps its stories with clickbait, fake stories about things like Pizzagate and editorials not marked as opinion. Much of it was offensive and some of it was false, but it seemed at best a blip on the radar screen. Diving down the research rabbit hole revealed that the site was part of a network that partners with Liberty Alliance, which operates dozens of similar sites, two of which were widely denigrated as fake or misleading after the November 2016 election. One of Liberty Alliance’s divisions is the Liberty Depot, which started as an email-forwarding operation. Remember those propaganda-style emails that used to clog your inbox with subject lines like “Bring Home Our Troops: Send the Democrats” and “See Obama’s Kenyan Birth Cert.”? Lots of ’em were from Liberty Depot. Surprisingly, these were not originally designed to push an agenda, but to sell merchandise, like the “Veterans Before Refugees” T-shirts and “If you can’t stand behind our troops, feel free to stand in front of them” stickers Liberty Depot currently sells. In 2009, COO Jay Taylor told Huffington Post, “Initially it was a business opportunity,” Taylor said. “Then we saw an opportunity to get the message out.” The words “the message” should give you pause. Media outlets—even liberal rags—may have core beliefs, but there is no message, save one: the truth. If the facts don’t back it up, we don’t report it. These far-right sites don’t keep with such basic standards. You may not see the parallel between shadowy networks of far-right websites doling out lies to millions and conservatives secretly buying altweeklies. But where I come from, if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and swims like a duck, it’s foul. Now what are we going to do about it? Claire Goforth claire@folioweekly.com @ClaireNJax DECEMBER 6-12, 2017 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 5
FOREGROUND VOCALS BACKTRACK @ RIVERSIDE FINE ARTS
FRI
8
Who knew a cappella could be so thrilling? Formed in NYC in 2013, initially the group performed for only YouTube videos, but as their following grew, so too did opportunities to perform live. They’ve taken the stage at venues across the nation, including Carnegie Hall, Apollo Theater and One World Observatory. Backtrack hits the stage, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8, Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Riverside, $25, riversidefinearts.org.
OUR PICKS
REASONS TO LEAVE THE HOUSE THIS WEEK
THU
THU
14
7
WED
6
STAR-DREAMERS REDISCOVERING SPACE The dream of space
exploration and travel through private companies is now closer than ever. Museum of Science & History and TEDxFSCJ host NASA engineer Kathleen O’Brady, Lockheed Martin engineer Chelsea Partridge, Professor of Astronomy Mike Reynolds, Made in Space CEO Andrew Rush and Jennifer Ruliffson, a University of North Florida student, in an exciting, informative discussion about what the future of star travel might look like. The evening wraps up as folks get the chance to peer through telescopes positioned on the museum’s roof. 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7, MOSH, Southbank, free but registration required, themosh.org.
FRI
8 6 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | DECEMBER 6-12, 2017
SUBLIME SIMPLICITY ELISE FERGUSON & CARIS REID: EL
MOUNT OF VENUS Their new work is at Monya MO
Row Rowe Gallery, and it’s smart, beautiful and surprising. At firs rst pass, Ferguson’s creations seem like very satisfyingg ggeometric eo n, abstractions; however, upon closer inspection, hher er manipulation of the materials is revealed as a sstartling ta cousin to trompe l’oeil. She trowels pieces of MDFF w it plaster in a manner that recalls handmade papers,, with tthen he silkscreens her architecturally informed drawings oonto nt a prepared surface. Reid works with precision, too, bbut ut hers seems born of secret and internal machinations; eemanating m from obscure but celebratory rites. Mount of Venus is on display through Dec. 22, Monya Rowe Ga Gallery, St. Augustine, monyarowegallery.com.
24K POP PURITY RING The electro-future pop band that Vogue
once called “oddly beguiling” perform moody, dreamy music that one could liken to a spiritual response to the Northern Lights or the sound of pine trees dreaming (though it is possible we rhapsodize too much), at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, $30-$35, po ntevedraconcerthall.com. pontevedraconcerthall.com.
DO OR NOT DO FORCE FEST
(Insert epic operatic orchestral opening here.) Ha! Is there any hyperbole grandiose enough to encapsulate the excitement with which Episode 8 (The Last Jedi) in the Star Wars saga will be greeted next week? For those of us bursting at the seams with elation, dying to unleash that new Lightsaber, this fan-produced mini-fest/con features (among other universally appealing attractions) the largest Lightsaber battle in Duval and a dedicated Jedi night. It all happens Friday, Dec. 8, Jacksonville Landing, Downtown, forcefestjax.com.
DECEMBER 6-12, 2017 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 7
THE MAIL FREE SPEECH ISN’T ABSOLUTE, GOP
RE.: “The Mail,” Nov. 29 IT’S ALWAYS INTERESTING HEARING SOMEONE claim that they are for “freedom of speech” but then commence to want to make sure others don’t practice it and are not aware of the basic tenets of that freedom. The person claims that only the right is capable of practicing freedom of speech but casually forgets that they have tried to suppress it as well against others. Maybe people remember what happened to the Dixie Chicks when they said they were embarrassed by Bush being the President? Or when Kanye West said, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people,” on live TV? After that, the Dixie Chicks’ music was crushed by people on the right who felt that the group didn’t deserve to express their opinion and in the end, turned out to be somewhat right. As for Kanye, his career survived because everyone was not surprised by what he said. The person casually forgets that although freedom of speech is guaranteed and cannot be interfered with by the government, there are still limitations as well as consequences to it. Richard Spencer spoke at UF and, of course and deservedly so, he was mocked. Even though the ACLU defended the Nazi’s right to freedom of speech, the consequences of it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Expressing yourself is a right, being surprised that others may not like it is the consequence. You can almost see the venom dripping from the way he asks if the “blacks” will stop killing each other while not mentioning white crime, which is more prevalent. Just for good measure and apparently to stoke some anti-Muslim fear, he throws in their god in an attempt to make him seem less than human. The reason that people who voted for the rich asshole are called racist is not that they possibly aren’t, it’s because they enable him and also choose not to condemn the racist remarks he has made. If they don’t do that, how else are supposed to know that they aren’t racist? Look, no one is perfect and freedom of speech isn’t perfect either. But the right does not hold any
exclusivity to it, any more than other basic tenets of society or any other amendments. Tony Goytia via email
PAGING GOVERNOR MORGAN
RE.: “For the People? Maybe,” folioweekly.com, by Shelton Hull, Nov. 27 I THINK JOHN MORGAN WILL DECIDE TO ENTER THE race, he has until June 2018 to file and, based on prior statements made in this article, he only wants to campaign for six months (June to November). Entering the race this late will keep his name out of several months of attack ads and by June he might end up looking better than the rest of the field. Conor O’Leary via Facebook
DON’T CHOOSE DE-INTEGRATION
RE.: “MLK Breakfast a No-go,” by Dr. Juan Gray, Nov. 22 I GREW UP HEARING “INTEGRATION”—NOW YOU’RE included, you want out. You say that you represent Dr. King but you sure didn’t learn anything from him. It’s hard to get your point across when you’re on the outside looking in, Dr. King said this many times, Don’t cut your nose off to spite your face. Dr. King was a thinker; he spent a lot of time in meditation. Think both sides, then make a move. That’s what he did and why he was so good. Think. Think. Think. Larry Grisham via email
RESURRECTING DYING ARTS
RE.: “Intelligent Design(er),” by Shelton Hull, Nov. 22 MY DAUGHTER LIKES TO SEW, CROCHET, AND IS practicing embroidery (by hand, not machine). I agree; these skills are a lost art. It’s a shame because people are missing out on what kids are still capable of when not glued to electronics (not completely detached, mind you; skills can be learned this way). I love seeing what my daughter creates. Mel Jo via Facebook
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BRICKBATS + BOUQUETS BOUQUETS TO MONTESSORI TIDES SCHOOL On Dec. 5, kids in grades three, four and five of the Jax Beach school donated both time and funds raised to feed 140 local USO families. Early that morning, students shopped for nutritious, well-balanced meals at the Jax Beach Native Sun, a partner for the event. The annual food drive began in 2001 when an 8-year-old Montessori Tides student saw a sign for a food drive at the USO Mayport Center; the rest is heartwarming, belly-filling history. BRICKBATS TO STEALTH NEGOTIATORS Some members of Jacksonville City Council were stunned last week to learn that the city has been in double-secret negotiations to pony up some of the cash—as much as $18.5 million—to buy the land for Peter Rummell’s ambitious Southbank development known as The District, the Florida Times-Union reports. If that weren’t bad enough, the Curry Administration, Downtown Investment Authority and Elements of Jacksonville, the investor group that includes Rummell, all offered the council and the T-U absolutely no guidance as to why the city became involved in the deal originally announced in 2014. BOUQUETS TO GINGER SHERIDAN The Jacksonville University associate professor of photography was recently named the Florida Higher Education Art Educator of the Year. According to a release, Sheridan was nominated in recognition of the opportunities she’s provided for teachers and students through professional development, school visits to campus, fundraising and more. Sheridan is also a board member on the Northeast Florida Art Education Association. The world needs more champions of the arts. Thanks, Professor! DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO DESERVES A BOUQUET? HOW ABOUT A BRICKBAT? Send submissions to mail@folioweekly.com; 50 word maximum, concerning a person, place, or topic of local interest. 8 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | DECEMBER 6-12, 2017
FOLIO F OLIO V VOICES OICES : F FIGHTIN’ IGHTIN W WORDS ORDS
Jack Latvala
Rachel Perrin Rogers
cities, their candidates are often best-case WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON, scenarios for the business community. and in terms of politics in the Sunshine State, Whatever you might think of the Jax stakes are high. Chamber or the donor class, they are acutely And there’s reason to believe that the aware that Jacksonville is running behind other statewide sturm und drang could accumulate in major cities as far as development and other NE Florida this winter … and beyond. quality of life indicators The big story at the are concerned. moment, bigger than While the equity the primary races, the bubble and the housing upcoming legislative valuation bubble are session, or anything else: going to pop sooner or the accusations against later, creating another State Sen. Jack Latvala. economic tsunami Six women came like the post-2008 forth to Politico with malaise, Hughes/ stories that Latvala How Tallahassee’s Baker candidates had sexually harassed are generally the them in the workplace GAME OF THRONES best equipped to of the Florida Senate could play in the 904 govern during the where, until last month, coming shitstorm, given the Latvala held the powerful intellectual moribundity of so appropriations chairmanship. many in the local political class. One of those women, senate staffer Rachel There may be headwinds coming for the Perrin Rogers, is the wife of Brian Hughes, a Hughes/Baker machine. notable local figure. The big enchilada is Latvala, who piled up Her identity was an open secret, until $5 million for a race for governor that’s all but Perrin Rogers was forced to come forward to dead now. defend her name, removing herself from the What will Latvala do with that money? cloak of confidentiality that is theoretically Some suggest a chunk of it may be deployed, afforded her by the senate investigation. via Latvala’s political committee, against Hughes, of course, has been half of the Hughes/Baker clients. leading political consultant team in this market Money is one thing; the ability to actually since he and Tim Baker helmed Lenny Curry’s make it work is another. But dropping $20,000 successful campaign for mayor. From there, or so into a 2019 council race to push some Baker and Hughes scored other political oppo, or more money in races involving victories, including Melissa Nelson’s rout of candidates for state offices in 2018, seem like State Attorney Angela Corey, and the pension good bets. reform referendum in 2016. I don’t think Hughes and Baker are especially None of that was easy. worried about this—Hughes has very powerful In a time when the local Republican Party allies, including Gov. Rick Scott, who’s now in his has been in ongoing disarray and dysfunction, own blood feud with former ally Latvala. Hughes and Baker have overcome GOP But what this illustrates, again, is the fratricide with a model that opponents have yet to effectively counter. As they did in the Curry particularly pitched nature of internecine campaign, they message hard and aggressively, Republican warfare. In a gerrymandered with a sophistication others can’t quite match. political world, the most pitched drama in With the war between Latvala—still at Florida politics generally involves Republicanleast nominally a candidate for governor—and on-Republican brawls. Hughes ongoing, there are some who suggest It’s hard to see how Latvala survives this that Latvala may want to get dirty in Duval. in the senate. It’s hard for me to see why he Hughes and Baker have a lot of candidates continues to drag Perrin Rogers through the in the local market: Wyman Duggan for State mud, leaking text messages and the like. And House District 15, and Rose Conry, Rory it’s inevitable that Hughes is going to exact his Diamond, Randy DeFoor, LeAnna Cumber revenge; what man wouldn’t when his wife is and Ron Salem for Jacksonville City Council. being defenestrated in the press? It’s easy, too, to see this war playing out And we might as well mention political via dark money in local races, in ways no one committee work for Mayor Curry, Sheriff Mike would’ve forecast before Rogers came forth with Williams and State Attorney Nelson. her charges against a man who was once one of Mainstream Republican candidates are the most powerful Republicans in the state. people who may serve up rhetorical red meat It may be Indian Summer outside. But for the base from time to time, but tend to be winter is coming. pragmatists in the end. In terms of the politics of the possible in A.G. Gancarski Jacksonville, where the religious right plays in mail@folioweekly.com city politics in a way not done in other major @AGGancarski
WINTER
OVERSET
IS COMING
DECEMBER 6-12, 2017 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 9
FOLIO COMMUNITY : NEWS
ONE MAN’S
ROADKILL IS ANOTHER WOMAN’S
10 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | DECEMBER 6-12, 2017
ART
WHAT WAS ONCE RESERVED FOR PROUD HUNTERS and bereaved pet owners has been refashioned as art. Say goodbye to that trophy buck mounted above grandpappy’s urn on the mantel, and hello to Thumper, the Easy Rider-themed biker, and all of the other machinations of Paige Olson’s wonderfully weird mind. Olson takes dearly departed
mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits—to name a few—and breathes a little life (in a manner of speaking) back into them. Olson’s wares are being sold at Riverside’s 5 Points Vintage on Park Street, a place replete with relics and oddities spanning the decades. According to 5 Points Vintage manager Heidi McMullen, the reaction to Olson’s art so far
has b see t mice holid Th varie says. on in of hu expl just just Th Chri at th (hum Sant ador mod duck vario like chug thro onlo spot fron wind a dis grou Rat( F taxid care Coll farm anim bone I’ve with O taxid requ surp delig as M wrec she’s the r allig of th migh “ thin at th bigg O part anth P scen anim Exam and
has been entirely positive, and she’s happy to see that people aren’t put off by taxidermied mice, pufferfish and the like, decked out in holiday regalia, costumes and more. The collection of her art is just as odd as it is varied, taking inspiration from all over, Olson says. “I think I take a lot of it from what’s going on in the world sometimes. I like to use a lot of humor. Also, just people in general,” Olson explained. “I’ve got a lot of artist friends and just the things they create and I see. You know, just things that make me happy.” The shop’s front window display is currently Christmas-themed. On Tuesday, we saw, at the feet of a female (human) mannequin, Santa hat at a jaunty angle adorning her rat head. A model train—piloted by a duckling, also in a hat, with various animals dressed like Santa as passengers— chugs a circuitous route through the display, to the surprised delight of onlookers. On one side, Ebenezer Rat can be spotted next to the Holy Angel Rat. Toward the front of the case, a trio of rodent carolers greets window-shoppers. In the back of the store, a display case holds Andy Warhol Mouse, a group of Santa-hat-wearing pufferfish and Chef Rat(-atouille, one assumes). For Olson, working in anthropomorphic taxidermy was a natural progression in her art career. She studied at the prestigious Savannah College of Art & Design and has worked on a farm for more than 20 years. “I’ve worked with animals my whole life. I have always enjoyed bones and skeletons and those kinds of thing. I’ve pretty much seen everything and worked with everything,” she said. Olson says that though she’s been a taxidermist for only a year, she already gets odd requests from time to time. It’s not particularly surprising, given that her work includes such delightful creations as a taxidermied rat dressed as Miley Cyrus circa the “Wrecking Ball” video, wrecking ball and all. If Olson can create it, she’s amenable to trying just about anything— the rare exception being an 11-foot-long alligator, a project she vehemently refused. One of the more interesting requests she’s received might raise some eyebrows. “The weirdest thing I’ve ever gotten was, I think, a stripper,” said Olson. “And I’ve got one at the shop. A stripper rat on a pole. I made a bigger version of something similar.” Olson’s technique and style are, in part, inspired by legendary Victorian era anthropomorphic taxidermist Walter Potter. Potter is famous for intricate and elaborate scenes, called tableaux, depicting taxidermied animals doing everyday human activities. Examples include a squirrel smoking a cigar and playing poker, a cat playing croquet, and
rabbits attending school and cheating off each other’s work. One of his most famous tableaux, The Death & Burial of Cock Robin, from 1861, took almost seven years to complete in his spare time; it includes nearly 100 birds, a few of which are species now extinct. Potter’s take on the artform rides that thin line between sweet innocence and creepy nightmare. Using Potter’s methods, Olson says, “On average, it takes about four hours for something like a medium-sized rat, but then you have to let it set. You just use borax and you strip the skin. I let it set that way. I don’t use chemicals or stuff like that.” Though Olson considers Potter an inspirational source, her humor and pop culture influences set her creations apart from that world’s creepy side—most of the time. According to longtime friend Frances “G” Swaine, a lot of people love Olson’s art, but not everyone. “Some people think it’s weird, of course,” said Swain. “But look around, there’s weird everywhere.” One of Olson’s most loyal supporters, Swaine has a mantel in her home as a platform for her friend’s first creations. “I have one of the first ones she made,” said Swain. “He’s a little rat and he’s an artist. He’s got his artist apron on, his easel and his paintbrush. He’s usually on the mantel, but he had to be put away in order to make room for Christmas decorations.” Swaine added that throwing a tiny Santa hat on his little rodent head isn’t entirely out of the question. Olson also finds inspiration on the farm. Teeming with life, and the inevitable death that comes with it, the farm is both a good source for artistic enlightenment and sometimes an even better source for subjects, she explains. “It’s amazing, the wildlife that you find because Mother Nature just takes its course. We don’t hunt here,” said Olson. “We’ve got 1,500 acres. Everything is just kept natural. So I can find a lot of stuff that just naturally passes.” Olson might work with the dead, but when it comes to procuring artistic subjects, a killer she is not. She keeps a research lab on speed-dial; from the lab she collects mice, rats and various subjects—after they kick the bucket. Though Olson says it’s sad that they’re being used in a lab, at least she’s not explicitly going out of her way to kill animals for the purpose of stuffing them. For those who prefer the natural order, Mother Nature’s route, roadkill is also a viable option. Asked if she has people on the lookout for potential subjects on the road, Olson said, “I wish sometimes, but they all think I’m crazy. My brother, bless his heart, he’s got a squirrel in his freezer right now.” Josh Hodges mail@folioweekly.com
The strange and beautiful world of ANTHROPOMORPHIC TAXIDERMY
ea of
’s ete es. di DECEMBER 6-12, 2017 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 11
NEWS AAND NOTES: MIXED BAG TOP HEADLINES FROM THE ASSOCIATION OF ALTERNATIVE NEWSMEDIA BUY ME A > CHURCH … ON EBAY
OK, just kidding about the church. The eBay thing, though—that’s legit. See, a live music venue in Austin, Texas, called The Parish, is being auctioned off to the highest bidder on eBay, reports Austin Chronicle. The bidding, begun Dec. 1, started at $1 and is scheduled to last 10 days; the winner will receive a 12-year lease, including two five-year options, for the 5,300-squarefoot space on Sixth Street. Intriguingly, this isn’t the first time a venue has been put up for auction on eBay by this owner. Doug Guller told AC he was so pleased with the results of selling vintage danceteria Schroeder Hall on eBay last spring for nearly a half-mil, he decided to put The Parish up for sale alongside eBay’s treasure trove of classic Tom Petty CDs, old sock puppets and Exploding Kittens. No word on whether they’ll guarantee three-day delivery.
< NUTELLA CRAZE CAUSES XMAS TREE SHORTAGE
We are not making this up. Boise Weekly revealed that many Northwest Pacific Christmas tree growers have stopped planting firs in favor of hazelnut trees, the fruits of which, when magically blended with chocolate, make Nutella so darn delicious. After a glut of trees in the Christmas season of 2011-’12 made prices plummet, a lot of growers switched to the more-profitable hazelnut. “Apparently Chinese people really love Nutella,” said Linda Schramm, co-owner of North End Organic Nursery (NEON). Schramm added that the dwindling supply spurred her to frantically scramble to secure enough trees for this year’s customers. After much haranguing and searching throughout the spring, Schramm was able to nail down a source. Consumers are likely to feel the pinch as Christmas approaches. Schramm said by around Dec. 10 last year, most places were sold out of trees, and those that were available were far more expensive than in years past; this year, she predicts supply and prices will be similarly affected. Well, if they can’t have Christmas trees, at least they’re close enough to Oregon to celebrate with those other green plants everyone loves. (It’s weed, dude.)
< SUGAR PLUMS AND RAT TRAPS In a story with a headline so magical, we had to have it for our very own, City Pulse of Lansing, Michigan reports one local production of The Nutcracker has found an intriguing way to keep the old classic fresh, in a manner of speaking: Kill the Rat King in new and imaginative ways, of course. (Of course.) “…[T]he Capital Ballet Theatre is in its 37th year of non-repeating rat extermination,” writer Lawrence Cosentino deadpans. The play, beloved by young, old, jaded and damnably cheerful alike, offers more than myriad demises of royal rats—most will fondly recall the strains of Tchaikovsky, Sugar Plum Fairy pirouettes, the sweet, sleepy Clara. But the allure of a new method of cessation for the vile Rat King—not to be confused with an actual rat king; Google if you DARE—is so intriguing, one imagines it makes for quite the topic of conversation among the audience. And, yes, we did have nightmares about rat kings. Google is a dangerous place.
< JIMMIE VAUGHAN TAKES GUITAR LESSONS? Though some would say being of guitar royalty exempts one from paying others to tell you how to play, 66-year-old Jimmie Vaughan, older brother of the late Stevie Ray, tells the Dallas Observer he still takes lessons. More than 50 years after he became known around Dallas as a 13-year-old guitar prodigy (guess it runs in the family), Vaughan continues gigging and learning; he’s just put out a new album, Live at C-Boy’s. The album has a jazzy, bluesy sound and includes covers of works by Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown and Smokey Smothers and “a jazzy instrumental version” of The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love.” The record draws from his Dallas roots, but it’s also new territory for Vaughan—it’s the first recording of him leading a Hammond B-3 organ trio. May we all be so brave and humble should we ever get to the top! 12 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | DECEMBER 6-12, 2017
WILL FLORIDA BECOME
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CHANCES? Parallel efforts underway to RESTORE CIVIL RIGHTS to ex-offenders The state of Florida is among the handful of states that don’t automatically restore civil rights to nonviolent felony offenders after they pay their debts to society. Activists here are trying to change the law for “returning citizens” by amending the Florida Constitution. Devin Coleman of Jacksonville and his fellow rights-restoration advocates tell us why we should care. THE PRISONER, THE POET Thirty-nine-year-old Devin Coleman is a poet, publisher, father, breadwinner and lay minister to prisoners. He’s also an ex-felon. It takes a while for Coleman to warm up to our conversation, and even longer for me to see him smile. His grin belies a much younger spirit, a bit of the happygo-lucky college student—before his incarceration for hurting someone in a fight at a party that got out of hand, before his violation of parole. CONTINUED NEXT PAGE >>>
STORY BY
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IN FLORIDA, ONE OF THE CONSEQUENCES of committing a felony—and of being convicted—is losing all civil rights, unless the offender is granted clemency. Those rights include serving on a jury, obtaining a state occupational or professional license, running for office, and voting. Felony convictions also bar residency under certain homeowner association rules, as well as in governmentsubsidized housing. Florida, Kentucky, Iowa and Virginia are the only four states that prohibit across-the-board all felony ex-offenders who’ve served their sentences from voting without applying for clemency. (Virginia’s governor has issued an executive order to help restore ex-offender rights.) In Florida, ex-felons are required to wait five or seven years (depending on the seriousness of the offense) after sentence completion,
Devin D. Colemann
including probation or parole, to apply to the state Clemency Board. The Florida Times Union reports the rights-restoration process takes an average of 9.2 years to complete in our state—for the tiny minority of cases actually scheduled for hearings. According to recent testimony before the state’s Constitutional Revision Commission, the Clemency Board, comprising Gov. Rick Scott and three cabinet members, schedules only 300 cases for hearing each year, out of 6,000 applications. About 10,000 applications remain perpetually backlogged. Since Gov. Scott’s inauguration in 2011, fewer than 2,500 ex-felony offenders have had their rights restored, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Prior to 2011, thenGovernor Charlie Crist worked with state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink to streamline the clemency process. During Crist’s four-year term, the Clemency Board restored civil rights for 155,315 Floridians. His predecessor, Jeb Bush, restored rights to slightly fewer than half that total, 75,000, during his eight-year term. According to the Orlando Sentinel, 1.6 million former felony offenders are currently prohibited from voting in Florida. During Gov. Scott’s Nov. 14 visit to Jacksonville, Folio Weekly asked him about his extremely low clemency numbers, relative to his predecessors’ tallies. “Well, we go through … you know, we, I follow the law of the land. My expectation is anybody that’s committed felonies, they have a time to show that they’re going to become part of society again and that’s why we go through the process of the clemency board.”
photo by Dennis Ho
“I learned I have to hold myself accountable for my actions and reactions,” he tells me at our table inside Einstein Bros. Bagels. “That’s when I started my path to personal freedom. I just had to learn how to maneuver in society, not to put myself in certain positions.” Voting rights are included in Coleman’s advocacy work now, but when he was released from prison, he had other priorities. “The priority was being able to provide for myself and to have somewhere to stay where I was safe. Those were the main priorities for me.” A felony conviction impeded him on both fronts. He found that while society generally expected him to get his life back together, individuals weren’t actually willing to give him the opportunity to do it. “I’d hear people say—and it hurt a lot—they said, ‘You need to let your pride down and go apply at Burger King.’ I did, and they turned me down. Yeah, I know I need to get a job, but tell me how to get a job with a felony on your application regardless of your qualifications.” It’s the kind of discouragement that can lead a person to believe he’s never going to get a fair shot, so why should he bother with any of society’s rules at all? “I was there,” Coleman says, describing the spiritual battle he faced during his second period of incarceration. Poems from his book, From Prisoner to Poet, delve into his battles with feelings that he was “better off dead.” “It was a tipping point for me—it all boiled down to God opening my eyes to certain things. Because of my incarceration, I had time to assess who I was. The second time I was in prison, I knew I never wanted to come back. I had to figure out what it would take—what person I had to grow into—in order to not go back in there anymore. “So I began to research who I was, and who my grandfathers were and the women they listened to. When people in my family spoke of my grandfathers, they spoke of them as being great men. I couldn’t be the one to diminish the light attached to the family name. “If there’s rejection, there’s a period of what you go through emotionally,” Coleman says, “but I can’t afford to lie down. I’ve got to progress … . I’ve got my nephews looking at me, my daughter looking at me, and I have to show them what I’m going to do. “What I had to do was prove to myself I could be a better person, and once I did that, other people came into my life … I surrounded myself with solutions-oriented people. Then the responsibility shifted and I was called to action.” Devin Coleman now wants to be a source of inspiration for incarcerated people, and he wants to use his story to elevate the cause of voting rights restoration. His message to exoffenders is one of accountability. “Decisions have consequences.”
FLORIDA’S CLEMENCY BACKLOG
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CHANCES <<< FROM PREVIOUS The affirmative duty for an ex-offender to prove one’s fitness for society, after repaying all debts to society, seems superfluous in a system that will put him or her back in prison anyway for violating any more of society’s rules. Devin Coleman contends that treating ex-offenders differently from other citizens impedes the very process of becoming part of society again. “I’ve had people say I was a second-class citizen—but I don’t believe it and I don’t feel that way. I’m a man and I take pride in my ability to provide for my family and to clear a path for those who come after me.” FW asked Gov. Scott if he would support legislation that automatically restored civil rights to those who have served their sentences. “There’s about 250 bills a year that get passed through the House and the Senate; when those get passed, I review them,” he said. On Dec. 6, Rep. Cord Byrd, a Republican from Neptune Beach, is expected to announce a proposed House bill designed to relieve Florida’s clemency backlog by creating a judicial pathway for rights restoration. Byrd’s legislation, if passed, would require felony exoffenders to notify the state attorney’s office of their intent to petition the convicting judge for rights restoration, and would grant the state the opportunity to oppose the petition. In a Nov. 29 email to his supporters, Byrd mentions “veterans, youthful offenders and victims of sex trafficking” as individuals who get caught in the criminal justice system and are thereby prevented from becoming “complete members of their communities” even after serving their sentences, until their civil rights are restored.
PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
“THEY [EX-OFFENDERS] MADE MISTAKES WHEN THEY were younger,” says Samir Gupte, Northeast Florida Regional Coordinator for the ACLU. “They get their lives back on track and we want to help them to fully realize their potential as U.S. citizens, by being able to vote, being able to serve on jury, sit on jury, get a state license, run for office—all the things that come with full citizenship.” Currently, there are two efforts to change how ex-offenders re-obtain their civil rights in Florida: a proposal to the Constitutional Revision Commission, and a voter-petition drive. In late October, the Florida Constitutional Revision Committee discussed placing a constitutional amendment on the ballot. If approved by 60 percent of voters, it would automatically restore civil rights to nonviolent felony offenders once they’ve completed their sentences, including parole and probation. Twenty-two of the Florida CRC’s 37 commissioners would have to agree to place the item on the ballot. Among those CRC commissioners is former Florida Bar President Hank Coxe, a pre-eminent Jacksonville criminal defense attorney, who chairs the CRC’s Elections & Ethics Committee. Coxe told FW that he considers the right to vote as “equal to the greatest right we have.” 16 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | DECEMBER 6-12, 2017
“I’d hear people say—and it hurt a lot—they said, ‘You need to let your pride down and go apply at Burger King.’ I did, and they turned me down. Yeah, I know I need to get a job, but TELL ME HOW TO GET A JOB WITH A FELONY on your application regardless of your qualifications.” — DEVIN COLEMAN
Asked if citizens should be worried about the variation in policy regarding rights restoration from one governor to the next, Coxe said, “Personalities and politics are subjective. When subjective standards come into play, then you’re diminishing the right to vote. Ought there be a standard by which to determine this question?” While Coxe declined to say whether he’d vote to place the rights restoration issue on the ballot, he did say, “I think the people should decide which crimes may not be eligible for automatic restoration of voting rights.” The CRC has until May 2018 to submit its final recommendations on proposed constitutional amendments. Meanwhile, the CRC has publicized a list of 103 proposals on which they’ll vote, including two that address rights restoration for ex-offenders. One proposal mirrors the language in the ballot initiative petition (see below); the other adds 11 violent felonies prohibiting automatic rights restoration, plus a blanket prohibition for felony violence or threats of violence against individuals. Meanwhile, Floridians for a Fair Democracy is pushing its #SayYesToSecondChances campaign to put the constitutional amendment on the ballot by voter petition. According to the most recently available monthly state report, Floridians for a Fair Democracy has spent $2.7 million of the $2.9 million it has raised since the political campaign committee formed in 2014. The campaign receives funding from the ACLU. The Florida Supreme Court has already unanimously authorized the proposed Amendment’s language. The text of the amendment reads, in part, “any disqualification from voting arising from a felony conviction shall terminate and voting rights shall be restored upon completion of all terms of sentence, including parole or probation.” The amendment would not apply to convicted murderers or convicted felony sex-offenders, who would still have to apply for clemency to have their rights restored. The movements to amend the state constitution are not without opposition. Richard Harrison, a Tampa attorney, has established the 501(c)(4) educational organization “Floridians for a Sensible Voting Rights Policy.” In a letter to the editor of the Tampa Bay Times , he argued that the proposed amendment would treat all nonmurder and non-sexual felonies the same,
and would usurp the evaluative process that considers clemency applications on a case-bycase basis. “… [b]lanket restoration of voting rights to nearly all felons,” Harrison wrote, “without considering the circumstances of each case, is just bad policy.” State records for Harrison’s organization lack financial reporting, but the group does have a website and Facebook page. While Harrison included some figures on recidivism in his letter, he omitted one that rights restoration advocates point to: ex-offenders whose civil rights were restored in 2009 and 2010 re-offended 11 percent of the time, compared with a 33 percent overall recidivism rate for all ex-offenders during the preceding nine years.
THE CRIME AND THE TIME
“I LEFT COLLEGE TO GO TO PRISON,” DEVIN Coleman tells me. The Ed White High School graduate and former Florida A&M University student was arrested when he was 21 years old, at a house party where a fight broke out, and where a VCR, a beeper and some CDs were reported as missing. Coleman was quick to take responsibility for injuring another person—in hindsight, too quick. “It was my ignorance of the criminal justice system,” he says, refusing to blame the overworked public defender for the outcome. He regrets his decision to not hire a private attorney, the one who told him he could probably get the charges knocked down to misdemeanors. Instead, Coleman ended up pleading to two felonies, and spent two-anda-half years locked up. The person he injured recovered completely, albeit with medical bills tallying less than $1,000—including the $400 ambulance ride. “I violated somebody,” he says. “For that I was wrong.” Coleman served two sentences totaling about four years—the first for the original crimes, the second for violating parole. “The correctional officers and other individuals inside wondered why I was there.” He remembers their words. “‘This dude ain’t supposed to be here.’ Even the transporter shook his head.” After finishing the last few months of his first, two-and-a-half-year sentence in a
work camp in Gainesville, the young man was released. He tried to start over again, and looked forward to attending the University of North Florida, which accepted him conditioned on his parole completion. Instead, Coleman got arrested for a misdemeanor. It was 2005, the height of law-and-order politics, the zero-tolerance years, when he was incarcerated again. “Had I not been on [parole], I’d have spent the night in jail and been out the next morning. My probation officer advocated for me. “My mistake cost me more because of policy and politics,” he says of the system, which incarcerates disproportionate numbers of minorities, particularly black men like him. “But I can’t afford to get caught up in all that. I’m a single dad, raising a daughter.” His work in rights restoration, he says, is for her future. “My daughter is growing up. I’ve got to change it.” During that second stint in Gulf Correctional Institute, Devin Coleman himself grew up.
“PICK UP A BOOK.”
COLEMAN RECALLS HIS TIME AT GCI. “I’M MAD. I’M supposed to be in college. I’d say, ‘Y’all took me away from college.’” One day, a white correctional officer got tired of hearing it. “Pick up a book,” the CO said. “Pick up and read a book.” “That opened my mind,” says Coleman, adding that he wishes he could remember the CO’s name so he could send him a thank-you note. Coleman read everything he could get his hands on: novels by John Grisham, James Patterson, Jackie Collins and K’wan. Also on his reading list were Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell; Farrah Gray’s Reallionaire and the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series by Robert T. Kiyosaki. He also picked up a book on publishing. “When I felt like people couldn’t hear what I was saying,” he says, “I realized I could write.” Some time after he started writing, Coleman received what he calls his “nomination”—his calling from God. “My grandmother never got to see me here,” he says, shaking his head in regret. She died while he was still in prison, sending him into an emotional tailspin.
CONTINUED NEXT PAGE >>>
DECEMBER 6-12, 2017 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 17
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CHANCES <<< FROM PREVIOUS “I was on a seesaw,” he says. “Every day was a challenge.” Someone in prison suggested that he talk to a mutual acquaintance, another prisoner. “His grandma had just passed, and he was on his own. He had no one else in the world.” Coleman didn’t know what to say to him. “I gave him the poems I wrote,” he says. “We sat on my bunk, shedding tears. He was. I was … . Then I saw the power of being able to communicate things we want to bottle up.” There on bunk No. A147 Single at Gulf Correctional Institute, Devin Coleman realized the power of the written word, and the power of human connection that words provide. In poems, he could speak the unspeakable, and beat down his demons. His faith grew, as did his sense of purpose in the world. “It forced me to think outside myself,” he says. His book, Prisoner to Poet: Thoughts of an Incarcerated Soul, was born. An entire section of the book is dedicated to his grandmother.
•
•
•
WE BREAK FOR A MINUTE, STRETCH OUR LEGS, AND get another cup of coffee. As I head to the row of urns to refill my cup, Coleman asks, “Do we have to pay again?” I stop dead in my tracks. While I can take for granted that Einstein’s allows free refills, such assumptions are a luxury Coleman doesn’t have. “Can we get some more?” I ask the young woman at the counter, holding up my cup. “Oh, yeah, refills are free,” she says, nodding. Only then would Coleman get more coffee.
THE PETITION DRIVE
EX-OFFENDER AND LAW SCHOOL GRADUATE Desmond Meade is president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, state director of the Live Free campaign, and chairman of Floridians for a Fair Democracy. Meade, who hails from Miami, has dedicated much of his life to fighting for criminal justice reform. He’s been featured in numerous national articles and has appeared on several TV outlets, including MSNBC with Joy Ann Reid. Meade visited Florida Coastal School of Law in October to speak about the petition to put the rights-restoration amendment on the November 2018 ballot. On Nov. 1, Meade told Florida Politics that the movement has gathered more than 900,000 petitions to place the Voter Restoration Amendment on the November 2018 ballot. As of this writing, only 442,969 of those signatures have been reported as “verified” on the state website. To get a citizen-driven initiative on the ballot, organizers must obtain 766,200 verified signatures from across Florida’s 27 Congressional districts, following proportionality requirements for each district. Meade contends the ballot item will have more than 1 million signatures by year’s end. “We know the fallout rate is about 30 percent,” said Gupte of the number of petitions that won’t be verifiable. Gupte says that the people he encounters during petition drives fall into three categories: those in favor who sign immediately, those who flatly oppose it, and those who are undecided. 18 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | DECEMBER 6-12, 2017
“[T]here’s this mash in the middle who don’t know that people who have paid their debt to society can’t vote,” Gupte says. “We convert more of those in the middle than we don’t. When we have a chance to talk cogently about the issue, we find we resonate with them.”
“WHEN MY WIFE RAN FOR OFFICE … I COULDN’T EVEN VOTE FOR HER.”
MEADE DESCRIBED HIMSELF TO HIS AUDIENCE at Florida Coastal as a “returning citizen,” formerly homeless, and a former drug addict. He served time in Florida’s prison system for possessing a firearm as a felon, which related back to previous cocaine possession charges. Meade acknowledges what he did was wrong—that it went against everything he was taught in his family while he was growing up. As for the manner in which he turned around his life, he said, “It’s a story of overcoming obstacles.” After completing a rigorous drug rehabilitation program in Miami, Meade earned his associate’s and bachelor’s degrees, finishing in 2010. He enrolled at Florida International University College of Law shortly thereafter, graduating in May 2013. “I stand here as a living testimony … that no matter where you are in life, given the opportunity and having the dedication, the commitment, that you can overcome anything.” He paused to let the audience applaud. It’s hard not to be moved by both his story and his gift for telling it. “But, at the end of the day, when I graduated law school,” Meade said, “I could not sit for The Florida Bar. And the reason I couldn’t sit for The Florida Bar, unfortunately, is because I am counted as one of 1.6 million people in the state of Florida who have permanently lost their civil rights because of a prior felony conviction. “There are other collateral consequences associated with this thing as well,” he told the crowd. “I have a wife and five kids. Because my civil rights have not been restored, I also face restrictions in housing. There are a lot of HOAs that will prevent me from renting or owning a house until my civil rights are restored. And so I’m prevented from buying safe and affordable housing for my family. “[L]ast but not least, I can’t vote. The hardest time of really realizing that was last election cycle, when my wife ran for office to be state representative, in the Florida House, and I couldn’t even vote for her.” Sheena Meade lost the race for Florida House District 46 in the 2016 Democratic primary. Gupte says the right to vote is one of the dignities that give returning citizens a bigger stake in our society which, in turn, encourages them to remain law-abiding citizens. “Giving ex-offenders back their citizenship will make us a safer society, and it’s the right thing to do,” Gupte explained. “The recidivism rate for ex-offenders who have had their voting rights restored is lower—so there’s less of a chance they’ll go back to prison.” Gupte contends that restoring ex-felons to full citizenship saves money that society would otherwise spend in the criminal justice and prison systems. “It makes communities safer, and it costs less.” 2011 Parole Commission report may confirm Gupte’s assertion: The recidivism rate for ex-offenders overall, from 2000 to 2008, was 33 percent. But among those who had their rights restored in 2009 and 2010, only 11 percent of individuals reoffended and were returned to state custody by May 2011.
VOTER SUPPRESSION, RACE AND PARTISANSHIP VOTER SUPPRESSION IS A TOUCHY SUBJECT IN Florida, and for good reason. During the 2000 presidential race between George W. Bush and Al Gore, Jacksonville’s Supervisor of Elections threw out 26,000 over-marked “butterfly” ballots. Nine thousand of those discarded ballots had been cast in precincts that comprised 98 percent AfricanAmerican voters. Voting rights became a hot-button racial issue again in 2012, when Gov. Scott shortened the early voting period in Florida, ending it on the Saturday before Election Day instead of Sunday. Early voting, including “Souls to the Polls” Sundays, is generally considered beneficial
to Democrats, who depend on strong African-American turnout for wins. Many media accounts note the felony-conviction prohibition against voting was added to the constitution in 1868, during Reconstruction, and they characterize it as a vestige of Jim Crow, which further drives the racial narrative surrounding the rights restoration issue. It’s well-established that minorities are disproportionately subject to police encounters due to the geography of structural inequality. A recent landmark investigation, “Bias on the Bench,” has also revealed deep racial biases in sentencing in Florida. Ex-offender disenfranchisement affects African Americans disproportionately; the Brennan Center reports one-third of disenfranchised voters in Florida are African American, while Florida’s population comprises only 16 percent African Americans.
Meade, however, cautions the public against thinking about felony voter rights restoration in racial or partisan terms. The felony prohibition against voting affects far more white people in Florida. If 33 percent of our disenfranchised citizens, or 528,000 of 1.6 million, are black, then 67 percent, i.e., twice as many, or 1,072,000, are not black. Thus, the issue affects twice as many non-black people as black people in our state. Meade challenges our racial and partisan preconceptions about ex-offenders. “Are we saying only Democrats commit crimes?” He contends that rights restoration decisions should never involve an individual’s race or political affiliation. Meade also cautions against the typical mental image of a felon, the Willie Horton stereotype of scary black men, mostly murderers or violent criminals. After all,
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“Well, we go through … you know, we, I FOLLOW THE LAW OF THE LAND. My expectation is anybody that’s committed felonies, they have a time to show that they’re going to become part of society again and that’s why we go through the process of the clemency board.” — GOV. RICK SCOTT
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CHANCES <<< FROM PREVIOUS tampering with vehicle odometers, releasing helium balloons or disturbing sea turtle nests, he reminds us, are just a few of the odd ways anyone can become a felony offender in Florida. One thing’s for sure: The policies that govern our criminal justice system aren’t likely to change without input by those who have been personally affected by that system, and those individuals—former felons—need rights restoration in order to make their voices heard.
REDEMPTION?
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DEVIN COLEMAN’S RETURN TO CITIZENSHIP BEGAN 11 years ago. “It’s 2017, and I’m still fighting the state in some aspects. People treat me different,” he says. Asked if he’s started the process toward rights restoration, he says, “I want to.” Coleman declined to identify his current employer for the purposes of this article. After his college plans were interrupted once again by his parole violation, he eventually finished his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at Edward Waters College, specializing in organizational management. He also started a publishing company, Sister & Sampson Publishing, named in homage to his grandmother. “[My conviction] affected my family. It affected my community. It affected my ability to directly affect others. I had people who didn’t accept me. “That’s irregardless of the things you’ve done to change your life. It’s who you were, not who you are.” Gupte believes that faith brings many people to support the cause of felony rights restoration in Florida. “Christians, and we have a lot in this state, believe in second chances.” Gupte shares a belief in God, and sees beauty in all religions, but isn’t driven by spirituality to restore ex-offender voting rights. “It’s more driven by fairness and justice,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense that someone
has paid their debt to society and we still make them pay.” Meade, by contrast, considers “second chances” as inherent to the Christian concept of “grace.” He quotes Jesus of Nazareth’s words to the Penitent Thief, one of the criminals with whom He was crucified: “Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with Me in paradise.” Meade puts the emphasis on “today” when he quotes the Bible, emphasizing that while getting clemency in Florida is a long shot that takes years, Jesus forgave instantly. And he notes Jesus never asked the condemned man what crime he had committed. Coleman credits his faith with bringing him forward during his past 11 years of honorable, law-abiding work and family life. “The whole Bible is about being led by the Lord,” Coleman says. “Some of the figures in the Bible—would they be allowed to grow in this day and age? Not into perfection, but progression?” “I pray,” he says. “I listen to spiritual messages every day. I have a couple people who hold me accountable, and I hold them accountable.” To those who would reject him from full citizenship in society, he says, “Don’t judge the sentence, judge the body of work.” He leans forward in his chair, shifting from the spiritual to the pragmatic. “The pool of people with nothing on their back—it’s getting smaller and smaller,” he says, referring to the diminishing number of people who have never had a brush with the law. Most people in prison, he adds, will come home eventually. “Let’s hope we have a means in place so they can be fully functioning in society.” Devin Coleman compares a felony conviction’s affect on a family to a devastating hurricane. “Their storms affect other people like Irma affected Jacksonville. After Irma, everybody pitched in, everyone helped. And we look at the lessons and figure out how to better prepare.” “When we talk about post-incarceration, we understand that we are a nation built on second chances,” he says. “We rebuild.” Julie Delegal mail@folioweekly.com _____________________________________ Claire Goforth contributed to this article.
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FOLIO A + E I
f you came of age in Florida the ’80s or early ’90s, professional wrestling probably changed your life. Hulk Hogan’s blonde moustache, “Macho Man” Randy Savage’s sunglasses and Andre the Giant’s imposing 550-pound girth transformed from sideshow spectacles into era-defining cultural signifiers, shaping performance art, reality television and guerrilla art for decades to come. But as Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling (WCW) organizations splintered and steroids, scripts and senseless injuries eroded faith in pro wrestling, the sport moved back to the regional, independent shadows from whence it came. Which is exactly where Northeast Florida heavy Tony Weinbender likes it. The co-founder of No Idea Records and longtime curator of punk rock’s epic The Fest, held each November in Gainesville, began booking wrestlers in 2016; within a year, Fest Wrestling has become its own stand-alone draw. “We’re coming at it with a punk rock, DIY ethos,” Weinbender told Folio Weekly. “We all love throwing big parties, and our wrestling shows aren’t stuffy. Nobody is sitting in their chairs slamming Mountain Dews. Our shows are wild and fun–we threw all the traditional WWE-style rules out the window. In fact, since nobodyy showed us hhow ow ttoo do a w wrestling rest re stliling ng sshow, how ho w,
we don’t even know what rules we’re breaking. We just said, ‘Fuck it, let’s do this.’” First introduced to wrestlers via a third-party promoter, Weinbender quickly put his booking skills to work networking with competitors from around the nation. Minneapolis’ Eric Cannon helped next, walking Weinbender and his team through what kinds of personalities would mesh best with the vision for Fest Wrestling. In much the same way that thousands of punk bands rave about Fest, the wrestlers quickly did the same. “A lot of them said, ‘You fed me and actually paid me, and you didn’t boss me around, and you wanted to creatively sit down and talk about my ideas?’” Weinbender recalled. “In only a year, we’ve really created an awesome family of wrestlers.” And fans, too. Weinbender estimates that at least two-thirds of the audience at the past Fest Wrestling event in Gainesville weren’t wrestling fans. “Maybe they watched wrestling in middle school,” he laughed, “but now they’re freaking out, going ‘This is cool again!’” The other third of those fans consist of what Weinbender calls diehard independent wrestling fanatics, who regularly drive from Orlando, Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami to follow matches. “The feedback we’ve gotten from them is that what we’re doing is fun,” Weinbender said. “It’s innovative, fresh, not pret pr pretentious. eten entitiou ouss. W We’re e re nnot e’ ot aafraid frai fr aidd to m make akee yo ak youu
FILM Two ’50s Westerns FILM Three Billboards… Review ARTS Nate Cary's Skateable LIVE + LOCAL MUSIC CALENDAR
laugh and at the same time say, ‘Holy shit!’ every five minutes.” That’s because of Fest Wrestling’s unique setup: intergender matches, with every bout building up to a grand finale championship. No racism, sexism, nationalism or homophobia allowed (“You’re never gonna hear a ‘USA’ chant at Fest Wrestling,” Weinbender said. “Just because someone’s brown doesn’t mean they’re bad.”) Triple Threat matches with multiple competitors pounding it out at the same time. Popular characters like Su Young, the current reigning champ; Heidi Lovelace, who went on to become Ruby Riot in the WWE; EFFY, one of wrestling’s few openly gay characters; the Ugly Ducklings, a tag team duo of skinny kids from North Carolina notorious for starting dunk house brawls with rubber duckies; and Shane Strickland, a high-flying member of Lucha Underground. “You just can’t believe a human can be that acrobatic and athletic,” Weinbender marveled of the DEFY Wrestling champion. “If you don’t believe me, go watch any of the past Fest Wrestling matches for free on our YouTube.” Even better, the winner of the Dec. 8 Brawl at the Beach match in St. Augustine will earn a place in the Pickle in the Tree final the following day in Gainesville. What the hell is a Pickle in the Tree, you ask? Good question: “S “Seven Sev even en gguys uyys and girls compete to see who
PG. 24 PG. 26 PG. 29 PG. 31
can climb to the top of a ladder to snatch a pickle off the top of a Christmas tree hanging upside down from the ceiling,” Weinbender laughed. “It’s a play on the old Money in the Bank Christmas tradition, but nobody’s ever done a match like this.” Which, again, is precisely the point with Fest Wrestling. Don’t expect tired jockjam soundtracks between fights; instead, Gainesville’s Los Mermers will be performing surf versions of punk classics while wearing lucha libre masks. Think everything’s scripted? Think again. “We set the match card and let the wrestlers do what they do,” Weinbender said. “The average wrestler is walking away from a Fest Wrestling match sore, beat up and broken, but they love it so much. The crowd goes nuts and the wrestlers feed off the crowd, going through tables and chairs. We’ve had dog-collar matches where two wrestlers are going at it while tied together by a 20-inch chain. We’ve had fans bring party weapons—Fest Wrestling is probably the first time there’s been a dildo fight.” “Nobody ever leaves and says, ‘I’ve seen better,’” Weinbender finished. “Everyone who leaves a Fest Wrestling match says, ‘That was amazing—when’s the next show?’” Nick McGregor mail@folioweekly.com
SHOW ’EM THE
ROPES Gainesville’s Fest Wrestling expands to St. Augustine and CHANGES THE PARADIGM on independent wrestling
22 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | DECEMBER 6-12, 2017
photo courtesy Speedy Productions
BRAWL BY THE BEACH
7:30 p.m. Dec. 8, St. Augustine Amphitheatre’s Backyard, 1340 A1A S., $20-$25, 203-0367, staugamphitheatre.com
DECEMBER 6-12, 2017 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 23
FOLIO A+E : MAGIC LANTERNS
J
ust dropped in glorious high-definition DVDs are two decidedly curious Westerns from the 1950s, possibly the greatest decade of the Western in the history of film. Though neither Gun Fury nor Flaming Star would ever qualify as “classics,” they still serve the genre well and, particularly in hindsight, are worthy of rediscovery and attention. Gun Fury (1953) stars Rock Hudson near the start of his long career, one of his earliest starring roles after 21 films beginning only five years before—several Westerns, terns ns, including the true classic Winchester ’73 and Bend of the River (both with James Stewart). In addition, Gun Fury was made in 3D, reproduced beautifully on the Twilight Time disc. Hudson’s costar is Donna Reed, who won an Oscar the same year for From Here to Eternity, released three months before Fury. Though she’s predictably good in the Western as the damsel in distress, it’s quite a comedown from the WWII epic. The plot is standard fare. Hudson plays Ben Warren, a California rancher and Civil War vet whose fiancée an ncé céee Jennifer (Reed) is kidnapped naapp ped ed by an outlaw band who o leave leeav ave Ben for dead. Frank Slayton ayytto on (Phil Carrey) heads thee gang, backed by partner err Jess (Leo Gordon). Like Ben, Frank made it through the war, but on the losing side. Like John Carradine’s character in the original all Stagecoach, he aspires— in the guise of a genteel Southerner—to court the unwilling Miss Ballard. Ben’s not dead and is soon in hot pursuit. Where Fury deviates from the usual oaters of the time is its focus on the relationship between the outlaw partners who are soon at each other’s throats. Jess is trussed up and left for dead by Frank but eventually rescued by Ben, teaming up with his original victim to track down his ex-partner. The most interesting characters by far are the outlaws; Carrey and Gordon get the plum roles. Carrey’s greatest success came later on TV, starring as Asa Buchanan from 1984-2008 in the long-running soaper One Life to Live. Gordon also had a long career, particularly on TV, almost always playing the heavy. He has one of those faces—easily recognized, but damned if you can remember the name. Among the many other nostalgic pleasures of Fury is the presence of Lee Marvin and Neville Brand as lesser, nastier Slayton Gang members. Watching Marvin in particular, you can see the qualities that would make him a star and an Oscar-winner. Finally, and perhaps most important, Fury is directed by Raoul Walsh, whose 52-year directorial stint included classics: The Roaring Twenties, High Sierra, They Died with Their Boots On and John Wayne’s debut The Big Trail. Though never nominated for an Oscar, Walsh—like contemporaries John Ford and Howard Hawks—was one of the greats. Not all of his films were classics, but they weren’t dull. Fury demonstrates that.
In 1960, fresh out of the U.S. Army, Elvis Presley had two films released in little more than a month. G.I. Blues (a bland prototype of most of Elvis’ dreadful pics) included 14 songs recorded in three days. It was a big hit. A month later, Flaming Star, a much better movie and a Western, hit the screen. Tepid success, compared to the Blues. As Julie Kirgo points out in her excellent liner notes for Twilight Time’s release of Flaming Star, Colonel Parker used the films’ box-office receipts to convince Elvis his film career trajectory aimed at musical tripe, not drama. Poor decision tripe tr aartistically, but not financially. Elvis is quite good in Star, playing half-breed Pacer Burton, son of a white rancher (John McIntire) and his Indian wife (Dolores del Rio). With his white stepbrother Clint (Steve Forrest), Pacer deals with suspicion and outright hatred from white neighbors when an Indian uprising takes a deadly toll. Torn between two worlds (warring Kiowa claim him as their own), own) Pacer struggles to ow fi nd find n his place, the final disruption precipitated d sr di by by his mother’s accidental death by a ac white settler. In the w end, though, there’s e not really one side or another for the tragic Pacer. As he says—Elvis delivering the lines with conviction— “I don’t know who’s my people. Maybe I don’t got any.” Star was directed by Don Siegel, Sam Peckinpah’s and Clint Eastwood’s mentor. In fact, Eastwood’s Western masterpiece Unforgiven is dedicated to Siegel and Sergio Leone. Siegel’s deft touch is obvious in the pacing, action and performances of all involved, especially Elvis. If the singer had only listened to anyone besides the slick “Colonel” Parker, the hipshakin’ rocker from Tupelo might’ve followed Sinatra into cinematic respectability. Flaming Star demonstrates the sad potential of what might have been. Pat McLeod mail@folioweekly.com
Two ’50S WESTERNS still work today
THE STAR
& THE FURY
24 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | DECEMBER 6-12, 2017
NOW SHOWING CORAZON CINEMA & CAFÉ Victoria and Abdul and Faces Places screen. Throwback Thursday runs Christmas With The Kranks, noon Dec. 7 & 6 p.m. Dec. 10. Only the Brave and The Florida Project start Dec. 8. La Vie en Rose runs noon Dec. 9. 36 Granada St., St. Augustine, 697-5736, corazoncinemaandcafe.com. SUN-RAY CINEMA Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Minnesota; The Florida Project, Loving Vincent and Blade of the Immortal screen. The Disaster Artist starts Dec. 8; Greg Sestero appears Dec. 9. Star Wars: The Last Jedi starts Dec. 14. 1028 Park St., 359-0049, sunraycinema.com. IMAX THEATER The Polar Express, Amazing Mighty Micro Monsters, Amazon Adventure and Justice League screen. Dunkirk is on a limited run. Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens Dec. 14. St. Augustine, 940-4133, worldgolfimax.com.
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FOLIO A+E : FILM
SIGNS OF
Bungled investigation and questions of justice secondary to mother’s pain in film teeming with SUBTLETY AND UNEXPECTED HUMOR
OUR TIMES
I
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to ask her to take the billboards down because n many ways, Three Billboards Outside by this point, the town has rallied against her Ebbing, Missouri defies description, and (I told you the movie defies convention!). He that’s a good thing. Part dark comedy, gives her a nice, well-reasoned speech, saying part drama, it challenges expectations and sympathetic things about plot points that are convention and is richly better because of it. not essential to reveal here. Mildred retorts It’s Oscar season, and if you’re looking for a with a stern ferocity that only an actress the title likely to be on people’s lips over the next caliber of McDormand could muster. Mildred few months, look no further. doesn’t yell, but she does use the “Bloods” Frances McDormand stars as Mildred, a bitter woman with little hope for improvement. and “Crips” from L.A. gang life as part of her She has a right to be angry: Her ex-husband rationale. By the end, even if you don’t agree Charlie (John Hawkes) used to beat her and with her, you wouldn’t dare disagree with now has a 19-year-old girlfriend (Samara her. Another Oscar nomination is likely in Weaving). More important, McDormand’s near future—it Mildred’s daughter Angela would be her fifth nomination THREE BILLBOARDS (she won for Fargo in 1996). (Kathryn Newton) was burned, OUTSIDE EBBING, raped and murdered seven The supporting cast is MISSOURI months ago and the assailant excellent as well, including **** is still free. Frustrated, and no Harrelson, Hawkes, Peter Rated R longer capable of holding in Dinklage as Mildred’s sort of her searing emotional pain, love interest and Sam Rockwell Mildred has an idea: Utilize the three unused, as a racist momma’s boy cop. They all perfectly dilapidated billboards in her town to send understand the pitch and tone of McDonagh’s a stern message to Police Chief William script, and are proficient at both the humorous Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), who’s made and dramatic moments. It is unlikely you will little progress on the murder investigation. see a finer ensemble this year, and Rockwell in Surprisingly, writer/director Martin particular stands out because his character has McDonagh’s movie is about a lot more than a a larger arc than the others. murder investigation and incompetent police. More than anything, Three Billboards In fact, Willoughby isn’t incompetent at all. Outside Ebbing, Missouri has personality. One of the real pleasures of this film is how McDonagh’s direction is notably accomplished the story unfolds in wildly unexpected ways, for a man making only his third feature film: each scene brimming with sharp writing and The pacing is steady and sure, the story twists terrific performances. are legit surprises, and the dark humor is For example, there’s a scene in which laugh-out-loud funny without being morbid. Mildred comes home to find her son This is one of the best movies of the year. Robbie (Lucas Hedges) sitting with Father Dan Hudak Montgomery (Nick Searcy). The priest is there mail@folioweekly.com
DECEMBER 6-12, 2017 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 27
ARTS + EVENTS PERFORMANCE
CHRISTMAS CAROL Bruce Allen Scudder’s holiday show takes the tale of Scrooge and adds humor and music. And Tod Booth is Scrooge! 7:50 p.m. Dec. 6-10, 12-17 & 19-24, 1:15 p.m. Dec. 6, 7, 9, 13, 16, 20 & 23; 1:50 p.m. Dec. 10, 17 & 24 at Alhambra Theatre & Dining, 12000 Beach Blvd., Southside, $49.95-$57, 641-1212, alhambrajax.com. AN EVENING OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS’ ONE ACTS Staged by A Classic Theatre, the complex one-acts are The Fat Man’s Wife, The Pink Bedroom, Why Do You Smoke So Much, Lily?, Something Unspoken, Lady of Larkspur Lotion and Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8 & 9 & 2 p.m. Dec. 10 at Lincolnville Museum & Cultural Center, 102 MLKing Ave., St. Augustine, $20, aclassictheatre.org. ANNIE Tony-winning Broadway musical about our favorite redheaded orphan is staged through Dec. 17 at Northeast Florida Conservatory, 11363 San Jose Blvd., Mandarin, $20, nfconservatory.org. COMMUNITY NUTCRACKER The 26th annual Community Nutcracker, blending music and dance to tell the classic tale of one magic Christmas Eve (when rats attack!) is staged 8 p.m. Dec. 8 and 1 & 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9 at The Florida Theatre, 128 E. Forsyth St., Downtown, 355-2787, $30-$52.50, floridatheatre.com. THE ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS SHOW The Annual Holiday Variety Show & Christmas Pageant at St. Everybody’s NonDenominational Universalist Church is here! A heartwarming tale staged 8 p.m. Thur.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. through Dec. 17 at 716 Ocean Blvd., Atlantic Beach; 249-7177, abettheatre.com. A CELEBRATION OF JEWISH COMPOSERS & THEMES The Civic Orchestra of Jacksonville, conducted by Dr. Marguerite Richardson, performs a range of works by Jewish composers, 3 p.m. Dec. 10 at Jacksonville Jewish Center, 3662 Crown Point Rd., Mandarin, 268-5292, free, jjcjax.org. NORTH FLORIDA WOMEN’S CHORALE The chorus of 35 treble voices sings Cradle Songs & Carols, lullabies and carols and holds a sing-along, 3 p.m. Dec. 10 at Community Presbyterian Church, 150 Sherry Dr., Atlantic Beach, free, womenschorale.org. HIR Isaac, back from war to take care of his ailing father, finds a household in revolt. The insurgent: Mom. Staged 8 p.m. Dec. 8, 9, 15 & 16; 2 p.m. Dec. 10 & 17 at The 5 & Dime, A Theatre Company, 112 E. Adams St., 637-5100, $17, Downtown, the5anddime.org. SOUNDS OF THE SEASON The St. Augustine Orchestra performs its annual concert 8 p.m. Dec. 8 at River House, 179 Marine St., $22 18 and older; $12 for ages 11-17; free for kids under 10, staugustineorchestra.org. SPOILED MILK & BURNT COOKIES Douglas Anderson School of the Arts ninth-grader Lana Noreen Taylor wrote this tale of four sisters on Christmas Day; they learn the Christmas story, singing and dancing staying with Grandma, 6 p.m. Dec. 9 & 10 at Coastal Baptist Church, 750 Girvin Rd., spoiledmilkandburntcookies.com. JOSEPH & THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT A tale of wardrobe magic and family tricks. 8 p.m. Dec. 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22; 2 & 8 p.m. Dec. 16 & 23; 2 p.m. Dec. 17
at Players by The Sea, 106 N. Sixth St., Jax Beach, $25-$28, 249-0289, playerbytheseas.org.
CLASSICAL + JAZZ
VOICES OF CHRISTMAS PAST The St. Augustine Music Festival offers the free concert, with harpsichordist Webb Wiggins and Stetson Baroque, a chamber ensemble of vocalists and cello, playing music from around the world with roots in the past. Selections are from 15th-century France, traditional Burgundian carols and 16th-century English favorites. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9 at St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church, 37 Lovett St., 829-8828, staugustinemusicfestival.org. A courtyard reception follows, weather permitting. MATTHEW HALL The pianist performs every Thur., Fri. & Sat. at Corner Bistro/Glass Hat Piano Bar & Grill, 9823 Tapestry Park Cir., Southside, 619-1931.
COMEDY
GAME GRUMPS LIVE! Arin and Danny play games, make jokes and do a Q&A, 8 p.m. Dec. 8 at The Florida Theatre, Downtown, $25-$69.69, floridatheatre.com. JOE TORRY Torry is all over TV, in shows and in ads, being funny or dramatic–whatever’s needed. He appears 7:30 & 10 p.m. Dec. 8 & 9 at The Comedy Club of Jacksonville, 11000 Beach Blvd., Southside, 646-4277, $21-$50, jacksonvillecomedy.com. SPANKY BROWN The ubiquitous Mr. Brown is on 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6 & 7, 8:30 p.m. Dec. 8, 8 & 9:45 p.m. Dec. 9 at The Comedy Zone, 3130 Hartley Rd., Mandarin, $15-$18, 292-4242, comedyzone.com. According to the Comedy Zone calendar, Brown appears most nights in December; Russ Nagel is in on Dec. 28, 29 & 30.
CALLS & WORKSHOPS
FIRST WEDNESDAY ART WALK 2018 The deadline to apply is Dec. 8, $35, bit.ly/2yCaxHK. JACKSONVILLE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT The JIA Arts Commission invites artists to apply for temporary exhibition for 2018’s four quarters, jiaarts.org. SANTA FE COLLEGE The college seeks artists for its annual springtime arts celebration; $25 to apply, Dec. 31 deadline; raul.villarreal@sfcollege.edu, zapplication.org. JACKSONVILLE MINI-MAKER FAIRE Groups or individuals interested in presenting projects, hobbies, experiments and DIY spirit may apply for the MOSH-sponsored event. Deadline Feb. 28, jacksonvillemakerfaire.com.
ART WALKS + MARKETS
FIRST WEDNESDAY ART WALK The Spirit of Giving clearly means shopping your brains out, and much here is local and small, so you buy a singular object, plus support a real person in the community. Downtown Art Walk is 5-9 p.m. Dec. 6, with more than 60 venues, live music, restaurants, galleries, museums, businesses and hotspots (some open after 9 p.m.) spanning 15 blocks Downtown Jacksonville. iloveartwalk.com. RIVERSIDE ARTS MARKET Themed “How to Holiday,” with Santa photo ops (benefits Friends of Jax Animals), music
WATERFRONT MAGIC
The 15th annual WHITEY’S FISH CAMP BOAT PARADE floats along, starting at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 9 on Doctors Inlet; all proceeds benefit Safe Animal Shelter, whiteysfishcamp.com.
28 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | DECEMBER 6-12, 2017
FOLIO A+E : ARTS
S
SPINNING HIS
kateboarding in Northeast Florida has a long and colorful history dating back to the 1970s, with the legendary Kona and Emerson Skateparks at the epicenter as retail spots like Nicotine and, later, The Block Skate Supply catering to generation after generation. While Kona’s fabled ramps and rails offer a point of commonality for the city’s skate scene, the real heart and soul of the sport has been on the streets, where skaters risk life, limb and legal action to practice their craft on curbs, stairs and benches, bounding over really solid obstacles across the region. This aspect of the craft has been documented, primarily, over the past year by Nate Cary, aka Able, a music producer and skateboarder whose online Able Skate Mag has quickly become the media outlet of record for skaters and fans alike. “When I was in middle school, I had a print skate magazine called FREE,” he said. “I did the same thing then that I’m doing now. Now I’m just doing it for a larger audience.” His use of drone photography has added a new dimension to the genre’s traditional methodology, adding a dense, hyperkinetic flair that ably reflects the dynamic tension of all those bodies in motion. Connecting with Folio Weekly through Facebook, Able walked us through the past, present and exciting future of Northeast Florida’s skate scene.
WHEELS
FW: Give me a brief rundown on the history of skating in Northeast Florida. How long have you been involved in it? Nate Cary: I’ve been living in Jacksonville for 20 years, but even before I got here, I’d heard about guys like Mike Peterson, Clyde Singleton and Cairo Foster. Those were just some of the guys who put the Jacksonville skate scene on the map. In your estimation, how many active skaters do we have in the area right now? That’s a tough one! More and more kids are doing it each year. I’m just going to throw out a guess of close to 10,000. How long as Able Skate Mag been operational? How long were you planning it before the official launch date?
Nate Cary is ready, willing and ABLE
There wasn’t really any pre-planned launch—it just happened quickly. I fell while skating in August 2016, and I knew it was going to be a few weeks before it was safe to skate again. But I still wanted to stay active in the skate scene, and I figured since I was always filming and taking photos anyway, why not start a mag? The classic style of skate video involves following the skaters on your own board, holding the camera in your hands. Is it hard to get good video that way? I mainly film with a DSLR [digital singlelens reflex camera], so the hardest part is to keep the video from being too shaky. A good handle and a counterweight can go a long way. Oh, and tons of practice. Where did you get the drone? My girlfriend’s son was really into these small toy drones. I wanted to get him a new one for his birthday and decided to buy an extra one for myself so I could fly with him. It quickly became an obsession, and within six months, I owned a DJI Phantom and got Remote Pilot Certified with the FAA. Tell me about the intersection/overlap between the city’s skate and the hip hop scenes. You’ve been closely involved in both; what’s it like from your perspective? When I first moved here and got settled in with the local skate scene, all my friends were either doing grapf, break-dancing, or rapping and putting out mix tapes. I took my prior
knowledge as a musician in North Carolina and learned how to make beats for local rappers. In fact, if it wasn’t for the local hip hop scene, there wouldn’t be an “Able.” A good friend of mine at the time, Glenn Young (RIP), recognized my variety of talents and pointed at me one day and said, “You’re ‘Able’,” and the name’s stuck ever since.
Discuss some of the local music you’ve used as background in the videos. I’ve been a huge fan of Willie Evans Jr.’s music since I moved to Jacksonville. Batsauce is another amazing local artist I’ve used from time to time. Lately, I’ve gotten a beat or two from a young guy named MC Gingy. It’s all in the spirit of sharing local music I admire. When you were growing up, who were your favorite skaters locally and nationally? Who are the most exciting local skaters active right now? Mike Peterson was definitely a guy I looked up to here in Jax. He’s basically the textbook definition of [what] a pro should look like on a board. Nationally, my favs are probably the Gonz (Mark Gonzalez) and Daewon [David Song]. Those guys just have something magical. Most exciting up-and-comers? Ahh, man, I’m going to forget so many … Matt Fink, Subin Ro, Jamal Campbell, David Jordan, Bruce Tyler … Those are just some of the guys who surprise me every time I see them skate.
What’s your favorite thing about doing the mag? My favorite thing about Able Skate Mag is shining a light on the local skate scene. When a young kid gets stoked to get a trick in an edit, or gets hyped on free stickers, that’s the kind of thing that makes it worth it. I know what it’s like growing up and being hyped to get a clip in a local video, or a picture in a Thrasher “Photo Graffiti” article. It’s the kind of thing that resonates a long time. Ever had any accidents while filming? No major accidents as of yet! [Knocks on wood.] Shelton Hull mail@folioweekly.com DECEMBER 6-12, 2017 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 29
ARTS + EVENTS by The Firewater Tent Revival, Pine Forest School of the Arts, TGTG, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 9 under the Fuller Warren Bridge, 715 Riverside Ave., free admission, 389-2449, riversideartsmarket.com ST. AUGUSTINE MAKERS FEST The second annual fest showcases works of more than 40 local and regional artisans, artists, chefs, brewers, musicians and performers, exhibiting one-of-a-kind gifts, art, apparel, jewelry, home décor, artisan foods, beverages and craft beers, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Dec. 10 at Mark Lance National Guard Armory, 190 San Marco Ave., 825-1164; $1 admission. A silent auction, activities, workshops and live music are featured. Proceeds benefit St. Augustine Montessori School. ST. AUGUSTINE AMPHITHEATRE FARMERS MARKET Veggies, flowers, baked goods, handmade arts & crafts, a community booth, live music by the Free Rangers and more, 8:30 a.m.12:30 p.m. every Sat. at 1340C A1A S., staugamphitheatre. com. Admission, parking free. FERNANDINA BEACH FARMERS MARKET Every Sat., 9 a.m.-1 p.m., year round, rain or shine. North Seventh Street, Fernandina, fernandinamarketplace.com.
MUSEUMS
CRISP-ELLERT ART MUSEUM 48 Sevilla St., St. Augustine, 826-8530, flagler.edu. An opening reception for Student BFA & BA Fall Portfolio Exhibition is 5-8 p.m. Dec. 6, 7 & 8. CUMMER MUSEUM OF ART & GARDENS 29 Riverside Ave., 356-6857, cummermuseum.org. A Collector’s Eye: Celebrating Joseph Jeffers Dodge, and Mediterranea: American Art from the Graham D. Williford Collection, through Feb. 4. Bijoux Parisiens: French Jewelry from the Petit Palais, through Jan. 7. KARPELES MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY MUSEUM 101 W. First St., Springfield. Artist Drew Edward Hunter presents Drewlusions through December. MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART JACKSONVILLE 333 N. Laura St., 366-6911, mocajacksonville.unf.edu. Nicola Lopez’s A Gentle Defiance of Gravity & Form is the atrium project. Margaret Ross Tolbert: Lost Springs through December. Call & Response, through April 1. MANDARIN MUSEUM & HISTORICAL SOCIETY 11964 Mandarin Rd., mandarinmuseum.net. Civil War era artifacts recovered from the Union steamship Maple Leaf, items related to Harriet Beecher Stowe, a World War I exhibit, and displays related to the only remaining one-room schoolhouse in Duval County. MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & HISTORY 1025 Museum Cir., Southbank, 396-MOSH, themosh.org. Ancient Rome: Epic Innovators & Engineers! shows artifacts and ancient technology reconstructed with designs of the Roman Empire; through December. African Americans in WWII runs through December. MOSH and TEDxFSCJ host NASA engineer Kathleen O’Brady, Lockheed Martin engineer Chelsea Partridge, Professor of Astronomy Mike Reynolds, Made in Space CEO Andrew Rush and University of North Florida student Jennifer Ruliffson, who discuss the future of star travel, 6:30 p.m. Dec. 7, free but registration required. THE RITZ THEATRE & MUSEUM 829 N. Davis St., Downtown, 807-2010. Making Do: The African & Gullah GeeChee Connection, through Jan. 12.
GALLERIES
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ADELE GRAGE CULTURAL CENTER 716 Ocean Blvd., Atlantic Beach. The Art of Investing Part Trois-Blanton Twins Art Show, through December. BREW 5 POINTS 1024 Park St., Riverside, chipsouthworth. com. Hack in the USA- R new work by Chip Southworth, runs through Jan. 1. THE CATHEDRAL ARTS PROJECT 207 N. Laura St., Ste. 300, Downtown, madeleinewagner.com. The Labor of Learning, by artist (and FW A&E editor) Madeleine Peck Wagner, exhibits through Dec. 14. CORK ARTS DISTRICT 2689 Rosselle St., Riverside, corkartsdistrict.com. Crystal Floyd offers a succulent terrarium workshop 2-4 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. Dec. 10 in West Gallery; $45 a session. HASKELL GALLEY Jacksonville International Airport. Cafcules, Middleton & Walburn shows through January. MONYA ROWE GALLERY 4 Rohde Ave., St. Augustine, 217-0637, monyarowegallery.com. Mount of Venus, by Elise Ferguson & Caris Reid, through Dec. 22. RAIN DOGS 1045 Park St., Riverside. Funny, It’s Not Funny, new works by Tony Rodrigues, is up through January. ST. AUGUSTINE ART ASSOCIATION 22 Marine St., 824-2310, staaa.org. Fantastic Florida, Selections from the STAAA Permanent Collection and Emmett Fritz: A Centennial Collection, through December. SOUTHLIGHT GALLERY New location! 1 Independent Dr., Wells Fargo Building. December’s guest artist is Stephanie Cafcules. A party for the new space is Dec. 6 during Art Walk. SPACE 42 2670 Phyllis St., Riverside, spacefortytwo.com. Dream/Sueño/Rêve, installation by John Carr and Estée Ochoa, through January. UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA Gallery of Art 620-2534, unf.edu/gallery. The annual Faculty Exhibition runs through Dec. 8. THE VAULT at 1904 1930 San Marco Ave., 398-2890, thevaultat1930.com. Art from Around the World, new works by Susan Astleford, opens 5:30 p.m. Dec. 9.
WOLF & CUB 205 N. Laura St., Downtown, wolfandcubjax. com. For the Love of Munny, an exhibit of vinyl toys, named “Munny,” from specialty maker of designer art toys, kidrobot. Each collectable toy is designed, painted, destructed and created by Jax-based artists.
EVENTS
SPEAKER SERIES LUNCHEON The League of Women Voters’ First Wednesday series presents Bernadette Miron, discussing Charter Schools: What They Are, What They Should Be, 11:30 a.m. Dec. 6 at Seasons 52, 5096 Big Island Dr., St. Johns Town Center, 355-8683, dnmanahan@comcast.net, $20 cash/check only. FORCE FEST JEDI NIGHT Fans rabid for the opening of Episode 8 of The Last Jedi should hit this fan-produced mini-fest/con, with the largest Lightsaber battle in Duval and an appearance by Nalini Krishan, aka Jedi Barriss Offe. It’s 4-9 p.m. Dec. 8 at Jacksonville Landing, Downtown, forcefestjax.com. EVERYONE CAN CONSERVE Learn about area weather and take part in hands-on weather-related activities, 6 p.m. Dec. 6 at The Players Community Center, 175 Landrum Lane, Ponte Vedra, 209-0335. AUTHOR BOOK SIGNING Michael Wiley’s Florida noir mystery, Monument Road, set in Jacksonville, first in a series featuring Franky Dast, 5:30 p.m. Dec. 7 at Chamblin’s Uptown, 215 N. Laura St., Downtown, 674-0868, michaelwileyonline.com. CHANUKAH CELEBRATION Chabad at the Beaches holds its 15th annual celebration, a kids’ Chanukah Wonderland, fire juggling, food (dinner choices are Zahava’s falafel or kids’ hot dog meal), games and a fair; kids can wear dreidel costumes for photo ops. Family activities are 5-6 p.m. Dec. 12; the lighting of the menorah is 6 p.m. Israeli violinist Boris Savchuk performs after the lighting. The eight-day Festival of Lights starts at sundown; the free event is at Ponte Vedra Cultural Center, 50 Executive Way, 543-9301, chanukahwonderland.com. DICKENS ON CENTRE FESTIVAL Fernandina Beach’s Centre Street turns into a 19th-century Christmas village for the third annual festival, Dec. 8-10, including horse-drawn carriage rides, period vendors, themed characters, and entertainers, festive lights, holiday décor; free, ameliaisland.com. SANTA CLAUS & THE POLAR EXPRESS STEAM LOCOMOTIVE Kids meet Santa and write him letters, see the steam locomotive’s Conductor and have cookies and hot chocolate, 2-6 p.m. Dec. 8 and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 9 at The Beaches Museum & History Center, 381 Beach Blvd., Jax Beach, 241-5657; members free; nonmembers suggested $5 donation; beachesmuseum.org. JANE R. WOOD BOOK SIGNING Wood reads from and signs copies of her new book, Adventures on Amelia Island, 1-4 p.m. Dec. 9 at The Book Loft, 214 Centre St., Fernandina, 261-8991, thebookloft.com. CHRISTMAS ON LOMAX The inaugural block party and toy drive, with members of Roar, as well as Santa, ornament decorating, cookies, and shop specials, is 9 a.m.-noon Dec. 9 at 826 Lomax St., Riverside, 379-7162. Bring a new, unwrapped toy. ST. AUGUSTINE BED & BREAKFAST TOURS The 24th annual Holiday Tour, Coastal Christmas, features 11 inns north of King Street 1-5 p.m. Dec. 9, 12 inns south of King Dec. 10 and 11. Tickets $45. Proceeds benefit Field of Dreams, Community Hospice and Lincolnville Museum; 347-6260 or 829-0079. KEN KNIGHT DRIVE TOY DRIVE The residents of Ken Knight Drive North were affected by Hurricane Irma; they came together to provide relief. Drop off new toy donations any time, then celebrate the season (and raise funds) 8 p.m. Dec. 13 at Mary’s Pub House, 901 King St., Riverside. YULEE HOLIDAY FESTIVAL The fun starts with a parade at 10 a.m. along U.S. 17 & A1A. Arts & crafts, live music, food, bounce houses and Santa Claus photo ops are featured. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 9 at 86132 Goodbread Rd., Yulee, 845-3264, free admission, facebook.com/yhfestival. SENSITIVE SANTA HOLIDAY PARTY The sensory-friendly party, to give families a one-on-one meet-and-greet with Santa, features open play in the gym and no waiting in lines, along with music, games, ornament decorating and cookies, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Dec. 10 at We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym, 9357 Philips Hwy., Ste. 3, Southside, 330-0362, $25, RSVP required, werockthespectrumjacksonville.com. NIGHTS OF LIGHTS Millions of twinkling lights cover St. Augustine nightly through January. See Old Town by trolley, on foot or in a horse and carriage. floridahistoriccoast.com. HOLIDAY COOKIE TOUR The Amelia Island Bed & Breakfast Association holds an annual self-guided tour noon-5 p.m. Dec. 9. Six classic inns and B&Bs, in holiday finery, offer a signature cookie and recipe cards. Free carriage and trolley rides. Ticket prices vary, proceeds benefit Friends of Nassau County Libraries. Details: ameliaislandinns.com, ameliaislandchristmas.com. EVERY SINGLE ARTIST LOUNGE The place to see, be seen, and exchange ideas of profundity and absurd grace (or figure our plaster ratios), 5:30 p.m. Dec. 12, Yellow House, 577 King St., Riverside, culturalcouncil.org. _________________________________________ To list an event, send time, date, location (street address, city), admission price, contact number to print to Madeleine Peck Wagner; email madeleine@folioweekly.com or mail 45 W. Bay St., Ste. 103, Jacksonville FL 32202. Items run as space is available. Deadline noon Wed. for next Wed. printing.
Describing their mid-’90s success as “quite shocking” to Billboard Magazine, SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS still swing as hard as ever! They perform 8 p.m. Dec. 8 at The Ritz Theatre, Downtown, $34, ritztheatre.com.
LIVE + LOCAL MUSIC CONCERTS THIS WEEK
QUEENS of the NIGHT: Razije, Tabi P., Evany, Kris Vega, Black Calla, geexella 9 p.m. Dec. 6, 1904 Music Hall, 19 Ocean St., $10. LEELYN OSBORN, COOKIN in DA KITCHEN 8 p.m. Dec. 6, Prohibition Kitchen, 119 St. George St., St. Augustine, 209-5704. D.R.I., KAUSTIK 7 p.m. Dec. 6, Nighthawks, 2952 Roosevelt Blvd., Riverside. DJ CAPONE 9:30 p.m. Dec. 6, Cheers Park Avenue, 1138 Park Ave., Orange Park, 269-4855. CHILLAKAYA 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6, Whiskey Jax, 950 Marsh Landing Pkwy., Jax Beach, 853-5973. WILLY PORTER, CARMEN NICKERSON, CHRISTIAN POWERS 8:30 p.m. Dec. 7, Cafe Eleven, 501 A1A Beach Blvd., St. Augustine Beach, 460-9311, $20 advance, $24 at door. Jingle Jam for St. Jude: GRANGER SMITH, LAUREN ALAINA, MIDLAND, DYLAN SCOTT 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7, Times-Union Center’s Moran Theater, 300 Water St., Downtown, 346-5620, $35-$105. COLTON TRIO, 9TH STREET STOMPERS 6-9 p.m., 10 p.m.1 a.m., Dec. 7, Prohibition Kitchen. DIAL DRIVE, THE PROBLEM ADDICTS, FRIENDLY FIRE 8 p.m. Dec. 7, Rain Dogs, 1045 Park St., Riverside, 379-4969. PAUL IVEY 6 p.m. Dec. 7 & 4:30 p.m. Dec. 10, Boondocks Grill & Bar, 2808 Henley Rd., Green Cove, 406-9497. JASON EVANS BAND 9:30 p.m. Dec. 7, Cheers Park Avenue. PIERCE PETTIS 8 p.m. Dec. 7, Mudville Music Room, 3104 Atlantic Blvd., St. Nicholas, 352-7008, $15. SHLUMP, MAN DARINO, REST in PIERCE, SLEEP MADNESS, AFTER CITIES 8 p.m. Dec. 7, 1904 Music Hall, $10 advance. WADE B, BRADY CLAMPITT 8 p.m. Dec. 8, Jack Rabbits, 1528 Hendricks Ave., San Marco, 398-7496, $8 adv. IVY LEAGUE 9:30 p.m. Dec. 8 & 9, Cheers Park Avenue. NAYSAYERS, RAMONA 6-9 p.m., 10 p.m.-1 a.m., Dec. 8, Prohibition Kitchen. Inaugural Christmas Caravan Tour: SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS 8 p.m. Dec. 8, Ritz Theatre, $34. JD McPHERSON, CHARLEY CROCKETT, GO GET GONE 7:45 p.m. Dec. 8, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, $27-$30. MOJO ROUX, CAROL BRISTOW-ZUR 8:30 p.m. Dec. 8, Whiskey Jax, Jax Beach. THE L.O.O.P. 3000, BASILISK, CRY HAVOC, CYPHER, DJ HIPPIE JOE, DREWLFACE, D ROCK, LB4, NOAH J, REFLECTIONS, ThPRANKSTA, THOZE GUYZ 8 p.m. Dec. 8, 1904 Music Hall, $12 advance, $15 door. MEAN MARY 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8, Mudville Music Room, $12. BEACH CITY 10 p.m. Dec. 8 & 9, Flying Iguana Taqueria & Tequila Bar, 207 Atlantic Blvd., Neptune Beach, 853-5680. THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8, Murray Hill Theatre, 932 Edgewood Ave., 388-7807, $15-$20. THE YOUNG STEP, DL IS OK 8:30 p.m. Dec. 8, Cafe Eleven, $5. The WERKS, PASSAFIRE, The RIES BROTHERS, BIGFOOT BAREFOOT 7 p.m. Dec. 9, Mavericks Live, Jax Landing, 356-1110, $15. TGTG, CHARLIE SCHUCK, JOSEPH SCHUCK, SIN 8 p.m. Dec. 9, Rain Dogs, $8. Ray’s Birthday Benefit: ROD PICOTT, TOM MASON & BLUE BUCCANEERS, TOM & NATALIE, LARRY MANGUM, BOB SIMPSON, TIM MYLOD 6 p.m. Dec. 9, Mudville Music Room, $10.
SALT & PINE, HIT PARADE 6-9 p.m., 10 p.m.-1 a.m., Dec. 9, Prohibition Kitchen. The ICARUS ACCOUNT, GOOD MORNING BEDLAM, ALEXIS PERAMAS, CHRISTIAN POWERS 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9, Sarbez, 115 Anastasia Blvd., St. Augustine, 342-0632, $8 adv., $10 door. GROOVE FETISH, SAVANTS OF SOUL, FLETCHER’S GROVE 8 p.m. Dec. 9, Jack Rabbits, $8 adv. ROAD TO MEMPHIS 2018 fundraiser, SIDEWALK 65 8:30 p.m. Dec. 9, Whiskey Jax, Jax Beach. RICKIE LEE JONES 8 p.m. Dec. 9, PVC Hall, $58-$68. The FIREWATER TENT REVIVAL 10 a.m. Dec. 9, Riverside Arts Market. ERIC COLLETTE, DARRELL RAE 7 & 9 p.m. Dec. 9, Boondocks Grill & Bar. ALLIE & the KATS, INDIGO BURN Noon, Dec. 9, 1904 Music Hall, $5. BEN STROK & the FULL ELECTRIC, MASTER RADICAL, CASSINI DIVISION 8 p.m. Dec. 9, 1904 Music Hall, $12 adv., $15 door. SAMUEL SANDERS 8:30 p.m. Dec. 10, Flying Iguana. R.LUM.R, LANNDS 8 p.m. Dec. 10, Jack Rabbits, $15. GLASS CAMELS REUNION SHOW 7 p.m. Dec. 10, Whiskey Jax, Jax Beach. THE CIVIC ORCHESTRA OF JACKSONVILLE 3 p.m. Dec. 10, Jacksonville Jewish Center, 3662 Crown Pt. Rd., 292-1000. THREE REDNECK TENORS 3 p.m. Dec. 10, Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts, 283 College Dr., Orange Park, 276-6750, thcenter.org, $29-$69. STARBENDERS, WILDFIRE RISING 8 p.m. Dec. 11, Jack Rabbits, $8 adv. RIVER CITY RHYTHM KINGS 7 p.m. Dec. 11, Mudville Music Room RAMONA 6 p.m. Dec. 11, Prohibition Kitchen. SHOOTER JENNINGS, JASON BOLAND 8 p.m. Dec. 12, Jack Rabbits, $25. GIN BLOSSOMS, FLAGSHIP ROMANCE 8 p.m. Dec. 12, PVC Hall, $38.50-$42.50. JANET JACKSON 8 p.m. Dec. 12, Veterans Memorial Arena, $35-$128.50. OF MONTREAL, CHRISTINA SCHNEIDER’S GENIUS GRANT 8 p.m. Dec. 13, Mavericks Live, $20. RITTZ, SAM LACHOW, DENVER HALL, CHAISE DREAMS 7 p.m. Dec. 13, Jack Rabbits, $20; Meet & greet $75. JOHN PRINE, AMANDA SHIRES 8 p.m. Dec. 13, The Florida Theatre, 128 E. Forsyth St., Downtown, 355-2787, $63-$103. SOUTH of SAVANNAH 8 p.m. Dec. 13, Whiskey Jax, Jax Beach. BEN HAGGARD 8 p.m. Dec. 13, PVC Hall, $29.50-$39.50.
UPCOMING CONCERTS
The Ghosts of Christmas Eve: TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA Dec. 14, Veterans Memorial Arena CHEW, The BLIND SPOTS Dec. 14, Rain Dogs CHRIS DUARTE Dec. 14, Mojo Kitchen CHRIS THOMAS BAND Dec. 14, Whiskey Jax, Jax Beach LONELY HIGHWAY Dec. 14, Cheers Park Avenue BE EASY Dec. 14, Prohibition Kitchen DR. NEU & BLUJAFUNK Dec. 14, Mudville PERPETUAL GROOVE Dec. 14, 1904 Music Hall DAVID RAMIREZ, MOLLY PARDEN Dec. 14, Jack Rabbits PURITY RING, SOUND of CERES Dec. 14, PVC Hall
The FRITZ Natural Mind Album Release Show: GROOVE ORIENT, The BLEU CATS Dec. 15, 1904 Music Hall CHUCK NASH Dec. 15 & 16, Flying Iguana JOHN AUSTILL Dec. 15, Cheers Park Avenue OTHER BODY & LA-A Dec. 15, Rain Dogs MARE WAKEFIELD, NOMAD Dec. 15, Mudville Music Room DIDGES CHRIST SUPERDRUM, The CHROME FANGS, FLEIXFENIX, ARMAGEDDON 3 Dec. 15, Jack Rabbits LUKE COMBS Dec. 15, Florida Theatre PARKER URBAN BAND Dec. 15, Mojo Kitchen CHRISTMAS IN CLAY COUNTY Dec. 15, Thrasher-Horne Center GIDEON, WAGE WAR, OCEANS ATE ALASKA, VARIALS, LOATHE Dec. 16, 1904 Music Hall HERE COMES THE HERO, JENNI REID, DANCING WITH GHOSTS Dec. 16, Jack Rabbits SUNJAMMER BAND Dec. 16, Whiskey Jax, Jax Beach NIKKI TALLEY Dec. 16, Riverside Arts Market ALLELE Dec. 16, Mavericks Live HARLEY FLANAGAN (Cro-Mags) Dec. 17, Nighthawks AFTON SHOWCASE Dec. 17, 1904 Music Hall SAMUEL SANDERS Dec. 17, Flying Iguana The SUPERVILLIANS Dec. 18, Jack Rabbits Horton’s Holiday Hayride: REV. HORTON HEAT, JUNIOR BROWN, The BLASTERS, BIG SANDY Dec. 19, PVC Hall BULLMOOSE Dec. 19, Rain Dogs The GRAHAMS, STATE 28, ZEB PADGETT Dec. 19, Jack Rabbits DJ CAPONE Dec. 20, Cheers Park Avenue ROSEDALE, PARKRIDGE, BRICKS GRENADE, CITY IN THE CLOUDS Dec. 20, Jack Rabbits SOUTH of SAVANNAH Dec. 21, Cheers Park Avenue LUKE PEACOCK Dec. 21, Mudville Music Room BILLY BUCHANAN Dec. 21, Whiskey Jax, Jax Beach The LITTLE BOOKS, MERCY MERCY Dec. 21, Jack Rabbits IVAN PULLEY, BUDDY CRUMP Dec. 22, Cheers Park Avenue MEDAL MILITIA, YEAR ZERO, ELITE Dec. 22, Jack Rabbits YOWSAH Dec. 22, Whiskey Jax, Jax Beach RIP JUNIOR, PUBLIC Dec. 23, Jack Rabbits CATCH THE GROOVE Dec. 23, Whiskey Jax, Jax Beach SOULSHINE & the SWAT TEAM Dec. 22 & 23, Flying Iguana JAXMAS Dec. 25, Jack Rabbits A1NUSIC904 Dec. 26, Jack Rabbits JULIA GULIA Dec. 27, Cheers Park Avenue KICKING NAMES BAND Dec. 27, Whiskey Jax, Jax Beach THE FIREWATER TENT REVIVAL Dec. 28, Cheers Park Avenue JERROD ALLEN, HERE COMES the HERO, KELLY WHITE Dec. 29, Jack Rabbits BRYAN HAYES Dec. 29, Breezy Jazz Club DONNA the BUFFALO Dec. 29, PVC Hall MIKE SHACKELFORD BAND Dec. 29, Mudville Music Room AERIAL TRIBE REUNION Dec. 29, Surfer the Bar CASSIDY LEE Dec. 29, Cheers Park Avenue HEATHER GILLIS Dec. 29, Mojo Kitchen J CREW BAND Dec. 30 & 31, Flying Iguana NYE LOVE TRAIN, PARKER URBAN, BEDSIDE, RECESS, VLAD the INHALER, BOOTY BOO, BIG BUCK$ CREW Dec. 31, 1904 Music Hall LOVE MONKEY New Year’s Eve Bash Dec. 31, Cheers Park Avenue SOUTHERN RUCKUS Dec. 31, Boondocks Grill & Bar BETTYE LaVETTE Jan. 4, PVC Hall
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LIVE + LOCAL MUSIC SOME KIND of NIGHTMARE Jan. 4, ShantyTown Pub PETER BRADLEY ADAMS Jan. 5, Café Eleven LARRY MANGUM Jan. 6, Mudville Music Room BOCCHERINI, PUCCINI, NINO ROTA, WOLF Jan. 7, PVC Hall JACKSON BROWNE, GREG LEISZ Jan. 7, Florida Theatre BAD IDOLS, SIN Jan. 9, Nighthawks STEVE POLTZ Jan. 10, Café Eleven JACK WILLIAMS Jan. 11, Mudville Music Room The ZOMBIES: Odessey and Oracle 50th Anniversary Jan. 12, PVC Hall THE ORCHESTRA (ex-ELO members), JACKSONVILLE SYMPHONY ROCK ORCHESTRA Jan. 12, The Florida Theatre SOCIAL REPOSE Jan. 12, Jack Rabbits FRED EAGLESMITH Jan. 12, Café Eleven A TEMPTATIONS REVUE, BO HENDERSON Jan. 13, Ritz Theatre JONNY LANG Jan. 16, Florida Theatre FINN MAGILL, ALAN MURRAY, OLD DAWGS NEW TRIXX Jan. 17, Mudville Music Room LARRY MANGUM, DAVID MALLETT Jan. 18, Mudville Music Room DECADES REWIND Jan, 18, Thrasher-Horne Center MARY BRAGG Jan. 19, Mudville Music Room JASON FARNAM Jan, 19, Thrasher-Horne Center JAKE OWEN Jan. 19, The Florida Theatre THE TRAVELIN’ McCOURYS Jan. 20, PVC HALL IN THIS MOMENT Jan. 20, Florida Theatre STEWART TUSSING BAND Jan. 20, Mudville Music Room THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS Jan. 24, PVC Hall MARTY STUART & his FABULOUS SUPERLATIVES Jan. 25, PVC Hall JACOB JOHNSON Jan. 25, Mudville MASON JENNINGS Jan. 26, PVC Hall The STOMPDOWN Jan. 27, Florida Theatre BLACK VIOLIN Jan. 27, PVC Hall CES CRU, The PALMER SQUARE, GPO Jan. 27, Jack Rabbits YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND Jan. 28, PVC HALL WORLD INFERNO FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY, COMMUNITY CENTER, TAIL LIGHT REBELLION, MUDTOWN Jan. 28, Nighthawks Take Me to the River: WILLIAM BELL, BOBBY RUSH, DON BRYANT Jan. 30, Florida Theatre GAELIC STORM Jan. 30, PVC Hall VELON THOMPSON Jan. 30, Mudville Music Room G3 2018: JOE SATRIANI, PHIL COLLEN, JOHN PETRUCCI Jan. 31, Florida Theatre ZOLOPHT Jan. 31, Jack Rabbits TANYA TUCKER Feb. 1, Florida Theatre HARRIS BOTHERS Feb. 1, Mudville Anthems Tour: ADAM ANT Feb. 2, Florida Theatre MARY WILSON (The Supremes) Feb. 3, Ritz Theatre JOE MULLINS & the RADIO RAMBLERS Feb. 3, Mudville Music Room The VERVE PIPE Feb. 4, Café Eleven FEEDING FINGERS Feb. 4, Nighthawks JAKE SHIMABUKURO Feb. 6, PVC Hall DIANA KRALL Feb. 7, Florida Theatre Front Porch Series: JOHN McCUTCHEON Feb. 8, PVC Hall CODY JINKS, WARD DAVIS, SUNNY SWEENEY Feb. 8, Florida Theatre THE KENNEDYS Feb. 8, Mudville Music Room TESLA Feb. 9, Florida Theatre JOHN MORELAND Feb. 9, St. Augustine Amphitheatre G LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE Feb. 10, PVC Hall LITTLE RIVER BAND, PABLO CRUISE Feb. 10, Florida Theatre The LANGSTON HUGHES PROJECT Feb. 10, Ritz Theatre UNDER THE STREETLAMP Feb. 11, PVC Hall SETH GLIER Feb. 11, Cafe Eleven BLUES TRAVELER Feb. 11, Florida Theatre The HOT SARDINES Feb. 13, Florida Theatre QUEENS of the NIGHT Feb. 14, Nighthawks
BOTTLE ROCKETS, CHUCK PROPHET & the MISSION EXPRESS Feb. 16, PVC Hall CHRIS YOUNG Feb. 16, St. Augustine Amphitheatre SIERRA HULL Feb. 17, PVC Hall DANIEL O’DONNELL Feb. 17, Florida Theatre WILLIE NELSON & FAMILY, LOS LONELY BOYS Feb. 18, St. Augustine Amphitheatre COLIN QUINN Feb. 18, PVC Hall GEORGE BENSON Feb. 19, Thrasher Horne Center ERIC JOHNSON Feb. 20, PVC Hall ROBERT CRAY & HIS BAND Feb. 21, PVC Hall SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS Feb. 22, St. Augustine Amphitheatre’s Front Porch MINDI ABAIR & the BONESHAKERS, AIR SUPPLY Feb. 23, Florida Theatre JAMIE DeFRATES, MIKE SHACKELFORD, LARRY MANGUM Feb. 23, Mudville Music Room GEORGE WINSTON Feb. 23, PVC Hall The Blackwater Sol Revue: JJ GREY & MOFRO, LOS LOBOS, NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS, MARCUS KING BAND, more Feb. 24, St. Augustine Amphitheatre The EXPENDABLES, THROUGH the ROOTS, PACIFIC DUB Feb. 24, St. Augustine Amphitheatre’s Backyard Stage THE WEEPIES Feb. 24, PVC Hall An Evening with MAVIS STAPLES Feb. 25, PVC Hall MICHAEL McDONALD Feb. 27, Florida Theatre An Evening with JORMA KAUKONEN Feb. 27, PVC Hall BLACKBERRY SMOKE March 1, Florida Theatre CAIN’T NEVER COULD, LARA HOPE & the ARKTONES March 1, Nighthawks NIGHT OF BEE GEES March 1, Thrasher-Horne Center DIXIE DREGS March 1, St. Augustine Amphitheatre PHILLIP PHILLIPS March 2, Florida Theatre JOHN HAMMOND March 3, PVC Hall JUSTIN MOORE, DYLAN SCOTT March 3, St. Augustine Amphitheatre RAGLAND March 3, Jack Rabbits TIERNEY SUTTON BAND March 4, Ritz Theatre WEBERN & SCHUBERT March 4, PVC Hall ANA POPOVIC March 7, PVC Hall 25th Annual Guitar Gathering: THE LOS ANGELES GUITAR QUARTET March 8, Florida Theatre; DASotA benefit Celtic Music & Heritage Festival: EMMET CAHILL, DUBLIN CITY RAMBLERS, SEVEN NATIONS, RATHKELTAIR, EMISH, ALBANNACH, ENTER the HAGGIS, STEEL CITY ROVERS, HOUSE of HAMILL March 9-11, Francis Field, St. Augustine BIANCA DEL RIO March 10, PVC Hall SIDELINE March 10, Mudville Music Room BRAD PAISLEY March 10, St. Augustine Amphitheatre ROBIN TROWER March 10, Mudville The TENDERLOINS March 11, St. Augustine Amphitheatre The MARVIN GAYE EXPERIENCE March 11, ThrasherHorne Center ROBIN TROWER March 13, PVC Hall DAVE EGGER ORCHESTRA March 16, St. Augustine Amphitheatre GET the LED OUT March 16, Florida Theatre JOE JENKS March 16, Mudville Music Room FOREIGNER March 16, St. Augustine Amphitheatre 1964 The TRIBUTE: The Best Beatles Band on Earth March 17, St. Augustine Amphitheatre MY NAME IS BEAR TOUR, The LATE ONES, XIUHTEZCATL March 16, PVC Hall ALICE COOPER March 18, Florida Theater MIKE & the MECHANICS March 21, PVC Hall STEEP CANYON RANGERS March 22, Florida Theatre RODNEY CARRINGTON March 23, Florida Theatre MIKE SHACKELFORD March 23, Mudville Music Room Death of a King: TAVIS SMILEY, MARCUS ROBERTS March 30, T-U Center
THE FIREWATER TENT REVIVAL brings the spirit (and sound) of funky folk to Riverside Arts Market, 11 a.m. Dec. 9, under the Fuller Warren Bridge.
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THREE DOG NIGHT, The LORDS of 52nd STREET March 25, Florida Theatre LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III March 30, PVC Hall UDO DIRKSCHNEIDER March 30, Jack Rabbits BUDDY GUY, JIMMIE VAUGHAN, QUINN SULLIVAN April 5, Florida Theatre TOMMY EMMANUEL, ANTHONY SNAPE April 6 & 7, PVC Hall CHRIS BOTTI April 13, Florida Theatre ABBA the CONCERT April 17, Florida Theatre BRUCE COCKBURN April 19, PVC Hall Wanee 2018: WIDESPREAD PANIC, PHIL LESH & the TERRAPIN FAMILY BAND, As The CROW FLIES, DARK STAR ORCHESTRA, ST. PAUL & the BROKEN BONES, JAIMOE’S JASSZ BAND, The CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD, NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS, KARL DENSON’S TINY UNIVERSE, EAT a BUNCH of PEACHES, PIGEONS PLAYING PING PONG, WALTER TROUT, SONNY LANDRETH, The MARCUS KING BAND, GEORGE PORTER JR. & the RUNNING PARDNERS, SOUL REBELS, LES BROS, PINK TALKING FISH, BOBBY LEE ROGERS TRIO, BIG SOMETHING, NEW ORLEANS SUSPECTS, BERRY OAKLEY’S INDIGENOUS SUSPECTS, MIDNIGHT NORTH, The YETI TRIO, CRAZY FINGERS April 19, 29 & 21, Suwannee Music Park, Live Oak THOMAS RHETT, BRETT YOUNG, CARLY PEARCE April 20, Daily’s Place 10,000 MANIACS April 25, St. Augustine Amphitheatre The Voice of Romance Tour: JOHNNY MATHIS April 26, Florida Theatre Welcome To Rockville: OZZY OSBOURNE, FOO FIGHTERS, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, QUEENS of the STONE AGE, BILLY IDOL, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, GODSMACK, STONE SOUR, BLACK VEIL BRIDES, AVATAR, MORE April 27, 28 & 29, Metro Park BLACK JACKET SYMPHONY, JACKSONVILLE ROCK SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: Sgt. Pepper’s 50th Anniversary Tour April 27, Florida Theatre ALLEN PARSONS PROJECT, CARL PALMER April 28, Florida Theatre LITTLE BIG TOWN, KACEY MUSGRAVES, MIDLAND May 4, St. Augustine Amphitheatre DOUGLAS ANDERSON GUITAR STUDENT BENEFIT May 5, Mudville Music Room JOE BONAMASSA May 10, St. Augustine Amphitheatre STEVE FORBERT May 12, Mudville Music Room ROD MacDONALD June 15, Mudville Music Room Last Summer on Earth 2018 Tour: BARENAKED LADIES, BETTER THAN EZRA, KT TUNSTALL July 6, St. Augustine Amphitheatre DON McLEAN July 27, PVC Hall
LIVE MUSIC CLUBS AMELIA ISLAND + FERNANDINA
LA MANCHA, 2709 Sadler Rd., 261-4646 Miguel Paley 5:30-9 p.m. every Fri.-Sun. Javier Parez every Sun. THE SALTY PELICAN, 12 N. Front St., 277-3811 Dan Voll & Michelle 4:30 p.m. Dec. 10 SLIDERS SEASIDE GRILL, 1998 S. Fletcher Ave., 277-6652 Pili Pili Dec. 6. Dan & Michelle 6 p.m. Dec. 7. Hupp 2 p.m., 7 Street Band 7 p.m. Dec. 8. Chase Foraker 2 p.m., Jamie Renae & the Walkers 7 p.m. Dec. 9. JC & Mike 1 p.m. Charlie Mayne 6 p.m. Dec. 10. Savannah Bassett Dec. 11. Mark O’Quinn 6 p.m. Dec. 12 SURF RESTAURANT, 3199 S. Fletcher Ave., 261-5711 Katfish Lee 1 p.m. Dec. 6, 7 & 12
AVONDALE + ORTEGA
CASBAH CAFÉ, 3628 St. Johns Ave., 981-9966 Goliath Flores every Wed. Jazz every Sun. Live music every Mon.
LIVE + LOCAL MUSIC ECLIPSE, 4219 St. Johns Ave. KJ Free 9 p.m. Tue. & Thur. Indie dance 9 p.m. Wed. ’80s & ’90s dance Fri.
THE BEACHES
(All venues in Jax Beach unless otherwise noted) 1st STREET LOFT, 502 N. First St., 241-7848 Open mic 7 p.m. every Thur. ATLANTIC BEACH BREWING CO., 725 Atlantic Blvd., Ste. 3 & 15, Atlantic Beach, 372-4116 Ciaran Sontag 8 p.m. Dec. 9 BIG DAWGS PIERSIDE, 2309 Beach Blvd., 372-4100 Billy Bowers 6 p.m. Dec. 7 BLUE WATER DAIQUIRI & OYSTER BAR, 205 N. First St., 249-0083 Live music most weekends BRASS ANCHOR PUB, 2292 Mayport Rd., Atlantic Beach, 249-0301 Open mic night 8 p.m. every Wed. CULHANE’S IRISH PUB, 967 Atlantic Blvd., AB, 249-9595 Vera, Chuck, Dave & Young Band 7 p.m. Dec. 8. Michael Funge 6:30 p.m. every Sun. FLYING IGUANA TAQUERIA & TEQUILA BAR, 207 Atlantic Blvd., NB, 853-5680 Beach City 10 p.m. Dec. 8 & 9. Samuel Sanders Dec. 10 FLY’S TIE IRISH PUB, 177 Sailfish Dr., AB, 246-4293 Live music on weekends GREEN ROOM BREWING, 228 Third St. N., 201-9283 Dustin Bradley Dec. 8. DiCarlo Thompson Dec. 9 GUSTO, 1266 Beach Blvd., 372-9925 Groov 7:30 p.m. every Wed. Michael Smith every Thur. Milton Clapp every Fri. Under the Bus every Sat. Robert Eccles 6 p.m. every Sun. LYNCH’S IRISH PUB, 514 First St. N., 249-5181 New Rock Soul 10 p.m. Dec. 8. Roger That 10 p.m. Dec. 9. Split Tone every Thur. Chillula every Sun. Kristen Campbell every Mon. MELLOW MUSHROOM, 1018 Third St. N., 241-5600 J Crew Band 8:30 p.m. Dec. 7. Live music most weekends MEZZA Restaurant & Bar, 110 First St., NB, 249-5573 Gypsies Ginger every Wed. Mike Shackelford, Steve Shanholtzer every Thur. Mezza Shuffle every Mon. Trevor Tanner every Tue. OCEAN 60, 60 Ocean Blvd., AB, 247-0060 Taylor Roberts 7 p.m. Dec. 6 RAGTIME TAVERN, 207 Atlantic Blvd., AB, 241-7877 Billy Bowers 7 p.m. Dec. 13 SOUTHERN GROUNDS & CO., 200 First St., NB, 249-2922 Jazz Corner 6 p.m. every Tue. SURFER THE BAR, 200 First St. N., 372-9756 Tad Jennings 9 p.m. Dec. 6. The Trees of Life Dec. 8. Crane Dec. 9. Trail Driver Dec. 12. Soulo Lyon Dec. 13. Who Rescued Who Dec. 15 WHISKEY JAX, 950 Marsh Landing Pkwy., 853-5973 Chillakaya 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6. Mojo Roux, Carol BristowZur 8:30 p.m. Dec. 8. Road To Memphis 2018 Fundraiser, Sidewalk 65 8:30 p.m. Dec. 9. Glass Camels Reunion Show 7 p.m. Dec. 10. South of Savannah Dec. 13
CAMDEN COUNTY, GA.
CAPTAIN STAN’S Smokehouse, 700 Bedell Dr., Woodbine, 912-729-9552 Touch of Grey 6:30 p.m. Dec. 22 JJ’S TAVERN, 711 Osborne St., St. Marys, 912-882-5280 Live music most weekends
DOWNTOWN
1904 MUSIC HALL, 19 Ocean St. N., 345-5760 Queens of the Night 9 p.m. Dec. 6. Shlump, Man Darino, Rest in Pierce, Sleep Madness, After Cities 8 p.m. Dec. 7. The L.O.O.P. 3000, Basilisk, Cry Havoc, Cypher, DJ Hippie Joe, Drewlface, D Rock, Lb4, Noah J, Reflections, Thpranksta, Thoze Guyz 8 p.m. Dec. 8. Allie & The Kats, Indigo Burn at noon; Ben Strok & The Full Electric, Master Radical, Cassini Division 8 p.m. Dec. 9 DOS GATOS, 123 E. Forsyth St., 354-0666 DJ Brandon Thur. DJ NickFresh Sat. DJ Randall Mon. DJ Hollywood Tue. FIONN MacCOOL’S, Jacksonville Landing, 374-1247 Spade McQuade 6 p.m. Dec. 6 HOURGLASS PUB, 345 E. Bay St., 469-1719 Singersongwriter open mic 9 p.m. Thur. Live music 9:30 p.m. Fri. INTUITION ALE WORKS, 929 E. Bay St., 683-7720 Live music most weekends JACKSONVILLE LANDING, 2 Independent Dr., 353-1188 23rd annual Tuba Christmas 2 p.m. Dec. 9 MAVERICKS LIVE, Jax Landing, 356-1110 The Werks, Passafire, The Ries Brothers, Bigfoot Barefoot 7 p.m. Dec. 9. Of Montreal, Christina Schneider’s Genius Grant 8 p.m. Dec. 13. Joe Buck, DJ Justin every Thur.-Sat.
FLEMING ISLAND
BOONDOCKS GRILL & BAR, 2808 Henley Rd., Green Cove, 406-9497 Paul Ivey 6 p.m. Dec. 7, 4:30 p.m. Dec. 10. Eric Collette, Darrell Rae 7 & 9 p.m. Dec. 9 MELLOW MUSHROOM, 1800 Town Ctr. Blvd., 541-1999 Felix Chang 8:30 p.m. Dec. 7 WHITEY’S FISH CAMP, 2032 C.R. 220, 269-4198 Hazy Dazy Band 9 p.m. Dec. 8. Lonely Highway 9 p.m. Dec. 9
INTRACOASTAL
CLIFF’S Bar & Grill, 3033 Monument Rd., Ste. 2, 645-5162 MT Arms Dec. 6. Blistur 9 p.m. Dec. 8 & 9. Open mic every Tue. JERRY’S Sports Bar & Grille, 13170 Atlantic Blvd., 220-6766 Party Kartel 8:30 p.m. Dec. 8. Live music every Fri.
MANDARIN
ENZA’S, 10601 San Jose Blvd., Ste. 109, 268-4458 Brian Iannucci Dec. 6 & Dec. 10 IGGY’S GRILL & BAR, 104 Bartram Oaks Walk, Ste. 101, 209-5209 DJ Greg 7 p.m. every Wed. TAPS BAR & GRILL, 2220 C.R. 210, St. Johns, 819-1554 Stu Weaver 8 p.m. Dec. 6. Circus 9:30 p.m. Dec. 8
ORANGE PARK + MIDDLEBURG
CHEERS PARK AVENUE, 1138 Park Ave., 269-4855 DJ Capone 9:30 p.m. Dec. 6. Jason Evans Band 9:30 p.m. Dec. 7. Ivy League Dec. 8 & 9 DEE’S MUSIC BAR, 2141 Loch Rane Blvd., Ste. 140, 375-2240 DJ Troy every Wed. The HILLTOP, 2030 Wells Rd., 272-5959 John Michael on the piano every Tue.-Sat. The ROADHOUSE, 231 Blanding Blvd., 264-0611 Live music every Fri. & Sat. SHARK CLUB, 714 Park Ave., 215-1557 Digital Skyline 9 p.m. Dec. 8. Live music most weekends
PONTE VEDRA
PUSSER’S GRILLE, 816 A1A, 280-7766 Billy Buchanan 6 p.m. Dec. 7. Live music every Wed.-Sat. TABLE 1, 330 A1A N., 280-5515 Billy Bowers 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9. Live music every Wed., Thur. & Sat.
RIVERSIDE + WESTSIDE
ACROSS the STREET, 948 Edgewood Ave. S., 683-4182 Bill Ricci Dec. 8. Back Alley Cadillac Dec. 9. Live music most weekends HOBNOB, 220 Riverside Ave., Ste. 10, 513-4272 Live music every Fri. MURRAY HILL Theatre, 932 Edgewood Ave., 388-7807 Red Jumpsuit Apparatus 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8 NIGHTHAWKS, 2952 Roosevelt Blvd. D.R.I., Kaustik 7 p.m. Dec. 6 RAIN DOGS, 1045 Park St., 379-4969 Dial Drive, The Problem Addicts, Friendly Fire 8 p.m. Dec. 7. TGTG, Charlie Schuck, Joseph Schuck, Sin 8 p.m. Dec. 9 RIVERSIDE ARTS MARKET, 715 Riverside Ave., 389-2449 The Firewater Tent Revival 10 a.m. Dec. 9 SOUTH KITCHEN & SPIRITS, 3638 Park St., 475-2362 Live music most weekends
ST. AUGUSTINE
ARNOLD’S LOUNGE, 3912 N. Ponce de Leon Blvd., 824-8738 The Remains 9 p.m. Dec. 9. Mr. Natural every Thur. CAFE ELEVEN, 501 A1A Beach Blvd., St. Augustine Beach, 460-9311 Willy Porter, Carmen Nickerson 8:30 p.m. Dec. 7. The Young Step, DL Is OK 8:30 p.m. Dec. 8 CELLAR UPSTAIRS, 157 King St., 826-1594 Vinny Jacobs 2 p.m. Dec. 10 DOS COFFEE & WINE, 300 San Marco Ave., 342-2421 Live music every weekend MARDI GRAS, 123 San Marco Ave., 823-8806 Danger Mouse Dec. 8. Fre Gordon acoustic open mic 7 p.m. every Sun. Justin Gurnsey open jam 8 p.m. every Mon. PLANET SARBEZ, 115 Anastasia Blvd., 342-0632 Icarus Account, Good Morning Bedlam, Alexis Peramas, Christian Powers 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9 PROHIBITION KITCHEN, 119 St. George St., 209-5704 Leelyn Osborn, Cookin In Da Kitchen 6 p.m. Dec. 6. Colton Trio, 9th Street Stompers Dec. 7. Naysayers, Ramona Dec. 8. Salt & Pine, Hit Parade 6-9 p.m., 10 p.m.-1 a.m., Dec. 9. Ramona 6 p.m. Dec. 11 TEMPO, 16 Cathedral Pl., 342-0286 Open mic night 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6. Jay Bird 7 p.m. Dec. 7. Luis Mario Peral Rumba Kings Dec. 8. Elizabeth Roth Dec. 9. Jax English Salsa Band 6 p.m. Dec. 10. Bluez Dudez, Solou 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12 TRADEWINDS LOUNGE, 124 Charlotte St., 829-9336 Those Guys Dec. 8 & 9
SAN MARCO
DOUBLETREE, 1201 Riverplace Blvd., 398-8800 Live music 4:30 p.m. every Thur. JACK RABBITS, 1528 Hendricks Ave., 398-7496 Wade B, Brady Clampitt 8 p.m. Dec. 8. Groove Fetish, Savants Of Soul, Fletcher’s Grove 8 p.m. Dec. 9. R.LUM.R, Lannds 8 p.m. Dec. 10. Starbenders, Wildfire Rising 8 p.m. Dec. 11. Shooter Jennings, Jason Boland 8 p.m. Dec. 12. Rittz, Sam Lachow, Denver Hall, Chaise Dreams 7 p.m. Dec. 13 MUDVILLE MUSIC ROOM, 3104 Atlantic Blvd., 352-7008 Pierce Pettis 8 p.m. Dec. 7. Mean Mary 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8. Ray’s Birthday Benefit: Rod Picott, Tom Mason & Blue Buccaneers, Tom & Natalie, Larry Mangum, Bob Simpson, Tim Mylod 6 p.m. Dec. 9. River City Rhythm Kings 7 p.m. Dec. 11
SOUTHSIDE, ARLINGTON & BAYMEADOWS
MELLOW MUSHROOM, 9734 Deer Lake Ct., 997-1955 Side Hustle Dec. 7 WHISKEY JAX, 10915 Baymeadows Rd., 634-7208 Live music most weekends
SPRINGFIELD + NORTHSIDE
CROOKED ROOSTER BREWERY, 1478 S. Sixth St., Macclenny, 653-2337 Open mic 7 p.m. every Wed. KNUCKLEHEADS Bar, 850532 U.S. 17, 222-2380 Live music every weekend MELLOW MUSHROOM, 15170 Max Leggett Pkwy., 757-8843 Live music most every weekend OCEANWAY BAR, 12905 Main St. N., 647-9127 Live music most every weekend
_____________________________________
To list your band’s gig, please send time, date, location (street address, city), admission price, and a contact number to print to Madeleine Peck Wagner, email madeleine@folioweekly.com or by the U.S. Postal Service, 45 W. Bay St., Ste. 103, Jacksonville FL 32202. Events run on a space-available basis. Deadline is at noon every Wednesday for the next Wednesday’s publication.
DECEMBER 6-12, 2017 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 33
FOLIO DINING MOON RIVER PIZZA, 925 S. 14th St., 321-3400, moonriverpizza. net. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. Authentic Northern-style pizzas, 20-plus toppings, pie/slice. Calzones. $ BW TO L D M-Sa THE MUSTARD SEED CAFÉ, 833 Courson Rd., 277-3141, nassaushealthfoods.net. Casual organic eatery, juice bar, in Nassau Health Foods. All-natural organic items, smoothies, juices, herbal teas, coffees, daily specials. $$ K TO B L M-Sa THE PATIO PLACE, 416 Ash St., 410-3717, patioplacebistro.com. Bistro/wine bar/crêperie’s global menu uses crêpes: starters, entrées, shareables, desserts. $$ BW TO B L D Tu-Su POINTE RESTAURANT, 98 S. Fletcher Ave., 277-4851, elizabethpointelodge.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. In awardwinning inn Elizabeth Pointe Lodge. Seaside dining; in or out. Hot buffet breakfast daily, full lunch menu. Homestyle soups, Fleming Park's WHITEY'S specialty sandwiches, desserts. $$$ BW K B L D Daily FISH CAMP is more than a THE SALTY PELICAN BAR & perfect spot to experience GRILL, 12 N. Front St., 277-3811, authentic cracker cooking thesaltypelicanamelia.com. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. 2ndon the waterfront; it's an story outdoor bar. T.J. & Al offer outright local institution. local seafood, fish tacos, Mayport shrimp, po’boys, cheese oysters. $$ FB K L D Daily AMELIA ISLAND + SLIDERS SEASIDE GRILL, 1998 S. Fletcher Ave., 277-6652, FERNANDINA BEACH slidersseaside.com. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. Oceanfront. BRETT’S WATERWAY CAFÉ, 1 S. Front St., 261-2660. F Award-winning handmade crabcakes, fried pickles, fresh On the water at Centre Street’s end. Southern hospitality, seafood. Open-air 2nd floor balcony, playground. $$ FB K L upscale atmosphere; daily specials, fresh local seafood, D Daily aged beef. $$$ FB L D Daily THE SURF RESTAURANT & BAR, 3199 S. Fletcher Ave., CAFÉ KARIBO, 27 N. Third St., 277-5269, cafekaribo.com. 261-5711, thesurfonline.com. Oceanview dining since 1957, F Family-owned café in historic building. Worldly fare, inside or on the deck. Steaks, seafood, burgers, daily food and made-from-scratch dressings, sauces, desserts, sourcing drink specials; Wing It Wednesdays. $$ FB K TO L D Daily fresh veggies, seafood. Dine in or al fresco under oakT-RAY’S BURGER STATION, 202 S. Eighth St., 261-6310, shaded patio. Microbrew Karibrew Pub brews beer onsite; traysburgerstation.com. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. imports. $$ FB K TO R, Su; L Daily, D Tu-Su in season Family-owned-and-operated 18+ years. Blue plate specials, THE CRAB TRAP, 31 N. Second St., 261-4749, burgers, biscuits & gravy, shrimp. $ BW TO B L M-Sa ameliacrabtrap.com. F For nearly 40 years, family-ownedARLINGTON + REGENCY and-operated. Fresh local seafood, steaks, specials. HH. $$ LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 1301 Monument Rd., Ste. 5, FB L Sa-M; D Nightly 724-5802. F SEE ORANGE PARK. JACK & DIANE’S, 708 Centre St., 321-1444, jackanddianescafe.com. F Renovated 1887 shotgun house. AVONDALE + ORTEGA Faves: jambalaya, French toast, pancakes, mac & cheese, FOOD ADDICTZ GRILL, 1044 Edgewood Ave. S., 240-1987. crêpes. Vegan items. Inside or porch overlooking historic Family-and-veteran-owned place is all about home cooking. area. $$ BW K TO B L D M, W, F, Sa; B L Su Customer faves: barbecued pulled pork, blackened chicken, LA MANCHA, 2709 Sadler Rd., 261-4646, Caesar wrap and Portobello mushroom burger. $ K TO B L lamancharestaurante.com. Spanish, Portuguese fare, D Tu-Su Brazilian flair. Tapas, seafood, steaks, sangria. Drink HARPOON LOUIE’S, 4070 Herschel St., Ste. 8, 389-5631, specials. AYCE paella Sun. $$$ FB K TO D Nightly harpoonlouies.net. F Locally owned & operated 20+ years. LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 474272 S.R. 200, 844-2225. F SEE American pub. 1/2-lb. burgers, fish sandwiches, pasta. ORANGE PARK. Local beers, HH. $$ FB K TO L D Daily MOJO NO. 4 URBAN BBQ & WHISKEY BAR, 3572 St. Johns Ave., Ste. 1, 381-6670, mojobbq.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. Pulled pork and Carolina-style barbecue. Delta fried catfish. Avondale’s Mojo has shrimp & grits, specialty cocktails. Local AVERAGE ENTRÉE COST musicians on weekends. $$ FB K TO L D Daily $ $ $ $ < 10 20- 35 $$$ PINEGROVE MARKET & DELI, 1511 PineGrove Ave., 389-8655, $ pinegrovemarket.com. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. 40+ years. $$ $$$$ > $35 10- $20 Burgers, Cubans, subs, wraps. Onsite butcher, USDA choice prime aged beef. Craft beers. Fri. & Sat. fish fry. $ BW TO B L D M-Sa ABBREVIATIONS & RESTAURANT ORSAY, 3630 Park St., 381-0909, restaurantorsay.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. French/ SPECIAL NOTES Southern bistro; local organic ingredients. Steak frites, L = Lunch BW = Beer/Wine mussels, pork chops. $$$ FB R, Su; D Nightly SIMPLY SARA’S, 2902 Corinthian Ave., 387-1000, D = Dinner FB = Full Bar simplysaras.net. F Down-home fare from scratch: Bite Club = Hosted eggplant fries, pimento cheese, baked chicken, fruit K = Kids’ Menu cobblers, chicken & dumplings, desserts. BYOB. $$ K TO L Free Folio Weekly TO = Take Out D Tu-Sa, B Sa Bite Club Event SOUTH KITCHEN & SPIRITS, 3638 Park St., 475-2362, B = Breakfast F = Folio Weekly south.kitchen. Southern classics: crispy catfish with smoked gouda grits, family-style fried chicken, burgers, vegetarian, Distribution Spot R = Brunch vegan, gluten-free options. $$ FB K TO L D Daily
DINING DIRECTORY KEY
To list your restaurant, call your account manager or call or text SAM TAYLOR, Folio Weekly publisher, at 904-860-2465 (email: staylor@folioweekly.com). 34 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | DECEMBER 6-12, 2017
BAYMEADOWS
AL’S PIZZA, 8060 Philips Hwy., Ste. 105, 731-4300. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE INTRACOASTAL. INDIA’S, 9802 Baymeadows Rd., Ste. 8, 620-0777, indiajaxcom. F Authentic cuisine, lunch buffet. Curries, vegetables, lamb, chicken, shrimp, fish tandoori. $$ BW L M-Sa; D Nightly LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 8616 Baymeadows Rd., 739-2498. F SEE ORANGE PARK.
DINING DIRECTORY METRO DINER, 9802 Baymeadows Rd., 425-9142. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE SAN MARCO. NATIVE SUN NATURAL FOODS MARKET & DELI, 11030 Baymeadows Rd., 260-2791. 2017 Best of Jax finalist. SEE MANDARIN. PATTAYA THAI GRILLE, 9551 Baymeadows Rd., Ste. 1, 646-9506, ptgrille.com. 2017 Best of Jax finalist. Since 1989, the family-owned place has offered an extensive menu of traditional Thai, vegetarian, new-Thai; curries, seafood, noodles, soups. Low-sodium & gluten-free. $$$ BW TO L D Tu-Sa THE WELL WATERING HOLE, 3928 Baymeadows Rd., Ste. 9, 737-7740, thewellwateringhole.com. Local craft beers, glass/bottle wines. Meatloaf sandwich, pulled Peruvian chicken, vegan black bean burgers. Gluten-free pizzas, desserts. HH specials. $$ BW K TO L M-F; D Tu-Sa WHISKEY JAX, 10915 Baymeadows Rd., Ste. 135, 634-7208, whiskeyjax.com. Popular gastropub has craft beers, gourmet burgers, handhelds, signature plates, tacos and–sure– whiskey. HH M-F. $$ FB B Sa & Su; L F; D Nightly
BEACHES
(Venues are in Jax Beach unless otherwise noted.)
1st STREET LOFT, 502 N. First St., 241-7848, 1ststreetloft.com. New beach spot serves breakfast and lunch all day. Local artists’ works are displayed. It’s a coffeehouse and live music venue, too. $ TO B L D W-Sa; B L Su & M ANGIE’S SUBS, 1436 Beach Blvd., 246-2519. ANGIE’S GROM SUBS, 204 Third Ave. S., 241-3663. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. Fresh ingredients, 25+ years. Huge salads, blue-ribbon iced tea. Grom has Sun. brunch, no alcohol. $ K BW TO L D Daily BOLD BEAN COFFEE ROASTERS, 2400 S. Third St., Ste. 201, 374-5735. 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE RIVERSIDE. BREEZY COFFEE SHOP WINE BAR, 235 Eighth Ave. S., 241-2211, breezycoffeeshopcafe.com. Local beachy coffee & wine shop by day; wine bar by night. Fresh baked pastries, breakfast sandwiches all day. Grab-n-Go salads, cheeses, hummus. $ BW K TO B L D Daily The CRAFT PIZZA CO., 240 Third St. N., Neptune Beach, 853-6773, thecraftpizzaco.com. F Al Mansur’s new place has innovative pies made with locally sourced ingredients. Dine inside or out. $$ BW L D Daily CRUISERS GRILL, 319 23rd Ave. S., 270-0356, cruisersgrill. com. Locally owned & operated 20+ years. Half-pound burgers, fish sandwiches, big salads, award-winning cheddar fries, sangria. $ BW K TO L D Daily EUROPEAN STREET CAFÉ, 992 Beach Blvd., 249-3001, europeanstreet.com. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE RIVERSIDE.
GRILL ME!
LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 6586 GA. Hwy. 40 B6, St. Marys, 912-576-7006. F SEE ORANGE PARK. OUTERBANKS SPORTS BAR & GRILLE, 140 The Lakes Blvd., Ste. H, Kingsland, 912-729-5499. Fresh seafood, burgers, steaks, wings. $$ FB TO D Nightly SALT.PEPPER.THYME, 105 N. Lee St., Kingsland, 912-510-0444, saltpepperthyme.net. Varied American Southern fare in an elegant setting. Dine in or out. $$ BW K TO L W; L & D Th-Sa
FLEMING ISLAND
GRASSROOTS NATURAL MARKET, 1915 East-West Pkwy., 541-0009. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE RIVERSIDE. MOJO SMOKEHOUSE, 1810 Town Center Blvd., Ste. 8, 264-0636. 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE AVONDALE. WHITEY’S FISH CAMP, 2032 C.R. 220, 269-4198, whiteysfishcamp.com. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. Real fish camp. Gator tail, freshwater catfish, daily specials, on Swimming Pen Creek. Tiki bar. Come by boat, bike or car. $ FB K TO L Tu-Su; D Nightly
ROBERT "COOLHAND" FAIVRE
1012 King St. • Riverside Born in: Jacksonville Years in Biz: 5 Favorite Restaurant: Blue Pacific Tacos Favorite Cuisine Style: Asian fusion Go-To Ingredients: Fresh basil, lemon & cracked pepper Ideal Meal: Salmon (blackened), red potatoes & broccoli Will Not Cross My Lips: "I'll eat anything that doesn't eat me first." Insider’s Secret: It's all in the dough—softer water equals better dough Celebrity Sighting At Your Bar: King Street local celebs
CAMDEN COUNTY, GEORGIA
CAPTAIN STAN’S SMOKEHOUSE, 700 Bedell Dr., Woodbine, 912-729-9552. Barbecue, sides, hot dogs, burgers, desserts. Dine in or out on picnic tables. $$ FB K TO L & D Tu-Sa
Family-owned ed NOURA CAFE does it right
DOWNTOWN
BELLWETHER, 100 N. Laura St., 802-7745, bellwetherjax.com. Elevated Southern classics in an understated setting, with chef/owner Jon Insetta’s focus on flavors, and chef Kerri Rogers’ culinary creativity. The Northeast Florida menu changes seasonally. Rotating local craft beers, regional spirits, cold brew coffee program. $$ FB TO L M-F CASA DORA, 108 E. Forsyth, 356-8282, casadoraitalian.com. F Serving Italian fare, 40+ years: veal, seafood, pizza. Homemade salad dressing. $ BW K L M-F; D M-Sa OLIO MARKET, 301 E. Bay St., 356-7100, oliomarket.com. F Scratch soups, sandwiches. Duck grilled cheese, seen on Best Sandwich in America. $$ BW TO B R L M-F; D F & Sa SPLIFF’S GASTROPUB, 15 N. Ocean St., 844-5000, spliffsgastropub.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. Music venue has munchie apps, mac & cheese dishes, pockets, gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. HH M-F. $ BW L D M-Sa URBAN GRIND COFFEE COMPANY, 45 W. Bay, Ste. 102, 516-7799, urbangrind.coffee. Locally roasted whole bean brewed coffees, espressos, pastries, smoothies, bagels. Chicken/tuna salad, sandwiches. WiFi. $ B L M-F URBAN GRIND EXPRESS, 50 W. Laura St., 516-7799. SEE ABOVE. ZODIAC BAR & GRILL, 120 W. Adams St., 354-8283, thezodiacbarandgrill.com. 16+ years. Mediterranean cuisine, American fare, paninis, vegetarian dishes. Lunch buffet. Espressos, hookahs. HH M-F. $ FB L M-F; D W-Sa
Bearded Buffalo Brewing Co.
FLYING IGUANA TAQUERIA & TEQUILA BAR, 207 Atlantic Blvd., NB, 853-5680, flyingiguana.com. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. Latin American: tacos, seafood, carnitas, Cubana fare. 100+ tequilas. $ FB TO L D Daily GUSTO, 1266 Beach Blvd., 372-9925, gustojax.com. Classic Old World Roman fare, big Italian menu: homestyle pasta, beef, chicken, fish delicacies; open pizza-tossing kitchen. Reservations encouraged. $$ FB TO L R D Tu-Su HAWKERS ASIAN STREET FARE, 241 Atlantic Blvd., NB, 425-1025. 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE RIVERSIDE. LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 657 Third St. N., 247-9620. F SEE ORANGE PARK. METRO DINER, 1534 3rd St. N., 853-6817. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE SAN MARCO. MOJO KITCHEN BBQ PIT & BLUES BAR, 1500 Beach Blvd., 247-6636. 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE AVONDALE. M SHACK, 299 Atlantic Blvd., AB, 241-2599, shackburgers.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. Burgers, hot dogs, fries, shakes. Dine indoors or out. $$ BW L D Daily NATIVE SUN NATURAL FOODS MARKET & DELI, 1585 N. Third St., 458-1390. 2017 Best of Jax finalist. SEE MANDARIN. RAGTIME TAVERN SEAFOOD & GRILL, 207 Atlantic Blvd., AB, 241-7877, ragtimetavern.com. F 34 years and counting, the iconic seafood place serves blackened snapper, sesame tuna, Ragtime shrimp. Daily HH, brunch Sun. $$ FB L D Daily WHISKEY JAX, 950 Marsh Landing Pkwy., 853-5973. SEE BAYMEADOWS.
BITE-SIZED
INTRACOASTAL WEST
AL’S PIZZA, 14286 Beach Blvd., Ste. 31, 223-0991. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. 30 years of awesome gourmet pizza, baked dishes. All day HH M-Th. $ FB K TO L D Daily LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 10750 Atlantic Blvd., Ste. 14, 642-6980. F SEE ORANGE PARK.
MANDARIN + NW ST. JOHNS
AL’S PIZZA, 11190 San Jose Blvd., 260-4115. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE INTRACOASTAL. ATHENS CAFÉ, 6271 St. Augustine Rd., Ste. 7, 733-1199, athenscafejax.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. 20+ years of Greek fare, serving dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), baby shoes (stuffed eggplant), Greek beers. Vegetarian-friendly. Full bar. Early bird menu Mon.-Fri. $$ FB L M-F; D M-Sa CRUISERS GRILL, 5613 San Jose Blvd., Ste. 1, 737-2874. SEE BEACHES. FIRST COAST DELI & GRILL, 6082 St. Augustine Rd., 733-7477. Pancakes, bacon, sandwiches, burgers, wings. $ K TO B L Daily JAX DINER, 5065 St. Augustine Rd., 739-7070, jaxdiner.com. Simple name, simple concept: Local. Chef Roderick “Pete” Smith, a local culinary expert with nearly 20 years under his apron, uses locally sourced ingredients from area farmers, vendors and the community for American and Southern dishes. Seasonal brunch. $ K TO B L M-F, D F METRO DINER, 12807 San Jose Blvd., 638-6185. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. Dinner nightly. SEE SAN MARCO. MOJO BAR-B-QUE, 1607 University Blvd. W., 732-7200, mojobbq.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE AVONDALE. NATIVE SUN NATURAL FOODS MARKET & DELI, 10000 San Jose Blvd., 260-6950, nativesunjax.com. F 2017 Best of Jax finalist. Organic soups, baked items, sandwiches,
LEVANTINE
LOVIN’
THERE’S JUST SOMETHING IRRESISTIBLE ABOUT the fresh, rich flavors of Middle Eastern, Lebanese and Mediterranean cuisine. And San Marco’s Noura Cafe presents these flavors well. If you ask me (and that’s why I write these every week!), the best way to test a Lebanese place is to start at falafel. For the ultimate evaluation, make it a platter ($10.99) so you can try hummus and tabouli. The falafel are made fresh to order at Noura, so expect to wait a few while they fry it–no carping, it’s worth it! You’ll see–crack open a fresh, hot falafel, dip it in creamy, creamy hummus and top it with fresh tabouli. I thought the hummus lacked a bit of flavor (maybe too little tahini?) but I wasn’t too miffed to leave any in the bowl. Kafta Kabob platter ($11), a major yes, includes two skewers of ground beef, seasoned and grilled to perfection, accompanied by a mountain of fluffy yellow rice. Your grumbling belly will rejoice. The baba ghanoush ($5.99/side) at Noura is among my faves in this area. It doesn’t have that smoky taste that sometimes characterizes the spread, and it sure does pack a lot of eggplant flavor in a small dollop. Put it liberally on everything.
NOURA CAFE
1533 University Blvd. W., San Marco, 739-0033, nouracafe.com
I recommend my regular go-to: Fattoush salad (entrée $8.45). I call it “regular,” because there’s lettuce involved, but it’s way more than that. There are lots of tomato, cucumber and crunchy thin pieces of pita; like a crouton but better, ’cause, unlike it is with croutons, you won’t fear breaking a tooth. It’s all dressed in olive oil with a tart lemony finish. That unexpected plus is from the sumac berry, a staple Middle Eastern spice. We went on a Thursday, so we got the Thursday night special: A stack of eggplant, tomato and potato with lentil rice ($12.99). It’s a nice presentation and tastes even better than it looks; if you go on a Thursday, order it. Should be a house rule. There’s a little market along one wall of Noura, stocked with basics like olive oil, spices and sweet treats–halva and baklava. Noura sells cold case items by the pound; you can grab a bowl of baba ghanoush and a pack of pita for that holiday party where the host, aka the boss, expects y’all to bring something wonderful. And you will! No one will narc on you for going the easy route because it’s not nice to talk with your mouth full of pita’n’ghanoush. Noura Cafe is a family effort–Raymond and Noura show how much they care about the food and their customers. They are blessed with twin daughters; we hope the girls are taking notes on how to be restaurateurs. And you will get your money’s worth. With offerings ranging from pita wraps for on-the-go meals like the traditional gyro or falafel, to full entrées, to sides of all sizes, you’ll be happy and full. And scheduling your next visit to Noura. Brentley Stead biteclub@folioweekly.com DECEMBER 6-12, 2017 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 35
DINING DIRECTORY PINT-SIZED
At MOJO KITCHEN in Jax Beach, you can grab a bite of distinct barbecue dishes or catch regional touring blues musicians playing live.
THE BEST GIFTS HAVE
SOME HEAD
photo by Madison Gross
And they go down EASY
OVERSET
IT’S THE SEASON OF GIVING! FOR BEER BEER-LOVERS, LOVERS THE perfect gift is nothing other than a great-tasting, hard-to-find brew. For the uninitiated, navigating the beer section is much more intimidating now than when all you had to choose from were mass-produced beers. In the 21st century, myriad mélanges range from craft lagers to imperial stouts to heavy porters. When giving the gift of beer, keep these tips in mind. The Brewers Association posits seven aspects to consider as you decide which beer to send that weird cousin who lives, sleeps and breathes craft. I respectfully submit there are at least eight. 1. GET EXPERT ADVICE. That guy with the 1. curled moustache and frothy beard or gal with 1. a cool vibe (I know, stereotypes, but they make 1. the story better) is not there just to ring up 1. a sale; their brains likely hold endless factoids 1. about beer. 2. FIND OUT WHAT TYPE OF BEER THE RECIPIENT 1. LIKES. This is crucial; nothing worse than 1. getting a really expensive Belgian gueuze if 1. you can’t stomach sour beers. To eliminate this 1. deal-breaking pitfall, ask your friend what their 1. go-to quaff is–work it into the conversation: 1. “So, how ’bout them Jaguars? What kind of beer 1. do you like?” See? Subtle. Then go relate that to 1. the beer store personnel. 3. GO LOCAL. Beer lovers are obsessed with local. It’s 1. their mission to find the most obscure area 1. brewery, then snatch up whatever they can. Often, 1. the gem they scored is enjoyed at a bottle share, 1. along with a tall tale of how it was procured. 4. GIFT CARDS ARE ALLOWED. If you’re not good 1. at subtlety, a gift card from a local beer monger is 1. perfectly appropriate. 5. GIVE A COMBO. Getting beer as a holiday gift is 1. awesome. Getting beer and schwag is 1. awesomer. Try to grab a logoed glass, T-shirt, 1. hat or the koozie. If you can, arrange it all a nice 1. gift basket. Believe me, it’ll be a hit. 6. FRESHNESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS. Most 1. beers are best enjoyed fresh. Beers like IPAs 1. and lower alcohol styles have relatively short 1. shelf-lives–most fewer than three months. 1. Check packaging dates and buy only those three 1. months old and younger. 7. BIGGER IS BETTER. Annual releases are the 1. gold standard and are sure to be well-received 1. by any beer-lover on your Nice List. Think special 1. holiday releases, annual imperial stouts and 1. special sours. If it’s rare, it’ll be loved. 8. MAIL EARLY, MAIL WELL-PROTECTED. Technically, 1. you’re not supposed to mail or ship alcohol in the 1. U.S. Sometimes, the local beer or wine shop can 1. help with this–just ask. If you’re going to ship, 1. pack the box carefully. There are special boxes 1. with Styrofoam inserts, or you can use copious 1. amounts of bubble wrap and newspaper (old 1. Folio Weeklies work great). So, that’s it; my guide–with help from Brewers Association–to gift-buying for the beer-lovers in your life. Heed these nuggets of wisdom and a good impression is a sure thing. And maintain plenty of holiday cheer. Marc Wisdom marc@folioweekly.com 36 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | DECEMBER 6-12, 2017
prepared foods. Juice, smoothie, coffee bar. All-natural beer/ wine. $ BW TO K B L D Daily
ORANGE PARK
THE HILLTOP, 2030 Wells Rd., 272-5959, hilltop-club.com. Southern fine dining. New Orleans shrimp, certified Black Angus prime rib, she-crab soup, desserts. Extensive bourbon selection. $$$ FB D Tu-Sa LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 1330 Blanding Blvd., Ste. 165, 276-7370. 1545 C.R. 220, 278-2827. 700 Blanding Blvd., Ste. 15, 272-3553. 5733 Roosevelt Blvd., 446-9500. 1401 S. Orange Ave., Green Cove, 284-7789, larryssubs.com. F Larry’s piles ’em high, serves ’em fast; 36+ years. Hot & cold subs, soups. Some Larry’s serve breakfast. $ K TO B L D Daily METRO DINER, 2034 Kingsley Ave., 375-8548. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. Dinner nightly. SEE SAN MARCO. The ROADHOUSE, 231 Blanding Blvd., 264-0611, roadhouseonline.net. Sandwiches, wings, burgers, quesadillas for 35+ years. 75+ imported beers. Live music. $ FB L D Daily SPRING PARK COFFEE, 328 Ferris St., Green Cove Springs, 531-9391, springparkcoffee.com. Cozy shop; fresh-roasted Brass Tacks coffee, handcrafted hot & cold drinks, specialty lattes, cappuccino, macchiato, teas, pastries, sandwiches, breakfast. $ B L D Daily
PONTE VEDRA BEACH
AL’S PIZZA, 635 A1A, 543-1494. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE INTRACOASTAL. LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 830 A1A N., Ste. 6, 273-3993. F SEE ORANGE PARK. M SHACK NOCATEE, 641 Crosswater Pkwy., 395-3575. 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE BEACHES. METRO DINER, 340 Front St., Ste. 700, 513-8422. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE SAN MARCO.
RIVERSIDE, 5 PTS + WESTSIDE
13 GYPSIES, 887 Stockton St., 389-0330, 13gypsies.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. Authentic Mediterranean cuisine: chorizo, tapas, blackened cod, pork skewers, coconut mango curry chicken. Breads from scratch. $$ BW L D Tu-Sa, R Sa AL’S PIZZA, 1620 Margaret St., Ste. 201, 388-8384. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE INTRACOASTAL. BIG OAK BBQ & CATERING, 1948 Henley Rd., Middleburg, 214-3041. 1440 Dunn Ave., 757-2225, bigoakbbqfl.com. Family-owned-and-operated barbecue joints have smoked chicken, pulled pork, ribs, sides and stumps, which sounds damn good. $$ K TO L D M-Sa BLACK SHEEP, 1534 Oak St., 355-3793, blacksheep5points. com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. New American, Southern; local source ingredients. Specials, rooftop bar. HH. $$$ FB R Sa & Su; L M-F; D Nightly BOLD BEAN COFFEE ROASTERS, 869 Stockton St., Ste. 1, 855-1181, boldbeancoffee.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. Small-batch, artisanal approach to sourcing and roasting single-origin, direct-trade coffees. Signature blends, handcrafted syrups, espressos, craft beers. $ BW TO B L Daily CORNER TACO, 818 Post St., 240-0412, cornertaco.com. Made-from-scratch “Mexclectic street food,” tacos, nachos, gluten-free, vegetarian options. $ BW L D Tu-Su CUMMER CAFÉ, Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, 829 Riverside Ave., 356-6857, cummer.org. 2017 Best of Jax winner. Light lunch, quick bites, locally roasted coffee, espresso-based drinks, sandwiches, desserts, daily specials. Dine in or in gardens. $ BW K L D Tu; L W-Su EUROPEAN STREET CAFÉ, 2753 Park St., 384-9999. 2017 Best of Jax winner. 130+ import beers, 20 on tap. Sandwiches. Dine outside at some E-Sts. $ BW K L D Daily
GRASSROOTS NATURAL MARKET, 2007 Park St., 384-4474, thegrassrootsmarket.com. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. Juice bar uses certified organic fruits, veggies. Artisanal cheeses, 300 craft, import beers, 50 organic wines, produce, meats, vitamins, herbs, wraps, sides, sandwiches. $ BW TO B L D Daily HAWKERS ASIAN STREET FARE, 1001 Park St., 508-0342, hawkerstreetfare.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. Authentic dishes from mobile stalls: BBQ pork char sui, beef haw fun, Hawkers baos, chow faan, grilled Hawker skewers. $ BW TO L D Daily IL DESCO, 2665 Park St., 290-6711, ildescojax.com. Authentic Italian cuisine; wood-fired pizzas, pasta, baked Italian dishes, raw bar, spaghetti tacos. Daily HH. $$-$$$ FB K TO L D Daily JOHNNY’S DELI & GRILLE, 474 Riverside Ave., 356-8055. F Casual spot offers made-to-order sandwiches, wraps. $ TO B L M-Sa LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 1509 Margaret St., 674-2794. 7895 Normandy Blvd., 781-7600. 8102 Blanding Blvd., 779-1933. F SEE ORANGE PARK. METRO DINER, 4495 Roosevelt Blvd., 999-4600. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE SAN MARCO. MOON RIVER PIZZA, 1176 Edgewood Ave. S., 389-4442. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE AMELIA ISLAND. M SHACK, 1012 Margaret St., 423-1283. 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE BEACHES. SOUTHERN ROOTS FILLING STATION, 1275 King St., 513-4726, southernrootsjax.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. Fresh vegan fare; local, organic ingredients. Specials, on bread, local greens/rice, change daily. Sandwiches, coffees, teas. $ Tu-Su SUN-RAY CINEMA, 1028 Park St., 359-0047, sunraycinema.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. First-run, indie and art films screened. Beer, local drafts, wine, pizza–Godbold, Black Lagoon Supreme–hot dogs, hummus, sandwiches, popcorn, nachos, brownies. $$ BW Daily SUSHI CAFÉ, 2025 Riverside Ave., Ste. 204, 384-2888, sushicafejax.com. F Monster, Rock-n-Roll, Dynamite Roll. Hibachi, tempura, katsu, teriyaki. Inside/patio. $$ BW L D Daily
ST. AUGUSTINE
AL’S PIZZA, 1 St. George St., 824-4383. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE INTRACOASTAL. The CORAZON CINEMA & CAFE, 36 Granada St., 679-5736, corazoncinemaandcafe.com. Sandwiches, combos, salads and pizza are served at the cinema house, showing indie and first-run movies. $$ Daily CRUISERS GRILL, 3 St. George St., 824-6993. SEE BEACHES. THE FLORIDIAN, 72 Spanish St., 829-0655, thefloridianstaug.com. Updated Southern fare; fresh, local ingredients. Vegetarian, gluten-free options. Signature fried green tomato bruschetta, blackened fish cornbread stack; grits w/shrimp/fish/tofu. $$$ BW K TO L D W-M GYPSY CAB COMPANY, 828 Anastasia Blvd., 824-8244, gypsycab.com. F 34+ years. Varied urban cuisine menu changes twice daily. Signature: Gypsy chicken. Seafood, tofu, duck, veal. $$ FB R Su; L D Daily MARDI GRAS SPORTS BAR, 123 San Marco Ave., 347-3288, mardibar.com. Lively spot has wings, nachos, shrimp, chicken, Phillys, sliders, soft pretzels. $$ FB TO L D Daily METRO DINER, 1000 S. Ponce de Leon Blvd., 758-3323. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. Dinner nightly. SEE SAN MARCO. MOJO OLD CITY BBQ, 5 Cordova St., 342-5264, mojobbq. com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE AVONDALE. SALT LIFE FOOD SHACK, 321 A1A, 217-3256. SEE BEACHES. WOODPECKER’S BACKYARD BBQ, 4930 S.R. 13, 531-5670, woodpeckersbbq.weebly.com. Smoked fresh daily. Brisket, ribs, pork, sausage, turkey: in sandwiches, plates by the pound. 8 sauces, 10 sides. $$ TO L D Tu-Su
SAN MARCO + SOUTHBANK
THE BEARDED PIG SOUTHERN BBQ & BEER GARDEN, 1224 Kings Ave., 619-2247, thebeardedpigbbq.com. 2017 Best of Jax finalist. Barbecue joint Southern style: brisket, pork, chicken, sausage, beef; veggie platters. $$ BW K TO Daily BISTRO AIX, 1440 San Marco Blvd., 398-1949, bistrox.com. F Mediterranean/French inspired menu changes seasonally. 250+ wines. Wood-fired oven-baked, grilled specialties: pizza, pasta, risotto, steaks, seafood. Hand-crafted cocktails, specialty drinks. Dine outside. HH M-F. $$$ FB L D Daily BOLD BEAN COFFEE ROASTERS, 1905 Hendricks Ave. 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE RIVERSIDE. EUROPEAN STREET CAFÉ, 1704 San Marco Blvd., 398-9500. 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE RIVERSIDE. FUSION SUSHI, 1550 University Blvd. W., 636-8688, fusionsushijax.com. F Upscale; fresh sushi, sashimi, hibachi, teriyaki, katsu, seafood. $$ K L D Daily HAVANA-JAX CAFÉ/CUBA LIBRE BAR, 2578 Atlantic Blvd., 399-0609, havanajax.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. Bite Club certified. Cuban sandwiches are the real thing: big, thick, flattened. Traditional fare: black beans & rice, plantains, steaks, seafood, chicken & rice, roast pork. Spanish wine, drink specials, mojitos, Cuba libres. Nonstop HH. $ FB K L D Daily KITCHEN ON SAN MARCO, 1402 San Marco Blvd., 396-2344, kitchenonsanmarco.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. Gastropub serves local, national craft beers, specialty cocktails. Seasonal menu, with fresh, locally sourced ingredients. $$ FB R Su; L D Daily METRO DINER, 3302 Hendricks Ave., 398-3701, metrodinercom. F 2017 Best of Jax winner. Original upscale diner in a historic 1930s-era building. Meatloaf, chicken pot pie, soups. This one serves dinner nightly. $$ B R L D Daily TAVERNA, 1986 San Marco Blvd., 398-3005, tavernasanmarco.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. Chef Sam Efron’s authentic Italian; tapas, wood-fired pizza. Seasonal local produce, meats. Craft beer (some local), award-winning wine. $$$ FB K TO R L D Daily
SOUTHSIDE + TINSELTOWN
ALHAMBRA THEATRE & DINING, 12000 Beach Blvd., 641-1212, alhambrajax.com. 2017 Best of Jax winner. Open 50 years. Executive Chef DeJuan Roy’s themed menus. Reservations. $$ FB D Tu-Su EUROPEAN STREET CAFÉ, 5500 Beach Blvd., 398-1717. 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE RIVERSIDE. LARRY’S SUBS, 3611 St. Johns Bluff Rd. S., 641-6499. 4479 Deerwood Lake Pkwy., 425-4060. F SEE ORANGE PARK. MARIANAS GRINDS, 11380 Beach Blvd., Ste. 10, 206-612-6596. Pacific Islander fare, chamorro culture. Soups, stews, fitada, beef oxtail, katden pika; empanadas, lumpia, chicken relaguen, BBQ-style ribs, chicken. $$ TO B L D Tu-Su M SHACK, 10281 Midtown Pkwy., 642-5000. 2017 Best of Jax winner. SEE BEACHES.
SPRINGFIELD + NORTHSIDE
ANDY’S GRILL, 1810 W. Beaver St., 354-2821, jaxfarmersmarket.com. 2017 Best of Jax finalist. Inside Jax Farmers Market. Local, regional, international produce. Breakfast, sandwiches. $ B L D M-Sa LARRY’S GIANT SUBS, 12001 Lem Turner Rd., 764-9999. SEE ORANGE PARK. UPTOWN KITCHEN & BAR, 1303 Main St. N., 355-0734, uptownmarketjax.com. Bite Club certified. Fresh fare, innovative menus, farm-to-table selections, daily specials. $$ BW TO B L Daily
DECEMBER 6-12, 2017 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 37
SAND BAGGIN’ YOU KNOW WHAT STINKS? I MEAN REALLY STINKS? When a favorite, reliable restaurant sells its soul by allowing quality to take a back seat to speed. If you’ve ever worked in the restaurant industry, you’ve heard the term “sandbag.” The term refers to something prepared in advance, then set aside. Sandbaggin’ brings down the wait time, but brings down the quality of the food even more. Sandbags might be a great for hurricane preparation, but they’re horrific as lunch. While it’s true that many foods can be par-cooked, then finished when needed with no ill effects, it doesn’t work with everything. That’s why it’s important to have a passionate, well-educated, sincere, highly motivated individual—aka Chef—running the kitchen. Many cooks are fabulous, but they’re often willing to create short cuts to speed things up. After all, it’s quite easy to lose one’s integrity when you’re constantly in the weeds and being pushed by shameless front-of-the-house managers. Therefore, kitchens must choose techniques wisely and possess a nearreligious zeal for quality. Braises, stews, soups, are but few examples of dishes whose flavors excel when prepared in advance. Vegetables, such as beans, leeks and winter squashes, can be par-cooked in advance and gently finished when needed. Most high-dollar proteins, such as steaks, chops, chicken breasts, seafood and especially fried items, turn to garbage when cooked in advance. Never, ever, ever sandbag fried items, unless you want food to taste like a greasy, chewy, dry flip-flop! The trick is to balance the menu with pre- and par-cooked along with à la minute items. A perfect example of this practice is exemplified in the recipe I so generously included today. It’s a Portuguese (yes, I’m still on my Portuguese food kick) version of Cheffed Up surf-and-turf. The idea is to slowly and lovingly caress the flavor from the pork and chorizo stew by carefully simmering in advance. To finish it, you can go one of two ways: steam the clams in herbs and white wine, or simply add the clams to
38 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | DECEMBER 6-12, 2017
CHEFFED-UP CHEFFED UP SHORTCUTS are great … until they’re not
the simmering stew about eight to 10 minutes before serving. Pure genius, a beautiful combination of pre-cooked and à la minute.
CHEF BILL’S BRAISED PORK WITH CHORIZO & CLAMS
Ingredients: • 3 pound pork butt, trimmed and cut • into 1-1/2” cubes • 6 oz. Spanish chorizo, 1/2“ medallions • 2 onions, small dice • 4 garlic cloves, • 1 green pepper, medium dice • 1 red pepper, medium dice • 1 oz. olive oil • 1 tbsp. smoked paprika • 2 bay leaves • 2 thyme sprigs • 2 oregano sprigs • 2 oz. white wine • 8 oz. chicken stock • 2 cups diced tomatoes • 1 oz. sherry vinegar • Salt and pepper to taste Directions: 1. Season pork with salt and pepper. 1. Sear in olive oil on medium-high heat, 1. remove. Lower heat. 2. Sweat the onions in the pan, add 1. garlic. Add peppers and briefly sweat; 1. return the pork to the pan. 3. Raise heat to medium-high, deglaze 1. pan with wine, add chicken stock. Tie 1. herbs and bay leaves and add to pan. 4. Bring to a simmer, cover with a 1. paper lid, lower heat and slowly 1. simmer 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1. chorizo. Continue to simmer for 1. 15 more minutes until pork is tender. 5. Stir in vinegar, adjust seasonings. Until we cook again,
Chef Bill Thompson cheffedup@folioweekly.com ___________________________________ Contact Chef Bill Thompson, owner of The Amelia Island Culinary Academy, at cheffedup@folioweekly.com to find inspiration and get you Cheffed Up!
DECEMBER 6-12, 2017 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 39
PET PARENTING FOLIO LIVING DEAR
DAVI
HOLIDAY
PAWTY TIME
Share the season’s GLAD TIDINGS with your best friend
Dear Davi, How can I help my dog overcome her FOMO (fear of missing out) this holiday season? Holly Holly, The holidays are here and dogs everywhere are geared up, ready to bark in the season with local adventure! The best way to help your pooch beat festive FOMO is by spending quality time together. Grab a cup of eggnog— and a cookie—and read through my petfriendly list of activities to do with your dog.
PICK OUT THE PAWFECT CHRISTMAS TREE OR HANUKKAH BUSH
Going with family to find the perfect tree is a tradition. The crisp air and pine scent will surely give all a holiday spirit, and while it’s tempting for Fido to mark the firs there, use a short leash to keep him from claiming every trunk on the lot.
PLAN A PHOTO-OP WITH SANTA
Posing with The Jolly One (and telling him what you want under the tree) is a fun way to create a lasting holiday memory. Local pet stores and shopping malls offer petfriendly sittings with Old Saint Nick.
WHERE TO GO
The Avenues Mall: 5:30-7 p.m. Dec. 10 St. Johns Town Center: 7-9 p.m. Dec. 10 Orange Park Mall: 6-8 p.m. Dec. 10 Pet Smart Stores: Noon-4 p.m. Dec. 9, 10, 16 & 17; details on website PetCo Stores: 1-4 p.m. Dec. 9 & 16; details on website
CRUISE AROUND TOWN FOR A DOG’S-EYE VIEW OF HOLIDAY LIGHTS
For many dogs, going for a ride in the family wagon and gazing at thousands of twinkling lights setting the winter sky a-sparkling is the bestest. Crank up holiday tunes and have a howling good time. It’s a tradition many folks enjoy to get in the holiday spirit.
Davi
WHERE TO GO
Jax Illuminations, Morocco Shrine Center, 3800 St. Johns Bluff Rd. S. • It’s magical— driving amid the colors and styles of holiday lights that sparkle to seasonal music. The popular event runs 6-9:30 p.m. nightly through December, $20/car.
LEASH UP FOR LUMINARIES AND HOLIDAY OUTINGS
Dogs dig bright lights and festive decorations just like we do. Bundle up for outdoor fun— there are oodles of on-leash doings walking through a festive winter wonderland.
WHERE TO GO
Deck the Chairs, Seawalk Pavilion, First Street North, Jax Beach • This outdoor exhibit of decorated, illuminated lifeguard chairs and community light display brightens the heart of Jax Beach, 4:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. through Jan. 1. Nights of Lights, 29 Old Mission Ave., St. Augustine • The Ancient City’s historic area is aglow with millions of tiny white lights make for a dazzling holiday display. San Marco Holiday Magic the the Square, 1974 San Marco Blvd., 6 p.m. Dec. 9 • Carolers, Santa & Mrs. Claus photos ops, petting zoo, shops. 33rd Annual Light Boat Parade, 7 p.m. Dec. 30, The Jacksonville Landing, Downtown • All manner of boats, creatively decked out in holiday lights, cruise the St. Johns River. Boogie Freaks play 9 p.m.-2 a.m. (on land). During the season’s hustle and bustle, remember to share your happy spirit with your canine companion. And prioritizing your pet is a great way to stay off Santa’s naughty list! Davi mail@folioweekly.com ____________________________________ Davi would never be on anyone’s naughty list. He pinky swears!
PET TIP: TASTES LIKE KE CHICKEN LITTLE RECENT YEARS HAVE SEEN A RESURGENCE OF BACKYARD HIPSTER HENS. And what happens when cityfolk try to do country things? Pan-de-moni-um. Just ask the FW staffer’s hubby who tried to handle a feral cat barehanded over Thanksgiving. #Mistake. Anyhoo, backyard hens are relatively, but not entirely, low-maintenance. If you want plenty of eggs and don’t want to bear witness to “injurious pecking,” aka cannibalism, consider debeaking. Though some decry the practice of trimming beaks, it’s very effective at stopping Chick Norris from eating all her Dixie Chicks. 40 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | DECEMBER 6-12, 2017
LOCAL PET EVENTS MEGA PET ADOPTION • First Coast No More Homeless Pets, Petco Foundation, Jacksonville Animal Care & Protective Services, Nassau Humane Society, Friends of Clay County Animals, and Jacksonville Humane Society offer more than 1,000 pets 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Dec. 7 and 8, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9 at Jacksonville Fairgrounds, 510 Fairground Place, Downtown. The $20 fee includes spay/neuter, microchip, vaccines and city license, jaxadoptapet.org, fcnmhp.org. Free adoptions for active and retired military, courtesy Doc Tony, doctony.org. READ WITH DIVA & TENOR • Kids practice reading to real, live local therapy dogs Diva and Tenor, 2-3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9 at Mandarin Branch Library, 3330 Kori Rd., 262-5201, jaxpubliclibrary.org. WINTER CROCFEST • The fundraiser, to raise awareness for critically endangered Cuban crocodiles, is noon-9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9 at St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park, 999 Anastasia Blvd., 824-3337, $24 adult; $10 children; kids 5 years old and younger admitted free; crocfest.org, alligatorfarm.com. PET PHOTOS WITH SANTA! • St. Francis Animal Hospital presents this chance for you to get your furry or not-so-furry friends, and/or the whole famdamly, immortalized with St. Nicholas himself, 5-7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10 at the
ADOPTABLES
FONDUE
OVERSET
DIP ME IN HOT CHEESE? NO WAY! • I’m far too adorable for that action. I look more like a Creamsicle than some cubed foodstuff, anyway. If you like warm, loyal and loving, I’m the girl for you. I’m at the NEW Jacksonville Humane Society on Beach Boulevard. Go to jaxhumane. org for the 411 on what you do to take me home! hospital, 2727 Atlantic Blvd., San Marco; 674-7223; $10 donation for a printout or $15 donation for a printout and a digital copy; all proceeds benefit programs to help pets in need, saintfrancisanimalhospital.org. USDAA PALS & PAWS AGILITY TRIALS • The United States Dog Agility Association holds these trials, 8 a.m. Friday, Dec. 8 at Jacksonville Equestrian Center, 13611 Normandy Blvd., Westside, 255-4254, palsandpawsagility.com. Spectator admission and parking are free. The trials wrap up at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10. READ WITH SPIRIT THE DOG • School-age kids can practice reading skills with to Spirit, a real, live therapy dog who loves to listen, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13 at Beaches Branch Library, 600 Third St., Neptune Beach, 241-1141, jaxpubliclibrary.org.
ADOPTABLES
FROGGER
BEAUTY’S ONLY SKIN DEEP • Hi, folks! I’m Frogger, and I’m a whole lot sweeter and cuddlier than this pic shows. Not my best side … Anywho, get over to the NEW Jax Humane Society Adoption Center, 8464 Beach Blvd., and you can be the beauty who falls in love with the beast! Go to jaxhumane.org for all the details on how to take me home! BINGO FOR ANA’S ANGELS ANIMAL RESCUE • Help support rescue efforts for homeless animals in this area. Proceeds benefit Ana’s Angels. Rumor has it that it’s also an Ugly Christmas Sweater event, so … 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18 at Hamburger Mary’s, 3333 Beach Blvd., Ste. 1, St. Nicholas, 551-2048, hamburgermarys.com. KATZ 4 KEEPS ADOPTION DAYS • Adoption days for you to choose a new family member are 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 8 and 9 and every Saturday and Sunday at 935B A1A N., Ponte Vedra Beach, 834-3223, katz4keeps.org. Katz 4 Keeps seeks volunteers, ages 18 and older, to help with its catcentric programs; email peggyhatfield63@comcast.com. _________________________________________ To list an event, send the name, time, date, location (complete street address, city), admission price, contact number/website to print, to mdryden@folioweekly.com
DECEMBER 6-12, 2017 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 41
FREEWILL ASTROLOGY
DALE RATERMANN’s Folio Weekly Crossword presented by
FORTUNE TELLERS, GROWTH SPURTS, NO. 37 & FUNGUS
Serving Excellence Since 1928 Member American Gem Society
San Marco 2044 San Marco Blvd. 398-9741
Ponte Vedra
THE SHOPPES OF PONTE VEDRA
330 A1A North 280-1202
Avondale 3617 St. Johns Ave. 388-5406
FOLIO WEEKLY CROSSWORD 1
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ACROSS 31 Morse code bits 35 Pensacola-to-Jax
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rte. Harbor fleet Salve source Build up Trim “Clue” weapon Take on Tower city Debt memo Pauper “Spare me the details!” Make a case for Silky fabric 2007 Super Bowl in Miami ’Bama coach 1300 hours Latin 101 verb “___ want for Christmas...” Pirelli product Poet Cummings Tampa-to-Orlando rte. Book subtitled Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court Kinfolk Son of Zeus Rested Barely drink
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49 ISP option 50 Series ender, sometimes 53 Garden spot 58 Be a bit shy 59 Sight, et al. 62 Jags receiver Marqise ___ 63 Stable staple 65 Resell tickets 66 Soup bean 67 UF housing 68 Marsh bird 69 Nefarious 70 EverBank Field cry 71 Match part 72 Just the type
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GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Have you been hungrier than usual? Feeling voracious, even insatiable? What’s it about? This intense yearning is simply about food, though it could be your body’s compensating for a nutritional deficiency. At the very least, you’re experiencing a heightened desire to be understood and appreciated. You may be aching for a certain quality of love you haven’t given or gotten. My theory: Your soul’s ravenous for experiences your ego doesn’t value or seek. If I’m right, meditate on what your soul craves but isn’t getting.
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TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Members of the fungus family, like mushrooms and molds, lack chlorophyll, so they can’t make food from sunlight, water and carbon dioxide. To get needed energy, they “eat” plants. That’s lucky for us. The fungi keep the Earth fresh. Without them to decompose fallen leaves, piles of compost would accumulate forever. Some forests would be so choked with dead matter, they wouldn’t thrive. Be inspired by the heroic fungi. Expedite decay and dissolution of your life’s worn-out, obsolete parts.
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45 Catch 46 Little piggies 48 Miami-to-Tampa rte. 49 Very capable 50 Disney dog 51 Cognizant 52 Heavy music 54 Key West, e.g. 55 Kicking partner 56 DJ’s creation 57 Gave a hand 60 157.5 deg. 61 Mayo tests 64 Cardinals, on scoreboards 66 Tennis do-over
Mrs. at 11-Down Florida tree Piece org. Cash outlay Chess champ Karpov Sale condition Zayn song Non-Rx Armada nada Jumbo Shrimp stat Architect Saarinen JFK’s assassin Albanian coin Jax-to-Miami rte. “The Raven” monogram
DOWN 31 Beavis and Butt32 33 34 35 36 37
38 39 10 11 13
head spinoff Throw for ___ Reach a higher level “Get it?” ___ Rappaport Puzzle starter Like a game with equal winners and losers M Shack recipe abbr. Harmony Thingamajig Seville locale Garlic sauce
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SOLUTION TO 11.29.17 PUZZLE L E S T E N T D E V R S K Y E E A L T T S E A A A R P P R O U D M O N G A H O Y R A M Y R S J A G
S H Y
C A S O T R R S A B P I A T U N D I R T E R A M A T O H E D I D E
R U N T A N N O Y A L G A
E R I E
M A D R A S S O A S K I F I T S S L E S
E S E
A S T M E D O R E T T O N R E A A L U R I S E A I D L S T U M O M
ARIES (March 21-April 19): You may get richer quicker in 2018, especially if you refuse to sell out. You may accumulate more clout, especially if you treat everyone as an equal and wield power responsibly. You’ll experience deeper, richer emotions, especially if you avoid those with low emotional intelligence levels. You’ll have the best sex of your life in the next 12 months, especially if you cultivate a peace of mind where you’ll feel fine even if you don’t get any sex at all. Start these projects immediately.
T H E M E
V E X E D
T E A R
O K A Y
R P E R D Y S
CANCER (June 21-July 22): The brightly colored bee-eater birds are quite fond of eating bees and wasps. How do they not get stung? They snatch prey in mid-air and knock them repeatedly against a tree branch until the stinger falls off and the venom is flushed out. In the weeks ahead, draw inspiration from the bee-eaters’ determination to get what they want. How can you be nourished by sources not entirely benign? How can you extract value from influences with which you must be careful? LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The next few months will be a ripe time to revise and rework your past, to reconfigure consequences that came from what happened once upon a time. Make your own decisions about the best way to do that–but here are some suggestions: 1. Revisit a memory that’s haunted you, and do a ritual to resolve it and bring you peace. 2. Go back and finally do a crucial duty left unfinished. 3. Return to a dream you wandered from too soon, and either recommit to it, or put it to rest for good. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Astrological omens suggest now’s a favorable time to deepen your roots, bolster foundations and revitalize nourishing traditions. Oddly enough, current planetary rhythms are also conducive to you and your family and friends playing soccer in the living room with a ball made of rolled-up socks, pretending to be fortunetelling psychics and giving each other past-life readings, and gathering at the kitchen table to plot a conspiracy to achieve world domination. And no, these two sets of advice are not contradictory. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In accordance with long-term astrological omens, make five long-term promises to yourself. They were formulated by teacher Shannen Davis. Say them aloud a few times to get a feel for them. 1. “I’ll make myself eminently teachable through cultivation of openness
and humility.” 2. “I won’t wait around hoping people will give me what I can give myself.” 3. “I’ll be a good sport about consequences of my actions, whether good, bad or misunderstood.” 4. “As I walk out a room where there are many who know me, I won’t worry what anyone says about me.” 5. “I will pray for only those things I’m willing to be the answer to.” SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Discussing a problem isn’t the same as doing something practical to correct it. Many folks don’t seem to get this. They devote a great deal of energy describing and analyzing their difficulties, and may imagine possible solutions, but they neglect to follow through. So nothing changes; sad or bad situations persist. Of all the zodiac signs, Scorpios are among the least flawed this way. You specialize in taking action to fulfill proposed fixes. Just this once, though, engage in more inquiry and conversation than usual. Just talking about the problem could cure it. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): As far back as ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece, people staged ceremonies to mark the embarkation of a new ship. They intended to bestow a blessing for the maiden voyage and ever thereafter. Good luck! Safe travels! Starting in 18th-century Britain and America, such rituals often featured smashing a wine bottle on the ship’s bow. Later, champagne in glass was used. In accordance with current astrological indicators, devise your version of this celebratory gesture. It’ll soon be time for your launch. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You may feel quite sure you’re as tall as you’ll ever be, but it may not be true. If you were ever going to add another half-inch or more to your height, the near future is the time for it. You’re in the midst of what we in the consciousness industry call a “growth spurt.” The blooming and ripening could occur in other ways, too. Your hair and fingernails may get longer faster, and even your sex organs might undergo spontaneous augmentation. There’s no doubt new brain cells will propagate at a higher rate, as will the white blood cells that guard your physical health. Four weeks from now, you’ll be noticeably smarter, wiser and more robust. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You go to a deli, where you have to take a numbered ticket to get served. Oops. You draw 37–the counter clerk just called No. 17. That means 20 people will get their turns before you. Damn! You settle in for a tedious vigil, put down your bag and fold your arms across your chest. But what’s this? Two minutes later, the clerk yells, “37!” That’s you! You go to the counter and give him your number. Amazingly, the clerk writes down your order. A few minutes later, you’ve got your food. Maybe it was a mistake, but who cares? All that matters is that your opportunity came earlier than you thought it would. Apply this as a metaphor for your life in the days ahead. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): It’s one of those bizarre times when what feels really good is in close alignment with what’s really good for you, and taking a course of action to benefit you is probably what’s best for everyone else, too. The onslaught of this strange grace may be difficult to believe, but it’s real and true, so don’t waste time questioning it. Relish and indulge in the freedom it offers. Use it to shush the meddling voice in your head saying what you supposedly SHOULD be doing instead of what you’re really doing.
Rob Brezsny freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com
NEWS OF THE WEIRD WHERE’S A COP WHEN YOU NEED ONE?
The Detroit Police Department got a little carried away on Nov. 9 while trying to address a persistent drug problem on the city’s east side. Two undercover special ops officers from the 12th Precinct were posing as drug dealers on a street corner when undercover officers from the 11th Precinct arrived and, not recognizing their colleagues, ordered the 12th Precinct officers to the ground. Shortly, more 12th Precinct officers showed up and the action moved to a house where, as Fox 2 News described it, a turf war broke out as officers from the two precincts engaged in fistfights. An internal investigation is underway, and the police department has declined comment.
NOT SANTA
A family in Vero Beach were rudely awakened early on Nov. 11 when Jacob Johnson Futch, 31, climbed onto their roof to, as he later told authorities, carry out a meeting with an agent of the Drug Enforcement Agency. WPTV reported the family didn’t know Futch and called Indian River Sheriff ’s deputies to say someone was stomping on their roof, yelling and howling. When asked, Futch admitted injecting methamphetamines earlier that morning. He was charged with trespassing and held in the Indian River County jail.
DUDE …
An unnamed man in Frankfurt, Germany, called police 20 years ago to report his Volkswagen Passat missing, believing it had been stolen. In November, the car was found just where the driver had left it, according to Metro News, in a parking garage now scheduled to be demolished. Police drove the 76-year-old to the garage to be reunited with his car, which is unfit to drive, before sending it off to the scrap heap.
UP, UP & AWAY
Office workers at Cambridge Research Park in Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, England, feared the worst as they rushed outside on Nov. 13 after watching a hot air balloon crash into a fence in their parking lot. Strangely, no one was in the basket of the balloon, although the gas canister was still
Folio Weekly helps you connect with the paramour of your dreams. Go to folioweekly.com/i-saw-u.html, fill out the FREE form correctly (40 words or fewer, dammit) by 5 p.m. Friday (for the next Wednesday’s FW) – next stop: Bliss!
running. Eyewitness Jack Langley told Metro News: “Either they bailed out and jumped out before crashing or the balloon escaped from its mooring lines.” Cambridgeshire Police later discovered the balloon had taken off when the pilot got out of the basket to secure it to the ground.
HEY, PLAY “DANNY BOY”
Dunedin, New Zealand, police Sgt. Bryce Johnson told Stuff.nz he’s seen people reading newspapers, putting on makeup and using their mobile phones while driving, but pulling over a driver who was playing bagpipes while driving, as he did on Nov. 15, was a first. “His fingers were going a million miles an hour,” Johnson said. The driver, who admitted to being a bagpipe player, said he was only doing “air bagpipe,” and a search of the car did not turn up the instrument. He was released with a warning, but Johnson urged other drivers to keep both hands on the wheel at all times.
TAG, YOU’RE IT
The Hopkinton, Massachusetts, Police Department cited an unnamed driver of a Buick Century on Nov. 12 for making their own license plate out of a pizza box and markers. The plate, which reads “MASS” at the top and sports a sloppily rendered six-digit number, prompted police to post some helpful warnings to creative citizens on its Facebook page and resulted in charges including operating an uninsured and unregistered vehicle and attaching “fake homemade” plates.
HAVE IT YOUR WAY
In the wee hours of Nov. 5, before the McDonald’s in Columbia, Maryland, opened, a woman reached through the drive-thru window and tried to pour herself a soda, but she couldn’t reach the dispenser. The Associated Press reports that, rather than driving down the road to a 24-hour restaurant, she can be seen on surveillance video squeezing herself through the drive-thru window, pouring a soda and collecting a box full of unidentified items before taking off. The thief remains at large. weirdnewstips@amuniversal.com
DEC. 9 is both CHRISTMAS CARD DAY and NATIONAL PASTRY DAY! So, brush up on those Palmer Method penmanship skills, dig out your ugliest ugly Christmas sweater and whip up the brioche. We’re sure that special someone will love a little holiday cheer and a pain au chocolat ... mostly the chocolat. The humbug FW editorial staff will deeply vet your amoureux.
So be present (get it?): Go to folioweekly.com/i-saw-u.html and: One:
Write a five-word headline so the person recalls that starstruck moment, like: “ISU browsing the Dollar Store card section while I nabbed cheap candy to sneak in the movie theater.” Two: Describe the person, like, “You: Lookin’ cozy wrapped up in more layers than a croissant.” Three: Describe yourself, like, “Me: Makin’ eyes like you were fresh outta the oven, humming that Mariah Carey song on the store’s Muzak system.” Four: Describe the moment, like, “We played that awkward game of Store Aisle Shuffle. You homed in on the perfect card, I slapped eyes on a box of Reese’s Pieces.” Five: Meet, fall in love, open that family bakery.* No names, emails, websites, etc. And HEY, it’s 40 words or fewer. Get a love life with Folio Weekly ISUs! AIRPORT CUTIE You: Dark hair, slim, black shirt, gray pants, Nixon backpack. Me: Curvy, curly short hair, leggings, leather backpack. Went to Cali same day; back same day. Wanted convo; didn’t see you. Captivating aura. Who/where are you? Don’t go! When: Nov. 15. Where: Jax Intl. Airport. #1682-1206
I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU You: Walk your dog near my bush most nights. Thick guy, short legs I’d love to gnaw. Me: Watching you for months. Tried popping out to say hi last week, but I scared you. Happens sometimes. When: Oct. 3. Where: Ortega. #1673-1011
IN PURGATORY WITHOUT YOU You: Working D&B’s counter; took time to find me a cool card. Me: Wearing Purgatory Co. shirt; agreed Purgatory’s a strange name for beautiful place. I’d love to get lost in your eyes once more. When: Nov. 19. Where: Dave & Buster’s. #1681-1222
THINGS I’D LIKE TO DO With you. Take you into the woods. No sleeping bag, no tent. Want to lie under the stars and watch a meteor shower while we talk about nothing and everything. And wait for the rain. When: Aug. 26. Where: Shantytown. #1672-1004
HAGAR CONCERT ENCOUNTER We met at Sammy Hagar, talked; you and bro came over. Looked for you again, didn’t find. Tried to find at Jags game; couldn’t. Meet sometime? I’d like that. My name starts with M; yours with T. When: Nov. 11. Where: St. Augustine Amphitheatre. #1680-1122
YOU LOVE ART, MUSIC, NATURE I like slow cooking, good people. Want to stay up all night, play Nintendo, eat junk food, hike outside the city at sunrise; then be too busy to see you for a while. Or fish. When: Lomax Street. Where: June 11, 2010. #1671-1004
I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW Me: Playing guitar, singing at Super Food. You: Entered alone, said you’d stay for one song, asked for my card, last name. I played “I Think We’re Alone Now.” I’m on Facebook. Should’ve asked your number. When: Nov. 1. Where: Super Food & Brew, Downtown. #1679-1108 MAN IN UNIFORM AT TARGET You: In Navy uniform, buying bleach at self-checkout. Me: Laughing at orange makeup with elderly mom. ISU in parking lot, new black Ram. Severely regret not saying hello. This is worth trying. When: Oct. 31. Where: Target, Beach & Hodges. #1678-1108 SEEKING MY “WOOD” ISU bum a smoke after Florida-Georgia. Noticed your sad eyes, New Balances, tube socks. We talked. You: Frat boy, pleated shorts; name ends in “wood.” Me: blonde, dirty martini, looking for love in all the wrong places. When: Oct. 29. Where: Mellow Mushroom Avondale. #1677-1108 NURSE ME TO HEALTH You: Misplaced duck living in the inky waters of gator land. Me: Furry, educated, feral. Told me how you left your true love back home. I’d let you hold the leash if we go on walks. When: Oct. 10. Where: Aardwolf Brewery. #1676-1108 HEY WHOOPING COUGH You: Ryan Gosling has nothing on you, esp when it comes to good advice. You said try Robitussin–I’d rather try you. Me: Getting over a cold, hope I didn’t ruin your movie. Meet for “coughee” sometime? When: Oct. 6. Where: “Blade Runner,” Sun-Ray. #1675-1011
LIGHTNING STRIKE AT MARKET You: Gorgeous brunette, tank top, camo pants, heels, shopping with young son on Saturday. Butcher made you laugh. Me: Serious, cop-looking guy trying to make eye contact. I’d love to shop with you. When: Sept. 16. Where: Earth Fare, Atlantic Blvd. #1670-0920 HURRICANE IRMA COLD BREW In line at Publix stocking up for Irma; you noticed my organic, dark roast cold brew. It piqued your interest, you wanted it, so I gave it to you. But you piqued my interest ... When: Sept. 5. Where: Riverside Publix. #1669-0920 HOME DEPOT RETURN LINE CUTIE You: Dark hair, great smile. Me: Blonde, special order counter with friend. A gentleman, you let us go first. We made eye contact, you smiled at me as I left. Meet for drinks? When: Aug. 31. Where: Southside Home Depot. #1668-0906 I SA U ConnexioW n Made!
I’LL ALWAYS COME BACK FOR YOU You: Prideful, emotionally hidden, distant from those closest, but ISU in a way others didn’t. Me: Love to travel, low self-esteem, brunette. No matter where I am, I’ll always come back for you. When: July 19, 2016. Where: Hospital. #1667-0830 DANCIN’ AT THE FOOD TRUCK You: In line behind me, dancing to the music. My order was out before yours. All that was missing were umbrella drinks, a beach to dance on. Shall we meet, plan adventures? When: Aug. 17. Where: Latin Soul Grill food truck, Riverplace Tower. #1666-0823
*or any other appropriate site at which folks can engage in a civil union or marriage or whatever … DECEMBER 6-12, 2017 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 43
CLASSIFIEDS
YOUR PORTAL TO REACHING 95,000+ READERS WEEKLY HELP WANTED
IT FIRM REQ. BUSINESS SYSTEMS ANALYST w/t MBA or MIS, or foreign equivalent + 6 months of experience (in lieu – BBA or BS in Information Systems + 5 yrs. Of relative experience) in job offered or in related computer fields to determine and analyze business requirements that drive the
analysis & design of technical solutions; Install MQ series & Message Broker on windows and Linux environments; Create backup and recovery scripts for MQ series and develop message flows using ESQL; setup database backup and recovery strategies & track the requirements traceability matrix with support from business solutions and operations team; Design Business Process Management (BPM) and Business Rules Engines (BRE) applications; meet with business stakeholders to provide assistance on marketing activities performed in WebSphere commerce toolset. IBM certification in WebSphere Message Broker – Solutions Development is a must. Should be willing to be assigned to work anywhere in the U.S. No telecommuting permitted. Wk. 9a-6p M-F – 40 hours/wk. Apply to Judge Software Professionals, Inc. at 11481 Old St. Augustine Rd St 105, Jacksonville FL 32258 or email hrd@judegesoft.com. SOFTWARE DVLPRS (MULTIPLE POSITIONS) req’d to gather, analyze, design/re-engineer, impl. and mng ERP apps using 4+ of: JAVA, Oracle Financials/ Supply Chain, Hyperion EPM/HFM, Oracle BI, Oracle DB, SAP FI/CO, SAP WM/EWM, SAP SD, SAP MM, SAP CRM, SAP APO/SCM, PL SQL/SQL Server DB, HP QC, Shell Scripting in Unix/ Linux, Rational Suite, Automation (QTP). Wrk closely with stakeholders,
44 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | DECEMBER 6-12, 2017
programmers QA/Biz Analysts and dvlprs, rpt to mgmt, create EU supp docs. Req’d: MS or equiv in Busin. Admin, Comp.Sci/Apps, IT/IS, Engg (Any) or rltd plus 2 yrs IT exp. or in lieu of this educ./ exp, a BS or equiv in one of the same/related fields plus 5 yrs of progressively responsible IT exp req’d. Must be willing to travel/relocate to unanticipated client sites anywhere in the U.S. No Telecommuting permitted. Mail resumes to Harvest Software Solutions, LLC, 9471 Baymeadows Rd, # 402, Jacksonville, FL 32256
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MISCELLANEOUS
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HEALTH
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ADOPTION
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M.D. M.J. Backlash to MDMJ includes DISARMING USERS
GUNS OR
SMOKE I NOTED LAST WEEK THAT DR. KHAJA CHISTY had opened his “Jacksonville 420 Doctor” business a few weeks ago amid much fanfare and mild calumny, but I mostly glossed over details of how all that really worked. Many readers have written, called, catcalled and caterwauled with inquiries about the logistics of obtaining a medical marijuana card for themselves; others offered stories of their widely varied experiences across the state. But there is one common thread linking them all: It’s way easier to get a gun than a weed card. For example, the intake form for Dr. Chisty’s patients is 11 pages long, a prohibitive amount of paperwork for anyone actually stoned at the time, so that’s one firewall right there. Within those pages are more italics than the GOP tax bill, but way fewer brackets. Page 1 susses out your criminal and reproductive status, leading to a checklist of 38 qualifying conditions on page 2. Pages 3 and 4 (the last ones that are funny) elaborate on the patient’s medical history, including 25 questions related to marijuana use; it’s like El Chapo at a traffic stop. At no point is the patient asked if they own any guns, because it’s Jacksonville so, of course, they do. This is not the case everywhere. The state of Hawaii, for example, recently made news by requiring their medical marijuana patients to forfeit their right to (legally) bear arms, which pretty much neutralizes their nascent rap industry. Critics have rightly inveighed against this ridiculous plan, noting the seeming hypocrisy
OVERSET of disarming pot-smokers in Hawaii, who in demographic terms are probably the least dangerous human beings walking the Earth today. I mean, gosh, Obama was (definitely) from Hawaii, he smoked the pot prolifically, and aside from Bin Laden, Anwar al-Awlaki and between 117 and 807 civilians written off as collateral damage from his drone strikes, he never killed anyone. It’s not like Hawaii just waited 38 years to finally crack down on the Choom Gang, so this new rule is being interpreted as just another example of how state and local governments around America have responded to the wave of medical marijuana initiatives that have passed in recent years. That is, with overt and transparent obfuscation that takes all kinds of forms. We’ve seen it happen in other ways here in Florida, where various councils and commissions have labored to draft arcane rules regulating the new businesses that have the effect of limiting their growth, or just stunting that growth outright, be it through zoning or taxation or just general harassment. (Federal law may nevertheless be problematic, because it prohibits unlawful users of controlled substances from possessing firearms. And marijuana is still illegal on the federal level.) Of course, Florida is not Hawaii. We will never make any attempt to limit anyone’s access to lethal weapons, so take some pride in that. Shelton Hull mail@folioweekly.com
DECEMBER 6-12, 2017 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 45
46 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | DECEMBER 6-12, 2017
FOLIO VOICES : BACKPAGE EDITORIAL
CONSOLIDATION OF CITY SERVICES
I WAS RECENTLY INVITED TO ATTEND A MEETING between the Jacksonville Beach Fire Department and the City of Jacksonville Beach regarding a possible consolidation of services between the fire departments of Jacksonville Beach and the City of Jacksonville (JFRD). George Forbes, the Jax Beach ch city cit ityy manager, mana ma nage gerr, stated that the discussions between him and COJ had ceased and that they were going to wait until the Atlantic Beach/ Neptune Beach contract expired in 2020. The firefighters stated that they thought the contract did not expire until 2024, not 2020. Forbes also stated that he would not be willing to consolidate unless there was a substantial savings, which he would not disclose, to the citizens of Jacksonville Beach. The firefighters stated that they had talked to Sam Mousa, Chief Administrative Officer for COJ, and that he explained to them that during his negotiations with Forbes, his offer was a fluctuating $3.1 million to consolidate. The operating budget for JBFD is approximately $3.8 million, which would save the citizens roughly $700,000/year and possibly more. The Jax Beach firefighters went on to explain that the fire department did not meet the National Fire Protection Association’s recommendations for minimum staffing levels to fight a fire in a 2,000-square-foot, singlestory residential home, let alone a high-rise like Pablo Towers. A fire in Pablo Towers would require all their staffing, eight to nine people, to go to the fire floor, which would eliminate any help to the residents on the floors above the fire, including people who are wheelchair-bound and ones who use walkers. Why is this important? When a fire alarm is activated, the elevators go to the
ground level and can be operated only by the fire department, with a special key. They pointed out that smoke and heat rise to the floors above, which ultimately means that people above the fire floor would possibly die, because they wouldn’t be able to get down nor would anybody be able down tthe he sstairs, tair ta irs, s, no to come up to help them. Consolidation equals more manpower for the citizens, which equals saving more lives. Furthermore, the firefighters said that any 911 calls made by a cell phone in Jacksonville Beach automatically get routed to Jacksonville’s dispatch, ultimately delaying their response time as much as 2 to 3 minutes. Is this important? The answer is yes, because in cardiac arrest, if a person is not receiving oxygen, that person can become brain-dead in approximately 4 to 6 minutes. Average response times of 3 to 4 minutes, plus 2 to 3 minutes of delay time, equals 5 to 7 minutes. With consolidation, the delay time would be eliminated, which could possibly save someone’s life. The Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating could possibly drop to a one, possibly lowering insurance premiums for business owners. Thus, consolidation equals more savings to the citizens. The question one must ask is this: Is it not the duty of the City of Jacksonville Beach government to do everything it can, even relinquish power and control, to provide the highest level of service to the citizens, while saving them money? Kim Sparrow mail@folioweekly.com _____________________________________
Should JAX BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT consolidate with the city?
Sparrow, a resident of the beaches, is married to a Jacksonville Beach firefighter.
DECEMBER 6-12, 2017 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | 47