Sep
 
19

Grand opening time for several new World Golf Village businesses!

Posted by: Cathy Eng in Community Involvement, Events, News, WGV Events
 

Lots of businesses are opening throughout the World Golf Village area and hosting events to celebrate, inviting customers to see the new digs, meet staff, learn about the business and even receive exclusive discounts on services. Here are a few of the celebrations around World Golf Village this fall.

Grand Opening!WGV Gymnastics (135 Center Place Way)

WGV Gymnastics will host a grand opening event for its new facility on Saturday, September 28 from 12 to 3 p.m.The event includes raffles and giveaways, games, bounce house, food truck and facility tours. Come enjoy a meet-and-greet with Olympic Silver Medalist Terin Humphrey. Also, sign up for two sessions at the event and receive half off your registration!

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Sep
 
12

St. Augustine Jerk & Curry Festival to donate part of proceeds to Bahamas hurricane relief

Posted by: Cathy Eng in Community Involvement, Local Activities, Local Events, News
 

An exciting new Caribbean themed festival will launch in St. Augustine this weekend! The 1st annual Jerk & Curry Music Fest will take place on Saturday, September 14 from 12 noon to 10 p.m. at Francis Field in the historic district.

Part of the festival’s proceeds will go to purchase hurricane relief supplies for Bahamians devastated by Hurricane Dorian.

This family-friendly festival will offer plenty of games, delectable Caribbean-inspired cuisine, live reggae and soca music, dancing, a kids’ fun zone and much more.

Watch contestants sweat it out in the pepper eating contest and jerk wing eating contest! The event will also include a jerk and curry chicken cook-off and classic limbo contest.

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Sep
 
5

St. Augustine welcomes 300+ bands for Sing Out Loud Festival

Posted by: Cathy Eng in Community Involvement, Events, Local Activities, Local Events, News
 

St. Augustine’s 4th annual Sing Out Loud Festival is kicking off this weekend at venues throughout the historic district and organizers are expecting the biggest crowds ever! Concerts are planned for each weekend from Friday, September 6 through Sunday, September 29.

The event will feature an impressively orchestrated 334 bands including headliner Kacey Musgraves as well as local poets and comedians. In total, fans will be treated to more than 500 artists.

No matter your musical tastes, the festival has shows for you including indie rock, Americana, blues, hip-hop and R&B, bluegrass, punk rock, jazz and comedy.

Almost all of the festival’s shows are free to attend—a rarity when it comes to great concerts—and require no tickets. The only show to charge admission is the (sold out) finale with Grammy Award-winning country music star Kacey Musgraves on September 21.

Here are just some of the featured performances each weekend. Except for the first show below, all featured shows will be at The Backyard at The St. Augustine Amphitheatre. See a full schedule at https://www.singoutloudfestival.com/schedule/.

  • Friday, Sept. 6 (starting at 6 p.m.)–Headliner: Dave Hause & The Mermaid, Guests: Christina Wagner, Raye Zaragoza, The Attack (Venue: Colonial Oak Music Park)
  • Saturday, Sept. 7 (starting at 7:45 p.m.) – Headliner: Kurt Vile and the Violators, Guest: Reels
  • Sunday, Sept. 8 (starting at 6 p.m.) – Headliner: Jenny Lewis, Guests: The Watson Twins, Lucie Silvas
  • Friday, Sept. 13 (starting at 5:30 p.m.) – Headliner: Propagandhi, Guests:The Coathangers, Debt Neglector, GILT

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Aug
 
29

How St. Johns County is working to make your kids safer at school

Posted by: Cathy Eng in Community Involvement, Local Activities, News, Schools
 

Being the No. 1 school district in the state means more and more families are moving to the area to take advantage of the outstanding schools. Compared to last year’s first day of school, this year’s first day saw a 6% increase in students county-wide, or 2,240 additional kids.

With this big increase, officials are working hard to maintain our outstanding reputation for academic excellence—and safety.

More associate teachers have been needed to meet the demand and stay compliant with maximum classroom capacities (18 kids for K-3, 22 kids for 4-8, and 25 for high schoolers). In fact, even after the start of the school year on August 12, the county still has job openings for teachers, paraprofessionals, custodians and food service workers.

Beyond the increased needs for staff and faculty, new measures are being taken to ensure schools remain safe from potential threats. Terrible tragedies, like the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, have had a major impact on how all schools approach their own security.

Here are a few changes the district is making to keep your kids safe:

— New surveillance system:A new security surveillance system called Omnicast is being rolled out, which allows the Sheriff’s office to view school camera feeds from a single location. According to the school district’s CIO Bruce Patrou, “A number of schools are now online. We expect to have all of the remaining cameras online over the next two to three months.”

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Aug
 
21

KEEPING PACE w/ GOOD GROWTH

Posted by: Rick Pariani in Community Involvement, Local Activities, News, Schools, WGV Events, WGV Residents
 

The Greater World Golf Village Area, from International Golf Parkway (IGP), across S.R. #16 to C.R. #208 and from U.S. #1 to the St. Johns River, is on the cusp of another infrastructure boost.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is underway with design and engineering plans to build north and south Managed Lanes (aka, High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes) on Interstate 95 between IGP and I-295. The approximate 15 mile improvement will be toll-regulated, and like the recently completed segment of I-295 from I-95 to the St. Johns River, will be accessed through the Florida SunPass transponder system.

Since IGP will be the southern portal to the improvement, the I-95 / IGP Interchange (Exit 323) will also be improved by the FDOT, regards ingress, egress, stacking, signalization and vehicle flow. FDOT has nearly completed their ramp and signalization improvement designs. They have also taken care to save, in place, as many of the existing Southern Live Oaks as possible – coupled with a re-planting and treescape supplemental effort.

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Jul
 
18

New World Golf Village YMCA offers something for everyone

Posted by: Cathy Eng in Community Involvement, Local Activities, Local Events, News, WGV Events
 

As the state’s healthiest county, St. Johns County provides residents with plenty of opportunities for recreation, access to healthful foods and medical care, and poverty-fighting initiatives.

And now, residents in World Golf Village have one more healthy option with a brand new YMCA! Located at the Flagler Health+ Village in MuraBella, the facility opened on July 2 to meet the growing demand in our community for more athletic and fitness facilities for all ages and ability levels.

The new YMCA includes a large area with cardio machines (treadmills, ellipticals, stair climbers, cycles and rowing machines) and weight training equipment and machines. Two spacious rooms host all kinds of group classes including Zumba, yoga and wide-ranging cardio classes. A large cycling studio is also available with ongoing classes.

The family-focused facility boasts a KidZone and Teen Center, in addition to hosting summer camps and youth sports leagues.

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Jun
 
6

Wedding expo coming to World Golf Village on Sunday, June 9

Posted by: Cathy Eng in Community Involvement, Events, Local Activities, Local Events, News
 

It’s officially wedding season and nuptial planning is in full swing. To help make planning easier, the World Golf Village Renaissance St. Augustine Resort will host the annual Bride to Be & Wedding Expo on Sunday, June 9.

The event will last from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and feature more than 40 exhibitors displaying products and services including bridal attire and fashion, custom gifts, jewelry, photography, catering, gift registries, DJs & entertainment, fitness and wedding planning.

Just some of the vendors include Arbonne Beauty, Mary Kay, 2 Sweet 4 Words, LuLaRoe, Olivia Ellen’s Boutique, Pampered Chef, Saries Fabulous Scents, Club Pilates St. Augustine, Cruise Planners, Sabika Jewelry, Crystal Clear Sounds, Crystal Ballroom St. Augustine, Postscript Weddings and Events, and many more.

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May
 
30

Concerts in the Plaza kicks off its 2019 season tonight

Posted by: Cathy Eng in Community Involvement, Events, Local Activities, Local Events, News
 

Each Thursday between Memorial Day and Labor Day, St. Augustine turns from the Oldest City into Music City USA! That’s thanks to Concerts in the Plaza, which is kicking off its 29thseason tonight.

Each Thursday evening, a different local and regional musical act performs in the gazebo of the Plaza de la Constitución in historic St. Augustine. The free concerts last from 7 to 9 p.m. Spectators are welcome to bring chairs, blankets and coolers (no alcohol please) to set up on the lawn and enjoy the show.

Here is this season’s lineup and the style of music for each:

May 30 – The Driftwoods (bluegrass)
June 6 – The Raisin Cake Orchestra (New Orleans jazz)
June 13 – The Grapes of Roth (classic rock)
June 20 – The Mike Hart Band (blues/rock/jazz)
June 27 – Timberwood (acoustic folk/rock)

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May
 
22

EAT MORE CHIPS: The History of Potatoes in St. Johns County

Posted by: Rick Pariani in Community Involvement, Nature, News
 

Did you know that St. Johns County farmers are Florida’s most productive potato growers? In fact, St. Johns County is the #7 producer of potatoes in the nation. St. Johns County potatoes have anchored products by Frito-Lay, Cape Cod, Kettle, Snyder’s and others. Do you know how potatoes took root in the County?

Henry Morrison Flagler, with an eight grade public school education, founded Standard Oil. Along with his business partner, John D. Rockefeller, he built the company into the richest, biggest business in the world. At its height, the company controlled 90% of the world’s oil refining. The New York World paper reported that Standard Oil was “the most cruel, impudent, pitiless and grasping monopoly that ever fastened upon a country.” By 1911, the Supreme Court of the United States had successfully broken Standard Oil’s monopoly into 34 new companies.

At the peak of his business, Flagler brought his wife, Mary Harkness, to Jacksonville for convalescence. She died shortly afterwards in 1881 and Flagler married her caregiver, Ida Alice Shourds two years later (incidentally, Ida Alice was later declared insane in 1896, enabling Flagler to marry once again to Mary Lily Kenan). The newlyweds honeymooned in St. Augustine, sparking an entirely new business tack – one that made the name “Flagler” synonymous with old Florida.

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May
 
16

Nextdoor: A great way to stay connected to your World Golf Village neighbors

Posted by: Cathy Eng in Community Involvement, Neighborhoods, News
 

Amid our ever-expanding world of online networks and social media groups, it can seem more and more difficult to connect with the actual people in our community. Nextdoor has created a great way to use social media to shrinkour network to only include our neighbors!

The website and app, which launched back in 2011, are available for free and only require your email to sign up. They also need your street address so you can be placed in the correct neighborhood group.

Once you join, you’ll find real messages from your neighbors—unlike other platforms that offer ads and reposts by people you barely know about their co-worker’s cousins’ 50thbirthday party.

Plus, there is no need to send requests to connect! You will immediately be connected with all of your neighbors who are members. Since it’s an established platform, you’ll be surprised how many people you know are already members!

So, what will you find on Nextdoor?

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