What do you have going on Thursday nights? I bet it doesn’t compare to the great music and atmosphere of Concerts in the Plaza! Have you heard about this? Thursdays at 7 PM up until Labor Day you can listen to a wide variety of music in St. Augustine’s Plaza de la Constitucion for FREE! All you have to do is bring a lounge chair or a blanket to sit on. You can even have a nice picnic dinner with your family while enjoying blues, bluegrass, jazz, country, swing, folk, or pop rock.

There is even a concert tonight, August 12th – Big Pineapple will be playing some Hawaiian Jazz!

Ok, so coming up:

August 19: Mischief Express (Popular American Jazz Standards)

August 26: Rob Peck & Friends (Acoustic R&B/Classic Rock)

 September 2: Skin ‘n Bonz & The Big Hungry Boys (Old-Time & Bluegrass)

September 6: The St. Augustine Jazz Society

This is a great way to spend a date night or a night on the town with the family and who could ask for more when it’s free! And, what better place than downtown St. Augustine with all the beautiful oak trees and quaint little shops. It’s the perfect place to relax or get up and dance. Go out and try something new on a Thursday night and let us know what you think!

Check out this website to see a map to the Plaza or to get any more information: http://www.staugustinegovernment.com/sites/concerts-plaza/index.cfm or call (904) 825-1004

If you weren’t able to make St. Johns County School Superintendent, Dr. Joseph Joyner’s very informative presentation at Davidson Realty’s Davidson Speaker Series a couple weeks ago, you might not be aware of these very impressive facts. Here are 5 reasons parents should choose to send their kids to our schools:

1. St. Johns County Schools ranked in the top 14% of the nation in “What Parents Want” in public schools.
2. Our schools received first overall ranking out of 67 counties on FCAT scores
3. On the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (compared to other districts in the state) Grade 3, 4, and 5 took first place in both reading and math. Grade 9 and 10 took first in reading. Grade 11 took third in science. The list goes on and on!
4. The School System has received an A grade eight years in a row (one of only 10 school districts in the state)
5. And, lastly, we are lucky enough to have Dr. Joseph G. Joyner as our Superintendent. He was the 2009 Florida Superintendent of the Year!

Dr. Joyner also explained how selective the process is in choosing teachers for your children. He listed future plans to expand the schools to accommodate more children. He talked about how even with budget cuts, the children’s activities and fun have not been sacrificed. The schools still provide art and PE, which a lot of schools can’t say. These really are only a few reasons why our school system is excellent. For more information go to www.stjohns.k12.fl.us

The World Golf Foundation recently announced that the next World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held at the World Golf Village on Monday, May 9, 2011.  The ceremony’s date is very fortunate and strategic, as it is targeted to kick off the week of festivities and competition of The Players Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.  The direct tie-in between the world-famous, globally-broadcast Players Championship and the sport’s Hall of Fame and Shrine induction should be of great benefit for all aspects of the game, the region and our community.
 
The announcement was made on July 22 by Jack Peter, World Golf Foundation COO and Tim Finchem, PGA TOUR Commissioner. Jack Peter said, “Staging the annual Induction Ceremony in the heart of the golf season, just before one of golf’s most thrilling events, is a great opportunity for the Hall of Fame.” The World Golf Foundation is also keen about developing and scheduling other related events and activities, wrapped around that timeframe, that can extend the appeal and relevance of the induction
 
A few years ago, the PGA TOUR was successful in moving the famed Players Championship from March to May. Doing so, created a stand-alone platform for the event and eliminated any interpretation that it was a warm-up to the Masters. Now, the golf season features a 5 month series of showcase, major tournaments, from April to August, comprised of; The Masters in April, The Players Championship in May, The US Open Championship in June, The Open Championship in July and The PGA Championship in August.

Every month, The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village selects a resident from the Jacksonville golf course community to be featured in our blog. Then we ask them a series of random questions so all the neighbors get to know them better! This month we are pleased to introduce you to Eunice Johannesen. Eunice and her husband, Tom, moved to the King & Bear at WGV about five years ago. Since their children are grown and live out-of-state, they recently adopted two Jack Russell puppies, Maggie and Patrick. Meet Eunice…

1. What is your favorite thing about living in WGV?

The beautiful landscaping and overall beauty/impression one gets of the developer’s diligence to the environment.  Other important things are security and the protection that the deed restrictions provide homeowners.  WGV allows us to be active in many ways — golf, walking, biking, swimming and easy access to the beach.

2. What makes a house a home?

A house is a home when it’s filled with comfort and love, good neighbors and friends, which includes many visits from our out-of-state families and friends.

3. What’s your favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner?

The best part of Thanksgiving dinner is having family join our table and cooking all the traditional Thanksgiving foods.  I am especially fond of the stuffing!

4. How will our culture change in the next 100 years?

1.  I believe there will be a decline in population growth. 2.  The greenhouse effect will cause a dying earth with drastic changes in climate affecting all of the people of the world, as well as wild life.  The Arctic and Antarctic ice caps will melt.  3.  I believe space exploration will eventually lead to solar power for the world in the future, decreasing our dependency on oil.  4.  People will continue to feel compassion and love, and have the desire to help each other in times of need. 5.  I can envision the future way wars will be fought will not involve humans being put in harms way, but rather technology will be sophisticated enough by that time to fight wars with robots operated from a safe environment with strategic goals being much more realistic. The ravages of war  will continue.  6.  Hopefully there will be a cure for cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, etc.  In fact, research may very well have developed vaccines for these diseases, and other serious diseases, by that time!

We have a serious soft spot for pets.  And we’re pretty sure you do too.  You might even think your pet is the cutest, most lovable, smartest and all-around most wonderful animal ever.  We get it.  In fact, we would LOVE to see how wonderful your pet is.  Whether your pet is truly adorable or only a mug a mother could love, we want your best photo.  Get ready.  Our Pet Photo Contest starts August 1st. The photo with the most votes will win a $100 gift certificate to Petco.

To submit a photo please email it to pdavidson@davidsonrealtyinc.com

I first started going to Carrie & Co. Hair Designers about six months ago because my friend with the best hair recommended it.  To be fair, her strawberry blond tresses with perfectly sunkissed highlights are something few of us can ever achieve. But she always has a great cut too and that is something we could all use. 

I’ve not been disappointed. Both Stacy and Carrie herself have given me great haircuts. So good, in fact, that I can “fix” my hair myself and make it look as good as the day I leave the salon.  (For those of you who know me personally, I acknowledge that I don’t make my hair salon perfect every day but I can when I really want to!)  Carrie & Co. is known for doing great cuts and color. Owner Carrie Leake explained, “One of the things that makes us different is that we truly customize color to the cut.  We charge clients on a per foil basis instead of just a half-head of color or full-head.  That way, I can give you just those couple of pops of highlights that will bring out your cut and suit your face and you’re not getting over charged.” 

Carrie & Co. has been open at W. Twincourt Trail (just in front of BP facing International Golf Parkway) for about a year-and-a-half and news has spread.  Now, Carrie is opening another location next to Starbuck’s in the Palencia shopping center.  The new boutique salon, called WOW! will focus on cut and color, and will open September 1^st.  Carrie will split her time between the two locations and Amy Jones, who was recently promoted to Senior Stylist, will be featured at WOW!

Every other month, The Neighborhoods of World Golf Village hosts a “Post for Prizes” contest on our Facebook page. It is a pretty simple contest. All you have to do is submit an answer to whatever the question of the month is. (My favorite question so far is, “What is your favorite line from Caddyshack?”) This month all you had to do was name one of the top 5 reasons the World Golf Village golf courses are the best. The person with the best answer wins a different prize each month. For July, Michael Stockwell gave the best answer and won a $100 gift card to the golf pro shop! Congratulations Michael!

Although all of the answers were wonderful, I was surprised that the chilled apples served on the 1st and 10th tees of both courses weren’t mentioned….Neither was the iced towels handed out by the player assistants on hot days or the GPS in every cart. I guess there are so many great things about the courses, we should have made it a top 10 list instead!  Here we go with the winning 5…

5. The WGV golf courses are core golf courses. The Slammer & Squire has no road crossings and the King & Bear has only one. Traffic never interferes with our play!

4. Both courses are maintained to the highest standards. The grounds crew is second to none!

3. Both courses boast the most beautiful natural setting imaginable! The courses meander under ancient live oaks and next to sparkling lakes.

2. The people who we get to play with – from our neighbors to our out-of-town guests – bring the course to life and make it incredibly fun!

1. And the #1 reason WGV golf courses are the best anywhere is our courteous & helpful staff! They welcome us with a big smile and a positive attitude ALWAYS!

Please feel free to add any reasons we missed! And watch for our next Post for Prizes contest in September…

World Golf Village residents won’t want to miss Dr. Joseph Joyner, Superintendent of Schools for St. Johns County, discussing important education topics and the outlook for our schools. The event is part of Davidson Realty’s Davidson Speaker Series on Thursday, July 29th at 7:00 p.m. There will be tons of great information for our Jacksonville golf course community parents!

During Dr. Joyner’s tenure as Superintendent, the St. Johns County’s School System has earned recognition as one of the best in the country. The county’s schools are number 1 on the FCAT scores, graduation rates have risen to 90.8%, and, year-after-year, the district earns an A rating.  Joyner has been the recipient of the Superintendent of the Year award and has served as President of the Florida School Superintendent Association.

Dr. Joyner’s presentation, “What Parents Want,” addresses both the successes and challenges facing the school system, budget concerns and how the community can help support its students and local schools.

The Davidson Speaker Series is a monthly event started by Sherry Davidson, President of Davidson Realty, Inc. so that local professionals could share their expertise with the community. Wine and cheese are served and the event is free and open to the public. For more information call (904) 940-5000. We hope to see you on July 29th in the Davidson Realty building for a wonderful presentation!

Never have we been happier to hear the hammers, electric saws, beeping trucks and other sounds of new construction!  Once again our St. Augustine golf course community is abuzz with new home activity. More than 40 new homes are currently under construction in World Golf Village. The new construction projects are spread throughout a variety of the master-planned neighborhoods. Says Sherry Davidson, president of Davidson Realty, the leading real estate agency for World Golf Village and surrounding St. Johns County communities, “This new home building activity continues a forward trend in construction we started to see at the beginning of 2010, and we expect the St. Augustine and Jacksonville FL real estate markets will continue to improve this year.”

Currently there are 13 homes under construction in The Cascades, the active adult retirement community. Sixteen homes are underway in Laterra Links, the high-end enclave of coach homes, and another 10 homes are under construction in Heritage Landing, the amenity-packed family neighborhood.  Also under construction are two custom homes in Oakgrove Estates and The Crest, respectively.  Davidson added, “We started seeing a recovery to the real estate market in late 2009.  In January 2009, there was not a single new construction project on the horizon, but we kicked off January 2010 with several different projects and the building continues.”

Royal Pines is a very special place to me – one where I spent my childhood and teen years. I still think of it as home and cherish all the memories I have of taking our golf cart around the Village with friends and swimming with my brothers and our black lab, Bella, in my parent’s pool. Now, I am lucky enough to make new memories in Royal Pines – watching my brother fish, my dad cook, and drinking champagne with my mom on our screened lanai while admiring our beautiful view of the lake as the sun goes down. You could say I’m a Royal Pines expert and I’m going to let you in on 5 things that make Royal Pines so unique:

1. Royal Pines is the only neighborhood with 5 foot sidewalks on both sides of the road
2. The community is surrounded by a 40 acre lake
3. Royal Pines is home to the developer of World Golf Village, the President of Davidson Realty, and 3 Davidson agents!
4. And, it’s home to a turn-of-the-century cast iron crane fountain
5. Each home within the Jacksonville golf course community has its own unique style

These Jacksonville golf course homes start in the $400,000s and builders featured are Rutenberg, North Florida Builders, Providence Homes, and The Vintage Group. 

While picking a builder or a previously built home is a monumental decision for the homeowners, it is not the most important element when all is said and done. You and your family are what makes your house a home and what makes Royal Pines such a special place to live!