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INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS ON THE FIRST COAST July 3rd Independence Day Celebration at the Ballpark The are proud to give away patriotic Jumbo Shrimp caps to the first 2,000 fans through the gates! Stick around post-game for the largest fireworks show of the season. Secure your tickets NOW because this game will sell out! You can purchase online, or avoid fees by purchasing over the phone (904-358-2846). Tickets start at $5! July 4th Throwback Baseball Game The tradition carries on July 4th, 4-7pm, as the Westside and Eastside (of the ) battle it out on the baseball field for bragging …

GastroFest, which takes place on Saturday, March 23 from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. at Friendship Fountain and The Museum of Science and History (MOSH), remains committed to their goal of giving the First Coast a food-oriented festival. “People come to GastroFest because they love food,” says GastroJax Executive Director Erin Thursby. She helped found the organization which runs Jacksonville’s annual premier food festival— GastroFest—in 2014. “We’re very selective about our restaurants, food trucks, and marketplace vendors. Even if they’re selling t-shirts or candles, they need to be food or beverage oriented.” She points to Hopcloth who is back at …

Strategic upgrades and enhancements will significantly increase Museum’s capacity to serve Northeast Florida residents and visitors Leaders from the today announced plans to renovate and expand the Museum’s campus and capacity. The proposed changes are projected to more than double the number of people the Museum can serve annually, from 229,239 in 2017 to an estimated 468,000 by 2023, while positioning the institution as a public gathering space for lifelong learning and experiential education. Plans include an expansion of the Museum’s total square footage from 77,000 square feet to 120,000 square feet; reorienting the Museum’s entryway toward the St. Johns …

What’s in Your Backyard? When it comes to helping your child develop a passion for science, there’s no need to look farther than your own backyard. Though, perhaps it’s a bit more interesting to get started in a veritable garden of hands-on scientific experimentation and discovery at MOSH. Created by Australia’s Scitech and produced by Imagine Exhibitions, Backyard Adventures opened January 19th and welcomes young scientists to learn about the exciting world of wonders awaiting discovery outside. The exhibit runs through May 12, 2019. “MOSH is very deliberate about the traveling exhibitions we choose to bring to Jacksonville, and in …

Florida’s identity is wrapped up in one fruit: the orange. It’s an industry that’s changed with the times, that’s changed with scientific and agricultural advancement, and that will keep changing. For the last year, I’ve been writing Florida’s Oranges: A Colorful History. In it, I’ve given the reader snapshots of this 500 year history and the various places around the state where oranges have been cultivated. What I’ve found is that orange history is messy, interesting, and bound around unexpected things, things such as gay rights, privacy law, immigration, even voting rights and past KKK activity in the state. On …

Change is a vital currency that helps a city like Jacksonville maintain a vibrant cultural presence. Much ado has been made about the continued evolution of the city’s downtown area. Among the stewards of the area is Downtown Vision, Inc., who offered an update on a few of the high-profile developments and the impact the plans will have on the city. VP of Marketing for DVI, , has a bird’s-eye view of the work as it happens in real time. It’s an exciting time in , and Hardwick can see the evolution of the city’s skyline from her office window. …

DELICOUSLY DUVAL The recipe for a successful food festival is simple. Never run out of food. Obvious food pun aside, producing an event centered around food is more than just a matter of taste and now in its fourth year, has proven to be more than a spread of local cuisine. It’s a carefully curated offering of vendors including food trucks, restaurants, mobile stand-alones, and caterers alongside free and ticketed workshops and tastings, catering to every palette from simple to sophisticated. It’s also vegan-friendly, offering a “food map” to direct vegans to specific vendors and events that meet their culinary …

The Museum of Science and History’s newest exhibition engages both kids and adults, using highly interactive demo stations highlighting technology just beyond the horizon, using actual science and science fiction as the inspiration. All around the exhibition, you’ll find images from various sci-fi movies and franchises. You might not recognize them all, but Doctor Who fans will immediately spot the Cyberman at the lobby display, and there’s images in the main exhibit upstairs from Star Wars and Star Trek sprinkled around the main exhibit. Do make sure you hit up the lobby display before heading up to the main event, …

It’s a global beat you can dance to. Atypical Arts Presents in partnership with the Jacksonville Museum of Science & History (MOSH) presents an evening of unique, world music of Meklit Feb 17 at . As a vocalist, composer and songwriter, Meklit is a “cultural instigator,” infusing her deep African roots in a musical stew of flavors ranging from jazz, soul, blues and pop. Born in Ethopia, the world-renowned artist is influenced by the world around her, infusing Ethio-Jazz with her own storytelling voice. Her latest record is the critically acclaimed, When The People Move, The Music Does Too, is …