Westside

It’s moving season. Each summer, approximately 200,000 military families relocate from their current duty station to their next set of orders. May 15-August 31 is peak PCS (Permanent Change of Station) season, with 65% of military moves occurring during this timeframe. The local impact is huge. Northeast Florida’s military presence is the third largest in the country, with area military installations like Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Naval Aviation Depot Jacksonville, Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island, and Camp Blanding Joint Training Center. Each year, thousands of military families relocate to our area. …

Over the years, Jacksonville Beach’s Players by the Sea community theatre has presented a number of outstanding summer musicals. This year’s selection, staged during July 20 – August 12, 2018 is noteworthy in many ways. In 2008, “” was nominated for 13 Tony awards and won 4, including Best Musical and Best Original Score; in 2009, it was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize Award for drama. The play presents a slice of life story in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. The community is ethnically diverse, with Hispanics being the largest group. The music and lyrics were …

Jacksonville boasts a long and varied military history. Here are some of the most interesting highlights:   The Southernmost Battle of the Revolutionary War Was Fought in NE Florida. The Battle of Thomas Creek occurred near Yulee on May 17, 1777, when the Patriots faced off against the Loyalists, Brits, and Creek Indians. The Patriots lost.   Camp Milton Was an Important Confederate Military Base. Built to block Union forces from getting to the supply and railway center in Baldwin, Camp Milton on Jacksonville’s Westside was built in 1864 and served as Florida’s strongest Confederate field fortification. There’s a Civil …

The #BlessYourHeartCrew unveiled their collaborative exhibition called SolarPoweredSpaceSuit September 19 at FSCJ Kent Campus Gallery featuring artists , , , , , and . Checkout the show in room E112A, it’s open Monday-Thursday 10am-3pm. Here’s a sneak peak from photographer Cristina Danielle O’Connor:

Heading south in a 1972 Monte Carlo bought with his last $500, Bill Spann caught a glimpse of the Jacksonville skyline as he made his way down I-95 to his new home at Naval Station Mayport. “I thought, ‘How did I never know about this before?’ I fell in love with the city that day,” says Spann. When Spann received his duty orders, people asked if he had an admiral in his family or someone to pull the strings for such a desirable station. “I just got lucky. Jacksonville has long been the most requested duty station in the Navy,” …

When he was sixteen years old, an employer advised beekeeper to quit his job every five years. “Incidentally, that’s what’s happened,” says Leach. Yet the bee business seems to stick. These days, he’s on his third year of the honey product development side of with his wife, Christie, and their three children. Bee Friends produces over a dozen unique varieties of honey. Their most commonly harvested products include gallberry honey, a berry native to Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia, and wildflower honey. Over time, Christie has developed and perfected Bee Friends Farm’s spreadable creamed honey flavors, including Chocolate (destined for …

Ask anyone who attends Club Arc, and you’ll quickly find it’s a regular Friday night happening at The Arc Jacksonville. “I get excited about it every week!” said Eric W., a faithful Club Arc attendee who enjoys dancing and playing Bingo with friends at Club Arc. Club Arc is open every Friday in two locations, at 4401 Wesconnett Boulevard on the Westside and at the new Arc Jacksonville Village off Hodges Boulevard. Club Arc is for adults 18 and older with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).  It provides a social environment perfect for fun activities and an exciting place to …