Indie films, acupuncture, a Gilded Age novel: What's happening around the Beaches
Fun run Saturday
Lace up those sneakers for the 42nd annual Matanzas Fun Run, hosted by St. Johns County Parks & Recreation and Ancient City Road Runners on Saturday.
Registration for the 1-mile Fun Run begins at 7 a.m. at Ketterlinus Gymnasium, 60 Orange St. in St. Augustine. The race gets under way at 9:15 a.m.
There is no fee to enter. Participants may download a registration form at https://bit.ly/3Ky5NbI and forms will also be available onsite.
Participants under 13 years old will receive a free T-shirt and ribbon once they've completed the race. The first male and female runners that cross the finish line will receive individual trophies.
Contact JaNae Wadley at (904) 209-0381 for more information.
Film festival wraps Sunday
More than 50 independent films are on view during the 13th annual St. Augustine Film Festival, which continues this weekend. Screenings take place in Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College, Gamache-Koger Theater at Flagler College, Lincolnville Museum & Cultural Center and the Alcazar Room at St. Augustine City Hall.
Tickets are $90-$150 for All Access and All Film Passes. Single film tickets are $10 general admission for adults, with $9 general admission for seniors (60+), military, first responders and students.
Visit StAugFilmFest.com to view the 2022 schedule and to purchase tickets.
Self-publishing workshop
Learn how to become one of nearly two million self-published authors during the next meeting of the FWA Ponte Vedra Writers Group on Saturday at 10 a.m., when guest speaker Brad Kuhn presents “Self-Publishing: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”
Kuhn will provide real-world insights from more than three decades of experience as a writer, publisher and publicist. An award-winning author, reporter, author coach and multimedia producer based in Jacksonville, he has been a staff writer for The Wall Street Journal, The Orlando Sentinel and Orlando Business Journal. A founding director of the Jack Kerouac Writers in Residence Project of Orlando, Kuhn also runs the JaxbyJax Literary Arts Festival with his wife, writer Darlyn Finch Kuhn.
Free and open to the public, the meeting takes place at the Ponte Vedra Beach branch library. The Ponte Vedra Writers Group is part of the Florida Writers Association, a statewide, nonprofit organization with nearly 1,500 members dedicated to the support of both aspiring and published writers in any genre. Go to FloridaWriters.org for more information.
Maritime Maya discussion
The Archaeological Institute of America — Jacksonville Society will meet at noon on Saturday in Building 51 at the University of North Florida to hear a lecture by Dr. Jeffrey Glover of Georgia State University.
His lecture, “The Maritime Maya and the Proyecto Costa Escondida,” covers the coastal communities in the Maya Lowlands, which played various roles in the political, economic and social formations over the past 3,000 years. After presenting an overview of the archaeological evidence of the Maritime Maya, Glover will also explain how the Proyecto Costa Escondida research team is beginning to reveal the challenges faced (and opportunities pursued) by these coastal peoples.
Free and open to the public, the lecture will be followed by complimentary refreshments in the Physical Anthropology Lab. Parking is free on Saturdays, with staff, faculty and vendor spaces open to everyone. For more information, contact Melva Price at (904) 241-0411 or aiajaxsoc@gmail.com.
Organ recital
Enjoy the spiritual sounds of a classic pipe organ on Sunday, Jan. 23, when Beaches Fine Arts Series presents organist David Hurd in concert at St. John’s Cathedral for the annual James D. Johnson Memorial Concert.
Hurd is widely recognized as one of the foremost church musicians and concert organists in the United States, with a long list of awards, prizes, honors and achievements, as well as immeasurable expertise in organ performance, improvisation and composition.
From 1976 to 2015, he was on the faculty of The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church in New York City, first as Director of Chapel Music and later as Professor of Church Music and Organist. Hurd currently serves as organist and music director for the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in New York City.
Doors open at 3:15 p.m. and the free performance begins at 4 p.m. A previously announced reception has been cancelled.
The cathedral is located at 256 E. Church Street in downtown Jacksonville; masks are optional. For more details, visit BeachesFineArts.org.
Boat Show next weekend
Ahoy, mateys: The North Florida Marine Association hosts the Jacksonville Boat Show on Friday, Jan. 28 through Sunday, Jan. 30 at the Prime Osborn Convention Center in Jacksonville. The show offers three days of water-related fun, family-friendly activities and educational seminars — as well as amazing deals on hundreds of boats and thousands of accessories.
Attendees will be among the first to see and board brand-new models of all types of vessels, including fishing boats, cruisers, ski boats, pontoons, inflatables, personal watercraft and more.
Highlights include:
Seminar presentations on Saturday and Sunday by Captain Tim Altman of Hoodoo Sportfishing Charters and founder of Wahoo Junkies. Seminar series is sponsored by Strike-Zone Fishing.
Kids’ fishing clinics hosted by Donna Frantz of Fishing 101 on Saturday and Sunday. The first 100 kids to complete the clinic each day will receive a rod and reel combo courtesy of Barracuda Batteries by Continental.
The convention center is located at 1000 Water St. in Downtown Jacksonville. Admission is $15 for adults; $5 for children 12 and under; and $12 for seniors, military and first responders with ID. For show hours or more information, visit BoatJax.com.
Acupuncture & sound healing
Indulge in an afternoon of ancient healing rituals on Saturday, Jan. 29, with a series of acupuncture and sound healing sessions, hosted by Titanium Yoga.
Dr. Melissa Levy will apply fine, sterile, single-use needles to specific points on the body as you absorb the vibration of sound bowls and other instruments played by Tiffany Howard. The combination is meant to release blockages and create a better energy flow throughout both mind and body.
Sessions take place from 3 to 4:15 p.m. and 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. Prices are $59 for Platinum members and $70 for nonmembers. Sign up online at https://bit.ly/3GJMWbb or visit TitaniumYoga.com for more details.
Virtual author event
Nationally bestselling author Fiona Davis presents her newest novel, “The Magnolia Palace,” in conversation with bestselling author Christina Baker Kline via The BookMark’s virtual author event on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 6 p.m.
“The Magnolia Palace” is a tantalizing novel about one of New York City’s most impressive Gilded Age mansions. After losing her mother in the 1919 Spanish flu outbreak, 21-year-old Lillian Carter’s life has fallen apart. For years, she was one of the most sought-after artists’ models in New York City. But work has dried up for the grieving Lillian, and a looming scandal has left her without a safe haven.
When she stumbles upon an employment opportunity at the Frick mansion, she jumps at the chance. But the longer she works as a private secretary to the imperious daughter of industrialist and art patron Henry Clay Frick, the more she gets drawn into a tangled web of romantic trysts, stolen jewels and family drama.
Nearly 50 years later, the former Frick residence has been converted into one of the city’s most impressive museums. There, mod English model Veronica Weber has a chance to make her career and earn money to support her family back home.
But when she and a charming intern/budding art curator named Joshua are dismissed from the Vogue shoot taking place at the museum, she discovers a series of hidden messages. Thus begins a hunt that could only not only solve Veronica’s financial woes, but could finally reveal the truth behind a decades-old murder in the infamous Frick family.
Save a spot for the event on Crowdcast at https://bit.ly/3tyo0jg. For more information, visit BookmarkBeach.com, email bkmark@bellsouth.net or call (904) 241-9026.
Tree giveaway
Want more shade in your yard? Atlantic Beach’s newly updated Chapter 23 of the Code of Ordinances expands the use of tree-conservation funds to plant trees in front yards on private property. These "Adopt-a-Tree" funds come from property owners who pay into the tree-conservation fund, which is earmarked to expand the public tree canopy.
In an effort to evenly distribute the tree-conservation funds, two trees per calendar year, per property may be planted. The plantings will occur in the spring and fall. Once planted, the property owner is responsible for maintaining the trees.
Go to https://bit.ly/3pfGKQM to complete an application for a free tree. City staff will review your requested tree location to determine if there are any site restrictions, which could include overhead or underground utilities, drainage areas and swales, easements, existing tree canopy, etc.
For information, email trees@coab.us.
Submit events to shorelines@jacksonville.com.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Indie films, acupuncture, a Gilded Age novel: Things to do around the Beaches
