The Friends of the St. Johns River Ferry will host the third annual Ferry Fest at Historic Mayport Village on Aug. 2.
The reason for the celebration is that the service’s funding has been secured for the next 20 years and millions of dollars needed for ferry slip improvements have been secured through state and federal grants.
The festivities begin at 11 a.m. with live music, food trucks, arts and crafts and more. A kickoff ceremony is at 3 p.m. with recognition of the organization’s board and a special honor for two City Council members who helped keep the service operational.
The event ends at 10 p.m., with free rides from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and extended ferry service until 11 p.m.
The organization is a nonprofit created to promote the service.
Morales named director at South Carolina college
Converse College in Spartanburg, S.C., has named Jacksonville resident Amy Tibbals Morales its director of alumni relations. She is a member of the 1986 class.
She will be the primary link between the college and alumni association and have the responsibility to keep them informed and involved through special events and professional networking.
She currently is president of Innovations Learning LLC.
Riverside Arts Market plans Back to School Bash
The Riverside Arts Market will be helping children prepare for heading back to school by hosting a “Back to School Bash” at the Aug. 16 market.
The event will feature activities for children, with booths set up by organizations and businesses of interest to families with children.
The weekly market held under the Fuller Warren Bridge features artists, food vendors and farmers and growers selling their wares. It’s organized by Riverside Avondale Preservation.
For more information, email [email protected].
JTA to test Downtown night trolley
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority will conduct a two-night Downtown trolley trial 6 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday-Saturday.
The trial will test the viability of the service, with riders able to catch the trolley on Margaret Street where the route connects with the Riverside-Avondale Night Trolley.
Stops will be the Jacksonville Landing and “The Elbow,” an entertainment district along East Bay and Ocean streets. The loop includes Riverside Avenue between Margaret and Water streets, and portions of Water, Pearl, East Adams, North Liberty and East Forsyth streets.
Riverside Avondale Preservation in a news release called the development “an exciting step in the right direction” for increasing transportation alternatives in the urban core and connecting Downtown to outer neighborhoods.
The Riverside Avondale Night Trolley runs 6 p.m.-2 a.m. the first full weekend of every month.
“Several businesses in the Landing and The Elbow approached JTA about creating a Downtown route,” said Brad Thoburn, JTA vice president of long-range planning and system development.
It will operate every 15 minutes, with single rides costing $1.50 in exact change. Unlimited rides can be purchased for $4 at selected locations. Seniors 60 and older have complimentary access.
For more information, contact the authority at (904) 630-3191.
Jaguars have new official pharmacy
The Jacksonville Jaguars have an official pharmacy after signing a multiyear agreement with Smart Pharmacy. Also part of the deal will be company sponsorship on EverBank Field’s new water features in the North End Zone for three years.
Smart Pharmacy provides traditional services of a retail pharmacy and offers expertise in customizing medications for pain, hormone therapy and scar treatments. It was founded in 2007 by Jacksonville pharmacists Greg Balotin and Bill Scrogins.
The company is expanding operations for a new retail pharmacy and compounding lab at 14003 Beach Blvd., which is scheduled to open Sept. 2.
“Greg and I are Jacksonville natives who wanted to build a business our hometown would be proud of. So we’re absolutely thrilled to be partnering with our hometown team to help take Smart Pharmcy to the next level,” Scrogins said in a news release.
SMG announces DodgeBrawl 2014
SMG on Tuesday announced it will present the first DodgeBrawl Tournament Aug. 23 at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.
The one-day tournament will allow teams to play for a charity or nonprofit, with each winning team’s charity receiving a financial donation.
The event debuted in July 2012 in Tulsa, Okla., at another SMG facility.
Teams will have six people in a double-elimination tournament. At the end, prizes will be awarded to the selected charities and nonprofits of the top three teams. Prizes also will be awarded to the best team name and uniforms.
For more information or to register, visit smgjaxdodgebrawl.com. Registration deadline is 5 p.m. Aug. 18. Cost is $120 per team, with free admission for spectators.
Whitehall Realty Partners announce memory care expansion in Ponte Vedra
Jacksonville developer Whitehall Realty Partners and Atlanta-based The Arbor Co. have announced the expansion of local memory care housing with the addition of two specialized assisted-living communities.
The partners broke ground on Arbor Terrace Ponte Vedra and purchased land for Arbor Terrace San Jose, both of which will specialize in memory care for residents diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
The Ponte Vedra location is at 5125 Palm Valley Road.
It is scheduled for completion next summer, with an on-site sales office opening Oct. 1.
UNF student honored for community service
The University of North Florida will honor one student with an outstanding record of volunteerism when it hands out degrees during summer commencement Friday at UNF Arena.
Hana Ashchi, a communications graduate, will be recognized with the Senior Service Award, presented by the UNF Alumni Association for outstanding volunteer service.
Ashchi has worked with the school’s Interfaith Center to establish guidelines for creating a “safe space” for dialogue across different ideological frameworks. In 2013, she was selected to mentor an interfaith “coach” for Youth Core. That program was founded by White House adviser Eboo Patel. As part of the job, Ashchi has led workshops and training events all over the U.S.
The school expects to award 799 bachelor’s degrees, 161 master’s degrees and seven doctorates this term.