• John Falconetti of the Drummond Press will take a little good-natured ribbing as the subject of this year’s annual Spina Bifida Association Celebrity Roast. The Ponte Vedra Inn & Club will host the event Nov. 19
• The general election for mayor and city commissioners in Atlantic Beach is exactly two months away, but you won’t find any signs in yards for about another month. Why? Because in Atlantic Beach you are not allowed to campaign until you have qualified and the qualifying period doesn’t begin until Sept. 13.
• No, there isn’t a new shoe store going in at the Landing. Owner Tony Sleiman has moved dozens of pairs of shoes from a store that closed at one of his other properties into an empty space. Plans are to have a one or two-hour sale one day next week for Landing employees and family. The shoes will go for $7.
• Next year’s Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance will be March 10-12 at the Ritz Carlton. The featured marques will be Jaguar and Stanley Steamer.
• Business owners along Hendricks Avenue may have a sense of humor regarding the months-long construction project, but they also say construction along the heavily traveled corridor is costing them money. Some estimate they’ve lost 40 percent of their sales since the $7 million project started in February. The problem is that commuters are increasingly avoiding the lunchtime backups on the road.
• The United Way’s 2005 “Inspiring Community” campaign will kick off with a luncheon on Sept. 1 at the Joe Hammond Senior Center on West 12th Street. Former Mayor John Delaney is this year’s campaign chairman.
• Mercer University is looking for a new president. Dr. R. Kirby Godsey will retire after 26 years at the school on June 30, 2006. Why does that matter here? Mayor John Peyton is a Mercer alum and the school is seeking input from graduates.
• Another golf course for Clay County. The new course at Eagle Landing is set to open in November.
• Speaking of golf courses, the Oakbridge course in Sawgrass is now the Ponte Vedra Golf & Country Club.
• Former UF quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel will be in town Oct. 15. He’s the guest speaker at Pine Castle’s “Castle of Dreams” Gala at the Sawgrass Marriott. Ch. 12/25’s Charlene Shirk is the Mistress of Ceremonies.
• The Convention Bureau’s big annual meeting is Sept. 28 at the Omni. Registration’s at noon.