• Rick Wood, longtime Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office spokesman, is retiring after 20 years. A group started the send-off with a gathering Saturday at Lemon Bar in Neptune Beach, which is where Wood was an officer before joining JSO.
• The Jacksonville Zoo’s new Play Park will be opening soon. Zoo members will get to explore the 2.5 acre, $6.7 million park at a preview May 5-7. Non-members can come in after the ribbon-cutting ceremony May 12.
• The Jacksonville Symphony Association will have a “A Tribute to the Beatles and Beyond” featuring the JSO Wednesday at 7:30 p.m in the Times-Union Center for Performing Arts. The event, with Beatles cover band Classical Mystery Tour, is supposed to be a celebration of First Coast businesses. The same band (minus JSO) will perform during the weekend, as well.
• Attorney Hugh Cotney has been elected to the board of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid.
• Steven Little, a business growth expert and senior consultant with Inc. Magazine, will offer practical business advice and useful strategies for business development during a seminar May 9, at UNF’s University Center. Registration is $99 for Chamber of Commerce members. Corporate tables of eight are available for the luncheon for $350, which includes two tickets to the morning seminar and two copies of the book. To register for the event, visit www.sbdc.unf.edu.
• Clarification. Author James Patterson will be the keynote speaker at the May 13 Much Ado About Books luncheon at the Main Library, not the evening event as we said in a City Note Friday.
• More from UNF: Young adults and youth are invited to the The National Day of Prayer Freedom Rally May 6 from 5-9 p.m. at UNF. The event will feature live music, spoken word, rappers, dancers, games and a unified time of prayer. Local ministries will deliver messages, and prizes, gifts, games and giveaways will be available. The rally is free and open to the public. For more information call 449-4547.