• Big reception Friday for the area’s elected officials. It’s from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the convention center at the World Golf Village and it’s being hosted by the 2006 Northeast Florida Regional Council. The group will honor the officials with a reception and awards ceremony.
• “Masterful Miniatures & Small Art Works” will be featured at R. Roberts Gallery in Avondale with a VIP reception Thursday and the exhibit runs through Dec. 24. The “Masterful Miniatures” show piggybacks on the last few weeks of an exhibit that opened earlier in November. “Tales from the Storyteller’s Brush,” works by Cuban-born Vicente Dopico-Lerner and Argentinean Maxim Lipzer will also run through Dec. 24. R. Roberts Gallery is located at 3606 St. Johns Avenue. Hours are 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. on Saturdays. More information: 388-1188.
• The seventh annual Holiday in the Hamptons gala to benefit the Monique Burr Foundation for Children is Dec. 2 at the Golf Club at South Hampton from 6:30 - 11 p.m. The gala will feature dinner, dancing, live and silent auction items. Holiday in the Hamptons is the prelude to the Monique Burr Foundation Jinglebells Pro-Am, which is Dec. 5 at the Golf Club at South Hampton. The Pro-Am brings together PGA Tour professionals and celebrities for a day of golf. Since 1998, the two events combined have raised more than $1 million for the Foundation. Last year’s gala raised more than $110,000 to fund abuse education and prevention programs for children. This year, the Foundation’s goal is to raise more than $150,000.
• McGuireWoods attorney Donald Anderson has expressed interest in serving on the City’s Environmental Protection Board. Anderson’s resume includes over 20 years as an environmental lawyer in Virginia.
• Want to be added to Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association’s Women’s Resource Directory? Contact Amy Rains Nix at 887-1552.
• The Florida Bar needs volunteers for its Grievance Mediation and Fee Arbitration program. Mediators and arbitrators can earn free CLE credits and learn more about alternative dispute resolution. Contact Susan Austin at (850) 561-5719 for more information.
• The Ultimate Women’s Expo will bring thousands of women together on March 24 and 25 to “learn, experience, have fun and shop.” The event will feature professional and lifestyle seminars, a cooking stage, book signing and products and services for sale.
The new issue of Downtown This Week is out and it’s your Downtown Holiday Entertainment guide. The magazine is free and available all over Downtown.