• The Downtown Movies in the Park Series at Jesse duPont Park on the Southbank is a hit. The series debuted Friday night with “Madagascar” on the outdoor screen and about 600 people showed up with blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy the free show. This Friday, it’s “Ghostbusters,” and according to Amy Harrell, district services director for Downtown Vision Inc., there will be a hot dog vendor on site this week.
• Through April 12 is Wildfire Awareness Week in Florida. The week is in recognition of the devastating 1998 wildfire season when more than 500,000 acres burned and 337 homes and structures were damaged or destroyed. So far this year, 776 wildfires have burned 14,523 acres in Florida and most of the fires were caused by human carelessness. The good news is as of Monday, the National Weather Service recorded almost two inches of rain in Jacksonville in April. That’s four times the average amount for the month with more than three weeks left on the calendar.
• The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department is becoming a more socially sensitive place to work. A recent letter from Jacksonville Human Rights Commission Chair Cindy Watson to Mayor John Peyton applauds JFRD and Director Dan Kleman for responding to recommendations by the Human Rights Commission about increased diversity training and workers’ rights. “The JHRC recognized that some of the recommendations may have presented challenges for Director Kleman, and for the culture of the JFRD,” the letter states. “However, the members of the JHRC believes...those recommendations are in the best interest of the JFRD, the City of Jacksonville and the community it serves.”
• Speaking of JFRD, you may notice purple ribbons flying from fire engines and rescue units during April. They are to show support for the March of Dimes and raise awareness of premature births, birth defects and low birth weight affecting Jacksonville newborns. JFRD will give $10,000 to the March of Dimes later this month, adding to the $20,000 already raised by Jacksonville firefighters since 2006.
“Life is like walking along a crowded street—there always seem to be fewer obstacles to getting along on the opposite pavement—and yet, if one crosses over, matters are rarely mended.”
– Thomas Henry Huxley, British biologist and educator