• The Jacksonville Bar Association Young Lawyers Section will host a happy hour at the Zodiac Grill tomorrow from 5-6:30 p.m. The happy hour will be held on the same day as First Wednesday Art Walk held by Downtown Vision, Inc.
• The fun continues as Ivy Ultra Bar hosts the 2009 Jacksonville River Rally for Charity Poker Run Kickoff Block Party Thursday on E. Bay St. It is a free event and starts 5:30 p.m. The party will feature live music and food from street vendors and Northstar Sub Station. Boats participating in the poker run and exotic cars and trucks will also be on display. The poker run will start at 10 a.m. on Saturday and will run along the St. Johns River from The Landing to Corky Belles in Palatka and back.
• Looks like work could begin soon on Phase I of the Brooklyn Infrastructure Improvement project. Elkins Constructors is taking bids on everything from portable toilets to trailers to dumpsters and temporary fencing. The bids are all due either June 16 or 17.
• U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, has organized a “First-Time Home Buyer Forum” Saturday, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the University of North Florida. The workshop will provide information about first-time homebuyer programs, applying for a FHA loan, first-time home buyer tax credits, and credit counseling. Martinez has teamed up with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to offer the forum.
• You can get an Asian food fix in San Marco with the recent opening of the Panda Chef Gourmet. The restaurant is in the same building as the La Napolera at 1629 Hendricks Ave.
• Back for its 5th year, the wildly popular Jacksonville Beach “Putt N’ Crawl” returns June 13 with 11 venues for miniature golf fans, those who enjoy an adult beverage or both. Tickets are $25 and participants will travel to each watering “hole” to display their putting skills and enjoy drink specials. Last year’s event brought out more than 2,100 people. This year’s event is from 2– 6 p.m., with sign up at Lynch’s Irish Pub or go to www.puttncrawl.com for tickets and more information.
• One of the ways Learn to Read Jacksonville will be raising funds over the summer is through a series of Happy Hours and one of the firsts has been scheduled June 11 from 6– 8 p.m at Eleven South Bistro at Jacksonville Beach. The two-hour event will feature former Jaguar, radio personality and author Tom McManus. Tickets cost $30 for one or $50 for two, with proceeds going toward the adult literacy nonprofit. For more information, go to www.ltrjax.org.
• The Historical Society of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the Jacksonville Chapter of the Federal Bar Association are partnering to create a legal historical exhibit inside the Federal Courthouse. The project is funded by the Bench-Bar Fund and there will be an exhibit in each of the division courthouses in the Middle District, which runs from Jacksonville to Tampa. There’s an opening ceremony set for June 19 at 11:30 a.m.
• Speaking of June 19, there’s a change of command set for the United States Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron Jacksonville. At Cecil Field, Capt. Joseph Baker will take over for Capt. Edward Greiner.