• Your tickets please: Mayor John Peyton was invited to a reception with Sir Elton John and Billy Joel prior to their “Face 2 Face” concert Monday night at the Arena. Only one problem – Peyton didn’t have a ticket for the show and was therefore denied entrance to the City-owned building by SMG staff.
• Speaking of the Arena, the new name of the bar next door is Jacksonville Sports Bar. In the past it’s been Amsterdam Sky Cafe and Gas Knob Pub.
• The North Florida Transportation Planning Organization is hosting Bike to Work training classes March 14 at Jacksonville Beach and Downtown along with March 21 classes in Orange Park and St. Augustine. Classes are $10 and will be taught by cycling expert Theodore Petrisch, with registration deadline of Wednesday. For more information go to www.northfloridatpo.com.
• If you would like to attend this year’s U.S. Open in New York at the Bethpage Black course, here’s a good way to try and contribute to a cause at the same time. The daniel charity golf tournament is March 16 at Timuquana Country Club and one of the prizes in the drawing is an all-expense paid trip the U.S. Open. If you win, you get airfare, hotel in Manhattan for five nights, three days of playing golf, tickets to all four rounds of the Open and $2,000 to spend. For more, log on to danielkids.org or call 296-1055 ext. 1003.
• The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is anticipating federal economic stimulus funding for transportation projects in Northeast Florida and has scheduled a meeting to discuss using disadvantaged, minority and small business enterprise firms for the jobs. It will be held March 10 at 4:30 p.m. at the FDOT Training Center at 2198 Edison Ave. (off Stockton Street at I-10). The public is invited to attend. For more information call 1-800-749-2967.
• At least one group is happy with an aspect of Gov. Charlie Crist’s proposed budget. Jacksonville Environmental Protection Board Chair Robert Schuster recently thanked Crist for including the local Title V Air Permitting Program and Ambient Air Monitoring Program in his budget for 2009-10.
• According to the latest Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department newsletter — “On Scene” — the department responded to 9,266 calls in January. Of those, most (7,320) were for emergency medical services, 1,709 were fire-related and 237 were non-emergency.
• The wine served at Cathedral Arts Project’s “Spring for the Arts” fundraiser March 20 at Deerwood Country Club will have a little local flavor. Some of the featured vintages will be from the vineyards of Fidelity National Chairman Bill Foley and his wife Carol and the South American wines of Haskell Company Chair Preston Haskell. Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are still available by calling 281-5599.
• The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Dames Point Bridge Tuesday with a 10 a.m. ceremony at Dames Point Park. Local, state and federal officials will be on hand and the winner of the Dames Point Bridge photo contest will be revealed.
• Spring will officially arrive in about two weeks and Goodwill Industries has combined with Ann Taylor Loft stores to help ladies with their spring cleaning. People can donate gently used pants to any Loft store during its “Out with the Old, Save on the New” promotion and receive $15 off a new pair of pants until March 8. Loft stores are located at The Avenues Mall and St. Johns Town Center. All donated pants will be given to Goodwill Industries.
• Jacksonville marketing firm Renaissance Creative won three Silver Awards, including two for “Best Web site Design” and one for “Best Overall Advertising Campaign” at The Nationals marketing competition sponsored by the National Association of Homebuilders. Renaissance was recognized for “Best Web site Design for a Builder” for a Web site it created for national “Beyond-green” new home technology builder, StalwarBuilt Homes; “Best Web site Design for a Community (Suburban)” for OakLeaf Plantation and “Best Overall Advertising Campaign” for OakLeaf Plantation.
• Philipe and Natacha Vanin at Jax City Subs at Forsyth and Ocean streets are offering two special Friday-only menu items for Lent: Creole-style seafood gumbo and Creole-style turkey chili.