• The Jaguars might be returning to town for a Sunday home game, but Saturday there will be some action on the team’s practice fields, too. The All Pro Dad Father & Kids Experience is returning to town with more than 60 NFL players, coaches and alumni who will speak on the importance of fatherhood and being a good father. Registration is $15 for one father and up to four children; for more information go to www.allprodad.com/jaguars.
• Speaking of the Jaguars, the schedule is certainly favorable over the last 11 games. Their opponents currently have a combined record of 20-35, including the next three (St. Louis, Tennessee and Kansas City) who haven’t won a game yet between them.
• International Cafe on Hogan Street is back open after being closed for a couple of weeks due to a family emergency.
• JaxCares is collecting used prescription glasses and nonprescription sunglasses as part of the annual OneSight campaign. You can drop them off at Suite 210 at City Hall by Nov. 2 or log on to sightnight.org to learn how to start a neighborhood or office collection. In 10 years, over 1 million pairs of eyeglasses have been collected and distributed all over the world.
• The University of North Florida’s Transportation & Logistics flagship program will be in the spotlight Nov. 4 at 6 p.m., when the university hosts an executive spotlight panel discussion with area transportation, logistics and supply chain business leaders. Panelists include Rick Ferrin, Jacksonville Port Authority executive director; Val Noel, Pacer Cartage president; Frank Peake, Sea Star Line president and COO; and Kevin Goldsmith, moderator and CEVA Logistics senior vice president of business development.
• ICX Group, a Jacksonville-based professional services company including consulting, project assistance and staffing, recently expanded to Washington, D.C. One extra note: Lenny Curry, current chair of the Republican Party of Duval County, is the company’s cofounder.
• Duval County Public Schools is seeking the public’s input on the competitive grants it should pursue through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed into law in February. The law appropriated more than $1 billion for education programs. Competitive grants available include teacher quality partnerships and teacher incentive funds among others. To participate in the survey, go to www.duvalschools.org/static/aboutdcps/arra.
• Grab the coffee...the TRUE (Taxation, Revenue & Utilization of Expenditures Commission’s) Legislative Tracking Committee has been moved from the previously-noticed time of noon Friday to 9:30 a.m. Friday.
• It may not even be Halloween yet, but Disney wants to get everyone in the Christmas spirit. It’s “A Christmas Carol Train Tour” will pull into the Jacksonville Amtrak Station Tuesday and be the centerpiece of a celebration of the film from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. The free event will include a 3D sneak peak of the film set to open Nov. 6 and will be shown in a special theater erected at each of the 40 stops on the tour. Highlights of the tour are authentic artifacts on loan from the Charles Dickens Museum of London; artwork, costumes and props from the film; demonstrations of performance capture technology; and a chance to morph your face into one of the film’s characters using HP TouchSmart PCs.
• All of the available public boat slips Downtown have been reserved for the Florida-Georgia game, but boaters can contact City Dockmaster Jim Suber for updates and availability at 630-0839.
• Women Business Owners of North Florida welcome Carol J. Hladki, director of the Department of Police Services at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, to their meeting Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. at River City Brewing Company. Hladki will present her “Three Lessons Learned” as the first woman to attain the rank of director in the history of JSO. In her position Hladki leads and manages more than 500 personnel assigned to the Budget and Management Division and Support Services Division. Tickets are $30 for members, $35 for nonmembers. RSVP to 278-9270 or e-mail [email protected].