• If you haven’t driven past the strip mall in South Jacksonville Beach where Hooter’s used to be then you don’t know that portion of the mall has been razed. The Hooter’s closed several years ago and the site has been vacant since.
• Girl Scouts of Gateway Council is already preparing for its 2010 Women of Distinction luncheon. It’s set for March 31 at the Hyatt and the co-chairs are Duval County School Board member Martha Barrett and Teala Milton of JEA. Barrett was an honoree in 1992 while Milton was in 1995. Next year, the Girl Scouts will honor Karen Bowling, Sandra Cook, Dr. Shahla Masood, Carole Poindexter, Julia Taylor and Norma White.
• A gentleman named Richard Hunsucker of Green Bay says he’ll be in town Nov. 11 for Veterans Day. Not much significant about that except Hunsucker says he’ll start his walk across America that day from the Memorial Wall in an effort to raise awareness for disabled veterans. He and three other will conclude the 202-day walk on Memorial Day in San Diego.
• The U.S. Small Business Administration will recognize the inaugural “Emerging 200” class Nov. 16 at the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce building. Locally, 13 small business owners participated in the program that started in April. Nationwide, the program occurred in 14 cities.
• November’s Art Walk will have a new and ongoing attraction. The Southlight Gallery, formerly the Greenleaf Gallery, at 100 Laura St. will make its debut Nov. 4. The gallery will feature works from close to a dozen local artists. For more information, go to www.southlightgallery.com.
• The Young Lawyers Section (YLS) of the Jacksonville Bar Association is holding a logo competition for its “Run for Cover” 5K to benefit the Florida Skin Cancer Foundation. The YLS is looking for a new logo for the annual run. The winner will receive a free entry into the race. Anyone interested in submitting a logo can contact Christian George at [email protected].
• Unrelated but coming on the heels of yesterday’s Daily Record poll results regarding moving elections, Jacksonville Community Council is hosting its next “Issues & Answers” session on election reform with Marks Gray attorney Jim Rinaman. He was the chair of the 1988 “Local Election Process” JCCI annual study. The discussion is Monday at the JCCI office, for more information call 396-3052.
• The Turtle Trails Shell-Abration raised $166,000 for the Child Guidance Center including the projected sale of the seven turtle sculptures that are still available for adoption. The remaining turtles will be on display at the Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair which starts Nov. 4 or they may be viewed at www.turtletrails.org. Interested turtle buyers should call 448-4700.
• The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens hosts its 22nd annual fall festival, Spooktacular, on Thursday-Sunday and Oct. 29-31 from 6:30-9 p.m. Spooktacular is Jacksonville’s premier Halloween event for safe, family fun and entertainment and is presented by Pepsi. It’s also the zoo’s largest fundraiser, with all proceeds benefiting the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens and going to the care and feeding of the animals. Admission is $8 for members and $9 for nonmembers and children under 3 years of age are admitted free. For more information or to purchase tickets in advance for $1 off, visit www.jacksonvillezoo.org.
• The Beaches Residents Actively Supporting the Symphony (BRASS) has elected its 2009-10 board of directors. They are: President Bill Johnson Jr., Vice President Gurmeet Keaveny, Secretary Betsy Mills and Treasurer Christopher West. BRASS Directors include: Paulette Adler, Leigh Cort, Mark Dalziel, Sally Fernley, Mary Longanbach, Wendy McDevitt, Jim McGuffin, Jack Peterson, Joye Scott, Andy Sears, Debbie Snyder and Lisa West.