This is the start of one of the best weeks of the year in Jacksonville, or anywhere else for that matter.
It's a time when thousands upon thousands of people from the region will push back from the Thanksgiving dinner table on Thursday, then head Downtown on Friday and Saturday nights for a pair of iconic events that launch the holiday season.
On Friday night, the Jacksonville Landing will host the lighting of the city's Christmas tree, an occasion that always packs the Landing courtyard and every inch available at the site, including all along the Southbank Riverwalk.
It's a rich tradition that Landing owner Toney Sleiman has personally made sure goes off each year with great splendor, followed by daily seasonal concerts and events that involve local organizations and connect thousands more to Downtown.
And on Saturday night, when more than 100,000 people will fill the Northbank and Southbank Riverwalks to watch the 29th annual Lighted Boat Parade followed by Jacksonville's signature fireworks spectacular.
The show delights children of all ages as waterfalls of fireworks flow down from the bridges.
Any doubt that Downtown on the St. Johns River is the center of Jacksonville's universe should be dispelled by these two massively attended events, both of which are free to the public.
The Lighted Boat Parade has been a huge success since it was started back in 1984 to draw people Downtown and to the newly constructed Southbank Riverwalk.
The boats have always been spectacular and the crowds have always been huge.
Two years ago, the city of Jacksonville decided to forgo its longtime commitment to the boat parade for financial reasons, leaving Downtown merchants and businesses, along with a fleet of boating participants, holding the bag.
The parade and fireworks have survived, but not without a lot of scrambling by a small group of organizers, including the Jacksonville Marine Association.
Boat captains, who spend many hours and hundreds of dollars to showcase their vessels, have been left in limbo, wondering whether enough private money can be raised to keep the event afloat.
While using private funds to offset the cost of the event is important, and the Daily Record is proud to participate, I hope next year Mayor Alvin Brown will take the lead to help raise the money to showcase our Downtown.
With City Hall's emphasis on Downtown, the Lighted Boat Parade deserves his involvement to make sure it continues without interruption, or even the threat of the lights going out.
In Jacksonville, businesses and citizens respond favorably when the mayor deems something is important enough for his personal involvement.
Certainly, the mayor's leadership to ensure the viability of the 2014 Lighted Boat Parade would be a great Christmas gift to Jacksonville.
Convention center discussion returns
Don't hold your breath, but the notion that Jacksonville needs a first-class convention center — in the right location — got a little positive attention last week.
It's an issue that has long been discussed and debated, going back at least to before Mayor Jake Godbold decided the best way to save the old train station in Downtown was to convert it into a convention center.
It's an idea that has never sat well with convention center enthusiasts who believe any center belongs closer to the city's core and nearer the river.
Most of all, it must have a large hotel neighbor to accommodate convention-goers.
Most cities in the U.S. would envy what we have: two government-owned buildings (the old City Hall and courthouse) that will soon be totally abandoned, freeing up acres of available land near the city's core, fronting the St. Johns River, and next to the 963-room Hyatt Hotel.
Over time, there have been at least three studies about building a new convention center, the last coming in 2007.
Now, with encouragement from Visit Jacksonville, the Tourist Development Council (TDC) has joined the move to update that 2007 study.
The TDC administers the city's bed tax.
Just as important, City Council President Bill Gulliford, who also serves as the TDC chair, appears to favor updating the study, and council member Richard Clark says he will introduce legislation to fund the study's $59,000 cost.
What's encouraging to me is this new study will not use a shotgun approach that includes trying to find the best site from multiple locations.
Instead, it will focus on the property owned by the city, next to the Hyatt. (The property has also been identified by the Jacksonville Civic Council as the best site for a convention center.)
That property is just a short walk east of the Landing, which Toney Sleiman plans to renovate and turn into a first-class entertainment and retail destination.
A new convention center will cost a lot of money to construct, as much as $200 million, and it will not make money. But, it will generate hundreds upon hundreds of jobs and provide tremendous support for Downtown merchants.
The debate on whether to build a convention center may continue for years, but without this first step to update the 2007 study it won't happen at all.
A lot to be thankful for
Finally, while I spend a lot of time during the year contemplating the things for which I am thankful, it receives a special focus this time of the year.
The list is long because the blessings are many.
It begins with my family: my wife, Donna; six wonderful daughters; two grandchildren; and two sons-in-law.
I'm very thankful my mother is still with us and as her only son and baby, she continues to keep an eye on me.
I'm thankful for my business, which turned 101 years old this month. The Daily Record allows me to be involved in many ways in this city I love.
I'm very thankful for our dedicated and loyal employees who do what they do every single day to make us better.
I'm thankful for our readers, our advertisers and our subscribers.
And, of course, I am thankful for my health, although Donna and the girls continually remind me I should take better care of myself.
No matter where your own gratitude takes you this Thanksgiving, I hope you are surrounded and enjoyed by the people you love.
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