The fourth annual St. Johns River Ferry Fest will be Oct. 10, featuring free rides, music, food and beverages and other activities.
New this year will be the Timucuan Treasure Quest, a team-oriented scavenger challenge that begins at the Heckscher Drive ferry landing.
After final registration starting at 6:30 a.m., the first stage begins at 8:30 a.m. with teams boarding Jacksonville Transportation Authority trolleys for Fort George Island for the first of 15 challenges. After being shuttled back, stage two incorporates a trivia challenge, with stage three being a final treasure hunt among finalists.
“If you like old Florida and have never been inside Fort George Park to visit Jacksonville’s historic landmarks … you will love this event,” said Brian Bush, 2015 Ferry Fest committee member, in a news release.
The main fest begins at 11 a.m.
The Friends of the St. Johns River Ferry encourages support and retention of the service that connects Heckscher Drive and Mayport Village. It works with the city’s St. Johns River Ferry Commission on that mission and the annual fest.
FSCJ to honor visual, digital artists during fall
Florida State College at Jacksonville will become an art venue during the fall term, with events hosted in galleries across campuses.
• The Kent Campus gallery on Roosevelt Boulevard hours vary with each exhibit. Three are planned, with the last ending Dec. 8. They are “Figuration,” “Morrison Pierce and Loren Myhre,” and a student holiday show featuring works like those of Elizabeth Melaugh.
• The South Campus gallery on Beach Boulevard has four exhibits, with the last ending Dec. 8. Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Friday. The exhibits are “Streaming South, Illuminations From a Journey Home;” Visual Arts & Digital Media Faculty Exhibit; “Blocktoberfest”; and a student holiday celebration.
• The North Campus gallery off Capper Road has hours 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Friday. The two shows are “Express Your Selfie” and “Inside Out,” with the latter ending Dec. 4.
• The Open Campus on Old Baymeadows Road has one show planned, “Mind, Body, Soul and Spirit — A Celebration of Arts,” running Oct. 20-Dec. 4. Hours are 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday.
• The Downtown Campus gallery has one showing of “Images of Diversity” starting Thursday and ending Sept. 18. Gallery hours vary.
For information about the schedule and galleries, call gallery coordinator Lynn Lewis at (904) 616-2023 or email [email protected].
Scott appoints O’Steen to FIND
Gov. Rick Scott has appointed Roger “Michael” O’Steen to the Florida Inland Navigation District.
O’Steen, of Jacksonville Beach, is director of planning and development with The PARC Group. He fills a vacant seat for a term that ends Jan. 9, 2019.
The district is a special taxing district for continued management and maintenance of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.
Fidelity Investments and Florida Blue helping Terry Parker
More than 75 volunteers from Fidelity Investments will join forces with Florida Blue for Terry Parker High School’s Transformation Day on Saturday.
The annual event takes place alongside students and teachers who are making renovations to the school inside and out.
Projects will include a “Put N Cups” display along the front fence, painting of inspirational quotes above doors, building a compost area for the culinary program and installing a raised garden bed.
Health Planning Council receives $411,000 grant
The Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida is receiving a funding boost from the federal government.
As part of $9.9 million in Navigator grants awarded to Florida organizations by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the local council will receive $411,000 for three years as part of the national Navigator program.
The program assists Floridians with Health Insurance Marketplace applications.
The University of South Florida’s Covering Florida Consortium will receive $5.9 million, with Covering Florida distributing funds to its members. The local council is one of the members.
The council and Covering Florida will use a tool to help residents make appointments with application assisters from their home. Data shows individuals who received face-to-face assistance were twice as likely to enroll as those who applied online without help.
Shuttles ready for football season
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority will resume its stadium shuttle service for the 2015 season of the Jacksonville Jaguars, beginning Sunday.
The service has been operating during home games for the past 20 years.
Shuttles operate from two Downtown locations and three suburban hubs. They begin two hours before kickoff.
The Downtown locations are at the Convention Center lot at 1005 Forsyth St. and the Kings Avenue Parking Garage at 1003 Kings Ave. Single game passes are $7, season passes are $51.
Suburban locations are at Wingate Park, 277 Penman Road S., at the Beaches; 3011 Marbon Road in Mandarin; and the Butler Boulevard lot at 7020 Philips Highway. Single passes are $12, season passes are $87.
For more information, visit jtafla.com.
UNF among 2016 ‘Best Colleges’
The University of North Florida placed among the best in a new ranking published by USA Today.
College Factual placed the university in the top 20 in two categories. It is an online resource using customizable tools and outcomes-based rankings systems to guide students in the college selection process.
UNF was ranked No. 7 of 31 statewide as one of the “Best Colleges for the Money” and No. 20 of 39 as one of the 2016 “Overall Best Colleges” in the state.
“We take great pride in being nationally recognized as one of the best universities in Florida and for being recognized as delivering an exceptional education at an exceptional value,” said UNF President John Delaney in a news release.
In all, College Factual ranked 1,394 colleges, both research universities and liberal arts colleges. Data points include how well institutions retain and graduate students, the percentages of full-time teachers and the average student loan default rate.
For more information, visit collegefactual.com.