Come visit St. Marys Community Market taking place downtown on Saturdays at 206 Osborne St., St. Marys (Tribune & Georgian Parking Lot) Purchase home grown and homemade items from local vendors.

St. Marys, Georgia—On Saturday, October 4, 2008, the St. Marys Kiwanis Club will present, for the 36^th time, a day of fun and celebration in honor of the local delicacy known as “rock shrimp.”

This year’s Rock Shrimp Festival theme, “36 Years and Still Rockin’,” will be depicted by displays and floats with Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel leading the parade as grand marshal. Camden County High School and St. Marys Middle School marching bands will rock the spectators along the parade route that leads to St. Marys’ waterfront.

The activities begin with an early morning 5K, 10K, and 1.5K Junior Run foot race, followed by the annual parade at 10:00 a.m.  As in years past, this year’s parade (which starts at the old Gilman Paper Mill site) will be headlined by local celebrities both human and mechanical including the renowned “Toonerville Trolley.” Made famous by the nationally-syndicated cartoon Wash Tubs and Easy, the vintage machine—when not making guest appearances—is housed in glass next to the St. Marys Welcome Center on Osborne Street.

The Main Stage, located on the waterfront at the end of Osborne Street, will showcase  back-to-back entertainment from 11:00 a.m. to dusk. Featured acts include dance troupes, martial arts demonstrations, Karaoke, country rock, bluegrass, and several performances by recording artist Robin Braddock Kinsey. Ignite Ministry will perform at the Gilman Waterfront Park stage.

Kids of all ages can participate in Americana’s traditional competitions including the inimitable rock shrimp toss.

A variety of food vendors will be staged on St. Marys street along with boiled and fried rock shrimp and fish dinners prepared by Kiwanis volunteers. A special children’s area will feature train rides and other family fun. More than 100 arts, crafts, and merchandise vendors will begin showing their wares at 7:00 a.m. and continue until dusk.

As in previous years, Kiwaniians expect to cook up about 700 pounds of rock shrimp. Proceeds from the festival fund the St. Marys Kiwanis’ various programs benefiting area youth.

HAY DAYS BEGINS WITH BUILD-A-SCARECROW FUN
Hay Days comes to St. Marys October 11th and to kick-off the fun-filled family event, you can “Build-A-Scarecrow”. Make him goofy, make her silly with a floppy hat, or even make a scary face, just let your imagination run wild. Be sure to come out and enjoy the crafting entertainment with the kids, classrooms or Scouting group!

Kids of all ages are invited to Build-A-Scarecrow at Orange Hall on Saturday, October 11th at 10:00 AM. The first of the Hay Days events begin with everything you need to make the perfect Scarecrow available for only $20. Just the right place for your unique Scarecrow will be selected downtown or take it home to bring a touch of autumn to your lawn. Bordering Osborne Street the Scarecrows will welcome locals and visitors alike to downtown St. Marys throughout the Hay Days celebration.

The main thoroughfare of St. Marys will be transformed with, make sure yours joins the array. Local merchants, as well as city and county organizations all have a grand time coming up with the most innovative scarecrow creations to fill the medians and enhance the beautiful historic district. It’s fun to take a crack at guessing which business or group is responsible for each Scarecrow. Some of the Scarecrows are very obvious, while others might make one wonder a bit.

The annual Hay Day festivities will continue through November 1st with numerous events all soon to be announced. “Fall brings a welcome relief from the extreme heat of the summer and Hay Days is a perfect opportunity to get out and take advantage of the change of seasons,” said Alyce Thornhill, Director of the St. Marys Downtown Development Authority. Hay Days is a wonderful event, enjoyable for everyone.

To reserve your Build-A-Scarecrow kit, call the St. Marys Downtown Development Authority, (912) 882-8111 or email renee@stmarysdda.com. Only fifty kits are available so hurry and make your reservations today to join in the fun. Any Scarecrow kits remaining will be assigned on a first come basis the day of the event at a cost of $25. Come join the fun! Hay Days is coming to St. Marys and will be here before you know it.

Coastal Camden Art League will host a grand opening reception at the Royal Art Gallery, 121-C N. Lee St., Kingsland, from 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25.

Charles Martin, the author of the bestseller Where the River Ends is visiting St. Marys on Saturday September 27th for a book signing. He will also read from his novel, so if you’re a big fan – or if you haven’t read the book yet – you don’t want to miss this opportunity to meet the author up close and personal.

This event takes place at Marianne’s in downtown St Marys on Sept 27th starting at 5 pm.

Thursday, September 25th

“Where the River Ends” Book Signing – Location and time to be determined

Author Charles Martin will be in downtown St. Marys signing copies of his new release. Released only a few weeks ago, the novel is currently in the top 35 on the New York Times best sellers list. This story is of a husband and his determination to fulfill his wife’s list of things to do before she dies of cancer. Her list brings the couple to St. Marys, Georgia. This novel was recently featured on First Coast News and you should not miss this opportunity to have an autographed copy! For information call 912-882-8111.

Where the River Ends

St. Marys, Ga—St. Marys Magazine was recently awarded a prestigious Gold Ink Award by awards sponsor Publishing Executive magazine. The winning entry was chosen from nearly 1,500 entries submitted from around the nation. Winning pieces surpassed their competitors based on print quality, technical difficulty, and overall visual effect. Read more

St. Marys, GA—Area residents and visitors have the opportunity to save 25% on their dinner tickets for this year’s St. Marys Rock Shrimp Festival. Advance tickets are now on sale for $9 (tickets on the day of the event will be $12).

The 2008 St. Marys Rock Shrimp Festival, presented by the Kiwanis Club of St. Marys, Georgia, takes place October 4 in Downtown St. Marys. The 36th annual event features 1.5K, 5K, and 10K runs, a parade, arts & crafts displays, kids games in the park, a variety of food, and is highlighted by a rock shrimp dinner that includes fried rock shrimp, boiled shrimp, fried fish and accompaniments. Dinners will be served from 11 am to 6 pm the day of the event.

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$6,715 State Grants Received for Technology Tourism Projects
Camden County Public Service Authority, St Marys Downtown Development Authority, and Kingsland Convention & Visitors Bureau Authority Receive over $6,700 in State Grants

Kingsland, Georgia – September 2, 2008: Today, the Georgia Tourism Foundation announced the recipients of the 2008 E-Challenge grant awards. Across the State of Georgia, there were over 23 applications seeking more than $55,100 in funding. The Camden County Public Service Authority (CCPSA), the Kingsland Convention & Visitors Bureau (KCVB) Authority, and the St Marys Downtown Development Authority (SMDDA) each are recipients of an E-Challenge grant award. The three combined grant awards total $6,715.00 in funding to the Camden community.
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Kingsland, Georgia – August 2008 Kingsland Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) Marketing Director Janelle Kjensmo and St Marys Downtown Development Authority (DDA) STS Marketing CollegeDirector Alyce Thornhill recently completed their second year of the Southeast Tourism Society’s (STS) Marketing College July 27 – August 1, 2008. The STS Marketing College is the premier educational program for the travel & marketing industry in the United States. Read more