The biggest weekend of the year is coming up for Woodbine, Georgia. It is time for the famous crawfish festival. Everyone in Camden County heads north to Woodbine for this event. The festivities start out already on Friday, April 27th at 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm.

The crawfish parade starts at 10 am on Saturday April 28th along U.S. 17.

There are lots of arts & crafts and vendors at this event, so plan to come early and stay late. There is also crawfish and other seafood available at the waterfront.

Read more about the Crawfish Festival in Woodbine right here.

It’s always fun to go to a festival in a different town. Here are a few of the spring festivals happening in our nearby area within the next few weeks:

RAILROAD DAYS – CALLAHAN

This year’s 2012 Railroad Days Festival will be held on Friday and Saturday, March 23 – 24, 2012. Major events will be located in and around the historic Callahan Depot which was built in 1881 beside the old Florida Railroad. There will be various food, arts and craft vendors on the grounds both days and train exhibits, a kid’s play area plus live music and entertainment from the front platform.

Friday’s festivities will start at 1 pm with a brief ceremony honoring Juliette Gordon Low and the 100^thanniversary of the Girl Scouts. Model train layouts and the Nassau County Record photo contest exhibit will be on display inside the Depot annex.

The highlight of the two day festival will be the 7th annual Railroad Days Parade through Callahan led by the Shriners on Saturday, March 24 at 11:00 AM.

Cochrane’s Collision Center will host a classic car show after the parade. Train layouts and the Nassau County Record photo contest entries will be on display inside the Depot Annex. A photo exhibit of the 100^thanniversary of the Hilliard Schoolhouse and a preview of the upcoming 150 page book about Daniel Callahan will be on display as well. The West Nassau Historical Society is a non-profit, tax exempt organization dedicated to the preservation of Nassau County’s rich history and to the maintenance and upkeep of the historic Callahan Depot.

For more information visit www.wnhsfl.org, West-Nassau Historical-Society on facebook or call John Hendricks with the West Nassau Historical Society at 904-879-3406.

GREAT ATLANTIC SEAFOOD FESTIVAL

The Great Atlantic Music & Seafood Festival takes place on Saturday, March 24, 2012. It is said that this festival is “Celebrating the Salt Life in all of us”, and why not?

The Great Atlantic Music & Seafood Festival happens at the oceanfront SeaWalk Pavilion right on Jacksonville Beach, which is a perfect location for this type of festival. The event begins at 11:00 a.m. and continues all day until 10: 00 p.m at night. In addition to music, there is also lots of fresh seafood available.

Another great plus is that this is a free festival. There is no fee for admission. Just come to the beach for 10 hours of non-stop live music by national recording artists and regional touring bands, performing rock, blues, Americana, and newgrass sounds.

BLESSING OF THE FLEET – JACKSONVILLE
ome to the waterfront in downtown Jacksonville for this special event. The Blessing of the Fleet takes place on April 1, 2012, at 2 p.m. at Northbank Riverfront Park. The Blessing is at Hogan Street Gazebo. Have your boat blessed for the upcoming navigational season! Arrive downtown at 2 p.m. and tune to VHF channels 16 and 72 for parade instructions. For more information about the Blessing of the Fleet, click here.

SAVANNAH MUSIC FESTIVAL
Savannah Music Festival is held every year in historic downtown Savannah, Georgia. This year it will be the 22nd season of Georgia’s largest festival. The Savannah Music Festival has been described by The Times of London as “one of the best events around the world”. It features two premieres, numerous festival debuts, and the return of several audience favorites from the realms of classical, jazz, Americana and world music.
The 2011 Savannah Music Festival is scheduled for March 22 – April 7, 2012.

Savannah Music Festival (SMF) is an expansive city-wide, multi-venue program showcasing a wide array of internationally acclaimed artists. In addition to a wide variety of concert programming, SMF gives attendees a chance to hit the dance floor with four dance parties – Cuban, Cajun, Funk, and Zydeco music – scheduled throughout the festival.

SPRINGING THE BLUES FESTIVAL

Springing The Blues is one of the most popular annual festivals in Jacksonville, Florida, every spring attracting somewhere around 125,000 blues fans. At this festival you will experience live performances on stage from some of the nation’s top Blues performers. Another plus in my book is the fact that Springing The Blues is a free outdoor blues music festival. The three-day oceanfront music festival takes place April 13, 2012, and  features a selection of blues performers as well as other activities for the whole family to enjoy.

Springing The Blues festival is held at Jacksonville Beach, Florida’s Oceanfront SeaWalk Pavilion.

We recently visited the Car Show in Kingsland, GA – The Run About in the Royal District. This year it was a great event with lots of participants. The weather was gorgeous.

We also shot a video – and we will let you know as soon as this video will be broadcast and is uploaded to the internet.

Here are some of the events happening around “Lovetown, USA”.

Friday March 2, 2012 at 6 p.m.
Justin’s Miracle Field

You are invited to come out and support the game. Television crew will be on site.

Saturday, March 3, 2012
Love your Lawn
Bring your neighbor a plant, mow a yard for someone or put up a Lovetown sign!  You can email lovetown@visitkingsland.com

Learn to Line Dance
email lovetown@visitkingsland.com if you want to learn how to line dance on Saturday. Participants will dance at the Heart & Soul Festival.

Sunday, March 4, 2010

Heart & Soul Festival
March 4, 2012
North Shore, Kingsland, GA

This event combines the best of the Catfish Festival in Kingsland , the Rockshrimp Festival in St. Mary and the Crawfish Festival in Woodbine into one happy Camden family event. Food tickets for “Tastes” of Catfish, Rock Shrimp & Crawfish Etouffee are available NOW at the Kingsland & St. Marys Welcome Centers.  Advance food tickets are $10 per person and one ticket covers all three “Tastes of Camden County”.  Food tickets are limited to get yours today.

Here you can enjoy “Live Music”, “Country Line Dancing” and “Mechanical Bull Rides”.  There will be lots of activities for the little ones too including a “Bounce House”, “Face Painting” and “Balloons”.

Seeds of Love Community Garden Grand Opening Bash
Wednesday, March 4 at 4 pm – 6 pm
at Seeds of Love Community Garden – Kingsland

Details to be announced…

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Wedding Vow Renewals
Heritage House Wedding Chapel

If you are interested in renewing your vows in front of the cameras and participating in this beautiful celebration of your love for each other, please email heritagehouseweddings@tds.net  and bring your bouquet to the Heritage House Wedding Chapel on Saturday, March 10th.  Camera shy or can’t make the event, your participation is still needed! Download a “Lovetown Wedding Vow Renewal Certificate”, sign it together with your own personal renewal of vows or by sharing a simple “I Love You”, take a picture of yourselves as a couple holding the Certificate and submit it to us so you can be counted among the Lovetown Renewals!  Have a question?  Please contact team leader, Pauline Butler at PH:  (912) 674-4214 or Email heritagehouseweddings@tds.net.

Lovetown Ball
March 11, 2012
TBD

The Lovetown Events culminate with a big bash to celebrate the end.

• Movie Night: February 23, 2012 from 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM at the Chris Gilman Stadium at Camden County High School
• Art Walk & Music Festival: February 26, 2012 from 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM at the 100 block on Lee Street in downtown Kingsland. This event will feature a special concert with country artist Sarah Evans.
• Heart & Soul Festival – celebration of the Rock Shrimp festival, the Catfish festival and the Crawfish festival: March 4, 2012 from 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM located at North Shore’s Shell Cracker Clubhouse

We will keep you posted of updates and changes.

Oprah herself visited Camden County for the kick off event of her new TV series “Lovetown, USA”. There was a huge crowd, and lots of cameras from the TV show as well as news media and reporters.
Oprah arrived on with the help of the Coastguards.

Here is the video that we shot for our TV show “I Know Jax”. The show is a magazine style show about fun things to do in the greater Jacksonville area, and right now, we’re working hard to keep everyone up to date with updates about upcoming events surrounding the Lovetown production.

There is huge push of community-centered events that are happening right now, we will keep you posted.
But for now, here is the video:

As you know, there is an Academy Award given out every year to the Best Short Film. Have you ever wondered what the nominated short films are and where you can watch them? We did too, and luckily Carolina Studios, Fernandina Little Theatre and Coastal Georgia Film Alliance combined forces to put on a special screening of the nominated short films. Watch ten shorts, live action as well as animated, at the Fernandina Little Theatre in Fernandina Beach.

Come to the Fernandina Little Theatre and see them all, Live Action and Animated shorts, in two sessions February 16 – 18, 2012, hosted by the
Fernandina Little Theatre and Carolina Studios, in association with the Coastal Georgia Film Alliance, this is a rare opportunity
to see ten highly acclaimed and award winning films.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the following locations after February 7:

SAINT MARYS, GEORGIA
The Blue Goose: 126 Osborne St. 912-673-7974
The Cedar Oak Café: 304 Osborne St. 912-882-9555
Once Upon A Bookseller: 207 Osborne St. 912-882-7350
Bulldog Discount Liquors: 1101 Osborne St. 912-576-5002

Is a nonprofit organization founded in 1993, the Fernandina Little
Theatre is located in Fernandina Beach, Florida. FLT is modeled
on the popular “black box’ and Equity-waiver theater spaces
of Los Angeles and New York City. A non-profit community
theater, FLT stages diverse and engaging productions that
redefine what a community theater can be. Our 19 seasons
have included works by Shakespeare [ Romeo and Juliet,
The Taming of the Shrew, The Comedy of Errors ], classics
[The Importance of Being Earnest, The Crucible, The Heiress
], modern dramas [ The Cemetery Club, I'll Be Back Before
Midnight, My Old Lady, Someone Who'll Watch Over Me,
Eleemosynary, Doubt ], hilarious comedies [ Dearly Departed,
Lend Me a Tenor, Greater Tuna, Charley's Aunt, The Nerd, Don't
Dress for Dinner ] , musicals [ Forbidden Broadway: Greatest
Hits Vol I, She Loves Me, Side by Side by Sondheim, Cole ],
groundbreaking contemporary works [ The Laramie Project, Wit
], and plays for children [ The Golden Goose, The Emperor's
New Clothes, The Ransom of Red Chief ].
Fernandina Little
Theatre is located within walking distance of Fernandina’s
historic downtown and is close to many of Amelia Island’s finest
restaurants.

About Carolina Studios
Is a local organization dedicated to the promotion of film and
entertainment industry projects for the coastal Georgia and
northeast Florida region. By organizing, promoting and bringing
talent and focus to the region, visibility and awareness increase
throughout the industry and the country. The latest such projects
include the screening and reception for the movie About Fifty.

About the Coastal Georgia Film Alliance
The Coastal Georgia Film Alliance endeavors to provide a
unified voice for economic development through relationships
with the film industry; attract and encourage the production of
films; create a film-friendly community; be a valuable resource
to the film industry for locations, talent, technical expertise, and
other needs of the film industry; coordinate with City, County,
and State government/organizations to facilitate the process of
film making; encourage education and appreciation of the film
industry.

The wait is finally over. The TV series Lovetown, USA, is finally filming. The big kick off event is a “Love Rally” at Howard Gilman Waterfront Park in downtown St. Marys, GA, taking place on Sunday, February 11, 2012 starting at 2 pm. This is going to be the first official event for the TV series. As you probably know, the series is a co-production between the BBC and Opray Winfrey’s Network, and the series is schedule to start broadcast in the summer. The crew is already in town, and you might see them around. If you are interested in getting seen on the Opray Winfrey Network, don’t miss the big Love Rally in downtown St. Marys. We want to make a big impression, so help spread the word by sharing this post on facebook and social networks.

Due to an early sellout of The Drifters Star Spectacular Show in St. Marys, a second performance has been added. Tickets are now available for a 6:00 pm performance on February 4 and can be purchased at the St. Marys Welcome Center, 111 Osborne Street in St. Marys.

The legendary music that inspired Rolling Stone Magazine to name The Drifters #81 on their list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Times” is coming to St. Marys February 4, 2012.

Bill Pinkney’s Original Drifters will be bringing back some of baby boomers’ greatest memories with hits like “Under the Boardwalk”, “This Magic Moment”, “Up on the Roof”, “On Broadway”, and “Save the Last Dance for Me” at the Theatre by the Trax.

The Drifters originally formed in 1953 and achieved 13 chart hits during their career, writing and performing doo-wop and blues all over the world.

Star Spectaculars

Doug and Jeanne Vaught, proprietors of Theatre by the Trax, are planning a series of “Star Spectaculars” that will feature some of the music industry’s most beloved performers. They felt that launching the series with The Drifters would set the perfect tone for future concerts.

“The Drifters are legendary,” said Doug Vaught. “Their music is a blend of nostalgic magic and on-stage excitement that few new artists can lay claim to.”
Vaught was referring to the showmanship for which groups like The Drifters are famous.

Dr. Roy’z Magical Musical Time Machine is the opening act for the February 4th concert, a great choice to get the audience thinking “oldies but goodies,” Vaught said.

200 Tickets

Only 200 tickets will be sold for The Drifters concert and Vaught said that tickets were going fast. Tickets can be purchased in Kingsland at Kingsland City Hall, and in St. Marys at On the Green Salon and Day Spa, Once Upon a Bookseller, Cedar Oak Café, and St. Marys Seafood & More. Vaught said if people outside the area could not get into town
to purchase the tickets, they can call 912-552-5559 and arrange to have them mailed.

For more information, about the Bill Pinkney’s Original Drifters concert or Theatre by the Trax, call 912-552-5559.

The Drifters 1955

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the news reached Kingsland – the city of Kingsland, Georgia, has been named Lovetown, USA. After a nationwide search, Oprah Winfrey Network and BBC Worldwide Productions have selected Kingsland, GA, to be the location for a new TV series. In the month of February, two expert matchmakers including the real-life “Hitch,” Paul Carrick Brunson, and Kailen Rosenberg, with more than 200 successful marriages to her name, will help eight singles embark on a journey to find true love.

From the local mayor to restaurateurs, bosses and even married couples, everyone in the town will be involved in the biggest social experiment in TV history. The new series, scheduled to premiere this summer, will film 8 episodes in Kingsland over a four week period beginning in mid-February.

If you would like to be a part of this ground-breaking experience, send your name, age, contact information and photos of yourself along with a brief story about why you are ready to fall in love to: LovetownUSA@gmail.com The casting deadline is right around the corner, so contact us today!!

LOVETOWN CASTING DEPARTMENT: (323) 785-4616

Also, visit Lovetown on Facebook.