The Pulitzer Legacy in Georgia program is a four-day celebration of fine writing and writers by The Georgia Review and hosted by the Jekyll Island Club. This event features four recent Pulitzer Prize winners, all of whom have an association with the state of Georgia, the University of Georgia, and/or The Georgia Review: poets Stephen Dunn and Natasha Trethewey, journalist and historian Hank Klibanoff, and historian Edward Larson.

The Pulitzer Legacy in Georgia will take place at the world-famous Jekyll Island Club from October 27 - 30, 2008. The Jekyll Island Club opened in 1888 as a private retreat for many of that era’s most prominent Americans, including Joseph Pulitzer and his family. The Jekyll Island Club—now a National Register of Historic Places site—was described in the February 1904 issue of Munsey’s Magazine as “the richest, the most exclusive, the most inaccessible club in the world.” No longer inaccessible, Jekyll Island is renowned for its beaches and pristine coastal ecosystem, and is a destination resort that offers fine modern amenities alongside a wealth of Georgia history.

Stephen Dunn’s Different Hours took home a Pulitzer in 2001, and he has been a frequent contributor to The Georgia Review for more than twenty-five years. Hank Klibanoff, former managing editor for news at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, won the 2007 Pulitzer in history for The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation, coauthored with Gene Roberts.

Edward Larson, winner of the 1998 history prize for Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion, is University Professor of history at Pepperdine University and former Herman E. Talmadge Chair of Law and Richard B. Russell Professor of American History at the University of Georgia.

Natasha Trethewey, a University of Georgia alumna, is the Phillis Wheatley Distinguished Chair in Poetry at Emory University and won the 2007 Pulitzer for Native Guard.

Each of these distinguished guests will participate in a variety of activities over the course of the week, including readings, panel discussions, question-and-answer sessions, and informal gatherings with attendees. The Pulitzer Legacy in Georgia represents a one-of-a-kind opportunity for the public to mix and mingle with four of the finest talents in contemporary American arts and letters—and to do so in a beautiful oceanside setting. The schedule of program events will leave participants free time in the afternoon for exploring the Jekyll Island area or just relaxing on the beach.

Registration for the event is open now and continues through early October or until capacity is reached. For the best choice of discounted accommodations at the Jekyll Island Club, those interested should register early. A ticket for the entire week includes admission to all conference events, including author readings and book signings, Q&A sessions, most meals, Jekyll Island History tours, and tours of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Individual day tickets are also available.

The Pulitzer Legacy in Georgia is a production of The Georgia Review and the University of Georgia. The presenting sponsor is the Jekyll Island Club, with additional support generously provided by the Jekyll Island Authority, the Jekyll Island Foundation, the Jekyll Island Museum, the University of Georgia Alumni Association, Rich Products Corporation, the Odum School of Ecology at UGA, Ameris Bank, the Brunswick-Glynn County Public Library, the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce, The Brunswick News, Mr. John Vance Hughes, and others to be announced.

For more information and to register for the program, contact the offices of The Georgia Review at (800) 542-3481 or garev@uga.edu. Lodging reservations should be made through the Jekyll Island Club at (800) 535-9547. On the Web, visit thegeorgiareview.com and jekyllclub.com.

Tags: Edward Larson, jekyll island club, joseph pulitzer, Natasha Tretheweym The Georgia Review, national registry of historic places, stephen dunn, the pulitzer legacy
Posted in Beachscape, October 2008 | No Comments »

The Jekyll Island Arts Association is pleased to announce their upcoming exhibit featuring painter Mary O, Smith and potter Stephen Heywood. This exciting show will run from October 1 - 30 in the gallery at Goodyear Cottage in Jekyll’s Historic District.

Award winning artist Mary O. Smith, creates her beautiful watercolor and oil paintings in her Woodbine studio. She loves the loose and fluid qualities of watercolors, and incorporates them in her own loose, expressive style. She engages the viewer with her suggestive brush strokes and use of color. As well as winning local and national shows, she has been featured in the National magazine Watercolor Magic in the article “Ten Artists to Watch.”

If you think perhaps you see something that reminds you of a smokestack, a chimney, a water tower or a silo in Stephen Heywood’s pottery, you could be right! He uses many of these run down and weathered structures as inspiration for shapes and textures in portions of his pieces. Stephen has been visiting artist at a number of colleges and museums, has exhibited in over 70 national juried shows, has seen his work featured in several publications, and currently teaches ceramics and design at the University of North Florida.

A special reception on October 5 will give you the opportunity to see the exhibit as well as meet the artists from 1 - 3pm at Goodyear Cottage. Everyone is welcome. Regular hours for the gallery and shop are Monday - Friday 12 - 4pm and weekends from 10 - 4pm. Admission is always free to JIAA events. 635-3920

Tags: art, ceramics, gallery, goodyear cottage, jekyll island, mary o. smith, stephen heywood
Posted in Beachscape, October 2008 | No Comments »

Log Date: 9/22/2008
Jekyll Island is very nice. The wind was whipping around the pier, but we still had a nice walk to this cache.

Tags: geocache, Geocaching on Jekyll Island, georgia beaches, georgia coast, jekyll island vacation
Posted in Geocaching Places on Jekyll Island, Great Geocaching Comments | No Comments »

Log Date: 9/22/2008
We decided it was time for lunch and chose this spot due to it having a cache. As we walked up, a lady opened the door and watched us hunt. She gave us a few hot/cold hints which led us right there. Thanks for the cache and lunch suggestion!

Tags: geocache, Geocaching on Jekyll Island, georgia beaches, georgia coast, jekyll island vacation
Posted in Geocaching Places on Jekyll Island, Great Geocaching Comments | No Comments »

Log Date: 9/27/2008
What a neat location. I loved learning about the history of the area at this cache.

Tags: geocache, Geocaching on Jekyll Island, georgia beaches, georgia coast, jekyll island vacation
Posted in Geocaching Places on Jekyll Island, Great Geocaching Comments | No Comments »

Found this one today very beautiful area. We were there for a kite buggy event and wanted to do some caching while in the area. There are no travel bugs or coins in this cache. We have eaten here a few times. They have great food. TFTC

Tags: geocache, Geocaching on Jekyll Island, georgia beaches, georgia coast, jekyll island vacation
Posted in Geocaching Places on Jekyll Island, Great Geocaching Comments | No Comments »

STATE OF GEORGIA

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

Sonny Perdue
GOVERNOR

For Immediate Release                       Contact: Office of Communications, (404) 651-7774

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Governor Perdue Announces Executive Appointments

ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today the following executive appointments.  Brief biographies are provided below:

Jekyll Island State Park Authority

A. Richard Royal, 69, Camilla - Royal is president and owner of Royal Investments, Inc. and is retiring from the Georgia House of Representatives, where he has served since 1983.  He is a past president of the Camilla Chamber of Commerce and the Camilla Rotary Club and served ten years on the City Council of Camilla. He has received numerous awards such as the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the Georgia Forestry Commission’s Legislator of the Year Award, and the Georgia Farm Bureau Commodity Award. Royal earned a bachelor’s degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He and his wife, Marilyn, have five grown children and nine grandchildren.

Georgia State Indemnification Commission

John C. Crawley, 54, Thomson, Firefighter Representative – Crawley is deputy fire chief of the City of Thomson Fire Department.  He is a charter member of McDuffie County Fire/Rescue and an executive board member of the Georgia State Firefighters Association.  He is past president of the Georgia State Firefighters Association and served on the Georgia Fire Academy Advisory Council.  He and his wife, Penny, have three children.

###

Tags: ed boshears, governor sonny perdue, jekyll island, jekyll island authority board of directors, jekyll island vacation
Posted in In the News, Press Releases | No Comments »

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Tags: cooking competition, georgia coast, jekyll island, jekyll island lodging, shrimp, shrimp and grits, shrimp festival, Uncle Bubba
Posted in Festivalgoer | No Comments »

From the desk of C. Jones Hooks

Executive Director
Jekyll Island - State Park Authority

It is a pleasure for me to share the latest information from the Jekyll Island Authority with you, our vested homeowners and visitors.

JEKYLL ISLAND VISITATION ANALYSIS:
The Jekyll Island Visitation Analysis shared at the Sept. 15 board meeting and produced by an independent research firm, Bleakly and Associates, should be extremely helpful as we continue to lay the ground work for our Island’s future success. The report shows that island visitation peaked in the 1988-1989 time period, when we saw approximately 2.1 million guests visit Jekyll Island. Unfortunately since that time, we have seen a steady decline in visitation. Last year only 1.49 million visitors came to Jekyll Island. In order to accomplish our mission of trustworthy stewardship and generation of revenues, the analysis shows that we will need to increase tourism and visitation. Because Jekyll Island is a self-funded entity, the analysis provides a wake-up call to the importance for the Jekyll Island Authority to increase visitation so that the costs to care for the island are manageable. As you’re aware in the Jekyll Island Club Historic Landmark District alone, we have over $30 million in preservation needs. The good news is that by increasing visitation by only 21% over 1988-1989 levels, the island can finance operations and improve our public facilities. Jekyll Island will then remain an affordable and attractive place for all Georgians to enjoy. Further, the forecasting model supports how visitation can increase with limited, low-density redevelopment of existing sites that affect only 6% of the island. This supports our approach of balance between redevelopment and conservation/preservation activities. It was also interesting that the Bleakly report found revenue increases to the Jekyll Island Authority via public/private partner lease agreements are key to funding the needed infrastructure, as well as improvements to public amenities like golf courses, beach management and more.

KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER:

• Annual visitation to the island has been declining at a 2.6% annual rate since 2002 and is down roughly 23% since 1988-1989.
• When adjusted for inflation, JIA revenues have declined at a 2.3% annual rate since 2002
• Visitation can increase with limited, low density redevelopment and development.
• Total development needed to support visitation and JIA income projections over the next 15 years represents a net addition of roughly 1000 lodging units, 400 dwelling units, and 25,000 commercial square feet over levels that existed 20 years ago.
• Jekyll Island has approximately 4226 acres and by law, 65% must remain undeveloped.
• Of the remaining 35%, only 256 acres or 6% of the Island is directly impacted. Most of this small area is already development with existing hotels and the convention center.

Bleakly and Associates’ work is comprehensive. A public in-depth presentation will be offered Sept. 29 at 2:00 p.m. at the Jekyll Island Convention Center. Anyone interested is encouraged to attend!

JEKYLL ISLAND DESIGN GUIDELINES: Another important policy initiative related to Jekyll Island Revitalization is the Jekyll Island Design Guidelines. While already put into practical use, the Design Guidelines dictate the architectural design, height, scale and density of all new construction. The Design Guidelines were developed with the Jekyll Island Authority by Cooper Carry, a leader in the field of connective architecture. Since the “First Reading”, we have received lots of input and public comments. The Jekyll Island Authority Board will consider adoption of the Design Guidelines at its October 20th meeting.

OTHER NEWS: Construction continues on our first new hotel construction, the Hampton Inn & Suites. With plans progressing and construction underway on this and other properties, we are already seeing an immediate return of conventions interested in bringing their groups back to Jekyll Island! We are pleased to announce that Jekyll Island has been selected as the host for a 2009 meeting of the Georgia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus, as well as the Georgia Press Association 2009 annual conference. We appreciate your interest in Jekyll Island, and encourage you to stay in touch. I value your continued insight and feedback, please check out our website www.jekyllisland.com for up-to-date information.

Kind Regards,
Jones Hooks
Executive Director, Jekyll Island - State Park Authority

Tags: georgia coast, jekyll island, jekyll island authority, jekyll island revitalization, Jekyll Island visitation
Posted in From the Desk of Jones Hooks, In the News | 3 Comments »

Jekyll Island, Ga. (September 15, 2008) - As revitalization of Jekyll Island progresses, an independent visitation analysis was presented to the Jekyll Island Authority board by consultant Ken Bleakly at its regular meeting on Monday. The purpose of the study is to provide the Jekyll Island Authority with a better understanding of the cumulative effects of future revitalization on the island’s infrastructure and environmental resources. In addition, the study offers a forecasting tool that gives clear estimates of how revitalization projects will benefit visitation and revenues.

The Bleakly Advisory Group project team, which includes engineering firm Thomas & Hutton and land planner Cooper Carry, utilized a number of factors to determine historic visitation of Jekyll Island, including wastewater treatment volume, traffic counts, parking fee revenue, golf rounds, and hotel room nights. The study shows a slow but steady decline in visitation to the island since the early 1990s.

“Ken Bleakly and his team have presented us with a thorough and objective modeling analysis that will guide us as we move forward with revitalization,” said Jones Hooks, executive director of the Jekyll Island Authority. “It is obvious that fewer Georgians are visiting Jekyll Island, but the good news is that we can bring them back through a strategic revitalization plan that doesn’t require major infrastructure changes.”

The study also provides a number of forecasts based on varying redevelopment density scenarios as defined by Cooper Carry and carried forward from the Jekyll Island Master Plan. The initial projection shows that financial sustainability can be achieved under a low-to-medium density scenario.

Other key findings from the study:

• Visitation peaked at an estimated 2.1 million visitors in 1989-1990 and totaled approximately 1.49 million visitors in fiscal year 2008.
• Jekyll Island can be financially sustained by reaching approximately 2.65 million annual visitors. According to the study, achieving this level of visitation will:
• Support operating costs and correct deferred maintenance;
• Pay for needed long-range capital improvements and enhanced visitor amenities;
• Increase visitation by approximately 21 percent (by 2023) over historical peak visitation during 1989-90;

• Homeownership on Jekyll Island is primarily characterized as an investment property or second home, with 67 percent of owners from 35 states other than Georgia and Canada. Home rental accounts for 9 percent of lodging revenue for the island.
• Future development only affects 6 percent of the island, and all development is within the 35 percent of the island that is developable as outlined by state law.

In addition to the visitation analysis, the Jekyll Island Authority board has initiated several other policy measures to protect the island’s habitats, resources and character as revitalization continues. An ordinance passed this summer defined appropriate beachfront lighting practices to protect the island’s endangered sea turtle habitat from light pollution. The Authority expects to adopt new design guidelines articulating standards for all building and landscaping in order to maintain Jekyll Island’s unique character. The design guidelines include height restrictions that limit building height to what currently exists in the Jekyll Island Historic District. New conservation guidelines to protect Jekyll Island’s natural resources are currently under final legal review and should be adopted soon. A rebranding effort is also underway that will reflect a revitalized Jekyll island and encourage more Georgians to visit.

“People love Jekyll Island because it is a sanctuary and a retreat with the right balance of nature and amenities,” said Eric Garvey, the Authority’s senior director of marketing. “Revitalization will enhance that, and therefore we want to focus our message on this key feature. Our goal is simple: to bring more Georgians to Jekyll.”

A public presentation of the visitation analysis will be held Monday, September 29 at 2 p.m. at the Jekyll Island Convention Center.

Tags: georgia coast, jekyll island, jekyll island development, jekyll island revitalization, Jekyll Island visitation
Posted in In the News, Press Releases | 2 Comments »