Spotlight: Upcoming Events on Jekyll Island
Friday, February 1st, 2008February 2
Golden Isles Scholastic Chess Tournament
Register, support, or come watch the Golden Isle
Scholastic Chess Association Tournaments on Jekyll
Island! For more information, please call 877-4JEKYLL
February 3
Brunswick News Wedding Show, Atlantic Hall
The Brunswick News sponsoring the show where
vendors will showcase their wedding-related
businesses. Free admission. For more information,
please call 877-4JEKYLL
February 7
Apostles of Bluegrass Concert with Leah Calvert
One of the Jekyll Island Club Hotel’s favorite
bluegrass bands, the Apostles of Bluegrass, has some
rollicking music planned for this concert. Jekyll
Island Club Hotel. 635-2600. 7:30 p.m. Reservations
required.
February 13
Chef’s Demonstration
“Key West Winter” is the theme of today’s Chef’s
Demonstration. Preparing two complete courses, the
chef provides step-by-step instructions and printed
recipes. Jekyll Island Club Hotel. 635-2600. 1:30 p.m.
Reservations required.
February 14
River City Rhythm Kings Concert
The River City Rhythm Kings perform the highest
quality jazz in a swinging and entertaining manner.
Jekyll Island Club Hotel. 635-2600. 7:30 p.m.
Reservations required.
February 16 - February 18
US Kids Golf Tournament
Boys and girls, ages 6 to 12, will compete for and
invitation to the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship
February 16
Jekyll Island Campground 2nd Annual Open House
Come and meet your winter neighbors
at the campground and enjoy our open house.
Breakfast, lunch, a yard & bake sale! For more
information, please call 877-4JEKYLL
February 17
Tidelands Nature Center Art Sale
Local artists will display their art for sale during
this nature inspired event benefiting, Tidelands
Nature Center. 10 am - 4 pm. www.tidelands4h.org.
912-635-5032
February 21
BGICVB Chamber of Commerce Trade Fair
Atlantic Hall 5:30-8 PM Admission. For more
information, please call 877-4JEKYLL
February 21
Acoustic Eidolon Concert
Joe Scott and Hannah Alkire, known as Acoustic
Eidolon, have a sound that is unique and present it in
this one-of-a-kind concert. Jekyll Island Club Hotel.
635-2600. 7:30 p.m. Reservations required.
February 24
Sunday Dinner Dance
The Sunday Dinner Dance in the Grand Dining Room
combines the delights of gourmet dining and ballroom
dancing. Wayne Tate’s “Four and Easy” dance band
features piano, bass, drums and horn. Jekyll Island Club
Hotel. 635-2600. 6:00 p.m. Reservations required.
February 28
Oyster Reef Restoration and the Satilla River
Ashby Nix of the UGA Marine Extension Service
and Gordon Rogers, Satilla Riverkeeper, join forces
for an illustrated presentation about this very
important local ecosystem. Jekyll Island Club Hotel.
635-2600. 7:30 p.m.
March 2
Friends of Jekyll Island Charity Silent Auction, Jekyll Island Convention Center, free admission, the public is invited. Over 300 items: dining, art, jewelry, golf, lodging, trips, auto services, airplane rides, fishing trips, and many works of art go to the highest bidder. Plenty of seating, refreshments and fun! Plus, some special live auction items!
March 22
Easter Festival, Pier Road
At this family event, enjoy children’s activities, food
and arts vendors, live music, arts and crafts, a pooch
parade, and more! For more information, please call
877-4JEKYLL
Jekyll Island’s golf complex hosts the annual U.S. Kids Golf Tournament on Saturday, February 16 through Monday, February 18. The U.S. Kids Golf Jekyll Island Cup is an invitation-only tournament that showcases young avid golfers ages 6 to 12 from across the United States. As a qualifier for the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship, participants in the tournament have to opportunity to receive an invitation to the World Championship in 2008. The top 3 finishers in each age and gender group who meet scoring requirements for the World tournament automatically receive an invitation to play in the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship. The top five finishers in each age and gender group also receive trophies. Celebrating it’s fifth year of competition, the Jekyll Island Cup allows young golfers the chance to not only exercise their expertise on the course, but also to play with a wide range of different golfers. 2007’s 11 year old female winner was Cindy Feng Yueer of Sen Zhen, China. Cindy was on an extended visit to the United States while she was studying at a golf academy in Florida. The 2007 U.S. Kids Golf Jekyll Island Cup attracted 411 players from 37 states and four different countries. The excitment of worldwide competition and the natural beauty of Jekyll Island makes the U.S. Kids Golf Jekyll Island Cup Regional Championship a great event for any young golfer (and family!) to enjoy.
Thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Friends of Historic Jekyll Island, the Solterra Cottage dovecote will be stabilized and moved closer to its original location. Solterra Cottage, built by Frederic and Frances Baker in 1890, was destroyed by fire on March 9, 1914, but the small dovecote in the cottage’s back yard survived. Today it is the only remaining remnant of the 12-room Queen Annestyle Solterra Cottage. The dovecote was used to raise pigeons or doves to be served at the table. Solterra Cottage was known for a site for lavish entertaining. Important guests such as Andrew Carnegie, Joseph Pulitzer and J.P. Morgan dined at the Bakers’ island residence. Perhaps their most prestigious guests, however, stayed at Solterra in 1899, when the Bakers offered the cottage to President William McKinley, Vice President Garrett Hobart, and their wives. This island landmark was destroyed on the morning of March 9, 1914 when Solterra caught fire from a faulty fireplace flue. Efforts were made to save the building, but it continued to burn until only its chimneys remained standing. Island employees managed to save some of the valuable furnishings and pictures before the house was incinerated. The dovecote was also spared. Gretchen Greminger, the curator of the Jekyll Island Museum, said that the recent fundraising efforts would help to stabilize the small structure. In addition, the Museum hopes to move the small dovecote, provide it with a new foundation near its original resting place, and install an interpretive panel about its history. Greminger believes that the dovecote, as the last architectural remnant of Solterra, is well worth saving. “I think the dovecote is very reflective of the original intent of the Jekyll Island Club and its architectural philosophy,” she said. Stabilizing the dovecote will entail patching openings in the door, replacing any rotten wood on the wood cladding, and replacing the windows as needed. The preservation of the dovecote will be contracted out, and the work on the building should be completed within the next few months. After the stabilization is complete, the structure will be moved closer to its original placement near the Chichota ruins. Over the years, the dovecote has migrated around the historic district to serve assorted needs. Until now, it has never found a lasting resting place. Soon the migratory building will be returned to the approximate location of its original home. An interpretive panel focusing on Solterra Cottage and the Baker family will also be installed nearby. Greminger said that this panel will probably be similar in style and appearance to the interpretive panels recently placed throughout the historic district. “It is our last visible link with Solterra, and I think the Bakers were a very interesting family. It will be great to tell their story,” Greminger reflected. “This dovecote is also our last remaining link with the only American President known to have visited the island during the Jekyll Island Club era. This little building has a big story to tell.”
On February 7, 1913, a lengthy federal manhunt in search of William Rockefeller ended when he finally submitted to questioning from Jekyll Island, Georgia. He had led a total of 40 deputies, as well as a number of Burns and Pinkerton detectives, on a merry chase across the country. It all began in April of 1912, when a Congressional subcommittee was formed to investigate the presence of a “money trust” in the United States. It came to be known as the Pujo Committee, in honor of its chairman, Aresène Pujo. Pujo sought evidence that a few financial leaders held an unhealthy control over the nation’s money and financial future. The Pujo Committee called a number of influential Jekyll Island Club Members to testify during the course of its investigations, including George F. Baker, James J. Hill, J.P. Morgan, and William Rockefeller. When called to the stand in June, Rockefeller went into hiding at Rockwood Hall, his estate in Tarrytown, New York. For over six months, deputies unsuccessfully attempted to serve him with a subpoena. Rockefeller wrote to inform Pujo that his health would not permit him to testify. His physician, Dr. Walter Chappell corroborated the claim, stating that Rockefeller was too ill to appear due to throat trouble. Congress authorized “any reasonable expense” in the pursuit of Rockefeller. Federal agents and detectives staked out his properties in New York as well as his daughters’ residences, beginning December 30. The expense of staking out the New York estates was wasted, however, as Rockefeller had left the state with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law several weeks before, arriving on Jekyll Island on December 19. Deputies investigated the rumor of this trip to Jekyll and searched the island, but failed to locate Rockefeller. Family letters indicated that, “Dad had the gentleman in question driving all a.m.” On January 3, Rockefeller’s attorneys finally accepted the summons on his behalf. Rockefeller was still staying with his family on Jekyll Island in the Sans Souci apartment complex, rather than at Indian Mound, Rockefeller’s cottage on the island. Attorneys continued to insist, however, that Rockefeller would not be able to testify in light of his ill health. Chappell testified that Rockefeller suffered from swelling of the larynx, constriction of the passageway, and spasms brought on by talking, excitement, or stomach upset. He warned, “a severe attack would terminate fatally.” Chappell stated that he had prescribed “the silent treatment,” for his patient. Another family physician, Dr. Samuel Waldron Lambert, confirmed Chappell’s diagnosis, adding that Rockefeller also suffered from tremors of the head and hands, which would make written testimony impossible. He also added that any excitement or strain “might very reasonably be expected to cause his sudden death.” Rockefeller was then examined by a doctor hired by the Pujo Committee. Headlines reported, “Much-Sought Witness is Ailing Badly, but Can Stand Such a Strain.” Rockefeller would have to testify. In consideration of his health, an hour limit was set for the interview and the Council agreed to a private deposition held on Jekyll Island at Rockefeller’s Sans Souci apartment on February 7. During questioning, Rokefeller responded in whispers to four brief questions about where he resided, his stay on Jekyll Island, whether he recalled the organization of Amalgamated Copper, and whether this organization had occurred in 1898. Just twelve minutes after the questioning began, Rockefeller halted procesures by a fit of coughing and trembling. Chappell revealed that Rockefeller had throat cancer and that a new growth had recently formed. Unwilling to endanger Rockefeller’s life, Pujo left Jekyll Island without any new information about his stock transactions. Chasing Rockefeller down and forcing him to testify had served no real purpose. Rockefeller lived until June 24, 1922, when he died at the age of 81. It was reported in his obituary that he had worked almost to the end of his life. For further information about the many influential Jekyll Island Club Members that first made Jekyll Island a premier vacation resort, visit the Jekyll Island Museum on Stable Road, (912) 635-4036. Exhibits are open to the public free of charge, and tours of the historic district depart daily.
The Jekyll Island Club Hotel launched a $4.2 million renovation. The project will result in a complete refurbishment of the public areas and guest rooms in the Hotel’s Clubhouse, Annex and Sans Souci buildings, and the addition of 5000 square feet of conference space to the existing Ballroom. Design & Supply of suburban Philadelphia, selected by Hotel General Manager Kevin Runner for the project, has been serving the hospitality industry for over 25 years in the New England and Mid-Atlantic areas. The company has extensive experience with leading hotels and resorts including the Desmond Great Valley Hotel and Conference Center in Malvern, Pennsylvania, the Prestwick Chase in Saratoga Springs, New York and the Gettysburg Hotel in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Guest rooms will have new furniture and soft goods and be repainted. New carpet will be installed and wood floors refinished. According to designer Lee Stranburg, “The buildings are unique in themselves; a different color scheme has been selected for each one. The Club has rich tones in the fabrics and warm beiges on the walls. Sans Souci fabrics are cheerful and bright with a calming green on the walls to balance the effect. The Annex projects a sense of serenity with cream walls and blue fabrics.” Guests will enjoy flat-panel, 32” television displays that will be installed in the guest rooms. Bathrooms in 68 guest accommodations will be completely redone with replacement of floor tile, wall tile, wall coverings, granite vanities, mirrors and lighting, custom shower curtains and bathroom fixtures. With the completion of this project scheduled for early spring, all 134 guest bathrooms in the Club, Annex and Sans Souci buildings will have been completely renovated. At this time, the hotel will implement a nosmoking policy in all guest rooms. The Jekyll Island Club Hotel, constructed in 1886-1902, has been designated a Historic Hotel of America by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and it continues to win awards annually for its conference facilities and services. Originally a hunting retreat for the nation’s wealthy elite, the hotel today is a unique resort with architectural character and a charming historic ambience. For more information on this project, reservations, group meetings or weddings, please contact the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, 371 Riverview Drive, Jekyll Island, GA, 31527, or call 912-635-2600.
Starting February 4, the Jekyll Island Arts Association welcomes the creative pine needle basketry of Donna Ireton and wonderful oil paintings by Byron Tracy Snyder. The exhibit will be in the gallery of Goodyear Cottage in Jekyll’s Historic District through March 3. Retired from a career in federal contract management, Donna Ireton is now eager to incorporate her love of nature with her skill in pine needle basketry. Working in her home in Hilton Head, South Carolina, Donna collects the pine needles locally, prepares and coils them and then stitches the coils together to form baskets. Much of her work is created on driftwood. The baskets’ dyed pine needles enhance the wood’s grain, texture and color. Donna’s baskets have been exhibited in many shows in South Carolina and won second prize in the 2007 Beaufort Art Association Spring Show. Tracy Snyder has operated his own advertising and graphic design studio since 1994, but his interest in painting was rekindled when he attempted a portrait of his son. He continued to study with other artists and organizations and now paints portraits and landscapes. Currently living in Woodstock, GA, he was a finalist in The Portrait Society of Atlanta’s spring exhibition in 2004 and 2006. His most prominent portrait is of former U.S. Congressman Bob Barr, which is at the State University of West Georgia. He also enjoys capturing the beauty of landscapes, especially painting “en plein air.” Everyone is welcome to attend an artists’ reception at the Goodyear Cottage Gallery on February 10 from 1 3pm, where you can view the exhibit and meet our featured artists. The gallery and shop hours are Mon - Fri 12 - 4pm and weekends 10 - 4pm. Admission is always free.
