Discover Jekyll Island Treasures
For generations, beachcombers have delighted in finding glass fishing floats that separated from European and Asian fish nets. The colorful floats could drift for years, driven by winds and currents, tossed and polished by the surf and sand until they eventually washed up on beaches around the world. Today, finding one of the original glass floats is rare; the fragile glass spheres face the are often broken or lost among crashing waves, rocky shorelines, and tangling seaweed. Every year, Jekyll Island celebrates the tradition of finding glass fishing floats by placing colorful blown glass floats along the beaches. Beginning on January 1, a special group of “Beach Buddies” hide the hand-crafted floats above the high water line on Jekyll Island’s beaches. From January 1 through February the floats hide among the shores, waiting for a special Jekyll visitor to discover it. After a beach comber finds a float, he or she takes the treasure to the Jekyll Island Visitor Information Center on Downing Musgrove Causeway. There, the finder can register the float, receive a certificate of authenticity, and have his or her picture taken to post on the Island Treasures website. For more information on how you can discover an Island Treasure, visit www.jekyllisland.com/islandtreasures

Tags: beachcombers, beachcombing, glass fishing net floats, island treasures, Jekyll Island Beachscape
Posted in Beachscape, January 2008, Page 1 | 1 Comment »

The recent installation of 28 new interpretive panels by the Jekyll Island Museum is a matter of celebration to Gretchen Greminger, the Jekyll Island Museum’s curator.

Greminger is excited that the new installations will provide an additional opportunity for tourists to become aware of the amazing depth of history tied to Jekyll Island’s past.

“In the past, we have missed opportunities to connect with some of our casual guests who are just passing through,” Greminger noted.

“These visitors may be walking through our historic district, or biking along our trails, but if they don’t pick up a brochure they may not already be familiar with Jekyll Island’s mesmerizing history. We don’t want them to miss all that the museum has to offer.”

The new panels were created to help counteract this problem. Four of the panels replaced old outdated maps in the historic district, 16 brand new information panels were scattered throughout the historic district, and for the first time, eight panels have been placed at the Horton House Historic Site.

Greminger noted that the project would not have been possible without the support of the Friends of Historic Jekyll Island, who contributed approximately $40,000 to fund the project. “It was the financial support of the Friends of Historic Jekyll Island that really enabled this project to move forward. The museum would not have been able to complete such an ambitious project without such assistance,”

Greminger stated.

Greminger emphasized that, through the panels, the museum has the opportunity to share lesser-known details about the island, stating “Some panels convey stories about the architects of the buildings or about those club members who did not build cottages on the island, but still made important contributions to our history.”

“They also allow us to share our oral histories and photographs in order to illustrate the lives of the employees of the club,” Greminger added. “The club employees were truly the backbone of the Jekyll Island Club. They lived here and enjoyed the opportunities present on Jekyll Island, just as the club members did.”

The stories, pictures and details presented in the information panels are different than what is shared in the museum’s walking tour guidebooks and guided museum tours, Greminger said.

“We wanted to provide a layering of information,” she explained. “From a marketing standpoint, we hope to intrigue people and interest them in taking our guided tours to find out more. But the panels will also be informative for those who do not plan to take a tour during this visit.”

Greminger is especially pleased that the panels enable the museum to present new stories and to share some the wealth of material that the museum collects in its photo archives.

“We were able to digitize about 1,000 new photographs from the collection as part of this project,” Greminger said. “Working on these information panels has enhanced our knowledge, increased our database of material, and expanded our ability to provide information to researchers at the museum.”

The interpretive panels can be located by following the maps available in the Jekyll Island Museum’s new brochures or by discovering one of the information panels with maps placed on them. These panels are typically placed near parking lots.

“These interpretive panels truly are an outdoor exhibition, and well worth the investment of seeking them out,” Greminger said. “Ride a bike, take a walk, and enjoy Jekyll Island’s beautiful scenery in your hunt for the panels. Discover why the Jekyll Island Museum truly is a historic site museum.”

Tags: historic site, horton house, Jekyll Island Beachscape, jekyll island museum
Posted in Beachscape, January 2008, Page 1 | No Comments »

Thursday, January 3 - Saturday, January 5

Bluegrass Festival, Jekyll Island Concention Center

3 days of great bluegrass music at the Jekyll Island Convention Center. www.aandabluegrass.com

Saturday, January 5

Oyster Reef Restoration Project

U.G.A. Marine Extension’s GEORGIA program needs volunteers to bag oyster shells for their reef restoration project.

Saturday January 12

Saturday, February 2

Golden Isles Scholastic Chess Tournament

Register, support, or come watch the Golden Isle Scholastic Chess Association Tournaments on Jekyll Island!

Thursday, January 17

Buddy Sullivan “Early English Settlement in Coastal Georgia, 1721-1776”
Georgia historian Buddy Sullivan explores the 18th century conflict between England and Spain and how it led to the creation of Georgia. Jekyll Island Club Hotel. Reservations Required. 635-2600. 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, January 27

Sunday Dinner Dance
Dance the night away in the Grand Dining room the last Sunday of each month. Seating begins at six for an evening of gourmet dining and dancing to the music of Wayne Tate’s “Four and Easy” dance band. Jekyll Island Club Hotel. Reservations Required. 635-2600. 6:00 p.m.

January 31

“The French Letters”
Dr. Martha Keber presents an extraordinary chapter in Jekyll Island history: “From Plantation Owner to Penniless, the Saga of the Refugee Grand Dutreuilh Family.” Based, to a large extent, on a set of French letters written over the course of two decades, this remarkable tale
also spans two continents and several islands. Jekyll Island Club Hotel. Reservations Required.
635-2600. 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, February 3

Brunswick News Wedding Show, Atlantic Hall

The Brunswick News sponsoring the show where vendors will showcase their wedding-related businesses. Free admission

Thursday, February 14 - Sunday, February 17

US Kids Golf Tournament

Boys and girls, ages 6 to 12, will compete for individual honors. The Top 3 finishers in each age and gender group will automatically receive an invitation to the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship in 2008.

Sunday, February 17

Tidelands Nature Art Sale

“Art Inspired by Nature” 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. Jekyll Island Convention Center. Beachside Hall.

Thursday, February 21

BGICVB Chamber of Commerce Trade Fair, Atlantic Hall 5:30-8 PM Admission

Saturday, 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

Tags: jekyll island, Jekyll Island Events
Posted in Beachscape, Festivalgoer, January 2008, Page 1 | No Comments »

An exciting combination of artwork will be featured at the Jekyll Island Art Association’s gallery January 4 - February 2 when it welcomes the artwork of the Georgia Coastal Artists Guild along with the popular Raku pottery by members of Jekyll’s Pottery Guild.

This is a homecoming event for the Georgia Coastal Artists Guild, as their first show took place here at Goodyear Cottage after their guild started in 1983. The 35 member group is involved in shows and numerous art related events in the community, including volunteering their time with local school children. They broaden their knowledge and capabilities by attending classes, workshops and hosting relevant speakers at their meetings. A wide range of media and a varied number of styles are represented within the group. We welcome them back!

Fifteen different potters from the Jekyll Island Pottery Guild will provide Raku pottery for another dimension to this exciting exhibit. Guild President, Tony Cerrato, explains: “Raku was developed in 16th century Japan and means ‘happiness through chance,’ because glazing results are generally unpredictable after firing.” Raku depends on rapid glaze firing of bisque pottery which is thickly glazed with low temperature glazes and fired to approximately 1800 degrees. When it’s removed from the kiln, the piece is placed in a container with paper or sawdust and sealed for about ten minutes. It is then quickly cooled with cold water. This process produces a unique look to the variety of pieces that will be shown. Jekyll potter Art Sennett, who studied his craft in Japan, was powerfully struck by the Japanese respect and appreciation for the intrinsic beauty of ceramic ware. “[They] considered [pottery] to be a living part of the world.”

Everyone is invited to an artists’ reception at Goodyear Cottage in Jekyll’s Historic District on January 6, from 1pm - 3pm. Shop and gallery hours are Monday through Friday 12pm - 4pm and weekends 10am - 4pm. Admission is always free.

Tags: , jekyll island, jekyll island arts association
Posted in Beachscape, January 2008 | No Comments »

“What Woolworth was to the five-and-ten, what McCormick was to the harvester, Vail is to the telephone,” declared publisher B.C. Forbes. “Bell invented it, but Vail put it on the map.”

AT&T President Theodore Newton Vail also put Jekyll Island, Georgia onto the map when, thanks to his participation, it became a part of telephone history.

On January 25, 1915, the words “Hello, Jekyll Island,” reverberated across the phone lines, as Vail joined a party phone call with President Woodrow Wilson in Washington, DC, Alexander Graham Bell in New York, and Thomas Watson in San Francisco. This thrilling moment marked the ceremonial grand opening of the first transcontinental telephone service.

In 1885, Vail had created the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) by connecting existing local companies into a long distance network. Vail served as the first President of AT&T from 1885-1889.

Consolidating existing telephone companies into a single network required a great deal of money. It was Vail who interested a number of financiers in his project, including Jekyll Island Club Members J.P. Morgan and George F. Baker.

In 1889, at the age of 44, Vail retired. But in 1907, J.P. Morgan and other investors approached Vail to again take up the reins as president of AT&T. The company was having difficulty facing off with competitors in Vail’s absence.

Vail developed a bold plan for a comeback. In 1909, he announced that AT&T was going to provide nationwide telephone service through the creation of a coast-to-coast phone system. This was an ambitious goal. At the time, phone conversations were limited by technology to a distance of 2,000 miles.

Vail undertook a vigorous campaign of public relations. Investors initially protested his investment of $250,000 for marketing, arguing that everybody already knew of the existence of the telephone. He responded, “But everybody is not thinking about it.”

Vail, a Jekyll Island Club Member from 1912-1920, had intended to return to New York in time for the important phone call marking the event, but a leg injury detained him on the island.

Although Jekyll Island’s phone service was spotty, Vail was not about to miss participating in the ceremony. Jekyll Island had good connections to Brunswick, so new cables were laid from Savannah to Brunswick to ensure that the lines would function properly for the event.

Susan Albright Reed, visiting Jekyll Island that season with her family, recalled a worried Vail interrupting his dinner to test the phone lines and her father telling her, “It will be terrible if Mr. Vail can’t get through tomorrow. . . the President, Alexander Graham Bell, and Mr. Vail will all be on the line at once.”

On the day of the phone call approximately 1,500 AT&T employees stood by, ready to repair any problems along the 4,500 miles of telephone line from Jekyll Island, to New York, and across to San Francisco, in order to be sure the communications system functioned properly.

Their presence was fortunate, as a tree fall did interfere with service the morning of the call. The problem was soon corrected, however, and on January 25, Vail was able to participate in the first transcontinental phone call from Jekyll Island. Vail had a brief exchange with President Wilson in Washington, DC, who congratulated him on his great achievement. Within a year, radio telephone service was also available to Europe.

In 1919, Vail retired from AT&T for the second time. When he passed away a year later, on April 16, 1920, the telephone company he had raised from infancy owned more than 25 million miles of telephone wire and voices could carry around the world.

To learn how other Jekyll Island Club Members have influenced the nation, visit the Jekyll Island Museum on Stable Road, (912) 635-4036. Exhibits and daily tours describe the important contributions of the prominent business.

Tags: first transcontinental phone call, Jekyll Island Beachscape, jekyll island history, jekyll island museum, theodore vail
Posted in Beachscape, December 2007, January 2008 | No Comments »

Located at the end of Feeding Road, the Commissary, built around 1915, served as the general store for island residents. Anything from groceries to luxuries could be purchased here. It continues to sell gourmet food items in the present day.

All through the year specialty Southern foods can be purchased at the Commissary. The Commissary is also currently requesting recipes for a cookbook. The new cookbook will be published next spring by Juliana Germano, proprietor of The Commissary. Juliana is accepting recipes locally and from visitors of Jekyll Island from around the country. She wants to compile a cookbook from people all over the country who love to cook. So send your favorite recipes today to: The Commissary, 24 Pier Road, Jekyll Island, GA 31527 or email to jekyllcommissary@bellsouth.net to be a part of history!

Along with the recipe please include your name, city, and state as you wish for it to appear, as we will be using it when acknowleging your recipes. Also, please include your telephone number or email address so that you may be contacted if needed.

Tags: jekyll island, Jekyll Island Beachscape, pier road shops, the commissary on pier road jekyll island
Posted in Beachscape, December 2007, January 2008 | 1 Comment »

Information Courtesty of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center Staff

Adopt A Turtle

The GSTC is proud to announce, the long awaited Adopt-a-Turtle Program! With your donation of $50
or more, you can adopt one of our sea turtle patients. Current patients and already released patients with satellite transmitters are eligible for adoption. When adopting a turtle, you will receive an official certificate of adoption, a letter from your sea turtle, a 5 x 7 photo of your sea turtle, weekly updates from the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, and you name will appear as an adoptive parent on the Georgia Sea Turtle Center website. If you chose to adopt a current patient, you also
have the opportunity to be a VIP at the release of you adopted turtle!

Welcome to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center
The GSTC would like to welcome 2 new full-time Educators: Sarah Mathias and Kelly O’Keefe! Sarah began working at the GSTC as an Education Intern in September 2007 after completing her B.S. at Hawaii Pacific University. The programs she’s assisted with and developed here, the school groups she has assisted with and her cheery disposition have earned her a permanent position at the GSTC. Great job Sarah! Kelly comes to us from Powder Springs, Georgia with a B.S. from Berry College (Mount Berry, GA). With a background full of environmental education experience, she is sure to impress us with new ideas!

Join Us for Turtle Tales!
Turtle Tales has been changed! It is now offered on Saturdays at 10:30am and is FREE with general admission. There are so many books about sea turtles, it’s hard to choose! Our Turtle Tales program will introduce you to the many children’s books about sea turtles. This program involves a turtle-inspired book reading and craft for children of all ages. There will be
a different book and craft each month. And yes, you can purchase the books in our Gift Shop! January’s book will
be “Carolina’s Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too!” by Donna Rathmell and the craft will be Recycled Sea Turtle Art! Turtle Tales is offered on Saturdays at 10:30am and is FREE with general admission! No reservations required.

Behind the Scenes
Ever wonder what it feels like to be on the other side of the Treatment Window? Wish you could get a closer look at the patients, off of the pavilion walkway? You’re in luck. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is pleased to offer behind-the-scenes tours. Guests will visit food preparation areas, animal holding areas, and the treatment, X-ray and Surgery Rooms. Come join us for a closer look at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center from the other side of the Treatment Window. Tours are conducted on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 P.M. and are offered on a first come first served basis,–Reservations are required. Call early or sign up in the Gift Shop- Group size is limited to 10 guests. (912-635-4444) Cost: $25/Adults - $15/Children (Must be at least 10
years of age). Price includes admission.

Meet Spitfire!
The newest patient at the GSTC is Spitfire, is a beautiful subadult loggerhead sea turtle that lives up to his name. He has been rambunctiously swimming about his tank and eating everything in site since his arrival. Spitfire came to us from the Marine Science Center in Volusia County Florida on December 3. 2007. He originally stranded October 1, 2007 off the coast of Daytona, Florida. Spitfire is floating and unable to dive correctly. Upon arrival to the GSTC he weighed 102 pounds and he currently weighs 122 pounds.
We are hoping to conduct further diagnostic work including a laproscopy to try to determine the cause of the floating.

Sage & Amelia Go Home to the Gulf
Beginning in mid November we began looking for a ride to the Gulf Stream for our loggerhead hatchling Amelia. Our green sea turtle hatchling, Sage, was not gaining weight as well as we had hoped and we had decided to keep him. Both turtles had been affected by the red tide event that occurred of the Northeast coast of Florida this fall. Amelia came to us on September 26th
and Sage came to us on October 11. We began working with local charter captains and private boat owners as well as the Coast Guard to see if we could get Amelia out before the water temperature dropped to low. Sage must have found out what was happening and not wanted Amelia to have all the fun, because he turned around rather rapidly and started packing on the grams. He was quickly deemed releasable and was ready to go! After several weeks and a huge amount of effort by
Becky Shortland with the Gray’s Reef Marine Sanctuary, LCDR Nancy Whitt, LCDR Eric King and LT. J.G. Smith of US Coast Guard sectors Charleston and Mayport and Captain Raymond Sweatte and the crew of the R/V Savannah out of Skidaway we found them a ride, and it couldn’t have gotten much better for these two lucky little hatchlings. On December 10th Sage, Amelia and a myself were escorted in first class style offshore to the release point upon the 92 foot research vessel the Savannah out of the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. After a great night of learning about the benthic sampling that was occuring, we let Sage and Amelia go at approximately 10:00am on Tuesday the 11th. Both turtles did great! Amelia immediately went into camouflage mode and tucked her flippers up against her shell. Sage, however, tried to swim back into the bucket and then swam alongside the boat for several minutes before going off to explore his new world! The staff and volunteers at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center would like to extend a GIANT thank you to all the people that are making this release such a “sailing” success!

Posted in Beachscape, December 2007, January 2008 | 1 Comment »