October 3-24
Folklore, Rumor & Myth Tour
Pass through the Landmark historic district at twilight and enter one of the cottages for spine-tingling tales that will draw you back through the centuries. Fridays only, 7:00 pm, approx. 90 minutes. Reservations requested.
Call the Jekyll Island Museum at 912-635-4036.

October 4
CoastFest 2008
under Sidney Lanier Bridge from 10am-4pm
For more information please call (912) 264-7218

October 4
WAY Radio Beach Concert
Brunswick’s source for Christian Radio hosts a concert from 2-5 PM. For information visit www.wayradio.org Call 912-342-1083 or 877-4-Jekyll

October 4
G.E.O.R.G.I.A. Shell Bagging Event
The University of Georgia’s Marine Extension Service coordinates a community-based oyster restoration project called GEORGIA .Please RSVP to Casey Sanders 912-264-7323 or email caseys@uga.edu

October 9-13
Georgia’s Colonial Georgia Coast Birding & Nature Festival For the casual nature enthusiast to the most experienced birdwatcher. The Jekyll Island Welcome Center 877-4-Jekyll

October 15
Chef’s Demonstration – “Oktoberfest”
Chef Darrell Drafts shows how to prepare two complete courses in his presentation, “Oktoberfest.” The audience receives a very generous tasting. 1:30 p.m. at Jekyll Island Club Hotel. Cost: $30.00 per person
Reservations required: 912-635-2600
www.jekyllclub.com

October 17- October 18
Brunswick Rockin’ Stewbilee
Mary Ross Waterfront Park, Brunswick
www.brunswickstewbilee.com
(912) 267-7440

October 23
Sapphire Brass Quintet Concert
Emerging as one of America’s premier brass quintets, 7:30 p.m. at Jekyll Island Club Hotel
$15.00 per person
Reservations required 912-635-2600
www.jekyllclub.com

October 26
Sunday Dinner Dance
Jekyll Island Club Hotel presents an evening of ballroom dancing and gourmet dining. Wayne Tate’s “Four and Easy” ballroom dance band plays favorite dance tunes. 6:00 p.m. at Jekyll Island Club Hotel. $34.95 per person. Reservations are required: 912-635-2600
www.jekyllclub.com

October 27-30
The Pulitzer Legacy in Georgia
Four days with four Pulitzer Prize winning authors with ties to Georgia. Authors include Pulitzer Prize-winners Natasha Trethewey, Hank Klibanoff, Stephen Dunn, and Edward J. Larson. To register, visit The Georgia Review website www.uga.edu/garev or call Jekyll Island Club Hotel 912-635-2600

October 30-31
Georgia - Florida Golf Classic
Join the fun of the 93rd annual Georgia-Florida College Football Classic . Two-day golf tournament leads into a weekend of school spirit of this famous state university rivalry!

November 1
G.E.O.R.G.I.A. Shell Bagging Event
The University of Georgia’s Marine Extension Service coordinates a community-based oyster restoration project called GEORGIA.Please RSVP. Call Casey Sanders 912-264-7323 or visit www.shellfish.uga.edu/oyster

November 8
Plus Fours Historic Golf Celebration
Golfers don knickers and argyle socks for this special tournament played on Jekyll Island’s historic golf course - Great Dunes. Hickory shaft clubs and gutty balls complete the transformation. Contact The Jekyll Island Welcome Center 877-4-Jekyll

November 29
Christmas Tree Lighting Festival
The season is kicked-off by The Christmas Tree Lighting Festival. Contact The Jekyll Island
Welcome Center 877-4-Jekyll

Tags: brunswick, Coastfest 2008, football, Georgia, golf, jekyll island club, jekyll island museum, Landmark historic district, pulitzer
Posted in Beachscape, October 2008 | No Comments »

Georgia’s coast is throbbing with thousands of feeding birds and butterflies and other unique coastal wildlife. Experience this drama together with outdoors enthusiasts expected at Georgia’s Colonial Coast Birding & Nature Festival held on Jekyll Island October 9-13, 2008. The sixth annual festival offers a variety of entertainment and educational activities including a keynote speech by Pete Dunne, internationally renowned birdwatcher and author of numerous birding guides. On Saturday, October 11, a Nature Day event is planned for youngsters and families. A variety of field trips and seminars will highlight coastal Georgia’s abundant natural beauty and wildlife. The Jekyll Island Convention Center will serve as the hub for festival activities, and field trip excursions will include many of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Colonial Coast Birding Trail sites.

“The Birding Trail provides excellent places for birding and cultural exploration,” said Jim Ozier, DNR’s Program Manager for the Wildlife Resources Division – Nongame conservation Section. “This festival will offer first time and repeat visitors to Georgia’s coast a myriad of opportunities to see amazing bird life and other natural resources.”

Throughout the weekend, festival-goers, young and old, will have the opportunity to enjoy free beginner birding field trips; beach and marsh walks; live reptile displays; and special presentations on topics such as animal tracking. For a small fee there are seminars will also be offered by some of the Southeast’s foremost naturalists and will include topics ranging from gardening for wildlife to basic nature photography.

Festival participants will be able to learn more about Georgia’s magnificent coastline at “The Rookery,” an interactive exhibit center located in the Jekyll Island Convention Center’s Atlantic Hall. Georgia’s coastal environment will be showcased at information stations hosted by authors, artists, and conservation-based organizations. Experts will be on hand to help with the selection of binoculars, scopes, high tech birding equipment, birdfeeders bird and bat houses as well as guidebooks for wildlife identification. On Saturday afternoon in The Rookery, master falconer Steve Hein will present two live raptor shows (noon and 5:00 P.M.) starring a collection of hawks, falcons, and owls from Georgia Southern University’s Center for Wildlife Education and Lamar Q. Ball Raptor Center. All Rookery activities are free and open to the public.

The festival’s keynote speaker, Pete Dunne, is expected to draw the largest crowds to his Saturday evening program (October 11; 6:45 – 9:00 P.M.) when he will recount “Twenty Five Things That Changed Birding.” He will reflect upon institutions, ideas, initiatives, and products that changed birding, making it one of the most popular wildlife-oriented activities in the country today. Pete Dunne is a field birder with an international reputation. He has served on the board of the American Birding Association and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, and is the director of the famed Cape May (New Jersey) Bird Observatory. An authority on the optical needs of birders, Dunne has served as a marketing and product advisor to Nikon, Zeiss, Leica, Swarovski Optik, and Bausch and Lomb. Among the books he has authored are The Wind Masters, Hawks in Flight, and The Essential Field Guide Companion. In addition, Dunne contributes to publications such as Birding, Bird Watcher’s Digest, Birder’s World, American Birds, and Living Bird. The Dunne keynote address will follow a dinner catered at the Jekyll Island Convention Center (tickets required).

This year’s registration was a huge success. Almost all the field trips filled up the first week. But don’t worry, there is a lot to see and do at the Jekyll Island Convention Center. Come see the Rookery exhibit area, opened Thursday evening 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm, Friday evening 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm and Saturday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. On Saturday morning there hourly bird walks beginning at 9:30 am and the last one begins at 1:30 pm.

For more complete information visit
the website www.coastalgeorgiabirding.org
or call 1-877-4JEKYLL.

Tags: "colonial coast", bird, birding, festival, jekyll, jekyll island convention center, nature, photography, trail, wildlife
Posted in Beachscape, October 2008 | No Comments »

The Jekyll Island Club Hotel and the Jekyll Island Authority have agreed to grant amnesty to anyone who presents items “borrowed” from the Jekyll Island Club or other buildings in the Historic Landmark District over the last 120 years.

“We welcome the return of memorabilia such as photographs and documents as well as light fixtures and furniture, uniforms and clothing,” says John Hunter, Museum Director with the Jekyll Island Authority. “Those who return the items do so on a ‘no questions asked’ basis, receive a tax deduction for their contributions, a Certificate of Amnesty, and an Escape Pass for Jekyll Island amenities for each submission.”

“Much can be learned by historians and museum curators from these artifacts,” says Jekyll Island Authority Museum Curator Gretchen Greminger. “While we have a sizeable collection of furnishings, photographs, and documents, new items help us to fit pieces of the puzzle together about the past.” The Jekyll Island Authority Museum has a staff will oversee the care and secure archival of items returned. Archives are managed through the Jekyll Island Museum and made available for use by researchers and historians.

Like many historic sites, the Jekyll Island Club National Historic Landmark District was virtually abandoned for a number of years. “After the Jekyll Island Club closed in 1942, the island was deserted and the buildings were easy to access. Even after the State of Georgia purchased Jekyll Island in 1947, there was little security and there are reports of people taking ‘souvenirs’ of their visit to the Island,” said Hunter. “Sometimes, items were given or sold.”

One ambitious souvenir attempt was even unsuccessful. In the early 1950s, ‘The Wishing Chair’ – a large, unique, ornately carved antique - was ‘removed’ from its location in the historic Club House.

“It was found the next morning on the Wharf” continued Hunter, “The ‘souvenir hunters’ had found the piece too heavy for their small boat.”

There were also items sold over the years as surplus. When the State purchased Jekyll in 1947, the contents of Crane Cottage were bought separately by an antiques dealer in Atlanta. These items then circulated for years in the Atlanta area, and included unusual items such as a pair of three-foot tall bronze statues of Buddha that at one time graced the gates of the Courtyard at Crane.General Manager Kevin Runner of the Jekyll Island Club Hotel envisions a display at some future time of the Amnesty pieces returned. “We would like the public, especially our local citizens, to see the story of Jekyll Island unfold by viewing these items from the everyday lives of original Club members and visitors.”

The stories about these items, their journeys, and the people who appreciated them and returned them are also important.
“We would like to gather these stories along with pictures of the items and combine them into a book for publishing if we have enough response,” says Sue Andersson who is the Jekyll Island Club Hotel’s historian.

For information about returning Amnesty items to their “home”, please contact the Jekyll Island Authority, c/o Gretchen Greminger, 100 James Road, Jekyll Island, GA 31527 or call 912-635-4403 during business hours. E-mail: ggreminger@jekyllisland.com or visit www.jekyllisland.com

Tags: crane cottage, historic landmark district, jekyll island authority, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, wishing chair
Posted in Beachscape, October 2008 | No Comments »

Adopt-a-Turtle Program
Now you can “adopt a turtle” and contribute to that turtle’s rehabilitation. When the turtle is released with a satellite tag, you will be able to track it and know you have helped it return home. You can also adopt a turtle that has already been release, helping to pay for the research.
With your donation of $50 or more, you can adopt one of our sea turtle patients! Adoptions make a great gift! Current Patients and Already Released Patients with satellite transmitters are eligible for adoption. Please allow 2-4 weeks for processing and delivery. Check the website for up to date information.

OPTION 1 - CURRENT PATIENTS
1. Official Certificate of Adoption
2. Letter from your turtle
3. 5 x 7 photo of your turtle
4. Name displayed on website adoption page
5. Bi-weekly Update and photo (via email-pdf) until turtle is released or turtle has expires
6. Notice of potential release date (when applicable/as available)
7. Final email with tracking link (when/if available) and photo from release

OPTION #2 = Successfully released turtles
with a satellite transmitter
1. Official Certificate of Adoption
2. Letter from your turtle
3. 5 x 7 picture of your turtle
4. Name displayed on website adoption page
5. Link to satellite tracking

Turtle Tales
Turtle Tales is offered on Saturdays at 10:30am and is FREE with general admission! There will be a different book and craft each month. And yes, you can purchase the books in our Gift Shop! Join us in October as we read another turtle-iffic tale!

Behind the Scenes Tour
Ever wonder what it feels like to be on the other side of the Treatment Window? You’re in luck! We offer Behind-the-Scenes Tours! Get a closer look at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center from the other side of the Treatment Window! Tours are Mondays and Fridays at 4 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.

New Volunteer Meetings
There are several opportunities to volunteer at the Center with the education program, husbandry area, and gift shop. We ask that volunteers commit to at least two shifts a month in order to optimize your experience at the Center. Training is provided for all volunteers so there is no need to be a sea turtle expert. If you want to be a GSTC volunteer attend an interest meeting. Meetings are held in conjunction with monthly focus classes at the Brunswick Library from 7-8pm.

Focus Classes
Focus Classes are held the 4th Monday of every month at 7pm. These FREE classes are held at the Brunswick Library, no reservations required. Join us each month for a new program. The next class will be on shorebirds on October 27.

2008 Interest Meeting/Focus Class Schedule
• October 27, 2008
• November 24, 2008
• December 15, 2008

Please call Sarah Mathias for more information at (912) 635-4076.

Upcoming October Events
A. Gopher Tortoise Council Meeting Oct 3-4
B. Coastfest-October 4
C. Turtleween-October 26 12pm-4pm

Tags: adopt, Georgia Sea Turtle Center, sea turtle, turtle, turtleween
Posted in Beachscape, October 2008 | No Comments »

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 »