Jekyll Island, located off the coast of Georgia near Brunswick and approximately 60 miles north of Jacksonville, Florida reports today that NO SERIOUS DAMAGE was sustained. Rain and wind caused some debris, and maintenance crews are finishing clean-up and minor repair efforts. ALL PUBLIC AMENITIES ARE OPEN, and access to the island is open and clear. The Sidney Lanier Bridge, which connects Hwy. 17 from Brunswick opened Saturday after being closed briefly due to high winds last week.

The Jekyll Island Golf facility was open Sunday, with the Pine Lakes course open for play. Indian Mound course will open Tuesday, and Oleander will open Saturday 8/30.

Summer Waves Water Park on Jekyll Island was open Sunday, and will operate its normal schedule of weekends and holidays now through September.

No damage was sustained to the any historic structures in the Jekyll Island Historic District, and the Museum is open and operating a normal tour schedule.

All beaches are open and accessible. All hotels and rental cottages are open.

Debris removal is in high gear and preparations are underway for the upcoming Labor Day Weekend. Guests will be able to enjoy the beautiful beach and island amenities during this traditional beach holiday weekend. Some hotel rooms are still available, check the website at www.jekyllisland.com.

Tags: georgia beaches, georgia coast, jekyll island vacation, Summer Waves Water Park, tropical storm fay, water parks
Posted in In the News, Press Releases | No Comments »

Reprinted from the Savannah Morning News

Every fall, millions of birds from hundreds of species fly through Coastal Georgia.

They’re winging it, but you don’t have to if you want to get a closer look at them and other local wildlife.

Inexpensive, expert-led trips are available during Georgia’s Colonial Coast Birding & Nature Festival. Registration for the October festival begins Saturday. The popular trips fill up fast, said Skidaway Island birder and festival organizer Beth Roth.

The festival, now in its sixth year, drew about 300 people last year. Some traveled from as far as England and Canada to attend.

They and festival director Lydia Thompson, of St. Simons Island, know something about the Georgia coast that many locals may not: It’s bursting with birds, especially during the fall migration.

Thompson, who calls herself a “bird gypsy” because her travels and birding go hand in hand, once spent 18 months just traveling and bird watching.

“I discovered the Georgia coast is a great place for birds, but nobody knows it,” she said.

Registration for the festival begins next week and ends Sept. 22. Events include lectures, a free family nature day at the Jekyll Island Convention Center and 53 field trips, many of them to places that are ordinarily inaccessible.

For example, you can see the Satilla River through the eyes of the Satilla Riverkeeper, Gordon Rogers, or explore the bird life of the Altamaha delta with expert ornithologist Brad Winn, of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Don’t let the stereotype of nerdy birders put you off attending a festival, said Bill Thompson, who’s no relation to Lydia but who is editor of Bird Watching Digest, a 30-year-old national publication.

“People are surprised when they come to a birding event,” he said. “There are people with piercings and tattoos. We’re not all doddering professors in tennis shoes or Miss Hathaway from ‘The Beverly Hillbillies.’ “

While it was the travel that hooked Thompson on birding, she still marvels at what she sees close to home. Like the shorebird called the red knot, an amazing long-distance flyer.

“The red knot weighs about a couple ounces,” she said. “He has already flown to the Arctic and is headed toward the Antarctic. If you think about it, they live in eternal spring. You do see a wide part of the world when you start to bird, and you start to appreciate how it’s all tied together.”

Colonial Coast Birding & Nature Festival

Festival dates are Oct. 9-13, but registration starts Saturday. Trip prices range from free to up to $85 for paddle or motor boat trips that include lunch.

The best field trips go fast. This year, they include trips to outstanding natural areas such as Little St. Simons Island, the Altamaha Waterfowl Management Area, St. Catherine’s Island and four National Wildlife Refuges: Blackbeard Island, Harris Neck, Okefenokee and Wassaw.

To register for festival field trips and seminars, or for more detailed information, go to the festival Web site at www. coastalgeorgiabirding.org or call 1-877-4JEKYLL.

Tags: georgia coast, georgia's colonial coast birding and nature festival, jekyll island beach vacation, jekyll island birding, jekyll island birding festival
Posted in Bird Watching, Diversions, In the News | No Comments »

Watch the Weather Channel’s coverage of Tropical Storm on Jekyll Island. This cute couple says they will get married, “come hell, high water, or hurricane!”

Tags: georgia coast, jekyll island, jekyll island wedding, jekyll island weddings, tropical storm fay
Posted in Diversions, In the News | 1 Comment »

From the desk of C. Jones Hooks

Executive Director

Jekyll Island - State Park Authority

ADVISORY

Executive Director Jones Hooks and key management of the Jekyll Island Authority will be hosting a “Town Hall Meeting” to open up dialogue with residents, business owners and interested parties to discuss operational issues and opportunities on Jekyll Island.

Jekyll Island Town Hall Meeting

Thursday, August 28, 2008 @ 4:30pm-6:00pm

Upstairs at Morgan’s Grill, Jekyll Island Golf Course

Jekyll Island Town Hall Meetings will become a regular forum of informal dialogue, conducted every month or as determined by public input. There is no agenda in this Town Hall Meeting format, and attendees are welcome to drop in at any time during the 1 ¹/2 hour gathering and join the discussion.

“We never want to lose focus on who our customers are, and we look forward to listening and providing answers and information,” said Hooks. “We are privileged to be stewards of this great public asset, and it is our goal to seek continuous improvement together.”

——————————————————————————————————————————–

Contact: Shanna Brain, Executive Assistant

sbrain@jekyllisland.com

Jekyll Island Authority

(912) 635-4075

Tags: , georgia coast, jekyll island authority, jekyll island beach, jekyll island revitalization
Posted in Press Releases | No Comments »

Read the August 2008 Coastal Illustrated article on Jekyll Island, “Jekyll Island: From playground of the rich, to park of the people.“

Tags: georgia coast, jekyll island, jekyll island history, jekyll island vacation, morgan, pulitzer, rockefeller, the golden isles
Posted in Diversions, History comes Alive, In the News | No Comments »

Jekyll Island, Ga (August 11, 2008)—Today the Jekyll Island Authority Board welcomes their newly appointed Board Chairman, Mr. Robert “Bob” W. Krueger of Hawkinsville, GA.

Mr. Krueger comments, “I am proud to serve Georgia and Governor Perdue as Chairman of the Jekyll Island Authority. I appreciate the hard work of our previous chairman Ben Porter, who within one short year was able to get our revitalization efforts underway. Ben has been remarkably effective, and I look forward to continuing that momentum as we pursue the right balance of conservation and redevelopment so that Jekyll Island offers something for every Georgian, in a way that all Georgians can be proud.”

Mr. Krueger succeeds Mr. Ben G. Porter who was appointed to the JIA Board in August of 2006 and served as Board Chairman from September 2007 to present. Mr. Porter stated, “It has been a privilege for me to serve my term as Chairman of a Board with so many fine and dedicated folks, and I appreciate their support. I can not think of a better person than Bob Krueger to hand the gavel to. I look forward to continuing to serve as a Jekyll Island Board member, but I’m most looking forward to having a little more time free time to catch up on some fishing!”

Like sentiments are shared by the Jekyll Island Authority’s newly appointed Executive Director, Jones Hooks. “The Jekyll Island Authority Board provides the vital policy-setting function, and we appreciate all members who are volunteer appointments by the Governor. Ben Porter’s dedication and commitment to making Jekyll Island the most environmentally-friendly destination on the east coast, and a place for all Georgians needs to be recognized. I look forward to continuing to work with Ben, and appreciate Bob Krueger for accepting the Board’s leadership role”, says Hooks.

Tags: bob krueger, jekyll island authority board of directors, jekyll island vacation, Robert "Bob" W. Krueger
Posted in In the News, Press Releases | No Comments »

Reprinted by The Brunswick News Mon, Aug 11, 2008

By ANNA FERGUSON

With a few weeks left in the season, employees at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island are crossing their fingers in hopes of having a record year for loggerhead sea turtle nesting.

As of Friday, 165 loggerhead nests had been spotted along the Jekyll coastline. The record high for nests counted on the beach of the state park is 204, established in 2003.

“Things are going good,” said Stefanie Ouellette, education coordinator for the center.

Across the state, turtle counts have been equally positive. Turtle nests have reached a record high, with an estimated 1,544 nests on Georgia’s coastline.

Florida, too, has good news to report on the turtle front, noting a record high in nests counts since 2003, Ouellette said.

Loggerheads, an endangered species, typically have a nesting season that runs from June through August, with hatching season ending in October. Nesting counts had held steady in high numbers throughout the summer but began to slow toward the start of August, making this week’s count a welcome change, Ouellette said.

A number of explanations have been tossed about to account for the high number of nests, though no one reason can be pinned down, Ouellette said.

Last year’s nesting season was a record low for Jekyll, leading researchers to believe that this year’s high is part of the reptiles natural seasonal variations. The flux in counts could also be paying off from the ongoing efforts from the scientific community to increase awareness about nest protection and turtle preservation, Ouellette said.

“There is no one particular reason,” she said. “It could be any number of things.”

Whatever the reason, the 2008 nesting season is proving to be a great year, she said.

The turtle center is now switching its public awareness efforts from nests to hatchlings.

Turtle hatching season goes through the fall and is a season that is even more sensitive for turtles than nesting. Each nests holds an average of 100 to 120 eggs, with hatch rates posed between 80 and 100 percent for unmoved nests.

The baby turtles must make it from their nests to the ocean to survive, a move that is made doubly hard by harsh human lights.

“Now is the time to be even more careful about lights and keeping lights away from the beach,” Ouellette said.

To help ensure a safe route from the sand to the water for newly hatched turtles, Ouellete reminds beachgoers to point headlights away from dunes and to take precautions with flashlights by avoiding light use near the beach and adjacent sidewalks.

Tags: Georgia Sea Turtle Center, sea turtle, sea turtle hatching season, sea turtle nests
Posted in Diversions, In the News, Nature Connection | No Comments »

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Tags: beach vacation, georgia beaches, georgia coast vacation, oceanside inn and suites jekyll island georgia
Posted in Beach Bummin', Diversions, In the News | No Comments »

The 2008 Beach Music Festival is collaborating with the Golden Isles Shag Club to present you with the biggest shag contest to hit South Georgia in years. Grab your partner and show off your best moves for tons of prizes and fun.

The Shag kick-off party will be held Friday, August 15th, beginning at 8 pm, in the Jekyll Island Convention Center, Atlantic Hall. Entry fees are $20 per couple. Cash prizes will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners.

Following the contest, guests can relax to the upbeat tempo of the Swingin’ Medallions. Advanced tickets are on sale for $12 and $14.95 (plus tax) at the door. Doors open at 7:30pm.

Don’t miss out on all of the fun in the sun at the FREE beach concert Saturday from 10:00am to 6:00pm. The 25^th annual Beach Music festival is sponsored by Jekyll Island Authority, Georgia Tourism, Coca Cola, Bacardi, Corona, and Comcast.
For more information visit www.jekyllisland.com/beachmusicfestival or contact the Jekyll Island Welcome Center at 1-877-4-JEKYLL.

Tags: 2008 jekyll island beach music festival, georgia coast, golden isles shag club, jekyll island, shag contest
Posted in Beach Bummin', Festivalgoer, In the News, Press Releases | No Comments »

Jekyll Island and the Golden Isles Shag Club is bringing the biggest and best beach concert in years to the Golden Isles. Why is it best concert in years? Well for starters, it is FREE! That’s right; we are going back to our roots in presenting the 25^th edition of the Beach Music Festival for no admission! Join thousands of your closest friends for an exciting concert on the beach featuring the musical sounds of the Rickey Godfrey Band, Second Chance, and the Swingin’ Medallions.

The entertainment will kick off at 12:00pm with the musical stylings of The Rickey Godfrey Band. This band’s unique combination of musical influences and professional talent will have the waves crashing. An energetic, talented, and entertaining group, they have been touring throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe since the 1970’s and are now looking forward to playing at this years Beach Music Festival, right here on the Golden Isles.

Back by popular demand is Second Chance! They opened for the 2007 Beach Music Festival, and they are returning again to do what they love best sing! At 2:30pm they will gift beachgoers with the smooth sounds of songs like “I Love Beach Music” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”! This is truly a talented group that has everything ranging from vocals to saxophone to bass guitar. Don’t miss out on Second Chance.

This year’s Beach Music Festival on Jekyll Island just keeps getting better, as we rock and roll with the Swingin Medallions at 4:30pm. Drawing inspiration from early R&B, the band has been described to have a beach music, frat rock, shag sound that keeps the crowds moving.

Bring your family to the beach Saturday, August 16th, to enjoy this free, live music event and you will be sure to have memories for a lifetime. For more information visit www.jekyllisland.com/beachmusicfestival or contact the Jekyll Island Welcome Center at 1-877-4-JEKYLL.

The 25^th annual Beach Music festival is sponsored by Jekyll Island Authority, Georgia Tourism, Coca Cola, Bacardi, Corona, and Comcast.

Tags: 2008 jekyll island beach music festival, rickey godgrey band, second chance, shag, swingin medallions
Posted in Beach Bummin', Festivalgoer, In the News, Press Releases | No Comments »