December 13, 2008Right out of the annals of Victorian literature and into the Grand Dining Room of the Jekyll Island Club Hotel comes Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol December 13th. This musical dinner theatre version is “the best of times.” A gourmet dinner Dickens himself would have approved, the musical performance by a lively acting company from Atlanta, and the Grand Dining Room itself join forces for an evening of delightful merrymaking.Decorated in all its Christmas finery with the fragrance of live greenery in the air, the Hotel is never lovelier than during the holiday season. With its Victorian ambience, the dining room seems the perfect place for a tribute to Charles Dickens.Guests gather in the Boar’s Head Lobby between 7:00 and 7:15 p.m. to meet each other and, just before seating at 7:30, drink a toast to “Christmas Present.” It’s a time of anticipation of the musical dinner theatre experience that lies ahead. Scrooge and Bob Cratchit, Fezziwig, Fan and other characters from the production may also pay a visit, sing some spirited carols, and “set the stage” with lively commentary.A Holiday FeastOnce everyone is seated, the feast begins with an appetizer of Smoked Quail Stuffed with Apricots and Roasted Chestnuts and then Shellfish Consommé with Poached Shrimp. The next course is Bibb and Red Oak Leaf Lettuce with Herb Brie Lemon-Parsley Creamy Vinaigrette. The evening’s entrée is Horseradish Crusted Petite Filet Mignon with Dijon Crème Glace, Young Vegetables and Herb Roasted Potatoes. The perfect ending to the feast is Caramel-Orange Rice Pudding with Chocolate and Spice Petite Cakes. A vegetarian menu preference may be requested at the time the Dickens Feast reservation is made.The Story UnfoldsBetween the courses the story unfolds. The troupe of actors, which has performed here in the past several times to sell-out audiences, engages the audience in the performance. Early in the evening they surreptitiously assign “parts” to guests who’ve agreed to it ahead of time. The entire dining room is their “stage.” It’s an evening of delight in one of the most treasured yuletide stories in the English language.Business attire or evening wear is appropriate. The cost of the event is $100.00 inclusive. For reservations, please call the Hotel at 912-635-2600. For more information visit this website: www.jekyllclub.com.The Jekyll Island Club Hotel is located at 371 Riverview Drive, Jekyll Island, GA 31527.

Tags: A Christmas Carol, Dickens, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, Scrooge
Posted in Beachscape, November/December 2008 | No Comments »

Master storyteller Milbre Burch of Columbia, Missouri, performs a concert of her finest stories for this event that begins at 7:30 p.m: “A Haunting Good Night - Scary Stories for Adults.” This is a rare opportunity to hear one of the nation’s most distinguished tellers.

An internationally known storyteller, award-winning recording artist, published poet and writer, and respected teacher of her craft, Burch is a storyteller in every sense of the word. She was nominated for a Grammy Award in February in the category, “Spoken Word for Children.”

Ms. Burch has appeared at the National Storytelling Festival numerous times and received a “Storytelling Oscar,” the Circle of Excellence Award, from the National Storytelling Network in 1999.  In addition she has been featured at spoken word and theatre festivals across the nation and in twelve European cities.

Ms. Burch has performed with the Lincoln Center Institute in New York, the Music Center on Tour, the Performing Tree and the University of Phoenix in California.  In addition she has been a teaching artist for the National Conversations Project of the National Endowment for the Humanities.  Her work in designing and implementing a now-ten-year-old storytelling residency at the Walden School in Pasadena, California, has been lauded as a national model at education conferences across the country.

Following her performance at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel is a dessert reception where the audience may meet the artist.

October 31st, 7:30 p.m., The Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Tags: events, jekyll island, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, milbre burch
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Brad Richter’s guitar concert at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel promises to be an exciting, memorable concert experience and a first for audiences in this part of the country. Recognized as one of the leading guitarists and guitar composers of the 21st Century, he has brought new life to the guitar repertoire with a freshness and unaffectedness that transcend preconceived genres.

Throughout North America and Europe, Brad has performed as a soloist, with renowned chamber ensembles and in duos with artists such as Grammy winning cellist, David Finckel of the Emerson String Quartet. His performances and compositions are frequently heard on NPR and PBS stations around the United States, and he has also written and performed the score for the Emmy award winning PBS television series, The Desert Speaks. He as appeared at the Guitar Festival of Great Britain, the London International Guitar Festival, and the Aspen Music Festival among others. He currently teaches at the University of Arizona. The rugged beauty of the American Southwest continues to be a source of inspiration for much of his music.

October 28, 8 p.m.

Tags: jekyll island, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, Jekyll Island Events
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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 »

Local restaurants celebrate the most craved seafood in the south- Wild Georgia Shrimp. Golden Isles restaurants are taking part in September’s Wild Georgia Shrimp Month by offering special shrimp dishes featuring only Wild Georgia Shrimp. No matter what your taste buds crave, fried, grilled, or sautéed, they have it all.

Visit one or all of these local restaurants to enjoy the delightful tastes of shrimp cooked to perfection. Participants include:

Blackwater Grill
New Orleans BBQ Shrimp appetizer
260 Redfern Village, St. Simons Island
912-634-6333

The Grand Dining Room at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel
Speciality Jekyll Shrimp and Grits dish
371 Riverview Drive, Jekyll Island
912-635-2600

Seajay’s Waterfront Café and Pub
Seajay’s Shrimp Salad Croissant
1 Harbor Road, Jekyll Island
912-635-3200

Blackbeard’s Seafood Restaurant
One-of-a kind Shrimp and Grits dish
200 N Beachview Drive, Jekyll Island
912-635-3522

Latitude 31/ Rah Bar
Array of dishes including romano crusted shrimp appetizer, desert fire fettuccine, surf n surf, children’s fried shrimp, peel n eat shrimp, jumbo Georgia White Shrimp, and low country boil.
1 Pier Road, Jekyll Island, GA 31527
912-635-3800

Time Out Sport Grill
Shrimp Carbonara; sauteed jumbo shrimp tossed with tomato, bacon, peas, mushroom and a cream sauce served over fettuccine.
975 N Beachview Dr, Jekyll Island
912-635-2531

Saydee’s Restaurant
Resort-chic restaurant offers a wide variety of seafood entrees. The many shrimp dishes capture the essence of coastal cuisine and more.
1175 N Beachview Dr, Jekyll Island
912-635-3588

This is an event you do not want to miss. The Shrimp and Grits festival will be September 19-21. For more information visit www.jekyllisland.com or contact the Jekyll Island Welcome Center at 1-877-4-JEKYLL.

Tags: blackbeards, blackwater grill, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, jekyll island festivals, jekyll island resturants, latitude 31, rah bar, saydess resturant, shrimp & grits: wild georgia shrimp festival, shrimp and grits festival, time out sport girll, wild georgia shrimp month
Posted in Beachscape, September 2008 | No Comments »

The popular family travel website, wejustgotback.com, recently featured a new tip sheet on Jekyll Island and the historic Jekyll Island Club Hotel! Correspondent Nadine Burke, her husband, and three young children stay at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel and described it as “relaxing, comfortable and somewhat luxurious, but not pretentious.”

The Burkes loved that Jekyll Island offers tradition resort activities like tennis and golf, but at wallet-pleasing prices. They were also delighted with the children-friendly amenities like Summer Waves Water Park, bike rentals and trails, and the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Thanks to Nadine, Tom, Tommy, Sophia, and Isabel, and to We Just Got Back for giving Jekyll Island an A rating!

Read all about the Nadines’ trip!

Tags: biking, family vacation, Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Jekyll Island amenities, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, jekyll island georgia, nature trails, Summer Waves Water Park, trip planning
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They were married at noon November 17, 2007, on the Riverfront Lawn of the Jekyll Club Hotel.  It was beautiful in every way! In 2009, three generations of the Gardner family from Locust Grove, GA will have been vacationing on Jekyll for 50 years. From Chipper and Norma Gardner, Griffin, GA

Tags: , jekyll island, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, jekyll island wedding, nicole and al gardner married jekyll island
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I hope all of you had a chance to enjoy Shrimp & Grits: The Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival this past weekend. If you did not, you missed out on some great food, great fun and, for me, a great team in action. I can’t say enough about our team, and about our event leader Beth Burnsed.

We also have a great partner is this event, the Georgia Shrimp Association. With GSA’s help, we were able to secure our celebrity chef Uncle Bubba. Bubba was a big hit, selling out autograph books in less that two hours.

And our other partners - Georgia Tourism, Coca-Cola, Michelob/Budweiser, Jim Dandy, Brunswick Toyota, AT&T, Golden Isles Nissan, Ameris Bank, Stratton Hall, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, Latitude 31/Rah Bar - made an event of this size possible.

We also appreciate the work of Monkey Love Media and GCI Group for getting the word out, we had some great event coverage.

Our visitation numbers put the crowd for the weekend event at 11,800. We’ll be getting a full report together soon - and begin work on next year’s festival!

Tags: Ameris Bank, AT&T, Brunswick Toyota, Coca-Cola, Georgia Shrimp Association, Georgia Tourism, Golden Isles Nissan, Jekyll Island Club Hotel, Jim Dandy, Latitude 31/Rah Bar, Michelob/Budweiser, Shrimp & Grits Festival, sponsors, Stratton Hall, Uncle Bubba, Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival
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