Posts Tagged ‘ jekyll island lodging ’
Highly Anticipated 3rd Annual “Shrimp & Grits: The Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival” Kicks Off September 19
Friday, September 12th, 2008
Join the Jekyll Island Authority, the Georgia Shrimp Association, and the Georgia Tourism Foundation for the only event in the Southeast dedicated to celebrating two southern favorites – shrimp and grits!
Set amid Jekyll Island’s picturesque Jekyll Island Club National Landmark Historic District, “Shrimp & Grits: The Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival,” will kick off on Friday, Sept. 19, at 5:30 p.m. Festivities will continue throughout the weekend, beginning Saturday at 10:00 a.m. and Sunday at noon. All entertainment is free and open to the public.
The popular annual festival features delicious food, exciting shrimp & grits cooking competitions, great music, and a vendor area complete with arts, crafts, antiques, and collectables. “Uncle Bubba,” the brother of southern celebrity-chef Paula Deen, will even make a special guest appearance on Saturday from 10:00 AM-12:00 noon. And to add to the excitement, guests can participate in the 3rd Annual Wild Georgia Golf Tournament, take fun-filled shrimp boat excursions, and play in the “Family Fun Zone” created just for kids.
Wild Georgia Shrimp & Grits Cooking Competition:
The Wild Georgia Shrimp & Grits Cooking Competition events will offer mouth-watering tasting opportunities of more than a dozen shrimp & grits dishes prepared by amateur and professional chefs throughout the region. Guests can sign-up to be part of the esteemed “Consumer Choice Panel” to taste the dishes and select the winners of either the professional or amateur competition for a fee of $25.00 per person.
Christopher Hewitt of Savannah’s Olde Pink House will be back this year to defend his title as the “Best Professional Shrimp & Grits Chef.” He’ll face stiff competition from more than eight other professional chefs from Jekyll and surrounding areas. The competition for the 2008 professional title begins at noon on Sunday. The competition for the best amateur chef will take place on Saturday at 10:00 a.m.
During the festival visitors will also have the opportunity to purchase delicious shrimp & grits dishes from outstanding local restaurants and vendors, including the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, Latitude 31 Restaurant and Raw Bar, Zachary’s Seafood, and the Wild Georgia Shrimp Association. Prices for individual dishes will vary. A variety of other food and dishes will be also available throughout the festival.
Cooking Demonstrations:
Chef Steve Ingersoll, chef/instructor at the Coastal Georgia College in Kingsland, Ga., will host a cooking demonstration Saturday from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Chef Stephanie Donegan, the cooking star of “Raising Alabama,” will also demonstrate preparation of an outstanding shrimp & grits recipe from her newest southern soul food cookbook, Living a Life of Southern Soul. The demonstration begins at 3:00 on Sunday.
Live, Free Entertainment:
Throughout the weekend the Jekyll Island Club National Landmark Historic District will ring with the musical talents of many favorite local bands, including King City Jazz, Dirty Hairys, the Jeff Beasley Band, OSKAR Rockhammer, Spice of Life, and Straight No Chaser. Saturday evening, beginning at 7 p.m., guest can enjoy the live music of popular blues band, Statesboro Blues.
Special Appearance by “Uncle Bubba” – Brother to Celebrity Chef Paula Deen
No southern festival would be complete without someone named “Bubba,” and we’ve got the best! ”Uncle Bubba,” author of the popular Uncle Bubba’s Savannah Seafood Cookbook, will be on hand. Between 10 a.m. and noon on Saturday he’ll host a book signing. Visitors can bring a copy of the cook book so he can autograph it, or it can be purchased onsite.
Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House restaurant in Savannah, Ga., which he co-owns with his sister Paula Deen, features many delectable seafood creations ranging from chargrilled oysters to “Aunt Peggy’s” fried catfish platter. “Y’all know that my family and I have never been what you might call “fancy eaters,” said Bubba. “Growing up in southwest Georgia, we never had white tablecloths or silver candlesticks. We just wanted to eat good food, laugh a lot, and have a good time. When Paula and I opened the doors to Uncle Bubba’s, we had one mission in mind. That was to provide our guests with the finest quality meal available in a friendly, comfortable atmosphere.”
Disconnected K9 Frisbee Dog Show
On both Saturday and Sunday, be sure to “catch” the Disconnected K9 frisbee dog show at 10:00 AM, 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM. Trainer Lawrence Frederick started out playing in human Frisbee competitions until he discovered the disc dog world in 1991. Now, not only are Lawrence and his team of incredible dogs the most widely recognized Frisbee Dog Team in the world, but he made history by being the first human to compete with two dogs at the same time in the World Frisbee Dog Championships in 2003;
and then became the first human to compete with three dogs in the same year in the World Frisbee Dog Championships in 2006; and then again in 2007. All of their shows are family oriented; carry a message of fun, athleticism, canine bonding, and promote dog rescuing.
3rd Annual Shrimp & Grits Commemorative Poster Competition:
The commemorative poster and the official tee shirt for the 3rd Annual Shrimp & Grits Festival will display the beautiful artwork of Mrs. Ed Hose of Brunswick, GA.
The elaborate details, imagination, and brilliant colors of her art persuaded the judges to select her entry over scores of other excellent submissions. Posters and t-shirts will be on sale at the festival. Mrs. Hose’s winning artwork can be viewed by visiting www.jekyllisland.com.
3rd Annual Wild Georgia Golf tournament:
The 3rd Annual Wild Georgia Golf Tournament tees off Friday, Sept. 19, at 12:30 p.m. at Jekyll Island’s Oleander Golf Course. Each first-place winner will receive as a prize five pounds of fresh Wild Georgia Shrimp. Second and third-place winners will each receive three pounds of the prized local shrimp. Call 635-2368 to register. The fee is $65.00 per person.
Boating Excursions:
Throughout the festival weekend, guests will have the opportunity to experience several exciting boating excursions.
Captain Larry Credle’s “Lady Jane” shrimp boat offers an authentic shrimping experience. The two-hour voyages along the Marshes of Glynn were made famous by the poet Sidney Lanier. Guests will watch for dolphins, shorebirds, and minks.
They will also have the opportunity to observe the crew deploy the shrimp net and retrieve a bountiful catch of various sea life, including shrimp, crabs, fish, horseshoe crabs, man-o-rays, and much more.
Captain Credle started shrimping with his dad in his early teens. By the age of fourteen he was working with a fleet of five vessels, and in 1979 he became captain of his own shrimp boat. For nearly 30 years, he has given guests interesting, enjoyable, and educational shrimp excursions aboard the Lady Jane.
According to Credle, “The day’s catch is like Christmas, because you never know what’s in the net’s bag!” While guests aboard the Lady Jane relax, take pictures, and learn, the crew will prepare a fresh shrimp boil from the day’s catch. Nothing beats the taste of fresh-out-of-the-water, sweet, white Georgia shrimp!
To book an unforgettable experience on Lady Jane, call 912-265-5711 or e-mail Captain Credle at captain@shrimpcruise.com.
Guests can book off-shore fishing trips aboard a 44-foot “Ospo” fishing boat, or enjoy Shrimping-Dolphin tours throughout the weekend. The Shrimping-Dolphin tours are 90 minutes in length and offer a fun and ecological education. Passengers are taken through the coastal marshlands and rivers, and trawl nets and pulled along the bottom of the water by the boat. The tour crew discussed different topics on ecology and environmental issues that impact the coastal estuary, and when the trawl net is pulled up, a bounty of species are available for discussion by the crew. The crew also keeps an eye out for Dolphin friends that love to visit the boat.
For more information on Shrimping-Dolphin tours, contact 912-635-3512 or visit www.goldenislesfun.com. For more information on the off shore excursion, call 912-270-7474 or visit www.offshore-charters.com.
More Information:
For more information about Shrimp & Grits: The Wild Georgia Shrimp & Grits Festival, contact the Jekyll Island Welcome Center at 1-877-4-JEKYLL, or visit www.jekyllisland.com/shrimpandgrits.
Georgia Sea Turtle Center Selects Founding Visionary as New Director
Friday, September 12th, 2008Jekyll Island, Ga., September 10, 2008 – The Georgi
a Sea Turtle Center, located on historic Jekyll Island, Ga., has selected Dr. Terry M. Norton to be its new director. Dr. Norton, who assumed his new position effective September 5, has been integrally involved in planting and nurturing the idea for the center since 2001. He has been the director of veterinary services for the organization since it opened on June 16, 2007, and he will continue to serve in that capacity.
Dr. Norton comes with impressive credentials that include a Bachelor of Science degree from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Tufts University in Boston, and more than twenty years of experience working with zoos, aquaria, and free-ranging wildlife.
“Dr. Norton was an integral part of the early success of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center,” said Jones Hooks, Executive Director, Jekyll Island Authority. “He helped create the shared vision that began this great work, and now we’re thrilled that he will lead the Center into the future.”
The Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC) provides rehabilitation treatment for injured sea turtles and other wildlife; conducts research and professional training in wildlife medicine, husbandry, biology and education; and offers educational programs for the public.
Since the Georgia Sea Turtle Center opened, more than 110,000 visitors have toured the $3 million, 10,000-square-foot facility. A restored 1903 brick building that once supplied power to the famous Jekyll Island Club hotel houses an exhibit area, retail space, and state-of-the-art rooms dedicated to surgery, digital radiography (X-rays), and long-term treatment.
“It’s an interactive educational environment,” explained Dr. Norton. “Visitors to our center really get engaged. For example, our treatment room has a window so that visitors can actually watch us work on our patients, and we can discuss the particular animal’s life history, medical problem, and treatment or surgery. A walkway through the rehabilitation area allows them to see the turtles we are nursing back to health, with the goal of releasing them back into the sea. Our center is the first of its kind in Georgia, and as far as I know, it’s the only one in the country that comprehensively integrates rehabilitation, interactive education, professional training, and veterinary research.”
An Emphasis on Education and Research
The Georgia Sea Turtle Center’s rehabilitation work to protect and preserve sea turtles is just one important aspect of its mission. The center also conducts research and provides educational and awareness programs for the public.
In a twelve-month period approximately 5000 students from close to 100 different schools and scout groups visited the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. In addition, the center takes its educational programs into numerous schools. At the same time, GSTC is conducting groundbreaking research to develop diets and nutritional supplements to promote sea turtle health and healing. This research could benefit aquaria and rehabilitation institutions all over the world.
Leading the Way for Others
“Our vision extends beyond our immediate region,” said Dr. Norton. “We want our research, conservation, preservation, and educational activities to benefit organizations in other parts of the country and the world. We have already developed training programs for veterinarians and veterinary students from across the United States, the Caribbean, Panama, and other places.”
In the spring of 2009, GSTC plans to host an International Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Workshop in partnership with many other institutions, including Ross University in St. Kitts; the Georgia Department of Natural Resources; St. Catherine’s Island Foundation; the Jekyll Island Authority and Foundation; the University of Florida and the University of Georgia Colleges of Veterinary Medicine; the Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet, Florida; the Marine Life Center in Melbourne, Florida; the Turtle Hospital in Marathon Key, Florida; and possibly others.
“My long-term vision is to expand the scope of our mission,” said Dr. Norton. “In the future we’d like to develop health-related programs for a wider variety of native wildlife and promote ecosystem health locally and internationally, while at the same time increasing our efforts on behalf of turtles.”
Additional Information
For more information about the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, visit www.GeorgiaSeaTurtleCenter.org. Visitors to the GSTC website can use satellite tracking to follow the travels of six turtles that have been rehabilitated and released.
Dylan, who is perhaps the most famous of the six, made a personal appearance on Good Morning America and has her own video on YouTube!
