The good life apparently is the green life as a weekly open-air market in Neptune Beach continues to grow in popularity.
The Beaches Green Market has been held since May at Jarboe Park (301 Florida Boulevard, Neptune Beach, Florida) at the corner of Florida Boulevard and Third Street in Neptune Beach. It is open every Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m.
The open-air market operates year round and features fresh and organic fruits and vegetables from area farmers. The market also sells homemade baked goods, food, flowers, plants and crafts from local business owners. The emphasis is on items made with recycled materials or green products.
The Beaches-area market has been held in various locations since 2001, including the Town Center in Neptune Beach, the Kmart parking lot in Neptune Beach and in front of Twisted Sisters Restaurant in Jacksonville Beach. The move to Jarboe Park earlier this year has attracted more vendors and more customers.
The Beaches Green Market is a project of the nonprofit Beaches Local Food Network. Members of the organization have also created an organic community garden at Jarboe Park.
Currently under development, the community garden operates with a volunteer staff and is designed to educate people about the environment and how to live green. The garden will open in October to Beaches area residents interested in renting a plot and growing organic vegetables in the garden.

Local architecture and design firm Basham and Lucas Design Group recently announced that plans are underway for a transit-oriented development (TOD) in San Marco. A TOD is defined as a mixed-use community within walking distance of a transit stop that mixes residential, retail, office, open space and public uses in a way that makes it convenient to travel on foot or by public transportation instead of by car. This TOD in particular, Jackson Square, is located along Philips Highway just south of I-95 and is intended to bring “vibrant new life to this area of Jacksonville.” The development is owned by Cypress Real Estate Advisors and is managed locally by FirstStar Development.

Here are some details:

• Over 18 acres
• Largest re-development project on the boards in San Marco
• Features a “Main Street” with public spaces, tree-lined walkways, benches and courtyards
• Up to 900 multi-family residential units (WOW!)
• Approximately 150,000 square feet of retail space
• Approximately 200,000 square feet of office space
• Marketed to young professionals and empty nesters
• Designed to reflect San Marco’s architectural style

I’m excited to see the final designs once they’re announced - you can be sure we will be writing about this project again in the future.

Check out two recent articles in the Florida Times-Union about the project:

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/080108/bus_312154535.shtml

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/080708/reh_315501127.shtml

It’s that time again! One of Jacksonville’s most celebrated fundraising events - Moonlight Martinis - is right around the corner. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation announced the Oct. 18 date earlier this month and most recently it announced this year’s Moonlight Martinis committee. Member of this year’s committee are names you know - Will and Susan Pitts, Bill and Pat Marks, Doug and Shuri Speed, Ron and Marilee Buckley, Susan Froman, Susan Johnson, Kerri Henderson, Angie Calvert, Elizabeth Green, Donny Lamey, Dana McIntyre and Cathy Abbott. Chairpersons for the event are Greg and JoAnne Georgallis of Gregory’s Jewelers and Roger Postlethwaite and Maxine McBride will serve as executive advisors.

The committee and chairpersons help secure sponsors and plan the event, which an eclectic gathering with intimate cocktail party appeal to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Headlining the event this year is country music artist Tammy Cochran, whose Top 10 single, “Angels in Waiting,” won national acclaim. The song is a tribute to her two brothers, Shawn and Alan, who both died from cystic fibrosis at a young age. The fundraising event will also feature signature martinis, fabulous gourmet hors d’oeuvres and auctions.

For more information, visit http://www.cff.org/Chapters/nfl/index.cfm?id=9079.

We continue to make our way through our list of 12 Things We Love About Jacksonville with our 9th reason, The People! Jackie A. was able to get something together for us and let us know what she loves.

Jacksonville has nice beaches, the river, parks but the people are why I love the city. I’ve traveled around the world and can honestly say the people that make up Jacksonville are really great! We have such an interesting mix of people that have come to call Jacksonville “home” - the city has become somewhat of a “melting pot”. I believe that “mix” is what makes Jacksonville so unique and a place where people come and want to stay.

Thank you Jackie A. for your thoughts on our city.

The weather has cleared up and it looks like a great weekend is going to grace us with its’ presence. What do we have lined up you might be wondering?

Well let us kick it off with a bit of Bruce Springsteen and E Street Band playing on Friday night 7:30 pm at the Veterans Memorial Arena. That’s right, tonight is the night that Springsteen is going to tear up the stage with almost 3 hours of rock and roll. It has been said that Bruce does something special for his fans if he hasn’t played that venue in awhile. Well sir it has been awhile and we are ready for a surprise!

Now that you had a great night listening to rock what will there be to do on Saturday? We are going to keep up with our undefeated season and support our Jaguars! That’s what we are going to do. Saturday at 7:30pm the Jaguars vs the Dolphins in a rip roarin’ preseason game. We had a good last season, but lets make it a great season with another win!

Whatever you decide to do this weekend. Make it fun and keep it safe!

Recently we met with Leila Duncan from The Chamber of Commerce to talk about what opportunities The Chamber brings and how their organization works. I personally didn’t have a full understanding of The Chamber, but that’s all taken of and now we want to help spread the knowledge.

The Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce is one the nations largest locals chambers. It consists of over 4,500 members. Out of these members there are 42 Board of Directors and 86 Board of Governors. All board members are volunteers made up of prominent leaders in the local business environment. The board work with The Chamber to help implement programs and services.

The Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce is responsible for creating the drive towards some of the greatest business ventures this city has seen. In 1991 the creation of the Cornerstone Regional Development Partnership allowed the creation of over 64,000 new jobs and $3.3 billion in capital investment. They were also a major part of “NFL Now” initiative in 1993 to help bring the Jacksonville Jaguars, they founded the Women’s Business Center, and most recently are a major reason for Deutsche Bank coming to town.

A beach access community and a cultural center is what Claire, one of our contributors, loves about her town.

Jacksonville attracts diverse cultural opportunities from dance performances to foreign film festivals. The beach provides a respite from the busy city & lures tourists, thus helping Jacksonville’s economy. The Atlantic Ocean soothes and refreshes. It is awe-inspiring to stare out at the water and wonder about others’ lives across the sea.. The ocean is ever changing and ever fascinating.

What’sUpJacksonville is an avid supporter of both the beaches and culture. Please feel free to comment on our posts or email us questions at info@clockworkmarketing.com and concerns about events happening in on the first coast please let us know.

Who knew a trolley could make life so jolly? The Beaches Trolley is rapidly becoming the most popular kid in town for patrons in Jacksonville, Neptune and Atlantic Beaches. In my social circle, the trolley has become a center point of entertainment and glee. Each weekend like clockwork, a financial advisor, marketing director, therapist, account executive and others replace their adult professions with youthful excitement as the time to board the trolley approaches. We walk the short distance to the trolley stop and wait in anticipation for the distinct headlights to approach. Upon boarding, we are greeted with a cheer from other passengers that can only be met with a smile and high-five. Geared towards shoppers, penny pinchers, diners and nightlife patrons the service is part of a 10-week pilot in an effort to alleviate parking and traffic issues for residents and visitors. The Jacksonville Transportation Authority has scheduled the free, weekend trolley service to run through the summer, from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday nights, from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays. Kudos to JTA!

In addition to being the largest city in the continental U.S., Jacksonville is also home to the largest park system in the country. According to the City of Jacksonville’s website, Jacksonville ranks No. 1 among U.S. cities in gross acreage for parks with 57, 373 acres. There are more than 300 parks throughout Jacksonville and you can see one at nearly every turn in the city. There are parks to explore, like Hanna Park or Guana River State Park. There are parks where boaters and kayakers can launch for the day, like Big Talbot Island State Park and Metro Park downtown. And then there are the parks where you are simply free to play – everything from tennis to football and soccer to swimming.

My favorite parks are the ones I can walk to, which include the numerous parks in Riverside and Avondale. I love to play tennis at Boone Park, throw a Frisbee at Memorial Park or take a nice walk through Cherry Street Park by the Willowbranch Library. And I am not the only one. On Sunday afternoons, you’ll find a large group of local residents enjoying a free yoga class at Memorial Park or a group of kids playing basketball at Cherry Street Park or dozens of tennis players enjoying the 16 courts at Boone Park.

I have lived in Jacksonville for a short four years and still discover new places in the city everyday. I encourage you to experience all Jacksonville has to offer and visit a new park this weekend. For a complete list of Jacksonville parks, visit http://apps2.coj.net/parksinternet/

Last night was another successful ArtWalk. Even in the August heat, crowds of people hit downtown’s pavement and traveled up and down the different blocks to check out their favorite artist’s work. The biggest hit of the evening was the old library. The theme this month was Mystical Creatures, which featured fairies and such on the second floor and a great monster show down in the basement. UrbanJacksonville.info posted a preview video of the show. The library also was the spot for free saki, wine and beer tasting throughout the evening.
Another hot spot was hosted by MOCA. This is always a great place to go and check out what’s happening in the park. Last night crowds were large, but full of good people out to enjoy themselves.