Urban Jacksonville

Springfield is home to Jacksonville’s Barack Obama Campaign headquarters. Woot! They are having a grand opening party Thursday night. Sounds like a good time. Unless you don’t use the Internet like John McCain. Here is a link to the event detail page (Facebook account required)

We’re opening our office! We’re on the third floor of the Klutho Building (1830 N Main St) in Springfield, at the northwest corner of 8th and Main, next to the church. Come on down!

Barack Obama Campaign for Change Headquarters
Thursday, July 31, 2008
5:00pm - 7:00pm
1830 N Main St
Jacksonville, FL (Map)

Tags: barack obama

Pretty cool new street artist seen in Springfield and Five Points.

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Tags: damon narret

Sight/Sound: Posters from Dog & Pony Showprints
August 1, 2008 from 5PM-8PM.
Quite a few art shows coming up in the next few weeks. The show above is an absolute not miss just because the artists are such talented designers.

The Art Institute of Jacksonville. The Open Reception is on Friday August 1st from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The AI Location is 8775 Baypine Road. If your heading west on Baymeadows, Turn Right at the second light after you go under I-95, then turn right at next first light, then follow around to parking garage.

Sight /Sound is the first exhibition organized by the school’s very own, student-based curatorial collective known as The Gallery Group. There is some good poster makin comin outta this city. About Dog and Pony Showprints. Buy some posters!

Clear out your Studio at Flux Gallery
July 26th-27th (Saturday and Sunday) Five Points Sidewalk Sales and First Coast Pride Festival and Parade

Flux will take everything off the walls for those two days so that we can fill the place with all kinds of original art by locals. The thing is that whatever you bring in has to be under $100. Clean out your studio, break out some old drawings…whatever. Our commission rate will be 20% and we will be here to man the shop, wrap stuff up, and for credit card processing…ect. I think this will be a great a time and if anything, a good way to get some beer money. We will be hanging work on Sat, July 26th from 9-10am and taking it down on Sun, July 27th at 5pm. Let Brian Gray know if you want to participate

Icons: Interpretations in Comic and Gaming Pop Culture
August 2nd with a reception from 7pm-9pm
Any game or comic character in your own style. The show is open to any style or medium. Submissions due the last weekend of July.

The Second Anual MONSTER SHOW

Photo Credit: gojeffrey

August 6th 2008-@ The Basement of the Haydon Burns Library Downton Jax- 1222 North Ocean St
Must be some type of monster art work. Any size, any medium, any skill level. Open to everyone. All ya gotta do is create a monster DEADLINE FOR SUMISSION: Saturday 07/26

Celebrating Andy Warhol @ The Pearl
August 6th 2008- The Pearl night club located in Springfield
Criteria- Work can be any medium that celebrates the work of Andy Warhol.
Sumissions are being accepted through The Pearls myspace page at http://myspace.com/thepearlofspringfield. Just send them a message to let them know your interested in participating.

African Woodcuts at The Karpelles in Springfield
August 1st 6-9pm
Memories that will last a lifetime. New Years at Acre in Nigeria West Africa. Woodcuts by Annelies Dykgraaf.

That’s right, a good old fashioned roller jam. Totally outside the Urban Jacksonville coverage zone, but my good friend Caz, of Royal Treatment and Home Team DJs fame, will be tearing it up that night. Along with DJs Dan and Nick Fresh. $10 make you holler!

I’ve heard lot’s of rumors flying around that TSI is closing and I have a good source that says TSI IS NOT CLOSING. There is no sense in mentioning the proposed date, just know there will be a massive party once they do open. Also The Outer Box has an update on the TSI Art and Music Variety Mixer.

Jacksonville was recently ranked dead last in an “America’s most walkable big cities” survey done by Walk Score, a Web site that helps people find real estate in walkable neighborhoods. The company did a study of the 40 largest cities in the U.S. and gave each a Walk Score of up to 100 – Jacksonville scored a 36. San Francisco came in tops with an 86. (Daily Record)

Update on Boston Tom from Dylan. It sounds like the benefit went off too. Thanks to everyone who went out and supported.

Janet just came into Shanty and told me Tom is now at Brook’s rehabilitation center where he’ll be for the next month. Great news.

The Springfield Community Garden class is FULL! They are asking if anyone is interested in starting a new garden in the Jacksonville area (preferably in Riverside), and is able to take charge of that, to give a shout. Also, the have seeds they need to get into the ground this season, or risk losing them entirely. If you’re interested in flying solo with your own garden, get in touch. They might be able to hook you up with some heirloom genetic material. Mmmm, that sounds scientific! Leave a comment and I can connect you if you are interested.

The Main Street Improvement Project between 4th -12th is on schedule. There is new temporary pavement in the middle of Main St. and work on the west side of the street will begin in about one week. Damn!

Links!
Quality of Life in Jacksonville (Metro Jacksonville)
JaxCal Redesign! Nice, I like it.
The Green Kids, or I’m Jealous of the Black Kids (JaxCal)
John Gorrie daydreams, a few steps closer to reality (RADO)
11E Starbucks is Closing (Jacksonville Confidential)
This, in my opinion, is a significant hit to downtown. Another vacant store front, Arrgh! A Caribou or Dunn Brothers would fit nicely.

Finally don’t forget Traumatic Tuesday tonight at Mark’s! Biggie Tea and I (Joe E Fresh) will be laying down the entire Black Kids album at Mark’s. It’s probably going to start late (around 11). $1 pbr $2 draft $3 jager all night.

Tags: black kids, community garden, john gorrie, main street, roller jam, starbucks closing

If you have a video camera and are interested in filming the first ever Springfield Community Garden class get in touch. The classes are full, but they would like to make the classes accessible to a wider audience. The class begins at 9:00am on Saturday July 19th.

Contact me or leave a comment and I can put you in touch with the Springfield Gardeneers!

Tags: community garden

It took three years, but Karen Mathis’ predictions for Springfield retail relief have finally arrived in the form of a new Walgreens store at 8th and Davis. Seen here as just an empty lot, the Walgreens will be a welcome addition to the the neighborhood. I could see that placing being mobbed by snack starved Shandsies. What a great place, in walking distance, to get basics.

One thing Karen Mathis didn’t see coming was the Downtown Winn Dixie renovations, which I also see as part of the Springfield retail mix. Personally the Walgreens won’t be as game-changing as it would have been had it arrived before the Winn Dixie upgrades. The Winn Dixie experience has improved so much that being halfway between the new Walgreens and the Winn Dixie will result in a case-by-case decision on when to go to either.

Blueblocker Sunglasses as Walgreens?
Check.
Point Walgreens.
Walgreens draws first blood.

So far no word on opening day festivities.

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Tags: walgreens

I wrote about Adopting-a-Bed at the Springfield Community Garden a while back, now there are only a few spots left.

In partnership with the University of Florida Cooperative Extension service, we will be teaching a group of 17 gardeners all there is to know about growing food organically in Northeast Florida. The class will run through the fall growing season, and if it goes well we’ll continue it all the way through the spring season as well.

Students will gain technical knowledge on plants themselves, seasonal and regional varieties, organic pest control, organic fertilization, and more. In addition, we’ll get the chance to discuss other topics surrounding the notion of local food, social justice, environmental responsibility, and living “the good life”, as the Nearings would say. Everyone will get a notebook full of the lessons we discuss.

Classes will be weekly starting in late August, with one or two meetings before then to learn about what a garden needs during the fallow season, which for us is the hottest part of the summer.

There is no cost for the class and gardeners who sign up first will have a plot in the Springfield Community Garden to try out what they’re learning. There will also be space for a few “observers” who will attend all the classes but won’t have a plot. Contact jmccharen@gmail.com if you’re interested.

Tags: community garden