Keating Golf Classic raises over $35K

The annual Nancy C. Keating Golf Classic on March 24 in Fleming Island raised more than $35,000 for Challenge Enterprises’ programs and services.

Empty Bowls dished out April 29

The Salvation Amry Women’s Auxiliary will present Empty Bowls from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 29 at United Methodist Church Family Life Center in Orange Park.

The fundraiser includes soup and bread, a silent auction, bake sale and $20 donation. Students from Oakleaf, Ridgeview, OP, Lake Asbury and St. Johns schools handcrafted the bowls.

CCAS and Petco Love offer free vaccines

Clay County Animal Services (CCAS) will provide free vaccinations for Clay County residents’ pets. The no-cost vaccines are made possible through Petco Love's national vaccination initiative Vaccinated and Loved, which is providing an additional 1 million free pet vaccines for family pets to existing animal welfare partners, including CCAS.

Parvovirus and distemper in dogs and panleukopenia in cats — the most prevalent deadly diseases affecting pets — are preventable with a simple vaccine. An estimated 30% of pet parents do not take their pet to a veterinarian annually for preventative care. To ensure the health and wellness of our beloved pets and to address this critical need, Clay County Animal Services and Petco Love have partnered to make pet vaccines free and accessible.

Clay County Animal Services aims to vaccinate 250-500 pets. For more information about vaccine distribution, visit claycountygov.com/community/animal-services. 

OP Days Inn receives honor

Days Inn Orange Park by Wyndham at 4280 Eldridge Loop, was awarded the annual Best of Days Inn President’s Award, which recognizes the brand’s top-performing hotels and their staff.

In celebration of the achievement, Diane Gracey, the hotel’s general manager, accepted the award from Days Inn and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts' leadership.

To be eligible for the award, hotels must have demonstrated exceptional guest satisfaction, ensured that all staff members have completed Wyndham’s required health and safety training, and maintained good standing with the brand over the past year.

Bear and Butch ‘Marine’ Dice Run

hits road April 19

MIDDLEBURG – Riders and children can have fun and help the Rising Stars: Guitars for Kids program on Saturday, April 19, at the Bear and Butch “The Marine” Dice Run that starts at VFW Post 8255.

The day starts at 2296 Aster Ave. with breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m., followed by an Easter party, coloring contest and prize hunt from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Registration for the two-, three- and four-wheel poker run is at 9 a.m., with kickstands up at 10:30.

First stop is at the Howlin’ Wolf in Melrose, then to VFW Interlachen for lunch, then the Boogerville Hideout in Green Cove Springs, before returning to VFW in Middleburg.

The event will include 50/50 drawings, raffles and food by Cht’z and Giggles. Live music from 4 to 8 p.m. will include sets from Shopping Mall Guerrillas, Branford Highway and Duval County Line.

FloArts fundraiser served up April 14

Florida School of the Arts students are preparing for this year’s Empty Bowls fundraiser, a grassroots effort to raise money and awareness in the fight to end hunger in Putnam County. The Azalea City Brewing Company, located in Palatka, will host the event from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, April 14.

According to FloArts faculty sponsor Dan Askew, diners attending the event can choose from a variety of ceramic bowls handcrafted by students/faculty and enjoy food samples from local restaurants.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the door. The event is first-come, first-served, while supplies last.

Thrasher-Horne to celebrate 20 years

ORANGE PARK – The Thrasher-Horne Center’s 20-year Celebration will be April 19 and feature a community event starting at 10 a.m.

The event will include 34 local vendors, free crafts for children, ticket contests, live entertainment, food, services, and a free showing of Disney’s Moana with free popcorn at 11:30 a.m.

The Woodwind Quintet will perform at 2 p.m., followed by the Navy Band Southeast Fair Winds Woodwind Quintet at 2:30 p.m.

Safety Telecommunicators Week

highlights first responders

National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (April 13-19) is a time to spotlight the true “first” responders. Every day, dispatchers are the ones fielding emergency calls in real time as they unfold. But when dispatchers are in crisis, who is there for them?

LSF Health Systems’ First Responder Peer Support Program provides critical mental health resources to support dispatchers and other first responders when they need help.

Statistically, first responders and dispatchers have high rates of relationship issues, alcohol/drug abuse and suicide attempts and completions. In fact, according to Blue H.E.L.P., more than 1,200 first responders in the U.S. have died by suicide since 2019.

Shelly Castellano, a 911 dispatcher in St. Johns County, said peer support is a necessary to stay level-headed call after call. "We need to stay healthy, for our jobs and our families, because they depend on us," she said.

First responders or their family members can visit StayFitforDuty.org or call 211 for more information.

Led Zeppelin tribute to rock in September

Kashmir: The Spirit of Led Zeppelin Live featuring Jean Violet is slated to perform at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at Thrasher-Horne Center on College Drive in Orange Park.

Tickets, which range from $29 to$59, will be available at THcenter.org or by calling (904) 276-6815.

Musical comedy headed to Thrasher-Horne

On the heels of Wednesday, the third most-watched show on Netflix of all-time, Big-League Productions, Inc. presents The Addams Family, a devilish musical comedy.

Wednesday Addams, the ultimate princess of darkness, has grown up and fallen in love with a young man from a respectable family. Gomez Addams must do something he's never done before – keep a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia. Everything will change for the whole family on the night they host a dinner for Wednesday's "normal" boyfriend and his parents.

The musical will be on the Thrasher-Horne Center stage at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 30. Tickets, which start at $39, are available at the box office or thcenter.org.