County to offer free meals to children during summer CLAY COUNTY – The Summer Food Service Program is available to children 18 and younger at eight locations this summer. Parents and children can …
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County to offer free meals
to children during summer
CLAY COUNTY – The Summer Food Service Program is available to children 18 and younger at eight locations this summer.
Parents and children can receive a hot lunch and a cold breakfast, offered by the USDA and Clay County District Schools, for the next day from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the following sites, starting Monday, June 9, and concluding July 31:
• McRae Elementary, 6770 County Road 315C, Keystone Heights
• Wilkinson Elementary, 4965 CR 218, Middleburg
At these sites, children will be served breakfast from 9 to 9:30 a.m. and a hot lunch from 11:30 a.m. to noon:
• Charles E. Bennett Elementary, 1 S. Oakridge Ave., Green Cove Springs
• Keystone Heights Elementary, 335 S. Pecan St., Keystone Heights
• Montclair Elementary, 2398 Moody Ave., Orange Park
• Swimming Pen Elementary, 1630 Woodpecker Lane, Middleburg
• Orange Park Junior High, 1500 Gano Ave., Orange Park
The program ends on July 31 at Argyle Elementary, 2625 Spencer Plantation Blvd. in Orange Park.
Fleming Island UMC
offers free summer movies
FLEMING ISLAND – Moms wanted it, and the Fleming Island United Methodist Church listened. The church at 7170 U.S. Highway 17 will offer free indoor, safe activities with popcorn for the entire family on Friday nights. Children can bring backpacks with toys if they get distracted during the movie.
Movies will be shown on June 6, June 20, July 18 and Aug. 1. There will be a special matinee for preschoolers at noon Saturday, July 5. Doors open 3 minutes before the movie starts.
For more information, visit fiumc.org/children or email katies@fiumc.org.
Bemis to be ordained June 7
at Cathedral Basilica
The upcoming ordination of Deacon Charles Bemis to the priesthood for the Catholic Diocese will take place on Saturday, June 7, at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine. Bishop Erik Pohlmeier will celebrate the mass.
Bemis is a Jacksonville native and graduate of Oakleaf High School in Orange Park. His path to the priesthood began at a young age and includes formation at both St. John Vianney Seminary in Miami and St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach.
Local Chick-fil-A restaurants
host “Cookies for Dreamers”
Participating Chick-fil-A® restaurants in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia are hosting a “Cookies for Dreamers” fundraiser through Saturday, June 7, to support Dreams Come True, a northeast Florida nonprofit dream-granting organization for children battling life-threatening medical conditions. For any Chick-fil-A Chocolate Chunk Cookie sold during this time, participating restaurants will donate a portion of the proceeds to the organization.
Cookies for Dreamers started in 2018 between Dreams Come True and Chick-fil-A® restaurants in the Northeast Florida area to help raise money for the dreams of children on the First Coast. Dreams Come True directs 100% of the proceeds from Cookies for Dreamers toward children’s dreams. Since its inception, the annual fundraiser has raised more than $40,000 for Dreams Come True, resulting in funding for nine special children’s dream trips.
To learn more, visit www.DreamsComeTrue.org.
Hot Diggity Dog Festival
slated for June 7
The first Hot Diggity Dog Festival, where dogs available for adoption can meet their potential forever families in a fun, outdoor setting!
Clay County Animal Services and Parks and Recreation are coming together to host the event on Saturday, June 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Ronnie Van Zant Memorial Park. We'll also have food trucks, so be sure to bring the whole family for lunch with a view and wrap up the afternoon with playtime alongside our many adoptable dogs.
A few of the vendors bringing adoptable dogs: Clay County Animal Services, SAFE Animal Shelter and Homemade Hounds.
First Coast Comic Con
to resurface in July
North Florida’s premier comic and collectibles show, First Coast Comic Con, returns on Saturday, July 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Adam W. Herbert University Center, University of North Florida in Jacksonville.
The event promises an exciting, family-friendly celebration of comics, creativity, and pop culture. Known for uniting top-tier comic book and pop culture vendors from across the Southeast, First Coast Comic Con offers everything from vintage comics and collectibles to the latest merchandise. It’s a marketplace and community hub for fans, collectors and creators alike.
Headlining this year’s event are the acclaimed creative duo Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, best known for their celebrated work on DC Comics’ Harley Quinn. New for 2025, First Coast Comic Con is proud to partner with Mayor Donna Deegan’s River City Readers initiative, a citywide literacy challenge aimed at improving reading proficiency among school-aged children.
Tickets are available now at www.firstcoastcomiccon.com: $10 for adults; kids 12 and under get in free.
83 Acres near Camp Blanding
in conservation with NFLT
|
CAMP BLANDING – North Florida Land Trust has acquired a conservation easement that is more than 83 acres in Clay County on the southeast side of Camp Blanding, within the military installation’s Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) zone. It is also within the ecologically important Ocala to Osceola (O2O) Wildlife Corridor. The conservation easement on the property owned by the Hughes family was purchased for $540,000 with funding from the Department of Defense’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) program. “The purchase of this conservation easement ensures that this property will never be developed or changed from its existing use. It is now or never,” said Allison DeFoor, president and CEO of NFLT. “The family will be able to continue living on and enjoying the property, while protecting its natural state. The conservation easement protects land vital to wildlife habitats and national defense. It prevents encroachment on Camp Blanding, which has been an important partner in conservation within the O2O for many years.” The Hughes property is near NFLT’s Milam Preserve, Smith Lake Preserve, and Gold Head Branch State Park. It is the family's primary residence and includes two homes, a horse barn, outbuildings and cross-fencing. The conservation easement agreement allows the family to continue to live on and use the land while preventing any further development of the land or more intense uses. Conserving the land protects the habitats of wildlife and plant species and provides a buffer for Camp Blanding. |
Depeche Mode tribute band
takes stage Nov. 4
The Florida Theatre is proud to announce Strangelove – The Depeche Mode Experience on Tuesday, November 4, at 8 p.m. at the historic Florida Theatre in downtown Jacksonville. Lovesong – The Cure Tribute Band will be the opening act.
Tickets go on sale Friday, June 6, at 10 a.m. Buy them at www.floridatheatre.com or the Florida Theatre Box Office at (904) 355-2787.
