Three festivals to visit this weekend

Communications Director Jay Humphreys with the St. Augustine Visitors and Convention Bureau updated Historic City News on this weekend’s entertainment events including festivals celebrating the beach, surf, cycling and books.

BLACK RAVEN ADVENTURE CRUISE
Get shanghaied and join the piratical crew of the Black Raven for a fun cruise beneath the stars. Sing along with the pirates, listen to tall tales of piracy, sip a grog created just for the evening and be entertained by pirate magician Master William Mayhem. This special 21+Club cruise departs the St. Augustine City Marina at 8:15 p.m. and returns at 10 p.m. Tickets are $28.50 for adults and $27 for seniors. Adults Only. For reservations, call 877.578.5050 or email info@BlackRavenAdventures.com. For more information, go to www.BlackRavenAdventures.com.

FIRESIDE CHAT WITH FDR
Let President Roosevelt reassure you with one of his famous fireside chats from 7-8:30 p.m. at the COA Coastal Community Center, 180 Marine Street in St. Augustine. Ed Beardsley, a FDR scholar, has created a special evening to engage in lively discussion about the New Deal, the WPA and the other accomplishments of his administration. Admission is $7. For more information, phone: 904-209-3646 or go to: stjohnscoa.com

Friday and Saturday: September 11-12

FLORIDA HERITAGE BOOK FESTIVAL
Get literary at this celebration of the authors and books that chronicle the ethnic, social, and historical heritage of the Sunshine State. The festival will feature a wide array of events and activities including workshops, readings, a poetry contest, and book signings by popular authors. Presenters include Dr. Michael Gannon, Stetson Kennedy, Thomas Cavanaugh, Tim Dorsey, and U.S. Senator, Mel Martinez. Panel discussions will focus on the business of book publishing, as well as how-to sessions for aspiring authors. Except for a few ticketed events, the festival is free and open to the public. The festival will be held at Flagler College and the Casa Monica Hotel. For more information, go to www.fhbookfest.com or call 904.940.0194.

Saturday and Sunday: September 12 – 13

ST. AUGUSTINE CYCLING FESTIVAL
Pedal on into St. Augustine for a weekend full of fantastic cycling fun!
The St. Augustine Cycling Festival features cycling events for bicyclists of all ages, abilities and interests. On Saturday, the Florida Cycling Points Series Criterium takes place from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the St. Johns County Office Complex on Lewis Speedway. From noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, the St. Augustine Amphitheatre will host Bike Expo featuring cycling safety training for kids, tricycle races, food and bike equipment vendors and free evening movies. Then at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, the North Florida Bicycle Club’s 20th Annual Endless Summer Watermelon Ride, with rides of 35 to 100 miles, starts from the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. At the same time, the Longleaf Pine Time Trial begins at Bartram Trail High School followed at 11 a.m. by the first event of the St. Johns River Road Race. Road race events in various classes continue throughout the day at Bartram Trail. Sunday race registration opens at 6:30 a.m. at all festival venues. The St. Augustine Cycling Festival is produced by the North Florida Bicycle Club and the Boy Scouts of America. For details, go to www.staugustinecyclingfestival.com.

Saturday: September 12

SURF EXPERIENCE AND BEACH FESTIVAL
Hang-ten, hang-out and hang on to your seat! This full day of family beach fun on St. Augustine Beach is all part of the city’s 50th Birthday Celebration. The day’s festivities include food, games, beach music, family surf experience, surfing demonstrations by some the area’s best surfers, surfing lessons – even a doggy fashion show. The “just for fun” family surf experience begins with registration at 9 a.m. Surf lesson registration is $5 per person and includes surf lessons and 5 raffle tickets. Lessons begin at 9:30 a.m. Then at 1 p.m. registration begins for “The Good Dog” fashion show. Dress your pooch in the latest fashions for prizes. Registration is $15 per dog and proceeds will benefit S.A.F.E. a local, all volunteer, animal adoption organization. Along with great food and drink from Hurricane Patty’s, the famous Jimmy Parrish Band will entertain all with original his Trop-Rock sound beginning at noon in the Beach Pavilion. Other food and craft vendors will set up for noshing and shopping throughout the day. It all takes place at St. Augustine Beach Park and Pier located on A1A South at St. Augustine Beach. For more information, call 904.501.1253, or visit www.50thBeachBirthday.com.

ST. AUGUSTINE SLEUTHS
Be among the first to experience the new exhibit St. Augustine Sleuths created by the Children’s Museum of St. Johns. This exciting new interactive, hands-on exhibit allows children to experience what life was like for St. Augustine children during different time period’s of the city’s stories past. Presented in conjunction with the Florida Heritage Book Festival, the exhibit will be open from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. in Room 201 of Flagler College’s Ringhaver Student Center. For more information, call 904.461.8629.

SNAKES 101
Be a part this interactive workshop where facts and myths about Florida’s 44 native snake species will be discussed. Learn how to identify our most common snakes, venomous from non venomous species, tips for avoiding conflict at home and the wild, and how to enjoy, or completely avoid, all of Florida’s species. The workshop takes place at 1 p.m. at the Guana Tolomata Matanzas Research Reserve Environmental Education Center, located at 500 Guana River Road, Ponte Vedra Beach. All ages welcome, however, one adult required for every two children under the age of 12 please. Admission is $3. For more information or to reserve a place, call 904.823.4500.

HISTORIC WEAPONS FIRING DEMONSTRATION
Take the National Park Service’s ferry to Rattlesnake Island and experience daily military life at Fort Matanzas – the 18th century Spanish fort that guarded the southern approach to St. Augustine. From 10:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., authentically clad re-enactors will demonstrate Spanish muskets and cannons at the fort. Admission is free. Fort Matanzas National Monument is located on A1A at the south end of Anastasia Island approximately 15 miles south of St. Augustine. For more information, call 904.471.0116 or visit www.nps.gov/foma.

SUNSET KAYAK TOUR
Paddle into the sunset while enjoying beautiful panoramas of Pellicer Creek, Princess Place Preserve and Faver-Dykes State Park all nestled in 30,000 contiguous acres that is one of the most productive coastal estuaries on the planet. The tours depart from Whitney Lab docks at Marineland, 15 miles south of St. Augustine on A1A at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Monday nights. There is no previous experience required. The cost is $50 per person and includes kayak tour with photos and admission into the Marineland Dolphin Conservation Center. For more information or to make reservations, call 904.347.1565

NOTE: St. Johns County residents with a valid ID are always admitted free of charge to Government House Museum, the Lightner Museum, the Colonial Spanish Quarter Museum, the Fountain of Youth, the Ximenez-Fatio House, the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse, and the Spanish Military Hospital Museum and the Father Miguel O’Reilly Museum. The daily tours and wine tastings at the San Sebastian Winery are free to everyone. Also, admission is free to everyone at the Authentic Old Drug Store, Fort Matanzas National Monument, St. Photios Chapel, the Peña-Peck House and the Father Miguel O’Reilly Museum.