Celebrate the Florida Country Cracker Heritage

Communications Director Jay Humphreys invites Historic City News readers to enjoy Cracker Day on Saturday and many other entertaining events this weekend.

Friday and Sunday: October 15 & 17
THE CRUCIBLE – LAST CHANCE!
Don’t miss this last opportunity to see The Crucible! In the Puritan New England town of Salem, Massachusetts, one girl’s plot to ensnare a married man explodes into a fever of paranoia, accusation and execution. Arthur Miller’s classic dramatization of the Salem witch trials cleverly framed McCarthyist America of the 1950s, and still rings with some relevance today. The Friday show is at 7:30 p.m. and the final performance is Sunday at 2 p.m. NOTE: There will be no Saturday performance. The Limelight Theatre is located at 11 Old Mission Road in St. Augustine. Tickets are $25 for adults, $22 for seniors and $20 for students and military. For more information, call 904.825.1164 or visit www.limelight-theatre.org

Friday and Saturday: October 15 & 16
ARTIST HENRY ASCENCIO
Meet Henry Asencio, one of the most intriguing young avant-garde artists working today. At 7 p.m., Galeria del Mar will host the artist at a reception featuring his latest original. On Saturday from 1-4 p.m., the artist will sign his work and dedications as he creates an original work of art. Galeria del Mar is located at 9 King Street in St. Augustine. For more information, call 904.829.2120.

Friday: October 15
WOMAN’S EXCHANGE FALL GARDEN LUNCHEON
Enjoy a beautiful garden setting while savoring a delectable luncheon meal prepared by the St. Augustine Woman’s Exchange. After lunch, shop in the Exchanges’ famous Christmas in October Shop! Tickets are $20 per person and include the full lunch with coffee or tea and a $5 gift certificate for the Woman’s Exchange Gift Shop. The luncheon takes place from noon to 1:30 p.m. Guided tours of the Pena Peck House, located at 143 St. George Street in St. Augustine, are available at regular admission. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 904.829.5064 or visit http://www.staugustinewomans-exchange.com.

THE FLAMING LIPS AT ST. AUGUSTINE AMPHITHEATRE
Come enjoy a performance by the psychedelic alternative rock band the FlamingLips. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, located at 1340 A1A in St. Augustine. Tickets are $29.50, $34.50 & $38.50. For more information, call 904.471.1965 or visit www.StAugAmphitheatre.com.

CELEBRATE! THE PLAYERS BENEFIT FOR THE ARTS
Enjoy dinner and a concert at the spectacular TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse in Ponte Vedra Beach and help support the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and the Cultural Center at Ponte Vedra Beach. The event will feature dinner and an outdoor concert “The Marvelous Sounds of Motown” with special guest artist, Spectrum, performing the greatest hits of the Motown era. Tickets are $250 per person indoors and $100 outdoors. For more information, call 904.280.0614.

Saturday: October 16
CRACKER DAY
Celebrate Florida’s Country Cracker Heritage when bluegrass banjos and fiddles combine, horsemanship demonstrations and mouth-watering barbecue. Enjoy a full day of horseback games, horseback racing, barrel racing, livestock show, cracker whipping demonstrations, and exhibits of Florida Cracker equipment. Events take place all day from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Barbecue is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.) at the St. Johns County Fairgrounds located on SR 207 west in Elkton. Adults $10, children (under 12) $4. Price includes parking and barbecue dinner (Race participation fees not included). For more information, call Chuck Stephens at 904.824.9720.

ACCORD CIVIL RIGHTS LANDMARKS TOUR
Join St. Augustine historian David Nolan aboard the St. Augustine Sightseeing Trains for a narrated tour of the landmarks and sites where history was made during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. The tour departs from Memorial Presbyterian Church, 36 Sevilla Street in St. Augustine at 10 a.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $7 for students. Reservations are required. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 904.347.1382 or visit www.accordfreedomtrail.org.

OKTOBERFEST AT MARINELAND
Celebrate Oktoberfest by the sea from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Marineland’s Dolphin Conservation Center. The local classic rock band known as “Kings Highway” will provide musical entertainment. Woody’s Bar-B-Q of Cobblestone Village in St. Augustine and JT’s Seafood Shack of Palm Coast will be offering food from their menus. Everyone is invited to enjoy the festivities in the newly christened Neptune Park, in which a 7-foot tall marble statue of Neptune occupies center stage. General admission to view the dolphins in their habitat will be half off regular prices throughout the day! For more information, call (904) 471-1111 or visit www.marineland.net

Saturday and Sunday: October 16 & 17
THE PELLICER CREEK RAID
Come be a part of a living history re-enactment of life and times in Civil War Era Florida. Cavalry and infantry troops will stage battles on Saturday at noon and 4 p.m. and at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Authentic encampments are open for visitation from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Florida Agricultural Museum, 7900 Old Kings Road in Palm Coast, approximately 17 miles south of St. Augustine on US 1 South. Admission is $6 per person. For more information, visit www.MyAgMuseum.com or call 386.446.7630.