Concerts and pirates entertain this weekend

St. Augustine Visitors and Convention Bureau Communications Director, Jay Humphreys, warned Historic City News readers to be on the lookout for pirates descending on St. Augustine for The Pirate Gathering this weekend.

Friday: November 13

Zac Brown Band at St. Augustine Amphitheatre
Head over to the Amphitheatre for a live performance by the Academy of Country Music award-winning Zac Brown Band. The performance is part of the band’s The Breaking Southern Ground Tour with friends Nic Cowan, Levi Lowery & Sonia Leigh. The show takes place at 7:30 p.m. at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre,1340 A1A South in St. Augustine. Tickets are $29. For more information call 904.471.1965 or visit www.staugamphitheatre.com.

Friday, Saturday & Sunday: November 13-15

THE PIRATE GATHERING
Avast, me hearties! T’is a whimsical celebration of the Golden Age of Piracy in old St. Augustine. Three days of swashbuckling fun begins on Friday evening as “pirates” from around Florida wander the streets of the old city. On Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Francis Field will be swimming with swashbuckling fun games for the kids, pirate games, a thieves market, ocean displays, pirate floats and plenty of music and magic. On Saturday at 11 a.m. a parade of Pirate Floats will cruise along St. Augustine’s Bayfront and end up at Orange Street, across from the Castillo de San Marcos where a Pirate Battle will begin. The skirmish will lead from the Orange Street Redoubt along St. George Street to the Plaza de La Constitucion. Francis Field is located behind the St. Augustine Historic Downtown Parking Facility on Castillo Drive. Admission to the Pirate Gathering at Francis Field is “A Buck an Ear”.

Saturday: November 14

GAMBLE ROGERS FALL BENEFIT CONCERT
Come hear a prelude of the 2010 Gamble Rogers Folk Festival at this fall fund-raising concert that features four fantastic Florida acts: Liz and Lon Williamson’s Gatorbone Trio, The Peyton Brothers, Aaron O’Rourke and the Daughters of Florida. The concert takes place at Flagler College Auditorium, 14 Granada Street, St. Augustine at 7 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit Gamble Rogers Festival.

CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORICAL MARKER UNVEILING
Be a part of this special ceremony featuring the unveiling of a historical marker devoted to the contribution of Florida Memorial College students to the local civil rights struggles of the 1960s. The marker is the latest in a series placed in St. Augustine by the Civil Rights Memorial Project Committee to identify and commemorate pivotal sites related to the civil rights movement. The Florida Memorial University choir will perform during the ceremony which begins at 1 p.m. at Collier-Blocker-Puryear Park located at the intersection of West King Street and Holmes Boulevard. The park, named for former Florida Memorial College founders and presidents, features the Abraham Lincoln Lewis Archway – the most lasting physical reminder of the college’s time in St. Augustine (1918-1968). For more information, call 904.794.1544.

Sunday: November 8

PETRONEL MALAN IN CONCERT
Experience the talents of South African pianist Petronel Malan at the opening of EMMA’s afternoon concert series at 2 p.m. in the Flagler College Auditorium in St. Augustine. Described as one of “The 10 Most Inspirational Women in South Africa,” Malan made her international debut at age 10. A graduate of Michigan State University, she has received three Grammy Award nominations. Tickets are $22, $5 for students. Call 904.797.2800 for reservations and tickets or log on to www.emmaconcerts.com for more information.

SCARECROW CREATIONS
Create your own scarecrow from free straw and supplies provided by Vilano Town Center businesses. Bring your own scarecrow attire – all of the creations will be photographed and entered in a contest with a grand prize winner to be announced on November 29. Scarecrows can be crafted from noon to 4 p.m. each Sunday in November at the Sunday Market at the Vilano Beach Pier. The Market features fresh produce, refreshments, music and art. For more information, call 904.540.8797 or go to: www.thesundaymarket.com