A 1930s Jaguar replica caught fire at Flagler Beach’s Holiday Parade, ending the festivities three quarters of the way through. No one was hurt as firefighters, some of them who’d been part of the parade, jumped into the fray and quickly controlled the scene.
Culture
Boat Parade Honors Memory of Jon Netts, Former Mayor and Intrepid Boater
The 2021 Palm Coast Holiday Boat Parade scheduled for Dec. 18 is dedicated to the memory of Jon Netts, former Palm Coast mayor, intrepid boater and cheerleader of all things Christmas.
Judy Blume Among 20 Writers Exploring Depictions of Desire at Annual Key West Literary Seminar
More than 20 leading American and international writers are to explore literary depictions of desire, from the profound to the profane, during the 39th annual Key West Literary Seminar. The acclaimed gathering for literature fans is set for Thursday through Sunday, Jan. 6-9.
Committee Reviewing Books 2 Board Members Want Banned Completes Its Work as District Sounds Out Librarians
The findings of a committee judging the appropriateness of four books for school libraries are expected imminently, as new book challenges have been filed and the Flagler district’s eight librarians were interviewed by district staff about their practices.
City Repertory Theatre’s ‘Blithe Spirit’ to Honor the Late Anne Kraft, Veteran CRT Performer
When City Repertory Theatre presents a staged reading Dec. 2-5 of Sir Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit,” which the English playwright called “a light comedy about death,” the poignancy of the production will be plain to see: CRT is paying tribute to Anne Kraft, who’d performed with most of the company’s actors over the years.
American Library Association Condemns Broad Censorship of Books on Race and LGBTQ in Schools and Libraries
Some individuals and officials say the voices of the marginalized have no place on library shelves. Including in Flagler, they have launched campaigns demanding the censorship of books and resources that mirror the lives of those who are gay, queer, or transgender, or that tell the stories of persons who are Black, Indigenous or persons of color.
Flagler School Libraries Face Chilling Dangers Beyond Book Bans
Book-banning doesn’t really exist: ban a book, and it gains more notoriety than ever. The danger ahead in Flagler schools is Board members Jill Woolbright’s and Janet McDonald’s attempt to keep certain books from even reaching library shelves before they’re bought, thus eliminating the glare of controversy. That kind of self-censorship is far more damaging to diversity on Flagler’s library shelves.
Grand Chanukah Celebration at European Village Monday
Chabad of Palm Coast will ignite a 6-foot Menorah at European Village, an event to be followed by a community-wide celebration on Nov 29, the second night of the eight-day holiday of Chanukah. The ceremony, organized by Chabad Jewish Center Rabbi Levi Ezagui, will feature Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin and Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly.
Future July 4 Celebrations Take Shape Between Certainty of Fireworks and Uncertainty of Flagler Beach’s Geography
The July 4 committee the Flagler Beach City Commission appointed last August to figure out whether there is a future for the Independence Day fireworks that light up much of the city’s historical identity is close to finishing its work, with a final report now in preparation.
AACS Presents a 30-Year Retrospective of Fine Artist Bettie Eubanks
The African American Cultural Center and Museum of Florida (AACS) in Flagler County will host a “30-Year Retrospective of Fine Artist, Bettie Eubanks”. The exhibit will formally open to the public on November 20, 2021 during which there will be a “Meet the Artist” reception from 3pm – 5pm.
Why All Boys Aren’t Blue Belongs in High School Libraries: A Response to Brian McMillan
Palm Coast Observer Editor Brian McMillan would restrict the book at the center of a controversy from high school libraries, even though he doesn’t find it pornographic. His argument and his prescription are untenable, because they rest on an analogy that has no application to George Johnson’s “All Boys Aren’t Blue.” A school district committee is currently reviewing the book’s status.
The Live Interview: Author George M. Johnson Speaks to Those Who Want Book Banned From Flagler Schools
George M. Johnson, author of “All Boys Aren’t Blue, one of the books School Board member Jill Woolbright calls a “crime” to have in schools and wants banned, speaks to FlaglerLive about frequent experiences with “the purity brigade,” differences between porn and sex, the orchestration behind current book bans and what Johnson would tell the district committee reviewing the book.
‘All Together Now!’ Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre Musical Revue Joins a Global Fundraising Event
Music Theatre International is one of the world’s most prominent theatrical licensing agencies, representing hundreds of musicals ranging from Tony-winning classics to children’s fare. It is allowing theaters worldwide to perform “All Together Now!” license-free to help raise money for the theaters themselves. In this case, Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre will benefit.
Isolation and Beyond in Sartre’s ‘No Exit’ by Stetson University Theatre Arts
Stetson University Theatre Arts presents Jean-Paul Sartre’s play “No Exit,” a one-act philosophical drama that examines morality, identity and human connection. Directed by Stetson Theatre Arts senior Shay Figueroa, the production runs Nov. 18-21 at Stetson’s Second Stage Theatre in the Museum of Art – DeLand.
Jill Woolbright Wants 4 Books Banned Over Anti-Racism, LGBTQ, Police Violence and Rape Themes; District Removes Them Pending Review
Copycatting a tactic developing across the country and targeting the same books, Flagler County School Board member Jill Woolbright wants four books removed. The books, award winners and critically acclaimed, deal with LGBTQ themes, anti-racism, police shootings, and the trauma of rape. Three are by Black authors.
In Shift, Flagler Beach Will Not Abandon July 4 Fireworks. It’s Now How, Not Whether, to Preserve Tradition.
After considering abandoning July 4 fireworks due to overcrowding and safety concerns, a committee appointed by the Flagler Beach City Commission to study the matter will recommend keeping the fireworks while proposing a series of management and policing approaches to better control crowds, minimize underage drinking and provide alternatives to driving and parking on the island.
2 Flagler School Board Members Object to Black Lives Matter Language and a ‘Hate Group’ Trolls District’s Library Books
The Flagler County School Board is not banning books–yet. But two board members–Jill Woolbright and Janet McDonald–are on the warpath, playing up isolated complaints about materials they find objectional on ideological grounds and mirroring similar attempts in other districts where a few voices have capitalized on largely manufactured controversies. The board members’ moves parallel a national extremist organization’s inquiry in Flagler and other Florida counties about the district’s book holdings, especially targeting racially-conscious and LGBTQ-themed books.
Learning Is for Commie-Pinko Wokesters and We Don’t Need Any of It Around Here
Praise Jesus, here in Florida our governor has decreed that there will be no “The 1619 Project,” and none of that Critical Race Theory making our sweet white children hate themselves, their mamas and daddies, and their great-great-grandparents, who happened to belong to the Ku Klux Klan.
Tommy Tant Memorial Surf Classic Marks 20th Anniversary Nov. 12 and 13 in Flagler Beach
The 20th Annual Tommy Tant Memorial Surf Classic presented by The Surf Station will take place on November 13 and 14 in Flagler Beach. What began in memory of Tommy Tant—a local surfer who passed away tragically from an aortic aneurysm at 24 years old—has grown into a beloved event that celebrates the bond of family, friendship, and surf culture he loved.
Covid’s Threat to the Already Shaky Status of Arts Education in Schools
In two studies from 2007 to 2008, schools indicated that they had cut an average of 145 minutes per week across the nontested subjects, lunch and recess. Where visual art and music were cut back, it was for an average of 57 minutes per week.
Attention Flagler Beach: Your Parking Areas Are Shrinking, and That’s a Problem on July 4
The reconstruction of State Road A1A in Flagler Beach meant the elimination of a slew of parking spots, worsening the difficulty of managing July 4 crowds, traffic and parking. A city commission-appointed committee is wrestling with the challenge.
Stetson University Celebrates the Holiday Season with Four Christmas Candlelight Concerts
The joy and magic of the holiday season comes alive during Stetson University School of Music’s four Christmas Candlelight concerts at historic Lee Chapel in Elizabeth Hall on campus.
‘Urinetown,’ an Unserious Musical For Our Times, and For Our Town, at City Repertory Theatre
The satiric barbs of “Urinetown” come fast and furious, taking aim at fascism, capitalism, authoritarianism, corporate greed, police brutality, political corruption, abuse of the poor, and the tensions between personal freedoms versus societal good. “Everywhere you turn, it’s poking fun at something,” says Director John Sbordone.
Bisexual Superman: A Subtext Finally, Happily Out of the Closet
Son of Kal-El will be out this November, and will feature Jon sharing a kiss with friend and online journalist Jay Nakamura. Apart from proving Superman has always had a thing for reporters, Jon expressing his sexuality is a watershed moment in the venerable franchise.
First Friday, Christmas Parade and Starry Nights Are Returning to Flagler Beach in December as Grinch Variant Wanes
The Flagler Beach City Commission signed off on returning the city’s popular holiday-season events and First Friday, kicking off on Dec. 3 and 4. The city will also launch the second edition of Starry Nights, lighting up the pier, Veterans park and participating businesses, also starting on Dec. 3.
Darlene Love, Melissa Manchester and ‘Let’s Hang On’ Highlight Flagler Auditorium’s First Full Season Since Covid
The 17-show new season features the return of nationally touring acts, including Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer Darlene Love (of “He’s a Rebel” renown) on Dec. 11, Melissa Manchester on Feb. 6, the Canadian Brass on March 29 and a number of tributes such as the season-concluding Bobby Darin show Splish Splash on April 24.
Panel Discusses Eliminating Flagler Beach’s July 4 Parade, or at Least Significantly Scaling It Back
Flagler Beach City Manager William Whitson suggested doing away with the Independence Day parade, an idea that gained little traction among July 4 committee members today, but there was more unanimity about significantly scaling back the parade and eliminating politicians and most businesses from participation.
Why It’s Time to Replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day
Since the 1990s, a growing number of states have begun to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day – a holiday meant to honor the culture and history of the people living in the Americas both before and after Columbus’ arrival.
Big Crowds, Bigger Blasts, Biggest Hearts: Flagler Broadcasting’s Creekside Festival Raises $22,500 for Community Food Pantry
Pastor Charles Silano had no idea the Creekside Music and Arts Festival would turn out to be one of the biggest-ever fund-raisers for Grace Community Food Pantry, which he runs. Not long after the two-day festival at Princess Place Preserve was over this past weekend, Flagler Broadcasting general Manager David Ayres, who’d produced the event, called Silano and told him the goal of raising $20,000 for the pantry was met–and exceeded.
Creekside Festival Returns in October Under New Management and Powered Up Entertainment
The annual two-day Creekside Music and Arts Festival at Princess Place Preserve returns for its 16th year under new management, but with the same feel, sound and taste. The Creekside Festival on Oct. 9 and 10 is a charity event. A portion of revenue from this year’s event will help stock up area food banks for the coming holiday season.
The Nobels: Abdulrazak Gurnah, the Man and his Writing
Abdulrazak Gurnah is one of the most important contemporary postcolonial novelists writing in Britain today and is the first Black African writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature since Wole Soyinka in 1986. Gurnah is also the first Tanzanian writer to win.
The Brutal Slave Trade Within the US Has Been Largely Whitewashed Out of History
Slavery still conjures images of Southern farms and plantations. But the institution was grounded in the sales of nearly 2 million human beings in the domestic slave trade, the profits from which nurtured the economy of the entire country.
Being Billie: Laniece Fagundes Embodies Jazz singer Lady Day as City Repertory Theatre Opens 11th Season
Laniece Fagundes stars in the role of Billie Holiday in “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill,” the play that opens City Repertory Theatre’s 11th season tonight. Written by Lanie Robertson, “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill” premiered in 1986 at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta and landed Off-Broadway soon after, winning a Tony on Broadway in 2014.
Re-evaluating July 4 in Flagler Beach: Panel Will Focus on Parking and Surveying Residents’ Wishes
Has Flagler Beach’s July 4 celebration become too much–too big, too unpredictable–of a good thing for this sliver of a town? Could its interminable parade possibly be scaled back, its fireworks show shortened or ceded to Palm Coast, its Veterans Park activities refocused on families and the flow of booze in public places restricted on the beach, where it is now legal?
City Rep Theatre’s 11th Season of Leviathans: Martin Luther King, Billie Holiday, Godot and that Reign of Terror
Covid permitting, the 11th season of Palm Coast’s City Repertory Theatre proposes its most ambitious line-up yet, with Martin Luther King Jr., Billie Holiday, a vengeful dead wife, a blind woman battling murderous intruders in her home, and a rebel fighting the tyranny of pay toilets in a dystopian world all gracing City Rep’s stage.
Flagler Tiger Bay Club’s Free 9/11 Program Features Ex-Chief of Border Patrol Michael Fisher
The Flagler Tiger Bay Club welcomes Chief Michael Fisher for a 9/11 Commemorative 20th Anniversary public program at 4 p.,. at the Flagler Auditorium.
Tattoos’ Long and August History of Meanings
Tattoos have a history as old as ancient Egypt and Greece, enriched through the ages by way of Native Americans, and given deep meaning more recently as expressions against oppression, racism and colonialism even as they’ve endured as signs of beauty and identity.
Hey, GOP: There’s a Museum Up in Montgomery Y’All Really Ought to See
Diane Roberts reports from the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Ala., a silent but devastating testimony to how Americans terrorized and murdered other Americans for wanting to live as full citizens of this country. The Equal Justice Initiative is here to remind us that Jim Crow isn’t gone. Our history still warps our present.
Flagler Beach Appoints Committee to Rethink July 4 Fireworks While Aiming for a Show on New Year’s Eve Too
Five residents and the mayor make up the committee that will study the continued feasibility of July 4 fireworks, while the city will ask the county’s tourism bureau for twin allocations of $25,000 next year, to pay for both July 4 and New Year’s Eve fireworks.
Flagler Beach Again Delays First Friday Resumption, Possibly to December Unless Covid Pall Lifts Sooner
The Flagler Beach City Commission signed a new agreement with Laverne McNeil Shank, Jr. of Surf 97.3 FM to run First Friday events but a September re-start will be delayed, possibly to December, pending a better covid climate.
Palm Coast Arts Organizations Looking for $3,000 Grants? Here’s Your Chance.
As $30,000 in funding is expected to become available for Fiscal Year 2022 for events or programs taking place between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022, the City is looking for new grantees. As always, preference is given to first time applicants that meet the grant requirements.
Ignoraunce Incarno: The Wrongheaded Calls to Cancel Chaucer
It’s true that Chaucer’s work contains toxic material, including sexist and antisemitic material. But if you examine his writings in detail, you’ll see themes of concern for women and human rights, the oppressed and the persecuted, reappear time and time again.
For Palm Coast Little League, Years of Advocacy Culminate with Hosting State Championship, and a DeSantis 1st Pitch
Palm Coast Little League this weekend marked its 20th anniversary by hosting the state championship, featuring a first pitch by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Hosting the tournament is a remarkable turn-around from a time a decade ago when Little League and the city were at loggerheads. The relationship turned around several years ago, and has flourished since, culminating with the championship event.
End of an Era: Flagler Beach Might Let Palm Coast Take Over July 4 Fireworks and Shift Its Own to New Year’s Eve
The Flagler Beach City Commission has agreed to an explosive idea–explosive in the best sense and, potentially, in the worst sense: ending the July 4 fireworks, the single-most recognizable and beloved tradition associated with Flagler Beach. Instead, the city will shift its fireworks to New Year’s Eve as a way of helping business in slow winter months.
Palm Coast Art District Chalks Up New Festival During Food Truck Tuesday
During Food Truck Tuesday on July 20, Palm Coast’s Parks and Recreation Department will also host a Chalk Art Festival. The event takes place at Central Park in Town Center from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and is open to all ages. The festival is hosted by the city’s Jared Dawson.
Zaila Avant-garde, 2021 National Spelling Bee Champ, Stands Where Black Children Were Once Kept Out
When Zaila Avant-garde, 14, won the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee on July 8, 2021, she became the first Black American to win in the competition’s history. Shalini Shankar, a scholar of spelling bees, breaks down the importance of this historical moment.
Critical Race Theory: What it Is and What, Gov. DeSantis, It Is Not
Americans are used to viewing their history through a triumphalist lens, where we overcome hardships, defeat our British oppressors and create a country where all are free with equal access to opportunities. Obviously, not all of that is true.
Flagler Beach’s First Friday Returns in September, But Commissioners Want It Refocused on Local Businesses
First Friday will return at Veterans Park in Flagler Beach on Sept. 3, for the first time in a year and a half, but under the new sponsorship of Vern Shank, known as DJ Vern, and Surf Radio, a switch from Flagler Broadcasting’s Beach 92.7, which had sponsored the event for the past nine years.
At Flagler Airport, Freedom Fest Soars Again on Wings of Pride and Memory
A variety of historic and modern aircraft, flying and static, is coming to the Flagler County airport as part of Freedom Fest on Independence Day weekend, with bands, vendors and free admission.
Imagination Vacation: In-Person Children’s Art Day Camps, Starting With Frida Kahlo
Imagination Vacation awaits children ages 7-11 this summer at Ormond Memorial Art Museum’s art and adventure day camps. This series of three-hour camps let children explore their creativity, style, and curiosity while having fun becoming a famous artist, mermaid, pirate, or honey bee.