Paying for critical repairs to Flagler County’s beaches is hostages to a tourism budget’s scandalous and unaccountable promotions spending, which the county administration wants to increase despite the emergency.
Special Events
Kayaking Trips Planned For Flagler’s Centennial Celebration, on Haw Creek and Longs Landing
Registrations, for $15, are needed in advance. Each person registering will get a competition style tee shirt commemorating the County’s Centennial.
Maxine Kronick, Fierce Doyenne of Local Arts and Children’s Theater, Dies On Approach of 80
Maxine Kronick, actress, special events coordinator and arts champion, had co-founder Theaterrific in the late 1980s in Palm Coast, a theater program for poorer children, and remained involved in local theater at Buddy Taylor Middle School and elsewhere.
4th Flagler Film Festival Strings Variety of Themes, With Benefit to Tommy Tant Classic
The Flagler Film Festival at Palm Coast’s Hilton garden Inn starting Friday accepted 60 of 150 submissions from around the world, with question-and-answer sessions with filmmakers concluding most blocks of screenings.
Palm Coast’s 2017 Birds of a Feather Fest and Art Show in February
The three-day birding and nature festival invites everyone to enjoy a weekend of birding, photography, workshops, nature art show, social events, and family activities.
A Stage Grows In Town Center as Palm Coast Arts Foundation Celebrates New Milestone
The arts and culture organization now has a handsome outdoor stage to call its own on its new grounds in Palm Coast’s Town Center, which it celebrated with an afternoon of performances and activities.
Flagler Beach Holiday at the Beach Parade Set for Saturday: Late Participants Welcome
The Rotary Club of Flagler Beach is once again hosting the Holiday at the Beach parade this Saturday, Dec. 3, along resilient State Road A1A in the city and is welcoming last minute parade applicants this week. See the application below.
At Flagler Airport, Veterans Day Framed by Traveling Vietnam Memorial and Freedom Fest
The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall, a 3/5-scale replica of Maya Lin’s original Vietnam Memorial in Washington, stretched almost 300 feet along the tarmac at the airport as Veterans Day ceremonies kicked off Freedom Fest, a weekend-long event.
An Evening of Bardic Folk With Guitarist Mama Gina, Plus Rick de Yampert’s East-West Sitar Fusion
Gina LaMonte, whose stage name is Mama Gina, will sing the saga of Nine Toes when she performs Saturday Sept. 3 during a concert at Salvo Art Project in Bunnell. Palm Coast sitar player Rick de Yampert will open the show.
County, Palm Coast and Flagler Beach Drum Up Trio of Memorial Day Commemorations
Each of the three government is putting on its own ceremony Monday, starting at 8 a.m. in Palm Coast, 10 a.m. at county government, and 1 p.m. in Flagler Beach.
Behind Palm Coast’s Inspired Mic, A King With Nine Lives Defies Dreads, Death and Taboos
After a hiatus The Inspired Mic, Palm Coast’s most daring and unpredictable open mic event, returned to the New Europa under the direction of Michael Ray King, who organizes the monthly event with a light touch, himself inspired by a personal history of harrowing survival.
Cycle Flagler, Flagler Beach Rotary’s Annual Tour, Returns May 1 With Circuits of 16 to 100 Miles
The Rotary Club of Flagler Beach’s Cycle Flagler is back. The 2016 edition is scheduled for May 1, starting with 6 a.m. registration at the Flagler County Airport, one of the event’s hosts.
Flagler County Fair 2016: Rock n’ Rib Fest and Nova Rex’s Metallic High Hair Among Peaks
The Flagler County Fair begins today through Sunday and this year folds in Rock ‘n Ribfest, the annual rock music festival that will feature several bands. including Nova Rex and Restless Heart.
With Less Accountability, Flagler’s Tourism Dollars Continue Shift To Big-Ticket Events
County government’s tourism arm, which manages $1.6 million in tax dollars, is diminishing emphasis on community events to push sports and conferences which draw people without necessarily promoting the county.
Chamber Players of Palm Coast in Final Concert With Abel, Haydn and a Little Moldau
The free concert, under the direction of Paige Dashner Long, will feature a joint performance with the Flagler Youth Orchestra’s most advanced players.
Palm Coast Arts Foundation Breaks Ground at New Home With Poetry, Nietzsche and a Party
Some 250 people turned out for the Palm Coast Arts Foundation’s groundbreaking Thursday at its new home in Town Center, with poetry and a live performance by a Flagler Youth Orchestra ensemble.
Where’s Opelka? Injury and Ranking Climb Keep Star From Palm Coast’s Tennis Tourney
Palm Coast’s celebrated Reilly Opelka, the boys Wimbledon Champ, says he probably would not have competed in the ongoing Men’s Futures Tennis Tournament even if he did not have a stress fracture as he targets bigger tournaments to earn more ranking points.
Bringing “Poverty Inc.” to Palm Coast’s Epic Theater, a Compassionate Entrepreneur’s Goal
Jenny Skripko, a Palm Coast resident and “Compassionate Entrepreneur” with Trades of Hopes, is bringing the celebrated “Poverty Inc.” documentary to Epic Theaters on Feb. 23, but a minimum of 87 tickets must be sold by Feb. 16.
Flagler Film Festival, Drawing on Works Near and Far, Flicks On For 3rd Year Friday
The Flagler Film Festival’s third edition features 47 films from 150 submissions this year, and starts Friday at Palm Coast’s Hilton Garden Inn, running through Sunday.
Christmas With a Deputy Returns for 8th Year as 100-Child Convoy Targets Shopping Spree
Since Sgt. Larry Jones (ret.) thought up the idea at his kitchen table in 2008, the number of poorer children getting to Christmas-shop with $150 with a cop has grown from 14 to 100.
Tree Lighting in Palm Coast’s Town Center Ignites Series of Holiday Events
The tree lighting on Monday also starts the annual Fantasy Lights display in Town Center. The boat parade is on Dec. 5, the Starlight Parade on Dec. 12.
The Live Profile
Jim Guines, Smokin’ Shock to the System and Now 83, Will Be Celebrated Sunday
Jim Guines, the forceful and unpredictable member of the Flagler County School Board for 11 years until 2007, will be at the center of a community tribute Sunday at Flagler Palm Coast High School, at 3 p.m.
On Marineland’s 75th Anniversary, Celebration of More Than Dolphins or a Storied Past
Marineland’s 75th anniversary celebrates past, present and future, highlighting the town’s continued ecological and cultural importance beyond dolphin adventures, which nevertheless play a large role in the town’s identity.
Spartan Extreme Race Re-Sets for Flagler: New Location, Same Lack of Transparency
While the Spartan race appears set at a private ranch in Flagler next March, again, serious questions of transparency and patronage are undermining tiourism chief Matt Dunn’s latest approach.
Conflict Concerns Raised Over Tourism’s Matt Dunn Moonlighting at His Own Agency
Flagler government tourism chief Matt Dunn, an $82,000-a-year employee, owns a company that offers services similar to those he provides the county, raising questions of conflicts of interest.
Palm Coast International Festival Saturday at Town Center
The Palm Coast International Festival is rich in food, wine, beers, various cultures, entertainment, games, and a parade of nations, at Town Center Saturday from noon to 9 p.m.
At Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Fundraiser, It Felt Like the 1980s Again. That’s The Problem.
Even though a sizable crowd turned up for the fundraiser Sunday, the effort still falls significantly short of keeping the club going or convincing the school board that the group leading the effort can lease the property and make it work as a club again.
Party On: Flagler Beach Commission Approves Policy For Private Events on Pier, 4-0
The Flgler Beach City Commission Thursday voted 4-0 to approve a new policy regulating how the Flagler Beach pier may be rented out for private parties–and closed to the general public–up to six times a year.
Privatize the Flagler Beach Pier? Commission Says Yes to 6 Events Per Year, to Make Money
The Flagler Beach pier already generates well over $300,000 a year for the city, and rising, but commissioners want more: they’d close off the pier to private parties six times a year, for $155 an hour plus additional fees.
Princess Place Saved Again: Flagler Pulls Extreme Race Out of Preserve and Looks Elsewhere
County Administrator Craig Coffey, conceding to the outpouring of opposition to holding such a race at the preserve—and to a majority of county commissioners’ categorical opposition to the event there—informed commissioners Sunday that the race would be pulled.
How County Government Is Pimping Princess Place While Spinning Fairy Tales
Flagler County’s justifications for holding a Spartan extreme-sport race at Princess Place Preserve fails the smell test on all counts and raise questions about how tourism chief Matt Dunn and County Administrator Craig Coffey got the deal so far to start with.
Bill Would Ban All Confederate Flags on Public Grounds as Question of “Security” Is Raised Over Ag Museum Civil War Reenactment
Bill McGuire, a tourist council and Palm Coast City Council member, is concerned about the Confederate flag display at an upcoming Civil War reenactment at the Agricultural Museum. He spoke as a bill was introduced in Tallahassee to ban all such displays on public grounds.
The Inspired Mic: Two Years of Coaxing Out Flagler’s Talent, Six Minutes at a Time
The three-hour monthly open-mic event at Leroy’s 19th Hole in Palm Coast features vets, comics, poets, undefinable performers and occasional magic, all under the emceeing choreography of author Michael Ray King.
Rain Forces Palm Coast Arts Foundation to Move Jax Symphony Pops Concert to Destination Daytona at I-95 and US1
The concert venue for the April 19 Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra Picnic and Pops event is the Coca-Cola Pavilion at Rossemeyer’s Destination Daytona, Exit 273 off I-95 at U.S. 1, a few miles south of Palm Coast.
Robert Wittman, FBI’s James Bond of Stolen Art, Brings His Best-Selling Tales to Flagler Auditorium April 7
Robert Wittman and the FBI’s art-recovery division he created were responsible for recovering some $225 million in stolen art through remarkably daring undercover operations. Wittman, a best-selling author, appears at the Flagler Auditorium on April 7 to recount his adventures in a fund-raising for the Flagler County Art League.
B-17 Flying Fortress, “Guts and Backbone” of Air War, Brings Out Veterans and Emotions
The EAAs B-17 landed at Flagler County Airport Thursday to be part of Wings Over Flagler Rockin the Runways, and immediately attracted a Palm Coast veteran airmen who’;d flown aboard a B-17 and been shot down.
Wings Over Flagler Brings a Flying Fortress Of a Show At 3-Day, 50-Plane Rockin’ of Runways
The 50-some planes at the Flagler County Airport Friday through Sunday include the enormous B-17 Flying Fortress, the C-54 Berlin Airlift Flying Museum, a a CH-47 Chinook, and a Ford Tri-Motor, the first commercial plane in the U.S.
Dancing, Archery, History: Native American Festival at Princess Place Saturday and Sunday
In a first, Flagler County is hosting a Native American Festival at Princess Place Preserve Saturday, February 28 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and again on Sunday March 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. General admission is $5 per carload, up to four, and $1 for each additional passenger.
At Salvo Art Project:
Jan Geyer, Artist of the Year
In Palm Coast less than three years, artist Jan Geyer has made her impact on the local arts community through her own studio at City Marketplace and her associations with Hollingsworth-Salvo Art Project and the Flagler County Art League.
Big Names, Big Numbers and Zombies Animate 2nd Flagler Film Festival at Hilton
Organizers of the three-day Flagler Film Festival, which concluded Sunday at the Hilton Garden Inn in Palm Coast, say attendance was up about 25 percent despite inclement weather.
Men’s Futures Tennis Tourney Returns to Palm Coast For 6th Year, Jan. 23-Feb. 1
Up to 128 touring professionals will compete at Palm Coast’s clay court facility for a $10,000 purse and ATP ranking points. Most days’ events are free to the public.
Flagler Film Festival, the Sequel: Zombies and Star Power Flick In Jan. 9-11
The second edition of the Flagler Film Festival, at Palm Coast’s Hilton Garden Inn Jan. 9-11, features Florida-themed and Palm Coast based productions among numerous entries from around the world.
Palm Coast Inaugurates 3-Day Birds of a Feather Fest With “The Big Year”‘s Greg Miller Headlining
The inaugural and broad-spanned three-day Birds of a Feather Fest is scheduled for Feb. 6-8, 2015, offering a weekend of birding, workshops, presentations, kayak trips and family activities.
FHP Warns of Extra Halloween Patrols and Cautions Trick and Treaters on Safety
This weekend, the Florida Highway Patrol will join thousands of law enforcement and highway safety agencies across the nation in enforcing Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.
As Bunnell Cancels Christmas and Potato Festival, Private Group Aims to Save Both
Bunnell cancelled all special events to close a $1 million deficit, and the Flagler Chamber is unable to run the annual Potato Festival, but Mari Molina of Flagler Cats says she is organizing a group of private concerns and volunteers to take over the festival and re-name it the Bunnell Agricultural Festival.
“I Know I Should Have Died on US 1”: Jack Howell Survives Another Bike Crash
Teens-in-Flight chief Jack Howell, the retired Marine Colonel, was riding at 60 mph in the annual Frank Celico fund-raising ride Saturday when a tire on his motorcycle blew, sending him scraping against the highway.
Palm Coast’s Hall of Terror Back for 13th Year Oct. 30 and 31 at Station 21
The Palm Coast Fire Department, under the leadership of Rich Cline and Dan Driscoll, is once again putting on its Halloween bash of chills and dreads at Fire Station 21 on Corporate Drive in Palm Coast.
Creekside Festival Celebrates 10th Year Saturday and Sunday at Princess Place Preserve
Drawing upwards of 15,000 guests each year, the Chamber of Commerce-managed two-day festival offers exhibits and activities to appeal to all tastes. This year’s event is set for Saturday, Oct. 11 and Sunday, Oct. 12.
More Land For Pops as City Embraces Partnership With Palm Coast Arts Foundation
The city has agreed to lease the foundation–which is set to raise its first physical structure–even more land than it had before in Town Center and increasing the arts group’s space by about a third, and doubling the length of the $1-year-lease to 10 years.
Flagler Celebrating 2nd Annual Arts in Education Week From Stage to Frames to Slams
More than a dozen arts and culture events put the focus this week on arts in education in Flagler and Palm Coast, including theater, art shows, a poetry slam and a costume gala.