Feb. 3, 2009 - Vilano Beach February Events

Here are the February events for Vilano Beach sorted first by date, then followed by on-going events. See you at the beach! Please visit http://VilanoBeachFL.com for information.

Please call the phone number shown to verify any information. Let me know if you have an event you'd like posted.

February 9, 5:45 p.m.

SUNSET-MOONRISE AT TOP OF THE LIGHTHOUSE

5:45 pm Appetizers by The Reef Restaurant. Lighthouse fundraiser.

Reservations required. 829-0745. $20 members & $25 non-members.

February 9, 6:45 p.m.

WINE CLASS - Bubblies & Dessert Wines - How to Impress Your Date Without Breaking the Bank

with matching appetizers. $30. Reservations required.

The Reef Restaurant, 4100 Coastal Highway. 824-8008

February  9, 7 p.m.

NSIA FORUM - DESIGNATION AS A NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA - WHAT IT MEANS TO OUR COMMUNITY

·          A National Heritage Area (NHA) is eligible for up to $10 million in federal grants which will stimulate

our economic potential through heritage tourism development. Recognized nationally as a "special

place" in America, it will help preserve our historical and cultural resources and should increase our

quality of life and the value of our property. The proposed boundaries of our NHA are the coastal

region from Ponte Vedra to Palm Coast. The County is seeking our help and your help in applying for this

designation. There will be a presentation by Mr. Robin Moore, County Historic Resource Specialist, who is

coordinating the submission of the feasibility study to Congress.

·          NSIA Officers and Directors for 2009 will be proposed.

Info: 824-1212

February 10, 6:30 p.m.

FLORIDA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY Sea Oats Chapter

TROUBLE IN PARADISE: INVASIVE PLANT CHALLENGE

Maia McGuire, University of Florida Sea Grant Extension Agent will discuss

invasive species and how to eradicate them. Door prizes.

At the St. Augustine Beach City Hall, 2200 A1A South.

Info: 824-4423

February 11, 7 p.m.

SUNSET-FULL MOON RIVER CRUISE

Cap's On The Water Restaurant. An old fishing boat cruise down the Intracoastal

to see the City of St. Augustine. Must be over 21. Tickets are $10 on

first come basis and go on sale at 5:30 pm. Leaves Cap's dock promptly

at 7 pm. 4325 Myrtle Street off Third Street.

Info: 819-8190

February 13 & 14

SPECIAL VALENTINE'S DAY MENUS

·          Pawnee's, 165 Vilano RD, 824-2455, 5:30 to 9:00

·          The Reef, 4100 Coastal HWY, 824-8008, 4:30 to 10:00

February 14, 2p.m.

FREE SKIMBOARD LESSONS

Vilano Surf Hut, 120 Vilano RD, 829-WAVE, 806-8120

Come to store first. If under age 18, need adult consent waiver.

Sign up for Tai Chi classes. mailto:vilanosurfhut@aol.com. End of season clearance sale!

February 15, 6 p.m.

COMMUNITY FELLOWSHIP DINNER

Church at Vilano at the Community Center, 120 Meadow Avenue.

Pot Luck Dinner. Bring a dish to share.

Info: 808-8304

February 18, 4-6 p.m.

VILANO BEACH MAIN STREET PLANNING GROUP

At the Hampton Inn Oceanside on Vilano Road

Design * Economic Restructuring * Organization * Promotion.

Meets every 3rd Wednesday.

Info:  501-5891 or 824-1212

February 19, 6 p.m.

ALTRUSA CLUB

Community minded international group of women who welcome new members.

(3rd Thurs) At South Ponte Vedra Association Center, 2724 S. Ponte Vedra Boulevard.

Info: Janet Gandara - 823-1101

February 19, 7 p.m.

CITIZENS AIRPORT GROUP

(3^rd Thurs).  Contact Rita George.  825-4832.  If you are not already on the distribution list.  The date and location may be changed for February, so please check.

February 21,  9 a.m.

BEACH RESTORATION MEETING

South Ponte Vedra Association Center  2724 S. Ponte Vedra Boulevard,  www.spv-vilano.com. Meets the 3rd Saturday of every month.  Special Note:  At this meeting their engineering contractor will present the results of the Feasibility Study.

Info: 824-4571 or 387-0770

March 9,  7 p.m.

NSIA FORUM -- NEW LANDSCAPE IRRIGATION REGULATIONS

Board Members of Neighborhood Associations Should Attend & Homeowners with Automatic Irrigation Systems

At the North Shores Community Center, 120 Meadow Avenue

New rules in the St. Johns River Water Management District will change how homeowners and commercial properties water their lawns and landscapes to save our water supply. New 2008 Statewide Fertilizer Regulations and New Stormwater Runoff Regulations that will be coming  in June 2010 will also be discussed.  Speakers are Joe Sewards, Multi-County Horticulture Agent, and John Kordic, Florida Landscape & Nursery, who has developed a new drip irrigation system for Turtle Shores.  They will be able to answer other landscape questions as well.  Joe runs the Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Program ("Right Plant, Right Place") and is developing Low Impact Landscape Techniques at the Ag Center near the Wind Mitigation building.   

Info: 824-1212                               

On-going

LIBRARY BOOKMOBILE

   When: February 2, March 2 (every other Monday, but Feb. 16^th), 2-3 p.m.

   Where: Vilano Beach Pier

   Info: 827-6944, 827-6900, http://www.sjcpls.org/

STUDY LAB & STUDENT TUTORING (grades 1 - 12)

   When:  Every Monday and Wednesday, 4-6 p.m.

   Where: North Shores Improvement Association (NSIA) Community Center, 120 Meadow Avenue

   Info: Hosted by the Church at Vilano, 808-8304, or Art Holden, 829-0823 to register a student for tutoring.

WINE TASTING

   When:  Every Friday and Saturday Night, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

   Where: Pawnee's Café & Fine Wines, 165 Vilano RD,

   Info: Friday $10, 6 wines. Saturday $ 7, 4 wines. Case discounts, 823-2455

FUN FITNESS CLASSES

   When:  Most Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. and 10:15 a.m.

   Where: Harbor View Room at Kingfish Grill, Camachee Island

   Info:  Tighten & Tone and Jazzercise. Susan Rubin, instructor, 669-9638.

            2 free visits. 8 visits $40, Saturday only, $4 each. Call for exact schedule.

Feb. 3, 2009 - Saving Money in the New Year - magicJack & Internet Faxing

While it is always a good idea to try to save money, I have found that these times really dictated the necessity for me to analyze my expenses. Key to any business is communications including phone, fax and Internet. Years ago I untied the lines from the local phone company and went to Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) for my phone and faxing needs. VOIP never did a good job with faxing and was very frustrating to me. Recently when a loved one moved out of state, I knew I would need to increase either my cell phone plan or my VOIP plan. magicJack Then along came Jack---magicJack that is. I am in no way associated with magicJack other than as a customer. I ordered magicJack online via their 30-day free trial and have been pleased with the results. MagicJack is $39.95 plus shipping and handling for the first year and then $19.95 per year thereafter. That's $19.95 PER YEAR for unlimited local and long distance calling in addition to free directory assistance, call waiting, voicemail and caller ID. You can also get MagicJack at Radio Shack for $39.99. I ordered online via http://magicjack.com so I could try it out first. Yes, you have to have your computer up for magicJack to work. But you can forward magicJack or have it go to voicemail when the computer is off. You will get an e-mail when you have a voice message. My VOIP provider charged 3.9 cents a minute to forward calls. Not true with majicJack---no charge to forward calls. No matter where you go, if you have an Internet connection (supports Wi-Fi), you have phone service. The main drawback for me is the inability to port numbers. I had to get a new phone number (free local number) when I went to magicJack. As many customers, family and friends knew my home number and I used that same number for work, I needed the ability to keep that number. So, I ported my home number to my cell phone.  MagicJack says they will be allowing porting sometime in 2009, but I could not wait. Faxing MagicJack might support faxing, but I wanted to make sure I had a reliable method for use anywhere. That is why I finally made the move to Internet faxing. There are some free services, but they either provide advertising along with your fax or have a limited amount of faxing capability. I choose Ringcentral (http://ringcentral.com) at $9.99/month, but there are many good companies out there.  I have been less than pleased with their customer service (too long on hold), but their service is great. I ported my fax number to Ringcentral. It took 27 calendar days, which was 24 more days than porting my number to my cell phone. I scan documents and e-mail them instead of faxing (but I can fax them) and incoming faxes go directly to my computer (or I can have them print directly, but why?). It is then easy to forward faxes on via e-mail. Again, wherever I am with my computer and an Internet connection, I can receive faxes. I think the days of the old fashioned fax machines are numbered. Soon we won't need Internet faxing either. Everyone will just scan and e-mail. Comments? Questions? Advice? Please share!