St. Augustine performer Jeanetta Salyer marches to the beat of her own drum. As the bandleader of Ramona + The Riot, a 7- to 11-piece music group that performs locally and regionally, she also runs her own business, Ancient City Entertainment scheduling musicians at area venues. This local entrepreneur is also the organizer of AS IF! The 90s Fest, a music festival and 90s-themed event on Saturday, May 15, at Francis Field in downtown St. Augustine. She currently sits on the board of Hopefull Handbags, a global organization started in St. Augustine that helps and supports those getting back on their feet from domestic abuse.
The Ancient City Poets group that s been a bright light on the city s literary scene for more than a decade is gearing up to begin the way they started: with live performances throughout the community.
The ragtag group was established in 2009 by St. Augustine resident Chris Bodor, who launched a monthly poetry reading series that still gathers to this day though its platform, like so many other things during the COVID pandemic, shifted online to Zoom broadcasts.
Sunday, April 25 part of the St. Johns Cultural Council s celebration of April as national poetry month will mark the first time in more than a year that the Ancient City Poets will take to the stage, and this is the part they ve been missing.
St. Photios National Shrine Executive Director Polly Hillier Recognized for Women s History Month
The St. Photios National Shrine congratulates its Executive Director Polly Hillier for being recognized by the St. Johns Cultural Council for Women s History Month!
Polly Maouris Hillier came to St. Augustine from New Zealand in 2005 to work at St. Photios National Shrine. A native of the Hudson Valley, she serves as the Executive Director of the Shrine, which is known affectionately by locals as the “Jewel of St. George Street.”
Her career in the not-for-profit sector, experience as an educator, love of Orthodox Christianity, and her interest in history were a perfect foundation for working at the first shrine of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
The Gamble Rogers Music Festival Board of Directors has decided to cancel its upcoming live spring 2021 event due to ongoing concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic.
The music series, originally scheduled for April 30 through May 2, was to take place at the Colonial Oak Music Park in downtown St. Augustine.
The annual festival honors the late James Gamble Rogers III (Jan. 31, 1937-Oct. 10, 1991), a famed folk musician and storyteller. His musician friends came together more than 25 years ago to celebrate his legacy with a festival held in St. Augustine, featuring national, regional, and local musicians and storytellers on several stages.
The 25th anniversary event was canceled in 2020 and, at the request of Gamble s family, the 2021 event is now also being put off due to continued health risks.
Arts and culture make for a vibrant community for local residents and visitors alike and that s why Christina Parrish Stone, executive director of the St. Johns Cultural Council, sees expansion of the Art in Public Spaces program as a coup.
County commissioners on Jan. 21 approved Stone s proposal to increase funding for the program which provides public access to free visual and performing arts in St. Augustine and the surrounding areas.
The expenditure is for $5,000 for the year, and another $5,000 for events related to the 200th anniversary of the founding of St. Johns County, which will allow for stipends for artists and matching funds for grants the council has submitted to supplement that funding.