St. Simons Island Fun Zone announces summer hours

The Neptune Park Fun Zone pool on St. Simons Island opens its doors for the 2010 season Saturday, May 1. The pool will be open weekends only until Memorial Day weekend, from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm Saturdays, and 1:00 to 7:00 pm Sundays. Beginning Thursday May 27, the pool will be open Monday-Saturday from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm and Sundays from 1:00 to 7:00 pm.

The Neptune Park Fun Zone opened for its inaugural season in May 2009, and served nearly 21,000 pool guests. More than 15,000 rounds of mini-golf have been played since opening day.

The "multi-purpose" pool is designed to encourage use by swimmers of all ages and abilities. The southern end of the L-shaped pool, closest to the bath house, features a walk-in "beach" entry which slopes gently from 12" at the edges to 18" in the center. The northernmost section of the pool is divided into lanes for lap swimming and limited competition. Between these two sections is a smaller, 3-foot deep section for water aerobics and swimming instruction. The pool, like the rest of the Fun Zone, is accessible to those in wheelchairs.

The children's water park area is situated between the two legs of the larger pool. It features a "water playground" complete with slides, a tipping bucket, fountains and a variety of showers, squirt guns and other water play toys. It is surrounded by a fence and landscaping to ensure limited access for young children and their caregivers.

Red Cross certified lifeguards monitor the pool and its guests continuously during pool hours.

The Glynn County Parks and Recreation Department will offer a variety of services and activities including American Red Cross swimming lessons and water safety courses, private swimming lessons by certified instructors, water aerobics and a novice swim team. These activities will take place primarily during mornings prior to public swimming.

The bath house features large restrooms with showers and changing areas, ticket offices for the pool and miniature golf course, and a concession stand called "Cap's Place."

Located on the south side of the bath house between the entrances to the pool and miniature golf course, Cap's Place is open to the public. It offers a variety of menu items including barbecue, pizza, hot dogs and boiled shrimp as well as "walk and talk" items, healthy treats, sno-cones and ice cream, cold drinks and more. Cap's Place will be open year 'round, from 11:00 am to 10:00 pm between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm from Labor Day to Memorial Day. For information call 912-638-3333.

The miniature golf course features 18 holes with a "conservative" design. The mini-golf course has its own entrance, located on the west side of the bath house. Hours are Monday-Thursday from 4:00 to 8:00 pm, Fridays from 1:00 to 8:00 pm, Saturdays from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm and Sundays from 1:00 to 8:00 pm.

All-day admission to the pool is $7.00 per person. Miniature golf is $7.00 per person per game. Season passes are available for the pool, and multi-game passes are available for miniature golf. Special group rates are available, and the complex may be rented for private functions. For information about Neptune Park Fun Zone, call 912-279-2836. Or, visit them online.
Photos: Glynn Country Parks and Recreation Dept.

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Brunswick's Ritz Theatre announces Summer Classic Movies

The Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association (GIAHA) presents the 2010 season of Summer Classic Movies at the Ritz, featuring classic Hollywood films they way they were meant to be seen. Screenings are Thursdays July 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 at 7:00 pm, with a special matinee screening Sunday Aug. 1 at 3:00 pm at the Ritz Theatre, 1530 Newcastle St. in downtown Brunswick.

“We scoured the vaults for some of the greatest movies in Hollywood history, with something to please just about every taste,” notes GIAHA’s film programming coordinator Rob Nixon. “Over the past few years, we’ve taken suggestions and requests from our audiences and put their ideas into the programming mix this summer to give film lovers what they most enjoy. We’re especially glad we can honor the many requests we’ve received to bring Gone with the Wind to the big screen at the Ritz.”

The 2010 line-up includes two rousing musicals: Yankee Doodle Dandy (July 1), the perfect patriotic way to kick off the Independence Day weekend, and Meet Me in St. Louis (July 15), a warmly nostalgic period piece for the whole family. The series also includes a romantic comedy, The Philadelphia Story (July 8), starring one of the most popular stars featured in past seasons, Cary Grant; Strangers on a Train (July 22), a Hitchcock thriller that audiences rarely get the opportunity to see; and Bonnie and Clyde (July 29), a modern classic that changed the face of American cinema in the 1960s. And of course, there’s the immortal epic with Rhett and Scarlett, the most famous couple in screen history, as the series grand finale (August 1).

Once again, there will be a selection of fun cartoons and short subjects beginning about a half hour before show time. Plus, audiences can bring their own snacks and enjoy free popcorn (first come, first served), courtesy of Angie Aimar of Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners. There will also be giveaways and special offers from several local merchants and pre-show dining at most downtown restaurants.

The special Aug. 1 matinee offers audiences two ways to see Gone with the Wind. Pay the regular $5 ticket price and watch the movie beginning at 3:00 p.m. (short subjects at 2:30), with an intermission at 5 p.m. Or for only $12, you will get admission to the movie and a delicious "Southern Soul Silver Screen Snack Sack" at intermission catered by Southern Soul Barbeque: a taste of the Old South featuring a pulled pork slider and two sides. Take it back into the theater with you and enjoy it during the second half of the show! These advance tickets must be purchased by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 30. Get them at the Ritz box office, 1530 Newcastle St., Downtown Brunswick, or on line at goldenislesarts.org.

Admission to each show in the Summer Classic Movies series at the Ritz is only $5 for all ages. For more information, call GIAHA at 912-262-6934 or visit goldenislesarts.org.

SUMMER CLASSIC MOVIES AT THE RITZ COMPLETE SERIES SCHEDULE
(Click on photos for video clips)

Thursday, July 1, 7 pm – Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
The great tough guy of the Silver Screen gets wildly patriotic in this crowd-pleasing musical based on the life of the most famous showman of the early 20th century, George M. Cohan. James Cagney won a much-deserved Academy Award for his acting, singing and dancing in this celebration of unbridled show biz chutzpah and American optimism, featuring such classic songs as “Give My Regards to Broadway,” “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” and the lively title tune. You’ll be tempted to sing along (fine with us, as long as your neighbors don’t mind) and maybe even try your hand at Cagney’s famous tap dance down a grand staircase—just not in the Ritz balcony, please! Come dressed in your most patriotic outfit!

Thursday, July 8, 7 pm – The Philadelphia Story (1940)
After being declared “Box Office Poison” in the late 1930s and returning to her roots on the stage, Katharine Hepburn made a triumphant comeback in motion pictures with this comedy based on her runaway Broadway success. The Great Kate stars as spoiled, willful Tracy Lord, a high society bride-to-be whose world is turned upside down on the eve of her wedding by romantic complications involving two men in her life…who aren’t her groom! And no wonder, when the two men turn out to be the suave and sly Cary Grant and lovable James Stewart, who won an Oscar as the reporter who learns a few surprising things about how the other half lives.

Thursday, July 15, 7 pm – Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Fans of classic movies at the Ritz love musicals, and here’s one of the very best, a treat for the entire family. This is classic Hollywood studio filmmaking at its height: lavishly detailed Technicolor art direction and costuming, musical production and performance by the top talents in the industry, and masterful direction by Vincente Minnelli that takes us through the life of a loving family around the time of the grand 1904 World’s Fair. And it features the legendary Judy Garland at her peak, singing such old favorites as “The Trolley Song,” “The Boy Next Door,” and the heartbreaking “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

Thursday, July 22, 7 pm – Strangers on a Train (1951)
No one did suspense like Alfred Hitchcock, and here’s a chance to see one of his most acclaimed but rarely screened classics, a strangely twisted story about a young man who unwittingly makes a murderous deal with a stranger he meets on a train journey. Robert Walker is creepy and darkly funny as the wealthy, sinister Bruno. Farley Granger is the famous tennis pro ensnared in Bruno’s deadly trap. But the real star, of course, is Alfred Hitchcock, the director who brought tales of mystery to their most anxiety-producing heights, finding terror in the most ordinary, benign settings—like an amusement park that turns out to be anything but amusing!

Thursday, July 29, 7 pm – Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Arthur Penn’s take on the legendary outlaw duo of the Depression had a tremendous impact on popular culture when it was released in the late 1960s, setting new trends in cinematic style, depictions of screen violence (fairly tame by today’s standards), even fashion. As Clyde Barrow, Warren Beatty emerged as a major force in the industry, and Faye Dunaway became an overnight star as Bonnie Parker. But what audiences love most about this landmark film is its mixture of breezy humor and intense drama, its poignant take on society’s outcasts and doomed love, and the way it draws us in to the creation of a distinctly American myth.

Sunday, August 1, 3 pm – Gone with the Wind (1939)
What can we say about this enduring classic that hasn’t been said many times before? That Margaret Mitchell’s tale of the Old South is one of the most successful and beloved movies of all time? That Scarlett O’Hara is one of the most headstrong and unforgettable heroines in American movies? That Rhett Butler, frankly, doesn’t give a damn? Let’s just say this: If you’ve never seen it on the big screen (or at all), you owe it to yourself. And GIAHA is making it even more attractive with a special matinee event that will give you the full epic experience and still get you home at a reasonable hour, including a special intermission sack-snack for advance ticket holders.

Admission to each show in the Summer Classic Movies series at the Ritz is only $5 for all ages. For more information, call GIAHA at 912-262-6934 or visit goldenislesarts.org.

Photos: Flixter.com ------------------- Video clips: Turner Classic Movies

New historical marker on St. Simons Island commemorates Cannon's Point Plantation

A new historical marker on St. Simons Island commemorates the achievements of one of America's first experimental farms, Cannon's Point Plantation, and its master, John Couper.

Couper left his native Scotland at 16, to seek his fortune in America. He served an apprenticeship in Savannah and moved to Florida during the American Revolution. After the war he became a successful merchant in the town of Sunbury, where he married Rebecca Maxwell in 1792. Cannon's Point was among several tracts of land purchased in 1793 by John Couper and his business partner, James Hamilton.

The Couper family moved to St. Simons Island in 1796. Their first home was a simple cottage built by Daniel Cannon, a carpenter of old Frederica. In 1804 the Coupers moved into a handsome new mansion with a tabby foundation and wooden upper story and a half. A broad stairway led to a wide piazza that provided views of the Hampton River and surrounding marshes.

Couper had a deep interest in horticulture, which led to trials and improvements in the plantation's staple crop, sea island cotton and established the plantation's reputation as "Georgia's Experimental Station." Couper's interests and expertise were not limited to cotton, however.

The plantation was lush with shrubs, trees and flowers as well as groves of lemons, oranges and Persian date palms. At the urging of President Jefferson, Couper imported 200 olive trees from France, which yielded oil "of a superior quality."

The Couper family were known to be congenial and welcoming hosts, and their plantation hosted visitors and guests for weeks or months at a time. One young couple is said to have spent their honeymoon there and remained until the birth of their second child.

In addition to his horticultural expertise, John Couper distinguished himself through public service. He was a member of the Georgia legislature and a delegate to Georgia's constitutional convention. When the U.S. government expressed its interest in building a lighthouse on the southern end of St. Simons Island, Couper sold the land where it stands for one dollar.

John Couper's generosity and sense of humor were known far and wide. He was beloved by those who knew him, for his exceptional courtesy, intelligence, and easy wit. He was said to have loved life and shared that love with all who knew him.

The new marker is located along Lawrence Road, approximately three miles north of the Frederica Road roundabout. It was erected and dedicated by representatives of the Georgia Historical Society, Coastal Georgia Historical Society, Friends of Coastal Georgia History and The Sea Island Company. Also on hand for the dedication were descendents of John Couper.

The Cannon's Point Plantation marker is one of 82 historical markers located in Glynn County, according to the Historical Marker Database. For a map of Glynn County's markers, click here.

The history of John Couper and his family is very well documented. To learn more, you might want to read "The John Couper Family of Cannon's Point" by T. Reed Ferguson*.

* © 1996, Mercer University Press