Category Archives: Community Events

The Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival Committee is pleased to announce that Baptist Medical Center-Nassau is the “Presenting Sponsor” of the 54th annual festival being held May 5 -7, 2017, in historic, downtown Fernandina Beach. “This opportunity is a natural partnership between the area’s only community hospital and the largest, longest running special event in our area”, said Baptist-Nassau’s President Ed Hubel, “sponsoring the festival is a natural extension of our commitment to our local communities.”

Baptist Medical Center Nassau is a highly advanced, extremely well-equipped community hospital on Amelia Island that provides a full spectrum of inpatient and outpatient services and 24-hour emergency care to coastal communities in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. The medical staff includes highly trained physicians in 24 different specialties who practice locally, and as part of the Baptist Health System. Baptist Nassau has access to many additional specialized physicians, services, and resources when needed.

The Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival kicks-off Thursday, May 4th, with a 6:00 p.m. Pirate Parade in downtown Fernandina. The festival officially opens Friday afternoon with a dedicated Kids’ Fun Zone at Central Park, and plenty of riverfront activities. The festival continues Saturday and Sunday with nearly 400 vendors displaying fine arts and crafts, antiques, and of course there will be lots of shrimp! You can expect contests, pageants, Pirates, and an incredible line-up of entertainment including an emotional Wreath Ceremony.

Located in the heart of the waterfront during the Shrimp Festival, Baptist-Nassau will be in attendance to showcase their services and staff. You are encouraged to stop by their booth where they will be sharing information and answering questions about quality health care available in our communities.

Consistently rated by “Sunshine Artist Magazine” in the top 100 North America best events, visit ShrimpFestival.com for more information.

(Press release) – Award-winning Challenge Butter is buttering up Floridians by donating more than 100 pounds of its fresh sweet cream butter to all of the food vendors cooking up local shrimp for the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival attendees. It’s also providing free samples from Chef Ryan Robinson of Brett’s Waterway Cafe, and free coupons.

Festivalgoers can enjoy watching Chef Ryan Robinson prepare and sample dishes made with Challenge Butter and Challenge Cream Cheese on-site at the Challenge Butter Kitchen, located on the lawn at the foot of Centre Street. Demos will be taking place on the hour beginning at 11 a.m. and ending at 3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.

The Challenge Butter booth is also fun place to stop for a chance to spin and win coupons, squishy cows and more.
New to Florida, Challenge is the leading butter brand in the West and has won accolades from the World Dairy Awards, Saveur Magazine and San Francisco Chronicle. Its butter and cream cheese are made from 100% real cream from its 450 family owned dairies.

A stickler for quality, Challenge products are free of growth hormones, artificial preservatives, dyes and fillers. And, its products are so fresh, they are ready for the grocer within 48 hours of the cows being milked. Look for them in the dairy case at Winn-Dixie and Wal-Mart. It’s the butter with the elk on the package.

The Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival is May 5 – 7, with a Pirate Parade kick-off on May 4th at 6:00 p.m. in historic, downtown Fernandina Beach. Enjoy a Kids Fun Zone, live musical entertainment, contests, food booths and more. On Saturday and Sunday there will be over 450 arts, crafts, antiques, and collectible booths. For more information, please visit www.ShrimpFestival.com.

ABOUT CHALLENGE BUTTER
Award-winning Challenge Butter began more than one hundred years ago. Today, it is the largest butter brand in the West and is available nationwide. Its portfolio of products includes Salted and Unsalted Challenge Butter, Whipped Challenge Butter and Salted and Unsalted European Style Butter. Its line of spreadable butters includes Italian Herb & Garlic, Cracked Pepper & Sea Salt, Challenge Lite Spreadable Butter with Olive Oil, a Challenge Spreadable Butter Flavored with Olive Oil, Challenge Spreadable Butter with Canola Oil and Challenge Lactose-Free Spreadable Butter. It recently introduced six cream cheese products including regular Challenge Cream Cheese, Challenge Spreadable Cream Cheese, Challenge Whipped Cream Cheese, Challenge Neufchatel Cheese, Challenge Salsa Flavored Cream Cheese and Challenge Strawberry Flavored Cream Cheese. Challenge has not only been a pioneer in the quality in butter products, but is also responsible for many industry firsts including invention of the first aluminum butter churn, lab sampling of butter and shipping butter in paper rather than wooden crates. Visit Challenge on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ChallengeButter or at www.ChallengeDairy.com.

Wondering how to get around downtown Fernandina Beach during the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival? Well, in certain areas you just can’t! Here are the scheduled street and parking lot closures for the 2017 Festival:

It takes a lot of time to set up a festival with nearly 400 arts, crafts, and antiques booths, food booths, sponsor tents, and other special exhibits so Lots A and B, at the waterfront, will be closed at 12:01 a.m. Thursday morning, May 4th, until noon, Monday, May 8, 2017.

The Festival kicks-off officially Thursday afternoon, on May 4th with a Pirate Parade that starts promptly at 6:00 p.m. so expect road closures on Ash and Centre Streets, from 11th to Second Streets, during the parade.

Immediately following the parade there will be a special Sounds on Centre street dance and live, free concert featuring Skip Towne and the Bounty Hunters. Centre Street, from Front to Second Streets will be closed until Sounds on Centre ends at approximately 9:30 p.m.

Lots C and D, along the river front, will be closed from 12:01 a.m on Friday, until Sunday, May 7th at 6:00 p.m.; some spaces in these lots will be available for parking by permit or payment only.

Noon Friday will see the closing of Centre Street at Second Street, to the waterfront, except for local traffic. At 4:00 p.m. Centre Street will close at Eighth Street, except for local traffic, and at 5:00 p.m. Centre Street and all streets one block north and one block south of Centre Street, from Seventh Street to the waterfront, will be closed to all traffic.

Roads and parking lots will remain closed until 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 7, 2017.

For more information, please visit ShrimpFestival.com.

Historic Fernandina Beach is home to one of the region’s largest hometown parades. This year’s theme is the Ultimate Shrimp Experience. The parade will begin promptly at 6 :00 p.m., Thursday, May 4, 2017, and with spectators lined up three and four people deep for over 16 blocks, there is no better way – for the money – to get in front of a crowd this large and local businesses have signed up! There are almost 100 entries in this parade!!!

There will be decorative floats, walking groups, marching bands, exotic and antique vehicles, and much more. This year’s grand marshal is Jeff “Trapper” Parish.

Parade categories include Non-profit, Commercial, Walking Unit, Band or Performing  Unit, Civic Group, Judges Choice, and Special Effects. Awards will be presented on the River Front Stage on Friday, May 5ht. All entries are required to commemorate the shrimping industry  by adhering to the Pirate Parade Theme and the parade may not be used as a public forum to air personal opinions, grievances, or to protest any issue. 

The Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival is a delicious Northeast Florida tradition being held May 5 – 7, 2017, and is presented by Baptist Medical Center-Nassau. The event kicks-off Thursday, May 4th, with a 6:00 p.m. Pirate Parade in downtown Fernandina Beach. The festival officially opens Friday afternoon with the Geico Kids’ Fun Zone, food booths, a pageant, live music, fireworks, a pirate invasion, river front entertainment, and more. The festival continues Saturday and Sunday with two stages, nearly 400 vendors displaying fine arts, crafts, and antiques. There will be contests, children’s activities, and food booths with lots of shrimp!