Hello everyone, Im Stephen Dare, one of the guys from MetroJacksonville.com.
I have been involved in downtown Jacksonville on and off since 87, and have been the owner of Boomtown Theatre for the past five years, most recently in Hemming Park.
I got hooked up with metjax about a year and a half ago as a result of my good friend Derek Hudson introducing me to it after a big discussion on UrbanJacksonville.info.
My special interest is how merchants districts and cultural life develop in the urban core, and I have travelled around the country studying these issues.
You can always reach me at stephendare@metrojacksonville.com and feel free to buzz me!
Thanks for the welcome. Glad to come aboard. ;D I'm looking forward to the new site and continued dialogue.
Yes, I did make it through the portal. It's a great portal too! Now I am young and thin :D
Well, I'm not sure what I did, but when I figure it out I will PM you and it will be our little secret! ::)
That will be true of all of us Boomtown eaters ;D I don't know what I will do to get my fusion fix after Boomtown closes :-\ :'(
Spidey's here. ;)
(http://www.ricardokelmer.net/figFreakBrothers2.JPG)
Me on the Left, FAR LEFT, Left Coast, in another life!
WEEEE! I LOVE IT! GOT MY PEOPLE BACK! YIPPIEEEE!
HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOO JACKSONVILLE!
GOT HAPPY FEET TOO!
Ocklawaha
(http://www.dans.uib.no/www/dansetilbud/stan_and_laurel.gif)
Just dancing that Old Jacksonville Two-Step!
Im in...
Not sure I like the layout yet, but I guess it will grow on me.
Oh, I dont know. I am just so used to SPAR and metjax that anything new throws me for a few days. Im sure I will adjust.
BTW, Thanks for a great dinner tonight (and lunch tommorrow!!!) Boomtown will be missed!
I hate to admit it but I always came for the food. I am not that artsy fartsy, and aside from the motown act, which was a lot of fun, most of your stuff is lost on me... sorry buddy! ;D ;D
I made it also..just got so excited about the new forum, that I forgot to stop and say hello and obviously thanks too! This is wonderful!
Hello everyone, my name is Julian, i'm the head concierge over at The Strand on the southbank,long time reader but never posted before,i hope to contribute now however!
Welcome aboard Julian, glad to have you with us, and look forward to you posting along with us.
Hello everyone. Let's get this party started.
Hi everyone. I missed the forum, too. Glad we have a new one. Hope everyone is well and happy.
I only wish that it worked in the "real world" ;) and not just on this site. It is good to see so many people made it over from MetJax Forum. Soon it will feel like home!
jaxoutloud feels like home as well. how many new forums will there be? I think 10 good ones won't be as good as one popular one.
Hows it hangin?
Quote from: JUSTDAVE on June 03, 2007, 10:43:40 PM
jaxoutloud feels like home as well. how many new forums will there be? I think 10 good ones won't be as good as one popular one.
A part of me feels the same way. However, if these go the route of many others over the past few years, those that find a niche and provide continuous up-to-date content will survive and those that don't will die off. What's more important to me is the the original purpose behind the creation of MetJax won't die in the midst of all this confusion. That purpose was to be a melting pot of information to help take Jacksonville to the next level, not a social house for those killing time at work.
I can't wait for the new Boomtown to open. You are going to open up again one day right?
Stephen and Suzanne. I must have traversed thru the wrong portal. I'm still the same ole me. I've gotten used to me, tho. I enjoy the forum.
lol Sunnydaze :D whenever I am asked how I am, I always say young and slim ;) The portal allows for that but only online >:(! I will try to get you the correct portal coordinates so you too can acheive your dream/fantasy ::)
Thanks, Suzanne. I've already achieved most of my dreams, but I still havent' learned to fly. I do in my dreams, all alone like Superman. Now my dream/fantasy is Tom Selleck!!!
I'm here as well... I just have to track down my avatar.
I'd like to welcome Chrissy to the board, and I look forward to posting along with you. Hope you enjoy being part of the forum.
I also welcome Danno, Sunny Daze and Susanne....glad you're all here...and hope you enjoy posting!
I'd like to give a warm welcome to 02roadking....glad to see you join the forum and I look forward to posting along with you.
Quote from: jbm32206 on June 06, 2007, 08:47:29 AM
I'd like to give a warm welcome to 02roadking....glad to see you join the forum and I look forward to posting along with you.
Thanks for the welcome.
I went to Atlanta for a long weekend and came home to all the new Jax boards. I really did not know what to make of it, but hopefully, all will take on a character of their own and not become diluted and adversarial.
I agree...as I feel that each one will have a style of it's own and hope that they're all successful in whatever direction they feel is best suited for them. It's nice to have a variety to visit.
How was the trip to Atlanta?
Quote from: thelakelander on June 06, 2007, 10:39:22 AM
How was the trip to Atlanta?
Great trip. Great place to visit but I really don't want to live there again. ;D The Georgia Aqarium is a sight to behold.(pics soon) Atlantic Station was somewhat impressive. It just seemed somewhat deserted(for a Saturday afternoon),except for that Ikea store. Holy smokes, once you get in there, it's hard to find your way out. I think they do that on purpose. LOL
Yes, IKEA was somewhat overpowering.
Welcome FSUJax....glad to have you join and hope you enjoy posting!
Funny commentary on IKEA. They set it up like a single-entrance, single-exit Disney ride on purpose. If you can't get out without walking through the whole store, you're bound to find something to buy (they always get me with the 10 wooden hangers for $2.99!)
Sticking with "Zoo" because I like it like that -- a bit of chaos makes anything more interesting...
Hey ya'll. My name is Tom Towkach and I'm a long time resident of Jacksonville. I was born in Puerto Rico, grew up in California and went to school in Florida. I've worked all over the east coast including Boston, to Memphis, Jacksonville and Orlando. I have a BS in Computer Science and enough of a master's degree to know what management is doing. I left B school for a .com startup in 2000 before the bubble busted. Recently I've just accepted a management position with a large retailer and until I leave for my new life I will continue working a hot dog cart that belongs to one of my best friends, volunteering at my church, helping my friends as well as my family and having fun along the way. Yes, I am hot dog on another forum, so please don't hold that against me. ;)
Hey, I know you. Congrats on the new job! :D
Hi Tom-
I know you as well. You're the hot dog vendor down on Laura Street a few blocks north of the Landing, aren't you?
Thank you Suzanne. P.S. don't enter the portal next to the hot dog cart...it's not good for maintaining that girlish figure.
Hi spidey: Nope. I work the late night hot dog cart at TSI. www.clubtsi.com Come join us one night. ;D
Welcome to the forum, Tom hope you enjoy posting and chatting with everyone.
Seraphs here! I'm not sure where I am. Is this a subsite of the old metrojax? Sometimes you just gotta go with the flow. I recognize many of the names, I'm just glad to be logged back on in communication again. As for the new board I'll get use to it.
QuoteSeraphs here! I'm not sure where I am. Is this a subsite of the old metrojax? Sometimes you just gotta go with the flow. I recognize many of the names, I'm just glad to be logged back on in communication again. As for the new board I'll get use to it.
Hi seraphs. The easiest way to explain it all is to tell you that there's been a "divorce" of sorts in the family. Metjax went down (due to Jim moving and other host server issues) right in the middle of a family squabble. Out of that came two new boards: www.metrojacksonville.com/forum and www.jaxoutloud.com/forum....they both came online (not knowing each other was doing the same) at the same time to try to fill in the space that was missing while Metjax was out, not knowing when or if it would ever come back on line. Well, metjax has indeed come back online at www.metjax.com/forums. I think you'll find the majority of us posting on all the boards.
Glad to have you back and posting.
Quote from: Seraphs on June 16, 2007, 08:04:06 PM
Seraphs here! I'm not sure where I am. Is this a subsite of the old metrojax? Sometimes you just gotta go with the flow. I recognize many of the names, I'm just glad to be logged back on in communication again. As for the new board I'll get use to it.
Welcome to the forum and I hope you enjoy posting!
Hello!
I'm kind of a ghost of forums past who now fluctuates between long periods of lurking and short periods of activity. I got my start on Skyscraperpage about 8 or 9 years ago as the first and only Jacksonvillian for quite a while. I was "JFDinJax" back then. I mostly just took/posted photos of Jax back then -- none of the cool reporting/researching stuff you guys do. (I'll have to post some of those "old" photos sometime; there are several of buildings since demolished). Then lakelander joined. Then he left Lakeland! Then I changed my name about a dozen times. Now I'm de-lurking on this wonderful board for some more fun times. I was on metjax for a while, before it really took off. BTW, what's the difference or affiliation between that board and this one? I always thought these two sites were one and the same, and now I'm a little confused. I even had to register separately for this one. ???
Anyhoo, I'm no longer living in Jax, but I'm extremely impressed with and grateful for this site. My friends and relatives back home unfortunately don't tend to keep up with what's happening downtown and surrounding neighborhoods, so this site is invaluable to me. It's looking great, too!
Quote from: Bruin Brain on July 06, 2007, 12:51:25 PM
Hello!
I'm kind of a ghost of forums past who now fluctuates between long periods of lurking and short periods of activity. I got my start on Skyscraperpage about 8 or 9 years ago as the first and only Jacksonvillian for quite a while. I was "JFDinJax" back then. I mostly just took/posted photos of Jax back then -- none of the cool reporting/researching stuff you guys do. (I'll have to post some of those "old" photos sometime; there are several of buildings since demolished). Then lakelander joined. Then he left Lakeland! Then I changed my name about a dozen times. Now I'm de-lurking on this wonderful board for some more fun times.
Coldayman at SSP has always said you're the Jax expert. So where are you these days?
QuoteI was on metjax for a while, before it really took off. BTW, what's the difference or affiliation between that board and this one? I always thought these two sites were one and the same, and now I'm a little confused. I even had to register separately for this one. ???
Basically ownership, making it easier to enhance the site in a timely manner. A few of us started this site 18 months ago with the intent of it being a front page for the forum and to make it easier to store, save and display data that many times can get easily lost in a forum set up. Unfortunately, it's been difficult to merge the two as originally planned. In any event, this site has always been a work in progress and we're always looking for ways enhance it's offerings. One of those improvements was the idea of integrating the front page articles with a discussion board format that would increase the dialouge stimulating from the front page. When MetJax went offline for an extended period of time a few weeks ago and a few other local boards immediately sprung up, we went ahead and implemented it.
QuoteAnyhoo, I'm no longer living in Jax, but I'm extremely impressed with and grateful for this site. My friends and relatives back home unfortunately don't tend to keep up with what's happening downtown and surrounding neighborhoods, so this site is invaluable to me. It's looking great, too!
You can thank Lunican for the site's set up. He's dedicated a lot of time and hard work to get to this point. We just invested a lot of money in increasing the site's capabilities, so we're here to stay and hopefully many of the things openly discussed here will result in the community having more respect for it's inner core.
I'm still trying to get up to St. Louis. Its one of the few major urban centers in this country that I have yet to see with my own eyes. Until that happens, I'll continue to get my fix by checking out the photo threads on SSP.
well i guess i'm "here" too. as the witty alias would suggest, my name is chris. i'm a jacksonville native, currently attending UNF in political science working for Hines of the St. John and Palnecia fame, the RBR Foundation, and in the near future, DCF. I'm not really a big poster but I will skulk and post when the mood suits me. I'm the son of a builder, and real estate agent, the grandson of a banker, and grew up with land developer's kids, so if there's a question about any major project from the last twenty years, my unfortunate circumstance puts me in the know about most of them. I say unfortunate becuase unlike my family, I seem to have developed an odd conscience regtarding the environment and sustainability which usually puts me on "wrong side of teh tracks" at family gatherings. Can't wait to read more on here and the other forums... better yet, can't wait to be able to afford a place downtown.
~chris
welcome to Metro Jacksonville chris.
Long time, no posting... Formerly "Jacksonvillian" from MetJax. The new format looks great and it's nice to see some familiar names!
Looking forward to new discussions.
Welcome aboard!
Hey I've really been enjoying this site and decided to sign up for the forums. I moved to Jax seven years ago and really enjoy the area. I visited a friend in Riverside six years previous and vowed to come back and buy an old house in the area. I fulfilled the dream of owning my own home five years ago (in Riverside). I really see the potential of Jacksonville (especially the historic districts and downtown) but I do enjoy it already.
Also I'm a foodie so I like to get out there and try all the mom and pop places. My friend Amanda has been telling me about Boomtown and I am sad to say I never made it in. Now I see it is relocating to San Marco so I am looking forward to that.
My first post was in response to that article about Mr. Dare in the Folio. I may have come off crazy suggesting that he sue for libel but I was just making the point that presenting someone in a false light in such a public forum and using a picture on the cover is not very cool of them. I went to the j-school at UF and that kind of slant should not fly.
welcome to the forum, alohameisha.
Welcome aboard!
A hardy welcome aboard, alohameisha....hope you enjoy the forum and posting with everyone!
Hey alohameisha! Welcome home.
Welcome to the forum, Glorious Johnson! :)
Wow... I hadn't been here in a while, things have changed :)
It's been so long since I've been here, that I forgot my PW and had to re-register ::)
The place looks nice though.
My names Tom and I'll get me another icon and stuff later. I'm gonna go look around now ;D
Welcome back Tom...glad to have you back.
My name is Steve Bailey, and I live in Jacksonville Beach. I rarely get the opportunity to toot my own horn (at least publicly), so please bear with me and scroll on down.
First, let me acknowledge my association with Stephen Dare. He produced my "debut" play, "Plan Nine from Outer Space: The Rip-Off," as the premier effort at Boomtown Theatre's then-new location in downtown Jax in October 2005. After that, I worked with him via writing and acting in his Thursday-night program "Pulp Fiction Theatre" until Boomtown's downtown location shut down earlier this year. For anyone who cares, Stephen and I are in initial talks about reviving "PFT" in Boomtown's new location, a plan I fervently hope will see the light of day soon.
As I'm sure you know by now, Stephen has been outrageously criticized recently by local publications. I have left a spirited counterpoint about Stephen under a different topic at this blog, so I won't reiterate it here. But I hope you'll read it at your leisure.
Secondly, I run the "Leave 'em Laughing Tent," which is Jacksonville's chapter of The International Laurel & Hardy Appreciation Society, also known as "Sons of the Desert." The Society is devoted to promoting the comedy films of 1930's and '40s comedians Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.
On one Monday each month, I show Laurel & Hardy movies from 6:00 to 7:45 p.m. at the Pablo Creek Branch Library, 13295 Beach Boulevard. (Meeting dates vary according to room availability at the library.) All ages are welcome, admission is free, and I also serve free light snacks and soda at each meeting.
The Tent has been up and running since August of 2006. I usually get around a dozen attendees at each meeting. I am grateful for anyone who comes to the meetings. However, in a town the size of Jacksonville -- where, incidentally, Oliver Hardy made his first movies in the 1910's -- I have to believe that there are more than a dozen people who would enjoy viewing these movies.
Unfortunately, my budget is such that I can get the word out about my group only through posted leaflets, free listings in a few local publications, and word of mouth. If you are a Laurel & Hardy buff or you know someone who is, I hope you will help to get my group known. The group is *completely* non-profit; my sole purpose is to get the movies out for everyone to watch.
The Tent also has a promotional website, complete with reviews of all L&H movies, interviews with some of L&H's biographers, and regularly updated info about monthly Tent meetings. Please feel free to visit the Tent's website at: http://www.leaveemlaughing.com
Thanks in advance for your help and support.
Welcome Steve...hope you enjoy parcipating in the metrojacksonville community
Yea! Check out my new picture. In case you were wondering. The title Gatorback is given to the fastest bicyclist at the University of Florida.
I like the new avatar...
Why thank you. OMG, I'm no ancient Hindu diety...hehe. j/k
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=avatar
Better late then never I guess, sorry friend. I missed your post about the cartoon... That is a cartoon of "Those Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers," a product of the peak of popular revolt back in the day of the "Berkley Barb," and the "Los Angeles Free Press." There is a recent movie also that highlights the life of a group of typical "Left Coast Bay Area Freaks," of that era. Pretty funny stuff if you like "Foamy," "Mr. Natural," or "Tales of a Stripped Ass Ape." "Wonder Warthog," was our superhero! LOL! There were a host of artists that drew these things, from bizarre adult sub-lines in a kids comic called Space Ark, a product of a loony friend of mine in a 12 foot travel trailer, hidden in a fern grove, deep in Central Florida. To Gilbert Shelton, who drew the picture (the one I posted and you asked about Stephen) and the Freak Brothers comic books. For those with virgin eyes, DON'T go to any of these, however, if you ever snickered at some dumb stoner, walking off the end of the pier, have at it!
The now infamous commune in Dunlap and the unknown spirits of "Smokey A. Hashpipe," or "Justin Time," still flash through my memory. Some gal I was hanging with was staggering stoned, she was crying, "I should just go out in that river and drown myself..." The whole time, I'm being her encouragement, "Well, that's sure as hell what I would do if I was you..." Someone finally got her off to the showers, and I sat and laughed my butt off.. Today, I'm driving around the City, I've got a smile from ear to ear, I sometimes break into a laugh. Others look over and wonder, who the old freak is, cracking up in that car? They just don't know Stephen, those comic books were pretty close to truth.
http://www.freaknet.org.uk/pages01/p01/wm01.html
Freak Net Online Tribute Site
http://www.ripoffpress.com/CatPage.cfm?Category=Fabulous+Furry+Freak+Brothers&MerchType=B
Have the funniest bathroom read in Jacksonville, order your own from the original "Rip Off Press" store
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YINWUjFQRDU
See the Pilot Trailer for The Freak Brothers Movie
http://www.illwillpress.com/
Germaine and Foamy are the modern versions of The Freak Brothers
If you read this post and didn't understand a thing you saw here, talk to myself or maybe Stephen for some light. Otherwise, get yourself down to Bay Street and become completely trashed, then go home and click on these links again... the truth will be revealed to you.
Ocklawaha
i love bay street. are the new bars open? last time i was down on bay there were only 3.
I don't know Gatorback, last time I woke up on the sidewalk, it wasn't on Bay Street... Come to think of it, I don't think it was Jacksonville either...
I clearly remember a certain very annoying ANT, that was stomping his feet LOUDLY! A stunt that would later cost him dearly. I stood up, stumbled to a nearly alley, lost my dinner, and saw what looked like 500 cops coming after me. Everything looked like cops, tree cops, bus bench cops, airplane cops, church cops, cops were everywhere. Just as I thought I was paranoid and losing my mind, a real police car skidded to a stop. A big hairy CHP cop got out and smashed my face into the brickwork of the adjacent building. He yelled to his buddy, (after beating the S**T out of me) "Hey, this hippie's clean!" Then they sped off as quickly as they arrived. Gee, I thought, as I brushed myself off, I'm not half as paranoid as I thought I was!
Yeah, I think it was in Stockton... or Sacramento... or some "S" word town. Definitely not Bay Street!
smile
Ocklawaha
Welcome to the board, Keith...we look forward to your participation.
I'd like to welcome Julie Anne to the forum...hope you enjoy it here...there's a nice diversity.
Hola Keith and Julie Anne.
This is long over due being that I've been a regular on this site for a LONG time. My name is Broderick Jenkins, I live in Riverside and work on Riverside Avenue very close to downtown (wonder which of the two places that could be ;D)
I've lived in Jacksonville for about 7 years now and though I talked about moving away several times, I've never acted on it. I love this place, but would definitely like to see it progress the way most of us seem to feel it could.
here here Webini. Hola, and Aloha!
Welcome to the forum Webini...glad to have you join!
Welcome to the forum, Webini.
Thanks for the welcomes everyone.
Hi. Charles Hunter here. I was a regular poster over at MetJax before the Great Meltdown a few months ago. I remained as a less-regular poster once it came back up. I spend a lot of time at JaxOutLoud. Now that MetJax seems to have gone down for the last time, thought I'd come here, as I am very interested in downtown and it's development.
I see a lot of familiar "faces" here, and look forward to offering my 2 cents.
Welcome to the forum Charles.
Glad to see you Charles
Welcome to the board, Charles....
Howdy Charles. The great meltdown. Gosh, those were the days. Welcome and Happy Holidays!