Can you really call it a holiday if Hallmark doesn't even make a card?
Friday is 904 Day, a celebration of the coincidence of the date (ninth month, fourth day) and Jacksonville's area code. While not as hokey as Star Wars Day ("May the Fourth be with you"), 904 Day does have its own website, at hoorayfor904day.com
, which includes a countdown clock. Still, there are places around the 904 where you can celebrate.
- The day kicks off with a 904 Day Breakfast, sponsored by Lift Jax and VyStar. Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deagan and officials from VyStar and Lift Jax will speak. The event, which starts at 7 a.m. at the downtown VyStar Tower, is sold out.
- You can also join a free walking tour of downtown Jacksonville starting at 9:30 a.m. Just meet at the Visit Jacksonville Downtown Visitor Center at 100 N. Laura St., and wear comfortable shoes.
- The Garden Club of Jacksonville has a free 904 Day celebration starting at 4 p.m., with live music, food trucks and tours of the riverfront venue.
- Jacksonville's Melanin Market will hold a special celebration at 822 A. Philip Randolph Blvd., starting at 5 p.m., with a focus on Black-owned businesses.
- An after-hours celebration with music by Mr. Al Pete and food trucks starts at 6 p.m. at James Weldon Johnson Park in downtown Jacksonville.
Sing Out Loud Festival
St. Augustine's annual monthlong Sing Out Loudmusic fest kicks off this weekend with performances at Colonial Oak Music Park, Spinster Abbott's, Dog Rose Brewing Co., Sarbez, Prohibition Kitchen, Ragga Surf Cafe, Hornski's Brewing Co., Boat Drinks, Casa de Vino 57, Bin 39 Wine Bar, Shanghai Nobby's, Tonevendor and the Waterworks. Jarrod
Walker, who plays mandolin in Billy Strings' band, has a free show at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Waterworks, and tickets have all been claimed, but you can still get into nearly all of the other events for free. Info: singoutloudfestival.com
Blues Traveler, Gin Blossoms and Spin Doctors
6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. $65-$133.
Who says time travel is impossible? Blues Traveler, the Gin Blossoms and the Spin Doctors are going to take a whole amphitheater full of people back to the early '90s, with "Run-Around," "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" and "Hey Jealousy." Info: theamp.com
Monster Jam
1 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5; 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 6, at VyStar Memorial Arena. $24-$121.
The ongoing construction projects mean the big car-crushing trucks couldn't compete in EverBank Stadium this year, so they're moving indoors. Grave Digger, El Toro Loco and Classroom Crusher are among the eight trucks scheduled to compete. Info: monsterjam.com
Big Gay Picnic
Noon Sunday, Sept. 6, at Willowbranch Park. Free.
The Jacksonville LGBT Chamber of Commerce is throwing a picnic on Sunday, with free burgers and hot dogs, music and games. Allies, families and pets are welcome. Info:jaxlgbtchamber.org
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: 904 Day parties and monster trucks on tap this weekend in Jacksonville
