The North Brevard Commission on Parks and Recreation will hold its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, April 13, 2006, at 5:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Brevard Room at 518 South Palm Avenue in Titusville. The public is invited to attend.

The Brevard Room is located in a building on the north side of the parking lot behind the Brevard County Government Center–North.  For questions call Terry Lane at 264-5105.

March 30th, 2006

The Mims-Scottsmoor Community Center Referendum Committee will meet on Monday, April 17, 2006, at 6 p.m., and the Equestrian Trails and Facilities Referendum Committee will meet the same evening at 7 p.m. Both meetings will be held at the Mims/Scottsmoor Library, 3615 Lionel Road in Mims. The public is invited to attend.

For questions, call Terry Lane at 264-5105.

Phyllis McEwen has portrayed Zora Neale Hurston across Florida for the Florida Humanities Council since 1990. She has also performed in New York, Maryland, Delaware and South Carolina. Please join Ms. McEwen as she documents the life and accomplishments of one of Florida history’s most fascinating figures.

The presentation is Friday, March 24, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. at the Harry T. & Harriette V. Moore Memorial Park, 2180 Freedom Avenue, Mims.

This activity is sponsored by Brevard County Parks and Recreation and the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs. For more information about this event, please call Juanita Barton at (321) 264-6595

March 16th, 2006

The Equestrian Trails and Facilities Referendum Committee will meet on Saturday, March 25, 2006, at 9 a.m., at North Area Parks Operations, 475 North Williams Avenue in Titusville, for a tour to equestrian facilities in South Brevard. The public is invited to attend. Bus seating is limited. Call 264-5105 for reservations.

For questions, call Terry Lane at 264-5105.

Friday, March 24, 2006, Isaac Campbell, Sr. Community Center, 701 South Street, Titusville, will be offering a sleepover for girls in grades K to 12. The cost is $5 which includes dinner and breakfast. Drop off will be at 8:00 p.m. with pick up no later than 8:00 a.m. Saturday, March 25, 2006.

This activity is sponsored by Brevard County Parks and Recreation, North Area Parks Operations. Please call (321) 264-5040 for more information about this and other programs in North Brevard.

Friday, March 31, 2006, Isaac Campbell, Sr. Community Center, 701 South Street, Titusville, will be offering a sleepover for boys in grades K to 9. The cost is $5 which includes a ticket for the Orlando Magic basketball game on March 31, dinner and breakfast. Drop off will be at 4:30 p.m. with pick up no later than 8:00 a.m. Saturday, April 1, 2006.

This activity is sponsored by Brevard County Parks and Recreation, North Area Parks Operations. Please call (321) 264-5040 for more information about this and other programs in North Brevard.

The Mims-Scottsmoor Community Center Referendum Committee will meet on Monday, March 20, 2006, at 6 p.m., at the Mims/Scottsmoor Library, 3615 Lionel Road in Mims. The public is invited to attend. Note: Meeting time is earlier than previous meetings.

For questions, call Terry Lane at 264-5105.

March 12th, 2006

The Titusville Veterans’ Memorial Fishing Pier Committee will meet on Tuesday, March 21, 2006, at 5:00 p.m., in the Brevard Room at 518 South Palm Avenue in Titusville. One or more members of the North Brevard Commission on Parks and Recreation may be present. The public is invited to attend.

The Brevard Room is located in a building on the north side of the parking lot behind the Brevard County Government Center–North.  For questions call Terry Lane at 264-5105.

The Intersession Day Camp, for children in kindergarten through sixth grade, is being offered at Port St. John Community Center, March 13-April 3, 2006, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with extended care available 6:30-9 a.m. and 4-5:45 p.m. The March 27-March 31 Spring Break Camp will run concurrent with this camp.

The weekly fee of $40 runs Monday through Friday, with reductions for additional children in same family. Parents may pay the daily rate of $12 when the child is attending three or less days during the week. Extended care fees are: Early or Late $12.50 per week or $5 per time; Early & Late $25 per week or $10 per day. Late pickup fee (15 minutes after conclusion of program) is $12.50 per child/per time. Space is limited. Only those weeks that are paid are guaranteed. All fees are per child.

Registration and program information is available at the Port St. John Community Center, 6650 Corto Road. For further information, call the community center at 633-1904. The center hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays, and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m.

Intersession and Spring Break Day Camps are sponsored by Brevard County Board of County Commissioners, Parks & Recreation Department, North Area Parks Operations.

The Spring Break Day Camp, for children in kindergarten through sixth grade, is being offered at Tom Statham Community Center, March 27-March 31, 2006, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with extended care available 6:30-9 a.m. and 4-5:45 p.m. The center is located at 7101 South US Highway 1, south of Titusville.

The weekly fee of $40 runs Monday through Friday, with reductions for additional children in same family. Parents may pay the daily rate of $12 when the child is attending three or less days during the week. Extended care fees are: Early or Late $12.50 per week or $5 per time; Early & Late $25 per week or $10 per day. Late pickup fee (15 minutes after conclusion of program) is $12.50 per child/per time. Fees may be paid weekly and are due at the time of registration or on the first day child attends. All fees are per child.

Registration and program information is available at the North Area Parks Operations office, 475 North Williams Avenue, Titusville. For further information, call Lara Harkins at 264-5105. The office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

This program is sponsored by Brevard County Board of County Commissioners, Parks & Recreation Department, North Area Parks Operations.

The North Brevard Commission on Parks and Recreation will hold its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, March 9, 2006, at 5:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Brevard Room at 518 South Palm Avenue in Titusville. The public is invited to attend.  The Brevard Room is located in a building on the north side of the parking lot behind the Brevard County Government Center–North.

For questions call Terry Lane at 264-5105.

When local artists B.J. Collister, Clark Winfough, and Joyce Luther returned from a recent workshop with world-renowned watercolorist Gerald Brommer, they brought back more than ideas, inspiration, and new techniques.

They brought six of Brommer's works to the Main Street Gallery in Titusville, where they will hang until mid-April. One of the six is the "Turkish Fishermen, Istanbul" that is featured in Brommer's book "Emotional Content: How to Create Paintings that Communicate". The book is also available in the gallery for reference.

To appreciate what this exhibit means to Titusville, it helps to know a little bit about Brommer. In between winning national awards, teaching, authoring 35 textbooks that have influenced thousands of American artists, and exhibiting in 160 one-man shows, the 79-year-old artist revolutionized traditional watercolor painting. Brommer broke with tradition by enhancing his watercolor landscapes with oriental paper collage. His success at blurring the boundaries between paper and paint was capped by the first prize of the National Watercolor Society. His paintings hang in over 4400 major galleries and collections in 44 states and eight countries. He has won awards in most national watercolor shows and he is represented in most major contemporary art reference books.

Brommer has taught hundreds of artists his method of sketching for design, and working from remembrance to evoke real feelings in painting. His paper collage adds an abstract element to his work, which otherwise often contains an architectural level of detail.

Collister had worked her way through one of Brommer's "Watercolor Collage Workshop" text before attending his workshop earlier this month. "Brommer believes there are no laws in watercolor," says Collister. "The way he handles the brush is amazing; it looks like he is doing nothing and then you see the page and think 'Oh my God, look at what he has done!'"

Brommer's influence can be appreciated in paintings by Collister and Winfough currently hanging at Main Street Gallery. Collister's most recent work will be featured in a special exhibit at the Gallery from March 15 to April 15.

"Brommer has changed the world of watercolor forever," says Collister. Now, Collister is changing the world of watercolor for her Brevard County students. On March 25, Collister will teach a workshop in Brommer's techniques at the Satellite Beach Civic Center, 565 Cassia Boulevard. The 10:00 a.m. workshop is free to members of the Brevard Watercolor Society. Memberships will be available at the door for $30. The supply list for the workshop is at Ralph's Art Supply in Eau Gallie.

The Main Street Gallery, located at 319 S. Washington Ave. in Titusville, is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information about the Brommer and Collister exhibits, or Collister's classes, call 321-267-3131.

International cast of bicyclists to descend on Titusville

Hundreds of cyclists from the US, Europe and South America will be in Titusville on the weekend of April 8 for the annual Bike Across Florida 2006. A select group will race across the state 15 minutes ahead of the main pack of endurance riders Sunday April 9. The 2006 edition will end at Crystal River's City Hall. The total length of the course is 150 miles. The racing pack (called the peloton) will receive a rolling escort throughout the state provided by the Florida Highway Patrol.

While the peloton will not stop until it races (average speed 28 MPH) over the finish line in Crystal River, the endurance riders have the luxury of seven support stations along the way. Each support station features anything from power drinks to freshly made sandwiches. The endurance riders have ten hours to finish the Bike Across Florida.

Traditionally the Bike Across Florida venue hosts a 35 mile ride along the same route, ending in Apopka. The 2006 ride dubbed the Officer Down Memorial Challenge is dedicated to Officer Mario Jenkins. Mario an officer of the UCFPD died on September 25 at the Citrus bowl. Mario has been outstanding member of the community and served in the US Marine Corps prior to his service in law enforcement.

Proceeds of the ODMC will be donated to the Officer Mario Jenkins Memorial Fund. The April 9 send off ceremony will feature honor guard units from three agencies and an invocation of the Titusville Police Chaplain.

• Registration deadline: Saturday April 8 6:00 PM

• Media conference: Saturday April 8 5:30 PM

• Requests for press kits: newscopy @earthlink.net

TITUSVILLE – The first phase of an archaeological survey of the historic Pritchard House in downtown Titusville will be held Saturday, March 25, in conjunction with Archaeological Month.

The purpose of this survey, under the direction of Thomas E. Penders, a registered, professional archaeologist, is to ascertain the presence or absence of buried cultural deposits associated with the house or earlier components. It is hoped that the archaeological testing at the site will identify physical remains of the stable, windmill, above ground water tank, outhouse or privy pits, other unknown outbuildings, and/or other buried features not otherwise recorded.

Refreshments will be sold by The Questers Lovie Pritchard Chapter #561 as a fund raiser to purchase and restore furniture for the Pritchard House. The Questers is a national organization to further knowledge and education about antiques, and, to encourage the preservation, restoration and conservation of historic buildings, sites and antiquities.

The Pritchard House was constructed in 1891 at the corner of Washington Avenue and Pine Street in Titusville by Captain James Pritchard. Built in the "Queen Anne" style of architecture, the home has long been one of Titusville’s most charming landmarks. It was acquired by Brevard County in 2005 from the family and plans call for it to be operated as a house museum featuring period furnishings and exhibits related to the Pritchard family and early Titusville.

The North Brevard Heritage Foundation, Inc., is not-for-profit support organization working in cooperation with Brevard County Parks and Recreation Department, North Area Parks Operations, to achieve the restoration, preservation, and operation of the Pritchard House museum. For more information call 321-264-5105.

For more information, call 264-5105 in North Brevard, 633-1874 in Central Brevard, or 255-4400 in South Brevard.