Stakes are high at the waterfront

Hey, let's go to the movies! The Amelia Island Film Festival is having a showing of La Vie en Rose from Powerhouse Entertainment staring Marion Cotillard (who on Sunday won a Golden Globe for her performance in the film) as Edith Piaf. The film will be shown Wednesday and Thursday at the Palace Saloon banquet room.

Each evening, two short films will be shown also, one about the Fernandina Beach shrimping industry in the 1950s, and the other about the 1960s Shrimp Festival boat races. This could be interesting. I bet you will recognize some folk from the old days. I hear that one is even filmed in black and white ... the kids might get a kick out of that! Actually, these films are "home films" created back in the day by locals.

On the first evening showing at 7 p.m. Wednesday, there will be a rose from Dottie B's Florist given to the first 50 ladies who enter. The second showing will be Thursday at 7 p.m. That night, there is a drawing for a $50 gift certificate from Jos. A. Bank.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission for adults is $10. AIFF founding members are admitted free of charge.

You can buy your tickets at Last Flight Out, Susi's Emporium and the Amelia Island-Fernandina Beach-Yulee Chamber of Commerce depot office, all on Centre Street in the Historic District. Also, you can get tickets at Alexander's at Palmetto Walk, the UPS Store on Sadler Road and the Chamber of Commerce location at Gateway Center.

Need to know more? Just call Tony McAdoo at 335-1110.

I'm looking forward to it. The French film sounds great, but those films of the "old shrimpin' days" have got be a hoot!

Historic Helpers success

I told you about Rufus, the terrific black Lab-mix dog that was up for adoption last month. Well, glory be! Thanks to some alert readers of this column, we were able to get the dog adopted to a great couple here on the island!

The Historic Helpers is a community action group that helps the elderly and disabled in the Historic District with light outdoor tasks. Please contact me if you need assistance.

Waterfront plans get derailed

Frankly, this is a story that I hoped I would not have to write. As a citizen, I have been anxious to see the city begin construction on the new plans that the Waterfront Partnership has drafted. You already know about the plans, and how there were countless meetings. Well, again, it seems this project is being delayed.

Now while I do not profess to be an architect or engineer, I do know that the citizens have been waiting a long time to see something happen along the riverfront. The waterfront group has a very nice plan, but the City Commission is divided on the details, and that is where everything has stopped.

I had hoped that I would be writing news about the start of the construction, but alas, I am afraid that it's going to be delayed until our commissioners can agree on how to proceed. I know the decision is a big one, and that not everyone agrees on what, if anything, should be built along our public riverfront.

I am just hopeful that an agreement can be reached soon. In fact, for a welcome center, there is even a $212,000 construction grant at stake here. If construction doesn't begin soon, we may be at risk of losing that grant money. So, again, we are down to the wire, and the stakes are high.