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Join the City of Jacksonville in celebrating the Jacksonville Jaguars! The Jaguars will take on the Indianapolis Colts at their last home game on December 17. The Ultimate TEALgate Party kicks off the fun that afternoon at 4 p.m. outside of Jacksonville Municipal Stadium with live entertainment and activities for the whole family. Show your pride in our team by making Jacksonville teal on December 17. Let the Jaguars know you're cheering for them and "Teal it Up!" Promotional items can be ordered through the City of Jacksonville Office of Special Events. Orders will be filled on a first come, first served basis. Below is a list of ideas to help show your Jaguars pride. Easy ways to show your pride: - Display teal and black balloons. - Hang Jaguars flags. - Display teal and black ribbons. - Encourage all employees to wear teal on December 17. - Replace lights with teal lights. - Decorate windows with a Jaguars theme. - Offer game day specials. - Offer game day discounts to those wearing teal. - Make a banner supporting the Jaguars and hang it in your business. For more information on The Ultimate TEALgate Party, contact Lauren Powell at (904) 630-3690 or via email. Florida Times Union Articles on Downtown   This week, the Florida Times Union is running a series of articles on Downtown Jacksonville. Five reporters spent four months researching Downtown.  Visit jacksonville.com to read the series. City Introduces Plan to Refurbish Friendship Park   Last month, the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission announced plans for improvements to Friendship Fountain and the surrounding park.  Plans include restoring full functionality to the fountain, updating the fountain's lighting and adding green space, landscaping and pedestrian accents to the park. Signature elements in the park, including the bust of Ponce de Leon and the brick inlay surrounding the fountain, will be retained, while much of the concrete will be replaced with sod, ground cover and shade trees.  Sable palms currently located near the Museum of Science & History will be moved near the pump house to provide screening, and a small area to the west of the fountain will have amphitheater-style seating. The $2.5 million project has received conceptual approval from the Downtown Development Review Board. Click here for a link to the full presentation (begins on page 13). Another Artist Finds a Temporary Use for Vacant Space Downtown Circa Sixty Three, a jewelry and accessory company, set up shop for the Art Walk in the first floor retail space in the W.A. Knight building on Adams Street, next door to Chew.  Circa Sixty Three owner, Danielle Insetta, recently moved back to Jacksonville.  Typically, her pieces are sold wholesale, but customers have a unique opportunity to shop direct on December 17 and 18, when her "pop up" store is open Downtown.  In 2008, Circa Sixty Three purchased more than twenty tons of vintage Lucite dead stock. The stock includes beads, jewelry parts, and bangles that were made in Providence, Rhode Island throughout the '60s and '70s. The line includes new handmade jewelry made from vintage Lucite and original vintage items such as bangles bracelets and hoop earrings. Re-imagining The Jacksonville Landing    At a recent American Planning Association conference held in Jacksonville, nearly two dozen planners from all across Florida participated in a charette to re-imagine The Jacksonville Landing. After touring The Jacksonville Landing, learning about recent and upcoming developments in the area and participating in design discussions, participants made the following recommendations to help The Jacksonville Landing capitalize on its potential: - open the center of the building to allow river views - add a mixed use component, including residential and/or office - integrate the building into upcoming Laura Street improvements - maximize river views throughout the property - build a parking garage - add a major attraction - expand the marina - add green space - maximize waterfront dining - remove Main Street Bridge ramps and create super-block Click here for a copy of the final presentation. Special thanks to Chris Flagg, Flagg Design Studio, and the American Planning Association for sharing this information. Downtown Holiday Gift Ideas   Are you a Downtown employer looking for gift ideas for your employees, or just someone looking for the perfect gift?  Don't forget to shop Downtown!  Many Downtown retailers and cultural venues have excellent gift ideas for your employees, from personalized stationary to restaurant gift cards and more.   For a complete list of Downtown retailers, cultural venues and restaurants, visit our Downtown Directory or our Downtown Deals page.  New Year's Eve Event Routes, Street Closures & Festivities   The City of Jacksonville has announced the following event routes and street closures for New Year's Eve and Gator Bowl festivities Downtown:  Vystar Gator Bowl 5K Run The Vystar Gator Bowl 5K will take place on Thursday, December 31, 2008 at 1:30 p.m.   - Begin at Laura St. and Independent Dr. in front of The Jacksonville Landing - West on Water St. to Pearl St. - North on Pearl St. to Bay St. - East on Bay St. to Laura St. - South on Laura St. to Independent Dr. - East on Independent Dr. to Newnan St. - North on Newnan St. to Bay St. - East on Bay St. to Georgia St. - Turn around at Georgia St. - West on Bay St. to Newnan St. - South on Newnan St. to Independent Dr. - West on Independent Dr. to Pearl St. - South on Pearl St. to the Northbank Riverwalk  Winn Dixie Hometown Gator Bowl Parade The Winn Dixie Hometown Gator Bowl Parade will take place on Thursday, December 31, 2008 at 3 p.m.   - Begin at the Prime Osborn Convention Center on Water St. in front of the Federal Reserve Bank - East on Water St. to Laura St. - North on Laura St. to Bay St. - West on Bay St. to the Prime Osborn Convention Center  Street Closures The following street closures are scheduled for December 31:  - All street parking on the parade route will be prohibited from 7 a.m. until the end of the parade approximately 5 p.m. - Water Street in front of the Federal Reserve Bank will be closed at noon until the end of the parade approximately 5 p.m. - All other street closures will begin at 1 p.m. This will be a soft close, meaning you will only be allowed in or across the parade route for work and residential purposes. - At 2:45 p.m. there will be hard closure through the whole parade route, meaning that no one will be allowed in or out along the route until the end of the parade approximately 5 p.m. - In addition to the parade route closures, Hogan Street from Bay Street to the St. Johns River will be closed for the entire day.   Click here for more information about these and other Gator Bowl related festivities. Laura Street Construction to Begin in January Construction on the $2.1 million Laura Street reconstruction project is expected to begin in mid-January, beginning with the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Laura St. and Independent Dr. in front of The Jacksonville Landing. Anticipated Street Closures The first phase of street closures will begin when the project commences: - Intersection of Laura Street & Independent Drive will be closed. - Access to The Jacksonville Landing parking and freight loading areas will be maintained for local traffic. - Access to the MODIS building garage will be maintained for local traffic. - The primary detour for southbound drivers will be Hogan Street or Main Street.  Access to the Main Street Bridge will be available on Main Street. - The primary detour for eastbound drivers will be Forsyth Street. The project includes repaving the road, making Laura St. two-way from Independent Drive to Monroe St., making Independent Dr. two-way from Laura St. to Newnan St., moving the Andrew Jackson statue from the west side of The Jacksonville Landing to the center of the roundabout, and adding sidewalk upgrades including pavers, signage and lighting. Downtown Retail & Business News   Like retailers everywhere, Downtown Jacksonville's retailers struggled in 2009.  The year has seen 19 new businesses open, while 23 businesses have closed. The good news is that new businesses in 2009 included restaurants and bars serving the evening and weekend crowds, including Chicago Pizza and Grille, Cinco de Mayo and Village Bread Cafe in The Jacksonville Landing, as well as new bars The Sinclair and Dos Gatos. New Downtown Businesses Downtown Vision welcomes Downtown's two newest business: Ballyhoo Mobile Marketing 31 W. Adams St., Ste. 103 www.ballyhoomobile.com Ballyhoo Mobile Marketing creates custom, success-based SMS text marketing plans. Perdue Office Interiors 5 W. Forsyth St. (904) 737-5858 www.perdueoffice.com Perdue Office Interiors is Northeast Florida's leader in workplace solutions, providing turnkey services to large and small companies. Coming Soon! Keep your eyes peeled for Lit, a new bar opening soon at 11 Ocean St. explore the more on Facebook and Twitter!   Keep up with what's happening in Downtown Jacksonville - become our fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!  We post and tweet about events, special deals, contests and the latest news.  Every 50th fan on Facebook wins a "Drawn to Downtown" t-shirt! Click here to become our fan on Facebook, and click here to follow us on Twitter. Downtown Blood Drives a Success!   As the year comes to a close, Downtown Vision, Inc. is pleased to have facilitated blood drives for Downtown Jacksonville on behalf The Blood Alliance in conjunction with the Hemming Plaza Market on Fridays.  We extend our thanks to Downtown workers at various businesses and government organizations who donated more than 100 pints of blood this year. As we prepare for the holidays, we are reminded that it is during the holiday season when blood shortages often occur.  We appreciate our Downtown employees for their life saving generosity this year.

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