OUT


 AND


 ABOUT


 SPECIAL EVENTS
 The Woman's Club of
 Fernandina Beach at 201
 Jean Lafitte Blvd. will host a
 Spaghetti Dinner from 6-8
 p.m. tonight.
 The menu will include
 spaghetti, salad, dessert and
 tea for $7. Take out orders for
 lunch will be from 11 a,m-1
 p.m. with free delivery, Call the
 clubhouse at 261-6088 or tick-
 ets may be purchased at the
 door.
 Sunburst International
 Beauty Pageant will hold a
 local pageant at the Atlantic
 Avenue Recreation Center
 on Jan. 26 at 11 a.m. for ages
 newborn to 27 For more infor-
 mation call (352) 429-4924 or
 e-mail theresa sunburst
 beauty.com.
 * .
 Join a park ranger to learn
 about the many common,
 threatened and endangered
 species that inhabit the natu-
 ral communities of the unde-
 veloped barrier islands'of
 Northeast Florida at pavilion
 six on Little Talbot Island on
 Jan. 26 at 11 a.m. No reser-
 vations are necessary and the
 program is free, however, non-
 campers will need to pay the
 park entrance fee of $4 per
 vehicle to attend. Call the
 r.anger station at (904) 251 -
 2320 for information.
 Registration is open for
 the Center for Lifelong
 Learning in Nassau (formerly
 known as the Nassau Institute
 for Community Education,
 N.I.C.E.), spring classes.
 Classes at the Florida
 Community College Betty P.
 Cook Nassau Center begin
 the week of Jan. 28 or Feb. 4
 and include Romeo and Juliet:
 From London to Broadway to
 Hollywood, taught by Bernie
 McCabe on Wednesdays, 10
 a.m. to noon; The Art of
 Photography: Fipding a Poetic
 Vision, with instructor Richard
 Olderman, Thursdays from 1-3
 p.m.; Hear Opera Here!
 Verdi's La Traviata, taught by
 Keith Thompson, Wednes-
 days from 1-3 p.m.; and two
 Tuesday classes taught by Bill
 Raser, Image Editing for
 Digital Photographers, from 1-
 2:30 p.m. and How to Use a
 .Digital Camera, a three-week
 course from 3-4:30 p.m.
 Also offered at St. Peter's
 Church is Latin America and
 the United States: A Long
 Look at a Rocky Relationship,
 taught by Peter Johnson on
 Mondays from 1:30-3 p.m.
 starting Feb. 4.
 The Betty P. Cook Nassau.
 Center is located at 76346.
 William Burgess Boulevard in
 Yulee. Call FCCJ at 548-4432
 for course costs and registra-
 tion information, or go to
 www.fccj.edu/cll to enroll
 online or for a detailed
 description of the classes.
 Just Friends, a social
 gathering group for singles
 over age 55, will hold a dinner
 on Jan. 28. If you haven't
 called to register, do so now. It
 is free to join. Call Helene
 Scott at 321-1116 or write to
 H. Scott at 1631 Blue Heron
 Lane, Fernandina Beach, FL
 32034.
 First Uniform will hold a
 sale on Jan. 31 frorn 7 a.m.-4
 p.m. in the conference room
 of Baptist Medical Center
 Nassau. All credit cards are
 accepted. All proceeds benefit
 the hospital.

 The next "Evening of
 Story and Song" welcomes
 the return of Queen of Hearts
 on Feb. 2 at St. Peter's
 Episcopal Church Parish
 Hall. Wine bar opens at 7:15
 p.m.; show starts at 8 p.m.
 Tickets are $15 each and may
 be purchased from event
S sponsor, First Coast


 Community Bank, 1750 S.
14th St., or at the St. Peter's
 administration office. Seating
 is limited.
 Queen of Hearts, April
 Amick, Beth Anne Clayton,
 Helen Lewis Moore and Ellen
 Britton talented singer/song-
 writers each in her own right -
 perform original songs in per-
 fect harmony when they
 appear together "in the round,"
 as they frequently do at
 Nashville's legendary Bluebird
 Cafe.
 Call Mark and Donna Paz
 Kaufman at 277-2664 for infor-
 mation. For a sneak preview,
 visit www.Queenof Hearts.info.
 The Nassau County Bird
 OUT Continued on 5B


 n ure f





,LiSUr1e


PHOTOS COUKRTEY OF SANDRUA BAKER-HIN'1UN


 For the News-Leader
 onnie Ramsbottom is one of
 Amelia Island's half-time residents,
 dividing her time between here and
 Macon, Ga.
 On Amelia she works from a wonderful stu-
dio overlooking from high above the Atlantic
Ocean. Many collectors from the area have
acquired her more traditional work and may be
surprised at the twists and turns her work has,
taken in the last year.
 After choosing to devote herself to a life of
creating art she quit the corporate world and
went back to school to study art. After some life,
threatening health issues, Ramsbottom began
painting in earnest.
I A second close call and a miraculous
recovery inspired her to begin to paint images
which she felt needed expressing taking
up the challenge of painting with a palette
knife, approaching the canvas without prelimi-
nary planning, and letting her own knowledge
of painting take over on a more instinctive
level.
 While she is currently assisting her husband
in his stroke recovery she is still preparing new
work for the opening of her show on March 8, "I
Am Woman," further illustrating her determina-
tion to handle whatever life throws her way.
 Her new paintings seem to reflect the very
souls of-the women who seem to appear from
the canvas's surface almost as with a life of
their own.
 These are strong women with strong person-
alities some joyful, some that you feel the
struggles that have preceded them and shaped
their inner strength.
 The show will open with a reception on
March 8 and continue through April 13 at 218A
Ash St. Call 491-8040.


Part-timeAmelia Island resident Bonnie Ramsbottom
took palette knife to canvas to create her latest oil,
paintings, Susan, top right, Making My Way, left, and
Dream Dancer.


A different Desserts of Amelia


 HEATHER A. PERRY
 News-Leader
O nce again this year, "Desserts of
 Amelia" promises to be a sweet
 evening. Fernandina Beach
 Middle School hosts the annual
fundraiser from 6 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 8 at the
Atlantic Avenue Recreation Center, with a,
Valentine's Day theme. !
 The event, is adults only and attendees
are encouraged to dress comfortably, leav-
ing plenty of room for expanding waist-
lines.
 Things will be a bit different this year,
according to event co-coordinator Lori
Vinerdi.
 "We wanted to change things up a bit,"


Vinerdi explained.
 "So there will be fewer baskets and
more auction items," added co-coordinator
Abbey Bean.
 Two lucky live auction winners will
watch a future Jaguars game at the
Terrace Suite while enjoying food, beer
and wine or soft drinks. Additional live auc-
tion items include a night's stay at The
Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, with dinner
and two spa treatments, a night's stay at
the Elizabeth Pointe Lodge or golf for four
at the Golf Club of Amelia.
 Raffle items include a two-night, three-
day stay at the Amelia Island Plantation,
dinner for two at the Verandah and several'
 DESSERTS Continued on 5B


 HEATHER A. PERRY/NEWS-LEADER
Displaying the Desserts of Amelia banner are Conner Nelson; Lori Vinerdi,
Avery Womble, Bradley Bean, Avery Douglas, Haley Hall, Cathy Varela, Lisa
Crowley and Abbey Bean.


0 ONTHELAN


16TH CENTURY SCHOOL
 Fort Caroline National Memorial, 12713 Fort
Caroline Road. Jacksonville, will host "The School of
 the 16th Century"
 on Feb. 2 from 10
 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is
 free and open to
 the public.
 The purpose
 is to teach visi-
 tors about
 aspects of daily
 life that French.
 Spanish. English and Dutch explorers and
colonists endured in the American Southeast in the
1500's. Essential skills used during this time such as
tent making.sewing, sword fighting. clay oven cook-
ing, cannon firing, crossbow shooting, matchlock
musket drill and firing, pike drill and making tools
will be demonstrated.
 Fort Caroline National Memorial is free and open
to the public daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. For more infor-
mation visit www.nps.gov/timu. Click on "Events" or
"History and Culture."
PECK
ENSEMBLE
 In celebration
of Black History
Month, the
Fernandina Little
Theatre is again
sponsoring a con-
cert by the Peck Community Ensemble.
 "The Spiritual: A Historical Reflection in Song"
will be presented on Feb. 3 at4 p.m. at the


Macedonia A.M.E. Church. 202 S. Ninth St., down-
town Fernandina Beach. Tickets are $10 for adults
and $3 for children and can be purchased at The
UPS Store in the Publix shopping center and at FLT,
1014 Beech St. For information about this and other
Fernandina Little Theatre events, visit ameliaflt.org.

ISLAND ART
 The Island Art
Association. 18 N.
Second Street,
Fernandina Beach.
announces the Nouveau
Art Show for
February/March. "Two
Color Composition." The
juried show, judged by
watercolorist Judy Wagner. opens Feb. 1 with a
reception from 5-8 p.m.
 Call 261-7020 or visit www.islandart.org.

CHILDREN'S
MUSICAL
 "A Kid's Life"
comes to the Wilson
Center for the Arts.
FCCJ South
Campus, on Jan.29
at7 p.m.
 "A Kid's Life" is a
heart-warming'
musical filled with
upbeat music, dazzling dance and adorable charac-
ters. Zack, a 5-year-old boy and his golden retriever
and best friend, Starsky, embark on a fun-filled


adventure through their hometown where they
befriend Zoe, a spunky girl who is new to town and
rather shy. Over the course of the day Zack and Zoe
encounter many new friends that teach them won-
derful life lessons along the way.
 Tickets are $19.50. Call 1-888-860-BWAY or visit
www.artistseries.fccj.org.

KINGSLEY CELEBRATION
 The public is invited to join the staff at the
Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in
Jacksonville for the 10th annual'Kingsley Heritage
Celebration each Saturday in
February. Each weekend
will feature a special
afternoon event, begin-
ning ~ eb2 with the
"Ot er War of 1812
with Dr. James
Cusick.curator
of the P.K. Kingsley Heritage Celebration 2008
Yonge Library of
Florida History at the University of Florida.
 A highlight of the event series will be a descen-
dants' reunion on Feb.23. which is open to the pub-
lic.
 Sponsored by the National Park Service's
Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve and the
Florida Humanities Council, the event series is free -
and open to the public.
 Located off Heckscher Drive/AlA one-half mile
north of the St. Johns River ferry landing. Kingsley
Plantation is open daily at no charge from 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. For more information, call (904) 251-3537 or
visit www.nps.gov/timu.

Submit items to Sian Perry, sperry@fbnewsleader.com


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 FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2008
-NEWS-LEADER/FERNANDINA BEACH, FL -


Artist tckes a new turn