Former Jacksonville Jaguar Rashean Mathis was a guest on Tuesday’s “First Coast Connect,” along with Vee Bird, associate director of diversity and social change at Florida State College at Jacksonville regarding their Bridging the Divide initiative (01:17).
Tuesday is the 90th anniversary of a visit to Jacksonville by aviation legend Charles Lindbergh that he made a few months after his historic flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Ed Booth Jr., past president of the Jacksonville Historical Society, gave us a sense of just what a huge event Lindbergh’s visit was for the city. (32:55).
We heard about the introduction of virtual reality arcades on the First Coast by speaking with VR Junkies co-owner Christopher Yozgat (43:59).
Rashean Mathis and ‘Bridging The Divide’
Rashean Mathis was a fan favorite in Jacksonville for a decade. The former Jaguars cornerback chased NFL offenses in Jacksonville from 2003 to 2012, finishing his career with the Detroit Lions. These days, the Englewood High School graduate spends a lot of time working to improve conditions in his hometown. FSCJ’s Center for Civic Engagement and Student Services is partnering with the Rashean Mathis Foundation to launch Bridging the Divide, a new initiative that will explore the varying issues that create division and conflict throughout our community.
Lindbergh visits Jacksonville Anniversary
Famed aviator Charles Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic in May of 1927. It was a record-settling transatlantic crossing, from New York to Paris. Lindbergh was the greatest celebrity on Earth at the time.
When he returned, Lindbergh toured the United States to adoring crowds in his famous plane, the Spirit of St. Louis. Jacksonville was his only Florida stop.
Ninety-years-ago Tuesday, Lindbergh visited Jacksonville. He was greeted by a crowd of more than 150,000 people. At the time the population of Jacksonville was only around 129,000. Lindbergh’s visit was arguably the biggest event to ever happen in the history of Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville Historical Society is marking the occasion with a special presentation at 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.Tuesday night at Old St. Andrews Church on J. Phillip Randolph.
Virtual Reality Arcades
There’s a new form of entertainment of the First Coast. Two virtual reality arcades have opened recently. VR Gaming in St. Augustine and VR Junkies in Orange Park offer a variety of virtual reality experiences from fighting zombies to nature walks.
Kevin Meerschaert can be reached at kmeerschaert@wjct.org, 904-358-6334 or on Twitter at @KMeerschaertJax.
