News

Wayne Wood

By |2025-09-04T14:56:19-04:00July 29th, 2024|History, Our People|

In the 1960s, calls to potential diners at Morrison’s Cafeteria spilled into the historic downtown park daily: “No waiting on the main floor! No waiting on the main floor!” Jacksonville historian and artist Wayne Wood has many memories of the city’s oldest and most historic park, but this one is especially fond because he was

BREW & BARBECUE RETURNS TO JAMES WELDON JOHNSON PARK FOR YEAR EIGHT

By |2024-07-23T09:00:35-04:00July 23rd, 2024|Uncategorized|

JACKSONVILLE, FL - July 23, 2024 Friends of James Weldon Johnson Park joins with event sponsor Visit Jacksonville to present Brew & Barbecue this Fall on Saturday, October 5th, 2024, from 5 pm to 10 pm. Your favorite JWJ Park festival is back for year EIGHT and it’s going to be better than ever! As always, festival-goers can expect plenty of barbecue-themed food

Uncle Bill

By |2024-07-15T05:45:29-04:00July 15th, 2024|Uncategorized|

Every time the first chords of Mustang Sally begin wafting through James Weldon Johnson Park, you can almost see Uncle Bill.  Lanky and light on his feet, he dances with such joy that people half his age or younger join in. The elder with a New Orleans Saints baseball cap, thick black-framed glasses and a

JWJ Birthday Day of Service Recap

By |2024-06-24T16:38:36-04:00June 24th, 2024|Uncategorized|

Our James Weldon Johnson Birthday Celebration and Park Beautification Day was a HUGE success on Saturday, June 15th! 🎉🎉🎉 We rolled up our sleeves, grabbed our gardening gloves, and transformed our green oasis into an even more enchanting space for everyone to enjoy. 🌳🌷🌿 We planted, cleaned up, and beautified our beloved James Weldon Johnson

Meet Jihan White

By |2024-05-27T06:30:09-04:00May 27th, 2024|Uncategorized|

Public Relations & Marketing Coordinator  Q: How long have you worked here and what drew you to the job?  White: I have been here for about two-and-a-half years, since July of 2021. I had been working in marketing and public relations for a while and was between jobs. I left my position with the Cultural

The Great Fire of 1901

By |2024-04-29T06:45:11-04:00April 29th, 2024|Uncategorized|

The historic marker in James Weldon Johnson Park records the effects of Jacksonville’s Great Fire of 1901 on our city’s cherished public square vividly and specifically:  “The park and its renowned live oaks were devoured by the flames and only the Confederate Monument survived, its base glowing red from the heat.”  The marker also describes

JACKSONVILLE’S 4th ANNUAL EMANCIPATION CELEBRATION RETURNS TO JAMES WELDON JOHNSON PARK IN 2024

By |2024-04-18T17:35:24-04:00April 18th, 2024|Uncategorized|

JACKSONVILLE, FLA., April 18, 2024 – Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman, The Ritz Theater & Museum and the City of Jacksonville are excited to announce the fourth annual Jacksonville Emancipation Celebration taking place in James Weldon Johnson Park. The festival will take place on Sunday, May 19, 2024 in an effort to educate the community about the

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