Main Content RSS FeedFeature Article

Free Harvest of Hope Tickets! (and February Issue - Gay in St. A) »

Everyone either witnessed or heard how awesome last year’s Harvest of Hope Festival was. Click here for your chance to experience this year’s, for free.

February 2010 Drift CoverApparently, this month’s cover is already causing a stir around town. When we considered doing a story on the lives of a few members of the gay community, we wondered if it was even worth covering. Isn’t it kind of old news and not a big deal? Aren’t we all just people who don’t need to be identified by our romantic preferences? We thought we’d find out anyway and interviewed a few folks about their experiences here in the oldest city.

Also this month:
* Artist Jim Collins explores the themes of nature and industry
* The debate over beach driving
* Drift answers questions and gives advice to readers
* Valentine’s day playlists for lovers and haters
* A review of the Molting

Main Content RSS FeedRecent Articles

Being Gay in St. A »

By Ant Perrucci
It’s no great surprise that St. Augustine isn’t what you would call a gay mecca.
It could never be mistaken for San Francisco, Provincetown, Mass. or the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale/Key West area some 300 miles to the south, but St. Augustine does have a growing gay and lesbian community. In a place where straight people are very much the visible face of the town, changes – albeit slow and subtle – are coming, much as they are in the rest of the country.
Last December, Houston elected its first openly gay mayor; in California, courts are mulling over the legality of a ban on same-sex marriages
and last September, Ancient City Pride held its gay pride festival at the St. Augustine Amphitheater for the second year in a row.
Mayor Joe Boles spoke at the event. He didn’t mention the name of the event or its purpose; instead he spoke about the city’s looming 450th anniversary celebration. Still, he spoke.

Read More…

Artist Profile: Jim Collins »

By Nick McGregor

Jim Collins ArtistLooking out from the second-floor Davis Shores workspace of local artist Jim Collins, the waterways of Salt Run and the St. Augustine Inlet loom large. True to the area’s name, a salty breeze blows incessantly, seagulls squabble on the way to and from meals, and the airhorn affixed to the Bridge Of Lions sounds ominously in the distance. It’s the perfect environment for Collins to pursue his dichotomous art: marine creatures — mostly fish, turtles, and waterbirds in various states of graphic decay — depicted on manmade materials like drywall and scrap wood. Collins invited Drift into his studio to talk industrial art, endeavors in Georgia, and the ocean’s inspiration.

Read More…

Local debate: Beach driving »

By Lauren Hill

Beach DrivingThe cessation of driving on the beach at Matanzas Inlet has caused quite a stir amongst beach goers in St. Johns County. Some celebrated the closure to cars as a promise for the preservation of the Inlet’s aesthetic and ecological health. Others claim the closure limits access to the Inlet and are mourning the loss of their individual right to enjoy the beach as they see fit.

Read More…

Valentine’s Day playlists »

Happy Valentine’s Day!

By Beth Romanik
Nearly every month has a holiday (sorry, August), and stores and supermarkets make it obvious what the next holiday will be. February’s hits you in the face with pink and red pretty much right after the Christmas trees come down – Valentine’s Day. I don’t care if you think Valentine’s Day is trite or made-up, it’s still a nice excuse to do something romantic. It can also be a good opportunity to finally make your feelings known to the one you’ve secretly been admiring. If that’s your plan, what better way than with a mixtape? Make the one that follows, and your admiree is sure to fall for you. (And if they don’t, then they’re clearly classless trash, and you’re better off without them.)

Read More…

DEAR DRIFT »

Every month, the Drift staff will answer your questions about life. No subject is taboo: work sex, love, burritos, music, movies, etiquette, whatever. You ask, we will answer.

Have a question? E-mail us at editor@surfthedrift.com.

Dear Drift,
A few months back I was helping my mom go through some things and discovered she had a box full of porno movies and other “items.” My mom acted like it was no big deal and said, “You shouldn’t be ashamed to have sex.” Growing up I always saw my mom as a prude, the type that didn’t even discuss bra, even when she is shopping for one. Now, every time my boyfriend and I try to watch any sexually explicit movie I can’t get the image of my mom being in one of these out of my head. It’s a real mood killer. How do I get the idea of my mom having sex out of my head and over the fact that my own mom is more sexually adventurous than I am?
– Sexually Frustrated in St A

Read More…