11/11/22 - We had a wonderful time celebrating our Veterans at the parade this morning. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

11/6/22 @ 10:15 a.m. 

Nassau County Parks & Recreation invites you to Nassau County's first Christmas Tree Lighting! The event will take place on Saturday, December 3rd at 5pm in front of the Robert M. Foster Justice Center located at 76347 Veterans Way. 

The event will feature music by the Nassau Community band, food vendors, vendors selling holiday appropriate gifs, pictures with Santa, and a showing of "Elf" on the giant movie screen. 

If you're interested in signing up to be a vendor, please call 904-530-6120 or email Parks & Recreation Director, Jay Robertson, at jrobertson@nassaucountyfl.com. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Office

11/7/22 @ 8:45 a.m. - Approximately 150 people gathered Saturday morning to celebrate the opening of Nassau Crossing Park located 77480 William Burgess Blvd. in Yulee. This park is a result of a public-private partnership between the Board of County Commissioners and Matovina & Associates, the developer for the nearby Nassau Crossing community. 

The County and Matovina & Associates originally broke ground on Phase One of the park in September 2019 and since then, residents have been anxiously waiting its completion. Perhaps the most anxiously awaited feature of the park has been the children's play area which features two enclosed playgrounds, one built for our littlest residents and another for our growing residents looking for more thrills. This second playground features swings, rock walls, a treehouse, and Nassau County's tallest slide! 

The park also has 2.5 miles of multi-use trails, restrooms, picnic areas with gazebos, outdoor fitness stations, open green space and an abundance of beautiful trees and greenery. The community plaza contains a unique train caboose that signifies and celebrates the area's rich railroad history.

Saturday's celebration began with a welcome message by Board Chairman, Jeff Gray, followed by opening remarks from Parks & Recreation Director, Jay Robertson. Next, Greg Matovina spoke about how his partnership with the County made this project a reality. He stated, "several years ago, I emailed the Growth Management Director (now County Manager) Taco Pope telling him I would like a meeting to discuss how to rezone some property from industrial to residential. A few weeks later during that meeting, Taco took my map and drew on it. Then he said "this is where the park goes, this is where the commercial and multi-family units go, and this is where your single family homes go...we're gonna work this out so you can do what you do (build your neighborhood) and we (the County) can make it the best it can be for Nassau County."  Mr. Matovina went on to say, "If there's any one person that I would say deserves the most applause, it's Taco."

Last to speak was County Manager Pope who shared his excitement about seeing the project come to fruition. He stated, "I grew up right down the street near US 17 and Radio Avenue. I then moved in the late 80's to Radio Avenue. I bought my first house on Harts Road. This is my neighborhood and we had nothing like this growing up. To be here in this position opening this park... I couldn't have ever imagined this as a kid. I really appreciate everyone's work and this partnership with Mr. Matovina and his crew". 
​
Following the ceremonial Ribbon Cutting, the gates were opened and dozens of kids ran as fast as they could to the playground. It was truly a wonderful site to see!

Coming next year in Phase Two are (2) two multi-use fields, nature outlooks, a water feature, and gated a dog park with nine activities for pups of all sizes and ability. All of these additions are anticipated to be completed in 2023.


-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

11/4/22 @ 11:10 a.m.

​Nassau County Parks & Recreation hosted the biggest and best Halloween party in town last weekend! Several thousand people came and enjoyed a variety of activities including trick-or-treating, hayrides, inflatables and a zombie hunt.

If you were in attendance, we would love to hear your thoughts. What was your favorite part? Is there anything we could do better? We appreciate any feedback as we plan to make this an annual event that just gets better and better.

Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us!

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

10/28/22 @ 8:40 a.m. - It's finally time for the Halloween Festival and we are so excited to see everyone tonight! We wanted to take a moment to share details about the event again to make sure everyone knows exactly where to go and what we have in store for you. 

The Festival will take place place from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the Yulee Sports Complex located at 86142 Goodbread Road, Yulee. Please note that early election is taking place in the gym so the small parking lot directly in front of the gym can only be used for individuals coming to vote. All attendee parking will take place along Goodbread Road. The Nassau County Sheriff's Office will be there to provide traffic control. 

We have a total of 78 booths from local businesses, organizations, and community groups who will distribute candy in our Trick or Treat Alley (while supplies last). 

Above, we have a detailed site map to help you find your way around.

Here's a quick reminder of the scheduled of events as well. 

Gates Open:
5:00 p.m.

Costume Contest (open to children, adults, families and pets): 
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.. No entries will be judged after 6:30 p.m. so please don't be late!

Zombie Scavenger Hunt (ages 10 - 17) 
To participate, visit Big B's Yard Cards Booth (first booth on Trick or Treat Alley) to get a scorecard and instructions on the game. The first hunt begins at 5:30 p.m. so you must be in line by 5:20 p.m. The second hunt begins at 6:00 pm. so please be in line by 5:50 p.m. 

Trick or Treat Alley:
Open from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. 

Bounce houses, face painting, games, hayrides, and concessions 
​Open from 5:00-8:00 p.m. 

This event is FREE to Nassau County residents. However you are encouraged to bring some cash for the face painting booth and for concessions (food/drink) which will be sold to benefit the Yulee Basketball Association.

-Sabrina Robertson
​ Public Information Officer

10/27/22 @ 1:25 p.m. - The Board of County Commissioners would like to invite you to attend a Grand Opening Event for the Nassau Crossing Park located at 77480 William Burgess Blvd. 

The park currently includes 2.5 miles of multi-use trails, children's play equipment, restrooms, picnic area with gazebos, outdoor fitness stations, open green space and a community plaza with a train caboose. Coming next year are two multi-use fields, nature outlooks, a water feature, and a dog park. 

This park is the result of a public-private partnership between the Board and developer, Matovina & Company. Matovina & Company donated the land and funded construction of the 15 acre park. We are grateful for these partnerships as they allow amenities to be built quickly and at a more affordable rate. 

At the Groundbreaking Ceremony held on September 27, 2019, Greg Matovina stated, "We are proud to partner with Nassau County to meet the recreational needs of current and future residents of the County."

The Board of County Commissioners looks forward to celebrating with the community on Saturday, November 5,2022 at 10:00 a.m. 

If you have any questions, please contact Parks & Recreation Director, Jay Robertson, at (904) 530-6120 or via email at jrobertson@nassaucountyfl.com. 

-Sabrina Robertson
​ Public Information Officer

10/27/22 @ 9:15 a.m. -

This morning, we would like to extend a special thanks to Airey Pest Control for providing pest control services at Yulee Ballpark ahead of Friday's Halloween Festival. This family owned and operated business has been providing pest management services in Northeast Florida since 1997 and is centered around community improvement. We appreciate them reaching out and offering to donate their services so that we can all enjoy a pest free experience Friday evening. 

-Sabrina Robertson
​ Public Information Officer

10/26/22 @ 10:45 a.m. - You asked and we delivered! This year, we have added a fun and exciting activity for teens and pre-teens, ages 10-17. The Amelia Island Escape Room and Big B's Yard Cards are bringing a Zombie Scavenger Hunt to the event.

We will have two hunts where participants have to locate the 8 zombies (pictured below) hidden throughout the event, in a race to see who can find all of them first! Score cards will be handed out at the Big B's Yard Cards booth at 5:20 p.m. for the 5:30 p.m. scavenger hunt and again at 5:50 for the 6:00 p.m. scavenger hunt. 

Winners of each round will receive a 4 person pass to the Amelia Island Escape Room. We are so grateful to the Amelia Island Escape Room for donating the passes and to Big B's Yard Cards for making the zombie cards. 

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

COSTUME CONTEST - PRIZES ANNOUNCED

As you may have heard, our Halloween Festival Friday night will feature costume contests for kinds, adults, families, and pets. Anyone wishing to enter a costume contest must arrive and be in line by 5:30 p.m. Costume judging will end at 6:30 so don't be late!

There will be prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for each category. A big thank you to the following businesses for donating prizes for the contest!

-Kids Costume winners: gift certificates to Villa Villekula Toy Store
-Adult Costume winners: gift certificates to the Palace Saloon
-Family Costume winners: 4 passes to the zoo, a Twilight Cruise by Her Money Fishing Charters; or a gift
 certificate to Black Cat Pizzeria
-Pet Costume winners: various gift certificates (to be determined)

If you have any questions, please contact Parks & Rec Director, Jay Robertson, at (904) 530-6120 or via email a jrobertson@nassaucountyfl.com.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer