By: Amaris Delack

Located on the south side of Jacksonville is a salon called Glam Hair Studio. Glam Hair Studio opened in November 2011 and is still a full-service salon. They maintain a friendly, professional, and creative environment that respects diversity, ideas, and hard work.  

One of the cosmetologists working at the salon is Michael Quaintance. Michael is also known as the Hairking and has worked at Glam for several years. “I’ve been working at Glam for about 7 years, and I’ve been a cosmetologist for about 14 years,” he said. “I’ve always known as a child that I was interested in some form of fashion. But hair. I stuck to hair. I was interested in it. I like to cut my hair and play with other people’s hair. I like making people feel good about themselves. Make people feel beautiful; that’s why I enjoy the more side of it,” he said.  

Michael’s years of experience as a hairstylist has landed him many clients—one of those clients being Latoya Emerson. Latoya Emerson has been with Michael for five years and even followed him to Glam when he used to work at his old studio. “I used to go to Michael at another salon, and I looked him up. I tried other beauticians, and I was like, eh, they aren’t really doing it for me, and I was like, “Let me find him again, and I found that he was here, and I was like, okay great,” she said.  

Glam is a full-servicing salon that offers hair services for any texture and race. “We cut color, weave, we do it all; we have a barber, so we do just about anything,” Quaintance said.  

Glam Hair Studio is a boutique-styled salon that creates trendy and modern hairstyles. They specialize in natural hair, kertains, custom colors, braids, makeup, and more. They also do prom, bridal, and special occasion hair and makeup. Their mission is to improve the health and appearance of each client’s hair. They strive to make people confident and happy. 

By: Allison Benning

Every Monday night at K1 Speed, the sound of tires revving on a go-kart track is not the only thing you will hear. You’ll probably hear some country songs, boots scuffling on the floor, and instructions on how to two-step.  

Those sounds are courtesy of the Honkytonk Hammerheads, a country line and swing dancing group that meets at K1 speed, and also have lessons at Surfer the Bar in Jacksonville Beach every other Thursday. In addition to these opportunities, the Honkytonk Hammerheads will occasionally host workshops, where they bring in instructors from all over the country to give large classes.  

Three years ago, Kristen Buttrey and Jack Heeren were looking for ways to spend their Saturday night that weren’t just going to the bar and drinking. Luckily for them, they found line dancing. They started taking classes of their own and watching YouTube videos to learn how to dance. Then, they got good enough where they could start teaching people how to dance.  

When they figured out they wanted to teach dance, Buttrey and Heeren created the Honkytonk Hammerheads. What started as a small group of eight people that began learning how to dance in Heeren’s living room turned into a large group of people that meet up every Monday to dance. 

Maggie Bourgholtzer discovered Honkytonk Hammerheads last year. She had already known how to line and swing dance, but wanted to take her friends and find a group that was faith-based. She found the Honkytonk Hammerheads, and hasn’t turned back since. Now, she helps instruct their Monday line dance classes. 

The Honkytonk Hammerheads take pride in their ability to teach people of all skill levels. However, what really drives Buttrey and Heeren is their faith and “glorifying Jesus.” Their motto is Matthew 5:16, which says “In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in Heaven.” 

For more information and a full schedule of classes, visit their Instagram page @honkytonkhammerheads. 

By: Isa Leen

Along the coast of Ponte Vedra is the Guana River Reserve. It is one of the few estuaries in Florida and many enjoy nature and wildlife while hiking and biking. The secret to its beauty? It is in the hands of the researchers and those willing to volunteer.  

There are 30 national estuary research reserves and three of them are in Florida. Serving as a meeting point between freshwater rivers and saltwater seas, estuaries are vital nurseries for countless marine species.  

Since preserving the area asks for a lot of hands-on work, every effort counts toward ensuring that future generations can enjoy the reserve as much as we do today. From collecting data to sea turtle patrol, the researchers would not be able to do their work without the help of volunteers.  

For volunteers, Guana is more than a place where people enjoy nature. It is a feeling of being part of something bigger.  

Tom Meister, volunteer since May 2024, is addicted to working on the reserve ever since he started. If you can’t find him out on the trails, he is probably working in the garden or at the beach. It gives him hope for the future to see young researchers work at the reserve. 

The reserve always needs more volunteers. To get involved, visit their website:  https://gtmnerr.org/volunteer/