It’s difficult to overestimate what a big deal the Beatles were when they came to Jacksonville 50 years ago. It was 1964, the absolute height of Beatlemania. The band had made its first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” just nine months earlier and, at the end of March, held the top five spots on the Billboard singles charts. Boys were growing their hair, girls were screaming themselves hoarse and the group’s first film, “A Hard Day’s Night,” was battling “Mary Poppins” for the top spot at the box office. read more